#while writing this i thought oh wouldn't that be a cute series if they just kept getting too distracted to switch back

[mostmagical]

Green & Red & Black

my mind has been inundated with misternette thanks to @spicysummer22's art (go LOOK) so I promised I'd write a fic

fits in canon somewhere between Passion and Elation

Ao3

Lady Noire touched down to the street, the miraculous on her finger ringing only more desperate by the second. Hurriedly, she flung herself into the alleyway with only a single cursory glance to ensure she was alone.

“Claws in,” she huffed, her transformation melting over her shortly after.

Plagg groaned despondently as she caught him in her hands. The swap had been last minute and unexpected, being that their fight with Safari had only been a few days prior. She would have thought Monarch would have come up with a better half-baked plan after that defeat, knowing she and her kitty would always figure out a way to beat him.

“Sorry, Plagg,” Marinette sighed. “I only have a strawberry macaron. Is that okay?”

He opened one green crescent eye to look at her, remaining spread eagle in her palm. “I guess it’ll do,” he agreed.

Marinette smiled and fished the snack out of her purse.

“Eat up.”

She couldn’t believe her luck. Her cataclysm had missed early on, and the battle continued. The bad timing had forced her to duck away before Chat– er, Mister Bug could even call for his lucky charm. Hopefully, he was managing out there okay on his own.

She would never forgive herself if anything happened to his pretty face while she was gone.

Plagg was taking his sweet time biting into the macaron, all the while dribbling crumbs all over her hand. It was as though the little cat kwami had no sense of urgency anywhere in his tiny body. Marinette tapped her foot impatiently.

“Can you hurry?” she worriedly asked, peeking out of the alleyway and into the open street. It was too quiet.

“I’m going as fast as I can, Pigtails,” Plagg replied with a roll of his eyes. “I swear, you kids have no idea how to savor your food.”

“Time and place, Plagg.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Marinette cast another distracted glance out into the street. “I’m just worried about him,” she said, chewing on her lip.

“I get it,” Plagg replied around a mouthful of macaron. He made a loud gulping sound as he swallowed. “But he’s smart, you know. He can take care of himself just like you can take care of yourself.”

“Sure, sure…” She waved at him with her free hand, no longer fully listening as the air became stiller.

“Actually,” Plagg continued, chewing thoughtfully, “why are you worried about him? Since when do you–” His eyes went wide, and his chewing halted. He groaned. “Tikki wasn’t joking. It’s you, too.”

Marinette wrenched her eyes away from the street, narrowing them instead at the little cat kwami in her hands. “Me too, what?” Her face wrinkled in confusion.

Plagg opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get anything out, a wave of ladybugs passed over them.

Oh. He did it…

Marinette felt a swell of pride fill her chest for her partner. He was getting better and better at wearing her earrings. Maybe they should plan to swap every once in a while. And not just because she wanted to see him in her colors more often.

(Okay, maybe it was a little of that.)

“See?” Plagg smiled, his tiny arms placed on his hips in pride. “I told you he was fine.”

Marinette giggled at his display. She reached out her pointer finger to give him a scratch between the ears, earning herself a quiet purr. “Yes, you did,” she said. “We better get back out there to swap miraculouses again. Claws–”

“M’Lady!”

A tumble of red and black crashed into her, throwing her body hurtling towards the ground with a grunt. Marinette braced for impact, but there was none. Instead she found herself suspended in the air by two strong hands clasped around both her wrists. Slowly, she opened her screwed-shut eyes to green. 

Mister Bug stared down at her, his mouth dropped open in a gasp. 

“Ma-Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” he stuttered. (Since when does Chat Noir stutter…?)

Marinette tried to speak, but nothing came out. She could only vigorously nod her assent. Yes, that was her name, but she would have answered to anything he called her, surely. 

At her silence, Mister Bug took notice of her position, still hanging in the air by her arms. With a worried breath of air, he pulled her up, one of his hands landing on her waist and sending fire up her spine.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” he fussed. His green eyes roved over her body as if checking for any scratches, despite the fact that he had saved her from feeling even a brush of the pavement.

Marinette blinked up at him, still disoriented from her near-fall and the cosmic pull of his eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I only just fell for you,” she said.

What. 

Mister Bug’s eyes widened, blinking owlishly at her as red pooled his cheeks. 

Oh, she loved how much that mask allowed her to see more of his handsome face…

Stop that!

“I mean—! Um!” Marinette scrambled to halt the unintelligible mess threatening to pour out of her mouth, but all she succeeded in doing was tying her own tongue into knots. “Don’t worry about me! You saved me! From falling!” She laughed awkwardly, punching the air with a curled fist. 

He smiled, and it was so soft and endearing that she nearly whimpered at the sight. “Yeah, I saved you. Right after I crashed into you.”

“Yeah…” she sighed dreamily. “You can crash into me any day…” She followed that one with an airy giggle.

Mister Bug’s smile curved into something more mischievous—that same flirty smile he’d toss Ladybug’s way anytime he made a pass. “Oh? And would you… provide me a safe place to land?”

Marinette’s heart stuttered in her chest, her stomach bubbling with anticipation. “Of course I would,” she replied, breathy. “Anytime.”

He stepped just a bit closer and she was so, so aware of the hand still placed on her waist, burning her skin through her clothes. She couldn’t decide if she wanted him to move it away for her sanity, or keep it there forever and let her melt away into the embers.

“What are you doing all the way out here anyway?” her bug asked, a wrinkle in his mask between his eyes to match his frown.

She wished she could smooth that wrinkle out, but instead she settled for a gulp to try to clear her dry throat. “I, uh, akuma displacement,” she answered, the usual excuse rolling off her tongue. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“I was looking for Lady Noire, actually,” he explained. “You didn’t happen to see her pass by, did you?”

“Yes– I mean, no— Wait–” Marinette cut herself off. Her brain was already too scrambled to come up with more excuses. “I mean, yes. She, uh, passed by here. Said she needed to run home for something.”

Mister Bug tilted his head, and, god, he was so cute. She had to force herself not to whimper again.

“She said she’d meet you at the usual spot later,” she added, hoping her voice didn’t sound as shaky as she felt. For good measure, she flashed him a thumbs up.

He seemed to accept her answer. “Oh, okay.”

Marinette sighed in relief.

His smile returned. “In that case, it looks like I have some free time,” he said. “Why don’t you let this charming bug fly you home, huh?”

“I’d love to go home with you,” she responded without much thought. “I mean– I’d love for you to take me home– I, wait, uh. My house. Yes. Please.” Her whole body cringed. “Thank you.”

To her relief, Mister Bug appeared completely unbothered by her constant tumbling over words, instead just grinning wider at her. The hand on her waist moved to wrap fully around her body. Marinette only had a second to snake her arms around his neck before he had tossed his yoyo above their heads to hook on a chimney.

“Ready?” he asked, turning to look at her. Every detail in his summer green eyes glittered at her through his red and black-spotted mask, and she felt like she might melt. Oh, she loved those eyes. She loved him in that mask.

Face hot, all Marinette could do was nod at him, and then they were zipping through the air. It was impossible to tell if the swooping feeling deep in her stomach was from the flight or her proximity to the pilot. Either way, she loved the familiar safety of his arm around her back and the solid strength of his shoulders beneath her fingers.

Before she knew it—in fact, it felt like no time at all, really—they had reached her balcony, and he gently set her down on her feet.

“Well, ma cher, we’ve arrived.”

Marinette blinked up at Mister Bug, not quite ready to part from him. Nervously, she played with her still connected fingers behind his neck.

“You should stay,” she told him. “We can sit up here and chat, or you can come in. I’ll bring some chouquettes up from the bakery. It would be nice to talk to you.”

Wait… Was that too familiar? She had to remind herself that she was Marinette; she wasn’t his partner right now. Marinette couldn’t even remember if she was supposed to know that Chat Noir was Mister Bug, so what was she doing right now?

Luckily, he was seemingly totally nonplussed by her suggestion. Instead, he smiled warmly down at her, a rosy tint to his cheeks that she was sure must have mirrored her own. He opened his mouth, looking incredibly agreeable. To her displeasure, however, his earrings chose exactly that moment to protest, beeping angrily in a way that she could just imagine was Tikki’s voice chiding her.

His smile turned regretful. “I’m sorry, Marinette,” he said. “I’d love to, but I have to go.” Gloved hands gently grasped her wrists, pulling them away from his shoulders.

She mourned the loss.

Marinette’s lip stuck out in a pout. “Do you really have to go?”

“Yes, I really have to go,” he replied sadly. Then, brighter, “But if we’re going to make a date of it, at least give me time to buy you flowers first.”

Her heart skipped a beat, butterflies beating furiously inside her chest.

“Oh,” was all she could say.

Mister Bug’s grin returned at her quiet utterance. Somehow, without her noticing, one of his hands had traveled from her wrist to wind affectionately around her fingers, and he squeezed.

He bowed deeply, her hand still in his, the perfect image of a chevalier encased in red and black.

“Until next time, mademoiselle,” he purred. His lips burned like the sun as they pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “And when I see you again, I’ll be sure to remember your rose.”

Marinette remained silent and red as he straightened to his full height. Her mouth stubbornly refused to move, even as he waved at her in farewell and leapt from her balcony. She pressed her burning hand to her chest, dreamily watching her red bug become nothing more than a dot on the city skyline.

A whine sounded from her purse, and— Oops. She hadn’t even thought to worry about Plagg once that entire encounter.

“That was disgusting,” Plagg groaned, floating up into the air next to her. “I’m going to have to hear about that all night!”

Marinette sighed happily, sinking backwards into her lounge chair before her legs gave out on her. Plagg continued his grumpy buzzing around her head, but she remained lost in her thoughts and memories of bright green eyes in red masks.

She had no idea how she was going to face him later to return his miraculous to him.

Maybe they could stay swapped just a little while longer.

And if Lady Noire brought a bag full of chouquettes to their usual spot later to make up for the lost opportunity, well, that was her business.

#ml fanfic #misternette #marichat #misternoire #miraculous ladybug #ml #ml fic #lovesquare #love square #mister bug #miraculous s5 #kwami swap #buginette #maribug #while writing this i thought oh wouldn't that be a cute series if they just kept getting too distracted to switch back #but i have many wips and i am being Responsible #miraculous #my writing

[mimizficsz]

Hey! Could request a JD x female reader headcanons on how JD acts when he's jealous! Thanks!

JD x Reader : Jealous Headcanons !

-He’s pretty chill at first. I don’t see him getting jealous at people who clearly don’t like you like he does.. The only reasons he’d be jealous is when they’re openly flirty with you

-When he sees that they’re touching you, he is NOT having it 😭

-Stays close to you when you’re with them. Not so close to the point that he’s glued to you but behind you standing there like you’re a celebrity and he’s your bodyguard

-Quietly mumbles about the person and he’s mocking everything they say in the background (Kinda like the scene in Trolls 2 where Hickory and Poppy were talkin and Branch just mocks Hickory "'Trolls is Trolls' Wow., deep.")

- He's gonna make it obvious that the two of you are dating by being touchy, flirty, romantic, yeahh.. Get ready for a lot of kisses. Oh, and he's gonna be holding onto your waist like it's the pole he holds on to when there's a flood.

You were going out with a few friends and had JD come along. As always, he was clinging onto you while the both of you were looking for your friends. "There's a new bakery and it would be so fun if we can check out the other new stuff blah blah" is what they said. Of course, not wanting to be rude or left out, you agreed to join in on the meet up. You sat down with JD beside you, and the person you're closest to in the group on the other side. They instantly greet you with a tight and touchy hug. Their right on your waist and the other ruffling your hair as they kiss your cheek, you know, platonically! But of course, John... Ehh.. he doesn't quite see it that way. He notices that this person is sort of like flirty and very touchy. After spending a few minutes in the bakery, you all agreed to go to the amusement park. On the way there, you and this friend were chatting about a recently released series the both of you spend time on watching together. "They looked so cute! I think they'd be a great couple to be honest." You commented about the recent episode featuring a new character. "You know who'd be a great couple? Us! Jk." You thought nothing of it because you know, they regularly make jokes like these. JD on the other hand.. he was sort of maybe just little bit upset.. Yeah no he was pissed as fuck. If you turned around to see him stomping on the ground like it was that person's face and I swear you'd probably see steam coming out of his ears. "'YoU knOW whO'D be A gREaT coUpLe? ? uS!!' Bullshit.." He whispered, mocking the friend while silently cursing them out under his breath. When you get to the amusement park however, JD rushes up to you before they could even drag you away and he grabs and holds on to your waist, pulling you away and going on most of the rides together alone. You'd probably notice that he's jealous after a bit more time of that friend because he jokingly (seriously) insults them, and the friend would play along (Not knowing that You and JD were together). Eventually they'd find out you were both dating after noticing how romantic the both of you were and they wouldn't be as flirty.

A/N: I got like a quick high fever yesterday..... I'm feeling a bit better now, although I still have like 3 assignments to do... And my head hurts so much I'd sob in bed for at least 3 hours before I actually fall asleep..... I wrote this at 12-2 am because holy shit I finally got motivation to write.... Writing more reqs! Don't be shy, send in more ⊂⁠(⁠(⁠・⁠▽⁠・⁠)⁠)⁠⊃ Can be extra specific too btw ^_^ I actually prefer it to be extra specific.... Maybe

#brozone x reader #trolls band together #john dory x reader #MimiZFicsz #trolls x reader #john dory #john dory trolls

[zerobaselove]

zb1 as romance tropes / dynamics ♡

pairing: zb1 x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none! lowercase intended, not proofread

notes: since i have already written one of these in full (childhood best friend!matthew) i might turn this into a full fledged series ? if you guys would be interested, that is! (yes the matthew one is pulled right from my oneshot </3 it's just too cute)

members under the cut!

jiwoong ;

best friend's older brother

"can you go ask my brother if he knows where the measuring cups are?" your best friend gyuvin asked, sifting through drawers to find the other items needed for your cake in the meantime. "i- i guess so." you managed to stutter out before heading up to the room at the end of the hallway, jiwoong's room.

you hated to admit it, especially knowing how many people swooned over your best friend's brother, but the longer time went on the more you felt yourself developing what you could only consider a crush on the boy; completely against your own will. it wouldn't have gotten this bad had you been able to avoid him, but when his younger brother is your best friend and you practically live at their house, he tends to be apart of your days more often than you know what to do with.

knocking lightly on the door you wait a moment, hearing some shuffling before the door opened. "what do you wa- oh." he paused, door ajar as he tried to hide the surprise on his face, "sorry y/n i thought you were gyuvin, what's up!" his tone and expression softened in tandem. you took a moment to respond, too busy staring at his messy hair and the way his collarbone peaked through his loose t-shirt.

"oh uh, we just needed to know where the measuring cups were." an awkward laugh left your mouth as you realized how silly the inquiry was, but thankfully you were met with a gentle smile as he shut the door behind him, "i'm not too sure, let's go look together."

zhang hao ;

cute exchange student

it had only been a few weeks since the new exchange student had moved in next door; the family having sent their daughter off to go study in china for a semester, getting an exchange student of their own in return. but the two of you were attached at the hip. you weren't really sure how it happened, one moment you were coming over to drop something off for your mom, the next you were being introduced to the boy, zhang hao, and suddenly you two spent every waking moment together.

you liked to think of yourself as a good influence; helping him better his english, showing him around your town, cooking him your favorite recipes that he may not have tried. all while you were getting the same experience in return from him, which was wonderful for you, but one thing you weren't expecting him to show you was what it felt like to fall for your new best friend.

"y/n?" he waved a hand in front of your face, pulling you from your thoughts of the boy himself, "are you okay? you look," he paused for a moment, trying to think of the word he wanted to use, "lost?" his tone raised, not sure of his choice, causing you to smile, "like, lost in thought?" you watched his smile light up, recognizing the phrase he was going for, "that's the one! you look lost in thought, are you okay?"

his sweet voice mixed with his endearing mannerisms was enough to have your head spinning, "i'm alright hao, just thinking about nonsense." his hand found it's way to rest over yours, "well you can always think out loud to me, i'll listen."

hanbin ;

campus crush

it shouldn't surprise you that the boy everyone on campus had a crush on was as cute and nice as he was, but you couldn't help but let your mouth run dry as he sat next to you and sparked up a conversation on the first day of your creative writing class. you hadn't managed to be in his presence until now, living vicariously through stories spread on campus; good deeds he had done for people, places he volunteered, even being the designated driver for his friends during parties. but god, you were starting to get what other people saw in him.

"you know," he smiled, his eyes lighting up so soon into your conversation, "i'm on the dance team, you should come watch us sometime!" you couldn't help but mirror his expression as you tried not to dwell on the way your heart sped up.

"i'd love to!" just when you thought he couldn't get cuter, his smile widened as his eyes shut slightly, before running a hand through his hair while he grabbed his phone. sliding his phone across the desk, open to his contacts page. "if you want you can put your number in and i can text you the details." you quickly nodded, inputting your number along with your name and the class code, just in case.

he giggled seeing the small detail, "d'you really think i wouldn't remember my new friend?" the comment left you a flushed mess, not knowing what to say. before you could say anything he continued, "don't worry, i think it's cute." god, you were screwed.

matthew ;

childhood best friend

"your turn to open your gift."

you hesitantly grabbed the box off of your bed, not having any clue what it could be. tearing through the messily strewn together paper and tape, you were met with a box, looking to matthew in curiosity only for him to urge you to continue. when you took the lid off, the sides of the box collapsed, revealing pictures of you from when you were kids up until graduation on layers of colorful paper and stickers. in the middle of it all was another, smaller box. lifting the lid off you revealed a cute charm of your favorite character attached to a keychain of a spotify code.

"it's a playlist i made for you," he couldn't contain the smile on his face at your excitement over the gift. "plus it's on a keychain so even when we are busy, you'll always have something to remind you of me with you." you couldn't help the tears pooling at your eyes, or the words threatening to spill. "god, i love you." you breathed out, your stomach doing flips at the confession.

"i love you too y/n." he smiled, a little taken aback by the confession as it wasn't something you two said lightly. you sighed, "no matthew, i love you. more than i should as your best friend." it took him a moment to realize what you were implying but once he connected the dots, it hit him like a truck, pulling you in for a hug as he picked you up off the floor.

you let out a giggle at the sudden action, not even thinking about what it could mean until he set you down and you noticed the way his cheeks had flushed a deep crimson red. "i'll say it again, i love you too y/n."

taerae ;

pretty boy with the pretty voice

your walks to work were typically uneventful, only choosing to do so over taking public transport for the exercise; until recently. like clockwork, every day, there had been a boy busking on the street you walked every afternoon, and his voice, well it was beautiful. you didn't even know the boy but somehow you felt his emotions through his voice.

you had started leaving for work earlier than usual, giving yourself a few extra minutes to sit and listen to the boy, who you had learnt was named taerae. with the extra time there, you two had begun to chat between songs, learning about each other and even getting to request songs sometimes. you'd always make sure to leave some tips in his guitar case before heading off to work, telling yourself you were just being supportive. but what you hadn't realized fully was just how smitten you had become with this taerae character.

"hey y/n!" he beamed, seeing you walk in his direction, just like every day, "hi taerae! how's it been going today?" you inquired, crouching next to him as your gaze wandered between the guitar and the boy. "same as usual, better now that you're here though!" you simply laughed, "i haven't even left you anything yet,"

"i know! i just like having you here." his voice trailed off for a moment before snapping back to reality, "any requests today?" you pondered for a moment, "play me your favorite song."

ricky ;

arranged relationship

"it'd be good for both companies darling," your father tried to be kind, knowing that this wasn't exactly how you were expecting your first relationship to go. "and he's very nice," your mother smiled at you, "and very handsome, i think you'll like him." you supposed it wouldn't do you any good to sulk over it, it wasn't just happening to you after all, so you cracked a small smile to ease your parents worries.

you didn't know much about ricky, if you were remembering his name correctly; just that he was the son of your parent's business friends, and was supposedly a candidate to be your boyfriend? the word seemed foreign to you, but you didn't have much time to dwell on it as a tall boy with blond hair walked into the lobby where you were waiting. "you must be y/n," he smiled, his voice soft; a strong contrast to his charismatic and intimidating looks.

"so you're ricky," you couldn't help but feel more relaxed already, "i've heard lots about you." he flushed a little at your words, his hand coming to the back of his neck, "good things i'd hope." you let out a small laugh, nodding your head, "nothing bad i promise."

the two of you talked for a while longer in the lobby, the awkward atmosphere slowly disappearing as the two of you realized just how much you had in common. maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

gyuvin ;

opposites attract

"hey y/n!" your best friend's booming voice could be heard from miles away, making the 20 feet between you seem like nothing. there he was, standing with a few of his friends, and you were a little overwhelmed to say the least.

the two of you couldn't be more different at times; his loud and outgoing personality was a stark contrast to your quiet and shy demeanor, but somehow you two got along better than anyone else. but you did still have a bit of a problem with his group of friends; they all seemed nice, that wasn't the problem, they were just all bubbly like gyuvin, and you didn't know how to handle that.

you gave a shy smile as you walked up to the group of boys, "hi gyuvin," you gave the other boys and small nod and wave, getting a bunch of greetings in return, "guys chill," gyuvin laughed, reaching his hand out to quiet his friends. "sorry about them, do you wanna get out of here?"

"what about you guys? don't you have plans?"

"yeah gyuvin hyung, don't we have plans?" the tall boy you were pretty sure was named gunwook, spoke up. "they'll be fine without me." gyuvin getting a few overly dramatic gasps from his friends, smacking them on the shoulder. your heart couldn't stop speeding up at the way he was willing to drop everything for you, but you tried to ignore it. "have fun with your little partner~" well, you couldn't ignore that.

gunwook ;

friendly rivals

"i didn't mean to overstep," the new boy, gunwook breathed out, "they just had asked for help and i didn't want to get off on the wrong foot by saying no." you smiled lightly at the boy, leaning your head against the mirrored dance practice wall, taking a sip of your water. "it's okay gunwook, it's my fault they don't see me as a better leader."

he turned to you, shaking his head feverishly, "no no no, listen. i know i haven't been here long but you seem to be an amazing leader," he patted you on the leg reassuringly, leaving you to smile at the boy. "thanks," your voice trailed off, your brain swirling with thoughts of critiques from your team.

it was time for your dance team to vote for a new leader as the new school year had turned over, and you were in danger of being overthrown by the new boy that everyone seemed to love, and you weren't handling it well; especially not when he's as cute and lovely as he is.

"i guess i'll just have to prove that i'm better for the role than you." a smug expression pasted on your face, you turned to the boy with a laugh, lightening the atmosphere. he returned with a wide gummy smile and a small giggle, "oh it's on y/n."

yujin ;

first crush / love

you suppose you were late to the game when it came to feelings, never having really experienced any until now; until you found yourself wanting to be the reason the boy in your class smiled. you and yujin weren't close, but you weren't strangers either. you had some mutual best friends, and had hung out all together a few times, but as soon as you weren't around your friends, it was like you didn't know each other. and you hated it.

"hi y/n," the voice pulled you from your thoughts, looking up from your desk to see yujin standing there, and for a moment you thought you were hallucinating. "oh, hey yujin," your voice trailed off a little, "what's up?" he leaned against your desk, gesturing to the board with written pairs for a project, and now you felt stupid for not paying attention. "oh shoot yeah, of course, uh, sit down." you pulled out the empty chair next to you, trying to make up for the embarrassment that you were living in.

the two of you looked over the criteria for your project, making plans for what you wanted to do, and before you knew it you were packing up. "so uh," yujin sheepishly smiled, handing you his phone, "so we can schedule to work on the project," he clarified.

you couldn't help but smile at his cute nature, "there you go," you handed it back to him, "text me what you wanna do, i have to go meet up with my friend." you smiled again as the bell rang, leaving the class almost proud of your ability to get one sentence out. this was gonna be a long project.

#zerobaseone #zerobaseonefics #boys planet #boys planet fics #boys planet imagines #boys planet reactions #kpop #boys planet drabbles #zb1 #zb1 x reader #zb1 imagines

[drakoneve]

Destined Meetings

request: Hey, do you think you could write something where the reader is related to tig somehow, and they're in charming for work or college and they start a relationship with juice? Cute and a little angsty at first?

pairing: Juice Ortiz x Trager!Reader

word count: 1.9k

warnings: club crimes, reader's mom isn't the best + suggested childhood trauma, alcohol and drug (maryj) use

a/n: there will be another part for sure, but i might make this a bit of a mini-series, lmk what you think. happy reading!

Tig hardly ever talked about it, but he'd been married once. He would rather die than ever admit he loved anyone but Dawn and Fawn, but he loved her. And you, his sweet, sweet Y/n.

His heart clenched at the thought of you. You were only two years old at the time of the accident. The day your mother decided she had had enough of Tig and the life he came with and that she needed to run.

It was that day, when your mother pulled out of Charming and never looked back. She only made it two towns over before she took a reckless turn right off an overpass into oncoming traffic.

Tig could remember the look on Unser's face as he approached the older man in the TM parking lot like yesterday, and how he wished he could go back and convince your mom not to go. Or to leave you, at least.

Unser had just began working with the club back then, and this case in particular had always stuck with him. A woman trying to escape her outlaw husband with their baby daughter who ends up getting into a horrific accident that ends up killing them both? One of the saddest stories Unser had ever heard.

Except for the fact none of it was true.

Because there you stood, alive and well, right in front of the Chief's desk.

"I know it sounds crazy," you shake your head, hopeful look on your face. "I wouldn't believe it either, actually. And I don't really have any proof other than my memories, but I'm sure it's him."

The aging polaroid in you had provided him of a much younger Tig and a woman he recognizes to be your mother back when she was pregnant with you.

"No, no," he waves your worries away. "I believe you. In fact, I remember your mother, vaguely, and you look a lot like her."

You grimace. "Yeah, I've been told a few times. So do you know where I can find Alexander?"

Chief Unser pulls a pen from his shirt pocket and begins writing on a slip of paper on his desk. "This is the address of the Teller-Morrow, the automotive shop your dad works at. I would take you there myself, but I'm swamped here."

"Oh, it's no issue," you shrug and take the slip of paper. "I can get there myself. Thank you for everything, though."

You turn and begin to leave when Unser calls for you to stop.

"I forgot to mention, your dad goes by 'Tig.'"

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ ✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧ 

Juice stretched out his arms and popped his neck while he wiped his hands with a rag. Two weeks of waiting for one part was finally over, and he could get this damn Taurus out of the shop. He tossed the rag into his toolbox when a sleek black car comes rumbling into the lot.

He leaves the garage to get a closer look and notices the car is actually a classic, a well taken care of (or well restored) '69 Chevy. While he admires the car he notices you, too.

Your hair is partly clipped back, with enough loose enough to frame your face in a casual look. You're pretty, and admittedly he'd be more distracted by you but Juice can tell by the look on your face you're nervous. Juice would know, it's a look he's had to learn to hide.

By sight and sound nothing seemed to be wrong with your car, and Juice can't help but wonder why you're here.

You shut the engine off and exit your vehicle, all the while silently composing yourself. Heart thudding in your chest, you wonder if you're doing the right thing.

Juice takes the moment you shut the door to approach further.

"Hello," he greets politely, friendly smile on his face. "I'm Juice, and I'll be taking care of you today. What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, no," you shake your head and laugh nervously. "Nothing's wrong with her. I'm actually-"

You pause, close your eyes for a second and bite the inside of your bottom lip. Juice can't help but watch you fondly, finding you oddly adorable.

Finally you open your eyes and flash a bright, genuine smile.

Damn, I'm made, he thinks.

"This is gonna sound completely insane," you explain, nervously clasping your hands together. "But, um, I'm looking for Alexa- well, no, Tig, Tig Trager."

Juice raises his brows. "Tig? Uh, I don't know if now's the best time."

It's true, he's currently in Oakland with Jax and Chibs on quick business.

"Look, I know it's inconvenient and you don't know me," you plead. You're closer now and Juice can smell your sweet perfume and practically feel your hopefulness. "But until a couple months ago I had no idea my dad was even alive. And then I found out I was here for weeks before realizing he's here, too."

Your dad? There has to be a story there. Juice raises his hands to either side of your arms, holding you still in hopes to assure you.

"It's okay," he says sternly, but in an endearing way. "Tig's not here right now but he should be soon, so let's head on inside and you can tell me a little bit about you. Just to be sure, no offense."

You smile, relieved to be believed to some extent rather than none. "Thank you, Juice. Thank you."

Juice leads you into the Teller-Morrow through the garage entrance into the larger building. From what you could see on the outside you wouldn't have imagined such a spacious clubhouse inside.

Inside were several pool tables, a couch with mini pieces about, a bar with stools, and other tables each with their own set of chairs. Decorations littered the walls and floors and you laughed to yourself as you noted a nearly full ashtray on almost every surface and a wall completely dedicated to mugshots.

Juice leads you to the bar where he gestures for you to sit as he makes his way around. You slip onto a stool and watch patiently as Juice finds two glasses and turns to you.

"What's your preference?"

You shrug, "Whatever, I'm not partial. On the rocks, though."

He serves you and pours his own drink before setting the bottle down and leaning on the bar on his elbows in front of you.

"So tell me about you," Juice presses softly. He can tell by your fingers circling the rim of your glass that you're not excited for this conversation but he has no choice. "You said you've been here for a few weeks, where'd you live before?"

"Nevada, mostly," you tell him before sipping on your drink. "My mother moved us around a couple times and we lived in Colorado for a while before eventually settling in Sparks."

"Why'd you guys move around?"

You drain the rest of your drink quickly in hopes it'll support you through this conversation. Juice begins to refill your glass without being asked.

"I didn't know it then, but my mom was running from the Sons," you confess.

Juice's eyes widen slightly as he looked you over. What could you know about the club? They were notorious around Charming sure, but with their recent run ins with the ATF has the club struggling and making choices they wouldn't normally make.

You continue, "It wasn't until I graduated high school and I left that she told me my dad was actually alive. Then she told me about the Sons of Anarchy, and everything else I did on my own."

Juice nods, unsure of what to say. He nurses his drink for a moment before reaching for your hand.

"This life is complicated, but we're a family here."

The gesture, simple as it is, riles up all the pent up feelings you've mastered all your life comes rushing forward as tears brim your eyes.

"Family," you repeat and pull your hand from Juice to wipe your tears. "What a weird concept?"

The two of you talk well into the evening and you end up migrating to the couch with a bottle and a large bowl of buttery popcorn. Juice made good company. He's genuine, gunny, and from the way he talks you can tell the Sons are something special to him.

He tells you about himself in turn for the vulnerable information you've given him. You learn he was born and raised in New York before coming to Charming, and he has a little sister behind in the city. Juice tells you he works in the TM garage alongside what he does for the club.

"I'm not stupid," you tell him once you notice his hesitance. "It's not hard to find information on the club from the locals around here."

He chuckles softly, "Yeah, I'm sure. If you have any questions, you can ask me."

Before you can the rumbling of bikes coming into the TM parking lot distracts you. Instinctively you grabbed Juice's hand, but let go just as fast as you'd grabbed him. Luckily before he can say anything the door bursts open and income more Sons.

The first is a younger blond man with piercing blue eyes and you notice the President patch on his left. He greets Juice happily before his eyes look to you, and he looks confused but seemingly brushes it off and goes to the bar.

Your dad walks in near arm in arm with another handsome man with scarred cheeks, obviously older than he is in the polaroid you own, but otherwise he seems the same. Its as if he can feel your gaze as he turns to meet his blue eyes to your own.

You stand, trying to ignore the thumping of your heart in your chest. "Hi, Tig," you greet, silently cursing the waver in your voice. Immediately the polaroid is out of your back pocket and in your hand. "My name's Y/n, and my mom's Y/m/n."

He takes the polaroid from you without a word and holds it carefully in his hands. His friend has stepped away towards Juice, likely for questioning.

"I saw Unser earlier today," you continue on. "He told me that I have a grave here in Charming, so does mom. Funny, considering she always told me you were the dead one."

You take a shaky breath in, trying to keep from bursting into tears. "I just... I wanted you to know I'm not dead, very much alive. I don't, like, expect anything from you I just knew I had to say something."

Tig finally breaks away from the polaroid to meet your eyes again, and it makes you feel a bit better to see his blue eyes are as tear filled as your own.

He raises one hand to cup your cheek, thumb moving to wipe your tears. "Losing you was the worst pain of my life," he admits softly.

His words crumble your resolve, the walls you'd spent your adolescence building to protect yourself fell faster than they were constructed. You practically fall into his arms, and the two of you break down as you hold each other.

As you sob into Tig's chest he merely cradles you the way he wishes he'd been able to all these years. The way he deserved to have been there for you. He holds you tight against him like he's afraid you'll dissipate and it'll be decades before he sees you again.

"We're gonna be okay, baby," he tells you. "We're gonna be okay."

This time, he's not going to be letting you go so easy.

#juice ortiz x reader #juice x reader #juice ortiz x you #juice ortiz x trager!reader #juice ortiz x y/n #soa juice x reader #soa juice ortiz x reader #juice ortiz imagine #juan carlos ortiz x reader #juan carlos x reader #juan carlos ortiz x you #soa x you #soa x reader #sons of anarchy x reader #sons of anarchy imagine #sons of anarchy fanfiction #tig trager imagine #dad!tig trager x daughter!reader #fluff #juice x reader angst #juice x reader fluff #soa juice x you #soa juice x y/n #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy x y/n #soa x y/n #sons of anarchy angst fic #sons of anarchy fluff #sons of anarchy au

[stayteezdreams]

Three Is Fate: Part One

Plot: Why do you keep getting bumped into and knocked over this week? And why is it always by the same guy?!

-Part Two-

Pairing: Seo Changbin x Gn!Reader

-Meet Cute Series-

Warnings: Nothing :)

A/n: Sorry if this came out a bit rushed, the week I wanted to take off to write ended up being horrible, so I barely had any time to do any actual writing. I hope you like it anyways :)

Words: 1.9k

You walked briskly down the side-walk towards your home, your mind bouncing between all of the things you should get done while you had time. As much as you'd like to relax, you wouldn't let yourself fall into that familiar trap.

So lost in thought, you were taken by surprise when shot around the corner just ahead of you. Suddenly, you felt a shoulder collide with yours. You let out a startled gasp as your bag fell to the ground as you stumbled back.

Before you could really process who ran into you, they were already fumbling with their words as thy reached down towards your spilled bag.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Let me get that, I'm sorry!"

Crouching down to help collect your things you spoke softly "It's okay"

"No no, I shouldn't have been going so fast!"

As the man looked up, you felt a jolt in your chest as his eyes met yours. You were't expecting him to be so handsome.

Suddenly feeling a bit shy you smiled "No really it's okay, it happens."

He smiled at you but shook his head "You're too nice."

You giggled softly as you watched him grab your ear-phone case, that had slid from your bag. Handing it to you, you took it with a smile.

"Thank you."

Changbin's heart was racing as you smiled at him. You should be glaring, yelling, and telling him to watch where he's going, but instead you just smiled and told him there was no need to apologize.

As you both stood up, Changbin wiped his hands on his pants nervously as he smiled at you, bowing his head again.

"I really am sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?" He eyed the shoulder he had run into.

You smiled and shook your head "No, I'm okay, really."

"Are you sure?"

You let out a soft laugh and nodded "Yes I'm sure."

"Okay, um" he started to back away, remembering that he had been in a hurry to the studio. "Sorry again."

You nodded with a smile, as you began to walk away as well. Turning, you smiled to yourself. Even if he might be a bit reckless, he was cute, whoever he was.

Looking back before you rounded the corner, you felt your stomach flip as you saw him watching you. You barely caught the startled look on his face as he hurried to look away before you finished rounding the corner. You let out a small laugh as you grinned.

As brief as the encounter was, you found yourself thinking back on the handsome stranger a lot that day.

"I really wish they had changing rooms" You said as you glanced down at your bag, hoping the clothes you bought would fit.

"That's why there's a two-week return policy." Your friend said confidently as you headed towards the store exit.

As soon as you stepped out into the mall, your stumbled back as someone passing collided with you.

"Oh sorry!" You both said at the same time, neither of you having even seen the other approaching.

As your eyes locked you felt an odd sense of deja vu before you realized you actually knew the face in front of you.

Changbin felt his head spin as he looked into your familiar eyes. There was no way this happened again

"You" You both spoke at the same time again.

Your friend stared at you in confusion, as the two men behind Changbin watched with confused yet amused looks on their faces.

You chuckled, before clearing your throat and finally reaching down to grab your bags, which you had dropped with you collided again with he stranger from a week before.

"What a weird coincidence"

He let out a soft laugh "Let me help you" He said hurriedly as he grabbed one of your bags and handed it to you.

"Thanks" you smiled bashfully, taking it from him.

"At least I wasn't going as fast as last time" he said with a soft laugh.

You smiled "It was my fault this time, I should have been paying attention when I left the store."

He shook his head lightly "Don't worry about it, you just got me back from last time"

Seeing the two young men behind him watched you curiously, you smiled before turning to your friend "We should go."

Changbin looked back at Felix and Hyunjin who gave him looks of expectation and curiosity "Oh, yeah, us too."

"Sorry again!" He waved his hand dismissively with a smile, as you began to walk away, but smiled brightly at him "Goodbye."

"What the hell was that about?" Your friend asked as you awkwardly shuffled along with them.

"That was that cute guy I told you about last week. The one that ran into me."

"Really?" she looked back at him before whispering "He's still watching you."

Your felt your heart jump at this, wanting to look back, but deciding not too, though your ears burned a little hotter.

Hyunjin lightly slapped Changbin's shoulder as he watched you walk away, again.

"Who was that?"

"Ah" he let out a sigh of frustration "That was who I ran into last week when I was late to the studio"

"Oh" Felix said with realization "You're right, they are cute!"

"Don't get any ideas!" Changbin said defensively, making Felix raise his hands up as Hyunjin laughed.

Changbin glanced back once more, seeing you disappear into the distant crowd. He cursed himself for having let you leave without learning your name, but he was just so stunned that he ran into you again, literally.

He couldn't stop thinking about you randomly over the last week. He wanted to know who you were, and why you seemed to make his heart beat so quickly. And when he had a second chance, he blew it.

He told himself with determination, if he happened to see you again, he would learn your name.

Though a few days had passed since your second collision with the cute stranger, he seemed to keep floating back into your mind.

You wondered what his name was, what he did, what was he like. And would you see him again? Random thoughts came and went as the days passed, but doubt settled in your mind. There was no way you'd see him again. Right?

Unraveling your headphones as you made your way into the gym, you let out a soft breath. This was your first time in this gym since you moved. You hoped it would be as easy to get used to as your last one. And since it was closer to your home, you hoped you'd be able to convince yourself to come more often than you used too.

As you entered the main room, you noticed only a couple people. It was a lot less crowded than your last one, which was much more appealing to you as well.

Rounding a couple of machines, you were suddenly jolted back as someone collided with you. You let out a small gasp as you dropped your headphones, the person's water bottle clattered on the ground as well.

"Sorry!" You both said at the same time as you locked eyes.

You both froze, silence passing between you as your bodies remained still. There was no way. You had to be imagining this.

Changbin opened his mouth in awe as you blinked a few times, surely as astonished as he was.

"Seriously?" You finally said, your tone amused yet astounded.

"This is getting crazy" Changbin response with a similar tone.

You stared at each other in silence for another moment before you both let out breathy laughs.

You both reached down for your stuff. You grabbed his water bottle as it had rolled to your feet, as Changbin grabbed your headphones. Handing them to each other, your eyes met again and you both smiled bashfully.

"Thanks" you both muttered as you rose.

You fiddled with your headphones as you spoke "Wow, I mean, once is random, twice is coincidence, but three is-"

"Fate?" Changbin finished for you.

You held eye contact before you let out a soft giggle "Yeah, maybe. "

Your giggle sent a shock through Changbin as he felt a smile tug at his lips. Changbin couldn't take his eyes off of you, every time he saw you he thought you were cuter than the last. You thought the same as you looked down at your headphones, too shy to meet his eyes again.

"Do you come here often?"

You froze for a second as you processed what just left his mouth, as you looked up, you saw his face contort from realization to embarrassment before he shook his head.

"Wait, no- that sounded-" he facepalmed lightly.

You couldn't help but giggle at this, finding him even cuter. How could someone he so hot and cute at the same time? You wondered, as your eyes flicked momentarily to his arms.

Hearing you giggle, he chuckled at himself before he removed his hand and cleared his throat.

"What I meant was, I haven't seen you here before, so I just wandered how many times our paths might have crossed."

You smiled and nodded "This is my first time here, I just moved to this area."

"Ahh" Changbin tilted his head back for a moment "So us running into each other the first time you walk in, is-"

"Fate?" You repeated his word from before and he grinned.

"It sounds nice when you say it."

You hoped how his comment made you feel wasn't so obvious on your face as your heart skipped a beat and your stomach filled with butterflies.

"Can I show you around? Give you a run-down of the gym?" He asked next, hoping you would say yes before walking off again.

"Oh, yeah! That would be nice" You nodded with a bright smile that made his heart do a flip.

"Cool." As he turned to walk away, you began to follow, but quicky stopped when he did.

"Oh!" he turned back to you "I swore to myself if I ran into you again I'd get your name."

"You did, did you?" You asked coyly, wondering if he really meant to say that.

Seeing how his ears turned a little brighter, you figured he did not.

"Uh-" he chuckled "Yeah, I did."

You repressed a giggle as you smiled "I'm Y/n."

He grinned "Changbin"

"Nice to meet you, officially, Y/n"

As it turned out, Changbin was nicer than you could have imagined. He was welcoming, kind, funny and charming. And apparently, with a little time, a lot more confident.

When you walked out of the gym together he turned to you "Can I get your number? So I don't have to keep rounding corners quickly, hoping I might run into you again?"

You laughed "You haven't actually been doing that have you?"

He gestured his head vaguely and you giggled before you nodded "Yes, you can get my number."

He grinned as he took out his own phone "Maybe we can work out together, be gym buddies" You nodded happily at the idea "And maybe...we can hang out outside of the gym?" He asked a bit more cautiously.

You smiled at him, your heart hammering in your chest as you nodded "I'd like that too."

As he grinned back at you, his eyes lighting up, you couldn't help but wonder, maybe it really was fate that kept bringing you together.

xx

Tags: @bubblesreplies, @halesandy, @why-am-i-sad, @sourmooonlight, @jaeheekangslover, @seungminsdreamwife, @thesunsfullmoon, @jisunglyricist, @ink-spilled-stars

#Seo Changbin #Changbin #Stray Kids #Seo Changbin x Reader #Changbin x Reader #Seo Changbin/Reader #Changbin/Reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids/reader #meet cute series #stray kids meet cute series #changbin fluff #changbin imagine #stray kids imagine #changbin fic #seo changbin fic #stray kids fic #stray kids fanfiction #seo changbin x you

[haeggi]

the gift and the gifted | myg ✓

➔ pairing: top student!yoongi × top student!reader

➔ genres/warnings: highschool!au, christmas!au, holiday!au, romcom!au, rivals to lovers, enemies to lovers, fluff, angst, suggestive themes (but there's no smut, woops), also yoongi wears glasses bc my babie is so cute and hot when he wears one, lots of cussing prolly, some jokes may be offensive, reader and yoongi basically wants to strangle each other's necks bc yes.

➔ word count: 12.9k

➔ synopsis: you were always at the top; girls envied you and they aspired to be like you, and you got guys swooning at your feet. but there was always a particular individual who followed your footsteps. min yoongi. everywhere you were, he always shadowed you. he always came in second to you, and just like you, he also had become the primary cause of ladies getting diagnosed with erotomanias (metaphorically, of course). but everything crashes downhill when your roles are suddenly switched; he ends up at the top, and you below him. how messed up could that be?

or alternatively, christmas was just around the corner, and all it takes are the midterms (which will be a piece of cake to you) before the semester ends. however, the christmas news you receive that year was one of the worst gifts yet. let's say, it went catastrophic because the gift came in the form of min yoongi, your biggest rival.

notes: this is my first ever tumblr ff ajshssk. it's raw and unedited, so expect a lot of grammar mistakes.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

According to statistics of an unknown source, a lot of experts believe that the global population is composed of between 2% to 6% of gifted children. Such child prodigies are blessed with naturally high inborn intelligence. They perform significantly at complex levels compared to peers.

You belonged in the 2 to 6% of that category. At the fresh age of two, you were able to read novels that are typically for adolescents. You also already knew how to write children stories, your imaginations constantly spreading as if you were using a hex in your mind, expanding your thoughts into a whole new wide level.

Yes, that was indeed a Marvel reference.

Oh, you started watching the series by the time you were three, by the way. Whenever your parents kissed you goodbye to report to their jobs, you would bake pancakes while standing on a stool because you were still too tiny to reach the top of the kitchen counter. Afterwards, you would waddle into the living room, turn on the TV, and bask into a three-hour Marvel movie.

You would also laugh at the adult jokes that were made that even most adolescents wouldn't get, yet there you were, being a couch potato, sipping on maple syrups while giggling at the scenes.

And by the time you were four, you knew all your basic math. You could also spell complicated words already such as pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (man, I literally had to copy-paste that from Google, smh). You also have memorized all the countries of Asia and Europe, and the parts of the human's and plants' cells—not just the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell basic and overused shit.

But most importantly, you definitely had attitude problems. You had a blunt tongue and a sharp wit.

"I don't want to go to school," your five-year-old-self whined burying your small head further into the pillow. "I don't need to," you add, muffled.

"Honey," your mother sighed, inviting herself in your bedroom. She knew how much you despised it whenever someone crossed your personal space, yet you were too whine-y to even fight your mother. "I know that, but you still need to. The world is too big for everything to fit in your brain—"

"Are you calling me small?" you grimaced, exhuming your head from the pillow and whipping it at your mom's direction. "Mom, you know how much I'm sensitive when it comes to my height!"

"Yes, dear, I apologize—"

"I don't wanna hear it, mom! My decision is final, I don't wanna go to kindergarten!" you yelled, albeit your voice was muffled because you stuffed your face into your pillow again.

"Kindergarten?" your mother repeated. "Y/N, I never said anything about enrolling you to kindergarten. I was planning to apply for your acceleration for elementary—"

"Mmmooommmm!" you groaned, almost sounding like a wolf, but to your beloved mother, you just sounded like a pup. "Leave me alone, please! I know my geometry, I can solve the area of a rectangle, a square, a decagon. Even a gazillion-gon or whatever! And I know how to use similes, metaphors, hyperboles, and ironies!"

"Clearly," your mother muttered under her breath. "With how sharp your tongue is, I'm not even surprised."

The woman flinched when a soft piece of fluff landed before her feet. It was one of your stuff toys, Mr. Bear-able.

She resisted the urge to massage her temples, catching what her daughter was implying. "Alright, fine. I'll leave you alone. But if you ever change your mind, tell me."

"I don't do do overs, mom," you retorted, suddenly having the appetite to get out of bed. You waddle towards your desk, plopping on the seat with your back turned to your mother. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a lot to do."

"Of course," your mother responded. "Come down for dinner at seven. Don't. Be. Late," she warned.

"Yes, mother," you stressed the last word.

Hearing the door shut close, you released a sigh of relief, finally grateful for the time of peace.

But, unfortunately, for gifted children, peace was a state they rarely achieved.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

Ten years later, you are now enduring the third year of high school. And ten years ago, you swore to yourself that you wouldn't step foot into a school. Ever. Yet here you were, standing in the middle of the hallway, flooded with lots of people your age. Jocks and cheerleaders mostly flocked the lockers, some of which are busy slamming each other against each one, their faces all over each other.

It was a disgusting sight to you, but you are used to it now. You know not to pry into their business and scream at them to stop the eff out. One, because you were simply lazy—or rather, conserving energy is the right term. Second, they weren't worth your precious time.

Yes, it was your third year in high school, but also it was only your third time attending school because for the last seven years, you had been cooped up within the four walls of your bedroom. You never stepped foot out the door, except when you ate. You were either sleeping, writing, or just aimlessly scrolling on Twitter and Tiktok.

It had gotten to the point where your mother barged into the room with your father following her like a lost puppy, because he didn't want to deal with you because he was either 1) really, really afraid of you or 2) he just didn't really want to deal with an untamed animal that was in the form of you. Yet, he followed your mother to your room because 1) he was definitely still more afraid of his wife more than of his daughter and 2) he probably wants to witness your demise.

And you did get your demise. You got an earful from your mother. She had confiscated your phone, pulled you out of your room and locked the door. She was getting sick of you acting around as if you were the boss. As if you were the adult.

Yeah, you definitely had (still have, by the way) attitude problems.

And the only condition that your mother had so that you could gain access back to your room and phone is if you enrolled at school, got a degree, and a decent job.

So here you were, in the very hellhole you didn't want to end up in.

On the bright side, you are still a gifted child, and hell did you demolished everyone in your path. Academically, of course. Consistently, you were the overall top one of your batch from first year to second year. You were always the top scorer in examinations. You were also literally destroying your teachers' careers, which basically made almost everyone love you. Almost.

You got guys begging for your attention, wanting to take you out on dates. You also got girls envying you, wanting to be you. And also, of course, you had haters.

And most significantly, you had competition.

He was always there, wherever you were. You were on the list of top scorers, and underneath your name, just right next to it, was his name printed. You were the overall top one, and below you, just beside you, was his name written.

You were the first, and he always came in second.

Your eyes were literally burning in crimson when you saw him entering your line of sight. His jet black hair was neatly styled as usual, his pale skin was glowing underneath the fluorescent lights, his eyes were adorned with round-rimmed glasses, accentuating his clever ambience further.

It made your blood boil; the way he was just calmly walking through the crowd of students. He didn't even make an effort passing through the bodies because people made way for him. Of course, they would. He is the fucking student council president, for hell's sake!

Your arms are crossed, still staring him down as he greeted and bowed to those who smiled at him. Oh, how badly you wanted to rip his mouth off of his face and smack it to the first girl you see because she would definitely pay you at least ten years worth of your life, then you can finally ditch school, maybe disappear off the surface of the map and enjoy a life of solitude in probably an abandoned island, sipping on mojito, or maybe the mountains to enjoy the fresh air of nature because the air down there smelled like pieces of shit—

"Y/N," he singsongs, his gravelly voice reaching your ears.

You didn't notice that you had been standing at the middle of the hallway for quite a long time now because he, along with a few of the other student council members trailing behind him, was now in front of you. You notice everyone's eyes are on you two. Everyone knew of the rivalry you two have. And you also knew that they are totally anticipating a war to happen.

"Yoongi," you say, your tone honeyed with a hint of passive-aggressiveness.

"How was your weekend?" he asks, tilting his head slightly.

Oh, he is definitely enjoying the attention. Just so you wait, I will rip your fakeass smile—

"It was okay!" you chirp, faking a laugh. "I hope yours was too."

Yoongi hums, fixing his glasses that had slightly slid down, exposing his feline eyes for a fleeting moment. "Fortunately, it went more than okay to me," he says with a pompous smile.

Your verbose response is a forced smile, hoping that he will take the hint that he will leave you alone now, because you knew what he was referencing to. The recent weekend, both of your families had dinner together. Unfortunately for you, your parents and his parents are very well-acquainted with each other. Mr. and Mrs. L/N, and Mr. and Mrs. Min's relationship was founded through a business partnership. Despite that, the relationship between the four adults ensued into a deeper level.

Alas, the same couldn't be said with the two offsprings. While their parents considered each other close friends, you and Yoongi acknowledged the other as each other's nemesis.

Everything between you and him always ended up to become a competition. A competition to see who gets on the other's nerves the quicker.

That was why on that particular Saturday night, in a fancy restaurant booked by Yoongi's parents, underneath the rectangular marbled table, you used the advantage of wearing heels that time to sink one of your stilettos on one of his leather shoes when he taunted you. Afterwards, he made a scene, instantly pointing a finger at you when his mother worriedly asked what happened. You promptly defended yourself, saying that it was an accident and that you didn't notice his foot immediately. Then, your beloved mother scolded you in front of them to be more careful because it was bad manners; and that you should act like a proper lady in a five-star Michelin restaurant.

Luckily, he starts to leave you, but only after making up an excuse. "Well, I'm a bit late with my duties, I can't waste time any longer. So, I'll see you later."

He attempts to walk past you, but you had enough time to recover from his pettish outro. As he takes the first steps, you mislead him by moving aside. Then, you slide your foot forwards, miniscule. You watch as his own bumps into yours and in a span of a second, he trips, albeit he regains his balance quickly to your dismay. You almost pouted since he didn't meet the floor with his face.

His calm composure cracks a tiny bit, his eye twitching as he looks at you, his expression now displaying irk. He expected everyone else to look at you as if you were the culprit, but unfortunately, for his part, no one noticed because it is too crowded in the hallway for anyone to catch what you did. Instead, they all had their gazes at him. Some of them awkwardly smiled, while others began to whisper.

Nevertheless, Yoongi ignores them. He stands up straight, fixing the collar of his shirt before waltzing away with his group trailing behind. Unlike earlier, he was tramping, eager to flee the scene and rendering you into a fit of hushed and inconspicuous giggles.

Not today, Snow White. Not today.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

You are stuck in another hour of a boring lesson. You lazily spin a pencil around your fingers, with one hand supporting the weight of your chin as you stare outside the window of your classroom, observing the varsity soccer players attempting to score goals.

You unconsciously snicker when one of the players falls on the grass, catching the attention of your math teacher. It took two calls of your name before you faced her, scowling when she says, "Since you seem so confident, not listening to my discussion, will you please be so kind to solve this on the board?"

You raise an eyebrow, looking at her as if saying 'Are you serious?' The teacher doesn't falter, however, and you sigh vexatiously, standing up from your seat and idly ambling across the aisle. You feel the stares of your classmates piercing at your back but you don't waver. Upon reaching the front, you take the marker from your teacher, whose face was still etched into a frown at the behavior you are showing.

You solve the polynomial equation with ease, not even pausing to think. And when you encircled your final answer and turned to return your teacher's marker, she was gaping at you. Smirking in victory, she tells you to return to your seat. And for the rest of the lecture, she doesn't bother you anymore.

After school, you went straight out of the campus, as if the air inside the building had been suffocating you that you even release a long sigh of relief. Frankly, you thought that you had wasted another day because you didn't learn anything new from any of your subjects. All that was discussed, you already know those concepts since you were ten years old.

And now, you wanted to throw a tantrum at your mother when you get home.

You head for the gates of the campus, and as if you didn't have enough on your plate, a car comes revving near you, and before you knew it, it blocks your path, making you abruptly halt your steps. You instantly recognize the model of the vehicle. The driver's door opens and a familiar black bob of hair is revealed. You don't even try to hide your irritation when Yoongi approaches you.

"Get in the car," he demands, opening the passenger door right in front of you.

You don't listen. Instead, you comment, "Nice calculations there. Which theorem did you apply that made the passenger's door end up in front of my face? Show me your scratch papers."

He rolls his eyes, clearly not having your shit. "My mom called me and told me that your mom told her to tell me that I'm dropping you off at your house because your mom is worried that you'll be off somewhere else again and cause trouble, so she wants to make sure that you're not going to do anything stupid again—"

"Hold your horses, Eminem." You flail your hands in front of him. "First of all, drop the your mom tongue twister. Second, I'm not coming with you. Who knows? You might be plotting my death. And third, stop talking to me because people might think that we're friends."

Without waiting for Yoongi's response, you swaggered around his Hyundai Sonata, heading for the campus gates. Relief washes over you when you don't hear the annoying honking of his car. He had left you alone for now.

Besides, how worse could your day get any further?

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

Your bag drops to the floor once you have registered the sight of your mother guffawing at a joke he said. They were both too occupied in their conversation that they only sensed your presence when you make a beeline for the stairs.

"Y/N," your mother calls, and you stop in your tracks, one foot mid-air. You curse lowly, not being able to even make it for the first tread.

You put on the fakest smile you could muster, making sure that it was discernible that you didn't want to have to do anything with the two most exasperating persons in the room.

"Aren't you gonna join Yoongi and I for snacks?" she says, rendering you to fist your hand. It took a lot of strength from you not to swing a punch at the said male. He was clearly enjoying this. He absolutely knew that you were getting reprimanded again once he leaves the premise.

Your smile twitches, almost cracking but you stay firm. "Sure, I will. Mother." You deliberately stressed the last word. A warning gaze is given to you by your mother.

Smirking lightly, you don't tiptoe anymore, seeing that it was useless. You pull the chair across where Yoongi sat, purposely making the wood screech against the floor. Your mother winces slightly that made you smile triumphantly.

As if nothing had transpired, your mother began to speak. "So, Yoongi here told me that you refused to get a lift from him. You do know that that's basic manners."

"Yes, and you told me not to accept anything from strangers," you deadpan. Your mother's eyes widen in horror, instantly sending Yoongi an apologetic gaze.

"Oh, Yoongi, I'm so sorry about my daughter. I think she meant that she didn't want to a burden to you."

Yoongi waves his hand, a cheeky smile painted on his lips. "It's alright, Mrs. L/N. I get what you mean. I absolutely understand where Y/N is coming from."

Your head was beginning to ache from the exchange that was occurring between the two people you weren't entirely fond of. Before your mother could respond to your nemesis, you cut in.

"Why is he even here, mom?" you demand. Your mother chuckles awkwardly, looking back and forth between you and your enemy.

"Well," she starts. "Your midterms are nearing alongside the weather that is starting to cool off. I invited Yoongi so that you two could study together and maybe consider this as a bonding moment for the two of you—"

You don't let her finish, abruptly standing up from your seat, already shooting daggers at the woman who birthed you.

"Mom, I don't need a study buddy. I can clearly study fine on my own. In fact, I don't need to because I know everything and I assure you that I will ace my midterms just like I've had for the past two years."

Mrs. L/N frowns at your response. "Y/N, if you please, will you stop with the bratty attitude? We have a guest and the least you can do is act accordingly!"

You are certain that your blood had reached its boiling point. "No!" you raise your tone, unbothered by the fact that your rival is literally witnessing the argument that is transpiring right now. What irked you more was that he is probably enjoying the scene unfolding before him. "You're just doing all of these because you know how much I despite it! I hate it, mom. And I absolutely harbor all of the ill feelings you can name towards him!" You point at Yoongi, who is calmly watching you with an unreadable expression on his face.

As far as you know, only your parents knew that you loathed Yoongi. That was why you were always comfortable expressing it even in their presence. But whenever his parents were at the scene, that was when you could control your temper, and suppress your irritations, which is why now, you were exploding once again.

"Y/N—!"

"I'm not hearing it," you proclaim, already making way towards the stairs. "Chit-chat with him for all I care. Just leave me be."

You stomp upstairs, making sure you slam your bedroom door shut. Smoke was literally smothering out of yours ears and nostrils as you grabbed the nearest book you had from your shelf and throw it with all your might at the other end of your room. Then, you march towards your bed, falling on it face-first and releasing your screams, muffled by your pillows.

You are so angry and infuriated, mentally wrecking Yoongi with all the curses you could think of. After what seemed like hours of disparaging him in the form of talking to your long-time best friend, Mr. Bear-able, you feel your throat become dry. It is parched and you feel the need to gulp down a gallon of water with how much saliva you used.

Annoyed that you had to leave the comfort of your room to get a glass of water downstairs, you wonder if Yoongi had already left. You check outside, raising the blinds of your window. Then, you grimace, seeing the familiar vehicle parked in front of your house.

Why was that son of a half-troll still here?

You really didn't want to go down and see him, but your throat was literally begging for your thirst to be quenched. You try to weigh the pros and cons, with the cons definitely outweighing the former, but you were still too thirsty. It was sending you to the brim of annoyance so you had no choice but to step out of your room.

Your ears try to hear for movements and conversations, but when you don't, you thought that maybe they were in the backyard. You sigh in relief, albeit too early because when your feet touched the floor of the first floor of your house, you almost lost your balance upon seeing the devil himself standing by the stairs' handrails. The balusters did the job of concealing him because his face is already adorned with a smirk.

"Why the fuck are you here?" you demand. "Where's mom?"

"Out," Yoongi simply answers, sipping on his iced Americano.

"Why?" You cross your arms, raising an incredulous eyebrow at him.

"She felt bad about your tantrum—" he explains nonchalantly. "—so, she insisted to take-out dinner."

"Why didn't you just come with her? That would save us both the case of fighting—"

"I offered to stay and look after you in case something happens, although your mom was still really worried for me in case you might pull something against me. But I assured her that I would be fine." He blinks as if his response was a normal one.

However, you don't buy it, narrowing your eyes and taking a defiant step closer to him. "What are you scheming this time? Wasn't it enough for you that you got to witness me getting reprimanded?"

Yoongi doesn't seem affected because he stands his ground, his eyes reciprocating the determined gaze you were giving him.

He doesn't answer you, and he breaks your eye-contact, looking at something behind you.

"Hey, I asked you a question—"

"It's snowing," he cuts you off.

Mildly confused and musing a what, you turn around to check what he was looking at. And then you see the first fall of snow of the year. Immediately, you feel the chilly breeze of winter prick your skin.

Eyebrows still furrowed, you only move when Yoongi scurries off towards the heater, turning it on. After a few seconds, the cold that you instantly felt is replaced by warmth. Still, you were on edge, because Yoongi was acting really... weird.

You watch him with judgment in your eyes as he makes his way towards the dining room. That's when you see study materials sprawled on the table; Stabilo highlighters with their caps off, arrow sticky notes pasted on top of pages of the textbooks, reviewers spread all throughout the space of the table. He had been clearly studying for midterms. You were disturbed that he had shamelessly claimed territory on your dining room.

You feel the bile crawling up your throat, you are cognizantly displeased at the way Yoongi was acting. You march towards the room, where he was busy organizing his notes.

"Hey!" you squawked. "Will you stop walking around as if this is your house?! And... can you stop that? You're acting weird..." you trail off when Yoongi doesn't even snap at you. He only looks at you as if you were the strange one in the room.

You roll your eyes, opting to get your glass of water from the kitchen instead. If the damn bitch won't respond to you properly then you won't bother to waste your time.

Closing the refrigerator, with one hand holding the pitcher, you jump the second time that day, caught off-guard by your rival standing behind the door of the refrigerator.

"Jesus Christ, Yoongi!" you yell. "I will literally smack you in the face with this pitcher!"

"Huh," he muses. "That's really weird."

"What?" you say in disbelief. "Don't call me weird when between us, you're the one that's acting weird. Fucking leave me alone, for fuck's sake."

"Yeah, exactly." He remains unfazed by your threats. "Strangely, I don't feel anything towards you right now."

"Of course you don't," you scoff. "You hate me. Hello? Have you suddenly become stupid or something?"

Seemingly lost in thought, Yoongi replies, "No, I mean like I literally don't feel anything right now towards you. I don't feel like I hate you right now—"

"Yes, I hear you. Now can you shut the fuck— wait what?" You pause and do a double take on what he just said.

What did he say? That he doesn't hate me right now?

"Look, I don't know what the fuck it is your scheming right now, but I just want to tell you to drop your crap, because I don't believe a single word you're uttering right now," you say, pouring water on a glass. You take a sip before resuming. "Stop saying bullshit, because I won't fall for it."

"I'm not telling you bull right now." He raises both of his hands in surrender. "Ugh, whatever. You probably have the mental capacity of a lizard for you to understand even if I explain—"

"Take that back right now," you threaten him. "Have you forgotten that you always come second to me? Don't get too cocky, you still don't know who you're messing with. It's been three years, you should know now that you can't beat me."

"Whatever you say so, Megamind." He fixes his glasses before returning to the dining room. You warily watch him go back to studying before you climb up back into your room.

Even though you were already inside, you still felt uneasy because of how peculiar Yoongi acted just a few minutes ago.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

The gray cement road is replaced with the ivory snow, concealing everything underneath it. It's now the month of November, which meant that your parents are busy preparing for the holidays. That also meant that you had to help them too to your dismay.

You are sitting on your house's porch, a stick in your hand while doodling on the snow. Meanwhile, your father is occupied in attaching the Christmas lights on the gutters of your roof.

He calls your name, and you oblige. You step foot out into the snow weather, bits of frost coating your hair. You crane your neck up the ladder.

"Can you pass me the other string of lights?" he requests, pointing at the said lights sprawled on the snow. You grab it off the floor, taking the end of it. You spin it like a lasso before unleashing it towards your father, who catches it with ease. He laughs, "Nice one!"

You roll your eyes before returning to your earlier position. You begin to scribble again as your mind wanders off somewhere else.

For the past few weeks, you had noticed that something became different. And it was all because of a particular person who was supposed to be the hell of your life. Instead, it seems like he had now become pacified, and he decided that you weren't worth his time anymore.

A part of you feels extremely offended and infuriated because you feel that Yoongi doesn't see you as a menace anymore; that he was now confident that he can easily defeat you; that he doesn't see you as a competition anymore. Another of your part feels concerned and peculiar—as if something is missing. You don't feel the adrenaline pulsating through your veins anymore whenever you saw Yoongi.

When you crossed paths, he would only give you a smile of acknowledgement and then leave before you could even tell him a snarky comment.

Oddly, it was affecting you more than it should be. You were starting to think that maybe this was one of his tactics for you to get distracted. If it was, it was unfortunately working, and you were getting vexed as each day passed by.

You wanted Yoongi to lash out on you. You wanted to feel his anger radiating towards you. You wanted him to feel threatened. You wanted to be the one with the upper hand.

But instead, you were feeling none of those from him. It was rendering you to madness because even though you wanted to deny it so bad, you couldn't get him out of your mind.

And maybe, just maybe, you thought that something different was also brewing inside you.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

November flew by in a blur and before you even knew it, you only had two weeks before midterms. You and your mother were busy setting up the Christmas tree. She was busy handing you the ornaments and garlands, and directing you where to place them.

"There," your mother says. "A little bit up. Nope, down. Nevermind, put it up again."

You groan in annoyance. "Mom, can you please make up your mind? My arms are starting to sore."

She gives you a sheepish smile from below. You feel goosebumps pricking your skin, disturbed by your mother's expression. It was the first time you saw that kind of smile from her.

"You're creeping me out," you say.

"Oh, it's nothing," your mother tells you. "It's just... recently I've noticed how you seem at peace now unlike before. It's nice..." she hesitates a bit but when she sees you only looking at her and listening intently, she finds the courage to express to you, "It's nice that we're finally having a mother-and-daughter bonding experience since... I don't know, maybe since you were one?"

You laugh. You actually laugh genuinely at what she says. You climb down the ladder, dusting your hands on your sweater. Peace. A word that its meaning which you know, but don't know what it feels. It is a foreign feeling and peculiar. Only then when your mother notices it you realize that maybe that was the right word you were looking for to describe your interiority right now.

But as soon as you take cognizance of it, your mother crashes it when she lets you know the news.

"Yoongi's family is having dinner with us on the Eve," she informs you, and your smile stiffens. "I expect that you'll be on your best behavior."

She looks at you expectantly, and it was enough to let her know that you aren't fond of the idea because you say,

"I'd rather be a Christmas feast to a cat, honestly."

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

"To be honest, I'd rather feast on a mouse, mom," Yoongi says when his mother informs him their plan for the evening of Christmas Eve.

She laughs heartily. "Why would you say that, dear? Is it because of Y/N? Are you still uptight around her because of her gift?"

Yoongi shudders at the mere mention of your name for some unknown reason that he couldn't decipher. He denies it, shaking his head.

Then, her mother's eyes sparkled. She leans forward and whispers, "Then... have you gotten fond of her? You seem to be more nervous than before, Yoongi. Whenever we spend time with the L/Ns, you always seem so determined, and you look forward to spend time with their family. Why do you seem so uneasy now?"

"Err, it's not that, mom." Yoongi tries to distract himself by sipping on his iced Americano, but that doesn't ease his nerves. He regrets ordering his usual drink on the cold season because his shivering is amplified. "It's just... midterms' soon, and I'm just stressed, I guess."

"Stressed?" His mother repeats. "That's the first time I've heard that word from you, dear."

"Is it?" Yoongi chuckles awkwardly.

Mrs. Min emits another lighthearted laugh. "Yoongi, I know you more than anyone else. Don't even deny it, you have taken quite a liking for the L/Ns' daughter, haven't you?"

Yoongi gapes at his mother's proclamation. He immediately shakes his head vehemently. "Mom, that's ridiculous. Of course, I haven't. She hates me." At the last sentence, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. But his bitter tone doesn't come unnoticed to his mother.

"Does she?" she innocently asks.

"Yeah." Yoongi sighs, pressing his lips into a thin line that resembled a bracket. It was a habit of his whenever he feels displeased. "She hates the mere sight of me, mom. And we compete for the first place, every time. She hates the fact that I'm always second to her because she's threatened that I might overthrow her anytime! It's annoying to be honest. But now, I'll just let her have her way. I'm just going to focus on studying for midterms. She's not worth my time, anyway."

Of course he was half-lying. He wanted nothing more but to continue this rivalry you two had. But these days, he had been in conflict with his inner self. He didn't want you having your way, he wanted to conquer you. But also, another side of him is troubling him. He didn't want to continue fighting you any longer for some reason. Yoongi doesn't know if he simply got tired of it or if it was because of something else that he couldn't pinpoint.

Either way, he didn't want to interact with you for the mean time. He had to figure whatever the shit was happening to his brain. Had he finally lost it?

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

You were serene as usual when midterms ended. You can't help but feel pride swelling on your chest as you listened to your classmates' complaints and sighs of regrets because they had a lot harder time getting through each question of the exams than you did.

But somehow, there was something missing; the thrill. Your mind wanders to your nemesis, wondering how he did in his exams.

When you were all dismissed, the hallways are instantaneously filled with students, celebrating their triumphs and the fact that they were now free from school. Instinctively, you try the look for a familiar midget with black bob hair and round-rimmed glasses.

And when you do see him, a smirk makes its way to your lips. You march confidently to his way. He doesn't notice your presence until you blocked his way, causing him to look up from his phone to acknowledge you.

"Hey, Potter," you drawl, playing with the ends of your hair. He rolls his eyes at the nickname you call him.

"What do you want?" he straightly gets to the point. You raise an eyebrow, a bit caught off-guard by his question.

That was a good one because yeah, what the hell did you want? Why did you approach him in the first place?

Yoongi unintentionally saves you from the embarrassment. His feline eyes narrow and he smugly smiles. "Oh, are you concerned about how I did well in my exams? Are you perhaps... threatened?"

You scowl, pointing a finger at him. "Don't get so brazen. I'm just here to tell you not to feel too self-assured. I know what you've been up to lately. You've been trying to distract me by not acknowledging my presence for the past few weeks. You think that that's all it takes for me to back down? Nah-uh. Nice try, Yoongi, but try harder."

"Oh?" He raises an eyebrow, fascinated at your assumptions. "So, that's what you've been presuming." Then, he shrugs, "Look, doll, I don't know where such thoughts of yours suddenly came from, but I'm just saying that that sounds like a you problem. I'm not doing anything, but it seems like you're turning into one of them, having delusions about me."

You cringe and sneer. "You can't be serious, Yoongi. Now, you're the delusional one!" The way he was smirking victoriously made you want to slap the mocking smile off of his face.

You decide to end the interaction, curtly pivoting on your heels and strutting away from Yoongi, whose piercing eyes never left your figure until you disappeared from his line of sight.

In the back of his mind, he is contemplating. He ponders if you were right. For the first time in his lifetime, he was considering what you said.

Meanwhile, you were stomping on piles of snows. You were furious at the lack of energy Yoongi was showing you. He really seemed like he didn't give a damn anymore about you. He was so laid-back and relaxed and that made your confidence dwindle a bit, wondering what had he pulled from his sleeves.

Your mood remains sour the whole time you walked home. People who passed by you probably thought that you were releasing dragon breaths if not for the freezing weather.

You were basically tramping on the floor of your living room, immediately catching the attention of your mother, who scampers out of the kitchen to check out the commotion. She sees you muttering incoherent words to yourself and you only stop when she gets your attention.

"Did something happen, Y/N?" she questions. "Why are you in a sour mood? Did something happen with your exams?"

"No, mom!" you immediately answer. "In fact, I aced the exams, I'm certain! You don't need to worry about anything. It's just that—" you abruptly stop. Your mother looks at you, waiting for you to continue but you don't.

Frankly, you're confused yourself, suddenly wondering why were you so worked up. You didn't have to worry about anything, you were a hundred percent confident that you did outstandingly in your exams.

"Y/N?" Your mother's voice pulls you out of your trance.

"It's nothing!" you exclaim. "Just tired. I'm going to my room, if you don't mind." You start going up the stairs. "Call me if you need help." Your voice echoes in the first floor.

Mrs. L/N blinks, finding your behavior strange lately. Yet, she shrugs it off and goes back to working in the kitchen.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

"Y/N, please stop harassing the carrots," your mother says. "They did nothing to you."

You stop cutting the vegetable, noticing that indeed, the whole carrot was now mashed. You sigh, not realizing that you've been cutting angrily.

"If you're not in the mood, I can cook myself. You can go on and set the table instead."

You don't argue, abandoning the knife and mashed carrots before making way towards the cabinets where your mother kept the utensils for special occasions.

It was finally the day of your impending doom. Christmas Eve. Dinner with the Min family, and honestly, you didn't know what to feel. The last time Yoongi visited was when you and your mother had an argument right in front of him. It was also the day everything changed. You wonder if the argument that transpired traumatized him, rendering him to madness. Or maybe he was diagnosed with a disorder.

There I go again. Why the hell am I even thinking about him? Focus at the task at hand, Y/N—

You reach out for the stack of plates but one of them slips from your grasp, clattering and breaking on the floor. Your mother jumps, and she starts to scold you as you bent down and picked up the broken pieces.

"Y/N, seriously, what is going on with you?" she exclaims. "You've been so out of it!"

You sigh, fluttering your eyes close for a moment. When you open them, you wince, suddenly feeling blood rushing towards your index finger. You look down and see rivulets of ruby spilling out of your skin.

Mrs. L/N notices your trance and she follows your gaze. Her eyes widen and she gasps, instantly ushering you to rinse your wound and put a band aid on it.

You obey, grabbing the opportunity of ephemeral peace. In the bathroom, you dab the small laceration with Betadine, before wrapping it up with a band aid. Then, your ears register the sound of muffled voices coming from the other side of the door.

It didn't take you long to realize that the Min family has entered your residence. And that meant, Yoongi was also here. Your last interaction with him was at the school hallway, where you two had a small argument about which one of you was the delusional one. It was an awkward one, to be honest. It didn't feel like your previous fights.

You slap your forehead with your wounded hand, wincing and mentally cursing yourself because of your stupidity. It was ironic, to be frank. You were gifted with an incredible high IQ, but your EQ was equivalently low.

After a few minutes of attempts to calm yourself down, you finally step out of the bathroom, sauntering towards the living room to make your presence known. Mrs. Min acknowledges you, giving you a peck in the cheek. You awkwardly stand before her as she compliments your crown braid hairstyle and the baby blue turtleneck dress that you wore, matched with a pair of flats because you didn't do well in heels in cold weathers.

Her attention pans towards your father, greeting him with the same enthusiasm and you finally felt like you could breathe. But that's when you see him too.

Yoongi is standing in the sidelines, observing the interaction between the four adults. He is obviously avoiding your eyes but you don't notice it, of course. He could literally feel your burning stare on him that he was starting to feel his legs buckle.

However, all those went over your head. You pay heed on his outfit. He didn't seem... too bad. You acknowledge that he has a sense of fashion. He is wearing a pair of beige slacks, complimenting his skin tone. The black leather belt that hugged his waist is a contrast to his white button up long sleeve, a cream-colored knitted vest resting on top of it.

When you look at his eyes, you find him already staring at you. Clearly, he had completely failed avoiding at looking at you. You two continued to have a staredown when Mrs. Min calls the attention of the two of you.

"Y/N, Yoongi! Take your seats. Let's bless the food and eat!"

After dinner, the four adults in the room began to chat with the company of champagne and whiskey. Meanwhile, you and Yoongi were tasked to do the dishes. So, as much as to your disappointment, you were stuck with him. He soaps the dishes while you rinsed them. The situation was awkward because you two were enveloped in a uncomfortable silence. The only sources of sound between you were the voices and laughters coming from the living room.

Earlier, your mother had warned you to be in your best behavior for the umpteenth time, and you don't even fight her on it because 1) you didn't have the energy to engage in a war anyways and 2) Min Yoongi had been passive so you actually had no reason to go into a fit of rage. But still, there is a slight disappointment in you because of the lack of interaction you were having with the said boy.

It was like he had gone mute. To you, it's irksome but also, you were starting to feel concerned. However, your pride was more essential to you, so you don't ask Yoongi what has been bothering him lately because 1) he's your nemesis, you aren't supposed to care for his well-being and 2) it might be a part of his grandmaster plan of plotting your demise.

After drying your hands, you don't bother to wait for Yoongi. Passing by the adults in the living room, you silently exit through the front door to get some fresh air.

As if finally freeing yourself from constriction, you inhale the scent of snowflakes and exhale through your nose, an icy breath leaving your lips. You don't notice the front door opening once again. You don't notice the pair of footsteps padding against the soft snow. You only notice it when the footsteps stop beside you.

You turn your head slightly and see Yoongi, who's looking straight ahead. Cautiously, you take a step to your right to increase the distance between you two.

He notices instantly because he scoffs, "I'm not going to bite you."

"I was just making sure," you reason out. "Why are you here, anyway? Did your mom tell you to? You can drop the act now."

He looks at you in disbelief. "I didn't come out here because I was told to. I came here on my own accord."

You frown. "You're legit scaring me now. Will you stop it already?"

This time, Yoongi doesn't let his gaze leave your face. He is intently looking at you, as if scrutinizing every movement you made. Instinctively, you tuck your chin inside the collar of your turtleneck, hoping that it would shield you from his piercing eyes. It doesn't work out.

"I'm not doing anything, Y/N," he says calmly. "It's you who's overthinking—"

"Oh, stop!" You wave your hands at him. "I'm not stupid, Yoongi. You thought I wouldn't notice the way you're acting differently around me now? You don't seem to have that fiery eyes on me every time we talked. It's sickening, almost like you're mocking me."

A silence envelops the two of you, and you feel your cheeks reddening, partly because of the cold but mostly because of the boy who stood beside you.

"You know," he finally speaks. "It's not that difficult to admit to yourself that you missed me."

This time, you have the strength and courage to actually look at him dead in the eyes. "Are you planning to major in slapstick comedy? Because if yes, then I say go for it. Undoubtedly, you'll be the valedictorian just like you always dream of."

He snickers, tilting his head lightly as he reciprocates your incandescent gaze. "You're funny," he tells you.

"See?!" you exclaim. "This is what I mean! Why aren't you arguing back?" You stomp your foot.

He blinks, finding your question dumb. "Because I simply don't want to?" he answers albeit unsure of it himself.

You cross your arms and emit a scoff. "Sure, you do."

"Look," Yoongi starts. "If you're expecting me to argue with you, I won't. I already told you before, a few months ago, I don't abhor you as much as I do before."

"Why?" you ask and this time, he scoffs.

"Why?" he repeats. "For a person like you with immensely high IQ, you suck at reading the room."

Before you could protest, he interrupts you, making sure that your attention was only on him. He takes two steps towards you, decreasing the distance between your bodies.

"Y/N, I may be the bad guy but I'm not a bad guy," he says. "To be honest with you, I, myself, am confused too. I don't strongly loathe you these past few months and I've been questioning myself why either. But—"

He stops and you furrow your eyebrows in confusion.

"What happened to your finger?"

His question catches you off-guard, rendering you to caress the covered part of your skin. You flinch slightly when he holds your hand, raising it to get a proper look on it. His face scrunches and for the first time, you feel something somersaulting in your stomach. You didn't know if you liked it or not, but it was certainly making you feel discomfort.

When you start to feel overwhelmed, you pulled away from his touch, placing your hand to your chest. "I-I'm fine," you stammer.

"Are you sure?" he worriedly asks.

"Yes, I am!" You didn't mean to yell at him but you couldn't help it. He has been making you feel lots emotion. He was confusing you, and the more and more time you were out here with him, the more you were driving to madness.

"You know," he smirks. "If you could stop yelling at me for a second, I could show you much more fun and productive uses for that mouth of yours."

You gape at him, and you start walking backwards when he begins to take defiant steps closer to you. Every time you stepped back, he takes one towards you too. As your back hits the cold exterior walls of your house, you gasp lightly when Yoongi encages you between the walls and his arms, his hands falling on either side of you.

Light snow pelted on both of you but that isn't the reason why you flinch. The reason is because he leans close, increasing the proximity of your faces.

"Yoongi—" you begin to protest but he doesn't let you.

His forehead touches yours and you yelped slightly at the way he is treating you right now. His eyes flutter shut and he speaks in low manner that had you trembling in your position.

"Y/N, you're absolutely driving me crazy," he murmurs. "Like I said, I'm so confused too. My heart and mind are clouded because lately, you've been occupying my thoughts. I loathe the way you bewitch me whenever you use your sharp tongue against me. I despise how you can easily get under my nerves but also it satisfies me whenever you attempt to put me in my place, when you give me a taste of my own medicine."

He pauses, fluttering his eyes open. He leans away slightly, the warmth emanated from his forehead leaving you instantly.

"There is no other plausible explanation for this except for the possibility that... I have been harboring feelings for you for quite awhile now, Y/N." He exhales softly, as if a huge weight has been finally lifted off of his shoulders. "And it's not what you're thinking of. It's the opposite of it."

The world stops for a moment, the snowflakes stop falling, and the time stops ticking. You only hear his soft breaths that had never sounded so calm up until this moment.

"I like you, Y/N." He shows you a coy smile. "And right now, I'm surrendering to you. You can continue to hate me if you want, but it won't change my feelings for you."

Your heart is hammering against your chest wildly, and you only hope that Yoongi isn't hearing how loudly it was beating against your ribcage. As the silence between you two continues to prolong, the harder it was for you to formulate a coherent response.

A buzzing sound slices the still atmosphere and you usher Yoongi to check his phone. He does, sighing in dismay. You warily watch him as he opens his messaging app. You awkwardly stand before him as he scrolls through his chats.

His expression morphs into perturbation. The lump that had formed in his throat getting harder to swallow. You notice his adam's apple bob up and down and you start to wonder what happened.

Then, his eyes leave the screen, searching for yours. When your gazes collide, the confidence that he had a few minutes ago was now gone, replaced by anxiousness.

"I think..." He says reluctantly. "You need to see this."

He hands you his device and you impassively check out what he saw. Then, the blood drains from your skin, your own expression alters to skepticism first, then turns to perplexity once you double take on the image viewed on the screen.

At first, you didn't know what to feel. Your mind going haywire for a fleeting moment. You felt even worse when you look up at Yoongi because his emotion was anything but jubilance. In fact, he rather looks like he was in agony.

But you don't care about that. Your anger only rises, traveling through your veins. At that very moment, standing before your own rival, you were beyond humiliated and enraged that he witnessed your downfall, the scarlet ink being the proof of it.

Top Performers for This Year's Midterms

1. Min Yoongi

2. L/N Y/N

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

The Christmas jingles resonating all throughout the suburbs was unnecessarily aggravating you more than it should be for the reasons that you are making it sound like Christmas is mocking your once exuberant mood a few days ago, and because you didn't like the gift and news you received that night.

Despite the freezing weather's attempts to cool you down, it was heightening your fury instead. Four days after Christmas Eve, you kicked the sheets off yourself and impulsively decided that a walk in the suburbs will be a great idea so that you can finally turn your sour mood into a sweet one.

Alas, it fails miserably. You are still trampling on snow piles as your fervent eyes scan the shops in the sidewalks, desperately trying to look for something that can finally extinguish the fires within you.

But when you reach the end of the street, the tall buildings of stores turning into festive bungalows, and decorated apartments. The worst of all is the duplexes, because the decorations of both similar-structured houses have conjoined Christmas embellishments, letting everyone who passes by know that the two families living inside are more than acquaintances.

It stupidly reminds you of your family's current situation with them. More specifically, your situation with him.

When you finally reach the comfort of your bedroom, contradictory, it doesn't feel comforting at all. Everywhere your gaze lands, they remind you of him; of the fact that he had finally conquered you; that all your hardwork that year were for nothing.

Shutting your eyes close, you begin to recite the numbers of pi, pacing around your room. It was something that you always do when you're stressed.

"...190914564856692346034861045432664821339!" When the door of your bedroom creaks open, you couldn't help but yell nine, as if threatening the one who dares to interrupt your attempts to keep yourself level-headed.

You were about to glare but instead, you were surprised to see your father, peeking through the crevice of your door. You notice that he's slightly anxious because, well, you were screaming numbers.

A sigh escapes your lips and you shuffle towards the door, opening it wider. Your father takes this as a sign that he was invited in your room.

Your relationship with your father is very much uptight and timid which is why between him and your mother, you're less angry at him. At times though, you didn't know how to act around him because you feel like you don't know him. You never bonded with him. Except for that time you were helping him out with connecting the Christmas lights on your roof's gutters.

After that fleeting moment, the bond was gone, as if a scissor magically appeared to cut the strings between you two. You don't hate him for it, but sometimes, you wonder and daydream possible moments where you could actually bond without that suffocating rope forcedly tying you two together.

You wonder if in the past, in the years when you were still full of innocence, purity, oblivious of the histories of the ancient world; when you still didn't know how to count one to three; when you barely knew how to lift a muscle and take the first steps towards your father.

Had he ever squat down before you, his face full of sunshine, and encourage you to come to him with open arms? Tell you that you could do it! That you could make it to the heartwarming embrace of your father's arms?

But the more you try to dig any sort of memory from your lobes, nothing resurfaces. And you were back with the reality that, maybe, he didn't need and have to do all of those.

Because as far as your memory traveled back, you had been completely fine on your own. Maybe, you taught yourself how to walk, think, say your first word.

Because, you were gifted.

And now, as the years go by, you realize that the gift you have, may be also your curse.

It's a tightrope with both ends holding you up, urging you to keep on walking. A gift and a curse on either end, shouting at you—

Stop standing around!

The rope's about to break if you don't start moving another step!

What has gotten into you?!

You used to do this so effortlessly!

"Y/N."

The call of your father's soft voice pulls you out of your trance. You suddenly realize that you had been standing by the door stupidly and your father is looking at you with worry creasing his mature features.

"Oh," you say. "My bad."

You shut the door then turn your back towards your father. You amble towards your desk, attempting to fix the sprawled mess on it by carelessly shoving the scratch papers in your bin, keeping your ballpens and pencils in your pencil case, the zipper loudly being the only source of sound slicing through the deafening silence.

"Sorry about the mess," you say. "I've been busy."

"On your holiday break?" your father asks, chuckling lightly. The sound faintly makes your lips form into a small smile. But as soon as it came, it disappears.

"Yeah, well, I'm growing older. And that means the more I age, the more my ability to suck in information rusts."

Your father doesn't reply after that, so you continue to clean up your desk wordlessly. Once you had nothing to pick up and throw and keep anymore, you finally turn back around to face your father.

He's sitting quiety on the foot of your bed, and you take heed of the small box he's fiddling with his hands. The box is covered with red wrapper, with flurries of snowflakes as pattern.

He notices that your attention is on him, so he stands up from your bed and approaches you in a relaxing manner yet you can catch on the slight cautiousness along it. You decide not to mention anything about it.

He hands you the little parcel, and you accept it wordlessly, opting to wait for him to speak first.

He does. "I wasn't able to get you any gift on Christmas, and I hope I'm not too late. I had a bit of a hard time picking one, but I made sure I thought about it. Hopefully, you'll like this small present."

"Thanks, dad," is your only verbose reply.

He nods and after contemplating a bit, he decides to leave you to it. In your own solitude once again, you scrutinize the small box, tossing it lightly every now and then to guess what it was. You feel movement from inside, like a flow of something liquid.

Your curiosity makes you rip the wrapper apart and it didn't take long for the gift to make its apparition.

The gift is simple like its size, but to you, it holds a lot of meaning. It's a snowglobe, but the inside is what makes it unique. No, Santa Claus isn't there inside nor were the nine reindeers that pulled his sleigh—even the sleigh itself is absent. Rudolph isn't there which makes you slightly pout but it doesn't last long because staring back at you from the other side of the glass is a small girl with Iron Man's arm around her. He is almost hugging her but his other arm remains at his side.

You shake the globe in your hands, chuckling at the bits of snow encompassing the small figures inside.

Indeed, it reminds you of something. You and your father.

But for the first time in forever, you aren't longing. Rather, you are contented.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

It is still snowing a week after New Year. Nothing much happened. You only had a family dinner, watched fireworks, and jumped around because of your belief that you would grow taller if you do so.

But after the first day of the year, things went back to normal. The only difference is the relentless snow pouring everywhere.

Oh, and classes are resumed.

Miraculously, you don't feel as much anger as you did a few weeks ago. You don't know if it's because it's a new year so you just suddenly feel like oh, fuck it, it's been a long ass while, I should chill the eff out.

Weirdly enough, you expected to be really infuriated when your feet leads you to the bulletin board and scan it. You see your name, beside the number two. It sinks in to you of the reality that you're now second but oddly, you don't feel the particular element surging through your veins.

You thought everything's going well so far. And you must have a curse because every time you thought that all is well, that's when the real torrential typhoon arrives.

Tornados hit everywhere, and instead of rainshowers, you see hails vehemently falling on yourself. It hurts so much more than rain, but you had to get through it anyways. Or else, you would die getting shot by mere ice. It was gonna be embarrassing if your soul sees your grave with the words 'Cause of death: ice' engraved on your tombstone.

So, you make sure that you are under control when Min Yoongi does his usual entrance, greeting the student body with nods and smiles. It's slightly different now though, because some of them greeted him back with congratulations.

You resist your eye wanting to twitch when Yoongi's gaze finally lands on you.

A year ago and a year before that, you would always see his eyes fiery and intense, trying to get under your nerves with a mere eye contact. Now, however, his eyes hold on anything but anger. The sight of him doesn't infuriate you for the first time, but it does provoke you for another reason that you were afraid to unravel.

You desperately want to bury what you're feeling six feet below, because as much as you loathe it, you can't help but trail your mind back to that particular night when he had declared his feelings for you.

"I like you, Y/N."

Was that even possible? Was it possible, at all, to grow feelings for the person who constantly tormented you for the years you've known them? You couldn't wrap your mind around it, no matter how smart you are, it seems like you couldn't find any plausible explanation for such circumstances.

Not even when the devil himself is only three inches away from you, did you successfully come up with a conceivable reason.

Yoongi greets you but you don't respond. The crowd was anticipating what would your response be, and you refuse to give them the satisfaction. Instead, you walk past him, not even sparing a glance to any of the spectators. You also drown out their whispers, making you want to yell at them 'Why whisper when I would still hear it anyway, dumbos?'

You don't utter a single world, opting to force to smother the flames instead, maybe bury them deep within your ribcage, lock it with a key and throw it in the Altantic Ocean, hoping that it will land on the Titanic where no one could ever take it. Not even you.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

You spent the whole day in school cocooned in your hoodie, attempting to take naps despite of the loud voices of your teachers and classmates. But you only end up being wide awake, your eyes open, your face on the desk, seeing nothing but black. You succumb in yourself in the trenches of your own thoughts, and you finally drift off.

You don't know how long you've fallen asleep, but your consciousness slowly enters your systems, causing you to become suddenly aware of your surroundings. Unlike a few minutes—or hours—ago, the ambience is silent. Too silent.

When you open your eyes and move your arms slightly, your brows furrow in confusion when the darkness remains. You have no idea if your sense of hearing had heightened in the span of your sleep or if the sound is just extremely loud because you can hear someone breathing, as if they were just beside you.

Squinting your eyes, you brace for the brightness of the world to blind you, but you still see nothing.

You rub your eyes to adjust your sight in the dark. And you finally realize that it is night time. The stars are awake, looking down on you as they twinkle. The moon is round, as if it is luring you to spill your secrets.

Most importantly, you finally process the presence beside you. The main sound source of breathing.

Min Yoongi.

When you look at him, he's already staring at you. It reminds you of that certain night once again. Come to think of it, the situation you both are in is similar. It's night time again.

"What are you doing here?" It's you who breaks the silence. Your voice is slightly hoarse so you clear your throat.

"I could ask you the same." Yoongi shrugs. He leans on his desk, propping his elbow and resting his chin on his palm.

"I fell asleep," you merely say.

"I figured," he replies. "But you slept through your classes? Even after it ended?Huh, I never took you for a deep sleeper."

"It's because of the weather." You grit your teeth, starting to feel annoyed at the exchange you're having with your nemesis.

Your bitter tone, however, doesn't come unnoticed to Yoongi.

"Why are you grumpy? Shouldn't you feel better after a nap?"

"You could say that I woke up on the wrong side of my desk."

He lets out a laugh at your response, and you furrow your eyebrows and frown because your intention wasn't to make a joke.

"Is that your awkward way of flirting with me?" He gives you a coquettish smile.

Your face distorts into disgust. "You're ridiculous."

"What?" Yoongi tilts his head. "You said you woke up on the wrong side of your desk, which is the opposite of where I am. Do you think you would've been in a less sour mood if it was my face you saw first?"

You mentally kick yourself for being slow. Moreoever, you also curse lowly because your heart stopped beating for a fleeting moment.

You also can't contain your irritation any longer. You grimace, making your vexation perceivable to the boy who sat beside you.

"You're really getting on my nerves," you say. "This was your goal all along, right? To deter me away from focus. This was your grandmaster plan all along. To get ahead of me. Well, guess what?" You abruptly stand up from your chair, the furniture screeching against the floor. The eerie sound reverberates through the whole room yet Yoongi doesn't flinch.

"Congratulations, Yoongi," you seethe. "Congratulations for beating me! Did you have fun distracting me? Also, cut the crap, will you? You weren't here because you wanted to set a romantic mood, and maybe try again in making me fall for you, yes? No, you don't have to go through all that bullshit. Not at all. Because right now. Right here, I am giving you the full permission of mocking me! Tada! Isn't this fun? It's all going well for you, isn't it, hm?"

You were now leaning forward, your face right in front of him. You gathered that much of your confidence because you already knew it would be your last. Because the following days, you would probably be drooping in humilation.

However, Yoongi stays put in his seat, his eyes void of any emotion you could decipher. He only looks at you. The silence envelopes the both of you again, and you were losing every bit of patience you had left within you.

But the silence breaks as soon as you acknowledge it.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Yoongi's question-declaration cuts you deep. Your breath hitches and you feel like someone had taken your lifeline.

"Wha—"

"You know," he speaks again. "For all the years I've known you, I always thought that even if we were in an apocalypse; if we were the last humans on earth, I would rather date a zombie that have myself associated with you. It was always easier that way, right?" He pauses, looking briefly at you before shifting his gaze at the silvery scenery outside. "It was easy... but now, it's difficult to think that way. Because in all my life, I have never even considered, thought about falling for you."

At the last word, his eyes meet yours and a thousand galaxies can be seen in his irises. You can see your own reflection in his eyes, unsaid words starting to spill out the more stars his eyes consumed.

"Your brutal words used to be my melodies, because whenever I hear you utter words of hatred at me, they become my symphonies. I was always satisfied having successfully gotten into your nerves. But now, they're like bullets to me. Your wicked words are curses to me. Whenever you express your loathe, they come across as daggers now. But they also bewitch me in some way, because I know that you don't vehemently hate anyone else as much as you hate me."

A soft wind kisses both of your skin, serving as the temporary rest between the overwhelming tension between you.

"But I can't help but think..." He moves from his seat, standing up from it and you are forced to stand properly as well.

He takes a step closer to you. "That maybe, just maybe, we are on the same boat."

"That maybe, the reason you're getting so worked up on me right now is because you feel the same way." Another step closer.

"That maybe, I'm not going insane. That this is all totally normal for me to feel." Another step closer.

The back of your knees hit the teacher's desk, and you yelp slightly at the familiar proximity of your bodies. The night of Christmas Eve haunts you back, but oddly, it doesn't asphyxiate you. Rather it dawns on you in a soothing manner, but also in a way that the weight of the world on your shoulders becomes a bit bearable.

The eventual arrives upon you and it hits you like a meteor plunging on the earth's surface, burying itself deep within the soil so that it becomes a part of the planet. Everything started to make sense to you at this very moment; why you cared so much about how well Yoongi did in every exam you took; why it seems that everything he does gets under your skin; why everything he says stuck to you the most, etching on your mind and it becomes a mantra in your head.

It had always been him. You had always loved that fucker, even more this moment of realization. And it terrifies you now more than anything. You wanted to incessantly succumb yourself under denial, but you knew you would only feel worse than you already are.

You can't push him away any longer, because the more you do, the more your world collapses, and sooner or later you will find yourself underneath the heap of rubble you created yourself. That no matter how vehement you scream for help, nobody will come to you.

But in the depths of your abyssal thoughts, you finally conjure the image of your worst enemy; the one who pulls you out of the demolished building; the one who embraces you and whisper you sweet nothings.

You unconsciously sought Yoongi in all seasons because he have always been the one who saw you; he's the cold wind that caresses your cheeks, the storm that torments you, the sunlight that blinds you, the water that pours on you so that you'll bloom.

And now, the autumn leaves that delicately descend on your palms, and you nuzzle your nose against his, the warmth emanating from him instilling in yours.

His lips ghost over yours, and he whispers, "Tell me to stop. And if you don't... I will take that as your indication that you're returning my feelings."

Yoongi's lips are soft when he brushes it against yours a few times before he presses deeper. His lips are sweet when you taste him the first time in your tongue. His kiss is deliberately and painfully slow but he fills you to the brim, taking in all of your cold breaths. His touch is gentle and tender, stroking the soft skin of your nape as he searches for an angle that can fully quench his desire for you.

It was nothing like you ever imagined, because you never did. Only in this moment, did you let your mind wander to dangerous territory. Your fantasies getting vivid as each second passed by as he drinks in your breathless exhales, strokes your hip lovingly.

Your eyes are still fluttered shut when the warmth of his mouth leaves yours, and you suddenly feel empty. When you open them, his beauty greets you and your eyes that once held fervid flames are extinguished into something much more gentle and fond.

That's all that it takes for Yoongi to know what you truly feel about him.

───❝˖✧★✧˖❞───

The blanket of snow dissipates, replaced by the freshly-bloomed flowers, coating the once melancholic pavement. Flocks of birds fills the void, the leaves rustle, and the world seems a whole lot livelier than before.

Furthermore, you are much more in a state of tranquility.

Spring break arrives sooner than you expected, and you are once again free from the bars of school. Lately, however, you don't deem that place like a prison anymore. It had become much more bearable and breathable for you to step foot on it.

One, because being at the top doesn't matter to you anymore (partly because you had a recent discovery that you pretty much enjoyed being at the bottom, if you know what I mean). Two, because you decided that you're going to use your gift in a much more calmer way, where you won't have to stress too much about your grades, as long as you continue to do well in every aspect of your academic performance.

And three, because you look forward for the rendezvouses your boyfriend plans every single week day.

Stolen kisses in empty classrooms and janitors' closets, discreet hand-holdings in crowded public spaces such as the cafeteria, playful banters in the hallways to put on a show for everyone to see, the thrill of getting caught whenever things got a little bit too heated between the two of you in the darkness of storage rooms.

Yeah, while everyone else still thinks you're each other's rivals, you two have a secret relationship taking place in the premises, right under their noses.

Yoongi and you had no problem about it at all. You two came into a mutual agreement that you were going to keep this rivalry thing going on only for the sake of the adrenaline rush pumping through both of your veins at the thought of your schoolmates possibly finding out what has been transpiring between the two of you.

You've never understood the meaning of love and hate until now. They are two emotions, not entirely the opposite of each other, but they belong to both sides of a coin. The coin wouldn't exist without the other. That's why you worry less about the future that awaits you, because it's Yoongi.

Yoongi had seen you in your worst and so did you had seen his. There's that fine line that exists between the both of you of love and hate, which is why you think that indifference is the opposite of love instead. Because with indifference, you don't give a damn about that person. That isn't the case for you at all on what you feel towards Yoongi.

He is the psychedelic drug you never want to stop drinking. It feels overwhelming at times, but you feel good. And you make sure to return the favor when the coin lands on your side.

Once again, he pulls you out of your reverie, intertwining his fingers with yours. He keeps your hands in the pocket of his coat, while you blush underneath his stare. He walks ahead slightly, pulling you along with him. You don't know where he'll take you on your umpteenth date, but you let him do as he pleases to you.

Yeah, this feels all right.

Maybe, you don't mind him being at the top at all. As long as it was always you who follows behind him.

#bts #min yoongi #yoongi #suga #yoongi imagines #yoongi fanfiction #yoongi au #yoongi fanfic #yoongi x reader #yoongi x you #yoongi angst #yoongi fluff #romance #highschool au #romcom au #christmas au #enemies to lovers #rivals to lovers #yoongi oneshot #bts imagines #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #suga au #suga angst #suga fanfiction #suga fanfic #the gift and the gifted #haeggi

[escha-evenstar]

Mafia AU Series

Chapter 4: Can't We At Least Try?

Pairing: Mafia!Azul x F!Reader

Word Count: 1.3K

CW: minor angst, I guess?

A/N:

Hi hi! I am back and still alive!! I'm feeling a bit sick but I'm slowly getting better! I just heal slowly 🥺 I hope you guys are faring better than me. Anyways, it's been a while since I wrote something and I'm glad I finished this! Looking forward to writing the next part because I plan to put more romance hehehe 👀

Divider by @cafekitsune

The following night came too quickly for Azul. He paced around the front of the cabin, walking back and forth incessantly, while being drowned in his thoughts.

How do I tell her? Should I beat around the bush? Or just tell her directly? What would she say? How will she react? Will she.. will she still see me as the same?

He suddenly stopped pacing around. A sigh escaped his lips as he feared that his nightly escapades with you would cease, and that he wouldn't see you anymore.

Azul was completely lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice you have already arrived. You noticed how still he stood, an arm crossed across his chest and his chin with between his fingers. His serious expression showed how deep he was in his thoughts. You gave him a few pokes on his shoulder and he jumped at the sudden contact.

"Ah!" Azul yelped.

You giggled at his surprised face. "Hehe~ You seem to be thinking about something pretty hard. What is it?"

"Oh. Uhm- Y/N, I.." he trailed off.

Azul considered himself to be a smooth talker, yet currently the words were caught in his throat. He couldn't even speak a single sentence.

"Oh wait! Before I forget," you trailed off as you showed him a small bag. "There are cookies inside! I wanted to share it with you and the twins, though I haven't seen them around yet. Are they busy? Let's go take a seat!"

You grabbed his hand and led him to the bench on the porch. The two of you took a seat beside each other and you placed the bag of cookies on your lap, opening it.

"Jade and Floyd are currently.. occupied with something. So they're not here today. Also, you know I'm still doing my diet, right?"

"Of course I do! But a little snack won't hurt you. Please? I'd feel lonely if I have to eat by myself," you pleaded with a pout.

Ah. Why do you have to look so cute?

"...fine. Maybe just a little," Azul sighed, giving in to you.

You cheered happily as you each grabbed a cookie and ate together.

"So, what was it you were thinking about earlier?" You asked while munching on the cookie, looking at him curiously.

Azul swallowed the chewed piece of baked dessert as his blue eyes stared at the lake in front.

"Y/N, what do you think of me?" He asked.

"Hm? Why do you ask?" You said while your eyes blinked in confusion.

"Just because. So?" He shifted his gaze to look at you.

"Well, uhm, I think you're very... sweet," you said bashfully. A pink blush dusted your cheeks and your eyes darted to and away from his eyes.

"Sweet? Me?" He was stunned. Azul could describe himself a lot of things. Smart. Cunning. Dangerous. But sweet? Really?

"Mhm!" You hummed and giggled at his astounded look. "You're always here for me. You listen to me, take care of me, and as you said before, you make exceptions for me. You're a very sweet person Azul, and I feel very happy because of you, so thank you!"

Azul saw your pretty smile and he instantly found himself blushing from your honest words and lovely expression as his heart pounded faster. He averted his eyes and quickly moved his hand to his face, partially covering the pinkish hue on his cheeks.

"I see." He wasn't sure how to respond to such genuine praises and compliments, especially coming from you. You made him a flustered mess inside.

You were so kind and pure. Honest and sweet. A bundle of joy and sunshine in his dark and cold world. Suddenly, the more Azul thought about you, the more he grew afraid. Thoughts that being with him would cause you hurt and pain in the future. It was dangerous to be with someone like him. He didn't like the idea, but maybe...

Maybe I should just let you go.

Azul shifted his position as he hunched his back, elbows rested against his thighs and hands clasped together by his mouth. "Y/N. What if there was more to me than just this.. sweet person you know?"

"What do you mean?" You said, confused by his question and sudden seriousness.

"What if I'm not who you think I am?" He continued to ask you questions that didn't make any sense to you.

You tilted your head to the side, growing even more befuddled. "I don't understand. What are you saying, Zul?"

Azul sighed deeply before slowly turning his head to look at you. "Y/N, I'm part of the Mafia."

Silence filled the air of the night. You tried to say something. Anything! But your mouth couldn't utter a single word. Lips parted to try and speak, only to close again when no words came out. You were completely taken aback by his words as your e/c eyes continued to stare back at his own blue ones. A few more seconds passed before you were able to say something.

"..okay," you said slowly, though the bewildered look in your eyes was still present.

"Okay? Y/N. I'm being completely serious here. I'm with the Mafia, and that's a fact we can't change." He sighed once more as he casted his gaze downward to the floor. "I don't think we should see each other anymore."

"What..?" You said in disbelief as his words pierced right through your heart.

"I said that we should stop seeing each other. This was a mistake, Y/N. I never should have gotten you involved with me. I—"

"Don't say that!" You shouted. "You.. you don't mean that. I- I don't care if you're part of the Mafia. But don't say that this was a mistake!"

Tears flowed down the corner of your eyes and it hurt Azul to see you like that.

I'm sorry, but I'm doing this for your own good.

"Y/N, please—"

You immediately wrapped your arms around his waist and buried your face on his chest. The cookies previously sitting on your lap now lay on the floorboard, but you couldn't care less.

"Please don't say goodbye. Please don't say you'll leave me," you cried.

You're breaking up my walls. Stop this.

"You might get hurt because of me. There are dozens of people out there for you to meet. I'm sure your mother isn't going to forever keep you in your house and—"

"I don't want to if I'm not seeing you anymore. I don't care about meeting new people. I don't care if I can't see the outside world. I don't want to let you go."

No. Don't say that. Stop.

"You're acting like a spoiled child. I'm doing this for you."

"I don't care if I'm spoiled. You can call me selfish but I'm not letting you go." To put emphasis on your words, you hugged him even tighter.

"Y/N. Let. Go." Azul was getting frustrated as he tried to push you away. Unfortunately for him, you wouldn't budge.

"No." You only buried yourself deeper in his chest as you continued to cry.

Why must you be so difficult?

"I said. Let. Go."

"NO!!"

"Why are you being so stubborn?!"

"I'm not stubborn! You are!!"

Azul let out an exasperated sigh. He was getting nowhere with you. It's not like he wanted this either.

"Why are you being like this? I don't like this either, you know?"

"Then let's stay together." You lifted yourself from his chest and looked at him through teary eyes. "Don't let go. We'll.. figure something out."

If you keep being like this, I might just get selfish with you.

"I- I don't know exactly what you do, but I believe you're not as bad as you think you are. And, if ever we come to a dangerous situation, then we'll protect each other. We can do that, right?"

"It's not as easy as it sounds."

"I know that, but.. can't we at least try?" Your voice quavered and your eyes were puffy from shedding so much tears.

And just like that, Azul was done for. His walls crumbled and crashed down, and he immediately wrapped his arms around you. Tightly. Not wanting to let go.

I guess I just can't let you go after all.

Did you like my work? If you did, you can check out my blog for more! ^^

Masterlist here!

Thank you for reading! 🩷💜

Taglist: @lucid-stories @triforce-holder

#escha writes🩷 #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #azul ashengrotto #azul ashengrotto x reader

[thecoffeelorian]

And now, for something slightly different...

Hello again, everyone...

...Okay, gang...before we get started here, there's something I think I need to confess here first.

I don't know how in the world I'm supposed to feel about this show any more.

I mean...in the beginning, I thought their arc was clear as a bell: start removing every single darned inhibitor chip they could find, start the evac efforts to an Outer Rim planet, and then start rebuilding new lives, the end.

Instead, it's turned into what looks like a never-ending negative feedback loop: don't lift a finger to rescue a certain person; get told to give a darn about said person by the child character; finally act on the child's orders...but then as a creepy consequence for giving a darn at all, the title squad/'family'(?) starts watching its members not rethink one side of an ideological/psychological divide and leave them; not give up completely on rescuing Troopers/join the Margaritaville Society and leave them; not remember that there are human weight-bearing birds on a certain mountain planet and leave them; finally agree to be caught by the Empire in order to locate Mount Tantiss and leave them...and oh yes, let's add a 'Will They Kill A Brother/Won't They Kill A Brother' game to the mix, if things weren't totally weird enough...I mean, all right, already.

If this show WASN'T about having all six title characters come back together as a true family on an asylum planet, what IS happening here?

How in the world am I expected to respond to repetitive, exhausting moments of disaster and family splintering when for three whole years, I was endlessly told that there was NO disaster, that this was the PERFECT family, that they would NEVER end up shedding members one by one, etc...and...everything that the big-name fans and fandom influencers said WOULDN'T happen IS, in fact, happening right this very minute.

In other words, the squad and family keeps on disintegrating a little bit more with each new season, and I'm left thinking the same thing a few of you must have thought at least once.

Why am I here?

Is it because I'm studying this series as a whole like a certain Chiss studies art, and searching for all of its strengths and weaknesses in order to better improve my own writing? Is it for the sake of wishing to learn how to draw better, and practicing the craft in the safety of something familiar? Or, am I instead becoming some manner of corporate counter-revolutionary, and taking up fanworks as my mode of protest against stories that revolve more around too-short moments of cuteness and horror, sometimes solely for shock value alone...?

I'm afraid I can't answer questions like these just yet, no, not even to myself. I can only read and write and pretty much grieve everything that these episodes/seasons were supposed to be...yet for Force knows what reason, keep getting relegated to the same few plot points over and over again while expecting different results. I can only hope that there's some eventual breakthrough to make it all worth it in the end, if only to rid myself of the thought that this could be the very first bit of Nihilist media in the fandom.

Anyway...*deep breath* Now that I've given you my two cents on this issue...let's get right to my picks of the week, which, thanks to the return of a very interesting sister, I'm unofficially titling this as:

THE DATHOMIR EDITION

The Bad Batch Fan Art

Captain Howzer by @thespianwtch.

She Is Mommy by @anko-art.

Star Wars Rebels Fan Art

Alexsandr Kallus by @ghosty-blues1.

The Bad Batch Fan Fiction

You know, brother by whiteaxolotl

Fight Like Brothers Do by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz

deprogramming by vicious_creature

Whatever Is Necessary by ChopSyndulla

Domiciles by Polyphonic_Garden

Star Wars Sapphic Week, Day 5--Sparring by @violetjedisylveon

Serpent's Kiss by mediumsweet

Not A Soldier by TigerTheSpahget

Star Wars Sequels Fanfiction

What We Do In The Resistance by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz

And now, I'd like to put in a small advertisement, if only to bring more attention to an up-and-coming artist: @ve-ti-ver has started up their own Patreon page, available at this link . So, if you'd like to support them, please feel free to visit their page.

Finally, yes, you probably all know the drill by now...but just in case you need a reminder, here we go: Please give this post a like and a reblog, so that we can pass this post around the Internet and back!

This Week's No Pressure Tags Go Out To: @sharpasanaro @bananasugarwarrior @lazyprofessorpursesalad @callsign-denmark @melymigo @yeehawgeek @littlefeatherr @anko-art @guppyfreedom @giraffedragon-universe @clonebrainrot @gun-roswell @omglisalithium @falconfeather23435 @uuurgh @simply92-me @skellymom @metalatl @dathomirdumpsterfire @kuraiummei @thedynamicworm @ur-pal-ari @advisorsnips @groguandthebadbatch @lee-lee-la @themightychipmunk42 @random-chaotic-bitch @wastingstarsss @flyiingsly @ilovemedia @talesfrommedinastation @swarovski-yoda and anyone else who might be interested in catching more fanart and fanfictions.

Thank you, good afternoon, good luck, and...

#random status update #the bad batch #star wars rebels #star wars sequels #captain howzer #asajj ventress #alexsandr kallus #tbb crosshair #tbb echo #tbb hunter #tbb omega #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #the bad batch fanart #the bad batch fanfiction #star wars rebels fanart #rey skywalker #rey of jakku #ben solo #finn star wars #poe dameron #tbb deke #tbb mox #tbb stak #ahsoka novel #miara larte #kaeden larte #nightsister merrin #fandom friday

[mikuni14]

Love For Love's Sake - Ep 5-6

I'm losing my mind over Love For Love's Sake.

While watching today's episodes, I laughed out loud so many times. Many times I melted in delight at the sweetness of the story and characters. I watched with tenderness these precious boys during their boyfriend era, kissing, holding hands, dating, their various small and big confessions, their infatuation… And the same series repeatedly punched me in the heart with surprising inserts about domestic violence, death, abandonment, longing, desperate attempts to stay afloat, to maintain the appearance that everything is ok and "just don't leave me." (I knew something bad was going to happen from the moment the sunflower appeared - recently the symbol of the impending doom)

I am absolutely in love with Yeo Woon and the actor who plays him. I love his character, his personality, his cuteness, his insanely adorable expressions and his beautifully deep voice. His wounded heart and how he tries to be good despite everything and keep his soul pure. His sincerity. Everything about him is perfect. I love him when he doesn't hide his joy when he sees Myung Ha and when he avoids him so as not to worry him about his situation. When he doesn't hide his feelings at all, when he holds Myung Ha's hand, compliments him, and cares for him. When Myung Ha blows up at him, Yeo Woon doesn't get offended, he doesn't take it personally, he just worries about Myung Ha and immediately tries to find a solution to avoid similar situations in the future. He's so mature and all grow up about his relationship. And "I'm not a good kid, if only you knew my thoughts." Oh Yeo Woon, I love you so much, my precious, horny boy 😤🥺 EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS PERFECT.

I also love Myung Ha, how he holds back because he doesn't want to hurt anyone, and when he gives up, how he asks himself if he's doing the right thing. How caring he is towards others, how helpful he is, what a good boyfriend he is to Yeo Woon, that he constantly tries to do something for him. How refined his taste in films is 👌 and how he claims Yeo Woon with "You're mine alone" ✨🔥 And his and my increasing stress and fear.

And I love Sang Won. I personally HATE love triangles, but this show does it surprisingly well. On the principle that I wouldn't mind if Myung Ha became Sang Won's boyfriend either. All three of them are just nice, no one is the "bad guy" 🙂 I also really like the fact that the series clearly shows from the beginning that Myung Ha is only interested in Yeo Woon and doesn't give any hope to Sang Won (although I would prefer that he was a bit nicer when he rejects him).

I won't write about or analyze the sad and disturbing scenes in LFLS, it stresses me out too much.

This is a very well-made series that has a good flow, is constantly surprising, in which the mood changes all the time, and is never boring for a second. This series gives me the same thing that DFF does - a good story. LFLS also has a lot of great, memorable scenes of the main couple, which is important for me personally if I am to invest in a romance 🤷‍♀️ Last year, Korea made several series that totally surprised and delighted me. I'm excited to announce that Korea is starting this year with a bang, which gives me hope of being pampered by kbl in 2024 🥳 All I ask is that this series doesn't break your heart too much…

How can I not love Yeo Woon when these scenes are like a second apart:

Despair💀 and The Pout:

Revival 🥳🥰!

Whispers: gosh, fuck

#love for love's sake #bl drama #korean bl #cuteness overdose

[r0-boat]

You're welcome! Thank you for taking the time to reply my comment! I agree with your thoughts about Larry! I definitely see him being a traditional man, he wants to make her happy while she's happy being with him, how he shows affections, and he would try despite that! Can I request for Larry & Waitress Reader continuation now? I want to see their date 😊

Yes you may!

This is a continuation of Larry X waitress reader if you have not seen the previous posts

Part 1🔞

Part 2

This is part 3!

Please go read them before reading this one.

Thank you!

This is becoming by far, my favorite little mini-series. I hope you're enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

The reader is presumed female.

The exhaustion from having just gotten off work was replaced with excitement this being your first date ever. As you step out the shower wrapping a towel around your naked body you contemplate on what you should wear.

Would he like dresses? Or something to show off your legs or body? Your face felt hot, putting your head in your hands and shaking the embarrassment of you thinking about those onyx eyes staring at you with pure love and infatuation. You want to appeal to him, make his heart skip a beat like he does to you.

Your mind started to drift from outfits to where he would take you. Really, you don't care where he takes you. The simple fact that he agreed to take you anywhere made you kick your feet and squeal like you were a lovestruck teenage girl again.

Ultimately you decided picking something that flows in the wind with colors that make your eyes pop. Before glancing over at your phone that's that idly on your dresser.

Larry and you had exchanged contact numbers so he could contact you to meet up but you had gotten cold feet a few times when you tried to text him first.

But when you hear your phone go off, you don't dash to that device faster, staring at the bright screen with your eyes wide, silently screaming when you see the special name you picked for him in your contacts. His first message to you.

'Are you ready? Meet me on main street Medali.'

Such a normal text for an exceptionally ordinary man you wouldn't have it any other way.

...

You're finally going crazy.

Larry nervously loosened his tie, only to tighten it straight for the third time. For the first time in his life, he was early, and not only that, he was really going all out instead of his usual black suit he was wearing.... light gray.

A bold choice, but he was willing to try something new for the first date he had in a decade. He made sure the suit had nothing sticking to it no komala fur, no Trophius leaves, and no Staraptor feathers

Speaking of his date, his eyes widened when he saw your heart skipping a beat. Larry, no, he didn't know much about dressing nicely aside from a standard suit and tie, but he knew that what you were wearing suited you and only added to the long list of things he loved about you.

Though he couldn't quite put it into words he found himself speechless when you stood before him.

"Hi." You greeted awkwardly, your eyes twinkling like stars breaking him out of the trance they put him in. He gazed up and down trying to find some way to compliment you it's what you deserve after all

"Urm... you're outfit, Its... very... you."

He panicked when he saw your face droop.

"oh is it not good?"

"N-no, I-i didn't mean it wasn't good I meant that it's a very cute because I think you are... cute."

His awkward fumbling seem to perky back up, his face turning red at the pitiful attempt at flirting. His ex was right; he needs to get better at flirting.

Ultimately, he decided for that walk in the park. He didn't think he would mind either way, but he didn't like the idea of taking you out to another restaurant after you just got off of work. And besides, the only restaurant he knew locally was the Treasure Eatery, and knowing your coworkers, he had a feeling that their privacy wouldn't feel very private if he took you there.

Not to mention the fact that you work there.

But he did feel a little bad he didn't want to bore you to death even though dating him was kind of exactly what you signed up for.

" I'm sorry if this isn't what you had in mind."

Larry apologized has the two of you made your way over to and nearby bench.

"huh? Oh no" you smiled " you're fine actually it's delightful it's been quite hectic at work recently since we're starting to get a bigger influx of trainers and and it's much harder taking on the league with an empty stomach a peaceful walk in the park like this is exactly what I need."

Larry humed in response his lip curving into a small smile a little relieved with your answer "Those monsters, they're working you to your grave." Your eyes widen. Despite Larry's less than expressive voice You knew about the Elite Fours member and your coworker's relationship. That's not only their regular but in some cases, their 'boss' I mean the treasure Eatery doubles as his gym.

" Was that a joke?" You giggled brushing some straight hair out of your face before looking up at him.

" you're surprised?"

You couldn't stop smiling.

" Sorry sorry I just never saw you as the type you always look so serious."

" I guess I'm just full of surprises." Larry said in his monotone voice.

There wasn't much to do at the park, but that was okay. All you wanted to do was be with your date. The conversation you had with him was nice. I saw a side of him that you don't usually see at work, as he would point out different kinds of bird Pokemon and tell you little facts about them.

You admitted to Larry that You're always busy with work, so you never had a Pokemon of your own. Even though you really wanted to buy yourself a Pokeball or two and catch a new friend or just adopt an egg needing a home, you never really got around to it. This was information that Larry would definitely need for later, especially when he asked you what kind of Pokemon you would like to take care of hypothetically, and your answer of something easy and familiar, like a normal type or a flying type, caught his attention. You really were a woman after his own heart.

Before you could make any moves on your date by putting your hand on his or snuggling closer to him, sadly, the date was cut short when the wind started to pick up your date and saw you shudder. He wasted no time. " Are you cold? I could lend you my jacket. And I could take you home. We could always spend some time together another day, perhaps somewhere inside."

You cursed at yourself, damn you Tornadus, but your heart did make you feel toasty on the inside when Larry pretty much confirmed that he would love to take you out again.

" thank you I'd like that."

The two of you continued small talk as he walked you to your apartment you tried not to bombard the poor man with questions but you just couldn't help it you wanted to know more about him especially after that he reminded you that yes he is in fact a gym leader and an elite four member and to you a Pokemonless person were bringing with curiosity.

Larry didn't mind even though that technically he claimed you first. It seemed that after showing you a picture of his Staraptor as a baby, Starly it seemed that his old friend stole you from him.

As you waved goodbye and by the time you close the door in your apartment you realized you still had Larry's jacket on you.

You couldn't help but feel the heat rest to your face, getting a whiff of that cologne you came to love. That's when you saw it: a pink feather sticking to the back of the felt.

Larry didn't seem to mind that his jacket was in your possession, oh, and he answered the culprit that pink feathered his coat with a new picture of a pink bird Pokemon that you've never seen before.

It did give you a reason to go visit him or for him to see you. You already felt nervous from the mear idea.

#larry pokemon #pokemon larry #larry x reader #gym leader larry #elite four larry #Gym leader Larry x reader #pokemon x reader #pokemon scarlet and violet #fem!reader #a normal date for a normal man what more could you want #pokemon fluff #Sfw #Pokemon #Larry elite 4

[oh-my-may]

Kageyama & Oikawa reacting to their long distance s/o surprising them after a match

requested: Oh my GOOOOD your request are open!!! 👀❤️ I thought about a reaction with the Haikyuu boys (you can choose the characters). Their long distance s/o surprises them after a match!!! A cute reunion!!!

A/N: I honestly didn't know who I should pick so I just went with the first two whom I had ideas for haha hope u don't mind. While writing I realized how much I was writing for every character individually but I definitely still have ideas so maybe tell me if I should make this a series? which characters would you like to see?

Also this takes place after the timeskip since I don't feel comfortable writing during their High School years anymore so SPOILER WARNING for the manga.

pairings: Kageyama Tobio x gn!reader, Oikawa Tooru x gn!reader

warnings: not proof read

word count: 1k

Reminder that my requests are open :]

Kageyama Tobio:

The MSBY vs. Adlers match was all people talked about in magazines, the TV, the radio, social medias... at least in Japan, that was. Since u were studying abroad you probably wouldn't have caught wind of it if your boyfriend wasn't the star setter of one of the participating teams. It was all he talked about. Or wanted to talk about, you noticed. He seemed to not mention it as often in front of you as he may have wanted to. The reason for it was simple: You couldn't be there for one of the most important matches of his volleyball career. Or so he thought. You had an important exam that day and couldn't push it, given that it was one of your last motnhs before graduation. It almost killed you to not mention even a tiny word about how the exam was actually a week earlier so you could be there. It was supposed to be a surprise, after all. You tried to act nonchalant yet sympathetic when you talked on the phone and he was talking about practice, mentioning Ushijima and Hoshiumi. Occasionally the latter would just snatch the phone and chatter to you about Tobio's antics. "Y/N you realla gotta come to the match, or else Kageyama-kun might explode because he keeps all his feelings to himself!" or "Sometimes he caresses the ball all weirdly as ifimagining it's y-". You really had to laugh then, not a single one of them had a clue of your plan, only Hirugami did because you had to plan the organisational matters of your trip with him.

On the day of the match you were basically dizzy, you were nervous for Tobio but excited to see him again and the general buzzing of the crowd didn't do any good at helping to calm your nerves. There was a discussion you had with Hirugami about wether or not it was better to have the reunion before or after the match and you came to the conclusion it was better to do it aftrer in order to not "ruin Tobio's mental state" (his words, not yours, yet you still had to grin). So you let the crowd carry you, got some snacks, met some of your old friends but had to tell them to be quiet about your plan and then quietly sat down on your special place that Hirugami secured your ticket for: A perfect view of the court, yet hidden from sight of the players. The snacks you got were unnecessary, given that the match was so intense that your stomach did flips. Before the match even completely ended you got up and got ready to be one of the first people to greet your boyfriend. You braced yourself for his mood, since it seemed the Adlers were about to lose this match. Yet Tobio didn't seem to be in the worst of moods - He got to play against Hinata, after all. You couldn't surpress the smile on your face any longer when you heard the final whistle that signaled the end of the match. Yes, the Adlers had lost, but the most exciting part of the day was yet to come for you. And for Tobio, you hoped. Journalists, interviewers and other fans immediately gathered around you and pushed towards the field, where the players were talking to each other after the match, but it was just seconds until they would leave the field to make interviews. When it was finally time the crowd immediately formed a tunnel for the players to get through. Hirugami was first, leading the team, spotting you and winking at you. When Tobio brushed past you as last one in the row, you couldn't help pressing out a "Hello there, stranger."

It took him a few seconds of realisation. First he kept on walking two more steps, before he recognized your voice. His face scrunched up in question, before he stopped abruptly and turned his head to the side you were standing on. You couldn't stop grinning now, tears of joy threatening to form in your eyes and a lump forming in your throat when he completely turned around and his eyes immediately landed on you as if he just knew. You didn't move, or maybe you couldn't, but neither did he. People around you just kept looking between you and slowly realized themselves what happened. You giggled while tears were now slowly streaming down your cheeks. Tobio was always so awkward, it got better over the years but now, in public, after an emotionally wrecking game he just seemed overwhelmed, but so were you. "You dumbass Kageyama! Move!" That was Hinata's voice coming from somewhere behind you. He had grown a lot, yet now he still jumped up and down rapidly to see you. And Kageyama took the hint, didn't even care he took an order from his friend and just charged right at you, embracing you in his arms and pressing you so closely to him that it knocked the wind out of your lungs. You inhaled all the sweat he had built up from the game but honestly didn't care, there was a slight scent of his shower gel somewhere too. The best sensation were those strong arms over your back and around your waist, his heartbeat beating against yours, heading for a world record with that speed. The first cameras were going off around you and you knew that Tobio usually didn't like you or your relationship in the public, but this didn't matter to him right now. You felt his throat move against your head and it hit you that he was probably holding back tears right now, trying to understand what was happening. "Did you like the surprise?", you whispered with a shaking voice, still pressed against his chest, so your voice only came out muffled. But that didn't matter, it was only for him to hear. "You're such an idiot for this.", he whispered back, but you knew he meant well so you just laughed and pressed even closer to him, if that was even possible. "I'm your idiot though, so that makes it bearable." "Wouldn't have it any other way either."

Oikawa Tooru

It's been three months now, since Tooru left the country to play volleyball in Argentina. You hadn't visited him yet, your semester has started and you were busy with accustoming to your new living situation, and so was he. But you missed each other dearly, now that the big excitement was over and you could only rely on facecalls in different timezones. That made it even harder to stay in contact, you were often awake during completely different times, not seldom did one of you fall asleep during your calls. It was such a harsh contrast to High School, where you saw each other everyday, that one evening after a call you spent the rest of your night crying and planning your first trip to him. The smile on his face was genuine to only a certain extend when he had told you about his first game with his new team Atletico San Juan. Deep down he was sad you couldn't be there to watch him, as you were there for all his games in school, even if it was just a practice match. And this time you would also be there, you decided.

The theory behind this trip was easy enough, imagining yourself back in his arms. The actual thing however? You've never been to Argentina and your lovesickness had made you stupid enough to not plan everything thoroughly. You got a hotel room, good enough. Only until the day of the match though, hoping that Tooru would shelter you afterwards. You also got your ticket for the game, obviously. Everything else was left unplanned. You couldn't speak a word of Spanish, so the journey to your hotel was already adventurous enough. Luckily the staff at the hotel could converse with you, and that's where you planned to stay until the big day, anyway. As soon as you fell on the bed your heart began to pound. You were under the same nightsky as him again, and it would only be a few more hours until you actually got to see him again. It was so real now that your found yourself breathless for a moment. Did you even still know how to act in front of him anymore? Nonsense, you just had to be yourself. Yet, surely both of you had changed. Talking to someone through a phone was one thing, but seeing them in person again after months?

The only person you had told about your trip was Iwaizumi who you'd suggested should join you, only for him to decline being the third-wheel. You were so lost in your thoughts before sleeping that you completely missed Tooru's daily call. You had 7 missed calls and even more texts from him and gulped looking at them the next morning. The last thing you wanted was for him to worry about you on the day of his big game, so you quickly went to call him. Of course he picked up right away. "Babe! I was worried you didn't pick up!" You made up a stammering excuse about leaving on a trip with a friend for the day and only now returning, given that it was supposed to be night time for you now, or so he should think. "Well, I hope you dream about my success in the game." You grinned then, suddenly all excited and giddy. During the call you were already getting ready as you listened to him rant about his sleep and morning warm-up. "I'll be cheering you on even in my sleep, Tooru. Promise." That seemed to have satisfied him. He kept on talking though and you had a hard time guiding through this foreign city. You had to make up the excuse of having the TV on in the background. When he finally hung up you almost arrived in front of the arena and felt your heart almost beating out of your chest.

The moment the teams got on the field and you actually saw him live and in person and not through a screen your knees would have given in if you wouldn't have been seated. You couldn't even care for how the game went, really. You had missed him so dearly, his movements on the field, his mannerisms, his face, his smile and eyes. His hair had gotten a bit longer, you noticed, but it suited him in his new uniform. After the game was over (ofc they won), you were unsure of what to do. There were already interviewers bundling up around the field and fans were ready to get signatures on merch. You found it best to wait outside of the arena, hoping that at one point your boyfriend would come outside. You watched as groups of fans came streaming out one after another, until it got less and your hands started to fidget with the railing in front of you. As you watched the last line of fans come out of the big doors you noticed the team bus of the opposing team coming out of a side entrance, so you figured that team conferences were over now, as well. You gulped. Only a matter of time now. For a bit of distraction you looked down on your phone, only to find another text from Tooru saying "We won!" and you smiled as you typed an answer. Until you almost dropped your phone when two familiar arms - have they gotten a bit bigger? - found their way over your body from behind you, pulling you to a hard but warm surface. "What a naughty girl you are for lying to me about your whereabouts. Thought I wouldn't have noticed my beloved s/o in even a sea full of people?"

Tears formed in your eyes immediatley when you felt his heartbeat against your back and his warm breath brushing your hair next to your ear, sending a shiver down your spine you haven't felt in way too long. A quiet sob is all taht came out of your mouth before you turned around to face him and pulled his head down maybe a bit too rashly to press your lips against him. "I missed you, I missed you, I missed you." was all that you could mutter in between kisses and he just hummed in agreement as he chased your lips everytime you leaned back.

#haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu #haikyuu!! #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x y/n #hq headcanons #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu scenario #haikyuu imagines #hq x reader #hq x you #hq fluff #haikyuu fluff #kageyama x reader #kageyama tobio #kageyama scenario #kageyama headcanons #kageyama x you #kageyama x y/n #kageyama fluff #kageyama imagine #kageyama tobio x reader #hq writing #hq drabble #oikawa x reader #oikawa x you #oikawa x y/n #oikawa headcanons #oikawa scenario

[asimmutableasgravity]

minnie's Very Good icemav fic rec list!

icemav is such a massive ship but its hard to find fics for it :((

so here are some i liked :))

(this list isnt definitive i have not read a lot, i know there are good ones I missed pls tell me If u have any good recs!!)

fics by @boasamishipper

when i see your face (oneshot, 1k+)

In which Maverick Mitchell wakes up from surgery, high on painkillers, and hits on his husband.

sweet! very cute! maverick rly is a dumb dumb boy

Word on the Street (oneshot, 1k+)

Sharon looks down at her wedding ring and says a prayer for the handsome Navy pilot that’s heading their way. He’s got no idea what he’s in for. / Or, Iceman and Maverick versus the Real Housewives of Fallon, Nevada.

look i also know nth about housewives but this is adorable and hilarious and sometimes we need an outsider pov, est relationship btw!

baby, baby i'd get down on my knees for you (co-written with @academicgangster or simplecoffee on ao3, multi-chapter, 18k)

Or, the Wooing of Iceman Kazansky by a Very Smol Mr. Darcy

(Five times Maverick proposed to Iceman, and one time Iceman accepted.)

OH M,YGOD YOU DONT UNDERSTAND THIS FIC MAKES ME LOSE MY MIND AN DIE AND CRY AND ITS SO SWEET AND ADORABLE AND I MISS THEM SM HGBGKLDS

between the lines of fear and blame (oneshot, 1k+)

extreme whump extreme, most icemav fics hurt mav and i think mav deserves a little better. just a little. this is good also

Out of all the things Maverick had expected to eventually kill him — getting caught in someone’s jetwash, being shot out of the sky, his plane’s engine exploding — getting shot by one of his students in a civilian bar didn’t even make the top ten.

He never expected Ice to take a bullet for him, either.

There's a first time for everything.

fics by @susiecarter

and gamble for the sun (one-shot, 1k+)

It's like this: Maverick and the Iceman make bets, sometimes.

OH MY GODDD OH MY GOD THE TENSION THE IDIOTS IDIOT OT LIKE 3K ITSLOVELY AND SO SO GOOD PERFECT TENSION AND EVERYTHING (in my notes I wrote that they write rly good summaries I just wanted to tell you that)

A Shared Cup (one-shot, 7k+)

hard 2 exp but its a soulbond au and I LOVE THOSE I LOVE THOSE I LOVE THOSE READ THIS NOW AND GO INSANE W ME

It was only a training exercise.

It was only supposed to be a training exercise.

fics by @compacflt

this isnt like a thing about the fics but on ao3, the profile says commander of the pacific fleet (wouldn't that be hilarious if the actual compacflt were on ao3? national security hazard) and that's possibly the funniest thing I've read today

Easier Said Than Done (100k+, series)

"So you just wanna be the best at everything, huh?"

"Yes," Kazansky says seriously, then, confused, squints at him. "Don't you?"

"Of course not," Maverick says. "I just wanna be the bestpilot."

"Huh," says Kazansky, wondering if there's a difference betweenMaverickandMitchell. "Maybe you shoulda stayed at TOPGUN, then."

(Or: Tom Kazansky rises through the ranks while trying to stay a good man. If he ever was one to begin with.) (When We Get Around To Talking About It, 65k+)

"We can start here, I guess. If we're talking about us," Pete says. "Nineteen-eighty-six. The first thing I thought, when I saw you in that O-club, was: Iceman isoff-limits.Capital O, capital L."

Despite himself, despite the fear, Tom laughs a little. "Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

"Well, first off, we were competition. And yeah, you were attractive, but then you opened your mouth and I swear. You were just an asshole. Goose is trying to introduce you to me and here I am thinking about how much of an asshole you are. Shut up about Cougar, asshole."

"It was supposed to be a friendly competition!"

"Yeah, right. So that's what I was thinking: he's attractive, clearly doesn't know how to talk to other men, might be into the proposition if I framed it the right way. But he's an asshole, so this competition is just gonna befriendly." Pete pauses. Then he says, "Ice, you wanna get married?"

And that's how they start talking about it.

(Or: they finally get around to talking about it. And Maverick's got a couple extra memories.) (Debriefing (& Other Stories), 60k+)

look its rly long. but this whole series is wonderful. if ican ever print out one top gun fic to have and to hold irl I would buy more paper and print both of these ones. absolutely lovely and it doesn't feel long its just a good good good time and the classic icemav fic

ALSO HONOURABLE MENTION

Kings of the Air (@fabula-unica, 20k+)

Fighting and fucking: two things he did extraordinarily well. How could he have known what the effect would be when you combined the two?

ABSOLUTE HERITAGE FIC EVERY ICEMAV SHIPPER HAS TO LIVE AND BREATHE THIS FIC OH MY GODDD SO LOVELY SO SO SOS LOVELY read this fic. it has been waiting 12 years for you

ao3 etiquette is in order, if you liked it, leave a kudos and a comment :D I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I did !

#top gun #top gun 1986 #top gun maverick #icemav #iceman #maverick #tom iceman kazansky #tom kazansky #pete maverick mitchell #pete mitchell #icemav fic recs #icemav fics #top gun fic #minnie's manual #ill make a sereshaw one too once i get my life in order

[sug4r-sp1c3]

Can I get headcanons for Finland, Poland, France, Egypt, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and South Korea coddling their S/O(s)? Loved the other ask with Russia, Germany, USSR and Thired Reich so much!!

OHHHHH GOD DAMN I LOVE THIS

but i'll have to separate it 'cuz i think that my limit of post its for and for the rest of characters well they'll be in the second part

(its funny how like 3 of them i consider them female 'cuz y'know comics- but i'll put them male here)

TW: fluff tat break ur teeth, GN reader blah blah

Part 2 is still in the oven

Cuddle hc with Finland, Poland, France, Egypt

this letter means me just talking

Finland

the bitch haves a hat

so if its a cold day/night

he let u use it,

I feel like he loves being like 5 quilts on top while hugging you

he is a person of thighs and belly don't change my mind

LOVES that you let him put his head on your lap or on your belly

although if you want to reverse the roles, he will not oppose

after a day of work he just wants to put his arms around you, throw himself into bed with you, and not know how to sleep (?

vibes that you are doing something, and then he hugs you from behind and forces you to stop what you are doing and takes you to the sofa just so that they are there quietly and embracing

lots of hugs with his head in your shoulder

hates to be the little spoon

he NEEDS to sleep hugging u, he will literally die if that don't happend

cold boi vibes

but if u like the cold

and its summer

cuddle season it just started

"finland i'm cooking-"

"Y/N i'm freezing"

Poland

CUDDLING SEASON STARTS AT THE 31 OF DECEMBER AND IT ENDS AT 31 OF DECEMBER OF THE NEXT YEAR,

if he isn't hugging you, YOU are hugging him

no choice

he loves being the smol spoon

if you are sleeping he hugs you and wraps his legs around yours and puts his head on your shoulder or smthn

he doesn't accepts a no like an answer

he likes to put his head anywhere on the body

he is on ur belly? little tickles

your thighs? constantly says they are like pillows- NO, THEY ARE BETTER THAN PILLOWS

Chest? he can only raise his head, stretch a little and give you a little kiss and then snuggle back like nothing happened- SO HECK YEAH

he likes to watch any stupid series or movie while they hug each other and fill their mouths with sweets or shit like that

He waits patiently for you to finish what you're doing and go snuggle up with him.

yeah ""PATIENTLY"""

He'll give you the silent treatment (for like 10 seconds) for not snuggling with him.

little tickles if he is bored while u both are cuddling

idk man he will look like a 20 year old man but he acts and thinks like a 6 years old kid

"poland its late and i need to move-"

"but it's only been 6 hours!"

"yeah thats my point-"

France

bonjour(i need to say that everytime o'll write for him)

i feel like that this man needs NEEDS, kisses and hugs

or its just me

he would say things like "i don't have time to kisses and to cuddle"

ok sir but why r u watching weird novel while u r hugging ur S/o and everytime that the protagonist kiss u kiss them, and eating some sweets AND-

this bitch would be like

"i don't like when you put your hands around my neck!"(with his

"oh- okay-"

"I NEVER TOLD YOU TO STOP!"

YOU WANT US TO HUG U OR TO LEAVE U IN THE COACH WITHOUT HUGS MF💀?

just take his selfish ass and hug

he loves to be the big spoon

(but if you want to be the big spoon he wouldn't say no)

"darling i'm working-"

"i don't care i want cuddles- I MEAN"

yeah that conversation happens a LOT

he puts his hat on you (if he has it on) he thinks that its cute

"give me back my hat"

"no it fits with me"

"okay.. i have like other 2000 lol-"

i don't have too much ideas for him, i used to writo for him but in my mind he was female soo-💀

Egypt

(i'mjustgoingtosay- AWOOGA)

squeezes you but not too hard, just enough to make you feel, protected and safe

he falls asleep in your arms, he's tired, give hima break omg 😭

no thoughts just you and egypt hugging while he talks about some things, like his culture(idk i'm interested in that so-👁👁), his day,or just saying what he loves of you

bitch you can be just idk, reading a book and then you feel 2 muscular arms dragging you to the bed/sofa and hugging you while he falls asleep (damn i'm jealous)

"egypt i was working"

"and i was needed of hugs-"

"i was working"

"AND I WAS NEEDED OF HUGS-"

end of the discussion

He NEVER wears a shirt when he is at his house (unless there are visitors), but when u both are cuddling you don't feel comfortable with him like that

he will put one on, the cuddling sessions are for both of you to be comfortable and relax

i don't have too much ideas for him rn so i'll probably edit this after

#egypt x reader #france x reader #finland x reader #poland x reader #cuddle #countryhumans x reader #sug4r sp1ce #request

[brave-and-gentle]

Angel vs. Devil: Reader x Jean Fluff Part 2

I got more ideas after I wrote the Ice Sculpture Fluff, so now this is a mini series - surprise! If you haven't read that yet, please read it here.

If you like this, be sure to check out my original character x Jean fic on Ao3 here

Pairings: femme reader x Jean

Summary: Weeks after your first kiss with Jean, you're wondering why nothing else has sparked. He's evasive about a night out with friends that he's not going to – and you decide to find out why.

Warnings: none, this all v cute fluff, a self-indulgence

Word count: ~4K

It's been weeks since your first kiss with Jean after seeing the ice sculptures together. Weeks – and nothing. You thought things might progress, but bar trivia nights were too big and crowded for much to happen, though you were still thoroughly enjoying them. You and Jean had kept up your schedule of meeting at the coffee shop twice a week for you to write and for him to draw, but it was all very platonic. At least, you thought. A couple times you swear you caught him staring at you, but as soon as you looked up he was buried in his sketchbook again.

On Wednesday nights, the coffee shop switched to wine after 5 pm, while you met on Saturday mornings and enjoyed your favorite coffee orders. Sometimes you chatted nearly the entire time. You learned a few more things about Jean – he switched back and forth between straight black coffee or sugary lattes – no in between. He almost quit the soccer team his first year of college because of the emotional stress, but Marco talked him into staying. He had a habit of squeezing his hands into fists when he was frustrated or anxious.

He learned a few things about you too – that you twirled your hair when you were stuck in writer's block, that you chose to Trost for college because you knew nobody from your high school would be there, and that you were a sucker for the baked goods at the cafe and wouldn't share with him.

Sasha is just waking up when you yell that you're heading out to the coffee shop with Jean.

“Have fuuuuun,” she teases. Though she's buried in blankets, you know she's winking. You told Sasha everything, and she's just as baffled as you – why hadn't Jean made another move? “Don't come back unless you've got some good Jean tea!”

“I'll do my best,” you roll your eyes and head out the door.

~

You smack Jean's hand out of the way as he tries to take a piece of your chocolate chip muffin.

“Funny that you and Sasha ended up as roommates, you're just as stingy as with food as she is,” he accuses in a playful tone. The Saturday morning sun streams in through the windows and over Jean, giving his hazel eyes even more warmth. He runs his fingers through his hair to push it out of his eyes and dives back into his sketch. Fuck, why is he so cute? Though you do notice dark purple circles under his eyes and wonder what's been keeping him up at night.

“You can buy your own,” you retort and tap your pen on his elbow. You take another bite of your muffin, still warm. The chocolate chips melt in your mouth. You put it back down on the plate to get back to your character development worksheet, but Jean interrupts you.

“Oh, you uh. . .” he trails off and you glance up to see him pointing to the corner of his mouth.

“Hmm? Oh.” You realize you must have chocolate from the muffin on your face. You lick around your lips and look down, refusing to make eye contact. “All good?”

“Ah, not quite, here.” Jean's long arm reaches over to you. You freeze and hold your breath. His thumb rubs the corner of your mouth with a gentle but strong touch. He lingers for a second and brushes your bottom lip and – someone at the front of the coffee shop yells your name.

“And Jean, you're here too!” Jean jerks his hand away from your face and turns around to see none other than Connie bounding over to your two-person table. He grabs another chair from a table and plops down.

“Why are you awake before 11 am?” Jean glares at his friend.

“Because it's the big day! Don't tell me you forgot!” Connie throws his hands up in excitement for what, exactly you're not sure. You and Jean exchange a blank look. “Not you too?? C'mon guys, the basketball game is tonight!” Shit. You did in fact completely forget this one. Normally you are so honored to be invited something that you remember every detail, but watching sports has never been your thing. The Trost Titans are hosting their rival, the Marley Warriors, which apparently is a big deal. Connie “knows a guy” and scored everyone tickets. “I need everyone there in Titans gear for good luck, or Reiner, Bert and Annie will never let me hear the end of it.” You remember that those three are from Marley.

“Ah, I'm not sure Connie, basketball's not really my thing. . .” you trail off and worry that you'll seem ungrateful since he already got everyone tickets. You might be up for it if it were a sporting event outside – that's the big reason you and Historia played intramural sand volleyball in college, but trying to pretend to care about basketball inside in arena surrounded by die-hard fans doesn't sound appealing in the slightest.

“It's no sweat,” Connie says your name, “think about it, or at least meet up at our place after.” You nod and consider that meeting up after could actually be fun. Connie, Eren and Armin all live together and you haven't been to their place yet – ironic considering Connie practically lives on the couch in your apartment with Sasha. “What about you Jean?”

“I already told you, I can't.” Jean doesn't look up from his sketch.

“What do you mean you can't??” Connie throws his arms up again.

“I mean, I can't. I have a thing.” His voice grows with irritation. You have to admit that meeting up after the game without Jean there sounds a little less fun, although maybe it'd be a good distraction from pining after him.

“What thing? Got a hot date tonight?” Connie presses. You notice Jean's tell tale sign of his free hand closing up in a fist.

“No, a work thing.”

“Whaaaat? Why you working on a Saturday?? Come out and play with us!”

“Because I have a work thing, Connie, now get off my back!” Jean tears his eyes away from his sketchpad to narrow his eyes at Connie.

“Geez,” Connie leans away from him. “Whatever got up your ass this morning must be sideways. Anyways, that's my coffee order.” He points to the barista at the counter “Hope to see you tonight.” Connie waves at you before he grabs two coffees, presumably the other for Sasha, and dashes out the door. You turn back to Jean, who's sending invisible laser beams at his sketch. You had never asked Jean what he was working on and vise-versa. It's like an unspoken agreement.

“So uh, what is your work thing tonight? If you don't mind sharing,” you ask with caution. He finally brings his head up but avoids eye contact.

“Ah, it's an open house fundraiser for the kids. We show their art like a gallery and there's a suggested entry fee. It's mostly their family and friends.” He shrugs. You perk up at this endearing side of Jean you haven't seen since the ice sculpture night.

“Oh, that's actually really cool. Will you or any of the other teachers have pieces on display?”

“Not sure yet. I'm going to head there early and see if I can finish something up.” He continues looking away from you and places his hand on his neck. “Anyways, you'll have fun at the basketball game?” He gives you a questioning glance.

“Mmm, like I said, not sure basketball is my thing.”

“Yeah, I hear that,” Jean says as he packs his sketchbook away. “It is a fun time though – you'll get to see Connie get completely sloshed and try to pick a fight with someone. And believe it or not, Annie gets pretty amped for the game.”

“That's almost intriguing enough,” you laugh. You had never seen Annie anything other than stoic. She and Armin are truly like the moon and the sun. “Would it be weird if I came to your fundraiser?” You blurt out the words before you realize the gravity of what you asked. Why does your brain keep short circuiting around this man? Jean pauses and grimaces.

“It'd probably be pretty boring for you, it's just a bunch of paintings made by melodramatic 13-year olds. You'll have more fun at the game. Anyways,” he tosses his backpack over his shoulder, “I'll see you at the after party.”

“See you,” you say with a monotone voice. It's like a punch to the gut.

~

With your phone in hand, you pace back and forth in your living room. Sasha and Connie had already left to pre-game. As soon as you get home, you call your best friend to see what she made of the situation.

“But why was he being so weird about it? It didn't even sound like he was going to have any of his art there,” you muse.

“I don't know,” Historia says your name, “maybe he was telling the truth, maybe it is really just boring.”

“But still. Wouldn't he want a friend to show up to support what he does? Am I overthinking this?” You flop down on the couch, which is covered in crumbs from Sasha and Connie's late night munchies. Historia would've cleaned it up already, but you don't mind the mess. It's a sign of life, of fun.

“Maybe. . . “ she trails off.

“What if I just went?” you propose. Apparently, your brain was still short circuiting.

“Why do you even want to go?”

“I'm not sure,” you confess. “Something just feels off with how evasive he was.” You hear a muffled yet abrasive voice in the background. “Is that Ymir?”

“Um, yeah, I hope it's okay – she heard everything.” At this point, you assume Ymir knows anything and everything you told Historia.

“HEY,” Ymir shouts your name. “I think you should do it! Go to the art thing. Fuck around and find out!”

“But he seemed like he didn't want anyone there,” Historia counters in her gentle way.

“Exactly,” Ymir retorts, “You gotta find out why.”

It was like talking with an angel and devil on your shoulder. And today, you choose the devil.

~

This was quite possibly one of the stupidest things you've ever done. You linger outside of the nonprofit art studio that Jean works at and shove your hands deep in your parka to protect against the cruel wind. Although really, zero degrees was quite balmy in comparison to the -20 degrees you and Jean braved for the ice sculptures. The slightly dimmed, warm lights beckon you inside as you wonder what in the actual hell you're doing here.

A gaggle of giggling girls interrupt your thoughts. They head for the front doors of the studio, give you a pointed look, and then collapse into giggles once again as they enter the building. Despite the nearly subzero temperatures, heat rushes to your face. Somehow, it's worse getting bullied post-school.

Another sharp wind cuts right through your parka and you can't take it anymore. You rush into the building and involuntarily hum with relief. You barely hear what the kid at the table propped up in front of the doors says to you. Without thinking, you shove a $10 bill at them and walk further into the studio. As expected for an arts nonprofit, it's small – not really a studio as much as a couple connecting classrooms someone tried to dress up as a studio. You dart behind the coat rack and scan the room for Jean, but he's no where to be seen. Parents mill about with their middle school kids.

You keep your parka on, in case you need a quick escape. Plus, it's fucking cold. You begin wandering through the sea of student paintings. A sign at the start explains that the theme is peace. Some paintings are right on the nose – a dove flying with an olive branch or a collage of psychedelic-looking peace signs. Others are a little more nuanced. You chuckle at the painting of a cat stretched out on a floor in a sun spot. You too would like to be sunning yourself and lazing about. Another is a woman, you assume the student's family member, baking bread. You cycle through the student showcase faster, eager to see if Jean has anything on display. Finally, you reach the back corner of the studio. Your eyes flit to the tags below the instructor's paintings. True to what Jean told you earlier, you don't see Floch's name. At the very last tag, you find “Saturday Coffee – Jean Kirstein.”

You look up and find yourself face to face with -

Yourself.

You are on display for everyone to see. Exposed. Your eyes widen and your lips part in shock. Jean has captured you perfectly – from the exact shade of your hair and eyes, to the way you hold your pen, even the slight scars on your skin from a severe case of acne in high school. In the painting, you're at the coffee shop writing. One hand holds your pen, the other your cup of coffee.. There's even a half-eaten muffin to the side.

I'm going to kill him.

A torrent of emotions flood you – violation, honor, embarrassment, humility. Footsteps approach behind you.

“It's beautiful, isn't it? That's my Jean boy's painting.”

You turn to find none other than Jean's mother. Even if she hadn't said anything, her eyes were a dead give away. Nobody else could have his exact shade of earth-like hazel eyes.

“Yeah, um – it's – it's” you stutter.

“Oh,” her eyes light up. “It looks just like you! Are you his muse?” Her laughter is like deep music, but she's interrupted by an aggravated voice.

“Mom, what are you doing here? I asked you not to come.”

Jean. Shit.

Heat flushes your face as you make eye contact with him. And goddamn, he looks good. He's wearing Vans, black loose fitting jeans, and an olive green sweater. Based on his facial expression, you're not sure which of you is more mortified at this situation.

“Oh – “ he says your name and softens, “you're here too.”

Horror and humiliation take over your body.

“So this is why you didn't want to come.” You jab your finger at your mirror image. Jean shrinks into his sweater.

“Look, I can explain - “

“Explain what? That you drew me without telling me?” You try to ignore his mother's worried eyes darting back and forth between you two. Your throat chokes up and you whip around and head back toward the front door. Jean follows you and says your name.

“Wait!”

“No!” You turn back around to face him, tears threatening. “Shit Jean, you at least could've fucking asked me first.”

Hurt flashes across his eyes, but you don't care.

“Ooooo!” The middle school students are entertained by the show you don't realize you're putting on. All too aware of every eye on you, you dash out the door. The now subzero temperatures suck the air out of your lungs. The door behind you doesn't slam shut as expected.

“Please, give me a chance to explain,” Jean pleads with you. You turn around and soften at the sight of him running after you with no coat on, his ears instantly red.

“That was humiliating,” you voice cracks.

“I know, I know.” Jean tips back and forth on his toes and shoves his hands deep in his pockets. Fuck men for getting pockets. “Look, I gotta stay here for a little bit longer, but can you give me a chance to explain? I'll take the painting down immediately.” You raise an eyebrow. Though you do want to know why, the devil in you wants run home and leave him hanging. It's what he deserves. “Meet me at the brewery around the corner? Beers on me? Please?”

This time, you choose the angel.

~ ~ ~

By the time Jean gets to the brewery, you've already guzzled nearly all of you raspberry sour. You take the last sip and eye him as he walks in, flushed from the sudden heat.

You knew exactly what brewery he had referenced as it was the same one that you, Historia and Ymir frequented after intramural volleyball games. After one game, you three sat in the back corner and Ymir scratched “Historia + Ymir + their pet” into the brick wall. You're still not sure how she managed to scratch all that and not get caught.

One year later, you sit in the same spot – but alone. Until Jean comes running up to you. He tears his knit cap and winter coat off, leaving his lengthening hair sticking up in all different directions.

“You started without me?” He points at your now empty glass.

“Mmmhmm.” You nod and cross your arms.

“Can I get you a refill?”

“Yep. Raspberry sour.” You push your glass toward him. A few moments later, he returns with your drink and an IPA for himself.

“Explain yourself,” you demand as soon as he sits down.

“Right,” he agrees and sighs, running his fingers through his hair before resting his stubbled chin on his hand. His face is still flushed, but probably not from the heat inside anymore. “I panicked, honestly. I'd been trying sketches all the time we'd been at the coffee shop, but I was getting no where with the peace theme. I already didn't show anything at the last showcase, which isn't a huge deal, it's mostly for the kids, but I figured it would be a good way to get back into it. Then one morning, it hit me that what I needed was right in front of me.” He gestures his hands to you. “It was you. You were writing in your notebook and drinking coffee, nothing special, just our usual Saturday morning, but you looked so at peace. It's different from how I normally see you.”

“What do you mean?” You furrow your eyebrows. “Different how?”

“Oh, um,” he scratches his stubbled jaw. Fuck. You are not immune to the effects of a well defined jaw. “I guess when we're all in a big group, I've noticed that you're a little tense, like you have your guard up – which makes sense in a big group of people you don't know very well. So it's been nice to see you relaxed and in your element.” He shrugs, seemingly embarrassed of all he just divulged, of just how much he pays attention to you.

“Hmm.” You keep your arms crossed and nod, unwilling to think too deeply about Jean's accurate observations. “And you didn't bother to ask my permission because . . . ?”

Jean takes a deep breath. “Because I was staying up past midnight painting and I was terrified you'd think it's weird. I didn't want to risk not showing anything tonight, so instead I just hoped nobody would show up. And that's not an excuse, I know. It was a stupid decision. I should've given you the chance to say no. I've taken it down and I promise I won't show it to anyone without your permission.” He slumps down in his chair and looks to you for a response.

You clear your throat. “Thank you.” Jean's face loosens a little.

“Actually, you can have it, if you want. You have more of a right to it than I do.”

“No,” you shake your head and take a sip of your drink. “That feels weird. I can tell you put a lot of time into it, if nothing else.” He nods, but remains silent, unwilling to accept the compliment – probably out of shame. You're not sure if you're quite ready to forgive Jean, but you also don't want to talk about it anymore. “So what was the deal with your mom?”

Jean's head jerks up. “Ah, I owe her an apology too. She's come to every single one of my shows, but I was nervous that she'd get the wrong idea. The curse of living in the same city as your mom means she'll find out anyway,” he smirks.

“And what would be the wrong idea?” Your heart skips a beat as you wait for Jean to answer.

“That we're . . . together,” he purses his lips together. “We're friends, right?”

“Right,” is your knee jerk reaction. Disappointment and glee fill your body at the same time. Glee because you do in fact want to be friends with Jean. Disappointment because this clearly meant the kiss meant nothing to him. You remind yourself that you barely know Jean, yet the attraction is undeniable, especially as a broad grin stretches across his face, which sends you melting.

“Good. Thought I'd lost you there for a minute.”

You return his smile and give his long leg a gentle kick under the table. It's all too easy with how far they stick out. “Just don't do anything like that again,” you warn, half kidding, half serious.

“On my honor,” he says, placing his right hand on his heart in a mock salute. “But seriously, I feel like I owe you a lot more than a beer on me. Can I take you out around Trost sometime?”

Those are date words, but a small voice in the back of your head reminds you that this is an apology – and you don't want a pity hang out.

“You don't have to do that – hang out with me because you feel obligated to.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “That's not what I meant! I mean, I do actually want to hang out with you. It'd be fun to see you outside the coffee shop and trivia. Really, you'd be doing me a favor. Marco's been so busy with his nursing shifts and there's only so much of Sasha and Connie I can handle.” His words spew out almost faster than you can comprehend.

You know what he means, but you tease him. “So you want to hang out with me because your other options are out?”

“Ah shit, I'm really digging myself in a hole here.” He looks down and rubs his fingers through his godamn sexy hair again. He says your name, “I want to hang out with you because I like spending time with you. Better?”

You laugh. “Alright, you've got me. What do you want to do?”

“It'll be a surprise,” he gives you a wry smile and takes a sip of his beer.

“Hmm, mysterious.” Your phone buzzes – someone's calling you. Nobody ever calls you except Historia. You take your phone out and it reads “Connie Springer.”

“Connie?” You answer.

“HEYYYY,” he slurs your name. Jean busts out laughing. Connie's voice is plenty loud enough without speaker phone on. “We WON! Titans win! Get your ass down to our place NOW! And make sure to bring that horse face with you.” He hangs up before you can respond.

“Horse face?” You ask Jean, who crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.

“Eren's insult turned nickname, I guess.” Something tells you that it's endearing from Connie and infuriating from Eren. “Do you want to go after we finish these?” He points to your still mostly full drinks.

“Sure, though I'm not really sure what to expect. Never really been into super competitive sports.”

“It's a lot of fun, even if you're not into it. Mikasa and Armin are pretty 'meh' about it, and they still manage to have fun. Expect Connie to be belligerently drunk and insufferable. Sasha will be off the wall. Reiner might be in tears.”

“Tears?? For a basketball game?” It's hard to imagine the beefy guy in tears.

“He's a big dude with a lot of feelings,” Jean chuckles. “Shall we find out?”

#jean kirstein #jean kirstein fluff #reader x jean kirstein #jean kirstein x reader #date night #aot #attack on titan #sasha braus #eren jaeger #mikasa ackerman #modern au #snk #shingeki no kyojin #fluff #writing #brave-and-gentle #friendship #roommates #reader x Jean #Jean x reader #historia reiss #ymir #connie springer #femme reader #jean x you #you x jean

[kingedmundsroyalmurder]

Blue Castle Book Club Catch-up Post 2

"because she wanted to make one foolish, extravagant purchase in her life"

Okay, I see what Valancy is going for, but I do feel compelled to point out that her whole marriage has kind of been a series of foolish, extravagant purchases. She has bought herself many treats. Which, genuinely not judging -- I think Valancy should get all the treats she wants, and I love me a pair of cute shoes. It just also very much reminds me of when I want fancy coffee and go, 'I should get nice things once in a while too!' while deliberately not thinking about how I literally just got fancy coffee last week.

"Valancy always had a sense of stepping from one world to another—from reality to fairyland—when she went out of Port Lawrence and in a twinkling found it shut off behind her by the armies of the pines."

The fairyland motif reappears!

"She looked at Barney, hunched up beside her. His silence was very eloquent. Had the same thought occurred to him? Did he suddenly find himself confronted by the appalling suspicion that he was married, not for a few months or a year, but for good and all to a woman he did not love and who had foisted herself upon him by some trick or lie?"

I know Valancy is anxiety-spiraling here, and LMM is very good at portraying her mind running away with her with no regard for reason or logic, but I desperately wish that she had one friend she could confide in. Because literally anyone would look at what just happened and go, "Valancy, he likes you and he was worried you were going to die in a very upsetting and dramatic way. Yeah, he's shaken up about it. This is the silence of a man who is much more likely to be going 'oh God my wife almost got run over by a train' not 'Curse my wife, that lying hussy, tricking me into the marriage bed through fiendish deception!'"

But Valancy's one friend is dead, and she has no one else. So when her one social connection goes silent (and thank you to whoever it was -- @akallabeth-joie maybe? [ETA: found it! It was @purple-crayoner]-- who pointed out that the silent treatment was Mrs. Stirling's weapon of choice when she was mad at Valancy) she immediately assumes the worst and doom spirals.

A progression: "They had gone around the lake one June evening in their disappearing propeller" becomes "In silence Barney steered his boat into the sunset miracle that was Mistawis." Valancy is already writing herself out of their life.

And Barney, who has apparently never developed a coping mechanism in his entire life other than 'go silent and run away' (honestly: mood)... goes silent and then runs away. Honestly, my man could have left a note. A short "Gone out, don't wait for me to eat, may not be back until tomorrow' probably wouldn't have convinced Valancy that he still wants her around, but it is the considerate thing to do for a housemate, whether you love them or not.

I'm honestly finding myself running out of patience for Valancy's doom spiraling about Barney, but that's a me problem. I have spent a lot of time and mental energy teaching myself to believe people when they tell me things, largely because I have been on the receiving end of a couple, 'you don't really like me, you're just pretending to like me, I know you're just looking for an excuse to leave!' relationships. It's honestly kind of exhausting to manage. Again, I wish Valancy had just, like, one friend who could let her sleep over and be a sounding board.

But instead she goes to see Dr. Trent, who doesn't cover himself with any glory but makes some fairly understandable assumptions. You probably shouldn't call patients idiots to their faces though. Especially when it's you who made the mistake.

(Also, this is the USian in me speaking, but it makes sense that she wouldn't have sought a second opinion? Doctors are expensive and he was the specialist. This isn't a GP saying go see an expert, this is the expert saying 'here is my diagnosis.' Especially because the other available doctor, Dr. Marsh, isn't a heart specialist.)

#blue castle book club #blue castle chapter 35 #blue castle chapter 36 #blue castle chapter 37

[penwieldingdreamer]

Strike!

Thank you so much everyone for giving this a go, it's been a while since I had so much fun writing and working on new parts of the series. Let me know what you think about this. I'm going to update my taglist, so if you want to join just click on the link in my BIO and you'll be able to tag yourself

Summary: Date Night didn't go as planned [2.4k, some cursing, loopy Jake]

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(gif by @unicornships)

Taking a deep breath you glance around the chaos that was your bedroom. Every piece of clothes you owned was strewn across the floor and your bed. Allison lounged in the corner seat cackling like a madwoman as she listened to you cry on the phone with your mother.

“Honestly mom, I have no idea what to wear and Ally isn’t helpful at all. She’s making fun of me right now.” Pouting, you sat down on your messy bed. A huff leaving your lips as you tried to come up with any kind of ensemble for the upcoming date night with Jake.

“Oh darling, why are you so nervous?” Your mother’s calm voice flowed over you and you instantly felt your heart rate lower to a normal rhythm. “I thought you hated his guts.”

Sighing softly, you eyed the blonde typing away on her phone and giggling like a little school girl. What the hell was up with that? “I know I said that, but mom…He rescued puppies and kittens from the kill list at the shelter. His truck was literally full with them. I think he fucked up but I told him I’d give him a chance - one chance.”

“She’ll give him five.” The voice in the back called, earning a chuckle from your mother. 

“Why don’t you wear that cute summer dress you bought on that trip to Paris last year, with the flowers?” Looking around, you finally spotted it under Ally’s foot. Sending a glare her way, you motioned her to pick it up so it wouldn't crumple more than it already was.

"Right, thanks for the help. I'll finish getting ready now." Again Allison interrupted your goodbyes with a giggle. “Goodbye Mom!” Swatting at your friend, you couldn’t help the grin that spread over your lips.

“Oh, he’s going to fall all over himself when he sees you in this dress.” The blonde wiggled her eyebrows holding up the dress. It was cute, classy and the top was accentuating your chest without making it look slutty. Although thinking back to how Jake had been trying to woo you the past weeks, you’d probably could wear a potato sack and he’d still fall all over himself. “I’m telling you, by the end of the month Lieutenant Jake Seresin will have a ring picked for you.”

Shaking your head you threw your phone onto the bed and made your way to the bathroom. You had about four hours to get ready before Jake would come and get you. Butterflies spread in your belly and you couldn’t help the smile that lifted the corners of your lips.

"So, Hangman, what did you plan for your date tonight?" Coyote called over the radio comms, a grin on his lips underneath the mask. They were just about done with their training for today and if he was honest with himself, he was definitely happy to get back to the locker rooms to have a nice shower. Javy was already sweating buckets from the heat in his cockpit right now and the maneuver they flew today wasn’t making it better.

“Oh, I’ll wine and dine her at that Italian we looked up and later, well we’ll see.” Shrugging Jake held his own mask to his mouth. He had taken it off after they finished their flights for the day and wanted to get hit off again, breathing easier while on their way back to the airfield.

A chuckle sounded through the comms, thoughts already circling his head how you’d look tonight. He had told you to keep it casual, nothing too fancy but no matter what, you’d always look amazing. Even back in Texas wearing a shirt and jeans, Jake couldn’t keep his eyes away from you. “Don’t tell me you already got a ring, I remember what you said about wanting to marry her, but don’t shock her like that.”

“Nah, I called my ma, she knows, but that ring is still back in Texas.”

“Thank god.” The sigh from Coyote was accompanied by a dull thud and focusing back on the sight in front of them, both could see the flock of birds they were flying through. “Shit! Bird strike! Bird strike!” he called, Javy pulling up to avoid them while multiple animals hit Jake’s plane.

Breaking left to get out of their way he saw the alarm for the engine on his right blinking and beeping at him. “Shit, right engine’s on fire! Climbing!” He put his mask back on and pulled the center stick close to him, getting the jet back up in the air. “Throttling back, shutting off fuel to right engine. Extinguishing fire.” Every step he took was communicated with control, if something went wrong he could at least make sure there was no mistake on his side. The engine shut off, but he got another alarm pop up for the second engine. He was close to being under the hard deck and the engine was still spinning so Jake was restarting it, something they had discussed while he still was a student at the NAS back in Texas. 

“Hangman! It’s on fire, your engine’s on fire! Don’t throttle up!” His wingman called, panicked as he watched Jake lose control over the jet. 

He extinguished the fires, but the beeping and blinking continued, warnings going off inside the cockpit. The jet was out of control and he heard Javy scream in his ear to punch out, yet he tried everything he had learned to avoid that. He was the best of the best, that 1% that made the difference between the average pilot and him. 

“You gotta eject, Jake! Get out of there, you can’t save it.” Taking a deep breath, he reached down between his legs and pulled the lever to eject. The canopy was blown away and he felt his body shoot out of the jet, all his thoughts circling back to you, how he wasn’t going to see you tonight, maybe never if this fucked him over.

“Well, seems it wasn’t that important.” you mumbled, sitting outside on the porch steps of your home to wait for Jake. 

“No message yet?” Allison sat down next to you, handing you a glass of water. 

You shook your head, breathing out another sigh. Jake had sent you a message in the morning that he would get to you by six as they only had a short training day. It was half past seven now and no word from him. 

“I asked Javy as well, but nothing yet. Maybe they had to extend training and he wasn’t able to get back to you.”

Leaning your head onto her shoulder, you shrugged your own. “Also why the hell are you talking to Javy?”

“Well,” she giggled, “I met him that one time I was in Lemoore for that article and the guys decided we’d head to a bar there. Jake wasn’t with him and well we talked about the two of you and he was the one asking about the shelter program.”

“He’s cute, I’ll give you that.” You joked with her, nudging your elbow softly into her side.

“And he’s a great dancer.” The blonde chuckled, putting her arm around your shoulder and pulling you closer into her side. “He’s going to show up, I know it.”

Just as she said it, a truck came around the corner, the wheels screeching to a stop in front of your house. You could make out the concerned and pained expression of Jake's friend and wingman as he stepped out of the car. Calling your name he zeroed in on you, running a hand over his short cropped hair, his flight suit tied around his waist. "Fuck, I'm so sorry. I should have called but I didn't know how you'd take the news."

"What news? Please don't tell me it was all a joke and he already got a family back in Texas and just wanted a fun roll in the hay."

Shaking his head, the pilot moved closer with his hands out in a calming manner. "No, there was a training accident and Jake is at the hospital on base. I forgot our phones when I raced here."

"Accident? Hospital?" Your voice sounded so far off when you sat up straight, Allison's hand calmly on your shoulder, but her posture betrayed her own calmness. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you on the way, they said he might need surgery for his leg and a tear in his lung but I'm not sure if they already did."

Swallowing the lump in your throat you got up from your perch on the front steps, sending a fearful loon towards your friend. "I got this, sweets, you get to your flyboy and I'll stay until you get back.” With a nod you sprinted towards the passenger side and got in, there was no knowing what you’d find once you arrived at the base in Lemoore, but it definitely made your stomach churn.

Nearly three hours later Javy pulled onto the parking lot of the hospital. Military personnel moved swiftly around at the entrance of the building and you felt your throat go dry. The pilot had given you a run down of what had happened to Jake, the bird strike and how the parachute got tangled up near the ground. Once inside he flagged down one of the doctors that had been on Jake’s immediate care team. 

“Are you here for Lieutenant Seresin?” Nodding your heads, you gripped Javy’s arm. You weren't sure you really wanted to know, but already your brain was telling you that this was what was waiting for you if you decided to be in a relationship with a military guy, he'd get hurt, he might get killed and never come home to you. “Well, everything went as expected. We were able to repair the tear in his lung from a broken rib, the other two are only cracked. Hurts like hell, though. The break on his leg was clean, he’ll have to wear a cast for a while but it will heal well.”

Your tongue ran over your lower lip, wetting the dry skin there. “W-When can we see him?”

“Oh, they just brought him back to his room. Lt. Seresin will be a bit out of it and loopy from the anesthesia but otherwise it’s fine for you to go there now.” 

He gave you the room number and sent you on your way, your hands still gripping Javy’s arm. “Jake’s tough. He grew up on a farm, he’ll be out of here and back in the cockpit in no time.”

“I hope not, he needs to heal first.” 

Chuckling, Jake’s wingman stopped in front of the room. The door was open and you could see him lying in the bed, his leg propped up and wires and machines connected to him. A nurse was there, hanging his IV drip and painkillers, chuckling at the nonsense words that fell off his lips.

“You know, was s’posed to get ma’ girl for a date, but I got in that accident. But she’s ma girl, and ‘m goin’ to marry her. Make her happy, the way she d’serves.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. You knew he was out of it, but the way he said it, the sincerity coloring his words. Turning to look at Javy who just nodded his head, you took a deep breath. “He told me that night at the Hard Deck, when you threw your drink in his face. Said he was sure he’s going to make you Mrs. Seresin.”

Your mouth felt dry and it was hard to swallow the lump in your throat. “I’d rather we date first before I’m letting him put that ring on my finger.”

“Well, Jake definitely knows what he wants.”

Nodding your head, you looked back inside the room where the middle aged nurse was finished setting Jake up and sent a smile your way. The pilot nudged you inside and left before you could protest.

“Oh look, there’s ma’ girl.” he slurred, his eyes half lidded and his smile loopy from the drugs. “Isn’t she beatific, I saw her first back in Texas, t’was a vision, ‘m telling you.”

Moving over to his bed, you reached out your hand to hold the one that wasn’t set up with wires. “How are you, Jake?”

“Mhmm, tired, hurt.” Jake mumbled, leaning his head back on the pillow. “‘m sorry, I didn’ forget aboutchu. Them damn birds. Ruined the date.” His eyes turned glassy and you saw the pained expression on his face.

“It’s all good, I’m just glad you’re okay.” you reassured him, the hand that wasn’t clasped in his lightly stroking over his hair. Your fingers gliding through the soft strands, hushing him when he got too worked up about the date that wasn’t happening right now.

“I’m sorry ‘bout Texas, an’ the bar. ‘m an asshole ‘cause I wanna be better than Greg. You deserve a guy that’s better than him, like my Pa. But ‘m ‘fraid if I’m not Hangman, I’ll not be the best and be just like him.”

You hadn’t known Thomas wasn’t Jake’s real father because they definitely acted like they were, but him wanting to proof something and acting like that just to get back at his…no, you’d make him see that he was more than that facade he put up, Hangman, the asshole that wasn’t really a team player, well only if he could gain something or was flying with Coyote. No, Jake was so much more and those butterflies in your stomach returned with a vengeance. “As long as you keep Hangman away from me I don’t care if you’re the best or not. You deserved that spot on Top Gun and you’re really sweet when you wanna be. You should sleep some more, you’re going to be sore once the good stuff wears off.”

Humming, he closed his eyes, leaning into your caress. “Please, don’t go.”

“I’ll stay, now close those pretty eyes, yeah.” 

“Pretty eyes.” He mumbled with a grin, before he drifted off.  

Shaking your head, you pulled the chair next to the bed closer and leaned your own head onto the mattress, your hand never leaving his own.

Divider © by @top-hhun

#jake seresin x reader #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin imagine #jake hangman seresin #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick imagine