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bluesidez · 18 days

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GymRat!Miguel Part 3

content warning: small food mentions, a little suggestive at parts so MINORS BEWARE, sexual tension?? 😗, insecure thoughts about a plus size body (may or may not be triggering for some), a few mean girls, college party, alcohol, drugs, mentions of throw up like once, a bad look for sororities (sorry, y'all are probably very wonderful people)

word count: 3.2k (NOT A DRABBLE WTF 😭) not proofread, if you see a mistake lmk

GymRat!Miguel's workout playlist is here! I had to stop myself from adding more songs because it’s already so long lol. I didn't even include any cool down songs.

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GymRat!Miguel who wakes up without having to hobble to the bathroom for once. No morning wood because his dream of you was soft this time. You two were cuddled up on a couch with the world’s most fluffy blanket. He smiles to himself as he drags his feet to the bathroom. It was if dancing clouds and bubbles were floating around his head.

GymRat!Miguel who’s able to sit and chat with Ms. Beatrice longer today because his class doesn’t start until that after noon. He compliments her on the egg sandwich from the other day and she squeezes his cheeks when she thanks him as if he were a baby.

GymRat!Miguel who tinkers in the engineering building as he waits for lunch. He joined the small but mighty robotics team as soon as he found out there was one. There was a fighting robot division, and he needed to figure out the problems with his team’s robot sooner rather than later.

GymRat!Miguel who spots you at the student center having your lunch. He wastes no time to grab his food and book it to your table. He calls your name before he gets there, not wanting to startle you. You smile when you look up surprised to see him there.

"Can I join you?" he says, trying not to seem out of breath with how fast his heart is beating.

"Yeah," you say, arranging your things around. You push your computer to the side as he places his burito bowl on the table. "I'm finally getting to see you outside of lab."

In his mind, he takes a note of you being in the student center at this time. He wants to make eating with you a routine thing.

"What were you watching?" he asks, trying to curb the rush that your presence has on him. He opened up his bowl and started to mix his food, waiting patiently for your answer.

"This is a little embarrassing but," you pause to dump one of your nuggets in sauce. "I was watching someone explain the downfall of Chuck E. Cheese." Your voice gets softer as you finish your sentence, eyes avoiding his gaze.

You were so cute. And it's almost as if you've never met him, the ultimate nerd.

"Nothing wrong with wanting to know why more and more locations went from five animatronics to one. Or how they started to sell their pizzas under ghost kitchens," he says, taking a bite from his bowl.

You looked at him and your smile grew. Miguel could only think 'there she is. there's my girl.'

The two of you chatted about everything from malfunctioning Chuck E's to your classes to your food. Miguel was through the roof.

GymRat!Miguel who offers to carry your art portfolio case for you to the art building. Anything to extend your time together. Plus, why should you have to hold it when he's here? He holds the doors for you and presses the elevator buttons before you can even think to.

GymRat!Miguel who really loves when the elevator door closes and he can look down at as you talk away. Just for those few seconds, the outside world is quiet and it's just you two. In another world, he'd kiss you before the doors open. In another world, he'd tilt your head up and have you look at him when you speak, he wanted to read your eyes too.

You're staring at him expectantly, eyes reminding him of baby deers. He tilts his head at you, wondering why you're staring at him.

"Miguel the door is open. We have to leave before it closes," you say.

He's instantly broke back to reality.

"Right! Sorry," he says, heat rising on the back of his neck. He steps out and holds his hand in front of the opening so that the door doesn't close you.

"Thank you," you say, a giggle under your breath.

Miguel has done some pretty embarrassing things when it comes to you, but he didn't think it would bleed into when he was actually in front of you.

In this world, he needed to not give you the creeps. Get it together.

GymRat!Miguel who is ecstatic that you still want to come work out with him. You all plan to meet that Friday. You don't know what you want to work out, but you say you're excited. Miguel has tonight, Wednesday, and Thursday to plan the perfect workout for you.

Should he go buy a bottle so he can make you a smoothie? Or should he offer to buy you a smoothie afterwards? Do you even like smoothies? Maybe he should invite you to breakfast. Would you want to eat right after you worked out? You needed to eat to make sure you can speed up the healing process though....

GymRat!Miguel who waves you goodbye when it's almost time for your studio class to start, mind filled with so many questions.

Your friend turns to you immediately when Miguel is gone.

"And who was that?" she says, eyes shocked.

"He's a guy from my lab. His name is Miguel," you say, grinning in your hands. You felt like kicking your feet in the air, but alas, no time.

"He's super hot. Like, seriously," your friend says, moving her taboret next to her workspace. "I would hit it. Constantly."

"Please stop talking," you say, laughing along. "I'm not even sure if he goes for girls like me. I'd rather not get my hopes up." You wanted to keep yourself in reality and falling for Miguel might put you too close to the land of delusion. You figured that Miguel was just super nice, especially after you two worked so hard for that lab project.

Your friend stops and looks at you, she slams the liquin tin on the table and puts her hand on her hip.

"First of all, those "types of guys" love big girls, so don't give me that. Second of all, are you not seeing how he looks at you. He's giving you the biggest puppy dog eyes, like, ever." She picks the liquin tin back up and starts scooping aggressively at the sides. "You gotta be more confident! You're gorgeous, anyone with a functioning brain can see that."

You stand there stunned, shocked at your friend's outburst. "I am confident!" Partially true. "I just...don't want to be hurt."

"I understand that, but have you even asked if he likes you or not?"

You shake your head no.

"Exactly. The night is still young," your friend says, pointing her palette knife at you. "And if you don't go for it, I will."

"Oh my god, shut up," you say, throwing a crumbled shop towel at her. You still kept her words in the back of your mind, storing it for later.

GymRat!Miguel who paces in front of the campus gym, waiting for your arrival. He got up extra early and gave himself a pep talk in the mirror. It wasn't a date, per se, but he felt that it could lead to one if he played his cards right. He decided to just invite you out to eat, figuring you would bring your stickered-water bottle.

GymRat!Miguel who spots you before you even call his name. He waves, smile taking over his features. You wave back, and it isn't until you're ten steps away that he finally takes in your full outfit. Another two-piece that was going to be the death of him, the only thing was that this was in the flesh. He cursed under his breath before you got closer, brain short-circuiting at the fabric hugging your skin.

"Ready to go?" he asks, forcing himself to not look at your body and to look at your face.

"Yeah! I'm a little nervous but I'm ready to work," you say, following him to the door.

He opens the doors for you, "Nothing to be nervous about. You're in good hands."

He brings you to his locker so you can put your bag in there, not wanting anyone to snag your belongings.

You guys start at the track, walking a lap as a warm up. Usually Miguel would do a lap or two of jogging, and as much as he wanted to watch you bounce, especially on him, this was a beginner workout. He didn't want to scare you with how intense he can get. While walking, you guys chatted about little things. Miguel tells you how wasn't nearly this big four years ago, ensuring you that the path to get here can be hard. You tell him that you just want be healthy, not caring if you lost weight or gained muscle. Miguel was secretly happy to hear this because he liked your body the way it was, but he would roll with whatever you were feeling.

GymRat!Miguel who helps you stretch. You both sit on the floor and face each other with your feet touching. Miguel saw how much smaller your feet were compared to his and his heart fluttered. His mind was filled with a million voices rambling off new things about you.

"She's focusing so hard"

"How can a gym outfit be so hot"

"She's so close to me when we do this stretch"

"Her hands are so warm"

"Maybe I should have stretched her from behind too"

That last thought gets Miguel to move you guys to the next part of the routine. How is his head always in the gutter?

GymRat!Miguel who starts you off with dumbbells, giving you the 5 lb weights to start. He starts you off with a few shoulder and arm exercises, giving you tips and praise along the way. His touches linger on your arms as he corrects your form, watching your body intensely. His constant "good"s, "one more''s, and "uh huh"s hit you right in your core. You're thankful that you're out of breath and heated from the workout, otherwise you would have melted before him.

GymRat!Miguel who pulls out all of the stops, using the heavier weights for his sets. He screams on the inside when you cheer him on. You clap at the end of one of his harder sets, happy that he pushed himself. He bows in silly way, sweat dripping down his face and laughing at your actions.

GymRat!Miguel who spots you while you use a heavier weight to do squats. You wanted to go for the 15 lb weight even though it was your first time doing weighted squats. He didn't want you to fall over, so he stood behind you and held his hands in the air by your waist as you went down. He knew that he was supposed to be focused, but he couldn't help but to glance at your ass a few times. God.

GymRat!Miguel who ends off your workout with the bikes, you guys making it a small competition. He stands and cycles, watching as your jaw dropped. You started to stand but got a little scared and gave up quick. Miguel couldn't have that. He stopped moving and got up to be by your side.

"You got it! Don't be scared," he says, watching you work.

"I literally can't do that," you say, cycling a little faster.

"Sure you can! Try it, I'm right here," he says, encouraging you.

You fight your fear and stand up and cycle. "Oh my god," you say, breaths coming out hard.

"That's it, that's it," Miguel says, voice warm as he praises you. "You're doing so good. Keep going."

You push until you can't anymore, Miguel cheering at your side.

GymRat!Miguel who guides you to the showers after your workout. It sucks that he can't be in there with you. His imagination can only get him so far.

GymRat!Miguel who waits for you to come out of the bathroom, ready to ask you to go for smoothies and breakfast. He hopes you say yes.

GymRat!Miguel who is in awe again at how you look. How many two-piece sets did you have? How does he survive them every single time? He mutters up the courage to ask you if you wanted to go get smoothies, adding on that he would pay. You glow and say yes, stating that you love smoothies. He's soaring.

GymRat!Miguel who brings your food to the table, two wraps and two smoothies. A protein shake for him and a fruit smoothie for you.

"That was a really good workout today. You definitely put me to work," you say, unwrapping the straw to stab it through the top. You hum at the flavor as you take a sip.

"Good?" Miguel asks, and you nod your head with your thumb up. "I'm glad you liked the workout. I was excited to have a partner."

"A partner? Why didn't you invite us to join?"

You both look up to see a few girls standing by the checkout counter. Miguel notices them as the sorority girls from his literature class. They walk over to your table, eyes twinkling as they take in Miguel.

Miguel chuckles awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He didn't think he had to deal with them outside of class too.

One of the girls look at you and goes, "Oo are you a personal trainer?"

You're taken aback, eyes scanning between the girls. You're about to open your mouth to respond but Miguel gets to them first.

"No, we're workout partners," he says, snapping at the girl. "And we're kind of having a conversation right now so is there anything else that you guys want to say?"

The girl cowers a bit at Miguel's words, laughing as if he told a joke and twirling her hair. The leader of the pack turns to Miguel, "Sorry about that. We wanted to see if you could come to our party tomorrow night. It'll be super fun and we would love to see you there."

A party? Miguel hadn't gone to one since he moved on campus. He always wanted to experience a college one. He turned to you and saw that you just tapped at your phone, not looking to the girls.

"I'll go if I can bring her," Miguel says, tapping his foot against yours. You look up, shock in your eyes,

Some of the girls slump, and the leader tightens her smile, "Fine! That's cool. I'll send you the details later."

The girls walk off and you stare at them, eyes squinting.

"They're an interesting bunch aren't they?" you say, continuing to eat your wrap.

"Right?" Miguel says, turning back to you.

GymRat!Miguel who comes to your dorm, ready to walk you to the party. He knocks on your door, a little nervous. He had on a nice top, the top open a little bit and a thin chain around his neck. After a while, you opened the door and gobsmacked him again with your outfit.

"Wow," he says, standing in the door like an idiot.

"Is it bad?" you ask, body glowing.

"No, you look amazing," Miguel says. "Ready to go?" He holds his arm out, softly smiling at you.

You nod and intertwine your arm through his.

GymRat!Miguel who takes in the atmosphere, frat guys yelling by a pool table, a few girls dancing with red solo cups, some people making out on the couch.

For Miguel, it was a lot.

He turned to you, yelling to ask if you wanted a drink. You say yes and you both make your way to the kitchen.

There, you both are met with the sorority girls crowding the kitchen. Some of them are passing some pills around and others are chatting by the island. One of them looks up and sees you guys lingering by the entrance.

"Miguel! You made it! Come on have a drink," she pulls him closer in the room. "Want a xannie?"

"I'm good," he says, handing you a cup of Pink Whitney. You take a sip and turn your nose a little bit. You might have to suck it up to get through the night.

"I'm so glad you made it. I have something that I've been meaning to show you," she says, batting her eyes. She convinces him to follow her up the stairs.

Miguel yells over his shoulder that he'll be right back.

You stand in the kitchen, fingers tapping against your cup. You felt a little silly and out of place. You didn't know anyone else here and the people were cliquey.

You joined a few games of beer pong, trying to enjoy yourself, but you couldn't help but to think about Miguel.

You dance a little, joining some random girls in the middle of the room. The music is ok, but you were just trying to have a good time. After an hour or so, you get nervous. Miguel hasn't been back in a while.

You head back to the kitchen, thinking maybe he could be in there.

"If you're looking for Miguel, he's probably deep in a bed right now," one girl giggles as she comes up beside you, grabbing another drink.

"What?" you say, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah girl, why else would he be gone so long? I tried to go up there and the doors were locked. Just text him tomorrow."

Your hand grips your cup tighter, watching as the girl goes back into the thick of the crowd.

You decide to wait a little longer, scrolling on the same three apps back to back for another hour. You look at the time again and the 3 am stares back at you mockingly.

You figure that he's really not coming back down and open your Instagram to give him a text.

“Hey Miguel! I’m gonna go ahead and go back to my dorm. It's getting pretty late."

You walk back to your dorm, arms wrapped around yourself to brace from the cold.

GymRat!Miguel who finally makes it to a bathroom that's not occupied with some one hovering over the toilet. He feels out of it. Throwing back a few too many shots. He was trying to get back downstairs but there was always someone there to pull him back, offering something.

A shot? Sure.

A pill? No.

A game? Maybe.

The girl who brought him up there tried her best to get in his pants, but if he was being honest, he didn't even remember her name. Or any of the names of the girls that came in afterwards. He declined every one of them, just wanting to get some air.

He was able to check his phone.

3:35 am.

He sees your message and feels sick. He runs downstairs and out the door, the cool air sobering him up a bit.

"Fuck," he says hands to his head. He squats and texts you back.

"I am so sorry. I got caught up. Did you make it back safely?"

It was so late, there was no way you would respond. He fucked up.

He texted Gabriel, maybe his drunk mind pushing him to seek help from his little brother.

"So if I invite a girl to a party and leave her what are the chances that she will text me back? :((("

"Dude. It's almost 4am. And where is this so-called game that you have? Ik you're not asking me about anything"

"Gabri :(((("

"I'll be honest, she's probably blocking your number. IF she even has it lol"

Yeah. He fucked up.

dividers by: @yeribbon 🩵

a/n: Miguel's gym playlist is such a jarring difference from my own gym playlist. 😭 I left you guys with an extra long addition today because I have soooo much hw that's piling up and it's tearing me apart.

As always, leave a like and reblog. Leave comments please. 🥺 I want to see your reactions! Let me know how you feel. 🩵

taglist: @ghost-lantern @miguelhugger2099 @slushycoookie @emelie-s-h @lake-lili @obsessed-with-miguels-ass @scaleniusrm @superiorspiderass @lexluvswriting @flordelalunas @froggygal @vmpz8sauceee @famouscattale @nixinluv02 @jada-of-arcadia @spideykid22 @what-the-jams @julia4today @tojishugetiddies @samjinxx @sleeklyalisha @the-pan-liquid @prongs-lover @kikaaauu @urlocallocachica @wanderlustingcastaway @peachey-pie @ch3rry-bl1ss @girl-of-multi-fandoms @love-kha1 @manlikemilesmyguy @sillysillygoofygoose @monticellohoe

#love lab drabbles 💊#GymRat!Miguel 💪🏾#miguel o’hara x reader #miguel x reader #miguel o'hara #miguel o’hara x plussize!reader #miguel o’hara x chubby!reader #miguel o'hara x fem!reader #plus size reader #chubby reader #spiderman 2099 au #spiderman 2099 x you #miguel o'hara imagine #miguel o'hara au #miguel o'hara x chubby reader

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number1jeonginstan · 5 months

Note

can you write about an au where when ppl meet/see their s/o they instantly feel like they need to consummate their bond? and seungmin meets y/n? (its fine if not tho)

A/N: Thank you for your request and sorry for it taking so long :( I really hope you enjoyed it! While writing this, I started getting an idea of making this into a series, so one for each member meeting their soulmate and stuff. I thought it would be neat, but I don’t really know if you guys want that or not, if you do, please tell me! ALSO, I told you guys I will be back on that writing grind (I always keep my promises!!)

WC: 2.6k

Minors don't interact, 18+

Pairing: College Student!Seungmin x afab! Reader

Warnings: kinda public sex, but not, unprotected sex (are we surprised?), cumming inside of op even though it was their first time, idk what else to add…

The air was thick outside, a light drizzle was hitting the ground as Jeongin and Seungmin were eating their lunch.

“Did you guys fuck?” Seungmin asked bluntly, dipping another fry in the ketchup in front of him. “You know we have to as soon as we touch, it’s so embarrassing though” Jeongin groaned. “How is it embarrassing? She now knows what your dick looks like and you guys can live happily ever after!” he chuckled as Jeongin took a sip of his milkshake.

“Dude, I don’t understand why we have to have sex as soon as we see our soulmate, the world is a twisted place. Like hypothetically, what if the dude is a virgin and the girl isn’t, or the dude has a micro? Even worse if they are both virgins, like imagine losing it to someone you don’t even know and then having to spend your entire life with them”

Seungmin just nodded along as Jeongin continued to go on and on. “Like think about it if I didn’t have sex with them, I would have a painful ass boner until we are either 100 miles apart or until I fuck her, not to mention, I can only have sex with them for the rest of our lives and we barely know each other.”

“I think you are reading too much into it, was she at least nice?”

“Yeah” Jeongin scratched the back of his neck “she was super sweet, I’m actually going to her place after this for a movie date”

“Awww, Innie is finally getting play, even though it is forceful”

Jeongin just rolled his eyes, popping another fry in his mouth. “I better get going, I don’t want to be late”

Seungmin watched him get out of their shared booth, only to almost run into someone and apologize. Seungmin just chuckled, knowing how clumsy his friend was, only to look up and see you.

He knew you from a few classes, you were also taking photography, but he didn’t believe it was your major seeing as you were only taking the required classes with him.

Jeongin profusely began apologizing, telling you he really didn’t mean it, you just giggled, telling him that everything was okay and it wasn’t your fault. As you turned around, you spotted Seungmin, and you stopped and looked at him for a second.

“You are Seungmin from my photography class right?” Seungmin was confused, he didn’t think that you knew him, let alone knew his name. “Oh um, yeah Professor Lee right?” he asked, trying to make it seem like he didn’t know exactly who you were.

“Yeah, I just wanted to say I love your work. When you showed us your portfolio, I was genuinely blown away. Like seriously, the way you capture the essence of everything around you is breathtaking.”

Seungmin could feel his ears getting redder, blushing slightly at the way you described his photos. No one had ever admired them the way you were describing them at that moment. “Thank you so much” he stuttered slightly, still a bit embarrassed.

“That actually leads me to my question,” you said, picking at your nails slightly. “Oh? What’s your question?” He asked, placing his chin in the palm of his hands, trying to show to you that you had his full attention.

“I’m a Journalism major, and I’m trying to work on my photography so I can better capture the essence of what’s going on at that moment in time. That’s why I’m minoring in it, but I feel like I’m just not there. Like sure, I have the camera and everything, but I feel like I’m not conveying the feeling or emotions of the event like you do, so I was going to ask if you could help me?”

You rocked back and forth on your heels waiting for his response, and he simply nodded “Yeah, I would love to help you”

You grinned “Um, do you want to give me your number, or I can give you mine so we can figure out a time if that’s okay, or if you don’t want to give me yours we can always meet up after class” you continued to ramble on.

“Give me your phone, I’ll put in my number and just text me right now so I can make sure it went through”

You simply nodded, handing him your phone. He put in his number, sending a text from your phone to his.

“See, I got it,” he said, holding up his own phone. “Why don’t I text you when I’m free and we can coordinate from there!”

“Thank you so much Seungmin, like seriously, I really appreciate it!”

Just before he could reply, your friend that you were with called you over to your booth, causing you to wave him goodbye and run over to her.

“Who was that?” she asked you, looking over the menu in front of her.

“He’s this really cute dude from my photography class, he said he would help me so I can take better pictures” You grinned to yourself, you had finally got the boy's number you had been fawning over for the semester.

10:21 PM

Hey, it’s Seungmin Wait, you already know that You know what, ignore the first two texts And that one And that one Shit. Ummm I just wanted to say that I am free tomorrow at 2 pm if that works with you. If not, that’s totally fine, we can find another time Anyway, have a good night!

You giggled at the texts he had just sent you, something about him being flustered over text made you so happy.

Seungmin rolled around in anguish waiting for your text, he wanted to know your thoughts. Maybe you thought he was crazy sending all those texts and ghosted him or no longer wanted his help. He was about to give up and go to sleep until he got your text.

10:34 PM

Oh hey Seungmin! Yeah, I think 2 works for me! I’ll bring my camera and stuff, and I’ll text you a good location Also, text me your coffee order, I’ll bring you some

He felt like a schoolgirl with a crush. You were so cute, asking for his coffee order, he just wanted to pinch your cheeks, but that would be weird, right? You guys barely knew each other, he would just watch over you in class and that’s all.

It was the afternoon and you had set up your camera. You had found this abandoned field a few months ago while just walking around listening to music. You thought it was the perfect spot to practice taking pictures with more emotion.

You had placed a picnic blanket in the grass big enough to fit 4 people as well as a blanket since it was getting cooler and you didn’t know how long you guys would be there.

You were waiting for Seungmin, the ice in his Americano slowly melting, the condensation slowly making the cup wetter. When your phone finally showed 2:05, Seungmin showed up. While you were wearing jeans, a white blouse, and a sweater with apples all over it, he was dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a flannel.

“Sorry I’m a little late, I was trying to find this place,” he said, placing his camera bag onto the blanket. He took a step back, fully looking around taking in the view. “How did you find this place? It’s secluded, but absolutely stunning”

“I was just walking around one day and stumbled over this spot”

You handed him his iced americano, and he took it from your hands graciously. “So, I was thinking that we should practice different emotions, but the same scene, so why don’t we do that?” He took a sip of his drink and then placed it back on the grass.

You simply nodded, getting your camera, and waiting for his instructions. He turned to you and pointed in front of him. It was just some dandelions, it was nothing special, but he went on to explain.

“Dandelions are one of the very few plants that can grow anywhere and everywhere. Some might see them as a weed, but others may see them as a beautiful flowers that can withstand thousands of weather conditions. Now, think about what you want it to look like as you take the picture”

You did as he said, trying to fully understand the flower in front of you. You took the picture with the intent you had in mind, and you did it. The flower looked bright and powerful compared to the grass that surrounded it.

“Seungmin I did it!” you jumped up and down, showing him the hug. Before he could react, you gave him a hug, trying to express your gratitude. As you pulled away, it was like a switch had flipped in you.

For some reason, you could feel yourself get wetter. It was something you had never felt before, it felt uncomfortable, and the only thing you could feel was lust. The same was for Seungmin, all he could feel himself get hard the second you touched him. It wasn’t even just a random hard-on, but it felt so painful like he had to cum that second or else he would die.

“Seungmin, do you also feel that way?” You asked, feeling a bit scared, but your entire body was tingling like there was no other sensation. You could feel your wetness slowly drip down your thighs and there was no stopping it. “Yeah, fuck, I think it does”

“Can I please?” he groaned, he couldn’t bear the feeling of not being next to you, on top of you, inside of you. It’s like he could smell your wetness and had to indulge himself in it or else he would die. “Wait, I don’t have a condom, I don’t think we should”

Before he could even continue speaking, you stopped him, shutting him up by kissing his lips. “If you don’t fuck me right now, I think I might just explode”

You continued to kiss him, taking off your own sweater and pants, leaving you just in your blouse and underwear as he took off his flannel and pants. “But, what if?”

You stopped him, “I’m clean and am on birth control, if you are clean too then what’s stopping us? The only way this sensation will stop is if we are a hundred miles away from each other and that will take hours, so please just fuck me”

He groaned, going back to attacking your lips. He laid you on the picnic blanket you had brought, thanking your prior self for bringing it. He moved down to your neck, to the curve of your breasts as he continued to kiss them, pulling down the strap of your bra and blouse in one tug to give him access to your breast.

He began to tease your nipple, pinching it with his finger as he began to bite marks on your neck, claiming you as his. “Seungmin please stop teasing, I need to feel you in me right now”

That was all he needed, he pulled his shirt off, throwing it somewhere in the distance as well as his boxers. His cock was long, slightly thick, with two veins at the underside of it. You could feel your mouth water as he began to smear the pre-cum leaking from his tip onto the rest of his throbbing cock.

“Fuck baby, look at what you did to me just with a hug” he groaned. “I could say the same for me,” you said, pulling down your underwear to show your soaked core.

He looked at your pussy in awe, you were so wet he could easily slip in with no prep. “Fuck, so wet just for me”

You just nodded, playing with your clit, trying to give yourself some sort of stimulation. “Please Minnie, need your cock so bad” you pleaded, your doe eyes looking up at him. Before he could even register what he was doing, he aligned the tip of his cock, with your hole, slowly putting his cock inside of you.

You moaned at the sensation, you had never felt so full in your life. Once he had fully sheathed his cock inside of you, he let out a long and sultry moan. “Fuck baby, this pussy is everything”

Before you could moan in response, he began to fuck you like there was no tomorrow. Your legs wrapped around him, wanting to feel him hit that spot inside of you. “Fuck baby, fuck Minnie you feel so good” you moaned.

He lifted your hips slightly, causing him to hit that one spot inside of you. “Oh fuck, fuck, fuuuuuck” you babbled, feeling so close.

He could feel your walls tighten around his cock, he could tell you were close, so he brought his hand down to your clit, slowly circling it in tandem with his thrusts. That was all you needed to cum.

You came screaming his name, your legs wrapping tighter around him, not wanting him to stop thrusting into you. “Fuck baby, if you keep doing that, I’m going to cum inside, please let me go” he whined.

You didn’t budge, feeling slightly overstimulated, but that didn’t stop you from begging him to cum inside of you, to fill you with his cum. That was all he needed to reach his peak, his load shooting inside of you, causing you to cum once again, your walls milking him dry.

He slowly pulled out of you, covering you with the blanket you had brought and wrapping his arms around you.

You were both covered by the second blanket you had brought. You were thankful for it, it was shielding the both of you from the cool air that would be nipping your skin if you didn’t.

“Who would have thought the dude I was looking at all of class for the past semester was actually my soulmate?” You said out loud, your head buried into his chest.

He cocked his head slightly to look at you. “What do you mean, I was looking at you in class all the time, I never saw you looking at me?”

You turned your head up to look at him “So we are both idiots who could have done this earlier if we actually talked to one another?” You asked, giggling a bit about how stupid the two of you were.

“Yeah, I guess so” he chuckled back, placing a kiss on your head. “Shit, my friends are going to tease me relentlessly for this, fucking my soulmate in the middle of a field” He groaned out loud.

“You guys tell each other when you meet your soulmate?” you asked, a bit confused

“Yeah, we have a group chat, Jeongin was the first to find his and now I’m second, I wonder how the rest of them are going to find theirs”

“You should invite me to them,” you said, kissing his lips once again.

“Baby, if I didn’t they would have kidnapped you and introduced themselves to you”

You just laughed, running your fingers along his face. “Now that we have gotten over the whole “need to fuck like bunnies” how about we do this again?”

Before Seungmin could even realize what you meant, you slowly moved on top of him, slipping his already-hardened cock into your soaking pussy.

“Fuck baby, I’m always ready for round two,” He said, groaning at the way your walls clenched his cock, you were made for him.

#stray kids #skz #straykids x reader #skz smut #ju <3 answers #straykids smut #ju <3 writes #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids smut #seungmin #seungmin skz #seungmin x reader smut #seungmin x reader #seungmin smut #ju's <3 anons

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dulcesiabits · 6 months

Text

an artist's swan song.

summary: an injured wrist is the last thing you need before art school applications. no one understands your frustrations-- no one but the boy at the physical therapy office.

notes: 6.3k words, fic, author's notes, discussion of acl tears and carpal tunnel syndrome, they/them pronouns for reader but chigiri calls reader miss artist, takes place before blue lock

The doctor tells you that you’re lucky.

Lucky that you caught the injury so fast, lucky that you were diligent enough to go to the ER as soon as the numbness in your fingers started, lucky that the damage would be minimal, as long as you were careful.

You stare at your black splint the whole time he talks, tight and itchy against your wrist, an alien weight. So this is what luck looks like?

“You’ll need to do these stretches everyday for five minutes at home,” the doctor says, handing you a sheet of paper with exercises for wrist stretches. It trembles in the air in front of you, before your dad swoops in to take it.

“Thank you,” your dad says, clasping a hand on your shoulder. “I’ll make sure they stick to the regime.”

The doctor nods, smiles, and wishes you luck, before ushering the two of you out. His white coat blurs like a streak of paint as the door closes and he takes off his glasses to rub tiredly at his eyes. Your hand twitches for your oil paints to capture the scene, but they’re still lying at home, half-rolled tubs scattered in your room.

“Are you okay?” your dad asks quietly, once you’re out in the hallway.

You nod, rubbing at your splint.

“Don’t do that,” your dad says. “The doctor told you that you shouldn’t strain your wrist unnecessarily.”

“I’m not straining my wrist,” you murmur, and he rubs your back affectionately.

“Still, try not to poke at it, okay?” You round the sterile white hall, and your dad brightens. “Look, a vending machine. Why don’t you go buy something to drink?” He pulls out his wallet, shoving a few yen coins in your hand– your good hand– before you can protest. “I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

Your hand hovers in front of the buttons as you amble over to the machine, eyes blurring over the rows of canned drinks and bright colors and happy mascots, before you decide on a single iced black tea. The machine whirs as you slip in your coin, the can slides out– and then it stills, stuck right against the front of the glass. Of course.

You smash your sneaker against the glass pane of the vending machine, your trapped can of iced black tea rattling. One kick. Then another, and the stupid can still won’t drop. You dig the heels of your palms into your eyes. You can’t even get a vending machine to work. Because here you are, in this stupid physical therapy office, when you should be at the art prep academy preparing your portfolio and practicing for your art college exam, but you can’t strain your stupid wrist to pick up your brush.

Something thunks against the vending machine. You slowly open your eyes, just in time to see a boy raise his crutches and slam them against the glass, and, miraculously, your drink drops into the open space below with a pleasant clink.

“I hate this machine. It always gets stuck,” he says.

Half-braided red hair, slender nose, soft mouth. If not for the crutches and the black brace running down the length of his right leg, you’d wonder if he was an angel, not another patient.

“I want you to model for me,” you murmur, entranced by the way his silky hair shifts on his shoulders.

“... What?”

You slap your hands over your mouth. “Sorry! I– You’re pretty, so I– I! I’m an artist. Was an artist? Am?” you ramble, cheeks heating as your words trip all over themselves and the furrow between the boy’s eyebrows grows deeper.

Unexpectedly, he laughs, then points at the vending machine. “Don’t forget your drink, Miss Artist.”

You scramble for the can, pulling it out and offering it to the boy. “You should have it.”

He shakes his head. “No, it’s yours.”

You turn, slipping another yen coin into the machine, and in a few seconds, you have another can of black tea. “This way we both have one. So it’s okay, right?”

He tilts his head. “I guess it is.” You consider him again; he really is pretty, pretty enough that your hands itch to sketch him, to capture the outline of his profile. You’re floating at the discovery of a once-in-a-lifetime beauty, a muse– but the brace on your hand slams you back down to earth.

“I think that guy is trying to get your attention,” the boy says, pointing behind you. It’s your dad: he’s watching the two of you with curiosity, but waves his hand once your eyes are on him.

“It’s time for us to go,” your dad says. “Ah, but do you need a minute? New friend?”

The boy gathers himself, forcibly crams the can of black tea you gave him into his pocket, where it bulges out, threatening to fall. “I have an appointment in a bit. So I should get going.”

Your feet won’t cooperate with you. “It was nice to meet you, um…”

“Chigiri Hyoma,” he says.

“Maybe I’ll see you around,” you say, then wince. To see him at the physical therapy wing again would mean his injury hadn’t healed. Were you trying to curse him with a slow recovery?

But Chigiri only smiles, a simple act that makes your heart do funny somersaults in your chest. He really is an angel. “Sure. See you around, Miss Artist. Thanks for the tea.”

“Who is that?” your dad whispers, once the two of you are farther down the hall.

“An angel,” you mumble, before flushing under your dad’s quizzical gaze. “I meant a friend! A friend. I think.”

“He seems like a nice boy. It’d be nice for the two of you to get along,” your dad says earnestly.

You glance at Chigiri one more time, the edge of his face lit in a soft glow from the sunshine, his back turned towards you. What is he thinking?

At home that night, his profile still lingers in your mind as you crouch amongst your haphazard piles of sketchbooks and discarded art supplies. It’ll be months before you can use them again, so you might as well take the time to clean, something you’ve neglected in the rush for the upcoming entrance exams for art college.

Oil paints. Pastels. Sticks of charcoal. You’ve dabbled in a lot of different mediums over the years, saving up all your change just to buy supplies from the art store a few subway rides away from your house. Cheap materials work just as well as expensive ones, and it doesn’t matter what you use as long as you have paper in front of you. Your first memories involve you crouching in the living room, a crayon fisted in your chubby hand as you scribble nonsensical shapes all over the white kitchen wall, something that caused your dad endless suffering when he found you.

Your dad did save up to buy you a nice set of watercolors for the art prep academy you’ve been attending, and though he only smiles and encourages you to keep painting, it’s a strain on your finances. Art isn’t cheap, and your only hope is to get into a public art school by passing the entrance exams. But now… it looks like you can’t even do that, thanks to your wrist.

Carpal tunnel syndrome.

That’s the diagnosis the doctor gave you, an illness more common in people three times your age, brought on by repetitive trauma on your wrist that led to a pinched nerve.

Unusual for someone as young as you, the doctor had said. But you’re lucky, because of the fact that you’re young and the injury is light, so you’ll heal in a few months with rest.

But time isn’t a luxury you can afford. You were supposed to pass the exam. Get into an art school. Practice, graduate, become an artist. Your dream, once so solid, has burst like a bubble just as soon as you begin to reach towards its hazy outline. Every second you’re resting is a second wasted, a second that could have been spent practicing and improving.

“How did you get this injury?” the doctor had asked.

Because of art. Because you couldn’t stop drawing, because then it would feel like you were drowning in the water. Freelance commissions. Constant practice. Art club and art academy lessons. You’d forgotten to breathe these past few months, forgotten to eat or rest.

But all of that came back to bite you, in the end. No more art, the doctor had said. At least until you’re healed. And even after that, you wouldn’t be able to keep up the excruciating pace you once had.

You flop down on your futon. Your classmates must be in the middle of class by now, honing their skills. And what are you doing?

You’re floating in a small boat in the middle of the ocean, unmoored. No oars, no maps. Just the rocking of the waves, unsure of where you’re going to end up, your dream like a distant land. The shape of it, once rendered real with each stroke of your paintbrush, is undiscoverable now.

—

It’s only a month later that you visit the physical therapy office again for a follow-up appointment. The weather has turned chilly by then, a brisk bite of cold that heralds the coming winter. This time, you go alone, taking the subway until it screeches to a stop at your destination. In the hospital, it’s the same white walls and sterile air, a place unmoored from time.

“Keeping up with your stretches?” the doctor asks.

“Everyday.”

“Good! And how’s the sensation in your fingers?”

“Not as bad anymore. They don’t shake, and the numbness is mostly gone.”

The doctor nods. “Perfect! You’re on the path to recovery. Let’s keep the brace on for several more months. Keep up with the stretches, and don’t forget to lay off of drawing until you’ve recovered.”

Your appointment is over, but you’re not in the mood to go home yet. Instead, you wander down the halls aimlessly, nurses and patients bustling by with a purpose. You don’t even realize you’re looking for Chigiri until you spot him in the hospital cafeteria, crutches leaning against the table and poking at a plastic bear full of lychee jelly.

“Chigiri Hyoma,” you say on instinct, his name rolling smoothly on your tongue.

“Hm…?” He looks up. “Oh. It’s you, Miss Artist. Back again?” He unscrews the bear’s head, and hands you a small capsule of jelly. “Want one? My friends brought me this, but I can’t eat all of it.”

You rip the plastic lid off and squeeze the jelly into your mouth, the sweetness sliding down your throat. “It’s good.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Glad you liked it.” The rest of the jelly, you notice, is untouched.

“Appointment go well?” you say instead.

“Yeah. It’s not like I can make my knee any worse. I’m doing stretches and exercises to strengthen it, but…”

The expression on his face makes you ache, if only because you’ve seen it so many times when you look in the mirror: your body, a sudden traitor, and the world you thought you knew crumbling beneath your feet.

The words are out of your mouth before you can process them. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

There’s no hesitation as Chigiri looks you right in the eyes and says: “Yes.”

Shuffling out of the hospital into the cold air, jackets and scarves wrapped tight, you and Chigiri make your way aimlessly down the street. He had dumped his lychee jelly with the receptionist with a pretty smile and a “I can’t finish all of this. I hope you can enjoy it with your colleagues,” and then you were off down a block of glass storefronts in bright colors. Few other people were out on the street, so the two of you might have been the only people left in Japan.

You keep glancing at him now and again, his pensive face, the stillness of his expression like a pond glazed with frost.

“You said you wanted me to model for you last time. Is that why you can’t stop staring?” Chigiri says, without turning to face you.

You start. You thought you had been careful, but he’d caught you nonetheless. “Um! A little! You’re very… pretty.”

“I get that a lot. My teammates used to call me princess,” he says, snorting. “That, and Red Panther. Local newspaper made it catch on, and everyone gave me crap about how cheesy it was.”

“Teammates?”

“Football teammates. I was the fastest on my team. Not that I can play with my knee like this.” His crutch taps a sharp staccato beat on the ground. “ACL tear.”

You rub at your own splint. “It’s carpal tunnel syndrome for me. I would have wanted you to model for me if it was still… if I could… ah, well, I can’t draw for the next few months.”

Chigiri nods. “A football player who can’t run, and an artist who can’t draw. That’s kinda funny, isn’t it?” There’s a note of bitterness in his voice.

“It won’t be the same once we’re healed,” you say matter of factly, words blowing small clouds into the sky. “Everyone tells me it’s not the end, that I can do something else, but… I don’t know. I won’t be able to draw like I used to. I can heal, but… I’ll still remember what this felt like.”

His face twists into a small smile. “Yeah. You’re the only one who hasn’t tried to comfort me, or told me it’ll be okay. Because it won’t be. It won’t be the damn same.”

Because your body will remember. Even having this injury once opens the door for your wrist to tear again. And next time, it could be even worse. Unrecoverable, even, to the point where any hope of an art career will be shattered beyond repair. That must have been what it felt like for Chigiri, too, and football.

“Every second spent healing feels like I’m losing time,” you murmur.

He nods. “What were you going to do before the injury?”

You cup your hands around your mouth, blowing on them to keep warm. “Art college.”

“I was going to go to nationals,” he says. “You’re a third year?”

“Yeah. You, too?”

“Nah, second year. This was my chance to win.” Chigiri looks up at the sky, gray clouds reflecting in his eyes. “I was a genius. Everyone told me I was going to do something special. That I could go pro, and lead Japan to the World Cup.”

“But is genius even real?” you say.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… any skill can be honed with enough hard work,” you say simply. “That’s what I believe, anyways. Calling someone a ‘genius’ or ‘talented’ ignores all of the work someone put in to reach that point. People tell me I’m talented, but… I just really love art. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

“I never thought of it like that.” Chigiri spares a glance at you. “You’re stronger than I am.”

“I don’t know if I’m any stronger than you. I still got hurt. Geniuses, hard workers… we’re all the same in the end,” you reply. He doesn’t respond to that.

The stretch of storefronts gives way to a grassy clearing, a small park consisting of a dirt path and a stretch of trees. “You want to stop by?” you say, pointing.

“Looks like it could be a football field,” Chigiri murmurs. There it is again. That sad, distant look in his eyes, like he doesn't know where he’s going. Lost, adrift.

“Teach me how to play,” you say impulsively.

“Football?”

“Tell me how to score a goal,” you say. “I want to know.”

Chigiri’s laugh is a short, sweet melody. “All right. Let’s go pick up a football ball, and I’ll teach you how to score. Looking for a career change already, Miss Artist?”

“I just thought… I wanted to learn more about it, that’s all,” you say softly. You want to learn more about him, but you bite the thought back.

“Then… teach me how to draw,” he says. “How about that?”

“Deal!”

After a quick stop to a nearby sports store, you’re on the grassy field, a football poised beneath your foot, while Chigiri calls instructions from a nearby bench. He can’t venture into the field, not with his crutches, but you’re close enough for him to watch.

“Use the top of your foot to kick! Not your toe!” he says, cupping one hand around his mouth.

“Like this?” You try to adjust your posture, but Chigiri shakes his head. You shift your foot under the ball again, but it wobbles away from you. You dash after it, trying to stop the movement with your foot, only to kick the ball farther away instead.

You turn to Chigiri with wide eyes, but he’s smiling at you, his eyes crinkling at the corner. “I don’t know if the football life is for you, Miss Artist,” he says.

“I’ve never played before,” you say defensively, retrieving the runaway ball. Once you’re back in position in front of Chigiri, you adjust your posture again.

“Don’t look afraid of it,” he calls. “You’re supposed to control the ball. It listens to you, not the other way around.”

You sigh, then give the ball a tentative kick, watching it sail across the air, curving to the left. “I don’t know how you shoot it straight,” you murmur.

“It depends on the angle of your kick,” Chigiri explains.

Once the ball is safely tucked under your arm, you make your way back to him, flopping down on the bench. The cold seeps through your clothes, and you shiver. Without a word, Chigiri scooches closer to you, until your shoulders are touching.

“Football is hard,” you groan. “The fact you were able to do it… I’m impressed, Chigiri.”

“They did call me a genius, you know? But… I did practice hard,” he acknowledges. “Sometimes, I wake up in the morning, thinking I need to hurry to practice because I’m late, before I remember… my knee. And it’s winter, so there’s no practice going on, anyways. But…”

“It’s important to you.”

“Yeah.” He nudges you with his elbow. “Hey, your turn. Teach me how to draw, Miss Artist.”

You pull out a mini notebook and a pen from your pocket. You always carry some form of paper and writing utensil with you, just in case, and it’s hard to shake off the habit, even with your hand the way it is.

You set the supplies on Chigiri’s lap, and he twirls the pen in his hand as he picks it up. “So,” you begin, “Um… Usually, you have to observe what you want to draw. With sketches, I usually try to measure the dimensions of the object with my pencil, but… you can just try to freeform it! Notice shapes. Everything is made up of shapes. You could try… drawing that streetlight–” you point– “or that tree. You should try watching how light falls on it, too. From what angle? Where do the shadows land?”

“Observation… Shapes… Light…” Chigiri mutters seriously, and, for some reason, he quickly looks at you before looking away.

He begins to draw, his pen whirring furiously across the page. Content, you stare into the gray sky, before turning to observe his progress. The drawing… well… you can’t make anything out, except for a few lines extending outwards of what appears to be… a circle?

“Chigiri…”

“Yeah?”

“Um… you should try turning the paper as you draw,” you offer. “Don’t just use the pen.”

He flicks his wrist and the notebook slides sideways, but his pen slips and the line curves away. He throws it down in exhaustion. “How do you do this all the time? This is hard.”

“Don’t say that! I think it looks good!” you offer. “It’s a nice… um… tree!”

“It’s not a tree.”

“... Horse?” You say, squinting at the page again.

Chigiri flips the notebook closed. “You don’t deserve to see my art. I’m not telling you what it is.”

“No, it’s okay! You tried your best. What did you draw?”

“I’m not sharing.”

“I played football for you,” you say plaintively.

“...Ugh. Don’t laugh,” he warns.

“I won’t,” you promise, and Chigiri sighs, flipping open to the page he had been doodling on.

“It’s you,” he says, with a long-suffering sigh, the tips of his ears reddening.

“It’s me? It’s cute! It’s really cute!” you say earnestly, taking the notebook from him. On closer inspection, you can make out what’s supposed to be a… neck? And your eyes. And this must be… your nose and mouth.

“You thought it was a horse,” he grumbles, but he brightens at your praise, regardless of his moody tone.

“It’s a very cute horse. I make a very cute horse? Ah, I didn’t mean to offend you— I really do think it’s—”

Chigiri bursts out laughing. “It’s fine. It can’t be helped if it looks like a horse.”

“Well.. now that I’m looking at it like this… it doesn’t look like a horse. Not at all.”

“You don’t have to make me feel better,” Chigiri says.

“I’m not! I really do like it!”

Something wet touches your cheek, and you look up. It’s snowing, soft flakes dancing through the sky.

Chigiri holds out a hand, catching snowflakes on his palm. “We should head back, just in case it gets worse.”

“Ah, okay.” You stand, and he grabs his crutches.

“Thanks, Miss Artist,” he says. “This was fun.”

“Let’s meet up again soon,” you say. “If you want.”

“I’d be mad at you if you just abandoned me now,” Chigiri teases. “Give me your phone number.”

After exchanging numbers with numb fingers, the warm glow of your time with Chigiri doesn’t fade, even on the ride home. It balloons in your chest, until you’re filled with light. In your room, you carefully rip out Chigiri’s sketch from your notebook and pin it over your desk wall. It’s not skilled at all, but it really is cute.

How long has it been since you enjoyed yourself like that? No, how long has it been since you enjoyed art?

You press two fingers against the mouth of the drawing, remembering Chigiri’s face scrunched up in concentration that afternoon, trying to capture your likeness.

—

A few weeks later, as you’re slipping on your boots, your dad stops you at the doorway. He tries to smile at you, buttoning his suit jacket for his office job, but it comes off as more of a grimace. You’ve been spending all your time with Chigiri lately, and you wonder if your dad is going to press you about him.

Instead, he asks, “Have you thought about what you’re going to do next year?”

“For what?” You tie the laces, pat down your coat, but something in your dad’s expression makes you pause with one hand on the door knob.

“For college,” he says. “Do you have any back-ups lined up? I know you’re still recovering, and you really wanted to go to art school, but I don’t want you to neglect all your options! Your grades are still good enough to land you somewhere in Tokyo.”

You bite your lip so hard you almost taste blood. “I was going to take a gap year.”

“Gap year…? That’s okay, as long as you’ve talked to your counselor, but…” His voice trails off in concern.

But art isn’t a viable career option. Don’t pin your hopes on one dream. You need to grow up, to be reasonable, to learn when to quit. Art can be a hobby. That’s what all the adults in your life have always told you, saying it was for your own good, but until now, your own dad hadn’t been one of them.

You scuff at the ground. “I am thinking seriously about my future, you know.”

Your dad sighs, a quiet, gentle sound. “I know. I know you love art, but I want you to have more than one option in your life. I want what’s best for you, because I can’t always be here to take care of you. Having a dream is nice, but you’re almost an adult. Do you understand?”

“I get it. But I’m going out with a friend today,” you say abruptly. “I’ll be home in the afternoon.”

You run out before your dad can respond, but your hands are shaking as you swipe your card and descend the subway steps, the warm underground hair heating up your face as the train rumbles by. Why is it that all the adults in your life only know how to tell you the same thing? Why is giving up on your dreams the only way to grow up? Because, deep down, you know they’re not wrong. The art world is unforgiving. There’s no guarantee of a good future or even a job. But… you thought your dad, at least, would understand you.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” It’s the first thing Chigiri asks you when you find him leaning against a bench, crutches by his side, waiting for you by the subway exit.

“Yeah, I did. I’m just a little cold,” you lie. Chigiri doesn’t push the issue any farther, but his eyes feel like they’re burning into you the longer you try to keep your expression neutral.

“Do you want to sit inside somewhere?” he asks finally. “If you’re cold, we don’t have to go too far.”

A swarm of people floods past the two of you, and you press closer to Chigiri, afraid of being pushed away in the rush. You can feel the ache of winter deep in your bones, seeping through the thread of your gloves and coat. The sky is a faded blue, the sun’s light watery.

“As long as I’m with you, I don’t mind going anywhere,” you tell him, and Chigiri tucks his face into the fold of his scarf, but not before you catch the bright rose of his cheeks.

“Let’s just walk around, then,” he says.

Most people don’t brave the winter cold unless they have a destination in mind, but you and Chigiri wander aimlessly. Just the two of you, chatting about this and that, pointing out funny displays in stores or commenting on the foods you’d like to try when you pass by restaurants with their menus pasted on the glass.

It’s comfortable with him. Warm. If you had to name the feeling in your chest, you could only compare it to the spring sun. You could go anywhere, do anything, under the light of his smile. There’s a genuine understanding with Chigiri, like a language without words.

When you lean closer to Chigiri, he doesn’t move away. He raises a hand from the top of his crutch, hovering in the space between the two of you, and when you catch his eyes, he pauses, before dropping his hand and tightening his grip on his crutches.

“Are you okay, Chigiri?”

“I’m fine,” he says moodily, but there’s no heat behind his words. “I just can’t wait until I get this brace off,” he adds, so quietly you almost don’t catch it.

You pass a trio of students flying down the street, canvas tucked under their arms and bookbags slung across their chests. One of them pauses when she sees you, stumbling to a halt, her mouth parted.

“No way! It’s— whoa, I haven’t seen you in weeks!” she says, and recognition jolts through you. It’s Mika from your art prep academy, and the fact she’s here— ah. Of course. Just because you stopped drawing, didn’t mean everyone else would have, too.

“Hi, Mika,” you say weakly.

“I thought you dropped out!” she says, and her friends crowd curiously around you and Chigiri.

“Things came up.”

“Skipping class to go hang out with your boyfriend? I get it, he’s a cutie,” she says teasingly, winking at Chigiri. “And here I thought art was the most important thing to you.”

“I didn’t— he’s not—” you begin, your thoughts tangling themselves into knots. You hadn’t explained anything to your classmates, or your teacher. You had quit when your hand started going numb and you couldn’t keep up with the pace, despite your teacher begging you to stay on. What could you say now?

Chigiri takes a step in front of you. “They didn’t drop out for something like that,” he says politely, but there’s an edge to his voice. He also didn’t refute their assumption that he was your boyfriend, you realize. “Don’t assume things about them.”

“Ah, of course! I didn’t mean to…” Mika’s voice trails off, embarrassed. Her eyes glaze over Chigiri’s crutches and leg brace, and you discreetly shift your sleeve further over your wrist splint. “Sorry. Are you going to go to classes again?”

“I don’t know yet,” you say haltingly. “I might… take a gap year.”

“Eh? But you were the best artist in our class! That doesn’t…” Mika shakes her head. “Sorry. There I go again, assuming things. Good luck with your gap year, okay?”

You wave her off, and she and her friends run down the street again, scarves flying behind them. Still, the wind carries their voices to you.

“That’s good for you, right, Mika? Less competition for college! I can’t believe that someone who quit so easily was the best person in your class,” one of her friends murmur.

“Cut it out, Aki! Don’t put it like that. But… I guess even talented people can only go so far,” Mika replies softly, their banter fading as they get farther away, specks of blurred paint in the distance.

You can’t be mad. You really can’t. You didn’t give anyone a reason for why you dropped out, and didn't want to explain the truth: that your body broke down. That you can’t keep up. Your classmates, with shining eyes, chase after the dreams that were once yours. Their judgment would have been embarrassing enough. Their pity— and calculated relief— would have been worse.

Chigiri grabs your shoulders, his face more serious than you’ve ever seen him.

“Are you okay?” Chigiri says urgently, and it’s only then you realize you’re crying.

“I want to draw,” you whisper, tears choking your voice.

Chigiri wipes away each beading tear with his thumb. He pauses at the weak sound of your voice, rubbing tenderly at the wet trails on your face, as he could wipe away your sadness, too. “Yeah. Yeah, I understand.”

“I want to draw, Chigiri. I don’t know… what I’m supposed to do now.”

“Do you like art?” he says.

“I do. But…” The shape of your dream is so fragile. You’ve only realized this now, how many people strive for the same thing you want. How easily you could be buried under the crush of artists, lost before you have a chance to make a name for yourself. One mistake. One stroke of bad luck. And it can all crumble apart in your hands. “But I’m so scared.”

“It’s your dream,” he says quietly. “It’s okay. Don’t–” his voice breaks. “Don’t give up now. Don’t give up. You can heal. Who gives a damn if you don’t get into art college this year? You have the next, and every year after that. It’s important to you, right? So don’t give up,” he says furiously, but you can’t tell if he’s talking to you or himself. “It doesn’t matter what anyone says. It only matters what you want.”

And what do you want? Fame? Recognition? Talent? No. No, none of those really matter in the end. What really matters to you…

“I… I want to draw,” you sob. “I want to be an artist. I want to make my dream come true. I don’t… I don’t want to forget what it’s like to love art.”

“Then don’t.” Chigiri crushes you to his chest, and you sob quietly into his coat as he clings to you. Are you holding him, or is he holding you? You can’t tell. You wrap your arms around him, and the two of you hold each other like it’s the end of the world. And maybe it is, an end to the world the two of you thought you knew, to the people you once were.

“You really are like an angel, Chigiri,” you say, voice muffled as you speak into his chest.

His laugh vibrates pleasantly through his chest and into your heart. “I’m not. I’m not that nice. I just don’t want you to be sad. You remind me of… myself, sometimes.”

You fist your hands in the fabric of his coat. “So what? You’re still nice to me.”

“Maybe I’m only nice to you,” he says.

“That’s okay.”

On that quiet afternoon, Chigiri holds you until your tears dry and you can face him again. You can’t be a good adult. You’ll cling to your dreams like a stubborn child and never let go, even if you have to rebuild yourself from the ground up, again and again. When you tell Chigiri this, he smiles at you, and it feels a bit like salvation.

—

A few weeks later, your wrist brace comes off, though you’re diligent to keep up with your stretches, anyways. Chigiri celebrates with you, taking your wrist in his hand like he’s holding a bird’s wing, the pads of his thumb brushing along your pounding pulse.

“Let me be the first person you draw now that you’ve recovered,” he teases. “Don’t I make for a good muse?” You can’t look him in the eyes, because your expression will betray you.

The weather warms before Chigiri can walk again without crutches and a leg brace. When he can, he shows up at the entrance of your school after class one day. Your classmates giggling and murmuring as they pass by him. He waves when he sees you, ignoring all the eyes on him. Maybe he’s used to it. You aren’t surprised, considering how pretty he is.

“Hyoma,” you greet him, clutching the straps of your bag. You’ve started to use your first names with each other, a simple intimacy that makes you tingle all over. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” he says. “I got invited to a special football training project.”

“That’s amazing!” You clap your hands together. “Are you going to go?”

“I don’t know yet,” he says haltingly, unconsciously tapping his hand on his right leg. “But when I got the letter, I just… wanted you to be the first to know.”

“If that’s the case, then…” You fumble in your bag and out a square of paper, offering it to Chigiri. “This is for you.”

Chigiri unfolds it slowly, revealing a pencil sketch of him, mid run, his form blurring as his legs stretch across the ground. You’d sketched it the day after he’d taken off his crutch, and he had invited you out. The two of you had spent all day together at a nearby park, and when you asked him to show you the football forms you hadn’t been able to grasp the past winter, he obliged.

But Chigiri stares at the paper for so long, you wonder if you had hurt him somehow.

“I’m sorry if it’s presumptuous of me to give you that,” you say shyly. “I just… wanted to give you something for good luck. Because I know you can do it, Hyoma. You can keep playing football. I think you look beautiful, sprinting across the field.”

“Then I want to give you a good luck charm, too,” he says slowly, tearing his eyes from the page, a strange note to his voice. “Is that okay?”

You nod. Chigiri cups his hands around your cheeks and kisses you on the forehead. His lips are softer than you expected, and it takes your breath away.

You pull away, flustered, and only now do you see how intense Chigiri looks, the way his eyes are concentrated solely on you. “Hyoma–!”

“If you say my name like that, I’ll kiss you again,” he says bluntly.

“Hyoma, that’s not–!” This time, he kisses you on the cheek.

“Sorry,” he says, not sounding particularly sorry at all. “I wanted to do that.”

“That’s… not fair,” you mumble.

“But I thought you knew I wasn’t fair,” he says. “You’ve spent this much time with me, after all. You should have realized by now that when I like something, I don’t hold back.”

“I never said… I didn’t like it,” you protest, and he grins.

“Then I can do it again?” he asks.

“Not in front of my school!” you squeak.

“Okay, then I’m going to kiss you as much as I want when we’re somewhere else,” he says, unrepentantly.

“Fine!” you say, and, in a surge of courage, lace your fingers with his. Chigiri jolts in surprise, and you smile at catching him unaware. “What was that good luck charm for, anyways?”

“For your dreams,” he says simply. “Because you’re not going to give up, are you, Miss Artist?”

You’re still afraid. Of your body giving away again. Of not being able to make it. Of being nothing without art. But you’re even more afraid of giving up, of becoming an adult who doesn’t believe in their dreams, of losing your passion forever. Carefully, this time. You’ll do daily stretches so you don’t strain your body. You’ll go back to the art academy. You’ll keep trying, and you’ll keep drawing, because that’s what you do as an artist.

“I won’t. So don’t give up either, Hyoma,” you say quietly. He squeezes your hand in response.

“You’re braver than me,” Chigiri says ruthfully.

“I’m only brave because you believe in me. So, let me believe in you,” you reply. This time, you’re the first to lean in to kiss Chigiri, to give him his own good luck. Because no matter what happens, the two of you will keep running.

#liya writes #blue lock #chigiri hyoma #chigiri hyoma x reader #chigiri x reader #hyoma chigiri #hyoma chigiri x reader #x reader #blue lock x reader #blue lock chigiri #chigiri hyouma x reader #ANYTHING FOR MY PRETTY BOY!!!

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miamochi-writes · 11 months

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hihi! can you write vash being with an artist and them needing to finish a commission since they're running low on money and ends up pulling multiple all-nighters, not really taking care of themselves and vash like forces them to take a break? (college is killing me rn :,)) thanks !!

A/n: Ooo I can sort of relate to this, just mainly the all-nighters :’) Also hope you don't mind Vash giving the reader some much needed TLC ❤️Enjoy!

A Break from Perfectionism

“Ugh, why does the chin look weird?”

“Now the eyes aren’t leveled,”

“Hands are the worst to draw!"

"Why do they still look wonky? They shouldn't look like this!"

You kept muttering to yourself as you tried to sketch on your drawing pad. You were limited on supplies, so this drawing had to be perfect. You already used up most of your supplies at the last town with your previous commissions. You already spent most of your double dollars to restock on the set of charcoal sticks and sketch paper you used. Just like clothes, art supplies were expensive to buy in No Man's Land.

However, you managed to get one commission that would cover all your future expenses. One of the townsfolk noticed your portfolio and wanted a portrait of themselves. When they told you how much they were willing to pay, you nearly passed out from the amount of double dollars they held out in front of you. Of course, you couldn't say no to this commission and promised to work on it immediately. Usually, you would have finished this commission quickly since it was your only one. The only problem is, your perfectionism was getting in the way of making any progress. You needed this commission to be perfect. One second it would look great at a glance, but after five seconds, you would find a flaw upon closer inspection. Thus, you would fix the mistake with some erasing, sketching, or shading until you were satisfied. This process would repeat itself until you lost track of time. You were currently working on the face until you heard someone come inside your room.

“Y/n, you there?” A familiar voice asked. You didn’t need to look up. You recognized that voice from a mile away. You couldn’t afford to look away from your sketch as you were shading in the shadows of the person you drew.

“Yeah I’m here, what’s up Vash?” You asked as you started finishing up the last shade of the cheek. It wasn’t good, nor terrible, but it would do for now. After all, you were going to fix it again for the umpteenth time.

“I’m just checking in on you. How's it going with the artwork?” Vash asked as you could hear him walk closer to you. When Vash first asked about seeing your drawings, you were such a nervous wreck about him seeing your work. Now, you've grown used to him seeing your portfolio after you started dating each other. He was your muse whenever you had an art block. The way Vash expressed himself and his little mannerisms were perfect for you to draw.

"Wow, that looks amazing Y/n! This is probably your best one yet!" Vash complimented as you sighed.

"Thanks, I wish I could see this the way you do. It's not nearly finished. There are so many things wrong with this piece that I need to fix. The shading is all wrong on this part, and the face looks wonky at certain angles," you whined as you looked at the sketch again and started zoning in on all the flaws. The more you looked at the piece, the more you felt the urge to crumple up the paper and start over.

"Hey, don't be so harsh on yourself. You're a great artist, and everyone knows it. Why don't we take a break from this and work on it later?" he suggested, putting his hands on your tense shoulders.

"Vash I can't! I have to keep working on this. I need to finish this soon. I promised this person I would have it ready before we leave in a few days!" you argued.

"Y/n, you need a break. This isn't healthy for you. Besides, when was the last time you took a break? Did you even eat?" Vash persisted as you thought about how to answer those questions without worrying him.

"Uhhh...I took a mini break when Meryl checked in on me sometime ago. And I had a snack not too long ago," you answered vaguely. Before any of you could answer, your stomach growled loud enough for five seconds. Long and loud enough for Vash to hear. You immediately turned red at that moment, cursing your stomach and its terrible timing.

"Y/n, when exactly did you last eat something filling?" Vash asked. When you looked at him, you saw his glasses were glinting at you. This was not a good sign, as you knew he was dead serious if you couldn't see his pretty blue eyes anymore.

"When we all ate together?" you answered quietly. You then felt two strong hands on your waist. Next thing you knew, your feet were no longer touching the ground. Vash was carrying you over his shoulder with his prosthetic hand. It was at this moment, you knew there was no escaping your boyfriend if he had you in his prosthetic grip. You knew how strong he was with that arm in particular as he adjusted his grip on you.

"Vash please! I promise to take a break and eat later! Just please put me down!" you begged.

"Y/n, I can't believe you haven't eaten a proper meal in days! You're not leaving my sight until you eat and rest," Vash argued as you whined in defeat. Vash took you out from your room as you were covering your face in shame. You felt embarrassed being carried like this, and it didn't help people were going to see you and Vash like this.

"Wolfwood, make sure Y/n doesn't go in this room unless I say so. We'll be back later," Vash requested. You then saw Wolfwood waiting outside your room and placed his weapon in front of your room. He told Vash he'd watch over the place as you were in complete shock. Now there was no way you could sneak back into your room and continue working.

~*~

Vash brought you down to the hotel's dining room. You were a blushing mess when you saw a couple of people lounging there. It wasn't every day that Vash carried you over his shoulder, let alone in a public space where people could see. He finally set you down at a table for two where Meryl and Roberto sat. They then left once they saw Vash as the both of you took a seat. You could see two plates of freshly cooked Thomas meat in front of the two of you.

"Vash, is this for me?" you asked as he nodded.

"How? This must have cost a good chunk of our funds!" you added, feeling bad just looking at this meal.

"Y/n, you deserve to eat a warm meal. Plus, I don't mind spending money on you if it means sharing a meal with you like this. I haven't seen you in days since you started working on that piece," Vash explained. Oh how a wave of shame washed over you. You didn't realize how much time and energy you spent working on this commission. When you thought back to how Vash checked in on you earlier, you didn't even bother to look at him.

"I'm sorry Vash, I didn't mean to ignore you like that. I got so invested in working, I didn't realize how much time passed. I'll make it up to you somehow," you apologized.

"No I understand, just promise me to take breaks every now and then okay?" he replied with those sweet blue eyes that held so much love and kindness for you every day. You nodded your head and began to dig into your meal. The meat was succulent and tender with each bite you took. Your mouth was overwhelmed with flavor as your stomach was finally getting fed actual food.

"Vash this is so good! Thank you for getting this," you chimed as Vash smiled at how content you were.

"I'm glad you like it! Eat as much as you can, you need all the energy you can get for later," he replied before taking a bite of his meal. You didn't realize how hungry you were until you finished everything on your plate. Even Vash managed to wipe his plate clean as there were no scraps left behind. Once you were finished, Vash led you to his room while holding your hand with his warm cybernetic arm. Once you entered, he locked the room and led you to his bed.

"Y/n, when was the last time you slept? Be honest," Vash asked. Guilt-ridden, you averted your e/c eyes from your boyfriend. You already knew you didn't get a wink of sleep when you saw your dark circles in the reflection of your silverware earlier. Vash exhaled as he knew more or less the answer to his question. He then pulled you over to him as he held you close. Vash then caressed your cheek as his blue eyes locked on to yours. His eyebrows were furrowed with a small frown apparent on his beautiful face.

"Please take better care of yourself next time. I know I'm not great at taking care of myself, but I don't want you catching my habits too," Vash spoke. Your heart sunk as you rested your hand on his right cheek.

"I'm so sorry Vash, I will. The last thing I want to do was worry you. But you better take care of yourself too. We both can't be neglecting ourselves or each other. Promise me we'll both take better care of ourselves and each other?" you offered as Vash nodded with a smile growing on his face. His eyes gleamed as they crinkled from his smile that you loved ever so much.

You then kissed Vash gently on the lips as he pulled you closer to him. He rubbed small circles on your back as you melted into the kiss. Once you pulled away for air, Vash stared at you in such adoration as he slowly brushed his thumb on your cheek.

"I missed you so much Mayfly," he said as he laid down and pulled you with him. You loved it when he called you by your nickname. That name never failed to warm your heart as you showered Vash with butterfly kisses.

"Aw I missed you too my angel. I wished I was commissioned to draw you instead. I love to draw your beautiful face any chance I get," you cooed. Afterwards, Vash's cheeks were turning slightly pink as he wore a shy smile on his face before covering his face with both hands. He was a blubbering red mess the first time he heard you call him that. When you explained why you called him that, Vash nearly passed out from the overwhelming love and compliments you showered him with. When you first met him, you mistook him for an angel, because there was no way a human could look that pretty 24/7. When he saw your portraits of him in your sketchbook, he was in awe of how you drew him. How you perceived him in all your work was how Vash wanted to see himself in the mirror. Whether it was him smiling, laughing, or gazing, you always drew Vash in all his beauty. Plus, you always left little comments about how ethereal he was in your work that he practically melted. That nickname always turned Vash into absolute putty in your hands.

Vash then snuck a peak at you with his beautiful eyes as you chuckled at how childlike he was. He then grabbed your wrists and started massaging them slowly. All the pain building up from all the late night sketches and awkward positioning of your wrists was finally alleviated.

"How's that Mayfly?" he asked as he continued massaging you from your wrists to your hands and lastly to your fingers. Every little rub and massage he did brought so much relief to you. Your muscles and joints were slowly relaxing with each touch. You had no idea you were so tense earlier. If it wasn't for Vash, you probably would have gotten carpal tunnel syndrome much earlier. Once Vash finished, he planted kisses on both hands.

"How did you know?" you asked him.

"You were stiff when I first saw you today. Plus, your movements were rigid when we were eating earlier. Did my massage help?" he asked as you kissed him once more.

"More than you know," you replied as Vash brought you to his chest and kissed your lips and cheeks.

"Good, you deserve it after working so hard," Vash added. He then caressed the back of your head. He then slowly and gently ran his fingers through your hair. Furthermore, he rested his other arm on your back as you rested your head on top of his right chest. You loved hearing his heartbeat as it always calmed you down.

"Can we stay like this for awhile Angel?" you asked him.

"As long as you want Mayfly," he answered.

"Good, I think I'll take a quick nap on you if you don't mind," you added.

"Go ahead. I'll be right here. Sweet dreams my Mayfly," Vash wished as he planted one soft kiss on your head. Your eyes slowly got heavy as you drifted off to the sweet bliss of sleep. Once Vash made sure you were asleep, he slowly rested both his arms on top of your back and stared fondly at you. Oh how he missed having you in his arms these past few days. Vash loved and adored you every second. He knew how much this commission was stressing you out when he realized how important it was to you. Vash isn't the type to bother you while you work, but after not seeing you for days, he mustered up all the courage he had to knock on your door. The blonde was touch starved for days and missed seeing his favorite person. After all, you were his safe haven in this cruel world.

~*~

You woke up to see the sun setting. You looked to see Vash sleeping next to you as he held you by the waist. The minute you moved, Vash slowly stirred since he was such a light sleeper. Then those beautiful eyes slowly blinked at you as a smile crept on his lips.

"Sleep well?" he asked as you nodded.

"Good," he replied as he pecked your lips. Vash looked at the window and realized the time. He then walked you back to your room and allowed you to go back to work. Except, you would have to sleep with him later tonight, which you happily obliged. Wolfwood moved his weapon away as you walked inside. Once you settled in, you looked at the sketch you did and started redrawing the areas that bothered you. Once that was done, you started shading and outlining the prominent features with your charcoal sticks. Then, you started adding little touchups to the smaller details. Finally, you looked at the outcome of your work. You couldn't spot any mistakes after giving it a good look. Finally, you were done with this piece!

You immediately grabbed your things and ran to Vash's room. He was excited to see you once you knocked at his door. Once you changed clothes, showered, and brushed your teeth, the both of you got comfortable in each other's arms in bed. Despite how stressful the past few days were on you, you were grateful to have Vash intervene and take care of you. After today, you were not afraid to take a couple of much needed breaks. Especially if it meant Vash would be spending time with you during those said breaks.

@daschstuff @bunnigrimm

#vash x reader #vash x y/n #vash x you #vash the stampede #vash the stampede x y/n #vash the stampede x you #vash the stampede x reader #vash reboot #trigun stampede #trigun fic #trigun x you #trigun x y/n #trigun x reader #trigun #miamochi writes

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phanfictioncatalogue · 2 months

Text

15k Words (2) Masterlist

part one

A-Lister (ao3) - tastefulcucumber

Summary: Phil’s Dad owns a small photography business. Daniel Howell, academy-award winning actor decides that Lester’s Portraits is the best place to get his head-shots for his portfolio. He expects to get his pictures taken, but what he doesn’t expect is the photographer’s son to be so captivating. No one else has treated Dan this normal since the beginning of his acting career. Maybe that’s just what Dan needs, a friend who is there for him, and not for his status.

A Little Bit Of Magic - dxnhowell

Summary: Dan is the new potions teacher at Hogwarts and is muggleborn, this is his first year teaching and whilst he’s excited, he has to get used to being in the castle with absolutely no muggle technology. Phil is the herbology teacher and is clumsy and likes puns and likes to help Hagrid with his magical creatures. Dan and Phil eventually meet and become rather close, some of the students realize this and try to get them together before the end up of the year.

Amaryllis (ao3) - bokeae

Summary: In which Dan has to wed Princess Alice when he would much rather marry her brother, Philip.

Ardour (There’s a World Outside These Walls) (ao3) - centroid

Summary: Dan’s facade crumbled. His breathing was the first to go, leaving his lungs with short gasps of air. He brought his hands up to press the heels of his palms into his eye sockets as tears trekked down his cheeks. Dan’s romantic life was always covered in a veil of sorrow, but never once had he cried over it. Never once did he let his walls down and just weep. Dan was relieved, so relieved but at the same time he was in despair. It was as if his fate had been set in stone, finalizing that he was and would forever be alone. In a world with its foundation dug heel toe into romance, he was someone who had to go without.

billet-doux (ao3) - Tarredion

Summary: Dan and Phil, gang leaders and rivals to the highest degree, harbor big secrets they want no one to see

Coffee and Calligraphy (ao3) - brookwrites

Summary: Dan’s a barista at the local cafe, where writer!Phil decides to sit with his journal. Dan likes Phil. A lot. But things change when Dan finds something out about Phil that breaks his heart.

Colour Me Blue (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: What if a boy, whose heart was so full of darkness, that he couldn’t believe in colours anymore, met someone so full of light who slowly painted his world bright again?

Demons In My Head (ao3) - kae_karo

Summary: An unconscious demon mysteriously shows up on Dan's property, and Dan heals it, promising he'll send it back to where it came from as soon as he finds out why it's there. Finding the will to banish a charming demon is harder than he thought.

for you I’d wait (til kingdom come) (ao3) - blueshirt

Summary: The time that Dan misunderstands one little conversation—which he still maintains is PHIL’S FAULT, not his—and it leads to six years of unrequited pining.

going the wrong way home (ao3)- moonlightmusings

Summary: the almost-college au where dan and phil take a summer road trip.

I heard the March birds singing, and oh, what a beautiful sound. (ao3) - emonerd_io

Summary: Inspired by the anime 四月は君の嘘 (Your Lie in April)!

The piano initiated the opening chords, and she drew the melody out in simple, yet alluring and complex lines. It’s a tune Dan did not recognise, but fell in love with immediately. Deep, and filled with a certain longing, yet tragically beautiful. It’s the type of music that allows you to fathom why exactly some people practise for years and for decades, trying to master their craft, just to play something so modest and stark, yet so exquisite.

This is the story of two young musicians, Dan and Phil, and how their lives became entwined over the course of one year in high school.

In Faded Holograms They Speak (ao3) - artdeficient

Summary: They’re in japan and nothing seems to make sense, so they hide in hotel rooms and pretend they can’t see what’s right in front of them, and it works, for a while. (badlands au based off of halsey’s album)

no longer feel alone (ao3) - natigail

Summary: who'd have known that a random act of kindness from a stranger could lead to this.

refraction (ao3) - indistinct_echo

Summary: (To be read after completing Monochrome by intoapuddle.)

Dan doesn’t want to wait any longer: it’s time to share with Angie and PJ his Fall Whisperer identity. This really isn’t so scary… oh, who is he kidding, it’s terrifying.

Cue supportive-boyfriend Phil, amateur-therapist Dan, and a healthy dose of luck (+ bonus smut).

Teach Me to Fly (ao3) - thesleepdeprived

Summary: Soulmates!AU, Wings!AU. People had always told him that wings were the solution to everything, the key to your love life, your friend circle, who you are as a person, even. Yet somehow, Phil just can’t bring himself to see it that way. Who would want a soulmate that would never fly? (or, as my planning outline so eloquently puts it, kiss kiss fall in love you emotionally repressed motherfuckers) COMPLETE

These Violent Delights Of Love (ao3) - cyanica

Summary: Dan is hopelessly in love, Phil’s seemingly oblivious and they’re on a world tour just to make things more chaotic.

And yet, the Gods, or the Ruler of the Universe, or whoever the hell was in charge decided Dan needed to die in the end, too. Currently, leaning over the porcelain throne of shit and piss was the Gods’ human voodoo doll, throwing up the contents of his unfortunate Indian dinner – and significantly more alarming than that: black tulips. Fucking flowers. This wasn’t real life.

waiting to be found (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Dan and Phil meet at a club.

(And then a coffee shop.)

Who’s Taking You Home Tonight? (ao3) - whatkindoffanfics (orphan_account)

Summary: October, 1944. While World War II rages on, Dan Howell finds himself thrown into the secretive world of Bletchley Park, a headquarters for intercepting and breaking the codes of encrypted German messages.

#phanfictioncatalogue #phanfiction #phan #phanfic #masterlists #15k #15k masterlist

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0nlythrowharrybeaux · 2 years

Text

The Assistant - Part 1

Y/N gets hired as Harry's assistant and as much as they don't want to be some romance novel trope, it's kind of hard to not fall for each other when they just get along so well.

It's gonna be a slow-ish burn.

WK: 9k

Y/N felt a little nervous as she tucked her white blouse into her navy blue, tartan pencil skirt. She was rushing around her room, gathering her letters of recommendation and placing them neatly into a portfolio. Soon enough, she was slipping into her heels, grabbing her purse rushing down the stairs, and kissing her grandparents goodbye before hurrying into the car and driving off.

She had a big interview at one of the new record labels in Los Angeles, Capitol Records. She was just interviewing as a secretary, but this was a big deal. Despite her degree in journalism, music was her real passion and even working a little bit in the music industry would be interesting. She had always loved to sing and play piano, she dabbled in some guitar and she had always know that this was something she would have liked to do. It never seemed possible until recently. Y/N had interviewed for several journalism-related jobs, but all the old men she sat before told her that she was too young or that she needed more experience or that a woman couldn’t write factually and objectively. So she started to search for something that would pay decently and grant her more professional experience. So here she was, the Capitol Records building. She made her way inside and the receptionist kindly gave her the directions for which floor she’d be going to. The elevator ride seemed to last forever, she just kept picking at her cuticles until the doors slid open to a beautiful and lavish office space. There another woman sat, right at the entrance, her smile was warm and inviting, she was older and looked kind enough.

“Good morning, welcome to Capitol Records! How can I help you?”

“Good morning.” Y/N hummed, “My name is Y/N Y/L/N, I am here to interview for an assistant position.” She informed and the woman’s eyes lit up as she smiled.

“Oh wonderful! I’ll be conducting your interview. My name is Judith.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Judith.” Y/N smiled, shaking her hand briefly.

“Likewise. Now, give me just a moment!” She said and hurried off. Soon enough, she returned and guided her into a conference room. Y/N settled into one of the large chairs and when asked, Y/N presented her letters of recommendation, resume, and showed Judith her college diploma. Y/N answered all of the questions she was being asked and overall Y/N felt good about the interview, it seemed to be going pretty well. She felt like she could breathe when Judith smiled.

“Well, I think you’d fit in pretty well around here, if I may say so myself.” Judith stated cheerfully and Y/N returned the gesture, “I do have a few more interviews lined up for this position in about 15 minutes. Now, whatever the decision is I will call you and inform you. But if you are chosen we’ll make sure to get you all settled in as soon as possible, is that alright?”

“That’s perfect. I can start whenever you need me.” She assured.

“I do apologize for this slight delay, usually we inform the candidate right away what the decision is, but the executive who is needing the secretary, Mr. Styles, is traveling and hasn’t been able to be part of the selection process and interviews.” Judith explained.

“I see. But it isn’t a problem.” She assured Judith, “I will await your decision.” She smiled.

“Yes, thank you for understanding. And well, I don’t want to speak out of turn but you’re one of the better candidates.” She informed Y/N in a softer voice.

“Oh, that’s very kind of you, Judith.”

“It’s the truth, and if we do have the pleasure of meeting again just call me Judy.” She stated.

After that, Y/N felt more than confident that she was a serious contender for this position. Judith felt that she was, she just hoped that this Mr. Styles, thought the same thing. She even had a hard time falling asleep at night just thinking that she could have a really great job tomorrow.

******* 2 DAYS LATER *******

Y/N had received the call from Judith earlier in the day that she got the job and now she was arriving at the office. She doesn’t think she would ever get used to this office space, it was so beautiful. Especially the view of Los Angeles from the floor she was on.

“Welcome back, Y/N.” Judy smiled excitedly.

“Thank you.” Y/N giggled.

“First and foremost, we need to have your badge photo taken, so let’s do that now.” Y/N was then hauled off to the HR department where she signed her contract and had her photo taken, and was notified that her badge would be ready at the main reception desk the next morning. When they got back on their floor, Y/N was guided to a desk in front of an office. It was the only office on that end of the floor, so she assumed it was a large one and that her new boss was someone rather important to the record label.

“Okay, so this is your desk. Your duties are pretty basic. You’ll handle Mr. Style’s schedule, phone calls, sort his mail, sit in on his meetings to take minutes. The minutes from meetings should be typed out afterwards and filed for record sake. There is a folder for each month in the drawer there, the notes should be placed in order by date.” Judith informed and she nodded as she scribbled that down, “If Mr. Styles has appointments or meetings scheduled, you should type out an itinerary for that day and just hand it to him when he arrives along with any messages. Tomorrow, I’ll leave the itinerary on your desk since I’ve been managing his schedule in the mean time we replace the previous secretary.” Judy informed.

“Okay.” She hummed.

“Now, Mr. Styles is constantly traveling. So, you are also in charge of confirming his off-campus meetings, travel information, and typing out his travel itinerary. Travel information should be confirmed and given to him at least one week prior to his departure.” Judy informed and Y/N nodded in understating as she jotted the information down as well. “And now the little everyday things you should know about Mr. Styles,” Judy said and Y/N was alert and ready to jot the information down, “he usually arrives around 8:30 every morning. Now, he takes his coffee black, it’s best to have that on his desk when he comes in. He’s generally very tidy, so not much in the cleaning up department. Now, once a week his dry-cleaning needs to be picked up, that’s usually on Fridays, his preferred place is just down the street and they open at 7am.”

“Alright, anything else I should know?” Y/N asked.

“He doesn’t smoke, but a lot of the other executives do. If any of them are going to meet him in his office just make sure that you leave an ashtray in there, it should be in that top drawer of your desk.”

“Perfect.” Y/N hummed as she took note of that.

“Now, the supplies…” Judy then took her to the supply room where she could find anything she’d need. Then she gave her a tour of the rest of the floor and introduced her to the other secretaries. There were four others apart from her and they all seemed nice enough. And soon it was time for her to go back home. She was nervous to start, nervous to finally meet her boss, nervous that she would somehow mess up… She just hoped that good luck would be on her side in the morning.

**********

As much as Harry enjoyed the traveling bit of his job, it was rather exhausting. So finally settling into the desk portion of his job was nice. The elevator-ride up to his office was quiet, he was a little earlier than usual today, thanks to some jet lag. But it was a rather light day, thankfully. He greeted Judy with a smile and a postcard of his recent trip, which she took with a delighted smile and a “Thank you, Mr. Styles”. As he approached the rear part of the floor and saw his office door open he squinted his eyes in some confusion. Then he saw a navy colored purse sitting neatly on the desk before his own office. His new secretary… right! Now was a good a time as ever to introduce himself. When he stepped up to the door there she was, getting ready to set down his coffee.

“Hello.” He said to announce his presence. This caused Y/N a little fright and she jumped in surprise which caused the hot coffee to slosh over the rim of the mug and onto her hand.

“Ow!” She yelped and he hurried over to her.

“Oh my, I am truly sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” He sighed in exasperation, taking the mug from her hand and setting it down on the coaster before pulling his handkerchief from his pocket and handing it to her. Finally, their eyes met and the moment she glanced up at him he was met with the softest, most forgiving eyes. He felt as if the wind was knocked out of him for just a moment. He forgot what he was saying to her, his mind was drawn a blank for a second and he was snapped back to reality as he saw her lips moving, he caught the last bit of what she had said as she dabbed at her hand.

“It’s alright, Mr. Styles, I presume?” She asked through a nervous chuckle, her face was feeling flushed and hot from the embarrassment of her clumsiness.

“Yes, and you’re my new assistant, correct?” He asked and she nodded, “What’s your name?” If she could show how much his accent made her swoon she would. Even the tone of his voice was beautiful. It was deep enough to make her feel comfortable and safe in a way and his accent was buttery and made such simple words sound beautiful.

“My name is Y/N Y/L/N.” She offered him another smile. He had been with several beautiful people, but her smile warmed even the deepest part of him. He had never seen someone so pretty before. And more than that, the beauty a person carried inside had never been so apparent to him before meeting Y/N.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Y/L/N.” He nodded his head with a smile. Once her hand was dried off she handed him back his handkerchief.

“Likewise, I’m sorry for being such a klutz.” She apologized and he waved her apology off with a little smile.

“Happens to the best of us.” He assured.

“Oh ummm, your messages from yesterday.” She said hurrying out of his office and then coming back in with several message sheets Judy had left for her and placed them in his hand.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, I’ll be out there,” she signaled with her thumb, “if you need anything from me.” She said before heading out once again and she shut his door behind her. He was just about to settle into his seat when he heard a tap on his door.

“Come in!” He called and as she opened it up he saw her standing there with some napkins.

“Forgot to dry that off.” She said hurrying in and dabbing at the small amount of spilled coffee on his desk.

“Oh right, thank you.” He smiled, “And for my meetings today,” she nodded, “I’m just updating them on some policies form the British offices, nothing you need to take note of.” He said.

“Alright.” She said and hurried out of the door, forgetting to shut it behind her.

“Oh and Miss Y/L/N,” he called out and she reappeared in his doorway, “Door closed please.” He said and her eyes widened.

“Right! My apologies.” She responded before hurrying out and clicking the door shut behind her. She could not have been any more of an oaf. Her nerves and inexperience were showing drastically. And from there on out her day only got worse.

She learned quickly that Mr. Styles got tons of phone calls, it was a little after lunch time and she had nine message sheets for him. She hadn’t even taken a lunch, actually. She was sure that she could handle some of the things he was being called about, but she hadn’t learned the information or had any idea of what his week or month looked like yet. She was getting frustrated and flustered. Thankfully, he wasn’t around to witness her meltdown as she once again asked the caller if she could take a message and had no idea who to ask for help in answering these questions. Soon enough it was nearing 5pm and she realized that after he’d gone to his meeting after lunch she hadn’t even seen him come back; maybe he was gone? She stood from the desk and rolled her shoulders back before grabbing the stack of message slips and walking the few steps to his office.

As soon as she stepped inside she became immediately distracted, the view from his window was absolutely breathtaking. The sun was casting a beautiful and warm golden glow over the hills and the homes nestled into them, it just made her want to go to the beach and soak in the sun. After admiring the view for a minute or two she stepped over to his desk and was just about to set down the message slips when she heard a light tap on the door and she glanced back to see Mr. Styles stepping into his office.

“Getting ready to go?” He asked and she nodded, she hoped she wouldn’t run into him because now she had to ask him about the phone calls.

“Yes.” She sighed.

“What’s all that?” He asked and she glanced down at the little stack in her hands. She bit on her lip before deciding to just be straight with him. Worst case scenario he fired her on the spot for her incompetence.

“So ummm,” she glanced down at the sheets, “I wasn’t really sure of what to tell people on the phone.” She explained timidly, avoiding his eyes, “Like some people had questions about some record contracts and other forms. Someone called for some label event, and there were several people wanting to schedule meetings and make appointments to see you but I’m not sure what your schedule looks or how I should triage and prioritize your meetings so I just took messages.” She said softly, finally looking up into his eyes. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and she felt pathetic the moment the words slipped past her mouth, “Please don’t fire me.” She nearly whispered.

“Oh no, of course I’m not firing you, Miss Y/L/N.” He stated immediately, she felt like she could breathe again at this response, “This is entirely my fault, Miss Y/L/N. My monthly schedule is in my agenda, usually I copy it down so you can have my events listed on your own calendar. I completely forgot to get that to you, so it was my blunder.” He assured and she felt relieved that he was being understanding about it, “As for the contracts, I revise those and they’re usually brought in by the legal team once they’re ready. So unless someone dropped one off today, then we do not have it ready yet and that’s how to deal with those calls. You can always forward them to Legal if they want more information on the status of their contract or whatnot. By tomorrow you’ll have a copy of any clients I personally sign or make deals with and with time you’ll learn the jargon and more about them.” He assured and she smiled, “And I will take the message regarding that event.” He said and she quickly flipped through the little slips and handed it to him.

“There you are. Tomorrow morning I’ll call back the contract people.” She assured him.

“I will give you a list of what’s on my calendar for this month, tomorrow and my in-office availability so that you can schedule any appointments. I don’t typically get artists interacting with me directly, they usually work with their agents for contracts and deals. I will also give you a list of which agents I manage and work with the most, I will also give you a list of people who constantly call but I would rather not deal with.” He assured her and she nodded.

“Perfect, thank you Mr. Styles.” She said with some relief.

“Thank you, Miss Y/L/N, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled politely.

“Bright and early.” She responded before stepping out of his office and gathering her things. If she didn’t hurry she’d miss the bus. As she rushed through the lobby she peaked at the large clock resting over the reception desk. It was two minutes before her bus arrived. As soon as she stepped outside she saw it driving past the building, it was early. She jogged towards the sidewalk despite the slight ache in her feet, picking up her pace when she saw it slow at the stop a block over. “Shit.” She groaned, running faster, waving her hand to signal the driver to wait, but she was still too far and soon enough it was peeling away from the curb and leaving her behind.

“Shit…” she huffed tiredly and just let herself plop down on the little bench at the bus stop. When someone else joined her after a few minutes she glanced over.

“Pardon, but do you know when the next bus towards the east arrives?”

“I’d reckon another 45 minutes?” the man said and she sighed.

“Thank you.” She offered a smile and headed back towards the building. She felt a little embarrassed to ask to use the phone to call her grandpa and have him come pick her up, but what more could she do? By the time he arrived the bus would be arriving and that trip would surely be slower with all the stops it made on the way. She thanked the security guard who had let her make the call and he was sweet enough to let her stay in the lounge area in the foyer while her grandpa showed up. Now, she was mindlessly paging through a Life magazine that had been left behind by someone.

“Miss Y/L/N?” She heard an all too familiar voice from across the foyer and then some foot steps approaching. Just when she thought that her day couldn’t get any more strange she glanced up from the page she was reading to see Mr. Styles peering down at her in confusion, “You’re still here?” He asked and just as she was about to respond one of the men from the group he was leaving with called for him.

“Styles, hurry up! Reservation’s for six o’clock!” He turned and responded that he’d catch up in a moment.

“What’re you still doing here?” He asked again.

“I missed my bus home.” She explained with a sigh and he frowned.

“I’m sorry. Do you need a ride? I’d be more than willing to drop you off at home.” He offered quickly.

“It’s alright, Reggie over there,” she said cocking her head towards the security guard, “let me make a call and stay here while I wait to be picked up.” She explained.

“Oh alright, that’s good then.” Harry responded.

“Better than being out there, it’s still pretty warm out.” She informed with a smile and he smiled back. It seemed that nothing seemed to get her down, it was intriguing to him.

“I’ll bet. Y’know as much as I love the weather here I’m still not used to it after being here a couple years…suppose it’s the Brit in me.” He shrugged with a smile.

“Probably.” She giggled. There was a moment of silence between them and then she cleared her throat, “I’m sure your friends are getting a little antsy to go. I’ll be good here, thank you for offering a ride, it was kind of you.”

“Not a problem at all, Miss Y/L/N. Have a good night.”

“Thank you, you too, Mr. Styles.” She replied and he walked off, but didn’t leave without sparing her one final glance before he walked out the doors. He smiled as he took her in, once again engrossed in whatever article she was reading. He decided that he liked Y/N. She was sweet, a little shy, but he was sure that once she was more comfortable around him she’d be a spunky little thing, he could sense it.

“What was that all about?” His friend, Thomas, asked with a grin.

“S’nothing. She’s my new assistant and she had a bit of a rough first day, just wanted to make sure she was alright. Can’t go losing her the moment she’s just arrived.” He said to his friends and Tom just rolled his eyes, obviously teasing, but for a moment Harry felt a little bit exposed because somehow, he did seem to have a soft spot for her.

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

They had been on the road for about ten minutes when her grandpa turned down the volume dial on the radio and cleared his throat before speaking.

“So, other than this how was your first day?”

“A little bit of a disaster.” She sighed with exasperation.

“Your boss yell at you and fired you on your first day?” He teased, lightening the mood as they chuckled a bit.

“In a way that would’ve been better…” Y/N huffed through a laugh.

“Why do you say that? They treating you alright?” He asked more seriously.

“More than alright! My boss, he is the nicest man I have ever met! I was prepared for some arrogant old fart, like from the magazines and papers, but he’s closer to my age, I think he’s in his late 20’s, early-30’s if that!” She informed.

“If he’s so nice what made it a bad day?” Her grandpa questioned and she sighed.

“Well, first things first, I spilled some of his coffee on his desk and myself, then I just wasn’t sure what to do. Since he was traveling during my hiring process, the training I got was just basic from the floor receptionist yesterday, not really specific to what he needs from me. He gets so many phone calls, grandpa! Like a hundred at least, he’s got grandma beat!” She explained and her grandpa laughed along with her, “I had a stack of messages for him because I had no answers for some of the people who were calling and just as I was setting them down he came back from his meeting and I had to explain why there were so many messaged, it was mortifying…” she groaned, “But then he kind of…assumed responsibility for forgetting to give me his schedule and for forgetting to mention something about some contracts… I have never ever encountered a man like that. So level headed and reasonable. I think anyone else would’ve thrown me out.” She expressed, “And well, in the end I guess it was good. But just the way he is makes me want to do a really good job and I just fell a bit short today.” She explained and he nodded along.

“Well sweetie, it was your first day. Usually something will go wrong, but like you said, he seems like a nice man and he was willing to work with you. I’m sure tomorrow will be a lot better.” He encouraged her with a warm smile.

“Let’s hope so….” She hummed.

“Also, I think I’m gonna be picking you up from now on. Don’t like the idea of you riding around in the bus all alone after dark. But it’ll have to be around 6 like today, is that alright?”

“Yeah, I made friends with Reggie, the security guard, he liked having someone to talk to.” She smiled.

***********

Day two and Y/N had vowed to herself that there would be no mistakes. After being so nice and understanding to her the day prior, Y/N’s only aim was to do a good job for him. She wanted to prove to him that hiring her was not a mistake and that she could get it together. She got the morning tasks together and was already sitting at her desk prepping for making his schedule once she had his availability.

“Good morning, Mr. Styles.” She said when she felt someone stop in front of her desk, but when she glanced up it was someone else. A man, he looked about 40, blonde, and had an anchor person’s grin, “Oh sorry, how can I help you?” She asked sweetly.

“Well, I was looking for Styles, but boy, am I glad I caught you instead.” He grinned and Y/N forced a smile, trying not to make it look as awkward as she was feeling, “When’ll he be in?” He asked and she looked behind her at the clock seeing it was nearly 10 past 9.

“Well… usually he’s here by now… he might be late.” She informed and he nodded.

“Jet lag’s a bummer.” He shrugged, “Tell him I dropped by to see him, will ya’,darling?” He asked before he turned away.

“Sorry, I’m new here. What’s your name?” She asked after him and he turned back.

“I’m Keith, from production.” He informed with a smile.

“Kieth…” Y/N repeated as she wrote it down, “Anything specific you want me to tell him?”

“Lemme see that pencil….” He said before he came over her and scribbled something down before backing away. She read over his note and cleared her throat.

“Well, I will let him know as soon as he gets in.” She stated and he nodded.

“Lovely to meet you, darling.” He smirked once more before disappearing around the corner.

Y/N shivered some then slumped into her chair. It was nearly 9:15 and he still wasn’t in yet… she decided to head over to the break room and brew herself a cup and him a new cup of coffee. She made her way back and he still wasn’t there. Just as Y/N was about to go ask Judy if maybe he had called in sick, Mr. Styles came rushing around the corner.

“Hi Miss Y/L/N!” He sighed happily and she smiled, he was looking a little disheveled.

“Good morning. Everything alright?” She asked as he cocked his head for her to follow him into his office. She grabbed the note from Keith and hurried along behind him.

“Yes, everything’s alright, I just completely overslept. Bloody jet lag… I promise you, this is the only time this has happened.” He informed her as he set his brief case down.

“Happens to the best of us.” She responded with a smile, the same words he had spoken to her yesterday upon her little blunder with his coffee. He chuckled and shrugged as he opened up the brief case as she set down his new mug of coffee.

“Well, here is my availability for the month and the back one has the dates I’m supposed to be traveling.” She took the pages and looked them over quickly.

“Wow, you have such neat hand writing… best I’ve ever seen from a man.” She hummed randomly and then realized that he wasn’t her buddy or friend to which she could just word vomit every thought. She glanced up with some worry, but it dissipated when she saw he was smiling proudly.

“Really? Thank you, my mum was really adamant about that. She’ll be glad to know all those years of additional practice she put me through were worth it.” He responded and she smiled.

“Oh, before I forget… not too long ago a Keith came by to see you. From production.” She said handing him the note and his eye brows furrowed as he read over the message.

“Just to shoot the shit?” He mumbled in question, the last word coming out a lot more quiet than the rest, and Y/N bit her lip to suppress a smile.

“Ummm, it basically means to catch up.” She explained rapidly and he nodded in understanding. “Also, he wrote that. Not me.” She clarified.

“Right…” he mumbled in what she could only perceive as annoyance, “Well I guess I’ll go talk to Keith for a bit. And by the way, he’s just impolite all around, I don’t condone swearing in the professional setting.” He said and Y/N nodded in understanding. In a few moments he was off, mug of coffee in hand and she was settling back into her seat, ready to fill up his schedule with meetings and appointments.

******* 1 Month Later *******

Y/N had really picked things up very quickly. She enjoyed getting to learn more about the inner workings of the music industry and well, Mr. Styles knew so much information. She loved sitting in on the meetings, knowing before anyone who was going to sign with them, who was coming out with new music, sometimes she’d get to hear some demos. All of that made her secretarial work worth it. Those were her motivational thoughts when the phone started ringing once again.

“You’ve reached Mr. Styles’ office at Capitol Records, how can I help you?” She asked into the receiver.

***********

Harry was completely taken by Y/N. Every executive there, married or not, had some sort of tryst with their secretary. But Y/N wasn’t that kind of girl though. She was beautiful and smart, not to say the other ladies weren’t, but the others were cunning. Y/N seemed to just really be there to work and learn, he liked that. She was friendly and sweet and it just made him want to get to know her better. He would find himself pausing for a moment as he heard her voice carrying in slightly through the crack between his office door and the frame as she spoke on the telephone. He never wanted to be that guy, but he was just interested in her. He had to conjure up a way to get to know her without making his interest too obvious or unprofessional. As their day started coming to an end Y/N was getting all packed up and Harry stepped out of his office.

“Miss Y/L/N, I wanted to ask you something.” He said.

“Yes, Mr. Styles?” She asked turning towards him in her chair.

“Are you still taking the bus home? Because if you are, I really wouldn’t mind driving you home. It would make me feel better.” He explained.

“I actually haven’t at all. I’ve got a reliable ride now.” She smiled, “Thank you for offering, though.” She said and he smiled. He tried his best to ignore that unnecessary feeling of jealousy bubbling in his veins. But the idea of her in another man’s car… it just didn’t sit right with him. He spoke before he could even think his words through.

“That’s good… got some boyfriend chauffeuring you around, huh?” He asked. Harry’s eyes widened a bit when he realized what he had just asked, but thankfully she wasn’t even looking at him, she was just as shocked by his question and looking down at her feet with a nervous smile.

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” She responded with a little chuckle, “S’just my grandfather who picks me up.” She elaborated and he nodded, hoping and praying with the heavens that she couldn’t read the ginormous relief he felt upon hearing that she was single.

“Oh alright, that’s kind of him.”

“Yeah, he’s a sweet ole’ man. Do you ummm, have any plans for the 4th?” She asked and he sucked in a little breath.

“Being British I don’t know if I should celebrate…” he joked and they both laughed for a minute at his joke, “But to answer your question, no plans so far. I didn’t do anything last year. Not sure about this year. What about you?”

“Well, the last couple years a few friends and I have been going up to Malibu, it’s beautiful up there if you haven’t been. They’ve been opening up new beaches up there. If you’re near enough to Santa Monica you can see the fireworks without all the crowd… not sure if I’ll be able to make it this year, but that’s what I would be doing if anything at all.” She explained with a smile.

“That sounds really fun. Making a beach day out of it.” He smiled.

“Exactly… I mean, don’t know how long you plan on staying here, but you’ve gotta take advantage of this weather while you’re here, Mr. Styles.” She stated and he grinned.

“Yeah, you’re absolutely right about that.” He hummed. Maybe he would go to Malibu over the weekend.

“Well, I ummm, better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Styles. Have a good night.” She smiled.

“Thank you, Miss Y/L/N, likewise.” He smiled and watched her head off for the evening.

*********

Harry found himself slipping his sneakers off before stepping onto the warm sand. Y/N had been right, the drive out to Malibu was absolutely beautiful and even being here, the beach was not as full as his usual spots. He only felt like a sad case being at the beach on the brink of sunset all alone but he pushed down that pathetic feeling and wandered over to a picnic table and plopped down onto it. He inhaled deeply and then breathed out slowly before letting his eyes wander around the area to see if she was actually here. He hadn’t formally been invited to her plans with her friends, but if he saw her he would certainly say hello.

**********

“Lisa!” Y/N squealed through a laugh at her friend who just pulled her top off in the parking lot of the beach. Sure, they were parked kind of far and she was facing the car trunk but there were families around.

“I’m cold, just need to get on my sweatshirt.” She said throwing on her crewneck. “Can you hook up my bra please?” Y/N hummed and snuck her hands under her friend’s sweatshirt to fasten the clasps, “Thanks.” She mumbled and then closed the trunk of the car.

“Yeah.” Y/N said back as she stared off to the sunset. The day had been beautiful and then she remembered Harry, she sniggered softly as she recalled that he said he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to celebrate July 4th, or something of the sort.

“What’re you giggling about?”

“Nothing. My boss is from England and we were talking about plans for today and he made this little crack about not being allowed to celebrate or something, just came to my mind.” She explained and Lisa laughed.

“Funny man.” She said and Y/N nodded, “Is he attractive?” She asked as they started walking back to the beach from the lot.

“Ummm, yeah. He’s quite handsome.” She disclosed, “He’s also incredibly sweet. Unlike those jerks from the paper.” She said.

“That’s refreshing.” Lisa said as they approached the beach again.

“It really is! I sit in on his meetings so I’ve learned a lot and-”

“Oh my goodness…” she was interrupted by Lisa’s exclamation and she turned towards her friend in confusion.

“What is it?” Y/N asked with slight panic and Lisa just pouted.

“Look at that man over there.” She said, sounding near in pain as she looked him over and Y/N’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

“Oh my god, that’s him! My boss, Mr. Styles!” Y/N said in a hushed shout, her nerves skyrocketing.

“What are the odds that he’s here?”

“Well, when we were talking about plans I mentioned Malibu, he said he had never gone and I told him he should come out here because it was really nice. I mean, I did mention that because I said that I might be coming out here with friends, but-”

“He obviously came because he hoped to see you.” Lisa deducted.

“No! He just likes the beach and I suggested a new one for him to go to.”

“Maybe… either way, you saw him. Therefore, you should go say hello. It’s the polite thing to do, Y/N.”

“It’s inappropriate.”

“It’s not! You didn’t invite him here with you! You’re just saying hello! Go on, I’ll head back so you feel less nervous.” Lisa said and Y/N scowled.

“I’m not nervous.”

“OK then.” Lisa said and took off, leaving Y/N standing at the edge of the sand with the choice to run left towards their friend group or make a detour to the right to say hello to Mr. Styles before heading back to her group. She took a deep breath before heading towards him. He was facing the setting sun and the sky was starting to turn a beautiful mix of pink and orange. She headed over slowly and announced herself before reaching him.

“Mr. Styles?” She called out to him and he turned quickly, his demeanor going from serious to smiley within seconds.

“Miss Y/L/N!” He said excitedly standing up from his seat, “You were right, Malibu is absolutely gorgeous.” He said to her and she smiled. He looked so handsome. He had a write button up shirt under a cream colored sport coat and some tan slacks. His hair was slightly done, more haphazardly pushed back, but it looked a little more unruly and curly. It suited him.

“I’m glad you like it. How’s your day been?”

“Good, it’s good to have a nice day off.” He pointed out and she nodded. “Are you enjoying the day with your friends?”

“Yes, it’s been fun.” She smiled at him. She felt bad that he was here all alone and she decided to extend an invitation, “Ummm, i-if you’d like to join our group, we’re going to roast some marshmallows and watch the fireworks. I’m not trying to cross a line, I apologize if it was inappropriate to ask you, but just in case you wanted a little treat.” She rambled.

“It’s alright.” He smiled, “I’d happily join, but not if it’ll make you feel uncomfortable.” He added in quickly.

“No, you’re not at all, Mr. Styles.” She assured him and he smiled.

“And you can call me, Harry. Wouldn’t want your friends feeling weird.” He said and she smiled.

“Right. Well, call me Y/N, too. While we’re at it.” She shrugged and he smiled and nodded, “Right, let’s head over then.” He nodded and followed beside her. As they approached the small group Y/N raised her eyebrows at Lisa who was looking at her.

“Hey everyone, this is Harry. We work together. He’s going to hang out with us for the fireworks.” She announced and her friends turned to look at them.

“The more the merrier!” Lisa exclaimed with a bright smile.

“Ummm, that’s Lisa.” Y/N said to Harry of the one other girl there and he smiled at her politely, “That’s Johnny,” she said of a tall brunette who offered a smile back, “James.” She introduced the next boy who had more a sandy brown hair and was also rather tall, close to his own height, this one just offered him a quick nod in acknowledgement, “And Michael.” She said of a thinner blonde one with glasses who smiled up at him.

“Nice to meet everyone.” Harry announced.

“My set up is over there, against that log.” She said pointing towards a large picnic blanket a few feet away from everyone else and he followed beside her. It was a little quiet and awkward while they settled down, but after a few moments he turned to her.

“So how is it that you ended up applying for a job at the record label?” He asked and she sighed.

“Well, I have a degree in journalism,” she explained and his eyebrows shot up, “I’d been trying for a long time to get hired for magazines and newspapers and I just kept getting turned down by all these old farts.” She huffed and Harry chuckled, “Pardon, but… they said that a woman wouldn’t be able to write factually or objectively and that I had no experience. But how am I supposed to gain experience in my field if I don’t get hired anywhere?” She posed the question and he nodded, “And well, I’ve always loved music, specially rock n’ roll and I figured I could learn a bit more about it even as an assistant.” She shrugged, “So I went for it.”

“I agree with you, I think that this mindset of women being useless is so backwards.” He frowned, “I’m glad you ended up at Capitol though,” he smiled, “and I know that in your position there’s limited access to some things but if you ever have questions or are curious about anything let me know.” He offered, “And well, you are privy to some things before others, which is cool.”

“Like?”

“Oh I don’t know, what bands do you like?”

“I’m from here, so obviously the beach boys…” she said, “and the Beatles. The Rolling Stones, Jefferson airplane… I do like Johnny Cash and Elvis too. Ray Charles!” She said excitedly, “Have you heard of Simon and Garfunkel?” She asked and he nodded, “Oh wow, OK! My friends don’t really like them, but their song I am a Rock-”

“Unmatched.” He chuckled and she nodded with a bright smile.

“Right! Genius!” She giggled as she settled down she remembered what they were talking about right before, “So what information am I privy to?” She asked more quietly and he chuckled.

“Ummm, the Beatles have got a new record ready, we release in a month. Month from tomorrow actually.” Her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth in excitement and he chuckled.

“Really?” He nodded, “Do you know what it’s called?” He nodded.

“Revolver and ummm, it’s got some good ones on it, I’ll tell you.” He grinned.

“You already heard it?”

“A few times.” He chuckled, “What’s your favorite song of theirs so far?” He questioned and she bit her lip.

“You first.” She insisted with a grin.

“That’s hard…”

“Top three then.” She said with s smile and he hummed.

“Three…wow. Ummm… Yesterday, all of Rubber Soul…” he chuckled and she giggled as well.

“Yeah that’s one of the best records I’ve ever heard.” She agreed.

“I can’t choose between Love me Do or Ticket to Ride… What about you?”

“I love Nowhere Man and In My Life…but ummm, Yesterday is one of my favorites as well. Ooh, A Taste of Honey… I think choosing three is impossible.” She giggled and he nodded.

“Definitely and they’re only getting better.” He said to her and she bit her lip excitedly.

“Don’t tell me that…”

“Yeah, also the Beach Boys, they’re working on something different. Brian has all these insane ideas…” he explained quietly. “No one really hears what he hears and not many people on the label think his ideas will pan out. It’s actually causing some conflict within the label.” He explained quietly and Y/N hummed.

“Well what do you think?” She asked him and he sighed.

“He’s completely mad, but he’s so creative and innovative! I believe in him, I know that whatever madness he lays before me will be incredible.” He smiled and she did too.

Harry and Y/N completely missed the sunset as they talked, but they were so immersed in their discussion that they forgot to look. He soon saw her hugging around herself as the breeze picked up and he immediately pulled off his jacket and extended it to her.

“You’re shivering, please take it.” He said and she shook her head.

“I’m alright. Wouldn’t want you getting cold on my account.” She declined sweetly and he chuckled.

“I’m from England, Y/N. This temperature is pleasant for me.” He assured and she looked at him for a few seconds and when his eye contact didn’t waver she extended her hand to grab the jacket from him.

“Thank you.” She said softly before putting her first arm through the sleeve. Harry glanced around to see everyone except James chatting or roasting marshmallows. He looked rather displeased and as soon as Harry made eye contact with him he turned away quickly and Harry tried his hardest not to roll his eyes. Y/N roasted him and herself some marshmallows before the fireworks started up. It was a sight for sure and what made it more special was her fascination with the show. When that was over and done with they all started to pack up to head home. Harry was helping Y/N with her picnic blanket when James came on over.

“Hey, the rest of us want to grab a burger and have a walk around the pier, is that alright?” He asked her.

“I can’t, James. Have work tomorrow.”

“You can’t just call in and say you aren’t feeling well?” He questioned and Harry’s ears perked up at that. Y/N scoffed and pulled him a bit further aside to continue the conversation a bit further from Harry, it wasn’t far enough though.

“Please, just come out with us. It’s just one day, want to catch up with you. Besides, your boss won’t mind you missing one day.” James pleaded.

“I can’t. Not all of us work for the family business and can flake out of a shift just because we don’t feel like going, James. I have a set work schedule and I have responsibilities.” She reminded him.

“Jeez, it’s just one day… stop being such a stick in the mud. You never get to hang out anymore because of this new job and-”

“That’s quite enough, James!” She reprimanded, “I’m sorry you hate your job because your dad’s bossing you around all day, but I actually enjoy going to work and I won’t miss unless I absolutely have to.” She huffed out in exasperation before hurrying back to pack up the rest of her stuff and James followed behind her.

“Oh, come on, doll.” James whinged and Y/N visibly tensed at the pet name.

“Please just drop me off before you all head off to do whatever else.” She said to James.

“Fine.” James huffed as he stomped past her and Harry, who looked up to Y/N.

“Ummm, I can drop you off. I-if you want.” He said looking to her and then James, then back at Y/N, “I was also going to head straight home after this, so I don’t mind making a detour to get you back home.”

“Are you sure?” , “It’s fine, I don’t mind taking her. She lives out in Pasadena.” Y/N and James spoke at the same time.

“Yeah, I live in Pasadena. It’s not too out of your way, Harry?” She asked.

“No, not at all.” He assured her with a smile. Well, maybe it was a little, but he couldn’t care less.

“Thanks, James, but I wouldn’t want to delay everyone’s plans on my account. So you can all head over to Santa Monica and I’ll catch a ride with Harry.” She said and James tightened his jaw and nodded before walking back over to the rest of the group. Y/N was sure this was pushing the boundary, but she was annoyed at James and needed space from him. Also, she wanted to keep talking to Harry. He was fun and smart and he didn’t address her as if she was ignorant, like most other men around their age and it was refreshing.

Y/N soon said her goodbyes to her friends as Harry guided her to his car and put her things in the trunk. He was driving a sleek, black thunderbird, it was a convertible, but it had the top on. She had never been in a car this nice and it was exciting. She waved at her friends one last time before turning to get in the car and with a glare in his eyes, James watched as Harry closed the passenger door after her and Harry offered him a tight-lipped smile before settling into the driver’s seat and soon they took off. Y/N leaned against his window and sighed.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“You know there’s a ranch up here where they film TV shows. S’called Shangri-La. Had a friend whose mom used to housekeep for Margo, the owner. She stopped working there because she said it doubled as a brothel…” Y/N said and Harry laughed, making her turn to him with a giggle, “What?”

“Nothing, I think that’s funny and… probably true.” He mumbled with a shake of his head.

“And to answer your original question, I’m fine. Just James…is a bit out of touch sometimes.” She said and he hummed, listening attentively, “His family’s well off and he hasn’t ever really had to work for anything and he doesn’t really understand commitment and hard work and it… frustrates me that he doesn’t understand that others have different priorities.” She explained.

“Don’t mean to pry but were you…going steady at any point?”

“Yes.” She confirmed, “Is that obvious?”

“Well, if looks could kill…” Harry chuckled lowly and she grinned and shook her head.

“I’m sorry about him. It was nothing recent, so he shouldn’t be acting that way.” She apologized.

“S’alright. I wasn’t threatened by him or anything, I could just see that he wasn’t too happy with you because I was around.” Harry explained and she hummed.

Y/N thought it was quite appealing that Harry didn’t feel intimidated by James, most men were. He was tall, good-looking, strong, athletic, and charismatic - from the outside he seemed to be the whole package. But that was far from the truth on a more intimate level. James was fickle and insecure. He wasn’t forward thinking, kind, or even good at kissing and sex. They had only had sex two times during their seven month relationship. Her mind started thinking about Harry and what he might be like in his relationships and she immediately shut her mind down. She shouldn’t think of him in such a personal way. He was her boss and she didn’t want to be a cliche like every other secretary to the executives at Capitol; she’d heard stories.

“Y/N?” Harry asked and she turned to him again.

“Sorry, was lost in thought, but I’m alright.” She assured with a smile, “Can we listen to the radio?” She asked and he nodded and switched it on. They hummed to the music playing for a bit before he spoke up.

“Have you been outside of California before?”

“Ummm, no actually. I’ve been here my whole life. Haven’t even been outside of Los Angeles County.” She shared, “But I don’t feel stuck, we have a lot out here… beaches, mountains, a few lakes… haven’t been out to the desert yet. OR at least the desert worth going to.” She said and he smiled.

“Like Palm Springs?”

“Exactly. I hear it’s nice.”

“Scorching hot, but it’s lovely. Lots to do. We sometimes go out there for business meetings, go and play golf with potential clients, have little parties. Maybe we can get you in.” He said and she smiled, yeah right, she wishes…

“Well what about you. You travel so much, what’s your favorite place you’ve been to?”

“I am partial to home…” he said with a grin and she smiled, “but I love it here. I could see myself staying in California. New York is nice too, but not as clean and far more crowded.”

“I can imagine.”

“Yeah, France is pretty too and Mexico, I’ve been on holiday and people are so nice down there.” He said and she nodded along as he told her some travel stories, occasionally interrupting to direct him to her house. After about forty minutes on the road they were pulling into her street.

“It’s that one with the huge tree in the yard on your left.” She pointed ahead at the two story home, it wasn’t all that large, but the yard space was ample.

“That’s nice.” He said to her and she smiled.

“It’s my grandparents’ pride and joy.” She hummed and he smiled at her, “Thank you for bringing me.” She smiled, “Mr. Styles.” She smiled and he chuckled, it was back to reality now.

“Miss Y/L/N.” He responded with a smile, “I’ll walk you up, help you with your things.” He said, shifting the car into park.

“Thank you.” She smiled and got out of the car. He helped carry the large tote to the door as she keyed her way in. He set it down just inside for her. “Do you need anything before you go? Water? The restroom?” She asked and he shook his head.

“Thanks, m’all good.” He assured her, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled.

“Bright and early.” She confirmed with a smile painted on her face. He hummed before heading out of the home and back towards his car.

With one final wave he was peeling out of the drive way and on his way home. Harry couldn’t stop smiling as he thought of Y/N. She was smart, sweet, and hard-headed, he really liked her and he was more than happy that Judy had connected with her when interviewing for his assistant; he owed Judy one.

-------------------------------------

PART 2

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TAG LIST (lmk if you want to be added):

@sunshinemoonsposts

#the assistant #harry styles fan fic #writing #harry styles #assistant series #slow burn #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fluff #0nlythrowharrybeaux

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aurosoulart · 10 months

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Hey, sorry if this is bad(?), but I was wondering if you had any advice for getting into the xr world/career. I think I've seen you mention the topic (encouraging others to join the field?) at least once, but I don't know how to even get started. Thank you for your time!

(If you could answer this not publicly I would appreciate it, but it's fine if you do, or like, if you don't answer at all)

not a bad thing to ask at all! I've actually been in the middle of writing a guide about this for some time that I will.... hopefully finish sometime soon ghskgh.

I hope you don't mind me posting this publicly - I ended up writing a short novel and figure it might be useful to others who are curious as well! anyways, the advice I give to people with a background in illustration is to start out with a Quest 2 headset. they retail at $300 new, but you can get them used via eBay, Craigslist, FB Marketplace or someplace like that for around $200 or under. the Quest 2 works without needing to be plugged into a PC, though you will probably want to buy a more ergonomic head-strap to make it more comfortable. (the head strap that Meta sells is overpriced, but this third-party one is really good) if you're interested in working with augmented reality (the type of work I do!) and have the ability to save up some extra money, I'd recommend waiting for the release of the Quest 3, which will launch this fall and cost $500. totally not a requirement at all to start learning, though.

other than that, I'd recommend starting out with free art programs like Open Brush and Gravity Sketch to familiarize yourself with creating in-headset. both of these programs have a large amount of tutorial videos up on YouTube - as well as an active community of other artists who are all generally very friendly and eager to help people learn. VR Art Live and The Spatial Canvas's Discord servers are the communities I'm part of. :)

after that, it all just comes down to posting your new artwork online to as many platforms as you can mentally handle (this is the hardest part for me, ghsghs), and also looking at paid XR artist programs/gigs. Mozilla Hubs, Horizon Worlds, and Figmin XR (that's me!) all have some creator opportunities where they pay people to create things on their platform.

you can also find work doing XR concept art, art performances, and I've even seen grant programs for XR artists from art galleries. these things are harder to find, but if you make a LinkedIn page and a modest portfolio of your XR art, chances are high that you'll get some eyes on it.

it's ridiculously easy to be a big fish in a small pond right now if you have any kind of skills with these programs. I will say that there does seem to be a push towards people who can create things that are interactive and can be shared with others (like AR Snapchat/TikTok/Instagram filters, experiences created and published to platforms like Mozilla Hubs, Figmin XR, etc.), so that's something to keep in mind while learning - but not something that should stop you!

going from 2D illustration to creating things in 3D space is a whirlwind of learning new skills that can often feel overwhelming, but the most important thing is that it should feel fun and enjoyable to you. I started out by just listening to music while painting in Tilt Brush (Tilt Brush was the original version of Open Brush, before Google made it open-source) and creating whatever felt the most fun in the moment. everything else just came from natural curiosity and connecting with other artists in the space.

lastly... I have no technical (coding, traditional 3D modeling) skills. I am a 2x college dropout with chronic mental illness, and prior to my current employment I was never able to hold a job for longer than 3 months. and yet....... this new industry has changed my life completely, and at 29 years old I finally feel like I have a purpose. I'm somehow a software developer now, without needing to know anything about software development. that's wild!!!

this is why I'm so excited for the future. if this brand-new technology (still in its infancy! viewed as frightening by so many!!) was able to help me in such a radical way... what will that mean for even more people discovering it as it becomes more accessible?

I don't know the answer to that yet... but I do know how wonderful it is to see people learning about all of this for the first time. helping with that alone is more than enough for me 💖

#auropost #also if any artist who sees this wants a free key to download figmin xr on the quest store i can give that to you #you can just dm me for it #i would give headsets away too if i could... but alas i don't have THAT many connections. yet.#i am just!! so enthusiastic about encouraging other people to make this type of art!!!#xr #vr #virtual reality #augmented reality #and lastly #apple just announced their headset #it's coming out next year but has like no interesting software yet #so there is about to be a huuuuugeee demand for people who know how to design spatial experiences/worlds/art/ANYTHING #things are changing so fast in the digital art world right now #but despite everything i think the demand for artists is only going to increase #people will quickly realize that ai cannot create anything new #and art made by humans will only become more valuable #more than anything i want people to use all this new technology to create what they personally love #because that's what will carry us forward

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mackeydoodledoo · 1 year

Text

Burning Sun: Chapter 6

Pairing: Rosalie Hale x (Fem!)Reader

Summary: You've seen her in the school halls, the cafeteria, anywhere really. You, for the longest time, hoped... Wanted to be noticed by Rosalie Hale. However, you give up when you realize it was getting you nowhere... Throughout high school and just some time after the high school years, Rosalie’s true feelings come to fruition.

Chapter Warnings: Semi-Angst, Slow-Burn Romance, Attempted Sexual Assault, Illegal Street Racing, Smoking, Drinking, Flirting

Chapter Theme: Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance

Key: Italics = Thought, +*+ = Time Skip, Bold/Indent = Text Messaging, Bold/Italic = Flashback, “Words” = Thought, but out loud

A/n: None

----------------------------------------------------------------

You went off to college like any other post-high school graduate. But, in actuality, it was to get away from Forks... And Rosalie...

"Can't believe you decided to stay in that shitty little town," You tease one of your friends over the phone, “With your photography skills, you could;d definitely start a small photography business over there.”

"You can't blame me, parents need someone running the diner nowadays," She sighs, "Besides, I need to understand business and financing to start my own photography business and build that portfolio."

“Okay, point taken,” You chuckle

“By the way, I heard about what happened between you and Rosalie outside of the movies a few weeks ago. You doing alright?” She asks

“Honestly... I don’t know,” You truthfully answer, “Like... It felt good to finally get all that pent up anger out on her but... I just...”

Your best friend listens on the other end as you try to figure out the ‘gaping hole’ feeling you were feeling deep in the bowels of your heart.

“Do I sense a continuing of harbored feelings towards Rosalie?” Your friend asks

“Hell no,” You lie

I... Don’t know...

“You’re definitely lying to me Y/n, you still harbor feelings for her,” She teases

"Hey no! Rosalie knew she wasn’t ready to be in a relationship and she didn’t communicate that to me and ended up leading me on, making me believe I had a chance to have her be my girlfriend," You groan, “She simply ghosted me. Even though we had times where we had our moments...”

"And you never called it official?" She asks

"Nope," You say, "It was never in discussion. We we're simply enjoying each others' company..."

"But... What was that stunt at the movies?" She asks

"No clue," You reply, "One point she wants nothing to do with me, next, she gets all jealous that I'm out with my friends and not her."

"Ooooh you picked yourself a fiesty one huh?" She teases you

"More like she pined for the hot headed bitch," You chuckle, "More like uh... Mutual pining... I guess..."

"Oh do I sense dormant feelings for Rosalie still y/n?" She asks, in such a tone your head shot towards your phone

"No!" You say, "She never liked me. That's that! I gotta go... My class starts soon..."

You hang up your phone and lean against the countertop. You let out a deep sigh before throwing stuff into your backpack before heading out from your apartment.

*Rosalie’s POV* Not a day went by when you thought about the day you saw Y/n last; at the movies with her friends. How she wasn’t all close with you... How she stood up to you... You also thought about back during Freshman year, how she was able to stand up to football players... Compared to your human life and your current life, she was the first person to ever make you feel... Anything... Whether it was happiness, safety... It was anything... And everything.

“Rosalie,” Carlisle calls

You were snapped out of your daydream as you hear your name.

“We’re going hunting,” He says

“I’m... Going to stay here,” You sigh, remaining on the couch

“Rosalie,” Esme comes to sit next to you, “This is the third time you haven’t gone hunting.”

“Carlisle is still willing to bring me food,” You scoff

“Rosalie, Esme’s right,” He follows to sit on your other side, “You need to come out hunting with us... This isn’t like you...”

“She's sulking about Y/n,” Edward says

“Will you butt out of my mind Edward?!” You turn to him, giving him the death glare

“Rosalie,” Carlisle kneels in front of you, “I’m sorry that you are hurting right now... But, hunting is the most important thing right now.”

“Jesus Rosalie sulk about it later,” Edward says

You get up from your chair and stride right up to him, “Read my damn mind one more time...”

You growl.

“Come on Rosalie, we need to hunt,” Alice tries to diffuse the situation

*Y/n’s POV* You just finished an assignment that was due the following night over your laptop.

Oh what to do now...

You look at your phone and clear any notifications you saw. However, just as you were about to put your phone back down, you see Rosalie’s name pop up.

Hey what are you doing right now?

Just finished an assignment that’s due for class tomorrow night.

Would you want to go out?

Rosalie... Last time we had ‘gone out’, you didn't say anything to me for the rest of the night and ghosted me for the last 2 years of high school. What’s going to be different this time?

I wanna take you to one of those underground car shows...

You let your thumbs hover over the digital keyboard... Wondering of how to respond...

I do want to unwind a bit and go out but... I don’t know how to feel since it’s Rosalie...

You have a cool car to show off?

Do I have a- Yes I do!

Wasn’t sure if you still had the other one you said your dad gave.

Been modifying it ever since. Where is it?

Seattle...

Holy- Okay... I’ll meet you there I guess...

Fortunately it was the weekend, you had no other plans; you were all caught up with your assignments and there was nothing but waiting for the weekend to begin.

Guess it wouldn’t hurt...

You look into your phone and Rosalie gas you the coordinates to the meeting spot.

However, once you pulled into the lot, and into an open spot... It was already overwhelming for you. You didn't know what to think.. Semi-fresh 18 year old at a car show...

Fun...

However, your eyes finally dart to a familiar blonde...

“Rosalie!” you call, beginning to make your way towards her

“Oh...” You sigh, seeing Rosalie with her ‘date’

You try to play it cool and hop onto the hood of your car, pulling out a vape pen, taking a hit from it but immediately breathing it back out; not inhaling it into your lungs.

“Y/n?” Rosalie spots you

Damnit...

You look up and see her coming towards you, her boy toy trailing behind her. You let out a grunt as she simply runs into your arms, acting as if you hadn’t seen each other in years...

It’s only been about a month...

“You move on quick,” You conclude, gently pushing her out of your embrace

“Oh.. Him? He's just-”

“Women like her need big strong men,” He concludes, flexing his muscles

Oh, god another ‘alpha male’....

“Don’t listen to him Y/n, I only showed up with him is because I was walking and he was the first to offer a ride...” She explains

“You could have told me to pick you up...”

“Y/n, you were four hours away from home,” Rosalie says

Did I say that out loud?...

It wasn’t too much longer when the realization hit that you were willing to drive four hours to pick up Rosalie for this... Event.

“If you're done with this lady Rose, I want to introduce you to my boys,” The mysterious man says

You watch as Rosalie’s expression flinches as the man grabs her by the wrist, seeing his grip on it; deadly... Tight... Unappealing.

Rosalie gives you a look... One you only recognized as ‘help me’ before your wounded pride and jealously-

Wait...

Am I- Jealous?...

took over and you only watched as Rosalie gets dragged off into the crowd of testosterone.

+*+

You had a couple of guys come ask you about your car; hopping off of the hood to pop it open for them to see the engine you’ve been modifying: it was your senior year project. Obviously, you aced it.

“I told you she was a looker,” A familiar voice echoes through your mind

Your head shot up after hearing it; but the crowd...

How?...

You hop off the hood of your car and begin tracing the steps towards the voice.

“Y/n...” Another familiar, but feminine voice calls out to you

“Rosalie...” Your mouth mutters

your body began moving through the crowd of men (at least majority of the crowd were male), trying to find one blonde female...

Iridescent eyes... Skin that sparkled in the sunlight...

The crowd parts to reveal Rosalie’s location. Almost immediately you walk into her direction, that damned attractive smile as she watches you approach her.

You shake your head out of your little fantasy as you continue trying to search for her.

“Rose...” Your voice calls, your legs breaking out into a run

“Y/n...” Her voice echoes

“Rose!” Your voice raises in decibels

Once you pushed through the sea of people, you see her and the guy she showed up with attempting to press himself against her... You could easily read her face that she was uncomfortable and looking for a way out.

“R-Rose!” You call out, your legs picking up the pace

*Rosalie’s POV* Your head turns to the direction of Y/n’s voice, as you see her briskly walk up to the man.

“Hey!” A voice screams

Both you and the stranger man look to the origin of the voice. y/n was approaching the both of you faster than your mind can process what was going on until you found yourself feeling weightless.

“What the hell?!” the guy holds his jaw

“Read her face dumbass,” She gestures to your scared expression, “She clearly doesn’t want any of your advances.”

“Oh and you think she wants anything to do with you?!” He asks, striding up to her, clearly an attempt to impress you and intimidate her

“No,” She replies, “But, it’s clear harassment on your part buddy.”

“Yeah?” He asks, looking down at you, “What will you do about it runt?”

“We have all of these cars,” She says, smirking, “Why don't we have a race?”

You immediately jump in front of y/n, staring up at her.

“Don’t do it Y/n,” You beg, “Let’s just leave.”

*Y/n’s POV* You were actually considering it... Considering it was coming from Rosalie Hale. And the look she gave you is one of many that you couldn’t resist. You were in the process of reaching for her hand until you saw her being ripped from your arm.

“She ain’t going anywhere unless you race,” The guy smirks

“Fine,” You say, walking back up to him, “Let’s race then.”

+*+

The both of you pull up to the end of the street...

“Course is easy,” The flag woman explains, “Race through the abandoned warehouse, and back.”

As you start your engine, you see someone approaching your window.

“What Rosalie?” You ask

“You still have a chance to back out,” She says

“And let you go home with him?” You scoff, “Not a chance.”

“So you’ll be able to do that?” She asks, scoffing as well

“More like keeping you out of something you may regret later,” You counter argue

She stands and takes a few steps away from the two cars.

“On your marks...”

Engines rev...

“Get set...”

The flag girl raises the flag above her head...

“Go!”

The flag comes down.

Immediately the both of you slam on the gas, sailing down the open road. You felt the pit of your stomach hit the back of your body... God it felt thrilling. However, your euphoria feel was short-lived as you saw the guy’s car speeding forward.

Ahh, guy uses some boosters huh... Bad idea... HIs type of car can only handle so much before it begins to falter.

You shift your eyes over for a second to see what the guy was going to attempt to do in order to intimidate you...

“I’m’ going to win!” He yells

You shift your gear for smoother sailing through the street. Thank god for construction for repairing the roads. You hear an engine beginning to sputter. However, you were still cruising smoothly. But, when you look into the rearview mirror, the guy’s car was lagging behind.

You cross the finish line and then do a donut.

“Guy’s ass got beat by a female!” One of his friends teases him

You look to Rosalie’s direction, as she smiles, tucking hair behind her ear.

As you take the trophy from the flag girls’ hands, sirens blared... Everyone was in a state of panic and began either: running away or hopping into their cars to drive away.

Rosalie was about to turn to the guy she showed up with however, he was already in the process of getting into his vehicle and driving off. Her next objective was to search for you however, she was beginning to assume that you driven off without her.

As the police sirens blared, you were hopping into your drivers seat to escape, however, you call out to Rosalie to get in as the sirens closed in. But, she didn’t move an inch.

“Rosalie get your cute ass in my car now!” You yelp

You grab her bridal style and pull her into your lap as you shut the door, finally getting the chance to hit the gas, dashing your way out.

It wasn’t long until Rosalie realizes the situation. Immediately she wraps her arms around your neck to prevent being flung around as you made tight turns. No cops were on your tail but you had to make sure that you were at a decent distance from the area so you could drive back to your apartment peacefully.

“You okay?” You ask, with a tense tone

“More importantly, are you okay?” She asks, “You sound tense...”

“Well, trying to evade cops at the age of 18 is not the most fun thing to experience if they catch you,” You sigh in frustration

*Rosalie’s POV* You could hear her rapid heartbeat... Hell, you could even feel it...

“’cute ass’?” You ask, smiling

“Shut up,” She replies, not letting her eyes veer away from the road ahead

*Y/n’s POV* The both of you walk into your apartment, trophy in hand, a blonde woman trailing behind you.

“Not what I expected to have in my apartment,” You joke, placing the trophy on your desk

You look to where Rosalie was and she comes walking back in with a first aid kit.

“Sit,” She sighs, “I can’t believe you simultaneously took on three guys... And won.”

“Don’t think I can hold my own in a street fight?” You ask

“No, but, just simply surprised,” Rosalie answers

You watch her kneel in front of you, looking at you intently; a bashed cheekbone was what she was looking at. But, when her finger trickles across your cheek... That familiar coldness you felt when you tried to warm up Rosalie during her sleepover party...

“You’re still cold,” You say, taking your hand into hers, “Here...”

Rosalie stops patching your busted cheek as she takes in the warmth of your hand. Despite that it won’t ever warm you.

“I’m fine Y/n,” She says

She pulls her hand away from yours and continues to patch up your wounds.

“Th-There,” She says, “Patched up.”

Your face nearly eats your bedsheets as you attempt to lean into her touch. She stands, but the awkward silence greets the both of you.

“I’m going to head out... Since... Carlisle is most likely expecting me home... Eventually,” She says

She turns her back to you, beginning to head for the door, rather quickly.

“No you’re not leaving at a time like this,” You say, catching up to her

Your hand slams on the door, closing it just as she opens it. Rosalie knocks her back into the door, looking up at you as you hover over her; a hunter stalking its prey.

“It’s dangerous out here in the middle of the night,” You explain, “I’ll drive you home first thing in the morning. I’ll tell Carlisle you and I got back to my place really late.”

*Rosalie’s POV* This was how the man was attempting to kiss you... However, with Y/n... The atmosphere was different... She as calm... Not-so demanding, willing to give you an option... The thinning air between the both of you was wearing thin...

Not that air mattered to you anyway... But, the tension, lack of oxygen... Everything was thinning out...

“Stay...” She says, gently begging, “Please...”

Her breath after saying ‘please’ trickled against your cold lips. Part of you wanted to kiss her. Your head unconsciously nods as she begins following you back into her place.

*Y/n’s POV* Dude, what are you doing?! Having the girl who played you stay in your apartment?! You’re unbelievable...

You’re not sure what’s coming over you. But, it was like how you were willing to see Rosalie, despite that she’s hurt you. Like... You weren’t willing to hurt her. Albeit you did weeks ago, but, that was the only time...

“Are you sure?” She asks, “I- I don’t want to be a burden...”

No.

“Yeah,” You lie to yourself

She brushes past you and into your apartment; drinking in the supposed scenery.

“It's not much,” You say

“But it’s nice,” She replies, “Could fit two people...”

“Yeah, no,” You sigh, “But, tonight is an exception.”

You pout out the extra length of the couch to set up the couch bed for yourself.

“What are you doing?” Rosalie asks, “The bed can fit the both of us.”

I’m used to sleeping by myself, so just take it for what it is,” You tell her

+*+

You wake up to your alarm; for you to do anything regarding school. But, the last thing you were expecting was a woman still sleeping in your bed. You get up from the couch to check on Rosalie. Her back was turned to you.

Sunlight peeked through the cracks of the blinds. However, as soon as you tucked hair behind her ear, you wince in pain.

Damn sun...

But, it wasn’t the sun... You look down again and see little sparkles upon Rosalie’s skin.

Beautiful...

You nearly jump as you watch her stir. Since you were already up and awake, you decided to make yourself breakfast.

“Y/n?” Rosalie’s sleepy voice calls out to you

“I’m here Rose,” You reply

“What time are we heading back?” She asks

“Whenever you want,” You say, “We can go now if you want.”

“Not now, I was just wondering.” She sits up in your bed, “I was thinking that I wanted to stick here for a little while.”

“Hmmm,” You hum, “How long is... Awhile?”

“As long as you’re willing to give me,” She answers

It is the weekend...

“Well, I did notice that I do need to restock my kitchen, care to join me?” You ask

“Sure,” She replies, smiling

+*+

The both of you walk side by side as you walk through the isles, figuring out what you need for the week.

“If you want anything, let me know,” You say, reaching for instant noodles

“Oaky,” She replies

*Rosalie’s POV* You couldn’t find the words to make a conversation again with her... The only thoughts you had were the gentle feeling of her the night before.

“Please...”

The way it bounced right off of your lips.

“Rose,” A voice brings you out of your impure thought

You look up at Y/n and notice her staring...

“What?” You ask

“I’ve gotten everything, do you want anything?” She asks, offering once more

“I’m okay,” You reply

+*+

There was a break in the day where Y/n was simply sitting at her table, laptop in front of her.

“You want to go out tonight?” She asks, her eyes not wavering form her laptop

“Are you asking me on a date?” You ask, attempting to hide a smile

“We’ll see how tonight ends up,” She chuckles

With time she finally finishes up her computer work.

“Hey do you have anything I could possibly wear tonight?” You ask

“No, why? Impressing some guy?” She asks

“More like a girl,” You chuckle

“It’s not me is it?” She asks, chuckling

It is... It always fucking is...

“Not you either,” You lie, “I just don’t want to be smelling like gasoline.”

“Fair, I may have something but can’t guarantee it, get in here,” She calls you over

You walk over to her as she steps aside, allowing you to walk into the supposed closet.

“Technically this was meant to be the room but I was not about to move all of my bedding into here,” She explains, “Besides, I don’t have ay roommates.”

“None of your friends came here?” You ask

“Well, they are going to school in the fall, I’m here early,” She says, “Plus, I wanted to have a place of my own first.”

You nod as you take a step into the makeshift closet.

*Y/n’s POV* You hear your closet door opening, you look up and see Rosalie in one of your nicer tops, and pants.

“It’s a little odd that we have a similar body sizes,” Rosalie checks herself out

The fact was it was hugging Rosalie a little tighter than you would have liked to see.

“You look good,” You mumble under your breath, looking downward at the floor

You hear her walking over, slightly giggling to herself.

“Why don't you go put on something to impress me?” She smiles

Your head instinctively nods as you walk into your closet to put on something other than your pajamas.

You throw on one of your crop tops and a pair of ripped jeans, topping it with a flannel.

You step out from the closet space. Rosalie on her phone.

“You ready?” You clear your throat

She looks up from her phone, a smile protruding across her porcelain skin.

“Took you long enough,” She chuckles

You scoff at her remark as you grab a pair of shoes near the doorway.

+*+

The both of you walk into the coffee shop as a group of familiar faces look at you both.

“Well look who showed up!” One of them announces

You pull out a seat for Rosalie before yourself.

“Ms. Beat the big bad guy in a street race,” Another leans into the table, whispering

“I went because Rosalie wanted me there,” You explain, “I raced to save her ass from that ‘big bad guy’ you describe.”

“You also did it so it would hurt him,” She snickers

“Right in the dick,” You snicker with her

*Rosalie’s POV* “Yeah, I’ve been settling in fine and the classes are normal,” Y/n explains to her friends

“Agh, sorry guys, I have to bounce,” One of her friends announces, “Mom needs me in early for family business.”

“Drive safe,” Y/n tells them

You lay your head against Y/n’s shoulder. It wasn’t because you were exhausted or anything. You physically no longer could become tired. But, you wanted to just feel Y/n.

To your surprise Y/n didn’t shake you off, but she was still conversing with her other two friends. As if she was going through with your little act. Despite that it wasn’t an act.

You wanted Y/n to notice you like she did those four years prior to the moment.

“Rosalie what have you been up to since graduation?” Her friend asks

“Hmm?” You ask, lifting your head off of Y/n’s shoulder

“Other than that one street racing thing legit last night, what have you been up to prior to that?” She repeats her question

“Just been at home,” You answer

“You’re... Not going to college?” She asks

“Not everyone has to go to college,” Y/n sighs

“It’s common that most high school graduates do but, it was simply a genuine question Y/n,” They explain to her

“College isn’t for me,” You answer

“Absolutely fair,” They reply, “Just a curious thought, I thought you and Y/n didn’t end on such good terms?”

“Let’s call it a truce for right now,” Y/n looks at you

“Can I take you ladies for a ride back to my place?” A mysterious man comes up to your table

He offers his hand to Y/n, and y/n in particular. Boiling whatever was inside of you.

You immediately stand up and insert yourself between Y/n and the man.

“I’m pretty sure the woman can answer for herself,” He gestures to Y/n

“And SHE says no,” Y/n stands from her seat, “I think it’s best if you leave...”

Y/n inserts herself between you and the man.

“I’m pretty sure I was asking you, and not... Blondie over here.” He explains

*Y/n’s POV* You take note of the pause he took before saying Rosalie’s hair color.

“Don’t insult her,” You growl, “Now, let me repeat myself. And I know damn well I hate repeating myself... Best if you leave pal. Don’t want things to get ugly...”

“One way or another it will,” He smirks

In an instant he grabs your arm. However, Rosalie’s grip on you was stronger, she shoves him back, knocking him into a table.

“Whoa hey Rosalie, it’s fine okay, we’ll go okay?” You try to calm her down, “You too...”

You gesture to your remaining friends, “You two text me when you get home...”

Just as your friends pass the commotion the man straightens himself out and attempts to grab at your arm again.

But Rosalie... It was like she became something else entirely. She grabs him by his mere fist and holds it. You could see the expression change on him as his usual smug expression turns to hurt... Scared even.

“Rosalie, let’s just go,” You attempt to get her to let go, “He isn’t worth it. Look at him

She does...

*Rosalie’s POV* A scared man...

You smirk to yourself as you finally give a plea to Y/n’s request... You take a step away from the man but Y/n remains, kneeling

*Y/n’s POV* “Now don’t insult her ever. Again,” You growl at him

You stand onto your feet and follow Rosalie out of the coffee shop, leaving its patrons and the man dumbfounded.

+*+

You let Rosalie into your place before stepping inside, throwing the door shut.

“What is up with you?!” You ask, “You almost lost your shit tonight!”

“Don't blame me for being over protective of you,” She scoffs

“I don’t need protection,” You say, “I can well handle myself in a fight.”

“That isn’t the point, those guys weren’t other human beings,” She explains

“So what were they?” You ask, “Because they looked human to me.”

“They're like me,” She says

The air around thickened...

“How so?” You ask

Chapter 7

#Rosalie Hale #Rosalie Hale x Reader #rosalie hale imagine #rosalie twilight #twilight saga #female reader

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shuttershocky · 1 year

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I want to go into gamedev, but the horror stories about crunch culture are really concerning to me since I'm chronically ill and struggling just to get through school. Your posts are reassuring when it comes to the latter issue, but I'm still not sure if working in gamedev is feasible with this kind of health. I doubt the crunch situation has improved any either, but what do you think?

Yeah I'm going to have to be honest with you, that sounds incredibly difficult. But it's not impossible.

You'll almost definitely want to work for a smaller indie studio than a big corporate one since they're less likely to put you through crunch, though even those aren't free of the occasional horror story, usually when a big name is involved.

The first studio I worked for after graduating college was founded by devs who specifically worked to avoid crunch due to their experiences working on a certain big name AAA title, but even then sudden deadlines, changes, or critical mistakes led to us hauling ass on a few weekends. There's just so many things that can go wrong in game development even when there's very little human error and you're almost always beholden to someone else's schedule whether that's publisher milestones or investors. You'll need to be extremely lucky with your jobhunt if gamedev is how you want to make your living while chronically ill.

That being said, even if your circumstances don't let you find work in gamedev, you don't have to give up your love for it. There's plenty of simple, one-person indie games that people have made on their own time outside of work, and that's not going into how having these projects can look really good on your portfolio if you ever feel like trying again.

And you know, maybe things will get better in the future. Probably not for triple A, but I'm seeing way more smaller studios than before who are aware of the dangers of crunching and take steps to avoid it, rather than wearing it as a badge of pride like many devs did a decade ago to prove how 'passionate' they were.

There are a ton of people pushing to improve the industry every day. In my own job we've strictly implemented no working on weekends, and when working with partners I always negotiate for a delay rather than a rush as soon as a deadline begins to look unfeasible. I do see some real change happening, even if it's not as fast as it should be.

Maybe someday, probably not tomorrow, but someday, we won't need to talk about topics like these anymore. I'm hopeful for it. I'm sick of hearing the number 1 advice of game devs being "Don't go into game dev". It's true, it being true sucks ass, and it doesn't have to be true.

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comicaurora · 2 years

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How old were you when you decided to start taking Aurora seriously? ("taking seriously" as in, deciding to start making it a comic, and putting work into making it come to life rather than it just be a dream project or a fun thought)

File dates indicate I first started drawing proper test pages for the comic at the very beginning of 2018 (a random snippet of a very early draft of Dainix's intro arc, just to get a feel for the comic tools in CSP) although I remember I had drawn up some short experimental intro comics probably as early as 2016, and I had full digital illustrations of some of the characters in my college application portfolio around 2013-2014, although I don't think any of those made it onto my current computer.

I started on the proper comic, like the actual illustrated pages that made it onto the site, in march of 2019, but it seems like I created those files as early as october of 2017, so it's possible I was playing with the sketch of the first chapter pretty dang early.

It's a little tricky to answer this question, because the very first form this story took was comics I drew in my old sketchbooks, so there was never a time when I didn't want to make it exist in some comic-shaped form. Initially I just wanted to make a story for me to read, because I was very bored and hungry for fantasy that wasn't boring, depressing or both. But somewhere along the line it occurred to me that I could make something other people would want to read too. I don't know exactly when I made that switch - I suspect it was fairly early in the process, because due to who I am as a person I have a very strong urge to share what I make. For me, just making the thing wasn't enough - I got so much more energy from showing it to people and discussing it with them than just drawing it for myself. I got zero interest or positive feedback from my peers in middle school and quickly resolved not to share anything until I was certain it was good, which in hindsight was a maladaptive attempt to avoid being bullied by people who, shockingly, didn't actually determine their bullying schedule off any internal logic I could work around. But it did motivate me to practice a lot and branch out artistically in directions that had previously not interested me. Having a distant but attainable end goal was exactly the kind of carrot on a stick I needed to lure my baby ADHD brain into actually sticking with something for a change.

At this stage I'd say it was firmly "I want to do this someday." Not because it wasn't practical or realistic, but because I wasn't ready. That's how it was through most of high school, though after I got my first drawing tablet and began exploring digital art around 2012-2013, things went from "it'd be cool someday" to "I have the tools I need to do this as soon as I'm ready." After that I started playing with drawing programs, acclimating to the weird experience of using a drawing tablet instead of pencil on paper, and even toying with a little simple cel animation with the built-in bare-bones app that came with my tablet.

The idea of drawing the illustrations for the videos I was starting to do came from the same impulse - I wanted to get better at digital art, and needed to in order to make the comic a viable possibility. Again, it let me trick my brain into focusing on getting really good at something, which was a practice I'd never been able to sustain for long without a concrete end goal in mind. Sticking with something for its own sake didn't work - I needed that delicious dopamine feedback to keep me going, and the constant rush of "I'm getting better at this and that's getting me closer to this thing I really really want" apparently did the trick.

But I actually think this is around where I started faltering - late high school and very early college, so like 2012-2014. Aurora was the first big writing project I'd ever really loved, and I knew from experience that first writing projects were usually bad. They were valuable for skill-building and refinement, but were they actually worth showing to anyone? Plus my notes/timeline file had gotten really massive and unwieldy at this point, and playing with the cast and story was turning into a chore of continuity rather than a fun exercise. It was getting bloated - rather than making the story go anywhere I was just adding little bits onto it every time they occurred to me. Every cool idea I was having had to be mashed into this one world I was playing with, and I worried it was getting out of hand. So I dropped it for over a year and spent my time playing with an urban fantasy ghost story concept instead. That got far enough in development that I still have a saved color swatch for it.

I played with it and built it out and felt more serious and cool with this Edgy Dark Adventure with a psychopomp vs an immortal witch vampire and a wild cast of colorful supporting weirdos, and then I realized I was really bored. Once again I'd built a cast of characters without a plot to actually use them, only this time they weren't even characters I particularly liked.

So I tentatively went back to Aurora. I think this can't have been much before 2014, but I'm not certain on that. And with the benefit of a year's time on the backburner, I'd boiled it down to the core elements I really liked and rendered out all the filler and padding I'd stuffed it full of back when I was just using it to store every cool idea and character I had. I was relieved to know that this story and cast of characters I liked so much was turning out to be actually worth exploring, and I went a lot harder on the worldbuilding and establishing an actual set of arcs and plots to keep the characters engaged and occupied by an interesting diversity of setpieces, side characters and events.

By early college (2014-2015) I think I was back in the swing of things, determined to actually make the comic happen (once I was ready and good enough, natch) and enthused about rewriting the basic arcs and beats from scratch rather than touching that bloated timeline file I'd abandoned a year earlier. By junior year (2017) I have a distinct memory of doodling out the first designs for Tynan in my Greek Thought And Lit course, which is a pretty good indicator that I was getting committed to the granular parts of the story.

It wasn't until after I graduated in 2018 that I really started thinking about, you know. actually doing it. not someday, now. I was free from school and mentally decompressing from a decade and a half of nonstop stress and pressure, the channel had hit its first major jump and was actually making us a proper living so I didn't need to pivot to a job hunt like I'd feared, and if I didn't bite the bullet and start immediately I would probably just keep procrastinating it out of a mounting sense of guilt and insecurity until I couldn't bear to look at it again. Sure, I could still get better, but at that point I'd done enough headfirst dives into the unknown to conclude that it is literally impossible to fully prepare for something before you experience it for the first time. If I kept waiting until I felt ready, I would never start. So that's around when I started looking into building the site, drawing up the first three chapters and going from there. Sometimes you gotta say "fuck it", push yourself off the diving board and hope you figure something out before you hit the water.

#asks #behind the curtain

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sodobabe · 1 year

Text

Never Fall for the Guitarist pt. 1

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm not new to Tumblr but I am new to the Ghost fandom and am an avid writer. I thought I would share some of my works with you all. Once I get the hang of this, I will take requests. For now, enjoy!

Summary: (Y/N) has been chosen for their dream job. Will they put their job on the line for the love of their life?

Warnings: Sexual language. Minors DNI!! Angsty Swiss. Fluffy Dewdrop.

I had always longed to be a photographer for Ghost. I lived just outside of the Abbey and had been to so many concerts I lost count but each time, all I wanted to do was snap breathtaking photos of them. What I didn’t realize is that my dream would soon come true. I was fresh out of college. I had a degree in digital media with a minor in photography. It was my hobby. I took photos of everything and anything. I started applying to jobs and was feeling giddy enough to apply to be a photographer for Ghost. I cautiously filled out the application, being sure to be as detailed in my skills as possible. Submit. It was done. I submitted the application and sat back with my hot cup of tea to take in the possible life changing step I just took.

Three days passed. I had started to think that I would never hear back from any of the places I applied. That isn’t unusual in this day and age as employers are lackadaisical when it comes to reviewing applications. Ping. I grabbed my phone and saw an email notification. Before I could even read it, I threw my phone back on the couch. I was nervous. What if they don’t want me. What if they don’t think my photography is good enough. The thoughts were racing through my mind until I finally picked up my phone again and opened the email.

“Dear (Y/N), we were thoroughly impressed by your exquisite photography portfolio and previous work experience that you have shown. We would like to extend an invitation to you for an interview on Wednesday, June 25. Please let us know if this time does not work for you and we can reschedule.

Best regards, Ghost Management”

Holy shit! They want to meet with me. They want to interview me. What the hell am I doing on June 25 because those plans are canceled. I quickly hit the reply button and told their management that June 25 was a perfect date for an interview. Now I have to find the perfect professional outfit, so they don’t think I’m a slob before I even get the job.

The week passed painfully slowly. I set my alarm for 7 a.m. to ensure I had time to get a shower, and make sure I was as presentable as I could be. After all, this is a dream opportunity, and I would hate to jeopardize it. After all was said and done, I picked up my phone and checked the time. 9 a.m. Perfect timing. I calmly walked out of my house and got into my car. Typically, I blast music even if I am just driving two minutes up the road to the gas station for a late night slushie run. Not today. Today I drove in complete silence as thoughts raced through my brain.

I pulled into the parking lot of the grey stone building and checked in the mirrors to make sure I still looked good, which I did, then I ever so calmly exited my car. I made my way into the building and asked the very kind sister where I needed to go for my interview. She so graciously led me down a hallway and into a room at the end. I was greeted by a tall, slim woman who was the epitome of beauty standards.

“Hi there! You must be (Y/N). My name is Sister Imperator, and I am the head of Ghost’s management,” she said enthusiastically.

“Hi! It is so nice to meet you,” I replied, trying to hide my nervousness.

She motioned for me to take a seat and asked me all of the questions that one would expect in an interview. Why do you think you're right for this position? Do you have experience photographing moving objects? Etc. I gave her my best answers to those questions, and she abruptly stood up.

“Welcome to the team, (Y/N),” she said with a large smile plastered across her face. “Before we see what kind of talent you have, let’s introduce you to the band,” she continued.

Holy shit. It’s happening. I am meeting my favorite band of all time and cannot fangirl because I have to appear professional. My thoughts were quickly interrupted when in walked 8 figures who towered over me. I knew who all of them were, but they were going to introduce themselves anyway because they didn't know that.

They stood in a line and from left to right introduced themselves. Copia was first, followed by Dewdrop, Swiss, Mountain, Rain, Aether, Cirrus, and Cumulus. Seven of the members left the room to get back to practice but Dewdrop stuck around. He was the shortest and, in my opinion, the most handsome of the four. There he was standing at his height of 5'8" with his mask only showing his gorgeous blue eyes. He was slender with a little muscle tone to his arms and thighs from performing so much. Oh, how I could’ve melted into a puddle at that very given moment.

He stepped closer to me and gently placed his hand on my waist to guide me out of the room and show me to the practice room. His hand was warm. I could feel his body heat radiating into my skin. I had a fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Little did he know that I dream about him from time to time. The only problem was that now I could never be with him so long as I held my job title. Rule number four in the contract was that employees were to have no relations with band members, or they would be immediately terminated. Was I willing to break that rule and pray I don’t get caught? Hell yes, I was but I seriously doubt Dew would go for it.

I snapped out of my sexual thoughts as Dewdrop welcomed me into the practice room. It was larger and darker than what I had expected but if I’m being honest, I wasn’t even sure what I was expecting. Their instruments were all in their designated spaces. Everything was neat and tidy. The only light that was provided was the sun that shined in through the cracks in the blinds.

As I stood there in awe, once again my thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice. It was Dew again. He seemed to be the most sociable.

“Well are you going to just stand there or are you going to show us what you got?” he said with a smug look on his face, followed by a wink.

If I hadn’t eaten that morning, I may have passed out from the lack of oxygen from holding my breath after the wink.

I simply nodded toward him and picked up my camera. They got busy right away playing a few songs that I already knew. I snapped so many photos I thought I was going to break the camera. That’s how I capture the best photos. Take hundreds and choose ten. As I was so entranced by doing my job, I almost missed the fact that they were playing a new song. I continued capturing digital moments when a fight broke out between Dew and Swiss.

“I don’t fucking understand why you can’t keep up with your stupid guitar,” Swiss spat at Dew. He was significantly taller than Dew, standing at 6'2" and he must have kept all his temper in his frame.

“Well maybe if you and Papa weren't singing ahead of the instruments, you would realize how it’s supposed to sound but no, we have to do everything on your time." Dew snapped back.

I couldn’t help but interrupt and set my camera down.

“Ghouls, I don’t mean to step out of line, but I cannot do my job if you all are fighting because I don’t think fans want to see you all spitting comebacks at each other,” I calmly said.

“Mind your own business, new meat,” Swiss practically growled at me.

Dew obviously did not like this as he lunged at him.

“Don’t you dare talk to them like that. They are doing us a service and we should treat them with the utmost respect.” Dew sternly told Swiss.

“Oh, give me a break Dew. You’re just thinking with your dick once again because that’s all you ever do. That’s why we can’t keep any employees because you can’t help but stick your stupid penis in them and they aren’t smart enough to keep it a secret. I’m sure this one will be just as dumb as the rest of them,” Swiss spouted off as he raised his arm in my general direction, ending the argument but Dew was more concerned about the fact that I swiftly left the room.

I didn’t want to run as I didn’t want to draw more attention to myself than I already had. I found my way into the restroom and locked myself in. I backed up against the wall and slid down with my hand on my chest trying to catch my breath. What they never tell you is how different your favorite band is to what you actually imagine. A minute or two passed when there was a gentle knock on the door. I thought I was hearing things, so I ignored it and continued to even my breathing. Knock knock. There it was again.

“(Y/N)? It’s Dew. Are you okay?” he asked in a gentle, worried tone.

I let out a sniff and replied with a quiet “no.”

“Well, can you let me in so we can talk it out?” he asked politely.

I pulled myself up off the comforting cold ground and unlocked the door. Dew gently opened it, making sure not to be too harsh with his movements. I threw on a fake smile to try and mask my true emotions.

“You can pretend to smile all you want but I can tell how Swiss’ words impacted you,” Dew said as he took a small step toward me.

“Can I be honest with you, Dew?” I said after a deep breath.

He nodded.

“I love you all as a band. I am a big fan and have been to so many of your shows that I have lost count at this point. I thought it would be a dream come true to work for you but after that little episode, other than you, the band members were nothing that I had thought,” I said shakily while meeting Dew’s eyes.

He gave me a warm smile and said, “That’s because our photographers do their job well. We fight everyday but our photographers know to keep the ugly stuff out of the media. Just like you said, our fans don’t want to see us fighting. As far as what Swiss said about us, I don’t plan on using you like that. You’re different, (Y/N). You have a deeper intelligent personality than most of the ditsy people that come in here and work for us. I have personally seen your work and I am in awe of your talents. I want to know you for who you are, and I know we aren’t allowed to have relationships with our employees, but I won’t tell if you won’t.”

How the hell do I say no to that? All I did was smile, nod my head, and say, “I have secrets nobody knows about, I’m sure I could keep this under the table.”

Dew nodded and pulled me into a tight hug, my face squishing against his chest. I couldn’t help but notice his smell. Slightly sweaty with a more noticeable sandalwood scent.

“Here’s my phone number,” he said as he handed me a card. “Text me when you get home, and I will come over. We can discuss how we will go about this relationship.” he continued.

I nodded and put the card into my pocket before going back to the practice room, waving goodbye to the other members, grabbing my bag, and starting my venture home.

#dewdrop ghoul #dewdrop x reader #the band ghost #swiss goul

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