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#so no one will find it strange when everyone else is very enthusiastically heading off to bedchambers in groups
herstuf · 1 year
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Steve and Eddie form a very strange almost-friendship after the whole Vecna thing that is entirely reliant on the kids being little shits and then rolling their eyes at each other about it. They bond over finding ways to drive Dustin crazy, and the fact that Dustin thinks it’s so weird that they became actual friends even with all the Vecna stuff.
And then Eddie asks Steve if he wants to join DnD one day and Steve actually agrees and Dustin Loses His Shit.
He talks about it nonstop the entire week leading up to the session, hypes it up while simultaneously berating Steve for never agreeing before. Eddie and Steve continue to trade eye rolls over his head every time.
Then the session arrives and Steve is definitely confused. The character sheets are complicated, the multiple die confused him, and he doesn’t really understand the scene Eddie sets- but it’s okay because he’s got the spirit! He’s very enthusiastic and willing to listen to everyone’s advice and recommendations and it’s going very well until they get to Eddie’s big road block of the day.
There’s a giant Paladin blocking their path and it quickly becomes obvious that nobody, together or separate, can him fight and win. Eddie likes to do this sometimes, throw in a character they have to do something other than brute force their way around.
The kids start arguing of course, Mike and Lucas think they should pay him off- Dustin and Will tell them that’s stupid he’s a paladin he’s can’t be paid off. Gareth offhandedly says they should seduce him, and everyone laughs for a second before getting right back to arguing about what to do.
Steve asks if they can go around and is immediately shot down by six shouting voices, and he quickly retreats from the debate. Nobody’s seems to notice, except for Eddie of course, but he only keeps half an eye on him while also trying to focus on the debate. As much as he wants to coddle Steve a bit, he knows it’s better to let him get used to how the game usually goes than trying to go ways on him. Steve would t appreciate that anyways.
Gareth brings up seduction again and they contemplate for a few seconds before saying no, that none of them want to be the ones to do it, and besides they all know Eddie never lets the seduction tactic work when they can’t convince him. They keep arguing.
Nobody else was paying attention to Steve anymore, too caught up in the discussion, so Eddie is the only one that hears Steve quietly whisper, “I wouldn’t mind seducing him.”
Eddie chokes on air, Steve turns bright red, gaping at him in mortification, and everyone else is just like “what the fuck just happened.”
Meanwhile Steve is looking anywhere but at Eddie, Eddie is blinking wildly at him. Eventually, after a very awkward pause of silence, the debate slowly begins again, ignoring the two of them on Dustin’s recommendation that “they’re just being weird, ignore them, anyways-“
The argument keeps going and Eddie can tell it’s going nowhere so he turns to Steve and says “roll for persuasion.”
Cheeks still red Steve carefully takes the die Eddie points to, and lets them fall. They’re not quite enough but it’s not like Steve really understands that. He scoops the die up just in case anyone looks over. He doesn’t need to be accused of playing favourites, even if he totally is.
“A successful roll, well done Stevie. How are you going to seduce him?” Eddie asks, still in a quiet tone so the others don’t hear.
“I was thinking,” Steve says and swallows, “that maybe I’d ask him about his sword. I’d say something like “that’s a very handsome sword you have there, nearly as handsome as you are.”
Eddie kind of wants to laugh, kind of wants to cry, because Steve really hasn’t gotten the hang of voices, so he’s not acting like a character, and because that’s a terrible pickup line. And yet Eddie’s cheeks are heating up and he’s very quickly making some recalculations in his mind for the rest of this campaign.
“What do they call you?” He asks in the voice he used for the Paladin before.
“Sir Hair-ington, but if you want you could call me Stevie,” Steve says, and he’s looking in Eddie’s eyes and that is not the first name of his character, not even close. Eddie swallows thickly and blinks, pulling his gaze from Steve’s, who immediately shrinks back.
“Sir Hair-ington successfully seduces the Paladin, and he agrees to let you all pass,” Eddie shouts over the noise of the others, who are still arguing.
Everyone at the table goes dead silent and stares at him and Steve. Eddie can tell Dustin is about to Say Some Shit, so he glares hard at him until he looks away, mouth snapping closed.
“The Paladin asks if he might join you,” Eddie says to Steve, finally turning back to face him, and Steve turns even redder and nods. The rest of the group keeps staring at Eddie incredulously, but luckily no one says a word. The Paladin joins them and it takes all of two seconds for Eddie to decide to pay his cards out on the table. Just to make sure he’s being clear.
“Greetings travellers, thank you for allowing me to join you,” he says in something that is almost his normal voice, and definitely not the one he used before, “my name is Sir Edwin the Eighth, and I look forward to our many adventures together! Especially you, Sir Hair-ington.” And he adds in a wink for good measure.
Gareth sends him a deeply unimpressed look, but Eddie doesn’t even seem to see it because he’s too busy watching the way Steve’s eyes light up and his lips turn into a bashful but wide smile.
A week later when Dustin shows up at the trailer unannounced and walks in on the two of them making out the first words he says are, “I KNEW Sir Edwin the Eighth was supposed to be you!”
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mypoisonedvine · 2 years
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A part three of trying with Joseph talking about his baby girl at a convention >>>>
ahhh of course I have to!!
trying (iii) ~ joseph quinn x reader
part i | part ii
word count: 3.1k
warnings: implied smut (18+ only), basically just fluff, touch of angstiness and hurt/comfort
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“So, you’ve been to this convention before, quite a few years ago, but something’s changed since last time,” the interviewer beamed, and Joe nodded in anticipation.  “You’re a father!”
“Yes, that’s the latest development,” he smiled as the audience applauded and cheered briefly in recognition.  
“How old’s your daughter now?” she asked.
“Um, she’s four and a half,” he recalled, “the ‘half’ is really important to her so I’m mentioning it.  She’s really incredible— very smart, which she gets from her mother, and a total drama queen, which she gets from me.”  There was a pause as the interviewer laughed politely, before Joe continued while reaching up to hold the back of his neck.  “And, actually, I’ll take the time now to tell you all that we’ve got our second on the way.”
The applause was stronger this time; the interviewer seemed to get especially excited.  “Oh!  That’s incredible, congratulations!”
“Thank you,” Joe mumbled through his smile.
“Do you know yet if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Well, the first time ‘round we waited until she was born to find out, which was nice and all, but I think we were both a little stressed out about that much surprise this time— so yes, we do know,” he nodded.
“Aaaaand maybe you’ll tell us?” the interviewer pressed.  That was when Joe turned his head to look at you, standing just off-stage.
Can I? he mouthed to you.  You smiled and gave him a nod of approval.  “Yes, alright, I will,” he decided, and a hush of anticipation befell the crowd.  “We’re having a boy.”
He looked at you again, smiling wide, as everyone reacted enthusiastically.  While there was something undeniably strange about thousands of strangers applauding your unborn child, you certainly appreciated their support— and hey, who can say that they were that popular before they were even born?
“How does your daughter feel about that?” the interviewer wondered.
“Oh, she’s ecstatic,” Joe laughed, “she’s actually rather upset that the baby can’t sleep in her room.  I’m not sure she’s quite put together that this is not just, like, some highly advanced babydoll toy that’s just for her to play with.  But yes, she’s looking forward very much to being a big sister.”
“That’s so sweet,” the interviewer cooed, “I’m sure she’ll be great.”
“We’re hoping so!” Joe agreed.
“Forgive me if this is a personal question, but I know it’s something on a lot of minds— I’m curious how you balance work with parenthood,” the woman wondered.
“Well, it takes a village,” he began, “and my wife’s sacrificed a lot to be the mother of my kids, so that effort is greatly appreciated, to say the least— we’ve both had to turn things down to be able to stay home, but we also have a fabulous nanny who provides extra support for us when we’re both working or traveling for some kind of something.  This is going to be my last hurrah for a while before we both hunker down and just prepare for the new baby— the plan is to be, just, home all the time until he’s at least six months.”
“That should be nice!  A break from working just to be with the family,” she smiled.
“It will be very nice, yes,” he agreed.
~
Joe had this incredible ability to make James laugh.  His favorite way to do so was to shove his face into James’ belly and pretend like he was about to eat him— sounds stupid, sure, but it made James squeal and scream happily like nothing else.  He would kick his little roly-poly legs around and grab at his dad’s hair or beard, without much luck.  When he felt like mixing it up, Joe might grab one of James’ arms or legs and pretend to gnaw on one of those for a while; you couldn’t understand what James thought was so funny about it, but you didn’t need to.  You could watch them together for hours.
“Look at you, Daddy’s big boy,” Joe was singing some made-up song to him now, bouncing him around on the floor, holding him under his arms so he could make him pretend to dance.
“You know, he might not enjoy being treated like a ragdoll,” you warned your husband, “or your horrible musical improv.”
“Nah, he loves it, see?” Joe insisted, showing you James’ completely neutral face.  It was cute, though, the way his cheeks and neck were all squished up together from the way Joe was holding him.  You snorted and sat down beside them on the floor.  “Big boy Jamie’s six months old today…”
James’ eyes stayed on your face, and eventually he reached for you and Joe made a little pouty face.  “Oh, you want me to save you from Daddy and his cruel, forced theater?” you laughed as you took him out of Joe’s hands, lifting him up as high as you could— he was getting fucking heavy already— before bringing him down for a kiss on the cheek.  “Poor thing.”
“Mummy’s boy,” Joe frowned at him, sticking his tongue out and crinkling his nose.  James clung onto you and Joe reached over to pet his head for a moment before Hope came running in from her bedroom.
“Daddy, look!” she beamed as she held up a drawing she’d made.  
“Oh, wow!” he gasped as he admired it, gently pulling it from her hand so he could hold it steady and actually see what he was looking at.  “What is it?”
“It’s a giraffe!” she explained.  “But it’s pink!”
“I see it now— that’s the neck, right?” he pointed at a massive scribble.  “Giraffes have long necks, huh…”
“Yeah!” she agreed excitedly.  “And that’s its tail— and those are the spots— and those are its wings.”
“Er—” Joe began.
“My giraffe can fly,” Hope clarified.
“Oh, well, then yeah, he’ll need those,” Joe hummed.
“Daddy, she’s a girl!” Hope frowned.  “A boy giraffe couldn’t be pink.”
“Yes he could,” Joe insisted quickly.  “He could be any colour.  I mean, I think a real giraffe would just be… giraffe-coloured… but being pink wouldn’t make him a girl.”
“Oh,” she sighed.  
“But, this one’s a girl, good to know,” he nodded, “does she have a name?”
“Hmm… Blob,” she blurted out.  
“Okay… Blob the flying, pink giraffe— should we put her on the fridge?”
“No, I want you to keep her,” Hope decided, “when you go away.”
Your heart twisted, and you saw the look on Joe’s face: the look of a man wondering if he’s failing as a father just because he has to leave for work for three months.  He opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything, and you knew he was too busy going through his own crisis to notice that Hope was still waiting for affirmation.  “It looks great, sweetie,” you informed her, “I’m sure Daddy will love to keep that with him on his trip.”
“Y-yeah,” he agreed, coming back to reality, “I will.”
He scooted a little closer to where she was standing, holding her head as he kissed her temple.
“You know I’m gonna miss you, right, lovebug?” he asked.  She nodded, puffing up her cheeks a bit.  “And Mummy’s gonna bring you to see me a few weeks after I leave.”  She nodded again.
“Are you excited for flying on a plane?” you prompted her, and she smiled.  “You haven’t been on a plane since you were little— not much older than your little brother is now.”
“Is little brother coming too?” she asked.
“Yeah!” you answered, pulling James off your chest for a second to look at his sweet, chubby face.  “Yes, you’re gonna go on a plane to see Daddy!  Yay!”
Joe was still a little out of it that night, laying his head on your chest as you read a book in bed.  Again, you knew better than to press him on it, but you were having trouble focusing on the pages in front of you when you were just waiting for him to say what was on his mind.
“Babe?” he finally said, sitting up a bit so he could lay beside you and look at your face.  You sighed with relief, setting the book aside and meeting his gaze. 
“Hm?” you replied, pretending to have no idea what was coming.
“Should I go?” he asked— okay, to be fair, you hadn’t expected that, exactly.  You thought he was gonna say that he felt bad about going, or that he wanted you to bring the kids more than once during his time filming in New York.  You never thought he’d really consider pulling out of a project this close to production.
“Wh— of course!” you said quickly, sitting up a bit more yourself.  “Joe, c’mon, this is a great film, it’s worth it.”
“Is any film worth leaving the kids here?” he groaned, falling back onto the pillow.  “Three months… and you can only visit once.  I mean, that’s a long time for Jamie.  This is far from Hope’s first go-round with it, but will he even, like, remember me when I get back?”
“Don’t say that,” you frowned, rolling onto your side so you could rest your head on his shoulder.  “Joe, you’re his father— he’s not going to forget you.”
He sighed— that sigh he made when he knew you were right but was wanting to be upset about it for a bit longer.
“Hey,” you breathed, reaching up to his face which you gently turned to look at you.  “We’re gonna miss you.  But we’ll be just fine… and we’ll be here when you get back, same as you left us.”
Shutting his eyes, he let you stroke his cheek and then scratch his beard a bit— which made him scrunch his nose up slightly.  “Don’t wanna leave you at all,” he mumbled, “that’s my point.”
“It’s work,” you insisted, “it’s part of life.  You get to be home all day when you’re not filming, how many jobs let you do that?  It kills me when I have to leave, too, but it’s something we have to do.”
Joe grabbed you and pulled you into a tight hug, taking a deep breath beside your cheek as you returned his embrace.  “Just… call me as much as you can, alright?” he requested quietly.
“Of course,” you agreed, holding him tighter.
“Fuck, m’gonna miss you too,” he groaned.  “As if being away from my babies isn’t bad enough— now I’ve gotta leave my woman here all alone, too.”
You snorted a laugh as you pulled away from the hug.  “Your woman?  What happened to Mister Feminist who was explaining to Hope that her giraffe could be pink and male?”
“He’s still right here!” Joe laughed, raising his hands to his chest defensively.  “And his woman’s gonna be so lonely without him around—”
“Shut up,” you groaned with a smile as you rolled away, but he slipped up behind you to be your big spoon.  
“Don’t deny it,” he cooed, kissing your neck as he spoke, “you’re mine, love— and I’m yours, just as much.  There— am I a feminist again?”
“Hmm, maybe,” you sighed, “but if you were a really great feminist you would… I dunno, go down on your wife or something.”
“Yeah?” he purred, kissing lower down until he reached your shoulder, guiding you to lay on your back.  “A little goodbye gift, something to remember me by?”
“No, this is just for your gender equality points,” you explained.  “All of your come inside me afterwards is what I’m gonna remember you by.”
He growled playfully and kissed you; you weaved your hands into his hair, and when he tried to start making his way south a little too soon, you whined quietly and pulled him back up to kiss you more.  “Huh?” he mumbled.  
“Not yet,” you breathed, and he obliged as he slowed down a bit— kissing you a little softer, pressing his body against yours.  “I love you,” you reminded him.
“I love you too,” he returned.  “I’ll be back before you know it.”
~
You told Hope a thousand times not to run ahead of you, but guess what she did the second she laid eyes on Joseph, coming out of his trailer to greet you?
“Daddy!” she yelled as she ran straight into his arms, and he picked her up as he peppered kisses all over her face.
“Hey, lovebug,” he returned, and as you walked closer with James on your hip, you realized his eyes were watering.  He rested his hand on the back of Hope’s head, holding her close and tight; you hadn’t intended on crying, but when you saw him get choked up…
He didn’t set her down for quite some time, until she was wiggling too much for him to hold anymore.  James was reaching for him already, trying to lean out of your arms as if he didn’t understand that he would fall straight onto backlot asphalt if he got his way.  Joe didn’t take him from you though— instead, he gave him a kiss in the head and then embraced you.  You slipped one arm around his torso while still balancing James; he held you for a while, even after Hope had started tugging on the leg of his jeans to try to get his attention.  When he did pull back, he cradled your cheek in one hand and kissed you— really kissed you, like he was a soldier who’d been off to war for six months and not just an actor who’d been filming in New York for six weeks.
You had to really be careful not to get too into it and lose your hold on James, but wow… it made you a little weak in the knees.
“Woah, slow down, Quinn,” a voice interrupted, and your cheeks warmed as you pulled away and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, looking at one of Joe’s costars standing nearby.  “Better be careful ‘fore you end up with another one of those,” he warned, pointing at James, and you laughed.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Joe chuckled, “darling— this is Luke, we’ve been working together a lot for the past few weeks.”
“Which means I’ve been hearing about you, oh, a ton,” Luke grinned.
“Nice to meet you,” you nodded at Luke.
“And who are these two adorable little creatures?” he asked as he looked down at the children.
“Here’s Hope,” Joe announced proudly as he mussed with her hair, “and that’s my son, James.”
“How old are you, miss?” Luke asked Hope.
“Five!” she smiled.
“Oh!  Must be getting ready to start school soon, then,” he assumed, and she nodded.  
“She’s really looking forward to it,” you told him, and he looked up at you for a moment.
“Ah, I’m sure,” he agreed, “school’s the best.”
Luke was only the first of many cast and crew members to come over and dote on your kids for a while, and then to ask you all kinds of small talk questions while Joe just waited for however long they needed until he could shoo them away and have you all to himself.
“Guess they’re all excited to meet my family,” he mumbled to you as you both watched Hope get a ‘makeover’ from the make-up artists (which was mostly just glitter, everywhere), “I talked about you all so much.”
“So, it’s your fault that they’ve mobbed us?” you pressed, and he laughed quietly before giving you a kiss on your shoulder while he rubbed your other arm.
“Good news is, I’m sure they’ll be happy to babysit later,” he explained, “while we… talk, alone.”
“Talk, huh?” you smirked.
“Yeah,” he whispered, leaning in closer.  “We can talk about that picture you sent me last night, little tease…”
He nipped at your ear and you giggled.  “Just something to hold you over before I got on the flight… in case you forgot how much I missed you.”
“Hold me over?  Drove me crazy,” he sighed.  
“How crazy?” you wondered.
“You’ll see,” he promised— and what a promising promise that was.
~
“One more, just one more?” he whined.  “Darling, please—”
“You’ve already got two!” you reminded him, crossing your arms so hard that you made yourself bounce slightly on the mattress.  “Two perfect kids who get along great already— we could mess up the whole ecosystem if we have a third.”
“But I want one,” he pouted.  “I miss having a baby.”
“You miss that?” you laughed.  “Being stuck at home, not working, burping and changing and feeding—”
“Yes!”
“They’ve only just gotten old enough for you to stop being upset every time you have to leave for a while,” you noticed, “now you’re planning to start all over?”
“But…” he mumbled, resting his chin on your lap as he blinked up at you, “but I want one…”
You rolled your eyes.  “You already said that.  You are so spoiled.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, straightening his back but still kneeling on the floor.  “Yeah, I am spoiled.  I have this amazing family, two beautiful kids and a sexy wife a-and a… hamster…”
You snorted.  Hope’s pet hamster was a handful… literally, he filled about one palm, but he was also the latest little devil in the house, right after James who was going through a slightly destructive phase in his toddler years.  
“And I just think it would be perfect if we had one more,” he decided.
“And I just think you need a puppy or something to keep you occupied,” you suggested instead.
“Nah, puppies are cute, but they never learn to talk or grow to resent you, where’s the fun in that?” he laughed, though he suddenly got a little more serious as he stood up straight and gently pushed you back onto the bed, climbing over you.  “I bet if I ask really nicely, you’ll let me have another baby.”
“I’ll take that bet,” you grinned.
He kissed you, not for very long.  “Please.”
“No.”
He kissed you again— longer, harder.  “Please.”
“No.”
He kissed your neck, hungry and sloppy as you purred and spread your legs instinctively.  “Please, love…” he whispered.
You shivered.  “N-no…”
“I want another baby, darling,” he cooed, “I wanna get you pregnant again, I want my child inside you.”
You whimpered as he pressed his body down on yours.  “Joe,” you breathed.
“One more baby,” he said soothingly, kissing down your chest, “one more precious little baby, all ours…”
“Joe,” you said again, halfway to a moan.
“Please?”
He looked up at you from where he’d stopped his path of kisses between your breasts, not just waiting for an answer— waiting for a yes.  Cocky little shit.  “Oh god,” you groaned as you shut your eyes, “I swear, Joseph, I’m not naming it Agatha…”
“Yes!”
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orbital-inclination · 10 months
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Can I know more about Killer, Horror, Dust, Cross, and Blue relationship like how they became part of the gang and any personality changes?
answering this will either take two posts or a read more bc i do NOT do things by halves.
*Edit; I’ve chosen the read more option. Y’all get the backstories in a later post.
I “recently” went over a bit about Killer here. So for now, I'll go over Dust, Horror, Cross and Blue.
Horror: gentle giant. He just wants to feel included. Due to his head injury, he struggles with frequent memory loss and speaking verbally. He uses a notebook to keep himself on track, but his most successful plans are usually thought of and executed on the fly. He's really reliable in a pinch. Has good instincts. Out of the group, he's the most likely to be underestimated by outsiders. His love language is cooking for others but he's not picky about what he eats himself. Hates loud high-pitched noises. (screaming specifically.)
Dust: quiet brooding guy. Outwardly he seems to be the most laidback and apathetic of the group. In reality, he’s restless and moody. The most likely of the group to wander off spontaneously with no purpose in mind. Doesn’t talk much but he knows his way around chemistry. A competent engineer. Makes his own fireworks. Hard to say whether he's introverted or not but if he wants to be left alone you won't' find him, and if he wants company he will tail you like a shadow. more talkative in a group setting, strangely enough.
Blue: enthusiastic, boisterous, and incredibly earnest. He wears his whole heart on his sleeve. He doesn't believe in committing theft, crime in general, or even trespassing. He's actually a little scared of trespassing. secretly, he thinks criminals are brave (but stupid) for trespassing. Can’t lie to save his life. Not that the skill matters much when he lives with two empaths. Cross: introverted, defensive, reluctant to let down his guard, and enough of a workaholic to challenge Rem for his title. Cross needs a structured routine to function. He takes his duties very seriously and generally goes about things as if he has something to prove. (He doesn’t but he hasn’t realized that yet.) -On the Group Dynamic- Dust and Killer get along well. Most of the time. They have a lot of things in common. How they met the Apple twins. The tragic circumstances of their respective AUs. The fact Blue reminds them of Papyrus… do not bring up Papyrus or the Human, on this note. They’ve gotten into bitter violent confrontations over what happened with their brother. Don’t push it. Horror is good friends with Blue, actually. Blue is conscientious of Horror’s intolerance for loud noises and makes an effort to use his indoor voice in his company. Horror tolerates Blue’s erm… creative meal ideas in turn. And they mutually bond over their shared interest in food prep, wordplay, TV Drama, and baking competitions. (Molt, Horror and Blue set aside a date/time to watch the latest episodes when they air. (Cross sometimes joins them as long as they don’t make a big deal over it.) Molt can’t see the screen ofc, but he’s able to experience the show through how Horror and Blue react to it, the occasional narration from both of them, and ofc, the verbal drama of it all.)
Blue’s relationship with the rest of the group is complicated. He knows he’s the odd one out because he is ideologically opposed to Rem’s methods. At the same time, he begrudgingly accepts that sometimes for the greater good, you have to make sacrifices. (He doesn’t like it and is always looking for a better option anyway.) He sticks around out of loyalty to his friend and because he firmly believes the group needs a firm but kind hand. He knows they’ve all been hurt in some way. And if no one else will look out for this group of renegade thieves and scoundrels, he will!
Cross tries his hardest to get along with exactly no one because he wants to keep everyone at arm’s length but ironically this has the opposite effect. Killer treats him like a surrogate little brother. Dust simply doesn’t give a shit as long as Cross is a team player. Horror fusses over him. He has an open invitation to join Blue's workout routine whenever. Rem trusts him. And worst of all, he wants to spill his guts out to Molt whenever something even remotely happens, and that can only mean he feels safe here. And that is terrifying to Cross. He has a home now and that is the worst thing that’s ever happened to him.
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Happy STS! Can any of your characters play an instrument or sing? Are there any unique instruments from your setting?
Thank you for the ask! So, quite a few of my characters are able to play instruments or sing, and a decent number of the instruments they are able to play are unique to Kobani. I have a lot of named characters so I am only going to go over a handful of them.
Narul:
Narul cannot play an instrument, at least not at the moment. However when he feels comfortable enough he is actually quite an adept singer, his voice is an incredibly rich bass and his lung capacity is second to none.
Ninma:
Poor Ninma is tone deaf. A trait which she inherited from her father and which she shares with her cousin, Akard. None of these three can hold a tune. This being said, Ninma can be quite expressive when given a kokalaga.
Kokalaga- (Kishite. Kotuma- Storm, Kalaga- Drum) A Shabalic and Kishite percussive instrument made typically from the treated horn of a large bovid, typically that of an auroch (a wild bull) or on rare occasions an ibex. The horn is filled with beads, often dried seeds, peas, or even bits of pottery, it is the sound of these beads that give the instrument its name as they are reminiscent of rain. The horn is then sealed by a sheet of leather. There are a number of ways to use the Kokalaga, it may be shaken as a rattle, or one may use a mallet to tap on the leather head of the instrument to create a more classic "drumming sound", or in rare occasions the horn itself may be bounced off the side of a surface or a persons hand. Kokalaga may be very simple and rustic or they may be heavily decorated, often with gold, silver, and amber.
Otilia
Otilia has a beautiful singing voice, though she is not particularly fond of using it, however she does enjoy playing an aphyra or aphyruki, she is also passable with flute.
Aphyra: (Korithian. From the pre-Arkodian Kukalapisoi language, Afuwra simply meaning "string") The Aphyra is a staple at a Korithian feast and can be heard in the background of many an elite event. 5 strings, usually made from gut, are stretched from sound box, this usually being something like a tortoise shell or else a wooden structure, these are then pulled up between two large, wood or bone arms to a yoke. In form it is similar to a real Grecian lyre (called Aphyruki in Korithian) however it is considerably larger, and as such rather than being carried it is typically rested either on the ground or on special stands, in this way it is similar to a harp.
Suru:
Suru is a fairly poor singer, however he perhaps makes up for this with his skill when it comes to the wiya.
Wiya (Kishite. Onomatopoetic): A reed flute, most often with 6 holes and a forked mouthpiece. These, and their regional variations, are perhaps the most widely available instruments in the Green Sea. While 6 holes are typical in eastern Kishetal, this can vary, and a wiya may have as few as three or upwards of 12. Wuwa are a similar, though more hardy, instrument typically made from bone or wood. It is expected that a musician should construct their own instrument. Particularly fanatic musicians may travel for days in order to find the proper reed or wood. Fights to the death over high quality reed beds are not unheard of.
Istek
Istek is an excellent singer and makes this known to everyone he can. He is not particularly skilled at any instrument though he is quite an enthusiastic drummer.
Dati
Dati is an okay singer, though certainly the weakest of the polycule. However he can play the mnfar, or in a pinch its Kishite equivalent, the manufa.
Mnfar/Manufa/Nfar (Knoshic/Kishite/Apunian. From the Knoshic "mnfa" meaning esophagus) The mnfar is a long-necked string instrument typically made from cedar and mulberry wood. It consists of 4 strings, a long and vary thing neck and a round, almost ball shaped body. The body often holds a secondary function as a percussion instrument. Its strange name comes from a superficial similarity to the upper digestive tract. (neck-esophagus, body-stomach)
Sihunu
Sihunu was famed in her youth for a her singing voice, a skill that she has retained, though whether she wants to sing is another matter entirely. In her youth she was a skilled "bell-dancer".
Mewabzinun (Kishite. Mewa "Dance", Zin "Bell" thus "Dance of the the Bells") Bell-dancing is a style of dance native to the southern and western portions of Kishetal and northern Jezaan. The dance is done by attaching bells to the wrists, ankles, and neck. By doing this the body becomes an instrument alongside the bells. Bell-dancing is a difficult and physically taxing art, one which requires careful control of ones body, lest bells ring at the wrong time. Mewabzinun falls into the same category of dance as Mewabkotum/Badkotum "Storm-Step". Both arts involve the creation of music via dance, though Storm-Step rather than utilizing bells, is performed on hollow stages meant to create a percussive effect.
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gible-love-nibles · 9 months
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Eternal Diva Fic (Part 3)
This part's kinda of a downtime part before all the puzzles and action 'n' stuff. Still, things certainly do happen here. ...I don't know how to write descriptions at this point. Still, enjoy!
Nothing to warn for here, I think
Word Count: 1.1k / Previous / Next
Giant lurches accompanied our host’s words, and I was nearly thrown off the balcony.  If there was any time to leave, it was now.  I just had to hope the professor and Luke would be alright.
I threw open the balcony’s exit and rushed through the main hall, thankfully not spotting any masked men.  But exiting the opera house quickly sobered me to why.
The Crown Patone was shifting parts all around, transforming itself into something else: a ship.  And we were already heading out to sea.
My feet moved me out to the deck without me realizing.  I struggled to come up with words. “What-- How--”
“The theater…”
“It’s really a huge ship!”
Those two familiar voices made me turn and gave me a little relief.  Finally seeing Layton and Luke was a comfort; if anyone could solve what was going on, it would be those two.
“Professor Layton!  Luke!” I rushed over to greet them.  
The professor turned his head and watched my approach.  He quickly smiled and tipped his hat my way.  “Well, this is a pleasant surprise.  I’m afraid I almost didn’t recognize you in that outfit, Miss Clare.”
“Clare!” Luke had a big bright grin on his face.  I didn’t realize until now how much I missed the enthusiastic boy.
“Is it just me, or have you gotten taller Luke?” I joked, ruffling his cap.
“I certainly hope so!” We both laughed a bit.  The professor’s grin seemed to widen.
“Unfortunately, it seems we only meet during the most dire of circumstances,” Layton pulled me back to the situation at hand.
I sighed. “Yeah, you’ve got that right.  And after I got dressed so nicely.”
“On the positive Clare, I’m sure you will be a great ally to this mystery.”
“I was thinking just the same thing, Professor.”
We were interrupted by one of the patrons of the opera-- a red-haired man with an extremely long nose-- running past us and jumping onto the ship’s railing.
“What are you doing?  Do you see a way out?” A brown-haired woman in a dark blue dress asked him.
“I know what I’m doing.  I’m swimming back!” He said confidently.
“I’m not sure that’s altogether wise.” Layton stood by the railing and pointed down into the water.  
Looking down revealed a chilling sight: a large shiver of sharks was swimming around the boat with strange metal accessories attached firmly to their snouts.  
“Very strange,” said a man dressed like a sea captain. “You don’t often see sharks.  Well, not in these waters.”
“They’re being controlled.” My words slipped out in anger.  My hands gripped the railing tight. “Look at those weird things on their noses.  Sharks wouldn’t circle a boat like this.  Maybe a fishing boat, but definitely not something this big.”
“It must be some kind of precaution then,” Layton hypothesized. “One that makes sure we stay on the ship.” When I didn’t respond, the professor patted my shoulder sympathetically.
The sounds of a whole orchestra made everyone’s attention shoot squarely to the theater.  We all ran back to find that the opera writer Mr. Whistler was responsible for the music.  Needless to say, the thought of playing music at a time like this was in a bit of poor taste.  But the other passengers said it for me anyway.
“What are you doing?!  Someone threatens our lives and you play music!?” The red-haired man from earlier yelled.
“We’re sailing out to sea, and there are sharks all around us!” The brown-haired woman also from before pleaded, sounding on the brink of tears.
Mr. Whistler finally paused his playing, but otherwise refused to address the small crowd that had gathered around him.
“Mr. Whistler.” A man with dark hair and bright orange pants squinted hard at the opera writer. “You were the one behind this opera.  Tell me: did you also plan this deadly game?”
Oswald stood up and turned as he gave his vague answer: “I was asked to perform an opera.  That is all.”
The dark-haired man clearly wasn’t convinced.  The three of us shifted uncomfortably, but a voice calling out to the professor distracted us.  It was the opera singer Janice Quatlane.
As the professor and Janice chatted, Luke pulled on my sleeve. “Um, Clare?  Why are you… dressed like that?”
“Why am I wearing a suit, you mean?”
“Yeah.  I-I mean--!  I don’t mean you don’t look nice, I just-- Don’t boys usually wear suits?”
“Well, it’s real simple Luke: I wanted to look nice, but I also wanted to wear pants.”
“Oh… And you can just do that?”
“Sure.  Who’s gonna care?”
“Woah…”
“I don’t mean to interject…” Layton said politely. “But Clare, what are you doing here?  As I understand, the tickets for this opera were extremely expensive.”
“Well, here’s the thing Professor: You sent me a ticket to come here.  You invited me.  Supposedly.”
“Wot?!” Luke interjected. “That can’t be right!  Me and the professor got our tickets sent to us by Janice.  We didn’t buy any!”
“But I have a letter that says you wanted me to come.  Right here.” I quickly pulled it out of my bag and handed it to Layton.
Upon reading it, the professor’s face grew more serious. “This is not my handwriting.  Close to it, but a forgery nonetheless.”
A pit started to form in my stomach.  I was liking this less and less. “Then… is this ticket not real?” I pulled that out of my bag.
“No, that is genuine,” Janice perked up. “You can tell by the golden edges and the special ink.”
Layton gripped his hat brim and his face was grim. “I hate to say it Clare, but it seems someone lured you here to the opera tonight.  Someone wanted you to play this game.”
I felt a slight chill go down my back. “But who?  I don’t want eternal life!  I don’t have money to throw around.  Why me?”
“That, I’m not sure of.”
We didn’t have much to dwell on that unnerving revelation.  The game master’s voice on the speakers returned.
“Ladies and gentlemen.  Now we are all passengers together on the Crown Patone.  It is time for our little puzzle-solving game to begin.  The rules are very simple.  The winner-- meaning the last player left-- receives eternal life.”
“Professor…?” Luke asked Layton worriedly.
“I don’t see that any of us have a choice but to play the game Luke.”
He was right.  When you’re stuck on a ship sailing shark-infested waters, what else can you do but comply?
…I was getting a very bad feeling, and it had to do with the game master’s voice.
I felt like I had heard it somewhere before.
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pieman1112 · 1 year
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present children decided to plan an outing for their mother. Lucina asked the knights and everyone around for the best places they can take Rebecca to, Thomas planned the trip to the little details, Maria packed food and snacks and Chloe was the diversion; she kept Rebecca away from all the planning. Once the preparations were ready, Chloe was to take Rebecca to the stable where her siblings are.
"Mother! Today we ride together!" Chloe cheered happily. Thomas had brought her horse to her, "If you allow it, mother, we will steal you for the day." grinning, he winked at her. "U-um! W-we want to s-spend time with you, mother!" Maria said, enthusiastically. "Worry, not, Mother. You can spend the evening with Father, hehe." giggling happily, Lucina leaned closer to her Mother, "Father said to bring you back before he comes to find us hehe. So, we should head soon, otherwise, he will lock us for stealing his wife from him~"
The kids rode their horses and waited for their mother to get ready. "Happy Devotion day, mother," they said happily.
Rebecca loved the Day of Devotion celebrations. While the Exaltdom had known only peace for the last decades, it was mostly bickering from both the nobles and the peasants. But on the Day of Devotion it seemed like everyone would come together and let bygones be bygones even if it was only a day. What she had no idea about was what her children were planning for the day.
She met Chloe for what she thought was going to be some mother daughter time before seeing everyone else to celebrate the festival with. Instead, Chloe had brought her all around the castle in the most bizarre pattern to get from one place to another. She even had to ask her to slow down as she wasn't as young as she use to be. It was all very strange. Almost like they were avoiding something.
The queen would get her answer when they got to the stables. All that running around was to keep her away from here to not ruin the surprise.
"Awwwwwwww! You guys." She exclaimed as she brought them all in for a hug before they began to climb onto their horses.
She couldn't help but laugh when Lucina and Thomas mentioned how they had to convince Chrom that they wouldn't be out too long.
"You're right. We better get away before he changes his mind~"
Rebecca soon got atop her steed and set off with her kids.
"Happy Devotion day to you too, kids."
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irrfahrer · 2 years
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💚💚💖💖
Send 💚 for a reason NOT to date my muse ! Send 💖 for a reason TO date my muse !
💚-Since Ziv is literally a Jedi-Reugee and the Empire has a Bounty on her head it might not be the best idea to be close to her. To keep the person she adores save, she will therefore defnitive keep this aspect about her past for herself. She will glady avoid or even drown this topic with big words, many compliments and stupid jokes but if someone is longer with her they might eventually realize that she will always keep quiet about this aspect of her upbringing. This secret will always be between them and it might be suprising how somone who talks so much and never shuts up can keep that secret. Also yes, if someone thinks they would ever find out that that strange necklace with a flower in it Ziv is always wearing and literally never puts down, is actually a sentient, highly telepathic Murakami orchid and the main indrigent of a ritual to archive imortality, one is wrong. Ziv knows how to shut up.
💚- On the topic of the highly telepathic and sentient Murakmi Orchid hanging in a small necklace around Zivs neck: Yes, the Murakami orchid is a flower, but they are not an idiot. Yes, Ziv is not taking off the Necklace when she is getting it on with a partner or partners.She literally never takes it off because the Murakami would die if they were away from her farer than a metre. Yes, the Murakami Orchid gets what is going on. Yes, they are not always happy beeing the third wheel. Also yes, the highly telepathic Murakami Orchid reads your mind and knows all the little things going on in your head before, during and after you are rolling around in the bunk with Ziv. Also yes: If one feels watched during Sex with Ziv, its probably the Murakami Orchid taking on the role of the methaphorical cat sitting on the bed and starring at everyone taking part in the action and one won´t even notice because its a little flower in a necklace hanging around Zivs neck. This goes for every kind of alone time with Ziv. Go for a quick, sweet kiss when noone is around? Mumble a few sweet words in her ear noone else should hear? Cuddling on the couch in a blanketcacoon while watching Holo-Tv and eating cereals? You are watched. And you are judged, judged hardly, from a sentient, telepathic flower who had been thirdwheeling since almost two decades.
💖- For someone who has that very sharp and very many carnivorous teeth, Ziv is very enthusiastic (but careful) about going down on her partner. Give her consent and she is promptly down for it. Literally. Ziv just really likes to know that she is the reason for a partners lust. On a sidenote: She is also not fond of kissing people because of her teeth.
💖- For someone who has to follow a strict diet to stay healthy as a alien carnivore in a Humanoid dominated Galaxy, Ziv is a suprisingly good cook. In fact she cooks so well, because most mild sicknesses and uncomfortableness can be cured with certaine foods or a change in diet so as a Healer Ziv had to study what certaine indriegents have on different aliens. She also really likes to not only cook for her partner but to cook with them. Food is a lovelanguage.
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saionofvalflame · 2 years
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❀ ending chapter, beginning route | + chrom, shigure.
When he wakes up on September 1st, he sits bolt upright in his bed as he takes in his unfamiliar surroundings... except they’re not so unfamiliar after all. Like waking from a dream, the details unfog and become clear, and Saias gasps aloud with joy to find himself in his academy dorm room once more. The fictional world from the past couple of months no longer holds him: he and everyone else has been freed, they must have been! The missions were successful, then; he read every single one of the six fanfictions’ final chapters, his anticipation and excitement mounting as team after team finished their boss battle... except those in Edge of Eden, who managed to defeat Melanthios even though two other enemies remained. He’d worried about the fates of everyone in the books upon finding this out, but it seems trouncing the fallen deific being was enough to secure their objective.
Strange that there was no sign of Rion; then again, Saias hopes he won’t see the magenta-haired youth for a very long time.
As he leaves his dorm, he finds Chrom and Shigure chatting in the hall outside (and what a delight to see the light-haired bluenette again! though he seems to have aged between his last stay and now), and he instinctively scans them for injuries. Their battles had been difficult, though Chrom had been rather lucky on his end, while Shigure had managed to hold on at the end by a thread. He’s so very proud of both of them and how well they fought despite their limited equipment and spells.
Funny, isn’t it, how the three of us survived lethal missions by the skin of our teeth with only a couple items available to us. I’d almost call it a rite of passage between the three of us. However, next time, I hope all of us have at least a small arsenal in order to take on whatever our enemies throw at us.
“... and then I must’ve been empowered by something heavenly, because I nearly felled our Melanthios with a single strike! I think the only thing that prevented me from killing him was that strange armor he was wearing, but Kris—you know, Marth’s best friend—he finished him off right after.”
“That’s impressive! I almost ended up dying, but I managed to kill our group’s Melanthios after he killed Uncle Leo... Uncle Leo!” Shigure tears up, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.
Saias steps forward. “He’ll be fine, Shigure.” The two bluenette teenagers startle and whirl around, then cry out with relief, and in two seconds he’s buried in a double-sided bear hug, very enthusiastic on Chrom’s part, hesitant but no less gentle on Shigure’s. The redhead chuckles and pulls the two close—oh, how he’s missed them so! It’s just not the same without his friends.
“You’re back... I didn’t know whether the other students that were trapped got out, but you’re really back...” Oh, Chrom. He must be taking all of this particularly hard, what with him being written into the empire only to find out he was on the evil side. Saias shushes him and murmurs that there’s nothing to forgive. Poor thing, knowing him he’ll be blaming himself for a while. Luckily, Saias doesn’t plan on leaving him to wallow in self-deprecation, and there have to be plenty of others willing to help the young Ylissean prince recover.
Shigure shifts and withdraws from the hug, and the priest-in-training takes the pause to look over this older, more mature version of his younger friend. “You said... you said Uncle Leo will be fine? But how... he’s dead.”
The redhead shakes his head with a smile. “Nope, he’s alive. If last time has taught me anything, it’s that everyone will always make it out alive at the end of the month, no matter whether they died during the mission or not.”
Sapphire and golden eyes widen. “Wait, what do you mean, ‘last time?’” Chrom asks. “Did something like this happen before?”
“First time?” Saias quirks a brow, then chuckles. “Yes, it has. Last time we were sent out throughout Fódlan on a mission to uncover more about our mysterious enemies. I was sent to the Sealed Forest... several of us died, and those who died were resurrected as shadows that were forced to fight us. The less said about it, the better.” He winces. Oh, and that reminds me: whatever happened to Theo? I still haven’t seen shell nor tail of that little spider droid since then. “In any case, when we finally won our battles, everyone got out alive, even the ones who died. I know for a fact that your uncle made it out alive with you.”
Shigure frowns. “I don’t recall hearing anything like that from our classmates—in fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of that particular mission.”
“Now there’s an interesting phenomenon. When I first came here to Fódlan, I entered the academy in the Pegasus Moon of 1180.”
“Saias, you can’t have entered then.” Chrom furrows his brow in exasperation. “You were here months before me, the Pegasus Moon of 1180 would’ve been during the time you were trapped in the book.”
“Yes,” the Jugdrali mage agrees, “and no. The mission I was on took place during the Lone Moon of 1180—just like this enchanted book mission—but we returned during the Great Tree Moon of 1180. Do you see what happened?”
“Time travel,” Shigure breathes. “Or, no... time reset. That’s so strange, why is it that that happened? Was it a result of your battle with these enemies you mentioned?”
Chrom pales. “You mean to tell me that we might have to do our entire school year all over again?! But wait... you were already in higher-ranked classes than you would’ve been if you had to start the year over... so does that mean everyone remembered and were able to pick up where they left off? Oh Naga, does that mean our enemies remembered?!”
That would explain a lot, actually, such as Chrom’s mission during the Verdant Rain Moon and this latest mission into the tomes. “You know what, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.”
“I need to see this.” Shigure heads back into his dorm room, and, after trading a bemused shrug with Chrom, Saias follows after the singer. He finds the other teen staring at the calendar on his wall...
... which shows the Great Tree Moon... of 1181.
“Oh.” Saias sways, a bit lightheaded. So time has returned to its natural course, then? “I thought... I thought it was gonna reset again. I think I even hinted at it when I talked about course direction with you, Chrom, said you had all the time in the world.”
“... People are gonna wonder why I’m a year older when I go back home,” Chrom murmurs, looking faint. “That is, if time in Fódlan doesn’t run parallel to time in Ylisse.”
“It does not. I’ve been gone for two years at home and about nine months here,” Shigure says, tone matter-of-fact. The other two Blue Lions give him a quizzical look, at which he offers a sheepish smile. “I’ve lived in a Deeprealm for most of my life; they run much faster than the rest of the world.”
“... Right. I knew that.” Chrom rubs the back of his neck. “Well, looks like we’ll have to make the most of this opportunity. It’s a new day for Fódlan, huh?”
Saias smiles. “It seems so. And if I’m not mistaken—not to break up this little reunion—we all have family and friends we need to go check on and make doubly sure they’re all right, don’t we?”
Both bluenettes nod, then Chrom, as if remembering something, turns to Shigure with his finger in the air. “Your great-uncle’s here. I met him while we were trapped in the book.”
“He is!!” The youth is out the door before the young Ylissean can say anything else, and the redhead chuckles at his friend’s quiet enthusiasm. Bragi, he missed his younger friend... it feels so good to have him back, and that he has the chance to meet Saias’s other closest friend. Speaking of which... the swords-mage turns to the older teen, gaze gentle and kind.
“Chrom... for what it’s worth, I don’t hate you at all for the role you were slipped into and the actions you took because of what you believed. I’m willing to bet your family and friends don’t hate you either, and they’ll welcome you back with open arms if you just have the courage to go to them.” The bluenette nods, eyes fixed on the ground in evident shame. Saias withholds a sigh, then thinks of something else and smirks. “And if it takes me beating that into your thick skull with a heavy tome for the next several months—”
“All right, all right, all right! I get it! No more wallowing in the depths of guilt and misery!” Chrom holds his hands out to keep the other teen away, laughing. “When did you become so violent?”
“Being trapped in a book is boring and stressful. Or, it was on my end.” Saias grins, then wraps his arm around the other boy’s shoulders. “You know you can talk to me about anything and anyone, right?”
After a bit, Chrom nods, slow but understanding. “Yeah. Thanks, Saias.”
“Of course, anytime. Come on, we have plenty of people to check on and make sure—ohmyBragi Sigyn’s gonna be pissed.”
The laugh that answers him make him beam from ear to ear. Worth it.
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worstloki · 3 years
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hi so quick question what if I make Loki aroace in every one of my WIPs. like not even as an actual plot point just as a side note where he maybe makes puns about it (in the more lighthearted ones) or by having Asgard's aphobia contribute to his heap of self-esteem issues (in the angstier ones). what if I just. do that
well i mean i’m going to be reading it either way but that’d be??? real neat??? considering the blatant lack of ace loki fics??? and good aroace Loki content would be fabulous??? more people should realize they just. can. and it only takes a few lines to do it so go for it??? i don’t see any downsides here??? 
#I fill in gaps to the MCU with Comic Asgard so yeah I assume the casual drinking/sex culture would throw Loki off SO much#like#suppose people hold feasts and Fandral has three women perched on his knees and Thor is telling women of their battle today#and Hogun is drinking and correcting Volstagg as he tells the children stories but that's because it's Hogun and Volstagg is married (??)#and then I just imagine Loki age 15 realizing he doesn't like when people touch him#he doesn't see anything 'special' about kissing or sleeping with women or men or anyone#I just imagine Loki spending more time learning to be silent during feasts unless telling children a story or arguing with Thor's#I imagine he didn't show much skin before either but now he's always attending with sleeves and a higher collar#I imagine he notices eyes on him when he walks around perfectly fine on his own but  it's a celebration and everyone is pairing off to leave#I imagine he'd just think about trying a relationship but not bringing himself to do it and then not even knowing why#because I doubt a culture that glorifies violence and thrives on patriarchal values is going to appreciate a guy who isn't interested in sex#I also like to think if Amora were around he'd try and explain a bit and she'd help out and parade their relationship#maybe she'd try her hand at figuring out what's wrong with him because he doesn't even know#maybe he'll cry when she tells him none of her attempts at a cure are working out#maybe he'll build a reputation on solitude#on joining in with things but always being the odd one out#so no one will find it strange when everyone else is very enthusiastically heading off to bedchambers in groups#and he's perfectly content practicing his magic tricks or reading a book in the corner#and lets not think about whether he'd pin the aroace thing on being jotun too because surely *that* was the problem this whole time#not when we can think about the equation of sex to a relationship which in itself would just leave Loki so lost to begin with#the sex? sure. maybe he just hasn't found anyone he finds attractive yet. but how does he explain any of the rest if he's to pretend?#in conclusion:#angst good#fluff good#all of it good#ace loki#LokiIsAceAU#i don't know why all the ace loki stuff is being angst recently but i promise i'll try for something lighter later XD
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cheesus-doodles · 2 years
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Hey hey can I get rindou haitani yandere headcannons plz
this has been in my inbox for at least 9 months i swear... finally got the inspiration
Masterlist
Yandere Bestfriend Rindo HCs
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First time you met Rindo, it was most likely in childhood and outside of his usual life of school and delinquency
You were probably someone that he first noticed at the playground because you were the only one that was playing in the sandpit by yourself
Ran was busy with something, so Rindo had trotted down to the playground by himself - he was strong enough to hold his own without his older brother after all
It was well known in the neighbourhood that that area belonged to the Haitani brothers, and no kids dared to cross them after seeing Ran and Rindo send boys a few years older than them packing
But you didn't recognise Rindo - or maybe you did, but you didn't quite care - only looking up and realizing that there was someone else in the playground when a shadow was cast over you
You very obviously became excited, asked him if he wanted to play with you - you seemed to be drawing in the sand with a stick, and you offered him the makeshift pencil
All you got was a huff, after which Rindo walked away to sit on the swings
Very persistent - followed him over and hopefully asked whether you could push him
Instead all you got was this boy asking you to get lost, and so you did, quietly sitting down in the next swing, and that was how you spend the rest of your time at the playground until it was late enough for you to get up and wander home, leaving Rindo behind by himself
The very next day, one of the rare days Rindo bothered to attend class based on a gut feel, he spots you in the distance down a crowded corridor, and you spot him too, excitedly waving at him
Instantly every other student scrambled to get out of your way - anyone associated with Haitani Rindo couldn't be good news
Started off as a very strange, distant friendship - Rindo only tolerated your presence at first because you were such an intriguing abnormality that he wanted to study - who on earth tries to befriend someone everyone else runs away from?
Ran was amused when Rindo turned up with you eagerly tagging along, even more so when you enthusiastically introduced yourself to the older boy
And day after day, you always waited for him by the school gates in the morning and walked in with him, and he could easily find you in the same spot by the gate after school
Rindo have definitely tried to scare you off, first by intimidating you like he did everyone else - banging on your table, grabbing you by your collar, shouting at you
And when that didn't work, he started dragging you to watch fights where he absolutely pummels the shit out of other kids, but you don't seem the least bit phrased, just kinda humming and kicking your legs from where you perched
Has asked you multiple times what the fuck is wrong with you, but can kinda guess, seeing how air-headed you were at times
Have told you multiple times that he hated you and to stop following him around, threatening to beat you up, but have never actually thrown hands at you for some reason, only words and threats
Kept it up right up till one day, you weren't there waiting for him by the gates in the morning and Rindo nearly broke down in a panic attack
You had unwittingly become part of his regular rountine, and you not being there set this boy off - everything seemed wrong without you at school
Unknown to Rindo, you had woken up not feeling well, and had decided to stay at home for the day - fallen back asleep only to awaken to the sound of someone absolutely hammering away on the door of your house
Ran has 100% secretly followed you home previously after realizing just how deep in Rindo is with regards to you despite his younger brother fervently denying it - the younger Haitani had taken to attending school regularly ever since you popped up, even if he still skipped classes
You got a tongue lashing unlike any of the horrid words Rindo had spat at you previously - this baby boy raging at you about how dare you skip school today, how dare you not tell him that you were ill, that you better not die because he would beat you up
Doesn't know how to tell you he was worried, denies it anyway when Ran tells you instead
Ends up staying over to take care of you
You made him his favourite dessert the next day to make up for it, which he grumbled about but took anyway
After that day, Rindo basically had a 180 in the way he treated you
Still teased and bullied you of course, but only he got to do that, and he never told you to get lost again
Anyone that talked shit about you behind your back gets to learn first hand what it was like to break multiple bones at the same time
Difficult to pinpoint what was it that dragged him in more and more - you were still the same annoying brat that he found at the playground and bothered him nonstop since then
But Ran of course could tell - it was a combination of your sweetness, your innocence and naivety, and that you had picked him to be friends with over Ran
Whatever it was, Rindo found that he couldn't get his mind off of you - every minute was spend thinking about what the two of you should get up to next
You had proclaimed the two of you bestfriends multiple times before, and even though Rindo had shut that down before, he now wore the badge with pride
Of course he was your bestfriend - he was your only friend
Has pissed himself off several times thinking about what you were doing, which inevitably led to the train of thoughts about you talking to, or even worse, making friends with anyone else
This is despite Rindo instantly ascertaining that your friend-making ability was 0 from just watching you over the course of one single lunch break - you didn't know how to start or carry a conversation even though you were chatty, and you lived in your own world so no one could follow your thoughts or words
Have stormed into your ongoing class only to grab you by the collar and shout at you for conspiring with enemies, only for you to shoot that cute puzzled look at him and before realization dawned on you and you remind him that you weren't ever going to give up your favourite stuffed bear Fatty Hatty, not even for him
Definitely beat up several of your classmates after school because he thought they looked too friendly and you could be swayed
You could be swayed by anything, it was just the way you were, so it was up to Rindo to take care of you
Turns out he did really like the idea of someone being dependent on him and his care though - god only knows how you survived this long by yourself
Still can't bear the thought of losing you to anyone else, especially Ran
Loves to have you watch him fight since you always cheered him on, boosts his ego and the size of his head a ton
You were openly friendly and chatty, the complete opposite of Rindo's usual stoic persona
So chatty that whenever he brings you to a fight, you try to introduce yourself to his opponents, sticking out your hand to a confused group of hardened delinquents
Rindo having to grab your hand and tell you sternly to shut up and go sit down
At least after fights you are happy to clean him up and stick bandages on him if he does get hurt, asking if he wanted to go grab something to eat as if you haven't just watched him hit someone over the head with a brick
You try your best but inevitably can't help but ask the losing side whether they needed patching up as well, which earned you a ear-twisting and a scolding from Rindo before he drags you away
Ran beats them up again after you two leave just in case
For the first time, he had someone that wanted to be friends with him, not his older brother, and this baby boy was invested in keeping you as his and only his
During downtimes between fights, likes to just sit with you somewhere quiet and safe and listen to you chatter away about any random thought that pops into your head
If you were bestfriends with Rindo, you can be sure that he would definitely make sure that you don't ever proclaim to be Ran's friend, be it in front of him or to anyone else
Don't get him wrong, getting along with Ran is one of the crucial reasons why you were his bestfriend, but you don't get to actually be friends with Ran - you were his and only his friend
Ran knows about this, and goes out of his way to make sure he doesn't intervene in your battles - the older Haitani brother does keep an eye out for you, but will always leave the thrashing to Rindo unless both of them were needed
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redpandaramblings · 3 years
Text
Like Caramel For Chocolate- An Omega Bakugou x Alpha f!Reader fic. Part 6
Part 1 Here
Next part Here
Content Warning: Negative headspace, omegaverse, self deprecation, depressive thoughts, pushy parental figures, ambiguous omegaverse reproduction, unhealthy relationships, relationship that could be easily fixed if idiots would use their words and communicate, Shinso/Denki side relationship, Bakugou is a dumbass but so is y/n
Where we left off-
Before Bakugou could reply, the jeweler came back into the room and handed Denki a piece of paper.
“All right sir, here is your receipt! Your ring should be ready in three days.”
“Thanks.” Denki shoved the receipt into his pocket, quickly making his way to the door. “See you around Bakubro. Don't want to be late for my shift.” The door closed behind him with a bang.
Bakugou wasn’t annoyed though. Now he could pick out the perfect ring for Y/N and not worry about Kaminari being nearby. Everyone knows Kami can’t keep a secret to save his life.
“I don’t know how much longer I can keep all of this a secret.” Denki moaned into his hands. He was sitting with his head buried in his arms. Y/N reached across the table and gently petted his hair.
“I know what you mean, but I don’t think either of us are in a good position to start telling people.”
Y/n and Denki sat in a secluded corner of a dimly lit cafe. Both of them had this time free and both of them definitely needed to talk. They stood a lot less chance of anyone asking questions if they were just two friends getting lunch instead of them privately going to each other’s apartments.
Denki looked up, giving Y/N a wide eyed expression. “I know, but I wasn’t expecting Bakugou to show up when I was dropping off that abomination of a ring! I just was lucky the jeweler had already taken it to the back. You were right by the way, that thing is absolutely horrendous. Like, was the designer blind?”
Y/N snorted. “From what I’ve heard, great great grandpappy had a lot more money than brains and wanted to impress his omega by shoving as many stones onto a ring as possible.”
“No kidding. I think it can be seen from space.”
“Very likely.” Y/N chuckled before slumping back into her seat with a sigh. “Though I might have an idea about what Bakugou was doing there.”
“Wait, seriously?”
Y/N nodded with a sigh. “Yeah. When I got back he invited me to the summer festival. I’d forgotten about it.”
“Ah shit, yeah. Isn’t that your guys' anniversary?”
“Yep.” Y/N sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Of course he had to pick this time to actually celebrate. We haven’t gone or done anything… God, I think since he became a hero.”
“So you think he was getting a gift.” Denki sat back as the server came, placing your orders in front of each of you. You both murmured your thank yous and waited until the server was out of earshot before resuming your conversation.
“Yeah, he had to have been. Makes me feel terrible, but there wasn’t a good time to… Well…”
Y/n gestured between herself and Denki.
“Tell him that you’ve been betrothed to an omega of much superior looks, breeding, and manners?”
You gave Denki a little kick under the table as he cackled. He grinned cheekily as he poked at his food. “Sorry. Humor is my coping mechanism. I get it though. Timing sucks all the way around.”
You nodded, sighing and taking a bite of your own food. “Can’t say anything during his heat. Then his schedule was swamped, and I had to sort things out with you. Then bam, anniversary that for some reason he decided to remember this year.”
Denki snorted, popping a bite into his mouth. “That’s about the long and the short of it. And we haven’t even begun to figure out how to tell everyone we’ve not only accepted arranged betrothals, but that we’re engaged to each other.”
“I don’t know, I was kind of hoping we could just move to Tahiti and never speak to our former friend groups ever again?”
“A valid possibility. But that means we’d have to learn French and maybe Tahitian. You know I only passed English because Hitoshi and his dad coached me.”
“Fair point.” You sighed heavily. “But I’m really not looking forward to these conversations.”
“They have to happen though. You might have some anonymity to hide behind, but I’d rather my friends not find out about our engagement when they see an article about Chargebolt getting married.”
“Really?” You smirked slightly. “Then you’re going to tell everyone at your agency, hmm?”
Denki kicked you under the table. “Shut up!”
You poked at your food again as the smile fell from your lips. “So… Did you get a chance to think about what I sent you?”
Kaminari nodded. “Yeah. And I hate to say it, but I think you’re right.”
“I thought about it a lot. I hate to leave the area, but it would be too awkward to stay here after everything.”
A few days ago you had sent Denki an email with a list of places that had job openings that would suit both of you. You both loved where you lived, but after everything, how could you stay? There’s no way the two of you could continue to keep living in the same apartment building as Bakugou. That would be cruel. Cruel to whom you didn’t quite want to think about. You spoke up again.
“Any place catch your eye?”
Kaminari nodded. “I was kind of thinking Okinawa. I have a few connections there. Decent distance from here and from our parents. And that would probably be the easiest transition.”
“Works for me.” You said, as if it wasn’t ripping your heart out to do this. It hurt. But it had to happen. In the end, you had to believe this was what was best for everyone. It might take some time, but this was it. This was what would make everyone happy in the long run.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shinsou was worried. Denki had been acting odd. And that’s saying something. The blond omega was usually loud and bubbly, the life of the agency. At least once a week, he invited Shinsou out for drinks, meals, clubs, karaoke, or some other nonsense. But ever since he’d gotten back from his three day leave, Kaminari had been acting strange. When he thought no one was looking, he was quiet. Withdrawn. Like he was puzzling out the toughest problem of his life.
Denki having a problem? Pretty typical. Denki having a problem and not talking to Shinsou about it? Pretty unusual. The blond had always come to the purple haired alpha with even the simplest of problems. Apartment searches, furniture assembly, what support items would suit his quirk best, even things like what to get from Starbucks. And even though he might groan and roll his eyes, secretly Hitoshi loved every second of it. When he had helped by digging through websites, cobbling together a rickety shelf, or reminding Denki that he always got the most cloyingly sweet items on the menu; Hitoshi got to pretend that he was Denki’s alpha.
Shinsou wasn’t sure exactly when he had fallen in love with Denki. Probably had been since high school at least. His dad had warned him against loud blonds while his father had laughed. But he couldn’t help it. Kaminari had been one of the first people to enthusiastically believe in him. Had always sought him out and wormed his way into Shinsou’s life and heart. And now Shinsou couldn’t understand it, but Denki was pulling away. Even as he watched the blond who was typing up a report on his computer, it somehow felt like Kaminari was slipping right through his fingers.
Shinsou cleared his throat. Kaminari glanced up. “Yeah man? What’s up?”
“You doing okay, Denks? You’ve seemed a little out of it.”
Denki met his eyes, startled, then quickly glanced away. “Yeah. Yep! Totally fine.”
“Denki. I know you.”
Kaminari sighed and slumped on his desk. “Just some life stuff. Family stuff. Friend stuff.”
Shinsou frowned, walking over to place a hand on Denki’s shoulder. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
Denki snorted and laughed quietly. Shinsou furrowed his brows.
“Yeah” Denki sighed. “I know. But half of it isn’t really my stuff to tell and the other half isn’t exactly worth talking about.”
“You sure? We could go grab one of your obnoxiously sweet coffees after work. Go to mine or yours, watch an old crappy horror.”
“Tempting. Thanks man. I would, really, but I got some stuff I have to do after work. Some other time maybe.”
Shinsou frowned. It was rare for the omega to turn down an invitation for a movie night. Hell, it was rare for Denki to turn down an invitation, end stop. It made him even more worried about his omega… friend. His omega friend. His friend who just so happens to be an omega. Hitoshi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really didn’t want to ruin the best friendship he had. But he couldn’t keep this up much longer. His alpha had decided on the electric blond long ago, and the omega’s unusual behavior and unhappy scent was driving him wild with the need to protect. He really needed to pull himself together and confess soon.
“Well, whenever you’re free then,” Shinsou said, reluctantly letting his hand fall from Denki’s shoulder. “You know my number.”
Denki nodded and looked up, giving him half a smile. “I do. Thanks Shinsou.”
Shinsou walked back to his desk, his mind made up. He needed to tell his omega how he felt, and soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Y/N twisted and turned, looking at herself in the mirror. It had been a very long time since she’d worn a yukata. It didn’t feel right to dress up like this. But wearing anything else also felt wrong. Everything about this date felt wrong. Like this was the kind of she she did in another life. And now here she was, going on a date with the man she loved. Who she’d always love. And who she’d already decided she was going to let go.
Y/N snorted and fussed with her hair a bit. Maybe she should have just refused this date. Claimed to be sick or something. But that felt wrong too. So, she just had to get through tonight. After all, what’s one more night of pretending everything is fine? Hopefully this could be a good memory from a relationship that just wasn’t meant to be. After tonight, she’d wait a couple days and then talk to Bakugou and let him go like he clearly wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katsuki was going to throw up.
He was going to throw up, right here, all over himself and all over shitty hair, too. His red headed friend was giving him a pep talk as he helped Bakugou into his jinbei. Not that Bakugou needed the help. Or the pep talk. It just was easier to let the squad come over when they had found out about his date. It’s not like he wanted them there or anything. Once Kiri, Mina, and Sero realized he was going to use this date to ask Y/N to be his mate, they had insisted on helping him get ready.
None of them knew about the little velvet box in his pocket and that his plans went further than just asking Y/N to be his mate. Bakugou bit his lip to keep from frowning as he looked over his friends, a certain loud blond conspicuously missing. You wouldn’t hear Katsuki admit it out loud, but he really wished Denki could have been here. He loved the others, and they were great in their own ways. But Denki was his pack’s other omega. He got it in a way that the others didn’t. After tonight, he’d have to make sure to catch Pikachu up on all the news. Hell, maybe he could help his fellow blond finally talk to that purple haired idiot he’d been mooning over for years. Everyone in the pack knew Denki’s family had been harping at him to settle down for quite a while.
Bakugou looked up in time to see Mina coming at him with the hair grease. He threw up his hands.
“Fuck no! Keep that shit away from me!”
“You’ve got to do something about that pile of straw you call a haircut. Besides, Wouldn’t it be nostalgic? Weren’t you interning for Best Jeanist again when you asked Y/N out the first time?”
“Yes, and I’d rather shave myself bald than ever have my hair like that again!”
Mina sighed. “Fine. We’ll do something else. But if I can’t slick it back, you will be wearing eyeliner!”
“IN YOUR DREAMS, PINKY!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You waited outside the entrance to the festival. It was strangely soothing to watch the people flow by, like you were a rock overlooking a stream. There were groups of friends, couples both young and old, families where the laughing children ran ahead of their parents eager to get inside. You gave a small smile at the last. Maybe that could be you someday, a parent getting to see a festival through the eyes of a child again. Though the mental picture was hazier than it used to be. The children you half imagined just blurs of colorful yukatas, instead of loud and stubborn blond haired brats with their father’s eyes and attitude. You huffed a quiet laugh to yourself as a thought occurred to you. If you and Kaminari actually went through with this plan, decent chance the kids would still be blond. The thought hurt a little.
“Y/N!”
You looked up and had the breath knocked out of your lungs.
Katsuki was beautiful. You knew it. Thought it often, even. But tonight he practically glowed. His hair had been tamed into a softer look than usual. The jinbei he wore was the perfect compliment to his skintone. Was that… Yes. Dark eyeliner made his crimson eyes pop. Your heart ached. You’d always love this man. No matter how it tore you apart, he’d always own part of your heart and soul. You smiled weakly and raised your hand in greeting.
“Hey. You look good.”
“Thanks.” Bakugou scratched the back of his head. “Mina got ahold of me.”
“That explains it then.”
“Hey!” Katsuki gently elbowed you in the side before taking his place next to you. “You saying I can’t dress up on my own?”
“Yes.”
“Y/N!” You dodged out of the way as he swatted at you, laughing. Yes. This could be it. One last good night.
“Shall we go in?” You asked, holding out your hand.
“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” Katsuki asked as he walked past you, ignoring your hand.
You gave a quiet smile as you followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katsuki picked at his food, none of it making it to his mouth. He was going to be sick. He was going to be sick right here and some paparazzi was going to see and take a picture and the big headline tomorrow was going to be “A Puke Worthy Proposal.” He was trying his best to keep up the illusion that everything was fine and normal, but it was rough. It had been a long time since he’d taken his alpha on even a normal date. And this wasn’t any normal date. It didn’t help that things were feeling forced and awkward.
He wanted to hold your hand, but his own hands were sweating buckets. He tried to keep up casual conversation, but that was getting harder and harder as the night wore on. Every sentence he wanted to just blurt it out and get it over with. It was impossible to keep talking about what vendors he recognized when all he wanted to say was “I love you and I’ll always love you and I want you by my side until the sun stops shining.”
It didn’t help that things felt awkward. Almost nothing was feeling easy or natural. It really had been far too long since the two of you had gone on any sort of date. He frowned as he thought about it. It had been over a year, at least. Longer, even. Well, he was going to have to fix that. He’d be able to use some of that pro hero paycheck and spoil you like you deserved. His Y/N. His mate. And soon, his wife.
Bakugou stared at nothing, his eyes going unfocus as he started daydreaming about how spectacular your wedding would be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was a disaster. You glanced over to where Bakugou stood picking at his food, looking bored. You’d been trying to keep up the conversation, but for the past several minutes you’d only gotten hums or grunts in response to anything you said.
“It’s amazing how they got all those pro heroes to dance nude as one of the main attractions this year.”
Katsuki grunted.
Yeah, he wasn’t paying attention at all.
You sighed, looking down at your own untouched food. You never should have agreed to come. At least this date was proving it to you. This had to end. The two of you didn’t know how to be a couple anymore. It was even clearer that Katsuki wasn’t even interested in trying. You had no idea why he wanted to have this date in the first place. Some bizarre sense of obligation? Maybe his heat had shaken him up enough that his omega needed the sense of normalcy? This issue was this wasn’t normal for the two of you anymore. It hadn’t been for a very long time. You sighed, glancing around for a trash can to oust you untouched dango.
A loud pop caused you to look up. The fireworks were about to start.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bakugou looked up at the sound of the first firework.
“Wanna head to the pier?”
You nodded quietly, following him as he led the way. He was sweating so much now that if he set himself off he’d take out half the city.
This was it. It was almost time. The two of you were going to watch the fireworks from the out of the way pier like you had all those years ago. It was at the end of that fireworks show the two of you had had your first kiss. And this time… Well this time at the end of the show he was going to propose and you were going to say yes, and it was going to be perfect.
That is if he didn’t barf before you two got there.
“Hurry up,” he grunted as he picked up the pace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You tried not to flinch at Bakugou’s harsh tone. He clearly wanted to get this night over with even more than you did. You tried not to let it hurt.
The pier was empty as it always was. The lack of lighting keeping others away. The first time you had discovered it, it had felt hidden and intimate. Now it felt desolate. Lonely.
You walked up to the railing and stared at the sky. The fireworks didn’t feel magical anymore either. Your fingers wrapped around the railing as you glanced to the side. Bakugou wasn’t even looking up. He was staring at the reflections of flashes in the dark swirling water below.
You couldn’t do this anymore.
No more.
The fireworks illuminated you as your grip on the railing tightened until your knuckles turned white.
“Katsuki?”
“”What?” He asked roughly, barely glancing your way.
“Let’s break up.”
And that was Part 6, my darlings! Hope you're enjoying the drama, because there's more angst on the way! You can scream at me about the cliffhanger in replies, reblogs, tags or asks. :P
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471 notes · View notes
labomi · 3 years
Text
selfish | one (18+)
Summary: You're a former coworker of Kento Nanami back when he was just an office worker. You accidentally run into him at a bakery many years later which gives you a second chance at getting to know the man who had always caught your eye.
Pairing: Kento Nanami x f!Reader
Words: 11.1k+
Warnings: Explicit sexual content, vaginal sex, vaginal fingering, oral sex, creampie, explicit language, attempted sexual assault, kidnapping, canon-typical violence, alcohol
Note: Read on ao3 here! I’ve been on tumblr on and off for about 10 years at this point (yikes), but I recently decided to start a new one as sort of a writing blog with a lot of anime gif reblogging on the side as well haha. Kind of nervous to post my first fic on tumblr for some reason, so I hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading!
Index: [Part One] [Part Two]
“Nanami? Kento Nanami? Is that you?”
You couldn’t believe your eyes. It had been years! Was that really him?
---
The night you accidentally ran into Kento Nanami started off like any other night in your life. After an exhausting day of work, you decided to treat yourself to some sweets at a nearby bakery. The small chime on the door signaled your entrance with the lone employee warmly greeting you.
“Welcome!”
There was only one other customer in the small shop. A tall man stood at the cash register. 
Hmm.
There was something strangely familiar about the man’s demeanor. Curious, you drifted over to the display case next to the register to try and sneak a peek at his face. While admiring the delicious-looking pastries on the counter, you listened in on the conversation between him and the cashier.
“That will be 2000 yen,” the lady said.
“I’ll pay with card.”
You stiffened slightly, eyes widening in surprise. 
That voice!  
You recognized that voice!
The man shifted his face towards you as he reached to grab his wallet from his pocket. You were finally able to get a glimpse of his face. 
You gasped.
“It is you!” you exclaimed in surprise. “Nanami!”
He looked as prim and proper as ever. The man still wore a suit and tie with his hair neatly parted. The only major difference in his appearance was the sunglasses that now completely shielded his eyes.
“It’s good to see you again! How have you been?” you asked eagerly.
Nanami looked at you silently, trying to recall where he had seen your familiar face before.
Then he remembered.
A flood of memories from a different life overcame him. The man hesitantly said your name, like he couldn’t quite believe your unexpected appearance before him. You nodded enthusiastically while he absentmindedly handed his credit card to the cashier.
“Oh wow,” you breathed, feeling a little giddy. “I haven’t seen you since you quit all those years ago. What are you doing now?”
Nanami seemed to pause for a second, adjusting his sunglasses. “I work at a school.”
“Oh! As a teacher?” 
“No, just as staff.”
“That sounds nice. What school?”
“It’s a private religious school in the mountains. It’s not particularly well-known,” the man replied vaguely. 
“Oh, I see.”
A loud beep of a cell phone interrupted the conversation. Nanami reached into his other pocket and took out his phone. He frowned, looking at the device. “I apologize, but I have to go immediately.”
“Oh, uh, ok,” you said, feeling slightly disappointed. You barely had any time to catch up with your former coworker. Nanami grabbed the bag from the counter and swiftly exited the store. You watched him walk away with a sigh. What were the chances that you would bump into him again? You pouted, upset that the circumstances hadn’t exactly worked out in your favor.
“Oh no!” the cashier suddenly cried out. “He forgot his card!” She pointed at the blue credit card on the counter.
“Lemme see if I can catch him!” you responded, already running out of the bakery. You pushed open the door and ran in the direction you saw the man leave. “Nanami!” you shouted. Other pedestrians looked at you curiously, but you couldn’t see the tall man anywhere. You walked around a bit further out, continuing to call his name but to no avail. Sighing, you headed back to the bakery.
“No luck,” you said to the cashier. “He’s gone already. I have no idea how he disappeared so quickly.” Crossing your arms against your chest, you looked at the forgotten card in frustration. “What should we do now?” If only you had his number! 
“I guess I can keep it here in case he comes back,” the lady reasoned.
Hmm.  
An idea popped in your head. 
A selfish one.
“Wait! How about I take it and return it to him?” you asked. Then you realized that your request might come off as suspicious. “We used to work together, I promise I’m not trying to steal it or anything.”
The cashier smiled at you softly. “I trust you. You come in here quite a lot and that man did say your name, so I know you’re not lying.”
You sighed in relief.
Thank goodness.
After buying some pastries for yourself, you walked out of the bakery holding Nanami’s credit card in your hand. You carefully stored it in your bag before beginning the walk back to your apartment.
A private religious school in the mountains, huh?
It shouldn’t be too hard to find.
---
You groaned, fighting the urge to pull your hair in frustration. 
How hard was it to find this damn school?!
You were sitting at your desk in the dark. The only light in the bedroom came from your laptop screen which was full of search engine results for “tokyo private religious school”. You were on page 15. Not a promising sign.
Recalling your conversation with Nanami, you remembered the man said he worked at a religious school in the mountains. However, none of the private schools you had found so far were located in the mountains. You frowned. Had Nanami been lying?
You shook your head to yourself.
No. 
He’s not the type to lie. He did say it wasn’t well-known.
You scrolled further down and clicked on the next page. Quickly skimming the results, you finally found something that caught your eye. 
Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College.
Huh. What a strange name for a school.  
You clicked on the link. It brought you to a strange forum that looked somewhat sketchy and unreliable, but someone had at least posted an address for the school. You grabbed your phone and immediately plugged the address into the map app.
You punched the air in triumph.
“Yes!” The dot was located in the mountains by some Tokyo suburbs. 
This has to be the place!
Luckily, tomorrow was Friday which meant you had no classes, and you weren’t scheduled for a shift at work. You were free to find the school and return the card to Nanami in person. 
“Ok!” you said to yourself, rubbing your hands together. “Now to find out how to get there.”
---
You looked at the dot of your current location on your phone and then back at the vast empty woods in front of you.
This can’t be it!
You groaned out loud in frustration, stamping your feet in a little tantrum. 
Why is it still so hard to find this damn school?!  
Looking at your phone again, you double-checked the map to see that you were in fact at the exact location of the address you inputted, but nothing was here. It was just trees!
You sighed in disappointment but refused to give up right away. Maybe your phone’s GPS was off because you were so high up in the mountains and the signal was bad. You decided to follow the road that led up the mountain with the hope that you might accidentally stumble across the school. If there was a road, it had to lead somewhere! But strangely enough, you hadn’t seen any cars, buildings, or pedestrians since entering the area. 
After walking around for almost an hour, you decided to take a break. Sitting in the shade of some trees by the side of the road, you took your water bottle out of your bag for a quick sip. You admired the beautiful, quiet scenery in front of you.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
You were currently lost in the mountains of Tokyo looking for a school you weren’t quite sure actually existed. And it was all because you were selfish and wanted to see Nanami again. Your old coworker.
You hadn’t been particularly close to him at work, though he didn’t seem overly friendly with anyone in the office. Nanami was the stoic and serious type. He didn’t talk much with the team, but you could tell he worked hard. He was always one of the last people to leave the office for the night, if he did leave. On many occasions, you found him dozing at his desk in the morning when you arrived early to work before everyone else with the sneaking suspicion that he had spent the entire night in the office.
Unlike most of the other employees and especially your boss, Nanami seemed to still care about the clients instead of just the company’s profits, judging from the small snippets of conversations you overheard from him. You had always wanted to get to know him better, but he didn’t particularly have an approachable demeanor. At the time, you were just a young, newly graduated woman who was afraid of everything and everyone. So you often just kept to yourself.
You sighed, looking down at the ground. Taking Nanami’s credit card hostage was a pathetic way of trying to rekindle a relationship that never existed in the first place. You made up your mind. It was time to head back home and drop off the card at the bakery so he could pick it up himself. Today’s excursion was just a giant waste of time much to your disappointment.
“Excuse me, miss. What are you doing here?”
“Huh?” A man was hovering over you. You swore he hadn’t been there a second ago.
You screamed. “P-please don’t hurt me!” You put your arms out in front of you, shielding yourself from any potential harm. “I don’t have much money, but you can have it all!”
The man burst out laughing. You slowly lowered your arms, hoping that his laughter meant he wasn’t going to attack you.
“I’m not going to hurt you, and I especially don’t want your money.”
You let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” No longer afraid, you took a closer look at the stranger. He was tall. Very tall. Wearing a black outfit and a matching blindfold that spiked up his white hair.
What a strange appearance.
“Well, I won’t hurt you as long as you tell me what you’re doing here.” You gulped, hearing the silent threat in his words.
“Umm, umm, well, you see I-I got a bit lost and w-was just taking a rest,” you stuttered nervously, fiddling with your hands. “I heard there’s a private school around here and I’m trying to find it, because I know someone who works there. His name is Kento Nanami and we used to work together many many years ago and I just happened to run into him last night at a bakery but he left his credit card there and I wanted to give it back to him in person, so I thought it was a good idea to deliver it at his workplace but this school is so hard to find I have no idea where I’m going and-and I think I’m just going to leave now actually.” You realized you were rambling, so you forcibly shut your mouth to stop yourself from looking like a complete fool in front of the stranger.
The man hummed in thought for several seconds before suddenly grinning and chuckling to himself. His demeanor no longer felt threatening.
“Kento Nanami, huh,” the man said, still smiling happily.
“Oh, you know him?” You perked up, suddenly hopeful.
Maybe they work together!
“Leave it to me!” the stranger cheered, giving you a thumbs up. “I’ll escort you to the school and make sure you hand-deliver that credit card to Nanami!”
You felt relieved, tears almost prickling your eyes. “Oh thank you so much!”
---
“Satoru.”
“Mm.”
“Can’t you tell there’s a human who has been wandering near the barrier for quite a while now? It looks like they’re trying to find a way in,” Yaga commented.
“Well, they can’t. Isn’t that the whole point of the barrier?”
“I know that!” the principal grunted angrily. “But since you’re just lounging here around doing nothing, go check it out.”
“Fine.” Gojo got off the couch and headed outside, wondering how a human accidentally wandered this close to the school so far up the mountains.
---
It only took several minutes before you and the strange man found a path leading to the school. You blinked in surprise. You felt like you had walked by this part of the road earlier but had seen nothing.
Walking alongside the man quietly, you suddenly realized you had completely forgotten your manners. Quickly bowing to your escort, you introduced yourself and thanked him for taking the time to safely bring you to the school.
“It’s no problem. Any friend of Nanami is a friend of mine. Oh, and I’m Satoru Gojo by the way. I’m the first-year teacher here.”
He was a teacher? This man wearing a blindfold in broad daylight? You swallowed nervously. You wondered what kind of school Nanami was working for exactly.
Once you finally reached the main school grounds, all of your reservations immediately melted away. “Wow!” you breathed. The campus was absolutely gorgeous with beautiful statues, shrines, and gates. You couldn’t help but stop and admire your surroundings. “This school is beautiful.”
Gojo brought you to the teacher’s lounge and gestured for you to sit down. “So, tell me again how you know our dear Nanami?”
---
Nanami had just finished a mission when his phone chimed, signaling a text. He finished wiping his blade clean before grabbing the device. The message was from Gojo.
Gojo: Come back to Jujutsu Tech. Your girlfriend is here ;)
The sorcerer stared at the message. 
Nanami: I have no idea what you mean.
Gojo: ( ˘ ³˘)♥
He angrily shoved his phone back in his pocket and walked over to the car where Ijichi was waiting. He entered the back seat before closing the door behind him. “Hurry up. I need to find a certain white-haired idiot and destroy him.”
---
Nanami was walking towards the teacher’s lounge when he heard your bright laughter. He froze for a couple of seconds.
What were you doing here?
He picked up the pace, quickly entering the lounge to see you giggling on the couch next to Gojo. For some reason, it bothered him to see how close the idiot was to you and how happy you looked in his presence.
“Nanami! You’re here!” Gojo exclaimed, immediately noticing the other sorcerer’s presence. 
You turned your head quickly towards the doorway with a bright grin. “Oh, Nanami! Hi again!”
Nanami observed the scene, trying to figure out what was going on, but he was drawing a blank. 
First of all, you weren’t a sorcerer. How did you enter the school grounds? 
Second, did you know Gojo? The two of you seemed quite friendly on the couch together. 
Third, was Gojo implying that you were his girlfriend? That was absolutely ridiculous.
“What are you doing here?” Nanami asked you cautiously, adjusting his sunglasses. 
“Oh!” You dug around in your bag, pulling out your wallet. You removed a blue credit card. “You left this behind at the bakery yesterday. I tried to chase after you, but you disappeared so quickly. I had the day off today, so I thought I would try to find your workplace and give your card back to you.” You got off the couch, approaching Nanami and handing him the card.
Nanami took the card from you before placing it back in his own wallet. “You didn’t have to do this. How did you even find your way here?”
“I found her wandering nearby!” Gojo jumped in, grinning at the other sorcerer. “Imagine my surprise when she said the two of you used to work together back when you were just a salaryman. I just had to invite her back here. You never mentioned you used to work with such a lovely lady.”
You visibly blushed at Gojo’s words which just bothered Nanami even more. “Thank you for returning my card, but I think it’s about time y—”
“Nanami. Nanami. Namami,” Gojo said in a singsong voice. “You’re all work and no fun. It’s been years since the two of you have seen each other, and you’re already trying to get rid of her? Don’t you want to catch up a little bit?”
You played with your hair, a little nervous. “I mean if you’re busy Nanami, I can go. But I was hoping we could talk a little bit.” You looked up at him with bright eyes. “I want to hear how you’ve been doing.”
Nanami took one look at your hopeful face and immediately gave in. “Alright.” He gestured for you to sit back down as he walked over to one of the armchairs. The sorcerer pretended like he didn’t see your little jump of excitement as you hurried back to the couch with Gojo.
Once the three of you were all seated comfortably, you brought up what you had been previously discussing with Gojo. “I didn’t know you’re teaching at the same high school you went to as a student. That’s pretty cool!”
“He was one of the few students who graduated and decided to leave the community,” Gojo pointed out. “Most of us stay here and continue working for the school.” Nanami subtly glared at the white-haired sorcerer, wondering how much he had told you about the jujutsu world.
“Why did you decide to come back then?” you asked curiously.
“I changed my mind,” Nanami simply stated. “I realized I would find my career slightly more rewarding if I worked for the school than that company.”
You nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. I’m glad we eventually both left that job.” You slightly grimaced, just thinking about your past. It didn’t go unnoticed by Nanami.
“When did you leave?” he asked.
You hummed, recalling the past. “It was probably a couple of months after you left. I, uh, messed up something really badly and I got fired.”
Nanami raised his eyebrows in surprise. You didn’t seem like the type to make big mistakes. He remembered you as quite the careful and diligent worker. He narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering if you were being deceitful.
“It’s ok though,” you continued. “I worked a couple of odd jobs afterward to keep up with the bills until I decided I wanted to become a nurse! So I’m actually back in school now and working part-time to help pay tuition.”
“A nurse, huh,” Gojo remarked. “What a noble career choice.”
“Ahh, I wouldn’t say I’m noble or anything. I just think I would find my life more fulfilling if I was actively helping people,” you explained. “Probably similar to how you felt when you switched careers, Nanami.”
He nodded at your words.
uThe three of you chatted amicably the rest of the day. Gojo and you mostly carried the conversation, but Nanami would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy listening to your voice. After he ran into you at the bakery last night, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. It was the first time he was confronted with his old life after deciding to become a sorcerer again. Part of Nanami wanted to never look back on that phase of his life again, but perhaps it wasn’t all bad. Sure, he hadn't particularly liked anyone from that office, but he didn’t mind you. You had always been quiet, polite, and hardworking. 
Nanami still remembered his last day at the office. You had organized a surprise farewell party just for him with a cake, balloons, and everything. After everyone had their fill of free food and left the conference room, you had shyly wished him luck in the future and said you would miss seeing him in the office. All those memories came rushing back after encountering you in that bakery.
The sun started to set when you finally noticed the time.
“Ah! I should probably go,” you announced, checking your phone. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstay my welcome.”
“No, no,” Gojo assured. “You are very much welcome here. Like I said earlier, any friend of Nanami is a friend of mine and all my friends are welcome here!”
“How do you plan on getting home?” Nanami asked, mildly concerned.
“Don’t worry!” Gojo said. “I got it handled. Ijichi will drive her back.”
“Huh? No, it’s fine,” you tried to argue. “I can get back by myself. It’s not a problem.”
“What kind of gentlemen would we be if we didn’t ensure you got home safely? Ijichi is our finest chauffeur,” the blindfolded man insisted. “He will take care of you.”
You looked at Nanami who simply nodded at you, encouraging you to accept Gojo’s offer. Sighing, you crossed your arms over your chest with a pout. “Alright. Thank you.”
The two men waved goodbye as you left in Ijichi’s car to head back home.
“Was it really wise to have her on the school grounds?” Nanami asked.
Gojo hummed. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. Normal humans aren’t allowed here for a reason.”
The blindfolded sorcerer didn’t reply. Instead, he took out his phone and started tapping on the screen. Nanami’s phone chimed. It was a text from Gojo. Opening it, he saw it was a string of numbers.
A phone number.
“You should call her sometime,” Gojo said. “She likes you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. What kind of woman travels to the mountains on her day off to try and find a publically non-existent school to return a credit card to someone she doesn’t like?”
Nanami remained silent.
“Just because we’re adults and jujutsu sorcerers doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to have some normal fun. It’s alright to be selfish every once in a while.”
How badly Nanami wanted to believe Gojo’s words.
---
You heard the door open and close.
“Hello! How many I help y—Gojo?”
You blinked in surprise, not expecting to see the teacher at your workplace. While taking classes to become a nurse, you worked part-time at a small boba tea shop. You had just finished serving the flurry of college students who needed a midday pick-me-up when Gojo appeared. Several of the seated patrons whispered and pointed at him, wondering why he was wearing a blindfold and how he could see.
“Thought I would drop by and say hi,” he said with an easy grin.
You returned his smile. “Is Nanami with you too?” you asked, trying to sound casual.
“No, not today, unfortunately,” he replied. You tried to ignore the flash of disappointment you felt. “I’ll bring him next time.”
You perked up at Gojo’s promise, nodding eagerly. “Sounds good. So, would you like something to drink?” 
The man ordered a large brown sugar milk tea with extra sugar. You looked at him, mildly concerned. “You sure you want 120% sugar? It’s pretty sweet to begin with. Trust me.”
Gojo nodded. “Yup!”
“Alright,” you said with a shrug. You did try to warn him. 
You finished preparing Gojo’s drink and handed it to him along with a straw.
“Hey, do you mind if I borrow your phone for a second?” the teacher asked.
“Oh, sure,” you said, grabbing your phone from your back pocket.
Gojo took the device and opened the camera app. “Smile!” That was the only warning you got. He had taken a selfie of the two of you together. You weren’t even smiling in the photo, completely caught off guard. But Gojo was at least prepared, grinning happily and showing off his milk tea in one hand. You watched as the man repeatedly tapped on your phone screen.
“What are you doing?” you asked hesitantly.
“Here!” Gojo handed the phone back to you. Looking at the screen, you saw that he had sent the selfie of the two of you to a random number with a text that said “Having fun without you!”
“Um. Who did you send this to Gojo?”
“Nanami, of course!”
“Oh,” you said quietly, feeling butterflies in your stomach.
Nanami’s number!
You finally had it! 
Gojo chuckled to himself as he saw the way your eyes lit up.
“Oh, by the way,” you said, looking up from the phone. “It’s my birthday next weekend. I’m going out with a couple of friends on Saturday at 8pm at the bar around the corner, and I was wondering if you and Nanami would like to join? You should bring Ijichi too and anyone else from the school! Only if you want though. It’s ok if you don’t want to come or you’re worried about being awkward with my other friends even though they’re super cool and encouraged me to invite you guys and I promise I won’t be upset if you can’t make it because this is kind of last minute and I—”
“Sounds great!” Gojo interrupted your rambling. “I’ll be sure to pass along the information. We'll be there.”
“Really?” You grinned at the teacher. “Awesome! I guess I’ll see you then!”
Gojo waved at you goodbye as you tried to compose yourself before the next wave of customers arrived.
---
“Ahh!! You guys actually came!” you squealed as a group of individuals approached your table in the bar. You stumbled out of the large booth where your other friends were seated, already several shots in for the night. You clumsily hugged Gojo without thinking. Releasing him, you took in his new appearance.
“You look so different!” you commented. “But not in a bad way!” The man had traded in his signature blindfold for a pair of sunglasses that still hid his eye. His hair was lying down flat instead of its usual spiked-up look.
Behind Gojo, you saw Ijichi with a woman you didn’t recognize. 
“That’s Shoko Ieiri,” Gojo said, following your gaze. “She’s the doctor at our school.”
You happily greeted both of them, thanking them for coming. 
And finally, you saw the person you were looking forward to seeing the most. Nanami looked good as always. He was dressed a little more casually for the night without his signature jacket, tie, and sunglasses. Instead, he wore a crisp, blue button-up shirt with the top few buttons undone. You tried not to stare too much at his revealed skin.
As you approached Nanami, you reached out to hug him but you managed to stop yourself in time. You were worried about coming on too strong and opted for a small wave instead.
“Thanks for coming, Nanami! I’m so glad you came!”
Sitting at the table altogether, your other friends immediately fawned over Gojo. One of them grabbed you and whispered in your ear.
“What the hell? You didn’t tell me one of your friends was incredibly hot?”
You shrugged and ordered another round of shots for the whole table. Gojo ended up passing because he didn’t drink, so you took it upon yourself to finish it for him.
Nanami quietly nursed a beer as he observed the scene. He didn’t typically like crowded, loud bars like this, but he would make an exception for you. Gojo had also been extremely intent on making sure everyone from the school attended your little celebration. He managed to get Ijichi to come along only after getting Shoko to agree by bribing her with free alcohol.
Nanami was currently sitting across the booth from you, watching as you chatted with your friends. You were wearing a dark red dress that perfectly showed off your curves. The left strap of your dress was a little loose and it kept falling down the entire night despite you constantly readjusting it, not that Nanami had noticed. 
You looked so carefree and lively in this atmosphere. Every once in a while, you caught Nanami’s gaze and beamed at him happily.
At some point during the night, you left the table to go to the bathroom. It was only once you tried walking back to everyone that you realized how drunk you were. Stumbling a bit in your high heels, you leaned against the wall by the bathrooms for stability.
“Excuse me miss, are you alright?”
A man approached you, but you instantly waved him off. “Mmm, I’m good,” you replied. “Thanks though.” You were determined to make it back to your friends on your own, but as soon as you took a step away from the wall, you tripped. The man caught you before you could hit the ground. He had a tight grip on your waist.
 “You don’t seem good,” he chuckled softly. “How about I help you?” You could feel his hands starting to go lower, and you quickly latched onto them and tried to pry them off you.
“I said no,” you said firmly, but the man ignored you and pressed you against the wall. “Get off!” You struggled against him but to no avail.
Suddenly, the weight of the man was lifted and you felt like you could breathe again.
“Are you alright?” a smooth voice asked. 
You looked up to see Nanami in front of you. You nodded silently and admired his strong jawline and sharp eyes in the bar’s dark lighting. 
“Can you walk?”
You nodded again. Taking a step away from the wall, you immediately staggered again much to your embarrassment. Nanami grabbed your arm and lifted you up until you were half leaning on him for support. Inhibitions suddenly gone from all the alcohol in your system, you wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders and gave him a hug. The man tried to ignore the shiver that went up his spine when he felt your warm, soft body pressed up against him. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was quite jealous that you had hugged Gojo when they first arrived. What was so special about that idiot anyway? Nanami slowly wrapped his arms around you, indulging himself for once and returning the hug.
“I’m so glad you came,” you mumbled against his chest. “I was so happy that I ran into you at the bakery that one night. But I was afraid I would never see you again.” You paused. “I really wanted to see you again.”
Nanami didn’t know how to respond to your words, so he gently rubbed your back instead. You leaned into his touch happily.
“Let’s get back to the others,” he said gently. You sighed and reluctantly removed yourself from the embrace. Nanami half-carried you back to the table and carefully deposited you next to your friends. To your disappointment, he didn’t sit down next to you and instead headed towards the front doors.
“Nanami? Where are you going?” Gojo asked, eyebrows raised.
“I’ll be back.”
When Nanami exited the bar, he was greeted by several couples who were taking a smoke break. He walked a bit further away, so he could be alone. The sorcerer leaned against a random building, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself down. 
Nanami felt quite ashamed of himself. Acting like a hormonal teenage boy just because he briefly held you while you were wearing that damn dress. He tried to ignore the way his cock was straining in his pants. Gritting his teeth, he willed his body to relax. Nanami refused to let you see him so worked like this. He especially couldn’t let Gojo see. He could only imagine the endless teasing he would endure from the blindfolded idiot.
Inside the bar, you watched sadly as Nanami left. You wondered if it was something you did to scare him away.
Gojo sat next to you and handed you a glass of water. “Drink,” he commanded.
You did as you were told, keeping an eye on the doors to see if Nanami had come back in yet. “Does Nanami not like me?” you asked Gojo quietly with a pout.
The man chuckled. “I assure you that’s not the case.”
You turned to look at him. “How do you know?”
Gojo lowered his sunglasses slightly, and you were able to get a glimpse of his gorgeous blue eyes for the first time. “Trust me. I have good eyes.”
---
Nanami ended the call with Ijichi. He leaned against the wall of the bathroom with a grimace. He was still applying pressure to the wound he had received from Mahito. The sorcerer scrolled through the contacts list on his phone. He found himself hovering over your name.
Yes, he did save your number from Gojo’s text. Why wouldn’t he? It would be frivolous to ignore that kind of contact information.
Nanami grabbed another wad of paper towel to replace the one that was already drenched in blood. He grunted in pain.
A nurse, huh.
He wondered what you would do if you saw him right now. If you fuss over him and take care of his injuries yourself. Nanami sighed. He wouldn’t mind that. Would you carefully unbutton his shirt to get a better look at the wound? He could almost imagine the way your fingers would ghost over his stomach.
With a groan, Nanami banged his head against the wall. He couldn’t believe he was fantasizing about you while profusely bleeding in a public restroom.
The sorcerer cleaned up his blood all over the sink and threw out the dirty wads of paper towels. He went outside to wait for Ijichi to bring him back to school for proper treatment.
---
“I’m going to take my break!” you announced to your coworkers as you exited the bubble tea shop. You decided to go outside for a quick breather because it was such a nice, sunny day. Avoiding the crowds, you headed over to the alleyways near the shop to scroll through Twitter in peace.
You were so engrossed by your phone that you didn’t notice the presence of someone next to you. It was only when you heard them clear their throat that you looked next to you to see a man wearing sunglasses and a hat.
“Oh, sorry. Am I in your way? I can move.”
In the blink of an eye, he held a knife to your neck. You felt the cool blade lightly press into your skin. You held your breath, afraid to react in any way.
“Don’t scream. Don’t move,” he hissed.
Your eyes widened in shock.
That voice.
You recognized that voice.
The man grabbed you by the back of the neck and pulled you in the opposite direction of the busy street where unaware pedestrians were still walking by. He pressed the knife against your side now, digging it into the thin t-shirt you had to wear for work.
“Walk.”
He led you to an abandoned building several minutes away. Once you were inside and the door closed shut, he roughly shoved you to the ground.
You landed in a heap, groaning in pain. Turning around, you finally faced your captor.
“It’s you, isn’t you,” you said evenly. “Boss.”
The man chuckled, removing the hat and sunglasses. It was your former boss from the company where you and Nanami had once worked together. You dug your nails in the palms of your hands. If he was here, you knew you were in trouble.
“You called the cops, didn’t you!” he yelled at you, pointing the knife at you menacingly.
Cops? What was he talking about?
“No, I didn’t,” you replied honestly.
“You BITCH! Don’t lie to me.” He waved the knife closer at you.
“I promise! I didn’t tell anyone!”
With a shout, the man grabbed your hair and held the knife to your neck again. You squeezed your eyes shut and couldn’t help but let a small whimper leave your lips.
The truth was you weren't just fired from your job. You were threatened. When numbers weren’t adding up, you realized that your boss was embezzling money and had been doing so for a long time. He found out that you knew the truth and protected himself by forcibly ousting you from the company. As a young professional, you knew better than to fight against a big shot financial executive. When he warned you to stay quiet or face his wrath, you were wise enough to shut your mouth, clean your desk, and leave the building immediately. True to your word, you had never mentioned your boss’s crimes to anyone. You thought you were safe to move on with the rest of your life but apparently, that was not the case.
The man spat at you before roughly kicking you away. He started pacing as you wiped his spit off your cheek with a disgusted groan.
“This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. I’m about to lose everything. EVERYTHING!”
As he muttered to himself, you tried to survey your surroundings and determine if there was a way you could safely escape. Before you could figure anything out, your old boss approached you again, knife still in hand. He seemed to have made up his mind about what he was going to do.
“You’re going to fix this. Yea. This is your fault. I’ll pin it all on you. You’ll go down for this, not me!”
As the man ranted and raved at you, something appeared in the shadows behind him. There was some movement. You blinked your eyes, wondering if it was just a trick of your imagination. But to your horror, a green creature grew larger and larger in the background. It had three heads, each with multiple eyes and giant drooling mouths with huge teeth. The monster raised its multiple arms, hovering over your boss with all eyes fixed on him like he was a piece of prey.
“Scared, aren’t you?” the man commented with a chuckle. He was misinterpreting the horrified look on your face. “This is what you get for messing with the wrong man.”
You shook your head slowly and lifted a shaky finger to point behind him.
He turned around, dropping the knife in shock.
The weapon clattered to the ground.
Your boss screamed. He immediately tried to run away, but one of the monster’s arms snatched him in a tight grip. The three heads fought with each other as if deciding which one of them would get to swallow the prize. You took that as a cue to start running.
The monster was blocking the way you entered, so you ran towards the only other door you saw, which led to a stairwell. You ran up a couple of floors before hiding in a small closet you found. It was cramped and dusty but you hoped it was enough to hide you from that creature.
Sitting on the ground, you took out your phone shakily and called the police.
“Hello, what is your emergency?”
“I’m trapped in an abandoned building, and there’s a monster here.” You realized it sounded ridiculous, but you didn’t know what else to say in the moment.
The dispatcher groaned. “This is the last time! You kids have to stop with the prank calls. This line is for emergencies only!”
They hung up on you.
You stared at your cell phone in disbelief.
Shit.
Instinctively, you scrolled through your contacts list until you found who you were looking for. You pressed the call button.
Please pick up. Please pick up.
It went to voicemail.
You cursed to yourself again.
“Nanami,” you whispered quietly, voice quivering. “I don’t know when you’ll listen to this, but you have to believe me. I’m in an abandoned building near my job, and I swear there’s a monster here. I-I think it might have killed our old boss. I don’t know what to do, I tri—”
There was a loud bang. You quickly hung up and pressed the phone into your chest while you covered your mouth and nose with your other hand to quiet your harsh breathing. The sounds got closer and closer until it sounded like it was right outside the closet door. Your heart was beating so loudly you were worried the monster would hear it. But luckily, the noises started to become fainter. Eventually, you heard nothing even after a long time of terrified waiting.
Once you were reasonably convinced the coast was clear, you quietly opened the closet door and peeked out. The hallway was empty. Maybe this was your chance to finally escape the building.
You carefully climbed to your feet and tiptoed your way back to the stairwell. 
Your phone loudly chimed. The noise echoed throughout the empty building. It was a text message from your coworker asking where you went. You had forgotten to turn your phone on silent.
Almost instantaneously, the monster started roaring from the floor beneath you. You barely caught a glimpse of it before running up the stairs again until you reached the top floor. Exiting the stairway, you ran through the hallways until you reached a dead end.
Back pressed up against the wall, you watched in horror as the monster let out a sharp laugh as it approached you. There was blood dripping out of the mouths of all three heads. You didn’t want to think about where it came from. With no other options left, you weakly held your arms up in front of your face and squeezed your eyes shut with a whimper.
Suddenly, there was an angry shout and a loud splat.
You felt some sort of liquid splash all over you. Lowering your arms, an unexpected sight greeted you. It was the body of the monster all chopped up into pieces. You realized you were covered in its blood.
Behind the monster’s corpse stood Nanami. He had a covered blade in his hand that was also stained with the creature’s purple blood.
“N-Nanami?” you whispered hoarsely.
You couldn’t believe your eyes. Did he take down that monster? With a sword?
Nanami wiped the blood off his weapon, putting it away in its holster. He approached you as you shuddered violently, still in shock.
“Are you hurt?” he asked gently.
You shook your head no, wrapping your arms around yourself.
He kneeled down in front of you, taking out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping the droplets of blood from your face.
“What was that thing?” you whispered.
Nanami sighed, twisting the handkerchief in his hands once your face was relatively clean.
“A curse.”
You gave him a confused look.
“It’s a long explanation.”
“Yo!”
You flinched as Gojo suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the hallway. You instinctively grabbed onto Nanami’s arm in fear. He glared at the blindfolded sorcerer in anger for startling you.
“Oh, you’re already done here? I thought I’d check up on you two to make sure everything’s okay.”
First, your boss had threatened you with a knife. Then, a giant monster, no, curse appeared and attacked both of you. Nanami killed said curse. And now Gojo had appeared out of thin air. Your brain was officially broken. You just wanted to go to sleep. Surely this had to be a dream. You would wake up and everything would be normal again.
“We should probably bring her to Shoko just to make sure she’s fine and clean her up,” Gojo said, observing how your eyes were starting to glaze over.
Nanami nodded in agreement. He lightly touched your shoulder, but you hardly reacted. He said your name quietly. Blinking slowly, you finally turned to acknowledge him. “I’m tired,” you mumbled.
“I know,” Nanami said gently. He picked you up in his arms. “You can go to sleep. I’ll keep you safe.” With a sigh of relief, you closed your eyes and surrendered to the darkness.
You woke up in a small room, tucked under the covers in a warm bed. Nanami was silently sitting in a chair next to you. You let out a deep breath and turned towards the man. The rustling of the covers alerted him that you were finally awake.
“Why was the boss with you?” Nanami asked suddenly.
So it wasn't a dream.
“Oh. He was trying to threaten me,” you explained. “I didn’t lose my job because I made a mistake. I found out he was embezzling money. He said the cops were starting to question him, so he accused me of reporting him.”
Nanami clenched his fists in anger. That bastard.
“Is he alive?” you asked.
“No.”
“I figured.”
You quietly observed Nanami. He had taken off his sunglasses and blazer. You admired his wide shoulders and the way his tie was slightly loosened. 
“Nanami. What do you actually do?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to tell you.”
You gripped the covers. “Why not?”
“Because,” Nanami sighed. “It’s a dangerous profession. You don’t need to be dragged into this world for no good reason.”
“What do you mean?” You didn’t understand what he was saying. “I do have a reason. It’s you.”
The man didn’t respond.
You sat up in bed suddenly. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask Gojo.” You started to climb out of bed, but Nanami stopped you.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll tell you. Sit back down.” He let out of a deep breath, rubbing his face.
You silently listened as Nanami discussed the existence of curses, the theories behind cursed energy, and the role of jujutsu sorcerers. He explained how the school’s true purpose was to train the next generation of sorcerers and act as the main headquarters for all jujutsu-related activities. 
You only asked one question. “Why was I able to see that curse?”
“Regular humans can see them in life or death situations.”
“I see.”
Nanami was surprised at your reaction to learning about cursed spirits thus far. He expected you to ask more questions, to be more doubtful, to laugh and call him an idiot, or to scream and accuse him of being crazy. But you did none of those things. You just listened quietly and accepted everything he said as true. 
In your heart, you knew there was no reason to doubt Nanami. You were trying to wrap your brain around the existence of curses you couldn’t see, but you didn’t consider that the sorcerer was lying to you for a single second. He wasn’t that kind of person.
Nanami abruptly stood up. “Ijichi will drive you back home.” He started to walk away from you, but you quickly grabbed his wrist.
“Wait, don’t go,” you pleaded, eyes wide. “I haven’t thanked you for saving me yet. Thank you, Nanami.” You didn't want him to leave you. Not yet. You didn't want to be alone.
The sorcerer refused to look at you. “I think it’s best if you kept your distance from Gojo, me, and this school.”
“What?” you breathed. “What are you saying? I-I won’t tell anyone about curses or that you’re a sorcerer if that’s what you’re worried about. I promise.”
“That’s not it. I already told you. This world is dangerous. You should stay away.” He paused. “Stay away from me.”
You flinched, releasing Nanami’s wrist. The sorcerer walked out of the room without another word. You didn’t call out after him.
As Nanami walked away, he knew he made the right decision. There was no reason for you to get involved with the jujutsu world. He wanted you to live a normal life, not one plagued by constant death and despair. He was doing this for you. For your future and your safety.
“It’s alright to be selfish every once in a while.”
Gojo’s words echoed in his mind.
No. This wasn’t about him. It was about you. It wasn’t right for him to drag you into his world. He should be happy. Happy that you would eventually move on and live a long, successful life.
But why did he feel so sad instead?
---
Numerous opened textbooks and notebooks were scattered around you on your bed. You had an upcoming exam at the end of next week and were in the midst of cramming a semester’s worth of information in your head.
There was a knock on the door.
You frowned, carefully getting off the bed and walking over to the door. You weren’t expecting any visitors or a delivery today. Looking through the peephole, you gasped. You clutched your hands against your chest, trying to calm your frantically beating heart.
What was he doing here?
You hadn’t talked to or seen Nanami since your last conversation with him at Jujutsu Tech. And that hadn't ended well. You respected his request to stay away from him and Gojo, making no attempts to contact either of the two sorcerers. Instead, you had thrown yourself into your schoolwork and picked up some extra shifts at the boba shop. The less free time you had to think about your emotions, the better.
But now the man who still weighed heavily on your heart was at your doorstep. You wondered whether or not to pretend you weren’t home, but you couldn’t bring yourself to turn him away. He had clearly come here for a good reason and you wanted to know why, especially because he was the one that told you to keep your distance from him.
You unlocked the door and opened it slightly.
“Nanami.”
He said your name quietly.
The two of you looked at each other in complete silence. You waited for him to say something, but the man just continued to stand there without a word.
“Umm, well, I have an exam I need to study for, so if you have nothing to say I’m just going to g—”
Nanami suddenly pushed the door open wider, shoving you into your apartment. You stood there in shock as the door slammed shut behind the sorcerer. His unusually aggressive behavior had you baffled.
“What’s wrong with you?” you asked sharply. The man told you to leave him alone but then showed up at your apartment and invited himself inside without a word. You couldn’t help but feel a little irritated. “What are you do— mmph!”
Nanami had pushed you against the wall and kissed you.
You froze in surprise for a second before immediately kissing him back fervently.
One of his hands had settled on your waist while the other was pressed against the wall by your head. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pressed him closer to you, unable to get enough of this man. Nanami eventually left your lips, causing you to groan in frustration before he attacked your neck with wet kisses. You panted heavily, brain suddenly fuzzy as you tried to process that this was actually happening.
“W-what happened to staying away?” you breathed as Nanami sucked on a particularly sensitive spot that left you weak.
“I changed my mind,” he muttered against your skin before continuing to attack your neck.
After Itadori had saved him from Mahito’s domain, Nanami realized he had been given a second chance. He didn’t want to live a life without regret, especially as a sorcerer. So he decided to heed Gojo’s advice for once. 
He wanted to be a little selfish. 
He wanted you.
Nanami pressed his forehead against yours as he rubbed his hands up and down your soft curves. You breathed heavily, trying to catch your breath as you got lost in his dark gaze. 
“Bedroom,” you whispered. Nanami nodded and quickly released you, so you could guide him to your room. 
As soon as you entered the bedroom, you inwardly cursed. In the heat of the moment, you had completely forgotten what you had been doing before Nanami arrived. “Uh, sorry, let me clean up real quick.”
What a way to kill the mood!
Nanami didn’t seem to mind. He looked fairly amused as you swiftly closed all the books on your bed and haphazardly tossed them on the ground. Once the bed was finally cleared, you turned around to face Nanami, but he was already one step ahead of you. He gently pushed you on the bed, so you landed on your back as he hovered over you. Your breath caught in your throat as you admired the man in front of you. He was absolutely perfect. 
Nanami played with the hem of your shirt. Taking the hint, you sat up a little and swiftly removed your shirt and bra, throwing them in the corner of your room. Nanami let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as you took in your body. You fought the urge to cover yourself, feeling slightly embarrassed at how intensely the man was looking at you.
“You’re beautiful,” he breathed as you flushed in response. He reached out with both his hands to start kneading your breasts. You moaned as he began playing with your nipples that were already hard from excitement. Nanami removed his hand from your left breast and replaced it with his mouth. You squirmed underneath him in pleasure as he lapped and sucked on your nipple. Once he was satisfied with his work, the sorcerer switched to your other breast to give it the same treatment. With every flick of his tongue, you could feel electricity run through your body. You only craved his touch more and more.
Nanami started kissing down the valley of your breasts to your stomach. He eventually reached the hem of your shorts. “May I?” he asked.
You nodded, unable to trust your voice at the moment.
As he started tugging down your shorts, you lifted your hips to assist him. The garment was carelessly tossed to the ground. Immediately, Nanami could see how soaked your underwear was with your own arousal. His dick twitched in his pants. The sight of you so wet and eager from his touch alone only heightened his lust for you.
You practically sighed in relief when Nanami removed your underwear, fully exposing yourself to him. The heat from your core was overwhelming. You needed him to touch you and relieve some of that pressure before you lost your mind. A single finger stroked your folds, already slick with arousal. You gasped while Nanami groaned, enjoying how wet you already were for him.
“I’ve barely touched you and you’re like this already,” Nanami teased. You panted, trying to grind yourself on his hand for more friction, more pressure, more anything. He chuckled seeing how desperate you were for his touch. The sorcerer finally reached your swollen nub and rubbed it leisurely. You immediately cried out, arching your hips into man’s touch.
“Fuck,” you cursed as pleasure surged throughout your veins. Your eyes were squeezed tight as Nanami continued to play with your clit. You were so distracted by his fingers that you barely registered the hot breath near your entrance. It was only when a wet tongue began to prod into you that you realized what was happening.
With a gasp, your eyes flew upon to see Nanami’s head comfortably settled between your legs as he licked at your cunt without restraint. The sight of him eating you out only stoked the raging fire inside you. You buried one of your hands in Nanami’s hair as he worked diligently to get you off. The way he lapped at your fluids and sucked at your entrance had you moaning and quivering uncontrollably. 
“You taste so good,” he groaned against your folds as you barely registered his words.
A familiar pressure was building in your body. As it got stronger and stronger, you couldn’t stop your legs from thrashing about. With a growl, Nanami locked his arms around your legs to keep them as still. It only took a gentle suck to your swollen clit for the tension in your body to finally snap. Mouth opened wide in a silent scream, you writhed around on the bed as you finally reached your peak. 
Your mind was completely emptied while white-hot pleasure overtook your entire body. You swore you could see stars behind your eyes. As you rode out the last waves of your orgasm, Nanami eagerly slurped up your release, refusing to let a single drop go to waste.
Once you came down from your high, you released Nanami’s hair and laid back on the bed with a sigh. He removed himself from between your legs. Your fluids still covered his face, and his normally styled hair was a complete mess from your grip. Just the sight of him was enough to cause another spark of desire to flare between your legs. This man was going to be the death of you.
“Holy fuck, Nanami,” you breathed.
“Kento,” he replied, wiping his mouth clean on his sleeve. “Call me Kento.”
You flushed. Saying his first name felt incredibly intimate. 
“Kento.” 
He grunted with approval and then began to unbutton his shirt. You licked your lips as his broad shoulders and wide chest were finally revealed to you. He was incredibly well-built with defined muscles and abs, but a number of scars littered his body. Some looked quite fresh while others were old and almost completely faded.
This was the body of a jujutsu sorcerer.
You now understood why Nanami warned you that the jujutsu world was unsafe. You couldn’t imagine the suffering behind all those wounds. Perhaps one day he would be willing to share his pain with you, so you could understand his world.
You wanted to rub your hands up and down Nanami’s bare chest, but he moved out of your reach to start fiddling with his belt. Eyes lowering, you swallowed nervously as you stared at the large bulge that greeted you. Nanami slid down his pants and underwear in one go, erect cock finally released from its confines and bobbing in the air slightly.
The sight of him was both mouthwatering and intimidating. You admired the bulging veins and the bits of pre-cum that were already leaking out from the tip. He wasn’t excessively long, but he was incredibly thick. You nervously wondered if you would be able to handle his impressive girth.
You wanted to touch and taste him, but Nanami wasn’t interested. He gently pushed away your eager hands and instead spread open your legs once again. At the moment, he was more concerned about prepping you than chasing after his own pleasure.
He pressed one finger into your entrance, groaning as your walls greedily sucked him inside. You gasped, clenching around him. With how easily you were able to take one finger, Nanami slipped a second into you. It didn’t hurt, but you could feel your cunt stretching around them as they thrust in and out of you. Nanami’s fingers were so thick and long that you already felt so full.
“You’re so tight,” Nanami hissed as you got lost in pleasure once again. He pushed those two fingers in and out of you, occasionally scissoring them to loosen you up. You could hear how wet you were as he continued prepping you to take his cock. Nanami moved his fingers at just the right angle to hit a spot that had you instantly moaning and clenching around him. But he suddenly removed himself from you which had you whining at the sudden loss of contact, feeling empty. However, you stopped complaining as you watched Nanami stroke his dick, spreading your fluids and his pre-cum all over himself.
“Are you on birth control or do I need a con—”
“I’m on birth control,” you cut him off impatiently. “Hurry up. I want you inside me.”
Nanami didn’t keep you waiting much longer. He lined himself at your entrance and slowly began to push in. It wasn’t painful, but you still gasped as your walls stretched to accommodate his girth. The sorcerer immediately cursed when his tip entered you. You were so hot and tight around his cock that it took all his self-restraint not to immediately ram his full length into you. With slow, shallow strokes, you were able to accommodate more and more until his entire cock was buried inside you.
You felt so incredibly full. Your hand gripped the blanket on your bed to anchor yourself as you tried to get used to the sensation of being stuffed with Nanami’s dick. He tried to remain still above you, waiting for your signal. Eventually, you met his gaze and gave a little nod. He sweetly kissed you on the lips before he started to move.
Nanami started at a slow pace afraid to hurt you at first, but he eventually settled into a rhythm that had you moaning his name over and over again. You were so wet that he slid in and out of you effortlessly, rubbing against your walls in a way that had you seeing stars again. You had wrapped your legs against his waist, allowing him to enter you even deeper. 
You were almost babbling nonsense at this point, unaware of exactly what you were saying as your mind was just consumed by pleasure. “Fuck. Kento. You’re so big,” you whined. “Faster. Harder. D-don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
Nanami adjusted the angle of his thrusts until he finally found the spot that had you gasping and clenching down on him again. He groaned, making sure to continue hitting the same exact spot with strong, fast thrusts at just the right tempo. “You’re so perfect. Looking at you, taking my cock so well,” he growled.
The pressure was building again. Everything was so overwhelming. The lewd, wet noises of your bodies moving together. The way Nanami growled praises of you in your ear. The muscles on his back rippling with exertion underneath your wandering hands. You just needed that one final push.
One of your hands sneaked down to rub your clit, but Nanami pushed it away and pressed his thumb against your swollen nub instead. Just a couple of strokes had you reaching your peak again. You clenched down so hard around Nanami that his hips stuttered, groaning loudly in your ear. You were completely consumed by wave after wave of pleasure. You couldn’t think. You couldn’t hear. You couldn’t see. All you could register was the pure bliss that racked your entire body, leaving you gasping and shuddering.
Nanami continued to fuck you through your orgasm, ramming his cock into you over and over again. His thrusts had become more frantic and uneven, chasing his own climax after you started to come down from yours.
“Where should I cum?” he groaned with gritted teeth.
You wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him down closer to you.
“Cum inside me,” you panted against his ear.
He groaned. You were perfect. Absolutely perfect.
With a couple of more thrusts, Nanami completely buried himself inside you when he flooded your cunt with his cum. He remained inside for several more moments to catch his breath before finally removing himself from you. You slightly winced as his cock brushed past your sensitive walls. Nanami couldn’t help but admire the way his cum slowly dribbled out of you.
He laid down next to you as you both began to calm down. No words were needed between the two of you. The silence was comfortable as you cuddled against his chest. Nanami rubbed your back absentmindedly as you hummed in delight.
Eventually, the two of you got out of bed and cleaned up. The textbooks and notebooks haphazardly thrown on your floor were ignored for the rest of the day. You thought you deserved a break anyways. The two of you ate dinner together, cuddled on the couch while watching a movie, and went at it again for another round before settling down to go to sleep.
You were passed out next to Nanami, completely worn out from the day’s activities and normal sleep deprivation you had as a student. Your heavy breathing was the only sound in the tiny apartment. It strangely calmed Nanami just listening to you. He turned towards you and stroked your hair affectionately. 
A part of Nanami still worried if he had made the right choice with you. He was still concerned about your safety and well-being. Would he only bring you more grief if you constantly agonized over his dangerous missions as a jujutsu sorcerer? 
He let out a quiet sigh. He knew he would have regretted it if he continued to push you away. And if he was going to be a sorcerer, he wanted to be a sorcerer with no regrets. 
Nanami only hoped that he would never cause you any pain and anguish because of his profession. It was rare for sorcerers and non-sorcerers to find happiness as a couple. But perhaps the two of you would be an exception.
He prayed the two of you would be an exception.
---
“Welcome! How may I help y—oh!” You blinked in surprise as three individuals walked into the small boba shop.
Gojo waved at you with an easy grin. Nanami stood next to him as handsome and stoic as ever, but there was a new face behind them. He looked like a high schooler.
The blindfolded teacher wrapped his arms around the boy’s shoulder and pointed at him. “Meet Yuji Itadori! One of our first-year students!”
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you,” you said introducing yourself.
The boy tilted his head, looking at you curiously. “How do you know Gojo-sensei and Nanamin?”
Nanamin?
You chuckled at the cute nickname. 
“I told you to stop calling me that, Itadori,” Nanami replied, clearly bothered.
“Well, I’m…” you hesitated. You didn’t know what to say. A friend? An ex-coworker? A normal person who couldn't see curses but knew about their existence?
“She’s Nanami’s girlfriend!” Gojo exclaimed to your horror. You immediately flushed and looked to Nanami for him to clarify, but he didn’t react. He glared at the blindfolded sorcerer as per usual but didn’t refute the statement. Your eyes widened in realization. 
“Uh, y-yeah,” you stammered. “I guess I am.”
“Nanamin has a girlfriend!?” Itadori gasped. He had even more respect for his mentor now.
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Nanami growled much to your amusement.
You took their orders and began to prepare the drinks. Nanami and Idatori were talking in the corner while Gojo hung out at the counter near you. You had just finished sealing the drinks when the teacher explained something to you.
“Oh, by the way, Yuji is supposed to be dead so be sure to not mention his existence to anyone else.”
You almost dropped the drink you were holding. “Um, okay.” You thought it was better not to ask questions.
Gojo thanked you as he took his drink from your hand and grabbed a straw for himself. “Yo! Nanami! Yuji! Grab your drinks and let’s head out!”
Itadori followed Gojo out the door once he had his milk tea, but Nanami stayed behind.
“I meant it.”
“Huh?” you asked, cleaning the counter with a rag.
“I want you to be my girlfriend.”
You blinked, processing his words. A bright smile grew on your face. “Well, according to Gojo, I’m already your girlfriend.”
Nanami let out a rare chuckle and flashed you a small smile. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Goodbye!” You waved as he left the shop.
Your coworker came out of the back room, looking at you suspiciously. “Why are you so smiley?” She looked around the empty shop. “There’s no one here.”
“Oh, no reason," you replied with a hum.
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delu-jean · 3 years
Text
𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞? (𝐏𝐭 𝟐)
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(Akaashi x fem!/reader) -> Angst/Fluff? -> 3.2k 
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Synopsis: Akaashi is strolling through Tokyo, and on that day, meets a boy who looks all too familiar. One whose eyes remind him of you. 
Part One: Is He Mine? 
Part Three: Is Her Mine? (Part. 3) 
Notes: Part two as promised! Maybe I’ll make a part three (haha >:)). Be sure to comment if you would liked to be tagged for the next part, and reblogs are always appreciated. 
-> Also, for those tagged in this post, I’ll tag you in the next as well ^^ 
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“Y/n...please tell me.” 
“T-tell you what?” you asked nervously, as he felt just the same. Inhaling his breath, hoping he could keep calm. 
“Is...is he mine?” 
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---
“Is he who’s?” 
“Mine Y/n...is he mine?” 
You stared at the gentleman. Though his question was reasonable (?), that was the first thing he was going to ask you?...after all of those years?...years of torment, resentment, and whatever else. Maybe you were overreacting, but yet again, you were a woman who stood by her morals. And that being the case, your instincts had said your reaction was as reasonable as his question. 
Some part of you wanted to snap. To holler at Akaashi for asking such a ridiculous question, yet the other part...was scared. You felt anxious when thinking of a proper answer. Was Ryu his?.... If taken out of context, he could’ve been asking if Ryu belonged to him, and of course he didn’t. Ryu wasn’t an object that could be owned by merely anyone. He was his own person, and that being the case, wasn’t something that could’ve been held down. Yet even though you could’ve interpreted it that way, you knew what Akaashi really meant. Yet you didn’t exactly have an answer. 
“Ryu?” 
“Yeah...” 
Akaashi seemed suspicious. He could tell you were hiding something, and even though very obvious, he didn’t want to assume. Hoping that you would confirm things so that you both could talk it out. Yet here you were, not giving him a response. He was confused to say the least, shouldn’t the answer have been easy? Ryu looked exactly like him, and plus, him not having a father was another takeaway. Using those facts should’ve given him enough confirmation. 
But then again, maybe the answer wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been. What if Ryu wasn’t his?...what if Akaashi had made an assumption out of impulse, because of a lingering feeling he had. One of which you sparked for him to feel. 
Maybe he was being delusional, and instead, was trying to make an excuse. An excuse to spend another minute, even a second with you there. Ryu was important to him as well. His or not, he respected that you had started a family, and was glad Ryu was a part of it. He adored Ryu, but he also admired you. Speaking of Ryu, the boy then clung onto you. He seemed confused about the interaction, and tried asking for clarification. 
“His? *GASP* Am I Akaashi’s brother!? Momma, you never told me!” he smiled happily, ecstatic at the news. 
“Eh-no dear, he’s not your brother,” you chuckled, for him to ask: 
“Then what did he mean? What did you mean, Akaashi?” you then stared at Akaashi. You knew he was smart enough to play things through, and even so, you still panicked the slightest bit. 
“I was wondering if you would be mine for the night, along with your mother. We could go grab dinner, or ice cream even,” you looked at him in shock as his eyes seemed determined. Needing an answer, and willing to get it in whatever scenario possible. 
“But what about Kuroo?” 
“Oh my, I forgot about that,” you then glanced at your watch. 
“Kuroo?...but how-oh….” Akaashi then thought about how you and Kuroo were very close friends. So close that sometimes, he would even find you hanging out with Kuroo, over himself. Though it wasn’t because you liked him (in that way), rather, you were both very good friends. Akaashi let it be since you both had mutual trust, and Kuroo was someone he was also friends with. Besides, Akaashi also respected your personal life with others, and so did you for him. 
They still talked till this day, and not once had Kuroo mentioned you having a child. But to be fair, Kuroo never mentioned you. That being because both you and Akaashi had broken up, and it would’ve been an uncomfortable topic. Still, Akaashi found it strange. If Kuroo knew, wouldn’t Bokuto have as well?...meaning that Akaashi would’ve known by now? His thoughts continued to trail as you looked at him in disbelief. 
You did have plans with Kuroo, but then, you also had a couple hours until he’d come around. Even so, you didn’t want to spend that time with Akaashi. He was one of the last people you needed to talk to. The grudge which still stood in your heart, clenched with each second he stood there. The anger which he had gifted you, was something that was eager to return. As you had thought this, you then stared at your son. He seemed thrilled to be with such a man, as he gripped onto Akaashi’s hand in excitement, saying: 
“Yay! We get to eat together!” 
“We’re going to have so much fun!” 
“Let’s try some bubble waffles!” 
You then remembered that even if you had felt that, your son instead felt joy being with Akaashi. And that being the case, you didn’t have the right to take that happiness away. After all, Ryu was not yours either. He wasn’t someone you could drag away from events, just because you had conflicts with a person. Though there were times where doing so was appropriate, was now really such an event?...not even you could answer that. But even though you couldn’t, his smile which brightened the mood, had answered for you. 
“Okay buddy, slow down. Fine, we can go with brother...Akaashi. We’ll meet Kuroo sometime later, just let me text him.” 
“Okay mom! Akaashi, Up!” you then eyed the boy, for him to insist regardless. 
“Please mom! He’s so tall, and I can see everything-” 
“Ryu no-”
“Sure, what not?” Akaashi then grabbed the boy, placed him on his shoulders, and secured his legs with his hands. You then sighed. If Akaashi had agreed, what could you do? You then texted Kuroo, grabbing your bag firmly as Akaashi spoke: 
“I know a place where we could grab ramen. If not, we could instead-”
“No, ramen is fine,” you said in a stoic tone. 
“Okay...then let’s get going.” 
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---
The walk to the outdoor stand was awkward. Well...for you and Akaashi at least. The last time you two spoke, was the day he broke things off. He never reached out to you during that time, and now...here you both were. Expected to have a lengthy conversation, and to enjoy yourselves. Key word, “expected.” Though it would’ve been nice if you both could have talked care free, it wasn’t going to happen. That event occurred when both parties have mutually moved on. From Akaashi’s perspective, he still had lingering thoughts, yet kept them to the side. Going on with his life as he expected you did yours. Though he thought you had moved on, you had thought differently for different reasons. 
Even though you both had your differences, Ryu was there. Entertaining the both of you separately. He complimented you one second, and played with Akaashi the next. You had never seen Akaashi so enthusiastic with a child before. Though he wasn’t going all crazy, and acting like a kid himself, he was being a lot more open. Talking back and forth with Ryu, giving nice remarks, and also rewarding him...with that beautiful smile he bestowed. 
Even so, you tried to ignore it. Remembering that this entire ordeal was for Ryu, and not for your observations. 
“We’re here. What do you want Ryu?” 
“Hm, could I get the one with Tonkatsu? I’ve been craving it all day!” 
“Haha, sure buddy. And...you, Y/n?” 
“I’m not hungry, you guys go ahead,” Akaashi then sighed, obviously not believing you. 
“We’ll get two Tonkatsu ramens, along with Fukuoka ramen.” 
“Sure, that’ll be $18.35 please.” 
“Debit-”
“Um...I can pay for both Ryu and I,” you said, as you tried scrambling for your wallet. Akaashi then tapped the machine, placing his hand on your own (the hand in your purse). 
“It’s fine. Afterall, I already paid,” you shook your head, but let it go as Ryu pointed to a table. 
“Come on! Let’s sit!” 
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---
“Akaashiii~!”
“What is Ryu?”
“How do you know mommy? Mommy would never talk to a stranger, so that means you both know each other.” 
“Oh...well, um,” Ryu was truly a bright child. One who caught on a little too quickly. He really did remind you of his father. Quick witted, yet wise with his tongue. Being certain to use specific words or sentences, to ensure/secure his curiosities. 
“Well...mommy and Akaashi were very good friends,” you replied. 
“Ahhh. So if that’s the case, why have I never met him before?” 
“Well you see-” 
“It’s because I live further away from you guys,” Akaashi answered. 
“But so does Kuroo,” Akaashi then pondered, and placed his hands together. 
“Hm, I guess you’re right. Well, maybe your mother has an answer,” the two black haired boys, then stared at you. Both were awaiting for an answer, and yet both had different intentions. One wondering out of pure curiosity, while the other...was waiting for an explanation. One which could clear up any, if not every misconception. 
“Well sweetie, sometimes good friends have to part ways. Everyone has their reasons, but most of the time…” you then looked at Akaashi. 
“It’s because it’s for the better,” his gaze was locked onto yours. The stare was unreadable. It didn’t feel tense, yet it was. Was it cold, hurtful?...you wouldn’t have known. But what you did know was that Akaashi was good, too good at hiding his thoughts. So good that when together, he would let things slip without reaction. Sometimes that was a great thing...and others...not so much. 
“Why would it be a good thing? You both were best friends!” you then placed a hand on his head, patting it gently. 
“Well...friends have to grow up. That doesn’t mean you can’t see them again, but, what it does mean is that you’ll have some time...alone. And that time...is used for you to grow.” 
“Ahh, I see mom! Is that why we don’t see Kuroo often?”
“Haha, no sweetie. That’s actually because we live further away. If Kuroo lived in our city-” 
“He would be living with us, right?” 
“Hm...I guess so,” Akaashi then looked in the other direction. There was no tint of emotion, just...silence. 
“Akaashiiii, the ramen is here!” 
“Oh, is it Ryu?” 
“Yeah, it is!” your bowls were then slid over. Ryu stared at Akaashi’s hands, and at first, Akaashi wasn’t sure as to why. Ryu didn’t touch his food, and at first, he was worried that the boy didn’t like it, but then noticed he was holding a pair of scissors. Pointing them towards the gentleman. Though confused, he then caught onto Ryu’s gesture. 
“Dear I can-” before you could finish your sentence, Akaashi started to cut his noodles. Making them bit size for the boy. It seemed like second hand nature, yet something new to him. Though, you would’ve felt more comfortable doing it yourself, you weren’t complaining as the job was now done. 
“Thanks Akaashi!” 
“No problem Ryu. Now, let’s eat.” 
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You all then finished your ramen. Though you had said you weren’t hungry, you couldn’t help but eat it. After all of those years, Tonkatsu ramen was still your favourite, and Akaashi still knew. He was glad that he remembered the littlest of details. Ones which may have been overlooked. Ones he made sure to be attentive to. Not only that, but he was glad Ryu had enjoyed the meal as well. He truly was your son as he had the same tastes as you. Akaashi found it quite cute, and found it even more adorable as he ran out of the restaurant, shouting: 
“Mom, Akaashi! I want to play at the park!” 
“Hm...it’s a little late buddy,” Akaashi said, for you to respond: 
“It should be fine. We’ll be over here watching Ryu. No funny business young man!” 
“Okay mommy!” the young boy then climbed the slide, as Akaashi sat on the bench. Patting on it, indicating that you sat beside him. And so...you did. Your legs together, hands as well, as your head looked down. He then sighed, asking: 
“Do you feel uncomfortable? I can move if-” 
“No...it’s fine. We’ll be leaving soon, so no need to worry.” 
“Is Kuroo picking you up?” you then nod as he did the same. 
“I see...so...how have you been?” 
“Oh...um...I’ve been okay. I’ve done better, but...yeah.” 
“Hm, I see,” you really didn’t want to be in this situation. Maybe for him, it seemed civil, but to you...it was awkward. Neither of you knew what to say, and neither did you try to hide it (successfully at least). Akaashi then twitteled with his thumbs. A rare sight you would see every once in a while. Akaashi was a well spoken person, and usually had something to say in a well mannered way. But when he didn’t, or didn’t know what to say, he would play with his thumbs. Hoping that something would spring to mind. 
“You must be having fun.” 
“Fun doing what?” he looked at you. 
“Playing with your thumbs,” you smirked, for him to put his hands away. 
“Not really.” 
“Hm...so...what have you been up to?” you asked, curious and yet not wanting to know. 
“Nothing much...just work and well, Bokuto and I still hang out from time to time.” 
“Ahh, really? I’m glad. You both were the bestest of friends.” 
“And still are,” he smiled, while watching Ryu climb the monkey bars. 
“Hm, you have a girlfriend yet?” he then paused for a moment, for him to answer:
“No...not yet. I haven’t found anyone interesting.” 
“Ah, that’s unfortunate.” 
Was it really?...you wouldn’t know how to think after today. If you hadn’t met Akaashi here...you would’ve thought otherwise. Glad that he hadn't found someone else, for his actions sickened you. Such a gentleman, yet someone so cruel. You would feel awful if he had grasped someone, just as tightly as he did to you. Sprinkling you with such intoxicating, yet graceful pleas, and yet he left you there to rot in such doing. Such a passionate man, yet that same person could find passion in such coldness. 
For the past years, you had found him to be utterly despicable. After that one event...you couldn’t help but think that. But even so, after seeing him with Ryu today...you couldn’t help but melt. The two were so sweet together, and even though you hated to admit, had a spectacular relationship within just hours. They really acted as the best of friends, and Akaashi seemed to enjoy it. Not only that...but his smile...it was one which was truly admirable. 
You then stared at Akaashi, while he watched Ryu. He really hadn’t changed. He was calm, quiet, and reserved. His posture was on parr with the rest of his body. His hair was styled more neatly, and actually, it had grown a bit, along with his height. His figure, a lot larger than what it was in university, and his cologne smelled of lavender, along with a hint of pepper. It was a strange combination, but it worked. He really had grown up to be even more attractive. And that being the case, it surprised you that he didn’t have a partner. Said attractiveness, along with the kindness of his nature...had drawn you in, and yet dragged you out. Leaving you in a confused, and undecided state of mind. 
He then took note of your stare, and grinned. Secretly glad that your attention had averted towards him, yet, he was trying to be subtle. You truly looked astonishing tonight. Even after a couple of years, you still looked the same. That same highschooler who he had fallen in love with, the one who had constantly supported both him, and Fukurodani. The only person who truly understood such a stoic man. That same girl he would forever hold a place in his heart for. Although, now you weren’t just a sweet girl, but now, a beautiful lady instead. 
Deep down, he would’ve wished for a space to open. Allowing such a lady to make way into his heart. Hoping said lady, would do the same. And maybe, just maybe...a prince could join you both as well. Making his thoughts come true in the utmost blessed way. 
He made sure you didn’t catch onto his stare, the one which he had latched onto you. His attempts were taken very seriously, as he didn’t want to make things too obvious. Unfortunately, you did catch him in the act, and turned away, embarrassed. 
“Hm,” he smirked, as you fished for your phone. 
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Kuroo ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ
-> ‘Are you still coming?’ 
-> ‘Of course. Sorry, traffic delays. I should be there in ten.’ 
-> ‘Okay...see you soon’ 
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You were about to turn of your phone, to then see Kuroo text:
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-> ‘Also...don’t worry too much. You can do this Y/n, good luck, and I’ll be there soon.’ 
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You then smiled, and Akaashi took note, thinking: 
‘She’s probably talking to her…ah...’ he sighed at the thought, to then ask: 
“Are you talking to your husband?...you seem happy,” he smiled. Even though smiling was a happy gesture, he couldn’t help but make it the opposite. Making his grin, feel ever so agonizing. 
“Ah...well...that was Kuroo,” Akaashi then batted a brow, surprised to say the least. He’d only seen that look on you when you were vulnerable. Whether you were scared, or secretly happy. Regardless, that was only around him...not even Kuroo had seen such a stare. But now that he saw you in such a state, it made him question if you, and Kuroo were in a relationship. That being the reason why he never brought it up, and vice versa. 
“Oh...I see. So that means,” Akaashi then started to think. Yes, the younger child looked like him, but then, there was also resemblance between both Ryu, and Kuroo. They both had black hair, Ryu had a peckish, yet sweet smile (like Kuroo...minus the sweet-), and the bits of information fit logically. If you and Kuroo had Ryu, it would’ve made sense. 
Both childhood friends who had grown together, to then realize what they wanted after he...had left you. Starting a family, and being with each other?.... Ryu looked like he could’ve been Kuroo's, or anyone for that matter. But even if Akaashi would have liked to think that way, the connection was too uncanny to deny.
Even so, Akaashi was still suspicious. Wondering as to why Ryu would be so reluctant towards his father. Why he would call “Kuroo,” well…”Kuroo,” and just as to why you both lived so far away. Maybe you both had a situation?...but then again, wasn’t Kuroo on his way to pick you up? Akaashi was confused, and felt like he was over-thinking things. Maybe Ryu wasn’t his...and Akaashi was instead looking for something...that wasn’t there...nor his to compensate. 
“That means what?...” he then locked his eyes, with yours. Though he was someone who was hard to read, you could tell how desperate he was. His stare, piercing right at you, hoping he could get an answer. 
“Y/n...could you please tell me...if he’s...mine?” you then saw the sorrowful expression, which struck him. The guilt which seeped in, had dug even further. Not sure how to tell him, nor how to phrase things. Your hands clenched, inhaling slowed, as your body trembled. He seemed just as scared for your response, to then hear: 
“He’s-”
“He’s mine, Akaashi...Ryu is mine,” Kuroo said, for silence to then fill. 
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For Those Who Wanted To Be Tagged/Reblogged/Wanted A Part Two! ^^ :
@bokutojuicyass; @realbugmom; @exactlygreatlove; @instantdinosaurhottub; @suchagoodgirlxoxo; @nomadicadventures; @greenhoodie-mark; @n5koma; @animclarinerd; @personalficarchive; @sabrinakishi; @amecchii; @daffodilpetals; @lerougestvelvet; @notamazinglizzy; @akaashimarryme5; @m00ndust2​
->Sorry to those who tags aren’t working qwq 
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maraudersftw · 3 years
Text
Glazed Glory
Hello, friends! This is my tribute to Shirtless James Potter May, which is now definitely a Thing™
Dedicated to all my lovely Jily Discord buddies! And special thanks to @mppmaraudergirl @the-dream-team @constancezin and @blitheringmcgonagall for making this happen.
“YES!”
A screech tears from her throat, excited and giddy and decidedly drunk, as the small ping-pong ball lands neatly inside the cup of beer across the table. Her partner’s roar of triumph is followed by an enthusiastic slap of hi-five that has her reeling, the blazing heat of his palm rather delicious against her own.
Quite generously, he decides to bestow more of this warmth onto her person when he lifts her off her feet, mad and grinning, arms tight around her waist. His cheeks, ruddy from all the drinks he’s downed, accompanied by the dazzling brightness of hazel eyes, causes something to clench painfully inside her.
He’s just a mate. He’s just a mate.
“James!” she yells, half-laughing, fully breathless. “Put me down, you big buffoon.”
“We won! Again!” he grins, letting her feet touch the floor after another spin.
Before she can so much as inwardly lament on the loss of his comforting warmth, a pair of lips land on her cheek. Heart thundering, she forgets how to breathe, a reaction that is by no means justified given the sloppy, open-mouthed, intoxicated nature of the kiss.
A kiss that is not even a kiss because it leaves her lips feeling petulantly ignored.
“You…are fucking brilliant, Evans,” James slurs, entirely oblivious to what he’s just gone and done. She can only stare at him with poorly-hidden surprise, face blazing, warmer and warmer by the second.
“Er, thank you,” she sputters eventually, immensely grateful that everyone around them seems too drunk to pay their little interaction any mind.
“Another game!” James announces.
But she can’t; it’s impossible now.
“I think I’m done for the night,” she tells him, fingers brushing over his arm apologetically. “I’ve had too much to drink already.”
“WHAT?” he shrieks, betrayed, glasses sliding off nose. “You can’t ditch me now, Evans! We’re this close to being named The Hogwarts Beer Pong Champions.”
“Winning the Quidditch Championship wasn’t enough for you?” she laughs, hands rising above her head to point at the banners and streamers dangling from the common room ceiling.
“Oh yeah,” he blinks, grins blindingly. “I’d almost forgotten about that. Next year is going to be even more amazing. We’re going to win all the matches!”
“I have full faith.”
James smiles, triggering that annoyingly familiar tumble in her stomach. “You sure you don’t want to play?”
“I’m sure. Why don’t you ask Sirius? He’s probably withered away to ash without you by now.”
“Good call,” he says, instantly cupping his palms around his mouth. “Padfoot! Up for a round?”
“Fuck, yeah!”
She saunters over to the drinks table as Sirius walks by to take her place, casually ruffling her hair as he passes by. “What’s the damage, Evans?”
She makes a show of observing James. “Mm, five shots from blackout.”
“Excellent. Gotta bring that down to one.”
“All the best.”
Sirius adopts a ridiculously fierce expression as he joins James, facing off against two fifth-years. “Let’s take them down, Prongs!”
She chuckles quietly at the silliness, fingers pulling out a bottle of butterbeer despite her previous proclamations of having had enough alcohol for the night. With some sensible distance yawning open between her and the stupidly affectionate Quidditch captain, oxygen is easier to draw inside. She sighs, chilling the bottle with a quick wave of wand.
With sixth-year coming to an end, she feels the significance of everything the past year has brought to her life rather tremendously, but especially on the James Potter front. While being his friend has been an experience she wouldn’t trade for anything in the world—well, it’s also a lie, because there is one thing she would trade it for: being more than his friend.
But she worries, quite justifiably, that they’ve already crossed a phase too many in such a short span of time to tease at their dynamics any more. There’s a strange fluttering in her chest every time her eyes land on crazy hair and goofy grins that she knows certainly aren’t friendly reactions though.  
She’s distracted from her thoughts by a sudden wave of excited hoots that ring out through the room. Curiosity piquing, she twists around to spot the fuss, eyes immediately flying to the beer pong table because there’s no doubt that that’s where the eye of the storm lies.
At the sight, the bottle of butterbeer almost slips from her fingers.
James stands, eyes even more glazed than before, crooked grin splitting over his face, bursting with laughter as he chest bumps Sirius. And if she hadn’t already noticed it before (she most certainly had) the action draws her gaze to his very sweaty, very bare chest, no doubt the target of the still ringing catcalls. She watches, mouth completely dry as the muscles in his abdominals ripple with movement when he runs a hand through his hair. It’s almost as if her ogling registers on his radar, because half a second later, James is looking at her.
She immediately lifts the bottle to her lips, hiding the awe-struck expression behind tinted glass. Fuck, was he fit! She’d guessed as much, of course; it was impossible not to when she hugged the boy as often as she did, but knowing and seeing, it turned out, were vastly different things.
“Lily!” he slurs, tongue rolling over the name as he walks over. “We trounced them. Did you see?”
“I think Evans was rather occupied with seeing something else,” Sirius smirks, the look he throws her entirely too knowing.
She takes another swig, unable to reply, unable to breathe, unable to think with James standing so close. The heat rolls off of him in waves, as sweltering as the fireplace in the room. To make matters worse, he raises his hand, swipes a thumb over her cheek. “You’re so red.”
She mumbles something unintelligibly while Sirius snickers.
“Sorry?”
“I’m tired. I’m gonna go to bed.”
And before either of them can protest, she chugs the rest of the beer and all but bolts from the party, heart pounding mercilessly in her ears. She almost makes it to the third step of the girl’s staircase before a hand wraps around her wrist, the warmth of the touch telling her enough. “James,” she sighs, turning around.
“Are you mad at me?” His brows pull together, sweat dripping from his hairline, down the side of his face, over that strong neck to pool into the hollow of his collar bone. She swallows, wondering if it would look too weird if she reaches up and licks it away.
Probably.
“No,” she wheezes.
He steps closer, makes it worse. “Then why won’t you look at me?”
She looks at him then—of course, she does—and something like adoration bursts inside her. “I’m not mad at you, James. You’re just too distracting right now.”
“What?”
Some remnant of Gryffindor courage has her reaching forward, placing a palm over his chest. She feels it, right beneath her skin, when the beat of his heart alters rhythm. “You’re quite shirtless, if you haven’t noticed.”
A rush of breath tickles the top of her head.
“Lily,” James breathes, fingers drifting to her waist, and when she catches his eye again, the look in them has changed wholly. Any previous glaze is wiped clean, replaced by some brightness that wars with the expanding darkness of his irises. “Will you—”
“Wait!” she says, almost moaning when his fingers squeeze her hip. “Not like this. Not now. We’re drunk.”
“I—” he looks down, eyes on her mouth, and she thinks he’ll lean forward anyway, kiss her anyway, fuck it all. It isn’t until he sighs, deep and resigned, that she realizes she wouldn’t have minded. “Yeah, alright.”
“James.”
“Yeah?”
She smiles, slow and confident, because now she knows, and leans forward to brush her lips over his cheek. The hints of stubble feel delectably coarse against her mouth, and even more so when he groans somewhere at the back of his throat. She pulls back sluggishly, weak in the face of her own want. “Ask me later,” she whispers.
James watches dazedly as she takes a step back, then another. Eventually, he finds his smile. “I’ll hold you to that, Evans.”
“You’d better.”
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wri0thesley · 3 years
Note
Nat... 👉👈 since requests are open can I please request some Gojo fluff? If you need a little inspo maybe like, reader and him meet after they were abroad for a mission or something? I'm in love with this funky man and I just wanna give him kiths
sweet tooth - gojo x reader, sfw, 2.5k
the early bird catches the worm. or the cake, you guess.
(just a lot of talking about food tbh . . . i dont get to write pure sfw fluff much, thank u for letting me indulge in my jjk brainrot NFJVND. gn reader! )
You know as well as anyone how little free time a jujutsu sorcerer has. You’ve spent most of your past few years rushing around from place to place, calling it a good night’s rest when you manage to fall amongst your coverings before the clock strikes three in the morning. You think this probably has to go double for somebody in such a constant state of being needed as Gojo – but still, he’d shown up outside your room this morning, bright and early, and said; “We’re going out!”
He hadn’t mentioned that you were still clad in pyjamas, your hair still a mess about your face, eyes still sleep and shadowed. You had jumped out of bed at the knock, of course – you’re used to being needed at the drop of a hat – but there is nothing at all in the way Gojo is looking at you to suggest there’s any kind of danger brewing.
He got in last night at the same time as you, after an exorcism had dragged on longer than expected – you know this. So how is his skin still glowing like moonlight, his voice still so bright, his hair still falling over his blindfold in that effortless perfectly-styled-without-being-styled way?
If he’s slept, he’s gotten the same hour and fifteen minutes you’ve gotten.
“Not even a warning?” You sigh, stifling a yawn. “I haven’t had time to clean my weapons or anything--”
“Woah!” Gojo’s grin doesn’t fade, but he holds up his hands as if he’s trying to avoid a savage attack. “Just you and me. No curses, promise. You won’t be needing those.” He cocks his head to the side. “Unless you wanna try and take me. I think you’d lose!”
Your brow furrows. You know you’d lose, and so does he.
“Have you seen the time?” You ask him, instead. You don’t question why or how he’d gotten into the hallway to stand like this outside of the room you’re renting in Tokyo for a while. You’ve learnt after knowing him for a while that what Gojo wants, he gets – besides. If he’d sweet-talked your landlady into letting him in, you couldn’t blame her for falling for his charms.
He sticks his head into your room and turns his face towards the clock on the wall, ticking merrily away, mocking you. You had hoped, after last night, the next time you saw a clock the hour hand would be well past twelve again. He pulls back.
“Now I have.”
“. . . aren’t you tired?”
Gojo shrugs, maddeningly. Half of what he does is irritating to the highest degree – the other half makes your stomach do strange somersaults that you try and push away. Getting a crush on Gojo Satoru is just going to lead to disaster. Although at this point, you have to admit to yourself that it’s more a case of ‘having a crush’ – there’s not much denying it, when he twinkles at you like this.
“You’ve gotten a good hour of beauty sleep,” he chirps. “Not that you need it. Let me take you out!”
You’re still focussing on the compliment, slipped into his words as if it’s as simple as breathing, when he enters your room full-on and is opening your wardrobe.
“H-hey,” you say, weakly. He’s rifling through the rack without a care in the world. “I—I can dress myself--”
“It’s quicker if I do it,” he replies, pulling out one of your favourite shirts. “Here, catch--!” Your reflexes allow you to not make a fool of yourself in front of him. “The colour of that one’s pretty! It’ll look nice on you.”
You’ve had more clothes piled into your arms before you can blink. You guess that Gojo must know his way around clothes – you’ve seen some of the brands and price tags of things he wears – but you can’t help but be a little flabbergasted by just how casual he is about everything. Maybe it’s the fact that your brain is still short-circuiting after being woken up earlier than you were expecting.
He finishes and walks over to you.
“I’ll wait outside.”
“W-what a gentleman,” you manage, and he throws his head back and laughs, and the laugh feels like it lodges warm in your chest. “After waking me up, bursting into my bedroom--”
“I’ll pay for everything,” he promises. He saunters out of your room, pulling the door closed behind him, calling; “I’ll make it up to you, promise!”
You stand there for a few more moments, still struggling to process the whirlwind that is Gojo’s presence in your life – half joking, half serious, half making you think that maybe you stand a chance, when he calls through the door;
“I can’t hear you moving!”
You jump. You wriggle out of your nightwear, your cheeks heating up, as you snap back;
“You said you were going to wait out there, not that you were going to press your ear to it and listen like some kind of stalker--!”
You stare in confusion at the fancy window in front of you, decorated with swirling cursive in gold. From outside, you can see into the establishment – the white scrollwork chairs, the cake stands, the menus standing up in their pale white leather covers. The early morning sunlight from outside is reflecting off a perfectly organised display case teeming with tiny little perfectly formed cakes.
“If you were craving something sweet,” you say, eventually, “surely there was an easier way to get it than this.”
Gojo grabs your arm cheerfully, pulling you towards the entrance of the patisserie.
“Well, I got the first sweet thing I was craving,” he ticks it off with his other hand. “But then I had one of my patented brainwaves.” He elbows you. “Put them both together!”
“I’m not feeling very sweet after you interrupted my sleep,” you mumble, but you know that there’s no real bite in your words. You hope Gojo doesn’t notice the reaction that you have – you know he’d never let it go. You often don’t know how to respond to his flirting – he has a reputation, after all, and you are just . . . you.
“We had to get here early, anyway,” he says, as he stands before the counter. The man in the apron and chef hat behind it recognises him immediately, lighting up – you wonder how much money Gojo spends on expensive patisserie. Everyone knows he has a sweet tooth. “They sell out of some of the best stuff well before ten!”
Gojo knows exactly what he’s doing as he points out various desserts from the display case, the man falling over himself to get the – frankly absurd amount of sweets – carefully packaged up for him. You’re not surprised, knowing Gojo, about the cute animal-shaped cakes that he chooses, the smiling bears and cats with ears made of sliced strawberries. You’re a little more surprised by all of the fancier pieces he chooses that you don’t recognise, but you don’t have much time for dwelling on it.
Spoils in hand, you peer further into the establishment to choose a table.
“Nah, don’t worry about that,” Gojo says cheerfully. “We’ll find somewhere outside to sit. It’s such a nice morning!”
You don’t miss the grin he shoots you as he says ‘morning’, the sidelong tip of his head as if he’s waiting to see if you’ll scold him again for interrupting your sleep. You do no such thing, content to be pulled along behind him again as he goes off in search of a place to enjoy his spoils.
People just tend to be pulled along by Gojo’s magnetism, you’ve discovered – and you are, hopelessly, no different.
He finds a quiet bench in a shady corner of one of the local parks; the only other people going past occasional elderly, walking their little dogs. He pats the wooden frame of the bench next to him, smiling.
“You’re not going to make me eat all of this by myself, huh?”
“It’s enough for eight people,” you say, sighing and resigning yourself to your fate as you take the place. He’s lucky you have a sweet tooth too; if he’d brought someone else, they’d probably be shirking back in horror at all the sugar. “You could probably eat it by yourself anyway.”
He pouts.
“I want to share it with you,” he says, cajoling – his fingers hover over one of the smaller cakes, a perfect bite-sized morsel. You try not to think about the elegant lines of his fingers and the power behind them as he plucks it up and offers it to you. “This one’s really good.”
You bring up your hand to take the sweet from him, but he laughs as your fingers bounce away from him, not quite able to get a purchase.
“Let me feed you,” he says to you, and blood rushes to your face all over again.
“I—I can feed myself,” you say, swallowing thickly. Gojo’s smile, on full, sculpted lips, makes butterflies crash into one another in the pit of your stomach.
He brings the treat to your mouth and he’s right, it does look really good. It’s a neat little roll cake, small in Gojo’s fingers, with the green colouring so many sweets you’ve eaten in Japan have been – you hope it’s not matcha, knowing the flavour will surprise you and Gojo will probably laugh, but you open your mouth in defeat and let Gojo pop it in there. His fingers linger a little too long against your lips, his expression fluttering so quickly you don’t quite catch it.
If you didn’t know better . . . you’d say that he had just fought back a blush.
“Is it good?” He asks, and his voice sounds a little strangled. You bite down on the cake, the juice of the strawberries coating your tongue – it is matcha, but the flavour is offset by the sweetness of the vanilla and fruits, and you’re glad about it. You nod enthusiastically, and he laughs.
“I told you!” He taps your cheek. “I know what I’m talking about!”
“You’re so smug,” you tell him, unable to hold back the laughter that’s bubbling out of you. Alright, maybe he woke you up too early and maybe he’s dragged you outside and maybe he’s been haunting your daydreams for months now, but . . . you think he means well. And you can’t deny that the sun is shining and the cakes are really delicious.
“If you were me,” he says, stretching out his arms over the back of the bench, “you would be smug too.” You shake your head at him, but he has a satisfied smile on his face. “Feed me one!”
“Are you going to let me?” You ask. “Or are you just going to bounce it away with your Infinity to make fun of me?”
You hover over the selection yourself, considering what to choose for him. In the end, you go for one of the mini slices of mille crepe cake, reasoning with yourself that even if it’s unusual to be eating so much cake this early, at least crepes are a traditional breakfast. Gojo obediently opens his mouth wider as you lift the slice.
You falter.
“You really want me to feed you?” You ask him, unsure. He laughs, grabbing ahold of your wrist – you almost start as he takes a bite from the treat, his lips tantalisingly close to your fingers. Another bite, and the cake is gone (you’ve never seen slices of mille crepe so small – but then again, judging by the eye-watering amount Gojo paid for his spoils, you’d never be able to afford to buy from a place like that).
“Mm,” he smacks his lips together. “It’s good.”
You swallow, noticing that there’s a smear of the cream between layers at the corner of his mouth. Gojo notices you staring, and quirks his lips into a smirk. “You’re staring,” he says. “I know I’m gorgeous, but--”
“You’ve got . . .” You say, awkward, motioning to his face. Somehow, it feels too intimate to lean forward and dab it away yourself – he’d asked you to feed him, after all. If you did it of your own accord. . .
“Huh? Oh,” He moves one of the arms casually draped over the bench to his face, and you think he is going to wipe it away – but instead, he hooks his thumb under his blindfold, pushing it up casually so the light hits the swirling colours in his eyes.
You’ve seen them before, of course – you’ve seen Gojo at work, after all – but they’re still a surprise, a bright moment of swirling starshine dropped on you when you’re least expecting it. Your stomach does that flip-flop again, the one that you try so hard to ignore – but when he’s looking at you like that, curious and smug all at once, you don’t really know how to handle it.
You’re glad you’re in a secluded spot. There’s nobody to see the embarrassing display of you not quite knowing what to do with yourself.
“You can get it,” he says to you. “I don’t mind.”
“I—”
“Look.” His other hand rises, cups your face, thumb ghosting across the same spot on your cheek that he’d tapped earlier. “I left icing sugar on your face. I’ll get that, and then we’ll be even.”
(Did he do that on purpose, you wonder? You wouldn’t be surprised.)
Your hand is trembling as you reach for the cream. You try and force your fingers to be still as you lean in closer to him, eyes concentrated, as you wipe the little splotch of cream from his mouth. You’re so close you can see galaxies in his eyes, the fan of white lashes, the way that his throat bobs when he swallows as if he’s nervous--
Nervous? Gojo? That can’t be true.
“I got it,” you breathe, though you don’t move. Your faces are so close together. You could lean forward, just a bit, and meet his lips with your own. Gojo’s eyes stay trained on you, not faltering in the least. His thumb is still on your cheek. Your own finger hasn’t moved from the corner of his mouth.
“Wanna know what it tastes like?” Is that a falter, in his voice? You’re stuttering all over the place, but Gojo--
“I’m not gonna put that in my mouth after it’s been on your face,” you tell him, without moving. Your heart is beating ten to the dozen. Gojo’s eyes crinkle at the corners.
“That’s not what I meant,” he says – and he breaks the distance himself, and suddenly he is kissing you. The hand on your cheek cupping your face into his, the other hand going about your waist, holding you tightly against him like he’s been wanting to do it since the moment he woke you up that morning.
(The mille crepe cake is delicious, you find out, from the lingering taste on his lips. Next time you two go there in the early morning rush, Gojo buys two slices.)
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donald4spiderman · 3 years
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The City
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Summary: Reader is thinking about moving to California. Spencer’s determined to get her to stay.
Pairing: Spencer Reid x BAU!Fem!Reader
Warnings: none
Category: Fluff (angst if you squint)
**Inspired by Ben’s poetic confession in Parks and Recreations, S3E14**
Here’s a draft i forgot to post
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**not edited yet**
Spencer’s POV
As a profiler, I’ve mastered the observation and analysis of behavior— we all have.
Picking the minds of serial killers is second nature— so why is it so hard for me to figure out why (Y/N) is behaving so strangely?
In the recent months, her witty and charming energy has dwindled into a lethargic imitation. Whether she’d admit it or not— (Y/N) can be extremely enthusiastic about certain things— especially our job.
So, when I watch her drag her feet, inch by inch, into the BAU each morning, It’s hard to contain my concern.
I know Morgan has noticed, and I’m sure everyone else has too. They’re probably just too scared to say anything. (Y/N) doesn’t enjoy people prying into her private life, so we all stay a comfortable distance away.
I watch her a lot... more than I’d like to admit. It’s hard to be unaware of her nervous behaviors— the nail biting, hair twisting, skin picking— I practically have enough data to make a correlation graph. I can tell when she’s upset, and it’s happening more than usual.
(Y/N) has always been kind to me. Even when I was at the peak of my stammering, slicked-back hair phase, she treated me with more respect than I deserved. I can only imagine how awkward I must’ve been (or, still am), and I thank her for not belittling me.
I guess I’m validating the Benjamin Franklin Effect when I say this— but I feel like I owe it to her to ask what’s wrong. Over the years I’ve built up (arguably) the closest friendship with her, so it only makes sense for me to bite the bullet for the team.
It’s partially due to the fact that I’ve developed a slight (if not major) crush over time, but who wouldn’t? A gorgeous, intelligent, quick-witted women is kryptonite for any person. Our conversations are always stimulating, she gives the best advice, and she’s always there to comfort a team member.
So, it pains me to see her struggle through a paperwork day. I wish she would reach out to anyone for help, but it’s not in her nature.
“H-Hi.” I smile as I approach her desk. Her tired eyes look up at me, and she smiles back.
“Hey, Reid. What’s up?
I rub the back of my neck nervously. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Morgan and Emily watching me struggle to form a sentence. They giggle as they watch.
“I-I was... um. D-do you want to get coffee with m-me? Not now! I mean— after work!” Morgan stumbles out of the bullpen, barely containing his laugh. I must sound pathetic.
(Y/N) nods hesitantly, “S-sure. I don’t know why you want to get coffee with me, but I’m free.”
“Really?” My surprise shocks her. “T-that’s gr-great! I can drive you!”
She chuckled, “I think I’d rather drive us. I’m pretty sure you can’t drive a mile without hitting a curb.”
I nod fervently. “Sounds good.”
As I make my way back to my desk, I send a glare in Emily’s direction as she continues to smirk at me.
-
(Y/N) grabs an empty table in the café, and we sit down, huddling close to our warm drinks. She orders a cinnamon latte, I order a black coffee with an unhealthy amount of sugar.
I place the drinks down. “Did you know that cinnamon is shown to reduce systolic blood pressure. It’s commonly used in South Asia and works by dilating blood vessel.”
She nods, “Surprisingly, I did know that. You’re gonna have to teach me something else, Doc.” I laugh in response, enjoying the relaxation that radiates off of her.
“I feel like we don’t get to, um, t-talk as much as I would like to.” My words get caught in my throat and she gives me a lopsided smile.
“Well, we don’t exactly have the most leisurely job.” She states, sipping her drink.
I bite my lip, she looks down. I convince myself that my mind is playing tricks on me, because there’s no way (Y/N) would glance down to watch me pull my bottom lip between my teeth.
“I know... but you used to talk more.”
“I’ve been busy lately. Tired too.” She mumbles.
I mean forward slightly, my voice is a hushed whisper. “A-are you... okay?” I’m anticipating an defensive response, but all she does is sigh.
“I’m alright. I just... I’m getting tired of being here— in D.C.”
My eyes widen and my brows knit together. “W-What! Why?”
(Y/N) shrugs, “I don’t know. I just expected to feel... really, really attached to D.C when I first moved here. I love my job, and I love you guys— but nothing’s keeping me here.”
My face drops. My disappointment is adamant because she scrambles to reassure me.
“It’s not that I don’t absolutely love working with you guys. You’re my best friend, Spencer. But... I came to D.C to... I don’t know... settle down.” It comes out as more of a question rather a statement. “It’s sounds weird, right? Me, settling down?” She laughs. “I-I don’t mean a husband and a family necessarily. I moved here because I wanted to belong somewhere.”
“You don’t feel like you belong?”
“I feel... I feel like everything I have right now is temporary. It’s not the feeling I expected to have. I just want to have something permanent in my life for once.”
I remain silent, lacking the proper response.
“Please don’t tell anyone!” She pleaded.
I smile solemnly, “I won’t. I promise.”
In that moment, I make another promise. Not just to (Y/N), but to myself. I’m going to show her how many things she has here for her in D.C.
I’m going to prove how much I believe she belongs.
-
I started by bringing her coffee each morning— a cinnamon latte from the same café we went to.
The first time she seemed pleasantly surprised. I sped through the doors of the bullpen, my coat and slacks absolutely soaked due to the rainy D.C weather. She giggled at the sight of my hair plastered to my forehead. I was certain that I looked like a wet dog.
“Morning!” I greeted, placing down both cups of coffee on her desk so I could fix my hair. “I-uh-I got you coffee. A cinnamon latte, of course.”
(Y/N) smiles brightly, “You’re the best. Thanks, Reid. I definitely needed this.”
Hotch and Rossi are watching me curiously, pretending not to look up from their files. At this moment, I could care less.
“It’s n-nothing.” Suddenly I’m blushing furiously under the weight of her stare.
“Thanks, again.” She clears her throat, “Y-you’re a really good friend.”
She smiles. And I smile.
-
In the next three weeks, (Y/N) and I grow closer at a rate faster then ever. I try to do something small for her everyday. Finishing up a file for her; Bringing her coffee or water; Sitting next to her on the jet. It appears to be working— she looks much more relaxed and happy. Her sarcastic humor is back and she engages more with the team.
We’ve decided to hang out after today. I find myself enjoying every minute with her, even if all we do is talk, eat, and walk around aimlessly. I’m sure she’s tired of me, but my infatuation with her only grows.
Tonight, we’re sitting at the park, watching people on their late night jogs, dog walkers, babysitters. We finished eating Indian food at a local restaurant. Turns out we’re both regulars at the same place, it’s a shame we haven’t run into each other.
She’s sitting criss-cross on the bench, her elbow rested on top of her knee. “You know,” She starts, “D.C is pretty great. I don’t think I’ve felt this... content in a while.”
I smile, even if it’s too dark for her to see. “Th-thanks. D.C is a great place, despite averaging 39 inches of rain annually.”
She means her head back against the bench. “I still don’t know. I feel like I’m just waiting for something. I don’t even know what that something is... a sign maybe?”
“A sign?” I laugh.
“Y-yeah... a sign. I’d usually make a pros and cons list and research the differences between the two places but... this decision feels too personal to look at it as just statistics.”
In this very moment, I decide to toss all my concerns, questions, what if’s, into the wind. This is my final move; my last resort; my Hail Mary.
My hands are trembling, and it takes me seconds to force the words out of my throat.
“W-well, besides the higher cost of living and considerably gloomy weather, D.C can be a p-pretty great place to reside. It has a busy political culture and is one of the most diverse states in the country.” I pause for a little longer than necessary.
“But, besides statistics and facts, if w-we look past objectivity, to me: D.C is where my friends are, and my friends are my family. Um... I like The City because it’s home to so many great people. A-and I know it’s hard to see the good in things considering how much violence we see on a daily basis, but certain people make me believe that things aren’t all that bad.”
(Y/N)‘a listening attentively, making me even more nervous than I thought possible. “D.C— The City— is beautiful. It’s charming. It’s a warm, cinnamon latte on a rainy day, o-or a late night walk in the park. To me, it’s home.” I catch her smirking a little bit, and I can only hope that she understands what I’m trying to say.
“Plus, The City is really good at her job. The City’s an excellent profiler. But, the city’s an even better friend, and an even better person. It doesn’t hurt that The City has great hair, and gorgeous eyes, and a perfect smile. And, she does this cute thing where she twists the ends of her hair, even if I keep telling her to stop. The City’s beautiful and definitely out of my league. She probably wants nothing to with me now, but I don’t care. I really like The City. And, even if she doesn’t like me back, she should stay, because there are so many people that like and love The City. ‘Cause who wouldn’t.”
(Y/N) is full on grinning right now, and it’s hard to stay patient when so much is on the line.
“Wow.” She giggles. “You really like The City.”
I chuckled awkwardly, “Y-yeah. I really do.”
“I mean, if you think The City’s so great, maybe I should stay. Plus, I’m sure The City likes you too.”
I feign confusion, “Really? I don’t know... The City can be kind of closed off sometimes.”
“Trust me— The City definitely likes you back. And I don’t think The City appreciates you saying that about her”
“Oh really?” I gasp. “Let’s ask her.”
I turn my head around, then proceed to look back at (Y/N) in the most dramatic fashion.
“Hey.” I laugh.
“Oh, Hi Dr. Reid!” She feigns surprise to match my frivolousness.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, b-but I really like you. And, a little birdy told me that you like me back.”
She laughs heartily, “Well, that little birdy is a pretty reliable source.”
Soon, her head is resting on my shoulder. My body’s stiff and the air is caught in my lungs, but I feel more content than I have in years. Somehow the weather is warmer, and the sun is brighter, and things just seem... better.
“This is a great city.” She mumbles, peering up at me in the most adorable fashion.
“Yeah,” I smile, “It really is.”
-
“Pawnee’s a really special town, I love living there. And, I look forward to the moments in my day where I get to hang out with the town, and talk to the town about stuff. The town has really nice blonde hair too. And, it’s read a shocking number of political biographies for a town, which I like.” - Ben Wyatt
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