#i think i actually managed to write fluff y'all

[minghaoyoudoin]

to love easily

pairing: non-idol!minghao x fem!reader

genre: fake dating / angst / smut / non-idol au

words: 13.5k

rating: strictly 18+, stay safe out there 🫶

warnings: heavy mention of cheating and resulting trauma, fem reader, food consumption, kissing, dirty talk, pet name (darling), very explicit sexual content, unprotected sex, oral sex (m. and f. receiving), penetration (vaginal), some angst but more fluff, some marking, I'm sure there's more but you'll have to read to find out hehe

a/n: drum roll please.......... ta da! at long last, I've written for the namesake of this blog, the actual love of my life xu minghao! I hope y'all enjoy reading this one, it was such a joy to write and I'm excited to be able to share it with you! please like or reblog if you like it and thank you for reading!

synopsis: fake dating the beautiful stranger you met in the men’s room: what could go wrong?

~ DAY ONE ~

When you burst through the men’s bathroom door like a bat out of hell, you weren’t quite sure why you were surprised to find a boy on the other side.

Luckily, he wasn’t doing anything worthy of sprinting back out for. The boy stood at the row of old, slightly rusted sinks, the water running but not actually washing his hands. He had frozen the second the door opened, actually, which you figured was a pretty appropriate reaction.

And he was staring at you. Black hair hung into wide eyes, glasses you suspected he didn’t really need perched on the bridge of his nose.

Your chest heaved as you tried and failed to catch your breath. For all your many talents, running was not one of them. You offered a tired wave. “Sorry,” you panted, “I’ll just be a moment, promise.”

“What… are you doing.”

Phrased like a question, but not quite. You squinted at the boy as the automatic sink finally shut off, plunging the bathroom into silence. He straightened to his full height and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, appraising you warily. The boy knew how to dress, you’d give him that.

“Is there anyone else in here?” You demanded.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

The boy made a show of looking around, allowing his eyes to slide back to you after concluding the two of you were obviously alone. He shrugged. Not much for words, this one.

You finally managed to catch your breath enough to speak in coherent sentences. “Look, my ex-boyfriend is out there, okay?”

“Is that really a dire enough situation to warrant hiding in the men’s room?”

You scoffed. “Not that it’s any of your business, but his new girlfriend is with him. Who also happens to be my used-to-be-best-friend, okay? I’m not hiding, I’m saving everyone a headache.”

The boy grimaced. “Sounds messy. Well, good luck with that—”

“Do you have a name?” You interrupted. The boy levelled an impatient look at you over his fake glasses. When he said nothing you blurted your own name, at which his lips pressed into a hard line.

After what could have been hours of tense silence, the boy sighed. “Minghao. My friends call me Hao.”

“Nice to meet you, Hao.”

“You can call me Minghao.”

Despite his severe tone and the fact he definitely wasn’t joking, you laughed. You stuck out a hand for him to shake, more than pleased when he raised his own to meet yours halfway. He wore several delicate silver rings on his fingers, his skin slightly damp against yours from the sink. You took some solace in the knowledge he’d been able to finish washing his hands before you barged into the bathroom.

You froze, your hand still clasped in Minghao’s, at the sound of two horribly familiar voices on the other side of the door. The deeper of which was getting suspiciously close.

“Shit.” You moved before you could think better of it. You inadvertently dragged Minghao with you into the closest stall, managing to slam it shut and lock it mere seconds before the bathroom door opened.

“I’ll wait out here, okay?” Chaeyoung’s voice floated in from the hallway, as high and pretty-sounding as ever. Footsteps echoed as your ex-boyfriend crossed the tile floor to the urinals on the opposite wall.

You gritted your teeth, trying with everything in you not to listen to the sound of your ex-boyfriend’s piss. Minghao, looking hopelessly confused, opened his mouth to say something and glared down at you when you immediately covered his lips with your hand.

Don’t even think about it, you shouted with your eyes.

Minghao cocked an eyebrow, something akin to mischief shining in his eyes. Oh, I’m definitely thinking about it now.

To your despair, Minghao cleared his throat. Even through the barrier of your hand the sound echoed, and you scowled at the floor as your ex finished his business and washed his hands. It was good that he did, you thought. You hadn’t been convinced he was a dedicated hand-washer before.

You didn’t release the painful breath in your lungs until the bathroom door clicked shut behind him. Minghao immediately shook off your hand over his mouth and massaged his jaw, gazing down at you with mild dislike.

“I implied you were dramatic before, but I was wrong. That was dramatic.”

You rolled your eyes and unlocked the stall, marching out into open floorspace. Minghao followed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

You ran your hands over your face, now attempting to catch your breath for an entirely different reason than before. That was a close call, too close, and you were certain you’d never be able to live it down if you were caught in the boy’s bathroom with a total stranger.

“I’m sorry, that was out of line.” You glanced up at Minghao for all of one second before your embarrassment got the better of you and you looked down again. “I don’t even know why I dragged you in there with me, you would’ve been fine out here.”

He looked you up and down, allowing the silence to drag on for long enough that your skin prickled with unease. You took the opportunity to appraise him, as well. You’d be damned if you let some random college guy in a bathroom make you feel small.

Minghao’s hair, you realized now, was cut into a tasteful mullet. He wore some variation of streetwear, though you recognized the logos of a luxury brand or two as you examined him. Was he rich or just really into fashion? Maybe both, though you suspected it was more of the latter.

“Your boyfriend is Joshua Hong?”

“Ex-boyfriend,” you corrected sourly. “But yeah. We dated for two years before I caught those two in bed together.”

Minghao didn’t react, which you weren’t sure how to feel about. He didn’t seem to pity you, at least. You were so sick of people pitying you. “I have a proposition for you,” he said neutrally.

“No, I won’t have sex with you.” You answered immediately.

Minghao smiled humorlessly. “If we have sex, darling, I won’t be the one asking for it.” He ignored your scowl and continued calmly, “I think I have an idea that can fix your problem.”

You tried to let it go, you really did, but curiosity swiftly got the better of you. With an aggrieved sigh, you motioned impatiently for him to go on.

“Go out with me.”

“What?”

“You heard me just fine. I don’t mean actually, of course, but no one else needs to know that. There’s nothing to make the ex jealous like dating someone new.” He spoke like it was the most normal thing in the word. Like the prospect of fake-dating someone was completely logical.

Your mouth opened and closed several times, completely unable to form words. “We go to a big university but it’s not that big,” you choked out. “Some people are bound to remember you and I have never spoken before today.”

“So? People form new, spontaneous relationships every day.”

That was true enough. You eyed him warily, trying to find any hints of ulterior motives in his cool exterior. Unfortunately, Minghao didn’t waver an inch. He stared back at you with an expectant smile, obviously anticipating you to agree, and it was around this time that you realized he was intimidatingly handsome.

“Why? What’s in this for you?” You asked.

He waved a dismissive hand between you. “It doesn’t matter. Just know this is a mutually-beneficial agreement. Think about it, you know I’m right.”

You couldn’t decide whether you wanted to kiss him for his great idea or punch him because he’d thought of it before you.

“For how long?” You asked. With every passing second you came closer to folding.

Minghao considered for a moment, staring at a point somewhere over your head. “Six weeks. That’s a month-and-a-half—if Joshua isn’t begging to have you back by then it means he probably won’t.”

Ouch. He was right, you figured. You did want Joshua to beg for you back, but you had absolutely zero intention of actually saying yes to him if he did. His and Chaeyoung’s actions had cut far too deep to heal back to the way it was before. There was a jagged, metaphorical scar that would probably give you grief until the day you died.

Without another word or attempt to convince yourself otherwise, you stuck your hand out in front of you again. Minghao’s eyes fell to it. They widened slightly, your only indication that at least some part of him had doubted that you would say yes.

“You’ve got a deal, Minghao. The arrangement will last six weeks—no more, no less.”

Minghao smiled down at you, the sight only confirming your suspicion that he was very handsome. His long, delicate fingers grasped yours, gentler this time than when you’d shook his hand to introduce yourself.

“Six weeks,” he agreed. “No less.”

You took a deep, steadying breath. What the hell had you just gotten yourself into?

~ DAY EIGHT ~

“Why are you making me go to a football game, again?”

“Because I’m president of the photography club and I have to be there. If we’re dating that means you do, too.”

“But Joshua’s on the football team,” you lamented.

“Even better. Who knows, maybe I’ll get a candid shot of him eating his heart out.”

Despite yourself, you grinned. You figured out more every day that Minghao was genuinely funny when he wanted to be.

It had been a little over a week since the incident in the bathroom. As you’d mentioned in passing, the university you went to was big, but Minghao somehow managed to find you wherever you were.

The day after the restroom debacle, you’d been eating lunch by yourself in a dining hall close to your apartment. It was a struggle not to mope, most days, especially when this dining hall was one you used to frequent with Joshua. Your ex-boyfriend himself had strode into the building right as you took a massive bite of your soggy sandwich, Chaeyoung perched on his arm. It was moments like those that really made you consider arson, but your urge to light things on fire dissipated the moment Minghao plopped into the booth at your side.

He'd offered you a lazy grin and slung his arm over your shoulders before you could protest. Don’t freak out, his eyes told you. The arrangement, remember?

It had taken every ounce of strength in your body to heed his silent warning. Rather than let your surprise show, you’d offered him a wide smile and leaned further into his side. Foolishly you’d planted a sloppy kiss on the edge of his jaw—that was something couples did in public, right?—and immediately flushed with embarrassment.

It worked, though. The one time you dared to look, Joshua kept glancing over at you, mingled confusion and worry lighting his face.

It continued like that for the next week. Minghao made you give him your phone number and text him your class schedule, which he exchanged for his. He showed up to your classes anytime he could, waiting outside in the hall so he could walk you to your next one. He began eating lunch with you in the same dining hall as the first time and put extra effort into his boyfriend façade when Joshua was around.

Outside of that, though, you tended not to speak to one another. He didn’t text, so you didn’t bother to either. He hadn’t yet asked you on a date off-campus, something which simultaneously relieved and disappointed you. You knew you’d have to, eventually, and going to the football game with him seemed like a good way to dip your toe in the water.

Minghao waved his hand in front of your face, forcing you back to the present. “Well? Are you coming with me or not? You can’t deny this is a perfect opportunity for operation jealousy.”

You sighed, but it was mainly for dramatic effect. You both knew you would say yes, especially when things like this were the whole point of your fake relationship, anyway. “Yeah, I’ll come with. Don’t expect me to start making out with you every time they score a touchdown, though.”

The smile Minghao gave you was downright diabolical. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

-----

For all your protesting, the football game was actually kind of fun. Really fun. On a good day you didn’t know the first thing about football, so you tended to watch games based on vibes alone. Today, your university was leading 4-0 and Joshua was playing poorly, hopelessly distracted by the way you hung off Minghao’s arm on the edge of the field. The vibes were immaculate.

Minghao shifted so he stood behind you, looping his camera strap over your head so you could hold the camera while keeping your back pressed to his front. Your mind hyper-focused on the way his chest brushed your shoulders on every inhale. He was blissfully warm, especially when contrasted with the brisk November air around you.

“I already adjusted the settings for you. All you have to do is point and shoot.”

You lifted the camera so you could squint through the viewfinder. “Point and shoot. Got it.”

Minghao made it look way easier than it really was. He’d taken you to the photo lab a few days ago so you could talk through the details of your arrangement, speaking lowly under red light while his pictures developed. Every photo you took turned out just blurry enough that it was unusable, save for one or two shots of the crowd.

He didn’t seem to mind. At some points he rested his chin on top of your head while the two of you flipped through pictures you’d taken. At others his hands drifted up your forearms to your wrists, his fingertips raising goosebumps across your skin. He was good, you had to give him that. If you weren’t careful, you would start to believe his act.

The crowd went wild at something you didn’t see. You raised the camera like it was a gun, searching wildly for what had caused the ruckus. “What happened? What did I miss?”

Minghao chuckled in your ear. “Joshua just got the ball thirty yards closer to the endzone in one play. It’s impressive.”

You scowled, unconvinced. “Yeah, well I’d like to see him not cheat on one of his girlfriends. That I’d be impressed with.”

Minghao laughed again. You pointedly ignored the swell of warmth in your chest at the sound. He raised the camera until the strap lifted over your head, freeing you once again. You stepped away from him, more for your sanity than anything else, and rolled your tense shoulders.

“How many innings are left?” You asked. He just stared at you, his eyebrows raised so high they disappeared behind his hair. “Close your mouth, you’re going to catch flies.”

Without a word, Minghao raised the camera and snapped a picture of you. You narrowed your eyes, confused. He tugged on the end of one of your braids. “There aren’t innings in football, darling. You’re thinking of baseball.”

Embarrassment flooded your cheeks. “Damn. I promise I’m not stupid, I’m just not much of a sports girl. Not these types of sports, anyway.”

Minghao nodded knowingly. “At least you’re pretty.” Did he really mean it or was he just teasing you? Usually that phrase was meant to be mean-spirited, but you could never really tell with him. “What sports are you referring to?”

“Hockey, mainly. But competitive swimming was always my favorite sport in the summer Olympics, so.”

He gave you a strange look like he was trying to hold in a laugh. “Weirdly enough, that makes sense for you.”

“Yeah, well.” You gestured to the field in front of you, scanning the players for the dreaded #05. You found Joshua just in time to watch him blow a kiss to Chaeyoung on the other side of the field, her cheerleading outfit glittering under the stadium lights. You exhaled heavily through your nose. They were perfect together. Straight out of some college romcom—you never stood a chance.

Minghao noticed what had drawn your attention. He took another photo of you staring across the field and approached to stand at your side again. “Her hair looks hideous.”

“No it doesn’t.”

He tugged on one of your braids again. “No. It doesn’t,” he conceded. “I’m trying to help you feel better.”

You appreciated it, you really did. Appreciated him. This past week had been the best you’d had since Joshua cheated on you, something you didn’t realize until this moment. For several seconds, you just stared at him. Minghao stared back, his expression unreadable. He’d lost the fake glasses—blue light glasses, he’d corrected—for the game tonight, his eyes a warm brown without them.

Before you could respond, the crowd erupted into screams. You whipped around to face the field, your eyes straining to find what was happening in the cacophony of male bodies.

There. Joshua had the ball. And he was running—sprinting for the endzone twenty yards away. Despite yourself, despite your anger and hurt with him, your heart squeezed painfully. Your blood sang, urging him to run faster. You might have yelled it, doing some sort of awkward side-trot along the field with him. Minghao did the same, obviously as invested in the score as you were. He kept his camera raised as he did, continuously snapping pictures of the action.

Several members of the other team closed in on him, but Joshua only pushed himself faster. He narrowly dodged the two men that attempted to tackle him and, in a display of athleticism that stunned you, dove across the line into the endzone.

The noise that followed was deafening. You jumped and screamed along with the crowd, just for a moment forgetting about everything weighing on your mind. Minghao’s long arms encircled your waist and he lifted you off the ground so he could spin in a wide circle with you. You laughed so hard your cheeks hurt, joy bubbling in your chest.

The crowd was still shouting when Minghao finally set you back on your feet. You kept your arms around his shoulders. He made no move to release your waist, either, grinning down at you the same way you beamed up at him.

Later, you would blame it on the heat of the moment. The stadium’s screams, the fact Joshua had just scored what would likely be the winning touchdown, the blinding lights—yes, it had to be that. Regardless, you looked into the stars in Minghao’s eyes and pressed your lips to his without thinking.

The kiss was barely more than a second. You shocked yourself so thoroughly that you pulled away immediately, you and Minghao staring at one another with equal expressions of surprise. But without warning, he crushed his lips to yours again. They were softer than you’d imagined as they slid against yours, Minghao exploring your mouth with languid curiosity.

Your heart felt like it would pound out of your chest. You allowed your hands to timidly drift from his shoulders to the back of his neck, then gently tangle in the roots of his hair. Despite the riot of noise all around you, Joshua being carried on the shoulders of his teammates in celebration, all you could focus on was the feeling of kissing Minghao.

He pulled away after what could have been seconds or hours, his breathing erratic. He stared down at you for a moment and took a step back, releasing you once more. You swayed on your feet a bit after his sudden retreat out of your personal space.

“I just had to check,” he said through a heavy exhale.

“Check what?”

Minghao shook his head as if to clear it. “Nothing.”

You turned your attention back to the game and ignored the shaking in your hands. What the hell just happened?

~ DAY TWENTY-TWO ~

“I think we need to have rules,” you said around a bite of your sandwich.

Minghao raised an eyebrow. “Rules? Why?” He continued poking at his pasta, cutting individual noodles into perfect, tiny squares.

You cleared your throat, aware of the self-conscious heat creeping up your neck. “At the game you, uh, kissed me. Well, I kissed you, but then you kissed me—whatever.” Minghao looked down at his food instead of you, but he didn’t seem uncomfortable. “I know it was just the excitement of the game, I don’t want you to think I expect anything out of you now.”

“I think it’s a little late to establish rules,” he said, finally taking a bite of his strangely diced pasta. “We’re already halfway through the arrangement.”

Your mouth fell open. “We are?” You did the mental math, the surprise shocking you into silence for several seconds. It felt like a week had passed, not a little over three. You had spent almost every day with Minghao, even if it was just for a few minutes between classes on campus. Other days you did things like this, going out for dinner and sometimes studying afterwards, sometimes not. You tried not to dwell on the fact you and Minghao had begun hanging out even when you knew Joshua wouldn’t be around.

Minghao smiled knowingly at you. There was a familiar look in his eyes nowadays, one that was somewhere between affection and thinking you’re a dumbass. “Cat got your tongue?”

You stuck said tongue out at him. “Well, my point still stands. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to trap you or anything just because we kissed once.”

“I don’t think that.”

Great, super helpful. “Hao. Help me out here.”

His smile dropped, his expression turning contemplative. “Fine. How about… no more kissing? At least, not unless you ask.” He wiggled his eyebrows and you frowned.

“That won’t happen. I think we should just tack no sex on there too, while we’re at it.” At your words, Minghao’s face changed to mirror your frown.

“Fine. No sex.” He considered for another moment. “Is the point of this arrangement for you to get back together with Josh?”

“Nope.” You popped the ‘p’ sound for emphasis. In a way, the conviction with which you said it surprised you. Until now, you weren’t exactly sure how you felt about the end-goal of your fake relationship. If not to win Joshua back, what was the point? “He chose Chaeyoung, end of story. I think I’m more interested in giving him hell by being happier without him.” You smiled mischievously and Minghao snorted.

“As you should. Fine, then next rule: either of us can end the relationship at any time. If one of us decides we’re done then that’s it, no questions asked.”

For reasons you didn’t understand, your heart swooped into your stomach. You forced a swallow. “Okay.” After a beat of hesitation you plastered a teasing smile onto your face. “You’re not trying to fake-break up with me, are you?”

Thankfully, Minghao laughed. “No, darling.” He smiled when you scowled. “I enjoy the look on your face when I call you ‘darling’ far too much for that.”

“Fine, fine.” You took another bite of your sandwich, chewing slowly.

“Is that all?” Minghao asked.

“One more.” You held up a finger while you finished the sandwich in your mouth and tried not to choke. Anxiety gnawed at the edges of your mind. You weren’t quite sure how he would react to your last rule. “No falling in love. It would just complicate things unnecessarily. Even though you’ve told me that there’s no one else, I don’t believe you.”

“Why?”

“You have that look. I don’t know, I can just tell. You’re in love with someone but you won’t tell me who she is.”

Minghao stared at you, completely silent. His expression had gone back to the unreadable mask he’d frequently worn at the beginning of this whole thing. You hated it.

“Well?” You pushed.

Like someone had pressed play on a remote, Minghao resumed cutting and eating his pasta. “There’s no one else, but okay. I agree.”

You leaned forward. “Are you sure about that?”

He looked up at you through his eyelashes, his expression resolute. “What do you want me to say? There isn’t. I’ve gotten used to you these past few weeks. I’m having fun and I don’t care to have it with anyone else at the moment.”

You leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms over your chest, evaluating him through narrowed eyes. He looked casual enough—he didn’t have to force the words out and there were no physical indications that he was lying. Minghao, apparently sensing your energy, set down his fork and mimicked your stance.

“Do you want me to break it off with you?” He asked neutrally.

“What? Of course not.”

“It seems like you do.”

You weren’t sure what to say to that. You didn’t, not at all. In fact, you were far enough into this… thing with him that you worried how you’d react after this arrangement was over. Would you replace being heartbroken over Joshua with being heartbroken over Hao?

When you said nothing, Minghao continued, “The same goes for you, you know. If someone you like tries to pursue you I’ll step aside. Even if it’s Joshua.” His face turned abruptly nervous and he swallowed. “However, I want to talk to you about something—”

“Did you say my name?”

Every ounce of curiosity at what he’d been about to say turned to ash at the voice that interrupted him.

You didn’t want to turn around. You didn’t need the confirmation that it was Joshua standing behind you, anyway. Minghao’s eyes raised to your ex-boyfriend’s face, his expression holding poorly-concealed dislike. He gave him a saccharine smile that you didn’t believe for a second.

“Joshua. What brings you here?”

He was standing far too close to your chair. Even though you still wouldn’t turn to look at him you could feel his presence behind you like a looming shadow.

“I’m meeting Chaeyoung for dinner. It’s our six-month anniversary today.”

Six months. You thought you might vomit. You knew Joshua had cheated on you, obviously, but according to this timeline he had gotten with Chaeyoung over four months before you caught them.

Minghao’s eyes flicked to you, fast enough that you could’ve imagined the worry in them. “Is that so?”

“You two are dating, then?” Joshua completely ignored Minghao’s pointed question. You knew he was addressing you without having to see his face.

You cleared your throat as a way to buy yourself time to breathe. “Yeah, we are. A little over a month now.” You were too afraid to exaggerate yours and Minghao’s relationship timeline any more than that. Joshua was known to poke holes in anything until it broke, especially when it was you.

At last, you turned to look at him. Joshua was smiling down at you, an expression that didn’t reach his eyes. Months of heartbreak surged to the surface and you pressed your lips into a hard line to keep your face from betraying your emotions.

“I didn’t know you two knew each other, Hao.”

Hao? Since when did Joshua know Minghao? Let alone well enough to call him Hao. You threw a carefully blank glance in Minghao’s direction, one he was smart enough to look nervous at.

“We met at school.”

Joshua stared at him like he expected him to continue, then looked slightly uncomfortable when he remained silent. You tried to squash your pleasure at this. It seemed Joshua didn’t know Minghao well enough to be used to the fact he was a man of few words.

“Did you need something, Josh?” You asked, your voice strained. You lied as convincingly as you could, “Neither of us said your name.”

He looked back down at you. “Oh. No, then. Just stopping by to say hi, I guess. I wish you two the best of luck with… this.”

Joshua hesitated before walking away, following a host to a booth in the corner of the restaurant.

Your eyes bore holes in the plate in front of you. You wrung your hands beneath the table, attempting to slow your racing heart. A cacophony of emotions stampeded through your mind, moving too quickly to focus on any of them individually.

This plan was stupid. You were three weeks into your fake relationship with Minghao and what did you have to show for it? Anxiety that Joshua somehow knew you were lying? Even though you’d begun to feel better in your new friend’s presence, you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him as he repeated your name to get your attention.

“Are you okay?”

You didn’t speak until you mastered the stinging in your eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Liar.”

“Don’t push me, Hao.” You raised your eyes to his face, aware of the redness in them without having to see yourself. Minghao’s face was hard with concern and he held eye contact until you broke and looked away. “You’re on a first-name basis with him?”

He was silent for a long moment, considering his words. “Yes. We used to be close.”

You released a controlled exhale, continuing to hide your shaking hands under the table. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wouldn’t have helped.”

“I had a right to know.”

“Yes, you did. Hey—” Minghao reached across the table so he could lift your chin with his fingertips, forcing you to look at him “—I wasn’t trying to hurt you by not telling you. You know that, right?”

You didn’t answer. You leaned back in your seat so that his hand was no longer touching your face. Seemingly disappointed, he withdrew it and folded his hands together on the table in front of him.

“When we met, you said this arrangement would be mutually beneficial.” Your throat was thick enough that you had trouble asking the question nagging at you. “Is it because of Joshua?”

Minghao’s answer was immediate. “No. I want nothing from him.”

You wanted to slap yourself at the involuntary relief that surged through you. You took several calming breaths, all too aware that Chaeyoung had just arrived for her date with Joshua. As much as you didn’t want to look, you watched through your periphery as they embraced and took their seats.

“I need to go home.”

Minghao seemed like he wanted to protest. He opened and closed his mouth but produced no sound. At last, he nodded tightly. This time, you weren’t sure if it was relief or extreme disappointment that bloomed in your chest.

When you stood, you held your head high. You threw some cash on the table for your meal, which Minghao deeply frowned at. Wordlessly, you squared your shoulders and walked away, aware of Minghao’s eyes following you until you disappeared onto the street outside.

It wasn’t until you were safely in your car that you finally allowed yourself to cry.

~ DAY THIRTY ~

Minghao decided, with very little planning, to take you on an I’m-sorry-I-hurt-your-feelings-and-you-cried-over-Joshua date. Or something like that. He settled on taking you to a hockey game.

He knew little to nothing about hockey, but you didn’t mind. The two of you had made up about the confrontation with Joshua last week. Or rather, you had finally decided to stop being angry with him. You had wasted a precious four days locked in your apartment, ignoring his texts and calls while you tried to sort out your feelings. So what if he and Joshua had been friends before? You had no more ownership over him than he did of you.

Strangely, your time apart hadn’t helped. If anything, it only made your yearning for him worse. You kept having the urge to talk to your best friend about him—to scream and cry until it dissolved into healing giggles and easy conversation. Only, Minghao was your best friend nowadays. After losing both Joshua and Chaeyoung in one fell swoop, the man beside you now was basically your only friend. Your person.

So, you allowed him to take you to the hockey game. You shared stale popcorn and egregiously large soft drinks, appropriately cheering and booing where necessary. You explained the rules of hockey as best you knew how, though the old woman eavesdropping behind you corrected you on multiple occasions. You had fun. A stupid, concerning amount of fun.

Halfway through you glanced over at him and realized that you loved him. It was sudden enough to steal the breath from your lungs. You didn’t allow yourself to commit to the idea of being in love with him, but your denial could only go so far. You loved him all the same.

He caught you staring and gifted you a brilliant smile. Minghao had somehow managed to become your best friend and sort-of-lover in the span of a month, and you suddenly couldn’t imagine your life without him.

You had no idea if he felt the same, but you decided then that you didn’t want to find out. Even if he did, Joshua had ruined you for anyone else. You weren’t in love with him anymore, not by any means, but you suddenly couldn’t trust anyone who dared try to be a romantic partner. Even Minghao.

On your way out of the game, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head, his arm slung comfortably over your shoulder. It was around this time, while Minghao gazed down at you with genuine affection in his eyes, that you realized what deep shit you were in.

~ DAY THIRTY-FOUR ~

 “If I see you take one more picture of me I’m going to throw your camera in the river.”

Minghao didn’t laugh at your threat. Instead, you heard another conspicuous click as he took the hundredth photo of your side-profile. You didn’t look at him, still shielding the sun from your eyes and reclining lazily on the sloped grass. It was freezing outside, to say the least, but it was the first day in a week the sun had made an appearance.

The two of you laid out on a grassy hill along the river, bundled in three layers each and soaking up what little December sun you could. Minghao, in his usual fashion, had brought his camera and spent the past hour taking pictures of you.

“If you do that who’s going to know you died of hypothermia out here?”

You scowled in his direction without opening your eyes. “Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’m sure you’ll shout it from the rooftops.”

Minghao sighed. You half-listened to the sounds of him laying back on the grass beside you, your bodies barely touching from shoulder to knee. Goosebumps erupted on your skin everywhere you touched, even through your combined layers of clothing. You mentally reprimanded yourself for the involuntary reaction.

There was one week left in the arrangement. One single week before your fake break-up. You hadn’t brought up your relationship’s impending doom. Neither had he. As if he sensed the direction your thoughts had taken, Minghao’s long fingers sought yours on the grass. He tangled your hands but made no move to touch you further. You couldn’t decide whether to be relieved or aggravated.

“What are we doing?” Minghao’s quiet words surprised you. Not only because he’d broken the careful silence he so revered, but because it was the question you’d been wishing he’d ask for weeks. In truth, you hadn’t expected him to.

“We’re cloud watching.”

“Darling.” You flinched at that one word, so softly spoken. A plea, a warning, an affectionate reprimand—you would never understand how Minghao was able to convey so much with so little.

“I hate that you call me that.” Minghao’s head turned to face you, a look you didn’t return. If you looked at him now, your resolve would surely crack. You forced yourself to stay strong—you only had one week left. One week, then you could get out of this with your heart unscathed.

“Sometimes I think I don’t like you very much.”

The hurt was immediate. You finally turned your head to look at him, every thought rushing from your brain at the way his eyes burned into you. Your hurt rolled off you in subtle waves, despite your fierce attempt to hide it.

“Why?” You whispered.

“Because you make me wonder.”

That gave you pause. In all honesty, you had no idea what he meant. You voiced your confusion aloud, albeit softly, like you were trying very hard not to scare him away. Minghao still hadn’t released your hand, his skin warm and dry against yours. Despite the brisk winter air, the few small places your bodies touched warmed you enough not to notice.

“You make me wonder.” He repeated himself and shrugged, like it was the simplest explanation in the world. “I’ve never been one to believe in things like fate or destiny or whatever else the romantics tell us to dream for. I was very peaceful before all this, you know. I had my camera and a regular schedule and the few friends who stuck around after we graduated high school. Every day was simple, but I’ve always preferred it that way. Then you crashed into the men’s bathroom like a bat out of hell and… now I wonder.”

The breath had long since been stolen from your chest. “What do you wonder about?”

A ghost of a smile flickered on his face, its beauty there and gone in an instant. “I wonder about fate and destiny and the things romantics tell me to dream for. I always thought it was disappointing to watch the people around me fall in love. A waste of potential, or something like that. People become so wrapped up in those they love that it leaves little time for everything else.

“Yet here we are. The majority of the pictures on my camera are of you. When Joshua made you cry at dinner I thought I was going to tear his throat out with my teeth, and I am not a violent person. I could see so clearly, for the first time, what type of person he made you when you were together. Small and helpless and sad—nothing like the fierce girl that came into my life like a fucking hurricane and stole my peace right out from under me.”

Your chest was painfully tight now. “Hao, stop.”

He didn’t. “I value sleep more than most things in my life and I haven’t been able to get more than four hours a night since we kissed at the football game. When I got frustrated looking at all the photos of you on my camera I switched to painting, only to find I had painted your eyes without even meaning to.” Minghao sat up jerkily without releasing your hand. His eyes earnestly searched yours with an intensity that made you want to shrink under his gaze. You forced yourself to remain still, returning his stare without flinching. “You are… incandescent. Breathtakingly beautiful. I can’t breathe when I’m with you and I’m half-mad when we’re apart. Don’t you see? I can’t win.”

“Hao…” Your warning trailed off, his rapid breaths the only thing to fill the silence. Even the chatter of passerby and the drone of the city fell away, leaving you in a cocoon of quiet.

His hand released yours so that he could hold your face, his thumbs tracing gentle circles across your cheeks. Fire bloomed beneath your skin, flaring everywhere he made contact. Your hands raised to cover his, neither of you moving as you stared deeply into one another’s eyes. You were certain you looked crazy to anyone walking by.

For one tiny, insignificant moment, you allowed yourself to hope. It unfurled in your chest and beat alongside your heart. The possibility that this beautiful man could truly want you the way you wanted him rendered you speechless.

Minghao’s thumb traced your bottom lip and he groaned softly at the heated breath you released. “I have fallen so deeply, irreversibly in love with you that I don’t think my heart will ever truly belong to me again.” His words shocked you to your very core.

He leaned forward, watching your expression through hooded eyes. His warm breath mingled with yours and your entire body locked at his proximity. He was going to kiss you. Again. Only this time there was no crowd, no Joshua watching from the football field, no adrenaline to spur you on. If you kissed him now, there was nothing to blame it on.

Minghao’s lips brushed yours. You’d forgotten how soft they were—the way his breath made goosebumps skitter like beetles across your spine. His fingers were so long that they disappeared in your hairline, tangling in your roots like he never meant to let you go. He parted his lips to deepen the kiss and you felt his tongue ghost across your bottom lip.

You jerked away. You scrambled to your feet faster than he could react, your chest heaving. Minghao stared up at you, dazed, his breathing irregular for an entirely different reason than yours.

“What are you doing?” There was venom in your voice. More than you had intended, judging by the way he flinched back. When he said nothing, you bit out, “Are you trying to hurt me?”

Minghao’s eyes widened. “What? No—”

“Just stop, Hao.” The angry beast in your chest settled, retreating into its slumber as fast as it had awoken. Your shoulders sagged and you looked at your feet. You were abruptly exhausted, sadness nipping at your cheeks as surely as the winter around you. “You don’t mean it. I know you think you do—” you rushed when he opened his mouth to interrupt you “—but you don’t.”

“How could you possibly know that?” he huffed indignantly.

“This whole arrangement is based on a lie. We’ve been pretending to be in love for five weeks, it’s bound to have affected one of us after a while.”

“One of us?” Minghao surged to his feet, suddenly crowding your space. His hands took hold of your face again and he earnestly searched your eyes. You kept your expression blank, worried that if you showed any sort of emotion then you’d crack. “One of us? Tell me you don’t feel it too. Look me in the eye right now and tell me you aren’t in love with me.”

And there it was. The point of no return. You knew you’d have to lie, but would he believe you? It was the only way to spare him—spare either of you—from any further heartbreak because of your baggage. You couldn’t stand to see him hurt, to be the one that hurt him, but you had no other choice.

So, you once again placed your hands over his on your cheeks and took a deep breath. “I’m not in love with you, Hao. I never have been.”

For several moments, it appeared as if he hadn’t heard you. Minghao froze until, all at once, your words crashed into him and he stumbled back as if he’d been burned.

“You’re lying,” he breathed.

You squared your shoulders, still keeping your mask in that unkind, emotionless mask. “I’m not. I’m so sorry I led you on, I swear I never meant to. But we had rules, Hao. We made rules to prevent anything like this happening and you went and broke them anyway.”

You were being cruel, you knew you were. It was the only way. That’s what you kept telling yourself, over and over, as the affection in Minghao’s eyes turned to hurt, then to ice.

“Why are you saying this? Did something happen with Joshua?”

You attempted to laugh but it sounded strangled to your own ears. “No, nothing happened with Joshua. I want nothing to do with him. If we were to do this, it would only hurt worse down the line. I just… I wish you hadn’t said anything.”

Minghao backed up a step, then another, each of his footfalls a resounding crack in your heart. “Forget I did. You know what? Forget all of this.” He turned to walk away but stopped immediately and looked at you over his shoulder. “I don’t know you. I don’t know what happened, but if you’d rather be alone then fine.”

“It’s better that way.”

Minghao’s eyes shuttered. He turned and began striding up the hill as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn’t turn to look at you again, and never once did you look away.

~ DAY FORTY ~

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

You jumped hard enough that you dropped your noodles in midair. They plunked back into your bowl and nearly splashed Joshua’s expensive leather jacket as he slid into the booth next to you. Your eyes raised slowly to look at him, taking in the look of vague distaste he gave you. “And you look like shit.”

You smiled sourly. “Gee, thanks.” It wasn’t anything you didn’t already know. In the past six days, you had barely eaten or slept, and you’d taken your first post-breakup shower only yesterday. Breakup, if you could even call it that. It sure felt like one.

“I heard you broke up with Minghao.”

You cringed. At this point, who hadn’t heard? It seemed like everywhere you turned, someone was whispering or staring at you. “That’s none of your business.” You tried to nonchalantly take another bite of your ramen but it might as well have tasted like tar.

“Fair enough, but who else is going to talk to you about it?”

Unfortunately true. “Why do you care, Josh?”

His eyes softened, just barely. “Because I still care about you.” You threw him a skeptical glare. “And because you’re infecting the entire campus with your heartbreak. It’s making everyone uncomfortable.”

“Everyone meaning you?” The timid smile on your face faded. You stabbed at your food, your appetite long gone. Before you could think better of it, you blurted, “It wasn’t real.”

Joshua’s brows furrowed. “What wasn’t real?”

“Any of it. Minghao and I never dated. It was… stupid, now that I think about it, but this all started because I barged into the boy’s bathroom trying to avoid you and Chaeyoung.”

Your chest felt inexplicably lighter after your confession. You thought that you’d be humiliated if Joshua ever found out, but you realized now you didn’t care. You’d gotten a best friend out of it, even if you’d gone and fucked it up five weeks in.

Joshua stared at you beneath lowered brows, his arms crossed over his chest. Your eyes flicked nervously between his face and the dining hall around him. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t feel like embarrassing me today?”

“I don’t believe you.”

You scoffed. “What?”

“I don’t believe you.” Joshua shrugged. He leaned forward and stole your chopsticks out of your hand, then proceeded to brazenly take a bite of your ramen.

You stared at him, speechless for several seconds too long. “I… don’t know what to say to that. Am I supposed to convince you that I rashly entered a fake relationship to both make you jealous and angry?”

“Maybe it started out that way, but you’re definitely in love with him now. You weren’t this heartbroken after we broke up, I can tell you that much.” Joshua hit his chest with a fist and returned your utensils, a grimace on his face. “This is so spicy, what’s wrong with you?”

You didn’t reply. You just looked at him, your mind racing. You muttered at last, “It doesn’t matter if I’m in love with him. Hell, it doesn’t even matter if he’s in love with me. He doesn’t want me. He doesn’t want all the baggage I have to bring into a real relationship.”

“What baggage?” He shot back. You stared at him incredulously, waiting for him to get it. Recognition flared in Joshua’s eyes and he smiled apologetically. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you asked him if he cares about your baggage?”

You frowned. “Well, no. But who would?”

“I think you’re forgetting that he already knows about your baggage. At least the me part of it. If what you’re telling me is true—which is crazy, by the way—then he literally got involved with you on the basis of your emotional issues.”

That was a good point, actually. You took another bite of your noodles, attempting to shake off the misplaced hope Joshua had instilled in you. “It doesn’t matter. I broke it off when he confessed. I was kind of a bitch to him, actually, so I’m not sure he ever wants to see me again.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath on that. He looks just as bad as you do, you know. Whatever you said to him, it worked, but I know Minghao. At least, I used to. To this day I haven’t met anyone even close to the man he is. He’ll forgive you if you’re honest.” Joshua stood and stretched his shoulders, his neck still flushed from eating your food. You stared up at him, more than a little dumbfounded. “Look, there’s an exhibition for the school of photography on Friday. Student admission is included in the cost of tuition.”

You knew what he was trying to tell you. Minghao would be there, no doubt about it. If you wanted to mend things with him, it was your best opportunity to talk to him somewhere he couldn’t shut a door in your face.

He had just turned to walk away when you spoke. “Why do you even care, Joshua?”

He stopped. When he looked at you again, there was genuine regret in his eyes. “I owe you. A lot more than this, considering what I did. Consider this my first act of earning forgiveness.”

“It was Chaeyoung’s idea, wasn’t it?”

He smiled wryly. “She misses you. Even if you never speak to her again, she wants you to be happy.”

Joshua said nothing else before he walked back into the throng of students in the dining hall. You remained frozen for a long time, your ramen now ice-cold and your thoughts running circles around you.

Fear had made you break it off with Minghao at the moment he told you everything you’d been dying to hear. He’d confessed and you’d thrown it in his face, believing yourself too broken to be with someone like him. He was the sun, you were a violent storm. Where he was peace personified, you often felt closer to screaming until the heavens fell. It shouldn’t work between you, but it did.

You loved him. That much was simple. It wasn’t until this very moment that you truly considered he might love you too. He had basically said as much, but it was now, six days late, that you believed him. If Minghao felt even half as miserable as you did now, you would spend the rest of your life trying to get over the guilt of hurting him.

You groaned and let your head fall into your hands. You had royally fucked up.

~ DAY FORTY-TWO ~

It seemed kismet that the exhibition—a.k.a. your excuse to beg for Minghao’s forgiveness—took place on what should have been the last day of the arrangement. You hadn’t even been sure you would show up until you arrived at the gallery.

I’m not gonna go, you’d said to yourself while curling your hair. You’d struggled to choose between two outfits, both of which Minghao had bought for you towards the beginning of this whole thing. Sooo not going. You’d decided to put on a little bit of makeup at the last minute. I’m just gonna order takeout again.

Now, you stood in front of the glass gallery doors, your heart in your throat and fear creeping in at the edges of your vision. It would be so much easier to walk away. He hadn’t seen you yet, it wasn’t too late to back out.

Your feet carried you forward without your permission. Each step was more confident than you really felt. Even if he wouldn’t give you another chance, which you wouldn’t blame him for, you were possessed by the need to tell him he’d been right. You did love him, and you were a fool, and your inability to love maturely was not his fault.

The gallery was beautiful, architecturally speaking. Everything inside the white stone building was pale, glossy wood, accented with stainless steel and glass. A large crystal chandelier dominated most of the lobby space, looking more like dripping ice as it hung over the crowd below. Every wall, even disappearing into the corridors branching off from the lobby, were covered by student work.

Low voices formed a steady hum around you, most people enraptured by the photos on the walls. You found yourself among them. Some of these photographs were incredible. It was obvious to you that your peers had poured their entire souls into their work, and some of these images were somehow better quality than your actual vision. For the first time, you understood what drew Minghao to photography as an art form.

You walked slowly along the wall, stopping briefly to admire each piece. For reasons you couldn’t fathom, a photo of a wilting flower nearly brought you to tears. You weren’t sure if it was really the art itself or if you were just feeling fragile. Possibly both. You continued on aimlessly, almost forgetting why you were here in the first place. You had no idea where Minghao was in all this, but you were bound to find him eventually.

You stopped when you reached the end of one of the hallways, this entire section seemingly occupied by one photographer’s unique style. Most of the pictures were in black and white, a select few of them rendered in shocking color. It was one of the color photographs that drew your attention.

Recognition teased the back of your mind as you approached. It depicted a dripping sink in a public restroom, the entire space covered in grime except the vibrant blue flower sitting on the counter. You had no idea why this scene seemed familiar to you—you certainly hadn’t been in this bathroom before.

You moved on to the next color photograph, but you didn’t really see it. Your entire body seized without reason, suddenly aware of a subtle change in the air.

You felt his presence without having to look. Despite your anxiety at baring your soul to him, you felt inexplicably lighter knowing he was here. Minghao walked up to stand beside you, mirroring your stance with his arms crossed over his chest. You gazed at the picture in front of you together in silence. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t focus your eyes on the art.

“Why are you here?”

His voice almost brought you to tears. I love you. “I came to see you.”

“Why?”

I love you, I love you, I love you. “To apologize.”

Minghao looked over at you. His eyes took you in, heat flooding your skin everywhere his gaze touched. “For what? Breaking up with me before we had a chance to date or crashing my senior photo exhibition?”

You recoiled. “Both, I guess.” You forced yourself to turn so you could look at him. It was a mistake. Minghao looked amazing. His skin was flushed with lively color, wonderfully offsetting the deep black of his hair. He’d foregone the blue-light glasses today, meaning there was nothing to protect you from the weight of his gaze. You realized with no small amount of certainty that you would do anything for Minghao to wear a suit forever. You opened your mouth and closed it several times, unsure of what to say now that he was in front of you. I love you, Hao. You were right. “Are these your pictures?”

“Yes.”

“They’re lovely.” You meant it. Minghao had a mastery over color that you would never be able to fully appreciate.

He looked back at the photograph hanging in front of you, a pensive look on his face. There was a strange, subtle humor there, too, though you had no idea why. “Thank you. It took a lot of sleepless nights, but I’m glad I didn’t give up on them.”

Guilt nagged at your thoughts. He hadn’t given up, but you certainly had. “I’m sorry I gave up,” you voiced aloud. “You didn’t deserve the way I treated you.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I was afraid. I know that’s no excuse, but it’s true.” You took a deep breath and lifted your chin, staring at Minghao’s side profile as he looked at his photo. “Joshua fucked me up, Hao. I’ve been so terrified to open up again, to anyone, and I ran away the second you tried to give me what I’d been hoping for.”

“I’m not him.”

“I know. I know that now. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I’m sorry I tried to lie so that you would leave first. It was wrong, and I promise I’m trying. Because I—” you choked. I love you. You cleared your throat and tried again. “I love you.”

He was silent for a long time, long enough that you wondered if he would turn and walk away without a word.

“You love me?” He said at last. He spoke the words slowly, like he was tasting them, testing the weight of them on his tongue.

You shuddered. “Yes.”

Minghao took a deep breath and nodded once to himself. “You haven’t really looked at my work at all, have you?”

It was, without a doubt, the last thing you’d expected him to say. “What?”

He gestured vaguely at the piece in front of you, your eyes following the movement. You processed the couch first, then the fact that there was a body beneath a blanket on top of it. Hair fanned across a pillow, the girl’s face obstructed from view by a glare of sunlight. But one of her arms was extended, reaching limply towards whoever was behind the camera as she held up the blanket covering her. Beckoning them closer, asking them to join her.

Realization broke over you with the force of a tsunami. That was your living room. It was you on the couch, two weeks ago, sleeping the day away while Minghao watched TV from your secondary loveseat. At least, you’d thought he’d been watching TV. You remembered being cold and having trouble falling asleep, enough that you’d sleepily asked Minghao to join you. He’d pretended to be annoyed as he clicked off the television and slid onto the couch beside you, easily gathering you into his arms like you were made to be there. It was the best sleep you’d gotten since before your breakup with Joshua.

Apparently, he’d taken a picture of you before granting your tired request. The photograph, blown up to massive size and framed, was titled To Love Easily.

“Oh my god.” You covered your mouth with a shaking hand, your eyes darting to take in Minghao’s other displayed photographs. The bathroom. The bathroom, depicted more symbolically than it appeared in real life. Another of your hands, covered in flour from when the two of you attempted to make homemade pasta. A shot of Minghao’s fingers in your hair, a tiny blue flower petal tucked between the strands. You remembered it. He’d braided your hair for you before went to the hockey game because you were sick of it touching your neck.

All of these photos, in one way or another, were about you. The story of you, told through Minghao’s eyes. Suddenly, with blinding clarity, you saw yourself the way he did. Yes, you were a raging storm, but one seen through the window of a warm, dry home. If you decided to scream until the heavens fell, Minghao would be there to catch them.

“You love me.” You repeated his earlier question back at him, but it was no real question. Minghao loved you.

“Yes, darling, I love you.” A strangled sob broke from your chest, instantly embarrassing you. Minghao’s fingers gently took hold of your elbow and turned you to face him. “I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen. I already knew why you lashed out the way you did—expected it, even. You were just a little meaner than I expected, that’s all.”

You laughed despite yourself. One side of his lips kicked up in a small smile. His hand gently squeezed the back of your neck and he pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead.

“How do you not hate me?” You murmured.

“I can’t hate you for making a mistake. I knew you would come around. I mean, have you seen me?”

You halfheartedly punched his arm as he snickered. Before you could process that he moved at all, Minghao’s mouth was on yours. The kiss was gentle. Exploratory. It was what the last kiss should have been before you ripped yourself away.

His tongue gently probed yours, one small lick across your bottom lip turning your limbs to jelly. Minghao increased the pressure, his hand drifting from your neck to between your shoulder blades, then to your waist. He gently squeezed your soft skin and, completely on accident, you released a tiny moan that only he could hear.

You broke apart immediately. You stared at one another wide-eyed, embarrassment setting your cheeks aflame. Slowly, a sly smile took over Minghao’s face. Oh god. You’d seen that look many times before.

He leaned in so his mouth was pressed against the shell of your ear. He exhaled softly, drawing a small, contented sigh from you. Minghao squeezed your waist again.

“The exhibition is over in twenty minutes. Think you can wait?”

-----

You didn’t even make it through your front door before Minghao had you off your feet. You squealed as he lifted you into his arms, your legs instinctively wrapping around his trim hips. He pressed you against the wall of your entryway, his hands braced on either side of your waist.

He nuzzled the juncture between your neck and shoulder, his lips dragging soft lines along your skin. Your sleeve had fallen down past your shoulder, baring your collarbone to the mercy of his mouth. You groaned at each small love bite he left, his mouth so gentle that you hardly felt the sting.

“I have waited—” he began, and you groaned when he sucked particularly hard on the side of your throat “—so long for this.”

You shared the sentiment. You’d developed feelings for Minghao fairly quickly into the arrangement and your brain had been plagued by imagining this exact scenario since. “Kiss me, then,” you said breathlessly.

He needed no further encouragement. Minghao’s lips eagerly found yours, this kiss nothing like its predecessors. He kissed you urgently, hungrily, like he might very well die if he stopped. You flattened your hips against his, a choked sound of pleasure escaping both of you when you ground against his erection. You hadn’t expected him to be hard already, but you figured he probably had been since the two of you hastily left the gallery.

His tongue invaded your mouth with an intensity that drew sharp pants from your throat. You returned his energy stroke for stroke, unable to get enough of him. Your hands dragged from his hair to his shoulders and further down, your nails digging in as you gripped his ass and forcibly pulled his hips tighter against yours. Minghao thrust against you, the friction making you see stars even with your clothes still on.

He gripped your ass hard enough to bruise and jerked you away from the wall so he could stumble to your bedroom. You barely made it, both of you kissing wildly and breathlessly giggling the entire way.

His body blanketed yours as you fell onto the bed, his warmth comforting and heartbreakingly familiar. You both muttered incoherent praises and I love you’s into the other’s mouth, still unable to get close enough. You sighed contentedly as he began to work his way down your body, taking clothes as he went. His chilled fingers slid beneath your blouse and helped you remove it completely, leaving you in a lacy white bra. He unabashedly moaned at the sight, and you would have giggled if not for the wet kiss he placed on each of your nipples over the fabric.

He continued his leisurely journey downwards, his hands kneading your breasts. His lips drifted across your waistline with infuriating slowness. You whined when he caught the button of your pants between his teeth and tugged lightly before moving on. Your fingers tangled in the roots of his hair, simultaneously enjoying its softness and lightly pulling to urge him on.

“Hao, you’re killing me here,” you murmured.

“Call it payback.” Despite his cocky words, his voice was strained with lust. You looked down at him and immediately regretted it when you almost came at the sight. His hair was wild from your hands running through it, flushed color high on his cheeks and his pupils blown so wide that hardly any brown remained.

No matter what he said, he wouldn’t be able to resist burying himself inside you for much longer.

At last, Minghao unbuttoned your pants and carefully pushed them down your legs, taking your underwear with them. You tried to find it within yourself to be embarrassed at your nakedness, but you couldn’t. Minghao’s eyes devouring you like this felt so right that it put a lump in your throat.

“I love you,” you told him again, as if you hadn’t said the same three words a hundred times in the last hour. Regardless, Minghao blushed again as if it were the first time you’d told him, a sweet smile pulling at his lips. When combined with the lust-crazed look in his eyes, though, you found yourself clenching woefully around nothing.

When your lower half was sufficiently stripped naked, Minghao lifted himself off the bed so he could remove his suit jacket and button-down, stepping out of his shoes at the same time. He did so slowly, methodically, and you watched him through hooded eyes, appreciating the tension of the wait as much as he did. Your mouth dried at the sight of him. His body was leanly-muscled and utterly perfect, dotted every so often with constellations of moles and small scars from past adventures.

“You’re so pretty,” you sighed, pleased when Minghao blushed again. He didn’t let your words distract him, instead settling between your thighs and roughly tugging your hips closer to his face. You gasped as you slid down the bed, anticipation thrumming in your veins.

His breath was unbearably warm against your overheated core and, like he could sense how it drove you wild, he blew lightly on your clit. Your entire body seized, your hands immediately burying themselves in his hair again.

“If we do this, darling, I want to make something abundantly clear.”

You cracked your eyes open, unsure when you had actually screwed them shut. “Yes, Hao?”

Minghao groaned and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the inside of your thigh. “If you say it like that again I might never let you leave this bed.” You squirmed, the need to have his mouth on you all-consuming. He kissed your other thigh, allowing his tongue to drag to your pelvic bone as you moaned. He waited until you were looking down at him, your chest heaving, before he spoke. “After tonight, I’m yours, do you understand me? You won’t be able to get me away from this pretty pussy.”

Your entire body flooded with heat. “Yes, Hao. You’re mine. I’m yours—” Your declaration cut off in a cry when Minghao’s tongue parted your folds in one long stroke. He stopped to dote on your clit, working you in tight, expert circles that catapulted you to the edge in three seconds flat.

You weren’t sure when one of his hands left your thigh, but you jolted in surprise when two of his fingers poised themselves at your entrance. He gathered your slick on his fingertips and pushed in at the same time his tongue increased its pressure. You moaned loudly and ground your hips against his face, tugging hard at the roots of his hair now. Minghao groaned against you, the vibrations driving you wild. His fingers pushed into you at an angle, over and over again, long enough that they easily bumped that incredible spot inside you on every pass.

You climbed higher and higher with no end in sight. You were a thread one small breath from snapping, your entire body quivering with your need to orgasm.

“You taste—” he sucked hard and wet on your clit “—so fucking good.”

“God, Hao, please—”

“Come for me, darling.” Minghao withdrew his fingers from you without warning. Before you could protest their absence he replaced them with his tongue, thrusting it into you with the fervor of a man starved. Your back arched and you cried out. A light sheen of sweat covered your entire body as you writhed. “Need to taste it, please—” His nose bumped your clit at just the right angle and the thread finally snapped.

Your orgasm tore through you like a shooting star. Your body lit up, explosions rippling all the way to the tips of your toes. You clenched hard around Minghao’s tongue and he moaned, obviously satisfied beyond belief, as you came in his mouth.

It felt like hours before you finally came down. Your entire body shook in the wake of what was probably the best orgasm of your life. Definitely better than any that Joshua had ever given you, a thought which made you giggle.

Minghao kissed his way up your body, his lips and chin shining with you. “What’s so funny?” He nipped at the spot below your ear before capturing your mouth in his. You groaned at the taste of you on his lips, instantly ready for him again.

“Oh, nothing.” You giggled. “Joshua could never—”

Minghao cut you off with an honest-to-god growl. He moved back to kissing your throat, leaving new hickies over the ones he’d already created. You bit your lip, still smiling at the ceiling as he lightly ground his clothed dick against your core. “Will you not say his name after I’ve just made you orgasm?” He asked indignantly.

You pushed Minghao off of you by his shoulders, pleased by the surprised look on his face as you rolled him onto his back. You felt unbelievably powerful as you straddled him now. He couldn’t keep his eyes off your breasts even if he wanted to. You wordlessly reached behind you to unclasp your bra, taking your time sliding the straps down your shoulders. At last you were left bare before him and you tossed your bra across the room.

He began to sit up, his face dark with lust, but you stopped him before he could take your nipple in his mouth. He met your eyes, confused, and you answered him with a knowing smile.

You kissed his jaw, then his throat, pushing him back down onto his back as you moved to his torso. You didn’t torture him by moving slowly as he had with you, looking up at him through your eyelashes to observe his reactions. His breaths turned into quiet, short gasps when your mouth reached the skin just above his pants.

You unbuttoned his pants slowly, taking your time pulling those down first, then his underwear. Your mouth dried when his hard cock sprang free, the tip flushed and glistening with precum. You had no doubt that the stretch would be incredible—both his size and shape were perfect for you, like he had been designed with you in mind. Or perhaps the other way around. If there was ever a doubt in your mind about how much he wanted you, it was gone now.

His hips thrusted gently into the open air, seeking nonexistent friction. You took a moment to admire him and bit your lip. You pressed more kisses to his soft thighs, his knees, his hips. His cock twitched.

“Pretty boy,” you purred. He shuddered.

Minghao moaned again. “Please, baby—”

You cut him off by wrapping your lips around the head of his cock. He instinctively thrusted hard, nearly choking you, but you didn’t mind in the slightest. You wantonly moaned around him, gratified by the hard shudder that worked its way through his body in response.

The taste of him was addicting. You recklessly sought more of it as you took him further into your mouth, stopping only when he hit the back of your throat. You gagged and Minghao’s hands threaded into your hair, pulling it into a loose ponytail at the nape of your neck. You were dripping down your thighs now, a mixture of your cum from your last orgasm and the new need to have his cock inside you.

“You’re so sexy—ah—yes, just like that.” Minghao’s praises were music to your ears, only fueling you to bob your head on him faster. You relaxed your throat as best you could, pride swelling in your chest when you managed to take him deep. He gasped sharply when you swallowed around his length. “Fuck—yes, do that again—”

You obeyed, ignoring the tears overflowing onto your cheeks and the lewd sounds you were making. Minghao seemed so turned on now that he might explode out of his skin. Your hand found his sac, gently massaging it in time with the movements of your mouth. You felt him tighten beneath you, a telltale sign that he was seconds from cumming.

Not for the first time tonight, Minghao moved too quickly for you to process in a timely manner. Before you could blink you were trapped beneath him on the mattress, tears still staining your face and the taste of his cock in your mouth. He kissed you feverishly, his dick sandwiched between you as he ground himself against your stomach.

“I want to finish inside you, not before,” he said into your mouth, eliciting a groan from deep in your chest.

“Yes,” you hissed. You took his cock in your hand and smiled when he jerked. By this point, even with your previous orgasm, both of you were so sensitive that you wouldn’t last long. “Are you clean?” you asked.

“Yes, why—”

“Good, because I want you raw. I have to feel you—”

Minghao cut you off with a wild moan and kiss, his lips barely giving you time to catch a breath. “God, I love you.”

Your heart bloomed with warmth. This is what you’d been so terrified of? Loving and being loved in return?

He helped you line up the head of his cock with your entrance, notching it in just enough to stay there as he pressed a shaky kiss to your forehead. Your eyes were locked on where he entered you as he pushed in to the hilt.

You both released simultaneous moans of relief. Your limbs trembled as you tried to accommodate his size, the stretch burning through you in delicious licks of pleasure.

“You feel so good…” he murmured, taking one of your breasts into his mouth and sucking relentlessly at the nipple. “God, you’re so tight—”

You whined, urging him to move. He obeyed, slipping out of you almost completely before pushing back in. His face fell against your shoulder and he softly bit down on your flesh to stifle his moans. You unintentionally clenched around his length in response, dragging another strangled groan out of him.

He easily hit your g-spot on every thrust. You found yourself coiling tighter and tighter, dangerously close to your orgasm once again. Your walls continuously fluttered around him, made more intense by the string of unintelligible praises and curses that fell from his lips.

He captured your mouth in his again. Your nails dug into his shoulders and dragged low on his hips—you knew you would leave scratches, but you didn’t care in the slightest. Neither did he, apparently, because his thrusts turned wild. He impaled you on his cock over and over again, his pace brutal and unrelenting as you both sought your highs.

There wasn’t a single thought in your head save the feeling of Minghao pounding into you. You were an absolute mess, as was he—hair tangled, sweat-slicked bodies colliding and faces pinched with pleasure.

“Cum inside, baby—” you moaned “I’m on the pill, please. I need you—”

“Ah, fuck—” Minghao cut himself off and his thrusts grew sloppier, signaling that he was close. The sensation of his cock pulsing inside you ignited your second orgasm like a wildfire.

Your walls contracted hard enough that he moaned unrestrained this time, and he stilled momentarily as he filled you in repeated, thick spurts. Euphoria shattered through you, so intense you could scarcely breathe around it. He rocked his hips against yours slowly, working you both through your highs without crossing the line into pain.

When you both returned to earth, Minghao still didn’t remove his cock from you. Instead he rolled onto his side with his arms around you, taking you with him, and you threw a leg over his hips. You laid like that for a long time, just basking in the comfortable silence and aftershocks of your orgasms.

Tonight had ended the best way it possibly could have. You kissed Minghao lazily, like you had all the time in the world to do so. And really, you did. His fingers traced gentle lines up and down your spine as you drew small circles on his ribcage.

“Why did you agree to fake dating me?” You asked suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“The day we met, you said the arrangement would be mutually exclusive. What did you mean?”

Minghao laughed softly. “I’d forgotten about that. That day in the bathroom wasn’t the first time I saw you,” he confessed. “The first time I saw you was last spring outside the library. You were carrying this huge stack of books and you dropped them without question so you could help a caterpillar off the staircase. You put it in the grass and continued on like it was nothing.” Your jaw dropped. You barely remembered that and were shocked that he did, especially in such detail. “I think that’s when I fell in love with you, but who knows.” He drew back to look at you, satisfaction oozing from his every pore at your shock. He kissed the tip of your nose. “I have a proposition for you,” he murmured.

Your eyes narrowed. The last proposition had taken both of you for a wild ride, to say the least. “What is it?”

Minghao smiled.

“Will you be my girlfriend?"

~ DAY FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTEEN ~

You were almost more nervous to walk across the stage because Minghao was in the audience. Graduating college was already nerve-wracking, but put a smoking-hot boy who only had eyes for you in the mix? You were a goner.

You gripped your fake diploma for dear life—the real one was tucked safely in your purse beneath Minghao’s chair—and prayed you wouldn’t eat shit halfway through your walk.

You glanced out at the audience, finding your boyfriend’s face immediately. No, scratch that—fiancé. You still couldn’t get used to it, even if it had been a month already. You glanced down at the ring glittering on your finger, a dainty, whimsical thing that perfectly suited the man who had given it to you.

The sight gave you comfort. You looked back up at Minghao, who now had a pleased smile on his face as if he could sense the direction your thoughts had taken. He flashed you a conspicuous thumbs-up and you giggled quietly.

You turned back to the stage, suddenly aware that you were next to walk. You wished Minghao were up here with you, but he had graduated the semester prior and was left to support you from afar. You watched as Chaeyoung—the valedictorian, funny enough—shook hands with the boy who had gone before you, a radiant smile on her face. She looked beautiful. But then again, she always was. One of these days, you might actually achieve fully forgiving her so you could ask where she got those earrings.

Distantly, you heard the announcer call your name and the following whoops and cheers from Minghao and your family. The grin on your face wasn’t faked—over the past year-and-a-half, more and more of your smiles had become genuine.

You took a deep breath. Aware of Minghao watching you, you took the first step into the rest of your life.

BOOM! and with that, minghaoyoudoin is finally deserving of her name haha 😆 thank you again for reading if you made it this far, please leave a like and/or reblog if you enjoyed!

masterlist here :)

© minghaoyoudoin 2022 - all rights reserved. reposts/translations not allowed. I do not assume to know the personal lives of the idol(s) depicted in this fic, this is for entertainment purposes only!

#minghao #the8 #minghao smut #the8 smut #xu minghao #seventeen smut #svt smut #seventeen minghao #svt minghao #svt fluff #seventeen fluff #svt angst #seventeen angst #kpop #kpop smut #kpop au #seventeen performance unit #seventeen x reader #seventeen #svt #svt fanfic #seventeen hard hours #svt hard hours #seventeen soft hours #svt soft hours #minghao x you #minghao x reader #seventeen imagines #minghao svt #minghao seventeen

[justabigassnerd]

Baby on Board's... Baby?

Pairing - Robert 'Bob' Floyd x daughter!reader

Word count - 1,799

Warnings - talks of being left out, pretty much just fluff

Summary - the Daggers find out Bob has a kid and short circuit at the news

A/N - it's fic time! I'm so sorry for how long it's taken for me to get a fic out, I've been going through some shit and I'm only just feeling up to writing. this may not be the best thing I've written, Bob is really fucking hard to write but I have to give a shoutout to @maverick-wingman and @horseslovers2016 for the peer pressure otherwise this fic wouldn't exist in the first place. anyways I'll stop rambling now, as per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

Your grip on your dad’s hand tightened as he leads you towards the looming doors of the Hard Deck.

“You okay, y/n/n?” Bob asks as he stops, turning to face you and crouching down to be at your height. You remain silent, thinking about whether you wanted to tell your dad how you were feeling.

“I’m scared.” You eventually admit, looking down at your shoes as your dad’s face softens at your words.

“Oh, sweet pea, it’s okay to be scared, this is a new place with new people. We don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to. But Phoenix is going to be there, and everyone else is so nice I just know they’ll love you.” Bob says softly, smiling as he notices you perk up at the mention of Phoenix being there.

“Nix?” You ask, your eyes lighting up at the thought of seeing your beloved godmother.

“Yeah, Phoenix is here.” Bob says with a smile as you look to the door of the Hard Deck, eager to see your other favourite human. You hold your arms up as an indication that you want to be picked up and Bob obliges, scooping you up and sitting you on his hip.

“Remember jellybean, if you want to go home, let me know and we’ll head home.” Bob whispers reassuringly, waiting for you to nod before he pushes the door open, searching for his squadron while you eagerly search for Phoenix, using you being in your dad’s arms as a vantage point.

“Nix!” You call out when you see your godmother amongst a group and wiggle to get out of your dad’s arms so you can rush over to Phoenix.

“Hello, y/n/n. How’s my favourite princess doing?” Phoenix beams as she scoops you up effortlessly the moment you reach her, cuddling you close as you giggle, your little arms hugging her as fiercely as you can.

“You got a kid, Phoenix?” Payback questions, eyebrow raised at the sight before him, having missed you calling out to Phoenix and only saw her scooping you up and hugging you tight. At Payback’s words, the rest of the Daggers watched Phoenix carefully as Bob joined the group, unnoticed by everyone.

“I’m her godmother. She’s not mine. She’s Bob’s.” Phoenix says, and at her words, everyone is made hyper-aware of Bob’s presence nearby and Hangman chokes on his beer, coughing loudly as Coyote slaps him harshly on the back.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that Baby on Board actually has a baby?” Hangman manages to say once he’s recovered enough to speak, eye wide as he looks from you in Phoenix’s arms to Bob.

“And you kept her a secret since we met?” Fanboy pesters, shock written all over his face at the realisation of how long Bob had been keeping his daughter a secret from the squadron.

“She stayed with my parents when we were initially called back, I thought it would be a short detachment but when it became permanent, I bought a place and now this is home for us.” Bob says, crossing to Phoenix and skilfully taking you in his arms.

“Then why did you tell Phoenix but not us?” Rooster asks quietly, all of the Daggers wearing a slightly hurt expressions that they were left out of this.

“I figured you guys wouldn’t really care. You guys became your own little group and I’m usually on the sidelines, so I thought it wasn’t worth wasting my breath trying to tell you guys because you’d rather talk about training or dart tournaments. But also y/n is very shy, and you guys can get quite loud, so I wanted to take things at her pace.” Bob explains with a light shrug, a small smile crossing his face when you cuddle closer, burying your face in his neck before you look out at all the people watching you curiously. At Bob’s words the Daggers exchange sorrowful looks, feeling bad for making Bob feel like he couldn’t talk to them or be open about things if he wanted. They knew Bob was quieter than most of the Dagger Squad and he had a tendency to slip away into the background because of how rowdy and loud the group could be. They also knew he was close with Phoenix; it shouldn’t come as a surprise to them at all. Most pilots got on well with their WSOs, they needed to have a strong trust between them, and Phoenix was the first person to act welcoming towards Bob when the team became aware of his presence that first night in the Hard Deck.

“Hey, we’re really sorry man. We never meant to make you feel like you weren’t part of the group, because you are. You’re a badass and have been since the uranium mission. You got a lock on the structure which is more than I can say, we’re lucky Rooster managed to drop blind and hit the target.” Fanboy says, looking down and then glancing back up as Bob moves, handing you to Phoenix so he could cross to Fanboy.

“Don’t put yourself down Fanboy, you were picked for the mission for a reason, and you’ve been picked for more since then. You’re a great wizzo, Payback’s lucky to have you.” Bob says, patting Fanboy on the shoulder and glancing over at Payback who nods in agreement before clapping Fanboy on the back as Bob moves back to Phoenix, taking you in his arms. As Bob takes you back into his arms, the team exchange knowing nods, vowing that they’ll never let Bob feel like his thoughts and stories didn’t matter as much and that they’d include him more. As they looked back at Bob, they caught Phoenix’s eye who simply raised an eyebrow. She had stayed quiet on Bob’s request because he didn’t want to be a bother although Phoenix insisted, he’d never be a bother to her or the team. Part of her had hoped the team would notice that Bob had a tendency to disappear into the background and that they’d include him a little more but apparently, it took Bob bringing his daughter to actually get attention.

“So, how old’s baby Bob?” Payback asks, the team keeping a distance so as to not overwhelm you. You heard Payback’s question and held up three fingers while keeping yourself as buried in your dad’s embrace as possible.

“Three? Damn, kid that’s the best age to be.” Hangman says with a grin, making you look at him, offering him a small smile when you make eye contact. Intrigued by the man who had told you that being three was the best, you squirmed in your dad’s arms, requesting to be put down and when Bob obliged, you toddled over to Hangman, looking up at him curiously before holding your arms up for him to pick you up. Hangman looked over at Bob who nodded, giving him permission to scoop you up into his arms as you giggled. Hangman carefully navigated sitting you on his shoulders, holding on to your legs as you admire being high up. Hangman carefully walks over to the jukebox, taking you off his shoulders, sitting you back on his hip and pointing out which buttons you need to press to play a song, making sure it was appropriate for you to listen to. After putting the song on, Jake places you down on the floor and dances with you, twirling you effortlessly as you giggle and dance along to the music as the Daggers watch on with large smiles. When the song ends, the Daggers clap as you dart back over to your dad and are immediately scooped up into your dads’ arms. Rooster quirked an eyebrow when he noticed you turn your attention to the piano, looking at it curiously.

“Does y/n like piano?” Rooster asks, crossing to Bob who notices your stare at the piano.

“My parents have one at their house, but it mostly sits there collecting dust. It probably reminds her of her grandparents.” Bob says, bouncing you lightly on his hip. Getting an idea, Rooster crosses to the jukebox and unplugs it, eliciting a groan from every patron in the bar as Rooster sat himself at the piano, playing some light notes, his fingers dancing across the keys masterfully. Bob and the others cross to the piano, knowing where Rooster is going with his piano playing. Bob sits you on top of the piano, keeping a hand braced on your back just in case you leant back too far, and Rooster then began playing ‘Great Balls of Fire’ getting the whole bar singing in seconds. You picked up the ‘goodness gracious, great balls of fire’ lyric quickly and were soon attempting to join in whenever the bar sang that one lyric. When the song concludes, you clap as loud as your little hands will allow as the patron’s whoop and cheer. Bob picks you back up and everyone moves to sit down at tables to converse some more over some drinks and snacks. The Daggers involve Bob in their conversations and ask questions about not only him but you, arranging a day for you, your dad, and the team to go to the beach to spend some more time together, naming themselves your new cool uncles, earning a raised eyebrow from Phoenix and Bob. The moment a small yawn slipped past your lips; Bob was up on his feet instantly while keeping you in his arms.

“I should think about heading home, it’s almost y/n’s bedtime.” Bob says, addressing the Daggers who all bid him and you goodnight as Phoenix gets to her feet.

“Night night y/n/n.” Phoenix whispers, pressing a quick kiss to the top of your head.

“Night night, Nix.” You mumble, clinging to your dad and burying your face in his shirt as you wave goodbye to the rest of the Daggers who give you waves of their own. Bob then exits the Hard Deck, crossing to his car and buckling you into your car seat before brushing a stray piece of hair out of your face and pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head.

Unbeknownst to Bob, Hangman crossed to the door of the bar, leaning against the frame as he watches the car pull away. The second the car was out of his line of sight he entered the bar, eyes gleaming with joy at what he had seen as he crosses back to the Daggers who all, bar Phoenix, looked up at him with bated breath, each of them hoping they won the bet the team had quickly made. All eyes were on Hangman as he opened his mouth to speak.

“He’s got a baby on board sign in the window.”

#justabigassnerd #justabigassnerd writes #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun fic #top gun maverick fic #bob top gun #bob floyd #bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x y/n #bob floyd x you #bob floyd x daughter!reader #robert bob floyd #robert bob floyd x reader #robert bob floyd x you #robert bob floyd x daughter!reader #robert 'bob' floyd #robert 'bob' floyd x reader #robert 'bob' floyd x daughter!reader #x daughter!reader

[greatooglymooglyyy]

For A Black Girl (Chris Sturniolo)

pairing: chris x black!femreader

contains: angst, mentions of racism, fluff, twitter fingers, discussions of race, interracial relationship, 850+ words

a/n: alright this is my first time writing a story like this for the black girlies but hopefully y'all like it. if you have a problem with the triplets dating a POC, go argue with your momma cus idc

My brain has been running 100 mph since the triplets’ new photo dump went live. It’s the first time I’ve ever featured in one and is low-key serving as Chris and I’s official hard launch. To be fair, we definitely surprised absolutely no one, as the fans put two and two together months ago. But, I know how insane people can get, and being black really just gives them more hateful shit to work with.

“Are you even listening to me?” Nick says, waving his hand in front of my face to get my attention. I cut my eyes to him and give him an apologetic smile, finally snapping out of my thoughts. “Do you want me to be honest or lie to you, friend?” He rolls his eyes and playfully pushes my head. “Hate you.” I feel Chris looking quizzically at me through the rearview mirror but I pointedly ignore him, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible. I know it really doesn’t matter what a few stupid people say realistically, and if I were smart, I’d avoid the comment section altogether. But, I’m just a girl. So as Matt and Nick start up an argument about whether we should go to Target or Walmart, I take out my phone and head to the post.

My heart starts hammering as I start to scroll through the comments. The mass majority of the comments are thankfully positive or at least benign. A lot of general devastation that Chris isn’t single, some “you wish that was you, huh” jokes, and a ton of genuinely sweet compliments.

But then, of course, I came across a few that I knew were coming as well. Slurs. Racist ass jokes. Someone even said they aren’t worried because they know his endgame is a sweet white girl. I try not to let it bother me and shrug it off as I put my phone down, but I can’t shake some of the insecurities it’s bringing back up for me. Chris reaches behind his seat to offer his hand, which I take with a small smile pushing away my stupid thoughts.

*********

I managed to fake my way through the rest of the night, laughing and joking like everything was normal but now I am just dying to get home. When we pull back into their driveway, I sigh a deep breath of relief and step out, planning to head home. But before I can even give a flimsy excuse, Chris steps in front of me grinning and tilts my chin up so he can quickly kiss me twice. We pull away, laughing at Matt's gagging noises as he retreats inside the house. Chris slips his hand into mine and pulls me into the house and down the stairs to his room. I go to my little section of his room and start wordlessly getting ready for bed. As I begin taking off my makeup, Chris comes and stands behind me, laying his chin on the top of my head. “You alright?” He asks carefully, always the first to pick up on my moods. I sigh then turn to face him, thinking it's better to do this now rather than later.

“Why not a white girl?” I ask, keeping my voice still and steady. He blinks at me for a couple of seconds, obviously dumbfounded. “What?”

“You can have damn near anybody you want. Why not a white girl?” He takes a step back away from me, sitting at the edge of his bed.

“It wasn’t like I went around cherry-picking through girls. I fell in love with you. You’re black. It was that simple.” He says slowly, as if scared of saying the wrong thing. “What is this actually about?”

“I just don’t want to be an experience for you. I don’t wanna be a thing you check off your list so you can say you’ve had a black gi-” He stands up now giving me a look that has me immediately on mute.

“That’s insane. It’s crazy you can even think of me like that.” I close my eyes and shake my head. His words are so laced with hurt that it physically hurts me.

“Chris. It’s not like that. Do you know how many boys have told me I’m pretty for a black girl? How many times have I gotten treated differently if my hair was straight? And it’s not that I’m insecure but sometimes I look at you and I just can’t help but wonder.” Despite my best efforts, my voice cracks just a bit at the end of my sentence and I blink rapidly to hold off any tears.

“C’mere.” He opens up his arms and I step into them, letting him wrap me up where I’ve always felt most safe. He rocks us back and forth for a minute and then drops a kiss on the top of my head before he speaks.“Listen, whoever said any of that bullshit to you is insane. I’m not in love with you despite your race. I’m in love with every single part of who you are.” I pull back to look at him now, still a little teary.

“Even when I don’t let you run my hands through my hair because I got a silk press?” He laughs and nods. “Even when you call me a dumb white boy and yell at me for having outside clothes on in the bed.”

I smile and reach up to pull his face closer to mine. “I love you too Chris. Even though you think Mac and Cheese is a full entree and not a side dish.”

“It’s literally a protein-”

#sturniolo triplets #christopher sturniolo #chris sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo oneshot #matt sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo #chris sturniolo fluff #sturniolo fluff #matt sturniolo oneshots #nick sturniolo #chris sturniolo angst #chris sturniolo

[brownsugarwrites]

Poundcake.

✰ pairings: Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x black!fem!reader

✰ warnings: none! fluff with a liddol bit of suggestive content. reader cooks soul food (no debate)

✰ a/n: this was soooooo yummy to write! I hope I can write more ghost in the future I love this man.

There was a click of the knob at the door. “He’s home, you thought, eyes coming away from the TV as you stood behind the stove.

Hearing the door perch open, you hear his heavy boots stepping into the house as the smell of pound cake infiltrates his nose.

“I'm guessing my princess is in the kitchen, right?”

“Hi, baby!!!” You greeted him gleefully before shuffling your feet towards him and hugging him. Firm arms wrapped around your thick waist, crushing you slightly.

“I missed you around here,” you told him, pouting as he gave you a light pat on your head.

“I missed ya too, sweetheart. Food smells divine,” he compliments

You blush a little as you give a little thanks, telling him you’d been cooking all day for him, waiting for him to get back

It was something you started to do for him about a year into actually living with each other, and now that you were engaged, it became a habit

“Well, I'm going to make me a plate-“ he started

Your face scrunched up in disgust. He knows you make him shower before he can eat.

“Simon…. I dont know why you come up in this house acting brand new. You know to get in the shower before you sit at the table,” you responded with attitude, popping your hip out.

“But sweetheart-“ he began

“But sweetheart, nothing. Get cleaned up and put your clothes in the laundry room. Your plate will be ready when you come downstairs.”

Huffing like a child, he took his bag and lugged himself up the stairs to get into his house clothes.

As you watched him go up the stairs, you quickly turned your attention back to the oven, opening it to take the cake out to let it cool.

While he showered, you set the tray tables and queued the TV to another episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta.

About a good hour later, you turned your head to the heavy footsteps that came down the stairs to meet you in the living room.

You watched as his shirt clung to his body, showcasing his physique. To you, he looked a little more...fluffy than usual. You noticed in his abdominal area he was losing some defintation. Which you found cute and a little sexy, knowing he could still probably fold you into a pretzel while fucking you.

"What do you want on your plate, big boy?" you asked playfully, a smile gracing your face.

His cheeks were turning pink as he told you he was okay to make his own plate.

"Si, you've been gone for four months. What makes you think I'm not going to make your first plate back?" you said, standing up and going to meet him where he was at

"tell me what you want," you said, looking up at him so innocently

What he wanted was to take you upstairs and have his face in your cunt till the sun rose until he heard his stomach growling.

"A little bit of everything is fine, princess," he told you, hands moving down your waist, effectively cupping your ass with his big hands.

Rolling your eyes, you pulled away from him, going to the kitchen to make you and his plate.

Coming into the living room with the warm, fragrant food, you sat it before him as he drooled over it.

"lemme get you something to drink, ok," you said before scurrying to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water and a pop.

Seeing that he had already started eating his food, you giggled as you watched him stuff his face full.

"Is it good?" you joked, plopping down next to him and giving him his drink.

"Spectacular," he managed to get out before taking another bite

Pressing play on the TV, the two of you watched Real Housewives as y'all ate. Once Simon was finished, he sat back on the couch, rubbing his stomach in content

"You're gonna make me fat with all this good cookin', princess." he laughed

"Good!" you smiled at him

Seeing his eyes get heavy, you knew the food was sitting in, and he was getting the itis.

"You want a piece of pound cake, big boy?" you asked, rubbing a hand up and down his arm.

"No, thank you, sweetheart." he simply stated before cuddling you on the couch. "Thank you for the food, my love. I'm happy to be home." 

#simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost x reader #ghost x reader #call of duty fanfic #simon ghost x you #simon ghost riley x black reader #video game x reader #video game fanfic #call of duty x y/n #call of duty x reader

[callsignangel]

screen rant babe - two

warnings: fluff galoreeeeee word count: 1067 a/n: hi friends! it's finally here. i've never actually been to disneyland so there's probably some inaccuracies there. this is short but i promise the next part will be everything y'all are wishing for hehe. otherwise this was really fun to write, and i hope you enjoy it! reblogs and feedback about my work is deeply appreciated. <3

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when jack suggested going to disneyland, you laughed and agreed to go thinking it would never happen - that it was just quick infatuation and that you'd never see him again. boy, were you wrong.

he had found and followed you on all of your public social media accounts and even posted about your interview on instagram. his blank stare and painfully obvious crush on you quickly became a meme in the avatar fandom. it never really sunk in for you until you got a dm from the rising star himself.

in the brief conversation you had with him after the interview, he managed to get enough information about you that he needed - except your phone number. he internally cursed himself for that, and spent the rest of his day trying to search for you on every platform he could. most of the younger cast laughed at him for his vigorous search for the screen rant babe, but bailey and trinity being the absolute sweethearts they are were more than happy to help him.

it took you by mighty surprise when the notification of his message request lit up your phone. almost choked on your cereal, in fact.

jackchampion: hey! just checking in to see if we're still on for disneyland one of these days. i would also love to get your number so we can discuss plans easier (:

oh my god. he was serious. you replied as quickly as you could, giving him your number and telling him that you were definitely still on for your disneyland date. you were leaving for london in less than two days, and the way he was planning made it sound like you were going to be slaves to the mouse for a lot more time than you had. park hoppers, all of the rides, the ultimate experience. jack champion, full time disney fanboy. 

his name and the selfie you took together at the interview lit up your screen. he was CALLING YOU. most likely to thoroughly discuss said plans, but it still caught you by surprise. he was so direct, so focused on you. cute, chivalrous, quick on his feet, full of surprises. what more could you want in a man?

you picked up the phone in a giddy panic, barely managing to let out a garbled greeting. his heavenly laugh echoed through the other side, returning your greeting. it didn’t take him long before he immediately launched into your full disneyland itinerary. “so i was thinking i could come get you around 7ish so we can get there early and beat the opening rush-” “7 in the morning? you’re crazy!” you giggled, swiftly apologizing for interrupting him. he was really crazy.  crazy for you, that is. 

eventually you managed to figure out what you were going to do at the parks the next day. there were a couple rides you specifically wanted to go on, and he made sure to get fastpasses.  “i’m really excited to see you tomorrow,” he said softly, as if he was cautiously trying to navigate unsteady waters. “i’m really excited to see you too, jack. it’s going to be so fun!”  you should’ve seen the smile he cracked when you returned his excitement.

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he showed up to your hotel with a giddy grin on his face at 7 the next morning. he was clearly well rested and ready for the day, whilst you had been awake the entire night trying to figure out if this was a dream. and here he was, getting out of his car to come around and open your door for you. he was the definition of chivalry, and it made your heart almost burst.  once you were settled in his car and you were on your way, he kept taking small glances of you. “did you wanna stop anywhere before we head to the park?” he inquired. “do they allow outside drinks? because i am dying for coffee right now.” “when my liege asks for coffee, we shall get them their coffee."

after a quick dunkin run and trying to figure out the maze that is the disneyland parking system, you both finally made it into the park. “so, what should we do first?” he inquired.  “i need to get a pair of ears before we can do anything else,” you replied, frantically looking for a gift shop. he chuckled before realizing that you were moving too fast for him to keep up in the swarm of other guests at the park. without thinking, he grabbed your coffee-free hand. it was electrifying, like an entire city without power had just lit up. you gave him a warm smile as you kept walking, giving his hand a good squeeze. he returned your smile, thankful that he hadn’t cursed this date with his awkwardness. you thought it was charming, his obliviousness in certain situations. 

when you finally found a gift shop with a wall of ears, you were overjoyed. so many options, so little time. you asked him his opinion of certain ears, like if they looked good on you or if they suited you. he always said yes. you looked beautiful to him.  when you finally picked out a pair of ears inspired by the scarlet witch, you encouraged him to get a vision pair to match with you. he happily obliged. “weren’t you in avengers endgame?” “for maybe 10 seconds, i didn’t even speak,” “still an oscar worthy performance, and you met paul rudd!”

the small gift shop was filled with your joint laughter. he put his vision inspired ears on his head, and quickly pulled out his phone. there was a small mirror by the wall of ears, and he pulled you close to it so he could take a picture of you both with your matching ears. a bright smile and a quick snap later, he told you that would be his new wallpaper.  “so, now that you’ve got your ears, should we hit up avenger’s campus first?” “hell yeah, i really want one of those big iron man hand drink things…” you had grabbed his hand without question as you left the shop and had thrown your now empty coffee cup away. it felt right, holding his hand. like it was perfectly molded to yours. “and churros! we need to get churros.” it was going to be a good day.

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taglist: @gcidrvsh @crimson-mage-02 @babywantskith @pandorainmymind @dazecrea @elliotsbeigeguitar @jyoungmom @itakehotshowers if you would like to be added to my taglist, please let me know!

#jack champion #jack champion x reader #jack champion imagine #jack champion edit #jack champion fanfic #avatar #avatar the way of water #avatar x reader #avatar 2 #avatar 2022 #scream 6 #scream #spider socorro #spider #spider imagine #spider x reader #spider fanfic #atwow #atwow imagines #avatar imagine

[thetriumphantpanda]

Ghost of You | J. Miller (Chapter Four)

Series Summary / Grief is a strange thing. In the beginning it had been all-consuming. There wasn’t a moment of the day where you didn’t cry, didn’t ask yourself why it couldn’t have been you instead. And no-one ever explains the guilt you feel when it isn’t anymore. When it’s just a dull ache and you can finally breathe again, when you can start letting people get close to you again. People like Joel Miller. 

Pairing / Joel Miller x Widow F!Reader

Word Count / 4K

Warnings / Descriptions of grief and depression, a therapy session, some Ellie/Reader fluff but nothing else - let me know if I've missed anything!

Authors Note / You know when I said this would be slow burn? I really meant it. I really hope you guys aren't getting bored but I promise things are going to heat up from Chapter 5 onwards 👀 Thank you once again for all your love on this series - I say it every time but it's really close to my heart and to know you guys are enjoying it really does mean the world! If you like this then please considering reblogging, leaving comments or popping into my ask box with some love! I love y'all!

Series Masterlist / Main Masterlist

You never thought you’d be the kind of person who needed a therapist. Even when your parents had passed in quick succession before the outbreak you’d managed to carry on with the distraction of normal life, processing your grief quickly, distracting yourself with finishing school and applying for college. Even now, when you thought back to them, it was with fond memories. Nowhere near the level of grief you had now after losing Mark. 

Maybe it was the change in the world or the fact that Mark had been a part of your life longer than your parents had? You didn’t really know. Maria had suggested that trying to unpack your feelings with a therapist would be beneficial for you, someone neutral who could help you back to the person you’d been before he’d died. It had been six months since you first sat in this chair, the same feeling of anxiety you had then was apparent now, as Belinda poured you a glass of water and situated a box of tissues on the table, you took one, knowing you’d need it like you always did. 

“So, how are you?” She asks, settling down in the chair opposite you with her notepad resting on her crossed knee. 

“I’m okay.” You say simply. 

This is a rehearsed response. You always say it. Because if you needed a therapist, were you ever okay? 

Belinda nods like she always did, “I wanted to start today by revisiting what we spoke about last time,” Her voice is high and sweet and she’s at least twenty years older than you, “Remember we spoke about doing something to push yourself out of your comfort zone?” She asks, and you nod, “Did you do anything since our last session to work on that?” 

You take a deep breath; how much should you tell her? 

“I have, yeah.” 

“That’s good,” She praises, a genuine smile on her mouth, “Can you tell me about it?” 

“I went to The Tipsy Bison last week.” Is all you offer her. 

“With Tommy and Maria?” 

You nod, “And his brother and the little girl he’s got.” 

She quirks her eyebrow a little, if you hadn’t been paying close attention to her face you would have missed it, “And would you say Tommy’s brother is a friend?” 

You shrug, “I don’t know, I guess so, he came around a few weeks ago and fixed my porch step and he’s helping to build the table and chairs that Mark was going to do before he got sick.” 

“Do you talk to him about Mark?” 

“We’ve spoken a little about him, he actually lost his own daughter on outbreak day, so I guess I feel like he understands what I’m going through.” 

She nods, “Let’s go back a bit and talk about going to the bar,” She writes something down on her notepad, you never really know what it is she’s writing, “Was it as bad as you had expected?” 

You look down at your hands, scrunched tissue in one hand as your nails pick at the skin of your cuticles, “I was nervous about going, and I think I stood outside the door waiting to go in for too long, my mind was thinking of what would happen, like I would open the door and everyone would stop and go silent and just look at me, but no-one really noticed, but when we sat down to have a drink, someone said something and it kinda ruined everything.” 

“What did they say?” She pushes. 

You sigh, “That I’d made a miraculous recovery all of a sudden.” 

“And how did that make you feel?” Ah. The classic therapy question. 

You take a moment to formulate your answer in your mind, “I was angry,” You reply, “But not at the person who said it, I was angry at myself because it was true.” 

“But is it true?” Belinda pushes, “From my perspective, of course we’ve made steps since you first began coming to see me, but I don’t think either of us think you’re fully recovered, do we?” 

You shake your head to agree with her, “I guess what I’m trying to say is that sure, what was said wasn’t really true, but it’s the things they didn’t say which made me think they are,” Belinda is looking at you to continue explaining, “In the back of my mind I thought, well of course I’m recovered if I’m sat in a bar with a smile on my face, and if I can do this then why can’t I go back to work? Why can’t I start contributing to the community again? That’s what I think they’re saying in their heads about me.” 

“But you don’t know that do you?” She asks, “This is something I’ve noticed about you, that you project your own feelings onto other people, even though you have no idea what else they’re really thinking.” 

You nod because she’s not wrong, of course she’s not, “How do I stop?” You almost beg her. 

She shrugs a little, “You’ve got to stop caring about what other people think,” She says it like it’s the simplest thing to do, “Of course not the people who really matter to you, Maria, Tommy, his brother, their opinions matter, but those people who you see in passing, what they think doesn’t matter because they don’t really know you.” 

She looks briefly to her watch, “We don’t have much time left, but I’m proud of you, and if you think you’re ready to go back to work then challenge yourself, maybe ask Maria for a couple of hours a week, just to ease yourself back in, and we can talk about it a bit more next week?” You nod in agreement, “And it’s good to hear you’re making new friends too, I think Tommy’s brother might be someone to keep around if it makes you comfortable, friend’s with shared experiences can be helpful in recovery.” 

You nod in understanding and spend a few minutes agreeing on what day and time you’ll meet next week before she’s ushering you out of her office in time for her next patient. As you stand in front of her office, a thought spring to your mind. This is the first time you’ve left having not cried. The tissue is still dry in your hand, a small victory that you can hand yourself on your journey to healing. 

*

Just ten minutes later you are stood outside Maria’s house, knocking on the door. You can hear shuffling behind the door before she pulls it open, a look of shock written on her face that it’s you. 

“Is everything okay?” She asks. 

“As fine as it normally is,” You respond, “I was just coming back from Belinda’s and I wanted to ask you something.” 

“You want to come inside?” She asks, “I’ve just made coffee.” 

You gladly accept and before long you’re both sat on the couch, sipping coffee, “I think I’d like to go back to work.” You say simply before you get the opportunity to chicken out. 

She almost chokes on the coffee she’d just taken a drink of, “Are you sure?” 

“Definitely not full time,” You’re quick to add, “I just want to start with a few hours and see if I’m okay.” 

“Where’s this come from?”  You let out a sigh, “I’m fed up Maria,” You speak honestly, “Fed up of people thinking I’m useless, fed up of spending every day in the same four walls,” And then you add, “And I’m fed up of thinking that Mark would hate what I’ve become over him.” 

She pauses for a moment, “Let me speak to Kate and see if we can sort something out from next week,” She smiles, “I’m sure she’ll be grateful to have you back, she always complains that Charlotte still doesn’t understand the library system,” She puts on a poor imitation of Kate’s accent, “Jane Austen next to Philippa Gregory.” 

You both laugh and you think it’s truly the first time you’ve properly laughed in what feels like forever. You spend a little more time with her, finishing your coffee before leaving her to it and as you walk down the street towards your own home, you can’t deny that you feel a little lighter than normal. 

*

It’s Monday afternoon, one of two afternoon’s you’ve agreed to step back into the library to help. Kate had suggested it because it was the afternoon that the teacher’s brought the kids down to choose a book to take home. It would be busy enough to distract you and meant you wouldn’t spend your time sat thinking. 

You’d already helped two classes this afternoon, the last class we’re due in a few minutes, so Kate and you were enjoying a moment to sit and recuperate over a cup of tea. Well. Tea was stretching it – it was Kate’s usual concoction of boiled water and water flavourings she could get her hands on. Today it was lemon slices and honey, but it was warm and soothing so you wouldn’t complain. 

“I’m really happy to see you.” She speaks honestly, grasping at your arm to give it a squeeze, “I know this can’t have been easy, but I’ve hope we’ve not scared you off.” 

You offer a small smile, “I’ve actually enjoyed it, I guess my therapist was right when she said finding distractions would be helpful.” 

Kate is about to speak again when the library door swings open and the older children start filing in, their teacher doing his best to corral them into the middle of the room. It’s just as you remember, he tells them they’ve got fifteen minutes to browse and choose and book and once they have, they need to come to the front desk to check it out. 

You notice Ellie is part of the group, she’s hanging back, shuffling from foot-to-foot, but once her teacher lets them go, she’s just as excited as everyone else, picking up books and reading the covers. She’s one of the first to bring her choice over to the desk. You smile as you take it from her. 

“Artemis Fowl?” You grin, “Great choice, it’s really good.” You write her name in the checking-out book and then the title of the book, before writing the date three weeks from now that she needs to bring it back on the inside cover of the book.

“I didn’t know you worked here.” She comments, taking the book back from you. 

“I’m only here for two afternoons, trying to ease myself back into things, but yeah, before everything happened with Mark, this was my full-time job.” 

“I bet you’ve read everything here, right?” 

“Not quite,” You smirk, “But pretty much, if you ever want to know what else is good to read, you know where to come.” 

She smiles and says thank you and just before she turns to leave, “Say, you don’t think you could ask Joel to pop by sometime and finish up the table for me, could you?” 

She smirks, “Only if I can come so you can teach me how to make pie?” 

You hold out your hand and she takes it to shake, “You’ve got yourself a deal.” 

*

 It isn’t until Sunday that Joel and Ellie turn up at your front door. Summer really is in full swing now and it’s warm. You’ve been padding about in the garden trying to clear up, tank top now slightly sticking to your back from the thin sheen of sweat you’ve worked up and you think it’s possible the skin on your legs will be burnt when you finish up for the day. 

Joel heads straight for the back porch with his toolbox in hand, Ellie lingers at the kitchen table. 

“Do you want coffee?” You ask, tilting your head around the open back door. 

He shakes his head, “Water would be nice though.” 

You head back to the kitchen and pour three glasses of water from the jug in your fridge, adding lemon slices to give it a little flavour. Joel thanks you when you had him the glass and you smile at him before heading back to the kitchen to focus on Ellie. 

“Alright, you ready?” You ask and she nods with enthusiasm, “I tried to get apples at the market, but they were all out, so I’m afraid it’s cherries today.” 

You bring out a bowl of cherries from the fridge and put them out the counter, “The first thing we need to do is wash them and take the stones out, it’s a bit fiddly but it’s fun, I promise.” 

You rummage around in your cutlery drawer for the pair of chopsticks you know are hidden somewhere. You can almost imagine the family living in this house before the world went to shit, sitting at their table, eating Chinese food with them. God, what you wouldn’t give for fried rice right now. You had one of the sticks to Ellie once she’s washed her hands and rinsed the fruit. 

“So, you take a cherry and pull the stem off,” You do it to show her, “And then you eat the first one to make sure the fruit is okay,” You smile as you pop the cherry into your mouth, watching as she does the same, “You think they’re good?” 

She’s smiling at you, “They’re fucking great!” 

You spit the stone into your palm and put your hand near her face for her to do the same before you discard the stones in the trash bin next to you, “Okay, now we know they’re good, what you need to do is take the smaller end of the chopstick, and can you see where you pulled the stem out from?” You point to the spot on her fruit, “You just push the end through it and hopefully….” You draw out as you push your stick into the cherry between your fingers, the stone pops out through the bottom, “That will happen!” 

You watch as Ellie copies your movements, the stone popping out through the bottom of the cherry, “Does it matter that the fruit broke?” She asks, placing her destoned cherry in the bowl with your own. 

“Not at all, we’ve got to break them to eat them, right?” 

Joel is working studiously just outside the kitchen window and when you reach the last cherry in the bowl, you take it in hand, opening the window, “Hey Joel?” You call, he looks up from his work and you dangle the cherry out into the open space, he smiles as he takes it, popping it into his mouth before mirroring what you’d done, spitting the pip into his hand and slinging it over the side of your fence. 

It strikes you in this moment that being with Joel and Ellie is effortless. Although they both know what happened and a little about how you’ve delt with it, they don’t seem to judge you, neither of them look at you with sorry written in their eyes, they don’t press you to talk about things you don’t want to and they both seem genuinely interested in what you have to say, or in Ellie’s case, teach them. 

You take Ellie through the rest of the steps of preparing the fruit, drizzling them in a little honey in place of sugar, teaching her how to make the pastry, which involves more flour ending up on both of you that it does in the recipe. You let her pour the fruit into the pastry and decide which kind of top she wants on it. She’s a girl after your own heart and opts for lattice. 

Once it’s in the oven baking, Ellie sits on your couch with her book whilst you tidy up. You refill her glass of water before heading out to do the same to Joel’s. He’s almost finished with the table, just a few more planks of wood to hammer into the top and he’ll be done. 

“Thanks,” He says simply when you fill his glass, he takes it and drinks deeply, brushing his forehead for sweat, you stand with him for a while, “Ellie says she saw you at the library earlier this week, is that where you work?” He’s making polite conversation and you smile. 

“I worked there before everything happened,” You explain, “I was speaking to my therapist a few weeks ago who said she thought it would be a positive step for me, so I’m just doing two afternoons a week to ease me back in,” You refill his glass when he’s finished with it, “Baby steps and all that.” 

“S’good,” He nods, “You seem a bit happier today.” 

“I think it’s more to do with her,” You speak honestly, motioning your head inside to where Ellie is, “She’s a great kid Joel.” 

“She is,” He agrees, “I’m glad she’s finally gettin’ the chance to be a kid for a while.”

He’s finishing up with the last few bits of wood for the table, “You wanna stay for a slice of pie?” You ask, “It shouldn’t be long coming out of the oven.” 

“If it’s anythin’ like the last one then I don’t think I can say no,” He smirks, “Let me finish up here and I’ll come in.” 

“Oh no, stay out here, we need to make sure your handiwork is sturdy enough.” You give him a little wink just to play with him, before wondering whether that was too much. He doesn’t suggest it was, just beams his lovely smile at you. 

You turn on your heel and head back into the kitchen. You kneel in front of the oven, and you can see through the door that the fruit is bubbling through the lattice top and the pastry itself is looking lovely and golden. 

“Hey, Ellie, you wanna take your pie out of the oven?” You ask, she’s folding the corner of the page she’s reading and is by your side in record time. 

You hand her the oven gloves, another souvenir from whoever lived here before, it’s white, or would have been before they’d been used to death and had a pretty floral pattern on it. Not what you’d have chosen if you’d been filling your new home, but you always tried to remind yourself that beggars couldn’t be choosers in this world. 

“Careful when you open the door, it’ll be really hot.” Ellie shoots you a playful look that tells you she isn’t that dumb. 

She pulls open the door and steps back to let the steam flow out before she’s wrapping the oven gloves around the pie and putting on the stove top to cool, “As the expert,” You speak, “I have to say that looks and smells fantastic.” 

You peer out of the window; Joel is just shutting his toolbox and you watch him takes his hands a brush the tabletop of any dust and debris left over from him building it. He then takes the chairs he’d made and sets them around the table. You turn your head when he starts moving to come inside. 

“Kiddo, that looks great,” He praises Ellie, looking over her shoulder at her creation, “Let me wash my hands and we can dig in.” 

You busy yourself with grabbing some plates and forks, handing them to Ellie to take outside, whilst you take the oven gloves and take the pie outside, setting it down on the table. You stand back and look at what Joel’s made. In the old world, this would have cost you a pretty penny and you can’t help but realise how talented he is. There’s nothing to suggest that you hadn’t been down to the best furniture store and paid thousands of dollars for it. 

“I brought a knife.” Comes Joel’s voice from behind you, he’s brandishing your biggest kitchen knife and you think that in any other circumstance you’d be threatened by him, but there’s something about the goofy grin on his face that you know means that he would never hurt you. 

He gives the knife to Ellie and sits down in one of the chairs, you follow suit, taking time to warn her to be careful if she needs to touch the pie tin because it’s likely to still be hot. You catch Joel smiling at you and you know it’s because he’s her dad – whether by blood or not, you can tell that he cares deeply for her and he’s thankful, in some small way that you are too. 

Ellie cuts into the pie and struggles to get it out of the tin, the pastry below breaks and the fruit spills onto the plate that she only just manages to catch the slice on. 

“I’ll take that one,” You smile, holding out your hand for the plate, “Got to break it to eat it, right?” You echo your words from inside the kitchen earlier on. 

Once everyone has a slice on their plate and has left it to cool for long enough, you’re all digging in and you have to admit it’s just as good as the one you made yourself. 

“Maybe I should sign you up for kitchen duty,” Joel jokes as he spears another bite with his fork, “You can start earning your keep, kiddo.” 

Ellie looks disgusted at the very notion of being put to work and you all laugh together. It’s in this moment that you think to Mark. Would this have been your life if you’d been blessed with children? When you’d arrived in Jackson it had been a serious conversation. You were safe. People had been having children for months. They had a real midwife for God’s sake. The lack of children hadn’t been through lack of trying either. You remember lazy Sunday mornings wrapped up in bed together, hands raking over naked bodies, moans and praises spilled from mouths. You’d just never been blessed. You’d never talked about who might have been the problem, it didn’t matter anyway, if it couldn’t be with Mark then it wasn’t meant to be. 

And perhaps now you’re thankful. If Mark had still died, there would have been someone else to care for during your grief. A constant reminder, in the flesh, of who he was, who he’d been. You hated to think of not being able to look at your own child because they reminded you too much of your dead husband. No. Better to be alone in your grief than add that kind of complication. 

Once the slices were finished on everyone’s plate and you’d packaged two extra slices for Joel and Ellie to take home, you’re standing on your porch. Ellie is already making her way down the street, but Joel is hanging back. 

“I really don’t know how to say thank you,” You admit, “You’ve been a real lifeline since you came here so just… thank you.” 

He smiles at you, secretly wishing he could reach his hands out to touch you. He can’t remember the last time he genuinely wanted to touch someone like he wanted to touch you. He didn’t even think he had that with Tess. Sure, she’d been a comfort and he cared for her, but it had never been love. Just a means to an end, a way to ease each other’s pain for a moment. Then he caught himself. This wasn’t love either. Sure, you’d spent time together and all he really wanted to in any moment he saw you was kiss away the furrow of your brow, but he couldn’t love you. Not yet. 

“I just like helpin’ out,” He offers, quickly looking down the street to find Ellie talking to someone from school, “I like knowing it makes things easier for you, that’s all the thanks I need.” 

“Well, consider Ellie and you guests of honor when I can finally host that dinner on your handiwork.” 

He winks at you, and you think you can feel a slight flush across your cheeks, but you think if it is appearing across your skin, you can pass it off as the hear, “Consider it done, sweet pea, I’ll see you around.” 

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#Joel Miller #Joel Miller smut #Joel Miller fic #Joel Miller fanfic #Joel Miller fanfiction #The Last Of Us #The Last Of us HBO #TLOU #TLOU hbo #tlou fic #pedro pascal #joel miller x reader #Joel Miller x you #Joel Miller x female reader #Joel Miller fluff #joel miller angst #joel miller x f!reader #tlou smut #tlou fanfiction #Joel Miller Pedro Pascal #GOY

[ashes-writing]

burnin for you | stranger things ; g.emerson

A/N ; So this little shit hijacked my brain around lunch today and I've been writing like a woman possessed since the idea presented itself. I know, I knowwww.. let's just ignore the million other x reader wips I have, alrighty? Like... Idk how popular Gareth Emerson is as a character but lowkey, I thought he was pretty bitchin. So.. here I go again, I guess.

What I'm posting is all I got.. for now. LMK if you wanna see more of this -or any of my x reader things, tbh. Feedback really does help. Some of y'all giving feedback are the very things that have actually inspired me to carry on with certain fics, jsyk. I love you all for it too.

[ writer firmly believes that Gareth Emerson enjoys bands like Blue Oyster Cult, hence the name of this one. ]

Pairing ; Gareth Emerson x Sweet!Girly!Fem reader

Timeline / Other Stuff to Note ; Set during season 4 but free from the Upside Down and all of it's assorted fuckery and nasties. Nobody dies, all we get are high school shenanigans and some pining slash angsttt... and hopefully some real cute filth at some point. So if you like that, stick around yeah?

Tag List ; @musichealsscars @aries-arcade @allelitesmut @hcloangcls are the only people on my Stranger Things taglist.. if you'd like to be added to my taglists for anything including Stranger Things, please let me know or add yourself -> here.

Warnings ; Jocks being assholes, reader may be cute+smol+sweet but she's got a very dry wit + razor sharp tongue, hints of reader having a lonely absentee parent homelife / rich girl probs, awkward fluffy flirting, mutual crushes. Eddie Munson being a covert lowkey matchmaking shit for his bestie cos I felt like it.

Other Stuff ; tag list doc || my rules - fandoms and some characters I write for || requests are open -> send me things. Headcanons or fluff/filth alphabet letters only. No wrestlers, please and thanks.

I do not consent to my work being reposted elsewhere or copied/reworked/rewritten and reposted here or elsewhere. You don't own this, I do. So like... don't steal my shit.

Gareth Emerson is on the verge of dozing off at his desk until the classroom door opens and you make your way inside quietly. You pause by the teachers desk and hold out a piece of paper and the teacher looks out at the classroom to address them. 

“We have a new student today.” the teacher nods to you and your only response is to fidget with the sleeve ends of the pale pink cardigan you’re wearing while shuffling your feet. Gareth’s eyes fix on you and he swallows hard, drums the pencil in his hand against his desk. The teacher finally seems to realize that you’re dead set against introducing yourself to the class so with a roll of her eyes, she nods in the direction of the vacant desk right across the aisle from the one Gareth sat in.

You make your way down the aisle and sit down, digging around beneath the desk to try and find a textbook. The teacher notices and gets Gareth’s attention. “Mr. Emerson, be a dear and share your textbook with ____ until I can slip down and pick up one to go in her desk?”

Gareth glances across the aisle at you just as you look up and lock eyes with him. For a second or two, you’re just staring at him with your head tilted. Gareth gets up and moves his desk closer, putting the book between the two of you.

The scent of cotton candy hits his nose and at first, he thinks somebody’s eating the stuff in class. But then you lean into him slightly to get a better view of the page in front of him and it’s in his nose and he realizes that the scent is coming off of you and it’s your hair.

You can feel the boy with bright blue eyes staring at you. When you finish reading the page in front of him and move on to the page in front of you, you glance up for just a second or two and you flash him a cute little smile as you suck in a bubble with the pink gum you’ve been chewing for the duration of class.

Gareth manages a smile in return and goes back to reading. When your hair softly grazes his arm, he feels like someone’s dragging a live wire across his skin and he tries not to tense up but he can’t help it, it’s not like girls -especially the really pretty ones like you, are going out of their way to touch him or smile at him and he doesn’t really… know how to handle it.

You gaze up at him with your brows knit together, twisting a strand of hair around your finger. “Sorry, uh..” you mumble, your words trail off softly before you’ve even finished the sentence. 

By now, he’s starting to realize that you’re just this shy little thing, all soft and pink and sweet like candy. Or this is the image he’s building of you in his own mind at the moment, either way.. One of you has to make things less awkward and for some reason, he doesn’t think two,three and four times about him being the one to do it this time.

He tears a strip of paper out of his notebook while nobody’s paying attention and picks up his favorite pen.

Hey. What’s your name?

He slips the paper over to you using the thick textbook as a cover. At first he doesn’t think you’ve seen him do it, but then, just as he goes to pull his hand back, you place your hand on what you think is the slip of paper, only to discover it’s his fingertips. You glance down at your hand on top of his fingers and you slowly pull your hand with the note in it closer to yourself.

You pick up your favorite pink pen and start to write back.

It’s ___. But I hate it, so you can call me literally anything else. What classes do you have? I can show you my schedule, if you want me to??

You slip the note back towards Gareth and he’s staring at the words on the page. When he feels the softness of your fingertips against his hand, he lowers his hand on the slip of paper. You pout a little because he doesn’t really look up, but you shrug it off. You’re probably annoying him already.

You’re doodling in your notebook, delicate little flowers and suns, stars and hearts and you really don’t expect him to answer because you’ve come to the conclusion that you were annoying somehow, and so when you feel him sort of awkwardly nudge you and nod down, you’re surprised. You slip the strip of paper towards you and your eyes scan it.

I’ll come up with something then. Yeah, if you want to show me, you can. You smell like cotton candy.

The last part is scratched out, almost like he didn’t mean for it to be seen. You giggle softly and reach out to the textbook to turn the page before picking up your pen to respond.

Yay! When the bell rings I’ll give it to you. Uh… can I walk with you? I promise I won’t annoy you or anything… Thanks. It’s my perfume, I think? You smell nice too. ;) 

You slip the paper back towards Gareth and quickly turn your attention back to the book in front of the two of you. As your eyes scan the page, you twirl hair around your fingertip and you can feel him when he stares at you. You glance over at him and you give him that cute little grin.

He wants to kick himself because the grin is yet another thing about you that he has the feeling will be what dooms him.

He nearly chokes on air when he reads the last part of the little note and before he can stop himself, his face is on fire. The more rational side of his brain keeps trying to tell him that the popular kids are gonna find a way to coax you over to their side so there’s no sense in getting all caught up in you, but no matter how hard he tries to keep that in mind, there’s this small part of him that knows it’s already way too late.

He’s thrown for a loop by you promising not to annoy him or anything and it actually makes him look up from the little strip of paper and stare at you as you doodle in your notebook and twist hair around your finger.

The bell finally rings and you gather your things. You’re pretty sure he’s not going to want to lead you around all damn day, so you start to walk out of the classroom. He catches up to you just as you reach the classroom door and taps your shoulder. 

Before you can stop it from happening, you can feel your face and body getting a little hot when you turn to look up and find him standing there, staring down at you with his brows knit.

“Sorry, I..” you stammer. He chuckles quietly. “It’s okay. You were gonna show me your schedule..?”

You dig around in your notebook as you two step into the hallway and you hold it out to him after you’ve found it. Gareth takes it and scans the classes you’re taking and as luck would have it, you have every one of his classes but one.

“We have everything together until our last one. I have shop. You have Home Ec, I think?” Gareth takes the paper back and nods. “Yeah, Home Ec.”

You giggle quietly. 

“C’mon. I don’t mind walking with you.” he knows it’s probably stupid as hell and in a few days, after you’ve been at Hawkins High long enough to learn the social system, you probably won’t even look at him in the hallway anymore, but he also feels this overwhelming urge to be around. To be protective. To just be near you.

They say this shit doesn’t happen at first sight. And maybe it doesn’t.

But Gareth would be lying if he didn’t own up to the fact that he feels… Something.

— ( lunchroom, same day )

“Okay, so where do you usually sit?” your eyes scan the crowded cafeteria and you somehow instinctively shift so that you’re standing closer to Gareth. You pull your eyes off of the room itself to tilt your head to the side slightly and look up at him. He nods to a table full of guys of varying ages who all happen to be wearing the same tee shirt that he’s wearing underneath his flannel vest.

“Over there.”

At the table, Dustin nudges Eddie. “Who’s she?”

“I have no idea. She’s cute though. Definitely not the kind of girl you picture with him, but cute.” Eddie muses thoughtfully as he takes a bite of his apple.

Jeff is gaping. Wiggling his brows and just being a teasing shithead as you and his best friend make your way over to the table. He notices how you seem to squish yourself into Gareth’s side just a little when you pass the noisy assholes on the basketball team sitting at the jocks table when one of them calls out.

“Hey! Sweetheart you are worlds better than that freak. C’mon, come sit with us. Let me show you around Hawkins High.”

Gareth stops in his tracks and so do you. You point to yourself. For at least fifteen seconds or so, Gareth is convinced that this is it, it has to be. That you’ll figure out you don’t belong with him or his friends and you’ll go to the better table.

But your response surprises him.

A lot, actually. Because you haven’t really acted like you possess any certain fire or sass until your mouth opens to respond to Mason Allen.

“I’d really rather not..” you bite your lip, gazing at the jock. “Don’t all of you like… carry unidentified airborne STD’s usually? Yeah, no thanks. I’d really rather not.” and you start to walk away. Gareth is still frozen in place and as soon as you realize it, you walk back over and gently grab his wrist. “C’mon. Don’t let those Stepford assholes get in your head.” you say it loud and with a smirk in the general direction of the popular table.

Still in shock, Gareth lets you lead him to the table he’s told you he usually sits at.

“Okay, where the hell did he find her? Asking for personal reasons…” Jeff mutters, making Eddie chuckle quietly beside him as he leans in to whisper, “I was thinking the same thing, man.”

“Guys, this is ___.”

Eyes fix on you and you bite your lip, giving a soft little smile and wave. “Hi?”

“What’d that jackass Mason say to you?”

“ Oh yeah… He called you guys freaks. He was trying to get me to sit with him I think? I unno.” you shrug and go quiet again, eating your lunch. 

“And you didn’t. Interesting.” Eddie muses, mostly to himself. Giving Gareth a smirk that has Gareth giving him a dirty look. And before he can stop himself, he’s sitting just a little closer to you. He knows that look and he knows that nine out of ten, his best friend is being a shithead, but he’s also still not willing to risk even losing you as a friend.

Because a friend is better than nothing at all.

You happen to overhear Eddie and you glance up, taking a bite of your chocolate pudding. “Yeah. I didn’t. I hate jocks.”

What you don’t explain is that at your old school, you were popular. But then a boy you thought cared about you went around spreading rumors about you and after that, nobody wanted anything to do with you.

So yeah, you’re not falling into that trap anytime soon.

Besides, there’s just something about Gareth. You feel just a little less ill at ease in your current situation with him around, even if you’re scared to death that he’s going to wind up being annoyed by you. Or sooner or later, being around you will be such a pain in the ass for him too that he won’t want to anymore.

After all, your own parents can’t be bothered to stick around very long. No sooner did they have the furniture unpacked and in place and everything settled in than they were leaving again. Another business trip, so they said.

This is the first time in days since your arrival in Hawkins that you’ve felt even a little secure at all. So maybe it’s needy, maybe it’s clingy as hell, but you just don’t want to lose the feeling. If being around Gareth Emerson is comforting for you, then that’s exactly what you’ll do. At least as much as you can get away with.

“You. I like you.” Jeff grins as he chuckles. “Since Gare is gonna be a bag of dicks and not introduce us to you, I’m Jeff.”

The boy with curly hair and a baseball cap speaks up next with a bright grin. “Dustin. Where’d you move here from?”

“Vegas.” you answer quietly, raising the straw in your milk carton to your lips as you take a noisy sip. 

“That’s cool.” Dustin smiles at you, hoping that maybe it’ll ease you a little. He can just kind of tell you’re wary of everyone right now and he wants to make you see that you don’t have a reason to be.

The boy with black hair goes next. A cocky sort of little smirk that kind of makes you think he’s probably all mouth. You discover this is true when he introduces himself. “Mike Wheeler. You know Gareth’s an idiot, right?”

You snort in laughter and shrug. “Yeah, I’ll uh… Keep that in mind, kid.” you reply, smiling at him.

The boy sitting next to him chuckles. “Ignore Mike, he’s an idiot. I’m Lucas. Probably the only nice jock you’re gonna meet here.” and you smile a little. “I think your mom asked me to babysit one of your little sisters this weekend, actually.” you nod, remembering seeing him in the store with his mother when she’d stopped you because you were posting an ad on a bulletin board nearby.

“Hey, yeah! I remember seein you now! Cool. My sister Erica’s gonna be a pain in your ass though. Just gonna tell you that now. Kids always annoying the hell out of me.”

“Dude, Erica’s not that bad. At least you have a sister. It’s just me, my ma and the new cat.” Dustin laments. You laugh softly. “I’m an only child too.”

The boy with long hair, tattoos and  fingers full of rings with almost black brown eyes is the next one to introduce himself. And he’s giving you this little smirk. You return the smirk. “And you are?” you question quietly.

“Eddie Munson.”

Gareth tenses up just a little at your side and you glance over at him while he’s not looking.

You can feel tension between the two but you don’t say anything about it. What you do instead is shift just a little closer to Gareth.

“Hey, Gareth is in the band with me, Grant and Jeff.. You should come hang while we practice.” Eddie is grinning. He’s at least seventy five percent sure that Gareth thinks he’s trying to flirt with you but that’s actually not what he’s doing.

He’s inviting you because he knows his friend too well. And he knows that grumpy dumb fuck won’t invite you himself. Or make any sort of first move. So he’s assuming that maybe if he hits on you just a little, it’ll do what it just did and make you kind of draw closer to Gare instead.

When he sees your reaction to his lingering gaze, he pumps his fist in victory under the table because he called it nail on the head. You immediately smushed yourself into Gareth just a little more. Not enough to really be noticed by anyone else, but Eddie gets one glance at Gareth’s flushed face and he knows damn well that Gareth has noticed it at least.

You mull over the question Eddie’s asked you as you drink your chocolate milk.

Gareth speaks up quietly. “We uh… practice in Jeff’s garage or Grant’s basement. Today it’s Jeff’s garage… If you wanted to come.. I mean you don’t.. Like you don’t have to.” he’s stammering and holy shit he’s making a mess of it because he really wants you there, but he doesn’t want Eddie to keep subtly hitting on you.

He’s gotta do something and he’s gotta do it fast.

#gareth emerson #gareth the great #gareth emerson imagine #gareth emerson fanfiction #gareth emerson fanfic #gareth emerson x reader #gareth emerson x reader fanfiction #gareth emerson x reader imagine #gareth emerson x fem!reader imagine #gareth emerson x fem reader #gareth emerson x fem!reader fanfiction

[againstacecilia]

“I’m in love with you. What do you think about that?”

Hello loves! I've been in a Din rhythm the last few weeks for Blurb Tuesday and the new series, so let's shift gears back to Poe! Softer, fluffier piece since people seem to really like that (and I like writing it so it's a win-win). 🥰 I found the inspiration from a writing prompt but I lost the post before I could reblog it, so credit to the original brain this idea came from!

Warnings: nothing really, mentions canon-typical violence and death but mostly fluff and two idiots in love. Un-beta'd, as Blurb Tuesday usually is lol. Reader has no description.

As always, asks are open for requests! 💖 Love y'all SO MUCH! 💖

The base was finally calming down after the most recent, albeit small, victory, hard-won by the Rebels. Small pockets of people mourned the losses sustained, while others quietly celebrated reuniting with loved ones. Sometimes- most times- those groups overlapped, the tears in their eyes from both joy and pain as they hugged those who managed to return. The moment your X-Wings landed, you and Poe jumped out of your respective ships and immediately found each other. No words were exchanged as his arms found their way around you; you just wrapped your own arms over his shoulders and buried your face in his neck. A slight tremor ran through his body for the heartbeats you held one another. 

Later, in a muted mess hall at your own table, you and Poe sit alone and poke at food neither one of you will actually finish. You sit side by side, knees touching under the table, and you lay your head on his shoulder. 

“It’s so quiet,” you whisper, pulling your lip between your teeth nervously. 

His hand comes to rest on your knee, “I know.”

“How is it that after all this time, after all these missions, I still get so scared out there?”

“It never gets easier.” He squeezes your knee and gently kisses the crown of your head. “But it shouldn’t. No one should get so used to war that it stops being scary. It’s okay to be scared as long as you keep doing what scares you.”

You nod but stay quiet, finally putting your fork down and dropping your hands to your lap. For another moment you’re both quiet, just existing with each other, before Poe speaks again.

“Hey. Look at me.” His voice is heartbreakingly gentle, so much so that you lift your face to his. Soft, dark, eyes roam over your face, eyebrows furrowed seriously, mouth set in a determined line. 

“Yes?”

There’s a pause as he continues searching your face, looking for something you can’t see in the reflection of his eyes. Finally, as if finding what he was looking for, he gathers his courage and says, “I’m in love with you. What do you think about that?”

Shock writes its way across your face. At the same time, something warm and light fills your chest, making its way through every corner of your body. The corners of your lips lift, “I think… I’m in love with you, too, Poe.”

A smile mirroring yours lights his face. He closes the small space between you immediately, lips fitting over yours like the final piece of a puzzle you’d been building since meeting him all those years ago. You kiss him fully, deeply, the already quiet room dissolving around you until it’s just you and Poe. Nothing else matters than the feeling of his lips on yours and the way his hand cups your jaw, pulling you closer than you thought possible. 

When you finally part, gasping for air, your eyes meet his. Where moments ago there was pain, love and joy light his chocolate eyes; the smile on his face reaching all the way up to crinkle those little laugh lines around his eyes you love so much. His hand remains on your face, thumb wiping away the small tear that leaks from one eye. 

“I couldn’t go another day without telling you.” 

“I’m glad you didn’t.” You close your eyes and lean into his touch. Opening them again, you ask with a smile, “What took you so long?”

He laughs, putting his arms around you and bringing you into his embrace, “I was scared.”

The admission breaks your heart. With a squeeze around his torso, you say, “We can be scared together, now.”

“No one I’d rather be scared with.”

If you're interested in being notified when I post, join my tag list here. 💖

#poe dameron #star wars #poe dameron fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #poe dameron fan fiction #star wars fan fiction #poe dameron fanfic #star wars fanfic #poe dameron fan fic #star wars fan fic #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x you #no more wasted time #ceci writes #writing #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfiction #blurb tuesday #poe dameron x gn!reader #poe dameron x gender neutral reader

[sophierequests]

i'll make myself at home // academic affairs part three

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Requests

Pairing: Jesper Fahey x gn!Reader

A/N: Guess who's back! My exams are finally over and now I have a bit more time to write. I also had this part sitting in my drafts for so long, but it still felt too unfinished to post. This post is mainly filler and relationship-building, but it's fluffy, so I hope y'all will still like it <3

This is part three of an ongoing miniseries! Find the miniseries masterlist here!

Summary: Meeting a university friend, domestic flirting and awkward flirting may lead to a flustered sharpshooter.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 4.8K

Warnings: Awkward conversations, one or three curses, poor proofreading

Jesper cursed himself for not having paid attention to the exact path when he stumbled upon your institute all these weeks ago. One couldn't really blame him though. The first time he found himself in front of the opulent building was after he had just managed to outrun a horde of wild Dime Lions, well, sort of.  And the second time, which was actually just the walk back on the same day, he had been too lost in the memories of your brief, but painfully intoxicating, interaction to concentrate on the route he took. So maybe one could say that it was kind of his fault.

All the buildings around him looked the same, and if he was being completely honest, so did the alleys leading up to them. He could have sworn that he was starting to walk in circles. 

With a sigh, he leaned against one of the neatly taken care of birch trees that surrounded the little artificial lawn in the middle of the campus square. It looked a little bit out of place for a university as prestigious and strict as the University of Ketterdam, but apparently, the students weren’t as stuck up as he believed. A few groups sat scattered all over the lawn, studying, eating, or simply engaging in casual conversations. Jesper wondered how his life would look like now if he hadn't decided to abandon his studies as thoughtlessly as he had. Perhaps he would have met you sooner, and perhaps the two of you would be one of the dreamy couples lounging on the grass without a care in the world. 

This was terrible. Everything about this was terrible. You and he were worlds apart. He was a criminal, dangerous, deadly, and always on the run. And you? You were smart and talented, and so much more than he could possibly bargain for. You would never even do as much as entertain the thought of being with someone like him. 

Right when he had intended to continue his pretty hopeless quest of looking for you, a conversation a few meters away from him caught his attention. 

"I can't believe that he asked you to be his date for the anniversary ball and all you could do was gape at him like a fish! Every other sane person wouldn't even have hesitated to agree," a female voice chartered in an eager tone, gradually coming closer to where Jesper was standing.

"I suppose I'm not sane then," another voice replied, one he recognised. 

Startled, Jesper whipped his head around to look at where the discussion was coming from. And lo on behold, there you were, walking next to a person that he assumed to be a friend of yours. Even though you looked quite a bit tired, the heavy-looking stack of books in your arms only emphasising that, he still thought that you were as pretty as ever. It was hard to keep himself from eagerly calling out for you, but he thankfully managed to contain his excitement. 

Your friend scoffed and rolled her eyes. She was visibly peeved by your vague response. "Ugh, come on!" she groaned, bouncing on the soles of her feet like an erratic grasshopper. "He's nice, lovely even, and he showed genuine interest in going out with you. The fact that you told him that you 'had to think about it' is absolutely atrocious. Why don't you just give him a chance? It can't possibly go wrong."

Jesper bit the inside of his cheek, disappointed. Someone had asked you out. He should have probably seen that coming. You'd eventually find someone just like you, and maybe he'd eventually find someone just like him. Getting his hopes up that you two could actually be something more was foolish. 

"I just don't know, Mila. Maybe I'll say yes. But I really have to think about it first. We’re friends, and I don’t want to make things awkward."

"Saints, it's almost embarrassing to watch you be scared of simple human intimacy." Your friend elbowed you in the side, nearly making you drop your books. 

"It's equally as embarrassing to watch you jest about my love life while you and Elia have been in the talking stage for the last two semesters," you retorted, turning your head to the side and away from Jesper's view. 

"Wait." Mila stopped dead in her tracks, yanking your arm back so that you were facing her. "You're not already taking that mysterious stranger you refuse to tell me anything about, are you?" 

Mysterious stranger? Was she talking about him? Or was saving misfits like him a regular pastime of yours? It was safe to say that this statement surely caught his attention.

“I had hoped that you would have dropped this topic by now…”

“You randomly show up with a jacket that is a hundred per cent not yours, then you keep taking it with you for a solid three weeks, and now you want me to drop it?” She let out an incredulous snort at the mere suggestion of letting the story go. “I’m not letting this go until you tell me who this guy is.”

The sharpshooter felt his cheeks flush red, you were definitely talking about him. He wanted to listen to what you were saying for just a bit longer. He wanted to hear what you had to say about him. Would you call him a friend? Would you tell her how you met? Or would you care to mention him at all? It killed him that he had no answer to any of these questions.

But no amount of want could smother the acute awareness of the position he was currently in. He was half-heartedly hiding behind a tree while listening in on a conversation he had absolutely no business listening to. It definitely wasn’t a welcoming picture.

Pushing himself away from the tree, he stood up straighter. He couldn’t think of any other option but to bite the bullet and make himself known. He wiped away some of the dirt and moss that had gathered on his vest before cautiously sauntering towards you. You weren’t too far away from him so he was careful to not take wide strides. His mind was running wild with possible conversation starters that wouldn’t make him look like a complete creep, however, everything he came up with was quickly thrown onto a mental pyre.

Just act casual, he repeated silently. Talk to them like you would to anyone else. Maybe with a little less flirting. Or maybe with a little more flirting? All of this was easier when his heart wasn’t actively threatening to jump out of his ribcage.

The distance between you couldn’t have been more than two meters now, and the closer he got, the weaker his knees seemed to get. Your face was turned slightly to the side, so he didn’t think that you would have seen him coming. He dreaded having to be the first one to speak up, his usually careless and flirty demeanour went down the drain as soon as he had seen you.

In some strike of otherworldly luck, or maybe even pity, your eyes met his before he could even open his mouth. He wasn’t sure why you decided to look up from your friend at exactly that moment, but he was certain that he stopped breathing for a solid minute. Your eyes widened when your brain began to register who he was. A beaming smile appeared on your face and before you could stop yourself, you shook off your friend’s arm, handing her your stack of books and passed over towards him.

“Jesper!” you grinned, closing the distance between you and wrapping your arms around his middle. It was unexpected, especially after your stiff reaction to his surprise hug at the club, but it most definitely wasn’t unwelcome. He didn’t wait long to reciprocate the gesture, pulling you impossibly close as if he feared that you might disappear into thin air as soon as he would let go. You smelled exactly like his jacket did after you had given it back to him. Saints, he couldn’t get enough of it.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Jesper replied after begrudgingly letting you pull away. His gaze flickered over to your friend briefly, her mouth agape and her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as some form of realisation flashed over her features.

“I didn’t expect you today. I actually just came back from the library” you began, staring up at him almost giddily. “You weren’t at the institute, were you? I hope you didn’t have to wait too long for me to show up, that would be a bit embarrassing in all honesty.”

You continued rambling for a bit longer but he didn’t have the heart to tell you that he hadn’t even managed to find it in the first place. Mila, who never ceased to stare at his jacket and then back at you, quickly strutted over to you, your books still in her arms. 

“So you’re the mysterious jacket guy!” she smirked, wriggling her brows at you before stretching out a hand towards him. “I’m Mila, a pleasure to finally meet you. I thought I’d never get to know who this…” she pointed at his jacket, “this fashion statement belongs to.”

He took her hand, shaking it firmly. Her gaze was inquisitive and he felt oddly scrutinised. “Jesper, the pleasure is all mine,” he replied, trying his best to sound like he belonged. “I’m glad you liked my jacket.”

“Oh trust me, she did,” you grumbled, biting away a snarky comment.

“Well, looks like my presence isn’t required anymore.” Mila shoved the stack of books back into your hands, mouthing something he couldn’t quite make out in your direction before hurrying off. “Have fun!”

Suddenly, it was just the two of you again.

He straightened out the sleeves of his shirt, desperate to regain at least some sort of control over his appearance. “I, uhm, don’t worry about not being at the department. I wasn’t here long.”

“Phew, that’s good to know.” A small chuckle escaped your mouth, not really a laugh, but enough to send his mind into a frenzy. “I must admit I’m a bit surprised to see you. I didn’t expect you to genuinely take me up on that offer.”

I didn’t expect you to offer it in the first place, his brain answered.

“Darling, I’m still deeply thankful for you keeping my ass from getting beaten by Dime Lions, there was no way I wouldn’t take you up on that offer.” He paused, seeing your face light up even brighter than it was before. “Your splendid company is only an added benefit.”

He didn’t actually mean to say the last bit out loud, but in some way, admitting it felt very right.

“And here I thought you’d only keep me around as a safety net for the next time you piss off someone and have to look for somewhere to hide, Mr Fahey.”

“To be honest, I don’t think that I would be able to find my way back to your funky little institute without help. So safe to say, the next time I’m stranded here will probably end on a less happy note.”

You bit your lower lip as you haggled for the right words to say. “I was just about to head back to my flat. It’s way easier to find than the department, so if you’re still in need of a hideout, you could always join me.”

He grinned, wide and dumb, like the foolish little boy he was. "You sure you're willing to put that upon yourself, sweetheart? I'm like a stray cat, you invite me inside once and I'll probably never leave." 

"Hm, that makes things a little bit more difficult, of course." This comment was meant to tease him, yet you were still a bit surprised when his brows shot up and his back spine straightened. Did he really take offence to this? “I don’t think my cat would appreciate any form of competition.”

Jesper let out a sharp snort, his shoulders falling when he understood that you had, in fact, nothing against him staying at your place. No, you were actively offering it. “You have a cat? And that fur monster didn’t manage to scratch up my jacket completely? I am impressed by that cat’s self-control.”

“Hey! Malachi is a very good boy!” you laughed, scrunching your nose and giving him an affronted glare. “And I always had your jacket hanging on the coat rack in my flat, he’s too lazy to jump that high. And too fat, but don’t tell him I said that.”

“I’ll make sure I’ll keep all my comments about Malachi’s weight to the absolute minimum.”

“Sooo, are you joining me or-”

“Yes,” he answered, a bit too quickly for his liking.

A smile tugged on the corner of your lips, warm and welcoming. Sometimes his humour felt like he was stalling, waiting for something that ought to happen at some point, but never ended up coming through. His restless nature had captured your interest from the first few words you had exchanged in the foyer of the institute, so you weren’t necessarily all that taken aback by the fact that it wasn’t only a trait he nurtured after almost being outrun by Dime Lions. Still, you’d probably need a bit to get used to his evasive nature.

During the walk to your flat, the two of you only exchanged a few words. He told you about the job that had cut your previous conversation short, and you told him about all the extensive readings you had done in the last few weeks, of which he only understood a few keywords.

You lived a bit further away from the main university building than he had initially expected. He could hear the noises of ships swaying in the vicinity of First Harbour and the shouts of sailors working at the docks. Thankfully, you were still far enough away from First Harbour to get a whiff of the godawful smell that penetrated everyone’s nostrils whenever one got close to it. 

It was a modest apartment building, he reckoned. He assumed that it could hold about four flats, one on every floor. The outside was painted a bright yellow. An eyesore really, but so was every building the university rented out to students for a few hundred kruge. The staircase inside was similar to the one they had at the Slat; a long-winded creaky monstrosity with a few planks of rotting wood serving as a railing. 

You led him up three flights of stairs, stopping in front of a pretty wooden door with a holiday wreath still hanging on it. He took a mental note to ask you about that later. When he stepped inside your flat, one word sprung to his mind: homey. Everything felt terribly homey. The pretty light brown wallpaper, the bookshelves occupying nearly every wall and corner, and the thousands of plants that were standing - or hanging - everywhere he looked. 

Lazily, you threw off your coat, hanging it on the rack next to the door. Jesper carefully mirrored your actions, hanging his leather jacket next to your perfectly pristine black overcoat - the Barrel and Ketterdam University meeting. He turned around to make a sly comment about this observation, but you weren’t in the hallway anymore. Your shoes were still there, flawlessly returned to the shoe stand in the corner, but you were off in some other room, leaving him alone and almost a bit intimidated. Not intimidated because he was afraid, he wasn’t afraid, it was more the sense of uncertainty that intimidated him. 

“The living room is at the end of the corridor to the left! Feel free to make yourself at home, I’ll join you in a minute.” your voice rang from what he assumed to be the kitchen, the rhythmic running of water and the clattering of cutlery confirmed this theory. “Do you want tea or coffee?”

“I’ll take whatever you’re having,” he replied, tossing off his shoes and roughly aligning them with yours. 

“Tea it is then!”

Sock-footed, he tiptoed down the hallway, jumping at every floorboard that dared to make a sound. The kitchen was directly across the living room, so he threw a quick glance inside, smiling to himself when he saw you debating what mug you wanted to pick out for him. He secretly hoped that you would give him the kind of gaudy bright green one that stood right at the front of the cupboard. Not because he particularly liked it, he actually thought it was quite dreadful, but it looked like you seemed to use it quite a lot. And for some reason, he liked that thought. 

Your living room looked exactly how he had imagined it. An old well-loved couch in the middle of the room, a padded armchair sitting on the other side, stacks of books and papers anywhere his eyes landed and, of course, another load of plants. He sauntered to the couch, politely wiping the dust off his pants before sitting down. The couch was comfortable, ugly but comfortable. Some of the springs groaned underneath him when he tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but that didn’t faze him too much. 

What did faze him was the hunk of black mass that had just disappeared behind the armchair next to him. Maybe it was just a trick of his imagination, maybe he was too tired for all of this. But no, there was definitely something lingeri-

“Do you need sugar for your tea? I usually don’t need it, but just in case you do, I have a tray of rock candy on here.” You walked into the room, a fully-loaded tray of mugs and other clutter in your hands. 

You placed the bright green mug in front of him, pushing a deep, giddy grin onto his lips. You had to have read his mind. 

“Jesper? Everything alright?”

His head snapped away from the mug and back to you. “Hm? Oh, yes! It’s just- the mug. I like it.”

“You do? I actually think it’s quite ugly. It was a joke gift from my father on my eighteenth birthday and it is probably one of the most hideous things I own. Somehow I have still grown to love it though.” He picked up the mug, cupping it with both of his hands and feeling the comforting warmth of the warmed-up ceramic flow through him. “And it does remind me a bit of you.”

Saints, he did not expect that. “Of me?” He chose to ignore the fact that you had previously called it ‘quite ugly’ and  ‘one of the most hideous things you owned’, only hanging onto your last sentence. “Is it because you also have grown to love me?” He was testing the waters.

The fact that you rolled your eyes altered all the bells inside his head that he had tested the waters a bit too much. “Not quite. My reason was actually that it’s equally as tacky as you,” you replied, very obviously joking.

He clutched his heart dramatically, falling back into his seat as if he had just been shot. His acting skills could probably put every single one of the actors at the Ketterdam Theatre to shame. “You wound me, love. How shall I ever recover from this kind of betrayal?” 

You flicked a tea towel at him, not hard enough that it hurt, but definitely unexpected enough to get him to let out a whiny yelp. Sitting down next to him, you picked up your own mug and stirred a bit of milk into it. 

He was about to open his mouth, either to give you an off-handed comment about your tea-drinking habits or to test the waves of your relationship a bit further, however, before he could do as much as open his mouth, a heavy mass of thick black fur jumped onto his legs. Embarrassingly, he shrieked pretty loudly, throwing his hands up into the air in shock.

“Oh, there you are, Malachi!” you giggled, visibly finding some sort of amusement in the situation. “Come here, baby. Leave our guest alone, I don’t think he’d appreciate you shedding all over him.”

Of course, the cat. He totally forgot about that.

“Baby?” Jesper snorted, taking in the very full-bodied cat that was currently trying to get comfortable in his lap. “That is a fully grown man! Do you make him pay rent or does he live here rent-free?”

The fluffy black tabby rubbed his head on Jesper’s waistcoat eagerly, soundlessly begging him to pay attention to it. You moved forward to take it from his lap, but Jesper was already fallen victim to the cat’s charm, gently petting its back and scratching it behind the ears. 

“Won’t you look at that! He likes you.”

“I assume he got that from you,” Jesper smirked, grinning even wider when he saw the blush on your cheeks. 

“Tacky,” you mumbled light-heartedly, without any malice.

A small conversation began to flicker between the two of you. It ranged from talks about the Dregs to heated conversations about the furniture in your flat. You told him about your life before you went to university; your parents, your friends, your country. You told him that your father had been hesitant to let you go, leaving home and everything you knew was a big challenge after all, but he eventually came to terms with the fact that he couldn’t hold you back from living out your full potential. He was uncomfortably reminded of his father, who mainly wanted him to go to university because he intended on keeping him away from the Grisha training in Ravka. He didn’t blame Colm for all of this, of course, he didn’t, but the ever-present question of what could have been didn’t want to leave his head.

At one point he must have made a joke, a pretty terrible one judging by the way he cringed afterwards, but suddenly you were laughing again. A bright and hearty laugh, almost like the sound of a bell. He loved it. And he loved what you said next even more.

“Saints, Jes, that is such a terrible thing to say, I shouldn’t even be laughing at this,” you giggled, putting a hand over your mouth to stifle the laugh that shook your chest.

“Jes?” he asked, a stupid smirk on his lips. This was the first time you had called him something over than his full name. It made him feel giddy for some reason.

You froze, noticing your slip-up immediately. “Did I just say that? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed-”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Jesper argued quickly. “All my other friends call me that too, so you’re good.” He tried to play off his excitement as well as he could but at this point, he didn’t seem to have any control over the corners of his lips tugging upwards whenever you gave him the tiniest amount of attention.

“Oh.” You bit your lower lip in thought. “Jes it is then.”

And Jes it was. He had the feeling that you’d never call him anything else now. But of course he wouldn’t mind. How could he when his name sounded so sweet coming from you?

He could have revelled in this kind of conversation and playful exchange forever had he been given the chance. And had there not been the nagging voice in the back of his head that constantly pulled him back to the conversation you had with your friend only a few hours earlier, he probably would have done just that. The thought of you going out with someone that wasn’t him made his brain go into panic mode. He knew that he didn’t have the right to feel jealous about it, yet he couldn’t bear the uncertainty.

“Soooo,” he dragged out the vowel until you were focused back on him again. “I overheard you and your friend talking about some boy that asked you out, should I be scared about having to share your undivided attention in the near future?”

You threatened to choke on your drink when you heard that. He seemed to have picked up on way more of the conversation than you had thought. “I- uhm, no, it’s not like that,” you stammered, barely able to catch your breath. Jesper didn’t remember the last time he had seen you this flustered.

“Y/N, you don’t have to tell me about this. I’m just joking,” he assured you, his hand itching to touch you.

“It’s nothing bad, really. You just caught me a bit off guard with that question.” You chewed on your lower lip rather awkwardly. “There’s this anniversary gala at the end of the semester and a guy from my friend group asked me to be his date. He’s nice and all that, but I just don’t really see myself going out with him - not in any way, shape or form for that matter. And I’m certain that one of my other friends has been on the brink of asking him out for the entire year now, so I really don’t want to take that chance away from him.”

A massive weight fell from Jesper’s shoulders. It did not sound like you’d take your friend up on that offer, so at least he did not have to worry about that. “A ball? That’s awfully prestigious. Even for you.”

“Trust me, it is. The invitations for all the different merchants and university officials have already been sent out, and I can just tell that it’s going to be one hell of a celebration. I bet that boss of yours would have a field day.”

“Celebrations aren’t really Kaz’s thing.”

“Well, that’s surprising. Looks like he and I do have something in common.”

He cocked his brow, his head dropping to lean on his hands. “I didn’t think you were such a grump when it comes to a good party.”

“I’m not a grump, I’m just not in the mood to listen to my friends bombarding me with questions on why I don’t have a date and stuff. They do that every year, even though most of them are just as single as I am. It’s still a real pain in the ass though.” 

“I’m sure I’m free on that day if you’re still looking for someone damnably handsome and incredibly charming to impress your friends,” Jesper quipped half-jokingly. He knew that it was terribly forward to even imply that he could be your date for a ball he quite literally had no idea about, but his mouth moved faster than the cogs in his mind.

You were visibly baffled by his offer - no matter whether it was meant as a joke or he was being completely serious. The thought of asking Jesper to be your date for the ball had crossed your mind before, more often than you would have liked to admit, but you would have never actually went through with it. That boundary had always felt too treacherous to cross.

“Would you?” 

He startled, his fidgeting stopping in an instant. “Would I what?” 

“I mean, uhm, if I would ask you to go with me would you say yes?” Your face was on fire by the end of your sentence and there was a voice inside your head telling you that this detrimental string of words just fucked up your entire friendship. “Strictly platonic, of course,” you added quickly.

“Is this you asking me?”

“Is this you saying yes?”

“How could I say no?” A mischievous glint flashed across his eyes, but you were too discomposed to notice. “I’d love to mingle with you and all your other overachieving university friends. If you’ll have me, of course.”

“I’d love to, Jes. And I’m sure you’ll get along with my other overachieving university friends just fine.” 

When it was finally time to return to the Slat, Jesper couldn’t stop smiling. You wanted him to be your date.

Date. The word sounded too good to be true. And he supposed it sort of was. You explicitly said that it was merely platonic, but his mind was filled with thoughts of spending a whole evening with you. He was in way too deep to turn around now.

The note you had given him before saying goodbye was still in his hands when he left the University District. You had quickly jotted down the place, date and time of the gala and handed it to him, your hands lingering on his just a bit too long for him to act normal about it. 

“There are two rules if you want to accompany me though: wear something nice,” you said after you had hugged him goodbye. “And don’t be late.”

That would surely be easy enough. Especially since he still had literal months to prepare for it.

Taglist:

Grishaverse fics in general: @yesshewrites1 @dal-light @pomagranteseeds @treasureofmy-heart

Jesper Fahey: @ell0ra-br3kk3r @writingmysanity @fall-writes

#jesper fahey x reader #grishaverse x reader #shadow and bone x reader #six of crows x reader #jesper fahey #grishaverse fanfic #grishaverse #netflix shadow and bone #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone

[kazutora-lover]

Title: Snippets Of Valhalla Arc

actor!TR cast x gn!reader

——————————————————————————————

Genre: actor!au, fluff, humor/comedy, platonic relationship with the cast

Summary: Being the regisseur of the 'bloody halloween' showdown, y/n has a lot of stories to tell. The cast likes to play around a lot and y/n fears they're not strict enough.

Warnings: cursing, mentions of (fake) blood, mentions of (fake) weapons, mentions of (fake) death —» if you didn't read/watch the halloween showdown and don't want to be spoiled, please don't proceed to read!

Notes: the cast members are actually in their 20's - they are made younger in this arc with the help of effects and editing.

Word count: ≈ 800

a/n: thought it would be nice to write something soothing for our souls lol. What do you mean this isn't how it really happened? Also, please keep in mind that these are only parts of the arc, I'm aware that there is way more to it ^^

——————————————————————————————

Actors.. you would think they take their task very seriously. Sigh, well, watch them prove you wrong.

The moment you set a foot onto the set, you knew something was bound to happen. Sometimes you wondered if they took their roles a little bit too close to heart. On a good day, half of the cast members would arrive on time, and on a bad day? You didn't want to elaborate.

Your cast arrived just a few hours after a disaster occurred, literally. "Can you guys at least pretend to be on time, please?"

"Sorry y/n, we had to help Ran with his hair, he accidentally switched his hair dye with Rindou's." one of your cast members had said. It was Takashi. To say that you were at a loss of words was an understatement, you were sure you temporarily lost your non-vulgar vocabulary. Though, you didn't want to show it.

"So what you're trying to say is, that you guys are 2 hours late because you helped Ran with his hair, even though he will only be seen for like two seconds?" Your facial expression was unreadable and it slightly scared the man who plays the role of the little brother of Ran Haitani.

Don't get him wrong, he didn't fear for his life or anything, he knew you would and could never be overly strict with them but he still didn't like the way your voice changed its tone when you scolded them. Why? Because their fictional selves carry the same names as they do privately. Ran Haitani and Rindou Haitani? They're brothers in the show as much as they are brothers in real life. So they couldn't really ignore the sensation of you using their government names.

"I know that I told you guys to stop taking your roles to heart and that you should separate acting and real life but Ran, for the love of god, please learn from your fictional self and take care of your hair.." Frustrated, you felt frustrated. Was it evident in your voice? You hoped it was because you needed to prove a point here.

This time another voice spoke up, "Y/n, if you give me permission to shave his head the next time, I'm sure we'll never be late again!" "Haru you fucker, don't make it sound like it's my fault y'all are late all the time."

Now, how were you supposed to stay serious with these idiots? "Enough! Just make sure to work on your time management and Haitani, you might want to borrow Rin's glasses next time. You know? To avoid making the same mistake." And to make sure he understood where you were coming from, you stuck your tongue out at him before shooing him away.

Now, the good thing about being a regisseur is, that you get to decide which scenes get filmed first. Professional mode on and go. "Keisuke, Chifuyu, are you guys ready for your scene?" It didn't take long before both of them simultaneously answered with a giggly "Yes!"

Things were getting intense. Baji rested in Chifuyu's arms and the latter was crying his eyes out dramatically to portray the loss of a close friend. He looked so vulnerable, so hurt and desperate for Baji to stay awake, to stay alive but said man couldn't even move a single inch anymore. His last words have been spoken and soon followed a big trail of blood that ran out of his mouth, but wait, where was the blood?

"Cuuuuuuut!"

This time it wasn't you who complained, it was Chifuyu who took that role off your shoulders. "Keisuke you idiot, you weren't supposed to swallow the blood."

It was a sight to behold. Chifuyu scolding a not so dead Baji with almost dried fake tears decorating his cheeks. Only to find his supposed-to-be-super-dead friend laughing, moving his with fake blood tinted lips into a grin.

Yeah no, they were indeed not ready.

As for the others? They couldn't contain their laughter anymore, finding the mistake of their colleague and friend way too amusing to be able to stay serious any second longer.

Kazutora decided to voice out what everyone thought of. "Keisuke, if you were thirsty you could've said so. No need to drink our props." "Shut up Tora, you killed me!"

As if on cue, Shin butted in "Me too!"

"Keep it down old man, at least you get to play the role of the ghost Keisuke is going to see before he dies."

How were you supposed to make the audience cry, scream, wail or punch the air when your actors were just a bunch of clowns?

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #tokrev x reader #tokyo revengers x gn!reader #tokrev #tokyo revengers valhalla arc #tokyo revengers actor!au #kazutora-lover

[onhigh]

knowing your partner can potentially make writing together a lot easier.

– BASICS.

♡ NAME: dust ♡ PRONOUNS: he/they ♡ SEXUALITY: gay/ace ♡ TAKEN OR SINGLE: single pringle

– THREE FACTS.

♡ i majored in criminal sociology in college. i ended up dropping out after c.ovid hit tho. ♡ i recently joined a rocky horror shadowcast group! it's been tons of fun (but also the reason my activity here took a hit). ♡ i've been cosplaying as a hobby for about 11ish years. as far as hazbin goes, i've cosplayed angel dust, and i'm working on lucifer and adam cosplays :3

– EXPERIENCE.

♡ HOW LONG (MONTHS / YEARS?): overall, about 15 years? somewhere between 10-12 years online ♡ PLATFORMS YOU’VE USED: text, online forums (i.e. gaiaonline, mxrp, etc), skype, tumblr, twitter, discord... ♡ BEST EXPERIENCE: man. i gotta say, probably the steam powered giraffe rpc here. i joined the fandom about 8 years ago, and spent a year or two in the spg rpc -- it's been maybe 5 or 6 years since i've actually written either of those muses, but i'm so forreal it's left a lasting impact. to this day i still talk to a few of my spg mutuals, i still listen to the music, n i still think about my boys <3

– MUSE PREFERENCES.

♡ FEMALE OR MALE: i tend to lean towards male muses, but i can write female muses. i've noticed i lean towards certain personality types when it comes to fem muses though (see: wednesday addams, marceline abadeer). ♡ FLUFF, ANGST OR SMUT: i love it all. all of it's good. i will say, hurt/comfort is one of my favorite flavors because it mixes fluff and angst. as far as smut goes, i HAVE to know the mun well, and our muses HAVE to have the ship chemistry. ♡ PLOTS OR MEMES: both? both. both is good. ♡ LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: i prefer writing longer replies, but due to working full time and participating in a rocky horror shadowcast twice a month, i'm usually very burnt out. some nights i can only manage shorter replies or one-liners, sometimes i'll just stick to writing over discord. to those of you patient enough to let me take my time with longer threads, i appreciate you so much fr fr ♡ BEST TIME TO WRITE: for some reason, when i'm trying to work in the mornings. jk. no, but whenever i have both the muse and the time, i'll get to writing. ♡ ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S): wym, my muses are like me. projector screen headasses <3

tagged by: swiped from dash tagging: all y'all, if ya wanna!

#dust ⊹ 𝑜𝑜𝑐 ⋯♡⋯╰ тнє ιηηєя ∂ємση ╮ #dash games ⊹ 𝑜𝑜𝑐 ⋯♡⋯╰ qυιcк cαѕн gяαв ╮

[overwatchfics]

shhh im on anon because im too nervous to not be. anyways! hi there mage, if you recognize this typing style or not, that doesnt matter, i've just come to deliver some good words to you!

i love, and i mean i LOVE your content!! well. the fluff content, at most(nsfw and such else arent my thing is all!!), and you have genuinely no idea how excited i get when your content appears in the tags!! you have such a fun way of writing headcanons as well as you make it unique to yourself, and i think thats awesome!! i love that you put your heart into your content, er, well...i see that you do, and its so nice that you write for the silly people within this fandom!

it sucks that people also are. weird to you and dont follow your rules. thats a load of bullshit. i sincerely apologize that happens to you :(( but you're a trooper as ever and you still manage to be clear with your boundaries. people are just hella stupid

anyways! im closing this off by saying that your (fluff) content has truly brightened my days a lot, and i look forward to what else you put out!! never stop being awesome, you silly goose!

IDK WHO YOU ARE BUT FUCK DUDE THIS MADE ME SO HAPPY TO READ.

I understand NSFW isn't everyone's thing so as much as people want this to be a pure smut blog, I love writing fluff and romantics just as much! I'm glad you enjoy my content otherwise! It warms my heart knowing that I really try to put myself out there in the way I write HCs I try to be goofy make people laugh or just have some random HCs out there to get people super confused like I totally know that Sigma's favorite cereal is captain crunch. I love providing cool content for people, that's how I met a good chunk of my cool mutuals on this site! I play with them sometimes or just chat and tumblr has become a safe place for me socially, I'm so glad to write for my mutuals and my readers especially when I get messages like this in my inbox? I'm so happy people genuinely get gratification from my writing; I want to improve and make it quirky and fun for people to enjoy as time goes on. Thank you so much for the kind message! People who don't want to follow rules clearly don't want me to write for them so now I just delete their requests, but I have made it clear so many times about my rules and req status. I gain most of my inspiration from my other mutuals to write when Kiriko first came out I desperately wanted to write for her and the first writer I interacted with and was the first to write for her was @leorawright (super cool homie check out their stuff so wholesome and good and jsahdfkasjhkljahg just check them out) and I made a blog for OW I was originally just going to make it for kiriko, but their HCs made me want to explore character depth and have fun with the way I see characters. It started with Leora and I've met so many other writers, artists, and readers who have expanded my creative pallet. I wouldn't be writing the stuff I do without all of them. Their own content has brightened my day numerous times so get it fr anon.

KNOW WHAT CALLING OUT THE HOMIES RN

@raihyeon @trcwen @leorawright @syddybus @enforcermoss @moira-mains-go-to-hell @leonhardt-simp @cerezzzita @tonberry-yoda @moicy-madness @yospongebobthisedibleaintshi @legoskii37 @waspsinmyvents (idk if there's actually wasps in her vents, but I am terrified)

I'm very glad to have met and interacted with these people. Their content, words, and feedback are inspiring. Please, if given the chance go check out their works as well! Super damn good, most of them are multifandom so go ahead and check out what fandoms they write for and see if you match up with anything they write! Very friendly and chill community

Anyways on one last parting note, thank you all for continuing to support and enjoy my content, it means quite a lot to me knowing people out there read what I write. Keep kicking ass y'all! Your mage will keep on lifting the pen!

#mage asks

[gamebunny-advance]

Heart and Soul

AN: A story about Yinu and Tenten's first meeting.

So fair warning, I haven't written fiction like this in literal years (unless you wanna count my comic scripts), and I think this whole thing is actually pretty trite and cliché (if the trite and cliché title didn't already tip you off to that), but sometimes you just gotta write some fluff to help you sleep at night.

This is also probably one of the worst platforms for posting long-form fic like this (this is over 12,400 words long, so I don't blame y'all if you don't have time for it here on tumblr). Maybe I'll open an account on a proper fic-sharing website and post it there.

But for now, I hope you'll enjoy this silly story from me.

-------

"...I assure you, Yinu will surely flourish under NSR's care."

The adults talked to each other intently as Yinu's eyes wandered around the office. On the desk was the usual boring collection of things that no child would usually pay much mind to: a small canister of varied writing utensils, a paper holder holding many papers and documents. Among them, she saw the papers that her and her Mama had signed earlier. She was very proud of her own signature: she'd practiced it a lot before coming here. It had taken some time to make sure she could stay on the line. She liked how it looked next to her Mama's, even if she couldn't understand what Mama’s squiggles meant.

Of slight interest was the triangular name plate on the desk. It adorned the name of that lady who would be her new "boss".

"Tatiana Quartz."

Yinu said it in her head a couple of times. She thought she had heard the word "quartz" before. Something to do with measurement maybe? Music? "Oh, like a quarter note!" She was impressed that her boss knew so much about music to be named after it.

She noticed the big portraits on the wall behind Miss Quartz. They were tall and imposing, scary even. The center one she recognized as Miss Quartz herself. The painted lady seemed to glare down at Yinu with incredible force. Her intense expression was very unlike the warm smile of the real Miss Quartz. It was a little scary, so she averted her gaze to the right portrait. This one was another lady, or was it two ladies? There were lots of hands too. Maybe it was even more ladies! Yinu couldn't quite understand the portrait, but she thought she liked it. She looked to the left of Miss Quartz's scary portrait and there was a very strange person wearing a square mask. Yinu had never seen a mask like that: what did the circles mean? Where's the mouth? Or the eyes? Or any kind of face? The strange masked person was surrounded by a few other people. They weren't wearing masks, but they didn't look quite "right" either. They reminded her of the shiny people she saw on TV sometimes, though she couldn’t quite remember what they were called.

Yinu's eyes and mind continued to wander about the room as the voices of her new boss and her Mama blurred and slurred together. She knew they were talking about her, but she didn't really understand what it was about. When she heard her name she would focus again and try to listen, but it was always about things like a "salary" and "management" and other boring and adult topics of that nature. Nothing fun. Nothing interesting.

As Yinu kicked her legs a little in the slightly too big seat, something urgent suddenly struck her. She tugged on her Mama's hand to get her attention.

"...I'm just worried that- oh, what is it Yinu?" Mama looked down into Yinu's eyes. "Mama, I have to go wee."

"Oh, okay I'll take you.” Mama took a hold of the hand that was tugging her fingers, “I'm sorry Miss Quartz may I-" Mama had begun to rise from her seat, but Yinu tugged back, trying to break free from the grasp.

"I can go by myself." she said. Yinu was a big girl after all. Surely at 8 years old she could use the restroom all by herself she thought.

"No Yinu, I don't want you to get lost." Mama said firmly.

"But, Mama..."

Yinu tried to insist, but she knew she could never win an argument against Mama, and there wasn't much time to argue anyway. The situation was becoming more than urgent.

Miss Quartz seemed to notice this and decided to speak up.

"The restroom isn't far, it's only down the hall to the right. It would be easier to get lost walking down a runway."

Yinu was impressed at her new boss’s attitude. She was rarely given any kind of support when it came do doing things her way. But now was not the time to think about how cool Miss Quartz was.

Mama wanted to protest, but the tugging at her hand was getting fervent. She sighed and let go. "Okay, but come back as soon as you're done."

"Okay!" with that Yinu ran quickly out of the room.

Miss Quartz chuckled to herself lightly at the girl’s enthusiasm for simply being allowed to relieve herself.

"I'm sorry about that." said Mama as she lowered herself back into her seat. "It's quite alright. Even at that age, kids want to prove themselves. Sometimes you have to let them. Even if it's just to go to the bathroom."

Mama laughed a little too.

"And I'm sure she'll prove herself a great asset to this company as well. As I was saying-"

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

Yinu had some trouble reaching the sink, even on her tippy-toes, but she still managed to help herself up and get her hands sparkling clean, just like Mama and Papa had taught her. She looked at herself in the massive mirror in front of her. Mama had dressed her in her formal clothes: a white button-up shirt with a small pocket adorned with a red ribbon around the collar and a long flowing skirt. Yinu liked to twirl the skirt by spinning around. It made her feel magical and reminded her of when she and Mama would dance in the living room while Papa played the piano.

She looked at her hair in the mirror too. Mama had tied them into two twin buns. Each one looked like a mini rose bouquet. Yinu thought it was pretty, but it was a little heavy on her head and they were twisted just a little too tight. She had been sitting for what felt like hours in that big chair, and her neck was starting to hurt just a little too much for her comfort.

As she climbed onto the counter to get a better look, she decided to take off the bands that her holding the buns in place. They were cute little bands: red with little flower bead decorations. She thought they were very pretty and was always happy when Mama let her wear them, especially as bracelets.

Her hair fell just below the bottoms of her ears like a waterfall ending in little rosebuds.

Yinu felt relieved and still thought she looked like a proper young lady even with her hair down. Satisfied with her work, she put the bands around her wrists: they were cuter this way anyway, and she hopped back down from the counter and left the rest room and began to make her way back to Miss Quartz's office.

The hallways were terribly quiet. Yinu's foot steps echoed through the halls and the smell was what she could only describe as "fancy". She had been through halls like this numerous times: the concert venues that she frequented always had long halls like this. Sometimes they scared her because they seemed to go on forever, but as long as Mama was there holding her hand, they didn’t feel as scary.

She slightly recalled meeting Miss Quartz at one of those concerts after a certain competition some time ago. She was the one who presented Yinu with her trophy for winning first place in the event. She remembered because she was so happy to tell her Papa about it after the show. They both wished he could have been there in person, but he'd said he was so proud of her for winning. They would rewatch the recording in Papa's room and Yinu was so happy to see Papa smiling again.

All the while, she played with her hair bands on her wrist. She liked the way it felt to twirl the beads and tug on the elastic. Her foot steps got slower and smaller as she continued to focus on tugging on the band. It hurt to have it snap back at her, but it was still kind of fun. As she fidgeted with it, the bands found themselves off her wrists and into her hands where she tugged on them to watch them snap back. She could launch them really far if she pulled back hard enough.

Curious about the result, she stretched one of the bands as far back as her tiny hands could stretch them and she let it fly. And flew it did.

"Oh no!" she cried.

It flew so far that it straight past Miss Quartz's office room and landed in front of the grand elevator. She ran to retrieve it from where it had fallen. She quickly picked it up and returned both bands to her wrists, not wanting to accidentally lose them again. Her curiosity of how far the bands could be flung had been satiated, but a new curiosity crept as the doors to elevator opened in front of her.

She had promised Mama that she would go back as soon as she was done, but she really wanted to know where the elevator would go.

They had been in that office for hours already, or so it felt. They would probably be there for several more hours. Besides, they weren't talking about anything that Yinu could be involved in anyway. It wouldn't be bad if she looked around just a little bit.

As she walked into the little room, she heard her Mama and Miss Quartz call after her, "YINU!"

But the doors had already closed shut.

"Mama!"

Yinu began to panic, she hadn't ridden on very many elevators and she didn't know what the buttons meant. She pressed all the buttons she could, which wasn't many given her short stature, but the doors remained closed. She could still hear her Mama and Miss Quartz outside, yelling incoherent instructions, and trying to stop it, but it was too late. The elevator began to lower, and Yinu was alone.

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

No sooner than Yinu had begun to cry, the elevator finally released her. The screen which read the floor number was too high for Yinu to see clearly, but she knew if she'd stayed in the elevator, she would be trapped again. She didn't want to spend another moment in that scary box, so she stepped out and watched the door close behind her as it continued its descent to whatever random floor she had managed to hit.

She looked around, this floor was almost identical to the one she'd been on: the same echoey halls, the same endless closed doors. She called out, "Hello?"

It reverberated through the halls, but became deafly silent again. No answer. No sound. Just the small scuffle of her own feet as she began to walk forward, hoping to find someone, anyone, that would help her.

She jiggled the handle of every door she came across but each one was tightly locked. Every step made her a little more anxious as she walked down what seemed to be an endless corridor. For a moment she decided to look behind her, but she'd already walked so far that the elevator was nowhere in her sight. The hall just seemed to stretch forever in both directions, leaving her utterly lost. As she began to feel the hopelessness of her situation catch up to her, she'd begun to cry again.

"Mama... I'm sorry... please help me..."

Her legs stopped walking and she fell down where she stood, balling her eyes out.

As she did so, she'd begun to hear something else in the hall. It was a quiet, but rhythmic thudding, like heavy footsteps. It echoed through the halls and seemed to get closer. Yinu called out towards the noise, "Who's there?"

The sound paused for a moment as if to consider the question. In return, the pace of the thudding quickened and began to get louder, moving towards Yinu.

The source of the sound finally came in view at the far end of the hall. It was person. At least it looked like a person. They were too far away for Yinu to make out any particular features besides the vague silhouette of a person wearing a tallish hat. But somehow, despite the dim lighting, the figure's face seemed to be glowing, causing unnatural shadows to be cast across their face.

Feeling a little embarrassed about being found crying, Yinu tried to suck up her snot and tears with all her might and stood up. "Hello, can you help me?" she called out. "I lost my Mama. I... just want to go back to my Mama."

The figure paused again until it received the entire message. Then it began to walk towards Yinu. At first Yinu was happy that someone had finally found her, but something felt off about that person.

Their footsteps were just a little too heavy and the way they moved looked a little too stiff as their arms refused to sway naturally at their sides. As they grew closer, the sound of mechanical creaking and whirring had became audible. Eventually the figure came close enough for Yinu to make out the features of its face: its reflective metal shine, its glowing white eyes, its unflinching expression. It was just like the shiny people she had seen on TV. The scary shiny people that shot lasers from their eyes and enslaved humanity. The things Yinu finally remembered that were called “robots”.

Yinu screamed and began running away back down the hall. She ran as fast as she could, trying her best not to look back. She didn't hear it getting faster, but she wouldn't stop now just to find out if she was actually making headway. There was no way that scary things like that could really be in a place like this. If this was the kind of scary place this was, then she'd want nothing to do with it. When she found her Mama she would tell her as much. “Mama...”

As Yinu recalled that she was still technically lost, she tripped on herself and skid her knees across the rough carpet floor.

"Ow, ow..." she cried as she sat up to inspect the scrapes on her legs. As she did so, the mechanical being was still making a steady pace towards her. Even as her tears welled, she tried to pick herself up again to run, but it hurt too much. The figure was getting closer. She couldn't run. She couldn't hide. The best she could do was cover her face and hope the monster would be quick in whatever it was going to do.

As she cowered she heard it stop in front of her and did… nothing. It stood motionless for a while, waiting for some kind of response, or perhaps it was analyzing the crying mass in front of it. Eventually, the light sobbing was interrupted.

"Are you hurt, Little Miss?"

A synthetic voice poured out of the monster. While it was clearly inhuman, it was a little deep and gentle. Almost warm. "Wh-what?" sobbed Yinu.

There was a brief pause between answers.

"Are you hurt, Little Miss?" it asked again.

"Little Miss?" she thought. She liked the way it sounded. It was kind of like a grown-up. Having received this bit of respect, she felt herself growing braver.

Yinu uncovered her eyes to look up into the monster's face. Seeing it up close, even though it still wasn't human, it wasn't as scary as she thought it was just moments ago. The arrangement was very simple, just two glowing white orbs for eyes and a line for a mouth. When it spoke, its mouth wouldn’t move but light up in rhythm to its words. She thought it was like a doll she used to have as an even smaller kid.

"Uh-huh..." she nodded cautiously and rubbed her knees. The speed of fall and the friction of the carpet had given her small red scrapes across both knees. A little blood had trickled out, but nothing so ghastly as to need any serious medical attention.

"I see. May I treat your wounds?" asked the voice. Yinu nodded again, "Okay..."

"Very well." The android crouched onto one knee as to be more level with Yinu. It had stood so incredibly tall and imposing earlier, but up close it appeared much more friendly. It inspected the cuts briefly. Besides her knees, Yinu's face had also gotten a little scuffed from the fall, making her already rosy cheeks even rosier.

"I am about to administer an antibiotic. You may experience slight discomfort, but it is necessary to reduce the risk of infection."

The android raised its left hand towards the wound on her right knee. At first it held its entire hand flat with palm facing down. It curled all its fingers towards the palm, leaving only its index finger extended towards the wound. Suddenly, the tip of its index finger unhinged upwards at the first knuckle and revealed a small nozzle which quickly sprayed what it claimed to be an antibiotic onto the wound.

Yinu winced a bit from the sudden pain and the android apologized for the discomfort again. It repeated this for each area that it had considered as needing attention. Once all the antibiotic has been "administered", it dispensed 4 bandages from its mouth. Yinu giggled a bit, thinking it looked like it was growing a very long tongue.

"Would you like me to apply the fabric adhesive strips?" it asked.

Yinu laughed out loud at the funny way that it referred to the bandages.

"No, I can do this part myself." Yinu said proudly as she gently tore and peeled the bandages apart and applied them to both her knees and her cheek. “I don’t need this one.” she said as she tried to return the extra bandage. “You may keep it. Extra fabric adhesive strips are good to have on hand.” it replied as it gently pushed the offer away. “Okay.” so Yinu stashed it away into her shirt pocket along with the bits of wax paper so she could throw them away later. Mama always told her to throw away her trash in the trash can like a proper lady.

"Was my service satisfactory?" asked the android as it stood back up onto both feet. “Yes.” she replied with a beaming smile. “Very good. I am happy to hear that.” replied the android. Yinu looked up at the android to really take in its features: it looked like it was dressed in somewhat fancy clothes that she thought she had seen somewhere before. Maybe in a movie or a store or something like that. The big hat it was wearing was equally as fancy. On the side of it she caught the glimpse of something shiny. She turned her head to try to get a better look, but now that it was standing at full height again, it was hard to make out. She thought it looked like some lines and circles in a nice neat row.

As she thought of that she suddenly remembered her manners, "Thank you for helping me." she said sincerely to the android.

"You are welcome Little Miss." it replied.

With that formality out of the way, Yinu began another one, "What's your name?" she asked.

The android replied: "I am: 1010-XJ L-Type Version 2.0.1"

"That’s really your name?” asked Yinu, not believing that the string of numbers and letters the android had said could really be a person’s name.

"Can I call you something shorter?" she asked.

The android paused, searching for an answer before finally responding,

"You can. You may call me: "Tenten".

"Tenten? Like the number? But two times?" Yinu asked as she open and closed her hands twice for “ten, ten.”

"Yes." Said the android. While it had searched its memories for an acceptable answer, it had noticed that when being spoken about, humans would often shorten his name to only the first part. When it was relevant, it would be referred to as the "L-Type," and when the Captain was angry it would be referred to as “Soldier,” but "Tenten" was usually sufficient and would probably be easier for the Little Miss to say.

"Okay Mr. Tenten, my name is Yinu."

"Yinu. That is a very nice name." Tenten replied. While its face made no change in emotion, its voice sounded sincere in its tone. Perhaps it thought every name it heard was a "nice name," but without even considering the possibility of this being a stock response, Yinu beamed, "Thank you!"

In what was only a handful of minutes, Yinu had gone from thinking she was in a literal nightmare realm to quite liking the nice android that had helped her out. For a moment she had again forgotten she was still lost until Tenten had reminded her.

"Little Miss, I do believe you were calling for help just a moment ago, yes?" it asked. "That is why I followed your voice, but you ran away before I could help you."

Yinu felt a little embarrassed about her earlier behavior, but having remembered her original goal, she explained the situation about how she had flung her bracelet and gotten on the elevator and separated from her Mama and how she couldn't remember which floor they were on or where she was, and how she saw this scary monster, and oh wait, that was Tenten.

After intently listening to her story, Tenten replied, "Miss Quartz's office is at the very top of NSR tower, so it will be very easy to return there from the elevator." As he said this, he raised his arm and pointed down the corridor in the direction that Yinu was running. It didn't look so far away now, and she was sure that now knowing where her Mama was, she would be able to get there herself.

But after everything that had happened, Yinu was tired of being a big girl for one day.

"Will you go with me?" She tugged on Tenten's free hand, causing him to look back down at her.

Her hand was lightly trembling. Even though she really wanted to see her Mama again and give her big hug, she was equally scared of how much she was going to get yelled at for running off. Mama had sounded really angry when she had gotten on the elevatr. Even so, she felt like it'd be a little less scary if Tenten was there too.

Tenten lowered his pointed hand and wrapped his fingers around the tiny hand which had grabbed him. "Okay. We will go together. From the elevator, it should not take more than a minute to reach the top floor."

No sooner than he had given this assurance, the building intercoms began to sound with Miss Quartz's voice, "Attention all NSR employees. We have a code orange. Currently be on the lookout for Miss Yinu. She is approximately 8 years old, has yellow hair-" the two listened to the alert until it concluded with, "If found, please make a report using the intercom system and return her to the lobby. Until she is found the building will be on lock down and the elevator will be suspended. Thank you."

Yinu felt another huge rush of embarrassment come over her and she began to panic. "What do we do now?" she asked.

Tenten was about to offer a few comforting words to the panicking child, but was stopped by an incoming transmission.

"Tenten, do you copy?" said the voice in its head.

"Yes sir, I can hear you." it replied out loud.

"Who are you talking to?" Yinu asked as she started swinging Tenten’s arm in anticipation.

"My captain is calling me." said Tenten. "Captain?" Yinu thought. She couldn't hear what the "Captain" was saying and began to wonder if Tenten was playing some kind of game with her to make going back not as scary.

On the one hand, Yinu didn't like being treated like she was some little kid who still played make-believe, but on the other she appreciated that Tenten was so worried about her to even think to turn this into game. If that's what he thought was best, then she would play along too.

Meanwhile, the conversation between Tenten and its Captain continued.

"Are you with someone Tenten? Never mind, we need to call off your test right now. At the moment, it is of utmost importance that we locate Miss Yinu. Did you take note of the physical description in the announcement?"

"Yes sir, I am currently with Yinu."

"Oh, very good! The training really is paying off. Okay, I'm down here with Yinu's Mother right now, so if you could-"

"Yinu! Are you there?! Can you hear me?!"

Tenten's inner voice was interrupted by Mama's cries of concern.

"He doesn’t have a receiver on his end Madam, but it seems my robot has already found Yinu. I'll direct him to bring her down immediately. Did you catch that Tenten?"

"Yes sir. We were about to take the stairs and-"

"My Yinu is with a robot?! I swear if it did anything to hurt her, I'll tear it apart!"

"Madam, please relax! Robots are very safe nowadays. Furthermore-"

As the Captain continued his lecture with Mama about the great strides in safety and advancement robots had made in recent years, Tenten turned his attention back at Yinu, who was still gripping his hand and looking back at him patiently. It looked at the bandages across her knees and cheek. The bandages which covered wounds that he had inadvertently caused.

It had hurt Yinu.

If it had hurt Yinu, then it would get torn apart.

Getting torn apart would result in system failure.

If he could somehow avoid Mama but return Yinu, then he could fulfill his current objective without being destroyed, but its system failed to generate any possible solutions that didn't also put Yinu in grave danger. It considered giving her directions to send her alone, but he had already promised to go together. As the situation was, it would be impossible both return Yinu and avoid assured destruction. Then the next best option...

"If I may interrupt sir."

"You can even find robots in hospitals nowa- Oh, what is it Tenten?"

"It is no longer possible for me to return with Yinu under these conditions. I will keep her with me until conditions improve."

"Wait, what conditions?! What happened!? Is she hurt?!" yelled the Captain, desperately trying to get details about the situation, but to no avail.

"I am sorry. Good-bye."

Tenten disconnected from the call and set himself to "cloaking mode.” For now, it was in his best interest to move as far away from this place as possible to avoid being tracked to his last known location.

"Okay Miss Yinu, I know I said I would take you back, but would you like to play hide-and-seek with me first?" he asked.

"Uh-huh!" Yinu smiled at him. She knew right from the start about his plan to make this a game, so she was happy to oblige him. "Okay, we are going to hide from my Captain for just a bit. I know a good place where we can hide, but it is a little far. Do you think you can walk for a while?"

"Yes, sir!" she saluted with the wrong hand, but Tenten accepted this answer.

"Then let us go."

As the two began walking towards the stairs, a new announcement came through the intercom. This time it wasn't Miss Quartz. It sounded like Tenten, but more natural and much more angry.

"Attention all NSR towers employees and visitors! This is code red! A rogue android has taken the missing child Yinu as a hostage. It is to be considered armed and dangerous! Please take cover wherever possible and do not approach the android under any circumstance and allow security bots through. The android is approximately 203 centimeters tall and is wearing a naval style uniform. I repeat, this android is considered armed and dangerous! Please take cover-"

"Oh, is everyone playing?" Yinu asked quizzically as she looked up at the speaker making the announcement.

"It would appear so." replied Tenten calmly, as he continued walking with Yinu to the first set of stairs, still holding her hand firmly.

"This will be lots of fun then!" she said happily.

"But, that man said you were dangerous? Is that true?"

Tenten paused to think of an answer.

"You were hurt because of me, were you not?" it replied. Yinu hmmed a bit as she considered the bandage that was currently itching her face. "Yeah, but that wasn't your fault." she said as she let her free hand glide on the stairwell's railing. "Besides, you helped fix me up, so it's okay."

"I see." replied Tenten as it made note of this opinion.

Finally the two had reached the top of the first flight of stairs. There would be many more flights before they reached Tenten's intended destination, but Yinu was eager to get a move on.

For a while, the Captain's warning message had echoed through the building, but it had finally ceased as the two had cleared their 2nd flight. Now it was just the echo of their foot steps through the stairwell, occasionally interrupted by walking through the halls to avoid any security bots posted near the stairs. It became a tango of walking then ducking for cover as they raced past the less advanced security bots to the next flight of stairs. Yinu thought the security bots were very funny looking. They were all boxy and had very long arms. They were nothing like the humanesque Tenten that was with her.

Although this ducking and running was somewhat entertaining, Yinu was beginning to grow tired. Tenten slowed his stride to keep from dragging her along, but the situation was still urgent to him.

"Miss Yinu, we still have a ways to go, you should keep your pace up." he inquired.

"My legs hurt..." she replied wistfully.

Tenten immediately stopped. "I am sorry. I have caused you pain again."

Under the usual circumstances, Tenten would have forced Yinu to pick herself up by her bootstraps and continue on, but he had been taught recently that he could not expect that same kind of force to work on civilians, especially children. He had to be gentle and considerate of their needs and wants, and right now he realized that he had been neglecting this.

He began to reconsider its current objective: he was determined to keep Yinu safe from further harm, but even traveling the building like this was taking a toll on her. They still had a few more floors until they could reach what Tenten considered a "safe room". Even if they made it to that room, he knew that they could not hide there indefinitly. He could easily keep making the Captain and the security bots keep circling around the tower looking for him for hours if not forever, but Yinu could not. Eventually she would need food or water, and other basic needs that Tenten could not provide while they were hiding. If he prioritized Yinu’s condition, then eventually they would get caught.

Right now, all he could do was prolong the inevitable, but he was determined to do so for as long as he was able.

"Miss Yinu, I can carry you the rest of the way. Would you like to ride on my shoulders?"

Yinu sleepily nodded. In response, Tenten crouched down and arched his back in a way to make it easy for the small girl to climb on. She carefully stepped onto his back then slung each leg over each of his shoulders, resting her body on the back of his head and her head on top of its cap. She thought that its body would be cold and metallic, like a refrigerator, but the robot was surprisingly warm and metallic, like a preheating oven. It was cozy.

"Are you secured?" he asked.

"Uh-huh." she replied. At this, the android began to rise again, holding onto her legs from the front. From here the floor seemed so far away from Yinu, but she always liked being up so high, especially on Mama's shoulders: it was a new, great perspective for her. She wondered if everyone this tall saw the world like this everyday. Even through her sleepiness, she couldn't hide that she was excited about getting carried.

"Okay, I am going to walk a little faster now, so please hang on tight." he said as it began to dash for the next flight of stairs. Yinu wrapped her arms around the robot's head. She giggled sleepily as she felt the rush air blow over her face.

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

They continued this steady pace for the next couple of floors, so Yinu broke through the monotony by asking the questions that were on her mind. She had been thinking of several since getting properly acquainted with Tenten and now seemed to be as good a time as any to ask them.

"So... what were you made for?" she asked. It had taken her until about now for it to really sink in that she was with a robot. She'd seen robots on TV sometimes, usually in movies, but sometimes in the news too. She thought a lot of them were scary since a lot of them tried taking over the world in a fight against the human race, but clearly Tenten was different from those robots. Those robots never printed out bandages or carried kids on their shoulders (unless they were giant friendly ones).

Tenten did not answer for some time both as he pondered what an acceptable answer for a child would be and wanting to keep his voice down from the guards.

He had not been around many children since it had been activated, but it was programmed into his core that he should absolutely handle them with care. Anything that his system categorized as "scary" couldn’t be said to a child.

So it decided to describe itself in its simplest of terms. "I was made to help people."

"Like what you did for my ouchies?" she asked as she swung her legs a bit to emphasize her bandaged knees.

"Yes, and much more. I can administer basic first-aid as well as perform other helpful functions."

"Like what?" Yinu kept pressing. She wanted to know everything that Tenten was capable of, but it started listing mundane utilities like opening and closing doors, twisting open jar lids, playing catch.

"That's all kinda boring." she said honestly. "Can you shoot lasers and stuff?" she asked. Almost all the robots on TV could shoot lasers of some kind, usually from their eyes.

To Tenten this was a "scary" subject, but since Yinu was the one to mention it, perhaps she was not scared of such things? So, weaponry was cleared from his “scary topic” filter so he could be a little more honest about himself. So it answered, "Yes. I can shoot lasers, but only when absolutely necessary."

Yinu's eyes lit up, "That's so cool! Can you show me?"

"It is not absolutely necessary that I do that right now. It would also be very dangerous."

"Aw..." she was very disappointed at this answer, but she figured he was right.

As she thought this, she looked at some of the framed pictures of instruments on the walls that she could finally see from the higher vantage point. They were all artsy renditions, using abstract shapes and colors, but they were still clearly recognizable as people playing instruments. A saxophone player, a cellist, a keyboardist, and many more.

"What about music? Do you play anything?" she asked. They were in the tower of a record company right now. Even if Tenten was a robot, maybe he could do something with music.

"I have not learned how to play any instrument, but I can sing and dance."

Yinu lit up at this. Even if he couldn't play anything, she'd never seen or heard of a singing robot before. "Can you sing something for me?" she asked excitedly. "Not right now. We need avoid detection right now." he said as he steered them up another stairwell.

Yinu's expression sunk, and she lowered her head deeper into its cap. "Can you sing for me later?" she asked in a begging tone. He thought about this. Would there even be a "later" after they got caught?

"Yes, if I have the opportunity, I will sing for you." Yinu was satisfied with this answer for now, so question after question continued to tumble out.

“How old are you?”

“I am approximately 3 years, 7 months, and 2 days old.”

“Hah, that’s younger than me! I’m 8 and a half years old. But you’re a really big kid.”

“My physical age is irrelevant to my size.”

“What does “ear elephant” mean?”

“Irrelevant means it is of little to no consequence.”

“What does “con see quince” mean?”

“It is the result of an action.”

“Will I ever get as tall as you?”

“If your genetics favor height, then possibly.”

“What does that mean?”

“If your parents are tall, then you are likely to become as tall as either of them when you reach maturity.”

“Oh! My Mama and Papa are really tall! Maybe even taller than you!”

“Then you will likely be tall when you become an adult.”

"Do you have a Mama?"

"No." replied Tenten.

"Then do you have a Papa?"

"No."

"How about a Grandmama?"

"I do not have any form of parent." said Tenten, having finally found the common thread in this string of questions.

"Oh..." she said sadly as she balled her fists into the cap, creasing it slightly. Noticing this, the robot stopped walking.

"What is wrong Miss Yinu? Did my answer upset you?"

"You don't have someone who looks after you? Or takes care of you?"

It considered this new definition for a moment. Someone who looks after it and takes care of it?

"I believe my Captain matches that criteria." he replied. The Captain did indeed look after Tenten during his training and the Captain was usually in charge of managing his maintenance checks.

"Then that's your Papa, silly!" Yinu perked her head up again and smiled to herself, but Tenten still didn't move.

"The Captain is my Papa?" he asked. Yinu thought for a moment, "Huh? Well yeah, if he loves you and cares about you, then he's your Papa."

"So a Papa is someone who looks after you, and takes care of you, and loves you, and cares about you. Is that correct?" he asked. "I think so." replied Yinu, though she was a little unsure if this was a satisfactory answer herself. She thought it didn’t exactly describe what she thought of as a “Papa,” but it was technically correct, so she didn’t add anything else.

The android began trying to process this new definition of "Papa."

"Then I do not believe my Captain meets all the criteria." it replied.

"Why not? Didn’t you say he takes care of you?" she asked a little concerned.

"I am not capable of quantifying "love," so I can not determine if the Captain "loves" me or not."

Yinu didn't understand what Tenten meant. Love wasn't something you "quantified." What did quantify even mean? It was just a feeling, and she had a feeling that she had a lot to teach this android. She tried to think of all the things her Mama and Papa did that made her feel loved.

"Does your Captain ever tell you stories at night to help you sleep?" asked Yinu.

"I do believe he has shared his personal history with me before, but not to aid in my rest."

"Does he kiss your ouchies better?"

"No. I do not get "ouchies.""

"Um... does he stay by your bed when you're sick and feed you soup?"

"No. I do not have a bed and I am incapable of any organic consumption."

The girl was running out of ideas for how to explain the feeling of "love" to the android.

"Well, how do you feel about him? Does he make you happy when he's with you?" she asked, grasping for anything that she could reasonably call love.

Tenten repeated the question to itself, "Do I feel happy when the Captain is with me?"

Tenten tried to analyze all of his memories with his Captain which contained feelings of “joy.” It came up with less than a handful of results, but they were still results.

A day when after a particularly long dance practice session, the Captain remarked, "Good work! You're finally getting it down!"

Another time at the shooting range when it'd managed to achieve 99% accuracy and the Captain said, "Impressive! You've still got it Tenten!"

Earlier this year when the Captain said, "This is it, we finally made it to the top brass: NSR! I know you and the squad are going to shine out there!"

"Yes." it finally replied.

Any instances of praise did cause a reaction of "joy" in Tenten. It knew it was programmed to please the Captain and he was rewarded with "joy" for meeting these expectations, but if this reaction could be considered "love" and the expression of praise was likewise "love" then perhaps the Captain did love Tenten, and Tenten loved its Captain in return.

After considering this assessment, he also considered the warning that his Captain had also just given, condemning him as an armed and dangerous robot. His Captain had essentially given anyone who saw him permission to kill him. That action did not seem to line up with any definition of love that Tenten currently had.

If the Captain did love him, then the Captain did not love him at this time.

Tenten began moving again, determined as ever to complete its current objective, but he hadn't noticed that while it was stopping to think, a couple of security bots had seen the duo and were starting to close in.

"They're going to get us!" Yinu cried playfully. This game was getting very exciting, and the sudden idea of getting caught had woken her from her near stupor.

Tenten quickly looked around the hall, looking for anywhere, anything he could use to help them escape, but there was nothing he could use without causing unnecessary damage. Crashing through the window would surely harm Miss Yinu. Just evading them wouldn't stop them from following them afterwards: once these security bots had their target in sight, it would be almost impossible to shake them off.

There was only one solution right now to both get through to the upper floors and keep the bots from following after them.

Tenten grabbed his cap from off his head and placed it onto Yinu. It was a little big, falling just over her eyes.

"Hey!" she cried as she peeked from underneath it.

"You wanted to see me shoot lasers, right?" he asked, as aimed his right arm towards the bots and pointed at them with his index finger.

"Uh-huh!" she said excitedly.

"You can peek, but cover your face with my hat when my lasers hit those bad guys, okay?"

"Okay!"

The moment he got this assurance, Tenten fired a short beam from his finger tip, aimed squarely in the middle of the first security bot's rectangular chest. It shot straight through the bot leaving an opening big enough to see the other side of the hall through. It was so fast that Yinu nearly missed it, but she guarded her face as the bot began to explode into pieces of debris and scrap metal. Tenten helped hold her in place on his back with his free hand and tried to block as much of the scattering parts from hitting Yinu as he continued blasting through the small wave of bots.

Yinu could hear them bursting apart and desperately wanted to see it happen again, but hearing the little flecks of metal bounce off the cap convinced her that keeping cover would be for the best right now.

Once the way was cleared, Tenten began to sprint up through the next flight of stairs. The commotion had attracted the security bots to guard the top, but Tenten blasted through them all the same.

"Miss Yinu, please hang on. We have almost reached our destination."

Tenten made a dash through the hall until he had his sights on a pair of grand double doors.

"We have arrived." he said as he crouched down to let Yinu off his shoulders so he could open the doors. He allowed Yinu to scurry in first before following and closing the door behind them. Yinu was in amazement of the room: it was a large concert hall, one of the biggest she'd ever been in before. Even the smallest sound she made seemed to echo throughout the room. But more than all that, what caught her interest was the grand piano on the stage.

Of interest to Tenten were the many rows of seats and balconies which could be used for cover and barricades if needed. They could hole up here for several hours and make quick trips to the dressing room to procure bottled water for Yinu.

"We should be able to hide h-h-heeeeeere. Y-Y-Yiiiiiinuuuu." Tenten's voice began to stutter and distort, creating an uneasy sound which echoed through the hall. His legs began to buckle and he dropped to his knees, nearly collapsing on the floor. "Oh no!" Yinu rushed back to his side. She tried to help him up, but he was much too heavy for her to even prop up. This game was starting to get a little too serious.

"Tenten, what's wrong! Do you feel light headed? Do you need some candy?" she cried, thinking of all the ways she tried to help Papa when this happened to him.

"I'm r-r-r-runnnnnnnnning ouut of p-p-p-pooooower." by instinct, Tenten wanted to process how he could have saved more power by being more efficient, but even that act would have quickly drained him of what little power he still had left.

"Power? How do you get power?"

"M-m-m-m-mussssssssic-c-c-c." he hissed.

"Music? Any kind of music?"

"Y-Y-yes..."

Yinu looked down at the stage with the grand piano again then back to Tenten. "Okay. I'll play something for you." Yinu stood up, ready to get on the stage, but she felt her leg getting pulled back.

"B-b-b-but we we we we we willllllll bbbbbbbe caught. Caught. Caught. If you plaaaaaay."

She crouched back down and took Tenten's hand into hers, it was burning hot from all the shooting he'd done just moments prior.

"It's okay. Eventually everyone gets found during hide-and-seek. And I... really don't want you to die yet. Please... don't die yet." she said. She remembered saying the same thing to her Papa once. It hadn’t worked back then, but maybe it would work now.

Tenten said nothing, but he loosened his grip on her leg and gave a weak nod. "I had a lot of fun today Mr. Tenten. You did a lot for me, but now it's my turn."

Yinu began to scamper away and back towards the stage. As she did so, memories of today replayed in her head: losing her hair band. Being scared and running away from Tenten. The funny way he treated her scrapes. Feeling safe holding his hand when they were lost. The satisfaction of talking about the meaning of love. The excitement of tearing through the security bots. Everything came together to be what she considered a very entertaining day. There was no way she could let it end with her new friend dying trying to help her. Days like this deserved a happy ending, she thought.

Climbing up the steep steps, she admired that beautiful grand piano. Its ebony hull seemed to sparkle with the invitation to be played.

Yinu adjusted the piano bench's height to accommodate her short stature. Upon sitting she lifted the key cover and took a deep breath. Soon, her fingers were gliding across the keys, playing sweet melodies which reverberated through the entire room and beyond. Everyone, who had been in a panicked fervor trying to locate the missing Yinu a few floors above and below stopped to listen to the sound. It carried far and wide throughout the building, reaching even Mama's ears.

"That's gotta be Yinu playing!" she cried. Miss Quartz who'd been with Mama since Yinu disappeared declared, "We have a grand piano on floor 10, that’s got to be where they are. Jay, order all security to that floor immediately!"

"I'm on it!" as Tenten's captain motioned for the team of deluxe security bots to follow him up the stairs.

Still planted on the ground, Tenten looked out to the stage, watching as Yinu lost herself to the ivory keys. Each note sent just a little more power through his body and began recharging his battery. Soon he had enough power to stand back up, albeit clumsily.

He began to hobble down the lane, using every other seat as a balance as he moved towards the stage. He just had be closer to the wonderful source of sound. It was a song unlike any he'd ever heard before, and never would have.

This was a family piece that Yinu's Papa had taught her when she was very small. They played it together often, and when Papa had passed, she always played it for her Mama. It was a happy song that reminded her of sad times. It was the song that won her many awards and got her signed onto NSR. It was still precious to her and she was happy to play it for anyone who would listen.

It wasn't long before Tenten had joined Yinu on the stage and was hovering over her, listening intently until the piece had concluded.

Yinu turned around to see him clapping for her. "That was a wonderful performance Miss Yinu." Yinu's face lit up again at seeing her friend well and standing. "Tenten!" she practically jumped off the stool to hug him, so relieved and happy that he was okay.

He almost fell over, not expecting such a sudden great force bashing into his legs after he just recovered his balance, but he nonetheless returned the gesture by patting her on the head. He lowered himself again to meet Yinu at eye level.

"I am feeling better now thanks to you. So, thank you." He held out his hand for her to shake it, but she leaned in to give him another hug. This time, he properly returned it. "I'm just glad you're okay." she said, hugging him tighter.

At this, Tenten stood up once more and turned his gaze towards the piano. "I did not know that you could play the piano so well." he said.

"Yep!" Yinu beamed. "That's why I'm here, so I can play the piano for everyone!"

It had finally occurred to Tenten that he had not once asked why Yinu was in the NSR tower. He had put all his objectives before learning anything about her, and for this he felt somewhat ashamed. He would need to make up for this grave error before his many other grave errors caught up with him.

"Do you think you could play for me one more time? I’m not fully charged yet, and I would like to sing for you, like I promised." he asked.

"Of course! What do you want me to play?" she giddily made her way back to the piano bench ready to play any number of songs for her friend.

"I am not capable of improvising, but I am familiar with a small library of popular songs. Could you pick one, and I will tell you if I know it."

"Okay... do you know this one?"

She began to play a few bars. He listened intently as he tried to match the sounds to his database.

"I believe so..."

He seated himself next to Yinu on the bench. "Mama and Papa used to play this one a lot together." she said as she continued through the first measure.

Tenten counted to himself until he began to sing.

Outside the hall, all manner of security bots being led by Jay, were getting ready to storm inside, but all ceased when a voice began accompanying the piano.

"Heart and soul,

I fell in love with you.

Heart and soul,

The way a fool would do:

Madly, because you held me tight,

And stole a kiss in the night..."

"Who is that?" asked Mama, who was close behind Jay and Miss Quartz.

"It sounds like… Tenten?" answered Jay, surprised that his rogue soldier would be doing something as quaint as sing a song during an apparent kidnapping.

"Shouldn’t he be trying to hide?” asked Miss Quartz who was similarly flabbergasted that such an advanced military A.I. would do something to blatantly blow its cover like this.

“Maybe this is his way of giving up? Or it’s a trap and he’s getting ready to ambush.”

“Look, it doesn’t matter why it’s singing. Go in there and get Miss Yinu!”

“I can’t just barge in there without knowing the situation!”

While the two bickered, Mama listened closely to that sadly familiar song. Without thinking, she opened the doors to the hall herself. Although the other two were too late to stop her from walking headfirst into theoretical danger, there was no sudden shooting of lasers or other obstruction. Instead, the sound of the duet just poured out into the halls for everyone to hear clearly.

Yinu had started to join in the song too. She was a little off key and she stumbled slightly, her talents were truly in the ivory keys, but the two of them were having too much fun to worry about something like perfect pitch.

"Heart and soul,

I begged to be adored,

Lost control, and tumbled overboard,

Gladly...

That magic night we kissed,

There in the moon mist."

Both were so lost in the song that they failed to notice the all the security bots trickling in along with the Captain, Mama, and the CEO.

"Oh, but your lips were thrilling,

much too thrilling.

Never before were mine so

strangely willing."

As the bots quietly closed in around the stage, the adults stayed back watching the strange display before them: A little girl playing piano and singing happily with a military-class battle bot. Surely, this was the kind of sight you could only find in a place like this.

"But now I see,

what one embrace can do

Look at me,

it's got me loving you,

Madly, that little kiss you stole,

Held all my heart and soul..."

Yinu continued to play, but Tenten had noticed the sound of the doors opening and the movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked out toward the seating area, seeing all the security bots now surrounding them at the foot of the stage and his Captain looking back at him, arms folded in what Tenten recognized as "disappointment.”

"Oh, but your lips were thrilling,

much too thrilling.

Never before were mine so

strangely willing.

But now I see,

what one embrace can do

Look at me,

it's got me loving you,

Madly, that little kiss you stole,

Held all my heart and soul.

Held all my heart and soul.

Held all my heart and soul."

As the last note of the piano played and reverberated through the fall, it was followed by clapping from the human watchers. Yinu almost jumped in surprise since she hadn't noticed that the hall had filled up. She looked towards the back of the hall and saw her Mama with one hand resting on her cheek. She was trying to keep her smile from showing after hearing her daughter play so beautifully. Right now she had to look serious.

When the clapping stopped, a voice broke through the silence, the Captain's voice.

"That was very nice you two! Very lovely!" he called out giving a couple of last claps. Yinu looked out at the source of sound. His body looked the same as Tenten’s, but the face… was he wearing a mask? She felt like she’d seen it somewhere before, but he was too far away for her to make out the details.

"But Tenten, you need to let Yinu go now before I order security to fire! Stand and keep your hands up where I can see them!"

Tenten stood up from the bench with his arms raised to his head. Yinu mimicked him, but hid behind his legs, scared of the security bots below. When did the game get so scary? Were they still going to be in trouble even though everyone was playing together? Tenten turned his gaze towards her and noticed the tears welling in Yinu’s eyes. He moved to place his hand on her head again to help her calm down.

"HEY! Keep both your hands up Tenten! Miss Yinu you don’t have to do it too!" called out Jay. As Yinu lowered her arms, Tenten could sense the guide lasers from the security bots being aimed at his head. He dared not move again unless instructed to.

"Miss Yinu, you’re safe now! Please step away from Tenten and come off the stage. Your Mama is very worried about you!" he called.

Yinu stepped a little from behind Tenten, but quickly ducked back again and hugged his leg when she too noticed that all the security bots had their hands pointed at Tenten. These bots were different from the blocky ones that Tenten had blasted away. They looked like bigger, meaner versions of Tenten, and if they were anything like him, he was going to be blown up to more than just pieces.

"Don't be afraid! They won't hurt you, just come down and-!"

"I won't go if you're going to hurt him!" she cried out.

The room was quiet again as the adults murmured to themselves about what to say next. Tenten wanted so badly to turn to Yinu, but he could not risk it. Instead, he tried to focus his sonic hearing on the adults across the room.

“Did he brainwash her or something?” whispered Miss Quartz.

“I don’t think he’s capable of that.” said Jay. “We haven’t added the “smooth talk” feature yet.”

“Can’t you shoot him from here and get Yinu back?”

“We can’t be hasty. That is still a highly-trained military class battle bot. He hurt Yinu earlier, so he might be willing to use her to protect himself if he needs to.”

Had his processor been capable of it, Tenten would have been appalled at the mere suggestion that he would ever willingly hurt Miss Yinu. Instead, he broke through the murmurs himself, speaking loudly so that all could hear him:

"Yinu, we have caused a lot of trouble for everyone today. Please return to your Mama. That was our original objective, was it not?"

Yinu began to cry, "But... you're about to die again... You can't die yet... you said you wouldn't..."

"I did not vocalize such a promise. And this situation is different. I am about to be killed. That is different from dying." he said so matter-of-factly.

"You still promised! You promised you wouldn't die yet!" she cried.

"I am sorry, but I do not have any choice in this matter."

"Then I'm not going!"

"Yinu, do not be stubborn. Go to your Mama."

"No!"

"Yinu."

The two went back and forth like this for a bit bickering the same way that siblings would over who’s turn it was to use the computer. It was beginning to be comical to those looking in. Or so it would have been had this not been a literal crisis situation. All the while the adults continued to murmur to themselves.

"This is ridiculous!" grumbled Jay as he pinched around his “face” where a brow used to be. "What is even going on here anymore? Is this even still a kidnapping?”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t let that thing free-roam!” chided Miss Quartz.

“I have to do the field testing somewhere! What am I supposed to do, let him walk around the Metro Division by himself?”

As those two bickered and the kids bickered, Mama was lost in thought. Anger had long since subsided as she was more than relieved that her little girl was alright. But as she listened to the playful way in which the android and her daughter was speaking, she began to think that maybe she really wasn’t ever in danger with him by her side.

Finally, the verbal battle on the adult’s side had come to an agreement.

Jay called out again, "Okay! Tenten, you come here with Miss Yinu! Keep your hands up and we won't shoot! We're just going to have a talk about this!"

Yinu cried out, "You promise you won't hurt him!"

"I promise! Now both of you get down from there so we can all go home!"

The security bots lowered their weapon hands.

Yinu looked up at Tenten, "Okay... let's go..."

Slowly, Tenten began making his way off the stage, hands still raised. Yinu followed behind, not letting her hand off of the back of his left leg. They descended the steps off the stage, and started walking down the aisle towards the adults until they were standing no more than a few feet apart.

"Yinu, are you okay baby?" asked Mama calmly.

Yinu was still behind Tenten, but she replied with a sheepish, "Uh-huh."

She was about to go back to her Mama’s open arms, but then Yinu looked up at Tenten's Captain. Now that she was closer she could see the details of his mask... it wasn't a mask, it was his actual face. Was he a robot too?

Yinu wondered how a robot could be the boss of another robot, but she supposed that some people were the boss of other people too, so it made sense. Just before she could walk back over to her Mama’s side, the Captain began talking, very angrily.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself solider?" the Captain asked sternly.

"Papa..."

"...What did you just call me?" exclaimed the Captain.

"I mean, Captain Neon Jay, sir." Tenten quickly rectified his blunder.

"I sincerely apologize for my actions today. It was not my intention to endanger or harm Miss Yinu in any way. I-"

CLANK!

"I am not asking for your excuses soldier!" the Captain slapped his hand across the android's face, turning his head a full 90 degrees to the right. The loud clang of metal on metal froze everyone in their spots.

Yinu cried, "Tenten!"

"I was not hurt, Miss Yinu..." Tenten assured the girl as he clicked his head back to its original position. This was half-true. It did not hurt him physically aside from a small scuff from metal clashing against metal. The slap had probably done more harm to the Captain's hand than it did to Tenten's face, but the gesture was agonizing. Never before had the Captain reacted with such violent disappointment.

"How could you possibly disobey direct orders like that!? Not only did you put a child in a dangerous situation, but you used firearms in an unauthorized zone! Not to mention cloaking without express permission! Do you know how much this is going to cost us!"

The android could do nothing but stand and listen as all of his failures today were listed out in great detail, each one causing him to feel just a little more shame. But, more than that, he began focusing on Yinu holding onto him tighter and tighter. He could feel her tears streaking down his leg, and right now that was the most important detail.

"You are making Miss Yinu cry."

"And you know- What did you say?! After all that you still have the nerve to interrupt-" Jay was about to raise another hand towards Tenten until he repeated:

"You are making Miss Yinu cry."

Jay turned his attention to the girl still cowering behind Tenten.

She was murmuring to herself, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... it's my fault...if I didn't run away then... you wouldn't be getting yelled at…"

“Yinu… it’s okay Yinu...” Mama finally stepped forward to comfort her daughter with a hug. Yinu gave a half hug back, not wanting to let go of Tenten’s leg.

Tenten looked back at Yinu. "Miss Yinu, No one is mad at you." he said.

Tenten so desperately wanted to comfort Yinu too. It was taking every bit of restraint in his processors to keep him from moving from his current position, for he still had not been given permission to lower his arms. He hoped that his words would be enough comfort, though he doubted their effectiveness.

"Everyone here was very worried about you. They are mad at me because I got you hurt." he continued.

Yinu broke away from everyone.

"But you didn't hurt me! You protected me from everything." she chided the android for saying what she thought was a lie.

"Then why are you covered in bandages?" pointed out Miss Quartz. Yinu felt the bandage on her cheek again. It had happened so long ago already that she'd forgotten it and the ones are her knees were even there.

"I tripped and fell when I was running away. Tenten fixed me up." she admitted between sniffles.

Neon Jay crossed his arms and turned back towards Tenten. "Is this true, Tenten?"

The android said nothing.

“Soldier, you answer when I ask you a question. Is it true that Yinu was hurt because she tripped and fell?”

“...Yes sir.”

"Then why did you say you hurt her?"

"Miss Yinu tripped and fell because she was frightened of me. That means the fault lies with my poor approach."

Neon Jay sighed. "That's... You blew this whole thing out of proportion! We thought you did something to seriously hurt Yinu!"

"Is this not serious?"

"I mean, accidents happen Tenten. Something this small doesn’t necessitate all the hell you put everyone one through today."

"But I was threatened.”

“When? By who?”

“I quote, “I swear if it did anything to hurt her, I'll tear it apart!” end quote.”

The Captain looked at Yinu’s Mama who was still hugging Yinu before turning back to Tenten and pinching at his face again "We really need to refine your ability to understand figures of speech."

"It wasn't a figure of speech." murmured Mama. “But… no, I wouldn’t have done it if I knew that’s what happened.” she finished as she picked up Yinu to carry in her arms and get a good look at the “harm” that had been done.

"What about your hair Yinu, how did it come undone?" asked Mama.

"I did it myself. It hurt to have them that tight, Mama."

Mama furrowed her brow. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.

"Because I know Mama worked really hard to make it really cute like that. I didn't want to disappoint you…" Yinu said shyly.

“Oh Yinu…” Mama kissed her cheek.

“Well, I’m glad this has been resolved and no one was seriously injured, but this has still been a major incident.” started Miss Quartz. “Jay, I expect you to file the proper reports on this and make-up for your robots’ mess today.”

“Yes Ma’am!” the Captain saluted, but his tone had the slightest bit of annoyance behind it, aimed at the much too cautious android.

Then Miss Quartz turned toward Yinu and her Mama. “As for Miss Yinu’s transfer, we can continue this another day. I’m sure you would both like to go home and relax after all this nonsense.”

They both nodded. “And Miss Yinu,” she turned her attention specifically to the little girl. “I am willing to overlook today’s events as a simple accident and misunderstanding, but I’m expecting a lot less tomfoolery from you in the future. When your Mama asks you to come back immediately, you do so. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do things by yourself, but you must still obey your Mama, understand?”

Yinu nodded, “I understand.”

“Very good, then everyone move out. There’s a lot to catch up on! Chop chop! I’ll escort you both to the exit.” Miss Quartz clapped as everyone exited the concert hall to return to their respective stations.

As the Captain and Tenten were about to walk away to survey the damage done to the security bots a few floors down (which would certainly have to be deducted from the Captain’s salary), Yinu called out. “Wait, Tenten!”

The robot stopped and turned around to look back at her calling his name. “Go ahead.” said the Captain. With permission, Tenten walked over to Mama carrying Yinu.

“Yes, Miss Yinu?” Tenten asked.

“A little closer.” she said. Tenten took another step forward towards Mama and Yinu.

“Closer!” she laughed. He took a few more steps, enough that he noticed that Mama was getting a little uncomfortable having to look at the robot so closely.

He became so close that his face was only a few inches away from the girl’s face.

“Now turn your head to the left.” his face whirred into place.

“My left.” he whirred again until his left cheek was facing Yinu.

Finally Yinu reached into her pocket and pulled out the extra bandage that she still had from earlier. She applied it to the scuff that was left from the Captain’s slap.

“There, now we match.” she said proudly.

Tenten turned his head back to look at Yinu and the bandage that was stuck to her left cheek too.

“Yes, we do.” he replied as he touched the freshly applied bandage. “Thank you very much Yinu. I hope we can see each other again.” he said.

“You probably will,” started Miss Tatiana. “She’ll be working with us very soon. Once we clear all the paperwork.”

Yinu nodded and smiled. “Yeah! We’ll get to see each other a lot!”

“Yes, hopefully with a little less excitement next time.” said Miss Quartz towards the android. “But right now, it’s time for you two to say good-bye.”

“Okay. Good-bye Tenten.” said Yinu as she waved farewell towards him.

“Good-bye, Miss Yinu.” he waved back and began to walk back to the Captain’s side.

As Mama began leaving with Yinu, the girl let out a small yawn as her sleepiness caught up with her again. “I’m sorry I made you worry Mama.” she said sleepily. Mama kissed Yinu on the forehead again. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Mm-hmm…” Yinu’s eyes started to glaze over until she finally closed them as she nuzzled into her Mama’s warm arms, falling fast asleep.

Meanwhile the android and cyborg walked in relative silence back towards the stairwell to investigate the lower floors.

There was a lot that Jay had to consider about what to do with Tenten. Whether it had good intentions or not, an android that so clearly disobeyed orders did not give the Captain confidence in its current programming. Something would have to be done about this, but until then, there was one question still weighing on Jay’s mind that he wanted answered sooner rather than later.

“Tenten, why did you call me “Papa” earlier?”

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

Several months passed since Yinu had been properly signed onto NSR. She was already raising the ranks in Natura. By next summer it was all but guaranteed that she would take over as the top charter. During such a small amount of time, she had already accomplished much at NSR, but she hadn’t seen Tenten again since she returned. Apparently he had been undergoing maintenance during his upgrade to MK III. She did however learn that Tenten was actually a part of group of other Tentens.

She wondered what that would be like, five different versions of Tenten. Would they all be as nice as the one she’d met before or would they all be a little different. But today she would get to seem them during their new debut. She was excited to meet them again after what felt like forever.

“Yinu, please don’t run in the halls!” Mama called after her trying to match her daughter’s energetic pace.

“I want to seem them Mama! I want to, AH!”

“Yinu!” gasped Mama as she ran over to her side.

Yinu had accidentally collided with someone and fell over. “Ouchies…” she cried, rubbing her forehead. Whoever she hit was unnaturally hard, and metallic. Wait, metallic?

“I’m sorry, are you alright Little Miss?” asked the voice. It was clearly synthetic, but it had a warm and familiar tone.

Yinu looked up to see a robot looking back down at her. Its face a little different than she remembered. It was a lot more human than before, but the glowing white eyes and fancy clothes were a dead giveaway.

“Are you al-”

“Tenten!” Yinu beamed. “I missed you!” she said.

“Oh, but you didn’t miss me. You ran right into me, Doll.” he laughed.

“Huh?” she said slightly confused at this answer. Tenten never really told jokes like that. He smiled back at her, but she thought he would be a little more excited to see her again.

From behind Tenten the Captain appeared.

“What did you bump into this ti- Oh, it’s Miss Yinu again! How are you?” said Jay as the little girl came into his viewing range. “Hello Mr. Jay. I’m well,” replied Yinu a little more formally. She hadn’t gotten to see Neon J. much either since coming back, but the last thing she remembered about him was him yelling at Tenten, so she was still a little frightened of him.

“What happened to Tenten? He’s a little… different now.” she said, looking back up at the white haired robot. Did Tenten even have hair the last time she saw him? She didn’t think so, but it was a little hard to remember everything that happened that day.

“This is the new MK III Tenten!” exclaimed Jay. “He’s a little more natural and a lot more stylish, but he’s still got the same Tenten moves.” he said.

“Yeah, new and improved, Babygirl!” said Tenten with a wink.

“But… do you remember me?” asked Yinu, looking straight into Tenten’s glowing eyes, hoping to find a hint of the answer she wanted to hear. Jay was silent and was about to stop Tenten from saying anything else, but it was already too late. He had improved his reaction time too much:

“I can’t remember someone I’ve never met.”

---------

AN: Originally I wrote a bit more after the last line, and after Jay asking about why Tenten called him "Papa" but neither were going anywhere, so I cut them. If y'all like it though, maybe I'll write about both aftermaths. Fair warning though, neither are going to make this ending any happier.

#nsr #no straight roads #yinu #1010 #white 1010 #yinu's mother #tatiana #neon j #i don't really know how this will factor into any of my canons going forward #I think it's just it's own thing #i don't think anything really needs to be trigger tagged #i dunno... #cw: corporal punishment #cw: parental death #yinu's dad being dead isn't too integral to the story #but it does come up #if you managed to read through this behemoth #let me know if there's anything else i should tag #gbunny writes #fanfic

[aquatic-mycologist]

🐬🎊 WELCOME 🎊🐬

Hi! I finally gave in and made a writing blog 😈 Starting off with this basic info post so everyone knows how I manage myself around here!

First off:

⚠️READ AND RESPECT MY DNI OR YOU'LL BE BLOCKED.⚠️

With that out of the way, here's the ACTUAL info:

📺 I write for:

Inside Job

JJBA (Parts 1 - 6 only (For now!))

Osomatsu-san

Adventures Of Captain Wrongel

Treasure Island (1988)

Yakuza/RGG (Y0 - Y1/YK1 only (For now!))

📓 What I can write:

Headcanons

Scenarios/One shot fics

Matchups

N//S//F//W

Angst

Fluff

Ship content

x Reader

🚫 What I won't write:

N//S//F//W of characters that are minors (No, I won't age them up ♡)

Ship content that fits into my DNI criteria (inc3st, p3do, z00, etc)

Anything that I don't feel comfortable with and I forgot to list here

A bit silly, but I won't write N//S//F//W content for Daigo Dojima from Yakuza! Anything else with him is alright, and there's nothing wrong with this type of content of him! I just personally do not want to write this.

🗡 Characters I won't write for:

⭐ JJBA:

Dario Brando

J.Geil

Angelo

⚗️ Inside Job:

Any characters that are actual IRL people (epsecially Buzz Aldrin) (Keanu COULD be an exception MAYBE)

🐉 Yakuza/RGG:

Futoshi Shimano

Sohei Dojima

Keiji Shibusawa

Matsushige

Kyohei Jingu

Hiroshi Hayashi

Probably some more, but I think they're minor characters so I don't even remember their names. Feel free to ask for any!

I think that should be all for now! GO WILD!! I love writing and I'm here to serve y'all with what I can come up with 🐬💚

#headcanons #headcanon #writing blog #scenarios #imagines #inside job #osomatsu san #aocw #treasure island 1988 #jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jjba headcanons #inside job headcanons #osomatsu san headcanons #oso san #oso sa headcanons #inside job x reader #jjba x reader #oso san x reader #osomatsu san x reader #yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza x reader #yakuza headcanons #ryu ga gotoku x reader #ryu ga gotoku headcanons

[miniimapp]

4*TOWN Meet-Cute ??

Gen. ;; Fluff + the tiniest amounts of angst - Headcanons/Scenarios

Warnings ;; Mild Swearing + Crying + Stressful situations + Semi-Detailed Description of Murder + Brief Mention of Torture ?? (THIS ISN'T AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS I SWEAR !!)

Proofread + edited ;; Yes !! :)

Auth. Note ;; These are pretty long - I got to know the character and my interpretation of each of them as I wrote which was pretty fun but made these so long to write. Enjoy !!

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

Aaron T - Meet-Funny ??

I like to think there were a lot of small instance before y'all went just fuck it, we see each other every day, we're basically besties now

The first probably being at your place of work

You work at a cinema (movie theatre) and your job is to clear up after the movie ends

You absolutely hate when people make huge messes (i'm looking at you entitled parents with messy kids) and then just leave them alongside all of their snacks and drinks on the seats and floor

There's bins on the way out people, you have hands, just please-

T was supposed to watch a movie with the rest of 4*TOWN but those backstabbing motherfucking traitors silly billys ditched him

So now he's sobbing in the back of a semi-lit cinema room (i don't know the word bro please-) by himself, clutching onto an almost empty box of popcorn

Lucky for you, you're tasked with the job of getting T to chill out with the ugly crying and leave so you can finish cleaning up

The movie probably wasn't even sad

Bet it was Zootropolis (Zootopia)

Aaron T is just sitting there, blubbering away, whilst mumbling along to Shakira

As he should, honestly

While you calm him down you also manage to clean up any mess around his seats (the ones the rest of the group were going to be sat in before they decided to ditch poor T)

After you finish your cleaning you guide him out of the showing room (someone please tell me what it's called i beg-)

You're just awkwardly standing outside of the showing room door as he sobs into your shoulder

I mean, wtf do you do in that kind of situation

The amount of looks you got was humiliating

Please-

Just imagine trying to become one with the wall as a grown man ugly cries into your shoulder and people stare at you like you just killed his pet guinea pig (Giles the 4th)

Unfortunately for you, you don't have to imagine - this actually happened

"Uh...there, there...it's okay..."

Eventually T calms down, reduced to the occasional sniffle

He thanks you and shuffles away to who knows where

And that was the last time you ever saw him

At least, it was

Then you saw him again but those are some stories for another day!!

You definitely left that situation with not-so-positive feelings about the ugly crier from row M

But after a day or two to comprehend whatever that was you begin to find the situation a lot more funny

It brings a smile to your face, especially whenever you remember what movie he was watching

Every time you think back on it you find a new element of the situation

The fact he was watching a kids movie all by himself

He was crying whilst whisper-singing Shakira

He had the whole row to himself

And most of the showing room tbh

Overall you're left with fond amusement when you think back on the ugly crier from row M

T on the other hand thought you were some kind of angel fr

Kind of thought it was funny

Someone who stayed with him despite his dramatics ?? An immediate 10

But when he tells the other guys what happened he's immediately shut down

Like,, T didn't even think of half of the things the boys bring up

HE WAS SOBBING ON SOME POOR, RANDOM EMPLOYEE'S SHOULDER WHEN THEY PROBABLY WANTED TO GO ON BREAK

Mans is mortified

Kinda wishing he didn't tell the boys about this one...

Ignorance is bliss after all and he misses that shit fr

T is thankful that you were so patient and kind but he's embarrassed af now and kinda wishes he was swallowed by the Earth

Jesse - Meet-Cute ??

Guess the trend in these meets

Jesse isn't exactly crying when you first meet him but he sure isn't smiling

Nah this man is down an alleyway, clutching his phone to his ear with the strength of 5 bears

Okay but on a serious note

It's early afternoon, around 2:45pm and you're on a mission

There is no milk

You searched the fridge back to front, side to side and...nothing

You even checked the cupboards for that gross powder milk that you add water to but alas, there was none to be found

So now you're going impromptu grocery shopping

So yeah you grabbed the milk you need plus some lollipops and chocolate

so you began your journey back home

Jesse is in a nearby alley on the verge of a breakdown

You see, he has a full schedule - all day rehearsals, band meetings, interviews, etc.

His kids get off school at 3:00pm

And the babysitter he hired just canceled on him

So yeah, forgive the guy if he's not in tip-top shape at the moment

And it's not like he's got a backup because the babysitter was his backup

Originally his ex was supposed to be taking the kids but their car broke down

Which is fine because they let Jesse know ahead of time

THIS BABYSITTER HOWEVER?? NOT SO MUCH

So there's no backup for the backup

And he has an interview in 5 minutes that he can't miss

So of course when you see some poor bloke with his head in his hands sitting in the nastiest alleyway you've ever seen you're a little bit concerned.

Is he homeless? Dying? Just got broken up with? What's his deal?

You're no expert but you're not convinced many homeless people have access to the expensive clothing he's wearing

Dying...well he's breathing but it's not like you can see his face so the options not completely out yet

Best to just check...

You kind of just hover at the entrance of the alleyway for a bit,

Opening up with a "Hey, man, you alright?"

Immediately regretting it because does he look alright??

Wishing you'd never opened your mouth and wanting to disintegrate into nothingness

Jesse looks up at you with the most tired looking eyes you've ever seen

Honestly heart wrenching

You walk the rest of the way down the alley and crouch near him, offering a small smile

You dig around in the plastic bag you were given to transport your goodies + milk and pull out a strawberry-flavoured lollipop

"Here."

Jesse takes it, returning a watery smile and a small "Thanks..."

You ask about what's going on with him and he rambles about the situation which quickly turns into a full-blown rant as he unwraps the lollipop

The thought of offering to pick up his kids enters your mind before you realise just how creepy that would be

Not to worry though because before you can beat yourself up mentally Jesse brings your attention back

By asking you to pick up his kids...

Is this man that desperate or does he just not believe in kidnappers?

Luckily you aren't a kidnapper so it's fine

Anyway, you accept, asking where he'd like you to drop his kids off and when he'd be able to come and meet them

And also where their school is...that's kinda important

Do they have a password so they know whoever's picking them up is safe?

Que panic #2

Seriously this man is not with it today

That's okay

Take your time

But not too much time because these kids need someone to pick them up

"Hey, it's okay, try one question at a time, whichever you have a definite answer to, okay? We're gonna get your kids home safely, don't worry."

Someone get you a medal holy shit-

Once you carefully extract the necessary info from Jesse you make preparations to get the kids

You make it on time, if not a minute or two late

And now you have two very hyper kids on your hands

Looking back on it you feel pretty bad for Jesse

Poor guy has so much on his shoulders; you have this strong, very sudden urge to lift that weight

Strange..

Later on when he collects his kids from you he's the sweetest, most thankful person ever

And now his kids adore you

Probably because you gave them some of your sweets but don't tell Jesse

Are you their new babysitter? They sure hope so!

Overall you find his love for his kids charming and he seems very sweet.

His kids are adorable little terrors but you wouldn't mind seeing them again

He thinks you're amazing - an angel!

Genuinely the kindest person ever-

He worships the ground you walk on basically

Aaron Z - Meet-Ugly to Meet-Cute ??

Oh god please-

You thought this man hated you (for good reason tbh-)

You and Z both attend the same weekend basketball club, they're unimportant games, just for fun y'know ??

Somehow you are always put on opposite teams to each other and this man guns for you every single time without fail

It's beginning to piss you off tbh

Like,, what is his problem ??

Just what did you do to make him so intent on destroying your bones ??

Anyways

It's another weekend and you're hyped for another match, maybe not for Z to attempt murder but for everything besides that !!

Not to be dramatic but one more stunt and you're going to explode

You liked to think you were pretty fair when it comes to things like this,, some people are just competitive but come on !!

This is just targeted now !!

When you get to the sport center you've hyped yourself up for either a battle to the death or a normal game basketball, though either could be considered a battle to death when Z's on the court

That was not a compliment...no one tell him you thought that !!

Please-

ANYWAY

You make your way over to the team listing for the week, scanning for your name...aha !!

Team B

You quickly look over your teammates

And your stomach drops

How...how after all this time

You've been put on the same team as Aaron Z

More like arrogant

On the bright side, at least he won't be gunning for you anymore-

Is what you thought

And you were partially right...

BECAUSE NOW HE'S NOT ACKNOWLEDGING YOU AT ALL

What fresh bs is this-

What is his problem ??

Luckily your other teammates include you when Z isn't hogging the ball

That's it !!

You may not know what his problem with you is but you're going to find out, no matter what it takes

So like any normal, sane person you corner him once he's come out of the changing rooms

Yeah...desperate times call for desperate measures and you are so far beyond that-

Immediately Z is flustered, you can almost feel the sudden heatwaves emanating from his face

"What is your problem? Have I done something to you? What is it?"

The meekest "what?" paired with the widest eyes

You are beyond pissed and fired up-

"Why do you keep acting like a jerk on the court? You always gun for me like I personally killed your grandma and then ate the last of her special cookies and then today you completely ignored me when I was open most of, if not all of the game!"

Deep breath

"So spill. Why do you hate me so much?"

Your interrogations are met with a lot of mumbling as Z desperately avoids eye contact

You raise an eyebrow, "I can't hear you, would you mind upping the volume a bit?"

"...'cause...wan..s..you..."

You sigh and take a step back, noticing how close you'd gotten

"Sorry, but I genuinely cannot hear you, do you mind repeating?"

You notice that Z's trembling and your mind reels

What had you done...

Maybe he was just competitive and didn't realise your perspective

you're a terrible person

"I'm so, so sorr-"

"I WANTED TO IMPRESS YOU!"

what?

Z is huffing and puffing as he calms down, still noticeably shaky and entirely red in the face

"You're good at what you do and I thought...that if I showed off on the court and...y'know... you'd think I was cool..."

As Aaron Z pushes himself through his voice gradually gets smaller and smaller as the embarrassment gets to him

And then he runs away

I'm not kidding

Mans said abort and hit the ground running (didn't make sense not to live for fun-)

Overall I'd say you're fairly shocked and need a few minutes...or days to digest what just happened

And Z is mortified and wants to cease existing

He's seriously contemplating never returning to the weekend basketball meets but don't worry, the boys are making sure he doesn't quit life <3

Once you've recuperated thought it's safe to say you're flustered as anything

Mentally going over ways to talk to Z in the future now that you've found out he's not you're worst enemy

Funny how things happen, isn't it ??

Robaire - Meet-Cute !!

Don't you just hate when your package gets lost or when your mail is delivered to the wrong address?

So does Robaire

He hates that it's been happening for 3 months, even more !!

No matter how hard he tries to contact the companies he buys the packages from or the mail office that's meant to deliver to him, it never gets sorted

And he's kind of running out of options here

And patience

Especially considering the fact that everyone else seems to be getting their mail just fine !!

So what gives ??

Now imagine receiving tons of mail and packages that aren't yours and you didn't order but they don't have return address

Yeah, that's your reality

What do you do with that ??

You've tried locating the original address but try as you might you can't find it

Either Google's been taking some hard drugs or this address is completely locked to the public

But then why are the packages being delivered to you !?

So you do what any person at the end of their patience does and you put out an ad listing some of the mail and packages you've wrongly received, and the beginning of the address.

And, of course, you get plenty of private and public messages reaching out for the lost mail but none of them can seem to finish the address

So the mail remains lost another day

Now imagine Robaire's surprise when an add for his packages pops up on his feed

So obviously he rushing to private message you as fast as humanly possible

His first questions is whether you still have his stuff because damn, that would be frustrating if you'd given it away already

"Hello, yes I do still have all of the packages and mail in my possession, unopened. I completely understand your frustration at this mix-up! However, despite this, I am going to have to ask you to complete the address listed in the ad, I'm sure you understand why. Thank you <3"

Robaire didn't think he'd ever been more thankful for a message in his life, but there we go

Once confirming his full address, Robaire noted that you became a lot more relaxed and informal in your texting style

"Oh thank god !! You have no idea how many fakers have reached out to me so far lolol"

"Really? I'd be offended but I know first hand just how cool those packages are - I bought them!"

"Pfffttttt for sure dude, whatever you say lolol"

"Bet you've got some weird anime merch in there somewhere"

"Why'd you order so much stuff if you knew they weren't delivering any of it to you"

"Kind of just hoped they would in the end, I guess. But turns out I have my package savior so I don't need to hope anymore ;)"

Robaire was having fun talking to you and you were having fun too

It was weird how quickly you clicked considering the circumstances !!

Or maybe that made it less weird, who knows ??

You two chatted back and forth for a while

But eventually you made plans to meet up so you could give Robaire his mail

But the chats didn't end there

Even when one person had to go as soon as they got back you two were continuing the conversation as if it never stopped

Some real sappy shit

And you're surprised to find you two click just as easily in person as you do online (maybe all the chats helped)

Or maybe that's because Robaire is a complete charmer but we can't be sure

You're definitely saved into his phone as "Package Savior <3"

He's saved into yours as "mY pAcKAgeS!!" (read that in the voice of the "my cabbages" guy from avatar, i beg-)

Overall y'all became fast "friends"

Flirtationship before the word was invented y'know ??

Tae Young is convinced it's fate that brought you two together

Robaire doesn't really care if it was fate or a coincidence, he's just glad to have you in his life (aw <3)

Tae Young - Meet-Cute !!

The park near your work was a popular place to go for lunch breaks

Many people liked the peaceful atmosphere of it

Others liked the beauty

You were no exception

You liked that none of your coworkers were anywhere in sight

You were on your lunch break and if anyone disturbed you you'd be going back a felon and they would be going six feet under

Exaggeration ?? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !! No.

You had spent an extra time working whilst Jennifer took her "lunch break" AND SAT READING A MAGAZINE FOR AN HOUR

So yeah, this lunch break was off limits

NO INTERRUPTIONS ALLOWED

But not everyone in the park was as gloomy as you

Tae Young was happily training one of his newest foster doves nearby

He was thinking of naming her Sunny !!

Sunny was probably one of his more nervous rescues but Tae Young knows how to deal with that easily so it wasn't a particular concern of his

That's actually what these training exercises were meant to be helping with;; Tae Young hoped to bring the young dove of her shell

It wasn't the most successful but slow and steady wins the race !!

Speaking of success, your interruption-free lunch break was going amazing, thank you very much

Jennifer is still on your hate list but the soothing atmosphere in the park was helping calm you down

Like,, before you would've tortured her until she begged for death

Now you'd just stab her in the throat and watch her bleed out !!

...it's still progress, okay ??

A sudden, unexpected weight settling on your head dragged you from your murder plot

And the cries of a surprised Tae Young running towards you

You look up at the boy from your seat on the bench, puzzled in every sense of the word

Tae Young dissolved into apologetic babbles about doves and heads and a bunch of things you can't quite catch

"Uh...dude? Mind slowing down?"

Tae Young nods his head so vigorously you're worried it might fall off

"Right, right! So, okay, hmmmm, how to say this...Sunny has sat herself on your head."

Fuckin' pardon ??

"What?"

"Um, Sunny...oh right, Sunny's a dove that I'm fostering, anyway she's a little flighty" Nervous giggle break "Flighty, 'cause she's a bird...not the time, okay, she's, um, landed on your head! She looks quite comfortable actually !!"

"Right...okay...can you get her off?"

Tae Young in his bobble head era fr

"Yeah, I can, I'll have to touch your head though. Is that okay?"

"Sure, man, whatever you need. I just need to get to work and I can't have a bird on my head for that and I'm sure you don't want that either"

"Mhm, it would be best if we could avoid that.."

He says as he scoops Sunny off of your head, tongue poking out because he's that mf

SIKE !!

Sunny simply jumps out of Tae Young's hands and floats back down to your head

"Huh...that's not promising"

No shit, man...

As much as you want to be mad you feel like the chosen one and you can't help but feel fond of the tiny dove

You can't even be mad at Tae Young because he's being so sweet, trying to help you out and being friendly on top of that when you'd kidnapped (??) his dove

Is it kidnapping if the dove is the one who jumps on you without prompting ??

Dovenapping ??

Drawing yourself out of your thoughts you notice Tae Young begin to panic, becoming more frantic in his attempts to get Sunny away from your head

"Y'know what, I'll call my boss, let him know the situation so you can handle this properly without panicking. I'm sure Jennifer can work hard like everyone else for a little while."

And Tae Young visibly deflates in relief much to your satisfaction

"Oh thank goodness, I was worried you were gonna be so mad when I told you it may take longer than I first thought."

You can't help but smile as you surf through your contacts

"No worries, between you and me I've become more attached to Sunny in the past however long it's been than I have ever been to my job"

You send him a quick wink and smile before calling your boss

As your focus moves onto your phone you miss Tae Young's face flaring up in a fierce blush as he begins once again coaxing Sunny off of your head

You get the okay from your boss and start up a conversation with Tae Young as you wait

You two chat about anything and everything as you wait for Sunny to give up the fight

Before you know it 20 minutes have passed

Sunny finally leaves your head and your free !!

Finally !!

"I don't blame Sunny for sitting on you, your head looks very comfortable!"

A little confused but he's got the spirit

You accept the compliment (??)

Not like you'd be able to reject when he has the cutest nervous expression on his face ever

"Y'know, Sunny really likes you so I'm sure she'd like if you came to visit her every now and then."

You crack a smile and pretend to contemplate the offer

"I'd love to come visit little Sunny, I like to think we've established a bond after this. I'd also like to visit her fosterer if that's okay?"

You offer, feeling a boldness that quickly deserts you once you begin talking, leaving you stare anywhere but at Tae Young

You have never seen such a bright smile, seriously it rivalled the sun !!

Tae Young on his bobblehead arc part 3

Everyone leaves this meeting happy and excited to meet again, especially Sunny - you've got a really comfortable head !!

And you do end up visiting

Lots

Endless teasing on Tae's end (poor baby)

Like in Robaire's scenario he absolutely believes it was fate that the two of you met and he thanks Sunny everyday he sees her

It's really sweet actually

"I got you some extra seeds today, I know they're your favourite !! You deserve them for being my guardian angel in disguise !!"

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

Oh my gosh, this took so long,, all this for a dying fandom too *cries*

Hope you enjoyed !! <3

#4town aaron t #4town #4town x reader #4town headcanons #4town aaron t x reader #aaron t #x reader #turning red #4*town #4*town x reader #4*town aaron t #xreader #4town jesse #jesse #4town jesse x reader #4*town jesse #4*town jesse x reader #4town aaron z x reader #4town aaron z #aaron z #4*town aaron z #4*town aaron z x reader #4town robaire #robaire turning red #robaire x reader #4town robaire x reader #4*town robaire #4*town robaire x reader #4town taeyoung #4town imagines

[damonjuicyscock]

Pictures of You-Epilogue (90's Liam Gallagher X Reader)

Pairing: 00's Liam Gallagher X Reader

Warnings: Language (as per usual), angst (Liam being beaten up in Munich d'you know what I mean?), fluff, maybe a few spelling mistakes.

Words: 2141

Summary: You are Oasis's official photographer and Liam Gallagher's wife. The Munich incident happens and Liam 30's are approaching...

A/N: Heya ! Hope you're all doing fine. Here is the Epilogue *Sigh* This fan fic meant a lot to me as I put a part of my illnesses in it. I hope you enjoyed it. I start writing the Noels one, but it won't come yet, so I publish some requested oneshots during at least 2 weeks.

I also decided to establish a new little something. There will now be 3 requested oneshots per month and on the fourth week, there will be one of mine. Also, once per month you'll be able to ask questions, anything you want, I've got nothing to hide ! The first Ask me will start this weekend!

Anyway, enjoy this epilogue, love y'all

(Yes, these are THE pictures from when he got arrested)

2002:

Two years had passed, and Liam was about to turn 30.

We had another son the year before, that we called Gene.

I was my husband’s and sons superhero. Being a mom of two and Oasis’s official photographer at the same time gave me this title.

Noel and Meg had divorced, she claimed that Noel had cheated on her with his new girlfriend, which wasn’t true at all. Noel would never have cheated on her.

I was sad in a way, even if I was still seeing Meg on my side.

After Gene’s birth, I was forced to go to Saint Ann’s again, having a big post-partum depression. And I attempted to my life once again.

But Liam and all my in-law family were a big support, and I got better.

And Liam also was a hero to my eyes, because he managed to take care of a 2 year old toddler and of a 3 months baby.

And as per usual, after a relapse, I was rising for the ashes like a damn phoenix.

But Liam still could act like a kid.

I think you probably heard about Munich 2002. Damn, I hated when things were going like this, but after all, I married a rock star.

December 1st 2002- Munich:

After the gig, while I came back to the hotel, exhausted to take care of my children, Liam, Alan and two of their friends went to party in the nightclub attached to the hotel. Liam started flicking peanuts at the wrong table. The men receiving these peanuts actually were members of a local mafia.

Their leader knocked out two bodyguards with a brass standing ashtray and Liam kept repeating he was just messing around and laughing. But Liam still kept forgetting that his humour wasn’t to everyone’s taste.

These mafia locals were researched by the police and thanks to Liam, this night, they were arrested. But Liam, Alan and their friends also were, because my dear husband decided to assault a police officer who was trying to pull other people apart. Liam was a bit hurt, losing his front teeth in the fight.

I received a phone call at 3am, which woke Gene up and caused him to start crying.

I didn’t answer the phone and went to pick my son. It also woke Lennon up, hearing his brother cry.

Mama…

It’s okay Lennon, I’m taking Gene with me, you can sleep love.

Kiss? He asked, holding out his little arms to me

Of course, sweetie.

I kissed his forehead and caressed his head.

Sleep tight. I said with a smile

I went back to my part of the suite and the phone rang again.

While I was breastfeeding Gene, I answered the call.

Hallo? I tried in German

Hey love, it’s me. I heard Liam say

Liam it’s 3 am. Did you forget your key or? I asked, fed up

Not exactly, I’ve been arrested by the cops, can ye pick me up at the police station please? Bring me chequebook

Oh for fuck’s sake, wat have you done again?

Love, I’d like to chat with ye but I don’t have the fucking time for this shit so just come please. He mumbled

Okay, just give me the time to take the kids to Noel or Maggie and to take a taxi.

I didn’t even listen to what he said next and hang up.

As the band’s manager, Maggie had to come with me. So we went to knock at Noel’s door. When he saw us with Lennon and Gene, he immediately understood.

Oh fer fuck’s sake, what did he do again? He asked, his arms crossed

Got arrested. We’re going to pick them up at the police station.

Them?

Alan got arrested too. Maggie answered

Fer fuck’s sake… Okay, I won’t make any comments ‘bout that. Give me me nephews, ye know I’ll take care of them.

I know, sorry Noely.

It’s not yer fault Y/N.

*

When we arrived at the police station, the police officers did not let us see Liam nor Alan.

Listen guys, I’m Liam Gallagher’s wife, why don’t you let me see him?

We’re waiting for the bloodtest results madam.

What bloodtest?

Madam, your husband is drunk and aggressed one of our colleagues, he broke a lot of furniture, and I can guarantee he was the worst between them all.

How long do we have to wait? Maggie asked

2 or 3 hours.

2 or 3 hours?!

Yes, I’m sorry madam Gallagher. You can take the seats here and a coffee machine is at your disposal.

I sighed.

We waited. I was so exhausted I fell asleep with my head on Maggie’s shoulder.

She woke me up at 6 am.

Y/N, Liam will be free in less than an hour.

Alright.

We have his bloodtest results.

So?

Promise me to remain calm.

Cut the shit and tell me Maggie.

Well, as you already know, he was drunk as fuck. But he also has been tested positive to cocaine.

I’m sorry, what?

Yes, I know Y/N. I know he promised.

He had promised me he had stopped snorting cocaine. He lied to me again. And he would hear about it.

Liam was free 37 minutes after. He approached me, his arms open. I pushed him away.

Do you really think I’m going to let you touch me William? I said dryly

Why are ye so cold?

Seriously?

Huh guys, I’m going to call a taxi. Maggie said, ill at ease when seeing us argue

What’s yer fucking problem Y/N?

Really Liam? The results of your fucking bloodtest!

Oh c’mon Y/N, I was just partying!

Oh so being arrested is partying for you? Is this the model you want to show to our sons?

Oh fuck off, they’ll never know about that!

Because you think our kids are dumb and blind? Don’t you think they see you being high and drunk? Don’t you think they realize it?

Oh shut yer cake’ole Y/N, can’t we just go back to the hotel? I want to fucking sleep.

No Liam. You will sleep, but I’m going back to London and I’m taking the boys with me.

What the fuck are ye saying? Nah, yer staying with me.

No Liam, I can’t. I don’t want you to approach Lennon and Gene as long as you won’t calm down on alcohol and stop cocaine as you promised. You lied to me Liam you betrayed my trusted in you!

C’mon Y/N, I don’t want us to get bad again.

You should have thought about this before Liam.

And what about your job?

I didn’t think about this. I only was thinking about my children.

And what solution do you have?

Help me… Let’s call me mum, she’ll take the boys with her until the end of the tour. But please, don’t leave me.

We can’t call Peggy each time you fuck up. Liam, you’re a father and an adult, you must become responsible.

I know, but one last time, please Y/N.

I thought and sighed.

One last time for this as well Liam. From now on and until you get better, only beers, cigarettes and joints. Nothing else. You have to behave correctly. You might be a rock star, but this rock star is now a husband and a father. And you piss off your wife, kids, brother and band. Time for you to be a cool rockstar.

Already am, me.

I want you to be cooler and better.

*

You may think I had or have high expectations; this isn’t the case. Is wanting to have a healthy relationship, keeping your husband alive the longest time possible and wanting your children to have a clean and responsible father being a high expectation?

For Liam, it wasn’t. He respected everything we talked about, everything I asked after that. I wasn’t spying him if that’s what you’re wondering. He just loved us enough.

His 30th birthday was quickly approaching. I had no idea of what I could do.

But I had his gift. A 10-year-old gift.

Some kind of rewind.

September 21st 2002- London:

For the first time, Liam wanted to spend his birthday at home. He would be absent for an hour or two at 6pm to have a beer with his friends but would come back home early.

I was nervous at the idea of giving him this 10 years old gift.

Wine? No. A child? What the fuck! 10 albums full of pictures I took the past 10 years? Yes. My work compiled in 10 albums, one for each year.

10 albums that would have seen our story grow, like us.

When he arrived, a big box wrapped in gift wrap was waiting for him on the table.

Wow, what the fuck is that?

Your birthday gift. Happy birthday darling.

I don’t know what he was waiting for because he kept staring at it, as if he was in shock.

Are you going to stay like this or are you going to open it?

Oh yea, soz.

He sat and tore of the wrapping paper. He opened the box.

Huh… thank you? I don’t like to read ye know that.

I rolled my eyes.

Open the said first book before speaking you twat.

He opened the book, reading the first page, which was corresponding to my inscription.

“My dear love, 10 albums for the 10 years we’ve been going through. 10 years of laugh, cries and…pictures of you. And the band, of course. But here it’s just you. You and me. You and me and Lennon. You and me and Lennon and Gene. Yeah, I quoted a The Cure song… on purpose. I find it very accurate to define us and the past 10 years. Happy birthday Liam.”

He flipped through the next few pages, taking care to observe each picture. The 1992 album, then the following ones.

I saw him wipe a few tears from time to time and laughed for some pictures.

And when he arrived at the end of the last album, he read the few sentences I wrote.

“Once upon a time, you made me listen to a very beautiful song where you seemed to tell me “Stand by me, nobody knows the way it’s gonna be.” And today, I can myself answer after my works that…

I've been looking so long at these pictures of you That I almost believe that they're real I've been living so long with my pictures of you That I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel

Remembering you standing quiet in the rain As I ran to your heart to be near And we kissed as the sky fell in, holding you close How I always held close in your fear Remembering you running soft through the night You were bigger and brighter and wider than snow You screamed at the make-believe, screamed at the sky And you finally found all your courage to let it all go

Remembering you, fallen into my arms Crying for the death of your heart You were stone white, so delicate Lost in the cold You were always so lost in the dark Remembering you how you used to be Slow drowned, you were angels So much more than everything Hold for the last time then slip away quietly Open my eyes, but I never see anything

If only I'd thought of the right words I could have held on to your heart If only I'd thought of the right words I wouldn't be breaking apart all my pictures of you

Looking so long at these pictures of you But I never hold on to your heart Looking so long for the words to be true But always just breaking apart My pictures of you

There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more Than to feel you deep in my heart There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more Than to never feel the breaking apart My pictures of you”

Liam came to me and held me tight, sobbing.

Thank ye Y/N, this is the greatest and the best gift someone has ever made for me and offered me.

I love you Li’

Oh how I fucking love you too.

These are my favourite things in the world.

Wot?

You, our family, my job, and my pictures of you.

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