#what a funny coincidence that you were also my secret santa | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

angevon · 7 years

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AO3 - Souji

ffnet - Souji

DW - Yu

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For the @personasecretsanta2k17! My giftee was @booked-a-nook / @booking-a-nook.

Established relationship souyo + lots of Teddie fluff

"Seriously?!" Yosuke jumped out of his desk chair in excitement, nearly dropping his phone. He caught it with fumbling fingers then shoved it back to his ear. "You're visiting Inaba this weekend?"

"Yeah," said Souji on the other end. "Will you be able to pick me up at the station tomorrow evening?"

"Heck yeah! Not even a shift at Junes can stop me from being there. When will it be?"

Yosuke's ear burned from how close he held the phone to it as he listened intently to his boyfriend's travel plans. When Souji ended the call with a "See you soon," Yosuke stammered out, "M-miss you."

Even after the call ended, Yosuke held the phone to his ear, as if wishful thinking could bring Souji's voice back on the line. The call had been so short. Usually they'd talk for hours. But he knew his boyfriend had to start packing now if he was going to be here tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Teddie's blond head peeked around the corner of the room's doorframe. "Yosukeeee," he said, charging into the room a half-second later. "Was that Sensei? Your face is all red, it has to be Sensei!"

"Wh-what of it, bear?" Yosuke mumbled, blushing harder.

Teddie snatched the phone out of his hands before he could do anything about it. "Senseiiii," Teddie cried into it. He held it to his ear, then looked at the phone, shook it, and tried again. "Huh, he's not there. Yosuke, call him back! I want to hear his manly voice! The manly voice that makes your heart pound oh-so-much!"

"We don't need to call him back," Yosuke said, grabbing the phone and holding it over his head, just out of Teddie's reach. "He's going to be here tomorrow."

Teddie gasped and stars began to shine in his eyes. "Sensei will be here tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah," Yosuke said. "Just for the weekend, but..."

Teddie's big smile leveled up to 'huge.' "Oh, Yosuke, it's been ever so long since you've seen your hunny-bear."

"I told you not to call him that!"

Wait, that wasn't a smile on Teddie's face anymore—that was a smirk!

"Yosuke," Teddie said matter-of-factly. "It's vital that you impress him when he arrives!" He made a grand gesture, throwing his arms wide open. "I know just what to do to get your bearomones going!"

"I-I don't need your help," Yosuke protested. "Souji... he already likes me."

Though, the distance made it hard, and he always had his doubts...

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't look your beary best! Here," Teddie said. "Stand tall!"

He nudged a confused Yosuke into standing straighter.

"Now," Teddie went on, "puff out your chest, just like this!"

Teddie took a deep breath and was puffing his chest out in an exaggerated way.

"Like this," he wheezed, trying not to breathe out much air. "Stand tall and proud, like a man's man!"

"I don't think that's—"

"Oh!" Teddie suddenly let out all his breath as he distracted himself with another idea. "You should wear a suit."

"A suit?" Yosuke repeated. "I don't even have one. And even if I did I wouldn't..."

As high energy as always, Teddie was already ruffling through the closet. Or at least, what little of the closet he hadn't claimed as his own and was still used for clothing storage. "Ta~daaaaa~"

He emerged from the closet with one of the butler suits Souji had once given all the boys on the Investigation Team to wear for... fun? To fill some secret servant fetish? Yosuke never did figure that out. "I am not wearing that," he said flatly.

"With this you can sweep Sensei off his feet. Literally!"

"No," Yosuke said, shaking his head. "This is what I'm going to wear."

He strode to the closet and picked out his favorite shirt.

"But Yosuke," Teddie whined, "you wear that all the time!"

"And that's exactly why I should wear it," Yosuke said. "Souji needs to know that I'm still me, you know? "

"You can't be anyone else, Yosuke. So why not dress up nice? At least pin a romantic rose to your breast!" Teddie toyed with the cloth rose attached to his fancy shirt, pulling it up towards his nose as if it had a smell. After a year of wearing it almost every day, it was honestly a surprise the rose hadn't torn off by now—especially considering all the trauma Teddie had put it through.

"I'll be fine," Yosuke said. "Besides, if I did anything different from normal, Souji would think something was up."

"But something is up," Teddie said.

He paused dramatically, waiting for Yosuke to ask what. Yosuke sighed and gave in. "What's up, Ted?"

"Your heart rate whenever you think of Sensei!"

He followed it up with a 'badum tish.' Yosuke just rolled his eyes. He wanted to be annoyed, but in a way it was a relief that Teddie was so supportive of their relationship, even if he was so... Teddie about it.

"All right, all right, Teddie, that's enough," he said, pushing the boy towards his closet. "We have a busy day tomorrow. Let's get ready for bed, okay?"

Teddie glanced back at him while being pushed. "I'm sure you'll have the sweetest, Sensei-est dreams tonight~~"

"You too," Yosuke said, and for once, Teddie didn't have a counter.

The next day, Yosuke waited with Teddie at the train station platform for Souji to arrive. Every other minute, Teddie would squint down the tracks and ask Yosuke if he could see the train.

"Calm down," Yosuke said. "It's not supposed to arrive for another half hour. We might as well sit down."

"What if it comes early?" Teddie asked.

Yosuke took a seat on a bench. "Nah, the trains run like clockwork. It can't get here early or else it'd be bad or people who need to get on."

Teddie glanced around the empty train station. "We aren't getting on."

"No, but like, someone could miss the train." Yosuke sighed. "Ah, nevermind! It makes more sense in a busier place."

"I just want Sensei to get here faster," Teddie said. He sat down next to Yosuke. "We haven't seen him in years!"

Yosuke couldn't help but smile at his exaggeration. It was only a month and three days, but it sure felt like years. Yosuke put his arm around Teddie comfortingly. "He'll be here soon. You just need to be patient."

"But Yosuke, you weren't patient! You made us leave the house so fast I didn't get to bring a Topsicle like I wanted!"

"You can have two when we get back home."

"Yay!" Teddie leaned into Yosuke happily. "One for me and one for Sensei! But none for you." He frowned for a second before nodding to himself. "You can share with Sensei."

"I sure can, Ted."

Teddie yawned and snuggled into Yosuke's side. "How much longer now?"

"I don't know," Yosuke said. "Twenty minutes?"

"Unbearably long," Teddie whined. He yawned again.

Yosuke yawned too and blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He felt Teddie's grip on his t-shirt slacken, and watched as his breathing became slower and steadier. He was falling asleep.

Yosuke looked down the tracks, wishing idly that he'd brought his headphones to listen to something while he waited. He could bring out his phone, but he didn't want to disturb Teddie. Instead he watched a trio of birds hopping along the tracks. Their happy chirps were almost musical, and the way they hopped it was like they were trying to avoid walking for some reason. He knew they could walk, he'd seen the same kind of birds at the Junes food court hauling ass like their little lives depended on it with stolen chips in their beaks. They had to be just playing around.

Then the birds suddenly flew away, clearing the tracks as the train pulled up.

Before Yosuke knew it, Souji was getting off the train. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the characteristic high collar and some dark gray pants. Yosuke smiled to himself, happy that he'd made the right choice in wearing the same as always, since Souji hadn't changed things up either.

Souji carried a small duffel bag over his shoulder, probably with a couple days' worth of clothes to wear for the weekend. He spied Yosuke immediately and headed his way.

Yosuke waved at him with his free hand as he approached. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I'd hug you but..."

Souji observed the way Teddie was using Yosuke's shoulder as a pillow. "I think I'm jealous," he said.

"Of Teddie?" Yosuke asked in an incredulous tone. "Well... he does have a better hairstyle than you."

"Well, now I'm just sad," Souji said, setting a hand on his hip. "We haven't seen each other in forever and the first thing you do is insult me."

"No, the first thing I said was that I was sorry I couldn't hug you! Weren't you listening?"

"We can still hug," Souji said.

Yosuke shook his head. "Nuh-uh, I am not doing a sitting hug. They're way too awkward."

Souji gauged the bench Yosuke and Teddie were on. "I wonder if I could hug both of you at once."

"You'd wake him up. Though I guess we'll have to wake him soon anyway." Yosuke looked down at the boy sleeping against him. "You know," he said in a whisper, "he probably didn't sleep much last night. Too excited to see you."

"What about you?" Souji asked in a teasing tone.

Yosuke didn't answer, but he felt his cheeks warm up anyway.

A moment later Teddie stirred from his dozing. He blinked a few times before registering that Souji was there, then leaped to his feet and tackled him in a hug that knocked him back a few steps.

"Oh Sensei I missed you so much you'll be so proud of me I can count to a hundred and there was a party and I made balloons and Nana-chan was there and—"

Souji laughed, patting him on the back and smiling fondly. "I missed you too, Teddie."

Teddie stepped back and beamed at Souji. Then he glanced at Yosuke and motioned at him.

"What?" said Yosuke.

"Your turn! Hug your honey-bear!"

Yosuke rubbed the back of his neck. "G-geez..."

"Don't be shy~"

Souji opened his arms and gave Yosuke an irresistible lost puppy look. Yosuke didn't throw himself into Souji's arms like Teddie had. He didn't have to. As soon as he was within hug distance Souji pulled him into a tight embrace.

And didn't let go for a good long moment. "Missed you," Souji murmured into his shoulder.

"Y-yeah... me too," Yosuke murmured back.

They drew back, only to be interrupted by Teddie:

"Now kiss!" he cried.

"Teddie!" Yosuke scolded.

Teddie stomped his feet on the train platform. "Kiss kiss kiss!"

"Oh my god." Yosuke rolled his eyes, but Souji was looking at him expectantly. Feeling a little lightheaded, all he could really do was go with it.

He planned to leave Souji a chaste kiss on the cheek but his partner had other ideas, redirecting his lips to his own and slotting their mouths together for a more lingering kiss. Though startled, Yosuke relaxed and let it happen. Souji needed this, and to be honest, so did he. Any insecurities he had regarding the long distance faded away. Souji really had missed him.

When they parted, Yosuke felt giddy and breathless and almost tried to kiss him again, but then he remembered they had an audience. They had to preserve what little innocence Teddie had left.

"A-ahem," Yosuke said, readjusting his collar. "Anyway, let's go home."

"Homeward bound!" Teddie lifted a fist into the air and led the way.

"Home?" Souji asked Yosuke while they were walking out of the station. "Teddie lives with you? I thought the TV World was his home now that it's safe."

"He gets too lonely there," Yosuke replied. "And he'll be the first to tell you: there aren't any Topsicles there. So, yeah, he still lives in my closet, for the most part."

"That's so nice of you, Yosuke," Souji said. "And your family too."

"He's charmed my mom, let me tell you. She's always bringing snacks home for him. And Dad, well, he's just happy to have another hard worker. Believe it or not, Teddie's reliable."

"I'm right here, Yosuke!" Teddie piped up. "I can hear every word."

"I'm giving you a compliment."

"A backhanded compliment," Souji said, "but still a compliment."

"I want a compliment from Sensei!" Teddie said, bouncing as he walked.

"You have beautiful eyes," Souji said.

"Uhh," said Yosuke. "Try something a little less superficial, partner."

"My eyes!" Teddie stopped in his tracks. He pointed up at the cloudless blue sky. "I grew them this way. Your world's sky was my inspiration!"

"If you could grow eyes," Souji said, rubbing his chin in thought, "why stop at two? You could've had a third eye, right in the middle of your forehead."

"D-don't give him ideas!" Yosuke protested.

"Oh, Sensei," Teddie said wistfully. "You know I just didn't think of that."

"Wait," Yosuke said. "If you grew your body, why do you have a belly button?"

"If he didn't have one," Souji said, "that'd be pretty weird."

"You kidding? That'd be the least weird thing about him. He already stands out like a sore thumb. He had a couple of foreigners speaking English at him last week, thinking he was one of them."

"I told them 'no comprende' ten times and they still wouldn't listen," Teddie said with a sigh.

"Maybe because that's not English."

"Arrivederci," Teddie said as they walked up to the Hanamura residence. "It means 'we're here.'"

"It does not!" Yosuke, long-suffering, shook his head in aggravation while he unlocked the door. "And that's not English either."

"C'est la vie," Teddie said with another sigh. "Yosuke just doesn't understand. It doesn't matter what you say, as long as it sounds cool and mysterious and foreign. That's the trick to capturing a maiden's heart! Though," he said, nudging Souji, "I suppose our Yosuke doesn't need any tricks when he has you."

"Wait," said Souji, "are you saying Yosuke isn't cool and mysterious and foreign?"

Yosuke turned a flat stare on his partner, who was feigning disappointment.

Souji added, "I want my heart back."

Yosuke ignored him by pushing the door open and going inside.

While they were changing their shoes at the entryway, Souji asked if Yosuke's parents were home.

Yosuke shook his head. "You couldn't have timed this trip any better, partner. Mom and Dad are out of town for some Junes corporate meeting. We have the house to ourselves tonight!" He paused. "Why do you look so disappointed?"

"I was hoping for some of your mom's cooking," Souji said.

"We have some!" Teddie said, dancing his way towards the kitchen. "In the fridgerator. Mama-mura's homemade recipes, made with motherly love and entirely too much cumin."

"Leftovers probably aren't the same, huh? I didn't really think about what you'd want to eat tonight." Yosuke considered the problem. "Aiya delivery? Though you probably have plenty of ramen shops in the city to go to."

"None of them can access the meat dimension," Souji said. "Aiya is fine."

"You got it," said Yosuke. He took out his phone and began to dial a number. "Anything in particular you want?"

"Whatever you get will be fine."

"Oh! Oh!" said Teddie, jumping up and down. "I want a pan-seared filet mignon with garlic and herb butter!"

"Where did that even come from?" Yosuke asked. "Have you been watching cooking shows with my mom?"

"I think Sensei could be an Iron Chef," Teddie said. "He can make a meal out of anything!"

"He might eat just about anything," Yosuke mused, "but he didn't come all this way to cook for us. Ted, could you quiet down for a sec while I order? Thanks."

"But I also want foie gras and truffles and caviar and—"

Souji gently tugged Teddie into another room to give Yosuke some peace. Yosuke sent him a grateful smile. He ordered enough food for the three of them plus some extra. From experience he knew Teddie would sometimes eat more than a normal person his size would eat, so it never hurt to have more. Worst case scenario, there'd be more leftovers in the fridge.

After placing the order, Yosuke joined the others in the living room. Teddie was in an armchair and Souji was leaning against the back of it, listening as the bear told some wild tale of his last shift at Junes. Souji laughed when Teddie got to the punchline, though Yosuke couldn't tell if it was actually funny or if he was just being polite.

"So, what do you want to do?" Yosuke asked, sauntering over. "Got some time before the food arrives."

"What do you normally do about now?" Souji asked.

"Oh, you know." Yosuke shrugged. "On a normal day, Teddie would be watching foreign dramas with my mom. That's probably where he learned all those foreign words. And I'd be in my room, relaxing a bit before doing some studying."

Yosuke waited, expecting a sarcastic joke about him actually studying—Chie had totally made fun of him for suddenly applying himself this year when he'd been so lax last year—but Souji looked proud to hear it.

And then Souji was smiling. "And by relax you mean listening to music," he said. He pulled something square and flat out of his duffel bag and handed it to Yosuke. "Here, this is for you."

"What is—oh my god, you didn't!" Yosuke held up the CD case to the light, drawing his fingers lovingly over the cover. "How did you know, they don't sell this out here, where did you find it?"

"A little bear told me you were looking for this. There are plenty of record stores in the city. It only took three for me to find it."

"You went to all that effort just for me..." Without even realizing it, Yosuke sent Souji the most smoldering look he could manage.

"That's amore," said Teddie.

"It sure is," said Souji.

Yosuke shook his head to clear it. "C-come on," he complained. "I'm not... not ready to use words like that."

"But you'll tell him every other way," Teddie said. "Dressing up nice, or the same as always—I tried, Sensei, believe me I tried—setting a love song as his ringtone, calling him every night, sighing every time you think of him... It can be no other thing."

"An open and shut case," Souji said, nodding.

"Whose side are you on?" Yosuke crossed his arms.

"The side of love, clearly," Teddie said. He sighed dramatically. "If only I could find love as true."

"The problem is you're trying too hard, Ted," said Yosuke. "I mean, Souji and I, we kinda fell into it naturally."

"Best friends turned lovers, eh?" Teddie said. "A popular trope."

"I guess that's how it was," Yosuke said.

"That's exactly how it was," Souji said. He gave Yosuke a peck on the cheek. Yosuke found himself at a loss for words.

Fortunately a knock on the door meant he didn't need any. The food had arrived! After paying for the delivery, Yosuke took the food into the kitchen, and Souji and Teddie followed him there.

Teddie took a long sniff of the takeout beef bowls that Yosuke had set on the counter. "Ahhh, you ordered the good stuff! That's our Yosuke."

Yosuke pulled the croquettes out of the big paper bag and handed one to Souji, who looked confused. "Wait, these aren't from Aiya..."

"When I ordered from Aiya I asked Aika-chan to stop by Souzai Daigaku on the way over," Yosuke explained. "She's cool like that. For repeat customers, anyway. But don't worry about the details, just eat! You gotta be hungry after that long train ride, partner."

The croquettes were as tough as always, but that was part of their charm. When they moved onto the beef bowls, it became a little messy. Yosuke had long ago given up on telling Teddie not to slurp his noodles. Fortunately Souji took the broth stains on his dress shirt in good stride.

"I bet you really miss this delicious food, Sensei," Teddie said.

Souji, wearing a kind of pained smile, shook his head. "I do, but what I miss more is... this." He waved his hand indicating the three of them.

"Eating with all of us?" Yosuke guessed. "We'll have to get everyone together tomorrow, just like old times! Besides, you'll need to see Nanako-chan."

"Tomorrow," Souji agreed. "Today... it's you." He paused. "And Teddie, of course."

"Sensei..." Teddie said. "I feel so loved."

"Friendship is a type of amore too," Souji told him.

With a soft cry, Teddie gave him a big bear hug right around his waist. Souji patted his head and looked over at Yosuke. Their eyes caught, and Yosuke found his heart racing. Souji looked so happy...

After the meal and subsequent kitchen cleaning, they returned to the living room.

"Now what?" Yosuke asked.

"I'm as stuffed as a toy bear," Teddie said, "and ready to hibearnate! We should get wrapped up under the blankets and watch a movie."

"Sounds good to me," said Souji. "Who'll sit where?"

"Sensei in the center," Teddie demanded.

Smiling, Souji sat in the middle of the couch. Teddie immediately usurped his left side and cuddled close. After getting the DVD player set up, Yosuke sat at Souji's right. Not a second later Souji put an arm around him and pulled him close. Teddie grabbed a blanket from the floor and put it over the three of them, making it quite cozy. Yosuke found it a little confining, though—his leg kept bouncing under the blanket.

The movie had hardly started and Teddie was already snoring. "Just like this at the train station," Souji said, smiling fondly down at him. "He really was tired, huh..."

"Too much excitement," Yosuke said. "Though we barely did anything today. Or, bearly. It might be a food coma, that was a lot of food."

"Say, Yosuke..."

"Yeah, partner?"

"When we leave for college, what will happen to him?"

Yosuke blinked at him and took a moment to answer. "He can still live here, I guess. My family probably won't mind. He can keep my mom company while I'm gone."

"Well..." Souji said. By the hesitant way he said it, he had another idea in mind. "I know we haven't talked about it much, but... I was hoping we'd go to the same college. Or at least, go to college in the same city."

Yosuke froze. It was noticeable because his bouncing leg stilled under the blanket.

"So we could live together," Souji finished.

"You... are you serious?" Yosuke asked slowly.

"I'm always serious."

"You are not." There was a pause. "But... I believe you're serious now."

"I'm serious about you," Souji said. "So..." Under the blanket, he found Yosuke's hand and squeezed it. "If you're willing to try living with me..."

"Hell yes," Yosuke said, entwining their fingers and pressing hard into his side. "Damn," he mumbled into the cloth of Souji's shirt. "That'd be like a dream come true."

"You said you've been studying. I think you can make it to college."

"Yeah... I'm doing my best."

"I believe in you," Souji said firmly. "And even if college doesn't happen, we can still live together. I want to. This distance thing... it's so hard."

"Yeah," Yosuke admitted quietly. "It is."

Souji shifted a little, careful not to disturb Teddie, to get more comfortable and pull Yosuke even closer. Yosuke soon found the loving expression on his face a little too much to bear and looked away, pretending to focus on the movie that neither of them were watching.

He was happy, though... cuddling with his best friend, his partner, his... lover... and knowing he was happy too. If they lived together, this could be his everyday. Of course, they'd have bills to pay, and college classes to study for, and all that, so it wouldn't be easy, but...

"It's amore," he mumbled, hiding his face under the blanket.

He felt Souji kiss his hair, and he wanted to melt. Souji didn't stop there, kissing him again on his forehead, his temple, his nose, and then pushing the blanket down from his face to reach his lips.

Yosuke smiled into the kiss, his knees feeling weak even though he wasn't standing.

And when they parted, Souji was smiling in that way that made it seem like everything was all right in the world.

It faded a moment later. "Oh," said Souji. "You made me lose my train of thought there."

"It can wait," Yosuke said, running his tongue over his lips in anticipation of more smooching.

Souji shook his head. "It's about Teddie."

Hearing his name, Teddie stirred against his side. They watched him carefully, but he remained asleep.

"Yeah?" Yosuke asked, matching his quiet voice.

"I was thinking... he could live with us too."

Yosuke chuckled. "He'd love that. Seeing his sensei everyday."

"I'm serious," said Souji. "They say three's a crowd, but... spending this evening here with both of you. It feels... like we're a family."

Yosuke felt him shift again on the couch, this time resettling Teddie at his side.

"The little brother I never had," Yosuke said.

"You still let him live with you, even though you don't have to," Souji said. "I can tell you care about him."

"He is family," Yosuke said simply.

"So... we'll be family."

"Yeah."

This time, Souji leaned into him.

#persona 4 #souyo #personasecretsanta17 #booked a nook #booking a nook #my fic #what a funny coincidence that you were also my secret santa #*sideeyes dojimmy*#i think it worked out for the best though i still love my gift hahah #and this #well #it went through a lot of revisions because i had trouble figuring out what i wanted to do #at first it was going to be christmas themed #but then i was like no i have to include all the team for that #and i dont have time for that sadly #and there was some trouble organizing it but i'm pretty happy with it now #i wish teddie and yosuke had more brotherly interactions in the game like this #i have more appreciation for teddie now after writing this :)

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suchalonelysunflower · 4 years

Text

Merry Crisis (a.i)

Pairing: Ashton Irwin (ft.5SOS) X Fem!reader (Dad!Ash)

Summary: Shopping is always stressful, but when you have a baby on the way... it can become a chaos, especially when you have 3 crazy best friends with you.

Warnings: Language. Fluff and some crackhead moments. Reader uses she/her pronouns. Mentions of Birth. Some grammar mistakes (English is not my first language, sorry)

Word count: 4.5 k

Author’s note: Hello! This is my first Holiday fic with 5SOS and it’s Ashton’s turn to shine (even tho each boy gets their moment) This was so fun to write, I did it on my sociology class (so maybe it’s not that perfect) and I love it very much and I hope you do too! Reblogs, feedback and comments are always welcome and encouraged! Support your writers! ❤️ Hope you like it and Happy Reading 🦋❤️

My materialist // wanna be on my tag list?

Twas the evening before Christmas, the streets were filled with Christmas lights and the chill air of Los Angeles made everything cozier as families gathered around the fireplace and enjoyed the most peaceful of times…

This statement does not apply to our favorite band, tho.

Our four Australians were not enjoying a cup of hot cocoa with their families as they were supposed to, oh no. They were doing the most dreadful thing a person could think of doing the night before dear Santa came to visit: They were Christmas shopping.

In their defense - or at least Calum’s, Michael’s and Luke’s defense, this was all Ashton’s fault for he was the one that dragged them to the crowded mall in the middle of one of the busiest days of the year. And, in Ashton’s defense, it was not his fault that the store had called him in the middle of a recording session to tell him that they finally had the only thing he wanted for Christmas: A music box.

He just had to get it before everyone else.

“Why did we come all over here for a little music box?” Asked Michael as they stood at the end of the line for the register. How could they only have one register open? It’s Christmas for fucks sake! but then again, it’s Christmas for fucks sake, so they know that people should be with their families instead of working a poorly paid job.

“It was the last one!” Ashton claimed, admiring the little circular box in his hand “It’s a limited edition and I just had to get it for Y/N and for the baby”

His eyes lit up when your name escaped his lips. Not even a year ago did he officially make you his wife, but now you were carrying his child! People might think it was rushed, but for Ashton it was the complete opposite. He had his life made when he met you, knowing that he will marry you as soon as he could… he had to wait a few more years to do that, but he was extremely happy, more so now that your little family was expanding. He loved you and your child with all his heart, and the boys all knew that so they can't even be mad about it, even if he kidnapped them to the mall with the promise of some cinnabuns later.

“She had one of these when she was little” Ashton continued as he admired the little hand painted details of the box “It always played a little lullaby to help her sleep. But it broke a few years ago and she always complained about not having one like this for her kids one day… But now she will!” The black haired man smiled.

“Shit, that’s actually pretty sweet” Michael commented “Okay, you’re forgiven”

“I don’t know if I want to hug you for being the perfect husband, or to kick you in the balls for being the perfect husband and making the rest of us feel bad” Luke chuckled.

The four boys laughed at the comment and started talking about their plans for the Holidays as they waited for the line to move. The problem was, it has been fifteen minutes and the line has only moved once.

“How long is this line anyway?” Calum said, peeking over the side, furrowing his eyebrows as he noticed at least thirty more people waiting in front of them “Shit, this is going to take a while. That man has at least twenty plushies and eleven race cars”

“I don’t know how people could leave this kind of stuff for the last minute” Ashton huffed, earning a death glare from each of his friends “This one is different, tho! It was the last one!”

“I’ll give you a hundred bucks for that!” Someone said behind Luke, making him jump at the sudden surprise.

“What the-” Luke said, placing a hand over his heart.

It was a short man in a trench coat who pointed to the music box in Ashton’s hand.

Ashton furrowed his eyebrows and said to the man “Uh, not a chance mate”

“Two hundred?”

“Nope”

“Five hundred?” The man would just not cave and Ashton was getting fed up with it, luckily Calum noticed and hurried to say something before his friend started a scene.

“Hey, mr. Devito wannabe. He said no, so just go bother someone else. Okay?”

The man scoffed and turned his face to the side, stating that he was offended. The four Australians rolled their eyes and turned their backs to him once again.

Another fifteen minutes passed and the line barely moved. The guys were not talking anymore, running out of things to say past the twenty minute mark. Each of them were bored out of their minds, well all but Ashton at least, he was still gleaming with pride as he looked at the music box and created scenarios in his head and thought about the joy that would be mirrored in your eyes once you open it tomorrow morning.

After a few more minutes of silence, Luke was the first one to break it “I think I’m just gonna get a coffee and wait in the car. These boots are killing me today” He looked at Ashton as if to ask permission, but the dark haired man just shrugged and nodded, asking him to buy one for him as well and to leave it in the car.

Michael then added “Yeah, I think I’m gonna go and check the electronics this store has. I think I saw a new camera that would be perfect for my streams”

And that only left Calum and Ashton waiting in line. But about five seconds later, Calum opened his mouth.

“Yes, you can go explore, too” Ashton said with a sigh before Calum even got a chance to ask.

“Cool” The curly man said, patting Ashton on the back before muttering a ‘I’ll be right back’ Leaving him alone with the music box.

Ashton didn’t mind. In fact, he kind of enjoyed this time alone. It gave him plenty of opportunities to imagine a new future for the both of you next to your little baby boy or girl. He catched a glimpse of families walking around the mall, buying gifts or eating a snack as they smiled at each other. He couldn’t wait for that to be his new normal.

He remembered the time when you told him you were pregnant. You gifted him a special baby bodysuit that said “My daddy is the best drummer in the world and there is nothing you can do about it” next to your positive pregnancy test. Ashton always wanted to start a family, especially if it was with you, but he never expected it to be so soon. Yet, once he held the test in his trembling hands, he knew that this was the best thing it could’ve happened to him. He remembers how tearful he got the second his brain processes the information, quickly running up to you and pressing an earth shattering kiss to your lips, promising you and your baby that he would be the best father in the world.

And, as he held the little object in his hand, he already thought he was doing a pretty good job. He smiled to himself and thought about calling you. Not only did he want to hear your voice at this moment, but also because he wanted to check up on you. You were having tea with your best friend at the moment, but the pregnancy hormones were hitting pretty hard lately and he wanted to make sure you were doing alright.

But as soon as he got his phone out of his pocket, your name started glowing on the screen.

“Baby! I was just about to call you” Ashton said with a smile, loving this little coincidence.

“Ashton, is coming!” You said in an alarming tone. Ashton, however, did not understand what you meant.

“Yeah? I’m coming home soon, why are-?”

“No!” You cut him off “The baby, Ash! The baby is coming!”

Ashton laughed “Ha, ha very funny Y/N. But the baby isn’t due until three weeks from now”

“ASHTON FLETCHER IRWIN” You yelled through the phone, making Ashton pull away from the phone for a second “MY WATER BROKE AND THE BABY IS COMING NOW. SO GET YOUR ASS TO THE HOSPITAL BEFORE I-” A sharp pain ran through you as you were experiencing the contractions. Ashton could hear your distant groan and immediately went pale.

The baby was coming and he wasn’t ready.

“Ash, hello?” Your friend’s calm voice came from the other end “I’m gonna take Y/N to the hospital right now. I need you to meet us there, okay?”

“Fuck, okay. I’m on my way” He rushed to say before he ended the call.

“Hey, dude. What’s going-?” Michael said as he approached the black haired man who looked like he might throw up.

“The baby’s coming!” He said, trying to concentrate on his breathing before he hyperventilates.

“What?!”

“Hey, Mike, is everything-?” Calum came next, worried about his friends’ weird behavior.

“THE BABY IS COMING”

Michael.

The guitarist started wandering the electronics and new technologies hall. He was secretly glad he got away from waiting in line for what it looked like another hour, but at the same time he was glad he decided to accompany Ashton in his little quest.

The moment he knew you were pregnant he set himself to be the best uncle that little kid will have. He already knew that you and Ashton were going to be great parents, with the way in which you love each other it was hard to think otherwise. Michael was always up for anything you guys wanted to do for each other, from secret dates or help you sneak out after a concert, or even to plan gifts! He always took pride to know that he was part of your epic love story, even if it was with just a little favor.

Michael stepped into the videogame aisle like he usually does, but this time he went directly to the kid’s section, knowing that eventually your baby will want to play videogames with uncle Mikey and he will have to be ready with the most family friendly games he could find.

He started grabbing a few of them and reading the little summaries they had on the back, eventually deciding that he did not understand anything about children’s games and that he might have to ask around in order to find the best ones.

He went back to the electronics aisle and something caught his attention.

“Is that a real megaphone?” He asked one of the workers there “I haven’t seen one since 2014” He said, remembering the last time the boys ever let him play with one of those in the Good Girls video.

“Yeah! It’s the new model” Said the teenage boy that was in charge of that seccion that day “Wanna try it out?”

“Before that, can I go and show it to my mates? I won’t be gone for long, they are just down the checkout line”

“Sure!” The young man smiled and gave him the megaphone.

Michael had a big smile on his face as he started walking towards Ashton to show him what he found. But his smile dropped the minute he saw Ashton’s face grew a thousand times paler.

He carefully walked up to him and asked “Hey, dude. What 's going-?”

“The baby’s coming!” Ashton said, trying to catch his breath.

“What?!”

Calum.

He hated the mall. He really did. There were always too many people, too much noise and the prices were always exaggerated. But he knew that he was here today for a good cause. Calum was not going to let his best mate down.

Ever since you came into Ashton’s life - and the boys’ life for that matter - he could tell that you were special. Not only because of the way Ashton talked about you all the damn time, but because of your energy, your passion, your kindness and obviously your undenying love for the drummer.

Calum was always the protective friend, always keeping his guard up for any new companion they boys might have. But with you it was different. The first time you two met was the day you instantly became best friends. He knew he could trust you to keep Ashton’s heart safe, and he knew that if Ashton ever broke your heart that he was going to have to kick his ass for being that stupid. Luckily, he wasn’t.

He was the first person (after Ashton, of course) to know about your pregnancy. He swore to himself that he would not let anything happen to his future godson/goddaughter. That baby was going to be the perfect mixture of his best friends, there was nothing in the world that could stop him from loving them just as much as he loves all of you. He even got them toys so they could play with Duke when they’re older! Needless to say that he was very, very excited.

As he wandered through the halls of the store he noticed a commotion next to the toys section.

A line of kids accompanied by their parents awaited in front of a huge chair decorated with fake snow and candy canes. Santa Claus was going to be there.

“Oh my god” A female voice said behind him “You are Calum Hood!”

Calum turned around and was faced with a young girl dressed as an elf looking at him like he hung the moon or something.

“That I am” He said with a smile “Hello, nice to meet you!”

“M-my name’s Lizza” The girl blushed “I’m a huge fan! Is it okay if- I mean, could I get a picture? Please?”

Calum smiled “Sure!”

Lizza squealed “Omg, okay. But, can we do it over there? The kids aren’t supposed to see me yet” She said, pointing to a corner with a curtain and some costumes, presumably Santa’s and his elves'.

Calum nodded and followed the girl, catching a glimpse of the Santa Claus outfit “Do you think I can wear that for the picture?” He asked. Honestly, he just wanted to know how it would feel like to dress up as Santa, knowing he would one day have to do it for your child.

“Of course!” The girl said, taking her phone from her purse and giving it to another elf so he could take the picture.

Once the picture was done, he started to strip off the big red coat, the white beard and the hat when suddenly he had an idea “Is it okay if I borrow this for a while? Maybe five minutes? I wanna prank some friends that are at the check out”

“Uhh”

“I’ll give it back, I promise,” He said with a smile.

Lizza sighed “Sure! We have another one for emergencies”

“Cool, thanks Lizza”

Calum walked away with the fake beard, the warm coat and the hat, feeling cheeky as he approached the line.

“What?!” He heard Michael yell. And although Michael always yells, this one seemed important as his voice sounded concerned.

“Hey, Mike, is everything-?” Calum said, approaching his friends with a very confused face. But before he could even finish the question, Ashton looked at him with fear in his eyes.

“THE BABY IS COMING”

Ashton.

This was not good. Not good at all. His wife is at the hospital about to give birth and he is still in the line of the fucking mall.

“Oh shit!” Calum said, looking frantically over the line that was still too long “OH SHIT”

“Okay calm dow- Is that a Santa costume?” Michael asked.

“Calm down?!” Calum said, panicking “My best friend is having a baby and you tell me to CALM DOWN?!”

“I’m having a baby…” Ashton said in a whisper, not really paying attention to what was going on around him “I’m having a baby”

“Not you!” Said Calum “Well... also you but I meant Y/N! She’s the one pushing it mate” But Ashton did not listen.

His whole world paused in that moment. Too many thoughts were running through his head as he tried to formulate a plan, any plan that would get him the quickest to you.

He thought he was doing a good job, he thought that he was going to be the best dad ever and now he was going to miss the birth of his first child because the line wasn’t fucking moving.

“Ash?” Michael called, but he wasn’t listening.

How could he screw this up so early in the game? Your baby wasn’t even born yet but he swore he could already feel their disappointment.

“Ash..”

And you! How could you ever forgive him?! You will surely file for divorce once the baby is born.

“Ashton!”

“What?!” He yelled, looking at Michael who was shaking him by the shoulders.

“Fucking breathe man! You almost turn purple there”

Michael started breathing at an even pace, motioning Ashton to breathe with him and so he did “It’s going to be okay, don’t worry about it”

“How can you say that?!” Ashton almost cried “I’m not even a dad yet and I’m already screwing up! Who doesn’t show up to the birth of his child?”

Michael rolled his eyes, knowing his friend was just talking out of fear than out of reason, and shook him by the shoulders again “Listen to me, you are already a great dad! You were a dad even before Y/N got pregnant and you are not going to miss the birth of my nephew or niece. I won’t allow it. But first I need you to calm the fuck down!”

Ashton looked at Michael and swallowed the lump in his throat “What if I’m not ready? What if we’re not ready?”

Michael chuckled “You asked me the same question when you were about to walk down the aisle a year ago. You were ready even before you knew you were and this is not different”

But before Ashton could say something, Calum walked up to them again.

“There are fourteen people ahead of us” Said Calum, who had just run up to the start of the line “If we asked them to move, we might get there in time”

“Or maybe you could leave the music box to me…” The man with the weird vibe intervened.

“Fuck off DeVito!” The three Australians yelled.

Suddenly, a lightbulb got turned on on Michael’s head “I got an idea!”

A panicked Calum dressed as Santa and a very panicked Ashton watched as Michael ran out of the store for a second, only to come back pushing a Target cart “Get in!” He said jumping in the cart and motioning to Ashton to follow him.

Ashton jumped inside without asking any questions, not even when Calum started pushing the car or when Michael turned on his… was that a megaphone?!

“Attention ladies and gentlemen” Michael said through the megaphone, making every single person turn their heads towards them, as if two large Australians standing inside of a shopping cart being pushed by a very tattooed Santa Claus wasn’t stiking enough “We have a man that’s going to become a father at any moment now while his wife is in the hospital! Please let us through!”

Ashton does not know if it was the weird scene they caused, his desperate face or Christmas magic that made everyone on the line take a step back as Calum pushed them through the checkout.

Once they got there, the cashier took his money, too shocked to say anything else as Ashton yelled “Keep the change!” As they rushed through the doors and towards the parking lot with Calum pushing the cart at a great speed with all of his energy as all the other customers looked at them and wondered what the hell was going on.

“Mommy?” A confused random kid asked “Why was Santa pushing those men on the cart?”

Luke.

His favorite Christmas playlist was playing in the car. He loved the holidays, but he hated Christmas shopping with his life. So he was very thankful that Ashton could understand this and let him wait in the car.

As he hummed through the song “His Favorite Christmas Story” he thought about the gift he got to your little unborn baby. As soon as he found out you were pregnant, he knew he had to spoil that kid rotten. Well, not that he knew he had to, but he wanted to. You and Ashton were the best people he has ever met, and he knew your little baby was not going to be different, so what’s wrong with giving that child the world they deserve?

A few months ago he talked to a friend of his that made customized presents made of crochet, so he asked if they could make a baby mobile to put over the crib. He also made sure to ask that the animals that were to adorn the mobile were your’s and Ashton’s favorites, and also throwing a little kangaroo in honor of their father’s homeland and a little penguin in honor of their future favorite uncle.

He smiled to himself as he thought he couldn’t wait to meet the little pal and how he couldn’t wait to start a family of his own. But his daydreaming got cut short when he heard a commotion coming from the mall’s doors.

Sirens were ringing and a lot of people stood and watched at whatever was causing the disturbance. He even had to take a double look because he thought he just saw Calum dressed as Santa Claus pushing a shopping cart with Ashton and Michael inside, the latter speaking with a megaphone in his hand. And indeed that is what he saw.

“LUKE START THE CAR” Michael yelled from his megaphone. And Luke, being the smart man that he is, did not ask questions as he did just that.

Soon enough, Calum Santa Claus was jumping inside of the car, followed by Michael and Ashton, who just sat in the front seat.

“What is-?” Luke tried to ask, but his three friends were quicker as they all said at the same time:

“The baby is coming!” “We needed to get the music box” “The line was too fucking long”

“Hurry up, dude!” Calum said, giving Luke a pat on his shoulder as he stared at them, very confused.

“Why didn’t you just leave the music box with one of them?” He said, motioning to his friends in the back “I could’ve come back for them after I dropped you off…”

The three Australians all looked at eachother like they were the most stupid people on the planet. Until Micahel turned on the megaphone again and said with a defeated voice: “Just drive”

The ride to the hospital was silent as Luke drove through the streets of LA at full speed. Michael even turned on the siren of the megaphone to make way across the traffic jam. How the hell they didn’t end up in jail? A Christmas miracle if you ask me.

Once they got there, Ashton was the first one to jump off the car, followed by his best friends as they ran through the hospital’s floors.

“Irwin!” He said, once they got to the maternity wing “Y/N Irwin! My Wife-”

Luke followed, almost knocking down Ashton as his boots slipped on the floor “His wife!” He said, almost out of breath.

“His baby!” Calum added, almost falling to the floor as he tripped over his foot.

And last but not least came a small “Help?” From Michael who was completely out of breath as he sat on one of the chairs in the waiting room.

The nurse, apparently not taken aback at the sudden outburst of three grown man and a Santa Claus in her waiting room, just smiled at Ashton and said: “Over here, Mr. Irwin. You are just in time, she just started dilating…”

But Ashton didn’t hear much as he walked behind her, anxious to see you and see your baby. Breathing heavily as he tried to calm his nerves before he got to your room. He gave one last look to his friends and smiled at them.

“You can do it man!” Michael said, giving him the thumbs up.

“You go Poppa!” Luke cheered.

“We will be here!” Calum said, feeling tears of pride gather up in his eyes as he watched Ashton turn into another hallway, ready to become the dad he always knew he could be.

“Did you actually steal a Santa costume?” Michael said as the other two sat down next to him.

“And you stole a cart and a megaphone so shut up”

A new family.

You watched with tired eyes as your husband held your baby girl in his arms.

“She is so tiny…” He said with fresh happy tears falling rolling down his cheeks. Ashton started crying as soon as he saw her little face and heard his heart shattering cry.

You almost thought that he wasn’t going to make it in time, afraid that you were going to have to get through the birth of your child all alone. But he came through the doors just in time and he did not let go of your hand for a second, even when you knew you were crushing it as you pushed.

“I love you so much” He said, just as he’s been saying for the past hours since he got here “I love you so much and I love her so much I- Thank you”

“Why are you thanking me, love?”

“For giving me the best gift of all” Ashton said as he laid next to you with your daughter curled up on his chest “You gave me the family I always dreamed of. I could never thank you enough for it”

He slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips to yours, showing you all the love that he could in only one simple kiss.

“Well, it’s not like you didn’t help on making this, you know?” You teased, making him chuckle “I should be thanking you, Ash.You and her are the best thing that has ever happened to me, I love you”

“I love you” He said, capturing your lips in another kiss as you let the music box play in the background, filling the room with the notes of your favorite lullaby.

“Should I let the boys in?” He asked as he passed your daughter back to you. You just nodded, not wanting to let your friends wait a second longer to meet your baby. “Oh, and just a heads up, Calum is dressed as Santa Claus and we might never be allowed on the mall again”

You laughed “I can’t wait to hear that story”

Ashton smiled as he got out of the room and walked towards where the boys were sitting. Once they saw him walk up to them, they immediately got up, all of them smiling proudly at the new - official, father of the band.

“Boys, come and meet our baby girl: Jane Elizabeth Irwin”

Tags: @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @talksoprettyjjx @mystic-232

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dannyphantomisameme · 4 years

Text

Happy New Year!

I’m your secret Santa @faebiie! I decided to write a fic that incorporated both themes you requested: angst and Danny and Clockwork bonding. I hope you like it!

Danny’s fingers fidgeted nervously as he stared blankly at the floor. He sat at the edge of his bed, having woke up from his blaring alarm thirty minutes ago. His hair was a knotted mess from all his anxious tugging, tufts of hair twisting and turning in awkward directions. Dark bags encircled his eyes, hinting that he hadn’t slept in the past week or so.

Today marked the fourth anniversary of Danny’s accident, but also the day he swore to tell his parents his secret. He’d been dreading this moment for so long. Danny knew his parents wouldn’t mind the fact that their child was half ghost, as they hadn’t in alternate timelines where he accidentally revealed himself, but he was still terrified at the mere notion of them knowing. There always existed that slight possibility that they might reject him. He hoped the chance was slim.

Jazz was fine with his secret. Within a few months after the accident, she stumbled upon Danny transforming and secretly aided him until it became imperative to tell him that she knew. Yet throughout, Jazz had always been supportive of him, so there was no reason for his parents not to, right? Wrong.

The Fentons parents were notorious for being the ultimate ghost hunting duo. Maddie, of course, was the brains of the operation, however, Jack did not fall short behind. Together, they made several breakthroughs in the realm of paranormal science, a field that had been regarded as pseudoscience till the Fentons came along. The duo firmly believed that ghosts were inherently sinful formations of post human consciousness. In essence, to Jack and Maddie, ghosts were abominations; objects that needed to be eradicated. Moreover, there was one ghost in particular that they absolutely despised, and that, by pure coincidence, had to be Danny.

Over the past four years, Phantom, Danny’s ghost persona, had become quite famous in the quaint town of Amity Park. By now, the majority of the town viewed Phantom as a hero since he stopped ghosts from attacking harmless humans on a daily basis. The Fenton’s, on the other hand, had convinced themselves that Phantom’s true intentions were to destroy the town once he’d gained their trust. And while initially, the Fenton’s had been working towards terminating all ghosts, over time the duo has gradually lessened their hatred and become more open to the notion of ghosts as they now constitute daily life.

It might seem like inappropriate timing for Danny to tell his parents, but he knew he’d feel guilty if he didn’t sooner or later. He spent his entire high school shielding his true self from his parents and now that he would be off to college soon, he felt it fitting for them to know the real him. Plus, he’d definitely get made fun off by Sam and Tucker if he didn’t go through with his plan. For the past week, his friends had been hyping him up, ensuring him that his parents would be supportive and that he needn’t worry. Tucker even calculated that the likelihood of his parent’s supporting him was 90%. All Danny could do was worry about that 10%.

Letting out a groan, he swiftly laid back into his bed, closing his eyes. He tried to steady his breathing. In two, three, four. Out, two three four. He might’ve sat there for eternity, hoping to be engulfed by his bed and taken anywhere but here, but he was so rudely interrupted by Jazz’s knocking.

“Good morning Danny!” she said from behind the door to his room. “Come downstairs for some breakfast. Mom made your favorite!”

Bacon and eggs sounds so good right now. The thought of a nice breakfast pulled him into a sitting position, yet he was still hesitant to walk. Getting breakfast meant seeing his parents. Seeing his parent’s meant talking. Was he ready to talk? Absolutely not, but he needed to for his own sake.

Finally mustering up a bit of courage, Danny stood up, and headed towards the bathroom. He began brushing his teeth and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. To put it briefly, he looked like shit. All this worrying had put him in a terrible physical state. He needed to get this done with and finally feel free.

As he finished up, Danny went back to his room, put on a shirt, and headed for the stairs. He reached the end of the hall and paused before going down, feeling a tight ball of anxiety forming in his chest. He stared at the carpet as if it were the source of all his worries. There was so much doubt in his decision, but he could also smell the sizzly aroma of bacon. And god, was he hungry.

He grabbed the railing beside him and slowly made his way down the stairs, one step at a time.

“Hey Danny!” called his mom’s voice from the kitchen after hearing his soft steps. “Come sit down, I’ve got your plate waiting for you.”

“Danno!” a bellowing voice belonging to his dad interrupted Maddie. “I knew you wouldn’t resist!”

Hesitantly, Danny walked towards the kitchen, not making eye contact with anyone. He sat in his usual seat at the dinner table, a plate stacked with his favorite food. He so badly wanted to snatch the plate and run to the safety of his room before anyone could speak. Around him, Maddie was in the kitchen making another batch of scrambled eggs. Jack and Jazz were seated at the table with Danny, eating away at their food. Although, Jack was simultaneously building some sort of ghost contraption.

“How’d you sleep sweetie?” Maddie asked.

Danny, having begun eating with a spoonful of eggs in his mouth, choked with wide eyes at the sudden question. He wasn’t ready to speak yet. Let me eat first!

“Good” he muffled in reply.

“Looks like you haven’t slept in days,” Jack remarked as he glanced away from his machine towards his son.

Jazz gave him a playful slap. “Dad, manners!”

“Whaaat? I’m just tellin’ the truth.” Jack gleefully smiled and returned to his food.

Danny brushed off the comment and continued to eat his food. Dad isn’t wrong, Danny thought. His heart was racing in his chest, anticipating an unfavorable conversation. He might’ve been eating too quickly as it garnered attention from his family.

“Woah slow down there Danny.” Maddie said as she brought the latest pan of cooked eggs from the kitchen to the dining table. Jack eagerly took a plateful. “You don’t want to choke.”

“‘’m good,” he repeated with food stuffed in his mouth.

“Anyway your dad and I are planning on spending the day in the lab if it’s alright with you kids. We’re so close to perfecting the Fenton Bazooka.” Maddie began washing the dishes.

Jazz stood up and left her finished plate next to the sink. “Sure mom. Danny and I will be fine.” Maddie smiled in reply as Jazz left for her room upstairs.

Once Jazz was gone, silence ensued as everyone carried on with their own tasks. Maddie washing the dishes, Jack tinkering and eating, and Danny finishing his breakfast. The mood was peaceful for everyone except Danny. His heart was pounding in his chest because sooner or later he had to say something. Shoving in the last bits of egg in his mouth, he could feel his heart quicken. It’s pace grew faster and faster, to a point where he felt his heart may as well explode out of his chest.

You have to do it. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Just... SAY IT!

“Mom! Dad!” Danny said a bit too loudly, causing his parents to turn to his voice with odd looks “...I have something to tell you.” He kept his gaze focused on the empty plate before him. Was this really happening?

Maddie then suddenly lit up. “Oh Danny, I totally forgot! Would you like some more breakfast? We’ve still got some left.”

Danny shifted in his seat, not expecting that answer. He gripped the edge of his chair, feeling like he might fall over. Why are my palms so sweaty? “N-no it’s not that. It’s-”

“You sure? You never pass down your favorite breakfast!” Jack said with a side glance.

“Yea I’m s-sure.” Danny was tripping over his words. It was as if time was passing far quicker than how long it took him to formulate his thoughts. What was he supposed to say again?

“What I wanted to say was-” he paused. Danny felt weaker than ever. His grip on his chair tightened as he shut his eyes and attempted to center himself. He couldn’t. He did but didn’t want them to know. What if- what if-

JUST SAY IT ALREADY.

“I’m Danny Phantom.” the phrase came out like an exhale. Danny didn’t want to open his eyes.

No, that was a lie. He did want to open his eyes and see their reaction. He just wished he hadn’t.

Looking up from his plate, he first locked eyes with his dad. Jack’s face was as if he’d been hit with a blow. The normally boisterous man had been reduced to a mere shell of shock. Danny couldn’t discern what his dad was thinking.

Danny next glanced at Maddie. Whose brows were furrowed and eyes glued to the plate in her hand. The sink was still running. After a moment, she resumed her cleaning and turned to Danny with a smile.

“Heh, funny joke. It’s just an unfortunate coincidence that you share first names with a scum like him, Danny.”

Jack quickly looked at Maddie, confusion etched into his features. “Mads…”

Danny, at the same time, also confused, looked at his mom. “I- I’m not-”

“Mads think about it.” Jack interrupted in an unusually soft voice. His unfocused gaze hadn’t moved from Danny. He stopped tinkering and slowly sank back in his seat. “It… it would make perfect sense.” Maddie now turned off the sink and turned towards her husband, crossing her arms.

“Jack, there is no way in hell our son is also a ghost. It is scientifically impossible.”

“...mom.” Danny shrank in his seat when his mom looked at him. He couldn’t tell her now. There’s no way she’d react the way he hoped. But… he would never forgive himself if he didn’t tell them. It took every fiber in his being to not turn invisible and flee. His heart picked up pace again as he averted his gaze to his hands which were now fidgeting in his lap. “I’m not lying. Please don’t get mad but b-back when u guys were building the portal, I was snooping around the lab like an idiot and I-I accidentally turned it on while I was inside.” Danny explained with a barely audible voice.

“It would make so much sense.” Jack mumbled. “The portal activation… why our gadgets go off around Danny… why Phantom’s always got Fenton tech.” Danny hadn’t expected his dad to accept it so readily.

“Jack, you can’t be serious…” Maddie’s voice trailed off as if lost in deep thought.

“I- I can show you. I’m half ghost...” Danny couldn’t believe what was happening. This wasn’t what he expected. They were supposed to accept it and move on. No questions, no jokes. Then why were they so confused? There was no way this would end nicely. Danny could feel his anxiety crawling back and settling at the pit of his stomach. He wanted to curl up into a ball so badly.

It seemed Danny had been lost in thought for too long. He missed the moment his parents both locked eyes and came to an understanding.

In one swift move, Maddie pulled two ecto blasters from her jumpsuit while Jack followed suit. In a single second, the both were standing side by side with their weapons aimed at their only son.

Danny jumped back in his chair at the sudden change of attitude. It caused him to tip over and fall to the ground with his back now against the floor. His eyes were wider than ever shifting between his parents and their guns.

“I can’t believe you’ve tricked us thus far, spook.” Maddie spoke as if her words were laced with venom. “Where’s Danny?!” Maddie nudged her head to Jack who took off running down to the basement.

His heart raced even faster. Hands shaking. “M-mom. What do you mean? I’m Danny!”

Maddie spoke in an unnaturally calm tone. “As if we’d fall for that. How long have you been hiding our son?!”

“N-no no. Please. I’m telling the truth. I AM DANNY!” he shouted from the floor. “S-see look!” he gestured his hand along his frame. “It’s Danny! Please, I can show you Phantom.” He pulled his feet towards him, ready to stand up, but rather got interrupted.

Maddie took a step forward, cocking the guns in her hand. “NO! Stay where you are and don’t come any closer. Don’t you DARE claim you’re my son. You’re nothing but a bunch of of... ectoplasm!” Her emotions began to show through her calm facade.

At that moment, Jack came rushing up the stairs, large weapon in hand. “That’s right, spook. The bazooka may not be finished but that doesn’t mean it's not gonna hurt.” He aimed the gadget at Danny.

“Answer me. H-how long?!” Maddie’s voice quivered slightly.

Danny was horrified to speak. They really wouldn’t shoot him, would they? “I-I’ve been half ghost for four y-years now…” he barely managed to say. “I’ll show you…”

He found that cold feeling deep within his chest and let it surround him. Two blue rings encircled his waist and one traveled to his head while the other to his toes. As the ring passed, his raven locks were replaced with a silvery white sheen. His pajamas became the iconic black and white jumpsuit. His eyes, when opened, went from their baby blue to electrifying neon green. He’d become Phantom.

Maddie and Jack hadn’t said a word. Their goggles, which were now over their eyes, masked what they were truly thinking. Their weapons were still trained on their son, but their posture seemed to stiffen as if they were in shock. All this time, Phantom had hidden among them.

Danny dared to look up at his parents who still stood silent. He couldn’t take the silence. “S-see?... say something...”’

Instead of words, Jack chose to reply with the whine of an ectoblast.

Jazz chose the moment to make her appearance as she walked down the stairs. “Why are you guys so loud…” Her eyes swept the room and landed on her little brother's ghost form. He turned to look at her voice, raw fear seeping through every inch of his features and eyes brimming with tears. It took Jazz a moment to understand the situation, but she was too late.

“Danny!” Jazz sped towards her brother as a crackling green ray fired from Jack’s weapon, making its way towards Danny and hitting him squarely on the chest. Danny flung back into the wall, clutching his chest with one arm which burned so very badly. He could feel every nerve in his chest searing with pain. It was worse than any blast he’d received before.

His breath hitched in his throat. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t fight back. They were… they were his parents! Why would they hurt him? Why… why couldn’t they understand?

Jazz was now sitting next to her brother, shocked at the sight of the nasty, bubbling burn. “What did you do?!” she shrieked at her parents.

“Jazz get away from that- that thing! He’s brainwashed you!” Maddie cried as she rounded the table and grabbed Jazz by the arm.

“N-no STOP IT! You’re hurting Danny!” Jazz wrenched her arm under her mom's grip, but her attempt was poorly made as she was pulled towards Maddie right as Jack fired a second blast from the gun. Tears freely flowed from Jazz’s turquoise eyes. Danny had zero time to react before-

Before the blast had frozen in thin air a foot before him. No, that wasn’t true, everything froze. His parents and Jazz. They were all still. What?

Danny felt the coolness of a time medallion on his neck. Suddenly, a swirl of blue appeared before Danny and out came a familiar specter.

“I normally don’t interfere with the events of time, but you seemed like you needed it.”

Danny’s breath came out raspy “...Clockwork?”

The master of time nodded with a smile and outstretched his hand. “Come my boy. Before the Observants find out.”

With one hand still clutching his chest, Danny took Clockwork's hand and stood up shakily. The blue swirls encompassed the two as they were transported to the ghost zone. Specifically, to the living room within Clockwork’s lair.

Danny took a deep breath as he gradually took a seat on the couch behind him. His head was pulsing and the pain from the ecto ray hadn’t subsided. Around him, several clocks and gears lined the wall, all ticking or moving synchronously. Before him sat numerous screens displaying several different events surrounding him. What he was witnessing went beyond any imagination.

“I had to interfere for your own good.” the master of time said as he floated into the room with a first aid kit in hand. He pulled out a burn ointment and began catering to Danny’s wounds. Danny hadn’t noticed, but at some point, he had transformed back to his human self. Danny hissed at the feeling of the cream on his wound.

Clockwork looked up and followed the halfa’s gaze to the screens. “What you’re seeing is the various alternate timelines in which you reveal your secret to your parents at this point in time. In all scenarios, they don’t take it, uh, lightly.”

Danny couldn’t believe it. On one screen, his parents were chasing after him around the city. In another, they had him strapped to a table. Before he could watch some more, Clockwork shut them off.

“I’m going to be blunt, but unfortunately, no matter the circumstance, your parents never accepted you in this moment of time.”

Danny hadn’t averted his gaze from the screens yet. He was still in awe of it all. The alternate timelines, his parents, the blast. He managed to squeak out one word. “Why?”

“Their puny human minds can’t comprehend the duality of your being.” Clockwork said as he now took out a set of bandages from the kit and began wrapping it along the boy’s torso. “Thus they reject you.”

“Y-you can’t be serious.” My parents? Hating me? “...impossible.”

“You witnessed it for yourself. They hurt you. Was that not enough?”

“N-no. They're my parents! They’re supposed to love me no matter what!”

Clockwork got up, slightly angered, unlike his collected self. “You call that love?!”

“I-” Danny was at a loss of words. No matter what Clockwork told him, he couldn’t wrap his head around his parents not believing him. It all felt like one sick joke. He wanted to throw up. Despite the horror of the situation, there was still one question gnawing at him. “W-why are you helping me?”

Clockwork turned so his back was facing Danny and paused. “I cannot let you suffer. Especially after everything you’ve done for our realm... You didn’t deserve the destiny given to you. After all, you were only fourteen when you received your powers. My interference was merely nothing compared to what you’ve dealt with. Your kind is so rare as well. I cannot let you perish.”

It was odd of clockwork to act so carelessly. Risking his position as the master of time just to save a teenage boy with paranormal powers was, well, weird. But from what Danny had heard just now, it seemed that Clockwork was firm in his decision.

At this point, Danny didn’t want to think anymore. His brain felt like mush from all the events that had transpired. Mom. Dad. Jazz… what were they doing right now? What were they thinking of him? Did they really believe he was-

“Get some rest. I’ll bring you some food when you awaken.” Clockwork said.

Danny decided it was best to follow Clockwork's orders so he managed a mumble as he lowered himself into a sleeping position on the couch. “Mmm?”

Clockwork floated next to the boy and patted his raven matted hair. “Sleep well Daniel.”

Danny quickly dozed off on the blue sofa, unaware he had found his new family. <3

#Danny phantom #secret santa #my fic

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quirrrky · 4 years

Text

For the SIXTH DATE OF CHRISTMAS a daydream came to me...

SECRET SANTA w/ NEJI wrapped with love for my kind and funny pol-sci anon. Wholesome and warmth under the snow. Enjoy your dream holidate!

FEATURED DATE SONG: ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU (COVER) by LEROY SANCHEZ

“I actually got Neji,” Lee announced much to the pale-eyed boys dismay. Well, you were sort of disappointed too because you wanted to be the one to get Neji his secret present and be his secret santa. Right there, you thought that whoever Neji drew out must be very lucky. You really wished to have a gift for him too.

You’ve been harboring feelings for him ever since you both started training with each other more often. Your session won’t just usually end after a match. The conversations you shared was just so special for you. You never really thought that you’d be able to meet someone with the same wavelength as yours like Neji. It’s just hard to find someone like him that��s why it’s no wonder you’ll catch deeper feelings.

“Y/N” Neji announced and your eyes widened in disbelief. He’s your secret Santa! A wide grin, which you tried your best to control, appeared on your face as you excitedly took from him a brown box. “I hope you’ll like it. I made it myself.”

Whatever it was, you’d surely do.

You called on Hinata, because you’re her secret santa. When you took your seat again, you just can’t help yourself from not opening the gift Neji had for you. Your fingers were tapping on it restlessly and you also can’t steer your sight away from it.

For your peace of mind, you went to washroom to open the gift. Of course, you didn’t want to look too excited to open it in front of everyone. Also, for safety reasons that just in case you really liked what he gave you and you might blush profusely at whatever it was. A little bit nervous and a lot excited, you opened his gift for you only to discover a red colored scarf.

Your eyes lit at how soft its texture seemed. It was definitely made carefully and meticulously with high-quality materials. You also took note that sweet scent cinnamon attached to it making you cradle the scarf to your face. It was just so warm it felt like he’s hugging you. Or something like that, ‘cuz you hadn’t actually hugged him for real.

Laying out the scarf, you saw an embroidery at the very corner. It was a flower that was so delicately sewn, you’d guess someone made this by hand. And there, secretly scribbled were the words that made your heart leap.

I love you.

Your face heat up and panicked dawned to you. You weren’t prepared for this kind of scenario and you’re sure as hell that you were reading it right. You’re not dense not to play blindly by how these characters were written in a form of flower vines. Add to that, you remembered Neji saying that he made this himself! This couldn’t be a coincidence. He’s a smart guy! For sure, he knew what’s he’s doing.

Closing your eyes, you contemplated for your next course of action. Surely, this gotta be it.

You slide the scarf back to box and exited the washroom. You continued merrying with others while being extra aware of Neji’s actions. This night, there were times when he’d look at you and at the box you’re holding.

The part had ended and all of you started to part ways. Before Neji could even go far away, you called out to him, “Neji!”

The Hyuga turned to look at you as you approached him. You looked around to make sure that everybody had gotten away.

Back there, you were thinking if you should give him something special as a form of response, but you realized that you’ve been pining for him for too long to even wait. You couldn’t just waste this moment. “I like you too.”

The wind blew between the two of you while the dead silence reigned the conversation. Neji was just staring flatly and plainly.

“Too?” He responded and your heart dropped several floors down.

You just stared at him looking like a prey ready to be eaten. In your defense, “Y-You… Didn’t you write that in the scarf?”

Tears were triggering to fall from your eyes. Was this the night you get rejected? But you were sure that you read it right and you weren’t just giving meaning to things.

“Scarf?” Neji questioned a bit shocked. “I didn’t give you a scarf.”

“But this is…” Not knowing what to say, you just gave him the box and right there he lift up the red scarf.

He closed his eyes firmly looking as if he’s composing himself. “Actually, this is…Hinata-sama’s gift for Naruto.”

Oh. They might’ve swapped their gifts. And all you could do was form a rigid smile on your face, embarrassment harassing you further.

“I-Is that so? I…I guess I should just better leave then.”

You just confessed to him all the while hoping that he finally admitted his feelings for you. And you were even so confident about it. You sharply turned away to run, when you felt his strong hand on your elbow stopping you from leaving.

“Y/N.” Neji said firmly and you just stopped there frozen. You just couldn’t look at him after what happened.

Placing his hands on your shoulders, he spun you so you could face him. Your head was still lowered but you could sense the little distance he left between the two of you.

“I don’t actually think that this is the right time, since I prefer to prepare for it. But since this is already out in the open…” Neji said and you gazed upon him. “Y/N, I know that the scarf may not be for you neither did it come from me, but it did get at least one thing right and that is…I like you.”

There was a brief pause before you process what’s happening. And at the very moment you digested the words he said, a grin spread cross your face. Neji gave you that gentle and charming smile that he didn’t wear regularly, and seeing that smile, you hugged him tight. He returned the embrace and, underneath the falling snow, you were enveloped in each others’ warmth.

You sighed. Yeah, he’s so much better than the scarf.

A/N: Nice to see you again, Pol-Sci anon! I actually got really excited when I saw you in my inbox and I know that I gotta to do it with Neji and with this kind of prompt.

EVENT NAVIGATION: #12 DATES ✼ 6th DATE [12 DATES OF CHRISTMAS EVENT]

REBLOGS ARE DEEPLY APPRECIATED ♡ Please help me reach other viewers as tumblr tags are unfortunately not working on me. Thank you so so much!

☾ COLLECTIONS: Neji ✧ Naruto (Series) ☾ ✧ DAYDREAM MUSEUM ✧

#12 DATES ✼#neji x reader #hyuga neji x reader #quirrrky nrt #quirrrky neji

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fullmetalscullyy · 4 years

Text

day 7 - ugly sweaters

24 days - 24 oneshots | a collection of christmas themed oneshots to celebrate royai | prompt list can be found here

read on ao3

rated: g | words: 733

“What is that abomination?”

Roy scowled at the Second Lieutenant. “Shut up, Havoc.”

The soldier burst out laughing while he ignored the Colonel’s glare.

“It was a gift from Hawkeye,” Roy added, having to raise his voice over Havoc’s guffaws.

“Wait, Hawkeye bought you that?” He snickered. “You weren’t self-centred enough to buy it yourself? Or did you ask her to buy it for you?”

The item in question was an ‘ugly Christmas sweater’. Fuery suggested the idea that they should all wear them in the office on the lead up to the holidays and donate money to charity for doing it. Roy had been too busy to go out and buy his own, so Hawkeye offered to pick something out for him. Despite it being a reminder of the embarrassing leak of his voicemail message, Roy could still see the funny side and adored it. It was a gift from Riza, so of course he was going to love it. It was also so thoughtful. It was personal to him and it was creative. Bless her heart, for it was so wonderful and attentive.

“Well, they’re supposed to be fun and wacky,” Roy retorted, “and it’s far more creative and thoughtful than yours.” Havoc’s was just a picture of Santa holding a beer. So boring.

“Hey,” Havoc pointed a finger indignantly. “This was also a gift.”

“From an ex?”

“… Maybe.”

“Which ex was that? The last one, or the one before that? Or the one before that?”

Havoc glowered at him.

“Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it, Havoc,” Roy chuckled.

Lieutenant Hawkeye entered through the door and everyone stopped what they were doing, eager to see what her sweater of choice was for the day. When she noticed all attention was on her she froze before shifting uncomfortably on the spot. The door was closed quietly behind her.

“What?”

Hawkeye’s Christmas jumper was a cartoon of nine different dog breeds that were all dressed up with reindeer antlers on. One dog, a Shiba – which Roy thought was a very fitting coincidence – had a red nose on to symbolise Rudolph. Written underneath was the phrase “Merry Woofmas”.

Roy absolutely loved it. It was very Hawkeye.

“That explains the Colonel’s sweater,” Breda muttered underneath his breath to Havoc. However he wasn’t quiet enough because Roy heard every word. A deep frown pulled his eyebrows downwards before he turned to glare at the two snickering soldiers.

“Is it really that bad?”

Roy jumped in place, startled by Hawkeye’s sudden appearance behind him. She’d pulled the hem of the sweater away from her body so she could look down at it properly.

“I thought it would be fun.”

“It is fun,” Roy hastily reassured her. “Don’t listen to Idiot One and Idiot Two,” he jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I love it. It’s very creative.”

The hem was dropped from the tips of her fingers. Hawkeye cocked her head and looked up at him with a ghost of a smile on her face. “You love it?”

Roy nodded. “I really do,” he grinned. “It’s very you, Hawkeye.”

That smile finally appeared and spread across her face in appreciation. Hawkeye’s head dipped as she schooled her expression. “Thank you, sir.”

“Of course, Hawkeye. Any time. And thank you, for mine.” He grinned down at the two hands that were forming a snapping motion with the words “snap, snap” emblazoned above them. “It was really thoughtful of you.”

“Glad you think so,” she grinned.

“Truly a high point in my singing career.”

“I agree. I think you’re in the wrong profession, sir,” she deadpanned. “Rapping is clearly where your talents lie.”

His head tipped back as he laughed. “That’s kind of you to say, Lieutenant. So long as it’s not Christmas present wrapping,” he added, dropping his voice low so only she could hear. “I’m still terrible at that.”

“Should I expect my secret one to in a paper bag again this year?” Her voice was a quiet murmur also.

Roy’s shoulders drooped and he grimaced. “Yeah,” he replied sullenly as he internally cursed his inability to fold wrapping paper properly and tie up boxes with ribbons. Riza deserved better presentation than what he could offer.

“Noted, sir,” she nodded, raising her voice to a normal speaking volume. “I won’t take a peek beforehand either,” she winked before she walked away.

#royai #royai fic #royai fanifc #royai advent calendar #royai oneshot #emma writes #i wish this was better ;__;#but hhh i'm just so exhausted today #so sorry but hope u still enjoy 😔

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arisu-artnfics · 5 years

Text

A Date Before Christmas

Summary: On Christmas Eve most people spend the holiday with friends others with family or with lovers but for Marinette and Adrien they were all three. They were cherished friends, they were caring lovers and most importantly they were family and no matter what happened that day they would not let anyone separate them or disrupt there happiness. (Thank you @deadvampire32 for suggesting it ^^ ^^) Beta by: @spider-momo (& a bit @deadvampire32). Also on: DA/FF/AO3/FB Original published date: December 25, 2019 For: @galahadwilder as to say Merry Christmas, I’m your secret santa!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy creating it for you ^^ ^^ This is a gift as part of the @mlsecretsanta interchange.

Spanish version of this story

Art done by me: *Tumblr/DeviantArt/Facebook (December 26, 2019).

It was the 24th of December, in the late morning. Marinette and Adrien were sitting in a coffee shop close to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It has been roughly six months since they started dating and since they revealed their identities. The reveal had been accidentally actually, they weren’t supposed to know. It all changed since Ladybug aka Marinette Dupain-Cheng officially became the new guardian. The rules said that if they knew each other’s identities for their own sake, they should stop being the heroes that everyone loves. Even when both of them knew this rule, it changed just after they revealed.

Marinette knew that she couldn’t confide those miraculous to any of their friends because Hawk Moth knew already about them and couldn’t put them again in danger like that. Also, it was the fact that even when they knew the truth about the person behind the mask, not much had changed. They still had to keep making excuses and act like they didn’t know as well as keep trying to fight the akumas and of course, win. Hawk Moth and Mayura always keep them on edge and with too little time to rest. Considering all that and more, Adrien helped Marinette to decide that the correct course of action in that case was just to keep being Ladybug and Chat Noir.There wasn’t really any time to get new heroes to be Ladybug and Chat Noir, or well to become the new holders of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous.

When the reveal happened not that long after Master Fu lost his memories and Ladybug became the new guardian, in that precise moment was a lot of panicking from both of them. After a couple of seconds both teens had their own different reactions, between some laughter and ‘can’t believe I didn’t notice before’ to ‘can’t believe that Alya was always right’ and reactions like some sobbing and more. Then they had a big conversation between them, explaining some of the misunderstandings, more laughter and some tension in between them as well had freed itself. In conclusion, after they actually discovered and confessed some feelings from both sides, they decide to give them a chance. Adrien actually was the one that had to bring the question and suggestion. They had to also confess that they were in a way of ‘moving on’ but not entirely as they seem to be falling again for the same person without them knowing.

Now, six months later, - on the day of Christmas Eve - they are trying to have a not interrupted date. Marinette and Adrien were wearing their winter clothes, sitting inside of the coffee shop enjoying some hot chocolate. Their Kwamis were with them, hidden from everyone but them.

“So, Mari,” said Adrien “after here, are we supposed to go and get Alya and Nino’s gifts?”

Marinette made a face unsure, “Mmmm… I suppose so, but I thought that you already have the vinyl disk that Nino wants so much?”

“Yeah, I do,” he replied while reaching to a bag that he also had and pulling it out. “Just thought that maybe you wanted to find something else?” passing it to her.

“This is the same as the one you have at your house, the one that he used to DJ in the party, right?” Marinette asked while admiring the disk, she would never understand DJing but was happy their friend did and enjoy it so much.

“It’s the same,” Adrien replied with a smile.

“Good, because actually I don’t really want to go shopping today. I mean, c’mon Adrien it is Christmas Eve after all.” With that she returned the disk to Adrien so he could put it away.

He chuckles a bit ,“True,” Adrien smile.

“Phew, you got me worried for a bit, Kitty,” Marinette returned the smile.

“Ahhh, poor Bugaboo,” he said with joy in his tone.

Marinette roll her eyes but also was failing to hide her amused smile. “All right, then we don’t need to worry about it. I got Alya the super special microphone that she dreamt and talked about having so much,” said Marinette.

“She definitely will love it. You are indeed a great friend Marinette,” Adrien said with a huge smile that goes from ear to ear.

“Why are you so happy about it?” asked curious Marinette knowing that Adrien maybe had something ‘funny’ in mind, well something that was probably ‘funny’ for him like a pun or so.

“Heh, nothing special… just a friend” he said and then laughs a bit.

“Oh my...” Marinette said “it was you - as I learned thanks to Plagg, - ” she looked to Plagg very fast.

“Anytime, kid,” Plagg said from one of the bags next to them who was eating a piece of cheese.

“That was calling me,” Marinette continued, “‘just a friend’” she said while making quotation marks with her fingers.

“I know,” Adrien said once he stop laughing “but still makes me laugh,” he shrugged.

“Of what?” said Plagg again, “How stupid you could be?” “Plagg!” said Tikki from Marinette’s bags, who was eating a cookie. “Hey!” said Adrien at the same time as Tikki spoke.

Marinette just laughed a bit.

After a second or so Adrien also laughed at himself again. They needed that, they need all the fun and good moments that they could get. They really didn’t get much free time even at this time of the year. Anyone else would have thought that thanks to the winter break it should be less stress or trouble and so less akumas but it was quite the opposite, sadly, for the heroes.

Sadly, it didn’t take too much longer until what they had been avoiding to happen so far during the day was happening. An akuma was once again at the door of their school. That’s how the accidental reveal happened in the first place. Since Hawk Moth learned that almost all the previous heroes as part of the now not existent team, were indeed from there; that had been his target. Once he learned that information, even though that could mean putting Adrien in danger, Gabriel had insisted that the school was the perfer target for the akumas, it had to be there or close to it that the civilians of the heroes are. Gabriel had thought that the heroes must go to that school, it couldn’t be a coincidence for so many former heroes to be there. Even Chloe was from there, although the whole of Paris did learned that she found the Bee miraculous, didn’t mean that she didn’t find it in the school. The heroes this time, after hearing the screaming and destruction caused by the akuma, decided to ‘hide’ in the respective toilets. They did as always, even with the knowledge that they obtained all this months ago, the superheroes were acting as just partners and nothing else. Even though Adrien and Marinette were dating, it was like a silent agreement that happened so long ago between the two. Without really a verbal agreement, they synced their replies and kept telling anyone who managed to ask them about that, they are just good friends and partners like nothing had really changed. That’s how everything seemed to everyone outside their knowledge that is technically all of Paris. Ladybug and Chat Noir were more sync than ever, they had been defeating the akumas even faster than before. It was like the knowledge of their identities only helped them grow as heroes rather than something else.

Once the battle finished and all returned to normal, they got out from their ‘hiding’ spot. They decided that maybe was time to go to Marinette’s place. They planned to go to the coffee shop and then just have a relaxing day enjoying the company of each other. They also wanted to make sure they had their friends’ presents for the present exchange that was going to happen the next day in the late afternoon. Then they would part as Adrien was promised by Gabriel to have a Christmas dinner together and Marinette was going to have hers with her family as well.

The Dupain-Chengs had invited the Agrestes as a family (basically just Gabriel as Adrien were supposed to be there already) however Gabriel denied the invitation, but said thank you anyways, Gabriel had insisted that he be the one that gives his son the Christmas dinner and traditions that the Dupain-Chengs mentioned during the invitation.

That’s how Marinette and Adrien were back to the bakery a few hours before the big celebration started. They didn’t want to be apart, but they knew that sooner or later the ‘Gorilla’ was going to pick Adrien up from there. Marinette and Adrien decided that even when they weren’t about to spend Christmas together, they were going to enjoy as much as they could. Even when an akuma had interrupted yet again another date. They did spend their time together as they were just one happy family. Tom and Sabine were with the kids as well, as they play some video games and have some Christmas like activities that could be done before dinner time was due and Adrien had to leave.

“Oh, sorry,” said Adrien in the middle of another round of Mecha IV once his phone sounded with a notification of a text message, that he decided to ignore, he knew well enough that it should be the Gorilla waiting from him to take him home.

“Oh no, now?” asked Marinette with a small pout, even though she knew that it was about time that his bodyguard had to come.

“Sadly, yes, but hey bugaboo, don’t be sad...” he hugged her with just one arm, they were sitting one next to the other anyway, and just like them, Marinette’s parents were also sitting next to each other.

“Mmm...” said Marinette with a big pout and very exaggerated expression of sadness that Adrien knew well by now as the little trick to conform to her or in this case as ‘don’t want you to go, not yet’

“I’ll see you tomorrow in the afternoon, you know,” said Adrien trying to ease the feeling. He didn’t like it either.

That’s when the door bell sounded, and Sabine stood up to open the door. After a very short while, Sabine called everyone down saying that it would be a change of plans. That took Tom by surprise, who had also gotten down the stairs to leave the kids for a moment alone, but was in the back of the bakery rather than at the door. Once Adrien and Marinette got down the stairs hand-in-hand, they actually got very surprised seeing who was at the door. “Good evening,” greeted Gabriel Agreste who was standing there in from of all at the door of the bakery.

“Father?” asked Adrien very surprised to see his father outside. “Wh-?” said confused with the fact.

“Adrien” said Gabriel after a moment.

When Sabine opened the door she never thought that she would see him outside of his mansion, less at the door of their house. To be surprised was an understatement. That’s why before Gabriel could say anything at all, she turned to see inside and called everyone else to the door. Gabriel knew to expect some kind of reaction but never thought that Sabine would get his intentions so fast. When Tom appears a couple of seconds later as he was just in the next room, he only managed to agreed in silence with Sabine when the mentioned of change of plans were done. They did wait for the kids before they opened the door completely and allow Gabriel to get inside with the Gorilla that had been driving him and Nathalie. “That’s your father...” whispered Marinette to Adrien very surprise or more so than Adrien was in that moment. She also squeezed Adrien’s hand a bit and he did the same back to her.

“Adrien,” Gabriel repeated again.

“Hey, let’s get comfortable, c'mon Gabriel, let’s get inside,” said Tom after a while before it gets weird between the Agreste - well more weird than now.

“Right...” said Gabriel after a moment and got inside.

“Father,” said Adrien with a smile understanding the intentions of why he was here personally.

“I got this,” said Nathalie given a bunch of presents to Sabine so she could put those under the Christmas tree.

“Right,” said Gabriel and then he indicated the Gorilla to help Nathalie to move the gifts inside.

“You know, you didn’t should have, but thank you,” said Sabine as she also grabbed all the gifts and made sure that everything was under the tree in order.

“Thank you Father,” said Adrien with a huge smile without letting Marinette’s hand go.

“I...” Gabriel sighed “I keep thinking on what the Dupain-Chengs said when they invited us...” That made Adrien smile even more. That had been a conversation that he wasn’t supposed to hear but he did and couldn't negate that some nice traditions are better with whole families or some very close friends.

“Oh” was the only replied that he said happily.

And so, the Agrestes had a nice Christmas Eve, with the Dupain-Chengs. Marinette and Adrien couldn’t be more happy. Gabriel who had refused at the beginning to spend the celebrations with someone else, had changed his mind after meeting the family of the girl that had stolen his son’s heart, and who knows, maybe had softened even a tiny bit of his cold heart. The family had been cheerful even after he denied the invitation saying that their proposed activities were strictly to be just for family members and nobody else.

What Adrien had heard that he shouldn’t have was the fact that the Dupain-Chengs had explained that family does not always mean blood, but closeness. That fact, after all the months that Gabriel had known the family was what had gotten him off guard. He is Hawk Moth and he was doing it for his family, but right now, he wasn’t so sure. Because who knew, maybe one day in a very far future, this always happy family - even when there were akumas attacking them or such things happened close by - would be his as well.

The end :D :D ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: This was wrote before the episodes of Chat Blanc or Blanche and Felix air but after the finale of season 3. As it aired.

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franklyshipping · 5 years

Text

Day 9 ~ Christmas 2019 Ego Fanfics

Day number nine here we are! Now let's say hi to the sweetest, cutest tickler on the planet! LET'S DO THIS!

TAGGING: @googlee-green @ericleederekson and @erik-lee-derekson

Now, gift-giving is all well and good….but I think we can all agree that there’s a certain thrill and extra joy when it comes to secret gift-giving. You get the thrill of seeing someone open your gift and see their reaction without them having any pre-dispositions or inclinations to pretend to like it so you don’t feel bad….plus, seeing the joy on someone’s face when they get a surprise gift is so beautiful. Also, specifically for the egos, seeing Gooper in a little remote powered sleigh delivering all the presents around was just too adorable.

Here he came now, zooming along and having the absolute time of his life, honestly I’m a little jealous. He was wrapped in cotton wool and had a mini knitted Santa hat on top of him as he zoomed into one of the living rooms, ringing a little bell on his sleigh as he squealed and yipped, so he could get the attention of the person he was delivering to next. Today, it was Eric Derekson. The timid man initially jumped at all the noise, but soon giggled and eagerly came over to sit cross-legged next to the sleigh.

‘H-Hey you, hard at work huh?’

Gooper let out a noise of affirmative, before hopping out of his sleigh and dragging over the gift that had been in the little trailer he’d been pulling about. Eric’s eyes suddenly widened when he saw that it said HIS name on the label.

‘F-For me? R-Really?’

Gooper bounced with a happy squeak, adoring how surprised and happy Eric looked. He bonked his hand softly, before squealing farewell and leaving the room, onto his next little quest. Meanwhile, Eric was left sat with the gift before him. It was a square shape, and frankly the way it had been wrapped was just absolutely pristine, it didn’t look like any sort of finesse a human could achieve! Eric took a breath….before unwrapping it; beneath the paper was a box….and inside the box was the most beautiful flower crown Eric had ever seen.

‘O-Oh my….w-wow….’

Eric gasped as he tenderly brought it out of the box, and he let out an excited squeak when he saw that a note came with it, a note written in perfect handwriting with a dark green biro pen.

“Dear Eric Derekson,

I am your Secret Santa, Merry Christmas. I hope that the gift is to your liking, since I am aware you have a love of nature. The willow base, pine garlanding, and snowdrop flowers that make up the crown are all synthetic, but have been infused with the realistic scents of the foliage they are based off of. This means that the crown will never diminish in vibrancy or scent, and you may keep it forever.

Yours affectionately,

Your Secret Santa.”

Eric very nearly had tears in his eyes….it was the most beautiful thing he had even seen, and it was the most beautiful gift he’d literally ever been given. He sniffled and smiled as he settled it on his head, letting out a happy gasp as he felt over it all; it all felt so real, and knowing it would last forever just made it all the more perfect. I’m sure you’re all wondering who the giver of this gift was, well, you’ll be please to know that he was actually watching Eric from a nearby doorway. Google Green was smiling happily as he watched how happy Eric became from receiving his gift; he was about to turn away…but then….the door creaked.

‘H-Hello? Someone there?’

Eric had heard the creak, and stood with furrowed eyebrows as he approached the doorway; Green didn’t move fast enough, and soon was faced with a crowned, smiling, and curious Eric Derekson.

‘Green? What are you d-doing hiding behind the door?’

Green blinked a few times, and cleared his throat as he decided that the most tactical approach was non-disclosure of information, as well as evasion.

‘Nothing. That is an interesting garment, where did you get it?’

He nodded to the flower crown Eric was wearing, which made Eric smile and light up; he was so eager to talk about it to anyone who would listen.

‘Oh, it’s from my Secret Santa! It’ll last forever and the scents and textures will never go away! I-I love it so much, b-but I really wish I knew who sent it to me so I could t-tell them….’

Eric pouted softly, he loved the whole concept of Secret Santa, but he also wanted nothing more than to thank the person who gifted him the flower crown, he wanted to show them how grateful he was and how much he loved it. Green cocked his head at Eric with a fond smile, he was such a sweet human, deserving of so many nice things.

‘I am sure that when they see you wear it with such joy, they will see how much you love it Eric. Particularly since they were already acutely aware of your love of nature.’

Eric smiled for a moment at Green’s sweet words….before furrowing his eyebrows at the android. ‘’Love of nature’’….that phrase was written in the note that had come with the gift, though it could have been a coincidence….but Eric’s curiosity got the better of him.

‘You uh….seem to know about this p-person’s thoughts….do you know who i-it was that gifted me this?’

Green’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second….he had certainly not expected Eric to be so incredibly perceptive. Green tensed a tad as he saw how Eric cocked his head at him curiously, very much like he was undertaking an analysis. Green knew that if he wanted to maintain the secrecy, he had to be careful.

‘I do not…I….I was simply theorising the gift giver’s mind-set aloud.’

Now, if Green had said that sentence without the pause in the middle, Eric would have believed him without a doubt. But that stutter, that little hint of hesitation, showed Eric that Green was not being as truthful as he was making out. Eric couldn’t help but grin up at the android playfully as he raised an eyebrow at him.

‘O-Oh? Y-You don’t sound very sure….’

Eric took a step towards Green, making him step back nervously since he was unsure of Eric’s intentions. Green knew that Eric had seen through his fakery, and now Green could see Eric’s grin getting wider and wider; the android replied very speedily though, he wasn’t going to give up on maintaining his secrecy.

‘I am absolutely, positively, irrevocably sure, I assure you Eric.’

That made Eric stop approaching the android, and Green furrowed his brows curiously as he watched Eric start to think to himself. The usually timid man was gaining a burst of determined confidence….he was going to find out from Green who had gifted him the flower crown, and he was going to do it via any means necessary. Eric then developed a soft, and incredibly cute, little smirk as he quietened his voice.

‘Well u-unfortunately….I-I don’t believe you!’

Before Green knew it…Eric had lunged at him, giggling his heart out as they tumbled to the floor, Eric ending up on top of the surprised android. Green’s cheeks flushed a soft lime colour, but before he could even inquire into Eric’s intentions….Eric showed him.

‘Eric-AHA! Nohohoho noho I-Ihihi dohohon’t knohow ahanythihing!’

Eric had wriggled his fingers into the android’s ribcage experimentally, since it was common knowledge that all the Googles were ticklish in their own ways; Eric was so glad Green had this attribute too. Green burst into hearty giggles as he tried to curl up into a foetal position, his hard-drive repeating the same thought: Just try and withstand it.

‘I think you’re fiiiibbing! Just tell the truth and I’ll stooop!’

Eric teased as he continued to tickle. Eric was the sort of tickler who giggled or laughed along with whoever he was tickling, he just couldn’t keep his happy giddiness to himself. It made it so much worse for Green, having Eric giggling and grinning down at him, it made the temperature of his cheeks rise as he squeezed his mossy eyes shut.

‘Ihihihi ahalreheady hahahave!’

Eric let out a little sigh, tutting down at Green as he rubbed his thumbs into the gaps between his ribs; he could tell he was going to have to spend a lot of time on the stubborn android’s sensitive spots…but Eric was more than happy with that.

‘Oh I don’t think so, I know you’re hiding something! Just tell me what you know, and this can aaaall be over….’

Eric dimmed his voice into a coo, which made Green feel particularly flustered indeed. He had his arms tucked tight into his sides to try and hinder Eric, but he was devilishly dextrous; thus, Green was trapped with tickles and teases. He looked up at Eric as he grinned cutely and whined pleadingly.

‘P-Plehehease! Thehere’s n-nohohothihing t-to tehell!’

Eric hummed as he looked down at Green….once again, it was the android’s stammers that meant Eric knew he was still being a little fibber. Eric lowered the tone of his voice playfully as he replied.

‘Huh, that’s funny….since you always seem to stammer more when you’re lying!’

As Eric finished speaking, he dug all of his fingers into Green’s ribcage, wriggling them and tickling deftly as Green burst into wide-eyed cackles. Plus, Green felt that he couldn’t fight back out of worry that he might accidentally hurt Eric with his higher-than-average human strength! All he could do was continue to project denial.

‘NOHOHO! I-I-IHI D-DOHON’T!’

Eric raised a teasy eyebrow down at Green as he giggled affectionately, he just thought Green was far too cute. Eric eagerly leaned over the android more, hoping to look intimidating as he purred with a dangerous, foreboding twinkle in his eyes.

‘If you lie one more time….then you’re REALLY gonna get it!’

Green gulped. He was absolutely very much feeling intimidated by Eric right now. He could sense that Eric was making some form of threat, but Green was so flustered that his words ended up coming out of him so frantically before he had a chance to consider them.

‘BUHUT IHI HAHAVEN’T BEHEEN LYING!’

At Green’s mirthful cry, Eric stopped the tickling. Green only gulped more, because he knew Eric wasn’t doing it out of mercy, he was doing it out of shock. Even Green was understanding that his little attempts at lies were weak and transparent, and the android’s eagerness to maintain them was only making Eric more eager to tickle the truth out of him. Green knew he’d “screwed up big time” in addition to “really landing himself in it” as he knew many of the Ipliers would say. Eric was amazed at how stubbornly Green was clinging to his little fibs….but he was actually kinda happy about it, because Eric found that he was enjoying tickling Green very, very much.

‘….now you’ve done it.’

Eric tutted as he smirked down at Green, making the android’s cheeks darken to a more forest green…before the android shrieked and his blush became a mossy green. Why? Because Eric Derekson had unleashed the wettest, tickliest raspberry at the side of Green’s neck EVER!

‘AAAHHHH! OHOHO GAHAD NAHAT THAHAHAT!!’

Eric concurred that Green was particularly susceptible to this tickling technique, due to his new laughter, and so just gave him more and more and more.

‘You don’t like raspberries?! But raspberries are so good for you Greeny!’

Green let out a crackly wail at the nickname, even though it was merely his name with an extra letter added, it still affected his emotions and sparked even more flusteredness. He also felt flustered at Eric’s insinuation that the tickle technique was ANYTHING like its fruity namesake.

‘NAHAHAHAT LIHIHIKE THIHIHIS AHAHAHA!!’

Green tossed his head about, squeaking through his laughter as he felt Eric giggle into his neck. Eric adored how susceptible Green was to the raspberries, they were Eric’s favourite tickle technique to do on others because it was so silly and goofy. Eric loved tickling people in general, making people laugh like that just made him feel so happy and confident; also, teasing people was something Eric took great pleasure in.

‘But it makes you laugh so much! Plus, I looove how wriggly you are underneath me, you’re such a sensitive cutie pie!’

Eric cooed as he raspberried behind Green’s ear, which only made the already squirmy android wriggle about even more, he just couldn’t keep himself still because of all the sensations coursing through his system. On top of the tickling, Eric’s teasing was really getting to Green. He had his eyes squeezed shut, his fists clenched, his toes curled, all his muscles tensed, and he had embarrassed shuttering noises coming from his throat as he cried.

‘SHUHUHUT IHIhihihit…ohohahaha….’

Green let out a gasping sigh of relief when he felt Eric lean up and away from his tender neck, which was now tingling beyond belief. Eric giggled as he looked at the panting man beneath him, amazed he’d resisted the tickles for so long…but Eric was determined; he just had too much love and gratitude to give.

‘So, are we ready to talk yet? Or do I really have to torture you?’

Green weakly opened his eyes as he glanced up a Eric, and to see the usually meek man smirking and practically nose to nose with him….it did things to Green. First off, Green suddenly found himself encapsulated by Eric’s features. He could see the soft dimples in his cheeks, the soft brown freckles on the bridge of his nose, the way his caramel eyes gleamed and glimmered. Green felt his mouth go dry as he was distracted….but amongst it all, he had an epiphany. He realised he was deriving enjoyment from spending time with Eric with all this playfulness, so Green decided that he wanted to be playful back. He smiled up at Eric, before pointedly pursing his lips and turning his head away. Needless to say, Eric was a) pleasantly surprised, and b) even more eager to coax out what Green was hiding.

‘Ohhh so you think you’re a tough android huh? Y-You think because I’m little ol’ Eric Derekson that I can’t get what I want out of you?’

Green didn’t know how, but even with his little stutters, Eric sounded more intimidating than even a displeased Darkiplier. Green nibbled his bottom lip and kept quiet, but trembled when Eric giggled and trailed his fingers down his torso slowly. Green knew he could grab his hands and make him stop….but he didn’t want to.

‘Last chance Greeny…last chance to talk….before I go in for the kill.’

Eric whispered, grinning so widely as he teasingly tapped his fingers over Green’s tummy and waist. He heard miniscule whines coming from the sweet android….but nothing else. Honestly, Eric felt like this experience with Green was a beautiful Christmas present in of itself.

‘Well….I tried to be nice.’

Eric said with a resigned sigh, before he took a leap of faith on his instinct, and dug into Green’s hips. His instinct was right too. Green let out a wild scream as he arched his back, before being consumed by deep, crackle-filled laughter. It was his death spot. Eric had found his death spot…and was tormenting it.

‘AAAAAHAHAHAHA NAHAT THERE NAHAT THEHEHEEERE!!!’

Eric giggled with delight as he massaged Green’s beautifully exposed hipbones evilly.

‘Oooh I hoped this was gonna be a bad spot! Come on now Greeny, you know you can’t hold out on me!’

Green, despite his hopes, knew that Eric was right, and that just flustered him all the more as he thrashed and bucked with a growing desperation.

‘PLEHEHEHEASE EHERIC AHAHAHA!!!’

Eric grinned his boyish grin as he leant down to Green’s ear, so he could purr in that teasingly innocent voice of his.

‘Tell me….just tell me what I want to know…’

Green had saline fluid building in the corners of his eyes as he laughed and whimpered.

‘OHOHOHO GAHAHAHAD!!!’

He was an absolute mess of mirth the poor guy, he knew he was reaching the end of what he could tolerate, so before Eric could tease once more….Green admitted all.

‘IHIHIT WAHAS MEHEHE! THE FLOHOHOWER CROHOWN IHIS FROHOM MEHEHEEEE!!!’

Eric’s eyes widened as he stopped the tickling immediately. His lips were parted in awe and shock…did he hear that right? Eric could feel his cheeks heating up as he whispered in a breathless voice.

‘Y-You? Y-You….m-made this for m-me?’

Eric slid off of Green as he posed his question so that the android could sit up, which he did. Green felt bashfulness creeping up on him as he straightened his spectacles and smoothed down his hair…he felt so nervous, but he replied nevertheless.

‘Aha….y-yes. I….I-I have observed you m-many times tending to th-the plants you own, and your intense joy was unmistakable. I wanted to emulate it for you, a-at the very least.’

Green bowed his head, oh goodness, this is why he’d wanted it to stay secret! He’d been so nervous as soon as he’d found out Eric was the person he was gifting for, Green had brainstormed for hour after hour on what someone so perfect and good like Eric would like as a gift. He was still nervous now, doubt creeping into his thoughts-

‘Y-You are the s-sweetest person i-i-in the whole w-wide world Greeny! Thank y-you so much….’

Those thoughts however, were pushed aside by Eric’s words….and his very sudden, loving hug. He’d launched himself at the android and wrapped his arms around him as tears built in his eyes….he’d never in his wildest dreams imagined someone putting so much effort and care and detail into something for him. Eric felt like it was the best day of his life, especially when Green hugged him back and buried his face in his shoulder. After a little while of relishing in Eric’s human warmth, Green softly whispered.

‘W-Would you perhaps…ah…like to c-come to my room for further cuddling?’

Eric giggled as they briefly parted, and nodded without hesitation.

‘I-I’d love that.’

That made Green smile and stand up, before offering Eric his hand, which he accepted. Once they were both stood….they didn’t let go of one another’s hands, instead, they interlaced their fingers together. Then they went off to partake in the sweetest, secret snuggle session that has ever existed.

WOOOO HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS FIC LEMME KNOW IF YA DO WOOOO LUV YOUS XX

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littlemissfundip · 5 years

Text

Today is a Gift

Fandom: Dragon Age Origins

Pairing: Alistair/Tallie(Warden)

Summery: The Solstice season isn’t turning out to be everything it’s cracked up to be. Not for Tallie at least. If only there was someone who could bring a little cheer.

Note: A Secret Santa for the venerable TakenVoid. Thanks for letting me play with your girl.

There were times that Tallie actually missed Orzammar, though those moments were few and far between. It wasn’t that she missed her life per say, but sometimes the surface lands seemed overwhelmingly large and cavernous and quiet. Like the whole world was moments away from letting her drift into the sky.

It was moments like that she missed the familiar sounds of Dust Town, the constant sounds of dwarf life that let her know she was still living. In the darkness of the night, when the shadows were long and her bed was empty, Tallie felt the slightest twinge of nostalgia.

This was not one of those moments.

Crammed into the most deserted table in the tavern, Tallie sat. Silently stewing over her drink she looked out across the crowded room.

All around her the sounds of merriment rang out. The booming of voices, ringing of bells, and off-key singing blended together in a cacophony of noise that rivaled any battle she had been in. The Archdemon included.

Even after all this time, it was still a little overwhelming to say the least. Solstice celebrations seemed so strange. There was never anything like this in Orzammar...at least not for the casteless. The noise alone would risk bringin the roof down on one’s head.

Stones curse it, Tallie wasn’t entirely sure how the Tavern was still standing.

The noise, the colours, the endless frivolity, it all seemed too much. Too much life all crammed together in one place. Though Tallie occasionally resented the quiet, she had come to appreciate the space that the surface world provided.

In a place like this, even surrounded by so many people, Tallie felt very much alone.

As if sensing her thoughts, Tallie’s wandering gaze met another. Across the tavern another surface dwarf caught her eye. Raising a single bushy brow, he tipped his pint in her direction. A clearer invitation Tallie had never seen, but it also wasn’t one she was particularly interested in.

Sharpening her gaze, Tallie met his eyes squarely. There wasn’t even a hint of a smile so he wouldn't mistake her dismissal as some coy invitation.

Clearly her message got across. The dwarf shrugged his shoulders amicably and turned his attention to more receptive pastures. There were certainly enough patrons and barmaids who seemed willing enough.

Hunching her shoulders, Tallie eyes the last of her drink contemplatively. It seemed like the right time to head out. It was late enough that the tavern was starting to get rowdy. Even alone, her room was starting to seem like a better alternative.

Just as she was about to toss a few coppers on the table and go, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She could sense someone behind her, so close she could almost feel their heat on her back.

Moving slowly, subtly, she reached for one of the many knives on her belt. For a split-second old instincts warred with common sense and Tallie had to fight the urge to slip her knife between the stranger’s ribs.

Instead, she flipped her knife smoothly, thrusting the pommel into her would-be attacker’s ribs. The strike, sudden and unexpected, caught them just below the solar plexus.

With a choked grunt the figure went down, clutching their stomach. It was only then, as their hood fell away, that Tallie recognized the familiar face.

“Alistair?” she gasped.

Hopping off her bench, Tallie hurried him to his feet. Tugging his hood back into place she glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Thankfully there was a far more enthusiastic brawl taking place by the bar which served as a suitable distraction.

After helping Alistair onto the other bench, Tallie settled back into her seat.

“Alista...I mean Your Majesty,” said Tallie, “what are you doing here?”

It was meant to be a show of respect. Tallie had seen it too many times. A dwarf ascends to a noble house and suddenly get all up on themselves. Alistair didn’t seem like the sort but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Though the look that passed over Alistair’s face made her immediately regret her words.

“Please...don’t,” said Alistair slowly, awkwardly rubbing his hands. “That title is...It’s too much. Hearing it from other people is strange but from you…”

Alistair trailed off. His strained smile seemed to flit between hopeful and anxious. To be honest it was a bit of a relief to see how little he had changed in spite of it all.

“Alright then Alistair,” Tallie paused, taking a long sip of her drink to hide her smile, “what are you doing here?”

Sensing the change in tone Alistair adopted a faux innocent expression.

“Funny story actually. I just happened to be riding past, entirely by coincidence mind you, when I felt the overwhelming urge to drink bad ale and listen to poorly sung tavern songs. It must have been fate.”

“Fate huh?” replied Tallie dryly. “So it wasn’t a certain ex-chantry sister who likes to stick her nose into other people’s business?”

Face innocent as a school-boy, Alistair shook his head.

“Absolutely not.”

“Since I am here though,” he continued leaning onto the table in a move he had clearly stolen from Zevran, “it’s only fitting that I give you your present.”

Reaching into his rucksack, Alistair pulled out a long thin box. It was plainly wrapped, brown paper and twine, but judging by the lopsided edges and the wrinkled corner it was a job Alistair had completed himself. Placing it on the table, he gently pushed it towards Tallie.

“I know it’s a little early but I wasn’t sure when we would see each other next.” Tilting his head to the side Alistair cast a sheepish smile in Tallie’s direction.

Seeing him there, so close, after being apart for so long. Tallie had to reach out for the package, if only to keep from reaching across the table and laying a hand on his scruffy cheek. Alistair would never grow the kind of facial hair that would make him the envy of Orzammar but his scruff was endearing in it’s own way.

“You're not going to shake it?” Alistair asked.

It was such an odd question Tallie could do little more than stare.

“Why would I do that?” she asked slowly. Maybe it was some kind of human tradition but it sounded very strange all the same.

“To try to figure out what it is by the sound. Like this.” Alistair raised his hands and shook them by his head.

Once again, Tallie stared. Seeing her blank expression Alistair froze, his face flushing.

“Never mind it’s a human thing I guess. Just hurry up and open it.”

Now, Tallie would have liked nothing more than to tear into the wrapping paper like a savage darkspawn but she managed to hold herself in check. It was worth the wait just to watch Alistair fidget as she slowly pulled the cord loose and gently unwrapped the paper. She even folded it before setting it aside.

By the time she had finished, Alistair was practically shaking in his seat.

Like the wrapping the box was plain. As she lifted the lid though, Tallie was struck dumb. Laying atop a bed of shredded linen was a single rose.

It was beautiful. Like nothing Tallie had ever seen before. Lifting it from it’s nest, Tallie examined the flower in the tavern’s low light.

It was heavy. Heavier than she’d expected.

Made entirely of metal from stem to petal, it seemed to glow in the firelight. The beautiful gold caught the light as she turned it, examining the intricate details. It looked almost lifelike, down to the veins on the leaves.

“Fine dwarven crafts direct from Orzammar,” Alistair joked half-heartedly. At Tallie’s silence his anxiety seemed to grow. “I hope you like it. It’s supposed to symbolize our um courtship and romance...I think. Maker’s breath, it seemed like a good idea before. Should I have gotten you a necklace or a knife or…”

If she let him he likely would have gone on all night.

“Alistair.” Tallie interrupted, her voice firm but kind. Immediately, Alistair fell silent. “I love it.”

“Well…” After sending himself into a tizzy, Alistair seemed a little lost as to how to proceed. “Good. That’s good.”

“It is.” Tallie agreed solemnly, trying her hardest to hold back her laughter. The man could be so earnest sometimes.

“It’s so nice in fact,” Tallie continued reaching into one of the pockets of her coat. “I’m a little embarrassed of my present for you.”

The box wasn’t particularly large and Tallie hadn’t even had the chance to wrap it. She’d planned to do it before sending it along by courier but now seemed as good a moment as any.

“You got me a present?” said Alistair, his whole face lighting up.

Tallie shrugged.

“Well, I figured if I was going to be a surface dwarf I might as well follow surface traditions.”

Alistair only appeared to be half-listening as he stared intently at the box in Tallie’s hands. Rolling her eyes, she slid the box across the table.

Almost immediately it was in Alistair’s hands. Raising the box to his ear he gave it a gentle shake. By the stones, humans were strange sometimes.

Setting it back on the table, Alistair pulled off the lid with unnecessary flourish only to stop short. With almost reverent hands he pulled the small stone figure from the box. Like Alistair’s rose it was beautifully detailed but instead of metal it was made of solid black stone.

It had taken much deliberation before Tallie was able to settle on a present. After all, it was no easy task to find a gift for a king, but she had been confident enough with her choice at the time. Now, on the other hand, she wasn’t so sure.

The statuette was small, slightly longer than a man’s hand from palm to fingertips. It was not the size that mattered though.

While Tallie had only the vaguest memories of Duncan from her brief time before his passing, she had been lucky enough on her travels to stumble across a portrait of the man in one of the rare books on Grey Wardens. From there it was simple enough to commission the piece.

Seeing it in Alistair’s hands though, she was beginning to have her doubts.

Seconds passed in silence, feeling like years. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. She had hoped it would serve as a reminder of his mentor/father figure but perhaps it only brought back sad memories.

Just as Tallie was about to speak, though what she would say was still a mystery, Alistair’s hand darted across the table to clasp her own. His eyes were damp as he stared at her.

“Marry me.”

The words were barely a whisper, but they made Tallie’s heart trip in her chest. It wasn’t as though they had never spoken of this. That had been before though. Before the Landsmeet. Before Alistair became king.

Things were different now. They both had responsibilities. She had her mission and he had his duty, and as much as she wanted it this wasn’t something she could promise. Not now.

“Alistair…”

Alistair’s grip tightened.

“I know.” He whispered running his thumb across her worn knuckles. “You have to find a cure for the Taint and I have to rule Ferelden. Maker’s breath, it still feels strange saying that. I understand. I do ....”

Drawing a ragged breath, Alistair tugged Tallie’s hand towards him. Gently he pressed a chaste kiss to her fingers before letting them rest against his forehead.

“It’s just...I miss you. I miss you every day when we are apart.” Releasing her hand Alistair met her eyes once more. Sincerity shining from his face like a flame. “There are days I want to toss that stupid crown in a river, steal a horse, and just run off to find you.”

A lump had formed in Tallie’s throat that was far more stubborn than she cared to admit. She understood his feelings all too well. It was why she had kept from seeing him for so long. All it took was a few words, a sweet smile, and she was completely undone. All her resolve ground to a fine ash.

Still, she could admit this if nothing else. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. But it would have to do.

“I miss you too.” Tallie whispered. Mirroring Alistair’s own action she clasped his hand. Raising it to her lips she gently brushed his knuckles.

There was so much more Tallie wanted to say.

“You are going to find a cure.” said Alistair.

That was one of the things Tallie loved most about him.

When he spoke, he did so with the utmost conviction. Like his words were the most obvious of facts. The sky was blue. The grass was green. Tallie would find a cure for the Taint.

“I know you will, because there is nothing you can’t do.” Alistair continued. “And when that day comes you are going to come back to Ferelden, probably riding a dragon or something equally ridiculous, and I am going to marry you.”

Tallie wanted nothing more than to accept his words, to live in his dream a little longer, but she had lived too long and seen too much. Clearly someone needed to be the voice of reason.

“I don’t think your court would care for a dwarven queen.” Tallie pointed out, though it hurt to do so. “They will probably want you to marry some pretty noble girl who will bear you a castle full of noble babies.”

“The court can go hang for all I care.” replied Alistair firmly. “I love you and they can learn to live with it or I’ll sell the whole country to the Orlesians. See how they like that.”

It was impractical. It was impossible. But in this moment, Tallie needed to hear those words. Shameful as it was, they were exactly what she needed to hear. Just a statement of facts. Pur and simple.

“Such decisive action.” Tallie managed to quip, despite the way her chest felt like Alistair had reached in and gave her heart a squeeze. “How very kingly.”

Sensing the change in the mood, Alistair seemed to relax ever so slightly.

“I know right?” he joked back. “I’ve been practicing.”

With the tension gone and the moment passed, now seemed like a good time to find a more private place. Suddenly, the prospect of going back to her room at the Inn no longer seemed so abhorrent.

Tossing a few silvers on the table, Tallie grabbed Alistair’s hand. Firmly she tugged him towards the exit. Catching on to her destination, a shy smile spread across Alistair’s face.

Just as she was about to reach for the door handle though, Tallie found herself tugged backwards into a tight embrace.

Face-to-face, Alistair leaned down to whisper softly in her ear. Barely audible over the general noise.

“I mean it. Every word.”

And in that moment, Tallie allowed herself to believe it too.

Stretching up, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Savouring the moment for what it was. Enjoying kissing him simply because she could.

“Well,” Tallie whispered as she pulled back, “who am I to argue with a king?”

“Who indeed?” replied Alistair, sneaking in to steal another kiss.

#fanfiction #dragon age origins #alistair/warden #alistair/branka #secret santa #god I hope this is okay #I know very little about alistair #I had to ask one of my friends about him #in my mind he's just a giant puppy dork #first fanfiction in a while #i am so out of practice #please ignore any spelling errors #i did my best

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nyanzaya · 5 years

Text

Pulled down the stars

@the-forgotten-spring you were my assigned person for secret santa! I hope you enjoy it<3 It was fun to write and really song inspired. If you’d want to hear those: Your Tattoo / Pulled down the stairs / All To Myself, Pt 1

Pair: Shizuo/Izaya words: 2172

Peace.

It was a difficult emotion for Shizuo to find himself feeling. The tranquility of it was the type of emotion he had always wanted to feel and the sky above added to the feeling of calm. It wasn’t often he would gaze at the stars, perhaps wondering what was actually out there beyond it all. A full moon illuminated the field he was in and despite it all, he really didn’t care how he got there.

He was sure this peace would last, though he thought too soon hearing a grating voice on his ears.

“Shi~zu~chan~”

Already he was reaching for his cigarettes. “How the hell did you find me out here, you bastard.” His words were low, almost growled out in annoyance of hearing his hated nickname.

Izaya gave a hum, “Well, isn’t it obvious?”

“It’s not obvious at all.” Shizuo’s brow furrowed as he placed the end of the cigarette between his lips and flicked his lighter.

Of course, Izaya wasn’t surprised. Shizuo might have been intuitive at times, but right now it seemed like he really didn’t have much of an idea. The informant gave a shrug, “Coincidence then. I wasn’t actually looking for you by the way.” He looked up to the sky.

Shizuo inhaled the nicotine, before he finally exhaled slowly. “That sounds like a load of bullshit.” His nerves were calmed again. He then looked at Izaya, how they looked at the sky. The blond shook his head, finding that looking at him made him feel dizzy. Why was that? Normally, he would retaliate quickly and chase this bastard out of the city, but they weren’t in Ikebukuro. They were in some field, looking at the sky together that was far from the noise, the bright blinding lights and the expectations of their reputation.

Out here they were just two people.

The tension that would normally be between them almost seemed to not exist.

“Does it? It’s surprising a beast like you would be out here. Don’t tell me you’re going to change under the full moon’s light.” Izaya spoke, turning his head to give Shizuo a side glance, smirking at the other as if expecting something out of him.

Shizuo tsked, “I’m not a werewolf or some shit like that.” He felt himself tense up, feeling the anger starting to scratch up his back again.

“Are you sure about that? Looks like fur is starting to stand on end.” The informant teased before he swiftly moved out of Shizuo’s reach. He raised a hand, shaking his index finger at him as if scolding, “Now, now, you don’t have to act that way.”

It was agitating how Izaya always seemed to be just out of arm’s reach. Of course, he threw his fist without much thought. Letting the anger take over his senses felt better than holding it in. “Fuck you, you damn flea.” He spat out.

Izaya gave another shrug, opening his arms as if inviting Shizuo “Come now, Shizu-chan, can’t we have ourselves a little truce and try to enjoy what’s out here?”

“A truce? With you? In your wildest dreams.” Shizuo took the cigarette out of his mouth. It wasn’t finished but he put it out and opened his vest to retrieve a white envelope to place it inside. The envelope was placed back into his vest and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Why would I ever want to make a truce with you?”

“Have you heard the story about the old man and the rabbit he took with him when he went back to the moon?” Izaya asked looking back toward the moon, clearly ignoring Shizuo’s questions.

The blond rolled his eyes, exhaling a sigh, “Who hasn’t? It’s the one about the old man disguised as a beggar and asked these three animals for food. They were…” He brought a hand to his chin, thinking of the story again. It had been a long time since he had last thought about it.

“The monkey, fox and rabbit.” Izaya piped in.

“Yeah, but what about it?”

“You remember how it ends?”

Shizuo looked at Izaya again, the dizzying feeling returning, but he powered through it. “The rabbit didn’t have anything to give to the beggar so he asked them to make a fire and offered himself, but the beggar took off his disguise and said something along the lines of how kind and generous the rabbit was to offer themselves and ’cause of that he brought them back to the moon with him.” He looked at the moon with a soft smile, “He’s still there too.”

Izaya was quiet but after a moment he started to laugh. It started soft before getting louder. Shizuo was taken aback by their laughter.

“What?” He asked, watching Izaya bring a hand to his face to rub at his eyes.

It was funny to Izaya that they were having a conversation like this. Not even a few minutes ago he had gotten Shizuo all riled up with a few simple words and now here they were, talking about some old story about the moon. He’d only ever claim to love humans but the moon held a charm he really couldn’t deny. It was an enchanting thing and looking at Shizuo, it was almost blinding as if he was the sun itself. Especially when the blond had softly smiled. It was a type of warmth that Izaya wasn’t used to seeing but he didn’t want anyone else to see Shizuo this way either. Izaya gave a sigh, “It’s amusing really, the moral of that story. Don’t light yourself on fire to keep someone warm. You can be as kind as you want but don’t let yourself get hurt. Funny how people let themselves get hurt regardless of it.”

Now it was Shizuo’s turn to be quiet. Surprisingly, he listened when Izaya spoke about the story and its moral. It was something he sort of agreed with, but the thought of being too kind regardless of getting hurt left a strange feeling. He thought back on people he had protected and he was the one that would get hurt, perhaps not in the emotional sense of it all but physically. The wounds had never bothered him but to think Izaya would say that, he simply shook his head. “Whatever you say. I don’t think it’s as simple as that because there’s a lot of ways you can get hurt.” He gave a shrug. His words were not as deeply profound as he had wanted them to be but that’s what he thought. There wasn’t anything wrong with getting hurt as long as the person you helped appreciated it, right?

It was strange to Izaya to be having this kind of conversation with Shizuo. The thought of it made him shake his head and look down at the moonlit field. There was an emotion he wouldn’t admit to feeling, finding it to be a troublesome thing. It was moments like these that Izaya couldn’t stand. How often would this happen? It was almost an electrifying kind of interest, even if he would avoid Shizuo at any given time and in moments like these it was oddly satisfying. “You’re so literal sometimes.” The informant spoke, turning to face Shizuo. Despite how he felt blinded by looking at them, he gave a soft smile.

Shizuo uncrossed his arms and put them in his pockets. “Literal, huh?” He supposed he could see that and looking at Izaya again, how the moon light seemed to brighten him up in a mystifying glow. Seeing how his eyes almost twinkled, the dizzying feeling returned. It was hard to look at Izaya, but he didn’t know that it was also hard for Izaya to look at him. Something about this brought a feeling of wanting the other all to himself. It was then he noted the tattoo on Izaya’s hand. The moon. It was the opposite of his own. The sun. “Your eyes, they look like they have the stars in them.”

Izaya hummed, moving closer to Shizuo bringing his hands to cup his face. Shizuo felt warm and didn’t seem to mind the touch of his hands. He leaned upward, ghosting his lips over the blonds, as his eyes narrowed. “That’s because I pulled down the stars for you.”

What? Did he hear that right? Is he feeling this right? Why was izaya, the man he hated most holding his face as if they had always been something more than enemies? This wasn’t right. This wasn’t the Izaya he knew. He felt how his heart had started to race from how close Izaya was. It couldn’t of been anything else. It had to of been the anger building up again. A fight or flight response to this, knowing that Izaya was just going to trick him somehow and get just out of arm’s reach again.

“Izaya, what are…?”

He didn’t get an answer. The only response he had gotten was a kiss being pressed against his lips. Something about it didn’t feel strange as he tentatively placed his hands around Izaya’s waist quickly finding himself relaxing into it and closing his eyes. It felt uncharacteristically soft, especially compared to how the pair normally was; hard, rough and stabbing. This time, perhaps the only time, it was peaceful, tender and enchanting.

It was when Shizuo’s eyes fluttered opened that he saw his ceiling. The dizzying feeling was still there, as if he had been dazed by such a gentle and tender kiss but quickly it was replaced by a feeling of panic. Shizuo sat up, his breath short as he looked at the back of his hand. The tattoo was gone. With the same hand he brought it to his face. “What a stupid dream.” He spoke softly to himself, his free hand clutching on to his bed covers. The thought of it being a dream was frustrating. Why did he have to dream of that bastard?

In a small fit of rage Shizuo slammed his hand against the wall, uncaring if he broke the drywall even if he regrettable knew that he would have to fix it. He pushed his bed covers off and went to look out his window. It was still dark out and looking at the time it was only 3:43 in the morning. From where he was he couldn’t see the stars.

I pulled down the stars for you.

Shizuo tsked, bringing a hand up to brush back his hair as he moved away from the window to sit on the edge of his bed. “The stars, huh?” He looked at his hand now, wondering why he was the sun and Izaya was the moon. Of course, even his dreams had to be cryptic and confusing and it only furthered his frustration. Especially when he thought about Izaya.

They were nothing alike and even if there might have been some hidden similarities he would refuse to acknowledge such a thing. He would refuse to think about often he thought of Izaya and for that bastard to show up in his dreams? It had to be Izaya’s fault.

“That’s right. It’s that bastard’s fault.” Shizuo grumbled to himself. The thought of going back to sleep almost sounded like a chore. He didn’t want to have that dream again. He didn’t want to experience that peace and tranquility if Izaya was there but in his dream he didn’t find himself hating it. If anything he enjoyed being there with Izaya despite the annoyance he felt around him. Shizuo couldn’t figure out why he could never look at Izaya without that dizzying feeling.

He brought a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it to try and relax himself. What was he supposed to do? Pretend he didn’t have a pleasant dream about the one person he hated most? Of course, he did dream of Izaya before but it was nothing like this. All of the other dreams were of them fighting or their days back in high school. This one was different. It was strange and he couldn’t figure out why it was different. There were signs and symbols in his dream but he wasn’t sure what they meant.

Defeated, Shizuo gave a shrug and got under his covers again, closing his eyes and began to fall asleep. He chose to ignore this strange dream. It wasn’t going to change anything about their relationship now and he couldn’t bring himself to admit anything that the dream might have shown to be the truth. Shizuo might have made a dream about Izaya in a weird and twisted version of something akin to the feeling of love, but it was just a dream. It wasn’t some hidden desire to connect and be with that guy anyway.

Besides there was nothing similar between them. The emotion could never be returned in the same way and that was that, even if it left a bitterness in his chest as he fell asleep.

#I hope it's okay lmfao and I hope i got the right person??#im low-key screaming internally right now #This is also the first time I've written straight up shizaya xD It's not....super lovey dovey but I think it's sweet #if there is a typo and none of the other mods caught it im going TO SCREAM LOL #drabbles #shizaya #durarara #drrrsecretsanta #the-forgotten-spring

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spamanosecretsanta · 5 years

Text

Scars (Secret Santa for Lying-monster)

Hello dear @lying-monster!

Merry Christmas and enjoy your gift :) I hope I did not fully missinterpret your prompts… i rechecked after finishing and was not sure anymore if they belonged togehter or not. But enjoy nevertheless!

Regards

Yami ( @xherzasx )

Scares

… are stories written on the body

Antonio.

Let me tell you how I met Antonio.

Or like I call him… the bastard Antonio.

It was in Belem, home of the famous “Pastei de Nata” and Europe’s door to the world, located in Portugal!

I had just started working at the docks and since I was far away from home I spend my evenings in the little taverns that were everywhere. I liked it very much because there were lots and lots of travellers and sailors from all over the world. And they all told their stories when they had drunk a glass or two.

And there was one guy in particular, that caught my attention. Because he just told the best stories. And he did not just tell them, he kind of acted them out. That night he was standing on the counter of the bar, amazingly balancing between all the mugs with a guitar in his hands. Yes it was very over the top, but everybody’s eyes were glued on him. There was laughter and mugs slamming on wood as applause. The story? To be honest I cannot remember that one. Others yes, and they were always about amazing adventures on the wide sea, but that night I could not focus.

At least not on his words.

I was more focused on the little wrinkles around his eyes, when he smiled. His eyes stuck out very much by the way, because his skin was dark from the sun and they were emerald green. Also his smile stuck out because it was bright… very bright. And excited… and honest. His fingers went over the guitar smoothly but it also looked kind of funny because he wore a white shirt with long sleeves and they kind of fell over his hands, so you really just saw his fingertips. He had just finished his story and others had started to tell theirs, still he lazily strummed some tunes along but it became a bit quieter in the tavern. I didn’t know why but I kept staring and I guess he got that strange feeling at some point when you sense that someone is staring at you. His head turned very sudden and our eyes met. I almost jumped because I felt so caught. But instead of looking away I just kept staring, but I might have blushed as well… very hard. I could see him looking back at me for a moment, but with a blank expression. Then his lips curled up and he smiled at me. Needless to say I blushed even more, but I still did not look away.

What made us actually break eye contact was a rumour beside me. Two heavily drunk man had been arguing and now they were both so enraged that they had thrown over the table and had drawn their daggers. Naturally as in a good bar fight, a circle had formed around them. And since the table I had been sitting on had been pushed away for that I was also suddenly standing there in the first row, directly at the bar counter …with no way to escape. But the two men were really not able anymore to fight properly so the first attracter stumbled pushing another chair over which then caused me to tumble to the left… and I by accident knocked a mug to the ground. I heard it crash to the ground and as I looked up I saw a very fuming and very huge guy looking down at me. Oh god that man would kill me! No reasoning possible.

I held my hands up in defence as he grabbed my collar. Then suddenly there was a loud and ugly cracking sound and the man fell to the ground. I now saw a guitar neck directly in front of me. The hot guy had walked over the counter and had struck the man in the face with his guitar. Damn that must be one hell of a guitar.

I could not say anything because that last action had caused a chain reaction and within seconds there was a full blown bar fight going on.

Even though I tried to get out a „thank you“ (let´s be honest I was telling a story here, it was probably some curses) I was yanked up the bar counter and found myself in that guys arms, his face suddenly so near to mine I could see how fucking long his eye lashes where.

“You ok?”, I heard him ask, as he stepped back on the bar counter, pulling me with him and away from the forming fight.

I finally snapped out of my daze and nodded, while grabbing his arms so I would not stumble too much around.

“Yes, thanks”, I answered breathlessly and tried to see where we would head. A man appeared in front of us holding the leg of a broken chair. Since uh… let’s call him hot sailor for now (even though I knew his name was Antonio, I did not know that at this point of the story), had his back turned to the man he would not see that we were about to get knocked down. As I looked down to see if we could jump from the bar counter I saw a mug still standing on the counter and without thinking I just kicked it and thank god I managed to hit the man in the face.

In the meantime my sailor also had noticed something but his eyes where only fast enough to follow he mug and as it hit its target his lips curled again and he clicked his tongue impressed.

“Nice kick, my dear”, he exclaimed and gave the tumbling man a soft notch with his guitar to let him sink to the floor.

I felt the smallest grin on my face. Even though I did not like to get into fights, this was kind of exciting, and so far it had went very well for us. Then I saw a window beside bar just a few steps away and this time without hesitation I pushed the other a bit back. He understood fast tough and in just a second we reached the window which he kicked open easily.

He turned a bit so I could jump out first, but as I tuned I was faced with a guitar again. His smiling face appeared behind it.

“Would you be so kind to hold this… I kind of want to help to end this fight. I like the owner and I don´t want this place to be fully smashed.”, he hold me with an honest smile.

It did something with my heart… Normally I would just go away but this time I shrugged and got a hold of the guitar. The thin wood still felt warm where his fingers had touched it. I suddenly had the feeling that this was something special, and not something he would ask anybody.

He tilted his head and smiled again, winking at me.

“Gracias~”

And without further ado, he went right back in.

I decided to not stay near the window, and this was a good thing because a few seconds later someone came flying out of it. I ran out of the narrow street onto the little square that was around the docks. There were people running to the bar from everywhere. It was kind of an attraction to the people I guess. I went really carefully not to bump into someone while holding the guitar until I found a little corner where I would hopefully not attract any attention.

Time was suddenly going so slow as I felt my adrenalin ebb away…. And I kind of could not stop thinking about that stranger who’s guitar I was holding. I was not sure what it was that I found so exciting about him but it was stupid to deny that in general. I definitely was curious and wanted to find out more about him. Good thing was I had his guitar, so he had to come to find me eventually and then I would take my opportunity.

…or so I thought… He did find me very soon after but he was kind of in a rush. As I peeked onto the square there was suddenly someone pushing me a few steps back into the dark alley I was hiding in.

“Ah found you…”, I could hear his breathless voice. He had to lean against the wall a bit, clasping his side. His other hand was rubbing over his bleeding lips and then he licked them a bit, finally bursting in laughter.

“Did they beat the shit out of you”, I asked also not really managing to suppress a really tiny (I swear) grin. He nodded happily.

“Almost, but I lead them away for a while”, he countered and then looked up again his curly brown hear falling a bit over his piercing eyes. Damn… “Thanks for taking care of my precious guitar”, he continued and stepped again so close I could observe all the smiling wrinkles around his eyes and lips. Also I could smell a faint saint of myrrh, which gave me Goosebumps.

I swallowed a bit, not letting go of the guitar because that was my only connection to him and at the same time the only thing that was in-between us at the moment. Focus Lovino, Focus!

“No problem….?”, I murmured and also tilting my head in a questioning manner. His smile got brighter.

“ Antonio Carriedo”, he continued for me, “and you my handsome fellow are?”

I might have blushed again, but I was also kind of surprised of myself that I did not already had cussed out and strangled that bastard in front of me. I must get sick or something…

“So you’re Spanish…”, I simply stated, that would confirm my tip on his accent. “I´m Lovino… Vargas”

Antonio tiled his head again, his eyebrows a bit crooked.

“ah… Vargas sounds Spanish as well but that cute first name… what is it?”

“It´s Italian”, I huffed. “And it’s not cute Idiot!”

This gesture made him snicker a bit and he leaned in even more.

“Well my not cute Italian with the not cute language, what a nice coincidence that we met here. Let me thank you again for the help…”

Without waiting for an answer he just kissed me right on the lips. I was Italian, so I knew the southern people kissed a lot…but not like that! … Not that I would complain… I think my hand had even wandered to rest on his arm.

Before I could let the feeling sink in that this was not just a peck but his lips actually stayed on mine and where super soft, a loud yell echoed through the ally.

“There he is!!”

I could literally feel his face fall, as his lips tightened a bit and he exhaled a little bit against my lips. “Damn… why now…”, he grumbled but parted from me, his smile a bit faltered.

He seemed to debate with himself, but as he heard steps coming closer he grabbed his guitar and stepped away.

“Thanks again, I hope to see you around my not cute Italian!”, where his shouted words as he left the ally, his eyes and his lips smiling brightly as he looked back at me again.

I snapped out of my day dream and shook my head.

Damn, that evening had been five years ago! And I never had seen Antonio again…. But I guess it was kind of stupid to think that such a coincidence would happen oh so often.

“… where you even listening?”, another voice scolded me and I looked to the side. I was now a sailor myself, working on a merchant ship and right now we were storing our cargo, safely tying it to the side of the ship so it would not move and crush someone during the long journey. We would deliver a lot of goods back to Europe, all the stuff that you could not yet get there. Spices and seeds for exotic fruits and vegetables.

“… you were saying that…”, I continued but I really could not remember what was said. “… sorry I was focused on tying this…”, I lied, it was easier.

The other man was not fully convinced but he said nothing and waited until we went up to the deck again to catch some breath. He could not understand why I was so unfazed by this imported topic that was holding the whole sea on high alert.

“… so I was just saying they are all really horrible. Not just the captain! And they have one signature mark! They have all a scare all over their cheek, like this!”, he continued and let his thump slide from the corner of his lip up to his cheekbone.

“They say it’s a ritual, to join the crew!… those bloody pirates! I hope we will not encounter them!”

I just snorted.

“The sea is like endless! How big is the chance that they will encounter us…”

I saw in the eyes of my shipmate that he was horrified by my words and he spat on the deck to avoid the bad luck I was conjuring on us. Why where all sailors so superstitious? Maybe because the sea was a force that could not be controlled by a human so they needed to have something mightier to get a grip on?

And maybe I should have been a bit more open to that too because it was after two weeks on sea that we saw the feared flag with white bones on black ground.

While the others on the ship went to panic (we were no fighters after all), I was just shocked as I watched the ship come closer in fast speed. I had been always very realistic in my whole life, so I knew that the chances to survive this were very very narrow. There were not many options. We could give up the cargo, and they might let us go. But they also could do with us what pirates do to the people they plunder… urg….

I grabbed my saber and got on the highest point of the deck to see better. It was not enough so I climbed up to the first mainstay. There I could concentrate on what to see and maybe find another option for us. There where around 30 people on the other ship as far as I could see, so we were 10 people short. And not only that, we all were not fighters… There was one person that caught my attention because they stuck out from the others event through they were far away. They had a blood red coat and a black hat. Must have been the captain! Right now he was holding his saber into the air and then they let it snap down, pointing at our ship.

The next thing I could see and hear was a loud bang and black fog walling around the pirate ship. Then a tremor went through our ship, wood bursting in all directions directly below me. I was not ready for that and lost my balance, screaming.

I must have hit the ground hard, because after a second of falling everything went black. I just heard nasty noises and cracks and screams and the metallic sound of swords clashing into each other. But it all sounded very far away. As if I was under water. Was this really how I would die?

Slowly I could also feel a soft pull to the surface and everything got louder and louder by the second. To regain consciousness again was like bursting through the surface of water, fighting to get air into your lungs. I did not even manage to breathe in fully as the air was knocked out of my lungs again. I ripped open my eyes in shock just to see a boot crashing into my chest and smashing me on the ground again. I coughed violently, it hurt so fucking much and grabbed the boot with both arms to push it away but it was no use. My view was clouded because the sharp pain had caused me to tear up. I only could see a red figure standing over me. Since I was not able to get any more air into my lungs I started to lose my consciousness again, knowing that around me everybody was also just facing their death. All the people I had been with in the last two years on the ship, would be gone in a few moments. And so would I. But I wanted to see… I wanted to see who had done this, but everything was fading so fast. Suddenly I could feel something sharp and hard clicking against my gritted teeth. And then something warm and metallic tasting touched my tongue… oh god… was this blood… of someone else dripping down a sword and into my mouth? Would my blood be the next to be sacrificed to that death steel?

But no swift movement came. Instead I could feel a sharp pain on one corner of my lip as if my face was about to be sliced open.

The last image that shot through my mind was the one of a ugly face with a scar all over its checks just like in the story my shipmate had told me before.

This time as I felt my senses kicking in again I was so sure I was dead. Why? Because I was laying on something very soft, I felt the warmth of sun on my skin, it smelled like ink, paper and myrrh… and it was calm. Oh so calm. No dying and screaming humans around me, no sounds of a fight. I must have died. Maybe that was not so bad after all? Suddenly I felt the need to swallow and moved my lips, because my mouth was dry as fuck. And I felt a sharp pain in my check and lip. … That was odd. Shouldn’t death be pain free? Very slowly I felt the rest of my body, or what was left of it… because it hurt sooo much… most of it coming from my chest and my head. Fuck… I groaned a bit, still unable to move.

Suddenly there was a soft touch on my not hurting check, it was so soft it startled me even more than all the pain I was feeling.

“Ah… you are awake…”, I heard a soft whisper, that sounded very very relived. That voice, it sounded somehow familiar. I gasped a bit as I felt something moving the soft ground I was lying on, as if someone sat down. Then that smell of myrrh got more intense. The finger tips never left my face as they went more up to gently comb through my hair. It felt nice in-between all the pain and I let out a relived sigh. I managed to peak one eye open. Even though it took some time for my vision to clear I saw those green piercing eyes first. And I recognized them immediately. My mouth still was so very dry and it felt like I had not spoken in years but I managed to coax out something that sounded a bit like “Antonio”. My vision got better and I opened my other eye too just in time to see those eyes bright up a bit, he was smiling. I wanted to see it, so my eyes wandered down slowly, and then widened in shock.

…there…. There was a scar! It started in the very corner of Antonio’s smiling lips and wind itself up until it almost reached the laughing wrinkles at the side of his eyes.

“NO….”, I breathed out in horror, as I could not wrap my mind around what happened. Antonio’s smile did not falter one bit. Ne nodded.

“Yes… it’s me! So you remember me?”, he cooed, leaning down a bit. I felt kind of sick right now, as imaged flashed through my mind that this smiling face had just murdered a lot of people.

“You…”

“I..”, he leaned in even further so our noses were almost touching. I gripped the sheets in horror.

“YOU did this”, I spat out. “Pirate… you killed my people.”

I´ve never seen a smile freeze in such an ugly way. First his eyes went wide and their colour vanished in one split of a second. His smile was still there but it seemed stretched too much, as if it was a grimace.

“You think…”, he began with a low voice.

“I´ve seen it!”, I cut him off, finding the strength to lean on my elbows. He was dangerous, but my rage just took over for a moment. “I´ve seen your scar…”

Now his eyes started to change a bit, his eyebrows crooked and if I did not know I had a cold hearted pirate just leaning over me I would say he really looked hurt. But that surly must have been my imagination.

His hands wandered to my shoulders. I panicked slightly because I feared he would strangle me any minute. Then I felt he was pushing me back down… onto the bed.

He said something but I did not hear it, all I could think of was to get out of this situation. So I did the first thing that came to my mind. I gave him a head-butt. I heard a nasty crack and a groan from his side which made me sure I had just broken his nose. His grip on my shoulders loosened so I could crawl away from under the pirate. A sharp pain shot through my chest as I turned a bit to get on my hands and knees but I ignored it for now. I saw a candle on a brass holder directly beside the bed, nestled in the bulls eye and grabbed it. As I turned I could see he had stood up. His face was smeared with blood and he was clasping his hand over his nose so I could not see his expression right now.

“Get away from me!”, I screamed and threw the holder. He had to step back to dodge it.

“Fucking Bastard! You think I will give up easily!?”, I screamed and again felt tears welling up in my eyes as again the realization sunk in that the guy I had kept thinking about the last few years was in fact a murder. One of the worst kind. One of the scar faced pirates! If not THE scar faced pirate who had given the commando to bomb our ship!

“Wait, Lo-…”, he started but I grabbed the next thing I could reach, violently blinking to get the tears away.

“Don´t you say my name!”, I hissed and threw more stuff at him. It caused him to retreat to the door, which was wide open.

“Please…” he begun but I let him not go further. I had found a dagger lying on a chair beside the bed and I threw it. He was just fast enough to close the door behind him so the dagger went hitting the wood.

As it fell shut my eyes fell onto the key that was in the keyhole of the door. Even though I had to hiss because it hurt so much, I managed to get up quickly and jump to the door. With a relieving click I heard the lock snap in place… I was safe for now.

Only then when I allowed myself to sink to the floor I had to let the tears flow that I had been not able to blink away.

“…are you crying?”, came a soft hum from outside of the door that actually startled me. Is sounded really worried, I could not believe it belonged to such a bad person. In general the picture of Antonio I had and a pirate where not matching at all. But on the other hand… I did not know him in the first place.

“No I´m not…”, I said and furiously rubbed my sleeve over my eyes. There was only a soft sigh on the other side as an answer. I felt really devastated but not seeing him and hearing him made me somehow open my mouth.

“…why am I still alive…? Why didn’t you kill me like all the others?”, I asked and sat down by the door, trying to find a position that did not hurt so much.

There was a short silence on the other side and then a soft thud. He must have sat down against the door as well.

“Will you listen to my explanation?”, Antonio questioned back.

“Listen yes. Believe… why should I believe a pirate?”, I hissed and I heard as soft hum on the other side.

“Well that’s a start I guess…”, was the muffled answer. And then after a moment he started speaking.

“So I know that when I start with “I am not a pirate”, you will stop listening so maybe I start with explaining how I got this scar?”, where his first words and in deed I snorted at the words “I am not a pirate”. But it also made me curious. I mean what was there to loose.

“You know this scar is really the trademark of Scarecrow. He is the pirate captain who is most feared on the sea. And it is true that all members of his crew have this scar. But do you know that there are two ways to join the crew actually? One is you want to join, so you have to cut your cheek open by yourself to prove it. And the second way is because Scarecrow is interested in you, so he will capture you, cut your face open and then he will break you, physically and mentally.”

I swallowed. I could only imagine what this must mean and I guess this was not even the worst things to imagine.

“If you have this scar… there is nowhere to go for you, even if you are not a pirate. Because everybody will recognize and try to kill you. That would mean either be killed by scarecrow or … join. And I know what you are thinking since I am still alive, I joined…. At least for a moment… until I had healed enough to get away.”

I could not really believe my ears, so I said nothing.

“So yeah, I have nowhere to go anymore, so I stay here on the sea with other people who have no place they belong anymore. It is really not that bad. And that way… that way I could save you! We´ve seen smoke on the horizon and as we arrived we thought everybody was dead… hell I thought you were dead too. You almost would have become a Scarecrow victim too, but I guess they thought you died while they were giving you the scar, so they stopped…”

I didn´t have payed much attention to my face but now my hand automatically shoot up to my cheek. There was a bandage but it was not over my whole cheek.

“… well if you are lucky the scar will not so bad that it will get recognized as one of them…”, Antonio continued.

“And I don´t want you to think that you are a prisoner here, we will not keep you, you can go as soon as we reach the next haven… and when I made sure that your wounds are treated well… just that. Lovino. Please.”

Wow, he still remembered my name after 5 years. And he really sounded honest. But he could also just tell me this silly story and would enjoy my horrified face when I would believe it and come out so he could crush me. I did not know what to think about it, I felt my head starting to hurt a lot. I felt like I needed to rest. I could not wrap my head around this. I was angry, scared… I wanted to believe though. But that was tough.

“I… don´t know if I believe you… leave me alone, Bastard”, I eventually said and it sounded less angry as I wanted it to. It just sounded exhausted.

I heard a soft laugh to that. It sounded a bit relieved and it stirred something in the pit of my stomach.

“Take all the time you need, dear. Rest and think about it. You have the key to this door after all.”

I looked at the bed, but for the moment I was just too tired to move.

„I won´t come out“, i said weakly, as I did not hear him for I don´t know how long.

“… well you´ve got to eat something eventually”, a muffled voice was heard through the door.

I snorted a bit, even though I knew he was right. But that hat time. Drinking was more of a concern. With nothing to say to that and nothing better to do I let my eyes wander over the room. I did not pay much attention to it until now.

It was the room in the back of the ship and I guess the only one with more than just bull eye windows. Which must mean it was the room of the captain of the ship. There was a lot of stuff in this room, on every surface you could find things like shells, paper, ink glasses and the walls where plastered with maps, feathers and so on. My eyes fell on the guitar that was hanging on one of the walls and it shot a pang trough my heat because it was the very same guitar that I had held 5 years ago. I starred at it for a moment until I could tear my eyes away. On one side of the room there was the bed, which was also normally really rare on a ship and on the other side there was a big desk. And the desk was loaded with parchment and maps. There were feathers and compasses lying around. There were not only maps there were also lots and lots of drawings.

Of islands, of all kind of birds and animals i´ve never seen before… but I guess they lived in the water. Was all of this Antonio’s stuff? If was pretty exciting, if such things really existed… I kind of felt the longing to see all of this with my own eyes.

Then I spotted a bottle of wine that was resting on a shelf beside the desk and… (I felt my mouth water up) fresh tomatoes. Where did he get those on the sea!?

My interest was caught so I managed to stand up and slowly went to the desk, and sat down in the big cosy chair. I took the bottle of wine and one of the tomatoes, and felt a grin on my face.

“Well, I think I won’t need any food or drinks for a while…”, I said slowly.

“What do you-“, was the startled question but then it got silent as I popped the cork from the bottle.

“…. Noooo not my wine and…. and… my tomatoes!!”, I suddenly heard a really heartfelt whine form the door, and I think I also heard a head bang against it. I had taken a sip of the wine first, and I immediately felt heat well up in my cheeks. I must have been the first thing I was getting into my system for a long time, and with the injury’s weakening me, I felt lightheaded immediately…and feisty.

“Serves you right, stupid pirate”, I hissed.

“Looovii….”

I stopped in my motion to get another gulp.

“What did you just call me?”, I asked dangerously and held up the tomato even though I knew he could not see it, I knew he would get the message from the tone of my voice.

I heard him gulp and shift in front of the door.

“Ahh… I thought it was cute. Please do nothing hasty!”

“Give me one good reason..”, I said somehow finding this quite amusing.

He was quiet for a minute or two, not being able to think of something I guess so he eventually just started to whine that stupid Lovi pet name again so I eat the tomatoes… ALL of them!

Since that bastard did not leave at all, so I could sneak out I decided to go to sleep. Everything was hurting anyway but with the alcohol had eased my mind and with and some food in my system too I managed to sleep fast.

After a day I had everything explored what was to explore in the room. I also might have found something like a diary of the captain and it was all kind of stories and descriptions of places he had found. It really sounded like the Antonio from 5 years ago. Maybe he had not changed at all? Maybe what he had told was the truth?

I looked up eventually, feeling not being able anymore to ignore that feeling of thirst. I got up and walked to the door. Antonio had stopped talking about random stuff for some time now. Not that I had listened to what he had explained about the maps and so on.

I put an ear to the door, but I really could hear nothing. Then I bent down and took the key out of the lock to look trough. I could see a narrow floor outside which was lit by a lamp on the ground. And beside that lamp there was a still figure cramped on the ground. I shifted my position a bit to see better. I only saw someone sitting at the floor, their head bent to the side so I could not see the face. On the floor beside the lamp was a tray with food and a goblet with water. No there were two plates with food, only one was already empty. … So one must have been for… me? Oh god, that food looked so good… but I could not sneak it in with him not waking up… it was not a trap was it?

As I thought about what to do, the man on the ground stirred a little bit and let out a soft hum. Then his face turned so I could see it, illuminated by the lamp. Even tough that scar gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach, Antonio’s face was still the same as I remembered it. It looked beautiful and relaxed in the soft light, the scar not distorting it at all. He could not be bad… he did not look like the kind of guy who was heartless and soulless and able to murder and plunder like pirates did right?

I managed to step back from the door and pondered a bit with myself. Then I took the key and as quietly as possible unlooked the door. Damn these old things were so loud… I didn’t even know how I managed to get open that door without so much creaking but I did. Even though I was not really sure if I dealt with a pirate here I felt my heartbeat getting faster. I hunched down to the floor and reached for the tray just very carefully to pull it inside. Then I closed it again and looked it before I allowed myself to breathe again. Antonio had not made the slightest move during all that even though I was pretty sure I had bumped his boot with the tray and his eyes had fluttered just a little bit.

The next morning I woke up and felt a lot better. I guess my chest was healing just fine and my cheek did also not hurt that bad anymore. I yawned and turned to face the room. Then I shoot up. The tray I had placed beside the bed was gone. My eyes automatically darted to the door: it was closed but the key was gone. I felt a bit of panic walling up in me as I jumped out of the bed and running to the door. It was still locked and I stepped on the key, that was lying on the floor.

“I took the liberty to look the door again and slide the key into the room after taking the dirty plates away”, a voice from the outside said. It sounded easy but the words where carefully spoken.

“Wha…. How did you get in??”, I stuttered grabbing the key from the floor.

“… well I am kind of advanced in lock picking…”, Antonio answered honestly, but it again sounded very carefully. It confused my genuinely.

“Then why the fuck did you not make your way in earlier?”, I demanded to know. It was quiet for a second, and then I heard a careful chuckle.

“Well… I didn’t want you to feel threatened by me. I wanted you to let me in yourself, when you felt safe enough.”

I felt flattered and annoyed at the same time about his choice of words and snorted.

“Why did you blow your cover so stupidly now?”, I stated. “Not very clever of you”

“Well…. I was wondering how your injuries did without care… and Lovino… your bandages need a change. You could catch an infection, and I really don´t want you to die.”

I was speechless for a minute… and looked down on me. I was having the same bandages on my chest since I got here a few days ago, that was true. I lifted it a bit and jolted as I indeed saw a little rash forming on my chest. He was right.

“You could give me the stuff and I could do it myself”, I stated weakly, even though I already knew the answer.

“You are that bendy to be able to reach behind your back?”, was a honest question to that, which surprised me. “Amazing”, he continued and I heard him click hi tongue. I might have blushed a little bit.

I spent another hour arguing with myself and finally admitting defeat. Whatever would happen on this ship, it had not been in my control to begin with. There was the chance that Antonio was saying the truth, and then I had nothing to be scared about.

On the other hand I would only delay my fate of probably being killed in the end. But I would make it a hell for that bastard if he dared to betray me.

With a determined look on my face I grabbed the key and unlocked the door. Nothing happened for a few minutes until I decided to open the door. Antonio was standing there, his arms loaded with bandages and a bottle of some tincture. And gosh his smile was so bright, it was killing me. He looked so downright happy it made my stomach turn… in disgust of course! No way, those were butterflies.

“Hola~”, he said and croaked his head and waited for me to step back to let him in.

I kind of just stood there in the middle of the room, looking warily at the man roaming around. Antonio let the stuff fall onto the chair and then with one swift movement, collected some papers from the table to neatly put them aside. Then he gestured for me to take a sit on the edge of the table.

“Now, please take of your shirt, dear”, he chipped, with a sly smile on his lips. I kind of starred a bit at how his scare moved when he talked and chuckled. It was kind of like one big laughing wrinkle. It was not scary at all when the person was not scary themselves.

But as his words sunk in I might have blushed again. “You want me to strip?” I crossed my hands over my chest.

“Well I would do it myself, but I cannot imagine you would prefer that…. Or do you, hmmm?”, Antonio teased me a bit and leaned in, so I would lean back, now actually sitting down on the table.

“…fine”, I grumbled. “You look away!”

Antonio just chuckled a bit more to that but did it nevertheless. I felt kind of stupid as I pulled the shirt over my head because he had to turn back eventually when he wanted to change my bandages. As I allowed him to turn around I had to admit that I had made the tension worse. Even though first his eyes met mine, they eventually wandered down…. To-to change the bandages of course.

His calloused fingertips very really really gently as they loosed the bandage around my chest. I had been not so aware of my injuries until I saw that my chest was spotted all over with a dark purplish hue. Also there was a little cut, that must have been from the fall. I never the less was a bit shocked and Antonio seemed to notice.

“You have at least one broken rib, and some badly bruised ones. But it’s nothing to worry about if you rest properly Lovi-…ah my dear”, he whispered, what made me once again aware how close we were again and I just nodded a bit, trying to hold my heartbeat under control.

“Only that cut… I think I have to clean it again”, the other continued bit a little worry in his tone and reached for the little brown bottle he had brought with him and then his radiant eyes found mine again. “That might hurt… a bit”.

Antonio grabbed my arms and lifted them so they would rest on my shoulders. It was almost like I would give me a hug. Oh… just cut it you dammed heartbeat!

“This will help you stay still, just squeeze my shoulders as much as you want”, he grinned a bit, at my narrowed face and opened the bottle.

Because my pride ordered me to, I held very still, even though it really burned in a nasty way. I only allowed me to close my eyes and maybe squeeze his shoulders just a little (really!) bit. Antonio was fast and I could soon feel the pleasant softness of another bandage over my chest. I just did not open my eyes for some reason. Once because I started to feel a bit dizzy, second I was sure I would not be able to suppress another massive blush when I looked down on him, how the was standing in-between my legs, and oh so close and touching my chest like that. So I played safe.

Suddenly his fingers were gone but before I could do anything I heard a soft hum and then a second later two hands cupped my cheeks and then something warm and soft pressed against my forehead. Oh god… was he kissing my forehead?! Not I blushed really hard and pushed him away.

“whawhat…”, tumbled out of my mouth as I angrily looked at him. He still had cupped my cheeks but his brows were a bit furrowed.

“I´m not fully sure but I think you have light fever….”

I grabbed his hands to release my cheeks and huffed. A distraction was needed!

“Nah, I´m fine! I want to see what ship you have if it is not a pirate ship!”, I demanded. I did not want to know for sure before I would somehow get weak to this bastard.

It was not easy tough because his hands grabbed mine now and held them very tenderly, he had a really soft smile on his lips, but his eyes were not smiling.

“I promise to show you tomorrow, but I would feel better if you would take it slow tonight and rest, so please do me this favour”, he pleaded. And it startled me a bit how easily such embarrassing words left his mouth. He had a strong aura and was able to say such wussy stuff without it weakening. That guy just confused me. He confused me so much that I could not argue for a second which he took as a yes. He simply lifted me of the table and carried me over to the bed. It was only two steps away so no time for me to throw a big fuss but I might have kicked him a bit as he let me down on the mattress, just in case so he would not get the wrong idea.

He laughed it away tough and patted my head, which made me even angrier, then his face got serious all of a sudden and I stopped everything I was doing, I even held my breath. His hand thad had again felt my temperature on my forehead- then his fingers had gently stroked some hair out of my face and then went down to the bandage that was still on my cheek. For the split of a moment I could see all kind of emotions swirl tough his eyes, guilt, anger, hate, hurt… no nice things. Then he sighed and very very carefully lifted the bandage. I felt strangely exposed as I could feel air on the cut on my cheek.

He looked at if for a moment, his fingertips just hovering over it, not touching it, then he blinked and his eyes where back to that mysterious glimmer they always had.

“That actually looks pretty good. I think we should not cover it anymore, so it heals better”, he said and grabbed a little mirror from the side of the bed and showed it to me. I did not know what to expect until now but that cut on my cheek was no way as deep as Antonio’s must have been. I was less than a thump long and very thin, not ripped at all. Sure it looked nasty but…

“…if you are lucky and have good healing abilities, there will not even be a scar in a few years.”, Antonio finished for me in an upbeat voice, only to continue a bit lower, “So you will not be outlawed and defaced like me…”

Even though I was slow to catch on most of the time, this I got immediately so I kind of cut him off, and pushed the mirror down.

“But you are not!”, I said loudly. “You are the same as 5 years before!”

He looked at me in shock for a moment and then… then he blushed, Oh my god! Blushes can look handsome too. I must have really flattered him. Then I realized slowly and I blushed too, because of what I had said. Eventually he started to smile, his scar stretching a bit.

“Oh my… you really have fever do you..?”, he laughed and I huffed in annoyance. Then our eyes locked and I decided to just ask what I was stuck in the back of my mind for some time now.

“…does it hurt?”, I asked carefully.

He blinked once and then shook his head a bit. “Not anymore… at least not physically”, he then said and I was struck by the honesty of those words.

“Can… I”, I started but he seemed to understand immediately and leaned in a bit, his eyes never leaving me.

I took a deep breath and very very carefully touched the scarred shin right below his eyes and let my finger wander down until I reached the very corner of his lips. It felt… warm, the texture was not smooth but the skin felt very fragile.

Slowly I cupped his whole cheek with my hand to see if I could cover up the scar, but it peaked out from under it. I felt the tiniest smile on my own lips as his eyes closed and he leaned in a bit into my touch.

“You know… scars are stories too. Stories are kind of your thing…”

I think he had been right. I had caught a little fever. Because I would never ever ever(!) have done that in a right stat of mind. It was kind of out of nowhere for me. But it also felt kind of ok. And he even stayed there like this for a really long time until my hand slipped off because the dizziness took over and I started to fall asleep.

When I woke up again I felt good. Like really good. But as I opened my eyes I was alone. I peeked around the room and saw the door open just a bit.

When I had been unsure if Antonio had told the truth before I now kind if was sure he had. You could not fake such things. That emotions I had seen swirl trough his eyes. I could not imagine someone faking that. And I felt oh so very relived about that.

Yawning I sat up and jolted a bit because my chest was not happy about the stretching but it also felt very much better than before.

I had been in this room for too long. I wanted to explore, I wanted to see! And so I was going to! Judging from the light, it was a bright day. I suddenly longed for some sunlight. So I went out the door and through the narrow floor. There were other doors but at the stairs at the end I could see a bit of light. I went up there.

I almost had to hold a hand in front of my eyes, it was so bright as I got used to it I finally saw the blue sky. I felt the wind in my hair and I smelled salt. It was a great feeling and I again felt myself smiling (that happened really often lately…).

I immediately found myself surrounded by bustling life. The ship was bigger than I had expected, at least it was bigger as the merchant ship had been. And there were all kind of people around, everybody looked very different… but what they amazingly had in common, everybody seemed to be in a good mood. At least I thought that because everybody was smiling at me, as a stumbled around.

A woman then walked up to me, and she had the most feline like smile I had ever seen in my life. Her hair was kind of bouncy and blond and tied back with a red bow and she had also radiant green eyes. She grabbed me by the shoulder and hugged me very tight. I might have blushed because it happened not every day that you got crushed like that by a woman.

“Aaah you must be Lovi! What a cute one you are!!”, she cooed as I managed to get away and looked at her in shook.

“I am not Lovi!!”, I said and the woman looked at me with furrowed brow. “But Nino told me that your name was Lovi. Like love with an i!”, she continued and kind of acted out the last sentence as the person who had told her. I felt annoyance welling up in me.

“That stupid….”, I hissed but stopped myself, trying to stay calm. “My name is Lovino.”

The woman’s eyes lit up again. “Ah yeah right, but I like Lovi better, so i´m gonna use that too! I am Femke by the way, if you like cute pet names I also go by Bel!”

I kind of starred at her, but I could not get mad at her. She was a bit like Antonio so I guessed I had a weak point for stupidly happy and cute people. I just growled and let it go.

“Yeah… Femke. Do you know where that bastard is?”, I instead decided to ask. She nodded.

“Sure follow me”

She did not show me where he was. At least not directly. First she gave me a tour of the ship. Which was interesting of course, but I would never admit that. And I learned a ton of names, but I could not remember. Everybody on board got something to do. Some were fishing, some were preparing food, others where cleaning or repairing stuff. I glanced up to check out the flag that was hoisted but there was none. Instead there was a skirt dancing in the wind. It was a pretty one but it was a fucking skirt!

“Yeah, that one was Francis idea. He wanted us to be the “skirt chasers” and he put that up and nobody cared enough to take it down”, Femke explained.

“Don´t you have a captain?”, I asked eventually, a bit confused.

“Yes and no. You know Nino is kind of the captain because he started all of this, but when it comes to taking decisions we mostly go by voting. And that is a good thing because Nino found “Skirt chasers” hilarious.”

I could really imagine that and shook my head as she laughed. Then she pointed at the end of the upper deck. “There he is by the way”

I looked up and just saw him up in the rigging knotting something together and then climbing down. The last meter he just jumped down. He was barefoot and his white shirt was kind of open all the way down to his belt. And his curly hair was messed up by the wind. I could hear his laughter all over the deck. Damn, that was a new picture and it had burned itself in my mind. He must again have felt my staring because he looked our way, his smile faltering for a second and then brightening up even more as he waved at us.

“A I see you got to know Bel here”, he said as we had caught up with him, laying an arm around the women. “She is my best friend, we are family!”

Femke joined in his laughter and I really would have believed them if they had told me they were related. I felt a bit of overwhelmed by so much energy shingling at me.

“Gnah.. my eyes”, I groaned weakly and rubbed my eyes, but that did not stop the two of them in any way.

“Ah, he is exactly like you have told me. So cute and feisty”, Femke said and then squished my cheeks. This was a dead sentence for every person normally, but I did nothing, I somehow could not do anything harsh to her. If Antonio would have done that I would have kicked him in the guts. And he looked at us with that kind of longing in his eyes that he really much wanted to do that but knew what I would do then.

Femke laughed and released me eventually, crossing her arms behind her back. “I leave the two of you then, see you later!”

There was a short silence that followed as I rubbed my cheeks, and grumbled around until Antonio grabbed my hands and pulled me with him.

“I´d like to show you something!”, he said happily and we skipped (yes skipped) around the wooden construct on the upper deck. Right behind that was a tiny field, where some plants grew. I stopped amazed. That was fucking genius! My eyes directly fell on a tomato plant. That was where he had gotten the fresh tomatoes.

I looked amazed from the plants to Antonio and could see his eyes glim and his chest swell with pride. It was really important for him to show me that and my reaction had been really nice for him. Of course I blushed and cleared my throat.

“… so how do you get enough water for them?”, I asked to change the topic.

“Good question!”, Antonio laughed and took my hand again to pull be a bit further to the field. I might have been a bit distracted because he never let go of my hand after that. He pointed up to small sail that was no way useful for sailing. It went down to a barrel.

“We catch the rain water with this. And its enough to water the plants.”, Antonio told me very proud. “Sadly there are no ripe ones today, you´ve eaten the last batch”, he then continued and I felt a little guilty.

“They had been very very tasty”, I mumbled in the same tone as you would say sorry and I guess it had the same impact because Antonio’s lips just curled up a bit more.

“So what do you do?”, I asked eventually as we sat beside the tiny field, watching the water.

“We explore”, Antonio simply said. He had leaned back and the sun was illuminating his skin.

“Explore?”, I might have repeated bit dumbfounded.

“Yeah, we learn about the world, and find islands none was before, lean about all the animals. I like to draw them. I want to show the world you know, to make them aware how beautiful our world is. And of course tell stories about it!”, he said with a light-hearted laugh.

“Oh…”, I just looked at him and tried to suppress the storm of little wings that rampaged trough my stomach at the moment. I almost jolted as Antonio suddenly jumped to his feed and pulled me with him.

“Let me show you!”

He shouted something to the guy steering the wheel. The guy let out a strange “kseksekse” laugh and I could feel the ship turn a bit. There was a rock formation just a bit away, and it had a cave inside. As we were near enough I could see that the cave was acutely big enough for the ship to fit in and so we went inside. It was very brave though, that must be one hell of a helmsman to navigate through this.

We were still on the highest deck and it had the feeling it was not much space until the mast would collide with the cave ceiling. Antonio put hand on my shoulder and pointed to the ceilling. There were thousands of things moving. My stomach churned.

“What it that…”

“Those are bats! Isn’t amazing to find them here on the sea? Sure there is an island nearby but they are here! And…”, he turned me to some rock overhangs. I could see a lot of nests and little birds in them. They kind of looked like gulls but they had a strange colouring.

“These are a special kind of gulls”, confirmed Antoni my guess. “I don´t think they have an name yet, and I only found them here so far. They are amazing!”, he gushed and pulled a parcment from his pocket, where I could see a detailed drawing.

“You made all of these?”, I asked amazed.

“I did! I love it”, he nodded and I might have blushed again. Good thing it was kind of dark in the cave.

As we left it, the sun was already setting and everybody on the ship had stopped what they were doing to watch it. Antonio stepped beside me and handed me a goblet. It was full with wine. We stood there silently, watching the sun turning red. I for my part was hyper aware that ours shoulders where touching but I did not mind it one bit. I took a sip of my whine instead and might have even scooted closer a bit.

“So…”, Antonio then suddenly said, and he did not sound upbeat at all anymore. It made me tore by eyes away from the sunset and directly to him. His face has that red shine from the sun, and with his scare and his shining eyes, he really looked more handsome than ever.

“I guess tomorrow we will reach the next haven”, he eventually said. I did not really understand what he wanted to say with that.

“…and?”, I just asked and shrugged, taking another sip of wine.

His eyes were still glued on the sunset.

“… you wanted to leave the ship as soon as we reach the next haven… this will be tomorrow.”

I almost choked on my wine. I had really forgotten about that. And somehow I really did not feel happy about it anymore, so I just hummed a breathless “Yeah…”.

My not so excited reaction made him look at me and again I felt this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. He leaned in a bit more until I decided to look his way.

“You know…”, he stared but then stopped and licked his lips. It was strange to see him acting kind of nervous but it also made me nervous. “…you could stay”

His eyes where now piercing trough mine and that alone was enough to make me blush. It was not especially what he was saying but how he said it. As if I was something very very valuable.

“Well…”, was all I got out, but I did not lean away. Hell no I would not lean away!

“I would be really glad if you stayed and would explore the world… with me”, Antonio continued, I think he had gotten the hint of me not leaning away. Again our faces were so really close. Oh god was this really happening!?

But Antonio did not go further. His eyes were locked with mine and kind of burning at the moment, but he stayed there and I understood that this was my moment now. I needed to do something now. It was kind of the same thing as with that stupid locked door, that he could have opened so easily if he had wanted to. I noticed that all the looks he had ever given me, and only me where very similar to the one he was giving me know. And I could see that every second I was hesitating must have been very unsettling for him.

It was a little sigh that I could hear from him that let me actually manage my stupid pride. It was the very moment the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon and introduced the night when I (yes I) leaned forward to close the tiny gap between our lips.

“I would like that”, I whispered right before.

And he immediately showed me how happy that made him.

#aph romano #aph spain #hetalia #spamano #lovino vargas #antonio fernandez carriedo #hetalia christmas #hetalia xmas #spamano secret santa 2019 #submission

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0zrockbitway · 6 years

Text

❤ @raspberrydevil ❤

hey! I’m your backup secret santa!! I’m really sorry this is a late xmas gift but I still hope you enjoy it!! I went with older pro players kyoutaku since I’m more familiar with them so I hope its okay!! Its probably too late for a merry christmas but I hope your holidays were well!

title: History characters: tsurugi kyousuke, shindou takuto pairing: kyoutaku summary: It repeats itself, not word for word, but enough to make you recall the past and talk about it with another who lived it.

"Think you're ready for the upcoming match?"

The question is thrown out the moment the navy hair male had pulled out his jersey. Pale hands caressed the fabric, fingers running over the number printed on the back. Sharp eyes remain on the the jersey as he thinks of an answer.

The man sets it back down on the drawer, as if losing interest in it and finding something- someone else more worthwhile in the room to turn his gaze too. Tsurugi faces the brunette, the one sitting upon their bed and still waiting for some type of response, verbal or not.

"Yeah," Tsurugi finally responds. "We've faced this team before. Nothing new."

Shindou lets out a sigh with a shake of his head. "You never lost that arrogant air of yours, have you?" It's a playful remark but still earns him a glare from the other. "You're not supposed to underestimate your opponent, Kyousuke."

He huffs before taking steps towards the bed. He stops when he's standing in front of the other with arms crossed. It wasn't unusual for him to (physically) look down upon his elder; ever since they were younger he'd always been just a tad taller than Shindou. The difference in height between them just seemed larger when one was standing while the other sat.

"Thanks for the tip." He clicks his tongue. "Save it for the next match you're able to play."

The room falls quiet, eyes locked upon each other. Shindou doesn't bark back. His head takes a slight dip, eyes landing upon his lap. Looking further he's able to see the white cast just peeking out from his vision. A cast that stuck right around his leg. The brunette's hand is placed over his injured leg, resting on his knee.

"I really do have the worst luck, don't I?" A weak laugh came out at his own comment. His eyes shut after the laugh had dispersed. The memory of how his injury came to be replayed in his mind. It was an accident. Both players going for the ball, one hitting flesh rather than a black and white ball. It was no surprise that even older players had their rough moments, enough to damage one another just like when they were younger. Thankfully, this wasn't as serious as it could be, nothing broken. And he hadn't even fallen unconscious from it either.

"It's not that bad." Tsurugi lets his arms rest beside him, now taking a seat beside Shindou. He had been careful, making sure to avoid the injured leg and not to upset the other when he had sat down on the bed.

"You don't think so?" Shindou raises a brow. "You know, this is the semi-finals. If the team wins, I might miss out on the last match…"

He was tempted to just throw himself back on the bed, to lie down and recollect his thoughts. Old memories had resurfaced of when they were younger. There was an important match, one that held the fate of soccer, and he had been hurt right before the finals. Granted the stakes weren't as high as they were back then, soccer wouldn't change if they won or lost, but every match was important. It almost made him want to laugh at how funny history repeated itself.

"It won't be the same without captain on the field." Tsurugi gets comfortable, putting his hands back on the bed and using them as his main support. His eyes remained upon Shindou.

Perhaps it was thanks to his mind still stuck in the past now fused with what the other had just said that caused other members to be brought up.

"Hm? Reminds me of the time when you didn't even want to address me as captain. Well, only if it was accompanied by a scornful, mocking tone."

Shindou could see that glare return if only for a second. He smiles proudly upon having done so.

"You're mind is really stuck in the past today, isn't it?"

Shindou lets out a chuckle, a rare thing to be heard during his current state. Although it wasn't a completely joyous one, it was one regardless. Tsurugi couldn't wait to hear it at it's usual pitch once more.

"Apologies. I'm just finding the coincidence unreal at the moment." These thoughts had crossed his mind before but had always been ignored, swatted away as he had other matters to attend to.

"But, just like before," Tsurugi pauses as his hands are freed from supporting him. He moves to sit, slightly slouched, an arm resting over his legs while the other hand reaches over and is placed upon Shindou's hand. "It'll heal, Takuto."

Brown eyes set upon their hands. The moment they shared made him smile. There was hope, there always would be. He just had trouble seeing it at times.

"Yes, it will. I just wish it would heal quickly."

Shindou enjoys the soothing comfort. It was better than playful bickering, though he didn't mind it either. But, with this injury came more moments like these. It may have been the reminder of his past, the trauma of Tsurugi's brother and his injury sustained. He noticed how the other was more careful around him, offering to help him more, to make sure he rested and healed up properly.

He disliked being supervised by the other, but when he recalled the image of his worried face when he gotten the injury…he couldn't tell Tsurugi to back off. His worry and fear may have been extreme, already thinking the worse when he'd seen Shindou's accident. He wouldn't calm down the first few days he had to get used to a cast again. The brunette didn't want to see him worried like that again, so he'd listen to him to help ease his heart.

"You're still coming to the game though." That statement from Tsurugi had broken their silence, his hand tightening around the other's.

"Of course. I'm going to support the team. What kind of captain would I be if I didn't show up?"

"You're right. You did show up before too. Against the nurse's wishes."

Shindou could hear the forming grin in his voice, as if he was trying to rub in his rebellious act when he was younger. He'd been scolded afterwards and promised to not do anything like so again.

"Don't remind me of that," he huffs.

It's Tsurugi's turn to laugh- snicker.

"You'll still make it on the field though. I'll carry you onto the field when we win."

As much as he liked the idea and how sweet it sounded, it was also embarrassing. The other had lifted him up before when they had won a match a couple months ago. It was surprising and made him flush, but they were both in a moment of excitement that it was difficult to scold him for it. But now, they were not on the field and there was no crowd cheering for their victory.

"Stop getting so overconfident about winning, will you?"

"Can't help it."

Shindou rolls his eyes. Tsurugi still had the right to have confidence in his plays, but at times he really had to wonder if he was only saying these things to gain a scolding from him.

"Hm. You know, you never said no to me carrying you out on the field."

The brunette glares this time. "Don't you dare. If you do, I won't be afraid to use my crutch."

"I can take a hit."

"Kyousuke."

"Fine, I won't."

Even if the image of Shindou waving a crutch at him was slightly amusing, he'd listen to his wish. He'd be able to carry him on the field another time and he was looking forward to it.

#raspberrydevil #secret sakka 2018 #inazuma eleven #kyoutaku #tsurugi kyousuke #shindou takuto

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diseasedliving · 6 years

Text

A guide on getting Wakaouji's CG, "Everyone's Teacher" plus his pillow fight

Starting on the heroine’s details screen, I picked blood type A because I'm used to the gradual changes in the horoscope; it's easier for me to keep track of. Next I chose the birthdate of 1/1 as I was confident that Wakaouji would have enough affection to go to the New Year's shrine and handout a Birthday present. The additional dialogue from the special events coinciding make it an even cuter scene. I chose the room that will allow the heroine to meet with Onoda on the first day. She's my favorite friend pick because she helps balance out the intelligence loss from track and field but Haruhi is also a solid choice because of the style points she gives you.

As a reminder, the stats you want to focus on when going after Wakaouji are Intelligence, Social, and Style. I believe the numbers you want them by at the end of the game are 150 Intelligence, 120 Social, and 120 Style. Embarrassingly, I forgot that Style was important when I played. Luckily, I wanted to keep my stats well-rounded so I could ace each exam; the slightly unfocused Style didn't prevent me from hitting the CG goal.

When the questionnaire was handed out, my answers netted my starting stats of 45 Intelligence, 45 Arts, 45 Style, 45 Fitness, 40 Social, and 40 Charm. It's the most neutral starting point to work with. When the question about what type of guy you like came up, I picked the first two answers so I could get Wakaouji's accidental kiss.

From there, I immediately joined the Track and Field team so I could be under Wakaouji's management. I've seen some people suggest avoiding the club so it doesn't drain your Intelligence but I don't think that's a good idea. There are two CGs that not only provide an affection boost, but one of them greatly lowers your character's stress. On top of that, each time you perform well in the practice matches, you receive additional affection boosts with Wakouji. This is essential when you're on a tight schedule.

Since we're not just trying to get the CG, but the pillow fight too, we need to keep some other goals in mind. We need to have a high affection with Wakaouji (the :D face) but we also need to be friends with a girl and two of the guys who will be attending the field trip. Ideally, get the introductory scene with the guys you want to befriend as soon as possible so you have time to build affection slowly without setting up dates. I advise against dating the boys to boost their affection because if you accidentally get them over :) on the chart, you won't be able to trigger Wakaouji’s events correctly. Hikami was easy for me to meet due to my constant studying. I also unlocked Chris and Shiba as I wasn't sure who would be appeased by my stat building early in the game.

When part-time jobs start unlocking, don't bother taking any. Money isn't important since you won't be going on dates and taking a part-time job interferes with track and field.

The money you have should be used for birthday gifts, Valentine's Day chocolates, the secret santa, a Christmas dress, and various accessories so you have a good chance of owning whatever pops up as the lucky item for that month. The flea market is awesome for this, even if you aren't guaranteed to get a big haul each time. Since you'll buy a ton of accessories, it's a good idea to review the ones you have in your closet before you take a shopping trip to avoid accidentally buying two of the same type. The earrings and clip-ons can be trickily similar.

Once you have these basics squared away, you should raise your parameters based on: your horoscope, Wakaouji's preferences, your friends' preferences, your track and field progress, and the exams. Other tidbits include: getting 80 Social or higher so you can feed your teacher decent food during the track and field camp, using your New Year's wish on Wakaouji love, attending all of the extracurricular activities with Wakaouji and making sure you respond to him perfectly.

Even with these methods, I barely had enough affection to get the CG. To trigger the special pillow fight, reject your girlfriend when she wants to investigate what the boys are doing. Wakaouji will come into the scene afterwards and you'll get to fight against him. He's very challenging so don't worry about winning. It's a good idea to keep a save right before the field trip so you can save and reload if you don't end up hiding with him when the lights turn off. The extra dialogue is funny and worth the struggle.

My friends for the pillow fight sequence were Onoda, Hikami, and Shiba. For comparison's sake, these were my stats right before the field trip so you have an idea of where they should be:

Intelligence: 194 Arts: 165 Fitness: 160 Social: 173 Style: 85 Charm: 60

Thank you for reading! I hope this helps all of those Wakaouji lovers and completionists out there.

#tokimeki memorial girl's side #tmgs2 #wakaouji takafumi #otome games can be difficult

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soulssung · 3 years

Note

{12.15.21} - part two

(it’s 12am for me now but we’re gonna pretend it’s still the 15th shhh)

hello darling, your secret santa is back :)

i thought i’d fill this message with some questions so we can get to know each other better! i’ll provide my answers as well <3

1.) what’s your favorite color(s)?

{mine is purple! i also love green and blue}

2.) what’s your favorite animal?

{sloths!! i even have a tattoo of one! his name is sammy hehehe}

3.) what’s your astrological sign?

{okay i had to ask this cause i really love astrology, i’m an aries!}

4.) what’s your favorite fanfiction trope?

{i love so many tropes, but childhood to lovers always hits different for me so i think i gotta say that’s one of my favorites along with roommates to lovers}

5.) which kpop group got you into kpop?

even though i knew of bts originally, stray kids were the first group i started to get into & eventually brought me to love kpop in general <3

6.) what other kpop groups do you like?

itzy, twice, bts, ateez, mamamoo, red velvet, and more!! (itzy is my favorite girl group)

i feel like i have so many other questions i could ask, but i’ll keep them for the future. if you have anything you want to ask me, i’d love to hear! i know it’s pretty late at night right now, so there’s no rush to a response to either one of my messages.

i hope you’re doing alright & staying healthy & getting good rest! sending all the positive vibes to you! and i hope your holiday season is going well :)

until next time! (aka tomorrow/today)

all my love,

your secret santa ✨🕊

ok so let's go:

1. i have so many lol but mostly: greens, blues, reddish pinks and cream colors!!

2. hmm this one is quite hard. i really like cats, deers and swans, i think they have such an elegant aura(?) to them. nejej it's funny but it's the energy i would like to resemble (ps: the fact you have a sloth tattoo is so cool!!! AND THE FACT YOU GAVE IT A NAME!!! so cute 🥺 i bet it looks super pretty too)

3. i'm a virgo :)) (idk much about astrology but i really like being a virgo, i just think is a cool name for a sign djjdjd and i also find my birthday date quite pleasing?? maybe bc i was born in it lol anyway)

4. strangers to lovers!!!!!!! especially if there's a soulmate undertone and when the story sets on big cities!! i'm just obssessed with this idea of like crossing paths but not actually meeting until is like the right time?? i could talk a whole day about this but i gonna save you from it heheh

5. we're twins literally!! i also got into kpop bc of skz (although i knew some songs from other groups bc of my sister). i remember seeing them on tiktok super randomly and getting like :O

6. you have amazing taste i must say!! so, i recently started to stan billlie, that's the only one i actually stan stan outside skz, but i also really like everglow, twice, itzy (loco lives in my head rent free istg), red velvet, ateez, day6, dreamcatcher etc etc

and lemme see... since you mentioned your sloth tattoo, do you have any other ones?? also, since we both like skz, who's your bias? (you probably know mine already but!! i'm head over the heels for jisung lol. although, these past days lee know and seungmin have been on my mind way too easily heheh). and who's the member you identify the most with? (mine's felix!! we have many of those mbti/astrology things in common and i always found it quite funny that, from all the boys, he's the one i look the most to, especially bc our birthdays are also super close so it's the ultimate coincidence lol).

wishing you the best as always <3

#xiesecretsanta #✉️ asks #dearest ss anon🕊️✨

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ssho25 · 7 years

Text

Our Wedding Cake

I also took part in @fydaiyanoace‘s secret santa gift exchange. This fic is for @miyukei. It was inspired by this post I saw awhile back so, I hope you like! (also available on AO3)

“And you’re sure you can come?”

“Am I sure that I can come to a wedding I said I would attend?”

“Oi.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I’m coming, I promise,” Kazuya said into his cellphone.

“One yes is fine. Don’t mock me you bastard,” Kuramochi replied.

“Ok, mother.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with making sure that the guy who’s notorious for skipping out on things like this will actually show up this time.”

“You still can’t use the ‘f’ word?”

“Miyuki.”

“We’re friends, it’s okay. You can say it.”

“Miyuki.”

“And it’s not like I’m skipping on purpose. I just have things to take care of first.”

“It won’t kill you to say hi every now and then.”

“You of all people should know how busy a baseball player can be.”

“And you should’ve learned by now how important it is to balance your work and social lives. I’m not saying you’re a workaholic, and I’m not saying you’re not allowed to put in extra practice. I’m just saying that—”

“Congratulations on your wedding,” Kazuya interrupted.

“…Thanks,” Kuramochi said, reluctantly dropping the subject. Kazuya was grateful that Kuramochi knew when to stop.

“So? Who’s all invited?”

“You actually want to know? Or are you looking for a specific person?”

“Why do you bother asking if you know the answer to your own question?”

“Why are we even friends?” Kuramochi muttered. “Yes, Sawamura is coming.”

“How do you know that’s the person I was looking for? What if I was asking about Tetsu-san?”

“Haha, hilarious,” Kuramochi sarcastically retorted. “It’s funny you should mention him though. Because he should be there soon.”

“There? There where? What does that mean?”

Suddenly, Kazuya’s front door burst open with a loud blam! revealing Sawamura Eijun, just like Kuramochi predicted.

“Miyuki Kazuya! Please be my fiancé!” Sawamura shouted, bending into a deep bow.

Kazuya blinked a couple of times. “…Be your what now?”

For whatever reason, Sawamura took Kazuya’s confusion as an invitation to enter his apartment. “I need you to pretend to be my lover so we can test wedding cakes!” Sawamura explained.

“…What?”

“Kyahahaha!” Kazuya jumped at the sound of Kuramochi’s boisterous laughter. He had almost forgotten that he was still on the phone. “I’ll take that to mean Sawamura is there?”

“…You sent him here?”

“I could only book a cake tasting appointment for today, but Ryou-san and I can’t make it. So I asked Sawamura to go and to take you with him.”

“Why?”

“Because the bakery owner is expecting a couple, so I need two people to stand in for us. Ryou-san’s not too fond of sweet stuff and neither are you, so it’s perfect. And what better way for you to spend time with your secret crush?”

Kazuya blushed. “He’s not my secret crush,” he aggressively whispered.

“Oh, right. Everyone knows except the man himself.” Kuramochi laughed again. “Have fun and you’re welcome,” were his final words before ending the call.

Kazuya glared down at his phone, as if it was the source of all his problems. Technically speaking, it really was the source considering this only happened because he answered Kuramochi’s call.

“Come on senpai! Let’s go!” Sawamura grabbed Kazuya’s arm and started trying to pull him towards the front door.

Kazuya knew fighting back was childish, but he was in no mood for this. It also annoyed him how much effort he had to put into fight back. Why did this guy have to be so strong? “Hold on now, I didn’t even say I’d go with you.”

“Why not? It’ll be fun!”

“For you, maybe.”

“But I can’t go by myself!”

“Then just ask someone else! Why do you need me?”

“Kuramochi-senpai is one of the few friends you have! You can at least do something nice for him!”

“Stop thinking I have no friends you rude little shit!”

“I’m not little! We’re basically the same height, tanuki bastard!”

“Nosey loud mouth!”

“Antisocial loner!”

“Shoujo manga otaku!”

“Kazehaya is 10 times cooler than you’ll ever be!”

“Who the hell is Kazehaya??”

“Why are you even fighting me anyway?” Sawamura whined. “It not like you had anything to do.”

“Says who? What if I had practice today?”

“Guess you don’t pay attention to the weather,” Sawamura replied. He pointed at the balcony and sure enough, it was pouring outside.

“It’s not even typhoon season,” Kazuya angrily muttered.

“So now that we’ve proven you have no plans, can we go?”

“But I still have to do research for my next match.”

“No you don’t, your game isn’t until next week.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’re playing my team.”

Kazuya clicked his tongue. He had forgotten Sawamura earned a sports scholarship into university. “Then all the more reason not to go.”

“What? Why?!”

“Because you’re the enemy.”

“Oh please, you’d jump at the chance to get any information on a rival team so you can use it against them. Are you forgetting that I spent 2 years with you?”

Apparently, Sawamura was more observant that he looked and Kazuya had run out of excuses to throw at him. “Well…I’m still not going. You can’t make me,” Kazuya lamely finished. He tried again to pull himself free from Sawamura’s grasp, but it wasn’t working. What on earth was Sawamura doing that gave him such a strong grip?

“No!” Sawamura let go of Kazuya’s arm briefly, only to reattach himself to Kazuya’s chest. He wrapped his arms as far as they could go causing his cheek to mash into Kazuya’s back from the proximity. If he wasn’t trying to escape, Kazuya’s heart might’ve skipped a beat.

Kazuya was able to shuffle along the apartment floor to his bedroom through sheer will power, which was a considerable victory seeing as how he had to drag Sawamura the entire way. He clung to his bedroom door frame, hoping the open doorway could give him some leverage and used all his effort to push himself away from Sawamura.

“Senpai, it’s just a few hours!”

“I said no!”

“I promise I’ll leave you alone after this!”

“That’s not the point. I don’t want to go, so I’m not going!”

“Meanie! Cruel! Heartless bastard! Baldy!”

“I’m not bald and you’re pulling down my pants!”

“Is it that bad that I wanted to see you?”

“You…huh?” Sawamura’s question caught him off guard.

“Is it that bad I wanted to see you?” Sawamura repeated in a quieter voice.

“…What do you mean?”

“We never see each other, we don’t even talk anymore, Miyuki-senpai.” Sawamura’s head turned so his forehead was resting against Kazuya’s back. Sawamura’s grip around him slackened too, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. “I mean, it’s not really your fault since we go to different schools, but you still have time for Kuramochi-senpai. And I know you send Chris-senpai emails. You even saw Haruichi and Furuya a few days ago.”

“How did you…?”

“Furuya told me.”

“Ah…”

“…Do you even remember the last time we met?” Sawamura asked in an even smaller voice. Sawamura didn’t let Kazuya respond and answered himself. “A year ago. When you came to watch my game at nationals.”

“That’s not—”

“Yes it is! You didn’t even come to see me graduate.”

“…That’s just your imagination.”

“Then prove it. When was the last time we had a proper conversation?”

“…”

“Is baseball, being battery mates, really all we have?”

“…”

“If I had known that you were just going to avoid me, I wouldn’t have let you kiss me back then.”

Kazuya finally pulled away from Sawamura so he could turn around and look at the other man. Sawamura wouldn’t meet Kazuya’s gaze, his eyes downcast and his face a mixture of disappointment and frustration. Kazuya awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck, unsure of how to proceed in this kind of situation.

No one else knew, but Kazuya had in fact been actively avoiding Sawamura for this very reason. It all started the day Seidou was in the national tournament and he had gone to support his underclassmen. He’d never forget the bittersweet memory of Seidou winning the finals and not being on the field with them. But more than that, he had Sawamura’s bright smile and glowing face forever etched into his mind and his brain telling him ‘that smile isn’t meant for you.’ He remembered going to see Sawamura privately to congratulate him, but the actual conversation was all a blur. The last thing he remembered from that day was Sawamura’s look of shock and the realization of what he’d just done.

Before he could take it back, the team had found them, giving him the chance to shake it off, as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t until he went back to his apartment that he finally understood the meaning behind his actions. It felt relieving to put a name to the feeling, but also terrifying to the point that he couldn’t, wouldn’t, admit it out loud. He knew sooner or later, Sawamura would come asking for an explanation. So, he took the easier route: he ran.

“For the record, I only saw Kominato and Furuya by coincidence the other day,” Kazuya said, breaking the silence.

“So then why do I have to barge into your life just to get you to look at me?”

“Because you want answers that I don’t have for you.”

“Why’d you do it if you were going to regret it?”

“It was a moment of impulse,” Kazuya replied. “You don’t have to take it so seriously.”

“Yes I do, you abandoned me because of it.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Then why aren’t I in your life anymore?” Sawamura finally raised his head, the pleading in his eyes making Kazuya’s resolve crumble. He grabbed at Kazuya’s shoulders, slightly trembling. “We don’t have to talk about the kiss. I won’t mention it again. If that’s what you want, we can pretend it never happened. Just don’t leave me!”

The seriousness started to make Kazuya uncomfortable. “Why so dramatic, Sawamura? Where’s the kouhai who insults me and flips the bird?”

“He’s still here, but so am I. I left my hometown just so I could play baseball with you. I got a scholarship into university so I could find you again, even though I’m terrible at studying…I’ve been chasing you down for 4 years trying to make you look at me. I’m not going to stop now.”

Sawamura’s firm gaze sent chills down Kazuya spine. Not out of fear, but from nostalgia and excitement. He had missed the intensity, the fire glowing inside Sawamura’s eyes. The fight and determination emanating from them. The look he always had right before they would face a skilled batter. Kazuya loved these eyes so much that he hated himself for how much he loved them.

“Alright. You win,” Kazuya sighed in defeat.

Sawamura’s face lit up. “You’ll come?”

“Sure, why not? Apparently, I don’t have a good enough excuse to not eat cake until I throw up.”

Sawamura threw himself onto Kazuya, enveloping him in a bear hug. Kazuya had to quickly brace himself for the extra weight before they toppled over. “You won’t regret it, I promise!”

“I don’t know about that,” Kazuya muttered. “It’s just you, me and the owner for a few hours, right? It can’t be that bad.”

“If there’s a god, he hates me,” Kazuya mumbled as he stared up at the ceiling.

He made a mental note to chew out Kuramochi later, because clearly there was no reason for them to pretend they were a couple. As it turned out, it wasn’t just Sawamura, Kazuya and the bakery owner. The cake tasting session wasn’t private and was shared with three other groups: a man and woman, a couple of ladies and an elderly man who had come by himself. Much to his growing dismay, the two women were giggling about how ‘adorable’ he and Sawamura were and congratulated them on their engagement. As if adding salt to the wound, Sawamura bashfully held Kazuya’s hand when thanking the girls, even going so far as to intertwine their fingers. His only small consolation was that the other young man looked just as uncomfortable with the whole ordeal as he was.

“Next, we have a more traditional western style vanilla cake infused with rose water, coated in a champagne buttercream frosting,” The bakery owner said as plates of cake were passed out. “We decorate the cake with chocolate covered strawberries so we’ve included a few of those to try as well.”

Kazuya was thankful that this one wasn’t as sweet as the last few they had tried. It gave his taste buds at least a little break.

“Miyuki-senpai! You have to try the strawberries!” Sawamura excitedly held one up to Kazuya’s face.

Kazuya tilted head back and put a hand up in front of the strawberry. “I’m good, thanks.”

Sawamura used one hand to grab Kazuya’s and hold it down on the table, bringing the strawberry right in front of Kazuya’s mouth with the other. “You’ll like it, I promise! Look, this one has dark chocolate on it so it not as sweet.”

Kazuya glanced over at the other tables to see that all eyes were on them. Even though he was so used to being in the spotlight, he had never felt so uncomfortable from people staring at him. “Okay, okay. Just put it on my plate. I’ll try it later.”

Sawamura tilted his head as if to say, ‘Come on, it’s just a strawberry,’ letting Kazuya know he wasn’t backing down any time soon. Kazuya heard the giggling, but he also knew he couldn’t win against Sawamura’s stubbornness and reluctantly took a bite of the fruit.

“So?” Sawamura asked.

Kazuya hated that smug smile that said Sawamura already knew the answer. So like any childish man in his twenties, he got even. “It was good, thanks babe. Here, you try.” He took the half-eaten strawberry from Sawamura’s fingers and turned it around so it was facing Sawamura.

Sawamura’s face went a light shade of pink and Kazuya smirked in satisfaction. “I…I already tried it.”

“But not this specific one. This could be the best strawberry in the entire world and you’ll never know.”

“I can feed myself.”

“But I need to return the favour.”

The combination of Sawamura’s blush and pout was just too adorable, Kazuya almost gave in. Luckily for him, Sawamura squeezed his eyes shut and took a bite before he did. Sawamura wouldn’t look him in the eye as he chewed and Kazuya could feel those dumb lovesick feelings of his bubbling up again. He silently cursed his past self and the day he started thinking Sawamura was cute.

“Our next cake is more suited for those who like things less sweet,” The shop owner explained. “Similar to a green tea swiss roll cake, it is a green tea sponge cake with whipped cream and red bean paste in the centre. The top we decorate with a thin layer of dark chocolate, some more whipped cream and dusted with some green tea powder.”

Sawamura dove right into the cake as soon as it was set down on the table. “Mmm, this one is good too!”

“You think they all taste good.”

“But they do! Man, this is going to be a tough decision.”

“Thanks for your input, Captain Obvious.” Kazuya shook his head and took a bite of his own slice. He thought this cake was milder in flavour when compared to the other cakes they tried, but the one with the champagne frosting tasted better. He made a mental note of it so he could tell Kuramochi later.

“I think I like the first one better,” Sawamura said.

“We’re not getting that one,” Kazuya immediately answered.

“Do you even remember which cake is the first one we tried?”

“No. But I remember it was really sweet. So we’re not getting it.”

“But it was pretty too…,” Sawamura whined.

“Would Ryousuke-san like it?”

“…He’d probably want the champagne one,” Sawamura reluctantly replied.

“That’s what I thought too.”

“Next up is an entremets dessert inspired cake. The base is our chocolate coffee cake, a devil’s food cake with espresso buttercream coated in chocolate. On top we have a croquembouche and decorating the sides of the base, we have little macarons in an assortment of flavours. We have a few for you to try, but if you select this cake, you are free to choose whichever flavours of macarons you’d like.”

“Why so many different parts to this one?” The woman with the man asked.

“We thought this one was a way to please both young and old. The little ones can enjoy the sweetness of the profiteroles and macarons while your more mature guest can savour the richness of the coffee cake.”

Sawamura turned to Kazuya. “That’s pretty clever. Maybe we should consider this one, Miyuki-senpai.”

“It’s food for thought,” Kazuya agreed.

Sawamura bit into one of the profiteroles and his eyes immediately lit up. “Miyuki! It tastes like a cream puff!”

“That’s because it is a cream puff.”

“I thought it was a…pr-profit-pro…whatever she said.”

“Yeah…that’s what a cream puff is called.”

“Ooooohh…we should get this one!”

“You haven’t even tried the actual cake.”

“But cream puffs are great! And I don’t know what these are, but they look pretty,” Sawamura said as he held up a macaron. “You know what would be fun? If the colour of these things didn’t match the flavour, so it’s like a guessing game.”

“I think that’s asking a little much from the bakers.”

“Oh, oh! And switch it up between the colours too! Like one yellow macaron is cherry flavoured and a different yellow one tastes like vanilla!” One of the girl’s chimed in.

“That way, no one can figure out which macaron is which. They just get a surprise every time!” Her friend finished.

“Yeah! See? They know how to have fun, senpai,” Sawamura chided. “You know what would be even better? If we put in some bad ones, like that ‘Bean Boozled’ game where the jelly beans taste like boogers and…” Before Kazuya could stop him, Sawamura had migrated to the next table over to discuss…grass clipping flavours cookies? He didn’t even know.

Even so, Kazuya couldn’t help but watch Sawamura as he so joyously chatted with the ladies at the table next to them. He didn’t even realize a smile was growing on his face until he turned his head and noticed the elderly man smiling warmly at him. He quickly straightened out, hoping the man wouldn’t say anything.

“That lovebug got you pretty hard, didn’t it?”

Kazuya sighed. Today was just not his day. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“When a man likes watching someone else have fun more than enjoying himself, that’s when he’s a goner.”

“To be fair, I’m not big on sweets.”

“So then you’re whipped enough that he can sucker you into things you hate.”

“I’m not whipped,” Kazuya said defensively.

“If I had one of them fancy smartphones, I’d be using that whip app right now.”

Kazuya grumbled as the elderly man just softly laughed at him. “Now, now. I’m just teasing. It’s always nice to see a young love like yours.”

“It’s not what you think it is.”

“Nonsense. Believe me, I understand it well. Loud, impulsive, unpredictable, but charming in his own way. Someone special who you can’t seem to take your eyes off of.”

“…Maybe you do get it.”

“Because it’s just like when I first fell in love with my husband. We were just so different, no one thought we were a good match. And yet here we are, 60 years later.”

“Husband?”

“Is a gay couple really that shocking? Have you not noticed who you’re here with?”

This wise-cracking old guy was starting to get on Kazuya’s nerves. Was this how people felt when they got angry with him? “I’m aware, I just didn’t think there were people so open about homosexual relationships. And for the record, we’re not together.”

“That’s called ‘denial’. And I wasn’t at first, it terrified me.”

“Of the prejudice?”

“Of falling in love.” Kazuya stayed silent, allowing the old man to continue. “I mean sure, the stares are uncomfortable and some people are just down right awful. But the real scary part was letting him in.”

“Him?”

“My partner,” said the man. “As a calculated person, he was the wild card in my life. He was full of surprises, but not unpleasantly so. That was the fun part: seeing how he would surprise me next.”

“The day I realized my feelings, I kissed him on impulse…only to run away because I panicked. But he just came right back, barrelling himself into my life. And we’ve been together ever since.”

The elderly man leaned in and put a hand on Kazuya’s back. “Listen here, son. Life is a long journey. Now, you can go down the highway and have a nice, fast trip to your destination, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you don’t take the long way every now and then, take an unexpected detour, you’re going to miss out on the beautiful scenery. You might even find a gem, something better than you ever anticipated.”

“Sometimes, it’s okay to stray off the path a little. Don’t think too hard and just enjoy the ride.”

Kazuya found himself looking at Sawamura as he soaked in the elderly man’s words. It was a weird coincidence how this man’s life seemed a lot like his own, and yet it also felt like a sign. A nudge towards a choice he never thought he’d take, but wanted a lot more than he thought he did.

“We are now onto our final cake of the day and it’s our newest recipe,” the owner said, shaking Kazuya out of his deep thought. “It is a cherry blossom infused angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries in the centre. We drizzle the top with chili infused chocolate and decorate with more whipped cream and strawberries.”

Kazuya sat back up and thanked the employee who passed out the cake slices. Now wasn’t the time to get life lessons from strange old men. Not when there was just one cake between him and freedom. His taste buds were probably numb by now but who cared? He had at least a few cakes he could recommend to Kuramochi.

Kazuya cut a bite of cake with his fork and placed the cake in his mouth. And all he felt was disappointment that this wasn’t the first cake they tried. If it was, they wouldn’t have needed to waste their time with all the other cakes. It wasn’t overly sweet, the strawberries added a nice tartness, and the touch of heat from the chili made an excellent combination. It was the first time Kazuya could genuinely say he liked cake.

“This one,” Sawamura blurted out. Kazuya didn’t even realize Sawamura had slid back into the seat next to him. “This is the one. We have to get this one!” The little bit of chocolate smeared on Sawamura’s face only added to the charm of his childlike glee. This damn lovebug.

Kazuya smiled. “I’m glad we agree on something.” He reached out for Sawamura’s face to wipe off the chocolate by Sawamura’s mouth with his thumb. Without even thinking, he pulled his hand back to lick off the chocolate off his finger. It was only when he saw Sawamura’s blush that he clued in to what he had done. Kazuya felt a blush of his own creeping onto his face that only grew darker when he noticed everyone was looking at them.

Praise the lord this session was over.

Kazuya walked out into the streets feeling a little sick. They had tried over 10 different cakes in the span of 2 hours, plus all the extra little treats that came with some of the cakes. That was way more sugar than he could stomach in one sitting. He just hoped he could make it back to his apartment without throwing up the cakes he just ate. He leaned against the building to support himself until the nausea went away.

“Rookie mistake. You don’t need to finish the slice, just eat a couple bites to get the flavour.”

Kazuya felt a firm pat on his back and turned to see it was the elderly man from before. “Well, seeing as how I’m never going to do this again, thanks for the advice I won’t be using.”

The man laughed. “No problem. Always glad to be of help.”

Kazuya hoped Sawamura didn’t take much longer. He really didn’t want to chat with this guy anymore.

“Hey now, make sure you take a good look at what kind of eye-catching flower Eijun grows to be, you hear? And I don’t just mean as a pitcher.”

“Right, right…sure thing,” Kazuya dismissively nodded, more focused on his gut than the words of a stranger. But then it suddenly clicked in his head. When had he mentioned Sawamura was a baseball player? Kazuya quickly spun on his heel. “How’d you know—.” Kazuya stopped short because the man was nowhere to be found, his words (and body) gone with the wind. He frantically swiveled his head from side to side, scanning the streets for the man, but didn’t see anyone who bore a resemblance.

“Miyuki-senpai?” Sawamura called out. “Are you looking for someone?”

“Did you see where the old guy went?”

“What old guy?”

“The old guy at the cake tasting.”

Sawamura looked confused. “That man may have been older than us, but I don’t think it’s very nice to call him old. Middle-aged at least.”

“Not that guy. The one that was sitting next to us.”

Sawamura looked even more confused than before. “There were only 3 guys at the cake tasting. You, me and the other guy.”

“But I…”

“Did you get high off the sugar? Are you hallucinating right now?” How many fingers am I holding up?” Sawamura made a peace sign in front of Kazuya’s face.

“I’m fine,” Kazuya snapped, swatting Sawamura’s hand away. “Just…forget it. Let’s just go home.” He started walking down the sidewalk, not bothering to wait for Sawamura to catch up.

“When you say home,” Sawamura began once he caught up to Kazuya, “Do you mean your apartment, your house, or…?”

Kazuya looked at Sawamura like he was stupid. “Of course I mean my apartment. You dragged me out here so it’s only fair you take me home before you leave.”

“Are you sure you didn’t want to go to the park? Or look for a wedding gift? Or maybe we could—”

“Sawamura, I just ate more sweets in the past 2 hours than I have in my entire life. My stomach might actually explode. Please don’t prolong my pain.”

“Oh…right, sorry.” Sawamura visibly deflated. If Kazuya looked hard enough, he could almost make out the drooping dog ears on Sawamura’s head. “I just thought it’d be nice to spend some more time together…it’s kind of…been awhile.”

“I missed you a lot,” Sawamura whispered.

“I’ve been…busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Thinking.”

“About?”

“You…me…us.”

“Well could you think less?”

“Could I…what?”

Sawamura stopped in his tracks and forced Kazuya to look at him. “We’re not a battery trying to take down a batter. Right now, it’s just you and me. Just say what you want to say! Don’t think about it too hard.”

“What if I say the wrong thing?”

“Then I hit you until you get it right!”

“Wow, what great persistence you have,” Kazuya said, his words dripping in sarcasm.

“What I mean is, I’m not going anywhere.” Sawamura grabbed Kazuya’s hands and held them in his own. “Instead of running away from me, just face me head on. I’ll take in everything you have to say.”

Kazuya blinked a couple of times before he burst into laughter, smiling as he shook his head. “You never fail to amaze me, you know that?”

“What did I do?”

“You’re the wild card in my life, and I’m going to enjoy the ride.”

“What ride?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself.” Thank you, mysterious, strange old man. “Hey Sawamura, I have an extra room in my apartment.”

“…And?”

“Well, it’s just for storage right now, but I don’t have a lot of stuff. So I was thinking…maybe I could empty out that room.”

“For…what?”

“So someone can stay in that room.”

“You thinking about getting a roommate?”

“I am. And I think I found a good one.”

“Are you sure? Actually, are they sure? Do they know what kind of person you are? Are they aware of what they’re getting into?”

“For Christ’s sake, I’m asking you to move in with me.”

“Move in?”

“Yes.”

“With you?”

“You want to spend more time together don’t you?”

Sawamura looked shocked at first, but it quickly went away and was replaced with doubt. “I thought you didn’t like me.”

“I never said that.”

“Didn’t you regret what you did before?”

“You said that, not me.”

“…Then why did you avoid me all this time?”

“Because I was young and immature.”

“It was a year ago.”

“So that makes me a year older and a year wiser.”

“And more annoying.”

“Hey.”

“You started it,” Sawamura mumbled.

Kazuya grabbed Sawamura and pulled him into a hug. “Because I don’t really know how to do...this,” he whispered. Kazuya clenched his hands into fists to try and stop the shaking. “And that scares me.”

“The great Miyuki Kazuya? Afraid?”

“More than you could ever know.”

Sawamura went silent and Kazuya thought his heart might stop. But eventually, Sawamura’s hands slowly snaked their way around Kazuya. “I don’t really know how this works either.”

“What about all those shoujo manga you read?”

“Well, we don’t exactly fit the mold of what a shoujo manga couple is like.”

Kazuya couldn’t help but chuckle. “No kidding.”

“But that’s okay, we don’t need to be. We can figure it out ourselves. Together.”

“…Yeah…together.” Sawamura hug got just a little bit tighter as he nuzzled his head into Kazuya’s neck. Kazuya couldn’t fight the smile that crept onto his face as he squeezed right back.

“Also…that last cake…” Kazuya trailed off.

“What about it?”

“We should tell Kuramochi to get the champagne one instead.”

“But I thought we agreed that the last one was the best.”

“Exactly, which is why we should save it for our wedding.”

Sawamura jumped away from Kazuya, his face bright red. “Our what?”

Kazuya didn’t answer and instead pulled him in for their second, but certainly not last kiss.

#fydna #fydaiyanoace #fydnasecretsanta #fydaiyasecretsanta #miyusawa #Misawa #daiya no ace #ace of diamond #dna #minor kuraryou #fluff and angst #romcom-like #miyuki pining #b/c I like making him suffer #happy ending #my writing

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