#i have to yawn every 10 secs

[i-cant-sing]

Yall.... my stalker called me on my new number today and I'm ngl- I kinda felt pity for him.

He called me 2-3 times and when I finally picked up, it waw like getting close to midnight, so he's like tired and sleepy, it's already way past his bedtime and he's talking in his sleepy voice.

So basically, when I picked up, i pretended to be someone else, like for the first 10 mins, I did my best acting to convince him I'm not who he thought he was talking to, and yall I was embarrassing myself too-

Because his mf ass caught me literally 15 secs into the call and then proceeded to catch me like another 10 times. Like every over the top acting I shoved his way, he'd just sigh and say my fake name like "Snow, come on" in the politest way to tell me to cut the bs. But yall- it's the way- uts the fucking way HE DIDNT CALL ME OUT AND EMBARRASS ME ON MY DUMB ASSERY PRETENDING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE😭😭😭 cause everyone knows that if the tables were reversed, I'd have humiliated him😭

Anyways, he was kinda sick and super tired and he was just lowkey wishing me valentines and being all caring "Oh how was your day? How's your health?" and then idk- I just kinda felt bad for him because his words kept on giving hopeless romantic vibes with the way he just- idk but his tone of voice kinda signified that he had accepted me now, no matter what bs I do or lie I tell, and he's just going to wait for me until I fall for him, no matter the amount of heartbreaks he's gonna suffer through.

He'd yawn and ask "mmhmm how was your valentines? Did u celebrate it?" I was like yeah, with my cousins, ordered in food and stuff. And yknow, after i finally dropped the whole "I'm not Snow" facade in the beginning, I asked him how'd he even know that it was me (cause believe me, I WAS DOING TOP NOTCH ACTING) and u could practically HEAR how smug he was as he said "now I'm not that stupid to not recognise you just cause you changed your number, hmm?"

Anyways, I ended the call, telling him to not call me again, while he just hummed and told me to take care of myself💀

I'm ngl, but today, I genuinely felt bad for him. Idk why but the fact that he had the chance to ROAST me and didn't, even having the courtesy to let me continue the bullshit on- I genuinely wished he got someone deserving of him.

[teyamsatan]

My sweet bb Andra 💕 How are you doing love ? 💫

I have a juicy Request and I know you will make its justice 😩🤌🏻

So basically, we have Neteyam and Mate going out for a little time together at the lake, or pond whatever (deep enough 😏😳). Reader decides to draw Neteyam. So he poses for her and well she starts drawing and all. She is all concentrated looking at the paper for a moment and she feels something being thrown at her. She looks at him and well 🥴 We don't need any precisions here :3

Reader is all flustered and Neteyam is just smirking widely. Reader hasn't any time to react because we hear Jake's voice screaming Neteyam's name from afar. Oh ! Guess what ? Neteyam forgot. Yes. He forgot a training with his father (Pls let this poor guy rest a bit 🙂).

And Lo'ak (Otherwise it wouldn't be funny hehe)

Neteyam tries to grab his loincloth but reader is faster and throws it far into the bushes, with a smirk obv. So Neteyam has no choice to jump into the water (I know that Na'vi are less ashamed of nudity... Are they ? Anyways !)

So his brother and father get there, very fastly. Everything that happened before was like in 10 secs.

The rest I leave up to you 😏 We only need some funny dad-Neteyam and brother-Neteyam interactions when he just can't go out of the water, but he's very very late... Then we have Lo'ak that finally understands and just cannot stop laughing, making Jake more than less annoyed than he already was. And we have some intense playfull eye contacts with the reader. She's enjoying it haha.

Yeah... You can end it like you want 😂💖 My brain is a mess sometimes ugh 😥

Okay Imma stop 🙈🌸 I hope this inspired you and no pressure okay ? 🫂

Smooches 🥰

no cause this is so so funny and i hope you enjoyed bestie xx it feels good to be back writing for neteyam :((

pairing: neteyam x human!reader

wc: 1170 words

warnings: smut, fluff, minors do not interact 🔞

na'vi compendium: yawne - beloved, tewng - loincloth, tanhí - bioluminescent freckles

As a human on Pandora, there wasn't much for you to do, very little your body was inherently made for. You were slow and clumsy, a stark contrast to the Na'vi carrying you on his back like a little doll, all nimble and quiet as he treaded the deep shrubbery, his thumbs massaging your thighs as you rested your chin on his shoulder, humming contently in between peppering kisses to his neck.

As a human on Pandora, you were stuck in a lab most days, with filtered air and fluorescent lights, that did nothing for you, that had a rare talent of making even the most beautiful creature look ghastly and ashen, that gave you a headache, that made you miss the beautiful light peering through the uneven gaps created by the branches of the tall trees of the Omaticayan forest. Stuck as you were, you turned to artistic outlets for your boredom. You loved to draw, and you became very good in time, enough that the entire lab and some of the village were now covered in your landscapes and your portraits. The people loved you, and your talents, and often urged you to draw them or loved ones, as a way to immortalise a face or a moment forever in time, a priceless gift for them, and one that gave you a place amongst the Na'vi, even different, as you were.

As a human on Pandora, you didn't have a lot of choice of entertainment... or men. But you've never felt the lack... not when you had Neteyam. Your best friend, your confidant, he was always up for a challenge, and, let's just say, he always thought of you as one. In the few years since your 18th birthday, a rite of passage of sorts for humans, you were told, Neteyam made it his purpose to show you that you will never have to miss out on anything on Pandora, that he would make it his life's mission to... be there for you, in any and every way you needed, be it to be a shoulder to cry on, or a shoulder to rest your legs on as his head was in between your thighs, Neteyam was always there - ready to help, ready to serve.

You gulped as you reminisced about this morning, about the moans that escaped him as he was lapping at your folds like he was quenching an unquenchable thirst, like eating you out was for his own pleasure, and not your own, or the way he didn't stop until you were so overstimulated you were crying, something he made up for by showering you in soft kisses and quiet whispers of "you did so well for me, yawne. you always take me so well."

"You ok back there... friend?"

"Yes, Teyam. Just tired. Are we almost there yet?"

"Patience, love. You wanted more inspiration for your drawings, right? I told you I found just the place, and you're going love it, I promise. It's just a little further."

Well, he was right. The little meadow created by a small, clear pond, bustling with little fish swimming peacefully, drowned in warm sunlight, was the perfect backdrop for the painting you had in mind. With a small smirk, you pointed at the water and clicked your tongue at your much larger, beautiful, muscular friend.

"Get in, Teyam."

"Why?"

"I've wanted to draw you for a while, I just wanted the perfect background, and now I have it. Now go."

You chuckled to yourself as you heard a loud splashing noise, and settled on removing your pad and pens, placing them on the ground next to you as you thought about what positions would work best for what you had in mind. You gasped loudly when something soft hit you in the face, removing you from your less than innocent reveries - it seemed Neteyam was ahead of you, as you felt for the object that you removed from yourself and realised it was his loincloth. When you looked back at him, your mind shortcircuited at the sight of his naked body, glistening in the sun as the water dripped down every defined muscle, down his chest and abs, down his v-line, down his -

"You like what you see, yawne?"

Although it pained you, you raised your eyes until they met his beautiful features, tanhí shining brightly even in broad daylight, as they always did when he was overtly happy or amused, and by the wild, mischievous grin and crinkles by his eyes, it was a safe assumption he was both.

"I say you forget the painting for now, and come here so I can show you how... grateful I am you thought of me as your next subject."

It was a no-brainer to you, really, but when you heard a voice you knew all too well screaming, the noise echoing through the trees, heightening the sound, your body stilled in place.

"Neteyam! Are you there, boy?"

"Fuck! I forgot I was supposed to meet my dad for training."

"Quick, throw me the tewn-" you screeched as the instruction came too little too late, and in the heat of the moment and much to Neteyam's dismay, frightened by the quickly approaching steps of the Olo'eyktan, you threw the cloth in the opposing direction, somewhere in the bushes.

"Netey- ah, kid. What are you two doing here?"

You just looked at him, panicked, eyes flickering from him to Neteyam's younger brother, who looked at you suspiciously, eye narrowed as they assessed the situation at hand through a lens of youth and misdemeanour Jake couldn't really see, and you were glad.

"Cat got your tongue, kid?" The Sully patriarch's raised eyebrow did very little to will out of the catatonic state you found yourself in, so you remained quiet as he scoffed, turning his attention to his oldest son, instead.

"You were supposed to be in training at 1400 hours, remember?"

"Yes, sir."

"Come on, out. We need to be off and make up for it."

"I-I... can't."

"And why the hell not, boy?"

You felt Jake's eye roll deep in your soul, and you felt like you should take the blame for this since... you threw Neteyam's clothes away in fear, and everything. You should rectify this.

"Jake, I-"

"Oh, my Eywa! He's naked! He's so naked!"

Your mouth dropped in shock, but it was too late. The cat was indeed out of the bag, and as your and Neteyam's eyes met, listening to his dad's groans of disgust, you were a little relieved to see a hint of a smile on his face, the beautiful twinkle of amusement putting your mind at ease, letting you know it was all going to be ok. As long as you were together, and you had him, it was all going to be ok.

Reaching your hand behind your head to scratch the itchy spot at the base of your neck, you laughed awkwardly as you spoke:

"I'm... experimenting with some new artistic techniques?"

#✎ andra's requests #◘ andra's oneshots/drabbles #༊*·˚ andra's works #neteyam #neteyam x reader #neteyam fanfic #neteyam reader #neteyam sully #avatar #avatar twow #avatar fanfic #neteyam x avatar!reader #neteyam sully fanfiction #neteyam angst #awow #awow neteyam #neteyam smut #neteyam x y/n #avatar way of water #neteyam x reader smut #neteyam x you #neteyam x omaticaya!reader #neteyam fluff

[brighteststar707]

All I've Ever Known

All I've ever known is how to hold my own But now I wanna hold you

Now I wanna hold you, hold you close I don't wanna ever have to let you go Now I wanna hold you, hold you tight I don't wanna go back to the lonely life

You finally convince Saeyoung to stop sleeping on the floor of the apartment.

✦ Saeyoung x gn!Reader ✦ Rating: general, very very fluffy ✦ Words: 2071

I've referenced some lines from an outgoing call on day 10 of his route in this fic, they're adapted a bit to fit the scene.

Seven usually waits until you have fallen asleep to go to sleep himself. Part of it is that he has so much work to do that he can barely afford more than a few hours of rest, and part of it is that it makes him feel vulnerable to try and sleep with you so close by. He has managed to keep his buffers up while he’s awake so far, but you follow him into his dreams, and he’s a lot less strong there.

Every night since he arrived at the apartment, you have been soothed to sleep by the sound of his fingers racing against his keyboard and him shuffling in place to try and get comfortable. He’s usually awake before you are too, sitting in the same position he was the night before. The only sign that he has gone to sleep at all are the marks on his cheek where his makeshift hoodie pillow has pressed into his face.

But one night, you woke up – something in your dreams about breaking glass and not being able to get enough air – and decided to get out of bed for a glass of water before trying to sleep again.

And there he was. Asleep, arms wrapped around the hoodie to keep it together under his head, his legs tucked close to his body. You could tell that he was uncomfortable, even unconscious. You had seen him rolling out his shoulders during the day, not-so discreetly wincing at his achy muscles. He might have been asleep, but he was far from restful.

You crept into the kitchen, got your glass of water, and returned to bed, but instead of trying to sleep again (you still didn’t feel like you could catch a full breath), you sat upright with the blankets pulled around you. You wondered what he was dreaming of. You wondered about what it would be like to have his arms around you instead of the blanket, if maybe then your heart rate would settle and you’d be able to fall asleep again.

It certainly wasn’t the first time you had imagined being close to him - those fantasies had started after a few late-night phone calls - but the memory of that night had remained with you.

So, after he finally opens up to you, after you promise him that you’re with him for whatever the future holds, it doesn’t take long for you to start wondering where he’s going to sleep now that he’s no longer keeping you at arm's length.

You stay up late tonight, both breaching the make-believe boundaries that he had set up. No space is off-limits. You sit next to him as he repairs the cat robot and allow your arms to touch. He doesn’t shrink away as you would have expected him to, he actually leans in closer to you. When he’s done, he takes your hand almost subconsciously, to keep you from leaving.

You play hide and seek over the phone, and when he finds you, he sweeps you into his arms without inhibition, really laughing for the first time in days. His cheeks pinken when he realises how close you are, but he doesn’t let go.

You pack up all your belongings (as if this was all just a long hotel stay, not the most disorienting ten days of your life). He rummages through every drawer and cabinet of the apartment for information. You avoid talking about sleep. You just know one thing for sure: you cannot let him sleep on the floor again tonight, even if you have to sleep on the sofa to make sure he gets some proper rest. Hopefully it doesn’t have to come to that, though.

Eventually, once there is nothing left to pack and you keep stifling yawns, you change into your pyjamas, hoping he will get the hint. When you emerge from the bathroom, his eyes linger on you for a second, before he realises that he’s staring and looks away quickly.

“Right- it’s getting late,” he says, voice nervous. “I shouldn’t have kept you up this long. Sorry, Sunshine. ”

You shake your head, but he’s still not looking at you. There’s something nervous and fluttery in your chest that urges you closer towards him.

“I don’t mind. We worked faster together than you would have by yourself.”

And you have. The whole apartment has been turned inside-out, the route has been planned, he has explained to you more or less what to expect from your trip, all the time worrying that something would scare you off. You reminded him again that you were in it for the long haul, and the look on his face made you want to kiss him right there. And, oh, it’s still so tempting.

“Will you be going to sleep soon too, Seven?”

“Ah… I wasn't going to, with so much going on.” He scratches the back of his head and smiles bashfully.

“You need to rest if you're going to drive us all that way tomorrow.”

“If I get tired I'll just –” he gestures towards his corner. The equipment and food have all been tidied up now, and all that’s left as a reminder that that was his corner at all is his duffel bag sitting there, ready to be picked up on the way out in the morning.

You take another step towards him. He finally looks back at you. It’s as if he can read your mind, the tips of his ears have turned a deep red at the mere thought of what you’re about to suggest. But you can see the exhaustion on his face, as clear as the embarrassment. It’s a fact: he hasn’t been sleeping well. He couldn’t lie about it even if he wanted to (and he has only just started telling the truth).

You reach for him, wrap your fingers gently around his wrist. He doesn’t move, he just keeps his eyes locked on you.

“I have a better idea.” You let it hang in the air for a second, implications obvious.

“I –”

“It’s not like that, I promise.” It’s your turn to blush now. “I just want you to be comfortable and … I don’t want to be far away from you.” You’ve said it a few times over the past few days, but for some reason this is the time that it makes you feel embarrassed.

“But you want me to sleep there? With you?”

“Yes... If you don’t want to, I can make up the sofa for the night. One of us can sleep there. I just can’t watch you sleep on the floor for another night, Seven.”

His flustered demeanour cracks for a second to reveal a mischievous grin. “You’ve been watching me sleep?” He pulls an exaggerated look of shock that’s cuter than it should be and covers his chest with his hands. “Why, 606, you little voyeur!”

He pokes your cheek and you let go of his wrist to swat at him playfully in an attempt to distract from your flustered expression. Of course, he’s not so easily deterred. He’s laughing, a proper full laugh that warms you up from the inside out, at the sight of you so caught off-guard (it is usually him in your position) and it’s like a switch has flipped and the tension that was building breaks. He reaches for your arm to pull you closer to him and you wrap your arms around his middle.

He speaks to you with his cheek resting against the side of your head, holding you tightly to his chest so you can hear his heartbeat (it’s racing). As quickly as his tone flipped from shy to playful, it switches again, this time to sound soft, honest (and slightly muffled).

“Trust me, I want to.”

“Then join me.”

“Can it that easy?”

“Yes.”

He desperately wants to believe it, and your tone helps him. It leaves no room for doubt. After all, everything so far has been so difficult, maybe just this part doesn’t have to be a fight against himself.

Without allowing himself a second longer to overthink it, he presses a quick kiss to your temple (your heart flutters) and slips off to get changed. You go to sit on the bed in the meantime, wrapping the blankets around you instinctively, and he’s back out before you know it.

He looks comfortable for once in sweatpants and a loose-fitting t-shirt. His cheeks are wonderfully pink, and you realise he’s looking to you for what comes next, frozen helplessly in the middle of the room.

“Seven, come here.”

He walks over to you obediently, watching you with eyes wide. With a little more encouragement, he sits down next to you and allows you to wrap the blanket around you both.

You sit that way for some time, tucked up against each other, simply enjoying the familiarity of sharing warmth with another person. It is a feeling Seven has only known subconsciously, but in the past few hours has grown to crave intensely.

Eventually, you make a move to lie down and he follows. Your back to his chest, you slot together perfectly. He huffs softly, and you feel his breath against your ear. His hands lay tucked up by his sides, as if he’s unsure of where to put them.

“Is this alright?” You ask. With him being so close, you only have to whisper for him to hear you.

“Yes. I was just thinking… it’s good to be together, but what if you can’t sleep tonight?”

“Me?” You ask incredulously. You’re so comfortable you could drift off to sleep in a minute. “Speak for yourself.”

He huffs again. Shuffles around a little. Moves his arm closer to you then pulls it back.

You turn around to face him, and he suddenly freezes.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah- I’m just thinking.”

That mind of his never does give him a break, you think to yourself.

“Oh?”

He gives you a meaningful look. “I have wanted… this for a long time. I don’t want to mess it up.”

“You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I like you.”

His face breaks into a wide smile and he finally drapes his arm around your waist.

“You say that so easily. Do you know what it does to me every time you do?”

You shake your head.

“Let me tell you.” His tone has gone soft, reminiscent of your conversation earlier today. He’s being vulnerable with you, and even he’s not used to it. You don’t say anything, you just curl up closer to him in anticipation of what he is going to tell you.

“I live alone in a big house with a lot of cars. My life has always been empty, so I filled up the space with material things, but none of it is real. It could all disappear in an instant.” He is drawing little circles on your lower back with his index finger as he talks. “You know, I didn’t used to mind that. It was normal. But now, I feel greedy. For the first time… there is something I desperately want.”

“What is that?”

He leans closer to you, so he can speak directly into your ear, and whispers, “You.”

Your heart lurches in your chest. How could he jump from being so shy to suddenly being so bold? You start to feel hot, but you tuck your face into his chest so he can’t see your expression. He will tease you relentlessly if he finds out what power his words can hold over you.

He chuckles and holds you closely to him. “Don’t go getting embarrassed on me now, Sunshine. I’m not going to take this back, I mean every word.”

But you don’t budge. You hold handfulls of his t-shirt clenched in your fists and nestle your head so it fits comfortably against his collarbone. He doesn't try to extract you. In fact, it seems like he quite enjoys your clinginess. He murmurs sweet words against your skin until you drift off to sleep, and probably afterwards too.

In a way, tonight is the most vulnerable he has allowed himself to be in a long time. But one of his last thoughts before he falls asleep is that maybe it isn’t so bad to be seen.

It’s even better to be held, though.  

#long live hadestown #the musical ever #I bet you all thought I forgot about this #but here it is! #mystic messenger #mystic messenger saeyoung #mystic messenger saeyoung choi #mystic messenger 707 #mystic mesenger luciel choi #mysme #mysme luciel #mysme luciel choi #mysme saeyoung #mysme saeyoung choi #mysme 707 #my writing

[iceelenemonade]

When Life Gives You Hot Chocolates - Lee Jeno

Pairing: Lee Jeno x fem! reader Wordcount: 7k+ Genre: Cafe au, university au, fluff, angst, slice of life, coming-of-age Warnings: Food names, self doubt, and mentions of friends becoming distant

Solitude may shadow her life, a presence that frequents her every step lately, but sometimes the simple pleasantries—whether it is a hot chocolate or a salutation—can serve as good reminders of what happiness is, even if that fluttering feeling may come and go.

A/N: This fic is a part of The Crush Chronicles collab hosted by @/rrxnjun. Thank you, Bar, for hosting this collab as well as having me on board. Please go check out the other fellow writers’ fics (found in the masterlist here)! Feedback or any errors found here are greatly appreciated. Regardless, thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you guys enjoy!

How did we meet?

The idea of ordering from the 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe had been stuck in her mind much longer than she would have liked.

She even searched up the hot chocolate menu on their website in one of her study breaks a few days ago; a small cup of hot chocolate with blueberry filling sounded appetising. In retrospect, she entertained the idea of treating herself way too much — not that she deserved it.

The cafe was strategically placed along her daily route to her university; it’s neatly placed alongside other assortment of shops and specialties, like a deserted bookshop and an abandoned laundromat, to name a few. Her local university just had to be a 10-minute walk from the cafe on a pathway that is the most time efficient. There was a bus stop near her home but, for whatever reason, it’s on the opposite side of the street that never drives to the university.

So, to any stranger, it’s the perfect excuse to try out the cafe’s specialty. But to her, overpriced is a far better argument to not fall into the temptation of the cafe’s warm atmosphere.

It was a cold January morning at seven as she stood idly from the entrance to the cafe, just a few feet away. From her field of vision the cafe was quite deserted. And yet the harmonious sounds of laughter exchanged between the coworkers and customers was close to a booming crowd on a good day.

“Just for today,” she muttered before a muted yawn came out. One hot chocolate to calm her nerves before her morning lecture, and that will be it.

Small cup. Dark chocolate. Blueberry filling.

She stepped into the dimmed golden lights of the cafe, scanning the interior. There, a colourful bookshelf in the corner just a few feet away from the end of the display cabinet. The display cabinet was filled with the typical choices of any regular cafe: croissants, brownies, muffins, toasties. Next was the menu that secured a huge portion of the wall behind the cashier. The chalked writing, styled in cursive, showed off the various options to customise a hot chocolate; from white to dark chocolate, and an assortment of flavours to mix with. She scanned the menu.

Small cup… Dark chocolate… And blueberry filling.

With slow steps she repeated the order in her head as she approached the checkout counter, manned by a boy with a black face mask. His eyes widened a little when she got closer. A deep rumble resonated from him as he cleared his throat. “Hello! What would you like to order?”

She peered behind her shoulder. There’s no one else. It’s just her, the cashier, and a couple giggling at the corner of the cafe. Time is treating her well today. She looked back at him with a tired smile. “A small, dark chocolate with blueberry filling… Oh, and takeaway too.”

He nodded, slowly working through the cash register as he pushed aside his black bangs. His arm was stretched to the side for something when she noticed him freezing. She could see the guy flitting his eyes about, from the counter to her and back.

Another few seconds of just hushed conversations filling in the silence until, finally, he faced towards her and forced out a nervous laugh. “One sec, I’ll… be right back.”

The boy turned away to tap on his coworker’s shoulder, a brunette barista who was cleaning the coffee machine, and leaned to his ear with an alarmed look on his face. A yawn escaped her lips as she glanced at the bookshelf once she let her mind to plan for the day ahead.

There was enough time to do some shopping for novels to read. But the hot chocolate is already a treat… That’s too much for a week, so maybe next time. Ah, and that morning lecture… It’s two hours. And another one an hour later, the building on the other side of campus… Her mind ached at the thought of overfilling her document with more notes later in the afternoon. She tried to blink the drowsiness away, her vision slowly becoming more clear as she turned back to a blurred silhouette—

The boy’s jaw seemed to have moved slightly before stopping, now staring back at her.

How long was she standing there? And what did he say? Her brow deepened. Right, the flavour… It has to be. She rubbed her arm roughly as she mumbled, “Ah, sorry about that. It’s blueberry.”

The cashier’s expression was more or less the same as before; however, the face mask did help to calm her nerves. Maybe. His eyes then curved into crescents as he scribbled on the cup with a muffled “got it”. Once he ripped the receipt, he handed it to her and said, “Your order won’t take long.”

With a curt nod, she hurried to one of the wooden chairs that was close to the checkout counter. Settling herself onto the seat, she tried to soothe her numbing headache as she thought back to what she said to him. Like, do people say takeaway in cafes? And what was up with him pausing before giving her the receipt? Then the guilt started to creep into her chest.

How long was he standing there for?

With a muted sigh, she turned her phone on and went straight to the Instagram app for a mindless scroll. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting on the feed. Well, aside from her past classmates who often posted dull pictures of their road trips or expensive cuisine. Sometimes an arm or a face of someone, like a friend or a relative, would make an appearance too.

She pursed her lips when the sight of a ski trip was posted by someone she hadn’t talked to in a while.

She kept scrolling; there were some cat videos, a few miscellaneous facts of movies, and some random reuploads of viral dances of sorts. Nothing much interested her until a muffled, deep voice made her look up to the sound of…

The black-haired guy.

He was taking an order from an elderly man. Even when he abruptly turned away to let out a loud sneeze, his pleasant demeanour prevailed as he nodded to the customer. She quickly looked around his area and spotted the brunette barista from before who was pouring milk into a large cup. Not hers, she betted.

When she looked around her surroundings, that’s when she finally took her time to examine the cafe. There was that giggly couple from before who now settled for hushed whispers and grins. Behind them was a woman with spectacles; her form seemingly relaxed as she typed on her laptop. And there was a lady in a hazel-coloured apron, a waitress she presumed, who collected the ceramic cup from the woman who briefly nodded at her with a small grin.

The atmosphere here was one of a kind.

“Your order is ready!” Her thoughts abruptly stopped when she turned to see the cashier leaning over the counter. She hurried over to him, her fingers stretched for the cup. She was about to thank him when he interrupted with a soft voice, “Sorry for the wait again. Have a good day.”

She stilled. He didn’t look annoyed… Then again, this is a business, and for that you need to sell a sweet demeanour. Stopping an instinctive sigh, she turned back to him with a close-lipped smile. “Ah… you too. And thank you again.”

She scurried out to the lone street; the drink warming her hands as she turned on her phone.

Thirty minutes left till her morning lecture. Plenty of time.

She closed her eyes briefly as she brought the cup to her mouth with short sips. For a few seconds she relished the taste before slightly scowling at the taste as she smacked her lips. The blueberry flavour seemed like the perfect counter to dark chocolate, even if it tasted faint. It’s not bad; really. But at the moment… It’s a shame it tasted a bit too bitter. Just a little too bitter for her liking.

Deciding to take another sip, she stared ahead when, at the corner of her eye, she noticed some black lines on the lid. There, a shaky scribble of a smiley face next to the word ‘berry’ greeted her.

Her body became much warmer underneath her layered garments as her lips slightly lifted at the cup.

The name of her order was written tidily by the boy. And the drawing… Well, she found it cute despite how unnecessary it was for him to add on a disposable cup. Or perhaps this was simply a custom of 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe, or at least something every cafe does, right? She shook her head when she entered the campus, “Ah, nevermind.”

When the designated lecture arrived, the lecturer continued to drone on about the group activities and seemingly took no notice of both hers and the other students’ shivering in the room.

Tell me your name!

The times she had passed the 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe in the last few weeks since her first visit are far too many to remember. 

She would take slow steps as she looked through the cafe’s large window before speeding up to her home as she reminded herself to finish off the day’s work. Several of those times she lingered near the entrance, feigning curiosity at the menu as she peered into the window.

Then, lately, she would enter the cafe, only to then retreat to the corner and skim through the cafe’s bookshelf. Sometimes she would meet the eyes of the staff; especially the black-haired cashier from before, and they would greet with either a grin or a shout of acknowledgement before resuming their work.

She hoped her nod and smile were friendly enough to stop them from kicking her out.

Either way, she wouldn’t dare to linger around for too long since she doesn’t order anything from the cafe. Perhaps about ten minutes and then she’s off back to her quiet home, turning on the lights of her bedroom once more, and resuming to work through her university work.

This time, however, she really couldn’t take it.

It was about five-thirty on a Thursday evening in March, and she was already at the brink of napping the lethargy away thanks to her late lunch. That, and the numbed annoyance towards her messy notes which were furiously typed out in a hurry from earlier today’s lecture that still required revision.

It still wasn’t done.

“Screw it,” she muttered before rising from her chair to put on a pullover.

With the house key in hand, she quickly slipped into a pair of sneakers and headed out to the cafe. What started off as an excuse to stretch her legs has become a daily need to check by the cafe. It was laughable. Perhaps the cafe was at fault, had they not had staff be enthusiastic at what she believed to be making ends meet; and it’s something she can’t blame them for.

The 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe was truly something else.

When she stepped foot into the dimmed golden lights of the cafe once more, she noticed two things: she was alone, and the only staff present was the black-haired guy.

They stared for a few seconds too long until the boy grinned, and then resumed cleaning the table with a cloth. Her eyes darted around the cafe as she stepped away from the entrance. She couldn’t hear any other commotion coming from the kitchen, nor could she see any passerby outside the window. Perhaps…

“Hey, sorry… Were you closing up?”

The boy shook his head, his wiping slowed as he looked at her. “Nope. I’ll only close up at six, so you can stay until then.”

“Ok, cool…” she was fiddling with her sleeve as she glanced around the cafe. The dull ache of guilt was growing. She tried to push the feeling down as she took a breath, “I was wondering if I could still order a drink? Of course, it’s no problem if you packed up already.”

“No, no, it’s ok,” he wiped his hands on his apron before beckoning her over to the counter. “What can I get for you?”

She strained a smile, “A small cup of milk hot chocolate with hazelnut please.”

“Of course! It won’t take long.”

With his back to her, she walked to the bookshelf once more and sat onto the chair nearby. At this point, that seat seemed to be designated for her given how it was the only place she sits at.

Not that she minded to share, of course. Not ideal, but still.

She closed her eyes as she sank further into the chair, the crackling of the coffee machine being the only sound accompanying her train of thoughts.

The guy was quite nice despite having the opportunity to kick her out if he wanted to. Or he could have closed up early had she not entered the cafe. And she never noticed it until now, but the face mask was long gone since the first few times she had seen him, and she admitted he looked pretty without it.

Pretty…

Her brows deepened. Why the sudden intrusion of her opinion on a mere stranger’s appearance?

And then a soft thud on the table woke her up from her slight daze. There, a plastic brown cup laid idly near her hand. She looked up to see the boy who is now dressed in a dark bomber jacket over his white T-shirt, and a backpack slinged over one of his shoulders.

Quickly registering her surroundings, she nodded at him and cradled the drink with a small smile, “Oh, thank you.”

She rose from her seat and sauntered to the entrance. The cafe’s lights were almost gone, saved for one near the cafe’s door. And a glance at the window there were cars lining up slowly on the road; a product of the rush hour.

When she turned back, the boy was rocking back and forth a little on his heels who had been silent since taking her order. He was slightly taken aback from her sudden staring and quickly followed her to the entrance. His hand reached out to a switch as she stepped out whilst keeping the door open for him. With the lights gone in the cafe, they both turned to walk.

“Oh!” she stopped to look at the boy who had finally spoken. “Are you heading to the bus stop?”

“Bus stop?” her mouth agape as the realisation came to her soon after she repeated his words. “Is it the one opposite here?”

He nodded, “Yeah. I was wondering if maybe you wanna walk there together?”

Together? With this guy? She was dumbfounded, and the warmth from the drink was definitely not helping her feeling any less nervous. She tried to bury any semblance of hope that bloomed in her chest when she mumbled, “Sure”.

Fortunately, the conversation flowed quite naturally given their lack of history. From exchanging names to learning what university course they were studying. It turned out the boy, Jeno, was doing a music major at the same university she’s attending, albeit their classes were on different days.

They stood a little apart from each other as they waited for the bus to make an appearance. Despite the pair having reached the bus stop a little while ago, the pair continued to chat, with Jeno initiating most of the topics. Of course, there was so much she could share in just a single meeting. For now, she was satisfied with just familiarising herself with the boy through niceties and salutations.

“Finally, a name to a face,” Jeno chuckled. He noticed her perked brow before a smaller smile took over his face, “I’m just glad to know your name and not, uh… Not knowing your name.”

His slight fragmented phrase at the end was noticeable. Shaking her head, she shrugged it off and brushed off the unnecessary doubt as she returned a smile at him. “Same here. Happy to know your name too.”

The distant honks of the vehicles were the only accompanying sounds that bridged the awkwardness between the pair. No shy glances or any similar gestures were exchanged, which she was relieved at. This evening already took an unexpected turn that a potential friend wanted to walk with her, or weirdly even wanted to continue talking to her.

She fought back the familiar bitter numbness in her chest when, from the corner of her eye, she could make out a distant shape of a bus.

Jeno took notice as well and walked closer to her, a few feet away. “Hey, I’ll see you…” He pursed his lips as he watched the bus approaching them before looking back at her. “Next time, at the cafe.”

There was a hint of a smile on his face, his eyes curved in crescents for a brief moment before he stepped inside the bus. The corner of her lips lifted gradually as she slowly waved; however, she was a few seconds too late when she muttered goodbye. She sighed as she looked to the bus window where his back faced hers.

Her chest, however, felt much lighter, like she could finally breathe again. The familiarity of hope… She wished for the feeling to stay. One of her hands was slightly sore when the realisation hit her: the hot chocolate had yet to be tasted.

How long were they talking for?

Feeling the house keys in her pocket, she headed towards her home as she sipped the drink. As expected, it was cold, but apart from that? It was far better than her berry dark chocolate. Then again, hazelnuts with chocolate are a safe combination. But still, the right balance of sweetness was addicting.

Even as the evening air got colder that prompted her to hurry her steps, her smile never left her face.

Did you ever like me?

The thought of enjoying her time at 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe purely for the atmosphere and people would be laughable had this been told to her from the beginning.

It had been about two months since the evening walk with Jeno, and initially nothing between them had changed. Each subsequent visit she stayed a little longer, except for certain days where she needed to finish an essay for an assignment. The routine remained mostly the same: smile, greet the staff, and sit next to the bookshelf and work through her university work.

Jeno assured her that he and the staff aren’t going to kick her out regardless if she ordered from the cafe or not. She just had one condition.

“Every time you wanna order a hot chocolate, you need to get something different.”

Sometimes she saw a shadow of Jeno disappear into the kitchen, presumably for his break, with another worker manning the cash register. Other times he would briefly chat with many of the customers, from disgruntled employees to elderly people. And one time he meekly asked her if he could join her for his lunch break.

In those special cases, not many words were exchanged between them; she would ask how he was, and he would ask the same. She had prepared details of her days—and they were right at the tip of her tongue—only to then fall back on the familiar enunciation of “alright”. And when the conversation diverted away from the salutations, then Jeno would share a snippet of his days.

If her lack of initiative was noticeable, then fortunately he never brought it up.

Because no matter how brief the chats were, she found those moments to be generous. And she was even more happy to simply listen to whatever entailed in Jeno’s life.

It was a bright noon on a Saturday, accompanied by Jeno who was sitting opposite to her.

He was on his laptop with a similar goal to hers; finishing off an essay that was due in another week or so. The hushed chatters were enough to compensate for the silence shared between them for the past hour. They were currently attending to their own devices for a brief break, with Jeno who just returned with two hot chocolates.

Today was a cup of white hot chocolate with strawberry flavour.

She racked her brain for a topic to easily weave into the conversation that, to her, was already more comfortable than prior interactions with her high school peers.

Surely there was something else to talk about.

She really wanted to try to get to know him more, by her own rules and by her own initiative. There was a brief surge of confidence when she nodded to herself. With a shaky breath she asked, “What were your first impressions of me?”

He pursed his lips for a moment as he leaned into his seat. Then, a slight grin was plastered on his face. “You really want to know?”

That expression really worried her. Still, she just bobbed her head slowly.

“Well, remember when I said I was glad to know your name? That’s because I remembered you as ‘Berry’.”

She forced a chuckle, “Berry?”

“Well…” Jeno reached for his drink, the ceramic cup masking his expression. “That’s the name you went with when I asked when you ordered.”

“Huh…” Her hand was propped underneath her chin as she could recall the image of the disposable cup; the lid, the boy’s doodle, and some letters written… She mentally chanted the word. Berry seemed to fit the missing gap. But then why didn’t he write blueberry? Berry could have referred to strawberry or blueberry, and it wasn’t like berry was her—

“Wait a sec…” She squinted as the hazy memory of the drink became clearer; her joyous mood at the sight of his doodles becoming familiar as she focused on the word, ‘Berry’, once more. “You were asking for my name?”

He nodded; his face grimaced slightly as he tried to mask his stifled giggles with a neutral expression. “Yeah…”

That…

Yeah, in retrospect, that made a lot of sense.

She groaned into her palms. Jeno’s laughter soon came after and it only intensified in her ears as her body warmed up intensely. Curse him and that sweet laugh of his. And curse her past’s sleep deprived self; she’ll never live that moment down.

“Jeno! You should have”—she peeped through her hands briefly to meet his smile before retreating behind her palms—“You know what, that’s on me. I should’ve just asked you again instead of assuming something else.”

“You were tired, so I get it, but also I didn’t wanna embarrass you even more.”

“You’re right, I would have been more embarrassed. But still…” She pressed her hand to the cup briefly; it was still pretty hot.

“I know,” Jeno lets out a deep chuckle before tilting his head, his eyes curved as he asked. “Now, what about me?”

She hummed momentarily. Where should she start? Or better yet, what could she say? Jeno was slightly leaning forward with his arms crossed on the table, all while beaming at her. After a few moments, her eyes drifted to the side as she let the words fall out, “At first, nothing much. You know, just a regular part-time worker.”

“Damn, could have just said I was boring.”

“Hey, let me finish,” her lips lifted at his feigned annoyance. “Anyways, I think it’s cool you look out for others. You know, checking on them and all, and chatting with them like this.

“You may think it’s not much, but I’m sure to many it means a lot. At least for me, and I… I think that’s pretty admirable.”

She tried to gauge his reaction; his mouth was agape as he seemingly froze in his seat. She frantically waved her hand, now feeling the familiar ache of guilt creeping in her chest, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to go on like that. I just thought—”

“No—Don’t apologise. It’s just…” Jeno took a breath as his stare flitted about to the window beside him. The mirthful glint was absent from his now widened eyes, and his clamped jaw was close to cracking. After a few seconds had passed, he looked back hesitantly, “I wasn’t expecting to hear that, especially from you so…”

Forget the looks, she thought. Jeno. This guy, whose glance darted between her and the cup in front of him, appeared so shy from a mere compliment? Her heart soared at the sight. She hid her growing smile behind her ceramic cup as the realisation slowly dawned on her.

And then she hacked at the taste of her hot chocolate.

“Hey, you ok?” Jeno rose from his seat and handed her a nearby serviette which she reluctantly took after coughing a few more seconds.

“Y—yeah. Sorry,” she patted her chest with a grimace, “just had something in my throat.”

His stance was tense even after she brushed his concern off for her agitated state—a compulsive excuse that she concocted—not being a big deal.

Sure, she was unfamiliar with white chocolate compared to the other chocolate variants, so perhaps the sweetness was expected. But wow, the strawberry flavour intensified the sweetness greatly. She also couldn’t calm the rapid beating of her heart as she watched Jeno who continued to frown as he sat back down.

"Was the drink bad?"

"No! I mean"—she laid the cup down on the saucer—"it was a little too sweet for me, but still I'm glad to try it. Thank you again for the drink, Jeno.”

"Oh, no worries. And hey, the feedback helps." he laughed, his posture relaxing as he leaned back into his seat.

Even a little while after their break, after reluctantly reminding him about their overdue urgency to return to their assignments, she tried to mask her shaky smile through short sips of the hot chocolate. Even when the illusion of time slowed as she chided herself to fixate on the words of her document, she cannot shake off the warmth that lingered in her chest and stomach.

And even then, she wouldn't dare to flirt with anything beyond this newfound friendship with Jeno.

A few drops remained in her cup by the time she left the cafe in a slight haste.

If you did, then what made you like me?

The amount of visits she had made since her first visit had eventually spread word of her name around the community in the 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe, especially the staff.

Soon after learning first impressions, she got acquainted with some of Jeno’s workmates. There were Dejun, a second-year music student and roommate of his; and Yoohyeon, a part-time waitress who is finishing her final year of nursing. They only exchanged salutations at the moment, but she shrugged off the awkwardness and focused on the bliss of conversing with Dejun and Yoohyeon.

Again, nothing significant happened between her and Jeno. Their dynamic was still mainly Jeno leading the conversation, but with some encouragement from the boy, she had tried to share short extracts of her hobbies. She doesn’t expect him to be there all the time, of course. The extra company of any of the staff were bonuses to relieve her restless thoughts at the cafe. And depending on how busy the cafe got, Jeno would join her afterwards, either for the last ten minutes of her stay or for much longer.

So when she stepped inside the cafe, on a Tuesday afternoon of September, she was taken aback by the sight of Jeno occupying her usual spot. Or really, their most frequent meeting place. She shook the thought away as she approached the boy who was dressed in a white hoodie and light wash jeans.

At closer inspection, he was scowling as he continuously glanced from his phone and to the cloudy sky on the window beside him. Despite his body seemingly relaxed into the chair, one of his legs was bouncing. As she neared the table Jeno briefly looked up with expectant eyes; there was a quick change in his expressions, from a slight frown to a close-lipped smile that never reached his eyes.

“Hey.”

“Hey…” she slowly sat down in front of him, wetting her lips as she pondered on her next words. It was unusual to see him visibly upset, either at someone or from something. “Not a good day?”

“Kind of…” Jeno mumbled, his attention directed elsewhere. “But don’t worry about it, I mean, it’s fine, I don’t want to bother you and all—”

“Jeno. If this is bothering you, then you can share it.”

He stared back with an eerily familiar emotion etched on his face: guilt, ashamed, or fear even.

She bobbed her head slowly as she leaned forward with an attentive look. “That is if you want to, of course. I won’t force you if you’re not comfortable.”

The boy’s mouth opened and closed a few times, though nothing came out. He slumped back into the chair as he tucked his arms further into the pockets of his hoodie. “It’s just... Uni stuff. The usual...”

She nodded, humming.

He pursed his lips for a moment; a brief pause of his eyes flitted about until, finally, he let out a weary sigh.

“Well, it’s… hard? I mean, I love music, which is why I picked it. But it’s so different from what high school was. I shouldn’t complain, really, because I’m just a first year at uni versus high school. And Dejun? He seemed fine, especially when he’s gone through his first year.

“And there’s a group project, which fortunately most of it is done, but one guy hasn’t been responding, so I just…” He was now staring at the table as he slumped against the chair. Her chest ached at the sight of someone, a friend especially, who never seemed to express any emotional outburst. From a glance, she assumed Jeno was a quiet guy with an open mind.

Unless… Was he good at hiding his emotions?

She rubbed her clammy hands on her leg. The situation at hand is recognisable to her, because when friends—or at this point, friendly acquaintances—shared their struggles to her through chat messages, she could only provide words akin to comfort. She wished there was more she could do, really. But first things first: Jeno. “Yeah… I get that, especially when there are different people going through far worse things.

“But that doesn’t make your situation any less still, because everyone’s well being is important, including yours. And making comparisons with others like that can help motivate you to do better, but too much of it will hurt you, which it did. I, and surely the others, don’t want you to keep hurting yourself like that.

“And for group projects… Well, we know they suck. Period.”

Jeno lets out a hoarse chuckle at her last sentence as he lifted his head gradually. The light patter of the rain on the window beside them was enough noise for this quiet moment that the pair are in. She stopped herself from apologising, because this time really wasn’t appropriate for one.

He closed his eyes briefly as he swayed a little in his seat for a few moments until he let out a sigh of relief, “Thank you, and… sorry if I ranted a lot to you like that.”

“Hey,” she shook her head quickly with a frown. “You got nothing to apologise for. If you’re feeling better, then that’s what matters.”

“Yeah…” He fiddled with his hoodie’s pockets, his eyes curved as he met her stare. “Thank you, really, and I… I’m happy to lend an ear if you need someone to talk to.”

“Jeno…” Her heartbeat quickened at his words. She blinked for a few seconds before her lips lifted, “Thank you, Jeno. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Of course. You’re important too.”

For the next hour or so they just chatted, from her excitedly sharing a video of a cartoon bat hanging upside down with a coffee cup, to him recounting an awkward tale of how he and another friend of his, Jaemin, met Dejun.

As soon as the rain had subsided, they both left the cafe and walked to the bus stop together. It was only with a reluctant step away from the bus stop that she waved goodbye and wished him safe travels.

She smiled when he saw his eyes curved as he mouthed the same words to her.

Did you know that I liked you?

This past year was quite something else.

She already came to terms with the overpriced menu ever since her first visit at the 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe. But the laughter and chatter between the staff and their customers as well as the warm atmosphere that is unique to the cafe is what slotted a special place in her heart.

On a late afternoon in December, she finally had the freedom to relax. She quickly pushed the door and stepped inside the familiar bright lights illuminated in the cafe. The bookshelf in the corner had a makeover; it was painted with a dark red wood stain; and more variations of novels were neatly bundled together. Not much has changed in the display cabinet and the menu. She then approached the counter and, from the corner of her eye, spotted Dejun walking out of the kitchen.

“Hey,” Dejun waved. “Been a while. You’re gonna order something?”

“Yessir. Just a small dark hot chocolate with hazelnut, thanks.” She heard him hum in acknowledgement as he handed her the receipt. “It’s nice to see you, Dejun.”

“Same here!” The brunette grinned at her before attending to another customer.

She approached the familiar seat that resided next to the bookshelf. Before she could sit down, Yoohyeon shouted out an enthusiastic salutation before pulling her into a hug. “Oh, it’s so good to see you!”

“Yeah, same here.” She patted Yoohyeon’s back, a smile growing on her face. Her eyes then widened when she stared back at the waitress. “Wait, and you’re graduating too, right? How do you feel?

“Oh, so weird,” the woman, now dyed in ash-grey tied in a ponytail, pursed her lips. “But at the same time, I’m happy to just be done with uni.”

She chuckled, “Understandable, Yoohyeon. Congrats on finishing by the way.”

“Aw, thank you”—The sudden clatter of broken glass from one of the tables made the pair turn to the sound. Fighting back a sigh, Yoohyeon bowed quickly to her—“I’m so sorry, this week has just been busy. Let’s catch up sometime later, alright?”

“Of course,” she waved at Yoohyeon who returned the gesture before hurrying to the mess on the other side of the cafe. Whilst settling herself on the seat, she saw a few high school students giggling as they entered the cafe.

It had been a while since she had seen any of her past classmates.

She still frequented her Instagram feed to see what they had been doing. Again, nothing interested her, but rarely there was anything that trapped her into an endless scroll. Her mind for this past year had mainly been just university work. Well, that and the bonus of the 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe—

"Hey, is that you?"

She froze when the voice registered in her ears. Stopping a shaky breath from coming out, she faced towards the source of the sound, a person who stood a few feet away. “Yeah… Hey, Christina.”

Christina looked the same as two years ago, aside from her dark hair that was now tied in a ponytail. She glanced back at the counter before walking closer to the bookshelf, “It’s… wow… Haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”

“Likewise… And I’ve been doing fine. How about you?”

“Yeah, I… I’ve been fine, thanks.” She just slowly nodded as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

She frowned slightly, her fingers picking at her jeans. The silence was making her sweat more, now feeling the pressure in thinking of something. Or really, anything to save this conversation. Christina wasn’t faring any better as she appeared stiff in her stance whilst she kept looking back to the counter.

And then a memory hit her.

“How was that ski trip earlier this year?”

Christina widened her eyes slightly. She coughed into her fist before facing towards her properly, her mouth curled in excitement, “It was fun! Getting to spend time with family is always nice.”

“That’s good to hear,” she rubbed her neck, nodding. “And Christina? It was nice to—”

“Order for Christina! Your latte is ready!”

“Ah, that’s my order…” Christina gave her a sheepish look. “It was nice to see you again.”

“Same… And, uh, early Merry Christmas…?” she grimaced at her unintentional phrasing of her nicety to a question. “Take care.”

Christina giggled, “You too. And Merry Christmas as well.”

With one brief glance, she turned back to the direction of the counter and disappeared into the queue.

The rising bitter ache in her chest was recognisable.

She closed her eyes as she took deep breaths. When she said to herself that the year was quite something else, this was not what she expected. Technically she could text her again, she could. But the fear of being ignored after not having conversed in… Right, two years, was far greater than getting closure.

“You ok?”

She jumped at the abrupt voice as she glanced back to…

Jeno.

He was on duty at the moment, as he was armed in a white dress shirt and the cafe’s brown apron. There, the signature ceramic cup was cradled in his hands before he laid the drink on the table gently.

“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks…” she strained a smile at the boy. “How about you?”

“Eh, a bit tired, but otherwise I’m doing alright,” he shrugged with a laugh as he sat across from her. He rested his chin on one of his hands as he exaggerated a loud sigh. “Still got my AP exams, though.”

“Come on, with the music knowledge and demo tracks you’ve shown me? I bet you’ll do great.”

Jeno beamed at her.

She watched the chatter in the cafe; Dejun taking orders from the influx of customers with ease; Yoohyeon who was chatting with the female employee in spectacles; and the couple known for their infectious giggles are still as rambunctious. Her face softened at the sight.

“Would you like to talk about it?

She glanced at the boy; a slight frown etched on his face.

“If you’re not comfortable, then that’s no problem,” he added with a small smile.

It’s been almost a year since they met. And whilst she was grateful to know Jeno, her nerves were heightened. They've gotten past the stage of exchanging niceties. They greeted each other comfortably with no awkward silence.

So… “Why?”

Jeno gave a quizzical look. “‘Why’ what?”

She sputtered. That was not meant to be said out loud. “Sorry, this is going to sound stupid. I just wonder… Why do you still talk to me?”

“Do I really need a reason?”

“I mean…” her chin propped in her palm as she glared down at her drink. “I don’t really share much of myself, and yet you do. A lot actually. It feels unfair for you.”

She watched him cross his arms, humming to himself deeply. There it was again; the guilt. Like before, she attempted to bury it down and fixate on the afternoon sun outside the window. Just… anything else. She heard her name called out gently from Jeno and, reluctantly, looked back at the boy.

“How do you feel whenever you interact with me? And be honest.”

Her brows furrowed at the sudden question. She thought back to her previous train of thoughts, and what kept her coming back to the cafe. “Well… I like listening to others talking, mainly because that’s what I was used to. But I also just… don’t feel comfortable sharing everything about me.”

There was a pause before a small smile broke out of his lips. “Then, that’s fine by me.”

“Really?”

“I don’t think it’s necessary to share everything about yourself, and I get why you won’t do that.” He drummed his fingers on the table, his attention still on her. “And I also don’t think there’s… A fixed goal for what a friend is.

“Every friend group is different. Just because we don’t hang out outside of here, that doesn’t make you any less of a friend.”

Her eyes widened slightly, a little taken aback by his answer. “Even if we just talked here?”

“Even if we just talked here.” He nodded with his signature curved eyes and grin; her heart quickened at the sight of them.

She knew rationalising feelings was difficult—annoying even. She knew what happiness and disappointment were because she had encountered them before. She knew how to manage her expectations to prevent another heartbreak because of firsthand experiences.

And yet…

Perhaps age has matured many people, including the people in the cafe, in how they view relationships. And really? She was more than happy to find a group of people who enjoyed being around her just as much as she does. “Thank you Jeno… Really.”

“Of course! And hey, if you want, maybe we could meet up? Outside of the cafe, I mean.”

“That… that sounds great,” she smiled. “Though we should probably start exchanging phone numbers first—”

“Jeno! Your break is over now!”

He grimaced at the sudden interruption. Sighing, he rose from his seat, “Sorry about that. I’ll see you around, right?”

“Yeah… Oh—and have a good Christmas break!”

She bit back a laugh when he shouted a “you too” during his haste, only to collide with the display cabinet. Dejun, with a cheeky grin, patted Jeno’s back before disappearing into the kitchen. The latter shook his head before following after him, their banter quickly lost in the loud chatter of the customers around her.

Maybe she will never return to the 7Dreams’ Chocolate Cafe. Maybe she will lose contact with the staff. Maybe she and Jeno will never follow up on meeting up as promised.

But, at the very least, the mundane interactions within the cafe are joyful reminders of the simplicity of life. At the very least, the shadows of solitude were not the last thoughts she slept on and to be greeted by on the following day.

Perhaps there could be potential for something more but, at the very least, the brief sweetness of connecting with new people will be treasured for a long time.

She brought the ceramic cup to her mouth, a smile now resting on her face as the hot chocolate tasted… Well.

It tasted just right.

#nct #nct dream #jeno #lee jeno #nct au #nct x reader #nct dream x reader #jeno x reader #jeno fluff #jeno fic #jeno scenarios #nct fluff #nct dream fluff #nct dream scenarios #nct scenarios #nct angst #nct dream angst #kpop scenarios

[smolweeblets]

Sleepytime

Junker queen x reader

Loud, passive-aggressive sighs were heard as your girlfriend tried to not-so-subtly hint at you to pay attention to her. After getting tired of doing that for almost 5 minutes, she finally gave in and said something.

“Oi! Get over here already! Been fighting the sleep demons for like 10 minutes.” She calls out for you.

A yawn escapes her as she impatiently waits for you to come to bed. The frown on her face only grew deeper the longer she watched you work.

It took a few seconds for you respond, too absorbed in your work to answer immediately. Absorbed enough in your work in fact, to not notice the large ominous figure that materialized behind you.

“I said just a sec, im not done with this and- Ahh!” Before you could even finish your sentence, you were slung over her shoulders and being carried back to bed.

Sleep was overtaking her brain, and so she wanted nothing more than to get some shut-eye, but she’ll be damned if it was not while cuddling with you. The only other solution was to wait for you to finish whatever it was that you were doing on your laptop. But in her own words. “The sleep demons are draggin’ me down, i can feel myself slippin’

“Heyy! Odessa let me go!” You giggle as you playfully beat at her back.

“No. Its sleepytime.” She grunted out while still frowning, shes not very happy at the fact that you made her have to get up the bed.

“But I have things to do!” You whined as Odessa stood still by the foot of your bed. She was trying to figure out how to put you down for the least chance of escape.

“And I have sleep to catch, so do you. So we should sleep. Together.”

You were dropped on the bed, and she went on top of you, trapping you in her arms.

“Oof–” Some of the air was knocked out of your lungs at the sudden impact, but you find it was incredibly hard for you to struggle when Odessas arms felt this warm and secure.

“But I was almost done–” You whine.

She shuffles a bit so she could comfortably lay beside you while still having a secure hold on your body. She lay on her stomach while her arm was positioned firmly around your waist.

“Then do it tomorrow.” She managed to grunt out. She yawned again. Her eyes were already closed, and slowly it was getting harder and harder for her to talk.

You pouted and let out a small huff.

“Fine. But dont expect a morning kiss from me then.” You crossed your arms and turned your head away from her for emphasis. You peeked back at her only to see her face fully buried in the pillows.

“Mnggghh” Was all she could muster to grumble while she snuggled closer to you. Not understanding a word you said.

“Ugh. Fine, im going to sleep, but dont think your cute face will help you every time you do this.” You scoffed while smiling. You huffed as you pulled the covers over the both of you.

~~~

Lets be honest here, you still gave her that kiss the next morning. And if you didnt, she made you give it to her anyways.

A/n: Hi guys please accept this very short fic for a new fandom i wrote at 1am because i feel bad for leaving you guys for so long but i swear its the last week of our school please be very patient with me until then i love u guys mwah

#junker queen #queen of junkertown #junker queen x reader #odessa stone #odessa stone x reader #overwatch

[banannabethchase]

Luchasaurus, to Nick: you know, birds are descended from dinosaurs...so really, don't you think you should be calling me daddy?

So. This happened. Um. I. Well.

~

Feel the Rush, Feel Your Touch - also on AO3

~

Nick got a taste of the dinosaur and he's desperate for more.

~

Written for @wrestleprompts week 10: "Do you miss me when I'm not around?" *the other person admits that sometimes, under certain circumstances, they do* "Do you think, realistically, we could be lovers?" And, of course, also for Sarah's prompt. And to take my mind off of work to a degree so drastic we ended up with...this. Title from Alone by Kim Petras again. It's a sequel. It felt right.

~

Nick sighs in the empty hotel room, staring into the blinking fire alarm light. It’s red and green. That’s a good thing. Means it’s working. It’s a bad thing, because it makes him think of a certain dinosaur. As does the mild soreness in multiple parts of his body.

He checks the clock. 2:45am.

He picks up his phone and hits his ICE contact.

“Wha?” Matt mumbles. “Wha’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Nick says. “I can’t sleep.”

“Oh,” Matt says, voice clearing. “Of course. You can’t sleep, so you steal my ability to sleep. Makes sense.”

“You didn’t have to pick up,” Nick replies.

“Of course I did. You’re my brother.” There’s a muffled conversation on the other end. “Give me a sec. I’m considerate of the people in my life, so I’m going to continue this conversation so I don’t wake up my boyfriend.”

“You could just hang up.”

“Nope,” Matt says. Nick hears rustling. “Nope. I’m awake, and if it’s important enough for you to wake me up, it’s important enough to talk about.”

Nick groans, flopping back into bed. Before Mox and Matt had gotten together, all he would have had to was throw a pillow at Matt in the bed over from him and they’d be able to talk. Now it was like pulling teeth to get a moment with Matt.

He’s not jealous.

“Okay,” Matt says, “I’m in the hallway. What’s up?”

“You really didn’t have to do that.”

“I did, because you never call unless there’s something really eating at you, and now here we are.” Matt exhales. “Come on, Nicky, what’s going on?”

“I think I accidentally fell in love with Luchasaurus.”

Matt’s quiet, possibly for the first time in his life. “You – really.”

“I know.”

“He railed you one time,” Matt says, “like, eight hours ago, and you’re in love with him.”

“You don’t have to say it like that,” Nick half wails. “I’m not in love with him. I just…” He trails off.

“You are pathetic.”

“I am no worse than you, Mr. Petitioned Tony Khan to Get a Match with His Boyfriend.”

Matt goes silent on the other end. “Okay, fair.”

To his credit, Matt listens and gives advice only when asked, leading to him saying, “The only way out of this is to say something to him, Nicky. Otherwise you’re gonna wake me up at 2:45am every day for the next million years.”

Nick snorts. “Million years, because he’s a dinosaur.”

“No,” Matt insists, “million years, because you’re that annoying. Can I go back and snuggle with Mox now?” He interrupts himself with a yawn so loud it has to be half theatrics. Drama queen.

“Yeah. Yeah, go to bed.” He sighs. “Hopefully I get some sleep tonight.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Matt says. “Our flight leaves in three hours.”

~

Nick spends the next four weeks, the next four Dynamites, working up the urge to talk to Luchasaurus. It’s a muggy Wednesday afternoon in July when Luchasaurus makes the decision for him.

“Little bird,” he says. “You’ve been watching me.”

Nick slips from where he was trying to nonchalantly lean against the door frame of the main locker room. He wasn’t staring, technically. He was glancing. “What? No.”

Luchasaurus’ laugh is a low rumble, something that strikes something deep inside Nick and makes him want to sing. “No need to lie, pretty thing.” Nick doesn’t preen. He doesn’t. “You back for more?”

“Uhuh,” Nick mumbles, nodding. He hadn’t meant to speak. “We, uh. EVP room is empty.” He squirms. He feels empty. “We could go there.”

They walk in silence. Anyone watching them might think they were on their way to a simple work meeting. How wrong they would be.

When the door closes behind them, Luchasaurus reaches out and curls his hand around Nick’s throat, walking them slowly back against the wall.

“I can practically feel your little birdy heart flutter,” Luchasaurus half laughs as Nick’s back collides against the wall. “Want the same thing?”

Nick inhales slowly, wishing the grip around his throat was a little more aggressive, a little more possessive. “Please,” he whispers. “Anything.”

The low laugh as an answer makes him shiver. “Such a pretty little bird.” He reaches out and rips off Nick’s shorts with one firm yank, and Nick almost comes right then and there. It’s not long before Lucha’s hands are all over him, and he feels…right.

Luchasaurus takes him apart, slowly, works him open with blunt fingers and a tongue with the kind of dexterity that has Nick keening, hands planted against the wall as Luchasaurus licks him open.

“Please,” he gasps, “Lucha, please, I need – I need you. I need your – oh, my god.”

Nick drops his forehead to the wall as Luchasaurus pulls away and hears the ripping sound of a condom pack, and it almost soothes him, almost comforts him, almost tells him he’s about to get what he wants.

“You sing so pretty for me, little crow,” Luchasaurus murmurs as he lines himself up, pressed up against Nick’s back. “I want to hear more.”

Nick sings for him, alright, as Lucha’s thick cock pushes into him. Words, random syllables, hell, a couple of weird little bird sounds come out of him as Luchasaurus rails him out of his mind, pulls every bit of his stress out and tosses it away like it’s nothing. Nick feels like this is meant to be, like he was built to fly through the air and take dinosaur cock.

“Thank you,” Nick half sobs as Lucha wraps a hand around him, stroking slowly, “god, please.”

“Such a pretty little bird,” Luchasaurus growls in his ear. “And all mine.”

That’s all it takes. Nick comes all over Lucha’s fist, entire body tensing up, and he can feel Luchasaurus come inside him, feels marked by it. He wishes, just a little, this was more real between them. He blushes when he realizes how badly he wants to feel Luchasaurus’ come leak out of him. How he wants to feel possessed.

“You good, little crow?” Luchasaurus asks, turning Nick’s head so he can kiss him.

Nick dissolves into it before remembering he was asked a question. “So good,” he murmurs. “So. So good.”

“Let’s get you resting, okay?” His voice is bafflingly sweet and soft as he scoops Nick in his arms and rests him on the couch. He even picks up the shreds of what used to be Nick’s shorts and drapes them over the back of the couch. “Do you have water?”

“Mini fridge,” Nick half mumbles.

Luchasaurus stays there they whole time as they share the water, talking about the matches for the night, and Nick aches for more. But what he aches for isn’t just the sex.

~

They repeat these clandestine meetings until halfway through September. It’s a Dynamite Wednesday, and Nick and Matt don’t have a match. Even so, they’re there for EVP duties, so Nick makes his way to Luchasaurus’ and Christian’s locker room.

“Jesus Christ, the vulture again.”

“Crow!” Nick squawks.

“Even sounds like a goddamned bird,” Christian mumbles, but he walks out of the room without another word.

Nick peeks in. “Hi.”

“Hi there little crow,” Luchasaurus says, a little smile playing on his lips. “What could you possibly be doing here?”

“Oh, don’t – you know.”

Nick falls into Luchasaurus’ lap without a second thought, sliding their bodies together like they do it all the time, like this is what millions of years of evolution planned for them to do.

“Lucha,” Nick gasps, as Luchasaurus moves his lips down Nick’s throat, nipping lightly. “God, please.”

“Now you know,” Luchasaurus says, hand around Nick’s throat, “birds are descended from dinosaurs, so perhaps you should be calling me Daddy.”

Nicks entire body tenses up. “Yeah,” he says, “Yeah, Daddy, anything.”

It leads to the most mind blowing rail-a-thon yet, Nicks entire body limp and pliable and deliciously sore afterwards. Unfortunately, his brain is the same level of wrecked.

He’s playing out a scenario of a future when Luchasaurus asks, “You good?”

“Do you miss me?” Nick blurts out.

Beneath the dark red mask, Luchasaurus blinks. “What?”

“Like, when I’m not around,” and, god, Nick wishes he could stop talking. “When we’re not, like, having sex or in the ring together.”

Luchasaurus is quiet, and Nick would kill for more than a single word response. For him to use those words to craft a response that’s music to his ears. “That’s – an unexpected question.”

Nick fights the urge to ask, to interrupt whatever Lucha’s thinking about in the moment.

“I suppose,” Luchasaurus says, and Nick recognizes that tone as his Master’s Degree voice, the one where he’s doing his best to choose his words correctly, to speak carefully, “I recognize that I’m less comfortable when your strange, avian presence isn’t around.”

To Nick, that’s as good as a love confession. “You mean it?”

“I called you strange,” Luchasaurus says, and he trails his fingers up and down Nick’s arm like it’s nothing, like they do this all the time. “I’m not sure why you seem so pleased about it.”

“You implied you feel better with me around,” Nick says. “I’ll take what I can get.”

That low, lovely rumble from Luchasaurus’ chest sounds again, vibrating through Nick’s entire body. “You think too little of yourself, little crow,” Luchasaurus says. Nick would swear he presses a kiss to the top of Nick’s head.

“I’m willing to take what I can get when it comes to you.” Nick shifts so he can look Luchasaurus in the eye, the mask a welcome sight. “Do – do you think, realistically, we could be lovers?”

Luchasaurus drops his head back against his pillow, eyes to the ceiling. He wraps an arm around Nick’s shoulders, tightly enough to pull him into his own chest. “I suppose,” he says slowly, “that’s what you could already call what we’re doing, Nicrowlas.”

“Did – did you just make a bird pun when I’m trying to have a serious moment?” Nick asks, shuffling off the strong arm around his shoulders to glare at Luchasaurus.

Lucha grins. “What? A dinosaur can’t be funny and handsome?”

Nick groans, but he drops his head to Lucha’s chest again, and thinks, perhaps, the could build a home right here.

Or, he giggles to himself, a nest.

~

Mini Playlist (it's never been so cracky as this one, everybody):

Alone - Kim Petras feat. Nicki Minaj (again)

Animals - The Cab

Animal - The Donnas

Animals - Nickelback

#LuchasaurNick #Why am I like this #Nick Attrackson #in which Sara writes #wrestleprompts #sarahcakes613 #wtf i like wrestling now???

[brwnii]

SLEEPY EREN JAEGER X ALL NIGHT READER

MODERN CANONS

Imagine: You remain up all night and don't go to bed until who knows what hour, so sleepy Eren tried to stay up with you but couldn't resist having to shut his eyes every two seconds.

- On certain nights, it could be difficult for you to fall asleep at this hour, so instead of going to bed, why not stay up all night?

- But if it’s school night or etc.. then we need our rest :,)

- Yet Unlike not going to bed—there’s Eren our sleep tired German boy

- Who would go to bed around 10 or 9:30 just for his liking but not this night tho

- He gonna be a night howl just for us tonight 😼✊🏽

- Eren, our sleep-weary German boy, however, prefers to stay up late because y/n suddenly wanna makes joke to him saying “all right titan isn’t getting late? Don’t you have a bed time?” 💀

- And Personally..Eren I wouldn’t take that joke if I was you

- So during washing up for bed Eren made a deal to y/n if he could stay up all night like past 3 or 4 than y/n would have to do whatever he wants

- You took in that offer 🤝

- It was now 11:00 pm and Eren would NOT STOP YAWNING

- It was like every 10 secs that boy gotta yawn

- Eren was half awake leaning his head against the headboard while you were distracted by your phone skimming through TikTok. You look at him every 1 min to see him still awake nearly keeping his eyes open But open them eventually

- He’s a slow talker when he’s tired

- “Y/n…can.. you…past..the remote” he yawn every each word

- You did kinda felt guilty and tried to turn down the bet “Eren, it’s really not a big of deal you know I was just joking around just go to sleep ok?”

- But he can be stubborn sometimes so he said No

- It’s was now 1 am in the morning he still awake scrolling through the channels at some point

- When you returned from the restroom and saw him watching some television and not dozing off, you were genuinely impressed, but you still felt a little bad.

- “Erennn”

- “Hm?”

- “Go to bedddd you won—now sleep”

- “No..” you grumpily groaned.

- At 1:30 Eren was fighting for his life

- He would not stop dozing off he was starting to drool from drifting off from the screen he was whatever watching.

- Poor boy was actually tired

- So after you came back from the kitchen there was Eren.. sleep and sound on the bed with one leg over your side and the other his side.

- You’ve won 🏆

- But then you just chuckled and walk over back to the bed moving his leg from yours side and slide both of you into the sheets.

- He noticed your appearance and move closer to your chest hugging you tightly.

- His hair was all over the place you used your own scrunchy to tie it in the back kissing his forehead as a goodnight kiss -

- because actually you felt tired too.

—

*This is just a head canon not everything I said it’s true it’s just a fun imagination I thought about last night*

Thanks for your giving time to read this

I’ll try my best to check any errors of grammars that I made.

Till then thank you again have a good summer and stay tuned for more ☀️

©brwnii

#anime x you #anime writing blog #eren hcs #germaneren #eren headcanons #Eren is daddy #eren fluff #attack on titan #aot fluff #aot x gn!reader #aot x reader #eren x y/n #aot imagines #sleepygermanboyeren #readerisallnighter #ilikeeren:)

[shadowsshowdown]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Shadow’s Showdown 29

The Art of War.

Washington.

The sound of the alarm clock woke Adam with intrusive breaking into his subconscious. He was lying on his back with his right arm bent and raised above his head, feeling an odd weight on his chest. Under normal circumstances, he would have said it was probably a cat, one that was a little overfed. The man slowly turned his head to the right pleased to find it was Laura asleep and pressing her cheek to his chest. It was one of those mornings that could have lasted an eternity, but alas, good things can’t last too long. The woman stirred and yawned slowly opening her sleepy eyes. She muttered something under her breath but to him, it was only intermittent streams of warm air tickling his skin.

"Holy shit..." she muttered again. "My head..." "Good morning hummingbird," he replied, still making no movement. "Hummi... Wait, where am I?"

Lying on her side, Laura leaned on her elbow and then sat up. She tried to piece together the shreds of information coming into her not-so-conscious brain. She knew she was not at her place but at Adam's. But how?

"You had drunk a bit too much last night..." he tried to explain, but she got into his words. "Did I wandered to the wrong room again? I'm not here! I’m gone! Just give me a sec!" she exclaimed trying to escape from the bed. "Wait, not so fast," he stopped her. "I brought you here myself. I didn't want to rummage through your things to find your room card so..."

The woman looked at the dress resting on the back of the armchair, then at herself. "Wait a minute. You undressed me! Without my knowledge! Without my consent! You..."

At a moment like this, Jensen was grateful for the invention of the cell phone, which ringing interrupted their conversation. He hoped Laura will cool off by the time of conversation. He looked at her apologetically and picked up the call.

"Yes, we'll be there just a little later. Laura and I need to figure out a few things. Can you guys handle it? Yeah? That's great."

Laura had lost the urge to reproach Adam for touching her when she was drunk. She looked at her watch in horror finding that it was about 10 am. She was not supposed to cause him any problems, but in the meantime, she was doing everything in reverse. When the man finished talking she was already putting on her dress.

"Running away as usual?" she heard Adam's soft murmur behind her and felt how his fingertips gently stroked her back as he helped her zip her dress. "I’m doing everything wrong," Laura stated in a depressed tone as she took a mirror out of her purse. "That’s not true. Our job here is mostly to supervise. We don't need to be present during placing every inch of cable and screwing each bolt," he explained with calmness. "I have to go anyway," she replied taking her shoes and heading to the exit.

She wanted to open the door, but Jensen placed his hand outstretched to the side on it. The woman stood motionless looking at it and didn't know what to do. Somewhere deep inside, an old fear had awakened. Kratos had acted similarly, but after all, the ex-SWAT did not resemble him in any way.

Adam no longer thought about how many of his rules he had broken and how many more were left to break. He leaned in and kissed her long, hot, and with passion. The woman didn't fight back, she succumbed to his will, surrendered completely to the moment. Longing, pain, fear, uncertainty, joy, tenderness, concern, lo... She felt all his emotions. They were so intense she couldn't bear them.

I wanted that kiss Laura, as much as I want it now. I know you felt it. I know it...

She moved away from him abruptly, opened the door, which was no longer blocked by his hand, and ran straight to her room. Laura sat with her back pressed against the closed door telling herself what she felt was just a figment of her imagination. Her thoughts quickly changed track to one about work. Adam assured her she hadn't messed anything up, but what else was he supposed to say? The woman got up from the floor and went to take a quick shower. She immediately dressed in comfortable jeans, a loose grey sweater, and leather lace-up ankle boots. While taking the jacket from a coat rack, Laura made sure she also had all of her notes and blueprints. Finally, she grabbed her drone and left.

Jensen wasn't there yet when Laura started work. Connor was also missing somewhere which she was half glad about. She checked everything step by step, crossing off entries from the list written on the tablet. In doing so, she was more thorough than any other inspection. She owed it to him, and a sense of duty was something that had always been important to her.

"That lantern over there," she said to one of the workers. "It needs adjustment. It should illuminate the area next to the helipad, not directly on it," she explained to which the man nodded.

The hacker reached for her phone wanting to check the security of the power generator next to the building, and at the same moment, a paper file full of documents slipped from under her hand and fell to the ground.

"Holy fuck..." she cursed under her breath. "My, my, words like that coming from your mouth? What got you so mad?" asked Connor gathering scattered things from the ground. "I should have been here a long time ago, not..." she cut the sentence with a loud sigh. "Laura, listen to me carefully," his tone turned serious. "You think you work with machines? Everyone was at that party yesterday, then we went wandering around the local clubs. No one is holding anyone accountable, no one is looking as if you were guilty. You haven't let anyone down. They're a solid crew. They had fun last night, they're going to be a little out of shape today, but everybody's going to do their job and so are you. Don't be so hard on yourself." "You're right just..." she couldn't just finish the sentence. "It's just I..."

Connor smiled as he watched her try to say such simple words. "You care about him, after all, I know. Still, you shouldn't agonize over it so much. If Adam has no objections then that's the way it is. I've known him enough to know he always talks about everything honestly."

"I do care, but not in that way. At work, I can be as responsible and professional as he is. In the meantime, I'm making one slip-up after another that's only making my situation worse," she explained, avoiding the uncomfortable subject. "Forgive the directness, but that dance and kiss were pretty straightforward," Connor didn't budge an inch. "It was a mistake, a misunderstanding, a mere..." the woman's voice faltered momentarily.

The man immediately regretted being so harsh with her, but he wanted to make Laura realize that she should draw clear lines and define herself throughout this comedy instead of trying to play different roles. However, he hadn't expected such an emotional reaction from her. He didn't expect her to cry therefore he embraced her tightly and hugged her stroking her back.

"You're a monstrously hard case, but I can handle that too," he mumbled trying to comfort her.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

   ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

On his way to the convention center, Adam received three phone calls including one from Pritchard. The ex-SWAT’s mood deteriorated rapidly after only a few seconds of listening to his squawking. He walked with a quick pace holding a cigarette and paper coffee cup in his left hand and his phone in his right. He had just finished replying to Malik’s message then tucked the smartphone into his coat pocket. Jensen didn't think there could be anything worse than Francis. The sight of Laura in Connor's embrace made him feel a hundred times worse. That asshole is touching her! What the hell is he thinking?! Emotions boiled inside him like lava and this time reason couldn't drown them out.

"Forgive me for interrupting this intimate situation, but it seems we came here to work," he said in a husky cold voice as he approached the embracing couple. "I suggest you follow the schedule," "Of course. I’m terribly sorry Mr. Jensen..." muttered Laura pulling away momentarily from Connor, who in turn refused to let her go at all. As the woman walked away a bit, returning to her duties, Jensen sent his rival a warning look of sinisterly squinted grey-blue eyes and frowned brows. This clear message did not at all have the desired effect on Connor. It even became a prelude to the upcoming war. The answer was short and firm. The man's brown eyes did not bend at all under the ex-SWAT's gaze. They froze still, effortlessly withstanding the enormity of the anger, and his lips only twitched in a smile. The computer expert knew how to deal with more than just software and was very firm in his actions. He also knew that Adam was able to separate private and professional matters, so he would not face any consequences for what he had just done. The men parted like a pair of experienced gunslingers to meet one day at high noon and once and for all decide which of them is better. Jensen returned to his routine of answering calls, listening to reports, and inspecting the surroundings for possible sabotage or sneak-ins through exposed areas. First, he checked everything he and Laura had noted down on their previous visit, then he relied on his experience and imagination. Unfortunately, the clash with Connor brought him out of balance. What bothered him the most was the fact that nothing like that could happen before because he knew how to control his emotions, but now he behaved like a teenager. For the rest of the day, he sat in the office of the former CEO staring at the screen of his laptop which showed the plan of the building. Laura had already checked everything she could and fixed any minor or major problems. Most were related to errors in account passwords or basic lack of access to certain devices or files. Those were things she called 'The jewels of the day'. Today, a forklift was remotely taken over by a prankster and nearly ran into a power generator because the perpetrator didn't know how to fully control it. The woman first relieved herself by using unflattering words to describe his stupidity then thanked him for finding the security hole, which she fixed until her lunch break. She would have loved to sit here until evening, but Connor took her out to a restaurant. This time it wasn't the one at the hotel but another equally cozy one, and most importantly - Adam wasn’t there. "You should get some rest. You look exhausted," Connor said as he sipped from his coffee cup. "Really that noticeable?" muttered Laura tormenting on a piece of cake. "Unfortunately, but you know me enough to know..." "That you always come up with something," she finished for him. "Bravo, you guessed it," he admitted clapping his hands quietly. They both laughed, and when they stopped the man reached for her fork, scooped a piece of cake onto it, and pretending to be an airplane, moved it toward her lips. "VTOL is requesting permission to land," he said, mimicking the pilot's voice. Laura slowly opened her mouth. She felt a little silly but only for a moment. With Connor, she could quickly relax which was always monstrously difficult with Adam. What she didn't know was someone was watching them. Together they returned to work learning that several new cases had unexpectedly appeared within an hour of their absence. Laura noticed that Connor was extremely capable of managing subordinates, and such experience takes a long time to gain. She didn't dare to ask him directly about what he did before he started working at Sarif Industries. "A forklift? Did I hear right?" he was surprised when she told him about today's problem. "Aha... It's not anything new, but I didn't expect anyone to use it here. Anyway, good to know." "Seriously. Do you think there's that much danger? This is just a speech about some research, not a summit of presidents from all over the world." "I don't know," the woman sighed finishing correcting the last lines regarding security. "What if it’s Rosetta Stone's big thing? Later we might regret ignoring those potentially irrelevant dangers. I know we won't make sure everything is taken care of anyway. Something will always be overlooked, but I want as few of those things as possible," she explained comprehensively. "You should be the boss. You're better suited for it than Francis," he admitted with sincerity. Laura shook her head negatively "Pritchard is a pain in the ass, but you have to give him credit for knowing what he's doing. He knows when something is important and when it isn't. He has a nasty nature and likes to push his responsibilities onto others, but that's what being a boss is all about. I really appreciate and admire him even if we rarely get along." Connor smiled hearing those words and in his mind he found himself liking Laura more and more. He hadn't even ruled out something more, especially now when things had broken down between her and Adam. Why should he give in to his will if the Head of Security kept changing his mind? "We have a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow," the man stated as he checked off the list of things he had written down. "Implementing your code, then seeing how it works. These things today were just little pebbles that we'll connect to the whole system later." "We will connect?" she asked looking at him with her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Did you just offer to help me?" "I did, although I'm probably allowing myself too much," he replied rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous motion. "You're wonderful! Thank you!" she exclaimed in euphoria and spontaneously kissed his cheek. "I'm about to blush," he muttered laughing.

After lunch, they didn't go back to work. Laura went to her room, and Connor went for a walk.

Adam was mad at himself because he couldn't solve the simplest problem. His thoughts constantly revolved around Laura and Connor. Today he had crossed the line, what would happen tomorrow? What he did was thoughtless, unprofessional, and childish. He might have excused himself if he were about twenty years younger, but at the moment he was a grown man of age 34. Perhaps a little too rigidly sticking to his resolutions, not spontaneous enough, but that's how life and his experience shaped him.

The door closing with a quiet slam did not manage to focus his attention. He still pretended to be very busy with work. Only Faridah's quite shapely ass resting on the desktop right next to his hand momentarily brought him back to the world of the living. "You know I don't like it when you do that," he muttered grudgingly. "Like so many other things," the woman shrugged her shoulders. "I've already stopped caring about it." "But I didn't," he replied with exasperation in his voice. "That's why you will sit in the armchair." Malik assessed that Adam was angry for some reason and she guessed what, or rather who, it might be about. Well, what she came with would not make him feel better at all, however, she was not going to let go. She didn't react to his command either, instead, she put the phone in front of him and pressed the play button on the screen. Jensen frowned as he saw Laura and Connor. He wanted to turn off the recording and tell Malik what he thought about the spying and also that what was visible meant nothing but at the same moment, he saw the kiss. He struggled to bring his muscles to order, with even more effort he kept an indifferent expression on his face. "Faridah please don't stick your nose into my business," he warned in a harsh tone. "I will stick it in because these are my affairs too." "I have nothing in common with her anymore. Laura can do what she wants, where and with whom she wants." "I've never heard a worse bullshit in my life," she snarled, intertwining her arms across her chest. "Let me decide that," he announced drumming his fingers on the desktop which meant he was getting angry. "Since you care so much, talk to Laura, tell her how idiotic she is acting, that she should stop immediately and be with me. After all, it's unthinkable she could be dating someone else!" "I thought you were different Adam," she said in a cool tone. Jensen wanted to reply even more harshly and tartly but he remembered what Rupert had told him and what he had replied. "You probably think I'm at ease, that I don't care about all this. No Faridah, it is uneasy for me at all. Seeing her with Connor makes me feel like killing him for being near her, for touching her, for getting along so well. Laura is so free and happy with him. With me, she's scared and closed off." "Oh dear, I almost feel sorry for you. Listen to yourself, preferably a few times. This is not the Adam I know." "And what man do you know?" he asked in a colorless, tired voice. "I know a man who can fight for his own, a seemingly rough guy who gains on closer knowing. Someone you can rely on. That Adam wasn't a frightened puppy wagging his tail. He was a predatory tomcat. I can't believe Damien affected you that much." "Believe it or not, what I want most right now is for Laura to be happy. If he's providing that for her, well maybe I'm not good enough for her." "You didn't give her a chance to decide. Everything that was beginning to blossom in the snows of Uppsala was trampled by Damien." Malik moved to the sofa feeling that the conversation was going to be a little longer than she had expected. Adam turned off his laptop, tucked it into his bag, and joined the woman a moment later with great hesitation. He sat down resting his elbows on his thighs with his palms facing the floor. His gaze focused on the opposite wall but his thoughts drifted off somewhere far away. He wasn't inclined to talk about what was bothering him, but he felt he needed it more than ever. "I still feel something for Megan..." he said quietly. "I still hope she does too which is why I should let Laura go now there is a good opportunity to do so." "Who are you trying to fool? If me you've failed, and if yourself then you're an idiot," Faridah couldn't stand it and raised her voice. "Listen..." she paused taking several deep breaths. "Megan is a wonderful person. I like her and appreciate what she does, but you know very well yourself that you weren't completely happy with her. Washington will finish a phase, then there will be new research and projects. Her career progression will accelerate, so tell me where in all this will you be? Between one interview and another? Do you want that?" "I don't know," he muttered. "I know I don't want to get Laura’s hopes up." "By all the pests of the world! You've already done that. You're up to your ears in shit, and it's up to you to get out of it. The truth is, you're looking for excuses to get me off. Fine, if you want to there's no problem, I'm gone." Faridah got up and headed straight for the door without looking back, without a shadow of hesitation. "Wait. Yes you're right I'm looking for excuses," Jensen ran hands through his hair making it look like the ruffled spikes of a hedgehog. Malik returned to the sofa, just looking at the man in silence. She saw with what difficulty he was talking about his problems and emotions. She also saw how Laura was able to change him and she couldn't leave it like that. "Rarely have I been so sure of what I feel. Laura is so completely different from me. She is the contradiction of everything I look for in a woman. Unpredictable, childish, arrogant, but many times she surprised me so much that I crave her closeness more and more. She is like a breath of fresh air in a stuffy room. But seeing her with him, seeing how perfectly they understood each other, I found there was none of that between us outside of the professional realm." "Don't let go and fight for her. Stop looking for problems. Maybe she's not looking for a carefree little boy at all but a mature, responsible man? We don't know much about what happened in her past, but I have a feeling this is just the peak of the iceberg. One thing is for sure - she needs us, and she needs you the most." "I had hoped that over the course of this week I would be able to repair at least some of our relationship, but it's getting worse." Adam kept silent about the unfortunate comment after he had kissed Laura at the party. He also kept silent about the second kiss in his room. "Washington is a bad place. Here everyone is busy, stressed with work. You guys need peace and quiet like you had in Uppsala." "I thought I might spend Christmas with her. At my place or at hers, she'll decide. But I doubt if Laura will agree." "That's a great idea, you should ask her. In the meantime, focus on your work and on bothering them. Show up close to her, just be there so she doesn't forget. I have to go. Sarif first promised I could stay here, and now suddenly I'm terribly necessary for him and no one else can fly instead of me. He has even postponed the party here."

"Thank you for listening to me," he said gratefully and got up to walk her to the door.

It was already dark outside the window. The streetlights illuminated the streets and even the hotel corridors had quieted down. Laura was sitting on her bed bent over her laptop which screen illuminated her focused face. She had the impression that there was still a trace of Adam's kiss on her lips even though she had washed her face several times. She was pleased to find that all the code was now ready to be implemented and it couldn't be done any better on her part. Tomorrow she would ask Connor to double check it and add his thoughts. She wanted to go and take a shower but halfway to the bathroom, she was interrupted by a knocking on the door. She stopped in mid-step raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"Who the devil carries at this hour?" she muttered under her breath and went to check the source of the noise.

The woman looked right, then left, but the corridor was empty, lit only by lamps built into the ceiling. She shrugged her shoulders and was about to close the door when she saw a red envelope lying on the gray carpet. This sight awoke her worst thoughts and dormant demons. Kratos had always liked red, especially if it was the color of blood. No matter whose it was. She remembered how he painted his face with it during every mission, she remembered he liked to make love to her the most whenever she had her period. He was kind and tender to her then, only then. Other than that brief time she was dirty and worthless to him. Laura picked up the envelope with a trembling hand and placed it on the nightstand. She wanted so badly to go to Adam now, to show him that Kratos was back, but she promised herself she would keep him away from this shit. She wrote a message to Joe using the other phone, but it could not be sent because a number did not exist. She walked around the room for a long time, then went to take a shower and walked around the room again. Finally, she onto the bed and by some miracle managed to fall asleep.

All  chapters can be found: [AO3], [dA], [Wattpad] and [Tumblr]

#Deus Ex #DXHR #Deus Ex Human Revolution #Adam Jensen #Shadowfanfic #crunchy-shadow #Shadow's Showdown #Nifriel #I never asked for this #Fanfiction #Evie Dormer OC #Joe Mando OC #Cyberpunk #Writers on tumblr #Chapter 29: The Art of War

[apixrl]

MORNING CUDDLES.

eijirou kirishima x fem!reader

WARNING(S): none

word count: 2.8k

note(s): eiji and his partner call each other love 25/8 and no u cannot tell me otherwise >:(

italian translation - translator !!

Beep beep. Beep beep. Beep beep.

Your hand snuck its way out from under the duvet, blindly searching for your phone in order to shut off the nuisance that was your alarm. Once you did, you slowly let your eyes drift open and meet the blank canvas of the ceiling above.

The sun was peeking through the blinds off to the left side, causing streaks of light to form on your bedroom walls and bed itself. None of them obstructed your vision luckily, there was nothing worse than lying in bed only to have the sun blind you. A light snore interrupted your tiredness and caused your eyes to open wider, directing them off to the right to meet that of your boyfriend, Eijirou.

As per usual, he looked at peace during his state of slumber. His mouth hung slightly open to reveal his iconic sharpened teeth as snores broke through them. His usual gelled up hair was now ironed down to structure his face and practically conceal it with the amount there. It swept over one of his eyes - though didn't stop the scar on his right one peeking through. The rest of his hair was mushed up between his cheek and the pillow his head lay on.

You smiled at the sight, losing yourself in his handsomeness for a moment before leaning forwards to peck his forehead softly. You then pulled back the covers on your side, making an effort (reluctantly) to sit yourself up and swing your legs over the end of the bed. Just as you were about to find the means to stand, something tugged you back causing you to gasp. It was only when Eijirou's voice hit your ear that you processed what happened.

"Morning," The redhead let out, voice hoarse and deeper than usual to signal the classic case of morning croak, something you always loved to hear first thing. An arm snaked around your front to pull you back against Eijirou's abdomen. With a little smile, you turned your face to the love of your life, who was tiredly gazing at you.

"Good morning," You faintly sang. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mhhm," Eijirou replied, using his spare hand to reach up and rub his waking eyes at the same time as he released a mighty yawn. "You?"

"Like a baby," Was your answer as Eijirou allowed his hand to gently graze your forearm affectionately. You hummed softly, not wanting to move one bit from the comfort. If anything, you would have liked to have remained under his touch the entire day. Something about his subtle physical signs of adoration brought you head over heels for him, even more so than you already were. But you knew it couldn't last forever. So after a minute of sweet quiet, you proceeded to shift forwards to try and get up. Only to find the grip on you tighten and a disgruntled noise of protest to leave Eijirou's throat.

"Love, I gotta get up," You spoke and turned back to him with a sigh. "I've got that meeting at 10, remember?"

"No," Was the only thing you received back from your partner. Eijirou looked up gently into your E/C eyes. "Five more minutes?"

At first, you went to say a flat no, mainly because you'd expected him to act like this despite knowing full well you were going out. But you eventually concluded on a compromise to try and be smart about it. Fingers playing with the sheets of your bed, you spoke up once more.

"How about you let me go grab us a hot drink and then five more minutes?" It seemed to do the trick. Eijirou paused in thought before gently mumbling an 'okay', the grip on you loosening to give you the freedom to stand up. Once you stood upright you looked back to Eijirou, who was following your every move through tired red eyes.

"I'll come back in sec okay?"

"You better,"

This clingy side to Eijirou usually came out on the first day or two of him having time off work. Since he was a Pro-Hero he could sometimes be working days on end without a break, so moments like this the pair of you really treasured to maintain a healthy relationship. You smiled during your trip to the kitchen, his touch still on your mind as you started to prepare yourself a steaming F/H/D and a simple black coffee for Eijirou.

On your way back to the bedroom you made a pit stop to go to the toilet and somewhat freshen yourself up. All you did was brush your hair and wash your face (you planned to do make-up later) and then you were heading back to Eijirou. You opened the door with your foot since both hands were occupied by mugs.

"I told you I wasn't going to be long,"

"It was too long," His voice came from the bundle of covers, a head poking out from under as you saw a flash of a toothy grin. It was more tired than usual but still held the same passion nonetheless.

"Somebody's impatient,"

"Whatever. Now let me use you as a pillow," Eijirou uttered, waiting for you to put the drinks down and to get into bed. Pulling back the cream covers of your shared bed you were soon engulfed by arms as a head found refuge on your chest.

"Happy?" You said with a laugh. Eijirou nodded and let his eyes close, listening to the sound of your heartbeat against his cheek with a soft grin. He then felt himself get even more at home when your fingertips guided themselves to play with the ends of his hair.

"Yes,"

---

"Come on, Eijirou... I need to go get ready," You whined, rolling your eyes at the silence you received back. Only the soft and light pecks of kisses landing on your shoulder blade signalled Eijirou's distraction, almost pretending to be deaf for his own personal benefit. You rolled back in order to make him stop, looking up at Eijirou in protest. At first, he sent you a nearly offended gaze at daring to make such a movement, claiming he wasn't finished and had intentions of carrying on. Though slowly his jaw altered to a pout, reaching to tuck some hair behind your ear.

"Do you have to go?" Eijirou mumbled and leaned down to peck your lips.

"Yes, I do," You answered.

"Can't you just call in sick or something?"

"I already did that three weeks ago... so probably not,"

"Please?"

"I said I can't. Now get up, lazy bones,"

You went to get up once more, this time forcing yourself through the gripping fingers and hands of Eijirou to escape the bed. When you came out successful you released a small laugh of triumph much to Eijirou's dismay. It was there you walked to your closet and took the clothes hanging over the door on a clothing hanger, looking back at Eijirou whose face had now emerged further from under the covers to watch you.

"Is it even an important meeting, love?" Eijirou said, eyes following as you shuffled back to the bed and put the clothes at the bottom. You released a sigh as you turned to put the clothing hanger back in the closet, not aware of the cheap move Eijirou made when you weren't looking and instead answered his question.

"Not really? But because I missed the last one - no thanks to you, I think it'd be better I should get to this one," Wandering back to the bed, slipping off the shirt you'd stolen off Eijirou the night before as you did, Eijirou rolled his eyes and undermined your words.

"So... miss this one and go to the next,"

"As I recall you said that last time and promised you wouldn't say it when it occurred again... but here we are," There was a little smirk on your face when you caught him rolling his eyes, and in response, you playfully tossed the shirt you'd had on at the redhead. Eijirou snickered and managed to catch it before it hit his face, going to crumple it into a ball and place it next to him.

"You throw like a girl,"

"And you scream like one, doofus,"

"I'm not a doofus... doofus,"

Eijirou couldn't help but smirk in amusement at you, his face lighting up all the more into a bright beam when he heard a laugh release on your part. You were just finishing buttoning up your collar shirt as Eijirou watched, arms crossing over his chest. He cocked his head back against the headrest as well as to the side in thought.

"I ever tell you that you look good in shirts like that?" The redhead stated, receiving a glare that had formed on your face.

"Don't you get any ideas,"

"Wasn't suggesting any, just stating the obvious," He raised his arms in defence as you sat down on the bed by his legs, reaching for the blazer.

"That's also something you said last time and look what happened there - wait where's my...?" You were one sleeve through your blazer when you noticed that one of your pieces of clothing was missing. The navy blue pencil skirt that matched your top half to be more specific. You looked behind and around you, and also to the closet thinking you forgot to grab it with everything else, proceeding to frown in thought.

You swore you hung it up there and -

With a heavy exhale, you felt your body twist around and turn to a particularly quiet Eijirou sitting behind you.

His expression read it all like he was trying to be both obvious and mysterious all in one go in order to get you to question him. It most definitely worked, a hand meeting your hip as you stood upright and quirked a quizzical brow.

"Eiji?"

"Hm? What is it, dearest?"

"Can I have my skirt back please?"

"What do you mean? I don't have your skirt," His growing smirk and amusement in his eyes betrayed his words, refusing to make eye contact with you in a playful manner you'd seen countless times before.

"Okay, so where is it then?"

"I don't know," He innocently shrugged. "Maybe the skirt fairy came and took it,"

"The skirt fairy," You repeated, disbelief laced in your voice.

"Yep," He said through a laugh. "I don't know what to tell you, love. There can't be any other explanation,"

"Just give me back my skirt before I get behind on time,"

"I don't have it,"

"Yes, you do,"

"No, I don't,"

"Don't make me jump you, bitch,"

"I honestly wouldn't com- oof!"

Before Eijirou could finish his sentence, he only just managed to catch you when you pounced at him without remorse. Luckily he just managed to protect himself and readjusted your intended position, victoriously smirking up at you and pointing a finger.

"Hah! Not this time!"

"I hate you sometimes,"

"No, you don't. You love me,"

"I swear to god -," You let out, arms crossing over your chest. Eijirou had sat you on top of him, legs on either side of him as he remained under the covers. "Can I please just have my skirt back?"

"You mean the one that's under the sheets by my feet?" He blankly stated, letting his hands rest themselves on your hips quite comfortably. He couldn't help but laugh at your less than amused expression.

"Why can't you just let me get ready?"

"I'm not stopping you... I'm just making it more difficult,"

"Educate me on how?"

"Well the only way to get your skirt is to get back into bed... and if you get back into bed I'm not letting you get back out,"

"You're really being this persistent, hm?"

"Maybe a little more than intended,"

You hopelessly sighed, looking at the ceiling with a mental cry of both impatience and leisure. The inner want to go to your wardrobe and pull out a fresh skirt was the easy way out, yes, but the temptation of the game Eijirou intended to play was getting to you more than expected. That and you knew he wouldn't let you simply get off him, the grip on your waist not only implying endearing affection.

Eijirou raised his voice, reeling you back to his attention. Despite your annoyance, you did make an effort to admire his features. From his loose hair to his fixed jawline where the tint of a smirk riddled with confidence rested. The pretty glow in his carmine gaze drew you in each time without a fault. He was so undeniably attractive, no doubt about it.

"You know what sounds fun?"

"What?" Partly having a sense of what was to leave his lips.

"If you...," He paused as he subtly cocked his head at you. "Stayed in bed and cuddled with me all morning," Another pause. "Because I haven't seen you in four or five days and I miss you,"

"But we watched a movie and spent some time together last night knowing I was going out today,"

"Yeah but... you're cute on a morning,"

"Opposed to other times when I'm not?" It was Eijirou's turn to send you a little glare in protest before he returned to his pleading nature.

"You're cute all the time,"

Yet another few seconds of quiet.

"Just - stay with me today? And do your meeting-thingy tomorrow?"

"You, Eijirou Kirishima, are going to be the death of me," Leaning down to rest your forehead on Eijirou's shoulder whilst releasing a long groan from the back of your throat. Maybe not so great of an idea since that allowed him to wrap you right into his grasp, you held yourself there briefly as he allowed his fingertips to mess with your hair.

"Probably," Eijirou mumbled softly, tilting his head against yours as he once again let his touch wander. The unexpected cuddle definitely didn't go unnoticed as you pondered in your position, practically ready to fall asleep when Eijirou started to rub up and down your back. Like a moth to a flame, he had you wrapped around his finger, knowing that in the end, he was always going to get his own way. Of course, in other circumstances, he'd usually let you win. But not when it came to morning cuddles.

Definitely not when it came to morning cuddles.

As if waiting for you to talk, Eijirou stared into your strands of H/C hair whilst inhaling the scent of coconut from the shampoo you used the evening prior. He expectantly caressed your hip, his final attempt to win you over confidently coming to a climax at the word that exited your mouth.

"Fine,"

You could practically feel the smirk against the back of your head as Eijirou's touch became all the more prominent and rewarding. He let one of his arms extend out to grab your phone, handing it over to you as you hesitantly sat up with a hotness to your cheeks and found the contact of your workplace.

Eijirou simply watched you the whole time, taking you all in like he was casting gaze upon you for the first time. No matter how many times that happened, he still managed to find you all the more beautiful. He ran a hand through his flattened hair and exhaled merrily as he let your voice sink into his ears, watching the smile on your face grow as you caught him looking.

"Yeah - Again, I'm really sorry I can't make it, Eijirou caught something whilst working and he's bound to the bed cause' of it," You held up crossed fingers in hopes you wouldn't sound like you were lying, glancing at your boyfriend who appeared to chuckle.

And yet again your lie went unnoticed. The call was over in seconds, tossing your phone to the empty side of the bed.

"Why'd you say I was sick?"

"Because if I said it was me they'd probably ask about the last time you forced me to stay off, and how often I'm apparently unwell,"

"Right,"

"But, it looks like you got your way," You said, going to change out the white shirt to put your pyjama shirt back on, placing the work clothes to the bottom of the bed as Eijirou waited patiently.

"Come," Was all he said once you looked back at him, opening his arms for you to sink into. Which you did, reaching that comfortable position within his grasp as though you belonged there. Except this time, Eijirou directed your face towards his, pulling your lips to his in one smooth addicting manner that you felt butterflies in your stomach for.

In the meantime your drinks were disregarded as the clock ticked on, the pair of you forgetting their presence on the bedside table. The steam soon dissipated to nothing the cooler the fluids got.

"Y/N?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you,"

He could sense the smile that formed on your lips.

"I love you too,"

#bnha x reader #mha x reader #kirishima x reader #eijirou kirishima #my hero academia x reader #boku no hero x reader #x reader #fluff #oneshot #kirishima #kirishima fluff #kirishima x y/n #kirishima x you

[joheunsaram]

To Make A Power Couple - 02 (knj)

Chapter 2 - Pizza and Life Chats

THIS IS A REPOST SINCE I LOST ACCESS TO MY OLD ACCOUNT. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS BLOG FOR UPDATES ON THIS SERIES.

previous | masterlist | next

Summary- Namjoon and Y/N go on their first date, and Namjoon is whipped.

word count- 5k

pairing- idol!namjoon x ceo!reader

rating- pg13 for now

genre- series, fluff, eventual smut, strangers2lovers

warnings- mentions of hangovers and panic attacks, tooth-rottingly fluffy

a.n- okay here’s the second part! I wrote this up fairly quickly (don’t expect this to be the norm!). This part I wanted to kind of address the stress of overworking as a young adult (GUILTY 🙋🏻‍♀️) so sorry if it gets a little serious at parts. I also wanted to switch it up so it’s from Namjoon’s perspective. I hope you enjoy it. SOFT JOON BEING A BIG OLD SOFTY.

Feedback much appreciated! 💕

taglist - @beach-bitch-bitch-beach​, @sassyuniversitytacopeanut

-

Namjoon woke up startled as his phone alarm rang. He was groggy and his splitting headache made him nauseous. “I’m never going to drink again”, he mumbled. He groaned as he got off the couch he had crashed on the night before, trying not to trip over Taehyung who seemed to be dozing happily on the floor as he made his way to his room. He hadn’t stayed at the dorms in a while, preferring the quiet solitary of his own apartment nowadays, and with his hangover in full swing he felt like he was walking through a stranger’s house.

Last month was hell. He had procrastinated on his songs and none of the vocal guides were even halfway done before the due date. Every time he tried to finish a song a new one would pop up in his head and he would start on that, leading to a hard drive full of files labelled “finish soon” and “draft”, and a notebook full of scratched out scribbles. It was like his brain had decided to abandon him, deciding it had had enough of his perpetual melancholy. He had felt drained and burnt out, a husk with no creative juices left. Luckily, Yoongi and a few of the producers had taken pity on his stressed out state and lent a hand so he had been able to finish the bare minimum three days ago - before the label pressured him further. He was never more grateful for a small break.

In all honesty, he needed a way to jumpstart his brain, and get out of the routine of home, practice, meetings, studio, home. Sometimes, he almost wished he didn’t have the success he had so he could go out and let loose a little - a club, a party, anything. But the last time he went somewhere like that he got swarmed and the police had to be involved. He couldn’t risk that, not after the trouble Big Hit went to threaten media outlets a year and a half ago, when he was caught with what they called a hickey, but was actually a stress rash.

As he brushed his teeth today, however, he smiled at the mirror. Last month may have been terrible, but last night was one of the best he’d had in the past year.

When he had heard Bang PD’s team talk about how they were attending the charity gala as he met them for notes on his songs, he was intrigued. He had read about this non-profit in the paper before. They seemed to be helping bridge the gap between people through communication and that spoke to him. So much so that he had scrolled through their website multiple times, reading testimonials and almost memorizing the mission statement. They wanted to help kids learn English for free so they could communicate globally. He really liked the idea. It was hard for him to learn the language as a kid and he knew that the only reason he became as fluent as he is from the tutors his parents paid for and his obsession with American television and music. Although he didn’t need the tutoring anymore, he did enjoy talking to the in-house tutor at the company, John, from time to time and improving his skills. The fact that this company wanted to add a John to every school in Korea starting from the rural areas, made Namjoon want to meet the man behind the movement. Little did he know, he’d be meeting the girl who’d shift his idea of the ideal.

He had never been more glad to have convinced his company to let him and the boys attend an event. He had initially suggested it as a way to break the mundane before their comeback practices started and network while supporting a cause he liked. Two days ago, he wouldn’t have guessed it would have been an actual fun night leading to him nursing a headache.

He spent the next hour reliving last night as he showered and caught up on the news. He also read the messages he sent last night over a hundred times and had butterflies each time. Wasn’t he too old for butterflies? He wanted to message you again but every time he tried, he ended up overthinking it. Everything sounded forced or cheesy, and it was worse than any writer’s block. He threw his phone on the bed in frustration watching it bounce and land on the floor, before he grabbed it and pocketed it. Hopping around to get rid of his nerves, he decided to take a break from rereading the thread he already had memorized and check in with everyone. If his hangover was this bad he couldn’t imagine theirs.

Making his way back to the living room he found Taehyung now sitting on the floor, sleep still very evident on his features as he yawned and groaned. On the couch next to him sat Yoongi, holding an iced americano and staring into space. The rest were missing but he could hear a blender annoyingly whizzing in the kitchen.

“How’re you guys feeling this morning?” He asked as he sat across from Yoongi.

“This is why I don’t drink. Why did no one stop me?” Taehyung whined as he rose from the floor to leave, massaging his head.

“We tried. You were very excited to try all the disgustingly sweet drinks the hot bartender was making for you.” Yoongi replied with a sigh. “How was your date, Namjoon? You glad I forced you to go to the bar to talk to her?” he snickered, sipping his coffee before exhaling loudly in contentment.

“Honestly, I owe you big time. She was… amazing. I don’t think I’ve talked to someone that comfortably in a while” Namjoon sighed wistfully.

“I’ll add cupid to my resume,” he deadpanned. “Is she tolerating you for another date?”

“Yeah. We’re getting dinner on Tuesday, but I want to message her now. Argh!” He ran his hands over his face in frustration. “What do I even say? ‘Hi I’m the guy who was too scared to kiss you all night so you had to do it for him, what’s your favourite colour?’” Namjoon was annoyed at himself. It’s bad enough that he was having writer’s block in his music, did he have to have it for something as simple as texting too? This was ridiculous!

“Or you could just ask her how’s her hangover today. Jeez! Do I have to draft each of your messages? Stop being a dumbass and text the person you like.” Yoongi scoffed, clearly over Namjoon’s sudden and uncharacteristic insecurities.

Namjoon gave a resigned sigh as he reached for his phone and wrote out exactly what Yoongi suggested. Hey, he was his hyung for a reason - he had a full 6 months of life experience on him.

Namjoon: Hey! Hope your hangover is not too bad today.

As soon as the message was sent, he started getting nervous. Tapping his foot incessantly while he stared at his phone, willing it to buzz, annoying Yoongi enough to leave him alone on the couch in the process.

Y/N: Hi to you too! I actually don’t get hangovers so I’m doing great lol. What about you?

Namjoon: What do you mean you don’t get hangovers?

Y/N: I don’t know. Can’t get dehydrated if you’re always dehydrated!

Namjoon: That… makes no sense. Do I need to start reminding you to drink water?

Y/N: Only if you’re better than this app on my phone…

Namjoon: I can guarantee you I’m better than any app on this planet.

Y/N: Wow. Big claims! We’ll have to put it to the test I suppose.

Y/N: You never told me how you’re feeling. Oh and how’s Taehyung? Is he okay?

Namjoon: He’s doing fine. Made a pact to never drink again and if i’m being honest, I’m going to join him. I am shocked that your head is not exploding as well.

The messages continued easily after that, filled with updates of each other’s activities, playful flirting and even photos of dinner. By the time Monday rolled around, you had been messaging each other constantly, with no end to the conversation in sight and the only long pauses being when you were both asleep or working. It seemed like you would never run out things to talk about. Namjoon hadn’t messaged someone this frequently since he got out of his last relationship. It felt nice to relay his mundane day to day events to someone and he found himself excited to hear about your mundane, like how you decided to mix two different types of bad coffee blends to make a shockingly worse one. He was surprised again at how fast he felt comfortable around you. It was even starting to scare him a little - he only knew you for three days and it felt like he had known you forever! What was this weird spell you had on him?

The conversation Monday, however, was fairly sparse, and Namjoon was eager to set up plans for the next day, so that night he decided to call you.

After the first three rings, he was overthinking his decision. Maybe it was too soon to call? Maybe you didn’t like talking on the phone? What if it went to voicemail? Would he have to leave a message? What would he say? His inner monologue was quickly halted at the sound of your voice.

“Hello, this is Y/N” you sounded distant, almost too formal. He felt nervous.

“Hi… uh… this is Namjoon. Is this a bad time?”

“Oh Namjoon! Sorry I didn’t check who called when I picked up!” Relief washed over him at the change of your tone. “Sorry one sec can you hold on.” he heard you say as your voice got mumbled. He waited while he heard you talk to someone about proposals and deadlines. Were you still at work? He checked his watch - it was 10 pm. He didn’t know whether to be impressed by your work ethic or worried that you were overworking.

“Hi sorry about that! How are you?” He relaxed at your airy tone and smiled.

“I’m good. Are you still at work?”

“Yeah it’s only like 7 so it’s no big deal. I usually leave around 8” Were you serious?

“Y/N… It’s 10:04…” He was shocked at how nonchalant you sounded, and suddenly he had his answer - he was worried, not impressed. He had known you for three days and already you were setting his caretaker alarm off. He wanted to scold you for being careless and overworking, like he’s used to doing for the boys, but he knew it was too soon. He doesn’t even know why he’s feeling that way all of a sudden and tried to suppress his protective instincts.

“No it’s not! It’s…” He could hear your voice going further away as he imagined you moving the phone in front of you to check the time. “Oh shit you’re right. What the hell? Okay sorry I’m gonna put you on hold again.” Before he could say anything he heard your voice again, distant again but loud. “Oh my god. Guys, it’s 10pm. Go home! Why did nobody tell me? No it doesn’t matter we can do that tomorrow. Please go home. Pack up now! You too Siwon, don’t worry I’ll go home after I get off the phone. See you!” He smiled at the sternness of your tone - it reminded him of a teacher dismissing class.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t realize I overworked my team. Had to send the troops home” you laughed and Namjoon felt his heart flutter.

“I don’t wanna keep you from going home. I can call you back once you get there,” he offered. He felt bad that you were staying in an empty office on his account.

“Oh don’t worry about it. It was a lie to get Siwon off my back. I’m probably gonna be here till like 1 or something. I still have to get this done” you said matter-of-factly, like it was the most normal thing in the world. He knew that tone fairly well, having used it multiple times himself when he locked himself in his studio, running on nothing but coffee and energy bars.

“Okay I know we’ve only just met and we have our first date tomorrow, but do you want some company?” He asked before he could stop himself. The line was silent for a bit, and he felt self conscious, scared that he had overstepped and driven you away. Before he could check his phone to see if you had hung up you spoke.

“It’d be pretty boring for you to watch me just type away. Are you sure? It’s pretty late.” He was sure his cheeks would hurt from how wide he smiled.

“It’s not a problem at all. I was going to work tonight too.” He wasn’t. “We can just work together. I’ll bring food. Did you eat yet?” his words tumbled over each other.

“How very college of you.” He could hear you giggling on the line. “Now that I think about it - I’m starving.”

“Okay text me the address, I’ll be there soon.”

He had never been this excited to pretend to work.

He spotted you as he walked through the doors of the 13th floor, pepperoni pizza in hand. You were sitting at a long desk near the middle of the room. He was surprised as he expected you in an office, but he found you typing away at your desktop. Your hair was tied up in a bun and you were dressed in an oversized beige t-shirt, eyebrows furrowed head bopping to the hip hop track playing through the speakers. You seemed to be in your own little world. He felt like he was spying on you as he leaned against the door watching but he also liked seeing how you acted when you thought no one was watching. He was about to announce his presence when the track changed to a Childish Gambino one and you whooped and started to rap along.

You were now fully head banging and rapping the verse at the top of your lungs. He would be impressed by your fairly good amateur skills if he didn’t find the entire scene so endearing. His heart was doing somersaults as he watched you now fully engrossed in the song, typing forgotten as you got up and started to pretend you were on stage, an imaginary mic in your hand asking haters if they “eatin’ though”. You looked so adorable that he couldn’t help but squeal a little “cute!”

That’s when you saw him, eyes wide. He felt a little bad when he saw how embarrassed you looked, immediately stopping and slapping a hand to your mouth before bursting out in nervous laughter. He could write a whole album with that laugh. Oh he was so whipped, he thought to himself as he made his way to you.

“You know you’re not half bad!” He exclaimed as he set the pizza on the table, pulling a chair next to yours and settling down.

“Do you think your fake compliments will save you from the fact that you were spying on me?” you asked, crossing your hands across your chest, pretending to scowl but failing to do so.

“First, real compliment. Second, would pizza save me?” He opened the box and proudly smiled, loving the way your eyes lit up as you reached for a slice.

“Yes it will!” you exclaimed as you took your first bite, lightly moaning at the taste. “But erase that memory from your brain please.”

“Nope. Never. It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and I’m going to save it forever” he said as he also started on his slice. You pouted up at him, cheeks puffed and it took all the self-control he had to not kiss it off your face. He hadn’t felt this way in so long, it was like you were his first crush. Trying to control his pulse, he asked “What are you working on so late?”

“Oh I have a proposal due for a meeting tomorrow at noon and I’m only halfway through it,” you frowned wistfully at the screen as if willing it to type on its own.

“Can I help?” He asked, knowing fully well that he couldn’t. He just had an overwhelming urge to make that frown disappear.

“You being here is help enough,” you smiled sincerely as you looked at him and he felt his heart explode, a blush creeping on his cheeks as he smiled bashfully. “What are you working on?”

“I have a few songs I have to finish the lyrics for. Been procrastinating” he rubbed the back of his neck as he pulled out the notebook from his back pocket.

“Can I help?” you echoed his question to which he echoed your response grinning. He wasn’t lying though. Even though he had planned to not really work, as the night progressed he found the change from his usual writing spot inspiring. Sitting next to you, the sound of the keyboard clicking was soothing leading to words pouring out of him. He filled pages as he stole glances at you concentrating on your proposal, tongue peeking from between your lips, still bobbing to the music which was now playing from your airpods instead of the speakers. He smiled at the sight, before focusing on his notebook.

After about an hour or so of hard work, he finished three songs that he had allotted himself the whole week to do. This was the most productive hour he had all month. Antsy for a break, he looked over at you and found you staring at him, a hand under your chin. As he met your gaze you smiled.

“You’re really hot when you concentrate. Has anyone ever told you that?” you commented. He was taken aback by your remark, heart fluttering at your smirking face. Not missing his chance and spurred on by the comment, he scooted closer in one sweep till your knees touched and you were face to face.

“You’re one to talk. I couldn’t stop looking at you this past hour.” Gazing into your eyes, he was amused to see your smirk disappear as it was now your turn to be shocked. He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind your ear letting his hand linger, enjoying the way you sighed as he did. “Can I make good on my promise now?” He whispered, his face centimeters away, looking at your lips. The way you bit your lower lip made him want to take you there and then. The desk looked big enough. Hell, even if it wasn’t he could make it work.

“Promise?” you whispered as he watched your eyes flutter to his lips.

“To kiss you first…” Too impatient to wait for your answer, he brought his lips to yours, relishing how soft they felt under his own. He was thrilled at you returning the kiss, deepening it as you grabbed the collar of his shirt to bring him closer just like you did after the party. He was beginning to think this was your signature move, and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t immensely turn him on. He moved his hand cupping your face to rest on your neck and he could feel your heartbeat mimicking his. He put his other hand around your waist pulling you closer, wanting to be as close to you as he could get. He traced his tongue over your lips, his head cloudy with endorphins as you opened your mouth inviting him in. He had never tasted something so euphoric, his tongue exploring yours in a rush.

He could feel you pushing forward as he leaned back and allowed you to straddle his lap, your legs on either side of the chair. As soon as you were on his lap, he pulled you closer, both arms around on your hips, your chest flushed with his. He kissed the side of your mouth as he made his way down your jaw to your neck. You smelt like vanilla mixed with a fresh flower garden, and he was sure this smell was better than any drug in the world. He could hear your breathy moans as he sucked where your neck met your collarbone, licking to soothe it before moving further. He wanted to taste all of you. Your hands were in his hair and each tug made him groan into you, making him harder. He could kiss you like this forever. He wanted to save this moment so he could come back to it and relive it. He traced his hands up and down your sides, moving under your shirt but remaining on your waist, enjoying the feel of your soft skin.

“Namjoon… Namjoon… slow down” he heard you say breathlessly as he felt a slight push. He looked up at you, your eyes half lidded and lusty as you grabbed his face and brought it to yours. You were sending him mixed signals, but he didn’t care as long as he could keep kissing you.

“We have to slow down or I’m going to want to fuck you right here.” You whined as you both came back up for air, but you kissed him again nevertheless. Hearing you say that made him want to do anything in his power to make that happen.

“I don’t mind, baby,” he said against your lips, kissing you with urgency, biting your lower lip and pulling it gently to elicit another moan from you. To his disappointment, you seemed to have better self-control than him as you pushed him back, both of you panting as you struggled to catch your breath. He moved his hand back to your hips tracing little circles, feeling comforted by you smoothing his hair you had pulled earlier.

“There are cameras here. I’d rather not make a sex tape on our first date.” You giggled as you pointed to the black sphere in the corner of the room. He had never hated the obsession buildings had for security more, but the crudeness of your comment made him laugh. He had almost forgotten this was your first date, it felt like he had kissed you a thousand times before. You tasted like the relief of an awning in the middle of a summer downpour.

“I think we need to cool down,” you say as you climb off of his lap. “Let’s go.”

He followed you as you led him to the little kitchenette near the end of the room, unable to resist the urge to wrap his hands around your waist in a back hug. He knew he was being too clingy for a first date, but the way you giggled and put your hands over his gave him assurance.

“Lemonade, coke, or water,” you asked as you peered into the fridge.

“You.” He smirked kissing your neck, feeling bold off of the high from your makeout session.

“Joon!” you pretended to sound scandalized as you turned in his arms, smiling warmly. The nickname made his heart swell. It added a familiarity that he didn’t know he missed from you.

“You haven’t called me Joon before. I like it” he smiled as he pecked your lips.

“Hey! We are cooling down! No kissing! Now pick” you chided and Namjoon couldn’t help but wonder if you were this assertive in bed too, a million scenarios playing in his head. Okay, you were right, he needed to cool down.

“I’ll just have water, thanks,” he said as he grabbed the bottle you passed him, opening and gulping half of it. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was for something other than you. You both made your way to the tables, sitting across from each other.

“So did you finish your proposal?” He asked trying to cool himself but failing as he noticed you running the cold water bottle against your neck, the beads of condensation dripping on your shirt. He cleared his throat as he tried to focus his attention on your eyes, a mantra of stay focused playing in his head.

“Yes! Finally! It’s perfect.” you smiled proudly and somehow he felt a wave of pride too. “What about you? Made any progress?”

“Actually yes. I kind of finished my entire week’s writing in that one hour” he was still amazed by his own progress.

“Okay, Mr Overachiever” you joked and he chuckled.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be able to write anything, but I don’t know your presence is kind of soothing. It helped me focus.” Watching your smile grow wide, he continued, “I’ve been having pretty severe burnout this past month and it has just been hard to put down my thoughts, even non-lyrical ones.” He fidgeted with the water bottle as he looked at it, avoiding eye contact.

He didn’t know why he was telling you this. He recalled when he told you about his struggles as a leader during your first conversation. Somehow being around you led him to vomit out his feelings. It was… unlike him. Namjoon was usually not this honest on dates, or relationships, as much as he would hate to admit it. That’s the reason he broke off his last one. He felt bad lying to her about a busy schedule when he just wanted to be alone. She would have understood, she was kind and thoughtful, but it just felt easier to lie and not put the effort in to explain his thoughts. Even when they broke up, he lied and told her that it was because he couldn’t handle being in a relationship at the moment, when in reality things had cooled off a while ago and he felt guilty as his feelings faded.

He felt your hand reach out and grab one of his, intertwining your fingers. He felt comforted by the gesture as you rubbed your thumb across him before you spoke two words that warmed his heart. “I understand.”

“You know it’s hard to work at full speed all the time. It’s okay to not be at a hundred all the time. The valleys feed the peaks” you continued. It was a simple remark, but it sounded surprisingly poetic to him. He hadn’t felt this understood outside of the boys for a long time. It was refreshing. It was terrifying. He resisted his natural urge to run and hide.

“Are you speaking from experience?” he asked, needing to divert the attention away from his own vulnerabilities.

“Yeah. I had it pretty tough a couple of years ago. Too much pressure from myself, too many expectations. Led to too many vices and panic attacks” you shrugged as you continued and he squeezed your hand to comfort you. “It creeps up from time to time but my therapist and I have it handled” He looked at you in awe. You hadn’t given him a throwaway answer or switched the limelight back at him. You wasted no time in being as vulnerable as him, if not more. He knew at that moment that regardless of where this thing went, he wanted you to know you better.

“Thank you for being honest.” He brought your hand to his lips and kissed it gently. It was an intimate gesture but he wanted you to know how much he appreciated your words - how much he appreciated you - in that moment. You both sat in comfortable silence for a little while, playing with each other’s hands that were still intertwined, till one of you yawned loudly causing the other to giggle. With the weight of the conversation lifting, you both fell back into playful banter as you decided to pack up and call it a night.

“Do you want me to walk you to your car?” Namjoon asked, wanting to drag the night on longer despite it already being almost 2 am.

“Don’t judge me but I actually don’t know how to drive. I was just going to cab back.” he saw you giggle bashfully as you pulled your backpack over your shoulders.

“Oh, no judgment here! Me neither” he laughed. Why does everyone think it is such a big deal to not drive? It’s better for the environment! “Do you want to take one together? I don’t really want you to ride alone this late.” He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he didn’t come off as if he was trying to dictate what you did.

“I’d really like that,” you said as you walked towards the elevators. He held your hand as you both got on, liking the way you moved closer to him at that.

In the cab you both sat closer than necessary, his arm wrapped around you as you both made plans for your scheduled date later that day, trying not to doze off. When the cab stopped all too soon at your apartment, he kissed you gently as he told you how much he enjoyed your company.

That night laying in bed, his heart felt full as he read your goodnight message. He was sure of it now. He really wanted you in his life.

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#thebtswritersclub #houseofddaeng #btsnoonanet #thetruthuntoldnet #ficswithluv #namjoon x reader #rm x reader #namjoon fluff #namjoon smut #namjoon angst #namjoon series #rm fluff #purplearmynet #rm smut #rm angst #rm series #bts series #bts fanfction #rm fanfic #namjoon fanfic

[milliumizoomi]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓡𝓲𝓭𝓮!

Pairings: A! TodoKiriBakuDeku x O! Black Fem! Reader

Synopsis: You, your friends and all your pups went out and it took a turn none of you were expecting.

Warnings: Slightly Mad Alphas, Mild Cursing Fluff, Implied angst at the ending if you squint.

Masterlist

Go Back ⇢ Part 2 ⇢ Up Next

So here you were on a Saturday, driving with your little pups purring and playing with each other in the back seats as you somehow got dragged out of your house by your friends. You hadn’t heard from the boys yet but you know that they will most likely not be too happy that you suddenly left the house.

Your friends wanted to carry the pups to the annual carnival that was being held. You decided to go since you knew that your little pups would love it. And plus, it would allow them to get used to all the different smells in the world. You scent was still lingering on them as they grew so you would have to make sure that no one else’s smell gets on them.

You had already called the girls and told them you and your pups were ready. You made sure to scent them so you could make sure of where they were at all times. So you were driving to the carnival with your friends following.

As soon as you got to the carnival, you parked and hopped out of you car and went to the backseats to unbuckle the pups out of their seats. “Mommy! This place is huge!” Katsuo said with stars in his eyes as you unbuckled him from his car seat. “I know baby that’s why I need all of you to stay close to me ok.” “Yes mommy!” All of your little pups said in unison.

“Cmon girls it’s time to goo!” One of your friends said as she help her pup’s hand. You and your other friend nodded. You told your two oldest pups to hold onto the their younger siblings hands and then you would hold onto the younger pups. Your friend got her two pups hands and started walking towards the entrance.

‘I hope the pups enjoy today!’ You thought to yourself as you smiled. You look down and your pups who were beaming with excitement. ‘Yup today’s gonna be an eventful day..’ you thought as you purred softly.

If only you knew how right you were..

With the boys...-

They had no clue you weren’t even home.

They were currently on patrol in the same area but different streets. Kirishima was with Bakugou and Todoroki was with Midoriya. They were just walking around and doing their job. “I can’t wait to get home and and see y/n and our little pups..” Kirishima sighed and said as he stretched. “Got that right weird hair. It sucks ass that we have to work today" Bakugou groaned. They knew they don’t get much days off being pro heroes and such but they wanted to spend some time with you and the pups.

“I’ma call pebbs and see what their up to” Kirishima yawned. “Plus we’re practically finished with patrol so it shouldn’t be a problem.” Bakugou just shrugs. “Tell that nerd I said hi” he smirks and says. Kirishima nods. He took out his phone to see the message you had sent. “Bakubabe... can you take your phone out for a sec.. I need to see something” He continued, growing weary. Bakugou sideeyed him, looking very confused. “Hah? For what?” Bakugou asked. “Please I just want to check something.” “Fine whatever. Here.” Bakugou digs his phone out of his pocket and hands it to Kirishima. Kirishima takes the phone and as soon as the phone lights up, he sees the same exact message he saw on his phone. “They aren’t home..” Kirishima whispers to himself. “What??” Bakugou asked as he tilted his head to Kirishima and quirked his brow. “Pebble and the pups.. they aren’t home” Kirishima tells Bakugou. “What?! The hell you mean they aren’t home?? That shitty woman didn’t tell us she was planning to go anywhere today especially with the pups!” Bakugou said as he raised his voice a little and grabbed his phone from Kirishima.

Lemme fill y’all in btw.. ya see the boys are very territorial and protective of you and the pups. They don’t like anyone getting too close to any of you.

As Bakugou took his phone and saw the message you sent, Todoroki and Deku were coming around the corner from the area they just patrolled. Btw Kirishima and Bakugou were still walking. “Oh hey Kacchan and Eiji,are you guys done with patrol?” Midoriya asked as he rounded the corner with Todoroki. There was no answer to his question. “Uh.. guys? Did you hear me?” “O-oh uh hey babes um.. y-yea we where just about to head back to the agency..!” Kirishima stuttered trying to contain his anger while Bakugou was still fuming at his phone. Midoriya looked at him suspiciously. “Something’s wrong” Todoroki chimes in.

Kirishima growls and so does Bakugou. Midoriya furrows his eyes at the sound of the growling. “Guys what’s wrong??” Midoriya asked growing impatient. “Look at your phones..” Kirishima says while running a hand through his hair. Todoroki and Midoriya looks at each other confused then fish their phones out of their pocket. They watch as the screen flashes on and immediately your message is the first thing they see. “..what?” Todoroki says as he looks up and Kirishima and Bakugou for confirmation. Kirishima nods as Bakugou just turns away. “Did she mention this before?” Todoroki asks. “Not from what I remember” Kirishima answers. “Midobabe? Bakubabe? Calm down ok we can just blow up like this on the sidewalk.” Kirishima tells them. When they are silent that means they are LIVID. “Yeah.. granted were all on edge about this but we can call when we get back to the agency.” Todoroki says as he walks up to both Midoriya and Bakugou and rub their backs. “Now let’s get back ok?” They all nod and begin to walk to the closest agency, which was Bakugou’s.

While walking there and greeting civilians, Midoriya looked at his phone one more time to realize that you had left your location on. “GUYS! HER LOCATION! IT’S ON!” The other three men perked up at hearing this. “Nerd are you serious?! You better not be f*cking with us!" Bakugou growls. “Kacchan none of us play when it comes to our love and our pups you know that!” Midoriya exclaims. It’s clear that they are all frustrated right now but are trying to not let it get to them too much since they’re in public. “Look I’m sorry ok.. It just makes me frustrated that we don’t know where she or our damn pups are.. Makes me wanna blow something up..!” Bakugou says as he clenchs his fists. Midoriya walks over to Bakugo and runs his hand through his hair and gives him little kisses all over his face in an effort to calm him down. “It’s gonna be ok Kacchan.. it gonna be alright.. how about we see where she is now so that we can all feel a little calmer?” He along with Todoroki and Kirishima nod. Midoriya looks back down on his phone. “Uhh.. it says that she’s at a carnival” he said. “Oh you mean the annual one that the have every year?” Todoroki asks. “Yeah I think that’s the one. The pups probably wanted to go or she got invited or something.” Kirishima asks. “Probably.. nobody better touch her though ‘cause I will find them and when I do I-“ Bakugou starts. “Calm down hothead we all get territorial when it comes to her so cool your jets. We can scent her when she comes back or we could even surprise her and the pups.” “Ok whatever” Bakugou says as he rolls his eyes.

They walk and walk and walk until they finally made it back to the agency. They open the door to see nothing but absolute chaos unfolding. “HEY! WHAT’S GOING ON IN HERE?!WHAT THE HELL DO YOU PEOPLE THINK YOURE DOING RUNNING AROUND MY AGENCY?!” Bakugou screams, seeing red. His agency was a complete disaster. Paper was being thrown everywhere, people were frantically running around the place and people were talking a mile a minute on the phone. Everyone froze at the sound of Bakugou’s voice. They looked up to see the heroes in the top 10 rank standing at the doorway with a pissed off look on their faces. “W-were s-s-sorry Dynamight sir..! But we’re in a lot of trouble right now and police are re-requesting a-a-all of your a-assistance..!” A young woman bowed and said. “Trouble??“ ”What’s wrong?!” Todoroki and Deku asked at the same time while they all we fanning Bakugou’s face to help him calm down. “Villains...! Their attacking!” The employees yelled. “WHERE?!” The boys frantically asked. “AT THE ANNUAL CARNIVAL THAT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR..! THEIR ESCAPED CONVICTS AND THEIR TERRORIZING AND KILLING THE CITIZENS..! WE JUST GOT THE REPORT!” The same young woman screamed. The Alphas froze as their heart dropped to their stomach. The people they swore to protect with their lives... are at that carnival..where dangerous villains are attacking.

©Property of Miashimaa. Please don’t rectify, repost or modify without my permission.

Taglist: Open (just let me know if you would like to be added)

#kiritodobakudeku #kirishima x black reader #kirishima x poc!reader #kirishima x reader #todoroki x black!reader #todoroki x poc!reader #todoroki x reader #bakugou x black reader #bakugou x poc!reader #bakugou x reader #midoriya x black reader #midoriya x poc!reader #midoriya x reader #deku x black!reader #deku x poc! reader #deku x reader #kiritodobakudeku x reader #todokiribakudeku

[leggomylino]

Roses Are Red | Bang Chan

Genre: fluff, a little (ridiculous) drama, and a whole lot of crack

Pairing: Bang Chan x princess!reader

Au: royal / fantasy au

Word Count: ~11.2k

Warning(s): some censored language…?, author rambling on and on, some underdeveloped plot what can I say this is mostly for laughs and giggles

Summary: Royal Gardener Christopher Bang only ever wanted to make music all his life, but being orphaned due to a senseless war against the Fire Nation left him at the hands of the kingdom to decide his fate. When tending to some of the many royal roses one day, he happened upon the kingdom’s princess, Y/n, and love at first sight was quite the understatement. However, what they are both unaware of is that she may already be betrothed to another…

A/n: Requested by @hanniiesuckle17​ | Masterlist linked down below and in bio!!!

Tag List: @hanniiesuckle17​ / @distrikt9​ / @hanstagrams​ / @hyunsunq​ / @smolboiseavey​ / @jisungsjheekies​ / @iluvlix​ / @straycozy​ / @stay-nctzen​ (Let me know if you’d like to be added! Comment, ask, or DM me! <3)

ღ Stray Kids M.List | M.List ღ

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

Howdy y’all

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything in this format…

I know many of you are still waiting for me to finish light switch and let me tell you it IS still...under construction ._.”

I can’t stay loyal to one story at a time and life gets hectic ya dig?

...But I promise that EVENTUALLY MAYBE SOMETIME SOON I’ll get around to carving the second half of it

N E way let’s get this ball rolling! ->

So once upon a time in a far away land…

...Did you just roll your eyes or yawn? >:(( Don’t do that this is totally exciting

Okay so once upon a time in a far away land

There was a princess named Y/n <3 yes, that would be you, sis

She was the cream of the crop, the bees knees, the peanut butter to everyone’s jelly

...Well maybe like 90% of the jelly

There’s always gonna be haters or skeptics nothing we can do about that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway you were basically loved by almost everyone in the kingdom, for your kindness, hospitality, forthcomingness, honesty, bravery, generosity, and sophistication

Also, you were quite beautiful <3 like now teehee

But there was only one problem

Besides the fact that 10% of the jelly jar had peanut butter lodged in their brain

And that was that your father, the king, refused to let you go outside. Like ever. The only time you saw the sun and felt the wind through your hair was from your highest-Rapunzel-tower window, during required festival appearances or during emergency evacuations because THE FIRE NATION WAS ATTACKING!!!! 🔥 (╯°□°)╯🔥🔥🔥

This, however, rarely happened...er, maybe just once, but it was a false alarm because your half-brother Felix had stayed up too late playing video games (YES there is technology in this medieval au sorry not sorry) and he was just...seeing things

He’d been really stressed because his mother, your actually kind and not at all wicked stepmother, had been lowkey pressuring him to find a lovely princess consort or young fletching maiden

He didn’t necessarily have a problem with that, except for the fact that the whole thing was a huge problem that was stressing him out...marriage??? What was that again??? He kinda just wanted to run around the forest practicing archery with his friends, Dark Knight Changbin and Court Jester Jisung (read: pizza and video games)

BUT THIS WASN’T ABOUT HIM, THIS STORY IS ABOUT YOU (ง'̀-'́)ง

...Which is what I was getting at

You see

Felix was a great brother regardless of his mistake of screaming about a false Fire Nation attack and throwing you out of bed at 4 am

Besides being fun and great support/company, he also had this...friend...

A boy named Christopher Bang (♥‿♥)

He often went by Bang Chan tho, and he was ALSO your kingdom’s royal gardener

You know this because you often enjoyed watching him tend to the roses outside your tower, and occasionally would hide in the closet when you were SUPPOSED to be at violin lessons but instead dressed Felix up as your stunt double to spy while Chan watered and changed out the soil of the daffodils in your room

Daffodils were your favorite flower next to tulips and cherry blossoms and sunflowers

And 

Almost every other flower in existence that Chan had anything to do with (♥‿♥)

...What could you say, you were hopelessly in love

But he didn’t know that

And the odd thing was

He felt the very same way about you

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

Can we finally get to some real-time story now?

Okay well

Channie’s pov now here y’all

Bang Chan had been the castle gardener for what felt like eons

His parents had disappeared to fight in the war with the Fire Nation and never came back…

:(((

So from a young age, before he was old enough to count, his mom and dad entrusted him to kingdom’s orphanage with care

The local nuns raised him well, and blessed him many times over

He grew up with two best friends there -> a shy boy named Han Jisung and a more confident one named Seo Changbin

The three of them were transferred to work under the kingdom after the local coming-of-age ceremony given to all children when they turn 15

And I totally didn’t steal half of that from an anime or anything...well, just a bit; 25%

So the three of them were whisked off to be given roles of their own to fulfill in order to contribute to society

Changbin was given the title of Dark Knight for his bravery and supreme combat skills

Jisung was awarded the title of Court Jester due to the fact he always made everyone laugh, despite his naturally shy and more introverted demeanor

And Bang Chan, as he preferred to be called, was granted the title of gardener...because...well, they actually denied his musician application, believe it or not

Now, before you get mad

I KNOW, RIGHT?!?!

ARE THESE GUYS FOOLS OR SOMETHING???

WHO WOULD DENY SUCH A TALENTED--

...Well, they were ignorant buffoons, unfortunately (｡•́︿•̀｡)

So he was forever stuck as a royal gardener because, he worked hard, the court knew it, and their predecessor gardener at the time was kidnapped by the Fire Nation

No one knows why and it’s not important (sorry random garden dude)

He’s okay though...we think

Anyway

So Bang Chan fit the role

And now at 23, to this day he still fit the role

It was the same mundane routine every day

W a t e r  t h e  p l a n t s

C u t  t h e  v e g e t a b l e s

S n i p  t h e  t h o r n s

T r i m  t h e  v i n e s 

C h a n g e  t h e  s o i l

U G H ! ! !

It got to be downright tedious and vexing repeating the same routine like a Zombie by Day6

Which is the song he often hummed with a lull in his eyes as he w a t e r e d and c u t and s n i p p e d and t r i m m e d

And c h a n g e d eua;bhuisahfvirs WAIT A SECOND

(Oh, we’re backing up to age 16 for a sec)

He’s outside the tallest tower s n i p p i n g the thorns on another rose bush when

He looks up to see what time of day it is and stretch his aching back

And he sees

Up in the window

A g i r l ? ? ?

……

Who is she

She’s GORGEOUS

WOW

HE HAS TO SQUINT BUT HE’S STILL GOT 20/20 VISION AND HE KNOWS A CUTE GIRL WHEN HE SEES ONE

HE’S GOT TEENAGE BOY RADAR

Wowza

She’s h o t 🥵🥵

Like the sun beating down on his face right now

Hot hot

Bruuuuuuuuuuuh--

OUCH! The thorns…

He can’t be getting lost in the waking daydream glancing out her window above him, he’s got a job to do

Flashforward to a few days later, when he makes an excuse to go back to Tower C and tend to the roses that don’t need tending to

She’s not there :((

Darn

He looks left and right before burying himself into the bushes so he can wait and see if she shows up

But this poor boy is so overworked that he falls asleep

Poor guy needed a nap anyway 😔😔

He’s having a peaceful dreamless sleep when a song enters his mind

It’s actually a song he wrote, when he applied to be a castle musician

He wakes to hearing the song above him

The sweet, sweet melody just wafting daintily through the air

It’s coming from somewhere above him

...But he’s snagged in the thorn bush and can’t get out 🗿💧

O o p s 

Rip

Maybe the bushes did need some work after all--

By the time he rips himself out and basically lost half of his shirt in the process, the song is almost over, coming to a soft decrescendo into a gentle pianissimo

That’s fancy music talk for slowly growing softer and more quiet and ending with a soft, maybe slightly breathy tone

Thankfully it’s cloudy that day so he doesn’t have to squint this time

And BOY IS HE GLAD ABOUT THAT BECAUSE GOOD GRAVY

IT’S HER AGAIN

THE LOVELY MAIDEN HE SAW TWO DAYS AGO

WHO IS SHE?!?!

“Oh, that’s Princess Y/n.”

JISUNG?!?! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM

Boy deadass just pops out of a rose bush like a weasel 🗿💧 what the what

His court jester hat has a few loose thorns in it, and it’s fallen askew to cover half of his face

“...That’s Princess Y/n?” Chan askes, totally in awe

You have such a lovely voice

And he’s bewildered as to how you know his song, seeing as it was a confidential piece he only played for a private group of royals once when auditioning

Jisung just nods, fixing his hat only to have a few of the bells bounce around and whop him in the face

One jingled all the way right into his eye…

But he carries on unaffected; must be used to it <_<

“Yeah, her dad is a total overbearing crazy-protective psycho. ...Well, maybe not psycho, but...he’s crazy protective of his daughter. He’s scared if she takes one step outside, some Fire Nation goon is gonna come popping out of a bush like Team Rocket in almost every old school pokemon episode and kidnap her like Pikachu.”

“...I thought Pikachu always got away.”

“...Oh yeah. 🤔 Bad example then.”

“You are a bad example.”

“Oh yeah?! Well you’re...a good example!”

“...Jisung that was a compliment. And thank you.”

“.........”

...Moving on

“What can you tell me about her?”

“OOOOOOO...Why? You got a crush on her, bro?”

“...I’m just...curious why the king would wanna keep her locked away in a tower like a Christian Anderson tale.”

Jisung sighs and places his hands on his hips like a lecturing mother. “Are you serious? I just told you, His Majesty is crazy overprotective of his only daughter...also, wouldn’t you wanna keep a beauty like that locked away if she were your daughter???”

Chan gives him a disgusted look. “No? Because I’m not an insecure psychopath?? Everyone deserves to be happy and free…” He glances up to the tower. “That can’t be healthy being held prisoner in a giant dungeon like that.”

“True, true...I’d still keep her locked away, though.”

“Jisung!!! Seriously?!”

“WHAT?” (ง'̀-'́)ง “I KNOW HOW TEENAGE BOYS ARE!!! THEY’RE GONNA CATCH THESE HANDS BEFORE I LET ONE OF THEIR GRUBBY LITTLE--”

Chan clamps his hand over his friend’s mouth. “I’m gonna stop you right there. Goodbye, Jisung.”

He looks at you one last time, marveling at your beauty with a hint of pity in his eyes before walking away

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

You hadn’t noticed that day, seven years ago, being too lost in a daydream over whether you wanted tea or a nice iced latte with your lunch...despite how loud they were being

It was one of the few enjoyments of your day

One the few things you got to look forward to: choosing what to have for a meal

Choosing what to wear that was within your parent’s standards

Choosing whether you wanted to wile away the hours reading a book or watching Royal TV or scribbling some poorly drawn comics of what your life COULD be like were you NOT a princess with an overbearing father…

S i g h

You’re hanging upside down on your giant canopy bed in a very unladylike fashion when Felix enters the room. You must have not heard him knock, and he’s like

😳😳💧

To which you “oop-” and quickly throw yourself over in an upright position

“...Sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s fine.” He laughs a bit and closes the door behind him. “So, whatcha up to?”

“......”

Did he have to ask you that? The question sort of burned. What were you supposed to do??? “Just...chillin.”

“Like a villain?”

“In the...millen.”

He laughed at your attempt to carry out the rhyme. “What’s a millen?”

You shrugged. He sat down at the dining table you normally ate at, crossing his feet over the table. “Well, I’ll do you one better. I came to ask if you’d like to accompany me to--”

“WHERE?!?!?!”

\(ಠAಠ)/

You’re right there in his face, shaking his shoulders before he can get another word out.

Felix, wanting to take you OUT OF THE PALACE?!??!?!?!?

THAT WAS HUGE

THIS WAS HUGE

OMGRAVY WHAT WOULD YOU WEAR?!

YOU DIDN’T EVEN CARE WHERE YOU WERE GOING, JUST THE FACT THAT YOU WERE GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE WAS ENOUGH

...You should still probably let him finish, though

Felix (@-@) <- was dizzy for a moment, but once he got his head back on straight, he explained that he’d ask your father if the two of you could go shopping together-- just for a few hours

Felix was the sweetest brother ;-; the sweetest BOY ಥ_ಥ

You were going to have so much fun browsing the shops that you’d only ever read about in novels and seen on TV

The two of you would get popcorn and ice cream and feed the pigeons and do rain dances around the park fountain

And you’d come back with so many souvenirs and nostalgic timepieces from your little journey (╥﹏╥)

It was going to be the BEST. DAY. EVER!

*insert that Spongebob episode here*

……

Or not

Because

Shortly after the two of you skipped hand-in-hand like Hansel and Gretel down to the Royal Throne room

Your father gave the two of you a big fat N O

Jerk…

His booming voice declared, “NO BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER OF MINE WILL BE SEEN BILLOWING ABOUT THE CITY STREETS!!! That’s like asking to be kidnapped and used as a means of war!!!”

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUASDFGHJKL;;SVBU;IABV;SIFABVIFARHVS

HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING BUT WAR AND TAXES!!! IT WAS SO ANNOYING!!!

So, the two of you are forced back to your room alone…

And Felix comforts you and apologizes a thousand times over, words that should coming out of your father’s mouth instead

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

~LATER THAT DAY~

Well, it’s more like evening now

The sun is setting comfortably over the horizon

And Felix has just returned from his shopping trip without you 😔😔

Now before you get angry and call him a traitor, he actually had a fit and refused to go

He even came close to knocking over a table

But that wouldn’t be very gentlemanly and his mother was present

It was his mother that insisted he had to go in order to make a required public appearance for the kingdom and “hopefully find a lady that spotted his fancy” or whatever

Yeah, Felix rolled his eyes too

But he had no choice ://

If it makes you feel any better, he didn’t enjoy himself at all

He spent the whole time thinking about you and looking wistfully at the palace in the distance, to the tower you were most likely glaring wistfully back from

He was now tromping tired princely feet up the winding steps to at least give you a nice gift he’d brought back for you, and some flowers he’d gotten from a recently opened flower shop called Christopher’s Garden

A very nice not-yet-elderly couple ran the shop in honor of their lost son, who they hadn’t heard from since they returned from war

The story was quite sad and bittersweet

……

Shhh we’ll get there later it’s called foreshadowing（∩‿∩）

He’s about three-quarters of the way there when he’s suddenly ambushed by-- you guessed it-- Team Rocket!1!1

Jk it’s Jisung and Changbin

They’re the new Jessie and James of this story except they’re actually good

“Felix!!!”

“SH*T!!!”

Oop

They nearly gave him a heart attack!!! >A<

He almost beats them with the flowers, too, until he remembers last minute they’re for you

“WHAT DO YOU WANT NEVER DO THAT AGAIN”

“I CAN’T MAKE ANY PROMISES BUT WE NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING”

“WHAT IS IT”

Changbin sighs in his heavy, overzealous knightly gear. “Maybe the two of you can keep it down before you wake the princess?”

Felix shrugs. “Eh, Y/n is always up at this hour. She’s actually a night owl, but don’t tell the king that. Or her teachers.”

Bin smirks. “Noted--”

<_<

Felix has to smack him, which is a hard two second decision but you’re his sister and family comes first 😔😔 But he makes it up by giving Bin a flower, which he awkwardly accepts

“So what was it you wanted to tell me?”

Jisung nods his jingle bell hat all over the place like a bobblehead. “Yeah, okay, so-- check this out!”

He jumps a few steps ahead so he can have room to put on a one-man show. Changbin groans and crosses his arms, while Felix eyes him curiously

“I have this friend, right? Well, we do, actually! Me and Changbin!”

The Dark Knight tilts his head. “You mean Chan?”

“YEA-- I mean, yeah!” He starts bouncing around, mining walking around the garden surrounding the palace walls. “So...I never told you this, but a few years ago...more like seven, I was going for a walk when I spotted him outside the princess’ tower! And I stopped and went ten-thousand stealth mode!”

He mimes diving into the bushes. Changbin rolls his eyes.

“He’d totally fallen asleep in the rose bushes, so I--”

“Could you maybe not talk like you’re twelve?”

“......”

Before the two can start quarreling like a couple of twelve year olds, Felix takes on a responsible air, stepping between them

“Hang on...your friend? Was loitering outside my sister’s room?”

Jisung pops his head over Changbin, which really isn’t that hard. “Yeah, he’s the royal gardener! But like, I don’t think the roses needed tending to that day...and after I revealed myself, he was asking a LOT-- well a few...questions about her. Hint hint, my boy’s in love.”

“Love?”

“Love, bro. Like the real sappy stuff.”

“...Love.”

“...Yes.”

“Your friend. Is in love with my sister.”

“...That would be what I just told you, yes.”

“...Wait. Chan as in, Bang Chan? ...OUR friend Chan?!”

“That’s him!”

“Okay okay hold on,” Changbin waves his arms through the air. “Love is a strong word...and this is Chan we’re talking about. He loves just about everybody. He’s nice and empathetic to everyone. Just last week I had to turn away two maids and a palace chef who’d gotten the same mixed signals.”

Jisung shrugs. “Yeah, well…”

“Also this was seven years ago?!”

“...Yeah…”

Changbin deadpans. “So you got me all hyped about jumping Felix for some love story that probably isn’t even real. Seven years is a long time, Jisung. He may have forgotten about her already-- NOT THAT SHE’S SOMEONE TO BE FORGOTTEN.”

He had to finish that last sentence real quick from the look Felix was giving him. The boy sighs, shifting his gifts into one arm so he can run a small hand through his wind-blown hair. “...This is kind of crazy Jisung, even for you. Why are you bringing this up now of all times?”

“...Well…”

👉👈

“I overheard a royal meeting I shouldn’t have about an hour ago...and your dad was talking about having Y/n engaged.”

“What?!?”

“To the Fire Nation king.”

“WHAT?!?!”

“People often refer to him as Zuko, for reasons unknown, but his real name is Minho.”

“.........”

With fever and a newfound energy, Felix tries bursting up the steps to your room. But unfortunately, Team Rocket stops him.

“MOVE! I have to talk to Y/n about this!!!”

“Hang on! The whole reason I brought up my homeboy in the first place was to maybe stop this suspiciously dangerous and shady deal! If Y/n has already fallen in love with someone else, maybe the king will have a change of heart!!!”

Felix groans, glaring harshly in a manner that isn’t really like him. “Han, her father keeps her locked away in a plush-tailored dungeon and refuses to let her go outside, not even on a short shopping trip with her own brother. He doesn’t want her to be seen, and he certainly doesn’t want her falling in love.”

“Well--!” Han balls his hands into fists. “I WAS TRYING OKAY?! I LIKE Y/N TOO, SHE’S A TIMEPIECE GAL WHEN I’M ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO BE WITHIN TEN FEET OF HER!!!”

“Dang…” Changbin groans. “So you don’t think I’ll be able to ask her out this weekend?”

“......” “......”

The glare he gets from both men is a definite no

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

So what are we to do about a situation like this?

Well I’m glad you asked because we’re about to find out

IRONICALLY right at that moment, you were supposed to be in a late-running math session on how taxing the economy works but 

Instead you were blissfully hidden in the closet, watching Chan plant a newly discovered breed of roses on your balcony the author forgot to mention you even had

It was an indoor balcony of sorts; fenced in with mesh and curtains to keep the bugs and trespassers out

There was a cute little garden table with comfy chairs and a small bookshelf

As well as a mini bar and even a small stereo system B))

You’re the princess sis

This was your world since you weren’t allowed to experience the real one

To explain, you had a window right next to it that you often looked out, since your balcony was more or less closed off…

Hopefully that makes sense ._.”

Alright anyhoo

So Chan is planting some gorgeous purple roses that only ever existed in Animal Crossing until now

The most lusciously soft and purpley purple that ever was and ever would be

And here’s you, hunkered down in the closet like a stalker spying on him with one eye and a slit through the cracked door

 WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN

Bang!

The door flies open!

A wild Felix appears!1!1

Uh-oh

He’s probably looking for you, but given the equally wild look on his face

He’s probably not aware of Chan’s job, coming in to tend to your plants when you’re scheduled to be absent

Wait they’re friends right

So he isn’t gonna kill him...right?!

Or does this mean he was gonna kill him that much more?!

OH NO

FELIX NO PLS

You’re holding your breath and waiting for the right moment to pounce and topple your half-brother to the floor when apprehensively

He checks his surroundings quickly before shutting the door behind him

……

What the what is this about--

“We need to talk,” Felix starts, pacing to the dining table where he usually sits. Chan freezes, blinking a few times into the roses and the air above them before turning a blank stare the prince’s way.

“Okay,” he states back, “what’s on your mind?”

“About Y/n…”

About you?

“Princess Y/n? What about?”

Yes, what about you?

“...Jisung…” he sighs. “Look, I know it’s been a while since we’ve talked. Let me start by apologizing about that.”

“Oh, no need to apologize. You’re the prince, and I’m the gardener. We’re both quite busy with our—“

“Jisung told me you like Y/n.”

………

…………

……………

I’m s o r r y

WhAT WAS THAT

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!

Okay okay hold up

Han Jisung was the court clown and notorious for pranks and lying his ass off

Surely this was just a (albeit cruel) joke…

...Right?!

…

Bang Chan’s ears are turning red

Redder than the roses outside your window

He’s biting his lip, like he wants to say something, but is trying hard to suppress said something

His hands are clenched down into the dirt…

“...Well?” asks Felix. “Is it true?”

“...It’s…”

!!!

WHAT WHAT IT’S WHAT

TELL ME FLOWER BOY WHAT IS IT

SPILL THE BEANS ALREADY

Haha get it…

Beans……

Like seeds……..

...Anyway

“......”

He nods, softly, barely. Bang Chan nods his approval at Felix’s proposed statement.

Is this even real right now…?

Is this allowed?! 😩

Instead of jumping the guy like you thought he would, Felix instead smiles, so brightly it would be enough to scare off the Fire Nation and save thousands of lives

“Oh wow. Oh f*ck. You like my sister. This is...shouldn’t I be mad right now?”

He begins to pace

“...But I’m not. I’m genuinely okay with this. Better than okay. It’s...weird.”

“Probably because Y/n may be saved from marrying Prince Hellhole of the Underworld now.”

The two of them (and you still in the closet) jump at the sound of a new voice wafting in from the ceiling. Looking up, a set of bells can be seen hanging out if the air vent

...Has that always been there?!

Oh my gravy what if Han Jisung has spied on you before

What if someone else has?!

EW

Felix scowls angrily at the vent before lifting a pen off your desk and throwing it with surprisingly good accuracy

It must have hit something because next thing you know Jisung is saying “ow!” and climbing down at the Prince’s demand

“What the hell were you doing up there?!”

“Detective work.”

“You’re banned from doing detective work anywhere near this room.”

“What about Changbin?”

“What?!”

“Oh uhhh...nothing.”

The clanking of heavy armor trying to escape travels across the ceiling…

And Felix huffs.

“CHANGBIN I KNOW THAT’S YOU.”

~~~

So I’m gonna do a mini skip right here to get the ball rolling

After Bin is dragged down and everyone (minus you) is accounted for

The four guys are sitting around your dining table, a sinister(?) plot coming to notion

“Okay,” Felix begins, “So what we know is, according to what Jisung overheard, this arms race war of sorts against the Fire Nation is coming to a rock and a hard place for both sides. And to resolve this issue, it would appear that Y/n is being offered as a bargaining chip. A wedding to unite the two kingdoms.”

…… 

Everyone is pretty silent

You included, not that you can say anything at the moment…

But just because you’re silent on the outside doesn’t mean you don’t have a million thoughts racing through your head

Let’s get to the most pressing one that’d likely catch your attention first: MARRIAGE?!?!

With whom?!?!

How dare some old geezers try and pawn you off without your permission?! To the enemy?!? To a man you didn’t even know?!?!

WHAT IF HE WAS REALLY OLD

OR GROSS

OR BOTH

OR WHAT IF--

Han suddenly has something to say

Then again when does the boy not

He lunges across the table to grasp at Chan’s hands. “PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO MARRY THE PRINCESS SO SHE WON’T BE SENT AWAY AND I CAN STOP AWKWARDLY CATCHING YOU SPYING ON HER OUTSIDE!!!”

!!!

OH UH

WHA?!

Chan’s ears are turning red again. He’s got a brow quirked like he doesn’t know what Jisung is talking about, but averts his gaze all the same in a guilty manner

Felix is tapping his fingers against his forearm in an attempt to ignore that confession

And Changbin is just sitting next to Chan half confused and half annoyed

“I- I can’t just… Jisung what you’re asking is…”

“It’s too much,” Bin cuts in. “Jisung you can’t just ask someone, much less tell them, to marry a person they have a far-longing crush on, but really know nothing about. They’ve never even spoken to each other before, I can assume, and you’re telling them to spend the rest of their lives in a commitment? That’s intense.”

Jisung pouts. “Yeah, but…!”

“What if we just faked a marriage?”

Three stunned faces (four if we’re counting you) turn eyes upon the eldest and only prince. He smiles warmly, sending a warily comforting shiver down your spine that you have trouble placing as good or bad.

“What do you mean?” Changbin asks.

“I doubt the king is going to accept Y/n’s wishes in all of this, so we can’t just have her or Chan ask to be wed. But if they’re already married…”

Jisung’s face lights up. “Then there’s nothing the king or Fire Nation fools can do about it!!! That’s BRILLIA--”

“But it would just be a ruse. We’ll have a fake license made, and I can supply the rings. I’ve got plenty of underground connections~”

You’re looking at Chan’s face to see what he thinks of all this, but unfortunately his back is to you, and Changbin is blocking 90% of your view…

You can, however, see that his ears are still a flushed scarlet, as well as the base of his neck

“Would you be okay with that?”

He jumps. Felix and the others blink expectantly. 

“...Huh?”

“...Are you okay with being my sister’s fake husband for a few hours?”

It’s gotta be the awkwardest question you’ve ever heard coming out of your brother’s mouth, but then…

“Yeah. If it’ll protect Y/n...let’s do it.”

……

It’s the first time you’ve heard him not refer to you as the princess, but rather, just yourself

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

OKAY WE’RE GONNA TRY AND START CRAMMING THINGS WITHOUT CRAMMING TOO MUCH BECAUSE HNNNNN I DON’T WANT THIS TO BE TOO LONG AND DRAWN OUT ಥ_ಥ

SO ON THAT NOTE

Meanwhile in a diabolical castle not too far away but still kinda far 

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)⊃━━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

We’ve got an evil firelord named Zuko over here

But he’s not really evil :(( In fact he’s not evil at all!!!

His name isn’t even Zuko it’s Minho

And he’s just kinda mean is all…

Just a smidge | |

“My Lord Zuko!!!” An attendant bows, groveling at the steps to the throne

He’s some weird guy with an eyepatch

Not important but  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Fire King growls, swirling a glass of something strong

“I told you that’s not my name,” he states, tossing the glass after a single gulp. Dang. Intense.

The attendant :((, covering his face like a scared manchild. “PLEASE FORGIVE ME YOUR GRACE!!!”

Minho rolls his eyes. “If I do, will you man up and give me the details on the Nation of (Your Kingdom Name Here)?”

“Oh, yes, yes! Thank you, sire!!!”

“...S u r e.” He blinks a few times, only sparing the slightest hint of a smile when one of the three cats wandering the kingdom jumps onto his lap. “Well? Get on with it.”

“Yes, sire, right away!” Patchy pulls out an enormously large scroll that should NOT have been able to fit in his pocket similar to the mechanics of Animal Crossing (seriously how is it you’re able to fit a giant whale into your pocket and like a freaking tarantula and a hive of wasps like idk about you sis but I would NOT be putting those things in my pocket-) “It would appear that the Princess of (Nation) has given her consent to marry His Royal Highness of the Tallest Order Fire Nation King Zu-- ...L-Lee Minho of the Tallest Order of the Nation of Fire and All Things Cat Related.”

Minho is nodding, a pleasant smirk on his face. Things were just going swimmingly for him. “Perfect. Just as I thought they would. Seungmin? Jeongin?”

From the shadows, two boys stepped forward. “Yes, Your Grace?”

“Please plan my arrival to the Nation of (Your Nation) at once. I’d like to arrive no later than the end of the week.”

“...Sire, with all due respect…” Seungmin swallows. “That’s in two days. Normally, I’d have to send a carrier pigeon to customs since you banned technology after that one disapproving cat commercial, and as you know, your cats are constantly eating both the birds and the notes…”

“......”

“......”

Minho shrugs. “And? So? Just write a new note and buy more birds. There’s no time to waste!”

Seungmin and Jeongin share a look. Arguing against the King would be suicide, so…

“...Yes, Your Unreasonable Grace.”

“Grea-- wait what?”

Comically, they both vanish before any more words can be said.

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

Moving right along here

That night, after the sun has fully set and you’re getting ready to tuck yourself into bed

There’s a strange sound coming from the window…

. . .

Creepy but probably nothing

It’s just the wind, right?

You choose to ignore it and continue organizing the pillows (and dolls?) on your bed in a fashion that suits your fancy when

Tap Tap Tap

. . .

It’s either an incredible coincidence that wind can tap in such a rhythmic fashion, and not so sporadically, or…

There’s someone at the window

...No, really

SOMEONE IS OUTSIDE SIS

THERE’S A FREAKY LOOKIN’ SHADOW RIGHT THERE

On the twelfth floor tho?!

…

Should you answer it

Survey says no

Are you going to?

The stars say yes

BUT FIRST WE MUST ARM OURSELVES BC WE AREN’T TOTAL DUMDUMS 😩

You grab an ornate candlestick from your nightstand and start heading that way

Slowly, carefully, one foot at a time

The closer you get, the more prominent the shadow outside the window becomes…

It almost looks kinda like…

...A tumbleweed? A scarecrow???

……… 

You’re scared

SOMEONE COMING THIS HIGH MUST BE SKILLED AND DETERMINED AND HAS TO KNOW IT’S YOU OR MAYBE IT’S A THIEF THAT--

“Princess? Princess Y/n?”

!!!

Gasp you know that voice

It’s… …

Without a moment to lose you ditch the candlestick and unlock the hinges, tossing the windows open to…

Watch your beloved…

...Almost fall and crack his head open ._.”

Chan is laughing nervously hanging onto the windowsill with a faint pink mark on his cheek from where the window popped him

You cry out nervously and with an effort on both parts, manage to hoist him inside

Where he clichely falls on top of you 🌚🌚 Teehee 🥴

You can feel the heat rising to your face and swirling around your head that’s already been spinning with thoughts for a while now

And Chan, catching his breath over you, practically mirrors that reaction

I Am You

I see me in you--

Okay sorry

Chan laughs the whole thing off and rolls himself off like Nishinoya performing his famous Rolling Thunder, and helps you up while profusely asking if you’re alright, if you need to sit down, you should probably sit down, oh I’m so sorry Felix told me you stayed up late so--

Ah wait

“He told you that? When?”

You’re now sitting on the side of your bed, and Chan is standing a few feet away with windblown hair that could easily be mistaken for a tumbleweed through the dead of night

The fact that you’re staring at it makes him a little self conscious, but really you were just thinking about how cute he looks

“Uh, he told me a few hours ago. We were just...chatting, and um…”

……

He cuts himself off and sighs into his hands

“I’m so sorry. You probably don’t even know who I am.”

“I do.”

“You do?”

“I do.” You smile. “You’re the gardener. Your name is…” You blush. “Christopher Bang. You take care of the roses at the base of the tower and you planted the purple ones on my balcony today. You’re also a friend of my brother’s.”

“Wow, okay yeah.” He smiles back. Seeing him smiling at you while acknowledging the other, the faint flicker of candlelight (Felix broke your lamp during a karate stunt to make you laugh)...it’s almost too much to handle. “That would sort of explain why you let an absolute stranger into your bedroom at night.”

………

Oop

He had a point there

Blame the author sis she’s got three other WIPs rn and wanted to get this done while doing a semi-decent job (｡•́︿•̀｡)💧

“I-I just...have a strong sense of adventure,” you lied. Kinda. Reality was, you really WERE longing for a chance to explore and have just a little excitement in your life instead of the same boring gray stone walls each and every day

Lucky for you, that’s exactly what Chan was here for

The next thing you see is his hand in your face (a still-respectable distance away), offering you quite the gentlemanly smile. He managed to fix that windblown hair of his in the seconds you spent spaced out over your longing to leave this place

“Come on. I actually came here to ask if you’d like to go somewhere with me.”

~~~

A little disclosure here

Normally, you should never, EVER let someone you don’t really know into your home (much less your bedroom) late at night, and you certainly should not agree to go somewhere with them

This is just common knowledge, I know

But, for crack, time, and in the spirit of classic fairytales, I’m going to allow it to happen :)))

~~~

AND SO, Y/n chooses to defy common sense, and takes the hand of the boy she really likes (▰˘◡˘▰)

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

To make things slightly less weird and insanely unnatural, Chan gives you a note from Felix. It’s got his secret seal of approval that he only uses when addressing letters to you, one that only the two of you know about, so it’s gotta be legit and valid

🙄🙄

Just pretend it makes things A LITTLE bit better for me, okay?

“Author do you know how illogical this all is and that, like, ANYONE could figure out--”

YEAH OKAY JUST GO WITH IT PLS 😩😩

The note says:

𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝒴/𝓃, 𝒴𝑒𝑒𝓉! 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓃, 𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓋𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒾𝓂 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 ;) 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝓉𝑜𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇...𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓉, 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁, 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓃...𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝓅𝒶𝒸𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝑜𝓃 𝓂𝑒. 𝐼𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝒾𝓂, 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉? 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝑜𝓎 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒. 𝐼'𝓋𝑒 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒽𝒾𝓂 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝐼'𝓂 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒢𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝓃𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓃𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓊𝓈 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝒶𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓋𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒫.𝒮. - 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓃, 𝓈𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒, 𝒴/𝓃!

𝒜𝓁𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓃, 𝓃𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝑔𝑜𝓉𝓉𝒶 𝒹𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝒾𝓉. 𝒴/𝓃 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒽𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓂𝑒𝒹 𝓊𝓃𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓊𝓃𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝒷𝓎 𝓃𝑜 𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓂𝒾𝒹𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝒻𝓊𝓃𝓃𝓎 𝒷𝓊𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃 𝑒𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉𝓁𝓎, 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝓃𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒. :)

-- 𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝑜𝓀𝒶𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝐹𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓍 (ℱ )

...Well, there you had it

Now, onto the date! …

WAIT DID THIS COUNT AS A DATE?!

uHHHHHH

ಥ_ಥ 💧

IDK SIS JUST GO WITH IT FOR NOW, GO GO GO!

Chan is about to take your hand and wisk you out the window like Rapunzel or some Romeo and Juliet au (hey btw??? That ain’t a bad idea someone request this from me)

He nearly forgets about the height difference and the fact that he don’t have any rope or long flowing locks to grab onto to :D so instead the two of you opt for an idea that comes to you after nearly tearing your room apart to look for rope:

THE AIR VENT!!!

You have to move some furniture around but it’s not like anyone is gonna come into your room or find out about you missing anyway

Reader: “Chan came into my room tho--”

SHHHHH THAT’S DIFFERENT IT’S CALLED PLOT CONTINUATION

Now

After getting lost for approximately ten minutes in the winding air ducts, Chan manages to get his poor sleep deprived brain together and leads you down the right path, coming to a purifying viel(?) he knocks out of the way to kick the door open to outside

AND THEN

IT’S THE MOST GLORIOUS AND MAGICAL THING

IT’S

（ つ﹏╰）

SIS IT’S OUTSIDE

IT’S THE OUTSIDE WORLD

YOU DID IT--

……

You can’t do it

Chan jumps out easily onto the grass to some East side of the palace, but you just sit there, hunkered down in the opening space of the vent

Just staring at it

The grass

The trees

The tumbleweed that is Chan’s hair blow by

It’s almost too much…

Your body won’t move. You’ve been locked away in the palace for so long now...something inside of you is telling you it’s morally wrong to change that now.

“Hey wait author I have a question”

I’m kinda in the middle of telling a semi-deep part of the story but okay sure

“If Chan and I were on the twelfth floor how is it that we made it to the--”

SHHHHH AGAIN JUST HUMOR ME AND DON’T OVERTHINK THINGS

Chan is watching you with some sort of softness in his eyes illuminated by starlight. He holds his hands out to you.

“It’s okay. If you need me to, I can carry you for as long as I’m able.”

…

But you refuse

You need to cross this bridge

And then you need to burn it 🔥

NO GOING BACK SIS

NO GOING BACK 😤😤

...Except you’re always open for an excuse to be close to Chan so 🤪💓

You jump in his arms without much of a second thought, and without thinking he spins you around, and a moment later

Both of your slippered feet hit the ground below

Soft earth enveloping your heels

Blades of grass tickling your skin

It’s so WEIRD BUT

It’s a good kind of weird

A kind of weird you’d love to get used to

Hand in hand the two of you slip off after that, out into that starry starry night that looks like a Van Gogh painting

It’s beautiful and blurred yet sharp and soft yet bright and you feel like queen of the world as you’re running through Central Park, riding on Chan’s shoulders

Dancing around the center fountain

Nearly blowing your cover when a racoon runs by

It’d be kinda bad if someone saw you, much less recognized who you were 😅

The two of you lay on the hillside, where Chan makes up stories about the stars and you smile at the sound of his voice, and the feeling of wildflowers against your cheek

You’re so enthralled that you scarcely notice when his voice trails off as he’s watching you, admiring your beauty as he often has in days gone by, only this time it’s up close and nearly surreal

The girl of his dreams lying in a bed of flowers

Not palace-tainted ones either -> wildflowers, flowers that are free to billow any way the wind takes them

And the moonlight casting perfectly angular shadows over your body

He has to get a hold of himself and tear himself away with a sharp breath

……

But he’s adding the image to a memory in his heart, that’s for sure

He takes a moment to mull over it a few more times before dusting himself off, standing, and reaching out to you. Something you also want to get used to other than being in the Great Outdoors. “Come on,” he says, “We’ve almost used up all our time, and I haven’t even been able to show you the town yet.”

SHOPPING~! (っ◔◡◔)っ ♥

...Ah wait it was night time 😔 You’d have to settle for just seeing the sights and playing pretend

“We’re gonna do something called window shopping.”

“Window shopping?” You ask, taking your first steps down main street. “What’s that?”

Surprisingly, there were a few stragglers still out and about at this hour, so you had to keep your head down and wander as seamlessly as possible off to the side of the road.

“Window shopping is when you wander around a shopping district just to look at the stuff on display. You shop with your eyes and pick out things you like.”

That sounded kinda fun

Of course anything with Chan sounded like a good time to you (♥‿♥)

And so, still hand in hand, the two of you quietly walked the cobblestone streets, examining clothes and trinkets in the large glass windows of stores and commenting lightly on things you liked/disliked

And, over a short span of time, you felt a gentle shift as Chan entwined his fingers with yours

ƪ(˘⌣˘)┐ ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ ┌(˘⌣˘)ʃ

You wander the streets for a while longer, taking a left here, a right there, when after pacing a little ways down a side street connecting to a sleepy neighborhood, Chan stops quite abruptly

His arms and posture is rigid af, so it almost yanks you back a bit, and a little startled you look up to see what it is he’s gawking at

…

It’s a flower shop

And the big sign across the roof’s edge says, “Christopher’s Garden”

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

Christopher’s Garden was the name Chan’s parents had wanted to name the flower shop the two of them had dreamed of opening together

Chan knows this because of the letters he’d receive at the orphanage during the war

The last letter he received was when he was eleven years old; a simple “hello we miss you” update with a miniature bouquet of pressed wildflowers

Flowers he still kept in his small room at the palace, tapped to the inside of the box where all his letters are stored

Faintly, he reaches out towards the sign, like it’s the only thing around him; suddenly there is no village, no night time, and there almost isn’t a Y/n either

Not that you aren’t important…

He just simply can’t believe that…

…

This couldn’t be real, it had to be a coincidence

A cruel one, but still

A coincidence nonetheless

And he’d continue to think that had he not lowered his hand, and found the face of an older man staring back at him

A man with burn marks on his cheeks and the scars of war apparent in both his features and his eyes

He has to grip the doorway to keep himself from falling backward

For it may have been many years, but he could never forget the face of his own son; not even after time had aged him

The parental spark was just there, a father’s intuition

…… 

As if seeming to understand, Y/n lets him go

She retreats stage left, one, two paces

And watches with heartfelt joy as the two men embrace somberly beneath the moonlight.

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

You wanted to stay and watch

You really really did

You wanted to be that support beam for Chan, but

In a way, you also didn’t want to intrude on such an important family moment

...And you were more or less due back at midnight 🙄 Cinderella much?

You’re racing along the alleyways right now

Slippers puffing a muffled breath with each step along the pavement

Buildings casting shadows and jagged shapes of light along the way

A random cloth you borrowed from behind a grocery masking your head

You found it lying over some crates of produce; and you may or may not have borrowed a few plums for the road, too…

...You’d have someone pay them back with interest 🤷

You probably should have told Chan you were heading back, but

He needed his family, right?

This was really important to him, you could tell he obviously hadn’t seen his dad, uncle, or whoever that man was back there in a while

You could catch him up later, right?

He’d probably spend the night there and be back by morning or mid-afternoon

You’re just now reaching a fork in the road

You could keep going straight or make a slanted right venturing toward the front gate, which connects the pastures of hills (making up Central Park) to the palace

……

It would probably be better to stick the backways, but you didn’t know the area that well…

If you went back into civilization, although it was after curfew and despite your disguise, someone may still spot you

What to do what to do what to--

“So you’re the Princess of (Kingdom Name).”

!!!

Did

Did someone just--

ARE THEY TALKING TO YOU?!?

RUN?!

DO WE RUN ...

“You don’t have to be frightened.” the voice says, stepping closer. “I’m here to take you home.”

……...

🚩🚩🚩

:)))))))) 

Yes okay now we RUN 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️💨

You make a break for it down the straight path, letting your veil fly away from your body and temporarily blind whoever’s following you

You also make good use of those plums you stole, tossing them like bombs over your shoulder

“Argh--! Dang it, sh*t, I can’t sEE--” Your pursuers flail about before shredding the cloth to bits, whipping the fruit off their faces. “AFTER HER!!!”

!!!!!!

DID HE JUST SAY--?!

HHHHHHHHHHHH

The sound of heavy metal clanging against cobblestone bounces off the space behind you as you’re pounding, scrambling, flinging yourself in a zigzag pattern in case someone is trying to snipe you

IT’S WHAT ALL THE RIDICULOUS HEROES IN MOVIES DO, OKAY?!

IT’S MORE OR LESS EFFECTIVE

But alas there are so many boxes and wheelbarrows and junk in the way...

MOVE FASTER YOU CAN HEAR THEM GAINING ON YOU

But wait who even is “them” anyway???

Do you even need to know?! It was probably some councilman your stepmother or  father pissed off

You’d seen it all on TV and read plenty of horror stories in books to know there were endless reasons why someone would be targeting you for vengeance

...And, also…

……

Blast it all

You could hear your father’s voice echoing:

“NO BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER OF MINE WILL BE SEEN BILLOWING ABOUT THE CITY STREETS!!! That’s like asking to be kidnapped and used as a means of war!!!”

“A means of war!!!”

“A means of war!!!”

…………………………………...g u l p 

ಥ_ಥ

YOU JUST WANTED TO HAVE A GOOD TIME OKAY

THAT’S ALL

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN 😩😩

HE SHOULD TRY SITTING ON HIS ASS DAY IN AND DAY OUT IT’S MIND-NUMBINGLY BORING 🔥🔥🔥

But boy were you getting your fill of excitement now

If you could just make it back to the palace, maybe you could use this as an excuse

Say you were kidnapped and made a grand escape

...It wasn’t a TOTAL lie…

“Oh Princess~ Princess Y/n, slow down, won’t you please?!”

LIBSDIBVISAFBILSFIL

NOT ON YOUR LIFE BUDDY 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️💨

WE AIN’T ABOUT TO DIE

GOTTA

HURRYYYYYYY

~ t r i p ! ~

Oh-- ...

THUD

Owowowowow… (｡>︿<｡)💧

………………

……………………………

ಠ_ಠ

You slowly look up to the enemy

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ❤️ “Guess who? ...Oh, wait, we’ve never met before.”

………………..

Crap.

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

The plan was going to be very simple: swoop in, rescue the princess, and take her back home to appease to the King and speed up the royal wedding of the century

Unfortunately, nothing was ever simple in the Fire Nation

That and, well, Minho had spies everywhere

He’d seen your photograph

He knew what you looked like

And when one of his minion’s squeaked saying they spotted a certain soon-to-be-and-technically-already-so engaged princess and coming-soon queen of the Fire Nation running around after hours with another man, well

He just couldn’t have that

It simply wasn’t allowed

The king had promised him your hand

And that’s exactly what he was going to get

“Tie her wrists tighter. Yes. Now a little closer to the left…”

He smiles at you from inside the back of the carriage. He was about to make this go his way faster than he could have hoped for.

He leans forward, now dressed in some ridiculous royal garb festive with plated armor and flapping ribbons, patting your knee with smooth-lined fingers that shouldn’t belong to someone ruling the Fire Nation. And he knows this, too. He was and still is the youngest king to ever hold the throne. “Don’t worry, Princess, I simply wish to escort you home. This is, however, a pleasant time for us to get acquainted. Since I will become your husband in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”

To this, the Princess of (Your Castle) makes some sort of a scoffing remark beneath her cloth-covered mouth and fidgets herself away, as far back against the plush carriage interior as she can. Even beneath the pale moonlight and faint swaying torchlight outside, bobbing in the hands of soldiers, he can see the scowl of disapproval and hatred on her face.

That would have to change real’ fast. No way he was tolerating a disobedient bride for long.

A rapping comes from outside the window. Carefully, Minho opens the small glass door, pulling the curtain aside along with it. “What is it?”

Seungmin’s face appears in the open space. “We may have a problem. Two, actually.”

“Yes, yes, what are they?”

His first attendant licks his lips nervously. “Well for starters, Jeongin is going to have a mental breakdown if Doongi scratches his face one more time. Your pets--”

“My family.”

“...Your family is getting antsy being cooped up in the carriage for so long.”

A hissing can be heard in the distance, followed by Jeongin’s muffled scream. Minho sighs.

“Fine, Fine…” He glances tentatively at his soon-to-be bride. “We’ll stop at the next fork in the road and switch passengers. I will ride with the children and Jeongin can accompany Princess Y/n until we arrive.” 

“Very good, Your Majesty.”

Minho makes a face, suddenly. “...It shouldn’t be long now, yes?” ((After all, you and Chan did WALK into town.)) “What’s taking so long? How much farther?”

Seungmin looks a bit grave. “...That’s...the other thing I wished to speak to you about.”

“???”

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

You can hear the shouting from your new location inside a smaller (yet still quite plush and fancy) carriage that’s covered in cat fur...and a pitiful attendant with a bloodied face

“So we’ve been traveling in circles this whole TIME?!?!”

Oof

That kind of anger didn’t bode well for whoever’s plan this was

“Ahh…we’re so sorry, Your Majesty! But the guard won’t let us through! They refused to take us seriously when we proclaimed to be the Fire Nation escorting the Princess home…”

The Fire King let out a groan.

You zoom your attention on the boy before you, holding a dampened cloth of alcohol to his face and hissing as it makes contact with several wounds. Poor guy is young, and he couldn’t be too much younger than you. Give or take three to four years.

“M-mm-m, mm mm-mm mm m.”

He looks at you like you’re speaking in tongues. Which, quite frankly, you may as well be. “...What?”

“Mm mmm, m-mm-m, mm mm-mm mm m!”

“.........”

Peering left and then right, he makes sure both curtains are closed before leaning forward and pulling down the cloth over your face. You cough a bit, spitting out pieces of string and fabric and the dry taste in your mouth. “...”

“......” Jeongin seems to be admiring you in a new sort of light. It’s a bit weird, but flattering. “Um, what was it that you tried to say?”

You look him dead in the eye, which is somewhat hard to do, but your anger helps you manage. Jeongin winces backward, something twitching in his mind. “I said, if I were you, I would blow this joint.”

“.........” Jeongin glances down at his shoes, staring hard at the laces. He seems to be taking your words quite seriously, though you’d half meant them as a joke. “...I’m in no position to do such a thing. Just thinking about it is treason.”

“Treason? For having thoughts? You don’t have any mind readers in your country, do you?”

Slowly, he shakes his head no. It was kinda cute how seriously he was taking your words...and a bit sad, too. “No, we don’t dwell in psychics or anything supernatural. But the author of this story has been kinda thinking about making a supernatural au for some time now--”

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

“.........”

A rapping comes at the carriage door. Jeongin acknowledges it with a nod. “...Never mind.” He opens the window. There, again, was Seungmin’s floating head alongside a ball of fire.

“His Majesty Pain-in-the-Ass is being difficult again. Imagine that. He wants us to make camp and then plans on playing the martyr card come tomorrow morning.”

“...He expects us to camp out in the woods?”

“That’s the order.”

Jeongin groans. He leans back in his seat, tossing the rag down in frustration. “...Maybe I really should consider running away…are you hiring, by chance?”

It was meant to be a joke. But you take it all too seriously.

“Why, yes, actually, I am.” :))))))))))

“....................”

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

And so that is how you have now ended up here

In front of a roaring fire

All comfy cozy in the new fleece pajamas Jeongin and Seungmin sewed for you out of one of Minho’s extra capes and some “spare” fabrics

Sipping some freshly pressed apple juice and flipping through King Minho’s edition of Royalty Daily

Seungmin, to your left, is fashioning you a new pair of slippers that you can wear both indoors and out and will feel as if you never stepped out of bed

And Jeongin, to your right, slowly moving an electric fan around your face, in a pleasant manner that wasn’t at all distracting

It was glorious, really ٩(˘◡˘)۶

You never imagined being so relaxed in an enemy camp held hostage, even if you were a Princess…

...The only thing sour was the sour look of King Minho brooding at the other side of the fire.

“What is the meaning of this?” he hisses, eyes flitting back and forth between his two former attendants and you in-between. “Why aren’t the two of you doing your normal duties?”

“We are doing our normal duties,” Seungmin explains, snipping the thread he was working with.

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, we are.”

“Are you defying me right now?!”

Minnie scoffs. “Defying? You? Wouldn’t dream of it, Sire.”

“......” Minho dramatically rose from his seat, snatching a slipper off the boy’s lap. “Then what is the meaning of this,” he demands, shaking it about. You notice from a new angle of lighting the cute white polka dots patterned along dark pink fabric. Adorable. “Why are you...restyling my slippers?!”

Seungmin gives a reputable glare, snatching the slipper right back in the sassiest way possible, and dusts it carefully, as if it were tainted by the mere touch of another. “These are not for you, dear King. They are for My Lady, Princess Y/n.”

O-O

Now surely you can imagine, the look on Minho’s face is not a good one. “They’re… They… Y-Your whAT?!?!”

“SHHHHHHH!!!” Jeongin chimes. “Lord Zuko, you must keep your voice down! The Princess is trying to read, and she has sensitive hearing!” >:((

“.........”

(✿︶‿︶)

*Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp*

You sip that apple juice like it’s the sweetest tonic out there

And Minho, stunned, can only watch...until he throws down his foot and starts having an unroyaly absurd hissy fit

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR PRINCESS?! SHE’S MY BRIDE, AND THE HOSTAGE!!! And what do you think the two of you are doing?! What are you saying?!? Have you...are you telling me you switched sides?!?!”

“Well…”

“We aren’t telling you, we were hoping you’d get the memo by watching.”

!? “ARRRGH!!!”

._____.

The three of you watch with second-hand embarrassment, along with a couple of nearby guards, until

The King has to pause mid-fit

For a rustling in the bushes pulls his attention aside-- along with the others.

Minho seems to gain his composure surprisingly quickly. With serious glint in his eyes, he pulls his sword, in unison with the surrounding army he’d brought.

Behind you, Jeongin respectfully pulls you close, Seungmin brandishing his own blade and standing protectively before you.

You’re confused, almost, at how high the tension had magically become

You can feel Jeongin’s heartbeat against you back, and the silence amid the rustle is deafening

A single bead of sweat rolls down your neck…

And then evaporates when a field mouse screeches at the glinting of sharp metal objects and flees. 🗿💧

“Oh...false alarm…” the Fire King sighs. His army groans, reupholstering their swords and spears

And then jump in surprise at the ambush that comes after

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

I know we’re 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ flying through this story kinda fast now but just hang tight

Cause a few familiar faces had come to save the day B))

Familiar faces known as Sir Changbin, Newly-awarded Knight Jisung, and brother who loved you a little too much, Felix

The way your brother’s sword clashed with Minho’s as your new attendants hurried you into the awaiting cart was a sight to behold

And you could still hear the screams of startled men even now :(((

Luckily Felix held a philosophy unlike your father to not cause any permanent damage at all costs, so no casualties occurred; just a lot of smoke-bombing and a few cuts and bruises

Then there was Jisung, who had to hang on to the roof bc he went flying during the ambush and landed in a tree and there just wasn’t enough time to get him inside so Changbin had to snap a branch and let him fall on top...but

You know

No casualties :))))

“Are you okay?!?!” Felix is demanding, checking you face, your neck, your hands. You sigh and shake your head, which at first he takes as a no and has a small panic attack but you give him a little shove followed by a hug

“I’m fine. I’m sorry I was gone for so long...but thank you for saving me.” <3

Felix hugs you back, though a grim look resides on his face. “I’m gonna have a serious talk with Chan. I can’t believe he just left you out in the city-- or the forest-- to find your own way home in the dead of night when you’ve scarcely left the palace before!”

!!!

You jump back, startling him a bit. “Chan didn’t leave me! Please...don’t be mad at him.”

“Wha?” He lists his head. “Then what happened?”

“......” Oops. “I...I left him. I thought I could make it back on my own.”

His arms cross. “And what the heck made you think that?”

>:((((((((

At this, you almost felt a sense of defiance. Almost.

Felix didn’t think you could make it on your own?! You?!? A twenty-something year old young woman?!?!?

...Well he was right because you had absolutely no sense of direction except where the shampoo was in your royal bathroom 😔

BUT HE DIDN’T HAVE TO RUB IT IN Y’KNOW?!?!

“I--!”

“You? Yes?”

“......”

“......”

“......” Sigh. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you...but first you have to let my friends go.”

The screen pans over to Seungmin and Jeongin, tied back to back with apples shoved in their mouths. Seungmin stared a hole into Felix’s head while Jeongin was actually making some decent progress getting a bite out of the apple to free himself...until some juice went down the wrong pipe and he started choking.

“RhUK--!!!”

“Your friends?” The prince huffs. “These are the Fire Lord’s attendants. I’ve met them on two occasions in the past. Trust me, they aren’t your...friends.”

You stamp your foot, to which everyone comically flinched. Outside, Han howled at the branches slapping him in the face and the dust in his eyes. “They work for me now, and they’re my friends!!! 😤😤 So let them go right now or I’ll push them out and roll out of here right beside them!”

“!!!”

Felix couldn’t have this, so

He gets to untying, and once freed, the four of you sit on the empty cart floor: you and your attendants on one side, Felix on the other. He exchanges a few words with Changbin up front and Han still on the roof before settling down for your story

“We should be arriving to the west gates shortly. Also, Han is fine, so don’t worry about him. Tell me everything that happened.”

You do. You start from the beginning, with Chan, and the wonderful time the two of you shared. Then you tell him about the village, and how lovely window shopping was, and the moment that all came to a halt. You explain Christopher’s Garden, the aging man who sleepily walked out the front door, the exchange that occurred between him and Chan...the way they embraced. You’d felt so happy but out of place, you decided to venture off and give them the privacy they very much deserved.

Then you come around to Minho. How you’d tried to run, but only made it so far thanks to your new mortal enemy, rocks. You’d become a hostage, and you quickly rush through the rival king’s evil(?) plan to lie his way to victory.

And, of course, you mention the proud and wise decision of his most loyal and trusted adversaries switching sides and how good you are at making friends (ღ˘⌣˘)♥ so that happened

By the time you get through the whole (short? Not really) story, the six of you have arrived at (Castle’s) West Gate.

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

M E A N W H I L E

In the past tense bc the author’s random switching is a meme

A certain evil(?) king named Minho was angry

You can understand, right?

I mean, his future bride had escaped, his former friends(?) betrayed him, and he got his ass beat pretty flawlessly by some punk prince who didn’t even injure him that badly...ON PURPOSE

This was a DISASTER

A TOTAL NIGHTMARE

😭😭😭

SCREW THIS HE WAS GOING TO BE VICTORIOUS WITH CHAMPAGNE POURING OVER US AND ALL HIS FRIENDS AND HE WOULD BE GLORIOUS NO MATTER WHAT

In fact, he was following the trail with a few uninjured guards as he spoke

“Keep following the tracks,” he demanded from the window of his carriage. Doongi, Soongi, and Dori all meowed in agreement. “I want those fools hand-tied and the princess back in her station before the sun rises. Is that clear?”

“Crystal, Sir!!!” They all cried. Minho scoffed, closing the window and falling back exhaustively in his seat

He messaged his temples...since Jeongin wasn’t there to do it for him

How did this happen?

How could he lose?

How could he let you and the others just escape like that...and fall for such a subtle, dumb trick?

Also…...there was the matter of his childish behavior from before

In front of the princess, his future wife

His friends

His army

……

That really hadn’t been like him at all

He just...was so stressed lately

And exhausted

Did he mention exhausted?

What time was it, like, 1 am???

That might be fine for you, but normally this king had his ass under covers by 11 pm

He could scarcely keep his eyes open were it not for all the rocks and potholes and--

…

And the curious young man that just stumbled out into the road.

Minho leaned forward, staring through the open front window, squinting in the darkness to make out a face; was that one of the boys? Was that Seungmin, or Jeongin perhaps?

It certainly didn’t sound like it-- the sap was calling out a name, and seemed to be dressed in tattered old clothes. Probably a peasant looking for his lost sheep or dog.

But then his men pulled the carriage closer, since that previous battle had spooked all the horses away, and Minho was able to make out a name: “Y/n!!! Princess, say, “here I am!!!””

…………

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Gottem.

~ꕥꕥꕥ~

To be continued...maybe.

ღ Stray Kids M.List | M.List ღ

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[fallingfor-fics]

Teachers Pet-chapter 12: secrets

All chapters

chapter 11

"Y/n!" I felt someone poke me. "Y/N!" I then felt the covers being pulled off of me and I opened my eyes abruptly "Huh what?" I looked over to see Hermione standing there, arms crossed. "Hermione? How'd you get in here?" I said yawning and stretching my arms out. "You're late! It's already 8 o'clock!" I looked over at the clock on my nightstand and sure enough it was 8. "Shit I must have overslept. Give me a sec. I'll get ready really fast." I said jumping out of bed and going into the bathroom to get ready, I grabbed my wand and used a spell to do my hair and makeup and quickly put on my uniform. I walked out of the bathroom and saw Hermione looking at the note Dumbledore had sent back to me. "Have you decided what you're gonna sing for the Yule Ball?" she said, looking up at me as I grabbed my supplies and put my want in the waist of my skirt. "No not yet, I haven't had any Ideas I guess I'll just have to wait till it comes to me." she hummed in response and stood walking out and I followed close behind.

"So are you ready for Snape's test today? I stayed in his class until 10 o'clock last night studying with him for it." I said as we walked to the great hall. "Yes of course, I have him third so I'll let you know at lunch if it's crazy hard. And wow that's a long time to endure his cruelness" she said smiling. "You know surprisingly, he was actually really nice to me last night, like it was weird for him to be that nice, I mean he was still sarcastic and snarky, but Lockhart was being weird and he basically rescued me from another detention." I said recalling the moment and playing them in my head, I smiled and blushed a little, and that's when I felt another one of those tingle things, was it like, a heart palpitation or something? "Really? Hmm that's odd" she said as we continued walking in silence. "Hermione, can I ask you something?" I said in a more hushed tone. "Yes of course." "How did you know you liked Ron? Like what did you feel when you realized you liked him?" I asked not looking at her and in the most casual tone I could muster up.

"Well, I'm not really sure, I just remember I was upset one year when we had a Triwizard tournament here, and he didn't ask me to the dance, I realized I felt things for him that were not just friend ones. And I would get butterflies when I would think about him." she said grinning and blushing. "Hmm interesting" I said thinking about what she said. "Why do you like someone?" she said nudging my arm. "No I most certainly don't, I was just curious." I said shutting down her inquiries. There's no way that's what I was feeling with Snape, I mean he's mean and cruel. I can't forget how he yelled at me my first week here, and how he treats other students. And not to mention he's a Professor, so it had to be something different. But then again what was I feeling? All I knew was that the last time I had felt this feeling was when I watched Casablanca for the first time, and Rick and Ilsa kissed. The raw, soft, but deep emotions they felt for each other would make me tear up. So why on earth was I feeling this when I'd think of him.

Just then we walked into the great hall and I sat down with her, the boys sitting across from us. "Goodmorning!" they both said in sync. "Hey sorry we are late." I said. "Oh it's fine, you should hurry and eat though classes start in 30 minutes." Harry said smiling and handing me a glass of orange juice, he knew that's what I would drink every morning. I thanked him and took a sip grabbing a piece of bacon. "Did you guys hear about the Death Eaters sighting in Hogsmeade yesterday?" Ron said a worried tone in his voice. "What? Really?" I said shocked. He nodded and Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, why were they there? And how many?" I said biting into my bacon. "Don't know, I just heard one of the Slytherin kids talking about it, they said they looked like they were searching for someone, going into every store and then took off. They weren't wearing masks but some people caught glimpses of their dark marks." He added. "Hmm that's weird, what did the Ministry do? Did someone report it?" Hermione asked. "Don't know." Ron said "Wow some help you are." Hermione said playfully. I looked up at Dumbledore, but to my surprise he wasn't there, weird, I looked over to look at Snape but he was also missing. "How odd." I whispered. "What?" Harry asked, looking at the teachers table as well. "Nothing, just Dumbledore isn't here." "Hmm, maybe he is just busy." he said, returning to his food.

"You know what guys I'll catch you later I'm gonna go check on him." I said grabbing my things and getting up. "Wha- Ok bye." Hermione said. I walked out of the great hall and headed to his office. As I approached the gargoyle, I stood and waited for it to move. Usually it moves out of the way because somehow he knows it's me standing there. But to my surprise it remained still. What the heck? And of course he never told me the password. I stared at the gargoyle and kept waiting. "Peppermint" I whispered it didn't move. Hmm. "Y/n L/n" I said , smirking. Nothing. "Gum drop" still nothing. "Can you just open up please?" I said pleading to the statue. Just then it moved and I screeched running and turning the corner. I muttered the incantation for the Disillusionment Charm to blend in, and peaked around watching the steps. "Severus like I said I discussed it with the Ministry and I don't think we need to worry about it, let them deal with it." I heard Dumbledore's voice say as I saw Snape and Him walk out. Hmm I wonder if they were talking about the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade yesterday. "I'm aware the ministry is going to handle it, but that is not my biggest concern and you know it." Snape responded, giving him a knowing look. "Severus I thank you for your concern, but she will be just fine! She wasn't there so we have no reason to be worried." Dumbledore reassured him. Uhhh what? She who? Who are they talking about? And why is Snape here? And why is he concerned? Should we be concerned? So many questions ran through my head, and just then Snape snapped his head in my direction and I darted back around the corner I looked down at my reflection in a nearby window and the charm was still working, he didn't see me did he? I turned around and looked at him again, and now Dumbledore was looking in my direction.

My eyes grew wide, there's no way they know I'm here. They continued staring in my direction and Snape had a suspicious look on his face. He began walking over towards me and I walked backwards til I hit the wall behind me. He looked around the corner in the direction I stood and investigated for a moment. "What is it Severus?" Dumbledore asked. "Nothing, I thought someone was listening for a moment." He said, still looking at the spot I was at. I just stared back at him not moving scared of what he may do if he found me. I made eye contact with him and felt my body relax a bit. I admired his face as he began to turn and walk back over to Dumbledore, my heart skipping a beat again. I rolled my eyes at the act and pushed it away. I didn't have time for the confusing heart palpitations right now. "Well I must return to my room for classes that will be starting soon." Snape said walking off and down the hallway. "Goodbye." Dumbledore said smiling. I looked at my watch, shit I was gonna be late if he didnt go back to his office soon. I saw him lean and look over in my direction. "He's gone, y/n you can come out now." He said smiling at me. I froze and just looked at him, not moving to see if maybe he would think he was wrong. "Come one you don't want to be late to class." he added. I waved my wand and whispered the counter-spell and returned to my normal self and came walking around the corner, with a scared look on my face. "How did you know it was me there?" I asked worried he would be upset but he just smiled. "Like I said my dear I see and know everything" he chimed looking down at me through his half moon glasses. "I-i'm sorry I didn't mean to listen in, I was coming to see why you weren't at breakfast, and got scared when you both came out of the room." I said playing with the hem of my skirt. "Oh that's alright dear, you should run along now." He said gesturing to get going. I nodded and began to walk off, I stopped and turned to him once more, "Were you guys talking about the Death eater sighting at Hogsmeade yesterday?" "Don't you worry about that Y/n" he said smiling and heading back into his office. I turned and hurried off to my classes.

#snape x reader #snape imagine #severusnape #professor snape #snape #severus snape #severusimagine #severus x reader #severus snape x reader #hogwarts #Snape slowburn #slytherin

[tsuzuruchipalace]

rating mankai company based on character design

Note: I will take into account hair, color scheme, sprite poses, mostly outfits that are not from plays or scouts, and memorability. This is half an objective view and half my personal opinion.

Disclaimer: I curse a lot for comedic effort. I am mean because I am funny. No, you cannot disagree.

Spring 🌸

sakuya: you get what you see. a literal spring babey. his hair and color scheme’s a little generic, but he’s mankai’s poster boy, so that’s understandable. speaking of generic, his main pose is just this emoji 🧍‍♂️ his outfits tend to be kinda basic, but any outfit with a mostly pink top gets him bonus points. 6/10

masumi: okay his hair is elite. probably one of the most memorable character design aspects among the cast. his mole and eyes also make him very pretty. love my boy’s dark color scheme. unfortunately, points must be docked for baiting us with the emo fit, then as the story progresses, he starts dressing like the trust fund kid he is smh. 9/10

tsuzuru: i love you tsuzu but. my mans is so basic. if he didn’t have such a great personality, he’d be as bland as untoasted white bread. the saya of a3. his best design aspect is the fact that he doesn’t dye his roots. his outfits look comfy, but not necessarily eye-catching. 4/10

itaru: everyone who starts a3! with no knowledge of these characters has one (1) thought about itaru. sec sea man. so obviously there’s something appealing/good about his character design. i think part of the appeal is his fuck-all demeanor. obviously, his eyes and hairstyle are attractive, but the way the artists draw him gives him an air of not caring, which is also attractive in a way. his dyed tips are also nice. he looks kinda lame when he dresses professionally, but his casual outfits hit. especially the ones with light pink. 8/10

citron: although i’m not a big fan of the “character is foreign and therefore must talk and dress different and be funny” trope in these types of media, his fashion does make him stand out from the other characters who tend to have more basic clothes. citron’s summer, travel, and autumn outfits SLAP and anyone who says otherwise has bad taste. his hair and eyes are interesting, but his overall color scheme can be a bit repetitive. 7/10

chikage: i hate this guy’s fucking bowlcut. fucking salad bowl lookin ass. every outfit is the same turtleneck and sneakers in two alternate colors. his outfits are so plain. only thing i like is his casual outfit glasses. HOWEVER. that’s the point. he’s supposed to look boring and blend in because he’s a spy. it’s a smart design, i just don’t like it so im docking points. stay mad about it. 5/10

Summer ☀️

tenma: im yawning. you think tsuzu was boring? this guy has orange hair and i still find his design boring. that’s how you know he’s basic. he’s got generic messy shounen protag hair. he could be from any property. if i drew fanart of him, people would ask where he’s from. he either dresses like your slightly homophobic frat boy classmate or a grandfather who gets his shit stolen by the asshole kids next door. 2/10

yuki: he has the r a n g e. all of yuki’s casual outfits hit. they’re all different, but cute in their own way. to no one’s surprise, one of the best styled characters. though i like his general color scheme, i’m personally not the biggest fan of his hairstyle. it’s okay, but a little plain at times. but i think it suits him well. 7/10

muku: i love him. muku’s design is what i love about this game. you see him, and you immediately know what his character archtype is supposed to be. he’s the soft, cute boy. and if this was a mediocre series, that’d be all muku is. but since this is a3, he’s so much more than that. he’s smart, passionate, sensitive to others’ feelings, and protective. a3 does a great job designing characters that look exactly like their archtype, but having a much more developed personality than that. getting back to the actual subject at hand, i love his hairstyle and color, as well as his outfits. you can never go wrong with light pink hair. i may be biased but fuck you. 10/10

misumi: another great memorable design. his eye shape and hair style are really unique. his outfits also elevate his design. street fashion is always a plus for me. though sumi’s design is special in the world of a3! where most of the characters are just. guys. regular lookin dudes. i think that outside of the game, his design would not be as unique. 8/10

kazunari: personally, im a fan. maybe it’s cause i have an affinity for blonde anime boys. but his hairstyle is pretty unique and his trendy looks set him apart from most characters, even outside this game. and he has a pretty lovable expression in his sprites. his fatal flaw is that his fits are either a hit or miss. they’re either really cute or wtf. at least he’s memorable. 8/10

kumon: i love that he reminds me of an owl. his hair and eyes are very cute and his color scheme is great. and i think they did a great job making him look related to juza, but still very much his own character. but he dresses like your classmate from middle school that looks like a nike-sponsored highlighter. yeah, he’s the sporty one, and i like the windbreakers but... i cannot excuse his summer fit. also, i find his design a little tame compared to some of the other characters in the game. 6/10

Autumn 🍂

banri: i hate his hair. i hate it so much. i know in canon it’s nice and he takes good care of it, but it looks so fucking greasy. the style makes him look so greasy and it makes me mad. he looks like an asshole. i mean, he is, so it fits. if this dumb bitch changed his hair more often, i’d like his design so much more. you saw this coming; his love for cheetah print is fucking repulsive. BUT, maybe unpopular opinion, minus the animal print, his sense of fashion is not bad. why do yall clown on it. if the fit is fresh, the fit is fresh. anyway, he looks like an ass, but objectively his design is kinda eh. 5/10

juza: im sorry im DEADLY fucking biased when it comes to juza, but he’s so handsome. his hair is a such a rich, pretty shade of purple and his eyes are so mesmerizing. his hairstyle is so attractive. his face is so pretty. yeah his design isn’t crazy unique, but the simplicity just works. im so sorry im this man’s whore i didn’t choose this life... but i can stop being a simp for one second to say that he has a boring fashion sense. i mean it’s kinda hot how simple his outfits are but his travel fit is good-- wait a minute i just remembered the fucking sandals. docking one point. 9/10

taichi: okay shut the fuck up i LOVE taichi’s design. so eye-catching and fun. as i’ve said i love street fashion, and taichi’s lil e-boy fits are right up my alley. that shade of bright red goes so well with his fashion sense, making a really cohesive design. with his main outfit, you can tell he purposely dresses like that to be trendy and it’s so smart. 10/10

omi: im sorry omi stans but his design is kinda,, boring. i legit had such a hard time identifying him when i first got into this game. the scar saves it a bit. but... only a bit. he’s just got. hair. and a dad outfit. i mean his tits are huge, but i don’t think i can call that a character design aspect. kinda forgettable design. i don’t dislike it though, so he ranks higher than tenma did. 3/10

sakyo: im not sure why but i really like sakyo’s design?? the contrast of his light hair and his dark clothes is nice. also, megane rights. even when i thought he was an npc during my first playthrough, i really dug his design and thought he was memorable. i actually cannot pinpoint a reason why. i wish i had more constructive things to say... but upon thinking about it, he has a karen haircut, which kinda dampers my thoughts on his design. i like his moles, but i honestly did not notice them until the game pointed them out. 7/10

azami: azami has a damn good design. i don’t think anyone can deny that. the long hair, the contrast of black hair and bright blue eyes, his eye shape. all very eye-catching design aspects. and the street fashion style strikes again. the color scheme matches well with everything. this review is lame, but there’s really only good things i can say about his design so. 10/10

Winter ❄️

tsumugi: it’s so late and im so tired of looking at these sprites. anyway, tsumugi’s design is okay. i think his color scheme’s a bit limited and his outfits are a bit meh. he has a more respectable bowlcut than chikage, but it’s still a bowlcut and it’s still boring. i think the best part of his design is his eyes, they’re very soft and kind. but other than that, tsumugi looks pretty basic. 5/10

tasuku: tbh, i didn’t even realize that the godza member tasuku was the same character as the winter troupe guy in the game’s opening until the middle of episode 3... yeah. im slow. ooooooor... tasuku has the worst fucking design in the game. yeah i said it. come at me, but tasuku’s design fucking sucks. i literally thought he was a minor character until they forced me to realize he wasn’t. his fashion sense is... questionable at best. i look at that man’s hair and think he doesn’t shampoo. he looks so bland i could dry up from looking at him. im sorry but his tits do not make up for the sheer fucking snorefest of his character design. he’s so boring i won’t elaborate anymore. 1/10

hisoka: ya get what ya see part 2. i like that i can tell he’s the sleepy and mysterious character just by his design, but honestly, that’s a character trope im generally not a big fan of. so i wasn’t thrilled by hisoka’s design at first. but it’s effective. i like the hairstyle with the white hair, but i’m not too fond of his color scheme. his outfits look comfy and soft though. it makes sense, but it’s nothing too memorable if you compare him to characters outside the game. 5/10.

homare: ah, now this is a memorable character design. his hairstyle annoyed me in the beginning, but now i love it. it’s so unique and fun. and i like the purple. i also like his outfits. very classy. but honestly, most of his charisma lies in his face. i think that the pure eccentricity of the hairstyle is enough to put him in the top tier without considering any other element. you really could not find this design in any other media. fuck it. i don’t need to consider anything else. 9/10

azuma: i’ll be honest. im not a fan of long-haired anime men. especially the pretty, flirty types. i don’t know, i just don’t vibe with them. originally, i didn’t like azuma’s design, but now i do. i don’t know how, but i think it’s because azuma is just that powerful. his ponytail makes it more bearable for me and i like the way his bangs frame his face. he just has pretty eyes and face. unfortunately his color scheme is a little too repetitive for me and his casual outfits are a little boring. 6/10

guy: maybe it’s because he looks dead inside, but i love him. i don’t even know this character that well yet, but i think his deadass expression is great. the darker under-eyeline sets him apart from the other characters and i love how he dresses. i think his hair is kinda eh. i personally like it, but objectively, it’s meh. it’s a solid design, but ngl it’s nothing special when i really think about it. 6/10

#for legal reasons this is a joke #this entire post should be underlined with a /lh #i love them all very much im sorry for being mean #except for chikage he deserves it #long post #a3! #a3! act! addict! actors! #A3! Actor Training Game #mod tsuzu talks

[massivedrickhead]

Could you do a prompt where Beca is burnt out from working so hard at record company or something and Chloe takes care of her and is all soft??

This is 10000% up my alley, thank you for sending this prompt :)

----

It was 10 pm when Chloe was startled awake by the sound of the front door closing.

A textbook for veterinary school was lying open against her chest, and there was a crick in her neck from falling asleep on the sofa.

“Bec?” She said, rubbing her eyes and putting the book on the coffee table. “Is that you?”

Beca gave a grunt in response and dropped onto the sofa next to her.

“Why are you still up?” Beca mumbled, immediately resting her head in Chloe’s lap and closing her eyes.

“I was waiting up for you,” Chloe said, running her hand through Beca’s hair.

“M’sorry,” she breathed out.

“That’s okay,” Chloe replied. “You want something to eat? I made dinner, I can go reheat it for you.”

Beca opened her eyes. “What did you make?”

Chloe smiled, “Mac and cheese. You want some?”

Beca nodded and, with great effort, lifted herself up from Chloe’s lap.

“So how was work?” Chloe asked from the kitchen.

“Busy,” Beca said, now resting her head in her hands, her elbows digging into her thighs. “Long.”

Chloe brought Beca’s food through and sat beside her on the sofa, rubbing circles on her back as she ate.

“You look tired, baby,” Chloe said.

“Thanks,” Beca said with a laugh. She ate the food quickly, and Chloe wondered if she’d stopped to eat all day. “What time is it?”

“About 10:30,” Chloe replied. 

Beca groaned. 

“What?”

“They want me back in at 7,” she said, rubbing at her eyes.

“Seriously?” Chloe asked, her voice soft but disappointed. “Bec, it’s Saturday tomorrow. You’ve done like 16 hour days every day for the last like two weeks.”

“I know that,” Beca said. “But it’s my job.” She knew Chloe wanted to say more, but she didn’t have the energy for a fight. “Please, Chlo’. Not tonight? I’m just… I don’t wanna fight. I don’t feel good.”

“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked, biting her bottom lip.

“I dunno. Tired, headache, stomach ache. Everything is kinda hurting,” Beca said.

“Are you getting sick?” Chloe asked, holding her hand against Beca’s forehead.

“I don’t think so,” Beca said, stifling a yawn. “I don’t know. Can we just go to bed?”

“Okay,” Chloe said, pushing down her worry. “But if you still feel bad in the morning, you’re staying off work.”

“I can’t do that,” Beca said, wincing slightly as Chloe helped her stand.

“I’ll call and yell at Theo if I have to,” Chloe said.

“Don’t yell at Theo,” Beca said, changing out of her work clothes and into a baggy t-shirt. “He’s already terrified of you.”

“He should be,” Chloe said. “Can I get you anything?”

Beca shook her head, and Chloe climbed into the bed beside her.

“I just worry about you, you know?”

Beca didn’t reply because she’d already fallen asleep.

Chloe pressed a kiss to her forehead, and fell asleep quickly.

She felt like she’d only been asleep for seconds when the ringing of Beca’s phone woke her up. It was 11:45 pm.

Beca was still dead to the world, so Chloe picked the phone up from her nightstand and hurried out into the hall with it. 

At the sight of Theo’s name on the call screen, her exhaustion turned to anger quickly.

“Hello, Beca’s phone?” She said, fighting to keep her voice quiet so she didn’t wake her fiancé.

“Hey Chloe, is she there?” Theo asked. He sounded tired too, and she could hear voices talking in the background.

“She’s sleeping, what’s wrong?”

“We need her back here,” he said, stifling a yawn. “The vocals she did earlier didn’t save, we need her to come back in and re-do them.”

“No,” Chloe said.

“… I’m sorry?”

“I said no. She’s sleeping. It’s 11:45 pm on a Friday night, and she’s probably only been asleep for about an hour. I’m not waking her up so she can drag herself to the studio and record some vocals that we both know won’t be useful because of how damn tired and run-down she is,” Chloe snapped. She knew her voice was getting louder, so she stepped further away from the bedroom.

She heard Theo sigh. “Chloe, this is her job, okay?”

“I know that. But she’s barely slept for more than a few hours for the last three weeks. She hasn’t had a single day off. She’s-” her voice caught in her throat. She forced herself to take a breath, pushing away the urge to cry. “You have her back in like 7 hours. Let her rest, please.”

“She knew what she was signing up for,” Theo said, sounding frustrated and exhausted. “She knew this would be hard work.”

“I’m not waking her up,” Chloe said.

“What’s going on?” Beca asked from behind her, her voice thick with sleep. “Is that my phone?”

“Go back to bed, Becs. I’m dealing with it,” Chloe said, her heart breaking at the sight of her. 

“Put her on the phone, please!” Theo said, his voice carrying over to Beca.

Beca sighed and held out her hand. “You should have woken me,” she said.

Chloe let out a groan of frustration and handed the phone over. “Please, baby, you need rest.”

Beca gave her a shrug and took the phone. “What’s up?” 

“Beca,” Theo said, sounding relieved. “We need you to come in and re-do those vocals.”

“Dude,” Beca said, groaning. “Can this seriously not wait until morning?”

“We’re all here waiting on those vocals,” Theo said. Beca could tell he was clenching his jaw like he always did when he was stressed. “This whole team is now at a standstill because we’re waiting on you.”

“Why did you even let me go home?” Beca asked, annoyed as she walked back into the bedroom. She began pulling clothes out of her wardrobe, the phone balanced in the crook of her neck as she dressed.

“Look, just come in for a few hours and take tomorrow off, how about that?”

“Is that a real offer, Theo?” Beca asked, skeptical. “Because you’ve been offering me days off for weeks now.”

“I promise. Once we get those vocals down, this track is as good as finished, and then the album is done, okay?” Theo said. 

“Fine,” Beca said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She hung up and tossed her phone onto the bed, and began pulling on the remainder of her clothes.

“Bec,” Chloe said, standing in the door way. “Please don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry, Chlo’. Just a few hours, okay? I’ll be back before you even wake up,” Beca said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

“I’m worried about you,” Chloe said. 

“I’m fine,” Beca said, kissing her on the cheek. “Go back to bed, I’ll be home soon.”

Chloe felt helpless as she watched Beca close their front door behind her.

Beca’s eyes itched with tiredness as she made the thirty minute drive to work. She didn’t know if she’d ever been this tired before.

Her head was pounding, and her hands were shaking slightly on the wheel. 

By the time she pulled into the deserted parking lot, she was starting to feel really rough. The pain in her stomach was nagging her, and she felt like her nerves were fried and frazzled.

“Good, you’re here. You want some coffee?” Theo asked as she walked into the studio.

“No,” Beca said, rubbing at her forehead. “I want to get this done so I can go home and sleep.”

“We all want the same thing,” he said. 

Beca looked around at the other people in the room and saw her own exhaustion reflected back. She felt for them. At least she’d been able to go home and eat and get a little bit of sleep.

“Okay,” Theo said, “we need the bridge and the last chorus. So whenever you’re ready.” He gestured to the booth.

“Give me a sec,” Beca said, taking a drink of water, trying to shift the throbbing in her head. “Why isn’t, uh, Ben Dover here?”

“Ben Rover,” Theo corrected. 

“Ben Dover’s a much better stage name. This is his track, his album, why isn’t he here?”

“Because it’s after midnight on a Friday and he’s a pop star,” Theo said.

“Oh so he gets a social life? Must be nice,” Beca said, drinking the remainder of her water. “Come on then, let’s get this done.”

As she stood, she felt the ground shift beneath her, and she had to grab onto the back of a chair to steady herself. 

“Beca?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Beca said, her voice shaking slightly. “Stood up too quick.”

She waited for the black spots in her vision to fade away, her hands gripping the chair.

“Sit down,” someone said.

“I’m fine,” Beca said, squeezing her eyes shut. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision.

“Seriously, Beca, sit down,” Theo said. He pushed another chair behind her, catching her in the back of the legs, causing them to buckle. “Take a minute. You want something to eat?”

Beca shook her head, feeling embarrassed as she rested her head in her hands. She was hoping the pain in her head and the nausea would pass soon. 

“Theo, can’t we just do this tomorrow man?” One of the interns asked. 

“We’re so close, guys,” he said, sounding exasperated. “You’ve all worked so hard, I know that. But we’re so close. This album is going to be huge for all of us, and we’re one little push away from it being done. Just think how good-”

His motivational speech was cut off by gasps as Beca slumped forward, falling out of her chair, and collapsing on the ground.

——

For the second time that night, Chloe was woken up by the sound of a phone ringing.

Theo was calling her.

“What happened?” Chloe asked, suddenly wide-awake.

“She’s fine,” Theo said, sounding apprehensive. “She just, uh, passed out, I guess?”

“She what?!” 

“It’s been a long night for everyone, she’s been working really hard-”

“Don’t give me that,” Chloe snapped. “I know she’s been working hard. Is she okay? Have you called an ambulance?”

“She’s fine, Chloe. She doesn’t want an ambulance,” Theo said. 

“Put her on.”

She heard him sigh and say. “She wants to talk to you.”

“Hey baby,” Beca said. Her voice was barely there, but Chloe could hear the smile in it.

Whatever Chloe had planned to say didn’t come out, and instead she just burst into tears.

“Hey,” Beca said, softly. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I was out for like 10 seconds, tops. Didn’t even bump my head.”

“I’m coming to get you,” Chloe choked out. “And we’ll go to the hospital and get you checked out.”

“I’m fine, Chloe, I don’t need to go to the hospital. Theo’s called me an Uber, I’ll be home soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Chloe said, her voice shaking as she tried to hold back her tears. “Put him back on the phone please.”

“Please don’t yell at my boss,” Beca groaned, handing the phone over.

“I second what Beca just said,” Theo said, bracing himself.

“She has the weekend off,” Chloe said. It wasn’t a question. 

“Chloe-”

“She has the weekend off. The whole weekend. When she gets home, her phone is getting switched off. She won’t be checking any emails, she won’t be taking any calls. At 8 am on Monday, you can have her back,” Chloe said, her voice calm but terrifying.

“The album-”

“-Can wait. I’m sure the artist will understand. It would be really bad for their publicity if, I don’t know, it was posted on social media that the label worked the artist’s producer passed the point of exhaustion, wouldn’t it? I mean, the artist would have to take a stand about that, right? The label would have to take a stand. People might lose their jobs.”

She heard Theo sigh. “Okay. You’ve made your point,” he said. “Beca can have the weekend off. Everyone can.” Chloe heard cheering in the background. “I… I didn’t mean for this to happen. I respect Beca a lot. She’s seriously talented, and she works really hard. I want her to do well. She is all over this album, Chloe. You can hear her in every song, not just her voice. This is gonna be big for her.”

“It’s not worth her health though,” Chloe said, softening slightly. 

“No,” he said. “It’s not. I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”

“Thank you,” Chloe said. “Is she on her way home?”

“Yeah, one of the interns just loaded her into an Uber. She’ll be with you soon.”

“Good,” Chloe said. “Goodnight Theo.”

“Goodnight.”

Chloe paced while she waited for Beca to get home. She wouldn’t believe that Beca was alright until she saw her.

When she heard Beca’s keys in the door, she froze, waiting in the hallway, desperate to see her.

“Hey,” Beca said, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. 

Chloe practically ran towards her, and cupped her face in her hands.

“You look like shit,” she said, taking in Beca’s pale skin and tired red-rimmed eyes.

“Thank you,” Beca said, before sinking into Chloe’s arms.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Chloe said, gripping her tightly, tears streaming down her face.

“I won’t,” Beca said, her face buried in the crook of Chloe’s neck.

“What do you need?” Chloe asked, looking over her again as their hug ended.

“Bed,” Beca said. “Sleep.”

“Come on then,” Chloe said, half-carrying her to the bedroom.

She sat Beca on the bed and eased the jacket from her shoulders. Beca tried feebly to kick off her shoes, but couldn’t quite manage it. “I can’t do it. I’m so tired,” Beca groaned, tears pricking her eyes now.

“I’ll take care of it,” Chloe said, kissing her on the forehead.

She pulled off Beca’s shoes and helped her out of her jeans while Beca removed her own shirt and bra. Chloe grabbed a baggy t-shirt and slipped it over Beca’s head, helping her thread her arms through the sleeves.

Beca managed to crawl up the bed, and Chloe got in beside her, pulling her close and covering them both with their duvet.

“I love you so much Beca Mitchell,” Chloe said kissing the top of her head.

“Love you too,” Beca mumbled. “Can you do that thing…” She trailed off, pointing at her own head.

“Sure baby,” Chloe said, kissing her again. “Headache?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay.” Chloe began gently scratching across Beca’s scalp, rubbing at the base of her head, and then running her hands through her hair, and repeating the process.

She knew Beca had fallen asleep in seconds of her starting, but she didn’t stop.

She was just so glad to have her there, home and safe.

#bechloe #bechloe drabble #drabble #fluff #bechloe fluff #soft bechloe #bechloe hurt/comfort #hurt/comfort #bechloe fanfiction #bechloe fanfic #Beca x Chloe #beca mitchell #chloe beale #beca #chloe #bechloe prompt #prompt

[drariellevalentine]

Can you do one shot for Ethan and Arrielle having a day off, maybe goin somewhere and or doing something mundane.

Ookay... here’s to my attempt at a one-shot!

Autumn Delight

Pairing:- Ethan Ramsey x Arielle Valentine

Rating:- Teen (reference to mature situations) other than that TOOTH-ROTTING FLUFF

This is a submission for @choicesmonthlychallenge for the prompt Wonderful.

@wackydrabbles for the prompt “I won’t forget this.”

@choicesweeklychallenge for the prompt “You sure about that?”

Yes, don’t judge, I hit three birds with one stone.

Preview:- “The pancakes were good, weren’t they?”

“They were, but I think you liked mine better.” You look up at him in confusion.

“You ate half of my plate.”

“I did not!” He gives you a look.

“Okay, Fine...maybe I did. But in my defence, I was hungry!”

“No, you just won’t admit I have better taste then you.

General PoV:-

Spiraling streams of sunlight wash over Arielle as she turns around in bed. Or to be precise, his bed. “Good morning handsome…”, she says with a yawn.

“Good afternoon, beautiful...”, Ethan corrects with a smile.

Arielle shoots up out of bed, clad in a lavender lace top, hair like a bird’s nest. “Afternoon?! I’m late for work! Zaid is going to kill me!” Arielle scrambles out of bed and runs around the room in an attempt to find her clothes. Ethan chuckles, “What are you even doing?”

“Ethan, as much as I love your sexy morning voice, now is not the time! You might be Dr. Ethan Freaking Ramsey who can waltz in at any time but I’m still a resident!” Ethan watches the very amusing spectacle of Arielle getting dressed.

“Are you seriously laughing right now?!”, Arielle half-shouts as she tries to tame her hair.

“Well, I mean you don’t have work today. And to be honest, it is quite amusing.”

Arielle’s eyes go wide as she groans, “I forgot today was my day-off.”

“I figured.”, Ethan says as he gestures to her form. “Now come here..” Ethan lunges for Arielle, attackling her with tickles.

“Ethan! Stop! I’m hungry!”

“I’ll make whatever you want later...”, he replies before kissing her deeply,

“No! I want pancakes and I know for a fact you can’t make them.”

Hearing this, Ethan suddenly sits up looking at her with a raising eyebrow. “How did you”- Arielle smirks, “A girl’s gotta have a few secrets.”

“My dad told you, didn’t he?”

Arielle grins proudly, “He let it slip when I met him for the first time. Now, get ready. I want pancakes.” She gets up and walks towards the door when suddenly an arm loops around her waist, pulling her back. “Eeeeek!”

“And where do you think you’re going?”, Ethan asks as he spins her around to face him.

“To take a shower.”

“Well, I’m going to take one too.”

“Okay, so what?”

“We don’t want to waste water, do we?” Arielle rolls her eyes. “Oh really, you’re rolling your eyes at me?” Without missing a beat, Ethan swipes Arielle off her feet, quite literally, and heads toward the shower.

“Ethan!”

One productive shower later…

Arielle’s PoV:-

“Now I’m even more hungry!”

“Now you’re complaining? I didn’t hear you complaining when I”-

“Okay! I get it! Now, can we go? I’m all dressed!”

Ethan turns to look at you, his eyes slowly widen.

You smirk, Well?...”

“You look perfect.”

“But where are we going?”

“For a world-renowned diagnostician, you really can be sooo clueless sometimes. We’re going to iHop.” Ethan stares at you. “Did you not hear me? We’re going to ihop! And maybe Starbucks after.”, you say with a big smile.

“Alright, Starbucks I understand but ihop?”

You gasp. “You don’t know I hop?! The only place for amazing pancakes, waffles and more?! How long has it been since you’ve eaten pancakes?!”

Ethan shrugs. “Maybe 7, 8 years.”

“You’re joking!....right?” He gives you another look.”Okay, that’s it! We’re getting you pancakes! No one should have to live without pancakes!”

“Okay, we’ll go and get pancakes.”

“Not like that! No one sees you like this except for me.”, you say defiantly. He laughs as you rifle through his closet in search of clothes. You pull out a pair of jeans, a jacket and a v-neck shirt for him. ”Wear this and meet me downstairs!”, you shout as you head out, leaving him no choice but to obey.

Ethan’s PoV:-

“Can I drive?” You turn to your right and see Arielle giving you her puppy dog eyes as she fastens her seatbelt.

“No.”, you reply without looking at her. You know you’ll succumb to those eyes if you look at them.

“Why not?” You can see her pouting from the corner of your eye.

“Cause I say so. Now, where’s IHOP?

“Fineee...only cause I’m hungry. And give me a sec, let me pull up the directions.”

20 minutes later, you’ve arrive at a family restaurant which is surprisingly almost full.

“It’s almost 12:30 and these people want pancakes?”, you ask.

“Yes, and that includes us.” Arielle drags you out of the car and into the restaurant.

“Table for two?”, a lady asks.

“Yes please!” Soon, you’re both seated in a small but cozy corner booth.

“A waiter will be right here with your menus. And if you don’t mind me saying, you both make a lovely couple.”, the elderly lady says as she walks away. You cant help but smile at the comment as Arielle blushes.

“This is nice, isn’t it? Just us two, away from all the chaos at work…”

“Hmm. It is.” Just then, a waiter arrives and gives you both a menu each. You open yours and start to look at the different varieties when suddenly Arielle slides in the seat next to you. You don’t say anything but instead put your arm around her and hold up the menu. She snuggles into your chest as she looks through the menu.

“Have you decided what you want?”, you ask.

“Mhm! What about you?”, she replies looking up. You can’t but help smile at her.

“I did.”

“Would you like to order now?”, a waiter asks.

“Yes, I’ll have the Southwest Scramble and the lady will have the short stack of French Cremé Brûlée Pancakes.”, you reply.

“Would you like anything to drink?”

Remembering what she said about going to Starbucks later on, you reply with, “Just water.”

“They’ll be here in 10 minutes, sir.” Arielle once again lays her head on your chest, you won’t admit it but you like it when she does that.

“You know me so well.”, she says out of nowhere.

“I thought you would ask something like, ‘How did you know?!”, he says horribly mimicking your voice.

“My voice doesn’t sound like that! And I know you better then you know yourself.”, she replies with a smile.

“Can we take a picture?” Normally, you would said no but when it comes to Arielle, it’s just impossible to say no.

“...fine. But only one.”

“Yay!”, Arielle squeals like a child. One of the things you lov- like about her, despite being 26 years old, she still has a bit of childishness.

A waft of smells captures your attention. You turn to see the waiter bring two steaming plates of food, setting it on the table.

Arielle brings her plate towards her and takes a bite. Her mouth drops open.

“What happened?”, you ask.

“It’s hot!” You hand her a glass of water, biting down to stop your self from laughing. She quickly drinks half of it, and doesn’t notice you laughing.

“Ahh, that’s much better.” She takes another bite, this time waiting for it to cool down.

Arielle doesn’t say anything, completely focusing on her stack on pancakes. You chuckle to yourself as you take a bite of your eggs. It’s quite good. Both of you enjoy the peaceful silence between the two of you as you eat breakfast...or lunch. You know better not to disturb her when eating.

Arielle’s PoV:-

A good hour later, you and Ethan are strolling down Boston Common in search of a Starbucks.

“The pancakes were good, weren’t they?”

“They were, but I think you liked mine better.” You look up at him in confusion.

“You ate half of my plate.”

“I did not!” He gives you a look.

“Okay, Fine...maybe I did. But in my defence, I was hungry!”

“No, you just won’t admit I have better taste then you.” You roll your eyes playfully.

You smile. “Next time I’m teaching you how to make them!”

“I look forward to that. Now, what do you want from Starbucks?”, he asks as you both enter Starbucks.

“I’m ordering my usual fall pumpkin spice latte.”

“Okay, go sit in a table. I’ll go order and be right back.”

“Such a gentleman, aren’t we today?”, you playfully say as you press your lips against his cheek.

“Oh really, maybe you need a reminder of last night?” You can see the smirk on his face. You can feel your cheeks heat up, so you quickly turn around and look for a place to sit. A few minutes later, Ethan slides in the seat opposite you. You notice the bill has more than two drinks but before you can see it, he tucks it in his pocket.

“Hey!”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Order for Ethan!”

“Be right back.” Instead of waiting at the table, you decide to meet Ethan at the counter. Ethan turns around, two drinks and a mysterious box in hand. “I thought I told you to wait at the booth.”

“I thought we’d go outside and enjoy the weather. It’ll be winter before we know it.”, you add with a lopsided grin.

“Quoting me, are we Rookie?”

“Just observing, Dr. Ramsey.”, you wink as you take your drink from him.

You spend the whole afternoon with Ethan, strolling around Boston Common, taking pictures and posting them and doing all of that hand in hand, every single minute.

By the time Ethan drives you to your apartment, the sun is almost gone.

“I had a really nice time today.”

“It’s not often I say this, but I agree.” You burst out laughing, soon Ethan joins you.

“Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

“I would like that.” He gets out of the car and rides up the elevator with you. It’s been almost a whole day that you spent with him, but somehow it feels like it was only a few minutes. “Goodnight Ethan.”

“I would say goodnight, but we both know sleep is the last thing you’ll be doing.”

“Smartass.” You kiss him deeply once again then rest your head on his chest. He loops an arm around your waist. You both stay there for a few minutes when a sudden voice interrupts you.

“You both just gonna stand there, or are you coming inside Arielle?” You turn around to see Jackie, hands on her hips. You smile sheepishly.

You can hear Sienna’s voice ring throughout the apartment, “Jackie! I told you to leave them alone!” Jackie rolls her eyes.

“Ah, Dr. Varma. This is for you and the other doctors. Arielle mentioned that you all liked the cake pops from Starbucks.” Ethan hands her the mysterious box.

“Oh um, thank you.” Jackie steps back inside sheepishly. You can still hear Sienna shouting, “Won’t you all leave those two alone?! The two have had to wait for God-knows-how-long!”

Ethan laughs, “She really is quite a friend.”

“You gave Jackie that box just to shut her up, didn’t you?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Well, initially I bought the cake pops for you but I can buy you them anytime now.”

“You sure about that?”-

Ethan silences you with a kiss. “Mhm.” You both just stay there relishing the intimacy between you.

“I should go.” He nods. You walk up to the door but turn around just to say, “I won’t forget this.”

“Me either. Goodnight Arielle.” You smile as you head into your apartment, knowing that you’ll have many more days like today.

———————————————————

Author’s Note:- Hello loves! Hope you’re having a good day/night! If you’ve come this far, you’re amazing and thank you soo so so much for reading this mess of a fic. Sorry for any mistakes!

There will be a follow up post with some Instagram edits of what Ethan and Arielle did on their stroll so keep a look out!

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Love,

@drariellevalentine

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