#why is there no baseball bat emoji when i need one???

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

💔 your angst scenes ruin me every time

your ability to make me suffer is absolutely 10/10 and I am not complaining. Whether it's Théodwyn, Elfhild, Háma or Guthláf, you always come in with a baseball bat and it's always fantastic. Thank you for making me suffer so eloquently.

(from this fic writer compliment ask game in case you were wondering)

Oh my goodness! 🥺🥺🥺

I simply couldn’t think of a description that I’d ever love more than “you always come in with a baseball bat”! To have anything I’ve ever done live up to that billing makes me an incredibly happy person indeed!!! I aspire to baseball bat levels and will always work my hardest to get there, so this is such amazingly generous and appreciated feedback! ♥️

Thank you so very much, I’m gonna wallow in those good vibes for as long as possible! Also, thanks for (again!) being a good example to others — sending these out is a wonderful thing to do and I will absolutely follow suit with some of my own!

[gretagerwigsmuse]

alexa alexa! the sneak peek you gave me did NOT prepare me in the slightest for this!! expectations? SURPASSED! i’m glad i could ease your mind about the smut with my all caps response because you’re going to get a lot more in a bit. but first i have to say one of my tells when i like a guy is saying his name a lot? like i always manage to somehow sneak it into a sentence when i’m talking to him? there’s just something so intimate and personal about it? so right off the bat i was excited for this if only because i also love the two of them so much from like i can and the two of us gabbing about them!? this was so lovely and so so detailed which is one of my favorite things in a fic and everything little thing just made me love and root for them as a couple! amazing job my friend 🥰

Back when he was ‘Rooster’ or ‘Bradshaw’ to you. Back when you weren’t sure how you would fit into the life he had built in San Diego when you had moved there for a promotion. - i still really love how you handled her calling him rooster? especially since they knew each other before he even got his callsign?

He’d never come so hard has he had the first time he’d heard you chanting his name over and over again as he’d fucked you in his bed. - now you know i’m gonna want the director’s cut of the slow and cute first time yeah?

In general, he wasn’t much of an emoji user, but he thought you might find it cute when you discovered it. - okay him changed the contact name was cute enough but THIS?? this sentence perfectly captures the essence of bradley no middle name bradshaw and i love it 💖 (was it that one? that’s the only sparkly heart i could find)

“Yes, he is. Very handsome and very tall” - and that’s only part of the reason why we love him

The dimples at the base of your spine were for his eyes only - i love this detail

He turns back to get a look at you, and sees you bringing your hand up to your forehead to mimic a full swoon. - i love her and i love him for carrying ruth’s basket but i also know he def does stuff like this on purpose to fully play into the charm

“No getting handsy by the hummus, Bradley,” you tut - okay to be fair if i saw a couple like this in the grocery i’d be pissed off (read jealous)

The only surefire way to get you out of bed and moving on those mornings was the suggestion of hot coffee-- that or the promise of his mouth. - ummmmmmmm my mouth??? open?? jaw dropped! 😮‍💨 that would also get me moving though maybe not out of bed?

He had claimed he needed more space for his stuff, but really, he wanted there to be more room for you to keep your things at his place. - bradley!!! you sweet boy!! oh he is so lovely

He was told the mood was “cozy mid-century chic”, whatever that meant. - j’adore the west elm mid century line, i’m a proud patron! but like man dropped a decent amount of money on this little shopping venture! love him getting caught up in everything and getting the lamp and giant rug (we all know the real money is spent on the rug). this, if nothing else that i’ve read thus far and will read later, has convinced me he’s in love and adores her

He felt all the tension leave his body, grinning as he watched you sit down on the bed running your hand over the soft deep green duvet. It had become his favorite color the second he’d seen you in that green dress the night at the seaside restaurant when he’d told you how he felt about you. - oh bradley! i’m still swooning over their date, like i literally reread it on monday

Your mom and Carole had definitely been the “Wine Moms” at the baseball and tennis games they’d sat through in support of you and Bradley. - she would play tennis and i know their to-go coffee cups were not filled with coffee my mother did that shhhh

Or maybe it was the way the veins were standing out against his neck, the way the thick tendon that ran along his throat had you transfixed as he threw his head back to sing at the top of his lungs. - i’d take him right then and there wowwowowow the picture that launched a thousand fics

There was no question in your mind that you suffered from an incurable Bradley kink. - don’t we all

It wouldn’t be the first time you would have used the bathroom at the Hard Deck to get off. - ummmmmm girlie pop did we skip a chapter here???

“Hey, kid.” - i literally let out a strangled cry like you know this is my weakness so is sweet girl also the italicized bradley??? girl’s ready to go back into the bathroom stall

He knew exactly how he wanted you: flustered, flushed, and thoroughly fucked. - the three f’s! i love the alliteration!!

How did he think it could have ever just been a friendship with you? - and then the proceeding sentences all being “he liked….” sir you are in love!!! tell her!

and a notebook and pen in case you needed to remember to do something because you didn’t like having your phone in bed - she’s better than me for that i literally sleep with it charging next to my head

…and he was still just as starved for you as he had been when he saw you holding drink looking at him like he was something to be devoured - love this imagery! also her underwear sounds so cute (yet another offering to his bedroom floor!)

“Got yourself so worked up you couldn’t even stick around for the end of the damn song, huh?” - 😵‍💫😮‍💨😩

But you make him feel good - awwwwwww bradley!

He pulls off your pretty pink panties and throws them somewhere behind him, probably landing on that overpriced dresser he bought for you. - LOLLLLLL he bought for you plsssss

…determined to pull a second orgasm from you - we gotta be going for at least three here for this first session no?

“What’d you say?” he asks, as he slows the pace down - jesusfuckingchrist holyfuckingshit 😵‍💫😮‍💨😩

He pulls out of you completely, flipping you over on the forest green duvet. His hand coming down on your ass, a quick sharp slap. - hand SLAPPED over my mouth as i read it!

You’ve always been the type to take a mile when you’re given an inch. And he intends to only let you have exactly eight inches tonight. - “only” bestie pls

“You know what I wanna hear, kid.” - honestly that would make me fold too like pls just call me kid and sweet girl all night i’ll literally do anything

You were it for him, there was no question about it. And he would happily prove to you in all the ways he could think of that he was it for you too. There’s nothing he wants more than to make you feel good. To please you. To give you the best you’ve ever had. - and he DOES even with “only” eight inches! what a man 😮‍💨😵‍💫😩

“I love this,” you murmur into the base of this throat. - IT’S COMING! DOUBLE ENTENDRE INTENTIONAL

“I’m already planning on letting you have your way with me again tonight, Bradley,” you proudly declare, propping yourself up on his chest, smiling down at him. “You don’t have to try so hard, I’m a sure thing.” - this is so cute and sweet and just really sets the tone and characterization for her and their relationship! like it’s so perfect and i def have smart aleck say something like this once, it will always make me smile 🥰

His bed. Your bed. Their bed. It was just as much yours as it was his, regardless of whether you were officially living together yet or not. He bought it for you, after all. - bradley what are you going to do when she actually moves in?! like buy her living room and dinning room furniture? if they ever have kids he’s gonna be such a pushover (american girl store???)

His, for now, but always meant to be yours. - ALEXA YOU CANT PUT ME THROUGH THIS IT’S SO PERFECT IM GONNA DIE I WANT HIM SO BADLY

What’s In a Name?

Summary: Bradley really loves the way you say his name. At the grocery store. At the bar. In his bed.

Warnings: fuff, and so much smut. Minors DNI

Length: 9K

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw X Female Reader

(This is a one-shot for my ‘Like I Can” series. You don’t need to read it first, but you might want to. It’s pretty cute. You can check it out here.)

Bradley loved hearing you say his name. 

He’d gone almost two years without hearing it. Back when he was ‘Rooster’ or ‘Bradshaw’ to you. Back when you weren’t sure how you would fit into the life he had built in San Diego when you had moved there for a promotion. Now he made it a priority to show you just how seamlessly your lives fit together, to remind you just how right you were for each other.

There were times when he still couldn’t believe that he was able to have you so entirely. You went from being just his closest childhood friend to being his everything. And now that he had you there was nothing he liked more than the sound of his name coming from your lips. 

He loved hearing it every chance he could. 

He’d never come so hard has he had the first time he’d heard you chanting his name over and over again as he’d fucked you in his bed. Your hair had been a riot on his pillow, your lips swollen from the attention he’d given them with his own. He’d just barely gotten you over the edge before he’d followed, so overwhelmed by your sweet voice so needy and breathy in his ear.

BradleyBradleyBradley

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[tbzhours]

base crush

eric x you, high school au, angst, fluff

[summary] you have a crush on eric but you keep avoiding him until he confronts you (and confesses) [words] 2.8k [a/n] i kinda like this, i hope you do too ♡

Your phone had been buzzing for the past minute before you woke up from it, wondering who had stopped you from dreaming from your nap. You wiped the edge of your lip as you lifted your head from the textbook, head swifting around to find your phone. You picked it up and saw Changmin, your best friend’s texts. Trying to read through them on your lockscreen, he suddenly called you. 

You sighed deeply, rolling your eyes to close them. “Hello?”

“Oh my god, you finally picked up!” 

You peeked at the clock in your room before you replied, voice sounding drowsy and weak. “What do you want?”  

Changmin gasped. “Don’t tell me you just woke up from a nap.” He was talking so loud that you had to move your phone from your ear so they won’t hurt. You weren’t given a chance to say anything back when he continued, “It’s because of me, huh? I’m sorry.”

Oh yes, it really was because of him. He made you stay up late with him because he needed to rant to someone, which you ended up being the one since being his best friend. He never forgets to thank you after but somehow, you felt that there was a lack of sincerity in his apology, as if he was trying to lead it to something else. You were too tired to get offended so you rested your head back onto your textbook, closed your eyes and murmured. “And what about it?” 

“That’s why,” He explained, voice still a bit too loud. You could almost see his hand flying in front of him every time he tries to make a point as he continued. “I want to invite you out for a movie to make it up for letting me rant to you about my stupid love problems.” 

“Why?” You groaned. 

“I mean, come on! A few of my teammates are coming too. It’ll be fun with everyone there.” Changmin pleaded with a hum after. You stayed quiet for a few seconds until he tried to bribe you, “I’ll buy you a popcorn and drink set.” 

“And nachos?” 

You smiled as you could hear him snickering, then he sighed. “Fine.”

Once you arrived at the cinema, you didn’t expect Eric, your recent crush, to be there. Actually, it wasn’t so recent. You were always holding yourself back when Changmin invited you to places and one of them was to his baseball games. He really wanted you to be there at his first match of the season a month ago and right when you were about to regret going, you saw Eric on the field. It could be his smile but watching him run, bat and cheer so stunningly that night, you believed something had fluttered inside your heart. 

Changmin was waving at you but you stopped in your tracks. Your eyes were stuck at Eric because you didn’t know what to do, other than to run away. Your face was burning up when Changmin continued to call your name. When Eric turned to you, he smiled and waved at you. 

At that point, Changmin was already walking up to you and before you could run, he held onto your arm. 

“Where are you going? I got your nachos already.” Changmin asked in a sad pout. “You can’t just leave me like that. Come on~”

He dragged you along to the small group, greeting each other since you knew some of them from your classes. The movie wasn’t going to start until another 30 minutes so you all chatted the time away. It was just a casual conversation with everyone until Sunwoo, a baseball teammate, complained about not having time to do their homework. 

“Could be using this time to do it.” Changmin teased. 

“Yeah, you could have just rejected this movie night with us.” Chanhee, another baseball teammate, snickered as he shook his head. 

“Unless you have study hall.” Eric commented then he caught you staring, which you hadn’t realize you’ve been doing since everyone settled down at the tables in front of the arcade room. “Right, (Y/N)?” 

Suddenly, all eyes zoomed at you and you didn’t know what to do again. You slightly nodded and tried to flow in. “Yeah.” 

“But study hall?” Chanhee’s mouth opened in disgust. 

“Yeah, don’t waste your time in a no-credit class.” Sunwoo added, then everyone laughed at him because of the way it contrasted to his complaint. 

”I really needed that because of practice. You know me?” Eric laughed, hitting Chanhee’s shoulder. 

You just smiled, hoping to go into the movie room so you could stop looking at Eric. 

The next morning, you got a ton of texts from Changmin, asking about how fun the movie hangout was and that he wasn’t going to invite you anymore if you keep asking for more food. It was just a tease so you send him tongue-sticking emoji. 

The school day went by quickly and you couldn’t wait to get home so you could rest. As you packed up your things at your locker before making your way home, Changmin ran to you from afar. He was calling your name loudly that you didn’t want to look at him. 

When he finally got to you, he was breathing heavily. “(Y/N), I need your help!” 

“What is it now?” You asked, still exchanging your materials. 

“My phone broke and I need you to meet with Eric later for me!” 

“What?” You turned to him, eyes widened. You weren’t sure which one you were more shocked about but you wanted to avoid anything that was his problem. “How did that happen?” 

“I dropped it and it cracked!” He explained dramatically, reenacting how it happened. “I’m gonna go get a new one tonight so can you please let him know?” 

You recalled seeing him in your study hall class but that was it. “I can’t do that.”

“Y-you don’t have his number?” Changmin whined, stomping a feet down. “Why did I think you would?” 

You closed your locker and put your hand on your hip, watching him sigh in despair. 

“Then I’ll let you know where he’d be at since I can’t find him right now.” 

“Nope.” You walked past him but he followed you, telling you where Eric would be. 

That evening, the sun was still beaming in the sky, probably just another hour until sunset. You found your way to the baseball field near Changmin’s house, convinced that you’d tell Eric what he needed to know then leave. 

As you reached the field, you could see Eric there, standing in the right-handed batter’s box in his batting position. He swung a few times, seeing his own ball flying through the field as he created a shade above his forehead. You had your hands in your pants pockets, walking up to him toward the fence behind the catcher’s box with your racing heart. 

You bit your lower lip, somehow scared to call out his name when you could easily call out Changmin’s. It made your stomach curl as you stopped in your tracks. You took a deep breath, holding fists at your side when you shouted. “Hey, Eric!” 

Familiar to the sound of your voice, Eric got up and turned to you, almost knocking himself down with his feet. There was a tiny smirk in his smile when he waved his hand up in the air at you. “H-hey? Where’s Changmin?”

You walked up to him, rolling your eyes at the thought of your best friend. “I’m here to let you know about that.” 

“What happened? He isn’t replying to my texts or calls.” 

Eric walked up to the fence from the catcher box as you did too. The sun was shining toward your face and you wondered if you looked funny because he was still smiling. You swallowed your thoughts before you told him, “Changmin’s phone broke for some reason and he asked me to tell you that he can’t make it.”

“Oh, really?” Eric seemed flustered, his hand rubbing his head on the back as if he was trying to fix his cap. You nodded, about to greet him goodbye when he suggested, “Well, then, if you’re okay with it, do you want to practice with me?” 

“What?” 

“I see you in the bleachers a lot during our games and I just thought maybe you knew how to play.” Eric’s words were followed by a few seconds of silence. He set his bat down to the ground, smiling again. 

“No, it’s okay. I think I’m gonna go now.” You quickly smiled. “Thanks.” 

Then you walked away, not turning back once. 

The next day, you were having lunch with Changmin in the cafeteria. He was talking to a few of his friends while you were with some of your group members for a project later, and as you ate your food, Changmin suddenly turned to you. 

“Hey,” Changmin leaned over his side of the table, slipping your name as he halted in place. He sneaked in close to you and asked, “Did you tell Eric?” 

You sighed. “Why? You didn’t get to see him this morning?” 

“Yeah, because I was with my girlfriend.” He frowned. “Did you let him know though?” 

“I did.” 

“Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver!” He cried, holding his palms together at you. You moved away from him until he moved back so you could eat peacefully. 

“Why does he keep throwing his responsibilities at me?” You said underneath your breath. Changmin could almost hear you that he leaned back at you. 

“What did you say?” He asked, offended at your sudden complaint. 

“I said, if you got a new phone now, then why don’t you just text him and not make someone like me run around and do your shit?” You spoke clearly, eyes beaming at him though your voice was at your regular level. 

“W-why are you like this?” 

“He’s your teammate and you’re close to him, not me, alright?” You glared at him then turned back to your food that you didn’t feel like finishing anymore. “Just stop.”

“I-I’m sorry, damn.” Changmin sighed away from you then you heard him say, “Why do you act like you like him or something?” 

You packed up your food and walked away from the table. You saw Eric standing there with a few friends by the courtyard. He’s been looking at you as you turned away from him, wanting to hide yourself. 

You tried to avoid Eric for the rest of the day, knowing that he probably heard Changmin’s words. You went to study hall and ran out of class once it was over, ignoring him calling for you. 

It went on for a few days, not talking to Changmin and ignoring Eric that you ended up skipping that class. You weren’t getting credits for it and you didn’t have any work to catch up on anyway. You tried to focus on your school work when you get home, but those two kept hanging in your mind. 

Eric and Changmin had a game that night. As their teammates were warming up on the field, Eric turned to Changmin as he was tying his shoes on the side chairs. 

“Hey, Changmin. Have you heard from (Y/N) these days?” 

Changmin groaned in annoyance. He got up and put his hands on his head when he stressed out all of the things that he had been hiding in him. “I honestly haven’t, and it’s really stressing me out because I’m their best friend!” 

“Do you think they’ll be at the game?” Eric asked, curious since Changmin knew you most. 

Changmin put his hands on Eric’s shoulders, shaking him lightly. “I have no idea, Eric. Everything is literally stressing me out and I don’t know what I should do.” 

“They’ve been ignoring me too.” Eric smiled softly, looking away then he patted Changmin’s back. “Let’s focus on the game for now then. We can figure this out soon.”

Later that night, Changmin called you while you were about to head to bed. You didn’t recognize the number but you answered anyway. 

There he went, crying out for you though the phone.

It’s Changmin!” He paused, wondering if you would say anything but then, he continued. “I just wanted to apologize for all of the things I’ve done to you. I went too far after getting a girlfriend. You probably really really really hate me right now but I’m sorry with all of my heart. You’re my best friend and I should hear you out… If not then I’ll just come over with all of your favorite snacks- but I won’t make you stay up like last time.” 

You almost chuckled at his long apology. “Okay, fine. I forgive you but you don’t need to come over. Just leave the snacks in my locker.” 

“Oh great. I thought I was going to die.” Changmin sighed. You thought he was done when he continued. “Anyway, I think Eric likes you.” 

“What are you saying?” You were astounded. Why was this suddenly about him? 

“He told me that it was best to apologize to you, like a good friend would, and he mentioned that you weren’t coming to study hall anymore… Tell me what’s going on there.”

“N-nothing is going on there.” You blinked nervously. “You should have given me your new phone number because I would have ended this call.” 

“But you didn’t-” 

Changmin looked at the screen of his phone and shook his head with a cheeky smile when he saw that the call had ended. So he was right about you liking Eric. 

The next day, you skipped study hall to avoid Eric again. While sitting in the library by the window, which had the best scenery in the room, you wondered about what you should do about Eric. An apology would sound weird and getting right back into talking would be random too. You sat there, thinking before you heard the entrance door of the library open from behind. 

It was Eric, who was sneaking in until you both met eyes. You quickly gathered your things but before you could run away, he held onto your wrist softly. 

“Why do you keep running away from me?” Eric asked, whispering as if you both didn’t want to get caught skipping class. 

“I-I’m not.” 

Eric smiled. He let your wrist go before he sat down beside you. “So, is this what you do all day?” 

You didn’t understand what he was trying to get at but you just wanted to keep the conversation going because it felt like you left him on read when you started to avoid him. You answered him, “Um, yes?” 

Eric chuckled a snort, then he looked at the scenery with you. “That’s why I didn’t see you at the game last night.” 

“Why? Did our team lose?” 

Eric shook his head and turned to you. “We won, and I wished you were there to see it.” 

Your cheek blushed at the way his words fluttered in your stomach. You couldn’t say anything while he looked at the snack beside your backpack. 

“Those are good.” 

“I-I know. They’re my favorite.” You smiled, fiddling your fingers together. 

“That’s good. Changmin told me to just grab a few snacks from the store for him- well, for you.” 

You recalled the snacks being in your locker as you looked at him. “You mean, those were from you?” 

Eric nodded then he shrugged. “I hope you can see what this means.” His eyes moved slowly from one place to another on the table when he confessed, “It’s been a while, I like you a lot and I hope that you’d stop trying to avoid me.” 

“You do?” 

Eric smiled widely as he nodded. “and if you don’t mind, I really wanna play ball with you, kinda like the other night except that you ran away. If that’s okay with you.” 

“You did not have to bring that up.” You face palmed yourself as you laughed. You glanced at him, watching his eyes bloom at you, then with your racing heart, you took a sigh. “I don’t mind.” 

“And you’ll come watch our games too? And cheer for me? Or Changmin, but more for me?” 

You laughed again, “Yes, I’ll come.”

Eric took your hand, locking your fingers together then he leaned in close to your blushing cheeks, “And go out with me?” 

“Yes.” You said without hesitation. You planted a shy kiss on his cheek then you leaned back on your chair to distract yourself with the scenery. 

Eric’s heart was fluttering as he held onto your hand tighter. He joined you as he rested his head on your shoulder. Now he’s wondering if you both should just skip study hall together just for this. He just knows that you probably wouldn't mind. 

[ineffable-snowman]

Partners, accidentally (a SamBucky fic)

Link to AO3

“So when is your boyfriend coming back?” Mrs. T asked him while she bagged his groceries.

Sam sighed softly. Mrs. T had always been forgetful but since the Blip she got even more things confused.

“He won’t be coming back,” Sam told her gently. “He wasn’t blipped. He just – died. Before.”

“I’m not talking about Richard. I mean the confused white one with the leather jacket, what’s his name? Richard was, what, decades ago? You can’t still be mourning for him, dear. You need to give your new relationship a chance. And he seems such a sweet guy, wouldn’t be fair to him to still be hung up on an old love.”

“Oh. You mean Steve.” Out of politeness, Sam refrained from pointing out that the name had been Riley, not Richard, and that it had been twelve years, not decades ago. “I’m afraid he isn’t coming back either. He… moved on. Found someone else.” He shrugged in a ‘what can you do’ gesture.

“Mm, his loss. But you seem to be doing pretty well yourself.” She winked at him.

“Thanks. I mean, it definitely is a challenging role but I’m getting used to it. I hope.” He chuckled. “And in case I let it get to my head, I can always come back here.”

“That you sure can.” Mrs. T added five of the toffees with the shiny candy wrapper to the bag, the sweets she used to give him when he had been a kid. “Say hello to Sarah and the kids. And tell your boyfriend just to ask for help next time if he doesn’t find an item from his shopping list – and not sneak around my shop like a thief. I can tell you, I was this close to calling Elliot for help.”

It was this description (much more accurate than such a sweet guy) that made Sam finally realise who she was talking about.

“Oh. No.” He laughed. “Bucky is not-”

“I know, I just didn’t recognise him at first. He was wearing sunglasses and black gloves – gloves in the middle of the summer, really? Seemed a bit suspicious. But then he explained who he was before I could get my baseball bat.”

Sam grinned. He would have liked to see Mrs. T chase Bucky out of her shop. Sounded like a good story he could tease Bucky with.

“I’ll make sure to tell him to act like a normal human being next time,” he said, still grinning.

***

It was only later that the implications of Mrs. T’s words fully sunk in. There was of course the implied relationship between him and Bucky, but those kind of things happened, that people mistook someone for a couple who weren’t. But apparently Bucky had “explained who he was” to Mrs. T, and Sam could not help but wonder what his exact words had been. Bucky’s tentative “partners” came to mind – shit. Had Sam accidentally turned him down by describing them as “co-workers” instead? That had definitely not been his intention. And what a shitty way to turn someone down it would be! Someone who had just bared his heart to Sam and – no. It couldn’t be. That moment with Mrs. T when Bucky had “explained who he was” must have happened later. So what exactly had he said? What exactly did he think they were? Did Bucky consider them boyfriends? You could never know with that cyborg brain of his but it would actually explain so much. How the staring had turned into smiles, all the casual touches, them spending time outside of missions…

Sam felt completely out of his depths. Was he in a relationship without knowing it? And how did he find out without making a complete fool of himself? He could just go for the trial-and-error method and kiss Bucky next time they met. If Bucky kissed him back, he would know without revealing his cluelessness. If Bucky punched him in the face, he would know, too. Sounded like a foolproof plan. It was just that Sam Wilson did not go around simply kissing people just like that.

So he asked Sarah. He was careful with his wording.

“Do you think Bucky is a good boyfriend?” Not ‘would make a good boyfriend’. Because if Sarah found out that she knew before Sam that he and Bucky were in a relationship, he would never hear the end of it.

Sarah hummed. “Why are you asking? Did something happen?”

“Just looking for…another perspective…on this.”

“Sam, you’ve never been someone who’s blinded by love. I mean, you wrote a pros and cons list when Riley asked you out. Still can’t believe he still wanted to date you after that, by the way. So what’s going on now? You want to take the next step and need more pros on your list?”

“Something like that, yeah.” Shit, she totally thought they were dating. And maybe they were. And Sam had no idea what “the next step” was in Sarah’s mind. Moving in together? Proposing?

“Use your words, Sam,” Sarah said.

It was the first useful advice. “Hey, let’s talk about this later, okay? I need to find out a few more things before I make a decision.” Because it did not matter what Mrs. T or Sarah thought the next step was. He needed to make sure he and Bucky were on the same page about this, no matter if it was about a first date or an anniversary.

are we partners?, he texted Bucky.

For the first time ever, Bucky texted him back in less than a minute.

something come up? where are you?

at sarah’s and everything’s fine. just thinking about some stuff

are you ok???

yes

Sam sighed. He had had enough with all this miscommunication. They were grown-up people, for God’s sake. Time for a direct approach.

are we partners in a professional or in a romantic sense?

Bucky did not answer for several long, long minutes. He was online, sometimes shown to be typing but never sending a reply. After four maddening minutes like this, Sam texted:

or both?

Then he panicked and did something extremely stupid: he added a grinning emoji. So much about grownup communication. Immediately, he wanted to delete his message but Bucky had already read it.

Finally, there was a reply:

both

And five grinning emojis, which did not clear up anything. They really should not discuss this via text messaging.

i’m coming to NY on friday. do you want to meet up?

are you asking me on a date? Again with the grinning emojis.

There was no way to end this conversation in a dignified manner, so Sam just texted truthfully:

not sure

***

It was too long until Friday and yet, when Friday arrived, Sam was not ready for it. He wished the utterly boring meeting with the mayor had taken longer but there really wasn’t much to discuss. So here he was, waiting nervously in front of New York City Hall if Bucky was going to stand him up.

He didn’t. Just on time, Bucky arrived on his motorbike, looking more badass than a 107 year old man had any right to look, in his black leather jacket, black jeans and sunglasses when he sauntered towards Sam.

“Hi.” He flashed Sam a grin, came towards him, lifted a hand –

Right, looked like they were dating, so they were really doing this, Sam took a deep breath, leant forward – and his nose collided painfully with Bucky’s chin.

Bucky grimaced and took off his sunglasses, which sat askew on his nose after that disastrous greeting. So no dating. Bucky had gone in for a hug, not a kiss. Sam should have brought his wings. If there ever was a time to just fly away from an awkward situation before he could make even more of an idiot of himself it was now.

But then Bucky said, “Didn’t know if I should bring you flowers,” and at these words something eased inside Sam. Whatever this weird situation was, Bucky did not seem intent on making it weirder between them, and Sam was sure they were going to be fine.

He gave Bucky a relieved grin. “I’m allergic to most flowers, so I’m really grateful you didn’t.”

“Okay, noted. So, uh.” Bucky looked at him inquisitively, a little crease appearing between his brows (and Sam’s fingers itched to wipe it away). “I wasn’t sure if AJ and Cass had hacked your phone and were messing around with me. Or with you. Both of us. But I didn’t want to blow my chance.”

Sam shrugged apologetically. “No, that was all me. Can’t blame it on the boys, unfortunately.” Then he realised what Bucky had just said, that he didn’t want to blow his chance. It gave Sam the courage to carry on. “There’s really no way to ask this without sounding weird but… Are we dating?”

“You were the one who asked me on this… date, not-date, whatever. You should know.”

“I don’t mean right now, I mean more generally, as in…are we in a relationship?”

Bucky stared at him. “There’s definitely a lot about 21st century dating, sex, relationships that confuses me but I’m pretty sure I would’ve realised if we were dating.”

“Okay, good.” Sam did not know whether to be relieved that at least they were on the same page about this, or disappointed that they were not dating after all.

“So, people have been talking?” Bucky cocked his head. He was still staring, as if he was trying to read Sam’s mind.

“Everyone in Delacroix thinks we’re a couple. Even Sarah.”

“That a problem?”

“Not exactly. Would’ve just been weird to be in a relationship and be the last one to find out about it, you know?”

Bucky snorted. “If it’s any consolation, it’s news to me, too.” He considered Sam for a moment, never once blinking. “Doesn’t mean I’m opposed to it.”

Huh. Sam did not know what to make of this nonchalant and yet so monumental comment. “Uh. Let’s walk a bit?” He needed time to digest this information. And also he preferred to not discuss his relationship status in front of New York City Hall.

Bucky nodded and so they strolled through the adjoining park. It was easier to talk like this than when Bucky was standing in front of him and staring him down.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind it either,” Sam finally said because it felt like it was his turn to assure Bucky that the feeling was mutual.

“Ah. Alright.” Bucky was silent for some time but then he said, “People will think what they think. Might as well go along with it.”

“At this point just going along with it is probably easier than trying to explain to them that we’re not dating.” Sam chanced a sideways glance at Bucky, caught his eye and found him grinning.

“Yup. I mean, if even your sister is convinced, she’s probably right.”

“So we’re doing this.”

“Fine with me.”

“Great.”

They exchanged another glance, both grinning. They might walk a little faster, with a spring in their step, but nothing else had changed.

“Just one thing,” Sam said. “If anyone asks us when and how we got together, we’re not going to tell them it happened like this. Because that’s just too embarrassing. I’m Captain America, I can’t have that.”

“You mean we need a cover-up story?”

“An anniversary.”

Bucky was still grinning but then he got that manic look in his eyes that told Sam that he was about to do something very risky and very stupid.

“How about when you saved me from that truck in Germany?”

Sam stopped dead. “No way. Please don’t tell me that got you hot. Seriously, Buck.”

“Nah.” Bucky shrugged. “Not in that situation anyway, that was just adrenaline and it was mostly painful, the way your knee kept hitting me everywhere. But, you know. Thinking back on it. Or imagining it happening again…”

“Jesus.” Sam made a mental note to educate Bucky on the safe, sane and consensual part of sex, emphasis on safe and sane. “Just for your information, if you get yourself under a truck on purpose, I won’t save you again.” Because it had been uncomfortable and not to mention potentially life-threatening. Still. There was something to be said about imagining it. Sam swooping in to gracefully save Bucky from a dangerous situation, them being pressed so close to each other, Bucky telling him in a low and breathless voice, “Nice job, Cap,” and then something about wanting to thank him –

“No, that’s definitely not when we started dating,” Sam insisted, heat creeping up his neck. “I can’t remember a day when you were more annoying and that’s counting the day when you jumped onto my car and ripped my steering wheel out.”

“Then what’s your suggestion for our anniversary? I need to know so I can buy you plastic flowers.”

Sam could not help but laugh. What a dork. Now he knew Bucky was going to buy him the most hideous plastic flowers ever. “When you came to Louisiana to help fix the boat. That one at least makes sense.”

“I don’t know. There were some witnesses who saw me passed out on Sarah’s couch. Not much happening that night for me.”

“The next morning then. When you came to the boat and…” Sam remembered it all too clearly. The early morning light, their hushed voices, every word seemingly too much in that small, quiet place. “I wanted to kiss you then,” he admitted. Everything about Bucky had been so soft that morning, his hair, his eyes, his shirt, his words. Now Sam’s heart was hammering so loudly in his chest that he wondered if Bucky could hear it with his supersoldier senses.

“I would have liked that,” Bucky said softly. Gone was the grin. Bucky was giving him such an open, earnest look that made Sam’s heart speed up even more but at the same time, it calmed him down.

All he managed in response was “good” and a (probably giddy) smile.

“Why didn’t you do it?” Bucky asked.

“Wasn’t sure if you’d got your head out of your ass yet.” Or if it was reciprocated.

One corner of Bucky’s mouth quirked up in self-deprecation. “Fair enough.”

“Yeah. But…”

“No witnesses there who could refute that we hooked up on that boat.”

“We totally hooked up there.”

“And it was, uh… great?”

“Definitely was.”

Again they were stupidly grinning at each other and Sam was amazed how much he liked the crinkles around Bucky’s eyes when he did that.

“If someone asks for details…” Sam could hardly believe his own nerve because this was not something Sam Wilson did but somehow – contrary to first (and second) impressions – everything was easy with Bucky. “Well. I should know what to say.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Or you could just not say anything? God, that’s really not something that other people need to know, it’s personal, what is wrong with people, what happened to don’t kiss and tell?”

“So you’re going to be old school about it?” As long as it did not involve plastic flowers, Sam would be able to put up with it. He had experience with centenarian supersoldiers after all.

“Well, I am old. But other than that, it’s just decent human behaviour. Still can’t believe you asked me out via text messaging, by the way.”

Bucky was scowling, and because Sam could do it now, he placed his thumb against the crease between Bucky’s brows and tried to smooth it out. Bucky lightly swatted his hand away and rolled his eyes again.

“What would you have preferred?” Sam said. “A seaside rendezvous with a picnic? A candlelight dinner?”

Bucky’s frown only deepened and Sam could practically hear the cyborg gears start to turn and rattle. “Did you just say we should have sex?”

So he had figured it out, finally. “Your place isn’t far, is it?”

“I don’t even have a bed. And no, it’s bad enough that you think flirting via text messages is okay but when I make love to you for the first time, it’s not gonna be on the floor, that’s for sure.”

Sam did not know what to say to that. His chest had constricted at Bucky’s word and he really wanted to kiss that frown away but they should probably first discuss how comfortable they were with public displays of affection. In a direct and open way. Because no matter how much Sam enjoyed making fun of Bucky, it was not fair to leave Bucky always guessing and confused when it came to their relationship.

“Right.” Sam cleared his throat because that word had come out a bit croaked. “Not sure how you feel about it and it’s totally fine if you want to do it differently but you’re a supersoldier, so.” Sam raised his eyebrows. “Doing it standing up, against a wall – shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”

Bucky shrugged. “I’ve just never.” He gestured vaguely and Sam silently waited for him to finish his sentence, trying to broadcast that he would accept whatever was going to come next. Never had sex? Never had sex with a man?

“I mean,” Bucky finally said, waving his hands some more but he kept looking at Sam, not trying to hide any of his vulnerability, and Sam once more thought how brave that man was. “I’ve never had sex in this body, only before. I don’t know, anything could happen.”

Sam nodded to show it was alright. “You know what? Let’s buy a bed first.” He tried to give Bucky a reassuring smile. “And then we can still decide if we want to find out what could happen.”

“Can I at least buy you dinner first?”

Sam’s heart was doing funny things again. “Sure. Any plans?”

“Do you know Sushi?”

Sam snorted. “Risky move. I’m a Wilson, I have opinions on seafood.” (Who was he kidding, he would let Bucky drag him to the cheapest sushi chain and stuff his face with half defrosted mock crab.)

“You’re really going to make me work for it, aren’t you?”

The comment was light-hearted enough and anyway, they had already established that it was Bucky, not Sam who insisted on dinner first. So they easily fell back into their usual back and forth. “I’m not letting you get away with that whole I’m a confused old man, that’s for sure,” Sam said.

Bucky shrugged, an easy smirk playing around his lips. “Come on.” They started walking again, maybe a little closer than usually so their arms bumped together all the time. They didn’t necessarily need to hold hands here in New York but back in Delacroix where everyone was already under the impression that they were a couple…

“Hey, Buck?” Sam nudged him lightly. “It’s gonna be fine.”

[silverbyuls]

( lee hyeri, cis female, muse i ) oh snap! is that SHIN EUNBYUL they work over at high volume where some of the other employees have labeled them as THE AVERAGE JOE. that’s probably because they can be a bit ( optimistic. ) but also pretty ( dishonest. ) they’re TWENTY TWO and they’ve been living in woodstock for TWENTY TWO YEARS. it must be their shift because i totally hear THE CRANBERRIES blasting from the record store. ( a little tikes piggy bank tucked under the bed, clothing label sticking out from the back, snap clips with varnish peeling off, jelly shoes with the strap taped together, leaving lisa frank stickers along record crates ) @volumeupdates

BIO

the luke hemsworth of the family but middle child

goes by byul

tried to go by ‘e.b.’ but her mum went berserk because she’d reduced her name to two letters for the ease of her yt friends and her brother bullied her for being e.t’s ugly sister so now she tries to go by silver star (her name translated into english) but it doesn’t quite stick

claims that her older sister and younger brother stole all her beauty, brain cells and height

family invested everything into older sister so she could go to college in new york: savings, loans, moved to smaller house which is even further from the town centre

brother requires all attention as he has high hopes of getting into college on a baseball scholarship and she lowkey can’t wait until he’s far away from woodstock

her grades have always been average so no one expects her to leave – her parents talk about how nice it is that she’ll be with them forever but she knows that’s because they want her to take care of them when they’re old … which she would! if they didn’t live in woodstock

she tells them she’s going to move to california, but they think she’s as serious about that as she is about wanting to go to college, or becoming supermodel of the world, or an olympic swimmer, when she has average grades, of average height, and can’t even swim

if her life was a movie, she’d have fallen asleep in the first ten minutes – it has always been so boring and uneventful, so she lives up in her head with her fake scenarios to keep things interesting – most of the time, they’re taken straight from a book or magazine

sometimes these thoughts spill over into reality because she can’t fathom the idea of people realising she’s as plain as she is, and her little white lies give her a bit of sparkle to stand out (in her opinion)

but she will get to california!

she even has a plan:

she’s been working at freddy’s diner since she was fifteen, escaping to high volume whenever she can, a place where she can pop her headphones on during her breaks and pretend she’s getting ogled at on venice beach, but she’s terrible at saving so seven years later she’s still grinding

once she graduates high school, she has enough time for a second job and she’d dropped enough hints in front of jerry for him to kindly offer her a job. after all, she spends as much time in high volume as she does at freddy’s so there’s not much of a difference once she becomes an employee -- still floating around the place, sipping on her coke can, either people watching or people chasing -- except now she has access to the register

after a big argument with her parents, she ended up moving out into a place in the middle of town. that was never part of the plan because saving was easier when she lived at home. she’ll say things got really bad but really, she was just getting closer to her target and she wanted a valid reason to put it off for a bit longer

she was only supposed to do it once – stealing from the cash register. it was just right there, no one was around, and she thought it was going to be her last shift because jerry was angry at her for being late again (granted, he hadn’t actually been mad, but it was one of those days when everything felt personal)

besides, she’d overheard a group of girls she’d idolised in school talk about how they stole some underwear and they made it sound so cool

she felt like everyone could hear her heart thumping against her chest as she walked out of the store but the day after, no one said anything about it, no one even noticed, and she wasn’t fired. so she did it again, and again, and again, and eventually she didn’t even bat an eyelid

the extra money was supposed to help her reach her goal faster but, again, she’s terrible at saving and her parents are so hardworking, she can’t help but feel guilty and buy nice things for them every once in a while and when they ask where she got the money from, she lies and says jerry gave her a bonus for being a good employee

on the other hand, if they’ve had an argument, or they’ve forgotten about her again, she’ll have a full on les-mis-i-dreamed-a-dream episode then splurge out on a cute jacket because it’s hers and it’s new! rather than worn out hand-me-downs from her sister or brother!

started her own side hustle called the separation agency – inspired after a customer at high volume asked her to help him break up with his boyfriend. so she’s the messenger for people who have things to say but don’t have the balls to say it to someone’s face themselves. usually they’re horrible messages, like break ups. she’s had like three customers and tries to promote her side hustle whilst on her shift at high volume

she thinks her “business” could actually thrive in a bigger city which is just another reason why she needs to get out of woodstock – it’s holding her back!

anyway, jerry’s missing, which is perfect for her because she gets to come in late and not get told off, and maybe steal a little more than she usually does

PERSONALITY:

when she’s around people, she seems like an extrovert: bubbly, talkative, dramatic ... which uses up a lot of her energy and her social battery is weak, so needs her own space often, and likes doing nothing by herself so sometimes she’ll lie to get out of plans or bail last minute 

she has big dreams, and talks about all her big plans, but has leaving anxiety which is why she’s shit at saving and makes up excuses as to why she can’t leave just yet 

has main character syndrome -- likes to live her life as a romcom, most of her lies revolve around her love life because she wants to be seen as desirable, but also will overanalyse everything 

sensitive, passionate, immature, sympathetic, fickle, clumsy, dramatic, caring, head in clouds

will pretend to knows things to fit in like ~hipster~ bands or anything really, depends on the crowd

could gladly spend all day talking to customers at work then the next day she’ll prefer to day dream in the storage room

rides a bike to and from work and almost everywhere else too -- the only one out of her siblings who had to bike to school because small car and siblings took up all the space -- she’s had the same bike since high school 

loves spice girls but feels like she’ll be judged so keeps quiet and plays it when she’s closing

honestly could hate you one day and have a crush on you the next but you wouldn’t even know it -- a vicious cycle 

collects stickers and leaves them everywhere and on everyone - often passive aggressive through them, basically uses them like emojis

will try to order food and get others to pay for it - especially kfc, never gets to eat the drumsticks at home so will honestly cry if people steal the drumsticks from her

buys lottery tickets and scratch cards because she has a 50/50 chance of winning

WANTED CONNECTIONS: (current connections)

start up: stolen str8 from a kdrama that ruined my life hehe her parents set her up with a pen pal to keep her busy out of guilt because they’re so busy with her siblings and work and obviously she romanticises it !!! her parents would’ve asked to lie a little bit, just so she’d be writing to someone she’d easily obsess over -- love island vc: someone who ticks all the boxes 

xoxo gossip girl: someone who loves a good gossip sesh -- they probably send 👀 at each other across the store when things feel a bit tense, which is code for ‘meet me in the storage room’ so they can chat away for the rest of their shift

lunch stealer: she makes her own lunch every day and is extremely protective over it but one day it went missing and she knows it was them (maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t) so now they are her sworn enemy

sister’s/brother’s friend: therefore an automatic enemy

shut up: someone who just tells her to shut up because she chats so much shit and she’s insane - just sandra x dina vibes from superstore (x)

carpool karaoke: she hates cycling in when it’s raining, so either she’s trying to get them to be her designated driver or has already succeeded and is annoying about it

crush #1: someone she has a crush on (more of an infatuation) and they’re not interested in her in the slightest but in her head they’re giving her mixed signals and she has made up a fake boyfriend to try to make them jealous

crush #2: someone she thinks has a crush on her. either because they’re nice or tease her or just mean, it doesn’t matter, she’s insane so she’ll interpret it however she wants

ex: they never broke up, or even dated, but she thinks something almost happened between them and she thinks she cut things off by giving them space

separation agency: someone who once used the agency either out of the kindness of their heart or for a different reason entirely and now she won’t stop pestering them to try and get them to use it again

no thots just vibes: i just like this gifset tbh (x) and we can brainstorm ! 

[nenya85]

Ficlet:  The Missing Ingredient

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Written for the “Intoxication” prompt on the Dark Pride of Dimensions Discord’s Drabble Night.

The link to join the Dark Pride of Dimensions Discord is here.

SUMMARY: Set after the end of “The Dark Side of Dimensions.”  Atem returns to Domino with Kaiba.  But now that Atem has his memories back, he discovers that some things aren’t the quite same as he remembered.

Comments, either here or on the server, would be appreciated!

THE MISSING INGREDIENT 

Kaiba breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the mansion.  It had been a long day.  He made his way to the game room and stopped short just inside the doorway.  

Atem stared up at him, bleary-eyed.  He was surrounded by beer bottles, like a pharaoh buried with his treasures.  “I slid off the couch,” Atem said.

Kaiba took a quick, reflexive glance around the room before remembering that Mokuba was spending the night with friends.  He scanned the room more carefully.  Kirin. Sapporo.  Suntory.  Asahi. No two labels were the same.

“Having a beer tasting party all by yourself?” Kaiba asked.

Atem was hugging an empty bottle of an artisanal malt.  He sat up. “I couldn’t find the right one,” he said sadly.

“Right for what? Getting smashed?”

“None of them taste like home.”

If Atem had been sober, he would have noticed the way Kaiba’s lips tightened at his words.

“There’s beer in paradise?” Kaiba asked, trying for a conversational tone.

“Of course!  What good is paradise without beer?”  Atem chuckled to himself. His gaze turned mournful as he turned his bottle upside down and said, “All gone.”

“You miss it there.” It wasn’t a question.

“Sometimes,” Atem admitted, a confession that sobered him a little.

They stared at each other in silence, then down at the ground that had suddenly shifted beneath their feet.  Kaiba had crossed dimensions.  Atem had returned. Neither had mentioned the trip again, equally eager to let sleeping landmines lie, to cordon off the area and avoid trespassing.

“I need a drink.” Kaiba stomped out of the room; the words, “All gone,” followed him out the door.

Kaiba headed for his office, the one that had been Gozaburo’s.  The furniture was the same.  Somehow, in the intervening years, except for adding a statue or two of his Blue Eyes White Dragons, he’d never gotten around to renovating.  He went straight to the liquor cabinet.  He’d kept it stocked even though he rarely drank, never seeing the entertainment value in losing control.

Kaiba lightly touched a bottle of Scotch, the Macallan Exceptional Cask.  It had been Gozaburo’s favorite.  He’d rarely offered it around.  He’d sit there and drink it in front of his guests, then serve them a slightly cheaper, but still ostentatious brand.  Kaiba had only had it once, after he’d earned the privilege by proving he could get throw-up drunk without giving away company secrets.  He’d been 14. It had taken him two years to achieve the skill.

It had tasted of power.

Kaiba swept his hand across the top shelf of the cabinet, knocking the overpriced bottles of alcohol over.  He picked one at random, grabbed it by the neck, swiveled and brought it down on the top of his desk.  Nothing happened.  He glanced at the marble dragon guarding the door, strode over and smashed the bottle against it.  This time the bottle shattered, spraying the room with vodka.  Kaiba grabbed the next bottle and then another.  He threw back his head and laughed.  He ran from the room and through the mansion, returning with a baseball bat he’d rummaged from Mokuba’s closet.

“It’s all a game, right?” Kaiba picked up a bottle and threw it in the air.  With mid-season form, he swung for the fences, catching the bottle right on the neck, bathing himself in a shower of rum.  He grabbed the next one and then the next, smashing through each, going 3 for 3 and then 4 for 4 in his impromptu batting practice.

“Seto!”  Atem called, staring at Kaiba, now drenched in spirits and surrounded by glass shards.

“What are you doing here?” Kaiba asked numbly.

“I heard…” Atem gestured. “All of this.  I came to find you.”

Kaiba grunted.  “I came to find you, too.”

“Seto…” Atem’s voice gentled, as if Kaiba was the one who was drunk.  “You can miss something without wanting it back.”

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” Atem came over to Kaiba, stood on tiptoe and planted a sloppy kiss in the vicinity of Kaiba’s lips.  “And that’s why I chose you, why I want a life with you.”

Kaiba wrapped his arms around Atem, lifting him up to kiss him more easily.

Kaiba set Atem back down and smiled.  He glanced at the Macallan Exceptional Cask, which had somehow escaped the carnage. He walked over to it, with Atem still clinging to his neck like a second locket.  It was unopened.  Kaiba grinned and opened it, then took a slug straight from the bottle.  He’d never thought of drinking, just for fun, before.

“Come on,” he said, carrying both Atem and his bottle like trophies.  “There’s too much glass in here.”

They settled back down on the thick shag carpet covering the game room floor.  By the third pull on the bottle, Atem was curled in his lap and Kaiba had remembered that most problems were solvable.

He juggled Atem to get to his phone.

“What are you doing?” Atem asked, looking like a cat that has had its nap disturbed.

“Texting Isis.”

“Why?”

Kaiba typed for a minute, then held his phone out for Atem to see.  “Are you sober enough to read?”

“Of course, I am. Watching you bash liquor bottles sobered me up nicely.”

Kaiba smirked as Atem stuck his tongue out and tried to focus, determined not to lose the challenge.

Atem sounded out, “Send me all the information you have on obsolete Egyptian methods of brewing beer, circa 1100 BCE, and an ingredient list and I’ll fund your next expedition.”  Atem grabbed the phone from Kaiba. He added star-eyes and a series of beer mug emojis and then then hit “Send.”

“We crossed dimensions,” Kaiba pointed out.  “Recreating ancient beer should be a piece of cake.”  He paused.  “If that’s what you want.”

“It is.  Always.” Atem sighed in contentment.  “Beer and you.  Sounds like paradise to me.”  He chuckled. “And speaking of cake, the date loaves back then were pretty awesome, too.” 

Atem tossed the phone away, ignoring Kaiba’s yelp of protest.  Atem’s eyes narrowed.  He pressed himself against Kaiba, attempting to steal a kiss that Kaiba was only to eager to give away.  His enthusiasm over-balanced them both, as Kaiba’s arms came up around him… and the tightness of their hold on each other was a renewed promise.

Neither noticed the return ping of Kaiba’s phone as Isis sent him the information -- along with the budget for her next project.  When he finally retrieved his phone, Kaiba had to laugh.  He’d managed to find a beer that cost exponentially more than Gozaburo’s prized scotch.

[anobscurename]

ocean eyes – chris evans

previous part: PART XI — masterlist

concept: a collection of happenings. the slowest of slow burns. there will be many more parts. an interview is misinterpreted, leading to some awkwardness.

pairing: chris evans x reader

word count: 1,8k

warnings: angst

author's note: i used the name "lily" in slight reference to lily james (no hate to her) but if you, as the reader, is named lily, feel free to use any other name as hers.

There was something to be said about LAX. Status was practically inconsequential in airports. Everyone was either jetlagged or trying to make their flight in time, and everyone had to wait in neatly organized lines. Sure, some moved faster than others, but it was nice to see that everyone was built the same when it came to airports.

You stood, patiently waiting in the collection area of the arrivals. As patiently as you could, practically bouncing on your heels in anticipation. You didn't know why you were there, really.

Well, you knew. You were there to surprise him.

They had wrapped filming the day before, and he had shot you a quick be home soon :) text last night. But you had never picked him up before, instead opting to stay in the comfort of the apartment with Dodger curled up beside you and a batch of "welcome home" cupcakes cooling, waiting to be iced. He'd find his way back by himself just fine every time, so why the sudden change?

Maybe it was the interview you had caught the night before.

It wasn't as if you'd actively sought it – your friend had sent you a link to it in the early morning hours, followed by a barrage of messages that had your nightstand practically quaking from the vibrations of your phone. Knowing she wouldn't let you be until you checked it out, you squinted to see the bright screen before lowering the brightness enough to let your eyes adjust. Cursing the persistence of your friend, you huffed out a sigh and tapped on the link she had highlighted in numerous exclamation points and a slew of unintelligible yet highly suggestive emojis.

It was him. Chris. The flutter your heart gave at the sight of him was a natural occurence at this point, so it was easy to ignore.

Dodger, whose head was resting heavily on your feet, immediately perked up at the sound of Chris' voice the second the YouTube clip began to play.

It was a snippet from a Jimmy interview – Fallon or Kimmel, your brain was too sluggish to comprehend – uploaded fairly recently. If two months was recent in the grand scheme of things.

"Great to be here again, Jimmy," you heard Chris say as you rubbed the bleariness from your eyes.

"Always a pleasure." Fallon. It was Fallon.

Dodger came crawling up to you, nose sniffing the air, trying to console the sound of Chris' voice without the scent of Chris himself. His wet nose pressed into your cheek and you whined in slight annoyance, giving him a slight nudge. "Down, Dodge. It's just an interview. See?"

You turned the phone to show him, and his ears deflated in understanding. You hid a chuckle, pulling him to you for a cuddle, and he dejectedly flopped down onto your shoulder, curling up beside you. "Don't worry, Dodge," you mumbled, placing a small kiss to the top of the boxer's head. "He'll be home tomorrow."

Chris had been gone longer and longer in recent months. You had returned from Vegas in silence, before, once again, everything was back to false normality. What Anthony had said to you still stuck: he was in the profession of pretense. So you allowed him his pretense, even if it pained you at the prospect of having hurt him.

He had disappeared for a few weeks after Vegas, doing PR – this clip must've been from that junket. He returned for a day, before he had left to shoot his new film for the longest time yet: two months, and counting. Dodger was inconsolable, misery evident in the droop of his ears.

It was strange... Even while filming, Chris had never left Dodger for so long. But you supposed you'd been hired for a reason, and filming must've taken some form of toll on him. Enough to not visit his bud.

You turned your attention back to the interview that had been playing throughout your interaction with the pup and willed yourself to focus.

"–anybody you've had your eye on? Anyone new in your life?"

Chris chuckled, looking down and shuffling in his seat. The question was centered around any romance happening in his life, and by the blush that threatened to creep from his already reddening ears to across his cheeks, you knew that he had been caught.

Caught for what, exactly... The interview now had your full attention, exhaustion exiting your body to be replaced by butterflies that felt as though they were travelling through your very bloodstream.

"Oh, man," he smiled lopsidedly. "Where do I even begin?"

He was trying to avoid the question really, and honestly, you understood why. The rumours that would be spread, you could already see the tabloid headlines the next day. You had to remind yourself that this was an old interview.

"Well, according to our producers, the female viewership on the show skyrockets by 48% everytime you're on, so you need to give me something here. Before they come at me with pitchforks," Fallon laughed.

"Well, there is one. We're close, practically living together, but... I don't know. I don't want to risk it, in case, you know... It ruins things. And that's what she's scared of, which I understand. I just hope she gives it a chance. Fingers crossed."

There was a collective "awww" from the audience and the interview very quickly moved on to publicity for his most recent film, but the blood that was suddenly rushing in your ears drowned it out.

Your breath stuttered, your heart hammered in your chest. Your cheeks ached from the smile that seemed to be stuck there, the moment he had told Fallon.

Some part of you scolded you for thinking that Chris was speaking of you, but it was just too coincidental. What he had said, it applied, right? It was applicable to your situation. Directly. There was room for error, but that was practically minuscule. Dodger shifted in his sleep, almost to punctuate your point.

All rational thought of your previous fears disintegrated with that near absolute admission of his feelings.

You tapped on the icon for messages, and typed out a quick response to your friend so she'd know you'd checked it out. It was a non-committal response, neither denying nor fully accepting what she was implying.

On a whim, you checked the text chain you had with Chris. It wasn't a particularly thrilling text chain, very short and quick replies from when he had a free moment on set, interlaced with heart meltingly adorable pics you managed to grab of Dodger. But upon a quick scroll back, one message caught your eye, dating back a week. One that you hadn't thought much of when you first received it, but that now held so much more meaning.

We wrap in a week, I have something to tell you when I get back

You had expected it to be another film role he'd been going for, or maybe a new Broadway show.

You'd let yourself dream, but never let yourself hope. There was too much at stake. First and foremost, he was your friend, and you'd do anything to not ruin it. Anything but kiss him.

But that night, you dreamed.

And that morning, you hoped.

Maybe that's what had you finding out his flight details from his agent, promising a non-life threatening surprise (he had heard about the incident with the baseball bat, and was more than relieved to hear that you were taking initiative in actively not breaking his client's face – as he reiterated a thousand times over "his face pays the rent! HIS FACE IS WORTH YOUR HOUSE!"), and maybe that's what had you stood there, stomach twisted in knots as you waited.

And then you saw him.

And you were simultaneously utterly calm yet filled with butterflies – a refreshing change from the dull ache you had come to grow accustomed to when looking at him.

What you did next surprised even you.

Breaking free from the rest of the eagerly waiting crowd, you sprinted to him and flung yourself into his arms. They wrapped around you, almost as if he was expecting it, expecting you. He lifted you up and spun you around, his laughter vibrating through his whole body and working its way into yours. Your legs wrapped around his waist as you clung to him, and he chuckled breathlessly in surprise.

"Hey, you," he smiled softly down at you when he'd set you on your feet.

"Hey yourself."

And then you noticed her. You had been so happy to see him, that you didn't see her at first. But now you did. You noticed the woman next to him – the one with her own suitcase, the one watching your display of affection with amusement, the one with a beautiful (in every sense of the word) smile etched on her perfect features.

"{Your name}, this is Lily." Chris slung an affectionate arm over Lily's shoulder, pulling her slightly closer to him. He was still smiling from your surprise greeting, but when he looked at her, the smile shifted into something else. Something more. Something that crushed the hope from your lungs. "My girlfriend."

He had said it himself, that night at Vulpecula: you can't compete where you don't compare, and the fact of the matter was, you simply could not begin to compare to a girlfriend. Particularly one such as Lily.

Pretending to be overwhelmingly happy came easy, if not a little forced, and maybe if they weren't so lovesick, they would have have noticed just how pathetic your attempt was. But they didn't notice, and so you threw your arms around Lily in an excited hug. We are in the profession of pretence, after all. "So lovely to meet you!"

You almost kicked yourself. It sounded nothing like you, your voice strained and pitched a little too high. Red flushed your cheeks, but they didn't notice.

"Lily, this is {your name}. My roommate."

Roommate. Ouch. Pretending it didn't hurt when he called you roommate, not even friend, came a little harder. Chris was the actor in your friendship, it was clear enough to see now.

"Welcome to our home," you managed to get out, voice still strangled. You quickly corrected yourself: "His home. His home that I live in when he's not home."

In an effort to busy yourself and extricate yourself from the growing one-sided awkwardness of the situation, you helped Lily with her bags, leading the couple to where the car was parked.

They regaled you along the way with how they met – living together in the same hotel, meeting in the bar downstairs one night, the park dates they took.

When you asked when, the answer had your hands clenching half moons into your palms, a wave of nausea crashing over you like an icy ocean wave. Two months. Two months, and suddenly, that interview made sense.

The entire drive home, you thanked your lucky stars that you hadn't done something stupid.

Something so incredibly stupid, like hoped.

[dilly-oh]

Three Strikes

    “Listen up, team,” Captain Yamato says, his face deathly serious, “we are going to murder these guys. They are going to be sent home in body-bags. They’re the enemy, and we’re gonna slaughter them.”

    Kakashi glances over at the other team. They look like a bunch of sweaty highschool kids, same as them, though their baseball uniforms look like they’ve seen better days. Or months. Two messy brown-haired boys are passing around a joint, a douchey-looking kid with silver hair is blatantly screwing around on his phone, and another is straight up sleeping on the bench. Their Captain is facing them, hands on his hips as he tries to rouse his teammates, ponytail bouncing at the effort. It seems a lost cause, just like their chances of winning.

    “Even their parents aren’t going to be able to identify their remains.”

    Yamato’s doing that thing again where he gets too serious and starts creeping everyone out. Kakashi looks over at Coach Minato to see if he’s going to put a stop to this, but he’s too busy giggling and sexting his wife to notice. As usual.

    “Kakashi, we’re counting on your pitches to really massacre them, got it?” Yamato fixes him with that soul-killing stare, all blank and dead-eyed.

    “Mmm,” Kakashi hums noncommittally, his lower face hidden behind his catcher’s mitt. He finds the smell comforting. Also, Asuma is sitting next to him, and reeks of a nauseating combination of B.O., cigarette smoke and Kurenai’s perfume. As if they’re fooling anyone by claiming to be ‘just friends’. 

    “Can we hurry this up?” Genma cuts in, snapping his gum. “I have a hot date in, like, two hours.” 

    “I’m sitting right here,” Raido states. “You’re so fucking embarrassing.”

    “Love you too, babe.”

    “Where the hell is Gai?” Asuma asks, glancing around.

    “He ate too many protein bars again. He’s in the can.”

    Kakashi can’t wait for this to be over so he can go home and chill with the dogs. All eight of them. He makes a mental reminder to pick up some more Milkbones on the way home. 

    The thing is, Kakashi is damn good at baseball, even though he loathes it. He’d drop it in a heartbeat and spend all his free time playing CoD, except his father insists he play a sport to ‘round out his resume’. As if his straight A’s since Kindergarten and 160 IQ wasn’t enough. Kakashi’s pitches are precise, powerful, and virtually unstoppable. The ball almost seems to move as if he controls it himself. He strikes everyone out with 99.9% accuracy, able to analyze an opponent in a single glance and determine their weaknesses. It’s the reason their team has made it so far, despite his teammate’s determined efforts to goof off. 

    The two coaches finally get their shit together and shake hands (the other coach is an elderly man who winks at Asuma for some reason, who groans). The game begins, and Kakashi takes his place on the pitcher’s mound, rolling the ball soothingly around in his hand. The other team’s Captain is up first. After adjusting his ponytail under his helmet, he walks to the plate, taps the ground with his bat, and looks up at Kakashi just as he winds up to throw.

    He’s a nerdy looking kid with gangly arms, a scar over the bridge of his nose, and a determined scowl on his face. 

    He’s the most gorgeous thing Kakashi’s ever seen. 

    The ball slips off his fingers, goes spinning off in a corkscrew, and clocks a drink right out of a bystander’s hand. Soda sprays everywhere, thoroughly coating a good portion of the meager crowd. 

    “Foul!” the umpire cries. The boy blinks in surprise, then squares up again, bat waving tauntingly. Kakashi gets another ball and winds up.

    This time his ball hits a car in the parking lot, the burglar alarm wailing away. The car’s owner wails even louder.

    “Foul!” 

    Kakashi throws another foul. And another. 

    “Ball!”

    The boy walks. He glances at Kakashi as he trots by him, confused. Kakashi keeps his eyes on the ground, cursing inwardly.

    This will not happen again.

    It happens again.

    And again.

    And again. 

    It’s not so bad when the boy’s on second base, because then he’s directly behind Kakashi and out of his line of sight. But when he’s on first or third, he can see him out of the corner of his eye, and his gaze is naturally drawn to him, concentration wavering. It’s even worse when he’s on the bench, because then Kakashi can see him in his natural state, smiling and chatting amicably with his teammates. 

    But nothing compares to when he’s up to the plate, standing ready for the pitch. The intensity of those deep brown eyes is staggering, making his legs weak. He walks each time, Kakashi’s near-perfect pitches always spinning out of control and destroying something of value. He’s just glad he’s hit mostly inanimate objects and not people. 

    After several innings of this, Captain Yamato has had enough, and he calls a time-out, dragging Kakashi to the side of the dugout for a polite chat. 

    “Kakashi, the fuck is going on? You’re throwing the damn game! Literally!”

    “I’m sorry,” Kakashi mumbles, miserable. “I...I don’t know-”

    “Are you feeling alright?” Captain Minato has decided to finally do his job and actually act like a Coach, walking over to join them.

    “M’fine.” Kakashi shakes his head, hiding his face behind his glove. “It’s just...I keep getting...distracted.” Yamato sputters indignantly, but Minato’s studying him, a thoughtful look on his face. He glances over at the other team, and Kakashi’s traitorous eyes follow, latching onto the boy, who is busy scolding his teammates again, cheeks flushed with frustration. Kakashi’s ears start to burn. Minato chuckles and he hurriedly snaps his gaze back.

   “...I think I see what the problem is.” He pats Kakashi’s shoulder with a knowing grin. “Listen, Kakashi...why don’t you sit this one out? Just...relax and enjoy the view.”

    It feels like Kakashi’s ears are going to burn down to nubs.

    “What?! He can’t sit out, we need him! How else are we going to bathe in their blood?”

    “Bathe in their- what? Christ, Yamato, it’s just a game. Calm down. Are we going to have to have another talk?”

    Kakashi drags his feet back to the bench and plonks himself down. The others glance over at him in concern. 

    “What’s up, Kakashi?” Genma asks. “Constipated?”

    “Gai, give him some of your protein bars.” Raido elbows the other boy in the gut, who groans. 

    Nevermind, they’re just idiots. Kakashi cowers behind his mitt in shame. 

    The game continues, and his teammates manage to do remarkably well without him. Gai makes a surprisingly good substitute pitcher, although he screams “Dynamic Pitch!!” every time he throws the ball until Coach Minato tells him to cut it out. Asuma is jacked enough that he can hit a home-run every time he connects, and Kakashi is pretty sure the other team is terrified of Yamato and his intimidating stare. The game makes a quick turnaround, and in the blink of an eye, they’ve won. He’s been staring nonstop at the boy, too, so that might have something to do with the quick win. 

    Everyone cheers and high-fives while Kakashi quickly grabs his stuff, shoves it in his duffle, and scuttles off towards the bus. Coach Minato is suddenly next to him, blocking his way. 

    “Why don’t you go say hi?” he suggests, nodding his head at the other team.

    Kakashi can’t think of anything more horrible.

    “This was an away game,” Minato reminds him. “You might never see him again.”

    ...Dammit. 

    Dropping his bag in the dirt, Kakashi forces himself to turn around and walk robotically towards the boy, who is just wrapping up a speech to his teammates about how they’re still winners for doing their best, but no-one’s really listening. He turns away from them, shaking his head in exasperation, and blinks in surprise as Kakashi stops in front of him. He’s even cuter up close. Kakashi keeps his eyes on the ground to keep from being blinded. 

    “...Hi.”

    “Uh. Hey.” The boy regards him warily. “You alright out there? The Coach made you sit down.”

    “Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” Kakashi pauses long enough for the silence to turn painfully awkward. “I’m Kakashi, by the way.” 

    “Iruka.” God, even his name is cute. Kakashi scrambles to think of something to talk about. 

    “So, um. Do you...like baseball?”

    “Not really, no,” Iruka answers. “I’d rather be home playing CoD, to tell the truth.”

    “Oh my God, me too,” Kakashi slumps over, awash with relief. “Have you seen the latest updates? They have a new map that-”

    The next five minutes are incomprehensible gibberish to everyone but them as they debate the best maps, guns, and loadouts.

    “Iruka, let’s go!” a voice calls impatiently from the parking lot. 

    “Yeah, yeah, just a minute,” he calls back, waving at his teammates. Kakashi’s stomach tightens. 

    This is it. His last chance. 

    “Hey, uh...” He takes a deep breath. “You wanna...hang out sometime?” 

    Iruka stares back at him blankly. 

    “I live, like, twenty miles away from you.”

    “Oh.” Kakashi blinks. “Right. Sorry.” He feels like a complete idiot. Here he was, thinking he actually had a chance-

    “Here’s my phone number. Message me so I can friend you and we’ll play later.”

    ...Then again, maybe he did.

    They exchange numbers, Kakashi happily adding a dolphin emoji after Iruka’s name. 

    “So is this a friend thing, or a boyfriend thing?” Iruka asks, blunt as can be. Kakashi just gapes at him, wide-eyed in horror. His face feels like it’s on fire, and he desperately wishes he’d brought his glove to hide behind.

    “...Only...if you want it to be,” he croaks out. Iruka stares at him a beat longer, then breaks out into a blinding grin. 

    “Yeah, sure, why not. You were pretty cute out there, spazzing out every time I was up to bat. I’m surprised you didn’t hit a bird.”

    Oh my God. He knew. Oh my GOD. 

    “I have to warn you, though...” Iruka went on, grinning cheekily, “three strikes, and you’re out.”

    Kakashi has never been more in love.

(Written for @kakairu-fest, Week 1 Prompt: Summer Sports)

[noona-clock]

The Engineer - Part 5

Genre: Engineer!AU

Pairing: Chanwoo x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: None

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Words: 2,312

Thankfully -- and a bit surprisingly -- you received a text from Chanwoo the day after your date/not-date/hangout/whatever it was, and it really didn’t seem like he had noticed you being awkward at the very end. He simply asked how your day was going and if your air conditioner was still working.

You smiled to yourself, and from there, things between you were normal. He didn’t bring up the word ‘date,’ and you didn’t bring up how weird you’d been. The two of you just had a pleasant and entertaining text conversation!

In fact, the two of you had quite a few pleasant and entertaining text -- and phone -- conversations over the next week. Since he was busy doing mechanical engineering stuff all day, he would respond to you here and there until he got in his car to drive home late in the evening -- and that’s when the real talk began. He would call you as he drove, and you would put him on speakerphone as you lazed on the couch.

What started out as everyday small talk (”How was your day? How was work? Did you eat?”) turned into discussions about random conspiracies and existential speculations. For a guy who said his main hobbies were baseball and video games, he sure had a lot of deep thoughts.

Speaking of baseball -- the two of you hadn’t just spoken over the phone. One weekday when Chanwoo, apparently, hadn’t had to work, he invited you to the park where you’d first met as he was already there playing baseball.

Of course, the thought that maybe he meant this to be another date was brewing in the back of your mind... but once you got there, the atmosphere between you and Chanwoo was so relaxed, your anxieties almost instantly melted away. The talks you’d had together over the past week or so had done wonders for your relationship -- friendship -- I mean -- well, you know what I mean. Your friend relationship!

Spending time at the park was turning out to be a weekly thing, actually. Chanwoo had texted you about half an hour ago, and you were now walking to the park to meet him for the fourth week in a row.

And it had now been long enough that you were certain there was no romantic intent on his part. The two of you had gone to eat lunch and dinner together several times, but he had never tried to hold your hand or kiss you or anything. He never used heart emojis, and even though he did compliment you a lot, it wasn’t anything that made you wonder if maybe he had feelings for you.

He was such a great guy, though! He was super sweet, but he also had a savage streak that made you laugh. He was thoughtful, smart, genuine, and he was never late.

And let’s not forget about those dimples. He still had those, and they still made your heart skip a beat when he smiled or laughed.

As you walked, the park just up ahead, an idea popped into your brain... You weren’t sure if it was a good idea, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad idea. It was... an idea you would simply try out and see what happened.

You picked up the pace, knowing Chanwoo was already there waiting for you -- because he had been every other time, and you were coming to understand just how reliable this guy was.

More reliable than your air conditioning system, at least.

When you spotted him in one of the empty baseball fields, a grin came to your lips. You watched as he gently threw a ball up into the air then quickly got into hitting position with his bat, waiting for the ball to come back down. When the ball reached just the right spot in front of him, he swung his bat and you heard the telltale crack of a successful hit. The ball went sailing over the pitcher’s mound and into the outfield.

He’d done this before, and sometimes you stood out there collecting all of the baseballs -- most of the time, you sat in the front row of the bleachers and talked to him. Today, you went to the front row of the bleachers and sat down so you could talk to him.

“That was a good hit,” you said once you were close enough to him. “...Right?”

You still weren’t that well-versed in his favorite sport, but hitting it all that way had to be good!

“Yeah, I like to think so,” Chanwoo chuckled, looking over his shoulder and shooting you a grin. “How are you?”

You let out a sigh as you plopped onto the metal bleacher and said, “I’m glad for a break.”

Chanwoo’s brow furrowed softly, and a frown tugged at his lips. “Work?”

You simply nodded, letting out a positive hum in response to his question. For some reason, work had been more busy and stressful than usual, so spending your lunch hour at the park was just what you needed.

“How’s work for you?” you asked, clutching the edge of the bleacher as you watched him bend down to grab another baseball. “Have you found any other bugs yet?”

“No, not yet,” he laughed before going through his little ‘throw the ball up, wait for it, then swing’ routine.

“So, I really am just that special,” you stated. “The bugs only like my air conditioning system.”

“Well, yeah, you are pretty special,” Chanwoo murmured, and when you lifted your gaze to look at him, you saw he was still watching the baseball he’d just hit.

Hmm... That had been an interesting remark. And the tone of his voice... the fact he hadn’t been looking at you when he’d said it... and he still wasn’t looking at you now...

Before you knew it, you found yourself blurting out, “Hey, so, I was thinking -- I know someone I think you would really like, and I want to set you up with her.”

This was, indeed, the idea you’d had while walking to the park, and the fact that Chanwoo may (or may not) have just said something a little more than friendly to you made now seem like a good time to bring it up.

Chanwoo had been reaching for another baseball on the ground, but your words made him pause. His forehead wrinkled with confusion, and he turned just his head to look at you.

“You what?”

“My younger cousin,” you continued, raising your eyebrows. “She’s super fun and sweet, and she just broke up with someone a couple of months ago, so she’s single. I think you would really like her.”

As Chanwoo stood up, taking a couple of steps toward you, you slid your phone out of your back pocket and began to navigate to your photos.

“I -- I don’t --” he stammered.

“Here,” you interrupted, turning your phone around to show him a selfie the two of you had taken at the last family holiday. “She’s really, like, bubbly and cute. That kind of girl. And I think she graduated... a year after you?”

Chanwoo glanced at your phone briefly before turning his gaze back to you. “You... want to set me up?”

“Yeah!” you grinned. “I mean, I haven’t mentioned it to her yet, but she loves meeting new people, so I highly doubt she’ll say ‘no.’”

The more you thought about it, the more genius you thought your idea was. If they did end up dating, you would get to see Chanwoo at all your family gatherings!

You just... could never, ever tell your cousin how you felt about his dimples. Or that you might have gone on a maybe date with him once, though you still weren’t really sure.

“Uh... I --” Chanwoo’s cheeks had suddenly gone very pink, and he turned back around to head to home plate. “I’ll think about it. Get back to you.”

“Okay, sure,” you replied before putting your phone back in your pocket.

But then Chanwoo got out his phone, looked at it with a frown, and then said, “Actually, I just got a message from work, so... I gotta go.”

You frowned right along with him. “...Oh. Well... okay, I’ll see you --”

“Bye,” he interjected, resting his bat on his shoulder and grabbing the bag he brought with him. “Could you go get all the balls I hit into the outfield? Thanks!”

He was practically halfway to the parking lot already, so you could do nothing but call out an ‘Okay!’ after him.

Slightly trudging your feet, you headed to the outfield, picking up as many of the baseballs as you could and dropping them in a wire basket by the dugout. You then headed off of the field and toward the walking path, figuring you might as well get some more exercise in since you were here.

But something about this didn’t sit right with you.

Chanwoo wasn’t one to just leave suddenly like that, and as far as you knew, his company never scheduled emergency appointments...

So, what else could you do?

You took out your phone and called Miles.

Thankfully, he answered after one ring with a “Hello, my love.”

“Hey,” you frowned. “Are you busy?”

“Not at the mo’... What’s going on?”

“I... have a guy-related question.”

“Ooh,” Miles trilled. “I hope it’s about that younger guy. You haven’t told me anything about him since that night, and I almost blocked you on Instagram for it.”

“Oh, be quiet,” you chuckled, your lips tugging up into a smirk. “I mean, it kind of is. But we’re just friends. I was just hanging out with him at the park, and I offered to set him up with my cousin --”

“The loud one?”

“She’s not loud! She’s energetic,” you retorted.

“...Uh huh.”

“Anyway. He got kind of... weird after I brought it up, and then he had to leave suddenly for work, so...”

Miles didn’t even let you finish leaving your sentence hanging.

“Uh, he likes you,” he declared with the utmost confidence but also in that tone that clearly says ‘Are you an idiot?’

“Wha --! Miles, he does not,” you argued. “We’ve been hanging out for, like, a month and he hasn’t tried anything! Hasn’t said anything!”

“...Have you tried or said anything?”

For some inexplicable reason, you shifted your eyes all around you, as if Miles was standing in front of you and you were trying to avoid his gaze.

“Have you?” he repeated.

“...No,” you finally answered.

“So, maybe he’s too scared that you don’t like him back, so that’s why he hasn’t tried or said anything. Or maybe he has tried or said things, and you just haven’t noticed.”

“No, I --”

“Either way, he definitely likes you.”

You were still skeptical, even though Miles turned out to be right (especially about relationships) 9.8 times out of 10.

“How could you possibly know that? You’ve never met him --”

“But, girl, if you want to introduce me, I’ll get Tristan to make spaghetti for him.”

“-- And you’ve never, like, been around us together. There’s no way you could know if he likes me or not!”

Miles let out a sigh, and you could so clearly see him closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “You say you offered to set him up, yes?”

“Yes.”

“And he said he...”

“Would think about it and get back to me.”

“That’s sign number one. Your cousin is basically gorgeous -- not more gorgeous than you, of course --”

You beamed. Miles, even when he was being an annoying know-it-all, really was the best friend you could ever ask for.

“So, if he didn’t say ‘yes’ right away, he’s either playing for my team or he’s interested in someone else. Then what happened?”

“Well,” you sighed. “Then he started to go back to playing baseball, but he took his phone out and said he had to go do some work thing, and then he left.”

“How did he leave?”

Your brow knit together instantly. “What do you mean how did he leave?”

“Was he rushing?”

“...Yeah. I barely even got to say goodbye.”

“Okay, listen very closely, my dearest friend,” Miles began. “You agree with my number one, right? The fact that he didn’t say ‘yes’ immediately to meeting your cousin probably means he’s not interested in some way or another.”

It made sense, and even though you knew Chanwoo was pretty shy, you felt like he trusted you enough by now to know you wouldn’t be pulling some scheme or something.

“Yes, I think I can agree with that,” you nodded.

“So, think about this: if a guy you liked offered to set you up with his cousin, would you want to keep hanging out with him?”

...Oh, great. Sometimes, you really hated it when Miles made such valid points.

“...No,” you answered.

“Then don’t you think it’s a very reasonable conclusion that Chanwoo likes you?”

“...Maybe.”

“I rest my case.”

You simply huffed, not wanting (just yet) to admit he was probably right.

And then Miles asked the question you knew he was going to ask but was really hoping he wouldn’t.

“Do you like him?”

You almost whined because you did not want to answer that. But Miles would definitely bug you about it until you did, so you bit the bullet and said, “I think he’s a great guy, and his dimples make my heart flutter, but I don’t know.”

You could hear Miles open his mouth to say something... but he didn’t.

That wasn’t good. Miles? Not saying what was on his mind?

“What?” you asked -- though, you really more demanded.

“Nothing, I just -- Let me just ask one more question, and then I’ll let you go.”

“...Okay,” you answered warily.

“Do you ever still think about the age difference?”

Oh, shit.

Well.

He had you there.

“Point taken,” you said.

After Miles hung up, you put your phone back in your pocket and allowed yourself some time to think as you finished your walk.

Because you sure had a lot to think about.

Part 6

[enderspawn]

🎼 (I can’t find the correct emoji lol) exile arc tommy?

Oh boy! (opens up breakdown playlist) /hj

Montreal – Penelope Scott

Sleep with a Baseball Bat – Cosmic Johnny

Brother – Gerard Way

breakdown under cut, tw for suicidal ideation on the first song esp

1.       Montreal – heehee hoohoo suicidal/depression thoughts baby!!

I mean in short this is tommy saying he wont Survive exile. The intro of the song lists when the singer would be home from college/school and that “another 90 day summers gonna take [their] fucking life” which is rlly just. Tommy not gonna live THAT long in exile.

“And I would rather die And let me make it clear It's nobody's fault But I think we all know That I won't make it to Montreal”

So the thing here is that its “nobody’s fault” bc on one hand it is that he doesn’t blame tubbo but worse he doesn’t blame DREAM. Its just meant to happen, its not bc of anybody, yknow?

“And I would rather die I'll jump before I'll fall And I'm having lots of fun But I won't make it Montreal”

Mans tried to jump to his death before he “fell” whether bc of dream or an accident, hes makin the active CHOICE to end it rather than just waiting. Even w the fun he’s having w dream, he’s miserable and he knows he wont make it to see lmanberg again

“You like to talk about the future As if it's real And when you tell me that you love me I can almost feel it”

Dream keeps promising him stuff for the future. Maybe he can visit to see the tree, maybe he can get another visit, maybe he wont be alone. But tommy doesn’t care, its all fake to him (which like, it is so good for him but fjkdlsjf)

“It's not that it's a bad plan No, the plan fucking slapped I was so excited you don't know how bad I wanted all of it The coffee shop, the weather, the apartment But I don't want anything anymore I don't know, I guess I just got bored”

Okay so. Tommy kept trying to get shit together to leave, right? He wanted to go back so bad and have this domestic life w his friends but in the end he just got so downtrodden that after his shit got blown up he was so ready to just GIVE UP.

“And I don't wanna die I don't wanna get left behind But it's better half than none I hope to god you have some fun”

He doesn’t want to be in this situation, he still CARES abt the lmanberg crew but in the end hes been told that they’re happy WIHTOUT him. He’s not angry at them, not anymore, he just wants them to be happy bc he isn’t.

2.       Sleep with a Baseball Bat – tommy and dream relationship baby!!

“And every time you wake up Thinking this could be the day Well something, something just”

Every day in exile he had no real plans. He just had to exist out there alone and hope someone else came. This IS the day he can do…. Something. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t have a goal.

“And when your love is an anxiety attack Don’t settle for that, don’t settle for that And when you wake and find the claw marks in your back Sleep with a baseball bat, sleep with a baseball bat”

Hes been manipulated into thinkin dream is his friend, that dream “loves” him but it makes him miserable! Hes paranoid and stressed and falling apart!! Boy!!! Fjdsklfj

“Siena says you’re getting used But something’s broken in your head And you can’t run away when you need to”

The other ppl who visited him, like ranboo, KNEW something was happening and that he was in a bad place but tommy had been manipulated by dream so much that he couldn’t process it. No, dream couldn’t be bad, dream was his friend, right? He couldn’t leave exile, dream would be upset. Its all what DREAM wants, not tommy.

“Hey, space cadet Are you still floating round the rock That you spent so much of your life trying to get away from? And does it at least look different from up there?”

OKAY SO ONE. SPACE CADET? THAT’S CLARA BABY!! TWO: he spent ALL his time on this server fucking fighting dream, trying to “get away from” him. But now hes stuck “floating around” with him as his “friend”. The last line feels sarcastic and bitter but like. FUCK it hits, yknow??

“It might take a couple tries till you believe it But love is real, you’ll figure it out, you’ll live to see it But you still have to take a couple of falls And you can’t make an omelet without breaking your balls So batter up Is your bed made? Is your helmet on?”

HAPPY ENDING POG!! HE STARTS HEALING!!!! HE STARTS REALIZING DREAM WASN’T HIS FRIEND!!! He still “falls” and relapses into wanting dream w him but hes so much better!!! Also,,,,, “is your helmet on” w the turtle shell helmet (eyes emoji)

3.       Brother – IF TECHNO AND TOMMY NOT BROTHERS WHY THIS SON—(gunshot rings out)

Okay so on a serious note this song is abt addiction and while I don’t want to take away from that Serious Topic, it Does relate but w tommy dealing w his ptsd of dream

“And brother, if you have the chance to pick me up And can I sleep on your couch To the pound of the ache and pain? Oh, in my head 'Cause I'm awake all night long To the drums of the city rain”

Hhrhnrng staying at technos place to hide from dream and get better a lil JFKDLSJK. Also “the drums of the city rain” is referenced a LOT in this song but like. It keeps him up so,,,,,, dream JFKDLSJF. Mans barely ever slept in exile so it WORKS okay jfkdlsjf

“The lights we chase The nights we steal The things that we take to make us feel this (To the drums of the city rain)”

This is him and techno livin together!! Like in the first chorus you could see lights we chase being tommy finding techno’s place, then later it’s the lights of lmanberg as they sneak in. the nights they steal is both just time spent together and also straight up the times they stole shit JFKDSLJ. “the things that we take to make us feel” is the gapples tommy always eats so that he can feel safe (also, bc in the og song this is PROBABLY abt drugs and potions are drugs in universe so. Arguably getting a potion effect from the apple means it is Also Drugs? Fjdkslfj)

“I can't go back I don't think I will I won't sleep tonight as long as I still Hear the drums of the city rain”

Go back to logstedshire or lmanberg you ask?? The answer is yes. Both. He feels like he doesn’t belong in lmanberg and logstedshire is too traumatizing for him to return at this point. As long as he “hears the drums of the city rain”, or is thinking of dream, he Cant Sleep:tm:

“Does anyone have the guts to shut me up? 'Cause I believe that every night There's a chance we can walk away So hold on tight Because I won't wait too long In the drums of the beating rain”

Okay so hear me out but. This is just tommy and dream. “I believe that every night theres a chance we can walk away” is tommy hoping desperately for dream to let him go home, to walk away from logstedshire. He never will be permitted, not really, but theres a chance that tommy clings to. He wont “wait too long” while out in exile and stuck w dream bc hes desperate and miserable (also fun fact these analysis is basically me just pmv’ing shit in my head and rambling vaguely abt it but like. Listen,,,, flashback verse jfkdsljf) ALSO. The line “does anyone have the guts to shut me up” in relation to exile!tommy is just VERY important to me. Mans was so quiet and afraid to speak up when in exile.

“'Cause the nights don't last And we leave alone Will you drive me back? Can you take me home? (To the drums of the city rain)”

Following up that last paragraph, this is still in flashback. The days end and dream leaves again, making tommy alone. He asks if he can go back, if he can see home and lmanberg and everyone. But echoing the “to the drums of the city rain” after home CAN imply that “home” has become logstedshire WITH DREAM even tho it keeps him up and aaAAAAAHHHH

I swear this ends up okay and techno + tommy focused fjkdsljf

“Faces I don't know I am tired in the glow”

He feels isolated from everyone during his exile and lashes out at those who visit, to the point he feels like they’re all more or less strangers and “faces he doesn’t know”. Being tired in the glow is, imo, him over the lava.

“Of the freezing club Keep me breathing Don't make the lights come back Can you take me home? We all need this When we leave alone”

Hhhngg okay so tommy breakdown time! Hes in techno’s house (the freezing club) and is just pleading for techno to help. Don’t let “the lights come back” (lava again maybe? He doesn’t want to be Like This?) and just wants to feel like hes at home because hes just left exile and hes Messed Up Over It

“Remember when you and I would make things up? So many nights, just take me down To the place we can hear them play I miss that sound 'Cause now we don't sing so loud To the drums of the city rain”

OKAY SO THEY MAY NOT BE CANON FAMILY BUT WILBUR REMEMBERS SPARRING W TECHNO AS A KID AND PHIL IS HIS CLOSE FRIEND SO THEY STILL KNEW EACH OTHER AS KIDS SO SHUSH FJSDKL. Tommy just wants things to go back to how they were, before everything. When things were easy and they were kids just having fun. He misses it. Before exile, before lmanberg, before dream. But it doesn’t matter, because they’re stuck in this now. With his brother dead and his closest friend being the man who killed his best friend and helped blow up his country. Again, the drums of the city rain is dream. Because of his influence, its all different.

Hhhngngngn this is too long so I wont go into the last outro bc you can interpret it a LOT of ways, esp depending on how you want to Pace this song w the exile arc. But like. The analysis is THERE if you really wanna push it/animatic it babeyyy

[alitaimagines]

“under the lights tonight, you turned around and you stole my heart with just one look when I saw your face, I fell in love, took a minute girl to steal my heart. with just one look, I waited for a girl like you.”

MIMA SOUICHIROU ☆ ACE OF DIAMOND

       ☆ note: god, the fucking BNHA manga right now is killing me. i can’t deal with this shit so please enjoy this fluff bc I’m dying inside. I know my DnA imagines don’t do well on here but I love these kids so much. 

       ☆ previous imagine: ♡ ☆ masterlist: ♡

“oh god, I’m going to pass out,” you exclaimed as your back hit the ground with a large thud, “I don’t think I could run anymore,” you practically screamed onto the field. 

Midori shook her head at your dramatics, “you lead the track team. how are you so tired when you have the best record out of all of us,” she asked as you gave her the finger.

“I don’t know but please drag me back inside of the school. I think I might pass out,” you murmured making Midori roll her eyes again, “I’m serious. I think if I get up, I’ll end up on the floor,” you admitted. 

Midori tapped you on the shoulder making you groan, “get up, coach is behind us!” she gritted through her teeth. you instantly turned around to see your coach looking at you in confusion. 

“sorry coach! I’m just really tired,” you confessed making him wave you off, “please follow me,” was all he told you as Midori pushed you up to make you follow him.

you trudged behind him with a million questions running through your head. you knew you weren’t in trouble but the thought of getting in trouble for something you had no idea about was what caused your nerves to bubble up. 

the two of you entered his office when you saw that his son was sitting inside. you waved at him as he returned you a wave before looking at his father with the same confusion. 

“Hakuryuu is going to be taking promotional photos for the up coming sports season and the two of you were chosen to not only represent the Genma prefecture but Hakuryuu as well.”

you looked to Mima who was just as surprised as you were. 

“promotional photos like as in professional photos around the school or all over the city?” you asked. your coach chuckled, “all over the prefecture. you’re our top athletes with promising careers in your respective sports. although it’s not mandatory, universities and other teams could get in contact with both of you due to the exposure.”

Mima murmured a yes as they both looked at you for your answer. 

you were a bit taken back by the news. you knew you were pretty decent at your sport but you had never thought it would cause you to get so popular. the thought of your face being plastered all over the city and the prefecture made you feel some type of way. 

“I’ll accept the offer,” you finally responded making your coach nod, “great. the photographer wants you ready by eight tomorrow morning in uniform. the two of you have been excused for the day and for practice for the photos and interviews they want to give you.” 

you nodded before wondering why would this take all day. if it was just a couple of photos and a small interview, you couldn’t figure out why it would excuse you the entire day. 

“so, are you excited about tomorrow?” you asked Mima as the two of you walked out. he shrugged, “I guess. it’s great exposure for Hakuryuu but I don’t know how I feel seeing my face everywhere,” he replied.

you laughed before agreeing, “same but I guess it’s a way to show off our skills to future scouts. I mean, we graduate this year so I can see why,” you said before seeing Midori wait for you at the end of the hall, “see you tomorrow?” you mentioned before running towards your friend. 

Mima knew exactly of who you were. you were his fathers other prodigy. he knew of your insanely quick legs and if he was being brutally honest, he had thought of ways to get you to play for the baseball team. he knew that could never be a possibilities but with your fast running record, you could be deadly. 

you were also in the same class as him. the two of you weren’t close but there would be times when you got paired up with him. due to both of your practices, the teacher would work around the schedules to make sure none of you failed. 

“wait,” Mima stated as he grabbed your shoulder and pulling it back slightly, “what’s up?” you asked making Midori stare at the two of you before slowly walking away. 

he remained silent for a bit too long making you concerned, “do you have LINE?” he asked a you nodded yes, “or could I have your number?” he asked again but a bit more shyly.

you laughed before taking your phone out, “I don’t have LINE but you could have my number!” you said as Mima grabbed his phone and quickly typed in his number, “just in case I need it for tomorrow,” he murmured as you typed your number in his phone. 

Mima looked down to see your name with a heart emoji next to it. for some reason, Mima liked seeing your name with a heart next to it. he didn’t know why but he did. 

“well, see ya! we have to be up early,” you complained. Mima stayed quiet, “could I walk you to your dorm? it’s pretty late and I wouldn’t want you walking in the dark by yourself,” he tried to say with a blush written all over his face. 

“of course, your dad isn’t going to mind that you’re late?” you asked making Mima shake his head no, “our house isn’t far from Hakuryuu, I’ll be okay,” he said.

the night was pretty quiet outside of the crickets that were making noise. 

you had never really spent time with Mima outside of the few times you paired with him in class for a project and whenever the two of you did talk, it was usually on the conversation of track or baseball. every so often, the two of you would crack a joke on his dad but for the most part, it stayed pretty civil. 

neither of you could deny it though. the two of you thought the other was cute and it was starting to become a bit more recognizable. Mima would catch himself staring at you at least a few times during class before he realized what he was doing. you would notice the few times your eyes stayed on him whenever you watched the team play and you would cheer a bit harder whenever he scored. 

“so, are you excited for your season to start?” you finally spoke up, “yeah, I think we could go to Koshien again. I could see our team facing Hokkaido again,” he responded. 

you nodded not knowing what to say. 

“do you think you’ll make it to finals again? I heard my father say that you’ve gotten a few university offers and even an invitation for the Olympic team,” he mentioned as you smiled a bit, “yeah, I did. they called me for pre-olympic tryouts at the end of my third year. they think I have a lot of potential to make the team and even win gold,” you said a bit excitedly. 

Mima smiled at your sudden enthusiasm, “that’s sounds great,” he said, “do you have any offers from any Nippon teams? I can’t imagine that you don’t at least have three,” you asked Mima. 

“I have a few but I haven’t fully thought of which team to take the offer from yet. my parents and I have to speak about it but I might I have two in mind,” he replied as he watched you stop in front of your dorm. 

“well, this is my room! I’ll see you tomorrow!” you exclaimed as you unlocked your door, “yeah, see you tomorrow,” he muttered as you waved him off before entering your dorm. 

the following morning, you were awoken by your alarm and you put on your Track uniform as you trudged your way to the office of your coach. you had no idea if Mima was there but as soon as you arrived, you saw him entering a car. 

“I’ll be driving you to your destination,” the driver said as you gave Mima a look, “my father said the photoshoot is in a building across the city,” you nodded quietly as you felt yourself starting to doze off. 

Mima laughed at how quickly you fell asleep. with the morning rush hour and the traffic, it took a bit longer to get to where the two of you were supposed to be at and soon your head at fell onto Mima’s shoulder for support. 

you hadn’t ralized you fell asleep until Mima shook your shoulder slightly, “we’re here,” he whispered as you jerked awake. you gave a big yawn before nodding, “god, I’m so tired,” you complained before taking another big gulp of your coffee.

 Mima chuckled as the two of you walked inside of the building. you were instantly dragged to another room to get your hair and makeup done as Mima was left to himself until you were done getting ready. 

“I feel like I have thirty pounds of makeup on my face,” you said as you walked out of the room. Mima was instantly struck quiet as he took in your new look. if you were already cute without makeup, the amount you had on made you look completely different but not in a bad way, “you look great. don’t worry about it,” he muttered through his flustered state. 

you tried to hide the warm feeling crawling up your face as the manager of the photoshoot instructed you to follow her. 

the two of you landed in a room with a small backdrop and instantly got told to get into various positions for a multitude of photos. Mima was up first as they gave him his bat to take a few photos with it before giving him a ball and making him pose with it. 

once Mima was finished with his set, you were called next. you did a few running positions before taking a few photos with your medals from previous competitions you had won. 

“for these next few photos, it’s going to be the two of you.”

you brought Mima over as she positioned you and Mima next to each other. a few were a regular posed photos before she handed you his bat and made you pose with it while Mima looked at you. 

the feeling in his heart swelled as he watched you take the photo with his bat. the next one was of him with one of your medals and while the photographer said she probably wouldn’t send those for finalization, the two of you were going to get raw and final copies of the photos so she decided on a few silly photos. 

“well, how about the two of you have your lunch before the interview starts?” the producer said as she handed you the pre-packed lunch they made for you. 

you and Mima sat outside under a small space with shade. the lunch wasn’t too good but considering you only had coffee for you breakfast, it was basically gourmet for you. 

“these photos are going to look so weird,” you told Mima as he agreed, “but I think they’re going to turn out great,” he responded. you gave him a look, “you think so?” you asked while Mima nodded. 

“we’re the best athletes in all of Hakuryuu, I’m sure they’re going to be fine,” he said as you took his word for it, “I’m trusting you Mima,” you joked as the two of you continued to talk until you were called in for the interview. 

both you and Mima were sat across from each other as the reporter introduced himself and started asking Mima questions about his skills as a baseball player and the pressure of being the son of a professional athlete. 

you remained quiet for most of the time before the questions got turned over to you. he asked you the same questions he asked Mima before he gave the two of you a small smile. 

“so, Mima, do you watch her Track meets and ( your name ), do you watch his baseball games?” 

Mima spurred out a nervous answer as you couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction and very poo answer. 

“well, since my coach is his dad, I do watch his games from time to time. Hakuryuu was right for picking Mima and I try to watch them as much as I can, that is if my own schedule allows it. I take a lot of pointers from Mima’s running style and admire his work ethic on the field.”

Mima was stunned by your answer as his heart swelled once again. you could tell that you made Mima flustered but didn’t want to antagonize the reporter to berate you with more personal questions and left it at that. 

once the interview was finished, the two of you were driven back to Hakuryuu. Mima was quiet for the entirety of the time as you were playing a game on your phone to kill time until you got back to campus. 

“so do you really try to watch all of my games?” Mima asked suddenly. you nodded, “I do. I love watching baseball and take a few running pointers from the team. you guys are all great, especially you,” you murmured the last part making Mima’s blush spread across his face like wildfire. 

after you answered his question, you realized you were back at Hakuryuu. the two of you thanked the driver once again before you started walking towards the dorms. 

“can I walk you back to your dorm again?” he asked, a little less shyly this time. you nodded yes as he quickly caught up to you and made the tread back to your dorm room. 

it was relatively quiet for the most part but halfway through the walk, Mima slowly grabbed your hand making your face shoot up in warmth. his hand was strong and warm as you tightened your own grasp as a way to tell Mima that you wanted it there. 

you knew Mima wasn’t a boy of many words so once you got to the front of your dorm, you weren’t expecting him to say much. you fished the keys from your bag and went to start unlocking your door before he grabbed your wrist to make you look back at him. 

he gave you a quick peck on the lips before he quickly retracted back. you were stunned silent for a moment making Mima think he completely ruined his chances with you but as soon as he went to start walking away, you grabbed his wrist this time and returned it. this time making sure to kiss him a bit longer. 

“I’ll text you tonight,” was all you said before heading inside. 

-

a few weeks passed after that day. you had been seeing Mima a few times a week after both of your practices finished. it was usually homework dates and sometimes dinner dates whenever he offered to sit in your dorm to eat with you. 

“our pictures came in,” Mima told you as he grabbed your hand to drag you to his dads office, “he wants to give us the copies and he even said there was a surprise for us.”

“what kind of surprised?” you exclaimed but as soon as you got onto the main campus, you noticed all of the promotional photos of you and Mima hanging on banners and posters hanging on poles and walls of Hakuryuu, “oh my god, Mima,” you whispered making him laugh. 

the two of you walked in to his dads office as his father laughed at both of your reactions to the photos. he handed both of you a huge packet with all the photos as he explained that your parents got sent a packet of the finalized photos as well at the school admin and the Genma sports association.

you knew it was like a ticking time bomb before you received messages from your friends about the photos and interview that was going to be released in a magazine in a few weeks. 

“god, we really exposed ourselves, didn’t we?” you joked to Mima as he grabbed your hand and the two of you made your way up to your homeroom class, “yeah but I wouldn’t have done it with anyone else,” Mima replied as he gave you a peck on the cheek making you instantly blush. 

ALITA

[ghostmartyr]

how a life can move from the darkness [11/?]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

Summary: Two drug addicts (Eren and Historia) meet in group and decide to be roommates to make their  living situation slightly less weird. From there we do the slow burn  found family dance mixed in with the struggles and agonies of recovery. Heavy on friendship feels, especially EMA. Eventual yumikuri.

Ymir was going to be part of Eren’s life. He’d known for a while he didn’t have much of a choice in that. There wasn’t anything surprising about her coming to one of Zeke’s games. The surprise would be if she kept it at one. Ymir did what she wanted unless Historia told her not to, and according to Reiner what she wanted was to see Historia in a baseball uniform.

Eren didn’t need to know that, but he was getting used to all of it. He didn’t need Historia asking him five different times if Ymir meeting Armin and Mikasa was something he was okay with. No one had to hold his hand over them anymore. He had two of his own.

ymir’s showing at the game historia’s friend

               Is this the girl from juvie

why do you know that

                               Historia was in juvie??

               She watches Rivaille for me sometimes.                It came up.

                               Why was Historia in juvie??

from when she killed her dad

                               Oh. That makes sense                                Wait, I thought that was self defense sort of

               No.

                               ????

It was all fine, and the worst thing about any of it was still that he was going to one of Zeke’s baseball games. Which wasn’t even so bad with Armin, Mikasa, and Historia all there and whole. Petra had called it a ‘sterling improvement.’ Eren didn’t remind her of all the parts left to work on. Maybe she’d call that an improvement, too.

What wasn’t fine was jolting awake at four in the morning, music Eren didn’t recognize blasting from his phone while his head hit go on lunging out of bed into his nightstand.

Ankle caught in his sheets, Eren held the box of sensory destruction in his hands for full seconds before the ability to turn it off came back to him. Blinding puffs of white clouds parted, and he could swipe the brightness down to numbing without his ears bleeding.

A jumble of words waited on his brain to catch up. Sprouting like weeds.

yo Baseball Boy u have friends coming to this thing right ur ocean instagram hot tub scale bro and catgirl

The corner of his phone agreed. It was four in the morning.

It buzzed enthusiastically in his hand, helpful emoji arrows loading to point at empty image boxes. They were quickly filled by another Eren, kneeling in wet sand and unaware that Armin was expanding the subjects of his Instagram. Five different angles popped up.

who needs this many pics of a sea urchin was he trying to get the seashell ur on top of

Eren’s fingers moved slowly.

               why are you awake

Ymir did not respond with an answer.

how many hours do photoshoots like this take

Another shot loaded under the text, and it could have been the end of the world and Eren still would have recognized the picture from his last beach trip. Mikasa, magically captured in a moment of lifting him and Armin into the air. The unfair, unexpected moment in a day of clouds and uncooperative waves. Armin hadn’t seen it coming any more than Eren had, even though it was his picture. But he was the one beaming into the camera.

Eren hadn’t wanted to go. There was a tournament to prep for. Annie had been helping him. The cut on his cheek from her toe catching his face hadn’t even had a chance to heal. Captured in that one second Mikasa had lifted them up and Armin had thought to hold on to his phone, the mark was bright and red, flexing with his open mouth of outrage.

Mikasa was smiling too. She just wasn’t looking at the phone.

The top of the photo was cut off with a buzz.

u have a face under that hair… unreal […] u’d look prettier if u smiled

Eren untangled his foot from his bedding and flumped back on his pillow with his phone in hand.

               fuck off

do u kiss ur besties with those fingers am I gonna get to watch that @ the game

Irritation didn’t offer the same warmth as his comforter, but the kindling helped take off the morning chill. Eren scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand and scowled at the screen.

               you and historia need to stop asking about that                I’m fine

A minute passed. Long enough for a yawn to dim the adrenaline.

cool

Eren waited for the rest.

He woke up with the sun shining under his blinds, his phone inside his pillowcase, no new messages from Ymir, and one unread apology text from Historia sent at five in the morning. And a baseball game to go to.

----

“You sure you don’t want to play? You have the arms for it.”

Yelena sat in the corner of the dugout. Up straight, even though her hair caught in the splinters hooked in the ceiling. Smiling, because she did that. Giving Eren an entire bench of personal space he hadn’t asked for, because she did that too.

“I’m sure,” he said, taking the batting helmets out of Zeke’s bag and jamming them in their cubbies.

Yelena was the only other person in the dugout. She started better cold. According to her.

Mikasa and Historia were warming up in the outfield, Historia looking out at the bleachers every five seconds. Colt and Zeke were next to them. Throwing like Colt didn’t mind doing nothing else a thousand times over.

One of the helmets hit the shelf instead of its slot. Eren ignored the field and shoved it back into place. Armin was planning to be on time instead of an hour early, so he wasn’t around yet.

Yelena was smiling at Eren.

He didn’t like it.

“Zeke keeps a spare uniform on hand. Your roommate would have found trouble with the fit, but your proportions are more agreeable,” Yelena said. “He’d be happy to give it to you. Playing with his brother again would mean the world and more to him.”

The helmets were cheap plastic past the padding. Eren’s hands could crack them. Easily. Take Zeke’s toys and break them to see if that would make talking to Eren about feelings and what he wanted sound any better.

He’d done that by accident as a kid. It never worked. Whether or not it would now wasn’t a thought that had even settled when a new voice found its way into the shaded dirt. “What’s big brother have against the world?”

Like a grinning gargoyle, mocking and light, Ymir appeared, settling her arms on the dugout’s roof and leaning into Eren’s personal space. His reflection blinked at him from the mirrored rainbow sunglasses perched on her forehead.

It took several seconds before the reflection’s eyes shifted enough to catch the waving figure next to her. Armin, earlier than he ever was to these, because he never got enough sleep and had to catch up somewhere, smiled awkwardly, a good chunk of his body fully accosted by Ymir.

Something heavy and warm was threading into Eren’s chest, and it made it hard to look at either of them. “Aren’t those Reiner’s?” he asked.

“Aren’t you going to say hello?”

He put away the last helmet soundlessly. “You stole his sunglasses?”

“Since my last felony went so well,” Ymir said, hopping down and crushing a sunflower seed under the pointed dress shoes she’d decided to wear to a baseball game. “You should care more that I stole Instagram boy.”

She flipped off the glasses and planted them squarely on Eren’s head, bypassing every physical and verbal protest. Armin, standing out in the sunshine and looking happier than anyone should at one of these things, quietly drew out his phone and Eren rolled his eyes compliantly before the shutter noise sounded.

Yelena interrupted the moment.

“You’re new.”

Armin’s smile stiffened. Ymir’s hands made another knot in Eren’s hair, and she passed Yelena a bored look. “Yeah,” she said, “I suppose I am. You’d be?”

“Yelena,” said Yelena. A hand stuck out by Eren’s hip and hovered there with all the earnest politeness that never felt honest coming from her. She kept at it every time anyway. “It’s a pleasure to meet another one of Eren’s friends.”

“I’ll bet,” Ymir said. “You don’t look like someone who comes by that naturally.” There was a shark in those teeth. Eren hadn’t realized Yelena was bleeding in the water. “Don’t take it too personally; that brother of his doesn’t have apartment privileges either.”

Without another word, she grabbed Eren by his scalp and yanked him up the steps, disregarding his balance and safety and pulling him into the morning sunlight next to a staring Armin. Before she kept the movement going and pressed heavy hands on their backs and shoved them out of the backstop’s limits.

Failing on the rest, and making limited headway forcing Ymir out of his hair, Eren offered,“Good morning.”

Armin, eyes alight and stunned, said, “Good morning.”

Eren jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “This is Ymir.”

Armin nodded. “We met by the drinking fountain.”

Eren nodded.

Ymir continued pushing them towards the bleachers, scuffing line chalk all over their shoes, with only one telling stumble that set Armin free from her grip. Eren wasn’t so lucky, and it felt on purpose.

The pressure pushing him away from the dugout didn’t let up. Ymir had earned her rock climbing qualifications somewhere and it showed, but her entire head was aimed at the outfield, where Historia missed an easy lob by her head because her glove was down at her waist. Mikasa had to call her name several times before it took, and she jogged back to fetch the ball with a stumble that gave Mikasa time to look over to determine what was so distracting.

She found Eren first. In their oddly connected pile.

He pointed at Ymir.

Mikasa’s eyebrows rose. He shrugged.

Ymir stared, since that’s what she did when Historia was in orbit, and Historia kept moving while she stared back. Crossing near Zeke and Colt in the process. Where every third throw was a risk since Zeke was putting Colt through grounder paces. Colt wasn’t great with grounders. His little brother was. Eren was. That was half of little league.

Armin’s face popped in front of Eren and he almost jumped. “Ymir thought you’d like watching from the stands with us,” he said. “That’s not how she said it, but—do you want to?”

A floater landed softly in Colt’s glove, and Eren pulled his eyes away. “Sure,” he said, focusing on Armin and the warmth coming through Ymir’s hand on his back. On how easy it always was here.

“So Armin,” Ymir said into the quiet morning mist, “what was Eren like before he had hair?”

“Louder, mostly.”

“Hey.”

----

Watching from the bleachers wasn’t that different from watching from the dugout. There were still rooting for the same people. Nothing they did contributed to how it was going. It was still several hours of watching people stand in one spot waiting for a moment that might never come.

There wasn’t anything new to it.

“Cutter.”

“Not with this one. Fastball.”

“Zeke’s more strategic than that. No one else on their team has gotten a hit all day. He won’t risk that happening again in the final inning.”

“No one else getting a piece of him means he has something to prove.”

“Winning proves that better.”

Nothing new at all, except Armin wasn’t sitting with a bunch of people who didn’t care about how their genius pitcher won them the game. He was sitting next to Ymir, a bunch of twigs in the shape of a diamond resting etween them, small gouges in the splintered stands where they’d jabbed in larger sticks to make their points earlier.

“What do you think, Eren?” Ymir’s voice broke into his lazy contentment. “How much of a prideful prick is big brother?”

Eren looked over at the mound, where he hadn’t had to all game with the commentary running by his ears. Where Zeke stood as the king of his domain. Steady and calm to anyone who did think to look. “Fastball.”

Armin objected. “It’s the ninth inning, it doesn’t make any sense to—”

The pitch left Zeke’s hand. Straight as an arrow. Hammering into the catcher’s mitt. In three of the movies that had somehow survived their list purges, this was where the stadium would go silent before the crowd erupted in cheers.

They weren’t in a stadium, and there wasn’t a crowd.

Armin sighed, his careful placement of twigs slipping back down to the ground.

Ymir clucked her tongue. “You hate to see it.”

“They won,” Eren said, unhelpfully. Armin’s heavier sigh made the whole diamond shine brighter. Past tolerable. Put with Ymir’s rolling eyes and Mikasa jogging to the outfield to walk in with Historia, it hit somewhere closer to whatever Zeke saw whenever he stepped up to the mound.

Whatever it was that made showing up worth it. Eren had never understood as a kid, stuck in the bleachers with his grandparents. Finally being let into the dugout didn’t make it any better, even when it should have. Getting a taste when he was back to the bleachers while the teams shook hands wasn’t something he would have thought to look for.

The baseball part was still dumb.

Ymir’s elbow jabbed his ribs and pointed at Mikasa. “That’s the cat friend?”

Eren pushed her back into Armin’s section of bench. “We told you that was her when she got the grand slam.” All four runs on the board were thanks to Mikasa.  Armin had jumped to his feet to cheer for her. The guy walking his dog nearby knew who Mikasa was, and Ymir was paying more attention.

She didn’t snipe back. She dropped Reiner’s sunglasses on his head and kept staring out at the field. Historia had spent most of the game out of range. Every few shook hands she glanced over her shoulder, but Ymir didn’t so much as twitch at the extra attention. She was watching Mikasa. The hand she’d dropped to the bench was digging into the splintered edge.

She’d used that hand to text him at four in the morning.

“You’re nervous,” Eren said abruptly.

Ymir scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Eren looked at Armin for confirmation. Armin’s wide eyes darted between them, Ymir stubbornly staring at the back of Mikasa’s head as she hit the end of the line. After a stalled second that said everything, he shrugged diplomatically.

Eren spun back to Ymir. “You are.”

“Right, because meeting up with your friends really earned its spot on my dayplanner,” Ymir said, unclenching her fist enough to lean back on the next row of bleachers. It didn’t look as casual as she thought it did.

Armin tried to help. “Mikasa’s not that scary once you get to know her,” he said. “She’s amazing at everything, and that can intimidate some people, but—”

“I am not intimidated,” Ymir declared. “From everything you nerds have told me her cat’s scarier than she is.”

“Rivaille’s…” Armin’s defense fell short. “A rescue,” he said at last.

Eren picked his dropped thread back up. “If you’re not intimidated, what are you nervous about?”

“Are your ears broken?” Ymir said. “I’m not nervous.”

“You’re breaking the seats with your hand.”

She stole her sunglasses back and pointed them at him. “All that says is your brother should pick a better park to play at.”

“The league figures that out.”

“They’re walking over,” Armin said.

Eren and Ymir shut up. Ymir’s face had lost the shade of color Historia usually gave her, and maybe there was something wrong with that, but the only other time Eren had seen her in a social situation she wasn’t in control of, she’d started crying. Maybe she was just like this with new people.

Historia didn’t have the extra bounce Ymir usually gave her, either. But anything could take away Historia’s good mood, and Ymir was more like her everything.

Mikasa looked like Mikasa. She wasn’t someone to be nervous over.

“C’mon,” Eren said, wrenching Ymir’s arm out of the splinters. “Get up and say hi.”

Ymir flicked him off and tromped down the stands. Armin was biting back a smile. Eren held out a hand and swung him to his feet, following Ymir without helping her grow any of the cracks in the wood.

Like magnets, Historia fell into Ymir’s orbit instantly, and any of Mikasa’s intimidation factor that Ymir had made up evaporated. Ymir slid Reiner’s sunglasses down over her eyes and looked Historia and her haphazardly dusted uniform up and down.

The color came back, and Ymir coughed into her hand. “Shouldn’t have swung at that ball in the fifth,” she said.

Historia’s whole face twitched in exasperation. “I thought I could reach it.”

Ymir grinned and hooked a finger around one of her sleeves, pulling her close enough for Armin to carefully switch his gaze to Eren’s shoulder. “With these nubs?” she asked. “Has anyone tried to ship you off to little league yet?”

“She throws too hard.”

Mikasa’s quiet insertion drew all eyes to her.

Stable and calm, she wasn’t at all put off by Ymir, or Historia’s cleat digging into Ymir’s shoe. Which she noticed. And smiled at. She’d had worse. For as long as Eren had known her. If the shame didn’t steel out the words, he could have told Ymir that.

Ymir shot Eren a look, a leering smile mocking him. “I’ve heard that.” Then she switched back to Mikasa, and the person who manned an entire household she didn’t live in gleamed under her stolen sunglasses. She stuck out her hand.

“Ymir.”

Mikasa silently looked between Ymir and Historia’s proximity and Eren.

She took Ymir’s hand.

“Eren’s friend,” she said.

Ymir bristled, but next to her, Historia’s eyes did the sunburst thing Armin’s did. Those moments that wiped everything else away, because the world stopped and paid attention when it noticed someone with the brightness to change it was waking up.

They’d lived together for months. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her happy before.

Defensive tension leaked out of Ymir like a beach balloon. She saved the last of it for a pointed scowl in Eren’s direction before dropping out of the handshake and turning away from all of them. Stuttering somewhat when Historia’s hand quietly took up the residence Mikasa’s had been thrown from.

“I guess,” Ymir said shortly. “Your boy’s okay.”

Eren’s ears burned, and he glared at the backstop. Armin’s soft laugh and Mikasa’s audible smile did not make the burning go away. It just went other places and was even harder to ignore.

“Yeah, well. You’re… fine,” he said.

The brutal, heated silence of embarrassment continued. Everyone else didn’t mind. His eyes flicked up and made the mistake of catching Mikasa’s.

Affection spilled out freely from her. Genuine and familiar. Warmer than she’d been with him even before everything fell apart. She made the blood rushing to his head feel like it was allowed to be there, and maybe wasn’t ever going to leave.

Mikasa was fine too.

----

“Are you doing okay with all of that?”

There were questions Eren had learned to put up with. Questions from Reiner had been an early test of that. Strung out and on fire, he could break Reiner’s face open for talking at all, or suck it up and learn how to be human again.

Figuring out answers to the questions wasn’t the same thing.

“Huh?” Eren said.

They were outside Reiner’s house, waiting on Ymir. She’d gotten a text from Historia on her way to pick up her helmet and the world went on pause.

“With that,” Reiner said, pointing over his shoulder at the front door.

The front door stayed a front door.

“With what?” Eren asked blankly.

“With Ymir and Historia being a thing,” Reiner said. Before Eren could add another ‘what,’ the words kept going. Reiner was at his most earnest this morning, and he bridged the gap between their bikes with a creak of metal and sincerity that Eren didn’t want. “Third wheeling can be rough.”

Eren was a morning person. It was too early for this. He said, “I’m fine.”

Reiner’s open sympathy didn’t falter. Under the dark circles and the bunched tendons in his arms that still didn’t know how to relax, there was nothing but plain, unnecessary compassion. “I talked it over with Bert and Marcel, and everyone’s fine with you rooming here.”

Anything Eren could say or wanted to be confused by got lost in syrup and waffles and the inevitable. He unclamped his hands from his bicycle and rubbed away the red indents before they were visible to anyone but him. “I have a room.”

A nice room. With sheets that had made it through two homes he wasn’t going back to. He wasn’t going to volunteer a third. “And they wouldn’t just kick me out,” Eren added, a phantom of Ymir’s hand ruffling his hair.

Reiner held one of his elbows in a way Eren had etched into his head from Historia. “No,” he agreed. “They’re not like that. They’re too used to us to ask. But for guys like us, it’s hard not to help out.” His bike shifted under him. He didn’t lean in any closer, but the world around them closed. “Only guys like us don’t do well on our own.”

Eren stayed quiet. His tongue was fuzzy. The way it had been when he woke up in the hospital. He didn’t know why he’d decided to like that feeling.

“I just wanted you to know you don’t have to go backwards,” Reiner said after a moment or two. “That’s all.”

It wasn’t that cold, but the heat in Eren’s ears still stung more than anything. He stared squarely at the ground, where a pillbug was scrunching down the sidewalk. Petra and months of encouragement didn’t make the improvement feel good. Just necessary enough to be weird.

“Thanks,” he said.

Reiner clapped him on the back hard enough to leave marks on both of them.

[next]

[opalescent-cheetah]

I Don’t Know What To Do (About This Dream And You), 2/5 - Methydoll

Summary: Baseball players and mythical beings are a potent combination. After Crystal catches her eye on the baseball field, Nicky makes a decision that turns her entire world upside down. Meanwhile, Crystal is caught in a mysterious dreamscape, chasing a creature with eyes like liquid gold.

Inspired by these songs: “She’s So High” - Tal Bachman; “Digital Love” - Daft Punk; “Baby” - Francesca Blanchard

Chapter Summary: Crystal is visited by a mystical bird person in the middle of the night. Nobody believes her.

A/N: Part 2 of my fic for @cobblestaubrey​ . Now, we get into the magical side of things...

Ao3 // Previous Chapter

Chapter 2 - Crystal

The air is heavy, dark, pressing on Crystal’s bruised ribs like a weighted blanket. She draws another laboured breath, trying to ignore the pain searing through her chest. Her wrist is no better; it wouldn’t stop throbbing for the better part of the afternoon, and even now, it aches dully, constantly reminding her of its presence.

The pain isn’t the worst thing, though. It hurts more to know that she won’t be able to play for a week, maybe two. Today, she’d only had to spend two innings in the dugout, but she still felt useless, doing nothing but pressing ice to her wrist and her ribs.

She stiffens when her open window creaks. In this oppressive silence, every sound is deafening, and Crystal doesn’t miss the rustling noise of movement. It’s more than the whistling breeze through the curtains. Something - or someone - is outside. 

It’s probably just some funky night creature having a good time, she tries to assure herself, but is immediately proven wrong when a dark figure creeps in through the window.

What the fuck.

Crystal is too terrified to scream. Instead, her mind runs in chaotic circles as the figure straightens. They are clearly humanoid, with slender legs and fair hair, shining silver in the watery half-light. Crystal can barely see more than the edges of moonlight on their gentle jawline, but it’s enough. Whoever this is, they shouldn’t be here.

How did they get in, anyways? She’s on the second floor, and they couldn’t possibly have climbed up here so silently that Crystal only noticed them when they were sneaking into the window.

The figure takes a step closer, moving one arm into the moonlight, and it’s only then that Crystal notices the feathers. 

Wings.

They aren’t human. 

Maybe they’re a sleep paralysis demon, Crystal thinks. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t screamed yet. 

She lies, frozen but for the constant throbbing of her injuries, as the figure steps closer to her bed, moving with all the elegant grace of a goddess. Their feathers, silvery-white in the moonlight, billow around them like a cape. When they finally turn their gaze towards Crystal, her breath catches in her throat. 

They have the most beautiful eyes she’s ever seen: a luminescent gold, inhumanly bright, brilliant in the hazy dark of the room. The figure blinks, and Crystal swears she sees them smile.

You’re too pretty to be a demon, she thinks. The stray thought catches her off-guard, and she averts her eyes again. 

A rustling of feathers reclaims her attention almost immediately. The figure has raised a wing, and a moment later, Crystal feels the brush of feathers along her wrist and chest. In an instant, all her pain vanishes, and the creature briefly seems to tremble. 

Crystal wants to speak, wants to call out, wait, what did you do to me? but the figure has already turned away. They hesitate at the window, casting one last look over their shoulder before they disappear into the night. 

~

Crystal flexes her fingers, swivelling the bat around in her hands. Her wrist moves painlessly; if anything, it’s stronger than it was before she injured it.

“I’m telling you, it was like magic,” she says, propping the bat back up against the wall. “I was just in my room, and--”

“And some crazy bird person crawled in through the window, touched you, and took away all your pain. We know,” Jaida interrupts dryly, cocking a brow in clear disbelief. 

“But that - that’s really what happened, I swear!” 

Jaida purses her lips but doesn’t comment further.

“Seriously!” Crystal insists, knowing full well that she probably sounds like she’s lost her mind. It’s too late now, though - and besides, how else is she supposed to explain her fully-healed injuries? “I know I saw them. They came up right by my bedside, and they had these piercing golden eyes, like… like, I don’t know, the sun or something, they were so bright. And - and they had wings instead of arms, with all these feathers, and--” 

“Look,” Jan says gently, “what matters is that you’re able to play today. I’m just glad to see you better.”

Crystal sighs, defeated. 

“Yeah. Me too.” She flexes her hand again before brushing her fingers along her ribcage. She remembers how it felt, waking up the next morning feeling not just better, but completely new. Nothing short of a miracle could have made that happen.

She’s oddly unfocused during the game, missing an easy catch and fumbling with the ball. Her mind is elsewhere, the darkness behind her eyelids filled only with luminescent golden eyes. She’s forced to confront it when Jaida glances over at her from the pitching mound, a quizzical yet concerned look on her face. 

“You good, Crys?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I--” Crystal falters. “God, I’m sorry, I really suck today, don’t I?” It’s not a question, but she phrases it like one anyway, hoping for a little bit of reassurance. 

But this is Jaida, and while she is a lot of things - a talented sportswoman, a bit of a goofball and a great friend - she isn’t one to sugarcoat a bad situation. 

“Child, you know I love you, but I think you need a break,” she says simply. “You still thinking about your bird person?”

Crystal frowns, sure that Jaida is going to tease her, but she nods anyways. 

“Thought so,” Jaida says, offering her a sympathetic smile. “I still can’t say I believe you, but you’ll have to tell me more about them later, alright? We’ll figure it out. We’ve got to get you back on your game, after all.” She speaks with a cool, collected air about her, but Crystal can sense the genuine care beneath her words. “Batter’s up now. You’ve got this. See if you can take a break after this inning, alright?”

“Will do. Thanks,” Crystal murmurs gratefully.

Jaida simply nods, returning her attention to the game. Crystal adjusts her baseball mitt.

~

She doesn’t get a chance to discuss the winged person with Jaida, because shortly after they return to the locker room, Jan drags two people in. Crystal recognises Jackie, Jan’s girlfriend, who is loved by the entire team for her unwavering support, but the girl standing next to her is unfamiliar. It takes Crystal a moment to realise that she was the other person in the car when Jan drove her home last week, but this time, she notices something new.

The girl has the most beautiful eyes she’s ever seen.

They shine a luminescent gold, just like the eyes of the creature that took Crystal’s pain away. 

She doesn’t give herself time to hesitate before she marches over to the girl, who is standing idly by while Jan talks to Jackie. The girl is tall and lean, with a beautifully sculpted face and chin-length, pale blonde hair. She’s gorgeous, yet imposing, and Crystal regrets not talking to her more last week.

In fact, she doesn’t even know the girl’s name. She can’t help but be washed with guilt when she realises that the girl had had to quietly sit by as Crystal and Jan rambled about baseball, but she swallows her guilt as quickly as it came. Now is the time to make amends. 

“Hey! I’m sorry, I don’t think I properly introduced myself last time we met,” Crystal says, masking her awkwardness with her characteristic enthusiasm. “I’m Crystal.”

“Pleased to formally meet you. I’m Nicky,” the girl says, smirking ever so slightly, and the French lilt to her words nearly makes Crystal swoon. “How’s that wrist of yours going? I was surprised to see you play today.” 

“Oh, well, about that…” Crystal falters. “Painkillers work wonders, I must say.” 

Nicky laughs. “I’m sure they do.”

“So…” Crystal mumbles, not quite sure what to say now. “You come here often?”

“You mean to watch baseball?”

“Yeah. Are you a big fan?” Crystal puffs out her chest with pride. “If you are, well, I can’t say I blame you. Me and the girls, we’re all pretty great.”

Nicky grins, clearly amused, and Crystal decides then and there that she’d like to make this girl smile as much as possible. 

“To be perfectly honest, I’ve only watched two games,” Nicky admits. “But yes, I’d say I’m a fan. You’re fun to watch.” 

“Ah, good. I do love putting on a show.” Crystal mock-bows, tipping her baseball cap at Nicky. “Now, I’d love to keep chatting, but I’ve got to get changed, so…” she fishes her phone out of her bag. “Might I request your number, m’lady?” 

Nicky snorts, shaking her head slightly as she takes the phone. 

“You sure are something,” she says, so quietly that Crystal probably wouldn’t have heard if she hadn’t been listening. She adds herself to Crystal’s contacts - with a cute bird emoji next to her name, Crystal notices - and hands back her phone. 

“Thanks!” Crystal says, grinning, as a little shiver of delight runs up her spine. 

~

Next Chapter

[splendidshinobi]

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2003 LIVE REACT: EPISODES 6-10

back at it again with the white vans

episode 6: the alchemy exam

alrighty then

um mustang calling edward “ed” is EXTREMELY offputting

ohhhhhhh noooooo not shou tucker

FUCK

im wholly unprepared

them all being in central instead of east is low key jarring like my brain isnt computing it

alexander’s intro is basically the same 

nina bbyyyyy girl u deserved so much better

ed is such a fucking nerd...chemistry club modern au confirmed

god the more tucker talks the more i wanna beat his face in

al pretending to eat by tossing a potato in his armor i-

aww theyre playing in the snow theyre so pure

wonder how long thatll last

“bigger brother” and “little big brother” and ed doesnt even get mad

ed’s birthday party????????

A MELON? ED YOURE SO RUDE

so 03 had ed’s bday instead of elicia’s...CAUSE THEY GOT ELICIA IN THE WOMB

“it’s here!” “the tea?” “the baby!” hughes is a fuck head

ok so now they’re having elicia replace rush valley baby arc

this was winry’s time to shine in fmab i miss her 

if winry isnt here who is gonna birth this baby

oh my god they just realized ed can use alchemy without a circle

no wonder he’s been using circles this whole time

SO ELICIA JUST POPPED OUT????? WHAT

STUFF ALEXANDER IN THE ARMOR AND PRETEND YOURE A TALKING DOG???

“i dont think thats very funny” NO ALPHONSE IT IS NOT

THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING WITH THAT ONE I SWEAR TO GOD IN THIS ESSAY I WILL

damn bradley what up homie

im so thrown off by the way theyre doing the exam omg

seriously what the hell is fuhrer bradley’s purpose right now is he even the fuhrer in this i feel like they wouldve mentioned it

oh lord ed is about to impress everyone with his clappy hands

ok so next episode is nina FUCK

episode 7: night of the chimera’s cry

havoc babeeee

im gonna marry him my himbo king

also can RIZA DO SOMETHING PLZ

“huhhhhhhhh nina” ew tucker that was weirdly gross

wonder why

cant do it cant do it

do we think jean kirstein was modeled after jean havoc slightly looks wise

was that purposeful 

ill have to google 

serial killer who only targets women?  it cant be scar...scar drinks respect women juice

barry or slicer bros maybe? um ok

why did we start with liore if they were just gonna hop right back into the past for a huge chunk of episodes idk

assessment day??? oh noodles

AL WHY DID YOU TELL TUCKER TO MAKE ANOTHER TALKING CHIMERA ALPHONSE NO

THE NOISE I EMITTED IM GONNA TAKE A LAP

im gonna FUCKING SCREAM

ed r u writing to winry??? that’s a bit out of character for u good sir

no tucker put that baby down

im gonna fucking SCREAM

aww he burned nina’s picture thats not sus at all

SHESKA!!!!!

wait does the ironblood alchemist know what tucker did to his wife? thats kinda the vibe im getting

SCARRRRRRRR

looking like a pirate too damn

his voice sounds different is that j michael tatum 

apparently not it was dameon clarke in 03 ya learn something new everyday 

ew elicia has a lot of hair for a FUCKING NEWBORN

ed really is such a cynic very suspicious of everyone as he should be really

basque grand knowS SOMETHING

oh jesus oh fuck oh god please do not TOUCH THAT BABY

ed and al snuck back in to the house well u know what its for the best

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

im gonna cry again please god no

FUCKING DIE SHIT HOLE

she’s hurting? oh my god

my sweet angel

ew his eyes!!!!!!! 

tucker is such a fucking failure...like look at the chimera squad and greed’s theatre troupe being the way they are. ugh it really hits how fucking unfair it is 

ed was really about to split them? boy you know better

where is nina going...im hurting

ed really tried to save her in this one

SCAR KILLS NINA IN THE STREETS???????? SIR

thats different

oh snap 

oh FUCK

SCAR WHY DID YOU LEAVE HER BODY LIKE THAT

THE WAY SHE WAS ARRANGED ON THE WALL THAT WAS FUCKED UP

AND THEY FOUND HER LIKE THAT???? AT LEAST IN BROTHERHOOD THEY DIDNT HVE TO SEE HER CORPSE ARE YOU SHITTING ME?

that was fucked.

episode 8: the philosopher’s stone

can yall get ed and al away from nina’s fucking MURAL 

get out of the car mustang

finally jesus christ

roy mustang talking about healthy coping mechanisms dont make me laugh but alright baby boy go off i guess?

im curious about who this goddamn serial killer is though lets turn to that plot thread

r u kidding me

mustang is making ed and al take over tucker’s research?? thats actually wildly messed up

oh tucker was straight executed that’s a choice i guess

tucker and the philosopher’s stone sounds inaccurate but ok

ed please stop being mean to your brother

03 mustang has got me reaching for a fucking baseball bat on GOD

scar and edward having this conversation right now i literally cannot

WINRY yes bitch

BRADLEY WHAT IN TARNATION

JESUS LORRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDD

alphonse shut your mouthhhhhhhhhhh

im so confused what is bradley up to

“alchemists are not cold blooded murderers?”

i mean

kimblee would beg to differ for one

whos this creepy lady 

her voice sounds familiar

barry’s food shop?

the killer is barry ok got it

IS BARRY DISGUISED AS A WOMAN

I KNEW THAT WAS JERRY JEWELL’S VOICE

WELL I KNEW IT SOUNDED FAMILIAR AT LEAST

WINRY GET OUT OF THE FUCKING TRUCk

has PINAKO TAUGHT YOU NOTHING

ok so i VASTLY prefer suit of armor original manga canon barry

this is such an odd plot what in fuck

um OW the meat cleaver

im so confused this fucking plotline

oh hey alphonse nice of you to show up!

is barry still gonna become a suit of armor later on

it makes NO SENSE to introduce him otherwise 

everytime i see 03 mustang i wanna beat his ass HONESTLY

literally i will shove my foot up his ass

fullmetal here we go

ed thinks he’s so punk rock 

oh great scar’s seen the watch

episode 9: be thou for the people

ed you simp buying winry all this stuff my edwin heart is ascending

SIMP SIMP SIMP

“mr. elric”?? you mean MAJOR ELRIC

to be fair though fuck the military

YOUSWELL??? oh LORD

im gonna need to read a full chronology of this show

 alphonse continues to be a precious angel 

where’s my boy yoki!!!!!

edward you idiot don’t go flaunting your money

woof woof ed

al looks so offended by ed saying they just met

whereas in brotherhood didnt he totally throw ed under the bus??? 

a choice to be sure

ah there he is hello yoki

who’s the chick

shes a lesbian

yoki makes me miss my baby girl mei chang

mei where r u

WAS THIS MILITARY DUDE REALLY ABOUT TO CUT DOWN A CHILD??? oh my god

hawkeye getting a promotion yes bby girl

jesus theyre transferring them to east now OKKKKKAY thats not how it happened it the book but ill take it....just doing it the opposite way i guess

who is lyra who is she

cute some military bribery 

umm lyra what the fuck did you do

lyra is a homunculus im callin it now

they definitely invented/changed up some homunculi in fact im certain they did and shes one of em. gotta be

i feel like 03 wrote ed as much more insensitive towards others than he really is...just a vibe im getting

i know he was faking for the townspeople’s sake but i still get this vibe from other instances 

i mean i cant say its not “canon” because its 03 canon

anyways what a show off

i cant believe theyre going to east...fuery and breda better be there

ok finally some answers on their ages....ed got his license at 12 like normal and nina and youswell were when he was 12...liore was 15, 

if they didnt flash the ages on the screen id be lost honestly

at least we’re back up to “present day”

episode 10: the phantom thief

ed saying he doesnt wanna see mustang

same

03 mustang is activating my fight or flight and im choosing fight

ed cheating at cards totally checks out

um who the fuck is this woman

what is she wearing

SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THAT CUTOUT MAAM HOW DO YOUR C**CHY LIPS NOT POKE OUT

idk but this is fem!hisoka

“hey shouldnt we talk first” after getting handcuffed??? christ almighty these innuendos

siren??????? siren is probably also a “fake” homunculus

ugh

ok so the nurse is siren

ya aint slick girly

alphonse control your crush

I REFUSE!!!! ALMEI RIGHTS

why is al’s hair so brown in this flashback anywayssss

oh its spelled psiren ope

like she’s literally a batman villain...

oh my god...............the tiddy grab. my son would never

my son is respectful

is this her homunculus tat or just a random alchemy tat

the added plotlines and original content continue to confuse and astound me every single time....

ok but if psiren really was doing this for the hospital she wouldnt be so flashy about it. like thats how you get caught sweet cheeks

girly stop flirting with this child on god im gonna fucking kick you

now shes a nun????????????????

Shes a fucking troll i hate her

im going to kick alphonse into the sun 

oh great now shes a teacher

wow shes a savior. the savior of amestrian venice. greatttttt

ed looking exactly like this emoji on this gondola rn 🧍‍♀️

STOP FLIRTING WITH THE CHILD 

GOD THIS IS SO BATMAN VILLAIN ESQUE

alphonse plzzzzzzzzzz she aint your girl

ok so probably not the last we see of this ding dong con artist

ok so its starting to get muddy. im scared the 03 stans are gonna come after me like i do like it and im having fun watching it but some of the plot and characterization choices are just....odd??? idk i gotta keep going though!! im sorry i just stan arakawa and her work in all her glory!!!

[thebiasrekkers]

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,631

Chapter 28: Rain

“Then I turned my eyes to the window and everything looks gray. Gray city, gray buildings, gray roads, gray rain.”

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

Seoul – Sinchon; Seodaemun District South Korea

“You’re a lifesaver, Raelyn-ssi!”

“Yeah, thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“We had our hands full, so we really appreciate it.”

Raelyn smiled brightly, shaking her head as she waved at her fellow nurses at the hospital she was dispatched to. They all shared a laugh in the break room, steaming paper cups of coffee cradled in each of their hands as they chatted about how busy their schedules had been. Raelyn’s Korean was good enough that she could keep up with the various dialects that filled the room; from as deep in the city as Seoul to as far as the countryside as Gwangju. She enjoyed getting to know each of the nurses and orderlies who milled in and out of the main general hospital in Seodaemun.

Normally, her hospital in Gangnam was busy. But her supervisor insisted that her expertise would be better suited in Seodaemun for that week. If they needed her longer, she was given the go-ahead to remain for a few more days. Either way, she would earn a full week of PTO when she returned and she certainly wasn’t about to start complaining about that.

Part of her was happy to be out of Gangnam for a few days. She needed time to process things and really think about what road she was taking. Raelyn felt slightly hypocritical when she thought about her relationship with Taehyung, and on many levels at that.

While the Golden Jackals may have been no more, it didn’t change that their foundation was still a little unstable. People wouldn’t shift their opinions about them so easily, though it was becoming less and less difficult to throw that mantle into their faces. However, she was no fool to how the criminal underworld worked. If anything, the lack of firearms made Korean gangsters scarier than American gangsters. In America, all a civilian needed was another gun. While a normal person could carry a knife, the difference was that Korean gangsters could all fight. All of them. They wouldn’t hesitate to pierce someone with a knife or bludgeon someone to death with a steel pipe.

Getting their hands dirty was part of the territory.

When she thought about it, Raelyn probably attributed her attraction to Hoseok to that level of danger at first. Discovering that he was the leader only caused her adrenaline to soar to new heights, tickling the senses and rousing a deep-seated darkness that she had long since buried while she was living in the States. Raelyn was young and foolish in her younger years, running headlong into the fire and not caring if she wound up getting scorched or not. The feeling of her heart pumping like a piston in her chest made her feel alive. She was addicted to that chemical that released itself in her brain.

There was an actual condition for something like that. “Adrenaline Junkie” as she had once affectionately been called by her peers. That sense of danger excited her. Dealing with Hoseok and the other Golden Jackals was guaranteed a life of said danger.

When feelings were involved, however, Raelyn realized very quickly that the criminal life wasn’t for her. She could handle the backdoor dealings and under the table handshakes. She could take the mask she often had to don when she walked beside Hoseok during gatherings, both with his underlings and his main umbrella. What Raelyn couldn’t handle was seeing someone she cared about constantly in pain; struggling mentally and physically with his own demons as he promised that things would change. He made those promises as easily as it was for him to breathe.

In the beginning, she’d believed that they were all lies. That he was just saying what she wanted to hear to get her to stay by his side. It was the sort of thing Raelyn expected from most people in her life; men and women, friends and family alike. Nothing changed. Nothing ever did.

But now things were different. Things were beginning to change. Raelyn felt conflicted for the first time in a long while.

“Oh, dammit,” she heard one of the orderlies say, rising from his chair to cross the breakroom, “I forgot to bring an umbrella.”

Raelyn craned her neck with the others in the room, seeing the sudden torrential downpour that fell from the skies. While everyone else groaned in shared sentiments, she smirked and continued to sip her coffee. She didn’t mind the rain. She minded it even less when she didn’t have an umbrella.

It’ll be fine, she thought while setting her cup down on the table, a little rain never hurt anyone.

Her phone buzzed on the table, causing her to raise a brow when she saw two messages. One was from Taehyung, asking the normal question of when she was going to come back home. She shook her head, not sure if she wanted to answer him just yet. It wasn’t like she was avoiding him, but it would be a lie if she said his promise hadn’t shaken her up a bit. Why he felt it was even necessary for her...what did that say about her?

Had she made it that obvious?

The second message was from Eden, which had her almost laughing.

Eden: I’m sick of having to deal with this shit by myself. Ana is in LaLa Land and I’m not having it. You hear me? I spoke with your supervisor and he said today’s your last day at that hospital. I’m coming to pick you up. Don’t even think about trying to dodge me.

She picked up the phone, sending her a ‘smirk’ emoji, before replacing the phone into her pocket. Raelyn scoffed, finishing her coffee and tossing the cup into the trash. If anyone didn’t know any better, people would think that Eden was her girlfriend.

“Raelyn-ssi,” one of the female nurses called out to her, “are you going to be busy later? We were thinking about getting drinks after our shifts were over.”

Eyeing her wristwatch, Raelyn sighed. She was scheduled to do one more walk through of her rounds and then she could call it a day. By the time she finished, Eden would be arriving at the hospital.

Looking up at her fellow nurse, she shook her head and smirked. “I’ll have to take a raincheck, Mina-ssi. My ride is going to be here after we do our rounds.”

A few of her colleagues pouted and she laughed. It was a short amount of time she was dispatched to the hospital, but they already welcomed her as one of them. It was nice to be valued for her skills and who she was as a person versus the color of her skin.

Fifteen minutes seemed to fly by faster than she’d anticipated. As soon as Raelyn finished checking on her last patient, she made her way to the front desk to let them know she was leaving for the evening. Already other nurses and orderlies were coming in to relieve the Day Side crew of their shift – taking on the evening hours until the Overnight shift would come in to replace them .

As if on cue, her phone buzzed and it was a message from Eden telling her that she was pulling up. The rain hadn’t eased up. If anything, it was coming down harder than it had just a while ago. Mulling over the downpour, Raelyn was inwardly thanking Eden for being so stubborn. A little rain never hurt anyone, but a lot of rain in early Spring could cause someone to get sick. Maybe even her.

She waved to the receptionist at the front desk, clutching at her light jacket and bag. As she exited the building, Raelyn stopped just short of the hospital’s awning. She looked around, trying to spy out Eden’s car, and pouted when she didn’t see the mixed girl’s vehicle in sight. Pulling out her phone, she began texting her that she was outside. Raelyn pouted, tapping her foot on the concrete pavement.

“She demands I don’t ditch her, and she goes and ditches me ,” she muttered, turning her head in every direction to see if maybe she’d just missed her friend, “that bitch.”

“Take your fuckin’ hands off me!”

Whipping her head to the right, Raelyn’s eyes widened slightly. It was Eden’s voice. Taking a half step forward, the fronts of her shoes got wet from the water splashing on the ground. Squinting, she tried to make out what was happening in the parking lot. Eden was standing there with an umbrella opened over her head, her other hand clinging to a smaller one – presumably for Raelyn. However, there were about four men attempting to accost her.

Raelyn took another step forward, about to intervene. But before she could open her mouth and yell, she saw Eden dropping the umbrella in her hand only to extend the smaller one in her other hand, rearing her arms around her and swinging like she was holding a baseball bat. Successfully clobbering one on the side of the neck, Raelyn could only watch as her friend spun on her heel and smashed her combat clad foot into the gut of one of the men who tried to grab her by the shoulder.

Sighing, Raelyn knew that it was useless trying to get in the middle of one of Eden’s scuffles. The woman was damned and determined to spit in the face of society because they continued spitting in hers. She was hoping that giving Jungkook a chance would loosen Eden up, but it only proved to get the woman even more riled up than usual.

Just as Raelyn was about to take a lean against one of the hospital pillars, one of the men reached out and snatched Eden by the back of her hair. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled back, causing Eden’s head to whip back and she yelled in protest. Raelyn’s legs moved before her mind could process anything, her shoes splashing in small puddles of water as she attempted to close the distance between her and her friend.

“Hey! Get your hands off her!”

No sooner had Raelyn yelled it, did the man holding Eden’s hair scream in pain. He immediately wrenched his hand from her thick curly locks, now soaked in the downpour. Clutching at his wrist, she saw the blood weeping from his fingers and palm. Raelyn skidded to a halt, blinking wildly as she attempted to process just what in the hell just happened. Tilting her head, she didn’t have time to really get a look at the man’s hand before she saw Eden’s knee crash into the side of his temple.

As Eden’s boot slammed into the ground, soft tinkling sounds followed. Raelyn’s eyes shifted to the ground and she could only stare agape at the three razor blades now on the ground. Her eye-line moved to meet Eden’s and her friend smirked, tossing the small umbrella to Raelyn who caught it robotically in her hands.

“I brought this so you wouldn’t have to be standin’ out in the rain,” she replied cheekily. All Raelyn could do was stare at her. Eden cocked her head to the side. “What?”

“…did you really just—”

Before she could get the words out, one of the other men grabbed Eden by the wrist – yanking her backward with all the force he could muster. Her heels slipped on the wet concrete and Raelyn let out a sharp gasp when Eden slammed back-first onto the ground. There was a distinct pop from her shoulder and her yell exploded from her chest.

“Mother…fucker!” Eden snarled through clenched teeth, glaring at the man holding her arm through one open eye. “Let go of me!”

“Let go of her!” Raelyn screamed in tandem with her friend, ready to clobber him with the umbrella the same way her friend had.

“Oi! Let her go, Taewon-ah,” called a voice over the roaring rainstorm.

The man immediately released Eden’s arm, her limb splashing into the water and Raelyn was at her friend’s side – already helping her onto her feet. Her arm dangled limply at her side, but she could feel Eden shaking furiously in her grasp. Whatever pain her friend was in, she apparently didn’t care. The mixed girl was ready to fight like a wild tiger who’d had its whiskers pulled.

Standing off to the side was a man with dark auburn hair dressed in a long black trench coat, a tailored gray suit underneath. He held a clear umbrella over his head, the four men who assaulted Eden now standing by his side. They clasped their hands in front of them, stoic like soldiers despite one of the men’s hands bleeding freely in conjunction with the rain. Still mentally reeling over her friend having razor blades hidden in her hair, she turned to head back inside to treat Eden’s dislocated shoulder.

“I can see why she’s the Steel Claw ’s girlfriend,” she heard the man say from behind her.

Raelyn paused, slowly pivoting around but careful not to aggravate Eden’s arm further. “What did you say?”

“She’s feisty, that one.” He grinned, one hand slipping into the pocket of his jacket. “It’s almost a waste, really.”

Eden spit at him despite being several feet away. “And who in the fuck are you?”

He bowed his head politely, his eyes still locked on theirs. “Lee Minhyuk,” he said easily, straightening to his full height, “Jindo Dog of the Jade Fangs.”

A ball of ice crashed into Raelyn’s gut. “W-What?” She tried to maintain her sense of calm, but found it was difficult the more she stared into his icy smile.

Her friend’s laughter cut through her trepidation. “And we’re supposed to give a shit, why? What’s that got to do with those punks following me around like some fuckin’ cockroaches, huh?”

Raelyn was angry now. “You should know by now that the Golden Jackals have phased out from gangster business. Why do you guys insist on poking around?”

Minhyuk shrugged one shoulder. “In our world, it’s not so easy to step into the light. It's a fickle place and treats scoundrels like us as little more than garbage.” Even though his smile was present, his eyes narrowed. “Changkyun-ah is curious, is all.”

“About what?” Raelyn snapped, readjusting her hold on Eden.

“He wants to know if what Hoseok-ah and the others are doing is genuine or just some big show to hide their true plans.” He shrugged again, closing his eyes this time. “And what it will take to drag them back into the shadows with the rest of us.”

“You lousy sack of shit!” Eden shifted forward, attempting to lunge at Minhyuk but Raelyn held her back.

Minhyuk chuckled, pivoting so that only his profile was in view. “One of the tigers has claws. That makes things interesting, for sure. I apologize for the boys’ behavior. They get a little excited from time to time.” Craning his neck slightly so he could face them, he bowed his head again in a polite gesture that was in stark contrast to what his actual words were conveying. “Take care, ladies.”

Neither of them moved, watching Minhyuk leave with his small entourage. When it finally appeared that they were gone, Raelyn felt Eden slump against her. Without wasting another second, she yelled for help and a few of the EMTs who were pulling up for their shift came to her aid. They hauled Eden onto a gurney and wheeled her into the hospital, Raelyn already calling Jungkook to let him know what happened.

The rain was lost to the sound of her raging heartbeat.

[purplexiasphinx]

The list of OC facts no one asked for...

Aya, @big-sis-neko

Insomniac

Very insecure

Has enough trauma to fill a book series if she so wished

Absolutely overprotective

A liiiiittle bit possessive

Touch-starved but hates it when strangers touch her

Trust issues through the ROOF

Might punch you if you ask her to say 'Nya'

Doesn't know how to properly date

Nightmares

Her first name means 'Flower'

Likes to draw

Constantly busy

Mean, but cares.

Very gay, and very angsty.

Somehow, she's a tsundere and a yandere all wrapped up in one cute fuzzy lil' package.

Doesn't like to drink, gets flirty when she's drunk.

Favorite color is purple, acts like it's pink solely to throw people off.

Can honestly genuinely cry at any moment

Gods help you if you grab her without warning

I won't help identify the body if you touch her ass without her permission

Owns a baseball bat, named it Lucille in honor of TWD

Favorite anime is Fairy Tail, because of Erza.

Has a mom voice, is not afraid to use it.

Will help you get your shit together while she's a complete mess

Is a hypocrite, will tell you to be healthy then eat nothing but an apple over the course of three days.

Is a whole mess

Needs someone to take care of her sometimes but refuses help

Has honestly been very disillusioned with life and humanity

Covered in scars, both physical and mental.

Hates all cat-related nicknames, has heard them all and is done.

If she flirts back consider yourself lucky

Can't stand the sight or smell of fish

Has been beaten with a fish

Why?

People suck

Average height...

Strong girl

Will fight you

Knows actual fighting techniques

Can and will probably kick your ass

Has a weakness for redheads

Done With Your Shit™

*ARACHNOPHOBIA INTENSIFIES*

Aki, @your-neko-friend

Is a brony

Hides the fact that he's a brony

Too pure for this world

Sweet baby

Knows how to fight

Is also a pacifist

Very protective

Sadness? What sadness? Nothing but smiles!

Absolutely a joyous ball of trauma and suppressed anxiety

Doesn't know when to just say 'No' or 'Stop'

Very polite

Puts everyone else above himself

Would sacrifice every chance he had at happiness to make other people happy

Does, when he has the chance

Doesn't like being treated like a child

Is a shota

Birthday is December 28th

G a y

Bless his heart

Loves flower crowns

Makes flower crowns for everyone

Smol boi

Almost 18???

How???

Baby boy-

Will make up a nickname for everyone in his contacts list and find an appropriate emoji for them but never show anyone

Wears MLP pyjamas without regret

Is actually just a really careful person

Also has no self preservation instinct

He can handle a knife, but someone keep him away from the windowless van promising candy

Has a HUGE sweet tooth

Loves cuddles

Is a big hugger

Doesn't understand romantic love

Has had a lot of boyfriends, surprisingly???

Mostly because he will NOT let someone kiss him without dating them first

It's a rule

Has never initiated a kiss

Would rather cuddle

Sensitive tail

Pls gentle

High pain tolerance, but he's got so much trauma it doesn't matter he'll fall apart anyways

Hates being called 'kitty'

Can't stand the smell of fish

Has been beaten with a fish before

Hates that he has to rely on people

Secretly a very sad boi

Positivity to the MAX

Always looks for the bright side

Will never leave someone that looks like they need help

Strong boi

Short boi (Under 5')

Very much a sub

Will purr if you pet his ears

CUTE

Lowkey a Pokèmon fan, but tends to only watch the anime.

NOT a gamer, but will play if you ask or offer.

IS CHUB

Bonus! The names in Aki's contact list (Across all RPs, cuz why not? You'll get to know the names of the other OCs he knows~)

Real name: Ash

Aki's contact for him: Ketchum 💕

*

Real name: Layz

Aki's contact for them: 🥦 (Due to drama and boi's lack of proper coping mechanisms, he'd changed the old name (Boyfriend 🥦) but hadn't taken the time to make a new nickname because he ended up crying every time.)

*

Real name: Aya

Aki's contact for her: Big Sis Aya 💮

*

Real name: Joyce

Aki's contact for him: Sweetest 🎶

*

Real name: Eli

Aki's contact for him: Darling❣

*Someone who USED TO be on Aki's contacts list...

TONY!

Aki didn't have much time when he was making the contact, so it was simply "Tony❤"

But that number is blocked now.

*Fun fact, Aki has dated/is currently dating everyone on this list besides his sister in some RP or another.

Brie, @miss-brie-phillips

Is the big gay but pretends not to be

Is very religious

Has asthma

Tries to help

Vv easily startled

Has a big crush on her coworker

Works with Aya

Refuses to ask for help

Is gay panic incarnate

Has several siblings

Constantly terrified someone will find out she's gay

Constantly terrified in general

Will cry at the drop of a hat

Not very physically strong

Or mentally

The two people she trusts most in the world are very gay

Very insecure

VERY pretty

Has only dated guys, never kissed anyone yet

Gets nauseous at the thought of being intimate with a guy

How do her parents not know she's gay yet???

Generally unhappy with her life but will pretend everything is fine

Working to afford her own place

Very devoted

Jaime, @nothereforyourbullshit

Incredibly protective

Also Done With Your Shit™

Gay as hell

Possessive of his boyfriends

Not in too big a way, but

Might just hit someone if they flirt with his guy

Plays guitar

Knows where to hide a body

Has a tattoo of a cross on the back of his neck

OCD, but has learned to live with it.

Is a killer bartender AND barista

Charismatic!

Came from a very religious family

Very aware that his closeted sister is gay but will never tell anyone, because he loves her and he knows it'll fuck up her life

Also not on the best of terms with his sister but will protect her no matter what

Rest of his family?

They'll get help if they ask, but they never would.

And he knows it

Has awful nightmares

Is a big cuddler

Hell

Physical contact is a must

Is a great cook and loves cooking for people

That is exactly why he will never be a chef

Has a LOT of fun making straight dudes question their sexuality

Won't deny it

Will not flirt with someone else if he's in a relationship

Half the time he jumps from guy to guy

His type consists of trouble

Needs someone to help him deal with his shit instead of ignoring when he clearly needs help

Probably will never get that person because he's drawn to the guys that'll fuck up his life

Has never even considered using his guitar skills as a source of income???

Bonus, a few about @maaya-kaori cuz I just realized I have nothing but my community of gays up here

Aroace

My friendzone bab!

Is a singer (Technically my Vocaloid/UTAUloid OC)

Has a sweetness that would rival Aki's

Doesn't understand flirting

Has accidentally broken so many hearts and has no idea

LOVES singing

Would never hurt anyone ever

Has played Undertale once, pacifist route start to finish, cried multiple times anyways.

Unironically believes Pokèmon is a terrible concept and teaches children to kidnap critters and force them to fight for money

Because one of her friends showed her a meme once, it was her fist time hearing of Pokèmon

Is actually only 16