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thewafflekingdom · 1 year

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Keeping Touch - HinaYachi

Part of her was afraid she would lose touch with the boys after graduation, just as she had lost touch with some of her upperclassmen. And it was only exacerbated when it came to light that none of them would be going to the same university, much less near the same cities.

She messaged them often during the summer break, usually in the hopes of setting up a hangout with them, and she found herself gently rejected each time.

Kageyama had much to prepare for, so she wasn't surprised there.

But Hinata?

“I'm sorry, Yachi-san,” he murmured softly over the phone – his voice wobbly and sincere. “I can't right now.”

It wasn't as if she didn't have a lot to do, either. Her university of choice would be a bit of a drive from home, so she had a lot to think about in terms of housing. Join the dorm waitlist or tough out the commute? If she got into the dorms, she would need to think about bedding, what clothing she'd take with her, and also maybe figure out if she had any pet peeves about anything. She'd heard much about nightmare roommates.

But there was more than that.

Her major? Finding a job on campus or nearby to pay for food? Her mom wouldn't cover everything.

But through all that, she felt her heart twist and tug at the thought of not getting to say a proper goodbye to either of them. She lied in bed staring at the ceiling at the end of the day, tears welling in her eyes, and wondered if they could really be that busy.

And then of course she began wondering if maybe she had imagined them being a lot closer than they were.

Yachi devolved into typing out messages to the boys – long, emotional, even vengeful messages – and then slowly deleting them before she could work up the courage to send them.

It's okay, she wants to tell them. We don't have to see each other right now.

I just miss you.

She felt herself sob a little, so she had to put away her phone before she couldn't take it anymore.

.x.

It was the week before she was supposed to leave, finally deciding to move forward with the dorms – after all, staying at home would only further twist the knife – when she finally received the message she had been waiting for.

Do you have time today?

Her heart felt like it was going to burst. She had to quickly remind herself that she should be angry. There was absolutely no reason why this message should be making her as happy as it was.

You blow me off for weeks , she felt like responding, and all of a sudden you want to meet up??

No. There was no reason to be scornful. Hinata was doing just a touch better than Kageyama was at this point, after all.

They agreed to meet at the park. Maybe grab a bite to eat from there.

Yachi had packed her things already, so all she had left were her dressiest dresses. It had been weeks after all. Maybe getting dolled up for once wouldn't be a terrible idea. It wouldn't make any difference to Hinata.

She showered, applied her favorite perfume, and sat down to smear some makeup on. It took a few several tries before she wiped everything off and settled on curling her lashes, applying mascara, and dabbing her lips in a pink gloss.

“Okay,” she said. “Stop it. You're extremely overdressed.”

The dress was one she had considered for her graduation. She'd worn it out on family dinners before. It was a starchy, sunny yellow fabric with bows on the shoulders. The skirt fell to her knees, and the waist was cinched modestly with a thin belt. On the way out, she decided to add a white cardigan to hide her shoulders.

For some reason, that felt like a step too far, allowing him to see just that much more skin.

The whole way there – walk, subway ride, walk some more – she reined in her heart rate and steadied her breathing. Just last month, seeing Hinata would never have elicited such a reaction from her. It wasn't as if he had changed since then.

“Seriously,” she mumbled to herself as she stepped out of the station and into the warm glow of sunset. “Relax.”

At last the park came into view. She checked her phone as she waited at the stoplight, but couldn't yet ascertain if he'd made it or not. Would he already be waiting for her at some park bench?

Hinata lived on the other side of town. The outskirts, really, where there were more houses than shops. She'd always wondered what his house looked like, and if it was as warm as he was.

Or as loud.

The park was fully in use. Children ran and played, dogs were walked, and a group of people in jumpsuits stretched and danced in a clearing. Yachi wandered around, clutching her phone, and glanced at every single person she passed.

“Yachi-san,” she heard him murmur from behind her.

She whirled around, nearly dropping her phone in the process.

Hinata stood some paces away, hands stuffed into the pockets of a red hoodie. He gave a half smile, and she felt her heart squeeze again.

Of course he didn't look any different than usual. He wore a pair of black joggers, his old, scuffed up sneakers, and his hair had the exact same cowlick it always had. He reached up now to rub at that cowlick anxiously, and she became aware that she was staring now.

“Hinata-kun,” she said, smiling. “How have you been?”

“Good,” he said, pocketing his hand again. “More or less.”

More or less?

“Wanna walk?” he asked, before she could say anything in response.

“Oh, sure!”

He led them down the sidewalk, in the direction she'd been heading before. “How have you been?” he asked, while she tucked her phone back into her bag.

“Busy, busy,” she said, wiping her hands dry of her sweat. “My semester starts soon so I'm getting ready to move.”

“Move?”

“I'm gonna dorm there,” she explained, somewhat surprised she hadn't mentioned it to him before. Though it could have been because she was angry with him. “It's just too far of a commute, you know?”

“Makes sense,” he said thoughtfully. After a moment of awkward silence, he asked, “Won't you be homesick?”

“Of course I will,” she said with a shrug. “But you have to do what you have to do, right?”

He grew quiet at that.

After a couple of slow laps around the park, he finally suggested grabbing lunch at a nearby sandwich shop.

Yachi mulled over the options as they stood in line – deciding and then re-deciding the closer they got to the front – and he remained pensive beside her. “What are you getting?” she asked, attempting to get a better feel of her appetite.

Or maybe just trying to settle the anxiety his silence was causing her.

“Uh, Italian,” he said absently, checking his phone.

She fidgeted with her sleeve nervously. “...Maybe I'll get the same.”

“It sounds good.”

Yachi then spent the remainder of their time in line agonizing over that. Why was his detachment making her feel as if she was swallowing sand? And why was he acting like this? As if he really, truly, wanted to be anywhere but here?

He placed his order, then turned to her and said, “I'll get yours, too. You wanted the same thing?”

“Oh,” she croaked, surprised. “Oh, it's okay, Hina—”

“No, it's okay. I got it.”

“Um,” she mumbled, clearing her throat. “Yeah. Same as you.”

“Something to drink?”

“Just water. Thank you.”

He handed her the water cup and led her to the soda fountain. Then he proceeded to wait for her to fill her cup before leading her over to a clear booth next to a window. “Wanna sit here?”

“O – Okay.”

They sat across one another, and he sipped and sipped at his water until he had to get back up to refill it. By that point, their order was being called, so he collected their sandwiches on the way back.

He placed the tray between them and took his seat again.

She didn't unwrap her sandwich until he did. At this point, she found she didn't have much of an appetite.

“So...what have you been up to?” she asked at last, watching him scarf down his food as if he hadn't eaten all day. “Aside from preparing for university.”

He set his cup down and examined it for a second, as if he hadn't heard her. Just when she thought he wasn't going to answer her, he said, “I've been doing some thinking about my future. And researching.”

She folded back the wrapper of her sandwich thoughtfully. “Researching?”

He swallowed dryly, not looking at her. “I've... I think I know now that I want to do volleyball for the rest of my life. Or...at least that I wanna do it for as long as I can. So I don't know if wasting any more time at school is really gonna do me any good.”

“Wasting?” Yachi choked out.

“I know,” he mumbled, visibly ashamed. “It's not actually a waste, and I really should continue. But... But what good will it do? It's not as if spending all my time in a classroom or in libraries studying is gonna help me improve.”

“Hinata-kun...” she began, and he held up a hand.

“I've already decided. I'm going to join a team, and I'm going to improve.”

Yachi grew quiet, and after a few minutes, Hinata continued eating. At a much more reasonable pace.

She did the same.

.x.

“So, if you've already decided,” Yachi said as they walked, cradling her wrapped half sandwich in the crook of her arm, “have you also decided where you're going?”

Hinata had stuffed his hands back in his pockets, and he took a few minutes to respond. It wasn't until they were standing at some empty corner, where the light had not yet turned, that he said, “I'm going to Brazil, Yachi-san.”

All the air left her lungs. “What ?”

He swallowed visibly. His eyes tightened. “I'm sorry I'm telling you now.”

Yachi thought about these past few weeks. These past couple of months. The lead up to their graduation, all those promises to stay in contact, and then the radio silence. She had half-expected it from Kageyama, who had never seemed exceptionally attached to anyone except Hinata, but not Hinata. And she thought about that, too. The days she spent staring at her phone, and how his one-word responses had cut away at her like knives, and how she kept making excuses for him. He had to be busy prepping for school. He had to be just as busy as she was.

All this time. All this time missing him, and practicing restraint, reminding herself that he had a whole future to prepare for and that he would make time enough soon.

And of course, even if he went to school in a different town, they would see each other. Just like she saw all the rest of them. Just like how she sometimes met up with Tanaka, or Shimuzu, or –

“How long have you known this, Hinata-kun?” she mumbled.

He had been moving to cross the street, but when she stayed where she was, he turned to her. His eyes widened a little, and then he couldn't look at her.

“Hinata,” she said. “Have you known this whole time?”

Some questions shouldn't be asked, she realized now. Some questions didn't need an answer.

They just hurt too much.

“Sort of.”

Yachi squeezed her eyes shut, and with it came tears. Ugly, unreasonable tears. She went to cover her face, but the sandwich was there, and before she could throw it in frustration, Hinata was there also.

“Yachi-san,” he whispered softly, hands on her shoulders.

He wasn't so much bigger than her, but he bowed into her space to catch her eyes and it felt like too much. She turned her head away, clutching at the stupid sandwich and seeking some way out of all this. Some way home, where she can curl up into herself and wait for next Sunday to come. So she can leave. So she can get started on her new life and never think about this person again.

She could do it. She could really do it.

“Yachi-san,” he said again, and this time his hands fit themselves to her face, steering her back to him so that she'd look him in the eye. “I meant that I'd been thinking about not going to college for a while, but Brazil...this was a spur of the moment – ”

“Then why did you – why did you blow me off this whole time?” she squeaked. She felt her face flush at the petulant sound of her own voice, and she tried again to turn away from him.

He was, of course, much stronger than he looked. He didn't allow an inch. “I... I thought it would be best.”

“Best?” she asked. “ Best? For who?”

He swallowed again. “For you, Yachi-san.”

Her hands curled around his wrists, staring, bewildered, at him. It wasn't until his lashes fluttered, second-thinking himself, that it dawned on her. She twisted out of his grasp. “Were you not going to tell me?” she asked, stepping back. “Were you – Were you just going to ship off to Brazil and never tell me?”

“I was going to tell you,” he protested, and then ducked to pick up the sandwich from the ground, where she'd apparently dropped it. “I – I swear. I just. I didn't want to distract you. You have so much ahead of you and you worked so hard on me and Kageyama and we – we – we just didn't end up... We weren't...”

He fell silent, again. She waited a second, before reaching for the sandwich.

He didn't let it go.

“I didn't want you to worry yourself over me. You needed to focus on getting ready for school.”

Yachi sniffled. She understood what he was trying to say. If she had known any sooner, she wouldn't have been able to focus.

Would she have spent all of her time trying to convince him not to go? For what? For him to stay in Japan, miserable at some school he never wanted to attend, just so that she could see him sometimes?

Or would she have spent all her time with him, trying to make up for the time they were about to lose?

It no longer mattered. This Sunday, she would be moving to a whole other city, and her semester would promptly begin the following week. And Hinata would be leaving the country entirely.

When would they have seen each other next, anyway?

Yachi found herself stepping into him, weaving her arms underneath his. Hinata pulled her even closer, without hesitation.

They've hugged before, of course. But this felt different somehow.

She squeezed him, and he squeezed her right back, even tighter. Her face tucked into his shoulder, and she became aware for the first time of the way he smelled. All the times before, post matches or post training, he smelled sweaty and boyish and hot. But now he smelled like soap, and the onions from their sandwiches, and the evening sun.

A small sob left her, suddenly realizing that there was a lot about Hinata she didn't know. It was the sorts of things you learned with time, with intimacy. What brand was his soap? Was it his favorite? Did he wake up early today for his usual jog? Would he keep doing so in Brazil?

And how was he going to move to Brazil and not know a word of Portuguese?

For one wild, irrational moment, Yachi suddenly wished she knew how to speak Portuguese, just so that she could teach him how to speak it. Just one last thing to teach him, before he left for good.

“How long will you be gone?” she mumbled, and squeezed her eyes shut when he rubbed a hand gently across her upper back.

“A while,” he murmured.

“Will you write me?” she asked meekly.

He gave a small laugh as he pulled away to look at her. It was then she remembered that they were out in public, and she was grateful that for some reason, nobody else wanted to be on this corner.

His hands landed back onto her shoulders.

“Wouldn't it be faster to just send an email?” he asked, smiling. “Letters are outdated.”

“Letters are cool,” she protested. “Something to look forward to.”

“They take so much time.”

“Because you have to think them through,” she said softly. “You can't waste a single line. You can't redo them once they’re written.”

“You can redo them tons of times,” he shook his head. “Am I hearing you right? You want them handwritten, too?”

“Of course I do. That way you won't forget everything I've taught you. You're going to be learning a whole different language, after all.”

He hung his head. “Right.”

“You'll write me?”

“I'll write. But also, I'll call. It'll be faster.”

“And expensive.”

“Oh... Right.”

“I'll miss you,” she said.

“I'll miss you, too,” he replied, before pulling her into another hug.

.x.

The first letter came a month later, and then another the month after that.

Hinata messaged often, and called whenever he had the chance. But he continued to write as promised, even going as far as attaching photo printouts. She kept them in a shoe box. The one time she decided to pin up a photo of him, her roommate asked, “Your boyfriend?”

“My best friend,” she corrected.

It gets lonely out here, he wrote at first. And the climate is so different. But the people are nice, and the beaches are beautiful.

She pinned the photo he took of it for her.

I'm glad I did this. And I'm glad you're doing good, too.

“You're more evocative in your letters than over the phone,” she commented one day.

“What's that mean? ” he asked, his voice cracking a little. After a pause he said, “Oh, okay. Okay. Maybe? ”

“You looked it up?”

“ I...had to. ”

Hinata talked about all the new people he was meeting, all the new food he was trying, and of course how much he loved volleyball. He lit up when he talked about it, or at least she imagined he did. Over the phone, it was all about the feeling of playing. The rush he got from it, even now, even months after high school. But in his letters, he went into depth about the things he was learning. New tactics, re-evaluating the game play, and everything in between.

“ Also Oikawa was here? From Aoba Josai, remember him? ”

“Of course I remember him. Small world. What was he doing there?”

“Hanging out, I guess.”

“Uh-huh. That follows.”

“Follows what? ”

.x.

Naturally things petered out somewhere around the one-year mark. Yachi was immersed in her courses, somewhere on the brink of re-deciding her future once again, and when break rolled around, in the spring, she thought about asking him: “So...when are you coming back, again?”

She assumed it would be too expensive for him to travel back just for a few weeks, so she decided against asking at all.

“Any other familiar faces lately?” she asked him, when their conversation lulled into silence.

“Surprisingly, no,” he said, which wasn't surprising at all. “Have you seen anyone lately? ”

“From Karasuno?” she asked needlessly. “Tanaka is really good about keeping touch for some reason. He visited a couple of weeks ago.”

“ Ah, I miss Ryuu... ”

She smiled. “He misses you, too.”

“Noya?”

“He calls. So does Yamaguchi. And Shimizu, I saw her recently, too.”

“Kageyama ?”

She tapped her fingers against her knee anxiously. “No. I haven't seen him...in a while.”

“Jerk.”

She gave a shaky smile. “It's okay. He's really busy. He checks in sometimes.”

Hinata went quiet for a few moments, and she could hear the sounds of dishes being washed. The good thing was that the time zones weren't so different. Hinata was either preparing dinner, or cleaning up after dinner.

“Are you busy? I can let you – ”

“ No, I'm... Well, I wanted to tell you so that we don't run into the same problem as before ,” he said, shutting off the water. “ I'm planning on staying another year. Then I wanna... Then I'll come back. ”

Her breath hitched.

Another year.

“That... That's good. I know you're having a lot of fun.”

“It's more than that,” he protested. “I'm learning a lot, Yachi-san. I've grown so much. I think it'd be really good for me.”

She nodded, eyes wet, but she wiped them away and cleared her throat. “I think so, too, Hinata-kun. You have to do what's best for you.”

“Are you excited for another year?” he asked, maybe to change the subject.

.x.

Between classwork and projects and part-time work, she didn't really have time to dwell on much else. The weekly phone calls turned to every other week, and the letters came few and far between.

But they came. Less often, and in sporadic lengths, with random items included, but they came all the same. Sometimes photos, sometimes recipes he'd become fond of. It depended on how much time he had at any given moment.

Her birthday rolled around, and he called as he always did, but that day she also received a package. Which explained why he nervously said, “I hope it got there on time...”

In retrospect, it was pretty obvious what he meant.

She sliced the package open, which was wrapped in several layers of tape and postage, and sat on the floor of her dorm room carefully bunching up and setting aside the trash she was accumulating in the process. Inside was a sort of self-care package. Or it had to be. She couldn't make much sense of any of it.

There were several objects stuffed inside, with some half-attempt at organization.

Topping the stack were several packets of what looked like candy. She couldn't read any of the writing, so she spent some time typing in the brand names into her phone to translate to herself. Chocolate, mostly, but also gummies of some sort. Guava flavored, tamarind, strawberry. She hesitated, but unwrapped one to taste.

Her face scrunched. Very sour. Maybe an acquired taste.

She set it aside for later.

Next it appeared he sent her some perfume samples. Maybe to get past customs. She took a little time sniffing and sampling them.

Some colorful, scented candles. Some fluffy, pink slippers. A couple of cute spiral notebooks with matching pens. And at the bottom, folded carefully, was a beautiful knitted quilt. It was colorful, and exceptionally made. Maybe by hand?

She stood to unfold it to its full size, admiring it, then brought it closer to feel the fabric against her cheek.

With a start, she realized it smelled just like his soap. The very one she noticed when they hugged.

Before she could help it, she buried her face into the quilt and breathed in.

Seven more months, and he'd be home for good. Or at least for a while.

Hinata spoke about his future in terms of immediacy . He talked about coming back, sure, and all the things he'd do once he's here. But what about after that? What about the year after next? And the year after that ?

She folded the blanket across the foot of her bed with a sigh.

I just got it , she messaged him. Thank you. I love everything.

His answer was immediate: Ahh that's good! I was worried it wouldn't arrive on time!

She tucked everything away, and that night she slept under the quilt, wondering if he'd used it, too.

.x.

These last few months, it finally occurred to her that she'd been moving through her required courses with the same conviction one would their nightly skincare routine.

She had to do it, but she didn't really want to.

As of late she'd been working part-time at her mother's company, and with time she fell into a routine she was beginning to really like. She had asked her mother before how she had chosen this career path. Her mother was still so young, and was younger still when she had decided this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

“I picked and I chose,” her mother said simply.

It can't be that easy. How could it be that easy?

But maybe it really was. Maybe she'd been overthinking it this whole time.

Sure, she had tons of friends that had made it these past couple of years and realized they had no idea what they were doing, so they restarted or decided to take a break or had meltdowns in the middle of the library and then decided they were overthinking it, too. And sure, she might have had a few connections to career paths that they didn't, and she tried not to overthink this, but sometimes this wasn't the blessing that it appeared to be. Sometimes people ended up in places they didn't want to be, because they wanted to make their parents happy –

All this to say, Yachi realized that she was happy going into work right now. And this might not be a forever thing, but what was?

“Sometimes you pick and you choose wrong,” her mother told her. “You're only nineteen, Hitoka, dear. You have time. It'll be okay.”

Yeah.

She had time.

.x.

Hinata greeted her with a hug. Somehow even tighter than the one he'd said goodbye with.

He squeezed her into him, and she could only squeeze back.

“ Hinata-kun ,” she mumbled, so softly it was almost a breath. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket, and he smelled so different. And he was just a little taller than the last time she saw him. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she sniffled, tucking herself against his shoulder.

“Thanks for making time for me,” he said, rubbing at her back.

“Are you kidding?” she asked, as they pulled away from one another.

Hinata had arrived the other day. She was surprised he hadn't decided to spend more time with his family. But of course, he wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon.

He assured as much now, taking her hands and squeezing them gently.

“You've basically been my paypal this entire time, you know?”

“It's pen pal, Hinata-kun,” she laughed.

His face reddened. “Oh.”

“Are you hungry?” she asked, squeezing his hands to regain his attention.

“I'm always hungry.”

There was a good spot within walking distance. She'd met him at the subway station, carrying a little gift bag with all of his favorite snacks.

“Oh, I could kiss you right now,” he'd said to her, as he rifled through the contents of the bag.

She blushed happily. “The snacks you sent me were pretty good.”

“Nothing compares to these bad boys,” he said, popping open some bag eagerly.

The waitress greeted them with a brilliant smile. “Just two tonight?” she asked as the door swung shut behind them.

“Yup,” he chirped.

She led them to a cozy booth. “Take your time, alright?”

“So what's the plan now?” she asked him, scanning the menu.

“I'm thinking combo number two,” he murmured, holding the menu up to his face. “Seems like the best bang for your buck.”

She laughed again. “No, I meant for your future.”

He rubbed his forehead, laughing. “I must still have jet lag.”

“No, to be fair, I keep accidentally not giving you context.” She looked at her own menu. “Combo number two sounds good to me, too.”

The waitress returned to take their orders, beaming at them as she made small talk. “Are we out on a date of some kind?”

“Sort of,” Hinata replied, without seeming to think about it.

The waitress clapped her hands. “ Wonderful . You two make such a cute pair. Would you like to start with an appetizer?”

Yachi stared at Hinata, bewildered.

“Do you like wings, Yachi-san?” he asked, still looking at the menu. Unbothered. Maybe even unaware.

She stuttered, struggling to ignore the weird feeling starting up in her middle all of a sudden. “Um – yeah – I. I'll eat wings.”

“Buffalo?”

“S – Sure...”

“Excellent,” the waitress smiled, glancing between them with an expression that made Yachi's heart rate pick up. “Be right back.”

“ Hinata! ” she hissed at him, as he gulped down the glass of water the waitress had placed before him.

“What?” he asked, wiping his mouth with his wrist.

“You just told her we're on a date!”

“Did I?” He took up the glass again to drink some more. “I mean, a hang out is kind of like a date. But between friends.”

“That's not accurate at all! A date is a date.”

“I mean, I guess it's dependent on what you mean.”

“A date is...” she trailed off anxiously. “Like, a nice dinner and a movie. Holding hands and stuff.”

“Sometimes we hold hands.”

“When you're leading me around places, yeah,” she laughed, rolling her eyes.

“Same difference, no?”

“Absolutely not.”

The waitress placed the basket of wings between them. “Need a refill there?”

“Thank you.” He leaned back to let her pour from the pitcher. It wasn't until the waitress disappeared again that he said, “I guess I wasn't really paying attention. But it doesn't matter if she thinks that, right? Two people out to dinner, and you look pretty. And I'm wearing a new jacket.”

She looked down at herself. She was wearing a cozy knitted long-sleeve and a pair of comfy jeans.

Pretty?

He twisted to look behind him. More customers were beginning to trickle in, filling the space with noise.

“It's a popular spot,” Yachi said, when he straightened.

He took a wing. “Do you come here a lot?”

“No,” she admitted, folding her arms on the table. “I... I've been here a couple of times. The first time I actually was on a date.”

He started, almost dropping the wing. “Really?”

“Once. The first and only...so far.”

“Well, this is the second,” he said plainly, looking rather serious.

“Uh-huh,” she said, smiling again. “Right. Well, on this date, he ordered wings, too.”

He placed the half-eaten wing back into the basket. “I'll send these back.”

“No, you won't,” she scoffed, still smiling.

He lifted his hand, whose fingers were still covered in buffalo sauce, and opened his mouth to call the waitress over.

Yachi stole forward and grabbed at his hand. “Hinata-kun! Stop that!”

“When did this date happen?” he asked, grinning now. “Where did you meet the guy?”

“He was a mutual friend. Or a friend of a friend. They set us up because we were in the same major, and he happened to be about the same age, I guess. He was nice,” she sighed. “This was... I don't know, a little over a year ago?”

“You never told me?” he asked, folding his arms. He almost looked hurt.

“It wasn't worth telling,” she said. “He brought me here, and the food was good. But he just wasn't...it. We had nothing in common aside from the courses we were taking and maybe a couple of shows we liked. He talked over me. He definitely thought he was smarter than me...”

“Smarter than you? ” His chin landed in his palm, staring openly now. “No one's smarter than you, Yachi-san.”

“I don't know about that...”

“Here we go!” The waitress appeared, balancing their orders on a tray. “Hope you're hungry!”

Hinata dug in immediately, almost as soon as the plate was in front of him. His appetite had always been impressive. She wondered suddenly if he'd gone for a jog this morning.

She chewed mechanically, staring down at her plate.

It didn't take very long before he asked, “You okay?”

“I'm okay,” she said, tapping the ends of her chopsticks against the plate. “Well. Actually, I wanted to ask you something... I've been wanting to ask for a very long time. Ever since you left.”

“What?”

“How did you know that you wanted to go to Brazil?” She leaned forward, and so did he. Watching her with rapt attention. “That's such a huge step. You left everything and everyone behind on a feeling, right? That this would be the right move for you?”

“More or less...” he murmured, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“It was...on a whim, right?”

Hinata shrugged, deciding if that was the right word. “I guess you can say that. I did a little research leading up to graduation. And I asked some of the older guys. You know, like, what they would have done if they were in my shoes. It led me to Brazil, and I didn't have anything to lose.”

“But that was it?”

“I guess it's hard to explain,” he muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yachi – you. You're so smart, and so talented. And driven, and organized. You have so much going for you, and your hobbies aren't...”

“All-consuming?” she filled in.

“Yeah. They don't consume you.”

She smiled.

“I – I needed to do this, Yachi-san. I had no choice. I had to get better. I had to. It would have killed me if I hadn't even tried.”

Yachi thought maybe she wouldn't understand. She had hobbies, of course.

None she would leave the country for, though.

“Weren't you scared?” she asked.

“Yeah, I was pretty scared,” he said. “But that's usually my sign that it's a good idea, you know?”

“Oh, Hinata-kun,” she said, barely stifling her laughter. “That's so bad.”

He laughed into his bite of food. “Yeah, probably.”

.x.

He carried her leftovers on the way back to the station, and as he did, he joked, “Do you have time for a movie? We can make it a proper date.”

“I definitely do not,” she said. “But neither do you. You look tired.”

“I'm never tired.”

He probably wasn't lying.

“Maybe next time,” she sighed.

Because there would be a next time. He promised he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon and Hinata, she’s learned, always kept his promises.

“I’ll hold you to it.”

.x.

Note: Also posted on A03, here's link.

#hinayachi #fanfic #hq #haikyū!!#hinata x yachi #my-fanfic

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yeehawpim · 8 months

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a comic about fix-it fanfics

#original comic #fanfic #fix it fic #fandom #dr who #bbc sherlock #avengers #my comic #my art #been thinking about the truly dumb amount of time I've spent reading fanfic #i started writing fix-it fic like a couple months ago and I Get It #teenage pim was a dumbass

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i-will-write · 8 months

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#writers #writing #ao3 #writer #writers woes #fanfiction #writers meme #fanfic #writer memes #daydreaming #daydreaming in front of my open laptop

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monsoon-of-art · 10 months

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#I'm serious stop doing it #theyre scraping fanfics and other authors writing #'oh but i wanna rp with my favs' then learn to write #studios wanna use ai to put writers AND artists out of business stop feeding the fucking machine!!!!

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airlocksandaviaries · 1 year

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2 genres of fanfiction:

1) put that guy into situations

2) take that guy OUT of situations for the love of GOD let them REST

#guy is genderneutral btw #blorbo from my shows #fanfiction writing #fanfic memes #my bullshit #writeblr

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pixiemage · 7 months

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Please, for the love of god, please don’t be this person. No matter how long it’s been since an update, no matter how many unfinished stories are sitting on their account, no matter what - do not be this person.

Not only is it insanely rude, but you also do more damage than you think be being such a self-entitled ass about something someone created for free and for fun. “This author” can see what you say.

RIP decency indeed.

#Archive of our Own #Ao3 #Ao3 Comments #Writing #Fanfiction #Fanfic Writing #I wrote over 100k on that fic before burnout took hold #I poured my heart into what I did manage to finish #adhd’s a bitch that doesn’t always let me write what I want to write but I got that far #don’t make me feel ashamed because you didn’t get to see the ending

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sanguinarysanguinity · 7 months

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Expanding a thought from a conversation this morning:

In general, I think "Is X out-of-character?" is not a terribly useful question for a writer. It shuts down possibility, and interesting directions you could take a character.

A better question, I believe, is "What would it take for Character to do X?" What extremity would she find herself in, where X starts to look like a good idea? What loyalties or fears leave him with X as his only option? THAT'S where a potentially interesting story lies.

In practice, I find that you can often justify much more from a character than you initially dreamed you could: some of my best stories come from "What might drive Character to do [thing he would never do]?" As long as you make it clear to the reader what the hell pushed your character to this point, you've got the seed of a compelling story on your hands.

#writing #writing advice #my writing #I think 'ooc' is a bogeyman that casts too big a shadow for fanfic writers #stop thinking 'is this ooc?'#and start thinking 'have I given this character a good enough reason to do the thing?'

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live-from-flaturn · 1 year

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"But you already wrote that trope."

#fanfic #fanfiction #fanfics #fanfic culture #tropes #fanfic tropes #its my blorbo and he'll suffer how I want him to #blorbo disc horse #fanfic meme #fanfic author shitpost #writing meme

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redactedrem · 19 days

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Headcanon where after so many arguments between the batkids and Bruce over his paranoia and complete disregard for his kids privacy, the entire family had compromised with (in the healthiest way possible) downloading life360 on their phones and that's how they all keep track of each other.

Now Bruce knew that this is mostly for his benefit and is supposed to be a healthy alternative for his unhealthy paranoia and helicopter parenting, but what he wasn't expecting was for his kids to start keeping track of him.

He's putting gas in his car and Dick calls him because apparently Dick has been watching him drive around on the app? And Bruce is currently at a gas station thats right around the corner from a Taco Bell and now Dick wants him to get food for everyone since he's already there.

He's driving home from a meeting and Steph calls him because her and Duke were shopping in the area and wants to know if he can pick them up, when he asks how she knew he was on the same street, he gets a "Oh I just like to stalk everyone on the app for funsies." as an answer.

Jason calls him and he can barely get out a hello before Jason cuts him off, "Bruce why the fuck is your phone battery on 5%, charge your damn phone" which completely stuns him because why does he know that. He clears his throat before answering. "Jason, what?"

"Everyone can see each others phone batteries on '360, now charge your phone." Is all he gets before Jason hangs up on him.

#I have more ideas in my head #but I didn't want to make the post too long #might repost later #might write a small fanfic off of this #I actually don't have life360 but my friend does and I'm basing this off of how she interacts with her mom #batfamily #batfam #headcanon #dick grayson #nightwing #bruce wayne #batman #jason todd #red hood #tim drake #red robin #cardinal tim drake #stephanie brown #spoiler

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valentinos-pimp · 7 days

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Based on one of the funniest scenes from @prince-liest’s fanfic series 666: Live on Air!

#it took like 7 minutes to recover from the laughter that inflicted on me #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel fanart #hellaverse #hellaverse fanart #alastor #vox #hazbin alastor #hazbin vox #hazbin fanfic #radiostatic #voxal #art #my art

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just-french-me-up · 8 months

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this is a PSA for fic writers who haven't updated in a while :

there are fics out there I'm subscribed to that have gone double digit months without updating.

rest assured the moment those babies catapult an AO3 email my way i'm dropping from the face of the earth to sink my teeth into them

i'll wait, and so will your readers

#writing #writing nightmare #writeblr #writers #writer's problems #writing problems #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic writers #this is a psa from me to me honestly #cause I have not abandoned my child #my brain is just suffering from my workload #mine

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thewafflekingdom · 2 months

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Rating: M

Pairing: Kuroo x Yukie

Kuroo wasn’t typically one to give way to his urges. He’d always been the more reserved of the two boys, prone to weighing the situation first before anything. Something must have happened today that had him all worked up, because the minute he spotted her — idling about in the kitchen in an old t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts, waiting for her noodles to finish heating up — he gave absolutely no thought to crossing the space to her.

The boys were so much larger than her, it was somewhat overwhelming. He crowded in on her, a looming thing, until the edge of the counter dug hard against her lower back.

He ducked into her space to catch her mouth, and she struggled to remain silent as his tongue rolled across the roof of her mouth without preamble. His hands stuck hot against her hips, pushed up under the legs of her shorts. He noted with an eager squeeze that she wasn't wearing underwear. His hips pressed toward her now, his erection rubbing against her lower belly.

He didn't even pull away when the microwave began to beep. He wordlessly reached for the handle and pulled it open to silence it.

She thought about asking him to wait. They've had sex before. He must know at this point that nothing had changed from the last several times.

She would feel the same inside as always. She would look just the same. The scars, the overgrown nails he kept begging her to file, the heat between her thighs – he'd seen it all and then some. He'd had her in several positions, and several times in one night if they were feeling determined. Hell, he'd even had her at the same time as another man on several occasions.

The same hand moved to the back of her head, twisting into her hair and pulling until she tipped her head back. He sucked along the column of her throat and a moan tumbled out of her. He knew how much she liked when he did that. It was a surefire way of getting her in the mood.

He nibbled at her ear, and the hand still stuck to her hip moved suddenly. Hand opening, and with the wide span of it he was able to easily dig his thumb against the hood of her clit.

She rolled her head to one side, away from him. “Kuroo – ”

“Tetsuro,” he corrected, before biting at her cheek petulantly.

Her face flushed. Out of everything to get embarrassed at, it was his over-familiarity. She didn't respond to that. “This can wait, no? It's not going anywhere.”

“Are you starving?” he asked.

“I mean, it's dinner time.”

“Are you starving?”

“I could eat,” she said, which he knew meant that she wasn't. Yukie could always eat. If she was starving, that meant she wasn't interested in anything else.

“Then it can wait,” he said.

For a moment she thought he was relenting. His hand released her hair, and he backed away from her a little to give her space. She gave a sigh, but it caught in her throat as he dropped to his knees in front of her, pulling at the front of her shorts firmly.

The protest died on her lips. Quick as a snake, Kuroo snapped forward to drag the flat of his tongue across the place where his thumb had just been. Her voice came as a squeak, hands snapping to the edge of the counter as she rose to her tiptoes – as if trying to escape him. But Kuroo was stronger.

There had been several instances in which he'd used this fact against her.

His hands caught her hips and pulled her back into place, nudging his nose against the fabric of her shorts as he continued to taste at her. His focus was solely on her clit. With her legs still shut, he could only do so much. A fact that was quickly irritating him.

“Open your legs, Yukie,” he said, voice rough.

Her nails dug into the counter. Absolutely not.

“Yukie.” This was beginning to sound like a warning.

“You're not respecting me,” she snapped at him, and made the mistake of looking down at him. "I said no."

He gave a breathless smile, his perfect teeth flashing. He opened his mouth and allowed his tongue to roll outward. The tip grazed her. Another warning. “Open your legs, Yukie.”

“No,” she ground out.

One of his hands fell away from her hip, before catching around the knob of her knee.

He was stronger. Her playful nature had her testing this before, riling him into a wrestling match she was sure she could win for some reason. The boys were always so pliant to her, falling easily when she pushed; bending to her will so easily it felt natural.

Kuroo had pinned her down with no effort, and something about the surprise on her face – the fear, but also the thrill of the struggle against him – had excited him.

And he'd fucked her then, too. Her wrists caught above her head in one of his hands, and his teeth catching against her cheek as he'd done earlier. He'd rutted into her roughly, digging her into the wood flooring of her living room as if he were trying to make an imprint of her body.

Bokuto would never. He'd balked at the thought when she shared it with him later. His own big hand had closed around one of her wrists as he told her, “I would break you, Yukie.”

Arousal shivered through her. If both of the boys were like this, they would absolutely destroy her.

She'd allowed herself to become distracted. She felt Kuroo's hot breath on her once again, and choked as he sucked hard at her clit. Tongue, then teeth, then sucking again. Over and over until her eyes fluttered and rolled back, hips tilting toward the heat of his mouth.

“Open, Yukie. Open your fucking legs.”

Fuck this guy, she found herself thinking. Her head rolled back with a sigh, and she did as he said. She released the tension in her legs, and he immediately hooked his arm underneath her knee. He pulled it over his shoulder, and eagerly set to work.

It was usually Bokuto that ate her out as if he were a starved man – with desperation, as if she were his final meal. But today Kuroo seemed more worked up than usual.

She was used to the boys showing up at her place unannounced. She wondered if she had never given them spare keys they would have busted her lock trying to get in anyway. Kuroo just happened to stop by to use the restroom on his way to work –

“Fuck,” she rasped, her hand snapping to his hair to still him.

It didn't work. Kuroo kissed and licked at the seam of her lips, his nose pressing tight against her.

“Fuck, Kuroo, wait – ”

“Tetsuro,” he snapped at her again.

“You have work, you idiot,” she said, pulling at his hair sharply.

She didn't know if his responding smile was from what she said, or the fact that he liked his hair being pulled. “It's fine,” he said.

“It's not,” she hissed, and impulsively shoved two fingers into his mouth when he tried to return to his work.

He immediately started sucking on them.

He did this to Bokuto, too. She hadn't realized how much of a turn on it would be.

“Kuroo – ”

“Tetsuro,” he released her fingers to say again, visibly annoyed. “It's fine. They're not gonna let me go from one no-show.”

“You don't know that!”

Kuroo dropped her knee with a sigh before standing.

Finally, he was listening to her.

But then his hands were on her hips again, and he was lifting her up onto the counter. He fit himself between her thighs and pulled her until she balanced at the very edge, digging his arousal into her insistently.

“I'm going to fuck you,” he said against her mouth, voice suddenly very dark. “This is going to happen, Yukie. You can eat your noodles after. I'll even feed them to you.”

“That's not romantic,” she said. She tried very hard to sound angry, but her tone wobbled. “And that's not the issue at hand here.”

He bit at her cheek again, removing one hand from her side to begin working at his belt buckle.

Her arousal spiked at the sound. Nothing could explain that.

The inside of her ached to feel him. Her walls clenched of their own accord and she swallowed her shame. He pulled his cock from the confines of his pants – also not wearing underwear? – and pushed her shorts aside with it impatiently.

Then he paused. “I know I'm being really pushy, but is this actually oka—”

“Yes, stupid. Lose your fucking job, for all I care.”

His other arm flexed around her, adjusting her angle, and he aligned the head of his cock to her entrance. As soon as it caught, he wound his other hand into the waistband of her shorts and yanked her into him as he shoved forward.

The air choked out of her. He impaled her onto his cock, and without giving her a moment to adjust, he began to rut against her again. Just like last time.

Except this time he moved her with him, like a toy made for this purpose alone. He paused only to adjust her legs; hooking under them, folding his arms behind her, pulling her tightly into him. He isolated his thrusts, forcing himself as deep as he could go at this angle. His teeth bit into her shoulder, muffling his grunts into the fabric of her top.

She couldn't do the same. Her moans stuttered out over and over, clutching at his jacket for dear life as he moved her along his cock. She was hardly even on the counter at this point; her weight almost entirely supported by him.

His belt buckle jingled louder as he sped up, releasing her shoulder to plant kisses across the side of her neck. It was so sloppy. Like he was too distracted by the feel of her around him. When he pressed her against the counter, he was all but folding her in half. She was pinned there, unable to escape his punishing pace. Her hands clawed at his back trying to find purchase, but Kuroo wasn't thinking all that straight.

“Fuck, fuck, feels so good,” he mumbled aimlessly.

Yukie screwed her eyes shut, unable to contain the whine that left her.

If there was one thing that grabbed his attention, however, it was her noises.

“You like it?” he asked, mouth against her ear. “You like when I use you like this?”

Her breath shuddered out. She turned her head away, but his pace was quickening. He was bouncing her on his cock, his hips slamming against her.

“You like when I use you like a little doll,” he went on to say, honing in on the way she shook and twisted in his arms. There was little she could do, however. He held fast, never letting any slack on his hold around her. “You like being my fuck toy.”

“Oh, fuck,” she ground out, voice bouncing along with her. “Shut. Up.”

He laughed breathlessly, exhilarated.

There was a pain accompanying this, too. The dig of the counter against her lower back, his ever tightening grip as he neared completion. She grit her teeth and beared with it, because fuck if it didn't feel good, too.

The friction was insane. He dug inside of her at an angle that was unraveling her faster than normal. If these boys had anything, it was stamina. And he wasn't letting up on that pace at all.

His breath shuddered against her ear, and he mumbled, in a tone that simply sounded broken, “Yuu—kie , can I cum inside? Please?”

She bit her lip to catch her moan, but nodded quickly. She braced a hand behind her on the counter. Needlessly. He wasn't letting her fall any time soon.

His pace picked up, and it was just right. She whined and mumbled and let her head fall back, which left it completely open for him to kiss and lick at in just the way she liked. And just like that, her release came in hard, slow waves. Stuttering, but nonetheless persisting through his frantic pace.

“Hng, fuck,” he hissed again, and she felt the warmth of his cum filling her. It pulsed and throbbed and ached, and Kuroo bit her shoulder hard enough she cried out.

“Shit, shit—ouch!” she whined, and he groaned before releasing her.

“Sorry,” he breathed out, still pressing into her as tightly as he could.

“Kuroo,” she mumbled, hands on his shoulders.

He finally relaxed. “Sorry.”

At last, he pulled out of her. She immediately felt the soreness, both within and without. Her knees pressed together, and he carefully helped her onto her feet again. He rose to his full height, and he looked absolutely wrecked. His hair was all fucked up, his clothes rumpled, his face flush, his mouth red – he’d fucked, and everyone would know it if he went into work at this point.

He tucked himself back into his jeans, but didn't do up his belt just yet. “Let me get you something to clean up, hold on.”

She was still wearing her shorts. “It's fine. I'll just...use the restroom.”

When she returned, he was in the middle of adding time to the microwave to reheat her noodles.

“Hey, so,” he said, nervous. “The stuff I was saying – ”

“Was true,” she cut him off. “And that's the last time we're talking about it.”

It was astonishing he was blushing now.

“You still gonna feed me my noodles, though?”

.x.

#kuroyukie #yukiebokuroo #kuroo tetsurou #shirofuku yukie #my-fanfic #haikyū!!#haikyuu

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mebssann · 3 months

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Hair routine and rituals

#might do a part 3 for F&C Simon and Marcy #this was inspired by a fanfic (but it doesn't look it till i reference it on pt3) i gotta go find it again #adventure time #simon petrikov #marceline abadeer #fanart #my art #digital art

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shadowriel · 4 months

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New idea: instead of writing the fic, you come over to my house and I tell you the entire plot while I pace my tiny kitchen. There’s a cup of tea, warm in your hands. The words don’t stop and the affection never leaves your expression.

#this honestly sounds like a dream #I could just ramble to my heart’s content #fanfic #writing

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fmhobeus · 1 month

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so, nerdy loser college boy choso *sighs* *opens legs*

a/n: just so you know, this man is gonna make you do all the hard work for a piece of that loser boy dick 😮‍💨 so... um so at some point around 2000 words in i realised this is way more than a hc post :3 eat it up if you will!

nerdy!choso who borderline has no friends except his gaming buddies who doesnt meet irl like ever. he doesnt like going to classes, especially this one. he doesnt need it but it's a requirement for all first years. and boy is glad it is when he sees you come in.

nerdy!choso who only listens to discussions when you're talking. suddenly he needs to put down his headphones and nod at every word you're saying. his eyes follow every gesture of your hand, every sway of your ass, every single time you fix your hair.

nerdy!choso who is starting to get a bit enamored with you, your style, your way of speaking. he loses track of time gawking at you in class from the last benches as you prettily do all the work in the class. he hates how beautifully your hair falls on your face, how nicely your clothes fit you despite being pretty modest for college. he hates how he can see the silhouette of your tits when you turn to the side. but he's too much of a gentleman to keep looking.

nerdy!choso who ends a game early when he remembers you, lying and saying that he had promised someone to meet them somewhere. the place is his bathroom and the person was you. god, you really shouldn't wear those tight jeans to class y'know? how will he continue to be a gentleman if you do?

nerdy!choso who despises groupwork but prays to dear god this class has some reason to pair you two together. he's getting so desperate to talk to you knowing damn well he too pussy to do it on his own. and the lord answers his prayers, the teacher assigns groups of three for a presentation. it's you, him and some slacking trust fund baby.

nerdy!choso who is about to combust and have a full blown panic attack when he sees you approach him after class with that smile on your face that would make the angels swoon. you're going on about distributing the work equally and what not while he is trying his fucking hardest to not accidently make eye contact with you and piss his pants : (

nerdy!choso who now has your name, your number and your email and he feels like the happiest man on earth. his hands are literally shaking as he responds to your request to call. he's overthinking every word he types.

choso: yeah i can do wednesday. choso: i'll be okay with whatever day you want.

nerdy!choso who hops on video call and short circuits with a view of you in an oversized band tee and a brief view of your room. why did you have to be this pretty? why did you have to video call him when you couldve done the work on text? why did you have to put your hair up like that? why oh why did you have you say "choso? hey, you there?" so seductively to bring him back to the present?

nerdy!choso who gets like no work done in a 30 minute call which felt like three hours. he knew he would hardly be paying attention so decided to record the call with your consent, saying he'd need the notes you were typing out on screen only to play it back and stroke his dick to you for what might've have been the twentieth time this week. his strokes only getting faster as you say his name in that voice he imagines sounds way better moaning and screaming it instead.

nerdy!choso who, after the presentation, is on greeting terms with you when he sees you studying in the library. he sits as far away from you as he can while still being able to see you. occupying the coziest corner of the library to stare at you study right when you come up to him.

"can i join you, choso? i'm all alone and your space seems comfy" you say with a smile, "of course, i dont mean to disturb you, is saw you were on your own too, so..."

uh oh, uh oh, uh oh. god no. please no. please dont say yes. please dont be staring at her like some dumb idiot (too late) please.

"uh... yeah sure why not?" he awkwardly says as he makes room for you to keep your things. he was such an idiot for thinking he could say no to your pretty face in the first place.

nerdy!choso who is absolutely drunk on your scent. it feels way better than any alcohol he's ever had. he feels like an animal in heat when he smells your sugary perfume mixed with the styrofoam-y air conditioned smell of the library. you're gonna kill him, yknow? how is he supposed to respond to this? what is one to do when their stupid college crush sits next to them? he gives you a half smile before furiously typing away on reddit, the only place with answers for losers like him.

nerdy!choso whose hands. oh his hands. (can be i a big whore for a second?) his long hands that feel like they're the size of your face. his kempt, beautiful and trimmed nails. his lengthy fingers that seem to yearn for something more to foddle with than just the keyboard or controller. he typed as such an insane pace it made your pussy ache. he was going so fast, jesus. those hands were meant to do more than just ask "how to talk to girls" on reddit.

nerdy!choso who (on the advice of reddit) asks if you would want him to order something for you. you tell you had a frappuccino not too long ago and that it was quite sweet and filling. and he hates himself for thinking that he could give you something much sweeter and filling than that like a horny fourteen year old.

nerdy!choso who is now determined to not come off as a creep so he does his work with the focus of four adderalls. he is typing as fast as his heartbeat, not realising he got two classes worth of work done in just an hour. he looks over at you, blissfully unaware of the absolute war in his mind.

nerdy!choso who feels as though if he doesn't muster up the courage to ask you out right then and there, he'll probably be the biggest loser on the planet. (as if he wasn't already)

nerdy! pathetic! choso who stutters a million times and barely gets the job done then too. his eyes are scanning your entire being (trying his best to not gawk at your tits) for any sign of discomfort.

"so- uhh so ummm... wo-would you, like, uh... like to do this again? sometime?... i got a.. a lot of work done today, so.."

oh heavens, the sheer nervousness in his tone makes you want to pull his pants down and show him how to really get work done.

you agree with a smile, even suggesting a better, more ambient (more romantic) cafe to study in. choso's heart is about to burst and flood the fucking library with his blood the way it is beating at an alarming rate.

"umm yeah uh 5 sounds... awesome... i hope it isn't a-a bother to you?" "no way, choso. i loved today," you offer him a smile as you gather your things, "i really like your hair, by the way" "i like your hair too, y-y-you smell very nice", he gulps.

fuck. why did he say that? what? you smell nice? who says that? is he like ten? you can't help but giggle at the sheer embarassment on his face.

he feels as though he's gonna melt into a puddle and turn to stone and throw up all at the same time.

nerdy!choso who is the most stupidly hot guy you've ever met, you think as you go giggling back to your dorm. mental note: pick a skimpy outfit for 5pm ;)

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