#ugh. i think i might just take a few more screenshots to shove in people's faces and then call it a day

[pokemonswshfics]

hello friend! :D i had accidentally posted this draft of it before i was finished, that's why the message of the request is a screenshot, so sorry for the slight wait :"D have a good read! + (i didn't really know what speaking up meant , so it's slightly different for each in terms of "speaking up" hehe i hope you all enjoy 💛)

// because of how long this post might be, I'm gonna leave the read more button right here before all of them. they're sfw but I wouldn't wanna clog up anyone's tl :'D k byee ^-^

Raihan/Kabu/Piers × Shy Male! Reader (Sfw)

Raihan × Shy Male!Reader // S/O (Sfw { mild cursing })

You stood outside Hammerlocke stadium waiting for your boyfriend as he said to meet you there. You had on his jacket, with the hood up because of how many people were around. This didn't stop reporters and fangirls from coming up to you, all bombarding you with questions.

You simply pulled the hood down and shoved your hands into the pocket. It wasn't that you were trying to be rude, you just preferred the attention be on someone else. Literally anyone else.

"How does it feel to be Raihan's first public boyfriend?"

"Hey! Look up here for a quick photo, it wont hurtcha. You're already so cute from what we've seen!"

"Do you love him?"

"Are you gonna stay under there?"

If it was up to you, you would stay in your boyfriend's clothes forever. It was a perfect hiding spot.

"I-I would prefer..not to answer." You stuttered out quietly and stepped closer to the gym doors. The attention got overwhelming at times but you would do this forever if it meant being with Raihan. He was worth it.

"What's annoying about Raihan? Isn't it tiring, that he puts his whole life on the internet?"

You scowled a little and pulled your hood down farther. "I think it's cute." You said under your breath.

"Don't you wish he was champion instead? He always fails at beating Leon!"

"What?" You said softly and lifted your head up a little, but not enough to be seen. The people surrounding you only saw this as invitation to ask more.

"Isn't he a little full of himself when it comes to battles? You can answer us!" Someone said excitedly and shoved a microphone towards you.

"Fine, take this for an answer." You almost snatched the microphone from their hand and frowned at them. "No, I do not find Raihan annoying. I'm very proud of him for even having a gym in the first place. He doesn't need to be Champion to be accomplished! Who the hell are you guys to even be asking stuff so rude? Are YOU Champion?"

Your hood fell back to your shoulders by the time you were done talking. Instantly, camera flashes hit your eyes and you tried to cover your face with your sleeves. You were still beyond angry, and it only increased as you heard the people begin talking again.

"Aw, so cute!"

"Are you really dating Raihan?"

"Raihan got lucky!"

You clenched your fists and dropped the mic you had snatched to your feet.

Then you lunged at a reporter.

Two women screamed, one yelped because of the sudden action and right before you actually touched the man you were going to attack..

"Hey." You felt a pair of strong arms pick you up and throw you over their shoulder. You were met with a back side that had a dark navy shirt on, and navy gym shorts. The Dragon Type uniform.

"Calm down, Tyrogue headass.." Raihan chuckled and you blushed at the familiar teasing. You could hear squeals from the crowd, the same one you would have attacked with your bare hands had it not been for Raihan coming at the last second.

"Put me down! Put me down! Put me down!" You said quickly and began waving your fists in protest. "They weren't being nice about you!"

"Not worth your time, babe. Thanks for keeping him occupied." You could practically hear the grin in Raihan's voice as he began to turn back to the doors of his gym to carry you in. You faced the reporters again and now looked up at them with a scowl. Their faces were all in awe at Raihan carrying you. Some continued taking pictures.

"Oouu let him put me down and I'll- do not very nice things!" You growled quietly and shook one of your fists at them.

"Baby, calm down." Raihan giggled from above you as he even paused for photos a few times just to frustrate you playfully. You pulled the hood further down your head, still cursing reporters as your boyfriend carried you past them.

***

Kabu × Shy Male! Reader (Sfw)

At almost all times you were sitting or standing next to Kabu. It wasn't that you didn't like the rest of the gym leaders, it was just something you did for comfort.

You were in a meeting with the rest of the Gym leaders, sometimes you tagged along with Kabu when invited. The other gym leaders didn't mind, they were the ones inviting you sometimes.

Right now they were discussing new ways to (as Raihan said it) "spice up" their gym missions. Kabu wasn't on board and it showed.

"Come on, you guys think challengers might not get bored of the same thing every year?" Raihan sighed and sat back in his chair. "Same old thing, I'd be bored out of my mind."

"Good thing you aren't a challenger then." Kabu replied, crossing his arms. His irritation showed to you and you nudged his knee with your own under the table lightly. "Our gyms will be led how we would like, and I like mine. I'm keeping it the way it is."

"Come on, no need to get mad." Raihan chimed back and half smiled. "Either all of us or none."

"I'm keeping mine how it is, I've done too much for it since Opal gave me the gym." Bede remarked.

"Come on, Bede..you're the newest of us, take some advice! Change it up a little." Nessa said and sat up.

"I'll k-keep..mine." Allister stammered out and looked down to the table.

"I'd like to change mine." His older sister, Bea smiled widely and pumped one of her fists up. Raihan high fived her, attempting to now convince Milo and Melony to change theirs.

Kabu's eyes furrowed then he looked towards you, smiling with tired eyes. He playfully rolled his eyes while nodding to the other gym leaders. You giggled quietly in answer.

"Come on Kabu, lighten up. Keep up with the times!" Gordie practically whined out. Kabu tensed up once again, and you could feel his anger rising once more.

"Don't tell me what to do. My gym, my rules." Kabu stood and looked around now with a frown. If provoked, his temper could easily appear. You looked to the other gym leaders, Allister (even with a mask, you could tell) was nervous because of how Kabu could get.

"Ugh. They're just ideas-" Bede groaned sassily.

"They're stupid ones!" Kabu slammed one of his now balled up fists onto the table you all sat at. The gym leaders were used to his hot headed self, so it didn't bother them and they never planned on telling him anything like "calm down", or "be nice."

"Kabs." You stood up, still slightly avoiding eye contact with the rest of them and grabbed his elbow softly. "Calm down, they were just trying to give some advice." The other gym leaders now all looked at you, some with slightly widened eyes. 

Kabu’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink, you could feel the tension in his body go away as you began to rub his arm. He turned toward you and the anger in his eyes was gone, now replaced by warmth when you looked into them. Raihan smirked from the other side of the table.

Kabu grumbled something then sat down, his face burning up. “I-Yeah. He’s right. I suppose I should calm down, you all are just trying to help me. I apologize for calling your ideas stupid.” He crossed his arms and avoided eye contact. You followed and sat back down with him, then looked up and realized all the gym leaders were now staring at you, either with shocked faces or grins.

“I’m so sorry if I interrupted your meeting- I just wanted Kabs to calm down and-” You could now feel your cheeks begin to darken with embarrassment and you hid your face in your hands, not even wanting to finish your own sentence.

“Why are you apologizing? You got Kabsy here to calm down, something none of us could do. And you did it without thinking he might take out a Pokemon and burn you alive or something.” Raihan chuckled and turned to Kabu, with his chin being held up by his palms. “You got a soft spot?”

Your boyfriend scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Let’s just get on with the meeting, I don’t have time to-”

“For me he does.” You teased softly and took one of Kabu’s hands in your own. This only caused the red in his cheeks to return and for him to hide his face in one hand, groaning. 

“You should come to meetings more often, dear!” Melony practically squealed out, Nessa nodding in agreement. 

Raihan laughed loudly then looked towards you. “No, seriously. Calm your man down sometimes.” He grinned.

“Let’s get on with it!” Kabu said loudly and waved his free hand in the air but was still looking away from everyone to avoid his blush being visible. He didn’t take his hand from you though, now he intertwined your fingers. You smiled a little more at the action and squeezed his hand in return. 

“Alright, Alright...” Raihan bit his lip and reached down under the table only to pull out a folder with a playful squeal.

“Let’s change our uniforms!!” There were chuckles throughout the table of people, and you began to feel more comfortable with all of them, simply by holding Kabu’s hand. He turned his head toward you and smiled a little, as to not make it obvious to the rest of them. 

You giggled again and prepared to listen to Raihan’s bright idea of changing the uniforms with Kabu already groaning when he realized what the younger gym leader had said.

***

Piers × Shy Male! Reader (Sfw {mild cursing})

You sat on a wooden crate besides Marnie, your boyfriend's little sister. You two were listening to him sing to a crowd of Team Yell members and other people from different towns.

The silence with Marnie was usual and comfortable.

"Look at my bro go. Always had it in him, singing." She said quietly and leaned slightly towards you so you would hear over the music.

You nodded and smiled a little. Your eyes couldn't come off Piers, you loved watching him sing. You put your knees up to your chin, and rested your arms crossed on them so they would hide your grin and pink cheeks.

"Still not much of a talker?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah- I like talking." You practically whispered. "Sorry, not really-"

"Hey. It's fine. Piers already told me you aren't that out there. I don't mind some silence." Marnie replied with a nicer tone now, since she meant it.

"Thanks." You quietly replied and looked back to the stage before you heard her speak again.

"What do you see in Piers? You can tell me, I'm not the judging type."

"What do I..see in him?"

"Mhm."

You looked to the stage again and watched Piers interact with the crowd. Your grin widened, you almost never see him smile as much as he did on stage unless he was alone with you.

"I see..a sweet guy. He looks all mean and hard but he's really the most gentle guy I know. He has this smile that drives me wild and.." You took your arms away from your face to talk more clear.

"And? Come on, don't be shy." Marnie encouraged and nudged you with her elbow.

"He's real funny. Piers makes me happy when I'm having a really bad day, he's got this thing to him that I can't stop wanting." You could feel your cheeks turning a light shade of red, and you cursed how easy it was for you to blush.

Piers looked towards you and Marnie and winked at you. Some people in the crowd cheered at the action, a few swooned excitedly. You buried your face in your hands and could hear Marnie laugh a little.

"A-Anyways..he doesn't let anything in his past or present get to him. His music..his music! It's so impressive. He's a singing gym leader. The way he manages both..I just-!" You dropped your knees from your face and squealed. "It's Piers!"

Marnie laughed a little at your excitement. "Anything else?"

"He's..SO cute. Gosh, I can't get over it. We've been together for a while and he still makes me all giddy and warm inside when he smiles or- does shit like that!" You spoke about his playful wink, and you stood up on the crate, not even caring about your fear of crowds anymore. "And I love it!"

The crowd was still practically screaming as the song ended. You cupped one of your hands around your mouth, waving the other at Piers frantically.

"Come on Piers! Give us MORE!!" You shouted out while grinning and quickly caught his and some fans' attention. You locked eyes with him, and made a motion to usher him for another song.

He raised his hand to the crowd to quiet them down then spoke. "Alright, hey. Glad you guys are enjoying the show. It was supposed to stop now but, how am I gonna end this when I got my sweetheart over there asking for more?" Piers nodded to you, causing multiple Team Yell members to turn your way, smiling.

You immediately sat back down on the crate next to Marnie and hid your face. "No.." You protested quietly against his teasing. He knew you never liked the acknowledgement, he just liked making you blush.

"So, Team Yell. I want you to be as loud as you can, this next one is for my cutie. Love ya." Piers adjusted the mic as Team Yell began what they did best again: cheering. They turned quickly back to the stage and you peeked up at Piers.

Your eyes' focus never left him, and you listened intently to his voice. A relaxed sigh left you as you felt yourself being caught up in the music. You and Piers continued to make eye contact throughout the rest of the show, as if no one else was there. The moment was like a trance and neither of you were really looking to get out of it.

***

thank you for reading ! requests always open! just might be a slight wait 💕 - 🥝

#pokemon #pokemon shield #gym leaders #pokemon gym leader #pokemon swsh #pokemon kabu #raihan pokemon #piers pokemon #raihan x reader #piers x reader #kabu x reader #reader inserts #oneshot #pokemon fanfiction

[junetuesday]

sweetener - [three]

The One At The Library

Pairing: Tom Holland x Female Reader - uni AU

Word Count: 5170 ish

Warnings: swearing, alcohol, fluff, caffeine

A/N: sorry for the delay on this i am *jean ralphio voice* The Worst. I thiiiink this chapter should make up for it tho heheheh lemme know what you think!

Updates Fridays at 11pm BST

Tonight was one of those nights where it just wasn't your night. You stood in the SU toilets waiting for Liv, amid girls taking selfies in the mirrors and attempting to stick false eyelashes back on each other though they could hardly see. Another night, you might have been one of them, gleefully exclaiming "thanks, it's Missguided!" in response to compliments on your dress. Not tonight though.

There wasn't anything wrong per se - Madison was away visiting her boyfriend so it was just you and Liv with some of her friends from her course. They were nice, of course, and you liked them, but they weren't your friends so you didn't feel quite as at ease as you might have. Your pre-night out disco-nap had run on a bit longer than you had intended so you didn't have a lot of time to get ready, plus you thought you had alcohol in when you didn't, so all you had was a glass of warm, somewhat vinegary white wine while you got ready. You managed to pilfer another glass off someone at predrinks, and you'd bought a double when you arrived at the union, but all in all you were relatively sober compared to everyone else, and you weren't feeling particularly confident in your appearance, and honestly, you were bored.

You tapped through Instagram stories as you waited for Liv, neither drunken selfies nor dog photos nor influencers unboxing PR packages holding your attention for long. Your thumb hit the right hand side of the screen almost as soon as each new image came up, switching to the next one well before the full 15 seconds was up. Until this one.

A few nights prior, you, Liv, and Mads had gone on a social media binge after Liv had discovered that you and Harrison followed each other on Instagram and you hadn't told her (?!) - which had lead you to Tom's account. Madison had pressed follow for you in the end, and within ten minutes he'd followed you back. You still hadn't had the confidence to interact with him in any way, or text him for that matter, but it was a start. He'd posted a couple of stories since then, and to say you were glad that Instagram didn't show how many times someone has viewed your story would be an understatement. If it did...yikes. They weren't even all that interesting, but seeing little snippets of his life was nice, it almost made you feel like you knew him a little more. You didn't, of course, all you actually knew was that he went to the gym after work yesterday (from the picture of a protein shake with an 8:49pm timestamp with the caption "post-work gym sesh ☑") and that he'd been working on an essay this afternoon (from the screenshot of a Spotify playlist called Chill Lofi Study Beats with the caption "essay soundtrack 👌" and a location tag that placed him in the library).

And according to this post, he was still there - his laptop open with a notepad next to it, a couple of books and pens scattered across the desk, posted five minutes ago. You tapped through to the next picture, and all you could think was 'oh no'. This one was a selfie, his grumpy expression half covered by his fingers and his chin resting on his palm. His hair was a fluffy mess atop his head, white earphones in both ears and the collar of a black pullover hoodie just visible in the bottom of the frame. You didn't even realise you'd been looking at it that long until the screen skipped to the next story, and you didn't think you'd ever tapped the left side of your screen so fast. Pressing and holding on the screen to stop it timing out, you managed to actually read the caption this time - "send help and coffee 😧" - and maybe those three drinks had had more of an effect on you than you thought, because you were actually kind of considering replying, your thumb swiping up and down on the screen to bring up and hide the 'reply to story' options over and over. No, that's a stupid idea -- what would you even say?

Looking up as though one of the inhabitants of the girl's bathroom would have the answer, you spotted Liv coming out of a cubicle. She had definitely caught up with her friends at predrinks more than you had, and was bopping along to the music echoing in from the adjacent dancefloor as she washed her hands. She'd be badgering you to go get another drink, you knew, or go and dance, or something of that nature that didn't involve you sitting down and pondering potential social media interactions. You looked from her to your phone and back again, before deciding to throw caution to the wind and just say fuck it.

Vanilla latte sound good?

Closing the app and locking your phone as soon as you hit reply, you shoved your phone into your bag, as though if you didn't look at it then it wouldn't matter if Tom replied or not. Oh God, what if he doesn't reply? -- what if he does reply? What if--

"Let's get SHOTS!"

With a groan and a playful roll of your eyes you let Liv pull you back out to the bar, rejoining her friends. You ordered a shot of apple Sourz - which, yes, is a cop out shot, but you didn't particularly care to go for the sambuca shots that were lining up on the counter at Liv's request. Even if you weren't having one, though, it still made for a fun Instagram story - because even if you're not having fun it's important to make sure it looks like you are online, right? That was the only reason you took your phone back out of your bag, no other reason. You didn't even look at your notifications, not even a glance at that little red (1) in the top right hand corner, and you definitely didn't open it immediately after posting your story. No, you waited at least ten seconds while everyone took their shots, then you opened it.

That would be ideal🙏🏻

Hm. Liv tugged on your wrist again, pulling you towards a clubroom. Reluctantly, you followed, your group huddled loosely in a circle on the dancefloor. You moved your body to the beat, but your mind was less on the music and more on your phone, clutched tightly in your hand.

You knew he meant coffee, you knew it was a joke, but...Tom had been calling you Vanilla Latte until recently... But no. That's stupid, it's gone midnight and he's still studying, he definitely was just talking about coffee, he didn't mean, well, you. But still...

You glanced down at your phone, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible (though no one was watching, and if they were they wouldn't care, like, at all), and let out an involuntary squeak at the notification on the screen.

tomholland1996 replied to your story:

or a couple of those haha 😂

Not to read too much into things but... double message? You bit the corner of your lip to try and stop yourself from smiling as you unlocked your phone and tapped out a reply.

I bet haha

Your thumb hovered over the 'send' button, hesitating. What a shit reply - but what else do you say?

Tom is typing...

Oh shit. You deleted your message, but as soon as you did so he stopped typing too. Ugh. You waited a moment, and sure enough:

Tom is typing...

Anyway enjoy your night x

You almost scoffed, looking up and taking stock of your surroundings, that weird out of place feeling you get when you're the only sober(ish) one in a room of drunk people creeping over you. The music was too loud and too bassy, the lights were too flashy, everyone was bumping into you, plus your feet hurt and you were tired and you felt about fifty years older than your nineteen years.

🤷 su's actually shit tonight tbf

You tried to ignore the fact that 'seen' popped up under your message instantly.

Really? Sure its better than the library

Hm. Another elbow collided with your spine, and you decided then you were done with tonight.

Debatable

You know when youre just not feelin it?

You were barely even pretending to move to the music now, just nodding your head as your attention remained on your phone. It seemed to be getting more and more crowded anyway, so you hardly had any room to move even if you wanted to.

Fair

Think i'd just rather be doing anything other than writing this essay

Idk if id go so far as to say id rather be writing an essay but it'd defo rather be in bed 😴👵

Oh yeah thatd be my preferred choice too but i guess i'll just have to make do with coffee instead of sleep

Why dont you just go home tho?

That was a good point, you could go home. You didn't think Liv would mind, she was having fun and her friends lived close enough that sharing a cab home with them wouldn't be an issue. The only problem was, you didn't really want to go home - what you wanted to do was go and hang out with Tom. Not while he was working, or for five minutes when you bumped into him in the kitchen, but just...because. You nibbled at your bottom lip as you considered your options, flashing a smile-and-nod at Liv when she looked over at you and you lipread her shouting 'you okay?' at you. The library was just across the car park in the center of the campus, you could just pop in and say hello... and the coffee from the Lavazza branded machine downstairs in the SU was better than the weird generic one in the library.

I actually might you know

You typed out the next message really fast, taking a deep breath in before pressing send.

Could bring you a coffee on my way past?

Eyes trained on the screen, you held your breath as Tom is typing... popped up, disappeared, reappeared, then disappeared again.

You would be saving my life

Aaaand exhale.

Only seems fair

You'd almost forgotten where you were, if it weren't for the people jostling you around and the balls of your feet screaming in pain from your heels.

Haha yeah i think you probably owe me a latte or 7

Your heart was beating in your chest, and this was definitely how you saw your night going when you gulped down that glass of tepid chardonnay, but you couldn't say you were mad about it.

Exactly

So a latte then yeah?

Wait youre actually gonna ditch a night out and bring me a coffee?

Yep, that's exactly what you're doing.

Apparently so

Then yes a latte pls

Coming right up (that's what baristas say right?)

God how fucking cringe --

I think so idk im not a very good one

Youre ok

cheers

Weaving your way away from the group, you mimed taking a drink at Liv when she grabbed your arm as you passed her. You weren't really lying, you were going to get a drink, it was just going to be a caffeinated one instead of an alcoholic one. You couldn't be bothered explaining that to her right now, though, and she was already turning back to her friends and taking one of their faces in her hands to yell lyrics at them, so you didn't feel too bad about leaving her.

Your feet hurt a little less (only a little though) as you made your way down the stairs, and you only got a few weird looks as you got two lattes from the coffee machine. You got rather more weird looks, however, when you walked into the library. There was hardly anyone there at this time, just a handful of zombie-like students dotted around and a couple of security staff at the door keeping an eye on things, but every single one of them looked at you at least once as you meandered over to where Tom had told you he'd be. You couldn't really blame them though, it was gone midnight and there you were, clip-clopping through the university library in absurd heels and a dress that showed rather more of your skin than you would normally have exposed in that setting. You felt a little self-conscious, but with a cup of coffee in each hand you couldn't pull it down, so you had to make do with taking short, shuffling steps to try and minimise how far up your thighs the fabric would ride as you walked.

Just as he'd said, you found Tom at a table in the group study area. Books, balled up sheets of paper, pens and empty drinks cans littered the desk, looking rather more disorderly than his Instagram story had depicted. He hadn't seen you yet, and he looked to be deep in thought. Hunched over his laptop, the glow of the screen reflected in his glasses, his fingers were spread out across the keyboard as though he was about to start typing. In the time it took you to walk over, however, he didn't press a single key, and when you set one of the cups down beside him he jumped slightly, taking a sharp breath in like you'd startled him. Less 'deep in thought' and more 'in a deep trance', perhaps.

Tom groaned when you giggled, pulling his earphones from his ears and blinking rapidly to try and reawaken his eyes.

"You're a lifesaver, thank you."

He gave you a small smile as he reached for his coffee, his face tired but eyes still bright as he looked up at you. You could feel his gaze scanning over your body, making you feel a different kind of self-conscious - the kind that made you smooth out your dress to sit nicely across your thighs now that you had a free hand, rather than tugging it down as far as it would go like you wanted to when you walked in.

"No worries."

Hovering awkwardly beside the desk, it only then occurred to you that Tom probably wanted you to leave so he could get on with his essay and get out of the library as quickly as possible. He seemed to sense this train of thought from you, because he hummed something incoherent through a mouthful of coffee and scrambled to move some of his crap aside so there was space for you to sit at the table.

"Sorry--"

"Oh, um-"

You did a sort of half-laugh, stepping back out of the way to let him push papers and books aside. There were about six chairs dotted around the table, but as he'd cleared a space at the one closest to him, just around the corner of the square table, you picked that one.

"How's it going?" You took a sip of your own coffee, nodding towards the laptop between you. "-or should I not ask?"

"Ugh, don't ask." Tom groaned, leaning back and bringing his leg up so his foot rested on his chair, bent knee exposed by the rips in his faded black jeans. "S'not even due 'til next week but I thought I'd just get it done and out of the way 'cause I've got work and shit to do but..."

He trailed off, shrugging.

"Not happening?"

"Not happening."

You hummed, clicking your tongue against the roof of your mouth. You knew the feeling, no stranger to complete lack of motivation yourself. Looking around at the books scattered across the table, you realised you didn't actually know what Tom studied, but it seemed like he didn't really want to talk about uni work, so instead of asking about his degree, you said:

"I didn't know you wore glasses."

Nice nonsequiteur, good one.

"Hm? Oh, yeah," Tom took the frames off and set them down on his laptop keyboard, rubbing the inner corners of his eyes with his knuckles. "Just for computer stuff, you know?"

"Oh, cool." You looked down at your cup as you brought it up to your lips. "I like them. On - on you."

Your eyes flicked over to him as you took a sip, darting back to your cup before he could catch your eye.

"Thanks."

You just smiled, hoping the general feeling of '!!!!!!!' in your head wasn't evident on your face.

"So, SU not living up to your expectations tonight?"

Shaking your head, you set your cup down before launching into an explanation of everything that had contributed to your less-than-satisfactory night. You didn't mean to go off on one, but Tom was laughing at how exasperated you were getting about tiny inconveniences, and before you knew it, you'd been rambling for God knows how long, which lead to Tom ranting about all the annoying things he'd witnessed people doing in the library that afternoon, and before long an hour had passed and the conversation had turned, as it often does with millenials, to memes.

"Wait you haven't seen that one? It's fucking hilarious, I've got it saved on my phone so I can look at it, like, daily."

You opened your bag to take out your phone, your smile freezing on your lips as a thought crossed your mind. Unzipping the inside pocket, your fingers skipped over the contents one by one - lipgloss, lash glue, gum, tampon - until your suspicions were confirmed.

"Oh fuck."

Tom hummed a question mark in response, eyebrows raised at your sudden shift in temperament.

"I haven't got my house keys," you frowned, trying to remember the last time you saw them.

"Shit - d'you reckon you dropped them in the union?"

"Nah," You shook your head as it came back to you - you were in a rush to shove your stuff into your bag before leaving for predrinks, and you distinctly remembered thinking 'I need to grab my keys from my backpack', but then Liv asked to borrow a lipstick and you immediately forgot about your keys.

"I know where they are, they're at home. It's cool I'll just text Liv and see if she's still out or what, maybe get a cab home with her."

After tapping out a quick text to Liv, you looked back to Tom, setting your phone facedown on the table. He was looking at you questioningly, glancing between you and your phone. You blinked at him uselessly, mind drawing a blank when you attempted to remember why exactly you opened your bag in the first place.

"Uh, you were gonna show me..." he trailed off, gesturing to your phone.

Uhhh duhhhhhhhh. Jesus girl, get it together.

Re-engaging your brain, you pulled up the screenshot, hoping he couldn't feel the heat radiating off your cheeks or notice the way your fingers were trembling ever so slightly as they gripped your phone. Either he didn't or he declined to comment on it, showing you a vine compilation video on his laptop instead. You ended up burrowing deeper and deeper into a meme-rabbit-hole, shifting closer to the edge of your seat with each embarrassingly loud laugh, and for a little while you forgot about your key dilemma.

"I think-" you began, interrupted by your fifth yawn in as many minutes. "I think I need to go to bed."

"Same - hey did Liv text you back?"

"Shit. Uhh-"

You checked your notifications, and sure enough there was one from Liv, received twenty-five minutes ago.

No lmao debrief tomo xxxxxx

You didn't realise Tom was reading over your shoulder until you heard a soft 'ah' in your ear. Your eyes scanned the rest of the screen in a panic, but thankfully found no incriminating evidence of your growing interest in the boy beside you, or of Liv's in his best friend. Making a slightly strangled 'hmm' sound, you tapped the phone icon at the top of the screen.

"I'll call her and see what-"

You'd barely brought the phone to your ear before a cool voice welcomed you to O2 voice mail. You knew it all too well - Liv was notorious for letting her battery die, preferring to use that last 2% on Snapchat than saving it in case one of her housemates gets locked out.

"Bollocks."

"She alright?" Tom leaned back in his seat, concern ghosting over his tired features.

"Yeah yeah, she was with a load of her friends so they've probably gone back to one of theirs to smoke or something. She'll be fine. I'm kinda fucked, though."

A beat of silence passed while you tried to come up with a solution that didn't involve you sleeping in the library, but with Madison miles away and Liv MIA, you were coming up blank.

"You can stay at mine?"

Sorry, what? You blinked at Tom, certain you had misheard him.

"If-if you want. I could sleep on the sofa or something and you could have my room."

Yep, no, that's what he said.

"Oh, I-"

"Just, um, you know, if you can't go home-"

"Would, uh, is that okay?"

"Yeah," He nodded, a soft smile in his voice. " 'course."

You bit down gently on your bottom lip, your own smile threatening to spread across your face.

"Thanks."

Your voice came out as barely more than a whisper, a squeak really. He was still so close, your shoulders almost touching where you'd been looking down at your phone together. This felt much closer though, face to face, your eyes able to count the freckles smattered across his nose and cheeks, see the indent of a chickenpox scar near his right eyebrow, another one on the left side of his nose. You didn't dare let your vision travel any further south than the bridge of his nose, not sure of what you'd do if you looked down and saw that easy smile that he wore so well.

But then again, maybe you could just sneak a glance...

Tom cleared his throat, the sound making both of you jolt back ever so slightly into your seats.

"Um, should we-"

"Yeah, yeah-"

Silence settled over you as you gathered up Tom's stuff off the table, stopping to shove your coffee cups and all his other rubbish into a bin on the way out. By the time you got to Tom's car though, conversation had started to flow again, and he gave you free rein over the music, so the short drive passed with only mild awkwardness between you.

Tom's bedroom turned out to be behind the locked door you'd seen that first night at predrinks, the mystery room on the ground floor at the front of the house. Unsure of the social protocol in situations like this, you hovered by the door as Tom turned on the lamp on his bedside table, dumping his stuff on the floor by his desk. The lamp didn't provide too much light, most of the room still shrouded in darkness, so you focused your attention on the carpet by your feet, fibres frayed where they met the skirting board.

"Do you want Super Noodles?"

Your head jerked up, a laugh spluttering past your lips because what? But then, also, yes, yes you did want Super Noodles.

"Yeah, actually."

"D'you wanna put something on TV and I'll..." he trailed off, pointing in the general direction of the kitchen.

"Sure."

You perched on the end of Tom's bed while he fiddled with his TV and PS4 that sat atop a chest of drawers opposite you, bringing up Netflix and passing you the controller.

"D'you know how to..."

"Mmhmm."

"Cool."

You flicked the edges of the shoulder buttons with your fingers, the soft clicks the only sound beyond the hum of the TV as you looked up at Tom from the edge of his bed, nodding his head slowly as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He cleared his throat again, taking a jerky step away from you.

"Okay, uh, I'll just- yeah."

Letting out a deep breath once he'd left the room, you started to flick through the options on the screen. You eventually settled on Friends - everyone likes Friends, plus then it wasn't a whole movie or hour long episode you'd have to sit through if it got awkward. You hoped it wouldn't be awkward, things had been getting progressively less awkward between you, but this was different. You were in his room at two in the morning, sat on his bed in a rather revealing dress, more of your bare thigh in contact with the soft cotton of his sheets than you had expected when you left the house earlier that evening. That reminded you - were you going to sleep in your dress? It wasn't very comfortable so you'd really rather not, but were you going to ask him for something to wear? Were you bollocks. So, you'd resigned yourself to being uncomfortable and hoping that nothing popped out in the night when Tom returned from the kitchen, backing into the room with a bowl of noodles in each hand.

"Thanks," you gave him a shy smile as you took one of the bowls from him, the heat of the ceramic almost as hot as the flush that crept up the back of your neck when he smiled back.

"Do you want something else to wear?" Tom's eyes widened as soon as the words left his mouth, realising how they sounded. "Not that you don't look- it's just it doesn't look that comfortable, and-"

"Yes, please."

"Okay," he breathed when you cut him off, nodding. "Um..."

Setting his bowl on top of his chest of drawers, he rummaged through for something to give you. His figure was obscured by the light of the TV screen, the bright white of the Netflix logo blurring the edges of your vision. You had to blink a few times after he turned around before you could see properly again, as though you'd just looked directly into the sun.

Stop blinking so much, he's going to think you've got a twitch, or an eye infection or something.

Trying to keep your eyes open as long as possible (without looking shocked), you swapped your bowl for the t shirt and pair of blue checked pyjama bottoms he handed you.

"I'll just go, uh, get changed then."

Shutting Tom's door behind you, you darted upstairs to the bathroom. You had no idea if Harrison was in or not, but you would really rather not bump into him just then, knowing he'd be insufferable. After changing into Tom's clothes (definitely not noticing how they smelt innately comforting, fresh but still warm) you peeled off your false eyelashes, popping them into your handbag. That was about all you could do in terms of make up removal, so you just had to hope you had remembered to put on setting spray earlier and that you wouldn't wake up with panda eyes and a stained pillow case.

Tom had turned the light off and changed into a pair of joggers when you got back to his room, settled at the head of the bed atop the covers with just the glow of the TV lighting the room and reflecting off his glasses. Placing your bag and folded dress beside your heels on the floor by the door, you sat cross-legged beside him, taking the bowl he handed you with a quiet thanks. You munched your way through your noodles as the first episode played, sneaking glances at the boy beside you every now and then.

By the time the second episode started, two empty bowls were stacked on the bedside table, and you were getting sleepier and sleepier, pulling the covers up over your legs. You slipped further and further down the bed as the episode went on, your eyes growing heavier and heavier until you were almost asleep.

"I'm just gonna..." you sighed, rolling into your side and curling your legs up closer to your chest.

"I'll uh- I'll go."

The mattress dipped as Tom pushed himself up, moving to get up, but you shook your head, eyes still closed.

"Mmmno."

Tom froze, a nervous laugh stuttering from the back of his throat.

"What?"

Half-asleep, you looked up at him, sliding your hand across the mattress and under your cheek beneath the pillow.

"Stay."

You thought you heard him make a sound, but your eyes were already closing again, your mind too sleepy to comprehend anything beyond the fact that his body was warm beside yours and you didn't want him to leave. The whys and hows weren't too important just then.

The bed shifted a few more times as Tom reached for the remote to turn off the TV and set his glasses aside, letting out a low, deep breath as he lay down next to you. You were all but asleep, so you weren't sure if you imagined it, but you thought you felt his hand brush against yours as he mirrored your position, lying on his side with an arm curled up under his pillow.

Hm.

You stuck out your little finger to test, just to see - and sure enough, it bumped against his. Still half-asleep (or at least, that would be your excuse if he moved away), you lifted your finger up to lay it over his, feeling his digit flex as he hooked it around yours. That, you were pretty sure, you didn't imagine.

You really were tired, honestly so so close to being asleep, but now all you could hear was your breathing, and Tom's breathing, and the hammering of your heart in your chest, and it was all a bit much.

You opened one eye, and from the slither of light coming in around the curtains from the streetlamp outside you could just about make out one side of Tom's face - enough to know he was looking at you.

"Hi," he breathed.

"Hey."

Your eyes closed when he'd repositioned, you hadn't realised quite how close your faces were, only the width of your hands between you. Nibbling on your bottom lip, you glanced between his eyes, fixed on yours, and his lips, slightly parted.

Is he getting closer??

You tried to regulate your breathing, but he was definitely getting closer, and you could feel the warmth of his breath on your lips as you swallowed harshly.

"S-sorry you didn't get to finish your essay."

Tom chuckled softly, and your noses were almost touching, and suddenly his hand was gone from beside yours under the pillow, a finger hooked under your chin instead.

"It's fine."

Nudging the side of your nose with his, he tilted your face up and away from the pillow, the quiet 'oh' dying on your lips as he captured them between his own.

Oh, indeed.

⋘TWO | FOUR⋙

taglist:

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#tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland fic #tom holland fanfic #tom holland imagine #tom holland blurb #tom holland fluff #tom holland uni au

[anip-art]

Messenger

Hello! After so so long I’m finally posting another story! This story was co-written with my friend @tomatofox-ship, and beta’ed by @wishfulina and @flautist4ever! Hope you guys enjoy!

AO3          FF.net

USERNAMES (In order of appearance) Lila Rossi: ItsPastaBedtime/WhosThatFoxyLady Chloe Bourgeois: Queen Bourgeois (Admin)/Whatever Chloe's Username Is (Admin) Adrien Agreste: Under Agreste (Co-Admin)/Meow or Never (Co-Admin) Alix Kubdel: LesBeansOnWheels Rose Lavillant: Smells Just as Sweet Nino Lahiffee: DropTheBass Marinette Dupain-Cheng : Bringing DuPAIN/TheOneWhoRisesforMemes Nathanael Kurtzberg: Redheaded Retrospect Max Kante: Max-ium Velocity Sabrina Raincomprix: RainySkies Alya Cesaire: Ladyblogger/All'a'y'all Le Chien Kim: French Dog/Kim-chi Juleka Couffaine: Purple Haired Pansexual Ivan Bruel: RockHard Johnson Mylene Haprele: #whyiseveryonesnameapun

As soon as Nathanael got home from school, he slid into his computer desk and pulled up Skype. The chat was just starting to pick up since this morning, which was fair since they had all been in school. He pulled out his sketchbook, which he had been doodling in during Chemistry, and started talking to his Internet Friends™ while he kept working on one of the designs inside.

When he started doing fashion and design, he hadn’t been thinking of it as fashion design. Fashion design, as most boys his age tended to think, was frilly dresses and girl things. No, he’d stuck his toe in the water by drawing a few costumes for superheroes. Even now, his designs tended to have that flair and extravagance, like something a hero might wear as a civilian. He’d never dare show it to anyone at school--they all thought fashion design was ‘a girl’s job,’ and ‘only gay men would do fashion design.’ Which was preposterous, considering one of the global fashion icons was a very-much-straight (or at least bi or pan, but who knew but him?) man. But he’d stumbled upon this group chat--Central European Time Zone Fashion Club--filled with teens his age talking about fashion. He’d been quiet at first, as usual, but one day daringly sent a few pictures of his superhero costumes. The chat went wild after that, and quickly pulled him into their circle. They were basically the only friends he really had.

He had loved that chat. He loved it even more after Lila Rossi joined. She was a super bold outgoing girl who doesn't take any crap from anyone. She had awesome designs that looked like the stuff that millionaires would wear. Everyone loved her work except Chloe--but she  hates everyone's work. Chloe made it difficult to feel welcome sometimes, but it's impossible to kick the maker of the chat out so they just dealt with it. It was hard for Nathanael at first, but eventually he found her rants about his work hilarious. Most of the time.

ItsPastaBedtime: what’s up French Nerds

ItsPastaBedtime: hon hon hon la baguette

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): oh go back to eating pasta in your gondola

ItsPastaBedtime: yeah sure lemme shove some down your throat first

(Chloe Bourgeois ( Queen Bourgeois ) kicked Lila Rossi ( ItsPastaBedtime ) out of the chat)

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): finally

(Adrien Agreste ( Under Agreste ) added Lila Rossi ( ItsPastaBedtime ) back into the chat)

ItsPastaBedtime: i’m back bitches

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): dammit

LesBeansOnWheels: now now Madame Bourgeois, the daughter of the mayor shouldn’t use that kind of language.

Queen Bourgeois: shut it, Alix

Smells Just As Sweet: can we get along for more than three minutes ever?

DropTheBass: no

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): wow thanks Nino

DropTheBass: just telling it how it is, broham

Bringing DuPAIN: back from school

RedHeadedRetrospect: oh hey same

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): see the name of this group chat?

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): that means we all live in the same time zone

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): therefore, we all get off school at the same time

Max-imum Velocity: well technically

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): quit announcing your back from school or else I’ll kick you

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): shut up Max

Bringing DuPAIN: yeah and Adrien will just add us back

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): ugh you’re right

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): you bet

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): i need someone to be co-admin who’ll lay down the law

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): someone i can trust

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): Sabrina you’re co-admin now

RainySkies: YAY

Ladyblogger: you do realize literally anyone can add people back right

ItsPastaBedtime: I was about to say that

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): shit

LesbeansOnWheels: screenshotted

LesbeansOnWheels: lets see you try to trip me again, Bourgeois

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): doubleshit

French Dog: I leave you guys alone for five minutes

French Dog: and there’s already Discourse

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): go eat your fucking kinchi kim

French Dog changed their name to Kim-chi

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): so did anyone do any actual designing today??

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): because I may or may not have snuck some pics from Father’s photoshoot to show you

Bringing DuPAIN: OOH GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMME

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): but only if someone actually practiced at all today

PurpleHairedPansexual sent five photos

Max-imum Velocity sent two photos

Nathanael sighed and took a deep breath. Everyone else was sharing their work. He took a glance at his sketchbook. None of them were all that great, but he was quite fond of one of his sketches--a suit set that came with a nice cloak. He snapped a photo and sent it before he could convince himself otherwise.

Redheaded Retrospect sent a photo

Bringing DuPAIN sent 10 photos

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): woah mari chill alright I'm sending it

Under Agreste sent 21 photos

Bringing DuPAIN: AAAAA ADRIEN THOSE ARE AWESOME

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): its just what one would expect from THE Gabriel Agreste

ItsPastaBedtime: stfu Chloe he can't hear you stop kissing his ass

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): maybe I just have respect for high quality fashion and their designer unlike some Italians in this chat

DropTheBass: Could you guys chill for once in your life's honesty

Nathanael agreed, they could get out of hand, but he wasn't about to say anything. When those two got to arguing, it was usually best to just stay out of the way.

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): oh my god

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): I just saw all of those designs you sent in and they’re absolutely pitiful

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): I mean just look at Nathanael’s

Bringing DuPAIN: hey shut up, you haven’t sent anything in a month

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): just absolutely trash

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): who would actually wear that anywhere outside of some dumb comic convention

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): um

Under Agreste (Co-Admin): me

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): it looks fake guys i mean come on

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): no one in their right mind would wear something like that in public

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): and that’s the first thing you’ve sent in a week, and that’s what you send?

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): keep at those dumb comics because you clearly won’t get anywhere in fashion

Nathanael sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked at the computer screen. Another glance at his sketchbook, and all of his fears were found to be true. He‘d drawn five little doodles that day, and had sent the best one out of the bunch, and it wasn’t even that great. It wasn’t practical, and it looked horrible. Too many damn stripes, why did he always go for stripes. And the weird green color was just horrible, all of his designs were horrible. He was about to take a pen and scratch out every single dumb doodle in that book when his computer pinged with yet another notification.

ItsPastaBedtime: stfu Chloe. His design is great and I love it and it looks totally great and maybe the color just needs a small tiny bit of adjusting but it’s freaking beautiful you ignorant musk ox how dare you go on insulting everyone's hard work like that. This chat was supposed to be to support each other while we design, yet here you are trying to bring everyone down. At least we’re working. What have you sent in the past month? Nothing.

RockHard Johnson: that was mean Chloe

ItsPastaBedTime: everyone’s designs have been great. Meanwhile the, what, five you send all look like little triangle dresses that a three year old would draw. You think you’re better than everyone else just because you’re the daughter of the mayor of Paris. Well i’m out of your jurisdiction so your dumb pettiness has no effect on me. You bring others down to make yourself feel better, but all it does is show what a bully you are

RainySkies: whoa whoa whoa Chloe isn’t a bully

ItsPastaBedtime: plus I’ve seen pictures of you online. You wouldn’t know fashion if it jumped from the ceiling and hit you in your pretty little face with a folding chair. Your face is all you’ve got, your face and your father’s dumb political corruption. I haven’t even met you face to face but i can already tell you’re despicable. You suck.

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): yeah well so’s your face

(Chloe Bourgeois ( Queen Bourgeois ) kicked Lila Rossi ( ItsPastaBedtime ) out of the group chat)

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): nobody add her back

To say he was touched by what Lila had done was definitely an understatement. Sure, she and Chloe had fought before, countless times even. But usually, when Chloe started railing on him about his designs and his worth as a fashion designer, people stayed quiet. Maybe a few ‘hey that was mean’ messages, or a weak attempt to change the topic. But no one had gone as far as Lila had just then. Sure, it could be said, she had gone a bit too far. Too far, however, was the most he had ever gotten, and sure felt a lot better than silence, or not far enoughs.

He usually wasn’t one to add people back to the chat. He’d wait for someone else to do it first. Adrien tended to take the task onto himself. If he failed to, and no one else did, he’d usually wait until night to re-invite them. This time, though, as soon as he realized Lila had been booted yet again, he typed the quick command to add her back.

(Nathanael Kurtzberg ( Redheaded Retrospect ) added Lila Rossi ( ItsPastaBedtime ) back to the chat)

Queen Bourgeois (Admin): DAMMIT NATHANAEL

Redheaded Retrospect: thank you

Redheaded Retrospect: for standing up for me

Bringing DuPAIN: yeah go Lila!

After that the conversation kinda simmered down and people left to do homework. Nathanael did most his in class today so he tried to design, but ended up drawing her. He's only seen two pictures of Lila but he still draws her and using it as reference. He wishes he could meet her. Her, Rose, and Juleka were his best and only friends. He's never even seen any of them face to face. On this thought he made a bold move.

He turned back to his computer and started a new conversation. A private conversation between himself and her.

Lila looked away from her homework to see she had three new notifications on her phone, which had caused it to buzz on her desk. Homework could wait a few moments.

Nathanael Kurtzberg ( Redheaded Retrospect ) started a new conversation with you

Nathanael Kurtzberg ( Redheaded Retrospect ) renamed the conversation New Conversation to What DOES the Fox Say?

Redheaded Retrospect: hey. I just wanted to thank you for sticking up for me back in the big chat.

Lila smiled softly and typed back a response.

ItsPastaBedtime : of course. I was sick and tired of her going after you all the time.

Redheaded Retrospect : me specifically?

ItsPastaBedtime ; well, I hate her going after everyone

ItsPastaBedtime : but she seems cruelest to you.Can’t stand it. Not like you ever did anything to her.

ItsPastaBedtime : i think she just doesn’t want to admit your designs are better than hers.

RedHeadedRetrospect: : well that’s debatable, really. Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder

ItsPastaBedtime ; some things are obvious

ItsPastaBedtime : imagine a bright neon green and fluorescent orange jump suit. That’s clearly not a good idea right? Nobody would wear that.

RedHeadedRetrospect: : well, there’s joggers.

Lila let out a laugh at the message. It reminded her of her weird neighbor, who went out every morning, right when people were getting up and getting ready for work, and jogged laps around the neighborhood in fluorescent sweatshirts, sweatpants, gym shorts--she’d never seen him wearing anything that wasn’t an eye-searing color. She was mildly surprised he hadn’t painted his house neon yellow or something. She was pretty sure the only thing holding him back was the neighborhood rules on Exterior Decorations.

ItsPastaBedtime: That’s true. Joggers are a plague to the eyes.

ItsPastaBedtime: Didn’t Gabe come with a sportswear line? If it weren’t so expensive I bet they’d wear that instead.

Redheaded Retrospect: wait oh my god did you just call Gabriel Agreste GABE?!

ItsPastaBedtime: you bet I did. We're besties me and him. Hang all the all time.

Redheaded Retrospect: haha of course.

This is when Nathanael started freaking out. The conversation was awkward and lulling. He wanted to become better friends with Lila or maybe more, but he can barely think of words to say.

ItsPastaBedtime: well, I’ve got homework to do.

ItsPastaBedtime: see you later

Nathanael sighed but typed back his response. He wasn’t sure if she actually had homework, or if she was getting tired of him, and there was really no way of telling.

Redheaded Retrospect: alright, see you

Even after she had finished her homework and eaten dinner with her family, she still couldn’t get that design out of her mind. Nathanael’s design really was amazing, at least she thought so. And she hadn’t announced it to the group yet, but her father was flying to Paris in a few weeks for business and had invited her along. Maybe, with  a few minor color modifications, and cashing in a favor or two with her friend who actually owned a sewing machine…

“Who are you texting?”

Nathanael looked up from his phone and turned to his desk mate. Today it was a nosy girl named Alice, who was currently leaning over to look at where he’d been holding his phone under the table. She had been awfully loud with her question as well--luckily the math teacher was half-deaf, otherwise his phone would have been taken.

“It’s none of your business. And be quiet.” he sighed. She didn’t seem to listen to his request.

“Ooooh do you have a girlfriend, Nathanael?” she asked. Nathanael felt his face heat up.

“None of your business!”

“Does Nathanael have a crushy-crush?!”

“Shut up!” he growled. But it was too late. Mr. Bunting turned around, eyes aflame with fury.

“Alice and Nathanael! Both of you, detention, after school!”

Nathanael groaned and let his head fall onto the desk. He wasn’t getting his phone taken, at least, but now he was stuck at school for an extra hour and a half.

It turned out to be quick and painless. The teacher was just talking, and he was chatting with Lila and the gang. Sharing designs and listening to Chloe's nonsense while Alice read over his shoulder. It was kinda nice. It felt like he belonged.

It was about a week or two later when Lila popped into the group chat with a big announcement

WhosThatFoxyLady: yo guys guess what?

Whatever Chloe’s username is: did you finally decide to quit fashion?

WhosThatFoxyLady: ha you wish

WhosThatFoxyLady: My dad’s coming to Paris for a business trip or some shit next weekend, we’re going to stay for like three or four days

Mr.TomatoHead: oh my god what

TheOneWhoRisesforMemes: oh my god no way you’re coming to Paris?!

All’a’y’all: Girl, we’ve gotta meet up to show you around!

Meow or Never: I’ll see if I can clear up my schedule enough to come see you!

Mr.TomatoHead: oh my god WHAT

#whyiseveryonesnameapun: look like someone’s excited. ; -)

To be fair, Nathanael was excited. He had been dreaming of seeing Lila in person for awhile now, but he’d never thought it would happen until they were much older. Now his wish was coming true, and in a week.

Shit. one week. He had to get his hair cut, pick a good outfit, plan what they would do, oh lord, it was going to be a mess.

Those thoughts were replaced with new ones as soon as they came though, because he realized the likelihood of him seeing her was low. Painfully low. Like might-as-well-not-be-in-the-same-city painful low. Which made it so much more painful. Not only was Lila in the country, she was in the city! Lila, his Lila Rossi was gonna potentially be a walk away. There was only one thing that could fix this. He's just gonna casually message her in a normal way.

Mr.TomatoHead: hey foxy

WhosThatFoxyLady: hello my tomato boy.

WhosThatFoxyLady: we are we today?

Mr.TomatoHead: im great. just wondering where youll be.

WhosThatFoxyLady: in your heart hopefully ;)

WhosThatFoxyLady: you meant in Paris

WhosThatFoxyLady: yeah sorry I have no clue

Mr.TomatoHead: you're always in my heart Lila

She didn't reply after that. They saw each other in group chat but other that they hadn't spoken. Nathanael was miserable , to say the least, panicked thoughts rushing through his head. Had he gone too fast? Had he made things awkward? Gosh, that was no way to confess a crush; over IM, really?! He could do better!

The next day, Marinette and Alya had worked together to create a list of the best places in Paris to visit. They discussed it over the group chat, when and where to meet up so they could all greet Lila and show her their beloved city.

Nathanael breathed a sigh of relief. The two girls, it seemed, had already solved the problem of not being able to see her. Now everyone was discussing gifts to give Lila, so she would remember them and Paris. He mulled over her favorite things in his head. Foxes, the color orange, olives, fashion… what was he going to get her…?

Lila grinned at the group chat as everyone excitedly chatted about where to go and what to bring. She had been hoping she’d be able to see her friends in the city; now it was near guaranteed. Thank God. All that work she’d put into her outfits would have gone to waste otherwise. Especially one she was certainly fond of...

The alarm blared beside him, waking him up with a groan. He ran a hand through his horrendous bed head as he stared at the dark window trying to figure out just why the hell he had set his alarm to wake him so goddamn early in the morning.

Then he remembered. Lila Rossi was probably boarding a flight any moment now, and then she’d be checking into a hotel room and meeting up with them--the entire Fashion Group Chat (or the Meme Green Fashion Team, as Adrien had renamed it)--by the Louvre for a day seeing everything Paris has to offer. He was going to get to meet her-- in person. He’d woken up early so he’d have time to freak out.

After pacing the room and panicking for a full thirty minutes, the sun was rising and he was feeling a bit better. Just a little bit. Enough to focus on doing his hair and grabbing a small breakfast.

Now, the outfit. What would he wear?! He looked good in black and white stripes, but also purple, but also orange?!?! Should he go for casual, formal, preppy, lazy--what was he going to do?! He decided that since none of them know how he normally dresses it wouldn't be weird if he dressed to impress. he looked through his closet for something believably casual, but also would make him look good. He ended up in a weather appropriate blazer jeans combo that wore way too often but whatever he gets compliments on it almost all the time.

Oh God, his nerves were weak as hell today. He’d felt full before, but now he was hungry again, he was burning so much energy through worrying. He was going to need some more toast.

She was listening to her music and sketching out some designs in her sketchbook when her father tapped her shoulder from beside her.

“We’re here, hun,” he said quietly, gesturing to everyone else on the plane gathering their things and getting off. She quickly tossed her things into her carry-on bag and waited until her father was ready, rocking on the balls of her feet. He grinned as he watched her waiting impatiently. “Excited?”

“Yeah, duh, dad! I get to see my friends--and Chloe,” she stuck out her tongue in disgust at the thought of seeing the blonde.

“And that redhead?”

Lila’s cheeks felt like they were on fire when her father waggled his eyebrows at her. “A-And Nathanael--stop looking at me like that!”

“I sure hope you two won’t be up to any trouble while I’m in my business meetings, hm?”

“We’ll be fine, Dad!! We need to check into the hotel now!”

“Well, you’re in quite the hurry,” he said jokingly, but took his briefcase and headed towards the exit.

As soon as they were in the terminal, she sent a text in the group chat.

WhosThatFoxyLady: Guess who just landed in Paris!

Bringing DuPAIN: Oh shit I gotta get ready or I’m gonna be late!

All’a’y’all: But you’re always late.

Bringing DuPAIN: but this is a special occasion!

Lila grinned. Hell yeah, it was a special occasion! Lila Rossi was here to see the sights and kiss redheads--and her hotel already had a view of Paris.

They got their bags and headed out front to catch the shuttle to their hotel. The ride wasn’t long, at least not unbearably so, because her pent-up excitement was making the time fly by.

Nathanael wasn't the first one there; Rose and Kim were already there. It was strange because Kim was was so big it was scary and Rose had the eyes of an anime character. As they got there he noticed those “things” about each of them. Those defining things. Like for Mylene it was her height and colorful hair. Max it was his stereotypical nerd outfit. Ivan was big, bigger than Kim. Sabrina had giant glasses and cute orange hair; the definition of a ginger. Alix had pink hair with one half in a pig tail. Adrien was a model boy, clearly, the damn kid practically glowed. For Chloe most people noticed the hair or the “rich girl” aura but Nathanael was focusing on her weirdly thin lips and her face--she looked like Barbie. Nino’s was his red cap and headphones; he was able to spot him from across the plaza. Juleka was a perfect stereotypical goth. Alya was the definition of “strong independent woman” in the best way. Marinette looked tired like she hadn't gotten a full night's rest in a year. And Lila...

Was wearing his design.

Nathanael’s heart thundered in his chest when he saw the taxi pull up to the plaza, and it damn-near stopped when Lila stepped out, whisking her cape out the car behind her. She’d modified the outfit a little--it was more of an olive-green than the strange lime his color pencil pack had provided him--and had added a pair of brown heels to match. But she looked gorgeous, stunning, amazing…

“Oh my God, Lila! Hi!” Rose squealed, running up.

“Is that Nathan’s design?! You look amazing!” Alya added, following Rose.

“Is that Nathanael's design? Ugh of course you would pick his to wear.” Chloe said, trying to hide a grin as Sabrina shadowed her, openly smiling.

“Good to see you too Chloe.” Lila said. “It's good to see all of you face to face!” She finished as Rose let her go from a hug that Lila pulled her back into as everyone else piled into a giant hug. Some people were crying.

Eventually they let go and started wandering the city all of them saying things about various buildings that they had connections with, sometimes taking breaks because a lot of the girls were in heels. It was perfect except for Nathanael hanging in the back. She wanted to talk to him alone. She needed to talk to him alone. It's all she could really think about that this might be her only chance to see him and he has hardly spoken.

She let herself fall back in the group until she was close, then leaned over. “Hey,” she greeted. Nathanael’s face erupted into a mad blush and he quickly looked away.

“H-Hey,” he stammered out.

“Oh, not as charming in person as you are over text, are you?” she teased. He blushed more before grinning.

“I-I mean, do you want me to be?”

“You’re just… you’re being quiet. For a second I thought you weren’t excited to see--”

“O-Of course I’m excited to see you! I just--I am--I was--well, I’m--shy.”

“I can see,” she said with a giggle. He pouted a moment before hesitating.

“...you really liked that design, didn’t you? To wear it here in the middle of Paris.” he asked quietly, brushing a bit of hair from his eyes. She smiled.

“Of course. I loved it. It may not be Chloe’s style, but her designer wear can be a bit plain. I like my clothes to have a bit of flair, if I weren’t too shy.”

Nathanael laughed a bit. “You? Shy?”

“Hey, I’m not as shy as you are, tomato, but this fox is still a bit shy. I can’t exactly wear a cape and heels to school.” she grinned, flourishing her cape.

“So… it’s what you would wear, if people didn’t judge so much, and you had the money and budget and confidence to do so?”

“...yeah. Like that.”

Nathanael smiles. “Well, this was really a nice surprise. I’m really glad you’re here, foxy.”

“Me too, tomato boy,” she looked up as they reached the Eiffel Tower, smiling as she took the red-head’s hand in her on before kissing him on the cheek. “Me too.”

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