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the-lonely-tree-original · 4 years

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Founding Friendships on Sleep Deprivation (FMA oneshot)

“He should escort them back to the local law enforcement and have them check for any hidden weapons or breaks in national security. It’s not like he felt any danger coming from the boys (despite one wearing a suit of armor and the other having thrown him twenty feet with his alchemy), but still, it was protocol.

He was, however, tired. It was two am and the train was running six hours late with no other explanation than animals getting in the way. There was no way Jean was risking the chance of the train arriving during his absence. Not when he’d stayed up so late waiting for it. No, he could just bring the boys to Mustang and let him handle it.”

***

So this is the last of my already posted oneshots on AO3 and FanfictionNet. It’s an Ed and Al meet Havoc fic so maybe not your cup of tea, but totally worth the read (IMO and I’m biased, but...)

***

“So, you trying to stick it out too?”

A head of blonde hair swiveled to the right, resting uncertain gold eyes on his person. Whatever the kid was looking for, he must have found, because a surprisingly pleasant smile worked its way across his face.

“Ahhh, well it’s not like I have much else to do.”

Jean Havoc took the answer with a nod. “Same, kid. Same.” The kid’s mouth made a pinched frown at that, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by a loud, contagious yawn.

Noticing his little friend’s fatigue, Jean asked, “Are you sure that you’re up for the task? It looks like you could fall asleep standing up.”

A new kind of determination flashed in his eyes, and an arm made its way up to wipe the sleep off his face, illuminated by the lamplight. “I’m fine. I’ve spent multiple all-nighters studying alchemy with my brother, so this’ll be a piece of cake. Besides, if I fell asleep now, he’d have no one to keep him company.” The blonde boy gestured to a suit of armor hanging behind him (Jean had certainly noted the decoration as bizarre when he’d first set his eyes on it), but he looked around a little and couldn’t see the mentioned brother.

“Uhhh, kid, I don’t want to alarm you, but we’re just about the only people in sight. Unless, of course, you count that old couple dozing off on the station steps.”

A metallic shrieking caught his attention, and he was filled with terror concern as the previously-thought-motionless suit of armor came to life. Jean was a trained man of the military, however, and was able to quickly maneuver the kid behind him and pull out his gun. “Stay down!” he shouted.

A small squeaking noise reverberated through the metal and if he didn’t know better, Jean would say that it was hollow. “Don’t move.”

The armor stayed still, but it didn’t stay quiet. “Wait, don’t shoot!” it pleaded, “I’m not going to do anything!” The voice was so young and innocent-sounding that Jean had to do a double take. It sounded like a child was inside.

“I’m going to need you to step out of the armor, sir,” he said, a lot calmer than he felt. He loosened his stance a little, but remained vigilant.

This was a mistake.

A bright light flashed throughout the empty station and Jean found himself catapulted into the air. He landed with a loud “omph”, feeling the air leave his lungs.

The lieutenant looked up to find the kid directly in front of the armor and scrambled onto his arms, panic overtaking him. Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Jean’s hearing, however, came back to him and the command died on his lips.

Was the armor… scolding the boy?

“Brother! That was unnecessary and you know it! He could have gotten seriously hu-” The helmet shifted its attention to him. Surprisingly gentle gauntlets gripped his forearms, followed by a soft, “Are you all right?” and hefted the man up.

Jean looked at the hulking form in both awe and confusion. Before he could get a word out, however, the armor continued its speech. “I am sooo sorry for my brother’s actions. You just surprised us.”

The blonde haired kid let out a groan. “Al, are you kidding me? He pulled a gun on you! Of course I had to do something. He should be grateful that he isn’t unconscious already.”

“What if you seriously hurt him?”

“What if he seriously hurt you?”

“He couldn’t, and you know it, brother.”

Jean stood awkwardly as he watched the two argue. A small sense of duty had his hand itching towards his holster when he realized that he lost his gun in the fall. It was a miracle that it didn’t go off when it made contact with the ground.

“Okay, but that still doesn’t change the fact that mister trigger happy over here had a gun. What’s a civilian like you even have a gun for in the first place?” Jean was about to correct him when he caught sight of his sleeve.

His brown sleeve.

He sheepishly raised a hand to his hair. “Ah, sorry about that, but I’m actually part of Eastern Command. I’m just off duty for now.”

The kid looked disbelieving at him. “And I’m supposed to believe that Eastern Command just allows their soldiers to carry guns around off duty.”

“Well, actually…” Jean didn’t really know how to explain that: No, they weren’t, but his commanding officer needed a favor that couldn’t exactly be tracked by the people up top.

Luckily, he was saved by the sweet tone of the suit of armor, who he was starting to see as some kind of angel in disguise. “Brother, you shouldn’t ask questions like that. It’s rude.”

This was quickly looking like it was gonna become another argument so Jean stepped in before any shouting began. “Ahhhh, forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing that you two are brothers?”

He was answered with one polite “yes sir” and a dismissive “of course”. You can guess who.

“So, uhhh, mister…”

“Havoc, Jean Havoc,” he filled in.

“...mister Havoc... I’m Alphonse Elric, by the way, and this is my brother, Edward.” The other brother waved curtly. “Anyways, if you don’t mind me asking-”

“Ugh, Al, you’re taking forever. Just skip with the bullshit formalities already. We want to know what exactly you were doing on your break.”

“Ed! That’s not what I wanted to know.”

Jean felt his lips twitch up into a grin. He had just met them and he liked both brothers already.

“Yeah? Well, it’s what I want to know and you were taking too long. So, explain.”

“Hey, what if I’m not comfortable sharing?” Edward looked at him with a deadpan expression, silently calling out his bull. “Ok, fine. I was out getting-” Jean stopped, realizing just now how young the kid was. “Dinner with a lovely lady.”

The kid, unassuming perceptive, stated, “You’re lying. What were you really doing?”

“My own business kid. You don’t need to know.” He paused. “Think about, I doubt you’ll tell me the truth as to why your brother is wearing that suit of armor, so I won’t bother asking.”

A shocked look spread across the tan face and the armor besides him froze. Alphonse’s small voice spoke, “Wow, you mean you’re really not gonna ask?” Jean nodded. “Most people usually ask me about it the first time I see them so it’s just… really nice that you won’t.”

“Yeah, most people don’t hesitate to ask. It’s actually weird that you won’t. Especially since you brought it up,” Edward’s suspicious voice cut in.

“Well, I’m not going to lie, it’s not that I’m not curious, but I think it’s fair, considering I won’t answer your question. Though my brain is thinking all kinds of odd explanations: a costume party, a weightlifting method, some bad sun sensitivity... Besides, as long as you step out of the armor, I don’t see a problem.”

The boys exchanged paranoid looks. Or at least the blonde did. The other one looked behind his brother and actually stepped behind him. “We can’t do that!” they argued in unison.

Jean whistled, moving his hands to form the universal surrender sign. “I’m going to need a plausible explanation, boys.”

He watched them struggle for a bit before they strung together a few sentences.

“We can’t-”

“Because-”

“I need it-”

“To breathe.”

“It’s for life support?” The last part was squeaked out, and Jean could tell that it was a lie even without the prepubescent voice cracks. He should escort them back to the local law enforcement and have them check for any hidden weapons or breaks in national security. It’s not like he felt any danger coming from the boys (despite one wearing a suit of armor and the other having thrown him twenty feet with his alchemy), but still, it was protocol.

“Okay,” he relented.

“Really?” The boys were both surprised at the outcome and if that wasn’t telling of how bad the lie was...

It’ll be Roy’s problem. You can’t blame a man with zero hours of sleep.

“Yeah, really. I just need to take you to East Headquarters, before I send you on your merry way.”

“Oh that’s great!” The actual relief in the metal voice was a surprise. Come to think of it, the grumpier kid looked pretty relieved as well.

“It is?” he asked.

“Yeah! Brother and I needed to get there anyways. We need to meet with someone before he takes the State Alchemist Exam. But, well, we haven’t been there before so we don’t exactly know the way.”

“Hold up. Did you just say the state alchemist exam? You do know that you need to be like seventeen to take it. If a ten year old shows up, I’m pretty sure that they’ll kick you out right away.”

“Hey! Who’re you calling so short that he can be mistaken for a baby in diapers!”

“That's not- what?”

“Sorry mister Havoc,” if a suit of armor could be blushing, it would, “but Ed gets really sensitive about his height. Anyways, yeah, we need to see someone to get the recommendations to take the exam.”

Jean looked cautiously at the other, practically mirroring a rabid dog in his anger. And earlier he’d been scared of Alphonse? “Right, well, best of luck to you, but I doubt the military will be willing to change its rules due to a single recommendation.”

“What rules?” Edward questioned.

“You know, age limitations and stuff.” Jean felt really awkward. He didn’t want to crush the kid’s dreams, but it was better this way than letting him find out when he got there. Kids were better off spending their days having fun while they lasted, only dreaming of dangerous adventures, not experiencing living nightmares. In fact, if he wasn’t devoted to the Flame Alchemist’s cause, he probably would have resigned awhile ago.

Edward, however, was not deterred. “There’s no such thing as an age restriction to be a state alchemist, and I made sure to check.”

“I haven’t heard of anyone who’s managed to become a state alchemist earlier than the age of eighteen.”

“That’s just because alchemy is a skill that takes years to develop.”

“Then shouldn’t you be home studying then. You have a while to go.”

Alphonse quietly argued, “I think that we’ll be fine as it is. You haven’t really seen brother in action. Alchemy isn’t easy to learn, that’s true. And it’s impossible to master, but brother and I have been practicing for years and we’re really good at what we do.”

“Kid, every state alchemist is a prodigy, but they are also grown adults who have spent their lives devoted to their trade. Even then, they are scared that they’ll get demoted or won’t make the cut. I’ve seen the most competent alchemist cut down during their jobs. As an adult interested in your well-being, I insist that you go home and think about this for a while. Wait a few years until you’re sure about this decision.”

“But we are sure. Trust me, sir. We’ve talked about it in great detail and we feel like it’s our only choice. Failing the exam isn’t an option. This is the only thing that’ll help us. Besides, my brother would get too lonely without me to die.”

From the resolute tone in Alphonse’s voice and the sad smile on Edward’s lips, Jean could tell that there wasn’t anything he could do to make them change their decision. Still, a pang of sadness hit his heart because he knew that this would change their lives forever. There was almost no chance that he would pass, but from the way the boys kept surprising him, they would probably find a way.

“Okay, well let me see it.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Your alchemy. I’m not an alchemist so I’m not exactly permitted to watch the exams, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it in action. Besides, I’m falling asleep here, so I need something to keep my attention.” Upon noticing the devious look on the blonde’s face, he added, “Preferably without my own bodily harm.”

“Sure!” Edward exclaimed, loudly clapping his hands together. Miraculously, the old couple hadn’t woken up - from anything - which was probably a good thing because they wouldn’t bear witness to Jean’s jaw dropping to the floor in reaction to the transmutation.

Standing proud in front of him was a ginormous statute of the two boys. Every detail of the armor ingrained into the stone replicate. The only part he found unrealistic was that fact that Edward portrayed himself as tall of his brother, which was easily overlooked when it came to the sheer likeliness of the transmutation.

“That’s not all I can do, but using earth materials is a lot more convenient for me than water or acids.”

“That’s impressive,” he admitted, “You could give Major Armstrong a run for his money.” Then, just because he was tired and had no brain to mouth filter at the moment, he decided to add, “but fancy tricks aren’t exactly going to get you a position as a state alchemist. You need to be able to prove yourself effective in a dangerous situation.”

It wasn’t wrong, the boy probably had a pre-made transmutation circle, but according to his CO, they left little room for creativity. Making statues was cute and all, but what could it do in a situation that involved more than showing off.

If the boy had any doubts, he didn’t show it.

He rushed off to whisper something to his brother. The metal-laced voice carried a bit more in its response, but Jean couldn’t hear anything more than slight mutterings. When a large stone hand rushed out towards the boy, Jean nearly swore in shock.

Edward dodged, laughing as he danced away. He clapped again and stone rose up from the ground in a huge wave, heading straight for his ironclad brother. Alphonse dodged, leaned down, and began to sketch a transmutation circle onto the pavement.

Jean watched the two brothers spar until his eyes grew sleepy. A number of times he caught his head a second before it carried his body to the ground. It wasn’t until the shrill sound of a train rang out that he regained true awareness.

He looked around, expecting to see a sea of upturned stones, massive pillars, and car-sized dips. Instead the station was completely ordinary, restored to its former glory. Internally, he let out a sigh of relief.

“So, since you’ll be escorting us to Eastern Headquarters, do you think we can share seats with you?” Jean jumped in surprise. He hadn’t even noticed the armor sneak up on him, which was weird because he’d been making so much noise earlier. Was that… intentional?

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine,” he waved off, “but I’m not going to be very pleasant company. I’m going to try to catch some shut eye if I can.”

“It’s fine,” Edward cut in. “I’ll be sleeping too.” He got this sad look on his face just then and looked up at Alphonse’s armored head. “If you’ll be okay with that.”

“I’ll be fine brother. Just get some sleep, okay?” The blonde boy gave him a grateful smile, starting the trek up into the train cars. Jean followed behind wondering what was going on inside the two boys’ heads.

When they boarded the train, they discovered - to their delight - that it was almost empty. The delay had pretty much gotten rid of anyone waiting for the trip, and a lot of people had gotten off at the latest stop. This meant that they could steal a first class car without complications. Jean felt like indulging himself and practically melted into his seat, asleep once his head hit the velvet.

A big jolt woke him up. He hit his head on the window, and instinctively lifted his hand to feel at the bruise.

“That looks pretty bad.” Jean’s eyes found the prone form of Edward, impossibly relaxed against the metal exterior of his brother.

“Probably not as bad as his neck is gonna feel in the morning.”

Alphonse chuckled at this. “I don’t know, brother is pretty resilient. He can sleep anywhere, and not feel the slightest discomfort. Once I caught him asleep on Winry’s desk, with automail on it and everything. I’m surprised she didn’t kill him for it.”

Alphonse had his helmet tilted towards the roof, probably reminiscing on that time. Jean was a little lost, but politely restrained himself from asking questions.

“Then there was this one time Edward actually tried to pick apart her automail. Predictably, he broke it. I mean, he knows Winry. Touching her automail is like a death sentence! I swear, brother may be older than me, but it’s times like those that make me feel like I was born first.”

Jean choked on his saliva. “He’s the older one!”

The rest of the trip went on like this. Alphonse and Jean sharing little anecdotes on their everyday lives and Edward sleeping blissfully unaware.

When the train rolled to a stop, though, it was like a switch was flipped. Edward woke and began to stretch like he wasn’t even asleep in the first place. “So,” he began, “Ready to go, Al? Havoc?”

WIthout waiting for a response he sauntered off into the luggage car, returning with both his bags and Jeans. He was honestly surprised that the kid even remembered what his bags looked like. It was just another quirk to the ever growing list of things he’d found out about the Elric brothers.

As they made their way around town, he fondly watched Edward looking at the city in wonder. “They’d grown up as country bumpkins,” Al had explained. This was their first time ever seeing a real city. Speaking of Al, the other boy was hard to read under that armor - which he still wanted a real explanation for, might he add - but the constant turning of his head indicated the same fascination as his older brother.

Making their way into HQ, Jean had to remind them to ‘act normal’, which earned him a glare and and muffled “sorry”. He was worried about what Roy would think about the two. His newfound fondness mixed with the knowledge of the twos’ reluctance to remove the armor left him wanting to abort his mission altogether.

However, this was not to be, because Riza Hawkeye met them around the corner, a surprised look on her face. In a most confusing turn of events, it softened into a tender smile, and she addressed the duo. “Edward, Alphonse, it’s so good to see you.” Jean’s brain short circuited. How the hell did she know these boys? Why did she actually look happy to see them? Was she alarmed at the suit of armor or had she gotten used to it just like him?

“Hey Hawkeye! We were just stopping by to get our paperwork from Mustang. It’s nice to see you too!” Was Edward talking to her like a normal person? Did he mention Mustang? Mustang?

“Ahh, well, he’s a little busy right now, but we can squeeze in a bit of time for you. Let’s get that paperwork taken care of.” She leveled her stare at him, for once not scolding or disappointed. “Thank you for bringing them here, lieutenant. I’ll take it from here.”

Wasn’t he supposed to be the one meeting Mustang? What was going on?

He watched as the trio made their way down the hall, Hawkeye’s exclamation of, “I wasn’t expecting you two to get here so soon,” the last thing that he heard before they disappeared down the hallway.

Breda snuck up behind him, coffee in hand. “Was I seeing stuff or did Hawkeye just go into Mustang’s office with a ten-year-old and a walking suit of armor?”

~~~FMA~~~

Jean Havoc did not see anymore of the Elric brothers for another three weeks. It was on the Monday of the fourth week that he heard what was quite possibly the loudest ruckus he’d ever been present to hear in Eastern Command.

He moved his head towards the door, waiting in anticipation for who knows what. The cheering got louder.

The doors swung open and he caught sight of a familiar blonde braid shadowed by the unforgettable metal armor.

In Edward’s gloved hand was a shining, silver pocket watch. The one that identified state alchemists. With a proud grin stretching across his face, he said, “I told you I could do it.”

#FMA #fullmetal alchemist #edward elric #alphonse elric #jean havoc #the kids and jean bond and I don't regret it #If Roy is their father then Jean is that one indulging uncle #light humor #fanfic #faniction #oneshot

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hyunjilicious · 3 years

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heyy sorry about your friend and exam. my English is a little bit bad and I'm a little bit anxious to write someone so I hope you understand what I said. I'm frustrated by your friend's actions and I had a best friend like yours (now we're just talk time to time) if I were you I would put some distance with me and my friend to see what she's gonna do. or if I'm on my lucky time and have some balls to that I would talk to them. and if they dont understand the situation I stop talking to them cause your friend know your other exam results right? she knows that you need extra points. so in conclusion if I were you I wouldn't be sorry for not sharing materials with my friend for your other exam. and sorry but your teacher is a little bit bitch I guess. is there any other person to help you about your teacher's behavior and your grades?

Hi!!! Don't worry about your english! Its actually very good. And I'm sorry you went through that with your friend too, but you're right.. I think ill just back away now because I'm not the right mental state for a confrontation rn 🥺 and... this is my 3rd year at this university... we've tried so many times during these years to talk to someone and stop teachers from being unfair, but no one listens to us. For example, we made a huge complaint, and it had about 120 signatures, bc a teacher of ours was mentally unstable and we needed the school to do something about it as she was not in the right mind state. She couldn't speak coherently, let alone teach. They ignored us, and a year later, she made national news for throwing a tantrum in the middle of a class. Everyone was talking about it but the school managed to take down the video and recordings in record time and stopped the news channels from talking about her. It's ridiculous, these people are ignorant and untouchable. 😠

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therainroguefanfiction · 4 years

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🏀 Professional; Lev Haiba (Sportember #014)

📑 Table of Contents | ⚾ Challenge Post

Genre: Angst, Slice of Life, Fluff, School

Word Count: 2,351

Pairing: Reader x Lev

World: Haikyuu!!

Prompt: Professional

Sport: Basketball & Volleyball

━━━━━━༻🎾_🏀_🏐༺━━━━━━

You chewed on your lip, unable to focus on the teacher’s words, your eyes trained on the dark sky outside. Thunder rumbled in the distance like a hungry animal, the wind blowing heavy enough to make the rain appear as if it were falling sideways. To you, it was a beautiful sight, as if mother nature was creating a piece of art in front of you, but even your typical enthusiasm was lost, outweighed by something deeper.

“Y/N-san!” Sakamoto-sensei smacked his hand on your desk at the exact moment that a streak of lighting split the sky, making you nearly jump out out of your chair. “This is the third time I’ve caught you not paying attention in class today. Detention this afternoon!”

You frowned at him as he headed back to the front of the room. Any other time, you would have been upset because it meant missing practice, but today, you just didn’t have the stomach to face your teammates. And so, their messages sat unread on your phone since you didn’t know what to say to them. You lowered your head, hands clenched around your uniform.

Kuroo glanced at you from across the room, cat-like eyes narrowed. He had picked up on your dampened spirits since first seeing you that morning and, since Lev refused to leave your side, he decided to approach you at school’s end before the future ace could reach you. With you being given detention, though, that would be a harder task. His eyes slid to the teacher, knowing that the man was already annoyed by your lack of attention.

‘Shouldn’t be too hard to get detention for myself, as well.’

Waiting for the older man to turn toward the board, Kuroo rested his head on the desktop, closing his eyes before smacking his hand loudly onto the wood in hopes that it would sound like his head had been the one to fall. The classroom fell silent, his cue to fake a loud, obnoxious snore.

Footsteps approached his desk, followed by the angry voice of the teacher. “Kuroo-san!”

Snore.

Sensei’s hand came down on the desk beside him, scaring the girl sitting there half to death. “Ku-roo-san! Wake up this instant!”

The third year slowly opened his eyes, faking a yawn as he stretched his long arms above his head. “Damn and I was having the best dream.”

“You can join Y/N-san in detention!”

“But, sensei, I have volleyball practice.” Kuroo’s eyes sparked with amusement as he glanced at you.

“Too bad!”

You clicked your tongue in response to his half-smirk, turning your gaze back to the window. You knew he had done that on purpose and you knew why, as well.

When the final bell rung, you and Kuroo remained seated as the rest of the class filed out in a hurry to get to their clubs or to get home. Sensei glared at the two of you before hiding half of his face with a thick, brown book, the very same one he had been trying to get through for a month now. The room was silent save for the ticking of the clock above the door.

Kuroo sneaked his phone under his desk, tapping away before sliding it into his pocket before the teacher could notice. A few moments passed by before the door slid open, revealing the volleyball team’s setter and Kuroo’s best friend. He shot his captain a glance before addressing the teacher in his usual monotone voice.

“Sensei, Yamasaki and Mikutani are fighting again near the library.”

Sakamoto lowered the book with a scowl. “I’m watching over detention. Go get one of the other teachers.”

“They’re currently in a meeting.”

With a frustrated sigh, he smacked the book shut and tossed it onto his desk before following the blonde from the room.

In the blink of an eye, Kuroo was sitting in the desk in front of you, sitting backward so that he could face you, his eyes narrowed as he observed your expression. You tried to ignore him, but his gaze was piercing through you, taking in every breath, twitch, and movement. You felt like a mouse about to be pounced on by a cat.

Finally, you sighed, lifting your eyes to meet his. “Can I help you with something, Kuroo?”

He hummed, lips twitching upward. “I’m waiting for you to tell me what’s going on.”

“Nothing is going on,” you brushed him off, returning to the schoolwork that was laid out across your desk, the pencil scratching across the paper. “Sensei will be back soon, you know. He’s already annoyed with us.”

“Guess you should explain fast then, huh?”

“Kuroo -”

“Or I can just tell Lev how weird you’re acting and let him handle -”

“No!” Your hand slammed onto the desk, a bead of nervous sweat trailing down your cheek. His eyes widened at the pleading look that you were sending him. “I’ll tell you, alright. Just… please don’t mention this to Lev.”

He frowned, letting his cheek rest against his palm. “So it does have something to do with him.”

A heavy sigh passed your lips as you fell back against the chair, eyes on the ceiling. “I… had a meeting with a recruiter yesterday.”

“A recruiter? You mean…?”

You nodded, fiddling with the ring upon your finger – a gift from Lev for your one month anniversary. ‘A promise,’ he had told you, but he never elaborated on what that promise was meant to be. “I was invited to join this new team that the NBA is trying to create. It’ll be the first co-ed national team.”

“That… that’s great!” He grinned as he stood up, large hands on your shoulders. “Congratulations, Y/N!”

“Yeah… thanks.” You tried to offer him a smile, but it ended up being more a grimace.

“Are you not happy about it?” He questioned with surprise, settling back down onto the chair. “I thought it was your dream to go pro?”

“It is my dream, but…”

His eyes flashed with recognition. “Lev…”

You nodded again. “Accepting this offer means going to the United States and leaving Lev behind, which I can’t do. If I accept, I’m going to break up with him.”

“Hey, now, let’s not be hasty.” He folded his arms on the back of the chair. “With today’s technology, long distance relationships are easier than ever!”

A sad smile came to your lips and you shook your head. “Long distance relationships rarely work out and they are unfair on both sides. I couldn’t possibly ask Lev to go through that and I can’t ask him to move to another country just for me, either. To give up his own dreams and desires so I can chase after my own… and I know he’d agree with it without a second thought, but he’d end up regretting it. I can’t do that.”

“You make it sound like you’re never coming back,” he commented, rubbing the back of his neck before frowning. “You’re not coming back, are you?”

“No.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I… I don’t know,” your voice shook, barely above a whisper, but the words hung thick in the air around you, as if taunting you.

━━━━━━༻🎾_🏀_🏐༺━━━━━━

It had been a week since the offer to go pro was extended to you and, in that time, you had avoided Lev wherever possible, using exams, basketball, and even the need to give your cat a bath as excuses for why you couldn’t spend time with him. You felt bad about this, heart cracking just a bit more with every crestfallen expression he made, though he tried his best to hide his disappointment.

To you, though, it was as clear as day within those beautiful emerald eyes.

The basketball team had all but forced you to spill the truth to them, even though you tried to avoid the conversation. They were happy for you and proud of you, giving you hugs and slaps on the back as they tried not to cry. Their precious captain, who had worked their ass off for years, was finally achieving their dream. How could they not be happy for you?

What they didn’t realize, however, was that you actually had two very different dreams, two desires. But life is not a fair place and you knew that you couldn’t have your cake and eat it, too. The deadline was quickly approaching, but you were no closer to choosing a path than you had been on day one. If anything, you felt more torn, but you knew you had to put on your grown up pants and make your choice.

“Y/N-senpai!”

Your shoulders tensed up at the familiar voice of your boyfriend, feeling his boney fingers gripping your shoulder to make you stop. You forced a teasing smile as you turned to him. “You’re going to be late for class again, Lev.”

“I don’t care,” he stated firmly, a series expression on his face. “I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.”

Your heart raced within your chest as his fingers slid to your wrist, tugging you down the hall and away from your class. You had never seen the first year so serious before, not even during his matches. Had something happened? Many different scenarios flew through your mind, each one worse than the last, but you shook your head to try and dispel them.

Lev brought you to an unused classroom on the third floor, closing the door behind him. For a moment, he just stood there facing the door. You had never seen him like this and it was starting to scare you. “Lev -”

He finally turned, his chin quivering as he bit hard on his lower lip, eyes filled with tears that he was struggling to keep at bay.

“Oh, darling,” you didn’t hesitate to pull him into your arms and he had to sink to his knees so he could wrap his arms around your waist, face buried in your chest. You shushed him softly, fingers combing through his silver locks. “Tell me what happened.”

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, hands fisting around the back of your shirt. You could feel how wet the cloth was getting from his tears, but you didn’t mind.

“What for?” You wondered, using your free hand to run up and down his back, trying to sooth the tense muscles.

“I’m not good enou-enough for you,” he sniffled, making your heart crack.

Shaking your head, you pushed him back so you could see his face, your hands cupping his cheeks. “Why would you think that?”

“B-Because,” he rubbed at his eyes. “You’re avoiding me! A-And Kuroo-senpai said that I should try harder! D-Did I forget our anniversary? Did I say something stu-stupid? I didn’t mean it, I swear!”

You chuckled softly, brushing away the hair from his eyes. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way, darling. I’ve just been… stressed lately. You didn’t forget our anniversary or say anything stupid, at least not to me.”

His eyes brightened up as he looked at you with a hopeful expression. “You’re not breaking up with me?”

Your lips parted and you realized that this was your wake up call. Life was telling you it was time to make your choice, right here, right now. It would be so easy to tell him that you wanted to break up, now was the perfect chance to do so, but… “Lev, I…”

“Y/N-senpai…” he mumbled, his eyes filling with more tears as he waited for your answer. His heart was beating painfully within his chest.

Your thumb brushed across his cheek, pale skin slightly pink because of his crying. Even like this, he was so beautiful, like a god among men, and he made you feel a way no one else had. Your life had become so much brighter, filled with more laughs and happy moments than ever before. You smiled, pressing your lips to his forehead, then his left cheek, his right cheek, his nose, and finally, his lips, lingering just a bit longer than the others.

“I’m not breaking up with you, idiot. You’re stuck with me.”

“Forever?”

“Forever is a long time, you know.”

“I know!” He pouted.

You chuckled in response. “Forever.”

Lev’s face instantly brightened and he stood up, throwing himself at you as he giggled happily, spinning around with you in his arms. “I love you so much, Y/N!”

Your arms wrapped around his neck, lips pressing to his cheek. “I love you too, Lev.”

Maybe you would come to regret turning down the offer later on in life, but in that moment, you felt as if it was the right thing to do. It felt as if this path would make you happier than the other because Lev was by your side and he was more than enough for you.

“Oh, crap, I’m sorry!” He placed you back onto the ground, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t mean any disrespect for using your name, senpai.”

“I don’t mind. Call me whatever you want.”

His head tilted to the side as your hand reached for his. “Are you sure?”

You laced your fingers through his before bringing the back of his hand to your lips. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Okay!” He chirped happily.

Maybe it was wrong not to tell him about the offer, but you felt like he would only feel guilty if he knew, so you swore Kuroo to secrecy which he agreed to reluctantly. When it came to your team, you told them that the offer had fallen through, and asked them not to mention it because you just wanted to forget, and they also agreed, not wanting to upset their captain.

Life moved on, but you never did come to regret your decision, and he never did come to find out that you had chosen him over your dream of being a professional basketball player. After all, creating a life with Lev was also one of your dreams and… that one ended up coming true.

━━━━━━༻🎾_🏀_🏐༺━━━━━━

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judgmentofcorruption · 4 years

Text

Episode 1–The Boy Embraces His Ambition; Scene 4

Judgment of Corruption, pages 36-44

I didn’t know with what intentions Hanma had done that.

I could say it was a mystery, but also that it was appropriate.

He had originally sought to protect Gandalf’s status. It just hadn’t been what Gandalf wanted.

--I wonder what Hanma thought when he learned that Gandalf’s son wanted to join the Dark Star Bureau.

Of course, I can’t know that.

I can fly around the world and observe it freely, but I cannot see into the minds of mankind.

…That’s why it’s so interesting.

Anyway, Gallerian (and Loki) were soundly accepted into the Dark Star Bureau, and the day came that they graduated from college.

The night after graduation had finished, the customary graduation party was held by the students that were still enrolled.

“Congratulations, graduates…Cheers!”

After the class representative gave their speech, the party began.

Their party venue was the former Asayev estate inside the Levin University grounds. It was a mansion that had once belonged to a man who had staged a revolt against the Levin church that he had belonged to, and so it had long been abandoned, reviled for its history. It had been bought out as one of Levin University’s facilities when it was founded, and after some repairs it started being used as a multipurpose hall.

To the students, this hall, where one could feel a historical refinement without gaudy ostentation, was the perfect place to be holding the party.

Graduates wearing dazzling clothing mingled with the enrolled students, all of them bustling with excitement as they enjoyed food and drink. There were many people who were dancing to the fashionable music that could be heard coming from the gramophone.

It was comparatively simple to find Gallerian in this vigorous crowd. His characteristic blue hair stood out even looking from the ceiling.

Gallerian was wearing an outfit that was a little plainer than everyone else’s, made of cheap black cloth, and nursing an orange juice alone in a corner of the hall.

Almost all of the students that attended Levin University were raised in affluent families. Gallerian wasn’t an exception to that, but in truth, despite the pedigree of the Marlon family line his household wasn’t one that had a lot of means, financially speaking (at least, compared to the other students).

Despite once being the royal family, this was a state of affairs that had begun several generations back. His great-great-grandmother built up a fortune, and then his great-grandfather had built the Dark Star Bureau. Everything had been fine around that period, but then his grandfather had failed in a gold excavation enterprise in the continent of Maistia and lost a substantial amount of their inheritance. After his father Gandalf quit the Dark Star Bureau he spent his life in Marlon simply using up the money that they had left, hardly taking on any real work. Apparently they just barely managed to scrape up enough money for Gallerian’s tuition.

Whether Gallerian had a complex about his circumstances or he simply preferred to be alone, in any case he didn’t have a lot of friends in the university.

Loki was an exception, but he was currently in the middle of having fun dancing with his girlfriend Mira. Gallerian drank up his remaining orange juice as he watched the two of them from afar.

“You want a refill?”

A man walked up to him, holding a bottle of orange juice in hand.

“Yeah…Thanks, Tony.”

Gallerian held out his glass, and Tony poured juice into it.

“Congratulations on graduating, Gallerian…The room’s gonna be lonely with you gone,” Tony said, standing next to him.

Tony Ausdin was Gallerian’s roommate. He was about four years older than him, but hadn’t been able to graduate this year. Though, that was less a matter of him being a bad student, and more just that Gallerian was that exceptional.

“Graduating from Levin University at age fourteen, not to mention passing the entrance exam to the Dark Star Bureau in one try…You really are a prodigy. Unlike me,” Tony said, speaking in a tone that was neither sarcastic nor disagreeable, but rather honestly showing his respect.

“Oh no…it’s really not a big deal—”

“Quit being so modest. I’m getting miserable here. Sigh…I wonder when I’ll be able to graduate…”

“How are your credits?”

“Well…I guess they’re ‘secure’ for now. Unlike you I didn’t get into the university with a lot of determination. I don’t think what I’ve studied is gonna be all that useful to me once I graduate…I really only came here to give some prestige to my career, after all.”

In contrast to Tony’s sighing, Gallerian smiled a little. “I fear for where this country is headed, with our future general in such a state.”

“’General’, huh…Just because my father was doesn’t mean I’ve gotta follow in his stead…I’ve got no inclination towards joining the army to begin with…”

“Ha ha ha. You couldn’t even hurt a fly.”

“Pretty much. If you can even call it an army nowadays. Thanks to the USE framework there are hardly any wars between countries anymore. Even non-member nations Asmodean and Beelzenia aren’t stupid enough to pick a fight they won’t win. In a society like this there’s no point in going out of your way to become a soldier.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t then.”

“Tell that to my bull-headed father. Sigh…Why did I have to be born to a military family…”

“…I mean, soldiers are necessary to uphold the security of the nation, right? And in a world with all these bizarre events, well. There’s a lot of trouble going on in the southern part of Lucifenia where you’re from, isn’t there?”

“—That’s it. There’s the problem,” Tony replied, pointing at Gallerian.

“Problem?”

“Those white-skinned zombies. The so-called ‘dead soldiers’. Lately they’ve started showing up in Lucifenia’s borders. It’s cause Beelzenia’s army is so gutless. It’s practically a joke. Having to fight with such fantastical creatures that hopped up out of the graveyard.”

“Yeah. You’re definitely the worst person to become a soldier.”

“You think so? But…my dad…” Tony grumbled, holding his head.

“Hey, Tony…This just occurred to me.”

“Hm?”

“Did you, maybe…deliberately delay your credit acquisition because you didn’t want to become a soldier?”

“Wha!? D-d-d-don’t be ridiculous! Th-that’s no—Woops! My stomach is growling! I’m gonna go eat something!”

Tony awkwardly pulled away from Gallerian, walking towards the table where the food was.

“Hah…I wonder if he’ll…be alright, that one.”

As Gallerian was giving a wry smile, this time Loki came over with his girlfriend in tow, having finished dancing.

“Hey, Gallerian! You having fun?”

“Yep.”

“I see…Though it doesn’t really look like it. By the way, what do you plan to do for break after tomorrow?”

“For break…I’m gonna be working at the Dark Star Bureau right away. I’ve got a lot I need to study.”

“You’re not going back to your country?”

“You mean Marlon? …Nah, I can’t afford the travel fare. You going home?”

“Yeah.” Loki nodded, and then continued, “I was thinking that if you came back with me, I could invite you out to do this.” He made a gesture as though aiming a rifle.

“Hunting, huh…That’s your hobby, isn’t it Loki.”

“I can’t do it much here in snowy Levianta. There’s plenty to hunt in the forest right by my home. Like deer, bears…How about it? You’re really not coming? If money’s an issue I can front the expenses.”

“Hmmm.” Gallerian appeared to think about it for a moment, but ultimately he shook his head. “I’ll still have to decline. I’ve never used a gun before, and it doesn’t sound like it’d suit me.”

“Everyone starts out that way. Experience is everything.”

“I’m fine; you and Mira have a good time.”

The moment he said that, Loki’s expression grew faintly conflicted. “Er, no, she’s…”

Mira walked between them, smiling.

“I’m not planning to come along this time, Galley.”

She was the same age as Loki, two years Gallerian’s senior. For that reason she was always conducting herself like a big-sister around Gallerian.

“Huh…Why?”

“I’m still a student, unlike you two.”

“But you’re still getting a break from university, so there’s no problem, right?”

“Er, no…Well, there’s also…eh.”

As Mira stammered, Loki began to explain in her stead. “Apparently Mira’s family doesn’t think well of her interacting with me.”

“Her parents are against you?”

“No, actually her parents aren’t the problem. It’s her older brother. He can’t stand that his little sister is dating a member of the Freezis family.”

“…I see.”

Gallerian made no move to pry any further, appearing to have an inkling of what was going on.

Gallerian knew that Mira Yarera was a member of the Yarera Zusco Conglomerate. The Yarera Zusco Conglomerate was a large conglomerate on the same level as the Freezis Conglomerate.

For that reason, it had been a matter of great discussion among their classmates when Loki and Mira started dating. A romance between the son and daughter of two longtime rival conglomerates—If the two of them were to ultimately get married, it would likely have a massive influence on society at large.

And that was why there was no small number of obstacles in their way to get there.

“Well, that might be a bit much for a kid to take in,” Mira said teasingly.

Gallerian puffed out his cheeks. “Kid…I’m only two years younger than you, you know.”

“Oh, is that right? Galley, you’re so little I thought it was more than that.”

“Slow aging is a family trait. In a little while I’ll get a bit taller and be on the same level as the two of you. …That’s what my dad said.”

Loki brazenly patted Gallerian on his head, smiling. “Ha ha ha ha--. It’s said that the old Empress Dowager Prim Marlon retained her youth even after she passed fifty years old. If you’ve got the same blood in you, then maybe when you get older you’ll just look even younger…Well, I guess if you and Mira aren’t coming there’s not much I can do for it. I’ll just cut loose all by myself.”

“You should. I don’t know if you’ll be able to take such a long break after all this for a while.”

“That goes for us both. Don’t strain yourself too much.”

Gallerian, Loki, and Mira continued their pleasant conversation for a short time after that.

--To speak frankly, I’ve gotten the impression that he was raised to be far more upright than I had expected.

He is her son. Though honestly I could not have imagined how he would turn out.

Gallerian shows no sign of using “magic” like his mother. At this stage he seems to be a normal boy, albeit with a keen mind.

Although, that doesn’t mean he has no potential as a sorcerer.

Without a teacher to train him, he could probably spend his whole life never unlocking his incredible talent.

I didn’t really mind one way or the other on that, but …How would she feel?

Had she given birth to Gallerian that he might lead such a normal life?

Things have only just begun.

I shall continue to observe.

As I sharpen my claws, time rapidly flows on.

<<prev------directory------next>>

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usual-day-dreamer · 4 years

Text

Ice Breakers (Hockey Player!Timothée C. x Figure Skating!Reader) Chapter One

WARNINGS: None

SUMMARY: back to you hometown, ready for a better life and to finally fulfill your dream as an olympic skater.

MASTERLIST

Everyone was clapping at your flawless presentation, feeling happy and overwhelmed you thanked them, glad that happy tears were falling down your face. Your test results were perfect, and every coach wanted you, but you already knew the one you wanted.

Your smile widened as you locked eyes with her, you made your way out from the ice, putting on your skate guards you hurriedly walked towards her, your first coach Katy.

She playfully slapped your arm once you were close to her “I can’t believe you left me” she hugged you tight “I missed you so much, I’m glad you are back”

“I knew you couldn’t live without me” you said, and she rolled her eyes. “Everyone seems eager to coach me now”

“Well, you did leave everyone speechless back there”

“I think I did, and to think that no one had faith me, except you of course” you smiled

“I was expecting to find you at nationals, what happened?” she asked “I had some trouble a year ago, I’ll tell you somewhere else, I don’t want anyone else to know” Katy nodded.

“But I really want to skate again, and I want you to be my coach, if you’ll have me” you playfully vowed at her.

“Of course, I will, silly” you smiled “Should we catch up?”

It was just like old times, talking with your coach who was also your closest friend since you were little, you felt at peace.

“So, what happened? How was college?”

“Before I tell you everything, I want you to know first that I’m getting help now, I have a therapist and I`m doing a lot better now” her look softened and nodded.

“Two years ago, I met this guy, he was a hockey player from that rink. We kinda started dating, it was really weird and it was also full of violence, he...” you took a deep breath “He was taking me back to campus one night after training and... he raped me in his car” you looked at Katy and continued “I could not skate after that, I panicked every time because he followed me everywhere, he did it like four times and I had no idea what to do, I thought it was my fault and I convinced myself that was what I wanted”

“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry to hear that”

“We broke up two months after that, but I was wrecked, I felt like my life was falling apart... until I started going to therapy”

“My coach there was a bitch too, I guess I was emotionally wrecked back then and I just wanted a break, I just had one year left so I stayed there and as soon as I graduated bought and apartment here, got a job and tried to move on”

“I’ll do anything in my power to help you, let’s start training tomorrow, you`ll be ready for competition faster than you can imagine”

“I`d love that”

“Y/N? Is that really you?” You looked up and smiled, your longtime friend Anna stood before you with a wide smile. You opened your arms and she hugged you tightly.

“Anna! I can’t believe it’s you! “she sat next to you to tie her skates “I am so happy you are back; will you sign up for the festival?”

“Maybe I will, today is my first time skating after a year”

“You`ll do fine, I bet Katy will give you a routine for it as practice” she looked ahead and rolled her eyes, you looked behind you and your eyes locked with Justin’s gaze, he smirked at you and you looked back at Anna.

“He’s still an asshole” you stated “Yeah, just ignore him like always”

“Hey, talking about assholes, where’s Tim-” the peace and quiet suddenly disappeared as the hockey team busted inside loudly.

“Is that who I think it is?” you huffed and stood up, looking down at Anna telling her you’ll meet her on the ice. You turned around and walked towards the entrance of the ice, but he caught your arm, you immediately panicked and trashed around trying to break free, flashbacks of that time filled your mind.

“Aren’t you gonna say hello?” you glared at him as you tried to calm your heart beat, you were almost at his eye level thanks to your skates “Chalamet” you said, jerking your arm away from his grip, relief washing over you. He noticed this odd behavior but kept it for another time.

You turned around and walked inside the ice “Meet you inside in a few princess!” you rolled your eyes and ignored him.

“Nice reunion” Katy said and you huffed “I still hate him” you looked back and met his gaze, he smirked and winked at you, you angrily looked back at Katy, a smirk plastered on her face.

“Glad to see you still have a crush on him”

“I do not!” you exclaimed, and she laughed.

“Well, you are actually amazing” Katy said, let’s arrange a routine for the festival as a warmup, then we’ll begin with something for competition” you nodded taking a sip of your water.

“That’s it for today, do you have to go to work?”

“No, I still have half an hour, I’ll stay around a little longer. What about you?”

“The little girls are coming, so I’ll be busy” as if on cue, the group of girls skated inside. almost crashing against each other.

“I’ll go to the training rink then” you waved goodbye and skated out.

You walked towards the other rink, which was meant for self-practice and public.

“Y/N! Wait!” you stopped and looked behind you, Timothèe was running towards you “Is your practice over?” you nodded “Do you mind if I join you inside?”

“Well, I actually-”

“Great! I’ll put on my skates really quick” he ran away, and you rolled your eyes but smiled. It wasn’t long before he was back, and you stepped inside.

“Listen, I’m sorry for grabbing you earlier, I noticed you kinda panicked” he said, and you looked away nervously

“Don’t worry, it’s fine”

“I really did miss you; you know?” He playfully nudged your shoulder and you smiled at him.

“Dickhead” the two of you laughed lightly.

“Do you have a place to stay? Work?” He asked.

“I do, I found a job at the lounge and a small apartment, what about you? Still living with your mom?” Your teasing tone made him smile.

“Actually, I don’t, I have a job here as a coach, I’m teaching the little ones how to skate, and I also found a place not far from here”

You hummed in agreement “What about your Olympic dreams?” You asked

“Getting there, and you?”

“I guess you could say the same”

“You’ve missed a lot of Justin drama” you rolled your eyes and laughed “I bet I did”

You turned your head and looked at the clock “I’m sorry, I have to go to work”

“Can’t believe you’re working for Justin’s dad now; I hope he doesn’t try to buy you as a partner for him”

“Justin wishes I was his partner” he laughed “See you around” you asked away and Timothée watched you with a smile.

Work was not as busy as you expected, and even though you were nervous, everything went just fine; until Justin decided to step by.

“Wow, Y/N Y/L, what a pleasantly surprised” he sat down by the bar, right in front of you. You’ve rolled your eyes, but stayed calm, he was your boss’ son after all. He smirked at that.

“What can I get you?” You asked

“Just some juice please”

“You’ve quit drinking” you asked pouring him some orange juice.

“It’s just early” he answered, and you hummed.

“The day of your exam, you do realize everyone was there just to see you right?” You stopped cleaning the counter and looked at him.

“Is that so?”

He nodded taking a sip of his juice “Everyone loves your skating; they say you are a prodigy”

“So I’ve been told”

“Have you ever thought about pair skating?” He flashed you a smile and you frowned.

“Listen, I- “

“Y/N, could you please take that table’s order?”

“Sure” you smiled at your coworker, “If you’ll excuse me” you said walking away from Justin.

It was already dark outside when your shift was over, the snow crunched underneath your boots as you walked towards the bus station. You enjoyed the cold, there was some calmness about it, everything that came with it made your stomach flip with happiness. The wait for the buss wasn’t long, and the road back home wasn’t bad. You’ve learnt to enjoy being by yourself after what happened; you enjoyed the snowy scenery out the window while listening to music.

You thanked the bus driver when you arrived at your stop, walking towards your apartment while singing quietly to the song playing through your earphones. Your building was quiet, and warmth enveloped you as you stepped inside your apartment, taking off your boots and shrugging off your coat. You’ve had dinner at the lounge, so you just went straight to bed.

“Do it again, from the top” you nodded at Katy skating towards your starting point.

You sighed, getting ready. Killer Queen by Queen filled your ears and you started your routine. Katy watched you carefully, you were fully concentrating, when out of nowhere Justin and his partner blocked your way, making your skates crash against each other. You tripped, and flared at Justin from below, he smirked at you and faked innocence, not even stopping.

You kept glaring at them as you stood, the music already gone. You were already skating towards him when someone stopped you.

“Don’t waste your time with him” it was Anna, her hand was around your wrist, but not in a painful grip.

“Why don’t we take a small break?” Katy suggested and you skated away, Anna rapidly behind you.

“I fucking hate him” you spat “Yeah, me too” she answered honestly.

It has been a week since you first arrived, and even though everything has been going just fine, Justin would not leave you alone.

“He goes sometimes to the lounge just to piss me off, he’s such a mess, it amazes me how he always gets away with the shit he does”

Angry tears were blurring your vision, Anna noticed and grabbed your shoulders “Keep ignoring him, he just wants your attention, remember you’re the only girl he hasn’t taken to bed”

You bit your lip, she looked at you surprised “Y/N, please don’t tell me you’ve fucked with him”

“It was only once! And I was really drunk, as soon as I woke up, I left his stupid room, he wasn’t even awake”

“Gosh” she seemed angry, but then smiled wickedly “Was it good?”

“Mmm, could’ve been worse” you laughed, and she smiled

“If Timothée was here, he would’ve already punched that asshole to oblivion”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you serious? It’s obvious he’s got a massive crush on you”

“That’s not true!”

“Come on! All that teasing he does is to get your attention, you know, ever since you left, he counted the days until nationals just because he knew you’d be there”

You looked towards the floor and softly said: “Let’s go back in the ice”

#timothee #timothee chalamet #timothee x you #timothee chalamet x reader #ice breakers

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ghostlywritten · 5 years

Text

Too Nice To Say Goodbye

Words: 1,5k+

A random urge to type on my phone during my half an hour train ride, let’s do this. Not edited.

You grabbed his hand as soon as he rounded the car and he smiled sweetly at you, leading the way up to your friend’s apartment. Clinging on his arm you watched the door open, revealing Johnny along with Haechan craning his head over his shoulder.

“Welcome to my realm!” the taller boy greeted cheerfully, gesturing for you to get inside. You ignored the disdainful glance Haechan shot at you, used to his rather rude behaviour; you knew he didn’t really mean it and was just trying to be funny…most of the time.

Taking off your shoes without letting go of your boyfriend’s arm you followed him into the living room. A chorus of greetings hit you from everywhere, the whole NCT127 nation having gathered up with their respective friends and girlfriends. Mark’s eyes lit up when he saw Yeri, one of his best friends. “Hey girl,” he greeted her dorkily, gently wiggling out of your grip to hug her properly. You stood there hanging on air for a second before you quickly looked around for a place to sit, making yourself comfortable next to Taeil, who had enough space left for two on the couch.

“Hey, long time no see. How are you doing?” the eldest asked politely, his soft voice relaxed as he gave you a small smile. You always liked Taeil for being the rather quiet and a little awkward guy he was, setting everyone at ease with his mere presence without even knowing.

“Really good. Work and college has been stressful but the exam phase is over for now and I only have a few essays left to write,” you replied, ranting about the hard exams and whatnot as the boy listened attentively. Caught up in replaying every detail it took you a while to notice that Mark had never sat down next to you but instead decided to settle on an armchair with Yeri. A seat definitely not made for two.

You looked at them questioningly, trying to catch Mark’s eyes. He raised his eyebrow in inquiry and you patted the empty spot next to you as an invitation. Flashing his adorable dimpled smile he went to get up and join you when Haechan promptly plopped down next to you, almost crushing your hand if you hadn’t reacted fast enough. Ignoring your weird out expression (since when did he voluntarily sit next to you?), he yelled out a “Come on, start the movie already!” and caused everyone to stop their chatter and focus on the TV screen.

You giggled as Taeil rolled his eyes at the younger’s antics, making yourself comfortable as Johnny dimmed the lights.

“Do not touch me with your girl germs,” Haechan ordered sassily, making a face at you. You grinned, latching onto his arm jokingly, “Why? You don’t like cuddles? Your poor future girlfriend.”

“Yah, let go. No one likes a clingy girlfriend,” he whined loudly as he batted against your grip, several shushes causing him to drop his voice.

“Please, you would be the clingiest boyfriend. I can already tell,” you commented light-heartedly, “You would love a girlfriend that wants to cuddle.”

“I would love a girlfriend that knows how to take a hint and back off,” he shot back and usually you would give it no heat but the knowing look in his eyes made you falter. He snatched his arm out of your loosened grip, adjusting himself so you wouldn’t touch anymore whilst you pondered on his words. What did he mean with that? Were you too clingy? You were an affectionate person, there was surely nothing wrong with it.

You mentally shook your head, waving his comment off. Maybe Haechan really didn’t like his girlfriend being overly affectionate, but you weren’t his. You were Mark’s girlfriend and he was different…right?

Chancing a glance at him, you noticed he was watching the movie, content with Yeri’s head on his shoulder. ‘Yeah, he is definitely okay with affections,’ you thought. It never crossed your mind that maybe he just didn’t like your affections.

But your doubts started developing from then on. You started paying extra attention on Mark’s reactions whenever you two were together, trying to find any kind of discomfort. He would always smile; when you hugged him in bed, when you cuddled against his shoulder on the couch watching TV, when you clung onto his arm as you walked around. There was never a displeased expression, a frown or anything so you could have brushed it off.

But you were looking for the wrong hints and the false assumptions unknowingly revealed the actual issue; he wasn’t initiating anything. He would never hug you first, never reach out for you, never try to kiss you anymore. It was mind blowing how you hadn’t noticed before. You couldn’t even pinpoint when he started being off, too besotted with him to realise something was wrong.

Was there something wrong? Nothing major ever happened to cause any kind of drift between you two. You never fought, you always gave in when there was even a mild banter, not wanting to make him upset. So why was he?

‘No,’ you reassured yourself, ‘he isn’t upset. He would have surely told me.’ But you thought back on Haechan’s comment about your clinginess and wondered if maybe that was an issue. Because as much as you didn’t want to upset him, he didn’t want to either, being the nice guy he was. He would probably never tell you if you were being too much. Your heart dropped slightly at the thought as you sat on the couch in your flat, waiting for Mark to come back with the popcorn. Were you being too clingy? Was he put off by it? You bit your lip. What if he got annoyed with you and would want to break up?

But Mark was too nice to break up. And maybe that was the problem. He was too nice.

“Here we go,” he announced his arrival, a huge bowl of sweet popcorn in his hands that he immediately handed over to you with his smile. Usually the mere popping of his cute dimples would make you smile back and melt, but the thoughts whirling around in your mind caused you to force out a brief grin before you focused on the popcorn. “What do you want to watch?” he asked, paying no attention to your odd behaviour. You weren’t even touching him, by now you were half-draped over him already.

You cringed slightly. You were really overly affectionate. “Just put on whatever you want.”

“Toy Story marathon it is,” he cheered jokingly and you rolled your eyes with a chuckle. Throughout the night you didn’t initiate one touch and alas you didn’t touch each other at all.

The next time you met up with the whole friend group was two months later. The distance between you and Mark was clear as water as you stood waiting for the door to open. During the two months you had reduced your clinginess to the maximum minimum possible - excluding the mornings you woke up with your arms around him (sleep moving didn’t count). Mark never gave any indication that he noticed you distancing yourself, content and nice as ever but still without any initiating from him. You couldn’t remember when your last kiss happened. Or your last actual hug.

Johnny opened the door, cheerfully welcoming you inside as usual. You smiled half-heartedly at him and Haechan behind him, the latter raising his eyebrows as he looked between you and your boyfriend. More specifically at the space between you two.

“We gonna start with House M.D., it’s gonna be a long night,” Johnny announced as you sat down on the couch after greeting everyone, Mark settling down next to you with an arm over Yeri’s shoulder- Hold up. You stared at him holding his friend close, watching something on her phone as they laughed together. ‘Not even a minute and they are hugging and I can’t even get a simple hand holding for two months?’ Swallowing tightly, you took the offered glass of coke with a small smile, trying not to show how upset you were. It was silly to be so petty and Haechan would have a field day again mocking you.

Speaking of the devil, he settled himself down right next to you with a too wide grin, “Finally got the hint, didn’t you?”

“What do you mean?” you said more than asked, sourness clear in your voice. He chuckled, “Come on, everyone can see he is not into you anymore. Look the way he is with Yeri and then think about how he is with you…” You thought back on the last few weeks. Even though you were practically never alone since Mark would always sleep at your flat, you had felt the loneliest. And seeing him not being shy about any skinship with another girl struck you hard.

“You are right,” you muttered softly, tears gathering in your eyes.

“Of course I a- oh,” Haechan cut himself off when he saw your state, alarmed. You swallowed the tears away, blinking several times in hopes of batting them away as the young boy next to you stammered. He was never good at handling crying girls or crying in general. “Hey, I was just joking. Mark loves you.”

“No, he doesn’t,” you said, causing him to clamp his mouth shut. You knew it then. Mark didn’t love you anymore. He was just too nice to tell you.

Part II

Help me Get Coffee Support?

#nct angst #marklee angst #mark angst #mark lee #mark #nct imagine #nct oneshot #nct mark angst #nct127 #nctu #nct #nct johnny #nct jaehyun #nct blurbs #nct fanfic #taeil #mark oneshot

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blkmxrvel · 5 years

Text

Thanks, A Latte

Pairing: Lena Luthor x Black!Female!Reader

Words: 12k

Prompt:

Summary: the five times y/n takes Lena’s heart and the one time she does something about it.

Warnings: Just a whole lotta gay shit, also I seriously didn’t feel like editing this so-

A/N: This blank layout has been sitting in my drafts for months and it’s christmas lmao, i tried my best, it’s probably gonna be in here for a few more by the time I get done with it. (i’m posting this May 20th, 2019. I started this draf in november 2018. jfc) It’s Lena’s “POV” meaning you really only get her side of the story, you get a bit of Y/N’s view point.

It was a regular day for Lena, so it was boring. She was the owner of a coffee shop, Brainy’s. It was her first time owning anything, so she took great pride in it; it was quiet, quaint and homey, just like she liked it.

She didn’t have many employees, but she didn’t really mind it either. She was fine with making tea and coffee and getting to know her customers.

It was only her today. Winn and Kara were out of town on vacation, and Sam didn’t work weekends, so she picked up the missing times. The bell above the entrance door chimed, and in walked a short girl with her backpack hooked around her arm. Lena took notice immediately, head looking up from where she was restocking cups. She was beautiful, Lena knew that immediately.

She’d never been here before, Lena would have recognized her if she did. Her laptop was soon out in front her, eyebrows furrowed together and fingers wiggling in frustration. Even with the stress radiating off of her, Lena was pretty sure she was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen.

Once she was done with the small work, Lena grabbed her notebook and pen and strutted over to the pretty girl in question. She didn’t want to disrupt her, as it was clear that she was surrounded by her work.

“Hi!” She said softly, but enough to catch her attention. Lena could have swore she was in a trance. She’d seen many eyes in her life, they were her favorite feature on anyone; but her Y/E/C were something eyes. She had never seen anything like them. They were big, vibrant and dull at the same time, they held anguish, stress, pain, but sparkles of joy and peaceful were sprinkled in them. She was heartbroken and in love.

“Welcome to Brainy’s! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before, so I have a menu for you, if you would like to order.”

The girl looked at her for a few seconds, making Lena’s cheeks go a little pink. “Or not…”

She shook her head, seemingly coming out of a trance. “Sorry!” She apologized. “My mind is just so jammed packed right now. I know this is like a… special cafe, so do you have anything for focus? Something that could help me study a bit better?”

Lena thought for a moment, going through the menu that was engraved in her brain.

“Yes! But it’s not a traditional tea or coffee, it’s more of a boosted latte, that alright?” The girl nodded her head, subconsciously bouncing her legs up and down. “I’ll be right back then.”

It didn’t take long for her to become immersed in her work again, Lena noticed. The Y/E/C girl was writing things down on a notebook, softly saying the words to herself in hopes of memorizing them. Lena’s face turned down into a frown; she knew what those days were like, she was glad she was finished with school. But still, she wished that she could do something to lift her spirits.

“Here you go.” Lena said as she walked back to the table again. She didn’t acknowledge Lena’s presence, probably because she was so into her studying.

Taking note of this, Lena just sat the cup on the table. That seemed to catch the girl’s attention, she jerked her head up and smile guiltily at Lena.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t hear you, thank you so much!” Lena chuckled and just smiled back at her.

“It’s no problem at all,” Lena reassured. “I’ve been there too. Big exam?” Lena wiped her clammy hands on her apron. Her eyes were staring up at Lena, big Y/E/C eyes feeling like they were boring into Lena’s soul. She wasn’t used to this, this wave of pure euphoria that crash through her body from head to toe. She had only heard about love at first sight, she didn’t think to would ever happen to her.

“Yeah, midterm.” She replied. “It’s tomorrow and my house is never quiet enough for me to study, so places like this are my savior.” She let out something between a sigh and a chuckle before running her hands along the top of her pants. Lena frowned a little, disliking the way her body deflated.

“Well!” Lena put on her happy face and cheery face. “Good luck! This place is always open to you, and if you need anything at all, just let me know.”

The girl smiled a toothless smile at Lena, grabbing her pen and twirling it in between her fingers. “Thank you,” she said after a while. “I definitely will.”

Lena smiled one last time and walked back to the Kitchen. The mystery girl came in at the perfect time it seemed like, because at soon and Lena set her apron on her chair, Brainy’s got even busier. A wave of customers flooded through the shop, she didn’t even have time for a break that day.

It was 10 ‘till 9 and Lena was completely wiped. She had spent the rest of the day running around; taking orders and wiping tables. She hadn’t even had time to look and fawn over the pretty girl that was sitting diagonal to the counter.

How rude.

Lena stood at the counter, hands splayed over the edges. The coffee shop was practically empty, save for a few people just finishing up. Footsteps were heard getting closer to Lena, so she lifted her head. She was pleasantly surprised to see her favorite person– the new girl walking toward her. She had her bag on her shoulder and her phone in hand. Lena smiled right back, standing up straight and using her now clammy hands to smooth out her apron.

“I just wanted to say thank you, for the Latte. It was literally the best thing ever, I got all my studying done and I can finally sleep.” There was a certain giddiness to the way she spoke, something like relief and relaxation. Lena noticed that her eyes were a little brighter and that made her rejoice.

“Well I’m really glad that I could help. Would you like another for the test? Just something to boost your memory. On the house.”

She immediately shook her head. “I can pay for it, it’s fine.”

“Nah,” Lena waved her hand, leaning in a little bit. “Once my mind is made up there is no changing it.” She smirked at her, walking back to the area where the made the latte.

“I’m Lena, by the way. In case you didn’t see the name tag.” She swirled the chocolate into the cup holding it up to the whip.

“Y/N.” Lena smiled. She grabbed the lid, walking back towards Y/N.

“How fitting,” Lena said, boldness surging through her veins. “Beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

Lena reveled the way blush crept up onto Y/N’s cheeks almost instantly, a slight smile grazed her lips. She could’ve died when Y/N’s fingers brushed against hers, taking the latte out of her hands. It seems like she almost combusted, the red on her cheeks even more prominent.

She squeaked out another “Thank you, Lena.” and then turned around rather hastily grip firm on the cup.

“Good luck!” Lena wished before Y/N walked out the door. She blessed her with another smile, opening the door and getting lost in the National City crowd.

Lena’s body was still on a high, a light buzz surrounding her. She smiled to herself and faced the wall. She tried and failed to stop the pace her of heart, certain that she was going to die at any second. She turned off the machines, deciding to close a few minutes early; the shop was empty and clean, she could leave.

Grabbing her purse and changing her shoes, she locked the door to Brainy’s, keys in her hand and Y/N in her mind.

ii.

The second time Lena sees Y/N, (two weeks later on a chilly, fall day) not much has changed. It was after Lena came back from a much needed vacation.

Y/N’s in the same state: flustered, frustrated and in a rush. Lena watches as she walks over to the same table, shoving her car keys into her pocket as she sits down. She smiles at Y/N before walking towards her.

She’s still the prettiest girl Lena has ever seen, even when it looks like she’s five seconds from combusting.

Lena arrives to the table, smile morphing into a frown when the girl she’s grown so fond of literally looks like she is about to combust.

“Another exam?” That makes Y/N’s head whip up, eyes wide with shock.

“Oh, hi! And, no. A paper this time. Due tomorrow, actually.” Her eyes went back to her laptop, scrolling through the pages she’d written so far.

Lena chuckled to herself. “Do you have a habit of starting really important things at the very last minute? Because if that’s the case then studying might not be your issue?” Y/N joined in on the laughter, Lena’s heart and eyes swelling at the sound. She knew she’d do anything to hear it over and over again.

“Trust me, I like to get head starts on these things.” She clarified then shrugged. “I just I like it here, it’s kinda like my last resort when it comes to studying. When I finally realize that my parents won’t stop yelling, I come here…” Y/N subconsciously let her shoulders fall, eyes still on her laptop.

Lena felt a sudden surge of protectiveness run through her. She placed a hand on Y/N’s shoulders, frowning slightly. “I’m sorry, but know that you’re always welcome here. From the time the doors open until they close.” She smiled reassuringly at the Y/H/C beauty.

“I’ll make sure you have an unlimited supply of anything you need. On the house.”

At that Y/N’s head snapped up, shaking immediately. “Oh no, it’s okay. I’ll just-”

“Nonsense, this is my shop.” Lena interrupted. “Let me do an act of kindness. You deserve it, truly.” Y/N smiled appreciatively.

“Okay then. Well, thank you in advance. I’m Y/N.” She stuck out her head towards Lena, and with no hesitation, Lena grasped hands with the other girls, shaking lightly.

They were warm, Lena noted. Y/N’s hands were warm, they sent a hot wave through her body on this cold November day. They were soft, smoother than any baby she’s ever met. She didn’t want to let go, but she knew she had to.

“I’m Lena.”

If it was anybody else, Lena would’ve laughed at the way Y/N had completely forgotten their first introduction. Her eyes would’ve scrunched up and a small little chuckle would’ve erupted from her throat. But instead, a smile fell upon her face, soon morphing into a frown. How much stress and pressure was she under, Lena wondered. The thought made her nauseous.

The rest of Lena’s day went as planned. She counted money, served customers, made drinks; the usual.

Lena’s day at Brainy’s was coming to an end. She had serviced the last customer, the bell ringing as they walked out. Well, she thought that was the last customer.

As she was putting the chairs on top of the tables, she noticed her new found favorite person in her same spot. Lena smiled at the triumphant grin on the other girls face. Her heart fluttered at the way Y/N’s eyes closed in relief, her body doing a little dance.

Lena had finished wiping down the tables when she spoke up.

“That smiles is a good thing, I hope.” She tossed the rag back into the sink and unraveled her apron. “It’s too beautiful to be anything but joyous.”

Lena had no idea where that had came from, and she didn’t regret it when she noticed the small blush on Y/N’s cheeks and smile on her lips.

“It’s a great thing actually.” She responded. “I turned in my paper and I’m really confident about it. Perks of a quiet environment, I guess. I know I would never be able to get this done at home.”

Lena feels her heart break a little inside. She didn’t understand how someone this sweet and kind couldn’t find happiness in her own home. She hoped Y/N could find home somewhere else, maybe in the form of a little coffee shop she ran. She didn’t say that though.

“I’m glad that my shop could be a part of such a beautiful journey.” Y/N chuckled.

It’s quiet for a moment. Y/N packs up her things, puts on her hat and scarf. Lena is grabbing her purse and the keys to the shop. They both head towards the door at the same time.

They meet at the door, facing each other and smiling, eyes locked. Y/N goes out on a whim, something Lena was sure was just a spur of the moment thing, and wraps her arms around Lena’s middle. The significantly shorter girl squeezed lightly.

Lena is taken aback, but doesn’t let that show on her face as she hugs Y/N back. Curls lightly hit Lena’s face, a flood of blueberry scent flooding her nose. White heat made it course throughout her. Lena closed her eyes.

“Thank you.” Y/N says as she pulls away. She looks shy at first, timid. It was like a natural instinct for her and Lena didn’t like it. She wanted to hear the rich laugh she heard earlier, see her lips and smile the most. But she sufficed with soaking up the happiness she felt as the small smile that graced Y/N’s lips.

“I don’t mean to be weird but you have no idea how much your shop and the things you do mean to me.” They lock eyes again and Lena smiles a sad smile. She steps forward and hugs Y/N again, loving the way the smaller girl melted into her frame.

“It’s nothing at all.”

iii.

This time, Y/N walks in a mess. It’s nearly a month later and tears are streaming down her face, bag in hand, hair disheveled and shaking. There aren’t many people in the shop, surprisingly, just a few people on the left. Y/N was grateful.

It’s close to midnight, so Lena is cleaning up her counter, she wasn’t really expecting anyone else. But when she hears the bell and looks up to see who it was, she immediately notices Y/N. Not the crying, though. Just the fact that she didn’t say hi and she wasn’t in her usual spot. She’s sitting in a booth.

No greeting, not even a smile, and she’s sitting in a booth. Y/N was not a booth girl. Something was wrong.

The last few people that were in the cafe left and Lena didn’t hold herself back. She walked right up to Y/N, who’s spaced out, and sits right next to her.

Lena doesn’t say anything, just closes as much distance as possible before wrapping an arm around Y/N’s shoulders. The latter turns her head and stares at Lena, willing herself not to cry into front of the person whose opinion she cared about most.

That didn’t work, Lena knew the girl across from her way too well. The nights they had spent talking had really done wonders. Lena never thought she would care about someone as much as she did with Y/N. She felt like she knew Y/N: strong, determined, albeit stubborn. She also knew that Y/N was one of the most kind-hearted people in this world. She was so strong that she felt like she couldn’t feel vulnerable, Lena knew, because she felt the same way.

Lena squeezed Y/N’s shoulder, going out on a whim to lean forward and press her lips to her forehead.

That broke the dam. Y/N released a shaky sigh, her body convulsing as she leaned into Lena’s shoulder. She sobbed into Lena and wrapped her arms around Lena’s middle. The raw pain vibrated into Lena’s soul, so she held Y/N tighter and forced herself not to cry.

Lena knew pain like this. She had lived it time and time again growing up. The pain of all your problems, breaking the weight of your soul, not being able to hold it any longer. The way your sobs spoke for you, Lena had been through this all before.

That’s why she didn’t say anything. She didn’t try bothering with the whole self-assuring mantra. She knew the it’s okay and you’re not alone speeches were useless. They only made people feel worse. So she resorted to comforting Y/N the way she always needed somebody to comfort her.

She pull her closer into herself, so much that the smaller girl was practically sitting on her lap. Arms wrapped around her neck, she felt tears soaking through her shirt but she couldn’t bring herself to care. A shirt over the heartbroken beauty she had grown to like? It was impossible. Her hands soothed over Y/N’s heaving body, so calm and so gentle, the way she always needed. Soft, pillow curls ticked her chin, and Lena smiled.

It didn’t dawn on her that the position they were in was anything but platonic. That for people had known each other for 2 months were this close, this comfortable. It all felt so natural for her that she didn’t realize her heart beating and breaking at once. All she cared about was you.

She let Y/N cry for as long as she needed. Her loud sobs eventually dulled into weak whines, and soon into silence. She didn’t know what time it was. It was silence before Lena spoke up, hearing her take a deep breath.

“You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to. We can just sit here until you feel better.”

She felt Y/N shake her head. She sniffled a little before she lifted her head. Bloodshot Y/E/C eyes stared into Lena, and the latter just smiled.

“No it’s fine. I’m not gonna do all this and then not tell you. It’s not fair.” Lena chuckled while moving some hair out of Y/N’s face.

“It’s not about me, Angel. You do whatever you’re comfortable with.” She pretended not to see the smile and blush that appeared on Y/N’s face.

“I’m comfortable.” Y/N replied as she laid her head back onto Lena’s shoulder, facing the counter. Lena smiled and kept rubbing her back.

It was several minutes before Y/N spoke up again. No matter how comfortable Y/N said she was, she knew it would take a while for her to let it all out.

Lena had to strain her ears to her Y/N. “My parents arguing got worse. The worst it’s ever been. I don’t know what was said, but my mother left and took my two younger sisters with her. I don’t know why she didn’t take me, she knows me and my dad don’t get along. Oh well.”

“They did all that while I was studying for my exam too. It was so quiet all week I thought that they were finally starting to get along. Guess not.” A sniffle. “My dad yelled at me so bad afterward. He told me to go after them or do chores or something. I don’t know, so much was happening it was hard for me to process it all.”

Lena still didn’t say anything. Knowing that if she did Y/N would stop.

“I’m so tired, Lena.” Y/n’s voice broke. “Everything is just so much between school and home. I can’t even go back home because I know I’d hear my dad’s mouth if I did. He would try and blame it all on me. After a while I know I’d start to believe him. I mean my mother just left me there with him. Just me. Maybe I am the problem.”

“Okay, no.” Lena spoke up, not allowing Y/N to belittle herself. “That’s not your fault. Whatever problems your parents have is not up for you to take the blame for. You didn’t ask for any of it, not the arguing and discomfort. Hell, you didn’t even ask to be born.” Y/N chuckled. “Your parents are problems are results of your parents issues. Not you.” Lena ended firmly, letting Y/N know that she was 1000% serious.

Y/N wrapped her arms around Lena’s neck tighter and sat it silence for a little bit. This time it was Lena who broke it.

“You can stay with me. Since you said you don’t want to go home. I have an extra room and I live alone, it’s fine.”

Y/N lifted her head up and kissed Lena’s cheek, an action surprising them both. “Thank you, Lena. I’m staying with my grandma though. At least for the week, and then I’ll figure out something from there. She’s old and fragile, I don’t wanna stress her out too much.”

Lena hummed. “Well, just let me know. My door is always open for you.” Lena had the sudden urge to say that her heart was too, but she didn’t dare.

“You’re a saint.”

—

Three hours had passed before Y/N had decided to leave. Lena did her best to distract Y/N from her problems. Lena seldom left any subject untouched. They had talked about it all: book, hobbies, school, friends, music, and most importantly dreams and goals. Y/N wants art, Lena wants science. Y/N told Lena about her love for roller coasters, and Lena told Y/N about how terrified she was of them.

They played games. TicTacToe, I-Spy, hangman hide and go seek. They had the time of their lives. Especially for Lena, she had liked to think it was a date, but she’d never voice that out loud. It wasn’t until the 6th round of hide-and-go-seek that Lena decided to call it a night. She had been looking for Y/N for 10 minutes, 10 minutes! She should know this place like the back of her hand, it was her shop. Y/N wasn’t doing anything to help her out either, there wasn’t a sound heard anywhere.

Lena had decided to look in the closet, she was positive that was where Y/N had to be hiding. There was literally no place else.

Lena held her breath, steadying her hand onto the door handle.

3…..2…..1…..

“Got you!” Lena yanked the door open, smile wide on her face and ready to see the shocked look on her face. But she was the shocked one. Y/N was laying on the floor, curled up into nothing more than a ball with a bundle of curls on top.

Lena’s heart melted at the sight. Y/N hand was scrunched up under her chin. She knew she was in love. Okay. Maybe not in love, in love, but pretty damn close to it.

She took out her phone, yawning herself when she saw the time. 4:27. She kneeled down, getting a good look at Y/N before slowly waking her up.

YN’s face contorted into an expression of discomfort and anger when her eyes open. That dissipated though, when she saw Lena’s caring smile above her.

“Hey, Sleepyhead. It’s pretty late. And I’m not going to leave you here to sleep in the closet. But I will walk you to your grandmother’s house if you’re up to it?” Y/N nodded her head sleepily, taking Lena’s hand and standing up. It took a little while for Y/N to balance herself, but a few seconds later she had it.

Y/N walked to the exit, smiling gratefully when Lena handed her her bag. She opened the door for Lena, subconsciously leaning into her. Lena blushed hard, thankful that Y/N had been too tired to look up.

“Cambridge Street. It’s just a block or two away. I can walk alone.”

“This late at night? I think not.” Lena scoffed.

“But then you would have to walk home, that’s not safe either.” Lena smiled and grabbed Y/N’s hand, walking a bit slower.

“I’ll be fine. I have friends who look out for me.”

“What? Is your friend Supergirl?” Lena just laughed. If only she knew.

“Whatever.” The two of them walked in silence. Both of them were most content they had ever been. Y/N rested her head on Lena’s shoulder, Lena rested her head on Y/N’s. It was quite perfect.

Just as they rounded the corner, a large white house with silver lights screamed at them.

“This is me.” Y/N yawned. She didn’t lift her head until they had reached the steps.

Y/N wrapped her arms tightly around Lena’s middle, squeezing incredulously while Lena reciprocated. “Thank you.” She said. “Thank you for everything you’ve ever done. From the first moment I walked into your shop until now. I’m forever grateful.

“Anytime, sunshine.” Lena smiled as she let go of Y/N to reach for her phone, handing it to Y/N. “I’m always here. You can put your number in if you want, and then anything you need to talk you can alwa-”

Y/N grabbed the phone before Lena could finish her sentence, entering in her number and handing it back to Lena. “Done. You don’t have to tell me twice.” Lena chuckles, and they end up wrapped in that silence again. Only this time it was more vulnerable.

They stand at the doorstep, staring at each other. There’s something there. Y/N can feel it too, Lena is sure of it.

She’s never wanted to kiss someone so bad. She’s never wanted to wrap her arms around someone’s body and feel their warmth; protect them from every single threat. She’s never wanted to hear the laugh, see the smile, and just know that she’s made a beautiful heart beat a little faster. She’s never wanted to take someone’s pain away and be their happiness, not as much as her does with Y/N. Should she kiss her?

She doesn’t. She just settle with a kiss on Y/N’s forehead and a promise to see each other soon.

As Y/N walks into the house, Lena feels a pang of regret in her chest at the soft lips that pull up into a shy smile. Lena wanted to feel that same smile as their lips were pressed together.

She sighs. She should’ve kissed her.

iv.

Lena sees Y/N for the fourth time at Brainy’s two weeks later. They’ve been hanging out quite a bit since that night and it’s safe to say that Lena is completely infatuated with the brown skin beauty.

They’ve become the best of friends in the past two weeks, attached at the hip. They hang out at the park near Y/N’s house, go out for lunch when Lena had days off, shopping on Lena’s payday. Was Lena spending her money on Y/N? Yes. Did she enjoy spoiling her? Of course. What she ever going to tell Y/N about her feelings? Absolutely…..not!

With everything that Y/N has been going through lately, it wasn’t fair to just drop such a bomb on her like that. Besides, they were just starting to get to know each other, she didn’t want to jeopardize what little they had so quickly. And she didn’t even know if Y/N liked girls, let alone if she was the slightest bit interested in Lena!

Lena’s perfectly fine with falling in love from afar right now. She’s content with staring at Y/E/C eyes, or secretly reveling in the beauty she saw on her wash days, dripping with water in all its curly glory. She was fine with going to sleep wondering what it what feel like to have her right next to her, deep in a peaceful slumber. She was okay with suffering in gay silence.

For now.

It was another day at work for Lena, taking orders and wiping down tables when a chime came from the entrance. She put on her best fake smile and prepared to say the tired out greeting. Flattening out her apron she looked up.

“Welcome to Brainy’s! How may I he- Y/N? What are you doing here?” Y/N smiled, gripping her bag a little tighter.

She smirked. “Are you not happy to see me, Ms. Luthor?” Lena rolled her eyes playfully.

“You know I always am Ms. Y/L/N. I just wasn’t expecting you is all.” Lena straightened out her posture, placing her hands on the register. “What brings you? More homework?”

Y/N laughed and shook her head. Lena’s head was spinning.

“Nope, still on winter break! I just figured I’d pop up and pay you a visit! If that’s alright…” Y/N tilted her head towards Lena, her face changing, almost like she was beginning to regret popping up. Maybe she wasn’t as close to Lena as she thought she was.

Lena recognized this and shook her head dismissively. She was thinking of me. She. Was thinking. Of me. “Of course it’s alright! As long as you don’t waiting for awhile before my break.” Lena looked at the clock. 11:57. 1 hour to go.

“I don’t mind.” Y/N raised the bag that hung across her shoulder. “I brought some music theory and compositions with me. Can I get my usual please?” She rocked up on her toes, shiny a pleasing smile (Lena’s head was really spinning) before reaching into her bag to grab her wallet.

“Sure. But you don’t need that.” Lena turned her back to go and start making a Brainiac Boost Latte, the machine whirring as Lena added the ingredients.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s on the house, as always.” Y/N was the one the roll her eyes this time.

“Oh come on, Lena. You never let me give you things. While you always get me things, buy things for me. Why can’t I do the same?”

Lena shrugged, taking the cup off the machine and placing a lid over it. “Maybe I just like spoiling you.”

Lena was glad that her back was turned, because that did not mean to slip out of her mouth.

“Well, what if I wanna spoil you, too? Can’t I?” Lena wasn’t expecting that one either. But she didn’t let it show as she turned back around and gave Y/N her drink. “Isn’t that my right?”

Lena thought and let it sink in before she shrugged again. “I suppose.”

“Thank you.” Y/N handed Lena $10, walking away quickly and sitting at the table right next to the counter.

That wasn’t her usually spot, but at least she wasn’t at a booth, Lena surmised.

There was a comfortable silence between the two. Lena was working, doing her usual, and Y/N would occasionally ask Lena questions to cease the quiet. This time it was about music.

“Do you have a favorite genre of music, Lena?” Y/N lifted her head up to watch Lena wipe away at the counters.

“Classical is up there. Always been a sucker for a good composition.” Y/N smiled, eyes slanting.

“Do you have a favorite composer? Besides me, of course.” Lena stopped her wiping, shining a signature smirk at Y/N.

“I mean you are number one on my list. But Riopy and Mozart are a close second.”

“Hm,” Y/N hummed. “Maybe your mind is greater than I thought.” Lena chuckled.

“Why do you say that?”

“No reason, I just love both of them too. Not many people appreciate Classical.”

“That’s true.” Lena paused. “I’ve always been a sucker for country too!”

Lena wasn’t ready for the way Y/N’s eyes lit up and she bounced in her seat. “Oh my god! Me too! So many people talk shit about it, and I don’t understand it.”

“Their minds aren’t as great as ours.” Lena glances at the clock, feeling giddy when she saw that it was indeed her lunch break. “Great minds do think alike, after all.”

They fall back into silence as Lena sits across from Y/N at the table. She has her art supplies, sketchbook, pencil, the whole lot. She isn’t really hit with anything to draw, that us until her eyes fell onto Y/N.

There’s something about the energy that Y/N radiates that makes Lena so inspired. She wants to capture it with her pencil, put it on paper so everyone could see what she sees. (Okay maybe not, because she doesn’t want anyone else falling in love with her Y/N. That would thoroughly complicate things.)

Lena’s in love frustrated. How do I say I want to draw you without saying I want to draw you?

By saying it, dum dum.

Oh, shut up.

“Hey Y/N?” Lena leans in a little, glancing at her work.

Y/N doesn’t lift her eyes as she mutters a ‘hm?’ in response. She’s too focused. Lena made sure to add ‘Y/N’s focused face’ in her mental archives. “Would you mind if I drew you?” There’s a stutter in Y/N’s movements. Lena’s mind goes in overdrive with anxiety.

“I- Its just that your hair…its so beautiful.” Creep much? “A-and I need practice on drawing different textures and facial features. I don’t want my art to be whitewashed and bland, I need…..a pop of color.”

Y/N snickers and Lena wrings her hands, nervous that she totally fucked up.

“What?”

“I know that wasn’t a black joke but the irony got me,” Y/N finally looks up, the sides of her eyes in crinkles as she tries to hold in her laugh. “Go ahead.”

Lena laughs and goes to a fresh new page. “You don’t have to like… look at me or anything, just do what you’re doing.”

Lena begins drawing. Starting with Y/N’s face: Heart shaped, round, perfect for her hands. She got the way Y/N her lip in concentration. She smirked when she licked her lips, knowing that Y/N was growing anxious with Lena’s eye on her. Then her hair, the way a pink bandana holds it back, taming it’s glory nature. She left the bandana out, though. She didn’t want Y/N to be tamed. She wanted her to be loose, carefree. She wanted to look at the way Y/N laughed and groaned when the strands of her hair got caught in her lip gloss. Or not care when her hair got wet after she had just straightened it. She wanted Y/N: uncensored, unfiltered, unedited.

It didn’t take long for Lena to finished her sketch. She committed every stroke to her memory, knowing for certain that this wouldn’t be the last time she drew the brown beauty sitting across from her.

Y/N was writing the last of her notes when she heard the incessant sound of the pencil on paper come to a slow halt. The sound of the long sigh fell from Lena’s lips, making her lift her head.

“Are you done?” She asked. Lena’s eyes met her own, a smile coming onto her face.

“Yeah. You wanna see?” An eye roll.

“Duh, Luthor. I gotta see how pretty you made me.” You’re already the prettiest, how could I improve something that’s already so perfect?

Lena keeps her mouth shut, grabbing her book and flipping it to show Y/N. Y/N is taken aback when she sees it, sees her. She’s drew…so meticulously. Every detail is there, every wrinkle, curve; Lena didn’t miss a thing. It looks exactly like her. Except, the Y/N on paper looks different, more serene and undisturbed.

“Is that how you see me?” Y/N asks after a while. Her eyes are staring at Lena, heart racing and cheeks hot. “So…angelic?”

“Well angels are angelic, Y/N. It’s kind of implied.” Lena quips. Y/N just smacks her lips and shoves Lena a little, forcing a chuckle out of her.

“Well, thank you. You’re really talented, Lena. This looks beautiful.” Lena shrugs and hands the drawing over to Y/N (She’s already taken a picture).

“No need to thank me. I didn’t do much. Your face is already like that, I just put it on paper.” Y/N giggles as she declines it. She wants Lena to keep it. A beautiful piece like that doesn’t need to get messed up at her grandmother’s house.

The rest of their time together is spent laughing at Y/N’s terrible attempts at drawing. She tried to draw a dog, which oddly turned out to look like an alligator. Then a baby, which ended up as a dog. And then a fruit, you don’t even want to know how that turned out.

“Don’t laugh, we all know art isn’t my thing. I just wanted to see how much I was working with.”

“Apparently not much.” Lena mumbled under her breath.

“Hey! I heard that.” Y/N laughs.

“Oops?” Another eye roll is giving before Lena glances back at the clock, her break over with.

“Well, I have to head back. This was quite a pleasant time.” Lena stands up as Y/N does, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” Y/N utters as her face is in Lena’s shoulder. “I always have the best times when I’m with you.”

Lena feels the rush of pride through her veins. It doesn’t go away, instead it’s inflated when that new but warm feeling of love comes it. Lena welcomes them both, head cloudy as she walks out the door, a promise to text her on her lips.

She needs to kiss her.

The air is even colder than the last time Y/N was here, if not colder. White lines appeared on her hands when she scratched them, a clear indicator that it was way too cold for her to be outside.

The sun had just set, it’s red-orange light beamed on her as she walked towards the entrance, keys in hand.

She walks in, a bit more smiley and pep in her step. Lena doesn’t notice, she’s too busy cleaning up the mess that James had just made. He’d locked a cup into the machine and forgot how to unlock it. Needless to say, he’s stuck on busboy duty for a while.

Lena had just tossed the rag back into the bucket. An exhausted sigh fell out of her mouth when she walked up to the counter, not even lifting her head up just yet.

“It looks like you need the pick-me-up latte this time.” Lena subconsciously snapped her head up, an immediate smile spreading across her lips.

“Y/N!” Lena beamed. “Hey, how are you?” She quickly lets her eyes scan over Y/N’s body: a cute, fluffy blue sweater with black slacks (that hugged her curves in just the right way), fit black flats and a silver hat snug on the top of her head. She looks likes a princess and Lena melts, quite literally.

Y/M shoved her hands into her pockets, rocking on her tiptoes and trying not to fluster at the way Lena’s eyes were locked into hers.

“I’m doing alright. You?”

Lena huffed out a small laugh. Typing on the screen in front of her. “As best as I can be. I hope you don’t have to work today. It’s Christmas Eve!”

Y/N smiled to herself. Lena didn’t know that though, so when her bright white teeth caught Y/N’s eye, she nearly fainted.

“I actually don’t! Classes ended last week, but it’s not like I had anyone to celebrate it with anyways.” She shrugs. Lena feels bad.

“Shit, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bring it up. I’m over it anyways.” Lena doesn’t believe that. She lets it go, though, when Y/N shakes her head, dismissing the cute brunette with crystal eyes across from her.

“Of course you didn’t! I know that. Don’t worry about it.” Lena suddenly gets an idea in her head. Invite the pretty girl over for Christmas! Give her a present, tell her how you fell. Okay, maybe that last part was a bit…premature.

There’s a silence again. That silence. The silence that makes Lena want to close down the shop and kiss Y/N until the sun comes up.

“Spend Christmas with me.” Okay, Lena most definitely did not mean for that to come out of her mouth. Not like that at least. Y/N sputters, there’s practically smoke covering out of her ears. Lena blushes like hell.

“I mean! M-My friends and I, we have this thing we do every year, we call it friendsmas. It basically just a second Christmas, but with your friends!” Lena feels this sudden wave come over her. Was that…nervousness? Oh god.

“You’re welcome to come. I’m sure they would love you.” I do. “No one should have to spend Christmas alone.” Especially a beautiful woman like you.

Get a fucking grip, Luthor.

Y/N rocks back and forth on her toes. She’s playing with her fingers and avoiding Lena’s eyes.

“I- I don’t know. I mean I wouldn’t know anyone and I wouldn’t have a gift-”

“Just bring food.” Lena interrupts. “Literally anyone would be happy with food. They are greedy.” They both chuckle. “Only if you’re up for it, though. I would hate for you to feel uncomfortable. It’s completely your choice.” Though it would make my year if you came.

Y/N shrugs and rearranges her bag. “I’ll think about it. Anyways! I wanted to know what time you were off. There’s this cool new ice skating thingy at the lake and I wanted to know if you wanna go check it out.”

Hey! Let’s go on a date! You’re really pretty inside and out and I don’t ever wanna leave your side. Y/N didn’t say that, Lena knows. But she really wishes she did. Was this a date? Could it actually be possible that Y/N returned Lena’s feelings?

She just smiled through her thoughts, reaching behind her to take off her apron. “I’m off now, actually. Cal is already here, and of course I would love to go.”

They walked outside together. Y/N didn’t have a car, and she assumed Lena didn’t either, so she thought they were going to walk. It wasn’t until she felt a warm hand grasping hers and pulling her towards the parking lot did she realize she was wrong.

Lena pulled Y/N along, trying to memorize the way her hand felt. It was soft, smooth, but she could feel the calloused fingertips on her skin, a result of endless hours of music practice.

Y/N’s eyes bulged out of her head when they got to Lena’s car. “Wow! This car is….” “Cool?”

“Hot!” That made Lena smirk, walking over to the passenger door. She held the door open for Y/N and closed it when she was in.

They drove in basic silence the whole ride there, the good silence. It was almost natural for Lena to grab Y/N’s hand as they approached the door. She noticed her uneasiness. Maybe it was because Lena was holding her hand and she didn’t want her to. Maybe it was because it was Lena, the girl she has been wanting to kiss since she was her. Maybe it was because Y/N wanted to blurt out i like you! Into the expanse of the car, but couldn’t find the courage.

Whatever it was, it made Y/N grip Lena’s hand tighter.

When Y/N and Lena got into the rink, they were both apprehensive, though the presence of one made the other feel better. And the scenery, oh, God the scenery. They had never seen anything so peaceful. A giant Christmas tree sat behind the rink, lights wrapped all around them. Music was playing loud enough to sing along, but soft enough to keep the merry energy. Kids, friends, parents, lovers were all skating around. Laughs were heard – the sound of making memories with the ones you loved most. Y/N wanted to feel what they felt. Lena wanted to give Y/N that feeling.

Lena didn’t tell Y/N that she hated the cold, and Y/N didn’t tell Lena that she didn’t know how to skate, but they sucked it up to be in each other’s presence.

“Are you ready?” Lena was trying her best to hold in her laughter. Y/N was clinging onto the side rail, wobbly in her skates and shivering. She wasn’t even on the ice yet. She was in the entryway, scared to take the first step.

“Um, not really. I changed my mind.” She tried to bargain. “Let’s just watch christmas movies inside instead.”

Lena grabbed Y/N by the waist, easing her onto the ice. They stayed still for a bit, Lena keeping them upright when Y/N lost her balance. “I won’t let you fall.” Y/N trusted her.

And so they skated, skated for two hours. Lena teaching Y/N how to keep her balance, and Y/N giving Lena some warmth every time she failed and fell right on top of her. It was a win-win situation.

They ended up sitting on the ice (Y/N fell and didn’t feel like getting back up. Lena got down for moral support) as the fireworks were being set off.

Lena looked over at Y/N when it happened; white, green, and red illuminating across brown skin. She swore she had never seen anyone more beautiful. Y/N’s nose was a bit red, her hands clammy as she blew into the, to keep them warm. The wind blew her hair back a little when the fireworks started, big Y/E/C eyes shining brighter than the lights. Her skin was glowing. Lena knew that in that moment she was going to kiss her. She didn’t know when, but she was certain she wasn’t going to wait longer than she had to.

Y/N leaned into Lena, trying to save body heat. “Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?” She asked. “I’ve never felt so…calm.” She turns to Lena after a moment, smiling brightly. “Thank you, Lena. Thank you for everything.”

Y/N moves completely on top of Lena, arms wrapping around her neck and she hugs the Luthor tight. Lena hugs back, obviously, rubbing her back and rocking them lightly. “You’re so welcome, sunshine.”

They move from the hug, but stay in close proximity of each other. After a while, they get too cold. They return their skates, grab their things and get back in the car. Two hours of cold and skating really makes you hungry, so Lena suggest Big Boy’s. Y/N, a lover of anything food, just agrees. This ride is filled with that silence too, Y/N grasping Lena’s hand.

They eat in the car. Lena paid, obviously. And when their down Lena drives Y/N back to her grandmother’s. Lena gets out the car and walks Y/N up to the door, the same spot the first time Lena wondered what Y/N’s lips tasted like.

“Did you have fun?” Y/N chuckles.

“I should be the asking you that. I’m the one that invited you. But yes, yes I did. I had the most fun I’ve ever had.” That seems to be a recurring thing whenever she’s around Lena, Y/N notices. “Thank you.”

They were silent for a few seconds, Lena tested the air. It was identical to the one last time. The same pull, same mutual desire. She could feel it. They had most definitely went on a date.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow? Will you text me the address?” Lena stared at Y/N confused for a second, but then she quickly figured out that Y/N was referring to friendsmas.

“I’ll do you one better. Let me pick you up? 7-ish?” Y/N nodded, her hands going to her back pockets. Lena was just itching to replace Y/N’s hands with hers.

“Yeah. Is there a special attire or something?”

‘Not really.” She wanted to say that Y/N looked beautiful everything so it doesn’t matter, but this time she….actually did? The blush on Y/N’s face and the small thank you that left her lips was evident enough. She actually did it!

Lena was feeling like hot shit now. “If you want, you can bring extra clothes and stuff too. We usually end up staying the night since it’s just us. But if you don’t feel comfortable, I can drive you back home.”

Y/N shook her head. No, it’s fine. I can stay, you’ll be there right? All night?”

Lena nodded. “All night and into the very late morning. I won’t leave you, sunshine. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Y/N giggled.

“Darn it! So close!” Y/N joked. Lena’s carried more weight than either of them realized. Lena meant it, she knew it and was sure Y/N knew it, since there was a smile on her face. There goes that silence again.

“Well! I guess it’s settled then. I promise you’ll love them and they’ll love you even more. Hopefully it’ll feel like home to you.” Hopefully I’ll feel like home to you.

“Thank you, a lot Lena. Really.” Y/N stands on her tiptoes, going to hug Lena for the last time that night, and pressing her lips to the corner of Lena’s mouth for the first. Y/N didn’t see the blush on Lena’s lips, thank God. She slipped in the house before Lena could open her eyes.

vi. [versus 1]

It’s Christmas! Lena wakes up smiling to herself, it’s the happiest she’s ever been. She doesn’t have any immediate family, Lillian is still in jail and her brother is…..her brother. She took the majority of her day to do some last minute shopping. She prepped some food and did her laundry.

She spend most of her day shopping for Y/N, though. She had to make sure that this day was perfect for her, which includes the perfect gift. She remembered you talking about how you loved music and time you spent the whole time studying music. She also remembers how beautiful Y/N looked, she had the portrait to prove it. Y/N told her that she wanted to play music more often, piano specifically, she just didn’t have a piano to play it on.

After she took her shower and ate some food, she made her way to the highest rated music store in national city. Lena knew that Y/N’s confession wasn’t a cry for pity, Y/N hated pity. She wasn’t trying to guilt trip Lena into buying her instruments, she just felt comfortable enough to tell Lena these things. That doesn’t mean Lena wasn’t going to buy you one anyways.

“Hi! Welcome! Do you need help in finding anything?” An employee greeted Lena as she walked into the store. She smiled, shifting in her shoes.

“Yes actually, I’m doing some last minute shopping and I was wondering where you keyboards were.” Justin, the associate, smiled.

“Yes! Right this way.” Justin led Lena to the back of the store, immediately they were surrounded by piano keys. “Were you looking for full size or partial?”

“Full size. Which one is the closest to an actual grand?”

“That would be…..” Justin trailed walking around. Lena followed. “This one right here, Yamaha Arius YDP-143. It’s one of the newest, digital but has everything that an acoustic piano would have: weighted keys, pedals, the lot.” Lena nodded her head, satisfied.

“That’ll work, thank you. ” She watched as Justin called another associate to assist in bringing the keyboard to the front.

Lena picked the one that looked the best: Black, sleek, pretty. Just like Y/N, she thought. She mentioned that she would like your name engraved at the top, and made her way to check out.

Meanwhile, Y/N was out buying something for Lena. Art was her favorite, Y/N knew that much. Lena probably had every art supply there way, so she wasn’t even sure the gift would mean anything to Lena. I mean, look at her car: freaking immaculate.

She bought them anyways though. Easel, paint, brushes, pencils of all sorts, it was safe to say Y/N was officially broke. She left that store and went to another, buying ingredients for Empanadas, fruit salad and brownies. She wasn’t going to show up empty handed. She needed to make a good impression, she needed to stop wallowing in her grandmother’s sun room being lonely, and she needed to put herself out there. She was thankful Lena had given her the opportunity.

Y/N wrapped the easel, paint, and brushes carefully. She spent a lot of money on these and would be damned if they got messed up before she could even give them to Lena. She prayed that Lena would like these.

The hours fly by and Lena is trying to get dressed, trying being the key word. She was freaking out. She dropped the gift at Kara’s place in advanced, it was too big of a gift to just hide in the trunk, you know. Besides Kara was a doll and lifted it with ease.

She’s stressed out over her outfit. She has to pick an outfit that says look at m e! but not one that says look at me! …Lena was having a hard time understanding it herself.

There was so much she wanted to do tonight: introduce Y/N to her friends, make her happy, hopefully she’ll make friends, hopefully she’ll like the gift, confess feelings and kiss her! She really, really wanted to kiss her. With consent of course, but what better day than the day of love and giving.

She decided to go with something simple, black jeans and cute Christmas sweater. She had simple black boots on and her hair was straightened down her back. When it’s getting close to 6:45 she pulls out her phone and texts Y/N.

hey, sunshine. i’m on my way. be there in 15 x

Y/N was sitting on the porch when Lena pulled up, way too anxious to just be sitting in the house. She smiled when she saw the white Tesla in her driveway. She picked up the art materials first, wrapped in pink and yellow paper. It wasn’t the best since Y/N hasn’t had a Christmas in a while, but it was decent.

Lena jumps out to help Y/N with the gifts, giving her a kiss on the cheek when they met each other. Lena doesn’t dare ask what it is and who it’s for, she just slides it in the backseat.

Y/N runs back and grabs the containers of food and gets in the car, Lena closing it behind her. Y/N bounces her leg up and down, shaking her hands out. Lena takes her seat, putting the car into drive.

“Ready?” She asks.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Y/N smiles weakly, her leg bouncing faster. Lena notices and nudges Y/N’s shoulder.

“You’ll be fine, Y/N. I promise. None of them bite. And if they do….bite them back.” They both laugh at that, Y/N rubbing her hands over her thighs.

“I know, I’m just a little nervous is all. Thank you again for inviting me, Lena. It means a lot.”

Lena scoffs playfully as she stops at a red light. “Stop thanking me, Y/L/N. There’s no need. Just relax, feel the moment, be happy.” Y/N exhales a deep breath, trying to follow Lena’s instructions.

It wasn’t long before they got to the party. As soon as the door was opened, a blonde girl with glasses smiled and gave her a big hug.

“You must be Y/N! It’s so nice to meet you! Lena talks about you nonstop!” Lena shot Kara a whatthefuckwhywouldyousaythat look.

“It’s great to meet you too, Kara.”

They stepped inside and Y/N was immediately greeted by everyone. She met Winn who was dating James. Alex who was dating Maggie. Cal, who’s she seen a few time at the cafe, was dating Nia. She felt at home right away, they were laughing and giggling. Christmas music played in the background.

Y/N was dancing around with Alex when she heard her name being called. “Please tell me you’re coming over for game night.” Her voice was muffled, a warm Empanada in her mouth.

“Yeah! These brownies are freaking delicious! Not too much chocolate, not too bitter. Perfect.” Winn.

Y/N blushed. They actually wanted her to come.

“You guys only like her for her food, so shallow.” Maggie came over and wrapped her arm around Y/N’s shoulders. “She should come back because she’s so great to be around, idiots.” Maggie turned to Y/N. “Seriously kid, you’re like a breath of fresh air.”

Y/N only muttered out a small thank you and sure before Nia came and demanded to give gifts. She zoned for the most part of that, she was too nervous about whether Lena would like her gift or not. If she would say thanks, but no thanks. Or be disappointed that she didn’t anything better.

“Okay! Lena your turn.” Y/N broke herself out of her thoughts. She forced herself up and walked over to the tree. “These are for you, it’s not much but I hope you like it.”

Lena gasped to herself. Y/N got her a gift? She wasn’t expecting that. Tears sprang to her eyes when she opened the gift. She’d been wanting these paints and brushes for months. She never got them because she figured she had other things to worry about.

“I love it, Y/N.” Lena got up to hug the girl that was literally quaking in her boots, well… fuzzy socks. She squeezed tighter when she felt a breath of relief coming from Y/N’s mouth.

“I actually have a gift for you too, but it’s in the other room.” No one paid them any mind as they walked to the guest room, they just finished exchanging gifts. Lena stopped right before the door, telling Y/N to cover her eyes.

“Why? You aren’t going to kill me, right?”

“Of course not, too many witnesses.” Lena smirked and Y/N laughed. She covered her eyes, goosebumps raising on her skin as Lena led her inside.

“Okay…. Open!” Y/N let her hands fall, eyes widening like little moons when she saw the keyboard box. She immediately teared up.

“You didn’t.” Lena stepped next to Y/N, a light smile on her face.

“I did.” Y/N stammered, looking between Lena and the box on the floor.

“Lena you… You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

“I can’t take this.” Lena frowns and steps in front of Y/N.

“Why not?” She asked. “You deserve it, more than anyone I know.” Lena steps closer, invading Y/N’s personal space. She could feel Y/N breath as she looked up at her.

“You’ve already done so much for me, I….I don’t wanna seem like a moocher.” Lena chuckled at Y/N use of words. She feels a surge of confidence flood her veins.

“You aren’t a moocher, sunshine. You’re just a pretty girl that I wanna spoil and give the world to.” Her hand came up to cup Y/N’s face, heart swelling when Y/N leans into her touch.

This is the moment, the one Lena has been waiting for. Where that air is flowing around them, entrapping the two in their own bubble.

Lena takes a deep breath and places her other hand on Y/N’s cheeks. She feels her heart race as Y/N looks up at her with those big Y/E/C eyes, full of wonder and curiosity. Lena continues.

“From the first moment I laid my eyes on you, the girl with the best hair and the smoothest brown skin I have ever seen. All stressed out. It broke my heart seeing you like that, and I knew I would do everything to make you feel safe, happy, protect you. And when you spoke, and showed me your heart time and time again. I know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Can you let me do that?”

Lena can tell that Y/N is processing her words. Her eyes move all around Lena’s face. Lena knew she was looking for any sign of hesitation, insincerity, anything that would lead to believe that this was all a joke, too good to be true. But when she didn’t find any she nodded her head, leaning herself more into Lena’s hands.

“Can I kiss you?” Lena asked. Y/N stared and nodded again. As soon as their lips touched, there were fireworks. Y/N was shy, so Lena took her hands and placed them on her shoulders. She felt Y/N grip them and pull herself closer, almost like she was just know coming to her senses. Lena’s hands went back to Y/N’s cheeks, squishing her cheeks.

They pulled away when it was hard to breathe. Y/N immediately giggled and hide her face. Lena smiled. “Are you okay? Was that okay?” Y/N nodded.

“I’m fine and that was more than okay.” She smiled up at Lena, like a happy puppy.

“There’s something else.” Lena squinted. Y/N ducked her head again, covering her face it her hands. Her words were muffled.

“What?”

“That was my first kiss.” Lena’s eyes widened. She was glad Y/N didn’t see, that would’ve been bad. Instead, she put on a sly smile, wrapping her arms around Y/N.

“Well, I hope your first kiss wasn’t too bad.” Y/N looked from her position on Lena’s chest.

“It was great, really great.” She smiled. “Just….why the keyboard?”

“Every future famous composer needs one, right? Rather sooner than later.”

“But….” Y/N cringed at house broke she was. “It’s fucking expensive.”

“I would’ve gotten you a baby grand, I just didn’t wanna scare you away.” Lena panicked. “I hope this didn’t scare you away.” Y/N shook her head.

“This most definitely didn’t, it did the opposite.” Y/N took a chance and stood on her toes to press a kiss to Lena’s lips again, smiling widely. “Thank you, you can’t expect me to not say it when you spent two-thousand dollars on me.”

Lena just laughs. “Fine, I’ll let it slide. You’re worth it, sunshine.”

bonus!

It’s raining when Lena hears a knock on her door. She didn’t know it was a knock at first, it was 2am and raining cats and dogs, she couldn’t decipher much.

All she had been caring about was why her girlfriend (it feels so good for her to say that) hadn’t texted her back in a few days. Lena wasn’t clingy, no, she was protective, worried. She wanted her baby safe, and understood that sometimes she couldn’t spend her days wrapped up in Y/N. Clingy was not a word Lena associated herself with.

Y/N usually texted back relatively fast. There were moments when she was driving or cleaning or working that delayed her response by a bit. But Lena would always get a reply – whether it be a full blown text or a simple emoji to let Lena know she was alright – there was always something. It had been two days, and Lena was starting to lose her mind.

“Alright! I’m coming, Jesus!” The person banged on her door again, more frantic. Lena yanked the door open, ready to eat into whoever it was ass.

“What the fuck is your problem? Baby? Oh my god what are you doing!? Get in here!” A wide eyed Lena ushered a shivering Y/N into her house. She immediately led Y/N to her room, helping her get rid of her wet clothes.

“I’m- I’m sorry for not texting you back. There was just so much going on and my grandmother-” Y/N had choked up on her words and Lena immediately dropped her spare clothes, pulling Y/N’s body into her own. She couldn’t care less about the fact that her girlfriend was naked, all Lena cared about was the fact that she was shaking with sobs. This reminded Lena of the first time she held Y/N in her arms as she cried, she hated it then, and she hated it now. No one deserves to be this hurt, especially not her baby.

“You don’t have to tell me.” Lena said. She immediately assumed the worse when Y/N wrapped her arms around Lena’s neck, face burying deep into her shoulder as she cried even harder.

Lena felt her heart clench. Tears sprang to her eyes as she laid on her back, Y/N on top of her as she rubbed her back. Y/N’s hair was still wet, it was probably going to get matted without a proper detangling but Y/N didn’t care and neither did Lena.

“It’s gonna be alright, baby. It’s gonna be alright, I promise.” Lena shushed.

A few minutes later her cries died down. Y/N held onto Lena with a vice grip, her face still in her neck.

“I’m a good person, right?”

“Of course, the best. Why do you ask?”

Y/N lifted her head and Lena’s heart broke and she gazed into her girlfriend’s red eyes. She had never seen Y/N so….defeated, like a child who no longer had anyone to guide them, take care of them.

“Why do bad things always happen to me?” Tears fell from your eyes. “What did I ever do that warrants me to keep getting hurt like this?”

“You know what they say, baby. The world’s toughest soldiers fight the world’s toughest battles.” She frowned as she held Y/N’s face, her thumb rubbing in circles.

“Well I may not be that strong, I feel like I’m ready to break.” Y/N sighed and laid her head back down on her girlfriend. “Hell, I’m already cracking at the edges.”

“Well, it looks like I’m gonna have to be the E6000 to make sure you don’t.” Y/N chuckled. She didn’t say anything, just played with Lena’s figured and yawned a few times.

“I told my grandmother about us.” If Lena wasn’t searching for Y/N’s voice she wouldn’t have caught it, she was speaking so soft. Lena looked down at Y/N, brushing the hair from her forehead.

“Yeah?”

Y/N nodded. “Yeah, I wish I hadn’t though. Maybe then I’d still have a place to live.” Lena stopped, a sudden rage flooding her veins as she processed Y/N’s words.

“Y/N….” Lena began.

“Yeah she did it. She kicked me out. I couldn’t even process what she said afterwards, I was just so… shocked. My own grandmother, the same grandmother that said I was her favorite and she would love me no matter what. Just….poof.”

Lena didn’t say anything this time. Trying to calm her anger before she said something she regretted. It wasn’t about her, it was about the angel with broken wings laying on her chest. She got herself together.

“I’m sorry, baby.” She kissed Y/N’s head. “I know how hard that is.” Y/N hugged Lena closer.

“Yeah, she hasn’t even met you and she made these dumb assumptions. It was crazy.” Y/N sat up suddenly. “And she told me I could stay if we broke up.” An eye roll.

Panic settled in Lena’s body. “And what did you say?”

“I told her tough shit.” Whew. “There’s no way I’m gonna ruin the best thing in my life because she’s a shitty grandmother and can’t accept the fact that I like girls. That’s not my problem.”

Lena rubbed her hands along Y/N’s side. “I’m the best thing in your life?” She smirked and Y/N leaned in, pressing her lips to Lena’s.

“Without a doubt. You’re the only one that hasn’t left yet, and you make me happier than I ever thought I would be. I lo-” She stopped herself, Lena needed her to keep going. “Thank you.”

“What did I tell you about all those thank you’s? It’s nothing at all. And I’m never going to leave you if I have anything to say about it. As long as you want me, I’m gonna be here.” She kissed Y/N again, pressing into her girlfriend’s hips and smiling at the sigh that fell into her mouth.

“Do you think you could help me find a place?” Y/N asked as they pulled away. “I wanna be out of there in 2 weeks tops.”

Lena smiled. “I could have you in a new place by tomorrow.” Y/N rolled her eyes and laughed at her overachieving girlfriend.

“And where would that be, Ms. Luthor?” She rested her hands on Lena’s stomach.

“You’re already in it, Ms. Y/L/N.” A smile took over Y/N’s face.

“Wow, I didn’t peg you to be a U-Haul babe.”

“Oh, shut up.” Laughter fell from Lena’s lips as she pinched Y/N’s thigh. That made Y/N laugh, her head lulling back.

“Seriously though, you’d let me move in? Are you ready for that?”

“Baby I have been ready for you to move in since I first spoke to you.” Okay maybe she was a U-Haul. “I was serious when I said my door was always open for you.”

“So you weren’t just saying that to get my number?” Y/N squinted.

“It wasn’t the motivator of my intentions, no. That was just a bonus.” Y/N giggled.

“Are we going to be living together?”

“If you want to be, my love. It’s up to you. If you’re not ready, then first thing in the morning we can go apartment hunting.” Lena sat up herself, wrapping her arms around Y/N’s middle and kissing her chest.

Y/N grabbed Lena’s face to kiss her once again. She pulled Lena as close as possible.

“I think I’m ready. ‘Honey, I’m home!’ is going to sound great coming out my mouth.” Lena smiled brighter than ever, wrapping her arms around Y/N tighter.

“I can’t wait to hear it, baby.” Lena really couldn’t. She couldn’t wait to wake up with Y/N every morning. It didn’t even have to be in the same bed, just knowing that her girlfriend, her baby, her everything was going to be within a 500 foot radius was enough. Getting to cuddle when it’s cold, eat breakfast food together at 3pm, seeing her damn beautiful face was enough. It was everything to Lena.

“I know that you hate when I say thank you but I have to.” Y/N looked into Lena’s eyes. “Everything you’ve done for me, out of nothing but genuine want and need. For being my safe place when I didn’t have one. Being my calm when I was spiraling. Being my sunshine when all I could see was darkness, it means more than you know.”

“You don’t have to s-”

“Thank you, Lena. Thank you, a latte.” Y/N started at Lena for a few seconds before she burst into a fit of giggles. “Do you get it? Because I would always get a Latte, and it sounds like a lot, but it’s latte.” Lena laughed along with her girlfriend, she’s in love with a complete dork.

“I get it, baby.” She kissed Y/N’s nose. “I love it. I love it so much but not as much as I love you.” Y/N’s eyes lit up at Lena’s words, smashing her lips onto her girlfriend’s.

Lena felt tears hit their lips. She knew they were Y/N’s, she knew they were happy tears. She could feel the sheer emotion transferring from her girlfriend to her and she knew Y/N loved her too.

Neither one of them has ever been this happy.

#lena luthor #lena luthor x reader #lena luthor imagine #lena luthor x female reader #supergirl imagine #wlw #supergirl wlw #wlw imagine #female reader insert #female reader #x female reader #imagine your otp #dc imagines #madi writes

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imbarely · 5 years

Text

Hello and thank you.

I don’t know if you guys are gonna read this but I hope you do. And I don’t know how many people are still active on tumblr but if you’re reading this, I just want to say thank you.

You don’t know how much it means to me to have this blog and see how you guys like the content that I reblogged these past few years (even tho I’m not active anymore). I started blogging when I was 12 years old and now I am 20 years old and is about to have my internship on February 2020.

This blog isn’t my first blog, I’ve had another blog before and have also forgotten the passwords so many times and I’m not sure if this is my third account that I made or is it even the tenth account I made. Okay so anyway, that’s not my point.

My point is that for so many years, I have reblogged so many beautiful pictures, started when I didn’t even know what kind of blog posts do I want to reblog so I just reblogged whatever I like which made my blog looked like a mess but at least I enjoyed it. Later on, I started to focus on tumblr more and joined several facebook group to increase my followers on tumblr and here I am now, I have 120.000+ followers. I also started looking at tumblr not only to have fun but also to earn money.

Now this is the most fun part. I never knew that blogging could earn you a lot of money. And when I said a lot, it is really A LOT. I mean, back then I was just a 15 year old kid from Indonesia and my country doesn’t even allow us to have a part time job, so as a 15 year old, earning almost 1.000+ dollars in a short time is count as a lot, not only money, but you also get FREE STUFFS. Plus, you only need to reblog content or post a content to earn that cash, you don’t even need to socialize or meeting face to face with the company that you work for (isn’t that great?! especially when you’re an introvert or you’re just too lazy to socialize all the time, just like me).

So life was good back then. And for the first time in forever, my parents even let me to sit in front of the computer for hours without them complaining or yelling at me because I kept busy with my computer (ofc during the weekend cause I had school at weekdays) well at least they weren’t complaining because they knew I was “working” (hey! tumblr is a part time job too y’know)

Okay, I don’t know if I’m talking too much or if this story is actually interesting for you guys BUT ANYWAY, time flies so fast and now I kinda feel like I’m betraying tumblr. I stopped making tumblr as my part time job because as I grew up, I needed to go to university and actually doing something with my life. Which includes passing the national exam in order for me to get to the university and got a scholarship.

I ended up passing my national exam and here I am, in my 3rd year of university in Netherlands. Now, I’m not blogging anymore, I still open my tumblr account sometimes but I’m not active everyday but still, I can say that this is one of my biggest achievements so far. I’m looking for an internship right now, and it’s really hard especially when you’re a foreigner in a foreign country (i mean, im indonesian and im in netherlands, ofc those companies prefer people that can speak dutch, so you feel the struggles now?)

Now, you must be thinking why do I say thank you for?

So here is why. I made my CV already, and I haven’t mentioned this before, but I’m an International Communication Management student. I really want to work in communication field but related to fashion industry. So as some of you guys know or maybe everyone does know about this, when you’re making a CV, you need to include your experience(s) that is relevant to the job field that you are aiming to. At this point, I am aiming at marketing communication field at fashion companies, and tumblr is one of my experiences because I’ve been working with several online companies by posting their content on my blog. So I put that on my CV as a blogger.

Just like some other students, ofc I asked one of my teachers for a feedback on my CV. He wasn’t sure what I meant by “blogger” at first and then I started to tell him the whole story but in a short version because duh, people only care about the success version. No one cares how long did it take for me to get to this state, they only care and interested about how did you get so many followers, what kind of ways, etc.

My story blew my teacher’s mind (not for real but for real, you get what i mean?). He started telling me to change “blogger” to “influencer marketer” instead, how cool is that? I never thought myself as an influencer before, because duh I’m just a normal person hanging around tumblr. I never really told my blog to anyone before, unless we’re really close then I would probably tell you but when it comes to CV, I would do anything and also because this isn’t something you need to be ashamed of, it is actually a great experience considering being an influencer is such a big deal nowadays.

I want to say thank you to all of you, I don’t really want to say “my followers” because it sounds like you guys are my fans or something but YOU ARE NOT. Although, it is called followers on tumblr but still okay whatever. But I do want to thank all of you, you who have helped me to gain all of these followers, you who thought my blog was pretty, you who thought i reblogged interesting pictures, you who always messaged me asking how i’m doing, you who always sent me nudes (it was really popular back then I HONESTLY DONT KNOW WHY UNTIL NOW). I just want to say thank you to everyone for everything.

Without this tumblr, I wouldn’t have such a big achievement like this. Then I wouldn’t have something to write on my experience on my CV. I’m still looking for my internship right now, but I know I’m gonna get it real soon (with the help of people around me and with the help of you guys because you’re part of this blog.) I never knew that my followers count will matter a lot until this point, the fact that some companies are really looking at the quantity really blows my mind, I always think that it doesn’t really matter how much followers do I have (that’s why I didn’t even put it on my CV at the beginning), heck, even if you have 1.000+ followers, that’s already big enough, I think.

My point is not that I want to brag about how many followers do I have, but my point is that the fact that I am capable to get a lot of followers count as my social media strategy and that is also why I put it on my CV. Not to brag, but to show them how capable I am with social media.

So thanks to all of you, that I am capable to put this as one of my biggest experience and that it could help me to achieve my dream. It might sound weird but damn, it has a really big impact on me. This is crazy, I don’t know what to say anymore but damn, this is crazy.

#mypost

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lets-talk-appella · 5 years

Text

i’m nobody’s but yours

Chapter 6/25 - Chloe

Summary: Beca is straight as an arrow. 100%, totally, completely straight. Except for one problem that 100%, totally, completely changes everything: Chloe Beale.

Title borrowed from Calum Scott’s “If Our Love Is Wrong.”

Word Count: 4k

Rating: M (for dark themes, homophobia, masturbation, and eventual smut in later chapters)

AO3, FFN, and under the cut

The first time Chloe sees Beca kissing Jesse, she has to excuse herself from the Nationals stage to run to the bathroom.

She almost doesn’t make it, but manages to barge into a stall in the otherwise empty bathroom before the first tear falls. She’s both surprised and not surprised by the jagged pain radiating through her chest; surprised because she hadn’t expected it to hurt this badly, and not surprised because a part of her has been waiting for this to happen ever since she’d fallen in love with Beca.

She squeezes her eyes shut to block out the image of Beca and Jesse kissing, only for it to be projected on the insides of her eyelids. The memory fills her, rising like bile in her stomach.

Leaning over the toilet, she wonders if she’s about to be sick and heaves –

Beca and Jesse Beca and Jesse Beca and Jesse

– but nothing comes up.

It makes her chest hurt even more, so instead she lets herself semi-collapse onto the bathroom floor, her back against the stall wall and head in her hands.

BecaandJesseBecaandJesseBecaandJesse.

It runs together in her mind on a loop, the image of her arms around his neck and his hands on her hips.

She should have known. Of course Beca’s straight – she’s had no reason to believe otherwise – and of course she’s seeing Jesse. She’d let herself get her hopes up, and now they’ve come crashing down around her ears. She only has herself to blame.

After a long moment, Chloe forces herself to stand shakily from the bathroom floor. The others will likely come looking for her before too long. She wipes her face with bath tissue, then opens the stall door, wincing at her reflection in the mirror. She does her best to fix her makeup and calm herself while the pain in her chest only grows with every beat of her heart.

***************

Chloe can’t even remember how many times over the last seven years she’s sat in the Bellas kitchen, waiting for one of the girls to come back home.

She’s seen it all. She’s waited for Stacie the morning after a wild party, for Aubrey after a big exam, for Amy after seeing Bumper, for Beca after her classes, and for all the others following everything from breaks from school, breakups with significant others, or just simply from a long day at class. She’s been there for hugs, coffee, hangover food, and to just listen. There have been good times, bad times, and times in between, and always, Chloe waits in her usual chair at the kitchen counter, waiting for her Bellas to come back to her.

She’s not sure she’s ever been this nervous before.

Well. Except for maybe one time.

Now, Chloe sits in her chair as she supervises preparation for the end-of-year-and-winning-Worlds party hosted by the Trebles. Emily stands over the twin pots boiling on the stove, one red and one green, holding a measuring cup full of water in one hand and a full bottle of vodka in the other.

“Is this right?” Emily asks, adding the cold water and vodka.

Chloe glances away from the front door to watch. “Um, you can add a little more vodka,” she replies. She has a hunch they might all need it after Beca comes home.

Emily complies, adding a generous measure of the alcohol and giggling as it splashes into the pot. “I’ve never made Jello shots before!” she says excitedly.

“I’d hope not,” Chloe smiles, “you’re only 19. We’re corrupting you.”

Shrugging, Emily replies, “What else is new, right? This feels so… rebellious.”

“It’s Bella tradition to bring red and green Jello shots to the end of year party,” Chloe responds absently, looking toward the front door again. She thought she’d heard a footstep on the porch, but when no one comes in, she figures she must have imagined it.

“And the taco dip?” Emily asks, nodding to the fridge, inside of which rests a hue pan of the dip she and Chloe had already made.

“Yep, that’s tradition too, now,” Chloe looks back to Emily. “It’s Beca’s favorite snack, so.”

Emily hesitates, and the mood in the room shifts. Chloe looks at the front door again; it’s been more than an hour. Chloe’s insides squirm as her mind runs wild with thoughts of Jesse getting angry at her, or begging Beca to give him a second chance. The idea that Beca might actually do just that – that she might return to the Bella house with the same relationship status as when she left – makes Chloe’s throat tighten and her stomach rebel.

“Beca should be back soon, right?” Emily asks, uncharacteristically softly.

All the Bellas know where Beca is and what she’s doing. It’s all thanks to Amy, of course. On the plane back from Copenhagen, Beca had been even more antisocial and sullen (Amy’s words, not Chloe’s) than usual, and Amy had pestered her about it relentlessly until Beca had finally snapped. She’d told them (well, told the whole plane, actually – she’d sort of yelled it) that she’d be dumping (Chloe’s word, not Beca’s) Jesse almost as soon as they all got back to the States.

Amy had cheered, Stacie had said, “About time,” and Flo given a prayer of thanks.

It had mollified Chloe to know that she isn’t the only one to be happy with this turn of events.

“Right, soon,” Chloe replies to Emily’s question, her throat rather dry.

Emily frowns, but before she can say anything, the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs from the second floor grabs Chloe’s attention and she looks around to see Amy and Flo arriving on the ground floor. Amy’s carrying several Wii games in her arms, including Mario Kart and Just Dance.

“Hey,” Amy says loudly, “Either of you twig bitches want to play with us?”

Flo nods. “In my country, playing games together was a great way to bond. Also, I will destroy you.”

“Ooh!” Emily hums. “Maybe after we’re done I will.”

Amy grins her approval and looks to Chloe. “Ginger?”

“I’m probably okay,” Chloe shakes her head, trying to look regretful. “Bit of a stomach ache.”

“Uh huh,” Amy stares at her for a second, her expression unreadable. “Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be kicking this one’s ass,” she continues, gesturing to Flo, who scoffs openly.

“That’s what you think,” she says. “Mario is in my Latin blood.”

“Mario’s Italian,” comes Stacie’s voice as she also walks down the stairs, dressed in leggings and a tight sports bra. She waves at them all, not breaking stride as she heads to the front door. “And bye, I’m gonna go for a run!”

Amy shakes her head sadly as the door closes behind Stacie. “Too much cardio,” she says dismissively before grabbing hold of Flo’s arm and dragging her into the sitting room, where Ashley’s Wii is connected to the TV.

Chloe turns back around in time to see Emily peering questioningly into the pots on the stove.

“Um, think these are done?” Emily says, her tone doubtful.

“Oh!” Chloe starts; she’d completely forgotten about the Jello shots. “Uh, probs. Think you can pour them out okay?”

Emily nods, pursing her lips at the hundred or so little cups already set out and waiting on the counter. She lifts the red pot off the stove first, clutching the handle tightly. Chloe only pretends to watch; in actuality, her ears are straining for any sign of an approaching Beca Mitchell.

Because the kitchen window is open, she hears a few birds outside, enjoying the early summer sunlight; she hears Amy and Flo in the other room, already trash-talking each other (“Eat my banana peel, you oversized road mountain!” “I will not! How dare you?”); she hears what might by Ashley and Jessica upstairs performing their weekly furniture rearrangement; she thinks she can even hear the wind whispering through the leaves outside. A car door slams at the house next door and she jumps, but thankfully, Emily doesn’t notice as she replaces the now-empty red Jello pot and reaches for the green.

Chloe sighs, resigned to waiting even longer. At that moment, however, she hears what is most definitely footsteps on the porch. Her heart kicks into overdrive, and a second later, the door opens to reveal a haggard-looking Beca.

***************

Chloe feels like the worst best friend in the entire world. Normal best friends are there for each other constantly. They can talk about anything and everything without the other getting upset. Normal best friends have no secrets, no boundaries, and are happy for each other’s successes.

Normal best friends support each other’s relationships.

But Chloe can’t do that, not when Beca’s in a relationship with someone other than her. Every time Beca mentions Jesse, Chloe can feel the way her face freezes for just a heartbeat before she can try to arrange her expression into something halfway supportive. Every time she sees Beca and Jesse together – on campus, at parties, at a cappella competitions – and she notices how much he touches and kisses her, it sends molten jealousy and rage pouring through her veins. She’s not sure what makes her angrier; that Jesse will never be able to treat Beca like she deserves, or the fact that she’d let herself fall for Beca in the first place.

All Chloe knows for sure is that despite Jesse, she’s still falling more by the day. And Beca can never know about it.

She’s the worst best friend.

***************

Beca wanders into the kitchen, eyes downcast and headphones on. Even from several feet away, Chloe can hear the heavy bass pouring through them, a sure sign that Beca’s mind is far away. Chloe isn’t sure she even sees her or Emily, as focused as she is on the floor. It’s an impression that’s only verified when Beca starts in surprise when Emily greets her brightly mid-Jello pour.

“Oh! Hey, guys,” Beca says in a forced-casual tone as she slides the headphones down around her neck and pauses the music on her phone. She leans against the counter stiffly, her eyes roaming over the setting red Jello while Emily finishes up the green.

“Hey,” Chloe says, trying not to sound as breathless as she feels. She’s pretty sure her palms have started sweating. “How’d it go with…?” Chloe trails off, not wanting to say his name.

She wipes her palms on her jeans under the table as discreetly as she can.

Beca sighs and brings up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. “It was – yeah, it went okay.”

“So...” Chloe prods. She doesn’t want to seem like she’s prying, but really, the suspense is killing her, and she has to know what happened. She schools her features as well as she can, trying to keep a neutral mask even though she feels like lunging over the counter and shaking Beca until she confirms or denies (god, she’d better confirm) a breakup.

“What?” Beca asks tiredly, then her expression shifts to understanding. “Oh, uh, we’re done, yeah. I guess I’m staying here, at least for the summer.”

Yes! Yes yes yes yes! Chloe’s chest expands with happiness, which she immediately tries to dampen down. What is wrong with her? She shouldn’t be this excited for her best friend’s failed relationship… and yet.

It means that Beca is staying.

“Oh, Bec…” Chloe trails off, not trusting her voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just, headache.”

Emily returns the emptied pot to the stove, all of the Jello shots poured and cooling. “Oh no, I’m so sorry, Beca, that can’t be easy. Er, Jesse, I mean, not – not the headache.”

“It’s okay, Legacy,” Beca mutters.

“Yeah, well,” Emily says bracingly, moving forward quickly to wrap Beca in a massive hug.

Beca’s “Mmph!” of surprise is muffled into Emily’s shoulder; Chloe’s grateful for the distraction, because it gives her the time she needs to again control the excitement and relief burning through her limbs at the prospect of having Beca in her life for another three months in the Bella house.

And, maybe, since she’s single for the first time in three years...

Chloe clamps down hard on that thought before it can fully form, annoyed at herself for being so incredibly inappropriate. Beca’s relationship with Jesse ended barely thirty seconds ago, and besides, Beca is still straight and still her best friend. It’s not right for her to be thinking like this. Chloe’s face warms with the familiar shame. To hide it, she pretends to count the completed Jello shots until Beca extracts herself from Emily’s arms.

“Great, that’s – um, thanks, Em,” Beca mumbles, not making eye contact with either of them as she reaches into the cupboard for a yellow plastic cup, then turns to the sink and busies herself with pouring a glass of water. Chloe tries not to read too much into it that Beca had chosen what has long been established as her cup.

She fails.

Emily smiles at the back of Beca’s head. “Yeah, anytime. I really am sorry, Beca.”

Despite her elation, Chloe somehow manages to remember to ask, “Did Jesse take it okay?” It’s not because she cares about Jesse’s feelings about the breakup (she really, really doesn’t care), but because she knows it’s what she’s supposed to do in this situation.

She doesn’t quite have it in her to apologize, though, like Emily has twice already. She can’t outright lie to her best friend.

Beca nods, a strange expression on her face. “Yeah, he – he yelled a little, but once everything passed, I think he was, you know, okay. I guess we both knew it was gonna happen sooner or later,” she shrugs.

Chloe feels a muscle in her own face twitch in annoyance at the image of Jesse yelling.

“He didn’t –?” she starts protectively, trying to refrain from marching right into the Treble house and punching him.

“Oh, no,” Beca dismisses, shaking her head. “He actually was good about it. He understood more after I – after.” Beca stops abruptly and she hurriedly raises her water to her lips to take a long swig of it.

Warning bells echo off the walls of Chloe’s mind, but before she can ask exactly what “after” means, Emily leans forward.

“Are things weird now?” she asks, maybe thinking of the party later. “You know, between you two?”

Beca shakes her head. “Nah, I think we’ll be friends,” she says, sounding surprised about it. She takes another sip of her water, then asks abruptly, “Is there taco dip?”

It’s a transparent change of subject, but Chloe doesn’t mind; she doesn’t really want to think about Jesse any more than necessary.

Emily beams and wordlessly opens the refrigerator, gesturing grandly to the dip, offering it to Beca. However, Beca shakes her head and grins. “I’ll wait until the party,” she says.

Chloe’s eyebrows lift in surprise. She’d assumed Beca wasn’t planning on going to the party. But, she’s not about to complain; she’ll take any time she can get with Beca, especially now that she knows they’ll still be living in the same house for a while.

Beca finishes her water with a last gulp, then places the cup next to the sink to be washed later. She gives Emily a thin-lipped smile, and turns to leave the kitchen, presumably headed for the stairs. The path takes her right past where Chloe sits.

Automatically, Chloe rises from her chair, expecting to draw Beca into a hug as Emily had done. Instead, however, Beca veers around her sharply.

“Oh, um –” Beca says, but keeps moving without a backward glance at Chloe, though her ears turn a light shade of pink. She reaches the stairs and bounds up them, taking two at a time.

Chloe can only stare after her retreating back. She hears Beca reach the landing, then nothing.

Robotically, Chloe lowers herself to perch back in her chair. The excitement in her chest is gone, replaced by an empty ache. She looks up, half-expecting to see Emily staring at her with the same confusion she feels, but Emily doesn’t seem to have noticed anything as she stands at the sink runs hot water to wash the dishes.

Upstairs, Chloe hears someone knock on a door, then the sounds of that door opening and closing.

Chloe swallows, her mouth suddenly cottony. “Em, if you’ve got this, I’ll…”

“Yep!” Emily chirps over her shoulder, hands already plunged into the soapy water.

Chloe stands again from her chair, then turns and makes her way up the stairs on autopilot. She should be happy and excited that Beca’s staying in town, but all she can think about is the detached look on Beca’s face as she had stepped around her in the kitchen to avoid touching her.

God. She’d been sure it was because of Jesse. She’d hoped it was because of Jesse.

She makes for her room, passing Cynthia Rose’s closed door as well as Stacie’s. Cynthia Rose must be playing music, she notes dimly, registering voices from inside the room but unable to focus on them.

If Jesse isn’t the reason Beca won’t touch her… then that means Chloe is. She must have done something or said something, or – icy panic fills Chloe’s veins as she steps into her bedroom. What if – somehow – Beca’s figured it out? If Beca knows how she feels?

Jesus. God. Shit.

That must be it. That has to be it. Beca knows, and she’s grossed out and doesn’t want Chloe to touch her anymore because of it. She thinks that Chloe’s a creepy, weird predator, and doesn’t want anything to do with her.

Chloe’s heart drops and she can feel herself spiraling. She can’t not touch Beca; that’s how she shows she cares about someone, and, god, if Beca’s really planning on staying in the Bella house for the rest of the summer, then how the hell is Chloe supposed to be around her, if there’s this wall up now between them, and it’s just –

Breathing hard, Chloe throws herself to her laptop and wrenches it open, pulling up the first playlist she can find on it. She plays it at full volume, focusing as hard as she can on the music and trying her hardest to not think.

***************

The first time Chloe can tell Beca and Jesse have had sex, she has to excuse herself from the kitchen to run to the bathroom.

She’s sitting in the kitchen with Stacie and Flo, both of whom nurse severe hangovers from the previous night’s “Welcome Back to School Hell” Treble party. Chloe, though, is completely fine as per usual. Physically, anyway.

Her mind churns far more than her stomach does; she hopes that she’d been imagining things, that she hadn’t actually seen what she’d thought she’d seen before leaving the party last night. She hopes that Beca’s safely in her attic room upstairs, sleeping off the hangover.

Chloe had messed up; she’d lost track of Beca at the Treble party. Ordinarily, she barely lets Beca out of her sight at those parties. There’s too much risk of some random guy hitting on her, or for her to become too drunk and get handsier with Jesse than she normally would. Last night, however, Beca had somehow slipped under Chloe’s radar. She’d assumed that Beca had gotten tired, had left the party early, and was already out of the Treble house. So, Chloe had rounded everyone up and had been on the way out the door when something, a noise maybe, had made her glance back into the house.

She’d caught just the barest glimpse of the back of someone who could have been Beca rising from the stairs, apparently having tripped, and being guided up them by someone Chloe couldn’t quite see but might have been Jesse. She told herself then – and she tells herself now – that it wasn’t Beca and Jesse, that it was someone else looking for a vacant bedroom, because she thought Beca was planning on making Jesse wait longer.

Chloe takes a deep breath through her nose, inhaling the scent of coffee in the air. She’d been mistaken last night. Beca’s in her room upstairs, and she’s going to come down any minute, and the knot in Chloe’s stomach will all have been for nothing and it won’t matter that she didn’t follow her gut instinct to go back into the Treble house in search of Beca. Chloe’s almost managed to convince herself that she hears Beca’s footsteps coming down the stairs.

That is, until the front door swings open and a yawning Beca shuffles through, heading immediately into the kitchen and the coffee pot. She’s wearing the same clothes as the night before and sporting a massive hickey on her neck that makes the knot in Chloe’s stomach twist and tighten.

Beca has never spent the night after a party before.

She’s never shown up wearing the same outfit the next morning.

As soon as Stacie sees Beca, she lets out a squeal that makes everyone flinch. “Oh my god,” she cries, “you – you and Jesse – you –”

Beca lifts an eyebrow at Stacie’s stuttering, a pink tinge creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.

Chloe sits and watches as if from far away. A brick appears in her throat, scraping down her esophagus to plop into her stomach, where it stays. No, maybe Stacie’s wrong, maybe Beca just slept on his futon or something, or just slept next to him, maybe that’s it. Chloe wants to cover her ears and eyes, wants to hide, wants to block out any affirmation that Beca – her Beca – and Jesse –

“You Hunted! And got some!” Stacie finally manages, utterly delighted. Even Flo perks up at that, looking at Beca with renewed interest.

Chloe wants desperately for Beca to deny it, to make a face and hide in her room like every other time Stacie’s brought up her and Jesse’s sex life, to explain that no, she’s waiting for someone better to come along, but –

A corner of Beca’s mouth lifts into an awkward and slightly sheepish smile, and her eyes flick around the room, hesitating at Chloe’s for a second. Then, Beca nods once, confirming it, and resumes filling her coffee mug.

The world falls from under Chloe’s feet at the same time she bolts up from her chair and throws herself toward the stairs. Even as she’s climbing them, taking two at a time, she can hear Stacie’s voice: “How was he? What did you think? It was your first time, right? Did he ask you to –” and then she’s covering her ears as she runs, not wanting to know what he asked Beca to do, not wanting to know what Beca felt and how Jesse is in bed.

She’s both surprised and not surprised that it had finally happened; surprised because it’s been almost a year and a half since Beca and Jesse started dating, and she’d been starting to think – hope – it would never happen, and also not surprised because she’s been expecting this to happen from the first time she saw them kiss.

God, she hopes he treated her like she deserves, took the time to talk it through with her, make sure everything felt good for her, went slowly so she never felt any pain.

Before she can stop herself, she’s picturing it as she runs to the bathroom –

Jesse undressing her, Jesse on top of her, Beca’s face, Beca’s bare body, Beca’s hands on his back,

Beca and Jesse, Beca and Jesse Beca and Jesse BecaandJesseBecaandJesseBecaandJesse

– and she almost doesn’t make it, but manages to fling herself into the bathroom and lock the door before she’s violently sick into the toilet.

Later, she tells Beca – when Beca asks – that she must have drank too much the night before.

For some reason, Beca believes her.

#bechloe #bechloe fic #my writing #beca mitchell #chloe beale #pitch perfect fanfic #i'm nobody's but yours #chapter six #this chapter is angsty #just so you know #starts with a flashback #posting a day early because my Saturday is going to be busy

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diningpageantry · 5 years

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tag game(s)

anï (i’m too exhausted to do three separate posts but i was tagged in three tag games over the past few days and i’d forgotten to do the last few games i was tagged in and i feel super guilty so here they are in one go)

i don’t know who to tag to do these rn because my brain is dead i am emotionally exhausted and i’m writing a fic that’s about halfway done so i’m gonna say tag anyone who wants to be tagged for any of these. i’m so sorry that i’m dead, i will be back alive again after may 10th, which is my AP exam day

six questions challenge

tagged by @simon--speaks

rules: answer the questions, then tag 9 people you want to get to know better!

Q1: Relationship status?

single bby

Q2: Favorite color?

maroon !

Q3: Top 3 ships?

snowbaz (wow) and uh. wow. idk who else. i wanna say my own ocs matchstick and summer (is that allowed? i’m making it allowed)

Q4: Lipstick or chapstick?

whenever i get to this question in any ask i freeze up because i use a tinted chapstick so i don’t look dead but like. it can also be seen as a lipstick because it has pigment. but. chapstick.

Q5: Last song I listened to?

Run by Hozier

Q6: Last movie I watched?

uhhh i watched like. 5 minutes of the emperor’s new groove a few days ago, and watched a documentary about obscure houses like 10 minutes before that. so. i’m gonna say the house documentary.

21 questions

i was tagged by @simon--speaks, @angelsfalling16, @wo2ash, @alixanderthequeer, @sharkmartini and @bazypitchandsimonsnow

rules: answer 21 questions then tag 21 people

nickname: anï, munchkin, menina, and my hebrew name is elisheva

height: the doctor says i’m 5′3.5″, but they can’t put fractions on IDs so according to the state i’m 5′4″ and i cling to that

last movie i saw: see above (so like. funky houses)

last thing i googled: (next town over) movie tavern. i’m not saying where it is exactly bc hah i don’t wanna be stalked but. i was looking at movie times because they have $5 movies every tuesday

favorite musician: frank iero. love that funky rat man and his funky music too (i’m gonna see him for the second time next month because i made the executive adult decision to say fuck it to my seizures and go see him anyway)

song stuck in my head: i don’t have one rn but usually it’s a song by the killers (when you were young is a usual one)

other blogs: none, actually! i didn’t delete my old tumblr purely bc i’m a nostalgic dumbass, but it’s a completely different login and it’s inactive so i don’t count it.

followers: 1,666 (originally i wasn’t gonna share the number but it hit this last night and i was like heh. nice)

following: 231

amount of sleep: 8ish hours! (spring break bby)

lucky numbers: 7, multiples of 3 (only in cases of knocking), and multiples of 2 (only in cases like volume)

dream job: writing and illustrating books! i have a variety of dream jobs within art, and even within the subcategory of books, but my top dream job is creating inclusive/diverse children’s books that represent a variety different ethnicities/races, religions, abilities, and identities so that children can see themselves represented in media

what i’m wearing: a black turtleneck, a bra, and marvel boxers. that’s it.

favorite food: soup in general. i make a kick ass matzo ball soup

language: english, conversational portuguese, i know a small small bit of japanese (i should know more given i was raised being taught it but i always struggled with it), and i know some spanish. i also plan on teaching myself ASL.

can i play an instrument: yes! i’ve been playing violin since i was 2. i wanna play guitar and i know some chords but i have small hands so it’s hard to find one that’s the right size that isn’t a shitty children’s guitar, and i sing! i’m an alto

favorite song: hnnghg please don’t make me pick................ i’d have to say choke on one another by death spells

random fact: so like. if you didn’t know already, i’m an LGBTQ+ youth activist on a national scale. i disappear on occasion because i’m doing something or another, and sometimes i post about it on my blog (speaking of i have exciting news that i heard, but at the same time, i’m pretty much booked every weekend from middle of next month until middle of july), but........ i hate networking. i loathe it. if i never had to network again, i’d be thrilled. networking is my absolute least favorite thing because i struggle at everyday conversation, much less networking with people at least 10-20 years my senior. sure it’s usually free publicity and i get great connections, but god. at what cost? and like.... it’s always after a really emotionally taxing event, so i’m already drained and then wow here’s a room full of adults who want my 18 year old input. please. just let me steal a cupcake then leave.

describe yourself in aesthetic things: dye stained fingernails and necks. cranked open windows during a spring shower. dried tears and breaking laughs. coffee stains and milky tea splashes. trembling fingers, writing instead of speaking because you’re too afraid, and finally breaking free--running through the rain. scabbing blood, fresh piercings. knowing you’re loved and not saying it because it doesn’t need to be spoken. the smell of a new canvas, paint splattered jeans, and art school sweaters. black skirts with docs, then fairy lights and soft blankets hidden behind sharp profanities and harsh disgust. the unexpected. the unknown. the ever-changing, unstoppable force of the shifting tides.

carry on questions

tagged by @goodbyedandelion, @isthisisagoodkiss @wo2ash,

1- favorite type of scone?

cranberry orange! one of the farms a county over has a market and they sell them there and they’re to die for (altho, i found a sour cherry scone recipe that i’ve perfected and my family loves them so they’re a close second now)

2- london or la?

i’ve never been to london, but i’m gonna have to go with london. i went to la last october to present in an awards show for my organization and i lowkey was underwhelmed. i’m very much a gloom and rain kinda person, and it was too dry and sunny there. although, i did think the huge succulents were sick as fuck. but yeah definitely london. i’m planning to spend a semester abroad there in a few years for an illustration program

3- kissing in a forest or holding hands under the stars?

i’m afraid of forests because we have a lot of wildlife and i don’t want to get mauled by a bear don’t mind me holding hands under the stars :)

4- jeans or suit?

suit suit suIT SUIT suit. i love wearing suits. my chest doesn’t cooperate and my hips always hate them but god i do love suits.

5- loose hair or pulled back hair?

mine looks better loose, and my sides/back are shaved but the top reaches my ears, so it gets annoying sometimes and i pull it up to keep it out of my face

6- vampires or dragons?

i wanna say both. i used to say “yknow a dragon but in human form would be hot” then i got called dragon fucker for like two years so out of pure spite i’m going with vampires.

7- what saying do you wish could be a spell?

(this one’s a very specific reference so hear me out) “i’ve got to go pee on her” used to disorient and confuse the speech of the person casted upon. it’s one of my favorite quotes from scott pilgrim vs. the world (my favorite movie ngl) when scott’s brain can’t figure out two different sentences and he just says that. it’s so good and just fuckin weird that i love it.

8- which carry on character would you go on a coffee date with if you could?

depends tbh! if we’re talking date date, then penny because i would wife penny in 0.5 seconds, but if we’re talking friends getting coffee then 10000000% baz because i’d talk activism and identities with him

9- favorite carry on quote?

“he told me we would be stars” (i don’t have my book on me so i could be getting the line wrong), but it hit so hard for me. like it’s clear how davy manipulated lucy so much that she fell into it and couldn’t crawl out. it’s such a powerful message of control from those who are charismatic enough to hold it, and how sometimes we aren’t weak enough to let go.

10- how excited are you for wayward son?

lemme paint this picture: i started hyperventilating in the hallway when i found out, and then cried an hour or two later when my friend texted me that he preordered me a signed copy. like. i’ve been pre-planning how to get home from college to come and pick it up (okok the 24th is also my dad’s birthday so i’m. um. “coming home to visit him”, of course) because i’m just SO EXCITED to read them again in a canon way :’)

#anï rambles #tag game

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emiamami-blog · 5 years

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Phoenix - Chapter 1

“Enough, Kacchan! Can't you see he's crying? If you keep going, I- I- I'll never forgive you!"

A smirk quickly overtook the blond's surprised features. "Even though you're Quirkless..." He loomed over me, my body flinching back as he fired an explosion from his palm. "...you're pretending to be a hero, Deku?" I didn't have the time to respond before Kacchan and his friends charged forwards, fists drawn back. It was over in a flash. The blinding sun passed over me as I lay on the ground, body throbbing with pain. I was weak. I was defeated. Just like always.

‘People are not created equal.'

That’s the hard truth I learned at the age of four. But that was my first and last setback.

It all began in Keikei city in China. With the news that a bio-luminescent baby was born! After that, ‘exceptional’ individuals began popping up all over the world. The cause was unclear. Time passed, and the ‘exceptional’ became the norm. Fantasy… Became reality! At present, 80 percent of the world’s population consists of superhuman with special abilities. The world is in chaos! And a profession everyone once only dreamt about… Entered the spotlight!

Along with the exceptional abilities came an explosion in the crime rate. While nations struggled to overhaul their legal systems, brave individuals took up the mantle of heroes straight out of comic books, protecting people from evildoers! With public support, some quickly acquired the right to serve as heroes in an official capacity. Depending on their performance, they have the potential to earn: Government pay! And Fame and glory!

“You’re also going for U.A., aren’t you, Midoriya?”

I had been ignoring the excited shouts of my classmates, my head on my desk, trying desperately to drown out their voices. However, when I heard those words I felt my body involuntarily twitch, and I cautiously raised my head, only to see the whole class stare at me in shock before simultaneously bursting into roaring laughter.

“Huh?! Midoriya?! No way!!”

“Good grades alone can’t get you into the hero program!”

I swallowed pathetically at their words, meekly countering their taunting. “Th-that’s not necessarily true! Sure, there’s no precedent, but…”

“COME ON DEKU!!” Before I could retaliate, I was blown from my desk by a loud explosion issued out by an equally loud blond. “Forget the crappy quirks. You’re totally Quirkless! And you think you can rub shoulders with me?!”

I could feel the air around me grow warmer with the crackles that threatened to burst forth from Kacchan’s palms. I didn’t know how much more damage I could do by talking, but I figured it would be better than staying silent in case he was to take it as if I was ignoring him. “Wa- Wait, no, Kacchan! I wasn’t…” I felt the air heat up even more, now actually able to see the smoke pouring off of Kacchan. Quicker that I thought could move, I had scurried away from the twitching blond, only to find my back hitting the wall behind me. “I wasn’t saying I could compete with you! Not at all!” I lowered my head to stare at my knees, hating how I couldn’t stop myself from trembling in his presence. “It’s just… It’s always been my dream. Since I was little. And well…” I gathered my courage to look him in the eyes. “There’s no harm in trying…”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.

“Try?! Try what?! The entrance exam?! You’re taking the exam just to ‘try’?” That brought forth another burst of laughter from the class. I found myself shrinking away from them even more, their faces becoming blurred, shadowed masses with haunting grins. “What can you even do?!”

I was left speechless.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. I quickly gathered my notebook titled Hero Analysis for my Future, No.13, and prepared to leave. However, as soon as I turned around, my notebook was snatched from my hand by the one and only explosive human bomb.

“We ain’t done here, Deku.”

I felt my heart rate increase. That book meant everything to me. It contained my hopes, my dreams, my aspirations, and all my hard work, research and analysis on heroes. “C-come on. Give it back!”

Two of Kacchan’s friends gathered around him. “What’s that, Katsuki?” “‘For my Future’? Seriously?! This guy, Midoriya.”

Kacchan didn’t respond. He simply stared at my notebook in his hands, a dark expression crossing his features. Without any warning, Kacchan brought his other hand up to the cover of my notebook and blasted it until it was blackened and burnt. He glanced at it, a small ‘Hmph’ escaping his lips before he carelessly tossed it over his shoulder.

I was frozen in place, trembling. I wasn’t sure if it was from shock, fear, or pure rage.

“The best heroes out there, well… They showed signs of greatness even as students. I’ll be the first and only hero from this crappy public middle school! The first to win the honour of becoming a student at U.A. High. I guess I’m just a perfectionist.” Regardless of how correct his statements were, I couldn’t help but think to myself of how vain he was. He wasn’t finished though. “In other words…” I jolted as his hand came down heavy on my shoulder, a crazed smile on his face. “…don’t you dare get into U.A., nerd!” I couldn’t move. I was dripping in my own sweat, the smell of burning material reaching my nose. It was obvious that Kacchan had burnt my shoulder, but I couldn’t feel it. I could only hear my heartbeat in my ears, the blood rushing past my face.

“He's pathetic. He still can't face reality."

Kacchan turned to me one last time before he exited the room. "If you really want to be a hero that bad, there's a quick way to do it. Believe that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life, and take a last chance and dive off a roof!" I was in a state of shock, helpless to do anything but watch his retreating form. His ever-retreating form.

I found myself pulling my soggy notebook away from the nibbling lips of the Koi fish in the school fountain. I could feel my frustrations burning. My frustrations at fate for allowing people with mindsets like Kacchan’s to be born with amazing Quirks. My frustrations at Kacchan, for being so ignorant and vain. But most of all, my frustrations at myself for being so useless.

"Stupid... Stupid... STUPID BASTARD!"

“Again?! Izuku, I think you’re responsible for tens of thousands of this video’s views. It’s a little too scary for Mommy to watch.” I could hardly contain my excitement as my mother set up my favourite video. It was an old clip. There was this big disaster a while back, but in the aftermath, a certain hero made his debut.

“He’s so cooooooool! When I get my quirk, I wanna be just like him!

“I’m afraid there’s no hope for him.”

I felt my body go stiff. I just froze. ‘No hope… No hope… No hope…’ those two words kept replaying in my mind like a broken record that refused to move on.

“No! There must be some mistake?” I could hear my mother, but it felt like her voice was so far away, as if I was hearing it from the other side of a glass panel. “The other kindergarteners have all started showing signs, but…”

“Pardon my asking ma’am, but you’re the fourth generation, yes? As far as Quirks, I mean.”

“Yes, of course…” My mother shot my motionless body a concerned glance before continuing. “I can pull small objects towards me. And my husband can breathe fire.”

“By the age of four, a child should manifest either one of his parents’ quirks of a composite of the two. However, early Quirk research discovered one important finding. It has to do with the presence of absence of the extra joint in the pinky toe. Humans have no need for extra parts they don’t use, you see. And those without the joint represent the next stage of evolution. Izuku here has two joints. It’s becoming quite rare nowadays, but… He possesses no Quirk at all.

“And he’s smiling! Mom, no matter what kind of trouble you’re in, he’ll save you with a smile.” I turned to face her, tears filling my eyes as I tried to keep my own smile on my face. “Mama, I can still be like All Might, right? I- I can still be a hero?"

"I'm sorry Izuku! I'm so sorry!" Mother had run over and wrapped her arms around me, but I had just felt numb. Hollow. 'No... No, mom…’

That was when I decided. I decided not to care what anyone says!! To keep my chin up and keep moving forward!! I clenched my fist and smiled to myself, walking home with a determined spring in my step. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts, that I had failed to notice the voice whispering in my ear.

“A medium-sized body… To hide in…”

By the time I noticed, I had just enough time to turn my head before something cool and wet enveloped me. ‘A villain?!’ My nose and mouth were quickly covered by a slime-like substance, vicious, and unable to grip. I couldn’t breathe, but my other senses were on high alert.

“Don’t worry. I’m just hijacking your body. Clam down. It’ll only hurt for about 45 seconds… Then it’ll be all over. I’m saved. You’re a real hero. I never thought he’d show up in this town.”

I continued to struggle pointlessly, my chest convulsing with the lack of oxygen. I knew it was pointless to try to scrape my way out, but my oxygen-deprived state wasn’t allowing me to think clearly.

The villain took note of my struggling and decided to remind me anyways. “No point in trying that. I’m fluid, you see!!”

My mind went into a helpless panic as I felt my body get heavier with each passing second. ’I can’t breathe! My body… Getting weak… I’m dying! I’m gonna die?! Someone help! I’m dying!! No…’ Tears began to escape the corners of my eyes. Whether from lack of oxygen or the fact that I was seconds away from death, I’m still not sure. Just as my body was about to give in, I heard another voice, this one much more familiar.

“Fear not, kid!! I am here!” My eyes had drifted shut, but my brain was still functioning and I could still hear. The voice was so familiar that I was sure it was him… My theory was determined as true when I heard his signature battle cry. “Texas… SMASH!!” The last thing I remember was the face of my idol and a strong gust of wind propelling me backward. Then darkness.

I awoke to tiny slaps upon my cheek. “Hey… Uh. Thank goodness… You’re okay! Excellent!!” By that point, my senses were back to normal and I scurried away as fast as I could. I couldn’t believe it! All Might! In the flesh! Right here in front of me… And he had saved me too! “Apologies… For getting you caught up in my villain hunt. Mistakes like that aren’t my style, but… This is a strange land to me. And besides, I’m off camera! But my success here is all thanks to you!! I’ve contained the villain!!”

‘All Might! He’s here… He’s really here!! Up close, I can really see!’ I quickly scrambled around looking for my notebook, desperate to get an autograph from him. I located it then frantically flipped through it looking for a blank page before seeing his name scrawled out with thick black ink. I was absolutely floored.

“Wowww!! Thank you so much!! What a treasure!! It’ll be my family heirloom!!” I couldn’t help but bow my thanks to him. Unbeknownst to me at that time, All Might hadn’t even spared me a second thought. While I was busy bowing, he had already walked away.

“Now I must bring this fellow to the authorities! You can catch me again on TV!!”

“Um! Wait… Is that it…? I…”

“A pro battles not only enemies, but also time.”

‘Hold on!! I still… I need to ask you…’

“Until next time… Thanks for your support!” Before I could think, I had reacted purely out of instinct. My arms had latched onto All Might’s leg, and we were soaring fast through the skies. “Hey now!! Release me! Such enthusiasm is a bit much!”

“If I… Let go now… I’ll… I’ll die!” I could hardly believe my own foolishness, but that question meant a lot to me. “I… Need to as you… So many things… Gah! You…”

“Okay, okay. Just do me a favour and close your eyes and mouth.” He didn’t really have a choice, but I couldn’t believe that a pro had complied to a nobody like me.

Finally, we touched down on the rooftop of an abandoned building, and I could have kissed the concrete. I had never been happier to have crashed into a solid surface. “Scary…”

“Of all the…!!” I was brought out of my post-traumatic state by All Might grumbling to himself. “Hopefully the people downstairs will help us get down. I’ve no time though! Truly!!” I saw him prepare to jump again, and made a split second decision.

“Wait! Um…”

“No!! I will not wait.”

I knew he was limited on time, but I just had to know! I clenched my eyes shut and inhaled sharply. It was now or never. I’d probably never get another chance to talk to him. “Even without a quirk… Can I still be a hero?!” All Might had to know… He was the number one hero after all! He was the epitome of heroism… the very best! “Can someone without a quirk… Become a hero like you?”

“Quirks are…” I barely heard him though. I had to get it all out! I could somewhat make out him muttering something to himself, but I continued on anyways.

“Because I don’t have a Quirk… Well, maybe that’s not the only reason. But I’ve always been picked on… That’s why… Maybe that’s why… I think saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do. The way you save people with a fearless smile! I want to be the strongest hero, just like y- WHAAAAAT?!” In front of me was a shrunken skeleton of a man. Hollow cheeks, gaunt skin, and droopy blond hair. “You’re all shrivelled up! Huh?! A fake?! An imposter?! So thin!!”

The blond just stared at me, an impassive look on his face. “I am All Might.” Blood spurted from his mouth, the man lifting his arm to hastily wipe it away.

“Woah! No way!!”

“You know how people hold in their gut at the pool? It’s like that!”

“No way!!”

The man before me slumped to the ground, resting his back against the railing. “A fearless smile, huh… You’ve seen the real me, kid. But don’t write about it on the internet, okay?” I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or not. The number one hero… Was he really this shrivelled up and frail looking man? “Five years ago… An enemy did this to me.” He slowly lifted up his shirt to reveal a scar, veins running out from it like a shattered mirror. I barely held back a surprised ‘Eep!’. My body shuddered involuntarily, despite trying to keep my face passive. “My respiratory system was nearly destroyed, and my stomach was removed. I’ve wasted away because of the after-effects of those surgeries. I can only do my hero work for about three hours a day now.”

He paused a moment to let his words sink in. “Five years ago…? Was that when you fought Toxic Chainsaw?” He looked surprised that I knew that, but continued on regardless.

“That lowlife? He could never do this to me! This was never made public. That is, I asked that it not be made public. A symbol of peace who saves people with a smile… Must never be daunted by evil. The reason I smile… Do you know why I smile? I smile to show the pressures of being a hero, and to trick the fear inside of me. Pro heroes are constantly risking their lives. That is why I cannot simply say, 'one can become a hero, even without power.'”

His words struck a chord within me. I felt a cold through my body, and I could swear I felt my heart stop. For the second time in my life, I felt completely empty and hollow. But this time was different from before. While I was frozen by shock at the age of four, this time, ten years later, I was filled with disappointment. I wasn’t disappointed in his answer. I was disappointed in myself for believing that I could do what was obviously impossible. I didn’t hear the words I had been hoping to hear, but surprisingly that wasn’t the worst feeling. The worst feeling was that I had allowed myself to be so optimistic even though I knew myself that it wasn’t possible. I was ashamed.

“If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option. Those villain custody officers are often mocked, but… That too is admirable work!” I stood in silence as All Might shakily got to his feet. He was almost out the door to the stairs when he paused to say a few words of parting. “It’s not wrong to dream. However… You need to be realistic, kid.” Those were the last words he said before he turned away, the door slamming shut with a metallic finality.

“You need to be realistic.”

“Even as a third-year, he still can’t face reality.”

“It’s time to start thinking seriously about your futures!”

‘Even… The best of the best said it… Don’t cry! You knew already, right?! This is reality… It’s because I knew… That I tried to damned hard…’ I found myself on the long, slow trek back to my house, my throat feeling unnaturally tight. I fought back the tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks, my face feeling stuffy and warm. ‘So hard not to see. To ignore reality. Yeah.’ A sudden explosion caught my attention, pulling me from my thoughts. ‘Hey… That explosion…?’ I was so used to gawking. I told myself to stop, to just stop it because I’d only make myself feel like a loser. But I couldn’t. When I saw the scene, I couldn’t believe my eyes. ‘Is that him?! How?! All Might let him go! Did he drop him?! That means…’

“This is my fault!”

I took in my surroundings, seeing multiple pro heroes already at the scene. They were focusing on the other citizens and the surrounding buildings. However, they weren’t doing anything about the sludge villain.

“Why’re the heroes just standing there?” I quickly elbowed my way into the crowd, listening to the conversations going on around me.

“Seem’s the villain’s grabbed a middle schooler.”

‘Grabbed…? So he’s enduring that same pain?! There’s a person in there?! Why aren't the heroes moving to save them? They might not be suited for the villain's quirk, but are they really going to let the person die?!’ My mind flashed back to the moments I had spend in the clutches of the sludge villain. The crushing feeling of not being able to breathe, the fear of impeding death… “Unbelievable…” I focused my attention back on the conversations around me, hoping to get more information on the current situation.

“Hey, that villain… Isn’t it the one All Might was chasing?”

“All Might?! No way! He’s really here?!”

“Yeah, I saw him earlier.”

“Then what’s All Might doing now?!”

My breaths were shaky as I moved in closer, my hands coming up to cover my mouth. “It’s all my fault All Might can’t do anything!! This guy can’t be caught. We have to wait for someone with the right quirk to show up!” This frightened me beyond belief. Heroes were a pillar in society that reassured citizens of their safety. I had never accounted for times that no hero had a suitable quirk for a situation. It had never even crossed my mind that sometimes heroes might not even be able to save everyone. It was a fragile justice system, and I could see just how thin the threads holding it together were. My heart went out to the middle schooler. ‘Hang in there… I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Someone will come to save you soon… A hero’s bound to come…’ I felt desperation set in the time ticked by. The student’s head was barely visible. I stuffed my shaking Hands into my pockets, before suddenly noticing a tuft of blond hair sticking out from the sludge. I watched in horror as the person fought back, their head finally facing in my direction. As I caught a glance at their face, I felt my blood run cold.

"You're Quirkless. What the hell can you do?"

Those were the words spoken by the boy I had grown up with. The boy who I had admired. The boy that was now in front of me, struggling to get free from the sludge. As much as he despised me, I still considered him a friend. And I wanted him saved. But nobody was daring to run in to save him. I glared at the heroes around the scene. 'And you have the right to call yourselves heroes?! I thought heroes were always risking their lives!'

My feet moved purely on instinct, and I sprinted towards Kacchan and the sludge, skirting around the flames rising up from the ground. I ignored the heroes as they cried out, trying to get me to stop. “Get back here, you fool!! Stop!!”

The villain noticed my presence, and I saw his eyes light up in recognition. “It’s that kid…”

‘Why am I running? What am I doing? Why?!’

The villain began advancing towards me with an intimidating smile that rivalled Kacchan’s. “You’re dead.” His voice sounded garbled, almost animalistic.

‘What do I do?! What do I do?! At a time like this…’ I suddenly remembered my notebook. Page 25 ‘Always blast to keep damage to a minimum!’ With that in mind, I desperately flung out my school bag, hoping to hit something solid. I knew that I couldn't grab hold of the sludge because it was fluid, but the creature must have some form of a physical core, or at least something that I can hit. To my surprise, I had managed to hit him in the eye with one of my books, causing him to stumble back a bit. That gave Kacchan a moment to get his head free again, coughing and gasping for air.

“KACCHAN!!”

"Deku you idiot, why are you here?!”

"I- I don't know! My feet moved me!"

"Why are you doing this?!"

‘There were any number of reasons.’

“There’s no hope.”

“It’s my fault.”

“You think you can rub shoulders with me?!”

“Kacchan.”

“No harm in trying.”

“My dream.”

“A super cool hero.”

“You need to be realistic.”

“Saving people with a smile.”

‘But at that moment…’

“You- you looked like you were asking for help!"

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the response I wanted. It was what I was expecting though. “Stop… It! Just a bit longer. So stop getting in my way!!”

Before I knew it, the sludge had decided to retaliate against me. I could hear the pro heroes faintly yelling to each other over the adrenaline rushing in my ears. “Does he have a death wish? He’ll die for nothing!!” I braced myself, but to my surprise, I felt no pain, no suffocation. Shocked, I looked up to see All Might. He grabbed my arm, pulling me and Kacchan away from the villain’s clutches.

“The lesson I left you with… I should practice what I preach!!” I was astonished. I thought he had already gone over his limit today! “A pro should always be ready to risk his life!! DETROIT SMASH!!”

A gigantic burst of air was directed upwards, and I felt a raindrop as the dust settled. “Rain?”

“No way. The air pressure… That rising air current…”

“Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey.”

“He changed the weather with a single punch!!”

“Amazing. That’s… All Might!!”

Afterwards, the heroes collected the villain’s scattered body, and it seemed like the police had managed to get him into custody. The heroes were really mad at me. “There was absolutely no need for you to put yourself in danger!!”

Kacchan, on the other hand, got all the praise. “You were real tough out there! And that quirk! Consider becoming my sidekick once you go pro!”

I could feel a slight tick of annoyance in my forehead as I watched. Kacchan was getting praised for being a victim who happened to have a powerful quirk. I was getting scolded because I attempted to save someone, yet I lacked a powerful quirk. That's just it. That's how unjust society is, and how having a quirk can get you places in life that you don't even deserve.

With the reporters begging the heroes - along with Kacchan - to give them interviews, I managed to slip away unnoticed. I made my way back to my house in silence, the day’s events playing themselves over and over in my mind.

“I wanted to apologize to All Might, but… I guess I’ll just leave a message on his website when I get home.”

"Oi Deku!" I turned upon hearing my nickname, seeing a blond male running towards me slightly out of breath. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, he was jabbing a finger in my face.

“I- I don't know what kind of stunt you were trying to pull back there, but you didn't do anything. I wasn't asking for help, and I sure as hell didn't ask for help from you! As if you could!! Huh?! I could’ve beaten him myself. You didn't help me, and you never will help me. Got it?!” I nodded my head. "Good. Stupid nerd!!” And with that, I was left seemingly alone once more.

“He’s right though. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t change anything. But still… I’m glad. Now I can finally focus on a more realistic future…” For some reason… I remembered what my mom said.

“I’m sorry Izuku. I’m so sorry!”

“No mom… back then, what I wanted you to say was…”

“You can be a hero.”

#bnha #villain deku #fanfic

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