#gosh this came out longer than I expected oops | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

keiwritesstuff · 3 years

Text

Hopeless

Ishikawa Yuki AU

Summary : When the pieces started to fall together, she knew she had no choice but to let him go.

Genre : slice of life, angst

Notes : long. Self-indulgent. 3rd person POV. Not sure if I got the characterization right. I wrote this all in one night. Not proofread, so there might be misspelled words and grammatical errors. Based on a prompt. Best read on pc/laptop/browser (if you’re on your phone), since the layout changes when it’s read/opened on the phone tumblr app.

When did she start noticing it?

Was is sometime after their relationship reached the eighth month?

Or was it when he started showing strange signs or started doing things that were very much unlikely for him to do?

+++

Even before they started dating, when they were just friends, Yuki had always listened. Whether she’s venting, or just simply talking about how her day was; he would always, always listen.

And so, when she caught him staring into space that day, just as she was talking about her thoughts on one of the matches she recently watched, she felt a little odd.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He shook his head lightly. “I’m just a little bit exhausted. I stayed up watching the team’s past matches. For reference.”

She chuckled. That sounds just like him. Always finding opportunities to improve. He never thought of anything or anyone lightly. He always believes that there is always something new to learn from everyone regardless of age and experience.

She gave him a little smile and brushed her fingers lightly against his cheek. “You’ll do well. Your teammates got your back. You know that, right?”

He nodded.

And she brushed off the odd feeling. Yuki was just being…. Yuki.

_________________________________________________________

On their date the following week, Yuki suggested that they go to their usual place for dinner; a restaurant with tatami rooms for private dining, surrounded by luxurious green landscaping to cater to the demands of the many wealthy patrons who frequent the restaurant. She’s not used to at all, since she grew up in an ordinary, middle-class family, but the food is heavenly, and the restaurant provides a safe space for the both of them to spend some time together.

Yuki was reading the menu, seeming unsure of what he would have that evening. He was probably being cautious of his diet, she thought.

“I think I’ll have the usual.” she spoke first while Yuki was still scanning the menu. It’s the same food that she always had every time they went to the restaurant. Yuki was the one who suggested it when he first brought her to this restaurant, and she was teased a lot by him for not wanting to try anything else other than that particular menu, to the extent where he no longer needed to ask her what she would have whenever they go to this place for a meal.

She stifled a laughter when she remembered how Yuki used to tease her all the time about it, how he used to attempt to steal her food and cutely asked her to finish the tomatoes in his plate, and how they often argued about the secret ingredients in the menu. This restaurant held all those memories.

She was happily smiling at the thought, until Yuki asked,

“Hold on… which one is it again?”

_________________________________________________________

Two weeks.

They didn’t see each other for two weeks after that last date. Yuki had a busy schedule, filled with practice, meetings, interviews and photoshoots. It wasn’t the first time they couldn’t see each other for a long period of time.

But it was the first time that Yuki couldn’t respond to a lot of her calls.

She was probably calling at the wrong time. His schedule usually ends at 10 p.m, but he must’ve had extended meetings with his manager after that. Or he just wanted to rest. After all, not all of her calls were left unanswered. He did answer some of it. And as she suspected, he was just exhausted. Of course he was. After all, he was the team’s ace.

She understood her position. She understood his as well. This is as normal as their relationship would allow. Who he is… does not allow them to have what other couples have. They could not have that stroll at a park under the cherry blossom trees. They could not have those cheesy movie dates. They could not even go to the beach to watch the sun set, since there is a high risk of fans and paparazzi finding him.

Regardless, she was content. She loves him, and she would go above and beyond to make sure his career is not jeopardized by their relationship in any way, even if it means that she could not eat sundaes on broad daylight with Yuki.

+++

[Hey, how was your day? How was practice?]

She texted him.

[It was good.]

Came his reply.

[Did you have fun? Is Takahashi still messing with you since that day you accidentally ate his bread? Haha]

He responded,

[No, not really.]

Strange. It wasn’t like him to give that kind of replies. He usually would talk a lot, even in his texts. He would vent about how his teammates kept teasing him for being so popular, or how much he wanted to eat greasy, deep-fried food.

This time, it was really strange.

[Hey.. are you alright?]

She hit ‘send’.

Two minutes later, a reply came.

[Yeah. Just dead tired. I’ll talk to you later, okay? I’m going to bed. Good night.]

_________________________________________________________

This went on for a week more. The short replies, the unanswered calls, the brief conversations. To say that she was not upset was clearly a lie, since things weren’t like that before. And it’s not like he didn’t respond to her calls and texts AT ALL. He did. It’s just that.. it has become somehow different.

Or was she the one who became strange? Has she become… clingy? Could it just be her mind playing tricks on her? Or perhaps… this is what to be expected when one is dating a famous athlete?

Then again, beggars can’t be choosers.

She should be more understanding of his job. She should be supportive. There are things that she herself has not understood yet about how the industry works and she’s sure that Yuki already has a lot on his plate. He isn’t just an athlete. He is an ambassador, a representative, and to an extent, an idol to many.

She shouldn’t ask too much of him.

_________________________________________________________

It was on one Friday morning where she had to call in sick after waking up in shock, immediately running to the toilet and vomiting. She knew right away that she caught a high fever.

Has she not been taking care of her health lately? Was she stressed at work?

Overthinking?

Regardless, with shaking hands, and with the little consciousness she had left, she left a voice message for a close friend. She had promised him that she’d join him in a co-op expedition on Monster Hunter later that night.

“Hey, Yuji.. I can’t join you tonight.. high fever.. Need to rest. Sorry.. I’ll join you some other time, okay?”

With that, she hung up, mustered as much strength as she could, pulled up the covers and fell into an uneasy sleep.

+++

She was awoken by the sound of plates being handled. Her eyes shot open.

Burglar?

Terrified, she turned around slowly, only to breathe out a sigh of relief when she saw the person in her house. She had forgotten that she gave him the spare keys to her house.

“Gosh..Yuki.. You scared me..”

“Oh, hey, you’re awake.” he replied, arranging something on the kitchen counter.

“W..what time is it? How long have I been sleeping?” her hand roamed around for her phone. She found it and checked the time. To her surprise, she was out cold for a good seven hours and it’s already 3 in the evening. She groaned. Her whole body still felt heavy, but that sleep was very much needed.

“Are you alright?”

Yuki came to her and sat next to her on the bed.

On his lap, was a bowl of soup.

She stared at the bowl, and then.. at her boyfriend.

“Did you come here and….cook?”

“Yes..? And.. I know you’re sick and all, but how come I only found out about it from Nishida? Why didn’t you call me?” he asked out of sheer curiosity while helping her to sit up straight. She remembered the phone call this morning. “Oh.. I told him I couldn’t join our gaming session tonight.. he needed help taking down a boss. I didn’t have much strength to call anyone after that.”

“Taking down a boss..? Is it that important? You guys are ridiculous.” he teased.

She let out a weak chuckle. “Hey, Shara Ishvalda is not ridiculous. What’s ridiculous is you, suddenly showing up in my place after God knows how long we haven’t properly talked to each other.”

She meant is as a joke, but despite the fever flowing painfully in her veins and biting painfully at her joints, she could still notice the change in his expression. Oops. Did she say something wrong?

“I understand you’re busy. I shouldn’t ask too much of you.” she added, but Yuki was silent. The expression on his face was unreadable.

Was he upset? What exactly happened to him lately? Is he exhausted? Stressed? What is he hiding from her? Was something bothering him? Was it work?

Was it guilt?

Her thoughts were cut off when Yuki handed her a spoon. “I hope it tastes okay.” he spoke.

“Well... unfortunately, my tongue is currently deprived of its senses… and therefore, I deem your soup…”

She took a sip and imitated Gordon Ramsey’s face expression as best as she could, “…mediocre in terms of its taste.”

Her attempt to lighten up the mood worked.

Yuki was laughing softly.

Ah, there he was. Her Yuki.

The person who had made her heart pound like a drum, the man who often put others before him, the man who made her realize just how much she could love someone. She hasn’t seen that smile for such a long time. She missed that smile.

She missed him.

All she could do was stare at the man in front of her. With trembling fingers, she touched his cheek. “I missed this, Yuki. I missed you.” she said meekly. He took her hand in his own, but was silent for some time before saying,

“I’m here.”

“I know you’re busy. I know people expect a lot from you. I know you tend to carry the burden all on your own. I respect that. But-- I also want you to know that if you need any help, all of us are here for you. Me, your teammates, your family.. I want you to always remember that you---”

Yuki’s phone on the night stand vibrated, signalling an incoming call.

Yuki immediately answered the phone call and walked towards the kitchen, where she couldn’t hear him.

It was a short phone call. After it ended, Yuki went back to sit next to her on the bed. But this time, she could no longer form any words.

As much as she was surprised that she was interrupted mid-conversation, she couldn’t stop the chills that ran down her spine. Immediately, that feverish burn in her veins was replaced by something much, much more agonizing, and she could feel blood rushing to her head, trying to make sense of what she had seen.

She saw the caller ID, and she knew who it was.

She knew that name. She noticed that Yuki probably didn’t realize that she had already seen it, considering how he was trying to act normal after that phone call, but somehow… just somehow…

Everything started to fall into place. Everything started to make sense.

_________________________________________________________

Of all Yuki’s friends and teammates, only a few had personally known her. She had grown close to Yuji after she and Yuki started dating (especially when he found out both of them loved games), and Takahashi texts her every now and then, spilling tea about the things her boyfriend do during training, and sometimes sent her pictures of young Yuki because he absolutely loved it when she teased Yuki about it.

Masa, though, is the only one who knew her way before she met Yuki. In fact, he was the reason they met in the first place. She and Masa coincidentally shared the same social circle, and their passion and interest in volleyball and manga made them friends.

When Masa heard her voice over the phone in all seriousness, he knew something had definitely happened. She was not the type who talks about what happens in her relationship to others. She had always tried to resolve any conflicts on her own first. It was her way of protecting herself and Yuki.

When she had finished talking, he became silent, mainly due to shock and disbelief. Several things were running through his mind. What was Yuki doing? Has that boy lost his mind?

“Or maybe I’m the one overthinking? I’m not sure what to think of anymore, Masa.” she spoke. She wanted to believe that she was indeed overthinking. That she saw wrong. That everything happened was either just a coincidence or just Yuki feeling exhausted because of work. She wanted to believe in Yuki.

But it was hard. It was hard when the pieces just somehow…fit together.

“Hey, I’ll try and talk to him somehow and find out what’s going on. You should try to calm down and save your worries for later, okay?” he assured her.

They had been friends for a long time. She knew she could count on him. Plus, Yuki had always looked up to Masa. If there is anyone in the team who could get Yuki to talk about his feelings and thoughts in all honesty, it would definitely be Masa. She trusts him.

She trusts his judgment.

She wished she didn’t.

Because four days later, she received a phone call from Masa, confirming all her worst fears.

_________________________________________________________

Other than the restaurant, they have another secret spot where they could meet without the prying eyes of others.

It was at a small, empty playground on the hills. During daytime, the place would be crowded with children and the elderly who found the place suitable for walks and light jogs. At night, the playground is completely silent due to its not-so-close distance from the nearest neighborhood, and because of it’s location on the hills, the playground is a lot colder and eerier at night.

It was ideal enough for Yuki and her. They would sit on the swings and talk about many things while looking at the view from the hills. On colder nights, they would stay in his car, eating snacks and enjoy each other’s company. She was happy enough to have him next to her, healthy and smiling. She couldn’t ask for more.

This time, however, when she looked at him as he got out of his car and walked towards her, she knew that she will no longer be able to even ask for anything more.

“Hey,” she started.

“Hey,” he replied the same.

No hugs. No kisses.

It had really dawned on her that everything was ending right there and then.

Where do they start?

Where do things start to end?

Can it end quickly?

It’s starting to feel really, really painful.

She looked at him. Stared at him. His eyes, that see the best in everyone. His nose, that he loves to scrunch. His lips.. that had showered her with soft kisses. His hands... that had given her warmth for so many times.

How did things turn out this way?

But she knew she had to do it. It had to be done. What’s the use of a having a relationship if only one of them is committed to it?

“You know I’m breaking up with you, right?”

The words unexpectedly came out smoothly. She didn’t know she could be so… composed.

Inside, however, she felt as if every inch of her was slashed with a knife.

It seemed that he had already anticipated it. She could read the expression he wore on his face.

“It’s her, isn’t it?” she asked.

He paused for some time. And lightly nodded.

She stared at the view. The city used to look so vibrant from where they were. Now, it just looks like random lights piling on top of each other.

It’s making her dizzy.

She turned around to face the other way.

Calm down. Calm down.

“I figured it out early on.” she added.

She heard Yuki taking a deep breath. He didn’t look at her.

Guilt.

He was about to say her name, but she was quick to stop him. “No. Don’t. Don’t apologize. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t..need to hear it. I already know you’re sorry, Yuki.”

Don’t call my name. This is already hard . If you call my name, I’m not sure if I would be able to let you go.

“Instead of saying you’re sorry… I just hope that you would treat her better. Treat her nicely. Appreciate her. Respect her. Make things work, no matter what happens.”

Yuki stayed silent, and she continued,

“I realized that it is no use holding on to you, on this relationship, when it’s obvious that your heart is clearly with someone else.”

Breathe. It is for the best. Breathe.

“And so, Ishikawa Yuki… I release you from this bond.” she spoke. Her lips formed a little smile, attempting to diffuse the heavy tension in the air. Yuki could only stare at her, wondering how could she stay cheerful despite knowing what he had done. He was amazed at how calm and level-headed she was at that moment despite the obvious pain in her voice.

“So.. you should go now. Tell her that we broke it off. Assure her, and yourself, that we ended things on good terms. And move on, Yuki. I will move on as well.” she spoke again, giving him a light push on the shoulder.

Go. Please, just go.

“I… I can’t just leave you here.” he finally spoke.

“I won’t be here all night, silly. My car is right there, and I have work tomorrow.” she chuckled.

Breathe. Breathe. Just… breathe.

Their eyes met for the last time, and with a strain in his voice, Yuki finally said, “Thank you. For everything.”

She forced a smile.

It felt like an eternity. When will this end?

She smiled, almost bitterly. “Go.” she insisted.

And he did. She watched his back as he walked away. She watched him as he got into his car. And she waved her hand lightly as he drove off.

Breathe.

However, as soon as his car was out of sight, her knees buckled, and she knelt on the the ground. Biting her hand, she tried to stifle her cry as much as she could as she could no longer stop the tears streaming down her face.

It hurts. It hurts!

Help me. Anyone. Please. It hurts..

Please stop this pain.

How did things turn out this way? What did she do wrong? What exactly went wrong? What could’ve she done better?

Did she not love him enough?

Why couldn’t he give her his heart?

What did she do wrong?

What did she---

“Hey.” a voice came from behind her and she looked up in shock.

“M…Masa?”

Masa read her tear-stained face as he knelt next to her. “He told me this afternoon that he was meeting you here tonight. I told him to come clean about the whole thing.” he spoke as he took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.

“God, you’re a mess.”

“S…shut up and let me grieve.” she managed to retort in between sobs. The tears haven’t stopped. How could they when she had held them back for so long?

“Alright, alright.” Masa calmly spoke and sat next to her on the ground. She looked at him as if he was insane.

“C..Can’t a girl cry alone?” she stifled another cry.

“In this place? Gosh, no. What if a couple comes here to have a good time and suddenly saw a girl crying on the ground? Good Lord, you’re going to scare the living daylights out of some poor souls. Have mercy on them, will you?”

She knew he didn’t mean it. She knew he meant well, judging from the hand on her shoulder that hasn’t left since he sat down.

She clicked her tongue as a joke. Words have seemed to fail her by now. She wasn’t sure what to do next. The love of her life has left her. What will she do now? How will she move on? Can she move on to begin with?

The thought alone scared her, and she found herself sobbing uncontrollably again.

“I..loved him, Masa.. but.. it wasn’t enough…”

She felt him pull her closer and she felt his hand gently guiding her head to lean on his shoulder. “Here, I’ll lend you my shoulder. The first 30 minutes is free. After that, you will be charged 500 yen per minute.”

She chuckled a little, but said nothing further. She let herself cry as much as she wanted to on his shoulder, the handkerchief was no longer of use at that point. His jacket was stained by her tears, but he made no noticeable expression of discomfort. He had been such a great friend despite his mean jokes, and she appreciated his presence next to her. She wasn’t sure what she could’ve done if Masa wasn’t there. Probably something really, really stupid and reckless.

+++

She woke up the next morning in a mess. She felt horrible, her eyes were still swollen, and her head felt unbelievably heavy.

Nevertheless, she woke up.

Just then, she received text messages. They’re from Nishida and Takahashi.

[Good morning! I heard from Masa-san that you and Yuki-san broke up. No worries! Let’s take down another boss tonight! I’ll let you curse as much as you want!]

[Mornin’! Hey, look at this silly photo of Nishida.]

She looked at the photo Takahashi sent. Yuji was getting hit by a ball while he was tying his shoelace. It was a bit blurry, but Yuji’s expression was definitely silly. She chuckled.

It turned out that Masa really didn’t waste any time to spread the news. Well, it’s better if everyone knew. It would save her from many awkward moments in the future.

And then came another text. This time, it’s from Masa.

[Oi, good morning. How are you feeling?]

She chuckled. She felt a slight warmth from the text messages.

[I feel like shit]

[Of course you do. I would be surprised if you suddenly said you’re fine, especially after what you put my jacket through last night. I found dried snot on it this morning.]

She unexpectedly laughed out loud.

[I’ll buy you another one. Sheesh.]

She managed to smile a little more.

She still wasn’t so sure how she was going to move on, but she will take the first step.

And she got up.

#i had this prompt bookmarked for so long #i am so sleepy #what even is this #help me #i can see oxygen

41 notes · View notes

yona-chan · 4 years

Text

Yona’s Return to the Castle – A Rant

Or… Yona’s decision to return to the castle: why it wasn’t a dumb idea, why she knew what she was getting into, why it made more sense than any other options available to the party, and why it wasn’t an out of the blue story beat to simply advance the plot that had no prior exploration.

Hey guys, it’s been a while.

(In fact, you could say it’s been so long that this rant doesn’t really have a reason to exist. Oops.)

This post is about Yona’s decision to return to Hiryuu Castle alllll the way back in chapter 178. I’ve not talked about it on my blog too much, but I really liked this decision when it happened. This said, I feel that the chapter (heck, the entire start of the arc really) wasn’t as well received by the fandom, be it here on tumblr or elsewhere. At the time, I really wanted to jump to the series’ defence (and Yona’s too) with a longer rant explaining my stance on the beginning of the arc, but I never got around to actually sitting down and typing it all out. The longer I put it off the more my opinions snowballed, making me want to talk about more and more until I had this monster of an opinion piece in my head that was too large for even me (and my ridiculous word counts) to tackle. I did try… but, as you’ll read in a second, it didn’t go so well.

I didn’t end up with what I wanted, but neither am I disappointed with what I did end up writing. And, after reflecting on it all, I’ve decided to give in and publish what I have, delayed a reaction as it may be.

This rant is… gosh, it’s far too long, but I hope you enjoy it.

Okay. *throws hands up* Like I said, this rant isn’t what I originally intended to publish, but it’s all I can muster up for now. Please allow me to explain.

What I originally intended to write for this rant was a long, sweeping review of the current arc: where it began, what is currently happening, and where I think it might be heading. I wanted to cover six main topics, which were things I had seen being discussed in the fandom quite a bit, but that I usually disagreed with when it came to what I saw as the “general fandom opinion”. To give a short rundown of the “general fandom opinion” vs mine that I wanted to cover, they were:

Yona’s decision to return to the palace was rushed and not well thought out -> No, it was thought out well and the series had been building to it.

Yona’s been ignoring Hak’s opinions and feelings and Hak has been sidelined in this arc doing useless things like joining the army, all for Yona while she doesn’t care -> No, Hak’s joining of the army is good character development for him and addresses things in his characterisation and, no, Yona is not ignoring him and when she is it’s for good reasons.

Yona and co. are just sitting at the castle doing nothing and being used by Soo-Won and Keishuk while information just falls into their laps -> No, they understand the nature of what’s happening and are treading carefully and are doing things when they see fit if they think it is safe to do so.

Soo-Won isn’t the bad guy anymore because we’re meant to feel sorry for him and this illness he has that came out of nowhere -> Soo-Won was never a true villain and this was never a revenge story. Plus, I feel the illness had been hinted at.

The current flashback about the parent characters and their relationships isn’t important, it’s taking too long and the story should be focusing on our main characters -> This flashback is SUPER important to the story and everything the narrative has been building to. P.S: I think it’s actually been rushed slightly and would have preferred it take even more time, but whatever.

Part six wasn’t about opinions really, I just wanted to discuss things that might happen in the future of the arc and what fandom expectations I agree and disagree with. Namely, my disagreement with the idea I’ve seen around that Yona needs to step up in her role as Hiryuu’s reincarnation and fix the mistakes of the past and her parents.

So, yeah, the above was the general layout I was aiming for; however, things started to go awry pretty quickly. I was so motivated to write about Yona’s decision to return to the palace that I got carried away and finished that section just shy of 8,000 words. No, you did not read that incorrectly… eight thousand. The longest rant on my blog to date had been just over half that length and I had only finished what was meant to be part one of six.

I started to get a bad feeling. Just a tingle of ‘ah, shit’.

Damn it all though I didn’t want to give up, so I pushed on into part two about Hak and Yona and everything going on with them. This section… well, it didn’t go well. I got about halfway through what I wanted to say and realised I was going about it all wrong. In trying to show how I felt about the arc and Hak and Yona’s place within it/their decisions, I had started to drag Hak down. I was kinda miffed seeing a lot of Hak fans talking about how he was being sidelined and mistreated and left alone by Yona etc., so my writing took on a “Hak isn’t that great, calm down” tone. As I reviewed it, I realised it just wasn’t what I wanted to say. I love Hak as a character, and though I do think his fans overreact slightly towards his every part in the story, dragging Hak down was not going to achieve anything. Why would I want to drag down a character I love, even if I think opinions about him are overblown? I realised I should have been approaching this part in the opposite way: not, “Hak isn’t that great”, but rather, “Hak is great, and Yona is just as great”. I guess I got a bit lost in how many negative opinions I was seeing about Yona (and often Soo-Won) and thought, “Well, two can play at that game, here’s some negativity about Hak to balance the scales”. I’m glad I never finished that part of my writing and caught on to my own negativity, because if I hadn’t it would have read quite nastily and even if I disagree with parts of fandom on things, I don’t want to be mean about how I present my own opinions.

So, I ended up deleting that entire section and vowing to start over, but by this stage months had passed (I write slow okay, I like to double-check everything) and the topics I was originally so passionate about didn’t seem to be relevant in the fandom anymore. People seemed to be warming up to the flashback a little more, the decision to return to the castle that everyone disliked was so long ago, and I started to get lost in a “who cares?” hole. I didn’t want to write something so long, taking up so much of my time, if there wouldn’t be an audience for it. Why drag up older opinions to discuss them if everyone’s moved on?

Soooo… yeah. That leads me to the present. I have a word doc just over 11k words (most of that about Yona’s return to the castle) and I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it. I doubt I will unless there’s a huge demand for it, and even then I’ll wonder if I could be using my time better.

This said, I see it as a disservice to my past self, who sat typing for hours, to abandon that first part of my rant – the part I actually finished. So, despite there likely being no audience for it, and despite it likely not being relevant anymore, here is that first part of my rant, all about chapter 178 and the story leading up to it. You’ve already been warned about its length, but if you have the want or the time, please feel free to read it. I did put a lot of effort into it, so I hope you enjoy.

yona-chan out.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

Welcome! Please, have a seat. This roller coaster starts now and you’re strapped in for the ride, so prepare yourself.

(I’m kidding of course, click away whenever you like, but this is a long one… and this is your warning.)

But first, CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve reached the part of the rant where I have to go on for a bit explaining that this is my opinion and not yours, and that you’re under no obligation to agree with every part of this rant, let alone read it if you’re not enjoying it. Please, please, please do yourself the favour and click away if you already know this isn’t something you’re going to enjoy. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again… my opinion ≠ your opinion. I do not think mine matters more than yours, or is “more correct” than yours. I may write parts of this rant as if I’m making hard, irrefutable points, but this is all just my personal interpretation of the story. The only reason I’m writing like I am and not adding “In my opinion...” or “The way I’ve interpreted it is…” at the start/end of every sentence is because it would make for horrible reading.

While we’re here though, you may have your own opinions that I heavily dispute and discuss in this rant, but my disagreement should not be interpreted as disrespect. I in no way think you are stupid for having your opinion - I simply disagree with it and would like to discuss that. I am not here to just blast you with insults and then leave. Rather, the opposite: I would like to show you in this long rant WHY I have the opinion I do and WHY I don’t agree with a lot of the stuff I’ve been seeing. If you, in turn, would like to discuss your own opinion and/or why you disagree with mine, by all means go for it. Just… *raises monocle* Let’s keep it civil.

I also want to mention quickly that chapter 194 was the latest published. So, hi everyone reading this months/years in the future, before you come spam my inbox to go on about how wrong I am/how I didn’t discuss certain plot points/how I don’t understand the story, I’m writing about this with the story context up ‘til 194. I can’t see the future, so, like everyone else at the moment, my opinions and desires for certain future plots/characters are developed with only the current story in mind. I’m happy to acknowledge that this arc could go in any direction from here, good or bad.

And I know you’re probably wanting to say, “Great yona-chan. But why did you have to up and write this damn much? I ain’t got all the time in the world.”

The answer is that… yeah, there is a reason I wrote so much and it took me so damn long. My opinion and interpretation of the current arc are hard to discuss and require me to draw upon and contrast almost every arc following the one in Awa. To explain why I’m enjoying and appreciating what is currently happening in the story and am not as put out as many, I needed to re-examine this arc in the context of the story as a whole: where it was, what’s currently happening, and certain themes I think Kusanagi-sensei seems to be aiming for. And uh, yeah, that requires a lot of writing.

But, if you have the time or the want to read it, please enjoy.

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

PART 1: A LONG TIME AGO, IN SOME CHAPTERS FAR, FAR AWAY…

We’ve gotta discuss chapter 178.

Ah 178… what happened, man? Before this chapter it seemed like everyone was feeling pretty good about the whole Tully Arc and the Hakona Water Moment™ and the confession and the fact that Keishuk’s plans to try and manipulate Yona’s party hadn’t really worked out according to keikaku. And then came this chapter, which ended with Yona telling Hak that she was going to accept Keishuk’s offer and accompany him back to Hiryuu Castle, despite Hak’s emotional outburst wanting the exact opposite.

I remember there being a lot of talk about how the decision was rushed and how it sucked that Hak was so upset by it but would inevitably go along with the choice. While I do agree (to some extent) with these views, what really surprised me the most was how much flak Yona (and seemingly only Yona) got for this entire decision, how a few people seemed to like the decision to go to the castle, but kept stipulating that they didn’t want the group to return “like this”, and how much the choice itself was derided despite it making a lot of sense. I felt the reaction was really on a spectrum from the far more tame and agreeable, “Yona should have taken more time to think about it rather than coming to a quick decision on her own,” to the much harsher, “Yona is selfish and not thinking about anyone in the HHB and their needs (especially Hak!) and is rudely deciding everything on her own even though she’s stupid and can’t see that she’s walking into a trap, and none of the HHB will oppose her idea because they never do and she gets away with her shit all the time because the group never ever let her know when she’s wrong - they just praise her and go along with all of her bad ideas because she’s ‘Yona’.” I’m paraphrasing, of course, but you get the idea.

And, well, there’s a lot to unpack here, so… let’s just focus on the decision and the options available to the group at the time (and within the context of the whole story) as a start. I’ll get to the whole ‘blame Yona’ thing after.

(Strap in.)

One thing I think that was not discussed enough when the fandom reacted to the decision to return to Hiryuu Castle was the way the story had been building up to it for a very long time. There have been a lot of major, plot-altering decisions made in the manga, and if we look right back to the decision made before Tae-Jun’s Redemption Arc we can see one of them. It was the choice made by Yona and her friends to stay in the Fire Tribe lands to assist the smaller villages who were suffering due to the lack of younger men (taken for the Fire Tribe army), the lack of sustainable food sources and medical clinics, and the corruption of those tasked with collecting taxes and taking care of the townspeople. This decision to stay and help was important because it not only came after the group decided they did not want to go to the castle to confront Soo-Won(!!), it also lead directly to the creation of ‘The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch’, a group of “bandits” who could act as they please, influencing issues and actions within the towns without showing their faces while concurrently taking full responsibility and/or punishment for going against officials. It was pointed out in-text that this was influenced by Gi-Gan and her pirate crew and how they acted in Awa, with the group obviously seeing how such a set up allowed Gi-Gan to both influence control over the town and help its people without the town itself (and Kouka, in a way) receiving backlash for her actions. The HHB was very important because it was Yona and co. choosing to replicate this and act anonymously and independently. At this time in the story they had next to no allies they could call upon if they were caught by the Fire Tribe officials. They had to tread carefully: Hak was still thought of by the majority of people to be responsible for King Il’s death and/or already dead alongside Yona, and the dragons had only just come together again for the first time since the kingdom founding and were also still in the realm of “myth”. The HHB was not only a smart cover for the group to get away with what they wanted to do as vigilantes like they had in Awa, it was necessary to protect the members of the group and stop others from recognising them for who they truly were.

I could go on for aaaages about the importance of this anonymity, but the main idea I want to talk about is that with every arc after Tae-Jun’s Redemption Arc, this anonymity was slowly stripped back as the group had to push harder to achieve the results they wanted and their endeavours became more and more complicated. In the Fire Tribe Rebellion Arc they tried to influence things from behind the scenes (secretly attacking the foreign army camped outside the city Kyo-Ga was defending, etc.) and leave the rest up to Soo-Won, but in the end they were revealed to a number of Koukans in the army when they went to stop Li Hazara’s men from safely retreating. It was a small price to pay, but that’s when the whispers of “a red-haired maiden and several monsters appearing on the battlefield” began to spread, and Soo-Won became even more aware of their actions when he personally went to investigate what had been going on in the Fire Tribe behind the scenes of Soo-Jin’s rebellion.

Then we got the Water Tribe Arc, where the HHB did not act behind the scenes much at all and worked directly with those higher up in power (and Soo-Won… because, yes, whether we like it or not they have cooperated many times in the story let me remind you) to get the results they wanted. I know it’s easy to say, “but hey, they revealed their identities to Tae-Jun way earlier, so what the big deal?” but the difference is that Tae-Jun already knew who Hak and Yona were and very quickly joined their side to support them. Lili did not know Yona’s identity for a large chunk of the arc until Yona chose to reveal it. Lili worked with both Yona and Soo-Won while they simultaneously tried to hide their identities, but in the end she knew who both were and had a much deeper insight into their relationship and how strained it was. It’s not a whole lot of people figuring out the true identity of the group, but, like I said, it’s slowly building.

Kushibi’s Fort Arc! The HHB actively (read: openly, without hiding their identity) joined forced with Soo-Won and the tribes to rescue Yona and Lili. They tried to keep apart and work independently at the start but it’s this temporary, wishy-washy alliance that sees them through. This is important beeecaaaause…

Xing Arc!! Princess Tao has Voldo track down the HHB specifically because she thinks they have ties to the palace and act of behalf of Soo-Won and can grant her a meeting with him. This isn’t some weird, out-of-left-field idea of hers either: reports from citizens who were imprisoned at Kushibi’s fort was that they were saved by King Soo-Won and the Four Dragons. Not only has the anonymity of the HHB been all but lost by this stage, but they’ve been accidentally linked to the crown. They are no longer some weird, hooded bandits doing what they want in the rural towns: they are the group with the Legendary Four Dragons who protect Kouka, and they work for the king. At least, that’s how they are seen outside of Kouka.

But then comes another one of those plot-changing decisions I mentioned earlier.

When Yona tries to persuade Kouren to speak with Soo-Won rather than go to war, she uses her real name and status as Kouka’s princess to convince Kouren that Soo-Won will listen to her. When Kouren agrees to let her try and talk to Soo-Won, Yona tries to remain somewhat anonymous and behind the scenes by sending a message to Soo-Won with her name in the hope that this will encourage him to listen to her, but the answer is no. Then comes the decision: does Yona leave it at that, step back and not insert herself into the conflict anymore even if it means war will break out and countless will die? Does she hope that this failed action is enough to convince Kouren that she tried, and get her friends released from their position as hostages? Or is there something more she can do, even at the expense of herself?

This is my girl, Yona. Of course she chooses to do more. Of course she risks herself to try and save the people of a nation she barely knows anything about from pointless death, break the cycle of hatred, and free her friends. She confronts Keishuk and Soo-Won in front of their armies and demands they listen. She is Princess Yona, daughter of the late King Il, and damn it all, she will be heard.

I remember at the time that many thought this too was stupid on her part and that she only got away with it due to Soo-Won’s kindness and “plot armour”, but I see it differently. She was cornered by the Sky Tribe army because they thought she was some insurgent trying to spy on them, but the minute she tells the Sky Tribe army who she is they back down. Why? Because as far as they know Princess Yona is an innocent young woman who was tragically kidnapped from the castle by her unhinged bodyguard who killed the king, and that she fell to her death while trying to be recovered. Hak is the bad guy in this made-up story, not Yona, and she knows this. To the people of Kouka, her appearing before them is probably nothing short of a miracle that needs explaining. We know this because as soon as Keishuk (who also only found out about her being alive in this arc – please do not forget that Soo-Won never told him about Yona being alive… this is important!) sees her and puts two and two together he tries to quickly string a story about how it’s impossible that it’s Princess Yona, and oh she’s a spy using that name to trick and them, and just kill her now damn it! But the soldiers don’t. Their immediate reaction is to say, “But hey, isn’t that the princess we all thought was lost? Why is she here? What’s going on? We should definitely tell the King in case it is her!” Their knee-jerk response is to question the story they’ve been told and treat Yona as a victim rather than the threat that Soo-Won and his coup party know she could potentially be.

But then of course Soo-Won turns up and this is where things could have gone sour. Soo-Won is now in the difficult situation of having to listen to Yona or find some way to remove her from the situation without drawing too much attention to her. But Yona’s a step ahead. She makes sure to let everyone there know who she is, that she tried to speak with Soo-Won earlier, and that she has a potentially peaceful way to solve the issue. She does not back down, and this frightens both Soo-Won and Keishuk, if not for different reasons. For Soo-Won, it’s a sign that she is done letting him just do things his own way without being checked. She is no longer going to stand aside and pretend they can operate independently of each other. For Keishuk, it’s a scary show of how far her influence has spread in the Kouka Kingdom (and beyond)… and it’s about to get worse because then Lili steps in and defends Yona. And oh bummer, that’s got to sting. Now not only has Princess Yona magically appeared, but suddenly Lady Lili (who recently got a massive boost in popularity due to her help with Nadai in the Water Tribe) is saying that Yona is personally responsible for aiding her during the Nadai crisis, and for saving her when she was taken to Sei. Lili has placed her piece on the board right next to Yona’s. It’s a calculated move on Lili’s part that carefully tries to thread the needle between outing Soo-Won and rejecting him in front of her tribe (which she really shouldn’t do) and standing back and letting Yona potentially fail in her mission to get Soo-Won to go to council (which she also doesn’t want to happen). Lili does a great job here imo and as a result Yona can’t be removed from the situation as Soo-Won and the others would hope… not now.

So Soo-Won does the right thing in my opinion: he saves face and agrees with Yona and Lili. He backflips on his previous reply to her letter and openly welcomes discussions with Xing given certain rules are followed. It must suck for him to do this, but it keeps the calm. However, for Keishuk, this is nothing short of a disaster, and is the turning point in my opinion for him inserting himself far more into Soo-Won’s business and going rogue when he sees fit.

This all happens in the span of like one or two chapters but is a turning point for the whole series. While Yona’s actions in previous arcs could be covered up or explained away by the general populous thinking it was all overblown rumours (and Soo-Won getting credit for everything) this cannot be. The line in the sand previously drawn has been stepped over, and there’s no going back.

As the Xing Arc came to a close I read some comments from readers who thought Yona had it too easy. She inserted herself into a dangerous situation and wasn’t punished for it. At the end of the day, she got her way.

And… well… If I graciously put aside that a majority of the Xing Arc was Yona and her friends being chained up, tortured and attacked, and that Yona herself had a full on panic attack and collapsed due to the building pressure of having to simultaneously save her friends and stop a war by confronting the one person in the world she would rather not go near if she had the choice, then, yeah, sure, Yona “got her way, saved the day easily, and wasn’t punished for her risks”.

Or… … … and hear me out… … maybe it’s not that straightforward.

(A note before I get into this: I get that the complaint above was made at the conclusion of the Xing Arc and therefore what I’m about to go into could not have been known and taken into consideration by those making the complaint. I’m just using this complaint as a springboard to discuss the flow of the Xing Arc into the Tully Arc and the Tully Arc into the decision to return to the castle. I want to use the complaint to explore how AnY arcs flow into and impact future arcs, not point to people and say that they’re stupid for not predicting the future. And yes, I’m still getting to the original point about the decision Yona made to return to Hiryuu Castle… this is all leading up to me discussing that. Trust me, we’ll get there. Thank you for your patience.)

I say this because the following Tully Arc has a number of interesting conflicts in it outside of the main Kouka vs. Tully Tribe one. Let’s very quickly have a look at three of them:

Rumours spread about Yona’s sudden return with the dragons and about the allegation she made against Soo-Won. At best, the rumours just confirm that Yona and Hak are alive and that Hak saved Yona’s life the night King Il died and wasn’t the bad guy; at worst, they implicate Soo-Won as Il’s murderer and see Yona as someone blessed by the Gods, returning “home” with divine protection to oust those who wrongly removed her from the castle. It’s very dangerous, because it’s these kinds of rumours that, if pushed to the extreme, start civil wars. Soo-Won up until this point was, at least in my opinion, seen very favourably amongst the general populous. Of course questions about Il’s death would have existed, but Soo-Won doing a good job reuniting the tribes and expanding Kouka’s influence in Kai, Xing and Sei likely caused people to doubt and/or overlook rumours like this. He isn’t a bad king the people hate and are looking to discredit; neither are they looking for a hero they can rally behind to take him down. These rumours could throw all of that out the window though. What’s this? Yona’s actually responsible for the peaceful annexing of Xing? What, it was she who helped Lady Lili purge the Water Tribe of foreign interference? Oh, she helped Fire Tribe during Soo-Jin’s rebellion? She was living peacefully before Soo-Won murdered King Il!? Maybe Soo-Won isn’t as great as we thought him to be. Maybe having Yona in charge would be better, especially if those amazing dragons follow her and our tribe leaders support her! And this is without even touching upon the religious aspects of the issue! I’m sure there are many in Kouka who wouldn’t care if Yona did all that stuff or not: if she’s the new Hiryuu and has the support of the Four Dragons of Legend, then that settles it. She should be in charge, no questions asked.

Who the dragons serve and what their purpose is is debated. I spoke a little earlier about the HHB slowly losing their anonymity, but there’s something that happens in correlation with this: the more the HHB step into the limelight and begin to influence situations with their abilities, the more people begin to fear and revere them, and the more people begin to question who they serve and what their purpose is. As is pointed out by Zeno in the Xing arc, a darkness is brewing in the hearts of people. In Xing the dragons were feared and called monsters, and the people declared that Kouka was hoarding their power - that it was too dangerous for a power like the dragons to serve one nation. Within Kouka the conflict becomes who the dragons speak for and what they represent. Do they speak for Soo-Won, the king? Yona, Hiryuu’s reincarnation? The people, who revere and respect them? I know it’s easy, as the audience, to say, “Well, Yona, duh. We know that,” but the people of Kouka and abroad don’t know that. Heck, the Tully Arc ends when Jae-Ha sneaks into Li Hazara’s camp, pretends to be there on behalf of Soo-Won, and tells Hazara a whole bunch of lies to make him retreat. And this works. Because… of course it does. This whole issue is compounded by the fact that Yona is related to Soo-Won. Because unless she openly and actively opposes him and draws a heavy line between them, the simplest explanation for the average person to explain who the dragons serve is to go: dragons serve Yona -> Yona is royalty -> the dragons serve the crown. It was already a very iffy subject before the Tully Arc started (as Jae-Ha points out in Xing, it doesn’t matter if they don’t serve Soo-Won, because their actions can always still be interpreted as his just through the confusion surrounding who they actually serve) and by the end it’s just a mess.

Finally, in the Xing Arc Yona outed Tae-Jun as a powerful ally of hers by asking him to falsely light the Fire Tribe beacon and draw Soo-Won’s attention. Before this (and again, due to the previous anonymity of the HHB) Tae-Jun kind of got away with his actions because only Soo-Won read between the lines enough to realise that Yona had been assisting him. He chose not to act against this likely because, at the end of the day, Tae-Jun’s projects with Yona directly benefitted the Fire Tribe without any threat to Soo-Won himself, so… tightrope successfully walked, in a way. This is not the case now. Tae-Jun’s actions actively hindered Soo-Won’s plans and threw his allegiance into plain sight. Soo-Won (and those close to him *coughKeishuk*) now know that, push come to shove, Tae-Jun will side with Yona. This causes conflict because of Kyo-Ga, who, in the Tully Arc, is shown to be in a situation where his two loyalties are actively beginning to oppose one another. On one side is his loyalty to Soo-Won and his desperation to show that he is not his father. On the other side is the family he cares deeply about (his mother even sided with Yona) and the troops he respects. And this is just the Fire Tribe. We know the Wind Tribe will follow Yona thanks to Hak, and that Lili could easily decide to stand by Yona’s side and support her rather than Soo-Won, as she did in Xing. Soo-Won may have united the tribes for the first time since Junam’s rule, but far out if there aren’t cracks beginning to show.

It’s these conflicts in the Tully Arc that matter. Why? Because they are a direct result of Yona’s choice to confront Soo-Won during the Xing Arc. These conflicts could be seen as the punishment that many at the time thought she never got. By forcing herself into the situation to help Xing, she in turn created conflict in Kouka. And this isn’t conflict she can ignore or get Soo-Won to settle, like she did at the end of the Fire Tribe Rebellion arc where it was left up to Soo-Won to go and discuss how Hazara would be punished. She can’t have An Joon-Gi step in to clean up the aftermath of the Nadai incident, or have Tae-Jun cover for her and claim he found the Iza seeds and set up the clinics alone. She and the HHB are now in the middle of it all, and their actions and the way they present themselves matter more than ever before. She is now, in part, responsible for having to navigate these issues and seeing what happens.

This is especially true because these conflicts effect so many different areas of politics and so many people. From above, #1 impacts the common folk, who they respect and who they might potentially follow as a leader. #3 creates cracks in the tribe leaders. Do they follow Soo-Won, to whom they’ve sworn loyalty, or do they follow their hearts and question the legitimacy of his rule? Do they denounce Yona so as not to get involved, or do they acknowledge her influence and the respect she has garnered even if they are loyal to Soo-Won? Finally, #2 impacts everyone, within Kouka and beyond. Who are “Hiryuu and the Four Dragons”? Do they only represent Kouka? Is their word the word of the king? Of the gods? Can they be trusted to be fair to other countries outside of Kouka, or are they biased? What is their role in all of this?

(*Drax voice* Why are the Dragons?)

I… don’t have answers to the above questions, but if we’re making a list of reasons why I’m excited for what’s to come in the story (and why I like the idea of Soo-Won’s group and Yona’s group interacting) this is definitely one of them.

For now though, let’s finally put this all together and see where the HHB are at the end of the Tully Arc. What choices do they have for where the go and what they do next?

I’m going to say that, at a basic level, they have 4 options:

Stay in a town/tribe of their choosing.

Go bush again and do what they were doing before in-between arcs, and camp.

Leave Kouka altogether, which they have done in the past.

Accept Keishuk’s offer to go to Hiryuu Castle.

I think it’s quite easy to see why options 1 and 3 are out of the question now. With their anonymity gone and their status now sometimes equated to those of deities, the HHB cannot just stay in some tribe town and hope to pass their days unnoticed. The issues they’ve faced abroad in the last three arcs make it so their presence abroad would only potentially stir up trouble (not to mention the whole dragons being more susceptible to injury and illness thing that happens when they move farther from Hiryuu Castle) and their new widespread acclaim within Kouka puts expectations on them wherever they go. They can’t play a group of passing performers or foreign tourists: they’re so much more than that now in the eyes of the people. And, again, with their purpose up in the air their presence in tribe towns could cause even more confusion. It’s very much like why Hak wanted the group to avoid the Wind Tribe all this time. His presence there would stir up trouble: at the very least people would be curious as to where he’s been and what’s going on regarding his and the HHB’s relationship with the crown, and at worst the Wind Tribe would want to rally behind him and reinstate him as General and that’s not a good idea, because, again, it creates conflict with the crown.

And this is without touching on the traumas the group has been facing lately. Members of their team have been kidnapped multiple times by foreign groups hoping to use or abuse them for their own needs. One of these scumbags (*coughGobi*) actually followed them across Kouka to achieve this. Then there’s the issue that occurred in the Fire Tribe when a celebration of the dragons led to people purposefully coming to Saika Castle to crowd Yona and her friends, attempting to pull Yona from her room through a window because they all wanted to touch her red hair, and grabbing and stroking Kija’s arm without his permission. Need I remind us that these actions (despite the different emotion at their core – devotion/“love”) cause Yona, Kija and Jae-Ha to remember their time captive in Xing, when the people there crowded them to “see the monsters” for themselves, and Hak, while trying to assist them, was shown dragging his friends away from detached, almost otherworldly, black arms that tried to grab and smother him. The same visual that was used for the Fire Tribe people when they tried to grab Yona: black, empty faces of desire.

AND let’s not forget that the Tully Arc began with Yona, Jae-Ha, Zeno and Yoon being kidnapped because someone they believed to be an ally (Ogi) had his band of friends/informants attacked and threatened, and that he felt compelled to purposefully lie to them to lure them out and into the hands of Gobi’s men.

I can only imagine the amount of stress these occurrences additionally pile onto Yona: even if they can find a location where the HHB themselves are safe, can they ensure that others they know and love aren’t harmed by those greedy enough to continue to pursue them? If they stay in a town, can they be sure their presence won’t wrongly sway the hearts of the people, cause more rumours to spread, or, at worst, increase the division already present between their party and Soo-Won’s?

I’m sure these things were already on Yona’s mind before any of the events with the Tully Tribe. While they are staying at Saika Castle, Keishuk appears and has the Sky Tribe troops attack Zeno and Jae-Ha. When the others go to help them, the Fire Tribe soldiers threaten the Sky Tribe ones and demand they stand down, and it leads to a scuffle. Keishuk and Yona both recognise that this infighting between the tribes and the division of loyalties is not something they should be happy about. Keishuk thinks to himself that the small scuffle is only a taste of what is to come should Yona continue to be allowed to act on her own, while Yona remarks to Jae-Ha and Hak that, though they came to assist the Fire Tribe, their presence is having the opposite effect. They’re only creating dissonance, and both sides in the argument scared her. They contemplate where to go (NOTE: Hak himself says he’s not sure where they could go that would be safe - keep this in mind) but before they can take the time to think about it any more the entire Tully Arc happens. The issue is never solved and everything that happens afterwards only puts more pressure on the decision to be made.

So, going back to our list, options #1 (stay in town) and #3 (go abroad) are seemingly a no-go, but what of option #2? I think it’s very easy to say that the HHB could just disappear into the wilderness again and do what they were doing before the Sei Arc began, but in my opinion it’s not that simple…

We have the previously mentioned issue of their friends being used to find them. I think it would heavily play on Yona’s mind that, should they go back into their more undercover way of living, those they love could be used to try and draw them back out. And that’s if the group isn’t actively pursued themselves. They were found by Voldo and his men quite easily once before, and Gobi followed them across Kouka to the Fire Tribe, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume they could be tracked again. Gobi even stirs up Yona’s fear about this. When she, Kija and Jae-Ha are discussing the fact that they shouldn’t just return to the Fire Tribe with the troops, and perhaps should escape into the woods, Gobi smirks at Yona, repeats the idea and then questions if that’s where they’re going. He’s straight up being a creep and acting like he already has plans to somehow follow them once more, and one only needs to see the expression Yona makes in response to know she is fed up with threats like this.

So, then, why don’t the HHB disappear so much that they are untraceable? If the dragon villages could erase themselves off the map then it makes sense the HHB could find somewhere so remote that they could not be tracked. And, well, apart from the fact that this idea still doesn’t eliminate the issue of a potential target being put on their allies’ heads, it goes against what Yona and the group want to achieve. Their purpose since they left Ik-Soo’s all that time ago was to assist the people of Kouka. Yona wanted to learn about the kingdom her father apparently didn’t take good care of and see if she could make a difference. How would them disappearing achieve this? Would they just stay away forever with only Yoon (and maybe Zeno) being able to travel into town to get them supplies? Would they ignore the people who would no doubt notice their absence right after they came into the spotlight? Would they just leave everything to Soo-Won? This idea would make no sense to me at all, and I could not see Yona, after everything she and her friends have achieved, being happy to settle with this option.

But where does this leave the group? They aren’t comfortable going abroad or staying in town, and going into the woods and disappearing would go against what they, as a group, are trying to achieve. This is the confusing mess Yona was in when Keishuk then suggested his alliance to her. A new option. Option #4.

I’d like to remind everyone that Yona was very quick to say that she did not trust Keishuk and that the group turned down the offer immediately. But then comes the sting: Keishuk points out that Yona (and Hak) cannot protect the dragons with the way they currently live. In one fell swoop he stabs Yona right in her heart, dragging all of her insecurities about this unavoidable decision to the forefront of her mind. I got the impression that some fans thought Yona didn’t think through the idea of going with Keishuk at all and went along with it on the flimsy reasoning that Yoon should be able to learn medicine, but, as discussed, this whole issue is likely something she’s been thinking about for a while now. Keishuk didn’t randomly offer her the alliance based on nothing, and her accept just because. He offered it to her because he too realises that the dragons are important and will be targeted, and Yona gets this. Sure, he would rather Yona be dead and the dragons out of the picture, but he acknowledges their influence and the danger that occurred when they were targeted by the Tully Tribe. Keishuk is in just as sticky a situation as Yona: he doesn’t think it wise to allow the dragons to wander and do their own thing because, like Yona, he’s seen the division it can cause and the threat she poses to Soo-Won. Additionally, he’s seen that their enemies desire (and can abuse) the power of the dragons to harm Kouka, and that this can’t be allowed either. He’s also twisting the situation to his advantage, because of course he is. He knows being seen with the dragons will be advantageous for Soo-Won, showing that the King has powerful allies and quelling the potential unrest of those people who were believing the harsh “rumours” about Soo-Won being Yona’s enemy. They can also watch the dragons a lot closer if they are at the castle, rather than sitting back and hoping Yona and co. aren’t doing anything to get in the way of their plans or stirring up dissonance. While this benefits him, having the crown on their side also, in a way, benefits Yona. People are less likely to seek them out (for good reasons or bad) if they are protected within the walls of the castle and others think they might anger the King by messing around with them.

But, no, Keishuk is not a nice person and this suggestion of an alliance doesn’t come without problems for Yona. It’s not fair, but they know this. One of the first things Yona, Yoon and Zeno discuss back in their tent is the fact that they’re likely going to be used and that Keishuk is, in a way, threatening them, as they believe he will be the one to send people after them if they refuse his offer and try to disappear again. It’s a no-win situation – no answer Yona picks will be without issue and potential serious consequence, like we’ve discussed.

When she goes to tell Hak that she’s planning to accept Keishuk’s alliance, Yona doesn’t say it’s a good option – she says she believes it’s a safer one.

Hak goes off after this and while I was reading this for the first time it felt like my chest tightened at his every word. And this… well, it wasn’t for a very obvious reason. Sure, I felt awful for Hak. I knew he would follow Yona even to a place he likely never wanted to step foot into again. But there was something else nagging at me during his rant. He tells Yona that they can just run. They can run and run and if they find danger that way he’ll fight to protect them, even if it results in his death.

Truth be told, it reminded me of another difficult decision Yona once made, seemingly so long ago. Back before they met the dragons, back before Yona had even held a bow.

A decision made beside a waterfall with a man who could hear the voice of God.

When Ik-Soo, all that time ago, directed Yona on her quest, he told her she had a choice: she could live, truly live, and by doing so “call up a storm that will shake Kouka to its very foundations” or, she could continue as she had been, but that Hak would lose his life trying to protect her. Yona knew what she had to do: she knew she had to move forward, become stronger, seize this fate no matter how difficult it might be. She knew she absolutely could not allow Hak to die.

I feel like this situation is incredibly similar: Yona can choose the harder path, the one that will continue to shake the country. She can move forward and keep working hard and challenge herself. Or, she can try go back to how it was before. She and the HHB can leave, they can retreat to the woods, they can try to run from the harsh fate set before them. But at what cost? Hak (unintentionally) spells it out: he’s willing to be that cost, if necessary.

There’s no way Yona can accept that. NO. WAY. She refused to accept it before, and she won’t accept it now.

(Ngl I also just really like the idea that there’s this contrast between the start of the story and now, as we get ever closer to the end. In the beginning Yona needed to step up and take the harder path first by leaving the castle and her past there behind and heading into the big, wide world; now, she needs to take the harder path and return to the castle with everyone she’s met during her journey and all the lessons she’s learned and face what happened in a completely different way. Hnnghh… so good.)

This is how I view Yona’s decision to join Keishuk and return to Hiryuu Castle, and why I accepted it as much as I did. I don’t think the choice was made as quickly as many thought it was… I don’t think it was as irrational as many thought it was… I don’t think it was as void of Yona considering the feelings of her friends as many thought it was. I see it as a culmination of what occurred in previous arcs: the consequences of Yona’s (and the HHB’s) decisions coming back to haunt them as they realise that the steps they’ve previously taken have forced them into a corner – that they crossed a line that cannot be simply stepped back over. Yona’s thoughts at the end of chapter 178 sum it up: they can’t go back to the days of lazing around in a tent, of enjoying Yoon’s cooking around a fire, and of having fun as they travel around. Those days are soon to be over.

I felt sad that the choice had to be made at all - that Yona and her friends were pushed to a point that there were no good options available to them. That Yona still looked so unsure and upset when she decided that she would accept Keishuk’s offer.

...Which is also why I got kinda miffed when Yona caught a lot of flak for this decision. Yeah, that’s right, I promised to talk about this, so let’s get into it!

I’m not going to repeat that I already mostly disagree with anyone who thought the decision was made too hastily or that it was made without considering alternate options or potential consequences. I think I’ve (hopefully) made my reasons for disagreeing clear above. What I do want to address was another way I saw people reacting to the decision, which was that Yona didn’t bother to discuss the choice with anyone before making it and was being selfish because of this. I think this was especially due to Hak’s outburst and the fact that Hak’s opinions and feelings “weren’t taken into consideration”.

And… well… putting aside that Hak’s opinion literally ended with, “I’ll die protecting you all”, which I get are Hak’s fears and insecurities causing him to be irrational because he’s been through so much and he’s so scared of losing this family again after just getting them back (I get it, but honey… NO!! Don’t regress back to that state of thinking you need to be Atlas and carry everything on your shoulders. I, for once, am glad Yona ignored you here.) I think people are putting too much of the blame on Yona and not on anyone else (if blame need be assigned at all, which I also don’t quite agree with).

But, I do want to talk about one thing I do agree with: the lack of discussion. I get that this might seem contradictory, but let me explain. In chapter 178, Yona and her friends tell Keishuk they will not have anything to do with him, they head back to the tent where Hak immediately parks himself out the front to “stand guard” (which is code imo for him being upset and needing some time alone to think) and then shortly after, Jae-Ha, Kija and Shin-Ah all go out to join him, leaving Yona, Yoon and Zeno to discuss what to do.

And… mmmm, yeah, I’m not the biggest fan of this. While I’ve explained above why I think Yona deciding to join Keishuk is fine and how the other options weren’t really any better, I do think this chapter could have been handled better. I wish we could’ve had the HHB sit down and discuss everything as a group. I think they could have thrown some ideas around and eventually have come to the same conclusion, but it might have seemed a little more natural. Having 3 of the dragons just nope out of the conversation was a little odd imo, and I think we could have used another chapter to really flesh the choice out, and have many points (like the conflicts I mentioned above) reiterated. I don’t know if the chapter and its dialogue was just planned poorly, or it was decided somehow that it might be a waste of time to have the characters discussing points that wouldn’t change the overall decision, if an editor played a part, or if the chapter was just rushed for whatever reason. I dunno, but I do think perhaps people might not have been so upset with the choice if it had been made a little slower. I get it can be annoying when authors just spell everything out for an audience, but in this case, and with such a crucial decision, maybe it would have been worth sensei’s time.

But let’s just call it as it is and admit that perhaps the chapter wasn’t written as well as it could have been. I completely understand thinking things like, “Yona should have gone outside and sought Hak’s opinion on the choice” and “She shouldn’t have let the dragons leave and instead asked them to stay and talk” and being frustrated that these didn’t happen, but using them alone to try and discredit the entire decision Yona made is, in my opinion, ignoring what the story had already included and been building towards for a long time, as well as prior character interactions where the HHB did discuss what they should do and ruled out several options (*hem* One of those short discussions was Yona talking about the commotion they were making by staying in the Fire Tribe and it was Hak specifically who pointed out that there was little guarantee they’d be any better off if they just left *hem*). Yona deserves better than to be entirely belittled after one chapter that perhaps wasn’t as good as it could have been, when there was so much more to her overall judgement than just, “Oh well Yoon wants to learn medicine so I’ma ignore that Hak might be upset and just go along with Keishuk’s plan”. She’s better than that, smarter than that, and she cares more than that, especially about Hak.

Which, uh, allows me to nicely segue into…

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

Nothing. This is where I went into part two of my rant about Hak and Yona; but, as previously mentioned, I never got it finished in a way that I actually liked and thought was respectful to the source material and the opinions of the fandom. So, no need to worry anymore - the ride ends here.

If you actually managed to get through the behemoth that was this rant, thanks a tonne. It means a lot to me that you would read so much of someone else’s opinion – you get all the cookies. Hopefully it was an okay read and you agreed with some parts of it. If not… well, sorry about that. You get even more cookies.

I would say some more stuff here, write up some kind of proper conclusion, but I honestly don’t know what to type.

I’m so very, very tired of typing. And I’m sure that, by now, you are so very, very tired of reading.

yona-chan out. (Again.)

#akatsuki no yona #dunno why I'm tagging the likelihood of this getting into the tag is like zero #there I'm done it's done #sorry it's so long #and yeah yeah I know I probably read way too much into everything #I get it I do that a lot #but heck if I didn't have fun going back through everything and rereading #I have so much more I could say on those other aspects of the arc I mentioned at the start #alas we shall see #yona chan muses #yona chan rants #anime spoilers

107 notes · View notes

savoies · 4 years

Note

matty tkachuk admitting he has feelings for you and y’all have been friends since you were kids -mitch-slap

word count : (914) this could be a full blown imagine. 😂

you and matthew have known eachother since you could remember. you were always by each other's side. through the good and the ugly. through heartbreaks, first steps that of course both of you can't remember, and graduating high school and going to college or in matt's case the nhl. now matt was in the nhl and you were a college student. since quarantine happened both of you have been quarantined at the tkachuk household . well let's just say that it was an interesting quarantine so far. you mostly hung out with Taryn since Matt was mostly doing some type of active activity with his brother and you weren't really a fan of that.

now you were in her room just gossiping about boys and sometimes her brother would come up. “oh gosh y/n remember when you used to have a crush on my brother in 10th grade.” taryn laughed uncontrollably.

“when, no I didn't.” you said trying to ignore since as a matter of fact you did have a huge crush on the oldest tkachuk brother, throwing a pillow at her to make her be quiet.

“you always came in my room and gushed about him, oh matthew did this oh matthew did that.” she said badly, intimidating 10th grade you.

“shut up, he might hear you.” you said pushing her farther onto the bed.

“so you're saying it's not a lie?, oh gosh do you still have a crush on him?’ she said looking for any type of reaction out of you. matt was cute but you thought that after all this time maybe it was just a dumb crush so you tried letting it go.

“y/n and matty sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-...”

Oh shut up taryn, I'm leaving.” you said getting up from the floor not wanting to be part of this conversation anymore.

“ oo are you going to go with matt.” she said looking at you with a shit eating grin.

“yes I am since you don't appreciate my company.” you told her, sticking your tongue out at her. sometimes you guys behaved like little kids but that was the fun part about being at the tkachuk household, no moment was ever too serious. when you walked into the living room matthew was on the coach but brady was nowhere in sight.

“hey y/n, what are you up too.'' matt asked you as he saw you come downstairs.

“i was with your sister but she was annoying so i decided to come downstairs to see what you guys were up to.”

“brady and i were playing basketball but he gave up cause i was winning.'' matt said with a cocky smirk.

“don’t get to cocky matty.”

you sat down next to him on the couch and started watching whatever was on the tv. by the end of the movie on the tv both of you were cuddled up into each other's arm and didn't even notice until brady walked in for a glass of water and made noises in the kitchen acknowledging that he was there. Both of you separate quicky, a slight blush appearing on both of your guys cheeks.

you were about to head upstairs to see if taryn had calmed down but then matt grabbed your wrist.

“hey can we talk?’ he said nervously rubbing his arm.

what was this about you thought. maybe he had started talking to a girl, you always told each other about new relationships. so you sat back down and let him do the talking.

“uhm ok i'm not sure what to say or where to even start.”you grabbed his hand for reassurance but to be honest that just made matthew more nervous.

“matty are you breaking up our best friend pact?” you joked trying to lighten up the mood.

matt chucked at your attempts to lighten up the mood. “so uhm well remember that girl i i went out with back in our senior year?”

you remembered her. you didn't really like her. kind of jealous of her if you had to admit it. “yeah why, are you back together with her.”

“oh gosh no, i didn't like her very much, actually i went out with her to make you jealous but you never caught on.”

you were sort of shocked how he could he like you , your best friend of more than 15 years, he liked you back. now you weren't the best talker when it come to confrontation and it was kind of shocking to process so you stayed quiet for a while longer than matthew would’ve liked.

“y/n please talk to me” matt said worried feeling as though he might have just ruined the best thing he had, your friendship. instead of saying anything you pulled his face in close and did a short but sweet kiss giving matt the answer he needed, that you felt the same way.

what caused you to pull away was the sound of taryn squealing heard behind you. “my ship has sailed, she said holding her hand over her heart you just giggled at the attitude of your best friend's sister, gosh did she annoy you sometimes but you loved her. “so i'm guessing this didn't ruin our friendship” matt asked a bit later.

“i think we are more than friends now.” you said not really looking at him but when you said it you smiled like crazy. more than friends. matt liked the sound of that.

hope you like it. this one really has to be one of my favorites. (: it's longer than i expected it to be, oop sorry.

#matthew tkachuk x reader #matthew tkachuk #calgary flames #nhl blurb #nhl blurbs #hockey blurb #hockey blurbs #hockey #hockey boys #ari writes #its 2am im out lol

55 notes · View notes

thewritewolf · 4 years

Text

Adrien, Agreste No Longer: Chapter 9 - Family Reunion

The rest of the Roberts and friends finally get to meet Adrien.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 (Final)

Read on Ao3

“Wow, small fry,” Skipper said and gave an appreciative nod. They’d been at it for the past couple hours, playing dozens of matches that just as often ended with Adrien winning as losing. It was a good way to pass the time as they waited for Barbie’s sisters to settle in, and for her friends to arrive from the airport. “You aren’t half bad at Mecha Strike. You’re giving me a run for my money and I made the game in the first place!” She gently punched his shoulder. “What’s your secret?”

Adrien thought back to many long hours spent fighting bots on his own, then to the ever more frequent matches he’d been playing against Marinette and her family. If you could score a win against her, you could beat anyone.

“Let’s just say I’ve got a good sparring partner,” Adrien said with a smirk.

“Well, if you’re half as good at other games as this, I’m psyched that I’ve got such a talented nephew.” Skipper leaned in to whisper. “Between you and me? The rest of the family is either no good at video games, or waaay too competitive.”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”

The door to one of the guest rooms opened and Barbie’s youngest sister, Chelsea, sat down heavily on the seat next to Adrien. He couldn’t get a sense of what she was thinking as she stared at him. The silence stretched between them. Just when she was about to ask what was up, she squealed in delight. She wrapped him up in a big, tight hug.

“I’m so happy to have another model in the family! It’s not like the Barbie fashion line is struggling or anything, but it’s always super nice when one of us can really flaunt her stuff on the runway.” She narrowed her eyes at her older sister.

Skipper just rolled her eyes. “Not all of us want to be in the family business, Chels. Maybe Adrien doesn’t want to either. Did you think about that before smothering him, hm?”

“Oops! Sorry,” Chelsea said with a wince. She let go of him, looking abashed. “I get excited about these kinds of things. With Barbie doing all sorts of things, its usually down to me to keep the flagline fashion business going, you know?” She straightened up Adrien’s jacket. “But like I said, we’re doing fine so you defs don’t need to model for us if you don’t want to.”

Adrien gave her a smile and said, “Thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll be taking some time away from modeling for now. Maybe in the future?”

“Sure, sure. But…” Chelsea put her hand on her heart and swooned dramatically against the back of the couch. “Ugh, no wonder he’s always on the front page of Teen Heart Throb Magazine. That smile! Definitely Barbie’s son.”

While Adrien was still processing that, there was a knock on the door to the hotel room.

“Come on in,” Skipper yelled, barely taking her eyes off her phone.

The door opened and Chelsea rushed over to meet the two women that came in. Adrien followed more cautiously, wondering if these were more family members that he hadn’t met before.

“Nikki, Teresa - it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to my long lost nephew, Adrien!” Chelsea framed Adrien with her hands, as if presenting a prize.

Immediately, the redhead one of them - Teresa, he gathered - ran forward and wrapped him in a hug. “Oh my goodness, he’s just the cutest thing ever!”

“Teresa, sweetie, come on. Give the kid some space.” The other friend - Nikki - pulled her off and crouched down to Adrien’s level. Chelsea guided Teresa to the kitchen. She whispered, “Hey, Adrien. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a real long time, just like everyone else here.”

“I’m glad to meet all of you! It’s been… just an amazing time. And surreal.”

Nikki chuckled. “You aren’t wrong, sugar. It feels like only yesterday we were all consoling Barbie and Ken after you were kidnapped.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Now you’re back home.”

“But… I haven’t left?” Well, he moved out of the mansion, but still… a hotel wasn’t a home, right?

“Home isn’t a place, sweetie,” Nikki replied. “It’s who you’re with.”

“Okay everybody!” Another voice cut in before Adrien could reply. “Gather round and let me lay down the schedule for today.”

Adrien turned to see his third aunt, Stacie. Apparently her day job was some sort of event / wedding planner. He listened while she walked them through the itinerary for the day.

“Now that we’re all here, we’re going to hit the major shops in the area.” She pulled out a map dotted with marks, likely pointing out those very shops, and slapped it on a white board that Adrien hadn’t noticed she’d set up. “Paris is considered one of the fashion capitals of the world and we are NOT letting this opportunity slip by. Any questions?” Her eyes landed on Adrien, who timidly raised his hand. “Yes?”

“Can we make a quick stop before we get started?”

----------------

With Marinette next to him, Adrien felt a lot more grounded. Not only was she someone that he knew and had known for a while now, it also meant one more person that they would all be fawning over. Maybe it was a little mean of him to bring her along for that reason, but she seemed more than happy to take some of their attention off of him.

He wasn’t sure how he felt when he saw Stacie make a little note on her clipboard - ‘A + M Wedding Prep?’ A little embarrassed, but as he saw Marinette laughing and getting along famously with his new family… Well, maybe some early preparations wouldn’t be out of place, even if a marriage was far off.

“Barbie senses… tingling,” Ken said just before disappearing into the crowd.

“Gosh, I’m so parched-” Barbie began, only for Ken to immediately offer a frappuccino. She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thank you! You always know what I need - sometimes even before I do!” She giggled and kept walking, but the exchange stuck in Adrien’s head.

A year of fighting alongside her had given Adrien and Marinette a strong bond. Sometimes he could predict her moves just far enough ahead to put them in perfect synchronization. But would they ever reach the point that Barbie and Ken were at? Especially now that the danger was over, and they wouldn’t be expected to be fighting as superheroes so much any more. Was danger and hardship the only way that their relationship would strengthen?

A few hours later, the girls were still shopping, but Adrien had to take a seat to shake off the exhaustion in his feet. Ken took a spot beside him. Silently, Adrien struggled with how to ask what he wanted to know. Or even if he should ask at all.

“Something’s on your mind, kiddo.” Ken put a comforting hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “Why don’t you tell me what’s up? I bet it’ll make you feel better.”

“How do you do it?” Adrien blurted out. When Ken just blinked at him in confusion, Adrien gestured vaguely. “You know… that whole ‘Barbie senses’ thing. What’s the deal with it?”

“Well, when you’ve been together for as long as Barbie and I have you get a sense of what the other person is like, deep down.”

“How long have you two been together, anyway?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ken said vaguely. “Although…” Ken’s eyes drifted over to where Barbie and Marinette were standing, comparing dresses. “...You two do seem pretty close. Maybe you can pull it off.”

“Pull what off?”

“The Sense.” Ken cleared his throat and faced Adrien, who spun around in place too. “Alright. Close your eyes.” Adrien did so. “And open your heart.” Frowning, Adrien did his best, hoping Ken wasn’t being literal. “Believe in yourself.”

After a long pause, Adrien frowned. “Is that all?”

“That’s how it starts. Dreams will come true.” Ken smiled at him. “Just wait and see. ‘Cuz the powers in you, and the powers in me.”

“...Are you sure? It sounds kinda hokey.”

Ken laughed. “That’s all love is. The best kind of hokey there is in the world.”

They sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes longer, Adrien reflecting on what Ken had told him. Once Adrien stood up to go back to the rest of the group, Ken stood up as well.

“...So what are we doing after this?”

“I dunno, you’d have to ask Stacie. She’s the one with the all mighty clipboard.”

“No, no,” Adrien shook his head. “I mean… after today. In a week. A month. Are we staying in Paris? Or are you taking me to the States?”

“We wouldn’t dream of taking you away from your friends, kiddo,” Ken said soothingly. “We’ll be living in Paris - at least until you’re out of school. And from now on, we’re family and family sticks together.”

#Miraculous Ladybug #barbie: life in the dreamhouse #Adrien Agreste #Skipper #Barbie #Ken #Chelsea #Stacy #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Adrienette #ml fanfiction #my writing #Adrien Agreste No Longer

33 notes · View notes

otherfandomsrun · 5 years

Text

Pillow Fight Crush x Reader Fluff

Wrote this for my bestfriend! @myrandom-fandomlife This is my first ever fanfic, so ya know don't judge too hard. I didn't proof read too much and I'm bad at honestly everything about writting but hope you like it!!!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It was the last day of your sophomore year and you were the most excited you've been in a long time. Tomorrow you were having a party and there were going to be a lot of people there. One of which may or may not be your crush, C/N. You've liked him for the longest time but you never thought it would work out. He just doesn't see you that way but oh well at least you can keep him in your life as a friend.

The second the last bell rang everyone ran into the hall way. You saw your friends and ran over to hug them. You started to talk and a few of them started to cry. You felt someone tap you on the shoulder. You were so excited that when you spent around so fast you became dizzy.

"Woah!" You felt hands on your shoulders helping to steady you. "Don't fall!" Your vision cleared and you quickly realized that it was C/N. You felt a little embarrassed but you laughed along with him anyway.

"Hey, C/N! Sorry I'm just happy it's the last day but I won't see most of my friends over the summer so that's kinda sad but at least I'll see them next year." You shrugged not really minding. This year you had been so busy. You and your bestfriend were the football managers at your school and you both were cheerleaders too so you two were constantly washing the dirty jerseys, picking sweaty boys up in your cars to drive them to and from practice, all while going to the games and cheering for your team, going to cheer camps, practicing after school and going to work after all that. And when football was over you were on the volleyball team going to camps, practicing, and even going being in marching band. To sum it up you were tired!

"Well you'll see us all tomorrow!" He said smiling. God this boy was gorgeous. Everytime he was close you could only think about what it would be like to walk the hallways holding his hand. Knowing that he would be yours and only yours. You hurried to push those thoughts out of your mind hoping that you haden't been staring long. Realizing what he had said you replied, "You're coming?!"

"Yes of course I'm coming. I wouldn't ever miss it. I'll see you then, bye!" He leaned in and gave you a quick hug then ran off and started to walk by his friends. You watched him look back at you as he turned the corner. You guys smiled and waved at eachother goodbye - or at least until tomorrow.

That night you did everything. You shaved, exfoliated, put on face masks, lathered your entire body in lotion, and painted your nails. You looked amazing, felt like a baby, and your legs were so shiny you could see your reflection in them. You went to sleep at around 11. The party started at 1 tomorrow but you decided to wake up at 10. 11 hours of sleep was enough.

When you woke up you immediately got ready. You wore a pair of white denim shorts a pink crop top and white Van's. Pretty basic but it was cute.

People started to show up very fast. At about 1:30 everybody was there but you hadn't seen C/N yet and you started to wonder whether or not he was coming.

You went over to some of your friends and started to talk to them not as excited as before when all the sudden ...."Y/N!" Hands came up to your shoulders and shook you.

"OH MY GOD!" You basically died right there you got so scared. Well at least you knew C/N was here. When you turned around you out your head in your hand and started laughing, "Jesus, you scared me!" You took a deep breath and looked up while being pulled into a hug. "I almost thought you weren't coming."

You pulled away and crossed your arms. He got a tan scince yesterday and boy did he look good. He was basically a greek god in your eyes.

"What?! No, I told you yesterday that I was coming. I got held up in traffic. Ya know you live quite far away from me." He added in a 'matter of fact' tone.

About 30 minutes went by and the party had moved outside. Most people were playing some ninja game but a few of us were sitting in the shade having fun talking to one another.

It was about 97°F outside. So in other words freakin' hot. "Hey do you want to go inside because it's way too hot out here." You looked over covering your face as the sun had moved since you sat down and was now in your eyes. C/N looked over, "Yeah, I'm really hot." Yeah you are, you added in your mind.

You two headed inside to your room not wanting to draw any attention from your friends at the moment just wanting to cool down. You got to your room and shut the door both of you flopping down onto your bed, him laying down with his legs hanging off the bed while you propping yourself up with your arms.

"Hey, Y/N, can we turn on some music?" He looked over at you and you obviously couldn't say no.

"Yeah, you want to choose?" You gave him the phone and watched what playlist he picked. Great he went with your Aesthetic playlist. Almost every song on there was a love song. He looked through the playlist.

"I haven't heard most of these." He put the list on shuffle. Put Your Head On My Shoulder started to play softly in the background.

"What no this is a love song. Let's play something else." You proceeded to try and grab your phone when he suddenly pulled his hand back.

"No! I like this song!" You sat up and leaned over him to get your phone. He moved his hand from his side to above his head. You put your leg over him and straddled him, leaning over his head you still couldn't get your phone. Giving up you leaned back while sitting on him.

"I give up your arms are too long!" He slyly slipped his hands over the sides of the pillow.

"Liar! You can reach them you just dont want too." He stared at you laughing. You were very confused.

"And why would I wa-" BAM! A pillow wa shoved in your face. You couldn't stop laughing as you shoved the pillow down onto his stomach.

"Oops." He said while shrugging in a 'I didnt know' way. Right at that moment you felt the blood rush to your face as you realized that you were in your room, straddling C/N, and his hands were resting just above your knees. You rushed to look away. You were blushing so hard that you might just look like a red lightbulb if you stared any longer. You covered your face to make sure he didnt see you. You felt Y/N's hands leave your legs and land on your arms to pull them away from your face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Fake concern was written all over your face. Does he know? No he couldn't plus he would never tease me like this if he knew just how much I liked him. You looked up and away smiling, "Nothing" you laughed a little.

"Oh yeah, then why is your face so red?" He pressed on.

"Oh my gosh. My face is always red!" Your heart was racing. He hadn't told you to get off or that you guys should go back outside. Your anxiety was at an all time high. One of his hands traveled up to your chin and turned your head. Your grin faded to a small slime when you met his eyes.

"No it's not. I see it enough to know." You didnt know how to respond you were so nervous. He leaned up on his elbows and whispered, "Come here Y/N." His hands pressed against your back you leaned down. Your lips met with his and it felt like the best moment of your life. His lips were warm and softer than you expected. You cradled his face and laid back down. He removed the pillow between you two and held you in a hug as tight as he could your lips moving in synch with his. You pulled away breathless but not letting it show.

"I hope that means that you like me." You opened your eyes to stare at his E/C ones. He took a deep breath and replied, "Of course I do. Who wouldn't?"

He chuckled and you both sat up. "So you want to be my girlfriend? Ya know, go on cute dates and cuddle in the movies?" You hugged him and whispered, "Yes! Oh my god, yes."

You just sat there and hugged for a while. He pulled away a few inches and started to kiss all around your face. You both were a giggling mess.

The door opened and there stood your bestfriend, B/F/N. "Oh. Wow. Well I hate to interrupt whatever is going on here but your dad is looking for you in the yard so ummmm.... you might want to get out there." She had a huge smile on her face, turned around, and closed the door. You look over and C/N says, "We should go now." You agree and go back outside.

After the party is over and C/N leaves you tell B/F/N everything that happened. Both of you were dying by the end.

#crush x reader #crush #reader #fanfic #fluff #crush x reader fluff #cute #crushing #pillow fight

169 notes · View notes

blurry-fics · 5 years

Text

Sunday

A Weekend at the Josephs | Series Masterlist

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2562

Author’s Note: Just wanted to say a quick apology to @ohprettyweeper, who I have forgotten to tag in this miniseries up until this point (since those are the challenge rules... oops). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! (picture credit)

I grabbed another small piece of lettuce from the tupperware container next to me and held it out to Paul. He eyed it carefully for a moment before taking it from my hand, making me giggle. Sav smiled and gave him a little pat on the back.

“How was hanging out with Josh last night?” I asked.

“It was good!” Sav said. “We just watched TV and Josh sat with Paul the entire night, which was pretty cute. I think they’re best friends now.”

“Paul,” I frowned. “You replaced me that easily?”

Paul simply continued to munch on his lettuce, obviously unaffected by my accusation.

“Speaking of boys,” Sav continued. “What happened with Tyler when you got home yesterday?”

“Oh my gosh, I haven’t told you!” Sav’s eyes went wide and she adjusted her sitting position so that she was facing me a little better. “A lot happened.”

“Go on.”

“Ok, so, I got home, right? And Tyler was sitting on the couch basically just waiting for me to get back because he was bored out of his mind, so I told him he was free to come sit with me while I was on Tumblr.”

“You let him look at your Tumblr?” Sav asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Not my Tumblr, just my dashboard.” She nodded. “Anyway, we were looking at that and pictures of Brendon Urie kept popping up, obviously, and he kept asking who that was and I told him a couple times, but then he started doing it to annoy me.”

“Cute.”

“Just wait, it gets better. I told him that I wasn’t going to keep answering his questions if he was going to do it just to bother me, so of course he starts asking questions just to bother me. I didn’t answer, like I said I wouldn’t, and then he leaned his head on my shoulder! And then he left it there! Even after I told him it was Brendon Urie!”

Sav shook her head, “I told you he feels the same way about you! It’s so obvious, both of you are just too scared to see it.”

“And it was really funny because his mom came upstairs to tell us dinner was ready, but he got so nervous that he nearly fell off the bed when he was scooting away from me.”

“Aww.”

“Oh! And he said there’s something he’s been wanting to tell me but he’s waiting for the right moment.”

“Kae!”

“What?”

“He’s going to tell you he likes you.”

I shot Sav a look, “I doubt that.”

Now it was her turn to shoot me a look, “Are you kidding? It’s so painfully obvious that it’s what he wants to tell you, especially since he said he needed to wait for the right moment.”

“Ok, yes, you have a point, but I’m really trying to not get my hopes up.”

“That’s understandable.”

Our conversation was interrupted by Pumpkin, Sav’s corgi, bursting into the room and making a beeline straight for me. Sav quickly scooped Paul up and out of danger before Pumpkin collided straight into me, nearly knocking me straight back onto the carpet. I wrapped my arms around her and scratched at her back and ears. She covered me in slobbery kisses as thanks.

“Hi, baby,” I laughed as she licked my cheek. “How are you?”

“Pumpkin! Down.”

Pumpkin removed her paws from my shoulders at Sav’s command, but remained sitting in my lap so that she could continue to receive pets.

“But I love her so much,” I sighed, burying my face in her fur.

“That doesn’t mean she gets to jump all over you,” Sav laughed.

I dramatically sighed, but didn’t argue anymore. Once Pumpkin was settled down in my arms, Sav put Paul back on the ground and let him run around the carpet awhile longer. He spent most of that time trying to get into the tupperware containing the rest of the lettuce, but each time Sav put a quick end to his schemes.

“I’m so curious about what Tyler is going to tell you, feelings or not.”

“Yeah, me too.”

* * *

Sav dropped me off right after we finished lunch at her house, partially because she had to run some errands with her mom and partially because I was eager to get back to the house and see if Tyler would finally fess up. As it turned out, he had left shortly before I returned for band practice, meaning that I still had at least another couple hours of waiting before my questions would be answered. With a sigh, I joined the rest of his siblings in the living room to kill some time playing videos games. It would be better than sitting alone in my room with my thoughts, anyway.

I ended up staying downstairs until Kelly announced that dinner was ready. The mere thought of enduring a family dinner without Tyler nearly sent me into a panic, but I knew there was no way that I would be able to get out of it now that I was already downstairs. Instead, I squared my shoulders and followed Zack into the kitchen just like I had every other night. Worst case scenario, I could just eat my food as fast as possible, get excused from the table, and sneak up to my room to calm down until Tyler got home and I would inevitably end up nervous again.

As if he had sensed my distress, Tyler arrived home just minutes after we had all sat down at the dinner table, apologizing profusely for being late as he piled up his own plate and sat down in his assigned spot at the table, next to me. He smiled at me as he pulled his chair in, making me feel somewhere between relieved and even more stressed than I had been just a moment before.

I was on the way back to my room after washing my plate when Tyler stopped me, asking if we could talk in the backyard. After I agreed, he led me out the backdoor and to the far side of the yard where a stone ledge separated a bit of dirt from the rest of the grass. He sat down on the edge of it, so I followed suit by sitting down a reasonable distance away from him. I could tell by the way that he was fidgeting with his hands that he was nervous, although I couldn’t really say that I was in a much better state than him.

“Um, so about what I was going to tell you yesterday…”

He had just started to get the sentence out when my phone started vibrating in my pocket. It wasn’t often that I got phone calls and, afraid that it could be my parents bearing bad news, I decided to check who it was. It wasn’t my parents, after all, but Sav, who called me just about as rarely as they did.

“It’s Sav,” I announced. “Do you mind if I take this real quick? She doesn’t call me unless it’s important.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Tyler said. He wasn’t mad as I had expected him to be. If anything, he seemed relieved.

I hit call as I walked towards the other side of the yard, just in case whatever she was calling about was something she would rather not have Tyler hear.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Kae! Hi.”

“What’s going on? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! I’m just in the car so obviously I couldn’t text you.”

“Text me about what?”

“Well, I just picked up Josh-”

“Hi,” he chimed in.

“-and I was wondering if you and Tyler wanted to come get ice cream with us? We’re about ten minutes from Tyler’s house.”

I looked over my shoulder at where Tyler was still sitting on the stone ledge, tossing around a rock that he had seemingly found in the dirt.

“Um, let me ask.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear as I made my way back to Tyler, making sure to mute it so that they wouldn’t hear our conversation.

“Hey, Ty?”

He looked up at me, “Yeah?”

“Sav was wondering if you wanted to go get ice cream with her and Josh? And me, obviously. Sav is driving and she said she would be here in like ten minutes.”

“Josh is the guy you said might be good for the band?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Yeah, that would be fun.”

“Ok, I’ll let them know.”

I unmuted the call, not bothering to walk away from Tyler this time. “Sav?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re down.”

“Ok, sweet. I’ll let you know when we get there.”

“Perfect. Thanks.”

Sav ended the call abruptly, as she had a habit of doing. I locked my phone and stuck it back into the pocket of my jeans before joining Tyler on the wall again.

“So,” I started, drawing out the word. “We still have a little time before they get here, if you wanted to tell me what you’ve been meaning to.”

Tyler shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t want it to feel rushed.”

“Ok. I’m going to go grab my wallet then.”

I got up and started to walk back into the house. It couldn’t have been more than five seconds before I heard Tyler’s footsteps follow behind my own, which I hadn’t been expecting.

“Actually, no. I’m tired of waiting.” I stopped walking and turned to face Tyler, who was only a couple of feet away from me. His mouth was open, as if the words had slipped out of his mouth before he fully realized what he was doing. He stood there for a second before digging his hands deep into his pockets. “I like you, Kae. A lot. And I have for awhile. I never told you because I was afraid that you didn’t feel the same, but this weekend kind of changed my mind about all that and I decided it was worth telling you, even if you didn’t.”

Even with Sav telling me that this was going to be his confession and Josh being able to pick up on what was so obvious to everyone but us despite never meeting Tyler, I still found myself completely dumbfounded by his confession. I was at a complete and total loss for words.

“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered.

He closed the space between us, “You could start by saying you feel the same… or don’t.”

“Oh no, I definitely feel the same,” I said, finally looking up to meet his eyes. “I thought that much was obvious.”

“Nothing is ever obvious to me,” he laughed.

“So what you’re saying is that you can’t tell how badly I want you to kiss me right now?”

“Ok, maybe that part was obvious.”

Tyler quickly checked for any family members who might be lurking in the windows before he kissed me. It had been awhile since the last time I had kissed someone, so it took me by surprise at first, despite the fact I had known it was coming. He kissed me until I could no longer contain my giddy laughter and had to pull away.

“Sorry,” I said. “I know this is supposed to be serious.”

“Don’t apologize,” he smiled, reaching out to rest his hands on my hips. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

* * *

In the remaining time that Tyler and I had left before Josh and Sav’s arrival, I filled him in on all the discussions I had been having with them over the last couple days. During that time, we also came to the decision to pretend as if nothing had happened between us for the sake of pranking the two of them. It was hard not to take hold of Tyler’s hand as we walked down the driveway to the car or into the ice cream shop, but I knew that their reactions would be more than worth it.

“The sunset looks nice,” Sav commented as she scooped up another spoonful of ice cream.

I turned and looked over my shoulder at the clouds that were just beginning to be tinted pink and orange.

“It’s not the only thing that looks nice,” Josh added.

Tyler nudged me in the shoulder, prompting me to finally take my eyes away from the conversation and look at him. He raised his eyebrows at me with a smile, making me smile. Sav noticed the exchange and shot me a questioning look, but I simply shrugged. A moment later, my phone buzzed.

Sav: what was that all about?

I bit back a smile as I typed out my “oblivious” response.

Kae: wdym?

I watched as Sav sighed, shot me one more look, and then set her phone back onto the table. Josh took notice of this and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer into his side. This was enough to put a smile back on her face.

“Kae, can I try a bite of your ice cream?” Tyler asked.

“Sure.”

He scooped up a large spoonful of my ice cream and popped it into his mouth, which now had both Sav and Josh looking at me with confused expressions.

“What?” I smiled.

“You never share your ice cream,” Josh said. “At least, not that I’ve seen.”

“Nope. Kae never shares,” Sav confirmed.

“What are you talking about? Of course they do,” Tyler argued.

Sav and Josh shared a look before turning back to us. “Is there something going on here that I don’t know about?” Sav asked. “Because it kind of seems like there is.”

I shook my head, “Nope, nothing is going on.”

Sav seemed skeptical, but didn’t press the matter any further. Instead, she started to talk about some more drama that had happened between a couple of our college friends that she had forgotten to tell me that morning. Josh and Tyler listened in, occasionally asking clarifying questions or adding their own comments to the situation.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend a Sunday night.

* * *

“Thanks for driving us,” I said as I slid out of the backseat. “This was really fun.”

“Thanks for coming along,” Sav smiled.

I hopped down onto the pavement and shut the door behind me. Tyler had already made it halfway up the driveway, but he was waiting for me. He was swinging his keys idly around his finger.

“Wait, Kae,” Josh called after me.

I backtracked so that I was now standing outside the passenger side door of Sav’s Jeep. Josh beckoned me in a little closer.

“Are you sure that you and Tyler aren’t dating?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Sav added. “Like, I know you two act like a couple usually, but that was way different.”

“Ok, so maybe the thing Tyler had to tell me was that he had feelings for me,” I grinned. “And maybe that means we’re dating now.”

I turned and walked up the driveway, despite the fact that Sav was yelling after me. As casually as I could, I walked up to Tyler and wrapped my arms around him as I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. It was hard not to laugh when I saw the shocked looks on Josh and Sav’s faces

“I knew it!” was the last thing I heard before Sav drove off.

#ks youau wc #tyler x kae #a weekend at the josephs #awatj #blurry-fics

16 notes · View notes

tyrustrash · 5 years

Text

Bon Bon Chocolat

What's everyone's deal with chocolate? Especially the whole dark vs white chocolate debate. Why does milk chocolate get ignored? It is a completely valid form, and so is white chocolate. White chocolate is real chocolate, no matter what you think. It has the word "chocolate" in its name, so how is it not? The answer is simple. It. Is. Chocolate. Periodt. And people will do anything for a bit of chocolate. Just look at that one guy from Spongebob. A boy leans against the entrance of the cafeteria, eyeing the tray of chocolate muffins and chocolate delicacies. This is Cyrus Goodman. Watch him drool over the sweetness of it all. It's adorable. Cyrus has been referred to by the entire student population of Jefferson Middle School as the most fragile student in the school. He takes his time maneuvering across the room, in attempt to grab one of the muffins. He dives into a rolling position and rolls to the counter, unnoticed. He really doesn't give a care. If he's hungry, he's hungry. And he'll do anything to satisfy his hunger. He rolls for a hot second. He's really feeling his oats as he expected this to go another way. He couldn't even do a somersault a few weeks ago, and now he's all athletic and all that. All this exercise activity will make TJ proud. Oh God. Now he's thinking of his best friend. Why would he do this to himself. He knows every time that he thinks of the jock, he gets weak in his knees and too shook to function properly. The sudden thought messed him up and instead of continuing straight, which is the only time he's been straight, he wobbled and started shifting left and right. Instead of landing at the counter, he ran into a trash can. One of those big metal ones that made a loud 'clunk' like noise when made in contact with. On the upside, no one was near him to see it. Or so he thought. As he rubs his head to relieve some of the pain, a hand reaches out towards him. Cyrus opens his eyes, which then widens. "And, I oop- " TJ chuckles and shakes his head a little. He forms a small smile as he looks at the smaller boy. Thoughts upon thoughts ran through his head as to how this happened, but overall couldn't stop thinking about how cute he looks, even if he's on the ground and has specks of dirt on his clothes. "Need some help?" Well, obviously, Cyrus couldn't what he really needed help with, but he has to accept what he's offered. He reaches out and takes hold of TJ's hand. He's pulled off the ground and brushes off the dirt. "What was all that about?" TJ asks. His concerned tone was melting Cyrus's heart faster than the chocolate by how adorable it was. To be fair, anything TJ says in any tone made Cyrus fall for him even more. "Do you need some more help with your somersaults?" Cyrus shakes his head. "Nah, fam." He points to the counter. Almost all the muffins were already gone, along with the random chocolate candies. "Wanted my usual muffin. Tried to be a little extra, but as you saw, it failed." TJ sighs and places a hand on Cyrus's shoulder, which causes the boy's heart to pound faster than the time he drank a whole can of Red Bull. His breathing is stammered. TJ opens his mouth to say something. "You could've asked me to get you one. Just stand by and look pretty as I get it for you." TJ walks away, leaving Cyrus with his mouth wide open. Did TJ Kippen, THE TJ Kippen, captain of the basketball team, most popular guy in school, his bestest friend ever, just tell him to look pretty? Was he pretty? Of course, he has his charm. But does this mean that TJ thinks that he is pretty, as in a synonym for attractive? Cyrus couldn't really spend much longer on the question as his mind went to another place, along with his eyes. He kept his eyes on TJ the entire time. The way the boy walks conveys so much swag that it made him look pretty, well, prettier. TJ reaches the counter and pops up the hood of his hoodie, like the sly guy that the is. After a minute, TJ returns. Empty handed. "Sorry, Underdog. They ran out before I got there. Tried to find out if they had any in the back." "It's ok." Cyrus tells him. Although he was upset that he was without muffin, at least he's with TJ, and that he tried. A boy that kinda sort of finds him pretty and that attempts to get his favorite school food, Cyrus couldn't get luckier. Even if they were just friends. "Let's just go to our table and enjoy the rest of lunch." Cyrus went to their usual table and places his head on his hands in defeat. TJ watches his friend and frowns. He hates seeing him upset, that's why he's willing to do anything for him. He just couldn't figure out how to get him out of this state. Or did he? TJ frantically shakes his head and pulls out his phone. He opens his email app and scrolls through everything. He soon finds one that was sent a week ago. He finds the one from Hersey Factory. About a month ago he entered a contest and won two tickets to tour the factory. He smiles hard and ran to his friend. He practically shoves the phone in his face. "What, TJ?" Cyrus asks. He barely lifts his head. "Just read this." Cyrus listens and reads the email. He lightens up and smiles. "What's this for?" "Just thought this would make you happy. Going to a whole building dedicated to chocolate. Even say we'll be given gift baskets at the end. It'll be like a date." At that, Cyrus really perks up. He still doesn't comprehend what TJ means. Did he mean like a romantic date? A date as casual friends? Or did he accidently say that word? ''And this weekend is the last day I can use them. Didn't know who to take and now I have a reason to use them." "And I have a reason to live." Cyrus says softly. "What?" Cyrus tries covering up what he said. "Oh, it was nothing. I'm so excited that I'm practically about to explode." "Don't hurt yourself." A few short days later, which felt like eternity to Cyrus, the weekend came. For the past few days Cyrus has been a nervous wreck, even more than usual. His mind continued to be filled with thoughts about TJ. How cute he was, how he looked good no matter what he wore, the way he took care of him and made him feel special. And now he couldn't get the words 'pretty' and 'date' out of his head. He couldn't figure out if those were said accidently or just in the moment, or the option that wasn't even a possibility, was that he was secretly trying to tell him he wanted to try dating. Nah. TJ is straight. He plays a sport. Right now, Cyrus's room is a mess from the clothes that are thrown all over the floor. He usually wasn't this worked up over what he wore around TJ, but this wasn't their usual day at the swings. This was, in Cyrus's mind, their first date, even if TJ didn't see it as such. Eventually, Cyrus settled on slacks and a green button up. He remembered that green is TJ's favorite color. A knock on the door snaps Cyrus back to reality. He runs downstairs and opens the front door. He sees TJ standing on the other side, and he's wearing his usual hoodie and jeans attire. Today's hoodie is a black one with rainbow sleeves. Upon seeing it, Cyrus's face practically turned into the heart eyed emoji. There was so much UWU that one could take. "Están listo?" TJ asks. His Spanish is improving, and his accent is so adorable. "Sí." Cyrus steps outside and locks his door. The pair walk down the driveway to RJ's truck. Since neither of them could drive, and all their parents are busy, TJ asked his older brother to drive them. Cyrus got in the back and buckles up. Next thing he knew, TJ is opening the other backseat door and sits next to him. RJ adjusts the front mirror. He sees the two as he starts the engine. He begins driving to the factory. "You two better have a good time. TJ's been talking about this nonstop for the past three days." TJ blushes, which Cyrus doesn't notice. However, Cyrus does notice RJ chuckling. He doesn't know if he's joking or what. "He even waited to wear that hoodie for the longest time." RJ continues. He turns onto a different road, getting closer to their destination. This time, both backseat boys were blushing. This lasted the rest of the ride, which fortunately was only a few minutes. When the car pulled into the factory, TJ and Cyrus quickly got out. "Enjoy your date." RJ then drives off. TJ rubs his neck and faces his friend. Their faces are back to normal. "Ignore him. He likes to joke and mess with me. Typical older brother things." Cyrus shrugs it off. The two looked around and find the entrance. The door is designed like a chocolate bar, which was pretty cool. Once inside, the layout was nothing like the chocolate factory from those movies. There were no edible rooms, no colorful field with chocolate rivers, no little orange men with green hair who sang songs. People say never believe everything you see on tv, but they were hoping this would be the same. Instead, the rooms were full of machinery. Everything was gray and the logo of the company was on everything. An employee approached them and shook both their hands. "Welcome to Hersey Factory Shadyside Section. I'm Mr. Walter and I'll be your tour guide today. Please follow me, and don't touch anything." The boys followed him, super bored by the way. The website made it seem so much more fun. They groaned after everything Mr. Walter said. There were times they felt like they were sleepwalking. The entire atmosphere felt like a magnet that was dragging them down, causing their walking to decline to them forcefully dragging their feet. After what felt like forever, they were given a break. TJ pulls Cyrus to the side. "Sorry for bringing you here. Should've let the tickets expire." Cyrus shrugs. "It's fine. At least we got to spend a Saturday together." "But I wanted to make it fun, exciting, and memorable. Gosh, I'm so horrible." TJ starts tearing up. He turns away and wipes his sleeve across his face. Cyrus comforts him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Teej, it's ok. I'm happy as long as I'm with you." Cyrus froze as he caught on to what he said. Did he, did he just out himself? He stands still for a second too long and realizes his hand is still touching his crush. He swiftly removes it, which results in TJ turning back around. "You know what will make this fun?" TJ says as he grins like he's up to something. Cyrus couldn't figure out what TJ meant. Did he know about his crush and wanted to try something? Was he playing a prank? "What do you have in mind?" TJ peaks around to make sure none of the employees were near. He leans down to Cyrus's ear, which causes the boy to shiver. "I saw an interesting room down that hall over there. I think it has something we'll both enjoy." Cyrus gulps. He starts shaking. "What do you mean?" TJ grabs his hand and leads him away. The whole time Cyrus couldn't stop thinking that TJ is technically holding his hand. Leading him to do who knows what. Cyrus always wanted to try the wild side of life, but this may be too wild for him. Seconds after, they reached the door TJ talked about. It was slightly open, the key still in the lock. TJ made one last look around to confirm no employee was looking. Once the coast was clear, they went in. TJ turns on the light switch to reveal the room. Both gasp loudly at the sight in front of them. It was a literal chocolate room. Like, for real, everything is made of chocolate, except the door they entered through. The walls are chocolate. The floor is chocolate grass. A huge fountain is in the center, and you guessed it, it's made of chocolate. And instead of water, chocolate is coming out of it. There is a chocolate pool in the back. It was enough to send them into a sugar coma simply by looking at it all. Cyrus is in awe of everything that he's, for once, speechless. He keeps his frozen stance until the corner of his eye sees something. Next the he knew TJ is shirtless. If his mouth wasn't open, it is now. "TJ, what are you doing?" TJ starts making his way to the pool. "I was dreaming this would be like the movies." He takes off his jeans right before he jumps into the pool. Chocolate from the splash got over the already chocolate covered ground. "Man, this feels relaxing." He takes sips of the pool. "And delicious. You should come in and taste this. Or the grass. Or the walls. Chocolate is just so good." Cyrus walks over to the fountain and sits on the edge. He dips a finger inside and licks the chocolate off. TJ was right, it is good. Cyrus continues the process. Next thing he knew, his entire face ended up covered in chocolate. He looks to his right and sees a chocolate covered TJ smiling. "TJ!" Cyrus yells. He looks down at his shirt, which caught some chocolate. "This shirt is brand new! And my hair!" TJ couldn't stop laughing. "Sorry, Cy. But it was too convenient." Cyrus tries wiping off as much as he could. This just about solidified that TJ was straight, because straight guys love playing these jokes on each other. A loud thud startled them both. Mr. Walter stands in the doorway. Although Cyrus's eyes still have traces of chocolate in them, he could tell he was angry. Maybe just about to explode. "Out! Now!" The boys didn't have to be told twice. They scurried out of the room, Cyrus grabbing TJ's clothes. They were immediately escorted out of the factory. It wasn't too bad because at least they ended the pain of boredom early and had a little bit of fun. Also, they were given the gift baskets because the contest required them. Luckily RJ was there early to wait on them. When he saw them, especially his brother, he laughed hysterically. "Towels are already in the back. I expected this to happen." The ride back home was silent. However, RJ was able to stop and let TJ dry off and get dressed again. Once home, Cyrus plops onto the couch. He opens his gift basket and takes out the chocolate bar plushie. He squeezes it. Outside, TJ stands at the beginning of the driveway. He looks deeply at Cyrus's house. He doesn't know how much trouble he might've caused, but he wants to fix it. Thing is, he might've ruined things for good. Everything was perfect between them. School, then park, then home. And the occasional basketball game Cyrus would watch and not understand. After sighing, TJ looked at RJ, who simply nodded. TJ slowly made his way to the front door. Each breath he took felt like shards of glass attacking him. Each step felt like lava. When he managed to reach the door, the knock felt like his hand hitting nails. Cyrus opens the door with a blank expression. Seeing TJ made a simple yet small smile form. Basically a Mona Lisa smile where it's debatable. "Yes." TJ sighs. A subtle tear runs down his face. "I'm sorry about today." "What about today?" "Getting you in trouble. I know how you feel about that. And about splashing chocolate on you. I know it was a stupid move but I didn't know what else to do. I care about you, a lot. I just didn't have the right words, so I acted stupid." Cyrus looks him in the eyes, seeing the tears fall. Now he knew the truth. "It's ok. We all do stupid things when we're in our emotions. Come on, I have a whole gift bag of chocolate that's not going to eat itself." TJ smiles and follows him to the couch. They sit, eat, and just have a good time until RJ got annoyed of waiting and started honking his horn.

#andi mack #tyrus #fanfiction

24 notes · View notes

lemonietrinket · 5 years

Text

Always Find Me, Yeah? ||| Stray Kids, Soft Apocalypse AU ||| Chapter One

Summary: The anniversary of The Change, a surge in natural disasters caused by climate change that knocked the modern world back into the dark ages, is nearing. After losing contact with the rest of the group who remained stranded on the mainland, Chan and Felix are offered an opportunity to get them back. Now, they’ve just got to find them.

Genres: Dystopia/Utopia, Adventure, slight Angst (moreso at the beginning)

Warnings: It is an apocalypse scenario, things might be a little bleak for some?

Word Count: 2.1K

Other Chapters: Chapter One Chapter Two

AN: This is not only my first fanfic on Tumblr, but also my first fanfic in years, so I may be a lil’ rusty. My apologies if it’s trash. It’s also a multiparter, so oops. Thanks for reading!

The day the world ended turned out to be September 10th; a Tuesday, despite everyone’s expectations. Thursday had always been a popular contender, the 14th for having the audacity to include the number four, and November simply for being the ‘Thursday of months’.

Needless to say, on Wednesday the 4th, there were very few celebrations being prepared for the following week. This wasn’t particularly unexpected, life in the remnants of Australia hadn’t exactly been the most enticing. There hadn’t been any new arrivals since The Change, and the weather was positively overwhelming. The first summer in the new world had been unbearable, with the electricity shut down, there was no air conditioning, no lights, no frozen food. Even if people had wanted to celebrate, there was little to make of a barbeque - though the old supermarkets no doubt would have still had confetti, as who in the aftermath of an apocalypse would want confetti?

Except someone did want confetti, and that someone was Felix. Because Felix was never one to look on the dark side of things, and he wanted to have a small celebration. Why? Chan wasn’t sure, but by the natural order of things, he found himself standing in front of the local corner store. He shrugged the door open, praising that in its past life it wasn’t automatic, and steeled himself for the heaving thick air that followed entering the shop.

He winced at the aridity and subconsciously swatted at the dust, not that it made much of a difference. No one had been in here for months, it had remained unlocked yet untouched - at first glance, that is. Something had clearly been wandering around because there were crumbs all over the linoleum in one corner of the room. He expected it to be warmer, a welcome respite from the slight chill outside, but under the sound of his breathing, he could hear the hush of the wind whistling through some gaps in the window panes and quickly connected the dots. He didn’t remember when silence became the norm, it had been a gradual transition, as even when the power grid went out, the cars still grumbled along the streets - in fact, more people went outside, as there wasn’t much to do indoors, so the chattering late at night had become more of an ear-sore. Now, even the sudden sounds of manual generators kicking into gear made the adrenaline lurch.

He stepped past the till, grinning in its direction with eyes downturned, as if a cashier was waiting there. Some habits take longer to die, after all. He turned to the five rows of shelving, all of which practically empty. The frozen food had obviously been the first to go, no one wanted it going to waste, though a part of him still found it strange seeing the empty white boxes with ice long melted. It didn’t take long for the only slightly more robust meals to go after. Cans of food next, though some people had the stashing-idea from the start - he remembered his dad muttering to himself that almost all of them had been taken by the time he’d gotten to the grocery store. To no surprise, all the chocolates were missing, but there were still a couple of packets of sweets hanging on the plasticine racks. He didn’t know what made him pick one up. In all honesty, they would likely have still been in date, but that didn’t make them worth eating, and he inevitably cringed when he felt that they were hard and had melded to the plastic wrapping

Eventually, he came across the little cards aisle, still full of Happy Birthdays and Get Well Soons, all a year too late. Next to them, he was certain, would be the small boxes of gimmicky decorations, but the shelving was empty there too. No confetti. He exhaled, scratching the back of his neck, as he slowly sauntered back towards the entrance. “Who even buys confetti these days?”

Swinging out of the store, Chan was smacked with a gust of brisk wind. He grimaced, pressing himself further into his hoodie. To make matters worse, a tiny spatter of rain landed on his shoulder, ushering him to hurry and walk up the empty street. Despite the clouds congregating above his head, it was still surprisingly bright for the evening, and his only worry was that Felix would be able to string up the rugged sheet of tarpaulin this time around, before the ground became too sodden to sit on.

Adjusting his rucksack straps, he avoided a pothole as he crossed the road. He couldn’t bring himself not to check both ways before setting foot on the tarmac, even if he would be able to hear an engine from a mile away. Soon enough though, the pavement began to become less speckled and more coated with dark grey as the shower picked up slightly, and he readjusted his cap as he broke into a jog down the street.

It wasn’t far, but the journey was long enough for his hoodie to become cold to the touch. Dragging the bar across the gate causing a horrific screech to emanate probably halfway across the neighbourhood, he entered the park, brushing his rucksack against the leaves of the nearest bush. After closing the gate once again with a clang, he abandoned the path to weave between the trees, listening to the sound of the rain soften as it found its home amongst the grass.

Soon, he spotted the dash of red that marked his destination. It appeared the tarp had been fixed before the rain had properly begun, as Felix was sat cross-legged rather than crouched.

He called out when he drew nearer, “Hey! I’m back!”

Felix already saw him coming, flashing a dazzling smile as he sought refuge under the blustering red cover. “Chan! I did it this time, do you see? All by myself.”

“Yeah, and not bad,” he nodded, taking off his backpack as soon as he reached the floor, “I brought snacks.”

Felix continued, “I put it up as soon as I saw it started raining, so the ground isn’t soaked this time either- oh my gosh, thank you!” He immediately took the small container of rice, whilst Chan rummaged for spoons.

“Remember that’s for both of us!”

“Don’t worry, I couldn’t eat it all anyways.”

Chan shot him an exaggerated look of disbelief. “Admit that that’s a lie and you can have the spoon.”

“Fine!” Felix playfully rolled his eyes, giggling as he attempted to get into the box. The lid seemed fastened to the plastic, and it took a minute for the two of them to yank it open. Eventually, they were able to take a spoonful of the plain white rice.

“Who closed that in the first place?” Felix asked incredulously.

“I did.”

“Strong leader!” the younger exclaimed, but his enthusiasm faltered when he saw Chan’s expression dip.

The two ate in silence, watching the sky slowly darken further, grey twisting upon the freshly green crests of the treetops. It looked like it was going to be a longer downpour, one that would likely last all night. They used to be more frequent, in the early days after The Change, but luckily they’d tapered in regularity and severity, but that didn’t mean they were incapable of causing issues.

Felix wondered if the community garden would be ok. It was where not only his family but many others nearby got their food supply, and though it was run by the elderly members of the community hall who were easily the best people for the job, that didn’t mean they could fix everything. Especially with little equipment - the area was far from being an agricultural powerhouse before times changed, that was for sure, and despite best attempts, little had changed now.

It didn’t take long for them to finish the rice. Chan nudged the container towards Felix as he stuffed his spoon back in his bag.

“Chan, there’s still some left.”

“You have it, don’t worry.”

Felix lowered his gaze towards the final scraps, scooping them up guiltily. He wished he could force Chan to have the final pieces, but he already knew he’d lose that battle if he tried. “Thank you,” he said, picking up the lid and his spoon and handing them back.

“I’m sorry that it wasn’t a lot,” he clipped the lid in place, storing it and the spoon back in his rucksack, “and that it was plain.”

“No, thank you! It was really nice!” Felix insisted, but seeing that it did little to brighten his face, he changed the subject. “Did you get the confetti?”

Chan shook his head. “No, they didn’t have any.”

“They didn’t have any confetti?” Felix echoed, rising into laughter. “Who’s been buying the confetti?!”

“I don’t know, that’s what I thought.” He smiled, though he didn’t look up from staring at the grass.

“Looks to me, Chan, that we have a confetti-thief in the wilds of the Outback!” he dramatically suggested.

Chan didn’t play along, however. “Why did you want confetti anyway?” he enquired, looking up at last.

“Oh, yeah, it’s actually super cool!” Suddenly, Felix shifted from sitting to kneeling, meanwhile a big smile crept onto his cheeks. “And it is going to make you so happy! While I was at the community garden, I overheard Julie and Pete getting really hyped about something so I went over and-”

“Wait, who’s… you talk to Peter Richards?” Chan interrupted, frowning.

“Well, not on the regular, no, but I figured if those two were getting along all of a sudden, then there must be something big going on. “Anyways, I went over and asked them, and they squished my cheeks again - which is really annoying by the way, I don’t even know them - but they said that there was a government patrol coming here, to take some people to a plane, which will take them to the mainland to look for family and friends and loved ones that they’ve lost contact with!”

“And you believe Julie and Peter because…?” Chan asked, a slight smile of bemusement playing on his features.

“I know, I know! I didn’t believe it then either Chan, but then Lynette - you know, the really nice lady who grows succulents - she came over and confirmed it! She heard the report on her windup radio!” Then, it was as if Felix burst. “Chan! Chan, this might be our chance to find the others!”

The rain began to hammer against the tarp, and the wind had changed angle so that it forced some of the icy droplets to intrude beneath the cover. Felix winced, shuffling further beneath the scarlet cover, but Chan remained frozen, silent. He reached out. “Chan… we could find Changbinnie and Woojin-hyung and, and all of the others again! Surely even if it turns out to not be true… it’s worth a try? Right?”

Chan swallowed thickly, his eyes drawing to the ground where the rain was beginning to speckle. Old guilt had risen up in his throat again, shaky and sickening like bile. He knew his words would falter if he tried to speak. Instead, he breathed into the wind, opening his body into the onslaught of cold.

“I mean, we don’t have to,” Felix shrunk back, hands mushing together awkwardly, “I just don’t think I could go alone, and, well, I already told my mum that I’m going but, it…”

Chan sighed. If he could find them, then everything would be restored. He could apologise properly, for everything he did, for his bad decisions, and could bring them back to his home where they would be safe. But if it turned out to be a hoax, he would waste his hours torturing himself by staying near the roads and taking the long route home just so he could catch the first glimpse of a military vehicle that would never come. Or if they did arrive, but they didn’t let them go because they weren’t looking for family, even though his groupmates were family to him, he would spend another week shut inside again. Or they got beyond that but something went wrong and they got trapped on the mainland forever and they never found them because they were no longer there… Or worse, if something had happened to them… he wouldn’t know what he’d do then. But, could he live with himself if the opportunity arose, where everything then went to plan, and all seven of them came home - but he didn’t go?

Chan cleared his throat, throwing his head over his shoulder. “When will the patrol get here and where will they be?”

Felix went from kicked puppy to beaming sun in a matter of seconds. “Oh. Oh! Um… I don’t know but I’ll ask tomorrow!”

“Thanks, mate,” he grinned, scooting backwards into the cover and out of the downpour. “We’ll go find the others.”

“Yes,” Felix nodded, his serious tone still edged with glee, “we’ll bring everyone home, don’t worry.”

#stray kids #chan #felix #oc #multiple parts #fanfiction #soft apocalypse #long reads #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #stray kids fanfiction #possible x oc in future #dystopia

10 notes · View notes

theeldestbruner · 6 years

Text

Soul Script pt.2

Plance Fic, College AU, Soulmate AU

A/n

Thanks for coming back for another chapter! I hope you enjoy!

Word count: 2,319

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙

Katie stared at the solid wood door in front of her while dread settled into her heart. He was going to freak out, wasn’t he? He had no idea she was going to show up today, and she’d done everything in her power to make sure he’d never know she was coming, it was a complete and utter surprise...which only scared her even more. A sigh escaped her lips, and she stared at her shoes. The best bet was just to knock and get it over with, like ripping off a bandage. Right? She stood there a moment more with her suitcase sitting on the floor next to her, and taking one last deep breath she prepared herself to knock with a determined gleam in her eye. It took a few moments, but eventually she heard someone messing with the doorknob and with a click it swung open. Matt didn’t seem to notice it was her at first, so he just opened it casually like he was expecting company. Then she could see the surprise hit him in the face and he smiled, pulling her into a massive hug and spinning her around.

“Oh my gosh! Katie! What are you doing here?” he pulled away and looked at his little sister. “I thought you were still back with mom and dad in Denver?”he was so excited he almost sounded like a little kid who just got a puppy. Matt’s hair had gotten longer since she’d last seen him, like he was going for a ‘messy but smart’ vibe. She smiled back at him.

“I kinda did my best to make this a surprise,” she said.

“Well, it certainly is! How long are you staying for?” Lower in the building, the main door opened and someone started climbing the stairs. Matt’s apartment was only 302, it wouldn’t take long for someone to start listening in on them.

“Let’s talk inside Matt, I’m gonna need a minute to explain everything thoroughly,” she said. He shrugged, and scooted over to make room for her to get through the door. She hurried in and sat down on his old brown leather couch, Matt closed the door right as the footsteps on the stairs could be heard passing by. He jumped over the back of the couch and flopped down on the other side from her.

“So what brings you all the way out to lil’ ol’ Portland Pidge?” he asked.

“I told you to stop calling me that, it doesn’t even make any sense,” she huffed, “mom and dad are going to sell the house since I was moving out soon anyway. But, I’ve been having a hard time finding an apartment, it’s been ridiculous trying to juggle it with classes and tutoring.” She looked over to make sure he was still listening, and Matt nodded and waved for her to keep talking. “So now it’s come to the point where their real estate agent is going to close on a smaller house on the North side of town and sell the old one while they disappear on a cruise for nearly a year. Soooo now I’m here! Surprise!” They sat in silence while Matt looked at the floor in thought, then scratched his jaw and looked back up at her. His smile was so sympathetic, it almost hurt.

“You’ve had a rough couple months, huh Pidgie?” He stood like a rocket taking off into orbit, then grabbed her suitcase. A sunny smile across his face, it was so bright and cheery Katie almost had to block the light with her hand to keep from going blind. “Well, seems like you’re gonna be here for a while then! Let me give you the grand tour!” She got up as well and analyzed his expression, he really was just happy to have her here.

“Thank you Matt, I promise that I’ll get a job as soon as possible and help with the rent. I’m not just going to be some freeloader.”

“That’s sweet of you, but as you can see my job as a lab assistant makes my life in this little place quite comfortable,” Matt looked at the tiny kingdom he’d built for himself from the bottom up and grinned, “I want you to focus on your school work more than anything else. Come on, I wanna show you your room.” She nodded and followed him down a hallway, at first there was a bathroom on the left and then at the end was a fork that led to two different rooms. Matt walked into the room on the left. It was small, but just to the left of the door a full size mattress sat on the floor, and an armoire was tucked into the far corner with an open window next to it. There was a closed closet on the other side of the bed. That was it. She couldn’t really ask for more than that, she had just shown up totally out of nowhere.

“Thanks Matt, I’m gonna get this stuff put away for now. There’s more in the car outside but I just really wanna relax.” He set the suitcase down and nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“That sounds good to me. I’m gonna go take a quick shower, once you’re done the place is free roam. I’ve got like a thousand snacks and some leftover chinese in the fridge, the TV has netflix, hulu, and showtime so you can pretty much watch anything.”

“Wow, you’re pretty stacked on shows aren’t you?” she said with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s the only way to get all the classics, you know. I can’t go a whole month without Leatherheads or Definitely Maybe, but they’re spread out. This way I can make sure I always get at least one of the movies I love.” Matt waved his hand and started to walk out the door. “Now stop making fun of me and make a room for yourself. There’s some sheets and a mink in the bottom drawer of the armoire. Sorry if they smell funny at all, I picked the mattress up with them for like 100 dollars from someone a few floors above me when his girlfriend left.”

“Okay, thanks again Matt,” she said with a smile.

“No problem Pidge,” he said, walking out of the room.

“Stop calling me that!” Katie could hear him laugh in the hallway and then the bathroom door closed. She took a deep breath and decided to take a look out of the window, kind of take stock of her environment. It was missing a screen, but that was because it led out onto a fire escape with steps leading up and down the building. “Well, it must be a decently nice area if nobody broke in with the window like this.” With a shrug she dipped her head back in the room and began unpacking her bag. Hanging shirts, folding pants and pjs, making the bed using hideous mink with a picture of a pug on it from the close, laying a small alarm clock next to the bed, and finally pulling out a small green stuffed lion she’d gotten as a present from her dad as a kid, setting it down on the bed as though it were a priceless heirloom. Her eyes wandered over the room and tried to evaluate what else she might be able to do with it later, the bed being on the floor didn’t bother her so it would stay, but she would need to get a desk to work at. Katie’s left hand came up and started rubbing a spot right above her right collarbone. It was her soulmark.

The day she turned fifteen had been extremely confusing, mainly because she’d been almost certain that her love for science and technology would keep her from ever leading a healthy relationship. Katie spent so much time on herself, she’d never considered that one day she’d have to spend some of that time on another person. Why should she receive a soulmark? It made sense for Matt, he was a big sap at heart. But when the feeling of a cool ocean breeze swept past her neck, and she’d looked down to see the script glowing to life on her skin in a deep blue she’d been a little annoyed. Permanently engraved on her skin, where everyone could see, was “Oops...My Bad.”

Whoever her soulmate was supposed to be was sure to either be a clueless idiot or a clutz. For a long time she’d made it up in her mind that she would definitely tell them off for wasting such a profound moment on words like that. However, over time she’d come to find it almost endearing, in an annoying, irritating, and maddening way. Sure, they might be an idiot, but dammit if they weren’t going to be her idiot. Whenever her soulmark would light up and she noticed Katie would immediately place her hand over it. Sometimes it glowed for hours, and others it was just a quick flash. But all of them were reassuring and let her know that someone, somewhere, had her back. She’d needed that desperately when she’d said goodbye to her parents yesterday morning as they left for the cruise. But now she was here, living with her brother once again.

There wasn’t a community college or university she’d ever been particularly drawn to attending, so instead she’d opted for online classes and was working towards a doctorate in Botany through them. It made it easier to move because this way she hadn’t had to worry about transferring to another college when she moved. Satisfied that she’d done all she could with the room for now Katie walked back towards the kitchen and living room, thinking that Matt’s leftover chinese sounded pretty good after the long drive. It was lemon chicken, a family favorite, and she practically sprinted to put it in the microwave once she realized. She could hear someone with very heavy feet in the apartment above this one walk over to a spot right above her.

“No place is perfect I guess, I should just be grateful that the ceiling looks sturdy enough to hold up with people walking all over it.” While Katie was standing there and staring off into space, she absent-mindedly reached up and started rubbing her soulmark again. It felt warm, which she supposed made sense considering that the neck was on of the warmest parts of the body, but for a moment she entertained the thought that there might be another reason behind it. With a ding she pulled the styrofoam box out of the microwave and walked over to the couch, plopping down and reaching for the remote. She was in the mood for a good, old-fashioned rom-com. It had been ages since the last time Katie had last watched one, and the silly hopefulness matched her current mood perfectly. Netflix had exactly what she was looking for, What If was one of her movies. But she wasn’t even five minutes into it when she could hear someone running above her like a maniac and yelling, then there was a quiet thud and she became increasingly curious.

“D-did somebody just get murdered? Did I just hear someone get killed?” Katie wasn’t even scared, she was more curious than anything else really. She waited, the movie paused and her ears perked up. Depending on how you viewed the situation, she was either very lucky or very unlucky that she didn’t have to wait long to hear something else. Except this time it was down the hallway, right in front of the bathroom. There was the sound of something cracking and then several loud thuds followed by a larger one, she reached for the first thing she could protect herself with and creeped down the hall. The bathroom door was blocked from opening by chunks of concrete, dust was flying everywhere, and sitting sprawled out on top of all the rubble was a boy. On the other side of the bathroom door, she could hear Matt pounding on it and trying to break it down, though she couldn’t understand what he was yelling

She looked down at the boy that fell through the ceiling, he had cinnamon brown hair, chocolate skin, and navy blue eyes that popped out in contrast. His arms and legs were long and lanky, but look like they had a decent amount of muscle. He wore a gray baseball shirt with blue sleeves, jeans, and a pair of black converse. His hand reached up and began rubbing the back of his head, he’d probably hit it pretty hard during the fall?

“Lance! Are you okay? Hang on buddy, I’ll be right down, just stay right there and don’t move!” Katie looked up and through the new hole in the ceiling she could see a larger person with an orange headband duck away before she heard a door open and close. What Katie hadn’t realized during all of this was that her soulmark was practically radiating like the sun, as did the boy’s in front of her. Blue and green light shined up and mixed into teal. She finally noticed the glowing words on his neck, and her heart leaped into her throat, oh no way. No way this was how they meet, right? Just then he lifted his head and looked at her, then at the mess of dust and concrete around him with his eyes growing wider by the second, and then back at her.

“Oops...My bad,” he said. Katie just got angry at that point. She knew he was going to waste the first words on something stupid, but come on! That just blew every other stupid thing she’d ever heard out of the water.

“What the fuck is WRONG with you?!” she yelled.

💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙

#plance #pidgance #flirtyrobot #pance #lance mcclain #pidge gunderson

31 notes · View notes

newbiemarvel-writer · 6 years

Text

The One: Part 1/?

T’Challa Udaku x Reader

So this is my first Mini-Series/ writing ever! YAY! I hope you enjoy and Im really sorry if it's cringy. Keep in mind this is the first thing I have ever written for tumblr so it's probably really bad! Ps, if my russian is off im sorry… im using google translate… oops?

Summary: When HYDRA tortured you and experimented on you, you gained the best fighting skills to exist, and an unbelievably high HQ. You specialize in everything really. But one day when you escape from your torturer, The Winter Soldier, your free and you live in hiding till Captain America and the King of Wakanda show up at your doorstep.

Italics= your thoughts

Warnings: Swearing (not too much)

Words: 1502

*your POV*

“Good morning Y/N!”

“Good morning to you too Mrs. Tuffer!”

You replied just as enthusiastically as she did (if that was even possible) as you strolled out the door from your crappy apartment building. Now you started your everyday routine, walking to your decent-paying job as a waitress at Jimmy's Coffee house.

You arrived at your job early (like usual), unlocked the doors, gave the tables a quick wipe and waited behind the counter.

It must've been 10 or so minutes before a customer came in, and you immediately took their order with a cheerful𑁋but fake𑁋smile. He made his simple order of a black coffee without looking up from his phone once.

‘Can't anyone just focus on the thing they are doing?’

You gave him his coffee with a quiet enjoy and he left. Your coworker, Ann, entered and said she could take over the counter which you gladly replied yes to. You went into the back room and found a piece of paper in the trash and a pen nearby. As soon as you sat down with the pen and paper in hand on a crate, you spotted a piece of metal and immediately got one of your worst memories.

“попробуйте его” Program him.

“Сэр?” sir? You replied, your voice wavering and questioning as to why he was asking you to program a man.

“Я сказал, что программа его или эта пуля проходит через ваш череп” I said program him or this bullet goes through your skull

Your handler said simultaneously as he pulled a gun out and pointed it directly between your eyes. You nodded, knowing what would come after if you refused anymore: brutal torture. You would always fight back, and you could easily win, but since they barely fed you and tortured you excessively, you could barely walk.

“вот слова. закончить его к концу дня” here are the words. Finish it by the end of the day.

He said solemnly as he handed you a red journal with a black star on the front.

“Это займет больше одного дня.” It’ll take longer than a day sir

“теперь не врать мне доктор, я знаю, что ты умнее этого. но плохо пусть это скользит. просто закончите.” Now don't lie to me doctor, i know you’re smarter than that, but ill let it slide. Just finish it.

You nodded quickly, and heard his boots clicking away. You smirked to yourself as you heard the door slam shut and lock. You knew you had to program him, and for that you were deeply sorry. But as you were programming him, you were creating a reverse chip to disable the program. You turned back to “the asset” and smiled apologetically, glancing at his metal arm every now and then, as he stared blankly at your face, remembering every detail, so that if he ever escaped and saw you again, he would kill you.

“Yoohoo! Y/N! Hey get up, we need you upfront! There are to many people for me! Cmon!” Ann exclaimed rather loudly. And you got up and started to make coffee and whatever the person ordered.

An hour later, a tall, bulky white man with sunglasses and a hat came in with his shorter black friend, with the same accessories. You could've sworn you’ve seen both of them before.

A couple minutes later, 2 attractive tall black women with buzz cuts walk in and sit beside the black man that came in earlier. You could see a very faint outline of a blade in one of their jacket pockets. They conversed for a couple seconds before both women turned and looked straight at you, as if they could feel your stares. You quickly turned around and headed into the backroom.

Weird. You thought. Could they be hydra? No, they can't be. Hydra would have guns not knives.

Since there wasn't a rush anymore, you went and sat back onto the crate, picked the pen up, and thought back to that memory you had a earlier. You remembered the mans striking blue eyes, but not as much as his metal arm. It intrigued you. You remember creating it for him when they first brought him back, half dead. So, you started to draw the arm. You started to draw a template of a new arm for him. Every wire, and every metal plate. It was different from the one he had back then, but it looked nicer.

I wonder where he is now after that thing with the government. I hope he's still alive.

You stuffed the drawing in your pocket and got back to work.

Throughout the day, you kept going back and forth from the counter to the back. Every time you went out front, both men and both women were still there, but the men had taken their sunglasses off.

Gosh, the black man is unrealistically attractive. Where do I remember him from?

But as soon as that thought came, it was gone and interrupted by Ann telling your shift is over. So you started to pack up, and were walked towards the door. You had a strange feeling and it didn't feel good. With your hand on the door handle you turned around to see the 4 mysterious people staring at you. As soon as they saw that you caught them staring, they all turned back around and continued talking.

As you got outside, you turned left, when your apartment building was down the right street. You picked up your pace, looked over your shoulder and noticed the two men following you. You started walking even faster.

Shit shit shit shit shit.

You turned down an alley and started to run but before you could make it out, the two women from earlier came out and blocked it.

Well great. Isn't this a cliche.

You stopped right in front of them, and started to prepare for a fight. The two women were not the least bit shocked.

I need to get out of this quick. If the two men are with them, I have no chance.

They threw the first punch. Both of them, at the same time. You started to fight back, kicking and punching where you could, and getting hit only a couple times.

Damn. these two are good. But where are the two men?

You continued to fight. If anyone walked by and saw this fiasco, they could easily see you were beating them. As you started to get more tired, you decided to end this. You slid between one of their open legs𑁋earning some cuts from the gravel𑁋turned sideways before halfway running up the brick wall, spinning your legs and kicking each one of them in the face, neither of the expecting it. When you land in between both of their unconscious bodies, you looked up and noticed the two men standing at the other end of the alley, clearly shocked. You turned around and ran up the street hearing their faint calling telling you to wait. You turned a couple more times and ran straight home, out of sight immediately.

When you got past her and into your room, you immediately grabbed your duffle bag, packing the very few items you had. You reached in your pocket to grab the blueprint for the arm to pack it as well, but couldn't find it. It wasn't in your pocket.

It must've fell out during the fight. Shit. They can use that now. fuck.

When you were running through the office of your complex, Mrs. Tuffer stopped you and said she would be coming up in a few.

Good. they can't take me if there is a witness and they wouldn't kill her.

As you were about to climb out your window, you saw the two women standing there looking both pissed and embarrassed. They also had knives in each hands.

Should I risk it?

You thought, but heard your crappy doorbell sound ring throughout your apartment. Fighting through the front door would be better.

If my guess is correct, it's probably the two men at the front. They can't possibly be as good as the girls. I'll take my chances with the men.

You grabbed your guns, one in each hand with your duffle over your shoulder and started to slowly and quietly walk towards the door. Before you could reach the door, one of the men spoke up,

”Miss, my name is Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America. I'm here with T'challa Ukaku, the king of Wakanda. We don't wanna hurt you. Can we talk? We need your help.”

You made your way to the door,looked through the peephole, and saw the Captain holding up your blueprint. You opened the door quickly, guns still in hand, and pointed the guns right between each of their eyes. You almost lost focus when you made eye contact with that really hot black guy from earlier and…. Wait. That is the King of Wakanda. Holy shit.

“Captain. Your highness. Talk.”

#@imamotherfuckingstar-lord #tchalla #marvel #imamotherfuckingstar-lord

2 notes · View notes

forkanna · 7 years

Link

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

NOTE: NaNoWriMo is in full swing! I told you I would try my best to update while it's going on and I will, even though it's obviously not as frequent as other months. Enjoy!

Yeah, I have no idea what went on over at the Chau residence. They took a few pictures of me on their phones to at least have examples ready, but it would have been pretty annoying to stick me in the back of the car — and besides, Stephen made a really good point that I might shatter if they dropped me, so after that nobody much wanted to take responsibility for schlepping the stone girl around.

But I got the general synopsis of what I missed from listening to their chatter. And thank GOD I finally had some entertainment, because lying around in an empty house all by yourself when you can't move is just about the most boring fucking thing ever.

Knives had her mom translate for her, since she can't speak Chinese, and asked her father if he knew any way to undo a spell, or curse, or mutation, or whatever the fuck this was that made people turn into rock-people. At first he said something a teensy bit racist that nobody would repeat, and then he asked for how the symptoms started. When they explained that it started from a feeling, and showed him the pic of my stomach, he kind of figured out what she would need.

Apparently, the house was quiet for so long because they had to go back to that place where Scott got the Soft and head to "Giant World", whatever that means. When they came back, they had another potion that was supposed to do something else. All I got was its name, not what it was supposed to do.

"So once Knives takes the Micron, we'll all stand watch," Steph was saying. Being a little older than everybody but Wallace — when did he show up? — she had kind of elected herself in charge. Also, nobody else wanted to be in charge, anyway. "Take turns. Like, I'm not sure what we can do, but we have to be ready just in case…"

"How long do we think this is gonna take?" Wallace asked, glancing at his trendy chronometer. "I'm supposed to meet up with Mobile at the new club where the Rockit used to be. Supposed to be a lot more catered toward our particular tastes now."

Knives's bottom lip quivered. "You don't care what happens to Kim, do you?"

"In an overall sense? Sure I do… but you guys didn't even remember my birthday. Tit for tat, you know."

"Hopeless," Stephen sighed. "No wonder Joseph hates you."

His trim eyebrow went up very slightly. "That catty bitch hates everyone. Can we get down to business? Kim's life hangs in the balance, just like my punctuality. They're both pretty important. Besides, I'm the only one here who can feed Knives any chi once she's through the gates; you need me as an E Tank."

"Fine!" Huffing, Knives grabbed the potion and downed it in one gulp. There were a few gasps, and Steph said something about "but we weren't through planning!" but it was too late; she had taken the plunge. And I was kinda glad, because at least now I would get to find out what the hell they were talking about, since they were leaving out so many details due to not bothering to include me in their conversation.

Not that I could talk back, anyway. But I could hear.

At first, we thought nothing had happened. Then I could tell something was weird. Everybody in the room was getting taller! Wait, that wasn't it… Knives was getting shorter. And shorter… she was shrinking right in front of my eyes.

"Hurry!" Stephen hissed, and Steph picked her up and sat her on my stomach once she was about toddler-sized. She kept going, slipping down my stomach when she was about the size of a Lego figurine, and then I couldn't see her anymore on the other side of my boobs.

At first, I thought that was it; that she had disappeared, and I felt a panic that I couldn't properly express while held suspended in this pavemential state of being. What the fuck had they done to my girlfriend?! But then I saw Steph bend down and do something else, holding her hand against my stomach.

"Hurry up… oh God, I hope Wallace knows how to use that thing."

WHAT thing?

"Me, too," he sighed as he pulled on the red fingerless glove. "Seems simple enough."

Shit. That thing. And I couldn't even scream as he slapped me in the forehead.

~ o ~

When I woke up, I didn't know where I was. I mean, I was definitely nowhere I had ever been before, and I kind of accepted that much… but still, why was the sky all pink? Why was the ground day-glow blue? Why was the path leading into the far distance so gold and shiny? Why was everything moving a little, like I was actually living inside a heat haze? Just freaking psycho crap.

And there she was.

"Knives!" At first she didn't turn around, but when I shouted again, she finally did — and took a huge leap backward.

"AAAAHHH! A GHOST!"

"A what?" Looking down, I saw that I was half-invisible, and my legs disappeared into a wispy thingy. Reminded me of an actual cartoon ghost, but the tops of my legs were still pretty distinct. "Oh. Well, that's annoying."

Her hand reached out, drew back again, and then reached forward to touch my legs… and she passed right through. She shivered as she whispered, "Whoa."

"Yeah, um, don't do that again."

"Okay. Oh, Kim! I'm so glad you're okay! Kind of!" She moved to hug me, then remembered and drew back again. "Oh, oops. Sorry."

"It's okay. God… I'm such a mess, I didn't mean to make everybody… well, anyway, it's too late now. What are we doing here?"

"Huh? Oh, right! You know, that whole thing you told me about? We have to fix that or we can't reverse this, since we didn't get to it in time. So I took the Micron because I'm the one with the most training, and my dad has this thing in Brazil he has to take care of so he can't."

"What? I mean… damn, how long do you think we might be in here?"

Looking apologetic, she whispered, "He said… maybe a couple years?"

"YEARS?!"

"Or not! It could only take a few hours, if we don't get hung up on the Rubik's Cube."

"Rubik's-" Only then did I catch on. My eyes narrowed in utter disbelief, waiting for her to yell "PSYCH" or something, but she didn't. "Wait. You're talking about all that bullshit I spewed at you when we first started hanging out again, aren't you?"

"Yeah! I mean, I'm ready for the rhino and the warthog, I'm pretty sure, but the rest I'll… have to… what is it, Kim?" she asked when she could tell I was even paler than a spirit already would be.

"It was all a lie. I mean… a joke, but I didn't expect you to actually believe me, and I never got the chance to tell you any differently because you ran off." Sighing, I turned away slightly, not wanting to look at her right then. "If this isn't some kind of crazy fever dream, or rock-dream or ghost-dream or whatever, and you're actually trying to fight your way through my body… then I think you're wasting your time. I have no idea what's about to happen to you in here."

"Well, that's okay," she said instantly. "We'll just figure out what the challenges are if they're different. I'm even stronger than I was before, you know; I kept up my training since all that happened at the Chaos Theater. Knives Chau is buff and knows her stuff!"

Gritting my ghostly teeth, I hissed, "Don't you get it? I want you to leave. Stop trying to help me, I'm obviously more trouble than I'm worth. Just… just go."

For a few seconds, everything was quiet. Then I saw her walking down the road into the distance. I was relieved for just a second; relieved and sad. At least Knives would be okay.

Then she called back to me, "You coming, or are you just gonna hang around here in the middle of your stomach?"

Once I caught up, trying not to let my pleased smile be seen by anyone, I asked her, "Stomach?"

"Sure. The portal is in your belly button; the only way in past the stone. Well, we could have tried your ears or nose, but the journey to your heart would have been a little longer, and we couldn't be sure of the path. This seems like a straight shot."

"Oh. Well… I mean, um… I don't really get this. Why are you trying so hard for me? I suck as a girlfriend, and I suck as a friend. All I did was kind of… hang around you and be grumpy all the time. Then statue-ified myself. "

That got her to stop walking and blink at me a few times. "You really think that's all you gave me, Kim?"

"Well… yeah."

"Don't be dumb. You were so sweet."

"ME?!"

"Yes, you," she giggled as she resumed, setting a swift pace. Not that I minded, since floating alongside her didn't seem to make me any more or less tired. "Sure, you tried to bury it under like, your whole 'cool' attitude, but I've… never had anybody make me dinner before besides my mom. And you were always there to talk to and you really listened to my babble, and we could always play games or watch TV, and you were so awesome about not rushing me with sex stuff… held my hand. Kissed my cheeks. Made me feel important to you, even though I could tell it was really hard for you to do that. Gosh, Kim, who wouldn't love you?"

For a few minutes, all I could do was float alongside her. Something about this inner-spirit state I was in prevented me from crying, but I definitely wanted to be. Was kind of frustrating, actually, needing that emotional release and being unable to have it. But I certainly had no words to follow up hers with.

When we got to the outer gates, it looked like a giant walled city, and the multiple colours of the doorframe reminded me of Fruit Stripe gum for some reason. Anyway, as I had been worrying about… there were the guards. Giant mutant animals that just barely weren't copies of villains from an old cartoon I loved when I was little.

"Oh wow, okay," she breathed, whipping out a couple of her huge daggers. "Do you know their weaknesses? Because like, if I can stand on that piece of wall and stab down with my weapon continually-"

"Did you say… you love me?"

"What? Oh, um… yeah, I think I did? Is that okay?"

My noncorporeal eyes nearly bugged out of their invisible sockets. She started to look even less sure of herself, glancing back and forth between me and the enemies. So I quickly said, "Yeah, yeah. It's great. I mean, uh… sorry. Just never had anyone… say that to me before. Damn."

"Hmmm. Didn't know a ghost could blush."

"What?!"

"Kidding," she giggled just as my hands went up toward my face. "Come on, let's get this done. I want to help you."

Humming to myself, I tilted my head up in their direction. "No idea. But I have this vague feeling that if we kick one of their asses, they'll both go down. Well, if you do. Not sure I'll be much help like this."

"Might as well try it!" Then she started sprinting for them. "HEY YOU GUYS!"

That… was not how I would have handled it.

To Be Continued…

#kim pine's precious little knives #scott pilgrim vs. the world #forkanna writes #scott pilgrim fanfiction #transgender representation #forkanna the writer

1 note · View note

sleepykichii · 7 years

Text

92 Questions Tag

i was tagged by @usershiin and @iviarka (thank u!! ♡ ) RULES: You must answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people.

THE LAST:

1. Drink: water

2. Phone call: uhhhh i think my mom?

3. Text message: i sent five elvis emojis to my dad bc he sends texts saying 'elvis' when he's leaving work

4. Song you listened to: chop suey by system of a down

5. Time you cried: this morning lol

6. Dated someone twice: lol no i have a personal rule to never visit the graveyard

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: absolutely

8. Been cheated on: unfortunately

9. Lost someone special: yeah, some family members

10. Been depressed: currently am

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: uhhh yeah lets not talk abt that lmaooo

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS:

12.-14. pink, purple, and lime green!

IN THE LAST YEAR, HAVE YOU:

15. Made new friends: yup!!

16. Fallen out of love: who knows, feelings are too complex for me to try & decipher lol

17. Laughed until you cried: yeah!

18. Found out someone was talking about you: like talking shit? if so, lol yeah senior year was intense dude

19. Met someone who changed you: yup! several someones, actually

20. Found out who your friends are: yup, i have like one real irl friend bc the rest were just using me when i was conveinent. :')

21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: uh maybe? idk i barely get on facebook

GENERAL:

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: dude i dont even know

23. Do you have any pets: sadly, no :c

24. Do you want to change your name: i don't rly like when people say my full name but i like the abbreviated version or any other nickname

25. What did you do for your last birthday: my family went out to dinner and we came home and relaxed, i was sad all day so it wasnt great lmao

26. What time did you wake up: uhhh like ten am? i think

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: gosh i dunno...i think i was drawing? or writing, idk, one of the two

28. Name something you can’t wait for: KILLING HARMONY'S ENGLISH RELEASE YEAH BOIII

29. When was the last time you saw your mom: last night before bed

31. What are you listening to right now: seether - fake it

32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: my brother's name is tommy lmaoooo

33. Something that is getting on your nerves: my stomach wont shut up lol

34. Most visited website: tumblr probably

38. Hair colour: dark brown, i dyed it red a while ago so it has a red hue rn

39. Long or short hair: long!

40. Do you have a crush on someone: dude who knows honestly

41. What do you like about yourself: i dont like my body uhhh do my freckles count?

42. Piercings: nope! i rly want my ears pierced n a septum ring tho

43. Blood type: A+ !!

44. Nickname: tay or ouma!

45. Relationship status: uh single i think? i think we're ghosting eachother lmao

46. Zodiac: taurus

47. Pronouns: she/her!

48. Favorite TV show: big brother!!

49. Tattoos: none -- yet!!

50. Right or left handed: right

51. Surgery: let's see...i had severe bladder issues as a kid so i know i had smth done for that, i had my tonsils and adnoids removed...i think that's it!

52. Piercing: uhhh wasn't this already asked? lol

53. Sport: if i had to pick one, it'd probably be swimming! my fave thing is sinking to the bottom of the pool and staring up at the sky its super cool

55. Vacation: uhh its technically summer vacation rn and im not doing anything lmaoo

MORE GENERAL:

57. Eating: nothing,,,

58. Drinking: more water

59. I’m about to: smoke a cigarette bc this is taking longer than i expected

61. Waiting for: my mom to get home so we can go swimming

62. Want: a sense of purpose in life, a direction to follow, the will to live??? idk

63. Get married: that's the goal but...relationships are hard

64. Career: *cue anxiety* ummmm m uhh h hhhhh gjeafslkfjqads

WHICH IS BETTER:

65. Hugs or kisses: definitely hugs ** ok wait is this in like a potential partner? bc thats how im answering these

66. Lips or eyes: eyes

67. Shorter or taller: i generally like guys who are taller than me but for girls i don't rly have a preference

68. Older or younger: i guess ^^ applies here too, i prefer older guys but dont have a preference when it comes to girls

70. Nice arms or nice stomach: stomach i guess? doesnt rly matter to me

72. Hook up or relationship: do i have to pick one?? uhhh i guess a relationship but efjasklmf

73. Troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant!

HAVE YOU EVER:

74. Kissed a stranger: lol yeah

75. Drank hard liquor: ya...oops

76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: i don't have glasses but if i did, i would lose them for sure

77. Turned someone down: yup

78. Sex on the first date: absolutely not!!

79. Broken someone’s heart: maybe?? idk

80. Had your heart broken: yup

81. Been arrested: no

82. Cried when someone died: yup!

83. Fallen for a friend: lol yeah

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

84. Yourself: i'd like to!

85. Miracles: yes

86. Love at first sight: not rly no

87. Santa Claus: lol ofc

88. Kiss on the first date: it depends on if it went well or not

89. Angels: it's a nice thought, but no

OTHER:

90. Current best friend’s name: lol i dont want to put it bc i dont want her finding this blog & she doesnt have a common name sry my dudes

91. Eye colour: brown

92. Favourite movie: uhhhh idk!! i watch a lot of movies w my family and can't remember all the titles, sorry^^

holy guacamole okay now that that's over time to tag!

i tag: @kingtatsunari @lesliebruhleria @tokyo-ghouls-eat-rawmen @piningmarco @bertoltssweat @noodlesforlyfe @levi-nyanchou @tiny-heichou and whoever else wants to do it! don’t feel obligated to do this, either;; ♡

#about me #levi.txt

10 notes · View notes

keichanz · 7 years

Text

Boutique

@inukag-week Day Five: AU

This is late, but I still got it out! It came out longer than I wanted it to. Oops. Idek I just wanted an excuse for Kagome to paint Inuyasha’s claws.

The title’s not even a title, I’m just way too tired to come up with a decent one. so have that one for now.

Inuyasha stared at the shop in front of him with dismay, suddenly regretting his decision to take his niece wherever she wanted to go, his treat, as a birthday gift.

“Uh, Rin?” he asked the ten year old girl clutching his hand and bouncing up and down in her excitement. “Are you sure you wanna go here? And not, like, Chuck E. Cheese or something?”

Rin nodded, the smile on her face a mile wide. “I’m sure!” she chirped. “I came here with Mama once and I wanna do it, too!”

He winced. “Are you positive? Don’t you wanna go to some place more fun? Like maybe the zoo?”

“No, I wanna go here.”

“Aquarium?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Amusement park?”

“Too loud.”

“…Wal-Mart?”

Rin pouted and tugged on his hand. “Uncle Inu, you promised!” She stuck out her lower lip for effect and gazed tearfully up at him.

Inuyasha groaned and dragged a hand down his face, but sighed in defeat. “Alright, alright. Let’s just get this over with.”

Beaming, Rin nodded and practically dragged him inside Botan’s Beauty Boutique.

Immediately all the different and intense smells inside made him sneeze and he scowled. Well, at least the place didn’t seem too busy. Less people to witness this blow to his manliness by being here and maybe they’d get out quicker. Inuyasha hoped, anyway. He had no idea how long it took for whatever Rin had in mind and prayed it was under half an hour. And not expensive.

“Hi!” One of the employees emerged from the back and came toward them and Inuyasha had to force himself not to gawk like an idiot. Jesus, she was gorgeous, with long raven hair that fell in gentle waves around her face and the biggest, most beautiful brown eyes he had even seen stared at him from a lovely face. Donned in a pair of cut off jeans and a simple tee-shirt with the shop’s logo over the left breast, Inuyasha thought nobody had ever pulled the look off better. Exactly what that look was he didn’t know, and didn’t care.

Smiling brightly, she looked first to Inuyasha – holy fuck, was she blushing? Score—then dropped her gaze to Rin. “My name’s Kagome, and I’ll be taking care of you today. So, what’s on the agenda today?” she asked and Inuyasha was glad she’d aimed the question at Rin. Not a surprise, really, since this was generally a place where women went to, not men.

Rin giggled and lifted her hands, spreading her fingers. “It’s my birthday and I wanna get my nails done so they’re pretty like Mama’s!”

Kagome gasped and grabbed the child’s smaller hands in her own. “Oh my gosh, happy birthday! In that case, I’ll have to take extra special care and give you the royal birthday treatment!” The older woman winked at the girl and Rin looked positively giddy. “Right this way, birthday girl. I have a seat just for you.” She turned her gaze to Inuyasha and she offered another smile, the blush returning to her cheeks. Inuyasha couldn’t help but grin a little. “You can come back too, if you’d like. There’s an empty seat next to my station.” With that, Kagome took Rin’s hand and led her further back and suddenly glad that Rin had chosen this place Inuyasha followed, hands tucked into his pockets as he looked around curiously. It had everything your basis salon would have, mani-pedi stations, a waxing area, a place to get your eyebrows plucked, and Inuyasha spotted signs pointing to tanning and massaging. Cool.

“Take a seat, sweetpea.” Kagome gestured to the large, plush chair in front of her work area and sat down on the other side in her own chair. Inuyasha claimed the empty chair beside his niece and settled in to wait, curious how this worked, despite himself. His mother got manicures all the time, but he’d never tagged along or was even interested enough to anyway.

“So,” she began and opened a drawer, pulling out one of those color wheel things that let you see what color would like on a fingernail. “Why don’t you choose a really pretty color you like and I’ll get everything ready?” Still smiling, she brought out all the necessary tools as if getting ready to give her a full on manicure, but Inuyasha and she both knew it was only for show and she’d only be doing a bit of filing and painting his niece’s small nails.

Rin absolutely gushed over all the pretty colors, pointing out each one she liked – which was almost all of them, Inuyasha noted with amusement – and asking his opinion for one color before quickly changing her mind and picking another. In the end, without any input at all from her uncle – which suited him just fine since he really hadn’t the first clue about any of this girly shit – Rin chose a bright, sunshiny yellow with the explanation that it reminded her of her Daddy’s and Uncle’s “pretty gold eyes.”

“Oooh,” Kagome cooed and nodded in agreement. She flicked a gaze toward the uncle in question and smiled, biting her lip briefly before saying, “It’s a very pretty color. Good choice, sweetie.”

Inuyasha blushed.

Kagome ducked her head to hide her broad smile and left to retrieve the selected nail polish. When she returned, Inuyasha had thankfully gotten his blush under control and was able to act like nonchalant again, propping his head in his hand and idly tapping his claws against the table, watching as she selected a small nail file from her collection and once more took Rin’s small hand in her own.

While Rin chattered on about everything and anything under the sun, Inuyasha kept his gaze on Kagome, admiring the way her thick hair fell over her shoulder in soft waves, the way she nodded along with whatever his niece was talking about, responding back appropriately, like she was truly interested in the drama between her dolls at home. That made him like her even more. Beautiful, and good with kids.

It didn’t take long for Kagome to file Rin’s small nails to perfection and when the older woman unscrewed the cap to the yellow nail polish, Rin squealed and bounced in her seat. She didn’t even seem to care, or notice, that Kagome hadn’t even used all of the tools she’d brought out. Suddenly she turned to him and Inuyasha blinked.

“Uncle Inu,” she began and he arched a brow. “You need to get your nails painted, too.”

His eyes widened and he sputtered while Kagome tried, and failed, to stifle a snicker. “Wha—hell no, squirt. That shi—stuff’s for girls. I’ll pass.” He crossed his arms, attempting to look as manly as he could surrounded by nail polish and women and girly smelling shit.

Rin’s bottom lip trembled and immediately Inuyasha knew he was in trouble. Oh no. No, no, no, please don’t let her be— “B-but Uncle Yashie,” she sniffled and Inuyasha wanted to run far, far away. Instead his ass was rooted to his seat as his manipulative little niece turned huge, watery doe on him. “It’s my birthday and you said I could do whatever I wanted. I w-wanted you to get your nails painted with m-m-meeeeee.” She sniffed again and used her free hand, the one Kagome wasn’t working on, to rub at her eyes.

Panicking and at a loss, Inuyasha looked helplessly at Kagome, eyes wide and beseeching and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he was silently pleading with her to help him.

She did, but not in the way he’d hoped or expected.

Trying valiantly to keep from smiling, Kagome came to his rescue and said, “Well, it is her birthday…and there just so happens to be a birthday discount I can offer on top of the two-for-one discount if you actually get yours done, too. That cuts the price down significantly, so…” She shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching as she tried to suppress her mirth while painting his nieces nails with practiced, even strokes. “Just saying.”

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her and that time she did smile.

Heaving a sigh, feeling like he’d just been cheated, Inuyasha shook his head and finally relented. “Alright, fine. But only because it’s your birthday, runt, and only this one time. Got it?” He pointed a claw-tipped finger at her and scowled.

Rin’s disposition did a 360 and she brightened, her tears disappearing and looking like she hadn’t just been about to cry her eyes out in a salon. “Yay! Thank you, Uncle Yashie! You’re the best uncle in the world and this is the best birthday gift ever!” She giggled and admired the bright yellow polish Kagome had just finished applying on the nails of her right hand.

“Yes, Yashie,” Kagome teased, glancing at him beneath thick, sooty lashes. “It’s such a nice thing to do for your niece on her birthday.”

Inuyasha blushed, again, and glared at her, however it didn’t hold much heat. “Keh,” he muttered, and he felt the corner of his mouth twitch despite his best efforts. Cheeky little wench, wasn’t she?

God, she was perfect.

Kagome started on Rin’s left hand and Inuyasha watched silently, just listening to them chat, and before he knew it Kagome was recapping the polish and his niece was running around the salon and showing off her pretty new nails. Inuyasha shook his head in amusement and released as low chuckle, then his attention was directed toward Kagome as she shifted to the station next to hers, where he was sitting, and she gave him a smile before wordlessly holding out her hand.

Inuyasha eyed her hand, stared into her eyes, then silently put his hand, palm up, in hers. Instead of instantly whipping out the polish and getting to work like he’d expected, Kagome made a cute little noise in the back of her throat and took his hand in both of hers, studying his claws with an interest that surprised him. He allowed her to look and touch and study the talons tipping his fingers, tracing the digits with her own, and he couldn’t stop the growl that welled up in his throat.

Kagome paused, bit her lip and blushed. He smirked, but didn’t say anything as she busied herself with pulling out some of the polishes she kept in stock at her station. Still sort of disbelieving that he was actually agreeing to this, Inuyasha chose a simple red one, figuring he could just steal some of Kagura’s stinky polish remover when he took Rin back home and take it off. He’d just have to keep his hands in his pockets on the way there, is all. And pray Sesshomaru wasn’t home.

Kagome worked in silence for a bit, an adorable little frown on her face as she concentrated on painting his claws scarlet, the tip of her tongue slightly poking between her lips. Inuyasha suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Every now and then Rin popped in to check the progress and admire the pretty red color before running off again and showing off her nails to anyone who walked in.

“She’s adorable, you know,” Kagome suddenly piped up and Inuyasha flicked a glance at her before turning his gaze to his “adorable” niece, who was chatting up one of Kagome’s coworkers, a redheaded wolf demon, from what he could smell.

“She’s a pain in the ass,” he supplied bluntly but the grin curling his lips belied his words. “She’s alright, though.”

Kagome smiled. “You know not many men would actually agree to get their nails…er, claws painted,” she amended with a soft laugh as she brushed his pinky with crimson. She gazed up at him and her smile was beautiful. “I just want you to know that it was a really great thing you did…Yashie.” He gave her a deadpan stare for that and she snickered.

He rolled his eyes. “Keh. Rin is the only one I let get away with calling me that, so nice try. Everyone else has to call me by my name, so nice try.” He offered his left hand when she finished with his right and studied her handiwork. He had to hand it to her; she was very good at this. It was perfectly smooth and even, not even a trace of the polish on his cuticles or skin.

“And what might that be, or are you going to leave me guessing?” Kagome asked with a grin and dipped the brush into the bottle for fresh polish.

Suddenly Inuyasha’s eyes flashed wickedly and a rather suggestive smirk worked its way onto his lips as he leaned forward and answered huskily, “For women it’s usually ‘Oh god, yes,’ but the men call me Inuyasha.” His eyes dropped to her lips then back to her eyes, his interest clear as day now. This close to her, he could detect the sweet aroma of cherry and wondered if she was wearing flavored lip-gloss. Her lips were red and shiny and he desperately wanted to find out if his suspicions were correct. He didn’t know where this sudden boldness was coming from, but decided it was a very good thing when Kagome gasped and her face turned red, her scent spiking deliciously. He growled in approval.

“O-oh,” she squeaked, blushed even more and ducked her head to hide her flushed face. Inuyasha chuckled and spared her any further embarrassment, leaning back and letting her work in peace. They lapsed into silence, Kagome working quickly and diligently, and it wasn’t long before she announced she was finished and Inuyasha held up his claws for inspection. Not bad, he conceded inwardly. At least it wasn’t an overly girly color.

Rin suddenly appeared at his side and tugged his hand down to her level so she could inspect it, too. She grinned. “I like it,” she declared with a nod and beamed at Kagome, who smiled back, earlier embarrassment forgotten. “Thank you, Kagome!” Then she turned back to her uncle and lunged at him, eliciting a grunt from him as she wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. “And thank you, Uncle Yashie,” she whispered, knowing he could hear her.

Heart melting, Inuyasha gave a lop-sided smile and ruffled his niece’s hair. “Happy birthday, runt,” he said in lieu of welcome and was rewarded with another mega-watt smile. “How about we get some ice cream and call it a day? I dunno about you, but,” he slid his gaze over to Kagome and deliberately dropped his eyes to her lips. “I’m craving cherry.”

Rin cheered her agreement to that and Kagome dropped the nail polish bottle and it clattered loudly on the table as her face once more erupted into flame. Feeling proud of himself, Inuyasha chuckled and reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. Clearing her throat and pretending like she hadn’t heard his not so subtle hint, Kagome gave him the grand total price of twenty-five dollars and when his brows shot up in surprise, she shrugged and said, “Discounts.”

Nodding, Inuyasha handed over and twenty and ten and Kagome left for the reception desk to get his change. He watched her go, admiring the view of her ass in those jeans and the tantalizing sway of her hips. He reluctantly tore his gaze away, however, when his phone buzzed in his pocket and he fished it out to read the text he’d received.

Whelp, where is my daughter?

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha typed a quick message back before pocketing it again, not in the mood to deal with his asshole brother at the moment.

Getting ice cream then heading home. Assface.

He felt it vibrate again almost instantly but ignored it because Kagome was walking back over to him, for some reason looking a little shy, but he didn’t think much of it. She bit her lip – god, he wanted to bite it, too – and handed him back his change with a receipt. She smiled at him, a flushing riding high on her cheeks. She opened her mouth, closed it, sighed, and shook her head. “Well…have a nice day.” She turned to Rin and her smile widened. “Happy birthday, Rin. Have some cake for me, okay? And make sure to tell everyone who asks that Kagome at Botan’s Beauty Boutique did your beautiful nails!”

Beaming, Rin nodded vigorously and held out her hands to admire her nails for the umpteen time. “Okay, I will! Thanks again, Kagome! I’ll come again with my Mama and pick a different color!”

“Looking forward to it!” Kagome returned. “See you later.”

“Bye!” Rin chirped, and ran outside, laughing merrily to herself.

Knowing she wouldn’t stray far, Inuyasha let her go and shook his head in amusement before turning to the salon’s prettiest employee. He wanted to say something, but didn’t know what, and it looked like she was expecting something to. He drew a blank, staring at her face.

“Uh. Thanks,” he said lamely, then winced and avoided her gaze, suddenly feeling awkward. Shit, she hadn’t really acknowledged his hardcore flirt. Was she not interested? His ears wilted a little at that thought and he tried not to look too disappointed.

Kagome did not try to hide her disappointment – wait, why was she—? – and offered a small smile. “You’re welcome,” She said softly and her eyes dropped to his hand where he still held his cash and receipt she’d given him. “Um…please come again.” She gave a small bow, one last smile, then turned and headed to her workstation to clean up what little mess she’d made.

Frowning, Inuyasha watched her for a few seconds more before reluctantly exiting the shop, feeling like he was leaving something unfinished, unresolved in there. Growling in annoyance at himself, he went to push his change back into his wallet and spotted some writing on the receipt she’d given him that he’d crumpled slightly in his grip. Curious, Inuyasha paused outside on the sidewalk and flattened out the piece of paper, scanning the neat handwriting on the back.

And almost dropping it in surprise. His eyes widened, his mouth dropped and he reread the message once more, twice, three times, again and again, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him, that his desire was so strong that his mind was deceiving him into seeing things that weren’t there.

If it’s cherry you want, I can satisfy that craving.

A pink cherry scented kiss mark was her signature.

Inuyasha whipped his head around so fast it was a wonder he didn’t get whiplash and through the large glass window of the salon front, he spotted Kagome and she was already string at him, her brown eyes wide and hopeful, biting down on her lip again and she offered a shy, but genuine smile.

Inuyasha promptly stuffed the note and money in his pocket, ignoring his niece’s curious stare, and walked back into the store like a man on a mission, his eyes not once leaving Kagome’s face. Kagome didn’t move, the hopeful smile on her face widening with every step closer he took until he was suddenly in front of her and she parted her freshly glossed lips to whisper his name. Inuyasha growled, snagged her around the waist with an arm while he cupped her face with his other hand and wasted no time in dipping his head to cover her mouth with his own.

Cherry-flavored heaven. That was the only way he could describe it. Her lips were soft, perfect and he greedily licked off all of that wonderful gloss she’d no doubt just applied and he felt her arms go around his neck and her body press close to his.

He smirked against her lips, she smiled, and watching through the storefront glass window, Rin squealed in delight, clapping her hands. Uncle Yashie has a girlfriend now!

This really was the best. Birthday. Ever.

#Inukag week #inukag week day 5 #au #inuyasha #kagome #rin #fuck im tired #bedtime for me #cherrrriiieeesssss

35 notes · View notes

breeeliss · 7 years

Text

[Miraculous Ladybug]: Think Alike

oh shit! update! whaaaaaaat?

so unfortunate side effect of having multiple multi-chapters is that you run the risk of forgetting about them......which admittedly happened with this one.....oops.....

so shoutout to @ladyserendipitous and others from the mlfanfiction server who reminded me that i had this, which encouraged me to update it (good thing too bc i forgot how much i loved this idea).

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3]

Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

Title: Think Alike

Summary: Adrien never really considered himself an artist per se. He only ever considered what he did a hobby, something that he did for joy and not for obligation. But Marinette held his prints up to the light, smiled up at the glossy photos he’d spent hours shooting and editing, and looked at them like they were practically perfect. And how could Adrien not let his chest swell up at the sight of her pride?

Photographer!Adrien

Chapter 4: Shopping

“So wait, just to review. Why is this not a date again?”

Marinette threw her head back and whined. “It’s not a date because it’s not a date!” she repeated. “I didn’t ask him out, I invited him to go shopping with me because he was asking me questions about designing. That’s it!”

“Yes, but you also have a crush on him and you invited him to do an activity with just the two of you. I dunno, babe, that sounds like a date to me.”

Marinette glared at her. “By that definition, you asking Nino to help you babysit your sisters today is also a date. Boom. Deflected. Leave me alone.”

Alya rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Um, no. Not deflected. Do not twist this on me, I asked you first.”

“And I answered already!” Marinette complained.

Alya crossed her arms and smirked. “Okay no. You’re over here like ‘oh I’m not trying to get with him, I’m just helping him out like a good friend.’ Meanwhile you conveniently had to pick up your fabric orders today and you conveniently needed Adrien’s help to do it. Which yeah, ok, like this isn’t you trying to spend more alone time with him. And then, let’s please acknowledge that this happened all because you were totally starstruck after your darling sunshine prince sat with you and started showing you his camera.”

“It wasn’t a lie! Sure I was going to pick it up tomorrow, but I really do have a fabric order there waiting for me!”

“You are whipped as hell, Marinette.”

“You’re making me sound like a total creep,” Marinette complained. “Look, I honestly sat next to him because I wanted to compliment him on the shoot and see how it was going. That was totally my intention from the start. Completely platonic and friendly support.”

“Ah yes,” Alya said, rubbing her hands. “But then the plot thickens!”

Marinette winced. “And I actually wanted to know about how his camera worked because it seemed interesting! I just wanted to learn more, you know?”

Alya nodded and stroked her chin. “Yes, yes. Getting closer to the source of all this mess.”

“But he looked so cute explaining everything Alya,” Marinette admitted. “Like totally adorable. He was so thrilled and then he started asking me about my designing, and then I remembered how impressed he was with me when I showed him my ideas, and fine I’m a glutton, I’ll admit it! I wanted to spend more time with him because it’s been fun hanging out with him and talking about his photography and my designing. So I invited him to shop with me today.” Marinette pointed a finger in Alya’s face. “As friends! No ulterior motives. Not a date.”

Alya scoffed. “Don’t you even try that, girl. You are full of unadulterated crap. You are totally trying to hit on this boy right now.”

“I am not!”

“Oh yes you are!” Alya teased. She threw her arm dramatically over her forehead. “You find out he’s just as big an art freak as you are, and all of a sudden you’re trying to lure him into your home so you can lay across your sewing machine and let him ravage you!”

“You are embarrassingly dramatic. Seriously. Also, can we not pick out verbs that make me sound like the heroine of a romance novel?”

Alya shrugged. “Make fun of me all you want, but you’re pining after him like crazy. And because I care about your happiness, I will support your impressively sneaky attempts to squeeze in time with him. As always, I demand a full report on my desk by tomorrow morning.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and decided to relent the point. “Sir, yes, sir.”

“Detailed!” she commanded. “No corners cut! Thorough, my dear. Absolutely thorough.”

“I’ll write you a dissertation if you want, don’t worry. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Perfect,” Alya grinned. “It’s important I keep track of my investments.”

Marinette raised a brow. “...yeah, I’m ignoring you.”

Alya danced behind Marinette and planted her hands firmly on her shoulders, marching her at a quicker pace to the front doors of the school. “I’m getting good vibes from this,” Alya explained. “Something tells me this is the beginning of something grand.” She looked past Marinette’s shoulder and jumped excitedly. “Ah, there he is! Ready and waiting for you!”

They were at the top of the stairs outside and Marinette could see Adrien leaning into the window of one of the cars that usually came to pick him up at the end of the day, talking to the driver in the front seat. Alya grinned and muttered in Marinette’s ear. “Nino told me he was spending all of last class texting his father’s assistant and convincing her to let him stay out longer after school. Just for you~!”

Marinette grabbed Alya’s hands and gently pried them off of her shoulders. “Will you stop hovering? Aren’t you supposed to be helping Nino with his DJ equipment? He’s probably upstairs waiting for you.”

“Trying to get rid of me, eh?” Alya laughed. “I get it, that’s cool. Don’t want me to kill your groove.” She kissed both of Marinette’s cheeks. “Knock him dead, cutie, okay?”

Marinette smiled and pushed Alya back inside the building. “Will you go!?” She stuck her tongue at Alya as she watched her skip back down the hallway, grabbing her stomach and cackling at her own antics. Marinette needed to remember to give Alya a hard time later tonight when she asked how babysitting with Nino went. As much as the two of them liked to tease her about Adrien, they sure didn’t realize just how downright chummy the two of them looked in comparison. She’d definitely have to get back at them later.

She took a deep breath, did a quick couple of hops in place to psych herself up, and skipped down the stairs just as Adrien was waving off his driver who’d pulled away from the school.

“Are you all set?” Marinette asked.

“Yup!” Adrien said. “Took a bit of wheedling with Nathalie to get away with it, but I am yours for the next hour.”

“Oh perfect,” Marinette smiled. “I promise I won’t be too long. It’s just picking up a couple of things and buying some stuff I’m running out of.”

“Ah don’t worry about it,” Adrien assured. “This should be fun! I just wear the clothes my father makes, so I don’t really know what happens behind the scenes so to speak. Besides, I wanna know what you’re going to be working on next.”

“You’ll figure it out quick,” she promised. “Feel up for a walk? I go to the shop about fifteen minutes away from here.”

“Of course, lead the way!”

Marinette’s parents financially supported her designing up to a point. It wasn’t too much trouble for her mother to pass down her old sewing machine, and back when clothing design only really consisted of remaking clothing she already had, buying basic sewing kits and small swatches of fabric from the crafts store was enough for Marinette to survive. But eventually, she wanted to make things from scratch. She needed to learn how to embroider. She needed dressforms for more complicated designs. She needed books for help and reference. And, most importantly, she needed three times the amount of fabric, thread, and supplies than she’d ever needed back when she was just adding decals to her skirts and shirts.

As encouraging as her parents were, Marinette understood that it was far too much to expect them to go out and buy whatever she needed. It wasn’t exactly feasible to sacrifice lease payments in favor of bolts of fabric because Marinette wanted to try her hand at button downs that weekend. So Marinette asked to start working on the registers at the bakery in exchange for a small allowance, and learned how to be smart about how to get everything she needed for as cheap as possible.

The shop that she always went to wasn’t exactly high-end, but it was certainly affordable considering how well-stocked they were in comparison. Marinette even figured out to take advantage of all of their online-only sales and ask for large orders in advance instead of shopping in the store real time. Plus Marinette shopped there so often that the owner always liked to shave off a few euros from her purchases in order to give her a break, especially when Marinette left the store with literal handfuls of supplies. It wasn’t the type of place where she could get huge bolts of expensive chiffon and silk, as riveting as the thought was. But for a girl on a budget, Marinette thought she pretty much hit the gold mine.

She was sort of afraid of what Adrien would think of such a place. After all, she was sure his father only ever needed to dial a number in order for him to get unlimited access to some of the highest quality fabrics in the world. A little storefront like this probably wasn’t much. But the moment they walked through the doors, Adrien’s eyes immediately started darting everywhere they could, soaking up whatever he saw. “Woah! I’ve never been inside a fabric shop before!”

“Never?” Marinette asked.

“No way!” Adrien exclaimed. He immediately started moving down one of the aisles and running his hands along the shelves filled with bolts of all sorts of colorful fabrics made of dozens of different material. He started to look through a small case filled with rolls of fabric and marvelled at the size of them. “Gosh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much fabric on one place.”

“Yeah, it’s got a lot to choose from,” she grinned. “It’s a bit pricy to buy them in bulk like this, but at least that means you’re pretty well stocked for a while before you have to start shopping again.”

Marinette couldn’t help but laugh when she saw how amazed he was at the entire wall devoted to yarn and wool. “Do you ever buy this stuff?” he asked.

“Occasionally,” she said. “Especially if I’m making things like scarves, hats, and leg warmers, it’s cheaper to just crochet it myself. I have to come back another time to get some knitting needles though. I just bought the books and I want to learn over the summer too.”

“God, how do you choose? There’s so much here, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

“Come in knowing exactly what you want,” Marinette smirked. “Trust me, I know from experience. You walk in here without a clue what you want, and you either don’t buy anything or want to buy everything.”

“Is it just fabric and yarn that they sell? What else is here?” Adrien asked.

She shrugged. “Well, the back has more of what you would find in a craft store. So buttons, zippers, embroidery hoops, needles, stabilizers, smaller swatches of fabric, ribbons….I’m pretty sure they have a small section where you can get beads.”

Adrien twisted around and started walking backwards, occasionally bending over to steal glances at the lower shelves. “My father used to tell me how much he loved going to shops like this when he started out designing. I mean, it was years ago, but they look just like he described. Just walls and walls of almost anything you could ever want. This is awesome!”

“Yeah, I was pretty shocked my first time in here too,” she agreed. “I mean, it’s obviously not an endless treasure trove, but it’s a pretty decent place if you only have a little to spend.”

Adrien was standing on his toes and reading the labels of the highest shelves he could reach, laughing at himself all the while. “I’m so sorry, I’m supposed to be helping you shop.”

Marinette shook her head. “Ah, don’t worry about it. Roam around all you want. I might even find a couple of things for myself that I might need.”

He peeked around the aisle and let out a small gasp. “Oh my god there are like ten more shelves of fabric back here! And they’re all patterns!”

Marinette reached into her pocket for her wallet. “Have fun! I’ll be at the register up front if you wanna help me carry some stuff.”

“I’ll be two minutes I swear.”

Marinette wound up getting 6 meters of a black cotton/poly blend, 5 meters of dark blue jersey knit, a meter’s worth of four different colors of cotton, and a bundle of golden lace. One of the cashiers who had personally handled plenty of Marinette’s orders in the past didn’t even bat a lash when she gave her a 15 euro discount, asking only for pictures of all the finished products in exchange. It all wound up cheaper than she thought it would be, and she started to eye the back of the store where all the craft supplies were. Adrien finally came back up to the counter and started to help the cashier put Marinette’s orders into bags.

“Huh,” Adrien hummed. “Not sure what this stuff is for, but didn’t you have a dress with lace on it that you showed me?”

“Mmhm,” Marinette nodded. “You’re getting warm. Oh, come. I wanna grab a couple of things real quick from the back.”

Adrien followed behind her and rubbed the black fabric in between his fingers. “Uhhhh….wait! Your Eiffel Tower dress is black, right?”

Marinette grinned and Adrien’s eyes widened in excitement. “You’re gonna try for that dress first?”

“That’s the plan,” she confirmed. “I’m dreading it a little bit because of all the embroidery work that has to go into it, but I figured I’d do the more complicated thing first.”

“What’s the rest of this stuff for?”

“The lace is for the collar of the dress. The jersey knit is for this other dress I’m making. Nothing crazy, just something for some of the cooler summer days. And the cotton is for headbands! I ordered the hard plastic bands online already, so now all I have to do is put the fabric over it. I had a couple of spare pattern swatches at home that I was going to use, but I figured a couple more colors wouldn’t hurt.”

“Wow,” Adrien breathed out. “Sounds like a lot to do.”

“You underestimate my ability to perform killer all nighters,” she joked.

“I thought Alya was kidding about that.”

“I pride myself on doing my best to get eight hours of sleep every night during the school year. But during breaks? All bets are off.”

Adrien frowned. “I’m telling her you said that.”

“I have things to get done!”

“You have to sleep Marinette!”

“Oh there’s plenty of time for that afterwards,” she insisted. Adrien didn’t look pleased, but she laughed at his expression anyway and set her schoolbag down by her feet when they turned into one of the aisles at the back of the shop. “For now, if I’m really going to crack down on this embroidery, I need to stock up on a couple of things.”

Adrien set down his own bag and all of Marinette’s purchases as he scanned the shelves. “What are we looking for?”

“A new embroidery hoop. Some stabilizers. Carbon paper. Thread. Temporary adhesive. And I think that’s it.”

Adrien blinked. “Uh….well, the thread I get. What’s the other stuff for?”

Marinette let her hand hover over one of the rows of items before she plucked out an embroidery hoop from the shelves are started to scrutinize the size. “All things I need to hand embroider the dress. The hoop I have at home is too small for this dress and I’m out of everything else I need. I have some extra money left over so I figured I’d stock up.”

He hummed as he stood on his toes and looked at the row of stabilizers above his head. “What does all this stuff do? Can you explain it to me?”

“I mean, I don’t mind, but it can get a little confusing.”

“I’m sure I can keep up if I try,” he grinned. “I don’t know any of this stuff, so it’s really interesting.” He pointed to the hoop in Marinette’s hands. “So what’s that for?”

“An embroidery hoop,” she explained. “So when you’re doing embroidery, you want to make sure you’re keeping the fabric taut so that your stitches won’t look scrunched up or over stretched. So you open up the frame, slip the fabric inside, tighten it, and them you can start sewing.”

Adrien frowned and took the hoop from her and turned it over in his hands. “Hm, makes sense. There was some of that stabilizer stuff on that top shelf up there? You need that, right?”

“Yup,” Marinette said. She was reaching upwards to try to read the labels on the row of stabilizers Adrien had been looking at earlier. “Oh, could you do me a favor and grab that pack over there? Should say medium-weight cutaway stabilizers. Can’t reach it.”

“Uhhh, how long?”

“Ten meters ought to be fine.”

Adrien had to prop his foot up on the bottom shelf to reach the roll before he carefully handed it back down to her. “So stabilizers are…?”

��Well, I want the fabric taut, but I also don’t want the fabric to be damaged by the stitching I’m doing. So the stabilizer will keep that from happening. Because this is knit, stretchy fabric, the stabilizer is also gonna give the design some extra support. You put it on the back of the surface you’re embroidering, fit it into your hoop, and start.”

“So hoop keeps it taut, and stabilizers keep it from becoming damaged and offer support. Right?”

“Exactly!” Marinette smiled. She crouched down on the bottom shelf and plucked up a can of adhesive spray. “This is just to adhere it to the fabric when you’re ready to embroider.”

“So what does cutaway mean?” Adrien asked. “Or I guess what’s the difference between that and the others? There was a tear away up there somewhere.”

“Just depends on the fabric you’re using,” she told him. “So tear aways are better for tightly woven fabrics like cotton. When you’re done with your design, you just tear away the stabilizer from the back and you’re left with your design. Easy. Cutaways are better for fabrics that stretch more, like the one I just bought. So instead of tearing away the whole thing, you cut off the excess and leave the stabilizer on the back of the design. Offers more stability.”

Adrien scratched the back of his head. “I think that makes sense. Are there any others?”

“There are wash aways. You use that for really delicate fabrics, and they dissolve in water. Heat aways exist too, but I’ve never used them.”

Adrien whistled. “That’s so much to keep track of. Now I get what you mean about all this being complicated….”

“It’s a lot of trial and error,” Marinette said. “And looking up on the Internet which things to use for what. Good thing is that sometimes you can find handy charts online that tell you what materials to use for which fabrics. As you get more used to it, you just sort of know.”

He watched her as she looked through the different types of embroidery thread and picked out a couple of golden ones. “I get what you mean. I was pretty much using Google and YouTube videos when I was still figuring out some of the weirder settings on my camera.”

Marinette giggled. “Yeah, tell me about it. You should see all of my browser bookmarks. Pretty sure it’s all references for designing, and I have dozens of them.” She bit on her lip and turned to the shelves behind them. “Do you see any carbon paper?”

“What’s that for?”

“Transfer outlines of the designs to the fabric. So that I know where to sew and can keep my stitches straight.”

Adrien pointed at one of the shelves to Marinette’s left. “Is it that weird black looking paper?”

Marinette nodded and took the first pack she saw. “Yup, that’s the one. Oh, and they’re so cheap! Perfect! I think I might actually be under budget.”

“With all of this stuff!?”

Marinette snorted. “Oh please, this is nothing. You should see the days where I come and pick up bolts of fabric and have to refill my sewing kits.”

“And I was over here complaining about buying photo paper the other day….”

She picked up her backpack from the floor and nudged him in the side. “Does buying photo paper not get complicated?”

“Printing photos does not involve stabilizers, carbon paper, and adhesive spray. Just a printer.”

“Oh come on, even I know you’re simplifying that. Aren’t there different types of photography paper you can use?”

“I mean, yeah, you can get paper to give you a glossy, matte, luster, or metallic finish, but that’s easy stuff.”

“ Easy stuff. ”

“You just stick the paper in the printer! At least I don’t have to set my photos on fire to get them to come out. Wait that’s what heat away stabilizers are, right?”

“Oh my God, no , that’s not what they are. You just iron them.”

“Heat implies fire.”

“No it doesn’t?”

“Well I didn’t know that! This stuff isn’t intuitive. You’re wicked smart so this all just comes naturally to you.”

“You’re impressed because my knowing not to set my clothes on fire comes naturally to me?”

“You know what I mean….”

They checked out all of Marinette’s purchases at the counter and started walking back to her house, delving into rather long and useless conversation about how stylish fireproof clothing could totally hit the markets with a splash and that Marinette could pioneer the movement — “Think about it,” Adrien joked. “No one will ever see it coming!” — which didn’t accomplish anything other than make Marinette forget to turn down the right block to their street and make her gut hurt from laughing so hard. For some reason, she really underestimated how distracting Adrien’s silliness could be. Though to be fair, it wasn’t as if she was a stranger to it — after starting to hang out with him more regularly over the past year, it was hard not to notice that Adrien got into pun competitions with himself when he was bored.

It wasn’t until she was dramatically retelling the story of the time she left her iron on the ironing board and caused a teeny tiny fire in her room that she realized they’d been walking and looping around random blocks for the past twenty minutes. Adrien was wiping tears from his eyes as Marinette looked around and noticed that her house was well behind them, but Marinette didn’t feel like pointing the fact out. If Adrien had already noticed, then it didn’t seem like he was in any rush to get her home. Marinette certainly didn’t mind spending the extra time with him, especially since he made it sound like he could afford to stay out longer.

She was trying not to think about the smug look Alya would give her once she told her all of this when Adrien asked out of the blue, “Can I ask you one more designing question? I just had a random thought….”

“If you bring up your fireworks rant one more time….”

“No, no, not that,” he assured. “Although, that was a pretty creative idea if I do say so myself.”

She smirked up at him as they walked. “Your question?”

“Right, so….I’ve walked through father’s company before. And one time I was taking a peek at where all the sample makers work, and I saw them embroidering with a sewing machine. So can’t you just embroider that way?”

“If they’re sample makers at Gabriel they probably have fancy machines that are specifically made for doing really complex embroideries. It’d be nice to have one of those, but I don’t have the money for it right now. I’m hoping to save up for it little by little as a graduation present to myself. Besides, it’s harder than it looks. You have to have a really steady hand.”

Adrien winced. “How much?”

“A few hundred euros,” Marinette sighed. “Can’t get one any time soon. But hey! Maybe I can get a summer job and save up paychecks to buy one for myself. It’s not like I need it or anything, but it’s a cool thing to aspire to.”

“Wow, you’re saving up for it yourself?” Adrien asked. “No help from parents?”

“Nah, I can’t expect them to drop money for something like that for me. They’re supportive of my designing and everything — they love seeing what I’m working on, Maman lets me use her old sewing machine, and Papa got me those dress forms on sale at a thrift store. But a fancy embroidery machine is different. If I decide to take my hobby seriously, I should bear the burden of funding it. But it’s alright! I’ll get there eventually.”

Adrien hummed and looked down at the bags pinching around his wrists. “You said you wanted to be a designer when you grow up. Are you going to….go to school for that and stuff?”

“That’s the plan,” she nodded. “Get a job, work in a company, maybe open my own line. It’s all a little unclear right now, but my parents always say it’s a matter of just doing what makes sense to me and feels right. I’ve got plenty of time to think about a career.”

“I sort of forget you can go to school for that stuff.”

Marinette frowned. “Didn’t your father start out as a designer?”

“Yeah, but he went to school for business,” Adrien explained. “The designing was just a hobby for him. He happened to be really good at it and combined the business and designing to make Gabriel. He takes pride in what he does as a designer, but he always says he’s a businessman first and a visionary second. He doesn’t just know what looks good. He knows how to make what looks good sell , and he knows how to create success. Hobbies don’t mean much to him unless you can benefit from it.” He laughed at himself, but it sounded strained against Marinette’s ears. “I didn’t even know that designing was a thing you could go to school for until a couple of years ago.”

Marinette bit her lip and tilted her head so she could peek underneath Adrien’s bowed head to see his face. “Photography is something you could go to school for. There are a lot of good art schools in Paris. Or you could even travel somewhere else. Maybe go to America. Whatever you wanted, really.”

Adrien snorted. “It really isn’t a matter of what I want.”

She wrinkled her forehead. “Your future should always be a matter of what you want. That’s why it’s yours.”

“I mean, that does make sense,” he said. “But I guess it’s just never felt that way.”

It was too bitter a statement to come from Adrien’s mouth, and the tone was discordant enough to make Marinette curl a hand into the crook of his elbow and stop their walking. “Is there something on your mind?”

He shook his head adamantly. “No! No, no, I’m sorry. I got a little off topic. It’s honestly nothing.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing.”

Adrien knocked the shopping bag against his shins and hesitated for a long moment before he answered. “I dunno, I guess….I guess I’ve been thinking about something Nino told me today.”

A young woman roughly clipped shoulders with Marinette and she realized with a jolt that they probably needed a different place to talk instead of the middle of the sidewalk. There was a small plaza with tables, chairs, and benches in front of a cafe that Marinette liked to sketch at on the weekends. She tugged on Adrien’s elbow until she followed him up the block and pulled out seats for them both. He looked a little reluctant to sit, almost anticipating the fact that Marinette would surely question him, so she tried to smile as reassuringly as she could to comfort him. It was very easy for Adrien to draw into himself when his father came up, and it didn’t feel right to just let the sentiment hang.

Adrien sat in the chair, nervously bobbing one of his legs while Marinette visibly struggled to find the point she wanted to make. “What do you want to do when you get older?”

Adrien blinked, not expecting the question. “Sorry?”

“I want to design when I get older,” Marinette explained. “So, what do you want to do? When you graduate and when you become an adult. What do you see yourself doing?”

He shrugged helplessly. “I never thought that far ahead,” he admitted. “I guess modelling? Or maybe helping father run the company.”

“That sounds a lot like what your father wants you to be doing.”

“Well,” he began. “Father always did want me to go into business like him. I always assumed that meant he wanted me to pick up his torch.”

“Forget what he thinks for a minute,” she instructed. “Forget what you’re supposed to be doing or what would make your father happiest. Is that what you want to do?”

His answer was almost immediate. “Not really. It’s always sounded rather dull the way he explained it to me.”

“So in a perfect world, what you want to keep doing?” she asked him. “The world’s open to you. You can do what makes you happy. You can do what excites you. You can do what you think will help you grow and learn as a person. What’s that thing?”

He smiled softly and stared at her through his bangs, as if he was already anticipating the answer she was trying to get him to give her. “I….I want to keep taking pictures.”

Marinette smiled brightly. “What else?”

He drummed his hands against his lap and stared off into space. “I dunno. I guess I just want more. I want to meet more photographers. I want to learn more about photography. I want to take more pictures. I want to do more with photography. I want….I want to make art . Nothing makes me happier than when I show people the things I can do and it affects the way they feel. It touches them, makes them pause, makes them walk away with something they didn’t have before. I can do that! And I want to keep doing that.”

“They call people like that artists, you know,” Marinette joked. “And you’re definitely an artist. You make magic with your hands. You create things that other people can’t immediately replicate. That’s art.”

“It seems so….intangible almost. Maybe that’s the wrong word,” he wondered. “I mean, I know there are artists in the world, but it never seemed like the sort of thing you could just do for the rest of your life.”

Marinette sighed. “I mean, your future’s a little more unclear. It’s not like being a doctor or a lawyer or a businessman. All those things lead you down a sure path. I don’t know what’ll happen to me or you five, ten years into the future. Being a creative person is messy, so it makes sense that your future will be a little messy too. But….I think it’s worth it! I want to give it a try and see where it can take me. What’s the fun in doing something if you know exactly where it’s going to lead you?”

Adrien winced. “I don’t know if my father would like that. He plans meticulously. Even my life, he planned. Everything I do has a purpose. Basketball and fencing to keep me fit. Chinese to keep me well-rounded. Tutoring to keep me ahead. Piano lessons to keep me cultured. He’s got all these building blocks and he knows exactly where they’re all supposed to go.”

“That’s great for him,” Marinette said, brushing off the comment. “And I’m sure it works for him. But what works for him doesn’t always work for you. You’re not supposed to be forcing yourself into a mold he makes for you. You’re your own person. He can’t dictate that for you forever.”

“Nino said the same thing.” He leaned his head against his knuckle, pressing a thumb into his temple. “And, don’t get me wrong, it makes sense. I agree. And I want to tell him, if only so that he could at least get excited about it and not call it a waste of time. But I don’t know how well that’ll go over with him. I don’t think he’d take it well.”

“Well, what does he have to say about it?”

Adrien nibbled on his bottom lip and traced the scratches on the metal tables. “I, uh….I don’t think he knows. About the photography.”

Her eyes widened. “You haven’t told him?”

“I don’t know how,” he replied helplessly. “He does what he does because he thinks it’s what’s best for me, and he’s really hesitant about me wasting my time with other things because he thinks it’s distracting. I just know that showing him a photo, showing him a new camera, or God forbid mentioning going to school for photography won’t just fall flat. It’ll go horribly. And….” He swallowed. “I don’t know how to deal with him being disappointed in me. I’ll always avoid it if I can.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“I’ve got a pretty good inkling.”

“Inklings are just that,” Marinette explained. “The only way you’ll know for sure is if you just say something.”

“It’s not that easy, Marinette….”

“Maybe, but how will you possibly know he’ll be disappointed in you if you don’t even give it a shot?”

The sentiment didn’t seem to cheer him up. His gaze was everywhere but on her, and she suddenly felt like she may have said something wrong. She didn’t know what it was like to have a parent who was unsupportive, or a parent who was absent in more ways than one. Adrien never really liked touching upon his family life much, and Marinette was harshly reminded why. It was jarring to think that Adrien could show so much reluctance in sharing part of himself with his own father. That kind of disconnect with her family wasn’t something she ever had to worry about. It made sense that just saying what was on her mind was something that she would do. But Adrien was clearly a different story.

It was frustrating because she wanted to help but wasn’t quite sure what he needed. It was times like these when Marinette realized how much her own nerves over her crush on him prevented her from learning more intimate things about him. They were supposed to be good friends. Surely she could think of something encouraging to tell him.

She felt horribly out of her element, but she didn’t want to let him stew in silence for too long. “If….” she muttered. “In a perfect world….what would need to happen? What would make you feel safe and supported?”

Adrien lifted his shoulders weakly. “What do you mean?”

Marinette huffed. She wasn’t saying this properly. “I mean….what has to happen to make you comfortable telling him? What would you need?”

He finally made eye contact with her, and she could see how the question made a small spark of vulnerability flash in his eyes, so quick she almost missed it. “I guess,” he said slowly. “Having someone in my corner. Father likes to think he’s right, or that he knows what’s best more than anyone else. More than me. It’s hard to get a word in edgewise to begin with. But for some reason where my future’s concerned, he’s especially adamant. It’d take more than just me to convince him.”

“Adamant about your future?”

Adrien looked up, desperately searching for the words. “He….he’s lost a lot.” The statement hung, and Marinette didn’t need him to elaborate to know exactly what he meant. “He’ll go through hell to make sure I’m safe and secured. Half of that is setting out a very specific path for me. I think me deviating from that….scares him? I don’t know.”

“You know,” she began quietly. “Your friends will go through hell to make sure you’re safe, too. We’ll also go through hell to make sure you’re happy.”

His smile slowly warmed his face, as if an entire slew of fond memories suddenly passed over him. “Yeah. I know.”

She gently knocked her knee against his. “I mean it. I can’t pretend to know what it’s like to deal with your father. I know that can be frustrating. But Alya, Nino, and I are always going to be here if you need help. And just speaking for myself, if you need someone in your corner to help get through to him, I’m just a phone call away.”

Marinette felt her heart whither when she saw him look genuinely surprised at what she’d said, as if that kind of sincerity still wasn’t something that he was used to. But it was quickly eclipsed when Adrien dropped all the bags to the floor, pushed his chair forward, and pulled Marinette into a fierce hug, letting his chin nestle comfortably against her shoulder. Her entire face was glowing, and she struggled with what to do with her hands for a long moment before she let them rest on his shoulders. “You’re a really great friend, Marinette. Thank you.”

Her nerves kicked in the moment her heart started racing. “I-It’s no big deal. Honest.”

Adrien leaned away from her and kept his hands on her shoulders. “It’s a big deal to me. I just wanted you to know that. I feel really lucky that you don’t mind spending all this time with me and helping me figure out what I want to do. No one’s ever really done this much for me before. I guess I’m just really grateful to you is all.”

She beamed at him so hard she could feel the ache in her cheeks. “I’m glad I could help.”

Their detour had to be cut short once Adrien looked at his phone and realized that he probably should start heading home before Nathalie or his father began to worry. Despite her assurances that the bags really weren’t a hassle, he insisted that he help her carry all of her supplies back to her house before he left. His phone was buzzing in his pocket periodically with phone calls and text messages, but he ignored it in favor of chatting with Marinette and giving her his full attention until they stopped in front of the bakery.

He passed off her things and helped her loop the straps around her wrists. “Got everything?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she assured. “Please answer your phone! They sound worried.”

“I will right now, I promise.” He stuffed both of his hands in his pocket. “S-So, uh….any plans coming up?”

“Not strict ones. Why?”

Adrien bunched his shoulders up by his ears. “Just, uh….you know if you wanted company this summer while you’re designing. Or if you wanted to come with me to some shoots, you can just. I dunno. Text me, or something. It’d be cool to hang out more.”

“Y-Yeah,” she replied. “A-Absolutely! Um….I’ll have a better idea of when I’m free once school finishes, so, yeah! I’ll, uh. I’ll text you. Or you text me! Whatever you want.”

He let his head dip when he chuckled, his bangs falling into his eyes. “Cool, cool. Well, I. I guess I’ll head home. It was fun shopping with you.”

“Thanks for helping me,” Marinette said. “It’s always nice to have company.”

Adrien didn’t immediately move from his spot, still keeping his hands in his pockets and his shoulders pulled up high. It seemed like something was still on his mind, and she was about to ask him what was wrong before he suddenly moved in close, laid a hand on her shoulder, and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

Marinette felt her entire body jump when his lips touched, and she was sure she let out a strange high-pitched noise to boot. It was such a short kiss, but when Adrien jerked back she could see his ears turning red. “A-Anyway,” he stuttered. “See you in class!”

He jogged down the block back to his house, leaving Marinette to stand in front of her house while her entire face grew hot. It felt like her entire brain had shut off and it took her a few seconds to come back to herself and force out a quick “Bye!” before he ran too far away. She waited until he was completely out of sight before she covered her face with both hands and let out a quiet scream.

Alya was never going to let her hear the end of this.

#miraculous ladybug #adrienette #adrinette #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #adrinette fanfiction #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #my writing #think alike

125 notes · View notes