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#all i want once quarantine ends is to play in person with friends again so this is for that
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‼️ aita for looking out for a friend?
(all 17, pronouns provided for everyone included other than me)
so I have a relatively small friend group, including people who I'll call T (they/them, my best friend), G (he/him, the friend the title is referring to), and B (she/her, we don't get along). B and I have been on our high school theater team for 4-ish years together, right from the first show post-quarantine to (hopefully) our last senior show in April next year. Last year, my friends T and G joined for a murder mystery show and G LOVED it. we performed it, went into summer, and came back for our senior year. Now, it's important to note that B, T, and I are also on our school's robotics team and off season events typically fall around the same day of theater competitions (dont ask why there's theatr competitions, we mainly do them for fun). B has already said that theater is more important to her than robotics, so our theater director decided to do a two person show.
Our director had already said she wanted B and G to play the parts in the show, but we all asked for an audition anyway. Auditions come around, all four of us audition. We actually talked about doing a different show in our senior meeting a week before that had 5 roles, but everyone agreed that the two person show would be better. B decided to bring up a year old issue we had where I was venting about only getting minor supporting roles where I either die or spend half the show off stahe. I had said in that conversation that before roles were casted, I wanted B's roles. It was the biggest role in the show with no time off stage and I felt like I was at a point i could handle it, but B got the role and it was fine! I was chilling with my yelling role. Well, B heard this and interpreted it as me saying I could do her role better and stormed out of class after yelling at me about it.
This went unresolved for a YEAR because everytime I tried to talk about it she'd either yell at me or change the topic. And now she was using it as a petty argument to show that I'd be upset if I didn't get a role. This isn't even the worst thing that's happened between us, but let's get back to the aita.
So, as of the time I'm submitting this it's only the first week of rehearsals. B and G are both almost off book, which is impressive for G because this is only his second show. He's absolutely amazing at his role but has a habit of getting the idea of his lines and paraphrasing them (if that makes sense? like if that line is "it'll only be a second, let me check." he'll say "let me look ill only be a second"), but beyond that he's REALLY good at making you feel the proper emotion already. The Main issue with him already is he's missed two days of rehearsal, which wouldn't be bad if we weren't so late starting. He missed one day for a sport meet and one day for his sisters birthday, which was understandable to everyone other than B.
B lives, eats, and BREATHES theater at this point and if you don't take it as seriously as she does, she'll try to get you kicked off the team. Since G missed two days, B thought he wasn't taking it seriously enough and decided to tell our director. G was absolutely devastated, he was already misses an event that'd get him really good contacts for the field he wants to go into because B asked the director to make all of the rehearsals mandatory BECAUSE he wanted to do the event. He came to T and I to talk about it and I decided to go to rehearsal that night to warn the director B was trying to get G kicked off. B's full reasoning for trying to kick him off was that he wasn't prioritizing rehearsal and hadn't memorized his lines yet (again, first week).
Rehearsal went absolutely amazing, they were both almost completely off book for one of the longest scenes and did it so soso SO WELL. Once rehearsal ended after 3 hours and B left the room, I went to go tell the director. The director immediately shut me down and told me if B had something to say I don't have to warn her. G and I left trying to wrap our heads around what to do. I didn't want him to be kicked off and deal with the shame of not feeling good enough and he felt insulted that someone he thought was his friend would go through so many hoops just to pretty much sabotage a hobby of his. We agreed that if the director went through with kicking him off we wouldn't go down without a fight.
But, that was that, and I got home and joined a call with some other friends to decompress from how stressful the entire situation was. I would've been completely de-stressed if it weren't for the fact B texted me an hour after rehearsal ended with just "what happened between us?" Apparently, our director had told her that I was trying to warn her that B was gonna say something. I realized that B still thinks we're on good standing, friends even, when I absolutely do not.
I don't know how to go about telling her that any thread of friendship between was severed a long time ago, but I think me trying to protect G and keep him on the team was the final straw for her. I can't tell if I'm just blinded by my dislike of her or if I really fucked up in this situation.
What are these acronyms?
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jwnchstr · 2 years
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Close as Strangers | d.r3
summary: daniel trying to reach you while you’re hospitalised.
characters: daniel ricciardo x you!reader
warning: plays with your emotion, mention of corvid-19
other fics masterlists | other f1 fics masterlists | f1 imagines
*   *   *
     “y/n? hey! it’s... it’s me danny. i... uh... i heard you fell sick the other day. um... sorry i didn’t reach you any sooner. i-- i got caught up with my job. if you got this message, please call me.”
     you pressed a button and the next voice message played in your ears.
     “um, y/n? it’s me again. you’re probably resting and recovering, right now. i shouldn’t... i shouldn’t be worried about you knowing that you’re very well taken care of, but please call me back.”
     once that message ended, you left your phone beside your ear on the pillow and let the system plays the next voice message.
     “look, i know this sounds despearate, but please call me. they wouldn’t let me visit you, but i need to hear from you. please, call me.”
     the system in your phone brought you to another voice message coming from the same person -- the one you didn’t realise you missed the most until you’re lying on your hospital bed and can’t do shit -- but knowing exactly what he was going to say, you quickly stop them. you cannot hear any more begging from him. the sound of his voice hurts you, just like how this illness hurts you in the chest.
     you felt like deleting daniel’s messages. it’s not because you hated them, but it’s actually the opposite. you’re just as desperate to see him and that’s what scares you the most because what if you didn’t survive this?
     there were a lot more voice messages received from your friends and relatives. most of them wishing you a fast recovery and hope to see you soon. however, little did they know, you have a very thin chance at living and they have a very thin chance of meeting you again. this illness is stealing your oxygen away. your chest gets very tight every time you inhale for clean air. and it hurts everywhere.
     indeed, you’re being quarantined for having the corvid-19 symptoms. you don’t know how and from whom you got it. you were fine one day, but then you had a high fever along with a very bad sore throat. the next thing you know, you’re warded because you’re very low of O2. and everyone started to get worried about you including daniel.
     you haven’t had a chance to get to know daniel that long. there were only three weeks before you were hospitalised. you didn’t remember how it happened. you just knew that you two clicked just as soon as you started a conversation with him. he was funny and talented. meanwhile, you passed his vibe check. but sometimes, what hurts the most is being so close.
     this stupid illness. fuck to those created this virus just to wipe half of the world’s population. who are you to do that? god? thanos? but even thanos was defeated by the avengers, at the end. and you? in your actual world? who are going to kill those people who invented this virus?
     you lay on your bed with oxygen mask on your face. the oxygen tank stood visibly beside you. the heart monitor beeped very slowly in your ear as if it’s telling you that your life is ending soon. but how soon? you wish you knew. even if you’re destined to die, you hope it’s easy and fast.
     after hearing the last voice message, you scroll your email inbox, your text messages, your personal instagram and twitter account. they’re filled with pictures of you smiling and being happy accompanied with the best wishes of recovery. all you can do is reply a gratitude for them remember you, but really. all you want is a friend.
     not that you don’t have a friend. you have plenty of good friends who would be there for your bad times, but are they going to understand your situation now?
     you found yourself scrolling through your contacts list and stopped when daniel’s name appeared. your finger lingered in the air for a few seconds, thinking if it’s worth calling him. after all, he was the only person who’d been leaving you multiple voice messages. decided not to want to make him worried, your thumb finally press the call button.
     “hello? y/n?” daniel sounded unsure at first.
     the wariness in his voice made you think that he must be thinking bad thing was happening to you. it might not be you who was calling. it might be one of your family members to call him. maybe to tell him that you’re gone. after all, it was in your will that you want daniel to be the first person to know if anything happens to you
     you took a deep breath and sighed as if hearing his voice lifed all the stress on your shoulders. “hello, danny.” your voice was weak. you were struggling to breathe, but for danny you tried hard.
     “y/n?” you heard him excusing himself from his little crowd. “how-- how are you, sweetheart?”
     you smiled to yourself, hearing the nickname he’d gotten for you. much like dean winchester to every girl he sees.
     “i’m... good.” you coughed. it’s so hard to talk, but you know you needed to hear his voice. you’ve only known daniel for three weeks, but as you talk to him, it felt as if you’ve known him for years.
     you felt like daniel were about to say something about the cough. you waited for it, but it didn’t come. you imagine his assuring smile that didn’t reach his sad eyes as he said, “good to hear from you.”
     “how’s work?”
     “hard that you’re not here.” daniel was always being honest with you. you know how your presence was one of the reasons behind his motivation to drive every race. “everyone is worried about you, sweetcheeks. they talk about you everyday. they hope you’ll recover soon. they miss you.”
     “aw, i miss them, too.” you smiled as you remembered how nice and welcoming you feel whenever the F1 crews are around. yes, some might treat you like you’re just a visitor, but some actually treat you good despite being an outsider. daniel brought you to his workplace as his support system since he knew you.
     “and... i...” daniel’s voice cracked. he cleared his throat before continuing. “i’ve missed you, y/n. i’m not lying.”
     you let out another cough when you’re chuckling at his brave confession. “we’ve known each other for merely three weeks, danny. how can you miss me that much?”
     “we’ve had so much laughs together... silly jokes... i miss doing them with you.”
     you stayed quiet, touched and not knowing what to say.
     “you have to be tough, okay? you’re a fighter. i know you are. fight for your family. fight for yourself. fight for me, too. i’ll be here when you’re out of the hospital.”
     “don’t wait for me.”
     “i will always wait for you.”
     there’s nothing you can say except to smile at yourself and wish daniel could hear the gratefulness in your silence.
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christowhore · 3 years
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Love At First Sight
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pairing: chris evans x professor!fem!reader, chris evans x oc!female
summary: thanks to lisa evans match making skills, the two of you meet and instantly fall in love.
word count: 3.4k
warnings: fluff, pining fools, age gap (reader is 28, chris is 39) sexual tension, mama evans playing matchmaker, rpf
notes: this is the beginning of the ‘Pining for Professor’ series. i hope you all enjoy it and make sure to let me know what you think! *i do not give consent for this fic to be reposted or translated*
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MASTERLIST • SERIES MASTERLIST
Living in Massachusetts working as an educator, your path with Chris Evans had never crossed. There was a ten year age gap between you two, resulting in you both hanging out with different social circles. So dating him was something that you never thought was imaginable.
You ended up getting involved with the Evans family through his mom, Lisa, when she read your psychology dissertation. After reading your paper, she wanted to learn more and ask questions about your topic. You had agreed to answer any questions she had for you. After many emails and lively Zoom calls, which mostly consisted of you two gossiping and learning personal details about the other, she unanimously decided that you were the one for Chris and so she made it her mission to try and set the two of you up.
But much to her dismay, she learned you had just ended a serious relationship and weren't really interested in starting up again. As for her son, he had just started talking to an old flame hoping to start something there and wasn't inclined to be set up with a stranger. Though it didn't deter her one bit, she still set forth in trying to complete her mission. All she needed to do was get you two to properly meet each other.
It's not like he didn't want to meet you, he heard wonderful things about you, it was just that he had bad luck when it came to being set up with potential partners. He always ended up with the date being the polar opposite of what he was told about. And after he started rekindling with his ex, he thought it would be better to see it through with her instead of trying to play the field again.
That Wednesday afternoon, he was getting ready for a date with Lindsey, an old flame of his that he decided to reconnect with from his past. Due to being in quarantine, he decided it might be a good time to restart his love life. They had been on a few dates, and even though he didn’t feel this deep, intense admiration for her, he thought he would go ahead and see it through. He wasn’t getting younger, and with pressure from family, friends and even the press, he figured it was finally time to settle down.
He had the whole evening planned. He had expected to have a wonderful dinner over some wine and officially ask Lindsey to be his girlfriend, but it seemed as if the universe had decided otherwise.
His first steps were to go ahead and retrieve his suit from the dry cleaners, but upon arrival he was informed that the shop accidentally lost his garments. Trying to not let it get to him, he decided he could find a simple outfit back home. Once he arrived back and was steps away from entering his Sudbury home, a chirping goldfinch decided to greet him by pooping right on his head. Begrudgingly, he opened his front door and rested against the wood frame. Dodger ran up to him and could tell he was not feeling his best so he rubbed his body along his legs to try and lighten his mood. Closing his eyes and counting to ten, he calmed his frayed nerves and pushed himself off and trudged towards his bathroom to take a quick shower.
After a 10 minute rinse and a quick pep talk to himself, he exited the shower, towel wrapped snug around his waist when he heard the beeping of his phone indicating an incoming call. Lindsey’s name popped up and he raised the phone up, but the moment he heard her through the line he knew something was wrong.
“Hey Chris, so there’s going to be a slight change of plans,” she states. He can tell something happened to her by the evident pain that shone through her voice. “So you know that new sushi place that opened up in the city that I went to yesterday? Well it was good until this morning when I ended up hurling up my entire meal.”
He knew that the universe had to be playing a sick and twisted game with him at this point. “So I guess tonight’s dinner is gonna have to be canceled then,” he questions, the hope he had slowly leaving his body. “Unfortunately, I’ll call you when I start to feel better, is that alright?” she pondered.
He agreed to reschedule and wished her a speedy recovery before ending the call and dropping down at the edge of his mattress and laying down on his back. Feeling the water droplets drying off his body due to the oscillating fan overhead, he started to doze off, deciding it would be best to fall asleep and restart his day later on in the evening.
He was beginning to drift off when his phone buzzed and his mom's contact showed on his screen.
Ma: Hey sweetie, I’m heading out for another meeting with Dr.(Y/L/N), you sure you don’t want to come along and say hi?
After thinking about the day that was bestowed upon, Chris decided to entertain his mother just this once and meet the woman she became so enamored by.
Chris: Sure, my plans got ruined anyway so I’ll meet her, just this once! Love you, see you soon.
Sending the reply to his mom, he got up and got dressed. He had already started to envision a relationship with Lindsey so there was no reason to dress to impress for someone he most likely wouldn’t have any interest in.
Scratching Dodger behind his ears as a way of saying goodbye and letting Scott know he was heading out, he got in his car and made his way to the university.
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It was about a 30 minute drive from his suburban home to the college in the city. When he arrived he parked beside his mothers car where she was waiting for him.
“Oh you are just going to love her, trust me sweetheart,” the Evans mother stated to her son as he exited his vehicle. After saying their hellos, Lisa guided the pair across the campus towards where your office resided, which she had become familiar with due to her consistent visits.
Walking through the halls of Harvard University, Chris was pondering how to go about rescheduling his date when he started to hear a slow jazz tune hum against the walls. He easily recognized it as ‘Georgia On My Mind’ by Ray Charles, a song that he pondered on learning on the piano. After turning and entering an office at the end of the hall, his senses first picked up on the smell of vanilla and notes of caramel, a candle obviously lit in the small space. Once he walked all the way through and set his eyes upon the woman behind the desk that he was set to meet, he finally understood why his morning took a turn for the worst and why he was meant to be here.
Being an actor who had starred in his fair share of rom-coms, he always assumed the whole ‘love-at-first-sight’ deal was something that was just displayed on screens, but when you entered his line of sight, he knew it wasn’t just make believe.
You raised your head and greeted Lisa with a smile on your face, a prominent dimple shining through on your right cheek. A twinkle showed in your eyes when you went to shake her hand like an old friend. When you finally registered his appearance in the room, it was as if time had stopped all together for the two of you.
He drank in your figure as if he had been deprived of liquids for weeks on end. Chris took in the curve of your waist, how your glasses stayed perched up on the bridge of your nose. Your curly hair was tied up in a high bun, loose curls framing the sides of the face. The summer sun shone through the windows, basking your skin in a warm glow. Even though it was a sunny day, it was surprisingly a chilly afternoon in Boston, so you dressed in a black sweater underneath a pair of green overalls. Your thick thighs filling in every crevice of your pants. He never knew someone could look so breathtaking in such simple attire. He instantly felt his jeans start to tighten due to his arousal.
But Chris was not the only one in a trance. (Y/N) had been dragging her eyes up and down his long slender frame, not even caring that his mother was standing 3 feet away. His brown fur lined jacket hugged against his body overhead a tight white tee shirt that looked seconds away from tearing due to the amount of muscles trying to pierce through. Crisp blue jeans adorned his legs all the way down to a pair of matching brown sneakers.
(Y/N) had seen Chris on tv and in movies, but his true beauty couldn’t be shown through a lens, it had to be admired in person. Looking into his intoxicating cerulean eyes, she could see his pupils dilate. They both stood there, staring into one another’s orbs as if they were the only two people on Earth.
Meanwhile, Lisa stood on the sidelines, a coy smirk playing on her lips as she tried to hide her excitement. She knew her job was almost complete, all she had to do was wait for the two of you to finish it off.
Snapping out of your trance, suddenly registering where you were, you extended your hand out to the brunette.
“My name is (Y/N), it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said, a flirtatious smile adorned her face.
He connected their limbs, feeling the soft, supple skin warm his palm. “Oh trust me, the pleasure is all mine,” he teased. Still holding on to her hand, desperate to possess the warmth radiating off her for just a little while longer until you hesitantly pulled away.
Lisa decided her work here was done and suddenly announced that she accidentally left her phone in the car and that she would be back in a moment. But the second she left the office she paraded a cheshire-like grin throughout the building and to her car where she drove away, happy that her plan was successful and her work here was done.
Back in the office, Chris took in his surroundings some more. It was a quaint office, small but still held a bunch of items that he could tell you tried to make you feel most at peace. The small record player in the corner now playing a blues ballad, candles lit amongst your desk, a rubix cube resting near a cup of half drank tea, numerous college degrees adorned your wall. But what caught his eye was a trio of Funko Pops resting on a bookshelf behind you. One of Thor, Bucky and placed dead center was Captain America, a playful smile crept up on his face at the decoration.
(Y/N) followed his line of sight and her eyes immediately bulged out of her skull. She quickly swiped the figurines down and into a drawer, closing it with the back of her thighs causing a belly laugh to erupt from the man across from her.
“So, let’s pretend that you didn’t see any of that, fair enough?” you pleaded, feeling warmth traveling up your neck and heating your cheeks.
“Not a problem,” Chris says, “I was gonna wait for my Ma to continue the conversation, but it seems like her ‘quick trip’ to the car was part of her plan all along.”
Chuckling to his observation, you responded, “Yeah she was quite adamant about us meeting. Something about us being ‘meant for one another’. Didn’t think so at first but I’m now starting to believe it.”
“Yeah me too,” he states, Boston accent flowing through his tone heavily, as he shamelessly flirts with you.
Moving from behind your desk, (Y/N) offered Chris a seat on the couch in the middle of her office so they could sit down together.
The two of you sat down across from each other and quietly admired each other.
Chris decided to be the one to start the conversation and ease the tension in the room, “So from my understanding you teach psychology and neuroscience, correct?”
You went on to explain how you got into the field. Informing him that the question of ‘what made people act out on certain actions’ piqued your interest at a young age.
Conversation flowed freely between the two of you. It felt like you weren’t meeting for the first time but you were long lost lovers finally reconnecting after a while away from each other.
Chris found himself becoming enamored by you. The way you went into detail about your work and how much it meant to you.
He felt relieved when you were able to keep up with conversation with him about his interests like politics and philosophy. There were women he’d be interested in who would only know surface level knowledge when it came to his likes, only giving short responses. But you were different. You indulged in his topics of discussions, occasionally debating with him, and exchanging your own views with him.
Chris even opened up about his personal life, something he usually reserved from sharing. But here he was, confiding in you about intimate details pertaining to his life. There was something about you that made him feel utterly at ease. He didn’t have to keep his emotional walls up, he wasn’t scared about you judging or dismissing him.
The two of you were still talking, lost in conversation, when suddenly you were brought out of it by an alarm that blared from your cell phone. Looking down, you saw a reminder about a dinner set with your friend's for that evening. That’s when you realized that the both of you had been conversing with one another for the past 3 hours.
“Oh my god, it’s already about to be nighttime,” you exclaimed. Chris couldn’t believe it himself, the tête-à-tête extending longer than he imagined.
“How did so much time pass by?” he questioned.
“Time does fly by when in good company,” you teasingly state. You stand up and make your way to your desk and begin packing up your belongings. “As much as I’d love to continue this conversation, I have plans with some friends who would kill me if I missed them again.”
Chris got up and slowly made his way to the front of your desk. “It’s not a problem, I gotta head home, check in on Dodger.”
After collecting your things, the two of you made your way out of your office, making sure to lock up your workroom. Chris offered to walk you to your car, in hopes to prolong his time near you, which you gladly accepted.
You both silently made your way out of the department building, and made your way to the faculty parking lot where your car was stored. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. The two of you were just lost in thought, both secretly thinking about the other.
After a few moments, you finally reached your vehicle. “So this is me,” you hesitantly begin, not wanting the evening to end.
Chris was so captivated by you, Lindsey had completely dissipated from his mind, and in this moment he yearned for you to be in his life. “Would it be wrong to ask for your number?” he probed, his heart thumping in his chest so loud he was afraid that you might hear.
“No, not at all,” you responded, a soft smile etched on your face. Retrieving your phone, you unlocked it and handed it to the brunette to enter his contact information.
Handing your phone back to you, Chris felt his hand graze against yours. Suddenly filled with confidence, he leaned and pressed his lips against your cheek, causing you to gasp.
When he pulled back, he kept his face just centimeters from yours, locking his eyes with yours. Both of your breaths mix together due to the close proximity. You could make out the scent of mint from a piece of gum he chewed on earlier. Chris caught the scent of the green tea that you consumed before he arrived that afternoon.
The two of you stayed like that, staring at each other with longing. His stare started to become intimidating causing you to lower your head due to nervousness creeping up on you.
“I'll text you,” you meekly respond before reaching for your door. Chris being the gentleman that he is, beats you to it and opens it, allowing you to easily enter.
“I'll be waiting by the phone,” he adds before closing the entrance of your car. He waves a goodbye and watches as you safely leave the parking lot.
Leisurely taking his time, he makes his way over to his sedan with a smile so wide it starts to hurt his cheeks.
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The both of you arrived at your respective locations floating on cloud nine.
You entered your friend's home and they instantly could tell something was up due to your elated demeanor.
“So I met a guy,” you state, and immediately they crowd around you asking for all of the details.
You decided to keep his identity a secret, not wanting to jinx anything. Just informing them about how his mother set the whole thing up and how head over heels you were for the man.
Meanwhile, Chris got to his house, walked in and slumped against his front door in a daze. Scott, who was informed of their mother’s scheme, made his way over to his older brother. A smirk flew on his face when he saw how flustered Chris was. “So I’m guessing mom's blind date went well?”
Chris went into detail about everything he learned about you during your meeting. The younger Evans could tell how much of an impact (Y/N) had on him due to his brother's rambling.
He sat around in the living room, CNN playing on the flatscreen, phone clutched in his hand. Chris wasn't even paying attention to the news reports being broadcasted. He kept checking his phone every 30 seconds waiting for your message.
Scott assured him that you would respond by reminding him that you informed the man that you were hanging with friends.
An hour and thirteen minutes later, he had been keeping count while waiting, his phone pinged and the device almost dropped to the floor, due to how quickly he reached for it, and opened the incoming text.
Unknown number: Hey Chris, it's (Y/N). Sorry for the late response, I just finished dinner with my friends. I just wanted to say I had a really nice time talking to you today!
His heart skipped a beat once he read the message.
Chris: Not a problem. And me too. I haven't had such a great time in a while. I'm glad it was with you.
(Y/N): Same here, it was great getting to know you.
He sat there for a few moments trying to build up the courage to do what his heart was screaming at him to do.
Chris: I don't know if you're busy this weekend, but I would really like to get to know you more. Would you like to go on a date with me?
You were practically jumping for joy when reading his response. After composing yourself you sent in your response.
(Y/N): I'd love to. It's a date.
Chris: It's a date.
Chris relaxed against his couch, phone resting against his leg while he stared up at the ceiling. He had been single for so long. Trying to settle down, find someone to grow old with but it was never successful. He never felt the love for someone that he was supposed to. But meeting you changed his tune. All he thought about was developing a future with you. Doing whatever it takes to make you his.
The two of you went to bed that evening, promising each other to go over the details for your date in the morning. You both went to bed, blissfully falling asleep with the other on your mind. Thinking about what could be and how fortunate you were that fate decided to cause your paths to cross.
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A/N: don’t you love a good meet cute? sorry if this is kinda crap, i'm not the best at writing fluff i've come to realize, but i did enjoy writing this though! i hope you enjoyed reading it.
NEXT CHAPTER >>
if you enjoyed this, please make to reblog and comment, feedback is much appreciated!
* dividers credit to the lovely @firefly-graphics *
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nextdoorharry · 3 years
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imaaaaagine a world like that..can you?
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in which you and harry are exes, but still remain good friends when you’re always there for each other. both of you can’t help but reminisce…in your head.
a/n: super sorry i haven’t written in FOREVER!! been crazy busy with school (still am) and i will get back to the writing grind when i’m not as busy, with that being said this is just a quick thing i was thinking of. also, no hate to olivia and harry’s relationship at all. pr or not, both deserve respect and anything written in this piece is solely for writing purposes only. no hate will be tolerated toward an individual. we’re all human.
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it happened when you were on your way home from dinner with your friends. a call from harry. this wasn’t out of the ordinary for harry to call you, being exes and all. you both apologized after the breakup and agreed that you both couldn’t let 5 years of love, being close with each other’s families, and a pet cat all go to waste. you agreed upon being friends with him. still hang out here and there after the breakup, acting all platonic. you can’t help but have a glimmer of hope its a call wanting to start a relationship again.
“hello?” you said, one hand on the wheel, other holding your phone.
“hi love, sorry s’a bit late, was wondering if i can come over. it’s about olivia.” harry says. still sending you butterflies when he said the simple yet warming term of endearment. but once he said olivia, your heart dropped.
she’s beautiful, confident, and makes your harry happy from what the tabloids portray. the last time you and harry spoke was before he went off to LA, filming for don’t worry darling, a movie his new lover produced. still a few texts since then like “happy birthday!” “congrats on the grammy,” or “how’s the cat?” you two always saved catching up for in person. it was just your thing you kept during the 5 year relationship and after. it keeps things more meaningful at the time, rather than texting or quick phone calls.
“ah, olivia. isn’t she my replacement?” you teased while laughing. you hear a burst of giggles from the other end of the line. god you missed hearing that everyday.
harry on the other end of the line, heart aches a bit hearing you say that. no one could ever replace you. ever. you are so special to him. if only it wasn’t for his team making it difficult for him to ease down on touring for a bit for you. you asked for one thing from harry, which was to start settling down. you both were only getting older and the talks of marriage and kids were frequently becoming the topic of discussion with family. a year and some after the breakup, which happened to be during quarantine, where he had so much time on his hands without you, he reflected on what could’ve been and how stupid he was for letting you go. you were always so patient with him. going to his shows, god awful dinner parties with industry people, changing your work schedule just to fit into his. you asked for one thing. and instead of fighting for you with his team, he instead sided with them, and let you go.
teasing not dying down, harry goes, “someone keeps up with me in the tabloids, eh?”
it’s the fact that he’s not wrong. you remember that tabloid very well. when the first pictures of harry and olivia came out in an article titled, “harry styles and olivia wilde new romance? is y/n replaced?”
your heart was hurting.
“of course i am. keep having to make sure my name is finally out their mouths.” you joke. “i’ll be home in about 15 minutes if that’s okay?”
-
you pull into the driveway already seeing harry sitting on your porch chair. he waves at you and you get out of the car, walking up to him. he stands up and greets you with a bear hug.
“missed you, y’look nice. where’d ya head out to?” he asked, hoping and praying you weren’t out on a date looking like that. he knows you only wear a red lip when its date night. his mind filled with jealousy at the thought of you with someone else. whereas he has no right being there are pictures of him kissing, cuddling, and whispering to olivia on a yacht in italy. all for the cameras. his stomach turns. that was supposed to be you and him. on a yacht on italy. except leaving the display of affection for the bedroom.
“on a date” you say blatantly.
his heart drops. and lets you go from the hug. lying through his teeth he says, “ah really? happy for ya, you have to tell me about it, hope it was with a good bloke.” he says lightly.
“i’m kiddingg, was out for dinner with friends. mel got engaged by the way! was celebratory dinner for her.” you say, unlocking the door, letting harry in.
harry sighs in relief. “that’s good! m’happy for her, pass on my congratulations.” harry follows you into your kitchen, sitting down on the counter stool, watching you making his favorite “calm down” drink, loving that you remembered how he likes it. he didn’t even have to ask you to make it. you just know its what he needs right now. he can’t help but ponder that it should have been you. it should be your friends out for your celebratory dinner for your engagement with him.
you pass him his tea, knowing he’ll only take a few sips of it yet keep it in his hold for warmth. you were on the other side of the counter across from him, making a mini cheeseboard you two can snack on while talking.
“so..what happened?” you ask, heart not ready if you can handle what he’s about to say about his new lover.
“s’just so complicated. originally it was supposed to be a pr stunt for the movie. but now i don’t know how the pr team messed up so badly but they did. no one is really believing it. everything was executed poorly. it sucks because it’s her team conducting everything which means i barely have a say in it. i look like the bad guy being portrayed as a home wrecker, and she’s not doing anything about it! s’like she’s enjoying it. the kissing, the night outs, etc. she knows that if my team did have a say, it would have been over a while ago.” he breathes out. he’s been wanting to rant to someone for so long about this. he also just wants you to know that he’s not into her. it’s all for show. he’s still all about you. he wants to make that crystal clear.
you nod your head listening to everything he’s saying. body feeling uneasy filled with jealousy when harry says she’s enjoying the intimacy they have to do for show.
“well, did you talk to her about it? or talk to jeff at least? there has to be something he can do..?” you ask.
harry sighs, “i’ve tried so hard. jeff said nothing they can do about it. and he’s telling me not to mess with olivia because her team can do more damage than good with my name. not that s’already ruined.” harry rubs his face with his hands, feeling stressed.
the way he’s acting is familiar to you. early on in your relationship, when you two were a freshly new couple, you guys wanted to be completely private. during that time, with harry and the band’s album coming out, his management made him do pr stunts like these. he was as stressed as he is now. you were so new to dating something in an industry. he didn’t want to scare you away. but you understood. you get it. and you still get it as he’s speaking.
“hmm..if i can recall, back when you had to do a stunt with kendall on the yacht, m’pretty sure it was the same situation. with kendall’s team being difficult, your’s not having much of a say. do what i told you back then, stand your ground, harry. tell olivia like you did with kendall. also kendall’s team at the time played dirty, yet they still were understanding with you and got someone new for a stunt. olivia’s team will probably get someone new as well. and how badly can they ruin your rep? everyone knows you’re the nicest person who wouldn’t kill a fly. and tabloids are tabloids. would you rather have a few bad headlines about you or would you rather deal with a stunt for what? another year now? that you feel uncomfortable with?” you state. smiling a bit because you know harry knows your right, he’s smiling a bit too. he knows you love being right and debating, pulling out facts. that’s what you always did during an argument. which is why you were always right.
man. why couldn’t he stand his ground with his team. why didn’t he take your advice back then? he should’ve sided with you. not his team. why is he always so scared of them?
self-loathing, harry breathes out a laugh, “always have to be right don’t ya? you know what to say every damn time,”
“what can i say? the lady is always right.” you say, smiling proudly while cleaning up the remains of the cheeseboard you and harry snacked on.
“thanks y/n, really, i know i can always come to you with this stuff,” harry states. looking at you with his piercing eyes, meaning every word he said.
you smiled and nodded, cleaning the kitchen a bit. it started to pour early on when you guys were having a chat about his situation, hoping silently it would come down faster so harry has an excuse to stay, you offer nonetheless. “why don’t you stay back for a bit, hm? s’pouring out there, only gonna get worse. we can watch something?”
“love island?” harry suggests.
“thought you’d never ask.”
-
few gasps and scoffs at some of the islanders and their drama later, you slowly were drifted off to sleep. harry, sitting on the other sofa from you, peaks to see if you’re still watching. his face was in awe. he misses this. domestic nights with you, chatting away eating in the kitchen, then watching something afterwards. only difference is that you two are on different sofas. whereas before you’d be coddled under his embrace. he slowly drifts off to sleep as well. rain still going on, technically he can still go home. driving in the rain was never an issue for him. but he’ll always use an excuse just to be with you.
-
iMessage: Olivia Wilde
1:34 AM - I miss you, and our casual hookups. Can’t stop thinking about it.
that was one part harry left out of the story. he hooked up with her.
-
ahhhhh!!!! lmk if you guys want a part 2!!!
318 notes · View notes
asthmark · 4 years
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❝ 10 things i know about you ❞ l.jn
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synopsis → there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.
request → “if you're still accepting requests, can u make a domestic roommate!jeno? 🥺🥺 thank you and have a nice dayyy”
word count → 7.1k (bruhhh)
sharing an apartment with lee jeno isn’t ideal.
it’s not that he’s a lousy roommate or that you disliked him in any way; you just didn’t know him. you had first met through a mutual friend. they knew jeno was looking for someone to split rent with and that you happened to need a place to stay. they promised you he would give you privacy and assured jeno you were excellent roommate material. with that, arrangements were made and soon enough you moved in together. of course, it was a bit awkward at first but you two eventually got used to each other’s presence. although you were never in the same room for too long and oftentimes went days without speaking, you coexisted.
for a long time, you only knew a couple things about your roommate. for example, you were aware of his strong love for cats, especially his pet calico, seol. you also knew he kept the freezer stocked with pizza rolls that he would use as energy when he stayed up all night playing video games.
what you didn’t know, however, was that you would be spending the next couple months locked in your apartment with him. on top of that, you would begin to learn more things about him—his life, his personality, his feelings.
there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.
       1. he’s a heavy sleeper.
at 10:28 in the morning you find yourself seated at the dining table in the kitchen, spooning froot loops into your mouth. as you stuff your face, you scroll through your phone for entertainment. you decide to open instagram first but you quickly find that to be a mistake. as soon as you open the app a picture of lucas and who you thought was his ex-girlfriend greets you. if that was bad, the caption hits you like a ton of bricks.
@lucas_xx444: should have never left you
in only five words, lucas has completely erased the months you spent dating. it meant nothing to him. sure, things hadn’t ended things the best way but going right back to his toxic ex and even admitting to missing her—now that was a new low. was this his way of getting back at you? his way of making you hurt just like he had throughout your entire relationship? the thought alone leaves you feeling sick.
you decide you’ve already had enough social media for one morning so you decide to check your messages instead. your friends usually left a couple of them overnight. to your surprise, you find that your main group chat has accumulated 241 messages.
[10:48 am] you: good morning i see u guys have been vry chatty
[10:49 am] yeji: ur finally awake!
[10:50 am] yuna: we thought u died lol
[10:50 am] lia: YUNA
[10:50 am] lia: NO
[10:51 am] ryujin: the timing for that joke could not be worse
[10:52 am] yuna: humor is my coping mechanism leave me alone
[10:52 am] you: ??? what happened
[10:53 am] chaeryeong: we left msgs for a reason dummy read them!!
[10:53 am] you: umm there’s over 200 and im not abouta read all that
[10:54 am] yuna: well then lemme break it down
[10:54 am] yuna: the world is ending :)
[10:55 am] you: welp it was about time
[10:55 am] lia: why r u guys like this
[10:56 am] yeji: there’s been a covid-19 outbreak and it’s spreading like wildfire so the government issued a stay at home order :/
[10:57 am] you: omg WHAT
[10:57 am] ryujin: ikr it’s crazy we literally can’t go anywhere
[10:57 am] chaeryeong: and we can’t get boba today either ;( i was so looking forward to that
[10:58 am] ryujin: let’s pls take a moment of silence for all the current and future boba dates that will have to be cancelled
[10:59 am] yuna: no way am i gonna let some wannabe flu make me go boba-less i’m still going out >:(
[10:59 am] lia: ...ur joking right
[10:59 am] yeji: what color casket do u want yuna?
before the groupchat can distract you any further, you place your phone down on the table. you sit back in your chair and let the newly revealed information sink in.
you were stuck inside.
you sigh before standing to clean your dishes. as you’re scrubbing away at your bowl, you feel something brush against your leg. you smile, not even having to look down to know it was seol. the cat would often wander into your room or sleep next to you when you watched tv on the couch. in fact, you were pretty sure you spent more time with seol than his owner.
you gaze at jeno’s room. as always, the door is shut. you wonder if you should let him know what was happening. you two usually kept your distance but you figured that the circumstance you found yourself in was an exception. you quickly dry your hand and shuffle towards his room.
you knock once, quite softly. you assume he’s asleep so you try again, this time a little harder. still, no avail. the third time you put even more force into it. by this time, seol has found his way beside you and claws at the door.
“jeno?” you knock a fourth time. “jeno! lee jeno!”
after more shouting accompanied by incessant meowing, you hear some muffled movement. moments later the door knob twists open and there stands your roommate with disheveled hair and a robe that had obviously just been thrown on his body. seol has taken the open crack in the door as an invitation inside the bedroom.
jeno blinks a couple times as he watches the feline get himself comfortable on his bed. he turns back to you, looking slightly disoriented. you’re not sure if he’s half asleep or your sudden presence has thrown him for a loop. his voice comes out raspy when he asks, “was he, um, bothering you or something?”
you shake your head, vigorously. “that’s not why i came. it’s just that my friends told me that there’s been some kind of virus outbreak and we’re supposed to stay home. so, i thought i’d let you know.”
his face softens. “oh, cool.” suddenly, the look changes. “not the virus thing! that’s totally not cool. i meant, it’s cool that you let me know and stuff. you just saved me a huge freak out so, uh, thank you.”
you smile and nod. “no problem.”
jeno’s eyes linger as you retreat back into your room down the hall. the sound of his door shutting is heard only once you’re out of his eyesight.
   2.    he can cook better than you.
most of the time, you would go out to eat dinner with your friends in the evenings or at least stop by a drive thru. obviously, this was no longer possible in the midst of a pandemic. you found that to be incredibly frustrating as you sat on your bed, stomach empty. no matter how badly you wished to fix it, your laziness had gotten the best of you. apart from that, you already knew how unlucky you were when it came to cooking—the memory of burning noodles at lia’s house one night had been permanently seared into your brain.
you almost believe your mind is playing tricks on you when you catch a whiff of pasta in the air. for a moment you think it’s your next door neighbor, taeyong, cooking again. you knew he was quite the chef. but, the smell is getting stronger by the second and you decide it must be in your apartment.
you wander into the kitchen, only to find jeno standing over the stove. he’s stirring red sauce in a pot when he notices you watching him.
“oh, hey,” he greets with a polite wave.
you can only stare at the rest of the kitchen—pots, pans, and ingredients all over the place—in utter awe.
he chuckles, awkwardly. “yeah, sorry about the mess. i’ve been told i’m a decent cook but i can never seem to get the tidiness down.”  
“no, it’s not that. this just all seems so... professional.” you sniff the air once more. “smells amazing, too.”
he smiles, sheepishly. “thanks. are you a fan of spaghetti?”
you nod.
“good. i wanted to make something you’d like.”
“you really didn’t have to,” you say, leaning against the fridge. “i mean, i’ve never done anything for you.”
he uncovers a pot to check on the pasta. you watch as hot steam rises out of it. “what about this morning?”
you can’t help but laugh. “that most certainly does not count. you’re making an entire meal. that takes a lot of effort.”
he waves a hand, dismissively. “i used to cook a lot with my old roommate, doyoung. the guy was an asian gordon ramsey, i swear. so, yeah, this is nothing too crazy. and i really do enjoy it.”
“well, i’m still gonna repay you.” you fold your arms.
he looks away from his dish to raise a brow. “is that so?”
you nod in confirmation. “definitely.”
“tell you what, if you wash the mountain of dishes that are gonna be left over, we’ll be even.”
you stare at the sink that’s already overflowing with dirty kitchen tools. that wasn’t even half of it. “uh, sure, sounds good.”
he laughs at hearing the uncertainty in your voice. “that’s the spirit.”
   3.    he’s allergic to cats.
the familiar sound of soft purring is what pulls you attention away from the movie playing on your laptop. already knowing exactly who it is, you launch yourself off your bed to allow your furry guest inside.  
“hey seol. what’ve you been up to?”
the calico meows, almost as if he were responding to your question. you close your door and go back to your original position. you notice seol sitting directly in front of your bed, looking up at you with wide eyes.
“come on up.” you pat your sheets, invitingly.
he obeys and stretches before laying down beside you.
“have you ever watched ‘avengers’?” you ask, eyes going back to the explosive fight scene on the screen.
this time, seol doesn’t even bother humoring you with a meow. he stays silent with his head tucked into his paws.
you scratch his head and his tail wiggles. “i’ve gotta stop asking you questions.”
both you and seol’s heads snap towards the door when you hear a knock.
“come in!” you call out.  
jeno swings open the door. his eyes briefly scan the room before landing on the furball on your bed. the unmistakable look of adoration shines in his eyes when he sees how lovingly you caress him.
“seol! what are you doing in here? bothering y/n?” the cat jumps off your bed and towards his owner standing in your doorway. jeno scoops him into his arms and faces you. “i’m so sorry. he saw me running a bath for him and bolted.”
“it’s all good. he’s a great movie buddy. besides, i could always use the company.”
jeno curiously glances at your computer screen. “is that ‘avengers’?”
“yep. i’ve seen it like a dozen times.”
“same here.“ he pauses. “hey, if you ever need a movie buddy—like you know, one that talks—just let me know.”
your face lights up. “i’m gonna hold you to that.”
”i hope so. well, if you’ll excuse me, i’ve gotta give this guy a bath.”
seol yowls as if he understands the meaning behind the words and attempts to escape jeno’s grip.    
“here we go again,” he mumbles under his breath.
you snicker at the sight. “looks like you could use some help.”
“oh, no. it’s fine. he can just be a little bratty someti—seol!”
in the blink of an eye, the feline has successfully hopped out of his arms and made a run for it.
jeno gives you an exasperated look before rushing off to catch his runway pet. you find yourself caught up in the excitement so you follow him, the two of you now in pursuit of the calico. you’re sure the image of you both chasing the fluffy animal around the apartment looks like something straight out of a comedy. even you and jeno can’t contain your laughter when he finally catches seol only for him to slip out of his hold a second later. this exact situation repeats itself a couple times before you finally get lucky.
“i got him!” you screech. “jeno! oh my god! what do i do?”
“bathroom, bathroom, bathroom!” he chants in response.
you head in that direction with jeno trailing behind you, ready to catch seol if he somehow manages to get out of your death grip. you bend over the bathtub, slowly lowering the cat into the water. it’s clear he doesn’t have a problem with making a fuss as he wails and flails his limbs around.
after a while, he finally calms down enough that you can lather him in shampoo. jeno insists on scrubbing him, arguing that you had already done way too much. you sit back on your heels, observing the way the seol leans into his delicate touches.
“looks like he likes it now.”
“he likes to make a big deal but he ends up enjoying it every—“ jeno cuts himself off with a sneeze.
“tissue?” you offer.
he shakes his head. “that’s okay, thanks. i’m used to it. i’m just surprised my allergies haven’t acted up ‘til now.”
“allergies?” you echo.
“yeah, i’m allergic to—“ another sneeze. “cats.”
your eyes widen. “really? and you still have seol?”
“i could never get rid of him. he’s too good of a boy. isn’t—“ sneeze. “that right?” he tickles seol under his chin.
“wow. you must really love him.”
“so much.”
“he’s lucky to have you.”
“what about you? you get both of us. doesn’t that make you the luckiest?”
you snort. “i guess it does.”
   4.    he makes a good shopping buddy.
“i have officially cooked everything we have.”
“i can order some takeout, if you want?”
he juts his lower lip out and gives you puppy eyes. “but i like to cook for you.”
you laugh at his expression. “oh god, you look like that one pouty emoji people use when they try to be cute.”
he sits up. “did it work?”
you nod and pinch his cheek.
he yelps. “ah, stop! you’re acting like my grandma!” he manages to get out of your grasp. he rubs his face, soothing the spots you had squeezed. “seriously, though, we really do need to stock up on food.”
“i’ve already been looking into it.” you show him the screen of your phone. “says here you can still go shopping as long as you wear a mask and try to stay six feet away from other shoppers.”
he cringes. “i don’t know if i like the idea of being so close to so many people.”
“i can go by myself, then,” you suggest with a shrug.
he doesn’t hesitate to deny you. “no way are you going alone.” his possessive tone has you staring at him curiously so he adds, “you know, in case you can’t reach something on the top shelf.”
the teasing comment paired with his innocent smile makes you gasp in disbelief. “lee jeno! that’s low! and to think i almost thought you were worried about me.”
“who said i wasn’t?” he smiles at you again before standing up. “i’m going to find us some masks and then we can head out.”  
once you arrive at your local grocery store, you find it to be packed. everyone seems to be in a hurry, grabbing things left and right.
“wow, it’s already gotten crazy,” jeno mumbles, stopping to stare at the flood of people that rush by.
you don’t hesitate to scold him. “well, don’t just stand there! we gotta get our stuff before there’s nothing left!”
without another word you slip into the frenzy of people. jeno struggles to stay behind you. after almost losing sight of you a couple times, he walks a little faster to catch up and places his arm firmly around your waist once he does. you look up at him, your mask covering your slightly agape mouth.
being the gentleman he is, he apologizes. “sorry but i don’t want us to get separated.”
you can only nod and mumble, “good idea.”
jeno pushes the shopping cart with his right hand and holds your figure with his left. once in a while, you’ll break apart from each other to grab an item you need but once it’s in the cart, he’ll make sure you end up in the same position. after an hour or so, you’ve grabbed enough and you decide it’s time to pay.
despite the mask she has on, you can tell the middle-aged woman behind the cash register has a big smile on her face once she catches sight of you and your roommate.
“well, just look at you two.” she sighs. “how cute.”
“oh.” you glance at her then jeno then her again. “oh, no. it’s not like that.”
you attempt to move yourself away from jeno only to find his grip to be so incredibly strong that you almost begin to think he’s trying to hold you in place. once you finally detach yourself from him, you begin loading your groceries onto the counter for the employee to scan. she does so, but not before giving you a displeased look.  
“oh really? he holds you like that because you aren’t together?”
jeno assists her in placing the scanned items in bags. “i didn’t want to lose her.”
she pauses scanning a can of tuna to stare him down. “darling, that sounds like a line from a cheesy hallmark rom-com.”
you can’t help but chuckle. “what he means is that there’s a lot of people here and we didn’t want to get separated.”
jeno adds, “desperate times calls for desperate measures.”
the woman adjusts her glasses. “well, you do certainly seem desperate to have her close to you.”
jeno doesn’t say a word as he continues bagging but his smile reaches his eyes.
   5.    he works out.
why did the pandemic have to hit in the middle of summer?
you often asked yourself this, complaining about how inconvenient it was. especially on the days that made your apartment feel like it was on fire. the days that required a thin tank top and shorts. even then, you found yourself to be drenched in sweat.
you sprawled your arms and legs farther on the sofa, the leather material proving to be very uncomfortable. it was either that or your bed with the warm cotton sheets that stuck to your body. just thinking about it brings you discomfort. the only relief you could think of was a cold shower. you would have already taken one if jeno hadn’t been hogging the one bathroom in the apartment.
“jeno!” you yell.
silence; other than the sound of the water running.
“lee jeno!”
the water stops, temporarily for him to shout back an answer. “what?!”
you wipe at the sweat that has accumulated on the bridge of your nose. “hurry up! i’m melting!”
the water starts back up again and you groan. hoping to distract yourself, you pull out your phone. the group chat with your friends is surprisingly silent so you go to instagram for some entertainment. this time, your ex-boyfriend’s post isn’t the first thing you see. it takes you some scrolling but you do end up seeing another one of his pictures.
it’s simply two intertwined hands with a black and white filter. you identify the one on the left as his and although you aren’t as familiar with the one on the right, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who it belongs to. contrary to the last, this photo has no cheesy words for a caption, just a red heart.  
but, your stomach doesn’t drop. you don’t feel hurt, either. obviously, you still don’t enjoy seeing him just because of all the awful memories that came with it but other than that, you feel unaffected by the image.
in fact, you feel so confident in yourself that you block him.
you’re surprised you hadn’t done it sooner. you had known you didn’t need him in your life any longer so why keep in contact? you feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders when you press the red button that would keep him and his girlfriend out of your life. you knew with your whole heart that you didn’t need to see either of them.
before, a bit if you had felt the need to keep an eye on him. to see how he was handling the breakup and torture yourself with the fact that he didn’t seem to care. now, you could say you truly didn’t either. you didn’t need him or his stupid pictures. you had other, better things.
your friends.
your cat (yes, you considered seol to be yours).
your roommate.
you had to admit, jeno was the best thing on that list. quarantine had brought you and him significantly closer and you were over the moon about it. he was so wonderful that you kicked yourself for having lived with him for so long without ever really getting to know him. but it was easy to say you two were making up for lost time seeing as you spent every waking moment together. the record long showers jeno took being an exception, of course.
the moment the door to the bathroom opens, you rush into your room and quickly grab an oversized t-shirt and loose pajama pants to change into after your shower. you nearly drop them when you’re met with jeno’s soaking figure in the hallway.
his hair is damp and you can clearly see how long it had become. his skin looks healthy and moisturized, lotion among other skin care products had probably been applied. what really has you in a shock is the fact that the towel barely hangs below his waist. the droplets of water that fall from his hair and down his neck trail down his chest and toned torso towards the only area he has bothered to cover up. his bulky arms are also slightly wet, his veins popping noticeably. he shakes his head in an attempt to rid his hair of any water. then he runs his fingers through it, his muscles flexing ever so slightly as he does so.
“dude!” you exclaim, without a second thought. “you’re ripped!”
he smiles, his round cheeks growing at the unexpected praise. the way he could have such a rugged body but soft-featured face puzzled you to no extent. “thank you. i lift sometimes.”
“sometimes?” you repeat. “don’t be so humble! you’re basically hercules!”
he clicks his tongue. “ah, c’mon. i’m just an athletic person.”
you keep admiring his physique. “clearly.”
“oh god,” he groans, obviously flustered. “you’re looking at me like you’re gonna eat me or something.”
you hold yourself back from making a less than appropriate innuendo. “no comment.”
his eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. “quarantine is really making you go crazy.”
you point a finger at him. “you try being stuck inside with your hot roommate!”
“trust me, y/n, i know all about hot roommates.”
you tilt your head, acting purposefully oblivious. “are you talking about doyoung?”
“what? no i—“ he sighs. “you know what, just take your shower.”
   6.    you can’t say no to him.
jeno ruffles his black locks with his hand and frowns.
you give him a disappointed look. “knock it off, you’re gonna get dandruff in your soup.”
he ignores your comment. “i look like a hobo.”
you pause, spoon halfway to your mouth. “this i know.”
“y/n, this is serious!”
“okay, okay. what’s the issue?”
“i already told you! i’m a bum!”
“you? a bum?” you pause to think about it. “i mean, mentally? maybe. but physically? no.”
“my hair, though. it’s so long.” he grabs a strand of it and pulls it to emphasize his point.
you shrug. “if having lots of hair is the standard for being a bum, i think most of the population is.”
“i want to cut it,” he announces.
“you should,” you say, pointing your spoon at him. “wanna know why? because if you mess up, no one will ever know. other than me, of course. but if you pay me enough i’ll let you forget it.”
he smiles at the joke for a moment before he leans forward and his face goes serious. “will you help me?”
“what? no way. i’ll mess up. and it’s only funny if you do it.”
he pouts. “please?”
you stir your soup around. “just watch some youtube videos. after three, you’re automatically a professional.”
“i want you.”
the statement has your neck snapping up from your bowl to him. the smug grin on his face lets you know that he was well aware of the double meaning behind his words. it was clear he was trying to fluster you enough to get a yes.
“you think you’re flirty enough to straight up brainwash me into doing stuff?”
“well, i wanted to say that to you anyway but... kind of?”
you feel a smile creep onto your lips at hearing the genuine tone in his voice. you down your last few spoonfuls of soup and quickly stand up. jeno looks up at you, eyes hopeful.
“finish your dinner. get the scissors. meet me in the bathroom.”
not even ten minutes later, jeno practically dances into the bathroom, a pair of red craft scissors in his hand. he sits on top of the toilet lid, figuring that’d be the easiest way for you to reach him. you walk in moments later.
“i’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be using these types of scissors for hair,” he mumbles as he hands you the sharp utensil.
you twirl them in your hand. “oh, definitely not. do you want to wait then?”
he shakes his head, his shaggy bangs swaying with the movement.  
“alright, let’s get this going then.” you thread your hands through his thick locks to collect some of it in between two of your fingers. you bring the scissors forward and snip the small amount just to test the waters.
you slowly begin to get more comfortable and once you feel like you’re in your element, things begin to speed up. you move and cut faster but with efficiency. you do the spots on the back of his head and work your way forward. when it finally comes time to touch up his bangs, your small bathroom proves to be an inadequate spot to be doing this.
you end up standing balanced inches above jeno’s thighs that he’s pressed together tightly in an attempt to give you more room. you’re constantly readjusting your stance and when he notices, his hands go to your hips. you know he’s just trying to help you stay upright so you do a decent job but you still inhale sharply at the feeling of his hands on you.
not long after, you’re standing next to jeno as he inspects himself in the mirror. his fingers flick his newly shortened bangs around.
“not bad.” he tilts his head in a new angle and nods. “looks super good to me.”
you tuck the scissors into your back pocket with a relieved sigh. “oh thank god. i didn’t want to tell you before we started but i only watched two youtube tutorials on trimming hair.”
he runs a hand through his hair with a chuckle. “now that’s truly worthy of praise. and a tip.”
you raise a brow. “oh yeah? what’s th—“
he cuts you off by pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. he pulls back and drags his thumb over the skin that has come into contact with his lips. “thanks again.” with that, he leaves you standing in the bathroom, eyes wide and face warm.
   7.    he has six best friends.
“can i borrow your laptop?” asks jeno, from outside your door, nearly breathless.
you look up from your book. “uh yeah, sure.”
he rushes in your room and takes the item off of your dresser. “do you happen to have zoom on it?”
you shake your head and he groans. without another word, he disappears, running off into the living room. you hear his frustrated sighs as the minutes pass and he attempts to download the application. you finally decide to go check it out once it becomes too much to bear.
“it sounds like you’re in pain over here,” you comment.
he runs a hand through his hair. “i’m supposed to meet with my friends through a zoom call but it’s so complicated.”
you put a hand on your hip. “bet you five bucks i’ll be able to get it in five minutes.”
“are you kidding? i might be technologically challenged but i’m not stupid. i know you can do it fast, just help me out already, would you?”
“alright, grandpa.”
you type and click away at the screen, jeno watching you do so, entranced but equally as lost.
“well, i was wrong,” you say after a couple moments, leaning back in your chair.
“you couldn’t get it?” asks jeno, worriedly.
“no, it’s not that.” you click something on the screen and the app opens. “turns out i could do it in three.”
he rolls his eyes and shoos you out of the chair. he sits down and enters the code and password for the zoom meeting. it takes a minute, but he finally connects. you count six other people in the call. they all immediately cheer at seeing jeno and you hear them excitedly exclaim his name.
“hey guys,” he says, a smile already reaching his eyes. “it’s so good to see your faces.”
they all nod to agree. you get a good look at each one of them and realize they’re all boys. your eyes read over each of their display names.
mark me in ur heart
hyuckie~~~
moomin enthusiast
nananananana
chnele
lil huddy
“nice name, jeno,” ‘moomin enthusiast’ guy comments, snickering slightly. “glad to see you finally came to terms with it.”
‘jenojam’, his name reads. the rest of the group laughs, also teasing him about it. you assume it’s some kind of inside joke.
the self proclaimed ‘lil huddy’ furrows his eyebrows. “wait, did you choose that name yourself?”
jeno simply nods in response.
he glares into the camera. “donghyuck, you told me i had to put this as my name or else it wouldn’t let me connect!”
donghyuck—or ‘hyuckie~~~’, you presume—shrugs. “oops. guess i was wrong.”
you laugh at the humorous exchange. it seems like the sound has drawn some attention to you when ‘nananananana’ speaks up, eyes trained on you.
“um jeno? don’t you want to introduce your guest?”
jeno beams, dragging you closer into the frame. “i’m sure you all know about my roommate. say hi, y/n.” 
you do so, waving and smiling politely at the group.
“you know, even though we used to always hang at jeno’s, i don’t think we’ve ever actually seen your face,” ‘chnele’ says, tilting his head.
you agree. “me neither. i’ve mostly just heard you guys.”
the ‘mark me in your heart’ boy sheepishly rubs his neck. “sorry. we tend to be a little loud.”
‘chnele’ lets out a high pitched screech of a laugh. “only a little?”
“i recognize that laugh!” you blurt. “i would hear it all the time!”
”that’s our little dolphin,” coos ‘hyuckie~~~’.
“oh god, stop. i hate that stupid nickname.”
“it’s well deserved.”
“i think you should apologize to y/n for being a nightmare to her eardrums.”
“and ours, for that matter.”
“what about all your little freestyles? i’ve had to sit through hundreds of them and i never got an apology!”
“because they’re not bad! could you do any better?”
“you’re a soundcloud rapper, i think anyone could.”
jeno turns to you as the bickering on screen gets louder and louder. “this is gonna be a long call.”
once the group has moved on from roasting the life out of each other, you’re able to engage in some good-natured conversation. jeno teaches you the names and the other basics about the group. some points that stand out about the group is that mark is the oldest, renjun specializes in contemporary dance, jaemin inhales six cups of coffee on the daily, and chenle is insanely rich.
“what about jeno?” you ask them. “anything i should know about him?”
“he’s allergic to cats but the idiot still adopted—“
“she already knows about that, renjun,” jeno chuckles.
“oh. well. that’s pretty much the only interesting thing about him.”
jisung pipes up. “oh wait! he works out religiously too!”
you and jeno share a look. you burst into laughter and he simply glances away, slightly embarrassed. “oh yeah, i know that all too well.”
“and what about the unhealthy cooking obsession?”
you nod at mark’s question. “that too. he cooks dinner almost every night around here.”
renjun purses his lips. “he already cooks for you? wow. he must really like you.”
“you think?” jaemin asks. “didn’t you read any of the messages in the group chat? he’s practically in love with her. his words, not mi—“
“okay! i think it’s time for us to go! bye guys!” jeno doesn’t even give you a chance to say your own goodbye before he’s clicking the ‘end call’ button in the bottom right corner.
you give him a confused look. “what was that all about?”
“they’re crazy.” he laughs. “well, if you need me i’ll be in my room screaming into my pillow for the next couple hours.” he dashes off leaving you standing alone, trying to comprehend what had happened.
   8.    he‘s a great listener.
jeno has officially replaced seol as your movie buddy, not that you have a problem with it. you thought it was nice to have someone you could actually converse with but of course, you make sure seol still sits in.
“what i’m saying is that iron man just wants to protect his team.”
“well, if they sign the accords, they basically surrender themselves to the government.”
“and?”
“you don’t see a problem with that? see, captain america knows what he’s doing. he’s literally an avenger—“
“so is iron man!”
“let me finish! so, he’s an avenger, right? he has the best judgment because he’s saved the world countless times. he knows how to operate his team and do the right thing.”
“okay but there’s casualties. and that’s what iron man is trying to fix.”
“how do you save the world and not have casualties?”
“you just—“ your phone rings mid argument and you raise your finger towards jeno. “this isn’t over.” you put the phone to your ear, not bothering to check the caller id. “hello?”
“sweetheart?”
you feel a chill go up your spine. was it him? no, it couldn’t be. you had blocked his number shortly after you did so on all your social media.
“baby, don’t be so shy. i know you’re there.”
you can’t hold back. “please don’t call me that.”
he chuckles, breathlessly. “oh, c’mon. you used to love it. you still do.”
“no, i don’t. actually, i don’t want to hear your stupid pet names or stupid voice or see any of your stupid posts. just go bother your girlfriend and leave me alone.”
you notice jeno perk up beside you out of the corner of your eye. he must have been caught off guard by your irritated tone.
as always, lucas is unaffected by you. “i’m being nice and giving you a second chance. i even called you behind soyeon’s back.”
“is that something i’m supposed to reward you for?” you scoff. “congratulations, you’re now awful, toxic, and a cheater.”
he growls. the sound was familiar. in your relationship, if you heard it you knew he was going to snap at you until he had the satisfaction of making you cry. “i know you miss me so don’t say things you’re going to regret later. because even when you’re back in my arms, i won’t let you forget it.”
the thought of being back with him made you feel icky. but the fact that he sincerely thought you would crawl back to him set your entire body on fire. “are you joking? i was always aware of the fact that you treated me like the dirt you walked on but do you seriously think that lowly of me?”
you’re rendered speechless and apparently, so is he because the other line stays silent.
“i wouldn’t go back to you if you were the last person on earth,” you spit. “you treated me horribly, wong yukhei. i won’t ever forget it. move on. i have.”
you glance at jeno, his expression more serious than you’ve ever seen it. his eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are trained on your cellphone. the glare he gives the device is so strong you wouldn’t be surprised if even lucas could feel it, wherever he was.
you hang up and block the number, wishing to never talk to him again. you toss your phone onto the sofa with an exasperated sigh. you find jeno’s gaze to still be focused intensely on it.  
“if you gave lucas that look, i’m pretty sure he’d cry.”
he breaks his concentration, eyes going to you instead. his entire face softens. “all i’m going to say is he better pray we never cross paths.”
“well, if you happen to, call me up. i wouldn’t mind helping you beat the crap out of him.”
jeno chuckles for a second then lowers his voice to a whisper. “he was really bad to you, huh?”
you nod. “he messed me up. i hate to admit it ‘cause i know i was stupid to stay with him for as long as i did.”
your roommate shakes his head. “don’t say that. it’s not your fault he messed up the best thing that would ever happen to him.”
“i thought i was the problem for so long, jeno. i was so blinded by love. then, i realized there was no way he truly cared for me when he treated me like i had no heart to be broken.”
jeno scoots towards you and rubs soothing circles into your arm. “you have such a big heart. and i can’t tell you how sorry i am that he took advantage of that. i’m sorry that you were stuck with someone so insecure and ignorant. please, don’t think about him anymore.”
you hold in your tears. you refused to cry over someone like lucas. “i know. i try so hard not to.”
jeno holds your head into his chest. his arms are placed securely on your back. “oh, baby.”
when jeno uses this pet name on you, it feels so completely different from lucas. you could tell me meant it. he wasn’t using it to make you stay a little longer, to assure you he loved you. strangely enough, you do not need to be convinced of that. you feel like you have known it for a long time.  
   9.    he likes to be the big spoon.
you’re not sure how he’s done it but you end up falling asleep in jeno’s arms. you assume it had been so long since you had been cradled and rocked so delicately that the foreign yet extremely delightful sensation knocked you right out. even seol is deep in sleep, laying down peacefully at your feet.  
you relish in the feeling of jeno pressed right into your back. he fits so perfectly against you that it reminds you of a puzzle piece. to be exact, the moment when you connect the last two pieces and the full picture becomes complete. that was how you felt—complete.
with jeno’s soft breaths tickling the back of your neck and his soft snores filling your ear, you know there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. his arm that is wrapped around you makes sure you can’t escape his embrace. you are positive that even if you had the liberty of doing so, you would stay exactly where you were.
you lean farther back into your pillow, closing your eyes. you let every thought fade away as you try to fall back asleep as soon as possible. you wanted the moment you found yourself in to last as long as possible.
   10.    he has feelings for you.
jeno mumbles sweet nothings into your ear as he toys with your hair.
it just seemed right to him. like something he was meant to do with you. he had seen these types of things in films and shows before. it was intimate and touching, the scenes were always meant to tug at the audience’s heart strings and show how in love the two characters were. perhaps, even though you lay asleep in his arms, he wants you to finally know.
“honestly, being inside with you all the time is kind of the best. i know the whole virus situation is less than ideal but being able to spend so much time with you... that’s all i could ask for.” he pauses. “isn’t it so crazy how before this we were all weird and awkward around each other? well, i guess we still kind of are. that’s mostly my fault so... sorry. i just don’t know how to act around you sometimes. we’re barely getting close and i’m already this attached to you. as jisung would so kindly say, ‘i’m simping’.” he chuckles to himself. “all jokes aside, i really do like you. ever since you moved in here all cute and nervous, you’ve taken your own little place in my heart, as cheesy as it sounds. and these past few weeks, you just keep on taking up more and more room in there. not that i have a problem with it. i just...” he stops as if he doesn’t know how else to express his feelings. “really, really like you.”
“thanks.”
you feel him jolt then abruptly stop stroking your hair. there’s silence until he asks, “you don’t happen to be a sleep talker, do you?”
you shake your head.
“and did you hear like, a lot of what i said?”
“only the important stuff. like how awkward you are and how much you like me.”
“o-oh.”
“but don’t worry. it’s mutual.”
you feel his relieved breath hit the skin of your neck. “that’s the best thing i’ve heard all day.”
you tilt your head back and stare at him, confused. “what, did you seriously think i wasn’t into you?”
he shrugs. “i was too busy simping, i guess.”
you can’t contain your laughter at the use of the slang. “park jisung would not be proud.”   
4K notes · View notes
myherowritings · 4 years
Text
hearts intertwined | t.s.
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— You and Todoroki have been roommates for months now but have barely had more than a two minute conversation. When quarantine hits and everyone is on lockdown, you find yourself forced to spend more time with him and actually end up...enjoying it? 
pairing: todoroki shouto x reader word count: 3,055 genre: roommate au, pro hero!shouto, fluff warnings: suggestive content, 16+, mc and todo are both mid-20s
a/n: this is written as part of the crackhead sanctuary’s server collab! (pls excuse my server name lmfdkgfdg i have terrible naming skillz) i hope y’all enjoy and pls lmk what u think!! xx sof
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In many ways, Todoroki Shouto was the perfect roommate. 
He cleaned up after himself, always made an extra serving of food and set it aside for you (though it may only have been because he sucked at measuring out ingredients rather than him intentionally planning on leaving you leftovers), and generally kept his volume to a minimum when entering the apartment at ungodly hours of the night. 
There was also the fact that he was the most attractive person you had ever shared a living space with in your life, and seeing him shirtless on his way to his bedroom from the bathroom was a definite bonus.
But despite all that, he was never someone you considered yourself close to.
You needed help paying for rent and expenses and he happened to be a friend of a friend of a friend who was looking for a place in the city to stay. Call it a divine intervention, a gift from the gods, or even fate… But you still wouldn’t consider yourself his friend.
It wasn’t as if you didn’t want to befriend him--Todoroki seemed like a sweet person. It was more along the lines of neither of you having the time. While you spent most of your day in the lab studying and doing research, Todoroki was always working in his office or out in the field to fulfill his new hero duties. 
This quarantine was probably the first opportunity either of you had to be in the same building for more than thirty minutes at a time. Which was why, as the two of you sat side-by-side on the living room sofa, no one knew exactly what to say.
“So, the weather--”
“Looks warm out--”
Both of you opened your mouths and shut them at the same time.
“Sorry,” Todoroki said with a small smile. “You first.”
“I-- Oh… It was nothing,” you managed, clearing your throat in an attempt to compose yourself. “Just trying to make some small talk.”
With a tight-lipped smile and wide eyes, you slowly craned your head away from his view. Who admits they’re trying to make small talk? That breaks all the rules of how to properly talk to someone.
The faint sound of the television playing old infomercials buzzed in the background while you and your roommate sat in silence. You never struggled to talk to him during those brief moments of passing, so why now? 
Looking at the screen to pass time, you noticed an outdated commercial of an older Tamagotchi game playing and felt yourself breaking out into a grin.
“Aw, I miss that game!” you cried as you turned to Todoroki with an excited glint in your eye. “Don’t tell anyone, but in elementary school I used to play it in class and since I was such a goody two-shoes, the teacher never suspected a thing.”
He raised an eyebrow in response. “I see we have ourselves a rebel in disguise here.”
“It’s our little secret, though. To everyone else, I am the epitome of innocence.”
You couldn’t help but notice the way his gaze travelled down your body and lingered on where the fabric of your oversized pajama shirt stopped and the expanse of your thigh started. 
“Sure. I believe you,” he said in what was almost a teasing tone. 
You felt your face growing hot but you paid it no mind. 
“As you should,” you sniffed, crossing one leg over the other haughtily. When he chuckled, you turned back to him. “How about you? Are you a secret bad boy who played with his Tamagotchi in the back of class?”
Todoroki shook his head. “I never had one. I actually never even knew what it was until high school, I think.” 
“Really?” Your eyes widened. Sure, the hand-held game was marketed to girls, but to never have heard about it through your whole childhood? You weren’t sure how that was possible. “Not even your older sister had one?”
Now, you didn’t know much about his personal life (whether or not he was dating someone, if he slept on the left or the right side of the bed, which leg he put in his pants first, et cetera), but you did pick up on a few things about his siblings from the previous interactions you’ve had with him.
“Not to my knowledge,” he said, looking away thoughtfully. “My father never afforded us such luxuries.” 
You frowned. “What about toys like Pokemon? Oh! Or Yu-Gi-Oh cards?”
“Yu-Gi-Oh cards?” repeated Todoroki slowly, as if he was unsure what you were talking about.
Your jaw dropped in disbelief. “You never played--? Oh, never mind. How about family games like Twister or Just Dance?” 
As far as you were aware, Todoroki Shouto came from a rather affluent family. So it was a wonder why he never participated in at least one of these experiences that characterized a whole generation’s childhood.
Again, he shook his head. “Never did those either. I wasn’t exactly allowed to play with my siblings, let alone other kids my age. My father always made me prioritize my training.” 
“That’s not right of him.”
You winced. Of course he never had the opportunity to have a “normal” childhood. How could you be so insensitive? It was no secret Endeavor had a troubled relationship with his family, but you weren’t exactly sure to what extent. You didn’t focus much on the whimsical world of heroes and, ever since you were a child, you know you wanted to pursue the field of research rather than use your quirk. The lives of heroes--even top ranking ones--was something you never paid much attention to. Still, even you have heard some gossip about the estranged Endeavor. 
“Sorry for pressing you,” you said, toying with the hem of your shirt. “I didn’t mean to be so insensitive.”
He gave you a nonchalant shrug and a small smile to let you know it was okay.
“Don’t worry about it, Y/L/N. You didn’t mean to,” he comforted. “Besides, it’s been a long time. It would be useless to hold a grudge against my father for this long.”
You tilted your head to the side. “Forgiveness, huh? That’s very mature of you, Todoroki. I think I admire you.”
His shoulders moved upward in silent laughter. “Thank you. I admire you, too.” 
Ignoring the faint heat you felt in your cheeks, you beamed. “Thanks. Anyway-- You know what I just realized?”
“What?”
“You did not have a childhood.”
While his face remained passive, you could have sworn you saw his eye crinkle in amusement.
“I suppose I can’t argue with that,” he said in agreement. “My youth was spent quite differently than most.”
You nodded profusely. “Right. And while I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with that, per se, it could be beneficial to do these things you haven’t had the chance to!”
He examined you curiously as you bounced up from your seat on the sofa with an excited grin. After a few moments of silence, he craned his neck, prompting you for clarification.
“You’re bored on lockdown, I’m bored on lockdown,” you stated matter-of-factly. “What better time to reclaim your childhood than now?”
Todoroki didn’t bother to hide the small smile making its way across his face at your determined words. “Okay, then. Count me in.”
- - - - -
When you decided you wanted to help your new friend Todoroki reclaim his childhood, you expected your days to be full of cute Beanie Babies and Webkinz, as well as the presumed amounts of chaos that followed edible bubbles and candy kits. And while the first few days of the week consisted of that, the tone changed rather drastically when a certain game was introduced. Of all things, what you expected least was to be practically panting on top of Shouto as you braced your muscles and tried not to collapse onto him.
“Left hand, blue,” he called after flicking the spinner. 
How he managed to turn the spinner with one hand and keep his body balanced with the other on a Twister mat without toppling over was a mystery to you.
Stupid heroes with their stupid, bulging muscles, you thought crossly as you relived your many previous losses. You tried to ignore the bead of sweat dripping down your face as you struggled to stay up. 
Somehow, you turned your head just enough that you had the perfect view of Todoroki’s flexed triceps as he held himself in a modified pushup position of sorts. There was a look of concentration on his face and, while you found his furrowed brows to be rather cute, you still couldn’t help but focus your attention on his arms. He had a lean type of muscle that you thought would feel especially comfortable wrapped around your waist-- 
“Y/L/N, do you forfeit?” 
You blinked, feeling lightheaded both from this game which you lacked the stamina for and from the lack of oxygen that travelled to your brain as you held your breath while staring at Todoroki. 
Once your mind processed his words, you huffed. “Forfeit! Me? Never! Why would you think that?”
“Because I called ‘left hand, blue,’ minutes ago and you still haven’t moved.” 
Blood rushed to your face and you were thankful you had the exertion to blame it on. It wasn’t your fault Todoroki’s arms were so toned and strong and...distracting.
“No,” you said, unsure if there was even a question asked for you to reply to. “I don’t quit!”
Your eyes scanned the mat feverishly, looking for a blue circle to place your left hand on that would cause the least amount of strain. Shouto had already won the first two rounds and you’d be damned if you were to let him win again. (As much as you loved witnessing him succeed, your pride would simply be too hurt if you lost a third time in a row.) 
“Find a spot yet?” he asked in amusement. “I’m not sure how much longer my arms can hold.”
Of course, just the mention of his arms drew your attention from finding the optimal Twister position to staring stupidly at his triceps again.
As you attempted to tear your gaze away from him, you spotted hints of a smirk lingering on Todoroki’s face.
Did he notice your staring? There was no way… 
You looked at him, wide-eyed and dubious, and almost choked when you saw his shoulders start to shake as he tried to hide his laughter.
His laugh was muffled by his shirt in an attempt to keep his volume down, but it still rang rich and deep in the air. It was the first time you heard him laugh like that and you wanted to do anything to hear it again. 
With a shake of his head, he removed his hands from their spot on the Twister board and sat upright beside you.
“I concede,” he said when he saw you eyeing him with curiosity. “You win this round. My arms were getting too sore.”
After hearing the sweet sound of Todoroki saying, “You win,” you let yourself collapse on the floor, rolling onto your back to get a clear view of your cream-colored ceiling.
“For some reason, I sincerely doubt that your arms were getting sore,” you said, stretching your own--genuinely sore--arms out in front of you. “But seeing as I was about to fall flat on my face if I waited any longer… Thank you for conceding.” 
“Doubt I’d be sore?” he repeated, craning his neck to peer down at your face. He placed his left hand on his right bicep and gently massaged it with his thumb and forefinger. “What for?” 
By then, whatever rational thought was left in your brain had been fully replaced by Shouto’s arms and Shouto’s arms only, and you couldn’t even complain. 
“Mmm, what did you say again?” You blinked, clearing your throat. You suddenly had the desire to chug a cool glass of water.
Todoroki’s only reply was another small--almost imperceptible--smirk. It would have been easy for someone to miss, but to you, someone who was perhaps being more attentive to their roommate and newfound friend than they’d care to admit, it was clear as day.  
“You’re totally messing with me!” you groaned, covering your face with your hands as you continued to lie with your back on the floor. “Aren’t you?”
He let out a breathy laugh and shrugged, the corners of his lips quirking upwards. “Sorry. It’s just cute seeing your reactions. I didn’t know you liked my arms so much.”
You could’ve sworn he flexed once more for dramatic effect and an indignant squeak escaped your mouth.
“I-I don’t!” you protested, making sure to look anywhere but his arms. “I just never noticed how...proportionate they were before! Just thinking about how da Vinci would admire them. For scientific purposes, of course.”
“Sure.” 
You gaped at the knowing look on his face. “How did you even notice? Aren’t you a bit of the oblivious type?” With wide eyes, you slapped your hand over your mouth. “Wait-- I’m sorry. That was rude to say.”
Todoroki waved it off with a smile to show he wasn’t offended in the slightest. “I guess I was rather oblivious in the beginning of high school. But as I grew up I became more accustomed to picking up on such things.” 
You hummed in silent contemplation. Of course he had to have grown used to people making moon eyes over him. He probably got it all the time.
“I usually pay it no mind,” he continued as he stood up, peering down at you sprawled out on the floor. “But when you do it, I find it sort of cute.” 
As if he didn’t just say something that caused your heart to skip a beat, Todoroki extended a hand out to help you up.
Ignoring the heat rushing to your cheeks, you gently placed your hand in his.
“Thanks,” you murmured as Shouto pulled you off the mat and towards his body, a feeling of lightheadedness overcoming you at the sudden motion.
One hand held yours while his other was placed firmly above your elbow to help you steady yourself.
“You okay, Y/L/N?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice as he watched you regain your balance.
“Oh, yeah! No worries. This happens all the time, to be honest,” you admitted, vaguely taking note of how your chest was almost fully pressed against his. “Whenever I move my head too fast I get a bit dizzy. And whenever I stand too fast my knees sort of just crack.” 
Your words did nothing to soothe the worried furrow between his brows.
“Is...Is that not normal?” 
He blinked.
You grimaced. “Okay. Guess not. Maybe I need to work out more.” 
“You can work out indoors with me,” Todoroki suggested with a small smile. He looked so sincere you were just about to agree until he opened his mouth for a second time-- “As long as you don’t spend the whole workout gawking at my arms.”
With an indignant cry, you pulled yourself away from his loose grip, face burning with such intensity you wouldn’t be surprised if he were able to sense the rise in temperature. “I never gawked at your arms.” 
He hummed. 
“Well, okay, maybe I did,” you relented with a huff, bending down to fold up the game mat in front of you. “They look very strong. Being a hero must be hard work.”
Todoroki shrugged, helping you clean up. “It’s worth the toll it takes. I can imagine your research requires hard work too.” 
You tried to hide the look of surprise on your face. You briefly talked to him about what you did during the roommate-finding process, but you didn’t think it was anything interesting enough for him to recall. It brought an odd warmth to your stomach knowing he cared enough to remember. 
“I guess. But I’d say it’s nowhere near as difficult as hero work,” you brushed off. “Not everyone has what it takes to be a good hero.”
A faint blush colored his cheeks as he followed you into the kitchen for a glass of water.
“There are lots of great heroes,” he stated, filling up two cups and handing one to you. 
“Yeah, there are. And greatness is one thing, but you’re a good one-- In the heart.” Your gaze flitted to his, unsure why you were filled with the sudden urge to have such an intimate conversation after a game of Twister. Still, you rolled with it. “I know we haven’t talked much prior to this lockdown...but even I can tell how caring you are. And I’m looking forward to getting to know you more.” 
A comfortable silence filled the air as he took a seat beside you. If Shouto was taken aback by your sudden compliment, he did a good job at hiding it, simply giving you a small smile as he let his shoulder rest against yours. You glanced over at the point of contact and bubbled with elation. 
“Todoroki?” you called quietly, the edge of your pinky brushing against his. 
He looked down at the gentle touch of your hand and didn’t move away. Instead, he took the initiative and placed his fingers on top of yours, his hand surprisingly soft despite the calluses on his fingertips. The back of your neck heated at the sudden movement, but you decided you rather liked how his hands felt on yours. 
“Hmm?” 
“Thanks for letting me drag you along to play these childhood games,” you said, letting out a sigh of contentment. “It’s a nice change of pace while we’re stuck indoors.”
Shouto shook his head. “I should be the one thanking you. These are much better childhood memories than the ones from my actual childhood,” he admitted with a light laugh. “I’m glad we had the opportunity to spend more time together, Y/L/N.”
By now your fingers were intertwined with his, his thumb lightly stroking the peak of your knuckle.
He continued, “I hope this continues even when quarantine is over.” 
“I hope it does, too.” You couldn’t stop the grin from spreading wide across your face as you nuzzled your head on his shoulder. “Let’s keep making memories together, okay, Todoroki?”
“Happily.” 
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You Live In Sweatpants And Hoodies (GeorgeNotFound)
MASTERLIST
pairing : georgenotfound / george x influencer!reader. 
summary : george and your fans realize that under all the sweaters, you have a body. 
a/n : if you are wondering what dress i was talking about, search up jennie short black dress :)
before social media, you studied law and got a degree in it but ended up not using it due to your social media career sky rocketing. 
but you never thought studying was a waste, that could be your backup, after all. social media doesn’t last forever. and you were ready to accept any difficulties since you knew you had plan b. 
you, till this day, could not describe what you do on social media. it started with tiktok. everything nowadays started with tiktok. but you were one of the first people who was on it. 
and then tiktokers would make their way onto youtube to sustain their “career” and grow. so that’s what you did. you never abandoned that app, though. especially not now, everyone on that app is seriously hilarious. 
your content on youtube was all over the place. once, for a video, you talked to weird men on omegle and tinder. another time, you would try different aesthetics on yourself. 
but here’s the catch, you’ve never really worn revealing clothes. your mum had always told you to never deprive yourself from what she says “fun young girl things” which is dressing up, or down, in her say and go have fun with your friends. 
but since the pandemic hit, you have had no where to go anyways, and you never really liked to show off your body. it’s not that you felt uncomfortable doing it, it’s just that you’ve never had the reason to. 
you also didn’t grow up girly. you hated dresses, especially short and tight dresses. and you weren’t a fan of wearing shorts either. you always opted to go comfy. 
whenever you post a tiktok, you always wore your signature hoodie and sweatpants that were clearly sizes too big for you. but you liked it, it’s comfortable to sleep in. 
and whenever you had to pan down to show your outfits on youtube, you were always caught wearing jeans and a baggy shirt, just styled differently, according to the aesthetic of the video you were filming for. 
you heard your phone ring from the couch. you picked it up, knowing who it was anyways. “morning, cutie.” you stared. 
“morning b.” george greets you, hair everywhere, clearly just woken up. 
you and george met on tiktok, just like all good friends do. he had duetted a tiktok of yours and you found him hilarious. you quickly followed him on every single social media platform he was in. you even set an alarm in case he ever streams and you’re asleep. 
you two are close. some would say you two are dating, but you two haven’t figured it out yet. you two didn’t really want to disclose it anyways, you two knew your not so secret feelings for each other, anyways. 
remember when he called you ‘b’? yeah that stands for ‘bub’. he thought it would be cute for him to have a different nickname than the usual “baby” or “babe”. 
you two actually live very near each other, making it way easier as a couple, but since england was put into a quarantine order, you two didn’t meet often. 
some would probably ask why you’d have to set an alarm when he streams when you two clearly are in the same timezone? well, that boy had no sense of time and a terrible sleeping schedule. it amazed you at how early he got up today. 
that facetime call lasted about half an hour before you told him you needed to stream on twitch today, to which he responded to you that he’s watch it later. 
today, you had a surprise. for the world. you can’t believe you even thought about this but it was about time you showed off to the world what assets you’ve been blessed with. 
speaking of showing off. no, you weren’t a particularly insecure person, you were just comfortable in the clothes you’re in. but celebrating the long time you’ve been on social media, and it being your birthday, you thought it might be fitting. 
george and you agreed to not make anything special about your birthday. you hated parties and large gatherings, and since you were still in the middle of a pandemic, you used that as an excuse to not go out. 
you spent the longest time searching for a good enough outfit for this day. and you found it. you decided to pick a pretty simple dress, a black short dress that went to your mid thigh, that showed off your waist, spaghetti strapped and a little backless. 
you walked out the shower, your robe on as you walked to your bathroom counters to dry your hair. you didn’t really bother to style it, just leaving you straight long hair down. 
you put on the most basic white sneakers you could find to still make it casual, and you thought it went well together, anyways.
you finished you makeup and took a good look at yourself. you had been aware that you only wore baggy clothes, so this was a huge change. you twirled yourself, feeling confident. 
you couldn’t wait for people to have heart attacks. 
you sat on your gaming chair, getting ready to start your stream. 
before you started your stream, you made sure you left your facecam turned off first. 
you went live. chat was confused since this was the first time that you’re not on facecam. all they could see at the moment was the caption “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!” that you typed on your notes app on your computer.
“hi, chat.” you said, to calm them down a little. 
you heard your phone go off, a text notification. which you knew was george since he had a special notification ping on your phone. 
it said “did you forget to turn on your cam?” 
you laughed at that. “no, chat, i haven’t forgotten to turn on my facecam, just wait for a sec, please.” 
you felt giddy, excited for the reactions. 
instead of wearing your cute cat headphones, you wore your airpods instead to get the whole look going. 
you let out a sigh before moving your mouse cursor to linger on the ‘start recording camera’ button. you clicked on it, before moving your chair back to fully say hi to your chat. 
you brought your hands up to wave to the camera. you tilted your head slightly. “soooo, it’s my birthday.” you said. 
chat was going crazy so you stopped reading them so you wouldn’t get a headache. the donations went crazy too, but you tried your best to read them all. 
you thanked the people who subscribed to you or gifted you subs. 
“360 of this dress? sure, i’ll give you a twirl.” you replied a dono. 
you stood up, and rolled your gaming chair away so that they can see your whole outfit. you spun around once, quickly telling them where you got the dress from. 
you tried to hold your foot on one hand, balancing yourself to show them that you could go casual in this dress too. 
what you noticed was that, your phone hadn’t stopped beeping from a text notification, which belonged to the one and only georgenotfound. 
and since maybe he noticed that you won’t check your phone, he sent a donation instead. 
“WHAT THE FUCK.” the monotoned voice read out the donation, which was from george. 
you facepalmed, knowing exactly what his reaction is like at home. 
“I’M COMING OVER.” the voice said again. you laughed at his antics. 
“see you then.” you replied, laughing, knowing he was joking around anyways. 
-
GEORGE’S POV 
she thinks i’m joking, isn’t she? 
well, she gave me her spare key for a reason, and this would be the best reason. 
i knew i wanted to come around anyways. just after her stream. i promised her no going out, but not no gifts and ordering in. 
sneaky, i know. 
i had a plan brewing in my mind. to walk in her house as quietly as possible, to surprise her. 
after seeing her in that dress, i don’t think i can stand our fans not knowing we aren’t dating. 
i know, i haven’t really asked her out, but we kinda both agreed that there was no use, knowing each other’s feeling was good enough and that we didn’t need to do anything extravagant. 
i don’t know what she’s tell her fans but i’m sure i hadn’t disclose our relationship. the fans shipped us, sure, but i don’t think i’ve ever said it out loud. 
we knew we’d have to say it someday. so i thought, why not today? as i surprised her at her own house. 
her fans watching her stream are tweeting at me like crazy. no one had seen her like that. she practically lives in sweats and hoodies, constantly. 
the most fitting thing i’ve seen her wear is skinny jeans, but she would always wear a baggy top with it. people always say she drowns in her clothes, but i never complained, she looked good either ways. 
but seeing her in that dress, damn. i needed to be there and hug her, kiss her. i couldn’t wait to see her in that dress, right in front of my eyes. 
our observant fans or close friends have asked if she dresses the same at home, and my answer always stayed the same. that she lives in baggy clothes. 
there are some creepy people out there who would ask that question in a sexual way. thinking i’ve seen her in less. but truthfully, i haven’t. we’re not pass that stage, and we prefer it this way. 
what the fans see is what i see on the daily, too. 
and no, me going to her house to see her more clearly in that dress doesn’t mean we’re doing anything. i just want to observe her beauty. see what she’s hid from me. 
-
YOUR POV
chat was going crazy over george’s donation. but you still laughed it off. it’s all a joke anyways, him coming over. 
he was coming over later, after noon, so he wouldn’t just drop everything to see you right now. 
“geez. chill out, chat, george was joking.” you told them. 
you sat on your gaming chair more comfortably as you started playing a couple rounds of among us with your fans. you told them not to cheat and watch your stream as they’re playing ad lucky you, they listened. 
for some reason, your chat still kept blowing up with george comments. maybe they were still caught up on that comment he said earlier. 
but you hadn’t thought that he’d be behind you the entire time, telling the chat to not make it obvious. 
“happy birthday, b” you heard a very familiar voice from behind you. 
you almost had a whiplash from how quick you turned your head to see who was behind you. 
you stood up to hug him, almost falling to the floor, stumbling on your own feet.
with the way you ran to him, he almost fell to the floor. “you’re here, you’re here.” you kept repeating it to him, not believing that he actually came. you knew he’d come later, but not this early. 
george moved you back gently to see your full outfit. you two were aware that the facecam is still on, and pointing to you two, seeing every move. 
“come here.” he whispered to you before grabbing your waist, to kiss you. 
you two took a little while enjoying each other’s company, still in front of everyone on twitch. 
he moved you back a little, turning you to face your gaming monitors. “MY GIRLFRIEND, EVERYBODY. isn’t she so hot, oh my god.” he said to the stream. 
you laughed at his stupid antics, covering your face with your hands as you blushed. 
your chat didn’t stop talking about the interaction, not believing that their ship was finally sailing. 
you played a couple more rounds of among us with them, george taking over sometime or making funny comments to entertain your chat while you played. 
after the stream, george and you took time to enjoy the time alone, ordering in your favourite food and opening gifts that he bought you. 
you forgot to mention that both of your twitter was blowing up too much that you had to mute it for a while. you knew that a lot had screenshot the cute moment. 
you took note to screenshot some of the photos on twitter later. 
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starrynite7114 · 3 years
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Years Together (Sergio Ramos)
A/N: Here I am, back with my first football little one-shot, or multiple parts since this is based on a TikTok. Anyway, I wanted to do it on bae, Sergio Ramos. I love this man, I would sacrifice a whole lot of things for this man. I know I usually write Mayans, specifically Angel, but I wanted to branch out. Be on the lookout for Rio, Billy Russo and Bucky Barnes. Maybe even Lewis Tan, Sebastian Stan are on the horizon. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy what I write still. If you don’t read, totally understandable, I still love you all!
I will try to finish all my works in progress along with the requests I have! EZ should be next since I’m almost done with his, I just have to actually finish it. 
Love you all!
Word Count: 1206
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CREDITS TO THE GIF MAKER <3
You sat beside Sergio as he watched the next Marvel film in the series of chronological order for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So far, you two were at Iron Man II. Sergio has been either working out or watching film during the quarantine. La Liga was set to reconvene in two weeks and you were honestly excited. Though you couldn’t go to the matches, at least Sergio and the boys would be gracing your screens again. 
You and Sergio have been together for nine years and in those ten years, you two have had two sons together, Sergio Jr. and Thiago. You two were set to get married this year, but with the pandemic happening, you thought it would be best to postpone the wedding till all your friends and family could safely participate. 
With the pandemic happening, your work has been moved to a home setting. You actually didn’t mind holding meetings and working at home, it made things so much easier for you. You could take care of the boys, with Sergio’s help and also be able to stay safe. Sergio was holding Thiago, your three year old, while Junior, your five year old was nestled right beside you. 
“Should we order dinner? Or are we cooking?” You questioned him.
“Pizza?” Sergio has been indulging due to the pandemic and it wasn’t like the calories were staying on him. Sergio worked out far too much for the calories to really make a dent to his ungodly body.
You ordered pizza through an app, letting Sergio pick the toppings. You all got your own personalized pizza that was the perfect size for one person. You also got some cheesy bread since your sons were a sucker for cheese and so were you. 
You scrolled through TikTok as the movie began. TikTok has become an obsession you couldn’t drop. It was ridiculous, but the endless hours you spent on this app was dangerous. You even made an account. You’ve posted a few TikTok’s of you messing with Sergio, but nothing too insane as of yet. You did want to try one with Sergio, to see how he would react to this specific TikTok. There was a TikTok going around where the person gets the number of years together wrong and their partner reacts. There were a varying amount of reactions and you wanted to see what Sergio would say. 
Setting up your phone to record him, you focused the camera on Sergio, who was enjoying some juice you made earlier in the day. 
“Babe,” you called out.
“Hmm,” his eyes remained on the screen.
“You know what I find insane? My sister just texted me and told me that we’ve been together for seven years. That’s a long time huh?” You had to hold back your laughter. You didn’t think Sergio was paying attention since he’s been occupied by the Marvel Cinematic Universe since he finished his morning workout. 
Sergio paused the movie and looked back at you. “Seven years? Who have you been dating for seven years?” He gave you an incredulous look. “We’ve been together for ten years, five months, three weeks, 5 days, and six hours.” 
The details he uttered made you speechless. You knew how long you two were together by at least years and months, but he knew the weeks, days and hours? 
“What?” You looked at him in disbelief. “You know all of that?”
“Yes, of course I do. I still don’t think you understand how long I waited for you to agree to go on a date with me.” Sergio shook his head. “Now, who the hell have you been dating for seven years. I can text our sister right now.”
You’ve known Sergio since childhood through your sister. He wasn’t much older than you, just by a few years. Your sister was never fond of the idea of you dating Sergio, so you kept him at arm's length, but after the 2010 World Cup, you changed your mind and said screw it. You went on one date with Sergio and the rest was history. You two were on and off, but Sergio never let too much time pass till he waved the white flag. He had a temper and you liked to push him. You two were volatile, but somehow, you two made it work. He loves fiercely and so do you. Sergio always knew you were the one, he always said it was the way you would ignore him that got him. 
But you weren’t ignoring him, you just didn’t like him. 
And the dislike eventually grew to fondness to friendship and then to love. 
“Babe, it's a prank.” You stopped recording, saving the video as a draft and showing him where you got the idea from. 
Sergio looked at you and shook his head. “You’re such damn trouble.” He chuckled, playing the movie once again. “I’m gonna have to start watching some videos, just so we can be at an even playing field.”
“Do you know the seconds too?”
“That’s pushing it.”
You had to laugh at that. “That’s pushing it?” 
Sergio turned to you and kissed you. Junior let out a giggle along with your youngest son Thiago. “Babe, you’re the longest commitment I’ve had besides being in the Madrid team. So yes, I value and keep track of how long we’ve been together, pretty soon, I’ll be counting marriage years.”
“You know, we should just get married at a courthouse. All we need is your mom, my mom and there we go. Hell, we can even do it virtually.”
Sergio paused the movie again. “I want you to have your dream wedding.”
“I don’t have one, I just want to be married to you.”
Sergio chuckled and shook his head. “You know that’s what I want to, but I want us to be able to celebrate with our family and friends. To really enjoy the fact that we’ve annoyed them with our PDA for ten years.”
You laughed. “You’re such a dork.” You pushed his head. “Okay, we can wait. As long as I become Mrs. Ramos at the end.”
“Baby, there’s no way you won’t be Mrs. Ramos at the end. I told you three years in, it’s you and me.” Sergio squeezed your thigh. “Te queiro mi amor.” He kissed you again.
And it was true, Sergio had told you he was going to marry you some day on your third year anniversary. You brushed it off and said we’ll see next year. And each year after that, Sergio upped his game. Finally, on your eight year anniversary he proposed. It’s not like he didn’t want to do it earlier, but he knew for some reason you weren’t ready. A relationship was one thing but an engagement was another.
“Love you too.” You had your hand at the back of his neck, scratching it, a gesture Sergio absolutely adored. 
You two watched the movie, mostly Sergio whole you browsed around TikTok. You started saving videos to do with Sergio. Another one you wanted to do was the ‘what three things would you take with you if we got divorced’? 
But you would save that for next time.
Let the TikTok videos begin.
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myhoneststudyblr · 4 years
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every single student in the world has likely procrastinated at some point - i know i definitely have! sometimes i think it can be quite helpful because means that you don't spend every minute of every day studying... but on the other hand, it can become very hard to beat. there are so many advice posts in the community on this topic but i thought that i would share my own tips! 
disclaimer: everyone studies differently and these are my personal tips. they may not work for you but they can be a good starting point 
What is Procrastination?
i found this little summary of procrastinating on the internet and thought it completely covered everything that i wanted to say on this point:
Procrastination is the habit of delaying an important task, usually by focusing on less urgent, more enjoyable, and easier activities instead. It is different from laziness, which is the unwillingness to act.
Procrastination can restrict your potential and undermine your career. It can also disrupt teamwork, reduce morale, and even lead to depression and job loss. So, it's crucial to take proactive steps to prevent it.
The first step to overcoming procrastination is to recognize that you're doing it. Then, identify the reasons behind your behavior and use appropriate strategies to manage and overcome it.
- How to Stop Procrastinating by Mindtools
so what is learnt from this is that:
procrastination is not being lazy 
it is avoiding tasks by doing other easier tasks
it can have negative effects
you need to proactively take steps to avoid it 
first, recognise the procrastinating then use strategies to break the cycle
Conventional Tips
these are the basic tips that are some of the most well-known strategies for ending procrastination and can be some of the most important steps!
1. get organised. tidy up your desk to study space because there is nothing worse than having to work in a place that is chaotic and mess. collect the information you need for the task, for example, notes you've made or a textbook. 
2. to-do lists are your friend. a lot of people (including me) really struggle with timetables for studying because it can seem really structured and there is no flexibility or real allowance for things that may crop up during the day (your food takes longer to cook, you have to unexpectedly do a task around the house, you get a really bad headache and need to take a break). in my opinion, to-do lists help solve this problem! you can clearly see the tasks that you want to get done for the day but you don't have stressful time constraints. personally, i always use todoist to keep track of everything. to-do lists also make it easier to break tasks down
3. break the task down. one of the biggest cause of procrastination is having a huge task or project ahead of you because it seems really daunting and where on earth are you even going to start? so break it down *completely*. in your to-do list, don't just write ‘german homework’, write down even task that you need to do within it and be specific: for example ‘pg. 11 ex 4a, 4b and 4c’, ‘textbook listening task on pg. 47′ and ‘250-word essay on social media in Germany’. breaking it down makes the tasks seem more attainable and when you’ve done one and you can cross it off your list, it gives you a boost to keep going
4. eliminate distractions. this is a big one. even if you do all of the above, if you are constantly being distracted by things, you aren't going to get much done. try to find a place that is quiet enough that you can focus and you feel comfortable studying in. as well as this you need to think about what to do with your phone as the likelihood is that this will be the most distracting thing. you can simply turn it off, put on do not disturb, leave it in another room or use and app like forest (that last one is what i use and i don't know where i would be without it!)
5. use incentives. finishing a task is an achievement so treat it like one! before you study, decide on something that you will give yourself as a reward for doing it. this may be watching that new episode of your favourite programme or a tasty snack! 
6. set timers. don't just launch yourself into a task, because that again can make it seem daunting and feel unending. rather, set a timer for a specific time because you’ll know that you just need to focus for that specific length of time and then you can go take a break and do something nice. for timing your study sessions, you could use the Pomodoro technique 
7. allow for breaks (but try to avoid long ones). you are not a machine and as much as it would be great to be able to, you cant study for hours on end without giving your mind a break from focusing. so schedule in break time for yourself, particularly for times that you know your motivation dips, and do something nice. but be very careful that you don't accidentally slip back into procrastinating habits and keep breaks short. unless you are very disciplined it is unlikely that an hour-long break will stay just an hour.
8. know how you study but don’t be afraid to mix it up. everyone studies differently and so there are going to be some study methods that work better for some than others. so try to make sure that you are studying smart and that you aren't wasting your own time cause that can be incredibly unmotivating. HOWEVER, if there is anything that I’ve learnt from online school its that doing the same task all the time, every day is mind-numbingly boring and you just want to do anything else. so try to switch up what you are doing. if you usually just type notes from the textbook, maybe try doing it in a mindmap one week, or on flashcards, maybe do some practise questions to keep your mind engaged. 
9. play music. now this one really depends on the person and how you study. some people need absolute silence and that is fine, but others need something to fill the silence or maybe cover up background noise (for example if you live in a busy household). try to pick music however that is not going to distract you - the key tips for this is to pick music without lyrics. this can be classical music, video game music, or general ‘chill’ music (there are so many playlists out there for chill studying music). i personally listen to Francesco Parrino religiously while studying because he does piano covers of pop songs, so i know the songs and enjoy them but there are no lyrics that can distract me 
10. stay hydrated, well-rested and not hungry. this is part of eliminating distractions because if you are thirsty, you are going to be thinking about how you want a drink; if you are tired, you are going to be thinking about how tired you are; if you are hungry, you are going to be thinking about what you want for lunch or whatever. make sure you are hydrated, well-rested and not hungry so you can focus solely on your task or work.
Unconventional Tips
these are some slightly more unusual tips that you might not have seen before but that I've nevertheless found very useful!
1. video yourself or do a timelapse. this is something that I’ve only recently done because i saw a tip on this from someone during my quarantine challenge and thought that it would be cool to do. and it really works! i did it twice once when i was typing notes and a second time when i was handwriting notes and it really made me focus on what is as doing because the video put some pressure on me to look like i was properly studying - i could take a 5-minute break in the middle of my work to mess around with my pen, I just had to keep going so it really forces you to do the work. also watching the video when i was done made me really proud cause i had visual proof of how much i completed!
2. accept that some days you are going to get very little done. this may seem a little bit odd to put on a post that is meant to avoid getting nothing done but it’s actually a very important thing to remember. sometimes you need to take days off because otherwise you are going to burnout and some days you are just not going to be in the right mindset for studying because maybe you are exhausted after a big exam, or you have a headache or you feel unwell. you just need to accept it, draw a line under it, take time for yourself, and resolve yourself to work tomorrow once you feel a bit better. there is no shame in taking time to make sure you stay healthy. if you can, try to get your quickest, easiest task done so you have some sense of accomplishment.
3. ‘churn it out and f**k off’. this was my mum’s motto when she was studying and working in academia. and she recently told it to me when i was getting stressed about all the big tasks during online school. i am a perfectionist and i always want to hand in my very best work, put 100% into everything, but honestly that is impossible. some days you just need to get stuff done and if that isn't your very best then it doesn't matter too much because at least you got it done. and once you get it done you can just forget about it.
4. ask a friend or parent to check up on you. when you are studying by yourself it can be hard to motivate yourself because you know that no ones actually going to check whether you made those votes or did the reading, so ask a friend or someone you live with to check whether you've done the work or get them to read essays. you then get an external reason to study or do your tasks because you need to show them something.
5. rephrase how you think of tasks. when you think that ‘you need to do this task’ or ‘you have to get this done’, a lot of the time this causes unneeded stress and anxiety that is not going to help you at all. also it makes it seem like you are being forced to do something and human beings generally don't act great when they are forced to do something. so try to change your language when thinking about task into one that is more forgiving such as ‘i choose to do this project so that i can go meet my friends tomorrow’ and ‘i choose to read this book now because it will help me in the lecture next week’. this is probably the most difficult strategy on this list and it will take a lot of practice (i am certainly still practising it) but in the long term, it can help you change the way in which you view studying for the better. 
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i hope this was helpful and that these tips will be useful, and perhaps you've discovered some new ones! if anyone has anything to add please feel free to reply or reblog with the advice <3
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Don’t Go Breaking My Heart | Charlie Gillespie
Requested by anonymous: Hi! Could you possibly do a Charlie x reader fic where they are filming season 2 & there is a new character (fashion expert/can see ghost/a little bit of enemies with Luke at first) but off screen they are very close (always hanging out/on ig posts & stories/dance partners/they sing karaoke/adventure) & the whole cast likes to tease them about it but they deny any feelings however they are about to film a very important scene that involves their characters & might change everything between them.
Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x reader
Warnings: fluff
Words: 2,789
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Season 2. Finally Season 2. Everyone had been hoping, wishing, praying for a season 2 of Julie and The Phantoms, and after months of waiting, Netflix finally picked it up for a second season. After those months, the actors had just to wait a little while longer while the crew wrote up the first drafts of scripts and made it perfectly save for the actors to do their work. Once all of that’s ready and they’re good to go, the cast finally reunite again in Vancouver. They even meet some new cast members. Like you. You had auditioned for the role of Daniela Ramos, Julie’s cousin and Victoria’s daughter, and got it pretty much straight away. Daniela is a fashion student at a High School in Melrose Hill and Julie asks her for some help with costumes for her next gig with her band. To Julie’s surprise, Daniela can actually see the boys, even when they’re not playing, which causes for a lot of trouble in the band and family, especially between Julie and Luke. This is your first big role on the small screen and you’re the most excited you’ve ever been. You met the other cast members at the summer bootcamp before the filming process would start, and though almost everything had to be done with a face mask covering half of everyone’s face, it still was a lot of fun getting to meet everyone and spend the most fun summer ever. Every day, you grew closer and closer to everyone on set, and soon became best friends with Madi, Jadah, Savannah and Tori, doing plenty of sleepovers. Besides the girls, you also grew closer to Charlie, Owen and Jeremy, but mostly Charlie. For some reason, the two of you just clicked instantly. You have the same humor, the same taste of adventure, the same passions and dreams. You, Charlie and Owen even rented a place together to live in for the time being in Vancouver. You got even closer during filming, especially since you and Charlie have a lot of scenes together. “Oh my God, Luke, you’re so annoying!” you yell at him when the two of you are in the garage, taping a scene. It had taken you about ten takes and you still couldn’t help but giggle at the shocked face he pulled every time. “If I’m so annoying, Dani, why do you keep coming back?!” The angry face he pulls resembles that of an angry kitten, which just makes you crack up again. “God dammit, Y/N!” Charlie laughs now too as Kenny yells “Cut!” “Sorry! Sorry, guys! I promise I’m a real actor!” You hold your hands up in defense, then cough to get ready for another take. This time around, you could finally manage to get through it without laughing. “Yes!” Charlie exclaims when Kenny yells “Cut!” again. He holds his hand up for a high five, which you giddily give him. “Do you need any more takes, Kenny?” he asks the man himself. “Nope, you’re good! You can go on your break now!” he pats Charlie’s shoulder. “Nice job, guys!” “Thanks, Kenny,” you say, the smile growing on your face. “I need food, Gillespie,” you tell your best friend, linking your arm with his. “Let’s go get food!” The two of you head down to catering and sit down at a table with a plate full of food. “What are we doing tonight?” he then asks before taking a bite of food. You swallow your bite of food and take a sip from your drink. “Don’t you have a night shoot tonight?” you ask, remembering him saying something about a late call. “No, that’s tomorrow, after our dance rehearsal,” he replies after swallowing the food. “Oh! Okay!” You start thinking of things to do, “We could go to karaoke? Bring the others maybe?” He raises his eyebrows, looking at you questionably. “I’ve always loved karaoke,” you shrug with a giggle. “Yeah, okay!” Charlie nods his head agreeingly. “Karaoke it is!” The two of you smile up at each other, teeth showing, both of you glowing. “What are you love birds discussing?” Owen asks when he joins them, his voice muffled from the mask covering his face. He pulls it down to under his chin as he and Jeremy join the two at the table. “We’re thinking about going to karaoke tonight with the whole team!” you tell them, completely ignoring the ‘love birds’. “Ooh, fun!” Owen exclaims with a smile that nearly reaches his ears. “Yeah, we’ll leave after shooting the last scene tonight,” Charlie suggests, looking at you for confirmation. You nod your head agreeingly. That night, you and the rest of the cast head to the nearest karaoke place you know. You’ve linked arms with Savannah and Tori, giggling through the night, trying to keep your balance on your heeled boots. Meanwhile, without you realizing, Charlie has been keeping his eyes on you the whole way there. He finds it adorable how your giggle floats through the night air and your hips bump against the other girls’. He couldn’t lie, you had easily become the light in his life. “So, what song shall we begin with?” you ask the gang as you settle into the booth. “Pick the first one on the list,” Jeremy replies when no one else does. You nod your head curtly and press play on the first song, which is Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. You can already tell after that first song; tonight is going to be a fun night. You sing a couple of songs with the girls, there are many group numbers, and you even sing one with your roommates. After singing with Owen and Charlie, the latter points at you. “We’re going to sing together now!” he exclaims excitedly before turning around and picking a song for you to sing. When he’s picked one, he grabs your hand to pull you closer towards him. You blink a couple of times, unable to process what’s happening right now. The opening notes to Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee chime through the booth. You glance over at Savannah and Tori, who offer you an encouraging smile. Then you look at Jadah and Madison, but they’re too busy giggling and whispering, and it makes you wonder if that’s about you and Charlie. Your eyes dart over to the boys – Jeremy, Owen and Sacha – who just offer you suggestive smiles and eyebrow-wiggles. Charlie’s voice captures your attention again, and you turn to him. “I couldn’t if I tried,” you sing back to him. The encouraging smile on Charlie’s face calms you down a little up to the point where it almost seems like the two of you are the only people in the room. You have no clue what is happening or why it’s happening. All you know is that you’ve wanted it to happen sooner. Though you wouldn’t ever admit that to anyone. It’s the way he looks at you and the way he makes you feel like you’re the only person on this planet that matters. It’s been the way he’d looked at you since that first day of meeting him. “I won't go breaking your heart,” you sing the very last line to him ever so softly, not even looking at the screen anymore, but instead, looking into his eyes. “Don't go breaking my heart,” he sings back. The song ends and you both lower your microphones, staring into each other’s eyes. If it wasn’t for the rest of the cast breaking out into cheers and applause, you would’ve kissed him then and there. But it startles you, and you step away from him upon realizing how close you are and how that must look to the others. “So, when’s the wedding?” Madison asks teasingly, which makes the others laugh, and you blush. After that night at karaoke, the two of you had silently agreed to forget anything ever happened. Savannah said you were in denial, but you believed you weren’t. You told her it was just the atmosphere in the air that night, the both of you had consumed a little bit of alcohol and it might’ve just been that. No one stopped teasing you though. On every possible occasion, they’d ask you if you’d kissed him yet, or when your next date it, or started singing Don’t Go Breaking My Heart randomly. You just shook it off every time, finding it amusing how consumed the cast was with this ‘relationship’ you had with Charlie. There was nothing more going on than just a really, really tight friendship. Until the dance scene happened. Your character, Dani, was supposed to go to a school dance with her crush, but she was nervous because she had never slow danced with anyone before. When she tells Luke, he insisted on teaching her, saying he’d gone to plenty of school dances back in ’94 and ’95 before he died. You and Charlie know this choreography by heart, you’ve been doing it for weeks on end at bootcamp and during rehearsals. It had always just been fun and games, the two of you being immaculate dancers and bouncing off of each other so well because of your tight friendship. “I could teach you?” Charlie says as Luke, stepping closer to you. You raise your eyebrows at him. “I’ve gone to numerous dances in my days, Dani…” One corner of his mouth curls up into a teasing smirk. “Unless you want to embarrass yourself in front of… Jake.” He emphasizes the name of your fictional crush, to which you react with wide eyes and a blush spreading on your cheeks. “Come on, Dani!” He reaches out for your hand, which you place hesitantly in his. Dani being able to see ghosts, is also able to make them corporeal. The lights on set dim a little, except for one spot on the pair in the middle of the studio, and then the music starts playing through the speakers. Charlie starts singing the song they’d learned at bootcamp, one the cast wrote together during the quarantine. The atmosphere in the studio has suddenly become really intense. You can feel the butterflies erupting in your stomach as the man in front of you sings to you, mere inches away from each other as he leads you in this beautiful dance Paul Becker and Tori Caro choreographed for you. Just like at the karaoke booth, it feels like the two of you are the only people on set. Just you and him. You and Charlie. You and your best friend. There’s no denying you have feeling for him anymore. You knew you did, you just told yourself it wasn’t a good idea and suppressed those feelings, pushing them down. It worked for a while. Until now. “Cut!” Kenny yells after your scene. You step away from Charlie, glancing down at the floor as you try your hardest to hide your flustered face. “That was perfect, guys! It really looks like the two of you were in love!” he claps his hands in excitement, then tells them to do it again. After four takes of the dance, Kenny tells you to go and take a break. Without saying another word to Charlie, you rush off set and towards your trailer where you sit down on a chair, trying to calm your breathing. Charlie might not like you the way you like him. Admitting to these feelings might just ruin everything the two of you have. With this in mind, you grab your phone and text Savannah, asking her to come over to your trailer. Maybe she could help you. “Are you okay?” she asks when she enters and finds you staring at the ceiling. “No…” you reply and take a deep breath, “I think I’m in love with my best friend?” “Oh, sweetie…” Savannah sighs, and pulls you up to take you in a hug, “I know…” You pull her away again to face her properly. “What do you mean ‘you know’?” “Everybody knows,” she starts, “The two of you have been inseparable since the day you met, and everyone can see the way you look at each other. Plus, your duet the other night was a little intense for it to be a platonic one.” She chuckles, and you can’t help but chuckle too. She then grabs her phone from her back pocket, opening Instagram. “You know fans have caught on too, right?” She shows you the comments on some of Charlie’s pictures on his account. One picture is of the two of you, napping in Julie’s bed on set, cuddled up. He even posted pictures from your hikes on your days off. All of them are bombarded with comments from fans saying, ‘I ship it!’ or ‘Y/S/N’. Sav then opens her dm’s which are flooded with fans asking if you and Charlie are dating yet, and how the two of them are so in love with each other. “Charlie isn’t in love with me?” you deny, not believing one bit about it. “He is, though…” This does not come from Savannah’s mouth. Your eyes widen when you recognize the voice, and peek behind Savannah to find your best friend standing at your open trailer door. “Sav, can you give us a minute?” he asks the younger girl. “More than a minute,” she chirps, offering you a wink before leaving the trailer. Charlie steps in completely and moves until he’s in front of you. He takes your hands in his, and chuckles at your overwhelmed and confused expression. “Are you okay?” he asks, that beautiful smile of his persistent on his face. “Y—yeah? No? I’m not sure?” you sigh, trying to get your thoughts in order. “Charlie, wha—?” “Can I talk? I’ve been going over this conversation in my mind a billion times, and if I don’t say it now, I think I’m going to forget what I’m supposed to say…” You nod your head in response. “Y/N, I’ve been in love with you since the very first time I saw you walking in at bootcamp. You looked adorable with your little nervous smile and your polite hellos to everybody. I knew from that moment on that I wanted to get to know you better, and that I wanted to become more than just friends…I didn’t think you’d feel the same way, so I told myself that it was okay if we’d just stay friends. Especially since your character kind of hates mine and you bring Dani to life so convincingly, that I was almost sure you hated me too,” you chuckle at that, “But I can’t hide it anymore, Y/N. I am so embarrassingly in love with you that I could’ve kissed you after that scene we just did and that I could kiss you right now even though I’m—” before he can finish his sentence, you lean up and crash your lips onto his, your hands flying into his hair. He’s a little startled at first, but quickly melts into the kiss and presses you closer to him. “I am so embarrassingly in love with you too, Charlie,” you whisper when you pull away, pressing your forehead against his. “They’re going to be so relieved,” you tell him with a chuckle. He frowns his eyebrows at you. “Who?” he asks. You take his hand in yours and lead him towards the door of your trailer, pushing it open and making it bump against whoever was closest to the door. All of your cast mates scramble, trying to act natural while Owen rubs his forehead since he was the one that got a door in his face. “Ah, them!” Charlie chuckles. “Thanks for the door in my face, guys,” Owen says disgruntled. “That’s on you, buddy,” you tell him with a grin. “Don’t you guys have a scene to shoot or something?” Their eyes widen at the realization and, after yelling at the two how happy they are for them, rush to set in a hurry. “So, where were we?” Charlie turns back to you when everyone’s gone. “Don’t you have a scene with them?” “Shit!” he grumbles and jumps off the small steps in front of the trailer. He starts running towards set but turns around almost immediately to you and kisses your lips quickly, but sweetly, and then runs off. You watch him with an amused smile on your face. There was nothing to be afraid about after all and nothing changed between you two. You were still the best of friends, just friends that kiss and are in love with each other. But both of you happy.
Taglist: @hannahhistorian92​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @thequirkybookaholic​ @parkeret​​ @lukeys-giggle​ @gingerxarmy​ @lovesanimals​
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50 Wordless Ways To Say I Love You - Drew Starkey
#22. Listening to them while they vent
Word Count: 1930
MASTERLIST
SERIES MASTERLIST
 It had been three weeks since you and Drew had officially gone public with your relationship. It was something he was more nervous about then you. Drew had watched firsthand the struggle Rudy and Elaine went through and he didn’t want to expose you to that form of hate. The two of you had talked about before, but Drew was always hesitant insisting you guys wait.
 At first you thought he might be embarrassed of you and your relationship. You weren’t famous, and you didn’t really enjoy all the attention on social media. That’s what made you agree to go on date with Drew in the first place. He wasn’t stuck up and posting his whole life on social media like everyone else.
 You had assured Drew that you would be fine, and you wouldn’t let the hateful comments get to you. In all honesty, you hadn’t really expected to get much hate. You figured that there would be some, everyone loved Drew, but you were hoping that his fans were able to see how happy you guys were together. Both Elaine and Maddie C. had warned you not to be naïve about it, but you were too stubborn to listen.
 You and Drew had both made a post to your social media accounts of pictures you had taken together through quarantine and filming season two. You had also gone ahead and made all your social media public, so if his fans wanted to, they could follow you too. All your friends had congratulated you guys, and Drew’s cast mates did the same thing.
 The day after you guys had gone public you had checked your Instagram in the morning like you always did and noticed that lots of people had commented on the pictures you guys had posted. Not half as many commented on yours as they did Drew’s and when you felt happy when you first started reading the comments. Most of them were wonderful and kind while others were hateful. You brushed off the mean comments and choose to reply to some of his fans that were being kind to you guys.
 Drew had figured that with all the hype of filming for season two coming to an end, your guy’s relationship would be the last thing the fans cared about. He worried about you and didn’t want to see you hurt over what people would say. He had heard the horror stories from Rudy and Chase about how much hate their significant others went through, and he didn’t want to risk that for you.
 Drew had kept a close eye on you for the first couple weeks to make sure you weren’t spending too much time on your phone. He also always checked your social media and the comments, coming to your defense if needed. He knew firsthand how easy it was to fall down a rabbit hole of reading hateful comments about yourself and what it can do to your self esteem. All the cast had kept a close eye on you. You were the only one who never used Instagram, and they all knew how much you hated the attention on yourself so when you guys started to go public Drew had asked them to discretely keep a close on eye you when he couldn’t.
 Maddie B. had brought it up one night when you were over at her place for wine. The two of you had been talking when you checked a notification on your phone assuming it was Drew, but Maddie watched the way your face dropped when you looked at your phone. “Is everything okay?” She asked completely forgetting what she had been talking about.
 You moved around in your seat pulling your knees to your chest. “Uh yeah fine, I guess. Just the hate gets to be too much I guess.” You spoke up suddenly becoming much more interested in your drink. “Have you talked to Drew about any of this?” She questioned farther. “No, I told him I would be fine if we went public. I just don’t want to upset him, y’know?” You responded almost questioning you reasoning. “I think you should say something to him about it, he’ll understand Y/N.” Whether you said anything to Drew or not, Madison would, so you took the easy way out and decided to talk to him about.
 When you got home, Drew was sitting on the couch playing a video game with Austin. The two of them were hollering at the television when you got into the apartment. Nether had noticed you even came until you dropped your bag on the couch next to Austin. “Jesus Christ Y/N. you gave me a heart attack.” Austin chuckled to himself, before moving over so you could sit between them. “Sorry, what are you guys playing?” You asked grabbing at the bag of chips that they had been eating. “Call of Duty (sorry I don’t play video games, it’s the only one I know lol)” Drew spoke up shifting so you could lean into his chest.
 You watched the two of them play for a little while when you decided to take a shower. You and Drew lived in separate apartments, but you had kept some of your things over at his place for when you spent the night. “I’m going to get in the shower.” You spoke kissing Drew in the cheek before getting up. “Do you mind getting me another drink before you go love?” Drew asked giving you his best puppy dog eyes. You smirked at him, “yeah of course, you want one too Aust?” You asked the blonde next to you. “No, I’m good, thanks though.”
 Once you got his drink you headed towards Drew’s room to grab some clothes. You figured a hot shower would make you feel better and then you could finally talk to Drew about what was going on. You turned the water on and waited for the bathroom to heat up before hopping in the shower. Once you got in you realized that you didn’t have any shampoo or conditioner at Drew’s place. You sighed before grabbing his and using that instead. You stood there letting the water roll down your face, your mind wandering to a place you were trying to avoid. All the comments you had read coming back to you and you hadn’t realized you were crying until your eyes started to burn. It was one of those silent sobs not wanting the boys to hear you.
 Once you got out you dried yourself off before changing into your shorts and one of Drew’s t-shirts. You looked in the mirror, wiping your face with a cold cloth trying to cool your skin so it didn’t look like you had just cried your eyes out. You took a deep shaky breath before opening the bathroom door. You looked down the hallway and the apartment was now dark and you assumed everyone had gone to bed, so you head towards Drew’s room. You opened the door to see Drew laying on his bed shirtless. “How was you shower bub?” He asked scrolling through his phone. “Uh- it was good, but I didn’t have any shampoo left so I used yours. I hope that’s okay.” You spoke throwing your clothes in the laundry basket. “If it was such a nice shower, why were you crying?” Drew asked and he didn’t need to see you to know you were caught in a lie. He had walked by the bathroom planning on joining you when he heard your quite sobs. He decided to let you have your moment and question you when you got out. It broke his heart to watch you hide your feelings from him. “I got soap in my eyes.” You lied even though you knew he wouldn’t believe you. “A lot of crying for soap in your eyes. Please Y/N, talk to me. I just want to help.” Drew spoke softly, getting up from the bed coming over to you.
 He wrapped his arms around you from behind, placing his head on your shoulder inhaling the smell of his shampoo in your hair. “You can trust me I just want to help you.” He whispered into your skin. That was all it took for you to lose it all over again, crying for the second time that night. This time it wasn’t silent, it was loud and broke Drew’s heart all over again. Your body went weak into his and he sat you both on the floor while you cried into his neck. Austin had heard the commotion from his room and ran in only to see you being held tightly in Drew’s grip. Austin gave his friend and understanding nod, and slowly closed the door giving you two some space. You clung onto Drew like he was going to slip away any second. “Please love, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong.” He spoke softly not wanting to overwhelm you.
 “I don’t know what I did Drew. I tried so hard to get them to like me. I thought posting pictures of us together and pictures of you would make them happy. I thought they would be happy for us. I thought it wouldn’t bother me, and now it’s all I can do is read everything they’re saying about me. I mean they’ve been saying awful things. And I just don’t know what I did to them.” You got out over choked sobs and long stutters.
 Drew didn’t need to wonder who you were talking about he had seen some of the comments on your social media. He figured if it was something you couldn’t handle that you would come to him but clearly, he was wrong. He was angry with himself for not seeing that you were hurting, and angry at his so called ‘fans’ for treating you the way they had. He sat quietly waiting for you to calm down again. He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there for when your breathing had normalled. When he thought that it was okay to speak, he took your face gently in his hands guiding you to look at him, “oh baby, it’s okay. I wish you would have come to me sooner. I could’ve helped you.” He spoke softly as too not overwhelm you more. “What can I do to help you?” He asked searching your eyes for answer but all he could find were tears.
 “Just hold me please. I just want to be with you.” You whispered, and despite the hot tears running down your face Drew placed a soft kiss to your lips. Drew wrapped his arms around your waist in a tight grip moving you guys to his bed while you clung onto him like koala. Once he got you both settled comfortably, he spoke again, “what they’re saying about you isn’t true Y/N. They don’t know you like I do, like we all do. You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met. Please don’t believe what they’re saying. They’re just jealous of how amazing, talented and beautiful you are my love.” His words almost made you start to cry again, and you could tell how sincere he was being. You snuggled your head further into his chest and inhaled his comforting scent. “I love you, Drew.” You whispered and thought maybe he didn’t hear you, but his grip tightens around you and he kissed the top of your head. “I love you too beautiful.”
TAGLIST: @lemur46 @taylathornton @drewstarkeysbitchh @jjmaybankzz
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standingappablog · 3 years
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I have theories I would like to share with y’all:
-We are left not knowing the fate of Marty and Nora, so I have some ideas of what could have happened to them.
Nora:
1.The most obvious theory, and probably the most likely is that she is in fact dead. With Rachel talking about her in the past tense and wearing her old runners it seems like she died saving her in the shark attack. Rachel also mentions that “their story” doesn’t end well. She also references at the beginning of her interview about how she treated Nora. Perhaps she felt guilty about how she treated her in their last few weeks together.
2.Now this one I know seems like a reach but, the shark attack was staged by gretchen to get Nora off the island so the experiment isnt exposed to the girls. Nora “dies” in the attack, therefore Leah has no way of blaming her. So to everyone else Nora is dead, which is why Rachel speaks of her in the past tense. (Again I’m leaning towards the her actually dying in the shark attack)
3. Or Nora could be completely fine and wasn’t interviewed because she was an informant.
Martha:
1.Now really we don’t know what happens to her. (So what I’m about to say is complete speculation) The only hint that we get is Agent Young going through her things in an attempt to find blackmail against her family. This makes us assume that she is either dead or in critical condition. Out of all of the girls towards the end of the season, the two who seem to be struggling the most are Leah and Martha. Shaken up by killing a living creature and facing the reality that she was abused as a child, makes me think Marty may have tried hurting herself. Probably towards the end of their stay on the island. Marty’s parents presumably signed her up for a relaxing time away with her best friend. So Gretchen, needing blackmail against the family so they wont sue her for whatever happened to Marty, makes me believe something like this happened to her.
Or
2. Marty’s death could have been an accident like Noras and Janettes, how? There is many possibilities, I mean they are surviving on an deserted island so exposure, sickness falling from a high place..getting lost. Ect.
Shelby:
We are left with a lot of questions about Shelby.
Her ankle:
1. The First shot we see of her in the facility is her ankle, so when I finished watching the first time, I assumed she must have ran after Nora to help save Rachel, this one is easy to believe but her leg doesn’t look like it was bitten by a shark, there isn’t any visible wounds, so I’m doubtful of this possibility.Also her injury seems fresh enough and the girls where supposed to be on the island for three months, so I doubt she got it in the shark attack, which took place three weeks into their time on the island.
2.We know that Shelby was suspicious throughout her interview, so maybe she might have tried escaping the facility beforehand and was tackled?Or she fell? So this happening before hand could explain why the investigators mentioned they weren’t going to go easy on her in her interview. She was also described to be in a pretty fragile mental state, and they didn’t know what version of her they where going to get.
3. Shelby hurt her ankle trying to save Martha. Like I mentioned before Marty may have died or got badly injured by hurting herself. Maybe Shelby was there and tried saving her, somewhat similar to the situation with her friend Becca.
4.Another theory I saw was that Toni may have accidentally hurt her like she did Reagan. There has been a lot of speculation if Toni and Shelby are on good terms or not. Maybe Marty’s death/ injuries become a conflict between them since she was present. Or a conflict about something entirely different could have cuased her ankle injury
5.Or simply she could have just fallen before her rescue from the island lol. Though her ankle is the first shot we get of her in the facility. That’s what makes me think it’s significant.
Her hair:
1. The two possibilities that I could think of is that, her hair was just so matted and unkept by the end of the three months that there was just no salvaging it so it was shaved, or:
2.Shelbys hair seemed to be her form of releasing her frustration. We know that her mental health declines after the shark attack, so she may in upset/frustration cut it all off or continues to take chunks out of her hair as a form of release.
Leah and Shelby (+possibly Dot and Agent Young)
Leah:
1.After the shark attack, if Nora does die I think Leah will have a difficult time convincing the others, especially Rachel that Nora is some sort of agent.
2. The groups friend just died, so hearing from Leah that Nora was in on whatever is happening to them won’t be taken well. Certainly not by Rachel, I can imagine Leah saying this about Nora would make her furious. They will probably assume that she is once again having a mental break, and won’t listen to her.
3.Even if Nora doesn’t die, she was told to do as much as she can to keep everyone in the dark, so I wouldn’t put it past her making Leah look like she is going crazy.
Shelby:
1.At first I don’t think Shelby will believe Leah, but she will probably slowly begin to suspect things like Leah did. The two have an understanding, as we where shown, Shelby knows what it feels like to breakdown, and have everyone think they are crazy. But she knows in that moment she isn’t crazy, and neither is Leah. So when she is rescued and quarantined in the facility it will probably convince her completely.
Anaphylactic shock:
1.Shelby going into anaphylactic shock. How did she even go into anaphylactic shock? Where they given food in their rooms and Gretchen would have to have known that she is allergic. Right?
2.I think Shelby left a time on the note to Leah for her to escape. She maybe was able to order shellfish to her room, and then would eat it during the time Leah was going to escape.
Or:
1. I think MAYBE Shelby and Dot figured out what was going on before being rescued. We see that Dot orders a plate of seafood, which she barely touches. What if somehow Dot got the seafood to Shelby, maybe by leaving it underneath the table and shelby taking it back to her room after her interview. So when Leah tries to escape she eats the seafood, which sets off the alarm and distracts the guards. And with Shelby leaving a time on the note for Leah to escape, she would know when to eat the Seafood. (Another reach I know)
And:
-Agent Young could also have helped them. We saw that he sympathised with the girls and that he was the one keeping tabs on all of them. Maybe he knowingly let the girls do this without telling anyone, making it easier for them to pass notes and for Leah to escape.
They all know:
-Another possibility is that Leah somehow convinces the others that something is going on. And plan out how to figure out what really is going on. All of the girls get their stories straight, and they purposely leave out parts that could be used against them. Playing the investigators. I’m less inclined to believe this one since Shelby gave the note to Leah telling her she was right all along, why would she do that if they all knew anyways?
Toni and Shelby:
I think a lot of us suspect that the twos releationship is a little rocky by the time they get to the facility. (I have another post explaining why I think they aren’t on good terms currently)
1.Like I mentioned before Toni and Shelbys conflict may involve Marty, with her dying or hurting herself, Toni who we have seen can have huge outbursts when she is upset, could blame Shelby for not doing enough ,because maybe she was present when it happened. So maybe Toni irrationally blames Shelby for whatever happened to Marty.
2.This irrational anger could also be the cause of Shelbys ankle injury. Of course I don’t think Toni would ever purposely hurt Shelby, but she could accidentally, just as she did with her previous girlfriend.
3.A theory I’ve seen suggested a few times is that, they staged their break up to protect each other. If they seem like they aren’t together anymore to the investigators, they can’t be used against one another. (I personally think this one is hella cute)
4. Another possible conflict is Tonis anger issues affecting their relationship just as it did with Reagan, Tonis outbursts may be too much for Shelby and that may become an issue.
5. Shelby not being able to come to terms with her sexuality. This one isn’t as likely, because as far as everyone is concerned they are stuck on the island for god knows how long. The idea of not going home any time soon only seems to make Shelby want to explore herself more. And everyone I feel like would be completely supportive.
Although:
-Martha may have an issue, not with the fact that they are together but more that when they found food instead of taking it back to everyone, they hooked up. Leaving Martha to kill the goat by herself, when she really didn’t need to. Maybe this could lead to Toni having to choose who’s side to take, her girlfriend or best friend. (Martha has “you and us” mentality with Shelby after her homophobic remarks. Toni also has told Martha “since when where there sides?”)
Annnnnnddd that is all, I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I felt like typing it all out, I’d love to know what everyone thinks and your theories!
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themadauthorshatter · 3 years
Text
... I just love OTPs, I can't help it.
OTP HEADCANONS: 2020 Edition
These will include the series of Red Queen, Dorothy Must Die, SGE, The Folk of The Air, and Nightmare Before Christmas(I'll throw in the Skellington kids, too, because I love them💙)
MAJOR TW FOR ALL THE EVENTS THAT OCCURED IN 2020, AND THAT INCLUDES QUARANTINE.
RED QUEEN:
At the news of a Pandemic, Mare and Cal are equally confused and scared, but at least they're not on the battlefield.
They hold up in Paradise Valley until the quarantine is lifted.
It starts off fine with them doing puzzles, hiking, and doing some exercises to pass the time. Then 3 weeks pass and both are bored; Mare's bored enough to drink coffee onto of the fridge and Cal's sitting in a chair upside down because fuck court etiquette, he's so bored.
Cal contemplates luring wolves with dinner scraps again.
They had a mini argument that meant nothing because Cal's hair got long and he wanted Mare to cut it, she but only offered to shave his stubble, not cut his hair.
They both get a lot of sleep, and have a lot of nightmares, which they comfort each other from.
They also really enjoy the silence.
Cal gets into poetry and Mare paints. Both are surprised at how good the other is at their new hobbies.
They talk. A lot. It begins awkwardly and ends with the two in each other's arms.
Cal becomes more of a punner, and Mare loves and hates it.
There's tall of getting a dog, but there's one problem: Paradise Valley doesn't have any shelters, and they'll be arrested or forced ro turn back hime, regardless of rank.
Mare grows taller... by 2 inches. She almost killed Cal for how much he laughed.
When they're allowed to go out, Mare often forgets to bring her mask.
Cal's good at remembering their masks.
Mare REFUSES to leave when she hears about the murder hornets.
Cal gets repellent to calm her down.
They also recover some Old Era TV Shows.
ENDLESS quotes from The Office, Friends, and many more shows.
Cal visits Maven's grave more. Mare comes with every now and then, but usually lets him go alone.
They don't usually argue, but those arguments never last.
They tried a bit of ability training, and greed that they should be careful when Mare summoned a bolt of lightning from the sky and Cal almost set fire to everything around them.
They read a lot, too, but Cal reads more than Mare because she falls asleep, usually on him.
DOROTHY MUST DIE:
Nox had no clue what a Pandemic was, or what the big deal was about going outside and not being near people, until Amy explained it.
First day of online school crashed and burned because Nox had NO IDEA what he was doing, which led to Amy 'accompanying' him in classes.
Amy puts her college plans on hold for a little while.
Nox is more emotional and neither of them know how to handle it.
They have more nightmares, since there's nothing to keep their minds busy, but Amy is more reserved about it. Nox prefers to write about what he dreams, anyway.
Nox stays up, from all the nightmares, but Amy sits with him to keep him company.
When Amy heard about the murder hornets, Nox held up a fly swatter and opened all the windows.
Amy does fine, but Nox dies from boredom, when they're done with school. And I don't mean he just sits and groans, he lies face down on the couch as Amy tries to get him up.
They spend A LOT of time in Nox's apartment, and it's literally spotless because Nox is THAT bored.
They binge a lot of TV shows, and Nox falls in love with shows like Peaky Blinders.
They tried watching Game of Thrones. It didn't go well; negative past experiences.
Nox figured out the plot twist to The Umbrella Academy WAY before Amy did.
They watched Heathers and Amy asked Nox what he'd do if she was dealing with trash friends and guys who don't take 'no' for an answer. The look on his face when he asked who it was reminded Amy of who he was before meeting her.
Nox finds YouTube and discovers the guy that makes knives out of anything and makes it his mission to copy each and every video, come Hell or high water.
Amy walked in on him doing this and genuinely wondered if he was okay, and asked if she could help him.
They also binged musicals. Nox isn't a huge music person, but he still loves them; Kansas has its own magic that he finds intriguing.
Amy once found Nox crouching ontop of the fridge while drinking a mug of coffee.
Madison stopped by and dropped off some rhinestones, lash glue, and a tool to apply the stones. Amy spent a lot of time putting the stones on her face while Nox watched, with Madison and Dustin also watching via Facetime, sitting backwards in a chair and wondering what her plan was, even making very Julien Solomita-esque comments, mixed with very 'I used to be a fighter and a spy' comments that made Amy, Madison, and Dustin laugh. Some if those comments:
"I know Glamora told you to lighten up, but I don't she'd expect this."
"If those were real diamonds, you wouldn't need any armor or a weapon. Just headbutt them, and you're good."
"Don't be upset, but it's the beginning of summer, so I don't think winter's coming any time soon."
"Whichever chandelier you made out with, I will find them, damn it."
After a little while, Amy asked if Nox wanted a rhinestone face. He agreed, but only as long as she took out all the red stones. He could handle pink, but no red.
It took them an hour to get the stones off.
Their hair gets long and they agree to cut each other's hair. Nox cuts her hair chin length and Amy tries to be as style his hair. They don't look the best, but they at least look good.
They absolutely watch Unus Annus, and start quoting that.
When they get the news they can go out wearing a mask, Nox got confused and got 3 different masks: a masquerade mask, a normal face mask, and a gas mask, which he wears all the time to annoy Amy.
They do stay in shape as much as possible, but there is evidence that they could have been more active, with their muscles shrinking and both having lost a little weight.
Nox NEVER drops his guard, and quarantine didn't help.
They tried dying their hair, but it didn't work as well as they'd hoped.
SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL:
Tedros worries about Agatha and everyone else, but Agatha keeps him in check.
Crime drops big time, so that's a plus for Tedros and Agatha.
They have more time to breathe, with everyone being inside and avoiding each other.
Tedros hates the quiet at first, but Agatha helps him adjust.
They spend a lot of time wandering the castle and answering whatever call there is, if any.
The SGE is out for a little while, so they don't hear too much from there.
Tedros, without normal king business to distract him, has more nightmares and starts losing sleep because he doesn't want to dream about what's happened to him and his friends.
Agatha has nightmares, too, but she's better at hiding it.
They do talk about it and agree to be more open with what's going on in their heads.
They also agree that they'll help each other through these times.
Tedros helps Agatha with swordplay and Agatha both gets him into reading more and tries to help him with his magic.
Whenever there's something they need outside, Agatha gets it because she's not that afraid of getting sick; she grew up eating frog and lizard soup.
Tedros worries about her, but doesn't really stop her because she's taller, and having fun trying to stop Agatha once she's committed to doing something.
Tedros finds a new hobby: origami.
Agatha doesn't join in, per se, she more watches because she's never seen Tedros be so patient with something.
They play around with each other's hair, as it grows longer. Agatha ties Tedros's hair back and Tedros braids her hair.
They write to Sophie or anyone else, like people who have some sort of report of a crime or complaint duch as infertile soil, so their penmanship improves.
Tedros grows a bit of a stubble and, after some prickly kiss attacks, Agatha threatens to shave it off herself, if he doesn't. It's all in good fun, but she sort of did mean it because his face and cheeks were really scratchy.
Tedros REFUSES to let Agatha go out alone, even when she's masked up.
When they go out, Tedros always carries a sword.
Picnics in the woods.
Star gazing at night.
Agatha starts wearing pants, as an experiment, and her "dresser"/dress designer is APPALLED.
There are times they argue, but they stay together and communicate because relationship goals.
THE CRUEL PRINCE:
At the news of a Pandemic/plague, Cardan ordered all the human servants to get as healthy as they could so they'd be able to go outside. He would accompany them, but they could not let Jude go out.
She's not happy, when she finds out
Cardan asks if she can avoid going to the human world, so she doesn't get sick.
She goes anyway and returns unscathed.
Cardan considers glamoring the human servants to keeep Jude healthy, but Jude almost pincushions him for it.
Anxious? Worried? Psh! Don't be silly. Cardan becomes somethimg if a paranoid maniac because he's scared of Jude getting sick and dying because he's Fae and she's Mortal, so she's more susceptible to illnesses and he doesn't know wnoufh about mortals to get her healthy agaun were she to get sick, but there's nothing wroung with him, really.
Whenever they're not ruling, Jude practices her swordplay while Cardan reads, major plus being that he reads full series to not worry about Jude so much.
Jude helps Cardan with sword fighting, using wooden practice swords not metal, and Cardan helps her try to get into reading, reading to her as she rests her head on his chest when she doesn't want to read read.
Cardan discovers manga and graphic novels and is too confused for Jude NOT to laugh; "He's in armor made if IRON. How is he able to fly!?" "I've seen a lot people different people, and none of them have made this face." "... So is Spiderman THIS one or THIS one?"
Sword practice usually ends with Cardan on the ground exhausted while Jude simply stands and chuckles for him to get up.
Cardan doesn't get beat smd scarred, he gets poked and minorly bruised, which he was not ready for because of how he was treated by Balekin.
One day, while Cardan was reading some Sherlock Holmes, Jude slipped hoop bracelets on and tied ribbons to his tail, at least as many as she could before she got caught; she only realized as such when his tail started flicking out of her reach and curling around her wrist, and saw Cardan grinning at her.
They do visit Taryn and Vivi still, but Cardan only wears a mask to remind Jude, who does not forget ever.
Cardan thinks about his 'friendship' Nicasia, Locke, and Valerian and semi-realizes that Valerian and Locke may have been using him while Nicasia was at least a little genuine.
They talk about Locke and equally wish that they had helped Taryn in killing Locke. If not, then they wish that they at least watched. They agreed that if time travel was real, Jude could help Trayn kill Locke and Cardan could watch, as long as he helped dispose of the body.
They laughed at that a couple minutes later.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS(Featuring the Skellington kids(I'd say Skull Kids, but I feel like Skull Kid(s) was taken)):
Jack knows what a Pandemic is; he lived through one while he was alive.
Sally knew it would happen because she knows one happens about every two hundred years/whenever a year ends in 20.
The triplets know what a plague is, but have never seen one actually happen.
When they explored the human world at night and noticed there were absolutely no humans in sight, Luna reminded her brothers that the humans were told to stay inside to prevent any spreading.
Jacob takes the opportunity to MAKE SURE people actually stay inside.
Pro: he got Instagram famous. Con: Jack and Sally were not happy at all with how reckless he was.
Let's say, for the sake of the story, Halloween had to be cancelled worldwide because regulation and a need for things to get better.
Upon hearing the news of Halloween getting cancelled, Jack was very salty about it; "Why cancel Halloween, if the 4th of July was still allowed to be celebrated?"
All of Halloween Town was very upset; the living are so fragile, it ruins the fun of scaring them.
The Mayor was in deep, DEEP distress, but Jack made it up to him, and the rest of the town, by saying next year's Halloween would be ine no one would ever forget, and it's not because he's 'borrowing' a holiday again, it's because they'll all have a year of scaring shenanigans built up inside them all that will make up for what was missed.
Everyone rejoiced and Jack, once he got back inside his house with his wife and children, sighed and mentally kicked himself for saying no one would forget next year's Halloween; there was one Halloween in particular he sure as hell isn't forgetting any time soon.
Daemon's carving more intricate pumpkins and plans on giving the humans mini-scares so they keep quarantining, hiding a 'surprise' for any entitled Karens he finds.
Luna is the most obedient of the triplets by staying in Halloween Town and instead studying what she calls a 'counter-plague' so there's no need for a Pandemic; she refuses to call it a vaccine because that would imply sje wants to help the humans that shot down and could have killed her dad. She still has a bone to pick.
Jack doesn't spiral out like in the movie, he has Sally to help and the triplets to keep his mind busy.
While Jacob and Daemon keep the humans from leaving their houses, Luna researches the current events and learns of murder hornets that are large, sting like all hell, and cause death to anyone unfortunate enough to get stung.
Jack gets very intrigued and they collect as many as they can and keep them in a jar, but take one out to study it.
They were not impressed; murder hornets? Jack has seen worse.
Since there wasn't a Halloween, Jack decided to walk through the streets, seeing as how Daemon and Jacob already did a lot of the scaring for him(thise little shits). He had to admit, it was nice to walk in the night and only hear the animal sounds and not screams.
Luna did not find a 'counter-plague,' even with Sally's help, but she did discover some poisons she could use against her brothers. Sally made her promise not to do so.
On the Halloween night where nothing happened, Jack took his family out to a picnic/star gazing session. Genuinely one of his favorite Halloweens to date.
HENRY STICKMIM COLLECTION:
Henry and Ellie knew it was going to happen and were more than surprised to also see Charles planning ahead by making a list for what they needed, even admitting he'd been following the news and rumors and stocking up on ADD medicine so he wouldn't have to go out to get them.
The other soldiers weren't worried until they were told to go home and take a break for a little bit.
Triple Threat wasn't really effected until day 24.
On day 1, they just hung out and were relatively calm, working online, doing workouts to stay fit, and just being as normal as possible.
On day 24, all three are more than a little bored. Henry's bored enough to andwer calls from telemarketers and prank them, Ellie's contemplating bleaching her hair with peroxide, and Charles is playing with fidget toys he's bough and collected over the years, though he's doing it more because he's a little stressed than bored.
Henry and Ellie are surprised to this this, but Charles admits he used to bite his nails a lot, but stopped after a LONG while.
Speaking of names, Ellie paints hers and the boys', though while Henry paints his in clear coat, Charles paints one hand black and the other in red, mint, and glittery pink on one nail because try stopping him.
It makes Ellie laugh and pisses off Henry so much.
Ellie gets calls from her family saying they want her to come home, or closer to home, because they're worried and she instead blocks their numbers.
They watch a lot of horror movies as a reason to stay inside.
When they get bored of American horror and try Japanese, Asian, and more western horror movies.
Instant regret.
They watched the movie Audition and Henry looked at a very unimpressed Charles, who said the antagonist was being sloppy, and hid all the kitchen knives, saws, and sharp and blunt objects, including tools(must've remembered Human Piece).
He stopped after a week of Charles being himself and literally shaking at Hannibal Lecter as they watched the Silence of The Lambs series.
All three open up more about their lives. It's ugly, there's yelling, conflicting life philosophies, and even some insults thrown. Henry admits that gotten screwed over by the law enough times while fending for himself to have as little faith in it as possible, Ellie admits she ran away from home and would rather die than go back because of how tight of a leash they kept her on, and Charles admits that while he has thought about quitting on the government and turning to a life of crime, he never did because that would have been to easy of a choice. Training for the military was and still is hard as hell, which Henry and Ellie can tell because Charles can physically do more than them(if they ran a mile, Henry and Ellie would be exhausted and Charles wouldn't even be out of breath), but he's never given up on it because he knew his parents would skin him, if they were still alive.
There were tears at the end, and the team all needing to be alone for a little bit, but they were back together and agreed to be a little more open with each other, since they were a team now.
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fridayfirefly · 3 years
Text
Virtual Sleepover
Read Virtual Sleepover on AO3
Masterlist
Written for Maribat March Day 4 - Internet Friends
Quarantine had been rough at Wayne Manor, but for Tim Drake, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a bright light through it all. Tim was getting ahead of himself, though. The story of Marinette Dupain-Cheng started on March 20th, 2020. Panic over coronavirus was sweeping the nation. Bruce had gathered all of the members of the Wayne family into the dining room to explain the new rules of the house. No one was to go in or out. Groceries would be delivered to the house. There would be no superhero outings for at least two weeks. Tim didn't think his family would be able to survive, trapped in a house together.
So to preserve his sanity, Tim turned to the internet. There were hundreds of cold cases that he had put on the backburner and hundreds of forums and websites dedicated to solving cold cases. Tim turned to the most popular website and started dumping information, hoping for someone to show up and work through it with him. That's how Tim met Marinette. @MarinetteDC showed up on his page with a friend request, a wide range of technical knowledge about textiles and designs, and about seven different theories on a murder case Tim considered all but unsolvable. Her sleep schedule was just as chaotic as Tim's and she also drank a near-inhuman amount of coffee. Marinette Dupain-Cheng enthralled Tim. And when the chaos of his house threatened to make Tim lose his mind, Marinette became his lifeline.
"Can you hear me?"
Tim nodded. "Yep!"
"Nice!" cheered Marinette. Tim relished the opportunity to see her face, even if it was through a zoom call. "So what do we want to do first? I don't have class until Monday, so we have the whole weekend ahead of us."
"I think we should start with the iconic sleepover classic: truth or dare," suggested Tim.
"Alright. Truth or dare, Tim?"
"Dare." Tim was confident in his abilities to pull off any stunt she might come up with. However, his confidence started to fade as he watched a devious look grow on her face.
"I dare you to bake a batch of cookies - any kind of cookies you want - without using a recipe."
Tim blinked, trying to recall the last time he had baked. Besides a few times helping Alfred out in the kitchen, Tim wasn't certain that he had ever used the Wayne Manor kitchen for anything other than brewing coffee and heating frozen pizzas. "Could I have a new dare?"
Marinette shook her head, the grin on her face demonstrating exactly how much fun she was having, watching the panic in Tim's eyes. "I'll give you one hint on how to make them, but only one, so use it wisely."
Tim groaned, unplugging his laptop from its charger so he could move it to the kitchen. "I'm not actually certain I know all of the ingredients in cookies. Or how long you bake them for. I feel like an hour is probably too long, but I feel like half an hour might not be enough time."
On the other side of the screen, Marinette tried to stifle her giggles but was unable to keep them all in. "No offense Tim, but this is going to be a disaster. I can't wait."
Tim let out another groan. "Must you torture me?"
"How about you keep the laptop camera pointed towards the oven, that way I can tell you once something starts to burn?" Marinette joked.
Tim knew that she was teasing, but honestly, he knew he could use all the help he could get. Still, he wanted to preserve at least a little of his dignity. "Very funny," Tim said sarcastically, setting the laptop down on the kitchen counter.
"Start with ingredients," Marinette advised.
"What all goes into a chocolate chip cookie..?" mused Tim. He got out the flour, white and brown sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and three different types of chocolate chips that Alfred kept stocked.
Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"
Tim cast a wary gaze upon his ingredients. It didn't seem like enough, but at the same time he couldn't figure out what he was missing. Tim sighed. "I'm ready to use my hint. Tell me what I forgot."
"You forgot to get out the salt, and more importantly, the baking soda," advised Marinette.
"Can I have a second hint?" asked Tim as he gathered his two missing ingredients.
"That depends on what you're asking," teased Marinette.
"I'm going to start listing measurements, and you tell me if it's too much or not enough."
Marinette pretended to think it over before replying, "I'll do it, but only because I want the cookies to come out edible, not because we're friends or anything like that. There are no friends in the Dupain-Cheng kitchen," said Marinette, her voice filled with faux seriousness.
"Lucky for me, these cookies are being made in the Wayne kitchen, and we're all very nice here, and we don't let Tim burn his cookies."
Marinette giggled. "You have a point there," she acquiesced. "Start listing your measurements."
Tim grabbed the measuring cup and starting approximating. "Two cups flour?"
"That will make about five dozen cookies."
"One cup of each type of sugar?"
Marinette shook her head. "You'll want a 3/4 cup of each."
The rest of the measuring process proceeded smoothly, with Tim guessing measurements of fluctuating accuracy (he correctly guessed that he would need two eggs, but his guess of a half-cup of baking soda led to Marinette questioning whether he had ever been in a kitchen before).  Once Tim got the cookie dough mixed, spooned out onto a tray, and put in the oven, they resumed their game of truth-or-dare.
"Your turn, Marinette. Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
Tim tried to think of a good question to ask. "Since you've now seen how abysmal I am in the kitchen, I want to know one thing that you're terrible at."
Marinette scrunched up her brow. "It's nowhere near as bad as you're inability to crack an egg-"
Tim winced a little, remembering the painstaking process of digging out fragments of eggshell after he completely shattered it in his attempts to crack it.
"-But I have really bad depth perception. I trip over every little crack in the sidewalk. I'm probably the clumsiest person you'll ever meet."
Tim chuckled. "And here I thought you were perfect."
Marinette grinned. "Almost perfect. Truth or dare?"
"I'll pick truth this time, and hopefully avoid being humiliated again."
"I'll go easy on you this round. When was the last time you lied, and what was it about?"
Tim combed back through his memory of the past week, trying to pick out the last time he lied. "I think it was yesterday morning. Dick asked me if the coffee I was drinking was my first coffee of the day. I said yes, but really I hadn't slept that night so I just decided to arbitrarily count my start of the day at the time I would have woken up had I actually gone to sleep."
"So how many coffee's had you had yesterday?"
Tim shrugged. "Since midnight? Probably three or four. I've gotten away with a lot more coffee since I modified the Keurig in my room to stop making so much noise."
"I'm lucky," said Marinette. "My parents sleep so far away from me that they can't hear my Keurig."
"Truth or dare?" asked Tim, continuing the game.
"Truth."
"What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done because you had a crush on someone?"
Marinette flushed red, and Tim immediately knew that this was going to be a good story. "Once I accidentally sent a text to my crush so I stolehisphoneanddeletedthetext." Marinette rushed the last few words, so fast that Tim couldn't quite make them out.
"What was that?"
"I stole his phone and deleted the text before he could read it. In my defense, I made a lot of questionable decisions at that age."
Tim burst out laughing. "How old were you?"
"I was thirteen," admitted Marinette.
Tim couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of her claims. "You couldn't have asked him to borrow his phone and deleted it then?"
"I was in panic mode. It was between steal his phone or destroy his phone."
"Those were your two options?!" exclaimed Tim.
Marinette blushed even more furiously. "It's your turn. Don't expect me to go easy on you this round. Truth or dare?"
Tim kept up the trend. "Truth."
"What was the worst thing you did at thirteen?"
Tim thought back to his days as Robin, and the many, many stories he could tell. In the end, he settled on one that Jason still brought up when he needed leverage over Tim. "It's not as bad as phone thievery, but it's still a pretty funny story, looking back on it. You know how I have two older brothers, right?"
"Dick and Jason," Marinette confirmed.
"Well, one night I managed to convince Dick to let me drive Bruce's favorite car. Now, keep in mind, I had never actually driven a car before. Surprisingly, I wasn't that bad at driving. I made it home without incident - that is, until I tried to park the car back in the garage and accidentally crashed into Jason's motorcycle. For years after that, Jason used the threat of telling Bruce about my little car crash to keep me in line."
Marinette snorted. "You think that borrowing a phone to delete a text message is worse than borrowing and crashing a car?"
Tim shrugged. "It's a matter of opinion. Truth or dare?"
With a roll of her eyes, Marinette said, "Truth."
"What's one thing you would never tell me?" It was the sort of question that could only be asked during a game of truth or dare. In Tim's opinion, it was this sort of question that made the game worth playing.
Marinette pouted. "I don't like that question."
"Too bad. The rules of truth or dare state that you have to answer it."
"Fine." Marinette looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Just as she turned back to face her laptop, her face lit up. It was evident that she had an answer. "Usually I let people learn from their mistakes in the kitchen. However, I will now tell you - because I have to - that your cookies have been in the oven for too long. They're going to start burning if you don't take them out soon."
Tim jumped up to get his cookies out of the oven. They looked a little burnt, brown rather than the golden-brown that Alfred would make, but they still looked edible. "I'll accept your answer, but only because you saved my cookies."
"Now that your cookies are done, do you want to finish up our game of truth or dare?"
"One last question," decided Tim. "And I'll pick truth, to make it easy for you."
"What's the biggest secret that you've currently keeping from your family?"
After Tim's last question, he had expected Marinette to follow it up with an invasive question. Luckily, her question had a very simple answer.
"Easy question - my friendship with you."
Marinette looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Most of my friendships begin through the connections they have to my family. Because of that, I've never really had serious friendships that my family wasn't actively involved in."
"It's not because you're ashamed of me, right?" Marinette sounded unsure of herself. Insecurity was a side of her that Tim had never seen before.
"Of course not," Tim assured her. "You're the best friend I could have ever asked for, Marinette."
"Good, because you're not getting rid of me that easy. I still have a lot to teach you about baking. I think we might try cupcakes at our next sleepover."
Tim laughed. "We'll see about that." He had no doubts that there would be sleepovers to come, and shenanigans involving baked goods to go along with them.
@maribatmarch-2k21
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