#he said he picked the one with best sunflower cause they’re my favorite

[tohightotry]

Fiancé got me flowers🥰

#he said he picked the one with best sunflower cause they’re my favorite #he’s such a sweetheart #I love him so much #mine #personal

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Dragons Can Be Nice

Prompts: Hello, first off I adore your writing, your stories are among my favorites for this fandom. I have a prompt (but you can feel free to ignore). Can you write some hurt/comfort for character!Thomas? Maybe with him getting stuck/hurt in the Imagination? - anon

Okay I’m not sure about the context but I saw an ask you answered about “what are the dragons names” or something, and I got a flashbulb image of the sides finding a bunch of baby dragons. Just a lot of fluff and baby dragons. Big happy dlampr (platonic/romantic/weird grey area) with a bunch of baby dragons. Janus bleping at the baby dragons. If in canonverse, the imagination is overrun with baby dragons and c!t has some dreams featuring baby dragons. Just. Baby dragons. - anon

*pokes head out* did someone say dragon fluff?

Read on Ao3

Warnings: mild supernatural horror, like really really mild

Pairings: this is platonic all the way down, babes

Word Count: 4481

In a lot of stories, dragons are mean. They kidnap princesses, they hoard gold, they kill knights, they destroy towns. They are evil and scary and not at all what you'd like to run into on a dark night, on your own, far away from help. Witches are very much the same. Dragon witches, then, must be the worst.

But maybe there can be nice dragons, too.

When Thomas was little, he used to spend much more time in the Imagination. Which was good! He likes seeing the things that Roman makes, Roman is really good at his job. His favorite is the big forest because the trees are so tall they look like they go on forever. Logan says they don’t and Logan is really smart but sometimes it looks that way. Roman likes leading Thomas around the forest on their adventures because then they’ll always run into the others too!

Virgil likes sitting near the caves because it’s quieter there and he can play with the rocks. Sometimes he’ll find Virgil near the river. The river wears the rocks nice and smooth and they look so shiny when they come out of the water. Sometimes if it’s really hot he can get Virgil to throw him in the water. Apparently, kids are supposed to like being thrown at things? Logan had some explanation for it but Thomas doesn’t remember.

Janus also likes being in the caves. Janus is…scary sometimes. Thomas has to think really hard when he’s around Janus. And not like how Logan is really smart and makes Thomas smarter by talking and teaching him, but Janus is…tricky. He likes Janus, but sometimes Janus makes his head hurt. He has this smile that he does that makes Thomas feel really small. Patton says Janus cares about him and he wants to believe Patton but sometimes it feels weird. He did tell Janus that one time when he accidentally got lost and started crying when he didn’t know where to go. Janus found him and smiled that smile and it made him cry more so he stopped. He was really nice when Thomas explained that he was lost and scared and cuddled him until Roman came to find him. Janus is a lot nicer after that.

Logan doesn’t always come on their adventures. Roman says that’s ‘cause Logan is boring but that’s not true! (Thomas is pretty sure Roman doesn’t actually think that Logan is boring, he just likes to say it because it makes Logan tease him back.) Logan is really cool, he knows so many things and he’s really good at what he does. When he comes on their adventures, he likes to be the royal advisor. He says that’s the person that tells the prince what to do. Or sometimes he likes to come along to observe the plants. He does experiments in his room that he doesn’t let Thomas see all the time because it’s dangerous. But he does let Thomas help! That’s always nice.

Patton stays home when they adventure most of the time unless they’re going on a picnic. Picnics days are the best days because Roman always makes sure the weather is really nice. Well, except that one time where there was a really far away thunderstorm. Logan said it was because the forest needed a drink which is fair, but the sky had turned purple and it was a bit colder. But then the sunflowers had come out and it was really pretty. But when they’re not on picnics, Patton makes dinner for them so it’s ready when they come back.

Roman has a brother! He does other things in the Imagination, Thomas doesn’t really know what. His name is Remus, and sometimes he comes to play the bad guy when Roman has an adventure. Watching them fight is really cool and it’s Thomas’s job to sneak around while Roman distracts Remus so they can trap him! Remus isn’t really a bad guy, he just likes to mess with his brother sometimes. Thomas gets it. Remus is really good at making sure Thomas is okay, even when he’s being the bad guy. Even when Thomas gets captured he’s really nice. One time he scooped Thomas up when Roman was playing prince with the villagers and carried him away to be ‘kidnapped’ except they just ate ice cream until they got stomach aches. Patton wasn’t very happy that they ruined their dinner appetites but Remus said they just filled up their dessert bellies first so it was fine.

Thomas likes going into the Imagination but he’s always supposed to be with someone. It’s normally Roman, sometimes it’s Logan, sometimes it’s Remus. They’re normally free the most and know the Imagination the best. But sometimes none of them are free and he can’t find anyone else. So he…sneaks in.

It’s fine! He doesn’t go far! He just…sometimes he wants to say hi to the villagers. They’re really nice too and they don’t tell on him when he sneaks in and he’s not supposed to be there. One time he got an entire loaf of bread all to himself and ate it in four big bites.

So he goes in the big red door and just starts walking. He knows where he’s going to get to the pond and he’s not going far. It’s just over the hill. So he walks over the hill. The grass is so green and tall here. He gets to the top of the hill and looks down.

That’s weird. The pond isn’t here.

He shrugs and starts down toward the tall grove of trees. It’s probably just inside the forest and he forgot. The trees are still really tall. So tall he can barely tell which one is the top of which trunk. He pats the trunks as he walks past, saying hello to each tree. When the trees start to grow closer together, he stops patting them, using his hands to push his way around them.

It’s getting darker. Logan says that’s because when the trees grow close together, their leaves form a layer called the canopy, which blocks out a lot of light. Thomas keeps going, frowning as it starts to get colder. Maybe he should’ve brought a jacket.

It’s really dark. Thomas is starting to wish he’d maybe not gone into the forest. Maybe he should’ve just sat on the hill where he could still see the door. But the pond can’t be that much further, he can get there. And then he won’t be scared.

Not that he’s scared!

It’s really cold too. Maybe he should’ve brought a coat. He shivers as he pushes his way around another tree. It’s getting so dark he can’t see very far in front of his face. He almost walks into a tree.

…okay, maybe he should turn around and go back.

He turns around.

And around.

And around.

The trees all look the same.

Which way did he come from?

He…he doesn’t know.

Wait, which way was he going?

Thomas spins in the darkness of the trees, searching for something to tell him where he’s supposed to go.

Something snaps.

He freezes, eyes darting around. He can’t see anything.

The forest is silent. Not even the wind makes a noise. His breathing starts to pick up.

Leaves rustle to his left. His head jerks around, straining to see. There’s nothing but the still trunks, nothing but the quiet shifting sound of twigs.

M-maybe if he just picks somewhere to go, eventually he’ll make it out of the forest. And then he can get someone to help him figure out where to go. It’s gonna be fine. He has a plan, he knows what he’s going to do.

The second he takes a step forward, something cracks loudly in the trees.

Roman said that there were big animals in the forest. Remus said there were monsters in the forest. Logan said there was no such thing as monsters.

But Logan isn’t here.

Thomas turns around and starts walking the other way. He’s not going to go toward the big sound. He’s going to go this way instead because that’s his decision, not anyone else’s. And that’s what he wants to do.

The cracking behind him gets louder.

Roman said there was something that he fights that Thomas isn’t allowed to help him fight. It’s too dangerous. It’s big.

The thing behind him sounds big.

Thomas starts walking faster.

Roman said that it wasn’t something Thomas had to worry about.

Another twig snaps and it sounds closer.

Thomas starts running.

Remus said that it was really big. Bigger than the castle Roman built. Remus said it was really scary. That it had sharp claws and big teeth and—and—

Thomas runs around the trees as the snapping and crackling get closer and closer. His chest hurts from breathing so heavily. But he can’t stop. It’s getting closer.

He wants Roman. He wants Remus. He wants someone.

Please, someone, come help.

Behind him, he hears a snarl.

“The Dragon Witch,” Remus says softly, as they wait for Roman to come rescue Thomas, “she’s nasty. Like…nastier than me nasty.”

“But you’re not nasty, Remus, not really.”

“You’re sweet, you little sewer rat, but I mean it. She’s really not nice.” Remus looks at him and Thomas scoots backward. Remus doesn’t have his pretend bad guy face on, he looks really serious. “If you ever think she might be close to you, run. Okay?”

“O-okay.”

Thomas runs.

He runs faster and harder than he ever has in his life and behind him, he thinks he can hear the slither of scales and the scrape of claws as it chases after him. He thinks he can smell the smoke curling out of its nostrils as it finds him in the forest. He thinks he can feel the hot breath of a drooling mouth on his back.

He runs.

He trips.

He falls.

No, no! No, no, no, he has to run, he has to go—he has to get out of here, the—the Dragon Witch is going to get him, he doesn’t want the Dragon Witch to get him, he—oh, why didn’t he just stay out of the Imagination?

And why did they have to watch Sleeping Beauty for movie night?

The memory of Maleficent as the giant dragon on the cliff, breathing fire at Prince Phillip as he tried to fight it off fills his head and Thomas whimpers, curling into a tight ball and pressing himself against a boulder. If he’s really quiet, maybe—maybe it won’t find him.

Fear grips his chest and he curls tighter, maybe that will keep it inside. The rock starts to hurt where it presses against his skin. It’s cold.

He thinks he can hear the Dragon Witch getting closer.

Don’t find me, don’t find me, please don’t find me.

“Thomas? Thomas, where are you?”

Thomas’s breath catches in his throat. Is that—is that Roman?

“Thomas?” It is Roman! “Thomas, it’s dark out, I need you to help me find you, where are you?”

“R-Roman?”

“Thomas!”

In a blur of red and white, Thomas sees Roman rushing out of the trees, looking frantically around for him. He stands shakily, crying out as he leans against the boulder.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Roman pants, smiling as he hurries over to him, “you’re alright, good, come here—“

“I’m—I’m sorry, Roman, I—“

“Shh, shh, shh, it’s okay, sweetheart, you’re okay, that’s what’s important,” Roman coos as he scoops Thomas into his arms, “come on, let’s get you back home.”

And now that Roman is here and he’s carrying Thomas there’s no way the Dragon Witch could be here. Because Roman is here and Roman will keep him safe. The fear in his chest suddenly makes him really cold. He buries his face in the crook of Roman’s neck and holds on tight, stammering out another apology as he starts to cry.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he hushes, “you’re safe now, I’ve got you. Come on, we’re almost there, the others are worried.”

He feels bad, he didn’t want to make everyone worried.

“None of that,” comes the gentle chide, “we’re always going to worry about you, you’re our Thomas. Let’s get you back safe and we’ll get you something to eat, hmm?”

“O-okay.”

He hooks his chin over Roman’s shoulder and holds on, letting the soft swaying of Roman’s walk soothe some of his fear away. Sooner than he expected, he feels the air change from the chill of the Imagination to the warmth of the apartment.

“Thank goodness, you found him.”

“Is he alright? Is he hurt?”

“Guys, be quiet, he’s tired.”

Thomas cracks an eye open and accidentally makes eye contact with Janus. He flinches away and cuddles closer to Roman.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Roman soothes, “you’re safe now.”

“He’s hurt,” Logan says softly, somewhere out of sight, “Remus, can you go get the first aid kit?”

“On it.”

“Patton, I don’t believe Thomas has eaten recently, you and Virgil—“

“We’re going.”

“We’ve got some pasta left.”

“Thomas?” Logan lays a warm hand on his back. “Can you hear me?”

Thomas nods, his cheek rubbing against the trim on Roman’s shoulder.

“Roman has to go close the door to the Imagination and I’m going to take a look at your ankle. He’s going to have to put you down, alright?”

“Janus,” Roman murmurs, “here—“

“I’ll take him.”

Thomas isn’t proud of the way he clings onto Roman tightly when he tries to set him down.

“It’s alright, sweetheart, it’s just Janus.”

He bites his lip as Roman eases him into Janus’s arms, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Don’t,” comes the quiet voice, as a gloved hand pats his cheek, “you’ll hurt yourself, sweetie.”

Thomas opens his eyes and Janus lifts his chin, smiling softly when he sees Thomas’s eyes are wet with tears.

“Hello, sweetie,” he murmurs, cupping his cheek and pulling him closer on his lap, “just sit with me for a moment, hmm? Logan’s going to have a look at you and then we’ll get you something to eat.”

“A-are you mad?”

Janus tilts his head. “Should we be mad?”

“I’m—I’m sorry—“

“I didn’t ask that,” he corrects softly, his hand still gentle on Thomas’s face, “I asked if we should be mad.”

Thomas gulps. “I…I went into the Imagination when I wasn’t supposed to. I did something you told me not to do.”

“You did.”

“I…I messed up.”

“You did,” he repeats, softer this time, “and then what happened?”

“I—I got lost and it was dark and it got really cold and I thought something was chasing me so I—I ran away and then I fell and it—it hurt and I—I—I’m sorry—“

“You’re scaring him, Janus,” Logan interrupts, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

“Hush, sweetie,” Janus murmurs, pressing a kiss to Thomas’s forehead and pulling him close for a cuddle, “let Logan look at your ankle.”

Logan’s warm hands are practiced as they check his leg. It hurts a little but he can still move it fine. He can’t stop looking warily at Janus, though.

“He’s not going to calm down until you tell him we aren’t mad,” Logan says patiently, wrapping an ice pack around his ankle.

“W-what?”

Janus kisses his forehead again. “No, sweetie, we’re not mad,” he says softly, “it’s true, you shouldn’t have gone in there alone, but you know that and nothing extremely bad happened.”

Thomas gulps.

Janus frowns, pulling back a little. “Thomas? Did something happen?”

“Janus, don’t scare him.”

Janus closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’m not mad, Thomas. But you should tell us what happened.”

“There,” Logan says, patting Thomas’s knee, “all better. I’m going to go put the first aid kit away, I’ll be back.”

He passes Roman on the way out. Roman smiles and comes over to crouch down next to the couch, ruffling Thomas’s hair.

“Better?”

“Mhm.”

“Then why do you still look like someone told you Disney is never making another movie?”

Thomas shifts in Janus’s arms. “I…I thought the Dragon Witch was chasing me.”

Roman inhales sharply. “The Dragon Witch?”

Thomas nods, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes again, only for Janus to pull him into a proper hug, tucking his face into the softest part of his shoulder and rubbing his back firmly.

“Shh, shh, sweetie,” he whispers, “you’re safe, it’s alright, I’m sorry, that must’ve been so scary.”

Thomas clings onto Janus and cries. Roman’s hand lands in his hair after a moment, stroking gently through the strands and scratching lightly at his scalp.

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” he hears, “you’re safe, you’re safe, you’re alright, we’ve got you now.”

“Was--was the Dragon With re—really after me?”

“No, sweetheart, you know I’d never let that happen to you. She’s far away, far, far away, near where Remus’s side of the Imagination is. There’s no way she would be able to get to you, sweetheart, never in a million years. We’ll keep you safe, you know we will.”

“P-promise?”

“I promise.”

Thomas holds tightly to Janus’s cloak as he turns back around to look at Roman. Roman smiles and ruffles his hair again.

“You still look afraid, sweetie,” Janus says quietly, “is there something else?”

“I jus’—the—dragons are scary,” Thomas mumbles, twisting the hem of his shirt in his hands. “I don’t…don’t wanna have nightmares.”

Roman makes a soft noise of understanding. “Dragons don’t all have to be scary,” he says softly, “there can be plenty of nice dragons too.”

“Really?”

“Sure.” He turns to see Logan coming back in. “Logan, there can be nice dragons too, right?”

Logan blinks. “Yes, theoretically, there can be both nice dragons and dragons that aren’t nice. Why do you ask?”

His gaze lands on Thomas and his face softens. Logan’s really smart.

“Ah, I see.” He comes back to sit on the couch. “Most dragon young are quite nice.”

“They are?”

“In most versions of dragon mythology,” Logan says softly, “dragons are born from eggs like most reptiles are. The mother lays her eggs in her nest, often in a cave or somewhere else dark and safe, and guards them until they hatch.”

He cups his hands together in front of him.

“Most of the pups are about this big when they’re first born and their scales still haven’t hardened yet. The scales harden after about a week, once the dragons’ body has finished solidifying.”

“Solid—what?”

“Solidifying. An egg is only so big, little one, fitting an entire dragon pup inside one is no small feat. Do you remember trying to stuff all the LEGOs back into the bag they came out of?”

“And missing like…four,” Roman huffs, “yes, Logan, we remember.”

“If the LEGOs could bend—which they can’t, so don’t ask,” Logan says, narrowing his eyes at Roman, “it would be easier. Dragon scales don’t harden fully until they’re out of the egg and they never need to go back in.”

“So…they’re…soft?”

“Smooth, perhaps, I don’t know about soft.” Logan shifts to ease a cramp in his leg. “Dragon pups are also very curious, according to most of the literature surrounding them, they love exploring. From most of the stories, they are very friendly as well.”

“See?” Roman pats his shoulder. “Nice dragons.”

“Nice dragons,” Thomas repeats, his eyes starting to droop.

“Don’t fall asleep just yet, sweetie, let’s get you something to eat.”

Thomas sits at the table with everyone else, eats his food, and lets Remus scoop him up and carry him to bed once it’s clear he won’t stay awake through dessert.

“There we go,” Remus says softly, getting him tucked into bed, “all better now. Your ankle okay?”

“Mhm.” Thomas blinks sleepily up at him. “Tired.”

“Well, yeah, I bet.” Remus pats his head. “You go to sleep now, okay?”

“R-Remus?”

“What’s up, little sewer rat?”

“C-Can you stay? Just for a bit?”

Remus softens, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Still scared, huh? Hey,” he murmurs when Thomas nods, his cheeks burning, “you’re okay, it’s okay. I’ll stay. Nothing’ll get you while I’m here.”

“Promise?”

“I’m the only bad guy allowed to play with you,” Remus says firmly, “you go to sleep. I’ll keep you safe.”

Thomas closes his eyes as he feels Remus shift on the end of the bed. The weight is a comfort. And Remus is right, nothing can get him while Remus is here.

Logan’s words drift back to him as he starts to fall asleep. Little baby dragons. Curious baby dragons. Nice baby dragons.

Maybe he can dream of those.

————————————

There is a pond in the Imagination that is halfway between the border to Remus’s side and the castle on Roman’s side. The water is crystal clear and several lily pads float in the center of the water. Trees let their flower petals drift down to land in the water, sending little ripples bouncing back and forth.

In the middle of the pond one morning is a giant nest.

Roman finds it, walking through the Imagination on his way to meet with Remus. He pauses, tilts his head, and begins to call it toward him. Perhaps one of the birds accidentally forgot to secure their nest properly and it blew into the pond. As it drifts closer to him, he frowns.

This is much bigger than most bird nests, even John Feathers’s nest over on the mountains. He keeps pulling it closer until it bumps up against the shore. He crouches down and peers inside.

His eyes widen.

The inside of the nest is lined with moss, the soft green color coming through the shiny insides of egg shards strewn about the branches. They catch the light and shine brightly, almost blinding him, at least until they’re trodden upon and break up even more.

And crawling about, sniffing eagerly at the branches, the moss, the air, and his fingers, are tiny dragon pups.

One of them, a brave little one with red ridges across its brow and a golden sheen to its scales, scurries up the side of the nest and noses at his hand. He turns it over, mystified, as it begins to sniff his palm. It sets one clawed foot inside, then another, then another, until it stands perfectly in his hand. It raises its little head and chirps at him. Roman blinks and slowly lifts his hand, watching as the dragon pup chirps again, happily this time, as it spreads its wings and stretches.

“Ro-Bro! You’re late, what’re you—“ Remus’s delighted gasp comes from his left— “you found babies!”

Indeed, another one of the pups with a black streak down its wings scrambles out of the nest and scurries over the rocks to Remus, clawing its way up his pants to nibble excitedly at the white streak in his hair. Remus laughs, catching the pesky little pup around the middle and setting it on top of his head.

“I love them!”

“I can see that,” Roman chuckles, the dragon pup in his hand making the jump to his shoulder, “I think it likes you too.”

“Where did they come from?”

“I think Thomas is dreaming.” As if in confirmation, the dragon pup lets out a rumble and nuzzles his shoulder. “Yeah? Are you dreams, little ones?”

Another purr and a series of excited chirps from the nest.

“Well, we’ve gotta get the others!” And before Roman can say anything, Remus has summoned the other Sides into the Imagination. “Look!”

Patton squeals and rushes for the nest, despite Logan’s quick protest of not scaring the babies.

“They’re dreams, Logan,” Roman says quickly, “they’re harmless.”

“I see.”

Patton, of course, already has two in his lap and is cooing over them as they chirp and sing and twine together in his lap. Logan rolls his eyes fondly and squats down next to the nest. One of the dragon pups immediately scurries up and stands on its hind legs, leaning up to sniff at his nose.

“Hello,” Logan murmurs, “you’re very interesting.”

The dragon clicks back, seemingly as interested in Logan as Logan is in it. It flaps its wings a few times, hovering in the air, before landing carefully on Logan’s knee. It scratches lightly at the fabric of his jeans.

“Here…” Logan sits down as Roman bites back a smile. “There, is that better?”

The dragon chirps, waddling forward to take his tie in its mouth and tug lightly.

“That’s my tie, little one.”

Virgil hides a snort at watching Logan and the dragon pup examine each other, before his attention is caught by a tiny squeak from under the nest. He frowns, leaning down, expression softening when he sees a dragon pup hiding out of sight.

“Hey, there, bud,” he says softly, “you okay down there?”

The dragon pup flinches a little, cowering against the nest.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” He slowly offers a hand. “Why don’t you come out of there? That’s can’t be comfortable.”

The little pup sniffs at his hand.

“See? I’m not gonna hurt you. You can come out, it’s okay.” Virgil takes a seat on the ground and plucks a berry from a nearby bush. “You hungry?”

“Dragons are carnivores, Virgil.”

“Well, maybe these ones can also eat berries.”

“Maybe.”

Indeed, as the little dragon pup starts to crawl warily forward, taking the berry in its mouth, it seems to like it. Virgil smiles as the dragon crawls into his lap and curls protectively around the berry.

“See?”

“Alright, perhaps they do like berries.”

“You should write that down in your—“ Virgil cuts himself off before swatting Roman’s shoulder— “look at J.”

“What?”

“Shh, look at J!”

Roman turns, as does Logan.

Janus is sprawled out on one of the big flat rocks near the pond with at least three of the pups on his stomach. One of them has the cloak flopped over it like a blanket, kneading it with its talons. One of them is completely splayed out, wings wide, rolling back and forth on the soft ruffles.

And one of them is staring at Janus with its tongue hanging out.

Janus’s tongue is poking out too.

“Aww! Janus is blepping!”

“I am not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“Am not!”

See? There are nice dragons after all.

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#dragonbabbles #fic #sanders sides #roman sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #janus sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #sympathetic remus

[imagines-r-s]

a little reminder

requested: yes by @lokiqueenofasgard​

taglist: @drewsephsmiles​

[Can someone write me a JJ x read where he’s just gassing up everything she does and he’s like “yo, you need a hype man? Cause I’ll be your hype man.” And it’s just really fluffy and cute? Cause I need that rn.]

i hope you like it, i kinda switched it up just a little

a/n: in case no one has told you today, you are beautiful and you are loved. hope you all enjoy

warnings: talk of insecurity, i think that’s it?

There were moments in the day where you felt absolutely gorgeous and on top of the world not in a cocky sort of way-but just in general. Then, there were other days where you felt at the bottom of it all, the negative thoughts running through your head bringing you down. Sometimes it was after someone made a comment about you and other times it came without warning. 

You had a bad habit of comparing yourself to your friends. Kiara and Sarah, who both were as beautiful as they came, perfect hair, perfect skin, and perfect body. You were sure they had their own insecurities, as everyone did, but they never made it seem like it. 

As you were getting ready for the plans you had with the pogues, you couldn’t help but look at yourself in the mirror, focusing on the way the bikini looked on your body. Noticing all the small imperfections, more seemed to pop up the more you looked at yourself. Everything was so noticeable and it hurt to look at yourself, but you couldn’t peel your eyes away from the mirror. 

Being too focused on the mirror, you hadn’t even realized that JJ Maybank, your best friend, had come through your front door and was on his way towards your room. You and JJ had known each other all your lives, having lived right next to each other your whole life, it was normal for him to just waltz into your house, especially considering how Luke was. 

“Look at you, babes, looking as beautiful as ever,” JJ’s voice echoed through your room breaking you from your thoughts, “I feel like you only ever wear that bikini because it’s my favorite color.”

You tried to ignore the blush that spread across your face at his statement, “yes, of course. I make all of my decisions based on what you’ll think.” You said, your arms unintentionally wrapping around your torso to hide whatever you could. “Why do you always do that?” 

“Do what?”

“Like, wrap your arms around your body and like-like try to hide it, I don’t know.”

“Oh, uh,” you stared down at the ground, letting out an uneasy laugh, “I don’t know, just habit, I guess.” JJ stayed silent for a while as you went to your dresser and pulled out your denim shorts and oversized shirt to put on over your bikini. 

“Are we going to start walking to the chateau or are you going to sit there all day, Maybank?” you looked at him waiting for his answer. “Oh shit, sorry I was thinking.”

“What about?”

“Do you think you’re beautiful? Like genuinely, if someone asked your opinion on yourself, would you force out what response they want to hear, or are you going to be honest?”

“I mean, in all honesty, I think I am, but only every once in a while. And, I’d probably bullshit an answer, you know.”

“Why don’t you think you’re beautiful? You’re literally so beautiful, you do realize that right?” JJ furrowed his brow, waiting for your answer. “I mean I guess so, but have you seen other girls? Literally, I-”

“Yes, I’ve seen those other girls, but have you looked in a mirror?” JJ’s heart broke when he heard you comparing yourself to other girls and denying what he was saying, “Here’s what I’ll do, you need a hype man, and I’m here. I’m going to tell you your beautiful as many times as you need me to until you believe it.” 

Before you could respond, you were already close to the chateau, “well, look who finally decided to show up,” John B said from the patio. “Someone just took forever to get ready, that’s all,” JJ replied without missing a beat, causing you to hit him upside the head. 

Eventually, everyone made it onto the boat and you were on your way. Once the boat had settled, everyone started getting ready to jump off the boat, except for you. It didn’t take long for JJ to notice that you were staying behind, so he simply sat next to you. “Aren’t you going to go in?” you asked the boy beside you. “I’m not going if you aren’t, beautiful.” You simply rolled your eyes in response to your best friend, “you know, you look amazing in that swimsuit, and I really would like to see it again at some point today, y/n/n.” 

You silently debated, you assumed he was just saying that, but you decided why not and got ready to jump into the water, spending the rest of the night with your friends. As the night went on, the sky grew darker, allowing the stars to be seen. Sarah started pointing out the constellations as all of you watched in awe, but while you were looking at the stars you felt a pair of eyes on you. “J, it’s rude to stare, you know.”

“Sorry, you just look stunning.”

“JJ, stop. Omg.”

“Awe, are you flustered, babes?” You simply flicked his forehead causing him to groan. You started to feel your eyes grow tired, tired from the thoughts running through your head, and everything else you did today. JJ took notice of your tiredness, telling you that if you wanted you could lay on his lap. It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep, the noise of your friends’ conversation slowly dimming. 

JJ focused on your face for a moment, confused simply by the fact that you didn’t see yourself in the way that he did. He thought that you were absolutely stunning. You reminded him of sunflowers, the bright color of yellow matching that of your personality, and the beauty of the flower matching that of everything else about you. He knew it was cheesy, he knew if he ever told anyone that they would call him out on how whipped he was for you, but he didn’t care when it came to you. 

“How long have they been together?” Sarah asked John B, curious as she saw how JJ looked at you and protected you throughout the day. “Oh, they’re not together,” John B responded when he saw where she was pointing to. “Wait, seriously,” Sarah was in awe when John B simply nodded, either you two were just extremely oblivious or you were just plain dumb.

When the boat came to a stop at the dock of the chateau, JJ tried to wake you up as gently as he could, leading you towards the dock. “Here, pretty girl. Jump up,” JJ said, pointing towards his back, ready to give her a piggyback ride on the way back to the chateau. Once he got into the chateau, he set you down in the spare bedroom, telling you to come and get him when you had changed. 

Once you had gotten changed into one of JJ’s shirts, you went out to the living room to get him to come back to the room the two of you had shared way too many times. “Goodnight, beautiful,” he said, kissing your forehead, before walking to the other side of the bed to lay down. Maybe JJ’s plan wasn’t that bad.

Throughout the next few days, JJ kept reminding you how beautiful you were, no matter the occasion or how bad you thought you looked at that moment. The bad thoughts in your head didn’t necessarily go away, but you were starting to feel better with yourself and how you looked. 

When you were told that there was a boneyard party this Friday, Sarah made the executive decision that she would go out to the Mainland to go shopping on Thursday, have a sleepover, and then, get ready at her house Friday. You were excited, saying as you hadn’t gone shopping in forever. 

When you got the text that Sarah and Kie were outside to pick you up, you quickly grabbed your bad, yelling goodbye to your mom, and running out the door. “Get in loser we’re going shopping.” 

The three of you got your ferry ticket to head to the Mainland and you were on your way. Sarah and Kie took the time to look through clothing items that would have made you feel awful for wearing. The colorful crop tops would show a lot of stomach, the shorts would show your thighs and stretch marks, the shirts made your arms look weird. “y/n, you have to try this on, it would look amazing on you,” Sarah said as she held a denim dress that buttoned up in the middle, that would look amazing with a simple black shirt under it. 

“Sarah, I don’t know, it’s cute, but just not my style,” you smiled sadly. “But it would look amazing on you, y/n. Plus, I know JJ wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes off of you,” Kie added. You simply shot her a look, “I’ll try it on, but if I don’t like it, I’m buying more oversized shirts and jeans.”

Hesitantly, you asked one of the employees to open a fitting room for you. When you got into the dressing room, you hesitantly stripped out of your jeans and shirt, grabbing the black crop for under the dress, then putting on the denim dress. Looking in the mirror, the dress didn’t look right, it didn’t look bad and you knew it, but everything in your head was telling you that it didn’t look good in any way. 

“y/n, you good in there? Whenever you’re dressed we want to see,” you heard Sarah say from outside of the dressing room. You didn’t want to step out, but you knew they would be disappointed if they didn’t see it. “Oh my god. y/n, you have to buy that. And if you won’t I will for you, you look hot as hell,” Kie said, making you smile. 

Sarah and Kie both convinced you to buy the dress and shirt, saying something about wearing it to the boneyard, it was still a casual outfit, so they had a point. As you bought it, your mind immediately went to the one person who’s opinion you wanted to hear. 

When the three of you got back to Sarah’s, you all decided to start watching Criminal Minds, again. “So, y/n, what is up with you and JJ?” 

“Like the JJ on the show or Maybank?”

“Maybank.”

“Oh, uh, nothing. I don’t know what you mean, to be honest, we’re just friends.” 

“It sure seems like more than that,” Sarah added. 

“Oh no, if something happened I wouldn’t complain, but I also don’t want to mess with the dynamic that me and him have had for so long, you know?”

“Ooh, she admits it,” Kie says, giving Sarah a high five. “He’s literally in love with you, I don’t understand you two,” to which you simply denied what they said, going back to watching Criminal Minds. By the time all of you went to bed, your mind was racing. Was he actually in love with you? Why hadn’t he said anything? 

Friday night came around a lot quicker than you figured it would, anxiously tapping your foot in the back of Sarah’s car, you just watched all the trees pass by until you were parking to head to the party. All of you walked towards the bonfire where the boys usually hung out, in an attempt to find them. 

When you made it to the bonfire, you noticed how John B and Pope were there moving to open a space for Kie and Sarah, while you stood waiting for JJ. “Last time we saw him, he was getting drinks, so you might check over there and I’m sure you’ll find him,” Pope said, to which you politely thanked him. 

Making your way towards the keg, you caught the attention of people you didn’t want to talk to. “Who knew a pogue could actually clean up well,” a random kook, that you recognized as Quinn said. “Woah, who knew a kook could wear something other than a basic ass polo and random striped shorts?” you retorted. 

“I would watch your mouth, pogue,” Quinn said. 

“Oh, and what are you going to do about it?” The familiar voice of the boy you were looking for said, causing you to smile. “Hey, J, he’s not worth our time. Let’s go for a walk,” you pulled on his wrist to which he simply hesitated for a moment before following you. 

The two of you ended up walking near the beach, “are you ok? I heard what he said to you?” JJ asked concerned that Quinn might have hurt you. “Yeah, it’s funny what happens when you actually start believing people when they say you’re beautiful,” you said, causing him to stop walking and smirk at you. 

“Man, who could have possibly told you that?”

“Hmm, I don’t recall actually, but it just stuck with me,” the both of you laughed. 

“I just wanted to say you look absolutely gorgeous tonight and I’m glad what I’m doing is helping, but I plan on reminding you until we’re like 80 or something.”

“J,” he simply hummed in response,” did Kie mean it when she said you were in love with me?” JJ simply stood there, clearly debating what to do, he was starting to get flustered. “Is it a problem if it’s true? I’m not trying to mess anything up with you.”

A rush of confidence ran through you as you wrapped your arms around his neck,” well, it’s not a problem since I am too.” JJ smiled before his lips met yours softly, he pulled away only for you to kiss him again, “I love you so so much, pretty girl. I’ll be reminding you of that too, baby.”

“I’m sure you will, J. I’m sure you will.”

#JJ Imagine #jj x reader #jj maybank x you #jj maybank #jj fluff #jj maybank fluff #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj x you #jj x y/n #jj maybank x y/n

[letterstomilen]

i discuss the classification of igneous petrology as you fall asleep during my lecture (PART 2) (ASMR)

Childe/Zhongli, Alternate Universe  When Childe's younger sister tells him about the volunteer at the library, he does not make the connection between that and his new favorite ASMR YouTuber, Rex Lapis.

Childe’s unfortunate love life starts at the age of eight. He, of course, did not call it “love” when he’s eight. When he was eight, he plucked a couple of weeds and sunflowers from his neighbor’s garden before he went to the park and handed them over to a classmate he doesn’t remember the name of now.

Handed over is an understatement here, seeing that she fell over from him shoving the flowers towards her chest before declaring, “Please marry me!”

In hindsight, storming over with the delicacy of an elephant with two left feet was not the best idea. But as somebody who recently discovered that watermelons could not grow out of your stomach no matter what, he was not the brightest. (Lumine now would argue that this is still the case. Unfortunately.)

She, as all eight-year kids would when faced with a loud boy that shoved you to the ground, started bawling. It didn’t help that Childe wasn’t aware of the fact that some worm wriggled in with the weeds and sunflowers he uprooted, with said worm now wiggling on the glittery, cursive ‘i’ in ‘Magical’ on her t-shirt.

This promptly resulted in her mom heading over and a long talk over dinner that night on why you should not ask girls to just marry you at your age.

“So I can ask boys then, right?”

Pleased with the loophole he discovered at age eight, Childe toothily smiled at his mom, who sighed and shook your head.

“You can’t ask anybody to marry you when you’re eight. And please don’t throw flowers at them too.”

The stolen flowers resulted in him being on his neighbor’s blacklist for the next couple of years; this in itself was fine, seeing that Childe was always a bit of a troublemaker and it was bound to happen at some point. However, the crying girl left a big impression on him even as he got older.

It did help that the older he got, the more silver-tongued he became, but this resulted in short-term relationships and a famous incident that once got dubbed ‘Tartaglia’s Shakespearean Slipup.’ (It involved a drunk retelling of Macbeth, several dumb questions, and a shirt that could never get the stain washed off of it.)

So in short, Childe’s love life is, to put it bluntly, a travesty. It has been downhill ever since he was eight years old, and nearly two decades later, he’s sure that he finally hit rock bottom.

“Tonia,” he begins, wondering how his little sister could be so cute yet so cruel at the same time, “what did you not tell Zhongli?”

“Hmm… Oh, I didn’t tell him about your obsession with his channel!” And cue the self-satisfied smile before she took another sip of his coffee.

Oh lord, she learned it from him.

“Anything else?” he presses, wondering what kind of image he has of him now — definitely not a good one. No amount of smooth talking or knowledge about petrology could save him from his past mistakes. He’s sure that Zhongli would not take kindly to the plethora of times that his insobriety has made him infamous among certain groups of people.

And he’ll admit just to himself, he was wholly unprepared for this. He couldn’t even be lulled to sleep by his voice last night — which is unfortunate because the series where he discussed the inspiration behind Tao Yuanming’s work just came out and if there’s one thing Childe likes, it’s poetry — because he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that he knew who he was.

Except not as Childe. As Tartaglia, his younger sister clarified, ever so proud of herself that she taught somebody how to say his birth name correctly, never mind that it stumped even the most persistent of professors.

“Not really! He said he likes listening to me brag about my older brother! ‘Cause he’s an only child and everything. Actually… he mentioned that you’d like to hear your stories sometime. Sweet, right?”

“My stories,” Childe echoes slowly. “The ones I told you when you were a kid? The fairytale rip-offs?”

“Yup.”

“Including the one where the kids locked the evil queen up and used her Magic Mirror to cheat on their tests?”

Admittedly, he was a bit lazy with that one. But Tonia was just eight and Childe was half-awake, trying to remember the difference between Hudibrastic and hija. So, like any good literature major with a bone to pick with their academic advisor, he decided that he’d very subtly rehash Snow White and make it all about cheating. (On tests of course.)

“Yuup. They got in trouble, right?”

They didn’t, but his mom would have his head if he said otherwise, so he smiles at her, ruffles her hair, and says with the attitude of a picture-perfect older brother, “Of course. The evil queen immediately sent them to the dungeon. So don’t cheat, okay?”

She nods, rewarding her compliance with another sip of his coffee. The library is fairly close to their apartment, as all things in Liyue are. A tightly packed city by the sea where you were sure to know everything about your neighbor and their neighbor. Which meant that the tenants next door still remembered when Childe first moved in and spent a week high on ambien, only to invest his time in writing a paper about how Snowpiercer was the sequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. (When they spoke for the first time, they asked politely if he could please turn down the volume, because it was difficult to sleep when your neighbor watched the two movies consecutively with the volume all the way up at three in the morning, don’t you think?)

(The paper ended up being legible to only the most dedicated of readers anyways.)

Deciding that they’re an appropriate distance from the entrance of the library now, Tonia stops walking and drags her brother towards the benches. “Now, before I take you to meet Zhongli, I just want to ask you one thing.”

He looks at her expectantly, wondering if she’s going to ask if he remembers what Lumine said. Don’t embarrass yourself, don’t act shady, and before you do something—think ITWTWW? (A.K.A Is This What Tsaritsa Would Want? A joke that arose after a particularly hellish class last year after the professor’s attention towards Childe was a source of debate—did she hate him? Did she think of him as her son? Did he—a suggestion brought forth by Aether—remind her of annoying neighbors that’d spend all night partying? To this day, he still doesn’t know.)

“What is it?”

“Did you bring your library card?”

“Huh?”

It turns out, Childe learns five minutes later with relief that his long-forgotten library card was collecting dust in his wallet, that Zhongli has a limit on books he can check out because he’s always forgetting them. And his overdue fees are quite an impressive sum—both for a library volunteer and anybody that’s frequented a library for the past decade.

But to the library’s great relief, he’s only checking out books nobody has ever checked out in the past so by default they belong to him now. (No harm no foul—unless you’re the occasional poor individual that has to research an incredibly specific and niche topic only to find out that the book is not in the library at the moment.)

Tonia sounds immensely proud of herself as she informs him of this while they wait for him to finish help somebody find a book. Help is an understatement, Childe realizes, as he watches Zhongli talk, smiling as he ensnares the visitor in an answer to a question where “yes” or “no” would have sufficed.

It’s ridiculously cute. Really. Tonia seems used to this sight as she drags Childe closer to the two. Zhongli must’ve realized that he slipped into a tangent because he apologizes and points to the nonfiction section before opening his book once more.

“Oh… I forgot.” Tonia purses her lips the same way Lumine does as she sighs, lowering the hand that she was enthusiastically waving moments earlier.

“Hm?”

“He won’t notice us. Ah, Zhongli,” she says melodramatically while they watch him flip through pages in a book, her tone every bit the longing princess in books they poured over when she was younger. “Why can’t you see us? Isn’t my wonderful big brother enough to catch your attention?”

He’s very flattered. Really. He knows that compliment was partially influenced by letting her have a lion’s share of his drink and Lumine’s sarcasm, but he takes it in stride, squeezing her cheeks. Tonia rolls her eyes in response, and heads over to Zhongli, chatting him up quicker than Childe can respond.

“And this is my older brother,” she introduces, gesturing her hand towards Childe, who smiles brightly, hoping he looks every bit the composed person he doesn’t feel like right now.

Zhongli is just as charming in person and it doesn’t help that just the realization he’s standing right here makes Childe’s pulse race, contributing to his increasingly forced smile that he reserves for uncomfortable situations. Oblivious to that, Zhongli smiles at him—one that is ingrained in his memory from days of watching it on loop —and says, “You must be Tartaglia, right? Tonia told me a lot about you.”

Oh fuck. 

His first thought: of course she told him about him. He knew beforehand, the dread of being characterized through his sister’s dramatizations of Childe’s mistakes. It’s partially why he could only get up this morning through two cups of coffee and dunking his head in the freezer for several minutes.

But also his name— 

Childe’s torn between asking why the hell his sister told him his real name or excusing himself to go read a dictionary to cool his nerves. Even though he’s well aware most of his family calls him Tartaglia still—mainly his parents when he’s in trouble (which, to be fair, is most of the time)—most people in Liyue call him Childe for two reasons.

One, Tartaglia is a mouthful and two, after many questions about how his name was pronounced only to get it butchered on several occasions, he’s stopped. (Scaramouche, Tsaritsa, and Signora are the only ones who call him that at this point, really; but he’s convinced Scaramouche does it just to vex him.)

“Yes,” he chokes out. “That’s me. Tartaglia.”

Childe decides that if Zhongli would just say his name and nothing else, he would die happy. Which is a mortifying thought but maybe a little bit of an upgrade from falling asleep to listening him talk about rocks. Isn’t it?

“You can call him Childe,” Tonia offers. “My brother doesn’t like it when people call him Tartgalia.”

His mouth forms an ‘o’ out of realization and sheepishly says, “My deepest apologies, Childe.”

“N-no—” Childe starts, his sister’s expression burning into the back of his head. “It sounds really nice when you say it. Call me Tartaglia—anything you’d like, really.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” Tonia smiles mischievously, implying that she never forgot all along as she raises a finger to her chin in mock thought. “You watch his ASMR channel, don’t you?”

“You do?”

They both turn to Childe, who’s sure this is turning into an interrogation; their burning gazes, the expectant silence, and a question he’s reluctant to answer.

“Yeah. I’m a huge fan,” he confesses brightly. “My favorite series of yours is the petrology one. It felt really nostalgic.”

He never thought he’d remember high school clearly ever again, but the videos made his classes a little less lazy. And the heat of the sun on the back of his neck as he slept in class would follow, lulled to sleep by a lecture he couldn’t quite remember. But he recalled his friends’ amusement clearly when they asked how he managed to sleep nearly every class, only to get a cheeky smile as an answer.

“Is that so? May I interest you in some books then? There’s quite the collection here, although I’m not sure which would interest you the most then. Any preferences?”

Ohhh, his expectant look was so cute. But Tonia looks bored at the prospect, so he clears his throat instead.

“Actually, I came here to check out Legend of the Lone Sword so I could follow along with your newest video,” he finally says. “Could you show me where it is?”

“Hmm… We do have two copies but unfortunately both have been checked out. One has just been checked out by Xingqiu and the other… ah, it’s still at my house. We’re having difficulties with the video unfortunately because Venti said… now what did he say?” Zhongli asks himself, humming as he takes out his phone and reads out loud.

“’Find somebody that’s willing to record the video and help you set up b-c’… er, before Christ?”

“Because,” Childe clarifies.

“Thank you. ‘Because I can’t do it without laughing’,” he finishes before sighing. “Also several crying emojis followed by a wine emoji and a suggestion for me to find Diluc…? There are also several other texts that I would not be able to read out loud but that’s the gist of it. As soon as I manage to find somebody, I’ll be able to return the book so you can check it out. My apologies.”

Diluc? All Childe remembers about him is what Lumine once said about him.

‘I was convinced him and Kaeya hated each other until I found out they were siblings.” A pause. Then: ‘I’m still fairly sure they hate each other. They’re at each other’s throats a lot. Diluc more so.’

He had not considered him to be a rival in love. Granted — that’s limited information from several years ago but it’s not as if Childe knows that many people outside of his own department. But still. 

Eager to save any chance of a love life, Childe says, “Why don’t I help you record?”

“That’s a great idea! Then my brother can read the book while he stays over. Right?” Tonia presses on, smiling far too brightly for his taste as Zhongli muses, considering the possibility.

“Are you sure that wouldn’t be too much trouble?”

Childe nearly stumbles at the sight of his relief. Really, his smile isn’t good for his heart—neither is the look he gives him, as if he hung over the moon that very moment. “None at all.”

“What a relief… I’ll tell Venti immediately that I can record the ‘ASMR: Boyfriend Reads to You’ video.”

—What?

Zhongli looks up from his phone after he texts his friend and tilts his head slightly in confusion, his earring brushing against his shoulder.

He looks adorably concerned and maybe a little bit aware that he’s responsible for Childe’s reaction. “Is there something wrong?”

“N-no. Nothing. That’s great. Good. I’m excited to be your boyfriend.”

Tonia lets out a little giggle and he’s sure that there’s somebody at the library silently praying for his downfall as he hurriedly corrects himself. “For the video, of course. Should I give you my number so we can set a date?”

Not deterred by Childe’s flustered expression, Zhongli nods as he hands him his phone. Maybe this is what he expected—that’d most likely be the case if most of his prior knowledge about Childe came from Tonia, who delights in both embarrassing and complimenting her brother like there’s no tomorrow. “Of course. Please give me your number.”

So with the shame of a college student that never managed to shake off his competitive streak from high school, Childe types his number in and promises himself that this won’t happen again.

(His younger sister lords it over him anyways on the way home, a skip in her step as she recalls it.)

Childe 2:34 i got his #

Twin 1 2:35 for the video recording*

Twin 1 2:35 u also embarrassed yourself. tonia told me all about it lol

Ugh. Of course she did. Childe peeks his head into his sister’s room, hearing her recount the library incident with a few more exaggerations poking fun at what he did than he’d like. Aether must be having the time of his life, which should make them equal considering that Childe made him think that Scaramouche was the best TA ever and would be even nicer if you made him an apple pie. (He hated apples.)

Well. They’re even now, aren’t they?

Childe 2:38 ya but he didn’t notice so its ok. BTW neither of u told me he was that airheaded

Twin 1 2:38 itd be funnier that way

Childe 2:39 oh yeah it was really cute

Twin 1 2:41 didn’t need to know that. anyways u do know how to work a camera right?

Childe 2:41 yea…? who do you think takes all of tonia’s pictures

Twin 1 2:42 no i mean like actual professional cameras used to record

Hm… That was a bit of an oversight on his part, wasn’t it? He texts a quick ‘yeah’ because it couldn’t be that bad and he’ll watch several videos on how to work a camera later, won’t he? There should be three buttons max. Easy.

Not to mention he took an elective on film and he’s watched Zhongli’s videos more times than he can count at this point. So really, there’s not much to worry about. The only problem is that he needs to build up immunity.

If he looks like a “blushing maiden”—Tonia’s words, not his—every time Zhongli looks at him, wouldn’t that be trouble? It’s bad enough that he embarrassed himself in front of his twelve-year-old sister but to look like a fool in front of the same guy his sleeping schedule depends on would be debilitating in more ways than one.

Deciding that he won’t let himself lose this time around, he sends a quick text to Zhongli saying ‘Saturday at 4:00 PM, right? See you there :)’ to psyche himself up before deciding a plan of action. There must be something that’ll impress him—no, completely sweep him off his feet.

More aware than ever that he’s fitting the image of a lovestruck idiot his sister painted him as, Childe watches his phone as it pings with a single ‘OK’ and ‘I am looking forward to working with you’ trying to convince himself that his erratic heart rate and the heat rushing to his face is just a side effect of working with somebody that he greatly admires. (It is, by all accounts, infatuation — but he’ll try to ignore that for now.)

#Genshin Impact #Childe/Zhongli #Childe & Tonia #Childe & Lumine #asmr fic p2 #asmr fic

[outerbankspreferences]

50 Wordless Ways to Say I Love You

Word Count: 2575

MASTERLIST SERIES MASTERLIST

Warnings: TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of sexual assault but I don’t go into detail in case that makes you uncomfortable.

#14 Calming them down when they have a bad dream

 It was like clockwork lately. You would go to bed and then wake up in the middle of the night scared. You were starting to scare you boyfriend Drew, who would always calm you down. Sometime the two of you wouldn’t even go back to bed, you would just stay up talking to each other. He didn’t mind doing that because he knew it would calm you down

It all started when you got a job working as the shows on call medic. Drew didn’t want to spend time away from you, and you were stuck looking for a new job so it would just make sense that you would start working for the show. It was simple, if someone got hurt or injured you would help them out and decided if they needed to go the hospital or not.

 You loved the job at first; you always got to see your boyfriend and his friends, everyone seemed nice. Of course, until you met Daniel. He was a film student from the college getting some experience and he took a liking to you day one. Everyone on set knew you and Drew were dating, and if they didn’t, they knew you guys had a thing for each other.

 It was great because most people would just leave you alone, too afraid of Drew saying something to them. Of course, everyone was nice, but you were shy and had a hard time being outgoing. When you got the job, Drew helped you set your trailer up (that was full of medical supplies) and introduced you to everyone you hadn’t met.

 The first time Daniel tried anything with you, Drew walked in and cut it off. He was subtle about it, not wanting to be too rude in case Daniel didn’t get the memo that you were his girlfriend. He was trying to ask you out on a date, and Drew overheard everything happening. He also knew that you were too nice to turn him down, and that you are probably uncomfortable. Drew came up behind you wrapping his arms around your waist kissing your shoulder. “Nice to see you’ve met my girlfriend Daniel.” Drew spoke looking right at him standing all most a foot taller than the camera man. “Yeah, I did, -uh I was actually just going to get something to eat, I’ll talk to you later Y/N” Daniel stammered out, cringing at the awkward moment. You turn around to look at your boyfriend, “thanks for saving me their babe. I never know what to say I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but there’s something weird about him” You spoke snuggling into Drew as you walk back to his trailer. “Yeah, Maddie uses to go to high school with him, she said he was a total douche.” He explained in hushed tone, so no one could hear him. That was the last time you guys ever spoke about him.

 Everything was going fine, Daniel would flirt with you when Drew wasn’t there, but you never said anything to ether of them not wanting to start something. It started out as subtle, he would injure himself and come see you, which made sense it was your job. Soon enough though he was stopping by all the time, normally when he knew that Drew would be busy filming about couldn’t interrupt you two. It always made you uncomfortable so you would spend more time with other people.

 One time you had to finish some inventory and order more stuff when Daniel stopped by. “Hey Y/N, what’s going on?” He asked walking right in not knocking, even though there was a sign on the door to knock. “Oh, hey I’m just trying to finish up this inventory list.” You say turning the music you were listening to off. “I can help if you want, what needs to be done?” He offers taking the list right out of your hand.

 “That’s okay, I can handle it’s kind of hard to do if you don’t know what the stuff is anyways.” You explain trying to get the list back from him, but he held it above his head. Even though he wasn’t as tall as Drew, he was tall enough that you couldn’t reach the paper.

 “Come Y/N, I know what this stuff is, plus we can get it done faster and then go for lunch together.” He suggested, cornering you into the small desk you had. “I can’t Daniel, I have lunch plans with Drew. He should be coming by anytime.” You say hoping that he takes the hint and leave. You couldn’t believe he couldn’t tell how uncomfortable you were right now. “Oh, come one Y/N/N, why do you stick around with him? Because he got you this job. You deserve someone who is going to treat you right.” He said using your nickname, it made you cringe.

 “I’m not with him because he got me this job. I’m with him because I love him. No if you don’t go, I’m going to call security, and I really don’t want to cause any problems.” You spoke trying to be firm, but it came out shaky.

 Daniel looked down and laughed at you. “Are you kidding me? Go ahead love, see who will hear you. You’re going to wish you hadn’t been such a bitch with me when I’m done with you.” He spoke as he pushed you on the desk, kissing down you neck. You try to scream but he just stuffs his sweaty bandana in your mouth. “Oh, don’t worry about your boyfriend, they’re all out on the boats filming. Dumbasses really thought I got seasick, maybe I should be an actor.” You drowned out everything that was happening. You tried to fight him off, but it was useless. He was much stronger than you.

 When he was done, he left you there laying on the table. You were trying to calm yourself down, you were so embarrassed about what happened. You got into the shower that was attached to your trailer, scrubbing your skin until it turned red. Daniel was smart and didn’t leave any physical marks on you, which you were happy about because you didn’t know how you would hide something like this from Drew. You didn’t want him to think you cheated on him and leave. You decided to keep it a secret but went home early claiming you weren’t feeling well.

 The next couple of days you were quiet, and Drew noticed the change but just brushed it off to you not feeling well. You hadn’t been at work, not even getting out of bed. Once Drew left for work in the morning you would cry until he got home and made sure to shower before he got there so he didn’t know. That’s when the nightmares started. You would wake up in the middle of the night to a cold sweat and your boyfriend sound asleep beside.

 Drew would wake up too. He would feel you jump awake, and then get up to the bathroom. Once you came back to bed, he would try to cuddle you, but you would flinch away. Almost like you feared his touch. He was falling asleep on set a lot and his friends notice. Austin in particular notice that you hadn’t been around much lately, which was extremely unusual and decided to talk to Drew about.

 “Hey, is everything okay man?” Austin asked his best friend as they were walking to film a seen with their characters. “Uh, yeah-yeah why?” Drew responded not looking at Austin. They had been best friends since the start of filming last year and he knew he couldn’t hide anything from him. “Oh no reason. I just notice that you seem tired lately and Y/N hasn’t been at work for almost a week. Is everything okay with you two?” Austin didn’t want to pry if it was something Drew didn’t want to share with him right now.

 “I don’t know man; she says she sick, but she stays home and cries. I don’t know how to talk to her about it. I bring it up and she says everything is fine, and she’s been waking up in the middle of the night. I haven’t gotten a half decent night sleep in over a week. I’m worried about her man.” Drew explained, trying not to get upset.

 “Maybe you should just sit her down and talk to her, you don’t think she cheated, do you?” Austin questioned, though he knew how much you loved Drew, he saw it firsthand being roommates with him. “I don’t think so, we’re always together when would she have time. Plus, Y/N’s too shy to cheat.” Drew defended you. “I think you need to talk to her, why don’t you leave early today, once we’re done filming?” Austin suggested trying to put his friend’s mind at ease.

 That was exactly what Drew did. He left work early, normally they would stay and find out what they were filming tomorrow, but Austin told him he would text him later and give him the information. Drew stopped at your favorite flower shop and got you some sunflowers. He also picked up something to eat on his way home.

 You had decided to try and take a nap considering you hadn’t slept well in over a week. When Drew got home, he called out to you but when he got no answer, he assumed you were laying down. He put everything down in the kitchen and went to the living room to see if you were there. He heard you start to scream from the bedroom. When he rushed in, you were flailing around. “Stop, stop, please leave me alone” He couldn’t understand who you were talking to, but scooped you up in his arms holding you tight to him. You woke up screaming and held onto him tighter. “Shh baby it’s just me. It’s Drew, calm down, you’re okay love. You’re safe. It was just a dream” He spoke quietly, trying to calm you down. Rubbing small circles on your back. He could feel your heart racing against his chest, and he was trying to stay calm for you, but he was terrified. He had never heard someone scream like that.

 Once he was sure you had calmed down, he took your face in his hand, looking you over. “Love, please tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been having these nightmares, and you’ve been crying all the time. I’m worried about you.” He spoke softly not wanting to scare you. You debated lying to him for a minute, telling him it was just a bad dream and you were fine, but he could read you like an open book. “Promise you won’t be mad at me?” You asked, and he shook his head yes. You explained everything that had happened with Daniel. It took a while for you to explain it all having to stop so you could cry and then recollect yourself. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Drew, I just didn’t want to start any drama, and I didn’t think anyone was going to believe me.” You spoke not able to look him in the eyes. Drew was beyond angry; how could he not know someone took advantage of you. He was seeing red, and all he wanted to do was kill Daniel for ever laying a hand on you. “I would understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore.” You spoke, not even sure if he heard you. He looked down at your broken frame. You looked so tired. “I would never leave you Y/N. This was not your fault. I wish you would have come to me sooner. I would have done something. I am going to do something; I’m going to kill him. I can’t believe he would ever do something like that.” Drew started to ramble on getting up to start pacing. “No please Drew, don’t get yourself in trouble. It’s not worth it, I’m not worth losing your job over or worse going to jail.” You say standing up and rubbing his shoulders. “Will you talk to Shannon or Jonas about it? Maybe they can get him fired, we won’t go to the police if you don’t want too. Even though I think you should.” Drew asked. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.” He said holding your hands in his kissing them lightly.

 You had reluctantly agreed to talk to Shannon and Jonas if Drew was there with you. They were as angry as him. They felt terrible they ever let Daniel on set. “We’ll bring him in today and let him go. Y/N are you going to the police about this?” Jonas asked you. “I don’t want to make a fuss about things.” You spoke looking down at your hands, rubbing your thumb nail, a nervous habit of yours. Drew took your hands in his pulling them into his lap. “I told she didn’t have to if she didn’t want to, as long as she came to you guys.” He spoke up. “Y/N I can’t imagine how hard this is, but if you don’t speak up, he’s going to go somewhere else and do this to some other girl. Some girls that don’t have the support system that you do.” Shannon said looking at you “I really think you should go to the police.”

 You sat there thinking for a moment. She was right. If you didn’t speak up Daniel would just do this again. “I’ll go to the police, but I don’t want to be here when he gets fired.” You spoke quietly looking up at the ceiling blinking away the tears. “We’ll give Drew the rest of the week off, and you guys can go out the back way. We’ll make sure your gone when we give him the news.” Jonas spoke looking at Drew. Before you guys left Shannon gave you a hug and told you if you needed anything to let them know. Drew walked you back to the car opening the door for and the walking to the driver’s side.

 Once he shut his door and you guys were in the safety of the car you broke down. “I’m so sorry Drew, I never met to cause all this drama. Now I’m ruining the film schedule. I never met for all this to happen.” You spoke between sobs and hiccups. Drew pulled you across the console and into his arms. “Oh no baby, none of this is your fault. No one is mad at you. Everyone is here to support you.” He spoke gently rubbing your arm. “I can’t go to the police today Drew. I’ll go tomorrow, but I can’t go today.” You say to him cuddling further into him. “That’s okay love, why don’t we go home and get some sleep, okay?” He says, as you climb back to the passenger seat. “Yes please, I just want to sleep.” You say as he turns on the radio and pulls out of the parking lot. Drew held your hand as he drove, and when he looked over you were already asleep. You guys would go to the police in the morning, but right now his only concern was keeping you safe and never letting someone hurt you ever again.

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[starglossie]

HINAYACHI NATION WE RISE!!! [ read here: we make a sunset, you and i ]

Summary: Yachi loves highlighters. They're perfect for when she's taking notes. But her one orange highlighter just doesn't sit right. It's not the right shade of orange. And she can't really place what shade she's looking for until she spots Hinata. And when she does, she thinks:Yes, that's it. That's the perfect shade.

CAN ALSO BE READ DOWN BELOW!

Yachi loved highlighters. 

Especially the pastel kind! They were the right shade of pink and blue and purple and yellow. A soft brightness that sat well on her paper when she dragged the felt tip across a certain word to make it pop. 

She’d always been into color coding her notes. Colors were a great way to organize things. Blue for definitions. Greens for important takeaways. Pinks for material that will definitely be tested on an exam. Colors made sense. 

Every so often she’d start vibing with a certain color. Some days her reading notes were more baby pink than sky blue. Or dewy green compared to lilac purple. Now, she found herself leaning towards her orange highlighter more. Though she quickly discovered, as she highlighted her notes in class and frowned deeply when the shade of orange wasn’t dark enough, that the shade simply wasn’t… right.

“Yachi!” 

Yachi looked up from her notes. Hinata sat in the chair in front of her desk, resting his elbows on her desk. The sun was streaming boldly through the window, illuminating Hinata’s face and making his hair extra prominent in Yachi’s eyes. A fiery mass of orange. So bright you could never miss it. 

That’s the right shade , she thought. Looking down at her orange highlighter that paled in comparison. If she could find a highlighter like Hinata’s hair. She’d be golden. Or, ha, orange . She laughed at her own little joke. Hinata scrunched his face in return. 

“Whatcha laughing at?”

“Oh! Nothing,” she kicked her feet under her desk. A soft, rosey red bloomed on her cheeks. She could never share that joke. She’d combust from the embarrassment alone. “Is everything alright, Hinata?”

“No! We have a test coming up!” Yachi couldn’t but smile despite Hinata’s clear distress. Tests were not Hinata’s strong suit in the slightest. Though he was incredibly determined with his studying-or he tried to be, Yachi would give him kudos where kudos were due.  

“Ah right...” she opened up her planner. It had bright sunflowers on the front and her name engraved in white. She flipped to March’s calendar where, two weeks from now, she had circled in bright pink EXAM TODAY! “I was going to text you about when you’d like to meet and study! I already started compiling a notebook for you…” 

“Really?” Hinata’s eyes widened. They were so bright, Yachi thought they could have been covered with stars. “ Yachi, you’re incredible!” 

Heat rose under her cheeks. She wanted to say this was nothing special. That the word incredible shouldn’t be used for something that, to her, was the natural course of things. Of course she’d make a notebook for him. She’d been doing that for years. And she enjoyed the little rush she got when she placed the tabs just right and when she created the perfect outline that aligned with the way Hinata best broke down information. 

But for Hinata to think she’s incredible, all the same, a pleasant heat pooled under her skin that mirrored the baking warmth you get sitting under the sun at the beach for a few hours. 

“Oh it’s nothing, really,” she said, popping the cap of her highlighter up than clicking it down. “We can review during lunchtime? Or maybe after practice if you’re not too tired?” 

They were third years now. And every time Yachi thought about how two years had passed since she joined the volleyball club, awe and a little bit of sadness washed over her. She never pictured her high school life surrounding the sport and now, she couldn’t imagine what her high school life would have been like if she hadn’t joined. 

She would open her journals sometimes. The ones she kept to write down how her day went, to give gratitude, to scribble down little prayers when they popped into her mind-for good health, for a meteor to not crash into her roof, for her mother’s happiness, to maybe fall in love-and read back over what she wrote. She’d grown so much and to just see that progress was sometimes unbelievable. But in such a good way. Like watching a plant go from a bud to full bloom. 

She felt like she had bloomed, or well-was in the process of blooming. And she had to thank volleyball for that. For bringing her to the people that helped her grow. 

“Hmmm,” Hinata hummed. He rubbed at his nose in thought. “Let’s do it after practice! ‘Cause I can’t eat and study at the same time. I’ll be way too focused on eating. Not so much on studying, haha.” 

Hinata and Yachi had grown close over the years. They’d been in the same class all three years, while Kageyama got placed in class with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima (much to Tsukishima’s unbridled annoyance and Yamaguchi’s unashamed delight). Hinata’s response made Yachi smile. She expected that to be the answer. And opened her planner so she could write down Studying with Hinata!! In her favorite blue gel pen. 

“Yachi you have so many pens and pencils and highlighters. Aren’t you overwhelmed?”

She slid her gel pen back into her pencil pouch purely for gel pens. “Oh! No not at all. I like having so many colors. I find it’s fun to pick and choose which one I want to use for notes.”

“Oh yeah! They’re kind of like, a mood ring, but not really. More like, mood… coloring? Something like that!” he finished with a laugh. And if it were anyone else in the world, Yachi might have felt like they said that just to humor her. But Hinata never said something he didn’t mean. He always spoke purely, from his heart. And that always made Yachi feel comfortable being her whole self. Illuminated in the glow that was Hinata Shouyou. 

I wish I could find an orange highlighter that’s the shade of his hair, she thought. “Mood coloring! Hm yeah, that makes sense! Because sometimes I really want to use a pink highlighter because I’m feeling that particular shade!” she pulled out a soft, rosey pink highlighter. The color of cotton candy and then slipped it back into the pouch. “Or sometimes I’m in a minty green kind of mood!” she pulled out another highlighter for reference. 

Hinata looked at her as if she was pulling out magical wands that sparkled and created starlights at their tips. “These are the coolest colors!” he reached for her hand, their fingers brushed. And as if she were shocked, she gasped. Dropping her highlighter to the table. It clattered softly onto her open notebook. “Ah, I’m sorry Yachi.” Hinata frowned, looking apologetic. 

“N-No!” she was quick to correct. He had to know that he wasn’t at fault. That the electricity generated that shocked her fingers and made her pulse quicken was a newly crafted design that had, like her blooming, steadily grown over the years to this moment. “It was just a little static shock as all! It happens, haha.” she reached for her highlighter. Her cheeks burned. 

In her journals, she had started writing out a name. And sometimes, that name had a few hearts beside it. 

She was terribly infatuated, she realized every time she stared down at the suddenly not so blank page covered in that name with so many hearts . 

Hinata fixed her with that same look he got when he was picking someone apart and wasn’t ashamed for you to realize he was doing so. It only lasted a second. Then, he was smiling again. A slow smile, and he leaned forward, his voice softer. 

“Can you show me where you get those highlighters? Maybe after school before we start studying?” 

Oh goodness is this a date? Her mind conjured with a swiftness. No! Hitoka! Do not jump to such conclusions! He’s your friend-one of your best friends. It’s just a friendly thing. And sure it’s happening on a date of the week but that doesn’t mean- 

“Yes!” she tapped her feet on the ground with excitement, nodding fervently. “Yes that’s perfect!”

“Great! Sounds good then!” 

Hinata jumped up just as his name was called. Kageyama was at the door. Hinata pointed a finger at him. “Kageyama! You came early! I’m ready to kick your ass if you’re ready to get your ass kicked!” 

“Stupid, I’m gonna win. Hi Yachi,” Kageyama waved at Yachi. Yachi beamed, waving in return. ”I’ve been stretching all morning during class. My long jump is going to beat yours hands. No. Legs down.”

Another thing Yachi had gained over the years was the ability to understand the secret language that was Hinata and Kageyama’s dynamic. Honestly, once you understood that they made a competition out of everything, filling in the gaps came easily after that. 

“What’s the competition this time?” Yachi chuckled, putting her planner back into her bag. 

“Kageyama and I are gonna see who has the best long jump!” Hinata explained. “I won last time but Kageyama’s a sore loser so we gotta do it again.” 

“I’m not! My legs weren’t at maximum stretch, that’s all.”

“What are you, Luffy? Are you going to try and find One Piece next?” Hinata asked, running through the classroom to get to Kageyama. Waving by to the students who called out to him as he did. 

The last thing Yachi heard as they left the classroom was Kageyma ask, “The fuck is a One Piece?” 

  /

  After practice, Yachi had a routine.

First, she gathered up all the balls with the help of her volleyball players and put them all away. Then, she took down the nets and rolled them up to be carried into the practice shed. She liked to imagine they were giant pieces of dough she was rolling up for cannolis. Afterwards she liked to clean the gym floors. She didn’t have to, but she wanted to. It was a nice feeling. Getting the giant mop and pushing it through the gym, up and down. She would pretend that she was in Mario Kart and her car was a giant, turbine-powered mop that could zoom lightning fast down the track! 

After she finished mopping, she would go through every single volleyball and squeeze it exactly six times (one for every letter of her name) to check the air pressure. If a volleyball was flat, she’d pump it up until it was all full and no flat. Sometimes, when she thought no one was looking (and she always checked her surroundings three times) she’d try to hit a few balls over the net. Over the years, she’d gotten better! And could not do a solid overhand serve with little to no effort. Her hand always tingled after the ball connected with her palm. But she rather liked the feeling. And she always clutched her palm tightly as if she were holding a fallen star in her hand. To make the sting hold on a little longer. To keep the moment from fading away… 

She threw another volleyball up in the air. Just to feel the tingle again. 

“YACHI, YOU’RE STILL HERE!”  

The ball dropped onto her head, sending a brief bout of pain down her neck and spine. “GAH!” the ball bounced onto the floor two… six… eight times before it rolled all the way to Hinata’s feet. “Ow! Ow! Ah… H-Hinata?” she felt heat swarm her neck and dominated her cheeks. Aw man.. She had hoped no one would have been around! 

Hinata leaned down and picked up the ball. Holding it out with one palm, grinning to himself. He walked over to Yachi and held the ball with two hands. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya! Were you practicing your serve? I can receive some if you want!”

“No! No no I was just… playing around, haha.” Hinata’s receives were really something to witness though. They were beautiful in their own way. How he moved with a sharpened, feral precision to meet the ball wherever it was aimed time and time again without fail. Yachi could never tear her eyes away from Hinata once he stepped on the court. 

He was her favorite player to watch. 

“Ah, another time then. Are you almost done here?”

“Almost! We’re still going to the store, right?” 

“Yeah! To get those highlighters you use! I wanna get like, thirty .” Hinata dropped the volleyball and started dribbling it with his knees. “Um wait. I should check my allowance first. But thirty would be nice.”

“We can do ten to start,” Yachi offered with a smile, watching Hinata play with the ball like it’s a part of him - a piece of his energy. “I already have a pack of mind.” 

She hoped she could find an orange highlighter while they were out too. One that was as bright as Hinata’s hair in the late afternoon sunlight that crept into the gym through the windows. Hinata smiled at her wide and the wind got knocked out of her. Her heart clenched fiercely and when Hinata put the ball away in the ball crate beside Yachi, she inhaled sharply. 

“Yachi, has anyone told you how you’re so... ?” Hinata’s not looking at her. His hands were deep in the ball crate as he put away the remaining volleyballs Yachi hadn’t finished storing yet. “What’s the word? Not just kind-which you are. But you’re so… oh!” he turned his head and it was like daybreak bloomed in that very moment. “Thoughtful. Like, the most thoughtful person I know cause you’re always considering and thinking about others-even for the smallest of things.”

The blood in Yachi roared. Her heart squeezed something terrible. Hinata was going on about how Yachi had so many thoughts about other people he wondered how anyone could ever feel lonely or forgotten when Yachi was there. To consider them and acknowledge them and give them space. He went on about how her brain must be so big because it carried so many thoughts and how her heart must be so large because it cared for people without hesitation. 

“It’s why you’re such a good manager!” Hinata said with a sense of finality to his words. “All these years you’ve been taking care of us and I speak for everyone-even Kageyama but he’s shy so he’ll never admit this-when I say you’re irreplaceable. One of a kin-are you crying?”

Yachi was, in fact, crying. Hot pools of tears that were flowing down her face without stopping. “Ah! I’m crying!” She gasped. No no no. Why was she crying? No, no her tears weren’t hormones going wild. Or from her usual bout of a fifteen minute stress cry followed by a forty five minute power walk that concluded with a ten minute ice cream break after. 

No, her tears were from the praises of sunlight Hinata had basked her in. 

She wiped at her face furiously, sniffling as she did. Hinata was fussing. Waving his arms around wildly. His face was as red and maybe as scorched as hers felt. 

“I’m sorry!!! I didn’t mean to compliment you to tears!”

“No it’s okay!!! I didn’t mean to cry from your compliments!!! They were very nice!”

“Do you need a tissue? I have a pack of two with cats on them that I use for Natsu sometimes!”

“Yes I’d like one of your packs of tissues you use for Natsu sometimes I also like cats!”

“Ok!” Hinata pulled out a pack of tissues, the ones with the cats on them, and handed them to Yachi.

She took the pack and a tissue to wipe at her eyes and blow her nose. She put the pack in one pocket and then the used tissue in the other-that she’d throw out later, of course. A beat of silence passed between them. Yachi glanced up shyly at Hinata. Hinata glanced down shyly at her. 

They both bursted out in laughter. 

“Let’s go to the store!” Hinata said. 

Yachi nodded, “To the store!” 

  /

“So you use post-it notes to take notes…”

“Sometimes! Or I’ll use it for book marks or to tab important sections to go back for review.”

“Huh,” Hinata said, holding up two packs of post-it notes. One had a stack of green, orange, and yellow. Another had a stack of blue, pink and purple. “I’ve always used them to make little paper frogs.” 

Yachi snorted. “Well that’s definitely a good use for it…” they had spent about an hour or so at the stationary store. 

Their game plan was to buy the highlighters so they could use it for their study session. But then Hinata got distracted looking at all the notebooks with designs on the cover. 

“A purple tiger! Wait, that’s Mahou Ranger Blue! WAIT A MINUTE IS THAT A COW?” 

And Yachi, of course, followed along. She pointed out some of her own favorites from the stack. A sunflower cover. A panda cover. And one special notebook that you could design the front yourself that came with a small pack of markers attached. 

Hinata then discovered the wonderful world of stickers and now, in the little basket Yachi had the sound mind to grab once Hinata started pulling object after object from the shelves, was filled with seven sticker packs, two notebooks, and three rolls of washi tape. 

“This place is so cool…” Hinata was awestruck as he dropped the post-it note packs with orange and yellow into the basket. “Do you come here often?”

“Sometimes,” Yachi tapped her fingers on the top of her knees. “When I need to restock. Or when I need to self-care and indulge. Or uh, when I’m bored.”

Hinata nodded several times, “I don’t even know where I’m going to put all those stickers… maybe on Kageyama and have him freak out about where they came from.”

“That would be very chaotic.”

“Hehe, right! Oh yeah, the highlighters. We didn’t get the highlighters!”

“They’re over there,” Yachi pointed at the aisle with a sign saying HIGHLIGHTERS written in bright colors. “There’s a whole section for them.”

“A WHOLE section,” he sounded like a kid in a candy store who was given permission to go wild. “Let’s go!” 

They went through every section of the highlighter aisle. Hinata was enamored by all the colors. “There’s ten shades of purple how is that even possible !” and “Wait this is literally the color of the sky I love this shade of blue!” and “Oh my God why would they make a highlighter that’s turd colored aren’t they ashamed? Don’t their parents love them?”

Yachi laughed so hard her sides hurt. Hinata was enjoyment incarnate. Being with him was fun, always. She never got bored or tired or felt like she had to work hard to fill in a space of silence when she was with Hinata. He made it feel like gaps were easier to fill. Like moments were more memorable. Like conversations just held more weight when Hinata Shouyou was on the other end of the line. 

She kept glancing at Hinata’s hair as he tested every single highlighter he could on the test paper. The bright mound of orange that looked like untamed fire. She wondered how soft it was. If he used any special type of shampoo. If he could tie it into a pony tail now because it had grown much, much longer since they were first years. She wondered if he would let her put it into a ponytail. She wondered if the gaps between her fingers would be wide enough for his hair to slide through as she curled her hands into his hair while they-

“Yachi look!” Hinata was holding up a yellow highlighter. He put it close enough to her face and stuck out his tongue in thought. Eyes narrowed in concentration and zeroed in right on her. Making Yachi stand a little straighter. “Oh yeah… this is the perfect shade.”

“The perfect shade for what?” 

“It matches your hair! This yellow, I mean.” Hinata explained. He took one of the test papers that was blank and ripped it out of the notebook. With a flick of his thumb, he uncapped the marker and drew a thick, bold line of yellow onto the page. “See? It’s just like your hair. Don’t ya think?”

Yachi’s fingers found themselves to the end of her ponytails. Pulling slightly so she could get a better look. She did a double take. Her heart skipped double beats. “Oh… it does. It does!” 

“Hehehe, I’m gonna get it.” he dropped the highlighter in the basket. The only highlighter out of all the ones he tested out. “Ok. Did you find a color yet?”

“You’re only getting… this one?” Yachi’s not sure how to take that. But then, it’s Hinata. He’s simply complicated sometimes. 

“Mhm. That’s the one. I like it the best.” and her mind filled in the blanks that weren’t there. Put in the puzzle pieces to fit so the conclusion was he liked that highlighter the best because it reminded him of her (hair color, her mind provided. Not you specifically. Does the distinction even matter! ). 

“Ah for me… I…” slowly, she kept walking down the aisle. Hinata trailing behind her. Head turning on either side, searching and gazing until-”Oh! That one!” she pointed at an orange highlighter at the top of the shelf. She stood on her tiptoes but her fingers were a few inches short. 

“Here,” Hinata was behind her. His chest to her back. His heat a warm blanket that drowned her in the fantasy of the shelves replaced by a kitchen counter and a cabinet. Their own little apartment instead of the stationary shop. Intimacy and familiarity humming between the small distance between their bodies. And Yachi would turn. Turn around and look up at Hinata and see the curve of his chin. See the slope of his collarbone that would slip into the crook of his shirt collar. And when Hinata would tilt down, and their eyes would meet, and Yachi would swoon because being so close she can drown in his scent. And she’d reach up onto her tip toes to-

“The highlighter,” Hinata’s heat was gone. The highlighter was now in her face while Hinata grinned. “My super reach was able to grab it no problems! Here ya go.”

An orange the color of Hinata’s hair. Where she could use it whenever she felt a yearning in her chest and could reach into her pencil pouch. Pull out the highlighter. And find words in one of her novels that made her heart twinge the same tune and level of longing she felt whenever she overheard Hinata’s laugh or had his smile directed at her. Her Hinata orange. 

She reached out to grab the pencil. Their fingers brushed briefly. A warm spark that went right to her toes. 

“Thank you,” she said, curling her fingers around the highlighter in a silent prayer before dropping it into the basket. “I’ve been looking for a shade like that for a long time. The right kind of orange!” her throat feels dry. Her chest is throbbing something horrible. 

“Oh? Why’s that?”

She thought about the yellow highlighter laying underneath the orange one in her basket. How Hinata said this is perfect - because it’s like your hair. She swallowed past the nerves in her throat. 

“It reminds me of… you. Your hair,” she quickly tacked on. 

Hinata doesn’t move. And that put her on alarm because Hinata was always moving. His stillness was a sign of the unexpected coming. 

And when it came, it stole the last remnants of her heart that was untouched by this feeling, taking control of her body and conquering it in the name of Hinata Shouyou.

His smile was bold and brilliant and bright. Wide as a watermelon. As dazzling as star bright. His face was red. Red to his cheeks and his chin and the tip of his nose-all red and covered in a blush. He laughed, and it was a little off kilter. A little high pitched in the middle but leveled off at the ends. 

“Yeah?” he rubbed at the bottom of his nose. “Heh...hehe…”

“Hehe...hehehe…”

“Hehehehehehe.”

“Heheheehehhee.”

  / 

  Yachi set down a tray of juice and some snacks on the table made after Hinata had pushed aside their revision materials to make space. She laughed, finding Hinata with his cheek smushed against the table. His eyebrows knitted so deeply together they’d probably become a blanket. 

“Hi. Are you tired?” she asked, kneeling on her pillow. 

“When I close my eyes all I see are multiplication signs and equal signs… it’s horrible!”

“Have you tried opening your eyes?”

“It’s no difference cause it’s right on the page!” 

They’d been studying for a good chunk of the evening. Nearly everyday after school they’d come back to Yachi’s place to study. Their exam was at the end of the month. And they had about another week or so to prepare. Yachi, thankfully, had notebooks organized and compiled by subject and tabbed accordingly by the topic of said subject ready to go for revision. Hinata had to play catch up. But Yachi had seen this coming. So she made brief, outlined notes for Hinata that he could use as a foundation to fill in the gaps. 

“Yachi…” Hinata had sniffled, clutching the review materials to his chest. “Yachi I’d die for you.”

“Please don’t!” Yachi waved her hands in front of her face frantically. “My 27th fear is being the cause of someone’s death!” 

The sun sat heavy and rested in the middle of the sky. After doing four rounds of twenty-five minutes on, they now could spend thirty minutes on a break. Something Hinata was incredibly happy about reaching. 

Yachi wiggled her toes in her socks, staring down at the crown of Hinata’s hair. I want to touch it. 

“Is it making sense?” she asked instead. 

“Mmmmm, slowly.” Hinata yawned. “I dunno if I have another twenty-five minutes in me though.”

“We did study a lot,” wiggle wiggle. “We could call it a day after we review that one problem you were struggling with?” she glanced towards her window. “So you can go home before it gets dark.” 

“Ughhhhhh,” Hinata pushed himself up to a sitting position. Raising his arms high above his head. Yachi caught a bit of his stomach peaking out from under his shirt and immediately shot her gaze back to their work. “Ok. That sounds good. Teach away, Yachi!”

So she did. She broke down the problem into walkable steps. And demonstrated the method for doing so. Hinata watched with the same intensity he had when he was watching someone pull off a move before he replicated it with near perfection shortly afterwards. He followed her pen strokes. Her pointing. And when she capped her orange highlighter to make an emphasis on one of the steps, he grinned. 

“Oh hey. Nice highlighter,” he reached behind him and pulled out from his back pocket his yellow highlighter. He tapped his highlighter against Yachi’s. “They look kinda cool together, don’t ya think? Like they compliment each other.”

We do, don’t we ? 

“Yeah,” Yachi replied dreamily. She snapped herself back into focus, though, before her thoughts went ahead of her. “Do you want to try the problem? If you get stuck on a step you can use your highlighter to mark it.”

“Good idea!” Hinata went to work. Face molded in concentration. His shoulders hunched. The hum of Yachi’s fan played in the background to the sound of Hinata scratching his notes down. She reached out for her drink. Hoping the sweetness of the lemonade would cool her thoughts. Of how often they were alone together. How her friends were always asking Hinata-san’s going home with you again, huh? And how many times she’d laugh it off and dimississ it saying We’re just studying! We’re just friends . 

Even when her heart would roar loudly in defiance: You want more. You’ve always wanted more. 

But how could she? 

They were graduating soon. Hinata was definitely heading into a world where their paths wouldn’t collide. Where they wouldn’t sit in adjacent rows. Where their friends weren’t down the hallways. Where they couldn’t grab lunch together and sneak out onto the roof. Hinata would surely go pro. There was no other option. And Yachi was going to college. This moment, in her room, where it’s her and Hinata and the fan buzzing and the drink in her hand with the ice slowly melting and the sun slinking lower and lower into the sky, this moment wasn’t forever. It was a finite piece of a giant vacuum that would swallow her whole at the idea that her days with Hinata were numbered. 

Numbered and disappearing at an alarming rate. 

“Am I right?”

Hinata’s question pulled Yachi from her thoughts. She blinked back the stinging in her eyes to glance down at his work. He had gotten it right. And her heart leapt with joy and pride at the sight. 

“Yup!” she held up her hands for a double high five that Hinata returned with a holler. 

“YEEEEEES!” 

“Just do that for the exam if you see a problem like that and you’ll be golden.”

“I will! You made it super simple to understand and do. If you weren’t such a badass with designs I’d say you could be a really good teacher, Yachi.”

“Ah, it’s nothing-”

“Hey. Don’t do that.”

“Huh?” Yachi stopped, mid tuck of putting a hair behind her ear. Wondering when she should get another trim for her split ends. “Do... Don’t do what?”

“Put yourself down,” Hinata pressed, leaning forward until their noses were almost touching. Yachi yelped and leaned back an inch. “You do that a lot. When I hype you up you hype yourself down. That’s not good.”

She knew she had a nasty habit of doing that. Of regulating herself to Villager B position. She’d been actively trying to not do that. And being in the club helped her cultivate a garden of confidence she could pick from whenever a new one bloomed. But every so often her habit came back. Innocuous and bitter. Never letting go.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize either,” Hinata said softly, yet there was a firm seriousness to his voice as he did.  

The fan whirred on and on. 

Hinata kept his gaze on Yachi. She felt sweat form in her palms. She watched as his gaze searched hers and then, for a brief second, fell to her mouth. She gasped. Her nails curling in to dig at her palms. Her eyes widening as the dangerous, mischievous idea that maybe he was considering what her mouth tasted like. Currently, she’s mad at herself for not reapplying her vanilla shea butter chapstick when she had thought about it. And currently, she considered how the humidity in her room is making her shirt stick in the most uncomfortable places. On her neck and under her arm and to her stomach. 

Their noses were inches apart. 

If she tilted her head, she could-

Hinata’s phone rang. The theme song of the newest Super Sentai- Mahou Ranger -blared through her room. Hinata and Yachi froze. Until Hinata cursed and got up to turn answer his phone. 

“Terushima!” Hinata said upon answering. “Hello? Can I call you back? I'm in the middle of something? Huh? Wait, what? Bokuto is doing what ? Wait wait! Send pics and I’ll call you later about it! That’s epic-let him know! Ok bye!”

While he was on the phone, Yachi had a moment to ground herself. Had a moment to realize that she was, in fact, very close to having her first kiss. She slowly raised her finger tips to her lips. Ran the pads of her fingers along her bottom lip and pressed down. Wondering what the pressure of another person’s lips-of Hinata’s lips-would have felt like. 

“Yachi, are these the tissues I gave you a few weeks ago? You still have them?”

“Huh? Oh,” she saw the packet of tissues that Hinata was holding up. “Yeah. They’re cute! So I’ve been saving them for special blowing occasions.” saying that out loud was a lot more embarrassing than in her head, oh Lord. 

Hinata, however, found it hilarious. He laughed and placed it back on the table. “You’re right. They’re meant for the most epic of nose blows. That’s why they’re super soft! Absorbs all the snot!”

“Oh that’s gross,” Yachi said between laughter. Her heart was still racing. Her fingers tapped on the table with loose, uncontained excitement. She kept thinking what if, what if, what if . 

Maybe one day, she hoped rather hopelessly, she could see what world lied beyond the what if . 

But for now, she contented herself with watching Hinata sitting across from her. In the small space of her bedroom. Where the moments before their paths would diverge were tucked away in tiny pockets of her heart. 

  /

  “What’s that? Hinata you own a highlighter?”

“I didn’t even know you took notes.”

“Hey! I take notes!” Yachi was not so subtly listening into Hinata’s conversation a few desks away. She had been reworking training schedules for the team to do next week. Conditioning should be bumped down back to two days, and three days for strength work and other drills. She was about to bring out the markers to color code when she heard Hinata’s laughter. 

Her heart skipped a measure. Her fingers twitched. His laugh was, perhaps, one of the best things she’s ever been blessed to experience. Even when it wasn’t directed towards her. 

“When? All your notes are drawings, man.”

“It makes sense to me .” 

“Right, right!” 

“Well listen! Maybe I just needed a cool highlighter to keep me motivated.” 

“Yellow’s the most basic color there is…”

Ah! Man… that should not have made Yachi as bummed as it did. Well, they weren’t wrong, she supposed. Yellow was a basic color. Especially when there were other shades like purple or mint green or sky blue. Yellow… yellow just didn’t-

“This is the best shade of yellow there is.”

And there was something in the way that Hinata said that. So sure, so strong, and with enough passion someone would think he was defending his favorite tv show character. Yachi felt her heart soar. Then immediately felt silly for getting so excited over Hinata being an advocate for something silly like a highlighter. 

She glanced up secretly. Hoping to see what Hinata’s expression was like. Her heart stopped. Her breath hitched. 

Because Hinata was looking at her, too. 

If this were a shoujo manga, and Yachi’s read many of them, this would be the scene where the world disappears and the only thing left are their desks. Their eyes meet and around them is a frame of cherry blossoms and starlight. Of sparkles and an intense, hushed moment that’s meant to translate a moment shared between two people and two people only.

But this is the real world. The moment fleets and passes like a train rushing for its next stop. 

“I like this color,” Hinata said. Looking at her still. His face broke out into a sunny smile that hit Yachi right in the chest. “I like it a lot.” Then he twirled his highlighter around his fingers like a drummer and turned back to his friends. 

“What? Why were you looking at Yachi-san like that?”

“Haha, don’t worry about it!” Hinata turned the conversation onto asking if they’d seen the ending of Black Clover yet. 

There was a loud, pulsing sound. That roared and demanded attention. That swallowed Yachi’s entire body whole. She felt like one, large, heartbeat. Her cheeks were flamed and her fingers were jittery. 

She looked back down at her notes. Staring at the blue marker she was planning to use for color coding. She put it away and brought out the orange highlighter instead. The one she’d bought with Hinata. 

With a slow, measured stroke, she brought the highlighter across the first word on the page. 

CONDITIONING - LED BY HINATA SHOUYOU. 

  /

  Yachi felt like death. 

Madoka, her mother, knelt beside her bedside. “You’re so warm, dear. Are you sure you want me to go to work?” she frowned. “I can stay home.”

While Yachi would want nothing more than her mother to stay. To taste some of her mother’s food. To feel the continued cooling comfort of her palm pressed to her forehead. She couldn’t. Her mom had a project presentation coming up soon that had her working longer hours. Yachi knew how excited her mother was to show off her latest work. If she missed a day something could go wrong… and Yachi would feel even worse if that happened because of her.

“It’s ok, mama.” Yachi wiggled herself out of her blanket enough for her face to show. Her cheeks were red and flushed. Her body felt sluggish but she put on the best smile she could. “I just need to sleep some more. I’ll be ok! You go to work.”

“Are you sure?”

“Super sure,” she reached up to touch her mother’s hand. Gave it a squeeze. 

Her mom still didn’t seem convinced. But after a few moments she sighed and got up from the floor. “Alright,” she adjusted her bag and leaned forward to press a kiss on Yachi’s cheek. “Try eating the porridge I made for you if you can! I put all my love in it.” another kiss. “Text or call if you need anything, Hitoka!”

Her mom left for work shortly after. Yachi pulled the blanket back over her head. Oh, she hated being sick. It was such an unpleasant time. Not only was she unable to do work, but her body felt blegh all over. Her nose would keep running. Her eyes never stopped watering. And when she coughed she could feel her whole lungs shake like old rafters in an attic. 

She also hated being sick because she couldn’t see Hinata…

The other managers and a few of the players had sent her get well text messages once they found out she was out sick today. And memes, a lot of memes. She felt good, to be considered. It was nice when people remembered you in your absence. When you not being there meant just as much as you being there. That they even considered reaching out at all had made her all gooey! 

And then Hinata had texted her. And her heart exploded. 

  Hinata: YACHI WHY AREN’T YOU HERE!!

Yachi: I’m sick lol! But it’s just a cold tho!!! I should be better by tomorrow so no worries!!!! 

Hinata: OH NOOOOOOO Hinata: YOU BETTER FEEL BETTER SOON OR ELSE!!!

Hinata: I’m beating up your antibodies as we SPEAK!

Hinata: Wait Tsukishima just told me if I did that you’d die so I’m actually beating up your VIRUS 

  Hinata never failed to make her laugh. Even when it ended with a slight cough that made her more tired afterwards. 

She slept most of the day away. Getting up once to eat her mom’s porridge. It was yummy, because her mom made it. She checked in with her fellow managers. Seeing how practice went. They both told her it went fine, and that her main focus should be rest. 

  Miyuchan: [PICTURE OF HINATA MID JUMP] Hinata-senpai’s in good form today hehehe… Sorachan: [VIDEO OF HINATA TURNING TO THE CAMERA, WAVING] when i said your name he turned and waved!! Said it was just for you :) 

  Yachi’s entire face exploded with heat afterwards. She chucked her phone and ducked under the covers like a caterpillar. “Waaaaaaah! WAAAAAAAH! He looked so good today and I missed it!!! MUCUS DRY UP! COUGH GO AWAY!!!” 

She kicked her feet up and down and buried her head into the pillow. Ah, she really had it bad. When did it ever get this way, though? When had she even started to like him? When had that happened?

Maybe it was gradual. A steady rising. That just built up and up over time until she finally couldn’t ignore it anymore. Maybe it was the natural progression of things. When Hinata was so warm and open and understanding. When his sunlight was so attractive and welcoming that stepping to bask in its glow just wasn’t that weird of a thing to do. 

But now she thought about what wedding colors she’d have her bridesmaids wear at their wedding and what to do if Godzilla attacked that day and they had to get married within his stomach after being eaten and that was the thought that sent her back to sleep. 

When she woke up, the sun had set. 

She rose slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Ah, I slept for too long…”

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

“Morning Hinata…” . . . “HINATA?”

Hinata sat by her bed with the chair she usually had placed at her desk. He was all grins and laughter. “Haha, hey! Yeah, it’s me. I wanted to come see ya.”

“You… did?” 

“Yup! Your mom let me in. She wanted to let you know that she went OVERDRIVE with work today and finished enough so she could come back and see if you needed anything! We bumped into each other at the convenience store when I was getting you..” he reached into his bag and pulled out a pack of Fugashi. Her absolute favorite. 

She was going to cry. She’d blame it on the cold. 

“Hinata you didn’t have to get me anything! Just you here is uh,” she wanted to say that nothing was sweeter than time with Hinata. And nothing was more delicious than Hinata, in general. But instead settled with, “it’s good. It’s a pleasant surprise. Everyone really!” she quickly added. “I’ve gotten so many texts today from the team and our friends… feeling cared by you all made me feel a million times better!” 

Hinata still placed the bag of snacks on her bed beside her. And scooted the chair until he was right by her. He fixed her with a serious glance that made her want to fidget. But then he just broke out into his usual smile. 

“Well duh. Of course we’d check in on you! You’re important to us after all.”

“Hehe… yeah,” she rubbed at her cheek. “It’s nice to be reminded of that, I guess. You know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” he nodded several times for emphasis and then jumped as if he was struck by lightning. “Oh yeah! I almost forgot.” he reached into his bag again and pulled out a notebook. “I took notes! For you. Well, for me too but these are the ones I did for you specifically.”

She took the notebook from his hands. Flipping through the pages to find scrawled onto the paper notes. Organized and then explained why they were organized the way they were with doodles and boxes and arrows. It was all very Hinata. Yachi felt like she was getting a sneak peek into the inner workings of his brain. Which was cute. But what really made the notes was on the last page. Where he had written in big letters: KEY - IMPORTANT INFORMATION HIGHLIGHTED WITH YACHI YELLOW! 

This was the moment where she fell. 

If like was the diving board, love was the pool. And she fell into its waters. Got consumed by its waves. 

She liked him. Maybe even loved him. Infinitely so. The heat of her fever chilled in comparison to the overwhelming warmth and adoration she had for him in this moment. 

She pressed the notebook to her chest. Feeling the corners of her eyes sting. “These are the best notes I’ve ever received… thank you.” Yachi kept her eyes on Hinata. Who looked so pleased and elated and ecstatic-his entire face glowing from the praise. “And thank you for coming to see me.” 

“Of course, Yachi!” he reached out to grab her hand. Gave it a squeeze. And then ruffled her hair before he got up. “If you have any questions about the notes, gimmie a text! And I’ll see you in class tomorrow, ok? You better come! Or else I’m bringing you there myself!” 

“Yeah! Tomorrow,” she grinned. So hard her cheeks hurt. 

Later that night, after Hinata had left. Her mom came to find her later. Madoka sat at the end of Yachi’s bed. While Yachi sat propped against her headboard. Fingers running through every word Hinata had written for our. Making sure to linger extra long on the highlighted phrases. So much so her index finger had highlighter smudges on it. 

“I think he likes you,” her mom had said after a few moments. 

Yachi whipped up her head, “Did he say something? Did he! Mama you can’t say that and then not explain!”

Her mother laughed, “You didn’t give me a chance to! No, Hitoka. He didn’t say anything directly. But I know attraction when I see it.” she lowered her eyes, a sly expression on her face as she regarded Yachi. “Something tells me it’s not so one-sided on his part…” 

Yachi papped her cheeks, rubbing in small circles. “Ah… is it noticeable?”

“A bit,” she leaned forward to kiss Yachi on the forehead. “I approve, by the way. If he ever wants to come over for dinner let him know he’s more than welcomed! Also! Did you guys kiss? I hope you didn’t since you could pass your cold to him but if you did -”

“MAAAAMAAAAAA!” 

“Just teasing!” 

  /

  It was one thing to know you liked someone.

It was another thing altogether to act upon it. 

Yachi had definitely grown in her courage stat over her high school career. She didn’t hesitate to strike up a conversation. She didn’t question, as much and as aggressively, her place in the world. She raised her voice and led proudly during every practice session with her managers. She even looked forward to volunteering in class. 

But love? Romance? She had zero stats in that section at all.

Most of her knowledge came from otome games and shoujo mangas. And the occasional evening drama she and her mama would watch when her mama had a day off. 

Real life experience? Zero. 

How did people even confess to their crushes?

“I could write him a note,” she thought, sipping on her strawberry milk in class during lunch. “Or um… write him a song? I can’t sing well though. Maybe I should get someone else to sing it? But what if he thinks the person who’s singing the song to him is crushing on him and he falls in love with them and then they get engaged right in front of me I would have to simply pass awa-”

“What are you talking about, Yachi? It sounds stressful?”

“Hinata!” Of course he’d appear as she rambled herself into oblivion. So embarrassing. “Oh, nothing. I was just getting in my head a bit.”

“Well I hope you can get out of your head soon enough cause look!” Hinata held up his test score papers. They weren’t the best but they weren’t failures. He actually hit much higher than his usual exam results. With scores ranging well within the 60s and 70s. “I passed! Our study sessions worked!”

“Oh that’s so great Hinata! I knew you could do it! I’m so proud.”

“Hehehehehe, it’s all thanks to your wonderful teaching! Hey, as thanks. We’re gonna go out after school ok? Since we don’t have practice we can like, go get something to eat.” 

Like a date? Her brain supplied traitorously. “Something to eat sounds good. But you really don’t have to treat me. It was no trouble at all tutoring you.”

“I want to do this,” Hinata pressed. Firm and resolute. Once Hinata got set with an idea, it was hard to change his mind. Stubbornness was imprinted within his DNA-Yachi was sure of it. 

“Ok,” she agreed, nodding. Smiling, she added, “We can meet by the gym?”

“The gyms perfect! It’s a-” before he could finish Kageyama’s voice called out from the doorway. 

“Hinata! Melon bread is on sale today. Last one to the cafeteria sucks!” and then he booked it. 

“YOU DIRTY CHEATER, KAGEYAMA!” Hinata hollered. The classmates around them laughed. Yachi wondered what Hinata was going to say after that. But before she could ask Hinata turned to her, slapping his hands on her desk.

“The gym!” he pressed, looking her right in the eye. 

She nodded, “The gym. Go! Melon bread!” she stuck out her orange highlighter. Hinata blinked down at it for a second, then grinned. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his yellow highlighter. He tapped his against hers. 

“I’M COMING FOR YOU MELON BREAD!” Hinata roared before he tore out of the classroom like a hurricane on a mission. 

Yachi stared at her highlighter like it was a rare jewel. She clutched it to her chest, where her heart was beating madly. 

“Thank you so much for existing,” she whispered. 

The rest of the day went by in a blur. 

Yachi barely remembered what occurred in her lessons. But that wasn’t really important. What mattered was after school. It was rare that they didn’t have practice. But Ukai-sensei wanted to give the team a good rest after their last practice match with Nekoma.

“You guys aren’t even allowed to think about a volleyball,” Ukai-sensei had warned. “If I find out you’re even touching one? Laps! Laps for days!” 

Yachi was surprised Hinata wasn’t attempting to sneak off with Kageyama somewhere far, far away to go practice out of sight from their coach. But she’s incredibly happy he isn’t. 

“Yachi!” 

Yachi’s heart skipped a beat as Hinata stopped by her with his bike. She hopped off the steps to meet him. “Hinata! Hi! Nice bike!”

“Thanks! Wait check this out,” he rang the bell several times. It’s chime declared to anyone who could hear it. “It’s the Mahou Ranger theme song. I learned it last week with Terushima!” 

“It’s fine! Um,” she stared at the bike, looking left and right to find another seat. “Are we going on that together?”

“Yeah! Is that cool?”

Was that cool? She’s read shoujo manga after shoujo manga depicting this very scene and they still hadn’t prepared her for this moment. She swallowed thickly. 

“Yup! It’s cool. I won’t fall, right?” she attempted a laugh at the end. Something light to make her heart settle and her palms sweat less. (Do her armpits smell? Would he even notice if they did? No no, her armpits were fine ). 

Hinata grinned lopsidedly, “If you hold on tight you won’t even wobble.”

Oh Yachi’s gonna hurl. 

Once Yachi’s on the bike, and her arms are secured around Hinata’s middle, it’s a whole other experience. A thousand manga panels couldn’t capture the feeling of having her chest pressed to his back. Having her cheek against his shoulder. Seeing and meeting Hinata’s eyes everytime he glanced back to see if she was ok. 

“I’m a safe driver!”

“I think we broke the sound barrier a bit!”

“Yeah but safely !” 

She’s laughed more on the bike ride than she had all day. And she may have held on a little tighter. Squeezed and took advantage of the closeness a little more than she should. But she wanted to indulge in a little greediness. Take a bit more than what she usually would have. In case this moment was the last. In case she’d never get to feel him like this again. 

They ate first. At a ramen shop downtown. The noodles were soft and the soup was so warm! Yachi slurped up her entire bowl. Messily and all. They talked about everything. School and their current, favorite TV shows. They exchanged music recommendations and talked about the future. 

“I think I want to go abroad,” Hinata mentioned as they sat by the riverbank after dinner. 

The back of Yachi’s neck went cold. “Oh yeah?” she tried not to think about how abroad meant far away and not near here. Because these were his dreams, not hers. And above all Yachi wanted to support Hinata and his journey with every fibre of her being. No matter where that took him. Even if she couldn’t support him by his side. “That’s amazing! Do you have a place in mind?”

“A few!” Hinata hummed. “I’m still weighing the options. I wanna go somewhere warm though. With a nice beach… I’d love to play some beach volleyball!”

“I’d worry about the sand in my toes,” Yachi laughed. “I get sand everywhere when I go to the beach. It’s really unpleasant.”

The sun was beginning to set. Sitting heavy and content upon the horizon. A mix of oranges and yellows and quiet pinks and rueful purples. Yachi focused her eyes on the river. And made her brain think about how far it reached. How the river would probably go to the ocean. And how the ocean, despite being divided into seven parts, was really all connected at the end. And maybe, that could be them. Divided, but connected. 

“Ah yeah?” Hinata said. “Well, the sand would definitely need some getting used to. If you visit a lot though, you’d get used to all the sand, wouldn’t you think?” 

If you visit a lot . She had to know what that meant. Because the hope that rose in her chest and took root in her heart and was threatening to dominate her being was too much. Too great. And too burdensome to end in a deflation of a what if, or a failed expectation. 

“You’d want me to come see you?”

“Yeah of course,” Hinata was staring at the bank too. And then he turned to look at her. And she met him in return. As she always would. “I like you. So I wanna see you. Even when we graduate.”

“I mean of course we’d see each other after we graduate! I dunno if I could visit all the time because of college but maybe long breaks or something could work.” She’d completely blown by his first admission. Her brain was already trying to envision summer and fall and winter breaks and a trip. She had to balance finding an internship too. So maybe she could coordinate something with whatever company she ended up interning at. Hopefully they’d be lenient. She’s never traveled abroad either. So maybe she could call up Kiyoko-senpai or-

“Yachi get out of your head.” 

Suddenly, Hinata was in her space. Eyes intense and lips pulled into a frown. Yachi’s instincts told her to move away but her heart told her to remain rooted. 

“Hi,” she said quietly.

Hinata searched her face for countless seconds, “Yachi. Did you hear what I said? The first thing?”

“Yeah of course.” she responded. Then giggles. “Oh, that sounds like I’m responding to you but no I mean I’m just repeating.”

“No, after that. Think,” Hinata was so so close. And with the sunset coating him like a blanket, making his orange hair stand out even more, and his orange, golden eyes glow, she wondered if he’d keep his hair that long. Or if he’d cut it. And she wondered if she could touch it before they graduated. And she wondered if her mother was right, and he did like her. And she-

Oh. 

“You like me.” it hit her like a freight train. Her entire body was covered in a dawning blush. The electricity and tingling of the realization went right down to her toes. 

Hinata broke out into a brilliant smile. “Yes!” he laughed, head thrown back. The sound bounced all over the little world they were building of just her and Hinata. Only two. “Oh my God. I was worried you didn’t like me at first and that was your way of rejecting me. WAIT!” He whipped his head back, eyes wide with panic. “Do you like me? I mean, it’s okay if you don’t I’ll survive but if you did and I missed that you should say it again or if you haven’t said-”

“I like you,” Yachi blurted out. Because once the words had a reason to be alive. Had a reason to be born. Could be freed from the prisons of her mind and delivered safely with her heart to his hands-she had to say it. Here on the riverbank where the wet grass would surely leave stains on her skirt. But she didn’t care. Because she had to say it. 

“I like you so much,” Yachi continued. Flowing like the river below them. “So much it hurts. So much I really, really want to kiss you.”

Hinata took her lips in the softest kiss. One that made her sigh and her eyelashes flutter. One that made her feel so seen and heard and alive and broken apart and undone and melting all at once. 

It was her first kiss. And it made her want several more afterwards. 

Once they broke apart, Hinata pressed his forehead to hers. Yachi curled her fingers around the back of his neck. Allowed herself the blessing of playing with his hair at the nape of his neck. Biting her lip, she glanced up at him through her eyelashes. He was smiling at her. His cheeks flushed red-probably burning as much as hers were at the moment. He laughed, and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. 

“Me too,” he whispered against her skin. “I like you so much I'm gonna explode, haha.”

  /

   “Can I say something? It’s kinda cheesy,” Hinata started as they biked home. 

“Mhm,” Yachi hummed, nuzzled against his shoulder. 

“I think of you every time I use that highlighter. The yellow one. It’s the only highlighter I’ve ever owned. And it’s probably gonna stay the only highlighter I ever have. Is that weird?” he looked back sheepishly and chuckled. 

Yachi laughed, shaking her head. “No not at all. I got that orange highlighter because it reminded me of you, after all. Or well, your hair specifically. But you, by extension.”

“What do you like more. Me, or my hair?”

“Hmm… that’s a tough question… Can you get back to me on that?”

“No! Yachi! You have to answer right now! Wait,” he stopped the bike by a lamppost. Hopping off, he held out his hands for her to take like she was getting off a carriage. She flushed, giggling, and hopped off with his hands in hers. “I forgot something.”

“Did you leave something behind at the riverbank?” she hoped not. They could go back and look for whatever he’d lost, but it was dark now. And any luck would be wasted right now. She’d try though, if that’s what- 

“Oh, no! No that’s fine. I just. I realized I didn’t-AHHHH!” he shook his head several times like he was scaring away the ghosts in the attic. “Yachi Hitoka! Will you be my girlfriend please?” he yelled for as loud as the neighborhood could hear. “I know I’ll be leaving and we’ll be far apart for a while but I like you a lot! I like you so much! I’ll call you every night! I’ll wish you good morning and good night! I’ll send you pictures of my sandy feet! I want to share everything about this new world I’m going into and I hope you want to do the same! So please consider me as your boyfriend, thank you!” 

Hinata Shouyou was a bag of surprises. When she thought she had him figured out, Hinata just threw Yachi for a loop. 

But that’s what made her drawn to him. That’s what made her like him. 

“Yes!” she yelled, just as loud. Surely the neighbors would wake up but she didn’t care. “Hinata Shouyou I want to be your girlfriend! I want you to be my boyfriend and show me your sandy feet and I’ll show you my not sandy feet! I want to call you all the time! I want to support you on your journey even when we’re oceans apart! I want to continue being with you for as long as I can! I like you! I accept! Be my boyfriend, please!”

Hinata cupped her face and leaned in for another kiss.

Under the flickering lamp post on a late, spring evening where their final days were drawing in. 

But their first moments, together, were only beginning.

#hinayachi #yachihina #hinata shouyou #yachi hitoka #haikyuu #my fics

[thatpinkbetch]

Bkdk Fic Rec

I’ve been inspired to write a fic rec! This one goes out to you @lonely-rabbit

At like, the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 I stayed up until 4am every night reading fics, and because I’m such a loser, I made a word doc to keep track of all of them so I wouldn’t forget them.... I tried organizing it by length but it got messy cause I’m ridiculous and cluttered, so sorry! (I’ll save my own for the end alskdjflsdkfj gotta self promote you know). This is going to get...really long, so I’ll put it under a read more! Also, just a heads up, these are all on ao3, in case that’s important to anyone!

Disclaimer: Any fics with mature or explicit content I will add a bolded warning for, even if it’s only a little bit. Normally most fics will be tagged as such, but some fics that are rated as teen I’ve found to be more suggestive than some of those rated as mature, so I will try to point it out where it feels necessary, for anyone who wishes to avoid it.

Fics under 1k:

Illuminate by TheQueen (269 words)

Summary: Bakugou watches the first firework launch and fights to keep his face neutral

Very short, plot is about a case of amnesia, also very cute and well written for that length! Not angsty at all imo

sweaty hands holding secrets - shounentwink (563 words)

Summary: Someone said Midoriya holds secrets in his hair.

It’s not true: He holds it tightly in his hands. Bakugou’s seen it.

I really like this writer! You’ll see quite a bit of them in this post alkdsjfalskdjf

Fics 1k - 10k:

Many sunflowers later - Jeka (2395 words)

Summary: Scholar Midoriya Izuku comes back to the person he left behind after his journey through the kingdom, the mighty dragon clan leader Bakugou Katsuki.

Day 1 of Twin Stars Week 2020: Fantasy AU.

First of all, fantasy au!!! Second of all, jeka!!! (I need to read more of your stuff!!) Anyways, so cute, such lovely, pretty writing, wonderful story telling, and they’re so in love TT_TT

Boom Badoom Boom - warschach (3429 words)

Summary: Izuku's working the kissing booth at the school fair, it just so happens Katsuki has been crushing on him since the first grade.

“Did you—“ Izuku parted his mouth with no sound leaving it, “Did you pay?”

“Yea.”

“For a kiss?”

This one’s a little silly but I love it still. It’s got a “kids in the 80′s over summer vacation” vibe, I think. I love warschach! I should read more of their writing... They have SUCH good bakudeku content! *It’s rated teen but there’s some suggestive content, just a heads up!

Hopeless Ramen-tic - lalazee (7155 words)

Summary:  Midoriya is a cute guy who works at a ramen stall and Bakugou is thirsty as hell, but has to hide it by being an asshat. Another love story.

Ah, so good TT_TT so much sass, such good plot development and story telling for a simple concept *It’s rated as teen but again, it can be suggestive at times!

I’ll share this with you, so leave it behind - yabakuboi (3508 words)

Suammry: For the sake of the story, All Might is never in need of a successor, and, when Izuku saves Katsuki from the sludge monster, encourages young Midoriya down a different path. Thus, Katsuki and Izuku part ways after junior high, as Katsuki enters U.A. and the Midoriyas move overseas. It’s later that Katsuki realizes that there’s something missing, that he drove that something away.

Years after, Katsuki finds him in the last place he looks, in the cereal aisle at the local grocery store of their childhood neighborhood.

So soft, so sweet, so good if you just want to curl up in a comfy blanket and drink hot cocoa and feel warm and cozy and a little in love

The Secret Deku Box - yabakuboi (2241 words)

Summary: “Y’know, Bakugou never, ever talks about girls,” Kaminari says, his voice thoughtful.

“And I wonder why that is.” Ashido rolls her eyes.

“I’m just curious!” Kaminari whines. Kirishima drags the box out, unlabeled and unassuming, the lid not even fully clasped over the edges. “The guy has to— Whoa, what’s that?”

Kirishima realizes a little belatedly that this is a serious breach of privacy, and Bakugou will actually murder all of them. “Nothing!” he cries, attempting to shove it back under the bed, but Ashido snatches it away.

“Please be his porn stash!” Kaminari whispers as she whips the lid off.

Cute, funny, in canon, in character, and a must read I would say! 

daisy bunches and heather branches - halcyonwhispers (5862 words)

Summary:  izuku falls in love with the foul-mouthed tattoo artist next door.

Not another flower/tattoo shop au.... aldskjflaskdjfd Okay but punk!Bakugou is ALWAYS a smart move imo

the best part of me (is the worst I can give) - halcyonwhispers (5668)

Summary: Whole sentences usually make up people’s Words, but Katsuki got stuck with a name instead.

Izuku’s name.

I am such a sucker for soulmate aus when it comes to these boys TT_TT *There is some mature content, just a heads up!

Hard to Say - halcyonwhispers (8390 words)

Summary: Izuku is a Halfling, born after his faerie father spirited away his mom and then left her behind. Never quite fitting in with the humans or any of the supernatural beings in his small town, Izuku hoped that going to a diverse college in the big city will help him finally make friends.

Katsuki’s family has been powerful witches for generations, and he’s no different. Talented and a proclaimed genius to boot, he knew he shouldn’t waste his time on this dumbass (disgustingly cute) half-blood.

Or,

two idiots fall in love and don’t get that the other’s awkward cues are just a result of romantic tension.

I am ALSO a sucker for fantasy/mythical creatures au and I LOVED this one - Bakugou absolutely unable to handle how cute Midoriya is? Perfection - but it’s unfinished, and I don’t think it ever will be continued, unfortunately TT_TT

lots to unpack (throw away the whole suitcase) - shounentwink (4315 words)

Summary: “How’d you know?” Midoriya asks.

There’s a hunch to his shoulders that wasn’t there three hours ago. Freckled shoulders are kissed sunburnt and red: he looks like someone ran him over and left him like roadkill in the sunlight. Bakugou’s working with insurance today, but he could see the sparks of green lightning even from his elevated position in their shared agency. Midoriya’s holding his thumb, cracking it over and over — it looks like he’s rubbed it raw.

“Dunno,” Bakugou says. “Maybe you’re just easy to read, nerd.”

I love this one so much, it was one of the first ones I read, it’s so good, and it’s another that really affected how I view their relationship! Idk this one just hit for me

hang the moon from us (it’s a no from me) - shounentwink (1200 words)

Summary: Midoriya’s gonna get sick of Bakugou one of these days, and then the whole ruse will be over, and the balance of power will tilt beyond salvation, but that day isn’t today and it looks like Bakugou knows it.

What an asshole.

Once again, I’m a sucker for the fantasy au... But even more, the diction, the details, the imagery...it’s absolutely all stunning here. I wish I could write this pretty

In Which Bakugou Finds His One Tru Luv - Erina (5862 words) This is the first one of a series called The Misadventures of Explodo-kill Agency!

Summary:  Welcome to the Explodo-kill agency! We can destroy your buildings, crash your cars, and help you solve one of the seven mysteries in life: who is Bakugou Katsuki's mysterious boyfriend?!

I’ll admit I’ve only read the first three but by god they are the funniest fics I’ve ever read in my life. I see that Erina has added more since the last time I checked it out! Tbh I was only interested in reading the purely bakudeku ones... (My favorite was the second one!! SO funny and cute!)

i still do - raeryn (9646 words)

Summary:  He’s losing him to pieces, but Izuku still tries to make them count. In which a battle leaves Bakugou Katsuki with amnesia, and Izuku finds himself picking up the pieces.

So, this one makes me cry. TT_TT

One Thing Straight - winningshot (9899 words)

Summary: They totally aren't.

Hints of their relationship is found in all of their friends’ social media accounts, but majority of their fans still think that Katsuki and Izuku are in relationships with anybody but each other.

It was amusing up until it became sad.

Lmao it’s a little salty but I guess I can be too. This is a social media fic! There’s multiple ships in this one, too

A Demolition Boy & his Cryptid BF - kewltie (8472 words)

Summary: Bakugou of the Demolition Squad is famous for running one of the most popular Youtube channels on the web that regularly blow shit up and jumped off a perfectly good building for shit and giggles. He's also famous for his Cryptid BF™, never appearing on camera except for a few bodyshots and all information on him is kept locked up tighter than Fort Knox, therefore drawing all sort of attention and curiosity toward his mysterious boyfriend.

Deku from Deku Explains is a hopeless chatterbox who is known for uploading 20-30 minutes video that talked about his favorite shows and comics and have one of the most devoted following on Youtube. He also can't seem to shut up about his boyfriend Kacchan, who regularly make his presence on the channel as a disembodied voice.

They should theoretically have nothing in common except a shared platform to host their content and an army of fans with an endless curiosity and devotion to their Youtubers. Vidcon is where we lay our scene and the internet is about to get a rude wake up call.

Okay kewltie is SO GOOD and very creative! The formatting is phenomenal, it’s like you’re actually experiencing a social media melt down in real time lol

be my good luck charm - writedeku (6785 words)

Summary: See, the thing is, Midoriya Izuku had been born with a curse. It’s not a curse that’s particularly visible. He doesn’t have horns, or a tortured face, and it’s not the kind of silly curse like a friend of his had way down south in Diagnor, wherein the girl had been born without the ability to say the word duck. Midoriya Izuku is just extremely unlucky.

(Or the AU in which Izuku's the world's unluckiest travelling merchant, and Katsuki is someone who may be able to help him. For a price, that is.)

Oh I adore this one! It’s so cute and such a good narrative! Nice and warm, and Bakugou trying his damnedest to be suave, and it somehow working because Midoriya is just as flustered. *Another one rated as teen but some suggestive content.

Smells Like Victory - majjale (2377 words)

Summary: Bakugou takes two steps into the room and stops, clapping a hand over his nose. “Ugh, what stinks like Deku in here?”

"Good afternoon, Bakugou. That would be the amortentia."

I must admit, not a fan of HP, but majjale...TT_TT majjale writes these two boys so well. This one is really, really good!

Cherish Me - Justaperson1718 (2376 words)

Summary: “What?”

Izuku looked back down at his menu and flipped the page, a small smile on his face. “Nothing.”

Katsuki glared at Izuku from across the table. “If it was nothing then you wouldn’t be staring at me.”

“It’s just a little funny watching you try to look your best for our date when you always look great anyway,” Izuku explained. He wouldn’t look up from his menu while he spoke, but his words remained ingrained with confidence nevertheless. He considered what he was saying to be fact, and nothing else. “Even when you’re not trying in front of the cameras, it’s still hard to take my eyes off of you.”

This is a sequel to a fic that’ll be in the next section, because it’s longer, called Manage Me. Please read that one first before this one! (Not part of a series, but they’re the same story line)

Fascinating - Justaperson1718 (1556 words)

Summary: “I’m not staring at you,” Izuku replied, his eyes focused intently on Katsuki. He’s still wearing his pajamas, sitting on his knees in their shared bed. He was awake moments before Katsuki, and waited eagerly for the other to awake.

Katsuki glanced over his shoulder after his shirt was on and glared. “You’re fucking staring at me right now.”

Izuku shook his head, humming his disapproval quietly. “I’m watching you.”

“That’s the same damn thing,” Katsuki said while searching for a pair of pants in the dresser. “Your eyes are fixated on me like I’m your life’s fucking goal or some shit.”

“I just like watching you get dressed.” Izuku tilted his head to the side and smiled softly at Katsuki’s confused stare. “I know, it’s weird. But I like it.”

*There is a little bit of implied mature content, but overall, it’s just so sweet and intimate, and I just simply adore this one.

in a place once filled with gold - dorenamryn (9226 words)

Summary: It felt strange to remember such details, for they were things a friend should know, and as far as Katsuki was concerned, he and Deku hadn’t been friends in a very, very long time. He could admit, with reluctance, that they were on the path there, now, even though they would never make it. Katsuki would die before they could get the chance.

or: There is a garden growing in Katsuki’s lungs, and he is helpless to stop it.

“Hanahaki disease” okay, I can explain myself. Okay, I can’t. In any case, you got angst with a happy ending if that’s what you’re into!

Kaleidoscope - DPRenFTW (5141 words)

Summary: Izuku is a witch. He just needs to find his familiar. Enter a boy that is a wolf, and a wolf that is a boy - with wild red eyes and sharp smiles.

And Izuku thinks:

"Oh, it's him."

Just as beautiful and fascinating as the name implies! I seriously recommend for the beautiful writing, the gorgeous world, the mythical creatures au, and the lovely bakudeku romance!

Learning Curve - sensiblysilly (4222 words)

Summary: Deku and Katsuki’s first kiss goes rather differently than planned.

And Katsuki’s quickly learning that relationships can be unpredictable - especially when taking into account the variable that is Midoriya Izuku.

This really is just a careful handling of a teenage romance where perhaps one of them may have shit they’re still working through. It’s really sweet, and a careful study at boundaries and the building of a relationship. I actually stumbled across this while looking for another with the same name and ended up pleasantly surprised. Kacchan can has a little validation, as a treat.

4/20 is a national holiday - Ereri_Garbage (

Summary: Izuku is a drug dealer that doesn't really accept the fact he's a drug dealer, Katsuki is hot as hell as shouldn't be allowed a facebook.

Happy (Late) birthday Katsuki and happy (late) 4/20. I actually half assed an edit on this one so it took longer to post than I thought it would.

Uummmm lmao yes I have a sense of humor. ;ALDSKJFLSKDJF Okay, I say that, but this is not a crack fic, it’s a good story that I enjoy with good writing, and *it has mature, content, obviously for multiple reasons here. It’s rated as mature but there are borderline explicit moments imo. It’s a fun fic and funny, too! And, ngl, it really does remind me of college... But forget about me, the bakudeku is wonderful too of course :)

Drinking Watermelon - warschach (8906 words)

Summary: For whatever reason, maybe divine fate, Izuku turned and looked over his shoulder and waved to them.

Katsuki’s heart full on stopped right then, and his fingers forgot their duty on the rails, and his body neglected its job to keep Katsuki balanced.

Izuku’s summer sweet smile fell into concern as Katsuki went airborne and cracked his skull on the porch.

or Katsuki works as a camp counselor, and Izuku is a boy made of summer heat and sunlight.

Love it when people have Bakugou as absolutely enamored with Midoriya; it’s so good and true. Anyways this one makes me like summer camp story lines. It’s funny and also cute and great writing! *It’s got explicit content, just a heads up. Warschach stories just have this youthful 80′s vibe, I don’t know how else to explain it.

there are listed buildings - semiautomatichearts (3309)

Summary: Katsuki first sees colors bloom when he is only three years old. It is timid Izuku, hiding behind the cover of his mother's leg who looks upon him with wide eyes, and Katsuki's world explodes in shades of greens and pinks and blues, and he is so startled, he begins to cry.

His life is then on defined in color, in shades his peers can't see, by the forlorn, timid stare in Izuku's eyes that always lets off more than he is willing to tell. There is a schism driven between himself and his fated other, and Katsuki strives to be better than fate, better than what is defined for him. He is more than the written pages of a book, to be cracked open and read by the gods.

He wonders if it is possible for colors to bloom for someone who will never love you back.

Ah...soulmates :) So interesting how bakudeku fits into soulmate aus like this one when they’ve known each other as kids! And when they’ve had this complex push and pull thing going on all their lives! The writing is beautiful, and so is the story!

Promise Ring - bkdkwritingsdump (3579)

Summary:  The midwest in the 1950′s is no place for boys who like kissing boys: something Izuku and Katsuki know all too well growing up there. However, the undeniable bond between the nervous science geek and the aloof delinquent will still find a way to blossom in such a desert.

Cute, sweet, makes my gay heart ache. Longing not just for the one you love, but just to feel right loving them. Very pretty story line, lovely story telling!

Fics 10k - 30k:

Fishy - warschach (19417 words)

Summary: Izuku’s convinced his hot co-worker/neighbor, Katsuki, is a mermaid-or merman- you gotta consider genders even with mythical creatures- and plans to prove it.

(or this is kinda like the show ‘Monster Quest’, except Izuku actually finds said monster, falls in love, and have sexy times.)

Another warschach! I love this one, I love how they write bakudeku, particularly as college students, their stories (at least, the ones that I’ve read) always feel so warm, like a summer’s day, but not a lazy one, one that’s playful? If that makes sense? *This one is explicit, another heads up!

Manage Me - Justaperson1718 (10756 words)

Summary: Izuku caught himself moving forward, his head tilted somewhat to the side, and his eyes shot wide open. His gaze met Katsuki’s half-lidded eyes now that he was no longer in a dreamlike state, and seeing the way Katsuki was looking at him—waiting for him—made him realize Katsuki would’ve let him do it. He might have even wanted him to do it.

“You’re both doing fabulous!” the photographer called out to them, packing his camera into his bag and getting ready to leave. “I just got word that what we have now should be good, so we’ll stop there. Thank you for your time! Lock the door on your way out after you change.”

The pair stayed frozen in place, with Izuku’s arms around Katsuki’s neck and Katsuki’s hands resting on Izuku’s waist, while the photographer and his supervisor left.

“Kacchan,” Izuku cooed once they were gone. “Did you want to…?”

Love the story, love the bakudeku! Very, very good bakudeku TT_TT very sweet *There is some mature content in here as well

point to a map (we’ve been there) - cosmicfuss (10589 words)

Summary: Serendipity / sĕr″ən-dĭp′ĭ-tē Serendipity is the occurrence of an unplanned fortunate discovery. Two men find themselves on a subway, hot coffee on one while the other is in the middle of a screaming match. After that they can't seem to stop finding each other, no matter how far they go.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; this fic owns my entire soul. I love the story, the ease of their relationship, just how lovely they are together. It’s another kind of nice, fluffy fic you’d read on a bad day where you come home and curl up in a blanket and listen to a ten hour video of thunderstorm white noise. *Again, some more mature content in here

Partners - tsukithewolf (13619 words) Another series! Two parts to this one this time

Summary: It is said that in Musutafu there is a charm that one can buy at a temple that will lead you to your destined partner. They say that if the charm works, you would be able to follow the red string of fate to the person you were meant to be with. And if the person returns your feelings, they would be able to see the string as well, proving that both were meant to be.

Three-year-old Katsuki and Izuku misunderstand what the word "partner" means and discover the charm and the rumor behind it is not only true, but more than expected.

Gets a little heavy, depression, bullying, suicidal thoughts, etc. But it must get worse before it gets better, that kind of thing. I also just adore the second part (called Bond) - maybe because it’s much fluffier, what about it?

Learning Curve - iknewaman (10304 words)

Summary: “Izuku.” Uraraka repeats as she motions at the person stood next to her. Green curls, average height, and, well. Up close, not such a bad smile. Uraraka points a thumb at Bakugou and enunciates slowly, “This is Bakugou. He can speak sign language too.”

Wait. Sign language?

The stranger— well, Izuku— looks at him with a raised brow. Their free hand lifts up as they make a slight motion of the hand.‘

Really?’

*

Bored out of his mind at a house party one night Bakugou is introduced to Izuku, a deaf student who offers to help teach Bakugou sign language in exchange for a favour-- or well, is prompted into asking for a favour.

Ah, I really want to explain this one a little bit? I’d never been into fanfiction ever, only really getting into it with these boys. This was the second one I read, I remember, and it caught me off guard, and it intrigued me. It really surprised me as to what fanfiction could be. Ngl I had biased perceptions of fanfics - I used to be one of those people who thought fanfiction could never be good writing - and this one slapped me in the face with it’s subtle beauty and creative story and heart melting capabilities, and very, very real relationship and growth. Anyways it’s so cute how happy Deku is to teach Kacchan sign language TT_TT Make sure to read the tags!

The Keeper and the Sun God’s Heir - SurelyHeavenWaits (12746 words)

Summary:  The Titans' have stolen something important from Izuku, heir of the Sun God, and he wants it back.

This one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one this one- Oh my god this one. Okay so what, I was a Percy Jackson kid, what about it? I love the mythical aus, particularly the god ones. But beyond that, the writing is so beautiful, just like the world, and the imagery. The bakudeku...absolutely stunning. The story itself? Incredible. Cannot recommend more. *There is explicit content in this, though I will say, it’s all in the last chapter, and all of the story is in the first two chapters. There’s also a second part as it’s a series and it’s short but it’s cute and sweet TT_TT

seven days - aaAAAaaahhhhHHHHH (10094 words)

Summary: There’s something about the green haired boy, an aura that just drew Katsuki in before he even knew his name.

[Sometimes your mind forgets, but your heart remembers]

Heed my warning: DON’T read this in front of other people. I bawl every time I read this one TT_TT I know I said I don’t like angst but AJLSKDFJALSKDFJ it has a hopeful ending! I mean yeah you’re gonna cry but...hope? :’) (that username really says it all tbh)

Fics 30k+

Notice me, nerd - useless_donut (40000 words)

Summary: Bakugou is in love with Midoriya. He doesn’t hide it, in fact it’s so painfully obvious that the entire class of 3-A has him figured out in a matter of months (days, in some cases). Too bad Midoriya is the most oblivious motherfucker out there, and Bakugou is too damn stubborn to actually ask him out.

Will the class of 3-A survive the sexual tension? Who will snap first? Someone put Bakugou out of his misery, please, before everyone else dies of second-hand embarrassment.

(a love story as witnessed by the class of 3-A)

Love the idea of Bakugou being brazen and brash, cause yeah, he is. So fucking funny though how that translates to him flirting. Gotta say, thought I was gonna cringe, but his “I’m gay af” outfit really ended up being A Look. Love the mutual pining, it really is strong in this one. *Okay, mature content in this one lads.

While You Were Sleeping - Belkacaramelka (71197 words)

Summary: The one where quirkless fanboy Midoriya Izuku rescues Pro Hero Todoroki Shouto, gets mistaken as his fiancé while he is in a coma, and gets caught up in the most unlikely fake engagement... until his childhood enemy and Todoroki's classmate Bakugou Katsuki tries to catch him out, and they both end up discovering a lot more about each other than they'd expected.

Quirkless AU based on the film; endgame BakuDeku. -- Katsuki didn’t know when the change had happened: how he had gone from asking why Todoroki chose Deku of all people, to wondering why it was Todoroki that Deku chose. Troublesome Deku, who cooed like an idiot at cats, tripped at a random catcall and sang badly. Who, despite everything, proved that it wasn’t the quirk that defined a person. Deku, who was too much, not his, and undeniably off limits to begin with.

Update: Epilogue added

*This one has mature content. If you can, please, for the love of god, read this fic. It’s like, tied with my favorite bkdk fic perhaps ever. It’s based on the movie of the same title, a nineties romcom with Sandra Bullock, but Belkacaramelka has so effortlessly made it into it’s own story, fit it so perfectly inside of the bnha world. I definitely stayed up until 6:30am reading this one. It’s got such good badass Midoriya, who is also sweet, and really really good reconciliation between bakudeku.

All Gifted - fitzefitcher (39129 words)

Summary: The thing about gifts is that they're meant to be given, they're meant to be shared; so Izuku will take his gifts, so freely given to him, and share them with all he holds dear.

Izuku is born without any gifts, as his kind often are, to a witch mother and salamander father, on one sweltering night in July.

This one is unfinished...and I highly doubt it will ever be. But what has been written is incredible. Once again, I’m a sucker for the magic/mythical creatures aus. But the relationship is great! The characterization is great! The found family trope that was building up is great!

under a hollow sun - umbrage (40572 words)

Summary: Midoriya is cursed with emptiness.

Misfortune leads him to a man of ancient magic and endless rage.

To stop an unfathomable evil, their mismatched halves must become whole.

Uuuggghhhh this was so good! I don’t think it’s going to be finished either :( Once again, fantasy au, more amazing writing, on point characterization, incredible pacing, makes you hungry for more story.

all the savage soul requires - majjale (58032 words)

Summary: Bakugou seems to have exhausted his patience for words and no longer acknowledges that Midoriya exists, so Midoriya crosses his legs, stares down at his hands limned in firelight, and makes a list of things he knows.

One. His name is Midoriya Izuku.

Two. He is a Godmarked, future god of life, heir to the divine throne.

Three. The gods have been fighting Death for eons, and now he's coming for recompense with everything he’s got.

This is majjale, so of course, the writing is more than beautiful; it’s absolutely breathtaking. This may be my favorite fic ever - unfortunately I don’t think it will ever be finished either TT_TT There’s the gods/fantasy au, which you know by now I love. But the characterization of our two boys is absolutely perfect, and I mean that as literally as possible. And the story being crafted between the two, the memory loss, the obvious history muddled by it all, it was so dense, and the PINING, so incredibly written, flowing so naturally. It wasn’t even close to being done, but it was wonderful, still is wonderful. 

My Writing: (You can skip this if you hate shameless self promotion)

You’re too damn flicking cute (1815 words)

Summary:  Bakugou is certain his shitty boyfriend is instigating kisses. Maybe it doesn't help that he keeps giving them away like it's a damn going out of business sale, but the stupid nerd is too fucking cute. Either way, like everything else, this is a competition, and he's going to win it.

Please don’t read this unless you’re going to the dentist afterwards! I’ve been told it’s so sweet it’ll give you instant cavities >_>;;;;

Bakugou Katsuki, you smooth motherfucker (10118 words)

Summary: Everyone around him knows that Bakugou Katsuki has a very special way with words. To the untrained ear he is loud and crass; to those that speak Kacchan, he is caring and inspiring. Yet there are rare moments, moments so fleeting you blink and you miss them, where Bakugou’s words pierce straight through Midoriya’s chest, and surprise everyone around him.

Goddammit, if only he would say them to Midoriya’s face.

Or, the five times Bakugou said something nice about Midoriya, and the one time he said something kind to him (but that was too long of a title).

I think most would consider this my best published fic; it’s one of those snapshot fics, “the five times where x did this, and the one time where they didn’t.” The recurring comment I get on this one is both of them being super in character, so I think that’s it’s defining characteristic! Bakugou and Midoriya have never known a life without the other, and in a perfect world, they never will.

Here, let me fix that (11247 words)

Summary: Bakugou honestly never thought he’d see Deku ever again. And now that they were together in this tiny compartment, alone for the next two and a half minutes, he had no clue what to say. He’d just apologized, right? So perhaps he could leave it at that and carry on with the original plan to never see the green-haired man that reminded him of dense forests, late night adventures, and tear-stained faces, ever again.

Ha! Who is he kidding? These bitches are soulmates.

I’ve gotten some critiques on this one, so sorry in advance if it’s not to your liking! Basically, what if Midoriya never got his quirk? Obviously, life would find a way to put them together because, as previously stated, these bitches are soulmates.

Plenty of Time (16654 words)

Summary: Bakugou found what little sleep he got restless and filled with nightmares that he forgot the second he opened his eyes. Tonight was the first time in a long time where he just had a normal dream - and it happened to be about Deku.

How fucking typical.

In other words, two dorks realize they have feelings for each other but don't know what to do about said feelings.

Ah, my first fic. Very simple, boys being boys, kinda like a slow burn? Idk how to explain this one, just boys figuring out their feelings and trying to figure out what to do about them. Been told these two are a little stupid but I think that’s valid.

We’re all time bombs waiting to explode (39223 words)

Summary: We have now entered the slipstream of time, into an alternate dimension where it neither is, nor isn’t, the 80’s. Two teenagers, burdened with the weight of adolescence in the modern world, find themselves struggling side by side, in part because of each other.

Bakugou, the most popular boy in school, has everything he could possibly want; status, power, and an unbreakable will. Having been dragged along behind him all the way to the top, Midoriya can’t help but wonder how (and why) he ended up standing beside his childhood friend-turned bully-turned friend again, weighed down by their complicated past and present. As the tension between them grows every day, and the arrival of a new, pretty face causes it to peak, it won’t be long before something - or someone - snaps.

I am...very bad at titles, and summaries apparently. This was my Heathers au, but it very quickly diverges from the original (I don’t do sad endings....) *This one has mature content, including implied sexual activity, drug use, and underage drinking, along with other heavy topics; please read the tags! Though tbh Midoriya is 17 for a couple weeks before it hits his birthday halfway through, so keep that in mind I guess? I kind of went heavy with this one, but I think the pay off was immense. This is the one with the most amount of comments stating it’s their favorite bkdk fic ever (and I cry). It’s a rough start, with a rough journey, but so is bakudeku! There’s a lot of petty drama, and then all of a sudden it’s Not That Petty and very much Far Too Real. Many have cried reading the ending, I cried writing it. My sister says it’s her favorite of mine. Now, I did kind of push this out without polishing it so much because I was losing my willpower, so if it feels lacking, that’s one hundred percent my fault.

Okay that was a lot! It took me a couple days...I hope I wasn’t too annoying with all my opinions! Please have a nice day. and enjoy some good reads, even if they aren’t the ones in this post!

#bakudeku #katsudeku #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha #bnha #bkdk #fics #my writing #god i really hope i didn't fuck up any of this #i spent a long time on it alksdjflaskjdflkasdjf #this is 39 fics without my own #and 44 including mine #i can tell i've forgotten some but #idk it's hard TT_TT #anyways it's 2:30am #if i go to bed at 4am one more time i'm gonna throw myself down a flight of stairs #i hope this is good enough as is! #most of this was written very late so I hope it doesn't sound...crazed

[obxlife]

Firsts (Topper x Reader)

A/N: Okay so this is my first Topper request and tbh kind of nervous to post this lol. I decided to do it with both fluff and smut but I made the smut cute because it’s like the first time they have sex and what not so… yeah lol. I had to come up with a cute date and like bro, I’ve never been on a date before so I had NO clue what I was doing but whatever. 

Pairing: Topper x Reader

Word count: 3,870

Request: I was wondering if you could maybe write a smut fluff (or just fluff if you're not comfortable with smut) of y/n and a post-redemption Topper after their first time together and like the cute date that goes beforehand maybe pretty please?😊 I just think that would be very adorable.

Summary: You and Topper had found solace in each other after John B’s and Sarah’s disappearance. After months of hanging out together, it’s your first date. You’re nervous and excited, and you can’t believe how the date ends (sorry I suck at summaries)

Warnings: FLUFF at first and then SMUT (but it’s vanilla mostly lol). Loss of virginity and fingering. Also, I think swearing. THIS IS A POST REDEMPTION TOPPER FIC SO HAVE THIS INFORMATION IN MIND WHEN READING

FIRSTS

After John B and Sarah disappeared, everybody’s world seemed to fall apart. 

This included yours, mainly because you had secretly been in love with John B your whole life. You had grown up together, which was something given due to the fact that you were next-door neighbors. JJ had tagged along to your friendship soon enough, and then Pope and Kie. 

So, yes, the night they went missing and were presumed dead, you thought it was the end of your life. John B, your best friend and the boy you had fallen in love with, was gone.

The months after their disappearance the Pogues fell apart. We didn’t know how to be together without John B. We didn’t know what our friendship meant without John B. We didn’t know ourselves without John B.

And so you returned to being a loner just as you had been when you were small, before you met John. During those lonely months, you would lounge around the beach and the forest surrounding your house.

Being alone was peaceful but hurtful at the same time. You missed having people around you, and you missed sharing laughs and jokes with the Pogues. However, you liked how silent it was, and how you didn’t have to ignore JJ’s dirty innuendos or Kie’s rants about the planet. 

One day, about six months after your friends’ disappearance, your peaceful bubble was broken. Topper stumbled upon your frame, perched on top of a fallen tree, on the beach. You hadn’t heard him at first, too focused on the crashing of the waves upon the sand. But then he spoke. 

“Hey,” he muttered softly. Startled, you sat up, almost falling from the trunk you were laid upon. You turned your eyes towards Topper and glared, not really liking him. However, your eyes softened when you realized he looked eerily similar to you. His eyes were sunken and surrounded by dark bags while his skin was pale. His frosted tips were darker than usual, indicating that he hadn’t been out much. 

“Hey,” you muttered uncomfortably. Your voice sounded hoarse and scratchy, which surprised you. You hadn’t spoken to someone in so long that you had forgotten what your voice sounded like. 

Topper took a seat beside you, jumping onto the tree trunk. Your legs were down towards the ground, while your hands were right before your pelvic bone. You noticed you were twiddling your thumbs, which you normally did around John B when you were nervous. Was Topper making you nervous?

You forced your fingers to stay still.

“You look just as bad as me,” he muttered out with a soft smile, finding your pain humorous. 

You nodded, biting your lips. You didn’t know what to say or how to reply. 

“Do you think they’re alive?”

You shook your head. Topper sighed at your answer. “Yeah, me neither.”

You both stayed silent for a while, basking in each other’s presence. It was weird to be around someone again, especially since that someone was Topper. It was weird because you didn’t hate him as the rest of friends did. You found him to simply be troubled. He had been cheated on by Sarah, and he had been trying to deal with those feelings when she had disappeared. You also knew from Kie (who you had spoken to about four months ago) that Topper had helped them escape from the burning church the night before they disappeared. 

You thought Topper was misunderstood. Much like you felt right now.

“Hey,” you spoke out softly. “I’m sorry about the shit you were put through. From Sarah and from us.”

Topper nodded. “I probably deserved it.”

You shook your head. He really didn’t deserve it. “I’m still sorry.”

You both fell silent again. Sharing your pain with Topper was oddly comforting, even if you weren’t speaking. 

Soon enough, you found yourself meeting Topper at the beach every day. He was a lot more fun than you had ever imagined him to be, and you felt that, little by little, you were helping each other be okay again. He began to invite you to his house and his boat and you couldn’t help but agree to go along, wanting to spend as much time with him as possible. 

During the sunset of one of your many days together he kissed you. You hadn’t been speaking much, but he had gained your attention which caused you to look into his eyes. He was different than when you had seen him for the first time all those months ago on the beach. His hair was frosted again and his skin was tan and he looked happy. You felt you had changed in a similar way to him as well. 

And so he leaned forward and he kissed you. And it was everything you had ever felt for John B and so much more. He was gentle and soft and kind and it was a perfect first kiss. You wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. 

Exactly two days later, Topper asked you out on a date. You, of course, had to say yes. 

Which brought you to where you were now. Nervous and with no idea as to what to wear. You didn’t have nice clothes and you didn’t think anything would be up to par with where Topper was going to take you. 

You were startled by your phone ringing. You reached out to it and smiled at Topper’s name across the screen before panicking. 

“You’re here already? I thought you said five!” you exclaimed nervously.

Topper laughed. “No, no. I just had to let you know that you shouldn’t worry about your clothes. I’m not taking you anywhere that’s too Kooky yet.”

“What do you mean?” you voiced out. You thought you were going to a fancy restaurant. 

“Just get dressed, Y/N,” Topper stressed out. “And don’t worry about what you need to wear. You look great in everything.”

And then he hung up. His help had made you decide that you were going to wear the exact same outfit in which you had met him (which was one of your favorite outfits because it made your butt look good). After putting all of your clothes on, you moved towards your bathroom, brushing your hair and your teeth. Then you picked up what was left of your mother’s makeup.

Your mother had died two years ago, and you had never shown much interest in makeup. At lost not as much as she did. You never got the chance to learn how to do your makeup as your mother would do hers, and now that she had passed away and you actually wanted to learn, but you didn’t have anyone to teach you. You wanted to feel closer to your mother and know how to do your makeup, but that was a battle for another time. For now, you only coated your eyelashes in mascara (after curling them, of course. You weren’t that lost).

Satisfied with how you looked, you turned towards your front door and checked the time on your phone. It wasn’t five yet. 

Your nerves were consuming you. You had never been on a date before and you had no idea what to expect. All you wanted was for it to be perfect. 

Time seemed to be ticking by a lot slower than you were used to, and your heart was beating so fast inside of your chest that you thought you might have a heart attack. You had nothing to distract yourself, and all you wanted was to not be nervous. That was obviously impossible.

You heard a car pull up outside, and you ran out towards the door. Flinging it open, you saw Topper’s car, just as he was hopping out of the driver’s seat. In his hands was a single sunflower, which made you smile. You went out to reach him, pulling him into a hug and breathing in his scent. He smelled of his cologne. 

“Hi,” you said once you had pulled away from him. He smiled down at you and quickly pecked your lips. 

“Hey,” he removed his hands from your body and gave you the flower in his hand. He smiled as you took it. You grabbed onto his hand and dragged him inside with you, where you placed the flower into a tall glass. You didn’t own any vases.

With that, you both went outside and hopped into his car. Revving his engine, you took off down the street. 

“Where are you going?” you asked impatiently and giddily, ready to have your first date. Your nerves had died down a little now that your hand was in Topper’s.

“I can’t tell you. I just know you’re going to like it.”

You pouted at him, causing him to laugh a little. Instead of forcing it out of him, you tuned towards your window and opened it, letting the breeze drift through your hair. You closed your eyes.

You hadn’t realized that you had arrived until Topper squeezed your hand. Opening your hand and turning towards the building in front of you, you read ‘Go-Kart Center’.

“No way!” you said, turning towards Topper and hugging him. You had mentioned you had never gone Go-Karting a couple of months ago, and you had expressed that it was something you really wanted to try. 

“You like it?” Topper asked while unlocking the car and pushing his door open. 

“I love it!” you spoke out, excited to finally try something new. Topper was happy that he had made you smile the way you were smiling. He loved that he was the one that made your day brighter because he felt like you did the same for him. He loved that he could be the one to 

He grabbed onto your hand and dragged you into the building and up to the front counter, paying for fifteen rounds around the pit. 

After that, you moved towards the helmets, placing a hair net over your head before fastening them on. You followed the instructions given by the workers of the pit to sit in the first two carts, and revving your engines. Once on the start line, you and Topper raced off.

You turned towards the left twice before passing under a bridge, speeding past Topper and turning to the right, where you pressed your foot down on the accelerator. The road between the stacked wheels went straight for about fifty feet and then turned towards the right. Before you was the bridge you had passed under just a few moments ago, which you passed quickly before landing at its other side. Turning towards the right you noticed a sharp left turn that would leave you at the beginning of the track. You pressed your foot on the accelerator again, not wanting Topper to pass you.

Around and around the pit you went, crashing into the wheels on the side of the tracks and passing each other. Your laughs and screams of joy could be heard through the whole pit, and the workers covered their ears. You didn’t care.

Once you both finished, you headed towards the counter to receive your stats sheets.

“Looks like I beat you by 0.32 seconds, Y/N,” Topper exclaimed, puffing his chest out a bit. You pouted, causing him to wrap his hands around your body and kiss the top of your head. 

You looked down at the stat sheet and smiled. “I had the fastest lap speed, though!”

Topper nodded and laughed, grabbing onto the pieces of paper and turning you towards the ramp in the back of the room that led to the second floor of the vicinity. Once you arrived at the top you noticed a small bar-like restaurant that served fries and drinks.

You and Topper took a seat at the bar and ordered some fries and two glasses of coke. Then you turned towards each other, a giddy smile on your lips and a soft one on his. 

“Did you like it?” he asked you, nervous at what you would answer. He knew what you would say, but he was still nervous.

You nodded your head vigorously while munching on a couple of fries. He smiled at you, glad about the results that appeared on your face.

Soon after this, you left the building and hopped back into Topper’s car. The drive back to your house was quiet, but your hands were never apart. The smile on your face seemed to be etched there permanently.

Topper pulled up outside of your house and a smirk crossed over your face when you realized that your father was not home. Turning towards Topper, you asked, “Do you want to come inside for a bit?”

He nodded, stepping out of the car and going around to your side. You walked towards the door together and opened it, pulling Topper inside. You led him to the couch where you plopped down and smiled at him. 

“What?” he asked you. You shook your head in disbelief at how lucky you were.

“Nothing,” you muttered. “I’m just so lucky to have you.”

You pressed your lips to his, smiling a little into it. His hands came around to hold your waist and your hands moved against his body as well. One was wrapped behind the back of his neck and the other was pressed flat against his chest.

What had started out as soft and innocent quickly became more fast-paced and desperate. You pushed your body closer to him, even though that was probably impossible, and opened your mouth to let his tongue enter it. Your fingers fumbled a little trying to open his button-up shirt, nervous at what you had in mind. 

You were ready. You wanted to have sex with him and lose your virginity to him. He had been everything to you ever since you had bumped into each other at the beach all those months ago, and you were glad to be giving in to him. 

You opened his shirt and pushed it down his shoulders while his hands moved to tug you onto his lap, straddling him. Your hands pressed against his skin before you disconnected your mouth from his and moved down towards his neck. You weren’t really sure what you were doing so you followed your instincts. You smirked when you heard him moan, meaning you were doing things right. 

Topper’s hands had left your waist and began to slip under your shirt and towards the middle of your back. The pressure near your ribs made you pull back from him, and you noticed the question he was asking with his eyes. As a response, you removed your shirt and tossed it near his. His orbs moved down to your chest, where your bra was the only thing keeping you covered. Feeling a bit self-conscious you moved towards him again, kissing his lips and making his hands fall over your body again. They snaked around you and slithered up and down until they finally came to rest on your breasts. He squeezed them softly, earning a soft gasp from you. They stayed there, kneading them softly until the moved towards your back again, unclasping your last piece of clothing in your torso. 

Topper looked at you, making sure this was all okay. You nodded and let the bra slide down your arms before you crossed your arms over your body. 

“No,” Topper whispered. “You’re beautiful.”

As gently as he could he removed your hands from across your body and stared in awe at what was before him. Leaning down he attached his mouth to your nipple making you moan and throw your head back. Raking your fingers through his hair, you brought him up to your lips to kiss him shortly before letting his mouth wander across your body. His hands were now at the waistband of your shorts in the middle of your back. You felt yourself become wet with anticipation at what you wanted to do, but you felt something nagging in your insides.

Pulling away, you blurted, “I’m a virgin.”

Topper moved back, eyes wide. He didn’t know what to do. Did you want him to stop? You probably did. “That’s okay. I can wait.”

You shook your head at his misunderstanding. “No, Topper. I want to, but I wanted to let you know, too.”

Topper nodded, smiling at the fact that you trusted him enough to take this from you. “Okay,” he muttered before kissing you again. He returned to the slow pace from before, softly making his way to your neck and placing a hand at the waistband of your shorts.

“I’m going to take this off. Is that okay?”

You nodded your head as he unbuttoned your shorts. Topper removed you from his body so that he could slide them down your legs, marveling at how wet you looked through your panties. He hooked his fingers around your underwear, pressing a kiss right above them and staring up at you. You nodded again, nervous.

He slid them off your body and almost began to salivate at what he saw. He pressed you down onto his body again before saying, “Don’t you want to move to your bed?”

You bit your lip. He stood up, his hands on your waist, and he led you to where he thought your bedroom was. Once he was there he closed the door and pressed you against it. He pushed himself close to you and kissed you again. Your hands roamed his body, across his shoulders, back, abs, everything. You couldn’t get enough of him.

His hands began to travel south until they motioned your legs to open a little. He pulled away from you again, but this time, just enough so he could press his forehead to your own. “I’m going to have to help you before to can take me. Is that fine?”

You nodded eagerly, wanting him to do something - anything - to your body. With your confirmation, he wasted no time to kiss your neck again and slip a finger between your folds. The hickeys he was leaving were going to surely be prominent tomorrow, and his fingers circling around your clit made you shiver. You moaned out loud, and you felt Topper smirk against your skin. He then slipped a finger into you, bringing a little of pain along with the pleasure. You winced a bit but relaxed when your body had accommodated to its size. Topper curled it just a bit so that it hit a spot that made you expel lewd noises from within. He added another finger, going through the same process as before. You would wince a little at first but the grow used to the feeling and enjoy it. He was pumping them into you softly, but he was quickly gaining speed and strength in each thrust. 

You felt your insides tense, almost as if there was something accumulating itself right where Topper’s fingers were hitting. You moaned out loudly, feeling your body release around his fingers. Your legs trembled and shook as Topper held you up, smiling down at you. He kissed you and removed his fingers from your body. He licked your juices off.

“God, you taste good. But we’ll leave that for another time.”

Still hilding your trembling body he moved you towards the bed, where he softly placed you down and shook his shorts off. Through his boxers, you could see how big he was, and you felt nervous again.

Noticing the panicky look in your eyes, Topper leaned down and gave you a short, soft, and sweet kiss. 

“You’ll be fine. And we’ll stop if you want to.”

You nodded, understanding what he wanted to say. Topper removed his boxers, letting his member spring out. You tried to calm your breathing at the anticipation of what was to come.

“You have a condom, right?” you asked him. Topper froze before shaking his head. You smiled at him, knowing that this was a possibility and instructed him to go into your bathroom and open the first drawer.

You had condoms because your dad had bought them for you. It had been awkward and weird, but now you were grateful he was so adamant about you being protected at all times.

Topper cam back into the room, rolling the condom onto his penis. He laid on top off you, holding your right hand in his left and caressing your waist with his other free one. He smiled and kissed you before pulling away. His thumbs rubbed circles into your body. “You ready?”

You nodded at him. Topper reached down and lined himself before pulling into you as gently as he could. The wince that escaped your lips pained him and the tears that were surrounding your eyes made him almost want to stop. However, he felt you pushing him into yourself. He remained still, waiting for you to adjust.

“Okay,” you whispered out. “You can move now.”

And so Topper did. Slowly at first and then he began to gain speed once he heard you moan. He smiled at the fact that you were enjoying this just as much as he was, and he pushed into you a little harsher than before. He felt himself come closer o the edge, and staring down at you, he realized that you were as well. Your eyes were rolled back a little and your mouth was open, letting mewls escape every once in a while from your boy. Topper’s grunts fell into perfect harmony with them, just like the noise of his body slapping against yours. 

“Top, I’m - I -” you tried to speak, but the pleasure was too much. You were clenching around him, giving him the idea that you were about to come undone. 

And you did. Your last final moan was louder than before and Topper followed you soon after, his orgasm making him stop his movements and bury himself deep inside you.

His hand was still clenching yours when he fell on top of you, your pants now filling the air. After a few moments, Topper pulled out of you and discarded the condom in your bathroom. When he went back to your room he noticed you in the same spot, panting and with an astonishing facial expression. 

“Was I that good?” he joked cockily. He didn’t expect you to reply, but you nodded your head.

He laughed a little at your reaction, causing you to smile and turn to look at him. You grabbed his arms and pulled him towards your body, before snuggling into him. Topper wrapped himself around you and tugged the covers over your bodies. 

“Thank you,” you muttered, grateful at everything the boy had given - and taken - from you recently. He kissed the top of your head in reply, noticing how sleepy and rained you looked from your previous activities. 

Topper smiled, watching you drift away before closing his own eyes. He was glad he got be all of your firsts and more glad at the fact that, even if you weren’t his firsts, he felt even better than when they had actually happened.

#outer banks #obx #obx netflix #topper #topper thornton #austin north #topper x reader #topper thorton x reader

[soranihimawari]

the truth is...

“Kindness is free. Love is free,” I said triumphantly raising the bottle of sake in the air.  Today was one I didn’t see coming at all. As fate would have it, running into my high school crush was not particularly high on my to-do list when I left the cafe I worked in earlier in the afternoon. I was hired on as one of the patisseries which specialized in parfaits and seasonal tarts during my last year in culinary school. Tonight, I was drunk on celebrating this latest turn of events.

“Of course,” my company teases me right as he raises my hand to his lips. he lets go of my hand with a cheshire cat like grin. “How could I ever forget that. C’mon, let’s get some food in you before you suffer the worse hangover in your life. I know a great place not too far from here.”

I took another swig of the sake bottle before I nodded.

“Lead the way Atsumu-san.”

I swore those hazel eyes never looked so inviting as they did at that point in my life. I recalled my coworkers’ conversation earlier in the middle of our shift:

“Say, y/n-san,“ the interning barista, Haruna, began.

“Hmm?” I hummed my response. “What’s up Haru-chan?”

“I was, well we were all wondering about something,” she said.

I picked up a towel to dry another cappuccino mug beside her. The other members of our cafe were within earshot when their senior intern asked her question.

“How come your boyfriend only comes in after we leave? When are you gonna introduce us?”

“Boyfriend? Haruna, I hate to break to you, but I don’t have one.”

“No, you do,” she begins to state her case. Haruna nervously twiddled her thumbs while our other coworker, Senna, approached us. “Tell her Senna-senpai.”

“We didn’t want to say anything, but there’s this hot blond guy who looks eerily similar to Miya Atsumu, y’know. From the MSBY Black Jackals? Anyways, he stops in here every once in a while right at closing time when it’s Erina’s turn to lock up the cafe. And apparently there was one day he asked me if you worked here,” Senna confesses. “You went to Inarizaki too, right?”

“Yeah, so?” I asked. My small smile was caught by both of them before I picked up the next mug to dry.

“You should of seen the relief on his face when Senna told him that you did and now he hasn’t stopped coming by on random mornings, but you’re never here when he comes by,” Haruna says with a dreamy sigh.

“Listen,” I said. I placed the second mug upside down on the drying rack and folded the drying towel before continuing. “The next time that blonde pretty boy walks in here is the day I will need to buy a bottle of really strong orange flavored sake to get through any sort of time with him.”

“You liked him didn’t you?” Haruna giggled.

“I do not.” Oh fuck, they’re both going to pick up on that slip, I thought.

“You’re blushing really hard now, Senpai,” Senna teased. “You still find him really hot don’t you?”

***

A couple of days go by without Miya stopping by the cafe. I had reminded my fellow cafe employees the MSBY team had a few away practice matches while promoting a newly signed member of their team. Even with this knowledge, their collective curiosity got the better of them inquiring about my relationship, or lack thereof, with the good looking setter. 

It wasn’t until two weeks later Miya Atsumu stopped in for his usual. Apparently there were perks of his frequent visits one of them being on his social media account pages tagging our cafe location with the quote “she always makes the best parfaits”. Business actually had been steady since then. After all, it helps when your three coworkers all had conversed with him once or twice before.

One Saturday around four forty-five in the afternoon, I was in the middle of setting my fudge in a star mold when Erina, Haruna, and Senna texted me to come out of the kitchen saying that there was a regular who had a question about the menu. Judging by the messages I received, I rolled my eyes. 

“Unbelievable,” I muttered before patting my hands on the apron; I had a coy smile on my face when I opened Haruna’s photo message. Damn Atsumu, you still are as handsome as ever. I pushed through the swinging kitchen door walking toward where my former classmate was standing on the opposite side of the display counter.

“Miya-kun?” my voice maintained its curious tone.

The blonde professional athlete stood in the middle of the cafe reading the menu wearing a casual sponsored street attire that included a hoodie with his team’s logo stitched on (along with a pair of cotton jersey shorts and running shoes). Compared to me being dressed in a humbling combination of tapered royal blue jeans and a sunflower yellow blouse paired with nonslip ebony ballet flats, the setter looked like he was in athleisure campaign.

“Hey there dollface. Long time no see.”

I folded my arms over my chest when he sat down in front of the short counter space near the espresso maker. I was skeptical of his presence here, but my brain kicked into fight or flight mode ever since I heard him poke fun at the odd shaped friendship chocolates I left for him on his desk when we were fifteen (to be fair, it was my second attempt at making sea salt chocolates at home, but apparently, the Miya twins were going through their high school jerk phase). I watched Atsumu from afar trash them without even tasting one in favor of his fangirls’ fancier box saying something about how he had to avoid excess sweets for a week because of some stupid bet he had going on with his twin.

Does he need to know he was the reason why I wanted to perfect my sweet making skills? No. Absolutely not. Because if he did, that ego of his would skyrocket and I’m actually ok with not letting that bit of info reach his ears. Damn it Miya, why are you still as good looking as I remembered you being? The fuck was I thinking when I was fifteen...Gods do I need a drink. I thought.

“What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be off training or at practice or something?”

“Nope. I got the day off and thought I should come by to see what’s the newest parfait my favorite old classmate made for me.”

“Bold of you to assume it’s for you, ‘Tsumu.”

Me saying his nickname caused him to raise an eyebrow at me before he closed his eyes and I watched his lips draw back into a wider smile.

“Erina, Haruno, mind staying behind to help Senna clean and lock up tonight? It seems the owner of this cafe and I have dinner plans.”

“You’re not their boss Miya, so you can’t tell them what to do.” I pushed my finger against his shoulder which caused a chortle to come from him. I turned around to face my coworkers with an amused stare.

“Erina, Haruno, mind helping Senna out tonight? I’m leaving early. Apparently I have plans with the starting setter for the MSBY volleyball team.”

That was at five-thirty that afternoon...

---THE NEXT DAY, 9:56a.m.---

The soft chirping of an alarm located on the nightstand next to the plush king sized bed where I found myself waking up in. I am by no means a rich lady and for the life of me, I couldn’t even afford a place like this with a killer view of the neighborhood. Suddenly, as I hoisted myself up from the sheets, my memory came back in little flashes. Memories ranged from me getting drunk with Atsumu at the local pub next to his brother’s restaurant to Atsumu’s declaration on which onigiri his brother makes was the absolute best in town and how not one of his ex-girlfriends could ever replicate it properly.

I don’t recall much of what we talked about at Onigiri Miya when Osamu left us to ourselves for a little bit, but I could of sworn Atsumu tell me how he was searching for the cafe I worked at trying to formally apologize about dumping out the chocolates I had made when we were in high school:

“I heard you made them at home, right?” he asked, watching my nose twitch before I rested my head in my palm on the table. When I nodded, I didn’t notice he was pouting when he muttered an, “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, hah. I did. It was my second batch too. I made them look like stars because those were the only molds I had. If I had known they’d wind up in the trash, I wouldn’t have tried to make you feel better after the results of the spring tournament that year,” I said exhaling a sigh. I leaned my head against Atsumu’s shoulder gently reassuring him I had long since forgiven him. “But it’s in the past. Don’t worry about it so much, ‘tsumu. C’mon, the night is still young and I need at least one more bottle of sake before the convenience store stops selling them.”

---

“Oh my god,” I groaned when I flung the blanket off my top exposed body. My bra was still on, which was a good sign I guess, but instead of wearing my sapphire slacks, I noticed they were replaced with an older pair of white with black striped sweatpants (the color combination of the sweatpants reminded me of my high school’s volleyball team). I snatched the closest shirt I could find, yet I didn’t have enough time to throw that over my shoulders since I heard the bedroom door creak open.

“Good, you’re awake,” a disembodied voice called out from behind me. Give me a damned minute, I thought. I know that voice; it belonged to one of my classmates whom I recalled walking into my cafe yesterday asking me to spend the evening with him. Inhaling a sharp breath when I felt the mattress dip behind me, I barely remember him telling me to confess about something when I was sober in the morning and for some reason I had agreed.

“You’re really pretty, y’know.” Miya stretched his arm around my shoulder before he stood up to help me to my feet. I was a bit skeptical at his compliment, yet he squeezed my shoulder twice allowing me to know that he said was true.

“You flatter me, Miya. Why don’t you try complimenting me when I’m sober, yeah?” I tapped the left side of his cheek when I hopped off the stool. 

“Fine,” he chuckled. “You’re drunk enough as it is. Let’s go. Later ‘Samu.”

I shook my head right as I felt his arms wrap around me from behind, I let out a shaky laugh when he pulled me to lean back into him. I was quick to notice the soft fabric of his shirt when my head came into contact with it. There’s no way in hell we’d ever sleep together because I might have let it slip we should try to avoid a publicity scandal...

“How’re ya feeling dollface?” his voice whispers into my ear. A shiver ran up my spine when he did this, allowing me to focus on anything else besides the sun peeping through the blinds of the window.

“Better now that I’m here, ‘tsumu,” I replied in a groggy tone, my voice was barely above a whisper. Honestly, I’m not as hungover as I thought either, so he must have coerced me into eating some left over onigiri he had when he offered his place to me to crash, I thought. Then, I made a mental note to add a few extra half dozen macaroons for his brother when I see him next time. What Atsumu said next threw me for a loop:

“That’s good because I want you sober to remember this,” his voice taunted me right before I felt his lips press into the sides of my neck, down my back, and onto my shoulders.

“Mmm,” my voice hummed. “’Tsumu, you’re~aah~gonna leave a mark.”

My lips curled in amusement at the map his kisses left behind. He mentioned something like he wasn’t going to stop until I properly forgave him, to which I replied with a resounding, “If I didn’t did you think I’d have accepted your offer of spending the night out on the town with you?” I held onto his hands when he paused for a moment to think.

I raised my head up when he stopped, a smug smile tugged his lips upward. I felt my eyes blink a few times processing what he was trying to ask me to do. Thankfully my partner was a patiently affectionate person this morning because he didn’t leave out much for me to figure out when I twisted around his hold to plant my lips over his own. Yet although I claimed I was sober, I was already drunk off this warmth radiating from him.

You would think that after all the hours I'd spent with Atsumu last night - watching him talk, laugh, and frown (and the same with the way I noticed his stolen glances for a few seconds when he wandered into the cafe I worked in)- that I would know all there was to know about his lips, but I hadn't figured how kind they would feel pressed up against my own just yet.

When I pulled away first, I watched the way Atsumu looked down at me, his face a little flushed from my kiss. He smirked before pressing his lips on mine again and this time, the kiss was just as invigorating as before; his calloused hands roaming every inch of my body and with one of his hands becoming lost in my hair. Eventually I crawled into his lap, using his shoulders to steady my balance when he hoisted me up prompting me to straddle his upper body. My arms looped around behind his neck, running my fingers through his hair in a coquettish manner. I blew short streams of air onto the side of his neck causing his breath to hitch in his throat right before I burrowed my face in his neck kissing the space under his ear, causing me to feel his chest rumble when I heard him chortle. I seized the opportunity to guide Atsumu’s lips back onto mine. 

We were both lost in a sea of bliss after that because from what we both could tell, this was the starting point of a hard-earned love that took it’s sweet time to develop and gods be damned was his love worth it.

#timeskip!miya x reader #miya atsumu x 1st person pov reader chan #miya atsumu and the truth is #omg i actually wrote my first short story for him #please be kind because i was hesitating posting this #⌚️queued

[absoluteindulgence]

Illuminate (Server Collab Prompt)

A/N: This story has been curated thanks to the lovely people of Discord. We all worked with the dialogue prompt “Pay Attention to Me,” Here’s my twist with my Sunshine boi~ ALSO, I NOW HAVE 300+ FOLLOWERS! AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR LIKING MY WORK. I HAVE SOME NEW PIECES IN THE WORKS AND’ CAN’T WAIT TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU, STAY TUNED! 

As time stood, you were eager to get home. The weekend was among your stressed, tired body. You felt the cool breeze come to tickle the back of your neck as you waited for the bullet train to take you close to home. Awaiting you, there would be your beloved boyfriend, Mirio. Earlier, you sent a message letting him know you would be working late, and as you figured, he didn't message you back. Recently, he's been distant. Not in the way of ignoring you, just that he's been pushing himself too much at work, and when he's home, he goes straight to bed.

Eager was an understatement as he gave you a sleepy kiss in the morning telling you he'll be free the same days as you. Working seemed to be pushing you both to exhaustion, and yet being heroes put the biggest smiles on your faces. Meeting each other during the top high school in Japan was what brought you two on to continue your goals of reaching the Top 10. You witnessed most if not all of Mirio's struggles with his quirk and his dedication shone brighter than the sun when mastered. He saw the downfalls and triumphs of yours. You pushed your body to be way more resistant and flexible. Agility would be best suited for what your quirk needed to progress.

Everyone knew of your friendship as the epitome of shut-up-and-date-already. The way you lightly grazed his arm and smiled after he finished his training, set him into a fiery, flustered frenzy. He knew you were bold, but just your fingertips on him were enough to turn him into a strawberry. After catching on that you liked him, he would tease you back just to see what you would say. You were either speechless or daring to say something just as sweet. From there on, it became a battle of compliments and kind gestures. Mirio always made a habit of lighting up the room with his laughter after your rebuttal.

In the end, Nejire pulled you to the side to make a move to ask him out. You laughed as she stressed how agonizing it's become watching the turtledove warfare. You told her, that would change very soon. The next day, you came into class with a packed lunch. Anxious but ready, you hand the lunch to Mirio. Watching his expression as you gave it to him made the window in your eyes light up. The only time you could say you scurried away from him. You anticipated his reaction to your home-cooked meal, but his grin was unbearable. He ran after you immediately and grabbed your hand. You turned around to stare at his big, warm, and callous hand compared to yours. With his gentle hold, you felt his thumb caress the back of your hand. It ran shock waves through your body.

"H-hey (____-chan), you didn't have to run." He laughed as he stretched his arm for his free hand to rub the back of his head.

"I know but-"

Mirio's lips met with yours before you could say anything more. Your eyes widen as he cradled your face close to his. The way he massaged his lips with yours caused you to shut them and melt while igniting a fire within your soul. It took restraint not to faint in his embrace as he tickled the tip of your nose with his. Pulling out of the kiss, your eyes flickered, staring into Mirio's glorious hue of blue. The honest smile paired with the tender gleam was enough to leave you breathless.

"T-thank you (____-chan), I've never had anyone do this for me." He held both of your hands.

From there on, you established your relationship. Ironically enough, you were known as the power couple. Pushing the limits of what it meant to have authentic teamwork and understand your partner's quirk.

As you reached home, you unlocked your front door met with warmth automated from your thermostat, highly refreshing from the bitter cold. As you settle in, you notice you're home alone. Sliding your favorite fuzzy slippers on, you double-check each room. Confirming your first thought, a sigh escapes your lips as you make your way back to the living room.

Maybe I'll watch TV until he comes home.

Making a choice, you prepared yourself in the best unwind fashion. Gathering your favorite drink and snacks while changing into loungewear. You looked through your streaming services to binge-watch a show that's been on your mind for some time. You snuggle into the blanket Mirio bought on a whim before Christmas and remained attentive to the show. Close to finishing the season, you end up drifting off to sleep.

Waking up in what felt like a fifth dimension, you noticed you were no longer lying on the couch, but in the bedroom, you shared with your boyfriend. Your body protested, leaving your king-size bed as you turned to face him but met with an empty side. You groaned immediately, expecting a text or a note left. As you shuffled to sit up, you scope the room for your smartphone, located on your nightstand. Bracing your tired eyes to the harsh LED lights, you squint roughly at your incoming text messages. As suspected, Mirio left you a message saying the agency called him in, and to go to the kitchen.

Finally, moving your strained limbs, the walk to the kitchen is slow and sluggish, yawning every other step. Reaching down the hallway, you turn your head left to a surprise of none other than all your favorite breakfast and brunch foods. A note left on the island in a solid white color of paper, written with blue ink, and signed with his name:

I know you didn't get to see me come in, but you looked too cute to wake up! Please enjoy this as a truce until I get back. I love you, My Sunflower.

How could you be mad? He knew the way to your heart and your stomach. With your eyes hungry and your mouth-watering, you took your time picking out your plates and entrees. Part two on the couch, you binged the rest of your show, and as you reached the end, you heard the jingle of keys. Half dazed, you wait until he entered the living room. As his thick build met at the entryway leading into the heart of the home, the room was completely illuminated. He smiled as you laid sleepily on the couch, snuggled up.

"Hi, my Sunflower." He rested his coat on the back of the kitchen chair, trotting the rest of his buff body over to plop onto the couch with you.

He cradled close to your burrito wrapped body, placing kisses over your cheeks, lips, and nose. "Did you miss me?"

"No, not at all. I was enjoying the attention of my TV Husbando."

"Oh, really, How are they doing?"

"Not well actually, they're going through an existential crisis."

Mirio mimics an 'o' shape with his mouth, "Oh man, that sounds terrible. Let's hope he makes it through."

Mirio lightly chuckled as he wrapped you in his arms tighter. He relishes in the scent of your hair, nestling close to your neck. An abundance of delight rushed through your body. "I'm so happy to be home."

You hid your smile under the blanket, "I'm happy too."

Mirio pulls away to look at you, "Listen, Sunshine, I know that you've been annoyed with me these past two weeks. You haven't been able to see me enough for us to relax together. But there's a reason why."

You watched his shoulders tense when speaking, "I've been working hard because I know sooner or later, you might get bored with me and think I'm not serious about you. When truthfully, I'm scared to lose you."

He took a slow breath making his words come out clear to you, "Being a hero has taught me the valuable lesson of taking care of the ones you love. And not to only tell them how much you care but to show them. That's why I-"

With a quick shuffle of his pockets, he pulled out a small, black velvet box.

"(Your whole fucking government name/desired full name) I've loved you since High-school, way before you made me that lunch. Way before you even looked my way in year one, really. Knowing that you've been by my side through high school, internships, college, and agencies have given me the power to overcome all trials head-on. Whether to deck a villain straight in the face or to let you know when we run out of toilet paper while I'm still on the can. The sun can not shine without the moon, and so, with that said, will you be my Moon?"

Immediately after he popped the question, you wiped your eyes. Streaming of tears and nodding excessively. He opened the box and showcased the exact ring you saw at the jeweler's. You originally went to get something simple for an evening gala full of pro heroes when your eye caught it. You guys were in a rush that day, so you didn't even know Mirio saw you take a glimpse.

"Babe, I wanna hear you say it." He chuckles as he places the ring on your right ring finger.

Your giddiness shows how overly excited you are, you take a deep breath and grin while looking into his big, blue gaze, "Yes."

"Great, now get ready."

"Wha-what are we doing?"

"Well first, we're going to the spa and then shopping, after that I’m taking you to every upscale restaurant in Tokyo so that we can get free food off our engagement."

You laughed instantly, "So you're a scammer now?"

"I'm just kidding, but I do want the dessert to be free!"

#togata mirio x reader #Mirio Imagines #bnha imagines #togata mirio imagine #fluff #absoluteindulgence stories #Mar's Writings

[imbellarosa]

So you think Harry’s and Louis’ album are connected?

I think there is every chance of that! You don’t accidentally reference someone else’s songs (someone you know really well, at that!) multiple times throughout your album (even songs that didn’t end up on the album, at that). Every other piece of analysis under the cut, but this is my tldr haha.

I think that the fact that their albums are both 12 track albums with a sort of “breaking point” or “climax” in the sixth track which says- on both sides- that they feel more vulnerable, that they feel sad, they feel more mature, and that they feel more ready to talk about it is....not a coincidence. Or maybe that one is, but if you add that to all of the other lyrical convos these albums are having. I covered a lot of these lyrical parallels in another ask, so I won’t go through them all again, I’m just going to add some new ones (because ofc there’s more).

An older one, but one worth’s mentioning: Golden (track 1 on Fine Line) says “You're so golden/You're so golden/I'm out of my head/And I know that you're scared/Because hearts get broken” and “Just Like You” (released 2017, right after “Always You” was teased) says “Every heart breaks the same/Every tear leaves a stain/Can I just be the same?”. Like - that’s a conversation that people have ALL THE TIME. One person wants to be normal and doesn’t want to hurt and the other person says “I know you’re afraid but you’re so special”.

And I’m going to use golden one last time, because I think it like. Sets the scene for Fine Line. His super secret verse says something like “...I’m hoping that one day you (he?) could be (will be?) open/And I know that you’re scared because I’m so open” and Fearless says “Tell me the truth, tell me, do you still remember feelin' young/And strong enough to get it wrong in front of all these people?”. And L has said he wrote that song about himself, so it’s still two songs asking one person if they can be strong enough to open up.

Then there’s “Adore You”, which says that he’ll “walk through fire for you/Just let me adore you” and Only the Brave says that “[his love is] a church of burnt romances/And I’m too far gone to pray/it’s a solo song/and it’s only for the brave”. I can’t make this up. Like actually. I couldn’t make this stuff up.

And those are just the parallels. After you listen to those, you turn to the narrative of the album. Fine line is split into four sides: “A” “B” “C” and “D”, with Side A being about falling in love for the first time and thinking that could be enough, those butterflies and the fun times and all the love, but it ends with Lights Up that says “all the lights couldn’t put out the dark/running through my heart/lights up and they know who you are/do you know who you are?”. So as it turns out, if you’re not on the same page, love isn’t enough. There has to be communication, and a similar expectation of honesty (to bring it back to golden Im so sorry I love that song).

Side B is the sad side. It’s loss and grief and misery. It’s losing someone you love and then losing someone for real, and then realizing that you’re not as badass as you thought you were and you want to go home, but you also made a mistake (which, To Be So Lonely does a great job of setting “home” up as a person rather than a place, so when he references it again in Canyon Moon, you can think of home as the person he’s talking about). Anyways back to side B. Now, instead of blaming the other person, he can admit that he also made a mistake (or several), and own up to it. Side B ends with “She” which, imo is one of the trippiest songs on the album, and also one of the most complex. I think there are multiple characters involved, and the speaker isn’t like. The main character. But I think, in the end, it’s characteristic of loneliness and grief and loss and a realization. And that realization ends this side.

So Side C starts with all of the work on himself mostly done (I do love that “work” in both of these albums is never over. You work through the bad times, and then you keep working so you don’t get caught in it again.) Side C is the “I’m coming back to us” side. He gets back in touch with the person he loves in Sunflower Vol. 6, ( at the beginning he’s like “I’ve been trying hard not to talk to you”, but by the end, “ Your flowers just died/Plant new seeds in the melody/Let me inside, I wanna get to know you”, they’re getting to know each other again, as the new people they are, after they had to walk away for a bit). This is followed up up by Canyon Moon, in which he’s going home, so they fixed it, apparently. That idea of rekindling is confirmed in “Treat People With Kindness” when he says “ Givin' second chances/I don't need all the answers/Feelin' good in my skin/I just keep on dancin'”. This is SUPER cool, because by this point in the album, he’s matured enough to know that he’s okay with not knowing why about everything. He’s no longer asking his partner to be more open, because he feels good about himself and that’s all he needs, and so if he’s okay, then they’re okay. 

Side D is just Fine Line, the six minute reflection song which ends with “we’ll be alright”. And by that time, I believe it. 

On to Walls! Walls is split into two six track sides, “A” and “B”. This album, in my mind, is less of a cohesive narrative, and more like snapshots of moments, feelings, and conversations, which give you a picture of what he’s been through. I think it’s also a bit more difficult to stack this up because I don’t really know when songs were written. I think “Walls” and “Only the Brave” might have been the last two written, along with “We Made It”? Maybe? But I’m going to try anyways. 

Side A is a younger feel. It touches on how he needs the person he’s singing about ( “I don’t know what I’d do without you now!”). It talks about how they made it, and there won’t be any more hard times, it talks about outside events, and sets that scene. The other person lost someone (outside of the relationship), as is outlined in “Don’t Let it Break Your Heart” and he lost his mom ( “Two of Us”, which makes me cry every time). And around track 5 ( “Too Young”), he’s ready to sit down and have a conversation, and the other person agreed to it, after two years apart. And I think the rest of the album really outlines all of the things he needed the other person to understand.

He admits that he’d had his walls up, and that he realizes what that’s cost him. He tells the other person that he appreciates being given time and space to put himself back together, but he’s ready to go back to them because the other person makes him better, he explains that he did his very best to move on, but he couldn’t, because he carried them everywhere he went, and he says that he’s going to try and be more open ( “Now if happiness is always measured/ By the life you design, that car on the drive /Then you should feel better than ever/But you know as well as I, it's all lies/..../ Just for tonight, look inside and spark that memory of you/Strong enough to get it wrong in front of all these people”). 

And then it sort of seems like they’re back together by Perfect Now, but his partner is...a bit insecure about where they stand, and he’s trying to say that he’s in it, that the partner (he didn’t use genders in is songs, so I’m not going to either, sorry if this ends up confusing haha) is beautiful the way they are, that they should embrace it, and if his partner wanted him to, he’d tell the truth (and what a line that is: “You never do/ but if you asked me to/ I’d tell the truth/ lying next to you/ ‘cause you’re the only one/ when it’s said and done”). It always comes back to the idea of openness and telling the truth. 

The last two songs are “Defenseless” and “Only the Brave” which are my favorite two on the album. I think “Defenseless” gives a good snapshot of where the relationship is - they’re together, but it’s hard sometimes, and they still have the same problems sometimes (because things don’t magically go away), but he loves the other person, and the other person loves him, and so he’s going to be vulnerable. And Only the Brave, which talks about how scary it can be, for some people, to be brave, but it’s worth it, for him, because he found the right person ( ( “come on, when you know/ you know”). I think this song has a lot of symbolism and imagery that makes it a very pointed and poignant song, but it also finishes the album in the same way Fine Line does. They’re okay. They’ll be okay. (They being both the artist and the relationship they’re singing about)   I think that the narratives are remarkably similar in events an themes even if they’re told in different styles: Fine Line is more of a complete story, beginning to end, and Walls is more of a conversation. He’s talking to someone directly, rather than about someone. But ultimately, like. These two grew up together. It’s not like I picked out two random albums from people who don’t know each other and was like “these two! same thing!” and if it was, that would be plagiarism. They know each other, and they probably write together sometimes. I know that they have different managements, but they’ve worked with similar writers/directors/producers, right? They run in the same circles? So when two people who have known each other well for a while write albums that end up being lyrically and thematically similar, and they both cover the same story and the same ground, the most obvious conclusion is that they’re connected. 

#harry styles #louis tomlinson #fine line #walls #song recs #album recs #honestly go check these out #theyre great #also #if i were to pick a third artist #that has nothing to do with these #and be like 'they write similarly' #it would be taylor swift #idk why #some of her songs just give me those vibes #i'm so sorry that this got so long #i just love analysis #and song analysis is like poetry analysis in a way #and i used to do a lot of that for school #so the impulse is always going to be there #im a lit nerd at heart

[wonwuism]

Chapter 1.

Friday | Pledis Flowers | 4:00 pm

“Wonwoo, could you put these roses in the front, please? They’re selling like crazy today.”

Seungcheol walked in from the stock room with an enormous bucket of red roses in his hands, the muscles in his arms bulging out of his Pledis Flowers shirt. For a second it made Wonwoos brain short cirquit, before he shook his head and told himself for the millionth time that Seungcheol is his boss and it's wrong to thirst over his muscles during work hours.

"Sure hyung!"

Before he realized what he’d done, Wonwoo felt Seungcheols flat hand smack against the back of his head. What followed next was the usual scolding that happened after Wonwoo accidentally talked Korean to his boss again. For some reason the scolding always happened in said language, though.

"Jeon Wonwoo how many times to I have to tell you not to call me hyung during work hours! We talk English for a reason, which is to make sure our customers feel comfortable. You'll never be fluent if you keep this up, idiot."

"Jeez, Cheol, take it easy on the guy. All he did was be respectful." Joshua's amused face appeared from the top of the stairs that lead to the office part of the flower shop. As he walked down, he winked at Wonwoo and then clapped Seungcheol on the back. Wonwoo would never be able to get used to the comfortable way in which Joshua addressed his own boss, but he'd accepted a while ago that they both grew up in the US, and that things were just different here.

Seungcheol just sighed, as a way of saying he'd given up, and walked back into the stock room. Even though he'd just gotten scolded (or maybe because of it) Wonwoo couldn't help but let his eyes wander over the backside of Seungcheol's body and take a deep breath. It wasn't even a crush, he just couldn't help but feel insanely attracted to the man. Before he could get lost in his thoughts though, Joshua's lips were right next to his ear.

"Stop staring before you pop a boner, loverboy." Wonwoo let out an airy laugh through his nose and turned his head towards the voice. He raised his eyebrows, silently challenging Joshua to continue his everlasting torture about Wonwoo being a panicked gay around Seungcheol.

"I still don't really understand what is up with that anyway. You know he's straight as hell, from my more than embarrassing confessions when we were drunk, so why can't you just let it go? It's not like anything's ever going to happen between you guys. Also, he's your boss, so there's that."

"I know he's our boss, that's what he told you that night you were all over him. Remember that, Shua?" Joshua’s face fell at Wonwoo’s words. One night, after they’d closed the shop, the three of them had decided to go for drinks. No special occasion, just some bonding time between friends. For some reason, after a few drinks, Joshua decided he would teach Wonwoo how to flirt in English. Seungcheol would soon be the target of Joshua’s tactics, which lead to a hilarious case of Seungcheol turning Shua down again and again. Joshua’s ego had been ripped to pieces that night, but Wonwoo and Seungcheol did get a good laugh out of it.

"Oh, shut up, we both know that wouldn't have happened anyway, I don't bottom, you know that."

Wonwoo was about to defend himself and possibly disrespect his hyung a little in the process, but a ringing sound made them both snap their head towards the shop's door. As usual, Jun walked in with a smile that could light up any rainy day.

"Good afternoon, how are my favorite flower boys doing today?"

"Fantastic," Wonwoo mumbled. As he started gathering his stuff to leave, Jun and Joshua talked about their weekend plans. Wonwoo often thought about how strange it was that they ever became such good friends with him in the first place. Jun was just one of those people who came into his life and would probably never leave. The story of how they met was one that Jun loved to tell at parties to embarrass Wonwoo, as if he wasn't shy enough around people already.

One day Jun had just walked into Pledis to buy some flowers for his mother, but as soon as he saw Wonwoo he'd asked him out. Not a single moment of hesitation in his voice, which was the only reason Wonwoo had said yes. Well, that, and Joshua's slight pushing of course. He'd only moved there a few months prior and wasn't confident about his English at all. To make things worse Jun obviously didn't speak any Korean and that made Wonwoo feel incredibly insecure.

They went on a date anyway, that same night. They walked around the city a bit and talked a little. Well, Jun talked for the most part, but Wonwoo liked to listen better anyway. Jun spoke slowly and looked up the words on his phone whenever Wonwoo didn't understand them. Wonwoo just nodded and smiled every now and then. He was just starting to feel a little more comfortable, when Jun grabbed his hand, which made Wonwoo panic and say "No hands, no kiss, no date, please!" Jun still found it hilarious.

That was the start of a beautiful friendship. After Juns laughter had died down they'd decided that Jun would try to help him with his English, since Joshua had proven to be a terrible teacher and Seungcheol simply said he didn't have the patience to do it. Over the years Jun had proven to Wonwoo countless times that he was the kind of friend who stuck around and now they were, as Joshua called it, besties. Jun often stopped by Pledis. Mostly to pick up Wonwoo after work to go for coffee or food, but also because he had a crush on Seungcheol that was about tenfold the little thingWonwoo had for him.

Thinking about his boss made Wonwoo snap his head back to reality, right in time to see Jun laugh at something Seungcheol said as he came walking back into the store. The older man had a smile of his own and was looking at Jun in such an endearing way that it made Wonwoo question everything he thought he knew about Cheols sexuality. For some reason Jun had been the only one who was able to bring out Seungcheols soft side. Wonwoo thought it was a little strange. Joshua thought it was verystrange. Jun thought they were just seeing things.

"Okay, I have my stuff, let's go Jun." Wonwoo turned towards the door when it swung open and revealed what was possibly one of the most attractive men he'd ever seen. With wide eyes, Wonwoo dropped his bag to the floor and hurried to the side of the store to check on some daffodils for no reason. The man walked up to the counter and asked if he could get advice about some flowers he needed. Wonwoo heard Juns voice answer him.

"Well, I don't work here, but I'd recommend asking Wonwoo over there. He's the best when it comes to picking a pretty arrangement."

Wen Junhui, you're so full of shit and I will kill you with my bare hands as soon as this godlike creature has left the building.

"Hi, Wonwoo? I was wondering if you'd help me out with something?"

Wonwoo took a deep breath and turned around. Oh god, the man was close to him. Way too close. Somewhere in the corner of his eye he could see Joshua make some less than elegant gestures with his hand and mouth and Jun putting his arm around Seungcheol with a proud look on his face. They were all watching him intently. The anxiety was quickly taking over Wonwoos entire body and mind, making his mouth go dry and his brain run over with a million things he could do wrong in the next few seconds. He could just cry right then and there from how nervous he was, but then the stranger did something Wonwoo wasn’t used to.

He softly smiled and took a step back to give Wonwoo a little more breathing space. “It’s okay,” he slowly said. His voice was just loud enough for the two of them to hear, which Wonwoo was endlessly grateful for. “I’m Mingyu, what’s your name?”

Wonwoo swallowed thickly and closed his eyes for a brief second before answering. “My name is Wonwoo, how can I help you?” Mingyu smiled again and nodded. He almost seemed proud of Wonwoo, which made his heart do a little flip in a good way.

“I’m a photographer and I’m looking for the prettiest flowers you have. It’s for a photoshoot with a person.” Wonwoo nodded, ignoring for now that the fact that Mingyu being a photographer made him about three hundred times as attractive.

“Can I see the face?”

Weird sentence, get your shit together Wonwoo.

“Of course,” Mingyu said. He quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up a picture of a gorgeous boy with white hair, looking into the camera with a small smile on his face.

“Wow.” Wonwoo was suddenly very aware of his breathing, but he didn’t know if it was caused by the boy on the screen or the fact that Mingyu was very close to him now, smelling amazing. Probably the combination.

“Yeah, he’s very pretty.” The way Mingyu was smiling at the picture made Wonwoo a little jealous, but he pushed his thoughts aside. Without another word he walked through the store, picking flowers with the expertise he’d gathered over the years. He decided on yellows and pastel colors that fit well with the boys hair and soft features. For a few minutes he could feel Mingyu’s stare on him, which made him feel nervous all over again. What if he picked the wrong colors? What if Mingyu thought he was weird?

Wonwoo was going through a batch of sunflowers, looking for the prettiest one, when he could feel Mingyu’s presence next to him again. He watched as Mingyu picked one out of the lot and admired it for a second. “Pretty,” he said in Korean. Wonwoos head snapped towards the taller man and he couldn’t help but smile brightly. “Very,” he replied. For a second they just looked at each other with a comfort between them that Wonwoo hadn’t felt in years, until Mingyu’s eyes lowered to the flowers in his hands.

“You have a good eye for color, are you an artist?”

I guess we’re back to English again, huh.

Wonwoo nodded. He felt like he needed to say more, but he’d never been the talkative type and Mingyu probably wasn’t that interested anyway. All of a sudden his nerves started to act up again and he cleared his throat before taking the sunflower Mingyu was still holding.

“Enough?” He lifted his head to look at Mingyu, who was still looking at him with a smile.

“Yes, that should be enough. Can I pay with my card?” Somehow his voice in Korean seemed a little insecure, as if he didn’t speak it a lot, but it made Wonwoo feel like Mingyu was trying to make him feel comfortable and he smiled at Mingyu in a silent thank you.

“Yes, follow me, please.” As Wonwoo made his way towards the counter, he could see the others in the back drinking coffee, having a casual conversation. He was glad they weren’t listening in to his interactions with Mingyu anymore. That would’ve made things even more awkward than they already were.

As Wonwoo was wrapping the flowers up in a pretty bouquet, Mingyu took his wallet out of his jacket and continued their conversation in Korean. Wonwoo couldn’t help but notice he had an American accent that slipped through every once in a while. “Since you have a good eye for pretty things, do you know a good place to shoot pictures with these flowers? I’m looking for a place with a lot of light and not too much of a city vibe.”

Wonwoo took Mingyu’s card and swiped it across the machine. As Mingyu punched in his code, he gathered up some extra courage.

“Maybe you can shoot here, we have a really pretty indoor garden in the back that you can use. Would you like to see it?” Mingyu’s face lit up at his words and he happily nodded as he took his card back from Wonwoo’s hands.

Wonwoo ignored Jun’s eyebrow roll and Joshua’s wink as they walked towards the back of the shop. Thank god he let Mingyu walk first, so he wasn’t able to see the dumb gestures they were making. He did mouth an ‘oh my god,’ to them with wide eyes, before joining Mingyu in the little inside garden, where the taller man was already looking around with a look that told Wonwoo all he needed to know.

“This is beautiful,” Mingyu said, softly.

You are beautiful, Wonwoo thought. He sat down on the little park bench that was placed against one of the white walls and looked up through the glass ceiling that gave the little patio space an outside feeling. While Mingyu walked around, looking at the space from different angles Wonwoo felt himself relax at the silence. This complete stranger had somehow made him feel completely at ease within the short time he’d been inside the shop, which was something Wonwoo wasn’t used to at all. Even thinking about that almost made his anxiety resurface again, but then he locked eyes with Mingyu’s sparkling ones and he could feel himself smile again. Mingyu just made him want to smile and Wonwoo didn’t really know how to feel about that.

“Can I use it? Please? It’s perfect,” Mingyu said, doing a little spin in the middle of the room. Wonwoo stood up and nodded at him. “We mostly use it for this kind of stuff anyway, so it could be free for you tomorrow if you’d like.” Mingyu looked like he could just hug Wonwoo with the news, but fortunately decided to keep his happiness to himself for now.

“Jeonghan’s gonna love this, thank you so much! I’ll call him right away and arrange it. We’ll be here around noon tomorrow, is that okay? Thank you! You have no idea how perfect this is!” He looked like an overexcited puppy, which Wonwoo found both endearing and very overwhelming, but he liked Mingyu’s enthusiasm. It was contagious. After walking back into the shop and deciding on a time, Wonwoo kept the flowers Mingyu picked in a separate bucket to keep them for the next day. Mingyu thanked him about six more times and left the shop almost skipping from happiness.

After he was out of the shop and out of sight, Wonwoos legs gave in on him and he fell to the ground with a loud cry as he started losing control over his breathing. He heard footsteps rushing closer and felt Jun and Joshua lift him up to carry him towards the coffee corner. They put him in the big antique chair in the way back and Wonwoo pulled his legs up to his chest to make himself as small as possible. Trying to get his brain to function again, he took a sip from the glass of water that Seungcheol reached out to him. Wonwoo didn’t have the voice to tell them how grateful he was at this moment, having them take care of his panic attacks like they’d learned to. He didn’t know what he would have done without them, because right now it felt like he was dying. It always did.

A good five minutes later he was doing a lot better, although still a little shaken from his outburst. Jun had spent the entire time whispering encouraging words to him. “You did so well. You can do it Wonwoo, just breathe in and out. That’s it, you’re doing amazing. You did great. You made that guy smile a lot. I know you’re scared he had all sorts of thoughts about you, but your mind is lying to you. It’ll be okay Wonwoo, in and out, just like that.”

No one touched him while they were giving him comfort. They knew that would only make things worse, and Wonwoo thanked them for it as soon as he found his voice again.

“No problem, Wonwoo, you did really well with that customer. I’m proud of you.” Seungcheol spoke in Korean to make Wonwoo feel more grounded. “You should calm down a little more and then just go home, okay? You should have been off work half an hour ago.” With that he walked up the stairs to do some financial work for the day. Wonwoo wiped away the tears he didn’t realize he’d cried and gave his friends a small smile. “I’m sorry guys, it was all a little overwhelming, that’s all.”

“Never apologize Wonnie,” Joshua told him. “We don’t mind, you know that. You held up so well while he was still in the shop. I know he must have made you nervous.” Wonwoo nodded and then, to the other boys’ surprise, chuckled a little when he saw the bouquet of flowers. “Actually, he was really nice about it. He stayed at a distance almost the whole time, as if he could tell I was anxious.” As Wonwoo took another sip of his water he heard Jun apologize for sending Mingyu towards him in the first place. Wonwoo shook his head. “That’s okay. He’ll be back tomorrow, so this time I’ll be a little more prepared. Can we go now? I need fresh air.”

Friday | Wonwoo’s dorm room | 8:00 pm

Wonwoo knocked on the door of his dorm room twice and then opened it with his keys. Inside was Jihoon, working on his laptop as usual. His massive headphones were on his head, which explained why he hadn’t heard Wonwoo knock. When he saw movement, though, he moved his head towards Wonwoo and nodded. Wonwoo nodded back and shrugged his jacket off.

They didn’t talk much about unnecessary stuff, Wonwoo and Jihoon. They each just kind of went their own ways, but they liked it that way. From their first year on, they’d been roommates, which had always gone well. They never became really good friends, but as for roommates it was about as good as it gets. Jihoon closed his laptop with a sigh and took his headphones off. “Had dinner yet?”

“Yeah I went out to eat with Jun, you?” Wonwoo dropped himself on his bed and felt the weight of a long day pour into his bedsheets. He grabbed his phone and put some music on, that he listened to through one earphone. Jihoon put some water into the little heater they’d bought together and grabbed some instant ramen out of a cupboard. He shook the packet while he turned towards Wonwoo and gave him a sarcastic happy smile. “I’m about to. New song got me messed up, I need some kind of inspiration man. I’m empty.”

Wonwoo raised his eyebrows and shook his head a little in disbelief. This man had some terrible habits. “Maybe if you went outside every once in a while you’d feel more inspired, or do you want me to bring some flowers home from the shop?” He dodged the plushie that Jihoon threw his way as a way of answering and threw it back at him. “I’m serious man, get some fresh air.”

“What got you in such a good mood?” Jihoon asked with a playful tone. “Acting all tough, like you know it all.” Wonwoo shrugged and got up to grab a towel and some sweatpants. “Suit yourself, I’m going to take a shower. I want to sleep early tonight, I had a pretty long day.” Jihoon made a sound in the back of his throat that translated to ‘okay’ and Wonwoo walked out of their room to head for the shared dorm bathrooms down the hall. When he returned from his shower, he could see Jihoons empty bed, telling him his words did end up making an impact on his roommate after all. After texting Jun and Joshua a quick ‘thank you for today’ he soon drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Masterlist. | Next chapter.

#fanfiction #meanie #mingyu #minwon #gyuwon #wonwoo #mingyuwonwoo #wongyu #seventeen #svt #seventeen au #meanie au #wonwoo au #Mingyu au #minwoo #pledis #17 #17 au #svt au #wonwoo fanfic #meanie fanfic #Mingyu fanfic

[the-quiver-of-aros]

i have no idea if this is close to the list i originally picked. as promised, A LOT OF QUESTIONS.

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

21. obsession from childhood?

23. strange habits?

24. favorite crystal?

28. five songs to describe you?

29. best way to bond with you?

35. average time you fall asleep?

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

41. last person you texted?

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

44. favorite scent for soap?

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

47. favorite type of cheese?

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

52. favorite font?

54. what did you learn from your first job?

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

62. seven characters you relate to?

65. any permanent scars?

66. favorite flower(s)?

67. good luck charms?

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

70. left or right handed?

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

85. fairy tales or mythology?

87. your greatest fear?

88. your greatest wish?

89. who would you put before everyone else?

90. luckiest mistake?

93. nicknames?

94. favorite season?

95. favorite app on your phone?

96. desktop background?

98. favorite historical era?

apparently asks don't seem to have a character limit anymore? i'm very sus of tumblr's new ask system. if it fucks up the formatting i'm sorry (and maybe just ask me to resubmit it)

These are amazing! Thank you for these Ghost!

15. Of Mice and Men and Fahrenheit 451.

21. Webkinz and My littlest pet shop.

23. Everytime I pass a dragon toy or stuffed animal, I must pet it.

24. Moonstone, amethyst and tigers eye

28.

29. As far as I know, just be nice to me and I’ll start calling you my friend.

35. Lately around 2-3am after my cousin tells us a story of his crazy life.

40. In middle school, a man was running from the police and crashed the van he was driving into the schools fence. In high school, someone crashed into the school. It was into the band room at an off hour so no one was hurt. At my first college, they shut down in the middle of my sophomore year. And at the college I’m in now, there was a path of muddy, bare foot prints leading from the school and into the street.

41. Last person I texted was my nana (grandma) 43. Hoodie all year. Even in 120°f weather. 44. My favorite smell of soap is probably Irish spring I guess? 46. I sleep in sweats or shorts and a T-shirt so that probably. 47. It’s pretty hard for my to choose my favorite cheese but either provolone or white cheddar. 49. A quote I live by is “the measure of a man is not what he proves to others, but what he proves to himself.” 50. Time I laughed the hardest 52. I’m pretty partial to serif fonts but I think times new Roman is the nicest but it isn’t the nicest to read. 54. Something I learned from my first job is that if you act like you belong in a space, no one with questions you about why or how you got there. I look very young and would be questions like if I was lost and needed help finding a parent more times then I’d like to mention. 58. I’m very proud of my artistic talents, that I can read pretty quickly and absorb the information, my photography (I know I mentioned art twice but it’s a huge part of my life) and I don’t know if it’s a talent but the ability to keep a relitively level head in stressful situations. 61. During shark week one of the divers was talking to a scientist who said he was nervous. The diver said, “anything worth doing makes you nervous.” 62. 7 characters I relate too. 65. I have many, many scars. Mostly accidental and one surgery scar. 66. I don’t have a favorite flower but I like to draw sunflowers cause my cousin loves them. 67. I wouldn’t call them good luck charms but I have items that help me cope with my anxiety and that give me confidance to do the thing. Right now it’s my arrowhead necklace and last week it was a random d20. 69. That there are pink dolphins. I don’t remember where I learned this but I’ve known for a long time. 70. I’m right handed but I used to be ambidextrous. I’m actually trying to teach myself that again. 76. My favorite potato thing is chips or roasted potatoes. 85. Yes. I love fairy tales, they’re an escape from reality. I love mythology for close to the same reason but it feels weirdly more reality based. 87. I have a couple of greatest fears. The first and most prominent currently is losing Gwen, my dog because I’m not home to protect her. 88. My greatest wish would probably be to be excepted for me and not others perseption of me. 89. My dogs, friends and family. 90. Luckiest mistake. I can’t think of one off the top of my head. 93. I have a lot of nicknames. Tweet, sweet pea, ninja, nerd, art and a short version of deadname 94. Winter and fall. Winter cause chilly and fall cause halloween. 96. My desktop picture is marvels Hawkeye 98. I love the renaissance for the art and myths.

[mychemicalimagines]

Happens Like That-Jim Halpert-Chapter 2

Summary: Jim Halpert and Melissa Ford have been best friends since he started at Dunder Mifflin in 1999. Now that a camera crew is following the employees around so they can film a documentary, do they finally tell each other their feelings? Or do they just let them go? Either way, what will become of these two best friends? 

Warnings: Cussing and Smut in later chapters.

Words: 4890

Tag List: @you-a-southpaw-doll @elskinner45 @imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl

A/N: I love that you guys are liking this. Please leave comments on what you think. If you guys don’t want me to finish this, I won’t continue. If you would like to be tagged please message or submit an ask.

Melissa’s POV - Same Day, Just Later in the Evening

By the time I get home, half an hour has already passed since I clocked out and left work.  I’m still going to Jim’s house but I wanted to change into something more comfortable. I walk upstairs to my room and change into a tank top and a pair of jeans before I look in the mirror. I brush my hair quickly before putting on a pair of sneakers.

I smile when I see how good I look, and feel proud of myself. I make sure everything is in place and that I look comfortable and ready to hang out, but also making sure I don’t look like I tried too hard. This isn’t the first time I’m going to Jim’s  house. About a year after he started at DM, we started hanging out almost every day of the week. 

We have our routine, doing things we both enjoy. And, most of the time, as long as we’re hanging out, we’re doing something we enjoy. He’s just about the only person I hang out with. Mondays, we sit together and watch basketball, nine times outta ten, it’s at his place since he has the DVR and the bigger TV. 

I’m not a huge basketball fan, but I watch the Philly 76ers with him so we have a chance to hang out. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve come to understand certain things about the sport and appreciate it ‘cause it means I get to spend time with Jim. Since I’ve started getting more into basketball, Jim has offered and has been teaching me how to play for going on three and a half months now. 

It’s been fun, and I might’ve not been the best at the beginning, but I’m getting better! Tuesdays...well, those are our taco nights. We get together at my house and make tacos, usually watching a movie afterwards. Sometimes, we try new types of tacos, or we stick to the good old fashioned ones, like beef tacos, which just so happen to be my favorite, with some guacamole on the side. 

One time, Jim suggested that we try shrimp tacos...let’s just say that didn’t turn out too well and we ended up going to taco bell that night. It was a learning experience, to say the least. Fridays are our movie and dinner nights, with us switching houses every other week. One week it’ll be my place and I pick the movie while he picks what we’re having for dinner. 

The next week, it’ll be at his place and he picks the movie, leaving dinner up to me. This week just so happens to be a little different. I couldn’t make up my mind on what I wanted for dinner, so we agreed I’d pick the movie and he’d get dinner, but we’d still have it at his place. After our movie ends and dinner has been cleaned up, we usually spend the night at the other’s house, just sleeping, nothing more...yet... hopefully one day. 

If I stay at his place, he offers me his bed while he sleeps on the couch. I felt bad the first few times, but he assured me it’s ok. At my place, he insisted I keep my bed and he sleeps on the couch. We do this every Friday night  because on Saturdays we go to the local bar and have a few drinks. And it’s better to go to one destination and be safe than go to two and possibly get hurt in one way or another. 

So, I guess technically, we spend two nights a week together, but we don’t ever cross that line. Yet. The other days of the week are random. Usually, it just depends on how tired or busy we are after work. Sometimes, we’ll hang out, and other times, we’ll just part ways at our cars and go home or run errands or whatever it is we need to do. 

To be honest, if I’m not with him, I usually just stop by McDonald’s or something, grab a bite to eat and go home to take a nap. I have no idea what he does when we’re not hanging out, but it’s ok. I stop at BlockBuster and grab the last copy of the movie he talked about wanting to see today. As I drive toward his house, I see a flower stand on the side of the road. 

I smirk to myself and pull over. Last week, Jim came over for Taco Tuesday and brought me some flowers. It was a really sweet gesture and made me smile. Now it’s my turn to return the favor. I turn off my car and step out, making sure I grab my keys and wallet. Walking right up to the stand, I take a look at the different types of arrangements, colors, and floral designs. 

After a few minutes, I pick up a little thing of cute flowers and walk over to the sweet looking, little old woman running the stand. 

“Oh what’s the occasion?” She asks as she rings up my flowers.

“Just getting a friend some flowers.” 

I smile, and hand her a slightly faded, and worn, ten dollar bill that’s more than enough to cover the cost. She nods, takes the money and hands me my change. I put it in my wallet before grabbing the flowers. Getting inside my car, I make sure the flowers are safe in my passenger’s seat, not before starting my car. 

I drive for ten more minutes to get to Jim’s house, before I carefully pull into his driveway since there’s a big dip at the end of it. The city says it’s to help with water runoff when it rains so it lessens the chance for the roads to flood. His car is usually parked on the left and my car will be parked on the right, just like it is today. 

He joked the other day that this was my parking spot and no one is allowed to park here. And I mean, no one. It doesn’t matter who they are. If they’re not me, then they can’t park here. Jim’s rules, not mine. Last year, Jim had a small BBQ and invited everyone from work. Michael showed up a little earlier than I did and Jim made him move his car before I got there. 

No one understood why it was such a big deal. The big deal was 1) it was my spot, and 2) because I was more than likely sleeping over that night. I did sleep over, but I made sure to help him clean everything up since I helped him cook the night before. That was what kind of, officially, started us staying at each other’s house on a somewhat regular basis.

I turn off my car and grab the flowers from the seat next to me. I step out and  grab my ‘Sleepover at Jim’s’ duffle bag that I keep in my back seat. I hold the flowers behind my back and walk toward his front door. I have no idea why I am so nervous. 

I’ve been here a million times in the last 5 years! I put my duffle bag down and knock on the door. A few seconds later, Jim answers.

“Mel!” He smiles, seeming to be almost shocked it’s me and not someone else.

“Who else?” I giggle and all the nervousness washed away, just like that. I lean against the doorway and ask, “Who else could it have been?”

“The delivery guy. I was hoping the food would get here before you.” He says. He notices my hand behind my back and looks a little confused. “Umm, what is that?” He points.

I smile widely and pull them out. “Daisies.”

He chuckles. “Is this because I brought you sunflowers?”

I shrug and giggle as he lets me in. He grabs my duffle bag for me and I walk straight into his kitchen. Reaching  into one of his cabinets, I grab one of the small vases that I know his mom has probably given him over the years. She has a habit of giving him flowers at least twice a year - Valentine’s Day, ‘cause she feels everyone deserves flowers and she knows he’s been single for a while,  and his birthday. 

The flowers on his birthday have been a tradition since Jim’s grandma died when he was little. She’d always give him a couple flowers on his birthday and his mom kept the tradition up. I fill it up with water and put the daisies inside. He walks in right as I set the  vase on the counter and turn around to face him. 

***

Diversity Day

Monday morning, I’m the first one in the office. This isn’t necessarily rare but being here before Dwight got in was. Dwight is usually always the first person in the office. Yesterday, though, Michael called me and asked for me to be in the office at eight instead of nine. At first, I had no idea why he’d have me come in an hour earlier, but I didn’t question it.

I now know it is because a gentleman, from corporate,  by the man of ‘Mr. Brown’, is going to be coaching us through what Diversity really is. He’s also gonna tell us what we can and can’t say about races and such while we are in the office. We all know the reason is because Michael can say some things that are counted as racist, sexist, and even homophobic at times, and not even realize it. 

I sigh to myself and hang up my jacket. I go into the conference room and start putting the chairs out for everyone.  Should I put one out for Jim or is he going to stand today? I decide to put one out for him just so he has a chance to sit this time. I hear the door to the office open so I glance out the door. 

When I see Jim, I grin from ear to ear and wave him over to where I’m at. He drapes his jacket over the back of his chair and walks to me.

“Hi.” He says, his voice still laced with sleep, as he flashes me a smile.

“Hey, sleepyhead. Late night?” I tease, knowing we both stayed up late last night, texting about random stuff. Mainly about me having to get up early in the morning and that’s why I couldn’t go watch the new Star Wars movie. 

He chuckles slightly and nods. “I thought you could use some help.” 

He puts his hands in his pockets and leans against the doorway.

“Well...I could use the help moving the table.” I point over my shoulder at the table in the middle of the room.

“You got it!” He says, walking over and grabbing one side of said table.

I grab the other side and we lift the table. We walk it over to the side of the room toward the windows and set it down slowly. 

“Thanks. I didn’t wanna have to drag it over.” I giggle slightly. 

He smiles. “It’s no problem, Mel. What else do you have to do?” 

After another half hour of moving things around the room, and getting everything set up, he helps me put up a banner that Mr. Brown sent over. The banner says ‘Diversity Day’. Hopefully the room is the way he wants. Just as Jim helps me down from a chair, the front door opens. Jim and I walk out into office around to see who it is. 

A middle-aged, nice looking, in the sense he seems nice, African American gentleman walks in.

“Hello.” I say, sweetly. “How can I help you?”

“I’m Mr. Brown. I’m doing a lesson today?”

“Yes! Hi, I’m Melissa. I’m Michael’s Assistant!” I put my hand out and he shakes it, smiling.

He looks at Jim. “And you are..?”

“I’m Jim Halpert. I’m one of the Salesmen here.” Jim says, putting his hand out for Mr. Brown to shake. 

“Nice to meet you,” He says, and looks in the conference room where Jim and I just finished everything.

“Wow. You guys did that?”

“Yeah. We came in early to make sure you had room and-” I start saying.

“It’s wonderful. Thank you.”

No One’s P.O.V.

He walks into the conference room and starts setting up the items he brought. About an hour later, everyone arrives at the office, and Michael walks up to Mr. Brown.

“Hey, uh, can I help you in here?” He asks, clearly not really interested in helping.

Mr. Brown looks up, “I’m all set, thanks.”

Michael nods, “Gotcha, good. I’d go with the rows. Good idea.”

“Oh, Melissa and Jim set that up. I’m setting up the papers and the rest of the stuff I brought.” Mr. Brown says, before turning back to the table.

Michael nods and walks out. He pats Jim on the back and gives Melissa a thumbs up. They both smile and Jim continues his sales call.

“That's the thing. It's very sturdy paper and on the back it says, ‘100% post-consumer content.’ What?” The sound of a shredder is heard throughout the office, making Mel look up. “Hello? Uh-huh. Wait. What? I'm sorry, Mr. Decker. I think I'm losing you.” Dwight is shredding all his old paperwork he doesn’t need, at a most inconvenient time nonetheless. “Hello? Hello? Yeah. Hold on one second. I don't know. Hold on one second.” Jim puts the gentleman on the other end of the phone on hold and looks at Dwight. “Do you really have to do that now?”

“Yes I do! I should have done this weeks ago.” Dwight says, putting another piece of paper into the shredder.

Jim takes the gentleman off hold. “Mr. Decker, I'm sorry about that. What were you…” Dwight puts another paper in the shredder. “Can you hold on one second? Yeah, just one second. Thanks.”  Jim reaches over and flips the switch on the power supply, making the shredder shut down. “Hello? That's it. Perfect. So what I was saying…” 

Dwight reaches over and pushes a button to end the phone call. Mel’s eyes widen, not actually believing that Dwight just did that to a customer, or to Jim for that matter. 

“Hello? Thanks, Dwight.” Jim sighs as he puts the phone down.

“Retaliation. Tit for tit.” Dwight says, smirking a little.

“That’s not the expression.” Jim says, sighs. 

The roaring of the shredder starts once more as Dwight pushes the button on the power supply again.

“Well... it should be.” Dwight comments, as he continues to shred his papers.

Jim sighs and looks up when the camera guy pats his shoulder. 

“Hey, come do an interview.” He says.

Jim nods and stands up, pushing in his chair. He glances up at Mel and rolls his eyes. She giggles and looks at Pam.

Melissa’s POV

“I’m going to go talk with Michael about what is gonna happen with my wedding and stuff, okay?” She asks.

“That’s fine. I’ll be here. Checking emails.” I smirk, pulling up Solitaire on the computer.

She giggles, walking around me, toward Michaels office. I start playing Solitaire and when I’m halfway done, Jim walks out of the conference room and straight over to my desk. He leans down, resting his cheek against his hand. 

“Solitaire?” He asks.

I nod. “Freecell.”

He watches for a second and then points. “Six on seven.

“I know. I saw that.” I tease but don’t move the cards.

“So...then...why didn’t you do it?”

“I’m saving that ‘cause I like it when the cards go ‘t-ts-ts-tch-tch-tch’.” I giggle as I move another card on the computer.

“Who doesn’t love that?” Jim chuckles slightly. 

I blush and continues to play my game when Pam walks back. Jim hears his phone rings, he runs over and answers the phone call.

“Mr. Decker! Hello!”

Michael walks out of his office, a few minutes later, with Mr. Brown walking out of the conference room. Michael walks right over to Oscar and starts to talk. Mr. Brown tells Michael he’s ready for us.

“Oh hey, well, diversity, everybody. Let’s do it. Oscar works in...umm  Jim? Could you wrap it up please?”

I look confused as I grab my usual notebook. Doesn’t he want Jim to get this sale? This is one of Jim’s biggest sales. He should be able to finish it. I stand up and walk over to Jim’s desk as Michael goes walks toward the conference room but stops and turns back.

“Yeah, uh, Mr. Decker, please.” Jim says, glancing up.

Michael glances at the camera as he speaks to Jim. “It’s diversity day, Jim. I wish every day was diversity day.” He flashes a smile at the camera.

Jim sighs. “You know what? I’m actually going to have to call you back. Thank you. Sorry about that.” He hangs up and stands.

I whisper. “I’m sorry, Jim.” 

He just puts his hand on my lower back and ushers me toward the conference room. I smile a little at the feeling of his hand on my back. When we get to the conference room, we head to where we normally sit, closer to the back corner and by the windows that look into the main office area. I sit down and Jim sits to my left. 

A few minutes later, Mr. Brown collects the cards he had us fill out. 

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Great.” He murmurs, politely, as he collects the cards from each of us.

“Come on, people! Let’s get ‘em in! Get in the cards! Get in the cards!” Michael says, clapping his hands together in an attempt to hurry us along. 

Mr. Brown on the other hand is soft spoken, and very patiently with us. Once he has all the cards collected, he puts them together and then tucks them in with his stuff. He turns to face us, addressing us in a still much softer tone than Michael’s.

“Thanks for filling these out and I promise this’ll be quick. At Diversity Today, our philosophy is about honesty and positive expectations. We believe that 99% of the problems in the workplace arise simply out of ignorance.” Mr. Brown starts. 

Michael cuts him off from the rest of his speech.

“You know what? This is a color-free-zone here. Stanley, I don’t look at you as another race.” He points to the only other African American in the room.

“Uh, see this is what I’m talking about. We don’t have to pretend we’re color-blind.” Mr. Brown says, looking over at Michael.

They start arguing over ignorance of the situation and I glance over at Jim. He leans back in his chair and puts his arm around me, resting it on the top of my chair. I open my notebook to a blank page. I reach and grab a pen I have attached to the notebook when a hang reaches out. I look and see Jim grabbing the pen before I could. 

Because he is right handed his lines are messy, but he draws a tic-tac-toe board. He puts a messy X in the middle of the board. I giggle quietly and takes the pen from him. I put an O in the top right corner. He stares at the board before taking the pen and putting an X in the middle left box. I smirk to myself and takes the pen. 

I put an O under my last one, cutting off Jim from winning. He breathes hard from his nose and stares at the board. He grabs the pen and puts an X in the top middle box. His eyes widen after realizing what he has done. I giggle again quietly and takes the pen before putting an O in the bottom left corner, marking me as the winner.

I glance up and sighs when I hear Kevin citing something. I realize he’s horribly butchering the Chris Rock skit that Michael tried to impersonate the other day. I shake my head and sigh. This is going to get bad quick!  Michael cuts off Kevin from the Chris Rock skit, and tried to recite it himself. Mr. Brown tries to stop him. 

He does so by trying to cut him off.  Jim’s desk phone starts ringing and he quickly looks over. I look over at him.

“That better not be Mr. Decker,” I whisper.

He glances at me and nods.

He whispers, “It is more than likely.”

“Now, this is a simple acronym. HERO. Uh, at Diversity Today, we believe it is very easy to be a HERO. All you need is honesty, empathy, respect and open-mindedness.” Mr. Brown continues. 

“Excuse me.” Dwight cuts in. “I’m sorry, but that’s not all it takes to be a hero.”

Mr. Brown raises an eyebrow. “Oh great. Well, what is a hero to you?”

“A hero kills people, people that wish him harm.” Dwight says, as if it is obvious.

“Ok.” Mr. Brown stares at him for a minute.

“A hero is part-human and part-supernatural. A hero is born out of a childhood trauma or out of a disaster that must be avenged.” Dwight continues.

“Oh, you’re thinking of a superhero.” Mr. Brown says. 

“We all have a hero in our heart.”

Mr. Brown doesn’t acknowledge Dwight’s comment, but instead picks up a stack of papers from the podium and starts handing them out, while explaining, “Now, I need you to take these forms. This kind of expresses the joint experience we had today. And I need you to look 'em over and sign them as kind of a group pledge.”

I stand up, reaching forward to take a few so Jim and I can get out of here. Michael walks over to Mr. Brown and starts whispering. I grab two pieces of paper and hands Jim one. I sit back down and uses the pen from my notebook to sign my name. I hand the pen over to Jim and he quickly signs his name. 

Standing up, he takes the paper from my hand and walks over to Mr. Brown. I stand and walk out of the room. Jim runs out of the room and quickly over to his desk phone. He picks it up and listens to his voicemail. He sighs and nods at me. It was Mr. Decker. He quickly calls him back.

“Yeah, hi. Is Mr. Decker around? Oh. Well, could you just have him call me after lunch? Thank you.” He hangs up and sighs, leaning back into his chair. 

I reach over and moves his hair from his eyes.

“It’s okay Jim. You’ll talk to him after lunch and you’ll get the sale.” I smile slightly.

“You think so?” He looks up at me.

I nod and sighs when I hear the receptionist phone start ringing. Pam walks quickly out of the conference room and to our desk.

***

About an hour later I’m talking with Pam about her wedding plans when Michael walks out of the conference room. He calls us over so everyone in the room stands up and walks into the office. Jim waits for me. I walk up behind Toby and Jim steps into line behind me.

“All right? Everyone pretty? Come on. Here we go. It’s time. Let’s do some good.” Michael says, ushering us into the conference room.

“Hey, we’re not all going to sit in a circle Indian Style are we?” Toby says, laughing.

Michael says, with a straight face, “Get out.” 

Toby’s eyes widen, “I’m sorry.”

“No this is not a joke, okay? That was offensive and lame. So double offensive. This is an environment of welcoming and you should just get the hell out of here.” Michael says, pointing out the door. 

Toby sighs and turns, gently pushing past me and Jim. He walks out of the room and back over to his desk.

“Let’s go! Let’s do it. Come on. Let’s have some fun, everybody. Here we go. Take a seat. Cop a squat.” Michael says energetically.

Jim and I sit next to each other once again, but I didn’t bring my notebook this time. I am instantly regretting this. I lean back in my chair and cross my arms.

“Uh, thanks for coming in. Um Diversity...is the cornerstone of progress as I’ve always said. But don’t take my word for it. Let’s take a look at the tape.” Michael says leaning against a tv that was rolled in the room. 

He starts the tape and he comes onto the screen, standing in front of our Dunder Mifflin sign. I roll my eyes discreetly and watch tv. I tone out some of video because I know it was going to be boring but I look up when I hear something about Abe Lincoln.

“Abraham Lincoln once said that, ‘If you’re a racist, I will attack you with the North.’ And those are the principles that I carry with me in the workplace.” the video says.

Michael turns off the tv and looks at us. 

“Ok. Questions? Comments? Anybody?” Jim raises his hand. “Jim?”

“Uh, is that it?” He asks.

Michael nods, “Yes. I only had an hour to put it together but I’m going to add on to it later on.”

As time goes on, Kelly leaves, and Michael tries to get us to explain what race and nationality we are. I look over at Jim and sighs. He nods and uncrosses his arms.  He puts an arm behind me resting on my chair as we watch everything that is going on in the office. After Oscar and Michael fight over nationalities, we hear Jim’s phone go off. 

He quickly stands up and runs out of the room.

“Jim! Jim!” Michael sighs and holds up a board with note cards on it. “I have something here. I want you to take a card and put it on your fore-” He notices someone going to look at the card. “Don’t look at the card! I want you to take the card and put it on your forehead. Take a card, any card.” 

I stand up from my seat when Michael walks over to me.

“Take your card.” 

I stare at him for a second. “No.” 

I walk out of the room to Jim’s desk. I hear Michael say something like, ‘Okay..I knew that was coming’. I lean against his desk as he puts down the phone.

“Was it him?” 

He shakes his head no. “Nope. Someone trying to get prices on paper.” He sighs and leans back in his seat again. 

“It’s okay Jim. He’ll call.” I smile. “Come on. Lets listen to how stupid Michaels Diveristy Day is going.” He smiles a little and stands up. 

We walk the few steps to the door and listens in. I notice that Stanley has the card ‘Black’. Dwight has ‘Asian’. Pam has ‘Jewish’. I overhear Michael talking to Pam, who just tried to explain Dwight’s to him. She didn’t do a very good job.

I look at Jim confused. He just shrugs and we continue to watch. After a few minutes, Jim’s phone starts to ring again. He turns and quickly sits down, picking up the phone. 

He talks for a few minutes.

“Mr. Decker, we didn’t lose your sale today, did we? Excellent. Ok Let me just get your..what’s that?” He pauses. I bite my lip in anticipation. “No, we didn’t close last time. I just need your...Oh...W-what code were you given? Oh, ok. That’s actually another salesman here. I can redo it if you want that. Oh, he gave you a discount? No I don’t blame you.” He says goodbye and hangs up. 

I sigh and rub his back. “I’m sorry, Jim.” 

He looks up at me. He opens his mouth to speak but looks down. He stands up, opening his drawer where he kept the champagne bottle and puts it on Dwight’s desk.

“No...” I say, sadly. He just nods and pulls me in for a hug, laying his head on mine.

I rub his back and whisper. “Today’s Monday so I’ll grab dinner and swing by your house so we can watch basketball, okay?” 

He just nods against me. After a few minutes, he pulls away and smiles slightly. He then puts his hand on my lower back and ushers me into the conference room. We sit in the chairs against the window to the office and just listen to the discussion Michael is having. I lay my head against his shoulder. 

Next thing I know Jim is gently moving his shoulder. I look up.

“Hey.” He whispers, smiling.

“Oh, sorry. Hey.” I giggle slightly, moving off his shoulder.

“We can go.” He says. 

“Great.” I smile as I stand up, “I’ll grab dinner and go to your house?” 

“Great.” He stands up.

I smile and walk out, going straight for my desk. I grab my bag and my jacket, walking with Jim to our cars. He waves to me as I get into my car. I close my car door and grab my cell phone. I call the closest Seafood restaurant.

“Hello? Hi, I would like to make an order for Soft Shelled Crab?”

#jim halpert #jim halpert x oc #jim halpert imagine #jim halpert x reader #jim halpert the office #jim Halpert x oc reader #james halpert imagine #james halpert x oc #james halpert x reader #james halpert love story #james halpert the office #james Halpert x oc reader #james Halpert #jim Halpert love story

[nightlight9]

Sterek Week 2019 Day Two: Lyrics and Quotes

Title: Darling Take My Hand

Song: Heads and Tails by Banners

Summary: In his youth, Stiles had never given much thought to getting married. There were too many other, more exciting things to think about. Then he met Lydia Martin, and things changed. Of course, he was never meant to be Lydia’s king, but that’s something that he’s okay with. More than okay actually. Because he gets to have this instead, and it’s perfect. 

Rating: G

AO3

----------

With everything you never really know

Whenever there is trouble on the road

Wherever you go, that’s where I’ll go

In his youth, Stiles had never really given much thought to getting married. There were too many other things to think about, like whether or not dinosaurs could exists again or where he could sign up to be a Jedi master. Marriage was a foreign idea that only registered when speaking about his parents and how perfect they were for each other or when he was forced to dress up and attend his cousin Marty’s wedding.  

Then he met Lydia Martin and things changed. His mom thought it was cute when he started imagining what their wedding would be like. She indulged Stiles by teaching him about flower bouquets, carefully constructing his ideal arrangement of red and pink roses bound together with lilies and one random sunflower (it was hideous but he was proud of it). She helped him bake a practice wedding cake, comforting him when it came out lopsided and less than perfect. To her, this was a child’s fantasy. It was a fun game to play with her son. But for Stiles, it was real. He knew that Lydia’s wedding would be a grand spectacle indeed, and he knew without a doubt that he would be standing at her side. 

Of course, he was wrong. While Lydia will always be his Queen, he was never destined to be her King. Her wedding was a fucking ball though, and he’s so proud that he at least got that right. 

But that’s fine. More than fine actually. It’s great. 

Because Stiles has something greater than a grand spectacle with Lydia Martin. He has a small backyard wedding with Derek Hale, and it’s better than he ever imagined. It’s perfect.

Derek smiles, small and almost shy as they take their places in the center of the makeshift dance floor in his dad’s backyard. There are bouquets of yellow roses and while lilies at each corner of the dance floor, put together by Lydia herself, and Stiles thinks that his dad’s backyard has never looked better. Not that he’s paying attention to that. His eyes are locked on Derek’s hand, on their matching rings, as he reaches out to pull Stiles close. It’s their first dance as a married couple, and Stiles has never been the weepy type, but as Isaac snaps pictures of them as the music cues up, he feels like he could cry he’s so happy.

Derek was put in charge of picking the music for their first dance, a task that seemed to frustrate him for weeks before he found the right song, and at first Stiles can’t figure out just what it is. As soon as he does though, tears tease the corner of his eyes. 

“Does this work?” Derek asks as the first note of “Heads and Tails” by Banners starts playing. His fingers clench against Stiles’ side, giving away his nerves that Stiles might actually say no. 

“It’s perfect,” Stiles whispers back. Because it it. Everything is. 

All you hear is emptiness and noise

Hanging on the fall of a coin

Whatever you choose, I’ll be with you

Around them, their friends and family watch them sway together. John is proud of his son, and so damn happy that he found someone that can make him feel truly alive. Despite the years of violence and danger that brought Derek and Stiles together, John knows with one hundred percent certainty that Derek will never let anything bad happen to Stiles. And that, coupled with the fact that they look at each other in the same way that John remembers looking at Claudia, is all that John has ever wanted. 

Beside him, Melissa wipes her eyes. Later, she’ll join Stiles on the dance floor for his mother-son dance. Even though she isn’t his biological mom, Melissa has always been there for him and he’s happy to share the moment with her in Claudia’s place. Derek won’t have a mother-son dance (though Melissa offered to be his stand-in too), but he will dance with Cora to his mother’s favorite song, and that will be enough. 

For now though, the moment belongs to Stiles and Derek. Stiles can’t stop smiling as he looks into Derek’s eyes. Gods, he didn’t know that it was possible to feel so warm. When he had asked Derek out two years earlier, he had expected to get shot down. Even with Kira’s assurance that Derek liked him and Lydia’s confidence that it would work out, Stiles thought that he didn’t have a chance. Instead, Derek ducked his head down to his chest to hide his smile in an act of shyness that Stiles wasn’t used to from him, and then he said yes. It was such a shock to Stiles that he stared at him for a full minute before asking if he was sure. And then Derek had rolled his eyes in a familiar way and that was that.

It wasn’t easy. Stiles isn’t sure that love is supposed to be even without werewolves and danger and near-death experiences. But they grew together, and by the time Beacon Hills finally calmed down enough that everyone in the pack could breathe without being concerned that their next breath might be their last, the bond between Derek and Stiles was unshakable. That being said, Stiles was still surprised when Derek got down on one knee one day after a normal dinner and pulled out a ring. It wasn’t a romantic setting in the least (Stiles was wearing a shirt with a stain on it for the Gods’ sake), but it was perfect for them: a little messy but filled with only the best intentions. Stiles said yes, and Derek asked if he was sure, and that was that. He never really expected a wedding, but he’s so glad that he let his dad talk him into one. Because swaying in Derek’s arms is something that he thinks he could probably do forever.

Hope in your tired eyes

Fight against the tide

Let it rise and fall and I’ll be here by your side

All I want to say is we’ll be okay

‘Cause we’ll hold it together, hold on together

“I love you,” Derek breathes. His voice is filled with awe and an overwhelming fondness that makes Stiles beam. 

“I love you more,” Stiles says, just to be a little shit. Instead of taking the bait and arguing with him like he has a thousand times before, Derek’s eyes flare blue. 

“I love you more than the moon.”

The words are said so honestly that Stiles actually chokes a little. Off to the side of the dance floor, Erica coos at them and Cora says ‘gross,’ even though it she sounds a little choked up too. 

Derek pays them no mind; he has eyes only for Stiles. “Alright,” Stiles sniffles, “you win this round.” Prodding gently at Derek’s chest, he smirks. “But don’t get used to it. Give me a little while and I’ll think of a clever comeback.”

Derek’s smile could light up the world. “I have no doubt about that, Husband.”

Husband. They’re married. Stiles gets to have Derek forever. He beams, then tucks his head down against Derek’s chest, letting the music and the pure feeling of the moment sweep him up. This is his forever, and it’s perfect.

Don’t lose your faith

It’s all just heads and tails

We’ll turn and face whatever comes our way

#sterekweek2019 #stereklyrics5 #sterek #sterek fic #my writing #sterek wedding #eternal sterek

[eleanor-writes-stuff]

keep calm and let HR handle it [VI/VI]

Rey managed to go a full year without ever directly interacting with her new CEO, but now it seems like he’s dropping by her office every single week.

(Because what else is a love-struck fool to do when he falls for his head of HR other than find reasons to visit her department?)

OR: five times Ben gets summoned down to HR, and one time Rey gets called into the CEO’s office, based on this prompt from @optimisticsprinkles​​​: “Rey as the director of HR at [office] and Kylo/Ben starts finding reasons to be sent down to HR”.

At long last, we get to see Ben's office. (Oh, and also these two get their shit together and get together.)

Chapter 5 Also available on AO3. And hey, maybe check out my Twitter and Ko-fi?

To: [email protected] From: [email protected] Subject: Company picnic

Hi Rey,

I’ve got several updates from the board on our annual picnic idea. Could you come by my office first thing tomorrow morning to discuss?

Best regards, Ben Solo, Chief Executive Officer, The Organa Foundation.

 To: [email protected] From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Company picnic

Hey Ben,

Sure, I’ll see you in the morning. Fingers crossed for good news!

Warm regards, Rey Niima, Head of Human Resources, The Organa Foundation.

 Exactly a week after Ben Solo’s birthday, he finds himself critically considering a bouquet on his desk. It’d been an impulse purchase on his way to his meeting with Rey, which had also come about due to his impulsive decision to contact her after a week of radio silence on his end, which had, of course, been caused by his very, very impulsive mistake of calling her sweetheart.

It’s a pretty thing, if you ask him, an explosion of white and yellow blooms that remind him of Rey and the light she’s brought into his life. He’d picked it out with exactly that sentiment in mind, but now that he’s supposed to give it to her in about five minutes, Ben suddenly regrets his questionable decision-making.

Flowers have meanings, don’t they? What the hell had he been thinking, buying her a bouquet based on aesthetics? What if sunflowers mean something bad, something cruel? What if that’s the first thing Rey notices when she walks into his office and it dooms them before they’ve even begun?

He can’t bear the thought of going back to a life without her. He’s spent all week realizing exactly how much he can’t bear it, and now it might just happen anyway because he’s an idiot who’s never bought anyone flowers before and didn’t think before acting and fuck, what is he even going to say to her when he presents her with these possibly rude flowers?

To be safe, Ben pulls his phone out of his pocket and frantically keys in a Google search riddled with typos. But before he can dive into the results for sumflwr meabinh, a single knock rings across his office.

And when he turns around, there she is.

“You kept Leia’s chairs,” is the first thing Rey says to him in a week, giving him a bright smile as she settles into one of said chairs, a pair of emerald velvet tufted wingback chairs his mother had salvaged from the burning wreckage of her childhood home in Alderaan.

Ben had expected her to take them when she retired, had insisted that she do so even, but Leia had simply smiled at him with a faraway look in her eyes as she patted the tall back of one chair, reminiscing about the many days he’d spent curled up in these very chairs as a toddler, a tiny little thing floating in an emerald sea.

He’d stopped protesting after that.

Rey blinks at him expectantly, and he realizes that that’s it, that’s all she has to say for now, she’s not going to confront or lecture or push him about the fact that he’s avoided her for a whole week. It shouldn’t surprise him, really, since that’s one of his favorite things about her: how she always knows when to push him and when to give him space, when to prod and when to be patient.

“I, um, yeah, I did–”

“Oh, what’s this?” she coos with obvious delight as she spots the bouquet on his desk, reaching out to trace the sunflower’s petals with a light touch.

Right.

This is it, then.

Showtime.

Now or never.

For Rey.

Ben takes a deep breath, and makes the unexpected choice to pick up the flowers and settle into the matching chair next to Rey’s rather than his own on the other end of his desk.

Rey watches him with careful yet smiling eyes, and he catches the little puff of laughter that escapes her when he awkwardly thrusts the bouquet into her hands. “They’re for you.”

“They’re beautiful, Ben,” she says, shifting the arrangement to cradle it in one arm. “So is this a congratulations, our picnic idea has been greenlit gift or…?”

The way she lets the question hang in the air, the way she smiles knowingly and expectantly at him, the way one finger is gently, reverently running along each carefully-chosen bloom…

She knows. Of course she knows, his beautiful, perfect, bright Rey; of course she would have pieced it all together long before him, human disaster that he is.

And she’s here. She knows, and she’s here, and she’s smiling, and she’s waiting–

Rey’s done more than enough of that for a lifetime, Ben knows. He won’t, can’t keep her waiting for even one second longer.

“It’s… it’s a these reminded me of you gift, because they’re so bright and sunny and Rey,” he falters on her name as he loses his train of thought, only to find renewed strength in the way she slips her free hand into his and encourages him to go on with a wordless nod. “Rey, I know that’s not always you, I don’t need that to be you all the time, I want you to just be you around me, but… but even at your lowest point, even in your darkest moments… you’re still perfect to me. You’re still the sun to me. You – fuck, this is so corny but you make me want to be corny, you make me feel like maybe I’m capable of that, maybe I can just be the guy who’s corny about this amazing woman who lights up his life, who makes him feel seen and heard and cared for for the first time in years. You make me feel… you make me feel like maybe I do deserve good things in my life, Rey. And you are, without a doubt, the best thing that could ever happen to me, that has ever happened to me.”

He has no idea what he’s just said, no way of knowing if he even makes sense anymore, but if the way Rey is smiling at him while her eyes shine in a telling way is anything to go by–

“I know this is… this is so not HR-sanctioned,” Ben adds, attempting to end on a light note as if that’ll make up for the rest of his desperate, rambling, half-coherent plea. “But I was hoping that maybe…”

He trails off at the sight of Rey moving to place the bouquet on his desk, and holds his breath.

This is either about to go very, very well, or very, very wrong.

She could be getting ready to stand up, walk away, and leave this place – leave him – for good. Or…

Or she could simply be freeing up her hands so that she can reach out for him instead, so that she can rest one hand on his beating heart and curl the other around his neck to pull his lips down to hers.

Ben doesn’t actually realize she’s gone with option B until their lips touch.

It’s like a burst of static, but painless.

It’s like everything he’s ever dreamed of, but better.

It’s like coming home, but to a home you’d long ago given up hope on ever finding.

It’s perfect, in other words, and he doesn’t know why that surprises him given that Rey is involved. She kisses him soft and sweet, winds both arms around his neck to draw him as close as possible and smiles into their kiss until he’s smiling too.

And Ben can’t even complain when she finally pulls away, because then she’s whispering against his lips–

“Have lunch with me today?”

Like an idiot, he ruins the moment by incredulously blurting out the first thing that comes to his dazed mind. “Here?”

Rey just laughs and kisses him again, shakes her head with a smile as she cards a hand through his hair. “Let’s go somewhere, just the two of us.”

It’s hard to think straight with her looking at him like… like he imagines he must be looking at her right now, like he hung the stars and the moon, like this could be the start of the rest of their lives. But somehow, mercifully, his brain gets it together just long enough to realize, with no small amount of hope– “Like a date?”

“Exactly like a date,” Rey says, making all his dreams come true.

Ben is the one to kiss her this time, cradling her face in his hands like the precious gift it is while he tries to tell her with a kiss all the things he can’t say just yet, all the things he knows he’ll tell her soon enough anyway because this is Rey, Rey who makes him feel safe, Rey who makes him feel like a person again, Rey who’s only known him for a few months but already knows him better than anyone else.

Suddenly overcome by a tidal wave of joy, Ben pulls back to give her a smile so wide it hurts. “Is HR okay with this?” he asks teasingly, feeling lighter than he has in a long, long time.

Rey laughs and rolls her eyes at him and tugs him back down into another kiss. “HR,” she murmurs against his lips, “is very, very okay with this.”

. . .

(The rest of HR, as it turns out, is maybe not so okay with their boss going missing for the entire morning, but they quickly get over that when they find out she’s been hard at work practicing employee engagement with the CEO.)

. . .

Sunflowers, in case anyone was wondering, apparently mean adoration, loyalty, and longevity. I'd say Ben got it right.

We made it to the finish line, friends! After a whole year of trying to get this written, only to realize that it was never meant to be just a one-shot and then having to adapt it for a multi-chapter format, and then struggling to get back into the swing of things after a prolonged hiatus... I can't believe we made it. And really, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart: it's all thanks to you guys. You've been so sweet, and supportive, and encouraging, and kind beyond belief. Thank you all so much for every single lovely comment that kept me going. <3

To Beth, thank you for the prompt that started it all. This was an absolute joy to write, and I hope you've had as much fun reading it as I have writing it.

I'll be starting my holiday fic giveaway soon (the first fic goes up on the 3rd), so I'll see you guys around! Until then, thank you so much for reading and please feel free to like/reblog/comment on this fic one last time. It really does mean so much to me.

#reylo #rey x ben #rey/kylo ren #rey/ben solo #kylo ren/rey #star wars #rey #ben solo #kylo ren #my fics #fic: HR