#so.....Joe got himself a student now

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1190: Muey Thai Scientist! (KOF X City of Wolves)

6:31 p.m. at Southtown's Local Beach.........

Rock: (Panting Exhaustedly While Sitting Down the Sandy Ground) Okay!......I think......NOW.....Would be.....A perfect time......for the both of us.....to take that break.....Don't you think?.....

Shingo: (Panting his Hands is on his Knees, Bent Down) Yeah.....A break......Sounds FANTASTIC right about now.....(Let's Out an Exhausted Sigh While Finally Sitting Himself Down) Jeeeeeez......I don't think I ever been in a sparring match that intense before........

Rock: Yeah, same here.....(Gives Shingo Proud Smirk on his Face) You were keeping me on my toes from beginning to end there, bud.

Shingo: You think so? (Picks Up a Bottle of Water) I always thought it was the other way around really. (Takes a Drink of his Water) Like, you're almost as fast and unpredictable as both K' and Leona combined the way you moved like that!! I couldn't even catch up with you for a few seconds there.

Rock: Speed has been one of my fortes in combat, not gonna lie. (Takes aDrink of his Bottle of Water) But that obviously pales in comparison to the raw, critical strength you've been hiding under those gloves of yours. Even saw sparks flying from off of them too-

Shingo: (Immediately Sky Rockets Himself Up From his Seat With a Very Surprised Look on his Face) SPARKS!?

Rock: Yeah, it was bright enough to nearly burnt my shoulder there. Not hard to miss really.

Shingo: Is it to me apparently!! Quick! What was the last move I made that you saw sparks showing off from?

Rock: Dokugami I think? Why?

Shingo: (Get into his Battle Stance) I'm about to make a presentation!

Rock: ('Sigh') Just don't hurt yourself, man.

Shingo: I won't. (Takes a Deep Breath Before Balling his Fist Up and Slowly Winds it Back) Doku..............GAMI!

Shingo delivers a strong right hook at the air......With no sparkles appearing.

Shingo: DokuGAMI!

Shingo delivers another strong right hook at the air......Still no sparkles appearing.

Shingo: Do...KUGAMI!!

Shingo delivers yet another strong right hook at the air......Still no sparkles appearing. Yet again.

'Wind Blows'

Shingo: (Frowns and Sighs in Disappointment as He Lowers his Stance) Ah man.....How come it's not coming out? Am I not doing thos right or something?

Rock: (Gets Himself Up From the Ground) No, your positioning has gotten more polish this time around. Maybe it only comes out when you try and hit something?

???????: Perhaps.

The duo looks up to see a girl dyed light pink hair with blue streaks walks out from behind a tall surfboard standing on the sandy ground.

???????: (Fixes Up the Glasses She's Wearing While Forming a Cheeky Grin) Heehee~ Or maybe!~ You may or may not unintentionally used up most of your inner Ki into creating that sparked punch of yours during ypur little sparring match, rendering you into to building it back up again from square one. (Shrugs) Either that or the breeze blew it away. Who's to say?~ (Playfully Sticks her Tongue Out to the Side if her Lips)

Shingo and Rock look at each other for a brief second before turning back to the girl in glasses, confused.

Rock: That's.....one way to put it.....Or two.

Shingo: Yeah. (Raised an Eyebrow at the Girl) Have you....been watching us spar this entire time?

??????: (Happily Nodded) Yep-Yep-Yep!~ I've strolling around the boardwalk of thistown and couldn't help but noticed you two were communicating with your fists and kicks from afar. So, I moasy my way to that surfboard there and hide behind it as I thoroughly examine the match more up close. (Happily Clasps her Hands Together) And can I say that how amazingly structured fighters you are in your own unique style!~ (Turns to Rock) Your cool, swift speed and defense....(Turns to Shingo) Your powerful blows and incrediable endurance and durability. (Sighs While Placing her Gabds On her Chest) Seeing them all play out the way it did was a sight to behold~ Makes me wanna get more better at my own techniques too.

Shingo: (Struck in Awe at the New Girl's Discovery) Woah......You did way more in-depth review of the match than I could even attempted on doing.

Rock: And you're a fellow fighter as well? Color me impressed.

???????: (Smiles Sheepishly While Blushing a Bit) Really? Cuz I tend to nerd out quite a lot when it comes to everything Martial Arts and Ki related. Should probably apologize for that by the way.

Rock: (Chuckles Lightly) Are you kidding? (Points at Shingo Next to Him) My best friend here is the biggest nerd I've ever met in my life! Trust me, you're no trouble to us at all.

Shingo: (Happily Sticks his Hand Out at the New Girl) Salutations, fellow nerd! The name's Shingo Yabuki.

Rock: I'm Rock Howard Bogard. Terry's long time student and now offical wolf cub. His words, not mines.

???????: (Smiles Brightly) Pleased to meet you both The name's Preecha, new around here obviously. I'm part time scientist and Muey Thai artist in training, trained under the great Master Joe, of course!~

Shingo: Nice to meet ya, Preech- (Eyes Suddenly Begins to Widened Along with Rock's) Wait a minute. You said Joe is your master?

Rock: As in, Joe HIGASHI?

Preecha: (Places Both her Hands onto her Hips) The one and only!~ We first met months ago at the Annual Martial Arts Champion's Tournament back in Japan. (Clasps her Hands Together as Her Eyes Starts to Sparkle) I was incredibly amazed by his skills and wind manipulation abilities, so I studied the arts of Muay Thai, did a few trial tests after pestering him into training me for a decent amount of times, and load and behold........

Preecha does turning sweep-like kick, creating a medium, pink and gold colored hurricane, zooming it's way towards a nearby sand castle. Instantly blowing it all away into dusts of sand in the wind once it made contact.

Preecha: (Fixes Up her Glasses Before Forming her Signature Cheeky Grin Once More) I officially became his #1 Pupil ever since.

Shingo: (Eyes Sparkled, Struck in Awe at What He abd Rock Just Saw) No way! Was that a Hurricane Upper you did just now!?

Rock: (Raises an Eyebrow in a Bit if Confusion) Looks likes it? I always thought you pull it off with only your fist.

Preecha: Originally, yes, but I figured since it has been one of Master's trademark moves, I've decided to my own original spin of the technique: The Cyclone Kick!~ (W.I.P)

????: Rocky! Shingo!

The trio now turn their attention to see Blue Mary making her way towards them.

Mary: Terry says he's waiting for us in front of the ticket booth, so we gotta get a move on- (Suddenly Notices Preecha Standing Next to her Two Boys) Oh, hello there. I take it you're new around these park?

Preecha: (Happily Nodded) Yep-Yep!~ My name's Preecha.

Rock: Turns out she's Joe's #1 pupil.

Mary: (Smiles Brightly) Nice to meet ya, Preech- (Eyes Suddenly Begins to Widened at the Realization) Wait a second. You're a pupil of who now?

Preecha: Master Joe.

Mary: ..............Joe.

Preecha: Yep.

Mary: Higashi.

Preecha: Uh-huh.

Mary: JOE HIGASHI is your master.

Preecha: The one and only!~

Mary: .........Hold that thought. (Takes her Phone Out of her Pants Pocket and Makes a Call)

Preecha: (Turns Back to Rock and Shingo with a Bit of a Confused Look) Is it....really that surprising to see him as my master to you guys?

Shingo: (Starts Rubbing The Back of his Head Back and Forth) Uhhh.....Kinda? As strong as he is, he doesn't really seem like the kind of guy who takes the time teach someone something.

Rock: Or take anything seriously for that matter. (Rolls his Eyes a Bit) Unless if it involves his relationship with that Lily girl apparently......

Preecha: Master told me so much about her during our break time. I wonder if they'll get married sometime.

Rock: If he narrowly escapes from her brother's wrath maybe.

Meanwhile at the Thailand Sacred Bathhouse

Joe: (Sighs Very Relaxingly as He Walks Out the Men's Locker Room) Man oh man!~ Hwa's wasn't kidding when he says this place us Heaven incarnate. I never wanna leave!

'Phone Buzzing Sound'

Joe: Hm? (Tales his Phone Out of the Pouch Poket From the White Robe He's Wearing Before Answering the Video Chat Call) Yello? The Champion of All Muay Thai speaking~

Mary: (Appears on Screen) Higashi!

Joe: (Smiles Brightly at a Very Familiar Face) Yooo Mary! It's been a while, how you been!?

Mary: Peachy as usual. Now, question: Is it true that you're a full fledged mentor now? With your own student and everything?

Joe: Indeed I am! Been a teach for a while now actually. A pretty surprising challenge at first sure, but it's nothing I CAN'T persevere. (Forms a Cocky Smirk) Pretty Impressive, don'tcha think?

Mary: I guess? It's more surprising if anything.

Joe: What's there to be surprised about? I have just as much qualifications for the teaching gig as your blondie of a boyfriend is back home, you know?

Mary: Dude, you're the most loud and unserious show-off I've ever met, so you'll have to excuse me for being taken aback her-

Joe: Yeah, well, you should color yourself impressed instead. (Points at Himself With Full Confidence) Cuz here on out, I'm the strongest show-off there! Ain't no one's gonna top that!

Mary: (Scoffs While Rolling her Eyes) Yeah, except Terry.

Joe: ('Scoffs') Please. I can take him and Andy on without trying.

Mary: Okay. What about Billy?

Joe: The same goes for him as well.

Mary: Ooh you sure? Cause I could've SWORN I remembered him putting you in a hospital bed that one time-

Joe: (Comically Glares at Mary) Oh piss off with that, tootz! He only got me by surprise, I'll get my revenge soon enough!

Mary: I doubt it. (Gives Joe a Darkened Glare on Screen) You're gonnato be wind up back in that same exact bed if you ever call me "toots" one more time.

Joe: (Starts Shaking in Fear) R-R-Right. ('Gulp') Noted.

??????: Master!!~

Joe: (Smiles Brightly as He Notices his Star Pupil Waving at Him on his Phone Screen) Heh-hey there, Preecha! Good to finally see ya!

Preecha: (Giggles Softly) Likewise!~ Are you enjoying your R&R day this evening?

Joe: You know it. I never been this more re-energize in a long while, I'll tell ya what! How's your research going along?

Preecha: Spendid!~ I think I've found myself a great discovery after today.

Joe: Sweet! Can't wait to hear all about it-

Spa Assistant: (Walked in) Excuse me, Mr Higashi, but I believe your schedule massage session has just begun.

Joe: (Turns to the Assistant) Already? (Turns Back to the Screen) Uhh O-On second thought, you think you could tell me all about it later? I have some....('Clears Throat') "Business" I need to attend to at the moment.

Preecha: (Giggles Softly) Sure thing, master. Have a nice, fun massage session!~

Joe: (Playfully Rolls his Eyes) Yeah, yeah, I will. (Points at Preecha) And you continue om your training and research of yours, young lady!

Preecha: (Quickly Salutes to her Mentor) Will do, sir! Won't let you down!

Joe: (Proudly Nodded) I know that's right. I believe in you. (Waves Goodbye to Preecha) See ya!

'End Call'

Preecha: ('Sighs Happily') My master is the greatest, isn't he?

Rock: (Rolls his Eyes Again) In the show-off department maybe.

Shingo: (Snickers a Bit by Rock's Remark)

Mary: (Gives Rock a Light Motherly Glare) Rocky. You're not wrong, but be nice to your uncle.

Preecha: (Pouts at Rock) Yeah, that's my master you're bad mouthing he- (Immediately Turns to Mary) H-Hey!

Mary: (Puts her Hand Up to her Face While Puttong on a Sheepish Smile) Just saying it like it is, Kiddo. No harm foul. Bit now that I got your attention, do you maybe wanna join the three of us here on a movie night? The more the merrier.

Preecha: (Smiles Softly) I'd love to, ma'am, but I have more studies I need to work on at the moment. But I'll see you guys again soon enough. Oh and Shingo right?

Shingo: Hm?

Preecha: (Smiles Brightly) I'm sure you'll be able to ignite the brightest of all flames someday. So don't you dare think about giving up just yet, you hear me?

Shingo: (Stares at the New Girl For a Brief Second Before Nodding in Agreement with a Smile on his Face) Loud and clear.

Preecha: Good. (Politely Bows to the Trio) Thanks for your time, byeeeeeeee!~ (Happily Waves Goodbye as She Starts Jogging Ger Way Out of thr Beach)

Mary: (Waves Back at Preecha) Later, kid! Hm. Nice girl. ('Sigh') Still can't believe she's training under Joe of all people.....

Rock: Yeah, but he seems to be doing a decent job of teaching her so far.

Mary: Yeah, I guess......

Shingo looks down at the palm of his habd before slowly and gently balling it up in a fist.

Rock: Shingo?

Shingo: (Immediately Comes Back to Reality Before Turning Back to Rock and Mary) Hm?

Mary: You doing okay there, kiddo?

Shingo: Oh, yeah. I'm doing good. (Smiles Brightly) Great even. That new girl just gave me the boost I need to work myself even harder next time I train. I'm sure my sparks will come out more frequently this time.

Mary: (Happily Wraps her Arm Around Shingo's Shoulder) And we'll be here to help you out every step of the way.

Rock: (Place his Hand on Top of his Best Friend's Head) Just as long as you don't go around overdoing and hurting yourself in the progress.

Mary: (Nodded in Agreement as She and the Boys Finally Begins Walks Out of the Beach Together) That's right. Your family, Saisyuu, and Leona are gonna have themselves a fitting party if they find out you try and do something crazy.

Shingo: (Pouts at his Two Companions in Between Him) What do you guys take me for? Some careless cat in the streets? I'll be careful!

Rock: (Chuckles Lightly) You're more like a reliable puppy if anything. We'll have our eyes on you, bud.

Mary: Count on it!

Shingo: ('Sigh') Fiiiiine.

@tampire

@thelexhex

@cyber-wildcat

@ma-lemons

@bestpony666

@theweebmaster31

#king of fighters #fatal fury city of the wolves #preecha #shingo yabuki #rock howard #blue mary #joe higashi #terru (mentioned) #billy kane (mentioned) #sparring #frienship #humor #so.....Joe got himself a student now #good for him #edited

[icallhimjoey]

The Boy Is Mine (icallhimjoey's edition)

♥ ♥          Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader 

Summary: Joe has work and cancels plans but, you know what, you can just come over and help him out, can’t you? It's nerve-racking and embarrassing but, ok fine, you can come over and help him. CW / disclaimer: rpf, fem!reader, language, anxiety, we make fun of joe because he’s a dork, full fluff

Author’s note: i had fomo for @carolmunson’s the boy is mine writing exercise, so i just went ahead and gave it my own rpf spin. pls go and read all the other wonderful editions here!

Wordcount: 1.8K

“Okay, so, to set the scene,” Joe was being exceptionally theatrical tonight. He’d sat you down on the sofa and used the floorspace on the other side of the coffee table as his stage. It was all big arm gestures, and exaggerated faces, and big steps, and this was meant to be serious business.

It wasn’t.

You could tell Joe was a little nervous, which in turn made you a little nervous too.

You’ve had to suppress a smile ever since you walked in and couldn’t seem to stop giggling at things that usually wouldn’t even remotely tickle you, big ball of nerves.

“We’re in a trailer. Think, a big holiday park. Sort of dreary, it all looks the same, just, caravan after caravan after cara–”

“You’re talking to me like I’ve never been on holiday before.”

“Well for all I know you haven’t, Miss Workaholic. I’ve never seen you put down your work–”

You shut him up with a hit of a throw pillow to his face. Joe didn’t even flinch, just let it hit him square in the face and drop to the floor before giving you a blank stare for a second, all unimpressed.

Made you laugh. Again.

“Okay. So. Trailer park.” Joe made big eyes at you like a teacher would, directing you back to the task at hand. To why you were even there in the first place.

“Trailer park.” you repeated, sitting up a little, being a good student.

Joe frowned as his eyes had to focus on the script he was holding, turning a page and then flicking it back.

“Yes. Trailer park.” Joe confirmed absentmindedly.

He took another moment to seemingly find what he was looking for, eyes scanning before he reached up to pull his glasses from his hair. You sat pretty and waited.

Everything about the situation was objectively hilarious.

Joe had had to cancel on plans he’d made with you because of some changes in his schedule and now he had to learn lines at the speed of light meaning he couldn’t take you out for a drink. You didn’t mind – yes you did – and you’d casually said you could come over anyway. Help him out. Read lines with him.

“You’d do that?” He’d asked, carefully hopeful.

“Yea course!”

“And you’d like that?”

“As much as hanging out with you in general is a massive chore,” you’d joked. “It totally beats sitting at home by myself all night.”

And so you’d been invited over.

And now, Joe was nervous. He had just the one script, and handing it over to you meant that you’d see the little notes he’d taken. The scribbles and the arrows that pointed to more little notes, and for some parts even little sad or happy smiley faces. It would reveal a bunch of uncool shit about himself, not to mention the fact that Joe was breaking rules. None of this was meant for your eyes.

“Traiiii...” Joe was having a hard time finding what he was looking for and you started to grow impatient.

“I think we’ve got the location down.” you laughed, then suddenly your face dropped and turned faux serious. “Or, sorry, is this part of it? Of how you learn? Is that why it takes you fucking ages to–” you had to duck to the side as Joe threw the pillow you’d launched at his face earlier right back at you.

“If you don’t stop, we’re going to have a problem.”

Joe handed you the script, pointed from where you were going to read lines together, and then picked up a small notebook from the table.

He cleared his throat, gestured with a hand that meant, calm down, and then started the scene.

You read from the page, and Joe tried to do the scene from memory as much as he could, only occasionally glancing at look at his notes.

It took a few lines for you to actually calm down. To feel the jitters inside of your body slip away.

Joe was blushing still, though.

He’d never done this with you before, and he definitely felt silly, playing pretend with a pretty girl in his living room. But when you kind of started getting into it, found focus and fed him little words when he got stuck, it turned into actual acting.

You stayed seated on his sofa, eyes on the page, and Joe was all over the place. Pacing, using wild arms, facial expressions all over, repeating lines in different ways when they didn’t feel quite right after saying them the first time and... this was actually kind of fun.

And then props were introduced, but all wrong.

Joe needed to make a call, the script said, and he just grabbed the remote control of the TV as his pretend phone.

You stiffled a laugh, just about.

Then up next, he grabbed a nice crystal wine glass, held it out to you and it became more and more difficult to keep your giggles inside as you read ahead at what he was about to say.

“I ran out of nice cups, is this okay?”

You pretended you were handed something atrocious. Or, well, you tried to, at least. It was becoming very apparent who was the real actor in the room. When the script called for a bite of cake, something that would leave vanilla frosting on his face, Joe just perfectly mimed the action, and you were shocked at how you could see it.

There was nothing there.

But there was, though.

Wild.

Joe barely had to look at his own little notebook the longer you went, yet your stumbling and stuttering through lines increased as you read them aloud. It slowly shifted the anxiety from Joe over to you, and you didn’t like it one bit.

It felt silly, because Joe’s growing confidence didn’t have to mean that yours slowly withered, but, that was exactly what happened.

Joe noticed and in a bid to make you relax, he moved around the coffee table before sitting down on top of it, right in front of you.

“Here, take it back a little,” Joe folded a page back in the script that you were still holding, and pointed, his voice soft and gentle. “From here again.”

Joe had pointed at one of his own lines, so you kind of waited for him to start. But then he stayed silent, and when you flicked your eyes up at him, he was smiling.

“You’re holding the script. You lead.”

Oh. Yea, okay.

You went through the same bit of a scene again, this time with your knees touching his. Joe spoke in a much calmer voice, much lower this time around. The vibe shifted and now, it had you blushing.

Fucking adorable, Joe thought.

It made him want to grab hold of your face as you read. Press kisses all over your cheeks. The bridge of your nose. Your eyes.

There was not a chance in hell that Joe was going to actually get all his work done tonight, but if he was being honest, you’d already managed to do more than he’d expected beforehand.

You fucked up a line and went, “Wait, no... jesus,” and took a second to start over. When it was Joe’s turn to speak, he stayed silent again, and it made you look up at him, only to see him stare at you with the most lovesick grin you’d ever seen.

Disgusting. How dared he.

“Stop looking at me like that.” You knocked one of his knees with yours.

“I’m not looking at you like anything.” Joe said, not changing a single thing about the way he was staring at you.

You narrowed your eyes at him and had to try really hard to hide a smile.

“Are you... are you getting off on me not being very good at this?”

Joe laughed, said, “No, you’re amazing actually.” before he leant in a little, clearly going in for a kiss.

It had you moving back.

“Um...” you held a hand up before you jokingly scanned the page in front of you. Turned it to check the next one too. “There’s no kissing in this scene.”

“Um...” Joe copied you, and was quick to take the script from your hands, turning it around so he could get a look himself. “Yea there is, actually. Look.” Joe pointed at a random line, and before you could even get a proper look, he’d already flung it to the side and lurched forward to get his lips on yours.

You shrieked into it, trying to kiss Joe back just as much as you were trying to push him away.

Joe laughed, and so did you, and you were just pressing smiles together for a second, giggling right into Joe’s cackles. He had to hold your face in both of his hands to keep you close.

“Maybe,” you murmured around kisses, “This wasn’t the best idea. I’m clearly not helping.”

“Aw, don’t be like that. That’s not even true.”

Joe kissed you harder.

“Liar.”

“I’m not a liar.” Joe sat back and made a face. Looked like a real douchebag as he scrunched his eyebrows together and smirked. “I’m an actor.”

You laughed as Joe reached to pick up the script he’d thrown to the other side of the sofa. Folded the pages back and handed it back over to you.

“Okay. So.” he got up, clapped his hands together and walked back over to his spot in front of the TV, notebook now discarded on the sofa. He was going to try without it. “We’re in a trailer.”

You smiled at him as you watched him try his best to get back into the zone.

“Trailerpark.” you confirmed, trying your best to match Joe’s vibe.

Serious business.

You frowned as you started again, but you were quickly stopped.

“Wait, sorry. Wait. Just, I’ve got to... hang on,” Joe planted a knee onto the coffee table and leant all the way forward. His hands found both your knees and he moved until he got to steal one last quick kiss.

Okay, two.

Three.

Quick, a fourth. Maybe a fifth.

“Joe,” you giggled.

“What?” a sixth.

“I’m here to help you work!”

“Well, then,” seven. “Stop being so fucking cute!”

Joe got a few more in. An eight, ninth and a tenth, before he scrambled back up onto his feet.

Joe took a second to smile at you before he cleared his throat. “Right. Trailerpark.”

You smiled right back.

“Trailerpark.” the end

---

The Taglisted

@ali-in-w0nderland, @alwayslindie, @babybluebex, @bylermaxmayfield, @capricornrisingsstuff, @chaoticgood-munson, @choke-me-eddie, @demonsanddemogorgons, @did-it-work, @dirtyeddietini, @djoseph-quinn, @dolcevit4, @eddies-puppet, @emma77645, @emotionaldreamer, @everythinghasafacee, @figmentofquinn, @ghost-proofbaby, @ghostinthebackofyourhead, @hanahkatexo, @harringtonfan4, @hazelenys, @jewellethief, @joesquinns, @keikoraven, @kennedy-brooke, @lovelyblueness, @manda-panda-monium, @mandyjo8719, @mexicanfolklore, @miserybeans, @munson-mjstan, @nadixq, @nglharry, @notverywise, @pepperstories, @phyllosilicate-s, @royale1803, @sherrylyn628, @sidthedollface2, @songforeddiemunson, @sweetberry47, @take-everything-you-can, @thebellenouvelle, @tlclick73, @werepartnersnow, @winterwakesthewolf, @witchwolflea, @yelyahcardella, @yunirgo

taglist currently full, sorry

#Joseph Quinn #Joe Quinn #Joseph Quinn x You #Joe Quinn x You #Joseph Quinn x Reader #Joe Quinn x Reader #Joe Quinn Fanfic #Joe Quinn fanfiction #Joseph Quinn Fanfic #Joseph Quinn Fanfiction #joe quinn x y/n #joseph quinn x y/n #icallhimjoey #the boy is mine

[randomheadcanons1234]

Even more random hermitcraft headcanons that I won’t elaborate

Bdubs He was once sick of getting told that he was short and wore high heels for the day at the end he had a concussion, a broken ankle and a promise to never where high heels again

Cub has replaced some of his teeth with metal

Docm has dressed up as a princess on multiple occasions for Doccy

Etho used to run up to people scare them and run away again. That stopped when he got shot by a gun, when he tried to pull this with Zedaph

False is the designated driver because she somehow knows every shortcut

Gem has killed gods before

Grian is that type of person who says that they can’t handle horror but fall asleep to true crime stories

Hypno used to sell Ballons, he can make animals out of them

Impulse has venomous claws, he has accidentally poisoned some of his friends because of this, he feels really guilty

Iskall builds really weird things for fun like a robot who has legs for hands, which has pink hair and talks about waffles. The hermits are concerned

Jevin can’t swim, he can float but if he tries to move he sinks

One time when joe was drunk he showed up in a god meeting and started to make yo mama jokes at them, many cried

Keralis has all the gossip even from servers where he isn’t even on

Mumbo has gotten drunk only once and that was the they he found himself in his base surrounded by Armourstands that had their legs cut off. And had the heads of his friends

Pearl eats cods in front of Grian

Ren has a collection of baby photos of his fellow hermits, no one knows how he got them

Scar has made flower crowns for all the hermits

Skizz used to be choir kid

Joel and Lizzie once came to a party where Joel wore a sparkly pink dress and Lizzie a green suit

When stress doesn’t know a word she just makes one up

For some reason tango loves bats

The reason why Beef goes by Beef is because middle school he only brought beef to school. After a while the other students and even the teachers started to call him Beef and that stuck. Now he just goes by Beef

Wels knows galactic

When Xb used to be a kid he ate dirt

Xisuma never takes his helmet off, so the hermits try to take it off themself all their plans fail though and they still don’t know how he looks

Zedaph used to be a part of the creepy pasta fandom

Cleo is the best dancer on hermitcraft

#hermitcraft #zedaph #impulsesv #tangotek #skizzleman #joel smallishbeans #geminitay #grian #goodtimeswithscar #mumbo jumbo #welsknight #xbcrafted #xisuma #all hermits but i’m to lazy tag them #sorry for the typos #english is not my first language #headcanon

[steddieasitgoes]

written for @steddielovemonth Day 19 prompt: Love is helping them unwind after a rough day (@lihhelsing) and Love is the comfort of quiet moments (@tboygareth) Rating: G | wc: 718 | no cw Tags: established relationship, fluff, teacher!steve, rockstar!eddie

Steve knew when he started teaching that his job wasn’t always going to be easy. That for every breakthrough lesson he taught where every one of his students understood and had fun learning, there would be just as many days where he left as frustrated as the kids because the material just wasn’t clicking. 

Today was one of those days. 

No one was more excited when the dismissal bell rang than Steve. Usually, he’d stick around, grade a few papers, or mingle in the teacher’s lounge but today he packed up his bag just as fast as his kids and bolted to his car. 

All he wanted to do was get home, unwind, and have a nice night with Eddie. Maybe make dinner and finally watch the movie Eddie rented a few days ago for them to watch before he got called in for a rewrite session at the studio. 

Steve makes it no more than ten steps into the house before his sock-covered foot collides with something hard. At first, he thinks it’s their senior dog Joe — it wouldn’t be the first time he’s tripped over him — but as Steve tumbles to the floor, he realizes he’s tripped over Eddie. 

His ass breaks the fall, colliding with the cold tile with a force that’s certain to leave a bruise — one Eddie is no doubt going to poke and prod at because he’s a gremlin, but that’s a problem for later. Right now, he needs to figure out why his boyfriend is currently sprawled out on the floor in the middle of their foyer. 

“Rough day?”

Eddie’s response comes in the form of a groan, seemingly too tired to respond with his words. He kicks his legs out farther, starfishing on the floor before scrunching his eyes so tight Steve wants to knead the doughy flesh on his forehead. 

“Yeah,” Steve sighs, “me too.” 

“Floor time,” Eddie mumbles, patting the spot next to him. 

The time it’s Steve who responds non-verbally, grumbling incoherent words as he lowers himself gently to the hard floor. He’s careful with his head, tucking one arm under to act as a cushion. The cold shocks him for all of two seconds before he feels himself sinking into the tile. The weight of today’s shitty day disappears as his body finally relaxes and the world fades into the background. 

Steve doesn’t do this as often as Eddie does, but it’s nice. Really nice. They don’t listen to music or talk about their day. They don’t kiss or touch beyond an occasional hand squeeze. They simply lie there with their eyes closed and listen to the sound of their heartbeats.

He had joked once that what they were doing was a form of meditation, but Eddie had scoffed at that — not wanting to participate in the “latest conformist trend” that is yoga, so they call it floor time instead.

As Steve lays there, enjoying the feeling of the cold tile on his tense muscles, he can’t help but break the no-touching rule and reaches his hand out in search of Eddie’s. He finds it immediately, taking his ink-stained hands into his own. His fingers curl around Eddie’s ring-clad ones and he gives it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. 

“I love you,” he whispers, soft enough that Eddie might not hear him. 

But he does. 

Eddie always does. 

“No talking during floor time,” Eddie quietly reprimands, before squeezing Steve’s hand back in return. A moment passes before, Eddie tilts his head to the side and opens one eye to look at Steve. “Love you too, baby.” 

In a little while they’ll peel themselves off the floor and head into the kitchen to cook dinner. Steve will playfully swat Eddie’s hand away from the simmering pot of sauce and he’ll give him those big puppy dog eyes until he caves and lets him get a taste. And then they’ll sit across from each other at their small dining room table playing footsie while they each vent about the shitty days they’ve had before retiring to the bedroom where they’ll take turns taking each other apart. 

But for now, it’s floor time. 

#this is the softest thing i've ever written #steddielovemonth #steddie #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #steddie fluff #steve harrington fic #eddie munson fic #steve fic #eddie fic #steve harrington fluff #eddie munson fluff #stranger things #stranger things fic #stranger things fluff #dani writes

[webslingingslasher]

wait now that i think ab it. spidey would be an elite pizza delivery guy bc he could just swing everywhere

if peters dead parents money ever runs out, he should either pimp himself out to ethan or become a delivery guy <333 (peter would hate me so bad for even saying this jkskdksl)

so funny you say this! here's a wip i have from working at a pizza place w peter <3

----

“I know you’re fucking me over and I won’t leave until you say it.” You blink, he’s in a red shirt, an employee. He’s upset, you’d imagine his eyebrows are furrowed but you couldn’t see them under the curls that rested on his forehead, his tone playful but serious. He’s awfully cute, he looks just a tad bit familiar, you assume you’ve seen him around campus once or twice, it seemed nearly the entire staff were students. 

You check for a name tag, it’s missing. 

“Parker, meet the new hire. New hire, meet Parker.” 

You wave shyly, “hi, Parker.” 

“Oh, I’m not-” 

Joe cuts him off, “Kid, take her to get some shirts, then you can come back in and we’ll talk about you missing shifts.” Parker narrows his eyes at his boss then back down, “alright,” he directs his attention towards you, “follow me, nooby.” With a final handshake to your new boss you follow him out the room, he takes you to the left and behind a stack of lockers laid uniform shirts and aprons. 

“I say take one for every shift you plan to work plus one, then you can let the laundry go for an extra day.” He winks at you. You smile and look for your size, stacking four shirts and tucking them under your arm. Before you can ask him where you know him from, his name is called. 

“Parker! Three on east side up, you got thirty!” 

The kid groans, and even though you don’t understand the dynamic yet, you still work there. That means you’re in the trenches with everyone here, he looks at you and complains. “See? I told you, fucking with me.” Parker rolls his eyes and races down the hall, and makes a pit stop at Joe’s office to point at him, “you’re fucking with me.” 

You can hear his laugh from where you were. A job was a job, and job’s suck, but this one seemed a little less sucky than normal.

#thanks anon!

[drops-of-moonlights]

Next with the redesigns we get to the WarioWare cast! which oh god there's so many people here what the fuck! anyways! Here we have basically the cast of the og with two from later games. The Warioware cast designs are peak so not a lot is changed, but hey, I still changed some things, so let's get to them! (shoutout to the official WarioWare website it was so useful!)

Mona and Joe are the easiest since they keep themselves more or less the same - still the deliverywoman extraordinaire and her lovable boss. Mona here like everyone else is a bit older - a college student, majoring in archaeology, and has upgraded from a scooter to a motorcycle (quite literally upgraded, Crygor took her scooter and turned it into a bike). Joe keeps himself more or less the same, except a bit afraid of losing the best employee he ever had.

The man with the beat Jimmy T and the silly lil alien, Orbulon! With the former I just added some stars on his pants and also gave him melanin, because frankly the bright colors work better with darker skintones and the Mario cast is pale as milk, some variety is nice. for Orbulon I just put him in his human disguise's cute little minidress, because we stan a gender-non-conforming king. Fun trivia: Jimmy has beef with Waluigi over who has the better dance moves. They get along otherwise but if there's dancing happening it is ON. SIGHT.

Diamond Taxi's speed demons, Dribble and Spitz! I similarly didn't change much, just more detail on shoes, Dribble wearing his coveralls differently, and their earrings, which are actually their wedding rings, because look at me in the eyes and tell me these two aren't fucking. that's right you can't. Spitz finally got to publish his novel! It's doing better than Dribble expected.

Mad Scientist and Beleaguered Karaoke Robot Assistant Duo, Crygor and Mike! The levels at which Crygor is a cyborg vary SO OFTEN I just gave him the full helmet, a robotic left hand and a robotic foot. Mike I only changed up a smidge and changing his face to an LED display for better emoting. Still Penny's loving grandfather, he's gently trying to steer her towards a focus on the mechanics rather than chemistry, believing that she can achiever her idol dreams without having to rely on questionable homemade beverages. Mike on the other hand encourages to focus more on chemistry out of the selfish desire she can make a drink that will give HIM a perfect singing voice lol.

Nintendo Fanatics 9-Volt and 18-Volt! For fun I gave them the real names of Nikola and Edison. Now middle schoolers, they still enjoy skating and Nintendo games. I did the same with 18-Volt as what I did with Jimmy T. 9-Volt's helmet is more clearly a firefighter helmet - it's his dad's old model that he gifted to him.

And to finish it off, Kat and Ana! I wanted both of them to have more unique color palletes, and as a further distinction Kat has freckles. Like the rest they're a bit older, now elementary-school kids, and while he's not in this post they also get along a LITTLE better with Leo.

#Drops's Art #Drops's Super Mario #WarioWare #Mona #Joe #Jimmy T #Orbulon #Dribble #Spitz #Dr. Crygor #Mike (WarioWare) #9-Volt #18-Volt #Kat (WarioWare) #Ana (WarioWare)

[hanna-lulu]

i’ve been comparing the usa now to germany circa the late 1930s and it is not a favorable comparison.

let’s see what we’ve got:

increasing antisemitism

increasing transphobia

increasing ableism

continued oppression of indigenous peoples

laws being introduced to ban gender-affirming care and remove children from their homes if they are allowed to live as they wish

books being banned for having honest and age-appropriate portrayals of race/racism and queerness/homophobia

pushing maid (medical assistance in dying) on people with disabilities and even people who are just poor (this is more in canada but i’m including it here anyway)

a right wing that is seen as ridiculous and absurd, yet is somehow still managing to hold onto power while liberals/leftists laugh it off as if they’ll run out of steam

it’s important to note that in the 1930s, when hitler came to power, the international community thought he was a joke. his overblown rhetoric was silly, his history was laughable, and nobody took him seriously. they thought it would all blow over. also, he wasn’t saying anything that a lot of people didn’t secretly agree with. antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and racism were widespread throughout europe and the usa, and a lot of people had less of a problem with what he was saying and more with how he was saying it. (think kanye west’s antisemitic comments, which joe rogan did attempt to stop him from making so blatantly, but didn’t actually disagree with.)

the first medical and educational facility for gender affirming care was in berlin. did you know that? the institut für sexualwissenschaft (known variably in english as institute of sex research, institute of/for sexology, or institute for the science of sexuality) was founded in 1919 and headed by magnus hirschfeld, who was both gay and jewish. he helped build a library in the institute that was dedicated to the topics of gender, eroticism, and same-sex love. the research undertaken there regarded sexual health of all people, gay, transgender, and intersex, as well as counseling and treatment for alcoholism, gynecological issues, venereal diseases, contraceptives, and more. sexual reassignment surgeries were performed successfully there. the goal was to help those who were suffering because they could not live as who they truly were and to educate the common people, because people fear what they see as different, what they cannot understand.

you won’t find the books in that library today. they were burned as part of the nazis’ campaign of terror and censorship. in 1933, 6 years before world war 2 officially broke out, the institut was broken into and looted by the deutsche studentenschaft (aka the german student union). young adults who had spent their formative years surrounded by hateful rhetoric were accompanied by a brass band as they destroyed this oasis of understanding and knowledge. hirschfeld himself had fled germany years before, as he had been targeted numerous times by nationalists/far right “activists”.

berlin once had a thriving queer community. germany was a home to many jews, my own great-grandparents included. my great-grandmother’s younger brother had a learning disability. their home turned on them out of fear and ignorance, the people told by their leaders that other human beings were not really human, but degenerate filth. my great-grandparents escaped with their lives. many– my great-grandma’s brother included– did not.

the concentration camps that imprisoned and killed so many jewish, queer, and/or disabled people (as well as romani and political prisoners, and japanese-americans IN THE USA) are not consigned to the past. our prison system disenfranchises those who are placed in it and uses them for unpaid labor. refugees are caged for daring to hope that our country– the so-called “land of the free”– would take them in when their homes turned on them. indigenous people are ridiculed and attacked for wanting to help our planet heal and for asking to conserve the land that was stolen from their ancestors. almost a hundred years since the holocaust, and we still haven’t learned.

don’t look away from this. it’s not going to blow over. those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and we are already experiencing a resurgence of fascist beliefs and rhetoric.

write to your representatives. VOTE. protest if and when you can. show them that we are HERE and we refuse to be written out of the history books, banned or burned away. we are human beings. we live and love and deserve to do so with dignity.

and if appealing to your humanity isn’t enough, remember this poetic version of a quote by german lutheran pastor martin niemöller, an early nazi collaborator and antisemite who later changed his views and opposed hitler’s oppressive regime:

“first they came for the socialists, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a socialist.

then they came for the trade unionists, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a trade unionist.

then they came for the jews, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a jew.

then they came for me– and there was no one left to speak for me.”

there is always another enemy in fascism. anyone who is different will eventually be a target. white supremacy is poison, and fitting the mold of a “perfect citizen” cannot keep you safe. queer infighting and pushing down people who you find “too weird” will not stop the people who hate all of us. to the far right, we are all wrong to our very cores. solidarity in the face of oppression is the only way to survive, live, and thrive.

#i’ve been meaning to write this post for a while #i’m so sick and tired of this bullshit #you’d think we would have learned by now #long post #history #world war 2 #world war ii #the holocaust #antisemitism #homophobia #transphobia #ableism #racism #der institut für sexualwissenschaft #magnus hirschfeld #adolf hitler #book banning #book burning #fascism #concentration camps #maid (medical assistance in dying) #martin niemöller #first they came #solidarity forever

[blairrwaldorfs]

Written in the Stars

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: You are a believer in fate but after getting your heart broken, you had stopped believing it. Until you met Joe. Suddenly, it got you questioning if fate is real or not.

Author's Note: Okay, this was published in my old blog before and I'm going to be re-publishing it again here per requested from some of you. :) This is actually one of my fave series I wrote.

Wordcount: 4.9K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten - epilogue

“According to an ancient Chinese myth, a red string of fate connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.” - Chinese Proverb

AUTUMN 2021.

Joe was ready. He had been preparing this for about a year, and he was so ready to do this. He had everything prepared that he even had his best friend help him out to make sure everything was perfect. He got up early in the morning and immediately showered and got ready. He stared in the mirror for a moment before nodding his head and telling himself that everything was going to turn out perfect tonight. Exiting the apartment half an hour later, he was greeted by the Autumn New York air. He walked down the sidewalk, stepping on the crunchy leaves that were falling from the trees as he made his way towards the subway station.

“Hey.” Joe answered as soon as he saw his best friend’s caller ID.

“Are you ready, mate?”

“Yes, everything is going to turn out great tonight. I could feel it.” Joe smiled, exhaling a sharp breath.

“Okay, well, let me know how it goes. You still got filming today, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’m heading there right now.” Joe replied, entering the subway car. “I’ll be done early today though. She already knew what time and where to meet me, so it will just be perfect timing.”

“Okay, well, good luck, mate! It’ll be great.”

“Thank you. I’m a tad bit nervous but that’s normal, innit?”

“Absolutely! Just take a few deep breaths, everything will be fine. She’s mental if she doesn’t say yes.”

Joe couldn’t help but chuckle at his best friend’s comment. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Hanging up the phone, Joe smiled to himself, repeating what he was going to say tonight over and over again in his head. He wanted all of this to be perfect. He wanted to do this right. So, as he walked out of the subway, he made his way down the street and into the movie set. For now, he needed to focus his mind on the movie script. He shouldn’t have to worry so much about tonight, especially when he knew that everything was ready and prepared. 

You were awakened by the sound of your alarm. You stretched on your bed before swinging your legs over and letting your feet touch the cold wooden floors of your apartment. Pulling the strings to open your curtains, you were greeted by the view of the city. The skyscrapers stood tall in front of you, and you could see the leaves on the trees turning yellow and orange. The sky was a bit gloomy today, but Autumn was one of your favorite seasons, and you always thought it was beautiful because it was like a sign of a new beginning. The old and the past leaving and a new beginning was starting. It was almost like your life at the moment. You could feel that something new is starting, and it could be tonight. 

“Good morning.” You smiled brightly at your roommate, Sara, as you poured yourself a cup of coffee.

“Someone is chirpy today.” Sara smiled, taking a sip of her tea. 

Sara had been your best friend since you two met in college. She was an exchange student from Germany. Ever since you two met, you both had been inseparable that you both immediately decided to be roommates as soon as you both graduated college. You always believed that meeting Sara was fate. You both got along so well. The both of you were almost the same person. You never had such a healthy friendship before until you met her and that says a lot because even if you had friends then, it was never the same with what you have with Sara. 

“Well, that’s because today might be the day.” You wiggled your eyebrows.

“Really?” Sara’s eyes widened. “How do you know?”

“Maybe. Who knows.” You shrugged. “He had been giving hints, and he was the one who specifically asked me to meet him tonight, which is weird because usually, we don’t meet up ‘til Friday nights unless it’s something important.”

“Well, tell him that I’m a little upset that he didn’t even ask your best friend to help him out or even tell me about it.” Sara teased. 

“I will, but I’m sure he didn’t say anything because he wanted to do it himself.” You shoved a piece of toast in your mouth. 

“Right...” Sara elongated her words. “Just like how he only shows up in your life during the weekends and until now, never even tried to get along with your friends?”

“Sara,” You tilted your head and gave her a look. “He’s just… busy. You know how he is.”

Work was always an excuse that you managed to tell her because you knew she was telling you the truth, but you were too stubborn to admit it. Too blind because you were too in love.

Sara took a sip of her tea and didn’t say anything else. 

“He said that it’s fate.” You added. 

“Really?” Sara raised her brow. “Fate is when you meet someone and then a few years later, you see each other again. Someone that you just know is meant for you no matter what the circumstance is. Even if you don’t see each other after however many years, the universe always brings you two together. Not someone that you meet in a bar and become friends with and decide to hook up one night and then be together after that.”

You knew how Sara was against this relationship in the first place because of how you two got together and even then, you always tried to make sure that your best friend and your boyfriend got along. However, for Sara, he never tried to make an extra effort for you or even try to actually be nice to her. Sometimes, she would even tell you that you weren’t his priority. 

“Just… Just be happy for me, okay? I think that he really is the one.” You sighed.

Sara shook her head. “I am happy for you, but I’ll be happier if he actually treats you right.”

Your eyes caught the sight of the clock across from you and said, “I gotta go. I’ll see you later!” You drank the rest of your coffee before grabbing your things. 

Sara scoffed, shaking her head as she watched you walk out the door before muttering, “Have fun.”

The day couldn’t go any faster as you sat in your office doing some paperwork, staring at the clock from time to time to see if it was almost time to leave. You just couldn’t wait to get out but no matter how hard you tried to make yourself busy, time was just going by slowly. When the clock finally hits 5pm, you immediately packed your things and grabbed your coat and walked out the office building. You pulled your coat closer to your chest, trying to fix your hair from the cold night air that was blowing. You hailed yourself a cab and as you made your way to the restaurant, your leg shook nervously.

Arriving at the restaurant, the place was packed with people, and you immediately got a table for the both of you as you waited for him. You tapped your nails nervously on the table and asked the waiter for a dirty martini to calm yourself down. 

“Hey babe.” 

You looked over your shoulder and gazed up at him. His blue eyes sparkling along with his smile that always made you melt on the inside. 

“Sorry, traffic.” He gave you a kiss on the cheek, which surprised you because he would usually kiss you on the lips. Ignoring the unusual move, you smiled as he sat across from you.

“It’s okay. How are you, babe?” You asked, taking a sip of your drink. “You said you wanted to talk?”

He let out a sigh and hung his head low for a moment. “Yeah, listen… I just…” He stuttered for a moment as you waited for him to finish his sentence. “We had such an amazing adventure together, you know? We have gone through so much.”

“Yeah, I know. Six years. Time went by so fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that we met.”

“Yeah…” He played with his fingers nervously and let out another sigh. “But… I just feel like this isn’t working out.”

You felt your heart shattered into a million pieces the moment those words came out of his lips. Was he breaking up with you? Six years of having this relationship for nothing? Why? Your body froze, and you felt like you were going to scream, but you forgot how to find your words nor even move your body. You were just paralyzed.

“W…What?” Your words stuttered the moment you finally found your voice.

“Listen, I know we have been together for a while, but I just feel like it’s not working out anymore. We both like different things, and I just feel like I’m in the stage of my life where I just don’t want to be in a serious relationship right now.” He explained, trying to reach for your hands. 

You scoffed as you shook your head, immediately pulling your hands away from him. You couldn’t believe the words that you were hearing right now. Was he fucking serious? 

“Six years, Carter!” You exclaimed in frustration. “We were together for six years and you’re gonna tell me you don’t want to be in a serious relationship? What’s the real reason?”

You watched Carter look around the restaurant when you raised your voice at him. You grabbed your purse and coat, ready to leave. You couldn't even look at him anymore. You were furious and angry and heartbroken. You couldn’t even explain all the mixed emotions that you were feeling at the moment. 

“I’m trying not to be a dick here, but I’m just not happy anymore.”

“You said we were fate.” You argued, holding back your tears.

Carter opened his mouth for a moment with no words coming out before finally saying, “I only said that because I knew you were a believer of those things.”

You scoffed as you got up from your chair. You were so angry. You hated every fiber of his being right now, and you needed to leave because you didn’t want to hear what else he was going to say. 

“Don’t act like this.” Carter got up from his chair also. “Did you really think we were going to last long?”

“You’re such a fucking ass!” You exclaimed. “We were together for six years! Of course, I did!” You shook your head and started walking away from him.

“Wait!” Carter held you by your forearm, stopping you from leaving. “Please don’t make this hard. We could still be friends.”

Tears were welling up in your eyes as you let out another scoff. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing right now. Friends, really? After acting like an ass? After all the shit that he just said?! Was he fucking insane?

“You’re such a fucking dick, Carter!” You exclaimed again, pulling your arm away from his grip. He looked around the restaurant again as some of the guests were now looking at the both of you.

But you didn’t care. He deserved to be humiliated from the way he was acting towards you. 

“Please don’t make a scene.” Carter muttered.

“I’m not making a scene.” You argued back. “This is making a scene!”

You grabbed the glass of the dirty martini that was sitting on the table and splashed him with it before scoffing and turning away from him, walking out of the restaurant.

“Well, that was embarrassing.” 

Joe watched you from across the place as you walked out of the restaurant before turning to Rue, who was sitting across from him. Her little comment over the situation made Joe feel a bit uncomfortable since he thought that was a dick move for a man to do something like that to a woman. Though, his mind needed to be somewhere else because this night was important. 

“So, babe. What were you saying?” Rue asked, reaching for Joe’s hands. 

“Um…” Joe cleared his throat and played with the small box inside his coat pocket. “Rue, we have been together for a while, and you have made me a better person. You make me so happy, and I want to make you happy and be there for you for the rest of our lives. You are amazing and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Joe got up from his chair and went down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

Rue sat there, a small gasp escaped her lips. Her eyes fell to the ring that was sparkling inside the box before she looked around the restaurant for a moment. Some people were staring at them, and she couldn’t help but feel the blood rush to her cheeks before helping Joe up to his feet.

“Oh, honey.” Rue pouted. “This is the sweetest thing ever, but I’m sorry. I’m just not ready for all of this. I mean… marriage? I have my whole career before me. I don’t want to start a family yet. You know how it is.”

Joe swallowed every bit of his feelings as Rue continued to reject his proposal. He didn’t expect this. He thought their relationship was going really well. He thought they were both ready. Joe stood there in front of her, feeling a bit embarrassed and at the same time, feeling a bit confused. 

“I… I thought we both wanted this.” Joe muttered. “We always have talked about it, and I’m ready, Rue. I want to be with you.”

“I’m so sorry.” Rue gave him a sympathetic look before grabbing her coat. “Yeah, we always talked about it, but I didn’t think that you were going to propose to me now. This is not what I want right now.”

“So, when is the right time to propose then?” Joe asked. 

“I feel like we’ll know when we are on the same page but right now, this isn’t what I want.” Rue leaned in to give Joe a kiss. “I’m sorry.” 

Joe exhaled sharply as he watched Rue walk out of the restaurant. 

What the fuck just happened? 

Joe stood there frozen as the server came by with the champagne and all Joe did was shake his head at the server. He needed to go fight for this. He had to go and find Rue and have a serious conversation about this because this was all a surprise to Joe. It made his heart shatter, hearing the fact that his long term girlfriend had just told him that she didn’t want to marry him. 

You weren’t the only one getting your heart broken tonight.

“Fucking bullshit.” You cursed to yourself outside the restaurant, leaning your back against the brick wall.

God, you were such an idiot. 

You cried to yourself, wiping the tears that were rolling down your cheeks. You were still trying to process all of Carter’s excuses as to why he didn’t want to be with you anymore. You kicked the brick wall with your foot and ran your fingers through your hair. 

You were such a mess.

Your attention was caught when you heard the restaurant door opened and saw Joe running out of the restaurant. He looked around for a moment until he caught your eyes. Feeling embarrassed, you turned away from him and wiped your tears as you sniffed. 

“Have you seen—”

“A strawberry blonde woman? Yeah, she took a cab and went that way.” You murmured, pointing at the direction where the cab went. 

Joe let out a sigh and tilted his head as he walked towards you and asked, “Are you alright?”

“Does it look like I’m okay?!” You exclaimed, watching Joe in front of you take a step back.

Joe knew why you were crying. He saw that whole thing go down inside the restaurant. He knew why you were so angry, so he didn’t say anything else. He understood what you were feeling at the moment because unfortunately, he was also having a shitty night. Not trying to anger you even more, he took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket and handed it to you. For a second there, you paused and just stared at it. 

Why was this stranger being nice after you just yelled at him? 

Though, you accepted it anyway, thinking about how you probably looked ridiculous in front of him with your mascara running and your eyes all red and puffy.

“Thanks.” You muttered, your voice almost a whisper.

Joe watched you wipe your tears and then unfold the handkerchief to blow your nose. He couldn’t help but pursed his lips, holding in his smile as he watched you. Then, his mind directed back to Rue and the reason why he was running out of the restaurant in the first place. He still wanted to talk to her about everything that happened because he loves her, and he wanted this to work out. Maybe she was right? Maybe he did this too soon.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” You interrupted Joe’s thoughts. “Why are you running after that woman anyway?” 

“She’s my girlfriend.” Joe replied. “Or… ex. I don’t know right now. I just proposed to her, and she rejected it and ran off.”

You couldn't believe what you were hearing. Here you were thinking that Carter was going to propose to you tonight and instead, he broke it off with you. Meanwhile, the man in front of you proposed to his girlfriend, and she had the audacity to reject it? How could someone reject that, especially if they loved each other? Looking at Joe in front of you, you surely could see it in his eyes how much he loves her. Who would still run after a person after they rejected their proposal? This man in front of you surely would. 

How lucky she was.

“I’m sorry.” You told him.

“It’s okay.” Joe hailed a cab and turned to look at you. “Are you gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, thank you.” You nodded and watched him give you a small smile.

“Here, take this cab. I’ll get the next one.” Joe opened the door for you as you muttered another thank you before getting inside. 

“If it makes you feel any better, you dodged a bullet.” Joe said before closing the door. 

You couldn’t help but think about that comment on the way back home to your apartment.

Maybe he was right. 

Maybe you did dodged a bullet, and Sara was right. 

Carter was an asshole. 

You tried your best to hold back your tears at the back of the cab but it just wouldn’t stop falling. You could see the cab driver’s eyes looking at you through his rearview mirror, and you couldn’t help but think about how many times you were going to embarrass yourself in front of strangers tonight. You were just glad that the cab driver didn’t say anything to you. The moment he stopped in front of your apartment building, you paid the man and quickly exited out of the vehicle. 

The apartment was dark and quiet when you entered. You figured maybe Sara was still out on her date. So, you headed to the bathroom and slid your clothes off. Entering the shower, you sat on the bathroom floor, hugging your knees and just cried your eyes out. The hot water ran down your skin as you sat there and sobbed on your knees. You couldn’t even tell anymore if it was the hot water that was making your body numb, or it was just because you were just done with everything. 

When you slid under your bed covers that night, your eyes were all red and puffy, and you could barely breathe from your stuffy nose. Your skin was all pruney because you had spent probably an hour in the shower and letting the hot water just run down your body. You stared at the ceiling for a moment as tears started rolling down your cheeks again. 

Your chest hurts. 

Everything hurts.

You didn’t stop yourself from crying anymore. You let everything out as you hugged your tear soaked pillow tightly until you were just so exhausted that you finally crashed. 

The sound of loud clattering woke you up the next morning. You fluttered your eyes open and stared at the ceiling for a moment. You felt numb. You didn’t even want to get up and go to work today. After all, it was a Friday. Maybe calling out sick was a good idea for today. You weakly got up from your bed and made your way out the door and saw Sara putting away the plates in the cupboard.

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you? I accidentally dropped one of the—” Sara paused as soon as she glanced up and saw your face. 

“Ohmygod.” She immediately set the plates on the counter and pulled you into an embrace. “What happened? What the fuck did he do?”

You buried your face on your best friend’s shoulder and sobbed as you hugged her tightly. Sara softly rubbed your back, and you both stayed like that for a few minutes. Sara didn’t say anything. She just let you cry in her arms. She didn’t want to push you until you were ready to talk. 

“He…He broke… it off.” Your words stuttered. “He said.. he didn’t want to be in a serious relationship at the moment.”

“That’s fucking bullshit.” Sara retorted. “Six years together and he says that shit?”

You nodded your head as Sara gave you a glass of water, while you wiped your tears with the back of your hand. 

You felt exhausted. 

“He’s such a fucking asshole.” Sara cursed under her breath. “I’m so sorry.” Sara rubbed your back softly again. “He doesn’t deserve you. Someone like that doesn’t deserve your love and you know it. He’s stupid and an idiot for letting you go.”

“It feels like… it was so easy for him.” Tears rolled down your face again. “It was as if the six years we had together was just nothing to him. Like it didn’t mean anything to him.”

“C’mere.” Sara whispered, pulling you into a hug again and embracing you tightly. “You don’t have to go to work today. You can hang at the bookstore with me.”

“It’s okay. I… I need to go. They need me there.” You sniffed. “Plus, I need a distraction after all of this.”

“Okay, but if you need me to rescue you, just give me a call.”

You let out a small smile. “Thank you.”

“Hey,” Sara softly set her hand on your forearm, “Don’t push yourself too hard today and please let me know if I could help you with anything.” 

“Thank you. I will.”

Drinking the rest of your water, you left the kitchen to get yourself ready for work. Sitting at the subway later that morning, all your mind could think of were the memories of Carter. The way how you both started off as friends and then started dating just because you two had hooked up one night. Carter had told you then that he had feelings for you all this time, and he didn’t want to say anything because he thought you didn’t like him back. You felt like maybe you were too over dramatic and that was why he broke up with you. It made you question every single thing that you did to really know the reason why he broke up with you. Sara was right. His excuse wasn’t genuine. The way he lied to you just so he could be with you? Just because you believed in fate? 

Now, you don’t even know if you even believed in that anymore. 

You spent your day trying to focus on your work and told yourself that you weren’t going to cry because why would you cry over some piece of a shit of a man? Why would you waste your tears on someone who couldn’t even commit to you even after six years? But you failed because by the time it was your first break, you had found yourself in the bathroom upstairs. You sat in the stall, your palms on your face, and you just sobbed quietly. Then, on your lunch break, you found yourself in the bathroom again, and you didn’t even eat your lunch because you spent the next half hour just sobbing in the bathroom. 

You were so tired of crying. You felt like there was nothing left inside of you anymore. 

By the end of the day, you had tried gathering yourself and decided to spend the afternoon in the mall to get your mind off of things. You needed a distraction, and it was a Friday. Carter would usually come and pick you up from the office, and you two would spend the night together at his place but this time, you were alone. There was no more Carter picking you up from your office, no Carter cooking dinner for you on a Friday night, and no more Carter who would hold you in his arms when you had a long day at work. Thinking about those memories pulled your heartstrings a little bit too hard, and it made your chest ache for him. Snapping out of your thoughts, you sighed as soon as the subway stopped and you exited and made your way to the mall.

The place was crowded, and it was all decorated ready for Halloween. You didn’t know exactly what you wanted to see or buy, but you just wanted to get your mind off of Carter. You bought yourself some coffee to give yourself a bit of energy and a piece of pretzel since you were hungry. After all, you didn’t eat your lunch today. You took a deep breath and walked down the mall when suddenly, everything happened so fast. You found your coffee spilled on your white button up and your pretzel that you were holding was now on the floor. 

Oh, just fucking great.

“Jesus.” Joe whispered as you stood there with your mouth open in shock, soaked with your drink. 

“This is just fucking great!” You exclaimed sarcastically. 

“I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” He asked, that English accent slipping through his voice. 

You glanced up and saw him. That British man that you saw last night outside of the restaurant. This was the second time you had yelled at him and this was the second time you two had bumped into each other. His chocolate button eyes staring into yours were full of guilt and worry, and you couldn’t help but study him from up and down. He definitely looked different from last night. His brown curls were all disheveled, and falling down perfectly on his forehead. He was just wearing a white shirt and jeans unlike last night with his button up and fancy trousers. 

You couldn’t blame him. 

His girlfriend—or ex— rejected his proposal. You couldn't help but think about how her decision was still ridiculous and stupid. But then again, you didn’t know the woman. Who were you to judge? You were just basing it off from your own experience and point of view. 

“Wait, I know you.” Joe said. 

You let out a sigh and said, “Yeah, I’m the one who yelled at you last night outside of the restaurant.”

Joe chuckled softly and nodded his head, all the pieces falling into place in his head.

“I’m sorry about that.” You said. “You just found me at my lowest point.”

Joe shrugged, “It’s alright, I understand. You weren’t the only one having a shitty night.”

“Right.” You pursed your lips. “I’m sorry about your proposal.”

“It’s alright. It’s life. We’re still trying to work things out though.”

You nodded your head and couldn’t help but think again how lucky that girl was because even if she rejected his proposal, he was still trying to make things work. Carter, on the other hand, just gave up on the both of you so easily. Threw away everything that you had like it was nothing. 

“Well, good luck.” You gave him a small smile before walking away. 

“Wait, are you sure you’re alright?” Joe asked. “I could get you a new shirt. You’re… soaked with your coffee and maybe a pretzel since I made you drop that one.” His eyes fell to the floor where your pretzel was now laying on. 

“It’s okay. I’ll manage. Thank you.” 

“Are you sure? I really don’t mind.”

“I’m sure. It’s nice to see you again.” You gave him a small wave as you walked away. 

Letting your feet drag you in the opposite direction of him, you let out a sigh and couldn’t help but look back at the man that you kept bumping into for the last 24 hours. He was walking away in the opposite direction and his back was turned to you. For a moment, you wished there was someone that could fight for you the way he does with his girlfriend. The way he didn’t give up even if she had rejected him. 

You just wished someone wouldn’t give up on you so easily. 

**********

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#Joseph Quinn #Joe Quinn #Joseph Quinn x Reader #Joe Quinn x Reader #Joseph Quinn x You #Joe Quinn x You #Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader #Joe Quinn x Fem!Reader #Joseph Quinn Fics #Joe Quinn Fics #Joseph Quinn Fanfics #Joe Quinn Fanfics #written in the stars #blairrwaldorfs #part one

[littlegiantposts]

Series of fortunate events

pairing: oikawa tooru x fem!reader

summary: the three times that oikawa tried get your attention, and the one time you noticed.

Question of the day: who’s ur fav haikyuu character? (Comment down below hehe)

a/n: self indulgent as frick and didnt check spelling soooo; reblogs r appreciated!!

Oikawa thought he was smooth with the ladies.

Hell, he even had a fan club that would occasionally bake him his precious milk bread.

He got girls wanting to be with him, and guys wanting to be him.

Oh, but alas, he had his eyes on one girl. Specifically, the girl in his econ class.

And, of course, she didn't give him the time of day.

It's not that you actively ignored Oikawa, you just were preoccupied with other things in your life.

And Oikawa loved that about you. You were so driven and a hard worker yet you made it look easy.

You did things so gracefully, that Oikawa started suspecting you're some kind of angel or something.

And don't get him started on how pretty you were. Iwaizumi has had enough of Oikawa gushing about how beautiful you looked during lunch.

"If you don't confess to her already, I'm so beating your ass, Shittykawa"

"That's not the greatest motivator, you know!"

It's easier said than done, Oikawa thinks.

First attempt.

He would get your coffee order, present it to you, you take notice of his thoughtfulness, and fall in love with him.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Oikawa noticed that you always had a hazelnut latte when you studied in the library on Mondays.

Don't ask why he knew your routine, he is just in-tune towards his crush that's all.

Definitely not occasionally following you around like a love-sick puppy. Of course not. That would be ridiculously ridiculous.

Oikawa was now walking to the library with two cups of joe in both of his hands.

He was nervous. He felt he might crush the paper cups with how hard he was gripping it.

His heart was beating so damn loud that he couldn't even hear his footsteps and tuned out all the people around him.

He was second-guessing, was this your coffee order? Did he just imagine it? What if you had a change of heart and hated lattes?

He eventually reached the library in the time of overthinking.

The doors to the library were closed, so he was peering in through the small windows to see where you were.

Knowing where you were would make his entrance seem more casual and cool when he eventually would walk up to you.

Boy was planning his whole speech, even a choreographed hair flip.

And, he was mentally preparing himself to look at your pretty face.

Gosh, you were so pretty.

While looking through, he didn't see you at any of the tables. He frowned.

Were you not there? Did you leave early today? If you did, his plans were foiled.

Oikawa felt a pang in his chest at the thought of failing. His shoulders visibly lowered at the depressing thought.

Then, it all happened all at once.

The library's door swung open, revealing you. If Oikawa took a step closer, he would have been hit by the sudden door opening. Simultaneously, a student had bumped into Oikawa's back, pushing him forward.

Your sudden appearance and the bump startled him, loosing his footing, but he was able to not fall on his face.

But, your favorite coffee beverage that was meant for you was now on your white blouse.

Y/n squeaked at the impact, knowing she couldn't really make more noise as she was partially still in the library.

The silence was loud, if that makes sense. Some people nearby were staring at the incident.

Oikawa fixated on the sound of the dripping of the caffeinated beverage.

Oh god, how can you mess up that badly. She probably thinks that you are the biggest dork to ever live.

Oikawa felt sick, like he was going to hurl.

The embarrassment made him look down, not being able to look you in your eyes.

Oikawa was caught up in his head and tuned out your concerned voice.

As much you were the one that coffee dripping from your shirt, you were asking if he was okay as his ears were turning red.

"S-sorry!" and with that, Oikawa sped walk away.

"Ooh, yeah, that's pretty bad" Matsukawa chimed in.

Oikawa blew out air in frustration.

"Have you tried talking to her since?"

"And say what? Hey, I know I spilled coffee on you, but I am practically in love with you so would you mind going on a date with me?" Oikawa indulges the idea.

"Well, at least you're being forward." Iwaizumi adds in.

Oikawa pouts and crossed his arms.

"What about you invite her to one of our practices? Hate to admit it, but girls tend to swoon over you when they watch you play." Iwaizumi offers with a shrug.

Oikawa gasp a the realization as if a light bulb appeared on top of his brown haired head.

"You're right! After watching my clever plays, it would be a piece of cake to sweep her off her feet. As if anyone can resist my charm." Oikawa puts his hands on his hips, chest swelling up with pride.

"Don't make me throw this volleyball at your face."

Attempt 2

Oikawa sat behind you in econ class. He decided to do the classic note passing to ask you to attend one of his practices.

"Hi! I'm sorry about the coffee incident! Would you mind me making up to you by inviting you to one of my volleyball practices?" was written on a piece torn from oikawa's notebook with a small winky face.

Aoba Johsai's volleyball typically didn't have observers/visitors. Other than other schools coming in for skirmages, but for the most part, no one else out of that social circle would be in a practice.

Y/n smiled down at the note as the feeling of warmth spread throughout her chest and face. She quickly jotted down her answer as an easy "yes! I would love to. Thx for the invite!"

The bell rang and Y/n got out of her seat, sending a smile and a wave to Oikawa, "Can't wait!" as she left the class.

To say Oikawa was happy was an understatement.

Overjoyed? Ecstatic? Thrilled? That, times 10.

As soon as you were out of the classroom, he pumped his fist in the air in victory, earning some weird glances from other students.

Oh boy, but he did not care.

He just scored some swooning time from you.

The day of practice arrived.

Oikawa kept making glances at the gym doors every couple minutes.

“She’ll be here, stop worrying or you’ll get gray hair”

Oikawa pouts.

Why weren’t you here yet? Given, it’s only been a couple minutes since school ended, but your last class wasn’t too far from the gym. So, naturally Oikawa worried.

But then, the steel door slides open and your head pops in and looks around, scanning.

Your eyes land on him and he can feel himself immediately standing straighter.

With recognition, you offer a small wave and a cheesy grin.

Oikawa feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest. Gosh, you were adorable.

Oikawa jogs over to your entrance, “Hey! I’m glad you are able to make it!” He admits with a hand behind his head.

“Yeah, definitely. I wouldn’t want to miss a practice of THE seijoh volleyball club, of course” you giggled at your exaggeration.

Oh my god. Your giggle. Oikawa notes to look up some cheesy jokes later, he wants to hear that giggle of yours more.

“Well, well, well look what we have here.”

A voice chimes, approaching the pair. Hanamaki makes his way over.

He pats, or well, slaps, Oikawa's back, making him lurch a bit forward at the impact.

Way to make me look cool, Makki. Oikawa thinks.

“Is this THE y/n that I’ve heard so much about?”

Y/n tilts her head in confusion.

Oh my god, Oikawa feels his heart squeeze. You are too cute.

However Oikawa finally registers what Makki said.

Y/n wasn’t really popular so she was confused, “Who was talking about me?-"

She gets cut off but a tomato Oikawa.

“You are at the top for most of your classes so it makes sense that he’s heard of you. I-I mean there’s not a lot of people who go here so it’s a small world really. ” Oikawa rambles and frantically waves his hand around to change the subject quickly.

As much as Y/n is smart, she is equally dumb in understanding affection.

“Right yeah, that makes sense, I guess.” She shrugs it off, “You guys should probably head over and do your stretches.” Y/n notices that the coach has entered the gym.

The two volleyball looks over and nods their heads in agreement and make their way over. However, there definitely was a slight shove from the brown haired boy to his teammate.

As practice continued, it consisted of a lot of Oikawa showing off and making quick glances at Y/n to make sure she was watching.

Surely enough, she was watching and, of course, she was impressed. At some point Oikawa pulled the cliché of dedicating one of his excellent serves to Y/n, but the cheesiness wasn't enough to not make Y/n blush.

Then, the coach called to do some scrimmages between the team as they could form two whole teams.

Oikawa looked over at Y/n, her eyes cast down at her lap as she was on her phone, texting someone probably.

Cue WorryOikawa. Is she bored? Did I bore her? Does she want to leave? No, that would mess up my plan on walking her home and asking her out. Oikawa pouted that would probably cause him wrinkles in the future.

However, a clever idea popped up in his love-struck head. Oikawa jogged his way over his crush.

Y/n looked up expectantly and put down her phone and smiled. Oikawa could melt into a puddle, for real. His mind goes blank for a hot second.

"What's up?"

Oikawa almost got distracted and forgot about his mission, "Uh, we are going to start a match and I was wondering if you would want to be a line judge?"

"Oh, yeah sure! Sounds like fun."

Oikawa smiled and guided to Y/n where typical line judges stand, explaining her role in the most clear way possible.

Y/n had a simple understanding of volleyball, so she felt like watching where the ball goes won't be too hard. What can go wrong?

Oh, if she only knew.

The match began and both teams were giving it their all. Each time didn't pull forward a lot as the points were always near each other. With every spike, there was a block, then a counter, and repeated.

Then, during a long rally that felt like it was never going to end, Y/n was on the opposite side of where Oikawa's team played, watching the sidelines.

Oikawa sticks to his tried and true by sending a quick toss to Iwaizumi. It was a bit low, but he could make it work.

The opposing team, who was trying to narrow the course of his spikes for the majority of the match finally decided to commit to a three person block, providing immense pressure on the ace.

Y/n looked in awe at how it seemed like Iwaizumi stopped in mid-air.

It happened quite quickly, to be honest. One second, Y/n was staring at the line, but now she was staring at the ceiling of the gymnasium with a stinging feeling on her forehead and the bridge of her nose.

Feeling the pressure of the three person block, Iwaizumi was hoping a nice, sharp line shot, but his aiming was a bit flawed as it hit Y/n straight in her pretty face.

The impact sounded hard.

Y/n felt tears begin as her nose and forehead stung.

Oikawa watched in horror as his blood ran cold. As much as he wasn't the one spiking, it was a ball that he tossed and so he still felt extremely guilty.

He snapped back in reality, when he heard you say an audible "Ow" as you put your hand over where the ball made impact and sat up from the ground.

He ran towards you and noticed your tears.

He felt awful. Making your crush cry isn't something that anyone aims for.

"Are you okay, Y/n? Here, let me take you to the nurse's office."

However, coach was quick to shut down that idea as Oikawa was the setter and one of the important cogs in this well oiled machine.

Instead, coach offered to have one of the second years who were sitting on the sidelines to take Y/n to the nurse.

"But-" Oikawa starts to protest, but finds that refuting will only lead to unnecessary punishment.

The coach ends up calling one of the second years that were on the side lines to bring Y/n to the nurse. Oikawa pouts at the constriction in his chest that makes it hard to breathe.

He was pulled out of his pity party by a slap on his back, which shocked him, but he already knew who it was.

"It's going to be fine. Third times the charm", Iwaizumi reassures his childhood friend.

It's touching, really.

Oikawa has sought girl after girl in the past.

Iwaizumi knows this. He has to deal with the yapping of Oikawa every time he thinks he has found the "love of his life".

Weirdly enough, Oikawa's track record of significant others isn't the greatest. As much as he has many fangirls swarming around him, he tends to fixates on volleyball and disregards time with his partner, resulting in the end of the romantic relationship.

So, you can imagine the confusion on Iwaizumi's face as he watched Oikawa ponder what coffee order he should get to appear "cool" to you.

The amount of effort and time Oikawa is putting in his little profession of love is telling in of itself.

Not to mention, Oikawa doesn't know this, but Iwaizumi shares a class with Y/n and thinks they are really sweet and hardworking. So, he may not look it, but he is rooting for Oikawa and Y/n to get together.

Third attempt.

Flowers and chocolates. What could possibly go wrong? Stripping away all of the fluffy fluff and getting down to the basics.

At least, that's what Oikawa is telling himself.

He awaits for the period before lunch to end, that way, when he professes his love, he is able to either run away to his usual spot or spend a nice, relaxing lunch with his crush.

To ensure productivity, Oikawa practiced running to his locker, grabbing the flowers and chocolates, and calculating the fastest route to your class, so he wouldn't miss you by too much.

Oh, Oikawa. You didn't think about the lunch rush? And, of course, his fan club.

He is breaking a bit of sweat, clutching the flowers like his life depended on it and if he held onto the box of chocolates any tighter, the chocolates would be either crushed or melted.

Nonetheless, he makes it your class and takes a breathe, taking a peek inside. There you were in all your oblivious glory, packing your school bag. Oikawa sighed, you had a half of your hair up with a white bow holding it. Gosh, you were cute.

Oikawa blinked back into reality. He didn't realize the amount of students around him as they were going to their lockers or making their way to the lunchroom.

Oikawa takes a breathe and hyped himself up to talk to you, but he gets interrupted when a small girl with a bento box approaches him. He recognizes her as one of the girls who tends to cheer Seijoh's away matches.

He flashes a smile and says thank you. His eyes keep darting to the girl and Y/n's classroom door, making sure he doesn't miss his chance. He tries to keep the conversation short and simple because he is on the verge of professing his love to his crush.

Much to his dismay, other girls who have also openly claimed to be a part of Oikawa's fan club, makes their way over to him, as they thought this was a perfect opportunity for them to show their support by giving small baked gifts and other such things.

Oh, Oikawa was practically dying inside.

But, the moment he saw your white bow walk outside the classroom, his eyes widened. This is it. He drowned out the others and let out a "Y/n!" in an attempt to get your attention.

Oh, curse the lunch rush because Y/n does not end up turning around to see him, but looks around to see who called her.

Oikawa quickly tries to raise one hand, but the fangirls have formed a circle around him and the array of people walking up and down the halls are not in his favor.

Y/n, however, makes eye contact with Oikawa eventually, and Oikawa feels as if the air has been knocked out of him.

This is it. Y/n smiles at the familiarity, but then she casts her attention to the girls swarming him, and then back to Oikawa.

There's something behind her eyes, but Oikawa can't put his finger on it. But, god, did he just want to make his way towards you.

Y/n sends a tight-lipped smile his way and sends a small wave. She turns away and continues walking down the hall.

Oikawa feels his heart drop to his stomach.

That's it? You were probably already in line for lunch, chatting to one of your friends.

And there was Oikawa, in the hallway, clutching a box of chocolates and flowers that he bought along the way to school, so they were as fresh as possible for Y/n.

The crowd dissipates and Oikawa feels defeated. Maybe the universe just didn't want the two of you together.

Oikawa frowns at the thought. That's just rude, Oikawa curses any superior being above.

So, here is Oikawa, sitting with his almost deflated flowers and more deflated ego with a box of chocolates at a bench, waiting for Iwaizumi to be done in the locker room so they can walk home together.

Oikawa has planned a long rant for his beloved friend.

"You're thinking so hard, I think you might hurt yourself." A voice pipes in that makes Oikawa jump from his angry mental speech.

However, what shocks him more, is the familiarity of the voice.

He daydreams about it too much to not know who it is.

He whips his head to see Y/n there. She turned her head to the side in curiosity to what got the brown haired boy so worked up.

"What's got you thinking so hard?" Y/n plops down next to him.

Oikawa saw this ironic opportunity and ran with it.

He took a deep breathe, "So, there was this girl..." and told his whole ordeal with all his attempts.

You listened to all of it with care and attention.

"Well, if you just tell her all the trouble you went through, I'm sure she would understand and give you a chance" Y/n reasons.

How ironic.

"You know, you're right. Will you go out with me?" What has he got to lose?

Now, Y/n has officially short circuited.

"Wait, what?!"

"Will you do me the honor of taking you out?"

"Me?! I'm the girl?"

"Yeah, you were." Oikawa shys away a bit.

"So, those flowers and chocolates are", a short pause, "mine?"

"Yeah, they are" he answers.

Y/n looks at him with a look of sincerity and a smidge of disbelief at how sweet the boy in front of her.

She looks at his eyes, then down at his lips and thinks, why not?

Y/n kisses the boy she has been crushing on since forever.

"So, is that a yes?" Oikawa presumes.

"Hmm, I'll think about it." She answers with a cheeky smile.

#oikawa toru x reader #haikyuuxreader #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu x reader #oikawa tōru #oikawa x reader #oikawa toru x y/n #oikawa fluff #oikawa tooru #oikawa

[lyrenminth]

LSU Joe

You are friends with Joe and fall in love with him. Now it’s time to confess your feelings.

***

You and Joe meet through friends in common. In the beginning, you thought he was insufferable, student-athletes were a weird thing, usually with big egos. You have to spend fifty minutes in the same room as Joe to realize he was similar. Quite popular, and confident with himself, ignoring all the girls' attempts to catch his attention. Your friend, Justin, made the presentation. You only said hi and raised your eyebrows toward him. You felt envy when you realized how clear was his skin, how tall and good-looking he was. That's why everyone was surrounding him like moths searching for light. You didn't talk so much. Firstly, because his presence was intimidating. Secondly, you didn't know what to say, so you stayed with your friends. After the party, you met a couple of times in different scenarios and started talking more and more, you discovered he was really goofy, owned a collection of funky shirts, and was invested in conspiracies and all things related to the space. You introduced him to Taylor Swift and Asian media of which you were a big fan. You were glad he was curious about your interests and tried to watch some movies together, but he always fell asleep. You were glad he trust you enough to let you know about his personal life. Joe had a very busy and public life at LSU, when people, especially girls hear about you they would approach you and act friendly to be closer to him. Trying to get info about what he wanted, what type of girls he liked, and more. You didn't mind at the beginning but eventually started to bother you more and more. There were two reasons behind this, you couldn't tolerate fake behavior and you were in love with Joe. The second caught you by surprise. You were his friend, you spend time together as friends. And Joe didn't like you, not romantically. You didn't want to fall for him, his lifestyle was complicated and that made you conscious about yourself. So you did your best to act normal, trying to limit your encounters until your feelings dissipated. Joe, with his smart-ass, noticed the change quickly. "What's up?" he intercepted you after a class, still wearing his training clothes. You took off your earphones, raising your eyebrows. His blue eyes were scanning your face. When he wanted, Joe had the fieriest and most intense eye contact. "Nothing," you said, feeling your pulse rush when he got closer and started walking next to you "Did you finish your practice?" "Yeah, as good as usual," he said "Are you mad at me?" The abrupt question caught you off guard. "No, no, what makes you think that?" "You don't talk to me like you used to, you kinda ignore me" he shrugged like a little kid. "I don't" he gave you a glare that made you change your words "I have been busy, you know" "I know, but we spend time together anyways" You bite your lip, not knowing what to say. You felt the urge to confess your feelings right there, but you weren't ready for the rejection. "Sorry, Joey, I didn't know you pay attention to that" you mumble, shrugging. Trying your best to keep it cool. He frowned, looking down at you. "Seriously, what's wrong?" he stopped walking, and so do you "It has been almost a month, and you are not going to the games either. Did Justin say something?" "No, what he could...?" "I like to spend time with you, I enjoy your company, you are the only one who treats me like a human among these people, and suddenly you stop talking to me and acting all weird" "I say sorry, Joe!" He squinted, not believing what you were saying. He knew you so well. You lost it because it didn't matter, after that rejection you could move on, but at least your feelings were released and free from your chest. At least you could sleep better knowing the damn truth. You were going crazy trying to find excuses every time. The better option was to confess "What you wanted me to say? That I am in love with you and that's why I cannot stand to be around you without dreaming to kiss you or...whatever" you covered your face with your hands, feeling vulnerable and extremely stupid. Falling in love with Joe Burrow was stupid. You knew better. His silence made things worse. You needed to keep your cool before everyone started paying attention. You felt his hands touch yours, keeping them away from your face. You stared at the ground, ashamed of your reaction. "Is that true?" he said, sounding happy. You nodded, confused. You looked up when you hear him chuckle. "What a fucking relief, well, we are on the same team baby" he confessed, letting out a sigh of relief. "What?" you muttered. "I am better pretending though," he said, reaching for your hand. He gave you a full smile. "Do you like me too?" you asked like an idiot. "Yeah" "What? Since when? why?" your mind couldn't stop asking questions your mouth was happy to share. You looked at your hands holding each other. "Can we kiss now?" he joked. You gave him a friendly push. "Are you serious?" He squeezed your hand. "Do you want me to prove how serious I am?" the playful tone in his voice made your heart run faster. "In private, please"

#joe burrow x reader #joe burrow #joe burrow x oc #nfl

[authorcofficial]

Scarlett's first encounter and how his relationship with the LI goes: Kuras,Vere, and Ais 🌹

Kuras

The two of them met when Scarlett had just escaped from the Senobium with serious injuries. Kuras initially didn't really like Scarlett since he was related to the Senobium, but he couldn't just leave Scarlett alone, especially in conditions like this.

In the end, he took Scarlett to the clinic. When Scarlett began to regain consciousness, it was there that he saw Kuras clearly for the first time.

"Wow, you're tall…"

"…"

Long story short, after several days, Scarlett finally told Kuras about his situation and that's when Kuras started to tolerate Scarlett. And of course, Scarlett immediately sticks to Kuras because he 'saved' him. So, he continues to give him homemade food, even though Kuras doesn't really need it… but of course Kuras accepted, because he didn't want the little elf to feel disappointed.

After a while, the two of them became close. Every time Scarlett does something reckless and gets hurt (even the slightest), Kuras will immediately lecture him.

But will Scarlett listen to him? Oh, of course not.

Therefore, sometimes Kuras had to lock Scarlett in his room until the wound he had healed. How Kuras did that? I don't know, but whatever the method he used, Scarlett immediately obeyed…

The two of them also often cook together. Well, more precisely Scarlett, Kuras just watched, because…

"No, Kuras! Don't add the flour directly like that, measure it first!"

"Kuras, don't pour in that much salt, it will be super salty!"

"Kuras, that's not how you crack an egg!"

"Kuras-"

…Yeah, it didn't end well, so, Scarlett has to finish the dish himself.

What Kuras likes in Scarlett was the way he's so passionate with all the things he likes to do, he finds it adorable.

Scarlett sometimes didn't understand the complex words Kuras said, since English is not his first language. But the thing he likes about Kuras is how patient he is with his behavior and how well he takes care of his patients, and also his generosity to lend him a place to stay.

Vere

Vere saw Scarlett for the first time where he was detained and taken by the Senobium students. However, his expression was just- 😐 while looking everything around him.

When Scarlett first saw Vere, "Oh! A foxman!" Instantly Scarlett screamed as if he had never seen a man with animal ears. This made Vere quite annoyed and think Scarlett was nothing but an embarrassment, so he immediately walked away.

The first time Vere interacted with Scarlett directly was when he gave Scarlett clothes to wear.

Wait, I forgot to tell you. Scarlett woke up at the Fogfalls without any clothes, and he just used a random coat he found, which was dirty and had a few holes on it. Vere does make a comment about it after he stares at his body.

"Hmm… not bad, but are you seriously walking around wearing THAT?"

"Well, what am I supposed to wear then??? This is all I can find at the moment.."

"Aw, poor thing. Here, wore this. At least it's much better than… whatever of this shit that you wear right now"

The first day of Scarlett hunting, Vere was the one who guided him. He wasn't interested at first, since he just didn't want to be bothered by this, but he got no choice.

First impression, Scarlett was noisy. He kept bombarding him with questions. When Vere snaps at Scarlett, he immediately shuts up. But then he continues "so, how was your day?" That's it, Vere left him.

But after a while, he finds Scarlett already dirty and sees the soulless behind him already destroyed by thorns of roses. This got him intrigued. Scarlett won't tell him how, but now he is interesting in his eyes.

He'll be really useful…

That's what Vere thinks. So, he became 'friends' with Scarlett.

Seeing how actually funny when Scarlett did the opposite of what the Senobium students told him just to annoy them. Especially when he ran the whole way just to ask them: "do you know who's Joe?" You know what comes next…

Again, Scarlett is a very clingy person to everyone who becomes his friends. Vere is no exception. Vere finds out that Scarlett can cook and enjoy art. So, sometimes Scarlett comes to him with drawing supplies (don't ask where he got all of them). And they've got to draw each other.

What Vere likes about Scarlett is how he always acts like an innocent person in front of people who are not close to him, and also his busty bod-

Sometimes, Vere likes to tease Scarlett. Wait no- not sometimes, 'often' tease Scarlett. Every time Scarlett is unaware of Vere's presence because he is too focused on what he is doing, Vere always hits his butt. And the voice that Scarlett makes is very… unique.

What Scarlett likes about Vere is the sass he has. Vere also sometimes likes to comment on clothes that are very unsightly on him, but Scarlett knew that Vere was only showing how care he was for him. because he probably didn't want Scarlett to wear clothes that didn't suit him and embarrass himself in front of other people. Oh, let's not forget about his ears and tails. If Vere is in a good mood, maybe he could let Scarlett touch his tail for a moment.

There was a day when Scarlett broke his own chain and escaped from the Senobium, he was forced to separate from Vere temporarily… but don't worry, they meet again at some point.

And when Vere finds Scarlett again, he won't let him go and won't let him get out of his sight.

Ais

Scarlett met Ais when he accidentally entered the Seaspring while wandering somewhere. When Scarlett entered the Seaspring, his eyes lit up at the surrounding view.

"Woah… Red water? Cool!"

That's what Scarlett said, and he decided to look around that time. He was fascinated with the place he was in, to the point of not even realizing the presence of a large demon behind him.

"Hm, weren't you taught not to enter someone's home without permission, little Phoenix?"

Scarlett was impressed by the tentacles behind Ais, and let's not forget Princess and the other soulless. He's definitely coming back now and then and Ais doesn't seem to care that much. But he was a little interested in the little elf who didn't seem so afraid and cared about the dangers around him.

And Scarlett not kidding when he says he'll be back, so he always comes to the Seaspring at least once a week with the food and drinks he makes there.

He also didn't forget to bring food for Princess and the other soulless to share. Maybe he will also bring his pet and some of the toys he made there to play with Princess.

Ais was a bit surprised when he saw Scarlett returning with food. Of course Ais accepted it, who would refuse delicious food, free too? Especially in a place like this…

This continued until they became close. Sometimes, Ais comes to where Scarlett lives to visit him and even stays overnight. One of the things they do is cuddling with each other with Scarlett telling them about what is happening in his world and also the adventures he is experiencing. Oh, and Scarlett also teaches a few languages from his world to Ais.

There was this one time where Ais first saw a side of Scarlett that was so… brutal, and it made Scarlett even better in his eyes. So the two of them occasionally practice brawling together.

What Ais likes about Scarlett is his courage, who doesn't hesitate to make dangerous decisions. Because he knew from Kuras that Scarlett kept getting new wounds every day, he felt protective of him. He knew that Scarlett was strong, but somehow he had to protect him. He does not hesitate to hurt anyone who breaks the little Phoenix's heart.

Scarlett likes Ais because somehow he feels comfortable and safe with him. Even though he knew how dangerous Ais could be, he didn't care, because in his eyes, Ais was just lonely and he was happy to help him not feel lonely anymore.

Leander, Mhin, Mc

Maybe, if i'm in the mood, I'll make the full version of these...

-Author C

#touchstarved game #touchstarved fanart #touchstarved oc #touchstarved vn #touchstarved visual novel #touchstarved #touchstarved vere #touchstarved ais #touchstarved kuras #vere #ais #kuras #touchstarved x oc #my au

[nokingsonlyfooles]

“It’s my hope, Mr. President, that you listen to us, that you choose democracy over tyranny.” - Abdullah Hammoud, Dearborn Mayor and Voter

YES! I can't fuckin' believe the media accurately reported this as a protest and printed/publicized the words of the voters explaining why they did it. AND NOBODY HAD TO ATTEMPT SUICIDE! This is big and it could get even bigger! But it's a qualified bigness, because...

Walz, a major supporter of Biden’s reelection campaign, said Michigan’s “uncommitted” results were a healthy demonstration of democracy. “I think they feel passionate, as they should, about an issue we all care about,” Walz said, adding that he expected most protest voters would eventually return to Biden’s side in a likely November rematch with former President Donald Trump, who himself has struggled with college-educated voters and suburbanites in his ongoing Republican primary against former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. “I’m much more convinced there’s a chance bringing those folks home is much greater than bringing the ‘Never Trump’ folks back home,” Walz said.

Yeah. I know this song and dance. I've seen it happen in person, at protests, in reatime. They come out to "do voter outreach" and they're all smiles to start. "Yes! Please do continue to act upon your freedom of speech in a way I, an advocate for the status quo, find nonthreatening. Your feelings are valid, ha-ha! I expect nothing to change, and indeed I will act to change nothing, but good for you!" A few folks always believe the message has been received and quiet down, that's why they do it. But wait and see what happens to that smile when a few people start interrupting and yelling, "THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

At least this guy's willing to suggest Biden would pick up more votes by moving left than moving right, although I doubt he actually expects anything radical. A few more forgiven student loans or somewhat cheaper drugs aren't much of a problem, and that's leftist too! So we don't really have to worry about the ongoing genocide.

The thing is, if/when this picks up momentum and the DNC starts to think they might have to change something or lose, it will become something other than a positive demonstration of free speech. It'll be childish tantrum-throwing, pointless, uncivil, attention-whoring, astroturfed, counterproductive foreign interference, and whatever else sounds bad. If any of you out there in internet-land already feel threatened by it, you're probably saying that right now. (Go ahead and comment, you'll boost this with other people who think like you, and I might change some minds.)

And, if you are comfortable with it and want voters to do it instead of threatening to withhold votes from Biden in the general, check your privilege. Not every state offers this. Unless something changes real fast (at least, I THINK it hasn't changed, it's hard to do a search when "uncommitted" brings up SO MANY news articles about Michigan 😁), mine won't. I can't do this. I can't vote in a third party primary either. It'd be all blue or nothing. And neither of those things will get me any press, so I gotta keep talking. Maybe I'll motivate someone who can vote uncommitted! Or scare a politician! I still think I'm doing more good by staying alive, and I'm a bit distant from any property I might meaningfully damage (although I am open to suggestions that won't get me arrested and silenced), so this is the only thing I got that won't injure a human being.

Tumblr, no matter how you actually intend to vote, if you're not up for living in a two-party system where both parties think they can do a little genocide and stay in power, you have ways of making yourself heard. There are options beyond falling in line behind the lesser evil. Don't let anyone tell you there aren't. And when you start hearing "stop!" or "you can't!" that means you have something they want. A cessation of hostilities! Well, now you might be in a position to negotiate terms! Don't give up!

Please, please, please don't give up. There is so much to be done.

#us news #us elections #michigan primary #protest votes #protest #democracy #democrats #democratic party #palestine #genocide #resist #nonviolent resistance #uncommitted

[missbunmuffin]

More punch out head canons

Tw: talk about weight issues

Less serious tw: ocs and cringe

What me putting my shitty ocs in these posts is like. I made posts about both of them probably gonna say this kind of stuff every time I post these kind of things but I don’t want people to be too confused.

Glass Joe

- Grew up in a catholic home but now as an adult doesn’t practice the religion really. He will eat meat on a Friday during lent. He doesn’t know what the fuck he is now he just considered himself spiritual or just a really bad catholic(not self projecting lmao)

- His family wasn’t really religious they only went to church sometimes but his mom wanted to do the no eating meat on Fridays during lent thing for some reason

- His sister just drops her kids off at his house randomly most of the time on Wednesdays because apparently French children only have like half a day of school those days(could be wrong) he loves his nieces but he hates when his sister just drops them off without warning because he has a life too.

- He loves silk textures. I feel like his boxing shorts are just really silky too

- Deadass walking around the locker room in a robe with a towel over his head after he’s done in the shower I drew an example back in like December

Yes that’s the same robe he’s wearing in the pity party drawings I made

- Protective over his hair but he doesn’t mind if people touch it as long as they ask and are gentle

- His hair is also pretty soft and he takes good care of it to prevent further damage from when he bleached it himself and a chunk fell out.

- Into Rococo art. I took a humanities class at the beginning of the year and looked into the rococo art movement a bit and apparently it’s French so I always thought he would like that kind of stuff.

- uses a lavender sleep spray

- tries not to get too angry in public. Sometimes he just needs to leave the room to just pout and let it all out sometimes even crying out of anger

- has quite the collection of sweaters and cardigans.

- Loves baking cookies for his girlfriend Eleanor. Shes a baker herself but she loves his cookies more than her own

Von Kaiser

- Cuts his own hair this fucking video is literally him

- secretly a cross dresser I mean this one might be kind of canon because of the weird chibi drawing of him in a Japanese manual for the nes game. Some of the other ones were so racist though ;-;

- Wasn’t really interested in working with children it just sort of happened

- Either way he cares about his students genuinely even if it doesn’t seem like it

Disco kid

- got banned on Roblox for a day for saying suck toe(totally not based on my cousin who is like the same age as him also getting banned for that) yes I’m sharing this drawing again

- Singing as loud as possible in the locker room showers

- If he has kids they aren’t going anywhere near the mall Easter bunnies and Santa’s he doesn’t trust them and neither should you

- He never hits the villagers with nets in animal crossing

- Has two sisters one older one younger

Aran Ryan

- Afraid of needles

- Has weight issues. He’s too focused on numbers on the scale. He knows nothing is wrong but I think some things the people around him said growing up affected him.

- I mentioned his sister Freya also has body issues in my post about her and Aran tries to support her because he doesn’t want her thinking that way about her body like he does. I imagine a lot of the women on his father’s side are naturally more curvy and he doesn’t want his sister to be ashamed of her natural body type.

- Still visits his grandmas house on his dad’s side even as an adult. He’s one of the only things she has of his dad that she has left.

- Plays Roblox with Disco kid and forces Narcis to play with them. He also bullies kids on there

- His mom was struggling fanatically a bit when his sister was about to go into secondary school. He just got into boxing at that point and was getting paid well so he paid for her school uniforms so she didn’t have to be stuck in his old ones that were too big and had rips in the pants that would probably fall down on her. He insisted he’d at least buy her some skirts because she’s not walking around school like that. He also felt bad because she literally cried at the thought of wearing a “boys uniform”

Narcis Prince

- Was like one of those rich British kids in tv shows and movies.

- He snoops in people’s shit all the time. Looking through drawers and reading peoples diaries.

- Would say British schools are crazier than American schools and than flip out at the stories in American schools and regret what he said instantly

- Tries to look after Freya to get on Aran’s good side. They have a complicated relationship. Deadass tries to put her to bed at 8:00 saying some shit like “young ladies your age need to be in bed by 8:00”

Okay this is getting long I’ll stop now

#punch out #punch out headcanons #punch out oc #glass joe #von kaiser #disco kid #aran ryan #narcis prince

[emilio-the-dumb-wrestler]

Stereotypical : A curse is born

Traffic sped by old book store that seemed to be have been forgotten by time. People continued to walk past the old oak doors that seemed to have rusted hinges keeping it from opening. Melborne’s Oddities of Literature read the old wooden sign that hang from the building on the rusted chain. And a faint glow of a lamp could be seen from the inside. And this is where where our story begins. With the old man sitting behind his desk. Surrounded by his oddities. Seeming to be be hundreds of years old as his long bony fingers continued to Scribble with a quill pen that was as old as himself. Every now and then his dark glowing red eyes looking toward the door. Tired of his boredom. Tired of people always forgetting that he was there. And that was going to change. The old stood up from his desk and walked to the door. Pushing forward the heavy creaky doors and letting in the sun and air from the outside world for the first time in eons. The world was about to change. But would it be for the better ?

Across town Jake was making fun of the kid with dirty clothes he seen walking home from the bio class he shared with. At 19 and being at the local university on scholarship for wrestling he was a jock that just didn’t know when to stop. And like his habits from high school he carried them into his adult life. Now walking behind Carson. Laing fun of the poorer student Making fun of his worn out clothes and his dirty shoes. He knew the kid didn’t come from a good life with a family that was known for working in the local construction companies. “I bet when you get home all you dumb asses just sit around and fart and drink beer! Not even bothering to bathe or anything !” He was joe throwing rocks at Carson. The man started to run away from Jake which only fueled his anger and rage. How dare this low life run away from his torment. Who did he think he was ! But what he did thanks was that he was being watched by the old man. And soon his red eyed gaze was locked on a target. The old man had the feeling of pleasure that he hadn’t felt in so long. And he long a curse was cast.

Jake quit following Carson when he got to park. “Good riddance for you shit head !” He yelled after the man. He could see Carson was wiping tears from his eyes. The old man just watched Jake walk back in the direction he came from. His mouth watering from anticipation to see how this man was going to end up. What he would become.

That night Jake was working out at the gym all alone. Listening to his music and head banging while he listed weights and worked up a sweat. Posing in the mirror between reps howling like an animal at what a beast he was becoming. He was like a walking hormone.

When jake was done working out he walking back to his dorm room. He was lucky that he came to the school on a scholarship. He didn’t have to share a room with anyone which was major perk for the rising wrestler since he could do whatever he wanted with no one to bother him. He stopped at the showers on the way there and showered. Making sure to spend time pleasuring his meaty cock that he liked to throw at chicks. Walking back to his room he was so co aimed with his post workout high that he didn’t even notice the slight smell that was still coming from his body even after he showed. Almost as if he didn’t show at all. Back in his dorm room he put on some sweats and crashed on his bed watching a movie. He caught whiff of his pits and made a mental note to take a shower first thing in the morning since it was obvious he missed them. He was too busy wanting to beat his cock that he just have forgot them as he was already whipping it out again as we watched some porn on his bed and was playing with himself. After his final toe curling orgasm of the night Jake was spent abs fell asleep before he even had a chance to clean himself from his nightly sin.

That night would be the night that Jake’s life changed forever though. It started with the room that Jake was in as it became dirtier. Grungier shifting into a small efficiency apartment. A toilet forming in the corner beside the door with a small shower off to the side. Lights turning to green lights in the small apartment. Jake was no longer in the university. But rather a ran down apartment complex on the other side of town. The side of town that he has never been in before. A pile of dirty work clothes formed in the corner. Dirty jeans with wife beater shirts piled up. While his wrestler shoes turned into some steel toed work boots and his sneakers turned turned and worn. Holes appearing them from years of use. Jake seem rather unchanged though. I’ll about three in the morning that was. Jake shot straight up out of his bed which had been transformed into a cot sitting on the floor. He was morning in agony. Shock took over as he didn’t recognize where he was. But that didn’t last long as he fell over in pain on the floor screaming for help that would never come. It felt like his inside were being twisted and it felt like he has been kicked in the nuts. He was burning up and dropping sweaty from the pain abs his chest was hurting as his heart rate sped. And then darkness again as he passed out.

When Jake woke up if was because his phone was ringing. He tried to reach it but could as he was finding it difficult to drag himself up from the floor. The apartment was dark. Expect for the green haze that came from the light in the corner where he could see a dirty bathroom area with no walls in his tiny apartment. He stumbled to the sink. Screaming at the reflection in the mirror. He looked down and grabbed the gut that now rested on his waist. “No no no!!” He screamed but in a much deeper voice. He could t see anything past the hard curve of his gut. Not even his toes that he could feel himself wiggling on the floor. He looked back at the mirror. He looked like a construction worker. And worse. He smelled like one too. His head was buzzed abs he had a thick mustache. “What’s going on !” He demanded from no one listening. His phone rang again and he picked it up. A meaaage from someone labeled boss “get your fat lard ass here or your fired !” As if on auto pilot Jake began to get dressed in his dirty clothes from the corner pile. He tried to fight it. He tried to resist but nothing worked. Smelly clothes were put on then dirty crusty socks were placed on his feet with great effort from his new gut. He stunk to high heaven. And when walking down the street his body was on auto pilot to the closest construction yard. He lit up a cigarette hating the smell and taste. He tried to put it out but that just made his body smoke it faster and light another one up. When he got to the yard his “boss” demanded to know why he was late. “I dunno boss. I ain’t know what happened “. He sounded like an uneducated school drop out. “Well i expected as much from someone who barely made it to high school. This is what I get for giving those drop outs a chance !” His boss stormed off leaving Jake shocked. His boss said he was a drop out. But he was a wrestler in school. He was going to uni!! He tried to leave but he lit up another cigarette. Choking internally on this bad habit as he set to work.

CArson walked past the site job site seeing his family there. Carson didn’t recognize the new guy though figured it was the dumbass that his father has to hire from a worker program. According to his dad the man was as dumb as a rock. The old man just laughed from across the road seeing Jake’s punishment in full force. Being his own stereotyped version of a manual laborer. Poor hygiene. Filthy habits that he hated. No education at all. And stuck in a body that was doomed to fail with the lack of exercise and control he had in his old life. Going at this rate Jake had about 15 years left now before his body would fail him from his stereotyped behavior.

A weak layer jake heard them lunch bell ring on the site. Walking over to cement chair he grabbed the pizza and 4 beers he. Douche for his lunch every day. Lighting up his cigarette eating and drinking. He didn’t bathe. He didn’t wear deodorant. Jake screamed internally as his was no longer in control. Being stuck in a stereotype that he has dreamt up.

July 25th, 2021 9:13pm stereotypical male transformation

[interlunium-opus]

▶︎ DISMANTLING ALMOSTS. [Sunghoon.]

Part 1: "Beyond 7 Minutes in Heaven"

Abstract: Two weeks have passed since your bestfriend, Park Sunghoon, kissed you unexpectedly during a round of 7 Minutes in Heaven. Since then, you have done nothing but avoided Sunghoon like a plague. Like gravity however, you two were forced into one another’s orbit again thanks to a Winter Outing which the university held. With nowhere else to run to, you guys were forced to confront the elephant in the room.

Genre: friends-to-lovers (or will it, hmm 😋) | Word count: ~10.9k

Taglist: @woniebae | @angel-hyuckie | @sfthyuka | @sweetjaemss ((heheh I've tagged all those that mentioned that they wanted to be tagged in Part 1 -- sorry if I've missed out anyone :( ))

“Something must have happened between you and Sunghoon that night, I am sure of it. Am I right or am I right?” Jay, who was seated next to you, pried for the umpteenth time. You glared at him, “Jay, not now. The President of the Student Union is speaking.”

“As if you’ve ever paid attention to him,” Jay scoffed, “you know the more you deflect away from these questions, the more curious and persistent I will get. Perseverance is my middle name after all.”

“Oh, I’ve always thought meddlesome was your middle name,” you replied flatly, “Also I’ve never deflected. I’ve told you only about a billion times that nothing happened.”

“Bull.shit.” he whispered to you with extra emphasis, “Even the average Joe can see that something is amiss with the campus’ inseparable duo. You guys looked as if you guys have been avoiding one another like a plague since that night that one would have to be blind to not notice it.”

“We’re on winter break, of course we’re not together 24/7,” you grumbled, face impassive. 

It has in fact been two weeks since that night and well, Jay was not entirely wrong for you have indeed not talk nor met with Sunghoon since then. While Winter Break could have been a factor, both you and Jay know very well that that was not the case. After all, your Winter Break thus far has been mostly spent on campus grounds, for revisions in the library and student union duties. Same goes for Sunghoon who had to spend most of his Winter Break on campus for his Ice Skating training. In other words, you had plenty of opportunities to see or talk to your best friend — except you never did because at every instances you spot any sign of Sunghoon, you just run for cover like some sort of criminal.  It was childish, you know. You thought you’ve got it under control, that you can act rationally and nonchalant if you see him and yet at the slightest sight or sign of him, everything just feels like it was crumbling and you found yourself running for the nearest cover: the bathroom; an empty class; cafeteria; Janitor’s closet; behind your friends; behind strangers; and the list goes on. It was as if seeing him after that kiss, if you can even call it a kiss, something changed. Not that you had even given yourself any time of the day to ruminate on what exactly had changed — you were too fearful to explore the depths of your feelings. 

Paradoxically, despite often being praised for being a natural problem-solver, this simple thing is one problem you have no idea how to tackle: after all, how were you supposed to act after that? do you address it? ask if he was out of his mind? or would bringing it up means you’re overreacting to it when it was actually no big deal? so should you just feign nonchalance? act as if it was nothing or it was normal? or should you just pretend that it never happened? — ugh, whatever, you found yourself concluding every time the whole conundrum arose in your head. In the end, you thought wholeheartedly, it was just easier to not think about it and the best way to prevent it from being brought to the forefront of your mind is to avoid the root of all problems at all cost: Park Sunghoon himself. Thus, this leaves you with the easiest option, to run away. You know you can’t keep on running away forever but at least you thought once Winter Break ends, you should be back to your old rational and collected self and therefore will be able to face the issue head-on. Easy peasy.

Except, life don’t work that way, they don’t bend to anyone. Just like how you can't evade him in campus during the Winter Break. Here, far in the mountainous range of the East, at the Winter Outing which he never signed up all these years despite always being specially invited, somehow Sunghoon appeared.

“Speak of the devil,” you hear Jay mutter under his breath as the door of the lounge swung open. It was to your horror (though to the delight of many), Park Sunghoon. As if a natural reflex by now, you immediately sunk in your seat, trying to hide yourself.

“Apologies,” Sunghoon muttered, apologetic over interrupting the President’s speech, before looking around awkwardly to find an empty spot to sit on. 

“Should I call him to join us?” Jay smirked playfully. You glared at him, seething, “Ha funny. The row is full Jay.”

“He can always sit on my lap,” he snickered, “Or yours.”

“You’re insufferable,” you spat, “Why is he here anyway? Don’t tell me this is all your doing Jay.”

“Hello, in case you forgot, this Winter Outing that we are hosting is open to everyone, why can’t he be here?” Jay raised his eyebrows, “I mean if there’s anyone who’d be more excited for a Winter Outing, it should be the Ice Prince himself — he gets to be in his element.”

“But he never likes these outings. Also, it coincides with his Winter break training so he should be back at the campus,” you retorted, “Seriously, Park Jongseong, as the Head of Events of the Student Body, you didn’t even bother telling me that he was joining?”

“Dude, you usually have zero care in the world about non-substantive matters like these,” he replied acidly, “also, come on. He’s your bestfriend, if nothing happened that night, you should be rejoicing now that he’s here with us. Maybe we can play another round of Truth or Dare to set things right? Right.”

You glared at Jay — if eyes could shoot lasers, he’d smithereens by now. 

“You know what, I guess not. Seems like he’s got company,” Jay jutted his chin out as if pointing to someone. You slowly followed his gaze, trying to be discreet while at it. Trailing closely behind Sunghoon and then sitting close next to him was an impeccably beautiful girl with long wavy locks, pouty and glossy pink lips, a smile that could instantly light up a room and legs that could go on for days. 

“Isn’t she that First Year everyone is raving about?” You elbowed Jay, “No wonder she’s been making waves in campus — she’s gorgeous, ethereal even. The two of them looks straight out of pictorials side-by-side — like a match made in heaven.”

“That’s what everyone said — didn’t work out though,” Jay said nonchalantly. You immediately turned to him, mouth ajar, wondering if you had misheard him. Jay raised his brows, bemused by your confused expressions, “what? You didn’t know? They used to date. In high school.”

“How come he never told me about this?”

“I'm pretty sure if you had actually asked him about it, he would have told you," Jay shrugged, "knowing you though, I bet you never did given how topics like these are just out of your realm of interest."

“Okay fine, you have a point,” you rolled your eyes before badgering him further with questions, unable to mask your curiosity, “Did they date long? I mean they look perfect together, why did it end?”

“I guess you can consider it long, they dated for like 2 years. They broke up when Sunghoon was in his final year. Kind of surprising really — they match each other so well, from aesthetics to interests. I guess, they were just too busy for each other at that time — him with Ice Skating, her with modelling — Oh wait, pretty boy is looking this way —"Jay gave a quick nod and waved at Sunghoon’s direction while you froze, not daring to move a muscle as if your life depended on it. Noticing your changing expressions, Jay smirked, “You should sink yourself down further, or maybe just sit on the floor, you’ll hide better that way.”

“Piss of Park Jongseong,” you mouthed. Jay snickered, leaning closer to you as he whispered playfully, “Want to finally tell me what really happened now?”

You sighed to yourself, realizing that your days of running away were numbered.

“Everyone accounted for?” Jungwon, the Student Union President appeared behind you, peering over your shoulders at the checklist you were holding. You nodded, “Yeah, everyone has left for skiing, it’s only us here now.”

“Finally!” Jay, who had been holding the main door open, groaned, “can we go now? The jocks aren’t blessed with patience as a virtue, they will riot soon — we are already making them wait for the match for like what, 5 minutes? That is equivalent to 5 days in jock terms.”

“Wow, since when is Park Jongseong so punctual?” You stared at Jay in disbelief, grinning sarcastically.

“Since he knew the girls from the campus national athletics team are joining, that’s when,” Jungwon quipped with a smirk, taking out the chalet’s keys and about to lock the door behind you when you guys were suddenly interrupted by a girl’s voice, calling you guys out, “Hi sorry guys-“ it was Sunghoon’s ex, out of breath, yet still as ethereally as pretty as ever, “oh my goodness, sorry I just ran the whole way — I, uh, phew — okay, so uh I left my phone inside. Sorry, I know you guys are about to lock the chalet but-“

“We are in a bit of a-“ Jay quickly replied only to be cut off by Jungwon, whom, with a gentle smile, reassured, “No, don’t worry. We can wait for you. Go on take your time.”

“Thank you so much. You guys are such life savers,” she cooed, her plump glossy lips curving into a picture perfect smile as Jungwon held the door open for her. You can really see just how easily people fall for the girl. She is basically Barbie-personafied: long legs; lean body; plump lips; luscious long locks; large eyes with long eyelashes; red cheeks; melodious voice; animated and cutesy expressions; and a gregarious personality to boot. She is basically the blueprint. You watched as she quickly disappeared into the hallway, leaving only invisible trail of perfume in her wake. 

“Really? Take your time?” Jay chided as soon as she was gone from your sight, “Our time is on the line. In case you forgot, I’m the running champion for the ski match for the past 2 years. Actually, if I win this one, which I am sure I will, that’d be 3 but we won’t have a match if you’re late and I wont have enough time to warm up if-“

“Okay okay, we get it,” you rolled your eyes, “He’s right Jungwon, any later, someone is either going to get hurt or they’d just get rowdier, as always. You guys can go ahead then, I’ll stay behind and wait for her. I’ve been to the slopes with you guys last night so don’t worry, I won’t get lost.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? The girl has spoken,” Jay raised his brows at Jungwon who was biting his lips as if hesitating for a second. “Fine,” Jungwon sighed, handing the keys to you, “I’m just a phone call away if there is anything yeah?”

You nodded, waving at them as they rushed towards the direction of the main ski slope where the skiing match was going to be held. Not long after they disappeared from your sight, Sunghoon’s ex appeared beside you, her perfume wafting in the air as if loudly announcing her presence, “Sorry again for the wait! Sunghoon was in a rush earlier so I just dashed without realizing that I’ve left my phone.”

You feel your eyebrow twitch at the mention of his name, though thankfully, no one was around to catch that as you were facing the door, busy trying to lock it. Feeling antsy at the mention of his name, you blurt out, eager to change the subject to anything but Sunghoon, “the boys have gone ahead by the way, I hope you’re okay that it’s just me.”

“Of course, why ever not?” She answered sweetly, tilting her head to the side as she waited for you,  “Actually, I have been dying to talk to you since I knew you that you also in this outing.”

“Oh yeah?” you shot her a confused look, “is something wrong or did you need something-?”

“No no. It’s just that I heard a loooooot about you,” she sang, “As the girl, or rather the only girl, that Sunghoon is close with in campus.”

“Oh,” you chuckled drily, trying to feign nonchalance, “I hope all the things you hear have been good so far then? Or have I amassed such a negative reputation without realizing?”

“Oh, don’t worry. Nothing bad,” she emphasized, tilting her head sideways again like a form of reassurance, “though since Sunghoon is such a shy and closed-off boy, a lot of people are dying to know your magic. Geez I still remember how in high school he was just so shy that he came off like an arrogant prick. Like you would have thought he hated you just by the way he acted so curt and indifferent back then though apparently it was just a mistranslation of how shy and flustered he was inside whenever girls shower him with interests and attention. Even after we dated, he was still so shy with other girls, preferring to latch and cling near to me for comfort—”

Kill me now, you thought to yourself, suddenly regretting having even suggested to walk her back alone. I should have just let Jungwon and Jay be late — be selfish for once, all man for themselves, you thought to yourself when suddenly you feel her hand squeezing yours as she gasped loudly, “Oh no, I am so sorry, I am jabbering aren’t I? Really sorry — bad habits die hard.”

“No it’s fine,” you said as you plastered your usual diplomatic smile, “You look like you’ve been enjoying the trip so far so I’m just glad about that.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet,” she cooed, “Yeah. I mean Sunghoon plays a huge part in making the trip memorable so far. Makes me forgot that we even broke up. Oh — I am jabbering again. Goodness me,” she sighed before suddenly sharply turning to you, eyebrows knitted in deep thought as she eyed you suspiciously, “Wait, you … you don’t have a crush on him do you?”

You almost choked on your spit, “I -wha-“

“I mean it’s understandable, most people just fall for him and-“

“No, no— I don’t,” you answered immediately, “Don’t worry, we’re just friends.”

“Oh thank God, I would hate to see another heart break,” she slurred, tilting her head again, “He has grown into such a fine man though, buffer, manlier, and more sociable compared to the skinny, lanky and tight-lipped boy that I used to date.”

"Hmm," you nodded awkwardly, unsure how to respond. Thankfully, just then you started seeing the familiar ‘welcome’ sign, which indicated the start of the slope, "well, here we are. It's good to talk to you today," you muttered, gesticulating towards the side of the slope where people were waiting, “Sunghoon is right there, you should probably run to him now before the match starts — he could probably use some cheering.”

“Certainly, I never missed any of his matches back then — skating, hockey and even skiing — both there as the cheer captain and his girlfriend. This takes me back,” she exhaled, before giving you a gentle pat on the shoulder, “Thank you so much for waiting and walking me back. Duty calls, see you around.”

“No worries,” you waved back, surprised to find yourself heaving a huge, heavy sigh as you watch her join him. Almost immediately, the serious expressions which he usually wore before his matches, lit up at the sight of her. Like magnets, her hand immediately wrapped over his arm, giving a light squeeze as if providing some form of comfort. It all looked so natural — as if it was meant to be, as if it has always been like that. You quickly turned away, heading towards the other side where Jay and Jungwon stood.

“Why the long face?” Jay raised his eyebrows, “also, where’s my good luck?”

“As if you would need any,” you scoffed, holding up your hand for a high five nevertheless, “but, if you insists, all the best champ.”

“Can’t you put a little bit more sincerity in it?” Jay grabbed your hand, pulling you closer towards him.

You sighed, holding his hand with the other free hand, “My dear Park Jongseong, I wish you all the best of luck. I hope you’ll take the trophy again this time. That way, your ego wont be bruised and you’ll get more girls clamouring over you.”

“See? Not that hard, isn’t it. Thank you. I love you as always,” he grinned sarcastically before suddenly grabbing you by the shoulders and turning you around, “I think your other best friend needs a good luck from you too.”

“Jay wha-“ you were about to protest when your eyes landed exactly on Park Sunghoon at the other side of the path, who was already staring back. You feel your breath hitch. Sunghoon isn’t one to stare but then again the Park Sunghoon as of late has been anything but the best friend you knew and the stare he was giving you solidified that. For starters, they were anything but warm. It was almost cold but with so much intensity that no distance could mask, compelling you to break the eye contact. Fortunately, you didn’t have to because Jay, always so boisterous, yelled his good luck to him, “Good luck bud! Break a leg!”

As if broken from a trance, Sunghoon’s serious facial expressions soften as he looked away from you to Jay, yelling back, “Right back at you!”

You took the chance to turn around, shooting daggers at Jay, “You’re an ass.”

“Hey, what have I done wrong?” Jay grinned playfully, “He was staring at us for the longest time — thought he might have wanted a good luck from his best friend too.”

You shook your head, rolling your eyes, “Whatever Jay.”

Throughout the event you tried your best to not look at the direction of Sunghoon for wherever he was, his ex was also there. But in the few instances when your eyes accidentally landed on him, to your horror, he was already staring — his eyes looking as if he was itching to tell you something. But that could all just be in your head, you thought.

Except it wasn’t.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jay suddenly grabbed you by the wrist that night as you were heading the opposite direction of everyone else, “Dinner is that way.”

“I uh- I got like period cramps,” you lied, “So I’m not hungry.”

“didn’t you just have your period like 2 weeks ago? I don’t think you’re going to have it so soon-” Jay was saying before getting cut off as your hands immediately flew to his mouth, stopping him from jabbering any further. You looked around in alarm, trying to make sure no one had heard what he had just said before letting him go and smacking him by the arm, “Dude, someone would easily misunderstand if you say that out loud! Also, why the heck would you know or remember that anyway!”

“Duh! because you were complaining about period cramps 2 weeks ago too while we were at the coffee shop. Also, you’re snappy when you’re on your period, I’ve pretty much connected the dots,” Jay grumbled, wrapping his hand over your arm again like a prized possession that could be stolen any time, “This is getting ridiculous, it’s our 3rd day here and you’re skipping dinner again. Don’t think I have not noticed you sneaking around okay? Because it was bloody obvious — to me at least.”

“I am not sneaking aro-“ you stammered, trying to hold your ground as Jay tugged you towards the other direction, “Park Jongseong, let me go. I am not hungry!”

“Of course you are hungry, you always skip lunch and have early breakfasts, how in the world are you not hungry?” Jay retorted, his grip strong. As you struggled to pry your hands off of Jay’s grasps you noticed, from your peripheral vision, a familiar silhouette standing at the end of the hallway watching you both. To your horror, it turned out to be Sunghoon, again with the staring. His face was so impassive, you wouldn’t know if he was puzzled, annoyed or just staring blankly. Like auto-pilot however panic immediately rose inside of you, triggering some sort of flight response.

“You know what, I have to show you something first,” you blurted out and like magic it worked as Jay stopped tugging you towards him, “We’ll have dinner after this. Just come with me Jay. Now. Stat. Please.”

Jay heaved a huge sigh, shrugging with the other free hand, relenting, “Okay, fine. Show me then. But after that, we both will have dinner. No questions asked. I’m not about to let anyone out of this outing emaciated.”

“Absolutely,” you immediately replied, heaving a huge sigh of relief as you push past the throng of people in the hallway. Your mind was a flurry of mess though. Since talking to Sunghoon’s ex, as if emboldened with a newfound resolve, you had doubled your efforts at avoiding him. Prior to this, you flee at any signs of him, now however you had taken the taxing task to a whole new level by pre-emptively avoiding crowded times so you wouldn’t even see him and therefore wouldn’t even have to run away from him in the first place. This means avoiding peak meal times, avoiding events, and taking on mundane administrative student union tasks like cleaning up or preparing the next venue for the next event and whatnot. 

Such was the state of havoc that had been brewing in your mind that unbeknownst to you, you had dragged Jay towards the direction of your room.

“You wanted to show me your room?” Jay asked sardonically, bringing you back to reality as your two stood in front of your door.

“Uh yeah,” you lied, pushing the doors open, “the view actually. It’s beautiful, you have got to see it.”

You hear Jay let out an audible sigh as the doors close behind you two, “I am pretty it’s pretty but we both know you did not just kidnap me to your room to show me your awesome view. I know you saw Sunghoon earlier and the only reason you managed to kidnap me here is because I let you.”

Crossing his arms and feet while leaning against the back of the door, he pressed further, “since we’re alone now, just spill it y/n. I know something is amiss and I know it revolves around Sunghoon. Deflect again and I will really treat everything as normal and I will be, in my most boisterous and annoying extroverted self, pulling you into all events, gatherings, mealtimes — you call it.”

“That a threat?” you scoffed as you sat on the armrest of the couch near your huge window.

“Works like a charm as if I held you at gunpoint doesn’t it?” He clicked his tongue as he walked towards you, eventually taking a seat on the arm rest of the chair next to yours so that you guys were facing each other. With a gentle gaze, he murmured softly, “Don’t just bottle things up y/n — it will just fester in uglier ways.” 

You sighed, staring into his eyes longer than usual, contemplating hard. Always so sensitive and understanding, Jay did not hurry you through it. With such a gentle gaze, contrasting his usual hawk-like gaze, he waited patiently — knowing how hard it is for you to express your feelings. Eventually you relented, telling him fully about what had unfolded that night during the 7 minutes in heaven.

“Damn, the kiss should have been such a turning point for you two — but it seems to be a turning point of things going south instead,” Jay shook his head.

“Always leave it to Park Jongseong to put it in the worst light possible,” you replied flatly, mustering a sarcastic smile.

“All these aside, don’t you think it’s a bit childish to keep running away? I don’t know what you’re trying to get from it because it just comes across as if you’re really offended by him or you’re really flustered — so which one is it? Because if the kiss meant nothing to you, you won’t be acting like this.”

You opened your mouth to protest but immediately closed it as his words, which were very true, left you with no more replies to retort with. He was right and you do know it — avoiding Sunghoon was indeed childish. It wasn’t supposed to drag on for this long. You thought after a few days, with clearer mind, you can face him again — feign nonchalance, as if nothing happened but as days passed, it got even harder to face him as if the flight response is already coded into your DNA. 

In between your toss and turns in bed at night, you allow yourself to finally ruminate about why you were being so childish and in moments where you allow yourself a shred of honesty and allow yourself to feel with your heart instead of with your head, it seemed to all boil down to how unprepared you are to face the actual reason behind the kiss. 

In essence, there should be 2 reasons as to why he had kissed you that night. The first, which is the most likely reason to you, is because he was just messing around. Kissing are indeed not a big deal in today’s age and time so while the kiss might have stupefied you, it’s probably something casual and meaningless for others including Sunghoon. However, you thought over again, Sunghoon is not just like any other average Joe. He doesn’t really engage in unnecessary flirtations and romantic engagements and to top it off, he is far from reckless and is basically the word ‘unadventurous’ personified which means he wouldn’t just kiss anyone. Let alone kiss his best friend on the lips — I mean, best friends don’t do that, right? You often ask yourself.

As much as you hated to even think about it, your train of deduction just somehow lands on that one possibility which you hate to even entertain nor think about: that his feelings for you goes beyond what one should feel for their best friends. But of course, your cynical and pessimistic side are so entrenched that whenever such thoughts crop up you’d just convince yourself of how delusional you are, “Pfft, as if. Not in a million years”.

Having said that, that night has been putting your mind on overdrive with regards to that possibility especially when prior to that there had been a plethora of instances where people have pointed out that Sunghoon might as well be your boyfriend considering his actions to you that has often borderline that of a boyfriend. From the adoring gaze, the teasing, the constant touches, the lack of boundaries, the banters, the protectiveness and so on — all seemingly reserved and unique towards you and no one else. 

You remembered one night when Jay brought up how you and Sunghoon might as well date considering how Sunghoon is always staying back with you at the library until late after his practices. “Normal friends don’t do that — that’s too taxing,” he argued, pouting and gesticulating wildly as if he’s a prosecutor in court.

“Maybe he just wants to study,” you replied nonchalantly. Jay scoffed, “yeah right, did he ever?”

You ruminated for a bit, realising that most of the time, if not all of the time, he would just fall asleep. Jay clicked his tongue, “Never right? He just falls asleep, waking up only when you’re packing almost as if he’s there just to make sure he can walk you home.”

“Jay, you’re just projecting,” you shook your head dismissively. 

Jay cocked his eyebrows and snapped back, “if we can measure just how romantically-dense you are, you could compare to an Osmium so you’re not one to speak.”

“Ugh whatever. He could also just be a naturally caring person. Caring people exist — even more so if they’re best buds,” you countered. Jay scoffed, “First things first, this is Sunghoon. Sure he has his caring moments but boy is not stupidly selfless, he has his priorities and skating as well as his wellbeing is at the top of that pyramid. So no, he wouldn’t just trade his good night’s sleep after skating practice, just to walk someone home because that someone is always silly enough to stay at the library until late”.

He continued, “at most, if you’re just like any other best bud of his, he would just continuously nag at you to go home early but no, for you, he actually stayed behind. Nothing else screams selfless devotion than that especially if it’s coming from him. Though I presume, it’s a win-win for him too because doing so means he gets to spend more time with you and he can also make sure that you get home safe. Also let me just add, I’m also your best bud and no, I will not do the same, sorry. At most, I will steal your backpack just to force you to go home in time.”

In another instance to shore up his ‘Sunghoon has feelings for you but you’re too dense’ agenda Jay would bring up Sunghoon’s subtle clinginess and protectiveness towards you, “it’s as if you’re his centre of gravity — he just orbits around you and sticks close to you. In a room full of people, he faces you — he might as well be a sunflower with you serving like his own sun. Then, in an area even with empty spaces elsewhere, he still stick close next to you that some parts his body would guarantee to touch yours, be it the shoulder, the arm, the finger — you get the drill.”

“Jay, that’s just rid-“

“Don’t even try — I have noticed sometimes he would link fingers with you or rub circles at the back of your hand when he’s bored too as if you’re his personal stress ball or something? Does that scream normal to you? Because dude we both are also close and while I can hug you just fine, I aint going to be rubbing circles at the back of your hand for no reason,” Jay asserted, looking smug as if you guys were on a debate and he’s winning, “Also, don’t get me started on all the protectiveness — combine it all, you guys just seem like you’re dating.”

You remember opening your mouth to protest but closed it as you couldn’t find an argument to retort back, remembering all the touches that lingered far longer than necessary that you could start to ‘consciously’ feel it, as if they were burning holes. Not that you’d complain though. While you’re not the touchiest person on earth, it’s not bothersome enough for you to point out. You also figured perhaps physical touches gives him some sort of comfort since he often asks for your hand when he’s nervous just to squeeze or hold it, as if it provides some relief, so you thought if it helps him in some way, you wouldn’t mind. 

“Yeah, see? You two are like always compromising for one another, it’s disgustingly cute sometimes,” Jay rolled his eyes. Suddenly, as if unlocking a box of repressed memories, it all came rushing out in your mind like a film reel: the dilated pupils; the leaning-ins; the long hugs; the lingering touches; the shared utensils; the shared outerwear; the eyes-to-lips glances; and all his little remarks which, as much as you hated to admit, sometimes ruffled your feathers and make your heart flutter (just a bit, you tried to convince yourself).

“Jay, come on, you’re one of the most objective person I have met, so you know that these instances are not necessarily explicit romantic interests — they are just bordering on the caring, protective and no-boundaries spectrum — the spectrum that is widely open and susceptible to misinterpretations,” you argued back to Jay one day, “No explicit hard evidence, no credibility.”

As if reading your train of thought, Jay clicked his tongue, bringing you back to reality as he affirmed, “you wanted hard evidence all these while right? well that kiss is one hard evidence and if you are going to dismiss that like all the rest, you’re just in denial.”

You protested, “Okay but it’s not like he said ‘I love you’ after he kissed me so there’s still a possibility that he was just messing around. It’s a 7 minutes in heaven anyway, people are bound to kiss.”

Jay scoffed, “I’m sure he would have probably said ‘I love you’ if you let him but you’ve never given him the chance to explain anyway. Also, yeah sure there are people would just go ahead and make out in a 7 minutes in heaven casually or meaninglessly but not you two. Nu-uh, if you two do kiss in that circumstance, it aint casual that’s for sure.”

You shook your head dismissively, standing up and staring out of the window — trying to clear your mind again, “Jay stop — I don’t need your advice and input whatsoever. You wanted to know what happened and there you go I’ve told you all. I don’t want any unsolicited advice. You’re not helping anything but make me feel even worse. All I need now is to not think about him and about whatever happened that night.”

Jay threw his hands up in the air, giving up, “Fine, I’ll stop pestering or nagging you about this. I just- I don’t know. I love you both and it kills me to see you two like this. Pretty sure if others are as observant as me, they would have said the same thing. You guys have got to address it sooner or later.”

“… or perhaps with space and time, we can just move past as if it never happened,” you murmured. Indeed, whatever the reason behind the kiss was, it carried heavy ramifications to confront. If he was just messing around, he is as much of a prick as the the frat boys in school who thinks their good looks are licenses to transgress in actions. If he had meant it, then you’d need to confront it but the problem is you don’t know how you feel about him. Either way, both would change your friendship forever and you did not have the bandwidth to deal with it at the moment so you did the easiest thing: running away, at least buying some time until you’re ready to confront it. 

“As if y/n,” Jay said scornfully, “admit it, you’re avoiding him even more now. At this rate instead of pretending the kiss never happened, you two would end up pretending your friendships never happened.”

Indeed, now that his ex has come into the picture, the prospect of the latter reason behind the kiss, which was already minuscule to you in the first place, diminished even more that you just did not want to entertain any of the possibilities any more and assumed the worst. Hence, your newfound resolve at avoiding him.

Except, unlike during the previous moments in campus when every instances of spotting signs of him would just trigger your flight response — nowadays, spotting him and his ex, both of which may as well be joined-at-hips given how they always come in pair, elicited a twinge of pain in your chest.

Sunghoon heaved a huge exasperated sigh as he fell for the umpteenth time in an attempt to land a Triple Axel that night — a feat that is usually easy for him until the past few weeks. Feeling frustrations welling up, he slammed the back of his skates against the ice beneath him, cracking parts of the surface, sending little shards of ice flying.

“Hey, watch it.” 

He shot up, suddenly alarmed over the fact that he might have sent shards of ice flying towards an innocent fellow skater. As soon as he saw the person skating towards him though, his expressions softened and he laid back against the ice, “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Just me? Hello, this face is insured okay,” Jake, his best friend, whined, “Also, why is Park Sunghoon suddenly throwing tantrum like his 12-year old self again?”

“I guess old habits die hard,” Sunghoon mumbled, arms sprawled, eyes staring blankly at the dark night sky. He could feel his back getting damp from the ice but he could not care less.

“Get up now, this isn’t the Park Sunghoon I know,” Jake raised an eyebrow before offering Sunghoon a hand.

“How can I be the Park Sunghoon that everyone knows when I can’t even land the bloody axels,” Sunghoon grumbled as he grabbed Jake’s hand, “My skills are slipping and I don’t even know where it all went wrong. I didn’t miss a day of training, I slept well, kept myself fit and the list goes on.”

“Sure it’s your skills?” Jake gave him a knowing smile as he helped Sunghoon back up on his feet, “Just so you know. You have definitely been out of it as of late. Not that you’ve done a good job at hiding it anyway. Penny for your thoughts? Maybe you just need to let whatever is bothering you inside, out.”

Sunghoon skated towards the barrier while dusting his pants which were covered in some small shards of ice from the multiple falls, “I guess you were right.”

“Hmm?” Jake followed closely behind, “About what? The tantrums or you being a walking time bomb as of l-“

“That I’ve got it bad with y/n… that it will end up festering in uglier ways,” Sunghoon threw his head back, staring forlornly at the sky, “I kissed her that night … during the 7 minutes in heaven,” he blurted, surprised at his own honesty.

“You wh-“ Jake paused, his jaws agape, eyes wide, jabbering and gesticulating wildly, “Wait… back up— you kissed her? You? Park Sunghoon made such a bold move? This Park Sunghoon? I - wai- how come- how did- was there tongue tho-”

“Dude!” Sunghoon jabbed Jake in the ribs, looking slightly embarrassed, “Get your head out of the gutter man.”

“Oh,” Jake paused, suddenly realising the gravity of the conversation, “Oh right… If it was that kind of kiss you wouldn’t have turned into a walking time bomb like this, right? So I guess… she didn’t take it well?”

“I wouldn’t expect her to, I was being such a prick,” Sunghoon grumbled, “I… I might’ve just ruined our friendship together.”

“Hey, you don’t know that,” Jake elbowed him, “Not until you guys talk it out at least.”

“I don’t even think we can — she has been avoiding me like a plague. I initially thought it was all in my head but it’s bloody obvious that she has been avoiding me. I thought she just needed some space but 2 weeks in and she is still turning away at the slightest sight of me,” Sunghoon scoffed.

“Then go after her.”

“That is also the problem. I don’t know what to say if I do go after her. Heck, I don’t even know how I clearly feel,” Sunghoon sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“That’s probaby because you never confronted your feelings before,” Jake said as a matter-of-factly, “You just suppress and masks them — not that it hides any of it at all to be honest. It actually spills out like an overflowing sink through your actions.”

“You’re overreacting, I have never-“

“I’m overreacting?” Jake scoffed, “Who ended up kissing his own bestfriend? If those feelings were not so entrenched and repressed in the first place, they wouldn’t fester in such a way.”

Sunghoon sighed exasperatedly, throwing his head back, at loss for words.

Jake continued, “You probably don’t realise it but as someone who is prudent, overcautious and overtly pragmatic, you don’t go out of your way to be unnecessarily flirty, self-sacrificing nor outgoing. You do just enough, if you have to. Except towards her. Yes, only towards her. With her, you drop all your guards, you bend your ways, you compromise and you’re shamelessly you. It’s both endearing and bewildering at the same time especially given how you two are just friends. In fact, you weren’t even like this when you were still dating your ex, though that could probably be chalked up to the fact that you were still too young and immature back then.

“But anyway, going back,” Jake gesticulated, skating back and forth in front of Sunghoon, “you hate instability and insecurity so you go out of your way to make sure everything will be in order and will be secure for yourself. Thing is, you extend such an arduous effort towards her as well, like it’s second nature. Your hands/body is always protectively shielding her from any possible harm/inconvenience: the sidewalk; rowdy boys; open cabinets; rain; her fears. Your bag always carries things she might need: extra power bank; extra umbrella; extra charger; gastric cramps pills. And your time, although you already spend a lot of it in practice, the remainder of it you willingly devote to her: whether doing something fun or mundane, from just lounging around her in her place; accompanying her at the library until 4 AM just to walk her home; snowball fights at 3AM; and so on. It’s like she’s your Achilles heels.”

Jake sighed, stopping right in front of Sunghoon, eyes dead-set on his as if to emphasise a point, “So if a Park Sunghoon, a guy who will never let any weakness or vulnerability flourishes within, willingly keep such a kryptonite close, the affection has pretty much gone beyond surface-level attraction or short-term enamour Sunghoon. It’s already so deep and entrenched — it’s no longer friendship either. The kiss is basically the testament of that.”

Sunghoon finally lifted his head up, staring back at Jake in silence, contemplating his words seriously. In any normal time and day, he would have been too uncomfortable to talk about emotions and feelings in such depths that he would have immediately deflected, if not joked about it. But Jake’s words were ringing some sense into him. He’s been so knee-deep in an area that is so gray — he needed the enlightenment. Like a film reel, all past instances and moments play in his mind. The touches that lingered, almost as if it’s second nature, were essentially his feelings dripping over, slipping through the cracks of the walls that his pragmatic and overcautious mind have built. The sudden protectiveness over her whenever interest comes her way, despite having always told her to be less aromantic as a person, were simply his feelings festering into uncalled possessiveness.

“What if that ruins the friendship? Accepting the feelings and being honest about it?” Sunghoon muttered quietly.

Jake shrugged, “Not talking about it will also ruin it, don’t you think? Especially since you two seem to be avoiding one another after 2 weeks? At this point, there’s nothing to lose anymore. If you tell her how you honestly feel and she said she doesn’t feel the same way — then if the friendship falls apart there, at least there is a concrete reason behind it: love gets in the way or something. Way better then if the friendship falls apart without any closure simply because you two are too cowardly to talk your feelings out. 

“Also, who is to say that she doesn’t feel the same way,” Jake added, “You said it yourself, she’s a paradox and kind of like a fortress in that it’s hard to get inside her mind — so who’s to say for certainty that she feels the opposite? What if she feels the same? Then that’s good news for you. In the same manner, what if she felt the same and yet you never asked her about it, that’s just one sad belated lovers trope that will leave you the rest of your life to regret over because you have just lost a potential love interest AND a best friend.”

Sunghoon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “But… she has ice in her veins, is the paragon of pessimism and cynicism, and is totally averse to anything that rhymes with romance. Come on Jake, you and me, we both have almost the same personality — wouldn’t you have avoided such slim chances too?”

“To be honest, if I’m already knee-deep in the muck, I would risk it no matter how slim,” Jake winked before turning Sunghoon around, his head jutting towards the building behind the rink as if telling him to look over there, “Let me just say, in matters of romance, timing is important and your risk-aversion and proneness towards overthinking can be your downfall.”

Sunghoon followed his gaze, wondering what it was that Jake wanted him to see. Through the glass-to-ceiling windows of the building, Sunghoon can see parts of the lobby on the ground floor, where a crowd was forming, either dancing, chatting away or playing beer-pong. Right in the hallway of the first floor however, which was also visible through the large windows, he saw a familiar figure: it was you, smiling widely with a box in hand, before breaking into a fit of laughter, doubling over. It was a sight that has been imprinted in his mind for he had shared such fits of laughter with you countless of times. Almost as if on auto-pilot, the corner of his lips lifted into a smile, his hearts leaping, realising just how much he had missed seeing that bright smile upfront.

His smile slowly faltered however as soon as he saw the source of your laughter: it was Jay, gesticulating wildly in front of you, before pulling you close into a playful head lock. Suddenly, he can feel the familiar sinking feeling in his chest — as if knots were forming. He had the same feeling when he saw Heeseung getting close to you. As of late however the feeling also grew in intensity and frequency when he saw you with Jay but something else was brewing together with it, something akin to contempt. He can’t help but feel bitterness seeing how the spot, which has always been his, seem to gradually be overtaken by Jay. He hated how close you two have been especially when to him, you’ve been cold instead. Jake was right, his feelings were really festering in ugly ways. Worse, Jay was also his bestfriend and yet not even such bond could shield Jay.

He gradually saw what Jake had meant about how his mind had always silenced his feelings. Because now, seeing you so close in proximity to Jay, all he saw was red, effectively silencing his mind which in normal times would have gone on overdrive in justifying what he saw. Only then though, while basking in the silence of his mind, can he really feel the depth of his feelings for you because right then all he wanted was to walk up to you and tell you that you avoiding him was killing him, that he feels like he’s losing you and most importantly, that he loves you more than a best friend.

And that Jay should piss off.

Thus, hit by a newfound resolve to set things straight, you were everything Sunghoon looked for in the crowd since that night. Unfortunately, like parallel lines that is bound to never meet, you had a newfound resolve too, which involved avoiding him at all cost. So what followed during the next few days was him going after you the moment he spotted you, pushing past the crowd as if possessed, and you slipping away and disappearing quicker than he could call out your name. 

In the rare instances when he actually caught up with you, insisting that you two talk, you found yourself lying shamelessly, saying that you’re busy currently and that you will talk to him later. Of course, you won't. In fact, you would ensure that never happened. Despite the excuses though, Sunghoon was no quitter, not this time, not on you, he told himself. If anything, the more you run away and throw excuses, the more emblazoned his resolve was. 

Hence why he acted like a vulture stalking its prey on the night of the farewell party — the last night of the outing. Despite the rowdy crowd and the cacophony of noises, all he could see in the room full of people was you. 

“You are boring holes onto her,” Jake whispered, noticing how his best friend had not taken his eyes off y/n even for a second ever since the speech started. 

“I can’t let her disappear again tonight,” Sunghoon sighed, his foot tapping nervously on the wooden floor, wondering why the Student Union president have to prepare such a long speech, “It’s tonight or never.” 

Just then he felt someone’s hand wrapping over his arm. He looked over to his left. It was his ex, “Hi Sunghoon, I booked some gears. Join me for skiing tonight yeah?”

“No I can't, sorry,” Sunghoon muttered, slipping his arm off of her grasps, “Bring someone else instead.”

“Oh come on,” she tilted her head, flashing the smile she is famed for, the one that used to work so well with him, “just cancel your plans. It’s our last night, we should just spend it together.”

Sunghoon sighed, not even bothering to mask the annoyance within, “Look, maybe you’re misunderstanding something but… we have long been over. Please don’t mistake my amicability over the past few weeks as something else — it isn’t. I was just being nice as a senior. That’s it.”

“Wow, did you have to be that harsh?” Her smile disappeared in an instant, “I thought-“

But Sunghoon did not hear the rest of what she wanted to say for when he glanced to where you had stood earlier, you were long gone. His heart sank and panic quickly took hold that he immediately took off, looking around warily, ignoring the calls of his ex and ignoring the annoyed grunts of the people he had bumped shoulders with. 

“No…” he mumbled to himself as he couldn’t spot a single sign of you in the room.

He really felt like he was losing you this time.

Having just quietly and discreetly left the hall where the farewell party was held, you quickly scurried across the hallway, heading back towards your room. You knew if you stayed any longer until the end of Jungwon’s speech, Jay would have roped you into a series of stupid party games — the last one of which ended in catastrophe for you. You shook your head, refusing the let the memory play in your mind. As you were about to take a turn towards the lobby however, you felt someone’s strong grip over your wrist, yanking you towards the other direction that you almost lose your balance. Before you could even react, you found yourself unwittingly getting shoved into the coat closet nearby.

“What the he-“ you yelled but stopped mid-sentence as your eyes slowly adjust to the dimmed lighting of the small room, gradually registering that the figure in front of you was the last person you wanted to be alone with, “Sunghoon?”

“I’m sorry,” he let go of your wrist as his other hand swiftly lock the door behind him, “I have no choice, we have to talk but you kept on running away from me.”

“No I haven’t,” you lied, yet again, “I was just… really busy.”

“Yeah right,” he scoffed, the tone his voice did not mask the annoyance within — clearly he had enough of your excuses, “Well, if that really is true and you have not been avoiding me then you should have no problem with us having a conversation alone in here then.”

“Of course,” you answered almost immediately, trying your best to look and sound unfazed. Please don’t talk about the kiss, please don’t talk about the kiss, please-

“About that night,” he mumbled, swallowing thickly, “I’m sorry… for kissing you. I didn’t- I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Oh,” you managed, suddenly feeling a lump in your throat as his last few words play repeatedly in your mind like a broken radio. While you had constantly convinced yourself that the kiss had meant nothing, the ‘confirmation’ had stung more than you expected. Ignoring the pain the twinge of pain in your chest, you feigned nonchalance, casually shrugging, “It’s fine. I thought so too.”

You gave him a small smile as you headed towards the door, pushing past him. The lump in your throat felt too much to ignore. To your surprise however, Sunghoon’s hand quickly flung over the doorknob. “I’m not done yet,” he muttered, blocking your way.

You stared at him in disbelief, crossing your arms, “Sunghoon what now? You didn’t mean the kiss and it wasn’t a big deal to me. We can just move past it. Just pretend it never happened. Case closed.”

“But I don't want to pretend,” he scoffed with a slight twitch of eyebrows, looking offended.

“Then what do you want?” you sighed exasperatedly.

“I want us to address the elephant in the room,” he pressed on.

“We just did,” you cried out, “you were messing around and I don’t take any offen-“

“I never said I was messing around!” he retorted with a scowl. The edge in his voice making it obvious that he has had enough with you deflecting from the real issue, “the kiss was not thought through, yes. But it wasn’t meaningless. I did not kiss you just for the fun of it, you know I wouldn’t.”

“It’s fine, it’s 7 minutes in heaven anyway — it’s not out of place. I wouldn’t hold it against you,” you mustered, sighing weakly, “Sunghoon, let’s just drop this okay. It’s all in the past, no one cares and no one knows. Your ex is here now, I won't want to ruin anything. That night was just like a fever dream, I won’t say a thing so let’s forget it and move on—“

“You know what, stop. If you don’t let me say what I want to say, we’re both going to be in this cramped closet all night long,” Sunghoon glowered, “Maybe you dont care. But I do. And what the hell is this about my ex? I don’t understand how she fits into all these, into us. If there’s anything that is in the past and will always be — it would be her. Not us, not the kiss. We need to address that and you, YOU need to listen.”

“Well, where are we going with this. I already said that it’s fi-“

“I love you,” Sunghoon blurted out as his patience all dried up and just like that, your train of thoughts crashed, rendering you speechless. His gaze slowly softened as he stared into your eyes, repeating with greater conviction this time, "I love you more than I should for a best friend, y/n."

"N-no you don't," you stammered, "Maybe you're mistaken..."

"Oh trust me, if this had been one whole misunderstanding, the feelings would not have lingered for this long. Growing, even," Sunghoon muttered, "Look, I know we both hate talking about feelings or rather feeling feelings of these kinds but I have to. I have sat on them for the longest time and look at what it has done instead, it just intensified, festering in uglier ways, to you and even to others."

"The feelings spill like an overflowing sink through my actions which, as many have pointed out, are too caring, affectionate and protective between just friends," he swallowed thickly, "then came other people, forcefully entering our little protective bubble. That's when the feelings took an uglier turn. It was very selfish of me, I know. By being a coward, I never let you know of how I truly feel about you and yet when others outrightly showed such interest and affection towards you, I turned possessive and defensive, as if I owned you in the first place."

"But my selfishness will cause me to lose you at this rate," he muttered softly, "so I made my mind to stop being a coward and stop being so avoidant with regards to my romantic feelings and interests. So no, I was not messing around with you, never have been. On the contrary, I am in love with you. Have been, still am and I would like to continue loving you in such a way if you let me."

He stared at you expectantly but no coherent words form except for a jumble of mess as your mind was thrown in disarray, " I- I don't know... how-" you sighed, "Sunghoon, there are better people for you out there, that's for sure."

“to me, no one is,” he said adamantly.

“No—,” you croaked, “I mean, we have been best friends for more than 2 years so you know how very non-girlfriend material I am. I am far from that caring, affectionate and nurturing girlfriend that you deserve. I am also very frustrating to be with, even more so as a girlfriend."

“Like you said, we have been best friends for quite long now — if those qualities put me off, they would have. But they never did. In fact, even after 2 years, you never cease to amaze and enamour me,” he reassured, “Sure sometimes your behaviour and personality can be painted as indifferent, workaholic, emotionally-detached whatnot but I see the flip side of it more, that you’re hardworking; gritty; impartial; and wise. You don’t just enamour me, you drive me to be a better person too. I love that about you and I like myself better when I’m with you too".

He continued, murmuring softly, “I just want to clarify that whatever you respond me with, I didn’t confess to you just so I can get my feelings reciprocated. I just don’t want you to misunderstand, given your predisposition to pessimism and cynicism. Most importantly, given your stellar record at self-deprecation, I genuinely want you to know that someone is capable of falling and staying in love with you. You effortlessly give so much vibrancy and zest to my life — you’re like my reprieve and it would pain me so deeply to lose you. So if you let me, I’d very much love to continue being by your side but would even love to able to transcend the constraints of best friends — without having to hold back and without having to overthink whether what I do is excessive for friends.”

You stared away, the gravity of his words weighing heavily in the air, stirring your mind into complete shambles. You have hardly ever ruminated the nature of your friendship with Sunghoon mainly because you know the more you overthink about certain moments, the more romantic feelings possibly flourish and to let that happen with a campus heartthrob is just like setting yourself up for a heartbreak. So you never did. No matter how much you two compromises for another — something you two often do for each other only and sometimes transcending that of bestfriends' norms — you’d just play it off as something casual. Even when your heart sinks when you see him getting close to some other girls — you’d bury such feelings without facing it, smothering yourself with extra work and distancing yourself.

But Sunghoon will always come around — like gravity, he always finds you and like earth orbiting around the sun, you two always stick to each other — realising that you two are each other’s constant amid the chaos you two face independently in your lives.

“Y/n,” Sunghoon spoke up again, breaking your train of thoughts, “I won’t force you to answer me now nor accept me — you can take all the time to think about it but just promise me one thing? Don’t disappear on me. Whether it’s a ‘no’ or ‘I’m not sure’ or ‘I’m not ready’ — I’ll accept them all. But just, at least for the sake of our friendship, don’t let it hang in the air. Let it have a conclusion, good or bad.”

Mustering a weak smile, he slowly backed away towards the door, “I’ll go now. I’m sorry for having kidnapped you in such a cramped room. This could have been done in a grander space but well, I was desperate.”

Trepidation filled your heart as you watch him turn around, about to exit the room. You’re not one to act very rashly but at that moment — things seemed so fleeting that you just blurted out anything you can think of, not wanting him to leave, “What if — what if it doesn’t work out?”

He stopped, turning around. Not missing a heartbeat, he replied, “We don’t know that. In the worst case that it doesn’t — it’s better than never pursuing it because we’re afraid of the risk isn’t it? That’s what you always tell me. That you always regret things you don’t say and don’t do, more than things you’ve said or done — it’s the same for me. And this time, I refuse to fall in the same trap. Not when you, us, are on the line.”

“What if,” you paused, “... what if I turn out worst than you expect? That I can’t be who you want me to be?”

“You don’t have to be anyone — it’s you who I fell for,” he uttered, “I’ve met thousands of people, many of which are more emotionally-transparent, doting, caring, and affectionate, than you and yet it’s you who I just fell back to — you who I gravitate towards. Even when it takes you ages to reply to my text; even if you reply me sarcastically instead of sweetly; even if you don’t hug me when I wish you would; even if you’re always glaring at me instead of looking at me adoringly; even when I always have to make the first move in contacting you — you’re greater than the sum of your parts and that’s who I fell for.”

“Aren’t you scared? If it doesn't work out at the end. It will just hurt," you reasoned.

“I hate uncertainties — you know that well. But you’re the exception,” his lips curl into a slight smile as if assuring you, “I’ll traverse the great unknown and take the risks if it’s for you.”

You stared at him, ruminating deeply. Sunghoon let go of the door, walking towards you instead. You held his gaze as he walked closer towards you, "So, y/n, what do you say? Would you go out with me and be my other half from here onwards?"

You have never imagined that you would ever date anyone, let alone that person being your own best friend. You have always been so aversed towards the idea of romance and dating for yourself. You have never viewed yourself so highly either so you never would have imagined anyone to ever like you in such a way, let alone that person being your own best friend. But now standing so close to him, with all possible repressed feelings hashed out, it all felt — weirdly natural. You thought it would have put you into a pickle — that it would all turn South. Yet, it felt weirdly natural — as if things are falling into place, as if this was how it was supposed to be. All in all, you were surprised by how, deep down, you felt as if you had known the answer already, "Sure. Let’s try it then.”

Sunghoon's serious wary expressions gradually softened, his lips curling into a wide sheepish smile, before he dropped his head momentarily as if trying to prevent you from seeing his facial expressions. You tilted your head slightly, trying to meet his, "What? are you shy now? after confessing a whole essay to me?"

He schooled his expressions as soon as he lifted his head back up, pressing his lips in a thin line as if trying to suppress the glee within from escaping again, "Pffft, you're still so dense. I'm not shy. I'm overjoyed, silly."

You snorted, "uh-huh sure."

"Want to me to prove it?" he bit his lips, reaching over to your hand before pulling you closer towards him. His smile begin faltering as the proximity between you two grew, filling the air with heavy tension. You swallowed thickly as his gaze bore intently onto yours. You were opening your mouth, about to say something but before you could do so, he had leaned in, pressing his lips onto yours gently — a stark contrast with the harsh collision from the last time. Stunned, your shoulders stiffened as your heart begin to race uncontrollably. Noticing your stiffened body, he softly wrapped his hand over the side of your neck, his fingertips gently caressing your nape — feeling like butterflies against your skin. You gradually warmed up to his soft touch, allowing yourself to slowly ease up, letting his lips melt onto yours. You can feel him smile against the kiss before he momentarily pull away, his eyes gazing intently to yours, softly muttered a ‘thank you’. You smiled back, surprised by how comfortable you were with the proximity. He latched his lips back onto yours, as if they were magnets. This time, his other hand snaked over your back, pulling you closer, closing any small space in between, as he deepened the kiss. Any worries and thoughts slowly dissipated from your mind as the kiss grew in intensity, his soft lips dancing against yours, his body pressing onto you, backing you up slowly to the wall.

"Oh shit."

You immediately pulled away from Sunghoon, startled by the voice that followed the sound of the closet door opening. It was Jay, standing by the doorway, looking horrified, "I know I said you guys should stop avoiding one another but making out was really not really what I was suggesting--" he was saying before stopping himself, realizing what might have unfolded. With a coy smirk, he nodded, closing the door, "you know what, sorry, please continue," he pulled the door shut as quietly as possible as if he had not just flung the door opened earlier, before you hear him yell to others across the hall, "Guys, the closet is occupied. Don’t go near it!"

Not even a second after, Sunghoon begin to lean in again, about to lock his lips with yours again but your hand immediately flew over to his chest, trying to stop him from leaning in completely.

"Dude, he just walked in on us," you reminded, bewildered at just how unfazed Sunghoon looked. He just shrugged, his hands tightly wrapping itself around your waist, "No big deal. Sooner or later, he'll find out anyway. I will make sure of that," he smirked playfully, his eyes flitted from your eyes to your lips, realizing he had found out more things about you that is so addicting, "Also, who cares about that, you heard what he said, the closet is all ours."

A/N: Phew, finally it’s done. I hope the wait has been worth it :3 Again, thank you for loving part 1 and for sticking by. I would appreciate it if you guys can comment on how I did for this Part 2 hehe — that would massively help me from sliding into another round of writer’s block. Have a great day/night everyone :3

Masterlist // Work in Progress

#enhypen #enhypen imagines #enhypenwriters #enhypen sunghoon #enhypen sunghoon imagines #park sunghoon #enhypen scenarios #enhypen fluff #kpop imagines #sunghoon imagines #sunghoon scenarios #enhypen sunghoon scenarios #kpop scenarios #enhypen x reader #enhypen x female reader

[ebdbd]

A list of Dan's supernatural visitors

... for future reference, featuring some of my thoughts

The Shadow

visible to: Dan, Nai

following Dan since the death of his mother

appeared malevolent at first, but has also become a source of comfort for Dan

To be answered: what was the shadow's intention when it trid to drown Dan?

✨monsterfucking✨

Trin

appears to: Dan, Nai, Anan (,Master Joe?)

his hauntings clearly have a purpose; he only haunts people who he has some sort of connection to... what is his goal?

like Dan, he had a closer relationship with Brother Anurak

seems to have the ability to influence the physical world: He gives Dan back the ring he lost. And his pig's mask was missing for a year before Dan found it, so that might have been his doing.

Two boys in the fun house

appear only to Dan, on either side of the mirror & start screaming

do they know Trin? It seemed as though he lead Dan to them deliberately...

Three dead girls

visible only to Dan

laying around a broken plaster cast of Laocoon*

drawings on the classroom wall are painted over with red

same white shirts but different bottoms; maybe St. Mary's students?

One-armed prisoner

former boxer, lost his arm during his time in the navy

"sold himself to homosexual millionaires" who overdosed on drugs -> he went to prison

got lots of letters while in prison

was executed

are the drawings in the vision done by him?

the only ghost that doesn't seem to be linked to the school (so far)

honorable mention: Dan's father

mostly part of Dan's dreams

visits Dan in the waking world once, also visible to Nai in that moment

will he continue haunting Dan now that he's dead? We'll see...

I will probably update this list once new episodes air.

*not sure if the Laocoon is supposed to mean something (the statue is very well known, so probably not), but it wouldn't be the first time greek mythology is referenced in the show

#I find it interesting that most of these people appear to only Dan when Nai is the medium among the two...fishy #this was mostly done for my own amusement but please let me know if i forgot something so I can add it! #tw death #tw overdose #tw monsterfucking? #key speaks #shadow the series #pls excuse my shitty screencaps