#who’s letting their cat out though lol she’s wandering through a parking lot with some pretty big construction cars coming through

[myrfing]

a gray cat has invaded our workplace in the nightshift and i think she should be allowed

[catzula]

Smile For Me

AN: thank you to the anon who requested Artist Shinsou, it was a really cute idea! I'm sorry for writing the requests really late too but here's a 5.6k fic lol I'm sorry, it's not edited btw cause I'm at holiday and dont know how to write fics on mobile I literally can't :(

Warnings: nope

Genre: fluff

Pairing: shinsou hitoshi x reader

It was a cold day.

You had a sweatshirt on, nothing too thick. The wind was blowing like it was trying to wipe you out the earth. You hugged your body tighter, trying to find some warmth.

The school had let you off early this day since a heavy rain was expected. The logical thing was to go home and do your preparations, but you didn't want to go home just yet, so you had decided to meet one of your friends. You decided you could wait at a park that was near where you were, hoping to find a small Cafe to at least drink something hot, but to your disappointment, nothing similar to what you had in mind was to be seen.

You sighed as you sat on a free bench. You texted your friend to tell her you were sitting at the park, groaning when she told you she was probably going to be late. You leaned forward to take your book out of your bag, trying to forget the cold wind that was sending chills down your body. You wrapped your scarf tighter to your neck, hugging your body with your arms.

You weren't aware of the boy sitting a few meters away from you, a notepad and a pencil in his hands, watching everyone.

***

Shinsou was in a bad mood. He needed to draw something for his art class, but he just couldn't find anything that piqued his interest. He could always draw the baby that was crying in the sand pool, or his mother that was blowing cool air from her mouth to soothe the small wound that was caused from the sand, but none of them looked interesting enough for him to go through and finish a whole piece of art. Maybe the flower standing there could be a reference but-

He sighed. He hadn't slept last night, looking for something to draw. He usually slept very late, but not sleeping at all was a whole new level. His pencil moved over his notepad, though he wasn't drawing anything specific. Shinsou looked at the girl that was sitting on the bench, probably about to freeze to death. People were wearing gloves and winter coats while you only had a sweatshirt and a deep red scarf on. Your eyes fixed on the book you held, your face relaxed, a cute smile now on your lips.

As his eyes wandered over you, he didn't notice his hand starting to outline your figure.

You were lost in your book. You didn't even notice the cold anymore, only when the wind blew your pages did you curse under your breath. When you finished the chapter you were reading, you felt your back hurting and you opened your arms, stretching your body.

Only then did your eyes catch a glimpse of the unruly hair, purple locks defying the gravity in an odd way. He didn't notice you staring at him, he was too concentrated on what was in front of him. He looked like he was drawing something, his eyes, which were the same color as his hair, were fixed on the paper, brows furrowed.

You looked away because if you didn't, he probably would have thought you were a creep, though you could feel your eyes gazing his way every once in a while. You snapped out of your thoughts and just when you were about to keep reading your book, you felt something jump on your lap, making you shriek in surprise.

It was a black cat on your lap, nuzzling its face to you, it sat right on your book as if it was trying to get you to stop reading. You giggled as you pet it, a big smile on your face. You always felt special when cats did this, it felt like you were chosen by some greater good.

You didn't notice the boy across you was watching you as you spoke and giggled to the cat. One of his brows quirked up as he smirked slightly, a girl talking to a cat-like so wasn't something he saw every day.

But maybe it was just what he needed to see.

You were smiling brightly as you talked to the cat, one of the prettiest smiles Shinsou had ever seen. Without taking his eyes off of you, he tried to copy this scene in front of him to the paper.

He was so focused on what he was doing, he didn't even realize you were shivering. He felt like he had seen you before, though he didn't want to waste his time trying to figure out where he had seen you, instead, he was trying to draw that smile of yours, though he just couldn't draw it the way he wanted to.

He just had to see your smile one more time.

But when he lifted his gaze from your sketch to look at you and the cat, you were nowhere to be seen. He stood up without thinking, looking around frantically. He started to run when he saw a glimpse of your deep-red scarf, not even thinking about what to say when he reached you.

When he caught up -he was heaving and his cheeks were red from running- he touched your arm, not sure of what to say. " 'Scuse me."

A deep voice called out, touching your arm slightly. You jumped with surprise but smiled sweetly when you saw it was the guy from the park, the one who was drawing.

"Oh, um, hi." You told him, your smile making his heart beat faster, even though he literally ran with all his might just now. "Did you need something?" You asked, watching him as his hand scratched the back of his neck, moving in his place uncomfortably.

"I- uh, I do need something." He too you as he held his pencil so right, his knuckles turned white. He was never an extroverted person, and what he was doing now was a big blow on his social anxiety.

"Do you have time? I would like to ask you something."

Was this boy asking you out or something? And why did he look so familiar? You could swear you'd seen him quite a lot before, though not really knowing where from. "I'm waiting for my friend, actually. So I have time till she shoves up."

Shinsou was not expecting a positive answer. How was he even supposed to ask you to model for him? Would that be too creepy?

You walked in silence, back to the bench you were sitting at. You were starting to get anxious as he eyed you every once in a while, not saying a word. "I- I'm an art major." He finally started, pulling when you didn't say anything. "I have my finals coming up and I have to draw someone... I saw you talking to the cat just now and I-"

"You saw that?!" You exclaimed, cheeks getting heated as you looked at him wide-eyed. "I- uh, I did. But you see, I think it was really nice and I kinda- actually, let me show you."

Wow, this was going bad, wasn't it?

He held his breath as he opened the notepad in his hands, opening the unfinished sketch he just drew- of you. You gasped as you saw the beautiful drawing, not even acknowledging for a moment that it was you who was smiling and petting a cat, so detailed and so pretty.

"Did you do this now?" You asked him, touching the paper so softly, as it would crumble under your touch with the smallest amount of pressure.

"I did. But I kinda need you to stay a little longer to finish it, I know this is a weird request, but I really need to finish it... So, what do you say? Could you stay a bit longer, not much, just till I finish it?" Your eyes followed his hand as he ran his finger through those purple, soft-looking locks, making you wonder how it would feel like under your hands.

"Wait, you actually want me to model for you?" You asked him, brows borrowing with confusion and disbelief. "Is that weird?" He asked you, a hopeful look in his tired-looking eyes.

"No, I- I mean yes!" Oh, damn, you were awkward. "What I'm trying to say is-" you started, a little calmer, trying to answer with a full sentence this time, "It is very unusual, but probably not as weird as me talking to a cat."

He chuckled at that, a rich sound making your heartbeat a little faster. "Yeah, probably not."

"So does that mean, yes? Will you model for me?" You shrugged as you giggled. "Sure, why not."

He smiled, relief washing over him. "Thank you so much, I can't even tell you how much this helps." He was taking his notepad out but stopped as he saw you trembling like a leaf. "Oh, here." He shook his jacket off his shoulders, handing it to you.

"I can't take this." You told him, wishing you could, "It's yours and it's really cold." Plus, it was your fault you didn't bring a jacket with you and he shouldn't be cold because of your irresponsibleness. "Just take it." He said gruffly, "I'm making you stay here so it's only fair if you took this."

Now that was a solid argument. You accepted the jacket he offered -why did it smell so good? Like soap and a bit like lavender?- and smiled gratefully. "Thank you for that." He shrugged to say it was nothing.

***

Hanging out with Shinsou was better than you had expected. He was such a chill guy, so calm and smart, he didn't talk much but when he did his quick, smart remarks making you admire him a lot.

Even though he had told you it wouldn't take long, the sun was already setting when he was giving the drawing it's last details, though both if you didn't mind it at all. It was supposed to be a quick sketch, all he had to do was to draw the outlines and then he could go on without you, but he just couldn't tell that to you, afraid you'll leave.

He was having fun, too much fun, to let you go. He never thought having a chat with some stranger -who talked to cats, too- would turn out to be so fun. And you were nice. So nice that he felt like he could tell you anything, and you wouldn't judge him, which was a feeling foreign to him.

As he scribbled the last pieces of shadings -he knew he was just adding useless details now- he felt a weird weight in his chest. He didn't want you to go, wanted you to stay with him, and talk even more. He was a quiet guy, in contrast to you -you talked a lot of he was going, to be honest, but he thought of it as adorable and even though it was mostly you talking and him listening, it was obvious both of you liked the presence of each other.

At some time, your friend had canceled, telling you she couldn't make it and she was really sorry, but it hadn't bothered you the least. In reality, you were glad you got to spend more time with him.

You gave him your scarf at one point, and he looked so cute, his face wrapped with a deep red scarf, the color matching his cheeks.

"It's really pretty." You told him, caressing the paper with your finger. "It's you who makes it pretty." He answered, causing your cheeks to heat up.

"I don't know how to answer that." You finally told him after a long silence. Your blunt answer made him giggle, once again scratching his neck, making your heart flutter.

"It was really nice to meet you." You let out, sad that you have to go, and that you'll probably never see him again. "It was really nice to meet you too, and you have no idea how much this helped." He answered though he looked like he wanted to say something else.

"Maybe I'll see you around, you know if you ever come here again." He mumbled, eyes looking at yours awaiting. "Sure." You smiled brightly, happy that you weren't the only one that wanted to meet again. You looked at the sweatshirt you were wearing, the one that belonged to him and was too big for you. "I should give this back."

But instead of taking it, he shook his head. "It's still very cold. You can give it to me the next time we see each other." You smiled, the idea of having some kind of excuse to see him again making your heart hammer your chest. "Then you should keep my scarf too, and I'll have it back when I give you your sweatshirt back."

He smiled too, touching the scarf like it was made of gold. You stood up, your legs sore from sitting for so long. "I should go now, it's getting pretty late." You told him as you looked at the drawing he did one last time. It really was pretty.

"Yeah, I guess." He really shouldn't have felt this bad. "See you around?"

"Yeah, promise you'll have your sweatshirt back." You giggled and turned your back, making your way back to your home, an odd feeling finding it's way to your heart.

Shinsou watched you leave, the same feeling you were experiencing, sending shivers down his spine.

***

It had been a week since you saw Shinsou. And oddly enough you missed him.

You could visit the park only once since that day, disappointed that he wasn't there. You weren't really sure if he had ever visited the park too, wondering if he had thought of you as often as you thought of him.

He probably didn't, and you were making a fool of yourself, but you just couldn't stop, couldn't make the thought of him just go away, though his smell from his sweatshirt was already going away.

You sighed, not being able to focus on your lesson. When the bell finally rang, you stood up, stretching your body as you saw your friend coming next to you. "Hey, what's up-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She screamed- asked, earning glares from other people in the class. "How could you hide this from me?" Her hands were on your shoulders, shaking you with every word that left her lips.

"What are you talking about?" You asked, confused.

"Oh, come on, don't play dumb now." She told you, though still not saying anything that has the slightest bit of explanation.

"I literally have no idea what you're referring to." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she eyed you suspiciously. "Wait, " her eyes widened when she realized you meant what you said. "You really don't know?"

"Nope." You answered.

"Oh my God." She started giggling, making you a little scared of what was happening. "Are you going to tell me now?"

"No way." She answered between her giggles. "I'll show it to you instead." Now, if that wasn't the most suspicious thing you've heard, you didn't know what was. "I'd really rather you tell me." You told her, though you knew she wouldn't tell you even if you begged on your knees. "Oh come on." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "You know I would never tell you. Just wait for a little and see for yourself."

You sighed but didn't say anything, knowing it wouldn't be anything other than wasting your breath. "Okay, whatever. Show it to me." You sighed.

She grinned as she tugged at your wrists, pulling you in a direction. You let her lead you for at least 15 minutes, you had left the campus, entering the main campus, and then the art gallery.

You knew the art majors were exhibiting their finals projects in here, though you never really had the time to come and look at them. "What are we doing here?" You asked her, but she ignored your question, leading your way in the halls of the maze-like halls of the gallery.

And then she suddenly stopped, making you lose your balance by doing so. "Why did we-" you choked on your words as you lifted your gaze up, looking at the piece of art on the wall.

It was a charcoal drawing, a big one at that. Black and white had so many tones between them, shading was so professional, so detailed and so beautiful, it was like the art was alive, you could swear you might see it moving if you looked closely. But it wasn't the beauty of the art that had you in shock, it was what was on it.

You.

You were in the painting. Talking to a cat.

You knew this drawing, you knew it very well, that was because you had spent every second of the last week, thinking about the artist who drew it.

You turned to your friend, who was watching you with a knowing smirk. "You have to be kidding me." You mumbled. He was at your school? How was that even... Was that why he looked so familiar?

"How is this... Wh- Who did this?" You asked, finally able to say a whole sentence. Her nose scrunched in confusion. "You mean you don't know?"

You shook your head.

"It's Shinsou Hitoshi from 2-A." She answered. "I thought you knew him."

"I do know him." You told her. "But I didn't know- I didn't know we were in the same school, or that he was a grade older than me. I didn't even know he was..." You gulped. "I need to go." You told her, leaving her with many questions to be answered.

"Wait, where are you going?!" She screamed after you.

***

You were running, though you hadn't even stopped to think for a second. What were you even going to tell him when you found him?

Hey, it's me, the girl you drew as an art project? The girl talking to a cat? We met a week ago, I still have your sweatshirt, might be nice to have my scarf back too. You remember me, right?

Yeah, probably wouldn't work out, would it? You decided it was the best to go with the flow -it really isn't- and didn't stop to even think for a second.

You entered the art building, feeling the eyes of the students on you, though you weren't sure if it was because you looked like you were running for your dear life, or maybe it was because you were the girl on the art that obviously everyone saw.

You didn't care about the looks they were sending at you and ran until you stood in front of the door you were looking for.

2/A.

Now that you were finally able to stop and breathe, and actually think about what you were doing, you thought maybe this wasn't a really good idea. You had no idea what to say, you weren't sure if it would actually go with the flow either, and you just didn't know how he would react.

But most of all, you were a little disappointed that you haven't seen him that one the time you visited the park. Did he even ever visit? Yes, maybe you only visited once, but he wasn't there, was he? And maybe it was just dumb to expect anything from-

"Oh, hi!" You heard a girl's voice from behind you. It was a brunette girl who was looking at you with a wide smile, her brown eyes the biggest pair of eyes you had ever seen and she had the sweetest face. "Hi, I was looking for-" You mumbled back, feeling shy, but couldn't even finish your sentence.

"Oh my God, 'Chako isn't that the girl?!" Another girl came running towards you, a big smile and wide eyes on her face as she shouted at the girl talking to you. She had a pink-tinted face, like she was blushing constantly, but it looked cute nevertheless. The brunette nodded like they were sharing some big secret, though the secret was more than necessary at this point.

"You're looking for Hitoshi, right?" The pinkish faced girl asked, her hands holding yours as she jumped in her place.

"Well, I- uhh, I was looking for Shinsou." You told her and she giggled when you couldn't call him by his first name. "Oh my God, you're too cute! I'm Mina, by the way, " she informed you as she tugged you from your wrists to the class. "Come on, he's in here."

When you entered the class, more like pushed from the back by Mina, you lost your balance slightly, recovering quickly. You cod feel everyone looking at you, wondering who you were or why you were here. Though a few of them looked like they knew what was going on, watching you with big interest. You scanned the room for one specific pair of indigo eyes. And you found him, your heart beat picking up almost instantly.

He was there. Sitting in his desk, he had his earbuds in and was looking at his phone with tired eyes, his purple hair hidden under his hoodie. As you saw him just sitting there, you thought maybe this was a bad idea. What if he simply didn't want to see you? Both of you didn't know you were in the same school, and what if he thought you were creepy or clingy or...

His gaze lifted from his phone only for a glance to see why his friends were suddenly so quiet, only to see you standing in front of the door, cheeks tinted red and looking very uncomfortable. Shinsou's eyes widened as he put his phone on his desk and stood up. Looking like he couldn't believe you were there, standing just a few meters away from him, he slowly got closer to you.

When he stopped in front of you, he still looked like he couldn't believe his eyes. "H-hey." You told him, smiling anxiously. Everyone in the class was watching you both, and neither of you felt the slightest bit comfortable there. "You wanna go somewhere more... Private?" He finally asked, ignoring his friend's giggles and 'ooohhhh"'s.

"Oh, yeah, that would be amazing." You answered, letting him lead you out of the class. After a short walk, you found a quiet place, looking at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"I didn't know you were in this school."

"I saw the drawing."

Both of you talked at the same time, making you giggle. "How did you find me?" He asked, his words setting a horrible feeling down your chest. Did he?...

"Y-you didn't want me to find you?" His eyes widened when he realized how his words sounded like. "No! I- I'm actually really happy you did, I was pretty sad when you didn't show up at the park." He mumbled, he seemed so sincere about his words, it caused you to blush. "You went back to the park?" The words tumbled out of your mouth with a much more hopeful tone than you would like.

He scratched the back of his neck anxiously. "I- I did. But you weren't there, so I thought you didn't - uhh, didn't want to see me." His cheeks slightly tinted pink, indigo eyes looking at everywhere but you, you couldn't help but think how adorable he looked.

"I visited the park too." You answered, noticing how close he was, all of a sudden. You could feel his soapy lavender smell, making your heart beat faster and faster with every second.

"I found you because of the drawing." You finally answered his question. "I was there with my friend, and she told me you were the artist." That wasn't exactly true, but you weren't lying either, right? Though he didn't seem to be listening either, his gaze fixed on your lips, smirking.

"I probably should thank your friend, then." He answered, making you chuckle. "Maybe you should."

***

Epilogue

"I really can't believe you're going on a date with Shinsou Hitoshi." Your friend repeated for the 100th time as she applied some highlighter to your cheeks.

"I can't either." You answered, feeling all giddy inside. It didn't take long for Shinsou to ask you out after you both found each other, and almost everyone knew about how you met now. Your friends eyes wandered over you.

"I understand everything but that sweatshirt, " she told you, face scrunched with disapproval, "you really can't wear that to a first date, you know." She told you, looking at the sweatshirt on you like it was the ugliest thing in the world but you ignored it. It might not be the prettiest thing you had, but it had history and you secretly liked wearing it, the lavender smell calming your nerves.

"I'm gonna be late." You told her, standing up when she finished the make up. As you arrived to the Cafe Shinsou and you decided to meet at you felt anxiety and excitement washing over you.

It wasn't far from your campus, making it easier for both of you. As you entered the Cafe, a smell of ground coffee filled your senses. Your eyes wandered around, looking for one particular head of purple hair.

You smiled when you saw him, all wrapped up in your red scarf you had given him, the biggest smile on his face when he saw you wearing his sweatshirt.

He thought you looked like a piece of art.

[magicflowershop]

one day kitty; Tsukishima version

《inspired by movie A Whisker Away》

✿✿ you wished to be with the person you like and wish granted. whiskers, button nose, tail, four legs and ears on top of the head; you turned into a cat. with this, you are given the opportunity to be with the person you want to express your affections to. but as a cat. and only in one day.

― haikyuu characters x cat!reader imagines!

❀ masterlist ❀

the wheel of names have spoken.

Tsukishima found a cat sleeping on his window sill that morning

he doesnt know why but the sight of that cat annoyed him that he went to school with a frown on his face

Yamaguchi thought he did something wrong but he knew that if he spoke up he’d be told to shut up again,,,, 

Yams still asked

now Tsukki didn’t know what to tell him bc he wants to give no attention to a certain cat that’s been following him on their way to school,,, yk for some odd reason he can’t give a name to

even so, Yams being the precious lad he is, saw the little cat and entertained him while Tsukki took the run for it,,, again for some reason

its been a few hours and even during classes, Tsukki sees the cat once again through the window, chilling on a tree branch

it was no ordinary cat

or maybe Tsukki has lost his mind

but he was sure of it tho

quite

Tsukki looked out and saw that cat,, then the cat found his eyes and locked their gazes together,,, Tsukki has no idea how that staring contest ended up lasting for almost thirty minutes 

Tsukki was very sure this cat was an alpha lmAOOO

disregarding that, Tsukishima sensed something familiar from this little cat thats been noticeably following him everywhere even as to spying on him in his room while he was getting ready

the cat was so strange that it reminded him of someone he knew

which he seems to find himself looking for during lunch break 

and now he found it even stranger when said person had the audacity of ignoring him, as they passed by each other

that was prolly for the best

so Tsukki wouldn’t get migraine for the day ykyk

nyways the cat

the cat was also confused, staring at the same person this whole time,,, right beside him

“Tsukki, that was weird,,, y/n never batted an eye on you today. she’d usually bark at you but ig she’s tired today,,, she wasn’t being herself”

“shut up, Yamaguchi”

“sorry Tsukki”

i love that nyWAY

now you and Tsukki are e m e n i e s

how so?

Tsukki has been fed up with this random kid from a different class who always goes and picks up fights with him no matter what,, and so it concluded to him disliking said kid with every fiber of his being, which also happened to be you

contrary to his belief however, you two were simply opposites of each other and seemed to be clashing ideas no matter what the topic given is,,, which soon translates to arguments

little did he know tho you clash with him on purpose to get his attention because you are a lost cause and very head-over-heels for his lame-ass 

so much so that you wished to become a cat in order to stalk in sum more

<3

and as emenies,, its natural Tsukki will find it weird you ignored him in the hallway when you’re normally up his nose whenever you see him

bc you’re crazy like that

but thank god you were calm today

he thought

so this went on for the rest of the day

you guys passed by each other a bunch more and he kept getting a cold shoulder,,,,,,

YOU GUYS PASSED BY EACH OTHER A BUNCH MORE AND HE KEPT GETTING A COLD SHOULDER HOW DARE YOU?????

it didn’t take Yams half a braincell to notice Tsukki getting lowkey dejected from the said cold shoulder,,,, but Tsukki being Tsukki

sigh

plus, there’s this cat that’s been followin him around the entire time

“you’re not allowed to be here”

ah yes a 

✨ smartass ✨

he see the cat slowly sneaking its way inside the gym while they were off to practice after classes

the cat looked up at him with its big, shiny eyes as if it was pleading for Tsukki to let it in and watch them prolly,,, but Tsukki knew havin a cat in there would be a drag,,, and he might get yelled at by Daichi as well

even if this was an alpha cat we mentioned earlier

Tsukki shut the door

but soon after practice, nobody noticed when Tsukishima casually left the gym to look for the cat

a clown ✨

you were just chillin over a tree branch when you saw Tsukki wandering around the place looking for something,, and then he saw you

you see him sigh of relief and walk towards the tree

“do you not have a home you belong in?”

lmao someone’s not very good at handling animals, you thought to yourself,,, that you wanted to clown him sum more

you walked towards the end of the branch as carefully as you can, while Kei watched you with terror in his eyes

“what are you doing? you’re gonna fall off”

definitely not used to handling cats specifically!

while knowing full well this boy is a n00b, you stared at him mockingly, swinging your tail back and forth at his face next, resting your entire feline body at the tip of the branch that is in the verge of snapping

the terror in his eyes translated into worry in a split second when the branch did snap and the cat fell 

Tsukki wasn’t fast enough to both catch the cat and to realize that cats are created ✨ agile ✨

he, once again, felt like a 🤡

you gave him a smug look when you landed perfectly on your feet and saw the dumbfounded look on his face lmfao what is going on

and that hit Tsukki once again,,, the cat reminded him so much of you that it pained him so much both mentally and physically also psychologically but yk

Tsukki sat down on the grass, reluctantly reaches out a hand towards the cat,,, and takes it back, like what was he doing lol

but you looked straight into his eyes, which made him subconsciously reach out to you once more and this time you gave him no time to pull it back because you nuzzled you whole head under his palm

:c

Tsukki then gave in, caressing the cat’s fur as gently as he could

“oi TsukISHIMA!!”

Hinata called for Tsukki and the rest of the practice went by like normal disregarding how Hinata kept teasin him how he was bein soft around a little mammal for a split second swswsws

so practice ended just like that, you were wandering around gym waiting for Tsukki to appear bc you didn’t want so many opporunities to slip by when you already have him around your wittle paws yk? and you concluded Tsukki’s a whole tsundere 

as a matter of fact, Tsukki’s pissed off bc he knows he’s become fond of the stray cat

ok so, phat news

Yams goes and tells Tsukki he had somewhere to go before going straight home so it’ll be Tsukki goin home alone tonite

you overheard this conversation and you’re engines roared honey

you shall monopolize this stringbean

Tsukki wasn’t stupid to not notice the cat tailing him all the way home so Tsukki makes a detour bc he isn’t sure if this was a real cat or srsly an alpha cat like he said earlier lmfao wasn’t stupid my ass

his feet took him to his cram school without realizing even though he had no classes that day

but it was enough to not make the cat follow him anymore

he looked back at the cat and saw it, looking inside, backing away at each step as if it was afraid to get in ;c

obv you were afraid of being shooed away like some kinda parasite so its natural u pussy out heh and sudDENLY tSUKKI PICKED YOU UP AND LEFT WIF YOU HUUHHH????

“you’re probably hungry, i haven’t seen you eat the entire day”

heh

so you went on a date big deal

and you were a cat big deal 

except that Tsukki didn’t know what in the world to do wif a stray cat after this little dinner time at the edge of a park in the evening, not the kind of first date you wanted but this should be enough for this situation no?

ok so date right?

Tsukki was wondering why you were acting so strange earlier, like you kept treating him just like sum other student from the same school, passin by without any care at all lol

needless to say, it bugged him

and it was also needless to say that it bugged him a lot

yk

that you weren’t there

:D

like ew

no sht did that thought disgust him bc it was true lmfao

then there’s this random cat thats beside him the whole day instead and annoying the hell outta him,, kinda,,,, the same way,,,, you do,,,,,

lol how are those things similar tho

“you remind me of y/n”

and so u choke

mhmm

it’s b̵̹̠͎͑̀̈̈́i̶̢̧̖̙͎͖̰̱̾̾̏̀͋̌̕g̶̩̦̉ ̶̙̌̂b̵̻̿r̵̠̦̯̠̦̮͇̫̾͋̐̇͛̈́̓̉̚͝ă̶̛̫͎̹̈́̃͛͝i̴̼̦̮̮̍̈́̋̈́n̶͓̟̮͋̅͂͑̃͆̍̕͝͝ ̸̔̂͑̄̈́ti̴͗̈́̋̄̔̃m̸̛̳̔̀̆̈́e i guess

then as if you were snapped back to reality you remembered you had a time limit for this stupid, stalkerish thing you’ve been doing,,, you instinctively grabbed Kei’s hand to check his wristwatch 

it was 10.30

holy sht it was 10.30

you scurried off from your spot and ran all the way to your house, ignoring the kind-of yells Tsukki let out when he saw you running away 

you were running at speed of light jumping from one roof to another to get back home and smack that house cat of yours that pretended to be you the whole time

and you did,,, 

the next morning, you woke up you were back to normal

everything was back to normal

you’re parents never questioned you of anything

so did your siblings if you had any

then comes school

you were hella nervous aight

but you tried to stay calm, stay poised, stay annoying like normal yk

“hey”

god

Tsukki found you taking off your shoes, and decided it was a great idea to initiate a conversation with you

“oh good morni-”

“what’s going on with you yesterday?”

:0

“did i do something?”

“uh no,,,”

“then why did you ignore me?”

:O

did that have an effect on him????

you wanted to ask that to push his buttons ‘cause that’s what ur good at anyway might as well go all the way but yk you didn’t have the courage to be that cheeky esp since you liked him as well ahaha

YOU DID IT ANYWAY BAP BAP BA--

“it did”

:O

mission failed but success????

stay tuned for more!

[artificialqueens]

absolutely smitten (i'll never let you go) [branjie] - cherubi

(alternatively titled: useless lesbian pining)

(alternatively alternatively titled: how many times can i write words like ‘smile’ or ‘smirk’ in one fic)

wanted to write a fic inspired by absolutely smitten by dodie. finished it after about a month. here we are.

hope you guys enjoy this fluffy little pining fic! thank u to pinkgrapefruit & ace for looking through this for me and to everyone in the brainstorming discord channel, lol.

tw mild sexual harassment (partway through the section of ‘handsome stranger, you have made her happy, the first in a long time’)

-

she knows this feeling all too well,

she feels her heart begin to swell

Vanessa had had her fair share of crushes in her life, the majority of which having never been requited. It was just her luck, only ever crushing on straight girls, girls she didn’t even know. So she knew exactly how it felt when she saw a pretty girl across the room and became fixated on her for far too long. And she could feel that today was the day she’d have another one of those crushes the second she saw that woman across the room.

She usually hated working on the gym’s reception desk, having to deal with sweaty men constantly trying to flirt with her. God, she hated how they’d sneakily try and flex their muscles, leaning against the counter and winking at her, and all she could notice was the sweat dripping down their foreheads. It was somewhat of a relief to see such a beautiful woman walk through the door rather than another twenty-something-year-old man reeking of sweat and toxic masculinity. And, fuck, she was beautiful; tall with her long blonde hair in soft waves against her back. Vanessa watched as the woman stopped after coming through the entrance, running a hand through her hair before pulling it up into a high ponytail.

As she wondered what it’d be like to run her hands through that hair, see if it felt as soft as it looked, she realised that she was fucked.

handsome stranger,

you have made her insides turn to jelly

She’d been too busy watching that she didn’t realise when the woman had reached the counter, waiting to check in. The woman waved a hand in front of Vanessa’s face, an amused smile on her own at the obviously distracted girl in front of her.

“Hi? I’m Brooke Lynn Hytes, I’m supposed to have a training session now?”

Vanessa blinked, looking at her for a moment before nodding.

“Oh yes, sorry!” she finally said, turning to her computer, “Brooke Lynn, yeah?”

“Yeah. Two words, though - Brooke,” she paused, raising a hand to emphasise her point, “Lynn. I’m not a city.”

Vanessa let out a snort of laughter in response, looking back up at Brooke. The other raised her eyebrow, amusement still on her face, and Vanessa coughed, attempting to compose herself.

“Okay, Brooke. Kahanna, your trainer, she should be out in a minute. Do - uh - d’ya want some water or anything while you wait, or-”

It was at that moment when Kahanna had walked in, greeting Brooke and inviting her to follow; Vanessa couldn’t decide whether it was a blessing or a curse that she’d interrupted her rambling. Brooke started to follow Kahanna, but paused, looking back at Vanessa with an apologetic smile.

“Bye, Miss Vanessa,” she said, and then she was gone.

Vanessa took a moment to sit down after the woman left, butterflies dancing in her stomach even after the short interaction. She was intrigued by this Brooke Lynn Hytes woman - and she hoped she’d get to see her more often as the weeks went by.

she wants to dance around the room,

kiss you until your lips turn blue

Luckily for Vanessa, Brooke coming to the gym had become a regular thing. Unluckily for her, seeing the woman so often, tight gym clothes and messy hair, had turned her intrigue into a full-fledged crush. It had become more than just admiring how she looked - she’d gotten to know Brooke somewhat through their limited interactions whilst waiting for Kahanna to come in. Brooke preferred cats over dogs, Brooke taught dance at a local school, Brooke preferred tea over coffee, and Vanessa? Vanessa was obsessed with Brooke, apparently.

It hadn’t really hit her how bad her crush was becoming until she woke up one morning from a dream involving Brooke pinning her down, lips on her neck and - fuck. Since then, her mind had been wandering to the other girl far too much, picturing herself resting her head on Brooke’s chest, or playing with her hair, or walking through the park with their fingers interlaced. Maybe this was more than one of her usual crushes.

The morning she woke up from that dream, she came into work and practically begged A’keria to let her do anything but work on the reception desk right then. A’keria, the good friend she was, just laughed when Vanessa finally explained the story, telling her to go back to the reception with a ‘get it, girl’ and, well, if she was blushing and stumbling on her words a lot more than usual that morning, Brooke didn’t mention it.

handsome stranger, you have made her wonder

… is she pretty?

Vanessa had noticed after a few weeks of Brooke coming into the gym that she’d been spending much longer getting ready for work on those days she knew Brooke would be in. She’d began to worry more about her appearance at work, even getting up earlier to make sure she had time to make herself look presentable; she’d spend more time on her eyeliner, try more intricate hairstyles than the messy ponytail she’d usually wear, make sure her usually crumpled uniform was smoothed out. Though she was usually one for waking up ten minutes before she had to leave, rushing around the apartment because her bed was just too damn comfy, she’d now given herself much more time when she knew Brooke would see her.

Unluckily for Vanessa, whilst Brooke had noticed the change - she’d complimented her on her hair or her makeup more than once - A’keria had also noticed it, and was quick to question it the second Brooke had left the building. Feeling her face heat up when the other confronted her behind the counter, Vanessa couldn’t exactly convince A’keria that she wasn’t hopelessly in love with a woman she barely knew.

There was a glint in A’keria’s eye after Vanessa had attempted to explain her situation. SHe was planning something, Vanessa could tell, but before she could question it, she heard the familiar sound of the door opening and a customer walking in. She settled for a glare in A’keria’s direction, the other grinning back at her.

she’s absolutely smitten,

she’ll never let you go

“Why’d you put me on stocking the vending machines today?” Vanessa asked, trying to hide how much she was struggling to carry the box of assorted bottles to the counter top.

“Eh, figured you’d need a break from the counter,” A’keria replied, a small smirk playing on her lips.

“And you forgot that I can’t fuckin’ reach the top of the machine?”

“Girl, figure it out,” Vanessa glared at A’keria, who grinned back, shouting an overly kind ‘love you!’ before walking away, ignoring Vanessa’s yelling.

Vanessa sighed as she grabbed the first few bottles from the box, organising them into the machine. She was just hoping that she’d finish before Brooke walked in, if only so the woman didn’t have to see her struggle to reach the top of the vending machine (and totally not because Vanessa wanted to talk to her again).

As it turned out, Vanessa didn’t get what she wanted, and she froze momentarily when she noticed the jingle of the door and the familiar scent of Brooke’s body spray. She pursed her lips, standing on the tip of her toes as she attempted to slot the bottle she was holding onto its place at the back of the machine, trying to ignore Brooke’s presence in the room.

“You, uh,” Brooke started from behind her, noticing her struggle, “you need help with that?”

“Nope. I’m totally fine. I can reach.” Vanessa responded through gritted teeth and leaned further into the machine. She could tell Brooke was stifling a giggle - probably with that fucking smile she’d have on her face whenever Vanessa did something stupid - so, eager to prove she didn’t need help, she tried harder to reach the back of the machine and, as if Vanessa always had to do something stupid whenever Brooke was there, she felt her foot slip.

She had to stop herself from letting out a gasp when she felt a hand tentatively grip her waist to steady her.

“Why A’keria asked me to do this, I’ll never know. Child.” she said, turning her head to face the other, Brooke’s eyes locked on hers. Vanessa could almost feel the other’s breath against her forehead, noting that if she tilted her head slightly, she could probably kiss Brooke, and - Brooke let out a laugh, quickly removing her hand from Vanessa’s waist and stepping back slightly. The taller woman ran a hand through her hair, face tinged pink.

“You sure you don’t want any help?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Uh,” she paused, looking at the still half-full box of bottles she still needed to put into the machine, “maybe? If you wanna help? But, I mean, I can just get A’keria to do it, it’s not-”

“Hey, it’s fine. Gives me a reason to put my height to use for once.” Brooke responded, reaching for the bottle from Vanessa’s hand, hand brushing against her own as she did so. Vanessa hadn’t noticed the height difference between the two, not fully at least, until Brooke was towering above her as she easily placed the bottles into their slots. God, she was so tall, and stunning, and Vanessa just wanted Brooke to hold her, and-

She made eye contact with A’keria from behind the counter, catching a smirk on the other girl’s face.

If she hadn’t been utterly screwed before, Vanessa knew for sure that, right now, she was 100% smitten with Brooke Lynn Hytes. She truly was fucked, and she - along with A’keria, apparently - knew it.

that girl just there, yes, she’s the one,

with cupid’s arrow in her bum

It was A’keria who next interacted with Brooke, making sure Vanessa was anywhere but on the reception when the blonde woman entered. Brooke looked momentarily confused, A’keria clocking disappointment on her face for a split second, but just as quickly as A’keria had noticed, Brooke had put on a bright smile and had moved towards her.

“Morning!” A’keria welcomed.

“Hey,” Brooke walked up to swipe her membership card, “how’s your morning going?”

“Pretty quiet, honestly. But, y’know, I haven’t been working on the reception for ages. It’s usually Vanessa doing this stuff.” she answered, trying to watch for any reaction to the mention of the other girl. Brooke turned away, a small smile on her face, before humming in response. She began to walk away, pausing for a moment before looking back.

“Where is she, by the way? I, uh-” she stopped as if in thought, “it’s quite quiet in here, don’t you think?” she let out a laugh.

“Oh, just… about. Oh, by the way,” A’keria added, “any chance I can say something before you go?”

“Uh, sure, I mean-”

“I was just gonna say, I’ve noticed,” she glanced behind her to make sure Vanessa wasn’t listening in, “that you get along quite well with Miss Vanessa here.” She smirked, watching as Brooke parted her lips slightly in shock.

“I mean, I guess. She’s - she’s very nice.” Brooke spoke slowly, worried she would say something wrong under the scrutinising eye of the receptionist opposite her. Unexpectedly, A’keria cackled in response.

“Ah. She’s very nice, huh?”

“I mean-” she cut herself off, unsure of what to say. Luckily for her, at that moment, Kahanna had walked out looking for her, and Brooke let out a breath, “I don’t know. She’s nice, yeah.”

“Okay. Well, just thought it was worth pointing out. You two really seem to get along. And I’m tellin’ you this, just because I know she ain’t gonna do anything about it. Anyway,” she put on her best customer service voice, speaking in the overly kind voice she uses to talk to angry customers, “have a nice day! Thank you for coming!”

Brooke watched in shock as A’keria walked away, contemplating what she’d just been told. She’d thought Vanessa was pretty, yes, and she was absolutely smitten with the girl, as she’d told Nina multiple times since she’d first walked into the gym. She couldn’t get over the sly smirk on A’keria’s face as she spoke about how Vanessa enjoyed talking to her. Brooke had previously thought the woman was just kind because - well, she had to be. But after hearing what A’keria had said, she thought back to all of their interactions; of the look in Vanessa’s eyes as they stood far too close to each other, of the way she adorably stumbled on her words when Brooke was there, of the raucous laughter Brooke received after every joke she made. But then again, she was probably overreacting, maybe A’keria had just meant that Vanessa preferred talking to her over the sweaty old men flirting with her, or just that they got along as acquaintances, and not - well, not whatever Brooke was hoping it was.

She convinced herself that whatever she was hoping was irrational as she followed Kahanna into the gym and shook her head, willing herself to get her mind off that receptionist.

It didn’t work.

handsome stranger, you have made her happy,

the first in a long time

It was a few weeks later when Brooke came in unexpectedly; Kahanna had called in sick, and Vanessa knew she’d told all of her clients so, figuring they wouldn’t come in if they didn’t have the personal trainer to work with. She’d selfishly been disappointed hearing Kahanna was ill for the pure reason that she likely wouldn’t see Brooke. When A’keria asked, she’d answered that she was worried about Kahanna getting iller - the way A’keria looked at her though, that knowing glint in her eye, proved she knew that wasn’t the reason.

“Hey,” Vanessa welcomed as Brooke neared the desk, a slight confused edge to her tone, “y’know Kahanna’s off ill today, yeah? Figured I’d told everyone, but knowing me, I coulda forgot.” she continued, despite knowing that Brooke had been the first person she’d contacted.

“Yeah. Decided to come in anyway, though - gotta keep that routine going, you know?”

Vanessa hummed in response, reaching for a towel and placing it on the countertop. She expected Brooke to take it and be on her way, but when she looked up, the other was Brooke her, a small smile on her face.

“How’ve you been?” she asked, leaning slightly on the counter.

“Huh?” Vanessa blinked, confused that she’d stayed when she easily could have gone into the gym.

“How are you? Just tryna make conversation, I guess.”

“Oh! I’m, uh, I’m pretty good. Been quiet this morning with Kahanna being off and all.”

“Quiet? With you in here? I somehow doubt that.” Brooke joked, her perfect lips curved into a smirk.

“Bitch!” Vanessa yelped, swatting at Brooke playfully, before pausing, her face turning red. She looked down at the floor as she rambled. “Sorry, oh my God. That was unprofessional of me, I just-“

“Hey,” Brooke tried, Vanessa continuing to worry, “hey.” She said once again, moving her hand to gently tilt Vanessa’s face up to make eye contact, “it’s fine.”

Vanessa took in a sharp breath, noticing how close their faces were once again and taking a step back to stop her from doing anything else stupid.

“Sorry, I just,” she sighed, “I don’t know why A’keria hasn’t fired me, honestly. Not sure I’m cut out for a customer service sorta job.”

“You’re likeable, though. People love you.”

“I mean, I guess. But I’m not prosef- profeso- I’m not smart and business-y and stuff.”

“Everyone loves you anyway, Vanessa.”

Before Vanessa could respond, a man had walked up to the counter. Brooke jumped, shuffling to the side of the counter, a small smile on her face as she looked at Vanessa. Vanessa cursed the man for interrupting their conversation, figuring that Brooke would leave now that their chat had been cut off.

“Hey, princess,” the man leered at her, reaching to run his fingers through her hair. She stayed frozen, unsure of what to do for a moment as he twirled his hand through a section of her hair, before jerking away suddenly.

“Please don’t touch me, sir. You can sign in here,” she said, trying to move his focus onto the sign-in scanner.

“And this pretty little lady’s allowed to?” he responded, gesturing towards Brooke, who looked uncomfortable under his gaze, fists clenched on the counter.

Unsure of how to respond, Vanessa looked to Brooke, making uncertain eye contact. She’d hoped that the man would get bored, but as he continued watching her, she figured it wasn’t going to be the case.

“Because I’m her friend. You’re a strange man trying to touch an innocent fucking receptionist, and I think it’d be smart for you to fuck off.” Brooke said, tone cold and voice held back as if she was trying not to yell. The man glared at her, letting out a grunt before storming into the gym. The two stood in silence for a few moments before Vanessa took in a shaky breath.

“Fuck. You okay?” Brooke broke the silence, concern for the shorter woman evident in her tone.

“Eh. I’m used to it, I guess. They’re like this most of the time.” She looked at Brooke with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Brooke’s heart broke for her.

“You want a hug?” Brooke asked as she noticed Vanessa still faintly shaking. The shorter woman nodded wordlessly, walking around the counter to snake her arms around Brooke’s waist. Vanessa’s body relaxed into Brooke’s as Brooke moved her arms to hold her, resting her chin against Vanessa’s head. Vanessa felt safe with Brooke’s protective arms around her, felt warm in the embrace. She sighed as Brooke rubbed her back before parting from her, a faint blush on both their cheeks.

“Thank you,” Vanessa whispered, turning to walk back behind the counter. The two stood in a strange but not uncomfortable silence as Vanessa began to rifle through some papers on her desk in an attempt to get something done to get her mind off of how badly she wanted to kiss Brooke right now. She absentmindedly tapped her nails on the desk rhythmically, unaware of Brooke regarding her with a small smile on her face.

“Hey, Vanessa?” Brooke broke the silence first.

“Yeah?” Vanessa looked up from the sheets on her desk, tilting her head.

“You look really pretty today.”

Vanessa could feel a blush creeping up on her face, and ran a hand through her loose hair somewhat self-consciously.

“Thanks, Brooke,” she responded after a moment, her voice much softer than any other time Brooke had heard her speak.

“So she can speak without yelling. Who’d’ve thought?”

Vanessa let out a snort of laughter, aiming a mock glare in the other’s direction before the two burst out laughing. God, she really liked Brooke - really enjoyed talking to her, joking with her, just looking at her, honestly.

The two chatted for longer than either of them had expected or planned, Brooke waiting off by the side of the counter whenever someone came in and Vanessa had to work before resuming whatever conversation they’d been having prior. Vanessa caught herself falling for Brooke even more with every joke she made, every time she caught the other watching her with a smile when she thought Vanessa wasn’t looking.

Brooke had been shocked when she looked at the clock for the first time since she’d arrived, noticing how long she’d been eagerly chatting to the receptionist. Realising she’d probably been stopping Vanessa from getting her work done, and noticing that she also had work to do, she bit her lip, contemplating whether or not to leave. While she didn’t want to, she knew she probably should, if only to make sure Vanessa didn’t get in trouble for not working all day.

“Oh God, I should probably be leaving now, huh? Didn’t realise we’d been chatting so long,”

Brooke noticed Vanessa’s face fall slightly in response, the eager smile she’d had previously from a joke they’d made fading.

“Yeah. You probably have shit to do,” Vanessa replied, looking down at her desk.

“I’ll see you next time I’m in, I guess.” Brooke picked up the gym bag she’d placed on the floor however long ago - at this point, she wasn’t even sure, having only been focusing on trying to make Vanessa laugh the whole time they’d been talking. She loved hearing the other girl’s laugh; a loud, joyous laugh filling the room, making Brooke want to laugh with her. Vanessa’s smile, too, was gorgeous, she noted, as she pictured how Vanessa had grinned up at her, listening intently to whatever she’d been saying.

“Bye!” Vanessa shouted as Brooke began to walk away. Brooke turned around, blowing an exaggerated kiss to the younger woman before shouting ‘bye’ back as she walked out of the door.

Vanessa didn’t even notice that Brooke had never gone into the gym until A’keria pointed it out to her, the unused towel still on the edge of the counter.

did you just whisper in her ear?

words she only dreamed to hear?

A few weeks later, Brooke came in slightly late, much quieter than usual. She seemed in a rush, hair already in a haphazard bun and face flushed as if she’d been running.

“Hey,” Vanessa began, “you okay?” she questioned unsurely, as if she couldn’t decide whether or not she should ask.

“Yeah,” Brooke responded after a pause, “just stressed, I guess. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Unconvinced, Vanessa raised an eyebrow but chose not to question it further. She figured if Brooke wanted to talk about it, she would, and constantly questioning her would probably just annoy her.

“Hope you’re doing okay, Brooke.”

Brooke smiled gratefully as she walked in to meet Kahanna.

Vanessa watched, confused, as Brooke left. Brooke had seemed anxious, almost; like how a student would look in the run-up to their exams. She just hoped the other woman would feel comfortable enough to talk to her about it at some point - she wanted to be there for her.

-

Brooke stepped out of the changing rooms refreshed after the workout, it having served to clear her head, if only temporarily. As she walked, worry began to overcome her again, thinking about all of the what if and the how do I do this and - she paused, took a breath. Noticing A’keria working down the hall, she decided to go over and talk to her, if only to warn her of what was about to happen, knowing she’d be interested.

A’keria noticed her presence before she’d even reached her, stopping what she was doing to wave at her, grinning.

“Hey, boo. This about Vanessa?” Brooke knew she’d figure her out quickly, but hadn’t expected it to be this quick; she opened and closed her mouth in surprise, wondering how exactly to respond.

“Yeah, actually. I was thinking-”

“You wanna ask her on a date finally?”

Brooke spluttered, once again unexpecting of such a quick response. Worry began to bubble up in her chest again,

“Uh, yeah,” she spoke slowly, trying to gauge A’keria’s reaction to the idea. The other’s smile grew wider.

“God, I’ve been waiting for this!” she exclaimed, her hands waving a little in excitement..

“Yeah,” Brooke smiled shyly, “you think it’s a good idea? She’ll want to?”

“Honey, if only you knew what I’ve gone through since she first saw you. If she doesn’t, I’mma be mad. You should go for it.”

Brooke’s worries calmed slightly in response to the encouragement, and she nodded. Before she could say anything, A’keria was speaking again:

“If you wait a minute, I can go on the reception. Y’know, let Vanessa go out on break.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Just as much for her as it is for you,” she paused, smirking, “for me too, actually. Maybe she’ll finally shut up about you.”

-

Vanessa hadn’t expected to have a break right then, but she sure as hell wasn’t complaining - especially when she saw Brooke come out at around the same time. The taller woman still seemed anxious, picking at her nails, but somewhat less so than she’d seemed this morning. Vanessa smiled at her when they made eye contact, gesturing to the outside door.

“Come with?” Brooke nodded. If Vanessa didn’t know better, she’d have thought she saw Brooke look back and nod at A’keria. She figured she’d imagined it.

Brooke followed Vanessa around to the side of the gym and leaned against the wall. She thought she looked absolutely stunning under the mild sunlight, hair tousled slightly from the wind.

Vanessa reached into her pocket, grabbing a packet of cigarettes and holding it out to Brooke

“Want one?”

“Thanks,” Brooke answered, reaching for one out of the small box and lighting it with the lighter Vanessa offered her soon after.

“It’s nice out here,” Vanessa started, taking a drag of her cigarette, “if ya ignore the dumpsters, I guess,” she grinned.

Brooke hummed in response.

“Hey,” Vanessa paused, turning to face Brooke, “you wanna tell me what’s up, now?”

“Nothing’s up, really. Kinda anxious, I guess.”

“‘Bout anything in particular?” she questioned. Brooke shrugged.

The two smoked in silence for a few moments, Brooke’s hand brushing as she shuffled next to Vanessa.

“Vanessa?”

“Hm?”

“Forgive me if this is too forward, but. I was wondering. If,” she paused, trying to figure out what exactly she was going to say before it all came out a jumbled mess, “if you wanted to get coffee with me after you finished work? Whenever that is. I mean, you don’t have to, obviously, but-”

“Hey. I’d love to,” Vanessa answered, interrupting Brooke’s rambling. She responded without fully registering the question, jaw dropping as she actually took in what Brooke had just asked. She grinned as she tilted her head up to look at Brooke properly, “Yeah, I’d love that.”

“It’s a date then, Miss Vanessa.”

“Better be a good one.” Vanessa deadpanned, sticking her tongue out at Brooke, who rolled her eyes in response.

“Shut up,” Brooke smirked, “Y’know, I was scared to ask you. A’keria sorted me out though.”

Vanessa’s eyes widened, remembering the interactions she’d thought she’d imagined between Brooke and A’keria. She thought back to the times A’keria had specifically put her on anything but the counter when Brooke walked in, to how she was suddenly given a break as Brooke walked out, to the nod she thought she’d seen between the two only minutes prior.

“Wait, bitch!” she shouted in shock, “What the fuck! Y’all was conspiring, I knew you was!”

Brooke just shrugged, a wide smile on her face at Vanessa’s antics. She reached out to grasp the other’s hand when as she waved it about. Vanessa paused her yelling to look at Brooke, a small smile on her face.

“You’re cute.” Brooke said, pulling Vanessa’s hand so the two were stood closer to each other and moving her other hand to rest just above Vanessa’s waist.

“Oh, I am?” Vanessa responded flirtily, twisting her hand through the ends of Brooke’s hair. She bit her lip as she looked up at Brooke, a glint in her eye.

“Yeah. Real cute,” she repeated, a small smile still playing on her mouth, and licked her lips. She ran her fingertips up and down Vanessa’s back, Vanessa standing on her tiptoes as she maintained eye contact with Brooke.

“Awful kind of you,” she whispered, her face edging closer towards Brooke’s, both knowing that they only needed to lean in a little more before their noses were touching, before their lips were. Brooke breathed out, her breath tickling Vanessa’s nostrils, and made the move to kiss her. Unexpectedly, Vanessa stepped back, Brooke already missing the warmth against her body. Brooke pouted, reaching out for the other’s hand.

“You’ll have to take me on that date first, Miss Brooke,” she whispered, a smirk playing on her face, as she stubbed her cigarette out and walked away, the sway in her hips much more prominent than before. Brooke shook her head fondly as she watched the other leave, excited to spend more time with the fiery girl whom she’d become truly enamoured with.

and it’s too late,

you believe in fate,

you’re absolutely smitten,

you’ll never let her go

[canaryatlaw]

Alright, it’s currently 8:53 pm Illinois time (we’re still in Indiana so my phone thinks it’s 9:53, it didn’t transition for the whole day until like now apparently and is probably supposed to have changed back by now but here we are), we’re in the car on the way home from the con and I’m starting to write now because I need to go to bed ASAP when I get home because I once again could not fall asleep FOR MY FUCKING LIFE last night and of course I had to get up early so we could road trip to the con so I got like an hour and a half of sleep??? The last time I remember looking at the clock was at 5:08 am and my alarm was set for 6:45 am, so....it wasn’t good. But yeah, today was really good despite my lack of sleep. I did wake up when my alarm went off at 6:45 am, I had a message from Jess saying to give her like 10-15 more minutes than we initially planned so I got ready and waited for her to come pick me up. We got gas and then McDonald’s, breakfast sandwich and coke if I wanted to stay awake all day lol. And so we were off to Indiana for the con. The drive there was fairly unremarkable, we stopped at a rest stop for a minute but that was about it. We made it into Indianapolis around like 11:30 their time, parked in the parking garage next to the con center and got to the con. Our drive through Indianapolis revealed that today was definitely their pride parade and with a little more research we probably could’ve done the parade and the con, but oh well, not much we can do about it now. According to the online schedule the photo op for the guy Jess had a photo with was at like 1:20, so when we arrived we had to wander through the giant con center at first and then redeem our tickets and actually get to the main hall, where we located the photo op people and asked about the schedule.

It’s a good thing we checked, because he was not in fact at 1:20 anymore, he had gotten to what was first 4:45 and would then move to 5:45 in not too long. So obviously this was a bit of a curveball, since according to the earlier schedule we probably would’ve headed out a lot earlier. So now we have some time to kill. Well we wanted to see the guests anyway, and the first I wanted to see was the kid from Shazam, Asher Angel, mostly because I wanted to go on about how much positive depiction of foster children in media means to the kids out there that are constantly thought of as a problem and nothing more. He was sweet, definitely a teenage boy lol you could tell it was one of his first cons, but he was doing alright and was nice to talk to. He definitely looked bored at other points throughout the day which I can’t really blame him for, he is a teenage boy and the amount of attention the celebrities were getting at this con was definitely less than expected. Like, there were pretty much no lines for everybody....the entire con was a lot smaller than expected. So that was interesting to deal with. After that though we went and said hi to the guy Jess wanted to see from Shield and she got a selfie with him, he was really nice too. At that point we wandered the show floor for a while, Jess unsurprisingly found some kpop merch (it’s generally among the anime booths at this point) so she bought some of that which was cool. We ended up leaving the con center to get some food because con food is always trash and overpriced, and we didn’t have anything else better to do lol.

So we ended up going to steak and shake, which was a giant joke because the last time we went to a con in Indiana we got into a fight that kind of climaxed in us ending up going to steak and shake for dinner despite my request that we go literally anywhere else because my acid reflux was really bad that day, but that’s a whole other story we won’t go into, just know the fact that we ended up there was a giant fucking joke. I got a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake, and we killed some time there for a while before finishing up and walking back to the con. We returned to the main hall and ended up saying hi to John Wesley Shipp, this con was like prime for just getting to say hi to celebs because so many of them were standing around lol. He was cool, we got back to the Shield guy to get an autograph for Emily, and right next to him was Dot-Marie Jones, and I recalled that she had been at Clexacon and afterwards her wife had posted about how awful the con had been to them on Instagram and she was free so I was like if we approach this correctly we could get some quality tea about Clexacon out of this interaction lol. She had stickers that they were selling for $5, so we bought a sticker (they ended up giving us two) and were like “oh we just wanted to say hi, we wanted to see you at Clexacon but we heard it wasn’t great for you guys?” and that basically worked perfectly and launched a like, 20 minute conversation that consisted of all the terrible shit Clexacon had done to them and like, it was bad. The biggest revelation was definitely that the con wasn’t paying any of the celebrities to be there (I realize a lot of people aren’t privy to how the financial arrangements for cons work so that might not seem like a big deal but it is HIGHLY unusual and I couldn’t believe they got that many guests without paying any of them) and on top of that wanted a cut of their autograph money and shit which is just.....wild. It was a really good conversation though, not just about Clexacon but on how the voices of actual queer women should be the ones being centered, not just straight actresses that portray them but don’t live the stories (and we all know I adore my actresses, but it’s not the same) and like Clexacon had just been so shitty to her when she was one of the only actual queer women there and they could’ve had so much more but they were clearly only motivated by greed. She’s a super lovely person too and it was just overall a great conversation and it was really a pleasure to talk to her.

After that, or some time around then, the timeline might not be perfect here but I’m doing my best lol. We basically had nothing to do but I wanted some water so we walked over to their food court area and got some water bottles with the intention of just sitting at the table there for a while, which we did, but they ended up doing some like, pre-podcast launch media session with these three ladies who are launching a cold case podcast about this case from Indiana where this little girl was killed and I mean I only listened to their info about the case but I’m pretty fucking sure the abusive stepfather’s the one who did it (let’s be real, if the kid of an abusive parent dies, there is an extremely high chance the parent did it, and that chance actually goes up further by the fact that he was a stepparent, this is the reality of child abuse that I work with) so idk how much of a cold case there is to investigate there but Jess found them on twitter and they currently had like 18 followers lol so I mean maybe they’ll find their stride and build up a fan base. After their presentation and a little while of more time chilling out we ended up going back to the con area and seeing John Glover, whom we paid $20 to get a selfie with, he was again so delightfully bizarre and just absolutely hilarious to interact with and talk about Shazam with. So that was cool, and after that we chilled outside the main hall for a bit until Jess decided it was time to line up for the photo op, at which point I wandered for a bit and eventually ended up at Vanessa Marshall’s table who I kinda wanted to meet, she’s a voice actress who’s been in a ton of stuff but most relevant to me was that she did Black Canary for Young Justice and recently did an interview with the young justice podcast I listen to that was just fucking amazing about self-acceptance and that really just made me want to meet her so I paid $20 for a selfie with her and ended up having a lovely conversation with her.

After that I wandered a bit more and ended up buying a $5 “damaged” piece of Wonder Woman fan art (it was in the damaged pile but I couldn’t see anything wrong with it and it was a damn good deal) and ended up buying an adorable print of Goose the cat that was $10 and is going to go great on my Captain Marvel closet door. After that I reunited with Jess after her photo op and waited a little while longer waiting for the print while talking with a nice couple we’d previously spoken to at a con at some point lol. Once we got the photo we headed out, left Indianapolis and headed straight to the Cracker Barrel we’ve definitely been to before lol. There was a little bit of a wait but we got in in like ten minutes or so. Got our classics but they sadly we slightly less quality than we’ve previously had, but still mostly good. After dinner I raided their candy section very lightly and Jess acquired a giant stuffed goat I said I’d buy her so we paid the bill and bought that and headed out.

From there we’ve been driving, stopped once to go to the bathroom in the rain, but it mostly stopped raining so we didn’t have to deal with too much of it. The highlight of the drive home was definitely realizing Jess’ nemesis who was at the con was actually in the car behind us, and we proceeded to cut her off like three different times and it was great, I’m pretty sure she was still behind us when I started writing this and she was behind us until we hit the greater Chicago area but now we’re pulling up to our neighborhood that’s having it’s massive Nordic fest right now (“midsommarfest”) which looks pretty wild right now, but I’ll be home in a second and probably finish this off right before I go to bed, after I shower. My phone now said it’s 10:47 pm, though it should say it’s 9:47 pm Chicago time, so we’ll have to see for how much longer we’ll have to deal with that. But I’m about to get out of the car so I’ll leave this here.

Okay, it’s 10:54 pm currently, though my phone still says 11:54 pm lol. But I’m all showered and ready to go to sleep, and boy am I sleepy, so I’ll be going to bed now. Goodnight my friends. Hope you had a lovely Saturday as well.

[thebluerosemaiden]

Symphony of Stars

Edited on 7/19/18

A/N: Hi there, this is my entry for saeyoungweek, I hope it’s not too late yet despite it being posted on the extra day of the week. I couldn’t really settle on a single prompt so this is my attempt at unifying all of the prompts.

Word count: 8,356

Prompt: Almost all of them :)

                                 “Did you know that stars don’t actually twinkle?”

 It was one of those rare nights where it seemed that fate conspired to make everything perfect for Saeyoung.

 There they were, sitting atop the hood of one of Saeyoung’s prized babies that was parked near the edge of a cliff. Everything was serene. Everything was calm. The only sound that can be heard was the subtle crashing of waves from below. The only thing that surrounded the two lovers was the cool ocean breeze and the sea of stars above that shone brilliantly in the darkness of the night. And they were beautiful, like little crystals sparkling against the depths of the universe.

But despite their alluring beauty, Saeyoung wasn’t admiring the stars, heavens no. Instead, his eyes concentrated on one person alone, his beloved MC, the brightest and most beautiful star of his life.

And she too was focused solely on him. A sweet smile was plastered in MC’s face as she looked at her fiancé, intertwining their hands for the hundredth time that day. But instead of the usual fondness, it was curiosity that shone through her bright eyes this time.

 “Really? Then what causes it to…you know, twinkle?” MC asked, amusement lacing her tone.

 Adjusting his glasses, Saeyoung replied to her using his ‘Discovery Channel’ voice. “Well, twinkling isn’t actually a property of the stars. Though rebels like Sirius scintillate so much that some mistake it for a UFO. But it’s actually because of the Earth’s turbulent atmosphere that deflects the light from stars as it reaches our eyes.” Saeyoung looked at MC amused, seeing that her eyes sparkled and her mouth formed an O shape at the new information.

 “Then Twinkle Twinkle was actually a lie! My whole childhood was a lie!” MC said with a dramatic pose.

 “Lol MC, want to hear another lie?” Saeyoung said as he let out a chuckle at MC’s antics.

 “Ha! I can still take another truth shattering fact.” MC cheerfully replied with a wink.

  “Look at the stars.” Both of them looked up. Unlike in their previous stargazing dates, the stars seemed to hold a special charm on this particular night. They seemed brighter, even more cheerful than before.

“The stars seem to be even prettier tonight.” MC mused as she stared at them awestruck.

 “Well did you know that some of them are long dead?” Saeyoung replied, playful sarcasm evident in his voice.

 Silence.

     “…Well another point for you for being a mood-wrecker.”

 Saeyoung smirked at MC’s mock pouty expression. “The stars are so far away that their light takes so long to reach us. So even if they are already dead, their light is still travelling towards us, thus the reason we still see them.”

 “Now that you mention it, I guess that explains the saying that looking at the stars is like looking at the past.” MC smiled softly as she snuggled up to her fiancé. A faint blush made its way to Saeyoung’s face at her touch.

 Silence.

 “Shining on even if in reality they don’t exist anymore, such a beautiful lie.” Saeyoung sighed as he too focused his attention to his beloved.

 “I don’t consider it a lie though.” MC replied as she looked up at Saeyoung while intertwining her hands with his, further intensifying his blush. “I see it as proof that something can truly live on after death. That forever exists.”

 “Ooooh, are we going philoshopical now my dear 606?” Saeyoung asked with a cheeky grin as he looked at MC intently.

 “You started it honey!” MC countered.

 “Hahaha! Saeyoung’s philosophical mode activated! Which topic would you like to discuss? The meaning of life? The secrets of Zen’s dreams? Or perhaps the mystery of the longcat?” Saeyoung asked while making beeping noises.

 Swiftly, MC pressed a kiss to her lover’s forehead, making a beeping sound afterwards.

 “Be it the enigma of Zen’s healing powers or why Elly is the most beautiful cat in the world, anything will do. I would gladly ponder the wonders of the universe, as long as it’s with you.” MC said as she flashed Saeyoung another of her sweet smiles. Something that she couldn’t get enough of lately.

 At her words, Saeyoung’s eyes widened and his whole face flushed. Butterflies started fluttering non-stop in his stomach. And his heart…his heart was beating more and more erratically the longer MC looks at him with such a lovestruck expression.

Yes, this was one of the moments that reminded him that his life is different now.  This was one of the moments that showed him that his future, their future was bright and worth looking forward to. Because MC was there with him. His soulmate, his partner, his beloved MC was going to be by his side for the rest of his life. And all it took was their love to open up wonders in his life that Saeyoung would never even dream of knowing back then.

 Gingerly, Saeyoung took MC’s hand in his and kissed it softly, earning a blush from MC.

 “Forever with you would be nice.”

 “Hmmm, that’s actually a nice topic to debate on.”

 “Haha, I meant it literally my love.”

 “I know. I love you too.”

 The two lovers then went back to snuggling, basking in the silent comfort of each other’s presence under the stars they so adored. Saeyoung’s eyes then wandered to MC’s hand. He could not contain his grin when he spotted the gorgeous engagement ring resting on MC’s ring finger.

 It had been two years now since the whole Mint Eye fiasco and Saeran’s recovery had been going great. Thanks to the RFA’s efforts, especially those of MC and Saeyoung, big cracks have started to form on Saeran’s shell of hatred allowing his true self to slip out. And during this time, the relationship between the two brothers had started to mend wonderfully.

And now, he and MC were engaged. And the future could have never looked brighter. Saeyoung could see him, MC and Saeran moving into a nice little house near the outskirts of town that was close to a forest. There he could envision Saeran growing his own garden while exploring the flora that the forest nearby has to offer. He could see MC, being the musician that she is, playing her violin in the terrace of their future house under the starry sky, thus enchanting the world around her. And he could see himself, making toys in his own toyshop, the masterpieces borne from his wildest imaginations. He envisioned the three of them living on freely and safely as a family, the family that he had always wanted and will finally have. If he was lucky, kids would even come into the picture one day.

 “Hey Saeyoung, can you tell me another quick space fact?” MC suddenly requested as she snuggled closer to Saeyoung’s arm, snapping Saeyoung from his thoughts.

 “But you already know a lot of what I tell you.”

 “It’s okay, we never know, I might actually discover something new.”

 “But I think that I already told you all the space facts that I know.”

 “You can tell me anything.”

 “Anything?”

 “Yes, anything.”

 “Even one of those you already know?”

 “Yep, even ones I already know. I like revisiting them.”

 “Alright. Ummm let me think.”

 “Okay.”

 “Did you know that the name Stella is latin for star?”

 “Oooh that’s actually a nice name, list that as one of the potential names for our future children.”

 “MC!” Saeyoung cried out, blushing at her words.

 “Another fact please”  MC requested, brushing of his flustered state. Saeyoung quickly recovered.

 “Oh! Here’s another one from my information bank. Stars actually come in different colors depending on their temperature, and the overall color itself varies due to other factors. This is because they act similar to black body radiators.  A star may appear green or violet due to their temperature but we can’t see it due to the limitations of our eyes and their distance from us.”

 MC’s eyes once again lingered on the stars above, shooting it a longing look. “I really wish that we could see all those colors vividly.” MC said as she stretched her arms and yawned, sleep finally calling to her. “That would be so cool.”

 Saeyoung chuckled as he covered both MC and himself with a fluffy blanket. He leaned MC onto himself as she cuddled closer to him.

 “I especially want to see red galaxies.”

 “Why those specifically?”

 “I like red. The color reminds me of you and your cute fluffy hair.” MC cooed to him sweetly as she slowly closed her eyes.”

  Eventually, she succumbed to sleep. A soft smile appeared on Saeyoung’s face as he admired his fiancée’s sleeping form. Yielding to his urge, Saeyoung gently ran his hand through MC’s hair.

 “That would be really nice.”

 And thus, a bright future was ahead of them.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was one of those rare nights where it seemed that fate conspired to make everything a living hell for Saeyoung.

 It was just supposed to be a normal date night for Saeyoung and MC. After a night at the arcade, Saeyoung was walking MC to her apartment. The two lovers were blissful as their linked hands swayed at a steady beat. Saeyoung was telling another one of his jokes while MC was clutching her stomach in laughter. Around them no other soul was to be seen. The crunching of their shoes against the ground and the echo of their voices were the only sounds that could be heard. Everything was peaceful. Everything was right.

 But they say that tragedy is like a thief in the night, stealing from you when you least expect it.

That night, fate took it literally.

 Out of the blue, somebody pulled MC’s handbag from her and sprinted away. Saeyoung, being the alert man that he is, quickly defaulted to agent mode and chased after him. It was all a fast blur from there. The chase led both men to a construction site. In seconds Saeyoung caught up and was able to stop him. In minutes the thief was easily restrained on the ground. Every moment that passed, MC’s heart raced quicker as she ran towards her fiancé who was tying the thief to a tree. MC sighed in relief as Saeyoung returned her handbag. But the peace was short-lived as a gunshot broke the silence. MC stepped back behind her lover and fished for her taser. Saeyoung pulled his handgun from one of the secret compartments of his jacket and pointed it to the tied up thief, while shouting threats to the gunman. The thief’s accomplice revealed himself moments later while still pointing his gun at the lovers. The gunman shot at Saeyoung’s hand, precisely knocking the ex-agent’s handgun off. Adrenaline surged Saeyoung as he quickly charged at the gunman and kicked at his hand, ridding him of his gun before he was able to react. Many grueling minutes passed as Saeyoung delivered adrenaline filled punches at the gunman as the latter struggled in vain. MC’s fingers were shaking as she called for the police. Seconds later, the gunman was also restrained and was being tied up together with the thief. They’ve won.

 But disaster always finds other ways to strike.

 Nearby was a tower crane whose load was directly above Saeyoung. He failed to notice that the rope was breaking due to the tension of the weight it carried. 

But MC did.

 A second before it crashed MC pushed Saeyoung out of the way. The sound of heavy metal striking the ground echoed in the air.  The last thing MC saw was Saeyoung’s horrified expression...and black…

 …an endless void of black.

     Red. It was all that Saeyoung’s senses could register. All he saw was the red that rapidly poured out from MC’s body as he desperately clung to her, called to her. All he heard was the endless red wails that came from the ambulance’s lights minutes later. All he felt was red fiery rage at the two men who started this unfortunate chain of events. And that red terrorized him to his core.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After MC was rushed to the Emergency room, Saeyoung could never sit still. More so after the events at the precinct where he found out that the men who dared to steal from MC were actually former agents from his old agency. Those men actually orchestrated the disaster from the start, getting the couple to go to the construction site and tempering with the crane’s rope so that hopefully they would be able to kill Saeyoung or MC while making it look like an accident.

But of course, there was a reason why those men were ranked so low in the hierarchy of agents. They and the rest of their other accomplices were easily arrested but their actions only fueled Saeyoung’s fury.

Back at the waiting room Saeran, who immediately rushed to the hospital after Saeyoung’s frantic call, was getting dizzy from Saeyoung’s back and forth pacing.

 “Hyung, please sit down for a bit.” Saeran pleaded softly as he gestured for his twin to sit next to him. With a sigh Saeyoung obeyed. Saeran reached out and gently rubbed Saeyoung’s back as the older twin fiddled with the hem of his jacket. The gesture was originally Saeyoung’s and was something he did when he comforted Saeran whenever the younger Choi cried when they were younger.

 “What am I going to do Saeran? It’s all my fault! I should have been the one who was hit with the building materials. If only I was more alert. If only I paid more attention. Then maybe MC would hav-”

 “It’s not your fault Saeyoung.”

 “She was in danger again because of me and now her life is on the line!” Saeyoung’s voice cracked as his hands began to tremble. His face was so pale that he looked like a ghost. Gently, Saeran held Saeyoung’s face firmly as the younger twin looked at the elder directly in the eye.

 “Hyung, it’s not your fault. No one could have predicted what was going to happen. You did your best to protect her and I’m pretty sure you would have done more if circumstances allowed it.”

 “I should have been the one that was hit…not…not MC.”

 “Saeyoung...she did it for you. I’m sure that if time was suddenly reset to that moment she would gladly push you and get crushed by the metal over and over if it means that you’ll be safe. She would have been devastated if she was unable to save you.” Saeyoung eyes started misting at the thought.

“We never know, in her grief she might even wish on a wizard or something just to reset time over and over.” Saeran paused to wipe away tears that had started to leak from Saeyoung’s eyes.

  “Because MC loves you very much.”

 Saeyoung couldn’t say anything anymore and just succumbed to his brother, fully embracing him and his words. Saeyoung’s hold on Saeran tightened as he buried his face on his younger brother’s shoulder, trembling and sobbing his heart out for his beloved.

 “I’m scared Saeran…I…I don’t want to lose her…” Saeyoung whispered from the younger Choi’s shoulder.

 It was then that silent tears finally trickled down Saeran’s face as he held his older brother tight.

 “M-me too hyung… I don’t want to lose my s-sister after finally having one.”

 Several minutes passed by and the other RFA members came one by one. First was Zen, fresh from rehearsal, who ran straight to the hospital the moment he knew what happened from Saeyoung’s words in the messenger. Second was Yoosung who cancelled his LOLOL session at the news of MC’s accident. Third was Jumin with Jaehee following after him, who adjourned their meetings early just to go to see MC.

Saeran was the one that relayed everything that happened to MC to the others, much to the older Choi’s relief. It was a blessing to Saeyoung that Saeran was shockingly grounded in such a crisis, allowing the younger Choi to be the pillar of support this time around. It was a striking contrast to his unhinged state two years ago.

Seconds, minutes, and hours had passed and MC was still at the Emergency room. It was Zen’s turn now to pace back and forth the waiting room while Yoosung was quietly stifling his sobs. Saeran was beside him, patting his back. Jumin still retained his poker face expression, but one look into his eyes and one could see the storm-like turmoil building inside it. Jaehee was quietly humming a tune from one of Zen’s musicals to herself, a specific one that MC liked most in order to distract herself for a bit. 

And Saeyoung…he was by the window, looking at the moon and the stars above with distant yearning

The longer that MC was gone, the more that worry seems to prod at them. In those moments all the RFA members shared one thing in common: shock and unsettlement at the events of the night. Silence engulfed the air in their torturous waiting. For all they could do was wait.

 And wait.

 And wait some more.

    And then the door finally opened.

  All of them let out a collective sigh of relief when the doctor announced that MC was stable and will be waking up in a week or so. To the gang, it was as if a raging storm finally ceased, leaving a rainbow in its wake. After a few minutes she was transferred to the ICU for further monitoring. And with that the whole gang was able to take a good look at her through the window.

A steady beeping sound was all they heard as they saw MC being hooked into the equipment in the room, monitoring her vitals. MC was extremely lucky to survive after one of the heavy metals hit her head. Not only that, she only got minor bruises and injuries throughout her body.

 With the knowledge that MC was safe, the others were finally at peace to go home, promising to return to visit later. After they left, it was Only Saeran, Saeyoung and MC in the room. Saeran was fast asleep in one of the couches nearby, tired from staying up all night. Saeyoung placed a soft kiss to his forehead, muttering a soft “Thank you” before he proceeded to go straight to MC. Saeyoung sat beside her bed and admired his beloved’s sleeping form.  All traces of worry was non-existent as a relieved smile was plastered on his face while he stared at her. Even with all the things hooked unto her and the white wrappings around her head and all throughout her body, MC was still the most beautiful person in Saeyoung’s eyes. 

Gently, Saeyoung closed his eyes and leaned his head in her chest. The soft rhythmic thumps of her heart soothed him. They assured him that the love of his life was indeed alive and well. That he didn’t lose her after all. 

That his star was still there to shine brightly in his life.

Tears silently escaped through Saeyoung’s eyes as he whispered to her.

 “My love you have no idea how worried I was. I thought that I was going to lose you. Don’t do that again please.” Slowly, he entwined their hands together as he caught a glimpse of the moon from the window.

 “But…thank you for holding on and being alive. I’m happy that I still have a chance to fulfill my promise to you.” Saeyoung’s eyes traveled to her hand and to the beautiful engagement ring in it. “Maybe I can still marry you in the space station or finally be able to explore the moon with you.”

 “I guess what I’m just saying is that I’m happy that I still have the chance to spend the rest of my life with you. Wake up soon okay?” With those words Saeyoung kissed her.

 “I love you MC.”

      Several days passed.

   Red. MC was sure that all she could see was darkness. But now a single red glow seemed to appear. The red orb started to become more prominent as a voice, an all too familiar voice grew louder. As the voice kept on getting louder and clearer, the red glow kept getting bigger until-

 Golden eyes were the first thing MC saw when she opened her eyes.

 “MC you’re finally awake!”

  Without a moment’s hesitation MC was engulfed in a tight, longing hug. MC wrapped her arms around Saeyoung and closed her eyes.

 “Don’t scare me like that again please, I don’t think my heart could take it.” Saeyoung whispered in her hair in desperation.

 “Sorry my love, I couldn’t help it.”

 “I’m just…I’m just happy that you are safe now.”

 With very word from Saeyoung, a transparent red glow would always appear and vanish in front of her. But MC didn’t pay attention to it for now. After all, she was finally safe in her lover’s arms, relishing in his warmth.  And that was all she could ask for in that moment. Everything was calm. Everything was right.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone was relieved to see MC cheerful and alive again. Their previous worries from before melted away at the sound of her laughter.

But this time it was MC who began to be troubled.  Ever since the accident, she began to see things around her differently.

It all started with Saeyoung. Every time her fiancé would talk to her, a red transparent glow would appear in front of her line of sight. This red glow would then grow larger and more opaque the louder Saeyoung’s voice was. After he stopped talking, the orb would quickly vanish with it. 

And it was not just Saeyoung. 

Saeran’s voice was pink, Jaehee’s was yellow, Yoousung’s was green, Zen’s was grey and Jumin’s was purple, her own was white. And whenever all of them talked or laughed at the same time, it looked like a bunch of colors were constantly exploding in her sight. At the time MC ruled it out to be just the after effects of the medicine and  that it would be gone after a while.

 But it didn’t go away.

 After MC was released from the hospital, she temporarily moved in with the Choi twins in their bunker so that they could take care of her while she recovered. As she always around the bunker MC didn’t feel like she was temporarily moving in. To her it just felt like she was finally home. And that home became more colorful now.

 Even while they were talking in the couch, or whenever Saeyoung was on the other side of the door, singing in the shower, a red glow would suddenly appear and vanish with the sound of his voice. The same goes for Saeran.  And thus pink and red followed her everywhere. This went on for a few days until finally she decided to tell the twins.

  “So you mean to tell me that every time you hear our voices, colors suddenly pop up?” Saeyoung clarified.

 “Pretty much, yeah.”

 “And this all started after you woke up from the accident?” Saeran added as he scooted closer to the two.

 MC nodded at them. “Strange right?”

 The trio were lost in thought at the revelation. But out of nowhere Saeyoung clapped his hands, an “Aha!” leaving his mouth, causing another red glow to appear in front of MC.

 “I don’t think it’s strange at all, in fact if my guess is correct, it’s actually something cool!” Saeyoung cheered, unable to hide the grin on his face.

 “What? I don-“

 “I think you have Synesthesia my love.”

 “Synesthesia?” MC and Saeran asked, bewilderment etched on their faces.

 Adjusting his glasses, Saeyoung reverted to his “encyclopedia mode”.

“Synesthesia is actually a rare perceptual phenomenon where a person’s senses blend together. There’s many types of it. That’s why you sometimes hear people saying that a certain name tastes like chocolate or that the number Seven is red.” Saeyoung grinned at MC as he held her hand, earning him a slight blush from her. “In your case, voices have a distinct color to you.”

 Both Saeran and MC’s eyes lit up in fascination. “But don’t people usually have it from birth?” Saeran asked.

 “Well…I think MC is a special case here. Remember all those cliché movies we watched during movie night where someone hits their head and they suddenly become a genius of sorts?”

 “The same thing happened with MC?” Saeran confirmed.

 “Bingo!”

 MC was speechless. Here she was, being told that she was lucky enough to have had gained an ability of some sort.  Orbs of red and pink pulsated during their whole conversation as she sat there taking in this revelation on her life. MC smiled, with this new trait, her life would now change for good.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Life as a new Synesthete was hard at first. Whenever they would go to the supermarket to get groceries, or stock up on Honey Buddha Chips and Dr. Pepper, a cacophony of colors invaded her senses. MC quickly found out that hearing music also elicited the colors. Thus whenever she heard the combined voices of the people in the store and the music playing in the background, colors would unceasingly pulsate in her line of vision. This led to MC having sensory overload in the first few weeks.

 A trip to a neurologist confirmed that MC really had acquired Synesthesia. The doctor explained that when a certain part of MC’s brain was injured, tons of neurotransmitters flocked the area. During her healing process they managed to form new connections around her brain, enabling MC’s senses to blur and mingle with each other. 

 This was an extremely rare feat that happened to the very lucky.

 After some time, MC got used to it. As a musician, hearing the music while also seeing it’s manifestation in colors became a whole new level of immersion. The added visual phenomenon added to the music’s already ethereal charm to her. And that was why she was beyond excited when she, together with Jaehee and Saeyoung were going to the opening night of one of the musicals that Zen was starring in.

 Hand in hand, Saeyoung and MC met up with Jaehee at the entrance of the theater. Nothing could hide the sparkle in the overworked assistant’s eyes that only showed a sliver of her excitement. The musical was said to be an adaptation of a popular romance so Jaehee was super pumped for it.

 A plethora of colors surged MC’s vision when they entered. Whispers and gasps can be heard here and there, but MC was used to it by now. The trio proceeded to go to their seats. With Jaehee on their side, they actually got the best seats in the whole theater, the perfect place to see Zen and his heavenly performance.

 MC sat between Saeyoung and Jaehee, with the former unwilling to let go of her hand even in the theatre. All the murmuring quickly died down when the entire room became pitch black. The performance started a few minutes later.

 At first, there was only pure black. Then the gentle echo of a harp’s strings resounded throughout the room, the musical’s introduction song was starting. To MC, they appeared to be small little dots of white that scattered around, in tune with the strings. Then the stage illuminated to reveal the hero of the night, the beautiful Zen himself. A violin swooped in and quickly set the melody. To MC, the sound looked like elongated glowing orbs of purple. And When Zen sung his part, it was like a transparent grey cloud hovered above him, pulsating in tune with every vibration from Zen’s voice. And this continued on for the rest of the musical. With every song, and with every scene, MC was not only captivated by the actors’ wonderful performance but also with the colors that swirled and fluttered in the whole theater. At times MC would lose her focus on the scene and just move her head about, following the colors that seemed more ethereal due to the contrast with the dark room. Saeyoung could only shoot a knowing smile at the wonder filled expression on MC’s face as he gently nudged her to pay attention to some of the important scenes, to which MC happily obliged.

 After minutes of the performance, the musical was building up to its epic climax.  At this point in the story, Zen was controlling a device in his hands, pressing it’s reset button, as he looked for the exact timeline where his beloved existed in. With every second passing, it was getting harder for Zen to pinpoint where she was. The music also reflected this. The drums were picking up their pace, the piano was racing in a frenzy, and the cellos were crying in desperation. With the increasing tempo, the azures, vermilions, and mints were vibrating like a bomb about to explode. Once Zen was able to locate his princess he only needed to touch her for him to stay in that timeline. The flutes where shouting of their longing. The brass and percussions were picking up in speed. The moment that Zen touched his co-star the orchestra was ablaze. And when he kissed her the violin took the lead and lifted the melody of the scene into a glorious climax. In that moment MC saw more colors than she ever did in her whole life. Glowing orbs of different size and shape all pulsated and moved about in melodious harmony. They were like chromatic nebulae expanding in the air. Like galaxies glowing with each beat. As the gentle strings of the harps resounded with the song, little dots of pulsating white scattered about and joined the symphony of colors.

And all throughout, MC had one thought. It was magnificent, it was exquisite, and it looked like-

 MC turned to Saeyoung and saw his captivated face. An idea suddenly popped up in her mind as an excited smile made its way to her face. MC turned to Jaehee only to see that she was wiping the tears from her eyes. Yes, the plan was already blooming in her mind.

 Seeveral minutes passed and the musical ended. The trio met with Zen backstage. Zen could only blush at the flurry of praises that Jaehee threw at him. The man was even more shocked when Saeyoung also complimented him for his brilliant performance. MC too expressed her admiration for the actor, but she couldn’t let him know that she was distracted at times.  After saying their congratulations to Zen and the other actors, the trio then walked away, leaving Zen to celebrate with his co-stars. On their way out of the theater, Saeyoung excused himself as he went to the comfort room, leaving Jaehee and MC alone.

 “Really Zen was brilliant in all his past roles, but his character as the romantic time traveller is his best one to date.” Jaehee gushed at her as her hands were clasped as if she was praying.

“I agree! His character was just the most captivating to me.” 

MC was amused at this other side of Jaehee that she was seeing. The exciting plethora of colors were long gone now, and was replaced with Jaehee’s gentle yellow.

Jaehee sighed. “I think that I’ve already gushed about Zen a lot. I suppose you’ve heard enough from me tonight.” Jaehee stopped to look at MC directly.  “I’ve noticed that you’ve been distracted somehow MC, would you like to share your thoughts?”

MC was a bit surprised that Jaehee caught her while being so engrossed during Zen’s performance, but she answered her still.

  “Hey Jaehee, can I ask you a favor.”

 “Anything MC, what is it?”

 “Can you squeeze in an appointment with Jumin for me sometime this week? Any free time will do.” Jaehee paled a bit at the mention of her boss but continued on nonetheless.

 “What do you need Mr. Han for?”

 “Oh…I’m just going to plan a special surprise.”

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was only a few months before the wedding. By this time MC’s injuries have fully healed and she was able to play her violin again. Currently, she was back at her own apartment, practicing for her big surprise. Photos of her and Saeyoung were scattered at her table, along with a pitcher of coffee.

At this point the colors have become the new norm for her and to MC, it would feel like a piece of her will be missing if she were to lose her Synesthesia one day. After all, it was nice playing her violin and being able to see the manifestation of the sounds she produced.

 She was writing down the notes of her latest composition when a cheerful tone pierced through the silence of the atmosphere. MC giggled at the contact picture on display which was Saeyoung, who was trying, but utterly failing to feed a bunch of cats a Honney Buddha chip. Hitting the answer button, she greeted him.

 “Well hello there my meowvellous groom to be! How was tuxedo shopping with Saeran, Zen and Yoosung?”

 “Ehehehe…I think it was a bad idea taking Zen with us.”

 “You passed by the Cat Cafe earlier didn’t you?”

 “I couldn’t help it! The cats were so cute! I wanted to pinch them and hug them and kiss them all over!~”

 “Gasp! Is this a betrayal on our dear Elly!?!?!”

 “No! nononono! Elly will always be the best cat! No cat can compare to her!”

 “Except this one, meow~” MC purred at her phone.

   Silence.

   “Hey umm, Saeyoung, are you still there?”

 “Oh! Uh yeah! I’m s-still here.” In the background MC could hear Yoosung asking Saeyoung why his face was all red. MC could only fist bump the air in elation.

 “Okay, seriously this time no more teasing, how did your search for the perfect suit go?”

 “Oh we’re already done with that. We’re actually on an ice cream break right now before we check how things are going with the catering service.” Saeyoung relayed to her while playing with his spoon, much to Saeran’s chagrin.

 “But it was hard finding the perfect one! Dresses are easier! In fact, I saw lots of gorgeous gowns that are perfect for you while we searching earlier. I even secretly tried a few of them but Saeran stopped me and dragged me away!” MC could sense the gloom radiating from Saeyoung and the glare Saeran must have had.

 “Don’t worry honey, you’ll get to see me in my wedding dress soon enough. Only a few months to go.”

 “Yeah, only few months to go.” Seven looked up to see the stars shining brightly at the sky.

 “Hey umm MC…”

 “Yes Saeyoung?”

 “I’m really sorry that I couldn’t marry you at the space station.” MC could feel the subtle disappointment laced in Saeyoung’s words as he whispered them.

 “Saeyoung…”

 “I know that we promised to marry there but…”

 “Saeyoung, as long as you are the one I’m marrying, I don’t care where we get married. We can get married at the Cat Café with a bunch of cute cats as our guests and I’d still be ecstatic! So please don’t feel too bad about it. I’m just happy that I’m going to marry you.”

 Through the phone, MC could hear Saeyoung chuckle in relief, and she smiled. She was glad that she was able to take one of his fears away, even if it was through simple actions such as their phone call. And if possible, MC wished to take more and more of those fears that terrorized Saeyoung all throughout his life. After all, soon enough they will be bound to each other for the rest of their lives.

 “Ah, what would I do without you MC?” In the background, MC heard Zen calling for them.

“707 needs his 606 after all! Anything you’d like to say to me before you go captain?”

 “Just one space princess.”

 “What is it?”

 “I love you MC. To infinity and beyond.”

 “I love you too Saeyoung, to the ends of the universe.”

 MC smiled sweetly as she whispered to her beloved.

“Forever.”

After kissing the phone, MC ended the call. She was more fired up than ever before to finish her surprise.

  If we can’t go to space, then I’ll just bring space to you my love.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The wedding was perfect. From the ceremony to the decorations, everything was spot on. Though it was a small wedding, with the only people in attendance being MC’s family and the RFA, the intimate wedding had it’s own charm. Vanderwood was there too, peaking through the windows. But he decided not to reveal himself, and thus wished the couple happiness before he went his way.

The wedding was held in the church from Saeyoung’s childhood, the place where he first started to hope, and to have faith. And now that hope was there in the form of MC. Saeyoung was in tears as he recited his vows, and so was his blushing bride.

With the wedding finally done, Saeyoung and MC were finally back in the bunker. ‘Our home’ his mind corrected. Saeran was staying with Zen and Yoosung for the first few days so the newlyweds had the whole place to themselves for the time being. Saeyoung couldn’t help but blush at the sight of his beloved. ‘My wife’ his mind echoed on repeat, and he was so  excited at that fact. It still hasn’t fully sunk in that the blushing angel in front of him was actually his wife, the woman he gets to spend the rest of his life with.

 “Hey Saeyoung, there’s still a surprise for you so meet me in the living room after you’re done changing.” MC said with a wink.

 Saeyoung had never changed clothes so fast in his entire life.

 After changing into their casual attire, MC handed him a blindfold.

 “Oh wifey, how bold of you!”

 “Hush my love, it’s for the surprise.” MC countered, her face burning from embarrassment. The two lovers then went into one of Saeyoung’s babies, with MC in the driver’s seat. Saeyoung put on his blindfold and MC started to drive.

 It was then that MC learned that a blindfolded Saeyoung was a very, very chatty Saeyoung.

Due to the lack of visual stimulus, Saeyoung couldn’t help but chatter away to keep himself from being bored to death. Their conversation in the car held the record for the highest number of times cats and Honey Buddha Chips were mentioned. But MC didn’t mind. These were the type of conversations they were going to have for the rest of their life after all and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

 Once they arrived at their destination, MC led Saeyoung by the hand inside a cabin, an all too familiar cabin. Even though he was blindfolded, Saeyoung could not ignore the nostalgic forest scent the cabin emanated. Saeyoung felt MC stop in her tracks to face him. Gently, MC held her husband’s face. Saeyoung’s face grew hot at MC’s touch and he felt himself shiver when their foreheads made contact.

“Saeyoung, my sweet hubby.”

 “Yes honey?” Saeyoung could feel the heat radiating from MC’s face and he was sure that his own was flushed.

 “I love you. I love you so much. I’m so happy that you’re officially mine now.” At her words, Saeyoung bit his lip from excitement. His arms snaked tightly around her waist.

 “Because our new life as husband and wife starts today, I offer this surprise to you my love.”

 MC stepped back a bit to give Saeyoung a chaste kiss to his lips before taking off his blindfold, much to Saeyoung’s delight. Once the blindfold was off, pitch black greeted Saeyoung. For a moment fear surged within him as he called out to MC, unable to see her.

 “I’m here my love, just stay there and sit comfortably.”

 Saeyoung randomly grabbed at the dark until he got hold of a chair to sit on. MC also fumbled in the dark, her hands searching for a particular switch. Once she found the switch, a secret compartment opened revealing a violin and a usb-like device. Once she inserted the device to the violin, she smiled in determination.

 “Saeyoung you are my whole world, so let me share with you how I see my world.”

 After pushing another button in the wall, MC clasped her violin and started playing. With the first two notes, small red and blue orbs started to appear slightly above them. Saeyoung’s eyes widened at the sight before him.

 “This is a song that I dedicate to you Saeyoung, a song I made from our memories together. And now, you’ll get to see it manifest in the way that I do.”

 As the melody of the song was established, white elongated orbs started to appear. Other colors such as orange and green materialized. More colors came in later on. Violets and pinks joined in on the chromatic dance. The colors appeared and disappeared in sync with the music. Saeyoung could only sit in awe, mouth agape at the otherworldly sight above him. A few minutes later, a pre-recorded orchestral ensemble made by MC played through a speaker above. With the addition of the percussions and the strings, new colors surged through the room. The colors differed in shape and size and they seemed to vibrate with the music so well. With the violets overlapping with the oranges and the yellows pulsating with the beat, they looked like an exploding supernova engulfing the ceiling then vanishing right away. When the harps came in, a plethora of little white pulsating dots appeared. Combined, they looked like galaxies and clusters of stars, and thus they created-

 “MC, you’ve made me an entire universe!”

 Saeyoung’s heart was deeply touched by the surprise. He was truly and wholly captivated. MC was able to incorporate their love with every note that she played. 

It wasn’t the first time that Saeyoung heard the song. It wasn’t even the second. In fact, it he had heard it many times before that he knew it by heart by now. He was able to pick out little tunes that he made up when he sang in the shower. He was able to recognize the soothing lullaby that MC sang to him when she thought that he was asleep. He was able to hear the theme songs they made up for themselves especially on their date nights. He was sure that he was also able to catch traces of the sing-song way they sometimes talked to each other. And Saeyoung swore that the violin meowed at one point. MC was able to take these little bits from their everyday life and arranged them into a song that reflected their love. And their love managed to bring down outer space to earth.

  This love of theirs created stars and galaxies.

 This love of theirs managed to make them a universe of their own.

 And it was truly breathtaking.

As MC finished the song with its last notes, the colors swiftly vanished. The lights turned back on. Saeyoung blinked hard at the harsh light but was able to adjust to it seconds later. Now that the room was bright, Saeyoung was able to take in his surroundings. From the ceiling hung an abundance of little light bulbs who can make the illusion of a glowing orb that can morph in size and shape. And below it was MC.

 She was smiling sweetly at Saeyoung with her cheeks flushed. Saeyoung immediately ran to her and spun her in glee. Giggles sprung out of MC from the excitement. 

When she was finally down, Saeyoung pulled her close to him. MC could feel her husband’s racing heart as she leaned close and wrapped her arms around him. Tears started to trickle from Saeyoung ‘s eyes.

 “Thank you MC thank you! I love you so much babe!”

 When Saeyoung pulled away, he looked directly at MC’s eyes.

 And that’s when he realized.

 MC was truly his star, the brightest and most beautiful star of his life. And his star loves him back unconditionally. Gone were the days he would worry over Saeran. Gone were the days where he lived his life as if he was a dead man walking. Gone were the days where his guilt would eat him, leaving him a depressed shell of his former self. He was no longer 707 or Luciel. He was once again Saeyoung. 

Just Saeyoung. 

With his other half back in his side, and his star lighting up his days, Saeyoung can look forward to a bright future.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey daddy, can you tell me another space fact?”

 “But you already know a lot of what I tell you.”

 “It’s okay, I like stars anyways. Scratch that, I love stars.”

 Saeyoung chuckled as he patted her hair, much to the young one’s delight. His seven-year old daughter was truly like her mother. Even though she inherited his fiery red hair, her eyes and her personality was very much like MC’s. Currently they were on their way to the cabin where MC’s surprise was stored. Once they entered, the ever nostalgic forest scent wafted in the air.

 “So this was mom’s surprise for you when you got married?”

 “Yep, it’s the real deal.”

 Saeyoung’s daughter was awestruck at the many tiny light bulbs that hung from the ceiling. Her mouth was agape as she stared at all of them.

 “So uncle Saeran managed to build all the lightbulbs in here? That’s so cool!!!!”

 “Ah, uncle Jumin was the one who ordered the lightbulbs from abroad while uncle Saeran was the one who assembled them here. Though he modified how it worked later on. But yes, uncle Saeran is very cool!”

 Saeyoung held his daughter’s hand and led her to a wall. His hands fumbled around the wall to find a cheeky button hidden in one of its crevices. A  small “bingo!” left his lips when he pressed it. Suddenly the lights went out. The child gasped at first but was soon comforted by her father’s hand holding hers.

 “So we’re gonna see how mom perceived the song while having Synesthesia?”

  “Yeah.” Saeyoung cheerfully replied. But for a few seconds, a longing look flashed in his face.

“Though it would have been a million times better if your mother was here to play her violin in real time. Even a cellphone recording of her song would have sufficed…but-“

 “It also disappeared during the explosion at the mall.”

 After a few minutes of silence, Saeyoung hugged his daughter in an effort to comfort her.

 “Stella.” Saeyoung softly called to her.

 “Y-yes daddy?”

 “Would you like to see the pretty lights now sweetie?”

  Saeyoung’s daughter nodded.

 With a press of a button, lights suddenly appeared. Multi-colored orbs appeared and disappeared rapidly.  With every passing note, the colors started to multiply with many taking on lots of shapes. Stella’s eyes were glued at the majestic sight before her. Saeyoung turned to his daughter. The bright lights illuminated her face perfectly, allowing Saeyoung to see an all too familiar awestruck expression.

 As the light show progressed, they started to resemble outer space more and more, especially when the plethora of little whites appeared. Little Stella was entranced at the display. When the lightshow finally ceased and the cabin’s light opened, Saeyoung looked at his daughter, only to see-

 “Why are you crying my little star?”

Stella’s body trembled a bit as tiny sobs racked through her body. Saeyoung pulled her into an embrace as the little girl continued to cry on him.

 “It was so beautiful daddy!”

 “Oh, so you were so amazed by the lights? They are pretty gorgeo-“

 “Why didn’t you tell me that uncle Saeran added another melody to accompany the lights?”

 “Wait what!?!?!?”

 Saeyoung pulled away to look at his daughter directly.

 “What do you mean honey? The lights don’t have sound effects anymore.”

 “They don’t? But I was pretty sure that there was a melody, I swear!”

 Saeyoung continued to look at his daughter, processing everything that she was saying. After a few seconds Saeyoung’s eyes lit up as realization dawned upon him.

 “What did you hear sweetie?”

 “As I was looking at the pretty colors there was this melody that was always playing. When there was lots and lots of colors this melody got stronger. I dunno, it just reminded me of mommy’s lullabies back then.”

 A knowing smile bloomed on Saeyoung’s face at Stella’s words. He made a mental note to tell Saeran that there was a new Synesthete in their home.

 “Hey sweetie, do you want to know another space fact?” Saeyoung asked. The little girl nodded.

 “Did you know that some of the stars we see at night are already dead?”

 “They’re already dead!?!? But how? I could still see them twinkling at night. How can they be dead?

 “The stars are so far away that their light takes so long to reach us. Their light is still travelling towards us, thus the reason we still see them at night even if they are long dead.”

 “That’s actually quite sad daddy. I feel like the stars are lying to me.”

 “Why is that sweetie?”

 “Well what if this pretty star that I really like staring at was already dead? I’d feel so betrayed.”

 Stella felt little drops of water fall on her hand. She looked up to see silent tears coming out of her father’s eyes.

 “Daddy, why are you crying?”

 Saeyoung only smiled at her as he patted her head. “I don’t consider it a lie though.” As Saeyoung stared at his daughter, a twinge of longing tugged at his heart. Looking at Stella’s eyes, it’s striking resemblance to MC’s was truly undeniable.

 It was at that moment that finally, Saeyoung fully understood MC.

  “I see it as proof that something can truly live on after death. That forever exists.”

[therandomfics]

Strangers Pt 2

Dominick, also known as isirac, had become quite the interesting individual. He was in his 30′s, worked for the city, and was a family oriented kind of person. He was charming, polite, handsome, and articulate. He was you, but with male genitalia. That’s why he was such a person of interest - but not for your case, for you. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you’d met up with BHUNT03, Brendon, and were absolutely flabbergasted by the fact that one person could be so in love with their own existence. 

“Yeah, I’ve been here a little while and it just isn’t really my speed,” Brendon had said over dinner. He’d chosen a place that screamed tourist, but you didn’t want to be rude and mention that you’d lived here long enough not to enjoy the cheap thrills of I <3 NY on everything. Plus, as you’d told him several times in the past two weeks, you were from Boston. 

You’d nodded and tried to stomach the idea of anyone wanting to actually be with this guy. “Maybe you should move back to Austin?” you had suggested - harmless, but apparently offensive. 

He scoffed. “See that’s what’s wrong with all of you women up here. You all think you’re hot shit, like you’re better than someone else based on their accent or their hometown. It’s no wonder you’re 30 and single.” 

“Right. You’re 34, correct? 34 and single, and in a city that you hate. Must be a dream come true.” You had excused yourself a few moments later and left. Brendon was a prime suspect for your case now, with all of his pent up anger and lack of respect. Interesting. 

That night you went home and got on your computer to message Dominick. 

Omg.. I just had the worst date of my life. Pretty sure if I hadn’t be vigilant he would have tried to off me in the parking lot. Tell me you’re having better luck? 

isirac: Hell no. The girl I keep trying to take out on a date can’t be bothered with me. 

Surely not. Look at you, Dominick. You’re handsome and smart! Who could say no to you?

isirac: Well then let me take you out, Y/N. I won’t be conventional. Meet me for breakfast in the morning? I have to go in at 8, school starts at 8... so, 6? 

He’d remembered your lie about being a teacher. But, also, he was asking you out, and you thought you might actually like him, so the lying bit was a lot more difficult suddenly. 

Sure! Here’s my number. Text me, and we’ll plan a place to meet up, okay? 

Your phone lit up only a few minutes later. 

Dominick: How about Al Cappucino’s? 

You: Sounds good. I’ll make sure I wear a red sweater so you notice me. 

Dominick: I scarcely believe I’d miss you. 

You: See you in the morning. :) 

Who could sleep? You stayed up that night sorting through the wild abandon of Meet and Mingle, wondering how some of these men were raised, how many of them were predators in the making, and how many of them might actually not be looking for romance at all. 

When you arrived that morning at Al’s, you took a deep breath and walked inside. There he was, sharp as he could be in a pressed suit leaning against the coffee bar. Good. God. He was even more attractive in person and that was no small feat. 

“Hey, Dominick,” you called out, offering him a small wave. 

“Y/N! You didn’t blow me off! I’m shocked,” he laughed, and greeted you with a polite but warm hug. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, honestly.” 

“Let’s sit.” 

You sat down across from him and studied his face for a long moment, taking in the softness of his eyes and the way that his hair was perfectly coiffed. His suit was well tailored and you couldn’t help but notice that he was noticing you, too. 

“I feel like I’ve known you for a long time,” you confessed and felt your cheeks growing red. What were you doing? This was an UC operation. You don’t fall for the potential suspects. 

He didn’t miss a beat or alienate you. “I feel the same way. You’re just really easy to talk to, and honestly after some of the things I see at work, I just want someone that I can have an honest conversation with, y’know?” 

In between bites of the food that you’d ordered, you learned that Dominick had been a life long resident of New York, was a huge fan of anything to do with New York sports, he was Catholic, he was an uncle, he was passionate about his work, and he was really, really smart. Apparently he’d wrapped up law school and was teetering on the fence between his current job, and moving on to practice law. 

“You’re impressive,” you commented, that same blush appearing on his face. “You make me look pretty lame. I teach US History and Political Systems at a school in Brooklyn. Kids these days are pretty.. what do they say, savage? They make me feel old. But, that’s besides the point. I want to know when we’re gonna go see a game together.” 

The clock struck 7:15 and you both sighed. It was time to part ways and head to work. He would go to his job with the city, and you’d go to Brooklyn SVU - or, Millennium High School, whichever. You both stood and walked to the door together, out onto the sidewalk where the city that never slept was waking up from a cat nap. 

“Call me sometime? Sooner rather than later,” he suggested, and opened his arms to you. 

You stepped into the hug and lingered there for a moment. It felt so wonderful to have the touch of another human being; one that wasn’t trying to hit you for arresting them. “I will. But, the phone goes both ways,” you reminded him and pulled away. “See you soon, I hope.” 

“There’s this guy name Brendon Hunt, he’s 34 and works on Wall Street. He’s an asshole and I’m beginning to think a tyrannical misogynist. Look into him,” you said over the phone to TARU. Maybe he’s talked to someone else and they’re missing, or worse. He’s from Austin, TX from what he told me.” You hung up the phone and began scouring through your inbox again. One message stood out among the rest. 

quidproquo: You’re very pretty. Stop dating these jackasses in suits and talk to me instead. 

What makes you think I’m dating a jackass in a suit?

quidproquo: Because I saw you at 7AM. 

Saw me where? 

quidproquo: Al Cappucino’s. 

Your heart stopped for a moment and you grabbed your phone, making a quick call back to TARU. You gave them the user name and let them do their magic, hoping for a result. On the other end of the phone you heard the clicking and typing of the agent trying to find a result for you, but they seemed to be finding nothing but dead ends. 

“It’s coming from an Internet Cafe in Queens.” 

“I haven’t been to Queens in fucking ages,” you grumbled. “Okay. Alright, thank you. If you find anything else out, let me know please. Thank you, again.” 

Hiding out in Queens? What a shame, I heard that place is a slum. 

quidproquo is not receiving messages at this time. 

You tried to click on his profile, but it was suddenly deleted. You screen shot the messages and emailed them to yourself, copying Captain Walker, before shutting your laptop and taking a step back to clear your head. Maybe it was Brendon? Maybe he was mad that you’d gone out with someone else so quickly - but, then why would he be following you? Unless, of course, he had hacked into your profile, which wouldn’t be too surprising if he was as crazy as you suspected. 

Against your better judgement, you opened your laptop back up and went to your inbox again. You had three new messages waiting for you from the past two days, and you knew it was important to keep going until you found the person you were looking for. 

bklawyer06: Sorry you’re so lonely. New York isn’t for everyone, but it looks like we both live in Brooklyn so maybe sometime we’ll run into one another. Maybe sooner rather than later. 

You’re sweet to say that, thank you. Yes, it is pretty lonely but, I can’t imagine why you’d be lonely. A single lawyer in Brooklyn? You’re like a unicorn. 

bklawyer06: Hahaha yeah i guess so but that’s because my office is in Manhattan and the girls there really aren’t my type. All i see are courtrooms, clients, and pretentious women who wear knock off YSL like no one knows. Gotta love Manhattan. 

Lol I feel you there. I avoid the place if I can, really, which is easy bc I work and live here in Brooklyn. Easy commute, too!

B: What do you do, if you don’t mind that I ask? 

I teach US History at Millennium. 

I graduated from MBHS. Does Mrs. Frazier still work in the front office? 

Shit. He wasn’t supposed to ask those kinds of questions. After a quick google search, you found that she had retired last year. 

No, she retired, but it’s a small world isn’t it? I bet we’ve passed by one another before and didn’t even realize. 

B: Next time you pass me by, let me know. You look pretty hot in your pictures so I’d like to see the real thing some time. 

The day’s early. I was planning on going for a run later, maybe you’ll be out? Brooklyn’s kind of large, though. 

B: Take a run through Bennett Field. I was gonna take my dog out around 6. Oh, my name is Daniel. 

Okay, I’ll look for a cute guy with a dog. That’s like, impossible to find. I’m Y/N. See you in a while. 

Did you usually run? No. Were you going to tonight? No, you’d probably jog into the open area of Bennett Field and then stop. It wasn’t that you weren’t in shape, but usually you ran to chase someone down, and you hoped it wouldn’t be that way tonight. You holstered your service weapon in your shoulder harness and slipped your jacket over it, concealing your real reason for the visit, and headed out the door. 

When you arrived, you slowed your pace and jogged idly around the park for about ten minutes before you saw a some-what familiar face. 

“Hey, Y/N,” he called out, his dog jumping wildly in excitement. 

“Hey, Daniel. Nice to see you in person.” You stood a few feet away from him and crouched down to invite his dog over. “Who’s this?” 

“That’s Molly. She loves new people,” he commented and let his eyes wander up and down your body. “You’re prettier in person.” 

You laughed and stood up. “Thanks. I guess I can’t say you’re pretty because that’s too feminine but, you are attractive. Molly, though, is totally gorgeous.” 

Daniel was nice, you decided, although a little forward. It was obvious that he was nervous and wanted to make a good impression somehow, and you just didn’t have the ability to tell him it wasn’t worth the anxiety. He practiced Family Law - he was a divorce lawyer - and had been for two years. He graduated from Baylor and moved back home after college. You made up your story as you went and tried to remember key details of your facade. It went well, and he asked to see you again. 

“Yeah, that would be great,” you agreed. “Should we.. trade numbers?” 

He nodded enthusiastically and handed you his phone. “Put your number in.” 

As you pretended to type, you quickly pulled up his contacts list and looked for the names of the two girls you’d found weeks before. No luck. You typed your number in and handed the phone back. “I’ve gotta get back, but text me sometime and we can get together. Maybe something more formal.” 

After you got back home and showered, you checked your phone to see if you had any news from TARU. You didn’t, but you did have a new text from Dominick. 

D: How was your day? 

You: Hey. I was just thinking about you. It was good, can’t complain much. You?

D: Not bad. I just got home a little while ago. Cleaned up and ready for bed. Is 9PM too early for bed? 

You: Absolutely not. My bedtime is 9:30, don’t feel bad. 

D: What are you doing this weekend? 

You: Grading papers, wishing I had won the lottery. What’s up?

D: Idk nothing, I just wanted to see you. 

You: Okay. :) I think we can make that work. 

You wanted to tell him about your mysterious message from earlier but you knew that it would raise red flags. Why would anyone stalk a teacher? Plus you didn’t want to alarm him, either. Maybe it was just someone being an asshole. You’d find out more tomorrow, hopefully. 

[canaryatlaw]

OKAY. well today was pretty sweet. I had my alarm set for 10:00 am but ended up waking up at 9:42 am and just said fuck it and got up. I checked my messages and as expected I had a message from Jess asking about getting brunch and then confirmed our plans for the rest of the day. I got dressed and we met up at the spot, which had more people around it than usual because the place that’s right there was doing a branding makeover and I got a free sample of pie so that was cool lol. we went to the vegetarian place for brunch, and while we were eating it started snowing which is super fucking annoying because it’s the fucking END OF APRIL we shouldn’t have to still be dealing with this lol. we had some autographs to mail out and the ups store is right next to the vegetarian place so we ended up going there once we finished eating and mailed the two domestic ones, I have the international one that I’ll mail from the post office on Monday because ups has an international surcharge that would’ve made it super fucking expensive to mail from the ups store. once that was done we walked back through the snow to where Jess had parked her car and started our journey for the day. we were heading up to the suburbs because Jess had managed to get some emissions check thing get lit up in her car because she tried to top off the gas but apparently her gas tank is very sensitive (it’s one of those that doesn’t have an actual cap to it) and according to the internet it was something about a software error that was recalled because of it so basically we had to bring it up to the dealership so they could fix that, hopefully for free, and that is what ended up happening, we brought it in and told them what was going on, they took a look and confirmed what they had to do, so we waited for like 45 minutes or so (I wasn’t actually keeping track of the time but it was around there) until it was done and we were good to go. It had overall taken less time than we’d expected, but we moved on to the next part of our plans, which was late lunch at the cheesecake factory, then we would return to actually get cheesecake after we saw the movie that evening. Since it was, you know, lunch time, we could get the lunch sized version of the pastas we always get to which I was like wow I could actually finish this! and then my acid reflux kicked into high gear for no particular reason and I was like okay I can not in fact finish this, so sadly I didn’t end up eating all that much of it. The movie showing we had tickets to wasn’t until 5 and at that point it was only a little after 2 so we checked to see if we could get tickets to any earlier showing, but they were all sold out, so we just had to kill some time. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue since there’s a whole mall there, but given that it was still snowing and it’s an outdoor mall made it a bit trickier. but we started at forever 21 as always since it was right there and had big signs for sale lol. we each ended up getting something from their buy one get one free clearance, Jess got this hideous jacket (she enjoys ugly clothing) and I got a somewhat equally hideous (as do I sometimes) cardigan along with a pair of floral pants that I saw and knew I needed in my life, then when we were going to check out there was a pair of “avo-cat-o” socks, which had an avocado with a cat peeking through where the pit would be on them so of course we had to get those, and then we picked up a bag of hi-chew at the counter. Once we checked out there we walked around a bit and went into a few stores in search of sunglasses, and ultimately ended up each getting a pair from Francesca’s. We continued to wander for a bit and got bubble tea at some point (where I could confirm I have the legit stuff they actually use, so that was validating) then waited for the movie theatre to start letting people into the theatre for our showing. In case you haven’t figured it out by now, of course we’re seeing Avengers Endgame, THIS POST FROM HERE ON WILL CONTAIN ENDGAME SPOILERS, I WILL TRY TO TAG IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY BLACKLIST BUT READ ON FROM HERE AT YOUR OWN RISK. We got some popcorn and waited in the fancy theatre for it to start. Overall reaction, I liked it a lot, I really wasn’t crazy about Infinity War so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this but I ended up liking it a lot. I thought it was a very good choice narratively to have Thanos get offed way at the beginning of the movie (to be fair to Thor, if I were him I probably would’ve chopped Thanos’ head off as soon as they got in the door, so I can’t really blame him) and then focus the movie on bringing everyone back, only to bring him back in the end, that was good storytelling IMO. THAT HAIRCUT THOUGH, I was dying, just looking at it like I. NEED. THIS. that haircut spoke to me okay lol, my hair is longer than it’s been in like three years right now but it’s not going to last very much longer. I probably can’t get that exact haircut because, you know, work shit, but I’m sure we could figure something out. I was kinda disappointed that she wasn’t in more of the movie, her presence in the beginning was perfect, I was dying when they were like “where are you going?” and she’s just like “to kill Thanos, I’ll let you know when I’m done” so nonchalantly and perfect and like, the scenes of her coming through the atmosphere and everything was so damn cool and GAH I LOVE HER SO MUCH. I had gotten spoiled, willingly though because I don’t really care about these things, as to the two major character deaths of the remaining alive characters, but that definitely did not make it any easier to see. MORGAN STARK IS SO FUCKING PRECIOUS I would die for her and also I’m so fucking glad they didn’t have Cassie Lang get dusted because I would’ve been pissed about that, Scott coming back from the quantum realm and finding her five years later was so damn emotional, it killed me. I appreciated them finding Thor in what was clearly filmed in a coastal new england town, getting fat and playing video games, lol. I know of course him looking fat was fake, but it looked so damn funny. I do take issue with several of the choices they made with how the time traveling was working because there were definitely quite a few logic jumps in there that went unexplained, but for the most part I’ll give them a pass for not wanting to get too into the nitty-gritty of it all. Their journeys into the past were interesting, the New York trip was great and everything involving Loki, I was fucking dying when Cap was just whispered “heil Hydra” and they just totally handed over this huge weapon to him 😂that was pretty funny. Then there was their trip to the 70′s, which messed with me that 1945 would only have been 25 years prior to 1970, like that kinda blows my mind lol. Tony’s whole conversation with his dad was so damn precious, I was like ready to cry at any given point really, and then there was Steve getting into Peggy’s office and watching her and not doing anything and I was like UGH you’re killing me Rogers lol but at least they got back to that at the end. Then there was Clint and Natasha on the planet with the soul stone that randomly featured red skull?? not sure where he came from. that whole sequence was so fucking heartbreaking, they really did it so well, and I definitely cried when they were literally trying to jump off the cliff before the other because they didn’t want the other person to sacrifice themselves, but in the end Nat gave her life because Clint had his family to get back to and man I had all the feels. Then of course there was our third team with Rhodey, Nebula, and Rocket, who end up tying Thanos back into the plot again, which was interesting but ultimately well done I think. When they all got back to the Avengers headquarters and Nat wasn’t there I was like 😭this is so damn sad. but then of course they’re able to have Hulk!Banner snap and you just get the first hints of it working before they immediately get launched into a huge battle. Not gonna lie, for a while there it was looking like they were really fucking screwed when they had armies upon armies ready to fight them, BUT THEN THAT SCENE where everyone comes back god I was crying, it was so fucking perfectly done I just cried at all of it, getting to see everyone back like that in such a triumphant way was too damn great. I liked that when Captain Marvel showed back up she was legit able to take on Thanos and literally had to be stopped by the full power of an infinity stone. I ultimately liked how they did it with the stones going to Tony while you didn’t realize it until Thanos snapped and you see all of them with Tony, and he then snaps and all of them turn to dust and just like, it was so great. Now of course I knew Tony was going to go, but I was glad it was ultimately the most heroic thing that really saved the day, he truly went out as a hero that saved literally everyone in our universe, which is really quite the achievement. The funeral scene killed me of course, especially with the little girl, but you know she’s gonna grow up surrounded by all these awesome people and she’s gonna end up being just fine. I was at least glad they put the stones back in where they were taking from, even if their time travel theory was flawed in a few parts. Cap coming back as an old man after having lived his life with Peggy was so damn good, I cried just because it was all so damn good and pure. And of course we had Peter meeting back up with Ned which was the cutest damn thing really. and yeah, I guess that’s it. I did like it a lot and will probably watch it again at some point once it’s available outside of theatres. Once we had confirmed there was no post credit scenes (thanks internet) we headed out and walked back through the snow (because it was still snowing like 10 hours after it started!!!) to the cheesecake factory where we ended up doing apps and dessert, except we didn’t get quite through our apps and ended up taking the cheesecake home with us. We split the fried mac and cheese balls and Jess got a salad, and I got their grilled artichoke which I’ve had before and is always really good, but takes forever to actually eat (so many layers!!) so I ended up taking some of that home too. Thankfully the snow hadn’t managed to stick to the roads much at all so the drive home was mostly safe. Jess dropped me at my place after she was convinced it wouldn’t be covered in snow (they’re bad about plowing the side streets, but none of the snow ended up sticking on the roads so it was ok), I put my stuff down and then grabbed my pajamas to get in the shower and get ready for bed and then started writing this, and now I’m here. It’s 12:34 am and I did volunteer to take a shift in the babies’ room at church tomorrow morning so I should definitely be getting to bed now. Goodnight loves. Hope you had an awesome Saturday.