#last semester where i was taking 4 classes in a row 2 days a week was somehow more enjoyable (and productive)
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
fatuismooches · 4 months ago
Note
Its me!!! Confetti anon!! I've been reading your works over the pass days and just wow the effort u put in his character and clones is just perfect 👉👈👉👈
😭😭😭😭 it's not everyday you see a author that consistently posts like this is too good to be true
AHHH THANK U CONFETTI ANON!!! 💕💕💕 I'M GLAD U LIKE THE WAY I WRITE HIM WDBEWDI IT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY!!
And pls i'm glad u think i post consistently... 😭 honestly i think i slack a lot nowadays but i will get into my writing phase again (i also feel like dottore fans on this app have significantly dwindled but i hope there will be a resurgence of love for him in nod-krai 😭)
10 notes · View notes
baddest-grammar-blog · 5 months ago
Text
OOCC #01 - Take Care Fox
And here we are. April 2nd, 2025. 
I want to first start out by saying thank you. The amount of resources this class has opened up to me is truly unbelievable. 
I want to be an HVAC technician and in order to do so I need to be self-sufficient. I will not be able to get my Universal EPA 608 certification sitting in classrooms or hauling  metal scrap in [REDACTED].
This has motivated me to make the decision I am making today.
I am a college graduate with a BA in Communications and Media Marketing. I am a certified lifeguard with over a decade of rescue and first aid experience. I am the only Black man in my family who can swim at a competitive level. I say all this not as a brag but to cement my position as a man who can get things done in spite of the hurdles we as Black people must face in society. 
In the past few weeks I have become dissatisfied with the quality of class.
There seems to be a clear aversion (1) to other knowledgeable people being in your teaching space. In your attempt to stop us from misinforming one another you restricted our ability to communicate among our peers which is not only a fundamental part of education, but is also a necessity on the worksite for workers and supervisors alike. 
I was so excited when you assigned our groups by row. I had the assistance of four seasoned older gentlemen (2). However within a few days my group was a shadow of its former self. Keith and Prince refused to share their knowledge with the group going forward after you shut them down several times regardless if they were right or not. You isolated Noah from the rest of the group as he was struggling even though Brian, Chief, Keith (3) and I were all helping him get his bearings and feel more confident in both electrical and flooring. That’s what teammates are supposed to be there for. Last I checked, he is still on Circuit #1 and his receptacles are still upside down in their boxes. 
However, as you have probably surmised, my personal gripe with you stems from yesterday’s completely unacceptable meltdown at the very mention of Peavy giving me a note about where to place port caps when they’re off. Access ports are chapter 5 of the HVAC book. You told us you wanted us to be done and familiarized with everything that book had to offer at this point. Instead you grilled me about it in front of my peers because you didn’t like that I shared it as a safety tip. I apologize. I was unaware that port caps and cleaning up after yourself were such important information that only professors or administrative staff should be privy to it. 
So where does that leave us? 
My semester ended April 1, 2025. I will not be returning to class. I do not care about my grade.
I have completed my workbook in full but it is more valuable to me as a reference and a study guide than it is as a grade. I will not return to submit it. I completed the continuity tests between station S1 to station S11 with accompanying documentation. I have completed a circuit with a single pole switch. I have completed a circuit with a GFCI, a 4 way switch and 3 way switches. I was a major contributor to the flooring process in the tool shed. I also maintained a record of my group’s safety meetings. As for the hands-on HVAC experience and soldering practice? [REDACTED], where I live, is utilizing a split-system Trane XB 1000. The unit manufacture date is 2000 and it has R-22 flowing through it. Both the rating plate and pressure tests I have performed on the system confirm this. Along with the lengths of copper I saved up to buy specifically so I could practice my own soldering and brazing; (4) I have all the hands-on opportunities I need right here. 
[REDACTED] prices Peavy’s program at nearly 3 thousand dollars (5) for Core, Type I and Type 2 certification. That’s per semester without finaid or grants which I do not qualify for. The universal certification test I plan on taking costs about $85. This is not to disrespect Peavy or any of the blue collar programs offered by [REDACTED] but rather to show that I have done the research I need to make this decision. 
I will be an HVAC technician.
This class has given me the confidence to go out, hustle, study and become truly skilled. However, whether or not I can walk the walk will depend on me. Which means this class is no longer necessary. Is it a bit foolish to stop when the finish line is only a few weeks away? Absolutely. However regardless if I finish, withdraw, P/F or drop dead I still owe [REDACTED] money and my account is on hold until I pay. 
Your class is 16 hours a week that I cannot get back.
Unlike a job, where I am compensated for my time with currency, college compensates me with a GPA. I rather spend my time looking for work, taking care of my mother and grandmother, exercising, studying and assimilating into life living in [REDACTED]. I hope to have my firearm, hunting and fishing licenses before my 28th birthday. 
I want to thank Miss T for always keeping me in check so I didn’t fall into a cycle of complacency in class.
I want to thank Prince, Chief, Brian, Keith, Bert, Robert, Dante and of course you for helping me (6) understand basic carpentry.
I want to thank you personally for being a (7) professor who is passionate about his work. 
Have a blessed day. Take care.  
EDITOR'S NOTES
(1) - this line was changed because I didn't like how it read. Original text: "with the idea that your authority is either being challenged or superseded".
(2) - Sentence shortened for brevity.
(3) - Just noticed Chief and Keith lol. That was not on purpose. This was submitted to an educational institution.
(4) - Still working on when to use semicolons they look so cool when used correctly.
(5) - edited for erroneous statement. The program was approximately 2500 to 2900 dollars per semester for a two year program. I initially had it as 4000 to 5000 dollars.
(6) - Changed from "through my lack of skill in".
(7) - edited to reflect my true feelings. "Professor" was "diligent professor" (he is not) and "is passionate about his work" was "who actually cares" (he does not).
0 notes
skwpr · 2 years ago
Text
7 IMPORTANT ITEMS TO DO ON DAY 1 OF CLASSES
Whether this is your first day of college classes EVER or the first day of your last semester it is seriously never too late to make the most of your classes.
You need to use your first day to get control of the semester because falling behind leads to a stressful and unnecessarily difficult semester.
1) Read the syllabus before class
This is, of course, only an option if the syllabus is available before the class starts. At a lot of schools you can access your online school system a week or so before the classes start and professors frequently have it on there! I also had a lot of professors email the syllabus out before as well.
This is so important because you can start the first day ready to ask any questions and set yourself up for success.
Get a binder or folder to keep the printed syllabi. They were one of the only things I ever printed in college but it was so worth it to be able to write any updates and changes on!
2) Sit where you can hear
I am not going to tell you to sit in the front row (unless that’s what you like and in that case you go!!). But I am going to tell you to make sure you can see and hear on the first class. Sometimes by the end of the semester you realize that being super visible in certain classes isn’t overly helpful.. but make sure you give yourself time to figure that out. Usually the first class of semester is the most helpful because the professor goes over what the class will cover, what the exams are like, what you should study, when things are due, etc. So make sure you can hear the professor and see the board.
3) Take notes
Start taking notes right away. Professors frequently add more information and details than the syllabus has on it and sometimes will make changes to the syllabus. I try to have the syllabus printed out and with me so I can make any updates on it as well as having my laptop out to take any additional notes. Make sure to save the notes (if digital) as something you can easily identify as the first day in the class folder. Also if you don’t already have the folders set up on your laptop for each class then GO DO THAT NOW. If you are taking physical notes then the first day should be the first page of the notebook or first page of the divider.
4) Introduce yourself to classmates
Make a friend in the class before you need a friend in the class. Introduce yourself and ideally swap phone numbers so you can give each other notes if one of you miss a lecture. It’s also nice to already have one or a couple people to team up with for projects! And of course college is a great time to make new friends in general so don’t be afraid to try and strike up conversations with people.
This is especially important in your major specific classes. You will take a lot of classes with these other students and quite possibly end up working with some of them at some point after graduation so make the connections now! Also- if someone tries to introduce them self to you then be nice. Never burn a bridge just because you didn’t know it was a potential connection.
5) Leave early
Please do not show up to the first day of class late! Give yourself plenty of time to get to the building especially if you haven’t been to the specific building before. For larger schools you would be amazed at how even during your senior year it can be time consuming to try and find a new building. Also, those huge old academic buildings can have classrooms tucked in weird places so give yourself time for once you are inside the classroom too.
Walking in after the professor has started class is not only rude to the professor and your classmates but it also will make you feel rushed and hectic on a day you should be trying to set your semester up for success.
6) Ask questions
Do NOT be afraid to ask questions. The sooner you clarify an assignment or due date from the syllabus the better. Chances are if you are wondering about something then so are some of your classmates and they will be thankful that you asked. The first day of classes is largely meant to explain the class so make sure you fully understand what is being explained and what the expectations are. If you think of questions after class do not be afraid to stop into office hours or send your professor or T.A an email. Just make sure to read the syllabus regarding any guidelines- some professors like you to include certain course information in the email subject line.
7) Figure out your day routines
Getting into a routine earlier in the semester will help you stay on top of your academic work BEFORE it starts to get overwhelming. Make sure that your routine includes time for eating and studying to help you make the most of your day. I liked to use the first week to find the best library or study space in comparison to where my classes were located.
Never let it haunt you, but always let it remind you.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us".
Gandalf
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
14 notes · View notes
get-shiggy-with-it · 4 years ago
Text
Ch. 1
Tumblr media
Shigaraki Birthday Week! MINORS DNI DO NOT PUT THIS ON TIKTOK
Pairing: Tomura Shigaraki x fem!reader
Word Count: 3k
Warnings: reader is marked fem cause Tomura is a little sexist and hates you cause you’re a woman, no pronouns, incel!shiggy, collage au/no quirks, tomura is an asshole, gratuitous swearing, like so much, shiggy has a dirty mouth, mentions of shigs being anxious, let me know if I’ve missed something
Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6
Summary: Tomura gets stuck taking an English class to graduate and is partnered with you, a bitchy try hard (his words not mine) for his final project. But over the course of the semester he finds that while he hates everyone, he might hate you just a little...less. 
AO3 mirror
The door at the back of the room creaked open and jarred Tomura from his half-sleep state. He didn’t look at who’d bothered to slip into this fucking class late, and instead tried to let the prof’s inane droning on Timothy Whoever The Fuck’s 18th weirdo letter book lull him into day dreaming. 
He only made it about a quarter of the way back into his boredom induced coma until he was dragged unwillingly into wakefulness once more. 
“Sorry, could you plug this in for me?” 
Tomura jumped again when you leaned over to whisper to him, computer charger in one hand, gesturing to the outlet on the wall by his head. You’d left the typical courtesy seat empty between the two of you and he stared blankly at the way you leaned your weight on the vacant chair. 
He recognized you.
The classic, dumbass teacher's pet who was always front and center of the room, iced drink at the ready looking like you belonged on the set of some god awful college b movie. 
Well, almost always. You certainly had that loud ass drink, but you’d tucked yourself at the end of his row towards the back of the room and was clearly a bit embarrassed for bursting in almost 15 minutes late. 
Tomura swallowed hard as your shirt gaped in the front. It took an immense amount of control to not gaze outright into the swell of your chest. 
“You good?” you asked softly, head cocked like you were straight out of a fucking manga panel—tits on display with that stupid innocent, puzzled expression.  
“Uh yeah, sorry,” Tomura mumbled. 
You offered him this gross, clearly fake smile—because why the hell would you be grinning like that if it wasn’t just because you wanted something from him—as he threaded the cord behind his chair and plugged it in. 
“Thanks,” you replied and turned back towards the professor, typing away cause you actually take notes in this class. 
Of fucking course you did. 
Probably trying to impress everyone with how you typed practically every word the prof said. Tomura decidedly did not take notes, and didn’t really pay that much attention in general. Usually he just played some trashy phone game under the desk or dozed with his head against the cement wall. 
It had gotten to that portion of the semester when it was warmer outside but the buildings still had the heat cranked all the way up, especially here in the basement where the classroom was. That environment along with his usual hoodie/joggers combo created grade A napping conditions that Tomura took full advantage of. 
As a rule, he actually cared about school and he did relatively well. But this was just some dumbass liberal arts requirement course that had nothing to do with his actual major, so he was perfectly fine with coasting. Why his comp sci degree required him to take a fucking Restoration era English class, he had no clue. Apparently neither did his advisor other than that the ‘administration recommended it’ so their students would have a ‘well rounded learning experience.’ 
It was almost certainly just a cash grab to make him take more credits than was necessary to graduate, but whatever. He was here now. And so were you. Your presence was overwhelmingly clear, typing away and smelling like one of those insanely specific laundry detergent label scents—fucking rolling meadows and grandmother’s clean linen or something like that. 
He’d never sat this close to you before, but that didn’t stop you from annoying the shit out of him for the previous whole half semester and going since it was just now passing midterms. Long enough for him to have pegged you as a textbook try-hard, pick-me bitch. You contributed to discussion at every opportunity, turned in shit early, and debated other classmates regularly enough to disrupt his in-course sleep schedule. 
The way you dressed pissed him off too, with a particular style that was enough to stand out but not so over the top that it would cause disinterest from any potential mates.
And now you were filling his corner of the room with the overpowering smell of freshly washed hair and demanding he do things for you. 
Fucking disgusting. 
“Tomura Shigaraki.”
He jumped a third time, attention directed from his lap to the front of the room where the prof stood, listing out names from the board. He heard your name next followed by Kai Chisaki. The list was projected on the board as well, grouping everyone into twos or threes with “Final Project Partners” listed in bold Helvetica font at the top. 
Only fucking English profs used Helvetica. 
He vaguely remembered mentions of a final presentation—one of like three grades in this class cause the prof was almost certainly a sadist. 
No, not almost—definitely. Otherwise he wouldn’t have stuck him with you and that weirdo Kai pre-med student who insisted on acting so elitist you’d think he already had his fucking M.D. 
One time he asked Tomura to move seats at the start of the semester because he looked “dirty” and Kai liked to sit in the back—which, fair enough, it wasn’t like Tomura showered as frequently as he probably should but what the fuck??  
With you rushing in late, chest out and panting every now and again from your apparent sprint across campus, Tomura was certain he’d be subjected to a whole 6 weeks of watching you try to mount that fucking Kai dude instead of actually working. 
This was going to be a nightmare. 
From the end of the table, he saw you shifting and turned to find that stupid fucking smile flashed his way once again. 
If you had a tail, he’d bet it would be wagging. 
“Hey, well that’s convenient,” you chuckled and plopped down directly next to him, sliding your noisy ass drink across the table with you and brushing against his thigh when you shifted your bag to the side. 
“Yeah,” he nodded.
It most certainly was not. 
But Tomura would never say that because—as his roommate put it so kindly—he was kinda a pussy. 
People made him nervous, they always had. That’s why he liked computers so much. Code made sense, there were clear rules and when something didn’t work out, he could fix it eventually, but you couldn’t see people’s codes. You had to fucking guess at shit and it made his anxiety skyrocket which the sides of his neck and finger tips suffered for. 
So he cowered like the fucking dog you probably thought he was instead and kept his eyes on the floor, letting you set up in silence. 
“Who was our third?” you asked, glancing around the room. “Sorry, I was busy making a shared drive and I came in  late so I missed that last bit.”
Why the hell did you feel the need to apologize all the goddamn time? Seriously, who would believe you were actually sorry for being irritating as hell. 
And god if he thought you were irritating. 
“Kai,” he grumbled simply as the man in question sauntered over to the table and fucking Clorox wiped down the seat before sitting.  
Tomura watched your smile falter just a bit and grinned inwardly at the slip in your fake little persona. But you didn’t say anything more, just moved your chair back so the three of you were in a semi-circle and pulled up a few pdfs on your laptop. 
“Cool, so I was looking over the directions on the syllabus last week and I set up a little work delegation thing so we can distribute everything pretty evenly,” you jumped right in, tone matter of fact in the down-to-business manner he was used to hearing from you during class discussions. 
It was better than you so clearly forcing yourself to be overly polite, and he honestly couldn’t really care less if you wanted to take charge of this thing. You seemed kinda bossy, but he begrudgingly admitted that your suck up behavior did mean you sort of knew what you were talking about. He was just here to pass and you might actually make that a lot easier. 
It was okay as long as he was taking advantage of you, he told himself. And you would be too stupid to notice, so he could play your game and play pretend nice all the way to an A. 
That walking condescension on the other hand— 
“I’m not doing that,” Kai huffed through his ever-present mask. 
Tomura wasn’t actually sure he’d ever seen the bastards face without it. 
“What?” you laughed awkwardly. “Yes you are, you don’t really have much of a choice.” 
You stared at your classmate who simply stared right back with his own, equally confused expression. 
“Why do you look so surprised?” you asked after a moment of silence. 
You weren’t smiling anymore and your voice had dropped down about a fucking octave. At least you sounded more like a person and not some wannabe uwu gamer bitch.
“People don’t talk to me like that,” Kai looked at you down his nose, legs spread wide and elbow resting on his knees. 
Tomura could feel the pretentiousness wafting from him in waves, and waited with bated breath for you to get kicked off your pedestal. Just a bit though, he did need you around to do most of his work for this thing. 
But in a shocking turn of events, you just laughed dryly twice and turned back to your laptop screen, mumbling as you did. 
“Really? Well they should.” 
Tomura would have laughed too, but he didn’t feel like inflating your ego. Kai on the other hand looked a bit like you’d just spit on shoes and furrowed those stupid, plucked thin eyebrows at the back of your head. 
“So Tomura, you code right?” you asked, turning away from Kai completely to address him. “I just remember you saying you were in comp sci when we did introductions.” 
He was taken aback by the knowledge that he existed as a person in your head outside of this room for a moment and simply nodded—suddenly feeling far too hot in his black on black sweats and hoodie. 
God just talking to you made his skin burn. 
“Great, cause we’re allowed to chose the medium we present in and I was thinking of taking it in a more creative direction cause I’ve had this prof before and he eats that shit up,” you begin to ramble again, scrolling through a bulleted list, shifting the screen for him to see. 
“Right,” he murmured, still surprised you’d thought this far and not...actively hating what you’d brainstormed. 
Well, it was a bit juvenile and you clearly didn’t know what you were talking about but the concept wasn’t horrendous. He could work with that and it shouldn’t be too hard. It kinda seemed like you’d overestimated a bit with how challenging it would actually be and saddled yourself with most of the heavy lifting. That or you were just a control freak which was a little more believable.
He wished you would stop looking at him over the edge of the screen. He could feel himself starting to sweat. Rivulets falling down the nape of his neck and racing across his bare chest under the sweatshirt. Tomura sorta regretted not wearing a shirt underneath but he knew that he wouldn’t have taken off the insulating layer even if that had been an option. 
It would just mean you had more drying, pale as fuck skin to look at and judge him for because he knew that’s what you were doing. Fucking vapid and shallow like everyone else. 
“It’s really rough so far, but I have it the gist outlined,” you indicated to another tab and then turned back to Kai who had been sitting silently glaring daggers into your back. “So, Kai, since you’re in STEM I figured you’d be okay with doing more of the preliminary research—”
“I don’t think so,” Kai interrupted, shaking his head and pushing off his knees to lean back in the cheap, plastic seat. “Look, it’ll be easier for all of us if you two just make it look pretty and I can handle the oral presentation.” 
You gaped and looked to Tomura with this pathetic fucking incredulous stare, like you thought he’d back you up. 
Which actually, now that he thought about it was probably a good idea—he did need you to remain somewhat cordial with him—but he certainly didn’t care enough to defend you in any way. Kai was a dick, sure, but he wasn’t gonna let you rope him into being your white knight or whatever. 
He settled for a similarly disgruntled downward twitch of his lips. The movement pulled at the cracking skin which stung as it tore open even more. Tomura felt the familiar crawling feeling on his neck and shifted in his seat to resist the urge to scratch. 
He couldn’t pinpoint why exactly you staring at him was so uncomfortable. He didn’t like you, he didn’t care about you and by extension didn’t give two shits what you thought of him, but anything he might have said shriveled on his tongue when you spoke or looked in his eyes too long. 
Tomura had never made a habit of talking to females and they certainly had never wanted anything to do with him either. 
Maybe he was fucking allergic or something. 
Whatever the case, you seemed to take his half frown as a sign of solidarity and leaned back in your own seat. 
“Okay, look,” you retorted. “If you’re seriously not gonna at least try to cooperate, then there is actually an option to do the project by yourself and I suggest you take it.” 
The look on your face was distinctly impolite. There was a sharpness to the set of your jaw that Tomura had never seen before, but it looked practiced enough that he could bet it was simply the snake that resided in every woman just waiting to come out. 
“Look sweetheart—” that masked jerk began, also for some fucking reason looking to Tomura for support. 
For someone who was very much used to blending into the background scenery, this was the most eye contact Tomura had ever made in a day. 
Except on the rare occasions his roommate had friends over and he had to make the dreaded trek from his room to reach the fridge. 
“Oh yeah I’m not doing that,” you closed your laptop sharply and rolled your eyes. “I get it, but I’m really just trying to graduate. I don’t think this is going to work out and you,” Tomura froze as you shifted your gaze to him once again, “seem okay, so Tomura and I can just work this out by ourselves and you can find a different group.” 
Kai scoffed behind the black layer of fabric covering his mouth and slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Whatever.” 
Tomura watched him saunter straight out the door as the room was filled with the shuffling of notebooks and zipping of backpacks. 
“God,” you huffed and turned back to him. 
His raw skin burned under the new wave of heat and accompanying moisture that slicked his skin when you scooted closer to him. That clean laundry and shampoo smell was suffocating from this proximity. 
Did you fucking bathe in the stuff? 
He was becoming increasingly aware of his less than pleasant aroma and the fact that you not scrunching your nose up in disgust just out of some stupid, ingrained need to appease him. 
“Well, that was...weird,” you chuckled in a way that was probably meant to break the tension. 
Unfortunately Tomura felt more like he was about to break out in hives if you came any closer so it really just ended up making the atmosphere ten times more awkward. At least for him. You, somehow, remained resolutely unaware. 
“Mhm,” he hummed in response and picked silently at the skin of his fingers. 
“Anyway, I have a meeting in a few but we can trade numbers and pick a time to meet up sometime tomorrow maybe?” you suggested, quickly saving the steadily degrading vibes of the conversation and pulled out your phone. 
He really hated the full body pulsation that rushed through him at the thought of getting a girls number. It made him fucking sick at himself for falling into your stupid trap to get him interested. Was your plan to just use him to get a good grade or whatever and then block his texts?
It wasn’t like Tomura didn’t know about his status as the class ‘freak.’ That one guy everyone whispers about and makes sure not to sit next to. And he knows you know, so why the hell else would you act so nice?
He wanted to say something scathing in return. That he could do the whole thing by himself too—which he definitely couldn’t but that was irrelevant—and that he didn’t need you bossing him around either. 
“Sure thing,” he said instead and took your offered phone all too eagerly, typing in his number and watching as you shot off a text back so he’d have yours. 
His phone buzzed against his thigh and he jumped a fourth time, but you seemed not to notice as you packed your bag and grabbed your basic ass drink. The ice clattered against the tumbler, dropping cool condensation against the searing skin of his hand. 
Tomura shivered as you waved over your shoulder and slipped out the door with another rush of students. 
He sat silently in the empty room for a moment, trying to process the last hour. He pinched himself idly, wondering if it had all been just a weird dream, but the results were inconclusive. A minute or two passed before he pulled out his phone to scroll through the list of reddit and discord notifs to find your text. 
Unknown Number:
— pEopLe DoN’t TaLK tO mE liKE ThAt 
— not very plus ultra of him...smh
— anyway, library at 6 tomorrow ?
 Tomura caved, digging his nails into the side of his neck and hissed at the pain, confirming the day's horrible reality. 
735 notes · View notes
meltwonu · 5 years ago
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
| 𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔩 𝔦 𝔪𝔢𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 |     [Chapter 2]
pairing; fratboy!wonwoo x reader
this chapter’s notes; fratboy!wonwoo, dom!wonwoo, some soft ‘woo too, restraints, panties as a gag, dirty talk, degradation, name calling, oral(fem receiving), cum eating, sir!kink. My god it has been a week, a WEEK i tell you 🥲 Ldfkjdf I hope the lot of you are taking a big deep breath this weekend and doing something to relax or doing some self care cuz baby we all need it!💕 Treat yourself to something good! Take that nap! Buy that album! Get that coffee! I’ll try to bust out some thirst posts this weekend(i think we all deserve some, eh?🥴) should tumb1r not hate my blog and as usual, inbox round up tomorrow! 💕💕 For now, de-stress with ch 2 of UIMY, and have a great weekend! I love you!! 💕💕💕💕
chapters; 1 - 2 - x - x - x
Tumblr media
You only get about 4 hours of sleep, if you’re being honest.
You won’t tell when asked because quite frankly, you’re a little embarrassed at how giddy you are to see Wonwoo today. You eagerly attend your morning class - panties already wet and mouth watering with the fantasies playing out in your head throughout the entire lecture.
“Hey, study buddy!”
Minghao slings an arm around your shoulder just as you turn to make a beeline towards the library, almost directing you into a different direction. “Where you headed off to? You wanna grab lunch?” Shit.
In the time that Wonwoo was gone, you’d spent a lot of time hanging out with other people trying to fill in the gap where, normally, you’d be spending underneath Wonwoo.
“I, um…” Going to get lunch with Minghao was one of the things that had become a normal thing after your morning classes and you hadn’t had the chance to tell him that your ‘usual’ schedule was back. “I--I’m gonna go study at the library for a bit! I’m really sorry! Can we go another day?” You pout at him which quickly melts off of your face when he shoots you a knowing smile.
“Gonna go ‘study’ Wonwoo-hyung, huh?”
Tumblr media
Minghao lets you go - telling you to let him know when you weren’t busy.
You all but tear the front door open once you reach the familiar library; sheepish smile when it makes more noise than you anticipate.
“Careful, wouldn’t want you to pay the price of breaking the door.”
Wonwoo smirks at you from behind the receptionist table; familiar and warm when you step closer to the counter. “Maybe I do? What do you know?” You quip back, cheeks warm and head fuzzy at the sight of Wonwoo back in his usual sweater vest and slacks.
He leans in closer to you over the countertop, gesturing to you to lean in close as well. His lips ghost across the shell of your ear as goosebumps rise on your skin and shivers roll down your spine and the familiar thrum of arousal pours over your body.
“I know you were probably thinking about me all morning, sweetheart. Thinking of all the things I’d do to you.” Wonwoo chuckles under his breath, “Your panties are probably already soaked, hmm? Like my good little slut always ready to take my cock.”
His filthy, whispered words are enough for you to whimper quietly - eyes downcast as you only lean in closer. “Y-yes… Wonwoo, p-please, I--”
Wonwoo leans away from you and you find yourself letting go of a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.
“You’ll have to wait. I need to file these late slips and sort these books.”
There’s a teasing smile on his face as he watches your lips part in shock. “But you can do that, right? Be patient?”
No.
“I--y-yes...” 
Tumblr media
You pick a table far from the others as you watch Wonwoo roll the cart with books into another row of bookshelves.
It felt a little odd to you now that you thought about it - waiting so patiently for Wonwoo when you were used to him caging you in against a bookshelf with his fingers knuckle deep inside of your cunt or even just tugging you straight away into an empty study room on days when neither of you could wait to get your clothes off.
There was a certain softness that he seemed to show with you now; one that you appreciated and made you feel things that you’d never felt in any relationship before.
Tumblr media
Wonwoo would admit he wasn’t always good with showing his emotions with other people.
“He only shows it sometimes,” Jeonghan had said, “Usually to his hyungs and usually when he wants something.”
Which was true.
He struggled with letting his guard down and a lot of the time felt shy about voicing his emotions.
But with you, he felt differently. He wanted to show you that he was capable of letting his guard down and capable of showing you the affection and care that you deserved - even if the relationship the two of you had started was only physical at first. The time away from you only proved to him that he definitely cared about you more than he had initially thought too.
While his semester abroad was entertaining and educational, he found himself thinking about you often in the midst of his excavations and lectures. Wondering about what you were doing and who you were with; if you really thought about him as often as you had messaged him so.
“Um, excuse me?”
“O-oh, huh?”
He’s pulled from his thoughts just as another student steps in front of him in the aisle of books. “Sorry, I don’t remember where this book is from. Is it okay if I just give it to you?”
“Sure.”
Tumblr media
It takes twenty more minutes of you pretending to study before Wonwoo’s legs step into your periphery.
You open your mouth to speak but Wonwoo is quicker.
“Miss, I’m sorry, but I need to speak to you regarding some books you failed to return.”
Tumblr media
You try to hide the wide smile on your face when Wonwoo leads you down the familiar, lonesome side of the library.
“I’ll have you step into this room, miss.”
“Wonwoo, there’s literally nobody here…” Chuckling, you step into the empty, cleaned room that Wonwoo had painstakingly made sure was dusted before you came. “Unless we’re roleplaying, ‘cause then, I’m sorry, sir…”
Wonwoo rolls his eyes, locking the door behind him before easily walking you backwards until the backs of your thighs hit the desk.
“You should be sorry, sweetheart. First, slamming the doors earlier and now overdue books? Tsk, when will you learn.” He easily slips into character, fingertips already ghosting against the exposed skin of your thighs before playing with the hem of your short skirt.
“How are you going to pay back what you owe, hmm? The damages might be irreparable.” He drags his hand up and under the flimsy material; appreciating the way your legs part a little more for him. A quiet moan floats past your lips just as his fingertips press gently into the growing wet patch of your panties.
“Already wet, too? Why exactly is that, sweetheart?”
“A-ah, ‘c-cause I want--want you to fuck me, s-sir… Been thinking a-about it all day… Just--just like you said...” You clench around emptiness, already impatient now that he had his hands on you.
“You have, huh? I bet you played with yourself last night, didn’t you? Fingered your slutty ‘lil hole and filled it up with a toy just to prep yourself for me.”
“Y-yes, sir…” Your guilty eyes avoid Wonwoo’s stern gaze, “I’m s-sorry… I--I couldn’t, ah, wait... Just t-talking to you, yesterday, I....”
Wonwoo’s fingers press hard against you, immediately rubbing your clit through your soaked panties as you mewl and lean into his warm chest.
“P-please… punish m-me…”
Tumblr media
You can only whine around the fabric stuffed in your mouth; hands tied behind your back with Wonwoo’s belt keeping them bound.
Your body jerks against the small desk as Wonwoo fucks you from behind in the small enclosed space you were used to and a certain warmth pours over you knowing that nothing really had changed since he’d left.
“Shit, I really missed cumming inside your tight lil’ pussy and making you walk home with my cum dripping down your legs.” There’s a soft chuckle under his breath; cock curving right into your g-spot as you whine and squirm underneath him.
“Bet you missed it too, huh? Getting home and fingering your filthy ‘lil cunt, fucking my cum deeper inside of you ‘cause you couldn’t get enough of me. Fuck, and when you’d send me pictures of your cute ‘lil fingers covered in my cum…”
Wonwoo smirks at your back, placing a hand on your bound arms as he uses it for leverage to fuck you deeper and harder.
“I’m back for good now though, sweetheart. Let’s see what else your cute cock starved body can take.”
You can only moan back in return - spit soaking into the wet fabric in your mouth as Wonwoo only fucks you harder. “God, your cunt is so fuckin’ perfect. Made to take my cock.” When you clamp down onto his cock tighter is when Wonwoo realizes he misses hearing your voice - chuckling softly as he leans over your trembling body.
“I think you’ve learned your lesson, huh, sweetheart?”
He reaches around, tugging the soaking material from between your lips and placing it next to your head before he straightens back up. “Ngh… I, ah, s-sir…” You turn your head to the side, watching the wall as your body jerks atop the desk. “P-please… I--I wanna see y-you, hah, when y-your fuh--fuck me…”
A soft blush coats Wonwoo’s cheeks as he halts his movements. 
He clears his throat, pulling his cock out of you before stepping back and giving you space to readjust yourself. And with your arms still bound, you struggle slightly but manage.
This time, you sit atop the desk, spreading your legs wide for Wonwoo who licks his lips at the sight of your slightly mussed hair, blown out pupils and soaked cunt.
“That’s my good ‘lil slut.”
He positions himself between your legs, wrapping a hand around his cock and rubbing the head on your sensitive clit as you whimper. He circles the nub with the head of his cock, teasing you and himself as you squirm. “I take it you’ll be at the party tomorrow night, right?” His question catches you slightly off guard as you nod shakily.
“Good. ‘Cause I got you a present that I want to give to you tomorrow.”
“O-okay…”
Wonwoo sinks his cock back into you; cock curving into you perfectly as you cry out in return. “O-oh, god, s-sir--Wonwoo, I--fuck…” A choked sob bubbles up your throat at the feeling of him starting a harsh and quick pace, just how you liked it. “Mmh, my t-toys don’t feel as, hah, g-good as you… Fuck, you feel s-so good inside me…”
You wrap your legs around his waist, digging your heels into the small of his back to push him in closer to yourself. “Use m-me like I’m your little cumslut...” The desperation sets in; tears freely falling from your eyes as the urge to cum on his cock becomes unbearable from the hellish months without him.
“Please, p-please… Harder, fuck me harder! I n-need it!”
He grins, knowing just how you felt but keeping his composure as he doubles his pace. “So fuckin’ desperate for me, sweetheart. You sound so pretty begging for me. Is that what you sounded like when you were touching yourself too? Begging for me all night long?”
“Y-yes, fuck! Ngh, fucking my ‘lil holes with my t-toys all night j-just to be satisfied… Oh, god, Wonwoo!”
You can’t stop yourself from cumming - toes curling and thighs shaking as your walls flutter around his cock. Wonwoo only fucks you harder as soft growls fall from his own lips.
“Fuck, I missed this, missed you. Missed your tight ‘lil cunt cumming around my cock, sweetheart.” He mumbles soft praises to you, although you can barely hear it in the midst of your orgasm; ears ringing and head feeling hazy at the intensity.
Wonwoo fares no better - cock throbbing inside your warm walls as his orgasm hits him hard only after a few more quick snaps of his hips.
Your bound arms behind you do little to keep your tired body upright atop the table but you do your best as he rides out his high. “Mmh, I can feel y-you cumming inside me… Fuck, it feels soooo gooood.” Drool pools in your mouth at the feeling of his cock throbbing inside of you for the first time in months and you mentally tell yourself to never let Wonwoo disappear for that long of time ever again.
“Ah, I feel so f-full…” Whining, you squirm as he continues to thrust into you, fucking his cum deeper into your pussy as you throw your head back at the fullness and wetness you feel. “Oh… Wonwoo…”
He lets out a deep breath before he slowly starts to pull out of you - cock covered in his cum and your wetness as he watches his cum drip from your spent hole. You slowly unhook your quivering thighs from around his waist as he steps back slightly.
“I--oh--”
You watch as he drops down to his knees, face right in front of your dripping cunt before he leans in.
“Oh, Wonwoo--” His tongue peeks out, lapping at your soaked folds before he drags it down and starts licking up the cum. “Fuck, oh, fuck…!”
Wonwoo dips his tongue into your hole, teasing you as your legs tremble and you try your hardest to not clamp your thighs around his head between your legs. You start to fight your restraints; fingertips wanting to thread through his hair as you grind against his skilled tongue.
 He licks up more of the cum before dragging his tongue up to your overly sensitive clit; rubbing soft, slow circles on the nub until you’re a whining mess above him.
“A-ah, I--I can’t, mmh, ‘m too sen--sensitive, sir…”
He takes his as his cue to stand from his position, standing quietly before leaning over you. He threads a hand through your hair, tilting your head up and kissing you on the lips as you melt into his gentle touch.
Your eyes flutter shut at his soft kiss, lips parting slightly for him as he uses his tongue to push cum into your waiting mouth.
The kiss turns hot and heavy as he moves the salty, sticky substance from his mouth to yours - lips covered in a combination of your wetness and his cum when he pulls away.
“So pretty for me, sweetheart.”
Tumblr media
When the two of you are somewhat cleaned up and ready to leave, Wonwoo stops you before you can get your hand on the doorknob.
“Hey, you okay?”
You shoot him a confused look, head tilted slightly at the bespectacled male that only looks mildly disheveled. “Um… y-yeah? Why?” His hand on your wrist makes your heart do backflips in your chest as he looks you over once more.
“I should’ve had some water for you and done proper aftercare since it’s been a while. I might've hurt you? Are your wrists okay? I can--”
“Whoa, hey, slow down! You’re, like, freaking out, ‘Woo.”
A pale blush coats his cheeks, “Sorry, I’m just trying to… be more… Expressive? I don’t know. It’s been a while. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” He laughs lightly, somewhat embarrassed himself. “I don’t want to be weird but, y’know. I want to take care of you properly, sweetheart.”
“I--yeah, I understand! But I’m fine, I promise!” You beam up at him - happiness evident in your eyes and your smile. “Thank you… for making an effort, Wonwoo.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” 
Tumblr media
421 notes · View notes
let-them-read-fics · 4 years ago
Text
Blackpink HC / One Shots: Enemies to Lovers, College AU (2/2)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Requested: Yes
Warnings / Misc. -- Bickering, Rivalry, Fluff
A/N: Hey everyone! This is the second half of the request, featuring Rosé and Lisa. If you want to see the first part, with Jisoo and Jennie, click the link below. I hope you enjoy!
Click for Jisoo and Jennie
♡ Happy Reading ♡
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Rosé
Tumblr media
Park Chaeyoung: The girl who hung with the wrong crowd.
Your problem lied more so with the people she associated with than her herself. You couldn't wrap your head around why such a kind person like her would spend time with the class clowns and bullies, and to make matters worse, she would stick up for them as well.
She spent most of her days in either the art or music room, creating the masterpieces that her brain came up with.
But as soon as school was over, she'd be hanging out with them again and getting into trouble. For instance, because of her talents, they would invite her to go with them and graffiti various hot spots around town. She never vandalized any monuments or landmarks of importance -- she typically stuck to bridges or abandoned buildings -- but after getting caught with them multiple times, it was inevitable for her to be held accountable.
She was given a week's detention to make up for her actions
You, coincidentally, had a teacher that absolutely loathed you for no reason at all. No matter how good of a student you were for him, he didn't care; he had a vendetta against you for some reason, and he patiently waited for the opportunity to ruin your day.
You came in literally 10 seconds after the bell rang, putting the breakfast sandwich you stopped to get on the way into your mouth so you could open the door. He was standing at the front with a smug grin on his face, and you already knew what was coming.
You were also given an ungodly sentence of a week's detention.
Turning Point
"If I see you on your phones, I'm taking them." The monitor informs before sitting at the desk, reclining in the chair and putting his feet up soon after. You sigh and lean back in your seat, attempting to find a way to pass the next two hours without getting in trouble. Your eyes scan across the room, eventually landing on Rosé, where she sits a couple rows away from you. Sunlight is streaming in through the window next to her, its golden rays peeking through the breaks in the clouds above to shine on her. She looks gorgeous as she doodles away in her notebook, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear when it falls in front of her face.
After waiting on the monitor to fall asleep and sending one last glance to double check, you quietly stand from your seat and go sit next to her.
You barely know each other, but she's your only hope of remaining sane and occupied.
"Hi," you greet, looking into her eyes.
"Hi," she copies, a tiny smile forming on her lips when she notices your impressed expression upon gazing down at her paper. You have to hand it to her -- she's really talented.
"You're really good," you compliment, still admiring the artistry. Seeing as how you're looking down, you fail to notice the blush that works its way to her cheeks. Coming from you, the simple remark meant a lot to her.
You spend the rest of the day making small talk and getting used to one another, leaving detention later with the hopes of sitting together again.
----
The Next Day
"Hi again," you whisper, glancing over your shoulder to ensure that the coast is clear. The monitor is out like a light, with his mouth hanging open and an obnoxiously loud snore coming out.
"Hi," she giggles, watching as you dive into the floor for cover when the man shifts in his sleep. You thought he was waking up, and if he finds out you moved seats, he'll definitely have something to say about it.
"The coast is clear, cadet," she nods like a soldier, assuring you that it's okay to move back after a minute.
"That was close," you breathe out in relief, glad to live to see another day.
You share a laugh, though it has to be hidden behind your hands and kept a minimum. It's cute though -- like a little secret between the two of you, only for you to know.
"What're you drawing today?" You ask later, laying your chin in your palm as you gaze down at her work. Her reply comes out stuttered at first when she feels your leg innocently brush against hers under the table.
"D-dalgom. My friend's dog." She manages out, mentally smacking herself for looking like a fool.
You smile, thinking she's adorable. "I bet it'll be great," you encourage. She grins back as her eyes scan over your face, committing the memory of you to heart. She's always had a thing for you, ever since the time you were paired up in Biology last semester, so she's been enjoying detention more than she thought she would. Seeing you makes the time go by faster, though ironically, she wishes it would slow down a bit.
You make her feel appreciated for more than just what she's capable of producing, and the divide between you and her friend group is blaringly obvious. They like her because of the rush she can help them achieve; you like her because of her.
That thought persists in her mind for the rest of detention, and before she knows it, the monitor is releasing you again. She bends down to put her notebook in her bag when a thought pops into her mind: she wants to ask if you want to go to the park with her. When she's done zipping her bag up, she looks back up at you, only to find you on your phone, talking to someone.
"Yeah, mom. I'll stop by on the way home. So milk, cereal, ramen, and paper towels, right?"
She watches as you wait for a reply, tucking the phone into the crook of your neck as you move to write the list down on a spare piece of paper.
"Alright, love you, too. See you later." You hang up before looking back at Rosie. She looks a little down, and you have no idea why.
You pause for a moment, silently psyching yourself up for what you're about to ask. "This is gonna sound really strange, but do you want to come with me to the store?"
Her heart's pace increases at that, happy to know that you want to spend more time with her, just as she does with you.
"Actually, yeah. That sounds like fun."
You grin at her before spinning around and doing a little celebratory dance, which wins you a strange look from the monitor. You stick your tongue out at him before grabbing her hand and rushing out of the room, hearing his disapproval shouted after you.
--
"Milk?"
"Check."
"Ramen?"
"Check."
"Cereal?"
"Nope."
You nod at her words, now reminded of what you were forgetting. You push the buggy towards the aisle of cereals, gazing around in wonder at the huge selection. Rosé is just the same, eyeing all of the options like a kid in a candy store. After grabbing your mom's favorite kind, you decide on one for yourself and bring it back to the cart. Rosie scoots her leg over, making room for them beside where she sits, reclined in the cart.
You grin when you see her eyeing a box of fruit loops. Huh; fruity. Go figure.
You wordlessly grab the box and hand it to her, feeling your heart melt when she looks up at you like you hold the key to the universe.
"Thank you, Y/N."
"No problem, Rosie." You say, putting your hands on the bar as you begin pushing the buggy again. "Now, I say we see how long it takes to get to the paper towel aisle. My last record was 30 seconds."
She looks at you, clearly impressed, with her eyebrows raised. Without question, she pulls her phone out and gets the stop watch feature ready to go.
"3...2...1... GO!" She shouts, commanding your legs to start pumping as you race down the long strip of store before you. A couple kids dart out of the way just before getting smacked into, quickly turning around and cheering you on as you charge forward.
Her giggles fill the air as you drift around a corner, shouting apologies to the lady you almost bumped into.
"Sorry ma'am!"
A few seconds later, chest heaving and legs sore, you come to a stop in the aisle, dramatically collapsing in a heap next to the buggy. Rosé checks her phone as she reaches down to poke you.
"22.18 seconds, champ," she declares victoriously, smiling when you magically regain enough energy to stand up and celebrate.
"Woohoo! Team Y/S/N (Your Ship Name) for the win!"
She laughs along at that, joining in on your celebration, but she's blushing like crazy on the inside.
-----
The Last Day Of Detention
Ever since your trip to the store, you and Rosé have grown closer and closer. You traded numbers and text occasionally, though nothing beats having her all to yourself for 2 hours straight with no distractions. She feels the same; when she's in class, she can't wait for the bell to ring and signal your reunion. Part of her wants to get in trouble again, just to see you more often.
So, as you'd expect, it's really no surprise that you're sat right in front of her again, telling jokes and asking about her day. You've grown a bit more bold with every step closer you've taken towards her heart, and now you reach down to intertwine your fingers with hers.
She happily accepts, even bringing your hand up to her lips to press a kiss to the back of it. She smiles against your skin after it, making butterflies take flight in your stomach. She's got you wrapped around her finger, and you don't even try to fight it anymore.
The sound of the classroom door opening alerts you, making her lower your hand. She doesn't let go of you, though, and that fact warms your heart for some reason. The squeaky hinges groan out again as the door opens wider, revealing about 4 or 5 people from the friend group that she hangs out with. They motion for her to sneak out with them, but she just shakes her head.
"Come on, Rosé!" They whisper-scream, offering her a way to freedom. Little do they know that she'd take this imprisonment over freedom any day, so long as you're by her side.
"No! Get out before he wakes up!" She whisper-shouts back, eventually convincing them to leave.
"Why didn't you go?" You ask once they're gone, toying with her fingers as your hands rest on the desk.
"Because I like spending time with you." She admits, letting her defenses down.
"I was hoping you'd say that," you smile, letting her know that you feel the same.
The Fallout
After detention, the two of you walked out of the school, hand in hand
"Would you maybe, I don't know... wanna go to the park with me?" She asks nervously, glancing up at you.
"You read my mind, Rosie." You smile at each other and head towards the parking lot.
You started hanging out more, and she distanced herself from her old crowd
You encouraged her to enroll in your school's art program and show her work that way
"You're really talented; it deserves to be seen."
Your support meant the world to her, and she never failed to let you know
"Thank you, Y/N. Having you behind me means the world to me."
At one of her art shows, where she was tasked with unveiling a new piece that she'd been working on for months, you got the biggest surprise of your life.
She created a mural of you, all decked out with every color of the rainbow, utterly gorgeous
She lit up when she saw your reaction
"This piece is titled 'Mine', which I hope the girl in it will soon be." She says into the microphone, looking at you with hope shining in her eyes.
You nod your head with a smile and walk up to her, pressing your lips to hers in a kiss that was long-overdue. She wraps her arms around your waist, pulling you in closer with her sweater-padded hands and kissing you again and again.
The crowd claps for you, happy to see such an ending.
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
Lisa
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I couldn't choose between these two gifs so enjoy both for the price of one ^^^
Lisa Manoban: Cocky, smug, and self-assured. The dancer knew she was hot shit, and she wasn't afraid to show off.
You're all for people being confident and happy with themselves, especially when they're talented, but something about Lisa always seemed to rub you the wrong way.
Whether it be her lack of a filter or the arrogant swagger that she naturally exuded, you weren't sure. People wanted to either be her or be with her, but you fell into neither of those categories.
She always left you frustrated in one way or another, whether it be from her teasing or her witty comebacks
The teachers loved her, as did the students. She was the class clown, so her position was pretty sacred in the grand scheme of things
You, on the other hand, irritated her for other reasons. You were the only person she couldn't get to crack; you never gave into her charms, and it infuriated her to no end. She wasn't used to not getting what she wanted (as childish as that may seem) and having you, one of the most attractive girls at school, turn her down? Well that was a massive blow to her ego.
You weren't afraid to say your piece, and that both pleasantly surprised and upset her.
She constantly tried to flirt with you in class, but you knew it was all for the attention. She just wanted to make her friends laugh, which they always did.
"Y/N, come here babe. There's an empty seat next to me," she coos, batting her eyelashes as you walk in the door. It's a free day, so everyone is sitting with their friends, wherever they like.
"I'm good," you decline, deciding to sit against the wall beneath the large window of the classroom.
"Oooo, denied," Lisa's friends laugh at her this time, chuckling harder when she sticks her middle finger up at them.
"Yah, shut up," she says, nursing her bruised ego as she turns around and opens her phone.
You smile as you continue working on the homework you cracked open, scribbling an answer down onto the notebook paper in front of you. Your fingers glide over your textbook in search of the definition of the term you're on, and Lisa secretly watches from afar. Without realizing it, she grins when you light up upon spotting the answer.
Sometimes her flirting does work, though, and you turn into a blushing mess
*whistle* "Damn, Y/N. You're looking fine today," she exclaims, fanning herself. You worry that she doesn't really mean it, but when her eyes remain on you a second too long to just be friendly, you blush. She's taking in all of you, looking impressed all the while.
"Right back at you, Manoban." You wink, sitting down in your seat across the room. She lightly blushes back, though she does a good job of concealing it.
Considering you share a couple classes and the class sizes are relatively small, it was pretty likely that you'd end up paired together eventually
You weren't happy about it, especially not after the way she had acted that week. Her cockiness had been at an all time high as of late, leaving you frustrated and upset. She was so full of herself; all you wanted to do was wipe that stupid smirk off her face.
"Y/N, you'll be paired with Lisa," your photography teacher informs, pushing her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose.
"But Mrs. Ta--"
"Pairings are final," she cocks her head at you, persuading you to give in. With a sigh, you respond, "Yes ma'am," and attempt to ignore the sound of Lisa's friends high fiving each other in celebration.
The Turning Point
"My parents are gone for the rest of the week..." she says, holding the door open for you as you carry in your equipment. A hint of suggestiveness lies in it; she's alluding to exactly what you think she is, and you push her shoulder upon realizing it.
"Knock it off, Manoban."
"Okay, okay," she chuckles, listening to you for once. The surprise is clear on your face.
She leads you towards the backyard, where you set up one of your highest power cameras and turn it on. You have to create a gallery of different photos, all under the same theme. You both agreed to do a time-lapse of the sunset, and take pictures of the stars after.
Once she makes sure that the timer is set correctly and that the auto shut-off feature is enabled, she motions for you to follow her back into the house. You do, and she leads you into the kitchen.
"Do you want a snack?"
"Sure, do you have any ramen?"
She nods, quickly busying herself by bending down and searching through the cabinets. After she finds it, exclaiming a pleased, "Aha!", she tells you to go get comfortable in the living room.
Three minutes later, from your place on the couch, you begin to smell something burning. You scramble up and rush to the kitchen, only to find Lisa running around like a headless chicken, attempting to put out the small fire she started.
"HOW THE HELL DID YOU MANAGE TO BURN RAMEN?" You shout, though your tone isn't angry. You're just very shocked, and loud about it. You push her away from the pot, albeit gently, and get the flames to go down relatively quickly. You turn the burners off and put the pot in the sink, leaning against the counter to recover from the adrenaline rush.
"Oops?" She asks more so that says, with a growing smile evident in her voice.
You shake your head and chuckle despite yourself, turning around to face her. "You can order a pizza now to make up for that." You point a finger at her, grinning stupidly when she presses the tip of hers to it.
"Your wish is my command, princess."
Thankfully you're already walking away as she says that, so she doesn't get the satisfaction of seeing you blush.
---
"Lisa, I can't keep going." You groan out, sweat dripping down your face. The pizza you ate earlier is giving you a stomache ache, paired with the physical activity you're doing.
"Y/N, just a little longer, we're almost there," she huffs out, keeping her movements steady somehow. You're a mess by now, so you don't understand how she's still going.
A couple minutes later, the TV in front of you lights up, saying, "Awesome moves! You win!" as you collapse to the ground in a heap.
Why you agreed to play Just Dance with her after eating is beyond you.
"Good job," she compliments, grabbing your hand to high five herself with it.
"Yeah, yeah," you roll over, catching your breath.
She lays down beside you as you recover, telling jokes to hear that laugh that she loves so much. She prefers yours over anyone elses, so it's always such a reward when she gets you to crack up.
"We should probably head up now," she notes, realizing that the stars will be coming out soon. You agree, and she carefully helps you up.
"Here, I'll carry you," she turns, bending down so you can get on her back.
"Lisa, you can't carry me," you brush off, feeling insecurity bubble up again like it always does when you're offered a piggyback ride.
"Y/N, I promise that I can. Trust me," she reassures, looking into your eyes sincerely.
"Alright," you sigh, standing onto the couch to get on easier.
"See?" She asks, sliding her warm hands up your thighs to keep you secured against her. "I've got you, babe."
You tuck your head into the space between her shoulder and neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume.
"I'm gonna punch you if you drop me," you whisper, feeling her laugh against you.
"Fair enough."
-----
Later, On The Rooftop
"Careful," she instructs, outstretching a hand to help you climb out the window. Her camera hangs around her neck, and she takes the cap off of the lense once you're both safely sitting on the roof.
"Wow," you sigh, gazing up at the sky in wonder. Her house is far enough away from the city that you're rewarded with a gorgeous view of the stars, unburdened by the industrial fog that hangs over the cosmopolis.
"It's beautiful out here," you say, looking back at her. You tense up a bit, not expecting her to already be looking at you.
"Sorry," she laughs at herself, looking away once she gets caught admiring you.
"It's okay," you reach down and gently squeeze her hand, making her blush lightly.
"Let's get started," you conclude, pointing at the camera. She nods, knowing that she'd never get the assignment done if you didn't step in to tell her to (considering she'd rather admire you), and she points the device to the sky.
After snapping a few pictures, she lays back in order to get a better vantage point of one of the star systems. She hands it to you after she's satisfied with her work, and you take your turn with it.
She notices that you keep brushing your hair out of the way when it falls in your face, so she decides to help you.
"Here," she says, saddling up behind you. She gathers your hair up, running her fingers through it to neatly pull it up for you. Thankfully she always keeps a spare tie on her wrist.
"Thanks," you smile, snapping another picture. The simple act warms your heart; she's being selfless for once, and helping you without even being asked. It's a refreshing change of pace.
"You're welcome." She chirps, sitting back down beside you.
-----
Later, In Her Bedroom
"Oh, I really like that one!" She says excitedly, pointing at the TV. Her phone, which is connected via Bluetooth and automatically receives pictures of her choosing from the camera, is displaying some of your best shots.
"Yeah, you did really well with that. I think we might beat everyone else if we use that as our cover piece."
Your compliment makes her momentarily shy, and she quickly realizes how much she loves your praise.
The two of you continue like that, reviewing the different pictures and choosing your favorites. She always finds ways to compliment yours, noting your technique or the filter you used, and it always makes you smile. She's different than you're used to, and it's throwing you for a loop, pleasantly surprising.
---
Lisa steps out of the room to go to the bathroom a few minutes later, leaving her phone connected to the TV. A ding sounds out across the space, pulling your attention away from the stack of notes laid out before you. Your eyes dart up to the screen, reading the text message that appeared at the top of it.
Austin ⛓: "Dude, did you get into her pants yet? We're literally betting over here 😂"
You blink a few times as their words sink in, making your chest hurt. You were really beginning to believe that you had been wrong about Lisa; clearly, though, your instincts were right.
Feeling betrayed, you shove your folders back into your bag and stand from the chair, willing yourself not to cry. The sound of the sink turning on lets you know that she's almost done, so you hurry your movements and make your way towards the door. She steps out into the hall just as you exit her room, looking at you with wide eyes.
"Woah, woah, woah, what's going on?" She asks with furrowed brows, approaching you. One of her hands lands on your arm, and you shrug it off as you brush past her without another word.
"Y/N, did I do something wrong?" She asks from the top of her staircase, watching as you walk towards her foyer.
"Why don't you ask Austin?" You bitterly call over your shoulder as you turn the knob, slipping out the front door. She hangs her head upon registering your words, realizing what must've happened. She makes a mental note to give him hell when she sees him again.
Tears sting your eyes as you exit the house, wrapping your jacket tighter around yourself. You should've known something like this would happen. The chilly night air bites at your skin, stealing more of its warmth away with every step you take. The temperature doesn't change your mind, though; you're upset, and you'd rather freeze out here than be face to face with her right now.
"Y/N, wait!" She calls after you, blasting out the front foor. Her footfalls sound off behind you, announcing her rapid approach, but you don't turn around. Realizing this, she darts in front of you, keeping you from walking any further.
"Please, don't go. He's an idiot, Y/N."
"He might he an idiot, but that doesn't take away what he said," you scowl, clenching your jaw. "Betting? Really, Lisa?" You ask quietly, hurt evident in your voice.
"It was a stupid thing they tried to convince me to do. I didn't want to, but I couldn't stop them from talking once you and I were paired up. That's not what I want, though. I'm not just in it for that."
"How am I supposed to believe that? This is your M.O., Lisa."
"It's different with you, I don't know why." That's a lie; she knows exactly why you're different than anyone else she's flirted with in the past.
You stand there before her, silently weighing your options. After seeing the pleading look in her eye, her dark orbs full of sincerity, you relent. "Just take me home. We'll work on it another day," you compromise, allowing her in just enough to take you home, but not enough to stay at her place any longer. You're still weary after a text like that, and you will be for a while.
"Thank you," she breaths a sigh of relief, clasping her hands behind herself as you begin walking back to her house. She notices you shiver on the way, and she slips her jacket off without hesitation to cover you. Neither of you have to say anything; one glance from you is enough for her, and she's content knowing you're warm.
The Fallout
From there on out she was always honest with you and actually spoke out when her friends tried to do something stupid
She still remained the charming class clown that she naturally is, just getting rid of the not-so-nice parts of herself
You slowly let her regain your trust, little by little
She did nice things for you on the daily, whether it be holding the door, carrying your books, or offering to buy you some lunch
"Morning, Y/N. Wanna grab some breakfast?" She asks, moving her head to the side towards the café at the center of campus.
"Sure," you smile, laughing when she celebrates.
She invites you to her dance perfomances
When she goes to championships, you're always first on her list of invites
"I want you there." She declares, handing you the flyer.
"You've got it," you decide, knowing there's no where you'd rather be. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
At said championship, she won the highest title and claimed victory for your school
You joined the rest of the team on the stage to celebrate, congratulating the solo dancer on her achievement.
"I'm so proud of you, Lis--"
She suddenly kisses you, clearly high off her win. She pulls back when she realizes what she just did, a worried look on her face.
"Shit, I'm sorry." She looks between your eyes, attempting to gauge your reaction.
"Get your ass back here," you order, feeling butterflies take flight when she eagerly presses her lips to yours again, wrapping her arms around you to spin you.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" She mumbles against your lips.
You squint, pretending to think about it. "Maybe... or maybe not."
Her subsequent gasp is quickly muffled by your kiss, which she can't seem to get enough of.
301 notes · View notes
nbrook29 · 4 years ago
Text
love you to the moon and to saturn
This is part 4 of my Sander in NYC ‘verse. I posted it on ao3, but recently I’ve also been posting my fics on tumblr so here it is 😌
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 
Warnings: mild sexual content
* * *
Saturday, 10:00
His sleep was anxious, mind too preoccupied with stress to allow him to get a proper rest. The wake up was even worse as mere seconds after he blinked the sleep away from his tired eyes the memories of last night crept back in, flooding him with worry and making his brain replay the argument over and over again like a broken cassette. And then he checked his phone only to find a string of messages and missed calls, all from Sander, causing his stomach to twist with nerves at what they were going to say. 
His abrupt leaving had been a dick move and if Sander was pissed, Robbe knew he couldn’t blame him. So he stalled, finger barely swiping at the screen as he was unsure whether to unlock it and face the consequences or maybe throw the phone back on his bedside table and bury himself under the covers to wait for his courage to come back and for his nerves to settle.
Heaving a sigh, he chose option number one because it was the only rational one. 
He tapped Sander’s photo, holding his breath without even registering it.
Two seconds later he knew.
He didn’t need to worry.
 Sunday 13:00
Robbe hides another smile into his glass at the thought of yesterday’s evening, trying to focus on what Marie is saying. She’s talking animatedly about a guy she met at her new internship, hearts almost flowing out of her eyes as she swoons on the wooden stool and sips her black coffee. She’s the kind of girl who falls in love quickly and falls out of love just as quick. Across from where he’s sitting, he sees Fien and Lucas rolling their eyes at her exaggerated lovesick sighes making him snort in his marshmallow latte.
“Weren’t you obsessed with that lanky guy from Starbucks last week? What happened to him?”
Marie shrugs, tossing her long brown hair back from her shoulders. “I decided he was too old for me.”
“Didn’t you say he was 21?” Robbe interjects with amusement, remembering their group messenger chat he caught up with this morning.
“Exactly!” 
They all start bickering about the appropriate age difference in relationships, Robbe watching them as he munches happily on one of the soggy marshmallows he fished out from his cup, trying not to giggle at Lucas’ scandalized face at Marie calling 21 old. Robbe knows from the many stories Lucas has shared so far that his own boyfriend is a senior at college so his reaction is even more entertaining because of that.
It feels good to be around them again, Robbe thinks to himself. He’s been canceling on them way too often those last few weeks and he still feels guilty about it. They’re a fun bunch, their bantery dynamic established since day one when they all chose the middle row to sit in during their morning classes, and then promptly spent half of it bonding over the outrageous occurrence that was the absence of a coffee shop on the campus. Not long after, Robbe also discovered that apart from the passion for filmmaking, they all also like skateboarding. After that, the rest was history.
They were for sure a nice distraction from Robbe’s intrusive thoughts in the beginning of the semester. He lucked out, finding his group, his people, so early on in his college journey. But at some point even their goofiness and honest attempts at cheering him up weren’t enough. Not since the news from Sander came that he’s staying in New York until February and since the thing with Jens.
Now, observing them from over his half-drunk coffee, lips twitching at some of the more creative but still lowkey insults Marie and Lucas throw at each other, he realizes he has really missed them. They’re like siblings, the two of them, constantly bickering and teasing one another, but it’s all good-natured and amusing to watch. 
“Oh my god, let it go, children, for the love of god,” Fien cuts in abruptly, before turning her big expectant eyes on Robbe, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger and adding innocently, “I’d finally like to hear about Sobbe’s makeup.”
Heat rushes to Robbe’s cheeks and he scratches at the back of his neck, bashful all of a sudden. She’s the number one fangirl of his relationship, he has learned recently, but in a cute way, not creepy like Aaron sometimes used to be with his invasive questions. She always moans about being forever single, pouting at Robbe for some fluffy snippets and claiming in faux-seriousness that he owes it to the world to share them with others for being lucky enough to have a fairytale-like love story. 
Robbe has never disclosed to them how unfairytale-like some of the details are because it’s not his story to tell. But he really likes her so he always indulges her, usually after a bit of teasing. And, sue him, but he’s proud of his relationship and the fact that he of all people can call Sander his boyfriend, so even if he brags a little, he thinks he has good reasons for it. 
(He’s still kinda smug when he thinks about the time when he showed the three of them a photo of Sander, a pleased little smile on his face at their reactions and playful threats of stealing him for themselves.)
“Oh yeah, I wanna know too,” Marie agrees excitedly, scooting her chair closer to him. “You’ve been all smiley ever since you came over here so I’m guessing that hottie of yours did something right,” she ends on a teasing note, her waggling eyebrows leaving Robbe no doubts she expects some saucy details.
“Oh my god, stop,” he groans as he hides his face in his hands, his friends giggling at his embarrassment. “It wasn’t like that! We just… finally talked things out.”
 Saturday, 18:00 (flashback to last night)
Robbe’s been gnawing on his bottom lip relentlessly, completely unaware, to the point it’s a few bites away from drawing blood. He can’t help but feel nervous, the cursor hovering over the 'accept' button as he's rolling his eyes on himself internally, telling himself to stop making a bigger deal out of this that it needs to be. There is a bit of embarrassment clouding his logical reasoning to be honest, embarrassment about his overreaction last night.
Was it an overreaction? He's still not completely sure, but it's not like avoiding the situation is going to magically fix everything between them. Even though he'd really like that. It feels so awkward to be in this position. Robbe doesn't know what the protocol here is. They bicker, quite often even. Fight a little too, stomping off out of each other’s room grumpily but only over stupid stuff, nothing like this.
He's walking on an unknown ground just hoping he's not going to make things worse. He desperately needs their dynamic back because he's already over it. 
Not being able to share the most mundane every day stuff with each other over texts to joke about it, rile the other up or just vent about something stupid like their coffees not being hot enough on a given rainy morning sucks.
So he takes a deep breath and clicks on the button before he works himself into a never-ending second-guessing.
When Sander says a soft hi and smiles at him with the usual warmth in his eyes, something akin to relief courses through him from head to toe. 
He gives him his own tentative smile and a short hi, pushing himself higher against the pillows. Before Sander can say anything more, he lets go of what has been weighing down on him the entire day.
“I’m sorry,” he starts, contrite. “About yesterday. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just logged off like that without explanation. And then ignore your messages,” he adds after a pause because that’s what he feels most guilty about. He knows he’d freak out if Sander just cut him off without giving him an opportunity to talk things out, would worry himself sick. 
Sander looks conflicted, brows knitted together, like a part of him wants to reassure Robbe because it's in his nature, but the other part is genuinely hurt. Robbe doesn't want compassion. Not for that, because he knows he doesn’t deserve it. Causing Sander distress is the last thing he wants.
"Yeah, it did suck," he finally admits after a moment passes, and Robbe finds comfort in his honesty. It’s a good start. They won’t get anywhere with false niceties and pretending everything’s fine. Robbe tried pretending, yesterday and most of their calls before that, and it got them where they are now.
“I mean, I know you didn’t want to talk about your problems yesterday,” pausing, he scrunches up his nose a bit, “but maybe next time just don’t log off so abruptly so I know you’re okay?” his voice tilts on a hopeful note.
Robbe just nods, feeling shameful, hating that there’s not much more that he can do when he’s talking to him through his computer, and can’t exactly reach out to cuddle up to Sander’s side or kiss the underside of his jaw as a silent apology to then stay close for the rest of the evening as they heal together. 
It’s frustrating and disheartening, but it affects them both the same amount and Robbe needs to remember that. Because the truth is, Sander didn’t exactly give him a legitimate reason to doubt him or to think he didn’t miss him. Those full of hurt eyes Sander gave him yesterday at the suggestion have been eating away at him all day.
Robbe just got swallowed by his own insecurities and let the little things that bothered him consume him all instead of, well. Communicating.
Sander was right yesterday. Of course he was.
He knows he has some more apologies to give.
“I’m also sorry for not telling you earlier how I felt,” he keeps pouring his heart out, “and for, you know, assuming you don’t miss me much, and-”
“Woah, hey,” Sander stops him before he can get himself deeper into the spiral. “Robbe, I fucked up too, don’t take it all on yourself.” He adjusts his laptop and Robbe can see his face clearer now, his eyes bloodshot and tired, a clear sign of a sleepless night, and the guilt clogs his throat even more now.
“I should have seen something wasn’t right.” When Robbe shakes his head and goes back to apologizing, Sander shoots him a pointed look that makes him shut up. “I should have, don’t deny it. You know, I took a long walk yesterday after you hung up, to clear my head, but also to get a perspective on our latest talks. And I felt so dumb for not realizing you were not doing okay.”
“Sander, I don’t expect you to read my mind,” Robbe tries to joke, but it falls flat even in his own ears. But he can’t bear those big regretful eyes on him. He doesn't deserve them.
“Baby, I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you the way you needed me to. Please tell me now? What’s been bothering you, hmm?” 
Robbe scrubs his face trying to collect his thoughts, to find a concise way to get everything out of his chest, but he doesn’t know where to start.
“It may take a while.”
Sander makes a show of fluffing the pillow he placed against his back and getting himself more comfortable on his bed, sighing with contentment for a better effect. 
“Look, I’m in my comfy clothes, got an energy drink on my nightstand, the computer battery is full and I told everyone I’m busy so they won’t nag me with anything. I’m all yours today.” He gives him an encouraging smile, fondness etched into every crevice of his face.
Robbe’s heart does a little skip at his words, Sander’s demeanor so comforting that he feels the last pieces of apprehension ebbing away, the need to vent overpowering the hesitation of showing his vulnerability. 
“I think I just found myself overwhelmed with some things,” he admits quietly, picking at his nail, an absent-minded habit when he’s nervous, as he’s trying to find the right words. “A lot has changed in those last few months, almost all at once, and I kinda have trouble coping. And like,” he scoffs at himself, “I’m angry with myself ‘cause I should be enjoying most of it, being in college and majoring in something that I actually like, and it’s great, but I can’t help but focus on all the things that are different now, things that are not so great.”
Before continuing, he flicks his gaze to Sander for a second, only to then cast his eyes back to his lap. “The last two years with you were the happiest of my life, you know? After years of bullshit and constant misery and pretending to be somebody I wasn’t I-,” he sighs, bittersweet smile on his lips,”I finally found my person, you know?”
Sander mirrors his smile, but he’s frowning a little. “But you still have me,” he reminds him softly.
“I know, but it sucks when I can’t just, I don’t know, snuggle up you and forget about stuff. It’s all your fault, by the way, you’ve been too good to me and now I have withdrawal symptoms,” he pouts, and hears Sander chuckling on the other side of the screen.
“You have no idea how much I wish virtual hugs were a thing. And kisses, oh my god, kisses too. I’m so kiss-deprived. Once I finally get my hands on you, I won’t let you go for a week.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
For a short moment, Sander manages to bring a genuine smile on his face, but it quickly disappears when the reality sets back in. There are still almost four long months to get through. He watches Sander’s smile slipping off his face slowly and he knows they’re both thinking about it.
The boy sighs deeply. “You know, sometimes I feel like it was a mistake to-”
Robbe’s eyes snap to him. “No, no, no, don’t think that, it wasn’t a mistake. Please don’t feel guilty or something, that’s the last thing I want you to do,” he stresses. Sander still looks conflicted, and fuck, this is exactly what Robbe wanted to avoid.
“Hey, I’m serious. Look, you not being here is tough, but like I said, it’s just things piling up, changing. Shit like school work that has been piling up and me getting so stressed about the end-of-the-semester project because I still haven’t figured out the details. Plus people moving away, all of that makes it difficult for me to adjust. So don’t go thinking it’s because you’re the center of my universe or something,” he ends his rambling with a feigned-offended huff and Sander easily lets them slip into their usual banter.
“I’m not?! Wow, the things a guy finds out after being such a devoted and doting and loving boyfriend.” He wipes the imaginary tear, letting out a long-suffering sigh. “Such a menace, breaking my heart in half on this lovely Saturday afternoon.” He purses his lips in offence and Robbe is grateful for Sander’s attempt to lift the mood, trying to be upbeat.
He feels a tug in his chest thinking about how if Sander was here, he’d be tackling him to the nearest surface to shut him up with tickles and loud smooches and playful jabs in the sides and how they would make much more noise than necessary, acting like the rambunctious teens they are.
That’s going to have to wait too. But he discovers this thought doesn’t hurt as much as it would have yesterday because their conversation right now, this opportunity to vent and Sander’s texts last night, all of it makes him feel better, helps him see he’s not alone.
“I love you,” he blurts out all of a sudden, and it’s something he’s wanted to say since he read his heartfelt texts this morning that almost made him cry in relief.
Sander blinks a couple times, surprised, but then his previously playful face melts into such a fond look it makes Robbe blush like it was the first time he said it.
The I love you too comes right away, soft and quiet, like he’s telling a secret, and it’s heart-stoppingly precious.
To keep himself from drowning in fuzzy feelings, he shoots him a private little smile and steers the conversation back to his friends, telling him how it sucks that it’s they all now live away and how unexpectedly difficult it is to meet up. Robbe’s used to basically having everyone at arm-reach.
“We do video call, obviously, but you know, Milan is all loved up with Ralph in Amsterdam and not that keen on leaving their love nest and Zoe and Senne keep traveling between Genk and Ghent, which with Zoe’s coursework and internship is already a struggle. I don’t think they’re doing that well, actually,” he winces, remembering their last conversation.
If during freshman year somebody had told Robbe who his best friends were going to be, he’d looked at them as if they had grown two heads. Because for real, Jana’s new friend and her roommate? And school’s fuckboy? 
But life’s funny like that sometimes. Moving into their apartment in his sophomore year has been one of the best decisions he’s ever made. His number one best decision is currently frowning at him from his dirty screen.
“Oh, that sucks. Do you think they’ll work it out?” 
Robbe sighs deeply, propping his chin on the heel of his palm. “Senne has been thinking about finding a job in Genk so I hope so.”
Sander huffs a laugh suddenly, shaking his head. “Wow, I wish I was in his place and there were only 2 hours between us, instead of a whole ass ocean.”
“Yeah, I think once you’re back we’re gonna have a master's degree in that long distance bullshit,” Robbe smiles at him wistfully. 
“Ugh, never again though. You’re not getting rid of me, it sucks without you, Robin.” He sounds so grumpy Robbe can’t help the short giggle that escapes him, but deep down he’s happy they both share that sentiment.
They’re staring at each other now, enjoying the moment before Sander shoots him a knowing look. “You haven’t mentioned Jens.”
That sobers him up enough for the fuzzy feelings to disappear from his stomach. 
Jens. There’s not much to talk about really. And isn’t that a punch-in-a gut kind of truth considering it was his best friend? Isn’t it heartbreaking that Robbe didn’t even feel like fighting for that relationship and there’s a nagging voice in his head telling him that Jens didn’t either? Just a regular heated argument was enough to finally cut that last string, to put a stop to a friendship that had been hanging by a thread long before. Not that they had noticed.
He felt awful, afterwards. More alone than ever before. But deep down he knew it had only been a matter of time. He just wished Sander had been there to pick up the pieces.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Robbe winces, going back to apologizing once he translates his feelings to words the best he can, hoping he made Sander understand.
The boy pulls a face at him, eyes narrowed as he pretends to give him a stern look. “Enough with apologizing today, okay?” He waits until Robbe nods, albeit begrudgingly, because it’s in his second nature to keep saying sorry when he knows he messed up.
He nestles against his pillows to get more comfortable as he glances to the window, registering that sometime during their call it got completely dark outside, November days getting shorter still. He can feel tiredness starting to creep into his bones, the nervous anticipation before their call he had endured all day wearing him down significantly. 
There are still some things he needs to get out of his chest and Sander coaxes them gently one by one, listening to him moaning and groaning about his school course load and how he thinks he’s not skilled enough to come up with interesting ideas and being quick to cut him off and reassure him when Robbe’s words get self-deprecating. He’s so attentive and so patient with him, not even an ounce of judgement in his eyes that Robbe feels the pressure and stress that have accumulated over the last few weeks finally letting go with each word he pours out.
When the conversation eventually steers to Robbe’s uni friends and he admits sheepishly that he kinda ghosted them lately, feeling too blue to go out and have fun, Sander interrupts him mid-sentence.
“You should reach out to them, tonight.”
At Robbe’s unsure look, he continues, “If they’re as cool as you made them out to be, I’m sure they’re gonna understand you needed some time to figure things out.”
He then proceeds to cover his ears and whistle, refusing to talk more until Robbe caves and shoots a text to the group chat, trying to keep it short, but explaining things along the way and making amends. Sander’s very pleased with his persuasion skills, beaming at him when Robbe reads him the replies he gets from Lucas, Marie and Fien, wearing a small smile himself as he rolls his eyes at Sander’s smug face. 
Sander then asks about his mom and it’s so sweet because he always makes sure to ask, and Robbe falls for him even more each time he does. He’s a bit reluctant when Robbe tries to make him talk about his recent days, keeps saying this call is not about him, but he gives in before Robbe gets upset about it.
Watching his eyes light up with excitement when he talks about his classes works like a balm for Robbe’s yearning heart, Sander’s genuine happiness making his own struggles worth it. It’s a nice reminder that he’s there to make his dreams come true and that it’s everything Robbe has wished for him.
When Sander talks about shenanigans with his friends, Robbe recalls the TikTok video he watched some days ago.
“Nice Michael Jackson moves, by the way,” he comments, trying to sound innocent, but it ends up coming out a little coyishly as he bites at his finger to hide his smirk. 
Confusion clouds Sander’s face but only for a second. Then, his lips stretch in a wide grin and he looks very pleased with the confession. “Have you been stalking me, Robin?”
Robbe shrugs, a picture of innocence as he keeps peeking at him from under his lashes. “I might’ve seen a video or two. They’re all so thirsty for you in the comments though,” he adds, putting a note of faux-jealousy in his voice. He quickly noticed that Sander’s new uni friend is semi-popular on the app so his videos always get a fair share of comments. Ever since Sander appeared in them, the hoard of the guy’s fans has been declaring their love for Robbe’s boyfriend under every video. They mostly make him laugh, but sometimes he’ll roll his eyes at some of the raunchier ones, possessiveness that he didn’t know he had activating in his brain.
He waits for Sander’s cocky comment, but to his utter delight, he blushes deep red and scoffs.
“Shut up, it’s so embarrassing,” hiding his face in his hands, he adds, “All of my friends have been teasing me about it constantly.”
“Aww, poor you, being fawned over must be such a hardship, how do you cope?”
“Oh I don’t know, smartass, you can tell me from experience ‘cause I saw those comments under your old vlogs.” 
Robbe huffs a laugh. “They were nowhere near as detailed as yours!”
“What can I say, I’m irresistible,” Sander quips back and yeah, there he is, Robbe’s favorite (cocky) dork. “If I’d known you’re my TikTok fan, I’d have sent you those videos right away so you wouldn’t have to waste your time searching for them."
Robbe sighs. “They are a nice window to your life there,” he replies offhandedly, not even registering the implied double meaning to his words, but the immediate change in Sander’s amused expression makes him aware of the slip.
Fuck. 
“So you noticed. That I’ve been texting you less.”
Robbe drops his gaze, pulling the cover further up his body, feeling awkward again. He doesn’t want to make a big deal out of this.
Sander shifts on his bed, scratching at his head. “I felt like I was too much, you know? I wanted to share every silly thing with you, but then, well, it was something Josh said that I should,” he waves vaguely trying to find the right words, “cut back on my ‘running commentary’ ‘cause it’s probably annoying.”
“Tell Josh he’s stupid,” Robbe cuts in with a huff, grumpily beating his pillow into submission to make it more comfortable. 
The corners of Sander’s mouth twitch at his comment, but his face remains sheepish. “I think he was mostly joking, but it got stuck in my mind and made me question every message. In the end, I didn’t send like half of them,” he explains softly, voice colored with poorly hidden self-consciousness. “I didn’t want to give you the impression I don't have time for you, I’m sorry.”
And, fuck. They’re both idiots.
Sander’s brows shoot up when Robbe bursts into giggles out of the blue, clearly surprised with the reaction. But at this point, it feels like the only proper thing to do.
“So basically we could have avoided this whole bullshit if we just talk about all this sooner,” he groans at the realization, burying half on his face in his pillow to hide his heated face because he’s a little embarrassed he blew things out of proportion.
There’s a visible relief on Sander’s face too, eyes crinkling as he regards him with a dopey grin, and Robbe knows.
They’re gonna be fine. 
“Here I thought we were masters of communication,” Sander sighs with a faux-disappointment, leaning back to smile at the ceiling. “Fuck, no more of assuming shit, what do you think?”
And that sounds like something Robbe can get behind one hundred percent, more than ready to leave their misunderstandings in the past and just do better. So he nods, chin digging into his collarbone uncomfortably with the position he’s lying in, but it doesn’t matter, he’s too preoccupied with staring at his happy face and swimming in his fuzzy feelings.
“Prepare yourself for an onslaught of photos and messages, I’m not messing around,” Sander warns, smiling at Robbe’s soft okay. “You know, just a few days ago I ended up at Pebble Beach, it was cold as all fucks, but the view was just,” he imitates an explosion over his head and Robbe giggles at his childlike enthusiasm. Then, Sander’s face softens and becomes a little sad. “That place is so romantic that it made me feel like shit without you there,” he sighs, and Robbe can relate. “I’ll take you there one day.”
“You’re gonna take me to New York?” Robbe asks, doubt lacing his voice as he cocks his brow which makes Sander scoff in indignance.
“Hell yeah! You don’t believe me? What do you think I’m doing here everyday? I’m scouting the best places for dates, finding the best skateparks and checking out all the museums so I can be the perfect guide for you!” Sander throws his hands, a duh expression on his face, but there’s a wide smile brewing on his lips letting Robbe know he’s not really offended or anything. And, honestly, Robbe just melts with his words.
“I can’t wait, baby,” he sighs dreamily, rubbing his cheek against his pillow as he gazes at him with what he’s sure is the softest look. 
Sander narrows his eyes playfully from above the can of Redbull he’s been sipping on. “Don’t ever doubt I’m gonna go out of my way to impress you.” 
Robbe blows him a kiss that morphs into a huge yawn, eyelids growing heavy, forcing him to blink repeatedly to stay away which prompts Sander to tease him a little about boring him, but it quickly dies out and he’s just looking at him fondly.
“You should go to sleep.” He ignores Robbe’s melodic neeees, giving him a stern look that was probably supposed to be intimidating, but he looks too amused to keep it up. Once Robbe gets his promise they will see each other tomorrow, Sander sends him several virtual kisses and goodnights before logging off.
Robbe falls asleep with Sander’s beaming face flowing through his mind.
The sleep that comes is unsurprisingly the calmest he’s had in weeks.
 Sunday, 18:00
Sander: And?
Robbe: And what?
Sander: Was I right?
Robbe: About?
Sander: About your friends
Robbe: Kinda
Sander: So it means I was 😎
Robbe: :):):) yes
Sander: Thank you sander
Robbe: Thank you sander 
Sander: See, you're so precious everybody's in love with you and forgive you in seconds 
Robbe: 🙄 
Robbe: Precious srsly?
Sander: So precious 🥰
Robbe: Omg
Sander: Haha
Robbe: We're good 😊
Robbe: But I don't think they are in love with me 😂
Sander: They better not be 🤨 I'll fight them all! 🗡💀🧟🤺
Robbe: Dork ❤
Robbe: I think they a little bit in love with u though 🤔 
Robbe: They've been babbling all afternoon about how cute you are 🙄
Robbe: A g a i n *yawn*
Sander: They have good taste 🤷♂️
Robbe: Nah they just don't know your annoying habits so that's why
Sander: 😮 I don't have any how dare you badmouthing me like that
Robbe: 🥴
Robbe: You never wash your coffee cups right away so they lay around
Robbe: You always tickle me when you want sth
Robbe: You're full of corny jokes
Robbe: You eat my fries when I don't look 
Robbe: You hog the covers
Robbe: And I still remember that Wednesday when you ate my last bag of chips 💔
Sander: Okay first of all
Sander: Wow
Sander: Don't hold back 🥺
Sander: Second of all
Sander: I THOUGHT THOSE CHIPS WERE MILAN'S I TOLD YOU!!!
Robbe: That's what they all say 💔
Sander: You're unfair, I thought I made up for that lil mistake 🍆
Robbe: Well you did 🙈 but I still remember 😝
Sander: Also you love my jokes
Sander: They're awesome 🤧
Robbe: I'm just messing around 😘😘
Sander: 🥰
Robbe: But I swear to god if I have to listen one more time to Marie waxing lyricals about your 'perfect moles' I'm gonna 🤮
Sander: What haha 😂
Robbe: I mean they are but like
Robbe: Chill girl he's not your man 🤨
Sander: That's right cause I'm your man 😏
Robbe: And don't you forget that
Thursday, 3:48
Soft knuckles brush his skin, body arching into the touch that turns his muscles into jelly and sends liquid fire rushing through him. He’s overheated in the best way possible, seeking out Sander’s tongue, but the boy denies him access, smirk well in place as he pulls back, green eyes cloudy from lust. He’s staring at him like he wants to eat him whole and Robbe almost whimpers, bones melting and lids closing when Sander takes the tender flesh of his neck between his teeth and bites at it ever so gently, but just enough to make Robbe see stars. 
He sighs as he feels a ghost of touch on his nipple, Sander leaving a trail of kisses down his sternum as he’s moving so teasingly slow to his final destination, and he doesn’t even hesitate, spreading his legs wider around Sander’s hips in a blatant invitation, blushing hot pink when Sander sends him a fox-like grin, mouthing at his inner thigh.
The details get fuzzy for a few seconds, Robbe blinking rapidly to get his surroundings and finding himself on top of Sander, and there’s an inkling at the back of his brain telling him something’s messed up about the logistics here. He decides to ignore it, focusing back on the moment and Sander’s glistening, kiss-swollen lips, on his eyes transfixed on the place where they’re connected, and he leans down, his tongue sweeping over his Sander’s bottom lip before he starts pressing soft, spit-slick kisses into his mouth. He pushes Sander’s hands up over his head and intertwines their fingers, arching his back as he takes over, the rush of pleasure almost overwhelming him.
“Ohmygod, Sander,” Robbe breathes into his mouth. His hands are trailing all over Sander’s chest and stomach now, squeezing and rubbing almost like he’s his personal plaything.
It’s not long before Sander’s warm hands draw him back towards his chest, lips ghosting along Robbe’s, teasing, always teasing, but not granting permission to properly meet, making Robbe impatient and whine in desperation only for Sander to grin wickedly at him. He feels nails dragging along his spine, leaving goosebumps in their wake, stopping at his cheeks, massaging them to his heart content while Robbe can only pant, rocking back and forth and biting his bottom lip to keep from coming.
He’s an oversensitive, blissed out mess, trying to keep his eyes open to take a mental snapshot of Sander’s lust-blown pupils as they watch each other, Sander fucking him slowly and punching the prettiest sounds out of Robbe’s mouth.
Hips stuttering, he drops back down on his elbows to crash his lips against Sander’s, feeling his body tensing he’s so close and-
Eyes shot wide open, blinking harshly against the darkness of the room. His first instinct is to reach out to the other side of the bed, snuggle closer to the source of heat lying next to him, but his brain catches up with his hands quickly and he stops himself mid-reach, groaning as he flops back on the bed, disappointed. He kicks his covers down grumpily, letting cold air hit his overheated skin, frustrated and too awake to go to sleep now.
Fuck.
 Thursday, 13:08
*photo attached*
Sander: Good morning x
Robbe: Heeyy sleepyhead 😘
Robbe: You look cute
Sander: I had very interesting dreams last night 
Robbe: Oh yeah? 
Sander: Yeah I'm still affected by them 😏
Robbe: Stop it I'm at a coffee shop with the guys!
Sander: I'll have to tell you about it tonight then 😈
Robbe: Can't wait 😘
Sander: Today at 16 my time right? 
Robbe: Yep :) 
Robbe: You know
Sander: Hmm?
Robbe: I might have some of those dreams too last night
Sander: 🥵🥵🥵
Sander: Do tell
Robbe: 🙈
Sander: Now I’m super intrigued 😈
Robbe: How about I tell you tonight 
Robbe: With details
Robbe: Lots of them
Sander: Tonight can't come fast enough 😩
Sander: Looks like I will though 😏
Robbe: Omg you're such a dork 😂
Sander: Did it get u hot
Robbe: No wtf 😂
Sander: ☹🥺
Sander: Kay
Sander: I have to get up now
Sander: I'm late 🙄
Sander: Robin it's raining I don't wanna go out 😩
Robbe: Haha get your pretty ass out of bed and go be a good student!
Sander: Ugh fine 🙄
Sander: I love you ❤
Robbe: ❤
Sander: Hey no, not an emoji, tell me you love me ☹
Robbe: Haha
Sander: Come on
Robbe: 🤐
Sander: Robbe
Robbe: Gotta go 😌
Sander: Okay then 😔💔
Robbe: I love you too idiot ❤❤❤💯
Sander: Yesss 🥰
Sander: Hey that's my emoji 😏 so you like it after all
Robbe: 😂 go to class!!! 
Sander: I'm going I'm going
Friday, 19:00
Robbe checks his phone for time again, not wanting to be late for his call with Sander, but there’s still about half an hour until he should get going. It’s been a pleasant evening and a while ago he would have never called any time of the day spent with his father ‘pleasant’, but there he is. Enjoying his dinner not only with him but also with his girlfriend of six months that he met in July when the first attempts to salvage the relationship with his dad have been made. 
And it’s all because of Sander. The fact that he’s even here speaks volumes about his skill of persuasion. If it hadn’t been for his boyfriend, Robbe would have continued to stew in his own juices and ignored his dad. 
“How is Sander doing? New York is a jungle.”
Robbe huffs a laugh. “He’s good, he fits in well in the city vibe. But, um, he needs to stay a bit longer, till February actually ‘cause the school postponed the art show.”
He goes for another bite, frown on his face at the mere reminder of the change of plans. 
“You probably hate it, huh?” his father questions. 
His only response is to throw him a duuuh look, making his dad snort.
“You should visit him.”
Robbe looks up from over his spaghetti, expecting to see his dad laughing or winking at him, but both him and Margaux are looking at him with unsuspecting smiles, like the suggestion is the most obvious thing in the world.
He exhales a short dad in a laugh, glancing at them back and forth. “I don’t have a spare several thousand euros lying around waiting to be spent on a trip to New York,” he explains, slight exasperation in his voice. 
“Oh I don’t think you’d need that much, Robbe,” Margaux smiles at him as she puts away her fork and reaches for her phone. “A few months ago I was actually backpacking with my friend through the East Coast and, wait, let me check, I have everything saved on my AirBnB account.”
Robbe gets back to his dinner as she scrolls on her phone, trying to squish the building hope in his chest away because even if it’s cheaper than he thinks, there’s still no way he can afford it; his equipment and books for school have eaten all of his savings.
“There it is! Look,” she scoots her chair closer to him, his dad peeking at the phone from the other side. “We stayed in Brooklyn for 98$ a day for a double bed, in Bedford to be exact and the conditions were really nice, plus the train station was close by. I’m sure you could find something half as cheap since it’s just you and the room can be tiny, just to sleep really.”
“That’s a reasonable price, I think,” his dad joins in, and then proceeds to ask her questions about her other expenditures while in the city and the flight prices, debating whether it’s better to drive to Frankfurt and take a direct flight from there or maybe decide on a layover flight from Brussels. 
They are so into the planning and discussing the best options that they both jump slightly when Robbe speaks again, clearly forgetting he’s sitting right next to them, a picture of confusion. 
“Guys, guys, wait. It doesn’t matter if it’s 1500 euros, or even 1000 euros because that’s still a 1000 euros more than I have to spend on a trip anywhere.” 
His dad is so enthralled into checking different flights that he barely raises his head from above his phone, replying offhandedly, “I’ll pay for it.”
And, okay, no. Robbe gapes at him like he grew two heads, spluttering, because hell no.
“No way, I won’t take your money, dad.”
His vehement tone finally makes his father properly regard him and he sighs after a second. “Robbe, please don’t treat it as an attempt to buy you or your feelings.”
Straight to the point, his dad, always has been. It definitely is one the reasons for his refusal, but it’s not only that.
Robbe takes a deep breath to calm down. “Look, dad, it’s still lots of money. I can’t-”
“I’m many things, but irresponsible with money I’m definitely not. So if I say that I can pay for it, it means that I can afford it and it won’t affect me.” He gives him a pointed look. Before Robbe can argue again, he continues. “We can treat it as your Christmas gift. And next year’s birthday gift. And last two Christmases gifts as well.”
Robbe thinks about the packages he received from his father those holidays, and how he sent them back without even opening. Then, it definitely felt like buying his affection.
“You’ve been doing good at school, got into the university you wanted, you’ve been more responsible those last few years that I could’ve ever asked from you. Then you worked during the summer because you were adamant about paying for school stuff yourself. I think you earn it, Robbe. If you don’t want to go for other reasons, then that’s fine, but if it’s just about the money, please let me give you this.”
“New York is the kind of place everyone should visit at least one,” Margaux says gently. She has a warm smile that immediately made Robbe like her, despite really trying not to for obvious reasons. “And I think Sander would love for you to come visit too.”
Robbe has been torn before she spoke, but the mention of Sander reminds him of their videocall a while back, Sander telling him about places he was going to show him one day, being his guide and taking him to his favorite spots in the city. He can see it all vividly now when the opportunity is at his fingertips, can’t stop the excitement filling his body at the thought of seeing Sander before that dreadful February, even though he’s still now sure what to do.
While he’s been lost in his thoughts, trying to come to some conclusion, Margaux has been typing away at her phone. “Dates around Christmas are very expensive, but what would you say about, let’s say, December 8th? Til December 17th?”
Robbe wouldn’t even consider Christmas because there’s no way he would leave his mom alone for the holidays, but… the dates Margaux offered seem kinda perfect. His main project is due on December 4th so he wouldn’t have to worry about that and it’d be fine if he missed classes for those several days. Completely unaware, he finds himself making plans in his head before he even made a decision to accept his father’s money, but when his eyes snap to his dad’s, the small smile he gives him lets him know he already knows Robbe’s answer.
 December 7th, 22:00
His excitement has been uncontainable the entire day, making him so giddy he had to cancel his regular call with Sander because his boyfriend would figure him out in seconds. And that’s the last thing he wants. 
He’s still in shock that he somehow managed to keep it from him, planning a surprise in his head ever since he agreed to his dad’s help and working extra hard at uni to afford missing those 8 days of school. There’s apparently been one close call when Younes almost spilled the beans to Sander during their Zoom, but thank god for Yasmina who managed to effortlessly salvage the secret, improvising and coming up with an easy lie, leaving him unsuspicious of any ploy going on.
And Robbe just. He just can’t wait. He’s been counting hours since last week, his lips yearning to be kissed by his favorite person, body pining for touch and caress. 
Lost in the dreams of their reunion, Robbe’s startled by a ping from his phone, lips stretching in a wide smile when he sees a notification from Sander’s instagram. He opens it, curious, melting when he’s greeted with a graffiti sign saying ENKEL LIEFDE, Sander’s style easily recognizable to him. Underneath, there’s a heart and his own handle and that shit never fails to make Robbe heart stutter. There’s a DM from Sander waiting for him as well, the same photo, but Sander’s caption says The High Line needed its own version of my love declaration for you, but unfortunately I couldn’t find enough space for a redo of your gorgeous face Robin :( So I did this :) You like it?
He replies with a bunch of red hearts, likes the post and adds another heart in a comment because there’s never too many of those. Then he flops back on his bed, a smile glued to his face.
Nineteen hours.
31 notes · View notes
roll-da-credits · 4 years ago
Text
The Dreaded Finals - Kuroo x Dumbass Reader -
Word Count: 2.3k
With finals quickly approaching you dreaded for your impending doom. Having barely studied the entire semester and getting just passing grades, both you and Kuroo were rather anxious about the finals. (The title is me. I’m the dumbass reader.)
A/n
This story was brought to you by me procrastinating on studying for finals even though its literally a week away. I should study Physics and Biology right now but I can’t be bothered at all. Anyways, as always I hope you guys enjoy the first Haikyuu post here. 
Tumblr media
“THEN WHAT THE HELL IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SERIES AND SEQUENCE IF THEY USE THE SAME FORMULAS???” What is math.
You threw your hand up and Kuroo looked at you, exhausted but amused at how idiotic you actually were.
This morning you were just reminded by your boyfriend, Kuroo that tomorrow was the math finals.
How you forgot the dates for finals was beyond him. Cue panicking over not understanding a single thing taught in math.
Him being the kind boyfriend he was, offered to teach you the formulas and do some example questions with you. Though at first, he thought it wasn’t going to be that hard, your scores weren’t amazing, but they were passing.
From your test answers, he noticed how you already understood the formulas. You just had trouble applying them and putting the right formulas on the right questions.
But he realized pretty quickly, you were just incredibly lucky.
“So, for geometric and arithmetic they have 2 formulas for each so its 4 formulas all together I think you already know that-“
“Wait there’s 4??” Kuroo looked up at you from the paper slowly, completely dumbfounded how you didn’t know there was 4. “Ok stop looking at me like that HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?”
Kuroo pitifully smiled and ruffled your hair. “How did you even pass this test if you didn’t know there were 4 formulas??” He actually was amazed at how you graduated from Junior High.
“Well I just guessed around, plus sitting beside smart students help a lot you know.” You nudged over towards Kuroo. A sly smile decorating your features.
He shook his head, amused at the fact that you somehow cheated on every single test but STILL get a BARELY passing score.
“Ok so, this is how it works.” He then spent close to one and a half hour explaining everything about ONE out of the four topics you had to study that day.
Thankfully you seemed to be focused to be learning everything, he was actually surprised at the fact that you were enthusiastic to try and understand everything.
Now was the hard topic. It was close to 8pm and you finished 3 topics, but the last one. Algebraic expressions.
“Yea no, you know what. I’m just going to stop here and hope this doesn’t come up that much tomorrow.” He laughed out loud at your reaction when he showed you his notes.
Your hand tangled in your hair with your eyes wide open, completely baffled at the satanic writing in front of you. “This doesn’t even look like math anymore.”
Sighing, you planted your head on his desk. He grabbed both your shoulders and shook you lightly as a small way of trying to cheer you up. “At least you already understood the other topics, algebra’s hard, don’t be too hard on yourself.” He tried motivating you.
Kuroo was one of the most supportive boyfriends you could ever ask for, whenever it came to you trying out new things or you trying to study. He was always there to support you and sometimes tease you whenever you needed a laugh.
Kuroo smiled fondly over at you, there was something about you that always captivated him. Even in situations like these where you’re frustrated or just plain annoyed, he always saw you as incredible.
He admired you as well, although sure your grades weren’t something that would qualify for Harvard or Oxford. He admired that you still tried, albeit you procrastinated a lot. He’s never seen you fully give up and come to something completely unprepared.
You were always working on your flaws, whether you realized it or not. And for that he admired you. “Can we just hang out now? You’re very deserving of a break.”
Truthfully, he just wanted to have a soft cuddle session with you on the bed until you realized you had to go home, before your parents start calling the police. Much to his disappointment, you shook your head and opened your phone to check the time.
“Can’t. My parents already texted me, asking where I am.” You muttered, already beginning to take your books and notebooks. “Thank you for teaching me though, you’re the best.”
You gave him a light peck on his lips as you stood. Successfully making the volleyball captain grin. “Love you, wish me luck for tomorrow.”
~
The next day came and it was no surprise that he was actually worried for you. As always, you arrived in class one minute before the teacher came in.
Before the test papers were handed out Kuroo saw you look back at his seat 2 rows behind you and grinned largely.
How the fuck were you so calm.
Even he was stressing a little bit internally. He felt like he didn’t prepare enough.
When the tests were handed out his eyes widened. From what he saw by skimming the questions, close to 75% of it was algebraic expressions.
Something both of you deliberately skipped last night. Safe to say the entire time he was doing the test he snuck glances over to you, trying to see if you were panicking or not.
Although, even if you were, he wouldn’t be able to see it since your back was facing him. For some reason, it was panicking him a lot that he didn’t spend the time to teach you.
What happens if you fail?
He knows your parents were rather strict on grades. They agreed as long as it was a passing grade you would be safe from a punishment.
But what if you failed?
Would your parents stop you from visiting him?
Or worse, what if they confiscated your phone?
How was he going to text you flustering pick-up lines in ungodly hours of night?
Even through all of the stress pile up and him panicking every time he read a new question and it was still algebraic expressions. He somehow finished the entire test on time.
The only good thing that comes from finals are, no other subjects, and you get to go home early. Lunch time came as soon as the test ended and the bell rang.
Kuroo immediately went to your table, “Damn, we should’ve studied algebraic expressions huh cutie?”
He patted your head lightly. He wanted to tease you, making sure you smiled at something if you were feeling down at the unlucky test questions.
What he didn’t expect you to do was giggle. “Damnit, I probably used up all my luck in my other tests.” You barely seemed bothered by the high chance you might get a failed score on math FINALS. “Maybe next time I’ll listen to you more.”
You grinned ear to ear, standing up from your chair to kiss the rooster head boy on the cheek.
“You coming? I want to meet up with Kenma.” He didn’t even realize you were already leaving the classroom.
The rest of the lunch break was spent with you and him talking about random nonsense, whilst Kenma sits playing his game and adding a few of his own opinions to whatever topic you talked about.
Afterwards it was time for another final test, you and Kuroo took your seats again and began the test.
He again realized; this was difficult. He struggled with a few of the questions. This made him worry again for you.
Not that he wanted assume you were stupid or anything of the kind, you were a pretty smart person when it came to certain subject. Though, other subjects you seem to get a barely passing grade.
Then again, after the test, you didn’t seem bothered by it and barely complained about the question.
The finals week went on and every day the same thing keeps happening.
He’d help you study but would have to cut a few things from each topic short because you had to go home. The next day the test would have you write the answers completely and in depth, he’d get worried you won’t be able to do it. As always, after the test.
You didn’t seem shocked or even bothered.
You didn’t even talk about the finals when you were hanging out, you wouldn’t talk about the questions or even discuss the questions you didn’t understand with him.
He was perplexed by you. One day you were panicking because you didn’t understand math at all, the next you seemed terrifyingly calm after doing something you supposedly can’t do.
You didn’t speak about the finals for the next week either, it was when the last week of school finally came that the moment of truth is revealed.
All the test papers would be given back to the students.
Since this was finals to determine if you’d make it to your third year, everyone seemed antsy. Even Kuroo himself was scared to see his score, passing was one thing, his expectations for himself was another thing.
He looked over to you, and again. You seemed,
Oddly calm
No nervous foot tapping, ghost piano playing on your table, or even your fingers fidgeting with each other.
Nothing.
Completely calm
It was unnerving, he’s never seen you that calm before.
You’ve always been someone who matched his energetic lifestyle, so seeing you so quiet and calm was… creepy.
The test papers are finally given back to the students, and the teacher left the classroom.
A range of emotions swept through the class, some crying, others cheering. Kuroo sighed in relief. His scores just reached his own expectations.
He walked over to your table and saw you clutching the paper close to your chest. Readying for the worst, he waited for an outburst of emotion.
Then he saw it.
The first few tears that came out of your eyes. His heart immediately broke at the sight.
He knew you worked hard and didn’t procrastinate the whole week of finals, although you did before. You always made up for it by studying extra hard a day before finals.
He took his palm and wiped a few of your tears. “Oi, cutie, come on give me a smile. Grades don’t mean everything. Plus, I bet that one subject you love you got a really good score on.”
He took your chin on his right hand and lightly pulled it up to look at him.
His eyes widening with little bit of fear. You were SMILING???
Seeing his shocked expression made you laugh really loudly whilst wiping the tears. You put all of your test papers on your table for him to see.
Every one of your finals you didn’t only get a passing score.
But every one of them were above 85.
You got a 90 for math.
“I DID IT!!!” You enthusiastically yelled and stood up abruptly.
You hugged Kuroo, whilst the table between the two of you made the position a little bit awkward. He leaned into your touch, still confused though.
When you pulled away you laughed at his ridiculously confused expression. You sighed in contempt and sat back down at your chair.
“I slept for 2 hours every single night, just to study. When I come back home from your house, I’d still study. I’d try to understand every single thing we didn’t touch on before.” Your eyes glimmered with a sense of pride.
A new kind of admiration filled his heart as he listened to his beautiful lover talk about all the things they did to help them memorize everything.
You were lost in your own explanation that it took you a while to realize Kuroo was looking at you with the most love-struck expression. “Pffftt, what’s that face.” When he realized he was staring he immediately looked away and blushed.
“Hey hey hey!! I thought you were the teasing one in this relationship.” You continued to tease him whilst laughing.
Kuroo looked back at you and gave you one of the most genuine smiles you’ve ever seen. Successfully making you stop talking, “You’re incredible.”
He said out of nowhere. It amazed you at how Kuroo was able to say those kinds of things with a straight face. You awkwardly laughed at his comment, “You inspired me you know?” His head cocked to the side with curiosity. “I thought to myself, you deserved a smarter lover. So, I wanted to get really good scores this year.”
Oh, if only you knew how much YOU inspired HIM to be a better person. Since it was time to go home anyways, Kuroo took your bag with his and dragged you across the hallways.
“Where the hell are we going???” You were utterly confused.
Kuroo didn’t even reply, he just ran all the way back to his home and his room. You threw off your shoes as quickly as possible whilst he was still pulling you.
He pulled you on his bed with him and immediately cuddled close.
“The fuck?” It wasn’t as if you didn’t like it.
You just were… confused
“You said you haven’t been getting enough sleep so we’re taking a nap right now. I won’t take no for an answer chibi-chan. If you do say no, I’ll just keep bragging about my scores until you’ll sleep just to get away from me.”
You scoffed, “I’d never fall asleep with THAT kind of bedtime story.”
Kuroo looked down at you, “Well, first off I got a 98 in math, it wasn’t hard. I saw that question 4 you got it wrong and the way to actually do it is-”
“Go to hell, I’d rather sleep.” His signature hyena laugh filled the room.
Adorable as always.
“Then go to sleep cutie.”
You hummed in agreement and put your hands around his torso, whilst he to yours. His chin resting on the top of your head and you nuzzling into his broad chest.
This was the perfect end to finals week.
39 notes · View notes
crystalstar8 · 5 years ago
Text
Knights of the Night (chapter 1)
Tumblr media
Chapter 1
Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491
pairing: Jungkook x oc
genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance
word count: 2,426
warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France
notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character
summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing... 
              Catalina gazed out of the window as the city flew by. Full Moon, by the Black Ghosts was playing on the radio. She wondered what her apartment was going to look like. She should have listened to her mom when she told Catalina to take a trip out here to set it up before school started, but she never found the time. She had been too busy saying her goodbyes to friends who didn’t care about her leaving.
               The taxi finally entered the small town of St. Briggs. The sky was dark and bleak; when Catalina pictured California, she didn’t imagine this. She was hoping to see a different environment, but it kind of looked just like Michigan. It would still be a change though. Hopefully a good change. This was one of the most highly recommended performing arts schools in the country and Catalina was looking forward to a fresh new chapter of her life.
               She was dropped off at her apartment building and the taxi driver asked if she wanted him to help her carry her bags up the stairs. She said no and hurried to pay him. Catalina somehow managed to drag her bags up the stairs on her own, breaking out in a sweat and making her twenty-year-old back hurt. The apartment was lightly furnished already, the bare furniture from the last student still there. So Catalina started unpacking her clothes, toiletries, and bedding. Once everything was unpacked, she looked around at her new living space. It was small, only three rooms: the bedroom, a tiny bathroom, and a kitchen connected to an empty living room. She’d have to get a couch, and maybe a TV. Or she could just save her money. Yeah, that sounded better. She would usually just watch Netflix on her laptop anyway.
               Speaking of her laptop, she pulled it out of her backpack and flopped onto her bare mattress, opening it up. Classes started in a week and she needed to review her schedule and figure out what materials she needed. Her dance class stared back at her from her schedule on the computer screen. She was most excited for that one.
               Catalina sent the schedule to her phone and then closed her laptop. She decided now was a good time to explore the campus, if only to check out the dance studio.
                 It was chilly here, the wind coming off the water brisk and wet. Her hair frizzed up and she mourned the fact that she only packed light clothes, expecting the typical California weather. She should have realized that Northern California would be pretty much the same as where she lived before in Michigan.
               Despite the gloomy weather, the campus was beautiful. It was bustling with students and their families, taking tours and lots of pictures in front of the old buildings. She glanced at the wrinkled campus map in her hands, which she had printed out back at home. The dance studio was closer to the back of the campus, so she trekked through all the freshman and found herself in an emptier part of campus. The buildings here were very old. Big willow trees grew between the buildings, their leafy curtains giving those spots a sense of privacy on the lawn. The dance studio was in a building that looked like it was a refurbished, converted old house. Catalina walked up to the porch and tried the door. It was unlocked.
               Inside the house, it was a bit more modern. There was a tiny lobby and then a hall where there were bathrooms. Then past that was the studio. The door was closed. Catalina reached for the doorknob but paused when she heard music coming from inside. The music stopped, then started again from a previous spot. It continued like this for several minutes, Catalina standing there listening to the same part of the song over and over. Finally, she decided to put whoever was inside out of their misery and she opened the door.
               The guy inside stumbled on the move he was practicing, startling and spinning around towards the door. His chest was heaving and he was sweating, staring at Catalina with wide eyes.
               “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said. The guy seemed to snap out of it and he went over to his phone, which was hooked up the speakers, to pause the song.
               “No, it’s okay,” he said. “I just wasn’t expecting anyone to come in here. Usually it’s pretty quiet in the dance hall when there aren’t classes.”
               “Well, I wouldn’t count on that today,” said Catalina. “There’s a million freshman and their entire families out there. It’s only a matter of time before they find you.”
               He giggled and said, “I forgot it was orientation day. My name is Jimin, by the way.”
               “I’m Catalina. This is a really pretty campus.”
               “Yeah, I guess,” said Jimin. He went over to his dance bag and pulled a towel out, wiping his face.
               “I guess?” asked Catalina.
               “I mean, I grew up here. Everything in this town is old,” he said.
               “Oh,” Catalina then realized that she had interrupted him in his practice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I know how it is when you’re in the zone. I’ll get going-“
               “No, it’s okay! Honestly, I was about to pass out or something if I kept going,” said Jimin. “I just couldn’t get this one move, and it was driving me crazy…”
               “What was the move?” asked Catalina, stepping further into the studio. “Can you teach me?”
               “I mean… I don’t know if you can…”
               “Try me,” said Catalina. Jimin led her to the center of the floor, facing the mirror. He walked her through a complicated move, which led into a jump turn. He broke it down and Catalina followed, nailing it on the second try. Jimin then did it at full speed, perfectly.
               He turned to her with wide eyes.
               “That was the first time I did it right!” he cheered. Catalina clapped along with him.
               “Sometimes all it takes is breaking it down again,” said Catalina. Jimin narrowed his eyes.
               “So, you tricked me?” he asked in a playful tone.
               “Into getting the move right, sure,” Catalina grinned.
               “Well, thank you. You’re pretty good,” he said.
               “I’m majoring in dance, so I should hope so,” said Catalina. “I’ve only been doing it since I was four.”
               “You’re majoring in dance? Me too!” he said. “I’ve never seen you here though. Are you a freshman?”
               “Yeah, this is my first year here,” said Catalina. “I heard the dance program is really good.”
               “It is. It has a good variety too. I’m taking a hip hop class this semester. You should take it with me, if you have room in your schedule.”
               “I’ve been dancing ballet all my life, I don’t think I’d be very good at hip hop…” Catalina scratched the back of her head. Jimin shook his head.
               “No, that’s a myth! Teachers only say that about ballerinas who don’t care about learning other things. I’ve also been doing ballet my whole life but I’m learning a lot of new things here, and I really love it,” said Jimin.
               Catalina laughed and said, “I guess you’re right. I should…broaden my horizons, as my mother would say.”
                 Catalina left the studio that day with a new number in her phone and a more hopeful outlook on her upcoming journey through college.
                 The next week passed in a haze as Catalina readied herself for classes and thought about furnishing her apartment some more. She never did furnish it, but at least she made the bed and filled the fridge. She also got into the hip hop class with Jimin, which she was excited about. She was ready.
               Finally, the first day of classes came and Catalina woke up bright and early. She got dressed; she knew these first few days were going to be the only days she would bother with anything other than pajamas, so she actually made an effort to look cute. Her first class was French, which, honestly, was going to be torture. She needed to learn French to reach her ultimate goal, so it was a necessary evil. It sounded pretty, so maybe it wasn’t the worst language to learn.
               When she got to her French classroom, it was already pretty full. She found a few vacant seats in the back of the room, which she took. There was still one behind her, so she wasn’t actually all the way in the back. That was something her academic advisor had told her – don’t sit in the back. It was supposed to be a subconscious thing where the closer you sit to the front, the better you do in the class. Catalina didn’t know if that was actually true, but the front seats were all taken and she was used to sitting in the back, so here she was. Second to last row. It was a start.
               Catalina pulled out her notebook, a pen, and her phone. She had a text from her mom.
 Mom: Are you settled down okay at the apartment? How is campus? Did you make it to class okay this morning?
Cat: The apartment is good. Campus is pretty. I’m in class right now. Everything is going great. I even made a friend.
Mom: a friend?
Cat: yeah, he’s in the dance program too. We’re taking a hip hop class together.
Mom: This is great news! Is he cute?
               Just then, the professor walked in and introduced herself. Catalina let out the breath she was holding, glad she didn’t have to answer that. That was one of many reasons she was so excited to move across the country. Ever since she came out as bisexual, her mother had been trying her hardest to get Catalina a boyfriend. Sure, Jimin was plenty cute, but that’s not what Catalina was here for. She’d just really rather not talk about her love life, or lack thereof, with her mother.
               The professor mostly just went over introductions and the syllabus, which she passed out copies of to the class. Then she took attendance. A few names in and the door opened. A boy walked in, his eyes wide as he scanned the room for empty seats. He spotted the one behind Catalina and sped towards it. The professor eyed him.
               “I guess you came just in time, since I just started attendance. I do not take absences lightly in this class young man,” she said.
               “Sorry,” he mumbled. The professor grumbled and handed another syllabus to the person in the front row before continuing with roll call. When Catalina handed the packet back to him, she caught a glimpse of the new guy. He looked only half awake, his hair a mess, bags under his eyes and rumpled sweats. He didn’t have a backpack, only a notebook. Catalina winced in sympathy. He was going to have a hard time in this class. He reminded Catalina of herself in high school. She was a new woman now though. Things were going to be different in college.
               “Catalina Cruz” was called and she raised her hand in acknowledgement. The guy behind her answered to “Jeon Jungkook”. After class, Catalina turned around in her seat and smiled at Jungkook, who still looked frazzled.
               “First impressions are important,” she said.
               “Ugh, I know,” he moaned, sliding down in his seat. “I slept in…”
               “Yeah, she probably hates you,” said Catalina. “You’re doomed.”
               Jungkook covered his face. “Don’t say that!”
               Catalina laughed and said, “Dude, I’m kidding. You’ll be fine.”
               Jungkook let his hands fall. “I just think it’s stupid that I need a language class for my major.”
               “Everyone needs a language class. What are you majoring in?” asked Catalina.
               “Film. What about you?” he asked.
               “Dance,” she said. The two of them got up and made their way out of the classroom. “I came on a scholarship too, so I can’t really afford to fail any classes.”
               “Yeah, no scholarship for me, but my parents will have my head if I fail anything,” said Jungkook. “They’re paying out of pocket for me and my brother.”
               Catalina giggled. The two of them walked over to an empty patch of grass under a tree, where they sat. “Do you live on campus?” she asked.
               “Nah, my parent’s house is right around the block, I’m just gonna live with them until I graduate,” said Jungkook.
               Catalina hummed and nodded. “You’re lucky. I have an apartment that’s going to drain me. I can’t even afford furniture,” said Catalina. “Actually, I should probably try to find a job…”
               “Oh! My aunt owns a tourist shop up in the mountains and she needs weekend employees for tourist season,” said Jungkook.
               “Tourist season? Summer is almost over,” said Catalina.
               “There’s a big ski resort up there. It gets pretty busy once the snow comes,” said Jungkook. “You should take the job with me! It’ll be so fun, we can explore the mountains.”
               “Ehh, I don’t know how much mountain climbing I’ll be doing, but the job is kind of perfect,” said Catalina. “How far away is it? I don’t have a car.”
               “I mean, I have a car, but there’s also a hiking trail that gets you there, which I’ll probably be doing, cause’ it’s more fun,” he said. “It’s not that far, like, a few miles?”
               “A few miles? That’s far! That’s a long walk!” said Catalina.
               “Oh, come on! I backpacked for five days once, that’s about fifty miles. And I’ve heard stories about people who backpack for weeks,” said Jungkook.
               “Okay well, you may be super fit and sporty, but I’m not-“
               “What were you majoring in again? Dance?”
               Catalina shoved him. He fell over, laughing hard. Catalina scrunched her nose to contain her laughter. “Oh shut up! Okay, I get it. Hiking might be fun, but not every time,” she said.
               “No, I’ll totally drive us to work every now and then,” he said. “I’ll call my aunt tonight about the job. Here, give me your number so I can tell you what she says.”
               Catalina typed her number into Jungkook’s phone and then handed it back.
               “Anyway, I’d better get going. I don’t want to be late for another class,” said Jungkook. “I’ll text you.”
               He got up and walked away, waving. Catalina waved back. Two new friends. And they were both so much nicer and more genuine than her friends back in Michigan.
35 notes · View notes
hyuniebaby · 5 years ago
Text
Focus (10)
Pairings: Baekhyun x Y/N x Junmyeon
AU: College student! Baekhyun, Professor! Junmyeon AU, college!au
A/N: So I've rewritten the whole Part 10 because Tumblr decided to mess it up... I didn't have any back-up file so… I completely changed the whole part. 😅 Sorry for updating this late, I had to cool down from my frustration over Part 10 getting deleted. I hope you still enjoy this~
Taglist: @coffee-prince-kyungsoo​ @thighhighsanti​ @littleflowercrown13​
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11
Tumblr media
Mr. Kim doesn’t know what came over him when he started walking towards Baekhyun as soon as he had a glimpse of him. He was even more surprised when the words, “Mr. Byun, if you have time, please come by my office later” left his mouth.
Mr. Kim was a very laid-back professor. He doesn’t mind what his students were up to as long as they were actually learning. He only ever intervenes when he notices that his students weren't doing well on his quizzes. But right now, that wasn’t the case when he finds himself talking to Baekhyun. Unprofessional as it may be, he wanted to know what’s happening between you and Baekhyun. Were you two in a relationship already? Was he wrong for taking a liking to you? Were you cheating on Baekhyun with him? Does Baekhyun know what happened between the two of you? There were so many questions he wanted to ask but he doesn’t know how to do so, especially not to Baekhyun. Baekhyun wasn’t his friend, you are. It would have been easier if it was you who he was standing in front of.
He should’ve just held back the words. He should’ve just waited until he saw you so he could talk to you instead. But he was very curious, he couldn’t think straight! He was slightly panicking inside for being so brazen but he kept the cool exterior.
Mr. Kim wasn’t expecting to see Baekhyun nod to him. “I’m actually free today.” Baekhyun says. Mr. Kim thought that he’d be able to get at least three hours to be able to think of a plan to subtly ask about the two of you. Now he had to think fast.
“Well then Mr. Byun, please follow me to my office.” He says.
He leads the younger male into his office. Baekhyun doesn’t seem to be as tense as him. When they arrive at his office, he motions Baekhyun to sit.
“So Mr. Byun I see that you’ve become distracted in class lately.” Mr. Kim starts to say. Quite frankly, it wasn’t what he really wanted to say, but he thought it would be weird he went directly to the point. He wasn’t sure how Baekhyun would react so he was being a little cautious.
Baekhyun shrugs nonchalantly. Wow, he doesn’t really seem to care, Mr. Kim thought. It was annoying for him to see a student act so indifferent. He was a professor after all and he deserves to be heard and respected.
“Mr. Kim, just get to the point, I know you don’t care about my performance in class,” Baekhyun says with a slight annoyance in his tone. Baekhyun was being rude and he knows it, but he was really not in the mood for beating around the bush. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Mr. Kim at all. He was very much pissed to know that he was the person who dared touch you when he basically marked you as his.
Mr. Kim was taken aback with the tone Baekhyun used. He felt offended for the lack of respect. He gives the younger male a warning look, a sign that he shouldn’t test his patience. Baekhyun just stares at him, challenging him.
When Mr. Kim doesn’t respond, Baekhyun says, “I know about you and Y/N.”
Mr. Kim raises his brow. He knows you well enough that you’re only comfortable with telling these kinds of things to people who you truly trusted. The fact that Baekhyun knew meant that you’ve grown close to the younger male. Mr. Kim leans back to his chair and crosses his arms, “What about us?”
Baekhyun gives him an incredulous look. “You touched her and kissed her. God knows what else you’ve done!” He was so mad.
“Didn’t you do that to her too?” He says with a glare.
Baekhyun was caught off guard by Mr. Kim’s statement. Mr. Kim knew something happened between the two of you and he still touched you and kissed you! You were his and like he told you, he doesn’t like to share. He was furious at the older man. Right now all he wanted to do was to punch Mr. Kim in the face, but he refrains from doing so. He tries to compose himself and smirks, “Oh but we did more than that.”
Mr. Kim clenches his jaw in annoyance. Baekhyun tugs the collar of his shirt to reveal more of the hickeys you gave him. Mr. Kim’s eyes widened at the sight, he wasn’t able to notice the hickeys at first because he was too busy thinking of what to say to Baekhyun. The sight pisses of Mr. Kim. He scoffs,”Should I care? Even if you did have sex with her, I don’t think it counts so much. After all, she allowed me to touch her despite having slept with you.”
Baekhyun felt like he was slapped on the face. What Mr. Kim was true. He wasn’t anything to you aside from the man who you had slept with, twice. “As if you aren’t in the same disposition as me.” Baekhyun snaps.
“Oh but I’m not the same as you.” Mr. Kim smirks. “We’ve known each other for quite a while now. I was her friend even before I became her professor. Even her parents adore me. She won’t cut ties with me easily.”
Well shit.
“Just a tip, Baekhyun,” Mr. Kim says his name mockingly, “She almost never dates. You see, she prioritizes her studies over everything else. She gets easily distracted too, so she avoids distractions as much as possible. And if you’ve been observing her for the past few days, you’d know that you are a distraction. Maybe you should just step down and save yourself the trouble.”
To Baekhyun, giving up is never an option. Baekhyun is a gamer after all. The thing about gamers is that they’re very competitive and passionate. He naturally loves to win. This time it was you who he wants to win over.
The past few days of you avoiding him lead him to realize that he does feel something about you. And because of this realization, he’s not going to step down, even if it’s Mr. Kim who’s supposed to be his opponent. He hates losing. And he would definitely hate himself if he lost you.
Without a word, Baekhyun stands up and leaves Mr. Kim’s office. He’s furious. He has to find a way to make you his, before Mr. Kim actually makes a move.
✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧ ✧・゚: *✧・゚:*
You enter the classroom with your head down low to hide your red face. Baekhyun was driving you crazy. When you looked up from the floor, you saw your friends were already seated by your usual place. All your friends were looking at you already.
Before you can even take your seat, Mina says, “So... I think it’s time to tell them what happened to you last week.”
You know immediately what she was thinking about when she raises her eyebrows up and down. “Do I really have to?” You whine.
Mina doesn’t answer you, she turns to the rest of your friends with a smile instead and she announces, “She met this extremely good looking guy!!!!”
“How good looking?” Joohyun asks, leaning forward.
“Like a god! He’s tall and handsome. A gentleman too.” Mina says dreamily.
You roll your eyes, “Mina, I think you’re exaggerating.”
“What’s his name? Maybe I can find him.” Joohyun says. You don’t doubt her abilities, she does have a lot of connections.
“Uh… I think you will definitely find him because you have so many friends.” You pause, thinking of whether or not to tell her. You eye her warily, but she looks so interested, you didn’t want to dampen her mood so you say, “His name is Sehun.”
“Sehun as in Oh Sehun? The one in Performing Arts?!” Joohyun exclaims.
You were shocked she knew him personally. You thought it would take at least a day for her to find out about him through her other friends. “You know him?”
“Yes,” she then lowers her voice and glances at some person in the front row, “he’s Jongin’s best friend.”
You snap your head towards Jongin, it was a good thing he was taking a nap so he doesn’t know about the commotion. “What the fuck?”
“So are you dating him?” Seulgi pipes in.
You slightly cringe, remembering how annoying he actually was when sober, “Of course not!”
“Whose shirt are you wearing then if it wasn’t from him?”
You were caught off guard by the question, momentarily forgetting that you’re actually wearing Baekhyun’s shirt. “This is Baekhyun’s shirt.” You press your mouth in a thin line
Your friends squealed. “Oh my god! Are you two dating now?” You didn’t know who asked because they reacted so loudly you had to cover your ears.
“No, no. Nothing like that. We -- uh, haven’t talked about it yet.”
Your friends’ eyes soften. “Well, you know we like him. For you. So don’t be too afraid to jump in Y/N. It’s been so long since you and Kyungsoo broke up, maybe you should give him a chance.” Mina says.
You frown, “It’s complicated,” you pause while thinking about Junmyeon, “I don’t even know if he likes me that way.”
Seulgi rolls her eyes, “It’s quite obvious he has a crush on you! When you were avoiding him, he always had this longing look when he saw you in the hallway. Not to mention --”
You cut her off before she could say anything else. You didn’t want to get your hopes up, “Besides, I have to study well, especially since I have to beat Jongin.”
Your friends laugh at your reasoning. They were aware you thought of Jongin as a competitor ever since he was dared to beat the top student in the class, who was unfortunately you. It was supposed to be for a quiz only, but when Jongin lost to you, he didn’t give up. So he challenged you to the next quiz which led to another and another. There was an unspoken agreement that this “game” would continue until the end of the semester, or at least if someone concedes. It came to a point where your classmates took bets on who’s going to score higher. Even your professors were aware of the game you both played, but they didn’t say anything about it seeing that somehow the rest of the class got motivated to study for the quizzes and examinations because of the competition. Then by the end of the semester, your classmates tallied your quizzes and examinations and well, Jongin scored higher than you by two points. TWO points! It frustrated you. But it was fun competing with him like that since you got more focused and driven. This time you weren’t going to lose to him. You weren’t going to let anything or anyone distract you.
88 notes · View notes
phantom-curve · 5 years ago
Text
find the strength, find the melody pt. 7
lmfao I love how I posted an update 2 days ago like “this fic will have sporadic posts! idk when they’re coming!” and then I spent the last two days writing this. when that insomnia inspiration hits ya gotta just go with it!
this chapter went in a completely different direction than I had planned on soooo yeah...honestly not sure where this is gonna end up! the characters from my OC novel that I’m loosely basing this story around didn’t have a connection before they ran into each other so when Julie gave me this I almost cut it because I genuinely wasn’t sure where it was going. I think I’ve almost figured it out and I’m pretty sure I know how this will end. and now we all get to laugh at me together because it’s definitely gonna be more than 3-4 chapters. it might even be more than 6. Luke’s POV will have roughly the same amount of chapters I think, possibly longer because boy oh boy does he have A LOT to say (most of it about Julie). fair warning: this one has an awkward cut off because of the way I need to set up the next chapter. sorry about that.
and now something I probably should be embarrassed to admit: I don’t remember writing the part where I managed to sneak an “I’ve Got The Music” reference in so now we know for sure this show has infiltrated my brain. it’s fine, I’m fine, at least I WILL BE WHEN WE GET A S2!!!! KENNY!!!! SAVE ME HERE!!! MAKE MY UNHINGED OBSESSIONS WORTH IT!!!!!
taglist: @blue-hat-girl, @lwhoscribbles, @bluefyoto94, @5sosmukefan, @moonlightxnder, @leahthewonder​, @kat-maybe-not​, @lukewearingbeanies, @imastrugglingartist​​
Tumblr media
It was no small miracle that Julie made it through the afternoon without Ray asking for details about her supposed ‘plan’ to play with the Sunset Curve boys. She didn’t think she would have been able to pull off spinning a story quite as well as Luke had earlier. She had expected at least a small amount of interrogating about when she had started playing again, but apparently the news that she was playing at all, let alone with other people in front of an audience, was enough for Ray to ignore all of the other plot holes involved in this scheme. He seemed to have almost forgotten the meeting with Principal Lessa entirely, humming on the drive home, kissing her forehead and turning her loose to freak out alone in her room while he sat down to work on his computer in the dining room. Julie took full advantage of the time alone to restlessly pace her room and send Flynn a 911 text. Her bestie’s contact photo lit up the phone screen 30 seconds later.
“Okay, I’m hiding in the basement girl’s bathroom, so you’ve got exactly 5 minutes before I get too grossed out to stay here.”
Julie’s chest loosened at the sound of Flynn’s comforting voice. There wasn’t anyone else in the world that loved her the way Flynn did. It was reassuring and made it easy for Julie to let loose.
“Lessa told Dad about the music program and then You-Know-Who ambushed us outside of her office and basically forced me to agree to perform with them.”
“Voldemort was at Los Feliz?!”
Flynn’s gasp was overflowing with sarcasm.
“Flynn!” Julie whined. “Be serious! Luke showed up out of nowhere again! And he did the thing again! The charming his way into getting what he wants thing! And now I have to play with his freaking band! What the hell am I supposed to do?”
There was silence for a moment. When Flynn spoke again her voice was softer, more serious.
“You don’t have to play with them, Jules. You can tell them no, and they’ll have no choice but to respect that. The only person who can make you do anything is you. But...I kinda think you might want to play with them.”
“What?! No!”
Julie’s exclamation was a second late. Flynn didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Julie sighed.
“Okay fine. There’s something about Luke that makes me want to play again. Are you happy? He gave mom’s song back to me when I thought it was lost forever. He’s the only person who’s heard me perform it, and he...no one else has ever made me feel that good about my music before.”
Julie thanked her lucky stars Flynn wasn’t in the room to see her blush. There was a long moment of contemplative silence on the other end of the line. When she spoke again, there was that extra note of take-no-shit in Flynn’s voice that made Julie sit up and really listen.
“I think you should give it a chance. Who knows, maybe this is some sort of sign from your mom. You said it was a miracle he would have even found that song in the first place. You said it felt like she was there with you when you were playing. Maybe she made sure it would find its way back to you when you were ready for it.”
Julie didn’t say anything, just worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest. It had felt a little too perfect to be just a coincidence. The way Luke kept appearing in her life at the exact moments she needed him someone or something to help her keep moving forward. Flynn sighed.
“Look, I’m not saying it is your mom. But I’m not saying there’s not some kind of greater power out there that keeps pushing the two of you together. I think you should give it a chance. If nothing else, you can get back in the music program and we can bring Double Trouble to life in time for our Junior Showcase!”
Julie couldn’t help laughing. Her eyes felt misty, love for her best friend welling up in her heart.
“I never agreed to that name you know. But thanks, Flynn. I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Now. I gotta get the fuck out of this grimy ass bathroom. Love you, bye!”
Flynn waited for her to return the sentiment before hanging up.  Julie flopped back on her bed, letting her breath out in a loud whoosh as she hit the comforter. A glance at her phone told her she only had a couple hours until Luke and the other boys would be out of school and on their way to her house. She tried her best to ignore the way that thought made her stomach roll with a type of nervousness she would rather not name. It was easier to blame it on nerves over playing with new people rather than nerves over playing with Luke. Except...now that she actually thought about it, she had played with Luke before. Her head spun, eyes fluttering shut as she remembered the one music class she had shared with Luke last year.
She had only been a freshman, stuck in a lowly Introduction to Composition class. It was supposed to be for new songwriters. Julie had a little more experience than the rest of the class, after all she’d been kind of composing with her mom for a few years now, so when it had been time to write a duet for their final big project she had gotten paired up with the classmate whose skill level most matched hers. It was supposed to be a way for them to challenge each other and grow as writers instead of one person doing most of the work. Julie had been paired with Luke.
He’d been a grumbly sophomore, held back for failing his last semester of Intro to Comp the year before. He had been stuck there only for the second semester, forced to double up between their class and his second year Composition class. Julie hadn’t been all that excited about partnering with him. He hadn’t really seemed to care about the class at all, and even though Julie also sometimes felt like it was holding her back a little bit, she never once voiced that thought. It was a privileged mindset, and Julie was well aware that she had an advantage over her classmates since her mother was a professional songwriter. Luke, on the other hand, had made it well known that he felt like he was wasting his time just waiting to get through the semester so he could move up to the Advanced Composition class that he felt he truly belonged in. Julie could usually do no more than roll her eyes in those moments.
It was true that Luke was talented. His guitar playing was impressive, his lyrics were heartfelt and sometimes even downright poetic. Julie just didn’t think anyone deserved specific things in life because they happened to be naturally talented at something. Their songwriting experience had been...interesting to say the least. And short. It had ended abruptly when Julie’s mother had died 5 days later. In the end, they’d only worked together for two 40-minute class periods before she had been lost in the fog of grief that consumed her in the weeks following the loss of her mom.
Julie shot up in bed, eyes wide. She didn’t even fully remember what had happened with the half-finished song they had been working on. Errant notes echoed in her head, like a song that had only existed in dreams until now. She absently wondered if Luke had held onto that as well. It was no wonder she had kept that particular memory suppressed all this time. That time in her life had been particularly painful. Luke had been gentle with her though. Almost all traces of his typical arrogance gone in the two short class periods they’d had to work together. He had kept things light, steering their songwriting in the direction of a rock ballad more than a true duet. Julie hadn’t minded. She had been floating through classes by then anyway, on edge every second she was away from her mom’s bedside. It had been easier to work on something that didn’t have as many sappy emotions attached to it.
She groaned, burying her face in her hands. No wonder Luke had been so sweet with her. He must have had a front row seat to her breakdown throughout the last year. She hadn’t even realized it. Had never before seen the way he watched her from a distance, checked in on her during class. She should have. Now that she was thinking about it, trying to identify every instance, she could name a million. How had she missed it for so long? How had he gone so long without saying anything? The Luke she remembered was terrible at keeping his mouth shut. He had always been ready to speak his mind, never afraid to start a discourse. It didn’t track that he had been holding himself back. Unless...it was more about her musical ability than anything else. She remembered now; Luke had been thrilled to partner with her for the duet. He had made some remark about how her sound was the perfect complement to his. Maybe he only cared about the ways they would mesh as songwriters. She could only hope that’s what his words had meant.
She felt more secure in her footing as a musician when it came to dealing with Luke than she ever had as a simple teenaged girl. If it was just about the music she could compartmentalize better, keep herself from getting too emotionally invested. Music had always been a safe zone, neutral. She breathed in and out deeply, remembering the technique Dr. Turner had taught her to slow her breathing and recenter her mind. She could do this. It was just about the music. They would play a song together, Julie would get back into the music program, and life would move forward much in the way it had before. Except Julie would actually participate in class this time. She had the music back in her soul, she wasn’t ever going to let it go again. On her next exhale, she heard the doorbell ring. Showtime. Julie zipped down the stairs, ripping open the door before her dad had a chance to get more than three feet away from his computer. Luke, Alex and Reggie all stumbled back a step as she tumbled outside, pulling the front door shut behind her. The three teenaged boys shared a look.
“Studio. Now.”
Julie raced down the path to her mom’s studio before they could react, not even waiting to see if they followed her. If they were smart, if they truly wanted to do this, they would. She hauled the garage doors open, only turning around when she had the piano at her back. The wood felt warm and solid, almost like she had her mom as a support behind her instead of an instrument. The boys appeared seconds later, Luke leading the way. He stopped a couple feet inside of the studio, studying her with wide open earnest eyes. She let out a deep breath. Reggie spoke up before she could get a word out.
“Woah, Julie, this studio is so cool! It’s like a tiny home! A musical tiny home in a botanical garden!!”
His green eyes were wide, expression awed as he spun to take in the space that Julie and her mom had spent countless hours turning into theirs.
“How did you get chairs on the ceiling?! Are you, like, a witch and a siren?!! Man, you and your mom must have made some serious magic in here.”
Luke’s arm shot out faster than lightening to backhand Reggie’s bicep. Reggie cringed away, a soft owww! just barely audible over the loud sigh Alex let out as he buried his face in his hands. Reggie shrugged, looking back and forth between his bandmates before giving Julie a confused yet apologetic glance. What had he said wrong this time? The giggle that bubbled out of her was as unexpected as it was welcomed. Warmth blazed in her heart, memories of the time she had spent in here with her mom washing over her with a kind of hazy bliss she hadn’t ever experienced before. She gazed at Reggie, letting that same feeling of motherly love from the night before fill her up. It was all she could do not to react to Luke’s jaw dropping when she gave Reggie a soft smile.
“We did. We made so much magic in here.”
The words were gentle and filled with a kind of genuine love that overshadowed all other feelings of awkward nervousness. Alex and Luke relaxed instantly, Reggie’s face losing all traces of uncertainty as he beamed at her with a smile so large it almost looked painful. Julie couldn’t help but let herself return it, just a little bit. The silence that settled between them was more comfortable, the tense moment from earlier broken. Julie studied the boys in front of her. She hadn’t ever thought of them as friends per se. They knew each other, would say hi if they encountered one another outside the walls of the high school, but at the same time, they didn’t actually know each other. Julie’s little run in with Luke the night before had made that painfully obvious. She wasn’t really sure what to make of them.
“Are you guys actually serious about this whole Showcase scheme? Did Luke even tell you about his dumb plan?”
“Hey! That plan is genius. Even your dad agreed. He seems pretty cool.”
Julie couldn’t help the fond way she rolled her eyes. Alex was quick to reassure her that they did, in fact, know about the plan.
“Not that I actually think it’s a particularly well thought out plan.” He stated with a lingering glare at Luke’s back.
The planner in question did his best to ignore the skeptical look on Julie’s face.
“Julie, you really don’t deserve to be out of the music program.” Reggie’s voice was soft and sincere. “You have the voice of an angel. If we can help convinced Ms. Harrison and Principal Lessa to give you your spot back it will be so worth it. And even if we don’t, it’ll be worth the looks on their faces when we rock the pants off that crowd!”
Julie laughed in spite of herself, slightly reassured even as she chewed nervously on her lip. Luke took a few bouncy steps forward, pulling her attention to him completely. His eyes locked on hers and she was sure she was drowning, throat tightening at the look he was giving her.
“You got this. I wouldn’t have come up with this idea if I didn’t believe it 100%.”
Honestly, that was what scared her the most about it.
“We don’t even have anything prepared.”
Her voice was barely a whisper, unsteady and wavering. Luke took a few more steps towards her, Reggie and Alex ghosting along silently a few feet behind him. Julie didn’t even notice, so laser focused on the brunette boy in the cut-up tank top in front of her. She watched his muscles flex as he reached into his back pocket, flicking out a piece of folded up paper in a move scarily reminiscent of when he had given her mom’s song back to her. He bit his lip, head ducking a little to be closer to hers as he unfolded the worn sheets of scrappy notebook paper. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, focusing on the messy handwriting in front of her.
“I thought you would say that.”
The smile on his face was so soft and sweet it should have been illegal.
“It’s called ‘Bright’. It’s a Sunset Curve song that we never performed because it’s missing something. Look,” his bare shoulder brushed hers as he shifted to point at the notes, warmth seeping through the thin material of her t-shirt, “it’s perfect for your range. I was thinking, if we add a little bit of piano here and here,” fire blazed a path up her arm as his fingers traced along the opening notes and chorus, forearm flexing against her own, bare skin brushing in teasing licks, “it’ll be perfect.”
Julie forced herself to focus on what he was saying, eyes roving across the paper. She hummed a little under her breath, hearing what he described in her head. His eyes lit up when he saw her get it, feet springing up and down as he dipped even closer towards her and started to sing.
We will rise, through the night
You and I
We will fight to shine together
Bright forever
His voice vibrated in her chest, the sound filling her with an emotion she couldn’t fully identify. Alex and Reggie bobbed along behind him, Reggie’s fingers plucking out the baseline on an invisible guitar while Alex nodded along to an unseen beat. Julie could envision the way the song would sound with a complete band, could practically see herself fitting seamlessly into the mix with her piano and vocals. She couldn’t help the smile that curved her lips as she joined in, reading the lyrics off of the page.
And rise through the night,
You and I
We will fight to shine together
“Go up high.”
Luke cut in, fingers twirling towards the ceiling. Julie automatically made the adjustment in notes to harmonize her voice with his for the last line, holding the final syllable for a beat longer than him.
Bright forever
“Yes!”
Luke’s arm pumped up and down, bicep flexing and distracting Julie momentarily. She dropped her head shyly, trying to hide her blush. When her cheeks cooled a moment later she looked back up at the boy in front of her. His eyes were glowing, smile stretched a mile wide as he stared at her. Unconditional belief in her was practically oozing from his pores. She felt her face soften as their eyes locked, giving him her own sweet smile that was meant just for the two of them. She thanked him with a gentle murmur, heart melting as he simply bit his lower lip and nodded.
A throat cleared in the background, and Julie was snapped out of their private bubble by the sound. Her entire face felt engulfed in flames as she looked over Luke’s shoulder to see Alex and Reggie still standing a few paces behind him. Reggie’s face was bright, his sunshine temperament back in full force. Alex was a little more guarded, but he was giving her an encouraging smile and there was cautious optimism swimming in his sage green eyes as he fiddled with one of his drumsticks. She inhaled deeply and let her breath out in one smooth exhale. The same sort of peacefulness from the night before settled over her.
“Okay. Okay, so we’re doing this.”
Luke’s whoop was so loud both her and Alex jumped. Reggie raced forward with a cheer to sling one arm around Luke’s shoulders and the other around Julie’s, pulling them so close to his chest that their noses nearly touched. Julie saw the blush staining Luke’s cheeks and felt her own warm to match. Alex coughed again.
“Reg, c’mon. Let it settle for just a sec before you go all human octopus on the poor girl.”
“Oh, right! Sorry, Jules!!”
Reggie released both of them quickly. Julie flicked her gaze between the three boys, enjoying the glimpses at their band dynamic. Alex’s words had sounded a bit exasperated, but there was a fondness running through them as well. He gave a half-hearted roll of his eyes at Reggie’s abrupt movements and reached his own long arm out to pull the dark-haired boy close.
“Help me unload the van? I still don’t trust our little Lukey boy with my kit.”
“Hey! That was one time!”
Luke sounded downright offended. The dark look Alex leveled at him in response had Julie choking back a laugh with a badly disguised cough. Clearly once of whatever he did was enough. Luke pouted, arms flexing as they crossed over his chest.
“You put your foot through my bass drum, and you think that isn’t reason enough not to trust you with it ever again?”
Luke sputtered, eyes flicking to Julie and back to Alex as his ears reddened.
“I told you I didn’t see it!”
“It’s the biggest part of the kit, dumbass. Literally the hardest thing to miss.”
Alex’s voice was as unimpressed as it was dismissive. Luke threw his hands in the air as the other boys headed out of the studio, laughing amongst themselves. It was clear this was a regular argument between the two, no heat or anger left in it, only a loving sort of tease. Like the way Carlos still brought up that time she accidentally gave him a concussion double-bouncing him off of their neighbor’s trampoline when he wanted something from her. Or the way her Tía would still laugh as she remembered the time her mom had almost gotten them both arrested for a bar fight on her 21st birthday, Ray affectionately filling in the parts that she tried to leave out. Warmth bloomed in her chest. This wasn’t just a band, wasn’t just a ragtag trio of friends. These guys were brothers. This was a family. And they were letting her into that intimate circle.
The thought was both humbling and nerve-wracking. This Showcase was a big deal. It wasn’t just some school assignment. This could impact their future as a band career-wise. They were all trusting her with this, fully believing in her, or at least, fully believing in Luke’s faith in her abilities. She wasn’t sure anyone had ever believed in her like that. Not anyone that hadn’t known her since she was in diapers. Her head swam, knees feeling a bit weak. She stumbled her way over to the couch, collapsing onto it with a barely audible huff. Luke was in front of her instantly, crouched down so they were face to face. His hands twitched in his lap, but he didn’t reach for her.
“Hey. Julie. Breathe.”
She sucked in a breath, zeroing in on nothing more than his face. After a few seconds she realized he was breathing in and out slowly, just loud enough for her to hear over the jumble of thoughts running amok in her brain. She matched her own inhales and exhales to his, the room slowly coming back into focus as her head cleared. He gave her one of those soft smiles she was starting to think of as hers.
“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. But I wouldn’t have stopped you in school if I didn’t think you were gonna rock it. I heard you last night. I listened to you for years before last night.”
His chin dropped in embarrassment for just a second before he pulled his gaze back up to hers. Julie felt like she was on the edge of a cliff. Not for the first time she wished she knew how long this version of Luke had been lurking under the surface. It took everything in her not to let herself step off that ledge and fall.
“Music is in your soul. It’s a part of you. Not everyone is like that, but you are. Your life without music...”
He tapered off like the thought was physically painful to him, eyebrows furrowing in a slight wince.
“Living without music would be like living in a world without stars: dark and empty and uninspired. You deserve galaxies, Julie. You deserve the chance to shine exactly like the star you are, and the world deserves the chance to hear you. Please, just...have a little faith?”
She saw it then. As he gazed at her with those bottomless ocean eyes, with that special smile on his lips and sincerity bleeding through every word, she knew. Luke was like her. Luke got it. In a way that no one else except her mom ever had. That’s what this was. They were kindred spirits, two sides of the same coin. And that feeling? The wind rushing through her hair and stealing her breath away while her limbs all turned to jelly feeling? That was definitely her falling head over heels off of the cliff and into Luke Patterson completely.
“Okay.”
She breathed out, and his answering smile set off the butterflies she thought had finally left her stomach. He stood up and held a hand out to her, easily pulling her to her feet in one smooth movement.
“You know,” his smile turned rueful, “eventually you’re gonna have to answer one of my questions with something other than ‘okay’. That’s a pretty passive word, and I’m not really a passive type of person. I wanna start hearing some ‘hell yeah’s and ‘awesome’s pretty soon.”
Julie rolled her eyes, moving away from Luke to set up her keyboard. He gave her a bouncy little shrug of his shoulders, and she let the levity of his joke wash over her, releasing the last bit of nerves. She could do this. Luke believed in her. Her mom believed in her. Hell, Alex and Reggie believed in her and she barely even knew them. She could do this, just like her mom had said.
Noise from the other boys making their way up the driveway had her rushing to pull both doors to the studio open so they could haul in Alex’s drum kit. The three of them left together to grab amps and guitars, Julie finishing the rest of the set up in the garage. Before she had time to overthink things or freak out again, they were all settled into their spots and Alex was counting down for their first run through. Fingers against the keys, Julie breathed out, opened her mouth, and began to play.
26 notes · View notes
spooky-z · 6 years ago
Text
College Françoise Dupont’s talent show [5/5]
• 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 4.1 • 5 • 5.1 •
Warning: suicide mention at the final
@ozmav @maribat-archive
Damian was not one bit happy with the wistful eyes of Adrien for Marinette.
Since the confrontation with the class, Wayne noticed that the blonde did not take the eyes of his bride. Perhaps he was not even blinking. He could barely see the boy breathing!
“Damian, control your temper.” Tim nudged him. “Looks like you’re going to jump the golden boy’s neck anytime.”
They were sitting in the auditorium, lights on, people searching their seats. The whole family sitting in the third row of the main set of chairs, occupying the entire row.
The order being from the far left starting with Alfred, Bruce, Dick, Kori, Jason, Tim, Damian, Sabine, Tom, Chloe, Kagami, Allan, Allegra and Claude.
Jagged and Penny had been taken into the cabin, accompanied by Chloe’s parents and Kagami’s mother.
Adrien and the rest of the class, sitting in the second row. The blonde standing right in front of him, not disguising the fact that he was facing Marinette, who was on stage talking quietly with Felix and the director.
“If he doesn’t stop eating her with his eyes, I’ll…” and clenched his fist, imagining Agreste’s head in the middle of it.
Sabine, who had heard the exchange, laughed softly. Her son-in-law was so cute.
“Honey, it’s like we say: they may look, but they can’t have it,” she says, her hand on Damian’s fist. “My daughter looks beautiful. If no one looked at her twice, I would have been offended on her behalf.”
He bites his lip in conflict, but seems to decide that his mother-in-law was right and looked away from the blonde, preferring the sight of his angel.
“Good evening everyone.” The director says in the microphone, Marinette and Felix at his right side, microphones in their hands. “Today we mark the end of the talent week and also the end of the semester.” He pauses with the sound of the applause “this week was indeed amazing. Many talents discovered; many laughs obtained. It was wonderful.“
The audience shouts in agreement. Damian frowns with the particularly high-pitched scream in his ear and glances quickly at Tim.
“Today, as you can see, I have two guests with me” the director says again “Marinette Dupain-Cheng-”
“Hello!” Marinette sings into the microphone, a sweet smile on her face.
“-And Felix Aguillard.” Felix bows to the audience “Our first graders of the year.” More applause.
At the sound of the applause, Damian was able to hear a loud "What ?!” coming from the row in front of him, but could not recognize the voice because of the noise.
“It’s been a year since they’ve been studying at both Dupont and a prestigious university.” General choke “Marinette at ESMOD and Felix at INSEAD-”
“WHAT?!” Lila shouts in surprise, cutting off the director. She sits up quickly when she realizes that she has lost control in front of everyone. “Sorry, I was just surprised.”
Chloe scoffs before shouting to the stage “THAT’S MY GIRL!”
Marinette laughs “And Fe? He’s your boy too, isn’t he?” Teases into the microphone.
Felix looks at her, the pained expression on his face.
Chloe scowls at them and screams once again, “I’m sorry, but I’m SUPER GAY.” And the audience laughs out loud at the antics. The director looks unsure of what to do.
“Ahem,” he catches everyone’s attention, the laughter calming down. “Continuing what I was saying- Today marks their last high school day, so nothing fairer than them being our special guests of the night. The two will open for today’s participants, but they will not be part of the competition.” And ends, waving to the two talk something before they begin.
Felix shakes his head, saying he doesn’t want to say anything and follows him off the stage, but Marinette takes the lead, microphone tight in her hands.
“Good evening everyone.” She says, “Like Principal Damocles said, my name is Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and I want a little of your time.” Her eyes gauge each of the audience, not stopping at anyone for long.
“Today has been a particularly special day for me.” It starts “But I’ll start with last month. Last month I was able to go a step further in my career. I received an undeniable proposal and now my things must be arriving at Gotham, my old and new residence.” She notices some violent reactions in the ranks of her former class. Alya. “Today… today I was proposed by the man I love. Today I have friends supporting me, I have my family by my side, I’m having you all now.” Her slightly wet eyes, Damian notes, wanting more than anything to be by her side right now.
“But it wasn’t always like that.” His tone a little bitter. “There was a time, like, about three years ago, that I had people in my life that I thought were there to support me. To be my friends. To support me when I’m not well…” she sighs “But I was wrong. So wrong.”
“I came to such a low point, so dark, that time has stopped. Like this. I had lost my will, my motivation. I was alive but not living.” Sabine, who had been holding back tears, could no longer and cried silently “But hey! This is not a sad story. It’s not because I found good people. Great friends. A great boyfriend. It was not easy at first. There have been relapses. Days I wanted to do nothing more than sleep and sleep. But I did it.” She winked at Lila, who seemed to have eaten something bad.
“I’m reaching my goals. Saying goodbye to most of you, see you soon to others and a ‘I hope I never have to see you again’ for the ones left.” She says sweet, so sweet that her teeth hurt.
“It was thinking about this past, this dark spot of my life, that I wrote a song … Yeah! I know! You were expecting a fashion show, but here I am, ready to sing.” Jokes with the general surprise.
She looks at the side edge of the stage. Luka was waiting for the signal to be able to enter. She blinks at him and he smiles, the guitar positioned in his hands.
“To sing this song I would need support, so a friend volunteered for this role.” She turns to the audience. “Please, a round of applause for Luka Couffaine, my best friend.”
///
Alya was… She didn’t know how she was feeling at that moment.
She had stopped trying to understand what had been going on since Chloe had appeared with Kagami two nights ago to pick up Marinette at the theater.
That was so frustrating! How, when … The three had become friends. How Marintte could forgive Chloe. When Marinette had overcome her rivalries with Kagami.
Alya didn’t understand. Alya didn’t know.
Alya didn’t remember when it was the last time she’d talked to Marinette. Her best friend.
But she remembered the last time she’d screamed at the brunette about being mean. About how after so many years, she still hasn’t gotten over her jealousy of Lila. How Adrien would never love her if she continued this behavior.
She remembered the teary blueberries, the flushed cheeks (of shame or anger she didn’t know) and the weak voice asking to leave her alone.
But it wasn’t her fault! She just wanted the brunette to grow up, take her head off the Adrien world, and live. Give Lila a chance.
What did not happen. Marinette just walked away.
She would come to school, attend classes, and then disappear. No one knew where she was going at breaks. During classes, she hardly interacted with others.
Just Chloe.
And Alya still couldn’t understand. Didn’t understand what Marinette was saying on that stage. Didn’t know what she was talking about. She was trying. Really. But it was all in vain to see Luka Couffaine come on stage.
His slightly longer, unruly hair combed anyway, torn black jeans, shiny boots, and a black T-shirt under a mossy green leather jacket. A guitar in his arms.
His eyes wrapped in a thick layer of khol.
He bent slightly toward Marinette’s microphone, a polite smile on his lips.
“Good night, Dupont. I’m Luka and I’m here today to help Minette in one or two songs.” He says “God knows how bad she is with the guitar.” He laughs when Marinette jokes him playfully.
She takes his microphone and says again "I think we should start, what do you think ?!”
A projector screen descends behind them and they begin.
No, I think I’ll stay in tonight
Skip the conversations and the “Oh, I’m fines”
No, I’m no stranger to surprise
This paper town has let me down too many times
And, man. She was good.
Alya was surprised, scared even.
Why do I even try? Give me a reason why
I thought that I could trust you, never mind
Why all the switching sides? Where do I draw the line?
I guess I’m too naive to read the signs
Adrien shifted uncomfortably beside Nino. His gravelly face.
He was sure the music was for them, the class.
For him.
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
The screen behind them began to pass photos.
Photos of Marinette that no one in the class had ever seen before.
All they ever do is let me down
Every time I let somebody in
The first photo to appear contained Luka and Marinette hugging each other. Her arms around his neck, their cheeks glued together and his arms around her waist.
The unknown background landscapes. The sun shining bright.
Luka was wearing only a black T-shirt, his hair a mess and the tongue sticking out. Marinette in a black cropped with blue accents, her hair in a bun, eyes closed and a huge smile.
She looked so happy.
Adrien cringed.
Then I find out what they’re all about
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
In the next picture, Chloe and the brunette were sleeping together on a futon, probably in Mari’s room.
Chloe wearing Ladybug pajamas being the small spoon and Marinette Abeille being the big spoon.
Alya tasted the blood.
Wonder where they’re all hidin’ out
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
Gotta get up out of this town
In the third photo, Marinette was sitting on Kagami’s lap while they were taking selfies. The two making funny faces.
Kagami’s hands steady around Marinette.
And that was a shock to Nino.
The ice queen being funny and protective of someone.
Oh, oh
Oh, ah
A picture of the four of them together at a sleepover in what looked like Chloe’s room. Luka had a face mask, Chloe’s hair stuck in bobs, Kagami painting her nails, and Marinette reading a fashion magazine.
All of them on the bedroom floor, sweets and snacks spread and a television on in a black and white film.
The photo was taken by a fifth unknown person.
I stay up, talkin’ to the moon
Been feelin’ so alone in every crowded room
Can’t help but feel like something’s wrong, yeah
'Cause the place I’m livin’ in just doesn’t feel like home
This time it was a video of Marinette in what looked like a kitchen. A huge kitchen. Wearing a black shirt too big to be hers, probably making breakfast.
She had a spatula in her hand, distracted, using it as a microphone while singing something.
The man who had arrived with Bruce Wayne, the one with the black and white hair, joins her singing. They start dancing like crazy around the kitchen.
The video ends with him slipping and falling, Marinette laughing out loud before falling too.
It didn’t even last 20 seconds.
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
All they ever do is let me down
Every time I let somebody in
Then I find out what they’re all about
Another video came, this time Marinette is sitting on the grass, surrounded by puppies. Two Great Dane resting their heads on her lap while she pats them.
Damian Wayne joins her and she rests against him.
He looks at the person filming and the filming quickly ends.
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
Wonder where they’re all hidin’ out
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
Gotta get up out of this town
The next picture had Marinette in a gym, leggings, black top, hair in a ponytail.
Another of the men who came in with Bruce Wayne, on her shoulders like a sack of potatoes.
She was all skinny muscle.
Nino heard Adrien choke and cough.
I just wanna talk about nothin’
With somebody that means somethin’
Spell the names of all our dreams and demons
For the times that I don’t understand
Marinette this time was in the same kitchen (video), an old man beside her watching her beat the dough in the bowl.
The crowded bench with Damian, Bruce and the other three men, Chloe, Kagami, Luka and… Félix?!
Tell me what’s the point of a moon like this
When I’m alone again
Can I run away to somewhere beautiful
Where nobody knows my name?
There was a joint gagging of class with the pool photo.
Damian felt jealous boil again.
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
All they ever do is let me down
I let somebody in
But I find out what they’re all about
The next photo had Jagged Stone, Penny Rolling, Clara Nightingale, Prince Ali, and XY at a picnic. All dressed informally, looking comfortable, smiling at Marinette who was playing with Fang in the background.
And that’s how Ms. Bustier’s class seemed to remember that Jagged didn’t have a cat but a crocodile.
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
All they ever do is let me down
I’m just lookin’ for some real friends
Gotta get up out of this town, yeah
The last picture was of everyone together.
Dupain-Cheng, Waynes, Chloe, Kagami, Luka, Felix, Claude, Allegra, Allan, Jagged, Penny, Clara, Ali, XY. Even Fang and the Great Danes.
Everyone was looking at the camera, smiling excitedly. Marinette in Damian’s arms and a banner with “Joyeux anniversaire, Marinette” in the background.
Oh, oh
Oh, ah
Marinette and Luka ended the song’s last chord when a video, this time with sound, played on the big screen.
“… Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”
Marinette turns horrified to the big screen.
“This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!” Marinette on the big screen screams along with the music.
The girl throws her arms up, jumping on the bed. The Batman themed pajamas.
“Oh my god, Minette…” the recording person laughs softly so the girl doesn’t hear.
Marinette continues to scream the lyrics, unaware that she is being recorded, until the recording person starts laughing out loud and she gets scared.
“… Jason?” She has a confused expression on her face until she notices the camera and her face becomes homicidal. “Were you recording…?”
The man seems to be scared because the laughter soon dies.
“… No?” he tries.
“Really? So, you don’t mind me taking a look at your phone, do you?” She gets off the bed and goes toward him.
“… Listen, I think Alfred is calling me. Bye!” He runs from her, but doesn’t finish recording.
With him running, the phone only films the confused shapes of the house, but everyone is still able to hear Marinette running after him.
“BACK HERE TODD!”
"NOT! I DON’T WANT TO DIE AGAIN!”
Shooting continues for another two seconds and then ends abruptly.
Luka was laughing openly on stage, Marinette still with her back to the audience, blushing embarrassed and the audience laughing.
And that was how the last night of the Talent Show began.
///
Lila was waiting for her at the backstage.
Marinette knew that an hour would have to face the girl, but did not think she would attack in such an open and public place.
But objectively, this was the only chance she had, since Marinette was leaving Paris that night.
“Should I congratulate you on the engagement, Dupain-Cheng? Or should we talk about your poor attempt to come out on top?” Lila scoffs, the smugness on her face. “Because it didn’t work. They are still eating in the palm of my hand.”
Marinette sighs already tired.
"What do you want, Lila?”
“I just came to brag. I like to throw salt on the wound.”
“That’s good! Because I like it too.” Marinette says, her tone becoming sharp. “Do you really think I would go away and do nothing to unmask you, Lila Rossi?” Lila stiffens the smile. “Or rather, Volpina, the accomplice of Hawkmoth.”
The girl steps back as Marinette approaches.
"What are you talking about?” She countered. “Are you going crazy?”
“Crazy? I? No.” Marinette laughs “I just think it’s funny that you think there would be no consequences helping a terrorist. And no use denying, I know you have been helping Hawkmoth and Mayura all these years. Your best friend, Ladybug, told me.”
The two do not notice Adrien, Nino and Alya coming. Adrien, noticing the situation, prevents Alya from trying to help Lila and forces them both to hear the conversation hidden behind some wood panels.
“… So, what if I helped Hawkmoth?” They hear Lila say. Adrien feels his blood run cold. “I was a minor. A child. You have nothing against me.”
There is a break and Marinette respond.
“That’s where you’re wrong Lila. Gabriel Agreste may have been arrested and refused to speak, but the evidence, Lila, speaks for itself.” Her firm voice “One year, Lila. A year gathering evidence against you and look, I was surprised to learn that I wasn’t the only person you emotionally abused.”
“… What?” Lila whispers looking scared.
“Emilia Shawn’s suicide.” Marinette’s voice comes out like lightning. “Don’t you remember her, Lila? The girl you bullied so much she couldn’t stand and threw herself off the roof of your school in Italy?” Alya was crying on Nino’s shoulder.
“No problem you don’t remember Emilia!” Marinette says very cheerfully “As long as you remember Cassandra. Or Phillip. Marie… Rico.”
“How do you… how do you know those names?” Lila shouts.
“Because unlike you and our lovely classmates, Lila, families didn’t believe their children were abusive monsters and committed suicide because they were sorry.”
There are footsteps, Adrien gets up enough to see what was going on and recognizes Agent Raincomprix with the National Police, surrounding Marinette and Lila.
Damian Wayne appears along with Bruce Wayne alongside Marinette.
“You cannot do that! I was just a child! Children make mistakes!” Lila begins to freak out when she realizes the situation.
“No, Lila. This is murder and terrorism. And you will pay for what you did.” Marinette says.
Damian hugs the brunette in support and she squeezes his arms in thanks.
"Lila Aloisi Rossi, you are arrested for accomplice of murder and terrorism.” The Raincomprix agent says as he holds Lila in handcuffs “You have the right to remain silent. Whatever you say can and will be used against you.”
"What? NO! LET ME GO!” Lila shouts, going crazy as she struggles.
The police soon have to help the agent contain her and before they leave, he turns to Marinette and the Waynes.
“Bruce Wayne, Marinette. Thanks for your help.” He nods. “It’s up to us now.” And leaves.
“Thank you mr. Raincomprix.” Marinette says.
"I’ll go with you guys,” Bruce says and joins the agents.
Meanwhile, Lila was still screaming and kicking through the theater corridors, people leaving to find out what was going on.
Ms. Bustier’s whole class watching.
“YOU HAVE TO UNLEASH ME! I HAVE DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!” She shouted.
Bruce Wayne, who was right behind the National Police surrounding Lila, looked smug when he spoke.
“Your country has withdrawn your immunity after we have presented the evidence of your crimes, Lila Rossi.” Lila widened her eyes, the panic evident. “You will face justice in full rights.”
Damian believes that all of Paris was able to hear the scream that the Italian gave.
He turned the woman in his arms, needing to look her in the eye.
“It’s over, angel.” He whispers to her, noticing the tear in her eyes.
Marinette sighs, relaxing against him.
“It’s over, Dami. Ended.“
Tumblr media
[tag list]
@mystery-5-5 @spicybelladonna @iglowinggemma28 @crazylittlemunchkin@lunaraquaenby @maude-zarella @mooshoon @kuroko26@littleredrobinhoodlum @fanboy7794 @shadowberrybinch @k-rena-k@captainmac6 @clumsy-owl-4178  @tazanna-blythe @vixen-uchiha @zebrabaker @chloe-bourgeois-is-big-gay @artxyra @ellerahs @minightrose@redscarlet95 @soaringowlsstuff @xxkelsey39
1K notes · View notes
sugarnospice · 5 years ago
Text
The semester that lasted a year..
Its final week and I feel like I’ve lived 9 different lives in the last 4 months. 
This semester was unconventional to say the least and I feel like I’ve lived an entire year during it. This was my first full semester with all online classes. I tried to enroll in hybrid classes but soon after school started, the number of COVID-19 cases skyrocketed forcing everything to remain online for the rest semester. Of course this was not a surprise but nonetheless still disappointing. I missed the feeling of walking into a classroom on the first day and choosing my unassigned-assigned seat for the semester, usually an aisle seat within the first 3 rows. I also missed walking around my beautiful campus in between classes and catching up with people I know along the way. Most importantly I missed the atmosphere that surrounds the academic buildings and libraries during a normal semester. People hustling to get work done before the weekend hits, some girl on her 3rd espresso shot trying to finish a midterm paper, the frat boy that only came to socialize, the group that can't seem to agree on a business proposal…sigh, I never knew these would be the things I missed most.
I would say the most difficult thing this semester was getting myself to focus in my room. I have never been one to do homework in bed because my bed is for sleeping and comfort, not stress. I made my work desk to be as comfy as I could always making sure my shades were open to let natural light in. That's another thing, during a typical semester I never worried about being idle all day or not getting enough sunlight but with everything being done in my room I had to make an extra effort to keep myself in high spirits. The best thing I did for myself was create a routine. I knew each day of the week what subjects I would be working on, when I had to be at work, and when I had time to schedule a break or a workout. Soon after the semester kicked off my schedule became second nature.
Having an entirely online semester was not something I thought I would enjoy but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did end up liking it. I got to do things on my own time and in my own environment. I have always struggled with sitting in classes and focusing on the professor and not the students around me who were shaking their legs or clicking their pens. I got to create my own school bubble and work through things the way I best knew how. I tend to need some kind of background noise when I take notes because it helps me remember content based on the song I was listening to when reviewing (sounds backwards I know, but it works for me). Finals are still winding down for me but I’m supposed to be ending my semester with a 4.0. Never have I ever gotten grades like this and I am so proud of myself for working through these past 15 weeks and staying on top of my school work.
Without even taking school into account, Fall semester 2020 has been my favorite semester of college. I started this semester out with the position of Rho Gamma for the panhellenic community here at JMU. This position entailed me being assigned 13 Potential New Members (PNM’s) who were rushing this fall. I got to work with so many other women in the Greek community here and got experience with leadership, conflict management, scheduling and networking. I was able to find 11 of my 13 girls homes and 1 even ended up in my own chapter. It was comforting to know that these girls trusted me with their opinions and they opened up to me alot during the 2 weeks we worked together.
I also moved into new housing this year and my roommates were everything and more for me. They worked hard and that motivated me to do my own work. The fact that they are all seniors and are graduating in the spring gave us all the more reason to try going out and doing things on the weekends together while we still can. Bethany is the best roommate to get my mind off of things with because she always has so much to share. I’m so excited to see how she excels at her job in the future and even more excited for her to progress in the new relationship she found recently. Sara, who is my floormate has been nothing but amazing in supporting me everytime I come home and have something I need to get out. She listened to my bad mornings after a night out and was there to give me a reality check when it was needed most. Natalie, who doubles as my roommate and big, has done so much this semester to move forward in her career and I'm inspired everyday by how hardworking and passionate she is about it. She supported me in the process of transitioning to Chapter President and was a great friend to lean on during wine nights.
Because of COVID-19, I wasn't sure how I was going to meet new people this year. My favorite thing has always been getting to know new people and figuring out how they influence my life. At the start of the semester it was difficult to do anything because we were constantly being hit with possible exposure. At one point JMU was 9th in the nation for leading cases of covid so you can imagine how scary it was at the start. Nevertheless after reflection I found that I created strong relationships with 10 new people this semester while cultivating my previous ones. My favorite friend has been my neighbor Adrian. He has been a driving force in most of the new friends I have found. I started out being very reluctant to be his friend but him being a pisces and all, I literally could not help myself. Adrian has been great at letting me break out of my shell and introducing me to new music, food, people and places and if there's one good thing 2020 has given me it was his friendship. He has introduced me to a whole world I didn't know existed at JMU. The latin community is a small one here but the culture is so strong. I finally feel like I have met people who are like me and I don't feel like I have to be more than who I am for them
This semester I was also elected Chapter President for Gamma Phi Beta at JMU. This was an intense honor and I am so excited to work along the other exec members in 2021. I often find myself lost in my feelings about being president. I have not had a leadership position this large since I was a senior in highschool and already it has shown to be a much larger role. Being in charge of 200+ girls is going to be a challenge but I thankfully have a large support system begging me, one I intend to use. While president I hope to be a role model for the younger members and leave a lasting legacy with my chapter. When I was first initiated into Gphi I knew one day this chapter would bring me to great things. The women I have been surrounded with these last 3.5 years have made me stronger, smarter and more kind. Giving back to the organization and the greek community is something I am so happy I had the opportunity to do.
To say the least, I'm excited for spring semester to begin and I'm hopeful for where it will lead me. Thank you fall 2020 for all of the laughs, the cries, the love and all of the opportunities under the sun!
Shi
1 note · View note
zayndrivesmeinvain · 6 years ago
Text
The One Where He Comes to your College Graduation
-
The moment you’ve been waiting for, all the long sleepless nights and falling asleep in the library has paid off. You graduation day is finally here and you couldn’t be more proud of yourself, you’ve come a long way and getting two different degrees will really pay off. Since you’ve completed your internship last summer, they were highly impressed by your work ethic and drive to learn that they offered you a full time position for the fall.
You’re beyond excited but your nerves have gotten the best of you, both of your parents will be attending but they recently haven’t been on the best of terms, your younger siblings will also be attending and you somewhat feel responsible to create a sense of role model for them since you’ve done so well since both of your parents didn’t go to college and you are the first in the family. Your family never severely struggled, however there were bumps in the road and your parents had to work 2-3 jobs at times when you were younger to pay the bills and get food on your table.
You’ve been very fortunate to have the parents that you have because they have done so much for you, however you saw how they struggled with you and your siblings and you vowed that your children would never have to ever wonder if they’ll have a meal the next day, or ever let your children see you in such distress that you witnessed your parents.
-
You’ve just arrived at your graduation ceremony and you’re waiting impatiently in the back with the rest of the graduates. You palms begin to sweat and you just want to have your diploma in your hands by now. Big crowds make you nervous and waiting your turn does too. You’ve spotted a few of your friends as more people start to walk through and make their way in. They look just as impatient as you do, however happiness over runs those emotions. As you look away for a moment, a wave of white overcomes the room and the one big room feels so small.
They required us to wear some sort of white or light colored outfit and you’re thankful they did because the pressure of finding a dress these past few weeks had to be the last thing on your mind with finals and thesis’ due. Thankfully, you found a beautiful thigh length flowy dress online and paired it with some nude wedges. Since it’s your big day you decided to bump it up by curling your hair and doing some extra make-up to symbolize your special day.
“Y/N, Y/N.. are you even listening?” you come out from your own thoughts and look back at your friends.
“ I’m sorry, I uh- I uh- was just thinking.. What were you saying?” a nervous laugh escapes my lips and I pull my attention to my friends.
“ I was asking if Harry was coming? Isn’t he in London recording again?” If you’re being completely honest the thought of Harry coming to your graduation never really crossed your mind. You obviously mentioned it, however you knew he was busy and last time you talked to him last night, he was in fact in the studio. He was there with a few of his friends having a few drinks and sharing some laughs. The pressure of having an album ready hasn’t taken its toll on Harry yet since it’s still early but when the time does come, he was be completely focused.
“ Oh, I don’t know. It’s been really hard for him to come back and forth all the time, and he had some meetings to get through this week so I doubt it.” Sadness has overcome your conscious but you can’t show your friends how you’re actually feeling because this is supposed to be one of the most exciting days of your lives. Harry has always tried his best to come to the important events in your life but it’s always caused an issue because he gets recognized and an important and beautiful day that is supposed to be yours, is spent having him sign his autographs and taking pictures with fans. It’s never his fault but the two of you had agreed maybe your graduation wasn’t the best place for him to come, which is why you never minded: until now.
-
You’ve been sitting in the metal folding chair for the past hour and graduation has moved smoothly. Attending a State University has really taken the pressure off of yourself because in realization there are thousands of students graduating today. Many of these students you haven’t seen since Freshman English, Math or Science. Some of these people have really changed since freshman year and some of those you never thought would graduate but they did it.
You notice your phone vibrating and you pull it out from your dress pocket and it’s a sweet message from Harry.
“ Hey Bubs, good luck today! I’m so proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished. I can’t wait to celebrate when I see you. xxH”
Even though you’re understanding, Harry is truly one of the very few people if not the only person you cared for if they came. Even though your parents helped pay for the first few semesters Harry has been the only one to take an interest in what you’ve been going for. He’s taken the time to really get into it with you and has listened to all your hopes and dreams, the last year he’s helped you pay for school even though you made a deal with him to pay him back. However, him paying for your schooling has helped you save up some money and you’ve caught up with rent and has let you buy some new appliances for your apartment.
You’ve always prided yourself on being independent, especially when it came to college. No one helped you when it came to filling out the applications or taking the SAT’s or helped you study for your AP classes in high school. Because your parents were so busy you often took the bus to interviews and college fairs throughout the city. When Harry come into your life, he insisted on helping you financially as much you let him but he never overstepped his boundaries. You never wanted him to feel as though you were taking advantage of him or his money because he earned that himself and he wasn’t your personally piggy bank even though he offered to be.
-
Names were being called and after 20 minutes your rows turn was up and you were about to walk across the stage. The moment you’ve been anxious about, studied hard for, pulled all nighters and even cried many times for, is here.
You walk over and get in line and only a few people are in front of you, all your beloved teachers are standing up there and some that you have never met before.
“ Y/N,” you walk across the stage, shake a few hands, exchange a few hugs and stop to take a final picture. The moment flashed before your eyes before you knew it, and it’s all over now. Your college career has finally come to an end and you couldn’t be more overjoyed yet sad at the same time. You spent countless hours in this building for pep-rallies and parties and you won’t be coming back. The last 4 years of your life have flashed before your eyes, and what you would do to go back.
-
My family rushes over to me as I meet them outside where the rest of the students have met their families. My parents are getting along for the sake of the day, my siblings holding onto balloons and flowers for me. My younger siblings run into my arms and I take them into a tight embrace as they congratulate me.
“ It seems like yesterday you were running around in your diaper in our first apartment together. I always knew you would do amazing things Y/N, I just didn’t know they would come so soon.” My mom pulls me into a tight embrace as I can feel her tears falling onto my shoulder. My mom has always been a very strong person, especially growing up as a teen mom, and she rarely has ever cried in front of me.
-
Out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of someone familiar. When realization kicks in, I instantly start running towards them and fall into their embrace.
“ You think I’d miss the most important day of your educational career, Bubs?” Harry really came all the way to the States to come visit me.
“ You seriously don’t know how much this means to me, Harry. Thank you.” A sweet quick peck was shared between us before the rest of my family joins us.
-
You ended up going back to your parents house after your graduation ceremony, where your parents made dinner and had a cake for you. You honestly preferred this over some lavish dinner, even though your family can be annoying and at times dramatic, you have stayed close knit together, and they take Harry’s job into consideration which leads to a lot of family gatherings.
One of your favorite parts of Harry is that he’s adjusted to your life so well, he knows that you don’t ask for much or even expect anything from him, he understands where you come from and how your family is. Your parents adore him and so do your siblings, it’s the perfect family picture with a lot of dark pasts.
-
The night is slowly coming to an end, dishes are being put away in the washer, napkins and tablecloths are being put away, drinks are shoved back into the freezer and cake is being wrapped up so you can take it back to your apartment.
You thank your parents once again, Harry and you make your way out the front door after many hugs and kisses and endless goodbyes and congradulations.
“ Are yeh ready to have a party of our own at home, Bub?” even in the dark you could see Harry’s eyebrows wiggling up and down, a swift smack to your ass followed by a gentle nudge to your arm.
101 notes · View notes
missweber · 6 years ago
Text
@lardo-week
For Day 5 of Lardo Weed- “Epiphany”
(Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4) 
(chapters can all be read as stand-alones if you prefer)
conversations in silence
If anything, Jack's playoffs run felt like an extension of their time at Samwell. There weren't any classes or exams, but the core of the SMH crew was still together and being loud the way only they could be.
And when Jack won the Cup, it was like the kegster to end all kegsters. Plus, you know, all the drama about him coming out in the most over-the-top way possible.
"Only you, Jack," she told him, rolling her eyes and sighing. They had grabbed a moment of peace out on his balcony while the others recovered from their post-parade hangovers.
He laughed the way he usually did: two flat, awkward syllables. 
"Worth it," he said, sing-song. 
This was followed by the kind of quiet she knew better than to interrupt. That was one of the reasons the two of them were such good friends—they understood that silence was its own kind of speech.
(And how ironic was it that both of them had ended up with people who could be so fucking loud?)
Jack leaned on the railing, not looking at her or at anything in particular.
"Six years ago, if you told me I wouldn't win my first Cup until I was almost twenty-five..." He shook his head. "By the time my father was twenty-two, he had won four Cups with the Habs. Boom-boom-boom-boom, four wins in a row right out of the gate."
"Huh."
"Exactly."
She thought it over for a moment. "Well, your dad is kind of extra, y'know?"
The sharp bark of startled laughter was nothing like his usual haha.
"Oh, boy. Yeah, he really is. He really, really is." Another quiet laugh, and he fell back into silence for a little while before speaking again. "I hate when commentators say that the last several years were a 'waste.' They weren't."
Again, Lardo said nothing, because what Jack wasn't saying was so damned obvious. If he had gone into the NHL back in 2009, things would be so different for him, and not necessarily a better kind of different.
"I think some of my favorite memories of Samwell—other than the ones about Bits, of course—are from when I was working on my thesis."
"Freak."
He gave her a gentle hip check. A friendly one, not the kind that could send a defenseman into the boards. "You know what I mean. Anyhow, I don't know if I ever thanked you enough for letting me hide in your studio while I was finishing it up."
She didn't know if he had actually said it, or if it was one of those things that was just known in silence. That was what she remembered about those times when he came to her studio. The silence.
It was so quiet she could hear the scrape of her brush on canvas as she finished the last piece for her Junior Show, and the taka-taka-taka of Jack typing away on his laptop. The other art students knew better than to bother her, and none of Jack's fans and no wanna-be puck bunnies would think to look for him in Koetter.
She didn't often like to paint in front of other people. 
Shitty was an exception, because he was Shitty, not that she knew what that meant until much too recently. 
Jack was another exception, because when he did choose to watch instead of write, he got just as lost in the process as she did. He also had a decent eye for composition (but not for color, oh hell no), and was as good at giving feedback when she asked for it as he was at taking the feedback she gave him on his photos.
"I think that's why I bought that painting at your Junior show."
Oh, God. The painting. She always had to force herself not to cringe whenever she saw it in his living room.
"Whenever I look at it, I remember watching you paint it." A long pause. "I mean, it was neat, seeing that. How you worked."
Oh.
It came back to her in a flash, those afternoons at Koetter. The silky slide of paint as she laid glazes of blue upon blue upon blue on a canvas that was as wide as she was tall. The soft scratching when she did dry-brush and palette knife work. The never-ending but oh-so-satisfying tweaking and adjusting of light and shape in her abstract sky-scape and then having to tweak another section of canvas, because if you changed one thing in a painting, everything else changed in response.
Losing time and self and worry in the flow of creativity and the contentment of simple companionship.
"It makes me happy, having it. You know?"
"Don't you dare make me cry, Zimmermann. Don't you fucking dare!"
He chuckled as she elbowed him in the ribs, and he pulled her into a hug.
Jack-hugs were the best. They felt super-solid and super-safe.
"No crying," he ordered, giving her a little shake.
She felt like shit for assuming that he had made a pity-purchase. Well, she knew better now.
She cleared her throat and pulled away. "Well, not only were the last few years super not a waste, you also got a Cup before Ovechkin did, so yay."
Jack laughed so hard, she was half-worried he was going to give himself a hernia or something.
"I dare you to say that at your next presser," she taunted.
"Ha ha. No. I don't want to be stabbed with a skate blade the next time we play the Caps."
"Eh, whatever." 
They returned to their comfortable silence, looking out over the Providence skyline. She heard the noises of grumpy awakening from behind them in the apartment. Loud and dramatic disgruntlement from Holster, which was rivaled by Tater's Slavic plaints of grievous injury and dire lack of pie. She heard Bitty's gentle scolding, and Ransom's extravagant yawns which she recognized after four years of roadies.
She let her thoughts wander where they would, and a realization slowly took shape. It was a gentle and completely unremarkable sort of epiphany, gradual like the layering of color on color on color.
Jack hadn't wasted the last five or six years, even if other people said he had or for a little while he believed he had.
Ransom hadn't shitcanned his plans of becoming a doctor, no matter what his family apparently thought.
Just because she was out of college didn't mean she had to go right into being a struggling artist or give up and sell her soul to the corporate overlords and do something practical.
Jack had still played hockey during those 'wasted' years, and had done a lot of things that weren't hockey. Just the other day, she and Ransom had talked about how taking a year or two off before med school would not only help him save up some money, there were a lot of ways it might make him a better doctor in the end.
Basically, what she realized was this: she had time. Time to figure things out. Time to maybe try a few new things. Experiment. Learn. 
Time to enjoy living with the boys and hanging out with Jack and Bitty.
Time to just fucking breathe for the first time since her last semester started in January.
Delay was not the same thing as failure. She supposed she had known that before, but that wasn't the same as knowing it.
Yeah, the idea of failing to make it as an artist was still scary as hell, but at least the idea no longer had a countdown clock and a detonator strapped to its chest.
"Feeling better?" Jack asked, understanding what she had not been saying over the past few months.
Another moment of quiet, and then:
"Yeah. I am."
39 notes · View notes
marshmallow-phd · 7 years ago
Text
Charming Instruction
Tumblr media
Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe
Genre: Supernatural, Wolf Au
Pairing: Junmyeon x Reader
Summary: You were just an average, everyday college student desperately trying to graduate. Only one more year stood between you and that celebratory walk. However, due to an oversight by your adviser, it seemed that the one class you never wanted to take was required to take that walk. It wasn’t the subject matter that made you uncomfortable. It was the teacher. Your heart sped up every time you saw him and you didn’t want that distraction in your life, attractive or not. With meeting him now an inevitability, you swore that you would keep your hormones in check. But after your first day of class, a series of hi jinks and weird situations lead you to discovering the secret of your professor and why he seemed to bombard your every thought.
Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I Final
**
Your heart was still racing when you closed the door to your apartment. Raising your hand to your chest, you felt the drum beat keep a steady pace that was well above its normal rhythm.
He’d almost kissed you. He’d almost kissed you.
That had to be what he was doing, right? With the closed eyes and forehead touch? And, oh, god, did you want him to kiss you. How many times had your imagination fluttered in that direction when you weren’t keeping it in check?
Gemma and Cam were lounging on the couch watching some drama on the television and hadn’t caught on to your presence until now. The former tilted her head at you, frowning.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, jumping up from her spot and walking over to you. Out of instinct, she reached out and placed the back of her hand against your cheek. “Why are you so warm? Are you getting sick?”
You shook your head adamantly. “No, I’m fine.”
Taking a step back, Gemma smirked. “Okay, I know we silently agreed to not bring it up anymore, but did something happen with Junie?”
“O-oh, n-no, I, um, I just – no, you see-” Coherency apparently was a skill that had now left you entirely. An efficient enough lie couldn’t be conjured up and you were stuck as a stuttering mess.
Cam was giggling into her mug over on the cough, smartly pressing her lips together and keeping her comments to herself.  You threw her a glare, but stayed quiet, knowing that whatever biting remark you could come up with would just come out choppy and useless.
“Did he kiss you?” Gemma asked excitedly.
Chewing on your bottom lip, you shook your head. “No. But he almost did.”
Your admission cause Cam to accidentally swallow her drink down the wrong pipe, throwing her into a coughing fit. When she was finally able to breathe again, she screeched, “What do you mean he ‘almost did’?”
You started fidgeting with your fingernails, absentmindedly digging out the nonexistent dirt from underneath them. “Well, he was leaning in, but then a couple walking their dog came by, so he pulled back.”
Gemma and Cam gave you identical dumbfounded looks. It was actually quite comical, but you were able to hold back the chuckle building in your throat.
“So, basically, what you’re saying is that he didn’t want to be seen kissing you? Like he was embarrassed?” Cam inferred with a particularly curtly tone. She even slammed her mug down on the side table for emphasis.
You wanted to argue that that wasn’t the case. At least, you were pretty sure that wasn’t the case. They didn’t know that “Junie” was actually your professor and if he’d been seen kissing a student by the wrong person, he’d be in boiling hot water. And even if you were brave enough to confess that little secret to Gemma and Cam, you couldn’t be entirely sure how they’d take it. Cam might smirk at the sneakiness and forbidden aspects of it all, but you could only guess how Gemma would take it. You’d didn’t think she’d exactly be jumping up and down with excitement.
“I don’t think he was embarrassed,” you said meekly. “I think it was just the surprise at the couple’s presence. We were at the park and there wasn’t anyone else there at first.”
“Hm,” Cam pursed her lips, giving you the feeling that she didn’t entirely believe it. “Okay.” She narrowed her eyes at you. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
You nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just a little flustered, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting it.”
Gemma patted your head gently. “Okay. Just let us know if you need us to kick his butt.”
That truly managed to make you laugh. While you could see Cam really trying to throw a punch at Junmyeon’s face, you couldn’t imagine for a second the gentle Gemma trying anything to physically harm him. She’d probably instead start lecturing him on the possible psychological damage his actions could have caused you. That was much more her style.
“Thank you,” you smiled at your friends. “But I’m okay. I promise. He’s not going to do anything.”
You actually believed that last sentence. What happened back at the park was probably just a fluke, brought on by the heavy subject the two of you were engaged in. Junmyeon probably didn’t actually want to kiss you because he liked you in that way. He had a mate to find, remember? It was easy to get caught up in the moment. That couple was actually your saving grace, keeping the two of you from doing something you would regret. Yes, that was it.
At least, that’s what you would keep telling yourself.
**
Junmyeon was anticipating seeing you in class today. He wanted to see you again. He wanted to see if he could get you to agree to meet up with him, maybe take you for a run in his wolf form. You’d turned him down last time, but maybe he could persuade you.
Just a little bit of alone time, that’s all he was asking for. A place where you wouldn’t be interrupted, where he wouldn’t be scared of being seen by the wrong person. A place where he could build up the courage to try and kiss you again.
Maybe his plans were getting too elaborate.
He was sure he was getting close to being able to tell you everything. Hearing the way your heart was beating as he leaned in last night was a beautiful melody that he would never get tired of listening to for the rest of his life. And you would have let him kiss your lips. That was the strike that lit up his little match of hope after you’d been pulling away from him.
There was a lightness in Junmyeon’s steps as he headed towards the classroom. Sure, he was an idiot, but wasn’t everyone a fool in love?
Yeah, he could definitely say he was falling in love you. He felt elated when he could make you smile. He loved watching that sparkle in your eye when you were mesmerized by his family’s artifacts. The way you would clam up when you were flustered or the way you could read into the cultural significance of the fairytales he was lecturing on. You paid attention and listened to him on a level that he wasn’t used to. He wanted to get to know every single facet of who you were and fall deeper in.
You were already there when Junmyeon walked into the classroom. He nearly exploded when he saw that you were back in your front row seat, materials out and ready to start the period. No one else was around you and the other students that were scattered among the room were too busy talking to each other or scrolling through their phones to pay too much attention.
As calmly as he could, he walked up to you, earning your curious gaze when he reached the long, curved table where you sat.
“Can I see you after class?” he whispered. When you nodded, he simply smiled before walking back to his desk.
He was practically bouncing with anticipation throughout the whole lecture. It was a stupid thing to be excited about, but he couldn’t help it. Part of him always expected to be rejected whenever he asked you about staying back or meeting up with him. But you never told him no once he was finally able to ask. You would avoid him at times, not giving him the chance to say one word, but hopefully those times were behind him.
As class came to an end, you continued to just sit there in your seat as all the other students filed out. Junmyeon busied himself at his desk, pretending to go over lecture notes and piling up the quizzes he’d collected at the beginning of the hour.
“You wanted to see me?”
With his back still to you, Junmyeon smiled widely. Your voice was quiet and unsure and he couldn’t help but find it adorable. Turning around after he was able to get his face under control, he started, “I was, um-” he cleared his throat. Smooth, Junmyeon. “I was just wondering if you had any plans Friday afternoon.”
You frowned guiltily. “Well, yeah, actually I do. Midterms are next week, so I’ll be spending the weekend studying. I have a big test on Monday.”
Junmyeon deflated. He’d completely forgotten about that crucial part of the semester, second only to finals. “Oh, right. Hm.” Racking is brain, he tried to come up with some sort of solution. The next meeting outside of the classroom would have to be on your terms. “May I see your phone?”
“M-my phone?” you stammered.
He chuckled. “Yes. The cellular device you used to talk and text.”
By the look on your face, you didn’t entirely appreciate his comment, but you fished your phone out from your back pocket, unlocking it before handing it over. Junmyeon quickly added in his contact information before giving it back to you.
“There,” he sighed. “Now if you find yourself a little bored or needing a break from studying, you can get ahold of me. I’ll be free all weekend, if you change your mind.”
Your eyes were wide, filled with innocent surprise. “Okay…. I’ll, um, let you know. I should head to my next class now.”
“Of course.” Junmyeon watched as you hurriedly ran up the steps, tripping only once as you dashed away. The chuckle bubbling up in his chest couldn’t be held back anymore as he piled the papers scattered on the desk together and left the lecture hall.
Since he didn’t have another class until later in the afternoon, he headed back to his office to get started on grading the ever growing pile of quizzes that he’d been putting off. It took him a good hour and a half to get through the multiple classes’ worth of grading and plug the results into the school’s site. His eyes were beginning to glaze over and he was already looking forward to when he could head home.
Knock, knock, knock.
Junmyeon perked up at the sound. Did you, perhaps, change your mind to come see him?
“Come in,” he called out, hurrying to clear out the papers from his desk.
But it wasn’t you that slowly walked through the door.
It was Soomi.
Standing up from his desk, Junmyeon rushed over to the door, glancing up and down the hallway to make sure it was empty from any nosy gossipers before closing the door and turning back around.
“Soomi, I told you-”
She put up a hand to stop him. “I’m not here for that. I’m here on business.”
“Business?” Junmyeon frowned. He walked back to his desk, sitting down taking off his glasses. “What do you mean?”
Soomi didn’t sit down, opting instead to keep standing, arms folded across her stomach. She sighed. “Nia had a vision.”
Junmyeon couldn’t understand what was so important about those four little words. “Who’s Nia?”
“She’s my trainee,” Soomi explained. “She’s one of the few among the witches that can receive visions without casting a spell.”
“They just come to her?” Junmyeon didn’t like where this conversation was headed.
“Yes,” Soomi confirmed. “Poor thing still isn’t able to completely handle them when they come on nor be able to control them. We’re working with her on them, but it’s still touch and go.”
Junmyeon nodded sympathetically. “And what did Nia see?”
“Something is coming.” The way Soomi lowered her voice and stared at Junmyeon made the hair on his arms stand up.
“What’s coming?”
Soomi shook her head. “Nia couldn’t see. It all came in flashes, she said. She couldn’t get a clear grasp on what she was seeing. But there was strong emotion with it. Fear, terror, the need to protect. She collapsed after it was over, the vision was so forceful. Something is coming for the pack and you must be prepared.”
There wasn’t anything Junmyeon could really say. A vague notion didn’t give them a good foundation on how to proceed. Until there was more information, there was very little they could do to prepare.
“I appreciate the warning,” Junmyeon sighed. “I’ll talk to the boys. I’m sure it won’t be anything that we can’t handle. We did take out a pack of hybrids.”
Soomi kept her gaze down, licking her lips as if she were trying to get the words she was holding back to slip out. She rounded the desk, carefully hopping up to sit on the now cleared table top. Taking Junmyeon’s hand in both of hers, she stayed quiet.
Junmyeon wanted to pull away, to tell Soomi to please get off his desk, but the gentleman in him just couldn’t find a nice way to say it. He’d instead let you say your piece and leave.
“Junmyeon,” she whispered, “I know you've found your mate, but that doesn’t mean my feelings for you just go away. I don’t want anything happen to you.”
“I appreciate that, Soomi.” Out of politeness, he squeezed her hand, before starting to pull away, “But, I think-”
“Junmyeon- oh.”
Shit.
**
Why did it have to be you?
Why did you have to make stupid decisions? Let yourself hope on useless things?
It had seem at like a good idea at the time. Yes, Junmyeon had give you his number, but it felt a little silly to text or call when you could just… see him.
So, after your second class of the day, you headed off to the professor’s building, telling yourself that if he wasn’t there then you would text him. You were sure you could carve out the time to spend a little of Saturday afternoon with whatever he’d had in mind. At first, you’d thought that maybe you’d see if Saturday morning would work, but you knew that if you did block out the morning from him, you’d be too tempted to spend the entire day with him.
When you reached Junmyeon’s office, you hadn’t been thinking that he might not be alone. The sign outside his door didn’t indicate he was with another student so, like an idiot, you just opened the door. And your heart didn’t just sink.
It cracked into a million pieces you didn’t believe would ever be put back together again.
Soomi was sitting on Junmyeon’s desk, holding his hand while looking down at him with that look you knew all too well.
“I’m sorry,” you mumbled. “I should have knocked.”
Junmyeon jumped up from his seat. “No, (y/n), wait-”
You didn’t stick around to hear whatever explanation he’d felt the urge to give you. You didn’t need one. It was none of your business and you needed to get out of there before either of them saw you break.
Once out of the building, you didn’t stop running. Only when you reached the crosswalk off of school grounds were you finally forced to stop. Bouncing on the balls of your feet, you wanted to just sprint out into the street to get to the other side, in case someone actually decided to come after you. The chances of that happening were slim to none, but you let the thought linger anyway.
Safe inside your apartment, you threw yourself down on your bed and let the tears flow free.
For the next several days, you just stayed there in bed. Not even the urgency of midterms could coax you out of your room and onto campus grounds. You only crawled out of bed when your roommates were gone to use the bathroom and grab snacks so you didn’t starve to death. Other than that, you simply lied there and stared at the wall, playing the scene of Junmyeon and Soomi over and over. Your phone rang several times, but you never answered it or even bothered to look to see who it was. You had a pretty good inkling and you didn’t feel like talking to him.
“(y/n)?”
It was Friday night and Cam and Gemma had more than caught on to the fact that something was wrong. Both of them tiptoed into your room and sat as carefully as they could on the bed.
“Hey,” Gemma greeted softly. You barely peeked out from under your covers. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
You shook your head, too ashamed that you were falling into the same pattern of hopelessness that you’d experienced your freshman year, only this was a hundred times worse. Back then, you saw the light at the end of the tunnel, you just had to pick yourself up and walk towards it. This time you felt like you were lost in a cold, dark cave with no idea which way led out.
“We’re going to go to a party,” Cam informed you as she rubbed your leg in a motherly fashion over the covers. “I think you should go with us. Maybe take your mind off of whatever happened?”
“I don’t think a party is the solution,” you grumbled.
“Not a solution,” Gemma chimed in. “Simply a momentary distraction. Why not show the world that you’re strong and don’t let temporary setbacks or people who aren’t important keep you from living your life?”
With a huff, you flipped the covers off of your top half, letting you stare at your friends. “I’m not a huge supporter of drinking away your problems.”
Cam shook her head, “That’s not-”
Flinging up into a sitting position, you stopped her, “But, this one time, I can give into to the idea and live a little like a college student for one night.”
The grins that grew on your roommate’s face were scary and almost made you change your mind, but you couldn’t go back out now. You’d tried the wallowing around in bed doing nothing and that didn’t really work to ease your pain. So why not try the other extreme? You’d already had your heart broken. What was the worst that could happen?
573 notes · View notes