#I have to write the whole last chap this weekend or so help

[adenei]

Ch 1 - Never Really Over

*Deep breaths*

Soooo I've been working on a new multi-chap romione fic since April. Have kept it pretty quiet aside from my betas who have been wonderful with their help and support because let's be real, finding time to write and allow yourself to become invested in a hobby with an infant is HARD. But that's a whole other slew of issues for another day. You're here for the fic (I assume), so let's get back to that.

I love the direction this is taking, and am super proud of the idea and its development. I think I'm known a lot for taking existing stories/movies/etc and twisting them to fit a ship in an AU, but this one is all me - yay proving to myself that I CAN have original ideas!

It is an American Romione AU in a modern setting.

Summary:

Hermione Granger is a modern woman who doesn’t need to find love for self-fulfillment. Not that finding love is even an option anymore. Her perfect love story has come and gone with the one who got away—sorry, the one who disappeared is more like it.

That fake fairy tale is all well and good until Ron Weasley, the man who ruined everything, suddenly turns back up in her life with no explanation whatsoever. It seems his only goal is to show up wherever she is, attempting to undo the walls she’s built around her heart after he shattered it into a million tiny pieces. But Hermione’s determined not to let him in. With the help of her best friends and an online dating site that promises users their very own ‘happily ever after,’ she sets out to move on from her first love for good. 

After a few misses, Billy slides into her inbox, a sweet, genuine, fun-loving guy who’s easy to talk to and fills Hermione with the hope that perhaps love isn’t off the table after all. Seemingly overnight, she’s gone from perpetually single to balancing a love triangle on a fine, fine line. The deeper she gets, the harder she realizes it’s going to be when she has to choose. The last thing she wants to do is break anyone’s heart—her own included.

So, without further ado, I give you the first chapter of Never Really Over.

Read on AO3

But once in a while I trip up and I cross the line, and I think of you

Work ᐧ a ᐧ hol ᐧ ic (noun) a person who compulsively works long and hard hours.

God, I hate the connotation of that word. And yet it still burns into my mind, distracting me from—unironically—the article I’m trying to finish up at my desk. Am I three months ahead of the current deadline? Maybe. But that doesn’t mean anything. There’s nothing wrong with having backups just in case. It shouldn’t classify me as a workaholic.

Because I’m not.

It’s only haunting me because my brain has a sick and twisted sense of humor. It clearly refuses to follow my strict list of off-limit thoughts, cementing the chokehold the word has on my life.

Ugh. Why am I letting this bother me anyway? I’m Hermione Granger, a capable, independent woman who is perfectly happy with her life right now. A twenty eight-year-old with a house of her own, a career she’s passionate about, and the five best friends a girl could ask for thanks to fate bringing us together during freshman orientation at Kearney University. The memory brings a smile to my lips. What more could one want?

And then the frown returns when I remember that I’m sitting alone in the office on a Friday evening and self-doubt trickles in. If I’m being honest, there’s a lot more I want. Like love. Finding the love of my life would be nice. I thought I’d at least be married by now, and maybe have one kid by the time I turned thirty. Not that I’m a traditional woman by any means. I’m about as modern as they come. It’s just…

No. You’re not allowed to think about him, remember?

Except it’s really hard not to think about him. Especially when that damn word keeps flashing in my mind while I sit here on weekend time, finishing an article that’s nowhere near due. But it doesn’t matter. That inside joke died a long time ago. I stopped finding the word endearing the moment I realized he was no longer in my life. Now if only my brain would get the memo.

I shake my head, brunette curls flying around as I try to refocus on the cursor blinking in front of me. It’s still a tough pill to swallow, but I’ve long since given up on love—or so I’m telling myself. Romantic companionship clearly isn’t in the cards for me, so I turn to the one thing that will never let me down: writing. And right now, I’m only a couple of paragraphs away from completing a lovely little piece on the hidden gems of Bora Bora—the things they won’t tell you in the travel guides.

A long, deep breath helps me push those intrusive thoughts away and brings me back to the salty ocean air and the calm lapping of the waves. If I concentrate long enough, I can feel the sparkling white sand between my toes, and it’s enough to catapult me right back into the article—until my phone rings two minutes later.

I don’t want to answer, but it’s Hannah Abbott, my best friend, and she’s always there for me when I need her. The least I can do is return the favor. Plus, the creative juices are no longer flowing thanks to the interruption, so I may as well see what she wants.

With a swipe right to answer, I do my best not to sound annoyed. “Hello?”

“Where are you?!” Hannah cries, though her voice sounds hushed, like she’s hiding in a closet or something.

“Finishing up an article at work. Why?”

“Unbelievable,” she grumbles, more to herself than to me. “Hermione, I’m going to let you think about why I’m calling for a second and see if you can put the pieces together.”

“What are you talking about?” I’m not in the mood to play this game, but I adjust the phone and hold it against my shoulder so I can lift my laptop and check my desk calendar.

August first. Friday. The day I try to forget. But then I see the periwinkle writing at the bottom of the square.  Harry and Neville’s birthday party.

Remember the strong support system I mentioned earlier? The freshman orientation group turned lifelong friends? Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom are part of that, along with Hannah, of course, and Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown. We never miss anyone’s birthdays, and Hannah knows that.

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit! How could I forget?”

Hannah sniggers at me. “Yes, how could you forget? Hermione, I don’t know if it’s because you love your job so much that you’re willing to stay late on a Friday, or because of what day it is, but—”

“We’re not talking about that. I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

I slam my laptop shut and shove it in my bag a little too haphazardly. I’m already closing my office door by the time Hannah responds again. “Right…”

She’s clearly contemplating whether to push the subject or let it go. After all, she’ll have all night to try and grill me on it, but she knows better. We don’t talk about what happened on August first. Ever.

And just to make sure she doesn’t go there, I try to swing the conversation back to the guys. “Have they noticed I’m not there yet?” 

“Well, considering it’s a small gathering of our closest friends—all of whom are already here because the party started an hour ago—yeah, they’ve noticed.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry, okay? I just—”

“—Got caught up with whatever article you’re working on? I know, I know. You’re lucky it’s only their twenty-eighth birthday and not the big three-oh.”

“Come on, Han, this is one tiny mistake and I feel terrible. You don’t need to make it worse. I’m never late, you know that! And I would never miss something as big as their thirtieth birthdays. Especially not since we’ve already got a running list of themes and ideas going. Just—give me a break, okay? I’ll be there soon. I’m almost to the car now.”

“Alright.” Hannah sighs. There’s a stilted pause and I wait, knowing there’s something else she wants to say, and I brace for the lecture about my workaholic tendencies and what it relates to. Damn psychology major.

“Listen, Hermione, there’s something you should—” But after a long day of reflecting on it, I don’t want to go there right now.

“See you in fifteen, bye!” I hang up the phone before she can finish her sentence. She tries this every year. You’d think after six years she’d let it go. But no, she thinks that one of these days I’ll finally talk about it. Well, she can keep trying, but it’s not going to happen. That part of my life is over and it’ll only hurt more to bring it back up. 

⚭

It takes me a little longer than fifteen minutes, but that’s to be expected with D.C. traffic. Once I’m parked outside Hannah and Neville’s house, I quickly do a once-over on my appearance. Thanks to the mid-summer humidity, my hair is frizzier than when I tamed it into its half-ponytail this morning. It’s too bad my incessant need to run my fingers through the curly strands does nothing to combat its flyaway tendency. I guess I’ll just have to deal with yet another pitch from Lavender to let her help me with my nonexistent beauty regimen. Perks of having a beautician for a friend. 

Prying my eyes away from the visor mirror, I get out of the car and look down at the pale yellow eyelet sundress I put on this morning. There are definite wrinkles and creases from sitting at my desk all day, but what can I do? At least my mascara isn’t running down my face and I don’t have sweat stains under my arms. That’s more than presentable for a backyard barbeque after working all day. Kudos to whoever chose that over some fancy dinner.

Not that my friends would care. They’ve always accepted me for who I am. Sure, I’ll never hear the end of being late tonight, but at least I made it, and in their company,  I’ll be able to accomplish the one thing I’ve struggled with all day: taking my mind off of him.

Faint sounds of laughter echo as I walk up the path to the front door and let myself in. A ‘happy birthday’ sign hangs from the ceiling in the foyer, and red and gold balloons litter the floor leading to the kitchen. Of course they’d deck out the place with the colors of our alma mater—I wouldn’t expect anything less. 

“Hey, I’m here! And sorry I’m late, you know how work is,” I call to a seemingly empty house. 

I poke my head into an empty living room before heading back to the kitchen, where I find Seamus pulling a beer out of the fridge. Everyone else must be out back.

“Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up.”

And so it begins. 

Rolling my eyes, I grab a wedge of gouda off the picked over charcuterie board on the counter. “You say that like I intended to show up almost two hours late. I lost track of time.”

That was sort of the truth. After all, I couldn’t tell Seamus I forgot, he’d never let me live it down. Seamus is usually the one who gets called out on things. His affinity for pyrotechnics has created many occasions for us to give him hell, and you can guarantee between the five of us, we never let him live a single one down. So I guess I can’t blame him when he doesn’t miss a beat now the tables are turned.

Which is why I’m not surprised he isn’t letting me off the hook yet. With a snort, he tries to call my bluff. “C’mon, Hermione. We all know you love working so much that you’d skip out on weekends if you could. You don’t have to lie.” And then, to make things weirder, he looks around and lowers his voice to add, “You can tell me the truth about why you’re late. It’ll be our little secret.”

My face scrunches up before I have a chance to control its reaction. Why does he care so much? 

“I…I don’t know what you mean. I really did lose track of time, Shay. Why are you acting so strange?”

A scowl crosses his face as he sets his beer down on the white speckled quartz. He eyes the back deck before lowering his voice and says, “Because I’ve got a bet going with Lav and Nev on whether you were going to show or not.”

“Whether I was going to—why wouldn’t I show? Honestly, it’s not my fault I got wrapped up in research and writing an article all day and then forgot I had plans tonight! Do you guys bet on my predisposition to get lost in my job and failure to show up to events often?” 

I’m so bewildered by the fact that there’s a bet that I don’t even care about letting my forgetfulness slip. Do I need to reconsider how genuine these friendships are? Does this happen often? Are my friends not as supportive as I thought they were?

I open my mouth to ask as much, but clamp it shut when I see the wide-eyed, pale shock cross Seamus’s face. His reaction is far more severe than it should be and now I’m really confused. He spins around and opens the fridge, rummaging around until he pulls out a mango White Claw—my favorite.

Things are getting more suspicious by the second, and I need to know what is going on. “Seamus, what—”

“Here.” He opens the can with a loud crack and hands it to me. “You’re going to need this.”

Oh, come on. “Seriously? You know I don’t care if I’m already three drinks behind.”

“Well, you might this time…” he mumbles before nodding to the door. “Come on, everyone’s out back. I’m sure they’ll be excited to know you finally made it.”

Okay, what is happening? I try not to let my jaw drop as my mind works to decode this odd behavior. Seamus has always been the one with the crazy ideas and adventurous spirit. There’s not a cryptic bone in his body. If anything, he’s always impulsive and up-front with his intentions.

All I can do is shake my head and follow, giving up on trying to make sense of anything. I take a few quick swigs and step through the sliding glass door that Seamus left open for me. Lively conversation comes from my left, where everyone is sitting around the patio table. I prepare myself for more endless teasing as I shut the door behind me, but instead, the chatter dies to a sudden silence. More peculiarity. 

Did I spill something on myself and miss it? No, Seamus would have said something. Or are they really just that shocked about my late arrival? I’m about to ask as much until I look up and see an all too familiar shade of red hair sitting at the table with his back toward me.

Despite the eighty-degree weather, my body breaks into a cold sweat. I’ve spent six years pretending he doesn’t exist anymore. Six years trying to forget that part of my life, convincing myself that he wasn’t the person I thought he was. That he wasn’t ‘the one.’ 

Everyone else’s expressions mirror my shock when they realize I didn’t know he was going to be here, though Hannah’s contains a tiny wince that’s meant to say, ‘I tried to warn you.’ And their reactions are enough to make Ron Weasley, my ex-best friend, ex-confidante, and ex-lover, turn around.

Seeing his face unfreezes my body from its current awkward stance. Anger and hurt burst through the gates that I’ve worked so hard to keep locked up as our eyes meet. In slow motion, my hard seltzer clatters to the ground, soaking my feet and wedge leather sandals in the sticky, bubbly liquid as I try to find my voice. 

As if this paradox couldn’t become any more ironic, he actually seems excited to see me. He opens his mouth to say something, but I’ll never know what since I manage to cut him off with the only scathing question that I can possibly think of. 

“What are you doing here?”

#romione #hermione granger #ron weasley #hp fanfic #american au #alternate universe

[onlyjaeyun]

zadie love!!!! 💗💫 i know u said to not apologize for sending in late asks but i can’t help it im sorry🥲 i’ve been so busy on my girls trip this past weekend, and i got home super late last night so i’ve been exhausted trying to fix my sleep schedule yet again while also unpacking from my recent trips BUT while i was in new york i still made sure i got to read ur updates before bed!! i thought it would be better to send in a longer ask once i got home and had more time to type it out🫶🏻🫶🏻

ONTO THE RECENT CHAPS: i looooveeedd taro & yn’s convo like they really are just two besties with absolutely no filter and i enjoyed that chap sm😭 also taro basically calling out yn saying she can’t finish bc sunghoon isn’t the one fucking her is so real like our girl needs to accept and realize it soon😓 AND HOON BEING SO OPEN ABOUT WANTING TO FUCK HER AGAIN WAS NOTTT ON MY 2024 BINGO CARD BC I WOULD THINK HE HAS TOO MUCH PRIDE TO OPENLY ADMIT SOMETHING LIKE THAT. then again he’s still a dick for saying that he wants to fuck her but still doesn’t care about her…you’re writing CH!sunghoon so well like he genuinely makes my blood boil at times. i’m glad yn is getting laid tho but she needs to be fucked good soon and i’m sensing a smut chap w/ hoon in the near future??👀👀

i saw the recent asks some anon sent in saying CH is getting boring and i truly want to know where their thought process is at bc it’s literally getting better with each chapter!!!! some people are so rude, like i get constructive criticism, but that just wasn’t it. the way you’re writing this smau is everything and more zadie, don’t let those weirdos get to you!!!! i know it’s easier said than done but remember there’s more people who love your works (me being one of them), than people who are just bored and have nothing else better to do with their days. IM AN ONLYJAEYUN DEFENDER TILL THE END‼️‼️ you’re doing amazing baby, keep your head up💓💓

wanted to share w/ you a little bit about my girls trip to nyc too!! it was my friend’s 23rd birthday so our whole friend group surprised her w/ a weekend trip to new york as a bday present!! OMG a funny story that happened on our first night there, we all went to this club to celebrate and these group of guys kept being so pushy and gross towards me and my friends. one of them insisted on buying me a drink but he just made me so uncomfy that i didn’t want to even be near him. i tried to decline nicely but he was so persistent. what was funny was that he saw my lockscreen and it was a pic of jongseong in the gym and he immediately backed off bc he thought it was my bf so thank you jay bc he was able to get me out of that situation😭😭

i got carried away with writing this ask so i hope you enjoy this novel i wrote you LOL🤭🤞🏻💞 i hope you’re doing well my baby!! i missed chatting w/ you🥹🫶🏻 ilysm 🤍🧸🎀 !!

- 💌

MY ANGEL BABY IS BACK YALL WAKE UP!!!!🤭🤭🤭💗

bless your sweet soul, the fact you made time to read CH during your busy ass girls' trip means so much to me baby, i love and appreciate you with my whole heart 🥺💗

STOP YOULL ACTUALLY MAKE ME CRY NOT THE DEFENDER PART 🥺🥺🥺 thank you so much baby, ngl the comment did hurt a little but i know most of you guys are loving it as much as i do and with amazing feedback from amazing people like you snd many more i would never let those get to me to that certain point again 🥺 i love you sm

OMG NOT THE JONGIE BOYFIE PIC SAVING YOU!!!!! he really is THAT boyfriend im afraid 🤭 im sorry you had to deal with m*n like that baby and am glad you're ssfe and having fun, you deserve it so much!🥺

sending you the biggest kiss and i really hope you can get a little rest soon bc nestie you've been booked and busy but we love to see it!!!!!💗

#; mailbox 📬 #; cold hearts

[raksh-writes]

I want to work on my fics, goooood, but I want to finally write my fics so fucking badly, I can feel my soul withering away without being able to do it but I can't because I have two weeks to finish up my thesis (last chap, rewrites and all other things included) and my wrists can't handle both, so I can't write my fics and I'm

Suffering

Damn, I just want to be able to write fics again ;_;

#personal #Raksh posts #vent #dont mind me #Im just having a not so good moment #my fics have been keeping me sane this past year and some so now I feel like Im on a withdrawal or something xd #just #theres something about writing and creating those stories that makes it all worth it yknow? #like I can go on and do everything else #Im prob being dramatic but I had a hard two days xd #I just want to get some good feels from writing #but I have to hold myself back from writing fics to write my thesis #fuuuuuuuuck I have Two Weeks to finish my thesis And a few other assignments along the way #I have to write the whole last chap this weekend or so help #then I can get to everything else #Hopefully my promot wont find a lot to rewrite in the last one I send him xd #otherwise I might have a lil' mental breakdown or something xd #okay the last days and my awful night is really getting to me #also I kinda wanted to write a completely differenr and unrelated post #but it was about my fics and Void and well #this spilled out xd #so...uhhh... sorry for that xd #maybe I'll get to the other post...uh... sometime..

[yamigooops]

soft mornings

pairing: established poly!oikawa x gn!reader x iwaizumi genre: fluff that will rot your teeth out words: 1.5k summary: mornings aren’t your favorite, but the two of them make it better

masterlist here

it was too bright, the sunlight hit you directly in the face, and you wanted to snuff it out. who forgot to close the curtains last night? you would have to chew one of them out later, but you were too tired to even think about it right now. you lay against oikawa’s side, his skin warm against your cheek and his arm positioned beneath your head. the hot weight atop your chest was iwaizumi, his chest flush against yours and arms wrapped tightly around your waist. his hair tickled your chin, and your legs were tangled in the sheets with both of theirs.

waking up like this wasn’t so bad, wrapped up and safe in the arms of your lovers. you just wished the sun didn’t insist on ruining your sweet sleep. you tried your best to return to the land of dreams, but no matter how hard you tried, you were too focused on the way iwaizumi’s fingers felt splayed against your back, or the way oikawa breathed in deep, slow breaths. giving in to wakefulness, you cracked open your eyes, squinting at the bright light of late morning.

you tried not to move too fast so as not to wake the men beside and on top of you, but you allowed yourself to look up at oikawa’s sleeping face. his eyes were soft, hair uncharacteristically tousled and his face smoothed by his unconscious state. your hand came up to his clothed hip to rub small circles against the soft fabric of his pajama pants. you watched his chest as it rose and fell in a lulling rhythm, and you turned your head slightly to press a gentle kiss to his skin before turning to the man atop you.

he had a rough day yesterday, one of his athletes had gotten hurt and he accompanied them to the hospital. so when he came home, he was bone tired, a bit cranky, and as tense as a steel pole. all signs of that tension were gone now, the lines of his normally tense back made soft by sleep. you ran your fingers along his spine, the contact raising unconscious goosebumps along his skin.

you stayed like this for several minutes, reveling in the peace brought on by the sound of their breathing and the feeling of their bodies against yours. after a little while, you heard oikawa’s breathing pick up as he woke. you looked up at him and watched his body shuffle around, wanting to be the first thing he would see when he opened his eyes.

and you were. his chocolate eyes cracked open, focusing after a moment on the person against him. a smile cut his features, soft as a feather and a million times more beautiful. “what a beautiful thing to wake up to,” he whispered, hand coming up to rub the sleep from his eyes. “my two favorite people in the whole world, right there next to me.”

you let out a small chuckle through your nose, your hand continuing its rhythm against his hip. he raised his arm above his head as he stretched like a cat with a yawn to match. you couldn’t help but let your eyes wander to his stomach, drinking in the sight of his flexed muscles disappearing down under the sheets.

“how’d you sleep love?” he shifted onto his side, arm still cradling your head and other hand brushing the hair from your face. he pressed a soft kiss to the crown of your head as he moved his free hand down to run his long fingers through iwaizumi’s hair.

“slept well, ‘kawa,” you mumbled, closing your eyes and repositioning your head to nestle it back into his shoulder. “how bout you?”

“like a rock,” he chuckled softly. as he did, the man atop your chest began to shift. his fingers moved against your back, and you knew iwaizumi was waking.

“mornin’ sleepy head,” you cooed, pressing your lips against his hair and bringing your hand from his back to caress his cheek. he grumbled in response, maintaining his position against you and shifting his legs. it was so unlike him to sleep in like this, and you thanked the fact that it was the weekend because it gave you the chance to wake up to both of your boys.

“oh, c’mon that’s no way to greet the loves of your life,” oikawa teased, fingers moving down to grab iwa’s nose playfully. the other man grumbled, swatting at the brunette’s hand.

“oh, shut up, sleepykawa,” he mumbled, turning his head slightly to press his lips against your chest. you felt yourself flush slightly, a small sigh slipping from your lips as he gripped your hip firmly. He moved so his face was turned towards you, chin resting against his arms which he brought up to cross against your chest, and green eyes sparkling at the sight of you. “morning babe,” he smiled softly.

you felt your heart swell in your chest, the love you felt making your skin flush and your head spin. being between the two men was always a little overwhelming, especially when both of their attentions were on you as they were now. both pairs of eyes were on you, both pairs of hands were on you, both pairs of lips were peppering your skin with gentle morning kisses. It was enough to make you melt right then and there.

“you both look so pretty when you sleep,” you murmured, leaning down to press your lips gently against iwaizumi’s. they were warm against your own, and just the slightest bit chapped from his time asleep. you pulled away before you got too lost in the taste of him. There was another pair of lips that needed your attention after all.

“what are you talking about, i’m always pretty.” oikawa had the gall to sound scandalized, pressing his hand dramatically against his chest to emphasize the point.

“of course you are, you big baby,” grumbled iwa, reaching over to grasp oikawa’s hand on his own. “it’s just that you’re even prettier when you aren’t talking.”

this earned a chuckle from both you and the man to your side. You reached up to press your lips to his, savoring the feel of them as you had iwaizumi’s. you never wanted to get out of this bed, not for a million dollars. the silkiness of the sheets and the heat of their skin was intoxicating, and you couldn’t imagine a more comfortable situation.

you felt iwa shift as he looked over at the clock on the bedside table. he groaned softly, turning back to the two of you with a disappointed look in his eyes. “it’s almost 11.”

“so what, i don’t have anywhere to be today,” you brushed him off, kissing his forehead gently.

“neither do i,” grinned oikawa. “we get to spend the whole day together so let’s just stay in bed for a while longer.”

“yeah, well, i have to be at the gym by 12:30, so unfortunately i’m going to have to get up,” iwa sighed. he pushed himself up onto his knees with a grunt, stretching his arms above his head. again, you couldn’t help but let your eyes trail down his chest to the edge of the briefs he wore. you still couldn’t believe how you’d scored two men so beautiful; it truly boggled your mind sometimes.

“nooo~,” you whined, placing your hand on his thigh in protest. he simply rolled his eyes before leaning over you to greet oikawa with a kiss.

“good morning, prettykawa,” he whispered against the other man’s lips. oikawa broke into a giddy smile, wrapping his free hand behind iwa’s neck to bring him back down for another kiss. you smiled at the two of them, knowing just how lucky you were to have them.

pulling back, iwaizumi rocked back onto the bed, rubbing his eyes to rid them of any left over sleep. “i’m gonna go shower, you guys should join me,” he grinned down at the two of you. You thought it over, considering it but not sure if you wanted to get out of bed just yet. but a shower did sound nice, especially since it would be in your large shower which fit the three of you comfortably. the waterfall shower head would feel so nice against your tired skin. but was it worth getting out of the comfort of the bed and oikawa’s arms?

iwaizumi placed his hand against your cheek, leaning down so you could look nowhere but his face. “I’ll wash your hair for you,” he whispered, knowing how much you loved that. you nearly broke then and there, but the comfort still called to you.

“and I’ll wash all the rest,” purred oikawa in your ear, nearly making you jump. his free arm snaked around your waist and he squeezed gently.

looks like you weren’t staying in bed after all.

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#haikyuucafe #hqhangoutnet #iwaizumi hajime #oikawa torū #iwaoi #iwaizumi x reader #oikawa x reader #iwaoi x reader #poly!iwaoi #iwaizumi x reader x oikawa #iwaizumi fluff #oikawa fluff #iwaoi fluff #iwaizumi oneshot #oikawa oneshot #iwaoi oneshot #haikyuu iwaizumi #haikyuu oikawa #haikyuu iwaoi #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu oneshot #hq iwaizumi #hq oikawa #hq iwaoi #mine #my post #100

[saintobio]

It's 7 am here and I'm already in pain. Thankful it's the weekend so I can roll over and cry but re-read the whole chap again (multiple times) before the next update.

HOEJO AND SERA... I have no words. Ai, you're creating monsters and demons, we'll kill both of them on behalf of Y/N. On one hand I love how she is voicing out her pain and sufferings, yet on the other, I just wish she stops giving two fucks about Heojo and her marriage. I know that will start happening from chap 9 and honestly, I am too excited for it. I was dreading the end of this chap cause I know I will have to wait for a week before I find any kind of relief from all this anger. I don't even care about Y/NxToji anymore, that's like the last thing in my mind. All the asks over the week has given me insights to Y/N and gojou's perspective so MAYBE I can stomach a happy ending for them, but not until Gojou cries 10x more than Y/N.

Also, Toji even in indirect mention had be giggling, with the thought of torturing Gojou. I maybe a masochist for enduring such hurt/pain via reading S,N but definitely a sadist when it comes to tit-for-tat. So, yeah, I hope you have something stored like that for us in the future chaps. Even if it isn't, the redemption arc will make me bonkers (I sorta have a feeling you'll outdo yourself again)

In conclusion, I am a huge fan of your writings (Oh I just read Iwaizumi's streetfighter au, HOW DO YOU MANAGE ALL THIS ALONGSIDE A JOB?) I am glad you've manage to find a pace, the whole update on Friday thing, and I hope it helps you in maintaining your health as well as your social life. Sorry for the really long ask. Take care and love you loads. ❤️❤️

“I hope you have something stored like that for us in the future chaps.” — i don’t wanna spoil but you guys will actually see toji, yn, gojo, and sera all together in one of the future chapters 💀 and omg u read my ufc series thanks sm <3 i honestly dk how i managed but all i’ve been doing since the pandemic was to write :’) glad to have u reading my works tho !!

#saintobio.asks #series: sincerely not

[smuttyanimeslut]

Tea In Ba Sing Se

Paring: Zuko x gn!reader

Warnings: cussing, fluff, slight angst

Description: modern age avatar au with tea shop Zuko

Word count : 1k

Secret Tunnel softly played over the loud speakers in the Jasmine Dragon. Tightly gripped the tea cup as you blew on the steaming hot substance, your eyes locked into the boy behind the counter. The Jasmine Dragon had the best tea in all of the Earth Nation, as well as the most mysterious wait staff. The boy with the burnt eye was new, you had never seen him before, and you would have noticed him. 

Your eyes followed him over the rim of the tea cup. His movements direct and smooth. Who was he? Where did he come from? What did he do before this? He never faltered, tripped, or stumbled even when guest got under foot. What could have possibly made him so nimble? 

His voice was like honey when speaking to guest, but chipped and short when speaking to his coworkers. He didn’t seem to make friends easy. You felt drawn to him. 

His scar seemed familiar some how, even though you were sure you had never seen him. Why wouldn’t he leave your mind? 

“Hello,” you said on your third Sunday visiting the shop with the brown headed boy present. You hadn’t changed your schedule since you first stated attending the tea shop several months ago, but now it was different with him here. His name tag read Zuko.

“Hello,” he replied in his honey sweet voice, “how can I help you?” The burnt eye squinted as a small smile played at his lips. 

“Can you surprise me?” You asked, your cheeks inflamed. A confused look passed over his face as his small smile turned into a bright one. “With any type of drink.” You added. 

“You got it.” He said his gold eyes holding a new spark. The two of you exchanged money before you parted for your usual seat by the window. 

The weather outside was changing rapidly, pushing winter in with each passing moment. You brought out your laptop from your bag, and began typing away. When your tea was brought to your table, the cup read in scratchy letters, Earl Grey with a hint of almond milk. A smile played at your lips as you looked down at the lettering. 

Weeks passed like this, Zuko preparing surprise teas per your request. His messy hand writing covering the side of your to go cup. The sight of him brought a smile to your face every Sunday.

The cool air seeped into your bones as you rounded the corner to the Jasmine Dragon. The soft cotton of your grey beanie set a top your head, covering the tips of your ears as your nose ran. Your eyes began to watered as the wind picked up, fingers gripped the door handle leading into the Jasmine Dragon. 

For a moment you allowed yourself to question why you chose to make the walk here every weekend. It’s the tea and free WiFi, you reasoned, knowing good and well that wasn’t the only reason any longer. While they played a big part in your continued visits, you couldn’t discredit the pounding of your heart when you heard his voice, sweet as honey.

The ding of the shop brought you back to the world around you. Iroh, the Jasmine Dragon’s owner, stood behind the counter. You felt a slight drop in your mood as the brown haired boy was no where to be seen. 

“Good morning,” you said walking towards your window seat. 

“Good morning,” Iroh replied, his happy disposition over taking your slight melodically. 

“I think I decided on a major,” your bag slid nicely into the second seat at your table as you spoke.

“Oh yeah?” Iron asked leaning his hip against the counter, his back to you. “If you ever need a job you know you can just come to me.”

A smile played at your lips as his words filled the empty shop. You had gotten to know Iroh quiet well in the last few months. Despite what his family did, Iroh had a passion for Tea, and had started the shop because of it. Even though he only had one shop, it was known as the best in the whole region.

“I know,” you spoke bitting your lip subconsciously, “and you know I would, but my internship pays for my classes.”

A sign left the older mans mouth, “I always have to try. I know how hard they work you over there.”

“Over where?” The honey sweet voice asked from the back of the shop.

Your eyes darted to the doorway behind the counter where the brown haired boy now stood. His tan long sleeved uniform shirt stretched across his biceps as his shoulder casually leaned against the door. Carelessly, he wiped his hands on a rag before stuffing it into the front of his red apron.

“Sozin’s Comet” you explained, your voice coming out slightly quieter than before. “I work with a few other undergrads on a research project for the company. I- I hope to get placed on the Blue Spirt project when it takes off next winter.”

Zuko lazily pushed himself from the door way. “Why would you want to work with a company like that?” The words he spoke were dripping with venom as his body language and face showed indifference.

Sharply, you took a breath in, you had not expected this type of reaction. “It looked good on my college transcript, and on my resume. Plus,” you stated, your voice raising slightly, “Blue Spirit is supposed to focus on environmental issues like the over production of metals by the Fire Nation and its affect on Water Nation towns.”

Your hands slightly shook as you stared into his darkened gold eyes.

“That project was canceled.” He stated in the voice he reserved for his coworkers.

Your heart sank. That project was your ticket out of Ba Sing Se and straight to the capital city of the Fire Nation. “Oh,” you managed to reply as your body sagged. Suddenly, the scarf around your neck seemed to warm. One of your hands found its way to your beanie as it pulled it from your head, the other hand finding its way into your hair. “I might need that job then Iroh.”

After Zuko told you The Blue Spirit project had been cancelled it was announced to the company. All your email inquires about the cancellation had been dismissed with little to no replies. How did Zuko know this information before you, you wondered? And why was this mysterious boy becoming even more mysterious?

Come Sunday morning you had even more questions that you started the week with. However, when you arrived at the tea shop at your usual time you found a coffee sitting at your table. The same scratchy lettering covered the side of the cup.

“Chai tea with 2 shots espresso” it read.

“He’s off today.” Iroh said, his voice carrying across the empty tea shop. “He felt bad for last week and wanted to make up for it.”

Turning the cup more you saw, “I’m sorry I’m a dick” -Zuko

A chuckle left your throat as you stared at the cup in your hand in disbelief. “Who is he?” You asked.

“Zuko?” Iroh questioned.

Pulling the cup from your lips you hummed a response. “He’s my nephew.”

Weeks had passed, and winter was baring down harder than before. You hadn’t seen Zuko since you had found out his relation to Iroh and your Sunday ritual returned to normal pre-Zuko days.

The footsteps left in the snow disappeared in a blaze of white flurries. If you didn’t have homework due tonight, you would have stayed inside cuddled up on the couch watching tv. Instead, you were trudging through the streets of Ba Sing Se to the only tea shop with free WiFi.

“Iroh,” you said as soon as you walked through the door, snowflakes melting on your eye lashes, “I need something big and hot.”

A chuckle sounded from your left, “I’ve got this one Uncle.” His honey sweet voice said. A smile lit up Iroh’s face, as heat rushes to yours.

“Zuko,” you said, slightly surprised. He sat at your usual table, two cups placed before him, in a pair of black jeans and a wool coat to match. A maroon sweater popped out from underneath as well as the collar of a white shirt. Since the last time you saw him his hair had been cut much shorter than his once unkept mess.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” you said slowly approaching the table.

“I didn’t expect to come back.” He replied not moving from his seat. “But I had to know something.”

Seating yourself across from him you spared him another glance. His golden eyes held a new spark to them, and his plump pink lips were slightly chapped from the cold. His tongue darted out to wet them as he looked at you.

“Did you know I was in charge of the Blue Spirit project when you brought it up that day?” He asked sliding a cup in your direction.

“I didn’t.” You replied honestly. “I actually never made the connection. You seemed familiar to me in the beginning but I couldn’t place from where.”

The door of the shop opened, letting in a gust of wind from the harsh outside air. A shiver ran through your body, reminding you of your need for a warm beverage.

“Is that where you’ve been?” You asked casting your gaze downward.

“Yes,” He replied. “You reminded me why I started the project in the first place actually. I was just so frustrated when my father shot it down before I could even begin it, I ran away.”

The shop had began to fill with its regular morning crowd now, voices filling the once silent space. You brought the cup to your lips instead of responding. The warm liquid warmed you as Zuko’s eyes found their way to your lips.

Clearing your throat, you caught Zuko’s eyes. “But what does that really have to do with me.” You asked.

“Right,” a small smile lit up his face, “while I’ve been gone I’ve actually been looking into your work. I was impressed and I want you to be my partner.”

Your breath caught in your throat, and shock over took your features. “O-on the project.” Zuko rushed out after seeing your reaction. A light dusting of pink painted his features.

“I thought you said your father shot it down.” You replied neglicting to give him an answer.

His hand reached around the back of his head, scratching at the base of his neck, “He did, but that doesn’t matter anymore.” His eyes left yours as he spoke, looking off into the shop.

A frustrated sign left your lips, “and why’s that.” You replied.

The boy who spoke in a honey sweet voice, and made you surprise teas every Sunday morning sat before you, not the one who snapped at you over his own company. However, the frustration you felt these last few weeks at his absence was finally coming out.

“Spit it out Zuko.” You snapped, “I have hours of homework to do and your wasting my time.”

“My father doesn’t run the company anymore, I do.” He started, “And I would like your help if your willing to. I’m sorry for wasting your time I just-” he stopped. The hand that was at the base of his neck found yours across the table as he met your eyes. “I didn’t, no- I don’t want to leave Ba Sing Se without you. So take the job.”

The softness of his voice, mixed with the calistness of his hands disorientated you. There was a plead in his words. You didn’t reply right away, weighing your options. In the few moments of silence between you, Zuko had pulled his hand away.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out, grabbing his things, “I shouldn’t have asked you that. You barely know me. I’m just going to go.” He grabbed his car keys and tea before standing.

As he passed by, you grabbed his sleeve, following him to your feet. “I just have one question,” you said to the back of his head. Turning to look at you, he met your eyes. “Am I allowed to do this?” You asked before pulling his sleeve to crash your lips onto his.

The chatter of the Jasmine Dragon continued around the two of you as Zuko slowly moved his lips against yours. His free hand quickly found its way to your cheek, caressing it. Once you pulled away Zuko looked into your eyes.

“Yes, just not in the office.”

A smile made it way to your face, “That’s rough buddy.” You replied before pressing your lips back to his.

#zuko #zuko x reader #zuko au #avatar au #avatar the last airbender #avatar #modern au #uncle iroh #zuko imagine #imagine #ba sing se #earth nation #fire nation #fire bending #zuko x gn!reader #aang #katara #sokka #avatar the last airbender au #au #water tribe #thats rough buddy #avatar zuko #zuko x y/n #atla zuko #fire lord zuko

[fredweesleyismyslut]

Why Can’t I Have Both? Spencer Reid x reader

A/N: I got bored and instead of doing Spanish homework guess what I’m doing?  You guessed it writing fanfic about Spencer Reid because he’s my baby and I literally love him.  Anyways, let me stop fangirling so you can enjoy.  Also, whoever’s reading this I love you and I hope you have a great day/night whatever the heck it is just know that it’s alright and it’ll be fine.  Now, bye because I seriously have to sleep so I can make my friend his birthday present.

You and the team had recently gotten back from a job as you set you things down at your desk.  As you were writing your paperwork, you noticed a couple of the early goers leaving Rossi and Spencer, currently your ex-boyfriend whom you were still friends with and still madly in love with.  Then, left Garcia, Emily, and JJ as they waved bye to you.  Last to leave was Derek who usually finished way after you, “Wow, you got somewhere to be, Derek?  You finished up so quickly I almost thought we had an imposter.  Give us back our chocolate thunderrrrr!” You jokingly shouted as you slapped his shoulder as he responded, “Yeah, Yeah.  Don’t get used to it, I’m meeting up with a couple of friends tonight.”  Nodding you waved your hand to him before going back to your paperwork.  Looking at the time, you stretched, joints popping as the air-popped from them.  Yawning you started to put things up, deciding that you would just finish it up in the morning and have JJ or Emily help you if needed.  Leaving the work you waved at a couple of the people before getting onto the elevator as your phone dinged, Hey, you finished yet?  The text read, from JJ, replying back you chuckled to yourself, Yeah, I finished most of it but I’m beat for tonight.  Why?  The reply came back almost instantaneously, Nothing just curious…  You read it again, “What does she mean?” you said to yourself out loud, before forgetting about it moments later as you got into your car to head home.  Once at your apartment, you pulled your keys out, unlocking the door as you heard the satisfying click, ready to toss everything onto the floor and pass out.  As the door opened, the lights turned on as you heard a simultaneous, “SURPRISE!”  Looking up, as you finally got over your shock you saw your team members, all with party hats on and a cake held by Penelope in the middle, as confetti fell in front of you.  Scanning the room you saw Spencer, as tears flooded your eyes.  Running out you ran to the elevator, trying to get the thing to hurry up. 

 As the elevator doors opened you heard footsteps behind you as the door to your apartment closed.  “Sorry, maybe we shouldn’t have done that, today’s case was pretty rough,”  said Spencer’s all too familiar voice.  A hand touched your shoulder as you quickly wiped your oncoming tears, “It’s not that…” you responded, voice raspy from trying to hold the tears and emotion that kept welling up, “I just wanted to have a quiet birthday this year...especially after we-we broke up.”  Looking up at him, your voice broke as you continued, shoulders shaking, “I-I can’t do this anymore Spence.”  His face contorted with confusion, “Do what?”  He fumbled with his hands slightly, clearly not sure what to do with them and how to comfort you.  “I still love you, you idiot.  I honestly don’t know how someone so smart can be so stupid sometimes.”  you laughed at yourself a little as you stared at the ground, picking at the skin of your nails, “I’m trying so, so hard to keep my feelings in check so you don’t feel uncomfortable and when you do things like this..” you waved your hands around, “it makes it so much harder to not love you.  Now each year for my birthday, all I’ll think about is this Spence, and you won’t be there.”  Finally cracking under the pressure you choked back a sob as the tears came rolling down your cheeks.  You watched as Spencer’s shoes came into view of your blurry vision, his finger swiped under your eye as he pulled you closer, “I will be here, y/n.  We all will.  We love you...I love you, y/n.”  He gently pulled your chin up to face his deep gaze, full of worry, “I’ll always be here for you.  I just...You know why we broke up, y/n.”  his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, “I don’t want to hold you back.  You want to work somewhere else and I don’t want to be the reason you stay at the BAU and not reach your dreams.”  Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he watched you sob harder, “But why can’t I have both, Spence?  I don’t want the job if it means I can’t be happy with you.”  You choked as you buried your face in his chest, “You think that you’re doing this because you care for me but in reality you just don’t want me to get hurt, worrying about you every night thinking maybe an unsub finally caught up to you guys.”  You hit his chest softly, “In reality, you’re just selfish, Spencer.  I don’t care if I have to stay up till 3am every night if it means I can sleep in the same bed as you as you tell me random things.  I don’t care about anything as long as it means I can hear your voice, your laugh, or see the face you make when you’re thinking about something.  As long as I can be with you every living moment, then I don’t care, Spence because I’m seriously in love with you.”  His grip tightened on your shoulders as the tears fell from his cheeks, he opened his mouth to say something but words didn’t come out as he looked you in the eyes and leaned closer, breath tickling your cheeks as he softly kissed your lips.  His lips were slightly chapped as they usually were because chapstick was the last thing on his mind and you usually reminded him.  His eyelashes fluttered as he met your gaze, “I-I love you, y/n y/l/n.  I’m seriously, deeply in love with you, and every moment I get to breathe in the same space as you is like heaven to me.”  His hand grazed your cheek as his thumb and forefinger pulled your chin up, “If you would, then I’d like to formally request to be your boyfriend, y/n.”  You smiled softly, as you kissed his cheek, “If that’s the case then you’ll have to give me a written request in MLA font with an intro and conclusion, Spence.  I’m going to need a whole ass contract so you don’t try to run away from me for my own good.”  He laughed as you linked your arm in his, “Let’s go enjoy my birthday.” 

Stopping at the door you looked at him, “Pull some shit like breaking up with me to not hold me back again and I’ll formally kick your ass, got it?” He nodded, kissing your forehead, promising “Never again.”  As you walked in “Whoo” ing sounds insured as Penelope shouted out, “Our favorite work couple is back together!  Guys, I’m so happy for you.”  “You guys heard everything?” you asked, as Emily came around with slices of cake, “Well...most of it if you mean from the part where you confessed your undying love for boy wonder here and till you walked in...then, yes we heard everything.”  You laughed at Penelope’s response as the team crowded around, all giving you hugs and birthday wishes.  “You really need to keep that one, Spencer, she’s a keeper,”  said David, to Spencer, before walking up to you and giving you a hug as well.  The night couldn’t have gotten any better as you chatted with your friends and what do you know, Spencer actually did write a 1,000-word essay with an intro and conclusion formally asking you to dinner that weekend, wouldn’t expect anything less from the boy genius.

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer #spencer reid headcanons #Spencer Reid x reader fluff #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid smut #spencer read x reader smut #spencer reid x you #Criminal Minds #criminal minds fluff #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds x y/n #criminal minds blog #spencer reid criminal minds #criminal minds smut #criminal minds x reader fluff #criminal minds x reader smut #Matthew Gray Gubler #Matthew Gray Gubler x reader #Matthew Gray Gubler x reader smut #matthew gray gubler x reader fluff #matthew gray gubler fluff #matthew gray gubler smut

[katsrnerstories]

BillDip SlowBurn FanFic Chap. 1

Bill had destroyed Dipper's mind.

It has been a few years since weirdmageddon. Since Dipper and Mabel defeated demons from hellish planes of existence and saved the world and their friends from soul and mind crushing madness.  

Dippers a freshman in college now. It was a moment that he had wished for for years. Highschool had been…

Well it wasn't the worst it could have been. Dipper hit a major glow up around the beginning of junior year (with Mabel's help of course) and life was a little easier. He was asked out on dates, went to a few parties here and there that people dragged him to, had some typical highschool fun in the city...

Until around that same time he started getting replies from colleges his senior year, he started to see Bill again. Every once in a while his mind would wander back to that summer, but it was always the good things or nightmares of the horrors they saw.

It started with just a little glimpse here and there. An eye in the back corner of his periphery, some yellow glimpse in a dark room. 

A ghostly hand on his shoulder.

But these things were nothing to the first time Dipper realized something was wrong.

Dipper saw Bill in his dreams. And those dreams were beyond nightmares.

He had had nightmares before. Nightmares of weirdmageddon were common for both dipper and Mabel. But these… these were real; as much as a dream could be.

Because of Gravity Falls, Dipper really wasn't afraid of a lot of things that would have scared him. The unknown was comforting to him. Maybe because it wasn't too unknown to him and Mabel.

But bill. During those nightmares, brought everything he feared to the frontlines. 

It had been a while since Mabel and him shared a room, so Mabel really didn't know about the fear Dipper experienced those nights. 

She was more focused on getting to LA.

She wants to be a criminal psychoanalyst. To look at the minds of people and figure how they tick. Criminals especially. 

Dipper could swear that Bill had done something to her to make her go down such a dark career path, but he couldn't say anything; he neither had a psychology degree nor was untouched by Bill himself.

Who really knows, it could have been anything else that happened to her in those hellish four years of highschool. 

She had moved away quickly after highschool ended to learn in LA. Of course they facetime and text all the time, but the separation was still felt by both of them.

Everyone missed her presence. Her positivity, her unique personality. 

That had transformed into something much darker come junior and senior year. She found out after a few failed boyfriends that she was not only Asexual, but that guys and even girls, can’t seem to give that part of a relationship up. Some even found it offensive that she felt that way.

Dipper went back to oregon. Of course he was in the city, but on weekends he would visit the Mystery Shack and Gravity Falls. 

Soos was happy to give him one of the rooms in the basement. Sometimes even Grunkle Stan or Grunkle Ford would visit. 

They decided shortly after Dipper and Mabel left that they would travel. Of course Ford's labs still sit under the mystery shack, but when Mabel and Dipper visited Soos the summer of their junior year Ford gave them full control of the labs (as long as Dipper kept everyone safe. Which he did too much annoyance of Mabel)

Soos and his wife at that time had just had a little baby boy, and now have a comfortable four kids, two boys and two girls (three of them were triplets) and run the shack not to much better than Stan did, with the same soul in the campy attractions and overpriced merchandise. 

Wendy is in her senior year at a community college in Oregon city, right around the same place Dipper decided to go to school. They hang out pretty regularly, just around weekly.

Robby left gravity falls as soon as he got his GED. Went for New York, looking for a punk career. He sends Wendy emails every once in a while about his music and where he's at. 

Shockingly, Pacifica stayed in Oregon, going to the same college Dipper goes to. They see each other, and after leaving her family, she found a lot out about herself and became a much better person. 

She found she loved a good smoke and art. Apparently, something she hid from the world was that she loved art. She was probably one of the best artists Dipper had seen. After she left the hell hole of her family, she became really chill. Calm. even nice. 

Her and Dipper have coffee pretty much every day. She was one of the only people who also knew what he had gone through.

And she was the only person who noticed as Dipper got worse and worse for wear. 

Bill had been particularly evil the past few weeks, taking much more joy in Dippers struggle. Long ago Dipper had just sort of given up on screaming for Bill to stop. But he always refused to make a deal with him to stop the fear. Not again. 

“Another nightmare again?” Pacifica asks, as Dipper requests 5 shots of caffeine in his already bitter caffeinated black coffee. 

“Yeah. it's getting harder and harder to say no every night. And honestly the empty dorm isn't helping.” 

“Why don't you just move in with me? I've got an extra room that's got your name written on the door if you want it.” 

Dipper almost accepted, but decided against it. It was kind of weird, no matter how good of friends they were, to live with the ex that made you realized you were gay.

It wasn't her fault, it was just…

He liked a different kind of ass, as Mabel had said when he came out.

No, the daily overpriced coffee meetup was enough. 

“Have you talked about it to Ford? Hes got to know something about it if he went through the same thing?” 

“I don't want to bother them with it. They thought they got rid of Bill that summer, we all did. Bills my problem now.”

Pacifica gives him a knowing look. She knew that he was breaking, but couldn't figure out how to help him. 

“Hows journalism?” Pacifica takes her coffee as she changes the subject.

“As boring as it ever is. Graphic design?”

“As confusing as ever.” Dipper takes a big sip from his steaming coffee. It's a briskly cold morning, enough he brought out his knit set Mabel had made for him on their 18th birthday. He had no shame in wearing it, and it in fact felt comforting today, to know that she was still with him in heart at least.

She never grew out of her sweater thing. She still makes sweaters, using it to get her to the next rent payment sometimes. Everyone can count on a big box with sweaters from her every Christmas here in Oregon. 

With their coffees in hand, Dipper and Mabel head off to campus. And once they made it there they said their goodbyes with a hug and went their separate ways to start the day. 

Dipper wanders into the lecture hall for his advanced maths class. People filter in as he types away on his computer. 

The students around him wanted to be scientists, economists, etc. everyone found it weird that a creative writing major was not only taking advanced maths, this early in the morning, but was killing it. His grades spoke for themselves. 

The class starts and Dipper still types away on his computer. He had been bored the night before as he was staving off sleeping and had read a chapter ahead in their textbook. He taught himself the three hour lesson that day in an hour. 

It was no doubt that Dipper took after his great uncle Stanford. Grunkle Ford told him at one point that Dipper reminded him of a young Dr. Fiddleford. Dipper didn't really like being compared to the scientist that started a whole cult under Gravity Falls before going batshit crazy himself for a very long time.

He only hoped that he wouldn't end up like him. He didn't want to be some crazy man who roams the town. 

Dipper had a story that he needed to finish for his next class. He had started to wear away the stories of Gravity Falls with his creative writing classes that he now had to actually think about what story to write. Mabel helped him out with the premise of the story last night. So he spent that class writing a simple flash fiction of one roaming the backrooms. (an urban legend Mabel had read about in an article somewhere.)

He found comfort in knowing that one thing did not exist to him. That one thing did not sit in the pits of Gravity Falls waiting for Dipper or one of them to unearth it.

The story reminded Dipper of falling through the endless pit just outside the Mystery Shack. A hole where they reminisced on days of the summer as they spent the day, or who knows how long, falling. they were all lucky that it was not, truly, endless. 

And quickly the story was finished and the class closed early. 

Dipper went for an early lunch. He scrolls through his phone, seeing Mabels three new instagram posts and all the other people she introduced him to. 

After Mabel found out Dipper was gay, she went on a mission to hook him up with some LA guy. Oregons not terrible with their acceptance, but it's not something to be very open about. Plus Dipper wasn't the kind to walk pride without someone like Mabel hyping the both of them up. Because god knows that she needs just as much hyping up with who she is as Dipper.

When he walks into his empty apartment, anxiety wells up in Dippers chest. Quickly he turns on the TV, letting it run as white noise as he makes his lunch. The apartment had been empty since his recent relationship ended. Dipper is glad it ended, as the abuse just got too much; yet it was bad for Dipper to be left alone with his thoughts. Especially in an apartment that seemed to hold so much sadness and bad memories.

Mabel, after helping Dippers style, had made him a whole cookbook for him. It had all different kinds of foods, but the main dishes all were healthy. She had gone on a fitness rampage her sophomore year and had never truly grown out of it. It was from a bad place, but she turned it to a positive. As she always does. 

She had told him that it was the first thing other than sleep to keep alive longer. She had made him promise that he would try to stay alive. 

At this point it was the only thing keeping Dipper alive. 

Bill had taxed his mind so much it was rare to find him not paranoid. Bill made Dippers anxiety beyond chronic, and the lack of sleep did not help his depression. 

That had developed after Pacifica. It wasn't because of the break up, more at the fact that she had helped him so much. 

She had accepted him being gay. She had helped him gain friends during their relationship, and she even helped him when money wasn't the best. 

All this caused his anxiety to get to his head. 

What if they think I���m evil for breaking it off with her? What if she'll never want to see me again? What if, what if, what if…

His depression had just gotten  worse after the breakup and dealing with being alone again. It was the reason Dipper stayed with someone like that for so long. 

All of the depression and anxiety ended up crashing down at the same time Bill Cypher ended up crashing into the picture. 

At that point Bill only came to terrorise Dipper a few nights a month. It was easier to deal with.  Now it's every night.

Dipper finishes making his food, sitting down in front of the TV to watch a show on Netflix. 

He had been getting through the true crime shows. He swore that eventually he'd eventually either run a show like it with Mabel or be one of the cold cases lost to the world. 

Yet within only a few minutes Dipper not only found himself asleep, but stuck in the mindscape. 

“Been trying to avoid me, Pine Tree?”

Dipper no longer was shocked by Bill's voice. In fact the more and more he heard his voice, the more and more it began to sound almost human.

#billdip #gravity falls #whump writing #slow burn #fanfiction #writers #fandom #fanfic #bill x dipper #dipper pines #bill cipher #mabel pines #gravity falls pacifica #adult dipper pines #powerless bill cipher

[daisylincs]

Today is, officially, the last day of 2020 - so it's literally just in time that I'm getting to @aosrecweek's amazing challenge. But that does go to show the nature of this crazy year a little bit, right? Time has just been INSANE, and I honestly cannot believe it's so close to over.

That said, I want to put it out there that everyone - absolutely everyone - who created something in this mad year, is a SUPERHERO. Like. We could have hidden away in dark corners, curled into little balls, and lost touch with our creativity entirely - but instead, we made some of the most fantastic content I have ever seen. And, excuse the language, but that is fucking amazing, of each and every single one of us. We're bloody INCREDIBLE, you guys. We really are.

Now, the rules of this challenge dictate that I've got to start with some of my own things, then repeat with the same number of creations by other people. So I'm going to do that, and I apologise for the sheer length (and self-plug-iness) of what is about to follow - but, bloody incredible, remember? I really mean that. 💜💜💜

My Own:

you could call me babe for the weekend - 19k of Spideychelle being oblivious, mutually pining IDIOTS while being snowed in. And, you know, fake dating. (This thing was SO MUCH FUN to write and though, yeah, it got completely out of control, as evidenced by the 19k, I still really love it.)

'tis the damn season - my first attempt at writing a multi-chap, and, yeah, it only has one chapter as of now, but I really love said chapter. Basically, it's Daisy and Mackelena being friends, and honestly just the BEST friends - I adore the style I managed to achieve in this thing. Plus, the Skimmons I have planned up next is going to be da bomb.

the closest thing - Philindaisy plus fake family. Also; amusement parks. And for a fangirl like me - well, it was pretty much a dream come true to write!

oh valley of plenty - in this fic, I basically told myself, so AoS won't give us Huntingbird in the finale? Fine. I'll just do it myself then - in the fluffiest way possible. And that's exactly what I did - making them, and their kids, be best friends in Perthshire.

maybe life should be about more - a very angsty Skimmons and Daisy-centric AU, focusing on the internalised homophobia Daisy has experienced through her life, and shaking it off (and eventually, y'know, getting together with Jemma.)

and it's dark in a cold december (but i've got you to keep me warm) - Fitzsimmons just make such a supreme pairing for hurt/comfort, what with how insanely well they understand each other and care about each other, so I'm really glad for the Fitzsimmons Secret Santa giving me the chance to write this! Basically, this follows our science duo through a stressful mission on Christmas Eve (so yes, it's a mission fic!!) and realising that the two of them can do anything together.

july second - ahhh, one of my personal favourites to write! Daisy birthday surprise fluff will always be top-notch for me, especially for all the team-as-family fluff you can add in, especially especially that this is set in Staticquake times! Also, it's from Hunter's point of view, which will forever be the most insanely fun thing to write, I do think.

i just wanna be with you - man, I'm such a big royal fan, so getting the chance to write a modern royalty AU for my OTP was nothing short of amazing!! This is Princess Daisy and her fiancée Lincoln Campbell at their official engagement interview

see the line where the skye meets the sea - shameless season 1 bby Bus Kids fluff, featuring movie nights, singalongs and... so much fluff your teeth will rot. Also I'm really freaking proud of the pun in the title okay

'cause all that you are is all that i'll ever need - Huntingbird waking up together fluff (because, fight me, Huntingbird in their sweet moments is one of the sweetest things you will ever get to read or write.) This is also my, fluffy, take on the origin of the Franny's Saloon keychain.

we love you, we love you (and we hope you love we too) - aha, my first polyship fic! Also my first try at some actually fancy HTML formatting (forever thanks to Kat for explaining.) Both of these things combined to form a fic that even I think is ridiculously fluffy and funny, and kinda amazing, at that.

and man I don't know where the time goes (but it sure goes fast like that) - Another Bus Kids movie night fic, but this one set post-season 7, and reflecting on how far they've come. A little bit more hurt/comfort-y than it's pure fluff prequel, but still super fluffy and soft. And, of course, with a happy ending.

she shares my dreams, i hope that someday, i'll share her home - snowy Fitzsimmons fluff, complete with them falling in love at the Winter Olympics, as you do.

then you walked in and my heart went boom - 16k of Dekesy for the wife, and remarkable for that, because literally a month ago from this, I hated Dekesy with my entire soul. Then I started reading Kat's fics, and, well, fell in love with them... so much so that I wrote sixteen thousand words of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, bed sharing holiday fluff for them.

a love like that - a Fitzsimmons Cinderella AU, featuring my two favourite science babies, in true science bby style, falling in love over science and how stupid the whole courting thing is. Also, Daisy makes a brief appearance, and she's the freaking best.

ever after - ah, probably the one single fic I'm proudest of. A post-season 7 Daisy character study focusing on her emotional rollercoaster re: losing her family/things never being the same again, which just achieves... an emotional level that I have never managed to replicate again. I was full-on sobbing while writing it, and, guys, it also part-holds the Closest To Making Kat Cry prize.

blue - Daisy character study spanning snapshots of seven seasons, and before - but tied together by something blue in every moment. Researching for this, and finding all the blue moments, was very interesting, and immensely satisfying, especially since all the moments where a little bit of blue was present actually combine to chronicle Daisy's journey on the show remarkably well.

who is that girl I see - the one time I decided to write straight angst, and straight angst with no happy ending. Melinda May post-Bahrain, folks.

take my hand, take my whole life too - aww, the first thing I wrote that I really and truly loved. A Staticquake and Fitzsimmons Actors AU, featuring a proposal on set and INCREDIBLE amounts of fluff and softness.

hold out your hand, 'cause friends will be friends - the wife's favourite, and, as second fics go, pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. It's a Soulmates AU for Staticquake and Mackelena, with the focus being on DaisyMack friendship, and lots of denial, angst, and guilt about finding their soulmates. (They figure it out eventually, don't worry - it's me, of course I made them happy.)

Fitzsimmons + Fake Dating moodboard - Fake dating will always be FAB, and picturing it out in a moodboard - especially for my clueless bby best friends in love - was the best, and super satisfying.

Staticquake + Orange moodboard - One of the cooler ideas I had for Trick or Treat (which I still have not finished, heaven help me) was to make a series of moodboards for my OTP plus different colours. This orange one is just so light, and cheerful, and happy, and honestly I kinda adore it.

This Philindaisy + Family Moodboard - making moodboards can be insanely frustrating when you just can't find the photo that fits exactly right. With this one, however, I found all the pics I needed pretty insanely fast, and, better, the whole thing just worked, and really nicely so, too.

This Bus Kids + Baking Cookies moodboard - there's absolutely NO faults to be found with tiny, adorable Skye, Fitz and Jemma concocting choc chip cookies - but I'm actually doing a tiny cheat here, because, cute as my moodboard here is, the accompanying fic by my love @eowima is the SWEETEST and best thing you could ever wish for!!!

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - Day 3 of Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week focused on an emotion, and I picked confidence and power, because honestly, it's nothing short of amazing how confident and powerful our gorgeous girl has become.

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - One of the times I wish I could gif, because this quote about struggling though never giving up just suits Daisy perfectly. The photos I found are cool, though, and I mean, it's Daisy, so that's already absolutely fabulous.

Other People's:

I managed to find twenty-six of my own things that I liked enough to put up there (because, yes, I'm that big a dork, 26 things for me being 26 is the way to go :D) Anyway, now that gives me the amazing chance to spotlight twenty-six of my favourite creations by my FANTASTIC mutuals! 😍

To start, my wife - Kat said I couldn't put everything she's ever written on here, so, ugh, I guess I'll just do my top five then. *grumbling* Everything by Kat is on here in spirit, though!!

Chasing Cars (even after the story ends) by @aleksandrachaev - the epic Dekesy roadtrip AU and incredible Daisy character study itself, which, I do believe, finishes today!! Words aren't enough to describe how freaking AMAZING this thing is, or how spectacularly well characterised. Just: if you haven't read this yet, you are missing out. You will laugh, you will groan, you will want to wrap Daisy in a very tight hug, and you will probably cry, too. This fic just has it all, really!

there goes the maddest man this town has ever seen by @aleksandrachaev - the post-season 7 Deke-crashes-the-Framework-Zoom-call fic I didn't know I needed (but spent the next two weeks rereading every single night.) It is absolutely INCREDIBLE, with all the Deke & Team feels we missed in the final outro scene, and honestly just the most fantastic writing. I cannot recommend it enough!

To Box It Up And Start Again (everything must go) by @aleksandrachaev - bloody hell, this BROKE me. Deke never really got to say goodbye in canon, but Kat gave him the chance to do it here. And, my freaking GOODNESS, she made it so incredibly bittersweet and heart-shattering. 10/10

i am a leaf on the wind by @aleksandrachaev - a little bit of a stretched-out, reflective moment in the season 7 finale. As Daisy lingers on the edge of death, she reflects on all the lives she could have had - and, man, what a study in bittersweetness!! This entire fic is utterly incredible, and something I think all Daisy fans should read.

Falling Into Place by @aleksandrachaev - here's a tiny cheat from me (sorry, babes, lmao) because technically this isn't one fic, but a series of three. Way too amazing to miss out on, though!! Set mid-season 7, this has the Chronicoms go after a young Mary Sue Poots to kill Quake before she can become a problem for them. They stop the Chronicoms, yes, but not without a TREMENDOUS dose of feels and hurt/comfort. There's also a wonderful little dose of Dekesy friendship, and then an adult adoption (!!) that honestly made my entire day to read. Actually, that's true for the entire series - I really canNOT yell about it enough!!

destroyer of worlds by @bobbimorseisbisexual - a study in incredible parallels between Jiaying's daughters. Utterly breathtakingly done, this will give you ALL the feels for this small and complex Inhuman family.

Muscle Memory by @robotgort and @bobbimorseisbisexual - a Huntingbird!! Bones!! AU!! And also a collaboration between two of the most fabulous Huntingbird authors in the fandom - honestly, what more can you ask for?! This will make you laugh, and gasp, and wince, and keep you guessing at each new plot twist (and also screaming at your screen for Hunter and Bobbi to get their acts together and TALK ABOUT IT.) In short: it's completely and utterly amazing, and I cannot, cannot recommend it enough!!

You Belong Among the Wildflowers by @libbyweasley - a freaking incredible Scis & Spies Regency AU! I only just started reading, but I was hooked all the way through, especially on the way Libby writes all four characters' complex relationships (and their attraction, and their history!) Everything about it is just completely stunning, and I for one cannot WAIT for these beautiful idiots to figure out they all belong together.

Family Snapshot by @tomatobookworm - if it's family fluff you're after, especially Staticquake family fluff, look no further! This tremendously soft and utterly amazing fic follows a day in the lives of a pregnant Daisy and her husband Lincoln, and their not-so-little family of Inhumans, both adopted and biological. There's also shopping with Grandma May, lots of feels, lots of shippiness, and just AMAZINGNESS all the way through!!

Best Day Ever by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - Jemma and Daisy want to adopt a pet, and make a very special trip to Wisconsin to do it. Also, whether he knows who he is or not, Jemma has an important question to ask Cal - and just, AHHHH, everything about this is utterly stunning! For starters, Aubrey's writing is FANTASTIC, and the scene she sets is absolutely beautiful, and so very bittersweet. I was actually misting up a little with happy tears towards the end of this - really, I cannot recommend this enough, to any Skimmons fan.

so why don't we go somewhere only we know by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - more Skimmons (platonic this time, though), more hurt/comfort, and, yes, again, more absolutely INCREDIBLE writing. This one is canon compliant, following a shaken Jemma struggling to sleep after Maveth, and how Daisy finds a way to help her out. Incredibly sweet, tender and BEAUTIFULLY written, this one was an instant favourite the moment I read it!

Unspoken by @anxiouslynumbme - a birthday fic for yours truly, and, honestly, one of the most STUNNING Staticquake introspectives I've read. It follows Daisy and Lincoln in a beautifully tender missing moment in season 3, with them both realising their feelings, and just... AHHHHHHHH, everything about it is utterly incredible!! I cannot, cannot recommend this gem of a fic enough

the thing about water droplets and ruffled hair by @que-mint-tea - here's another fic that proves, once and for all, how good Kat's Dekesy is, because it managed to convert T to write some Dekesy smut. And, oh my GOSH, what Dekesy smut - so goshdarn angsty, but so FANTASTICALLY characterised and written that it leaves you more than a little breathless, and gaping at your screen. The first chapter initially left us on the most HORRIFIC cliffhanger, but then T fixed it, and it's just... this thing is really a whole new level of emotional writing, raw and gripping and intensely perfect for both of these characters. My haw still drops whenever I think of this thing, and how utterly AMAZING it was, so yeah. Fic rec!!!

beautiful stranger, there you are by @justanalto - I do believe I still owe Serena a long and very gushy comment on this thing, because, MAN, does it ever deserve that!! Pipsy and fake dating, with the most HILARIOUSLY incredible writing, plot and characterisation, and honestly just a giddy "askhdfkhsfh" whenever I think back to how much I enjoyed it. Yup, it was that good.

Jumping to conclusions by @eowima - a very special one, because it marks my love Océane's first venture into writing AoS fic! It's an AU of 1x06 (the Fitzsimmons episode of s1) where Fitz does actually jump out of the plane to save Jemma. Realisations of feelings, and some of the most genuinely FANTASTIC Fitz characterisation I've read in a while, follow - and, yup, I was shouting at my screen for them just to get together already. Amazing stuff, really!!

Look into your eyes and the sky's the limit by @eowima - okay, this. This. Another gift for me, and one that I will probably treasure forEVER, because it is just?? so?? utterly?? perfect?? Just for starters, the title is a Hamilton reference - and then the theme of Hamilton references continues into the fic itself, I'm delighted to say. There's also the most BEAUTIFUL, playful Skimmons friendship, and teasing, and then of course the bet about who can make out with their crush first... Staticquake & Fitzsimmons perfection. And all rendered in Océane's delightful, best-thing-ever-to-read writing!! I'm going into a giddy keyboard smash just THINKING about this, so yeah, cannot recommend it enough.

lullabies and clear blue skies by @springmagpies and @bobbimorseisbisexual - okay, I never thought I'd catch myself shipping FitzBobbi, let alone shipping it this hard, but... wow. Maggie and Al teamed up to completely blow me away, and MELT MY WHOLE ENTIRE HEART with the sheer cuteness of this!! It features Fitz, Bobbi and adopting two daughters, and it's just the most tender, beautiful development through that little family - I love it so, so much.

We made all the wrong choices by @browneyedgenius - the winner of the AoS Angst War 2020, how could I not include this one? It is such a well-deserved win, though, whoa - I was sobbing, full-on sobbing, at least twice while reading. It follows the season 5 team through the events of the time-loop, after they failed to save the world - and, oh my gosh, it ripped my heart right out of my chest, but beautifully so. Everything about this fic just hits so hard, and it's written so well - yeah, really a most AMAZINGLY deserved win, for an utterly SHATTERINGLY incredible fic.

I threw stones at the stars (but the whole sky fell) by @nazezdha321 - this is Z showing us all how to write a backstory for a minor character, and write it so well that everyone's hearts break all over again when she dies. This one is about Victoria Hand, and it builds a stirring and profound childhood for her, also making her rise through the ranks of SHIELD and just her entire character mean so much more. Really, fic-wise, this is goals, and I take my hat off to you, Z, 1000%, for writing it.

in which the universe is put together by @besidemethewholedamntime - Rebecca's emotional writing, particularly Fitzsimmons' emotions, is incomparable, and she proves it all over again in this fic. If follows Fitz and Jemma before, after and during the bloodwork, and I just... wow, honestly. The emotion!! And the characterisation!! Absolutely stunning, and honestly all I could wish for in a we-had-time fic.

Agents of SHIELD Season 8 by @egumal - THIS. This, this, this, oh my gosh - as fix-it fics go, this has to be the most spectacular one I have ever read. What it does is find a way - a potentially canon compliant way, too - to bring back Lincoln Campbell, and reunite Staticquake. Basically: just about as season 7 finishes, the Astro Ambassadors get an unexpected visitor from another timeline, who asks them to come help out against Hive. Case in point, Daisy meets her lost love again (... but he has no idea who she is) and also has to relive the Fallen Agent drama. It all gets even more complicated when Kora restores Lincoln's memories, and Daisy meets the full team Deke has assembled around him in the 33 years (for him) that they've been apart... in short, this is one of the most thorough, well-written and downright SHOCKING plot-twist-wise fics that you will ever read, and honestly, saying "I can't recommend it enough" is an understatement. This thing is thd BEST, plain and simple!

Black Roses aren't real (but you and I are) by @ohwriteiforgot - ahhhh, a fic that will always have an incredibly special place in my heart, because it introduced me to one of my best fandom friends. The main focus is on Clintasha, it's true, but it's also a crossover with AoS in the sense that Clint was adopted by Coulson and May. Also, Daisy is his little sister, and their bond is gold. Also - there's Staticquake!! And flower shops!! And rivals to friends to lovers!! All I'm going to say is, what more can you ask for?!

A book to shield my story by @maybebrilliant - Staticquake High School AU, ahhhhhhhh!! There are only two chapters out so far, but the way this is shaping up is making my DAY - with Daisy as the new girl who meets Lincoln and his group of friends, and, though her foster parents are absolutely shit, starts to find actual happiness in a school for the first time in her life. Also - THE REFERENCES. Guys. I'm crazy for those, and in this book, so are my favourite dorks, Daisy and Lincoln - and let me tell you, it's nothing short of the best thing ever.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @heysteverogers - AoS really has been the most INCREDIBLE journey through the years, but what's really made it special is the company - and that's summed up perfectly in this gorgeous gifset. Also, the graphics on this are just, ahhhh, stunning - I'm in awe, and I've spent very long periods of time just looking at this thing in a state of heart-eyes.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @jemannesimms - combining Auld Lang Syne and the final scenes of my favourite show was a raw emotional - but utterly brilliant experience - for me. It's just so absolutely beautiful, and perfectly suited to the team, and their goodbyes!! Breathtaking editing work here, too.

This Daisy as Peter Parker and May as Tony Stark moodboard by @agentsofcomedyandchaos - ahhhh, a crossover of two of my favourite fandoms!! And what a lovely one, too - the colour scheme, quotes, and just the whole FEEL of this is absolutely genius, and I am guilty of being inspired by way too many fic ideas by it. Stunning stuff!!

And... whoa, that was long, but I really do feel that we deserve a bit of a proper pat on the back after creating such magical content in such a messed up year. So that's the note I'm going to leave you with for 2020, my friends: hell-year or no, look at the absolute beauty we were still able to create!! We really are freaking amazing, guys.

#aos best of 2020 #fic rec #massive fic rec list #and honestly; WHAT a list!! #despite this utter hellstorm of a year #we as a fandom have still been nothing short of INCREDIBLE #and honestly; I am SO proud of us #💜💜💜

[theymakemegayer]

Reputation: Chapter 8

Read chapter 1-7 HERE

a/n: prepare some tissues and hold your heart this was a rollercoaster of emotions!

Warning: Cursing/Profanities

(edit, sorry forgot to tag)

Taglist: @crazzyplays @riptideyun @baexpoppy @save-me-the-last-dance @somewillwin @dopeyouth

a short playlist: (kept on playing this while writing this chap)

This Love - Taylor Swift

Heather - Conan Gray

Falling - Harry Styles

Lose - NIKI

*=*=*=*=*=*=*

I woke up feeling like something was stuck on my chest making me numb inside. A huge cloud hang above me and my body refused to move out of the bed. My tears had dried off, while the pain was already engraved in my bones. Zoey barged in my room. I had no energy to master even a smile, I just waved at her. Her eyes were sad. I refused to look at it. Sadness only reminded me of the reality, and reality was I got too close to her despite Zoey's warnings.  I felt my bed dipped as Zoey lay beside me. Her soft eyes drifted on my face. I didn't spoke nor did she. I found calmness in this silence. 

 I felt Zoey moving an arm and wrapped on my waist, "I'm here for you, Bea." She whispered softly, breath tickling on my shoulder.

 I felt my eyes sting, like a dam broke, tears started to linger in my eyes.

 I crinkled my nose and clenched my jaws. I refused to cry. I refuse to embrace the pain I stupidly received for trusting her.

 Bea. Bea.

 I heard her voice in my head. I can still feel her touch. Just one damn night, yet she managed to carved hers into me.

 "Just let it out B," Zoey murmured.

 I seek for warmth. I seek for something - anything to fill the hole she dug in my chest. Zoey offered a shelter in her arms as the rain came pouring. My hand crumpled Zoey's shirt as I let these tears out once again. Maybe letting it out would finally ease the pain. Soothing hands rubbed my back, as the storm continued.

 As I calmed down, I withdrew from Zoey and looked into her eyes. She had a soft smile. It was somehow contagious making me smile even a little.

 "Thanks," I murmured.

 "Anytime," She patted my tear stained cheeks, "Wanna go out today?

 Desperate for distractions, I nodded.

 Later on, we were enjoying some ice cream for desserts in some ice cream parlor we stumbled in the mall. I left my phone at home, so I won't be tempted to look at the comments and to check if she-- never mind that useless thought.

 Zoey was a good help for distraction. Even though I still wasn't sure if my soul was still intact in me. Zoey made me feel good about myself today. Why can't I just have a crush on some normal people instead of--

 "I had to ask Bea," Zoey interrupted my thoughts, a small smile on her lips, "How was last night?"

 I was in the middle of having another scoop of ice cream. Her question made me stop mid air. I put down my spoon stifling a sigh. I wasn't ready for this question.

 "Oh, you know," I shrugged my shoulders, "I helped out humiliating Chloe by feeding Bradley some sugary words. We partied a bit after then I get home."

 Zoey looked at me carefully, "Nothing more happened?"

 I gave her a small smile. It seemed like it was the only smile I can do today. "Nothing," I paused scooping another ice cream, letting the sweetness of it mix with the bitterness of my next words, "I should have look for more dirt about her." My eyes drifted ahead of me, mind starting to get lost with a hundred of thoughts.

 I felt Zoey's warm hand on my arm. I looked at her, just as her eyes softened, "It's alright. We'll look for another way, but for now let's focus on our date."

 I smiled, "That's better."

 *=*=*

 Weekend came and the need to go to classes came too. I tried to act like everything was normal, but it wasn't. The laughter and stares I got wherever I go was like a dagger making my wounds bleed again. I had felt embarrassed before, but being humiliated almost wherever I go? It made me wish I wasn't Bea Hughes. And any site of a blonde hair made me fled immediately. I wasn't ready to see her anytime soon. I don't think I can handle it.

 I was walking towards my dorm room. I just finished my classes. I slowed down with my pace when I spot something in front of the door of my dorm room. 

 Is that a plant? My interest was piqued immediately. A smile immediately tugged on my lips. With all of the things I had been going through this past few days, I can almost feel some of the weight in my chest lifted up. Growing up in a farm, it was like love at first sight when I started helping my father in the farm. I felt a lot more at peace and myself whenever I was surrounded by plants.

 I power walked towards it, still wearing a smile. As I stood in front of it, I realized it was an Apple tree planted on a pot. A white card caught my attention too. It was tied on one of the stem. I plucked out the card and read the short note written.

  Didn't see you around campus today. Bummer. This little gift is for you, Bea. -P

  I scoffed, while my smile faded. How dare she give me gifts after what she did to me? I realized, of course she would do something like this. She would rub it on my face and grin at me, finding joy in knowing I perfectly fell on her trap.

 I crouched as I carry the potted plant inside; despite how I don't want to be reminded of her. A plant was still something close to my heart, so I would take care of this. Besides, this would definitely die if I gave it back to her.

 A week passed. My mind had been filled with self-loathing these past few days. My ‘what ifs’ were also piling up. If I hadn't trusted her... you see another what if. That's why I decided to go for a walk in a nearby park with Beppy - hoping it would lessen the burden I had been carrying.

 I sat on the grass, my back leaning on the tree behind me. It was a calm afternoon. The distant noises coming from the few people on the park were the only noises I can hear.

 I unleashed Beppy letting her run around me for a while. I sighed letting the fresh air fill me up. I held out the squeaky ball toy in front of Beppy. His tail started wagging.

 I giggled, "You want this?"

 His tail wagged furiously mouth ajar. I chuckled, "Fetch Beppy."

 I played with Beppy for a while. I let myself get lost with the bubble of happiness Beppy and I made. His gleaming eyes whenever he gave back the squeaky ball toy lifted a piece of burden from me.

 Moments later after I threw again the ball while Beppy was running back towards me he stopped somewhere not far from me. The ball in his mouth fell as he walked towards the tree or rather to someone. I raised my eyebrow. Who was that?

 "Wha--" Clueless I called for his attention, "Beppy!"

 Instead of looking at me he sat in front of the stranger - which I can't clearly see since the tree was hiding them from my view. I stood up and dusted my sweatpants. I strolled towards them.

 As I was nearing their place I heard a familiar voice, "Beppy where's your mom?"

 I halted in my step with my breath hitching. That voice. My eyes grew wide. I clenched my jaw as I feel my heart dropping to my stomach. Good Lord I am not ready for this. 

 My thoughts swarmed me. My limbs lost its strength to take the next step towards them. Like a joke - a really bad joke, Beppy spotted me and barked as if calling for me.

 I exhaled loudly, with my legs shaking I took my next step towards them.

 As I round the tree I finally spotted her. She was caressing Beppy's head affectionately, a soft smile on her lips. I felt my shoulder and jaw tensed as she looked up and met my eyes.

 "Farmsville." She said nonchalantly, but her eyes mirrored a different story. It was soft - almost yearning? I clenched my jaw as we stared at each other for a while.

 "I was waiting when you will show up," She spoke once again breaking the silence.

 "Are you finished catching up with Beppy? Can I take her now?" I asked in a monotone voice.

 She scoffed, "After you avoided me for a whole week, you're just gonna waltz out like that?"

 I crossed my arms protectively in front of me, "We have nothing to talk about. I don't want to waste my time with you again."

 "Oh so now I am a waste of your time? And did you just say again?!" She exclaimed in a high pitched tone, a frown deeply etched on her face as her eyes narrowed at me.

 "Yes." I spoke. My mask was completely intact not letting her saw any emotion on my face.

 "I don't get you Bea." She sighed suddenly looking... tired? Or was it sadness?

 I scoffed, burying those thoughts, "You really had the nerve to act clueless right now?" I exclaimed exasperated, "Listen to me closely Poppy," I gulped. Saying her name felt like I was burying the knife she planted in my chest deeper, "You won Poppy. You - fucking - won." I said through gritted teeth. "Is this your way of mocking me? Then go on. Laugh at me. I fell in your fucking trap." I hate how my eyes stings as I spitted out my words.

 "I cared for you. I believed in you. I fucking trusted you." I exclaimed quite loudly, a few passerby glancing at us. "And then what did you do?" My eyes started to blur with tears and I started to hate myself more at this moment. I hate looking weak in front of her. "You stabbed me in the back." I inhaled deeply, "Zoey warned me from you, but what did I do? I ignored her. I should have listened instead." Tears were slowly falling now. I wiped it harshly. She just blinked at me, mouth gaping.

 I laughed dryly, "Don't worry Poppy. In the first place, I didn't even want that stupid crown. Just stay away from me. I'll be out of your way and your life."

 I didn't wait for any reply or reaction from her. I walked towards Beppy and scooped him up. His eyes looked sad. I smiled at him despite the few tears that were still falling.

 I kissed his head and murmured, "I'll feel better soon Beppy, hopefully." 

 *=*=*

 It was a weekend. I just walked out from a clothing shop. After that encounter with her, I started to focus more on myself - just doing more of 'me time', and a continuous amount of mental and emotional self-check. I just rounded up a corner when I spotted Veronica. She was probably having another one of her live streams. Our eyes met. In an instant she frowned.

 I tried to ignore her. I continued walking not sparing her another glance. I was just tired of interacting to anyone that was related to her. 

 "Bea! Wait up!" Veronica suddenly called out.

 Sighing I halted with my steps. So much for avoiding any of them. I prepared my mind and emotions internally before I turned around and face Veronica.

 I plastered a smile as she walked up to me.

 "Can we talk?" She said once she was in front of me.

 "We're already talking aren't we?" I bit my tongue. My retort at her had so much bite than I intended.

 She raised an eyebrow. The usual composed Veronica seemed different today, maybe a little pissed off. Probably with the way I talked back at her... oops.

 "It's about Poppy." She said.

 I clenched my jaws, "Of course this is about her. Didn't I tell her to stay away from me already?

 She raised an eyebrow at me, "Okay, clearly I don't know about that specially with how close you both got--"

 I laughed dryly, cutting her off, "You mean her ploy that worked out cause now I'm Belvoir's number 1 clown?"

 "Look I don't know what's Poppy's plan or what's going on with her head, but she seemed weird and different after you two partnered up with that project. At first it was only small and little details I noticed, but--"

 I cut her off again, "Hold on. You're telling me you're actually very observant? I mean no offense, but with the time you spent on your phone I'm surprised."

 She laughed, "Poppy is still my friend, and I care for that bitch."

 "Good for her. I'm already done being mushy with her, so whatever this is you're trying to convince me with? I don't want to hear it." 

 Veronica sighed like her patience was starting to wear thin, "Alright. Just answer this one question then I'll leave you."

 "Fine," I grumbled.

 "What changed Bea? You sound like you really hate her now." Her eyes turned soft, all of a sudden. 

 It irked me. It was already one thing with Poppy backstabbing me and now this?! "Did Poppy send you to mock me on how stupid I was to actually trust her?" I glared at her my anger raging in me.

 She waved her hands frantically in front of her, "No," She shook her head. A sad smile painted on her lips, "So I guess that was your answer huh."

 I clenched my jaws. Stupid Bea. "Nothing changed. I'm just treating her the way I should have from the very start. That's my real answer."

 She was still smiling at me, "To be honest I don't know why I wanted to talk to you about Poppy. Something was really off about her now-a-days, and I felt like you were the reason."

 "Whether I am the reason or not, I don't care. She should deal with it. She brought this upon herself." I said through gritted teeth.

 Veronica looked at me, her eyes sad. I hate it. These past few days, I hate seeing or being reminded of sadness cause deep down my heart was hurting and feeling sad for what she did. 

 "I better leave Bea. Thanks for the talk." 

 I just nodded. She patted my shoulders and smiled at me before turning around and leaving. I sighed. The relaxation I was aiming for this afternoon all gone in a blink of an eye. And now I was left with the bitter pill called reality, that I was having a hard time swallowing. I was still hurting, and the most painful part? I actually missed her. 

 Later that night, I was left alone in the dorm. Zoey had some things to do and would be home late; being cooped up in the dorm alone made me feel like I was drowning with thoughts about her. I felt overwhelmed, that's why I decided to go out to and have dinner to this diner I found near the train station a few days ago. It made me felt nostalgic about my hometown - when everything was okay.

 I tend to miss so many things these past few days. It was like I'm continuously being pulled by my thoughts to different things or places, as well as people, like her. 

 I walked out from the diner. My hair and clothes probably smelled like greasy food for staying a bit too long inside, but my stomach felt full and my mood got better, after that encounter I had with Veronica this afternoon. Speaking of her, my thoughts wandered again towards Poppy. I had been having a hard time from even mentioning her name, for fuck's sake.

 I don't want to fret much about her anymore, but somehow and someway the way Veronica tried to talk to me about her- worry started to crept in me.

 Sometimes I felt like my encounter with her was a joke some mighty divine entity played on me. Just like now, as I was walking along the train station I spot a person sitting on one of the benches. Their beautiful, frilly pink dress would catch anyone's attention, but what really caught my attention was who she was and that she was crying.

 Poppy...

 I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart was pounding in my rib cage, and like bees I hear my thoughts buzzing in my mind - loud and persuasive. As if all the battles in my mind ceased, and a certain answer finally marched in victory, I numbly took my first step towards her. 

 I stood just right in front of her. Her hands were covering her face while her quiet sobs and her shoulders trembling broke her pretence. She wasn't alright and it broke my heart.

 "Poppy...?" I whispered her name. Cold wind breezed past us dishevelling her hair. I shiver at the coldness and so does she. Slowly she lifted her head. The little cracks in me broke more as I stare at her swollen red eyes. 

 A deep frown was etched on her face, "What?" Irritation and annoyance was evident on her voice.

 I gulped thickly, my mouth felt dried all of a sudden, "What are you doing here?" I spoke, my voice crisped - almost unrecognizable even for me.

 "None of your business Hughes," She gritted her teeth and stood up. Her eyes were the same level at me as she stared at me. Like a soft whisper through the quiet night, softness flashed in her eyes quickly. I almost wasn't sure if it was for real, but the way my heart was pounding, shut down all the noises in my head.

 She averted her eyes and I realized she was about to leave. My chest ached once again. My hands reached for her even before I realized what I was doing, holding her wrist gently. "Don't go," I whispered. I noticed how her jaw and shoulders tensed.

 I felt the cracks in me; they were bruised and wounded, by this same person I was asking to stay. I was still hurting, but so does she. And Poppy... she almost never cries.

 Just one last time. One last time that I was going to care for her. One last time I would listen to my heart.

 She turned around and when I met her eyes - her brown teary eyes - my mind finally made up. I would be here for her, one last time.

 Like walls crumbling down, I watched as she crossed the distance between us and hugged me. Her perfume wafted my senses and her warmth filled up the cracks in me. I didn't realize that there were tears streaming down on my face already. I missed her.

 I sniffed quietly. Sadly, I still need to be on my guard no matter how much I was yearning for this. 

 Heavy rain started to pour as she started to cry. Her sobbed were muffled by the rain. Yet I still heard her loud and clear. A sudden urge to shelter her from her own storm on her mind arose to me. I tightened my hug and caressed her head.

 The rain hadn't stopped yet, but her tears started to calm down. She withdrew from me and wiped her tears. Before I can even think what I was doing I reached out and wiped her tears with the sleeves of my jacket.

 She suddenly grimaced, "Eww. Where have you been? Why does your jacket smells like that?"

 I rolled my eyes, "And yet you weren't complaining moments ago. As if you forget you were hugging me a while ago."

 I thought she would retort back just like always, but instead she just pouted. My heart pounded wildly at the cute gesture.

 I sighed trying to mask how she left me flustered. I sat on the bench and patted the space beside me, "Wanna talk about it?"

 She sighed and relented, sitting beside me, leaving minimal space between us. I gulped at her close proximity. A cold breeze past again, she shivered and started rubbing her arms. I took off my jacket and draped it on her.

 She halted and looked at me with wide eyes, before a soft smile painted her lips, "Thanks Bea." She mumbled softly.

 I tried so hard not to get affected, by that simple gesture, but my heart was already melting. I cleared my throat, changing the topic, "So... what happened to you?"

 She avoided eye contact, "Today, my parents finally introduced me as the heiress of my father's business." She looked at up at the cloudy dark sky. The rain was relentless and so does the cold breeze passing by once in a while. 

 "That's a good news right?"

 "It was," I saw a faint smile from her before it dropped, "Until my father started to be his usual self." She chuckled dryly. "I thought I can ignore his words just like I always do, but today was an important day for me. And I failed to impress him, again." 

 There was a pause I waited for her to continue. She inhaled deeply and sighed loudly, "You didn't improve Poppy. You're still a disappointment. That's what he said to me."

 When she looked at me again another batch of tears were streaming down her face. She had a broken smile, "That was bullshit. His business clients and partners were happy to meet me. I should have known he won't be impressed no matter what I did."

 I gulped thickly. I choked with my own emotions raging inside of me. I had never seen her, this broken.

 I smiled softly at her and lay my hand on hers, "I don't believe a single word he said. You always do your best. He's blind if he can't see that."

 "He probably is," She smiled softly albeit a little. "I should be really used by now with how he treats me, but I still get disappointed every damn time." 

 "You know what?" I squeezed her hand in mine, "Screw your dad! Let's do something fun instead." I grinned.

 She raised an eyebrow. An excited gleam in her eyes and a grin on her lips, "What's on your mind?" 

 I looked around us. I think it was twelve midnight already or way passed that, and the rain was still pouring. The train station and its surroundings were pretty much deserted.

 I stood up pulling Poppy with me. I grinned, "Care to dance with me?"

 She huffed out a laugh, "You've gone nuts!" 

 "Probably, but look around us. It's raining and there's no one else around. It's the perfect opportunity to enjoy the rain Poppy!" I exclaimed as the warmth and happiness that I had been missing for the past week came crushing on my insides.

 She laughed - a genuine and soft one. "I am probably going nuts too." She shook her head. Her eyes gleamed and a wide smile was on her lips, "Let's dance Bea!"

 She pulled me out of the shelter of the waiting area of the train station. My jacket falling from her shoulders as we run on the middle of the deserted street. The rain was pouring and it felt cold on my skin, but with Poppy in front of me, laughing and smiling - guiding me into a music free dance, I feel warm.

 She gasped as the rain hit her skin, "It's so cold!" She exclaimed, but the smile on her lips never faltered.

 She pulled me close wrapping her arms around my neck as our foreheads touched. I wrapped my arms around her waist as we swayed. I guess we didn't need music at all when the rain felt like it was serenading us. 

 She giggled as our nose touched. Our wide grins turned into soft smiles. Her breath tickled my lips as she sighed.

 "Bea..." She murmured. 

 It was like an enchantment, all I can hear was my heart screaming for her name. I closed the distance between us and kissed her. My breath hitched.  As if she was the oasis on my dessert. It gave me life. It filled up the cracks inside of me. Her lips moved - claiming me softly. Her hands caressed my nape raising goose bumps in their wake. 

 I gasped for air as I withdrew first, "Poppy..." I murmured.

 She pecked my lips, "Thank you Bea," And smiled brightly as her eyes gleamed.

 I grinned, "Glad to see that smile returns."

 "This was nice, but I think we both need to leave before we catch a cold." 

 We hailed a cab going back to Belvoire. My jacket was on Poppy's lap. We threw secretive glances towards each other once in a while. The smile on my lips never faltered and a comfortable silence wrapped us along with the murmurs of the radio inside the cab. It felt normal and I felt happy once again.

 As we get out from the cab, the first thing I saw was the Zeta house and just like that reality crashed my bubble of happiness. The smile on my lips dropped. The weight on my chest intensified. As the cab leave, I turned to Poppy she was looking at me with a soft smile.

 I pressed my lips into a thin line. She noticed my expression and the smile on her face dropped, "Oh..." She sighed before laughing dryly, "Of course." She bit her lip like she was stopping herself for spitting out more words. "I better go inside." Her voice was nonchalant as if her mask was back again. 

 "Yeah," I said curtly.

 She clenched her jaw, "Fine." She turned around abruptly and speed walk inside the Zeta House.

 Everything in me tensed - my hands, my jaws and my chest. I wanted to say more, but I bit my tongue. Tonight was the last time. I kept chanting those words on my mind as I watched her walking away from me.

#poppy min sinclair #poppy x mc #queen b poppy #poppy min-sinclair #fanon poppy #playchoices #fanfics #fanfic #fan fiction #fan fictions

[spiderman-homecomeme]

day six - off the record

ENEMIES TO LOVERS

A/N: DAY SIX!! AHHHH I can’t believe we’re here already and that tomorrow’s the last day. It’s been so fun seeing what everyone’s been posting, and I am so excited for tomorrow and sunday when I can finally be free to read ALL OF THEM AH

This fic is going to be a short little multi-chap journalist au! It was originally going to be just one long one shot, but then I changed my mind lol

Thanks again @spideychelleweek​!!

Read here or on AO3

-

The anger Michelle feels right in this moment is no stranger to her.

It’s boiling hot, bubbling just under the surface of her skin, and she hides it under a thinning veil of nonchalance. She walks with purpose down the hall, far away from Mr. Jameson’s office, her footsteps echoing sharply.

The day had started out like any other, boring, uneventful, still a chance for it not to turn into a shitstorm. After writing her most successful article to date for the Daily Bugle’s website—one concerning a certain masked vigilante-slash-menace and his fight with a one Aleksei Systevich and the million dollars of damage that was brought onto Rockefeller Center as a result of said fight—Michelle had assumed that the hundreds of thousands of hits and the out pour of response from the readers, that she would be able to move on. 

That she wouldn’t be stuck in this Groundhog Day time-loop of writing article after article about the dumb webhead.

Normally, hearing that the website was doing so well might make her happy. She might celebrate that every front page piece of writing is hers, her name under every article right at the top. Then again, the only reason they’re doing so well, and the only reason she’s consistently getting the top spot, is by slandering some idiot’s image. 

Or rather, in this case, libeling some idiot’s image. 

This job was supposed to be a stepping stone for something else, something better. Something that would launch her into the higher world of journalism. There’s this underlying feeling, one that tells her that this is only temporary. That this can lead to bigger and better things. 

Though, part of her doesn’t think spending precious time writing sensationalized, gotcha-pieces is what’s going to help her.

But Jameson had said otherwise. He said that this was exactly what the people wanted, not the boring political think-pieces that she wanted to write about. The people want drama, he’d said. They want to be angry, he’d said IN ALL CAPS, his seemingly permanent speaking voice. He had turned her down when she’d asked if she could write something else, almost immediately, and instead, emailed her yet another folder of Spider-Man pictures that Peter Parker had sent him earlier. 

God. Peter Parker. 

Just thinking the name makes the burning anger within her flare; makes her stomach twist into stinging knots. Her jaw clenches as she thinks about how this is all technically his fault. Sure, she could very well be forced into writing the articles without the pictures, but apparently, it’s the pictures and her punny, scathing titles that grab the reader’s attention. It all really took off when they got that first up-close-and-personal shot. 

And then, come to think of it—though she’s not sure how or why Parker knows Spider-Man, and frankly she doesn’t care to know—why on earth would one of “Earth’s Mightiest (ha) Heroes” keep letting this guy take his pictures if he’s just giving them to the news site that’s going to keep roasting him alive? It didn’t make a lick of sense. And if it’s just a matter of ignorance, how could he possibly not realize that was going on?

Something’s not adding up.

But then again, she doesn’t have time to follow that suspicion. Apparently, she’s got another article to write. Due by the Monday of next week, eight o’ clock in the morning on the dot in Jameson’s inbox. 

She has the rest of this Friday evening and a whole weekend. 

Closing her eyes, setting her jaw, she comes to the elevator, her hand just missing the button in her haste. The faint, slightly-off-pitch ding from the door opening forces her eyes open again, and truly, she’d rather just close them again and wait for the next one than get in. 

Right in front of her, eyes widening a fraction in surprise before narrowing ever so slightly, is who she considers might the actual devil himself.

Peter Parker stares at her a moment before quickly ripping his gaze away. “Evening, Ms. Jones.” He says, mostly out of what she assumes is an attempt at being polite, as he stares down at his shoes.

She decides it’s not worth waiting, wanting to just go home and get this damn article over with so she can go on to write the next. And the next. And the next. 

“Evening,” she replies with a curt nod, responding not because she wants the last word—it’s nothing like that at all—but simply out of the desire not to be perceived as rude. 

He stands there, shifting on his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see his thumb tapping rhythmically against the strap of his messenger bag as he glances up at the ceiling. It’s something so quiet, yet as far as she’s concerned, it brings the same effect as nails on a chalkboard to her ears. 

“Heading home?” He asks after a crushing beat, starting to reach for the buttons along the wall to close the door.

“Yep,” Is her one word reply, and she leaves it at that, emphasizing the p with a final pop. 

Michelle doesn’t hear any response, and sees him give a single nod when she passes a fleeting side-eyed glance. They both stare straight ahead as the doors close in front of them. The elevator kicks to life, beginning the long downward descent to the ground floor. Peter clears his throat, once again a noise that grates on her ears. 

The air in the small box is thick. Heavy. Though she can’t see his face, and though he may try and hide it behind a forced smile, she knows the same disdain is there. And how could it not be? He’s clearly friends with the man she’s been writing about, being his photographer and what not, and it would explain the withering glares he throws at her after each new article is released when he thinks she’s not looking. 

It’s not as if she’s watching him, though. It’s nothing like that. She’s merely being observant. 

And besides, she couldn’t care less how he actually feels about her behind the heated stares and the dramatic clenches of his jaw. It’s not her problem. It’s not something she needs to concern herself with. 

Peter Parker is the least of her worries. 

In her peripheral vision, she sees him rock back on his heels, looking down at his watch. He blows out a harsh puff of air, shaking his head. 

God, he’s thinking so loud, she wishes she could tell him to shut the hell up. 

“Got a long weekend?” He asks out of the blue, shattering the brick wall of silence between them. There’s a slight pointedness to his question, and she swears there’s a hint of humor in his tone as if he knows all about this assignment she’s just been given. He knows damn well that he’s the reason she’s so miserable. 

For a moment, she doesn’t answer. Perhaps she can pretend she hasn’t heard him. “Nope.” Again, she gives the single-word answer, nothing more. His attempt at conversation just to seem polite is laughable. 

Whether or not he’s satisfied with her answer, she doesn’t bother finding out, and she doesn’t care. The door opens with another ding, and she’s out before he can make any other sad attempt. 

--

“Okay, Grumpy,” Ned says as he passes a beer to his best friend across the table. 

Peter looks up at him, his lips pulled into a frown. “Grumpy? What are you talking about?”

“We’re really gonna do this right now?” 

“Do what?” Peter’s brow pinches together as his head jerks back in surprise. “I’m fine.”

Ned gives him a pointed look. 

A beat passes before Peter finally relents, sinking back against the booth in the crowded bar. “It’s Michelle. From work.”

“I’m aware of who Michelle is, yes,” Ned gives a slow nod. 

Peter shakes his head, leaning forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “It’s just—I know she’s writing another article about me—about Spider-Man. And I guess I get that it’s her job and all, but… You’d think she’d turn it down after the first dozen, you know? Like, yeah, we get it. New York gets it. Spidey’s a menace. All the help he does actually causes a lot of damage. Sure, I could probably stop giving Jameson the pictures, but... I need this job. And... And I don’t think that’d actually help.” 

Ned nods slowly, listening to his friend rant. 

“And—and, yeah, maybe she’s writing all this shit to please Jameson, and maybe she doesn’t actually believe anything she writes but… why keep doing it?”

“Maybe he won’t let her?” Ned suggests. 

“Nah.” Peter waves that idea off. “Jameson worships the ground she walks on. She can do no wrong in his eyes apparently. Meanwhile, I give him amazing shots of Spider-Man that he can just have her completely shit on, and I do it all without complaining.”

Again, Ned gives him a pointed, questioning look.

“This is different!”

“Uh-huh.” Ned’s lips press together into a thin line as he stares at his beer in contemplation. Finally, after a moment, he speaks. “Did you ever think about… asking her to stop writing them?”

Peter frowns, brow furrowing. “Asking her? Absolutely not. She’d say no. No—she wouldn’t even let me ask. She seems to hate me for some reason? Like—” He pauses, taking a breath. “Today. In the elevator. I was trying to be nice to her. Trying to be polite. I tried to make conversation with her and she just blew me off.” He scoffs, taking a swig of his beer. “And besides, if I ask her to stop writing those articles about Spider-Man, she’s gonna find out I’m Spider-Man.”

Ned purses his lips, nodding solemnly. “I mean,” he takes a drink of his beer. “Maybe if she didn’t hate you, you could ask.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know why she hates me. That’s the problem.”

“Dude, I doubt you’ll ever find out why if you don’t talk to her.”

“Did you not hear me?” Peter asks, exasperated. “I tried talking to her.”

“Well, maybe don’t start with talking,” Ned continues. “If she hates your guts like you say she does, you can’t just walk up to her all ‘oh, hi Ms. Jones! How’s your day?’” Ned shrugs. “I guess what I’m saying is… just be… friendly? Be yourself. Don’t… try so hard. To her, it’s probably coming across as fake.”

Peter sits back again, mouth set in deep thought. 

“You’re a great guy, Peter,” Ned says genuinely. “And my best friend. She’ll see that if you just… don’t be a dick.”

At that, Peter laughs for the first time that night. “Thanks, Ned.” In spite of his sour mood, the small grin that forms on his face stays. 

“No problem, man,” Ned shrugs. “So, movies this weekend…”

As Ned continues, Peter picks at his thumb, twiddling his fingers, contemplating. As much as he hates to admit it, his best friend is right. He’s not going to get anywhere with Michelle if she keeps hating him, and even if he might not understand why, he needs to at least make an effort to not fuel that fire with whatever the hell he does that bothers her. 

No, if he wants those articles of Spider-Man to stop one) he should stop supplying pictures for Jameson and maybe try something else, and two) become friends with her and just ask. He knows it’s not going to be easy, but at this point, he’s willing to try anything. 

And as his friend is talking, he can see the memory from earlier today, the one of her steely glare that she thought he couldn’t see as she stormed out of the elevator. The way her eyes had made his stomach turn and flip, his face growing unbearably hot. 

God, this is gonna be hard. 

--

Michelle can barely hear Betty’s voice from the kitchen asking whether or not she wanted the chardonnay or the riesling over the sound of her furious typing. It’s been only three hours since she got home, and she’s already flying through this article. 

Truly, it’s not difficult writing, the scathing libel. It takes skill, sure, but this has never felt like something she put one-hundred percent into. Though, now, as she’s begun to run out of different insults and turns of phrase to throw at this hero, she’s beginning to reconsider her original judgement. 

“Here.”

Betty’s voice suddenly close by—accompanied by the sound of a wine glass clacking onto the coffee table—startles her out of her writing trance. 

“Got you the riesling.” Betty throws a soft smile before sitting herself on the other side of the couch. 

Michelle returns the expression, though it takes some effort, before reaching for her drink. “Thanks,” she mutters before taking a sip.

“Anytime,” Betty grins again. “Jameson got you writing another one?”

Michelle glances down at her laptop before running a stressed hand through her hair. “Yeah. Yeah he is.” 

“Did you—”

“—Yes. I asked him. Again. Today.” Michelle answers before Betty can even finish the question. “And, as usual. He said no. Apparently, the internet doesn’t care about things that are actually important.”

Betty cringes, pulling her legs up under her. “Sorry.”

Michelle lets out a half-hearted laugh. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not. But what’s one more, right?” She shrugs. “At this point, I’d have to find something bigger than Spider-Man to get the masses all up in arms.”

Betty weighs that statement, squinting one eye. “What’s bigger than Spider-Man?”

“The Avengers, probably,” Michelle answers easily. “I don’t know. Jameson really hates Spider-Man. Like really hates him. Probably more than he hates his wife, I’m guessing. If I wanna stop writing about Spider-Man, I have to write the most sensational, stupid, dramatic article ever written.”

At that, Betty gives a half-smile, before her eyes go wide, a light bulb appearing above her head. 

“What?” Michelle asks warily. 

“What if you found out who he really is?”

“Who? Spider-Man?”

“Spider-Man.”

It’s Michelle’s turn to be skeptical. “You really think I can figure that out?”

Betty gives her a deadpan stare. “Please, you know you can.”

Michelle looks down at her hands. “I mean, yeah. I probably could. Eventually. But—” She tilts her head from side to side. She opens her mouth to continue before clamping her mouth shut, sitting straight up. “Peter Parker knows Spider-Man.”

“Yeah, he’s the guy who gets all the pictures, right?”

“Right.” Michelle puts her laptop on the couch, standing up slowly. “If I can get him to introduce me, and then interview Spidey, I could definitely figure it out.”

“But you guys hate each other,” Betty points out.

“Well… Yeah, but—” Michelle starts pacing. “Maybe if I were friends with him, or like… just vaguely rude acquaintances that are on relatively good terms, then maybe—maybe it could work?”

Betty’s lips twist thoughtfully as she watches her friend. “I mean, maybe. But MJ—” she cuts herself off. “If you’re gonna try and be friends with him…” She pauses. “You’re gonna have to be nice to him.” 

Michelle stares, deadpan, at her friend, unimpressed with the light teasing. “Yeah. I know. But—” She sighs. “It’s not permanent. As soon as I get that interview, we can go back to hating each other. It’s perfect.”

If all it took was being nice and polite, genuinely, then Michelle could certainly do it. No problem. She’ll kick this off right. She’ll show up at his office on Monday with coffee after she turns in this next article, they’ll talk things out, it’ll be great. Fast friends. 

Or, as she’d much prefer, vaguely rude acquaintances that are on relatively good terms. 

No, this wasn’t as hard as Betty was making it out to be. Michelle could be mature. She could make and enemy into a friend. Plus, she’s seen Peter when he’s not interacting with her. He smiles a lot, and when he laughs, the corners of his eyes wrinkle warmly. He’s always happy to joke with other coworkers. Always helping out with other projects.

Just a few things she’s observed about him. 

Other than him being an absolute dick. 

“You really think it’ll be that easy?” Betty asks, eyebrows raised skeptically. 

Michelle smirks, taking her wine glass in hand and taking a slow sip. 

“I really do.”

#spideychelle #spideychelleweek2k20 #peter parker #michelle jones #enemies to lovers #fic #multi-chap

[catlynhoss05]

My Blonde Beauty

Ch. 1: Like A Rodeo

(Link is to a picture of what the reader's eye's look like)

Pairing: Jethro Gibbs x fem!reader & fem!reader x mother!Reba

*not my gif*

Set in season 8 (yes I know, Emily Fornell doesn't show up until probably season 11, but I really don't care)

Summary: Gibbs is in for a big surprise when he meets a beautiful famous singer and falls in love with her.

   Jethro was weaving through the crowd with his hand on Emily's head. He didn't want to risk losing her in the mess of people. He had decided to take Emily to a rodeo that was in town. Because he knew that one of her favorite singers was singing the National Anthem and was going to ride a bull and a few other events. Also, Jethro had figured that she would love to meet her.

   He quickly finds them a seat in the front row to escape the crowd. Jethro had chosen the seats that they got because he wanted Emily to have a perfect view of the rodeo and of the singer, of course. Once the rodeo announcer's voice came over the speakers, everyone had taken their seats and quieted down. "Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and remove your hats for the National Anthem." The crowd stood for the National Anthem. A young woman in a red plaid shirt, light blue boot cut jeans, brown pointed toe cowboy boots and red chaps had stepped out into the arena and started to sing. Jethro felt his chest tighten, but not how it normally did when he heard the song. Wow, she's amazing. Jethro had thought to himself.

   After the song was over, the young woman had made her way out of the arena to go and get her horse ready for the barrel racing and the roping events. When it was her turn for both events, she had gotten perfect scores for both. Jethro and Emily were both in complete shock after watching both of the events. When it came to the bull riding event, Jethro was left taken aback from this gorgeous woman's bravery. "Isn't she amazing, Uncle Gibbs?" Emily asked with a wide smile as they made their way over to where the young woman was doing autographs and taking pictures with some fans at an entrance into the arena.

   "Yeah, she is. She's very talented and very brave." Jethro smiled down at Emily as they waited in line. As they were the next ones in line for a meet and greet, Emily was getting even more excited with each passing second. Emily's finally going to meet one of her absolute favorite singers, (y/F/n) McEntire. When it was their turn to meet her, Emily was ecstatic to finally meet her. "Hi." Emily couldn't get anything else out but a greeting.

   "Hi. How are y'all doin'?" (Y/N) asked with a bright smile as she signed a picture for the girl. "We're doing great. You're amazing and very brave to get on that bull." Emily said. "Well, thank you. You're too sweet. I had actually grown up around all this stuff and on a farm in Oklahoma. Ya know, you have beautiful red hair like my mama." (Y/N) smiled as she handed the girl the signed picture. She looked over at Gibbs and winked at him, making his cheeks go pink. "Who's your mom?" Emily wondered. "Reba McEntire. She had adopted me when I was 2 years old after my parents had passed away." (Y/N) said as she made full eye contact with Jethro for the first time. Jethro could get completely lost in (Y/N)'s gorgeous deep blue eyes for forever if he could.

   "Hi. You must be in charge of this beautiful young lady." (Y/N) smiled brightly at Jethro. He's completely lost in her eyes before he finally realized that she had said something to him. "I'm so sorry. Yes, I am. I've been close friends with her parents. I guess I'm like an uncle to her. Jethro Gibbs." He said, extending his hand out to her that she gladly accepts. Emily elbows him lightly to try and get him to ask (Y/N) out on a date. Emily rolls her eyes at him when he gives her a confused look.

   "My uncle here would like to ask you if you would like to go on a date with him." Emily said, causing Jethro to blush deeply. "That's probably the nicest way I've ever been asked out." (Y/N) laughed a bit, taking a pen and writing her number on the back of Jethro's hand. "Is that really the nicest way someone has asked you out?" Jethro asked as he watched her write her number on his hand. He couldn't help but enjoy the way (Y/N)'s hands felt on his. "Yes, really. There you go. It was nice to meet you both, but I gotta get goin'. Call me sometime." (Y/N) kissed Jethro's cheek and winked at Emily before running off.

   When Friday morning had come around for Jethro and his team, there were no new cases for them to solve. The whole day consisted of paperwork for the whole team. All morning, Jethro couldn't help but think of the beautiful woman that he had the pleasure of meeting the previous night. The way her long blonde hair fell perfectly around her face that was up in a gorgeous French braid just moments before. The way her stunning blue eyes sparkled in the overhead lights and the way she smiled at him. Around noon, Jethro had decided to go call (Y/N) and to her out on that date.

   "Hello?" (Y/N) answered her phone on the second ring. "(Y/N)? It's Jethro Gibbs." He said with a smile on his face. "Hey, Jethro. What's up?" She asked sweetly. "I was calling to see if you would like to go on that date with me. There's this nice little diner near here that has really good food." Jethro said as he looked around to make sure that none of his agents were around. Especially Tony DiNozzo. Jethro likes to keep his personal life, well, personal and away from the office. "I would absolutely love to, Jethro. How about tonight at 7 o'clock?" (Y/N) asked. "Yeah, that sounds great. Where are you staying at so I can pick you up?" Jethro wondered. "I'm staying at the Adam's House Hotel." She replied. "Alright, sounds great. I'll see you tonight at 7 o'clock." Jethro smiled into the phone. "Alright, I'll see you tonight. Bye, Jethro." (Y/N) said and hung up. Jethro smiled, pocketed his phone and went back to work.

   When Jethro walked back into the bullpen and back to his desk, the other three agents noticed the smile on his face that he was trying to hide. "What was that about, boss? Do we have a case?" Tony asked. "No case and it's none of your business, DiNozzo. Get back to work." Jethro orders. For the rest of the day, Jethro had a smile plastered on his face and was in a relatively good mood. Ziva knew exactly why Jethro was in such a good mood and why he was smiling when he returned back into the bullpen.

   Tony and McGee kept looking up at their boss every few seconds to make sure that he was alright. When 5 o'clock came around, Jethro didn't hesitate to leave work on time to get ready for his date. "Have a nice weekend. See you guys on Monday." Jethro said as he made his way to the elevator. Tony and McGee looked at each other confused. "Ziva. Do you know what that was all about?" Tony asked as they all packed up their stuff.

   "Yes, but I'm not telling either of you." Ziva glares at the 2 men. Tony frowns at the response. He turns to his partner in mischief; McGee. "Well, McGee. Looks like it's time for a steak out." McGee looks incredulous. "Tony, he'll kill us both if he finds us following him." McGee tries to reason with Tony. "Let's just go ask Abby to see if she knows anything." Tim suggests. "Ask if she knows about what?" Abby said as she walked into the bullpen.

   "Do you know what's going on with Gibbs? He's been smiling since he made a phone call at lunch, been in a very good mood and just left on time for once." Tony explained with a questionable look on his face. "Woah, that is weird. But, all I know is that Gibbs had taken Emily to the rodeo that was in town last night. And, if he has met someone, he will tell us when he's ready. So, c'mon boys and Ziva. Let's go home." Abby said as they all walked to the elevator to go home.

   On his way home, Jethro stops by the store to pick up a bouquet of beautiful red roses. Jethro got back to his house. 'It's been a while since I've been on a date with a woman. I don't even wear cologne.' He thought to himself. He quickly gets cleaned up and changes into nice, clean clothes and tries to fix his hair a little bit. He grabs the bouquet of roses, leaves his house and makes his way to the Adam's House Hotel. As Jethro arrives at the hotel, he parks his truck, grabs the flowers and makes his way into the hotel.

   As Jethro made his way into the hotel lobby, he saw the beautiful woman that he met the night before, sitting comfortably on the couch. She was wearing a nice black plaid shirt, blue bootcut jeans and her black pointed toe cowboy boots. 'Man, she's absolutely gorgeous.' Jethro thought to himself. (Y/n) looked up from where she was sitting on the couch, making eye contact with the handsome man she had met at the rodeo. She stood up and made her way to him as he was making his way to her as well. Jethro couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face as he approached (y/n).

   "Hey, (y/n). You look absolutely…… amazing." Jethro said as he hugged her close. "Well thank you, Jethro. You look absolutely ravishing." (Y/n) smiled one of those million dollar smiles. "These are for you." Jethro said nervously, handing her the bouquet of roses. "Aw, thank you. That's so sweet of you and how'd you know that roses are my favorite?" She asked, a light blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Just a lucky guess, I suppose. Are you ready to go on our date?" Jethro asked, offering her his arm. "Yes, I am. Such a gentleman." She smiled. "I try. Especially for someone as gorgeous as yourself." Jethro smooth talked as he opened the passenger side door of his truck for her.

   As Jethro pulled out of the hotel's parking lot, he glanced over at (y/n), who was looking out the window and checking out D.C.. As she turned back around to face forward, she smiled as she felt him glance at her a couple times. "So, what do you do for a living?" (Y/n) asked. "I'm a Federal Agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or NCIS for short. We investigate crimes against the Navy and Marine Corps and their families." Jethro explains. "That's amazing. You're a Marine, correct? Well, veteran." She asked. "Yes ma'am. Once a Marine-" "Always a Marine." She finished. Jethro's amazed by her. After talking for a bit, Jethro turns on the radio and the first song that's being played is her song called 'Vandalized'.

   "Hey. It's one of my songs. 'If I was a wall, you'd take a can, And spray paint, paint all over this man.' (Y/n) started to sing and Jethro was in complete 'awe' of her. She looked over at him as he pulled into the parking lot of the diner. "What?" She asked with a sly smirk as Jethro parked the truck. "What?" He asked, confused. "You just looked like you were about to say something. That's all." She takes her seatbelt off and he does the same. "I was just amazed to hear you sing. You have a beautiful voice and you're amazing. And, not just at singing." He winked at her as they got out of the truck and headed into the diner.

   As Jethro and (y/n) enter the diner, (y/n)'s a bit surprised that she's not getting bombarded by fans. Jethro had made a call to the diner saying how he wanted to make this date as 'normal' for (y/n) as he could. Jethro wanted to give (y/n) the experience of a life outside of fame. Even if it was only for an evening. He escorted her to an empty booth by the windows. "This diner is nice, Jethro. I love the feeling it gives." (Y/n) said, smiling shyly. "I'm glad you like it here." Jethro chuckled. The nice waitress behind the counter came over to their table.

   "Hi. How are you two doing tonight? May I start you two off with some drinks?" The waitress asked nicely "I'll take a coffee." Jethro smiled. "I'll take a coke and a small packet of peanuts if you have any." (Y/n) said nervously. "Yes, ma'am. I'll be back with your drinks." The waitress smiled kindly, making her way back to the counter. "What!? You'd be surprised with the things that I grew up with. Especially some of the foods." (Y/n) giggled. "Really? What kind of foods did you grow up with?" Jethro asked with a smirk. "Have ya ever heard of mountain oysters?" (Y/n) asked as the waitress, Elaine, came back with their drinks.

   "Here's your coffee and here's your coke and peanuts. Have you two decided on what you want yet?" Elaine asked with a bright smile. "I'll take the usual, please." Jethro smiles. "And for you, miss?" Elaine asked kindly. "I'll just take a cheeseburger and some home fries, please." (Y/n) said politely, with a gentle smile. "Alright. I'll put these orders in for you two and I'll be back." "Thank you, Elaine." Jethro smiled. He turned his attention back to (y/n) and gave her a content smile. "A cheeseburger on the first date. That's something a bit different than I normally see women order."

   (Y/n) took a drink of her coke and peanuts before responding. "Lemme guess. They'd normally order a salad on the first date." (Y/n) chuckled. "Usually, but not always." "Well, I usually don't go on many dates. But when I do, I normally order a salad when I know that I won't be seeing that person again." (Y/n) chuckled nervously. Jethro leaned forward, resting his elbows onto the table and taking one of (y/n)'s hands in his. "Do you really want to see me again after tonight?" Jethro asked cautiously. (Y/n) gave him a promising smile and a slight nod. "Yes, of course. Only if you're wanting to see me after tonight as well. And, if you would be willing to experience a busy schedule like mine." (Y/n) bit her lip and had the look of hope in her eyes.

   "I'm glad you said that because I'd like to see you more after tonight as well." Jethro smiled. After Elaine brings their food out, Jethro and (y/n) get lost in conversation while enjoying their food. Jethro asked (y/n) about her childhood and what it was like to grow up in Oklahoma. (Y/n) asked him about his life before joining the Marines and about Stillwater, Virginia. When they finished their food, Jethro was about to grab the check when (y/n) snatched it out of his hand. "Jethro, you drove. Please, lemme get this. It's the least I could do." (Y/n) said with a smile. "Alright. But, only if you'll tell me what mountain oysters are." Jethro chuckled. (Y/n) leaned forward so that no one else could hear her besides Jethro. "Mountain Oysters are actually made from bull testicles." (Y/n) whispered, then standing up and making her way over to the register to pay.

   After paying the check, (y/n) came back over to where Jethro was sitting, staring wide-eyed at the table in front of him. "Jethro, are you okay? Sweetheart, please blink." (Y/n) sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulder. "Huh. Oh, yeah I'm good. Are you ready to go?" He asked. "Yes, I am." (Y/n) stood back up and offered her hand to Jethro, who gladly accepted her hand. As they make their way back to Jethro's truck hand in hand, (y/n) noticed a camera flash from the bushes. "Jethro, run. Run to the truck. There's paparazzi." (Y/n) ordered, not wanting to have Jethro experience what paparazzi is like. They both sprint to his truck, he has her get into the truck through his side and he jumps into the truck after her. He then quickly, but carefully drives off.

   "I am so, so sorry Jethro. I was really hoping there wouldn't be any paparazzi around. I don't even know how they knew where I was." (Y/n) said embarrassed, as she sat in the passenger seat. "Hey, it's alright. It's all part of the job, right?" Jethro soothed, giving her a small smile. "I just didn't want to make you uneasy with all of the cameras and flashing lights. I would understand if you changed your mind about wanting to see me again after what just happened." (Y/n) said, looking down at her hands. Jethro reached over and took her hand in his. She looked over at him a bit confused. "(Y/n), I don't care about the paparazzi, or the cameras and flashing lights. Or, about the busy schedules. I still want to see you after tonight and take you on more dates. I want to meet your friends and family. (Y/n), I want you. I want to be with you." Jethro reassured her. (Y/n) smiled at Jethro. She let go of his hand, unbuckled herself and slid over into the middle seat. She took Jethro's right arm, put it around her shoulders and leaned a bit into his side as they made their way back to the hotel.

@garcia-reid-lovechild

#leroy jethro gibbs fanfic #jethro gibbs x reader

[raksh-writes]

I wanna writeeeeeeeeee, my arms are alright, they're not hurting me today, I wanna write my fiiiics T^T But my sense of responsibility is holding me back, cause Im internaly screaming at myself that if I want to touch my keyboard it needs to be for my thesis. At least until I finish this next part, then I could... maybe.... take a small detour for my fics... maybe.....possibly........

Tho, I guess, still being sick makes all this irrelevant, my brain's still a mush pretty much and I cant focus properly xd Ughhh

But I wanna writeeeeeeeeee

T^T

#personal #Raksh posts #Raksh's writing ramblings #Im not actually heavily sick? #its mostly a low fever #its not even high #but it makes me super tired and fuzzy-brained #so I cant focus on anything that needs brain power xd #I guess being overall exhausted by the last week doesnt help too #but Im hopefully I'll be better by the weekend and manage to finish this chap of my thesis #then I can have a lil writing #as a treat xd #before I force myself to sit with the third part for as slong as it takes to write the whole thing xd #Im starting to feel bad about cutting myself off from everything for the week xd #but well Im gonna be back to it next week #sometimes you gotta to what you gotta do right xd #nees to get back to doing some yoga too #my left hip is bothering me again aftering being so still for a week xd gotta stretch it out #y'all do you have any idea how many things I thought up this week xd #for both my Beauty and the Beast AU aaaand possibly a LitA sequel??? who knows ;p #maybe I just jot down some hmmmmmm tho I'll prob get sucked into reading another fic xD #anyway this a lil update and me blabbering nonsesne too ;p #but Im feeling better! ^^ #hope y'all are well out there ❤

[arigatouiris]

the tinder date // shinshou hitoshi

Author’s Note: I am in LOVE with @myherowritings​ ‘You Suck at Gaming’ so I wanted to do something in appreciation, albeit a bit differently! So, this happened to me irl haha so I wanted to write about it~ I turned the real guy into Shinsou so that no one would know hahahaha I’m such a creep oh my god 

Word count: 3046

Pairing: Modern! Shinsou Hitoshi x Reader

Warnings: fluff, humor, smau 

❝

You never really wanted to use Tinder to meet new people, but ever since a terrible breakup, your friends, your classmates, your goddamn mind told you that you needed a push and maybe, just maybe, Tinder might do good. 

You weren’t a fan of the idea of meeting people using an app, which honestly, came across the same as buying groceries where some things were available and some things weren’t—you believed you couldn’t do that with people, and you believed with all your heart that people weren’t meant to be either swiped right on or swiped left on. Your heart was already weak as it was, and there was no way you were ready to emotionally invest in something real; at least for the time being.

So that lonely Friday night, you downloaded the app, created your profile, chose the perfect bio after 14 attempts at writing something about yourself, each time forgetting a vital piece of information. You didn’t start swiping right away, something about the process scared you—but there you were, mentally preparing yourself, telling yourself that it was okay, you were going to meet people on these dates and maybe, the app might be good for you, after all. 

You have heard success stories of people meeting via Tinder and having a great relationship and all that; some even find their best friends on the app, which is weird despite the social stigma attached to an app like Tinder. Some of your friends even know people who have gotten married and that’s the tea. You were not ready for either of those, maybe you’d get some coffee with a cute chap and maybe, just maybe, hold hands.

Alright, fine, make out or whatever.

But the prospect felt so wrong, you didn’t know what you would do if he turned out to be a creep. So, bucking it all up, swallowing your pride or what was left of it, you started to look at the men Tinder presented to you.

The very first picture was of a boy whose face revolted you—and if you thought that sounded rude, wait until you start complaining about the grapes he had for hair. 

The second boy was decent, but you were not going for decent on this app. You wanted something written on the bio—something that they were willing to communicate with, something you could identify with, something you can vibe with; and if you didn’t find anything like that, despite how cute the guy can be, you are swiping left on that ass.

It was after what felt like a thousand left swipes did you find someone a least bit attractive. But, you blinked—there was an odd feature under his profile; it was marked blue with a star.

Immediately opening WhatsApp, you texted your friend, Ochako, asking her what it was. Ochako being Ochako instantly called you.

     “Someone super liked you in less than an hour!?”

What in the world was a ‘super like’?

     “Ocha-chan, what’s a ‘super like?’” You rubbed your eyeball as you continued, “And what does it have to do with the fact that I’ve been on this app for less than an hour—”

     “Most super likes are usually done by creeps,” Uraraka didn’t hold back, “But sometimes, if someone really finds you attractive or interesting, you get a super like from a very decent guy. I heard one of my classmate’s brother’s friends met his boyfriend via the ‘super like’ feature!”

     “Y-Yeah, I’m not... I’m not looking for—”

     “It just means that whoever this person is, finds you interesting! So go through his profile and let me know what you think!”

You ended the call right then before going back on the app, finding his profile still open. You wouldn’t lie, he was very attractive—not in the way most people would flaunt over, but you couldn’t take your eyes off him. There was something about the way he was lazily smiling at the camera, or how the light fell on his lavender hair, or how he looked so unapologetically as himself. You then went on to read his bio.

If you matched not to start a conversation, then don’t swipe right. Being left alone is easy. 

It wasn’t all of the bio but this part of the bio somehow stuck to you. It was incredibly honest—and wasn’t the usual ‘interested in trekking’ or fancy words like ‘selenophile’ (words that you had to google basically). You noticed that in one of his pictures, he had a tattoo—of a particular animal but it was so minimalistic you could barely recognize it from the odd angle in the picture.

You swiped right and the pop up appeared ‘It’s a Match!’. Your heart skipped a beat for god knows what and you gulped, wondering what would come next. You didn’t even hold back before looking at the new chat screen. You gulped before shutting your phone and lying back on your bed, wondering what the ideal time to send him a message would be. 

Swallowing your leftover pride, you opened the chat once more and went ahead with, “Please don’t mind my stalker tendencies, but what is that tattoo on your hand?” You wanted to clarify some more that you were not a stalker, but held back.

You closed the app and felt your stomach grumble. This was the start of something—you were sure of that much, but you weren’t sure of what. And this person, Hitoshi, whose last name you did not know, seemed very interesting.

*

The next morning, you woke up to a Tinder notification. Your stomach flipped as the purple-haired boy’s face was your first thought and you instantly opened the message where he had explained that it was a tattoo of his cat.

Your heart melted at this gesture but you reminded yourself that you didn’t even know this person and there was no use feeling warm over one sentence. But, what came next sent your heart on overdrive.

Your eyes widened as you read the messages one by one,

You closed the app and almost screamed, but held yourself back; you figured this was a bad idea because the sound really needed to come out of you and you squealed like a dying animal just seconds after. You needed to tell someone this, but before that, you had to reply to that. You opened the app again with trembling fingers before figuring out what could be the most appropriate response to something like that.

Haha; No, that’s too lame. 

You’re so funny!; No fucking way! 

Ughh, what do I say? What do I say?! You had reached a slump. You had no words. So, you did what you do best—you went with your gut.

You slapped yourself in the forehead. There was no way you were going to live past this one—

You chuckled. He’s funny. You quickly were about to type a response before he added, “Just wanted to have a good conversation with someone new. Not intending on using this app to fornicate like lonely bunnies.”

You stared at the message before feeling a soft smile crawl on to your features. You felt the same, but this wasn’t supposed to happen, right? You weren’t supposed to agree with whatever a random Tinder match was saying, right? It wasn’t supposed to be this easy.

You replied, Same. Intending on great conversations because somehow, that’s taken the backseat these days.

No one really talks anymore, you thought before waiting for his reply. You didn’t know where this conversation would go, really, but you were intending on finding out. You never really chatted with anyone on Tinder before but you were curious as to why he super-liked you, and what this person had in store for you. It was strange, but you enjoyed this feeling. It wasn’t a crush, it had no expectations attached to it—yet, there was a fresh excitement bubbling in your stomach at the mere thought of some stranger talking to you.

You and Hitoshi kept chatting during random points of the day. You’d be cooking for yourself (since it was a weekend), or you’d be taking a dump or you’d try to take a nap—and a simple ping would send your heart to the skies. You didn’t know him for that long, it had been less than a whole day since you two matched, but somehow, talking to him about random things really helped keep your spirits high. You felt genuinely happy—and the excitement kept you going.

You stared at the conversation and wondered why it wasn’t as easy with people you really did know in life. You wondered why people didn’t have time for conversation unless it’s a stranger—isn’t that the entire point of it all? To talk, to spread joy, to ponder on life’s meaninglessness together?

You blinked. Boarding a flight? To where? You wanted to ask, but you really didn’t want to come across as some prying clingy individual. You were curious though.

Oh! Where to?

You hoped that the message sounded less inquisitive and more cheerful for god knows what reason.

Going to Reykjavik for a week. Always wanted to see the lights.

He’s going to... ICELAND?! You felt strangely excited and disappointed, but the fact that he had no obligation to meet you stung.

However—

Your heart shot to the skies. You wanted to respond immediately, but you held back. Clearing your throat, you replied earnestly.

Sure. Looking forward to it! 

And that was that.

*

You never knew how well you could jump to overthinking, especially when it came to strangers. You knew Hitoshi (whatever his last name was) was in Iceland right now, and that only meant that considering the time differences, there would be little to no text messages.

What you didn’t understand was why you got no notifications in three days. A suspicious thing, because Tinder usually throws a thousand notifications at you especially when you don’t want to check them. So, being the inquisitive little cat that you are, you opened the app. Only to find that your account on Tinder is banned.

     “What...” You blinked a couple of times before closing the app and opening it again, “What the fuck!?”

You didn’t know what to do at this point. How could it have been banned? There were no ill comments, no ugly or obscene photographs of you from your end, then why did Tinder ban your account?

You went through the community guidelines and found nothing. Your heart was breaking—Hitoshi must have thought you unmatched him (Ochaco once told you that if you unmatch someone’s profile, they won’t see your chats anymore). You couldn’t even log in, you couldn’t even let him know that it was Tinder cockblocking you and not you being an idiot. Oh, god, why!? You screamed into your pillow, wondering how this could have happened before calling Ochako to help calm you down.

     “How the hell can they ban you?” She asked, causing you to roll your eyes.

     “If I knew that then I would have done something else, Ocha-chan!”

     “Okay, okay. So let’s do this. Find him on Facebook and send him a message saying Tinder banned you. It has to be a bug from their end. I’ve read that it happens to a lot of random profiles.”

You blinked. Really? Or was she simply just trying to pacify you? You didn’t care, you needed the pacifying.

     “But, I don’t know his surname...”

     “(y/n)-chan,” Ochako took a deep breath, “You spoke to him for two days and you didn’t take his surname!?”

You undermined yourself pretty hard in the past, but right now, it had reached the pinnacle of it all. You felt low, you had lost the prospect of not only great conversations but a cute boy who even asked you out.

     “Try finding him on LinkedIn.” Ochako said, and you blinked.

     “LinkedIn?”

You could practically hear her nod, “Yeah. Just type in his workplace or education, whatever you remember from the Tinder app, and his first name. It should show you a result that matches.”

You couldn’t wait to try. You opened your laptop, while Ochako was on call, and did exactly as she told you. You typed in ‘Hitoshi’ and then his workplace, some gaming studio—for the life of you you couldn’t pronounce it, and your eyes widened. The first result was ‘Shinsou Hitoshi’.

     “Oh my God,” You gasped, “I found him!”

Ochako giggled, “Is it really him?”

     “I’d really not mistake that face anywhere, Ocha-chan! You’re a genius!”

     “Of course,” She said, giggling, “Send him a message then!”

Doubt said hello a second after, “But what if he thinks I’m some stalker?”

     “Tell him your account got banned. Just be honest. He might even appreciate the effort.”

You weren’t too sure about that, actually. Your hand ghosted over his profile before attempting to send a message; but, apparently, LinkedIn wouldn’t let you send a message to someone new—someone you didn’t already have any connections with. When you mentioned this to Ochako, you wondered if you were the stalker or if she was.

     “He’s on Facebook, (y/n)-chan. Just go for it!”

You gulped before opening Facebook, wondering all the while if this was entirely normal for anyone to do for a Tinder date, before typing in his name. It was the same picture he had put of himself on Tinder, and you gulped, unsure of what to send. Again, you did what you do best—went with your gut.

Hey! This is (y/n), from Tinder. So long story short, my account got banned and idek why. I just wanted to let you know that I didn’t unmatch/ghost you. I didn’t want to leave you hanging so I turned into an interim stalker to let know you this. Is there any way we can contact each other besides Tinder?

You breathed slowly, as slowly as you possibly could. You could feel a weird numbness asphyxiating you, unaware of how to proceed or what would happen next. You shut your eyes and released a breath, before falling back on the bed.

     “What’s wrong?” You could hear the worry in Ochako’s voice.

     “I don’t know...” Nothing made sense anymore.

Did you like Shinsou? You weren’t sure—but what you were sure of was how little you knew him. Was that enough? Was the fact that you had never met come into play here? Just because the conversation was easy? Or was it merely the idea of meeting someone through a dating app? You couldn’t like him. Maybe, it was a crush.

But, can you have a crush on someone you didn’t even know?

You heard a ping and you felt that familiar stomach flipping sensation you knew so well in school. You never realized how much that feeling was missed ever since you grew up.

You were quite practically rolling and squealing at the same time. Ochako joined you, not knowing what the reply was but she was merely just happy for you. 

     “He replied!”

     “In like ten minutes! So fast!”

You didn’t know how he could reply, considering the time difference and everything, but that didn’t matter. He had given you his number, and you were going to text him and that was that. 

     “So, should I text him now?”

Ochako hummed, “Not now. Wait till the morning.”

So, you waited until the next morning. As soon as you woke up, you remembered the details Ochako had given you and you carefully composed a message in your head. Saving the number into your contacts, you tried to send him a message—but it failed.

Heh? You thought before trying again, with each attempt failing each time. You felt nervous, wondering if something was wrong with your phone, before realizing you were late for work. 

Ugh, you thought before sending him another message, not bothered to tell Ochako about this.

Hey, so I can’t seem to send you a message, why don’t you ping me instead? It’s xy-xyx-xxxxx. 

As soon as you reached work, you forgot entirely that you had even sent him that message. For some reason, your manager seemed to know you had other things in your mind and was intending on squeezing the life out of you. You had never worked so hard in the entirety of your life but that Thursday, you felt God’s wrath. After 9 hours of painful clock time, you began to head home, feeling incredibly tired and done with everything there was about adulthood.

You checked your phone for the first time in 9 hours and your heart skipped a beat. Shinsou had sent you two messages, one on Facebook—

—and one on WhatsApp.

You freaked before replying to him, apologizing for the wait—apologizing internally a thousand times; and wondered if you’d get a response real quick. Judging from where you were, you realized you needed to get home first.

As soon as you reached home, you threw your bag on the bed and checked your phone again—nothing. You sighed before getting some food, constantly looking over at your phone, wondering what had gotten into you, wondering if you were the only one flipping over a Tinder date like this. You were sure Shinsou wouldn’t be responding the same way; he was in Iceland, he probably wasn’t even thinking of you! And yet, here you were, thinking about him all through your day.

You felt strangely pathetic. Were you so lonely that you couldn’t live without this minor excitement that a random stranger was giving you? It felt so odd.

You spent the next two days, not texting him. You wondered if you were intentionally ghosting him, but he hadn’t texted you either. You felt low, being proven that he had better things to do, but you had gotten your answer. Serves you right that you were excited over someone you didn’t even know. Serves you right for jumping over your head for a Tinder match. 

You sighed before hearing the familiar ‘ping’ of your phone.

You smiled a bit, feeling the sides of your cheek hurt. 

Sure, but won’t you be tired?

It was a second later did Shinsou reply to that. You stared as the conversation rolled on, before knowing for a fact that you weren’t meeting him tomorrow. Maybe on Tuesday? You thought, giving yourself the benefit of the doubt.

His message only proved that he did want to see you. So, that means, you weren’t the only one wanting to see the other person. This being clarified to you made it easier for you to accept your obsession over the purple-haired male, but you had to restrain yourself.

When Tuesday morning rolled by, you were very close to giving up. You texted Ochako all day, asking her if he had given up interest in you or if you were annoying or clingy or desperate and she assured you that you were neither of those things. She told you that you were overthinking, that Shinsou was probably busy, he went back to work after Iceland, so maybe he had a lot to catch up on.

You didn’t know when you took a blow to your confidence, but you had and it bothered you. You wondered if it was alright to test everything on one random Tinder match, but you sighed, giving up the entire thought process. You raged inside your head, but there was very little clarity left. You decided to let the day pass and see if he was going to text you.

He didn’t. 

It ran past 12 p.m. You had lunch on your own, staring at your phone the whole time, wondering if he had forgotten even. You felt your energy reduce in intensity before spamming Ochako about what to do. 

You couldn’t bear the thought of him losing interest in you, and you didn’t know why. He seemed interested, your conversations were really fun—you had a few things in common and he asked you out twice! 

What went wrong? Was he really that busy? Was he bored with you? Was he cat-fishing you?

It was then you saw a message pop in.

Hey, sorry about not texting. I’ve come down with a cold. The date’ll need to wait.

Your heart skipped three beats. You sighed before wondering why you hadn’t thought of the possibility of him being sick. You replied a genuine, ‘take care’, but in your heart—it was as if the universe was saying this wasn’t going to happen. You didn’t bother to see his further replies; you weren’t blaming him for being sick, you were blaming yourself for being so overtly excited by someone you didn’t know.

He’s just a Tinder match, you thought before collapsing on your bed after coming home. 

Ochako called you that night, and you revealed to her in detail about what you were feeling.

     “What’s wrong?”

You sighed, “I'm lonely. And I'm lonely in some horribly deep way and for a flash of an instant, I can see just how lonely, and how deep this feeling runs. And it scares the shit out of me to be this lonely because it seems catastrophic.” 

Ochako was quiet. 

     “Do you think Tinder was a bad idea?”

You scoffed, “It has to be. It just showed me how lonely I am. That’s what these apps do! They show you how pathetic you are, how lonely you are on the inside and it’s just... It just sucks.”

You don’t remember falling asleep that night. It was a Friday, and you knew what work had in store for you. However, you had nothing on your mind—you forced the thought of Shinsou to the back of your mind before walking into work with a clear head. You worked all day, ate lunch alone, worked again—not checking your phone, not bothered to read or be interested in anything remotely online. 

As soon as work was done, from the corner of your eye, you noticed notifications. You shook your head before rushing on home, before realizing you weren’t watching where you were going. 

Your office was on an incredibly important street. Sometimes, you met people you never thought you’d meet—schoolmates, enemies from the past, old teachers. You were thankful that you worked in such a location but sometimes, just sometimes, the fact that you worked on such a busy street proved to be a tad bit too... cliche.

You look up and your eyes met with purple locks and wide black eyes, shocked at seeing your form just as shocked as you were seeing his.

     “(y/n)?”

You blinked, gasped and stood up straight.

     “Did you follow me?”

Shinsou chuckled, “I think this is what they’d call a coincidence.”

Your cheeks suddenly felt warm, and you wondered how in the world he had shown up there before—

—his arm extended forward, a soft smile on his features.

     “Can I take you out for coffee then? You can’t imagine how long I’ve been waiting.”

I can’t imagine? You giggled before shaking his hand, I think I can.

❞

#shinsou x reader #shinsou #shinsou hitoshi #hitoshi shinshou #shinshou bnha #shinshou hitoshi #shinsō hitoshi #mha shinsou #boku no hero academia #boku no hero headcanons #boku no hero fanfic #boku no hero imagines

[spacegaywritings]

Communication of Silence - Chapter 10

Sorry for the late update. The next chap is safe but the one after might have a delay. I will update you. The current situation is causing me a lot of work and issues, so it is struggle time.

Everyone be safe and treat yourself and others with kindness♥

ao3 link! story under the cut.

  The door leaned into its frame and lazily stuck around.

 Dee leaned down to give Virgil’s forehead one last kiss.

 “Be safe. Drive, like, slow or whatever... d-don’t get hurt, okay?”

 She laughed.

She was even more beautiful whenever she laughed.

 “I will be safe and sound. And you will be too. You will go to therapy tomorrow or on Tuesday - otherwise I will cancel.”

 Virgil commented with a scoff and significant eyeroll.

 “Who are you? My sibling?”

 Dee’s deer brown eyes gained another layer of depth and the emo could not help but sigh in defeat. He could feel her

 “Good night, my love. Take care of Patton.”

 Virgil stepped back to support the door in being so close to home and so far from the beauty leaving their proximity.

 “Good night, Dee. Love you. I know.. I will.”

 She smiled at him and disappeared down the staircase, hat covering her head and coat making sure that not too much of her handsome self would be unleashed onto this world all at once.

  He went back inside and told Patton goodnight.

Just thinking about the ginger made Virgil hurt inside.

 This while weekend had been a whole mess of ups and downs.

 Not eating again, passing out on physical exercise and seeing his precious rat and older sibling again.

And having Dee meet the others just felt like the weirdest blur ever.

All in all, it felt.. not that bad.

Well, that was for hid diary to decide.

 He just had to sit down and list all the happy things he had done today and how much he liked. His pages would soak it up and he could make a recap of the week.

 In a few days, he would be old enough to drink alcohol, legally.

It was wild.

Just last year, his life was in shatters and he had tried putting it back together and now he was in a rather stable home and he had a person who respected him and family and friends and even a place where he could study.

 Life really did get better.. somehow..

That was nice to know.

 He smiled when he got back into his and Logan’s shared room.

 “That was certainly something, today”

 Logan greeted him with a voice, more neutral than Switzerland. Even his face looked absolutely untouched, for a sculptor to be sculpted.

The emo cleared his throat and trotted over to his mattress, losing more and more clothing as he progressed.

He was comfortable with taking his jacket off around Logan - or his hoodie in that case.

 The hoodie landed on the mattress first and Virgil groaned as he simply threw himself onto the mattress, shirt coming off and pants half-way following as he lazily wiggled around.

His legs’ movement slowly died down and he commented on it with yet another groan.

 “If you mean something, as in a fuckton of bullshit and feelings, then yeah - you are right.”

 His words came out like spit. It was sudden, forceful and in front of a certain amount of emotions.

A sigh escaped his lips and Logan turned to him, glancing over his roommate’s laying form.

 There was something about Virgil in only shorts.

Logan could see colourful as much as black ink .

 When Virgil drew his hand through his hair, he blinked.

 “Another tattoo? I did not see this one before.”

 The emo curled up and pulled at the clothed he had just shed, forming a little pile of them.

 “Yeah, uh... I ..um”, he started but broke off.

The words were too stubborn to work for him so he simply swung his body back into a sitting position and let his right arm stretch over the edge of Logan’s bed.

 “There you go. If you wanted to see it. I got it this weekend so you could not have seen it before..”, he trailed off and looked at Logan who was adjusting his chair to face Virgil’s body.

He could look at the other without twisting his back in any awkward way, now.

 He could see an arrow, several symbols and words connected by strings and colours.

It mostly looked monochromatic but the emphasis was made with certain accents of different shades of colour from the rainbow.

Enticing.

Logan did enjoy examining tattoos. He found the patterns to be calming and it was fascinating to see what kind of decoration people paid to embed in their skin.

 The meanings.. oh, they were also a good point - considering someone had a deeper motivation behind getting certain motifs.

 “May I ask what this.. foil is?”

 Indeed, as Logan pointed it out, there was some sort of invisible foil strapped over the new design.

 “Ah, yeah. They give you that as protection for the tattoo. It is so the open wound created can, like, heal up without anything getting into it. Others might just instruct you to put some stuff onto it every time the skin is dry. Like, they give you special tattoo lotion that is sort of anti-bacterial or whatever. But with this weird foil uh.. or whatever you wanna call it, you just leave it on and then moisturise three times a day. You keep it on for.. two weeks, I think. Yeah, I think it was one or two. “

 Virgil blinked.

 “I forgot but I put a reminder in my phone so I will not miss it. I just keep forgetting these kidna things, every now and then.”

 He shrugged.

 Logan nodded.

 The invisible patch reminded him of water-proof band-aids. Considering the looks of it, they probably served as something like this.

He had never known about any of these techniques.

 Virgil smiled at the nerd.

His lips hung a bit low despite being curled like a melon slice.

 “Why did you .. I mean, why do you get all these tattoos? Do they mean anything to you or is it just for the aesthetics?”

 The other snorted and leaned back onto his bed.

 “You are funny Logan. You really are.”

 His voice seemed to purr and his words were dancing into Logan’s ears. Sounds were swinging and the fierce smile of his friend was sensually sprawling over the elder student’s vision.

  He cleared his throat.

 “Anyway, this is some kinda sibling bullshit thing. I have been meaning to do that for a while already and finally got to it.”

 Virgil looked down at his arm and played with his dirty laundry.

Just... pushing at his hoodie.

Hey, that one was actually good to wear again at least one or two more times. Hoodies were so hard on catching smells that he loved them even more.

They were the kind of low maintenance clothing he needed in his life.

 “I only recently finished the sketch for it so my sibling went ahead and got it this weekend. I got it the day after so we could go and be there for one another..”, he licked his lips, “you know, sibling shit and all. I kinda fell asleep when I got mine. The vibrations are sort of relaxing and the sound is soothing.”

 Logan chuckled.

 “I never heard of that.”

 The other got up and put on his hoodie again, no shirt for underneath. His boxers got changed and he put his dirty laundry into the nearby basket.

 “Hey Virgil?”

 A hum could be heard.

 The man was fishing inside of his sleepover bag and eventually got out a book.

 “Do you sleep enough?”

 The words fell onto the ground like a judge’s gavel hitting the desk.

 “uh... where did that come from?”

 He laid down but made sure to glance over at Logan.

All he could see was his back since the other was sitting at his desk, writing away as if he was not just starting up some conversation between them with this particularly hot topic.

 “Where did that evasion come from?”

 Oof.

Gotcha.

 “I swear to the stars, Logan, you are a treat.”

 Virgil chuckled and the IT student put his pen aside.

 “You are awake, no matter when I wake up. You fall asleep in weird places, at odd times. I saw you doze off at work - now even at a tattoo parlor when enduring pain? You stated looking paler and more stressed these days and even your eye rings appear to be much darker than I observed before. Therefore, I concluded you might lack sleep.”

 Virgil scoffed at him but did not dare deny his words.

It was true.. not that it was that hard to make out just how sleep-deprived he was but Logan really hit the nail.

 “However, you seem more refreshed when you visited your friends or your sibling. I assume you sleep together?”

 Virgil started scribbling into his stupid diary update therapy shit book thing.

Nerdy, yeah..

Still, it kinda helped him so he did not complain. He actually kinda dug the book and enjoyed writing into it.

 It was empowering to see the good happening in his life or just writing down some shit he felt bad about so he could find out how and why he was more anxious in certain times.

 He hummed.

 “I uh.. don’t take it personal but.. I just can’t relax here. I .. I am.. It is not because of you.”

 Fuck, he sounded like some cliche guy breaking up with someone.

 “Uh, I mean.. This is my problem. I am just stupidly anxio- I mean.. I am anxious a lot and it is hard to sleep and shit but it is okay.”

 He bit his lips.

...self-deprecation was high again.. He put a 6 on his one to ten scale.

 “It happens or whatever. It is not like I am the only person to ever have sleeping problems or whatever.”

 His shoulders shrugged.

 Meanwhile, Logan noted down Virgil’s response.

 “Fellow lover of Bunny Smashskull, would you fancy sleeping in the bed with me?”

  Virgil’s mind stopped for a moment.

Tha..there was more than a bit of information packed into this short sentence.

He.. uh..

 “I- what?”

 He blinked and Logan opened his mouth again to start speaking but Virgil rose his hand, eyes hardening.

 “What do you mean with that sleep thing?”

 His whole body seemed to resemble a cat arching its back. If he had a tail, it would be all fluffy and big, every hair on his body would probably stand up like crazy.

Logan’s brows furrowed together.

He had expected his friend to reacted with a bit more confusion and less... whatever this was. But his words suggested that if Logan did not take careful steps, he would make his friend leave.

 He already sounded as if he was halfway out of the door.

Virgil had a place he had never mentioned before... now that he thought about it, it felt as if he had stopped talking about himself at all ever since he had moved in. Safe for some moments, they had barely talked at all because he was just staying away a lot.

 Was Virgil avoiding him?

 “Virgil, not sleeping is very unhealthy and while I am not your caretaker, I am your friend. As a friend I am expressing my concern for your health as a lack of can increase the risk of many diseases and illnesses to break out - mental and physical ones alike. I noticed you falling asleep with me on the couch despite the amount of people around us, so I suspected that bodily warmth next to you might be beneficial for your sleeping cycle.”

 The emo looked at the nerd, his shoulders immediately dropping to a regular position. The cat fur was smooth and nice again.

He looked so small and tired.

Not once have the dark circles looked as miserable as during this moment.

 “You are.. worried?”

 The words came out in a rather silent whisper. The short sentence was once step before the other in a house with loud and squeaky wood planks when you were awake at night and needed a snack but did not want to wake up your relatives.

The emphasis on the last word made Logan question whether Virgil doubted him that much or rather his own worth.

 Both sounded bad.

 “Of course I am worried. Again, I am your friend and I want you to be well - as much as you can be. If sleeping together in a bed is out of your comfort zone, I would agree to you letting your friends sleep over if you keep it to a reasonable volume.”

 Virgil’s eyes blinked rapidly.

Logan fucking hated people in his space. When Patton as much as nudged the open door further open, the student of computer sciences would get all cranky.

Well, okay maybe he did not hate people but he did value his personal space and he took it very serious.

 Once Roman wanted to put his part of the laundry into Logan’s room and loudly announced at as he did so and Logan immediately rushed over and gave the other a more than hefty talk on respecting his boundaries, commenting on how he could have just dropped it in front of his room’s door.

He had said much more than that and Roman had eventually backed away and muttered something under his breath.

 Those things made Virgil wonder how and why Logan of all people lived with a person such as Roman but...

His face turned sour again and his chest hurt.

 He let out a whine but quickly formed it into a groan.

 “Ugh, whatever. We can sleep together and test your hypotheses or whatever, nerd. If that lets you leave me alone”

 His lips pulled into the top corner of one side.

Logan knew he did that in instances when Virgil did not feel upset at all. It was more an action of deliberation or rather uplifting feelings.

He needed to observe it further but he had found a connection between Virgil’s feelings and his lips pulling into a downward curve.

 “You would help me with my science project?”

 The words tickled Virgil’s nose and he had to smile away the weird feeling in his stomach.

 “Yeah, because we are friends and shit. Like, I care about you and stuff. But just because I had fucking biscuits and they gave me a really good mood.”

 Logan snickered and turned his attention back to his writing for a bit. It did not last for too long despite Virgil continuing his scribbles and whatnot himself. Eventually, the smaller student put his pen aside and closed his notebook.

 “Wait a moment. You fucking know Bunny Smashskull? I am awake, this is not a dream and you asked me about the band, right?”

 He sat up properly and put his notebook aside.

For now, his thoughts were too wild to focus again. His fight or flight reflexes had taken over too much of his logical reasoning once more.

 Logan was still writing, from as much as Virgil could judge.

Really, he could just see his back so there was not too much telling but his arm seemed to flinch a bit every now and then.

 “Log you fucking nerd, answer the question -”

 A smug smile stole itself onto his lips and he got up from his mattress to sit on the one-time-their bed. His notebook was cradled in his lap, just in case.

 The roommate shrugged.

 “So what if I did?”

 Virgil inhaled audibly.

 “Shut up, you do not - “, he started but paused mid-sentence, words stuck in his mind as he realised what he had said and heard so far. His voice dropped from a grand revelation in announcement volume to a low one in the regular fashion of discussing a secret between thieves.

“Holy shit, you do!”

 Logan back flexed but he did not speak.

Instead, he kept writing slowly, neatly for a bit longer.

 Virgil was tempted to walk over and look at his notes.. or to just put his hands on his shoulders and annoy him a bit but he did not know what Logan was writing.

He did not really want to know, really. Curiosity wanted to know for the sake of finding out whatever he did not know.

 “Log, fucking talk to me and talk to my face, you hear me? This is wild! I never took you for the type to rock it.”

 The nerd slowly turned around.

 “You never took me for the type? Very well, I was aware of my ability to hide away my interests but I did not expect myself to be that good.”

 He was tugging at his shirt as if to adjust a bowtie or a necktie. Something fancy and serious like the stuff people in suit would wear.

Come to think of it, Dee did this every now and then.

 Virgil leaned in.

It was time to bond and shit.

 “Your secret is safe with me, log. I promise.”

 Virgil shifted on the bed and patted a spot next to him.

 His friend took the hint and put his notebooks (multiple notebooks, alright, nerdy nerd) to their respective places.

And Logan damn made sure to took his sweet sweet time with it.

 “What’s your favourite song?”, he whisper-screamed to his friend.

 Their shoulders were touching and Virgil felt fuzzy in his mind.

He giggled.

This felt like a silly sleepover already and it seemed funny to him.

 Logan smiled and pulled his phone out.

 “My favourite songs is “Laws and bones break better than hearts” but I am biased”, he tapped a few icons on his phone and handed it over to Virgil for him to see a younger version of Logan.

 The younger one was still absurdly tall, still smaller than Patton - younger Patton - who was next to him. They were wearing black shirts with the band logo in front of it.

A crowd of people was behind them and Logan’s cheeks were red from heat and sweat but he was smiling and he looked breathless.

 Breathtaking, even.

 “You are biased because you went to a concert, you fucking traitor!”, Virgil exclaimed and nudged Logan’s side, “Can I swipe?”

 Logan agreed and he continued to go through the collection of pictures.

Hair disheveled and shirt too big, he was pressed against Patton and smiling into the camera.

 He barely got to see Logan so off-guard but it was.. refreshing.

It was much nicer than seeing him wear ties at work and keep going through flashcards before lessons so he could make a better impression or whatever.

 He barely knew Logan’s lips could do something as ambitious as smile so brightly.

 “You look really happy, Log..”

 He had reached the end of pictures.

It was Logan just hugging Patton close.

 “I got the tickets back there”, he explained as he took his phone back, “Patton knows nothing about any bands I like nor does he understand how I enjoy this sort of music. He just went ahead and asked random online strangers about which bands to recommend because he wanted to make my 18th birthday really special.”

 Logan’s lips formed the same alluring smile.

It was softer than feathers and lighter than wings.

He really seemed like a divine creature with his face smiling like that.

 “Looks like he got that right. I am in groups a lot and it is not that uncommon for people to ask for advice on new songs and artists but seeing a completely clueless person just join for a friend? That is wild. But it does sound like a thing Patton would do.”

 Virgil leaned back, his arms crossing behind the back of his head. He folded his hands over one another in his neck.

 “You giants are too friendly. Can’t relate.”

 His smirk was teasing.

 Logan got up and got the shirt.

 “I will sleep in this. I want to sleep in it.”

 Virgil chuckled.

 “You’re the boss, Log. I am not gonna fight you over a night shirt.”

 The nerd changed into his band merchandise and Virgil moved over to lay on his side and finish his journaling thing.

 “Diary?”

 He shook his head.

 The bed dipped next to him and the blanket started moving.

Virgil grunted back at the movement but a few more tugs had him move over so the blanket could be on top of them rather than on the bed only.

 “Journal thing for therapy. Sucks but it is also kinda helpful so I am trying to stick to it ‘n all.”

 He shrugged.

 “My favourite song is “poison”, by the way. Fucking underrated.”

 Logan laid down next to him and put his glasses aside.

 “It is a good song indeed”

 Virgil hummed.

 “ m done”

 He dropped pen and book onto his mattress.

 “uh.. let us try this.. this sleep thingy and all. Can’t go wrong, right?”

 His shoulders shrugged and he slid under the blanket with his friend. The smaller figure felt like a plank himself.

Virgil flinched and got up as soon as his whole body was in a sleeping position.

 “Fuck!”, he hissed and toppled after his notebook, “the light. Log, we are fucking stupid in the chilis tonight.”

 Logan huffed.

 “It is too late for memes, Virgil.”

 Virgil walked around to shut the light and slowly stumbled back to bed.

 “You can pull memes from my cold, dead hands, pocket protector. It is always meme time but night time is even more intense meme time.”

 “But to be fair, at least because of me you know that this is a meme”

 The blanket rustled from Logan’s body vibrating in his quiet chuckles.

 “You sending me confusing pictures and sentences during working hours is not educational.”

 Virgil settled in bed and curled up.

 “But I might have learned from it anyway, Virg.”

 It was his turn to chuckle and the emo made sure to get comfortable with his pillow from the mattress quickly being moved up to assist him.

And his blanket.

He still shared the blanket Logan was using but the more blanket, the better. Sleepy time was the perfect time to be warm and comfortable after all.

 They laid still for a bit. It was quiet and sleepy.

Outside, Roman could be heard. He was talking, probably to Patton but it was too far away to make out any words at all.

It was just Roman-ish noises.

 Roman was probably offended about something at work and needed to harass Patton about it even though that man was busy too and had worries too. Oh dear fuck, he really did.

Virgil wanted to just walk out and pull Patton into the happy slumber bed with him and Logan instead of letting him subject himself to Roman’s offended princey noises.

 Ugh...

But it was like nine in the evening and Patton would work on his study stuff before actually going to sleep. And Roman would just fuss around.

...It was already special enough Logan allowed Virgil to sleep in his bed after all they had talked about, after all he had been through.

 For some reason, he felt a bit ashamed to be in the same bed with him, to intrude so much but he quickly banished the thought.

Logan did not force himself to let Virgil into his bed. He had asked him and he was being upright about it and had napped with him before, on the same day even so.

 “Virgil?”

 The emo shifted a bit, his movements intentionally slow and uncoordinated.

He might not have been the best actor in the world but he knew how to pretend being asleep or waking up jut then and there. Years of training had taught him well.

Sometimes, experience was a much better teacher than getting a license and some degree.

 “mhm..?”

 His sounds were haphazard and sounded just silent, muffled and hidden enough to mimic the innocence of a person who was slowly detaching from the promising and sweet dreams of their mighty sleep.

 “Do you hate it here?”

 Virgil shifted more to the edge.

If he had to leap, he would.

 “What do you mean? I thought you wanted to sleep, not start a conversation.”

 He heard someone clear his throat.

Outside of their room, Roman was laughing and Virgil flinched.

A shiver ran down his spine. He pressed his eyes closed and held onto his sleeves.

 “You are not sleeping, let me talk to you.”

 He sat up and put on the lamp on the nearby nightstand.

Only Logan was enough of a person to have a night light with fancy nice light that did not hurt the tired eyes too much.

Coloured light was the only valid thing to ever exist for waking one up in the middle of the night.

 Virgil scoffed but followed his friend’s lead to sit up and whatnot.

Leaning against the wall behind him, he rubbed his eyes.

 “ugh, whatever”, he mumbled and tugged the blanket closer around him. Even then, he did not stop tugging and nudging the ends of it with his fidgety fingers, “what do you want, Log?”

 He sounded as if on trial for murdering a man and his hands were still pushing the murder weapon from one bloodied hand to the other.

 Logan meekly watched him, without glasses and only a bare minimum of light, it was difficult to make out what Virgil was doing or what he looked like.

 “Okay, okay. You go give me the talk, teach. What did I do?”

 The smaller student’s hand was hanging low and his fingers were fidgeting still as they resided in his lap.

Logan swallowed dry before he decided to answer.

 “You did not do anything, Virgil, please do not take my worries or my curiosity as offence. I was just wondering why you were so uncomfortable here.”

 The words easily made their way out of Logan’s mouth but for Virgil, they were less like releasing feathers to the wind and just watching them flow. It was pushing the big and heavy rock up the hill instead of Sisyphus and the chore was bound to never stop.

The shivers gave him goosebumps so bad he pulled his knees to his chest to preserve body warmth.

 “Who said I am?”

 Virgil was the still holding onto the metaphorical knife but it was so much easier to keep telling himself it was not him as he nodded his head as if to shake off the truth.

If he just denied the reality hard enough, maybe he could do it.

 “Virgil, please. It is obvious. Do you want me to point out every moment you made it clear you dislike being here? Only today you gave me so many pieces of evidence.”

 The friend exhaled.

His breath was a bit rocky.

Logan’s words truly had a punching effect on him.

 “If I say it, will you let me promise me to let it go and just move on already?”

 Virgil glared at him, eyes barely focusing on the man before him.

Even with the near-complete darkness they were in, Virgil could see Logan through his heavy bangs shielding his vulnerable face from the knowledgeable judge that was his nerdy friend.

 “If you are saying the truth, I might.”

 He scoffed.

 “I fucking hate you.”

His words sounded less bitter, more desperate and weak. Almost like a plead.

They were asking him not to press further on it.

 “It is him. Now good-fucking-night, Logan.”

 With that, Virgil turned around and plugged in earbuds so he could listen to something that was not Logan.

 The nerd gave up and fulfilled his side of the promise.

 It was not as if he had not expected that answer.

...He just had not expected Virgil to get so upset over it..

 The IT student called it and shut the lamp.

Despite the warmth in the bed and another person in it, he felt horribly lonely.

  It took him ages to fall asleep.

 Figuratively.

#ts analogical #virgil sanders #logan sanders #deceit sanders #anxceit #fanfiction #fanfic #fanficion #ts fanfic #ts fanfiction

[bunny-banana]

For the director's cut thing, the story where Fabri asks Ermal out on a date but Ermal doesn't realize that? 👀

YO SO WE GONNA DO THAT OR WHAT

Its this fic btw if anyones curious.  

Chap 1

Even with closed eyes, he sensed the man lying next to him turn towards him but Fabrizio did not spoke immediately. No, he just stayed silent for a bit, Ermal wasn’t quite sure what he was observing but before Ermal could ask, Fabrizio broke the silence.

its u. he’s gazing at u, u idiot.

*

*

’You didn’t exactly give off the vibe that you’d say yes’

“What the fuck does that even mean? I don’t give off the vibe?!”

mr no-homo meta has NO right to be surprised at that. boy went into a panic attack every time someone as much as breathed the suggestion ofc fab was Anxious

*

*

A certain Roman showing up at his doorstep looking like he’d belong to the Milan Fashion Week.A tight grey shirt whose top three buttons almost begged to be opened (yet remained miraculously, in Fabris case, closed!) clung nicely to the body underneath it. A very fine silver chain hung around his neck that perfectly fit with the rings and the watch on his hand.Instead of ripped denim, now tight & shiny dark jeans were worn and to round this look up, an impeccably tailored black, suit jacket was thrown over him.

so not to be Hoe on main but we all just love Sexy Fab.  but more so, i really thought Fabrizio would have put a lot of effort into dressing nicely this time around. Probably called a few friends, crying to help him. He just wanted Ermal to like his look. Which he did.   A lot.  again, outstanding heterosexual of the year, ermal meta is completely mesmerised by that look.

*

*

“Well, well, Fab. Gotta say, this place is on a whole different level“ The curly haired man commented as he flipped through the menu.“You like it?”“How could I not?”

again, Fabrizio intentionally looking up a fancy place for their Date, something he actually felt a little bit uncomfortable about himself and wouldnt normally chose for himself. But then again, he was greatly relieved when Ermal actually did say he liked it.

*

*It felt.. nice. The whole evening was quite nice, Ermal had to admit, even with the unusual ambient.

Ermal is just honestly iconic in this fic. man enjoys fabrizios appearance, enjoys talking with him,  eating out with him, just spending time with him in general sooo much……and yet.

*

*

Fabrizio tilted his head and was it the candle light or something else, but a intriguing shine filled his eyes.“I’d know something sweeter than this.” In the next moment, everything turned upside down when Fabrizio suddenly took his hand and intertwined their fingers, his thumb gently brushing over the back of the younger man’s hand.

THE COURAGE THIS TOOK. THE NERVES WHICH WERE WRECKED.  Fab really just went “ok here we go balls to the wall now or never”

*

*

Chap2

“So, Fabrizio….Fabrizio likes me. Apparently.” It felt interesting to say it out loud. Ermal got a tingly feeling at the thought. So ..it was him who made Fabrizio blush earlier? Who made him nervous? And smiley?  Christ, he actually really wanted Ermal to like his outfit, didn’t he? A small smirk found its way on Ermal’s face. Who would have thought that he’d have Fabrizio Moro of all people wrapped around his finger.

erm: so im het

also erm: wow i really really like the fact that fabrizio is into me. its actually super exciting. kinda makes me happy in a way.

*

*

“Wait, what?! I should ask him out?!”“Yeah? Isn’t that something you want?”Is that something he- But that would imply that he’d want to pursue Fabrizio, his very male, masculine, manly friend Fabrizio who was definitely not by any chance a woman. To have a relationship with guy that was …..romantic… and oh sweet Mother of God, sexual?!“I- I- I don’t know.”

so yeah, to get to the bottom of this, when you’re in the process of realising your own …..non-heterosexuality, its just A Lot to take in.  I thought, realistically, that would just be a bit too much for Ermal to take in at that moment. He had to process the mere thought of “yes, you could have a romantic relationship with this guy, since he’s into you. Its absolutely a possibility”. When you’re conditioned to think “i can only ever date people of the opposite sex” all your life, it takes a bit of time to get accustomed to new possibilities.

And then theres the sexual aspect which is like, on Jupiter, for Ermal’s current state of mind.

*

*

Chap3

The video he currently was immersed in showed a slow-mo fight between a mongoose and a cobra that in all its intensity outdid any action movie in a heartbeat.

i remember watching that vid before writing that chapter and being mesmerised by it. u fucking go lil mongoose!

*

*

[Bizio]: sorry i cant this weekend

First, i just love the thought of him being saved as Bizio on Ermals phone. Second, the reason why he replied so late was because he was wrecking his mind about it. Should he go? should he not? god, the thought of seeing ermal excited him and yet scared him. nonononno. he’s trying to get Over Ermal. He needs space. he is not ready yet.

*

*

[Ermal]:Fabri!! Heard you’re coming up North! 😁 I have this excellent bottle of wine that a fan gave me the other day (don’t ask) so how about we open it at my place? I know you love a good wine 😉🍷

He couldn’t even slide the phone back into his pocket before it started buzzing. Surprisingly, the reply came almost instantly this time.[Bizio]:sorry no the schedule is pretty tight for me at the moment i dont think ill have much time in milan

i just image him getting the weirdest fucking fan gifts. also lmao the lightning speed with which fab replied. homeboy saw that wine would be involved and imemdiately thought “nononononono. worst case, my drunk ass might kiss him, god forbid. we are absolutely not gonna do that”

*

*

[Ermal]:So I’m flipping through the channels at home and there comes a baking show and I wouldn’t normally stop to watch but you know what they’re baking? Those creamy pastry things we had in Lisbon!

Now the idea about the Pasteis de Nata stemms from a real life event! During ESC 2018 i slept at a friends house and since the contest was held in Portugal we decided to cook something portuguese. Thats what we did. They fucking slap. Also, one of the best weekends ive ever had

*

*

However, this is how things continued as to all of Ermal’s messages, he’d receive rather uncharacteristically short replies. When he sent him photos he’d often not reply at all and even when he called Fabri didn’t pick.

Okay we have to image in WHAT kinda mental state Fabrizio is in that time. Boy is EMBARASSED to death. Then obviously, he is trying his hardest to get rid of this crush.  So he just isnt talking to Ermal at all. Which in turn makes him lonely and sad.  So then Ermal shoots him a message, sends him a picture and Fabrizio is immediately head over heels again. Which he shouldnt be. Bad Fabri. And the circle repeats itself.

*

*

Fabrizio who smiled sweetly at the host, who hugged her tightly, who joked with her and oh, whose eyes didn’t stick to her face but wandered more and more south.

Dude honestly, Fab was not flirting with anyone. He was just being nice as he usually is. And we all know he a lil bit sleazy so yeah, he might have looked down once or twice. but he really was not flirting. It was just Ermals affection-deprived mind going berserk.

Also that was the first time Ermal witnessed Fabrizio being affectionate with someone else. And the contrast to that cold shoulder he received was just the last straw for him.

*

*

“Why is he all smiley and lovey-dovey with her while he treats me as if I’m a war criminal?!” Ermal shouted the second the other line got picked up.“Uhm, hello? Maybe a ‘Good morning’ first of all? A simple ‘how are you doing, Sabina?’ would have been appreciated too.”

Damn bitch can ya greet ur sister first before going off smh

*

*

And would it have been really that bad if Ermal had just held on to his hand? Let Fabrizio gently stroke him with his thumb, maybe even squeeze back while Ermal’s finger draws circles over letters that covered the older man’s knuckles.It would have been nice and Ermal would have liked it.

I think he just needed to see what he was missing out to realise what he really has always wanted. If things were to go back to normal, he would have never made any realisations.

*

*

“Am I- Do I like Fabrizio?”

No, we dont ask what he is. Because thats for another time, a calmer time. Or maybe not at all. He doesnt know the answer to that question and its not important right now. All he knows is that despite it all, he likes Fabrizio.

*

*

The fact he was a guy was new, but those feelings involved weren’t.

I feel like this is just a very bisexual experience. At least to me it was. Its very confusing when u are genuinely attracted to the opposite sex, so you make the conclusion: you are obviously straight. Its not possibly that you are not-straight.  

Then u start feeling attraction to someone of ur own gender and its like “hmmm. Obviously this must be fake since we have established that Im genuinely attracted to the opposite sex ”

But the thing is..it aint going away. And then u think how you’d perhaps be down for sex, and perhaps be down for something more, and perhaps do all those nice things you would be doing with someone of the opposite sex.  

So yeah, its ..its really confusing and complicated to figure it out. And if you actually do have a feelings for someone it only makes matters more complicated ig

*

*

“Jesus, I really do like him. Me. Liking a guy.”

Again, once u made That Realisation, its just the WILDEST thing in the beginning. a complete NEW concept being applied to yourself.

*

*

“LISTEN CUT THE BULLSHIT I KNOW EXACTLY THAT YOU’RE HOME! OPEN UP OR I WILL STAND HERE ALL NIGHT I’M NOT FUCKING AROUND!” In addition to the knocking he now also started ringing the doorbell. He sure as hell wouldn’t move here until that door wasn’t opened.“I DONT GIVE A FUCK, I WON’T EVEN SLEEP AND NEITHER WILL YOU. I CAN GO ON FOREVER YOU HEAR ME, FABRIZIO MOBRICI?!”

Ermal is just unhinged in all my fics.

*

*

Epilogue

[Ermal💛]: You ready?

Fabrizio added that heart right immediately after Ermal left his house a week prior.

*

*

Ermal looked….cuddly.

So yeah we all know Fab isnt the keenest on fashion and shit. And i just though Ermal would want him to be as comfortable as possible on their date, so he was like “ay come casual” . and also, its sort of cute that Ermal lets Fabri see him so casual too, its sort of more private in that sense.

*

*

And those were still the mild surprises, let’s not start with the downright shock he felt when his brain started providing words like kissable, attractive, sexy and hot during lonelier nights.

i have a fic for those kinda nights too

*

*

“It’s not that far and God knows men your age need the exercise anyway.”

ermal just cant show affection like a normal person, he has to roast u even when he’s madly in love with u

*

*

What followed behind the colourful door was a small chaos. Literally. People constantly coming and going, with buzzing voices chatting in every corner. They made their way half through the rather crowded establishment, got greeted by a waiter who rushed past them, before they finally spotted a couple leaving, liberating two chairs for them.

SO YEAH. the restaurant. it is loosely based on a place here in Vienna. Its pakistani food too, its a buffet, its kinda chaotic like described in the fic. also u can pay as much as u want.

i just thought, yknow, its home made cooking and its kinda relaxed and chill and casual and has a certain liberal flair to it. and i thought yeah that has fabri energy we gonna use that. also their mango rice puddings fucking slap

*

*

Languages were not his forte, those belonged to Ermal, but Fabrizio ran through his options. It surely wasn’t French or Spanish, that he would at least recognise. German looked different too; they had those dots over their U’s and those curly B’s which allegedly weren’t B’s at all. Swedish? Danish? No. He’s been to Ikea often enough to know that his wardrobe wouldn’t be called Qershor. And Russian had different letters but maybe it was something similar to Russian?

Okay, so I’m a known Slut for Languages.  Fabrizio is not. I can pretty much recognise most European languages in written form at some point in a text. Fabrizio can not. Therefore writing this from the perspective of someone who really isnt into languages was kind of interesting and a bit challenging. I was just thinking ‘how would he recognise them when he isnt into them?’  And i think, in the end, i did it realistically.

*

*

“Is it like..Serbian? Croatian? Or something?” He mumbled while putting a piece of eggplant in his mouth but quickly realised the answer when Ermal almost spit out his water from laughing.“No, definitely not. I can guarantee you, it’s very much not Serbian or Croatian ‘or something’.” Ermal chuckled with a bright smile, obviously enjoying their little guessing game. “But you’re close. In a way.”

This is SO embarrassing but this whole language guessing game was just a setup to an inside joke I have with myself.  So, for those who don’t know, I speak Serbo-Croatian. And I study Slavic studies. The first things they tell you in the first lesson of the Slavic Linguistics course is “Please, for the love of God, PLEASE, dont say Albanian/Hungarian/Romanian is a slavic language”. Apparently many europeans assume these languages are because theyre surrounded by slavic countries. BUT TO AN ACTUAL SLAVIC NATIVE SPEAKER, the difference is immediately obvious and so its quite comical when people assume theyre related languages.   So i thought the reverse would be kinda funny to Ermal too.

*

*

“I can be anything the teacher wants me to be. A good student, a naughty student, whatever floats his boat…” He asked sultrily before winking at the man across of him whose higher brain functions seemed to have ceased at once and just gaped at him like a fish.

boys whole brain got fried when the sexiest man in italy started flirting with him. issokay, he was just shocked. fabrizio has never been flirty with him before, he’ll get used to it.

*

*

“I was just trying to give you the best date that I could.“At those words, the Roman frowned however."Wait, this was a date?!”

im just an asshole honestly

*

*

They giggled as they finally closed the gap between them going for a slow and deep kiss.

i just love them being all SOFT and in LOVE

*

*

“Erm, I- I have an instore tomorrow, I better be well rested.”His counterpart just huffed and raised an eyebrow.“So were you planning on staying up all night, huh?”

Fabs horn dog brain definitively went HmmmmMmm this is nice:) ..could get even nicer:)  but no fuck, i have work to do tomorrow

*

*

“Love how you immediately forget about a good night’s sleep once you have a tongue in your mouth.”“Fuck off.”

He just got carried away as if u were complaining ermal smh

*

*

"I bet on everything I have that your password is 'liberoanita1’ so yes, I actually can.”

Parents culture is just using ur children’s names as all your passwords and we all know Fabri is that kinda parent.

*

*

All in All, i also wanna talk about how the epilogue mirrors the first chapter, but in a more successful light.

Fabrizio dresses for Ermal - Ermal dresses for Fabrizio

fancy place - more casual place

They take the car - they walk

Fabrizio takes Ermals hand on the open for everyone to see - Ermal takes Fabrizios hand under the table, in private

They eat their dessert seperately - they eat theri dessert together

they fall out - they become closer, kiss

they dont talk - they plan the next date

anyway thanks for reading and thank uuuuuu for this ask julchen

#my fics