#i finally have a little breather from exams + essays and what do i do? draw my comfort character ofc

[bishicat]

emotional support wolf

#i finally have a little breather from exams + essays and what do i do? draw my comfort character ofc #trying a new pencil brush tonight~~ #god i should sleep (it's 2 am) #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dai #da4 #dread wolf #fen'harel #solas #my art #bishiart #digital art

[knuffled]

Just Practice - Chapter 15

this is the most important chapter in the story so far since chapter seven, so i hope you enjoy this! if you could drop a comment and/or reblog to support all the hard work, it would mean a lot to me! 

here’s the ao3 link

The first thing that greeted Annabeth when she stepped out of her car was the sound of crashing waves and the smell of sea salt carried on a gentle breeze. She leaned against the side of her car and drank in the view of the ocean, relishing in the way the wind tousled her hair. The beach was packed with families and college students on spring break, and for good reason. It was late March, and the weather was absolutely perfect outside. The sand was pleasantly warm between her toes, and seagulls cawed overhead in a clear blue sky.

Coming to the beach for spring break had been Rachel’s idea. Her father owned a villa not far from the shore, and she had offered to let them all stay there overnight. It was exactly what Annabeth needed after the past month and a half. After Percy’s victory at state, Annabeth had been absolutely swamped with school work. Nearly every week there was some new project deadline, essay to turn in, or exam to study for, and by the time finals rolled around, Annabeth found herself running on fumes. She hadn’t realized how bad it was until she came home after her final exam and promptly passed the fuck out in her room only to wake up the following afternoon, seventeen hours later.

Annabeth gave herself some time to just stand barefoot in the sand until Piper texted her, informing her that she and Jason were setting up camp further down the beach where it was more secluded. Taking that as her cue to move, Annabeth leisurely made her way down the beach and found Piper and Jason a few minutes later, trying to set up a beach umbrella. The umbrella was an ancient red and white striped monstrosity that looked like it had seen better days. Annabeth watched her friends struggle for a while, amused by how frustrated they were getting when the base of the umbrella slipped in the sand, until Piper noticed her and scowled.

“Are you just gonna stand there and watch or do you plan on helping out?” Piper huffed.

“But you were doing oh so well without me,” Annabeth said innocently. “I wouldn’t want to get in the way or anything.”

Jason put a hand on Piper’s shoulder before she could snap and offered Annabeth a tired smile. “We could really use your help, Annabeth.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely.”

Piper muttered something foul under her breath, but Annabeth couldn’t help grinning anyways before she went to help Jason. It took longer than she would have liked, but eventually the three of them managed to get the umbrella to stay in place, just as Hazel, Frank, and Leo arrived.

Leo pointed at the umbrella and said, “That thing looks like it came straight out of the fifties.”

“Shut it, Valdez,” Piper snapped. “We just spent nearly twenty minutes trying to get that fucker to stay still.”

Leo held his palms up in surrender. “Ok, apologies. Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I get it. It’s cool.”

“That wasn’t an invitation to keep talking,” Piper warned.

Leo pantomimed zipping his lips, making Annabeth grin. Rolling her eyes, Hazel unzipped her backpack and handed each of them a bottle of homemade lemonade.

“Hopefully, it’s still cold and all the ice didn’t melt,” Hazel said.

Piper took a sip and moaned, “Hazel, you’re a goddamn lifesaver.”

“Don’t make noises like that in public,” Annabeth quipped.

Although she wanted to glare at Annabeth, Piper spotted Rachel and Percy further down the beach and called out to them instead. Annabeth’s heart suddenly began pounding harder in her chest, and she found herself involuntarily searching for him over her shoulder. They had barely talked or even seen each other since State, so she had expected to be more excited to see him, but she found herself strangely nervous instead. The nervousness only grew worse for some reason when Percy noticed her and sent her a warm smile.

“Sorry we’re late,” Percy said. “Rache forgot something so we had to drive back to her place.”

“Let’s not sweat the details,” Rachel said, waving her hand dismissively. “Now, I don’t know about you all, but I am dying to get into the water. Anyone know where the changing rooms are?”

“I saw some on the way here,” Hazel said. “Annabeth, did you want to join us?”

Annabeth cleared her throat and shook her head. “Uh, no, I’m wearing my swimsuit under my clothes already.”

With that, Hazel nodded and left with Rachel for the changing rooms. The boys went down to the water, but Percy stayed behind since he had brought some beach towels with him. He spread them beneath the umbrella so they wouldn’t have to sit on the sand. Piper left a short while later once she was done applying some sunscreen, leaving Annabeth and Percy alone. Annabeth borrowed Piper’s sunscreen as an excuse to leave after Percy did, but he plopped down beside her with a sigh instead.

Annabeth couldn’t help sneaking a quick sidelong glance at him. He looked good, really good. His unzipped black sweatshirt billowed in the breeze and stood in sharp contrast to the white shirt he wore underneath. There was a relaxed, easy smile on his face, and his sun-kissed skin made him look positively radiant.

“Hey, stranger,” Percy said, derailing her thoughts. “Haven’t seen you in a hot minute.”

Annabeth tucked her hair behind her reddening ears and said, “Y-Yeah, not since State, I think.”

“Glad to see you’re still in one piece,” Percy said.

Annabeth breathed a laugh. “Not entirely sure about that.”

Percy cocked his head to the side and studied her. “You do look a little worse for the wear.”

“Rude.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. “I distinctly remember warning you not to take three AP courses your senior year, but you wouldn’t listen to me.”

Annabeth scowled and said, “You don’t have to sound so smug about it.”

Percy laughed and leaned back on his elbows. “And what would be the fun in that? It’s not every day that you get to tell Annabeth Chase that you told her so.”

“Someone sure sounds awfully pleased with himself.”

“Oh, believe me, I am,” Percy said, grinning. “But I do suppose I can cut you some slack. You know, considering how we’re at the beach and all.”

“How magnanimous of you,” Annabeth deadpanned.

Percy made a show of clapping mildly. “Oh, well done. That sounded like an SAT word.”

Annabeth barked a laugh despite herself and shoved him, but that only made his grin widen. She was relieved to feel the awkwardness dissipating between them, but her respite was short lived because Percy suddenly removed his shirt and tossed it on the towel beside her.

“W-What are you doing? Why are you taking off your clothes?” Annabeth stammered, unable to hide the panic in her voice.

Percy looked at her like she had sprouted a second head. “It’s kind of hard to go swimming when you still have your clothes on.”

Annabeth looked away to hide the fact that her face was turning pink. “I know that! But can’t you go change in the changing rooms?”

Percy blinked in surprise and said, “Oh, sorry. You’ve seen me do this like a hundred times, so I didn’t think that you’d mind.”

He was right. She had seen him shirtless more times than she could count, so why was she suddenly being so weird about it? She needed to get a fucking grip. And yet, it was everything she could do not to stare shamelessly at him. Christ, at this proximity, the scent of his cologne was inescapable, and it only served to make her feel even more flustered.

“Annabeth, are you okay? You’ve been acting really strange,” Percy said.

“I-I’m fine,” Annabeth squeaked. “Just tired.”

“Alright, try not to push yourself,” Percy said, standing up. “I’m gonna head down to the water now. Let me know if you need anything.”

Annabeth nodded, still refusing to look at him. It was only after he was gone that she stopped holding her breath. She screwed her eyes shut and buried her face in her hands. What the fuck was she doing? Why was she acting so weird? All her feelings seemed to contradict one another. She felt a bizarre mix of exhilaration and anxiety, like thousands of butterflies fluttering about in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes were drawn to Percy even though she couldn’t bear to look at him. There was definitely something wrong with her.

Annabeth took a deep breath and forced herself to stand up and head down to the water. For now, she resolved herself to just make the most of her time at the beach instead of wallowing in her own awkwardness. Nevertheless, she did make a point of avoiding where Percy was to give herself a breather. However, in her momentary lapse of concentration, Piper snuck up on her and tackled her into the sea, sending salt water rushing up her nose.

She surfaced sputtering and discombobulated only to find Piper laughing uproariously behind her. Annabeth chased after her in a murderous rage, but Piper quickly retreated to the sea and put some distance between them. Piper had always been the better swimmer, so it took a few minutes before Annabeth finally caught her, but once she did, Annabeth dunked her underwater for a full minute as payback.

Eventually, Rachel and Hazel returned from the changing rooms and joined them in the water as well. They all splashed around together for a few hours under the midday sun, and Annabeth forgot all about how awkward she felt around Percy.

They broke for lunch after that and settled on a shack that sold burgers further up the beach. Unfortunately, the only vegetarian option on the menu was fries, so Piper had to drive herself to a nearby Taco Bell. Annabeth couldn’t help feeling sorry for her when Piper returned twenty minutes later, absolutely livid, because the rest of them had already finished eating.

“I can’t fucking believe there are still restaurants in this day and age that don’t have vegetarian options,” Piper fumed.

“Remind me to buy some stuff for dinner tonight so you don’t have to do this again,” Rachel said, yawning.

“How far away is your villa again?” Frank asked.

“Just a fifteen minute drive or so,” Rachel said, finishing her salad. “We’ve got a firepit out back, so we can have a bonfire tonight! We can make smores and everything.”

“Dibs on lighting the bonfire,” Leo said quickly.

“Abso-fucking-lutely not,” Piper said vehemently.

“C’mon, I promise I’ll keep it under control this time, Pipes,” Leo pleaded.

“The last time you were in charge of the bonfire, you nearly burned my fucking house down,” Piper snapped.

“That was like three years ago!”

“It was at my birthday last June.”

“I’ll handle the fire, Leo,” Jason interrupted. “You can help me out if you’d like.”

Leo sank in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “You guys are no fun.”

“A bonfire sounds nice,” Frank said, ignoring him.

“Yeah, it’ll be chill,” Rachel said, nodding. “We’ll have a section of the beach all to ourselves. I think my dad probably has some alcohol stashed away somewhere in the house.”

“Percy, watch over us and make sure we don’t do anything stupid,” Piper said, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

Percy gave her a wary look. “I don’t recall volunteering to be a babysitter.”

“But you’re the only one here that doesn’t drink,” Piper protested. “Pretty please?”

Percy raised an eyebrow. “Buttering me up isn’t going to work, you know.”

“Annabeth, help me convince your boyfriend,” Piper whined.

Annabeth paused mid-drink and looked between them. “Don’t look at me. I’m not the one that’ll get black-out drunk and try to like hunt for mermaids or something.”

That got a laugh out of everyone, much to Piper’s chagrin.

After they finished eating, they returned to their spot under the umbrella. Hazel and Frank went back to laze around in the water while Rachel and Leo decided to go build sandcastles on the beach. The rest of them sat under the umbrella and talked amongst themselves for a while, but eventually Jason left for the bathroom. Percy joined him because he said he had spotted a shop selling snow cones on the way here, leaving Annabeth alone with Piper.

Once they were out of earshot, Piper turned to Annabeth with a wolfish grin. “Lovin’ the swimsuit, babe.”

“This is hardly anything special,” Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. She was just wearing a plain black two piece she’d found at Target the summer before.

Piper raised an eyebrow and said, “Percy certainly seemed to think it was. Boy couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

Annabeth blinked in surprise. Piper had to be trolling her. Sure, she had felt his eyes on her a few times, but that didn’t mean anything.

“You’re obviously fucking with me.”

“I’m being serious,” Piper laughed. “You look hot, Annababe.”

Annabeth looked down at her swimsuit and felt her face heat up. She didn’t really think she was much to look at honestly. It wasn’t like she had low self-esteem or anything, but her body had always been more of an instrument to her than a source of beauty. If you asked her, the only things she really had going for her were her height and the slender, toned physique that she had built over years of running long distance. Beyond that, Annabeth thought she was rather plain.

“Thanks,” Annabeth mumbled.

“You’re welcome,” Piper said, stifling a yawn. “I wonder what’s taking him so long.”

Annabeth shielded her eyes from the sun and scanned the beach for Percy, but she didn’t see him anywhere. Instead of sitting around and getting stuck in her thoughts, Annabeth decided to take her mind off things and search for him instead.

She stood up and brushed the sand off her thighs and said, “I’m gonna go look for him.”

“Ok, stay safe,” Piper said. “I think I’m going to take a nap.”

Annabeth nodded and made her way back in the direction of the parking lot. Percy had said that the snow cone shop was on the other end, but he still should have gotten back by now. Maybe he was having trouble carrying all those snow cones by himself or perhaps the line was really long. She made it all the way to the shop without running into Percy, and she couldn’t see him standing in line either.

She scanned the surrounding area for him without much luck and almost gave up on her search when she spotted the familiar outline of his back. He was cradling a carton of snow cones in his arms and talking to two college aged girls. Annabeth took a step forward, trepidation filling her chest. She couldn’t make out the look on his face because his back was turned towards her, but she thought she caught a glimpse of a polite, confused smile on his face, like he wasn’t entirely sure why the girls were talking to him.

Annabeth balled her hands in fists at her sides and clenched her jaw. It was obvious by the way the girls laughed sycophantically and twirled their hair, practically thrusting their tits in his face, that they were hitting on him. What did the idiot think would happen if he was gonna waltz around the beach shirtless like that?

She had half a mind to go over and interrupt them, but for some reason she found herself rooted in place. Annabeth wasn’t sure why she disliked them so much, but the more she thought about it, the less reason she realized she had to interfere. Percy wasn’t actually her boyfriend after all. Besides, he was free to leave at any time, but he hadn’t which probably meant he wanted to be there. In any case, it was none of her business to step in.

And yet, she couldn’t force herself to simply turn on her heels and leave either.

But then one of the girls, a haughty looking redhead, started tugging on his forearm insistently. Percy made a small show of resistance, enough to show he wasn’t interested, but apparently they didn’t seem to pick up on that because the other girl decided to help her friend by tugging Percy’s other arm.

Annabeth moved without realizing what she was doing and pulled Percy against her chest. A possessive thrill rushed through her when the look of discomfort on his face gave way to relief once he saw her.

She positioned herself in front of Percy and glared at the girls. “What’s going on here?”

The redhead’s eyes flashed with irritation, but she forced herself to muster a saccharine smile. “Oh, we were just inviting him to come have some drinks with us.”

“Can’t you see he’s clearly uncomfortable?” Annabeth asked. “I’m guessing he even told you he doesn’t drink too.”

The girls exchanged looks with each other. “I mean, he was obviously joking about that.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “Or maybe you just don’t know how to take no for an answer.”

The girls recoiled like they had been slapped across the face. Annabeth took the opportunity to whisper to Percy that they were leaving and led him away by the hand before the girls could react. The girls protested behind them, but the only thing Annabeth could focus on was the feeling of Percy’s hand in hers. Blood pounded in Annabeth’s ears, and something simmered in her veins like magma. It took her a while to realize that Percy was calling out for her to stop.

“Annabeth, slow down,” Percy said. “You’re hurting me.”

Annabeth dropped his wrist like she’d been burned and looked away. “Sorry.”

Percy set the snow cones down and rubbed his wrist. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sur-”

“I said I’m fine,” Annabeth snapped.

Her tone was harsh enough to prove she was lying, but she couldn’t help it. Something dark smoldered in the pit of her stomach, making her restless. She didn’t know what it was, but the sensation was intolerable and she wanted it to stop.

Percy put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to face him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Annabeth balled her hands into fists and stared at her feet. “I-I don’t know. I’m just- I don’t know, I feel really weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just hated it, seeing the way they were clinging on to you,” Annabeth said tightly. “Why didn’t you just leave? It was like you wanted them to fawn all over you.”

“I tried but they wouldn’t let me leave.”

Annabeth met his eyes for the first time. “If you really wanted to leave, they wouldn’t have been able to stop you.”

Percy blinked in surprise and furrowed his brow. “Are you- are you jealous?”

Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest, and her face began to prickle. “I-I don’t know. I just didn’t like it.”

Percy’s lips tugged upwards involuntarily in a smile, making Annabeth even angrier. “What’s so funny?”

Percy hid his smile behind his hand. “Oh, um, nothing. Sorry. I just wanted to say that you didn’t have anything to worry about. They were making me super uncomfortable.”

Annabeth pursed her lips and said, “I find that kind of hard to believe.”

“Annabeth, come on, you could tell that they were creeping the fuck out of me from a mile away,” Percy said exasperatedly.

That was enough to coax a smile out of her. “You mean you didn’t like getting eye fucked by total strangers?”

Percy gave her an incredulous look and said, “You know, having tried it, I can’t really say it’s for me.”

“Yeah?” Annabeth asked, grinning.

“Yes,” Percy said flatly. “Besides, I already have a lovely fake-girlfriend willing to save me when I’m a damsel in distress.”

Annabeth’s heart skipped a beat. “Sounds like a real catch.”

“Oh, she most definitely is.”

Annabeth knew that Percy had meant it as a joke, but it made her heart squeeze a little in her chest all the same. She turned away before her face turned red and fought the ridiculous urge to smile. Christ, she needed to get ahold of herself.

“You good?” Percy asked carefully.

Annabeth nodded. “Yeah.”

“We should get going then,” Percy said. “The snow cones are starting to melt.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Annabeth said, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t be rude to the guy that bought you a strawberry-rhubarb snow cone.”

“A thousand apologies, your majesty.”

Percy hummed happily to himself. “That’s more like it.”

:::

After sunset, they finally left the beach and made for Rachel’s villa. The villa was massive, easily twice the size of Annabeth’s house, and designed in a Spanish style. Annabeth took a moment to admire the terracotta tiled roof, and the large windows that allowed for a generous view of the Pacific. The villa had six separate bedrooms, which she personally found a bit excessive, but it proved to be for the best since there were eight of them. After Rachel took a room for herself, the rest of them drew straws to determine who would have a room to themselves, and Annabeth somehow managed to win.

Annabeth’s first course of action after dropping off her luggage was to shower. She didn’t like having to shower after spending so much time in the ocean since it made her skin all dry and wrinkly, but it was still a relief to finally wash off all the sand that had stuck to her all day. Unfortunately, Annabeth had been forced to pack in a hurry, so she could only change into what she worn earlier that morning. She had only brought a single change of clothes with her and that was for tomorrow.

She took some time to admire her room while she towel-dried her hair. It wasn’t particularly large, but it was tastefully decorated. A large queen bed sat in the center of the room, flanked by a small cherry wood drawer. Sheer linen curtains framed a tall window that looked out over the ocean. Annabeth leaned against the open window sill and drank in the view of the Pacific. The full moon hung directly overhead and cast its pale, diffused reflection onto the dark water below.

Just as she finished drying her hair, there was a knock at her door. Percy peered into her room, fiddling with the zipper on his sweatshirt.

“Hey, ready to go? I think Jason and Leo are getting the fire started.”

Annabeth set her towel aside and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

The bonfire was nearly fully lit by the time they arrived. Jason sat atop one of the four logs circling the pit and kept a watchful eye on the flames. Off to the side, Frank was helping Leo dump some charcoal into the mouth of an expensive looking barbeque grill. Rachel and Hazel chatted to themselves and cut meat and vegetables at the outdoor kitchen countertop. Piper was the only one that appeared to be missing.

Percy noticed that Frank and Leo were having trouble and went over to help them with the grill, leaving Annabeth alone. She didn’t want to be the only one twiddling her thumbs so she figured she would go and help Rachel and Hazel.

“Need any help?” Annabeth asked them.

Hazel shook her head. “No thanks. We are pretty much done here, but we appreciate the offer.”

“Besides, not sure how much I trust you in the kitchen with a knife,” Rachel teased.

“I’m not completely hopeless. I made Percy chicken soup when he got sick, and he said it was pretty good,” Annabeth protested.

Rachel laughed and said, “You could literally make Percy drink poison, and he’d tell you it was delicious if you were the one that made it.”

Blood rushed to Annabeth’s face, making Rachel laugh even harder. She patted Annabeth’s shoulder benevolently and said, “Trust me. It’s for your own good, Chase.”

Annabeth shrugged her off and sat on one of the logs with a scowl. “Where’s Piper?”

“Rachel forgot to get her ingredients, so she had to go buy herself dinner again, the poor girl,” Hazel said.

Rachel looked repentant enough for Annabeth to feel sorry for her, so Annabeth tried to comfort her by saying, “She’s probably more than happy to have Taco Bell twice in one day.”

Annabeth started when someone swatted the back of her head. She turned and looked up with a frown to see Piper standing behind her, holding a burrito.

“Heard that, asshole.”

“You’re literally eating a burrito right now,” Annabeth muttered.

Piper’s face turned pink. “It’s from Chipotle! You can tell by the size!”

“Wow, someone’s getting adventurous,” Annabeth deadpanned.

Piper sat down at the log across from her, beside Jason, and narrowed her eyes. “Bite me.”

Annabeth was interrupted by Leo before she could respond. He skipped over to them with a manic grin and said, “We finally got the grill working!”

“You’re not gonna accidentally blow us up or anything right?” Piper asked dubiously.

“Pipes, charcoal can’t explode,” Leo said flatly. “I know you’re a vegetarian and all, but that’s literally second grade science class.”

“You can never be too sure when it comes to you,” Piper sniffed.

Leo rolled his eyes and waltzed over to Hazel and Rachel. “Looks like you’re almost done! I’ll start taking things over to the grill to get started.”

“Frank, make sure you keep an eye on him!” Hazel shouted when Leo took a plateful of meat and vegetables with him.

Rachel declared to the group that she would go find where her father had stashed his alcohol and returned a short while later with an assortment of liquor and a tray full of glasses. They all poured themselves drinks, apart from Percy, and sat around the fire.

Annabeth had helped herself to some fancy looking bourbon, mainly because she had never tried it before. Her first sip made her throat burn and forced her to cough. Percy gave her a worried look, but she ignored him and took another sip. Once she got over how strong it was, she had to admit that the bourbon was really good. It didn’t take long for that familiar warmth to spread through her body and soften the harsh edges of the world around her.

It took some time for the food to arrive, but it was well worth the wait. Frank had found an array of spices in the kitchen pantry to season the meat with, so even the smell was incredible. After an exhausting day at the beach, they all practically inhaled their food. Piper finished her food first since she had a head start and set up a smores station for dessert. It wasn’t long before they were fighting for spots to roast their marshmallows on the fire.

Later, Rachel disappeared inside the villa and returned with an acoustic guitar. She strummed a few chords and started singing softly, the sound of waves and the crackling fire providing an ambient backdrop. At first, she sang on her own and they were content to listen, but as they got more drunk and uninhibited, they would join in whenever she played a tune they recognized. Barring Frank and Piper, the rest of them were practically tone-deaf, so it sounded so bad that it would send them all into fits of laughter.

It was at times like this that Annabeth was struck by just how lucky she was to have such good friends. She didn’t have many good things in her life, but this was one of them and it wouldn’t last forever. There was no telling where they would all be in a years time or if they would ever be this close again, but that didn’t make her feel sad. Instead, an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude surged through her veins, compelling her to drink in every moment and seat it into her memory so that she would never forget.

But through it all, Annabeth found her eyes drawn to the boy sitting beside her the most. She unconsciously pulled herself closer to Percy over the course of the night and luxuriated in the way their elbows knocked together, a reminder that he was there. Annabeth would catch herself staring at him and the way the flames lit up his laughing face, making him all look every bit as invincible as she felt. At some point, she caught his hand and tangled his fingers between her own, and when he squeezed her hand, she smiled so hard it hurt.

As the night wore on, more of them left, unable to stay awake any longer, until eventually Percy and Annabeth were the only one remaining. The quietness was welcome change after all the noise they had been making, but it was hard not to fall asleep the sound of the rolling waves. Annabeth struggled to keep her drooping eyes open, but Percy looked perfectly fine, probably because he was the only one who hadn’t drank.

“You should go get some sleep,” Percy murmured. “Look like you’re gonna pass out.”

Annabeth hummed and rested her head on his shoulder. “Don’t want to.”

“If you’re expecting me to carry you, you’re going to be sorely mistaken,” Percy said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re too heavy.”

If she had the energy, Annabeth would have scowled. “Rude.”

Percy grinned and looked out over the ocean with a pensive, almost melancholy look. Annabeth poked his cheek with her finger to get him to look at her.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Percy said. “About everything, I guess.”

“Hmm, deep.”

Percy laughed and said, “Alright, smarty pants, I was thinking about the future and my friends and you.”

“Then why do you look so sad?” Annabeth asked, sitting up straighter.

Percy blinked in surprise and said, “I look sad?”

Annabeth nodded and pressed a finger to his brow. “You’re giving yourself wrinkles, like you always do when you’re upset.”

There was a pause before Percy said, “Remember earlier when you saved me from those college girls?”

“What about it?”

Percy stared up at the sky and smiled bitterly. “I never imagined you would ever get jealous over me.”

Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but Annabeth found herself saying, “Neither did I.”

Percy turned to her with wide eyes, making her frown. “What?”

“I, uh, wasn’t expecting you to answer seriously.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and nudged him affectionately. “I’m taking this seriously because you are.”

Percy smiled softly and said, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, you dork,” Annabeth said fondly. “Honestly, since when did you become the serious, responsible out of the two of us. What ever happened to the kid that caught frogs during recess and put worms in Nancy Bobofit’s locker?”

Percy laughed and said, “Well, one of us had to grow up, so I figured it might as well be me.”

Annabeth half-heartedly jabbed him with her elbow. “Jerk.”

“You’ve grown up a lot too,” Percy said. “You just don’t realize it.”

“Yeah, how so?” Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ve learned to temper yourself. When you were younger, it was like fire ran through your veins. You acted like the world and everything were promised to you, not out of some sense of arrogance, but like it was your birthright. I remember how you used to argue with the teachers and stuff in front of the whole class because it never occurred to you that there were people you shouldn’t pick fights with. I was always kind of in of awe of how stupidly brave you were. I still am,” Percy said, softly.

A lump formed in Annabeth’s throat. Percy was right, about everything, but that wasn’t what was getting to her. It was the fact that his words were a testament to the fact that he had been there with her since the beginning. He had seen her as a bossy, bratty little seven year old and had stuck by her side all the way till now.

“We have been through a lot together, haven’t we?” Annabeth asked thickly.

The tender look in Percy’s eyes made her heart squeeze a little in her chest. “Yeah, we have.”

Annabeth screwed her eyes shut, unable to look at him. She didn’t want this to end, but the moment was beginning to get too much for her, so she stood up suddenly.

“Alright, enough with all the sappiness,” Annabeth said. “Race you to the beach?”

Without waiting for him to respond, Annabeth took off for the water’s edge, running as hard as she could. Percy started a moment later, humoring her like always, and quickly made up the distance. If it wasn’t for the sand and the fact that she was super drunk, Annabeth would have won, but it wasn’t long before Percy caught up to her and slung her over his shoulder. Annabeth shrieked and pounded on his back.

“You better not dump me in the water, you asshole!” Annabeth yelled.

Percy ignored her and sped towards the water, making her fear for the worst. She braced herself for impact, but it never came. Instead, he set her down onto dry sand and grinned down at her. Annabeth scowled and stood up, dusting the sand off her shorts, watching as he rolled up his shorts and waded further into the water. The encroaching tide was cold enough to make her jump when it tickled her toes, but Percy seemed perfectly fine going knee deep into it.

The moonlight streamed down on him, illuminating half his face with its pale glow. Wind rustled his hair and billowed through his clothes as he stared out at the horizon. Under the moonlight, he seemed to age backwards and actually look his eighteen years - the hard lines of worry on his brow smoothened, and the tightness and frustration in his jaws released. There was something about his pale figure standing in the inky sea that made him look so beautiful and true that it made it hard for her to breathe. It reminded her of how Piper had said she had fallen for Jason, how he had seemed to glow, and she couldn’t help feeling like she understood exactly what Piper had meant.

Percy noticed her looking and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Annabeth balled her hands into fists at her side. She wasn’t ready to say it. Not yet. “N-Nothing.”

Percy didn’t look convinced, but he shrugged all the same. Annabeth stared down at her feet so that she wouldn’t be forced to look at him, but her heart pounded in her chest urgently. She started when Percy draped his sweatshirt over her shoulders and stepped past her. It was warm, and it smelled like him.

“I’m gonna head inside,” Percy said softly. “Don’t stay out for too long, okay?”

Annabeth nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Percy lingered there for a moment longer before leaving. Annabeth waited till she heard him enter the villa before she collapsed down on the sand and hugged her knees to her chest. An explanation for her actions and feelings today were finally starting to dawn on her, which sent equal parts terror and exhilaration coursing through her as she stared up at the moon. Her inability to look at him conflicting with her desire never to leave him, the nervousness and exhilaration, the jealousy - all of it pointed to one thing. She was just having a hard time accepting it.

Whenever Annabeth had imagined falling in love, she had expected it to strike her like a bolt of lightning, illuminating her with a sudden, arresting, all-consuming knowledge.

She hadn’t ever imagined that it would be like this: soft and gentle, like an unfolding discovery, the way the petals unfurled when a flower bloomed. And yet, just as sure, just as certain.

Annabeth buried her face in her hands. Try as she might, she couldn’t deny it any longer.

Fuck.

She was in love with him, wasn’t she? She was in love with Percy Jackson.

#just practice #percabeth #percabeth fluff #percabeth fic #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth fake dating au

[fukurodaze]

if i ever get lost

pairing/s: third year!haiba lev x gn!reader genre: fluff, romantic tension aka best and softest tension word count: 3.2k warnings: like, one curse word this was also requested by anon! “3rd year Lev w a reader who’s struggling to pass all their homeworks, projects and quizzes (bc they piled up their works ;;) while thinking of how should they study for college/uni entrance exams?”

special thanks to nat @natszoo​ and ellie @lcnelyinthesky​ for beta reading and helping me w this!! 

LISTEN TO: somebody loves you - jeremy zucker; glitter - benee

lowercase intended!

you throw your head back when you forget the term written on the flip side of the flash card haiba lev is holding. it’s a friday night, far past anyone’s bedtimes, but final exams for the first semester start on monday and you’re not sure where to start. haiba lev, being the person who has nothing better to do, agreed to come over and flip cards with random kanji, english, and biology terms on it.

lev might also be here because it’s an open secret that he’s liked you since first year, and you’ve never answered to his feelings, but you’re thinking friends for now - until you memorise all of this semester’s kanji, english vocabulary, and biology terms, that is.

“the phospholipid bilayer is made up of...”

lev gives you time to think, his wide eyes going between the answer on the card and your thinking face.

“shit, uh, the phospholipid bilayer is made up of two layers of phospholipids?”

“makes sense, but no.” lev answers, flipping the card to show you.

“the phospholipid bilayer is made up of a polar, hydrophilic area containing a phosphate group bound to glycerol, and a non-polar, lipophilic area containing fatty acids...” you read aloud, trying to memorise what’s currently going out your mouth, in one ear, and out again through another ear.

“you know, your flash cards are pretty comprehensive.”

you raise an eyebrow, “is that... a good thing?”

“i mean, yes and no,” he takes another sip of the tea your mom had insisted to bring to guests, “it’s harder to memorise, but it’s better for details. but-”

“but?” you watch as he takes another sip. 

“i think if you really don’t know where to go, just understand the basic concept of everything. for one - what is the function of the bilayer?”

“why do you sound smart?” you question, tilting your head jokingly.

“hey! i am smart! most times! with tests like these that have essay questions, you just gotta learn the basic concept of each term and connect them.” lev advices, recounting his former volleyball captain and nekoma high school alumni, kuroo tetsuro’s, words when lev himself was barely scraping past his first semester finals when he’d just transferred.

“easier said than done in two nights,” you slouch your head on your desk, “plus! it’s not just biology. or exams.”

if memorising all these terms in the span of two days sounds bad enough, you’re still crushed with the supplementary course work and projects due next week as well. 

you let out a deep groan. you’re so tired. it’s like biology information only comes up when you’re studying for english, biology only coming up for modern literature, and mathematics somehow being inserted into the little unknown kanji in modern literature. it’s all too much at once.

“it’s all too much at once, huh?” lev places his head on your desk, only a few inches away from your face. normally, you’d push him away, pull your head back up, or maybe even give him a light slap on a bad day, but today you welcome him. 

you nod, quiet. you haven’t been able to get a breather. it’s essay this, quiz that, lab report here, test there. your mind is blank.

now, lev sits back up on the extra chair from your dining room, “have you eaten dinner?”

“why are you asking... it’s like, midnight.”

“the question still stands.”

you sigh, “nope.”

lev hums. he takes a pen, then twirls it, like his fingers possessed polar magnets that somehow let the pens never fall from his hands. but it does eventually, and when it falls with a plastic click on your wooden desk, lev visibly takes a big breath and says, “do you want to get ramen?”

you exhale through your nose and smile. “are you asking me out, haiba?”

“is it inappropriate to ask you out now?”

damn this tall dork. come to think of it, he’s never actually asked you out despite the obvious ways he’d vouch for your attention in the past. you’re quite surprised, frankly, as he’s always been so loud in the ways he’s wanted to be with you but never really made it seem like anything was going to happen. 

but, hey, it’s late enough for you to put down your doubts about him away. after all, he’s been in your room for four hours, just helping you study. he wasn’t even studying himself - he just sat there, doing almost nothing. and for a guy like him, you wonder how he’s managed to keep there for so long.

“sure.”

lev’s eyes widen. “wait, really?”

“yeah,” you begin to set aside all your study materials, “we can go to a twenty-four hour place in the city, too.”

“alright! let me get you your coat!”

“my coat?” you raise an eyebrow when he hands you the coat you wear the most, feeling both flattered and slightly surprised that he recognises it straight away from your messy room. the boy comes to retreat his coat as well from one of the hangers in your room, and he even offers to get you your socks and boots.

“alright, alright, you don’t have to be that ready to go,” you joke. 

he makes sure there is no noise when you two walk out of your house, through the suburbs of tokyo and to the nearest train to the city. 

“aren’t you two a bit young to be here so late?” the shopkeeper, an old lady, mutters under her breath. you catch it through her croaky voice when you and lev enter the place together, but you pay no attention because all you care to focus on is the smell of broth and your empty stomach.

“for two, please,” lev says, undoubtedly hearing the woman’s remark, but answering with a smile. she smiles too, and so do you, and it makes you remember all the times he’s smiled and you’ve wanted to either punch him or hold his hand. 

today just happens to be one of those days where you want to hold his hand. you shake the thought off.

when you two are seated at the ramen bar, your head falls onto your palm, tilting back to face lev, his chin covered partly by his usual maroon scarf. you had whispered to him earlier on the train what you wanted to order, and lev quickly speaks to the waiter as your tired gaze rises from from the squiggly wooden patterns embedded in the polished wooden table to the boy that’s sitting right next to you. 

at first glance, you remember haiba lev’s face to be satisfying to look at. you remember when he had just transferred to your class in the first year, and you developed the annoying habit of looking forty-five degrees to the right every time you were bored in class, as you thought his face was much easier on the eyes than complex quadratic equations or japanese history. 

for a while you wondered if it was because he certainly looked different - not only was he practically a giant, but he had eurocentric features that stood out from the majority of the student body as well (it also didn’t help that he quite literally and figuratively filled any room he was in). though, maybe, after a while, when everyone got used to the sight of a new face, you kept your line of sight at a forty-five degree angle, just peering above his cheekbones. the same way you’re looking at him right now.

and really, the only word for it is handsome. dashing. good-looking. you’ve always known that, but now that you put it into words in your head, you notice the chiseled jaw, pointed nose and emerald green eyes feel a bit more-

“what you staring at?” his baritone voice cuts through your thoughts cleanly.

you don’t like where this conversation will go. “haiba, are you doing any college entrance exams?”

lev cocks his head to one side, thinking, before nodding, “i think i am. why?”

“how are you studying for them?”

lev clicks his tongue, and it brings you to surprise, “get your mind away from studying! we’re not here in the city at, like, one in the morning to talk about college entrance exams!”

you sigh, “okay, fine. but, still, answer my question?”

“i just do practice problems for twenty minutes every day,” lev shrugs, “okay, now, can we move away from studying?”

you hum lazily, watching as two bowls of ramen arrive at the bar. he had ordered what you told him you wanted to order, both bowls almost identical in smell, shape, size, and content. almost, because lev didn’t have any spring onions in his bowl.

“haiba,” you call, earning a quick call of your name in response, “do you not like spring onions?”

lev nods so obviously that he seems proud. his chopsticks mix the entire bowl together before picking up the half-boiled egg and eating the slice whole. when he swallows it down, he asks you, “you noticed.”

“i mean, yeah,” you reply, “why do you not like them? they’re like, essential.”

lev takes a slurp of his noodles, and then a spoonful of the broth, “i just never liked their texture - which is funny, since my entire family loves adding spring onions.”

now it’s your turn to slurp into your ramen, one bite turning into two, and two turning into the entire content of the bowl. lev seems to eat twice as fast, seemingly having a strategy to cooling down the hot noodles on his spoon while simultaneously folding a piece of pork charsiu in between the loops of each spoonful of noodles, making sure that the little wrap is bathed in a little bit of broth. you find yourself smiling at his act, almost like he has a system of his own when it came to eating ramen - well, he usually had a system of his own when doing just about anything.

the meal is quiet for the most part, with little mumbles of how your tea needs a refill and the ruffling sounds between sheets of tissue to wipe off the broth around your lips. it’s fulfilling, and the look on lev’s face says he’s happy too.

when you two make it out of the ramen bar, 1am feels the same as 9pm. somehow, you’re no longer the kind of sleepy you were when you were flipping through flashcards on your desk, and instead, you’re almost dreading to go home. you think it might also be the neon lights, but there’s some kind of electricity you’re not yet willing to let rest for the night.

luckily, lev doesn’t feel the need to rush. although his steps are big and his voice is loud, he takes his time when you two make the silent agreement to make the walk to the train station as long-winded as possible. his voice is lower, and softer, this time, and when he speaks to you about his friends from his old school, you convince yourself it’s the most interesting topic in the world - because it is. because it’s lev.

when he stops in his tracks, you stop too, watching him go into a small trinket shop you’ve always seen but never had the means to afford to go in. you reckon you might own something from this store, though.

“haiba, you like little trinkets?” your eyes scroll through the shelves of delicate and virtually useless items, eyes landing on a small lion cub made of clear resin with a small blob of gold floating in the middle of its clear body. you’re not usually drawn to any animal trinkets, as you’ve gotten used to decorative objects like bows or feathers or lace, but today you think about the lion cub. despite it looking severely overpriced, you take it in your hand anyway, not noticing lev’s figure coming right behind you.

“do you want that one?” you yelp in surprise when he says that, turning around to find yourself so close to him you could smell the dried raindrops on his padded coat.

“i’m pretty sure it’s overpriced. trinkets are usually overpriced anyways.”

“wait, let me check it,” you hand lev the trinket, “how much is your keychain?”

you furrow your eyebrows, “what?”

“you know, the keychain on the bag you bring to school.”

“oh,” you try to remember the time you had saved up for that keychain, “i think it was about three thousand yen? it’s overpriced. definitely.”

“well, this one’s only two thousand and five hundred. i’ll get it for you.”

“wha- lev!” you whine, “you’re going to make me feel bad- wait what’s wrong?” you see the boy freeze up in front of you, a big smile creeping onto his cheeky face.

he doesn’t reply for a bit, and you’re faced with raised cheekbones and a wide mouth. you try again, “was it something i did? or said?”

“you called me lev,” oh, you did. 

now his smile spreads from ear to ear, and it’s spreading to you. “you never call me lev.”

“huh, well.” you bite the inside of your mouth, “i guess now i do.”

it’s enough for you to let him spend over two thousand yen on a single trinket. you watch as he waits for the trinket to be wrapped neatly in pretty paper and put in a pink cardboard bag, its motif pretty enough to be its own product in the store. 

you stand by the doorframe of the store, mouth ready to open with the words ‘i’ll pay you back’. but it seems like lev had heard you from the future, and before you could do anything, he tells you, “don’t pay me back. this is my gift to you.”

“for exams?”

he grins. “you know, lev means lion in russian.”

the bell of the store rings as you two make your way out, this time really going back to the station. you answer with a ‘really?’ at his fun fact but you keep it to yourself that you’ve known ever since he first transferred and everyone had asked him about it. 

“yeah, and the thing’s a lion cub, so, it’s like you have me all the time!” 

you giggle, walking up the steps to the train platform. “you’re really something, lev.”

lev stretches his arms out, with long limbs you swear ghost your shoulder. you get that feeling again, in your hands, where you just can’t seem to understand why you want to take his hand in yours so bad, so you ask the boy if you can hold onto the bag with your trinket. lev passes it to you, and you hate how you would’ve liked for your thumb to graze over his thumb for longer. you hate it even more when he motions you onto the train, and in a blur, you take his arm, leading him to corner seats on the train. you feel your face heat up. 

ah, so that’s how it is.

now you’re conflicted. not that lev had ever made you feel uncomfortable - no, never - but you had never known how to return his obvious feelings. he would act on them, as always, and one day, as you fell asleep one day after final semester exams in the second year, leaning back into the plastic seat of a suburban tokyo metro rail (which lev thought was very dangerous), lev had muttered in the quietest and most subtle manner, ‘what do i do with my feelings?’

then, in a haze, with eyes barely open, you had moved your head from your seat to his shoulder, painting his cheeks red - dumbstruck. he thought you forgot about it the next morning, and you barely remember, so nothing happened afterwards. yet, when you think of him, you think of hues of orange peeling the sky into purple; of freshly washed school uniforms; of heads leaning on shoulders and fingers intertwined. you don’t know how to answer him.

with lev, there is chatter and laughter and blunt remarks that almost get him slapped in the face. still, there is a box, bigger than the bag your trinket is in, that contains words that you don’t think you or lev have ever said in pure daylight and wake. 

“hey, lev?”

you want to open that box.

“yeah?”

but you don’t know how to do it yet.

“the phospholipid bilayer is made up of a polar, hydrophilic area containing a phosphate group bound to glycerol, and a non-polar, lipophilic area containing fatty acids.”

lev exclaims a series of ‘oooh!’s in delight. 

“was that correct?”

“um,” lev gulps, “i think so? i mean- i think so.”

but you will open it, sooner or later, and it rings in your head when you step off the train and walk into the neighbourhood. right now, nothing is different - the air is not heavier, his eyes do not sparkle like love interests do in the movies, and you do not look through a rose-coloured lens. monday is finals, and the weekend is studying. you tell yourself this.

lev stops at your doorstep, and you almost feel a sear in your chest at the thought of him leaving for the night. 

“so, good luck with next week, y/n.”

you nod, trinket bag in your hands, “you too, lev.”

you find that your arms are opening up, a small pout on your face as lev comes to wrap his arms around you, coats shuffling against each other as you hold each other at three in the morning. 

when you pull away from the hug, you start to ramble a bit, scrambling for new topics to bring up in hopes of just a few more seconds with him - that, and trying to stop yourself from your newfound want to cup this boy’s face in your hands and kiss him square on the lips. you wonder if he would be good at kissing, and you wonder how much you’ll regret having these thoughts tomorrow. 

but even conversation dies when you know it’s getting too cold, so you bid your sweet goodbyes and promise him not to overwork; he reminds you that it’s better to do short but frequent study sessions than fewer and highly intensive ones. you nod, your boots heavy on your doorstep, the hushed sound of keys in doors slowly becoming the only sound you hear as you assume lev’s left already.

until he calls your name.

your head spins fast towards the boy, watching as he makes long strides to stand at your doorway once again, scarf prodding the tip of his nose, so close to your face. he’s red.

“during exams, or tomorrow, or studying for entrance exams- if you ever get lost-” he pants, and unties his scarf from his neck.

“you’ll find me, okay?” the scarf comfortably hangs around your neck now, covering your mouth. he pats your head twice. it’s warm - literally. 

you barely get the chance to say anything before he darts out of your house with a quick goodbye. you’re left confused, flustered, and excited at once, and this time, you think you might have the words as to why. 

you like to imagine you taste sweetness, see eyes that sparkle, and feel butterflies in your stomach. 

“it might not be so bad,” you whisper, looking down at the pretty little bag containing one unnecessarily expensive item lev had bought you.

right; you have feelings for him too. 

then you make up your mind: you’ll tell him next friday. and if your finals stand between tonight and next friday, then, all the more motivation to get through them, right?

you make sure to set an alarm for seven in the morning, kanji textbooks lined up for tomorrow. 

#haikyuu x reader #lev haiba #lev x reader #haiba x reader #haiba lev imagine #hq x reader #haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu scenarios #lev scenarios #haiba scenarios #lev fluff #haiba lev #haiba lev x reader #lev haiba x reader #hq fluff #nekoma x reader #nekoma fluff

[dazaiisbaby]

Listen To Me | Eren x Reader | Imagine

➣ P A I R I N G ✧ eren jaeger x reader

➣ G E N R E ✧ angst to fluff

➣ T I M E ✧ 4 minutes

➣ W A R N I N G S ✧ exam stress ?

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

It was impossible to study like this.

First of all, your dorm room was way too small. A tiny little rectangle, just wide enough to fit a bed and a desk. You didn't bother to buy anything else, not a TV, or a couch, not even those cute Target ottomans.

It was midterms soon, and of course, your past self thought that majoring in Sociology AND minoring in Statistics was a great idea, while current you thought otherwise.

Your head was crammed in books all-day and writing a thesis was exceptionally hard. You couldn't focus when all you could think of was the argument you had with your boyfriend, Eren.

It was most likely over something mild, but weeks of pent-up anger was finally released. The stress was most definitely getting to you, scoring straight Bs and Cs weren't all that great for your track record.

Plus you were starving. And being the broke student you were, there wasn't much food left in the fridge to make a meal. Desperate, you grabbed a granola bar and walked out the room, thinking you'd just take a quick walk to the nearest Starbucks to clear your head.

"Y/N?" You didn't have to look up to know who that voice belonged to. You tried shoving past him with your head down but he blocked your path with ease. If that won't work you thought, then surely a distraction would, right? "Jaeger! There's a giant squirrel!" you shouted as you tried to make your escape. Emphasise on tried.

Eren might have fallen for it but his strong build made it so he caught your wrist as you fled. "Can we please just talk?" He sounded hurt so you complied with him. "I was on my way out to Starbucks, we can talk there."

There was an awkward silence when you both walked down the halls and out of campus. Thankfully, you only had to bear it for 5 minutes considering your college was in the middle of the city. You ordered your favourite drink while Eren got a Caramel Macchiato. He paid for both as you find a seat in the corner of the cafe.

The silence continued as you both sipped your drinks refusing to look at each other, with Taylor Swift playing in the background. "Do you need anything, Eren? My essay isn't gonna write itself," you said while placing your drink on the table. "Yeah. I need my girlfriend back. Look, Y/N, I'm sorry for what I said but you really shouldn't have brought up Annie like that." If you thought you were frustrated before then this was on a whole different level, because you snapped and you snapped hard.

"Oh for God's sake Eren, don't call me out if you're only gonna talk about Annie." Ah yes, that's why you fought. He was spending more time with her rather than you, although you've been asking him to come over countless of times. "Babe, can we please not do this here." "Don't babe me right now! I can't with this." You picked up your things and stormed out of the shop. "And don't you dare follow me, you bastard!"

"Who said I wanted to, dumbass?!" said a now angry Eren. Or at least you think he did. You were already out the door when he said that. The browned hair boy laid back in the chair and muttered to himself, "No one said I wanted to follow you, tch. It's not like I need you or anything, Oh who the fuck am I kidding, you better not have gotten far Y/N.

Eren sprinted out the door, not forgetting to tip the waiter of course, and searched for you frantically. You didn't know why you snapped at him, really. He only wanted to apologise but there you went and screamed his head off. You thought he would hate you for all eternity after that, not that you would blame him though.

You weaved in and out of fast passing citizens, trying to get to anywhere honestly. As long as there wasn't an Eren, it'd do just fine. "Y/N!" you heard him shout. "Oi! You can't ignore me forever boke!"

Eventually, you stopped at an alleyway for a breather. Before you had a chance to run again, a hand grabbed hold of you by your wrist.

"Y/N! Please!" His voice was cracked and tears were trying to escape from his eyes. "I'm sorry, okay? Just...just please come here." Your heart throbbed with guilt and all you wanted to do was hug him.

You turned around to face him and wrapped your arms around his neck. Your face nuzzled into his neck in a way that made his heart race faster. "Eren...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a bitch ass to you." His right hand rubbed your back soothingly as his left wiped away your tears, "Y/N, you have nothing to apologise for."

"I love you, Eren."

"I know."

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

A/N: This was utter crap, honestly. Eren is probably way too OOC in this but like, angsty + soft + vulnerable Eren?? I simp. Also, love my cousin for helping me title this. Took about 30 minutes alone but we got there.

#eren jaeger x reader #eren yeager #eren jaeger #eren jäger #aot hc #aot imagines #aot headcanons #aot hcs #aot #attack on titan imagines #attack on titan imagine #attack on titan headcanons #attack on titan hcs #attack on titan #levi ackerman x reader #aot erwin #aot levi

[lveclouds]

a/n: yet another got7 drabble!! this is going to be a bit angsty, so i apologize in advance and honestly this banner is probably one of my favorites hehe and also this drabble took me a while to type up but it was worth it! and this is very much unedited so if you see any grammatical errors then that’s on me lmao 

genre: fluff, angst, college/university au, friends to lovers 

rating: pg (for mild swearing) 

warnings: light swearing, mild angst,a bit cheesy/cliche (jinyoung’s a huge dork in this hehe think wmylb jinyoung, but like a much tamer and softer version. wmylb jinyoung is uh, very passionate in voicing his opinions, and we love that, its just not fitting for the image that i have for him in this drabble)

pairing: literature major jinyoung x arts major reader 

word count: 2.3k 

you stared at the glowing laptop screen in front of you, eyes struggling to stay open, lashes fluttering, sleep threatening to take over. you couldn’t help but let out a small yawn, forcing yourself to keep your eyes open. the hardest exam of your life, and one that would have a major effect on your grade, was less than a week away, and you had barely looked at any of the review material. you had been so caught up in finishing your arts project and focusing on raising your grade that the anatomy exam had slipped your mind. and now, here you were, at three o clock in the morning, fighting sleep, trying to cram in information. you couldn’t believe you had been so foolish and careless. anatomy had always been a subject that you struggled in, and because you were stubborn and didn’t want people to think you were pathetic or lazy, you refused your professor’s suggestion to enlist the help of a tutor. you were so confident and sure that you could improve on your own, and well, you had never felt so idiotic in your life. 

despite looking over the review material and pouring over pages of the dictionary sized textbook you had to lug around nearly every day, not a single ounce of information seemed to be sticking. the last few days had been spent relentlessly studying countless websites, books, review material, and just about anything that could potentially help you. you were beginning to get a bit stressed out, but you supposed that all of this was because of you. after all, you were the one who had decided to neglect studying for an exam all to work on some stupid art project instead. “just a day in the life.” you mumbled, eyes focusing on the laptop screen in front of you, the blue light illuminating the darkness of your dorm, casting dark shadows onto the white carpeted floor. 

sighing, you shut your laptop closed and flopped back onto your bed in defeat, head softly hitting your pillow. there was no use in fighting sleep, after all, you could barely focus and dawn was drawing near, and soon you would have to trek across campus at exactly six a.m. for your early morning history lecture. sleep soon took over and all thoughts of studying and the exam faded away as you drifted off into dreamland. 

the next morning, you awoke to a soft knock on your door. groaning, you reluctantly got out of bed and went to answer it. to your surprise, it was jinyoung, dressed in an oversized white turtleneck, dark jeans, and loafers, holding two cups of warm coffee and a light blue paper bag.  his soft black hair was adorably rumpled, and despite it being five a.m., jinyoung still looked as gorgeous as ever, which you envied. “oh, hi jinyoung. what are you doing here?” you asked, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. “well, i figured you were up late last night again and i dropped by the cafe down the street, and i thought i’d just come by and give you some coffee. hopefully it’ll give you some energy. oh, and i brought some sandwiches that my roommate made last night. trust me, it’s not poisonous. jaebeom hyung’s a lot of things, and one of them is the ability to make a great sandwich.” you chuckled as he handed over your cup of coffee and the paper bag. “thanks for the coffee and the food. i’ll see you later?” “i-i was wondering if you wanted to walk to class together? “i’d love to. oh, please come inside. it’s a bit messy, so don’t mind all the clutter. i haven’t had time to clean lately.” jinyoung shook his head. “it’s fine. jaebeom hyung’s the same. he doesn’t have time to clean because he’s always so busy with writing music and classes, so i do all the cleaning in the dorm.” you gestured for jinyoung to sit on the couch, to make himself feel comfortable, and then disappeared into your room to take a quick shower and put on a decent outfit. 

as you and jinyoung walked across campus, he told you all about the song that jaebeom was working on for the upcoming showcase that your university put on every month. “wait, so he composes his own songs?” jinyoung nodded. “he does, its pretty impressive, if i’m being honest. he’s been writing songs ever since he could walk. jaebeom hyung wants to become a singer one day.” “ i wouldn’t be surprised if he does, he’s really talented.” you had seen jaebeom peforrm a few times, and his voice was smooth and angelic and unique, and you had no doubt that he would get recognized for his singing one day. “so, what’s been going on with you? haven’t seen you in a while.” “ah, well, my professors are bombarding me with assignments and i have an essay due next week, but it’s tolerable, i guess. been trying to take a breather every now and then, get my shit together, the usual. anwyays, enough about me, how have you been doing?”

you grimaced. “well, i haven’t been getting much sleep lately.  i kinda got too preoccupied in finishing an art project that i forgot all the about the anatomy exam i’m supposed to take, and it may or may not be less than a week away. so, i’ve been cramming.” jinyoung sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “are you kdiding me, y/n?” you laughed nervously. “uh, oops?” jinyoung shook his head, letting out a defeated sigh. “how long has this been going on for?” “u-uh a f-few days?” you looked away, not wanting to see the frustrated and worried expression on jinyoung’s face, fighting back tears. ever since you had met jinyoung on a particular sunny day last summer, the two of you had gone through a lot together, from comforting each other after breakups to taking care of each other when one of you was drunk. you hated making jinyoung worry, as he had enough to deal with, and you didn’t want to burden him. “why didn’t you tell me you were having a hard time?” he asked, and you forced yourself to look at him, instantly regretting it. his gorgeous brown eyes were filled with concern and a worried frown was set upon his perfect lips, and you immediately felt as if you had been stabbed in the gut. “i-im sorry,i just didn’t want to be a burden.” you mumbled, trying to hold back tears. before you knew it, you were engulfed in a hug, strong arms wrapping around you, holding you tight. you felt jinyoung rub comforting circles on your back, and that alone was enough for you to break down, crying into the soft fabric of his sweater. all the pent up stress you had been holding in was finally let out, and jinyoung just held you, not uttering a single word, listening to your soft sobs. after your tears had subsided, you pulled away, wiping your eyes with the back of your hand, sniffling. “s-sorry about your sweater.” jinyoung waved away your apology. “don’t worry about it, i’m not gonna freeze to death just because you got tears on it.” 

“anyways, i’m sorry for not telling you.” “it’s ok, but y/n, please know that i’m always here for you and that you’re never a burden.” you felt your heart ache at how sincere he sounded, and despite his reassurances, you still felt extremely guilty for keeping your feelings locked away. 

“i’m a phonecall or a text away, remember that. i’m always here for you, you know that, right?” you nodded. “thank you, jinyoung.” “no need to thank me, y/n.” 

after class, you were feeling a bit better, as you had finally sought help from your classmates on the upcoming exam, and they had given you an overwhelming amount of notes, all of which were extremely detailed and well-written. and, as you were walking towards your dorm, you heard a familiar voice call out to you. turning, you saw im jaebeom, music major and jinyoung’s roommate, running towards you, a white envelope in his hand. “hey, you’re y/n, right?” he asked once he caught up to you, a bit breathless. “yeah, why?” jaebeom seemed to brighten at this, eyes turning into crescents as he smiled, gently placing the envelope in your hand. “jinyoung wanted me to give this to you. he’s in the library, working on an essay if you want to see him.” before you could say anything, jaebeom gave you a small wave before walking off to the other side of campus, leaving you speechless. what just happened? you thought as you opened the envelope, careful not to rip it. inside was a delicate piece of paper, with jinyoung’s familiar looping script written all over it. 

“dear y/n, ever since we met, i’ve always thought you were bright. for example, your smile. your smile practically lights up your face and makes my heartbeat a little faster. i’m aware this is quite cheesy, but its true. ever since we met, you have been the brightest person in my world, and the one girl who has managed to break down these walls i’ve kept around me for so long. before i met you, i didn’t know what love was, or rather, why people bothered with it. but, that all changed when i laid eyes on you. you were the most stunning girl i had ever seen, let alone meet, and when you said”hi, my name’s y/n”, i felt my world turn upside down, but, in a good way. you were the person who showed me that it’s ok to love. you also showed me how beautiful love can be. it doesn’t have to be destructive or painful or terrifying. love can be exciting and thrilling and life-changing. even though i’m a literature major and have written more essays than i can count, i seem to struggle with words whenever i’m around you, thus why i’m putting my feelings on paper. i like you, a lot. i’ve liked you ever since you bumped into me on that fateful day, you were the one who has managed to sweep me off my feet, quite literally, i might add, and though i am awkward and clumsy and not as mysterious and alluring as jaebeom hyung, i do have some worth. anyways, please meet me in the library after you read this, and if you don’t, then i know that you don’t feel the same. it’s ok if you don’t, but i just wanted to get this off my chest. 

sincerely,

park jinyoung

you felt tears prick the back of your eyes as you practically ran to the library, your heart aching. you didn’t know jinyoung felt that way about you, and you were so happy that he felt the same. you had liked him since the beginning, and you had fallen in love with his smile and all of his quirks. jinyoung was easily one of the most attractive guys on campus, with perfect eyebrows, a cute nose, perfectly sculpted cheekbones, gorgeous brown eyes, and one ot the prettiest smiles you had ever seen. his smile was stunning and never failed to take your breath away, eyes crinkling at the corners,perfect white teeth on display. his laugh was endearing and a sound that you would never get tired of hearing. on top of all that, he had a heart of gold, and was unfailingly kind and polite towards anyone, and also very selfless and humble. 

as soon as you arrived in the library, you looked around for jinyoung, and immediately spotted him at a table near the back, typing on his laptop, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. you rushed over to him, heart beating wildly in your chest, and cleared your throat, causing him to look up from his laptop in surprise. “y/n?” he asked, practically scrambling off the chair he’d been sitting on, gently grabbing ahold of your wrist. “what’s wrong? did something happen?” you took a deep breath and grabbed ahold of his sweater, the fabric bunching up in your hands, pulling him towards you and kissing him. you felt him jump a bit in surprise, but he quickly reciprocated the kiss, wrapping his arms around you. the kiss was short and sweet, but you enjoyed every minute of it. when you pulled away, a faint shade of pink had settled across jinyoung’s face. “i-i never knew you were so bold, y/n.” he teased, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “i didn’t either, but i had to do it before i chickened out.” “so, does that mean you like me?” you fought the urge to roll your eyes. “yes, of course, jinyoung. i don’t just go up to random guys on campus and kiss them you know.” “i-i just wanted to make sure.” “ah, you’re so cute, jinyoung.” “s-shut up. i’m not cute.” “hmm, yes you are.” “anyways, will you be my girlfriend, then?” “well, considering that i just kissed the hell out of you in the middle of a library, i think it’d be foolish if we weren’t dating after that, so yes, yes i will.” 

a/n: hehe jinyoung drabble done!! i hope you all enjoyed this lengthy drabble!! i have two more got7 drabbles to write/post and then i will go back to my planned bts ones :) again, this drabble is dedicated to cara, aka @yongcherie​ one of my favorite humans ever (sends kisses and hugs) ily angel 💞💞and this is also dedicated to my sister issy aka @taeramisu​ bc i love her and she’s the one of the loveliest angels ever💖

#mine #not bts #got7

[bleedingthirium]

Gavin x Reader (Stressed Out)

Authors Note: -Sobs- I tried to go for a softer Gavin Reed around his S/O at home but I feel like I went a little out of character. And I wrote ALOT. Im sorry! But I hope you enjoy it and I’m so sorry if it’s bad. And sorry it took so long to post.

Warnings: Swearing (because it’s fucking Gavin, c’mon people. GET A MOVE ON!) Category: Fluff

You and Gavin work completely opposite jobs; he was around dead people all the time, trying to find the murderer… whereas you were (more or less) based upon keeping people alive. Or – eventually, it would be come your job. Technically you held half a title as a Nurse. You’ve still got a lot of studying to do before you became a fully registered nurse. Though the doubts were slowly creeping in from the back of your mind, clouding your focus as you sat on the floor leaning your back against the couch. For some reason you preferred to sit on the floor with your studies spread across the coffee table. You know this wasn’t good for your posture, being a Nurse-in-training, you definitely knew better! At least everything was in reach and you didn’t have to lean yourself halfway over a dining room table to retrieve a document or textbook that happened to be a little bit too far from your reach. This was more or less how Gavin found you. Sitting on the floor with your studies surrounding you.

“Hey Babe. How’s your day?” He asked as he shut the door behind him, grey eyes taking in the copious amounts of paperwork and text books and forced himself to hold back a groan because he hated paperwork. The last thing he wanted to come home to was more paperwork, it reminded him too much of being back at the precinct. Of course, he didn’t outwardly complain because he knew this type of paperwork was necessary/essential. No way in hell he’d ever tell you to pack it away.

You didn’t even hear the keys jingle in the doorknob, or even hear him walk in until his voice suddenly yanked you out of your thoughts, causing you to jump almost ten feet in the air! “Jesus Gav! A bit of warning!” you gasped, hand flying to your chest in fright, as if you were attempting to calm your frantically beating heart down. “I gotta come home some time, babe.” He chuckled, clearly amused at catching you off guard. Your reaction was pretty fucking priceless. But his reaction slowly fell as realization dawned on his features. He had said goodbye to you this morning just as you were setting up for your study sesh. Except it had only been three text books and a small file of paperwork. Not this strewn of a mess. “Y/N? Have you been there the entire day?” Your eyebrows lifted as if Gavin just asked the most ridiculous question in the universe, but when your eyes glanced to the clock on the wall, they widened at the time. 6:30pm! What the hell!? Where the hell did the time go!? “Uh, I guess so? Then that also means I haven’t gotten as far as I’d like. I’ve still got a report to write, essays… Oh my god, I’ve got a test to study that I almost forgot about!” A hand lifted to your forehead in stress before sliding down your cheek and your E/C orbs glanced around at the mess. “I’ve got so much to do! Not enough time. I’m going to fail. Oh my god, I’m going to fail!” “You’re not going to fail.” Gavin’s firm voice spoke through your thoughts. This wasn’t the first time he’s helped you through a mild anxiety attack regarding your studies. Stepping over some of your books and paperwork, you watched as he made his way over to you, lifting his leg slightly as he swung it behind him so he could straddle the couch behind you, so that you now sat in between his legs. “You were born to be a Nurse. I’ve seen how you’ve patched me up. Your gentle with your hands. It’s one of the things I fell in love with.” You leaned back, head tilting back and upwards to glance back up at him. “Just my hands? Not my heart or my beautiful face?” Gavin quietly chuckled, “And your sense of humor.” Speaking of hands, you suddenly felt his hands on your shoulders. You immediately let out a groan of satisfaction as his fingertips firmly pressed into the knots on your shoulder. Gavin was quiet as he began massaging your shoulders; giving you a small break from your workload, knowing he can at least offer something to help you. Judging by the roll of your head and the small mewls of pleasure coming from you, he must be doing a good job! It wasn’t often Gavin massages you. Mostly due to his own hectic workload, and quite often he came home exhausted. But when he does, oh his fingers are magic and immediately have you trapped under their spell. “I don’t know Gavin…” you started, biting your bottom lip before letting it go. “I’m worried I’m in over my head. My passion is to help people and there are other ways of doing that. This whole medical study is a little too hard.” There was certainly no mistaking the disappointment in your voice and Gavin stopped in his ministrations for a moment before picking up again. “Y’know…when I studied to become a police officer, I didn’t think I’d get through.” He quietly opened up to you a little. It’s not often he does, he’s just not a very open person and you learned that it was easier to let him come to you when he’s ready rather than you question for answers. “I was just some dumb punk kid. Couldn’t spell. Kept pickin’ fights, worried I was gonna end up on the wrong side of the law indefinitely. But, uh… here I am. Y’know? The physical stuff was easy. Loved it. But the academic stuff? The studying, the essays? Man, it felt like bullshit. My final exam… y’know, the one that really matters…? Thought I’d fucked it up completely. I studied as hard as I could but it felt like nothing… I left that exam room, ready to quit. Wanted to quit. Hell, I even almost tore up my acceptance letter. There was just no way in hell I was gonna make it. But I did. And you will too. Just keep going, Y/N. Don’t give up. The world needs you as a Nurse. I need you as a Nurse. Who else is gonna patch me up?” You let out a sigh as Gavin kept working the knots on your shoulders, and his firm voice slowly soothing your worries. To others who didn’t know Gavin, one would assume he was being a bit harsh or blunt with his speech, but you knew the tones of endearment that lay within the message he was trying to send. “Take a breather, Y/N.” Gavin suggested when you didn’t respond to his little spiel that came from the heart. He didn’t take offense to you not replying. He knew you tend let things process a little before taking on board what was said. “I can’t. I have so much to do.” You said as you leant sideways on his knee, a hand waving at the mess of papers and textbooks everywhere. “Your burnt out. You’re gonna get shit done tonight. You don’t think I’ve been where you are? You’re gonna just sit there and re-read the same question for the next three hours, trying to make sense of it. And you’re gonna write fuck all because your brain is tired.” His fingers had stopped massaging across your skin, but they had now begun to caress softly across your shoulders before dropping to your upper arms and giving them a squeeze of reassurance. He’s head coming to lean down and press against the side of yours as you both sat there for a moment in silence. You hadn’t argued against him so, to him, that meant you were likely contemplating what he was suggesting and would heed his advice in stopping for the night. His grey eyes spotted something in one of your text books and frowned, trying to make out what the fuck it was… “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to something that represented a certain type of sweet. “It’s a spleen.” “Looks like a jelly bean to me.” “Yeah, well it wouldn’t taste like one.” “How would you know? Have you ever tasted one before? Are you secretly a cannibal that I don’t know about? … ‘cause that’s kinda hot. Let’s do it!” Joking of course, he attacked your neck with kisses, making you smile and the small sound of laughter escaped. Gavin’s heart fluttered just a bit knowing he made you smile, even if it was just a small smile… “C’mon Y/N. Pack all this away. Start fresh tomorrow.” “Yes Detective.” You murmured, teasingly using his title which you did every now and then. It always earned a small sound of laughter from him. With a kiss to your temple, Gavin wiggled himself out of being trapped on the couch by your body, and left you to pack up your paperwork. He would have helped but he didn’t want to mess up any system you had going (working on case files at the Precinct, he knew what it was like to have a mess of papers spread out across the table but for it to also be an ‘organised mess’). You barely paid any mind to where Gavin was going, assuming he’d gone to take a shower or something. You focused on packing things away, feeling a little more at ease after Gavin was able to place your mind to rest. This is one of the things you adored so much about him; at first glance he looks like a gruff person you wouldn’t dare be friends with, but underneath all that… there’s a much sweeter side to him. It took him ages to show it, but you saw his potential, caught glimpses of it beneath his rough-boy exterior. Hence why you never gave up on him.

Everything in two neat piles, you carried both to the dining room table and set them there, ready to tackle tomorrow. For now, you needed to focus on cooking dinner because even though it’s been a long day for you, it’s been an even longer day for the poor Detective. And the last thing he needed to come home to was a stressed out girlfriend. “Hey, Gav? What do you want for dinner?” You called out from the kitchen, hand resting on the countertop with a finger idly tapping away in thought because you hadn’t prepared anything earlier. “Don’t worry about dinner” Gavin said as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, making you jump ten feet in the air. Again, making him chuckle at your reaction. “Ran you a bubble bath. Go relax. I’ll handle tonight.” Had your hand not been resting on the countertop, you would’ve fainted at the offer. All this time Gavin had prepared you a bubble bath while you were tidying up your papers, despite his own long-ass day. How the hell did you get so lucky to have him? How the hell did people not see that he was such a kind man beneath his rough exterior? “I… but what about dinner?” “I’ll order pizza. Now go. Water’s gettin’ cold.” You stared at him just a moment longer before the relief washed over your body and your shoulders sagged, hand sliding off the bench. “Sounds good.” You softly murmured before walking up to him and pressing a kiss against his cheek. You didn’t see it as you made your way to the bathroom, but Gavin had a stupid smile on his face. He may not show it in all the right ways, but he was head over heels for you. He fucking worshipped the ground you walked on. You were that softness he needed in the world of cruelty he was exposed to either by his job or his own damn actions. You soaked in the bath for a good long while – or until your stomach started growling loudly and ruined the mental aesthetic you had going on. The last thing you expected Gavin to do was run you a bath, much less a bubble bath. Just add it to one of the many things you loved about him. Like it was said, he doesn’t show his love or appreciation in normal ways. But the massage, the bubble bath, the taking over the evening’s plans so you can relax despite his own long and stressful day… those were the ways he shows he cares. It wasn’t long before you were snug in your pyjama’s and followed the scent of Pizza that sat on the coffee table, Gavin patiently waiting for you to join him before he began eating. You hated that he does that, he needs to eat. No need to wait for you. But then again, you adored that he had some gentlemanly values. Because, looking at him (or with your first impression of him), you thought he lacked them entirely. There was a bottle of water waiting for you too, as sweet as Gavin was to take everything into consideration, it made you feel even more guilty because he’s had a long day and you haven’t even asked about his day, or how he was going! You quietly sat down and took your half of the cardboard box that had your pizza on it. “Hey. You’re gonna make a great Nurse one day.” Glancing over to him, you saw the sincerity in his grey eyes. He 100% believed in you. No doubts. Your eyes quickly shifted to the kitchen table before glancing back at Gavin again. He’s right. You can do this. You’ll do it for him. A gentle smile spread across your face, blush lightly tinging your cheeks. “Thank you, Gavin. For everything.” “Hey, c’mon now. How many times have I come home late or pulled an all-nighter? It’s the least I could do. Besides. You got no idea how hot you’re gonna look in your uniform.” “They’ll be scrubs Gavin. Not the 1950s get-up.” “Still gonna look hot babe. And ‘m still gonna rip ‘em off you.” You chuckled softly at the underlining compliment before moving a little closer to him on the couch, resting against his arm. To which he moved it slightly so you could rest in the crook of his side while you ate. “I mean it Y/N. You’re gonna be great and I’m so proud of you.”  

#gavin reed x reader #gavin reed #DBH Gavin #gavin reed imagines #gavin reed imagine #dbh gavin imagine #DBH Imagines #DBH Requests #gavin reed soft #gavin reed one-shot #gavin reed one shot #gavin reed is my weakness #dbh x reader #detroit become human x reader #detroit become human #detroit become human imagine #detroit become human request #oh god please don't judge me

[knjoodles]

mismatched pages; jimin x reader

pairing: writer!jimin x writer!reader

genre: fluff, angst

word count: 1.2K

summary: you love writing. it’s your passion, it’s what you dream to do forever. up until you find out the guy you really like also happens to be the guy who’s stealing your ideas. then it sucks.

lowercase intended.

02 (a lot longer than this first chapter)

“shit!” you exclaimed, tumbling out of your dorm and into the hallway. you were 15 minutes late to class, and it takes 15 minutes to walk there. you stood in front of the elevator, tapping your foot out of pure terror and nerve. “okay,” you said to yourself, “elevator’s not fast. stairs, stairs!” you whipped towards the stairwell on the other side of the hall and dashed towards them, scurrying down the stairs and nearly tripping over at least twice. 

once you reached the ground floor, you let yourself take a breather. “i need to get back into shape.” you groaned, rubbing your temples before adjusting the uncomfortable way your sock was sitting on your foot and, again, setting off to run to your class. “fuck!” you muttered. “dr. yang is going to kick my ASS!”

thanks to the cup of iced latte you downed in ten minutes, your body running on pure adrenaline, and that leftover chinese from last night, you reached your class in 7 minutes. embarrassed that you were out of breath, you spent about 30 seconds catching it before walking in.

you opened the door slowly so to not be embarrassed about your entire class eyeing you for being late and were nicely surprised as none of them even bat an eye at you. dr. yang, your professor, raised his eyebrows at you and motioned for you to make your way over to his desk before starting your classwork.

“(y/n),” he said, “can you explain to me why you were late?”

“i, um,” you fiddled with the corner of your jacket and made eye contact with him; eye contact that was way too direct to not be awkward. “i stayed up last night working on the project you assigned, and then i went to sleep late. i woke up 40 minutes ago and realized how late i was. i'm sorry, it won’t happen again.”  you bowed.

dr. yang sighed, laying down the stack of papers he was filing and looked up at you. “(y/n), why are you working so hard?”

personally? you were stunned by that question. you never imagined in all your life that a teacher would ask you that question. 

“i mean, i assigned that a week ago! it’s due at the end of the semester!” he chuckled, shocked that you’d start that early. 

“but sir, everyone else has started!” you argued, trying justify why you slept at 5 a.m. last night. 

“well, has this ‘everyone else’ stayed up so late that they’re late to the class that the grade is for?” dr. yang queried. “(y/n). i don’t want to discourage hard work and hard working people, but you already excel in this class. you don’t need to do this, and?  it’s better if you don’t. you should live your life the way you want to, but please, if not for you than for your teacher, let yourself rest.”

you were appalled to say the least. you could barely say a word; your teacher just told you to stop working so hard? “i,”  you started, forgetting how to form coherent sentences. “i understand, dr. yang.”

“good. now, if you were here for the first 20-something minutes of class, you’d know that there were two assignments today.” he teased as he stood up. “one assignment was to work on the semester project. but, i knew some people like you would be almost completely done with that. so, i created the second assignment: an in-class assignment, which doubles as me entering my students in a contest. you must write up a fully original short story. it can be about anything you like, any theme you want, any genre, etc. then, once it has been proofread by another student, it’ll be read by a panel of judges, who’ll be judging short stories from all over the world. the top ten writers will then move on to a sequel competition. the top three writers will be awarded a large sum of money, and, if one of my students wins, they will earn 30% extra credit on their final exam. it’s one of the toughest writing competitions out there, so great achievements deserve great rewards. and, everything will be done-” he paused, looking at you.

“wow,” you exclaimed, feeling like the wind was knocked out of you. 30% extra credit on your final exam? that’s so many points, you could drown in them. “that sounds amazing, im so glad you’re giving us this opportunity to-“

“-in partners.” he finished, watching your eyes grow like saucers and your jaw drop ever so slightly.

“in... in partners?” you stumbled over your words. ideas for this were already flying through your head. but now you have to work with someone else? in a class where you only talk to two other people? who you’ve known since you were in middle school? 

“yes!” dr. yang hummed, ridding the whiteboard of tiny marks. “but, partners have already been chosen. fortunately, there’s someone else who thought they could get by by themselves.”

“sir, im not sure if i want to-"

“park jimin. he’ll be your partner.” dr. yang turned to you and smiled, placing his whiteboard eraser rag in a drawer and sitting back down in his chair.

“park jimin? you mean, that park jimin?” you motioned over to a man sitting with his nose so close to his laptop, his face was basically part of it.

“do you know any other park jimins in this class?” dr. yang asked, opening his laptop to reply to emails. “get to introducing yourself. he thinks he’s working by himself too.”

with dr. yang quite literally shoo-ing you away with silence and a hand wave, you realized that park jimin was probably going to have to be your best friend until the end of the year. and so you set off, racing up the stairs of your lecture hall, making a beeline for jimin. “excuse me?”

“mhm?” he hummed, turning to you. it would be an understatement to say that it was a change of scenery and what you thought he looked like. you barely saw him; the times you did look at him, his face was masked by his laptop. and the rest of the time, you didn’t really pay attention to him. now, getting a chance to get a good look at him, you studied his features. he had a very attractive facial structure, with high cheekbones and plump lips. his hair was a sleek black color, which really complemented his outfit of beige and dusty blue. you noted how sharp his nose was and how nicely his eyes were shaped. this made life a little easier. at least he wasn’t an eyesore. 

“hi, i'm (y/n).” you held out your hand, which he stared at for a couple seconds before getting the memo that he was supposed to shake it.

“hi, (y/n),” he smiled, clasping your hand with both of his and giving a firm handshake. “do you need something from me? do you need me to write your essay for you?” he giggled.

“no,” you laughed awkwardly. “about the second assignment, the contest one?”

“yeah?” he nodded, resting his head in his right hand.

“dr. yang assigned us as partners, so here i am!”

“dr. yang assigned us as-” he paused to laugh to himself. “him letting me go solo that easily sounded too good to be true.”

a pang of embarrassment washed over you. “i mean, if you don’t want to work with me-”

“no, no! it’s not that at all,” he assured you, pulling over the chair next to him and motioning for to sit down. “i knew he’d do something like this was what i was saying. nothing against you. i’ve just met you!” 

“that's good to know, i guess,” you smiled. “i know that you’re really creative, so maybe later today we can go to a library and bounce ideas off each other?”

“why don’t i treat you to lunch and get to know you better?” he asked. from how introverted he acted in class, you never expected that he’d be so social from the get-go. “i know this really good café only a 10 minute drive from here.”

“well, if you insist,” you said, his smile overtaking any sort of anxiety you felt. you rubbed your thumb on top of your palm in excitement. in huge contrast to high-school, you’re not too social right now.

“great. meet me in front of ginam hall and then we can go!” jimin promised before turning back to his laptop to work on whatever he was on his laptop.

you awkwardly stood up. was that it? dr. yang directly told you to start working on your project after he lectured you. you waited for a solid minute, quietly chewing on your lip and expecting that jimin would offer to share ideas or something. 

anything?

“uh, jimin?” you blurted, the weight of your uncomfortableness outweighing your patience at that point. he turned and raised his eyebrows, lowering his laptop screen and laying his hand on the table.

“yup?” he asked, crossing his legs.

“did dr. yang not tell you our project starts now? like we have to work on it today?” 

“he didn’t say we had to work on it together, today! see it this way, we both brainstorm some deas for our story; plan it out, write down a summary of the plot, make like three of them. then, when we meet up in the library when both of our classes are over we can 

you almost imploded at this idea. it wasn’t  bad or anything, but three plot ideas? three of them? and who said that we were meeting up after lunch? you thought jimin’s replacement for meeting up at the library was lunch! you didn’t sign up for two. “i, um,” you stuttered. “i guess that’s alright?”

jimin beamed, the large round ceiling lights making his eyes glitter. “great! i’ll see you at 12:15 at ginam, right?”

“mhm!” you hummed, flashing him a frail smile and giving two thumbs up before turning around and skittering to your partners in crime, jung hyeyeon and kang jaehyun.

“since when do you talk to park jimin?” hyeyeon pondered, drumming her fingers against the gray of her macbook. 

“yeah, that was weird.” jaehyun nodded. 

“stop it!” you silently scolded, sitting down in between them and fishing out your laptop, letting your bag drop under the desk and on the floor. “it’s ‘cause dr. yang put us in a group since him and i are almost completely finished with our semester project.”

“seriously? is that why you were late?” jaehyun gawked. “i could barely find a topic to report on! how did you finish so fast?”

“i mean, i'm not done done,” you explained, waving your hands as you waited for your laptop to load your project. “i just need someone to proofread so i can make edits. then i'm done.”

“so basically, you’re done.” hyeyeon snickered. “but you and jimin…” she nudged you with her elbow, raising her eyebrows.

“oh, come on!” you laughed. “don’t even start with that. i’ve known him for literally 10 minutes.”

“you guys wouldn’t even look bad!” hyeyeon defended herself, spinning on her chair in jaehyun’s direction. “right, jaehyun?”

“she isn’t wrong,” jaehyun agreed, spinning his pencil with his fingers. “it wouldn’t be ugly.”

“i only know his face and his name. it’s not like i know all of his deep, dark secrets or something. lay off, please?” you half laughed, half begged. 

“fine, fine,” hyeyeon raised her hands in defeat and scuttled her way back to her desk on her swivel chair. “we’ll shut up.” 

you turned your head to the other side of the room to look at jimin, typing away on his computer. you smiled to yourself, thinking about how, as different as you thought the two of you were, you were actually quite similar.

how nice.

#kpop #bts #bts masterlist #bts series #bts au #bts oneshot #bts drabble #bts reaction #bts fluff #bts smut #bts angst #park jimin #bts jimin #jimin #jimin fluff #jimin angst #jimin smut #jimin x reader #bts x reader #kpop icons #kpop masterlist #kpop bios #kpop rp #kpop roleplay #namjoon #seokjin #yoongi #hoseok #taehyung #jungkook

[shy-violet-soul]

The Edge of Okay

Characters: reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester Rating: Teens+ Summary:  A weary warrior fights an unseen battle, trying to hold herself together and hide her pain from the brothers.  

***TRIGGER WARNINGS***: anxiety/panic attack, self-harm, graphic descriptions of injuries

A/N:  For all of us who struggle with an invisible mental illness.  For all of us who don’t want to hurt ourselves, but just want it to stop.  For all of us who have trouble seeing our own amazing courage.  For all of us who claw our way back from the scary edge.  This one is for us.

If you need help, please reach out!  You are precious.  Here’s a link of contacts.

A very big thank you to @thesassywallflower for being my beta once again.  I so admire your writing talent, my friend, so your feedback, suggestions, and praise always mean so much to me.  THANK YOU!

(image credit: Olga Zavgorodnya via www.fineartamerica.com)

“I’m okay.”

Of all the lies I’ve ever told, that one is the biggest.

My body is a relief map.  Rough and raised on the space where my left thumb meets my hand - machete callous.  Painted blue on my right rib cage - bruise from an upright player piano a vengeful spirit slammed into me.  Thready and crooked - new part in my hair beside my ear from a too-close-call with a wraith.  A fretwork of pink raised ridges, whitish blobs, and silvered indents - an atlas to past mileage.  

You’re okay, I tell myself, not even feeling the frenetic bounce of my knee anymore.  Fingers cold, I trace the newest mark on my skin, up and down, up and down.  Sam’s gotten pretty good at stitches - they don’t look as much like Frankenstein work anymore.  The still-tight scars lay pink and healing where they webbed up from the inner knob of my right collarbone to my ear.  My fingertips can still feel the tiny spots where the stitches laced me back together.  Stupid, lucky lacerations.  They’re easy.  I mean, getting filleted like a mackerel by a demon was a bitch.  But hey - stitches work.  Fluids and food restore.  A whiskey or three cures a lot.

Up and down, up and down, I trace the lines that tell me I’m okay.  That my skin is knitting back together, and my blood is staying inside where it belongs.  Physically, I’m well on the mend.  It’s just my brain that’s a mess.

It started when I was in high school.  I thought everyone got chest pains studying for calculus exams, or nausea over a required oral presentation on European folklore.  Eventually, after being found wedged between two sections of lockers hyperventilating about an essay I’d forgotten, my parents insisted on getting me help.  Enter Dr. Bass and an answer: General Anxiety Disorder.  I’d hated the idea of medication, but I’d hated the constant panic attacks more.  It took a while.  A long while.  But I finally figured out how to co-exist with the anxiety.  It took even longer to stop feeling ashamed of my invisible illness.  I succeeded, mostly.  The rest of the time, I trained my face to lie.  The official I’m okay robot, complete with appropriate facial expressions.

Then, you know - parents dying and monsters and real angels and crap.  Dean and Sam patched me up, showed me the ropes, and I never looked back.  Who has time for panic attacks when you’re busy torching wendigos?

You’re okay, as fatigue burns the back of my eyes, puffed and scratchy.  I haven’t slept more than a couple of hours at a time in days.  Sam remarked on the beautiful bags under my eyes the other morning.  

“Sleep is for the weak,” I’d winked at Dean, slapping a smile on.  I can’t let them know.

You’re okay, the refrain as I count the skipped heart beats and feel the chest pain tighten.  Black eyes and a cackling smile flash in my mind, and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to shake the image away.  I can beat this.  

You’re okay, while I swallow sticky around the need to hyperventilate at the memory of my blood running warm down my neck, then cold and clammy.  I can’t do this.

Up and down, up and down, my fingers rub the crooked lines a little too hard.  A raw pinch, a reminder from the tender skin that it’s still healing.  The sensation washes up into my head, and for a moment, I don’t feel the awful suck.  For a moment, my knee stills and the fatigue ebbs.  For a moment, I get a breather from the silent suffocation.  Temptation brings a tremble to my hands, wet to my eyes, and I yank my hand away, tucking both fists under my legs.  Exhaustion sags my edges hard, and I can’t hold up my head anymore.  My kneecaps dig into my cheekbones, my lungs shudder as I remind myself that’s not the answer.  You’re okay.  Frantically, I try to grasp at past coping techniques, and flail away the lies.  

I’m not weak.  I’m not a failure. I’m not broken.

But the ‘nots’ feel heavy in my head, and everything’s too hot and too cold.  I want to run five miles and lay down and never move again.  My clothes are too loose and too tight. I want pizza but I feel like throwing up.  It’s all too loud in here, and too quiet, and I would give a lot - almost anything - to make it all stop.

A sob croaks its way past the dryness, wheezing around a weak gag into the blaring silence of the library.  My fingers reach up, up to the table’s edge and press forward till I feel them.  The feel of the plastic containers both relieves and terrifies me.  I’m clinging to a new and scary edge I’ve never seen.

“Hey.”  The deep rasp squeezes my throat shut as I sense Dean’s warmth beside me.  I can sense him crouch down, one hand resting on my arm.  “Hey, are you okay?”

The weight within me presses, hard, and I feel something crack.  Oxygen is hard, all of a sudden, and the panic spikes, black dots in my vision.  One hand fumbles towards him, skittering one of the plastics a bit.  But I’m too tired to hold him, and oh, God, I need to hold on to someone.  As if from under deep water, I drag my head up to look at him, but my face is too tired to lie.  I’m too tired to lie.

“No.”  I try to swallow, cotton all the way down till my stomach hurts.  “No, I’m not okay.”

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

She thinks she’s hiding it well.  Maybe from someone else, but not me.  You don’t have to be a Sherlock to see she’s not sleeping.  Her face is washed out, and we could go shopping with those bags under her eyes.  Always alert, she’s gone from awake and aware to outright jumpy.  I’ve teased her for her diet in the past, which she affectionately dubbed ‘the Winchester hybrid’ - a steady mix of my junk and Sam’s rabbit food.  You couldn’t keep a mouse alive on what she’s tried to fool us with.  

I get it.  She damn near died.  I took a great deal of pleasure in ganking that demon.  Blood was freakin’ everywhere.  Thanked whatever deity for Sammy’s dinner plate hands holding her neck together till we could get her sewn up.  Damn.  I’ve seen blood before.  I’ve seen my little brother slashed to shreds, held his broken bones in my hands.  You never get over that.  Doesn’t matter how many times.  It keeps me up at night sometimes.  That cold, quivery awfulness that hits your gut and won’t let go.  Makes you feel like you’re licking a battery or some shit. Sam thinks I got my awesome headphones to drown him out.  Sometimes, but mostly I just need to get out of my head.  Try to block out that crap with some classic electric guitar.  And beer.  You just...figure out how to live around it.

Seeing her blood all over - I don’t know why, but it was so much worse.  Felt like I swallowed the damn battery, I was so juiced up.  My gut felt cold for days.  But she got better.  Stitches work.  Fluids and food restore.  And a whiskey or six helped me catch a little shut eye without the memory of holding her neck together while Sammy sewed.

Cuts?  Those are easy, though.  Gimme a dislocated shoulder or a gash, I can fix that five ways from Sunday.  It’s the dying I see happening in her eyes that kills me.  I can’t fix it.  Not with dental floss and boosted painkillers or ice packs.  What the hell can a chewed up hunter do to help her?  I just wish she’d quit tryin’ to hide it.  Jody throws around the word ‘PTSD’ like it’s something new, but it’s not.  This fear?  The panic?  All hunters live with it.  If they don’t, they’re either liars or sadists.  She’s gotta know she’s not alone.  Time for me to sack up and tell her.

She looks so damn small.  Pajama pants with Bambi and Thumper printed all over and a Captain America hoodie are swallowing her.  The blanket from her bed is flopped around her, and she’s stuffed herself so small into one of the leather chairs, it makes my back hurt to look at her.  Hair’s a mess, lips all chapped, and salt stains on her face.  But her eyes...goddamn, my chest hurts just looking at her pain.

“No.  No, I’m not okay,” she croaks, her fingers knocking against something on the table before they’re shaking on my arm.  Everything in me wants to hold her tight, but I don’t.  Not yet.  I ease down on my knees beside her.  Squeeze her arm a bit while I prop my other hand on the chair beside her shoulder.  Close so she knows I’m here but not caging her in.  Hoping she’ll come to me when she’s ready.

It works.  She breathes like she’s been underwater, then her hands are tight fists in my sleeves. My throat squeezes shut when she looks up at me, like she’s begging me to understand.  Oh, honey...I raise my hand and brush some hair from her eyes.  Keep my movements slow and light, my gaze soft and open on hers.  

“I’m here,” I whisper, watching her eyes fall shut and tears dribble from the corners.  She leans toward me, resting her forehead against mine.  One hand on her head, the other still on her arm, I hold her.  We just breathe like that for a minute.  When she leans back and slides her eyes towards the table, I follow her gaze and my heart stops.

A line of prescription bottles are rowed up near the edge of the table, one tipped over where she must have hit earlier.  A couple with one of her aliases on them.  The other a high-powered painkiller that I know she stopped taking a week ago.  I have to swallow twice as I rub my thumb against her arm.  Do not sound judging.  Keep your cool.

Fresh tears are rolling down her face when I look back at her face.  I reach to hold her hands, a little shocked at how cold she is.

“What did you want those to do for you?” Kept my voice soft, so afraid I’d spook her.  

“I - I -” A sob cuts her off and she reaches for me.  My whole body loosens with relief as I pull her down on my lap, into my arms, and away from this edge it feels like she’s dangling from.  Her face dives for my shoulder and she just cries. 

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

“I don’t want to die, I don’t!” My tongue feels stuck and heavy as I try to rush the words out.  My nerves feel like they’re on fire.  I can feel each heart beat in my temples as my blood pounds panic through my veins like a firehose.  I’m so terrified of seeing disgust in Dean’s face, but I’m more terrified of this edge I’ve ended up at.  I can’t stop the words from pouring out.  The nightmares of black eyes and horrid breath in my face.  Blunt nails scratching my skin when he squeezed my throat.  The scathing, sliding bite of his knife down my neck, and the certainty I was going to die.  It all comes gushing free like something cut loose inside of me.

As the black spots swirl around me sickeningly - comfort.  Slow, like a signal light from way off, I feel it first - hard arms holding me.  Big shoulders shielding me.  Warmth bleeding into me.  Soothing whispers start to piece-meal into my ears.  

“It’s alright.  I’m here.  I’ve got you, don’t worry.  I’ve got you.”

The words, the truth there actually hurts me for a second, and I squeeze his shirt tighter in my hands below his collarbones.  I scrunch myself smaller under his chin, and my lungs stutter as they try to suck in more air.

Minutes pass.  Maybe days, I don’t know.  Panic attacks will do that to you.  The lies are quiet for a moment, letting that bubble of truth float its way to my brain.  

“I don’t want to hurt myself.”  He needs to know that.  I need Dean to know that.

“What do you want?” His words rumble, soft but soothing, against my cheek.  I couldn’t stop the dribble of tears that leaked fresh from my eyes, and the weight of that water felt too heavy, so I closed my lids beneath it.

“I...I just...I’m tired, Dean.  I just want to sleep.”

“Do you want to go to my room and lay down?”

The thought of being in a small room makes my skin crawl.  “No,” the whisper forces its way out of my throat.  “I like it here.”

Dean didn’t say anything.  With the storm of panic passed, I feel wrung out, cold, and weak.  I barely track Dean moving an arm for a reach or two.  Then, he’s easing me back onto my butt.  It steadies me to focus on his face as he’s grabbing around me.  His eyelashes, the freckles on his cheekbones pull me in until I feel my blanket against my shoulders.  Numbly, I watch Dean’s hands as he cocoons the blanket around me.  His fingers feel warm and rough on my face as he cups my cheeks.  The sensations ground me, and I’m able to breathe a little deeper for a second.  When I open my eyes, Dean’s looking down at me.  He offers me a smile that’s crinkled eyes and soft reassurance.

“There.  Now you’re a burrito of tired.”

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

The chuckle she gives is sorry and sad, but I’ll take it.  My hands look too big and rough against her face, but her eyes close and her shoulders try to let go when I stroke one cheekbone with my thumb.  Screw it.  I ease her against my chest and stand up, holding her tight.  The main lights of the library click off - Sam got my text.  I clock him hovering in the kitchen doorway, giving me a ‘two minutes’ sign.  His puppy dog eyes look worried as I plop us down in one of the leather armchairs.  It takes me a second to get her situated where we’re both comfortable.  As soon as I stop moving, I notice how she’s shaking.  But her skin isn’t as cold as it was, and I feel her ribs expand with the first deep breath since I found her.  Feels like I can breathe a little deeper now, too.  

Pretty sure Sam conjured up a kitchen spell or something, because there’s no way it’s been two minutes when he comes trotting back in.  I roll my eyes when I see that instead of the one piece of toast I asked for, he’s got a pile as deep as his stupid hair.  But, I smell her private stash of cinnamon-sugar in with the toasted goodness - good job, little brother.  The plate slides onto the table next to us, and a bottle of water plops down with it.  I feel her eyelashes tickle against my neck when she opens her eyes.

“Hi, Sam.” God, she sounds tired.  

“Hey.” Sam squats down on his heels, reaching to tug the blanket up a little higher around her shoulders, then strokes her head carefully.  

You good? he asks with a lift of his eyebrows.  Yeah, I tell him with a bob of my chin.  The breath she pulls in is slow, now, and it’s got more O2 behind it when it sighs out warm against me.  I rub my right hand against her back, up and down, up and down. My left hand slides up into her hair and I start to drag my fingertips against her scalp.  Her shaking slows down to almost nothing as she sags against me. Her fatigue is contagious, and I feel my eyes growing heavy as I let my gaze drift.  Those damn pill bottles are ready to remind me, though.  That edge that almost pulled her under.

This battle may be on hold, but the war ain’t over.

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

For the first time in days, I feel warm.  My elbows and knees still feel trembly, but I feel loose instead of wound tighter than a spring.  Dean’s slow breathing moves underneath me, letting me rest against the swell and fall of his chest.  Leather and laundry soap reach me, a comforting cloud above the tickle of cinnamon-sugar.  The chair beside us creaks, and I hear Sam’s boots against the floor as he gets comfortable.  Dean’s hand rubbing my back, up and down, up and down.  My stress-singed senses settle amid all this, grounded and grateful.

The memory of that scary edge, though…

“I didn’t want to hurt myself.”  I wanted them to know.

“What did you want?” the calm question.  

“Sleep.  I just...I’ve been fighting and fighting and I’m so tired.  I just didn’t feel like I could fight anymore.”  I’d be ashamed if I wasn’t so exhausted.  These two warriors had literally been to hell and back, and I was whining about being tired.  Dean’s arms tighten around me, and the sandpaper-y rub of his chin feels good.

“But you are fighting.  Look at you.  You didn’t do anything.  That’s fighting.”

I want to believe him.  But my gut is too quivery for hope yet.  

“It doesn’t feel like fighting.  Feels like failure.”  Bone-deep tired pulls heavy on every muscle, and I close my eyes as I snuggle in closer to the anchor Dean offers.

“Sure as hell ain’t failure, sweetheart.  Looks a lot like a tough as nails hunter kickin’ it in the ass and swingin’ for all she’s worth.”  The words sigh a deep breath from me.  I don’t know what to say anymore.  “I know you’re tired.  But you just gotta keep fighting.”

That same stupid flicker of anxiety that’s my own evil pilot light wavers in my gut, and I swallow around the desire to cry all over again.

“And what if I can’t?  Keep fighting?”  Dean sits quiet for a minute.  I knew it.  I am hopeless…

Then, he presses a kiss to my forehead, stirring warm against my hairline.  “Then, you come get us.  We’ll fight for you.  We’ll make sure you’re okay.”

My mind lies still - no nightmares to tear through me at the moment.  The arms around me like a buoy, letting me catch my breath as I back away.  I know that scary edge is still there.  But now...I feel like I see it from a different view, one where I can see the corners.  The other edge where I can learn how to coexist with this invisible monster again without my face telling lies.

It feels like the edge of okay.

#supernatural #spn #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester fic #sam winchester fic #dean winchester #sam winchester #reader #spnfanficpond

[odetoo]

au + 5 hc atla university/professorship au.

Hhhmmm… I hope my interpretation is to your liking. Most of the AUs I’ve talked about and know that are similar to this one are Music Professor AUs which are fun right??? The music professor headcanons are borrowed/inspired by/built off of @firelord-frowny‘s music AUs

1. Zuko is difficult. His father is the head of the music department/director of a prestigious university’s orchestra, and Zuko wants nothing to do with instruments and how to use them… He’s interested in drawing and painting and the visual arts. And Ozai tries his best to put up with that… But as he gets older, Zuko actually becomes pretty good at drawing and Ozai refuses to admit that Zuko is good at that only because he doesn’t see it getting Zuko anywhere in the world.After winning awards in local and school art shows in the last years of high school, Zuko finally convinces his father to let him go to art school, telling him about all the things he could do after he earned a diploma in art. So after telling Zuko to apply for as many scholarships as he could, Ozai decided to pay for Zuko’s tuition at Cal Arts…. However…. Zuko was not fit to be a college student… Didn’t like how the teachers taught their classes, didn’t get enough sleep, or eat enough food, showed up late or he didn’t even show up to classes. So he dropped out after a year and Ozai was pissed. Pissed that he had to spend that money on a school Zuko would drop out of. They have a falling out and Zuko is kicked out.Not having anywhere to go… Iroh offers to take him and Zuko moves to New York with his uncle until he can find a way to make enough to live on his own. He gets a job working as a waiter in a bar next to a tattoo studio. One night after his shift, he passes the owner of the tattoo studio taking a smoke break out back, his arms are all decorated with fancy art and Zuko likes art… So he asks, and they have a long conversation. He finds out the owner is a retired lieutenant from the Navy, and he’s rather grumpy and has no problem speaking his mind. His name is Jee. He also finds out that he’s open to an apprenticeship and the very next day Zuko comes back with a portfolio of his own art and the lieutenant sees potential and accepts to take Zuko as his apprentice, but that doesn’t mean he has to like the kid. Zuko realizes he’s quite happy carving art into people’s skin, and that he didn’t need to earn a piece of paper that said he went to X school of arts to be successful.

2. Azula, quite opposite of Zuko, was always rather gifted. She was playing the violin quite well before she was in her double digits, she was a prodigy. When it came time for college, she of course got a full ride scholarship to the university where her father headed the music department at. Even as a freshman, she’d get first chair and the position of concert master. Anyone who dared to even dream to have her spot would be squashed out by Azula’s sheer determination to be the best, to be perfect… And really everyone thought the reason she was picked for concert master was because she was the director’s daughter, but even if you did take that factor of relation away, she was actually that good to always get first seat when auditions were held. The day she loses her seat to someone else is the day she falls apart, and at home that night, she would confront her father about picking someone else and he would simply reply with ‘Because she performed better than you did.’ She loses her composure for one night and by the next day she’s trying to better her skills to reclaim her seat by the next audition.

3. Aang is aged up a little to be a young professor. He teaches at a liberal arts college and specializes in social studies, more specifically human sexuality and lgbtq studies. He’s the kind of teacher that comes in late to his own class with a bottle of homemade fruit/veggie/herb beverage that everyone wonders about. He’s the kind of professor that hands out cute plushie versions of STI microbes during the STI unit in his human sexuality class. He’s the kind of professor that you can talk to about anything at anytime and he won’t be fazed, he’s a friend. He’s the kind of professor that doesn’t take attendance and has no penalty set for missing classes, because he understands that life happens and college just isn’t for everyone. People who take his class seriously and show up and really care about their education and ask a lot of questions are his favorite kind of students. He doesn’t have exams or quizzes because he doesn’t believe those actually measure a person’s intelligence on a subject. Instead he assigns short essay/journal assignments requiring minimal amount of research on something vaguely relating to the current topic in the class and honestly he just likes reading the students’ thoughts… In fact he encourages creativity so much that he forbids students from writing an essay or research paper for their final projects.

4. Sokka wanted to join the Marine Corps right after he graduated high school. That doesn’t happen because right at the end of junior year, he discovers that he’s been colorblind the entire time… He’s absolutely crushed by this development. Now he has to go to college right away uuUUUgghhh. He goes to a two year school to get his gen eds out of the way and then goes on to a state university and pursues a study in engineering. He’s actually incredibly book smart, and complex math comes easy to him. This college thing isn’t as bad as he thought it would be he thinks. He’s also the kind of student that hosts legendary parties in his apartment, and he spends a lot of his weekends partying, but still manages to do well and get his homework done on time.During one of his parties, he meets somebody(Whoever you want it to be because I honestly don’t know) and he pretty much hits it off quite well with them and before long they’re in a relationship and then living together, and honestly its so bizarre to him how different his life might be if he weren’t colorblind.

5. Katara goes to med school and that’s like… A six year ordeal, and she appears to get through it so gracefully. She does want to be the woman to cure cancer after all, especially since that’s what took her mother away from her :c Though the med school she wants to go to is far away from the rest of her family and they’re really concerned about her especially when she seems so tired when they talk to her and when she doesn’t come home for family events because school work has her weighed down… She really doesn’t get through at as gracefully as her peers see her do, because she ends up really homesick in the end. She goes home, and starts small, working at a clinic close to home and she’s quite humble and happy with that, she just needs a breather.

#avatarsymbolismsblogs #meme #5 headcanons meme #long post #ode writes

[jawllines]

oKAY LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO PURSUE THIS FIC OKAY

Harry fucked up.

Now was it a tremendous fuck up? No, nothing life altering and terrible would come from it other than hard hitting embarrassment and shame if anyone were to find out he were lying. It was something he could probably weasel his way out of too, since he'd perfected the art of weaseling his way out of things in the past few weeks, but the fucked part is, is that he can't truly weasel the way out of his weasel, if that makes sense. Harry's dug himself into a pit that he's stuck in either way he goes about it -- damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

See, Harry has been going through a period of time this year where he just liked being alone. Just liked staying at his flat and chilling out, after an outrageous Sophomore year in UNI where he had just exhausted himself of partying and balancing his academics on top of that. It seemed like a good idea to just cool down for a while this summer -- to just take a breather, recollect himself and his thoughts, maybe pick up knitting, or finally finish that Bukowski book he'd started midwinter and set down on his nightstand to not be touched since.

Though he had a group of friends who really didn't take that as an excuse to quit partying. It was their vacation after all, they're supposed to be living it up and having a blast while they can -- Harry included -- so if he wanted to get out of something he needed an excuse. A good excuse too, "I'm tired" didn't cut it with them.

So Harry had fabricated a girlfriend. And he knows, god he knows it's dumb, and childish, and he shouldn't be lying about something like this but it was the easiest way out! Ducking out of plans with the ol' "Ah m'sorry Mate, the missus' wan's to visit this Tapas restaurant," or "I would but m'staying in for a cuddle and as much as I love you lot, m'getting head tonight," always worked out smoothest. They never asked much about her, or at least Harry didn't really give them a chance to before he was off the phone. Sure he'd made up bits and pieces here and there that would make it seem like he really won it with this one and had them (especially Niall) thinking he's got the  perfect girlfriend. One who he rarely argues with (unless its playful), is just a freak in the bedroom, likes to pig out with him, smart as hell, gives great back massages, is funny as all get out, and smells sweet too.

Which was good for a while -- it was a safe, clean fib that he was getting away with. Or at least it had been, until he's put in a group chat with the lot of them talking about a cabin they've rented out an hour or two away for a small summer getaway. He gives it his best, he does, tries to wiggle out of it, but they beg and they plead with him.

We haven't seen you in sooooo long

right it's been like a decade !

cuz he's so whipped for his gf he's forgotten about us :(

just bring her too then, ffs, we haven't met her yet, this would be the perfect time to

Yes!! Bring the girl you've been gushing about, been wanting to meet her

u dont even have to pay for the cabin it's all squared away, it'll be so much fun H, u gotta

How was he going to say no to all of that? How could he say no and then explain that he's been lying this whole time, that there is no girl, and he's just been avoiding them all because he's tired? That'd sure start a ton of shit he doesn't want to much deal with.

So he responds without thinking it through to the full extent. Says yes, that they will go, and asks for all the details and times and whatnot, what he should bring and what he shouldn't. They're all stoked, so happy to see him and he can't say that it doesn't feel good that he's wanted -- it's a nice feeling it is, but he's got one aching problem that the love of friends just won't fix.

Harry's got to find a girlfriend that suits everything he's ever said to them in the next four days, or he's going to make a fool out of himself.

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Finding a fake girlfriend was a lot harder than he thought, more so since he'd told the boys that they wouldn't know her. So this requires a lot of digging, a lot of asking one night stands what they're doing in the upcoming week, a lot of asking old friends from Holmes Chapel to fly out so he didn't look like an idiot,  lot of panicked late night drafting, deleting, and redrafting a Craigslist ad. He was willing to offer money too, just for the sake of it and as the final selling point. He was starting to wish he hadn't said much about this fake girlfriend at all, so a fake boyfriend could've been a possibility too, but he hadn't thought that far into the lie.

Harry was just in the midst of realizing how much of a sad, dramatic Disney movie his life was turning into when he gets an alert on his phone. It makes him jump, it vibrating just towards the edge of the counter so he slaps his hand down atop of it to stop it from slipping off the granite. His heart is drumming from the adrenaline of saving his phone when he sees who it's from.

Heyyyy, I was wonderin' if I could have my pen back? I know its been a minute and I said you could have it but turns out that was my fav pen not the copy of my fav pen. I've got your cute flower sticky post-its to return to you too, so we could do a trade off.

Y/N was a girl who sat besides him during his Bio lectures this past semester. Really, she was the only thing that got him through it because he zoned out way too much and she always let him borrow her notes, partnered up with him when they had labs or projects, and always read through the final draft of some of the essays they had to put it (not just for Bio, but for some of his English courses as well). They'd bonded some, but she was one of those friends that really just stayed within the realms of school -- never ventured out of that.

During their exam they had to write a constructive response in pen and Harry hadn't brought one so Y/N let him use hers and in return he gave her his flower sticky notes so they would remember to give each thing back to each other. Neither did, however, and Harry had pretty much forgotten he had it until he came across it the other day. He'd been meaning to text her about it, but he'd left it on his coffee table and sort of just forgot about it again.

Now that Harry thinks about it, he wishes he would've kept in better contact with her. Y/N was a good laugh and nice to chat with -- made the two hour long labs seem like a breeze and the professor just adored her so they always got a damn nice grade. She was pretty amazing too, way fucking smart, and smells really nice -- like vanilla -- and sometimes she would bring in a big homemade bag of these fancy seasoned pretzel sticks that she let him dig into.

Well, now that he really thinks about it, she sounds exactly like the girlfriend he told the others about.

And well, fuck, it was a long shot, but Y/N might just be his best fucking chance at getting out of this scrape free. Y/N's pretty chill with a lot of things, goes with the flow, and is laid back when the time calls for it. Has their old Bio professor thing she was an absolute angel that the heavens bestowed onto this earth, so she was a pretty good actor as well.

He can't imagine this working out in his favor but he isn't just not going to ask. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and he's willing to give her any amount she wants for a week and a half of her time.

So he messages her back for a place and a time and when she offers the coffee shop a few blocks from his house he agrees, takes one more spoonful of the fruity pebbles he'd been cramming down his throat before closing his laptop and setting his phone down atop of it.  The goal right now is hopping in the shower and making himself smell all nice, fresh, and like a "Tropical Thunderstorm" that will hopefully aide in persuading her. All he could hope for right now is for her to agree easily -- hell, he'd even buy her coffee and one of those cute little strawberry hard shell cakes to buy her out.

Blowing a raspberry at the air, he stretches out his limbs towards the sky and the ground, before rolling his arms back. It looks like he's gearing up for a fight but he's just readying himself. This is quest he has to conquer or he's just absolutely, positively fucked.

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"Okay."

What? 

"What?"

Harry had met up with Y/N, bought her a coffee as planned and got them a booth in a comfortable little nook of the coffee shop. They served it in these huge mugs that she was both gushing over and bashing ("This is the most hipster shit I've seen in my life, but s'got such a cute little bunny on the side, I'm in love.), she slid him his sticky notes and he slid her the pen. After a suitable amount of chatter, like how their summer's have been going, and Y/N telling him a very intense story of how she had to help her friend escape from a club so her boyfriend didn't see her (they hiked her up through a bathroom window), Harry tried to bring it up cautiously and carefully. Explaining his dilemma the best he could, from the wanting some personal time to himself to cool down and relax, to the counterfeited girlfriend he'd conjured up, and ending with the fact that now he's expected to go to a cabin with said "girlfriend" to meet his buddies.

So he asked her, trying to keep himself from cringing at his own proposition.

"Would you pretend to be my girlfriend so I don't make a fool out of myself?"

And, well, she just said okay without a second thought at all.

"I said okay," her brows a furrow and a smile tugs at her mouth, "You aren't asking for a kidney, and the amenities include Wi-Fi, running water, and actual bedding as you informed me. Doesn't sound like too bad of a time either."

This went a lot smoother than Harry thought, and he's still blinking at her, wide eyed but  a grin is broadening across his cheeks, "So you'll do it? Really?" Y/N nods, and Harry just about jumps from his seat, stretching across the table to wrap his arms around her in a tight hug, "God you're a life saver! Thought you would tell me to fuck off or something." She returns the hug easily, which is good he thinks -- he hopes this means Y/N's good with being touchy feely, the way she squeezes him to her.

"S'no problem, really, what was I going to do this week anyways? All my friends took a trip to Australia and I refused because of the creatures they have living down there, so I just have loads of TV dramas queued up and candy I shouldn't be eating." She releases him as he settles back down into his seat, "So what kind of girl did you tell them I was -- like how should I act? M'I shy or outgoing, soft and sweet, or loud and brash, please don't tell me you gave them an eye color because I'm shit with contacts."

Harry is just positively giddy, wiggling in his seat as he takes a sip from his latte and tries to recall the nitty gritty details he's told them about her, "You're soft, cute, smart and really funny, so you don't need to work on anything there," he says cheekily and she rolls her eyes, tossing a crumbled up napkin at him, "We eat a lot together and ya give great back massages."

"I eat a lot on my own anyways so this is good." She chimes in and Harry makes a fist in triumph, "I dunno about the back massages, but I can work on my skills, surely. Anything else?"

"This ones the most important," he says, leaning in close, lowering his voice and she leans in as well in response to it, "We are very, very, very in love. We gotta sell this, do you think you can?"

Y/N waves at the air like she's brushing it off.

"Easy as pie."

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Harry is a jittery nervous and excited that he can't really explain. It's like -- he's pumped to see his friends again, he realizes he's missed the dolts after being a shut in for the few weeks he's had been. He's excited for them to meet Y/N, who isn't his real girlfriend but it's nice to finally have her to prove to them he's not lying (well, sort of), because this was sure to quash any doubts. Plus spending time with Y/N outside of Bio wasn't so bad either -- she's proven to be just as much of a good time as she was in there, in the outside world, so he worries none about the two hour trip driving down there nor pretending to be in love.

He's attempting to tidy his house some -- she's coming over tonight with her bags and everything packed so they can leave early-ish in the morning, and they need to go over a few more details before he forgets. They also have to practice being a couple. . .doing coupe-ly things, like cuddles, and hugs, and they can't make it look like it's been the first time they're touching each other or his friends would see through them right away. By tidying though, he's really just shoving things where they fit, stacking papers and cramming them into a book before slipping it beneath his chair, fluffing out his throw blanket and actually lying it on the back of the couch.  

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