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bluemingcore · 3 years

Text

title: ma'am this is a bakery

summary: You stepped into the bakery, the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries wafted in the air, making you dizzy with euphoria. It was such a warm and inviting atmosphere, this favorite bakery of yours.

Or, you find something eye catching in your favorite bakery and it isn't bread! A relationship between you and Jisung slowly blooms, like yeast in bread.

characters: park jisung (nct) x reader

warnings/tags: none; fluff, lots of fluff; she/her pronouns are used for reader; bakery and university au

word count: 10, 417

a/n: a gift for my sister :)

title a reference to the meme "sir this is a wendy's"

links: ao3

You stepped into the bakery, the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries wafted in the air, making you dizzy with euphoria. It was such a warm and inviting atmosphere, this favorite bakery of yours. You loved stopping by every day for lunch to grab something to eat before heading back to class.

Taking a tray, you peered into the plastic cases, your hunger tempting you to go take everything you see.

Resisting that urge, you take a cheesy bread. You glanced around at the other breads, wondering if you should take a sweet bread to counter the savory one. You spotted the milk tea bun. It was sitting alone in the case. The last one! Quickly making your choice, you reach for the milk tea bun.

Just as you were doing so, another hand reached for the same one. Accidentally touching the stranger’s hand, you pulled back quickly.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” You say, turning your head to look at the other person.

“No, it’s fine,” the stranger said. He turned to look at you. “You can take it.”

You stared at the man in front of you. Dressed in a white button-up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with a dark blue apron—stained with what looks like flour—that fell above his knees, and black jeans. An employee...? You thought. You had to crane your head up to look at him. He was tall. And handsome. Really handsome.

You blinked.

“... Are you sure?” You asked, glancing away to look at the lonely milk tea bun.

“Yeah I’m sure. You reached for it first. Besides, you’re a customer. The customers always get what they want, right?” He smiled at you, making your heart skip a beat.

That last part kind of sounded a little sarcastic... So he is an employee then.

“Ah... I guess so...” You muttered.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get something else to eat for lunch,” The man absentmindedly said, more so to himself than to you. He then grabbed the milk tea bun and placed it on your tray for you, walking away before you could even say thank you. You blinked, a little confused by his actions, but decided to just finish your lunch trip and headed to the registers. Placing your items on the counter, you looked around for the boy who was gracious enough to give you the last milk tea bun, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Strange... You thought, bringing your attention back to the cashier when they asked, “Is that all for you?”

You ordered a milk tea to go and paid for your items. You left the bakery, walking back to campus while sipping on your drink.

—————————

You met up with your friend, Sophia, to eat lunch together at your university’s courtyard. Sitting at a picnic table, Sophia asked, “What did you get this time?”

“Brown sugar boba and a cheesy bread and a milk tea bread,” You answered, sitting down while taking your food out of the paper bag. “You?”

“I got a salad from the student union.”

“Gross,” You playfully said, looking disgusted. “I told you you should’ve gone with me. Also, I saw a cute worker there.”

“Really?” Sophia questioned, sounding actually uninterested in the supposed cute guy.

“Yeah, really. I’ve never seen him there before. He must be new,” You replied, eating your food.

“Yeah probably. You would know, you go there everyday.”

“Exactly. Anyways, we were both trying to get the last milk tea bun,” You continued.

“Wow, so romantic!” Sophia commented sarcastically.

You rolled your eyes. “I think he was on his lunch break or something, and wanted to eat it. But he let me have it.” You waved the milk tea bun to show it. “Obviously. He just put it on my tray and disappeared??? He’s so weird...” You shook your head, continuing to eat your lunch.

“Men are just weird like that.”

“Yeah, they are.”

—————————

Jisung wiped down the counters, quickly hurrying up to finish his tasks to his closing shift at the bakery. For what seemed like the 100th time that day—since he met her—his mind started thinking about the girl who wanted the milk tea bun earlier that day. He stopped what he was doing and hung his head low, sighing exasperatedly, as he thought about how he just gave her the bread and ran off without saying anything. Stupid... Why did I do that? He chastised himself, regretting his actions. I hope she comes back to the bakery soon...

—————————

Little did he know, you did return to the bakery the next day for lunch as you always do. You grabbed the food you wanted and paid for it. You didn’t see the Milk Tea Bun Boy (which was what you decided to dub him) you met the day before working, and you wondered where he was.

Just as you were opening the door to leave, someone else was also opening the door to enter.

“Oh!” The voice said in surprise. “Sorry.”

You looked at the owner of the voice and to your surprise, it was Milk Tea Bun Boy!

“Oh it’s you,” You said. “From yesterday. Thank you for letting me have the last milk tea bun.” You smiled brightly at him.

He stared at you, feeling a little flustered not only by what you said, but your smile. She’s cute... He thought.

“I-It’s nothing. I hope you enjoyed it.” He rubbed the back of his neck, not making eye contact with you.

“I did. Thank you. I got something different today.” You lifted the bag of food. “Well… I gotta go now. Bye.” You nodded your head slightly at the boy, before making your exit.

Jisung stared at your figure as you walked down the sidewalk, away from him and the bakery. He sighed, as he entered the bakery. She returned so quickly. If my shift was earlier I could’ve talked to her more. But still, he felt glad that he had a chance to see you, even if it was just a brief moment. Jisung went to the kitchen to put his apron on and start his shift.

—————————

“I saw him again today,” You said, sitting down on the bench and eating your food.

“Milk tea bun boy?” Sophia asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Yeah. I think he was going to work. I was leaving and he was walking out.”

“Did you say anything to him?”

“I told him thank you for letting me have the last bread.”

“You should get his number since you think he’s cute,” Sophia teased.

You shook your head at the thought. “I’m not gonna do that. That’s too awkward.”

Sophia laughed at you.

—————————

The next day for lunch, you and Sophia both decided to eat at the bakery together. You hoped Milk Tea Bun Boy was working, because you wanted Sophia to see what he looked like.

The two of you arrived, the scent of freshly baked bread saturating the air of the bakery.

“It smells so good in here,” Sophia commented, making moves to grab a tray.

“Hi, welcome!” A voice called from behind the counter. You turned your head towards the voice.

Milk Tea Bun Boy!

You smiled back at the employee. “Hi,” You said in response before turning away to your friend. You grabbed a tray for yourself, whispering to your friend, “That’s him.”

“Oh?” Sophia took a sneaky glance at the employee behind the counter, who was busy helping another customer. “That is a boy.” Was all she said in response.

You rolled your eyes playfully as you took the bread you wanted. A potato croquette and a milk tea bun.

The two of you headed towards the register with your items. “Hi. Is this for here or to go?” Milk Tea Bun Boy asked.

You were going to say to go, until your friend Sophia interrupted, “Let’s eat here.” She suggested. You glanced at her then back to the employee.

“For here,” You replied with a small smile.

“And is that all for you?”

“Um… can I also get a brown sugar milk tea with tapioca?”

“Sure.” As the employee rang up your items, you glanced down at the name tag fastened on his apron. The name read: Jisung.

After you paid for your items, you sat down at a table near the windows. The sun outside was shining bright and few clouds breezed along the blue sky. You watched as Sophia paid for her things, and sat across from you.

“Are you just gonna watch him from afar?” She teased, taking hold of her food and eating it.

You scoffed, rolling your eyes and shaking your head as you picked up your food. “I wasn’t even looking at him.”

“Yeah, sure whatever you say.” She giggled.

“Number 31.” Jisung’s voice called. You glanced at your receipt on the table.

“Oh that’s me,” You got out of your seat to the pick-up counter.

“Thank you!” You smiled at him as you took your drink.

He smiled back, nodding. “You’re welcome.”

You sat back down at the table, sipping your drink.

“I feel like I’ve seen him before…” Sophia said, thoughtfully chewing on her food.

“Where?” You lifted your brow quizzically.

“Hmm… I think he also attends our university. I think I’ve seen him in the hallways before.”

“Hmm...” You murmured, sipping on your drink.

—————————

“Jisung.”

“Huh?” Jisung snapped out of his stupor and looked at his co-worker.

Jeno shook his head. “Why don’t you just ask her out man?”

“I… don’t even know her name…” Was the only excuse Jisung could find.

“Well, then next time she comes and orders a drink, just ask, ‘Do you have a name or can I call you cutie pie?’” Jeno winked at his friend as if to make his point.

Jisung stared blankly at Jeno. “We don’t even ask for names. We use numbers for orders.” He pointed out so matter-of-factly. “You should know that you’ve worked here longer than I have.”

Jeno sighed dramatically, taking his friend by the shoulders and giving him a rough shake. “I’m trying to help you here!”

“Okay, okay, stop!” Jisung gripped Jeno’s wrists to remove the other boy’s hands off his shoulders.

“Besides, I think she comes in everyday for lunch.”

Jisung lifted a brow. “Really?”

Jeno nodded. “Yeah. I noticed when I started working here. Well, Monday to Friday at least. She may also go to the same university as us.”

“Hmm…” Jisung responded absently, returning to the task of wiping the tables down.

“Look, if you don’t ask her out, I will.” He looked at his friend, grinning mischievously.

Jisung glared at him. “Don’t you dare.”

Jeno laughed. “I’m kidding. But seriously. Just ask her out. You miss the shots you don’t take. She could say yes. Oh, what if she has a boyfriend already? That’d be awkward.”

Jisung groaned at his friend’s ramblings.

—————————

On certain weekdays when Jisung was working the lunch shift, he often saw you come in to grab something to eat. Sometimes you came in with your tall friend, sometimes it was just you. It has been a week since he first had that encounter with you, but he still never built up the courage to ask you out, or even make small talk outside of his usual work-related questions. The encouragement, or nagging, from Jeno didn’t do much to push him to say anything to you.

Jisung sighed internally at his whirlwind of thoughts. Why was he like this? Why couldn’t he just talk to her? Why—

The ringing of the bells brought Jisung’s attention to the present. The door of the bakery opened and lo and behold, the source of his internal turmoil walks in.

Lunchtime already? Jisung thought to himself as he checked the time on his watch. Time had gone by really quick.

Jisung looked back at you, and was caught by surprise to see that you were accompanied by another person. It wasn’t your tall white friend this time, but a male instead.

Is that her… Jisung’s thoughts began to storm again.

He watched the two of you as you both walked around and chose which items to eat. He turned to Jeno, who was manning the cash register. Jisung didn’t have a chance to ask before the older boy beat him to it.

“Hey, do you think that’s her boyfriend?” Jeno asked lowly.

Jisung sighed. “I don’t know.”

Jeno noticed his friend’s inner turmoil. “Well, we can’t assume every boy she walks in with is her boyfriend. It could be a relative or a friend.” He tried to make his friend feel a little better.

Jisung quickly left the cash register counter when he saw the pair approaching.

After the pair paid for their items and left, Jisung approached Jeno again.

“His name is Bryson,” Jeno said.

“What? How do you know that?” Asked the young boy with furrowed brows.

“She said his name.” Jeno replied as if that was a fact Jisung should’ve been aware of. “He offered to pay for their food and she was like ‘Bryson you don’t have to do that!’” His voice went high-pitched for a moment to mimic the girl. “But he insisted and paid for the food anyway. This is why I don’t think they’re dating because —“

Jisung rolled his eyes, turning away to leave his friend’s ramblings. “You talk too much.”

“Hey! Don’t you wanna hear my theory?” Jeno called after.

“Not really. You don’t make any sense.” Jisung went back to his tasks.

—————————

Later that day after classes ended, you met up with Sophia to walk to the library to do some homework together.

“… and I didn’t want Bryson to come with me but he insisted! What if Milk Tea Bun Boy thinks we’re dating now?!” You groaned.

“Hey, at least you got free food.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“If you’re stressing so much over this, just make it known to him that you’re single! Ask him out already!”

You shook your head. “Too awkward.”

“What’s awkward is you lusting over him while saying nothing.” Your friend rolled her eyes.

“I’m not lusting over him,” You quipped.

“Whatever you say.”

—————————

Several days later, you, along with Sophia, once again went to the bakery to grab lunch.

“Let’s eat here today,” Sophia suggested.

“Mmm….” You replied as you thought about what to eat.

Sitting down at the table near the windows after you paid for your items, you noticed Milk Tea Bun Boy walk in, the bells above the door jingling behind him as he was putting his apron on. As he walked in, he glanced at you. You flushed and quickly looked away, giving new attention to your food instead.

Sophia stared at you blankly while she shook her head.

Jisung watched from afar as you and Sophia chatted away and ate together. He thought you looked especially cute today. Your hair was styled differently and the dress you wore was adorable, suiting you quite well, he thought. He sighed internally and turned away. What was he thinking? What was he doing? Was he just going to stare at you from afar forever? Or was he going to finally get the courage to do something about it? Maybe Jeno was right—

Without thinking, Jisung made his way to where you were sitting. When you and Sophia noticed him approaching, your attention was turned to him.

Oh no… He thought. Why was he approaching you again? What was he supposed to say? Think Jisung, think!

“Uh…” He sputtered upon reaching your table. “If you’re done eating, I’ll take that.” He looked at the trays on the table and the other trash.

“O-oh… Yeah we’re done. Thank you.” You said, smiling warmly at him.

Jisung’s ears tinged pink, he looked down and quickly took away the trays and trash.

Sophia could only stare at him and you with a confused look. “Okay… Let’s go back to campus. My next class starts soon.”

—————————

“You did that??!” Jeno laughed. And laughed. Until tears sprung from the corner of his eyes.

Jisung groaned. “Shut up! I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Haha, sorry. It’s just too funny.” He wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye and flicked it at his friend.

“Stop that.” Jisung glared, swatting away Jeno’s hand.

“But seriously man. You need to just talk to her. She seems nice. Like I said, if you don’t say something, I will~” He chuckled.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Hehe, who knows…”

—————————

The next day for lunch, you and Sophia once again ate inside the bakery.

“I can’t believe midterms are coming up so fast,” You said with a sigh after a bite of food.

“I know. This semester is going by way too fast.”

Jisung emerged from the employee break room, unsurprised to see you sitting at the table by the window with your friend. He was on break when you arrived, so he didn’t see you come in. He adjusted his apron, walking towards you, his head replaying the conversation between him and Jeno from yesterday.

“I can take that if you’re done,” He said, standing by your table.

“Oh, yes, we’re done, thank you.” You gave him a small smile.

Jisung started gathering the trays on the table. “I notice you come here a lot…” He started.

“Yeah, I really like this bakery. And it’s really close to campus so I like to come here to get something to eat in between classes.” You replied.

He nodded. “I see… So you go to [university name] then?”

“Yeah, we both do.” You gestured between Sophia and yourself. “Do you go there too?”

“I do. I’m a music major.”

“Oh that’s cool! What —“ You were interrupted by the jingling of the bells from the door.

“Hi, welcome!” Jisung turned to the new customers walking in. “I gotta go.” He said to you, taking the trays and leaving.

“Well that was a good start!” Sophia said encouragingly as you both walked back to campus.

“It was so awkward…” You sighed, shaking your head.

Sophia patted your shoulder. “Cheer up. At least he initiated conversation. Maybe he likes you.”

You could only sigh at her response.

—————————

“Good job. At least you said something to her.” Jeno said to Jisung as the two were walking to the library together.

“She probably thinks I’m weird, just talking to her outta nowhere. Then, a customer walked in in the middle of our conversation and I had to leave.”

Jeno playfully slapped his friend on the back. “Gives you another opportunity to talk to her next time. By the way, do you have the notes for sociology? I dozed off last class and I seriously need to get to studying for that midterm.”

Jisung rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I have it. I’ll email it to you.”

—————————

Your head spun as you glossed over the list of terms that were going to be on your midterm. You enjoyed your sociology class, but these terms were so much to remember all at once! You were sitting at a table at the bakery that you always go to, left hand holding a curry bun, other grasping pages of notes you printed out. It was the weekend, and you were waiting on Sophia to arrive so the two of you could start studying for midterms together. You sighed and put the paper down, taking a bite of your food and glancing around the bakery. Milk tea bun boy—Jisung, if you will—wasn’t working at the moment.

The door opened, bells jingling to signal an entry. You turned your head towards the door, expecting Sophia to walk in. Instead, it was Jisung, apron hung over his forearm, a backpack slung over his shoulder. The two of you made eye contact. You weren’t sure whether you should say hi, so you opted for a friendly smile—a smile that Jisung returned—before turning back to the papers sprawled in front of you.

You checked the time on your phone. Where was Sophia? She was already 10 minutes late.

From behind the counter, Jisung watched as you were poring over the sheets of paper on the table. He began thinking of ways to make conversation with you. Absentmindedly, he grabbed the table cleaning supplies, and sauntered over to the empty tables near you.

You weren’t paying much attention to your surroundings, your eyes trained on the paper in your hand, as you read and reread the terms. Jisung was cleaning the tables, mind still mulling over how to make small talk to you. Why couldn’t he just be bold and brave like Jeno was? That man would make conversation with a tree if it looked interesting enough.

He sighed inwardly before he noticed a stray paper on your table slipped off, cascading slowly onto the floor. He looked at your concentrated countenance, focused on reading whatever it was that you were reading. You didn’t seem to notice the fallen paper.

Jisung walked over and picked it up for you.

Finally, you lifted your eyes up when you noticed his presence nearby.

“This fell.” Jisung said, handing you the piece of paper.

“Oh, thank you.” You took the paper from him.

“… What are you studying for?” He asked, looking at the mess of papers.

“Intro to sociology.” You answered with a sigh. “It’s midterm season.”

Jisung noticeably perked up at “sociology.” “Intro to sociology?” He echoed. “I take that course too. Who do you have it with?”

“Professor Robertson. He’s a really great professor.”

His eyes widened. “Professor Robertson? I take him too!” He smiled.

Your eyebrows raised in surprise. “What, really? Wait, what section? I’m in section five.”

Jisung deflated, nodding in understanding. “Ahh… I’m in his fourth section.”

“Oh okay... Did he give your class a study guide? He told my class that he’s going to give us a study guide for the exam. A study guide would be really helpful, so I can know what to study for. I printed out all my notes and the PowerPoints lectures.” You gestured to the papers in front of you. “It’s a lot.” You sighed.

Jisung shook his head, chuckling softly. “He told us the same thing. He hasn’t emailed a study guide yet, but we’re all waiting on it. You’re preparing for it kinda early, don’t you think? The midterm’s still a couple of weeks away.”

You shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s best to prepare early, right? Plus, there’s so much material to know.”

He nodded. “You’re really thorough. I haven’t even started looking over my notes yet.”

“You should get a head start. Exam day is gonna be here before you know it.”

“Haha, you’re right about that. Uh, well… How about studying together sometime? I could use the help.” Jisung felt nervous.

You were taken aback by the question. “Oh, sure! I could use a study buddy!” You smiled at him, a giddy feeling in the pit of your stomach.

He beamed at your response. “Cool! Um… oh, I never gave you my name. I’m Jisung.”

You giggled. “I know. I noticed it on your name tag.” You pointed at the name tag on his apron, crookedly displayed.

“Oh right.” He smiled, glancing down at his name tag.

“I’m y/n.”

“Y/n?” Jisung repeated. “That’s a pretty name.” He smiled softly at you. You felt heat rush to your cheeks. “Oh, um, let me give you my number. I work until closing today but if you ever want to study together, just text me.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket. “And you can give me your number too, um, if you want to, of course.”

You smiled, reaching for your phone and handing it to the boy. “Well, even if I don’t give you my number now, you’d end up having it when I text you anyways.” You responded playfully with a laugh.

Jisung cleared his throat, entrapped by the fact that he was now exchanging numbers with you. And on top of that, you insinuated that you were going to text him eventually. “Ha… you’re right,” He said with a smile, taking your phone in his hands and giving his phone to you. He entered his number into your contacts, and you did the same to his. Just as you took your phone back, the door opened. Sophia’s tall figure walked in, giving you a wave and a smile. You smiled and waved back.

“I gotta go back to work. Good luck studying.” Jisung said with a bright smile, turning on his heel and walking away.

“Sorry I’m late.” Sophia sat down across from you, “I had to wait for my co-worker to arrive before I could clock-out and they were late.” She opened her backpack and started rummaging for her laptop.

“It’s okay,” You reassured, a smile on your face as you looked at the new number displayed on your phone. Park Jisung, it read.

Sophia grinned at you. “So… what happened?” She wiggled her eyebrows knowingly.

“What do you mean?” You feigned ignorance.

She scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes. “Okay, you can just tell me after. I’m gonna get something to eat.”

—————————

“You got his number?!” Sophia’s eyes were wide. The two of you were finished studying and were walking back to Sophia’s car.

“Yes!” You beamed, feeling giddy and unbelieving that he actually asked for your number. “He wants to study for the sociology midterm together.”

“Well, how exciting for you.” She grinned.

—————————

Several days later, while you were sitting in statistics class bored out of your mind, you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket. It was a text from Jisung.

Hey do you wanna study together at the library?

You immediately responded.

What time?

I’m at work until 2:30pm, so after that?

Okay sounds good :) I’m in class right now so I’ll head straight there and find us a table

Great see you then! :D

You hid your smile behind your hand and began impatiently tapping your foot. Could this class just end already?

—————————

Finally. His shift was over. It was 2:30pm and Jisung took off his apron, folding it and stuffing it inside his backpack. “I’m clocking out now,” He announced to his manager.

On his way out, he stopped in his tracks.

—————————

You texted Jisung: I’m sitting on the first floor next to the windows in the back

You weren’t sure why you felt so nervous. You were just studying sociology with a (cute) boy who works at the bakery you always go to, who had asked for your number. So nothing wrong with that. You started taking out your laptop and notes.

After some time, you received a text from Jisung.

I’m on my way!

—————————

“Hey!”

You looked up at the voice. “Hi.” You smiled at Jisung. He was wearing jeans and a printed t-shirt. You thought he looked weird without his work apron on. But then again, it’d be weirder if he always wore it. This was the first time you saw Jisung outside of his usual setting at the bakery. It was weird, in a different-nice kind of way.

“I got us something to eat while we study.” He placed a bag on the table. “Some pastries from work.”

Your eyes widened at the pleasant surprise. “Woah, really? Thanks!”

“No problem. Here.” He reached into the bag, pulling out a milk tea bun and handing it to you. “I’m sure you’ll like this one.”

You laughed. “I do. Thank you. Sorry about taking the last one from you that day.”

Jisung shook his head, settling himself in the seat across from you. “It’s fine, really. So, how are you studying?”

The two of you only managed to study for about 30 minutes before getting tired of it and deciding to “take a short break.”

“How long have you been working at the bakery?” You asked, cheek resting on the palm of your hand.

“Hm… Maybe about 2 months now? I haven’t been working there that long. My friend Jeno, who also works there, got me the job.”

“I see. I figured you haven’t been working there long because I go to that bakery all the time.”

“Yeah, you do come in often. Is it your favorite place?”

You nodded with a smile. “The top bakery in this city in my opinion. Everything is always really good and the workers are always nice.”

“Ah… so you think I’m nice?” He teased, grinning almost too playfully.

“Yeah.” You nodded. “Unless there’s reason for me to think otherwise?” You playfully responded.

His face reddened at your forthright response. “Haha, no… I do think of myself as nice.”

The conversation petered out.

“You told me before you’re a music major right?” You asked eventually. “What do you want to do in the future?”

At that, Jisung smiled brightly, as he began diving into an explanation of his hopes and dreams, his love for music and his wishes of creating music and singing, for making people happy with music. You listened intently, entranced by his passion for music, his smile and the way his eyes sparkled while talking about it.

“You’re so passionate about it.”

He smiled. “What about you? What’s your major?”

“Well now I’m gonna sound silly compared to you and your passions.”

Jisung vigorously shook his head. “Don’t compare your dreams to mine. We all have different dreams in their own right. Your passions have a special meaning to you as mine does for me.”

You smiled at his words and his adamant reassurance. “I…”

It was then your turn to explain yourself, your passion, your dreams, and future goals. Jisung looked at you, listening intently, nodding and asking questions when appropriate. He kept his full attention on you and his interest in what you had to say made you feel giddy inside.

Before you knew it, two hours had passed.

“So much for studying.” You sighed.

“That’s okay. We can try again next time.”

“Next time?”

He smiled. “Yeah, if that’s okay with you.”

Tapping your finger on your chin, “Hm, I don’t know. You’re not that great of a study buddy, considering we barely did any studying.” You joked with a little chuckle. “I’m kidding.”

“Then you can give me a second chance tomorrow.”

You smiled. “Okay, tomorrow. You better prove yourself.”

—————————

Tomorrow came and Jisung did prove himself to be a decent study companion. For the first forty-five anyways. Then as the day before, you and Jisung lapsed into leisurely conversation. The two of you were able to talk for hours. You were comforted by how Jisung was very easy and fun to talk to. The conversation would veer into favorite music, artists, recent movies, favorite movies, and just about any topic that could be discussed that wasn’t sociology.

Before you knew it, evening had fallen and the last rays of the sun disappeared from the sky.

“It’s getting late now.” You remarked, looking outside the windows at the darkness shrouding the courtyard.

“I’ll walk you back to your apartment.” Jisung offered, picking up his things from the table.

“You don’t have to do that.”

He shook his head. “I do. You shouldn’t walk by yourself in the dark.”

“… Okay. Thank you.”

“You know, I haven’t stopped by the bakery these past two days for lunch,” You were telling Jisung as he walked you to your apartment. “Since we’ve been studying together and stuff.”

“Oh that’s right. We can study at the bakery tomorrow then? I don’t work tomorrow anyways.”

“Yeah, okay, we can do that.”

You made conversation about the anime Jisung finished watching on the way to your apartment. You told him that you had already watched that one and were amicably discussing the thrilling plot and your favorite characters before you finally ended up on the front door of your apartment.

“Well, we’re here.” You said, feeling awkward. “Thanks for walking me here.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

Jisung nodded. “Yeah.”

You unlocked the door. “Bye…”

“Bye. Good night.”

“Night.”

Jisung slowly turned to leave. You pushed your door open, and looked at his retreating figure. He turned around for a moment, smiling at you and waving before finally disappearing around the corner.

You walked in your apartment and closed the door behind you. You had so much fun with Jisung that ending the night felt wrong, almost sad. But you were going to see him again the next day. You smiled to yourself thinking about it.

“Oh hey you’re home.” Sophia called out to you from the kitchen, causing you to jump.

—————————

You impatiently tapped your pen on the desk, eager to finish your last class of the day. You just wanted to see Jisung. You felt excitement bubble inside as you thought about meeting him for another study session at the bakery. You wondered if he felt the same.

Time passed, the lecture boring you to tears. The minute the professor wrapped up the lecture, dismissing the class, you packed your things and left straight to the bakery.

Jisung was already there, sitting at a table with two drinks and some food spread out, and his laptop balanced on the corner of the table. It was weird to see Jisung at his workplace, not in his work uniform and not working. But you had to admit, you liked seeing him like this. When the door opened, he looked up from his laptop, giving you a smile and then waved you over.

“Hey you.”

You returned his smile, setting your backpack down and sitting at the chair across from him. “Hey. You’re actually studying.” You said teasingly.

He chuckled. “I barely started.” He pushed a drink and wrapper of bread towards you. “This is for you.”

“What really? You gotta let me pay you back.”

“No.”

“What, why?” You whined, pouting. “You bought food last time too. It’s only fair.”

He shook his head vigorously. “No. It’s on me. I mean it.”

“Jisung…” You whined, dragging out the last syllable of his name.

The corner of his lips tugged in a tiny small, finding your insistence rather adorable and endearing. “Okay, okay, fine.”

You smiled brightly.

“Next time though, okay?”

You groaned, rolling your eyes. “Okay. Fine. Next time for sure.”

Jisung propped his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his hand. So cute… He thought as you grumbled to yourself before finally deciding to take out your laptop and study materials.

“No distractions this time, okay?” You told him in a stern tone. “I have other assignments I need to focus on.”

He nodded. “Yes ma’am. I won’t bother you.”

He wanted to though. While you were focused on whatever assignments you had, he watched you from the edge of his laptop from time to time (okay, he’ll admit it, for most of the time). He thought you looked cute like that. Your expression held unduly focus on your laptop and notebook, your lips sometimes moved to mouth whatever it was that you were reading, sometimes you would blink excessively at your laptop as if confused at something, your brows would scrunch together in concentration. He couldn’t help but admire your features.

You were tapping the bottom of your pen to your chin, deep in thought, with a blank expression on your face, your eyes moving back and forth on the laptop screen.

“You’re so pretty…”

“Huh?” Your eyes moved from the screen to his face.

Jisung’s eyes slightly widened in realization. Wait. Did he just say that out loud? Oh crap. He didn’t mean to.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, shaking his head. “I said I’m bored.”

You tilted your head. It sure didn’t sound like that before but you didn’t want to dispute it since you weren’t totally sure. “We barely started studying.”

“Yeah, so? Studying is so boring.”

You shook your head with a light smile. “You’re not wrong there.”

“Jisung?” The two of you looked to the source of the voice.

“Huh, Jeno? You’re working today?”

“Yeah, I switched shifts with Jaemin.” Jeno looked over at you. A grin spread on his face. “Oh hey. You’re the customer that always comes here. I haven’t seen you around lately.”

“Yeah, it’s because I’ve been spending time studying with Jisung.”

“Oh~? Really? Well, how exciting.”

“Not really. It’s studying.” Jisung mumbled. He looked at his friend with an unamused stare. “Shouldn’t you be clocking in now?”

Jeno huffed a small laugh. “I suppose I should now. I’ll let you two at it. If you need something let me know~” He lifted a hand to wave before turning away, walking towards the employee door.

“Sorry about him.”

You laughed. “It’s fine. Let’s get back to studying.” You looked at your laptop before looking back at Jisung. “No distractions! I’m gonna set a timer so no distractions until then, okay?” You reiterated sternly.

He smiled. “Okay, okay.”

The two of you studied for an hour. Well, more like you were doing work while Jisung sometimes got distracted by you (but he was also doing some studying here and there).

An hour passed. You took a deep sigh, sitting back in your chair. “Okay… I finished my assignments.” You looked up at Jisung. “Did you get anything done?”

“Uh… A little?”

You pursed your lips, shaking your head in a playful manner. “Shame, Jisung, shame.”

He laughed. “Sorry. I couldn’t concentrate. There’s just some… natural distractions, you know?”

“Natural distractions?”

“Yeah. Distractions that can’t be helped.”

You rolled your eyes, smiling slightly at his nonsense. “Whatever you say.”

The two of you then dropped into idle conversation. You talked about this and that, the weather, the classes you’re taking this semester, the new drinks the bakery is developing, and before you know it, another hour passed.

“… you would think the main character would know better but he doesn’t,” Jisung was saying about a character in a certain film.

“Yeah, right, it’s-“

“Hey, you two.”

You and Jisung turned to the voice. It was Jeno again.

“What is it, Jeno?” Jisung sounded mildly annoyed.

“I was feeling bored. Just wanted to say hi.”

“Well, hi. Now go back to work.”

“Ah, so harsh.” Jeno shook his head. He turned to you. “I never got your name. I’m Jeno by the way.”

“I’m y/n.”

“What a lovely name, y/n~”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

Jisung looked at you then turned his head to give Jeno a stare. “You’re on the clock.” He stated with a sigh.

“What? You flirt on the clock.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Uh, yeah you do. Last time when y/n was—“ Jisung kicked his friend in the shin. “Ow!”

“Okay, okay you’ve made your point.”

The door opened, bells jingling as a customer walked in.

“Great timing,” Jisung mumbled to himself.

“Alrighty then, I’ll go. Talk to you later y/n and Jisung!”

Jisung sighed as his friend turned and walked to the counter. “Sorry about him. Again.”

You laughed. “He’s quite entertaining.”

“Yeah, in more ways than one.”

You checked the time on your phone. “Ah… I think I should get going now. I told my friend Sophia that I would go grocery shopping with her.” You began to pack your things. “Today was really productive though. Thanks again for studying with me. I always find it useful to have someone to study or do homework with because it keeps me focused. Even if we’re not working on the same subject, you know?”

He nodded. “Yeah, same here.” (A half-lie, since he wasn’t doing much work in the first place.)

You slung your backpack over your shoulder, standing from your chair. “I’ll see you later then?”

He nodded, giving you a smile. “Yeah. Bye.”

You waved as you made your way out the door.

Jisung sighed as he watched you leave, feeling somewhat empty inside with your absence.

“Good going with the study dates.”

He turned his head, staring at Jeno who was standing next to his table. “Dates?”

“Isn’t that what these things are called?”

Jisung thought about it for a moment. He didn’t really think of the study sessions as dates. “Huh… I guess so… But we haven’t had an official ‘date’ yet. I haven’t really asked her out… These are more like… friendly gestures?” Yeah, sure. Friendly gestures.

Jeno scoffed. “Yeah sure. Proud of you for making the moves on her though!”

“I swear I’m gonna hit you one day.”

“What do you mean one day? You already kicked me today.”

“I think that was well deserved.”

—————————

You didn’t get to study with Jisung the day after. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. He had sent a text explaining his unfortunate work and class schedule, so he wasn’t able to study at certain, available times with you. But despite not getting to spend “study” time with him, you still visited the bakery on your break times. Sometimes he would be working that shift, sometimes he wouldn’t (you’d text him telling him you were at the bakery and he’d reply with a frowny face about how he’s in class or elsewhere). Even though you were still able to see him sometimes while he was at work, as well as having late night texts with him, you began to miss your study sessions together (even if those study sessions weren’t always the most productive ones).

One day, you received a text from him.

Can you come to the bakery at closing time?

You responded: Sure but why?

I’ll see you then!

He did not answer your question. You smiled and shook your head at the phone. Still, you complied. You spent the day on campus finishing up assignments and studying before walking to the bakery five minutes before closing. The sun dipped low in the sky, casting a dusky orange glow on the streets. Approaching the store front, you could see Jisung through the glass wiping the tables down. He lifted his head and saw you staring at him. He smiled and waved. Giving him a sheepish smile in return—you felt a bit embarrassed about getting caught staring—and a wave, you walked inside the bakery.

“Hey.” The door jingled behind you as you walked in. “Why’d you want me to come at closing time?”

“Give me a moment.” He finished doing his task and walked behind the employee doors. There were voices chatting indistinguishably and Jisung eventually reappeared without his work apron on. He was wearing a white button up shirt rolled to his elbows and dark blue jeans. You thought he looked really handsome like this.

“So… what is it?”

He ran his hand through his hair, looking a little fidgety. “Well… It’s dinner time now. And I was wondering if you wanted to go out and grab some dinner together?” He took a pause. “If you want to, of course…”

You were taken aback by his sudden question. You gave a short laugh, a sort of nervous, giddy laughter. “Wait, are you asking me out on a date?”

He blinked, a light blush making its way to his cheeks. “Yeah, I am. Y/n, would you like to go out on a date with me?”

You smiled, a giddy feeling bloomed in your stomach. “I’d love to go on a date with you Jisung.”

He returned your smile. “Great. Let’s go. I know a nice sushi place.”

The two of you walked to the sushi restaurant that was not too far from the bakery.

“You know, at first, I thought you had a boyfriend.” He said this to you while you were waiting for your order to arrive.

“Huh? What, why?” Your face scrunched in absolute confusion.

Jisung gave an awkward chuckle before explaining himself. “It was because that one time you walked in the bakery with a guy.”

You tilted your head to the side, thinking about that ‘guy.’ “Ah.” You realized who he meant. “Bryson? That’s just a friend. You don’t need to worry about him. I turned him down long ago.” You took a sip of your drink.

Jisung nodded. “Ah, I see. Of course you’d have other suitors. It makes sense, since you’re so pretty.”

You looked at him in surprise, taken aback by his compliment. You blushed, taking another sip of your drink to cool yourself. “How can you say that with such a straight face…” You mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

The food eventually arrived and you and Jisung talked amicably while eating your dinner. Talking about this and that, the weather, your classes, recent movies and music. You loved how easy Jisung was to talk to. You loved how his eyes shine bright when he talks about a hobby of his or something he finds interest in or likes doing. You love how whenever you talk with him, he centers his attention on you and just you, making you feel like you’re the only person in the world.

“Ah~ That was so good. I feel so full now.”

The check came around and Jisung instantly snatched it in his hands.

You gave him a glare (that had no bite). “Let me pay! Last time I said that I’ll pay next time and it’s next time.”

“No, it’s okay. I got it.”

“Jisung, really!”

He chuckled, shaking his head adamantly. “Consider this as… a gift for going out with me tonight.”

You huffed. He was persistent and stubborn and you didn’t have it in you to keep fighting him. “You’re so stubborn.”

He smiled.

“Let me walk you back to your apartment.” He said once the two of you were outside the restaurant. “It’s late now. I can’t have you walking back by yourself.”

So, he walked you back to your apartment. The two of you once again fell into a vibrant conversation about any topic plausible to talk about.

“Thanks for walking me home,” You said as you approached your apartment.

“It’s no problem.”

“And thanks for dinner. I had a lot of fun.” You smiled. Before you lost your courage, you quickly stood on your tiptoes, giving him a peck on the cheek. “That’s to show my gratitude. Good night.” You unlocked the door and hurriedly stepped in, shutting the door behind you. You stood with your back pressed against the door, heaving a sigh as your face reddened.

“Oh hey you’re home.”

You jumped at Sophia’s voice, placing your hand over your heart. “You gotta stop scaring me.”

—————————

Jisung stood motionless at the other side of the door, fingertips touching the skin where you kissed him. A blush tinted his cheeks, reaching the tips of his ears. He couldn’t believe how adorable you were.

Later that night, when he got back to his dorm, he sent you a text.

I had a lot of fun tonight. Let’s do it again sometime

—————————

“Again” did happen (again and again). Jisung and you made studying/homework sessions at the bakery or library an occasional ordeal (naturally, dependent on your schedules), even little dates to the sushi restaurant for after-studying dinner became an occasional event. As you spent more time with him, you got to learn more about him and vice versa. He was a kind, gentle and humorous individual. He even got along well with your best friend, Sophia, which you were glad about. You even made him cookies one day, as a thank you gift for always buying you food. He was in disbelief at your baking abilities, as the cookies were soft and chewy, just how he likes it (when Jisung brought them back to his dorms, Jeno even tried to steal one, earning a slap on the shoulder from the other).

And little did you know, he felt the same way. Jeno would talk about you and ask questions about you to Jisung endlessly (to the point where Jisung would be a little bit annoyed). Jisung found you to be a truly beautiful, benevolent and passionate person. Whenever you talked about something you like, you never notice the smile on his lips and the shine in his eyes when he listens to you talk. You never notice the shy glances, the subtle admiration of your features, and the wistful longing stares at your lips. You weren’t aware but he did wonder how soft your lips were or how soft you would feel in his arms.

“I don’t believe in love at first sight,” He was telling Jeno one day after work, “But… she exceeded any expectations I had. She’s so pretty inside and out.”

“Yuck,” Jeno responded jokingly, to which Jisung rolled his eyes at.

“You asked.”

—————————

Midterms came and passed. You and Jisung studied for the sociology midterm together on the days before the big exam, quizzing each other on the terms and concepts, reviewing each lecture and PowerPoint, crying and screaming at the stress of exam-taking. (“Stressing over exams is such a nice bonding experience” Sophia told you).

“I’m in enormous debt to you and your study guide. It really saved my grade,” Jisung said to you when he saw you the following day of the exam. "Jeno's too." He chuckled.

You smiled, shaking your head. “It’s no problem, really. Glad it helped and you got a good grade.”

“Enough to keep my B+ I hope…” He took a pause. “Actually, I was wondering… do you wanna come over to my dorm this weekend and watch a movie? I can order us pizza or something… and we can just… watch whatever movie you want? A thank you for helping me study.”

So you did. Sitting on his bed with a blanket over your lap and a slice of pizza in your hands, you waited for Jisung to pull the movie up on his laptop.

“I can’t believe you haven’t seen all of the Shrek movies…” He was saying to you.

You shrugged, your mouth full of pizza. “I mean, I’ve only seen the first one.”

“We’re doing a Shrek marathon now.”

Despite having seen the Shrek movies numerous times, Jisung still paid much attention to the plot. You thought it was cute. You couldn’t help but stare at him a little. You thought he looked really pretty, the lights in the room were out, the laptop casting a harsh glow on his features, his focus entirely on the screen before him. You wanted to reach out, maybe brush your hands across his cheek, maybe hold his hand, put your hand on his chest and pull him close to you…

The lights flickered on and you blinked, hard.

“Oh hey there you two!”

“Jeno, couldn’t you have at least warned us before turning the lights on?”

Jeno only laughed.

The moments you spent with Jisung continued just like that. Days went and passed, and before you both knew it, it was soon spring break. You were gracious for it of course, but a hint of silent disappointment sprouted when Jisung told you he would be visiting home for the week. You didn’t say anything, but you silently wished to spend more time with him, seeing him one to three times a week just wasn’t enough. You craved his presence at times. Even if it was just sitting together in a room, that was enough for you.

—————————

So, Jisung visited home for spring break. You missed him a lot and going to the bakery just wasn’t the same without him there. Sometimes you’d expect to see him there standing behind the counter, only to be disappointed when he’s not. It was only a week without him but it felt much, much longer.

Who knew one week could feel like one year?

One more day! Can’t wait to see you :)

You smiled at the text from him. Before you were able to text back, your phone started ringing.

“Hey what’s up?”

“Hey y/n." Jisung's voice replied through your phone's earpiece. "...Sorry for the sudden call. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Oh…” You were slightly taken aback by his straightforward words.

“Sorry. Was that weird to say?”

You shook your head, even though you knew he wouldn’t be able to see it. “No, not at all. I… I miss you. A lot.”

A sigh of relief on the other side. “I miss you more.”

You huffed a laugh. “This isn’t a competition.”

Jisung chuckled. “Well, what are you doing right now?”

“I was actually preparing to go to bed.”

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, I forgot about the time difference.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just… glad I get to hear your voice.”

“Are you in bed right now?”

“… Yes…? …This better not be going where I think it’s going Park Jisung,” You replied in a jokingly stern tone.

“What? No!” Panic in his voice at the implications. “No, no, no…”

“I was kidding~”

“What I meant was, I want to play you a song… to help you go to sleep.”

“Play me a song?”

“Yeah. Hold on, let me grab my guitar.” A couple of thumping and ruffling sounds could be heard as you patiently waited for Jisung. “Okay, got it. Are you lying comfortably in bed?”

“Mmm… Give me a minute.” You reached over and turned the bedside lamp off, nestling yourself under your covers, placing your phone next to you, and turning your phone to speaker mode. “Okay, all comfortable.”

“Any song requests?” He strummed a cord, causing you to smile as the sound vibrated through the speakers on your phone.

“Hmm…” You gave it some thought. “Play me a song you recently started writing?”

“Okay. I don’t have the lyrics all written out yet but I have the basic melody.”

“That’s okay. Anything you play will be nice.”

Jisung began strumming the guitar, a soft melodious tune gently reverberated through your phone and into your darkened bedroom. The chords he played were careful and smooth, making you feel peaceful.

“This sounds so lovely…” You whispered, closing your eyes. Jisung didn’t respond, he continued strumming the chords on his guitar, in hopes of helping you fall to sleep. After a while, the gentle lull of slumber washed over you gradually as you focused on listening to Jisung’s melodic guitar playing. Jisung continued playing until your soft breathing could be heard through the phone.

“Y/n?” There was no response, as you had fallen into deep sleep. “Good night y/n… I love you.” He could only hear your soft snores in response.

When you awoke the next morning, your phone was dead. You groggily plugged your phone into the charging port and turned it back on.

A text from Jisung.

Sleep tight y/n. I hope you enjoyed the song I played. I’ll assume you did since you fell asleep so quickly hehe~ I tried staying on the phone with you but the call suddenly ended 5 hours in.

You titled your head to the side as you read this text. Did he really stay on the phone with you for five hours after you fell asleep? You smiled. You really couldn’t believe him.

—————————

Jisung had finally returned from his trip and you were incredibly eager to see him again. But every time you texted him asking if he wanted to study together or whether he was at work that day, he never replied. Still, you continued going to the bakery for lunch and even then, you hadn't seen him working at the bakery since his return.

On such a day, however, you did notice Jeno working.

“Hi Jeno,” You greeted him as you walked up to the register with your items.

“It’s y/n! Hi!” He greeted you with a bright smile. “How ya doing?”

“… I was wondering where Jisung is? I haven’t seen him in a while... Did he quit?”

“Jisung? Oh no, he didn’t quit. He’s just working less this week because of jet lag, so he’s been working in the evening shifts.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Is something wrong?”

You shook your head. “No… It’s just that he hasn’t answered any of my texts so I was kinda worried…”

“Ohh, I see… Well, it’s probably because he—“ Jeno suddenly cut off mid-sentence, eyes wide as if he said something wrong, and pursed his lips together in a tight line. He then let out a nervous chuckle. “It’s nothing. Nevermind what I just said. Don’t worry about Jisung, he’ll answer you soon.”

“… If you say so…”

“Okay is this all for you? Your total is $11.59.”

—————————

Jeno was right. Jisung texted you a couple of days later.

Hey! Sorry I haven’t responded to your texts. I’ve been busy with something. Can you meet me at the bakery tonight at closing?

You were so perplexed by his actions. Not speaking to you for a week after his return from his trip even though you missed him so much drove you near madness. Now this sudden cryptic text with a vague explanation and asking to meet at the bakery for no disclosed reason? You sighed. You really couldn’t understand it. But if going to the bakery meant answers, then that’s where you’ll meet him.

You approached the bakery’s store front almost exactly a minute before it closed. You peered into the windows. The bakery was all cleaned up yet there was no sight of Jisung. Strange.

You opened the door. The bells jingled behind you. As the door shut, you could hear the sound of music being played softly through the speakers. You looked around, brows furrowed in confusion. Still no sight of Jisung. On the table in the far corner near the windows--the one you always sit at--was a milk tea bun and a cup of brown sugar milk tea. You sat down at the table. The music continued playing softly. The sound was melodic, with gentle guitar strums and harmonious chords. Actually… It sounded quite familiar.

Then, the soft sound of a man singing. Your eyes widened slightly upon realizing that it was Jisung’s voice singing. The lyrics spoke of a person with a kind and charming smile with bright, vibrant eyes and a passionate soul. A person who is thoughtful and lovely, who is ethereal like the stars at night. A person that is easy to fall in love with. You listened carefully, completely captivated by Jisung’s singing voice. This was the first time you had ever heard Jisung sing and you wanted to relish in his melodic voice. But the song soon ended and a dull silence filled the bakery. Then, the door to the employee’s room opened, causing you to turn your head towards it.

“Jisung?”

He smiled, walking towards you. “Did the song sound familiar? It’s the song I played to you that night to help you go to sleep. It’s a song I’ve been working on for you and I finally finished it yesterday. I wanted to finish it as soon as possible, so that’s why I haven’t been answering your texts lately… I’m sorry.” He sat down next to you, giving you a genuinely apologetic smile. You were in disbelief. When you didn’t say anything, he continued. “I… This song is meant for you. To… confess my feelings to you. I know I ignored you for a whole week, so I hope this can make up for it…” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened them, looking directly at you, taking your hand in his and giving it a squeeze. “Y/n… I like you… a lot… You had me in your hold that day we met here, at this bakery. I didn’t know I could like a person as much as I like you. And I love spending time with you, studying, doing homework, watching movies… and I want to keep being with you like this… So, will you be my girlfriend?”

You were in shock at his heartfelt confession. He was absolutely adorable and kind in every way you could imagine. “What if I say no?” You teased. Jisung visibly deflated and you couldn’t help but chuckle at his cute reaction. You quickly continued, “I’m joking Jisung. I accept your apology. The song is… wonderful. I can’t begin to describe how amazing it is…” You gave him a smile, squeezing his hand in return. “Thank you. Of course I’ll be yours.”

He took you into his arms and gave you a warm, tight, loving hug. He released you from his hold, though still gazing into your eyes. His eyes darted down to your lips, then back at you. He cleared his throat. “Um… May I… uh… kiss you?”

You smiled widely and nodded your head, a giddy feeling in your stomach. You didn’t wait for him to react before putting your hand on the back of his neck, gently pushing him towards you, and meeting his lips with yours. The kiss was soft and sweet. He tasted like mint candy (you wondered if he ate a mint in preparation for this).

Once you broke apart, Jisung beamed, a pink tint to his cheeks. He sighed happily. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

His smile was so adorable, you couldn’t resist to lean in again and kiss him on the corner of his lip. “Wait no longer. You can now have as many kisses as you want.”

His smile only grew wider. “It’s late. Let me walk you home?”

—————————

You walked into your favorite bakery, the bells jingled to signal your entrance. The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, making you smile. Your eyes caught the last milk tea bun sitting alone in its clear case. Without a second thought, you went over to take it. Just as you reached for it, someone was also reaching for it.

“Oh, sorry!” You brushed hands with the other person. You turned to look at who it was. A smile spread across your face. “You take it this time.”

Jisung smiled. “No,” He took the milk tea bun and placed it into your hands. “It’s yours now.”

“Jisung re-“

“No take backs!” He quickly leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead before turning and walking away. Your cheeks flushed.

“H-Hey… There’s people around…” Your fingers touched the skin where he kissed you.

Jisung swiveled his head to look at you, giving a bright smile. “I’ll make it up to you with a movie at my place tonight?”

You sighed, smiling. “I can’t say no to that.”

#nct imagines #nct dream #park jisung #park jisung fanfic #park jisung x reader #kpop imagines #nct dream x reader #park jisung nct #nct scenarios #kpop scenarios #nct dream scenarios #mywriting #blueming kpop imagines

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limitlessgojo · 3 years

Text

Blood Bound: Red Strings of Fate (Ch 12)

Warnings: Action, Coarse Language, Fighting, Descriptions of Blood

Previous Chapter: Kyoto-Tokyo Goodwill Event

Next Chapter: Home Sweet Home

Tags: Soulmates AU, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fem!Reader

Taglist: @lessie-oxj @rizzo-nero @whoreuc @fkngkumiko @isl3t @gojoussunglasses @onepotatostand-blog @s-t-f-u-b-i-t-c-h @sunaswife @lordguameow @track5enthusiast

Notes: If you want to be tagged for every update, please mention it in the comments below ty <3

2.8k words for this chapter.

Chapter 12: Goldenrod

You went to check on Noritoshi getting cleaned up in the infirmary. He perked up upon seeing you.

"Ieiri San!" You smiled at the woman who was dressing his wounds.

"Y/n, it's been a while. How are you?" She called out.

"Doing okay here. You let your hair grow out!" You hurried to her side for a quick hug.

She laughed. "The last time we saw each other, I still had short hair?? That must have been years back. You as well, from a little girl that came up to my waist, you're nearly my height now!"

You nodded wistfully at her before turning to Noritoshi, looking over his wounds. "I'm alright, y/n." He said quietly. You gave him a shaky smile, quietly hiding the fact that you were worried when he got knocked around by some of the seniors.

Ieiri smiled at the both of you. "No need to worry, he is fine y/n."

"Ayiieeee, lovebirds get a room!" Satoru popped up from behind you. You flinched hard and on pure instinct, lashed out with your whip. It sprung out, but Satoru easily stopped it with two fingers up. "Women in love are so scary."

"Toru nii, can you not?!" You wanted to skin this man alive. Ieiri just sighed out, cleaning up her tools. "I've done what I can Kamo kun. Try to get more rest for tomorrow." He nodded, "Thank you Ieiri san."

"Wahhh, you got kicked around huh Noritoshi? You look all worn out. Ain't my students amazing?!" Satoru taunted.

CRACK. Satoru teleported a few meters away. The space where he was a few seconds ago was filled with ice and frost.

Your face was hard as stone as you said, "Noritoshi did amazing. He did his best to coordinate with his team members as he fought against 2 of his seniors. Okkotsu kun was just different as a Special Class. But of course you know all about that, Toru."

"Why so defensive Neko Chan? I didn't say your man didn't do well right?" He drawled.

You opened your mouth, eyes furrowed, ready to retort when Noritoshi pulled you to him, gently hushing you as he softly patted your back. "He's riling you up. It's okay, I've learned a lot from today. It's our loss."

You leaned into Noritoshi, "You're too nice to that dumbass."

"Hey! Anyways, I wanted to speak with the both of you. If you're done here let's go." Satoru motioned towards the door with his head.

Both of you turned to him, before looking at each other and nodding.

◇◇◇

Satoru led you both to his room. "So, how long has your soulmate bond been active?" He asked as he closed the door.

Noritoshi was surprised, "How did you know about this?"

You nudged him. "He's my family friend, he eventually found out." You lied for the sake of protecting the details of Satoru's six eyes ability.

Satoru removed his blindfold, revealing his crystalline like eyes. "Yup, don't worry your secret is safe with me. I'm surprised but not too surprised that it's the two of you." He sighed out.

You crossed your arms and sat on his bed. "What do you mean?" Noritoshi remained standing.

"Both of you are just so different. And I've known you both since before. I guess it just never crossed my mind that you'd be together.

A soulmate bond is incredibly rare and fragile as you know. And I guess it only fits since both of you are more complementary to each other rather than have similar personalities like twin flames.

I have the soulmate records of some from the Gojo clan if that would help. But Noritoshi, sorry I have to ask you not to share it with your family." He said.

Ahh. The Great 3 clans still hold their secrets. You turned to Noritoshi, worriedly looking for his reaction.

He had this internal war of obedience to his clan elders vs seeing you so close to Satoru and seeing another side of the Gojo and Tsuchimikado clans like this.

"Toshi, if you can't, it's okay, we don't need to read it." You said carefully. "I know how hard it is to keep secrets from family."

Noritoshi mulled it over. Satoru was actually sizing him up. Seeing his family friend get entangled with a great 3 clan's future head… he would be lying if he wasn't worried for you.

“I’m assuming that there might be some details or secrets of the Gojo clan involved in the diary entries, which is why you’re being wary of me. But you have offered to let me read it, which already shows a bit of trust. As a future clan head, I know the significance of keeping good relationships with the other clans and elders. And so, I promise not to tell anyone else of the details in the diary.” Nori said solemnly.

Satoru perked up at that and smiled, “There shouldn’t be a problem then. Here, you both can have a look. Return it to me tomorrow afternoon. I hope it can help with your situation. It must be scary not knowing anyone else to turn to for help with the bond.”

You felt touched by that, “Thank you Satoru.”

◇◇◇

That night, you slept over once more in Noritoshi’s room, reading the excerpts.

"A soulbond can be rejected?!" You both stared at the notebook in horror.

"That must be so painful… imagine shutting down your fated pair." You murmured, turning to Noritoshi.

He patted you and nodded. "Hey look at this." He pointed to another passage.

“Wow, they can really telepathically communicate with complete sentences, that’s insane.” You said in awe.

Noritoshi cozied up to your side, playfully nudging his head against yours. “You want that for us too someday angel?”

You turned and bumped your nose against his before kissing him. “Of course, I want to experience everything with you Noritoshi.”

Noritoshi’s heart skipped a beat or two at that. His pulse was irregular for once. What on earth was that feeling? He confusedly looked down at his chest and patted it. He checked his vitals with his technique, but everything was in order.

You worried over him, “Are you not feeling okay? You got hit in the chest earlier right? We can call it a night and rest, you need sleep for tomorrow’s individual battles.”

“Okay then. Let’s quickly skim the diary.” You both caught a few important details, like how strong trust and honesty can strengthen a soulbond.

After spending time with each other and having significant encounters (“What on earth does that mean?” Nori asked. “Maybe like notable events with each other” you supplied.) helps a couple to move forward from one stage of the bond to another.

Something caught Noritoshi's eye. Reverse cursed techniques and some other advanced techniques that usually can only be done on oneself can be applied to the other soulmate.

That made him wonder… if he could manipulate your blood. But he put that thought aside for next time, unwilling for you to be a subject of experiment.

After that you both went to bed. "I'm gonna have such a hard time sleeping alone after spending so much time in bed with you." You whined out.

He chuckled, "Then just stay over as often as you want to. I like sharing the bed with you. It's not like it's cramped for the both of us." He pressed his lips to your forehead as you kissed him on the neck.

His heart squeezed tightly once more. What was wrong with him?! He was used to having it speed up whenever he was around you and attributed it to regular attraction. But this was different. His chest was tight, almost painful, and it was getting harder to breathe.

"Okay then. No take backs." You smiled, before closing your eyes. Noritoshi watched the moonlight illuminate your features for a bit before falling asleep.

◇◇◇

The next day, the lots were out. They announced that it would be a duel between 2 students on top of thick, tall, vertical standing logs set in a small lake. First one to push the other off the logs and into the water or out of bounds wins. Momo senpai has a huge advantage with no handicap at this.

To your slight horror, Okkotsu Yuuta was matched against Noritoshi. You visibly paled, but he went up and squeezed your hand before he left for the event. “I’ll be okay.” He promised.

“Oh you will be okay. I’ll make sure of it.” You said determinedly, already planning to step in just in case Rika goes wild on Noritoshi. Your thoughts were cut as Nori poked your forehead.

“I can hear your thoughts. Have a little more faith in me.” He gave a small smile. You nodded dumbly.

You watched the matches. None of them were particularly eye-opening. Until it was time for Okkotsu to fight Noritoshi. You clasped your hands together in prayer, eyes and senses wide open.

“Ready, Start!” Satoru called out.

Noritoshi immediately fired arrows, which honed on Okkotsu even though he tried to dodge. Good technique. Okkotsu had some trouble keeping up with the arrows and Noritoshi quickly moved in to punch him hard.

But Okkotsu was quick on his feet, leaping back diagonally onto another log before slashing at Noritoshi with his Katana. It went on a bit like this. With both men trading blows back and forth. They had decent balance on top of the logs.

Until Noritoshi made a major move, “Blood Manipulation: Slicing Exorcism!” He cut down a huge number of logs in Okkotsu’s area.

Okkotsu barely held on, jumping to another log that was borderline about to collapse. The water was now dangerously filled with the sharp edges of cut wood.

Your eyes brightened, ‘Please win Toshi.’

Noritoshi moved in for the kill, “Red Flowing Scale”, the X mark appeared on his eye as he readied to knock Okkotsu off. Until the dark mass that had been hanging around Okkotsu screamed, making everyone wince. “Yuuutaaa! You’ll get hurt if you fall down now!”

Satoru had explained that Orimoto Rika was the Special Grade curse with overwhelming power. Rika made a half-manifestation, easily smacking Noritoshi away. But she hit him too hard on the head, sending him flying way past the little lake set up.

Everyone gasped and yelled in horror. You saw red.

He was going to hit the ground hard. You stood up, slowing down his body in midair as you blasted your way over to him. You caught him in time.

"Angel?" He looked up to see you, and his heart tightened again. Ah... this might be love.

"Shhh, it's alright Toshi. You've done really well. Don’t speak," You worriedly activated your Reverse Cursed Technique as you floated down to the ground, hugging Noritoshi tighter.

“Thank you for catching me.” He patted your arm weakly. Blood was streaming down his temples. Not a good sign. “Ieiri san!” You cried out, but she was already making her way towards the both of you.

“Winner! Okkotsu Yuuta!”

Your blood boiled, but you knew it was still Okkotsu’s win. ‘He didn’t have to be that harsh on Noritoshi.’ “Age doesn’t matter to Jujutsu sorcerers darling.” Noritoshi coughed out as though he could read your mind. “I said not to talk!” You worriedly scolded him.

Ieiri quickly activated her reverse cursed technique alongside yours. Hers was incredibly refined, easily sealing up Noritoshi’s popped blood vessels. “Infirmary.” She said, putting a brace around his neck just in case of any spinal injuries.

“I’m so sorry, Rika went overboard!” Okkotsu yelled out. He looked really worried and sincere. You shifted uncomfortably; the apology isn’t for you so you backed away. Noritoshi waved him off, “It’s okay. Thank you for the fight, Okkotsu kun.”

A few more apologies and words of thanks were exchanged before Noritoshi was sent to rest in the infirmary. Satoru caught you by the collar, “Stay until the end of the event. Shoko will take care of Noritoshi.”

You glumly nodded. To be honest, Okkotsu was really friendly, easily chatting with all of you. And you all were delighted, laughing hard when Rika beat the living shit out of Todo as he tried to harass Okkotsu for his ideal type. The Tokyo kids weren’t too bad.

◇◇◇

“Take care y/n!” Satoru hugged you tight as the Tokyo school students and staff readied to go home. “Thanks again for everything Satoru.” You already returned his diary to him in Noritoshi’s place. He was still resting up in the infirmary.

“Hey…. Have you ever considered transferring to Tokyo Jujutsu Tech?”

‘What?’

“No, why would I? Noritoshi and my family are here.” You were taken aback.

Satoru looked thoughtful, “I could teach you a lot, and honestly I’d love to have you as my student. You’re really strong y/n. Think about it. Later!” and walked off with the rest of them, leaving you at a loss for words.

◇◇◇

It’s been a while since you’ve been dating Noritoshi, and everything seemed a bit brighter. Like the sun seemed to be really strong, the flowers smelled so nice, the air currents seemed to bend a little more easily under the command of your technique.

'Is this the effect of our bond?' You wondered to yourself, but then quickly shook away the thoughts to focus on your task.

A few days have passed since the Goodwill event. You would be lying if you said you weren’t inspired by watching Okkotsu and Rika fight. Rika was just a force to be reckoned with.

Learning how to move well in mid-air was a challenge, but it wasn't impossible thanks to your inherited technique. Since you grew up mainly focusing on items around you and the four elements, you were still having some difficulty with some mobility techniques.

But there was something you’ve been itching to do. Aside from working on your cursed technique: reversal, domain expansion, extension techniques, etc., there was another special technique that ran in the family.

You remembered your father’s words: “Lightning is generated in the presence of both hot and cold air. You can manipulate molecules to generate both. But doing it simultaneously is the challenge. The ice shards in the cold air collide with the warm water particles in mid air, causing static electricity to form."

"That way, you separate positive and negative charges in a space. That is how you generate your electricity. Take particular care, because for this to happen, you need to master both your extension technique: Niflheim and technique reversal: Inferno.”

For personal reasons, you didn’t like using Inferno. Because the last time you successfully used it was when you were 6 years old and it caused a disaster. A memory which you’ve buried so far under everything else that you continuously try to forget about it.

But for the sake of the secret art, you will.

“Merging techniques… does any other jujutsushi do this…” You wondered.

You set up several targets of bamboo shoots and wood. “Niflheim.” You froze a target then took a deep breath before trying your reversed technique.

“Cursed Technique Reversal: Inferno.” You put out two hands and linked your thumb and ring finger in each hand together. One hand facing the other from above and below. Then a red light appeared as you encircled and swapped the positions of your hands.

This hand movement activates Inferno as the target immediately explodes from the rapid heat expanding the cooled target. Steam and smoke billowed out. You let out a slow breath. So you can still do it even after all these years.

“Special Art: Goldenrod.” You manipulated Inferno in one palm and Niflheim in the other. Your left hand had your ring and thumb still linked together. While your right hand uses the 4 pointer hand position designed for Niflheim.

At first it just made small explosions of steam. Your hands got really sore from the back and forth temperature control.

This is where it gets tricky. Goldenrod has to be activated within your hands. So you also guard your hands against the drastic temperatures with your cursed energy, as you do when you control fire.

It hasn't worked out so far. Maybe you simply had to condense the molecules. You condensed them further and started seeing small sparks of lightning.

Your eyes widened in joy. You tried activating it once more with more cursed energy, only for a huge bolt of lightning to shoot out from your hands and destroy a large amount of targets. There was a loud crack of thunder.

You didn’t expect the energy to be this high as you were pushed back from the force. The air was knocked out from your lungs as you hit the ground hard.

“I think I need help. Maybe Satoru nii can...” you wondered to yourself. ‘Is it worth bothering him over something like this…’ With a shock, you realized you were actually considering his words to transfer to Tokyo Jujutsu High. “No way.” You laughed it off with uncertainty.

Blood Bound: Table of Contents

#blood bound #red strings of fate #kamo noritoshi x reader #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #jjk x you #noritoshi fluff #noritoshi x you #noritoshi x reader #noritoshi headcanons #jjk x oc #jjk x y/n #jjk spoilers #satoru gojo

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sisterspooky1013 · 3 years

Text

Only One Choice, Part 2, Chapter 14

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

“It was so good to see you, Will,” Valerie says in a muffled voice against his chest as he has her wrapped up tightly in a bear hug.

“I know, I’m so glad I ran into you,” Mulder replies, brushing his hands over her back. He pulls away and kisses her softly on the cheek.

“It makes me really happy to see you so happy,” she says with a smile, her long brunette hair lifting softly in the breeze, brown eyes holding affection that can only be held between two people who have the type of bond that can withstand a breakup and then a transition from lovers to friends.

“Likewise,” he says, nodding towards the small swell of her growing belly.

“I’d love to meet your girlfriend someday, if you think she’d be okay with that,” she says, collecting her purse.

“Yes, I’d really like that. I think you two would get along really well, actually,” he says, and she smirks at him.

“You’re not afraid we’ll bond over having to sit through your shitty movie collection?” she teases, and he laughs good-naturedly.

“Hey, Scully likes my shitty movies, that’s why we’re a perfect match,” he retorts.

She squeezes his arm.

“Call me sometime, okay?”

He nods and watches her walk away, feeling like he’s on cloud nine. A great friendship with his ex-girlfriend, a promising new love with the woman of his dreams; he can only imagine what lies in store next. He practically skips on the walk back to his car, wondering if Scully might let him come by tonight, hoping that he won’t have to wait until the weekend to see her again. He decides to call her as soon as he gets home.

The first few times he gets her machine, he assumes she must be at her mother’s. When she still hasn’t answered or called back by 9:00 pm, he’s confused. When he emails her the next morning and still hasn’t gotten a response at 10:00am, he’s officially worried.

Something is wrong.

———

She had eventually turned off the ringer on her phone and put the volume all the way down on her answering machine so she wouldn’t have to hear his increasingly obsessive attempts to get ahold of her, then slept fitfully all night.

She knows that she needs to give him some kind of response or he’ll show up on her doorstep, but she can’t bring herself to face him, even in voice. Every time the image of him with that woman pops back into her head, she feels a lump form in her throat immediately, a sick sadness welling in her belly. She’s pored over every memory in her mind, every interaction they’ve had, searching for signs. Signs that he was seeing someone else, that he wasn’t interested in anything other than getting in her pants, that he was lying to her. Her thorough inventory brings up next to nothing, which almost makes it worse; how adept he must have been at creating a false reality for her to exist in. Perhaps he’s garnered some tips from the sociopaths he studies, or maybe his background in psychology allowed him to manipulate her.

When she arrives at work, she is unsurprised though still dismayed to see an email waiting for her.

From: [email protected]

Sent: May 5, 1997 7:57 am

To: [email protected]

Subject: Where are you?

Scully, you’re freaking me out. Are you okay? Please respond.

She deletes it immediately and tries to focus on work. She performs an autopsy and teaches a class, both welcome distractions from her emotional torment. Just before 11:00 am, the phone rings.

“Autopsy bay, this is Trudy…yep, she’s here, one second.”

Trudy turns and opens her mouth to speak, but sees Dana waving her arms and shaking her head. She makes a confused face and puts the phone back to her ear.

“Oh, actually she just stepped out, sorry. Can I take a message?”

She watches as Trudy scribbles something on a piece of paper.

“Uh huh…yes. Okay, I’ll tell her…you have my word.”

She replaces the phone on the receiver and hands Dana the paper with a sympathetic frown.

“Trouble in paradise?” she asks rhetorically.

Dana looks down and deciphers Trudy’s messy scrawl.

Call Mulder immediately. Send a sign of life.

She crumples it up and tosses it into the trash can.

“You wanna talk about it?” Trudy asks.

“Nope,” Dana replies, turning back to the computer.

From: [email protected]

Sent: May 5th, 1997 11:03am

To: [email protected]

Subject: PLEASE RESPOND

Scully, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but if you don’t reply to this within an hour I’m driving down there.

Please respond

She feels fresh tears well in her eyes. Why is he trying so hard if he’s seeing someone else anyway? Why is he doing this to her? With a surge of anger, she hits reply.

From: [email protected]

Sent: May 5th, 1997 11:05am

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE:PLEASE RESPOND

I’m fine, Mulder. Please just give me some space.

With that she closes her email, begs someone to take her second class of the day, and goes home.

———

He feels like he’s stepped into an alternate universe. He’d left her happy and satisfied, and out of nowhere she’s shutting him out. What does she need space for? Space from him? Why? Did he come on too strong and freak her out? He thought they’d moved past that. He picks up the phone again.

“Autopsy bay, this is Trudy.”

“Trudy, it’s Agent Mulder again. Look, I don’t want to put you in an awkward position, but is Dana there?”

She pauses. “No, she went home for the day. She seemed pretty upset.”

“Do you have any idea why?” he implores.

“No, other than the fact that it seems to be directed at you.”

“Yeah, that much I gathered. Thanks, Trudy, sorry to bother you.”

“No worries, good luck.”

He slams the phone down, grabs his jacket off the back of his chair and leaves.

———

She is half expecting his knock, but it still makes her jump, nearly causing her to spill her wine. She wants to just ignore him until he goes away, but she knows his proclivity towards persistence won’t let him do that. Better to just get it over with, she thinks as she slumps towards the door.

The second she lays eyes on him in his slacks and dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his tie discarded, she feels her chin pucker and tears threaten her eyes. As angry as she is, she immediately wants to go to him, to curl up within his embrace so he can comfort her. The problem is, what she needs comforting from is him.

“What is going on?” he says with a mix of frustration and fear.

She stands in the open doorway, not making space for him to enter.

“I saw you,” she says, her voice strained with emotion.

“You saw me...what?” he asks, his face a mask of confusion.

She lifts her chin, clenching her jaw and summoning strength.

“I saw you with her. Yesterday, at the Bluebird Cafe. After I had lunch with my family.” her voice holds steady, anger carrying her through.

His face falls and her gut twists. She wishes she didn’t have to watch this.

“THAT is what this is about?” he asks, but there’s no shame or regret in his voice. If anything, he sounds a little mad.

She nods curtly.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he spits out, and she recoils a little at his vitriol. “Let me in, Scully. Right now,” he demands, and against her better judgement she moves aside.

He pushes past her into the apartment and she closes the door softly, leaving it unlocked in case either of them decides to make a hasty exit.

“Did you consider,” he begins, his back to her, “maybe, I don’t know, asking me about what you saw?” He turns to face her, one hand on his hip and his face contorted with anger. “Or were you just planning to avoid me until I gave up and went away again?”

She doesn’t know what to say. She’s confused about why he’s yelling at her when he’s the one who did something wrong. She just looks at him, expressionless.

He juts his chin out expectantly, waiting for an answer, but gets none. She averts her eyes.

“Is that all this is worth to you, Scully?” he continues, “you’re ready to throw this away over a simple misunderstanding, without even talking to me?”

She lifts her head and looks at him with a pained expression. “Okay then, talk,” she gets out.

He drops his head in frustration. “The woman you saw me with,” he says flatly, lifting his head to meet her eye, “was my ex-girlfriend, Valerie. I ran into her while I was running errands yesterday, and we had lunch. She has a boyfriend and is three months pregnant. We spent the majority of our meal together talking about you.”

She shakes her head gently, her throat closing as a tear rolls down her cheek. “I saw you kiss her,” she whispers, her jaw quivering.

“You saw me kiss her on the cheek? I also kiss my mother on the cheek, Scully, it’s hardly an intimate gesture.”

She feels a new wave of sickness pass over her, but this time it’s entirely different. This time it’s the sick feeling of realizing that she was very, very, wrong, and that she has, yet again, hurt the man who loves her. She opens her mouth to speak but she can’t find the right words.

He steps forward but doesn’t touch her. When he speaks, his voice is softer, more defeated than anything else.

“I’m sorry that you saw something that upset you. But if you actually thought for a single second that I want to be with anyone but you, you’re fucking insane. I meant what I said the day you left my apartment last year. I felt it then, and I feel it now. I want this to work more than anything, Scully, but for that to be possible you have to trust me. I can’t live with the knowledge that you might just shut me out at a moment’s notice when you get scared.”

She keeps her head down, overwhelmed by a combination of shame, embarrassment, and gratitude that he wouldn’t let her walk away. She does not deserve this man, but she wants to.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, still unable to meet his eye.

“I know you are,” he replies, moving towards the door. “Take the space you need, and let me know when you’re ready to trust me.”

When she hears the click of the door closing behind him, she collapses to the floor, sobbing for so many reasons she couldn’t possibly name them all. When it’s faded to snivels and hiccups, she stands and goes to the hallway, picking up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Missy,” she chokes out, “Can you come over?”

———

He’s not sure if leaving was the right thing to do. The risk that she might not come back around is one that sends his stomach into knots, but at the same time he finds it hard to accept that she wasn’t even going to give him the opportunity to explain. He’s been actively working to temper expressing his feelings so he doesn’t overwhelm her, but then she gets it in her head that he’s not invested. It feels like he can’t win.

He goes back to work and stops by Kirkbride’s office to apologize for disappearing. Kirkbride just gives him a quizzical look, clearly not having noticed he had left. The rest of the day he buckles down on his caseload, distracting himself from the catastrophic thoughts that dance through his head, and gets more work done than he has in quite a while. When he leaves the office just after 5:00 pm, he feels melancholy and grouchy, and annoyed that he left the ball in her court.

The elevator dings to announce his arrival on the fourth floor and he steps out with a takeout bag in his hand, eyes downcast. Halfway down the hall, he readies his key and looks up, startling when he sees Scully sitting on the floor against his door, knees tucked up against her chest and her forehead resting on her kneecaps. She’s very still, and as he gets closer he realizes that she’s asleep. His heart aches knowing that she’s been waiting that long, that she didn’t want to leave without talking to him.

He crouches down beside her, setting his dinner on the floor, and gently touches her shoulder. She jerks, her head snapping up and her eyes wild for a moment while she tries to orient herself. When she focuses on him, she immediately starts crying, reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck. He’s surprised by her uncharacteristically emotional response, but says nothing and just holds her until his knees start to ache, at which point he sits down on the floor and pulls her into his lap. They stay this way for several minutes, long enough for one of his neighbors to walk by and politely avert their eyes, entering their apartment as though there was nothing out of the ordinary happening in the hallway. When the crying seems to have subsided a bit, he gives her a little squeeze.

“Wanna go inside?” he asks, and she nods against his chest, his shirt damp from her tears.

She stands unsteadily and he follows her, grabbing the takeout bag off the floor. They enter the apartment and Priscilla plods up to them with an excited meow. Scully leans down and picks her up, tucking the cat against her neck as they nuzzle each other. Mulder smiles at them with a bemused expression.

“She was talking to me through the door,” Scully says with a small smile, “she heard me knocking and was meowing from the other side. We had a conversation.”

Affection swells in his chest and he steps forward to kiss her. Her shoulders drop and she lets Priscilla down so she can get closer, threading her arms around his waist and kissing him back in earnest. Desperate, thought I’d lost you again kisses that are as arousing as they are a relief, because he knows that they will be okay.

He pulls back a little and she makes a whimpering sound in protest.

“I’m gonna go change really quick, okay? Then can we talk?” he asks, and she sighs and nods. “You can have half my Chinese,” he adds, and she gives him a tight-lipped smile.

When he sits on the couch beside her five minutes later, she scoots closer so they are pressed against each other, and he gathers that she needs physical closeness right now. He loops an arm around her shoulder and she crawls right back into his lap, curled against him as though trying to fuse her body to his own. Her head tucked beneath his chin, she holds one of his hands in her lap, fingers laced tightly together, and begins to speak.

“After you left, Missy came over and we talked for a long time. I’ve come to realize how much I’m still affected by...what happened last year. I harbor a lot of guilt for being unfaithful to Ethan, and that’s actually largely why I married him even though I knew my heart wasn’t in it.” She pulls in a deep breath, pressing their joined hands tight against her belly, trying to get even closer. “When you and I reconnected, in a way it felt like a chance to validate it. As though things working out with us would mean that what I did wasn’t as bad, because there was something real between us. But at the same time, a big part of me doesn’t believe that I deserve to be happy.” Her voice remains steady, but he feels the wet drop of a tear on the back of his hand.

He tightens his arm around her waist. “I’ve always been a person who values doing the right thing, and integrity was something that was very important to my father. It was his measure of a person’s character, and that’s something he instilled in me as well.” She sits up a bit so she can look at him, and his heart breaks at her red-rimmed eyes, her icy irises so mournful. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Mulder. You haven’t given me any reason not to. It’s just that I don’t feel like I deserve this, especially with you, and I’m waiting for the moment it all comes crashing down. So when I saw you with that woman, it was almost like I’d been waiting for it, expecting it. Getting what I deserved.”

He brings his palms to her cheeks, brushing away the tears with his thumbs.

“Thank you for telling me that,” he says softly. “I wish I could change how you feel, but I know that I can’t. I do know how it feels to spend your life harboring guilt over something you could have done differently, and I can tell you that punishing yourself won’t make it any easier. It makes me really sad that you’ll always regret how we met.”

She closes her eyes and shakes her head gently. When she opens them, her expression is more tender than it is mournful.

“I don’t regret it, Mulder. I do feel guilt, and shame, for not ending it with Ethan so we could have done things the right way, but I could never regret meeting you.”

He pulls her back into an embrace, her arms wrapping around his ribcage, and plants a kiss to the top of her head.

“Are we okay?” he asks softly.

“I hope so,” she says hoarsely.

“Is this a bad time to tell you that Valerie wants to meet you sometime?” he asks, and she laughs.

“I don’t know, did you tell her that I freaked out on you because you had lunch with her?” she replies, and he can already hear her tone shifting back to their typical lighthearted banter.

“No, of course not. That’ll be our little secret. Well, plus Trudy. I think Trudy knows too much honestly.”

She laughs again, and god he could spend the rest of his life trying to make her laugh. In fact, that’s exactly what he hopes to do.

“Speaking of meeting people,” she continues, “Missy mentioned you to my mother yesterday and she wants to meet you.”

A grin stretches across his mouth, but he doesn’t say anything. She pulls back to look at his face, to gauge his reaction, and smiles softly in response.

“You want me to meet your mom?” he asks, the delight on his face carrying over to his voice.

Her mouth screws up shyly. “My little brother will probably be there too, and Missy. Is that too much?”

He shakes his head. “Sounds perfect. But, there are some friends I’d like you to meet too, if we’re meeting people.”

“The Lone Gunmen?” she asks with a skeptical lilt.

“Those are the ones. They’re my only friends, actually. Aside from Val.” Just then, Priscilla hops up onto the couch beside them. “Oh, and you Priscilla, sorry,” he adds.

Scully smiles at the cat, and then at him. “Can I bring Missy as a human buffer?” she asks hopefully.

“Of course. You may set a record for the highest number of female visitors to their lair in a day.”

“Lair?” she asks with wide eyes.

He chuckles. “They’ll grow on you, I promise.”

#the x files #dana scully #fox mulder #gillovny #txf #msr #sculder #x files fanfic #alternate universe

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wakaoujisenhime · 3 years

Note

Hi, I just happened to stumble across you and now I’m addicted!😅❤️ anyway, I was hoping you could write some headcanons for a crack head rakuzan manager.

A/N: Hi there you two! Since your requests were for the same trope and the more or less same scenario, I decided to mash these two together, hope that’s ok with you guys! ( ´ ▽ ` )

Luckily, I grew up around some people that fit in that description, nevertheless this was a pretty new experience for me, so I hope I managed to deal with this successfully (I’m sorry in case that I didn’t ;-;)! Anyways, please enjoy and heed the warnings! ヽ(´ー｀)❤️

Tags/Warnings: Rakuzan x reader ✅ tw.drug mention/use ✅ tw.mention of bullying ✅ fluff ✅ friendship ✅

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

Rakuzan is known as an elite school, harboring only the crème-de-la-crème of students and yet you still couldn’t comprehend why you were a part of it

everyone was driven by either perfectionism or greed, the teachers only cared for themselves and their salary, and the expectations society put on every student that wore this school’s logo were downright inhuman

so could someone really blame or shun you for being into drugs? —No, they couldn’t...and yet some still tried

every time you skipped a class to go on either the rooftop or that one dark alley in the very back of the luxurious building to roll a joint, someone random would always come looking for you

they’d try to push their ideals onto you and pretend that they are some kind of Samaritan who only wants the best for you and your future

Yeah sure...you don’t even know my name, do you?

the first few times really annoyed the hell out of you and their hypocrisy almost made you lose yourself once, but as these scenarios started repeating themselves you grew used to it and learned how to completely ignore them

depending on your mood and the amount of dopamine you’re releasing there were even times when you’d get sassy with them or downright challenge them to a fight, knowing fully well that as the goody-two-shoes they were they’d never accept it

the teachers were also aware of your addiction, but were too scared for their own reputation and decided that it’d be easier if they just left you to your own devices and wait until you either failed their classes or graduated

and just like that, you lead a rather peaceful school life, until a certain someone decided to disturb it...

when you skipped classes for the umpteeth time you waited patiently for today’s candidate who’d drag you over the coals for your ‘unsightly behavior’

after you’d taken the third pull on your joint you finally heard light steps which were just around the corner

without moving your head too much, you simply glanced towards the figure that had appeared and chuckled to yourself

“Woow, the teachers must be quite desperate to send their star pupil in order to get me” you sneered after blowing some of the smoke right into his direction

the red-haired young man who’d arrived was none other than Akashi Seijirou, a student whose school record was full of nothing but perfect grades and perfect remarks from everyone who had entered this school

you didn’t know much about him except the typical gossips and the fact that he was the complete opposite of yourself

for a while none of you said anything so you continued to smoke shamelessly in front of him, hoping that you could provoke some kind of reaction from him...though in vain

if words weren’t provocative enough you decided to see how far he’d allow you to go until he had to open his mouth

“You want a pull?”

much to your surprise he actually extended his hand towards you, so with wide eyes you carefully handed him your joint

So even flawless students like him need to let go sometimes, huh?

he eyed it for a while and the next thing you saw was how he let it drop and stomped on it

“Was that really necessary? You could’ve just refused it, you know?”

“I want you to join the basketball team as a manager” he then said in a calm and pretty serious tone

....

...What?

you began laughing as if he had said some kind of hilarious joke, but much to your disappointment he simply raised his eyebrow

“W-Wait...are you being serious right now? You want me to take care of the basketball team?”

seeing him simply nod with the same stoic expression he’d arrived with made you realize that he wasn’t one to joke around

Akashi took out a handkerchief and wiped his hand, without bothering to hide his disgust and then simply turned his back to you

“I’ll be waiting for you at the gym after school and I hope you’ll be there...for your sake.”

and with that threat, he left you by yourself, confused and utterly speechless

you soon began giggling to yourself and you wanted to blame it on the drugs but deep down you knew the truth ...

as the school bell rang for the last time today you lazily packed your stuff and without paying any attention to neither your teacher nor your classmates you trotted out of the classroom

you hated admitting it but the red-haired young man’s words had haunted you for the entire day, but you weren’t one to simply obey whatever others told you

just as you were about to walk down the stairs someone muscular bumped into you, almost knocking you off your feet

as you looked up to see who it was you saw a dark-skinned and bulky man towering above you with a grim look on his face

“(Y/N)?”

you hesitated to answer for a moment, but his challenging expression downright forced you to respond, though it was merely with a small nod

“Excellent, follow me” he ordered after turning around and you did

while he was walking in front, you noticed that most of the students were intimidated or scared by his towering frame and now that you were behind him you realized how truly lonely he must be

“We’re here,” he began, “Akashi! I brought her!”

at the mention of that name you immediately wanted to just turn around and leave, but with that broad man next to you any type of escape was shut down

a pair of heterochromatic eyes looked in your direction and a proud smile adorned the rather emotionless expression of the red-haired young man who signalized the other club’s members to take a short break while he strolled towards the two of you

“(Y/N), I’m glad to see that you picked the right choice to come here. Now...follow me.”

you simply glanced up at the broader man next to you with a pleading expression, but he simply grinned and gave you a thumbs up

Akashi led you to a bench where an older man had already taken a seat, reading through some papers

he was so into it that he didn’t even bother to look up at you two

“Alright your task is simple, I want you to learn the basic rules of basketball and everything else that surrounds it. You have a week and then I’d like to test your knowledge during a practice match. There are also several other things I want you to fulfill, but this will be enough for now” he took a short breath and looked at his team players with a slightly annoyed gaze before he continued “I also provided you with one of those ‘how to’ books so I hope you won’t need long. Any further questions?”

Where do I even start?

“Listen up, I never said that I was going to be your team’s manager or anything like that, you literally forced me to come here by sending that giant after me! And you can’t be serious with all of this right? You guys are a pro team and you want me - a mere amateur - to manage you? Starting next week? I don’t even th-“

“I don’t remember giving you a choice in this matter and yes, you’ll learn it all until next week. You being a student at this elite school speaks for itself, so learning the basic rules of a mere sports game isn’t going to cost you much. Now sit down and start reading.”

his condescending and overall rude tone made you more than just mad, but before you could utter any kind of comment, he had already turned his back to you and was heading for the court

“If I were you, I’d just agree with whatever he says” commented the older man whose gaze was still on the papers before him

you clicked your tongue and put both of your hands on your hips as you stared at him and asked whether that was how he usually dealt with him

“That’s how I learned to deal with him. A genius like him is only getting held back by simple-minded people...or those,” he paused and finally looked up, eyeing you judgingly before he finished his sentence, “that can’t read the mood.”

you were absolutely speechless and enraged, so before you completely lost your wits you grabbed that stupid book Akashi had gotten for you and purposely stomped towards the gym’s entrance doors to roll yourself another joint

you spent the entire duration of their training outside and even though you didn’t intend to really read the booklet, you eventually started and got into it, until you heard a loud whistle and Akashi’s voice announcing the end of today’s practice

“I’m expecting you at tomorrow’s practice as well, (Y/N)” said the red-haired captain as soon as you re-entered the gym to take your bag and go home

you answered with a simple nod and left, figuring that you’d just go along with him for a while but secretly do whatever you wanted

or at least that was supposed to be your plan, but something quite unexpected happened

while you had set your mind to obey whatever the captain wanted from you, you caught yourself actually having fun during the guys’ practice

you did know a little about basketball even without the book’s help, but as you gradually read chapter after chapter and actually witnessed the real thing before you every single day, you came to truly enjoy it

there were always some rumors that Rakuzan’s basketball team was on an entirely different level and you finally saw why

the four players that always accompanied Akashi on the court were some kind of prodigies the others referred to as the “Uncrowned Kings” or the new and improved version of “The phantom sixth man”

during your first days of hearing those rather over the top nicknames, you couldn’t help but laugh out loud

These four having such titles? Don’t mess with me, that’s just hilarious!

and even if you were the only one laughing at it while the others simply looked away, your laughs were shut down pretty quickly as soon as you saw how they played

seeing just how powerful and overall perfect they seemed to be made you even more pissed off than you already were

luckily you were standing right next to the gym’s door so you cracked it open, leaned yourself on its frame, and began smoking one of your self-rolled joints

“Wow (Y/N), I didn’t know you smoked! You look really cool!”

the sudden compliment from the cheerful blond with the sharp canine caught you off guard, not to mention that he was the first one besides Akashi to even attempt some sort of conversation...and it made you unexpectedly happy

“Thanks, I guess?...would you like to have a pull?”

you couldn’t help but smirk at how his eyes lit up after nodding multiple times and just as he was about to take the softly smoking joint from your hand, someone snatched it and threw it out, closing the door in the process

that someone was Reo, whose eyes looked down on you with a rather hurt and sad expression

out of nowhere, he took a gentle hold of your cheeks and softly tilted your head up so that you could look him directly into his mesmerizing eyes

“I’ve been meaning to tell you this, but smoking is bad for you (Y/N)-chan. You’re such a beautiful young lady and being a crackhead just doesn’t suit you, you know?”

thanks to the soft tone with which he’d complimented and lectured you, you just couldn’t be mad at him

but before you could even say anything you felt a big and strong hand slap your back with so much force that you almost fell right into Kotaro’s arms

“Geez, Nebuya you brute, how many times do I have to tell you to be more careful!”

completely ignoring the tall man’s protest the more muscular man simply laughed and took a tight hold of your upper arm saying: “All she needs are more muscles and meat on her and she’ll make a great opponent!”

the way the three of them had surrounded you while laughing at each other’s comments and even making you part of their discussion warmed your heart, and you caught yourself thinking that being the manager of this team might not be such a bad idea after all...

the day of the practice match came along and you were a bundle of nerves

who would’ve thought that you’d actually prefer going to the gym to check up on the players instead of straight-up heading back home

much to your surprise, it didn’t even take you three days to get almost every club member to respect you, sure there were obstacles along the way, but you managed to deal with them rather quickly

not too long ago, you had actually helped out Mayuzumi, who usually avoided you and barely ever talked to you

you had been on your way to your usual spot to light up a joint and just before you cut the corner you heard some loud voices

“Just ‘cause you’re in the basketball club, doesn’t make you special!”

“What’s with those dead-looking fish eyes of yours anyway?”

“C’mon guys, don’t you see that we’re wasting his precious reading time here? Let’s hurry up and scram so that he can continue reading his novel!”

you had no idea just what the hell was going on, but it sounded a lot like someone was getting bullied and you weren’t in the mood to let it slide

“Ok guys, I need you to wrap whatever this is up. I’m in a rather bad mood right now and I really need a smoke, so get going” you said in a rather dark tone

the students who had encircled someone you couldn’t quite identify yet jumped a little at your sudden intervention and turned their attention to you

all remarks they had prepared for you were gone the moment they realized just who was standing in front of them

nevertheless, the group remained stubborn and tried to chase you away by asking you to wait for a little

while you were dealing with the group, the person they had ganged up on stood up from the ground and that’s when you finally recognized who they were bullying

Isn’t that...Mayuzumi?

and at that moment something inside of you clicked

with confident steps, you made your way to the tall young man and placed a hand on his shoulder

“There you are and here I was thinking you’d bailed on me” you began as you gently squeezed his shoulder, giving him a signal to make him play along before you continued, “I got your stuff, you got the money?”

thanks to his constant poker face and slight nod the group of bullies was instantly on their guard

in order to give them their last push you pulled out a small and transparent bag with white powder out of your pocket

“You guys are still here? Sorry, but if you wanted a package you should’ve told me beforehand. Just so you know, it isn’t going to be cheap.”

seconds later the group finally gave up and stormed off, murmuring something about it not being worth the trouble

as soon as they were gone you let out a loud sigh of relief and crouched down, exclaiming how relieved you were that it was finally over

your sudden reaction caught the young man off guard and at first, he was stomped at what to do but he eventually crouched down next to you

“If you were that scared you shouldn’t have helped me in such an...unorthodox way. They might snitch on you, you know?”

you couldn’t help but giggle at the rather clumsy way he tried to thank and reassure you

“It’s fine even if they do, the teachers wouldn’t be surprised anyway and besides...that bag contains nothing more but some makeup powder I got from Reo to...to hide the bags under my eyes.”

even though you whispered the last part Mayuzumi still heard it and then chuckled

since then he actually began listening to you and even talked to you whenever no one was around

the other three were fond of you since day one so you had no trouble dealing with them whatsoever, or protecting them for that matter

someone was making rude remarks about Nebuya while he ate his daily portion of meat (which equaled five of yours)?

you’d tap them on the shoulder, lean on them and say that they were lucky enough he didn’t hear them, or else he might actually devour them instead

hearing how people made fun of Reo’s way of talking and even shun him for his behavior behind his back?

you’d directly go up to them and intentionally talk in a loud voice for everyone to hear how cowardly they were and how their behavior would drag their beloved school’s reputation down if you decided on making it public

witnessing how naive and warm-hearted Kotaro got roped into some even shadier business than what you were up to with sugarcoated words?

you’d do something similar to how you saved Mayuzumi back then: threats and bluffs and luckily all of them worked out in your favor

the only one who needed more time to warm up to you was Akashi

it was obvious that he hadn’t approved of you despite your (in your eyes) good performance during the first practice match

he’d simply nodded in the end and coldly stated that he’d accept this rather poor performance, warning you that there would be consequences if you don’t improve yourself

back then the others had joined you on the bench and were trying to cheer you up by saying that the red-haired young man was usually that demanding, but only towards people he knew had the potential...in a way he was trying to bring forth your hidden talent

with these sweet words and your own ambition to prove yourself to the seemingly perfect emperor, you finally started taking the club more serious than you’d originally intended

What did he just say..?

“Sei-chan, y-you....you can’t be serious”

“Akashi...”

said man turned towards you guys with a warm but twisted smile as he stretched his hand out towards you

“I swear to you, that if we lose this match, I will leave the club and...gouge both of my eyes out, and give them to you.”

after that proclamation each of the players gave it more than just their all, even you who could do nothing but cheer them on from the bench began analyzing everything you could from your team’s opponents

during that very emotional match, you found yourself praying multiple times that your team wins and not only because of Akashi’s oath but because you knew just how much they had trained for this

additionally, Kotaro and the others told you that this match was of utmost importance to the captain and his former teammates, all the more reason for you to worry

sadly in the end you guys lost and you were too overwhelmed with everything that had transpired in the last quarters

Zone? What the hell is that?

Another Akashi? How is something like that even possible?

the entire Rakuzan team walked back to the locker room in complete silence and that silence remained until all of them had changed their clothes

“(Y/N)-chan, let’s go,” said Reo in a gentle and silent tone as he gently squeezed your shoulder

“Y-You guys can go on ahead, I still have to check something” you answered with an apologetic smile

you were thankful that the young man could read the mood and agreed, so you re-entered the locker room, looking around searching for something

the moment you wanted to take a step forward, your legs gave out and you fell to your knees

H-Huh..? What’s w-wrong with me, I-I need to get up...

no matter how hard you tried you just couldn’t muster the strength to stand up, and before you knew it, tears had started rolling down your cheeks without stopping

frustration, despair, anger, and sadness overcame you and at some point you caught your thoughts drifting off in a direction you had never taken before

with trembling hands, you took a small package full of some kind of powder out of your jacket and looked at it

you weren’t the type to resort to real hardcore drugs and as of late you had been so busy with the team that even your usual smoke breaks became less and less, but now...

just as you were about to open the small bag in your hands the door to the changing room slowly opened

“A-Akashi...?”

the young man looked at you with a worried expression and as soon as he saw what you held in your hands he grew even sadder

without saying anything he simply walked towards you, kneeled down, and embraced you

you were quite shocked at first, but too emotionally tired to resist at this point so you simply let him comfort you

he told you that these overwhelming emotions you were going through right now were normal and absolutely understandable in this situation, and even without you saying how guilty you felt for the boys’ loss he calmed you down by stating that one person alone could not be at fault for an entire team’s failure

that day engraved itself in your brain and you promised yourself that you’d give it your all and even go further beyond it, just so you wouldn’t have to see the sad faces of the people who had given you a chance and loved you for who you are, including all of your “flaws”

unbeknownst to you, they had also found the same resolution as you

the day on which they had lost their match against Seirin made them realize that there was indeed something lacking in their way of playing basketball, and in order to improve that they had to start with a rather peculiar mission, namely to make you, their manager, proud and make sure that you never cried ever again...

#knb headcanons #rakuzan x reader #knb angst #━𝙺𝙽𝙱 #━𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽'𝚂 𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙾 #━𝚅𝙸𝚂𝙸𝚃𝙾𝚁'𝚂 𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙾 #fun-times-oflife

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hanoella · 3 years

Text

Affettuoso- With Feeling (Part 4)

Pairing: Bucky x Pianist!Reader

Set after the events of TFATWS: In an effort to start over and make a home in Louisiana, Bucky meets a friend of Sam’s who ends up being his landlord. With only a driveway to separate them, he finds that he’s not the only one looking for a fresh start.

Series tags/warnings: Slow Burn, Eventual Bucky x Reader, Mentions of Domestic Abuse, Canon Level Violence

Part 4 Word Count: 2.9k

A/N: Thanks again for all your support! Every heart and comment motivates me and is just so wonderful

Taglist!: @vicmc624

Read Part 1; Masterlist

The icon that marked where you were currently typing in your text blinked as you bit your lip. Looking back from where you were sitting at the kitchen table, you took stock of the open pantry once again. You were low on just about everything. With physical therapy exhausting your shoulder, it was hard to find the energy to lift any heavy bags. You had texted Sam for help, but unfortunately he was out of state.

“Bucky’s home, just ask him to go with you. He won’t mind” He had texted back.

You slouched back into the chair and groaned. You had only seen him in passing since he had helped you with the furniture. What was he, your live-in-caretaker? Was he just there to help you up and down the stairs and help you across the street? Sliding onto the floor, you made a small grunt as you felt your back straighten out and adjust to the floor. Resting a moment, you held your phone up and stared at the blinking bar. You hadn’t texted him before. Should you just call him? Or knock on his door? Ugh, why was this so hard. Whatever.

“Hey Bucky, I’m having trouble carrying stuff right now. Would you mind helping me out with grocery shopping sometime today or tomorrow? If not, no worries.”

Without a second thought, you sent it and set your phone down next to you. It was around 1PM, the only thing you having done up until then was getting dressed while sipping on coffee. Opting for a lazy look, you had worn soft leggings with an oversized sweater and fuzzy socks. Two simple braids and a headband kept your hair out of the way for when you eventually practiced. Only a few more weeks until you practiced with the actual orchestra. You should probably figure out something to wear besides lounge clothes.

The buzz on the floor caught your attention and you took a peak at your home screen

1 New Message:

Bucky Barnes: Sure, is now good?

Shoot. You quickly got up and walked to the bathroom. Your hair wasn’t too messy. Why do you look so tired? Opting for some mascara, you texted Bucky back before digging around in your makeup bag.

Yeah, meet at my car in a minute?

---

Bucky pocketed his phone and took a quick look in the mirror. Should he shave? Scratching his beard, he made a face before deciding against. It would take him more than a minute. Why didn’t he just say thirty minutes from now? Running a hand through his hair, he grabbed a jacket and walked out of the apartment.

As he walked over the freshly fallen leaves in the driveway, he opted for leaning against your car. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned his head to look out over the water. It had been quiet lately, just chilly enough to silence the summer chorus of buzzing and croaks. Now all that was left was the occasional honking of geese flying overhead.

He had only been there for a couple of minutes when you came out onto the porch. You had hastily thrown on some brown leather boots, the left one still untied. The little bit of mascara and lip gloss you put on made you feel better about not looking like death. It was nice to do a little something, even if it was just the grocery store.

“Hey!” you said, slightly breathless as you bounded down the stairs, keys jingling in your hand.

Bucky echoed your greeting back to you with a small smile and wave.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” You said, clicking the key fob to unlock the car.

“Oh it’s no problem. I didn’t really have much to do anyway.” He said, ducking his head to sit in the passenger side seat. He noticed how as soon as you closed the door, you clicked the locks shut. Then you brought your left heel up on the edge of the seat so that you could tie your shoe.

“Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. Usually, I don’t need too much help, but I need cases of waters and stuff like that. I was gonna get someone to help me at the grocery store but I realized I’d still be left in a lurch once I got home. I figured if you needed, we could just get groceries together this time,” you explained while double knotting the laces.

Starting the car and putting on your seatbelt, you looked behind you out of habit to make sure you weren’t going to hit anything as you backed out of the driveway.

“Huh. It looks like it’s going to rain.” You said, observing the darker clouds and the wind picking up. Putting the car in drive, you started down the driveway.

“Music?” You offered, gesturing towards the radio.

“I don’t really know what’s been playing these days… or for the last sixty years if I’m being honest.” At least it’s nice not to have to lie about it, Bucky thought.

“Well, we have a lot to catch you up on then.” You said, stopping at the end of the driveway and grabbing your phone. Scrolling through your music, you hit the bluetooth button on the console.

“This playlist has all my favorite classics on it. Feel free to skip anything you don’t like.” You said, handing him the phone and turning onto the road. The music started, prompting Bucky looked down at the phone. September- Earth, Wind & Fire.

---

Four songs later you were at the supermarket, grabbing a cart and discussing favorites.

“That last one was good too. Which one was that?” Bucky asked.

“That’s Stolen Away on 55th & 3rd. Dave Matthews Band. Now mind you, some of those are way older than others. The only thing they all have in common is that they’re all at least ten years old.”

“Huh.” He’s really missed out on a lot.

The two of you continued chatting as you went through the various sections. A couple cases of water. A bag of salad. Deli meats and cheeses. Bread. Ground beef. Pasta and pasta sauce. The topic turned to older music from Bucky’s time.

“I’m surprised you have heard of her.” He said, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“Well, I’m going to be honest, the only reason I have any knowledge of it at all is because I had to take a lot of Music History classes in college. For whatever reason, they thought that to play music, you needed to know every which way that it’s evolved throughout the years. Though, I have to say,” you paused, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Now, I’m kind of glad I did.” You looked up at him slightly, face just a tad warm as he met your eyes. You both looked away and he coughed awkwardly. Feeling embarrassed, you scan the shelves of snacks before hearing him quietly say behind you-

“… I’m glad you did too. It’s different. And kind of nice to talk to someone about it. Who actually knows what I’m talking about.”

Trying to keep your smile small, you continued to look at the array of cookies on the shelf. A hand passed over your shoulder to take a pack of shortbread cookies.

“Hmm. Shortbreads.” You say, holding your arms behind your back. “Verrry interesting.”

“What?” He replied defensively.

“You can tell a lottttt about a man by his snack preferences.”

“Well, what do shortbreads say?” Bucky asked, leaning his forearms on the handle of the cart so that he was now eye level with you. It was too late this time to hide your smile. You turned back around to grab a pack of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

��If I tell you what they mean, you’ll just pick the kind that you think has the best traits. You’re not fooling me anytime soon.” You said with a laugh before you whisked yourself around the corner.

“Hey, that’s not fair, come back!” He pushed the cart around the corner where he ran into you hugging Sarah. The boys were with her and they went absolutely ballistic.

“Uncle Buck! Uncle Buck!” They shouted as they bombarded him.

“AJ! Cass! Stop acting crazy in the grocery store!” Sarah said, reprimanding them. You chuckled at the sight of Bucky being slowly overwhelmed by the two boys. He pried them off his legs and crouched so that he was eye level with them.

“Hey, I missed you guys. I haven’t seen you guys since the last time Uncle Sam and I came back-”

“-from fighting bad guys, right!” AJ said, getting a little too excited and causing Sarah to give him the look. Bucky tried not to laugh and held a finger up to his mouth to signal that they needed to be quiet.

“Yes, from fighting bad guys.”

You turned towards Sarah with a grin and put your hand on her arm.

“We’ll have to have all of you over, come see the new house. Will you text me a day next week when you, Sam, and the kids are free?”

“That sounds great. I’m so glad you got to move down here. I’ll let you know about next week!” Sarah said. She also walked around the cart and gave Bucky a hug. He returned it but glanced towards you nervously; You were already looking away. When they pulled away from each other, Sarah glanced in your direction and then at Bucky, a knowing smile on her face and eyebrows wiggling. Bucky made a face with wide eyes, letting her know to cut it out. Sarah laughed slightly while saying goodbye:

“It was good to see you, Buck.” Sarah said, laughing as she rolled the cart away, AJ and Cass in tow, who were both shouting goodbyes at Uncle Buck.

“Good to see you too…” He trailed off in her direction.

“Man, those boys really love Uncle Buck.” You said teasingly, making him jump slightly and turn around. You laughed and walked towards the next aisle, leaving Bucky red in the ears.

---

It was just starting to rain when you parked the car in the driveway. You grabbed some of the lighter bags and ran up the steps, hurrying to unlock the door. Bucky was piling on the grocery bags as the rain got heavier. He hauled everything inside as you held the door open for him. He lifted the groceries up onto the kitchen counter and made his way down the stairs again.

“Still have to get the cases of water.” He explained in response to your confused face. The rain was still getting heavier. Hauling the two jumbo cases onto his shoulder and carrying the last one by the plastic in his hand, he made his way up the porch, slower this time. You held the door open, looking incredulously again at how easy it was for him as he passed.

By the time he had set the waters down, you had grabbed a towel for him, extending it to him while looking away at from his drenched shirt.

“Thanks,” he said, toeing off his shoes and drying his hair with the towel before draping it over his shoulders.

“Please, let me make you some tea. You must be freezing.” You said, already digging through the pantry for some.

“Well, if you’re offering, I won’t say no.” He said, taking a seat at the kitchen island.

“Yeah, hold on, it’s kind of dark. Let me turn on the lights…” You trailed off as the light switch did nothing. Flicking it a few times back and forth, you sighed.

“I’m so sorry, the real estate agent told me it’s pretty easy to lose power in this area since there’s so many trees. They usually have it back on pretty quick though I’m told.” You said, now digging through another cabinet.

“It’s completely fine, you can’t control that. I’ll just take a raincheck-”

“Found it!” You said, cutting him off and proudly presenting the gas-powered single burner. You set it down in front of Bucky who watched as you also grabbed a tea light and a lighter from in the drawer.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” You asked while lighting it.

---

Three more tea lights and a kettle of hot water later, Bucky was sitting with the towel draped over his shoulders, sipping on the warm cup of green tea. The flames created flickering shadows as you added the pasta to the pot of boiling water.

“I knew this was going to come in handy. I’m glad I saved it.” You said, setting a timer on your phone as you leaned on the counter across from Bucky.

“Why do you have it in the first place?” He asked curiously.

“I kind of had to hop around for a little bit before I got down here. I would stay in hotels but I didn’t want to eat out every night so this came in handy. Ole reliable.” You said, looking down at one of the tea lights.

There was a moment of silence before you pursed your lips.

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked, setting the cup down.

“Has Sam told you… how I ended up here?” You asked, now looking straight at him. The look on his face told you the answer before he could respond.

“I see…”

“Hey, I’m sorry, I-”

You held up a hand to cut him off, soft smile on your face.

“No, it’s okay. I told him that if it ever came up, he could talk about it. I’m pretty open about it. How much did he tell you?” you asked, wrapping your hands around the cup to absorb some of the warmth.

“Just the basics. You two were together, then he got… violent. And you trying to leave.” He said, looking down into his cup.

“Yeah, that just about covers it… He kept following me after I got out of the hospital so I had to get a rental car and hotel hop for a while… When I got the house down here, I finally got my actual car and just booked it here. He’s never been to Louisiana before and he doesn’t know that Sam lives here now, instead of DC. I’m hoping he’s frolicking in city traffic, getting run over as he looks for me. Bucky snorted and tried not to laugh, which made you laugh.

“Sorry, it’s not funny.” He said, covering his mouth.

“Oh, it totally is.” You said, talking in a way where he could tell that you were smiling.

You both laughed as you grabbed a strainer out of the pantry. Draining the pasta, you both settled into a comfortable silence.

“Well, I’m glad you can joke about it.” Bucky said, watching as you poured pasta sauce into the pot to warm it up before chucking the rest of the pasta in.

“Some days are better than others. I’m just happy that I can stop running. Still, I do get a bit paranoid sometimes. I feel like I’m going to turn a corner and he’ll be right there.” You said, rubbing your arms as if you were comforting yourself. At that moment, Bucky looked at you and noticed for the first time how truly tired you looked. Dark circles underneath a sleep deprived gaze. Eyes clouded by worry and paranoia. Bucky’s seen that look on himself before. Before Steve found him in Bucharest, before he could trust his own mind. When he had to avoid being recognized, avoid being found, avoid falling back into Hydra’s grasp.

You exhaled as you uncrossed your arms, mixing the pot before sprinkling cheese on top. “Dinner’s all done.” Bucky sat peacefully, enjoying the aroma of the tomato and basil. Taking a deep breath, he slowly exhaled before speaking up again.

“Well. I’m here now.”

“Hmm?” You called back, not quite hearing him over the clanking of the bowls you took out.

“I’m here now,” he repeated, this time with more confidence. “So… you don’t have to worry about it. If you ever get worried about it, just call me. Or text me… Or knock on the door… and I’ll talk to you or I’ll check it out, keep an eye on the house from the apartment, or just be in the house with you. It’s not a bother, if it’ll give you peace of mind. I’ve been through something… similar. With, uh, the whole Hydra… thing…” Bucky trailed off as you stared at him with a neutral face. He was getting ready to backpedal, hand reaching for the back of his neck out of nervous habit, until you spoke.

“You’d do that?” You said, face unchanged, eyes searching his.

“Yeah… Yeah, I would.”

You blinked a few times before looking aside and trying to clear the frog from your throat.

“I don’t even know what to say but thank you. That is such a big relief.” You said, voice wavering slightly, one hand coming up to touch your forehead out of relief. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Nobody should have to go through that alone.” Bucky said softly.

You touched his hand softly, giving it a gentle squeeze before stealing your own back. You turned around to grab a drink when you paused, looking out the window.

“It stopped raining.” You stated, watching as the little bit of sunlight brightened the colors of the changing leaves. Bucky, on the other hand, was watching how the little bit of sunlight brightened you. He rubbed his thumb against where your hand had just been, trying to recreate the feeling of your hand on his.

#bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky imagine

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babybluebex · 4 years

Text

it takes two [peter parker]

➽ pairing: peter parker x fem!reader (y/n) ➽ word count: 3.0k ➽ summary: an accidental discovery leads peter and you to discuss poly-nylons, tony stark, and aunt may’s burnt meatloaf. ➽ warnings: awkward teenage feels, fluff, all that good stuff ➽ a/n: nerdy little peter melts my heart uwu. enjoy!

“Hey, Y/N. Y/N!”

I turned to see Peter fumbling with his books, and I extended my arms to catch them. “Hey, Pete,” I chuckled. I looked at one of the books in my hand and saw the official autobiography of tech giant Tony Stark, and I laughed. “We get it, man, you’re in love with Tony Stark.”

“I’m not,” Peter said quickly. “Just wanna read up on my boss.”

“Right,” I said with a click of my tongue. “The whole internship thing. That seems like a pretty sweet gig, Pete.”

“It’s…” Peter began and nodded. “It’s alright.”

“What do you actually do?” I asked, placing the biography of Peter’s one true love back on his stack of books. “Do you do paperwork? Or Mr. Stark’s laundry?”

That elicited a laugh out of Peter. Peter Parker and I had been friends for a while, since we were lab partners in eighth grade biology, and I had been one of the first people he told about the internship. As excited as he was to get it, though, he never really talked too much about it. “I do…” He began. “Um… Stuff.”

“Well, yeah, that’s what I’m asking,” I said, shouldering my backpack. “What kinda stuff?”

“This and that,” Peter shrugged. “Sorta whatever needs to be done.”

I nodded slowly. “Uh-huh,” I responded. “Well, since you’re not gonna tell me, I’ll tell you some big news.”

“Sure,” Peter said. “What is it?”

“I got an interview for MIT,” I grinned, and joy overcame Peter’s face. His arms instinctually went out to hug me, but his stack of books went tumbling to the ground around us. He paid it no mind and hugged me tightly anyway, rocking us as he embraced me. Peter gave amazing hugs; that’s one thing nearly everyone can agree on.

“That’s awesome, Y/N!” Peter exclaimed. “When is it?”

“Friday evening,” I said. “And I’m freaking out really bad. Do you think you could help me prep?”

Peter had already bent down and begun to retrieve his books. “Why me?” He asked. “A-Ask Flash, he’s on the debate team.”

“Because I don’t want to ask Flash,” I sighed. “I want to ask you. God, Pete, you got an internship with Stark Industries! Why wouldn’t I ask for your help with interviews? I mean, I assume there was an interview process…”

“Um, sorta,” Peter said. “Yeah, yep, there was.”

My eyes narrowed. “What was that turn around?” I asked. “‘Sorta’ an interview, but also yes?”

“It wasn’t a, uh, a typical interview,” Peter said. “I met Mr. Stark’s head of security before him.”

“Wait, hold on!” I cried. “You’ve met Tony Stark?”

“I told you about this!” Peter smiled. “We went on that company retreat!”

“Th-The one to Berlin?” I asked. “You met Tony freaking Stark in Berlin? How’d I not know this, Peter?”

“I remember telling you,” Peter said. “I missed those days, and I texted you asking about homework, and you told me we had a test and asked how the retreat was, and I said that it was awesome and I met Tony Stark.”

“I don’t remember that,” I said. “But come on, Petey! Please help me prep for this interview, MIT is my dream school!” I grasped his arm and pouted at him, and I said, “For me?”

Peter rolled his eyes jokingly. “Sure,” He said with a smile, as sincere as always. “Just come by tonight, I’ll get Aunt May to order a pizza or something and we’ll work it out.”

I hugged Peter tightly. “Thank you!” I giggled. “Hey, save me a seat at lunch, yeah?”

“Umm, Ned’s brought a few pieces of his Death Star,” Peter began. “It might take up a lot of space.”

“I’ll help,” I said. “If you don’t mind, that is.”

“S-Sure,” Peter said, the tips of his ears turning pink. “We could use your smaller hands for some of the more intricate parts of the build.”

“Great,” I said as the bell rang long and high for classes to start. “Crap. I’ll see ya, Pete!”

The day passed as slowly as any normal school day would. I didn’t have a math club meeting that afternoon on account of our faculty sponsor being sick, so I was able to go home before I went to Peter’s. I gathered all of my MIT stuff from my desk and shoved it into my bag, and I opened my computer for a minute before my mom inevitably made me come to the living room. Twitter was already open (I didn’t pay great attention during last period physics), and I clicked around the trending page for a moment before seeing, at the very bottom of the list of trending topics, something called the “Man-Spider”. It wasn’t being talked about too much, but it was a trending topic in my area; knowing that someone would probably ask about it at school tomorrow, I clicked on it.

It was a shaky phone video of a man in a blue and red suit on the rooftop of a building that was adjacent to the videographer. “Hey, you’re that Man-Spider from YouTube!” the videographer yelled.

“Call me Spiderman!” The suited man replied back, his voice echoing around the street.

“Okay! Do a flip, Spiderman!”

The so-called Spiderman flipped backwards, eliciting a whoop from the videographer. The video ended there, and I huffed out a quiet laugh. Peter was really into gymnastics; he would like this video. I tagged him, @pparker101, figuring that he would watch it before I got to his place.

When I finally got myself up and made my way across the borough to Peter and his Aunt May’s apartment, May answered the door. She was a tall and thin woman with long hair that she usually pulled up, and she smiled when she saw me. “Aw, hey, Miss Y/N,” May said. “What’s going on?”

“Peter’s helping me with an interview thing tonight,” I said. “Is that alright?”

“Oh, sweetheart, of course,” May said, waving her hand around. “Where are you interviewing?”

“MIT,” I replied. “The actual interview is on Friday, but, since he’s got that internship with Stark Industries, I figured he would help me prepare.”

“Oh, good job,” May said. “Yeah, Pete popped out to get a sandwich, but you’re welcome to wait for him. Are you hungry? I’m making meatloaf.”

I had known May for long enough to know that it was safest to skip out on the meatloaf. “Oh, I’m alright,” I told her. “I ate before I came.”

“If you change your mind…” May sang and scrunched her nose at me as she smiled. “Pete said that you helped him and Ned with their Death Star build today; how was that?”

“Pretty great,” I smiled. “It was a lot of pieces and we’re not finished yet, but all working together was pretty sweet.”

“I bet,” May replied. “All of you are so smart, I could never do that, even with instructions.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to see Peter replying to me on Twitter with a simple :). “Thanks, May,” I said. “Um, I think I’m gonna go set up in Peter’s room.”

“Alright, Miss Y/N,” May said and gave me a quick hug. “Have fun.”

Peter’s room was messy as always, discarded projects all over the place, and laundry piled in the corner of his bottom bunk. I sat down on the edge of the bottom bunk and started to extract my papers and things to practice, but there was a weird sound from behind me. It was quiet and I almost missed it, but the cool breeze that hit my shoulder helped alert me to the fact that the window was open. I turned over my shoulder, expecting to see the widow accidentally unlatched and opening, but instead I saw something completely different: my best friend crawling on the ceiling.

I couldn’t form words. I wasn’t convinced that I was actually seeing what was happening. Peter was attached upside down to his ceiling, wearing a weird onesie-looking outfit with alternating red and blue panels. He was quiet as he crawled to the other side of the room, and he extended his hand, his middle two fingers and thumb folded into his palm, and a string of white shot from his wrist and attached to the corner of the door. Peter tugged the door closed with ease, as if he had done it before, then he expertly flipped from the ceiling and landed on the carpet with the grace of an Olympic gymnast. His back was to me, but, now that I saw him better, I saw that he wore the exact same outfit that the Man-Spider wore in the Twitter video.

“Holy shit, are you the Man-Spider?” I cried, and Peter flinched. He turned to me, his face stricken with panic, and I saw a black arachnid symbol in the middle of his chest. “You are! Holy shit, Peter--”

“Dude, shut up!” Peter hissed quickly. His hand came up to his chest and he pressed on the spider symbol, and the tight suit loosened and fell off of his body. “I-I’m not the Man-Spider--”

“Spiderman!” I recalled from the video. “Peter, what the actual fuck--”

“Shut up!” Peter pleaded, rushing to me and pressing his hand against my mouth. He was right on top of me, his chest nearly touching mine with each breath, and his dark eyes were wide at me. “Y/N, you… You can’t tell anyone. Please!”

I shifted my head in order to remove his hand. “Are you serious…” I began. “You’re Spiderman? Wait, how did this happen? Was it the Stark internship, did Tony Stark do this to you?”

“I’ll explain everything,” Peter whispered. “Just, you really cannot tell anyone.”

“Does May know?” I asked quickly.

“Are you kidding me?” Peter scoffed. He reached down and grabbed a shirt and began to dress himself; I had noticed that, after the suit came off, he was only in boxers, but I figured that it was better not to say anything. “If she knew, she’d go ballistic.”

I sighed heavily and sat down on the bed once more. “Make this make sense,” I groaned, pressing my head into my hands. “Did this happen to you? Did you make it happen? Is this a Bruce Banner thing?”

“No,” Peter said quickly, and he sat down next to me. “Look, it’s a really long story, but the basics are that I was bitten by a radioactive spider and now I can do weird things. Like, things I never was able to do before. I’m really strong now, Y/N, and I just… I can do that.” He said and pointed to the ceiling. “But Tony Stark found out about me somehow and he tapped me to help him in some sort of weird fight with him and Captain America. He made me that suit! It’s really cool!”

“It is!” I said quickly. “So, are you, like, an Avenger now? Is that what the Stark internship is?”

Peter paused for a moment, and his cheeks turned pink. “Yeah, I mean…” He started. “Basically, yeah, I’m an Avenger.”

“Oh my God,” I laughed. “That’s awesome, Peter! But… Why would you keep this from me?” There was no point disguising the hurt in my voice. That was it, plain and simple. “I thought we told each other everything.”

“We do,” Peter said. “I just… Mr. Stark told me to keep this a secret. He said that anyone who knew could be in danger. I didn’t want you getting hurt.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. The secrecy hurt and it wouldn’t stop for a while, but my excitement overshadowed that. “This is super cool, Peter,” I laughed. “So, the thing you just shot, do you-- Like, does your body make that? Like a spider? Was that a web?”

“Yeah, it’s a web,” Peter smiled widely. “But my body doesn’t make them. That would be super gross.”

“Sorta, yeah,” I agreed.

“Nah, it’s, uh,” Peter began and rushed over to the forgotten suit on the floor. “It’s a poly-nylon substance that’s loaded in these web shooters that Mr. Stark made me. They’re super strong and take three hours to fully dissolve. They come out of this shooter that I wear on my wrist.” He lifted up the silver web shooter to show me, and I grinned at it.

“That’s awesome,” I chuckled. “Wait, does Ned know?”

“No,” Peter said quickly.

“MJ?”

“No.”

“Liz? Betty? Flash?”

“You’re the only one,” Peter reiterated. “Nobody else knows. Mr. Stark, Happy, Pepper, everyone at SHIELD, and you. You’re the only outsider.”

“This is…” I began. “This is really cool, don’t get me wrong, but isn’t it dangerous?”

“Yeah,” Peter nodded. “I mean… Yeah. Everytime I go on a mission, I’m not really sure if I’m coming back.”

I sighed and rubbed my neck. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Petey,” I started. “But I really don’t like this. The idea of my best friend being an Avenger is super cool, but it’s scary as shit. I can’t lose you, Pete. Nobody gets me like you do, and I don’t know what I’d do if you died and I didn’t know why.”

Peter was quiet as he came back to sit down next to me, his web shooter still in his hand. He toyed with it for a moment, then placed it in my lap. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what else to tell you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Pete, you didn’t do anything wrong,” I said. “You were doing what you were told was right. If anything, Tony Stark needs to apologize to me.”

Peter scoffed. “Good luck with that,” he said. “You’re cool. Ya know that?”

“Me?” I chuckled. “You’re freaking Spiderman, dude! You’re cooler than everyone at Midtown! So, is Peter Parker, like, your alter ego? Like Batman?”

“Batman isn’t real,” Peter said pointedly.

“The point stands, ass,” I said and shoved his shoulder, eliciting a laugh from him.. “By day, you’re a nerdy high school student and, by night, you’re an Avenger?”

“Sorta,” Peter shrugged sheepishly. “I guess, I mean… Not to brag, but--”

“Brag away!” I said.

“I’m supposed to be helping you with your interview,” Peter began. “I think maybe we can table this until later. Yeah?”

“Fine,” I said with a pout. “Let me get my stuff…”

I turned to retrieve my papers and everything that I had brought, and Peter’s hand returned to my lap to grab the web shooter. The fates, though, decided to throw a wrench into our casual moment, because the ajar door burst open to show May. Before I knew what was happening, Peter had shoved the web shooter down between my thighs in an attempt to quickly hide it, and he pressed his lips to mine. I caught on instantly; his hand between my legs only made sense if we were kissing. It was an easy cover up, something to get May out of the room, and-- honestly-- probably something that May had been suspecting all along.

“Oh!” She exclaimed and backed out of the room, and Peter gave me a tight grimace. I could almost hear him stuttering out an apology. “Sorry, guys! I didn’t mean to--”

“That’s about my luck, huh?” Peter said loudly and laughed. “It’s-- Ah, shit-- Sorry, May!”

“No, don’t be sorry,” May said from behind the door. Peter pulled the web shooter from between my legs and grabbed his suit, and he shoved them under the blankets behind me. “Don’t let me interrupt... Whatever that was. Peter, please remember to use a--”

“May, hush!” Peter cried, and I saw genuine embarrassment rise in his cheeks. “We’re not-- We weren’t--”

“We were just kissing, May!” I said quickly. “Nothing else!”

“Right,” May said. “Have fun. Meatloaf’s burnt, so, if you guys want something to eat, we can get Thai. Or you two can get Thai and I’ll stay here--”

“May!” Peter groaned.

“Right, I’ll leave you two alone,” May said, and Peter and I held our breath until we were sure she wasn’t at the door anymore.

“God, sorry, Y/N,” Peter mumbled, pushing his hair out of his face. “It’s the only thing I could think of--”

“No big,” I said. “But I’m sure May thinks we’re dating now.”

“She’s thought that since eighth grade,” Peter said and rolled his eyes. “Now she has ‘proof’.”

“I mean…” I started. Too late to go back now. “I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t thought of it before.”

“Us dating?” Peter asked.

“I know you like Liz and MJ, so it’s always been…” I started. “Never mind.”

“Sure, I like Liz and MJ,” Peter said. “But I like you too. Like, in a different way than I like Liz and MJ.”

“Like, in a girlfriend way?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Peter said. He was looking down at his lap, obviously abashed and not wanting to look at me. “You’re really funny and smart, and you’re super pretty… Mr. Stark thinks you’re cute too.”

“Tony Stark knows about me?” I asked. “He thinks I’m cute?”

“N-Not in a creepy way,” Peter said quickly. “When I went to Berlin, I brought a picture of you in my luggage, and Mr. Stark-- Well, Happy found it and he told Mr. Stark, and he said that you were pretty… Encouraged me to ask you out… Gave me… Ahem, pointers on how to ask you out.”

“Really?” I grinned. This was amusing to find out. Tony Stark knew who I was. That was almost as cool as finding out my best friend was an Avenger. “What’d he say?”

“Some really gross stuff, to be honest,” Peter chuckled. “Nothing I’d ever say to you, not even jokingly. But… Whatever. Anyway. MIT interview--”

I leaned in towards Peter and kissed him again, and I felt his smile against my lips. He kissed me back, his arms wrapping around me and tugging me close, and, when the kiss broke, I whispered, “So, does Spiderman have a girlfriend?”

“I’m sure he can get one if he wants to,” Peter said.

“Does he want to?” I asked.

“Duh!”

#peter parker #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x bestfriend!reader #peter parker fluff #spiderman #spiderman x reader #tom holland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fluff #mcu #sm:hoco #sm:ffh #ca:cw #avengers #i miss tony stark #q

326 notes · View notes

agentsoftie · 3 years

Text

mistletoe

summary: you like him, a lot. so penny does something. something that may or may not involve mistletoe

a/n: it’s vlogmas y’all! also just act like this was uploaded on the 1st instead of the second. also, this love isn’t proof read so bare with me

pairing and word count: spencer x (f) reader & 1.6k

The day was December 1st, and in the paradise that is Virginia, that meant Holiday season. The lights were already up. And the cold air was picking up so much that one couldn't possibly go outside without wearing a coat, fearing for hyperthermia. Carolers were out around the town, singing their hearts out and freezing their hands off. Pictures With Santa was being set up in the park, and elves were practicing their dances and jingles. You could smell the cookies and the peppermint from a mile away. Christmas songs and melodies were playing all across town. And in response, all the hungover college kids were groaning and sulking all across town as they got their morning coffee and went to class.

Each radio was playing some form of holiday music instead of its general hillbilly religious crap. And you honestly didn't mind. Although, it's not like you ever bothered to turn on the radio. But today, something was different. Something had just changed. Maybe it was the fact that it was now the time for laughter and joy instead of harm. Maybe that was the change.

The cold air suddenly leaves your ears as the feeling of warmth rushes in. And to your surprise, you're greeted by a very peppy Lenny. Although, you did bring him a donut this morning, so that might have an effect. “Y/N! Good Morning!” He said as he buzzed you in. “You too Len! Hope you like the snack.” Before you could finish the question, he was half way done with his donuts. You smiled to yourself as you entered the elevator.

“Wait!” You heard someone yell as you were about to hit the button. You waited, as one does, and soon saw the figure that was running towards you clear up. “Spencer,” you breathed out as he ran in. “Y/n, hi.” He said as he was catching his breath.

You hit the button and quickly looked down, trying to avoid his gaze as much as possible. You see, you loved him. Ever since the dawn of time. Or, at least since last December. See, today, technically marks your one year anniversary since you joined the team. See, the first time you first laid eyes on him, the first time you said hello, your heart skipped a beat. The way he moved, the way he talked, just him. Him- himself, was memorizing enough. Never though. Never did you have the courage to talk or say anything to him. The team always noticed, but they never said anything, saying as you got along with them all great.

As soon as the elevator opened you ran for the two glass doors… As subtly as possible. The office smelt like peppermint and hot chocolate, and there was only one possible reason for that. Penelope.

“Good morning my lovely little love birds!”

You both stopped in your steps and looked at each other dead in the eye. “You guys, I’m joking, come on.” You both chuckled awkwardly and he quickly sprinted to his desk as you but your coffee on your desk.

“Like what you’ve done with the place Nel. Quite nice if I say so.”

She set a stack of piles on the desk, and straightened your hair.“You better like it. I stayed till like 10 getting everything ready and paid Lenny 20 dollars to help me set up half of these things.”

“Sucks that it’s gonna be down by mid January.” You say as you take some files off.

“Ooooh, yeah no, that’s not gonna happen.”

“Hey Nel, these aren't files.” You say as you give her the file you were looking at and picked through the other ones. Just to find that they weren't files either.

“Oh! Look at that! I never even noticed,” she said as she straightened her pasture. Spencer looked over to see what the commotion was about, but you tried not to pay attention.

“Spencer, would you come here please!”

You looked at Penelope and cursed in every single language you knew, and that was including ALS. She was the only one at the BAU who knew about your crush on Spencer. Since she was the reason you ever even wanted, or considered joining the BAU.

He got up and walked to your desk as you tried to look busy.

“What’s up Pen?” He said as he put his hand on your desk.

“I need you and Y/N to do something for me.” You looked shocked, but luckily, Spencer didn't see anything. “Can you please go down and do a few errands for me. Or well, for us.”

“Will we get paid?” You asked, she nonned.

“Is Hotch okay with this?” He asked, she, again, nodded. “Alright then, just text us what you need.” He said as he grabbed your hand and walked towards the door. You quickly grabbed your phone and wallet and pulled yourself forward. Your cheeks were rosy red. Or, as red as they could be, so you kept your head high. Although that probably doesn't work in your favor when you will be stuck with him the entire day.

“Okay, first of all, fresh roses.”

“Oooh, I know a great little flower shop. It’s by the bakery near Santa’s Little Shop.”

“Where?”

“It’s by my house here I’ll-”

“Got it.” He said as he cut you off. You wanted to ask him how he knew where you lived, but then you figured that before you came, he went over you and your file like 50 times. Or with him, most likely one.”

You looked out the window as snow fell down to the ground. It was a light snow, nothing big, nothing new. It was the type of snow where you could build a snowman, but it might take an eternity. He drove slowly and carefully turning on the radio to find The Beatles playing.

“Here we go.” He said as Blackbird was dying down in the background.

“Perfect.”

You both got out of the car and looked around. Some things just never change. Even when you’re off of work.

“Hi! Welcome!”

“Hey Blair! Where are all or your red, white, and green flowers?”

“That’s… oddly specific.” She spoke as she got up from behind the counter.

“Work.”

“Uh-huh, sure. Whatever you say… Well okay, here we have our roses, a staple piece. Then, some white roses, another staple piece. And Finally, green roses!”

You smiled a little. It was small, but she saw it. “I think Y/N’s looking for something more festive? Like… these poinsettia’s!” Spencer said as he walked around the store/

“I’ll take the roses, all three colors, and the poinsettia’s please.”

She rang up the total and you were gonna give her your credit card, but he beat you too it.”Spence…” You trailed “Y/N don't.”

You grabbed the flowers and so did he. He opened the car and as soon as you got it, the conversation picked up once more. “You know, you never had to do that.”

“I wanted to.”

“Okay well so did I.”

“Well I did it first.”

“What are you, five?”

“Is that supposed to mean something Y/N?” He said as he looked over at you.

“Ehh ehh, eyes the road!” You said as you snapped at the road.

He simply laughed as he looked back. “Okay, Now the coffee shop. She said that we need fresh treats since some of the kids are coming over tonight.”

“What’s tonight?” You asked as you looked around at the white ground. This was the first time in a while, or maybe in forever that you were having a normal and fluent conversation with him. It’s always, “Hi Spencer *runs away” or “Hey, *dies inside*” BUt this, this was different. This was fun. This was something you could get used to.

“Remember the office party.”

“Fuck… Yeah I forgot.”

“Ehh don't worry, so did I. But I think I’m just gonna stay home and re-read something.”

“Weirdo,” you said as you ran your fingers through his hair and messed it up. Somehow, just somehow, your heart wasn't beating 20 times fast almost causing you to fall dead on the spot. But instead you were just having fun and laughing. With Spencer. Spencer Reid. Dr. Spencer Reid. Someone you’ve had a crush on for a year.

“Do you like the Holidays?”

“Yeah, of course. I mean, it was the only holiday that I looked forward to when I was a child. Still now too I guess. Which is highly concerning, but we’re not gonna talk about that.”

He chuckled. “You’re funny Y/N,”

“I know.” You said as you smirked.

You looked around at everything that was going on. Kids running around and people drinking hot chocolate. Other people watching the carolers sing, and others kissing under the mistletoe. One person though couldn't stop staring. They couldn't stop staring at you. They looked at your magnificent hair and melted. They looked into your eyes and watched them shine. And heard a baby laugh for the first time every time you talked or laughed.

“What about you Spence?”

“Huh?”

“You like the holidays?”

“Yeah,”

“Well, why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you like the holidays?”

“Because of mistletoe,”

“Because of what?”

You were cut off by his hand cuffing your face. I took you a moment to realize what was happening, but once you did, you melted in. You put your hands in his hair and pulled a little. The kiss was aggressive for a public kiss but you soon eased it up due to the fact that this was happening in public. You broke apart due to the fact that breathing exists. And smiled into each other's lips.

“I said… because of mistletoe.”

“Screw you Spencer Reid.”

“You wish.”

“Really, cuz that didn't look like it.”

“You kissed back.”

“By default,”

tagging; @criminalmindsmoodrn, @marshmallowtraver, @ghostly-angelic, @himarisolace

moot tags: (sorry if this annoys you) @blakeprentiss, @lizziechase, @goldenxreid

#spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid x reader #reader x spencer reid #mgg x reader #christmas fluff #Criminal Minds #mgg #spencer reid fluff #mgg fluff #spencer reid #i like this one #yeah #i spent like 3 hours on it #so dont let it flop #vlogmas #yeah yall #mira writes

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luzarya · 3 years

Text

To Hunt A Creature

twst x Yuu

Summary: Yuu, as all know, came from another world. Not a word about their past however.

Until something from their world arrives, and Yuu deals with it alone.

Ao3 link: here

warnings and tags: some violence, mention of blood, not beta read

word count: 1,910

If it was something that Yuu desperately wanted to leave behind, it was their past. So far, they never once had to explain it, keeping it locked away.

But today was different.

Yuu felt something was amiss in the morning, feeling something that they thought they wouldn’t have felt in this world. It was odd, but it brought a sense of panic to Yuu.

“Grim,” Yuu called out to the sleeping feline, “Hey, Grim.”

Grim mumbled something in his sleep, then finally opened up his eyes, “Eh, what is it?”

Yuu gave a small smile, “I’ll be a bit late to class today, so on without me.”

“Eh? But it’s pretty early? Why are ya gonna be late?”

“I want to shower,” Yuu lied, “I forgot to take one last night and it’s bothering me.”

“Sheesh,” Grim huffed, “You and your long showers. Well…” He paused, “I guess it’s fine, as long as I get some tuna!”

“Of course!”

Yuu never attended class.

It was the afternoon, and it has been a few slow hours tracking down the creature in the forest, the creature that was the cause of it all. It was only because of Yuu’s previous experiences did Yuu ever notice, really.

If the creature isn’t taken down, then it would only grow stronger and stronger, until it no longer can be contained, destroying its surroundings in the process.

Yuu wanted to get rid of it while the creature was young, or at least, before anyone noticed that anything was amiss.

It was calming, to say the least.

Perhaps it was because this life was all that Yuu had known, or perhaps it was because their body sorely needed something like this. Yuu often didn’t get a chance to show their skills, lest anyone would question their entire identity.

Yuu walked slowly, careful to keep quiet. A glance told them that the creature was nearby, fresh prints in the mud. It didn’t take much for Yuu to realize that the creature was likely a little too nearby, faintly able to pick up the breathing of the creature.

It was calm, sounding just like any other animal to anyone else, though to Yuu, they could pick up the slight raggedness of it, too atypical to be that of a normal animal.

Yuu turned ever so slightly, their eyes meeting the figure of the beast that they had been tracking. It startled them for a brief moment, but they quickly calmed. The creature, without a doubt, was from their world.

The creature turned its head, now spotting Yuu. It bellowed out a roar, and then lunged towards them. But Yuu’s muscle memory kicked into action, allowing them to dodge the creature’s attack.

Your movements flowed smoothly, as if you weren’t inactive as a hunter for months on end. Yet, despite this, you could already feel the ache of your muscles, but that feeling was also familiar; thus your body continued despite its protests.

You pulled out a dagger, feeling the cold metal in your hand. With a thrust, you plunged your dagger into the creature’s flesh, blood splattering out and landing on your person.

Thus, a dance began.

The creature would lunge forward, and you would dodge. It would swipe at you, but you were quick enough to go to the side, out of it’s reach, landing another attack on it. This continued, your lungs burning, the creature persistent with its assaults. Few times did the creature managed to wound you, but you didn’t care- you were just. So. Close.

You don’t know how long it lasted, nor did you keep track of the number of times you landed a hit on the creature, and vice versa. But by the time the creature’s body landed on the ground with a loud thud.

But Yuu didn’t rest, no, they instead pulled something from their pouch. It was a vial of holy water, something of which Yuu had to make themselves. They also took out a pair of ear plugs, putting them in, then pouring the holy water onto the creature.

The creature let out an ear-shattering howl, and despite the earplugs, Yuu’s ear still hurt. Yuu took a step back as they saw the holy water melt the creature’s flesh, the creature crawling with much effort, but to no avail. Slowly, it made its way towards Yuu, and by the time it managed to crawl right in front of Yuu, who merely stared at it, the beast let out one last pitiful screech, before its head slumped against Yuu’s shoes, its body no longer moving.

It took only a few minutes for the body to dissolve into nothing but dust, of which was when Yuu knelt, taking out the earplugs and putting them away, clasping their hands together, closing their eyes, whispering out a prayer.

Blades of light appeared, striking down the dust. Somehow, it managed to get all of the dust, completely removing any evidence that the creature ever lived, with a small exception.

A small purple stone remained, glowing brightly, as if asking to be taken.

And Yuu complied, wordlessly picking up the stone, albeit carefully, then standing up. The stone shook in their grasp, puffs of black smoke swirling around Yuu’s arm, but never harming them. Eventually, it shook more and more, as if angry, but after a few minutes of absolutely nothing happening, the stone became still- signifying that it had given up.

Smiling, Yuu pulled out a pouch littered with faded runes and sigils, placing the stone within.

“Heh, guess I still have it in me, huh?” Yuu laughed, putting away the stone.

It was then when Yuu’s actions finally caught up with them.

Yuu’s legs gave out, causing Yuu to fall harshly against the forest floor. Yuu let out a yelp, followed by a string of curses.

It was only lunch, judging by the position of the sun, as far as Yuu could tell, which meant that there was a chance that someone would find them- but Yuu knew that it was unlikely. Grim probably assumed that they were skipping school- which admittedly was technically true.

Yuu quietly cursed again, trying to move their arms. Yuu managed to move them, but not without feeling the pain from all the gashes and wounds they’ve endured from the fight.

A thought came to Yuu.

Weakly, Yuu took out a knife, pulling out the blade. They pressed the tip onto the dirt, and began making an intricate design. They had spent only a few minutes on it, and once they were done, Yuu shifted their arm, the wound parallel to the ground. Yuu then used their free hand and pressed against the wound, forcing the once closing wound to open up, the stream of blood regaining life.

Drops of blood spilt onto the ground, as Yuu began muttering phrases.

It became dark, until it became too dark that Yuu couldn’t see a thing. Yuu became silent, moving their arms so that they laid at their sides. At this point, Yuu could feel the consequences of losing all the blood, and for a moment, Yuu regretted not eating prior to the fight.

Through the midst of the heavy air and silence, a voice rang out.

“So, you’ve called, at last, my dear?”

The darkness dissipated, the forest and its surrounding returning within Yuu’s line of sight- with a new addition.

The owner of the voice stood quite the distance away from Yuu, looking down at them.

“Just come and help me,” Yuu seethed, glaring at the figure, “I wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t desperate.”

“I know,” the demoness replied, “I’m just surprised, is all. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”

“Yep. Now, help me.”

“Heh, fine. Just for old time’s sake.”

The demoness, who was dressed in a red suit, the jacket hanging on their shoulders, walked slowly over to Yuu. Once the demoness was just a foot away, they just gave Yuu a glance, stroking their chin.

Then, with a snap of the demoness’ fingers, all of Yuu’s wounds healed. It wasn’t a painless process, however, as Yuu slumped over into the ground, the demoness letting out a small yelp as they jumped back out of Yuu’s way.

It took a moment for Yuu’s wounds to completely heal, and even then, they were still weak.

“Perhaps, it’s been too long,” the demoness muttered, as they went over to Yuu and picked them up, “Now, my darling, show me the way to your new home.”

“It’s over there…”

“Thank you.~”

The demoness then began walking. It would have been more convenient to fly over the forest, and be ‘home’ in an instant, but this was a different land. Unknown. Unseen.

And the demoness didn’t want to take chances in a world in which they were ignorant of its customs and culture- who knows how it would react to someone like her.

So it took a while. By the time the demoness had arrived at the place that Yuu had called ‘home’, there were three figures, from what she could sense. Yuu, at this point, was fast asleep.

Quietly, as they could, they walked over, careful to not be seen. Gently, they propped the sleeping Yuu against the wall. The demoness glanced around- the figures hadn’t noticed yet.

Good.

The demoness then walked away, and once she had deemed that there was enough distance between her and everyone else, she threw a rock.

And another.

Until one of the figures had the brains to investigate.

“The heck? Where are these rocks coming from?”

The demoness hide within the bushes.

Within the demoness’ line of vision, they saw two boys, one with red hair while the other with blue, and a fat dark cat with flames.

“Eh, is that Yuu?” The fat cat grumbles.

“Oh Great Seven,” the blue haired kid exclaimed, “It is!”

The demoness watched as the blue haired boy ran over to Yuu, picking them up with great ease. Naturally, this woke up Yuu, who began to immediately struggle in the boy’s grasp until the boy said something.

Whatever the boy had said, it was enough to calm Yuu down.

“Oh… It’s you, Deuce,” Yuu sighed.

“Geez,” the red haired kid scoffs, “Where were you? All the teachers gave that look of disapproval, y’know.”

“Yea!” The cat replies, “You left me all alone! You said you were just gonna be late! What’s the deal? Why are you wearing different clothes? Why do you smell like blood, huh?”

“Blood? Oh, that’s-”

“Eh?!” Deuce gave Yuu a look-over, “You were bleeding!? We need to get your insides!”

“Deuce, I’m fine-”

“How are you not dead?”

“Ace-”

At this point, the demoness was getting annoyed. A look from Yuu indicated that they felt their annoyance, which didn’t go unchecked by their friends.

“What are ya lookin’ at?” The cat turned to the demoness’ direction. “Is there somethin’ there, eh?”

“No, Grim-”

The demoness let out a sigh, and then revealed themselves. The two boys, Ace and Deuce, and the fat cat named Grim, stared at the demoness.

For a good moment, all was quiet, until someone broke the silence.

“So. This is Aristomache…. But she goes by Mache for short ...” Yuu said, letting out a nervous laugh.

At this, Mache smiled at the teenagers, lifting up her hand, open for a handshake. “Hello, friends of my darling, it’s a pleasure.”

Silence….

…

“...Yuu, what the heck…”

“Oh, shut up.”

#twst x yuu #twst fanfic #luzarya writes things yuh

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7wanderingpaws · 3 years

Text

He Loves Love (3/3)

Pairing: Baekhyun x reader

Genre: solo singer! AU

Word count: 4K+

Warnings: none! just a playful Baek!

--- Please make sure to read the the notes at the end! ---

Masterlist

tags: @iloveagain @buttercupbbh @wooya1224 @baekberrie (sorry if I left out someone? its been ages since i updated and I didnt know if its okay to tag those who commented on chap. 2 :( didnt want to be rude ><)

1 <<< 2 <<< 3

It was the day of the release. The release of his magazine cover.

The PR went… mad.

“Listen, sweetie, editor, I don't think we will have enough pieces. The damn thing is literally going to be sold out in a matter of hours.”

You received this call before lunch time. Lunch time was very early on in the day. So why was Baekhyun's magazine cover about to be sold out in the entirety of Korea on the same day of the release date?

“Erm, yeah about that. I am an editor, just like you said. You need to call the-”

“I know, I know,” she interrupted but there wasn't an inch of impatience in her voice. “What I am trying to say is - congratulations! You did a great job!”

It took you a moment to realize what she was saying, because she was right. Your participation in this issue was big; after all you took care of the props and settings and you were looking over his pictures during the photoshoot. Out of nowhere, your heartbeat sped up. “Oh, thank you! That's very kind of you, but I still need to improve a lot-”

In that moment, the happy ding! that never failed to make you all trembly and nervous, sounded on your desk.

Waiter: miss editor am I seeing correctly????? wowow ihavenowords

Waiter: did you just make me sell out your magazine?????? ihavenowords

Waiter: did you save yourself at least one piece??? huhuuhuhuuu ihavenowords ><

Waiter: i think someone just made themselves a good name in the mag industry ^^ congratulations!!!

Waiter: does that mean i will get to see you? hmmm maybe to give a congratulatory bouquet of flowers???? 🤭🤭🤭 🌹💐🌺

Biting your lip quickly to suppress the happy grin, you quickly attended to the phone call, chatting a bit more with the PR lady. Honestly, you didn't like to talk to them much as they were all over the place, too demanding and didn’t have a great understanding of a creative mind. Thankfully, you didn't have to deal with them too often.

It hadn't been that long since your last meeting with Baekhyun. His kisses on your cheek and one kiss on your forehead seemed to be still burning on your skin, sometimes making you drag the pad of your index finger over the mentioned places, needing some sort of closure from him that you had yet to receive.

Texting now was a full on habit between you, causing you to become sad, disappointed and even anxious if he wouldn’t reply that soon, worried he changed his mind about you, and his feelings towards you. Because even though you admitted to him that you liked him, he was being still very cautious, still very polite with you, as if there was some sort of invisible line between you two that he was scared to cross, for some reason.

Trying to look at it from his point of view, there were many risks of him wanting a relationship with you, and you couldn't not agree. If anything, you were being thankful for his thoughtfulness and carefulness, for if he messed up even the tiniest bit around you and your secret meetings of a blooming start of a relationship, he would not see the end of the hate, and neither would you. Heck, his career was on the line.

You managed to reply to his playful messages that went on and on, before you would have to dive into another cover magazine plan that you had to start thinking through.

Me: I think I should congratulate YOU! the most wanted man in Korea it seems ;)

Me: these days i have some important meetings… an upcoming cover… im definitely doing overtime today :( when is it good for you? I will try to arrange my schedule with yours

Waiter: ohoh the most wanted man you say? i wonder if the one i want wants me just as much…….???

Waiter: i would like to see you more often before my album drops, you know i will get quite busy and not seeing you for too long doesnt seem to work well with me anymore ><

Waiter: sooo… i will come pick you up from work tonight just shoot me a msg *^

Just as his messages could make your heartbeat go into a crazy overdrive, it seemed he could also make it completely stop. Or so you thought. His flirting and now his proposal to pick you up gave you a huge shock. That would be a first for sure.

Me: sure! have your phone with you Mr Korea

Me: I wonder too if that person wants you as much ;)

You decided not to pay him any more attention after that as much as you were tempted. Your belly was levitating along with your body, feeling high on vitamin Baekhyun. Pressing down the urge to tease him, you put your phone away, your hands slightly trembly from the attention you kept receiving from someone like him.

If your predictions were even close to correct, you wanted to tell him: yes, the one that he wanted, wanted him just as much.

…

You were fast to leave your work that day. Excited butterflies were eating your insides away, and the only way to make them calm down was to finally meet the person who always made their wings flutter.

Baekhyun was already parked in the underground parking lot, his car the only one with the motor on - and the only car of his class. You spotted him sitting in his car in his white jersey shirt, his left elbow propped on the windowsill as his index finger was stuck between his teeth, gnawing at it. When he saw you, he took a double-take and quickly changed his posture which made you giggle.

Baekhyun was following you with his eyes, going even to the length of leaning in over the passenger seat so as not to lose sight of you until he reached over and opened the passenger door for you so you could slide in.

“Why, thank you,” you smiled cheerfully as you sat down. You closed the door and put your bag down in between your legs.

“My pleasure,” he said back with a pleasant smile. “Hand me the bag, I'll put it in the backseat.”

You quickly did as he asked and then reached for your seatbelt.

“How was work today? We should celebrate!” he exclaimed as he put the car into drive and made his way out of the parking lot.

You hummed, gnawing on your lip. “That would be wonderful,” you said but hesitated about offering anything further. It was difficult to read the situation; you wouldn't know what you could afford to do with him and what not; what would be stepping over the line and what wouldn't. But Baekhyun said he liked you. In fact, he even told you to look at him like at any other man. That meant you shouldn't doubt all the possible hang-out ideas you had, right?

“I think it is you who deserves a gift,” you murmured and stole a look at his concentrated face. You reached the outside now, the dark evening slowly changing into night, the light of passing cars illuminating your faces.

“Hmm, I think so, too. Something in lines of - I can pick whatever I want, huh?”

Hiding your smile behind your hand, you nodded. “Yes, I can grant something. But don't make it expensive. Even though you sold out our magazine, it doesn't mean I will get a pay rise right away.”

“Oh, it won't include any monetary value,” he promised and turned to look at you when he stopped at the red light, the line in front of you seemingly going on for at least a mile. “It would be something you can and should be able to do freely.”

Despite the darkness of the car, Baekhyun could still spot that gorgeous, astounding blush colouring your cheeks. He really grew to love it; to make you so flustered you couldn't help but grow all red, just for him. “What do you think?” he asked quietly, still observing you with a small lopsided smile.

First you looked at your connected hands in your lap and then looked up at him through your lashes. “Depends what it is, but I owe you, so…” you trailed off.

He chuckled quietly, causing your heart to skip a beat before he started driving again, the line in front slowly moving. “Wonderful.”

Within forty-five minutes, you found yourself seated in a Korean restaurant, both yours and Baekhyun's shoes left at the entrance. Baekhyun, knowing the owner, asked for a separate room where people usually held business dinners, to ensure you would have full privacy and could enjoy each other.

It was a bit mind-blowing how much he could just do. His authority was admirable but at the same time it reminded you how you could hardly compare. If you would have asked the owner to give you a separate room, you might have had to fight for it or give him some money. Baekhyun seemed to walk in like a prince, confidently talking to people as if it was so natural.

“Can you give me a moment?” he asked suddenly, already standing up. “I forgot something in the car. Choose a meal until then.”

You nodded and saw him shuffling towards the door. Quickly going through the menu, you were thankful it was just an ordinary Korean restaurant that specializes in noodle soups and wasn't pricey. Picking the one that seemed the most special, you put the menu away just in time for Baekhyun to return back. His right hand was behind his back, obviously hiding something.

He had a sheepish smile on his face as he stepped towards you and handed you a beautiful bouquet of colourful flowers, the smell of which instantly hit your nose. You felt your mouth stretch into a wide smile as you stood up to your feet.

“Oh my god, what is this for, Baekhyun?” you asked, looking up into his eyes just to find them sparkling with anticipation.

“I know I never asked you out on an official date, so I might not be dressed up to my best potential, but I really wanted to give you something and today, as I said, I wanted to give you a bouquet. Please, accept it,” he added breathily, watching you with bated breath, nudging the flowers out to you.

You giggled and he smiled right away as you took the bouquet in your hand, careful as to not hold his fingers that were still curled around the stems. “Thank you.”

As you wanted to pull back, he leaned in, grabbing your wrist gently that was holding the flowers, bringing you closer. His lips hovered over your cheek and he eventually pressed them there. “Good job on your first cover,” he murmured and leaned away the slightest to watch your surprised reaction. Your eyes were watching his mouth and he had to restrain himself from going any further. He didn't want to cross the line. Not yet.

Unfortunately, you had to separate when the doors opened and the waiter came in. She was taken aback for the slightest of moments when she noticed you and Baekhyun backing away from each other but both of you recovered quickly and sat down, ready to order.

“This Vietnamese noodle soup is my favourite,” mentioned Baekhyun, looking at you. “So that is your gift to me - eating my favorite food with me.”

…

It was late June, the beginning of the most humid weeks of the year with the monsoon season around the corner.

Baekhyun became so busy with the release of his album back in May, that you rarely got to see him afterwards, although he made sure to see you a couple of times per week even if he was on the verge of falling asleep. Besides meeting, you were always chatting on the phone, him updating you about his daily schedules while you would mostly talk and send pictures about the same old stuff - your office, your computer screen or your late lunch. Or a selfie. You were on that basis now, despite a first kiss never happening.

It made you think sometimes if you were the one who was supposed to make the first move. If you grew eager to finally feel him in that way, then he must have also had some similar feelings, right? You had been dying to kiss him since the first time he said he liked you. And it was late June now.

Late June meant that the music awards show was happening just this particular night. Baekhyun had been texting you eager messages to double-check that you would really be attending like you told him you would.

While you quickly looked yourself over in the mirror in your office - you worked even today, a Saturday - you checked your phone's screen, seeing the previews of his messages.

Waiter: finally our schedules overlap ❤️ Waiter: i cant actually believe it Waiter: huhuhuhu missy are you done with preparing? im curious to see.... Waiter: its just that it would be difficult to do so without it…

Hastily checking your earrings, you read the previews with a large smile. It would be an exciting night.

When you arrived at the event along with your colleagues, you couldn't help feeling clammy from the excitement. The possibility of spotting Baekhyun was making you sick with anticipation. It wasn't even the amount of people attending the event, it was just him; just the idea that he was somewhere there and hopefully he was looking for you just like you were looking for him.

Your colleagues hurried to sit down as the ceremony was about to start. Since you were busy in the office, you ended up leaving the headquarters much later than planned, but there was nothing you could do about it anymore.

The lights dimmed just when you made yourself comfortable, making it too difficult to look around and recognize faces. Deciding to quickly check the messages you didn't have time to look at before, you finally saw what Baekhyun was bombarding you so much about.

Waiter: finally our schedules overlap Waiter: i cant actually believe it Waiter: huhuhuhu missy are you done with preparing? im curious to see how you look so you could send me a selfie and so then i can recognize you at the event hm? without having to stare everywhere and become suspicious Waiter: its just that it would be difficult to do so without it sooooo ????? Waiter: yah!! where did you go?? Waiter: ex...excuse me? ehm ehm!!! Waiter: wow okay… Waiter: Y/N … disappeared... Waiter: i guess you are busy >< im arriving at the venue soon update me so i know where you attttttt okiiii??? ㅎㅅㅎ

You hid your smile behind your hand and quickly typed him a message to update him like he demanded. You couldn't send a selfie anymore because of the silly lights and your superiors being at the same table, you couldn't afford to be on your phone all the time. Hyeri, as much as she was kind, didn't like it when the job was not done properly, so you made sure to pay attention to the performances while you felt your phone vibrate with messages most probably from Baekhyun.

You bit your lip to keep in the smile, your heart fluttering. How was he able to be this… gorgeous even through messages? How was he able to make your heart beat frantically even when he was not around you? Unknowingly, your desire for him grew by tenfold, the sudden urge to meet him almost overtaking your actions, but one strict stare from Hyeri and you stopped squirming in your chair as you realized you did with a horrified look. Wow. You had to do something about this, and it had to be very soon.

To your big misfortune, you never spotted Baekhyun until it was his turn to overtake the stage. As much as you expected something huge, it was anything but that. No props, just a simple mic stand and then, a Baekhyun in a ready-to-go-for-a-date look, plus four dancers and he was able to fill the huge stage to the brim with his presence. That was it. Simple as that.

You inhaled his entire performance, the loud screamings of crazy fans not enough to pull you out of your reverie that consisted of Byun Baekhyun and Byun Baekhyun only. His movements, so sharp yet so smooth, his flirting with the camera, his lip bites, and that crazy happy smile; all of it. He was changing images from lethal sexy, through lazily suggestive, then sweetly gorgeous until becoming cute and ready to pet on the head. Without anything more to add, he had each flavor of a candy to offer and you had never been this addicted to candies in your life.

...

You met him accidentally when you were leaving the toilets that were meant for the VIPs. Closing the door behind you, you felt its cold surface press to your bare back when Baekyun appeared in front of you, freezing momentarily when he recognized you.

He smiled instantly, happy to finally see you, before he let his eyes wander. Finally, he let you know that he was looking. Oh he was. Your dress was revealing on the back, which he had yet to witness, but the front was completely covered, hugging your chest and waist, telling Baekhyun that there was something to look at for sure. The long, wavy skirt that stopped just above the floor was bunched up in your hand, showing sparkly high-heeled shoes that were the cause of the pain in your ankles.

None of you said a word as you took a note of his fancy suit, the simple stage outfit now gone. It was fully black, but once again you couldn't comprehend how broad his shoulders and chest were despite his shirt that was tucked into his pants being black, too.

“Good performance,” you broke the silence finally, meeting his somewhat eager gaze. “I have to admit, I was swooning with the other girls, too.”

That got Baekhyun's attention. His eyebrow rose in question and he stepped closer but not before making sure there were no prying eyes in the small corridor. His body covered yours from anyone, were you to be disturbed. “Oh, were you, really?”

You nodded, your smile teasing. “Yeah.”

He smiled gently, his gaze running over your features that were touched up with make-up. “I'm glad. If I wanted to impress someone, it was you.”

“You did that a long time ago,” you admitted shyly, averting your eyes so he wouldn't catch you shyness.

You heard him letting out a laugh through his nose. “So cute,” he muttered, stepping even closer. “I have to run back but let me drive you home tonight.”

His words made your head snap up though you weren't that much smaller from him anymore thanks to the heels. His words ignited something inside of you. “You came with your car?”

“I asked my friend to bring it over to the venue,” he said. “I am not going back to my company after this. I finally found you here and-” he sighed softly, shaking his head as he looked at you, “I want to spend some time with you. Alone.”

Your breath hitched in your throat, his look making you all itchy and needy. Without much thinking, you found yourself nodding a tad too eagerly which made Baekhyun smile. “Alright,” you whispered, “text me. But I can't leave before my superiors do.”

“Can I just steal you?”

Giggling, you shook your head and suppressed the need to hold his hand. “I'm afraid no. But I will try my best to get out of it quickly.”

His smile was so gentle as he nodded slowly, closing his eyes for a second before stepping even closer, his fingertips running over your clothed forearm in the most feather-like way. “Okay. I'll be waiting for you,” sweetheart.

…

The car came to a complete stop in front of your small apartment building. Audi had quite the silent engine anyway, but now with it being turned off, you felt like silence had a physical form and was growing in on you, making the tension between you and Baekhyun the more difficult to withstand.

Given his silence, you knew that you should say something, and you also knew what you were supposed to do. It was now or never. “Would you maybe… like to come in?”

He glanced over, checking your expression to see if you were serious. He parted his lips but hesitation stole the words away from him. You chuckled when he opened his mouth again and smiled abashedly. “'I’d love to.”

Oh my god, you thought as the both of you made your way towards your apartment. In panic, you tried to quickly think over what state you left your flat in exactly, but it seemed that your mind was clogged up, unable to come up with anything that could possibly explain what was happening in that very moment. Byun Baekhyun, the superstar, was coming inside your apartment. And he seemed to be rather quiet.

Was he overthinking this? Maybe he would realise this was all a mistake and that you weren't good enough for him. Maybe you did something off-putting today?

As you were typing in the code to your house, you felt his strong presence behind you, his gaze on your naked back, and you swore the tension just grew even more when you let him enter your little safety den first. Surely, it was no luxury like he must have been used to by then, given the many years of singing career, but you could only hope it would be enough.

You had been far too gone for him. If he were to dump you, you might end up hurt and heartbroken.

Letting the door close behind you, you wanted to follow him only to see him standing just a couple of steps ahead of you, looking into the apartment but not moving further inside. “You can enter, Baekyhun.”

“You look so beautiful tonight,” he said softly out of nowhere, catching you off guard with his honest words. Letting them sink in, you bit your lip, feeling your heartbeat accelerate again. It wasn't possible to get a heart attack, right?

He was standing in front of you while your back was pressed to the front door you just closed behind you. “Thank you,” you whispered, matching his intimate tone and feeling like you were about to combust. “You look really handsome tonight.” And everyday.

He smiled, which you couldn't see as he still had his back on you. Just then, he turned and with that pleasant expression on his face made those separating two steps towards you until he stood right in front of you, causing you to look up. “Thank you.”

You nodded, feeling the terrible blush creeping up into your cheeks. Actually your entire body was suddenly on a heat wave, feeling the prickles of sweat to form under your dress as he stared at you affectionately. God, you wanted him so much it was really becoming unbearable.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You just asked one,” you replied mischievously, grinning, just to be rewarded with a wide smile from him as he stepped even closer, your heart clenching painfully. Was it the chemistry that was so painful?

“Cheeky,” he whispered, his breath almost hitting your cheek. You kept his eye contact before you nudged him with a go on.

What, do you want to kiss me on the cheek again? you desperately wanted to ask, to tease him. Or would this finally be it? Would he finally just... kiss you?

“May I kiss you, sweetheart. On the lips.” His intonation was far from that of a question. He was so hot, goodness. And your knees were suddenly jelly-like as you couldn’t stop staring into his eyes when you nodded.

He let out a breathy laugh when he almost pressed his body into yours. Almost. “You don’t like to confirm things out loud with me, do you, beauty?”

“Yes, you may kiss me, Baekhyun. Please, just finally kiss me.”

It was almost as if he wouldn't wait for your approval anyway, as he was leaning in before your words even left your mouth, his hands coming to gently rest against the door; caging you in, yet making you feel even more safe. He was carefully watching your features as he pressed his lips to yours, one hand coming to cradle your face gently before he finally captured your upper lip and you melted.

Closing your eyes, you sighed as you let your hands slide up his toned chest and around his neck when he pressed himself into you just a little bit closer, a very much satisfied hum coming out of his throat that sent shock waves down your body. That deadly hum. It could really do anything to you, it was that attractive to you.

You dared to run your fingers through his hair that had gel in it, but still felt so cutely soft under your touch. You played with his pillows, prolonging the gentle sucking as you dragged his lower lip towards you, feeling the wetness of his mouth. He leaned in as you separated for the slightest of moments, tilting his head to the other side, unconsciously making one step closer so you felt him on your chest and the surface of the door on your back.

Smooch after smooch, you soon realized he was a loud kisser that liked the licking sounds and the responses from you as you breathed out softly while his thumb caressed your blushed cheek.

Another loud smooch, and this time he was the one who dragged your lower lip towards him with his teeth, as he bumped his nose with yours, tilting his head to the opposite side again while both of his hands cradled your face with utmost care.

Eventually, he kissed you one last time, ending it with him pressing his forehead to yours, not opening his eyes just yet. You didn’t either, relishing in the lingering feeling of him around your mouth as his warm pants pushed in through your parted lips. Slowly, he nuzzled your nose and you giggled softly which prompted him to open his eyes to meet yours already on him.

“That was better than I could ever imagine,” he whispered and smiled handsomely.

You blushed even more, if that was possible. “Ditto.”

His eyes widened and he leaned away a bit. “Don’t tell me you fantasized about kissing me?”

You shrugged but didn’t meet his eye. “How could I not? I’m a human, aren’t I? And you know I like to be straightforward.”

He smirked, knowingly nodding to himself. “Oh yeah, right. The straightforward business.”

You chuckled. “You’re too good of a kisser.”

“Only the best for you,” he winked and those words made you feel things. Before you could reply, he blurted: “Can I be your boyfriend?”

Smiling widely, you nodded, feeling absolutely elated. This was really happening. “Yes, you can be my boyfriend, Baekhyun.”

He sweeped you in his arms, bringing you in for another kiss. “That means,” he murmured between the kisses, “that I can kiss you just like that. And I can finally call you sweetheart,” he breathed the nickname before opening his mouth and devouring you, showing how passionate of a kisser he could be.

You never doubted him, of course, but in situations like these, reality was always better than your poor imagination, for your brain could never produce the exceptional feeling of having Byun Baekhyun’s lips on yours, feeling the moisture and his playful tongue, his creativity of teasing you with it astonishing. No. Nothing could ever compare.

There was only one Byun Baekhyun and he was a superstar. Off-limits to almost everyone. But not to you. Not anymore.

--- --- --- --- ---

A/N: And that is the end! This is the final part, so with this, I am also saying goodbye to this story that made my heart flutter a wee bit... ^^ Thank you to whomever sent me support via comments/reblogs, dms, I was glad this story could bring something enjoyable to the table! ❤

--- As you know, these 3 chapters were supposed to be about how our characters met and became a couple. So I hope I delivered well! I know I put the M sign in the beginning way back in May, but while plotting, I realized it wasnt suitable for these 3 parts. It would take me more chapters to write to bring it to that point (hint: if you request it as a standalone oneshot later, I am willing to write it but otherwise it would need more relationship building).

I hope this explains it!

Thank you again!

Please let me know what you thought, it would mean a lot and its free!

CuriousCat Ask box is also open! Or comments!💕

#exowritersnet #baekhyun fanfiction #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun canon #baekhyun scenario #baekhyun fic #baekhyun drabble #baekhyun au #baekhyun #byun baekhyun #exo fanfiction #exo au #exo canon #exo imagine #exo fluff #mywritings

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misslilli · 3 years

Text

Thank you guys, for going on this adventure with me 🥰 I'm having such a blast reading your comments!

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | AO3

Chapter 13 - Fantastic Mulders And Where To Find Them

[ DS ]

“Well, little lady, you’re pretty young and inexperienced, you’ll learn to distinguish when it’s appropriate to call in parents and when it’s clearly not necessary.” Stunned, I stare at the father of a girl in my class sitting across from me, trying to control my flaring temper. ‘What a misogynistic, condescending asshole!’

“I can assure you, sir, when a child comes to me with a concerning story from home, I will always want to clear it up with the parents. Now that we’ve cleared it up, I think we’re done here. Thank you for coming.” I get up and hold out my hand, hoping to end this nightmare of a conversation on a positive note.

Once he left, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, anger boiling in the pit of my stomach. There’s not much that I hate more than being belittled and I yank my book bag off my table angrily, spilling the cup of pencils in the process, scattering them everywhere. I want to scream. Okay, now I’m Pissed. Royally.

I pick up the pencils and shove them back into the cup before turning off the lights and leaving for today. As I head outside, I notice a small gathering of women down the front steps and they’re giggling and laughing at something Fox Mulder had said. At the sight of him, my heart skips a few beats. ‘Oh that’s just great. I’ll keep my head down and walk by quickly, I’m in no mood to be dragged into a conversation with the PTA brigade.’

I try to pass them by inconspicuously, walking briskly down the stairs and keeping my head down, but I’m stopped with a hand on my arm and a “Miss Scully, do you have a moment?” I turn to him trying to hide my exasperation. ‘Ugh, why do you have to be so damn handsome. And please, get your hand off my arm before I burst into flames. Victim: Dana Scully, cause of death: Spontaneous human combustion from being touched by Fox Freakin’ Mulder. Try and put that on a headstone.’

My mask of professionalism only slips for a brief moment, though, and I smooth out the frown on my face. “Yes, Mr. Mulder?” ‘Why is your hand still there? And why is it so hot all of a sudden, it’s freakin’ September.’

“I was hoping you could give me another opinion on something.” He leans into my personal space conspiratorially and I raise my eyebrow in a silent question. ‘Mmmh he smells really good too. Why, God, why? Ugh, that low tone of voice is driving me insane.’

“Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?” The women around me giggle and I blink at him slowly. ‘What the fuck kind of question is that?’ I draw myself up to full height - don’t you dare laugh - thankful that I wore my heels today and gather the few braincells I have left that are not occupied with wondering how that broad chest would feel under my fingers.

“Logically, I would have to say No. Given the distances needed to travel from the far reaches of space, the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft’s capabilities.” I can tell that my answer somewhat surprises him but he’s not done yet.

“But there are obviously unexplained phenomena out there, now when convention and science offer us no answers might we not finally turn to the fantastic as a plausibility?”

‘What I find fantastic is your ass in those jeans…’. “What I find fantastic is any notion that there are answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there, you just have to know where to look!” The other moms watch our argument as if they’re watching a tennis game.

He flashes me a wry grin. “That’s why they put the ‘I’ in FBI.” ‘Huh, so he’s with the Feds? I wonder where he keeps his gun. Well, I know where I’d check first but… Okay that’s enough. I wonder how many Hail Mary’s Father George will make me say for what’s going on inside my head.

Felix comes running down the stairs at this moment and wraps his arms around his dad’s legs. “Well thank you for this fantastic point of view, I’ll see you tomorrow ladies. Miss Scully.” He tips his imaginary hat to us and walks Felix back to the car. The little boy turns and waves at me, briefly. I smile and wave back.

My mood has miraculously improved during this odd bit of conversation and I bid the PTA moms goodbye as well, walking over to my bike to head home.

----------

[Felix]

“Hey dad, what did you and Miss Scully talk about back there?” I need to know. Please don’t let it be something embarrassing. Dad smiles at me in the rear view mirror.

“I asked her if she believed in aliens!”

“Noooo DAD, please tell me you didn’t!” ‘This is even worse than I thought. Can I give him up for adoption?’Dad shrugs his shoulders.

“She was having a pretty bad day, I just wanted to cheer her up. I think I did a pretty good job, too, she did smile at the end didn’t she?” Okay that is kind of sweet and yes she did, maybe I’ll keep him after all. I decide to change the subject.

“Dad, can we go to a soccer game sometime?” I just found out at recess today that our school has a soccer team and I really want to see that game. There’s another reason, too, but I keep this bit of information to myself.

“Sure, just tell me when!”

----------

[ FM ]

During the week, I’m treated to various stories from Felix’s school day on the car ride home, but his favorite daily segment of the Felix Show is “Dad, Do You Know What Miss Scully Did Or Said Today?” I’m bat-shit crazy about her too, so I get where he’s coming from, but he’s downright obsessed and I worry that this kind of attachment is not healthy for a kid.

I talk this over with our therapist on Thursday, in a one-on-one session and she thinks that maybe because he lacks an emotionally available mother, he looked for a suitable substitute and found it in his teacher. I shouldn’t worry too much about it, she’s sure when it’s too much, that the teacher is capable of handling the situation. She also promised to talk to Felix next time, to maybe tone it down just a little.

Our time is up before I can tell her about my own concerns about this situation. How I’d like to ask her out on a date but I don’t know if I should because I don’t want my son to get hurt in the process. I’m too inexperienced in dating to know the proper ways to handle this and frankly, the thought of getting back into dating terrifies me a little too. Okay maybe a lot. Felix is not the only one who has been scarred by the divorce.

----------

[ Felix ]

“Dad! Do we have any glitter glue in the house?”

It’s Thursday night and I’ve been working on my project for hours, wanting to get it just right. I had asked dad to write out a text for an invitation for me and I copied it onto the paper carefully. Pleased, I look at the two invitations I made, I can’t wait to hand them out. I really really hope they’ll accept the invite. My dad’s voice is getting louder while he talks, he’s coming upstairs. He enters my room and looks over my shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s in one of the drawers in the office. Tell me again why you’re making extra invitations when we had official ones made this week?” For someone who spends the whole day at work getting into other people’s heads, he’s not very good at understanding people.

“Because I reallywant them to come, dad! They’re my special guests!”

“Well, if there’s glitter glue, they won’t be able to say no! You did a really good job, Felix.”

“I hope so, dad. I’m pretty sad that mom’s out of the country and grandma can’t make it either.” He strokes a hand over my head.

“I know, son. I’m sorry!”

Chapter 14 - Last Chance For Spotting A Rainbow

Notes:

I stole some lines from the pilot. Please don’t sue. They’re just too good. Asdldlgdf

Also, the scene in the beginning is not entirely made up, a version of it happened to me last year.

#xf #the x files #xf fanfic #msr #felix felicis

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twstdreams · 4 years

Note

I've loved your non-romantic/platonic content that you've done so far! Adding on to that list, could I please request a short story surrounding MC, Ace, and Deuce? An accident occurs which ends in MC turning into a little kid and now it's up to the two boys to put their differences aside and babysit their friend until she's back to normal. Girl pronouns plz! Lol I can only imagine the chaos that would ensue. If you don't feel comfortable with this ask you can skip it! Thx for reading :)

I am always up for platonic content and shenanigans! Long story, so the rest is under the cut!

Warning: Minor spoilers for side stories (briefly alluded to)

Length: ~2.3K

“It’s this one!” Deuce declares with unfounded confidence.

“No, it’s not!” Ace rebuttals despite not making it past page 10 in his textbook.

“It’s mine!” Grimm shouts even though he most definitely does not understand the experiment at hand.

The magicless student can only sigh. Deuce and Ace suck at potions. So when the two bicker about what to add to their cauldron, the prefect doesn’t even blink an eye. Deuce mispronounces an ingredient, Ace corrects him, but neither are even talking about the right thing. She can practically sense Crewel’s glare despite her eyes remaining on the cauldron, cautiously waiting for bubbles to appear so she could add the indigo milk cap mushroom.

What is added next to her cauldron is not the mushroom in her hand but a random root Grimm throws in. In Deuce’s haste to catch the gremlin, he spills over his own cauldron and some of their potion spills into hers.

“What are you doing?” she asks, but it’s too late. The mixture in her cauldron is boiling profusely and suddenly envelopes her in a cloud of smoke.

“Funya! MC, are you okay?” Grim inquires. Deuce and Ace also call out her name but there is no response. When the smoke clears, everyone in the room is left speechless.

The potential beast tamer hasn’t moved but an inch but she’s at least two feet shorter and with rounder cheeks and wide eyes.

“WHAT?” she screeches in disbelief, suddenly too short to even reach the cauldron, “Fix this!”

And this is how the group’s long catastrophic day begins.

Adventure 1: The beginning

“What?!” Grim shouts. If looks could kill, Crewel’s glare would have toasted the monster.

“Yes, it is hard to predict when MC will return to normal because you carelessly threw together that potion. It should wear off in a day, but there’s no guarantee,” the teacher explains through gritted teeth. The bell rings but the quartet barely registers it.

“Go to the headmaster! It’s not my problem anymore,” Crewel declares.

Unfortunately, as most meetings with the headmaster are, the conversation is fruitless.

“Hah? We’re supposed to babysit her?” Ace asks.

“Yes! It’s your fault, is it not? Take care of her until the spell wears off,” Crowley declares.

“Isn’t there any way to break the spell?” Deuce inquires while nervously glancing towards MC.

“It’s hard to tell because you added in unknown amounts of various ingredients,” Crowley answers before muttering, “It takes too much time! I need to know what happens next in my novel.”

“Tch, what a lazy adult,” MC comments with a bored expression. She figured this would happen. She can’t even recall a moment when the headmaster had actually been helpful.

“What did you say?” Crowley demands. Deuce immediately picks up MC and heads for the door.

“Nothing! We’ll take care of her! See you later headmaster!” Ace explains while the two boys dash out of the office. They book it out of the hallway and then set her down on the ground.

“Hey! What was that about? It’s usually Grim saying stuff that gets us in trouble, not you,” Ace comments.

“Don’t tell me…Now she acts like a little kid too?” Deuce wonders.

Adventure 2: Stranger Danger

“Oh? Ramshackle prefect, you seem to be caught in quite the predicament.” MC glares at the Octavinelle dorm leader in return. Ace and Deuce are in the midst of calling Cater and Trey to ask for advice, giving Azul the perfect opportunity to approach her.

“I have an offer for you,” the second year begins.

“No.” MC is firm in her answer and has no intention of making any deals.

“Are you sure? I treat children well,” Azul adds but it only results in her frowning. There’s suddenly a glimmer in her eyes but before Azul can deduce what it means, MC begins shouting.

“STRANGER DANGER! STRANGER DANGER!”

“Stop that!” Azul insists but his wide eyes give away his flustered state. With a smile that looks a little too much like Chenya’s, MC continues her call for help. Soon enough, Deuce and Ace rush to her side.

“Stranger? That’s Prefect Azul! Have you forgotten him?” Deuce inquires with a look of concern. MC decides this is the perfect time to practice her puppy eyes and simply looks up at Deuce, wide eyes and with a pout.

Azul silently admits defeat as he forms a tight-lipped smile accompanied by some false pleasantries before exiting the area.

“I’m hungry!” she announces before anyone can question her further.

“Yes! Let’s go eat!” Grim agrees.

Adventure 3: Sweet Dreams

Getting lunch is a surprisingly painless affair. Though Night Raven College students could be quite self-centred, even they balked at harming a little girl. MC easily orders her favourites before sitting with her friends, though she has to sit on her knees to be at a comfortable height compared to the table.

“Wow! It’s true!~” Cater chimes while taking a seat at the table.

“How are you feeling?” Trey asks.

“Okay! It’s kinda weird but at least it was easy to get lunch,” she replies while taking a bite of her food.

“Now you really look like my minion!” Grim declares. MC shoots the monster a glare but doesn’t give him a response.

“You’re actually a little kid, huh? So, what do you wanna do when you grow up?” Ace teases.

“I want to control all the ghosts and have an army,” MC answers nonchalantly as if she had been discussing the weather.

“What?” Trey asks, slightly taken aback. Wasn’t this the person who was gullible enough to think that oyster sauce went in tarts?

“A ghost army,” she repeats confidently.

“Anyway! Aren’t you lucky? You get all these handsome guys to help you today!” Cater interjects, not wanting to unpack why the prefect wanted an army of the dead.

Her gaze scans the table before looking up at Cater, eyes wide and expression void of malice, and asks, “Where?”

Grim howls with laughter while the four Heartslabyul students try to recover from the blow to their ego. It’s definitely going to be a long day for them.

Adventure 4: Smiles and stares

“Hey wait!” MC whines. One disadvantage of becoming short is that her stride decreased accordingly, thus her struggles to keep up with her classmate’s pace.

“Just walk faster or we’ll be late for class!” Ace retorts, glancing up ahead to see how far away the next building is.

“AHH!” Ace turns around to see MC a couple of meters behind him face-first in a patch of grass.

“Uwah! Are you okay?” Grim asks while flying above the fallen girl. Ace groans at the predicament. Deuce ran ahead to warn the other teachers of MC’s unfortunate condition so the redhead was the only babysitter at the moment.

The situation only worsens when MC begins to sit up, knees scraped, eyes glistening with tears, brows furrowed, and lips pressed tightly together. Ace’s eyes widen at the sight.

“Please don’t cry,” he mutters under his breath before trying to think about how to soothe kids.

“Oh my, that was quite a fall. You’re okay now though, right?” Jade asks while extending a gloved hand. His face is calm, showing no signs of concerns or worry with only a placid smile to demonstrate any emotion. MC stares at his face, analyzing his expression for a few moments. After finding the answer to her unsaid question, she accepts his hand and quickly sniffles before nodding.

Ace watches in amazement as all signs of pain and panic vanish from her expression. He decides not to question her mood change before ushering the prefect to their next class.

Adventure 5: What came first? The egg or the chicken?

“You have to!” Deuce insists.

“NO!” MC shouts back, sitting firmly on the ground. Deuce is startled by the force of her words but stands his ground.

“It’s for your own good! Kids need exercise!” Or at least that’s what Cater told him before going to light music club.

“You can’t move me an inch!” MC retorts.

“I’m older, you should respect your seniors,” Deuce adds, doing his best to retain some level of patience.

“At least I know where chickens come from!” she rebuttals and Deuce feels at a loss for words. It is certainly not honour student behaviour to yell at a young girl but the first year is at his limits. He came to NRC to learn about magic, not dealing with children!

“Let’s play tag,” Jack suggests. Being the only one with little siblings, he is quickly enlisted to help. While disappointed in Deuce and Ace’s carelessness, he didn’t want to risk MC’s safety by leaving her in their care. Thus making him a reluctant member of the babysitting team.

“Tag?” MC echoes before a bright smile forms on her face. “Can it be teams?”

“Sure,” Jack agrees nonchalantly.

“Jack and I are on the same team! We get to chase Deuce and Ace!” she declares gleefully.

“Huh? I didn’t agree to this,” Ace interjects.

“We need even teams!” MC responds with puffed cheeks.

“Too bad, so sad!” Ace replies without remorse.

“This is our fault Ace. Plus we promised the headmaster to take care of her. As Heartslabyul students and men, we can’t go back on our words!” Deuce declares. Jack’s firm gaze and Deuce’s blazing spirit give little room for negotiation and Ace sighs in defeat. Ace really does hate alchemy class from the bottom of his heart.

Adventure 6: Idiots, all of them

MC closes her eyes and enjoys the breeze while resting. Deuce and Jack had gone to the cafeteria to get drinks for everyone after several rounds of tag while Ace lay on the ground to catch his breath. It was quite entertaining to see the fastest first years engage in a game of tag and even more fun to watch Ace try to avoid his inevitable fate. Agile as he was, Ace couldn’t run fast enough to outdo Jack with his insane stamina and speed. She giggles at the memory.

“Bonjour petite princesse!” Rook looks down at the little girl with a shining smile. Her eyes snap open and follow the source of the cheerful voice.

“Isn’t it delightful to see a new side to your friends? Like escorting someone on their first dance, like watching a lazy lion transform into a beast for the sake of the hunt, like observing night flox bloom under a full moon!” Rook beams but MC merely shrugs in response.

“Yeah but I’ve also seen Ace fall off his broom, Deuce compliment plants, and Jack mistake onions for a chemical leak.”

“Oh? Is it not like having several princes tend to you?” he inquires.

She scrunches her nose in thought before replying, “If my prince got stuck in a tree and I had to go save him.”

“Dear me, and I thought you were une petite princesse mignonne [1]! Perhaps that was a misunderstanding,” Rook remarks though he doesn’t seem displeased with the discovery.

Adventure 7: Mandatory nap

“Let’s go to the infirmary,” Ace suggests, “MC needs a nap and it’s the closest building with beds.”

“I’m the one that needs a nap?” she asks while side-eyeing her tired friend.

“She hasn’t even run for 3 hours,” Jack comments.

“Kids need naps! Plus, who knows what the side-effects of the potion are?” Ace adds, “We shouldn’t take any chances with her health.”

“You do need proper sleep to grow strong!” Deuce concurs.

“Sure, sure,” she concedes. When they arrive at the infirmary, there is no staff in sight. Ace guides her to a bed with an expectant smile.

“Well, go to sleep now!” Ace announces.

“It doesn’t work like that. I’m not sleepy,” she responds.

“Just lie in bed and close your eyes!” Ace insists with a huff.

“Shut up. You’re so noisy,” a voice growls. Leona appears on the other side of a room divider. Jack lets out a sigh, disappointed but not surprised by his dorm leader.

“I was having such a nice nap and now I’m… hah?” His sentence trails off as he eyes the little girl before him.

“Well,” you launch into an explanation of what happened, Leona shooting a judgemental look towards Deuce and Ace midway, before concluding, “It should wear off by the end of the day.”

“Tch, what an annoyance. I’m going back to sleep, don’t be loud,” Leona warns before flopping back onto the bed.

“How do you fall asleep so fast?” MC inquires. Leona glares at her, lips pressed together to form a thin line, but he lets any threats die in his throat.

“It’s nap time. Count sheep like a good herbivore until you fall asleep,” he instructs before turning his back towards the group. More than she’d like to admit, her small body requires rest and what better excuse than this? Besides, it’s not like magical history homework was particularly appealing, so she plops onto the bed to rest.

“I’m exhausted. Taking care of kids is tiring,” Ace says before falling onto another bed.

“It’s been a long day. I’m glad MC is okay, though. Haaah…I’m sleepy,” Deuce murmurs before resting on a different bed. Jack doesn’t comment but quietly begins his homework while keeping watchful eye on the little girl, not that he’d admit it if asked.

Adventure 8: The End. For now, anyway

She stretches after waking up, pleased to find her body back to its normal size. Ace snores lightly, Deuce’s mouth is agape, and Leona is nowhere to be found.

“Are you feeling okay?” Jack asks.

“Yeah, I actually feel pretty good!” Their conversation awakens their friends.

“You’re finally back to normal! I’m relieved,” Deuce interjects.

“You’re a lot of work for a minion, ya know? You’re lucky I’m so great,” Grim comments.

“That was a pain! You owe me big time!” Ace adds. MC shakes her head and wonders if she has the greatest or most chaotic friends.

[1] une petite princesse mignonne = a cute little princess

#writing Rook and Deuce are hard #Rook is so extra #and Deuce's speech pattern is something I'm not used to #hope you enjoy #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #twst x reader #deuce spade #ace trappola #leona kingscholar #jack howl #rook hunt #cater diamond #trey clover #wow I cannot believe this is 2K

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liliesoftherain · 4 years

Text

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch. 18 Code Names

A/N: Guess who’s back... back again.. shady’s back.. tell a friend- But really! Hey guys! I bet none of y’all missed me, but I deeply missed you.

So this is a little rant so you can 100% skip this and read the story! Enjoy!

Anyways, I kinda stopped talking to everyone I met here on tumblr, and that makes me really sad. I mean, I have no one to blame but myself, but now that I’m in a better place, I hope things can go back to normal, so, @pocket-is-obsessed @pinky-the-elephant-room @sunnieskies02 , and everyone else, I’m sorry. I love y’all, and I miss y’all.

Masterlist

If anyone wants to be added to the taglist, or if I missed you, please send an ask and I’ll add you!!

TAGLIST(ANY BOLD-I CANNOT TAG YOU FRO WHATEVER REASON): @rizamendoza808 !(: @iris-suoh !(: @quicksilverfangirl !(: @shortperson202 !(: @noodlenerd101 !(: @matchamidoriya !(: @thorsbtch-captainnoobmaster69me !(: @pastel-prynce !(: @sunkissedneptune @monetfatalia !(: @legit-fandom-trash !(: @lovethewitchofendor !(: @dekuxlink !(: @water-melone98 !(: @helena-way07 !(: @nothing17-7 !(: @hopelessdisasterr !(: @karmaboundlife !(: @lunamoonmint !(: @ihatemyselftoinfinityandbeyond !(: @beew !(: @kaylees1414 !(: @axerrri !(: @icythotsenpai !(: @iwantapoptartqwq !(: @acehyacinth !(: @sspidermanss !(: @httpswwwtbhkcom !(: @omgthatonenerd06 !(: @mochicheeks-world !(: @gvthic-gvrl !(: @jinxed-egg !(: @themagical1sa !(: @cherriomilkmangos !(: @1-800-schmacked !(: @human-watching-ads-from-devildom !(:

The following days were spent resting up, allowing your body to heal from the taxing day you endured; any cuts or bruises that had managed to slip pass Recovery Girl were now reduced to nothing but a memory. Monday came by, quicker than you hoped, and you were on the train headed towards the school grounds. You basked in the steady hum of the engine, watching the scenery fly by, until the area around you began to break out into murmurs.

“That’s Hakamata, isn’t it?”

“Best Jeanist’s daughter!”

“She won third place at the sports festival, it’s amazing!”

“Oh wow!”

“Hey, good job at the festival! I totally knew you were going to hit it big!”

“You were so close to winning!”

“Good luck!”

“Keep working!”

Exiting the train with a wave, you sigh in relief. While it left your heart fluttering with pride at the praises and recognition, it was still overwhelming to have so many people talking about you, to you, at once.

You arrived at the school gates, quickly rushing inside, shaking your umbrella off as you broke it down. You quickly grab what you need from your locker, placing your umbrella with the others before heading off to your classroom.

Pushing the door open, you smile at the conversations that were going on--everyone seemed to be in high spirits, and you missed the rambunctious energy of your friends.

“Hakamata!-” Denki was grinning and waving excitedly, turning to look at you as you sat down, “How was it coming to school this morning? I bet a lot of people noticed you! Isn’t it great how we’ve all been thrown into the spotlight after just a few days, huh?”

“I guess, it’s nothing much really. We should all be proud of how far we’ve gotten huh?”

“Of course! 1-A is awesome! Only 1-A kids took any of the top spots after all!”

Your attention is stolen as the door opens, catching the eyes of the boy who had been on your mind all weekend. Todoroki blinked at your stare, only for your eyes to be forced away as Kaminari demanded your attention on something. You struggle to focus, nodding along as you desperately try to make his words have meaning--since your thoughts drifted towards your last encounter.

“Aizawa-sensei, your bandages are gone!”

“Oh, I’m so happy!”

Your eyes snap to the front of the room, seeing your teacher--looking way better than he had previously. He looked as if nothing had ever happened, the only indication being the freshly made scar residing under his eye.

“Yes, they are. Thanks. However, more importantly, we’re having a special hero informatics class today…”

Silence hung in the air, each student desperately trying to figure out what could possibly be going on--a pop quiz, maybe?

“You all need code names.”

The class shouted in relief and excitement, only to have Aizawa glare at the noise. You all quieted down immediately, one menacing look from your teacher was all it took. Once settled, he explained further on the subject: how the code names worked, about the internships, and how these offers weren’t normally given to first years such as yourselves.

“Here, the offers…”

Aizawa clicked a remote, causing a holographic image to appear on the board, showing how many hero agencies put in offers for each student. The first three statistics were large, the rest of them dropping drastically from the thousands, to a few hundred and less.

You see your name as the second highest ranking, shocking you, beating the first-place festival winner by more than 50 whole offers.

“Normally the offers are more spread out, but this year all eyes were on these three.”

“Gah, there’s such a big difference!”

“Todoroki is first, Hakamata is second, and Bakugou is third…?”

“How is that, when Bakugou was the winner?”

“Seems the scores are the opposite of the sports festival rankings.”

“Guess some people may be too scared to ask a guy who had to be chained to his podium.”

“HAH!? What are the pros scared of!?” Bakugou whipped around, glaring at Sero for his comment.

Ignoring the loud outburst, you glance behind you at Todoroki, who looked as unbothered as ever at the fact he had the most offers. You give him a small smile as your eyes once again connect, just as they did right before the start of class, and he--surprisingly--returns the gesture.

“Despite these results, you’ll all be interning with pros. Offers or not.”

“So, we can all intern?”

“Yes. Seeing as you guys have had combat with real villains--thanks to the USJ incident. We believe it will be beneficial to see real pros up close, on the field, and to do that…”

“We need hero names!”

“Yes. They may be temporary, but take them seriously or--”

“THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”

Aizawa was cut off by the sudden shout, the door followed by slamming open, stealing everyone’s attention. He sighed as the risque pro hero Midnight sauntered inside, smirking at the attention that fell upon her.

“Midnight is going to have final approval over your names,” your teacher starts, pulling up his sleeping bag, “It’s not my forte--but just remember, the name you give yourself represents what kind of hero you want to be. It’s important.”

What kind of hero I want to be, huh?

You were handed a stack of white cardstocks, passing the remainders back as you grabbed one for yourself. It seemed like a normal, blank canvas, but you saw it as a gateway to your future as a hero. You remember all the times you tried on different hero names--mostly different variations of your fathers, even if now you cringed at the memories.

You knew your hero name was important and necessary, a name to prove to the world who you were and what you were capable of.

‘Your hero name is supposed to represent your desires-- to allow you to become your ideal self. What kind of hero do you want to prove yourself to be, or better yet, just--who are you?’

You take a deep breath, taking comfort in your father’s words as you write down your name…

“Now students, who is ready to share?”

You watch the students go up one-by-one; cringing slightly at the--extravagant--name Aoyama had chosen from himself, feeling bad for Mina as she was sent back to her desk to rethink, and giddy at the cute name Tsu had picked. The rest of the names went by alright until Todoroki had gone up to present his hero name.

“Shoto.”

“Oh,” Midnight blinked in surprise, “just your name?”

“Yeah.”

You frown slightly, Shoto hadn’t looked up, choosing to stare down at the podium with a blank expression instead. You watch as he trudged his way back to his desk, still no eye contact towards anyone as he sat down. Biting your lip, you try to shake the image from your mind. He had his reasons, and you didn’t have to know them.

“Jet Black Hero: Tsukuyomi!”

“Oh, God of the Night! I love it!”

You snap your attention back towards the front, giving a small clap to Tokoyami as he presents his name. He bows at the class before sitting down.

Mineta and Koda present their names, both very fitting and true to their image. You felt yourself grow the tad bit eager as Bakugou was the next one to present his name.

‘I wonder what it could be? He excels in just about everything, he must have a really cool hero name picked out-’

“KING EXPLOSION MURDER.”

The name wasn’t what got you, it was the serious look on his face as he said it that did. You slap a hand over your mouth, snickering as quietly as you could into your palm. You weren’t the only one holding back giggles, Eijiro, Sero, and Kaminari doing the same.

“Um, I’m going to have to say that one is too violent.”

“Hah!? Whaddya mean-”

“Why don’t you be Explosion Boy instead!” Eijiro suggests.

“Nah, he should be Grenades!” You chime in, a smirk on your face as you mimic his gauntlets.

“Or what about ‘BOOM PSH BAWHH’, you know, explosion noises!” Denki laughs.

“How would you even spell that-”

“SHUT UP ALL OF YOU, OR I’LL SHOW YOU WHY MURDER SHOULD BE IN MY NAME!” Bakugou interrupts, a scowl on his face as he yells at the three of you.

“Maybe your hero name should be ‘Anger Issues’, it’s fitting, dontcha think-”

You were cut off by a growl from Bakugou, his face morphing into pure anger as he points straight at you.

“BRING IT, GLOW WORM! I BET YOUR HERO NAME IS GOING TO BE CRAPPY.”

You say nothing in return, standing up and making your way towards the podium, giving him a teasing smile as you got close enough.

“Go sit down and maybe you’ll see.”

“Good idea, go sit down and rethink your name a bit, Bakugou.” Midnight agrees, clapping her hands to diffuse the tension.

He grumbles on the way back to his desk, and you just face the class with a sheepish grin.

“Well, here’s what I want to be--who I will be; Luminary!”

You picked a name like Luminary because you wanted to prove that you were more than just another person; you wanted to be the guiding light, leading people to justice, leading people to their hope. Maybe you weren’t there yet, you did have a long way to go before you could be considered a pro, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t going to try.

You’d be the light, shining in the darkness, for all others to see and follow.

“Oh how sweet, you’ll be a very inspiring hero, I’m sure!”

You shyly smile at the applauds, only for the demeanor to change, a smirk growing as you see Bakugou roll his eyes and look away.

Checkmate.

After a few more people presenting, Izuku shakily stands at the podium, taking a deep breath before showing his cardstock.

Blinking in surprise, you zone in on the singular word on the card, raising an eyebrow questioningly at the boy.

“Really Midoriya?”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah man, remember that can be your name forever.”

“Right,” He looks down, “I used to hate it, but then something changed… I guess, someone taught me that it could have a different meaning, and that had a huge impact on how I felt about it. So now, I like it!”

You smile wide as he makes direct eye contact, giving him a nod of encouragement.

“Deku, that has to be my code name!”

-----

“Now that that’s all done, we can go back to talking about the upcoming internships. They are a week long, and as to who you’ll be interning with; if you were on the board, you will choose from one of the offers you were given, as for everyone else, you’ll be choosing from a different list.”

The lists were handed out as soon as the bell rang overhead, signaling the end of the first half of the day, and the beginning of lunch.

“I wanna fight crime and bad guys in a big city!” Kirishima grinned, eyes taking in every name on his sheet of paper.

“I just hope I can intern at a place where there’s a lot of water!” Tsu sighed.

“Turn in your choices before the weekend.”

“We’ve only got two days!?”

“Yeah, so you better figure it out. Dismissed for lunch.”

Aizawa shut the door as he and Midnight walked out, leaving the class to class among themselves.

You read down the list, sighing in defeat as you had multiple papers of agencies stapled together. You should feel grateful, and you do, but there were too many places to choose from! Plus, you were probably just going to end up interning with your dad--

You pause as you read a specific agency, blinking before rereading it to make sure you weren’t seeing things. You weren’t, because right there in bold lettering:

“Endeavor Hero Agency”

What could Endeavor possibly want you to intern with him for?

Taking a look around the room you see most of your classmates breaking off into groups--some heading for the mess hall, and others staying in their seats. You spot Todoroki as he walks out the door.

“Ne, (y/n), what agency are you thinking of-”

“Sorry Eijiro, I’ll talk to you later,” You smile apologetically, standing up to race after the boy--not feeling the few pairs of eyes on your body as you leave.

“Todoroki, wait up!”

He turns to you, confusion in his eyes but waits for you nonetheless. You stop in front of him, clutching onto the list you had brought with you.

“Yes?” His voice was vacant of emotion, and while it was normal, it made you feel nervous.

“Uh, sorry, I just have something to tell you.”

He tilts his head, an indicator for you to continue, and you take a deep breath before presenting him the paper. His eyes search the words, bewildered as he tries to understand what you were trying to show him. Pointing at the hero agency you knew he was familiar with, you see how his eyes widen ever so slightly.

“Endeavor made me an offer…”

“I see.”

“Well, I just wanted to say I won’t-”

“You should take it.”

Your brows furrow, taken aback by his statement.

“What?”

He hands you back your list, looking straight into your eyes with a small flame of determination.

“You should take it. It’s a great opportunity to be working with the number two hero.”

“I was going to go for my dad, who still is in the top five, you know.” You respond, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Oh,” Todoroki’s eyes widen once more, “sorry. I didn’t mean to say your father... he is a great hero. I just… I may hate my father, but I know working with the number two hero will provide some benefits. His agency is pretty good with things like rescue and evacuation, along with battle. It’s a good opportunity, something different than what you see every day at your father’s own agency. Isn’t it good to want to get a new perspective on things? To take these ideas you learn, and make them your own, I guess?”

You’re unsure of what to say, agreeing with the boy internally as his gaze falls towards the ground.

“I know I want to be a better hero than my old man. I want to be seen as someone not in his shadow, not ‘Endeavors son’. And if that means I have to put up with him for a week, so be it. I’ll learn to be better, I swear it.”

“Um,” You rub your arm shyly, “so that means you’ll be interning with him, then?”

Todoroki nods in response.

“Well, I suppose that means I’ll see you there. If, um, if you’re okay with that.”

“Yea, I am.”

You smile, and a spark of emotion floods through his eyes as he mirrors your expression, and it somehow makes you relax. He was completely right; he had said everything you had ever thought about yourself, how you wanted to prove that you were more than just a daughter of a great hero. That you were a great hero yourself.

With that in mind, you had no regrets as you turned in your list--even if it was Endeavors Agency.

You’d be ready.

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