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#also I’ll answer some asks because I’ve gotten a bunch of really sweet ones!!
causeimanartist · 4 years
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Just doodling
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poisonedapples · 3 years
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Patton’s Home For Traumatized Kids - Chapter Five
Bad Memories Don’t Erase
Chapter Summary: Roman tags along with Logan and Virgil to hang out at their friend’s house.
First Chapter Previous Chapter Story Masterlist
Chapter Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, stealing, and one inappropriate joke
Word Count: 4,008
Taglist: @shade-romeo, @grayson-22, @pixelated-pineapple, @acrobaticcatfeline, @astrozei, @edupunkn00b, @princey-7258, @eternalmoonlight19, @remy-the-lemon-berry, @look-ma-im-on-tv, @mariniacipher, @bigwendymonster, @nonbinary-octopus
Notes: This chapter’s a little short, but the next one is gonna be really long, so hopefully that makes up for it
On Sunday the next day, Patton finally took Roman to buy his gym clothes. Roman was trying to hide a goofy smile while sitting in the back seat, desperate to not get his hopes up while also ecstatic his plan was working so far. He was going to have Patton stay in the car while Roman shopped for clothes! This had never worked on his dad before!
By the time Patton finally parked the car in the parking lot of the store, Roman’s chest felt weighted from his anxiety, waiting to see Patton’s final verdict. So long as he didn’t change his mind now, then Roman was in the clear. He hoped to be in the clear.
“Alright, kiddo,” Roman’s heart stopped as Patton pulled out his wallet and gave him some money. “Forty dollars should be more than enough for some pairs of gym pants and shirts. Give me back all the change when you come back, okay?”
“I will! Promise!” Roman wanted to jump for joy. It was working!
“Text me when you’re checking out so you don’t surprise me, and if you see something else you might want, just text me before you buy it so I know. Tell me if you have any issues, okay?”
“Okay!”
Patton smiled. “Go on then, kiddo.”
Roman practically leaped out the door to skip his way to the front entrance of the clothing store, two twenty dollar bills crumbled in his pocket. He got away with it! No parents staring him down while he changed outfits!
Roman walked into the store and tried to hide the skip in his step. With no parents to watch him, he could buy what he actually wanted to wear, no tight pants and scoop neck shirts. No, Roman wanted to look like his real goal. His goal of being a blob of cloth that vaguely resembled a human.
Granted, he’d mostly gotten there. His aunt replaced all of his wardrobe, so his current clothes were a lot more comfortable to wear even if they weren’t very fashionable. Mostly bright colored t-shirts and pants, maybe some shorts if they were able to reach down far enough. Maybe once he was more comfortable with himself he could actually test out more styles, but for now, oversized clothes were all he could handle.
Roman’s walk sped up slightly when his eyes landed on the men’s athletic section. He had to be quick with this, he didn’t want Patton getting impatient and coming in to check on him. Roman looked through the shorts and shirt sizes, easily finding a size up for a couple shirts while heavily struggling on the shorts. Roman groaned. It was always the shorts that caused the issue, they were always too high up. What if he was sitting down and the pant leg rode up too far? No, Roman refused to get something like that willingly.
Roman took all the athletic shorts that could fit him and held them up in front of his legs. Most of them only made it to his lower thigh, but he managed to find two shorts that made it to right below his knee. Roman smiled and bounced on his toes, grabbed his items and rushed to find a dressing room. Once he did, he rushed into the first empty area he saw and locked the door. The mirrors on the walls and gaps in the door made it hard for him to change comfortably, so instead Roman tried to press himself against the very corner of the room when he was changing.
Between the six shirts and two pants Roman found, he was pretty happy with most of his choices. Thankfully, the long shorts looked fine, so Roman hung them up on a hook with a sign over it saying I’m buying this! and considered it a success. However, when it got time to look at the shirts, only three of them were good enough for purchase. The white one he grabbed was practically see-through, and the other two had a scratchy inside material that Roman couldn’t stand, so they got put on the reject hook while the other three passed the test. 
For a rushed shopping visit, Roman was pretty pleased with his choices. Two shorts might not be enough for five days worth of classes, but maybe Roman could keep one pair in his locker until it started to stink. Which might be a little gross, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Roman exited the dressing room and put his rejected shirts on a rack outside, carrying his other items to the checkout area. Before he got in line, he looked at all the price tags and added them up in his head best he could. The shirts were about six dollars each, and the shorts were a little over five after tax. Which means, adding up the extra cents, he’d have to pay twenty nine dollars for the clothes in total. Considering Patton gave him forty dollars, this was plenty.
Roman hesitated for a second. He stuffed his hand into his pocket to feel the money in the palm of his hand while he thought about his options. If he told Patton the truth, Roman would give him eleven dollars and there would be no issues. Patton might let him do this again next time they go shopping, too. But also…Roman had no backup plan. He was stuck with Patton with nowhere to go if things went wrong.
His aunt told him that Roman could always go back to her house if a guardian was abusing him, and he had every intention to take her up on that offer the second the opportunity arose. But even if Roman walked to her house on foot, he had no money for food during that trip. She lived so far away from him now, there was no way to get to safety without a dollar to his name. But if he stole some from Patton, then Roman could have a serious issue on his hands.
Roman slowly walked up to the check out area and handed the teenage worker the clothes. As she scanned all the items with a satisfying beep, Roman felt himself getting antsy. There’s no guarantee Patton will let me do this again. I’ve already gotten away with so much, and the more time I spend around him, the more danger I’m in. But if Patton notices I stole from him, he could be furious. Is there even a right answer here?
“Twenty nine dollars and thirty two cents.” The cashier said cheerfully. Roman handed her the money and she put it in the register, then handed Roman a bunch of coins, two five dollar bills, and a one dollar. She smiled. “Would you like a receipt?”
“Uh, no thank you.”
When the receipt printed, the cashier tore it out and threw it in the trash behind her. “Have a nice day.”
“You too.” Roman squeaked, rushing away from the register to stare at the money. Apparently they ran out of ten dollar bills, because the money was split perfectly for taking without it being obvious. Roman considered this a sign to take his chance. He put a five dollar bill and a quarter in his left pocket and shoved the rest in his right. It wasn’t much, but he could build it up. This was only the beginning.
Roman walked out of the store and tried to act normal instead of anxious. Worst case scenario, he’d say he forgot to bring out the rest and give Patton the other bills. Giving away the quarter also would be too obvious, but he could get away with stealing that at least. When he made it to Patton's car, Roman opened the back seat and tossed his clothes next to him.
“Hey, kiddo!” Patton greeted, “Got any extra cash to give me?”
“Uh, yeah, here.” Roman dug into his right pocket to grab half the money and handed it to him. Patton put the coins in his pocket and put the two bills in his wallet. He didn’t seem to consider how much Roman gave him, instead he started backing out of the driveway and got distracted while reversing. Roman let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He felt the five dollars still stored in his pocket. He got away with it. For now.
***
“We’re home!” Patton announced as he and Roman stepped inside. Logan and Virgil were both lying on the couch, and Logan perked up from his spot.
“Wonderful. We wanted to ask both of you a question.” Logan said.
Patton seemed intrigued. “What question?”
“Can we go to Janus’ house, Pat?” Virgil asked.
“Oh, of course, kiddos! Do you know when you might be back?”
Virgil thought about it. “Probably at six before dinner.”
“Perfect! Just text me if that changes so I don’t worry, okay?”
“We will.” Logan reassured, “And Roman, would you like to come with us?”
Roman tilted his head to the side. “Me? I don’t even know who Janice is.”
Virgil sunk into the couch more. “Friend of ours. Has a snake, talks a lot about philosophy and books. Acts like a tired underaged wine aunt.”
“Right, well, still. Isn’t it a little strange for me to tag along to a stranger's house?” Roman pointed out.
“Janus wouldn’t mind, I’m sure.” Logan said. “Of course, you don’t have to, we simply figured you would like the invitation so you’re not the only one left out.”
Roman’s eyes widened when Logan said that. Wait, shit, if Logan and Virgil are going to this girl’s house, then Roman will be here. Alone. With Patton. Until six in the afternoon.
Roman’s mood change was almost instant. “Well then, perhaps I should go! Make new friends and establish bonds, or whatever!”
Virgil smirked. “Sweet. It’s a short walk, just a block away. Just let us grab our shoes and we can head out.”
“I’ll tell Janus we’ll be bringing a third party.”
Roman let out a breath of relief. As Virgil and Logan grabbed whatever they needed, Roman set his new bag of clothes in his room next to his backpack. He’d have to remember to put some boxers in there before tomorrow morning, too.
Roman felt the five dollars in his pocket again. He took the money and hid it deep in his backpack in a hidden pocket he hoped wasn’t too easy to find. Satisfied with that for now, Roman stepped back outside of his room and waited for the others.
Once everyone was situated, Virgil called out to let Patton know they were leaving the house and then closed the door. Logan and Virgil did most of the talking as they walked while Roman just listened, following behind them and letting the two lead the way.
“Oh, and Roman,” Logan suddenly said during a point of silence, “Another one of our friends may also show up later at Janus’ house. He said he might be coming, so we’ll see.”
Roman shrugged. “Sounds fine to me.”
“Alright.”
No one said anything else after that on the walk. After a while, Virgil and Logan stopped in front of a house and started walking up the driveway to the front door. As Virgil knocked on the door, Roman stood awkwardly off to the side until someone answered.
It wasn’t long before the door swung open, showing a teenage kid with a large birthmark under his left eye. He rested his elbow on the top of the black and yellow cane next to him and smirked. Was he the brother, perhaps?
“I’ve been expecting you.” He said menacingly.
“‘Sup, fucker.” Virgil greeted.
“Hello, Janus.”
Wait, what? Against his better judgment, Roman forced himself to stand in front of Logan to face Janus. “Wait, your name is Janice?” He asked.
Janus put his hand on his face. “Janus. It’s Janus. J-a-n-u-s, not the old lady name Janice.”
Roman felt his face grow hot. “…Oh. Well, uh…”
Janus rolled his eyes and held the door open wider. “Just come inside.”
Virgil was the first to step in, with Logan following after while Roman hesitated. He made an awful first impression, maybe he should just walk around the block for a while instead-
“Come on, my arm is tired.” Janus coaxed. Roman felt too awkward to walk away, so he instead sucked it up and stepped inside the house with everyone else.
The house was quite nice. The walls were painted dark and the carpet was red, but it looked nice in a Victorian era kind of way. On the living room coffee table were piles of fabric and a sewing machine, seemingly making something that looked like a suit. Janus took the cane he was holding and threw it onto the couch. Well, apparently it was just a part of the outfit.
Virgil motioned to all the fabric on the table. “Fuck are you making now, dude?”
“I’m making the refined villain look of my dreams.”
“Nice. When do you think you’ll finish it?”
“Possibly tomorrow. I’ll start on it again after school.”
“Do you make your own clothes?” Roman asked, hoping to distract himself from his previous embarrassment.
Janus smiled slightly. “Less clothes, more costumes. Mostly for myself, but sometimes I make them for the high school’s theater when I’m feeling generous.”
“Oh, that sounds fun!”
“Wanna see Janus’ costume closet?” Virgil asked.
Roman shrugged. “If he wants me to.”
“Oh yeah, just talk about me like I’m not here.” Janus rolled his eyes and motioned for everyone to follow him. He had a downstairs family room with a closet off to the side. Once everyone was downstairs, Janus opened it and let Roman look inside.
“…Woah.” Roman looked at all the costumes, astonished and full of wonder. A lot of them were very extravagant, like they were specifically designed for a dramatic person, so Roman felt a calling toward them. He took a few of them off their hangers to look at; roaring twenties inspired suits and a black dresses with fancy gold finishes. Roman ran his hand on the fabric like they were fancy relics.
“They are quite high-quality.” Logan said, “Costume design is certainly one of Janus’ greatest skills.”
“I can see that.” Roman whispered.
Virgil rolled his eyes. “Don’t make his ego bigger than it already is.”
“Oh no, please do continue, I’m designed to be the center of attention.” Janus smirked.
Roman laughed and put the costumes back on the rack. It seemed like him and Janus were pretty similar in personality, just on opposite ends of the spectrum. Both dramatic artists, except one likes to add that with tons of sarcasm. He could see them getting along quite easily.
“Also, Janus,” Virgil said while looking at his phone, “Rat bastard says he’s coming over. He’ll be here in ten.”
“Ugh, fine. I was getting used to the silence.” Janus sighed.
“…Who’s rat bastard?” Roman asked.
“Friend of ours.” Virgil replied, “You’ll meet him in a bit. He’s a rat bastard. Smells vaguely of cheese.”
“…Attractive.”
“You get used to it.” Janus shrugged. He then smirked at Roman like he got an idea. “Would you like to see my snake?”
Roman’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”
Janus led them all upstairs to his bedroom, Roman following last in the line so he could keep Janus’ door cracked open. As he stepped inside, he noticed a very large cage on the wall to his right. It was very long with lots of wood decorations spread across the container, with a fluorescent lightbulb above it. Roman looked around in the enclosure to try and spot the snake.
Before he could find it, Janus opened the top and stuck his hand in the cage. The snake climbed up his hand onto his arm, and as Janus stuck him out for Roman to see, Roman jumped back.
Janus rolled his eyes. “He’s a corn snake, he’s not known for hurting people.”
Roman still looked at it from a distance. The snake was large enough that Janus had to hold him with both hands, as well as being a mesmerizing yellow color. Roman never had a friend with a pet snake before. “…What’s his name?”
“Lawrence.”
“Nerd.” Virgil called out.
Logan smiled. “I think it is a wonderful name. Lawrence Kohlberg developed the theory on moral development, the very basis for ethical behavior.”
“Nerds.”
“You’re very mature, Virgil.”
Roman ignored them. “I think he’s cool. How old is he?”
“About five. I’ve had him for a while now.”
A buzz came from Virgil’s phone, making him check it and read the message. “Rat bastard says he’s outside your door.” He announced.
Janus didn’t seem rushed. “He can get in on his own.”
Roman laughed, and Janus set Lawrence back in his enclosure so he could bask underneath the heat lamp. Roman still watched his movements from inside the cage. “I wish I had a pet.”
“Patton would get you a dog in seconds if you asked.” Logan suggested.
Roman shook his head. “It’s fine, I won’t ask.” He didn’t really know what kind of pet he even wanted, and besides, it’s not like he’d be able to keep it once he leaves Patton’s house. There was no point.
Suddenly, a loud stomping came from the stairs outside Janus’ bedroom. Roman yelped and ran to hide behind Janus in the corner of the room, but the others didn’t react. 
Roman sputtered. “What the-”
Before Roman could finish, a large bang came as someone kicked open the door and let it smack into the wall.
“I’m back by unpopular demand!”
“Hello, Remus.”
Roman completely froze up at the sound of that name. He turned around to look at the person that just busted down Janus’ bedroom door, a kid with messy hair and peach fuzz for a mustache, ripped jeans in the summer with a cast boot on his right foot.
Roman felt himself choke on air as he processed what was in front of him.
“Slugs are goopy like jello! So jello is made of slugs, duh!”
“Remus, that’s gross! No one would make food out of slugs!”
“What’s up, fuckers!” Remus announced. “I’m back from the pits of hell! Also known as the emergency room.”
Roman didn’t say anything, only stared at him in disbelief. Remus’ voice was a lot different now. He’d hit puberty, so the pitch had dropped a lot from what Roman was used to. A tuft of his hair was white, also. Roman couldn’t tell if it was dye or a condition.
That piece of hair and Remus’ mustache were the only things that made them both look apart now.
“What actually happened?” Logan asked. “You never told us specifics.”
“I broke my foot sucking too much-”
“Remus.” Janus warned.
“Fine, fine. I tripped trying to run up some steps and my fall didn’t look badass at all. Don’t tell people that though. If anyone asks, I broke it running from the cops.”
Janus nodded and smirked. “Noted.”
“We brought a third foster brother, also.” Virgil noted. Roman stopped breathing.
“Oh, really? Shit, I fuckin missed everything!” Roman looked in the corner trying to avoid Remus noticing him, but it was never that easy. “Why hello, welcome to our humble- …Oh, fuck.”
Remus tilted his head to make eye contact with Roman, and the surprise on Remus’ face was something Roman would never forget. He seemed genuinely baffled, like nothing in the world would have prepared him for what he saw. Roman wanted to cry.
I wanted to leave behind these people.
“…Roman?” Remus finally said, “Dude, holy fuck, I haven’t seen you in forever!”
“Wait,” Virgil staggered, “You know each other already?”
“He’s my fucking cousin!” Remus exclaimed. “Come on, look at us, we’re only a little related but we look like twins!”
Logan turned to Roman. “Is this true?”
Roman could feel the tears ready to burst. His throat was scratchy, but he tried to talk anyway. “…I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Come on, Princey, don’t be shy!” Remus teased. “We used to be best friends, let everyone believe we were twins until our moms called our shit out. Absolute bastard children- …wait. Wait a fucking second.”
“What is it?” Janus asked.
Remus turned to Virgil and Logan with a shocked and confused face. “…You said he’s your foster brother?”
Logan nodded. “That is correct.”
Remus turned to Roman, seemingly at a loss for words. “…Dude, the fuck? What happened?”
Roman looked at the floor, gripping onto his arm so hard it’d be a miracle if there weren’t marks later. “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I mean, I know I haven’t seen you since your mom fucked off to Neverland, but what happened to your dad? He’s still alive and shit isn’t he? The hell happened?”
“I said I don’t want to fucking talk about it!” Roman seethed, grinding his teeth together as he practically growled out that sentence.
Virgil flinched violently. “Roman-”
“Whatever!” Roman pushed Remus off to the side and kicked the door fully open, storming his way down the stairs despite the sounds of people yelling for him to come back. Roman stomped out the front door and took a sprint for it down the block, not caring if he had to be alone with Patton, so long as he wasn’t here.
“I bet you would eat a slug!”
“No I wouldn’t! Liar!”
“Boys, boys!” Roman’s mother laughed, crouching down to meet their eye level from their place sitting in the grass. “No eating slugs. Be nice to the bugs or we’ll go back inside.”
“Yeah, Remus!”
Remus huffed. “I’m not doing anything!”
“Not yet!”
Roman’s mother laughed again. “I’m going to help Uncle André with dinner. But I better not hear a fight, okay?”
“Okay!” Roman promised, watching as his mom went back inside his uncle’s house into the kitchen. Roman and Remus continued to play in the grass by looking at bugs and telling stories to each other, making Roman smile more than he has in a long time. He always loved going to Remus’ house. His dad never came with them, so he and his mom were always happier.
“How come we never go to your house?” Remus eventually asked after a few minutes of playing. Roman stuck his tongue out.
“‘Cause our house is tiny and the backyard isn’t as cool.”
“Still! When you come over, you never bring Uncle Theo!”
“Good!” Roman defended, “Dad’s boring so he doesn't getta come!”
“I like him! He’s fun and nice and always brings chocolate!”
“He’s awful!” Roman covered his mouth after he blurted that out. Remus gave him a look.
“He’s not awful!”
Roman looked over to the glass sliding door. His mom was in there, he could see her, but she couldn’t hear him. Maybe he could get away with it. He could tell Remus a secret and his mom would never find out.
Roman hesitantly took his hands away from his mouth. His tone grew to be a lot softer. “…He is, though.”
Remus tilted his head to the side like a dog. “What makes him awful?”
“…Promise not to tell anyone?”
Remus leaned in closer. “Uh huh!”
“No one at all, ever?”
“Triple quadruple promise!”
Roman looked back at his mom. She wasn’t paying attention to him, seemingly talking to his uncle and pouring juice into cups. Roman hesitated for a moment. “…My dad-”
“Boys! Dinner’s ready!” Roman’s mom called out, making Roman jump almost a foot in the air. Both of them got off of the grass to walk inside, but before they did, Remus turned to Roman again.
“Your dad what?”
“…Nevermind.” He missed his chance. Remus would never find out, and Roman never told anyone for another five years.
Roman ran faster down the street at the memory, fighting back the tears in his eyes. It was fine. Roman was fine.
He never wanted to talk to Remus again.
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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years
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Same universe as the one where LXC kills JGY on a boat to not-Japan. JRS-centric as he grows up in the Nie clan and deals with his reputation as an inbred son of a traitorous bastard.
so I don't think I've ever written a fic in which LXC kills JGY on a boat, and definitely not one where JRS is a character? I mean, I've written a lot of fics, so possibly I did and I forgot, but I'm pretty sure about this one.
That being said, I don't think I've gotten any Jin Rusong prompts before so I'm reinterpreting this to be a prompt for a fic about JRS growing up in the Nie clan. Fic below!
ao3
-
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Nie Huaisang reminded himself. Risk is proportionate with reward. Your spine should be made of steel, just as your saber is.
He licked his lips, thought of his brother who had loved him, and threw himself forward with tears in his eyes.
“Oh, gongzi!” he blubbered. “Can you help me? I’ve gotten completelylost, I don’t even know where to begin –”
Xue Yang blinked at him, the lids of his eyes moving slowly like a reptile.
“Maybe you know where my san-ge is? Lianfeng-zun?”
The feeling of immediate threat lessened. It seemed he’d gambled right, and the rabid dog that was Xue Yang could still be controlled by reference to Jin Guangyao.
“I’d really appreciate it if you could just give me some guidance on where to find him,” Nie Huaisang said, lowering his voice confidentially. “I’d be sure to pay you back! If there’s anything you want –”
“Do you have any snacks?” Xue Yang asked.
Nie Huaisang, who had come prepared based on the rumors he’d painstakingly collected, produced some dragons’ beard candy.
“Not bad,” Xue Yang said. “Okay, sure.”
Nie Huaisang smiled, and even meant it.
-
“Hey, good-for-nothing,” Xue Yang said, and Nie Huaisang turned to look at his least favorite but nevertheless highly useful source of information in Lanling Jin. The fact that Xue Yang had no idea that he was functioning as such just made it more satisfactory. “You like kids, right?”
Nie Huaisang blinked. “Yes?” he hazarded, not so much because he actually did – he’d never had strong feelings about children one way or the other, though perhaps he was being presumptuous in thinking that the reference did not involve goats – but because that seemed to be the answer Xue Yang was looking for.
Xue Yang wrinkled his nose in distaste, though not, Nie Huaisang thought, at him.
“Theoretically,” he said, and he wouldn’t know ‘theoretical’ if it hit him in the face, “if there were, I don’t know, a whole bunch of them hanging around somewhere without parents, you’d be able to do something about that, right? Especially if they had a talent for cultivation?”
It took only a moment to piece together what must have happened to lead to such a question, given the ruthlessness of the cultivation world and of Jin Guangyao in particular, and Nie Huaisang marveled briefly at the idea that Xue Yang might draw a moral line in the sand over something. Presumably he felt some kinship to the children, being similarly utterly infantile, amoral, and fond of sweet things.
“Oh sure!” he said, playing up the brainless idiot who didn’t know to ask questions. “My sect is always recruiting, you know. We took some losses in the war and, well, I feel like adult cultivators aren’t really all that interestedin joining ever since I took over…”
“Because you’re a waste of space,” Xue Yang said, and Nie Huaisang pouted at him. “Whatever, the important thing is that you have space for kids. Orphans. Think, like, a whole orphanage getting shut down or whatever – anyway, not important. You’d take them back to Qinghe, right?”
“Oh, that would be so wonderful!” Nie Huaisang clapped. “That would suit everyone, wouldn’t it? They don’t have to worry about the children, and we get new disciples. I should tell san-ge – no, on second thought, he might be too busy –”
“Definitely too busy,” Xue Yang said quickly. “Wouldn’t it be nice to accomplish something yourself? You could casually show him that your numbers went up at the end of the month instead so he gives you the credit, without explaining that it’s kids making up the increase.”
“That’s a great idea! He’ll be much more impressed by that, I should definitely do that. Where is the orphanage?”
“…uh, in the forest. The back forest.”
You couldn’t come up with a better lie?
“You already brought them here?” Nie Huaisang asked, batting his eyelashes. “You’re so nice, Xue-xiong! I’ll go tell my second in command to go deal with it right away!”
-
It was in the fifth round of kids getting picked up – small cultivation clans being massacred and there was nothing Nie Huaisang could do about it, because there was either no evidence or else Jin Guangyao had come up with some motive to justify his actions and, inevitably, Lan Xichen would be there behind him, soothing over tempers and providing explanations because he believed him, every time – that something unusual happened.
“Sect Leader Nie,” one of his most trusted subordinates murmured into his ear. “There’s a problem.”
Nie Huaisang found a reason to leave the party early, a reason to go to the rendezvous point, and, once there, found the reason for the problem.
“Oh, hey there,” he said with a smile fixed onto his face by sheer force of willpower, crouching down to make himself seem less intimidating. Not that he was ever particularly intimidating, though given the rage coursing through his veins right now, he thought he might be able to pull it off if he tried. “What a lucky chance! It’s so funny, finding you here, Songsong. How are you?”
Jin Rusong wiped his eyes and looked tearily at him, recognized that the person asking was his Little Uncle Nie, and threw himself into Nie Huaisang’s arms with a howl.
This was pretty typical – Jin Rusong wasn’t much of a crier, but when he did he definitely took Nie Huaisang as his model, something all the other adults in the cultivation world had a tendency to give Nie Huaisang dirty looks over.
The only problem here, of course, was that Jin Rusong was dead.
Or, rather…he was supposed to be dead.
And if Jin Rusong was here – here, in the rendezvous point where Xue Yang put those of his prospective victims that happened to be a little too young for even him to stomach killing, at least without the personal grudge that had driven him to slaughter the Chang clan in its entirety – that meant only one thing.
Jin Guangyao had ordered his own son to be murdered.
Through demonic cultivation, no less, which was a pretty nasty way to go. There was a reason everyone implicitly countenanced Jiang Cheng’s vendetta against demonic cultivators no matter where they were, even when he ignored all territory lines and forgot to not ask for permission – the things a demonic cultivator gone bad could do were just so much worse than what anyone else could that they couldn’t risk any delay in dealing with the problem.
Well, shit, Nie Huaisang thought, even as he comforted Jin Rusong, petting the toddler’s back to try to get him to calm down. What do I do now?
-
“There has to be a reason,” Nie Huaisang insisted. “He’s not rabid. Songsong was his son!”
“Sect Leader Nie, we can’t find anything that might explain it.”
“Look harder. I don’t care how minor it is, I want to know everythingto do with Songsong. Every little detail – every person who saw him – every medical report, every compliment, every good grade –”
“He placed last in one of his classes,” one of his spies volunteered.
“What?”
“He placed last in one of his classes. About two months before his ‘assassination’, and shortly before his father started collecting evidence against the other sects that were in his way, which he later used to ‘prove’ that they had been involved in the alleged murder.”
“He wouldn’t kill his son for failing a class,” one of the others objected. “The kid’s barely more than a baby. What’s he expecting, genius from birth?”
“He’s a genius himself. Why not?”
“If everyone inherited everything directly from their parents, he’d be a whore.”
“He’d be a Jin. They’ve all got that nose, every one of them…”
“I heard he’s having the other Jin bastards killed. All of them, even the women…”
Something snapped in Nie Huaisang’s hands.
They all turned to look at him.
“Investigate Qin Su,” he said, looking down at the mess of wood and paper that had once been a fan. “Come to think of it, she has a Jin nose, too.”
-
“I don’t want to go!”
“I don’t want you to go, either,” Nie Huaisang said, feeling tired and also much more in sympathy with his poor older brother than he’d ever been while Nie Mingjue had been alive. “But you disobeyed me, and that means we don’t have a choice. You have to go.”
Nie Songsong looked down at the ground, his lip quivering. “I didn’t mean to…”
“You did,” Nie Huaisang said. “You have to own your decisions, Songsong. You can’t take them back once they’re done, no matter what the consequences. Not even if you feel bad, but definitely not because you feel bad for having to pay for what you did.”
“But…”
“No, Songsong. You cannot be in the Unclean Realm when – when he’s here.”
Nie Songsong hung his head.
“He’s not your father anymore,” Nie Huaisang said. “You know that, right?”
Nie Songsong nodded.
Nie Huaisang sighed and held out his hands, and his arms were full of a teary-eyed child a moment later.
“He loved you once,” Nie Huaisang murmured into his child’s hair. “I love you now. I wish I could give you more than that – I wish I could give you an answer, tell you why he didn’t love you enough to keep from doing what he did. But I can’t. All I can do…”
Is what I’m already doing.
“You’re enough, er-ge,” Nie Songsong whispered back. “You’re enough. I promise.”
-
“When will I get to go night-hunting?”
“You go night-hunting all the time,” Nie Huaisang grumbled. “You’re a fraction my age, and already my height, my weight, yet you wield a saber like my brother was around to raise you properly. You’re ruining my reputation, you know; now no one will believe that my incompetence comes from how short I am…”
“Not night-hunting with the rest of the sect, er-ge,” Nie Songsong said, rolling his eyes. “With other juniors!”
“Not long now,” Nie Huaisang said, looking down at the paper beneath his hands. It was all finally coming together. “Not long now. Just give er-ge a little more time to finish taking care of matters for da-ge, and you’ll be able to go night-hunting with anyone you like.”
-
“Er-ge! Are you all right? You look so pale…”
“I’m sorry,” Nie Huaisang whispered. “Songsong – I’m sorry. I’m so sorry –”
“What happened? Are you injured?” Nie Songsong demanded, already starting to pat him over, looking for wounds. “Er-ge, what’s wrong –”
“Your mother’s dead.”
Nie Songsong’s hands stilled.
“I told her about your heritage,” Nie Huaisang said, his lips numb. He’d never tried to hide it from Nie Songsong, although he’d introduced the subject very gradually and only once he thought that he’d be able to handle the revelation. “About your father – your grandfather. What they did. I wanted her to be angry at him, to turn against him, to distract him…instead, she killed herself.”
“Er-ge…”
“I shouldn’t have told her. If I knew –”
“Er-ge.”
“I should have brought her in earlier – told her about you surviving – I kept her from you for years –”
“Er-ge!”
Nie Huaisang looked at the child he had raised as a little brother the way his older brother had raised him, a father in everything but name, and who he had the constant feeling of having failed.
He wondered, as he always did, whether his brother had felt the same about him.
“Er-ge, it’s all right,” his little brother, his adopted son, said, and took his hands in his. “It’s all right. You tried, remember? Time after time, you tried to talk to her, but every single time you concluded that she would’ve told her husband instead of trusting you. She would’ve ruined everything. If she did that, I’d be dead all over again, and you with me.”
That had been what Nie Huaisang had concluded. That was why he’d never told her.
But…
“She’s your mother.”
“And you’re my er-ge. As long as you don’t die on me, too, it’ll be all right. Okay? It’ll be all right. It’ll be worth it in the end.”
Nie Huaisang shook his head. He’d already done so much, caused so much chaos and strife, and yet this moment – this was the step too far.
This was the first time he realized that he wasn’t sure he believed that it would be worth it anymore.
But by now…what else was left to do? There were no ways out of the plan he’d made himself; he’d designed it that way on purpose, because he’d known that if there was a way out, that snake would find a way to slither through it. He just hadn’t thought that he would be the one looking for it.
It didn’t matter.
He had to keep going.
His older brother deserved it, even if the younger one didn’t.
-
“I represent the Nie sect,” the young man – just about their age, though shorter than either of them – said with a smile. He seemed kind, gentle and polite, easy-going, but Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui looked at each other, and then at Jin Ling, who just scowled. “Can I come in?”
“Were you even invited?” Jin Ling asked in bitten off words. He was still bitter about some of the things that had happened in the Guayin Temple a month before, and of all them the one he was most bitter about was his second uncle’s retreat into seclusion – they were all upset about that.
“But it’s a discussion conference,” the young man said, blinking in confusion. “We’re a Great Sect. Why wouldn’t we be invited?”
In the face of such profound ignorance, there really wasn’t very much they could say, and eventually Lan Sizhui stepped forward with a smile, welcoming the young man – Nie Songsong, he introduced himself – into the Cloud Recesses.
Everything seemed fine for a little while. Lan Sizhui was able to talk to the people in charge of arranging juniors into finding another place for Nie Songsong to stay, although it would be a little delayed – Nie Songsong assured them that there was no issue – and as recompense they even showed him, at his request, a few of the main landmarks.
And then they turned around and their guest had disappeared.
“I knew he was up to no good!” Jin Ling exclaimed.
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Lan Sizhui told him.
“I’m with Jin Ling,” Lan Jingyi said. “He seemed so nice and understated – just like you know –”
“Don’t talk about my little uncle,” Jin Ling hissed at him. “I know it’s true, but just – don’t, okay?”
“We should find where he went,” Lan Sizhui decided.
It took them a while, but in the end they found him in the most unexpected place: in the rooms their sect leader had chosen for his seclusion, sitting on the bed with Lan Xichen’s head on his shoulder, sobbing as if his heart had been broken.
“What are you doing?” Lan Sizhui exclaimed, unnerved even out of his own habitual politeness.
“I came to greet my uncle,” Nie Songsong said, his manner just as gentle and polite as it had been from the beginning, although it was now evident that he was as stubborn as a rock and not easy-going at all.
“Your uncle?” Lan Jingyi gaped. “How can he be your uncle?”
“You’re Sect Leader Nie’s son!” Jin Ling accused.
“I’m Sect Leader Nie’s little brother by adoption,” Nie Songsong corrected. “It’s through my father that he’s my uncle – and you my cousin, I suppose.”
“Your – father?”
“Oh, yes. My birth name, you see,” Nie Songsong said, “was Jin Rusong.”
-
“Why did you choose to reveal yourself?” Lan Sizhui asked. “Given that everyone knows – well –”
Nie Songsong finished the character he was writing and put down his brush. “Wondering if you should let it be known that you were born with the surname Wen?”
Lan Sizhui jerked in surprise, then flushed. “How did you – that didn’t come out in Guanyin Temple.”
“No, I knew it before,” Nie Songsong said. “My er-ge is very clever, you know.”
“Yes, I suppose I do...why do you call him brother? Shouldn’t he be uncle, or – or –”
“Uncle is probably right,” Nie Songsong said. “But he raised me like a son, just as his brother did for him.”
Lan Sizhui looked down at his hands.
“Why did he publicly reveal your background, knowing that you were still around?” he asked again. “Everyone will know. Who your father was, all those terrible things he did, his relationship with your mother –”
“Why shouldn’t he? He did do all those things, and he did have that relationship with my mother.”
“But what about you? What about your reputation –”
“Are you planning on sweeping Wen Ruohan’s grave?”
Lan Sizhui stared at him.
“He’s your grandfather, isn’t he?” Nie Songsong looked calmly back at him. “Who he was, all those terrible things he did –”
“That’s nothing to do with me!”
“And the crimes of my father are nothing to do with me. My er-ge gave me his surname, just as Hanguang-jun gave you his, and for the same reason – to cut us off from the sins of our original family.”
“I suppose that’s true. But – no one knew about you, just as no one knew about me until I told them, and I only told them because they were my friends. Why’d you tell us? Aren’t you worried we’d tell more people?”
“Of course I am,” Nie Songsong said. “I hope you don’t, of course, but you would’ve found out regardless – second uncle wasn’t exactly subtle in his grief. And I had to tell him.”
“Why? To bring him out of seclusion?” Lan Sizhui hesitated. “Do you care so much for him?”
“Of course not. The last time I met him, I was a small child, and my father was just about to order me murdered; that’s not much of a basis to build a relationship. But having him lock himself away like that, as if he were in mourning…it hurt er-ge. And I won’t let anything hurt my er-ge. Anything, or anyone.”
They looked at each other for a long moment.
“I understand,” Lan Sizhui said.
“I’m glad you do,” Nie Songsong said, and then smiled. “I would’ve had to escalate to threats next, and I’m given to understand that I’m too short to really pull them off properly.”
Lan Sizhui snorted. “I think we’ve all learned that that’snot true.”
-
“Should we talk about this?” Jin Ling asked, arms crossed over his chest and glaring.
“What do you want to talk about?” Nie Songsong replied.
“How about the fact that your father tried to kill me?”
“Sure. Can we talk about the fact that you got all of his affection for years and years after he tried to kill me?”
Jin Ling blanched.
“I wonder if he would’ve gotten me a dog, too,” Nie Songsong mused. “I was too young for that when he ordered his demonic cultivator to feed me to fierce corpses and have my body ravaged until it was barely recognizable…but sure, let’s talk about how he tried to kill you.”
“I was talking about Sect Leader Nie!”
“Well, then, you should have been more specific. Sect Leader Nie’s my brother, not my father.”
“He’s a whole generation older than you!”
“My little uncle, then.”
Jin Ling flinched. “That’s worse. Go back to calling him your brother.”
Nie Songsong shrugged. “Would it help if we fought?”
“…what?”
“It makes me feel better, sometimes. Besides, I may be short, but I’m pretty good with the saber. I bet I could match your sword…maybe not your arrows. But I’ve always wanted to try.”
Jin Ling looked at him suspiciously for a long moment.
“Okay,” he finally said. “Sure. Why not?”
-
“I really hate that you’re kind of cool,” Lan Jingyi told him.
“I am so cool,” Nie Songsong said, and passed him another jar of wine. “Want to see my spring book collection?”
“…yes please.”
-
“Thank you for taking care of him,” Lan Xichen said to Nie Huaisang, who shrugged. “I’m sorry that you couldn’t trust me to help.”
“It’s only what I should have done,” Nie Huaisang said, not for the first time. He’d said it so often these past few days that it felt like a new refrain, an alternative to the old I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know. He preferred the original. “I was his little uncle, remember? I held him on his first month party. How could I do any less?”
He did not say that Lan Xichen, who could be classified as Jin Rusong’s older uncle, had done much less, but from Lan Xichen’s expression, he’d taken it that way anyway.
“You never…” Lan Xichen hesitated. “Did you ever have any – concerns?”
“That he’d turn out an idiot? No. I figured he’d be in good company, with me.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Oh, you meant whether I was worried that he’d grow up longing for his blood family over his adopted family and turn against me in favor of his real father?” Nie Huaisang asked mildly. “No, not really. The memory of your father ordering you to be mauled by fierce corpses and to make sure your face is destroyed so that there’s a reason to refuse to let your mother see the body, as it would only upset her, is a fairly effective panacea against things like that.”
“No,” Lan Xichen said, though he looked sick all over again at the reminder of how considerate Jin Guangyao could be when it came to those he thought of as people, and how monstrous he was towards those he didn’t. “No, just – your brother always took such a hard line against the Wen sect…”
“Because they were raised with the philosophy that they were superior to the rest of us and my brother purposefully made himself into the symbol of their fallibility, thereby making himself and all the rest of us the primary target for their traumatic realization that they’re just as weak and vulnerable as everyone else,” Nie Huaisang said, rolling his eyes. “Our Nie sect cultivators were always especially targeted whenever we were captured – our survival rate as prisoners of war was less than half all the other sects, and it wasn’t just because we were usually more injured when we got caught. Even the civilians surnamed Wen would pull out knives and try to stab us in the back if they had half a chance! We were in a blood feud with them, er-ge. You don’t put down blood feuds just like that, not even if you want to. That’s not how it works.”
Lan Xichen nodded slowly, thoughtful.
“Anyway, Songsong is mine now,” Nie Huaisang said. “Just as Lan Sizhui is your brother’s, and Jin Ling Jiang Cheng’s. Can’t we all just agree to not care about the rest?”
“I suppose we have to,” Lan Xichen said, bowing his head. “Huaisang…did you ever think about what happens now? I mean – what should we do next?”
“I don’t know,” Nie Huaisang said, and smiled humorlessly when Lan Xichen looked at him. “I’m not joking. I didn’t know what to do when I got Songsong for the first time, er-ge, and I don’t know what to do now, either. I just wanted to see justice done for my da-ge, and I did, and for the rest – I don’t know.”
“That’s fine,” Lan Xichen said. “I don’t know, either.”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Nie Huaisang thought. Spine as steel as your saber.
“Would you like to come visit the Unclean Realm sometime?” he asked, pretending to be casual. “Perhaps we can figure out what we don’t know together. If you like.”
“…perhaps I will,” Lan Xichen said.
264 notes · View notes
worminstuff · 3 years
Text
dreamsmp mcmh
dreamsmp members as teachers au: blrub edition!
mcmh = Minecraft middle and high school
no warnings:)
wordcount: 3.9k
I will also definitely take requests from now on with this teacher au! Weather it be reader x teacher bla bla or whichever teacher and whatever prompt you think of! Just plop em in my inbox and I’ll check em out! I may not get to all of them or even see them all but I’ll try!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mr.Wastaken - math
“The quadratic equation isn't useless, you just don't understand it. Here,” the students glared at the diss from their teacher. Dream turned his back to them as he attempted to draw another diagram on the board.
He took a quick glance behind him at all the kids, he was only met with empty stares.
“Oh come on- guys! Really?” he laughed slightly, a wheeze crawling up his throat. They looked angry at him. “You all look like kicked puppies.”
One of the boys in the back kicked his friend. “Jared!” said friend threw his pencil at him.
“Okay well obviously we seem to be done with math today..” Dream sighed and shook his head slightly as everyone watched the fiasco in the back. He’ll step in. In a minute.
“If you throw the pencil by holding it by one end not in the middle, it'll spin more.” he called to the boys in the back. 
Mr.Blade - english
“Did anyone have any trouble or anything with the paired text writing last night?” his arms were folded on his chest, not in an angry or off putting way, his hands were just cold.
“Yeah actually I-” one student started,
“The rubric is the link under the one for the document template.” he  prematurely answered, a soft grin gracing his features.
“How did you?..” the student tilted their head in confusion. 
“You ask the same question every time.” Mr.Blade shrugged and everyone laughed softly.
Techno loved the little community that was his class, he's had them for about 3 months now so he's gotten to know them really well. This little bunch was incredibly creative and he really enjoys reading their assignments. 
Mr.Blade sat down on the edge of his desk and slid his still cold hands into his pocket, scanning the small group of kids in front of him.
“Is anyone having any trouble?” He tried to seem nice as he asked because he didn't want to come off as pushy. There was a chorus of yes’ and techno grinned.
“Well as you all know, as Sun Tzu once said-”
Before he could finish his sentence he was cut off by a series of groans and sighs as everyone rolled their eyes.
Techno smiled to himself. He really did love his job.
Mr.Jacobs - history
“Amy!” Karl excitedly grinned and dapped up a small girl walking into his class, “Was that extra credit assignment i sent pretty easy or was it too hard? I can switch it up if you don't like it.”
Amy told him it was fairly easy and she would be done with it very soon.
“No rush ames!” he said as he craned his neck a bit to look at her as she sat in her chair.
He was just about to step into his classroom as the bell rang, but a certain hand tugged on his forearm.
“Hey!- oh hi nick.” Karl's smile grew. Sapnap smiled but shook his head softly, “I've got a class this period but I wanted to come say hi first.”
Karl giggled, “simp!” he whispered before turning to quickly walk into his class.
Everyone was excitedly sitting in their chairs, talking about due assignments and anything else they could think of.
“Good morning everyone! Hello, hello, hello i hope your other teachers have treated you well this morning and if they haven't then that's okay cause you're here now.” he pointed finger guns at the bunch of them and then grabbed the remote to turn on the smart board.
Mr.Quack/Mr.Q - Spanish 
“Hola mi niños!” Quackity smiled widely at the bunch of  kids sitting in front of him, there was a chorus of answers from the excited kids. Many of them were in the “wrong seats” as to sit with friends because today, today was kahoot day.
Every Friday was kahoot day where they always do some type of kahoot whether it be related to the lesson or not and everyone was always excited.
Especially kids who have PE before this class, the coach's competitiveness really sticks.
No one hypes these kids up more than Mr.Quack, which causes for the occasional noise complaint.
“Aye! Mr español! Keep it down here you spanish gremlins.” Mr.Dude pressed his head through the doorway scolding the class, the students erupted into a large fit of laughter only causing their volume to rise.
“You can’t put a volume warning on learning Sam! We're popping off!” Quackity yelled over the laughter of his students.
Mrs.Nihachu - art
“Oh my goodness! This is beautiful!” Mrs.Nihachu flashed a sweet smile to the student in front of her. She was handed a small doodle of a flower and she was already pinning it on the board beside her desk.
Her class was currently working on their test grade assignments, some making sculptures with cardboard or paper mache, some making clay creations, others painting. It was a big jumble of chaotic creativeness and nikki was enjoying it thoroughly.
Her class was often chaotic in this way, but during lunch time it was much calmer. There was a small group of students that would eat in her room to escape the crazy chaos of the lunchroom, and she enjoyed it as much as them.
She loved to listen in on the current drama and give advice where she could, they were her little buddies and she adored them.
Coach Sapnap & Coach Punz - PE
The sound of a whistle was no stranger to this classroom, or rather, this gymnasium. There was only one whistle, and two teachers. Both coaches made it ritual that whoever got there first would get it for the day.
Today, Coach Sapnap happened to get the whistle first.
“Okay kiddos-” coach Punz was cut off by the blaring sound of the whistle beside him.
“Airtight Kiddos!” Coach Sapnap clapped happily as all the students turned their attention towards the two Coaches. “It's kickball day,” he grinned deviously as the students cheered.
Both of them directed the class to one end of the gym to split them into teams.
“Okay so we’ll pick two team captains, and then they'll go back and forth picking their team and then once everyone's picked, the team captains can rock paper scissors to pick which one of us you want on your team.” Punz explained and everyone nodded.
sapnap picked one of the smaller girls in the class as one captain, and another kid standing near her as the other. Both of the kids picked through the class until it was separated into two groups.
“Okay! Ready?” they both nodded. “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” the girl had picked rock, and the other kid picked scissors. Immediately the victor pointed to Punz with a small smile.
Punz’s arms shot up in the air “Aye! That's right! Gimme five!” he high fived her small hand.
sapnap smiled and shook his head, “no this works out perfect because i know you guys were hoping for me on your team, right?” sapnap joked to his team, one boy jokingly piped up,
“well..Coach punz is ideal but, you're okay too.” the whole class erupted into laughter until Sapnap blew his whistle ushering them to start the game already.
Mr.Notfound - engineering 
“Mr.Notfound where are the extension cords for the soddering table?” George currently had his freshman period and they were working on a lightboard project. Today's task was soldering the leds to the correct wires and such on the back of the projects.
“Em..they should be there..are they just not? Or are they on top of it and you just didn't look?” he quirked a brow at the freshman.
“No, it's just not there..” they shrugged. 
George nodded, “alright, do you want to go ask Mr.Wastaken if he's got a spare or would you rather me go instead?” George asked with a small smile. He was quite stonic before so he was afraid the kid thought he was mad at them. The freshman said they would and scurried off.
George decided he wanted to walk around the class and see how everyone was faring with their projects and if there was anything else they couldn't find. 
He walked around all the desks and lab tables and stopped at a small group of friends all working separately but sitting together.
“How's it going over here?” He held a very small smile. The group replied positively and each showed their projects to which he praised. They were all really really cool already, and he couldn't wait to show Dream some of his favorites after they were turned in to be graded.
Mr.Fundy - biology
“Mr.Fundy, your coat is very...bright.” A student named Owen, was referring to his very colorful lab coat. He sounded as if he was trying to compliment him, but he really couldn’t just LIE to his teacher.
Fundy narrowed his eyes at Owen. Owens desk was directly in front of the lab table that was his desk, in the front of the room. Fundy was stood behind it.
Fundy placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, “are you making fun of me?”
“He SO is.” The girl next to Owen said with a grin.
“Hey! I wasn’t! It’s just very...different.” Owen defended.
Fundy pointed an accusing finger, “there’s that backhanded tone again!” He ended it with a giddy laugh.
The rest of the class joined in until, “alright alright! I get it! It’s not super pretty but! It’s a great Segway into today’s lab,”
The rest of the class groaned loudly, smiles showing through.
Fundy snorted a laugh and shook his head, pulling some beakers from the drawers in the table.
Electives:
Teacher Eret - sociology
“So she told you you weren’t invited? After all that?!” Eret was currently chit chatting with his very small third period clas that consisted of a small group of kids that happened to be friends.
“Right teacher eret! I was like, woah, that’s so honked up! So we all decided we’re not going.” A girl named Jane said.
“Well that’s very sweet of you, I would’ve done the same.” Eret patted the first girls head endearingly as he walked back to his desk to sit in his desk chair. The girls continued their small conversation, including teacher eret when they wanted input.
Eret was heavily fond of classes like this where they were all very close already and he found it easy to bond with them. It just happened that these girls did there work on time so they had plenty of time to chat with him and eachother. 
His favorite thing was when they’d give him fashion advice, because he always took them up on it. It paid off too, he’s a very dashing dude because of it!
Mr. Dude - comp science
Sam was sat at his desk typing away as the class was doing a quiet activity. They were playing around with coding websites that are essentially games. The class was fairly small, so he’d grown quite a bond with his little dudes over the past couple months.
“How are all you guys other classes going?” He asked, turning his chair to face them.
“Mr.Notfound is honestly about to give me a headache.” One of the girls sat towards the window said, her friend beside her laughed and nodded.
Sam laughed softly, “how come?”
“His room is always a mess! I can never find the correct pieces for anything. You have to look where you wouldn’t think it would ever be and then that’s where it always is!”
A few other kids laughed and agreed as they had him aswell.
“Not to mention he gets grouchy sometimes when we ask him to much.” One boy poked in.
“He does? That’s not to nice. I’ll poke him about it.” Sam said to his kiddos with a soft smile, “how we feeling about a snack break?”
All the kids quickly agreed and he pulled a box out from under his desk with various snacks and drinks and placed it on the floor in the front of the room.
“Have at it!” He made his way back to his desk as there were various wrapper sounds and “thanks Mr.Dude”’s
Mr.Soot - drama
“Okay let me get this straight- you did the script assignment but you didn’t study the lines?” Mr.Soots eyes were narrowed.
“Well no i used the script to help but I didn’t memorize it.” The girl in front of him said, her name is gene.
“Hm. Alright, you can just read off it then I suppose, it better not render your performance though, geney!” He smiled as he nudged her towards the stage. 
The students were doing this group project where they made their own story’s and scrips and they got to perform them for fun, not for a grade. They had a free day so they decided it would be fun to do it today, and Wilbur was the most exciting out of all of them.
He watched each one, giving copious amounts of praise and encouragement and he really enjoyed it. The bell rang faster than they’d all expected since they were having so much fun, and he waved them off as they went on to their next class.
Wilbur sighed to himself, a content smile on his face as he sat in the front row of the auditorium. 
“What’s with the sigh?” A voice started him slightly as it broke the silence of the large room.
“Jesus phil, a bit of a warning, yeah?” He pressed a hand to his chest.
“Sorry, should’ve announced myself. My bad, mate.” Phil walked up the small steps of the stage and sat on the top few, facing wilbur.
“You looked awfully content, a good class?” Phil asked.
“Oh definitely. Love that bunch to bits. They’re so smart and they’ve got so much passion for theater but they’re so carefree and they have so much fun. I just love to be a part of it. Makes my job a whole lot more fun.” Wilbur spoke with a proud grin. It was true, he really did adore his students and he was beyond proud of them.
“I’m glad!” Phil stood, “keep up the good work, kid.” He clapped him on the shoulder as Wilbur nodded.
Mr.Schlatt - political science
“No you said it was before the time you had it, therefore your argument is invalid cause how can you claim you had it during that time if the entire argument is based around you not having it?”
Schlatt stared at the student in front of him. He was a tad speechless, which was impressive in itself.
They were talking about a stupid debate thing shlatt had made up, but he made it with a loophole, wondering if they’d actually catch it. He was very surprised one of the students actually did.
“You’re correct actually. Good job, ren.” His brows were raised as he tried to hide his proud grin. He didn’t want them to know how genuinely excited he was that they figured it out.
“That’s stupid.” Ren said, with a blank stare.
“Aye!-“ Schlatt was about to go off a tad when the door opened and Mr.Q stood in the doorway.
“Am I interrupting a yelling session?” He asked
“Yes.” Both Ren and Schlatt answered at the same time.
Mr.Halo - self defense
Mr.Halos class was one of the chilliest, like Erets and Sams, there wasn’t a whole lot of work getting done during class since they would just talk about various things and have snacks.
Today Bad taught them about various hotlines they may need to know about for different situations they’d find themselves in.
“Do they just make hotlines for everything these days Mr.Halo?” One kid asked.
“Well sometimes. Not for everything though, but definitely for a lot of things.” He responded.
He was currently sat cris cross on the rug in the front of his room, munching on a orange as the rest of the class was also having snacks. 
He loved classes like this because these were times when his job didn’t feel like work, he loved that he was helping make sure these kids could be educated enough to protect themselves when he couldn’t. He worried about them, but he felt happy when he could see them safe and sound, and not hungry, like they were at the moment. He cherished these simple moments the most.
Even more than the times he’s watched them scrimmage some defense tactics and evidently fall on their butts in some instances. 
Mr.Skeppy - money management
“Mr Skeppy, I'm bored.” 
“Okay.” Skeppy replied as he stared at his computer screen, his head rested in his hand.
The student scowled slightly, others giggled to themselves.
“Mr.Skeppyyyy” the kid groaned, the kids around him laughing. 
“Fine, if i put up a kahoot will you all leave me alone?” He smiled softly, sending the kid a side eye.
The class agreed loudly and he pulled up a kahoot about vines.
“Whoever gets first place gets 6 bucks.” Skeppy said with a grin as he leaned back in his chair.
“Isn’t that counter productive to the lesson we’re learning about waisting money on stupid things?” One girl said.
“Why six?!” Another student suddenly said, the rest of the class flowing into laughter.
Mr.H - hospitality
“Wait so your other teachers didn’t give you guys valentines?” Mr.H asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the kids in front of him.
They all shook their heads, “Mr.Jacobs and Mrs.Nihachu did. But that’s it.” One boy said as he shrugged.
“Mr.Wastaken didn’t even know it was valentines until we mentioned it, poor Mr.Notfound.” One girl said back, her eyes trailing of to the floor as she raised her brows. 
Mr.H laughed loudly, he loved how his kiddos were so comfortable in his class to diss their own teachers.
“Well not here! Today you all have a valentine and that valentine is me.” He said as he placed little bags full of different candies on each of their desks. He put them together all by himself with little hand written letters. It was adorable.
They all excitedly opened the little presents and read the notes together, all of them giving Mr.H a hug. 
It was a very adorable day in the H classroom.
Mr.Frost - horticulture
“Mr.Frost! Can we go outside for class today?” The students were filing in for class since the bell just rang.
“Sure! How about..how about we go bug hunting?” He replied.
The students all agreed very excitedly. Once the bell rang for the start of the period they began doing their begging of class rituals which included watering a bunch of different plants and taking care of the compost bin. Then once that was all done everyone got some jars and set out to go outside and see what they could find.
Everyone ran around trying to find different things and yelling out when they did find things.
“Mr.Frost! I found a caterpillar!” A boy named Lennon ran up to Ant.
“Really?! Show!” Ant watched happily as the boy showed his new caterpillar friend.
They discussed what type of caterpillar it may be before Lennon ran back off to his friends. 
Ant loved classes like this where he got to be outside in the sun and watch all his students learn hands on in a super fun (and adorable) way. It was one of his all time favorite things.
Staff:
Mr.Minecraft - principal
“but it’s so annoying! Why can’t I just leave when I gotta go, why should I ask to take a piss!” 
Phil stared at the boy in front of him, a blond one by the name of Tommy. This kid frequented his office way to often.
“I don’t know Mr.Innit but you’ve got to listen to your teachers, it'll get you out of my office and I think that’s something we both want.” Mr.Minecraft glared slightly.
“Oh come on! You don’t like hanging with me Mr.Minecraft?!” Tommy said with a grin.
“No, Tommy we’re not ‘hanging out’ you’re in trouble.”
“Well when you put it that way it seems bad-“ Phil cut tommy off,
“It is bad Tommy!” He scoffed, holding in a laugh.
Mrs.Puffy - councilor 
Mrs.Puffy was a hugger, a very big hugger. So whenever kids came in crying over just anything, hugs were a must. Often students would visit when they only needed a hug! Sometimes that was her favorite thing.
“He said there was no-“ the small girl heaved for air a tad before continuing, “l-late credit, but but I didn’t have time and I- I need to get the grade and I just-“
“Hey, hey, it’s alright! Mr.Blade seems scary but I bet if he knew you were this stressed he would be very happy to help you out! He’s a very nice man.” Mrs puffy wad currently trying to calm this girl out of a the panic attack she was seemingly having.  
“R-really?” She asked Mrs.Puffy
“Of course! I actually think he’s got a free period right now, would you like to talk to him now? I can have him come here so I’ll be here to and it’ll be easy peasey lemon squeezey!” Puffy said with a big smile.
The girls nodded softly with a sniffle and puffy brought her in for a hug.
She would always have the kids backs, no matter what. Even if that meant talking to the big scary Mr.Blade, who was more likely afraid of her really.
Teacher Callahan - substitute
“Callahan!” Mr.Wastaken yelled, he was laughing but he was getting slightly frustrated.
Callahan apparently didn’t have a class this period, so he went to Mr.Wastakens class as he usually does to annoy him.
Callahan has been taking the pens for the whiteboard dream was trying to use and passing it around to students to pass to each other . It was very funny.
Callahan didn’t always pick this class because of Dream, he also picked it because there was a fellow mute in this period. Her name was alise, and she used ASL alot, which made Callahan actually learn a bit so he could talk to her! 
Dream actually thought it was really cute, so he tried to get Callahan to teach him some as well, so he could talk to alise the way she communicated. This backfired terribly after dream learned that thank you, and fuck you, we’re actually very similar signs. Callahan had taught him the latter. Alise never corrected him, she only made a silly face and huffed out a small laugh. Dream apologized a lot once he learned. Callahan thought it was hilarious though, so often him and alise sign said sign to dream just to tease him.
Another thing Callahan did often was stand behind dream, and mock him. Dream would walk farther from the board as he would go on and on talking with his hands and such. Callahan would make his way behind him and pretend to sit on the edge of his desk.
So every time dream would turn around wondering why all the kids were laughing at him, he would see a normal looking Callahan who would only shrug. This always made the kids laugh even more. No one would rat him out though, it was teacher Callahan!
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prfctethereal · 3 years
Text
imagine. | james potter
thank u, next x marauders
alexa, play imagine by ariana grande
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pairing: james potter x reader
summary: your boyfriend takes you on a day of wonder and comfort
word count: 3,006
warnings: non sexual nudity ig?? just a lot of fluff
a/n: thank you so much for 50 followers! all the support from you guys is crazy. i appreciate every single like, reblog, and comment. here’s a piece that i put my heart and soul into so i hope you all love it as much as i do. - kennedy
***
“Alright darling, now remember, no peeking, ‘mkay?”
With James’ hands covering my eyes, he guided me through the halls of the deserted castle. He spoke barely above a whisper, keeping his voice down so it didn’t echo throughout the corridors.
I was a bit surprised this morning to be woken up before the sun had risen. Even yet, no birds had started their usual choir. It was early, too early. Not even Remus would wake up this early, so it was odd this morning to be woken up by a cheery looking James.
Somehow, James had found the counter jinx that normally prohibited any boy to come up to the girl’s dormitories, which I hadn’t known until I felt the lulling voice of my boyfriend singing me awake at four in the morning, the pads of his fingers tenderly brushing stray hairs away from my restful face. Soft lips brushed down onto my glabella, humming a gentle tune.
“Good morning beautiful.”
I pressed some sort of agreeing sound past my lips and moved closer to James, wrapping my arm around his torso, nuzzling my head into his stomach. Laughter escaped his mouth, cupping my cheek with his hand, trying to pull me away from him, but I put up a fight, smacking his hand away.
“I want to show you something.”
Intrigued, I opened one of my eyes incredulously, letting it adjust to my sights. It was definitely early morning, with slits of moonlight still peering through the sheer curtains of the dormitories. Everyone else in the room was still sleeping peacefully, soft snores rhythmically keeping everyone asleep.
Staring right at me was the love of my life, my one and only, my boyfriend, James Fleamont Potter. In the moonlight, his bright hazel eyes dazzled, showing the flecks of his green and blue hues. His round glasses sat awkwardly on the bridge of his nose, making it too easy for me to take them in my hands and place them over my own eyes. It was a little blurry but I could see James’ pouting playfully.
“Why would you do that? Now I can’t see your beautiful face.” A bright rouge tinted my cheeks as he said that, an impulse to bury my embarrassment following suit. Taking back his glasses, I could clearly see a smile creeping on his lips making me ask the age old question:
What’s gotten him so happy?
“I want to show you something.” James repeated, putting his hand over mine, helping me into a sitting position so I could really see what was going on.
James looked like he had been awake for a while, essence of energy flickering in his eyes. He was fully dressed in clothes that looked to be sticky to his body. His glistening body.
“Jamie, are you sweating?” I asked, placing my hand to his forehead, concerned. I wasn’t sure if it was the heat or the heat of the moment, but his face was glowing pink, and I only just noticed now his racing heartbeat.
“I’ve been up all morning working on something.” He cheeked, placing another gentle kiss on my cupid’s bow. “Now get up, I want to show you something.”
Eventually, I gave in, swinging my legs around the side of my bed. Dazed, I reached from my dressing gown to drape over my nightdress, as I wasn’t sure how chilly it would be outside of the common room. As silently as I could, I followed my doting boyfriend from my bedroom and through the sleeping portrait of the Fat Lady, leading up to where we are now.
“Can I open my eyes now?” I pleaded, a whimper leaving my throat as James pulled us around another corner. I had already accidentally trodden on James’ toes one too many times and I was itching to know where we were.
“Keep your eyes shut for me, alright?” James whispered into my ear, a chill running down my spine as I nodded compliantly. The initial heat of James’ hands left me face and I felt empty, even more when I heard his feet shuffling away. Using my hearing, I tried to figure out what he was doing, as he walked away from me then back towards me.
Was he pacing?
My thoughts were answered when I heard what sounded like a block of cinder moving, the rustle of rock rubbing together snapping me into my senses. Then, I heard the creaking of a door opening and I realised where we were: The Room of Requirement.
To some, it was a myth, an urban legend, but I knew it was real, as the marauders had planned their fair shares of pranks in that room. I smiled, wondering what James had gotten up to last night and why he was dragging me here at a ridiculous hour in the morning.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now sweetheart.” Greedily, I opened my eyes and took in the astonishing surroundings. The room had turned into an eloquent bedroom, with a blush king size bed up against the wall. In the corner was a closed off area with a sheer curtain keeping it hidden. An aroma of fresh linen and warm vanilla filled the room as I stepped further in. A vinyl player was set near the middle of the room, playing some quiet music to set the mood. Up against the player was a bunch of couches and a table, which seemed to be holding a plethora of different fruits and pastries.
I bee-lined for the bed though, diving into the blankets and duvet, sinking into the mattress, sighing in content. James followed behind, peeling off his shoes and over layer of his clothes, stripping into a more comfortable option. Together, we pulled the blankets over the bed, ready to go back to sleep.
“I’ll be right here when you wake up, my love.” James hummed, pulling me close to his side so I could snuggle further into his torso. His heart beat soothed me, calming me down enough to pull me into a deep slumber in the arms of my one true love.
***
When I woke, James was already awake, playing with the ends of my hair, mesmerised. As he noticed I was waking, he kissed my forehead lovingly, tightening his grip around me, cuddling me more.
“Do you want breakfast?” He asked, his raspy morning voice sending a flush to my cheeks. I straightened up to him, placing a kiss directly to his lips.
“Of course, but I would also like to know what all this is for too.” I questioned, palming the edge of his shirt over in my hands, my fingers brushing over his bare stomach.
“We can talk over breakfast.” Taking my hand, he hoisted both of us out of the covers and guided me over to the couches, making sure I was sitting comfortably before going into an enchanted refrigerator to bring out some food. Even though refrigerators are typically cold places, two steaming plates of waffles and berries emerged from the fridge, with a smiling man carrying them over.
Hungrily, I took a plate from my boyfriend and started cutting into the sweet food, placing a piece into my mouth and chewing slowly, watching James from the corner of my eyes, who hadn’t stopped grinning since I had woken up.
“So,” I started, swallowing my mouthful, “what’s all this for?” James cocked an eyebrow but I continued dutifully. “I mean, it’s just a random Saturday morning and you surprised me with all this, and I’m-” I couldn’t even find the words to describe how I felt at the moment. The adoration I had for my boyfriend was too much.
“NEWT season is over and I know how much you’ve been stressing over these exams. I just wanted one weekend for you to distance yourself from the real world. I wanted to do something for you, because you mean so much to me, and I love you more than I can even imagine.”
“I can imagine a lot.” I giggled, placing a sour berry on my tongue.
“Oh?” James challenged, licking his lips, a million thoughts running through his head. “What else can you imagine?”
I thought about that for a while, taking another bite out of the crisp waffle on my plate, before speaking up again. “I can imagine us taking a bubble bath together, like what we did on our first date, do you remember?”
“How could I forget? There were bubbles everywhere! I could never imagine how messy it would turn out but, oh well.”
“We can imagine it now.” I smiled, a silence settling between us as we finished off our breakfast. Taking sneaky glances at James while eating, I saw the way his eyes were moving, like his brain was working overtime. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. I’m in love with that man.
After a while, when both the plates had been cleared, James cleared his throat, speaking once again. “We don’t have to imagine anymore. Follow me.”
My eyes lit up as I traipsed behind James to the corner of the room. He peeled back the curtain to reveal a full bathtub, warm soapy water coming off of it in swirling vapours. Hues of different liquids poured into the tub in thick streams, mixing together.
It was exactly like our first date, when James and I had broken into the prefect’s bathroom and bathed in all the different baths they had. The memories that it brought back welled tears up in my eyes, my hand wiping them away before he could notice.
“After you, m’lady.” A smile crept up my face as I slowly stripped the night dress off my body, criss crossing my arms up and over my head, pulling it off. Hesitantly, I unclasped my bra and pulled down my panties, before stepping into the bath, the warmth of the water calming my nerves in a second. As I turned back around, I noticed the bars James following me in, climbing into the tub and sitting down next to me. His arm wrapped around my waist pulling me into his side, my head dropping down to his shoulder.
“You really are the most beautiful girl in the world.” His words spoke deeply to me as his hand stroked up and down my side lovingly. I felt like a princess who had just found her prince.
“And you are the most dashing person I’ve ever met.” I cheeked back, taking a handful of bubbles from the water and blowing them into James’ face. Sensing a fight coming on, James pulled his glasses off the bridge of his nose and sat them down on the edge of the bath, getting his game face ready.
“Oh, you’re on.” Is all he said before taking his own fistfull of bubbles and dropping them over my head, trickles of water running down the side of my face. Grinning menacingly, I gripped onto his shoulders, pulling him closer to my body before diving under the water, pulling his in with me. The world seemed to slow down for a moment as we stared at each other in the tinted water, holding our breaths as we waited for the next person to make their move. We didn’t wait long though as James used his strength to flip me over so he was on top of me, pulled us out of the water and pinned me to the side of the bath.
“Okay, okay, you win.” I pouted, a giggle falling from my lips as James released me from his grasp.
“What’s my prize?” A cunning grin rose on his face as I contemplated what to do. I could pull him back under the water or let him meet another ball of bubbles.
“This.” I said, pulling him close towards me, kissing him slowly on his lips. What was meant to be a short and sweet kiss turned longer and sensual as James' arms pulled me closer by my waist and my arms shot up around his neck. The kiss quickly turned passionate as James tilted my head up just a little to make me gasp, his tongue using this as an invitation to slip into my mouth.
After a few more minutes of just being with each other, we pulled away, our lungs thanking us for returning air into our systems. We were left breathless, panting as James’ hands went up to my cheeks, his thumb gently caressing my cheekbone.
“I really enjoyed that prize.” He smirked, running his fingers through my tresses of hair. I playfully splashed him with the water in the tub, swinging my legs over his lap to snuggle back into his chest. His breathing matched mine as we sat like this for a quiet moment.
“You know I love you, right?” James croaked out, a slight amount of anxiety detected in his voice. The question surprised me for a moment, catching me off guard, but I soon composed myself, looking at James directly in his doe like eyes.
“Of course, I do, love.” I sighed, running my thumb over his plump lips before leaning upwards to place one more peck at the corner of his mouth. “And I love you too. More than anything.”
“More than anything?” James laughed, his fingers falling down to my waist to tickle me gently. “More than waffles?”
“More than anything. Definitely more than waffles.” I melted in his grasp, pulling his hands off my waist and into my own hands, tugging him upwards into a standing position. “Do you know what else I can imagine?”
“Oh? What else can you imagine?”
“I can imagine us dancing around right now.”
“Whatever you can imagine can come true. Anything for you.” And with that, James bent down, kissing my knuckles like a true gentleman.
Carefully, we stepped out of the bathtub together and I took a few towels from a table and gave one to James. He rubbed the towel gently over his chest before tying it down so it hung loosely off of his hips. I patted the towel against my hot skin, feeling a bit of relief from the cold material. Once I was sufficiently dry, I tied it just above my breasts, so the towel covered my torso and most of my thighs.
I followed James out of the secluded bath area and into the open room where I found his playing with the vinyl player. When a new song started playing, he took my hand in his and placed his other hand on my waist, waiting for me to take his shoulder. As I did, I felt James immediately spin me around and dip me softly, kissing my forehead. Blushing again, I let James take control a bit, spinning me around like we were at a ball. This time, I wasn’t stepping on his toes with every moment and it felt like magic. The world seemed to have slowed down for us and we were the only two left. Nothing mattered except the man holding me right now and trying to listen out for the music so I didn’t fall on my head.
“Do you know what this song is?” James asked, spinning me in his arms once more.
“I don’t actually.” I pondered for a moment then spoke again. “It’s very lovely. What is it called?”
“It’s called Euphemia.” My eyes widened slightly as I recognised that name as the name of James’ mother. “My dad wrote it for her for their first anniversary. Whenever my mum would have a bad day, my dad would always play it through the house. One time, I was supposed to be asleep but I could hear my mum crying in the room over. So, I got up and started playing the song. She immediately stopped crying. To this day, I don’t know what she was crying about, but I do know that this song brought her joy.”
I paused before speaking again, not wanting to ruin the moment. “It’s beautiful, James. I never knew your dad wrote music.”
“It was the only song he ever wrote. He told me that when I find someone that I love, I should play it for them. So I did.” My heart leaped when James said that, a few tears dripping down my cheeks in happiness, just for James to brush them away with his fingers. Then, without thinking, I spoke again.
“Imagine if we grow old together. We could be dancing in our own living room to this song.” I didn’t realise what I had said until I saw James’ eyes light up and the biggest smile ever crept up on his face. Without being able to even register what was happening, James got down on one knee and removed the Potter family ring from his finger.
“[Y/N] [L/N], I am here to make anything you can imagine come true. This ring has been in the Potter family for generations and it’s time I give it to you, for you are going to be the next Potter. You make me the happiest man ever and it’s time you know how much you mean to me. I know there’s a war going on outside of Hogwarts, but frankly, I don’t care. I want to be with you forever, through thick and thin, through high and low. If you will let me, I can be your everything. Once we get out of school, we can buy our own little cottage in the countryside like you always wanted. We can wake up next to each other each morning like you always wanted. My darling angel, will you marry me?”
It was perfect. My head was nodding frantically before I even had time to get the words out of my mouth. All I knew was the love of my life on his knee in front of me, ready to take the next step in our lives together.
“Yes, James Potter. I will marry you.”
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sirthisisa-wendys · 3 years
Note
Wendy!!!! I'm so sorry for seeing the request fic so late, I thought my ask didn't go through because Tumblr ate it up, but thank you so much for the Geto semi-angst fic, it got me in the feels😭😭😭 I love your work, you feed us so many amazing contents on the daily, it's just a God-given gift (no cap). This is a PSA: Tumblr fic writers are amazing, a gift to the Universe. Thank you for existing 🥺.
Also, also, also, my friend and I have been making up all these scenarios in our heads where Geto is a Sociology professor at a prestigious university, an epitome of conformity, but, he is also an underground tatoo artist who fights for the greater cause and sticks up for the underdog.
So, can I request a Geto x fem reader, where reader is a student at his Uni, and then comes across him at the tatoo place, and after all the wildin', he ends up giving her a tatoo? Only if you are free though. P.S. the Lemonade Toji fic was so sweet😭
P.P.S: Congratulations on your 900 follower milestone!!!
I am gonna stop now, this looked like a word vomit, I hope this is not too much.
- (Your pace anon)🥀
🥀 anon, this is too sweet! I'm so glad you enjoyed Your Pace - it was actually a lot of fun to write!
I'm so glad you're enjoying the other works as well. I'm happy that you're happy with my work. (I've never gotten a tattoo done for myself [yet] but I have been with friends who got them done. And I did extra research. Now I want to get my tatt done so bad lol)
NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW!
Inked: Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader
wc: 1.2k
tw: none
masterlist
"Yo! What can I do you for?
The tattoo parlor is really... "underground". That's what Eileen had said. And you can't help but be discomfited by the sight of a bunch of men around the parlor and not a single woman, except you.
"Um..." You clutch your handbag a little closer as you walk up to the man behind the counter, his long, black nails and tattooed face making you even more nervous. "I... I was wondering if you could give me my first tattoo." He's outfitted in a black sleeveless muscle shirt, and he crosses his tatted arms, tilting his head at you.
"Got something in mind?" The man raises a brow as you shuffle around in your bag for what you had thought up: the outline of a letter with your grandfather's signature on it. When you present it to the man, he snatches it up, eyes roving over the design and then back to you. "This it?"
"Yeah," you mumble. "Eileen told me to mention her when I came in. She couldn't be here, but she said you guys would take good care of me." The sounds of uproarious laughter behind you make you flinch, and the man looks you over once, then hands you back your design.
"Listen, I don't do first-timers. Eileen knows I prefer the more... experienced clients. But let me ask around and see if someone will be willing to take on the challenge. You squeamish?" You shake your head no. "Ticklish?" You pause, thinking about all of the places on your body that tend to be susceptible to touch, then shake your head no. "Okay, I'll be back."
The pink-haired man walks around the shop, peering at some of the men who are working and asking the others who aren't busy if they're willing to work on you. A few say no, and when he disappears into a small room in the back, you fear the worst. You hoped by mentioning Eileen that they would be more than willing to tattoo you - she's a favorite for more reasons than one around this shop - but it appears that no one is willing until the man comes back up to the front desk and sighs.
"Right, so," he exhales as he spreads his hands on the desk. "I have our most experienced man in the back willing to work on you. Since it's your first time, he's going to make sure you're taken care of." You walk back to the small room with the man and past a bead curtain, facing the chair you'll be sitting in and a man with long black hair facing a computer for a second before he turns around.
When his black eyes meet yours, you gasp, and he smiles even wider, eyes lighting up with recognition. You can barely contain your surprise as you sputter out,
"Professor Geto?"
"Y/n!" The pink-haired man frowns, stepping back a little.
"You two know each other?"
"Yeah, y/n is one of my former sociology students. She sat in the second row, right next to Eileen." Your eyes are too busy taking in the vast array of tattoos your professor has, his grey shirt sleeves rolled up to his shoulders. You spot a compass, a snake, a Leviathan, a skull, a jaguar... You lose count at sixteen tattoos as the men go back and forth about his daytime career, discussing the ethics of tattooing former students, and why the pink-haired man was so concerned when he tattooed Eileen all the time, despite being her brother's best friend.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." The pink-haired man gripes, walking off.
"So, can I see what you've got there?" You instantly stretch out your hand and offer him the design to scrutinize. His eyes drift over the page before he turns back to the computer, beginning to sketch it over again. "Where do you want it?"
"Right below my ribcage." Geto hums, nodding.
"I got it. Give me a few minutes to finish this and then you can take a look at the design." You look around the small room as he works on the design, taking stock of the "Yellow Peril" posters and socialist rhetoric posted everywhere.
"You're a sociology professor at this conservative university... but you've got Karl Marx framed on your wall." You laugh, a little baffled at the absurdity of it all. Here is Professor Geto, handsome as hell, normally all dressed up in his black mock turtleneck and tan suit, wearing simple glasses and discussing the human condition during the day, but by night... still handsome as help but an underground, socialist tattoo artist.
"Where else should I go? The echo chamber that would be a liberal university? Or should I go out and try to expose other ideologies to people who may be open to them and sharing them with their friends?" You hum at the thought, nodding.
"That makes a lot of sense."
"Take a look at it," The man offers, turning around in his chair and handing you the sketch. You look at it - and it's virtually the same, so you nod and Geto smiles. "Alright, show me where exactly you want it."
You roll up your shirt and point to the spot, and Geto applies the stencil transfer, then peels it off, leaving the outline behind. You watch as he begins to prepare his equipment, moving methodically to avoid mistakes or mishaps. A thin layer of ointment is applied to the transfer and when he's ready, he looks up at you and you inhale deeply.
"You ready?" You nod quickly.
"Let's get this over with." The machine begins to whir, and you brace yourself for impact.
"Don't hold your breath," the black-eyed man warns. "Just breathe in and out." When the needle hits your skin, you feel a hot scratch, making you hiss in a little. Geto tuts a little, then reminds you to take a breath. "It gets easier."
While he works, he makes small talk, like what you're doing with your degree and how long you have until you graduate. You ask him about his political leanings, and why you never knew he was a socialist before now.
"It's not my job to force my political leanings onto you all. I'm just here to expose you to all of the ideas out there."
And you agreed.
The tattoo didn't take long, and once you're finished, he lets you stand and take a look at it in the mirror.
"You like it?"
You examine the artistry and turn back to him, smiling widely.
"I love it." Geto begins his speech on aftercare as he places the bandage on your tattoo, and even hands you a piece of paper detailing the exact speech he just gave. You walk up to the counter after he's done, and swift fingers ring you up for the total, which you happily pay.
"When you can, you should come to our meetings," Geto offers, sliding you a flyer and winking. "I'd love to see you there." You take the flyer and look it over, trying not to let your eagerness show.
"This looks like fun," you answer. "I'll see you when I can."
And this time - you think as you exit the shop - I'll be in the front row.
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intheticklecloset · 3 years
Text
The Sleepover (My Hero Academia)
Primary Universe
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@veryblushyswitch​ Knocking out a whole bunch of requests with this one! I wasn’t intending to double or triple-up necessarily, but they all worked so well together that I couldn’t help myself. Also delving a little deeper into Bakugou’s “it’s complicated” response from “Get Back Here, Deku!” I love how this turned out; I think it’s really cute and sweet and exactly what our angry boi needed. Enjoy!
~
“He’s what?” Sero asked, dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe his ears. “No way.”
Deku held up his hands and shook his head. “Ah! What? No! No, that’s not what I meant, I mean…”
“Oh, yeah!” Kaminari grinned. “Kiri and I got him one time. It was hilarious.”
“There’s no way that Bakugou is ticklish,” Sero insisted.
“He – he’s not!” Deku tried to cover up his mistake, but he knew as well as Kaminari did that it was useless. The both of them had been there that day it had first been discovered by someone other than him.
“He totally is,” Denki nudged Sero, still grinning widely. “And hey, we’re having that sleepover in his room with the others tomorrow night. We can test it out then. Sound fun?”
Sero grinned back. “Oh, yeah.”
“W-Wait, guys,” Deku stammered, panicked on his friend’s behalf. “He really doesn’t like it unless—” He stopped himself. “Uh, I mean, he just doesn’t like it. It’s not worth making him mad.”
“Unless what?” Denki asked. “You were about to say he doesn’t like it unless what?”
“N-Nothing!”
Kaminari glanced at Sero and quirked a brow. Understanding perfectly, Sero pulled Deku toward him and hooked his arms under their friend’s underarms, effectively trapping him with his torso exposed for Denki to start tickling, which he did.
“Nohohohoho, wait, plehehehehehease don’t do thihihihis!” Deku begged through his instant giggles. He tried to bring his arms down but couldn’t, and when he lifted his arms up to try and wriggle out of Sero’s hold Kaminari would go for his underarms to keep him in place.
“Tell us, Midoriya,” Sero said into his ear, smirking. “We’ll tickle it out of you if we have to.”
“Gahahahahahaha!” Deku knew he would spill eventually and so decided to just get it over with. “Fihihihihine I’ll tell you! Just stohohohohop!” When they let him go, he sighed. “Kacchan only likes being tickled if it’s with someone he’s comfortable around. If he’s not comfortable with you he’ll hate every second of it. He may even start to hate you, and trust me, you don’t want that.”
Sero and Kaminari exchanged looks. There was silence for a minute.
“Thanks for letting us know, Deku,” Kaminari said at last, offering his friend a small smile. “We’ll do our best not to push him too far.”
“But we do want to mess with him tomorrow, right?” Sero asked.
“Oh, definitely. No way he’s getting out of there without laughing at least a little.”
Deku felt a little nervous for Kacchan, but decided there was nothing more he could do about it now. “H-Hey, just…don’t tell him I told you that, okay?”
“Sure, Midoriya.” Denki winked. “Not a word, right?”
*
The following evening, the two boys joined Kirishima and Mina in heading to Bakugou’s dorm room for what was sure to be a pretty crowded sleepover. No one seemed to mind, though. Not even their host, though he grumbled and complained about his room being the destination of choice.
“If we’d chosen one of our rooms you wouldn’t have joined in,” Kirishima told him with a knowing grin.
“And having it in mine would just be weird,” Mina added. “I like you guys, but not enough to have four boys spending the night in my room.”
They all laughed at that, organizing their pillows and blankets on the limited floor space while Bakugou sat on his bed and watched.
“What are even going to do in here?” he finally asked, growly but resigned. “If all we’re gonna do is sleep there’d be no point in us all being in one room for that.”
“We could play truth or dare,” Mina suggested.
“Boring,” Denki and Kiri intoned at the same time.
“What if we all went around and said something about ourselves the rest of us don’t know?” Sero suggested, glancing at Denki, who gave him a slight nod.
Mina hummed. “That could be interesting.”
“I don’t want to play some lame getting-to-know-you game,” Bakugou grumbled. “That’s such a garbage elementary school move.”
“Oh come on, Bakugou.” Kiri nudged his shoulder. “You’re no fun. Let’s just try it, yeah?”
“No.”
“Here, let’s sit in a circle,” Mina said, and the others followed her lead.
Well, except Bakugou. “Seriously? Now we’re really getting pathetic.”
Kirishima rolled his eyes. “Get your butt on this floor before I drag it there myself.”
Something seemed to pass between them in that moment, because the next thing they knew Bakugou was doing as he was told, completing the circle they’d started.
“Great!” Mina beamed. “Sero, why don’t you go first, since this was your idea?”
“Oh, sure,” Sero stammered, suddenly on the spot. He thought for a moment. “Uh, let’s see…I hate grapes.”
Everyone laughed.
“Is that because of Minetta?” Kaminari asked.
Sero blinked, then grinned. “No, but now that you mention it…that certainly doesn’t help.”
“One time when I was a kid, I sneezed so hard my acid disintegrated the ice cream cone I was holding,” Mina said, grinning. “I was really upset.”
Kirishima said, “I rescued a cat when I was nine. Stuck in a tree, just like they always are.”
Bakugou was next, but when it came to him, he kept his mouth shut.
“What’s something we don’t know about you, Bakugou?” Mina nudged.
“Plenty, and I’d like to keep it that way.” He scoffed. “This is stupid.”
“Aw, come on, man!” Denki whined, though he turned to give Sero another meaningful glance. Sero grinned slightly.
“If you don’t want to say something, I’ll do it for you,” Kirishima said. And before anyone could protest, he wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulders and announced loudly, “Katsuki Bakugou is super ticklish.”
Everyone froze. No one said a word. You could hear a pin drop. All eyes went to Bakugou, who gritted his teeth. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” Kiri insisted, keeping his firm hold on the boy’s shoulders. “And if you keep being such a grouch, I’m going to prove it to everyone right here and now.”
Denki pounced on his chance. “It’s true! I’ve seen it, too.”
“No way,” Mina exclaimed, eyes wide. “Bakugou?”
“I’m not,” the blonde growled, trying to push Kiri away from him. “Back off. I don’t want to talk about this.”
Sero hesitated for a moment, but one look from both Denki and Kiri and he jumped into action with the rest of them, lunging for Bakugou and pulling him to the floor. Mina joined in, too, and within seconds they had their friend pinned to the ground.
“Don’t!” Bakugou snapped, struggling the entire way down and trying to kick his way out once there. “I swear to god, do not tickle me, I’ll—”
“Now!” Denki shouted.
“I’ll kill you!” Bakugou swore, biting his lip hard to keep himself under control. Sero used his tape to keep his arms above his head, while Kiri sat on his calves to keep his legs from moving. “Agh! S-Stop it! Y-You’re all s-s-so dead!”
“Come on, man,” Kiri said, watching as Mina scribbled in his underarms, Sero tried his stomach, and Denki went for the ribs. He smirked at how hard his friend was fighting against the sensations. “Just let it out. Your cover’s been blown.”
“S-Shut up!” Bakugou jerked sharply when Mina wandered a little further down than just his underarms to that spot at the top of his ribs. “I-I’m n-n-not—gah!”
Mina gasped. “Was that a smile?” She went back to where she thought she’d gotten the most reaction and beamed when Bakugou’s lips tugged upward in an uncontrollable grin. “It is! Aw, you are ticklish!”
“Shut up!” Bakugou snapped, but it sounded strained, and the effect of it was lost for how big he was smiling now. “Knock it off! Kiri, you know I h-hahate this; make them stohop!”’
“Was that a giggle?” Sero asked, genuinely curious, but the way the blood rushed to Bakugou’s face was answer enough. He started to press a little harder. “My ears must be deceiving me. I gotta hear it again.”
“You don’t hate this,” Kirishima said gently, finally joining in himself by grabbing onto his friend’s thighs and squeezing. “You’re just not used to being so open about how much fun you’re having.”
Bakugou jolted again, harder this time, and a single, clear giggle escaped his lips.
“Dude, he’s blushing!” Sero exclaimed, laughing. “This is great!”
“Why not just laugh, Bakugou?” Mina asked in a sweet, teasing tone. “It’s got to be killing you to keep it bottled up like that.”
“Why don’t we kick it up a notch?” Denki smirked. He activated his quirk the tiniest bit, wiggling into their friend’s bottom ribs, and finally – finally – the angry blonde stopped fighting it.
“Nohohohohohoho!” Bakugou hated that he’d lost control so quickly, but there was nothing he could do about it now except fight with his words. “Dahahahang you, Kaminahari, I’ll kihihill you, I swear! NOHOHOHOHO!!” He tossed his head back with a shriek as the electric sparks intensified, moving up toward his death spot. “Gahahahahahahahahaha! Stahahahahahahahahahap!”
“Don’t think so, man,” Denki teased, letting up on his electric attack when he got to the sweet spot, figuring that would tickle enough on its own. “Tickle, tickle, Bakugou~”
Bakugou’s face turned a dark, dark red as he sputtered in the split second before his laughter became explosive. “DOHOHOHOHOHOHOHON’T!!”
“There we go!” Kirishima began to dig in harder as well, sending his friend into further hysterics. “You sound really happy when you laugh, you know. It’s nice to hear.”
“STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!!” Bakugou shouted through his laughter, twisting and writhing. “YOU JEHEHEHEHERKS, I’LL MUHUHUHURDER YOU ALL!!”
“Well that’s not very nice!” Mina pouted, beginning to go harder as well, focusing on his underarms. “You should be punished for thinking such awful things!”
Sero grinned, digging in as well, and now all four of them were giving it their all, pulling laugh after shrieking laugh from their constantly angry friend. Bakugou’s mind grew foggier and foggier with each tickle that assaulted him, making him lose track of who was doing what and where.
“Aww, look how cute you are!” Mina teased him, beaming.
Sero chuckled. “His laugh sounds like a fireworks show.”
“Not ticklish, huh, King Explosion Murder?” Kirishima chimed in.
“STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!!” Bakugou yelled again, sounding more desperate this time. He pulled at the tape on his arms, tried to buck his hips. He was trapped. “GEHEHEHEHEHET OFF, YOU MOHOHOHOHOHORONS!!”
“If I didn’t know better,” Denki mused, “I’d say he’s a little sensitive to teasing.”
Mina nearly squealed. “Do you like being teased? Does it make you super flustered to have four people tickling you at once? You can’t hide how red you’re getting; I think you do like teasing!”
“I DOHOHOHOHOHO NOT!!” Bakugou practically screamed with laughter when she traveled back down to that sweet spot and dug in there. “STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!! YOU GUYS, PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!!”
Mina, Sero, and Denki gasped in unison. “He said please!”
“Scream all you want, Bakugou!” Kaminari laughed, igniting his tickly electric sparks again. “No one’s coming to save you. Nothing can stop us now!”
And with that, Bakugou absolutely broke. “PLEASE!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE, NO MOHOHOHOHORE!! I’M BEHEHEHEHEHEGGING YOU!! KIRISHIMA, GET THEM TO STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP!!”
Seeing that his friend was truly desperate for a reprieve, Kirishima let up and shouted for the others to do the same. “All right, that’s enough! Let him go, he can’t take any more.”
Trusting that their redheaded friend knew what he was talking about, the three others let up their attacks as well. Sero cut the tape binding Bakugou to the floor and gathered it up while the blonde pulled his arms down and rolled onto his side, curling up into a protective ball. It stunned all three of them to see how out of breath he was.
Mina broke the silence first. “You okay, Bakugou?”
He was silent for a moment. Then, “I told you to stop.”
Mina, Sero, and Kaminari looked at each other worriedly. When he’d been yelling ‘stop’ before, it was through laughter, so they didn’t take him seriously. Now that it was over, though…
“You can stop pretending, Bakugou,” Kirishima said in that gentle tone, scooting forward to place a hand on his leg. “You don’t have to be Mr. Tough Guy all the time. Not here. Not with us. You’re allowed to be yourself, you know.”
“I don’t like being tickled.” Bakugou’s voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper.
“Unless?” Kiri prompted.
Again the other three looked at each other, then back to the blonde, silent. Waiting. For a long minute, no one said a word. Then Bakugou sat up, his back turned to them but facing Kirishima.
“Unless I feel…comfortable. Safe.”
Safe. All four friends looked at each other now, Kiri included.
“Safe…how?” Mina asked quietly.
“Safe from being pushed past my limits.” Bakugou’s voice was gruff as usual, but it was quieter now, and completely sincere. He hunched his shoulders. “Safe from the whole class finding out. The whole school. The world. I don’t want to be like Deku, getting randomly tickled all the time. I don’t even want that from my friends. I just…” He sighed. “I don’t want to be tickled unless I know I’m going to be safe from all of that. Being ticklish is a weakness.”
“It’s not—” Kiri started to say.
“It is,” Bakugou continued firmly, making eye contact now. “And that’s why I don’t want it to be exposed to anyone but those I feel comfortable with. Like you guys.”
Those last three words made their hearts swell. Kirishima scooted forward again and pulled Bakugou into a hug. “You’re safe with us. I promise.” The others concurred, moving forward as well, making it a group hug.
Bakugou remained tense for a moment, then let out another sigh and relaxed into their embrace. He was still uncertain, still on edge, and even a little scared, if he was honest. He’d never really had friends before – just lackeys that would follow him around everywhere because they thought he was cool. This was different, this opening up, this being honest with himself as well as others. Having friends he could trust with his life – literally. But it was a new chapter of his life that – as long as he was still being honest – he was looking forward to reading.
From somewhere within the group hug, Kirishima said, “You know your laugh really brightens up the room?”
Bakugou smiled. “Shut up, Kiri.”
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xxnatxx · 3 years
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Chapter 3 - A Daily Thing
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TW: slight mentions of sex, cursing.
So there he was,
19, with a newborn baby boy, and no baby momma to help him raise Ren.
For 6 years Bakugou managed to somehow juggle his work life, social life, and private life with his son incredibly well. Though he obviously struggled being a single dad, he of course had his friends to help him out with Ren, as well as him parents who were more than stoked to have a grandchild who looked just like Bakugou.
And now, Bakugou is 25 and Ren is 6 years old and about to enter first grade! He hasn’t gotten his quirk yet, and though he looks just like his hot headed father, his personality is quite opposite of his. Ren was a sweet boy, who was often times shy and quite emotional, but he had his fathers big heart and perseverance. Bakugou didn’t really know how he ended up with such an angel, given that he himself had a pretty explosive personality and his birth mother, Olivia, had a pretty nasty one. But of course, he absolutely loved Ren, and would without a doubt do anything for him
He and Ren lived in a pretty modern and spacious apartment, and when Bakugou would head off to his newly opened agency, Ren would stay with his grand parents. Ren never really questioned why he didn’t have a mom like the kids in the movies and tv shows, all he knew was that Bakugou was his dad, and taht was enough to keep the little boy happy as ever. And Bakugou knew that eventually he’d have to explain to Ren the truth about why he doesn’t have a mom, wether it be in 5, 10, or 15 years, he didn’t really know what he was gonna do when the time came, but he didn’t like spending time dwelling on it, he’d rather spend his time with Ren teaching him how to be a good, humble person, because unlike Bakugou at his age, Ren is actually a pretty decent human.
7: 05 AM
Bakugou is roughly shaken awake from his dream by Ren, who’s whispering-screaming,
“Dad! Dad! It’s time for school, I have school today remember!” he excitedly says as Bakugou scoops him up and ruffles his spikey blond locks saying,
“Wow, you’re really starting 1st grade today huh buddie”
“Yup! So cmon dad lets go” he says pulling Bakugous fingers with his dainty little hands, wanting him to help him get dressed for his first day.
Bakugou would be lying if he said he didn’t wish he had a partner to help him care for Ren, because even though he didn’t like admitting it, taking care of a child is hard, especially on your own. Maybe if he has someone, they could help out with Ren when Bakugou couldn’t, help guide Ren, and also, give Bakugou some comfort as well. Since Ren was born, Bakugou hasn’t been with anyone, no dates, no one night stands, nothing. And he honestly did think about finding soemone one day, but it just really wasn’t something to get his hopes up for. Ren was all he needed.
8:15 AM,
It’s now almost time for the children and their parents to start tricking into the classroom to officially start the first day of Kindergarten. And you were beyond nervous. First job since graduating college, and after earning two degrees, it was finally time to start your dream job as a children’s science teacher.
You’d always been pretty good with kids, and given that you had an ocean quirk, a science teacher was just something that came with lots of interest to you. Of course, you were also beyond excited to meet your kids, but one thing you had forgotten about was meeting the kids parents as well. Kids at this age are usually pretty sweet and innocent, (though some are a little tricky to work it) but parents, were often times judgemental of their kids teachers, which is understandable, but it still made you nearly shit your pants to think about.
15 minutes later, a few kids and parents start to trickle in to your ocean themed classroom, and so far, things were going pretty well. You were introducing yourself to both the parents and kids, guiding them to their assigned seats, trying to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible. Most kids are being quite energetic towards you, one even running up to you and hugging your legs, telling you how excited he was to start school. Another kid complimenting the light blue dress you were wearing, which somewhat color coordinated with your classroom decor. You were so flattered to see that your new students were fond of you and more outgoing than you thought they’d be. Well, all except for one certain blond 6 year old.
After a majority of the kids and parents had come in and began filling the room with chatter, you were still waiting outside the door for one more student by the name of Ren, to begin class. While you’re talking to another teacher that had approached you previously, you hear slightly heavy foot steps coming up behind you. As you wave goodbye to the teacher you were conversing with, you swiftly turn around, catching the piercing red eyes of a somewhat tall man. His natural attractiveness caught you by suprise, and you let out a gasp that only you could hear as you observe his chiseled features. He looked as if he was constantly on edge, yet he still had this dewy radiant skin and beautiful blond hair tied that was tied in a half up-half down messy bun. He seemed to be around the same age as you, but could honestly still pass as a teenager if he wasn’t so buff and built. You quickly notice that he’s wearing a hero costume, it hadn’t registered in your brain that the man standing a few feet in front of you was actually Dynamight, the #5 Pro-Hero, until you look down scanning his costume. That’s when you notice the little boy with the same blonde hair and ruby eyes that was securely holding onto his leg with both arms, peeking over at you.
“Oh, hello there, I”m Mrs. L/N, are you Ren by any chance? I’ve been waiting for you to get here” you say gently putting your hands on your knees to peek down at the boy who seemed to be quite nervous.
Looking back up at the stunning pro hero you say,
“So then that must make you his dad, right? It’s nice to meet you guys” with a kind and gentle smile, speaking in the most genuine voice you can, to hopefully put the small boy at ease.
Instead of responding, he simply stares back at you, completely still and completely quiet.
Bakugou has never really found anyone he’s met attractive to the point of having a crush on them. Nor did he want to, since he told himself he’d be forever alone until he had Ren, he just never really cared for crushes, feelings, or relationships. But now, he’s starting at your bright E/C eyes, noticing how the warm smile on your face has yet to fade, and how the genuine kind energy you radiate is enough to put even his incredibly reserved son at ease. As he begins to subtly observe your delicate features, he feels the depths of his stomach begin to flutter. But why? Why is it that all of a sudden, he’s feeling something he’s never felt before?
After a few silent seconds, Bakugou notices his son begin to step slightly in front of him, and pulling on his pant leg as if urging him to respond to your question. As he meets your eyes again, he sees you patiently waiting for a response,
“Yes, sorry, i’m Ren’s father, nice to meet you” he says as firmly as he can, hopefully to regain some of the confidence he lost when you first spoke to him.
“Thank you,
So it seems you guys are the last ones to get here so let’s head inside and i’ll lead you to your seat, Ren” you respond looking down at the small boy who now seems to be a little less visibly anxious. They both follow you into the classroom, where Bakugou and Ren immediately notice the interesting room decor you have scattered across your room. There’s green bean bags and blue stools in one corner of the room, right next to a bigger-than-average fish tank that’s filled with odd colored fish, both big and small. Along with seaweed, bubbles, sand, and various ocean animals that have been painted on the walls to make it look like the underwater ocean.
You lead them to Ren’s seat and walk up to the front of the class to begin your introduction to the class as a whole. Everyone who isn’t already looking at you, turns your way as you begin to say,
“Okay, so it seems like everyone’s here’s now which means it’s time for me to officially introduce myself to everyone. But first I’d like to give a big welcome to everyone, I’m so glad I can be your teacher this year and hopefully, you guys can have fun learning about science since I know it can be a little hard to grasp sometimes,
Bakugou can’t help but be mesmerized by you as you speak, he’s never come across someone who’s been this kind that hasn’t completely irritated him. And Ren seems to like you as well, his previous teachers were both quite loud and obnoxious, which resulted in Ren not being able to be very comfortable around them. But seeing how Ren’s already sitting at the edge of his seat, eager to hear you talk more about yourself, he thinks it’s gonna be a pretty good year for Ren in school.
You continue speaking, now beginning to talk about your personal self,
So, my name is Y/N L/N, you guys can call me Miss. L/N, Miss.{First letter of L/N}, or Miss, really just whatever you feel most comfortable with. I graduated from XXX College last year with a degree in Children’s education and another degree in Marine Biology, I have a dog named Bubbles, my favorite color is F/C, I’m 25 years old and I love to cook” you say to the class, still having the same smile and glimmer in your eyes as before.
“So if you guys want to ask me any questions about myself to get to know me a little better, you can raise your hand and I’ll answer” as soon as you finish speaking, you see a bunch of tiny little hands eagerly wave in the air,
“Me me me! I have a question!” one little girl in a high pitched voice says.
You lightly giggle at everyone’s response, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Bakugou. And For a split second, your eyes meet as you scan the room for the little girl who’s lost in a sea of hands, and the feeling of rumbling in his stomach returns, at this point, he has to admit, you’re absolutely beautiful. And you’re smart, enjoys cooking like him, and are the same age as he is. These things only make the feeling in his stomach grow bigger.
“Yes, what’s your question honey” you say when you finally spot the little girl in the back of the class.
“So what’s your quirk, do you have one?Because I do! ” she excitedly asks.
The class awaits your response as they redirect their vision from the girl to you, and you say
“I do have a quirk actually, it’s called Ocean, I can basically manipulate water, communicate with, control and summon ocean animals, breathe underwater, and so on, and it’s actually why my room is decorated the way it is and the reason I have a degree in Marine Biology!” you respond, and your response earns you a series of responses from the kids such as,
“Woooaaahhh”
“That’s such a cool quirk! No fair!”
“Why aren’t you a hero then Miss. L/N?” one student asks, which leads Bakugou to then wonder,
Yeah, why isn’t she a hero? With a quirk like that she could end up being a pretty high ranked hero, so why an elementary school teacher instead?
You respond by saying,
“Well, I actually was gonna be a hero at some point, i even have my hero license and went to a hero school, but I realized before I graduated high school that I actually wasn’t very passionate about being a hero, but I realized I much rather enjoyed science and working with kids. So, I decided to study in college instead. And now i’m here.” finishing yourself off with a smile.
“But now, we’re gonna play some games to hopefully get to know each other a little better....” you continue speaking, explaining different games and such, but Bakugou isn’t even listening. It’s official , you’ve intrigued him. He can’t help but want to speak to you again even if it’s just about Ren and school, but when he begins to feel this way, he quickly shuts the thoughts that overtake his brain down. You’re Ren’s teacher first of all, and though it wouldn’t be illegal to date you, it’s still a little weird. He’s also not looking for a relationship, not now and not ever. So before he can let whatever he’s feeling develop, he tells himself to not take interest in you. If he’s never taken interest in anyone before, why should he start now?
Parents have to either drop off their kids at the front of the school, or walk with them to their classroom at the elementary school. Usually, Bakugou would’ve just dropped Ren off at the front and driven off to work, but now, he might just have to start walking him to class. He had already declared to himself that he wouldn’t take interest in you, and simply push his atraction to you away until he no longer got knots in his stomach with every glance you gave him, every conversation you guys had, just any interaction really.
So every day, he’ll go in to school walking Ren to class, and causally bring up some sort of school related thing to you as Ren waltzed into class, which would eventually lead to a few minutes of casual conversation. This was as far as Bakugou would let himself go though, it was just a simple little thing that would fill him with enough satisfaction to last for the rest of his lonely life.
It was just,
a daily thing.
taglist:
@unicornlover25, @sam-i-am-1025, @nightlygiggless, @aphelionsyzygy, @bigdaddyriotsbitch
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onetwothreefarkle · 3 years
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Puppy Dog Tails
Just some tooth-rotting seblos fluff! Future fic based off this post. I hope you like it, @redmeanslove 
Summary: Seb comes home with a surprise (also read on AO3)
Carlos stood in his kitchen, stirring a mug of hot tea with honey and lemon. Outside, snow was falling, rapidly turning New York City into a winter wonderland, though it was mid-January, so most people were sick of it, especially in the city. Not Carlos, though. Winter was his favorite season (dry skin and chapped lips notwithstanding). The snow reminded him of Salt Lake, and kept him from getting too homesick. Not that he didn’t love his life in New York, but Salt Lake would always be home, no matter how long he spent chasing his Broadway dreams.
He was close to achieving them, too. His choreography had already been nominated for a Tony once, and while this year he was between shows, he had a good feeling about the projects he had in the works, most notably an original show currently in workshops, which meant most of his work was yet to come. In the meantime, he was focused on supporting his boyfriend—soon to be fiancé, if he had anything to say about it—who was currently the star of a genderbent production of Legally Blonde. Carlos couldn’t have been prouder, even if it meant days like these, spent alone in their apartment. Seb had left an hour ago and Carlos had already skimmed through his notes and sent an email to his director about a new routine.
He sipped his tea slowly and sighed. He knew he had things to do, dance routines to practice and more emails to send, and honestly laundry to wash, but he couldn’t bring himself to do any of it. Instead he moved from the kitchenette to the living room, and settled on the couch with his favorite blanket--the one Seb’s mom had gifted them when they first moved into this apartment. It was wool (sheep’s wool from the farm, not cashmere, obviously) and it was thick and warm and it reminded Carlos of home because somewhere along the way he started thinking of the Matthew-Smith’s farm and home as a little bit his. Also, it smelled like Seb always did when they were back in Salt Lake and he was spending time on the farm, sort of earthy and sweet.
Carlos was pulled from his thoughts by the high pitched tone of his text alerts. He set his tea down on the coffee table and pulled out his phone.
New Message From Seb 🥰💖: Guess who’s coming home early?
Message Sent: What? Why?
New Message From Seb 🥰💖: Check your weather app, sweetheart. The storm’s getting worse, our shows are cancelled today so nobody ends up snowed in at the theatre.
Message Sent : OMG
Message Sent: Get home safe!  
New Message From Seb 🥰💖: I will
New Message From Seb 🥰💖: Love you!
Message Sent: Love you too!
He set his phone down, and picked up his tea again, though he could barely wipe the smile off his face long enough to take a drink. He knew that Seb would be unhappy about missing a day of work, but he couldn’t help but be excited to spend some extra time with his partner, especially if they had to huddle for warmth. With that thought in mind, he flicked on the TV and began scrolling through their Netflix library, looking for something for them to watch.
45 minutes later, Carlos’s unfinished tea had gone cold on the table, and he had queued up Schitt’s Creek, a show they’d already watched multiple times, and that happened to be one of Seb’s all time favorites. He checked his phone, but there were no new texts from Seb. He frowned. Seb should’ve been home by then.
Message Sent: You almost home?
New Message From Seb 🥰💖: Coming up the stairs now!
Carlos grinned (and sighed in relief that his boyfriend wasn’t stuck out in the snow somewhere freezing to death). He picked up his mug and headed back to the kitchenette to dump out the rest of his tea. No sooner did he set the dish on the drying rack than he heard the door open, followed by some shuffling and grunting.
Wait-- Grunting?
Carlos peaked around the corner to see Seb closing the door behind him while holding a large cardboard box with one arm. Well, this was going to be good.
“Whatcha got there?” Carlos asked, in lieu of a proper greeting.
Seb looked up with a wide smile, cheeks and nose pink from the cold, snowflakes starting to melt in his hair. “What would you say if I brought home six puppies?”
Carlos eyed the box. “What’s in the box?”
Seb didn’t say anything, but a whining sound came from the box.
Carlos put a hand on his hip. “What’s in the box, Seb?”
Seb sighed. “I think you know.”
One of the puppies whined again, prompting Seb to set the box down and pull her out. She was brown, with big eyes and floppy ears, some kind of labrador mix, if Carlos had to guess. “Shhh, it’s okay,” Seb was saying, soothingly, petting the top of her tiny head.
“I want to be mad, but you’re so cute,” Carlos shook his head.
Seb grinned. “Come say ‘hi’ to Anne Boleyn.”
“You named them already?” Carlos rolled his eyes. He’d never met anyone who loved animals as much as Seb did. “Of course you did.”
Seb just stepped forward and deposited the puppy into Carlos’s arms. She squirmed adorably. Seb bent down and started taking the rest of the puppies out of the box. They all looked about the same as Anne Boleyn. Brown and floppy and soft, somehow though Seb was able to differentiate between each one.
“This is Catherine of Aragon and Jane Seymour and--”
“Did you name them after the cast of Six?”  
Seb shrugged. “Well, there’s six of them, it makes sense.”
Carlos raised an eyebrow. “And are they all girls?”
“Gender is a outdated social construct that dogs aren't restricted by,” Seb chirped happily. “But if you’re asking if they’re all female, the answer is no."
“Fair enough.” Carlos looked down at the puppy in his arms. She looked up at him with big brown eyes. “So, how did this happen?”
“I found them on the street!” Seb’s tone turned grave. “Someone had just left them out to freeze in the snow! I had to save them!”
“Wow,” Carlos’s eyes went wide. “That’s awful.”
“I know we can’t keep them,” Seb continued. “But I figured we could take care of them until the weather improves a bit and then we can take them to the animal shelter.”
Carlos nodded. “Sure.” Anne Boleyn chose that moment to lick Carlos’s glasses, pushing them part way off his face. “But they’re your problem.”
Seb giggled. “C’mon, she loves you!”
“If you say so,” Carlos pouted. “Not exactly the kiss I was hoping for.”
“Oh?” Seb grinned. “What kind of kiss were you hoping for?” He leaned in, stopping short of actually connecting their lips so he could fix Carlos’s glasses. “Maybe something like this?”
They kiss with Anne Boleyn squished slightly between their chests. Even after all these years it still makes Carlos’s heart race and warmth flood his body, all the way down to his toes.
“You do know,” he started, pulling back abruptly, “that you can’t convince me to let you keep one just by kissing me, right?”
“Well,” Seb smirked. “I could do more than kiss you.”
Carlos patted his cheek. “Not with six sets of eyes watching you can’t.”
Seb’s smirk turned into a pout. “Can’t we just keep one? I think Anne Boleyn really likes you.”
“Anne Boleyn is adorable, but do you really think she would be happy living in our studio apartment?” Carlos shook his head.
“Yeah,” Seb sighed. “You’re right.”
“Hey,” Carlos poked his partner’s arm. “Someday, after we’ve won a bunch of Tony awards, and we’re ready to retire from Broadway, we can move out of the city, to a big house somewhere and get all the dogs you want.”
Seb looked up hopefully. “Yeah?”
“Absolutely.” It was an easy promise to make. “I always thought we might end up moving back to Salt Lake eventually.”
“Oh, you’ve thought about our retirement, have you?” Seb grinned. “You don’t think you’ll be sick of me by then?”
Carlos flushed. “Never.” He thought about the engagement ring sitting in his sock drawer, the words Marry Me hanging off the tip of his tongue. He swallowed them. “Impossible.”
“I’ll never get sick of you, either,” Seb pressed a kiss to his cheek. “And I love that you’ve been imagining us retiring to the farm someday.”
“I never said--”
“It was implied,” Seb’s grin didn’t falter. “I’ve gotten pretty good at deciphering your riddles after all these years.”
Carlos couldn’t argue with that, because Seb was obviously right, and a part of Carlos wanted to be annoyed that Seb saw through him so easily, but most of him just felt warm all over. “I love you a lot, Seb Matthew-Smith.”
“I know.” Seb’s voice was soft and overflowing with fondness. “I love you a lot, too.”
22 notes · View notes
peepeepotter · 3 years
Text
New Girl Hogwarts AU Chapter 5: Merry Christmas, Georgie.
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Pairing: George Weasley x fem!reader; Harry Potter x Ginny Weasley
Warnings: Cursing? I think?
Word Count: 3.2 K
Series Masterlist
“It was just so weird.” Y/N shuddered, using her rolling pin on a sheet of cookies in the Hogwarts kitchens.
“I mean, yeah, that sounds uncomfortable as fuck. What are you guys, teenagers?” Fred asked her, his head in his hand, watching her closely. He had told George before, Y/N is totally George’s type. Fred couldn’t help but think that it was a surprise it took this long for them to have an uncomfortable sexually tense encounter. “What did Terry say?”
“What do you mean? Terry didn’t see. I don’t want Terry to know. I’m trying to date casually right now.” Y/N said, suddenly remembering the reason she moved into the loft.
“Casually? With TERRY? Have you met that guy? He looks like he cries during sex.” This made Y/N laugh loudly.
“It’s so weird to talk about this with you. You’re his twin, maybe I shouldn’t be talking to his dead brother about this.”
“Hey, I’m basically alive. I’m just a ghost. And stuck in this stupid castle.” Fred pouted, reaching to grab cookie dough and put it in his mouth. “Although I really can’t taste much. But from what I remember, this tastes a lot like some cookies mum used to make.” Fred smiled.
“Fred, I love you, but please don’t talk about your mom when I just told you about a sexual encounter with your brother.”
“Sexually tense encounter at best, don’t get ahead of yourself, love. Anyway, how could you be attracted to him? I’m so much better looking than him.” Fred scoffed, fake-offended. In actuality, Fred was quite happy that George was moving on from Angelina. Fred was especially happy George was moving on with one of Fred’s most consistent friends at Hogwarts. Plus she baked like Molly.
“Fred, I hate to break it to you, but you died when you were a teenager, so you still look like one. As an adult, I’m not attracted to teenagers.”
“I’ll have you know I was twenty when I died. No longer a teenager, thank you very much.” Fred grinned. “Besides, mentally I’m like four years older than you.”
“You know what I mean.” She rolled her eyes, but maintained a smile on her face. Y/N always liked hanging out with Fred, he was actually her first friend at the school. He found her crying one day after the breakup with McLaggen and did everything in his power to make her feel better about it. Ever since then, Y/N spent the majority of her free time between classes with Fred. She supposed it didn’t help that he looked an awful lot like the guy she liked. No, shut up, I don’t like him. Don’t listen to her thoughts, I’m the narrator. I’m always right, just wait.
“Y/N, do you even like Terry?”
“Well, he’s nice. And I could see myself liking him.”
“So you don’t.”
“Not yet.”
“Y/N.” Fred had his head resting in his hand against the counter, giving Y/N a look of pure disappointment. He knew Y/N and George would wind up together the minute he met her. He’s the one that showed her the ad on the wizarding web for a new place to live. Although, Y/N wasn’t happy that he didn’t tell her that she would find a man identical to him when she went to the interview with the boys. Fred just shrugged, he knew George well enough to know that they’d let her move in. He also knew George well enough to know that George would find Y/N just as adorable as Fred did.
“I just, maybe I need to rebound, okay? I don’t want to end up with someone like Terry, but I don’t want to end up hurting someone I really like in case I’m not ready to date yet.” To Fred, this sounded like code for ‘I don’t want to fuck up with your brother.’
“So you’re using Terry.”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“Y/N!” Fred chuckled, knowing he was right.
“I mean, so what? We’ve only been on a few dates, what’s the worst that could happen?” Little did Y/N know, she’d just jinxed herself.
-
“I’m sorry, what?” George asked, throwing his head back on the couch.
“We’re going to a party. Together, all of us.” Draco asserted. “None of you have a choice, I need people to know I have friends.” At this, Harry and George started snickering. Draco might not have been as bad as he was when they were at Hogwarts, and it certainly helped that he switched sides at the battle of Hogwarts, but people still didn’t like him.
“You mean you need—” George started.
“Don’t finish that sentence.” Draco quickly interrupted.
“What are we doing?” Y/N asked upon leaving her bedroom. “I was on the phone with my mom, what’s going on?”
“You mean mum, you stupid American.” George said unwavering, taking a sip from his beer.
“Okay, ha-ha, it was funny at first, now it’s just sad.” Y/N scrunched her nose. “Also do you ever drink water? I don’t think I’ve seen you drink anything other than beer for the past few months.”
“No comment.”
“We’re going to a Christmas party on Christmas eve.” Draco answered. He was tired of the two bickering all the time, and wouldn’t entertain it anymore.
“Oh fun! Can we also go look at Christmas lights? There’s this no-maj neighborhood not far—”
“A what neighborhood?” George asked, teasing Y/N.
“Muggle. I hate it here.” Y/N rolled her eyes. “Anyway, it’s called Candy Cane Lane and it’s supposed to be super cute.” Y/N’s face lit up, her hands clapping lightly out of excitement. George felt that stupid feeling in his stomach again.
“No.” Draco said.
“Sure.” George shrugged. Draco turned and glared at him. “If we have time. I have to get to the Burrow that night. I’ve missed Christmas with my family for the past three years because of these idiots.” He gestured towards Neville and Harry chatting in the kitchen.
“You’re supposed to party on Christmas eve!” Harry interjected.
“Yeah, party, not get black out drunk and go to the hospital annually.” George muttered, causing Y/N to giggle quietly. She took a seat on the couch near him. To her it seems that they had gone back to normal after their interaction on Thanksgiving.
“We’ll go if we have time.” George whispered to her again. She nodded with a small smile on her face.
“So Y/N,” Harry started, walking towards the couch from the kitchen. 
“Harold.”
“It’s actually—”
“Just Harry, I know, it was a joke.”
“What are you getting your boyfriend for Christmas?”
“Oh god, I have to get him something? We're barely dating. What do you get someone you’re not that close to?”
“You don’t?” George offered.
“A plant?” Neville shouted from the kitchen.
“Hand soap. I have the feeling that man doesn’t have any in his bathroom.” Draco straight-faced. Y/N snorted.
“Let’s go to the shops and find something.” Harry smiled.
--
“Why? Why did I split up and go with you?” Y/N sighed, standing behind George who was distracted by some small robotic trinket. Y/N, a muggle-born, had seen them all the time as a teenager. George clearly had not.
“Because I’m the comic relief of the group. Also, I’m the hot one.” George smirked at her. She rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face she was hoping he wouldn’t see. He did.
“Whatever, help me pick something for this stupid man.”
“So you admit it?”
“What?”
“He’s stupid?”
“I mean, yeah, but I have a muggle doctorate and I’ve studied magical creatures forever. I’d say objectively most people are stupid to me.”
“Even me?”
“Especially you.” He pushed her arm lightly, she pushed back laughing.
“Just get him one of these. They’re cute. He’s simple.” George shrugged, handing the small robot that said “Merry Christmas,” over and over to her. She shrugged, figuring he’s right.
“What about you? What do you want for Christmas?” Y/N asked. She asked to be nice, but she had already gotten him a bunch of Friends merchandise. George had proved to be a real sucker for most muggle things.
“Don’t get me anything. Seriously.” He turned towards her quickly. He had a stern look on his face.
“Why?”
“Because I’m horrible at gift giving, and I always feel in-debted when someone gives me something really good.” He didn’t look at her when he spoke this time, walking towards more muggle items. She raised her eyebrows, noting that she might have to return his Christmas gift. Actually, no. He’s getting a gift. Idiot.
--
“Here, merry Christmas.” Y/N said to Terry. They sat at the foot of her bed the day before Christmas Eve, giving each other their gifts.
“You open yours first.” He smiled at her, handing her the envelope. She opened it with a shrug. Her heart dropped. In front of her were two passes to a portkey that would take them to New York City. At the bottom of the card that contained the tickets, Terry had written a sweet note, signed with love. Love? Oh Merlin.
“I-I—” She stuttered, not knowing what to say. “Thanks, Terry.” She suddenly felt very bad for her cheap muggle gift. When he opened it, though, he wasn’t disappointed, just amused by the toy.
“Thank you so much.” He grinned at her. “I love you so much.” Her heart dropped further, and she had to keep herself from cringing.
“T-thanks.”
--
“Oh no. You said THANKS? To a confession of love?” George asked, all of the guys holding back laughs as she sat on the couch with her head in her hands.
“What was I supposed to do? Lie?” Her words were muffled by her hands.
“Well, no, but thanks?” Harry chortled out. Draco was bent over, almost on the ground from laughter. Neville was flushed red from secondhand embarrassment.
“What do I do? Break up with him? I’m not ready for any of this.” Y/N felt nauseous.
“I mean, weren’t you just kind of using him anyway?” George lectured.
“Why do you guys keep saying that?”
“You guys?”
“You fucking Weasley’s, your brother said that too.” She rolled her eyes, storming into her room. She hated living with men. They were never helpful but always thought they were.
--
The next day, George opened her bedroom door without knocking. She glared at him.
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s fine, I overreacted. I’m just annoyed at the situation.”
“Well, we’re leaving soon, so get ready.” He offered, ducking back out of her room. Y/N put on black tights and a little black dress. She grabbed a red coat after putting on fake eyelashes. She grabbed her purse, and opened her door while slipping on her heels. Stumbling into the hall, she once again was faced with several men staring at her.
“Why do you guys do this every time I wear a dress?”
“You’re pretty.” Neville smiled, making Y/N almost tear up. They always did this, stare at her, but they almost never complimented her.
“Yeah, plus we only ever see you in sweatpants. So maybe we would stare less if you dressed less like a goblin every day.” Draco said, ruining the moment and heading towards the door.
“I don’t think you look like a goblin.” George whispered to her as they walked out of the loft. She smiled softly up at him.
Upon arriving at the party, Draco flocked towards his work wife. Harry headed towards Ginny, ready to give her the gift he got her. He was only slightly disappointed to find that she had brought a date to the party. 
“Here, Ginny.” He gave her the small box when her new boyfriend (boy toy, hopefully) walked away to get her a drink.
“Harry, you didn’t have to get me anything.” She said guiltily, not having gotten him anything. She opened it slowly as he shrugged in response. It was a small bottle. “What is it?” Her eyebrows scrunched. Harry laughed.
“It’s perfume. I’m not telling you that you stink, before you say that.” Ginny smiled, glad to know Harry knew her so well. “It’s a bunch of scents that remind me of you.” He shrugged, not wanting to admit that he had Draco make amortentia to see what she smelled like.
“Oh Merlin, if I smell like this I’m so sorry.” She coughed upon smelling it, making Harry laugh.
“Yeah, it’s a little all over the place. But it’s the thought, I guess?” She grinned at him, nodding.
Meanwhile George and Neville followed Y/N over to Terry. After a short, awkward conversation, Y/N excused herself to the bathroom. Neville walked away to find Luna. George stayed with Terry.
“So, quite a present you got her.” George said awkwardly, drinking from a plastic cup.
“Oh yeah, I think she really liked it.”
“Eh.”
“What? Did she tell you she didn’t like it?”
“I think it was just a lot really soon, buddy.”
“Oh no, do you think I should’ve toned it down?”
“Probably, Terry. You spent a small fortune and told her you loved her after like three weeks.”
“Oh no, what are you saying? Did she say she doesn’t love me? I was so stressed after she didn’t say it back, but I just assumed she was nervous.”
“I— you know I don’t actually think it’s my place to tell you that, Terry.”
Simultaneously, Y/N and Ginny convened in the bathroom.
“Did you like the present Harry got you?”
“It doesn’t smell very good, but it was really sweet.”
“Well, yeah, it’s Harry. He’s been in love with you for like, ever.” Y/N rolled her eyes.
“I mean, has he, though?”
“You absolute idiot.”
“Whatever, did you like what Terry got you?”
“I didn’t tell you, yet? He got me plane tickets to the states for him and I and told me he loved me. When I’m out here thinking about my roommate.”
“Oh Merlin, so a bad perfume is definitely the way to go.” Y/N nodded in agreement. “Why are men so difficult?” Ginny added.
“It’s like they’re so simple that it’s difficult.” Y/N hummed. “We should go back out there.” They fixed their appearances in the mirror slightly before returning to the party. Y/N found George and Terry out on the balcony.
“You really don’t love me?” Terry said, turning around to face her with tears in his eyes.
“What? Where did this come from?” Before anyone could answer, she turned to George who immediately cringed. “What did you do?”
“I just- sometimes I speak without thinking?”
“Terry, don’t listen to this idiot.” George put his hands up in defense and went to leave back to the party, but found the door locked. He went for his wand and realized he had forgotten it at the loft.
“Oh no.” George whispered
“You don’t like me, do you? Did I do too much too soon? Be honest, stop doing that thing where you make me feel better.” Terry looked like a puppy, making the whole situation a lot worse.
“Somebody please help!” George pleaded, banging against the glass.
“I-Terry. Yes, okay? You scared me. It was a lot really soon. I just got out of a relationship, and I really wanted to take it slow.” Y/N confessed.
“I’m stuck out here! This is so awkward, please help!” George kept banging on the door.
“I— what if I can’t do that?” Terry asked.
“LET ME OUT!!!” George shouted.
“You can’t take it slow?” Y/N scrunched her brow.
“Oh Merlin.” George sat on the ground against the door.
“Isn’t it obvious? If I already love you and you can’t say it back, maybe we shouldn’t be together.” Although Terry’s words kind of hurt, Y/N felt somewhat relieved. “I’ll see you at work, alright?” Terry approached the door and unlocked it wordlessly with his wand.
“Thanks Terry.” George went to follow behind Terry as he left, but stopped, looking back at Y/N. He sighed, realizing he needed to clean up the mess he had made. He walked back over to her, leaning against the balcony next to her.
“You know, I think maybe this was my fault.” He admitted, looking through the glass doors at the party.
“You think, George?” She snapped.
“Well, didn’t you want to break up with him anyway?”
“Yeah, I did, but I wanted to do it on my own terms.” She puffed a breath of air out of her lips.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to completely ruin your relationship. I was trying to help him tone it down.”
“Well, thanks I guess.” She pushed off of the balcony, heading back into the party to find Neville and Luna.
“Well, fuck.” George sighed. 
--
The group, Ginny included, left the party at three in the morning. Walking through town, George attempted to rush his sister and Harry.
“We’ve got to get to the burrow like, three hours ago.” 
“Who cares? Mum and dad are asleep. They won’t know we were late.”
“Because I still have to wrap all my gifts, Gin.” George sighed. Y/N was behind the group, attempting to peel her shoes off despite the snow. Harry and Ginny started talking, and George looked around for his best friend. Finding Y/N at the back of the group, he slowed his pace until he was walking with her. He looked at her shoeless feet, walking in only stockings in the deep snow. He sighed.
“Stop.” Y/N looked up at him, his voice startling her. “All of you, stop. We’ve gotta go somewhere.”
“I thought you needed to get home to wrap your gifts.”
“We’ll just be late. It’s fine.” George shrugged, he faced Y/N suddenly. “Jump on my back, alright?” He leaned down in front of her, offering a piggy-back ride. Y/N smiled a little and climbed up on his back. The group walked to Candy Cane Lane. Upon arriving, the magic-users were disappointed. The lights were all off.
“HEY!” George started shouting.
“Oh my god, George it’s not that important, it’s okay.” Y/N whispered into his ear. Goosebumps raised on his neck upon feeling her breath so close to him.
“It is important! It’s Christmas! COME ON! YOU ALL PUT SO MUCH EFFORT INTO THESE STUPID LIGHTS! TURN THEM ON!” He shouted. Ginny grinned.
“YEAH! TURN THEM ON!” Ginny shouted
“TURN THEM ON!!” Harry grinned.
“WAKE UP!!!” George added.
“TURN THEM ON!!” Neville shouted, although much more softly than the rest.
Suddenly, one at a time, each house’s lights turned on. Draco’s wand was lifted, turning on each house's Christmas lights.
“You all are so dumb. We are fortunate enough to have magic, there was a whole war. Remember?” Draco rolled his eyes.
Y/N grinned, feeling her heart swell upon seeing the bright Christmas lights. “Thanks, Georgie.” She whispered, nestling her cheek against his neck. This time his heart swelled.
“Merry Christmas, Y/N.” He said, squeezing her thighs as he held her up off the ground.
“Merry Christmas, Georgie.” Y/N pressed a soft kiss against his cheek.
Taglist: @yllwtaxi @ememseay @droppingthegloves @wassup-peoples @dejayoon @astoriaplease @postsbyjenipeo @edmunds-torch @ummmlana @kennreid @charming-fan-girl @expelliarmusmyass @boxofbadaddiction @pillowjj @losers-club6 @concepcion @gaysludge @melizabethhack @n-dg-wm @when-thedarkness-comes @sarcasticallywitty15 @kinkycalamari @draco-and-tom @rangotangomango 
Permanent taglist: @amourtentiaa​
A/N: if anyone wants to be added please just comment or message me and ask! I’m also working on submissions and asks if anyone wants a one shot or something <3 -mj
118 notes · View notes
k-llama-llama · 4 years
Text
PC Room
Seventeen AU: 14th member
Rei x Seventeen
Dino decision leaves Rei in a bad situation (I promise this is the last predebut Rei for a while)
Rei is not a permanent addition so if you have requests let me know…but she’s just an idea I had. She is NOT cannon with the rest of my AUs.
A/N: bonus post for you all today….ALSO CHECK OUT MY PATREON FOR ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE CONTENT AND EARLY ACCESS (patreon.com/kllamallama)
Requests are OPEN!!!
Masterlist and other Follow Me links in bio!
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“What took you so long?” Chan said as soon as Rei hurried down the steps of her school.
“Sorry.” She skidded to a stop in front of him. “I couldn’t find my rain coat.”
He looked up at the sky, which was getting pretty cloudy, and then back at her. “Where is it?”
“I didn’t find it.” Rei shrugged. “But you were waiting, so I tried to go fast.”
“Right. Well, let’s go.” He turned to walk away.
“Are we going home?” Rei asked, hurrying after him.
“The PC room.” He answered. “The guys are already there.”
When he said ‘the guys’, Rei knew that he didn’t mean the other trainees. He meant his friends from school. He hung out with them every Tuesday when he didn’t have training right after school, and had made no secret of the fact that he hated that he still had to take her along because it was also his job to walk her home from school.
Normally, Rei didn’t mind. She’d just get a computer in another part of the café and play computer games until Chan decided it was time to go home. But she’d forgotten her wallet that morning and Jeonghan had given her lunch money, so she didn’t have any extra to pay for the computer. And there was no way she was going to ask Chan for any.
The PC room was only a couple of subway stops away from her school, so she used the last of the money Jeonghan had given her to pay for the fare.
“I’m going over there.” Chan pointed to the far corner of the room. “Don’t wander off.”
“Okay.” Rei said, watching him as he walked away. She found a table in a section of the café she didn’t normally use, and started pulling out her school books. She was a bit behind on some of her math work, so she could use the time to catch up on that.
She wasn’t sure how long had passed, but it had started raining a while ago and the sun had set, when one of the employees came up to talk to her.
“Excuse me, miss.” The woman said kindly. “We’re closing now.”
“Oh!” Rei exclaimed, slamming her textbook shut. “I’ll just go get my friend and then we can-“
“I think you’re the only one left.” The woman smiled. “But you should hurry home, it’s pretty rainy out.”
Rei blinked, sure that she’d misheard. She put everything back into her backpack, walking towards the front door of the shop. The employees were turning off the lights, and she was, in fact, the only customer left.
Her heart dropped. Chan wouldn’t have left without her, right? She stepped out the front door, standing under the awning. It was raining, and her shoes were getting soaked just from the puddles on the ground. The rain was loud, blocking out the sounds of passing cars.
Her gaze settled on a coffee shop across the street, still with a few customers. She smiled. Chan had probably just gone there for a drink.
Hugging her backpack to her chest to protect it from the rain, she rushed across the road. She was soaked instantly and sighed in relief when she stepped through the doors of the coffee shop.
But a quick glance around revealed that Chan was nowhere to be found.
“Would you like a drink? We’re about to close.” The employee said to her.
“No, thank you.” Rei clutched her backpack closer, stepping back out into the rain.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
 “Wow, it’s really raining out there.” Jihoon laughed as he stepped into the apartment.
“You’re telling me.” Jeonghan smiled. “Do you want some ramen? I’m on my second pot.”
“Yes, please. I don’t think I-“ His gaze fell on Chan, sitting on the couch with his books spread out in front of him. “Oh, you guys are home?”
“Yeah, about an hour ago.” Chan said, not looking up.
Jihoon shook his hair off, heading into the bedroom. But when he looked up at Rei’s bunk, he didn’t see her sitting there. She was always there, working on her homework until someone forced her to go to bed. But she wasn’t there, and neither was her backpack or any of her school things.
“Where’s Rei?” He asked, coming back into the living room.
Chan shrugged.
“They got home a while ago.” Seungcheol said, looking over from where he was folding towels. “Right?”
“Chan?” Jeonghan prompted.
“Hm?” He looked up from his book. “Oh, we didn’t come home together.”
“What?” Seungcheol dropped his towel. “What do you mean? I thought you guys went to the PC bar after school.”
“We did.” Chan nodded. “But the guys wanted to go for pizza and I couldn’t find her. I figured she went out.”
“And you didn’t think that finding her was more important than pizza?” Jeonghan exclaimed.
“She’s a big girl, she can take the subway home by herself.”
“She doesn’t have any money.” Jihoon picked her wallet up off the counter. “And she doesn’t have a cell phone. How is she supposed to get home?”
Chan eyes widened. “You mean?”
“Let’s go.” Seungcheol kicked off his slippers, going for his raincoat.
 ~~~~~~~~
Rei was soaked.
She wasn’t sure if she was shivering anymore, because her body had gone numb. Her backpack was still hugged tightly to her chest, but she doubted that it was still dry. Her blazer and skirt were plastered to her legs, and her shoes sloshed with every step.
She’d been walking for almost two hours, not that she had been able to check the time. She was pretty sure she was headed in the right direction, but honestly she didn’t know. She would have stopped to call – someone would have let her use their phone – but she didn’t have any of the boys’ number memorized. Which meant she had to just keep walking and hope she was heading towards home.
She saw someone sprint out onto the street in front of her, and instinctively flinched. Her walk home had been relatively incident free, aside from the cold that now had her teeth chattering to the point of being painful. But the person running down the street was coming right at her.
She glanced to the side, wondering if it would be smart to duck into the alley, when the person’s voice reached her over the rain.
“REI! Rei, is that you?”
“Chan?” She whispered, not sure if it was him.
He slammed into her, wrapping his arms around her. “Where have you been?”
“W…Wa-walking home.” She stuttered. “Where did you go?”
“I…We went…” He rubbed her shoulders.
All at once, it was too much for Rei, and she burst into tears. “You left me!”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He hugged her tightly. “I won’t ever do it again.”
“I’ve been walking for hours.” She sobbed.
“I know. Come on, we’ll get you home and warmed up.” He pulled off his own raincoat, wrapping it over her head.
“I’m….already…S-soaked.” She shivered.
“I’m so sorry.” He said again, keeping one arm around her shoulders as he started to lead her home.
Another figure appeared in front of them.
“Did you find her!” Jeonghan’s voice shouted.
“I’ve got her!” Chan confirmed.
When they got back to their house, Rei was forced to take a long, hot shower, while Seungcheol put her pajamas into the dryer. Still, when she finally emerged and sat down on the couch, there was a sniffle to her voice and a slight red tinge to her nose.
“You need to drink this.” Chan set a mug of soup down in front of her.
She took it, her hands still shaking.
Jeonghan smoothed her hair back. “You should have stopped somewhere. Or at least used your backpack to cover you.”
“I didn’t want my homework to get wet.” Rei took a sip, sighing as she started to warm up.
“I can’t believe you tried to walk all the way home.” Seungcheol scolded. “You could have gotten kidnapped.”
“I thought you’d be proud of me. I didn’t get lost.” Rei gave him a tiny smile.
“You shouldn’t have been out there in the first place.” Jihoon crossed his arms.
Chan sunk lower in his seat. “I’m sorry, okay. I feel bad enough.”
“She’s sick.” Jeonghan pointed out. “You can’t possibly feel worse than she does.”
“It’s okay. He didn’t want to take me for pizza. I should have-“
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Seungcheol handed her a mug of tea, leaving her with two mugs. “And Chan will make it up to you.”
Chan nodded enthusiastically. “Next time I take you home from school…we can…we can go to a movie. Or we can go to one of those craft cafes you always want to visit. We’ll go wherever you want, my treat.”
Rei smiled. “There’s a shop that has an ice cream parlour in one half, and a bunch of kittens in the other.”
“We’ll go.” He promised. “And spend hours and hours there.”
Rei sneezed.
“And I’ll do your homework.” Chan reached for her books. They’d been placed out on the table, allowing them to dry. “All of it.”
“But you haven’t done yours yet.” She protested, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
“I’ll do yours first.” He insisted, opening the math book. “So you can go to bed and get better.”
Rei pouted slightly, looking at Jeonghan. “I think you guys are making him feel bad.”
“Good.” Jeonghan smiled, taking the soup mug out of her hand. “Take your tea to bed with you. We’ll get a heating pad to keep you warm.”
Rei nodded, standing up and stretching. The boys all filed out of the room, leaving her and Chan.
“Hey Chan?”
“Yeah?” He looked up, biting on the end of his pencil.
“I’m really not mad.” She promised. “I don’t even mind being sick. Maybe I won’t have to go to school tomorrow.”
He sighed. “Don’t try to make me feel better, okay? This is my fault, so just…let me try and fix it.”
“If that’s what you want.” She shrugged. “I’m going to bed.”
“Sweet dreams.” He smiled. “Stay home sick tomorrow, and I’ll bring you food after school.”
“Chicken?”
“Chicken.” He promised.
“Rei! Bed.” Jeonghan called.
“I’m going.” Rei winked at Chan, hurrying off to bed.
331 notes · View notes
marvelyningreen · 3 years
Text
Aftershocks - Night 2
Night 1 | Night 2 | Night 3 | (deleted scene)
[Summary: Peter Maximoff is an unflappable sorta guy. He’d never let anything get to him before, and this recent misadventure will be no different. ...Right?
Warnings: mild language, alcohol use, references to injury & false imprisonment, general trauma-related angst
Notes: Peter Maximoff x reader, of the established relationship variety. A ‘what if Fietro really was Peter?’ scenario. Same continuity/reader character from Linger and Late-bloomer. ]
On the second night, Kurt and Jubilee organize a party. It’s sort of a ‘welcome back’ for Peter, and a ‘welcome in general’ for Wanda and the twins.
It’s awfully sweet of them. And you’re impressed that they’ve managed to order in enough food for everyone on such short notice.
Peter had been busy for most of the day. He’d volunteered to help the professor and continue playing tour guide for Wanda and the kids. You’d offered to help, too, but Peter insisted that you should take it easy. He’s probably right, much as you’d hated to admit it. There’s no way you could’ve kept up with him and two energetic kids.
And that’s how you ended up spending the most of the morning in the lab with Hank.
In true Hank fashion, he had tons of questions, and you did your best to answer them. There are still quite a few things you don’t fully understand yourself.
The revelation that other realities exist is wild to begin with. A world where mutants don’t exist but magic does sounds like a work of fiction. And then there’s the fact that Wanda’s from someplace called ‘Sokovia?’ As far as you and Hank could figure, that country has never existed in your world.
Hank’s scientific curiosity was focused on trying to wrap his head around how Wanda’s powers worked, and how they could’ve caused Captain Rambeau to spontaneously develop powers of her own. You weren’t able to be much help there, but once Hank gets himself hypothesizing, he could talk for hours with no input from anyone else.
Eventually, you brought up your concerns about Peter and his odd lapses in memory. Hank’s brows furrowed pensively as he listened.
“Well, I can tell you there’s nothing physically wrong with Peter,” he said. “I could ask him to let me examine him again, but if the issue isn’t a physical one, that might just make things worse. If you’re really worried about him, my advice is to talk to Charles.”
You sighed. “And he’s busy showing Wanda around.”
Which was exactly where Peter would be, so no chance to talk to the professor without him noticing. Hank stood up, patting your shoulder.
“Listen, I know I’m not great company when I’m focused on work,” he said, “But you’re welcome to stay here while you wait.”
“Thanks,” you said. “I think I’ll take you up on that.”
You’d actually spent a lot of time down in the lab since your reality warping abilities had fully manifested. Hank was fascinated by getting to witness them in person, and the fact that you’d used them to save his life probably had something to do with it.
You leaned back in your chair, stretching out your injured leg a little. It didn’t take Hank long to get so immersed in his work that he started thinking aloud to himself, trying to work out some complicated chemical reaction.
Your thoughts drifted back to Peter. He’d seemed distracted that morning, almost distant. You tried to think what caused it – if something had happened, or even if there was something you’d said…? But you couldn’t think of anything.
Maybe it’d had something to do with his dream. But no, he said he didn’t remember it. Maybe – and you were grasping at straws by this point – he was embarrassed that you’d seen it? That could be. Peter was a pretty open guy, and you hadn’t thought that machismo was one of his faults, but it’s a possibility.
Oh. Oh, damn it all – you’d done it again. You weren’t sure when your eyes had closed, or when you’d leaned your head back against the chair. Hank was still talking to himself-
Only no, he wasn’t. There was a second voice answering him now. Upon lifting your head, you noticed that Hank’s jacket was folded under it as a makeshift pillow. You blinked in the brightness of the lab, looking around to see where the conversation was coming from.
Hank and the professor broke off as they noticed you stirring. Hank smiled apologetically.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” he explained. “You looked so tired. I figured you could use the rest.”
“Apparently I did. Sorry about that,” you said, sitting up straight in the chair again. “What time is it?”
“Just after noon,” said the professor. “We decided to break for lunch, so Peter’s showing them the kitchens. Now, Hank tells me that something’s troubling you.”
“It’s Peter, sir,” you said. You went over everything once more – the diminishing memories of Westview, the nightmare. “Maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing, but… I don’t know. What if something that witch did is still affecting him?”
The professor had listened carefully while you spoke. You thought that he looked a little concerned, but you might’ve imagined it, because when you finished, he smiled.
“Thank you for coming to me with this,” he said, “But I have a feeling you’re not going to like my answer.”
You grimaced. “You’re going to tell me to wait and see, aren’t you.”
You’re well aware that this was the sort of thing the professor said when he was being evasive. He laughed.
“You’re a quick learner,” he said. “I will tell you that I truly believe Peter will be fine. If anything changes or worsens, don’t hesitate to bring it to my attention. But until that time, I’m leaving him in your care. I know I can rely on you.”
You gaze drifted to the floor, and you frowned slightly. Of course the professor could count on you to look after Peter. But how on earth were you supposed to help if you don’t know what’s going on?
If Peter had been physically hurt, that’s something you could fix. You were out of your depth here. Useless. Just like old times.
“None of that, if you please,” said the professor, in response to your thoughts. “Do you think I’d be leaving this in your hands if I didn’t think you were up to the task? Now, I’ve already told Peter that, as of today, he’s taking some mandatory time off, and the same goes for you. No missions for a while. You’re to get some rest and look after yourself. Understood?”
That surprised you. But before you could attempt to get anything more out of the professor, the door opened to admit Peter and the other Maximoffs. Peter’s face brightened as he caught sight of you.
“I figured you’d be down here,” he said. “And I also figured you probably didn’t eat lunch yet. Was I right? Yeah, I thought so. Which is why I brought lunch to you.”
“You know the rules,” Hank interrupted. “No food in the lab, Peter.”
Peter grinned, rolling his eyes, as he helped you to your feet.
“Alright, alright – we’re going,” he said.
Saying that you looked like you could use some daylight, Peter led you out of the lab to find somewhere to eat your lunch. He seemed cheerful and normal enough, and not, y’know, like he was avoiding you or something. You started to wonder if maybe you really were imagining things.
It was easy enough not to bring up the inconclusive conversation you’d had with the professor. The twins were bursting to tell somebody that there was going to be a party, and that it was gonna be their first party ever.
So far, it seems to be going well. The twins are already making friends among the younger students. Wanda still seems a little reserved – understandably – but the professor sticks close to her to make introductions and keep her company.
You’d like a chance to talk to her yourself, but maybe now isn’t the time. A party can be something of an overwhelming environment, especially now that you’ve been informed that you’re actually one of the guests of honor.
You probably should’ve seen this coming. You’re the one who took on a solo rescue mission, after all. Kurt sheepishly admits that they purposefully hadn’t told you that part because they figured you wouldn’t come if you knew. He is correct.
But Peter’s in his element as the life of the party – and he’s tipsy almost instantly. It’s one of the quirks of his mutant metabolism; alcohol hits him fast. Fortunately, drunk Peter is just an amped-up version of his usual cheerful and chaotic personality. You’re not much of a partier, yourself, so you’re content to enjoy his antics from the sidelines.
Which is what you’re doing when Jubilee sidles up to you.
“Okay, you have to tell me everything,” she says. “I mean, getting to go to another reality? What was it like?”
You laugh. “You’ve gotta be the fifth person to ask me that. Peter was there longer than I was.”
“But Peter doesn’t remember any of it,” she says, “And it’d be rude to ask Wanda a bunch of questions when we’ve only just met, so that leaves you. Now, spill.”
You satisfy Jubilee’s curiosity as best you can, but something she said strikes you as strange. Peter doesn’t remember anything about Westview? That doesn’t seem right.
When Captain Rambeau broke that mind control necklace, Peter didn’t seem confused or anything, just… Well, if you had to describe it, you’d say he looked horrified. And after he made sure that you were okay, the first thing he’d said was that the twins might still be in danger and that you all had to help them.
Then again, he’d let Wanda do all the explaining to the professor and Mr. Lehnsherr. And you’d gotten the rundown from that astrophysicist, Dr. Lewis, after she finished grumbling about being the exposition fairy, whatever that meant.
And Peter lives for being the center of attention. Overlooked and underappreciated for much of his life, a party like this is exactly the sort of validation he craves. If there was a chance for him to tell his story to a rapt audience, he’d jump at it.
So… maybe Peter really doesn’t remember anything. Maybe the whole thing is like a dream for him. The further away from it that he gets, the less clear the memory is.
When the party starts to wind down, the same can’t be said for Peter. Just as you’re trying to work out how on earth you’re going to corral him, Logan catches your eye.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get him,” he says.
You grin. “I thought you said that he’s my problem now.”
“He is. But that knee’s not gonna help you carry his ass upstairs.” Logan drains the last of his drink and calls across the room. “Alright, kid! Time to pack it in!”
Peter waves, takes an unsteady step towards you, and manages to run smack into Logan a split second later. Logan shoots you an exasperated look.
“What’d I tell you?” he says.
Logan manages to keep Peter upright as you head upstairs, but keeping him quiet is another thing entirely. Peter spends the entire walk explaining to Logan – in fumbling but earnest detail – all the ways in which you are the most amazing person he has ever met.
When Logan gets a word in edgewise, it’s to inform you that Peter’s been doing this all evening to anybody who would listen, and even to the people who wouldn’t. You’re honestly not sure if you feel more flattered or mortified.
At long last, you reach Peter’s door, and Logan props him up against the doorframe.
“Alright, he’s officially your problem again,” he says. “Goodnight.”
“G’night, old-timer!” Peter calls, waving off your attempts to shush him. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.”
He opens the door and nearly tumbles back into the room. He catches himself, clearing his throat as he straightens up.
“I meant to do that,” he says.
You shake your head, trying to bit back a grin. Once the door is closed behind you, you steer Peter towards the bed and sit him down. He takes hold of your hands.
“Listen. Listen. I have to tell you something.” He struggles to turn his bleary expression serious. “I love you, so much. You just… I love you, okay?”
Is it wrong that you find this slurred profession of love incredibly heartwarming? You smile at Peter, leaning down to kiss him.
“I know,” you say softly. “I love you, too. But you gotta get some sleep now, okay?”
Peter nods, frowning slightly for some reason.
“I know, I know,” he says.
He flops back onto the bed, mumbling something that might be lyrics to a song. And by the time you get his shoes off, he’s conked out completely.
After setting Peter’s shoes aside, you sit down on the sofa again. You know he’s fine. Sure, he’s drunk, but he’s not that drunk. But what if he needs something? Or what if he has another nightmare?
You know you shouldn’t dwell on everything, but once you start thinking about it, you find you can’t stop. You wonder what it was like for Peter, being dragged from this reality into another, having his personality forcibly rewritten.
If your experience had been unpleasant, how much worse must it have been for him?
The second you’d stepped into Westview, you were nearly overwhelmed. Some unknown power seemed to be forcing a name – not your own – onto you like a shackle around your neck. A thousand memories of a life you hadn’t lived flooded your mind. More alarming still, Peter was present in many of them. You had no idea if what you were seeing was the past, or the future, or something else entirely.
And underneath it all was a crushing, all-encompassing feeling of utter despair. It threatened to swallow you whole, and it seemed pointless to fight it.
And then – a calm, familiar presence in your mind. You remembered turning back, seeing the professor’s face as he watched you enter the portal. Suddenly, the onslaught lifted, and you were simply yourself again.
Also, you’d apparently collapsed at some point, because you were laying on the pavement with a tall blond stranger leaning over you.
He was the only person who seemed at all concerned that you’d just fainted in the middle of the street. He said his name was Vision. You introduced yourself as Ace. It was close enough to your codename that you’d remember it, and the professor had cautioned you against saying too much about where you’d come from.
But Vision seemed to recognize that there was something different about you, that you’d come from outside Westview. He was worried about his children, and his wife, and the rest of the citizens. You explained that you didn’t know what had happened to the town, and that you’d come looking for a missing friend.
You’d just agreed to try to help each other when reality seemed to bend around you, and suddenly you were sitting in a diner finishing a cup of coffee, and Vision was nowhere in sight.
The next time you saw him, the spell was ending, and he disappeared. You wish you could’ve gotten the chance to get to know him better. He seemed like a good man.
You try to put that from your mind. It’s just gonna make you sad again if you think about it for too long.
Instead, you glance over at Peter. He seems to be sleeping soundly, which is good.
But memories of Westview aren’t done with you yet.
You’ve had nightmares before about people you know acting in ways that were frighteningly unlike them. And even knowing it was all just a dream, you always felt a little uneasy the next time you’d see them. It’s the same way you feel watching Peter now.
That’s not fair; you know it isn’t. And maybe out of context, it’d sound strange to get worked up about it. But to have the person you love – the person who loves you – treat you with indifference, and get cruel enjoyment out of your pain?
That’s the stuff of nightmares.
Enough of that. You give your head a shake, like that’ll clear your thoughts somehow. It wasn’t Peter. It was the witch that was controlling him, forcing him to do all those things. You know this. It’s just lucky he hadn’t been forced to really hurt anyone.
It’s over, and Peter doesn’t remember what it was like, and that’s probably for the best.
Still, as you watch him sleep, you find yourself so badly wanting to hold him that it almost makes your chest ache. Peter hasn’t just been distant emotionally since Westview.
Since you’d started dating, Peter was a source of constant casual physical affection. Whenever you were together, he’d always have his arm around you, or be holding your hand, or sit close enough that his leg was pressed against yours. You hadn’t realized how much you’d gotten used to it – grown to expect it, even – until it’s suddenly absent.
Having be so withdrawn from you now, well… It hurts, if you’re being honest, especially since you don’t know why, and you don’t know how to help.
But there’s nothing you can do about it at this moment. And, since Peter doesn’t look to be having any more nightmares, it’s probably time for you to go. You ease yourself onto your feet, just now noticing how stiff your knee has gotten after standing around all evening at the party.
You limp as quietly as you can towards the door – and proceed to trip over Peter’s shoes.
You yelp in pain as your knee twists and you go crashing to the floor. You grit your teeth, trying not to swear.
And suddenly the lights are on in the room, and Peter’s kneeling beside you.
“What happened?” he asks. “Are you okay?”
That’s right. As fast as Peter gets drunk, he sobers up just as quickly. He looks present and alert at the moment, if a little worried.
“I tripped over the damn shoes,” you answer. “I’m fine, I think. I just-”
You break off, wincing, as you try to straighten out your leg. Damn it. Is it possible to double-sprain something? Because that’s what it feels like.
“Hang on,” says Peter. “Let me help.”
He doesn’t take your hands and help you stand up, like you’re expecting. Instead, he loops your arm around his shoulders and scoops you up bridal-style. The fact that he doesn’t use his superspeed almost disorients you more than if he had.
At a normal pace, he walks back and sets you down not on the sofa, but on his bed. He blurs for just a second, but that’s only to stack up his pillows to give you something to lean against.
As you gingerly straighten out your leg, Peter reaches out – to try to help, you suppose – then lets his hands fall in his lap.
“Thanks,” you say.
Peter frowns worriedly. “Can’t you do the…?”
He makes a gesture like he’s laying on hands or something, which confuses you for a second before you catch his meaning.
“Oh, I can’t do the healing stuff on myself,” you say. “Or at least I don’t know how yet. I gotta heal the old-fashioned way.”
You give him a wry smile. It could be worse, after all. You could’ve actually broken something. Peter doesn’t seem very reassured.
“I should get Hank,” he says.
“No, don’t!” you say as quickly as you can. “It’s not that bad. I’ll go to him in the morning, if I need to.”
No sense in dragging the poor man out of bed if it’s not an emergency. Unconvinced, Peter bites his lip.
“If you’re sure,” he says reluctantly, “But… Don’t move, okay? I’m gonna get you some ice.”
He’s gone. And then he’s back, holding a couple icepacks and a towel. You reach down to take the knee-brace off, but Peter swats your hands away. Why on earth-?
“Would you stop that?” he says, perching on the edge of the bed. “I’m trying to nurse you back to health here.”
You laugh in spite of yourself. “Always the romantic.”
“Yeah, well, that’s why you like me.”
He’s not wrong. Peter flashes you a grin, and it’s so cheerful and unguarded and normal that it’s startling. This boy is gonna give you whiplash yet; you’re sure of it.
But then he looks down again to focus on the task at hand. He’s extraordinarily gentle as he undoes the brace and settles the icepacks on and around your knee. You want to turn his face towards you and kiss him, but you don’t. He must have some reason for keeping his distance.
As he’s finishing up, he finally speaks.
“I’m… I’m kinda afraid to ask, honestly, but how did you get hurt? It wasn’t- I mean,” Peter exhales forcefully, and hesitates before asking: “Was it me?”
His big, dark eyes meet yours, and the distress in his face nearly breaks your heart.
“What? No! Of course it wasn’t you,” you say.
Peter seems to relax a little, but still has that troubled look in his eyes. He really doesn’t remember, does he? You did get into a scuffle with him while he was still under mind control, and he had ended up knocking you down, but it hadn’t hurt you any more than tripping on the sidewalk would’ve. Also… this doesn’t seem like the right time to mention that part of the story. You hurry to explain.
“It was that witch – Agnes, or Agatha, or whatever her name is,” you say. “She couldn’t send me back, and she couldn’t get in my head, so she dumped me in the Westview Hospital psych ward.”
Peter’s jaw drops. “She what?”
“I mean, it wasn’t like a horror story hospital or anything,” you clarify. “It was actually a pretty nice place, aside from the fact that they wouldn’t let me leave because they thought I was dissociating and suffering from delusions. Which is exactly what what’s-her-name was counting on.”
Peter nods slowly, evidently more confused and no less concerned. “Okay… that explains where you were, but it doesn’t explain how you got hurt.”
“Oh, right. When I wasn’t able to talk my way out, I had to use my powers to get a window open. Only…” you wince at the memory. “My powers didn’t fully work in Westview, and the window was on the second floor. So when I jumped out of it, gravity did exactly what it’s supposed to do.”
Peter presses a hand to his mouth. Okay, this explanation is clearly making things worse.
“And then – okay, this isn’t funny, but it’s kinda funny. It was suddenly Halloween, so the streets were all covered in people and I had to hide, so I crawled into somebody’s hedges. Problem is, they spotted me and came over to see what was going on. So I told them,” you snort involuntarily just remembering it, “I told them that I was dressed up as a zombie, but it’s okay, I’m hiding in their hedge because I’m a method actor. And somehow, they bought it.”
You end your rambling with an awkward laugh, but it dies almost immediately. The anecdote didn’t mollify Peter even a little bit. Maybe you should’ve mentioned the part where you had to steal clothes off a scarecrow? … No, that probably wouldn’t have helped either.
Brows furrowed, eyes still troubled, he stares down at his hands. “You could’ve gone back. Why didn’t you go back?”
“Peter, I went to Westview to bring you home,” you say. “I wasn’t going to leave you behind.”
Although, now that he mentions it, going back for reinforcements probably would’ve been the smart thing to do. It honestly never occurred to you at the time. You were so focused on rescuing Peter that you couldn’t think of anything else.
For someone who allegedly doesn’t remember anything, Peter looks awfully distressed.
“Peter…?” you say, softly, “Are you alright?”
Before he can answer, you shiver violently, startling yourself as much as Peter, and completely breaking the moment.
“Sorry,” you say. “It’s the icepacks. I should probably get going soon, since I’m already cold.”
Peter blinks, and suddenly the shadow seems to lift from his mood. He’s bright and brisk again, taking the icepacks off of your knee.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he says. “You’re not gonna go limping around in the cold in the middle of the night. You’ll end up getting sick on top of everything. You can stay here. No, don’t get up. I’ll crash on the couch this time.”
He’s really taking this ‘nurse you back to health’ thing seriously, isn’t he? Even if he’s just playing at it, it’s still kinda sweet. You can’t help but smile a little.
“How very Jane Austen of you,” you say.
Peter snorts. “That’s gotta be the nerdiest compliment anyone’s ever given me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
As he finishes setting aside the icepacks, he turns back to face you.
“Now,” he says, “Is there anything else you need?”
Half-smiling, he looks at you with those big dark eyes, and you can’t help yourself. You lean forward, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into a crushing embrace. You know it might make you look clingy, but you don’t care.
You’re fully prepared to pull away just as fast, but Peter’s arms fold around you almost instantly. He nestles his cheek against your head, gently stroking your hair.
“It’s okay,” he murmurs. “It’s okay.”
When you finally do pull back, Peter smiles down at you, tilting his head slightly.
“I’m not going anywhere, alright?” he says. “I promise.”
He kisses your forehead, and helps you arrange the pillows and settle in for the night. After extracting a promise that you’ll wake him up if you need something, he retreats to the couch.
The familiar scent of Peter’s cologne lingers reassuringly on his pillows. He’s not going anywhere, you tell yourself. The person who took him is in no position to cause him any more harm.
So why does it feel like part of him is still gone?
38 notes · View notes
forbiddenship · 3 years
Note
i just saw a bunch of rina's take yet another ss of a portwell post from tumblr to talk shit over on twitter. it annoys me so much that this keeps happening and we can't do anything about it bc there aren't enough of us over there. i'm asking you this bc i know you're on twitter and you're like the portwell captain on that app (bless your soul you're doing god's work). how do you handle being on there when this happens all the time?
first of all, that is such a sweet compliment, and it made my day so thank you so much. i’m definitely not a captain or anything lol, it’s funny how it all started. i became a hardcore portwell shipper when 2x05 came out, and at that point there wasn’t much content - very few edits and fics here and there - and even less so on twitter. in fact, it was all just portwell hate over there. and that made me really sad because twitter is one of my favorite apps - i think if used correctly it can be such a positive experience. i made so many friends through twitter last year in some of my other fandoms and i guess i was just used to showing my appreciation for characters/ships on stan twitter. but the fandoms i was part of before were much smaller (and therefore had fewer conflicts overall).
so when i joined the hsmtmts fandom and realized portwell positivity was lacking over there i just began to post about my ship and see if anybody was actually interested. and surprisingly, a lot of people were lol. many of them were just hiding bc of the fear of being mass quoted by rina’s. which, at this point, is something i’ve gotten over bc i know that it’s just one of those things they do to try and prove they’re the top dogs. twitter is the only place where they can dominate by numbers so they’re just taking advantage of that - regardless of who they have to step on to achieve it. i don’t really “handle” it any way per se other than just posting the stuff i like and blocking whatever i don’t. it’s really that simple. and trust me, i totally understand the pride and the feeling of “why should i have to block them? i deserve to be here just as much as them” - i totally get it. and yes, we shouldn’t have to do that. it would be much more ideal if all the shippers could coexist peacefully and stay in their lanes. but that’s not the reality, and at the end of the day, we gotta do what’s best for ourselves and our mental health. even though i knew that their arguments fell apart like sand, it was still exhausting to try and fight them all when there were so few of us (although i do know a lot more portwells now but at the beginning yk). so the best option for me was just to block what i didn’t need to see so i could keep enjoying the app and use it to show my love for my fav ship. and by doing that i found that a lot of other people were in the same boat as me and i got to connect with more portwell shippers, some of whom are now my closest moots. so it all worked out in the end :)
also, quick afterthought - the fact that rina’s are constantly lurking in our tag to find something they can screenshot and start a whole discourse on over on twitter is very telling. they’re obviously scared as hell and for good reason. but it’s such a cowardly thing to me: like ur gonna take content from a different platform and transport it over to twitter just so you can drench it in your toxicity without having any opposing voices? embarrassing.
btw, i’m so sorry if you’ve sent me an ask before and i haven’t answered it! im so bad at this omg. i keep starting drafts and forgetting that i started them so my inbox is always clear but i have a bazillion drafts. but tysm for sending them in and i’ll finish them all soon!
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staytiny-present · 3 years
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Ateez Coraline!au
DUDE I’M DONE WITH SCHOOL WHICH MEANS I CAN WRITE MORE YAYYYY!
anyway, this is meant to be a little headcanon thing for a series i’ve been planning that is, obviously, based on the movie coraline. it’ll be a reader insert for you to enjoy as well :) this is basically a “ateez as characters in coraline,” but my plan is to still make them unique to the story. i hope you like this!
warnings: this does not match at all swearing, angsty situations, borderline crack (you’ll see), i think i make one sex joke, allusions to depression - PLEASE take caution when you read yunho’s part. i don’t think i go into any specifics, but his gets serious that i just want you to be aware
Reader’s backstory: you’ve lived with your grandmother who owns the pink palace apartments since you were a teenager so you can help her out as she gets older. the pink palace isn’t the most well-known, but it’s gotten a pretty negative rap since the disappearance of your best friend in high school. it’s hard living there still, but you know your grandma needs the support. you know nearly all of the ins and outs of the place, and all of the tenants adore both you and your grandma
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Wooyoung and Yeosang ~ Spink and Forcible
tell me i’m wrong
that’s right you can’t
they’ve been friends for years and bicker and tease each other like they’re married and still love and support each other? yeah
wooyoung and yeosang are childhood friends
they mostly did dance in high school but they were also in theater, and they were kinda well known for being The Best™
they were recruited to join a lot of teams and a lot of colleges wanted them because they were just??? amazing??? how tf??
so yeah they earned a lot of recognition in high school that honestly got them really famous from when they were 16 onward
it’s been a few years since then and so the hype around them has definitely died down but we’ll get to that
they are currently still working on stuff in regards to dancing and acting
they’re technically in college too, but they do online classes so they can stay at home and work on their shows
wooyoung is the idealist while yeosang is the realist
like i said, they act like an old married couple always bickering and fighting but they really do love each other
ride or die best friends dude
it’s just that they say they’ll do certain things or are planning things soon and it just… doesn’t happen
that’s mostly idealist woo talking before yeosang can reign him in
so for years it’s been a lot of empty promises of new work that many people just stopped expecting things from them
and because of that they’ve past their peak and are basically just in limbo before they are actually able to make/perform their next show or something like that 
they rent the basement apartment of the pink palace, and they’ve technically lived in there the longest actually
growing up, both of their families lived there so that was how they met and became the best of friends :)
they didn’t want to leave either but they had to for a couple years
but at least they stayed together :)
their families moved back when the boys were about a year into high school just because the old woman who owns the place is a gem and the city had a great school for them to go to
while they were living there though a boy around their age went missing, and it basically convinced their families that they should move out
wooyoung and yeosang were very adamant about staying, so their families told them you’re either moving away with us or finding a way to pay for the apartment yourselves
so the next day wooyoung and yeosang went out and found themselves some jobs so that they could
it upset their parents sure, but they were also kinda proud that they took so much initiative about this - they knew they would succeed in life
it also factored into why grandma let them stay because she knew the same thing
the sweet woman even said she would help them out from time to time :(
then cue the next 3-4 years where woo and yeo are making a bunch of money with their dances teams and performing in shows 
they’ve gotten a good amount of money over the years that they’ve been able to renovate the basement so that it’s really nice
now they have posters of their “golden years” (as wooyoung says) from high school and their first years of college all around their place
they have a dog and have been seriously considering getting more because he’s getting kind of old :( 
they don’t really get out much bc they are constantly trying to plan and work on their shows, but it’s fine because there’s nothing really close to the pink palace :/ the closest city where they went to school is quite the commute
but because of all this - the empty promises, the lack of activity, the radio silence - no one really takes them seriously anymore, and really people just stopped believing in them
it’s a major factor in their motivation and work ethic, but they try their hardest not to let it deter them from what they want to do in life
Mingi, San, and Jongho ~ The Amazing Bobinsky
trust me here ok?
mingi, san, and jongho start their own circus right out of high school
hear me out
the boys all went to high school together, but jongho is a year younger than them so they all graduated at different times
however they had a lot of classes together because they didn’t really care much about school and it reflected on their academics
so they were put in a lot of lower classes together that they all did well in, they just didn’t care about school
their circus started out as a joke honestly
it was probably edgy teen jongho who was like “ugh i hate school i should just drop out and join the circus”
and it became a running joke between them like haha yeah let’s join the circus, who would we all be tho?
mingi and san were both very adamant that jongho would be the strongman what with all his fruit breaking endeavors and the buff buff arms dude
san did martial arts and liked dancing and was very flexible so he was like ayy i’ll be the acrobat
it took them a while to decide what mingi would be because they were like “huh well what about the lion tamer?” “you know how much of a fraidy cat he is?” “ok well what about a trapeze artist?” “he’s a great dancer and flexible sure, but would he ever be able to have that kind of coordination?” “ok fine then what about a clown?” “fuck you guys”
they chose sword swallower mostly because like??? how does it work?? idk mingi should find out 
and yeah for a while it was a running joke between all of them like yeah we’re gonna drop out of school and join the circus lol
but then come mingi and san’s senior year and they were like… hang on
could… could we actually do this? it sounds fun as hell
it went as far as them all researching circuses in their spare time and income and how to go about joining one
and it ended with them not wanting to live the lifestyle of a traveling circus 
sure it sounded cool as fuck, but while they were somewhat willing to live with those conditions, they weren’t willing enough
so the next best thing for them would be to start their own circus
of course, how do you tell your parents that what you want to be when you grow up is a circus performer?
the answer: you don’t 
whenever they were asked things likes “oh what do you want to do in college?” they all just kinda passed it off as they didn’t know, but in reality they didn’t really have any desire to go to college
you don’t need a degree to start a circus, so they didn’t really want to
once mingi and san graduated, they immediately started looking for affordable apartments where they could do their thing - start their circus
in all honesty they started looking before they graduated too, partially since they would be moving out after hs but also because they just felt better about not living with their parents 
they had seen the pink palace in the newspaper a lot with a vacant attic apartment, and basically since they found out about it they were sold on it
a weird place in the middle of nowhere run by a woman who doesn’t mind housing younger people? perfect
they actually met her before they graduated so they could see about renting the apartment sooner or later
grandma all but told them it was there’s once she met the boys, and she understands that when they are finally able to start living there they will be pretty tight on money, so she doesn’t even make them pay the down payment - she does that herself and holds the apartment for them
because let’s face it: the pink palace isn’t very big,, it already has a good amount of people living there,,, how many people are actually gonna consider moving to the middle of nowhere to actually live there?
plus she likes these three boys, so she wants to help them as much as she can
so yeah once mingi and san graduate, they are basically ready to move into the pink palace
but this is technically after that boy went missing and after the case turned cold, so grandma doesn’t want to rent to anyone new
but she already assured the boys that the attic was theirs, and she’s not about to break that promise
so before giving the boys the keys she gives them the lowdown of what’s been going on and what will happen in the future
they know the boy went missing, but she explains to them all that happened and that it gives the pink palace a bad rap (even though she hardly cares about that), so she wouldn’t normally be doing something like this but they will be the last people she lets rent from her
and they don’t completely understand because they have no idea what this has been doing to the poor old woman, but they understand enough and are grateful for her that she’s still letting them live there
they decide then that it would be better for jongho to start living with them now even before he’s graduated just so it’s less of a change for grandma in the future
which jongho is totally okay with because he honestly would rather live with them anyway
but uh yeah mingi, san, and jongho are the last ones to start renting at the pink palace for a long while
they split rent three ways so that it’s less burdensome on them, and they all have jobs so that they can afford it
mingi and san work full time while jongho has a part time job while he finishes school
but full time they are all preparing and planning their circus!!
takes a lot of throat training for mingi 😏 since he is literally putting swords down his throat, and he started this basically right when they decided their circus was going to be real
san and jongho have advantages because they already have some skill in their areas, but that doesn’t mean they don’t train
san still takes martial arts and dance, and he’s even signed up for gymnastics to help him with his flexibility
jongho basically spends all of his spare times working out (mostly lifting weights) so that he can really be strong
but also jongho has a thing for rats/mice and is like “hey,, why don’t we use them for something so that it’s not just us?”
and the boys lowkey are like wtf dude why but then again who are they to shut down his ideas when they are literally starting a circus?
so they’re like fine but that’s on you to decide how to do that and to plan the act
jongho: yessss ratssss
also jongho: NO they’re not RATS they’re MICE these are MICE THANK YOU
this is the “jumping mice” aspect of the coraline movie with bobinsky just fyi
a lot of jongho’s time in school is spent in the science and psychology departments talking to teachers about animals (specifically rats/mice) and how to train and work with them
the teachers are all kinda like… what? but also they are just happy that jongho is interested in something enough to come to the teachers and ask questions and apply himself
lmao it’s not for school tho
so he learns a lot of this information at school and honestly this might be the only thing he learns at school because soon enough he’s graduating with a bunch of knowledge on how to work with and train animals
once out of high school he starts working full time too so that money and rent is even easier
all of their extra money that isn’t toward rent and bills and groceries go to their circus
they hardly ever buy new clothes unless it’s something for their circus
also the boys had to go to grandma to ask if they could house mice in their apartment, and while it was a hard no (unless they were trained and wouldn’t cause trouble), jongho still smuggled them in
grandma knows about it too (bc she knows everything that goes on for the most part lmao) but she doesn’t say anything because they don’t cause trouble and she likes the boys
the day one of them gets loose and starts terrorizing and infesting the pink palace is the day she intervenes and tells them to get rid of them
but jongho is actually really good at training the mice so it’s fine
my point surrounding all of this is to say that mingi, san, and jongho are in the long and arduous stage of their lives and their circus of planning and preparing everything
they only make so much money and have so many resources that setting up their circus and doing everything to prepare is going to take a long time before they can actually open and show people what they’ve been working on
they’ve been doing it for a few years now and they’ve still hardly made a dent
they have to train and perfect their acts sure, but they also have to do all of the logistical stuff like advertising, selling tickets, finding venues, paying for safety and legal stuff, etc.
and these boys are only in their early 20s, so it’s gonna take a while before they can actually open their circus
but they are determined and passionate, so if this is what they have to do then they will happily do it
Yunho ~ The Ghost Children
oh god this is gonna start getting serious i’m sorry
in case you can’t tell, yunho is the boy that goes missing from the pink palace
he and his family lived in the pink palace from when he was pretty young until he was in high school
he was also really good friends with wooyoung and yeosang because they were all the same age
however he was... not happy
he always worked his ass off dancing because that’s what he wanted to do, but it meant his grades in school tanked
this would obviously be worrying to some parents, and his gave him an ultimatum
either get your grades up and start taking school seriously, or you’re not going to be allowed to continue your dance lessons
the answer was clear to yunho, so he told his dance teacher that he would be taking a break for a bit so he can focus on school
everything was fine until he realized his parents had zero intentions of letting him go back anyway
he didn’t understand,, his grades were getting better so why couldn’t he go back?
to put it plainly, his parents said this:
“what kind of career could you make out of dance? you’ll never succeed”
it was crushing
it was then that yunho realized that his own parents didn’t care about what he wanted and was passionate about
he didn’t think they ever would either, so he just sort of... stopped believing in them
it wasn’t all bad because he had his closest friends and grandma (who treated him like her own grandson)
but he had some pretty bad days that made the happy and energetic boy almost completely unrecognizable
he would look at wooyoung and yeosang and see how successful they were despite still being in school
he would see how their talent was rightfully recognized and sought after
and he would get down on himself, thinking how he wanted the same thing but fearing no one would see him
that’s why he worked hard at everything he did, why his motivation plummeted, and why he nearly wore himself out before even graduating
but one day he started acting strange
everyone noticed how a switch seemed to flip in him
that excited glimmer was back in his eyes, and no one knew why
don’t get me wrong, everyone was so happy to see the smiley yunho was back, but everyone wanted to know what happened
but he hardly made any sense when he told them
he supposedly found a place in the pink palace where he could do what he wanted, but whenever he tried showing anyone he couldn’t? the door was bricked up
everyone started thinking he made it up, that the stress was finally getting to him and he dreamt up a place like this so he wouldn’t lose his mind
that glimmer was gone again, and he stopped trying to talk to people
in fact, he closed himself off from everyone 
the day he went missing was the scariest day for everyone in the pink palace
everyone was devastated, but it completely changed his parents
grandma advised them to move out while the police investigated, but they refused despite how hard it was
but after a year the case became cold
no one could find yunho nor could anyone figure out what happened to him
he just disappeared without a trace
his parents still tried to stay though because they needed to find out what happened to their son
but they couldn’t. no one could
it wasn’t long before they too found it best that they move out of the pink palace
it was just too painful
that was the last time grandma ever rented to anyone new, so the apartment became completely vacant for years
even after they left, no one was able to figure out what happened to yunho
Seonghwa ~ The Black Cat
geomeun goyangi nero nero nero
uhhhh yeah seonghwa’s a cat lmao
he’s not owned by anyone and doesn’t have a collar or anything
he’s a stray that has been around for a while
he showed up pretty soon after yunho started distancing himself from people, but not soon enough for people to think that he’s an omen or something
and he’s not exactly
idk really how to explain it so i won’t lmao
he just sort of became the pink palace’s cat???
grandma takes responsibility for him though and makes sure he’s fed and has a place to rest and play if he ever feels like it
which is nice and all but he doesn’t?? do any of those things?
he comes and goes a lot sure,,, no one really knows where he goes but they know he’ll be back
but when he hangs out around the pink palace? he just... wanders?
it’s hard to explain but it’s almost like he is surveying the domain, like he’s searching for something wrong
he’s a weird cat
not only that though, but he doesn’t eat? or sleep? at all???
at least no one ever sees him sleeping or eating
he’s always getting into shit tho, like he’s always there when you don’t want him to be
there have been many times wooyoung has kicked him out of the apartment because the dogs hate him
mingi and san also try to keep him out because of jongho and his rats mice, but honestly jongho is pretty cool with him
because he doesn’t do anything to the mice? he literally just sits there and watches with wide and curious eyes
sure jongho worries about hwa one day stealing one of his mice for grandma to see so that she can make him get rid of them or kick them out but that’s not going to happen right?
hwa is chill tho, so jongho is chill
the cat would follow yunho around a lot, and a lot of times they were seen curled up together
yunho would be taking a nap the poor boy but hwa wouldn’t
he would just be there to comfort him :(
honestly he liked yunho and his best friend the most and everyone could tell jongho was a close second tho
they all came to start calling him mars instead of The Cat™ since they didn’t know his name
they still call him The Cat™ when he pisses them off but i digress
despite how fucking weird he is though, everyone at the pink palace basically loves him
he’s just Their Cat™ ok?
sure he might be annoying and shifty, or he might be haunted, or he might even be immortal
he’s a really weird cat dude
but he’s part of the family,, they gotta love him
Hongjoong ~ Coraline
curtesy of inception era hongjoong 
so joong is our main man here
at first he had no relation to the pink palace whatsoever,, he had never even heard of it
he lived with a friend in a fairly large city before and it was fine and all but WOW was it expensive
and it was honestly very stifling to hongjoong,,, he couldn’t really do everything he wanted to do there
he found the pink palace by accident
he was searching up affordable apartments to live in places that have good weather and conditions for gardening
let me explain though
hongjoong is in his downward stretch of college for a journalism degree, but he’s taking online classes with his move so that he can focus on that and working
he wants to work in gardening and writing, but he also really just wants to make stuff
his realistic plan is to work in journalism and write for like a gardening magazine or journal while gardening as a “side project” or something (like coraline’s parents do)
did somebody say florist joong? because i did
the dream job though would be to work in song writing or fashion or something artistic like that
he likes painting and making/customizing clothes so he would like to be able to make a career out of that
his goal is to eventually make his own business or store where he makes and sells affordable and sustainable clothes and accessories
he’s going for a degree in journalism with a minor in business, but he has been struggling with both so he has been debating dropping business
arguably it would be better for him to stick with business but most people in his life have told him he’s better in journalism and so he keeps at that mostly 
he feels unfulfilled - he wants to plant a garden, he wants to make and alter clothes customly, he wants to make music
but he isn’t able to do any of that because what are the odds any of that ends up working as a career? 
it might work for a little while but in the future he would technically be a small business, and maintaining a small business is difficult
at least with writing and working for a magazine/journal is stable
however it’s not what he’s most passionate about, thus he finds it hard to have motivation to work
he feels like a zombie going through his days the same as the last, just trying to get through school before he gets a 9-5 job that he’ll hate within a year (if that) doing something he doesn’t want to do
but hey, that’s adult life, isn’t it? 
he doesn’t like to complain and feels guilty when he is ungrateful for his circumstances because he knows plenty of people (his parents included) that went down this route who ended up fine, which means he will too
the one person who always told him to go after what he wanted was his mom even though she technically “settled” in life
holy shit did i digress
but yeah in his search for an affordable place to live with good weather, there wasn’t a lot 
but he also wanted a drastic change from what he was used to, and that was the pink palace
it was practically in the middle of nowhere, and the pictures (while pretty dull) showed potential for a great garden
it was perfect
however
it was a hard no from grandma when he called about possibly renting, so he wasn’t expecting her to call him back at all
grandma didn’t want to risk anything because of what happened with yunho
but with some convincing, she realized that she couldn’t keep holding on
while what happened was horrible, there was nothing that could be done as sad as it was
so she called hongjoong back about when the best time to come look at the pink palace would be
and the rest is history
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big-wet-cas-eyes · 3 years
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wings: day 3 of @starrynightdeancas 's 2k followers celebration ✨ (ao3)
when i saw the wings prompt, i didn't think i would end up writing meet cute au, but here we are (wc: ~2000)
Thursdays are Dean's favorite day to be at conferences. Usually, there's only a partial day of events, and some people skip it altogether. Once the conference is in full swing, he'll be busy bouncing from talks to lunches to happy hours to dinners with people he only sort of knows. But on Thursdays, he can breathe.
Conferences certainly aren't his favorite part of being a professor. He's kind of a homebody, so the travel and socializing is a little much for him, especially when air travel is involved. But he does like exploring new cities, so he makes the best of it.
That's how he finds himself wandering around downtown Thursday evening. The streets are bustling with the after-work crowd.
Dean pauses when he passes one of those huge angel wing murals that he sees all over the internet. There are a couple of teenage girls standing there posing and giggling. Dean chuckles, and once the girls run off, he snaps a picture of it. His best friend, Jo, loves gimmicky tourist things like that, so he sends the picture off to her, along with a wish you were here text.
"Excuse me, would you mind taking my photo? If you have a moment, of course," a deep voice asks him. Dean looks up to see a man standing there, looking at him hopefully and gesturing behind him toward the mural. He feels his jaw drop open for a second when his eyes rest on the man's face. He's gorgeous. Dark, messy hair and piercing blue eyes that make Dean feel like he's melting into a puddle.
But Dean raises his eyebrow slightly when the question registers in his brain. This guy doesn't really look like the type to want a picture in front of a cotton candy-colored mural of angel wings. He looks to be about Dean's age. He's wearing a full suit with a trench coat on top, despite the summer heat. He realizes he's still staring when the guy clears his throat.
"Sorry for bothering you, I'll find someone else," the man says with a slight nod before beginning to turn away.
"No, no, wait, I'll do it!" Dean says, feeling bad for basically ignoring the guy while checking him out. "You just surprised me. Took my brain a second to process."
The man smiles at him. "Thank you, I appreciate it," he says, handing his phone to Dean. The camera app is already open.
Dean gives him a small smile back. "Not to be weird about it, but you don't really seem like the angel wing mural type."
"Ah, I'm not," he says dryly. Sensing Dean's confusion, probably, he adds, "I sent my daughter a photo of the mural earlier. She's been bombarding me all day with requests that I take a photo in front of it."
Dean smiles wider at that. The man's eyes light up as he's talking about his daughter, and Dean's smitten by how cute it is. "Totally get it, man. If my niece was old enough to text, she'd probably do the same to me." He thinks of little Mary, running around the house in a princess dress and fairy wings as Eileen tries to catch her. Maybe he should take one for her, too. "I've got you." He glances down at the guy's chest and adds, "Take off your badge first."
"What?" the man asks, clearly confused.
Dean pulls his matching conference badge out of his pocket. The lanyards attached to all of the badges this year are a horrid shade of neon orange. "This," Dean says, shaking it slightly, "Take yours off for the picture."
"Oh… thank you," he says, pulling off the lanyard and shoving it into a pocket of his trench coat. He walks in the direction of the mural. He turns and faces Dean, mouth in a straight line.
Dean snaps the photo and frowns. The dude doesn't look happy, despite the joy that was in his eyes when he mentioned his daughter. "Smile, dude! This is for your kid!" Dean says loudly.
The man huffs slightly, but then his mouth splits into a gummy smile, eyes crinkling at the edges. The smile is infectious, and Dean can't help the one that spreads across his own face in response. He takes a couple more photos before he gestures for the guy to come back over. He does and Dean returns his phone.
"Mind taking one of me? Looked at it long enough that I want to send one to my niece anyway."
"Yes, of course," the man replies, taking Dean's offered phone.
Dean smiles and poses (hands on his hips, like a superhero), and there's a good chance the picture captures the laugh that comes out when he hears the other man chuckle.
He walks back over and retrieves his phone. Then, he offers his hand for a handshake. "So I guess we're in town for the same conference. Dean Winchester. It's nice to meet you."
"Castiel Novak," he replies, grasping Dean's hair and shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you as well." He pauses for a moment, and his eyes widen with something that looks like recognition. "Dean Winchester. I just read your new paper, Bradbury and Winchester. It was fascinating."
"Hey, thanks, man," Dean says with a grin, "but if I'm being honest, almost all the credit for that one should go to my grad student, Charlie. She's the best."
"Well, it's a testament to your teaching that one of your students can produce such excellent research," Castiel says, and Dean blushes at the words. "I would love to be able to teach like that someday."
"Are you not a professor?" Dean asks. Maybe he misjudged the guy's age.
"No, I actually only recently completed my doctorate. It took a little longer than I'd hoped, but I had to take some time away from schooling for my daughter." Dean nods in understanding. A handful of people he knows had a baby during graduate school and it definitely did not make the experience any easier for them. "I'm beginning a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Kansas next month, though."
"Oh, no way, that's where I teach!" Dean says. When he sees the glint of amusement in Castiel's eyes, he says, "But you already knew that. Because you just read my paper."
"I did. Different department than you, though. I'll be working with Professor Cain."
Dean smiles. "He's great, you'll like working with him." Before he can continue, Dean's stomach decides to punctuate his sentence with a loud grumble. "Uh, any interest in grabbing dinner? I'm starving, and I'd like to hear more about what you do if we're gonna be colleagues soon."
"Sure, I'd like that, Professor Winchester," Castiel says.
Dean scoffs. "You're uninvited if you call me that, Cas. Just Dean."
"Dean. Okay, let's go," he says, a small smile curling at the edges of his lips. They walk for a while, chatting a little about food and the city until they stumble upon a restaurant that sounds good to both of them.
Once they've ordered, Cas pulls out his phone. "I hope my daughter appreciates the picture," he says, swiping at the screen as he looks through the photos Dean took. He might have gotten a little carried away; there's a bunch. "I don't want to receive another photo of her pouting at me."
Dean chuckles. He pulls out his own phone to send his mural photo to his brother and sister-in-law. Cas also took a few, but he selects one where he's laughing extra hard. Took this for Princess Mary, tell her I love her, he texts to accompany the photo. "I'm sure she'll love it. How many pouting photos did you get?"
Cas hums, tapping a few times on his phone as Dean watches. "It appears… six." He turns his phone around to Dean. The name at the top of the text message thread reads Claire🐝 and he can already see two of the pictures. Cas's daughter, Claire, looks a little older than he expected. That, combined with the heavy eyeliner, doesn't make her seem like the kind of kid that would beg her dad to take a picture with an angel wing mural. Cas scrolls slightly and Dean sees a slew of please dad and you gotta! text messages, interspersed with more pictures of her frowning. It's kind of adorable.
"How old is she?" Dean asks.
"Fifteen," Cas answers. Dean opens his mouth, but closes it again when Cas continues, "I know, I don't look old enough to have a daughter her age. I get that a lot."
"Sorry," Dean mumbles. "No need to explain, I was just surprised."
Cas shrugs. "It's okay. Accidental pregnancy with my high school girlfriend back when we were both trying to convince ourselves that we were straight." Cas immediately blushes. "Sorry, too much information. I had already switched out of professional mode for the evening, and I forgot that we technically work together."
"You're in good company. No judgment from me. You won't be the only one out of the closet when you get there." He winks and then grimaces internally. He hadn't meant to start flirting.
Cas's eyes widen and then soften. "Thank you, Dean. I'm glad I haven't made a total fool of myself." His phone buzzes on the table and he picks it up. He smiles that wide, bright smile again, the one that Dean can't help but match. "Claire loves the photo," he says, turning his phone around. It's another photo of Claire, but this time she has the same bright smile on her face as her dad.
"She really wanted you to take that picture, didn't she," Dean says with a chuckle.
Cas nods. "She did. She's a sweet girl."
"Why's she love angel wings so much? She doesn't really… look the type, I guess," Dean asks, his curiosity finally winning out.
"The eyeliner phase is new. She's always loved angels, though. Her mother used to tell her angels were watching over her every night before bed, and I think that stuck with her."
Dean smiles. "My mom used to say the same thing to me. Definitely sticks with you," he says, as he pushes up the sleeve of his shirt. He holds his arm out to show Castiel the angel wing tattoo on his forearm, his mom's name and the dates she was alive in the middle. "Got this for her a few years ago."
Cas reaches out, brushing the edge of one of the wings. Dean shivers a little at the touch, but mostly just because of how soft and gentle Cas's hands are. "It's beautiful, I'm sure she would appreciate it," Cas says. "I think Claire's mom always said it because I'm named for an angel. Claire calls me her angel when she's feeling sentimental." Dean's not sure if Cas realizes that he's still tracing the edges of his tattoo. Honestly, he doesn't mind. The contact feels nice and he feels surprisingly drawn to Cas. His hand stays there until their food arrives.
The conversation shifts slightly, becoming more casual. They talk about their research, the talks they're planning to attend during the weekend, and a little bit about the university Castiel will soon call home. It's comfortable. Cas is really nice and interesting, and Dean's excited that it looks like he'll have a new friend when the school year starts.
A little voice in the back of his head hopes that he'll end up more than a friend, and Dean thinks the feeling might be mutual when Cas grabs his hand on their way back to the conference hotel.
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bqstqnbruin · 4 years
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Teach Me Something
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I am slowly but surely making my way through the requests that I have and I am sorry that I suck at writing them, but here this is. Also, ignore the fact that this can’t actually happen how I have it set up, but I started writing the beginning and really liked it and then looked up more information about the Stampede and didn’t want to change it (don’t judge me).
Thank you, thank you, thank you to @luvsherleafs​ for reading through this and helping me figure this out, you are an absolute angel human and I appreciate you.
Here is the original request! Hope you like this!
EDIT: Read the other parts: part 2 // part 3 // part 4
__________________
“Alright, I need you guys to start cleaning up, the bell is going to ring in five minutes! Beakers in the cabinets, lab goggles away, paper towels in the garbage. Lab calculations are due at the start of tomorrow’s class, and you have your nuclear quiz when?” you yell to your students as they finish up their lab.
“Wednesday,” some of your students answer.
“Cooper and Eugenie, when is the quiz?” you say louder, trying to get two of your students to stop distracting each other.
“Wednesday,” they chorus, the rest of their classmates running around the room trying to get everything away. 
“That’s right!” you say with a smile, trying to keep your teacher face on for the last few minutes. It was the end of the day, and you had to get home and change before you went over the Stampede for the show that night. What sucked, was that instead of doing just a July week of shows, they decided it would be fun to do a preview night for some groups in March in some tent instead of outdoors like normal, overlapping with your school year. 
The bell rings, your students scrambling to get out the door. “Bye, guys, see you tomorrow,” you say as they scurry out, saying things like ‘thank you, bye Ms. Y/L/I, see you tomorrow.’ You sit down at your desk, letting out a long sigh as the sound of students in the hallway gets louder from chatter, lockers, and overall high school chaos. Going through your lesson for tomorrow, you get lost in typing out your plan that the administration wanted to see, finishing the worksheets that you needed to print, and figuring out what other prep you needed to do before leaving for the day. 
You lean back in your desk chair, debating whether or not you should send the worksheets to the printer now and make the 100 or so copies you needed, or come in and do it during your prep that you had first period tomorrow. “Hey Ms. Y/L/N, any chance you could tell me about capillary action?” you heard a familiar voice say from the doorway. 
“Considering you learn about that in Biology and I teach Chemistry, I would say no,” you laugh, getting up to go greet your boyfriend, closing the door behind him as he steals your desk chair. “The US education system failed you, didn’t it?”
“Well, it’s not like I paid attention in science anyway,” he shrugs, “But what are you doing tonight?”
“I’m out tonight,” you say. You and Matthew had only been dating for about two months, and you still hadn’t brought up that you were one of the dancers with the Stampede. You didn’t know why; it just never came up. “Why, what did you have in mind?”
“The guys and I were going to go out for some Flames promotion thing, I wanted you to come.”
“If you guys go out after ten, I can try to catch up with you, but I also need sleep with school tomorrow,” you say as he pouts. You also needed more money, but that wasn’t something you were about to tell him. You ruffle his curly hair, him swatting your hands away as the pout turns to a smile. “You can come and make copies with me if you want. You have to wait to leave right now anyway, the buses are still outside,” you tell him, sending the documents to the printer down the hall. 
“Do I get to press the buttons?” he asks like a child, getting up to follow you down the hall.
You start walking, the sound of your heels echoing through the hallway as Matthew trails behind you, some of the students trying to figure out what he was doing in their school in the first place, him not knowing where he was going with you. “No, the thing is ancient and I don’t trust you not to break the one copier on this floor because then I’m the one who’s responsible for fixing it.” He starts to pout again, following you into the room with the copier. “Ok, then do you want to fix it when it stops working?” 
“That would end well for no one,” he says, looking down at his shoes. 
You can’t help but laugh as you go to start making the first set of copies that you needed. You sit down at the table in the center of the room, taking Matthews fidgeting hands in yours. “So, how did you even get into the school, to begin with? I didn’t know you were coming to tell the office.”
“You’d be amazed by what you can do when you’re a professional athlete. I just said I was visiting you and they told me I could go once the bell rang,” he shrugs. 
“That is an issue on so many levels,” you say, him just smiling and kissing the back of your hand. 
“Eh, well. Are you sure you can’t come out with us tonight? The guys love you and I think you’d have a really good time tonight.” 
You hear the copier stop, groaning as you get up to make the next batch. You could have just queued them all up at once, but that would make the copier angry. “What are you guys doing?” 
“It’s Flames night at the Stampede, so a bunch of us are going.” 
You stop what you’re entering into the copier, thankful that your back is facing Matthew. You should just tell him you were going to be there tonight, too. If you told him you were going to be there with other friends from work, that wouldn’t be a lie. Why weren’t you telling him in the first place? Maybe it was because you were slightly upset that you had to have two jobs just to make ends meet while he was living a life of luxury on one paycheck. But at least both jobs were ones that you loved, so that made things a little better. “Oh, cool. I’ve never seen one of the shows there, actually,” was all you could get out. That wasn’t totally a lie; you couldn’t see the show when you were in it.
“See, more of a reason why you should come out with us tonight!” 
“I said maybe. That’s not a no. Now come on, I need to get home,” you hand him the stacks of paper to bring back to your classroom.
“Can we at least do something tomorrow night?” he pleads, putting the papers down on your desk. 
“I need one copy of these in the yellow and orange folders and one copy of this one in the pink folders, and one copy of this in the blue folders,” you instruct him while you check to see if you have another rehearsal or anything that you need to be at tomorrow night. “But what do you want to do tomorrow night?” 
“Uh, well, I was planning on getting in an early workout with Noah and Johnny the next morning since we have a late flight to Colorado so nothing that involves anything late,” he says, trying to concentrate on putting one piece of paper into each folder. “Why do you do this again?”
“Nothing late is the best, so I’m down for whatever.” That also, hopefully, meant that it was something that involved little to no money being spent, “And it helps me know who is missing that day or just didn’t take their papers and it helps them make sure they get their papers. I put them out before each class and they take them when they walk in.” He just shrugs, not completely understanding the method to your madness, but it worked for you and your students, so who cared? “How much time do you have before you have to meet the guys?” You ask him, even though you really don’t have time yourself. 
“I gotta run; this was the only time I had to see you, so I wanted to come by,” he says, putting the folders in neat piles, handing them to you. 
“That’s so sweet. I feel like we haven’t gotten to see each other a lot lately, with the season picking up and all.” You put the folders on one of the counters in your room, dropping the two on the top.
As you bend down to pick them up, you hear Matthew exhale, “Is it bad that all I can think of is picking you up and doing some very bad things to you on that counter?”
You turn around, pretending to be disgusted. “Matthew! The students leave their water bottles here!” you squeal, thankful that your classroom door was closed since students were still roaming the halls. “That might be something we can do tomorrow night, just not on this counter.” You pack your computer in your bag, grabbing that, your keys, and Matthew’s hand to drag him out of the school before he says anything else that shouldn’t be said around children. 
“Can I at least kiss you in the parking lot?” he whines.
“Nope, my spot and therefore my car faces the track, some of my advanced kids are on the track team and I do not need them bringing up my romantic rendezvous with my boyfriend in class tomorrow and for the rest of the year. But where are you parked?”
“I ubered. Can I get a ride?” he says, giving you the puppy dog eyes that always made you say yes to him.
“Get in, pain in the ass.” You drive him home, the entire drive spent with him constantly begging you to go upstairs with him, but you really did have to get home and change. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Your place or mine?” 
“Your pick, just text me when you decide,” he says, leaning over to give you a kiss. “Wait, are we far enough away from the school for you to kiss me now?” he teases, ghosting your lips as a mischievous smile dancing across his face. 
“Shut up and kiss me,” you say, taking his face in your hands, kissing him instead. 
“Are you sure you can’t come upstairs for just a minute?” he begs once he pulls away, his forehead against yours.
You wanted to, but he did say he had to run and you definitely had to get home and change. Looking at the clock out of the corner of your eye, you had about an hour to get home, get ready, and get over to the grounds before the parking was so full that walking from your car to the grounds would be considered your warm-up. “I’ve really got to go,” you say.
“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, though,” he says, giving you another quick kiss before getting out of your car. 
“Yeah, bye,” you call as he runs inside. You did have to tell him eventually that you had another job, but he was going to find out tonight anyway. Would he be mad that you kept something like this from him, especially when he told you that he was going to be there tonight and you stood there and didn’t say anything? 
You spend your entire drive home freaking out a little. This is a pretty big part of your life that you hid from him, especially since dancing has been part of your life for as long as you could remember, but you just couldn’t figure out how to tell him you needed a second job to live. What if he hates you because you’ve been keeping part of your life a secret from him? No, he couldn’t hate you, could he? Not for something like this. In all your freaking out, you completely mess up your makeup. Frustrated and in a hurry, you now had to completely redo your face in what would be record time, or be late enough that you risked walking a mile from your car.
You restart your makeup, deciding that you were going to do as little as possible, only to be distracted by your friend Rory's face popping up on your phone with an incoming call. “So is your hunky boyfriend going to be at this thing tonight?”
“Hello to you, too. And yeah he told me he was coming.”
“So he knows you’re going to be there?” 
You hear her drop something on her end, which is perfect since it gives you time to avoid her question, pretend not to hear it as your finish your face and try to run out the door. “Sorry, Ror, didn’t catch that, I’m running out the door to my car,” you tell her. 
“That translates to: no, I didn’t tell him.” 
“Well, he’s not stupid, he’ll be able to figure out it’s me when he sees my face. It’s not like I look that different when I have makeup on.” 
“You could call him and tell him right now.”
“Nope. He’ll find out when he gets there if he even notices.”
“Alright, love. Just make sure you find me after he freaks out,” she says, hanging up. He wouldn’t freak out, right? It’s not like you were lying per se, you were just not telling him the truth of things. He might be a little mad about not telling him exactly where you were going tonight, but none of what you told him was wrong: you were out with people you worked with. You just didn’t say you were going to actually be at work. 
You spend your entire ride trying to justify to yourself why you shouldn’t be freaking out over tonight, which then inadvertently caused you to freak out anyway. After parking what felt like a mile away and pretty much running to the room where you got ready, Rory is standing at the door, waiting for you. 
“Come here, I’m finishing your makeup.”
“I finished my makeup!” you protest as she takes you by the hand and drags you in front of a mirror.
“If your boyfriend is coming tonight, then you need to look better than that.” 
“He came to my classroom earlier and I almost never wear makeup to school. I look fine.” 
“Eyes closed,” she instructs. You do as she says. You can hear the crowd coming in to watch the show that you were about to put on for them. You were in the opening act, one in the middle, and then the end, so you had plenty of downtime to worry, pace, and freakout, while trying to remember your routine and get a headstart on your lessons for next week. “I don’t understand why you’ve spent this entire time dancing here with us and then dating him for what, two months now? And he still doesn’t know that much about you? Like I understand keeping mystery in the relationship to keep everything exciting, but this seems like basic information that should have been shared. It’s not like you’re doing something illegal.”
“If my eyes were open, I’d be rolling them at you,” you mutter. You didn’t need a lecture from her about this. You were already well aware of the fact that this was something you should have told him, but what could you do about it now?
“I’m just saying,” she starts again.
“Yes, I know, I know. You have been just saying since I first showed you his picture.” Thankfully, she stops talking, finishing your makeup in less time than you thought it would take. You can hear your phone buzzing in your bag, Matthew’s face lighting up your screen. “Hey, what’s up?” you ask, trying to change while also holding the phone to your ear. 
“Just wanted to say hi before the show started,” you hear him say, the guys screaming in his ear about him already being whipped. “Shut up,” he yells at them. “I thought I saw your car in the lot, though. Did you and your friends end up coming here or something?” 
Shit. You hear someone calling that it was almost time for the show, everyone needing to get ready to be in their place as you struggle to get your other shoe on. “Fuck, sorry, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later, bye!” you spit out, hanging up before he can say anything else. 
“Ready to be exposed?” Rory asks, getting next to you with the lights out.
“That’s what she said,” you slip in, the music and lights coming on, blinding you instantly as you went into the routine like it was something you were born to do. At one point in the routine, you’re off to the side, out of the spotlight and giving your vision enough time to see the audience, make out their faces and see who was paying attention and who was on their phone and trying to hide you. You glance to the left, seeing a sea of red, each man wearing the familiar C logo that you were suddenly mortified to see. You spotted Matthew’s curls instantly, thankful that you weren’t able to tell if he could see you or not since you had to go back under the light, erasing the outside world from you. 
The routine ends, you running back to where you get ready to see your phone lighting up with texts from Matthew.
Hey, what the hell?
Anything you need to tell me?
I’m going to be by your car once this is over. 
Fuck, fuck, fuck. He was mad. He was breaking up with you. This was it; your best relationship was over before it really got started. You should have just told him. Why didn’t you tell him? “Did he see you?” Rory asks, breaking you out of the trance you forced yourself into. 
“Yep, and he’s mad. After tonight I’m going to be single again, so that’s fun.”
“Well, Ryan’s had a crush on you since you started here, so there’s always him.”
“Rory!” you yell, trying to tell her she’s not helping without actually saying so. 
“Are you going to be ok to go on?” she asks, sitting you down on the floor with her. 
“I don’t know. I just want to talk to Matthew,” you admit. You can feel yourself start to cry, the commotion of everything around you muted as she just looked at you.
“Hey,” she says, putting her hand on your knee, “Why didn’t you tell him?”
You take in a deep breath, shaking your head because of how dumb the real reason is. “Do you know what it’s like to date someone who makes so much money that he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants financially? I’m not mad about it, it’s just difficult when I have to work two jobs to make ends meet and that’s just not something he has to worry about. He always wants to go out with the guys and begs me to come but then I’m sitting there with like, ten dollars to my name meanwhile all of he and all of his friends can buy the bar if they wanted to and still have enough money to jet off to Australia or somewhere.”
“If he really likes you, then that kind of stuff shouldn’t matter. His first clue that you didn’t have a lot of money should have been when he found out you were a teacher.” You shoot her a look, “Ok, ok, but you know I’m right. From what you’ve told me, he just wants you to be happy. Go talk to him.”
“But the show?” 
“I’ll find your partner and tell him not to go on unless he can find you first. Ok?” Rory says, picking you back up off the floor, “Go to your man.”
You send him a text to meet you out by your car as soon as he can. You beat him to the car, pacing back and forth in front of the hood. You see him walking towards you, your heart beating like crazy. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” you blurt out to him before he can even get a word in.
His eyes meet yours, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 
You just shrug, trying to figure out the words to say. “It never came up? I don’t know. I should have. It’s not a big deal, I just have to work the two jobs to make ends meet, especially since this is normally during the summer when I don’t have school and I can get a paycheck and I told you that I’ve been dancing since I was like three, I just left out the part about me still dancing and I’m sorry are you mad?” you let out all in one breath. 
He shrugs back, his hand in his jean pockets as he kicks a pebble back and forth with his foot. “That’s not the real reason. I know you well enough, Y/N, you’re not a good liar.”
 “You have everything. I have to struggle to make ends meet, and even doing this, it’s still tough. I love both of my jobs; I was always worried that I would have to choose between teaching or dancing, and yes I have to do both in order to survive, but I would do both even if one was enough. I’m sorry,” you say again.
“This isn’t something that’s going to work if we keep things from each other. I mean, what if I had a secret family? I mean, the guys know who you are, too. What do you think it was like having them see my girlfriend dancing out there and me sitting there like an idiot not even knowing this was something you do?” he counters, his hands starting to wave around with frustration.
“Not telling you about a job is a lot different than you keeping a whole family from me. It’s not like this is some sort of scandal, this is something that I’m insecure about, I don’t know what else to tell you. Sorry I made you look slightly stupid in front of your friends.” you turn away from him, starting to go back inside when he grabs you by the arm, turning you towards him. 
He bites his bottom lip, face scrunched like he’s trying to figure out what he’s going to do next. “This is something that makes you happy?” 
“Yeah.”
“What about teaching?”
“Same feeling.”
“Then that’s all I care about. Come on, you think I would be angry that you had two jobs, or something? I would be angry if you had two jobs and you hated both of them. You’re doing what you love. Every time you talk about what you did at school that day, your eyes light up and I don’t even think you realize how much energy you get just thinking about your students and I feel so proud to be with someone who’s so passionate about what they do. If you’re like that about this, then oh my, god, I think the guys are going to kill me for talking about you so much.”
“Aw, you talk about me to the guys?” 
The line in his lips turns into a small smile as he moves towards you, pulling you closer to him. His hand finds the small of your back, lips close enough that you’re sure he’s about to kiss you. “Are you kidding? I don’t shut up about you.”
“I talk about you a lot here, but if I did that at school my Principal would get very angry at me for not teaching.”
“Damn, your kids would go wild if they knew you were sleeping with one of their favorite athletes.”
“Yeah, and I would be fired for telling them and also lying to them since their favorite player is Sean.” 
He pulls away, a shocked look on his face, “I’m better than Monny,” he says, acting like he’s hurt. You throw your head back laughing as he pulls you closer to him. “Is it bad that I’m still thinking about fucking you on the counter in your classroom but now you’re wearing this?” 
“How about somewhere that my students don’t have access to and I wear one of your jerseys instead?”
His eyes grow wide before he closes them, obviously thinking about it, “Fuck,” he lets out, his face going towards the sky. “Please do.”
“Calm down there, Tkachuk, you still have the rest of the show to get through first.” 
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