#yay!! looking forward to the three extra seats

[thebitsandblurbs]

Marathon

Prompt: Analyst!FemReader x Jack Abbot x Michael "Robby" Robinavitch

Warning: None... Slow burn?

Author's Prompt: I literally told myself I was going to write every day, but as Finals Week goes, that didn't happen 😅. But yay, multi-pairing... well, not yet- but soon!

When the race started, he kept to your side for the first few miles. Though upbeat, it was clear that he was self-conscious of his peers. Rather than keeping his eyes forward, his focus darted from runner to runner.

As the amount of runners grew thinner with each passing minute, he soon left you in the dust which was fine.

Pacing was important- you knew this. By the first portion of the thon, it was just you, your playlist, and the sound of your breaths.

Towards the end, you noticed your friend staggering along before collapsing. He seemed disorientated. His legs struggled to carry him even a step forward. Other runners passed him with a glance and a look of pity, but did nothing.

Speeding up, you got to his side. Concern was plastered on your face as he used you as support. “Hey, man-“

“I can do it- I can do it.” He mumbled, more to himself than to you. His feet slipped against the burning concrete, arms pushing against you, threatening to throw off your balance. Shaking your head, you sighed.

He owes you for this.

“Alright, c’mon,” you murmured, slinging his arm across your shoulders and wrapping your other arm around his side. The height difference was substantial, making it somewhat of an awkward stance. Regardless, you made it work- you had to make it work. No way were you going to leave a thon uncompleted, or make this a bad experience for him.

A part of you felt that you should have gotten help, but at this point, you were locked in.

Commit. You have to commit.

Those words echoed over and over. Each step re-started the mantra.

The journey was slow, and people passed you by without so much as a second glance. The cheering of the crowd grew more intense the closer you got; but the closer you got, the heavier he felt. Honestly, if you had dropped him, he would be none the wiser.

On your second -or maybe third- adjustment, you felt his weight shift. Lighter surprisingly. Either that or you actually followed through with dropping him. But you didn’t-

Peering to your left, you could see another guy- probably the same height as your friend- had taken his other side. He gave you a nod, and together, all three of you passed through together. Frankly, he definitely took most of the weight. At this point, you felt more like an accessory than actual help.

Medics were there to take him from you as soon as you all passed that finish line.

You were exhausted enough from doing the race, but that extra burst had you beat. Hands on your hips, you bent forward as you try to catch your breath and clear the rapidly multiplying stars in your vision. The tell tale signs you were going to faint.

“You good?” The stranger asked, guiding you to a nearby chair.

“Yea, just tired.” You huffed, leaning into the back of the chair. “Thanks…”

It took a moment for you to catch your breath. By the time you opened your eyes, you find yourself peering into crystal blue eyes. He seemed somewhat concerned for your wellbeing.

Robby couldn't help but stare at you. Something about you just drew him closer. With Collins, it was a feeling that grew but with you- it was just there. He was concerned about you, there was no doubt about it.

And rightfully so, you were unnaturally pale and your breathing was still rather heavy. Drops of sweat dribbled down your face before being wiped away. Someone gave you a cool wash cloth, and God, was it appreciated.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll just sit with you for a few moments.” He said as he took a chair. His hand was out for you to shake by the time his back pressed against the seat backing. “Michael, but everyone calls me ‘Robby’.”

“Y/N,” you tell him, “Robby?”

“My last name is Robinavitch. ‘Robby’ sounds a lot friendlier.”

“Teacher?”

“Close enough, but doctor.”

“Oh.”

“You?”

“Analyst.”

He won't deny it, he was a little disappointed. Some fantasy in the back of his head imagined you showing up through the ER doors, claiming that it's your first day.

It was idle chatter for a while- shallow things anyone could find on a LinkedIn or FaceBook Profile. After about 15 minutes, you saw someone approach the two of you. It looked like he was also a participant, going by the number plastered on his chest.

“Robby, I got to the finish line- Jake said he saw you go into the Medic’s tent.”

“Yea, one of the runners had some trouble staying on his feet. Y/N and I helped him cross. Jack, this is Y/N. Y/N, Jack.”

Contrary to Robby, his companion was shorter. His hair was greying, but it suited him. Overall, he seemed serious. In fact, his eyes bore into your very being. His face said nothing, but his general energy was unnerving to say the least.

You couldn’t help but shrink away from the cold stare emitting from the man before you. You did, however, offer a small wave before turning your attention back to your friend. He seemed to be doing better, considering he was doing his best to flirt with the female medic.

After your friend was well enough to get back on his feet, he insisted on taking you all out for dinner. After some insistence, you went back to you apartment to get refreshed and changed.

That social battery you had, it was awfully low today. A part of you just wanted to get back in bed, but at the same time, you wanted to see him again.

Robby- he seemed like a nice fellow.

You were a tad late having walked from your apartment, but you had just caught up with them when they were getting seated by the waitress.

It was kind of a nice dinner. You had expected it to be an awkward one given you all had just met, but Alistar kept the conversation going. The topic transitions were smooth, segueing into the next interesting topic. In a way, you kind of envied him- out of the two of you, he was the more social one.

More than once, do you catch yourself ogling at them. When one or the other turn to meet your gaze, you look away almost immediately. Every now again, you sip the glass of water by your right.

By the end of dinner, you all had gotten to know each other rather well but not enough to call each other friends.

You stayed long enough to have another drink with Alistar before heading out.

Just about a block away you encountered the two men again, but they looked rather heated. Opting to stay out of it, you tried to sneak around them, intent on avoiding any eye contact or look in their general direction. Though you caught a glimpse of Jack's eyes as you passed, and as you have done in the past, you quickly look away.

As you left them behind, a part of you hopes that you would see them again.

[alpinelogy]

[ X ]

F1 Academy to add a sixth team starting next season

[lemonmeringuecry]

The Cubs at Disneyland

Hi, so I've been trying to do this for awhile (ever since I drew Lo in a Mickey Mouse hoodie) but when the queen herself, miss Hazel, said she needs them to go to Disney... well I wrote this. And drew it. Because I'm me.

So anyway, here's the drawing and below is the fic

Tw for a couple mentions of food but I think that's it

Credit for everything @lumosinlove

Leo bounced a bit on the balls of his feet, goofy smile at full force while he waited to board the plane. He had grown up going to Disney World with his family. Living in Louisiana, Florida wasn’t too far away, and Eloise and Wyatt Knut didn’t let being adults stop them from enjoying the magic of Disney. When Leo was born, his parents were beyond excited about the prospect of going as a family, getting mickey ears, collecting pins, and making memories.

The first time he went, Leo was five, his favorite Disney movie was the lion king, and an expression of pure joy was permanent in his pale, blue eyes. Over the four days they were in the parks he got to go on rides, eat themed sweets, and meet his favorite characters.

After that first trip, Eloise started a scrap book. The book, titled ‘Disney World 2006’, was soon filled with pictures of Leo at the entrance gate, Leo with pineapple dole whip halfway to his mouth, and countless of all three of them taken by the photographers.

A favorite picture of Eloise’s was near the back, this one of her son with Simba. When Leo had spotted the cast member dressed as his favorite character, he all but threw himself at the lion costume clad employee. Leo’s mama had taken many pictures of the two lion cubs together and they were beyond adorable.

There are more scrap books from 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2017. Throughout the years of pictures Leo never looks less than ecstatic. Even though New Orleans will forever remain his favorite place in the world, Disney is a close second to home, which is why this trip with his boys is such a big deal for him.

The Lions are currently on a short break in the season after their game against the Coyotes and the cubs are going to spend a few days at Disneyland in Anaheim.

Finn reaches forward to grab Leo’s hand who is standing in line in front of him.

“Sunshine, are you excited?” He asks. Leo tilts his head around to look at his boyfriend and nods eagerly.

“We’ll take that as a yes,” logan chuckles sleepily from behind Finn where he is standing with his head resting on the red head’s back. Evidently waking up at 6:00 in the morning to drive to the airport wasn’t ideal for him.

Leo lets out a low, impatient groan, still bouncing, “I need to be there like right now. Can’t we get on the plane already?”.

“We haven’t even been waiting that long. I think they’re about to call our section though, Peanut,” Finn answers him, trying not to let his amusement show too much.

A crinkly noise cuts off Leo’s response, “Now boarding rows 1-10,” a voice says from over the loudspeaker. Leo stands up straighter and turns to his boyfriends, “that’s us!”

“I know Nutter-Butter, go on, let’s get you to Disney!” Finn says as he pats Leo’s butt lightly, moving him forward, onto the jet bridge.

The boys get settled into their seats, Finn by the window, Logan in the middle for maximum cuddles, and Leo on the aisle for the leg room. For the first half of the flight Logan sleeps while Finn and Leo share a movie, but all three boys are wide awake by the time the flight attendants come around with drinks for the second time. The rest of the flight is spent chatting about practices coming up after the break, things they need for the apartment, and what they are going to do first upon arriving.

Once getting off the plane in California, they take the shuttle from John Wayne Airport to the Disneyland hotels. They are staying in the Adventure Land tower, closest to the park. By this point all three boys are buzzing with the infectious happiness of Disney. After unpacking and getting settled into their hotel room, the cubs proceed with their plans of shopping and getting dinner in Downtown Disney. First thing on the agenda is to procure mouse ears. Logan, Finn, and Leo make their way to World of Disney in order to find the widest selection of ears. Leo has a collection of his own ears at home, including his favorite pride Minnie ears, but for this trip he wants to get new ones along with Logan and Finn. Leo and Finn decide on classic Mickey ear hats, while Logan picks out Minnie ears with a lavender bow. They all get sweatshirts too, as is custom.

After a pleasant evening of enjoying the atmosphere and getting dinner at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen (Leo’s offense towards their attempt at Cajun cuisine is only partially a joke), they call it night. They head back to the hotel, brush their teeth, put on pajamas, and cuddle up in bed. After a busy day the three boys quickly fall asleep, full of anticipation for the day ahead.

Something you should know about Leo is that when it comes to Disney, he is hard core. Their first morning there is an early entry in Disneyland park.

“Rise and shine, party people!” Leo calls as he entera the main part of the hotel room from the bathroom. Logan and Finn are just now waking up, but they aren’t remotely tired. The pure excitement radiating off their boyfriend is contagious as well as the promise of a day of fun.

“Butter baby, how long have you been up?” Finn’s question is alarmed yet distinctly amused.

“Since 5:30,” Leo responds off-handedly. Logan and Finn share a look, then turn it on Leo. Undeterred, Leo spins slowly in a circle in order to show off his carefully constructed outfit. He is wearing his favorite light wash Levi’s, paired with the crewneck he bought yesterday (light gray with vintage looking Mickey & friends). Underneath his sweatshirt he is wearing his Pizza Planet t-shirt, ready for when it gets hot later. Leo’s outfit is accessorized with his new Mickey ear hat, white air Jordan 1’s, and his Tinker Bell lanyard filled with pins from over the years.

“These things take time! Now y’all go get dressed, we have to be in line by 6:45,” Leo says. With that both Finn and Logan get out of bed and into their clothes in record time. On their way out of the room, they pick up their ears and backpacks from the desk by the TV.

After a brief stop at the Starbucks in Downtown Disney, the boys make it into the que of people lining up at the entrance gate. Once 7:00 hits, the lines start to move into the park. As Logan, Finn, and Leo enter, they gaze around in awe. At the end of Mainstreet sits Sleeping Beauty’s castle, tall and glorious. They walk hand in hand down the lane of colorful, old fashioned buildings, chatting excitedly about what to do first.

“Alright babes, what’s up on the agenda?” Finn asks.

“I don’t even know the options, what do you say Le?” Logan continues.

They end up heading over to Tomorrow Land first. They go on Star Tours and Space Mountain while the lines are short, then bounce around Fantasy land as they make their way across the park. Around 8:30 all three boys start to get hungry so they grab a bag or two of beignets from New Orleans Square. After breakfast, they hit their favorites in Adventure land (Finn fucking loves Indiana Jones), Frontier Land (Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a fan favorite), and New Orleans Square (Logan might not stop singing ‘Yo Ho a Pirate’s Life for Me’ for weeks).

Around noon the cubs exit Disneyland Park and walk across to California Adventure. After lunch at Wine Country Trattoria the boys bop around Cars Land, Hollywood Land, Pacific Warf and Grizzly Peak. The lines are a lot longer now that it’s afternoon, so they take it in stride and spend their waiting time talking, cuddling, and playing games. They end up going on almost every ride as well as hitting the extra good ones twice like Incredicoaster and Guardians of the Galaxy (still a fan-fucking-tastic ride but Leo misses the Twilight Zone theme).

By the time they finish up in California Adventure for the day, it’s almost time for Fantasmic, and Leo has yet to tell his boys that he got them reserved seats. The cubs meander back to Disneyland but when they start to near Frontier Land Finn picks up the pace.

“Sweetheart, what’s the hurry?” Leo asks with a knowing smile.

“I wanna get good seats for Fantasmic, I haven’t seen it since I was little!” Finn replies.

“Orgasmic? I like the sound of that,” Logan slides in with a smirk.

“Baby, no!” His boyfriends exclaim at the same time. Logan giggles which gets Leo and Finn laughing as well.

“And Finn, I got us seat reservations for the show so no need to rush,” Leo tells him. Finn’s response is to jump on Leo with a fierce hug and a drawn out “Yay,”.

The cubs enjoy the water show immensely, all snuggled up and bundled in sweatshirts once again to fend off the cool evening air. They point out little details to each other with intertwined hands and gasp aloud at the pretty fireworks. Once Fantasmic is over they do a few more rides, then head back to the hotel, sleepy after a full day. The boys fall asleep quickly again, ready to do it all again the next day.

[bad-bitch-beauchamp]

Songs About Me: Chapter Six

Yay! Thanks for your patience while I was away! Without further ado, the first (official) date!

READ ON AO3

Louisburg Square, Beacon Hill, Boston

“How’d you do that?” Claire was fumbling with her keys, trying to get the lock to work on her black front door while Jamie waited just below on the sidewalk.

“Do what?”

“How did you get here so fast? Because one minute, you said you were leaving your place and the next, you were on my front porch. The way I see it is you’re either Superman or you’re a stalker.”

He chuckled. “Just another twist of fate for us, lass.” Claire turned to face him. He stood for a moment watching her and if it had been any longer, she might’ve started to feel self-conscious from his gaze. He shook his head and looked up at her through long, red lashes. His hand stretched upward and outward toward her, and her soft smile made his heart soar. Claire took a deep breath, took his large hand in hers, and descended the brick stairs toward the night’s adventure.

There were only three things Jamie confirmed with Claire before their date that night: her address, what time he should pick her up, and if she liked Italian food. Claire was never one to turn down a bowl of noodles and, with a glance up at her rather large walking partner, ventured Jamie was never one to say no to carbs. He had declined to tell her exactly where they were to have dinner that night over text, and Claire’s curiosity was kicking in as they strolled through Boston Commons.

‘Ye said ye enjoyed Italian food, so just trust me that ye’ll like where we’re headed.”

“That’s hardly an answer.”

“It’s a good enough answer. Patience isn’t really a virtue of yer’s, is it?”

The pair continued to walk down through the Commons, wandering along pathways and strolling past monuments. Their conversation flowed easily and Claire found herself wondering how she could have only met this man, this kind and funny and compassionate and loving and enthralling man, mere hours before. Claire had grabbed a cashmere wrap before she ran down the stairs in case of chilly fall weather, and was glad for it. She started out her walk with Jamie by holding her wrap around her upper arms, secured by her hands held at her chest. As their walk continued, she caught herself letting go to touch Jamie’s arm, to lead him around a pond by the hand, to swat at him when he made a joke. She was comfortable. Their banter and laughter and talks were natural and easy.

“You have to tell me where we’re going! First, you show up at my home with a very thin explanation, and now you’re leading me through the city with no direction! I happen to think my stalker theory is holding more traction with every moment, Mr. Fraser.”

“Alright, a few things, Sassenach,” he said. Their arms were linked together as they made their way over the intersection of Charles and Beacon streets. “First off, my explanation was solid. It was fate I got to yer place so quickly.” He ushered her across the busy street and onto a smaller side street lined with trees and old facades. “Second, I’m no’ a stalker. If I was, I would have found as soon I could have after last night. Yer all I thought about today. Had I known how to find ye, I would have,” he said. He moved his hand to her lower back as he moved them down the sidewalk. Claire simply smiled down at the ground at his honest admission. “Third,” he slowed their pace, “did ye consider I jes’ wanted to spend a little extra time with ye?” He paused to open the door to the restaurant. A whisper brushed along her ear as she slid past him in the entrance, bushing against his chest. “The time I get doesna seem to be enough.” She turned to face him then. He only smiled softly, urging her forward through the doors.

Jamie pulled out a worn leather chair for her before seating himself across the small square table draped with a crisp white tablecloth and topped with two brass candlestick holders and a myriad of glassware. Claire smirked at the fanciness of it all -- they’d met in a dark bar in the middle of the night and talked over dusty bookshelves and now, she was pretending she belonged in a place like this. When Jamie had asked if she liked Italian, she figured they’d end up at a mom and pop place eating spaghetti and drinking too much wine, not acting on their best behavior at one of the finest restaurants in Beacon Hill.

“Are ye alright, Claire?”

Her head popped up to find Jamie studying her. His head cocked like a puppy who watches something new with a mix of awe and confusion in his eyes. He leaned forward as if to reach for her hand, and drew back.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about that, I must’ve zoned out a bit there,” she fibbed. She fidgeted with her napkin on her lap, folding and unfolding it.

“Ye know, I--” Jamie was interrupted by the waiter. He sighed and requested two bottles of wine, a red and a white, and two whiskeys. Claire stifled a giggle at the waiter’s outfit while Jamie was acting the role of adult: the teen wore clean black slacks, a pressed white shirt, a black vest, and a white cloth on his forearm completed the look. The waiter looked at her with confusion.

“Sorry, just thinking about something that happened earlier,” she muttered. The waiter walked away, with a parting glance at Jamie.

“Care tae share what’s so funny, lass?” She expected a look of disdain. The same look Frank would’ve given her, she realized, if she acted this way at a dinner with him. There was never to be any fun, never any giggles, never any banter. She straightened in her chair and attempted to put her feelings about the absurdity of the night behind her.

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Quickly shifting the subject, she moved on. “Did I hear you order four separate alcohol drinks?”

“I wasna sure what ye liked, besides the whisky, so I thought I’d get one of everything to be safe.” It was Jamie’s turn to shift in his seat now. “Shit,” he muttered. “I forgot to ask for ice water.” Motioning back toward the waiter’s station he stopped to add, “Wait, did ye even want ice water? Mebbe ice tea? A coffee? I should’ve asked what ye wanted instead of assuming, Claire, and I’m sorry for it…”

“Jamie. It’s fine.” It was Claire’s turn to reach across the table and take his hand. His eyes moved from the waiter across the room instantly down to their hands. He marveled in the way her fingers intertwined with his, how she traced the bones and knuckles, drawing maps to nowhere in particular. He thumbed over the soft skin of her palms and looked up at her through long lashes. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Ye can ask me anything ye want,” he answered quickly.

“What are we doing here?”

That got his attention. His gaze hardened, his spine stiffened. “What do ye mean?” She didn’t immediately answer, so he continued on. “I asked ye here tonight, because I couldn’t stop thinking about ye all night. And then today, to see ye, to be healed by ye… Christ, I couldn’t wait to see ye or talk to ye or to hold yer hand or merely to be near ye again. If ye’d rather not see me after tonight, I understand and I respect yer wishes. If that’s the case though, I think I’d rather ye let me know that now instead of having me sit here knowing I can’t have ye. I have enough alcohol to get me through the night, I think…” A giggle erupted from the opposite side of the small square table.

“You certainly do have enough alcohol, but I’d rather like to enjoy it with you, if you don’t mind.” One hand held his, and the other held her chin in her palm, elbow propped up on the table.

“Ye’d let me see ye again?”

“Without a doubt.”

Tension flowed out of his muscles and his eyes shimmered in the candlelight. “Why’d ye ask what we were doing here then?”

“I just mean that you don’t have to go through so much trouble for us to spend time together. I know we just met but I’d wager that fancy restaurants with wine lists bigger than the menu aren’t your usual hangout. I’m a simple woman who enjoys simple pleasures, Jamie. Please don’t make this anything more than the perfect night it could be if you just relax.”

He studied her. The curls flowing down around her face, curling at her collarbones. The eyes the same color of his favorite whisky sitting in the crystal decanter on the sideboard back home. Her delicate features that reminded him of the stories of the faeries from back home. She wiggled in her seat under his gaze. He sighed. “I just wanted to honor ye, Sassenach. Do ye right,” she smirked at that. “Och, ye know what I mean,” he said and playfully squeezed her hand in his. “I wanted to treat ye the way I think ye should be treated.”

Would he ever cease to stop being so honest and vulnerable? She hoped not. This confession, his honest assessment of her, made her eyes shimmer with a thin line of unshed tears.

“Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry if I overstepped…”

“You didn’t.” She looked up from her hand in his and marveled at the way she cared for him already, so soon. “Just… thank you, Jamie.”

The waiter reappeared to take their dinner orders and the two were left to talk under their meals arrived. He talked about his favorite book, Song of Myself by Walt Whitman (“Failing to fetch me at first, keep encouraged. Missing me one place, search another. I stop somewhere waiting for you.” he brought her knuckles to her lips. She shivered. He blushed.) ; she told him about the tropical plant she’d grown from a start for the last five years, the pride and joy radiating from her words and beaming smile (“I couldna ever grow something that took that much work,” “It just takes the right touch,” “Aye, that ye have.”) . The waiter arrived back at their table with plates and bowls galore. Soon, the small tabletop was brimming with large flat bowls of pasta and salad plates layered with leafy greens; all four glasses in front of Claire were full, wine and whisky and water warming her core.

Claire didn’t immediately reach for her food, and Jamie smirked. “Tell me what yer thinkin’ about, right now. Don’t think, just answer!”

“I’m thinking that I don’t know which of these fancy forks to kill myself with.” Silence, then roarous laughter.

“I’m no’ sure what I expected ye to say, but for what it’s worth, I did consider the same the question. This is a hell of a spread!”

Vaguely, Claire thought she should eat a little more food and drink a little less liquids, but the notion rolled passed her with another twirl of whisky in her mouth. Dinner continued to pass with much less fanfare and much more excitement and laughter and banter and all the things Claire thought a date should be. It wasn’t until she went to take another sip of her whisky that she noticed it was entirely empty. About to call for another, Jamie shushed her and brought a finger to his lips to stay quiet. She giggled, then remembering to stay quiet, brought her hands up to cover her mouth. Jamie looked around them conspiratorily and pulled a hip flask from his pocket. He poured a generous amount of what she presumed to be whisky back into her glass, and topped off his own. They continued this way, with mouthfuls of noodles and laugher and soft touches that grew more bold with each sip.

“You know, the drunker you get, the more obvious you’re becoming with your thermos.” The waiter was standing before them, hands on his hips.

“ Thermose? Thermasse? I'm sorry, I don't understand. What's a thermousse?” Jamie was trying his best to put on a serious front, but Claire’s giggles made his mouth spread from a smirk all the way to an honest to God grin.

“That one. Right there in your hand.”

“Oh, the thermas-eh?” Jamie patted the spot where the now-empty flask sat in his pocket. “For yer information, it’s a hipflask and it’s actually quite stylish.”

“Sir, I can’t have you in here, drinking liquor you bought from home.”

“Och well if yer selection wasna grossly overpriced, that wouldna be an issue. But alas, I suppose it’s time for me to take my most lovely date and be on our way. To the next adventure!” The waiter looked as if he wanted to throw Jamie out of the restaurant himself but since they were apparently ready to be off into the night, he asked for his payment politely and returned in record time to usher them out the door. Jamie lent out a hand to Claire and twirled her into his side when she stood, her laughter filling the cozy space.

“Sassenach, they’re all watchin’ us. Let’s get out of here, aye?” He whispered into her hair and he focused on not bumping into tables on their way out. The other patrons watched half in annoyance and half in good-natured smiles cast their way.

“Ayeeeee!” Claire rolled her r’s as best she could and Jamie laughed so hard she could feel his chest reverberate against her back as she led him outside.

Back in the park, Claire led him down brick paths and through lines of tall trees, and he followed her every move. She knew they were only minutes from her townhouse but reveled in the magic of the gardens at night alone with him. With Jamie.

“I wrote it for you, you know,” she said quietly as she walked along the low brick wall lining the gardens. Jamie, down on the sidewalk, looked up confused.

“Ye wrote what, lass?”

“The french song you heard today. I wrote that, last night. I couldn’t sleep.”

Jamie stopped walking. When he turned to face Claire head-on, she came up a few inches above his head from standing on the low wall but felt incredibly small under his gaze. She fumbled with her dress and tried to take a step forward along the wall, but two strong hands held in place by the waist.”

“Will ye tell me what ye wrote? What the words mean?”

“I thought you said you spoke french.”

“Aye, I did. But I was so entranced by ye when I saw ye in the shop, so surprised, that I forgot to actually listen and translate,” he smirked. “Please tell me?”

She watched him for a moment. Not yet. It’s too soon for that. She leaned in close, close enough to smell his cologne and see peak of ruddy stubble on his cheeks. He closed his eyes and his mouth fell open just a bit, and she whispered, “Not a chance.”

She jumped down from the wall past his grasp, strolling back down the brick path. Jamie stood stunned, shook his head, brushed back a few rogue curls, and jogged to catch up with her pace.

---

They arrived back at Louisburg Square not more than ten minutes later. The night was getting late. Claire fidgeted with the hem of her dress, Jamie kept shrugging his shoulders in the black leather jacket, and they walked slower with each step. When it couldn’t be delayed any longer, they arrived at the brick steps to Claire’s porch.

“So, this is me.” She turns to face him, to prolong this moment, this night.

He smirked. “Aye, Sassenach. I remember.”

“Why do you call me that?” He cocked his head at her. “A sassenach, I mean.”

“Och, I mean no offense by it and can stop if ye’d like. It just means outlander, someone not from here.”

“Here? It seems that here is Boston, and you’re not from here either!” She crossed her arms in mock admonishment.

“That mebbe so, but I can’t help that being with you makes me feel like home,” he said as he took a step toward her. Her arms fell to her sides then, and Jamie reached for them in his.

“Was that jus’ the most foolish thing to say? Shit, I jus’ keep making a right fool of myself around ye it seems. First the voicemails and now…”

“I understand… exactly, how you feel.” She couldn’t look at him. It should be too soon to feel this way. He was a practically a stranger, and yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling something was different. As if he could read her mind, he replied with questions of his own.

“Is it usual? What it is between us?” He watched her with such intensity, such revere, such awe. She met his eyes, and softened.

“It’s often something like this, I think.” He nodded in agreement. “But no. This isn’t usual. It’s different.” He nodded again, seeming to memorize the pattern of the bricks on the sidewalk under their feet. “I guess that’s my queue… Thank you for a truly wonderful night, Jamie,” she dropped his hands and began to walk up the steps to her door when a strong arm pulled her back into a familiar warm embrace.

“Claire, I--” he swallowed and took a step back from her. She noticed that in the distance he created, his hand still held onto her waist. His fingertips pressed into her flesh and goosebumps erupted under the fabric. She met his eyes and sank into their ocean depths.

“I’d very much like to kiss ye. May I?”

---

It's HAPPENING!!! These sweet babies went on their first date! I figured based on what we know about them, they're both too down to earth for some fancy restaurant acting formal. The flask/thermos scene is based on Jess and Nick's date in New Girl where they get absolutely trashed in a very similar situation. Plus, it just seems like Jamie would be the kind of guy to have a flask on him, right? How are we feeling about these two? About the date? I'm so excited to get to the angsty part of this! I promise it's coming up soon. (Like, next chapter, soon). Thanks for being so patient with me while I was away enjoying post-deployment bliss with my husband! Writing wasn't on the top of my list, but it's good to be back! As always, thanks for reading. Your comments and kudos here and interactions on Tumblr really do mean so much to me and I really appreciate your support for this story and for me. Stay safe and healthy out there! <3

[bts-reveries]

daddy duties | 27

“Is it okay if me and Gyu go out?” Jimin says, standing behind you as you brush your teeth. You look at him from the mirror. It was a Saturday morning, his day off of work. 

“I’m not invited??” You say, your toothbrush still in your mouth. Jimin shakes his head.

“I’m afraid Saturdays are for the boys.” 

You laugh as you’re about to rinse your mouth with water. You nod, understanding. You give him a thumbs up.

“Mommy said yes!” Jimin yells behind him, running to his son. You shake your head, spitting into the sink and drying your mouth with a towel. 

“Mommy day off too I guess,” you say to yourself, ready to jump back into bed. 

-

“Where are you two going anyways?” You ask, watching Jimin pack Mingyu’s diaper bag with extra clothes. Jimin had a huge hoodie on, silently walking around the room and stuffing things into the bag. You look over your son who’s laying on his stomach right next to you. 

“Where’s daddy taking you?” You ask him. He looks over at you and smiles, crawling a few inches to get to you. 

“Aigoo~~” You cooed, picking him up and letting him sit on your stomach. “You’re getting so so big,” you pout. Mingyu leans forward, crashing on your chest making you groan. “Umph,” you laugh as his face is right in front of yours and he smiles so big, leaning in to give you a ‘kiss’. You were about to cry right then and there.

“What’s wrong?” Jimin says, standing right next to you out of nowhere. You look up at him through glossy eyes. 

“He just gave me a little kiss,” you say. Jimin’s jaw drops, leaning down to you and Mingyu’s level.

“I want one too!” He says, looking straight into your son’s eyes. Mingyu giggles, slowly leaning into Jimin’s face, when his open lips landed on his nose.

*monch*

“aH! He’s biting me!” Jimin yells, laughing as Mingyu doesn’t let go until he pulls away. “Waahh~ Mommy gets kisses but daddy gets bites. You have like two teeth.” 

“He just loves me more,” you say, closing your eyes and pressing your cheeks against your baby’s.

“Whatever,” Jimin says, reaching out for Mingyu. “But we have to get going buddy. I have plans for today.” You look up at Jimin as you pass your son to him. 

“Like what?” 

“It’s our little secret, can’t tell you.” You frown at your husband, crossing your arms. 

You let out a huff, “you two keep secrets from me now? I thought we were a team..” 

“I’ll tell you when we come back~~” Jimin says, leaning down to give you a kiss. 

“Fine,” you say, kissing him back. You pucker your lips out for Mingyu too and Jimin leans him down for the kiss and he presses his small lips against yours.

“Me too,” Jimin says, when they stood back up. He puckers his plump lips and Mingyu did nothing but poke it with his little finger. Jimin opens his mouth and pretends to bite it, making his son laugh. “Payback from earlier,” he says. He walks over to the edge of the bed to grab Mingyu’s diaper bag, ready to head out.

“I’ll call when we’re heading home,” he says, walking out of your room. You nod, waving bye to both of them.

“Make sure you put a jacket on Gyu before you head out!” You say, watching Jimin give you a thumbs up from behind.

-

Jimin looks at Mingyu from the rearview mirror to the little mirror across Mingyu’s car seat. 

“I didn’t even get to tell you the plan earlier because mommy might hear,” Jimin says as he starts the car. “But the plan for today is to go shopping for presents for mommy. She’s been working really hard to take care of the both of us and I think it’s time we spoil her a little you know?” Mingyu replies with a little baby gibberish. “Yeah, exactly,” Jimin says, as if he and Mingyu were conversating. “Since it’s my day off today, I don’t want to spend the whole day shopping of course, but I was thinking we both surprise mommy with lunch and watch a movie in the living room, what do you think?” Again, Mingyu replies back with a satisfied ‘ooh!’ “Okay good. Well we’re going to stop by the mall, then get some take out. Maybe stop by auntie Sohyun’s bakery and get some of the pastries mommy likes-- oh! We should get her a cake!” Jimin says, holding his hand up. He gestures a lot when he talks. “I’ll call auntie Sohyun when we get to the mall. And then we’ll pick it up afterwards and also get take-out too, how does that sound?” Jimin looks at the rearview mirror when he doesn’t hear Mingyu answer. Mingyu was too busy playing with his little stuffed tiger that Taehyung gave him to reply. “Mingyu-ah, are you listening?” Mingyu replies with a little whine. “Okay, well, we’re almost there.” 

-

With Mingyu already in his stroller Jimin puts the diaper bag in the bottom part, making sure he’s not forgetting anything. “Okay this should be an easy trip if you cooperate with me.” Mingyu stares blankly at his dad. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes, I will be cooperative’ because you didn’t give me a cheeky smile like you used too.” Jimin began pushing the stroller towards the mall’s entrance when he took out his phone to call Sohyun. 

*ring ring* *ring ring*

S: “Hello?” Sohyun answered.

Jimin: “Hey! Is the bakery busy today?”

S: “Not really, it’s pretty calm. Still a bit early, what’s up?”

Jimin: “I’m out with Gyu right now, we’re at the mall having some father-son bonding time. We want to surprise Yn, just because she’s working so hard on dealing with the two of us, I don’t want her hard work to go unnoticed…” 

S: “Aww that’s so sweet! Are you going to buy her presents~~”

Jimin: “Yeaaah~~ We also want to surprise her with lunch so we’re getting take-out after this of her favorite food, and we also plan to stop by your bakery to pick up her favorites.”

S: “Aww yay! I’ll be waiting for you two then~”

Jimin: “That’s not all I called about tho” Jimin laughs, “I had this idea of getting a cake for her, and I happen to know the best cake maker eVER” 

*Sohyun laughs*

“May we please order a small vanilla cake? I’ll text you what I want written on it later~”

S: “Of course you can, I’ll text you when it’s ready”

Jimin: “You’re the best!!! Thanks aunt Sohyunieee”

S: “You’re welcome Jimin,” she laughs. The two said their goodbyes and hung up.

“We can check mommy’s cake off of the list, now let’s go buy her her presents,” Jimin tells Mingyu, pushing the stroller to the nearest jewelry store.

-

“See! The trip was so quick and easy when you’re behaved!” Jimin says, buckling Mingyu back in his carseat. The two went through a few stores, it was pretty quick, they just went in and out, getting whatever they thought you would like. Jimin checked his phone as he was getting into the driver’s seat, seeing if Sohyun has texted about the cake. 

“Oh mommy texted…”

hey babe, i’m going to take a nap lol text/call me when you’re on the way home~ 

don’t stay out too long though, it’s boring without you guys here :(((((

Jimin laughs at your text. “Mommy misses us already. But we still have to stop by for food. She’ll be awake by lunch though, so maybe we can set up the living room for her little surprise… With you waking her up at three this morning, I’m sure she’ll still be asleep when we get in.” Jimin then texts Sohyun that they’re on their way.

“You ready?” Jimin asks, Mingyu babbles back. “Okay, let’s go!” 

-

“Hey guys!” Sohyun says, as soon as the two walked in. This time, Mingyu was in his baby carrier on Jimin’s chest, while Jimin held his diaper bag in one hand. 

“Hi auntie~” Jimin says in a small voice, talking for Mingyu, and waving his little hand. 

“I’m almost done with the cake, you guys mind waiting a bit?” She says, about to walk back to the back room of the shop.

“Oh take your time, we can wait,” Jimin says, walking to a seat by the window. 

“Okay~ See you in a few,” Sohyun says as she disappears to the back. Jimin sit’s down on a chair, opening up Mingyu’s diaper bag. Mingyu looks in the bag as Jimin bends over, pulling out his laptop from inside. 

“Okay, so remember when mommy and I were talking about your first trip out of Korea?” Jimin says. Mingyu’s eyes get big as his dad opens up his laptop, typing on the keyboard. “Well we both had always wanted to travel to Paris in our first year as a married couple, but we had to cancel because something better came along...” Jimin turns his head and looks at the side of his son’s face, giving him a long smooch. 

“Which was you. So now, we’re going to make that your first trip out.. of .. Korea.” He says slowly as he goes to a bookmarked page, purchasing two roundtrip tickets to Paris, France. “Thank goodness we don’t need to buy a ticket for you yet,” he mumbles. 

“Paris??” Sohyun says, seeing Jimin’s laptop screen behind him as she walks over to him and gives him a drink. “You guys are really going?? When?” 

“You scared me,” Jimin laughs. “But I bought tickets for near the end of this month… Don’t text the girls though, it’s a surprise for Yn.” Sohyun scoffs.

“Yeah yeah, I’m not a blabber mouth.. I would never spill a secret!” It was Jimin’s turn to scoff.

“Remember when you told Hobi hyung that you and Yoongi were secretly dating--”

“That was like one time!” Jimin laughs at her reaction. 

“I’m kidding.”

“Whatever Park, your cake is on the counter by the way,” Sohyun says, shaking her head, playfully rolling her eyes.

“Yayyyyyy~~” Jimin says, closing his laptop and putting it back in Mingyu’s bag. Jimin also made sure to get some of the pastries that you liked.

“I’m not giving you a discount because you called me a blabber mouth,” Sohyun jokes as she gets back behind the counter. 

-

After Jimin had picked up some food after their stop at the bakery, they were almost back home. 

“Mommy should be asleep still, I haven’t texted her we’re on the way home, so you better not say a single peep when we get there. Mommy’s one eye will open at the sound of your voice.” Mingyu himself was looking sleepy in his car seat. The two have been going from one place to another, going in and out of the car, and bringing in a lot of things. Mingyu was probably thinking about how Jimin was going to bring in everything he just bought AND himself.

“Okay, we’re here,” Jimin whispers as he parks the car. Mingyu looks around, waiting for his dad to take him. Tired of being out all morning. Jimin then opens the back car doors, strapping on the baby carrier, then taking Mingyu out of the car seat and putting him in. 

“Okay, I think we need two trips, first food, then mommy’s presents. We can’t risk dropping anything when we get in,” Jimin continues to whisper. Mingyu loudly babbles back at him, earning a shh from his dad. “You gotta whisper buddy,” he says, walking to the passenger side to grab the food. “Okay, we got this.”

Jimin unlocks the door and opens it as quietly as he can, checking the hallway to see if he could see you sleeping from there. But your bedroom door was closed. 

“I think she’s still asleep,” he whispers, Mingyu looks at the door, whining, making Jimin flinch. “Okay,” he says, getting an idea, “let me put this down first.” Jimin quickly puts the take-out and the bakery goods on the coffee table before going into your shared room. 

Just as he thought, you were still asleep. But Jimin figured he’d put Mingyu on the bed and your sleepy self would automatically cuddle him and he wouldn’t start crying, waking you up. 

“Here you go,” he said, placing Mingyu next to you. Mingyu automatically smiled, crawling up to your face and laying down. You sensed his movements and opened your eyes slightly. 

“Oh..” You say in a low voice. Putting your arm over him, the both of you falling back to sleep.

“That worked out better than I thought,” Jimin says from the doorway, walking back to his car to get the rest of their bags. 

-

After Jimin has prepared the coffee table, which was laid out with all of your favorite food, and of course the cake in the middle, Jimin went back to your shared room to wake you up.

“Honey,” he says, leaning over your side of the bed as you are turned to the middle, hugging your son. You stirred a little as he leans down to peck your cheek.

“Mmh..” You slowly opened your eyes and looked straight up at him in confusion. Jimin laughs softly, watching you get up on your elbows. 

“I didn’t even notice you two were home,” you say, rubbing your eyes. You look down to your side and watch as your son slowly opens his eyes. 

“He was such a good boy the whole day, we had full on conversations and everything,” Jimin says, his eyes widening. You laugh, running your fingers on your son’s belly.

“Really?” Jimin nods. “Well are you two going to tell me what you did the whole time you were gone?” 

“We can show you,” he says, holding his hand out. You take it and he pulls you up, helping you out of bed. Mingyu then whines a little, trying to get the two of you’s attention so you can bring him along too. “Don’t worry I didn’t forget you,” Jimin says, picking him up. “Let’s go,” he says, taking your hand and dragging you to the living room. You rub your eyes, trying to clear your vision as he sits you on the sofa. The sofa was full of fluffy blankets and soft pillows, you look at it confused as to where it came from. You grab one, hugging it to your chest before looking up at your husband.

“You two went shopping for pillows and blankets?” You ask. Jimin nods.

“But not just that. Look in front of you.” You furrow your brows, doing what he says. A gasp coming out of your mouth. You were fully awake now.

“What is this for!” You say in surprise, seeing all your favorite food. Both your boys came to sit next to you.

“We thought we’d spoil you today since you work so hard for us. We didn’t want your hard work to go unappreciated. And we know a simple thank you already satisfies you but we just wanted to give a little more. So we decided to give you a mommy day and eat your favorite food, watch your favorite movie, and give you some presents~” You pout, leaning into both of them. Your head on Jimin’s chest, while your son was on his lap, so he just looked up at you.

“You guys are too much, I don’t deserve you both,” you say, your eyes tearing up. Jimin laughs, holding your head up and giving you a kiss. 

“You deserve everything, now don’t cry,” he says, giving you another kiss. “We’re going to open one present before we start the movie and start eating.” He gets up to grab a bag from the floor, handing it to you. You take the bag from him, taking out what’s inside. You gasp as you get it all on your lap.

“Matching pajamas?!” You yell out. Jimin just got you three matching pajamas for your little celebration. 

“Yeah!! We have to wear it now,” he says, taking Mingyu’s from you and already starting to change him. You begin to put yours on, and Jimin does the same after Mingyu got his on. 

“This is so cute!” you say. 

“Why did we wait six months to wear matching family pajamas,” Jimin says, looking at the both of you. “This is the best thing ever!” 

-

Mingyu was asleep in your arms, and the both of you had just finished your favorite movie. 

“Ugh, this was fun,” you say, you were currently laying on Jimin who had his arm over you.

“Did you like our surprise?” He asks, looking down at you. You looked back up at him, smiling.

“I loved it.” He leans down to kiss your lips.

“Good, because we have one, well, two final surprises for you,” he says, you furrowed your eyebrows. There’s more???

He moves out from under you and goes to get the final shopping bag. 

“What else did you get me?” You ask your son. You look down at Mingyu, who was in deep sleep, and frown. As if he would’ve answered you if he was awake.

“Close your eyes,” Jimin says, as he walks back to you on the sofa. You did what he said and closed your eyes. Instantly, you felt his arms go over you and behind your neck. 

“Open,” he says. You put a hand up on your chest and feel a necklace on there. You look down and see a dainty necklace with a small emerald stone. 

“Oh my gosh-”

“It’s Gyu’s birthstone,” Jimin says. Once again, you look back at him with tears in your eyes. 

“I love it,” you say quietly. “.. thank you..” 

“Stop crying,” he laughs, wiping away a tear that fell down. You were a very emotional person to say the least.

“I can’t, you two keep making me cry today,” you say. 

“Well I’m sure our last present would make you cry harder,” he tells you, a smile breaking out of his lips. You looked at him in slight fear.

“W-why…”

“Remember our plan, before we got married?” You tilt your head at him. “We started talking about it recently on how we’ll live that dream but with Gyu instead.” Your eyes slowly widened at the realization of what he was trying to say.

“You didn’t…” He takes out his phone, showing you that he bought the plane tickets you two were just planning to get.

“Babe,” you say, laughing in shock. “Are you serious?” Jimin laughs, nodding his head. 

“We leave in a couple weeks,” he says. 

“OH MY GOSH!” You yell, startling Mingyu. He slowly started to cry as you woke him up from his sleep. “Oh-- oh I’m sorry,” you say, carrying him upright and hugging him to your chest. You and Jimin exchange a laugh. 

“Baby we’re going to Paris!” You say, pulling Mingyu away and looking at his face. He frowns at you and you immediately hug him back.

“I don’t think he likes the idea,” you laugh. “But I love it.”

☔︎☔︎☔︎☔︎☔︎☔︎☔︎

daddy duties

☔︎part twenty-seven: not invited☔︎

pairings: newdad!jimin x wife!reader

a/n: okay, but jimin and gyu are doing so well by themselves now 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 he’s a pro!!! 

also, went to the dentist this morning and it was really fast and it didn’t even hurt so i was worried for nothing : D

taglist:

@crazyferalvigilantedragonwriter @taekookcaneatme @osnapjenn @rjsmochii @cosmicdaylight @monosomes @the-things-in-the-dark @kimchii7 @softboyfriendtae @smauslut @igotarmyofarohas @heartfeltscribblings @ruinsofangels @sope-and-shine @ephyra1230 @uglyratlmao @samros95 @hellotherehoneybee @moon6rop @kpopliisu @butterflylion @moonlightrose19 @teawithbucky @strwberry-jam @listless-losers @dreamcatcherjiah @httplovemaze @raplineh0e @salty-for-suga @chiminilove @bts-kay @my-chaos-in-stars @kookiemonstersugatea @vantaexx @blueberrykenn @sunnyoongles @knjkitten @itsjynop @seoulicitae @i-swear-im-a-soft-stan @prdshobi @thegirlwhocares @btsxdoll @callmepaopao @sterynlis @cribabieee @incredibleella @nctssidehoe @dammit-jjk @goldenchemistry

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[imagine-straykids]

Han Jisung: Crushed

short summary: when Jisung has a crush on you, he may not be the best at expressing his feelings

genre: fluff x romance

word counts: 5,350 words

Jisung wasn’t sure when or why he started liking you. Maybe it was the way you’d always awkwardly stumble upon your words; maybe it was the way you’d take jabs at yourself sometimes; maybe it was the way you listened to him as if he was the only person in the world. Well, he wasn’t entirely sure. But all he knew was that you stole his heart and he doesn’t want it back. 

Who would’ve ever thought that Han Jisung, a music prodigy, basically a star student, would ever fall head over heels for someone like you who admittedly only joined a music course because you needed a filler class. 

The first time you guys talked, it was because you needed help identifying some music notes. You were not the best at music--actually not very good at all, but you can sing a little bit, yay? You don’t know why you thought taking this class as an extra would be a good idea. Because it wasn’t. It was much harder than you had expected. Hell, you don’t know what you were thinking, because everybody here was basically legendary at what they do. 

Anyways, well, one day your teacher had you guys do this assignment and you struggled like a bitch. While you were still on the first page losing at least 10 brain cells per question, you had noticed that Jisung, who was seated in front of you had already finished. You were amazed--No. Amazed was an understatement. You were shook even though you knew you shouldn’t be. He was pretty much second to no one in this class.

A few moments later, your teacher’s loud voice echoed through the room.

“Okay class! You have 10 more minutes left! I will be collecting your papers after that.” Your teacher sat down after her announcement.

“10 minutes? Crap! I’m not even through the first page yet...” you cursed quietly under your breath out of natural habits. You weren’t expecting anyone nearby to hear you, and you were actually hoping they didn’t. But your words did not manage to miss Jisung’s ears as you had leaned in a little bit too closely behind him when you mumbled.

You were too busy scribbling down whatever you were scribbling because frankly you weren’t really sure what you were doing. As you lifted your head up trying to take a look at the clock, you were instead met with Jisung’s puppy eyes as he had been examining what you were doing for the last 5 seconds or so. A small gasp escaped your mouth and you blinked out of fright, but not loud enough to catch anyone’s attention. Just loud and visible enough for you to make a fool out of yourself in front of Han Jisung.

“Do you need any help?” He smiled.

Ahhhh oh my gosh, he smiled, you internally screamed inside your head.

“I--uhm--uh--yeah, I kind of do--” you stumbled around your words awkwardly.

This shouldn’t have been as nerve wrecking, but why is it.

“I can help you. What do you need help with?” 

“Oh uhm...  the whole paper to be honest. I’m kind of... new to this kind of class.” 

And that was pretty much your guys first time talking to each other. Ever since then, he would always voluntarily ask if you needed any help, to which you were very much appreciative for. He really did not have to be this nice to you, but he was. Bless his whole ass soul. 

Little by little, working out assignments together turned into small talks between you guys, or rather silly stories told by himself, and you in return would share stories of your siblings to him and just how annoying they are to you daily. He liked to listen to your tales because he didn’t have any younger siblings and his older brother lived in another town.

Your Music class that used to be so intimidating to you because you were so far behind everyone else, the class that used to make you feel talentless and lonely as hell, you now had something to look forward to.

Oddly, Jisung could say the same thing too. Everyday back and forth to him was just go to classes, head to dance practice after school, go home, study, and repeat. But his somehow repetitive lifestyle started looking a little bit more exciting after meeting you. All his other classes were okay, but somehow he was always looking forward to 6th period; his music class. Looking forward to that special someone he could talk to about how his day has went so far.

Sometimes zoning out in his other classes, thinking about all the kind of things to say or tell you whenever he does get to 6th period. It was a foreign feeling that he had never experienced before. Not for anyone else. He’s had crushes in the past, but they were mostly puppy love, or crushes that would last a week at most. But every time he gets closer to you, every time he’s communicating with you, he feel his heart exploding a million times, and all the little things you would do like mumbling things to yourself thinking nobody would hear, the way you would twitch your nose whenever something upsets you a little, pressing the wrong keys when practicing, or just the way you would laugh at the smallest things he said just does a different kind of twist on his heart string. 

Day by day he found himself becoming greedier and greedier, wanting to become something much more with you. But he didn’t know if that was too weird considering you guys don’t interact outside of this class, besides the small gestures you both would exchange sometimes when passing by one another. 

He wasn’t sure if he was moving too fast or not, but it was 4 months ago that he started talking to you. 4 months ago when he talked to you, the one who would make him question so many things about himself.

He don’t know if he should wait it out and see if you’ll say anything, but from how you’re acting, it doesn’t look as if any changes was coming soon. He was growing more impatient every time he gets the chance to talk to you, because to him, you were just... so adorable.

One day after class ended, he finally managed up the courage to ask you if you wanted to go for a drink after school, to which you said yes. He was met with pleasure, but at the same time, terror. Was he really about to do this? No no. He was not ready. But he also does not want to be just friends anymore. He was mentally battling his thoughts the whole time walking there that he even missed out on some things you’ve told him. 

You became aware that Jisung was not being himself and was rather gloomy today all of a sudden.

“Jisung, are you alright?” You asked him worriedly. 

Your voice snapped him back to reality.

“Y-yeah I am fine y/n! Sorry, I was just thinking about how much homework I have today,” he assured you.

Really? A lot of homework? That’s really the best thing you can think of, Jisung criticized himself in his head.

“Oh... I see. Well we should probably go grab a seat so you can let loose some tension.”

Jisung nodded and you guys found a spot in the back corner.

As soon as you guys sat down, Jisung’s face positioned toward his feet as if he’s rethinking life decisions.

This was unusual for him because although you were not with him often, rarely did you ever see him looking so down. He was always jolly every time he entered the classroom. This was a rather new Jisung for you.

“Hey Jisung, you’re a smart person! You will finish all the work alright. And if you need any help, I am always here for you,” you tried to comfort him.

“Huh--O-o yeah. Thank you. Sorry I’m a little bit spaced out,” he said so quietly.

“Jisung, if there’s anything that’s bothering you, you can always tell me. I won’t ever judge, you know that. I just hope you’re okay.”

The more worried you were for him, the more it made him want to throw up from nervousness. Because you’re encouraging him to confess but at the same time, discouraging, because he was just that afraid he might ruin a good relationship with someone like you.

“I’m fine, y/n. You can go ahead and order something. I need to use the restroom real quick.” He stood up and made his way to the men’s restroom. 

He quickly shut himself in and slid down the wall onto his knees as he puffed out breath of airs.

After he had situated in a comfortable position, he took his phone out and called Hyunjin.

“Hyunjin, I-I cannot do it. I can’t. I feel so weak and nervous right now I think I might throw up,” Jisung ranted.

“Tell me about it. That was a such a shit show. Dude, I got second hand embarrassment from it.” 

“W-wait what. How did you know what happened?” 

“Me and Jeongin come to this cafe every day after school. We were seated right across from you guys, but you were too busy being a nervous freak to notice.”

“Oh wow, so Jeongin saw it too. I really just cannot. I don’t think I can go out after this. My hands are sweating. Can you like, make up some kind of excuse for me?” 

“Like what kind of excuse?”

“I don’t know... just tell her I went home because I feel sick.”

“What? Then she’s going to say why didn’t you just tell her.”

“Then just say because I was in a rush,” Jisung grew impatient trying to reason with Hyunjin.

“I guess then. At this pace, you’re never going to get a girlfriend.” 

Jisung was about to say something back but Hyunjin already cut off the line. 

~

When Jisung came in the next day, you asked him if he was alright, and he gave you a short answer but nothing more than that. 

You tried initiating a few more small talks with him but he was really just out of it, you had a feeling you should just leave him to be. He’s probably going through a difficult time right now.

When the bell rung signaling it was time to leave, you bid a small goodbye wave to Jisung before you left but it was only met with an awkward smile from him. 

The next three days continued on pretty much like the scenario above. You would try starting a conversation but it wasn’t much of a conversation if you were the only one talking. Eventually, you stopped trying to talk to him.

You would be lying if you were to say you weren’t upset or concerned. You didn’t know if you had said something that offended him, or if he found out that you secretly have a crush on him and is creep out by it. Either way, both situation weren’t going to end well for you.

The day you guys went to the cafe was the day he started acting indifferent. Maybe he heard that small fart you ripped out along the way or something. But you swore on god that it didn’t smell that bad. Maybe that day he meant to tell you he doesn’t want to be friends or talk to a loser like you anymore, but wasn’t courageous enough to finish what he started, that’s why he sent Hyunjin over to get rid of you.

It honestly sucks because your music teacher has recently assigned you guys with a project and in your head, you and Jisung would’ve had a blast discussing about what you guys were going to do for it. All of the things he or you would’ve said kept playing over and over in your head. But then again, you shouldn’t jump into conclusion.

You’ll just confront him on Monday and see what the real deal is. You just hope it wasn’t anything too serious that he’s brooding about. If you had hurt him in some shape or form, you would like to know and apologize dearly.

~

Jisung felt like an imbecile. An even bigger fool than the one he was before. He couldn’t believe he thought ignoring and avoiding you would suppressed his feelings or prevent you from asking anything relevant.

It probably did, but now the feeling of guilt is just eating him up. Your poor face after rambling and getting no response broke his heart. But he was afraid if he were to say anything less than appropriate, he would lose it.

He just wish you’re doing good for yourself and isn’t taking his actions to heart, because he pretty much acknowledge that he’s being stupid.

When he got to dance practice, he slammed his backpack harshly onto the floor of the studio and sighed.

The frustration of his caught the attention of Seungmin, Hyunjin and Jeongin who got here a little bit early too and was prepping up.

“What’s good bro? You alright?” Seungmin asked as he walked forward to Jisung.

“Yeah. You have been looking pretty sad these past few days. I kind of miss that loud crackhead energy of yours even though you can get carried away with it,” Jeongin sensing the rising atmosphere, tried to lighten it up.

“He probably got rejected by his dream girl,” Hyunjin chimmed in.

“Huh?” Seungmin let out in confusion.

“This one girl in his music class that he has a huge crush on for no reason even though they don’t even interact.”

Hyunjin was of course only teasing Jisung.

“Hey! We do interact! It’s just mostly in class. You’re not even in the class itself so shut up Hwang Hyunjin. At least I can keep my crush on one girl, and not the whole freaking school,” Jisung defended himself.

Jeongin let out a small laughter followed by Seungmin.

“That’s true, Hyung. You really need to stick to one person like seriously.” Jeongin threw his arm onto Hyunjin’s shoulder but Hyunjin slapped it off.

“Whatever.” Hyunjin rolled his eyes.

“And no, I didn’t get rejected... I didn’t even ask her out yet.” Jisung admitted in shame.

“Huh?” Seungmin let out again.

“Then what are you so miserable about?” Jeongin cocked his eyebrow.

“I-I’m scared. What if she says no? What if she doesn’t like me like that. Then it’s just going to be awkward. She’s a really sweet person and I don’t want to ruin our friendship just because I think about her more than a friend,” Jisung’s tone dampen the longer he talked. 

“But what if she also likes you like that? I mean, you don’t know... you haven’t even asked her.” Seungmin tried to encourage Jisung.

Jeongin nodded in agreement while Hyunjin just let out a chuckle.

“Dude, if you don’t ask her out, I will. Seeing her the other day at the cafe, she’s kind of cute.” Hyunjin goes into thought.

Jisung’s eyes fired up at what Hyunjin said.

“Hey! Stay away from her! But to be honest, she wouldn’t like you anyways. Sorry but she wouldn’t go for someone who changes girls everyday like he changes his clothes. Anyways--can you tell Chan for me that I will be missing practice today. Something came up. Bye!”

And with that, Jisung quickly grabbed his backpack and stormed out of the building.

“Wow, I’m hurt.” Hyunjin put his hand on his chest.

~

"Jisung, aren’t you going to eat?”

His door flashed opened with his mom’s head in between the crack.

“Soon! I just need to revise this one more time.” His eyes still not leaving his music sheet.

“Dear, don’t overwork yourself. It’s almost 11. You’ve been working on your song ever since you came home. Please come down to eat and you can continue after.” His mom tried to convince him, not wanting her own son to starve to death.

Jisung finally placed the guitar down at the defeat of his mom’s words.

“Alright mom. See you downstairs.”

~

“Wow Jisung, this is really good. And the lyrics are, wow...” Chan complimented the younger man who came to him for feedbacks on his sample.

“Do you really mean it? I mean... you really think this is good?” Jisung widened his eyes as he searched for an answer in Chan’s own.

“Yeah, of course! Jisung, are you like, okay? Because usually you’re always so confident in your works and rarely do you ever come to me or Changbin for revision.”

“Oh yeah, I’m good. I just need it to be perfect because I’m performing this song for my project on Monday and I need it to be A plus.”

Chan nodded.

“I am 100% sure you are going to ace this.” 

~

Monday had came super fast, and when reality hit that you’ll be performing in front of the class again, it railed up your anxiety very bad.

The last few projects or performances you guys had was mostly just instruments based, as the teacher wanted to see how well the students were progressing on their skills. But now you needed to dance or sing and you weren’t so sure how this was going to end.

You weren’t no song writing goddess or instruments playing master, so you were just going to do a quick simple cover of Red Velvet Psycho. 

As long as you don’t sound like a dying goat, you’ll do just fine.

You were honestly looking forward to Jisung’s performance as well. Because every time he goes up, he always come up with the most creative or mind blowing performances. Jisung didn’t need talents, talents needed Jisung.

Classes passed by like the wind, probably because most of the time you were in your own world. 

The closer it was to your 6th period, the more anxious you were, and you were already very anxious to begin with.

When the time finally came, you walked into the class and sat down at your desk. Jisung still hasn’t arrived yet.

With time to kill, your eyes circled the room and for fun, you tried guessing what some of the students would be doing.

Mhmm, that girl Yoona in the back, you’ve seen a few of her song covers on Youtube, so chances are she’ll be singing.

That guy to the right of you performed in the rally last semester, so you wouldn’t be surprised if he bounced out some steps later on.

Your thoughts were intruded when you heard the door slammed shut, your attention shifted to your teacher who stood tall in front of all of you.

“Good Afternoon class, I hope you’re all doing well, and I hope you all have something prepared today as well,” She smiled.

She then does this thing where she’ll move her eyes from left to right, trying to pick out any students who’s missing.

The desk in front of you, which belongs to Jisung, was still empty.

Jesus, does he really hate you that much that he’ll even risk losing points. You really wanted to make things right today. Or at least try working out whatever is going on between you guys, which you don’t even know what is it.

“Jisung isn’t here yet?” Your teacher asked.

You only shook your head.

“Alright, well then it looks like we’ll have to continue without h--”

Your teacher was interrupted when the door busted opened. Jisung showed up looking like he just woke up, almost out of breath like. You could tell his hair was slightly messier and the shade in his pupils darkened compared to other days. His eye bags were also more prominent.

“--Sorry, I got caught up in things.” Jisung bowed down to your teacher and then to the rest of the class.

“You’re fine. Go take a seat.” She dismissed. 

Jisung bowed again before trailing to his desk. Along the way, you guys unintentionally met eyes, followed by Jisung awkwardly breaking the contact by looking at the wall, then taking a seat.

All you could think about at the moment was what did you do to Jisung that he’s going to this extent to avoid you. Did he read your diary when you went to the restroom, and found out about that one experience you wrote when you and your family went to the water park and your stomach hurted badly so you did a little oopsie near the kids section and they never found out it was you--Oh gosh, you couldn’t imagine.

Whatever it was, Jisung must have his reasons, and you really need to stop jumping to conclusions. Everything will be okay as long as you talk to him today.

“Now that everybody’s here, we should get started, we don’t have a lot of time.” 

Then your teacher started picking out names one after another. You did genuinely enjoyed their performances, but every time someone finished, you just want to crawl into the corner and hide away from the rest of the world, because pray to the lord you don’t get called on.

Everybody was doing so good so far. 

“Please give a big round of applause to Saeron,” your teacher followed after Saeron had finished.

Everyone clapped in awed but it’ll always dimmed whenever your teacher call on the next person.

“Y/n!” She held up the piece of paper in her hand with your name written on it. 

“Huh?” you were taken back at the sound of your name.

“It’s your turn, y/n.” Your teacher sternly looked at you.

“Oh--right, right.” You sluggishly got up and made ways to the front. 

“Uhm, for today I’ll be covering Psycho by Red Velvet. I hope you’ll all like it.” you awkwardly turned to your teacher to give her the go to put on the instrumental.

Your heart was racing so fast. 

It’s okay, you can do it.

You got me feeling like a psycho psycho People keep telling us As we fight like it’s our last but then we get along They don’t get it, it’s so funny

The last piece of lyrics escaped your mouth and you sighed in relief. You bowed to the class after you were finished and was met with applause from all around the room. 

“Good job, y/n. You may now take a seat.” Your teacher smiled.

You walked back to your seat, having felt like you did a decent job, at least by the feedbacks. 

“Next up, Han Jisung.” 

You had completely forgotten about him, and that he was watching your whole performance. Ahhhhh

But on the flip side, you were excited to see what he had prepared. 

The room was filled with silence while waiting for him. He finally grabbed his guitar and went up, gulped, then stared at you for a second, but you weren’t able to read his expression.

He had displayed a more tense body language, his eyes barely meeting anyone’s. The Han Jisung you knew had always been so confident and couldn’t wait for his name to be called, while the one that stood in front of you right now looked like every ounce of his soul had left his body.

Oh man, you don’t know how much more surprises he could pull on you. You just had never seen him like this before. Or is it that you never knew him all along. Your thoughts were cut short when Jisung spoke.

“For today... I’'ll be singing a song that I wrote for uh, a special someone. I-I hope that person will like it.” He threw on a nervous smile and right then, his eyes met yours. An innocent, sweet kind of enchanted look that pulled you right in.

“Oooooooooooooooo,” the students giggled and awed.

Was he talking about me? You thought.

No way. He hates me. But why did he look at me? Oh my gosh, is this song about me? Wait--why is he writing a song about me--wait what?! You continued fighting inside your head but not for long before Jisung began playing his melody.

The calming and relaxing tone of the guitar could almost put you to sleep, of course in a good way. The soft and dreamy tune like this was something only Jisung could pull off.

Then he started singing,

“When I first met you, I honestly didn’t think too much

You were like any other person to me, someone to talk to

but slowly, each day, you’ve showed me that you were someone worth loving, worth taking care of, worth falling in love with

Before I knew it, my heart was yours.”

okay excuse those shitty lyrics, I just made it up

Every words that he said, you could see and felt that he really meant it. He wasn’t just spitting out lyrics for the sake of this project. He was speaking from his heart and mind. As if he was trying to reach out to someone. He wrote those lyrics specifically for a certain someone.

Was it for you? Was it for the girl at the back of you? 

You had no idea, but you were still secretly wishing it was for you.

The whole class’s attention and yours were glued onto him, not missing a bit of his performance. Han Jisung really got everyone whipped.

When he finished up on the last part of the song, the class exploded in applause. It was the loudest group of claps anyone has gotten so far. You were also slapping your hands together like a crazy seal.

He may not be acting like himself and is coming off a bit odd right now, but for sure, the boy’s talents is something that would never change.

The rest of the period concluded with other students showcasing what they had prepared. Not everyone got a chance as class was a bit too short, but your teacher reassured the ones who didn’t get to go up today, will be called up tomorrow. Sucks to be them.

You were knocked out for a second before remembering that you were going to ask Jisung today, whether he wants to answer or not. Jisung was still fixated on his backpack, digging and shoving through it, so you waited unsuspiciously.

He stopped the ruckus when he pulled out a piece of white paper with some words on it. You can’t read it but you can only make out the squiggly black lines. It seems that was exactly what he was looking for, so after that, he threw his backpack on. 

Panicked, afraid he might leave before you can catch him, you stepped out of your seat to confront him, only for him to turn around, causing you guys to face each other instead.

“I need you talk to you,” You both said at the same time.

“What?” Both of you guys tilted your head in sync again.

“You first,” you gave him the go.

“No, you first,” He declined.

“Fine--I just--wait.” You inspected the surroundings. You guys were still in class and this was not a good setting because anyone can just walk in any moment.

“I think it’s better if we talk somewhere else.” you continued.

You guys stopped at the school garden, and when you made sure that absolutely no one was around, you proceeded.

“I just want to know what’s been going on lately. You’ve been ignoring and avoiding me. Did I do something wrong that had upset you? I would like to know, Jisung. Just completely ghosting me like this hurts.”

You promised yourself you weren’t going to get emotional about this. 

“I know I’m a jerk, Y/n. I know. And I’m sorry about that. I just, I just... don’t know how to express my feelings to you, y/n. I’m confused, I’m lost, I’m scared, I don’t know... but I’m also in love...” He said the last part quietly, but you could still hear it.

“In love? With someone else? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“No no.” Jisung shook his head, getting more frustrated by the moment.

“And that song you sung in class, was--was that for someone?” you timidly asked. You have a theory it might be for you, but you do not want to say it, afraid you’re going to come out looking like a fool if he meant it for someone else.

“Yeah it was...” 

“Jisung, if you have feelings for someone, you don’t have to hide it from me, I’m fine with it. If you like them, go for it. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, like you couldn’t be open about your relationships or feelings.” 

“No no, y/n. You don’t get it,” Jisung exhaled.

“What do you mean? What am I not getting?”

“I didn’t write that song for someone else, or anyone else. I wrote it for you. You, y/n. I wrote those lyrics for you.”

You could hear the disappointment in his tone and his head hanging in defeat.

“Oh...” was all you could say. Not because you didn’t like him. No. You like him. A lot. Oh was the only thing you could let out because reality was getting a little hard to accept, knowing Han Jisung likes you, and wrote a song for you.

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s okay if you do not feel the same way. I really only wrote it because I didn’t know any other way to let my feelings out, and music was what I’m best at. I did felt a little better after writing the lyrics, and after performing, knowing you were listening to it. Here, take this.” 

He stretched his arm out to hand you something. It was the piece of paper he was holding earlier. It had the lyrics he had written for you on it.

“It’s okay to not feel the same way. But I hope you accept this. I might feel a little bit better if you do.” 

You extended your arm to take the white sheet of paper, still speechless. 

“I’ll get going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave you a small smile combined with a bow and almost walked away from your sight.

“Wait Jisung!” You stopped him in his track.

“I--I, I feel the same way too, Jisung. I like you too. And I have for a while now.”

Jisung could’ve swore he heard that wrong, but he almost dropped his backpack at what you said.

He switched back to you, his face was planted with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen from anyone.

“R-really? Y-you like me too?” He asked again for confirmation.

You nodded. 

The next moment happened so fast, and before you can process anything, you were already in Jisung’s warmth. Your chin on his shoulder and his arms wrapping around you.

“I’m so happy! Really happy, Y/n! You don’t know how happy I am!” 

uwu He was too adorable.

With your hands on his chest, you pushed a little bit to create a distance.

“Wait, then why were you avoiding me?” you frowned as you gazed at his face for answers.

“Because I don’t know. I was scared you wouldn’t like me back. I didn’t want to hurt my friendship with you. That day at the cafe I was planning on confessing but I got so nervous, I dipped. I’m sorry, Y/n. I’m a coward. But I promise from this day on, I will tell you everything. I won’t ever do it again. I-I really like you. Give me a chance.” 

He pouted and trapped you in his hug.

“Alright alright. I forgive you.”

He finally lets go of you, but his idiocy smile still not leaving his face. 

“What?”

“I don’t know. You’re just cute.”

“Pfft.”

You cheeks grew red from his remarks. Oh god, this feels so weird.

“Come on, let’s go.” He suddenly grabbed your hand, perfectly aligning it with his.

“Go where?”

“To introduce my new girlfriend to my friends.” 

He ran at full speed, dragging you as you were struggling to catch up.

The End :)

[dreamingwithbts]

Demon (Boku No Hero) - Chapter 23

Warning: Swearing

Hawks and I start walking away from the battle center, and he goes to be by my side. “You did great, kid. I’m proud of you.” Hawks says, putting his arm on my shoulder while were leaving. “Thanks Hawks!” I smile to the Pro-Hero. “Hope I didn't hurt you that much.” I say to him. “You didn’t, don’t worry. My wings are fine.” Hawks says. “I’m talking about your big ego.” I say laughing. “Boobs Bird!” Hawks complains, and I wave bye when we separate and went to the others on the monitor room to watch the final part. “I can still hear him fake cry.” I think laughing hearing the Number Three Pro-Hero.

I enter the monitor room and see Yayorozu, Lida, Ochaco and Asui with Recovery Girl.“Hey! Did I come too late?” I ask them. “They started fighting him, it isn’t going well.” Ochaco answer me. “Conflagrations tho!” She continues and others congratulation me too. “Thanks guys.” I smile at them, then turn my attention to the screen to watch the battle. “Dad isn’t going easy on them.” I think. “Dammit Katsuki. Think.” I think seeing both boys on the ground, then All Might traps Izuku on the ground. “I see want you are doing, Dad, but it’s too painful for me to look.” I think after seeing All Might punch Katsuki and see him vomit something.

“Let’s go guys!” I cheer them when I see them work together. “Don’t you say that you’d rather lose!” Katsuki keeps remembering Izuku words and also another voice comes to his mind. “I’m disappointed with you.” Akuma voices comes. “Tch.” Katsuki says and continues the battle.

“His hurt.” I say worried. “Who?” Yayorozu asks. “Katsuki.” I say. “Bakugo-chan? Why do you say that?” Asui asks me. “Because I know him.” I answer her, watching Katsuki face on the screen. “Dammit Katsuki!” I scream worried and angry seeing Katsuki passed out on Izuku arms, then left the room with Recovery Girl after they passed the gate. “Aka-chan?” Ochaco asks, but I already left.

Dad still in his All Might form, me and Recovery Girl were in the recovery room watching the two boys on the bed. “Kiss.” Recovery Girl says, while healing Izuku who is butt up on the bed with Dad watching, while I stay next to Katsuki who was still passed out in the bed. I wasn’t paying attention to them, just looking at Katsuki. “Bakugo probably won’t wake up for a while. For now, the two of you should rest here.” Recovery Girl. “Can I stay?” I ask her. “I don’t see why not.” She answers. “Young Aka.” All Might says. “Aka-chan...” Izuku says turning to me, seeing me seating next to Katsuki my hand on his.

An hour and a half minutes later, Izuku was fast asleep, and Dad and Recovery Girl were already gone, and I was resting my eyes on the chair next to the angry blonde bed, my hand still on Katsuki hand. “Hm.” A voice says, and I feel his hand grabbing mine. “Katsuki?” I whisper so Izuku doesn’t wake up. “Akuma? Where are we?” Sleepy Katsuki asks, and I try not dying with his sexy waking up voice. “In U.A. infirmary. You passed out on the battle with All Might.” I say. “Did I pass?” Katsuki looks at him. “You both passed.” I say, looking at Izuku on the other bed. “Tch. Fucking Deku.” He whispers and then sits up on the bed and looks at me. “How long have I been here?” He asks. “An hour and a half.” I say. “You stay here all this time?” He asks me shocked. “I was worried.” I say looking away from him, so I didn’t see him looking at our hands, that were still locked together. “Tch. Idiot.” He says smirking. “Who are you calling...” I start saying angry. “Katsuki.” I whisper when he hugs me. “Thanks for staying for me.” He whispers on my ear. “You’re welcome Katsuki.” I whisper and we stay hugging for a while. “Let’s go. YOU BETTER NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS!” He screams. “SHUT UP! IZUKU IS SLEEPING!” I scream whisper. “I DON’T FUCKING CARE!” He screams and I punch him and look to see that Izuku was still sleeping.

The next day, everyone was in class depressed, especially the ones who didn’t pass the exams. “Everyone...I’m looking forward to hearing your stories...about training camp...” Mina says crying, and I try not to smile at her and see Izuku nervous trying to calm her down and laugh when I see Kaminari putting his fingers on Izuku eyes. “I love this class.” I think still laughing.

“Once the bell rings, get in our seats.” Aizawa-sensei says entering the classroom and everyone was seating quiet, still depressed. “Morning. Unfortunately, there are those who did not pass the final exams.” Aizawa-sensei says. “Not me tho!” I think happy. “Accordingly, for the training camp in the woods...everyone’s going!” Aizawa-sensei says with a creepy smile. “Oh!” I say surprised, while the others scream happy. “We can go, too?!” Kirishimas asks excited. “Some failed, but no one failed the written exam. In the practical, Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, Sato, and Sero failed. For this time’s exam, we on the villain side made sure to leave a way for the students to win, while watching to see how you all would take on the task at hand. If we hadn’t, most of you would’ve got stuck before you started.” Aizawa-sensei says, then again he tricked us with the training camp. “I’m sick of your tricks, Aizawa-sensei!” I complain. “But failure is a failure. We have prepared a separate time for extra lessons for you all.” Aizawa-sensei says. “Thank god, we pass, right?” I ask Katsuki and Izuku who both nod, also relief.

The classes ended, and I was packing my stuff with Katsuki waiting for me, but I was also trying to hear the conversations around me. “Why doesn’t Class A all go shopping together?!” I heard Hagakure say. “Hm?” I say looking at her, but I was being dragged by Katsuki. “Let’s go.” He says to me. “Hey, Bakugo, Aka, you guys are coming, too!” Kirishima says, smiling at us. “Sure!/ Like I’d do something so irritating.” We both said at the same time. “Don’t worry Kiri! We’ll be there!” I say smiling to the red hair boy who smiles back.

Katsuki and I were walking home. “Why did you say to the weird hair that we were going with me?” Katsuki asks me. “Because we all need to bond, especially you!” I say teasing him. “Like hell I will! Especially with that Deku. Goodbye you freak! And I’m not going!” Katsuki says going to his way home. “What if it’s a date?” I ask blushing looking at the sky to embarrassed to look at him. “A date?” Katsuki stops, not looking at me. “A date, just us after we hang out with them.” I say, and I waited for the response, then see him walk again. “Fine. A date then.” He answers, still not looking at him, and he continues walking home while I celebrate. “Oh my god, I’m going on a date with Katsuki!” I say happy. “Oh go, I’m going on a date with Katsuki...” I realize and start getting nervous. “I’m going on a date with Akuma. Why the fuck didn’t I ask her first?!” Katsuki thinks blushing.

The next day came quickly, and I arrived late to the shopping center because of what happen this morning.

“I don’t have anything to wear!” I scream looking at my closet, then Dad in his skinny form enters my room because of my stress. “What is happening? Aren’t you going just going shopping with everyone?” Dad asks me confused. “No Dad! I have a date with Katsuki after!” I say trying to find some nice clothes. “WHAT?!” Dad screams like life just sucked all his life. “Oh no...” I say, looking at him. “My daughter is having a date...with Young Bakugo...” Dad says, looking like his dying. “I’m just going to dress in the bathroom....” I say, finally finding some clothes and leave him there.

“Bye Dad!” I say, opening the entrance door to leave. “Wait a second!” Dad says behind me, serious. “You better come home after...your date...And if Young Bakugo does something, you tell me!” Dad says transforming into All Might at the end. “Okay, Dad, don’t worry. I have to go now. Bye!” I say, kissing his cheek after he turns into the skinny form again.

“Sorry I’m late guys!” I say seeing everyone together. “Don’t worry about Aka-chan!” Mina says super excited and I laugh, going to stand beside Katsuki. “Thought you would chicken out.” Katsuki whispers, his hands on his pockets. “Like hell I would.” I say confident, and I see him smiling a little. “Oh, aren’t those U.A. students?!” We all heard someone say. “Oh no, we are famous now!” I say worried. “First Years?! I saw them on TV!” Others say. “Sports festival, yay!” They yell all excited. “At least they are happy.” I say, smiling at them. “Tch.” Bakugo says with a scowl, looking to the side.

Everyone started making their on groups, and before I could walk, a hand takes mine. “You’re coming with me.” Katsuki says. “Ay, ay captain.” I say smirking. “Everyone has different things they want to do, so why don’t we decide on a time to meet back up?” Katsuki and I turn to Kirishima that was talking. “I agree!” Mina screams excited. “Then let’s meet back here at three o’clock!” Kirishima says, and everyone agrees. “Aka-chan! Let’s go together!” Mina says getting near me. “Back off, pink alien!” Katsuki says, dragging me away from everyone. “Wait for us, Bakubro!” Kirishima says when Mina and him follow us, making Katsuki angrier. “Leave me alone!” He says, and I laugh at them, knowing what Katsuki wanted.

The four of us bought everything we needed, Katsuki was with a scowl on his face the all time since Mina didn’t left me alone, and I laugh every time I looked at him. “It almost three o’clock, we should go to the others.” Kirishima says. “Oh!” Mina complains sad. “Let’s go.” Katsuki says, already walking away, and we follow him.

“Where’s Izuku and Ochaco?” I ask, not seeing the pair. “They weren’t here when we came.” Kaminari says. “Maybe they left earlier.” Jiro says. “Maybe...” I say thinking worried. “Izuku is so lucky! Maybe they are havin...” Mineta starts. “Shut up!” Yayorozu says, punching him in the head. “Well, bye everyone!” Everyone says goodbye to everyone and leave, while Katsuki and I stay behind. “Were alone now.” I say nervous. “Finally.” Katsuki says with a blush, making me blush too, then he takes my hand. “Come on, I saw an Arcade here.” Katsuki says. “Ohhhh! Are you ready to lose?!” I ask him excited. “I should ask you that!” Katsuki says also excited, and we spend our first date having fun on the arcade. “I can’t believe I’m seeing Katsuki laugh, a happy laugh.” I think seeing him laugh.

Katsuki walked me home after our little date at the arcade. “Today was fun.” I say when we stop at my place. “I have to admit it actually was. I’m surprised.” He says smirking and I punch his arm laughing. “Well, bye then.” I say, kissing his cheek, and turn to enter my house. “You missed.” He says. “What?” I ask confused but out of nowhere, his in front of me, very closed to my face. “You missed.” He whispers then kissed me on the lips and I kiss him back. “See you at school.” He says smirking and leaves me at my door, blushing and shocked, and I don’t even remembering entering my house. “Dad?” I ask, to a dark house. “Dad?!” I ask again but no one answer. “Where did he go?” I whisper then go to my bedroom.

“I can’t believe he/I kissed me/her.” Both Akuma and Katsuki thinks, both very happy.

Note:Hope you like it! This is the last chapter of season 2 and I'm going on vacation, so no new chapters for a while! Bye! Thank you for reading!

Tag List: @holaaaf @clickbait-official

[alolowrites]

The Precious Diamond on the Swing

Summary: The swings at the local park always had a special place in both Kirishima and his daughter’s heart. 

Author’s Note: Hello everyone! I’m pleased to share with you all my seventh story for @bnhabookclub​’s Hero Camp Bingo event. This story is my second longest and the bingo prompt used was “Domestic.” I actually hit bingo :D! However, the event is still not over until August 31st. Hopefully I can churn out another two bingo stories. 

Anyways, it’s been a while since I wrote something for Kirishima. When I saw the prompt, my mind went for him and I started brainstorming. This was the end result. Please note: Kirishima is a pro-hero and father! 

I hope you all enjoy :) 

Word Count: 3K+

Puffy white clouds floated leisurely across the peaceful blue sky. The sun’s rays burst through the clouds, basking the quiet playground under a soft glow. A two-year-old boy explored the gigantic sandbox with his father perched at the edge. Three friends chased each other by the jungle gym, their laughter lingering in the warm spring air.

Ishiko Kirishima was not interested in the sandbox nor the jungle gym. Instead, she cared for the lovely swing-set that sat at the far corner of the playground. Kirishima parked the stroller by the fence and carried his eight-month-old daughter toward the swings. There were only two seats, both colored red and sturdy as a metal plank.

“You’ll take a seat on daddy’s lap, princess,” Kirishima cooed, securing his massive arm around Ishiko’s tiny frame. Her chubby fingers curled eagerly against Kirishima’s hand. In her left grasp was the baby’s favorite silicone teether—a shark toy from Red Riot’s baby collection; unsurprisingly, it was covered in drool. She shoved it back in her mouth to continue her mindless chewing.

“Don’t swing too fast, okay?”

“I won’t, hun, she’s in good hands!”

Kirishima flashed you his signature smile and bounced his knee to get his baby girl excited. You stood on the side with your phone, ready to take endless pictures. Kicking his foot back, Kirishima gently rocked the swing to start the fun. Soon he swung to the rhythm of his heartbeat in hopes of not overwhelming his daughter.

“Oh my gosh, she’s loving it!” You squealed, snapping pictures of Ishiko’s adorable smile. A gurgled laugh rang into the air, and Kirishima’s heart swelled when he heard it. The sound was merely innocent, just like her soul. Kirishima held his daughter closer as he added an extra kick to the swing’s pace.

“Of course she loves it!” Kirishima beamed down at Ishiko. “My little princess is the most manliest baby in this park. She’s not afraid of a little swing!”

Kirishima refused to stop the joyride. If the swings made Ishiko happy, then he’ll gladly swing for all eternity. His numb butt would just have to deal with it.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

“Ishiko!”

Kirishima’s red eyes searched through the massive jungle gym for his little girl. Her giggles echoed from a tunnel, and she scurried across the wobbly wooden bridge. Kirishima’s hand playfully tried to nab her through the free space between the columns. A lopsided grin stretched on his face as Ishiko jumped away from his claws. Eventually, the five-year-old stopped squirming and grabbed the thin pillars to hold herself still.

“Daddy, you are silly!”

“I can be even more silly!” He lurched forward to tickle the girl’s stomach. She giggled loud enough for everyone in the block to hear. Kirishima shifted the book-bag that was sliding down his shoulder. “C’mon, princess, we have to go. Mommy is almost coming home, and we want to surprise her, right?”

“No!”

“Princess…”

“I wanna keep playing!”

Kirishima bit his lip, glancing around the nearly empty playground for an answer. A lightbulb went off in his head when he spotted something. He smiled, “Ishiko, do you want me to push you on the swings?”

That got her attention as she flew down the maze-like jungle gym like no tomorrow. She made a break toward the swing-set, her worn-out sneakers pounding the pavement. Kirishima ran after Ishiko while shaking his head. She wasted no time climbing on the seat, her tiny legs swaying back and forth to a song she heard at school.

Ishiko chirped, “Push me, daddy!”

“Okay, but hold on tight,” he said, pulling the swing back. Kirishima let go and watched as Ishiko went forward. His hand pushed lightly on the girl’s back. At first, it was not so bad keeping up with the pace. Except, Ishiko demanded to go faster. Kirishima pursed his lips, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, daddy! I wanna be a bird!”

“Fine, but only for a few minutes. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Yay!”

Kirishima pushed a little harder. His nerves disappeared when he heard Ishiko’s delightful squeals coming and going with each swing that passed him. A soft grin appeared on his face as he saw how carefree Ishiko looked. Something about her laugh and smile made him feel so content, as if he was floating in the clouds above. It helped him forget about the never-ending stress and chaos that came with his hero work. None of that existed whenever he was with his daughter.

Lost in his thoughts, Kirishima blinked when Ishiko shouted, “I can reach the sky, daddy!”

His daughter’s left hand let go of the chain to grab the clouds. She lost her balance mid-air and fell forward. Kirishima shifted into hero mode, rushing to save his little girl, but was too late; she hit the ground face first. Panic rushed through his veins as he scrambled down to his knees, bracing himself for the worst.

However, his shaky hands stilled when he saw a crystallized arm. Kirishima carefully turned Ishiko’s body around and sighed in relief when confused eyes stared back at him. She glanced down, her mouth in awe at the light bouncing off her arms. Kirishima traced his finger along the visible lines across her diamond face; he was speechless at the new revelation.

“Daddy…what’s going on?” Ishiko was afraid, and Kirishima immediately comforted her with a bear hug.

“Oh, Ishiko, are you okay?!” The likelihood of finding any scratches or injuries was close to none, but his parental anxiety was off the charts. Out of instinct, Kirishima tried brushing her hair, except it was solid as well. Bringing her to his chest, he exhaled, “Oh honey, you scared me, but I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

“Why do I feel hard?”

“It’s your quirk, princess!”

“My…quirk?” Ishiko pulled away to examine her hands. Her fingers sparkled under the sun’s rays, and she giggled. Looking up, she beamed, “I got my quirk! I feel hard like you, daddy! Look, look!”

Kirishima nearly burst out into tears of joy.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

“Don’t worry, hun, I’ll take care of dinner,” Kirishima soothed your nerves. You called him saying you’ll be stuck at work for another hour. A massive business deal had gone sour due to some miscommunication. Your team was trying to salvage it, and you stepped away from the madness to apologize to your husband about coming home late.

Kirishima hugged the grocery bag in his grasp. The walking-man appeared, and he crossed the street with a grin. “Besides, I’m gonna cook a delicious meal for my favorite two darlings! If anything, I call this a win.”

The call was cut short when you had an urgent meeting to attend. Kirishima said a quick ‘love you’ before hanging up. He took a cheerful step. Kirishima always admired your unwavering dedication and confidence. No challenge was too daunting for you, closing business deals with ease despite some hiccups. Kirishima was lucky to be your husband and have you as Ishiko’s mother. You were an incredible role-model to her. As a result, your daughter was growing up to be much like you—resilient, driven, and independent.

The last one was very much true.

Kirishima understood this was bound to happen. Ishiko was growing up, turning thirteen two weeks ago. But he silently wished she didn’t grow up too fast. The pro hero missed taking Ishiko to the neighborhood park, watching his little diamond—a new nickname after her quirk manifested eight years ago—playing in the sandbox or jungle gym.

He especially missed pushing her on the swing.  

Turning around the corner, Kirishima passed by the park that swam in his thoughts. He casually glanced to his left and stopped when he saw Ishiko. She was sitting on the swing, sliding her shoes on the ground. Three friends from school were with her chatting up a storm. One of them felt Kirishima’s gaze and let Ishiko know.  

The teenager jogged toward her father. She greeted, “Hey, dad. I see mom called you.”

“Yup, I’m on dinner duty tonight!” He went into a heroic pose, puffing out his chest. Ishiko groaned in embarrassment. Kirishima laughed, “Oh c’mon, you love it when I do the poses!”

“Yeah, when I was like seven,” Ishiko snorted, rolling her eyes. Kirishima feigned being hurt, and his daughter shook her head. “I’ll be home in ten minutes to help you out with dinner.”

“Oh, honey, you don’t have to do that—”

“But I want to help.”

“Well,” Kirishima scratched the back of his head, “I can’t argue with that.”

Ishiko beamed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She ran back to her friends, and took her seat at the swing. Suddenly, the sun broke through the clouds. Kirishima was mesmerized at the soft glow shining down at Ishiko; she was radiant, and her glorious smile made the flowers bloom.

Out of nowhere, Kirishima was staring at Ishiko except she was five again. A wave of nostalgia hit him like a bullet train. She was soaring high on the swing, her contagious laughter melting his heart in seconds. The bright sun blinded his eyes, and he blinked—the little girl was gone. He was back in the present with Ishiko swinging lightly in the distance.

Kirishima held back his tears.  

His precious diamond was growing up.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

There were a lot of “firsts” when it came to raising children.

First baby steps, first baby tooth falls off, the first day of school, first crush—the list went on and on. Except none of them hurt Kirishima so much like Ishiko’s first heartbreak.

She returned home from U.A. for the weekend with disheartening eyes that shrunk the pro hero’s giddy smile. Ishiko didn’t utter a word as she stormed into her old room, slamming the door behind her. It shook the entire house and left Kirishima confused. Narrowing his eyes, he stood up from the couch to figure out what was wrong, but you laid a gentle hand on his arm.

“Give her some space, Eiji.”

“But she’s upset!”

“Which is why she needs to be alone,” you said, giving him a quick squeeze. Kirishima sent a longing gaze at the doorway. Sighing, he begrudgingly plopped down on the sofa. You snuggled closer to your brooding husband, planting a kiss on his cheek. “I know it’s hard, but she’ll let us know what’s bothering her when she’s ready. Although, I think I already have an idea…”

“Which is?”

“First heartbreak.” Kirishima went stiff at the answer. You rested your head on his shoulder and mumbled, “Those eyes don’t lie.”

Ishiko didn’t leave her room for a while. Kirishima decided to buy some ingredients to make Ishiko’s favorite meal for dinner. He hoped it would cheer her up, even for just a little bit. When he returned home, you mentioned that Ishiko stepped out for some fresh air at the local playground. Kirishima dropped the grocery bags and flew out the door without looking back.

The glowing sun slowly sank behind the houses sitting in the distance. A vibrant golden and amber color illuminated across the cloudless sky, blessing the neighborhood with a peaceful scenery. Kirishima nearly snorted at the ironic mood.

He skidded to a halt when he arrived at the entrance. An old couple was strolling around, but Kirishima searched for his daughter. The hero found her sitting on the swing with drooped shoulders and a bowed head. Both of Kirishima’s fists clenched at the young girl’s presence. However, he swallowed his anger as it wasn’t the right time.

His baby was hurt and needed comfort.

So, Kirishima treaded carefully to the swings. Ishiko’s head twitched when she heard soft footsteps, and peeked at the familiar shoes standing by the small entrance. Kirishima approached the quivering girl, resting his large hand on her shoulder. Ishiko finally looked up at her father with puffy red eyes—she was crying again.

“C’mon here, princess,” Kirishima whispered, his arms opening up for support. Ishiko’s face crashed into his chest as her arms wrapped around him. She wept loudly, the tears staining his shirt although Kirishima didn’t care. He simply hugged her tighter and rubbed circles on her back, murmuring, “It’s okay, daddy’s got you.”

He never let go.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

A small ball of light gleamed in the sky. It grew more prominent in size, the sun’s rays glowing behind the houses and trees on the quiet streets. Everyone was sound asleep except for Kirishima—he was enjoying his daily morning run. Staying in tip-top shape was necessary for the pro hero, especially for a middle-aged man like himself. But he was still energetic as ever, which put a few young heroes to shame.

Kirishima came to a slow stop after reaching his goal for today. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with a satisfied grin. The street was bathed under the sun’s soft glow, and Kirishima strolled back home. He couldn’t wait to take a nice warm shower before heading to work today.

As usual, Kirishima walked by the neighborhood park. However, he paused when his eyes noticed someone by the swings. Blinking twice, he realized it was Ishiko. A puzzled look crossed his face, and he walked toward her.

“Hey, honey, whatcha doing up so early?”

“Just watching the sunrise, that’s all,” she answered softly, almost afraid to wake up anyone. Her left hand gripped the chain while the other rested on her lap. Kirishima arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.

The hero took a seat on the empty swing beside his daughter. He then followed her gaze at the rising sun.

A peaceful silence settled between the father-daughter duo. Some birds were finally awake, their wings flapping to find breakfast for the day. A small chirp caught Ishiko’s attention. There was a nest sitting high on the tree’s thick branch, and a baby bird was by the edge. It seemed old enough to fly on its own, but appeared hesitant to leave the nest.

“Dad…” Kirishima stared at his daughter, hearing her voice crack a little. Ishiko met his gaze and sighed, “Do you ever feel…nervous? Like, so much to the point that you can’t sleep?”  

“Many times,” he hummed truthfully, and fondly remembered when you were pregnant with Ishiko. He was a mess as the due date inched closer, and jittered like a frantic cat when your water broke at three in the morning. The corner of his mouth curled in amusement at the memory. He gently asked, “What’s on your mind, princess?”

“The hero exchange program.” Ishiko’s feet drag themselves on the ground, her head slightly low. “I know this is an amazing opportunity. I get to work alongside an incredible American pro hero and their team and maybe learn some new skills. But I feel…scared.”

Kirishima stayed quiet. Ishiko’s hand curled tighter on her lap as she quivered, “I’ll be living on the other side of the world for a year. Everyone I know will stay here—including you and mom. I have never been so far away from you guys in my life. I guess it’s finally sinking in now that I’m leaving this Friday.”

“It’s always hard facing the unknown,” Kirishima started, his posture straightens up. “You don’t know what’s going to happen, but you can always count on yourself to get through it. I know you can. You’ve always been strong and courageous, Ishiko.”

He pulled out his cellphone to show her a particular photo. It was the one you took many years ago when Ishiko was only eight months old. She was sitting on Kirishima’s lap, and on the very same swing she swayed right now.

Kirishima chuckled, “No matter how fast I rocked, you never cried.”

“That’s ‘cause you were holding me.”

“True,” he shrugged as the sun peeked through the trees. “But then you started sitting on your own. I’d push you as high and fast as I could. Eventually, you began to swing on your own. No matter what, you’d let out the most precious laughs every time you reached the sky. You were so confident with yourself that I smiled from the sides.”

Tears glistened in Kirishima’s eyes once the floodgates opened. All of his memories with Ishiko came crashing with a force that not even his unbreakable form could resist. Ishiko mirrored her father’s emotional reaction, little sniffles echoing into the early morning hours. Kirishima soon reached out to squeeze her hand—a tender, but powerful gesture.

“Your mother and I are so proud of who you’ve become,” Kirishima choked out a smile, caressing his thumb on her skin. “We raised you to be a formidable young woman who carries her strength with grace. I know you’ll stand confidently wherever you go. But I’ll always be in your heart if you ever need a little push.”

Ishiko wiped away her tears, standing up to hug her father. Kirishima met her halfway and pulled his daughter into a warm embrace. He raised her, protected her, and held her for eighteen years. She was a constant presence in his life, a ray of light shining brighter than any star in the universe. Despite the pain in his heart, Kirishima realized it was time to let go of his precious diamond to the whole world.

Yet, no matter how old Ishiko becomes, she will forever remain Kirishima’s little girl in his eyes.

“Hey, dad?” A deep hum rumbled through his chest. She pulled away and flashed him a faint smile. The following question made his heart stop when he heard: “Can you push me on the swing?”

After his shock, he grinned, “Of course.”

Ishiko eagerly hopped on the swing as if she were five years old again. The sun basked the entire park under its golden blanket, waking up the flowers from their deep slumber. Kirishima pulled his daughter back before giving a soft push to start the swing. The little bird in the nest chirped and flapped its wings. Soon it took the ultimate step to leave the nest, soaring proudly in the air filled with Ishiko’s innocent laughter.

Kirishima continued pushing his daughter on the swing. He once promised to gladly swing with her as a little baby. Now he’ll keep that promise by pushing her forever if it made her happy.

His sore arm would just have to deal with it.

Seventh prompt crossed off. Which one will be next? Stay tune! Thank you for reading!

Previous Prompt: Pro Hero AU

Hero Camp Bingo Masterlist

[statticscribbles]

Ghost

Summary: Kurtz/Reader Request: using the song Ghost by Jacob Lee

You nudge the window open, letting the sound of the rain offset the music you have faintly playing. You pull the book closer to you, balancing your notebook on the chairs arm as you scribble notes and quote ideas for your english essay. You frown when you smell smoke wrinkling your nose as you stand on the chair about to close the window. You hesitate when you hear talking, nervous about being spotted, you don’t think anyone who’s out back behind the school smoking wants some random person eavesdropping.

You catch the eye of the figure under the window, when you stick your arm out to close it. “Hey there.” You don’t say anything closing the window sharply; you can hear his laugh muffled now; your face heats up as you try to shake the thought of his smile. You focus back to your book not moving when the bell rings and ignoring the look from the librarian. You knows she won’t actually kick you out. You’re distracted, humming even though your playlist ended hours ago and you’re halfway through the last chapter when a hand nudges it out of your grip, folding over the corner. “Missing lunch isn’t healthy.” You freeze at the voice from the boy under the window.

“Kurtz.” He smiles again holding his hand out. You smile back shaking it. “This is where you tell me your name..” He nods and you jerk back as the Ghoulies pull him away from you. “Kurtz come on; Lance said the Serpent’s are itching for a fight. You can play later.” James, one of the head Ghoulies shoves him towards the door. He nods turning from you; you watch his smile replaced by a frown and brush it off as him being upset about however he was going to play, you shiver at the implication and tuck your book into your bag; deciding to take his advice and make your way to the lunch room. You settle for breezing by it, hearing the screaming and laughing; you know there’s at least one fight happening.

You keep your head down like usual. Staying in the library whenever you get the chance. You keep the window open where you sit; refusing to admit to yourself you’re hoping to hear more of Kurtz, to find an excuse to talk to him. You catch him smoking and each time he offers you a half smile rolling his eyes when you jerk the window closed. He’d been sick the past few days, or maybe the rain had been too heavy, whatever reason he wasn’t at his usual spot and you tried to mask your disappointment.

You watch a figure stumble in, soaked and dripping on the carpet you watch as they stagger towards the back, near the computer room. You think you can hear them muffle a scream. You stand and move towards the room they most likely went into. You step through the doors watching nervously as a figure slumped against one of the tables looks up. “Hey.” You frown at how his voice slurs, you wince as you notice the blood on the side of his cheek. “Don’t worry about it, from the fight in the cafeteria.” “That was weeks ago.” You speak and he smiles wincing as you can see the cut on his cheek reopens. “Kurtz, what happened?” “Nothing.” He leans forward, letting your hand brush against his cheek. “Let me help?” You half question, pulling a cloth out and wiping is carefully against his cheek. “Sorry it’s not the best, but that doesn’t look near as bad with that blood gone.” You assure him and he nods. “Thank you.”

“Y/n. Are you alright? I thought I heard you scream earlier, was that just the pain?” “Yeah pain.” He seems to tense, you can see it in his shoulders. You nod to him, trying to convey you wont talk more about it. “It’s nothing just a stupid Ghoul thing.” You hum slightly nodding for him to continue. “Part of being with them. Have to go against one of the higher members at random times. Lance thought it’d be funny to throw me against Shank.” “Shank?” “No one you should concern yourself with.” “Most would say the same about you, you know that right?” He laughs nodding. “You want me to look at that later today?” “You trying to ask to come over?” You look to the ground nodding. “If you want.” “We got partnered on that history project anyways.” “History project?” “Yeah if you ever went to class you’d know.” “I go to class, sometimes.” He laughs and you can’t help but smile with pride.

You’re standing by the flag pole nervously watching the group of Ghoulies, you can tell they’re waiting for someone, and when Kurtz steps out they straighten up. Seeing his back you manage to get a proper look at the jacket he sports, black leather all the way around, a few studs against the back, around the patch of a skull wrapped with chains. You frown at the Ghoul mark but wait wondering if he’s going to turn. He doesn’t but you can see him talking, pointing back towards the school. One of the ghouls nods towards you and you look away, you can see Kurtz look back at you and nod, the other Ghoulies shaking there heads and pulling him away. You can see him pull back from them and you try your best not to look to hopeful when he turns towards you. One of them reaches out and tugs him back, looping there arm around him and grinning darkly at you. You can feel a hand on your shoulder once Kurtz disappears from your vision. “He’s useless to concern yourself with.” Is hissed into your ear, by the time you turn to where the voice comes from you’re alone by the flag pole once more.

You watch Kurtz closer after that, you fingers drumming against the desk as you sit in the back of history, he nudges you when the bell rings and you walk slightly behind him as he makes his way to English, you’re surprised to see he shares it with you and the teacher seems even more surprised to see you sitting in your seat next to him. “Come over today.” He hums flicking through the copy of Brave New World. “I thought we were reading Fahrenheit 451.” “ That’s next semesters-“ The teacher rolls his eyes as you nudge the bookmark back in place, three chapters from finishing. “Brave New World it is. Yay orgies and drugs.” Kurtz snorts smiling at you. “Kurtz is there something you’d like to share about Mr. Huxley’s work?” “Yeah sounds like his idea of a utopia was just the Ghoul’s Friday night.” The teachers not impressed scowling and giving him detention.

“Sorry Y/N guess we have to postpone the history project again.” He laughs under his breath and you roll your eyes. “Well I’ll definitely have to come over Friday, can’t miss out on a real life Brave New World experience, you think I’ll get extra credit if I take pictures?” You wink and snicker, catching the teacher’s eyes in a glare. You try your best not to beam when he give you detention. “Well then Y/N don’t tell me I’m a bad influence on you.” “Not at all, if anything I’m a bad influence on you; making you miss Ghoul meeting and-“ “SHIT!” Kurtz slams his fist onto the table and the teacher looks unimpressed. “Kurtz what have-“

“Fuck off.” He hisses standing and walking out of the room, you watch as the teacher doesn’t look up as you move to follow him. “Kurtz?” “They told me if I missed one I was out.” “Well that doesn’t seem anything like a decent gang.” “What?” “I mean if they’re going to kick you out cause you don’t show for one meeting seems a little extreme, plus they’d have less members if that was an actual rule.” “I know but I can’t-“

“Cant what? They need you more that you need them.” “No I’m; I’m nothing without them.” “So you just came into being with a little leather jacket? An undying sense of loyalty to a gang you met when you started high school? It’s been years with you in them; you really think they’re going to throw you out cause you miss one meeting?” He nods feverishly and shoves his bag into your hands. “Can you meet me in the library? After this meeting.” “Of course.” You turn starting for the library, no point in going to class when there’s only one left.

You’re sitting in your usual spot watching the door. You don’t mean to snoop but when you shift moving Kurtz’s bag next to yours you can see the bright cover of the sketchbook. You assume the meeting has just started so you pull it out carefully opening it. You skim through the pages, mostly half finished sketches, and colour combinations; you laugh at the sketch, clearly done form his point of view, your arm reaching out to close the window, the top of your head just visible. You turn the page watching and the sketches end up more finished but almost an unrecognisable style; the bright colours are what throw you off the most, before it have been almost completely pencils and now it was neon in comparrision, paints and chalk colour faces and clothes outlandishly bright. You note in place of a signature all that’s written is a squashed ‘jangle 2 ½ tubes; twenty minutes.’ You try your best not to think about this being the day of the fight; how the serpents have neon blues and greens dripping from their faces and the knife one of the Ghouls has drips the same.

Kurtz doesn’t say anything and you debating telling him you looked through his sketchbook but decide against it for the moment. He’s brought you back to his house, pulling his books out gives you the excuse you need. “What’s that?” “Sketchbook, mostly empty, ghouls don’t like me doing art, says it distracts from the gang.” You nod but he laughs catching you frowning. “Don’t agree with them?” “If they think you drawing is distracting what on earth do they have to say about me?”

“Well they don’t like me socializing outside of the gang and the thought of me dating outside of it isn’t something they consider.” You swallow leaning closer to him. “If you’re already distracted by art;” You nudge the sketchbook from where it sits between you on the bed scooting into the space made by it. “Why shouldn’t you be distracted by something more enjoyable?”

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[cloverhighfivewritestoo]

Pineapple and Pizza

w/c 1.3k / fluff  a/n - Thanks @cottondean​ for the ask on #drunk asks night ;)

Summary: Castiel meets the I.T. guy from his new job at happy hour and oh boy oh boy Castiel is done the moment he walks in.  👉 Read it on Ao3

Castiel had a new job. As new jobs go, his first week had been the usual whirlwind of new things, names, passwords, forms to fill out, getting settled. On Thursday, everyone in the department went for happy hour at the nearest pub. Castiel usually felt out of place at those loud gatherings, but he knew it was important for office relations to attend, so he went.

Castiel remembered back in university they would get pitchers of beer or sangria – and he wouldn’t drink much if any – but they were adults now, which meant everyone was getting their own thing. Castiel had ordered some pineapple drink.

Amidst the already droned-out conversations around him, Castiel lifted his drink for a first sip when he heard “Hey guys! Sorry I’m late! Got an extra seat?” Castiel looked up to see who it was and froze, his glass mid-air. The man had the most dazzling smile he’d ever seen, a jawline that reminded him how hopelessly he was attracted to men. And his neck… fuck. He already wanted to get in there and – “Oh, you’re the new guy?” The question registered with Castiel only because the man’s green eyes, god-given green eyes, were locked on him. “Castiel, right?” “Right.” “I’m Dean.” “Hello, Dean.” “With I.T. I got your computer ready.” “OK. Thanks.” Dean smirked. He turned to the waitress to order. Castiel didn’t move. Gabriel – the guy from P.R. – leaned in. “He’s dreamy, uh.” Castiel blinked. “What?” Gabriel gently pushed Castiel’s arm down so his drink would rest back on the table. “Breathe. It's gonna be fine.” “What do you mean ‘it’s gonna be fine’?” “I happen to know Dean-o is single, very ready to mingle, and likes manly tickles. If you get my drift.” Eyes wide, Castiel downed half his drink.

Castiel mostly forgot about the other half of his drink watching Dean chat and laugh with his colleagues. Fortunately, being the new guy meant he wasn’t part of most of the conversations yet. Being quiet didn’t seem weird. He watched how Dean listened intently to the person talking to him, the way his lips – hot damn his lips fuck – would just lift a little if the story was amusing, how his brows would knot if it was about some stupid thing the boss did again, and, mostly, mostly, Castiel would almost choke on his saliva the moment Dean took a sip of his beer. The way Dean licked his lips before each sip, gently positioning the bottle… looking at his Adam’s apple bob and following the line of his neck – fuck since when did men have such long, inviting necks? Fuck. And the last sip? Dean tilted his head back, closing his eyes. Castiel felt a nudge on his left. “Hey. Breathe.” “What?” “You’ve been staring at him all night.” “No I didn’t…” Gabriel laughed. Castiel downed the rest of his drink. He caught the waitress’ eye. “I’ll have a beer.”

Castiel tried to follow conversations around him, but mostly he was now concentrated on trying to catch Dean’s attention. He was very concentrated on drinking his beer right – gently, tilting his head back, licking his lips after each sip, even scratching at the label – back in school it meant something like you were single or into sex or some other stupid made-up meaning. He’d look up around the table sometimes and sometimes Dean would be looking towards him and giving him a kind of ‘hey I acknowledge you’ smile.

Soon enough, people needed to go to the bathroom and Dean decided to change seats to sit next to Castiel. “Hey.” “Hey.” “So how was your first week?” “Um, a bit fuzzy to be honest.” “Computer works fine?” “Yup. So far so good.” Dean clinked his beer on Castiel’s. “Super.” He drank. Castiel watched.

The waitress came to the table with a large pizza on a stand-up tray. Dean beamed. “Yes! Pizza!” The waitress started giving slices around. When Dean got his, he saw what he couldn’t see from afar. “Pineapple? Who the hell called this?” Balthazar – the guy from Human Resources – raised his hand. “Me. Pineapple on pizza is good.” Castiel got his slice from a clearly amused waitress as arguments for and against pineapple on pizza arose around the table – fueled even more by those of the colleagues coming back from the bathroom, who decided to order a normal pizza.

Castiel was a few bites in when Dean turned to him. “You like this?” “Myeah. I like pineapple.” “Yeah I like pineapple too. But not on anything.” “It’s sweet and salty. It works.” “No.” He looked down, glaring at his slice. Castiel laughed a bit. “So you’re not gonna eat it?” Dean grunted. “There’s another pizza coming.” Dean’s angry face turned into a pout. “But I’m hungry now.” That pout was so cute Castiel felt his body inside pushing the table away, turning to grab Dean and kiss him breathless. He chewed on his pizza. “You could discard the pineapple.” “Yeah, and look like a child with the bits on the side of my plate? No. I still got some pride. Or manners.” “Just give them to me. I don’t mind more pineapple.” Dean picked all three pieces of pineapple and put them on Castiel’s plate. Castiel smirked. “Three very offending pieces of pineapple just for me. Thanks.” Dean couldn’t help but chuckle. And that’s when it happened. Nothing special, just food sharing. They both looked at each other and in an instant they both knew – they were already both at ease with each other, an ease that was both unexpected yet felt so… normal. Dean looked into Castiel’s eyes and a soft smile tugged at his lips. The softness of his smile reached his eyes. Castiel wondered if it was legal for a man to have eyelashes like Dean’s.

The ‘normal’ pizza came, and while they were eating, chatting with colleagues, and drinking, Castiel and Dean felt the very palpable impatience of wanting to be alone, knowing they’re just waiting for the happy hour to end. People finally started leaving, and when Dean came back from the bathroom, Castiel was alone. “You up for another drink?” Castiel smiled. “Yeah why not?” “Be right back.” “Wait. Let’s move to the booth back there.” “Cool. Be right back.”

Dean came back with a beer and a tall glass of something yellow. Castiel took the glass Dean gave him. “What’s that?” Dean answered as he sat next to Castiel on the bench. “I noticed you were drinking this when I got here. I put two and two together with your love of pineapple and the waitress knew what drink you had. So I got that.” Castiel smiled. “Thanks.” “Did I get it right?” Castiel took a sip, licked his lips, then took a long pull of his drink. He licked his lips again. “It’s super good. Yeah.” He looked up at Dean. Dean had this very serious, yet soft face. “Dean, what…” Dean leaned in closer, his nose brushing Castiel’s, their lips almost touching. Castiel breathed sharply in and grabbed the closest thing for balance, hard. It was Dean’s knee. Looking into Castiel’s eyes, Dean brushed Castiel’s lips and pressed on gently. Castiel closed his eyes, and grabbed at Dean’s shirt. He pushed forward into Dean, kissing him. Dean kissed back, tasting Castiel deeper. They lost track of reality for a few moments, lost in their kiss. When they moved back, Dean said, catching his breath, “I think I love pineapple more than I thought.” Castiel chuckled. “You’re gonna be OK with that?” “Yeah.” “And on pizza?” “Never. You have the pineapple pizza, and I have you. How about that?” “Deal.” If they hadn’t been smiling so hard they wouldn’t have knocked their teeth as they kissed again.

     I’d love to hear from you!

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IT’S TURNED INTO A SERIES OMG YAY (completed - 8 chapters)

Series Masterpost

On to chapter 2!

[johannstutt413]

(requested by anonymous; continuing from this post)

“Poppy!” Orchid called from the kitchen. “Breakfast!”

Popukar bounced from the hallway into the dining room, chainsaw on her back. “I’m here!...Where’s breakfast?”

“Still working on it!” Midnight replied, flipping pancakes while Orchid was decorating a few he’d already made.

“Okay.” She wandered off to the living room, where Catapult and Spot were watching anime. “Are you eating with us today, Cat?”

Catapult shrugged. “Midnight’s a good enough cook, so why not? You, Spot?”

“Orchid promised to style my hair if I did.”

“Yay!” Popukar sat between them on the couch, her chainsaw swinging dangerously close to both their heads from the shaky binding. “Oooh, are there any more toys in the machine, Spot?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Check after breakfast.”

“But what if I want to now?”

“Then you’d be missing breakfast!” Midnight set three plates on the bar looking into the kitchen. “Let us know if you want more; pan’s still hot, and we’ve got batter to spare.”

As the trio took their seats, Catapult smirked. “You really outdid yourself this morning, Mrs. Orchid.”

“I’m still a miss until there’s a ring on this finger, and I don’t appreciate the sarcasm,” she replied.

“What sarcasm? I meant it; never seen my camo on a pancake in jam before.” She cut into her three-high stack and took a bite. “Tastes perfect, too.”

Midnight bowed. “My pleasure. Spot, Poppy, any opinions?”

“You two are a better team than my parents ever were,” the Rebbah complimented as he folded his superhero sigil in on itself and bit into it like a sandwich.

“Same here!” Poppy, whose pancakes were already cut into pieces so she wouldn’t try to use her chainsaw, was beaming as she shoveled bite after bite down the hatch. “Can we make cookies later, Miss Orchid?”

She nodded. “Sure, Poppy. Everyone done? Wow, that was fast...And no one wants seconds?”

“Three’s good for me. See you later.” Catapult swung off her stool and headed for the door; she had a date to keep, and for once, she cared about not being late.

“Same here.” Spot followed after her. “Hey, Orchid, I’m going to the store today for some more thread, so can I take a rain check on that hair appointment?”

She flashed him a thumbs-up. “Just let me know. Thanks for staying.”

“Can’t disappoint Poppy.” He patted her head as he walked past her to make his date with Closure’s shop.

“And then there was one.” Midnight smiled, leaning against the stove. “Any plans today, Poppy?”

She nodded. “I’m going to get the new toys, and then I’m gonna make cookies with Miss Orchid, and then...I’ll find something.”

“Well, enjoy yourself...I know I will.” Once Popukar was out of earshot, making her way to A6’s personal gacha, he made himself a couple extra-crispy pancakes, took the pan off the stove, and walked with Orchid over to the couch, where the TV was still chattering in another language with subtitles below.

“We really are a family now, aren’t we?” She switched over to the news. “Also, these pancakes are fantastic. Did you do a lot of cooking as a host?”

He shrugged. “Simply one of my many additional services. All free for you, of course, dear.”

“Even if they weren’t, I know just how to pay you back.” The Liberi gave him a peck on the cheek before returning to the six pa- scratch that, the five-pancake stack she’d grabbed for herself.

“Another satisfied customer,” he smiled, happy as a clam. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were eating for two, but you really enjoy my cooking this much?”

She stopped mid-bite, realizing she’d forgotten to tell him. “Actually, um...I am eating for two.”

“Wait, since when?”

“Well, you remember a month ago, when we had that incident our second night together? Turns out it did break after all.”

Midnight sunk into his couch cushions. “That’s...I don’t know what to say.”

“I thought I’d already said something, but I guess I got caught up with catching up on work?” Orchid sighed. “You don’t mind if we keep them, do you?”

“...I never thought I’d say this to someone, but I’m almost looking forward to raising a kid with you  Shouldn’t be too much different than what we’re already doing, right?”

She laughed. “That’s more like adoption; this one will have a few more steps to it, trust me.”

“We’ll cross those bridges as they come.” His brow furrowed. “I need to go to the store myself today.”

“Oh? We’re good on groceries, aren’t we?”

Midnight smiled. “Not that part of the store, darling...I’ll head out after we eat lunch.”

“Okay, keep your secrets, then.” Orchid looked back at the kitchen. “Do you think the pan’s still hot enough for another couple of pancakes?”

“I’ll get the batter back out. Another three?” He’d stood up as soon as he saw her turn that direction.

She smiled. “Thank you dear. Oh, one more thing!”

“Yes?” He turned, both plates in hand. “How else may I be of service?”

“Oh, nothing like that. Just wanted to remind you.” Orchid followed after Midnight for a kiss, which he gave freely.

Meanwhile, from outside their shared quarters, two pairs of eyes, and one with an eyepatch over their left, were watching from the not-quite-closed front door. They’d never tell their new parental figures in person...but they were happy for them. 

[artificialqueens]

Level Up, Chapter Eight (Branjie) - Holtzmanns

read on ao3 | word count: 4082

“I’m here, I’m here, I’m not late, we still have t minus one minute before we’re supposed to leave, so you could say I’m early, hello!” And there Vanessa is, skidding to a stop in front of the group and wasting no time in holding up a fist for Monique to bump.

Brooke doesn’t know why everything becomes so much more fun when Vanessa’s around. Maybe it’s the way she’s always smiling, or how her energy level never really dips. Maybe it’s the commentary. But Brooke does know that she’s never going to be tired of any of it.

AN: Hey, it’s been awhile. Real life has been exhausting both physically and mentally, but a burst of inspiration today has led to a completed chapter, yay! I hate having ages between chapters but life means that for this fic, it has started to happen. Hope you enjoy it nonetheless, and as always, please do tell me what you think! Thank you writ for being the best beta and friend, ily <3

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Cool, right?” Kameron leans against the vehicle, seemingly unbothered by Asia’s aghast expression.

“Cool? It looks like a kidnapper van!”

Asia raises an eyebrow, and Brooke has to admit that she’s kind of right. The van has a good five rows, enough space to fit all of the athletes going to the tournament and then some, but the white paint job and blacked out windows does make the vehicle look a bit suspicious.

“It was the economical choice!” Kameron sniffs, and hoisting her bag over her shoulder. “Get in losers, we’re going road tripping.”

Brooke holds out a hand in front of Kameron, using her other one to shield her eyes from the sunrise casting pink glows against the brick wall of the gym. “Keys? Want me to drive?”

Kameron twists the key ring on her index finger, shaking her head. “You were asleep five minutes ago at your desk. I’m not gonna let you run all of us off the road because you’re drowsy.”

Brooke wrinkles her nose at the phrasing. “Fair. Shall I navigate, then? Actually…”

She trails off when sees Asia walking up to the group, duffle bag slung over her shoulder, and turns back to Kameron, who’s straightened up her posture after spotting Asia. “Maybe I’ll leave that to Asia.”

Kameron frowns. “Huh? What does that mean?”

“Asia! Wanna tell Kameron what to do for three hours straight?” Brooke gestures at Asia to come closer, and Kameron lets out a groan at the sudden realization.

Asia, for her part, looks positively delighted, opening up Google Maps on her phone. “You bet I do. Also, Kameron, if we don’t get to stop at Starbucks I’m personally going to wrangle the wheel from you ‘cause that just isn’t right.”

Brooke presses her lips together when Kameron gives her a long suffering look. “You’ll thank me later. It’ll be fun for both of you.”

She turns away from the two of them as Asia starts to go over routes that they can take, scanning the faces of the athletes who have already arrived for their bright and early drive. Some are still in sweatpants, topknots balancing on their heads while others toss coffee back like they’re taking shots, and Brooke’s not sure who is actually more relatable. However, the person that she’s looking for the most, the one who’s always loud and excited even at such an early hour doesn’t seem to be here just yet-

“I’m here, I’m here, I’m not late, we still have t minus one minute before we’re supposed to leave, so you could say I’m early, hello!” And there Vanessa is, skidding to a stop in front of the group and wasting no time in holding up a fist for Monique to bump.

Brooke doesn’t know why everything becomes so much more fun when Vanessa’s around. Maybe it’s the way she’s always smiling, or how her energy level never really dips. Maybe it’s the commentary. But Brooke does know that she’s never going to be tired of any of it.

Vanessa’s drops her bag onto the floor with a thump and stands on her tippy toes to wave to Asia before she freezes mid movement, and the sudden eye contact makes Brooke’s breath hitch in her throat, too, no matter what a good friend of hers Vanessa is by now.

“You’re coming with us?” The hopeful tone in Vanessa’s voice is unmistakable as she bounds closer, stopping right in front of her and Brooke has to stop herself from reaching out and doing something ridiculous like putting an arm around her or hugging her.

She keeps her grip tight on her bag instead, shrugging a little. “You think I’d leave my student to compete on her own?”

Brooke’s been noncommittal over the last week, volleying her options back and forth in her head about whether she should go with the others. Her immediate instinct had been to say no when Kameron had asked, because why would she even want to go to a competition in the first place, when the atmosphere is one that she’s been trying to avoid for so long, if only to stay away from the memories that are bound to resurface?

But there had been a small voice in her head that had spoken up just a little bit louder than it usually did, reminding her that this tournament won’t be about her. She won’t be going to compete, or to reconcile feelings or trauma and what kind of coach will she be if she leaves Vanessa to get into a competition headspace on her own, especially in one that will be at a higher level than she’s ever competed at before?

Brooke’s going for Vanessa. After every morning practice, every evening training session and lifestyle change that she’s put Vanessa through and the hours and hours that they’ve spent together, Brooke’s going to go.

And from the way Vanessa’s beaming at her, she’s definitely made the right decision.

“In the van guys, we’re gonna be late!” Kameron shouts the words as she throws the driver’s side door open, and it’s the cue that the group needs to pile in.

A tug on Brooke’s arm as she’s squeezing her way through the aisle makes her let out a surprised yelp, and it’s no surprise that Vanessa’s the one behind it, from the way she’s grinning as Brooke falls into the seat beside her.

“Field trip buddies? I got dibs on the window seat.” Vanessa tucks her bag onto the floor before pulling her legs up onto her seat and crossing her legs.

Brooke doesn’t mind the aisle, really, not when her limbs are lanky enough to need the extra space. “How is that position even comfortable on a long bus ride?”

“Some of us aren’t built like Gumby, that’s why. Kidding, kidding!” Vanessa holds up her hands, letting out a screech when Brooke reaches underneath to tickle her sides instead. “I’m being attacked!”

Brooke notices a hand tap Vanessa’s head, and turns around to see a very tired Monique in sunglasses obstructing the majority of her face. “Vanessa, I love you, but it’s not even seven yet and my caffeine isn’t due to kick in for another half hour, and there’s only so much my fragile person can take. Please, for me…shut that trap.”

“Absolutely. Scout’s honour.” Vanessa solemnly lifts her right hand to her forehead in a mock salute and Brooke can’t keep in the laugh that bubbles over, clapping her hand over her mouth when Vanessa breaks into giggles, too.

“She’ll forgive me later. She loves me.” Vanessa whispers once Monique has settled back into her seat, and the conspiratorial look on her face makes it hard for Brooke not to crack up a second time.

“You’re ridiculous.” Brooke turns her body to face Vanessa, resisting the urge to pull her legs up behind her on the seat. “We’ll have to keep quiet, though. Half of the bus is falling asleep.”

It’s true. The bus is mostly silent as they pull onto the freeway, save for the faint bickering emanating from the driver and passenger seats up front from Kameron and Asia. It makes sense, for the early hour - though Brooke’s body doesn’t feel like it can join them, not when she’s reminded of the fact that they’re headed to a competition, where Vanessa’s going to have actual matches and it’s not going to be training anymore-

“Boring. Wanna play Heads Up instead?”

Vanessa’s question cuts through the way Brooke’s thoughts are starting to rev up and it’s a welcome distraction, especially when Vanessa’s expectant face is one that even she can’t resist. And it works, with the first hour of their drive flying by with ridiculous impressions and charades that make Brooke laugh until her sides hurt. When they play through the various categories enough times to know all of the answers, resting back against their seats doesn’t seem like such a bad idea anymore.

“It’s starting to get all light outside now.” Vanessa mumbles the words beside her as she sinks further into her seat, rubbing her eyes. “Just as I’m getting tired.”

“Good thing we still have at least an hour and a half to go. You have enough time for a nap, and you’ll need that energy later today. Sleep.” Brooke shrugs, taking a sip of her coffee. She’s not sure that she’s going to be able to join Vanessa, but it’s not a bad idea.

Vanessa makes a face. “How am I supposed to fall asleep with the sun and all the talking and ruckus on the bus? At home I got one of those white noise machines. Ocean sounds and shit.”

“Ocean sounds, really?” Brooke raises an eyebrow, pressing her lips together. “You somehow strike me as the last person to use one of those.”

“I like sleeping in comfort,” Vanessa sniffs, “and sometimes that means pretending that you’re on a beach.”

But Vanessa closes her eyes, pulls her sleeves over her hands nonetheless, and her breathing begins to even out as Brooke hits the second commercial on the podcast that she’s listening to. Vanessa’s head threatens to slip forward as she dozes, her neck pulling back at the last second as her breathing catches and nearly jerks her from her sleep.

It doesn’t look comfortable, and the last thing that Vanessa needs to wake up with is a neck cramp. So it’s a smart coaching move, really, for Brooke to guide Vanessa’s head towards her shoulder to lean on, a soft surface that she can’t slip from. And the way that Vanessa burrows into her shoulder is natural, too, just second nature as she sleeps, Brooke knows that. But Brooke doesn’t want to move or disrupt Vanessa’s dozing, do anything to wake her because the way her eyelashes are fluttering is almost mesmerizing, as is the way Vanessa’s hands are folding in on their sleeves.

A lock of hair falls in front of Vanessa’s face and Brooke doesn’t even have to think twice before brushing it back, tucking it behind her ear. She rakes her fingers through Vanessa’s hair, smoothing it down and the movement makes Vanessa mumble and snuggle herself more into Brooke’s side and it’s hard not to melt, it really is. Brooke keeps up the movements, forcing her fingers to comb through Vanessa’s hair as slowly as she can, her touch gentle and careful not to tug on the locks or rouse her.

And maybe Brooke’s shoulder is little uncomfortable from their position, but she’s not about to move, not now, not when they’re sitting like this. Because part of Brooke wants to stay like this forever, as the rising sun casts beams of light around the bus and Vanessa’s warmth beside her makes her feel like she’s under a blanket, ready to fall asleep herself.

“Psst. Psst. Wake up.”

“Huh?” Brooke rubs her eyes, trying to ignore the way everything is so bright and the sensation of something incessantly poking at her ribs.

Vanessa’s leg is jiggling as she bounces with entirely too much energy for a morning, and Brooke realizes it’s her hand that’s poking at her side. “We’re here!”

Brooke yawns, turning around to look and it’s true, because outside their window is the convention hall that’s supposed to still be three hours away, and the other girls around them are already picking up their belongings, climbing out of the van.

Huh. So maybe Brooke had fallen asleep too.

“C’mon, get out already! We’re gonna be the last ones off at this rate.” Vanessa looks like she’s about to explode out of her seat and Brooke snorts, standing up to grab her things so that she can put Vanessa out of her misery.

The convention centre reminds Brooke of her early competition days, before she went pro and everything had been big and new and she still had so many ladders to climb, so many goals to strive for. She’d hoist her equipment bag over her shoulder, refusing to let her dad carry it for her and it feels strange now to not have one while surrounded by other athletes and coaches and spectators milling about in the lobby. A part of Brooke has missed this - the athletes getting themselves registered, the sponsor tables with gear on sale, the coaches trying to yell over the noise to get the attention of their athletes. It’s organized chaos, one that hadn’t necessarily been present when she’d gotten into the pro scene. This feels more organic, more novel, even from her lens as a washed up athlete who isn’t competing.

The magic is somehow still there.

“Damn. This is huge.” Vanessa whistles beside her, craning her neck to look around the lobby. “We haven’t been to a tournament this big before.”

“First time for everything. Keep on climbing, right?” Brooke nudges her side, but Vanessa doesn’t return her smile, instead biting her lip.

“And you’re telling me I’m gonna compete at the highest level? Who knows what kinda Olympic level bitches are gonna be here. Jesus.” Vanessa’s fingers tap against her side, the nerves radiating off of her and Brooke grabs her shoulders, turns to face her.

“They’re here, but so are you. Tell me, would you be allowed to sign up and compete at this level if you weren’t qualified for it?”

“No, but-”

“Would I even let you fight if I didn’t think you were at this level, or above it?”

“Now you’re just trying to make me feel less nervous.” Vanessa sighs, and the vulnerability is a rare sight, one that makes Brooke’s heart clench.

“Doesn’t make it less true. You’ve been pushing yourself for months. You’ve competed in many novice tournaments. And guess what? You’re here now. You’ve earned it.”

The words are sincere coming from Brooke’s mouth because she believes them, really believes them. She’s challenged Vanessa and made her work harder and harder and Vanessa’s not only a better athlete now, but a stronger one too. One who has technique but also has the drive to push forward that extra mile.  

“You’re here because you deserve to be here, and you’re competing at a high level because it’s your level. You’re not a beginner anymore, Ness.” Brooke nudges Vanessa’s side, and the way Vanessa’s shoulders are beginning to relax let Brooke know that the words are beginning to sink in.

“No longer the girl popping into the gym in full face and asking you what the place is like, huh?” Vanessa grins, and Brooke can’t help but do so too at the memory.

“And a full set of nails too, don’t forget that.”

“They were press ons, bitch! I still wear ‘em now sometimes!” Vanessa sticks her tongue out, crossing her arms and Brooke doesn’t hesitate in returning the facial expression.

“Next in line, please!”

Though it isn’t until Vanessa traipses off to get ready with the other athletes that the reality of the situation really begins to sink in for Brooke. It’s a competition. A more prestigious competition, with Vanessa competing at a higher level than she’s ever done before. And sure, Vanessa’s trained more, worked her ass off and she’s a better fighter now than she’s ever been, but…

What if something does happen?

Brooke’s brain is used to falling down this cycle of thoughts, agonizing about possibilities and things that could happen even if they’re not in her control, but there’s a voice in her head - albeit a small one - that disrupts the routine. Knocks the cycle onto its side a little.

Sure, this situation is not in Brooke’s control. But it also means she’s done everything she can for the things that are.

Vanessa’s as ready as she’ll ever be. She’s competing at this level because it’s her level. Brooke’s coached her to the best of her ability and now?

All Brooke can do is wait and see what happens.

Sure, she’ll bite her nails due to stress in the meantime, but she’ll survive.

Her and Vanessa both will.

“Okay, so if we were pros and the like-”

“Girl, you ain’t never been a pro-”

“Shut up, let me finish. If we were pro boxers,” Monet crosses her legs on the bench, looking between all of them, “what would you want your names to be?”

“Wouldn’t we just use our real names?” Monique’s expression is skeptical, and Monet rolls her eyes.

“No, bitch, you’d need a cool stage name. A fighting name.”

“What would you call yourself?” Vanessa leans forward, tying her shoes, and Monet pauses as she thinks.

“I’d want something cool like ‘The Hurricane’ or ‘The Assassin,’ y’know? Something that would sound hella dramatic when announced on a microphone.”

Asia rolls her eyes. “Out here calling yourself assassin when you cried last week because there was a beetle in the locker room. Unbelievable.”

Monet scoffs. “Fine then, what would you call yourself?”

“Something like ‘K.O.’ or something because I’d be K.O.ing everyone.” Asia presses her fist into her palm, and Vanessa has to admit, it’s kinda catchy.

Monet rolls her eyes. “You’ve never even K.O’d anyone yet. Poser.”

“Well, that’s why it’s a future name!” Asia huffs, and Vanessa has to hold in a snort.

“What about you, V?” Monet asks, and Vanessa leans back on her palms as she thinks.

“I dunno,” Vanessa shrugs, “never really thought about it before. Maybe something unique? Like connected to an actual nickname.”

“You want to be called Vanjie as your boxing name? But then that’s just your nickname.” Monique doesn’t look convinced.

Vanessa thinks. “Maybe if I just make it sound fancy. Add a ‘miss’ in front of it.”

“Miss Vanjie?” Asia lets out a giggle as she says it, and Vanessa can feel her face redden.

“What! It’s kinda cute.”

“Miss Vaaaaaanjie.” Monet drawls out, and even Vanessa can’t hold in a giggle when she does so. “I kinda like it.”

“Me too. At least you’ll know no one else will ever have your nickname.” Monique points out as she stands up, picking up her equipment. “Miss Vaaaanjie.”

“Are you guys just going to keep saying it for the rest of the day?” Vanessa snorts, but she can’t deny that it’s catchy. The name is definitely beginning to grow on her.

“Maybe so, Miss Vanjie, maybe so,” Asia grins, “and I’m so changing your contact name in my phone to that.”

“Unbelievable.”

Kameron and Brooke are waiting for them outside of the change room as they walk out, and Kameron motions for them to huddle against the wall, out of the way of the doors. She turns the clipboard in her hands to face them, pointing at a scrawled out list that Vanessa has to squint to be able to read.

“Y’all are all in different divisions, which doesn’t make it easier, that’s for sure. But I think I’ll be able to run between your matches in between rounds. I feel like a dance mom with too many kids to support, Jesus.” Kameron taps her clipboard with her pen. “Monique, you have a match in ring four, then Asia’s up in ring two, then…”

It’s hard for Vanessa to focus on what Kameron’s saying, her voice turning to static in Vanessa’s brain because her limbs are itching to move and get started. She hates this part of competitions, the calm before the storm that doesn’t seem to go by any faster no matter how much she tries and wills the clock to do so. Her eyes jump between the athletes behind them, the pink scrunchie in Monique’s hair, the service dog in the hallway that’s sleeping beside its owner, the set of double doors leading to the rings that athletes are already beginning to file into. But then Kameron’s yelling for all of them to pile their hands on top of one another and to shout ‘Hytes’ Boxing on three!’ and Vanessa joins in just a second too late, and they’re starting to walk in towards the boxing rings, too.

“You okay with me being the one with you? Like Kameron said just now?” Brooke materializes beside Vanessa, nearly making her jump. “She’s got too many athletes to follow around.”

Not that Vanessa’s heard what Kameron had said but Brooke doesn’t need to know that, so she nods anyway, the idea making her heart flip in her chest. “Uh huh. Ain’t you my main coach anyway, by now? I train more with you than I do with Kameron.”

“True. Just wanted to check, since this is my first time coming to a tournament of yours.”  Brooke’s eyes are twinkling as Vanessa feels a hand grab hers and squeeze it. “I know you’re more used to her.”

“I’d rather have you.” The words flow easily because it’s true, when Vanessa thinks about it.

Brooke has the ability to read her body language and know what’s going on in her head when she’s boxing to push her more, making her even better. She knows how to calm her down, how to make her laugh when she’s too wound up. It works in the gym, and here in a competition?

Vanessa really needs it.

“I’m glad.” Brooke’s voice is uncharacteristically soft, just for a second, before she uncrumples a sheet of her own. “So, first there’s a knockout round in your division which will be the quarters, then semis. You pass through those, you can make it to the finals. That’s going to be three matches in one day, if you win them.”

“Damn.” Vanessa gulps, because the hall that’s filled with rings in a grid formation suddenly looks bigger than it did five minutes ago, the athletes just a little bit more intimidating. “That’s a whole lotta fighting in one day.”

“Nothing you haven’t done in the gym with me. Why do you think I push you so hard?” Brooke grabs Vanessa’s bag from her, hoisting it over her shoulder.

“Let’s hope it’s enough preparation, sensei.” Vanessa giggles at Brooke’s furrowed eyebrows at the nickname. “Teacher? Ninja master?”

“Really now?”

“How about papa?”

“Carry your own bag.” Brooke snorts, heaving it back towards Vanessa who catches it with a snicker.

“I think the last one really suits you.”

“I think you need to get ready for your first match, that’s what. We’re almost at the ring.”

“Roger that, sensei. Now or never, huh?” Vanessa nudges Brooke’s shoulder before setting her bag down, and the butterflies in her chest begin to flutter and take flight, because she can already see the girl on the other side of the ring pulling on a helmet of her own and shit, she’s really doing this.

With Brooke here this time. Doesn’t exactly help with the adrenaline.

“Call me sensei again and I’m gonna cheer on your opponent.” Brooke taps Vanessa’s nose, a smile on her face, and Vanessa knows she isn’t serious. “Five minutes to warm up. You’ve got this.”

“I better.” Vanessa rolls out her neck, starts to bounce on her toes to get the blood flowing in her body.

“Remember. First and second rounds to dissect her fighting style and her tells. Third and fourth rounds to take advantage of that knowledge and stay one step ahead of her.” Brooke peeks over her shoulder at Vanessa’s opponent, and Vanessa follows her gaze, the girl’s bright yellow shorts making her wrinkle her nose. “You figure out how she fights, you can beat her at her own game.”

It’s what they’ve done in the gym - Brooke sparring her while favouring a certain side over the other, a specific combination, waiting for Vanessa to catch on and be ready to counter her. Vanessa has to force her brain to step back and see the overall picture of the fight while her blood is pumping and her limbs feel like they’re moving faster than her mind but it’s good practice, because now she doesn’t just throw moves that come to her on instinct. She’s learned to plan.

Maybe, it’s going to be enough. Maybe, the morning and evening and weekend practices, and the conditioning, the sparring, the discussions about techniques will now all be worth it. Even though Vanessa’s fighting in the highest division she’s ever fought in before, even if she’s now a small fish in a big pond? Maybe all of the preparation means she won’t be gasping for air while treading water.

And if it’s not enough? She’s got Brooke swimming beside her, too.

Tags: brooke lynn hytes, vanessa vanjie mateo, branjie, lesbian au, boxing au, level up, holtzmanns

[flipomatic]

A New World Chapter 6: Drumming Along

First Chapter Previous Chapter

As the bell rang, signaling the end of her final class for the week, Ako couldn’t help the rush of excitement she felt. Finally, she would be able to leave her school books behind and get to let loose over the weekend.

There were so many things she wanted to do this weekend, and not nearly enough time to fit all of them in. NFO had a big content update coming, Edogawa Music was holding a sale on drum pedals, and a new cool ninja film was opening in theaters. Ako couldn’t decide what she wanted to do first. She wanted to do them all at once.

Ako pulled out her phone to check if any of her bandmates were free. She loved spending time with them and doing all sorts of things together. Rinko played NFO with her, Sayo had a great eye for the best instrument parts, and Lisa enjoyed the same films that Ako did. She sometimes hung out with Yukina too, but they didn’t really have an activity.

As Ako clicked into today on the master schedule, her heart sank. All of her bandmates were busy this afternoon, off living their university lives. The master schedule Lisa made was so convenient, but also super depressing.

It felt like they were always busy these days, without any time to hangout like they used to. Ako hadn’t played NFO with Rinko in weeks. She had only seen her other bandmates at practice and at one group meal.

Ako slumped forward on her desk dramatically, resting her head against its surface. It was cold against her cheek, a welcome feeling.

What was she going to do now? She could always go do things alone, but it wasn’t the same. There was some homework she could work on too, but that was extra boring and she could just do it later.

Everything was different this year and Ako didn’t like it. For a moment, she wallowed in her misery.

She looked over to the right, catching sight of her other friends talking next to her desk. Oh, how could she have forgotten them, even for just a moment? They were still in the same year as her; they didn’t have insane schedules filled with extra classes and projects and rehearsals that were at the worst times.

Ako sprung up from her chair, with the seat making a loud noise as it was pushed back. Rokka flinched, clearly startled by the sound. She clutched her guitar case, as if to shield it from danger.

“Are you alright, Ako?” Asuka asked, with one of her eyebrows arched. She was leaning against the neighboring desk.

“Fu fu fu.” Ako brought one hand up to cover her mouth. “More than alright! Through the overwhelming power within, I am compelled to seek your company!” If she had a spotlight, that would make this pose perfect.

Askua didn’t seem impressed. “Meaning?” She deadpanned.

“Do you wanna hang out?” Ako rephrased her assertion as requested, returning her hand to her side. She looked between Asuka and Rokka with wide eyes, hopeful that they would say yes.

Rokka, having recovered from being startled, nodded. “I heard Hello Happy World is playing in town today, we could go see them?” She spoke softly, phrasing it as a question. Her hands fidgeted on the handle of her guitar case.

“Oh, yeah I heard about that.” Asuka replied. “Near the shopping district.”

“Let’s go!” Ako always loved to see other bands, and anything was better than thinking about what her bandmates were up to. She scooped up her bag, heaving it over one shoulder.

The trio started walking towards the exit, passing through the hallways and stairwell of the school. Now that they were second years, they went to class on the second floor. Ako forgot sometimes, until she looked out the window and realized just how high they were.

Once they were out of the building, they walked to the market district. It was a warm enough spring day, with only a few clouds in the sky. The three second years followed the sidewalk towards the market. On the way they chatted about class, about the weather, and about bands.

Rokka told them that Raise A Suilen was still performing often. They had been playing around Tokyo, trying out some different venues and setups. Ako and Rokka were walking next to each other, with Asuka a step behind.

“Chuchu wants to become the best girl’s band in Tokyo.” Rokka explained as they walked. “She’ll find the stage where RAS shines the brightest.”

“How’s that been going?” Asuka asked, sounding genuinely curious. Ako was also eager to hear the answer.

Rokka sighed, scuffing one of her feet against the sidewalk. “Not great.” She admitted, frowning down at the ground. “Nothing seems to be good enough. She’s been so moody about it too…”

Ako wasn’t sure if she understood Chuchu’s, but she was certain that a couple of her bandmates would. “I’m sure she’ll find it.” RAS shined on every stage Ako saw them on, so she had not doubt that Chuchu would succeed.

“For sure!” Asuka’s response was insistent.

This brought the smallest hint of a smile back to Rokka’s face. “Yeah, you’re right.” She brought her hands up to her guitar case strap, straightening her back. “I was actually planning on coming today to watch the guitarist.” Her fingers tightened around the strap.

“Kaoru?” Ako was pretty sure she was Hello Happy World’s guitarist. She had gone to Haneoka and graduated along with Ako’s bandmates.

Rokka nodded, “Yes. There’s a lot I can learn from her.” Her eyes were cast straight ahead, looking out towards the distance. Ako glanced that way, but she didn’t see anything special. “I need to keep improving, so RAS can shine.” She looked so cool like this, like she did when she played guitar.

Asuka whistled, chiming in from behind. “That’s pretty impressive.”

Rokka’s head snapped back, her shoulders shrinking down. “Not really.” All her confidence from a moment before had faded.

“It sounds like fun.” Ako had spent a lot of time watching her sister, the best drummer in the world, play the drums. Almost everything she knew about the drums, she learned from her. Guitarists could probably learn the same way.

Ako wondered if she should do the same, during the concert today. The drummer for Hello Happy World was… Ako had to think for a moment to recall her name. She had blue hair and didn’t go to school with Ako. She had graduated as well, and oh her name was Kanon, Ako finally remembered.

The three stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for their turn to go. They were only a block away from the performance, which was being held at an outdoor stage. Hello Happy World seemed to play outside often, which Ako thought fit their style of music.

They crossed the street and soon reached the venue. A small crowd had gathered in front of the stage in anticipation of the concert. Many different groups of people were gathered there, from students to the elderly. There were even some small children, who stood in the front of the audience.

Ako and her friends found a spot in the middle of the crowd, where they were able to see the stage clearly.

They still had at least twenty minutes until the performance would begin, so they continued to chat. Asuka told a story about how Kasumi had recently been messing around with fireworks. She wanted to use them for Poppin’ Party performances, but didn’t know the best way to do it. Luckily, Arisa had been there with a bucket of sand to put out the fire.

Ako shared how Roselia was doing this year, that their practices were going well. She withheld the more unfortunate details, which involved the master calendar and lonely afternoons. The girls continued to talk while they waited.

A few minutes after the scheduled start time, the show began. The curtain onstage was pulled back, revealing Hello Happy World. Kokoro stood in the center of the stage, mic stand in hand. Kaoru, Hagumi, Michelle, and Kanon were all arranged with their instruments around her.

“We are Hello Happy World!” Kokoro beamed out at the audience as she introduced the band. “Lucky! Happy! Smile! Yay!” The crowd cheered at the signature phrase. “First up, Egao no Orchestra!”

As if on cue, Michelle hit the samples to start the song. The rest of the band followed, with the song blasting out over the audience. This song, like all their others, brought life to the crowd. It was full of spirit and cheer.

Ako glanced over at Rokka, who had her eyes locked firmly on Kaoru. The guitarist was alternating between playing and flourishing at the audience, causing some teenage girls near the front of the crowd to cheer each time.

Remembering what she thought about earlier, Ako looked over at Kanon. The blue haired drummer was entirely focused on her music, unlike Kaoru. Ako honed her ears in on the drums, listening to the beat.

The drum parts were quite different that the ones in Roselia’s music. This reminded Ako a lot more of a marching band, with tighter and faster drumming. Kanon kept her hands low as she played. She mostly drummed through the wrist, only bringing her hands up when she needed to hit the cymbals.

That was different than Ako, who tended to play with wider arm motions. It was interesting to see, perhaps something she should try next time she practiced. Especially for songs that stayed more on the lower drums, she could have better timing if she kept her movements smaller. Rushing was a problem Ako contended with regularly.

As the band transitioned into their next song, Ako kept watching. She watched as Kanon maintained the rhythm perfectly, how her smaller motions still made great drum sounds, and how her drums blended in with the rest of the band.

Next to her, Rokka had a notebook out and was hastily taking notes. Ako could see the word “fleeting” was written there at least one after Kaoru said it during an emcee.

Ako wasn’t going to take notes; she could remember what she saw well enough.

When the concert wrapped up, with the band members taking a bow in the center of the stage, Ako thought she should do this again. At just this one concert, she had picked up a couple things to try. If she saw more drummers, she would certainly learn more and more techniques.

Ako remembered all of her drummer friends, and started to wonder what kind of cool techniques they would show her.

Besides, with how busy her bandmates were she had plenty of time to spend watching bands. Her afternoons, which used to be full of Roselia practices, were free. Learning from watching other drummers would be a great thing to fill them with. This wasn’t a complete substitute for practice, but it would help her improve.

Then she could be the drummer Roselia needed.

Also, and most importantly, it was super fun!

Next Chapter

[justskulkingaround]

Puppets: V - Two Sides of a Coin

Russia woke up later to the sun was shining into the room and noticed America was nowhere to be seen. Sitting up, he rubbed his face and looked around to make sure America had really left the room. He stood up and saw a note left on the bedside table that said, 'I'm in my office,' in a swirling, sloppy handwriting. He picks it up and leaves the room.

Russia gives the door a few sharp knocks before opening it. America is on the phone with someone but still spared Russia a quick wave. Russia listened out of curiosity.

"Do you think you could come over and help?... Oh, thank God!... Yeah, Russia is staying over, and 'Nada is going to be coming with the Providences... Don't call me that!... Okay, I'll see you soon... Love you too, bye," and America hangs up the call.

"Who was that?"

"One of my brothers. He used to go by Confederacy, but now he just goes by Dixie."

"Confederacy? Was that the person you fought against in your civil war?"

"Yeah. He was the Confederate States of America, but the northern states didn't really respect him until he went by a different name: hence, Dixie."

"I thought personifications that lost civil wars were disintegrated."

"If I killed him, yeah. But I didn't kill him. I forced him to reform, though. Anyways, he's coming over to watch the states and providences once Canada gets here so that you, Canada, and I can try to figure out what's going on."

Russia nods. "When is Canada going to get here?"

"I'd say maybe a day or so." America answers, then, the doorbell rang, "or not. Hold on, I'll answer it."

Russia follows America to the door, and when America opens it, Canada walks in with 10 following children.

America greets them happily. "Hi, guys!" he exclaims.

"Hi, Uncle America!" the children chorus.

"Ontario!" someone yells from behind them, and the providences are pulled inside.

Canada calmly walks in behind them as the states began to play loudly with their cousins.

"Delaware," America calls.

"YEAH?" Delaware called from the main room.

"Could you watch your siblings and cousins for a few hours?"

"No problem, Dad!" he replied, his head poking around a bend before disappearing.

Then America turns to face Russia. "Come on. We have some important stuff to do."

Then the three countries walk upstairs to America's office. Russia is a little confused about what they will be doing up there but complies, following behind the brothers. Once inside, Russia closes the door, and America pulls a board out from a closet in the back of the room. After he spun it around, Russia is shown a world map with multicolored pins stuck in different places all over the world.

"What are the pins for?"

"The pins are to record anything related to... recent events. The red ones are for any disappearances, the green pins are for a vague estimation for where countries are, and the blue pins are for the locations of states and provinces. It's mostly to help see large groups in one area."

"Why are there blue pins in Australia?"

"Aussie has states too."

"Oh."

"You don't seem very surprised," America remarks with a chuckle.

"At this point, anything is possible," Russia replies with a shrug. America laughs.

Then there was a knock at the door, and Canada opens it to see California and Ohio standing in the hallway.

"Hey dad, we think Dixie is here, but with the whole monster thing going on..." Ohio says, trailing off.

"Don't want extra, like, risk," California adds.

America nods and pulls out his phone. A few moments pass.

"Go open the door for your uncle," America says, shooing them out.

Then, Virginia pokes her head into the office, "pops?"

"Yes, Virginia?"

"Just wanna let ya know that cots are all set up."

"Thank you. Alright, let's head downstairs and greet Dixie."

"Yay!" Virginia cheers and she hurries downstairs with Massachusetts on her tail. America begins to head downstairs, and Canada walks beside him. Russia decides to follow them. Once they get downstairs, they are surrounded by chaos, as loud talking and laughter ring out across the house.

Once they get in the main room, Russia sees a face that he thought should be dead. The personification standing in front of him had a design similar to America's flag, but with larger stripes and fewer stars. Dixie walks forward and pulls America into a hug.

"Howdy, Amy!" he shouts happily.

America rolled his eyes, but a smile still crept across his face.

"I thought I asked you not to call me that."

Dixie laughs loudly, moving to hold America by the shoulders.

"Why I ain't never heard such a thing!"

"D*ck," America muttered, arms crossed, but a smile still firmly planted on his face. Dixie only laughs louder, releasing America and greeting Canada with a playful smack on the shoulder.

After greeting the brothers, Dixie turns to Russia with a grin, sticking out a hand in greeting. "Howdy, I'm the former Confederacy, but 'cause that's a little outdated, y'all can call me Dixie."

"Nice to meet you, Dixie. I'm Russia," Russia replies, taking Dixie's hand into a handshake. Dixie enthusiastically shakes Russia's hand before heading into the kitchen, loudly discussing what he should make for dinner with the states which follow him.

Russia notices a few pieces of luggage at the end of one of the couches. After watching some of the states trip on, he moves it onto the nearby couch to avoid unnecessary damage from the nearby foot traffic.

Then, he sits down next to America on a couch, relaxing as the children ran around the main room, laughing and playing. The clanging of pots and pans and loud conversation echoes from the kitchen. The atmosphere reminds Russia of his old home when he and his siblings lived together with his father.

The television plays in the background, and Russia ignores what is being shown, watching the little kids around him until one of them latched onto his leg. Looking down, he makes eye-contact with Alaska.

"Hello," Russia greets. He gets a muffled response. Unsure of what else to do, he helps Alaska onto the couch, and Alaska curls up next to him, watching the cartoons on the television.

Then, the "dinner's ready" announcement echoes through the house. After a few moments of silence, a stampede shakes the house as states and provinces alike streamed out of rooms, running through hallways and pounding down staircases to reach the kitchen. It took a few minutes to get everyone served and seated. Then, before they ate, Dixie and some of the southern states say a quick prayer, and the states sounded off, followed by the providences.

While eating, Russia can't help but notice how Dixie interacts with people. He is always very loud, even louder than America at times, with a laugh that could be heard through walls. It was odd to see someone that seems more American than America, but Dixie represents America's southern region, so maybe it wasn't so weird. Russia ponders, eating quietly.

By the end of the meal, Russia had to admit that the pie was something he wouldn't miss out on again. Once dessert is over, the states devolve into yelling about helping with table jobs, which seemed to be after-meal chores. He could also hear Canada scolding his providences into helping clean up after the meal.

The rest of Russia's evening is spent in the main room, playing card games and watching television with Alaska tucked under his arm. There are worse places to be, Russia decides. He falls asleep that night feeling content, but he knows things can't stay like this forever.

[monstaxperiments]

Monsta X reaction to being jealous of your male friend (pt. 1)..~

Jooheon:

..~ Your bff, Mike has been working his ass off at his new job and finally has a Saturday off. You and Mike have been bffs since high school and even dated a short while but decided it would be best to just be friends. To catch up, he suggests hanging out, but it was also you and your bf Jooheon’s date night, so you decide to spend the day with both of your favorite guys. Jooheon was reluctant to let Mike tag along on your date but knows how close you two have been and he just wants to see you happy. He regrets his decision as soon as Mike walks up the theater steps and sees you practically sprinting to give him a huge hug. A hug that Jooheon felt took a little longer than needed. He says hello and gives Mike the fakest smile he could muster and follows behind the two of you into the theater lobby. Why am I following behind them? I’m y/n’s boyfriend not this guy Jooheon thinks to himself as he not so subtly squeezes in between you and Mike. You and Mike give him an odd look but brushes it off. “Oh, don’t worry about it, I got this,” Mike says as he pulls out his wallet “I feel like the third wheel anyway so I’ll pay for everyone’s ticket. Also just to say thanks Jooheon for letting me tag along. Not a lot of boyfriends would do that.” Mike gives Jooheon a friendly smile. “Yeah no problem.”Jooheon says with that fake smile of his. “Yeah you are third wheel.” Jooheon mumbles under his breathe just as Mike turns away to pay for the tickets. The three of you walk toward the concession stand next. “What do you guys want? I’m buying.” Mike says taking out a wad of cash. Jooheon rolls his eyes so hard he could’ve sworn he saw his brain. “Wow Mike! You’re really getting paid at your new job!” You say in a super impressed tone. A tone that Jooheon couldn’t help but feel inferior to. “Well, you know.” Mike says with a nonchalant shrug “Pretty soon you’ll be hanging out with a rich man” He smiles down at you, nudges you playfully. “Rich men get all the pretty girls.” Mike says this last sentence while looking over his shoulder at Jooheon with a sinister smirk. Jooheon stands there dumbfounded, unable to speak. You make your choices and Mike steps forward to pay for it “No I got it!” Jooheon says while squeezing in between you two again causing Mike to stumble back almost falling to the ground. “Jooheon! Stop being so so rude!” You say. “I’m not being rude, y/n. You’re my girlfriend I should be the one taking care of you.” Jooheon says while smiling at the clerk, handing them the cash. You three finally make it into the movie theater, with you in the middle. Jooheon rolls his eyes as he sees you and Mike chit chatting and giggling and sitting closely while waiting for the movie to start. Now he felt like the third wheel. 

The movie is about 30 minutes in and Jooheon finally felt at peace. You and Mike weren’t talking or giggling about the old days. Jooheon looks over at you to make sure you were enjoying the movie when he sees Mike’s arm over your seat. That sent Jooheon into a rage. “Ok I’ve had enough!” Jooheon yells as he stands up from his seat. A few people shush him and others turn around to see whats going on but Jooheon doesn’t care. He swats Mike arm away from you and gently pulls you up from your seat. “Since you got here you’ve been trying to steal y/n away from me but it stops right now. Don’t ever contact y/n again. And I better not see your face ever again.” He takes your hand and drags you out of the theater. 

Back in the car headed home ~ “I’m sorry y/n. I know you were really excited for that movie. I’ll take you to go see it again another time but I had to get you away from that guy.” He hears a sigh of relief from you. “I’m so glad you did. He was giving off weird vibes all night. And besides seeing you all jealous and possessive like that was a huge turn on.” You smirk at him. “Oh yeah? Well I must look unbelievably sexy right now because that guy really pissed me off.” “Yeah... I’m wondering if I should tell you he tried to grab my butt a few times.” Jooheon almost completely brakes on the highway, earning him a few car honks. “WHAT???” Jooheon is once again dumbfounded and threatens to turn the car around to kick some ass “Jooheon you can’t turn around on a one way street!”

I.M:

..~ “Ahahahahaha I win again y/n.” I.M says while sticking his tongue out at you like a little kid. This is the sixth round in a row you’ve lost to I.M while playing Mortal Kombat 11. You were starting to get annoyed but let him have his little victory. “I’m tired of this game. Can we play something else now?” You ask pouting and batting your eyes. “Sure. What game do you feel like losing next?” I.M chuckles to himself as he looks through the drawer full of games. Just then a notification pops up on the screen. ‘Handsomeguy90 is now online’. “Yay! Jesse is online!” I.M’s shoulder slump at the sound of that name. Jesse. Your bff from college. He currently lives about 10 hours away so I.M rarely had to see him, but he definitely hears his voice way too often. Another notification appears on the screen. ‘Handsomeguy90 is inviting you to play The Sims Online’. That was what you and Jesse liked to play together. An online game of avatars living everyday life and being able to text chat and voice chat with other players. Unfortunately for I.M, you two liked to voice chat. You grab the main controller from I.M’s lap and grab the headset that sat under the coffee table. You accept the invitation. “I guess were done?” I.M drops his hands into his lap with a sad expression. “Hey Jesse!” You say a little too excitedly. “Hey y/n! How are you? You sound so good!” I.M can hear Jesse’s voice through the headset which gave him a headache. He listens as you and Jesse make small talk before starting up the game. In this game you and Jesse’s avatars were married and had two kids with a third on the way. I.M hated when you played this game with Jesse. It made him feel like he wasn’t giving you what your heart truly wanted or you actually really wanted to be with Jesse. He watched with disgust as Jesse’s avatar continuously flirted with your avatar and also listened with disgust as Jesse said whatever his avatar said to your avatar. Things like you’re looking extra sexy today, that dress you’re wearing makes your butt look amazing, I love you so much, we were meant to be together, and so on. I.M couldn’t take it anymore. He got up to get a drink from the kitchen. As he returns he sees another avatar on the screen with the name I.M. The I.M in the game was an ugly old man with horrible traits and was the neighbor of you and Jesse. “What the fuck is that?” I.M asks in an annoyed tone. “Oh, Jesse thought it would be fun to include you in the game as sort of a comedy character. You’re our teched old neighbor who likes to spy on us and leave weird things in our mailbox and stuff like that. Isn’t that funny?” I.M just stares at you for a long moment. “Is he ok?” I.M could hear Jesse through the headset laughing. I.M swiftly lifts the headset from your ears. “Hey!” You exclaim in shock. “Goodbye Jesse.” I.M says into the headset and walks to the console and turns it off. “I.M what the hell?!” You say as you stand to turn it back on but I.M stands in your way. “Y/n I don’t want you playing that game with that guy ever again.” I.M says calmly. “You’re really that upset over a character in a game? It was just a stupid joke for the game.” You say crossing your arms. “I don’t care about the character, I care about the fact that you have this make believe life with a guy who obviously likes you says all this weird flirty stuff in your ear. That’s my job! I’m suppose to say weird flirty stuff in your ear.” You slowly uncross your arms listening to I.M. He was jealous. You felt bad for making him feel this way and being oblivious that you were doing it. You walk towards him and drape your arms around his waist. “I’m sorry baby you’re right only you can say weird flirty things to me.” I.M smiles and drapes his arms around your shoulders. “That’s right babe” he says kissing you on your forehead. 

Hyungwon:

..~ Hyungwon was asked to walk in a fashion show of a luxury brand. He got you a front row seat which made you super nervous. Only the elite sit front row at fashion shows, especially for luxury brands. Since Hyungwon was walking in the show, you two arrived early. While Hyungwon was backstage, you sat at the bar. You were sitting alone for a while until a handsome young man takes the seat next to you. He greets you with a hello and you greet him back. “What’s a pretty model doing here at the bar instead of getting ready backstage?” The man asks you after ordering a drink. You giggle and explain you’re not a model but your boyfriend is modeling in the show. “Oh what a shame to waste such a beautiful face and body to just have you sit in the crowd. How about you sit next to me then?” He says while sipping on his rather expensive looking drink. “I don’t think we can just change seats like that.” You say still a little flattered while sipping on your own drink. He smirks “I don’t think anyone would have a problem with it.” The two of you sit and chat for another hour until the show is about to start. While telling each other about yourselves, you learned that his name was Jason and that he was the son of the designer of the luxury brand and heir to the business. Hyungwon originally had you sitting on the left side at the end of the runway but now that you were sitting with Jason you were sitting on the right side dead in the middle. As you follow Jason you could feel the stares and hear the whispers of the elite around you. You notice the press turning their camera in your direction. You hear Jason chuckle. “They act like they’ve never seen a beautiful woman before. Tell your boyfriend to watch out, they might think we’re a couple y/n.” Jason flashes you a flirty smile. Suddenly the music changes, the outer lights dim, the inner lights start to flashes and swirl around each other, and the emcee comes on stage to start the show. You watch as the gorgeous and handsome models walk up and down the runway in awe. Soon you see a familiar face strutting down the runway. You let out a small shriek of excitement, you see Jason turn to you with curiosity, you smile and point at Hyungwon, “That’s my boyfriend.” Jason nods his head understandingly. You see Hyungwon’s eyes look in the direction of where he originally had you sitting. Oh shit where is she? She couldn’t find her seat? She didn’t get kicked out did she? Questions were racing through Hyungwon’s head and he started to get worried but he had to keep a straight face. Hyungwon gets to the end of the runway, strikes a pose and turns to walk back up the runway, but something catches his eye as he walks a few steps. He sees you waving your hands just at chest level. He was relieved to see you in crowd but he also notices another hand. On your shoulder. Belonging to the guy sitting next to you, smiling at him. In your excitement you hadn’t noticed that Jason’s arm found it’s way around your shoulder. Hyungwon was so shocked, confused, and distracted he almost walked right into the oncoming model going the opposite direction. A few gasps from the crowd were heard as Hyungwon quickly regains his composure and continues to walk backstage. You couldn’t help but feel bad for the sudden change, blaming yourself for distracting Hyungwon. Jason notices your state and comforts you, pulling you closer to him. I can’t believe the nerve of that guy Hyungwon thinks as he prepares for his final outfit. He had met Jason earlier that day and thought he was a decent guy. They bonded a little before the show, sharing things about their personal lives. Hyungwon even told him that his girlfriend was here at the show supporting him and that he felt bad that he had to leave her at the bar. That asshole. He better not let me catch him in the streets. Hyungwon finishes putting on his final outfit and waits behind the curtain for his turn. He peers around the curtain to the audience and sees you and Jason huddled together. Jason is even rubbing the top of your head. That’s my head! Hyungwon is furious. The model that went before Hyungwon is nearing backstage. Now it’s Hyungwon’s turn. He struts his stuff onto the catwalk. You were too busy with Jason to notice it was his turn again, but Jason definitely notices and makes sure you’re attention is on him. Hyungwom reaches the end of the catwalk, poses and turns around to exit. You finally notice. Hyungwon reaches the middle of the catwalk, and stops. Then he stretches out his hand towards you, eyes keeping forward. The whole room seemed to stare and stare out of intrigue, confusion, and everything in between, especially you. Almost in a trance like state you slowly rise to your feet, walk towards the catwalk, take that one step onto the catwalk, and grab Hyungwon’s hand. The camera flashes go off rapidly, a few cheers are heard from the crowd as you and Hyungwon walk hand in hand down the catwalk towards backstage. Just before you two turn the corner to be out of sight of the crowd, Hyungwon slightly turns his head toward Jason and winks. 

[little-miss-sunny-daisy]

Does it count if the prompt I bring is basically asking for another part of TA kc fic?? Lol I’m sorry I’m such a sucker for that one. It was just so cute!

Don’t be sorry Anon! It’s a cute trope, and it’s fun to write!

Lortab makes Caroline loopy and after one night where she sends Elena seven texts in a row without a single vowel to be found amongst them, she stashes the orange pill bottle in the far reaches of her medicine cabinet. She’s got four more weeks until she’s hopefully rid of the hideous boot and crutches, and she resolves to tough out any pain with extra strength Tylenol. 

She has one week to go when Elena says with a sly smile, “I got you an early yay you got your boot off gift.” 

Caroline shuts Waiting for Gadot with an eager thud. “I knew I liked you best, Gilbert. Gimme.” 

Elena reaches into her back pocket and drops two plastic cards onto Caroline’s Anthropologie bedspread. Caroline picks them up eagerly.

“Candace Ford,” she reads aloud from the first one, one eyebrow shooting up. It’s their photos from their student IDs, but-- “And Elizabeth Gerard. Born in 1998, huh?” She shoots Elena a beaming grin. “This may be the best present you’ve ever given me, and that includes the time you rigged Seven Minutes in Heaven for me and Tyler Lockwood in ninth.” 

Elena grins back. “Don’t say I never did anything for you, Forbes.”

-

They drink a slow swathe through the town square (”No need to overdue it on night one,” Caroline had declared), sipping cosmopolitans at every bar and pretending like they live in a Sex and the City era New York. 

By the time they make it to The Gym--so named so that when well-meaning parents called their underage college students, they could be reassured that their kid was at the gym, Mom, gonna have to call you back--Caroline’s head is buzzing nicely. Her foot twinges with the occasional sharp pain, jerking her unpleasantly back into sobriety with a frequency she’s not exactly thrilled about, but overall the night has been entirely pleasant.

She snags a small table near a window while Elena makes a beeline for the bar for their drinks, and is tapping aimlessly through the apps on her phone when a familiar voice says, “Caroline?”

And she must be more buzzed than she had first thought because her first reaction is a wave of attraction at that accent. She stamps down on it firmly before sending a too cheerful smile up at where Nik stands behind the empty chair in front of her. 

He doesn’t return it, instead eying her wrist, where she is wearing multiple brightly colored paper bands, each one representing a different bar she’s ventured into in the last three hours. “Flouting the law so vagrantly?”

Caroline shrugs. “Gonna make a citizens’ arrest?” She means for it to come out bitingly, swear to God, but instead the tone that slips out of her mouth is downright flirtatious. 

He doesn’t seem to notice, but he does take Elena’s empty seat, sitting down across from her. Much to her dismay, she takes immediate note of he sprawls in the chair, one arm slinging back over the back and his knees falling apart. He looks much more relaxed than he does in a classroom, and the initial thrust of attraction she’d felt at his arrival comes roaring back. 

Fuck it. Caroline throws caution to the wind. 

“So,” she says, leaning forward, “come here often?” 

Nik snorts and takes a long swig of his beer; Caroline watches the way his throat muscles work with only partially disguised interest. 

“Seeing as how this is an over 21 bar,” he drawls, “yes.” He sends her a pointed look and she rolls her eyes. 

“If you’re going to be a baby about it, you can find a seat somewhere else.”

One of his eyebrows arches. “I find I like this one.” 

Something warm coils low in her belly. He’s flirting back. 

Which, naturally, means that Elena picks just that moment to appear over his shoulder, a quizzical look on her face and two bright pink drinks in her hands. 

“Uh,” she says, “Hi.” 

Nik straightens and nearly jumps out of the seat. “Nice to see you as always, Elena,” he says before tipping his beer at them. He disappears into the crowd, and maybe it’s the alcohol but Caroline swears his voice wasn’t nearly as low and inviting as it had just been. 

-

They end up staying at The Gym for longer than they intend--the live band starts playing and it’s not half bad, plus a cute guy starts shooting looks at Elena (who, Caroline notes approvingly, is sending some of her own back). 

She leans over to shout to Elena that she’s heading to the ladies’ before standing up. She sends a scowl down at her boot for good measure, before making her way towards the dimly lit unisex bathrooms. 

She nearly runs over Nik as she exits, too distracted by shaking the excess water off her hands (she wasn’t about to touch anymore than she had to in that nasty bathroom) to notice until she’s barreled straight into him. 

His hands come up to grip her by the elbows, steadying her as she gasps, “Ohmigod, I’m so sorry--”

“Quite all right,” he says easily, and though there’s no reason for him to keep his hold on her, he makes no move to drop his hands. 

Caroline would be hard pressed to explain it to Elena later, how exactly it had happened. All she knows is that one minute, they are standing in front of the bathroom doors; and the next, they are being shuffled out of the way by a very inebriated Chi Omega. She finds herself with her back pressed against the wall of the even dimmer lit corner by the bar exit, her eye line swallowed up by the expanse of Nik’s chest. 

And then they’re kissing.

She has no idea who moved first, or if they had gravitated towards each other in unison, but the end result is the same--his mouth on hers, tasting of IPA; her hands tugging at his Henley, and then Elena’s hissed, “Caroline!” 

They spring apart--or Nik does, given the small space and Caroline’s boot, and Caroline shoots a death glare at her friend. “What, Elena?” 

Elena looks horrified, and Caroline is almost offended until she looks over at Nik and sees the same expression mirrored on his face. 

tbc