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deathbxnny · 2 years

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The bird in an open cage. (Venti x Reader)

Content: fluff, a bit of angst, Venti's dead friend is referred to as "Himmel" here

Not fully proofread btww, so sorry for any mistakes!♡

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A hum of a long-forgotten melody filled Mondstadt's cathedral in the early morning. No one was awake just yet, except the head priestess, that softly swayed from side to side, as she rearranged some flowers to put near the entrance as decoration. The first beams of the sun shone through the large windows and ingulfed her in a warm glow, as through greeting her a good morning. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of peace, before all the other nuns would rush in for their own morning routines.

The door opened in that moment and a familiar nun tiredly walked in, to finally get some rest after a long night’s work.

"Rosaria, good morning, dear. You're back much later than usual." you mused, as your voice echoed softly off of the cathedral’s walls. The nun nodded lazily in greeting, as she passed by. "Good morning. It was a long night, so I might just have to skip morning prayer." "So be it then. I'll cover it for you, so go get some rest, my dear." Rosaria nodded once more thankfully, before disappearing into the sleeping chambers.

A chuckle escaped you once more, before you placed the flowers down into a vase. Behind you, the large doors open once more. "Good morning, my muse! I hope you don't mind me visiting you!" a familiar voice chirped, making you smile softly as you turned around.

"Barbatos... Please come in and take a seat." you chuckled, gesturing to a bench. Glancing behind him, you noticed familiar companions trailing after him. Shock flashed through their faces, as they heard you call the Bard by his actual god title.

"W-Wait! Lady (Y/N)... Knows you're a god?!" Paimon yelled, as she pointed an accusing finger at you. "My, my... You didn't even bother telling them that I was your wife?" "Ah, it must've slipped my mind! But you also didn't tell them about your own godly titles, did you?" he retorted playfully, making you smile at your husband innocently. "Oops~!" you only said, as you took a seat next to him. The traveller and Paimon glanced at each other, before asking the two of you to clarify the confusion.

"Well, for starters, I am no ordinary human. Though I took on the form of one to fit into this role, so I could keep on living my life next to my dear husband over here." You explained, as you glanced at the windows of the cathedral. The white birds on the tainted glass glowed in the morning sun, as they flew around the image of Barbatos. "I am a god as well. Albeit not a strong one. Which is why I only get mentioned as Barbato's bird companion in history books, since I was the goddess of flight and birds." You finished, as you watched their stunned faces with a small smile.

Venti silently watched his wife's warm smile with awe. He has seen it for so many countless of years every day already, yet he still felt refreshed anytime he gazed upon you. He could never tire of your presence. No, in fact, he craved it every single time you two were even a small moment apart. Ever since he met you that one fateful day, when the birds flew for the first time, he knew that he couldn't live a moment without you anymore. He refused to.

"Ohhh... So, you decided to take over the church then, just to stay close to him? That's quite romantic!" Paimon gushed, as the traveller nodded along silently. "Well, it was the only way to truly excuse and disguise my knowledge of him. After all, I know a little too much about him." You giggled, as you gave your husband a teasing smile.

"Well, that's a given, ehe~! Anyways, I think we need to get going. After all, I did promise to show my dear friends a new tune at the tavern!" Venti laughed, as he grabbed your hand, softly kissing your knuckles. "Have a good day, my dear! I'll try and visit you tonight to sing you a new song I composed just for you~" He beamed with pride, when he saw your face light up, as you laughed.

"Ah, I'm surprised you still find something of me to sing about after all this time." "And I'll continue to do so, even if you tell me to shut up, hehe~!" He retorted jokingly, as he exited the building with the traveller and Paimon. You waved them away chuckling, before turning back to the church. Soon enough morning service will begin, waking up the rest of the nuns as well.

The unfamiliar song escaped your lips again, as you softly swayed with the tune and swept the entrance to the church.

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When night finally came and most nuns retired to their rooms, you found yourself wandering out of the church along side Rosaria to the Angels share Tavern. "Up for a drink?" Rosaria joked sarcastically, as she watched a small smile rise to your face. "Not at all. But I'd like to see what my husband is doing." Rosaria only nodded chuckling, knowing exactly who you were talking about.

Whilst no one really knows of yours and Venti's actual identity, it was still a known fact that you were both married. People questioned the odd dynamic, yet never spoke much of it. Maybe there was more to the drunk bard, than he let on. But few actually bothered to dwell on the inconsistencies in your stories anyways.

You closed your eyes against the breeze of the warm evening. It was as though the wind was caressing your face lovingly, softly pulling you to your lover. The unfamiliar symphony left your lips again, making Rosaria silently listen in interest. "Where is that song from?" she finally said, making you look off into the sky in thought.

The long-lost memory of an old friend singing the song flashed through your mind. "Oh... It's just a song I used to hear quite often from an old friend. I don't remember the lyrics, though... Just the melody..." your voice trailed off, as your eyes trailed after the birds that happily flew through the wind, freely.

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The Tavern was full and loud. Yet the loudest of them all was your husband, who was cheerfully singing and drinking along the drunk attendees of Angel's share. A chuckle left your lips, waving Rosaria off, as she disappeared through the large crowd to her own drinking partner. The cavalry captain raised his drink in greeting, making you nod back smiling.

Deciding to get yourself a drink as well, albeit not an alcoholic one, you calmly walked to the bar and slipped into a seat. "Good evening, Master Diluc." You said, as you took off your white gloves and put them on the counter. "Ah, good evening, Lady (Y/N). How can I help you?" He asked, as he handed another guest a drink. "Just a medium cup of cold apple Juice would be fine. I'm not staying for long you see." You said, as you glanced at your husband singing on one of the tables. "Coming right up." He said with a small chuckle, as he went off to get your drink.

Taking out a pouch of mora, you payed for your drink... And your husband's. You usually never heard Diluc complain about it to you, but you still saw his relief, when you finally paid a part of your husband’s debt off. "Here is your drink." "Thank you." With a nod, the red head turned to another customers call, leaving you to watch your husbands shenanigans.

He had still not noticed you, but you didn't mind. Instead, you just watched him with a small smile, your mind taking you back to the days you met him. "Himmel..." you whispered to yourself absently. The name of yours and Venti's old friend. The boy who fought for his freedom a long time ago, only to never be able to peer upon it himself in the end. It wasn't fair. But since when was life ever fair, you wondered. But a part of you felt at peace, thinking that your friend was able to live out his freedom through your husband.

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He was the one who practically introduced you to your husband, when he found you in your bird form with an broken wing. After healing you and taking care of you for a couple days, Himmel set you out in the wild to fly again. Yet, you couldn’t. So, you, Himmel and the kind windspirit tried until the sun bid it's goodbyes over the horizon. However, nothing worked and, in the end, you sat in Himmel's hands in tears.

"Oh, dear human, I am unable to fly anymore! How ever will I return to the free skies, my dear home?" You had cried, making Himmel frown, as he glanced to the wind spirit. Until then, it had shied away from the pretty bird, too flustered to speak to it. But with a quick nudge and a teasing smile, the young spirit floated to you slowly, before speaking.

"Please don't cry! I'll help you fly once more; I swear!" he promised.

And so, he did.

Soon you three found yourselves on a cliff. Himmel calmly sat back, as he watched the bird and windspirit speak to one another with a knowing grin. He somehow knew of Venti's love for the mysterious bird. Yet he never spoke on it, knowing that with time, everything will settle into place.

So when the time came to try again, you stood at the tallest cliff and allowed yourself to fall off of it. You closed your eyes and spread your wings... And then you flew. Much higher than you've ever done before. Himmel laughed, as he held his arms out and cheered you on.

Looking to the side, you saw the shy wind spirit next to you. "This is of your doing, correct?" You softly asked, making young Venti nod shyly. "Thank you, dear wind spirit. Out of gratitude, I'll stay by your side and fight for our freedom next to you." you said. Venti only starred for a moment, before he nodded excitedly, trying to hide the redness spreading across his small form.

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After that day, Venti found even more reason to fight for the freedom of his nation. Not only for his people, but also for you. He wanted to build a free nation, in which you could live in safely. Like a bird cage with an open door.

A sigh left his lips, as he finished his last song for the evening. Venti didn't understand why he was thinking of the past suddenly, yet he didn't mind. In fact, he looked back at his first memories with you in absolute happiness. "Quite the performance, dear." A familiar voice chuckled next to him, making him smile softly. Sitting down on a chair in front of you, he looked up at you. The light of the tavern fell around your form beautifully, making him gulp slightly before speaking.

"Ah… for how long you have been here?" Venti asked, as he grabbed your hip with one arm and pulled you closer. You hummed, as you put your hand on his chest, acting oblivious to his red face. "Just a couple minutes. I decided to visit you for once. I hope you're done for tonight. The night is so clear… I would like to take a walk, if you don't mind." You peered down at him through your lashes pleadingly, knowing that he was unable to deny you anything.

With a nervous chuckle he agreed and got up to quickly take you out of the Tavern. After waving everyone goodbye- and after Venti promised Diluc once again, that he'll pay for his alcohol next time- you both stepped out onto the cool streets of Mondstadt. Lacing his hand in yours, you both silently walked next to each other.

The moon shone brightly in the clear night sky, as a warm breeze drifted past you, making you smile and close your eyes for a moment. Glancing up at you, Venti felt his mind swirl at your beauty. He had gazed upon you in many ways before, yet he could never tire of your presence. No, that was impossible, and he didn't mind it. He felt blessed to have you and even though you sometimes had all reason to leave him, you still stuck by his side. You were freedom to him, for with you, he could be himself and feel as though he was a young wind spirit once more. Softly flying through the clouds of love that you provided him with.

A soft chuckle ripped him out of his thoughts, as he blinked a couple times, before his eyes focused on your teasing eyes. "Are you alright?" you asked, as you pushed some stray hair out of his eyes. He smiled as he grabbed your hand and kissed your wrist. "I'm always alright when I'm with you, my songbird." He responded, as he gave you a wink. You hid your face behind your hand shyly, making him chuckle in victory of having successfully beaten you at your own game. "Now, how about I bring you home, hm~?" He asked, as he held out his arm. Smiling in agreement, you took his arm and allowed yourself to be pulled closer to his side.

The rest of the night was spent with the laughing and talking of the former wind spirit and bird-goddess, as they relished in the freedom of their nation and reminisced on their fallen friends in good memories.

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Ahhh it's been really long since I've written anything, so I hope this is okay!

If u have any questions or requests, please let me know!^^

#genshin fanfic #genshin imagines #genshin impact #venti x reader #venti genshin impact

118 notes · View notes

shoichee · 4 years

Note

Hi, congrats on 100!! Could I please request 27 for Kasamatsu? Thank you very much, and good luck on your finals! :D

Kasamatsu x Reader

27. “If we get caught I’m blaming you”

Word Count: 4416

prompt list here

Note: the Replace novel starring the Kaijō team was a HUGE inspiration for this, and dear anon who requested this, I hope you’re still around;; I’m sorry it took so long EEEEE But yes! I did okay on my finals anon! I hope you’re doing well too~

@knb-kreations

»»—————　☼　—————««

“If we get caught, I’m blaming you.”

“Look it’ll be quick… n-no one’s here as far as I know.”

“B-But…”

“J-Just… be quiet for a s-second, okay?”

“H-H-Huh?! Ah…”

Huh? Kise stopped himself before leaning closer to the edge of the building, slightly doubting his ears. Wasn’t that Senpai’s voice? With someone else…? Alone?

“Oh come on, why are you even block the wa—oh, ohhhhhh, are there any cute girls nearby?—”

“Shh,” Kise hissed, harshly waving his hand over Moriyama’s face to give a signal to stay quiet. “Listen…”

“A-Are you done, Kasamatsu-san…?”

“I-I-I… uh, just…um…”

Kise and Moriyama shared a look of shock… then registration… and finally a look of that spelled nothing but trouble. Immediately, they both simultaneously crouched to squat and share their “realizations” together in hushed whispers.

“Quick—when was the last time Senpai talked to anyone outside of basketball?”

“Hmmmmmm, certainly none of the girls I’ve tried to approach.”

“No, that’s obviously not what I meant!” Kise said, facepalming. “Anyone in your year that he’s been talking to? Maybe anyone in class?” Moriyama continued to hum in deep concentration before he lifted his index finger in a “eureka” moment.

“He’s been talking to (y/n)-san in the hallways recently!” he quietly exclaims, pounding his fist against his open palm to emphasize. “Though their conversations have sounded nothing remotely romantic. No charm, I say.” He struck a pose after to imply that he himself was the charismatic individual.

“.... Right,” he deadpanned, expecting nothing less from his quite… eccentric upperclassman. “Welp, now that we narrowed it down who he might be talking to, I don’t wanna spy on them… but I’m really curious if it’s really this (y/n)-san you mentioned.”

“Well,” Moriyama pouted with a grumble. “One peek wouldn’t hurt.”

“I guess you’re right…”

Kise cautiously scans his surroundings and gauges the situation “clear” to slowly peer from behind the corner of the building, where both of them had been seeking shelter from for the past several minutes. Moriyama follows suit, poking his head out just underneath Kise to see.

Kasamatsu’s back mostly covered your figure, but the view of what was happening did not slip by either Kaijō players’ eyes. He had his arms partially around your head while you were pressed up against his chest. You were gripping onto his loose blazer on his sides to presumably stabilize yourself while Kasamatsu was… fiddling with something on top of your hair? Even so, there’s no denying that the both of you were currently very, very physically close.

“Look… d-does it really take that long to take out petals from hair strands?” you mumbled, looking up at Kasamatsu’s face while trying not to move your head to avoid disrupting his “handiwork.” “I can do this myself....”

“W-W-Well, you can’t risk yourself being unkempt when you go back to class.” Kasamatsu gave a poor attempt at trying to lecture you, judging from his stammers and the way he slightly turns his head to the side to avoid your curious scrutiny. “It’s more thorough this… way. It’s the w-week where these blossoms fall rampantly… you have to be careful where you’re walking under…” In turning his face slightly towards Kise’s and Moriyama’s direction, his exposed flushed face puts the cherry blossom trees around them to shame.

So that’s what he was doing. Kise narrowed his eyes in pity at his captain, and Moriyama expressed a similar expression at Kasamatsu’s struggles. The poor captain’s hands were shaking non-stop. Not only that, he’s been darting his eyes everywhere since you’ve been gazing up at him from below. No wonder he’s been standing there unable to quickly pluck off the petals.

“Should we leave our captain alone to let him lead his own destiny?”

“What are you even talking about, Moriyama-se—”

“W-Whoa!! What a(l)e you [guys doing] he(l)e? Why a(l)e you sneaking a(l)ound (r)ike that?”

Kise and Moriyama instantly whip their heads behind in a panic, seeing a curious Hayakawa jogging up to be with his teammates, and the both instantly pounce on the poor rebound player to slap desperate hands over his mouth.

“Sh-Shhhhhhhhh!”

“Mrmpgh—?!! Lef—What [is going] on?”

“Hayakawa-senpai, please—just be quiet for a sec!”

The ruckus causes Kasamatsu and you to break out of the oddly intimate moment to face towards the direction of the sudden noises. After looking at each other questionably, albeit briefly and with stiff eye contact, there was an unspoken consensus for you two to investigate behind the corner of the building. Imagine both of you guys’ surprise when you two see a tangle of limbs between the Kaijō starter players. Kobori somehow arrived prior, separating poor Hayakawa from his two assailants.

“What… What the hell are you guys doing?!”

“Kasamatsu-senpai!! Is it t(l)ue [that you] and (y/n)-san a(l)e da—mrmf—!”

“Ahaha… we didn’t expect to see you here, Senpai~” Kise smiles with a slight grimace, hand still firm on Hayakawa’s mouth.

“It must be fate, yes surely!” Moriyama confidently speaks, flipping his fringe. Both Kise and Moriyama drop Hayakawa and straighten themselves up. “How else would we encounter such a situation as unique as this?”

“Why are you all here?” Kasamatsu sputters indignantly, but everyone (except you) saw how horrendously red his face was. You peek out from behind his back curiously, noting how Kasamatsu did a 180 in his personality compared to whenever he spoke with you.

“Kasamatsu-san… are they your teammates? You seem very close with them.”

“That’s—”

“Now, now, Kasamatsu-san… we’re only here because we were concerned where you went is all,” Kobori reassures a flustered captain. Kise only stares at him incredulously, but it seems that Kasamatsu, as usual, buys into Kobori’s naivete.

“I see…”

“Wow… the fact that your entire group came to look for you is very sweet of them,” you chime. “They really care for you, Kasamatsu-san…” When you elbow him at his ribs playfully, he immediately straightened himself like a plank.

“N-Nn.”

“Well… it’s almost time for class, so I have to go, see you all!”

“W-Wait, your… uh, hair, um—”

“I can get out the rest of the petals in the restroom, but thank you for trying! I’ll see you later!”

“R-Right…” He puts up his hand in a shy wave as you dash away, but he immediately drops it once you are out of the vicinity to hound on his teammates. “Were you watching this entire time? And stop with the looks—that’s creepy as hell!”

“Sooooooo…”

“Senpai, could it be that you and…”

“Kasamatsu-senpai! I’m (l)ooting fo(l) you!”

“N-N-No!!” he denies, ready to hold an iron fist to stop their antics, but Kobori gently holds onto his raised arm.

“Alright, let’s calm down a bit,” Kobori reasons with a placid smile. “I’m sure we’re all a bit curious because you hardly talk to anyone outside of basketball, right?”

“Kobori…”

“Have you heard of the prerequisites of the key elements of the blooming spring, Kasamatsu?” Moriyama asks, immediately drawing confused looks towards the 3rd-year.

“Moriyama-senpai, we have no clue what you’re talking about,” Kise says, asking the question that’s occupying everyone's mind.

“The key elements…! In the season of new birth, to enrich the experience, they are ‘hanami,’ ‘plums,’ and ‘spring cleaning!’ Of course, the prerequisite to these would be…”

“Please stop—”

“... to have a cute date.”

“... This is ridiculous,” Kasamatsu says irritatedly. “I’m going to class.” He immediately speed-walks to the adjacent building, leaving a scheming group behind.

“You know, if it’s true that he does like (y/n)-san, shouldn’t we help him? It’s the least we can do for our captain,” Kobori suggested.

“That sounds too troublesome,” Kise frowns, averting his gaze to also start to walk away, but Hayakawa immediately latches to his arm to pull him back.

“Don’t be (r)ike that! We have to do this as a team effo(l)t!”

“How did it become like this?!”

“Well…” Moriyama audibly ponders, stroking his chin. “If we make this successful for Kasamatsu, perhaps this can be a template for our own love lives! A sign that we will meet our fated ones this spring!”

“Yes, yes! Mo(l)iyama-senpai is abso(r)ute(r)y (l)ight!”

Oh god, Kise mentally sighs. What has he gotten himself into?

———

“Why are you guys surrounding me like that? Did you not hear me say that we have to change quickly? We can’t have the lockers for long today, considering that the janitor will come to do their routine clean-ups.”

“According to my online research,” Moriyama states, “this mint-scented deodorant will guarantee mutual attraction from the person you like.”

“Wha—?”

“Ignoring what Moriyama-senpai said,” Kise elaborates, scratching his head. “Is it really true that you like (y/n)-san? Otherwise, they’ll keep getting the wrong idea, senpai.”

Kasamatsu gapes like a fish, pulling his shirt collar as he starts to sweat and flush.

“Kise! Be a bit tactfu(r)! You do not unde(l)stand how to app(l)oach this!”

“What’s there to understand, Hayakawa-senpai!? It’s better to be direct about this, or otherwise we’ll be doing this for nothing!”

“Kise may be right,” Moriyama muses. “To be honest gives a feeling of a fresh start in the spring. Kasamatsu, you should follow this example and leave all the baggage behind to obtain a new start.” Kasamatsu could only stand there glued to his spot as his teammates continued to corner him, blocking any possible route to the locker exit.

“I… I…” he gulps. “Th—... that’s… I… like…” His voice dwindles to the softest whisper, but it easily resonates throughout the locker room, where the team had fallen silent in straining to hear and hang onto his every syllable.

“So you do like (y/n)-san,” Moriyama exclaimed, the first one to break the silence. “I see, I didn’t think they were your type.”

“H-Hey…?! Can you not say it like that!?”

“You can’t distort the truth, though. Anyways, you should chat with (y/n)-san nicely.”

“I already do!!” Kasamatsu half-shouts, but he immediately bows his head down shyly. “Wh-What’s a… good topic, you think… to talk to (y/n)-san…?”

“Huh? Just normal topics,” Kise replies, not sure what Kasamatsu meant by the question.

“What’s… normal?”

“Just talk to them like you’ve always done, senpai.”

“Y-Yes, but… h-how can I talk to hint that I l-l-l-like… never mind this is hopeless—”

“Ask them to come watch ou(l) next match [and have] (y/n)-san chee(l) fo(l) you!!”

“N-No! Anyone would run away from that!”

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when the locker doors opened with a bang, with a very weary janitor standing with his equipment on standby. With a flurry of apologies to the janitor, Kasamatsu recovers himself and ushers everyone out before bidding him a good evening. Walking out of campus several minutes later in silence, Kobori breaks the silence.

“Why don’t we help you, Kasamatsu? Maybe through different methods you will find the best way to ask for a date. Perhaps asking for a cup of tea would be sufficient…?”

“I’m not gonna involve myself with this! No way in hell!”

“Senpai, so you’re just gonna wait and let it fester—u-uwah?!” Moriyama immediately sprays the mint-scented deodorant down Kise’s back to silence him before turning back to Kasamatsu with a straight face.

“What if someone else steals (y/n)-san away for their own elements of spring? After all, it is the perfect atmosphere for them to communicate with the person you like with pickup techniques, with high chances of success.”

“N-No way (y/n)-san would just go along with a random stranger!”

“Who knows? Maybe they’re more suave and have that particular charisma that they’re secretly weak to.”

“Moriyama-senpai, you might be going too far…”

“Kasamatsu, he’s right though, if you hang around (y/n)-san more, not only would you learn more about them, but you’ll protect them from potential unwanted people.” Kobori’s calm voice rang louder above the clamors of the starter players, and everyone immediately looked to Kasamatsu for his response. Kise mentally sighs at how Kobori always manages to misinterpret Moriyama’s words.

“Fine—but only to make sure (y/n)-san will be safe! Don’t get any funny ideas!”

———

Praise. Make them laugh. Praise. Make them laugh. Say something interesting. Say something interesting. Praise. Use a normal topic.

Kasamatsu stands at his usual spot, waiting for you to leave class and meet up with him after school. Only this time, his hands grow clammy, his thick brows deeply furrowed as he wills himself to stop shaking. His teammates spying on him from behind the hallway corner certainly wasn’t helping him either.

“I told you, there’s no way I’m gonna involve myself with this!”

“Come on, Kasamatsu,” Moriyama sighed, shaking the mint-scented deodorant on hand. “We talked about this yesterday. You agreed to this, remember?”

“It was to make sure no one weird bothers (y/n)-san! Why do I have to go along with this?!”

“So you’re fine if I hold (y/n)-san’s hand in the name of destiny…”

“To hell with that!—argh—you!”

Moriyama immediately sprayed the can on the captain’s neck, watching his spine jolt and jump before he was met with an intense glare.

“You’re the captain, right? Come on, you have to show us how it’s done. We all want to see the ways to push the boundaries of romance. Who would lead us if you don’t?”

“What kinda—”

“I ag(l)ee with Mo(l)iyama-senpai! Take the (r)ead, Kasamatsu-senpai!”

“Wouldn’t Kise be someone better to learn from if you wanted to learn how to hit on people?!”

“Senpai, I’ve never done such a thing in my entire life.”

“Kasamatsu, I’m sure Moriyama is just telling you how much we all admire and look up to you. Naturally, we want to see how our captain fares in these situations. Besides, as a team, if something happens, we’ll be there to cover up for you.”

“Well… if you put it like that Kobori… all I have to do is talk to (y/n)-san… right?”

“That’s the spi(l)it!”

“... Kasamatsu-san? Helloooooo…?”

You wave a hand repeatedly over his face, and he immediately blinks and flinches back when you pull him back to the present. He’d been standing still for the past five minutes.

“I-I-I-I…”

“Are you okay? You’re all tensed up… if something’s bothering you, wanna talk about it?”

“W-W-Well… wh-what’s… up.” Normal topic, normal topic.

“Well, nothing much really,” you say, smoothing out your blazer. “I got out the petals but barely made it to class in the nick of time!” You laugh at your own recollection, and he immediately flames a radiant flush.

“N-nn.”

“Is it me… or is our captain…. really, really stiff right now…”

“Shhh.”

You perk up at the noise and slightly tilt to the left of Kasamatsu to discern the source of the hushed whispers… only to spy a conspicuous group of basketball players. You merely raise a brow at your discovery, but you return your attention back to Kasamatsu before he notices your change in gaze. The Kaijō teammates were too busy shushing each other to notice your attention on them.

“Ah, yes! Kasamatsu-san, you just had your trigonometry test right? Those identities and proofs are always so difficult to remember… how do you think you did?”

“G-Good.”

“Wow, that was too quick of a response! I didn’t know you were that confident about it—obviously not a bad thing if you studied for it.”

“N-nn.” Come on, say something interesting. Interesting topic. Something you like. “U-U-Uh… w-weather…?”

“The weather…?” You look outside the window in confusion before you make a face of realization. “Oh! Like how’s the weather?”

“N-nn.”

“Well, it has been a bit windy with all those branches and leaves flying around, but I think it accompanies the refreshing atmosphere of spring very nicely, don’t you think?” You turn back to face Kasamatsu, who’s been slowly bowing his head down gradually more and more the entire time to avoid scrutiny.

“N-nn.”

“You’ve been… really quiet since lunch. I’m serious, if something happened… is there anything I can do to help?”

“Kasamatsu, take advantage of the elements of spring! The elements of spr—”

“Moriyama-senpai, shut… up…!”

“Hey—what are you—?”

“Wait!! Kise! Don’t push, [or else] we a(l)e gonna fa(r)(r)—!”

“Shit—”

Right on cue, the gradual leaning weight from the three players on Hayakawa at the bottom gave way, and everyone tumbled out smack dab into plain sight. Kobori was the only one who managed to break his fall and stayed behind the corner, holding onto Kise in a failed attempt to stop him from exposing his presence. Kasamatsu breaks out of his shy stupor and turns around to see awkward smiles and chuckles.

“Y-Y-You guys—?!”

“Ahaha… sorry Senpai… the floor was a bit… slippery?”

As Kasamatsu forgets about you in dropkicking Kise, you note how the other upperclassmen had their own little quirks in interacting with the captain. Seeing how assertive and gutsy he was compared to talking with you makes you feel unbelievably warm. Little did anyone know, you held a hand to your face as you turned away to let out a chortle before you collected yourself again.

“Ah, I guess I’ll be going now! Your practice will start soon right? I’m sure your friends were only waiting for you… Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Kasamatsu-san!”

“W-Wait—” Kasamatsu drops Kise from his collar before he turns to you, but in making eye contact he immediately loses courage again. “I-I-I… s-see… you.”

“Of course!” You give a close-eyed smile before you leave.

“You missed the opportunity to set up the atmosphere,” Moriyama sighs, staring wistfully at the mint-scented deodorant. “Was the mint scent not enough?”

“It was going fine until you crashed in!”

“Now, now, there’s always a next time…”

As the upperclassmen continue to bicker and banter (mostly one-sided from Kasamatsu’s end), Kise, who was dropped on the floor by Kasamatsu moments prior, silently stares at the direction you left. Did you leave because you knew how embarrassed Kasamatsu was from that incident?

———

For the next few days, Kasamatsu has been quite clipped with you, reduced to mere “nn’s” and “no’s” during your conversations, and Kise doesn’t know whether you’re just as oblivious as Kobori or whether you’re ignoring it to spare his remaining shreds of dignity. He mentally sighs at how oddly persistent Moriyama is about this even though the captain refused all of his ridiculous “suggestions” every time.

“I believe Moriyama is trying to help out Kasamatsu as a close friend,” Kobori had said, when Kise grumbled about his tenacity. “He just wants the best for him.”

Even so, Kise still heaves a sigh when he sees Moriyama and Hayakawa with an agitated Kasamatsu, knowing that whatever is going on won’t be smooth-sailing. He had no choice but to join them when Kobori sneaked up on him to sling an arm around his shoulders and called over the trio.

“Huh… what’s up with Kasamatsu-senpai?”

“Ou(l) captain is af(l)aid [because someone] da(l)ed to app(l)oach (y/n)-san (l)ight now!”

“Huh? Is that really a problem?” Kise shoots a tired look at the rebound player, but Moriyama solemnly sends a gaze to where he assumed was where you were at right now.

“I knew my online research would come in handy…! Someone also has the knowledge of taking advantage of the perfect atmosphere! Look at the intimacy shared between the two…! The undeniable auras exhibited by them, and elements of spring they embody together!”

“What the hell! No way!” Even through the denials, Kasamatsu looks visibly distressed about the possible “new revelations” between you and what looks to be a close companion of yours.

“I’m gonna have to agree with Senpai on this one, Moriyama-senpai.”

“(R)ook! They finished ta(r)king and (y/n)-san waved them [off with] a smi(r)e!” Kasamatsu whips his head at the speed of light to see you sending them off with the smile Hayakawa spoke of as your friend exits the campus gate. At his dilemma, Moriyama gently nudges his arm to encourage him to go talk to you.

“... According to my online research, talking under sunny weather with a fresh scent is the formula to having the desirable spring experience.”

“Oh shut up, will ya?” Kasamatsu mumbles half-heartedly, but he slowly walks in your direction before he stops to turn back. “You better not interrupt.”

“We [will be all] the way back he(l)e to suppo(l)t you!”

With a final sigh to expel his nerves, he gives a nervous smile to his teammates before coolly walking until you turn to face him once you hear his footsteps. Almost immediately though, his calmness easily dissipates into thin air once again, and his teammates only look on in dismay and worry from afar.

“Er…” Come on, just be direct. Talk normal.

“Kasamatsu-san?”

“Y-You were… d-datin—I mean t-talking, with… someone…”

“Oh, you saw? Yeah, I asked them to meet up with me here actually.”

“Is… that so?”

“Mmhm, I asked for their notes to compare to mine because I feel like I can’t get a hand on the subject sometimes.” Kasamatsu finally finds his voice for the first time in a while when the conversation finally re-enters familiar platonic territory.

“Was it… trigonometry? I did, um, do well on it last time, so…” Normal topics. Normal topics.

“I know,” you laugh. “You told me that a few days ago, remember?”

“W-W-Well…” He coughs to clear his throat and find his voice. “Y-You could’ve… a-a-asked—er…” You patiently wait for him to try to finish his sentence, and out of the corner of your eye you accidentally made eye contact with Kise from the distance.

Kise didn’t expect for you to notice the group even from a sizable distance away. He stayed still for a few seconds to make sure the shared eye contact wasn’t a fluke. Seeing how Kasamatsu was standing there like a statue again, he puts a flat hand next to his lips to discreetly mouth out:

He’s jealous.

To his surprise, you caught onto his cues, giving a subtle yet playful smile of your own before you carefully mouth out:

I know.

The others don’t seem to notice the secret exchange, all too focused on the poor captain bowing his head down out of extreme shyness. Kise doesn’t even know why he’s doing this, but perhaps Kobori was right that it’s only right for the team to help out their hardworking captain.

“Ah, Kasamatsu-san?”

“N-Nn?” He lifts his head up abruptly at the call of his name, and he turns red from mortification at the realization that he stood there like a dunce for the past several minutes. He doesn’t even have time to react to you stepping closer to him with an outstretched hand, and he stands motionless as you slightly fiddle with his cropped hair before you pull out a vivid cherry blossom petal.

“Remember what you told me?” you muse. “That ‘you can’t risk yourself being unkempt?’ After all, you’re right… it is the week where these blossoms fall rampantly… Must I also remind you to be careful where you’re walking under?”

At this point, Kasamatsu is sputtering like a broken engine, his mind barely functioning enough for him to think about putting a hand over his face in a desperate attempt to cover his frenzy.

“I, um, I…”

“Ah… can I ask you something first instead, Kasamatsu-san?” you gently interrupt him, and he flits his gaze back to you before staring at the ground again, and you took that as silent confirmation. “A-Are… are you free to go cherry blossom watching this weekend…?”

He snaps his head up in shock, only to see you slightly pink after that slight stutter in your question. It was your turn to avoid looking at his face.

“N-nn, I’m-I’m free.”

“Ah, that’s great…!” You muster your own courage to hold his clammy hands at his sides. “Can I ask to confirm if this is a romantic date between us?”

“Y-Yes,” he says in a hurry and you only laugh at his shyness. But his piercing eyes focus on your figure before he frees his hands from your loose clasp and reaches out to you, albeit with a slight shake in his hand still, before he clumsily takes out a petal from your hair. “It was… stuck.”

“See?” you shyly tease. “I knew it shouldn’t take you long to take out petals from hair.”

He completely lost his cool in front of you again.

You didn’t really care though… not when he looked absolutely endearing with the onslaught of petals settling on top of his head and shoulders to complement his flushed face.

———

Bonus:

“So are you two dating now?” Kise asks you. You both coincidentally met up at a hallway intersection the next week.

“Well, I think that’s a bit too fast,” you inwardly laugh. “You know how he is more than anyone.” Kise gives a light chuckle of his own before he asks you the question that’s been on his mind for a while.

“Hey (y/n)-senpai, how did you know Kasamatsu-senpai liked you?”

“Eh?”

“It was pretty clear from that time last week that you knew how he felt.”

“Ah… well, remember when he was… trying… to tidy up my hair? When you all spied on us?” you say, continuing when Kise gives a slightly sheepish nod. “It felt… different from how we normally talked. I’m sure he felt it harder than I did. I’ve always been nervous talking to him, but… seeing him so flustered and shy like that made me connect the dots, and then, I became more at ease and knew to be patient, realizing that he does hold a degree of feelings for me. I just didn’t know when was the right time for us to take it a step further.”

“I see. Yeah, that makes sense.”

“I must say, please send my thanks for the rest of the team. I think without you guys, this wouldn’t have happened as smoothly… or quickly.” At your words, Kise only sweatdrops as he remembers Moriyama’s antics, Hayakawa’s over-enthusiasm, and Kobori’s good-natured naivete.

“I’ll… send your regards to them.”

“... Why do you look so hesitant?”

———

End note: the cherry blossom falling season only occurs in the first to second week of April, which would conflict with the timeline of this scenario IRL. The Japanese new school year also coincides with this week, and as 3rd-years, Kasamatsu, Moriyama, Kobori, and the reader would be college freshmen instead. If I wrote it in terms of “last year” with the 3rd-years as 2nd-years, then Kise would still be in Teiko. So for convenience sake… ignore the “realism” in the setting for this :^)

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fridayfirefly · 4 years

Text

Retirement

Read Retirement on AO3

Masterlist

For Maribat March Day 21 - Domestic Bliss

The first time Marinette and Garfield ever discussed retirement was before they even started dating. For superheroes, retirement was just a fact of life. One day, if you make it long enough, you'll put down the suit and you'll never pick it up again. Maybe someone will take your place. Hopefully, no one will need to. But no matter how strong you are, not even if you're Superman in his prime, the simple fact was that someday you would retire.

"What do you think you'll do after you retire?" Marinette mused to Garfield. Out of all the Titans, Marinette spent the most time around Gar, simply because the two of them spent a lot of time in the living room. Marinette liked the ambient noise that his video games provided when she worked on her projects, and Gar liked to have someone to talk to while he played. Most of Marinette's current focus was on the embroidery in her hands, as she stitched vines running down the sleeves of her shirt, but she still took the time to start a conversation with Gar.

"I dunno..." Gar glanced up from the game he was playing. "What'll you do once you give up being Ladybug."

"That's a tough question. I used to think that I wanted to run a big fashion company, like Agreste Fashion, but now I think I want something a little more low-key. In my ideal future, I own a little boutique where I make custom clothing. There would be a fabric store and a café on the same block as me, and I would never have to leave the neighborhood."

"That sounds nice. I think I might try going to college and see where that takes me. I applied to Jump City University right before Christmas, and they accepted me. If I went, I would start classes in the fall.”

Marinette’s head jerked up as she gave Gar her full, undivided attention. “I’m going to JCU next fall!” she exclaimed excitedly. “We might have classes together. What are you planning on majoring in?”

Gar shrugged, “JCU has a veterinary program that I'm interested in. I'd be taking animal behavior, biology, chemistry, and a whole bunch of other science classes.”

“That’s so cool!”

“It’s nothing much. I didn’t expect them to accept me, anyway.”

Gar seemed oddly subdued about the idea of going to college. He was a naturally enthusiastic person, which made it very out of character for him to be so dismissive. It worried Marinette. “No, you deserve praise for your accomplishment. Jump City University is a very selective school.”

“I’m not a genius. I’m just me.”

“You’re smart, Gar, I know you are. Getting accepted to JCU is just one of the many reasons why you are brilliant.”

“Are you gonna name them all for me?” joked Gar.

His question was rhetorical, just a joke, but Marinette wasn't finished convincing Gar that he deserved all the praise in the world. “For starters, you can finish any video game in less than a day. Even the ones where you need logic and strategy, you fly right through them. Secondly, you’re a genius when it comes to animals. And it’s not just because of your superpower. You taught yourself animal behavior so that you could blend in with the animals you’re imitating. Thirdly, you pretend not to be invested in politics, but I’ve seen how you keep yourself informed about environmental policies and activism. You really care about the planet. Fourthly-“

"Alright, Buginette,” laughed Gar, a slight blush on his cheeks. “You’ve proven your point.”

Marinette set her embroidery down on the coffee table and moved to Gar's couch. "Is this game multiplayer?"

"Yep. Do you want to play a few rounds?"

"Hmm... I think I could spare a few minutes to kick your butt."

"Please. I'm going to squash you like the little bug you are."

"You wish!"

----------

The next time Marinette and Gar discussed retirement was well after they started dating. They got together in their Junior year at JCU after spending two years in relationship limbo, with both too nervous to make the first move. They finally confessed their feelings for each other after Dick and Starfire locked them in a closet together until they admitted that they liked each other. They graduated college as a couple, with Gar planning on attending veterinary school and Marinette planning on starting up her fashion business. That summer they spent a lot of time talking about the future.

"I've been thinking of recruiting someone to take over as Ladybug," remarked Marinette as she cuddled up next to Gar on the couch.

"Really? Who do you have your eye on?" asked Gar.

"Wonder Woman recently took on a new protege, Cassie Sandsmark. The Ladybug Miraculous already has some connections to Wonder Woman and her home of Themyscira. Her mother, Queen Hippolyta, was a wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous for quite some time."

"If you gave up the Miraculous would you still fight crime?"

Marinette shook her head. "I think it might be time to give up crimefighting. It's been ten years since I took up the Ladybug Miraculous to fight Hawkmoth, and six years since Hawkmoth was defeated. I wasn't ready to give up that responsibility then, but I think I'm ready now."

"When would you give up the Miraculous?"

"Soon. I talked to Wonder Woman about it last week and she's enthusiastic about the idea. I would need to spend some time getting to know Cassie, just to make sure she's a good fit, and Tikki would need to vet her as well, but I have a good feeling that she'll pass any tests of character we put her through." Marinette turned to face Gar. "I didn't want to make any concrete decisions before I talked to you. I know that we've always fought crime together, but I'm ready to move on with my life. I'm ready to retire."

Gar nodded. "I understand and I fully support your decision. I've been considering leaving the Titans as well. I know I could continue living in the Tower and attend veterinary school at JCU, but last week I got an acceptance letter from UC Davis for their School of Veterinary Medicine."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Gar, that's amazing! I remember looking into UC Davis when you were applying, and their program is nationally ranked."

Gar grinned. "The best in the country. It's too good to pass up."

"You have to go!" exclaimed Marinette. "This is your dream!"

"I think I'll send in my acceptance tomorrow," decided Gar. "Maybe we can go to Davis this weekend and scout out an apartment."

"And fabric stores," chimed in Marinette.

Gar laughed. "Anything for you, Buginette."

----------

The final time Marinette and Gar discussed retirement was years later. Marinette and Gar had gotten married and had moved back to Jump City. Marinette opened her fashion boutique, which had very quickly exploded in popularity. Gar started working for a non-profit veterinary clinic, which provided free veterinary services to lower-income neighborhoods. They had both achieved their dreams, and yet neither seemed content with their lives.

"Maybe we just need a change of scenery," suggested Marinette, leaning her head against Gar as they both sat on the beach watching the sunset. "I'm so tired of the city."

"Maybe," said Gar. "It would be nice to have a house with a backyard, rather than just an apartment."

Marinette sighed. "I know that I always said that I wanted to be the owner of a successful boutique, but this wasn't really what I had in mind. I'm so busy that I feel like I never get to spend any time with you anymore. Every day my inbox is filled with emails asking me to sell my company or expand to more locations. I'm tired of it. My passion is for making clothes, not running a business."

"I know how you feel. Every day I encounter another neglectful pet owner who brings their animal to the clinic for help but refuses to listen to me when I tell them that they need to change the way they treat their animal. It's exhausting."

"We could both just quit our jobs and move into the woods," joked Marinette.

Gar nodded, but he wasn't joking. "I've actually been thinking about that. There are a lot of remote regions with a real need for veterinary practices to provide medical assistance for the farm animals out there. I would feel a lot more useful taking care of animals that don't have anyone else."

Marinette turned to face Gar. "I wouldn't mind moving. I've been sending all of the offers to buy my boutique straight to my email archive, but I'm sure if I looked through them all I could find someone who would be able to take care of the business aspect of Ladybug Designs. I could retire from the business and design on my own time, when the inspiration strikes, instead of forcing myself to churn out design after design."

"You really wouldn't mind?" asked Gar, a hopeful look on his face.

Marinette shook her head. "I was serious about moving out of the city. There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but I've been waiting for the right moment. I think that moment is now. Gar, I'm pregnant."

The deer-in-the-headlights look on Gar's face was comical, to say the least. Marinette giggled, "Well?"

Gar snapped back to reality, transforming into an elephant, trumpeting his joy. He turned back into himself and wrapped his arms around Marinette. "I'm so happy! This is the best news I could have ever heard, Buginette. Now we have to move. I want our kid to have a backyard and a dog and a big driveway where I can teach them how to ride a bike and a pond where they can swim in the summer-"

Marinette cut Gar off with a kiss. "One thing at a time," she giggled.

"I think this will be the best decision we have ever made," declared Gar.

Marinette agreed. "I think that partial retirement will be good for us."

----------

This was bliss. The feeling of grass under Marinette’s bare feet as she walked back to the house from the lake, hand in hand with Gar. The sound of their daughter's laughter as she danced around them, catching fireflies. The taste of homemade apple pie and vanilla ice cream, eaten rebelliously early as Gar proclaimed, "Dessert before dinner!" The sight of the stars up above them, no light pollution to mask the beauty of the heavens. The sound of Gar's voice, whispering, "I love you, Buginette," into Marinette's ear. And as Marinette settled into her husband's arms, she knew for certain that retirement was the best decision she had ever made.

@maribatmarch-2k21

#maribat #garfield logan #marinette dupain-cheng #garmari #MaribatMarch2021 #miraculous ladybug fic #my work

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ktheist · 4 years

Note

for the drabble game: college!taehyung + sentence starters + no. 8 under misc

8. “But I’ve never told you that before.”

muses. fratboy!taehyung / college!taehyung

kim taehyung and you have an odd relationship.

you’re not even friends, really. just two friends of a friend who makes an accquaintance and happened to find themselves in a secluded class some time after 5, once most of the classes are vacant. the lecturers have their own rooms and the classes are manned by persons from the admin and they hardly ever come around until 8pm when it’s time to lock the doors.

you find out taehyung’s obsession for art and he finds out your obsession for interior design. at least yours isn’t too far off from what mechanical engineering entails.

at some point, you can even say your interests are like two streams running side by side until it mingles at one point in time.

then, you find out that he’s part of one of the most notorious fraternities for their wild parties that lasts for three days straight at the end of every semester. and oh, here’s the good part, only the popular ones get invited.

“figures why you haven’t heard of me,” you tease.

“what? no! i-i’ve heard of you, i just didn’t have the pleasure of meeting you,” his wide-eyed gaze hints at a sort of innocence his brothers lack.

you wonder how he got sucked into the frat house shenanigans.

“chill, i was kidding, i’ve been laying low anyway,” you wave a hand.

“wh-what? why?” he asks and you’re not particularly restricted to telling him the reason.

“first year, jimin and i would’ve celebrated our 4th year anniversary - if you can’t tell, we were high school sweethearts,” you laugh, chest still prickled with the kind of pain only time can heal, “but yeeun came along, he fell for her and since she’s more popular, everyone just started believing that i was the one who got in between her and jimin.”

the rage in taehyung’s eyes spread like wildfire, burning and tearing down everything in its path until you place a hand on his shoulder and he looks at you as if you’re a goddess sent to placate hades’ wrath.

“it’s chill, at least i’m one heartbreak away from finding the right one,” you say.

but taehyung finds you with puffy cheeks and pink eyes as you walk out of the bathroom. it’s no surprise and yet it is. kim yeeun spilled coffee all over your hair and shirt and the slap you give her still reverberates against the walls of the lecture hall.

your friends who came out a second later connects the two dots and nudges you towards taehyung before scurrying away, but not with a threat of ‘you better not make her cry more, kim taehyung’.

why they left you with a boy you barely know is beyond you - but perhaps it’s got to do with the fact that delta psi is in tight rivalry of beta nu, the frat jimin’s been loyal to after he broke your heart and gave his to the girl that’s been microaggressively picking on you since day one.

“i heard the red mark on kim yeeun’s face is still there,” he casually says three days after he’s been running up to you every time he sees you somewhere in the large building made for sleepless engineering students.

“it better, i almost twisted my wrist because of it,” you roll your eyes but taehyung must have known that the hostility is awkward, forced.

then, so it goes, the many instances where kim taehyung and you would be spotted laughing or walking together as if he’s the boy who mended the broken girl’s heart.

unbeknownst to them that you’re the one gradually breaking taehyung’s heart with your ‘you know what, i’ve never had a guy friend’ and ‘chill, you’re scaring my potential boyfriends!’ at parties he starts bringing you to.

“i can’t wait to see johnny again,” you confess, smile curling on your lips as you nudge taehyung’s elbow, “aren’t you curious who this johnny-from-hometown is? might be another subject of you death glares.”

surprisingly, kim taehyung doesn’t bat an eye at the mysterious mention of the name.

“i know, she’s your cat.”

he keeps on walking whilst you stop dead in your track. it doesn’t even take fiv seconds to notice your lack of presence on his side before he stops too, twirling around and shooting you and arched eyebrow.

“but i’ve never told you that before,” you feel your own brows coming together in a frown.

“you mumble in your sleep,” taehyung points out as if it’s the most obvious thing to do.

“oh,” you whole heartedly believe him, falling back into pace with him.

in hindsight, you should’ve probably been more careful when you talk about sleeping and being in each other’s presence whilst that activity was happening. even if it was just taehyung helping out a drunk and offering her shelter until morning comes.

“yoo jia heard it with her own ears! they’re sleeping together!” is what’s been circulating around at the start of the week while you’re stretching your arms over your head as a yawn escapes you.

“i don’t wanna be that person, but,” jennie kim loops her arm around yours when she finds you in the hallway, heading to your shared class, “are you and kim taehyung finally dating?”

“finally?” you feel the muscles on your face contort into an ugly frown, “wait, does that mean there’s been speculations we were gonna end up dating? what?”

and that’s how you find out the rumor that starts up a fire throughout your whole class. by noon, it gets almost impossible to ignore those prying eyes that sticks with you as you stand in front of taehyung, “did you know? about the rumor?”

“can’t say i didn’t,” he shrugs.

“god-” you smack his arm and he dramatically raise his shoulders in brace for impact, “-damn it, why didn’t you tell me?!”

“what good would it do if i told you? ah! cuddlebugs, you’re hurting me!” his voice is exceptionally loud.

“c-cuddlebugs? what the-” you’re rendered frozen and wide-eyed by his tricks yet something in churns with butterflies.

“i’ll see you tonight, okay?” he pinches your cheek and slips past you with a sort of smirk that you’ve never seen him wear.

everything gets weirder from there after.

you become hyper aware of what kim taehyung does or say, the way he has two smiles; a pure box-ish one and a titled smirk that’s just enough to get your heart racing when paired with a rase of his eyebrows. there’s a hint of masculinity under the scent of fruity floral juul he smokes and sticks to his shirt. and his touches tingle. they tingle like a ghost of a touch lingering on the hand that he mindlessly holds to keep you from being pushed around by the wave of dancing bodies.

he laughs when you pull your hand away and crosses your arm over it, “chill, i wasn’t trying to make a pass on you, just making sure you’re still there when i turn around.”

you’ve had records of getting lost in the crowd when it comes to parties - and when are parties not crowded?

taehyung hands you an unopened can of beer and you look at him questioningly because he always pops it open for you, “you don’t trust me to hold your hand but you want me to open your drink for you?”

there’s an underlying brazenness in his teasing tonight, as if he’s mistakenly decided to wear a cloak of a frat boy than the kim taehyung you’ve known and loved.

as a friend that is.

“whatever,” you gulp down the drink with reckless abandon, appreciating the bitterness that somehow roots you to reality despite the impending buzz that’ll drive you away from said reality.

and then you’re back to your old self, laughing and joking around in that bench outside of taehyung’s frat house, sitting a little too closely until your thighs are perched on top of his and his hand is drawing circles on the outside of your thigh.

“i don’t like that,” you confess, “the way you’re trying to act all sexy and hot,” and without any warning, you take his face in your palms, squishing his cheeks, not enough to hurt but enough to make his eyes go wide with surprise and that innocent glint in them, “now, that’s better. that’s my taehyung.”

then his hand travels up from your thigh to your cheek, caressing the heated area of your face with his knuckles, “but if i’m the cute, childish taehyung, you won’t see me as a man.”

“man schman,” you huff, hands falling into your lap, “a real man won’t feel the need to act masculine to get a girl.”

“then... if i tell you i-”

and that’s when you lean so far back, almost hitting your head against the metal edge in the process if taehyung hadn’t caught you in time. eyes screwed shut and mouth partly open, you mumble, “man... schman...”

taehyung shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips. he unzips his hoodie and wraps it around you - that’s another one he won’t get back, but he doesn’t mind as much because-

“you’re lucky i like you.”

#taehyung scenarios #taehyung x reader #taehyung x you #taehyung fanfic #bts scenarios #bts fanfic #bts x you #bts x reader #bts fic #taehyung fic #taehyung smut #bts smut #bts au #bts fluff #bts drabbles #drabble game 1 #excerpt from a fic i'll never write

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highsocietyhq · 3 years

Text

the messages respondents left for the whole group + xee’s proposition and how we’ll be implementing it !

i mean, i just love it here! before hshq i never really stuck around in an rp and never felt like i could get my characters involved, and tbh i usually joined rps expecting to ghost in like 2 weeks. 4+ years later, here i am! i’m not sure how many times this has been said but you guys are a great group of writers: u guys are creative, keep things exciting, and are just great to interact with. i mean it’s just fun to write with people who have developed characters and muses like this group. i’m not sure what else to say, other than y’all r so great.

hi!! i say this all the time on my random sappy posts that i like to make but i LOVE hshq. it's my favorite place and i adore it and even though it's not perfect i do think it's more than worth it to be a member long term here

The caliber of writing in this group is phenomenal and it goes to show just how creative and witty every member is.

i love all of my plots so much and i’m so glad to be in the group !!!! but i wish people did quality over quantity even when doing threads who don’t interact usually. it’s ok not to have 50 threads. a handful of fun exciting and unexpected threads do so much more for the group than numerous threads where nothing happens

we have an excellent group of writers and it's soooo exciting to see what you do but it'd be more amazing to have the chance to expand and part taken outside comfort zones and I want to my part in help this because sometimes we take things for granted and this place has survived this long and there's so many more stories to tell

the only frustrating part about hshq is how it’s impossible to write with every character !

I literally love you guy so much and this group means so much to me

make obi chat daddy again

i wish things could be explored more organically sometimes. it sometimes feels like people have plotted out years in advance at which point there's no reason for characters to interact with each other because you already know the outcome.

you're all beautiful writers and i'm having so much fun writing with everyone

I think you don't need to be afraid to reach out to people and also admins and try to get involved in plots. Being active and offering ideas is always a good thing to feel more included! And also picking up a new character to expend your horizon and give you a chance to interact with more people

i wish people stopped contacting me for plots and then expecting me to do the plotting😢 idm doing a plot with someone when asked but i mind being asked to come up with a plot when i barely have time to develop my current ones

Thanks for what you do!

flashbacks to my hshq defense post years ago ajksdf but i think everyone is a lovely writer and each brings something different to the group! everyone gets so in depth with their chara development and it's amazing to watch charas grow and even watch people develop as writers. we all start somewhere but we're all in this (not so) lil group together just world-building and causing chaos. what more could u ask for?? idrk what else to say atm more head empty jaksdf ily all

i love it here and all of you and i'm sorry my activity sucks sometimes bc i love writing with yall and reading what yall write and come up with and just interacting in general and teaching each other about people

as for xee’s suggestion:

idk if this would be considered mini event or what but what if there were little activities “scheduled in the program” for the royals to take part in if they choose? i’m trying to make this make sense

say at the beginning of the month, a post is made about events/classes/tours in the city they’re in for the royals and participation is optional (no major dash interruption by pausing regular threads). the timeframe would just be “available any time this month” or however long u wish.

say, for instance, we’re in tokyo: a class could be sushi making or an attraction could be a go kart tour through the city. if members want to have their chara attend, they could have an open starter stating it’s taking place at xyz, which might open up opportunities for threads between charas who might not interact normally?

less mini event more so list of potential starter topics ig??? the more i try to flesh it out, the more i’m meh which is why i deleted it at first ok bye

so we were thinking that we’d have BIMONTHLY activities, posted every other monday as long as you guys send us suggestions. we thought it was a fun and easy way to inspire organic threads but we thought it was a bit too much work for us to do research for your threads when everyone who cares can do it themselves too skgdjgkdsn. so starting TOMORROW, we’ll start posting those lists of activities. pls send us ideas !

#hshqadmin

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musepirations · 4 years

Photo

hi there, sweethearts !! because i’ve gotten some questions in the past about ‘ how to start with roleplay on tumblr ‘, i decided to make a couple of guides to help you on your way ( i will post one concerning roleplaying in groups later ). in this guide, i will share all you need to know when you want to start doing INDEPENDENT ( INDIE ) ROLEPLAY on tumblr !! i hope this guide will help you -- if so, feel free to give this a LIKE or REBLOG !! the best of luck and have fun !! xoxo

STEP ONE : your account

i personally believe that having a finished and easy-to-navigate blog is the essential starting point in independent/indie roleplay. you want to hit the tags and find partners with a blog that says something about who you are, what you will accept and not accept, who your muses are, which plots you would like to play out etc...

the first step in achieving this is finding the right THEME. having a theme that is easy to navigate is very important -- this way, you can make your life easier because your theme is well-organised, but your potential partners will also find it easier to get an idea of who your muses are and what you wish to roleplay ( i am convinced this can be a make or break for people when deciding who they would like to write with ). below, i will share a bunch of links to help your search for the right theme and pages:

THEMES: you can find a collection of potential indie themes right HERE. some of these themes have muse tabs already build in, others don’t.

CHARACTER PAGES: does the theme you fancy not have a build in muse tab ?? don’t worry !! there are a lot of amazing muse/character page codes out there. find some amazing ones HERE or HERE.

ABOUT PAGES: it might also be nice to make a separate, more detailed page for each of your muses, for which some amazing page codes can be found HERE and HERE.

i would also recommend adding a PAGE ABOUT YOURSELF. who are you, how old are you, what timezone do you reside in, what pronouns do you go by -- but also, what are your roleplay likes and dislikes, what are your trigger warnings, what makes you uncomfortable and would you rather not see roleplayed out on your account ?? anything you want your potential partner to know and keep in mind. also add a RULES PAGE on which you state what you will and will not roleplay, who you will and will not roleplay with ( f.ex. muns under a certain age, or certain faceclaims you don’t wish to roleplay against etc... ), what you will and will not accept from partners and during plotting etc...

once these pages are all set up and organised, the most time-consuming task will be done already !!

STEP TWO : your tagging system

this might seem trivial -- but trust me, you will be grateful for having an organised tagging system once you start adding muses and partners.

do your tags have to be fancy ?? no, not at all. they just have to be practical and organised. if you have several muses, it might be a good idea to create tags for each of them ( f.ex. MUSE NAME || threads. ; MUSE NAME || portrait. ; MUSE NAME || wanted plots. ; MUSE NAME || wanted opposites. ; etc... , and this for each of your muses ). in this way, you can organise all your threads per role. all your muses’ pictures per role. all your muses’ wanted plots or opposites per role, etc... it might also be a good idea to tag ships, once you have developed those, or pairings in general ( f.ex. YOUR MUSE NAME & YOUR PARTNER’S MUSE NAME || threads. ). there is no such thing as too many tags -- as long as everything is tagged and organised, it will make your life and the life of your roleplay partners way easier !!

now, for those who don’t have the patience and interest to do fancy tags ( which i 100% understand -- you don’t need them, either ), you can already get a clean and organised and still nice-looking tagging system simply by playing around with brackets and lines. to help you out, i will list some potential ideas for you to use or take inspiration from:

YOUR MUSE NAME || tag .

YOUR MUSE NAME ( tag ) .

YOUR MUSE NAME { tag } .

YOUR MUSE NAME — tag .

YOUR MUSE NAME ;; tag .

as you can see, you can easily get a nice tagging system just by using what you have on your keyboard. but, for those who like it a bit more fancy, you can use THIS and THIS website to find symbols and fancy fonts to play around with. there also is THIS very useful post with some templates for you to use, which you should definitely check out ( credit to @yellowhelper ).

before you start, it might be a good idea to do a little tag drop per muse ( i.e. make a post for each of your muses, in which you tag every single tag you have created for said muse, just so these tags are already on your blog ).

STEP THREE : hitting the tags

now you have your blog completely finished, your muses uploaded and your tags arranged -- it is time to hit the tags and tell the indie roleplay world you are out there. the process of finding partners might seem daunting -- but keep in mind that a lot of members of the indie roleplay community are probably just as excited about finding new partners as you are. so don’t be afraid to approach muns !!

what i personally find a good way to find partners, is to just start looking through the ‘ indie rp ‘ or ‘ independent rp ‘ tag and take a look at the blogs in there. click on their accounts, look at their muses, look at what they are searching for ( perhaps one of your muses might fit one of their wanted opposites or plots ). and if you’ve found a blog that has piqued your interest, don’t be scared to shoot them a message. ask whether they are looking for partners and whether they are interested in plotting. tell them what you got to offer or which of their muses or wanted plots you are personally interested in. you have absolutely nothing to lose when messaging these people -- if they decline your offer, then you can continue your search ( perhaps look at the blogs they roleplay with, go through their network to see whether some of their partners might want to roleplay with you too ). but there’s an equally big chance they will gladly hear you out and start plotting with you. just never give up -- it might seem to go slow in the beginning, but once you’ve got a couple of threads going, you will see people will begin to show interest and you will be introduced into networks of roleplayers and consequently, start your own network as well.

you can also go through the ‘ indie starter ‘, ‘ indie start call ‘, ‘ open indie starter ‘, etc... tags to see whether there are any open starters you could reply to, or any starter calls you could give a like. these starter calls are ways for roleplayers to find new partners as well -- if you want to, you can post one of these starter calls yourself. say that you are new and would love to find some roleplay partners. or you can start off by posting some open starters yourself.

i personally am always willing to help out indie roleplayers in their search for roleplay partners -- feel free to shoot me a message asking for a shoutout, that you are looking for new partners, and i will gladly post it and hopefully, you will get some people’s attention. i am sure there are plenty other roleplay helpers who would be willing to give you a little boost if you approach them in a polite and kind manner !!

STEP FOUR : tracking your threads

once you have found some partners and got some threads going, it might be a good idea to use a TREAD TRACKER just to make sure you can keep an overview of all the threads you have with your partners. on these websites, you can add threads and then they will automatically keep track of all replies to them -- in other words, you can check this tracker to see who has done the last reply, whether you have missed any replies, etc... this isn’t a necessity -- it’s just a useful bonus.

STEP FIVE : useful links

i think i have mentioned the most essential things in the four steps above !! but i wanted to add this little section to help you navigate some additional information/things that can help you out when looking for ideas for your muses, for plots, for faceclaims, etc... so below, you can find a bunch of my own links which i hope will help you out and make this entire experience a bit easier for you !!

writing help

character help

url help

tag help

label help ( labels page )

roleplay help

faceclaims : female // male // non-binary // transgender // plus size // people of colour

names : female // male

plot inspiration

starter sentences

ask memes

if you ever have any questions or you need any help, don’t hesitate to shoot me a message !! xoxo

#rph #indie rp #independent rp #guide #how to indie rp #my guide

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frenchmarshmalloww · 4 years

Text

For those who were sad over my last post, here is a bit more angst but it gets better, promise :)

The timeline is kind of hazy, a sort of post S2 in terms of timing of the relationship but without the actual events of S2. OK it doesn't make any sense, just read lol.

The rules of tricking

I stand there, lost in thoughts, admiring the man laying on the couch in front of me. His body still makes my heart beat faster, a work of art if I ever saw one. Oh, how I wish I could be immune to it by now. Life certainly would be easier for me if I had been able to just get it out of my system. To just fuck him out my head, of my heart.

“Justin”

He startles me out of my musings, eyes on me from his position on the couch, hands in the hair of the trick blowing him. Not wanting to be left out any longer, I come closer, bend over the armrest of the couch and run my hands over his chest, play with his nipples. Brian sighs contently, music to my ears. I look at the other man straddling his thighs. He’s pretty hot, perfectly fitting the rules I secretly follow when choosing them. Hot enough that Brian would want to fuck them, not hot enough that I would not want him to fuck them. It’s a tight rope but I manage.

I remember clear as day, the night we came up with this new deal.

For the umpteenth time, we were coming home from Babylon fighting. I had caught Brian in the backroom fucking some twink, or was I the one being fucked? It doesn’t really matter I guess. Once in the loft, neither of us wanted to back down until, and boy was I stunned when it happened, Brian took the first step.

“Look Justin, this is getting really old. We have to find a way to just handle this better. How about some rules?”

“Rules? Like what?”

“Like, I don’t know… No tricking in front of each other for starters, no tricks in our bed, and we have to be home by 2AM every night.”

Seemed to me like he knew very well what he meant by rules. Apparently, he’d been thinking about it for a while. Still reeling from our fight though, I didn’t want to be amicable. So, like a five-year-old I stumped my theoretical foot and said “How about no tricking at all?”. It was worth a shot, right?

The look he gave me told me all I needed to know, so I switched gears rapidly. If he wanted a negotiation, then I had to come up with a proposition of my own.

“How about the total opposite?”

“What, like more tricking? Justin, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“No, I meant opposite to your proposition. Here’s my counter offer. We trick together, I pick them, we get them here and then we share them. No one on one, no repeat.”

I should have taken a picture of his face at that moment. The perfect mix of surprise, awe and lust. Yes, I had him.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“OK.”

That was 4 months ago, and since then, we’ve shared guys about once a week. I guess I thought Brian would get tired of it at some point, that he would break the rules and I’d have to go back to watching him fucking anything that moves, but he seemed to enjoy it and we’ve never talked about it again.

Back in the moment, I glance at the pretty brunette blowing my … Brian. He’s very enthusiastic, too much if I say so and I need to reassert my control over the situation.

“Don’t you dare make him come” I snap.

Brian scoffs below me and says “Not a chance, babe”. Cocky bastard. I would have believed him too if it wasn’t for the way his voice broke on that last word, betraying how turned on he already was. Stupid trick.

I bend lower to catch his mouth with mine. The angle is all weird, being upside down, but somehow it makes the kiss better, filthier, sexier. I deepen it, pressing more of my weight onto him, until I feel his hand pushing urgently at my shoulder. I break the kiss and look at him questioningly. That’s the moment I realize he’s having trouble catching his breath. I must have been crushing his airways and he has to take big gulps of air now. I’m about to apologize when I notice how dark his eyes have gotten, how harder his dick is in the other’s mouth.

Smirking, I say to him “You liked it”. He plays dumb, of course. “What?”

“Don’t lie to me Brian” He never has, I don’t want him to start now.

“OK, yeah” then in a breath “Please”.

“Please, what?” I know I’m enjoying this way too much, but damn, it’s not often that I get that kind of dominance over Brian fucking Kinney.

“Please do it again” he reluctantly asks. Not ever having been able to deny him, I comply and for the next minutes, it feels like it’s just the two of us again.

Later, after we relocated ourselves on the bed, I find myself watching Brian prepping the other guy to get fucked. He’s got two fingers inside of him, and the pretty boy is already writhing under him. He’s still clear headed enough to stroke my cock so there’s still that. Once he’s ready, Brian pulls him up on his hands and knees, puts on a condom and enters him in one swift motion. The trick moans loudly and although I hate it, the sound makes me harder. Having Brian Kinney fuck you is a religious experience, it’s hard to focus on anything else. I’m this close to patting him on the cheek and say I understand how he feels. I let Brian get into a rhythm before I slide myself under them and shove the trick’s dick in my mouth. I’m not giving my best, it’s been a while since I did, but apparently Brian is putting in enough efforts for the both of us because the pretty boy is losing his mind, crying out loudly.

Few instants later, I feel Brian’s eyes on me. I know what he wants, same as always. He wants me to look at him when he comes. As if that would make what we’re doing more normal. I usually comply. Anything to pretend that it’s just the two of us. But tonight, I can’t. If he looks into my eyes, he’ll see. He’ll see all the things I’m not saying, all the things I don’t want him to know. That I cannot stand it anymore. That all I feel at this moment is disgust and sadness. So, I close my eyes to avoid his and I suck harder. I want this to be over already. I don’t have to wait long. A few deep thrusts in his ass and the trick is coming down my throat, taking Brian with him few seconds later. I swallow it all, out of habit at this point, and as soon as I feel his cock start to soften in my mouth I get up and leave. They are both catching their breath as I make my way to the bathroom. Glancing down I realize I am not even hard anymore.

I take a quick shower, trying to make it last long enough for the intruder to be gone when I get out of the bathroom. I perfected my timing so well over time that as I step out of the shower, I hear the door open and close. I dry up quickly, tying a towel around my waist and I get out of the bathroom. Halfway to the bed I walk around Brian, standing there only wearing his jeans, top button undone. I don’t stop, eager to put this all night behind me. He won’t let me though. He catches my wrist and pulls me into him.

“Hey, don’t.” The softness of his voice just about breaks me. I have to push through though, if I want to keep him, I need to play by the rules, he’s made that much clear.

“Don’t what?” I try. I know I am not fooling him, but I’ve been trapped in this role so long I don’t even know how to be anything else now.

He sighs deeply then lets me go and looks at me. I am not sure I know how to read his eyes. Is that pity? Suddenly panic is rising inside me. I went too far, I let him see and now he’s going to get rid of me. It happened before, when I started caring too much. It’s always the same with us. He tells me not to expect anything and I don’t for a while, and then I start to want more, and he pulls away, saying he won’t give me what I want, what I need. I leave, certain I will be better off without him, yet every time I come back, surer than ever that what he has to give is enough if it means I get to be with him. And again, and again. Except this time, he seems to be the one wanting me gone and the thought of not being able to come back to him makes my eyes burn.

“You’re unhappy.” He states. And I know where this is going, so I lie through my teeth. “No, I’m not. Look I’m sorry I wasn’t really into it tonight; this guy wasn’t really doing it for me I guess. I need better standards.” I try to joke, but it falls flat.

“Justin, we have to stop this.”

No, no, no, no, please don’t.

“Don’t worry Bri, next time will be extra hot, I swear. Might go for a blond next time. You’d like that right?” I try flirting. I never go for blonds. The only blond that gets to be fucked by Brian should be me.

“Justin, stop! There won’t be a next time.”

That’s when my heart breaks. I feel it in my chest, it’s being torn apart and shred to pieces. Then suddenly, as if something jumped started my system, I have to move, to run. I cannot be here anymore. I cannot look at him, still in the fucking afterglow of coming in this guy’s ass and see anything else than the pain of losing him, for good I suspect this time. I walk to the couch and start putting my clothes back on. When I’m dressed I grab a bag and go to the closet, I take whatever I come across, some might not even be mine, but all I think about is how I need to get out of here and fast.

A few minutes later, I’m making my way to the door when Brian stops me with a strong grip.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting out of here before you kick me out.”

He looks at me puzzled. Then something clicks in his mind and he smiles. The bastard is smiling at me when all I want is to be alone, so I can break down in peace.

“Justin, I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was we need to stop with the tricks.”

“OK… “ I am really confused at this point and it’s messing with my dramatic exit so I just stand there waiting for him to elaborate.

“Shit, I’m so bad at this. Let me try again.” He’s visibly struggling with whatever he’s trying to say, and despite the overall pain I feel deep inside my bones, it’s my turn to smile. I mean, how often do you get to see Brian Kinney struggling to express himself?

“Justin, I want new rules.” He finally says with a resolve that scares me a little. OK, fair enough.

“Yeah sure, do you want to go back to fucking them on your own?” Please anything as long as I can stay.

“No.” Fuck.

“OK then…” I keep trying to delay what I feel is inevitable. He cuts me off right there.

“Would you please just shut up and let me say this?!”

“Yeah, ok, sorry.” Go ahead, break my heart, I’m all ears.

He takes a deep breath, like he’s preparing himself for the worst and then looks at me and says:

“I want the new rule to be that we only fuck each other. No tricks, no backroom, no cruising, no nothing. You and me in our bed, or well anywhere really, from now on.”

I’m having a stroke. It has to be it, right? I can’t feel my legs, my heart is racing, there’s a white noise in my ears. I want to say something but my brain’s not working, my mouth either. I’m just gapping at him like a fish out of his water bowl. A minute has passed, maybe twenty for all I know, and I manage to find my voice again.

“Do you mean that?” I hate how small I sound, but I have to make sure. I can’t let myself hope.

“Yes, I do.”

“But you need it.” I feel stupid for fighting him on this, but that’s what he’s been saying for the last two years. Monogamy is shit. I don’t believe in love, I believe in fucking. Those are his words. What kind of game is he playing now?

“I need you more.”

I realize I’m crying now. 4 words. Not the 3 I desperately want to hear but this is certainly close enough. He needs me. More than he needs to fuck random guys in a backroom. More than he needs to be the king of Babylon, of Liberty Avenue.

I jump into his arms, sobbing in his neck, peppering him with kisses. I’m so happy I could sing, dance, whatever. He wraps his arms around me instantly, holding me tight. I feel his smile against my hair and it makes me cry harder.

“Hey come on, don’t cry. You know I don’t know what to do with crying people.”

I ignore his attempt at lightening the mood and kiss him deeply, letting myself feel it all. After a few minutes, we break apart, both breathless and hard.

Brian, pulls away slightly and looks at me like he can see into my soul.

“Justin, you know I …” He trails off.

His eyes are pleading with me not to push it, not to force the words out of him. I see the fear, but also his desire to make me believe, that in his own fucked-up way, Brian Kinney does love me.

“Yeah, I know. Me too.”

Relief floods his features, he must have been really torn up over this. I’m an asshole for enjoying it but I feel like I deserve it somehow.

“So now that it’s settled, could you stop being such a drama queen and put that stuff back?” He points at the bag on the floor.

This time, I let him joke the seriousness away and throw the bag in the vague direction of the closet.

“I’ll put it back later. First, I need you inside me, seems I’m the only one who did not get off tonight.”

I take his hand and lead him to our bed. From behind me, I hear him murmur, not sure I’m even supposed to.

“Whatever you need Sunshine, whatever you need”. And for once, I know he means it the way I want him to.

#qaf #qaf us #brian kinney #justin taylor #britin

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lailannajacobs · 4 years

Text

Heart to a Gunfight - Chapter Nine

Pairing: Bucky x fem!Reader

Summary: You didn’t want to help Bucky Barnes make it through the party by pretending to be his fake girlfriend, after all, you had just met him. You also didn’t plan on the charade lasting as long as it did.

Warnings: Mostly fluff!

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: Hope everyone is safe and well during this quarantine! My inbox is always open if you need to chat, vent, let out some steam or simply talk to a friendly face! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Hoping not to get too busy with all the zoom schooling/finals and to get you the next chapter by the end of next week!

Heart to a Gunfight | Nine

The car you were working on was a real pain in the ass. You couldn’t stand to look at it’s rusted navy paint job any longer, not after the hell of a day you’d had. The part you had ordered for one of your regular customers had come in hours later than expected and the owner of that 80s Mercedes hadn’t been accepting of any of your explanations. It didn’t matter that you had always provided stellar service or that pieces for his car were hard to come by, he had chewed you out for making him late for his meeting. And now what should have been a simple procedure on a run of the mill Civic was taking you twice as long as it should have. Your boss was going to kill you if you didn’t get through the day’s appointments but judging by the way the shitty day had started, you weren’t going to last the hour.

Your fingers slipped for the millionth time and you swore, wondering why the damn cap wouldn’t unscrew. If you could just get this damn Civic out of your sight, you could move onto the quick and easy tire change you had next. At least that shouldn’t give you any problems.

Wiping the sweat from your brow, you wished you hadn’t forgotten your water bottle on the kitchen counter this morning. How the hell you were going to get through the rest of the summer if it was already this hot in May was beyond you.

“Excuse me. I’m looking for the best mechanic in Brooklyn,” A deep voice drawled, “I heard her skills were worth the sass I’d have to put up with. You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find her, would you?”

You poked your head out from under the hood and found yourself smiling unwittingly. Bucky was dressed in olive from head to toe except for the shinned black combat boots, a loose tee tucked into a pair of cargo pants. If you had to guess, you’d say he had come in from work.

It had been two weeks since the engagement party and two weeks since you had last seen Bucky. Mercifully, Peggy and Steve had been so busy that they hadn’t tried to convince you to spend some time with them and Bucky. He had crossed your mind far more often over the past fourteen days than you would ever admit to him, even if half the time the thoughts were accompanied by anxiety. And the other half…well to your frustration, he was even more handsome than you remembered. You had no idea what you were supposed to say to him or how you were supposed to act. The two of you obviously weren’t a couple, but you had agreed that you’d need to know each other at least a little better if you wanted to get through the wedding in one piece. So, what did you do now? How were you supposed to act?

A small part of you almost wished you’d never see him again even if seeing him again had been all you could think about. But it didn’t matter what you wanted. Seeing him again had been a matter of when and not if.

“How did you know where I worked?” You blurted when you realized you had been staring for too long, “I mean, what are you doing here?”

You winced. As far as conversation starters went, you were doing a truly terrible job.

If he was fazed at all, he didn’t show it as he shrugged, “Steve told me. And I’m here for an oil change.”

“That’s all?” You asked, scanning him carefully to see if there wasn’t any other reason he was hiding.

He smirked, “Well, it is a new car, and I take care while driving it. Unlike yours, it doesn’t break down every three miles.”

“Leave my car alone, Solider,” You waved your rag at him.

He twirled his keys around his finger, his smile growing, “You know I can’t do that.”

You put a hand on your hip, “Who says I even have time for you?”

He looked like he was about to answer but paused and studied for you for a moment. That piercing blue gaze didn’t lose any of its intensity when he spoke up, “Judging by that look on your face, I’d say you don’t. Rough day?”

“That obvious, huh?” You leaned against the car for support, as if his words mad you realize just how tired you really were.

He nodded, not saying anything else. You had a feeling he was seconds away from leaving and before you realized what you were doing you were saying, “Come back tomorrow afternoon and I can fit you in. It won’t take long.”

He seemed to lose some of the tension in his shoulders and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, “Great.”

You wiped your hands on your rag, waiting for him to say something else, because you couldn’t think of anything else to say yourself. It was hard to tell if you were imagining the awkward silence or if he felt it too, but either way, you were beginning to think it was a good thing you had nothing to say. The faster this conversation died, the fast you could get back to the work that was far less confusing than whatever this thing was with Bucky.

“All right then,” He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets, “Thanks for squeezing me in. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You felt your head bob up and down a few too many times and willed your body to stop, “Yup.”

Watching him leave, you once again felt the overwhelming urge to say something - anything - else, but you kept your mouth shut. You kept your eyes on him until he reached the door and then got back to your stupid Civic, trying your hardest to unscrew the stupid cap.

“Hey Speedy?”

You popped your head back out from under the hood, almost knocking your head as you moved a little too eagerly, “Yeah?”

He ran his hand through his hair, musing his already messy look, “Want to go grab a drink once you finish up here?”

You thought about his offer, picking at the grease under your nails. It wasn’t like you had any other plans than a nice, long bath and a good book, but you weren’t sure about spending time with Bucky and no one else.

“That is, if you don’t already have other plans,” He quickly added.

You felt yourself smile and shook your head, “No, I’m free. Drinks would be good.”

“Good,” He sighed, nodding a little, “Text me when you’re done and we can meet up later.”

He was already turning away when you said his name.

“Bucky?”

“Yeah?”

“I never got your number.”

“Oh, yeah,” He chuckled, running his hands through his hair again.

Knowing you’d only get grease all over his phone, you recited your number from afar and told him you’d text him when you were done. When his car pulled out of the parking lot, you let out a breath that seemed to release all the tension from your body. He hadn’t even gotten closer than fifteen feet and yet your body felt like it had been shocked by a thousand volt current. And you’d be seeing him tonight. Just the two of you. For the first time. Ever. What the hell was that going to be like?

You tried to shake the thoughts from your head, knowing you had more important things to worry about to today. The first of which being this damned cap. You tightened your fingers around the plastic, and somehow, as if it hadn’t been giving you hell for the past five minutes, it twisted off like butter.

Maybe you hadn’t needed to put an extra fifteen minutes into choosing your outfit, but you had most definitely needed a shower to wash all the grease stains off your hands and forehead. And seeing as you were already putting a little effort into your looks, you might as well go the full nine yards and choose something nice to wear. It wasn’t that you were dressing up for Barnes, rather you were dressing up because it was nice to actually wear something other than the navy jumpsuit you spent five out of seven days in. There was nothing special about tonight. Tonight was just two friends hanging out. Nothing more.

“I swear I’m not usually this late,” Bucky puffed, meeting you outside the bar moments before you were about to leave under the assumption that he had stood you up, “Sorry about that. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“Not that bad,” You shrugged, trying to refrain from wrapping your arms around yourself.

He led you toward the entrance, “Still, let me make it up to you. Drinks are on me.”

“That’s not a bad start, Soldier,” You opened the door and motioned for him to go in first, watching him blink in surprise before walking through the door, “And just so we’re clear, when you say you’re not usually this late, you’re telling me that you’re never on time, right? Seems out of character for an army man.”

He smirked, “I’m only late from time to time. I try not to make it a habit.”

“Good to know that next time I can spend an extra ten minutes getting ready,” You laughed.

“You can take it, but I know for a fact that you don’t need it.”

You paused, uncertain. You knew he meant it as a friendly compliment, but all the behaviour from the wedding muddled everything in your mind. How exactly were supposed to act now? You forced a smile hoping he wouldn’t realize just how weirded out you were by this whole meeting - date? You shouldn’t have been. There wasn’t supposed to be anything weird about this. You were overthinking this. Right? Right.

Making your way to the bar, you sat down while Bucky ordered a couple of beers. Neither of you said anything until the beers arrived. After you thanked the bartender, you couldn’t think of anything to say. It wasn’t like you really knew anything about Bucky but asking him general questions would probably make it feel like awkward small talk on a first date, which was exactly what you were trying to avoid.

Bucky fiddled with the label on his bottle, “Did work get a little better after I was gone?”

“Oh, um, yeah. It calmed down a little and I managed to get everything done,” You forced another smile, nodding away.

“Ah, good,” He took a sip, lips tight around the bottle.

You did the same, looking around the bar, trying to find something else to say. It hadn’t been this hard at the engagement party. Between first wanting to kill him and then pretending to be madly in love with him, there hadn’t been much time for anything else. Now, there was this truce between the two of you, with nothing real in between. How were you supposed to act within the relationship you had with Bucky at the engagement party and the on you were supposed to have at the wedding?

You were starting to wonder if you should make up an excuse to go home when he spoke up, “I’m not going to lie, Speedy, this is weird.”

You let out a sigh of relief, “Oh thank god. I was beginning to think it was just me.”

“Not just you,” He said, shaking his head, “This is worse than an awkward first date, not being sure what to say or do. No offence.”

“None taken. You took the words from my mouth.”

He laughed, though the sound seemed like a mix of relief and something else, “After acting like a couple last time I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t coming on too strong.”

“You?” You felt your lips tug upward, glad to know you weren’t the only one battling an inner war of awkwardness and anxiety, “Here I am thinking you assume I hate you because I can’t seem to say anything more interesting than casual small talk.”

He cocked his head, “But don’t you?”

You paused, beer inches from your lips, “Don’t I what?”

He took a sip of his, prolonging the silence, his eyes bright, “Hate me?”

“Absolutely,” You laughed, “You make fun of my car, I have no choice but to hate you out of solidarity. I owe that much to my car, you know.”

“Then you’re doing an amazing job at being loyal to your car,” His lips twisted into a roguish grin, “Or is it being yourself?”

“Hey!” You smacked him on the arm, “It’s all an act.”

He laughed, “How was I supposed to know? You looked like you were going to kill me on the way into the bar!”

“If I wanted to kill you, it would have been at the engagement party. At this point I’ve learned to tolerate your presence,” You teased, gazing up at him.

He held your stare, those piercing blue eyes holding a world of emotions you couldn’t even begin to decipher, “Good for me that you’re a fast learner.”

“Good thing,” You murmured, unable to look away.

A glass shattering broke your stare and you brought your attention back to the condensation dripping down your beer. The silence stretched on and you weren’t sure how to get back the easy conversation that had just happened. Finally, you decided to try and clear the air, hoping that it would bring everything back to normal between the two of you. Because if you were being honest with yourself, you actually enjoyed his company.

“I know I agreed to go to the wedding with you and that we agreed to get closer to make things more convincing. That’s fine, I’m not backing out on you,” You quickly added when you saw his wide eyes, “But we need to make things clear. We’re just friends, right? When the wedding comes, we’ll add in a few kisses and I’m sure Kira won’t suspect a thing.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment, then nodded, “Yeah. I think that’s the best plan. Just friends.”

“Just friends,” You echoed.

“Think you can manage that?” He asked, the small smile returning.

You sighed dramatically, “It’ll be tough, but somehow I’ll find a way to tolerate you for the next three months.”

“And after that you won’t ever have to see my face again, Speedy.”

“Oh, the promises you make, Soldier. You keep making that promise and yet here we are,” You shook your head, pretending to be disappointed, “I’m starting to think we’re doomed to keep running into each other.”

He signalled the bartender for another round, “Is that such a bad thing?”

You waited until he turned back around and then grinned, “You know, I’m starting to think it might not be.”

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