#And after all the presentations he just went 'k thanks for that your actual grade is gonna be 100% this paper your gonna write

[zarafey]

Anyone possibly know how to do a methaanalysis? I mean I sure as hell have no idea what do to with the data my professor sent me because he never actually got around to showing us wtf to do with it and how to use that damned statistics software.

[realcube]

The Maid Café || Saiki K x Reader

summary: nendou and kaidou keep pestering saiki to visit their favourite maid café but he shuts them down every time. however, after a bit of prying they manage to convince him to give the place a try and while they are there, you just so happen to be on shift. 

tw// cussing, maid café, (she/her) reader

key:

“non italicised text” = somebody besides Saiki speaking

“italicised text” = Saiki telepathically communicating

‘italised text’ = Saiki’s thought

‘Of course Nendou and Kaidou would be into maid cafés of all things — not cat cafés, not internet cafés — it just had to be maid cafés.’  

Saiki’s internal monologue began as Kaidou continued gushing on about the cute lady he met at the café a few days ago as an argument to why Saiki should join them next time they go. Not to say Saiki wasn’t listening as he felt extremely sorry for whatever lady had to tolerate Kaidou’s advances and his prayer went out to her but besides that, he really couldn’t care less about the maids or the café. 

Until, his attention was involuntarily aroused at the vocalisation of his name from Nendou, “Saiki’s definitely in for Friday, I’m pretty sure I sold him when I told him that the sandwiches there are almost as good as the ramen we usually get.”

‘No, you didn’t. I won’t be coming to join you on Friday. I’d much rather stay--’ 

Somehow Kaidou managed to cut off Saiki’s internal monologue with his annoying voice, “Don’t be silly, Nendou. You’re not going to win Saiki over with such a ridiculous comparison, one that he clearly doesn’t care about.” 

‘Am I delusional? Is this a hallucination? Or did Kaidou just say something logical and based in reality?’

Kaidou’s aura immediately changed to dark and sinister as a mischievous smirk crossed his face, the background squawks of the crows suddenly became much louder for some unknown reason. “Instead, you must locate your opponent's weak point before you can recognise the crucially important moment to exploit it. The process takes patience but it is one I have learned from my many years rebelling against Dark Reunion. Now, young Nendou, watch and learn.” He finished with a dramatic flip of his school jacket which was slung over his shoulders as a cape.

‘What was all that about?’

Saiki wondered before Kaidou turned to him, much less brooding than he was a few seconds ago, and said casually, “Your loss if you don’t come, Saiki — you’ll be the one missing out on some of the best desserts in our whole town — not to mention the coffee jelly.”

✿✿✿✿✿

‘How do I always end up losing to these people? I am a psychic for god’s sake!’

Saiki mentally cursed himself out as he stood shamefully in front of the maid café, wearing a carefully curated outfit — including his germanium ring  — created especially to hide his identity from anyone from his school that might pass by the café and spot him in there through the window or something. Honestly, he wouldn’t be caught dead in a maid café, or so he thought.

However, all the reviews he read along with both Nendou and Kaidou’s thoughts helped him conclude that this place’s coffee jelly and general dessert selection is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, his favourite Tumblr blog - DeadlyDesserts11037 - visited the place and gave it a 5 star review, recommending everybody who happens to pass by the town to definitely check the place out. After that, he was sold.

Saiki looked over at his friends and couldn’t help but facepalm in response to their bright red, thrilled expressions. “Good grief, please don’t tell me you are both that excited over ladies in maid outfits.” As you might’ve guessed, Saiki didn’t really understand the concept of a ‘maid café’, so he simply assumed the male obsession with maids had something to do with the objectification of women hence he obviously did not want to take part.

“Saiki, you’re seriously just built different if this doesn’t touch your soul.” They both brushed the pink-haired boy’s comment off, completely mesmerised by the sight of a particularly pretty maid-lady walking by the window — probably on her way to serve a table — carrying a notepad in one hand and a plate with a scrumptious-looking coffee jelly on top. 

Saiki followed their gaze, his breath hitching at the sight. He was speechless; no sarcastic comment, no running commentary, nothing. Just..woah! If he had known that the girls that work at this place were so gorgeous and the food looked so delicious, he would’ve came a long time ago.

He wasn’t even sure which one he wanted more; the girl or the jelly. In a way, one wasn’t complete without the other because the coffee jelly which she held high next to her head brought out her (E/C) eyes while her shapely figure highlighted the defined curves of the jelly. Drool was quick to start forming at the corners of his lips but he was even quicker to wipe it away; he was starving.

“We’re going in.”

✿✿✿✿✿

To Saiki’s dismay, it was not the stunning (H/C)-haired girl who he had caught a glimpse of through the glass that ushered them to their table. Rather, it was a slightly less gorgeous maid-lady who had long, bright purple hair which was clearly a wig. 

Fortunately for him, after she left Kadiou, Nendou and himself to take their seats, she rushed off saying that someone will come take their orders whenever they are ready.

Even with his psychic abilities, there wasn’t much he could think of to alter fate so the pretty coffee-jelly lady would end up serving their table, and besides that, he was way too caught up in gawking at all the mouth-watering desserts they had pictured on the menu. 

Simply glancing over the menu brought a stupid grin to his face, he wanted to try every delectable treat presented in front of him. However, he knew he must exhibit restraint, which was fairly simple as he knew deep down there was only one thing on the menu that he was truly after. You guessed it  — coffee jelly.

Usually, he couldn’t care less about what his friends comrades were going to order but in this case, he was tempted to try convince both Kaidou and Nendou to order something he liked so he could take a bite of whatever they were having, “What are you two going to order?”

Yet again though, he was ignored as Nendou and Kaidou were both too busy checking out other types of snacks to care about the ones on the menu. 

Then, a movement out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention so his head jolted from the menu to his new target, the beautiful girl he had saw through the window earlier. Previously, she was holding a coffee jelly but now she was basically empty handed, until she approached the table and pulled out a notepad and pen, “May I take your orders?” She asked in the most calming, melodious voice Saiki had ever heard, the sounds that left her mouth were nothing short of angelic. Which made sense since her serving their table must’ve been god’s gift to Saiki for all his hard work.

Chills, Saiki got literal chills before he mused, “A coffee jelly, and two brownies for the pair of clowns.” His blood ran cold; curse his smooth sarcastic comments! Most of the time, he was able to filter himself but due to the nerves that arose while talking to you, he probably shouldn’t be surprised that he had a little slip of the tongue. But now, you probably think he is a bitch that insults people on the regular; which he is, but not usually aloud! Plus, he couldn’t even tell what you were thinking due to his germanium ring and your distant expression, awful combo!

While he was in the middle of feeling bad for himself and considering teleporting away home, a miracle happened, you burst out laughing. And somehow, your laughter was even more silvery than your voice. 

Saiki had zoned-out from pure shock for a moment before coming back to reality, noticing that you had started jotting down something in your notepad, a sweet smile still lingering on your face despite the fact you had stopped laughing. “Alright, so one coffee jelly and two brownies. Anything else?” You asked, glancing back and forth between the three equally unique and strange men sitting at the table. 

“That’ll be all, thank you.” Saiki telepathically communicated as he usually did, considering actually using his mouth to speak for a change so he didn’t seem weird but in all honesty, he couldn’t be bothered. In any other situation, he would’ve gotten a drink of water or perhaps hot cocoa but right now he was way too afraid of making another error in his speech to request something else. 

Silently, he extended his arm to hand you the menu he was given when he entered the café, along with the ones Kaidou and Nendou were given too. His actions single-handedly shooting down your plan of leaning across the table to ‘take the menus’ but in reality it is just a subtle way of showing-off how nice your torso looked in this maid outfit, a trick you learned from your supervisor. 

You nodded, closing over your notepad and making your way over to the kitchen, being sure to swing your hips just a little bit extra to impress the pink-haired megane at the table you just took an order from. You mentally cursed your stupid brain though for always crushing on guys/gals who don’t seem the least bit interested in you. In this case, the guy’s attention was divided between his star-struck friends and the desserts on the menu, rather than you which was an unusual sight in a maid café considering that most people would only come to ogle at the waitresses. 

✿✿✿✿✿

“So, Saiki.” Kaidou finally landed back into reality after a large chunk of the waitresses roaming around were now in the kitchen which he didn’t have viewing access to, “What did you order us?”

‘So, he was fully aware that the waitress came to take his order, he just chose to ignore her and left me to order his food. What a child, it must be a side-effect of his eighth grade syndrome.’

Saiki couldn’t help but sigh, “I ordered you both brownies.”

Kaidou stuck out his bottom lip to form a pout as he crossed his arm over his chest like a toddler, “I hate brownies.” He muttered to himself, realising that if he wanted something done right, he’d have to do it himself.

An amused smirk tugged at Saiki’s lips but he resisted the urge to laugh, ‘I know.’ He thought, his masterplan to eat more food without looking greedy falling into place. “Oh well, more for me then.”

Suddenly, Nendou spun his head around to abruptly join the conversation, “Hey guys, did you see the hottie that was serving our table?” He inquired with starry eyes, as if he was a kid in a candy store.

Saiki nodded, ‘Obviously I did, you moron. I was the one who ordered the food for goodness’ sake!’

Kaidou shook his head, his eyes lighting up as he leaned in close to Nendou, “Nope! I was busy looking at the other girls, but tell us!” 

Nendou chuckled at Kaidou’s enthusiastic reaction before glancing to the side, outstretching his arm and pointing at the waitress that was now approaching the table with the food in her hands. “There she is!”

‘Don’t point at her, you idiot!’ Saiki mentally insulted his friend but instinctively followed the guidance of the tip of his finger until his eyes landed on your shapely figure — accentuated by the nature of the maid outfit  — slowly heading toward his table, holding the coffee jelly and the plate of brownies in the same graceful way you did when he saw you through the window. 

The gleam of your gorgeous hair, the movement of your luscious lashes, the gentle bounce of your upper body, how your perfectly manicured nails clutched the base of the jelly glass; everything about what he was seeing made him believe that if/when he were to die, this would be his ideal first sight as he passed through the gates of heaven. 

Before he knew it, you had reached the table and placed his jelly down on the table, gently nudging it towards him, “One coffee jelly for the cute boy with antennas.” You mused, making Saiki’s heart flutter in a way he was unfamiliar with. Then, you placed the brownies in front of Kaidou and Nednou who sat opposite from Saiki, “And two brownies for the clowns.” 

If it wasn’t for the fact the pair of clowns were too busy leching over you in your maid outfit, they’d probably be curious as to your choice of words but luckily for both you and Saiki, they were way to entranced by your visible bra strap to care about the little nickname.

Saiki felt a light blush creep onto his face, which only got worse as you discretely sent him a playful wink before turning on your heels to stroll back to the kitchen, “If you need anything else, just give me a wave.” 

All of them hummed agreement in unison until the waitress was out of sight, giving Saiki a moment to process the events that had just went down. Not only did you refer to him as ‘the cute boy with antennas’ but you also winked at him, if that wasn’t a clear sign you were interested, what was? However, Saiki still had his doubts since this was a maid café after all, perhaps you were just trained to do that with all your customers.

Luckily, the had the foresight to slip off his germanium ring to read your mind and that helped him come to the conclusion that you were either interested in him or you were just very competitive as the whole time you were serving the table your thoughts were along the lines of;

‘I’ll adjust my skirt- Ha! You looked! Try resist falling for me now, you hot lil’ megane! Your heart is mine and I know it! See, I’ll fidget with my corset too-- just make a move already, pinkie!’

Although he didn’t appreciate being called ‘pinkie’, he had no right to judge what was going on in your brain. All he could do is be thankful that you didn’t say that aloud.

✿✿✿✿✿

You sighed as you noticed the pink-haired boy and his little posy exit the establishment without so much as a goodbye, or even a wave! 

It was disappointing as you had already mentally planned your future with this guy and he had the audacity to do the real life equivalent of leaving you on read. But oh well, it would be approximately a week until you developed a crush on a random customer that lasts for around 30 minutes and for the time being, you can focus on doing your job.

You glumly shuffled over to their table to gather their plates to be washed, then a piece of colourful paper attached to the empty jelly glass caught your eye. As you held up the glass to inspect it further, you realised that it was a sticky note with a message written on it in black ink and neat, cursive handwriting. It read:

‘Dearest waitress,

Thank you for the excellent service, we (myself) tipped accordingly.’

You hadn’t finished reading yet but you were curious as to what he meant by that, and apparently you service must’ve been exceptional as the writer had left a whole ¥2000 tip. That’s a huge addition to the demonia fund.  

Followed by this charming little message was an extra tip for you; the writer’s phone number! Meaning that this little sticky note was something you had to protect with your life..so you shoved it in your bra for safe-keeping. 

But not before taking a moment to giggle with delight at who the note was signed by, 

‘Sincerely, the hot lil’ megane (aka Kusuo Saiki)’ 

[t0wnspersonb]

Practice Makes Perfect (Tsukishima Kei x Reader)

Rated: Explicit

Word Count: 3,823

Warnings: SMUT, loss of virginity, bad language, Tsukki being too damn beautiful.

Summary: It’s been several months after Tsukishima’s confession in the infirmary. You two are dating now, and after a study session in his room, you two decide to take your relationship to the next level.

~~~

I hear you guys! I fucking see you!😂 we all need some Tsukki smut in our life so here is part 2 of Kiss it Better, I’ve included the link for anyone who hasn’t read the first part. I hope you all enjoy it and I would love the feedback afterwards:)

ALSO. I AM TAKING REQUESTS. I know I have some sitting in my inbox right now that I need to get to still so I apologize in advance if I can’t get your request out right away. But I literally adore all of you so much. Thank you for taking the time to read my shit writing:’) Anyway please enjoy the shit show lol.

~~~

It had been several months since you and Tsukishima started going out, after his confession in the infirmary, and after you guys had walked home together – well – things just naturally fell into place.

 It felt like your interactions were the same, he was still a cocky little asshole, teasing you and harassing you endlessly.

 But it was different somehow. You guys were almost inseparable it seemed. There were sides to Tsukishima that only you got to see, an unsaid trust that went both ways. You confided in him, sought comfort in him, and he did the same. He was your person, and you were his.

 You hadn’t realized how same and different it would be once you guys were in a relationship. 

 But you loved it all. 

 You loved every second of it.

 You loved him.

 You were in love with him, and while it was something that neither of you had said yet, that feeling was definitely there.

 It was said through his endless lectures on how you needed to eat better, it was said through the way he held your hand, or when he carried your bag. It was said in the way that his eyes gleamed when you proudly showed him the latest photos you had taken.

 It was said in the way that you praised him for being an amazing blocker in volleyball, it was said when you would give him a new dinosaur figurine. It was said when you would introduce him to a new song that reminded him of you.

 No, you guys had never uttered the words ‘I love you’ to each other, but you did.

 He did.

 And that was all that mattered.

 Right now, you two were currently cleaning up the classroom together, since it was your week to clean.

 You guys easily conversed with one another as you wiped down the blackboard and Tsukishima swept. 

 “– because of those dimwits we had to do twice as many drills.” Tsukishima said, finishing his story on how exhausting yesterday's volleyball practice had gone.

 “Kageyama and Hinata sure are energetic.” You mused, pausing your wiping to glance over at the tall blonde in amusement.

 He sighed and looked over at you, “They’re idiots. They act like everyone has the same amount of stamina as them. It’s ridiculous.”

 You couldn’t help the soft laughter that bubbled up from your lips. “I think you’re just lazy Tsukki.”

 His eyes narrowed, but not at your comment, but at what you had called him. He had told you weeks ago to start calling him by his first name, considering that you guys have been dating for a while now.

 He leaned the broom against one of the desks and walked over to you. You were near the teacher’s desk as you surveyed your work. He moved in front of your vision, towering over your small frame, causing you to crane your neck back to just look at his face.

 He moved closer, his palm resting on the desk behind you, trapping you in.

 “What’s the matter Tsukki?” you asked in confusion, your head tilting to the side. 

 His eyes narrowed further, a frown creasing his lips. “I told you to start calling me Kei.”

 A soft blush covered your face as you broke the eye contact with him, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous. 

 “I – I know. It’s just a force of habit.” You mumbled quickly, shifting from foot to foot.

 Tsukishima couldn’t help but smirk, leaning in closer to you, causing your back to press into the edge of the desk as you tried to put more distance between the two of you.

 “Why are you acting so nervous?” he murmured, the hand not resting on the table coming up to move your hair over your shoulder.

 You visibly flinched, which caused his smirk to widen as he saw the blush coating your face. 

 “I’m not nervous stupid!” you fired back, looking at him now. “You’re just too close!”

 You could feel your heart racing, your palms accumulating sweat. 

 “I’ve been closer.” he said simply and pressed his body against yours, one of his thighs coming to rest between your legs. This caused your skirt ride further up your thighs, and you couldn’t help but clutch at the front of his uniform helplessly as you attempted to stabilize yourself.

 Tsukishima wasn’t lying, he had been closer. Many times, in fact, in the comfort of his bedroom. While you guys had never actually had sex, it had gotten close. 

 If Tsukishima was being honest, it was because he couldn’t help himself. Your expressions were just too much, the sounds that escaped your mouth were incredibly sweet, it made him want more. Every time. 

 But the same could be said about you. Tsukishima was incredibly good looking, his lust filled expressions drove you insane, and the way he made you feel was just too good.

 “S-Shut up idiot.” You moved to push him away from you, but he was already cupping your face and tilting your head up for a kiss.

 You melted against him, kissing him back with vigor. You all but breathed want and need into his lungs as Tsukishima explored the wet cavern of your mouth, his tongue hot and wet as it rubbed against yours gently.

 The kisses you shared always spoke volumes with how you were feeling. They ranged from short and sweet, to something incredibly passionate and needy. 

 Either one, they always left you breathless and needy, your head spinning with so much want and need. 

 Tsukishima’s grip on your jaw tightened ever so slightly as he continued to explore your mouth. His tongue tracing over your teeth and bottom lip before going back to massage your own tongue. You were at his will completely, not that you minded. Not that you could even think about anything else other than the way he was making you feel.

 The leg between your thighs shifted suddenly and you felt yourself being pressed against his clothed thigh in the most intimate way. A surprised noise could be heard in your throat, and desire rippled through your body like a tidal wave.

 Tsukishima pulled back slightly, allowing his lips to flutter against your jaw and down your throat. His fingers working at the buttons of your uniform.

 You were left feeling delirious and incredibly achy. Your grip on his uniform tightening as you tried to get your bearings. 

 You finally realized where you were. 

 School. 

 You couldn’t do this here. 

 “Tsuki - ah - shima. S-Stop, we can’t do this here.” You gasped out, eyes fluttering shut in pleasure as he nipped at the exposed skin of your collarbone, and at the same time pressed himself harder against your core. His hands were now on your hips, and at the same time that he pressed his thigh closer to you, he had moved your body forward, causing you to grind against him.

 Pleasure rippled through your being; you knew that you were soaking wet right now. It was unfair how well he touched you, how he knew how to make you hot and bothered.

 “I told you to call me Kei.” he murmured and dragged your body against his thigh again. A delicious gasp escaping your spit stained lips. 

 “K-Kei. We c-can’t do this.” You whimpered out. “W-We could get caught. A-And if y-you’re late to practice, you know that Yamaguchi will be sent out to find you.” 

 He sighed deeply, and reluctantly pulled away from you, adjusting himself accordingly. You were right. He didn’t want anyone seeing you like that, that was for his eyes only. 

 It was so hard for him to not want to continue after he saw your disheveled form. It was fucking beautiful. Your lips were swollen with his kisses, your shirt unbuttoned, exposing the dark mark he had left on your soft skin. Your skirt was hiked up on your thighs, and your face was dazed with want and need.

 Tsukishima gritted his teeth, stopping himself from pushing you up on that desk and having his way with you finally.

 It was silent as you guys made yourselves presentable and finished cleaning up the classroom. The tension was thick in the air, lust buzzing in the air between you two. 

 Club activities flew by and so did the walk home. The tension never disappeared between the two of you, which had made Yamaguchi a bit nervous as you all walked home together. Of course, he wasn’t aware of what had transpired in the classroom, nor could he decipher what exactly the tension was, but he could feel the strange energy between the two of you.

 “You’re coming over tomorrow right?” Tsukishima finally said as he dropped you off at home.

 “Yeah. I definitely need help studying for that math test next week.” you sighed frowning slightly.

 “That’s why you need to take better notes in class. You can’t just keep drawing like a mindless idiot all the time.” Tsukishima said, causing you to scowl at him.

 “Whatever asshole! Goodnight! Text me when you get home. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” You said childishly slamming the door in his face.

 At least some things would never change between you two.

 ***

 You grumbled under your breath as you attempted the math problem in front of you. 

 You were in Tsukishima’s room, the said male was currently reading a book, sitting across the table from you and ignoring you completely as you struggled.

 “I don’t get it.” You sighed, slouching your upper body on the tabletop. You hated math. It was your worst subject despite the good grades that you got.

 His eyes flickered over to your dejected form before going back to his book. “Whining about it isn’t going to change anything.”

 You scowled at his blunt statement, pulling your head up from the table, you stuck your tongue out at him. “Don’t be such an insensitive jerk.”

 His eye twitched at your statement as he looked at you once more. Before he could retort his older brother entered the room carrying a plate of snacks.

 “I thought you guys could use some food.” he said brightly, carefully placing the plate of food on the table.

 Your mood brightened immediately. “Thanks, Akiteru!”

 Tsukishima felt his eye twitch further, so you could easily call his brother by his first name but not his.

 His brother smiled back, “No problem Y/n-chan! Ever since you and Kei started dating his mood has improved a lot!” he said, giving you a thumbs up.

 Tsukishima slammed his book shut, placing it on the table and glowered at his older brother. “Don’t you have to go practice?”

 He waved him off as he turned to look at you. “Who knew that Kei could get such a cute girlfriend!”

 A soft blush coated your face much to Tsukishima’s annoyance, he stood up and began pushing his brother out of his room. As soon as he slammed the door shut and locked it, he turned his glare on you.

 “S-Stop looking at me like that! I didn’t do anything.” You said nervously. He ignored you completely and took a seat right next to you, leaning in closer. 

 “What are you doing?” You whispered, your heart racing in your chest as he grabbed your chin, turning your head to look at him.

 He was staring at you intensely. “You better pay close attention; I’m only going to help you go over this stuff once and if you miss any of the problems you can just go home.”

 You frowned at his bluntness but nodded, nonetheless.

 You weren’t sure how long it was, but you somehow finished the problems, and luckily didn’t get any of the answers wrong.

 Tsukishima was surprisingly a good teacher. At least when he wanted to be, he was still incredibly impatient when teaching you, but you learned the material. 

 “Finally.” he muttered as you finished putting everything in your bag away, before you could say anything, he grabbed your arm and slammed his lips into yours.

 You made a noise of surprise before kissing him back, eyes fluttering shut. 

 The kiss was hungry and desperate, his tongue prying your lips open and immediately beginning to fight your tongue for dominance. It was hot and wet and sent a wave of arousal throughout your entire body. The hand that was resting on your arm slid up to grab your jaw, fitting his mouth against yours perfectly.

 His other hand moved to rest in the middle of your back, and before you knew it your world shifted.

 Tsukishima had maneuvered your body to the floor, hovering over you. The hand that was on your back moved back around and you felt long slender fingers wrap around the back of your knee, carefully hiking your leg over his hip.

 This new position allowed Tsukishima to get closer to you. He pressed his body into yours gently, being sure not to crush you with his weight. He adored the softness of your body, and the sweet smell of your skin.

 But it wasn’t enough. 

 He wanted more.

 Tsukishima carefully snapped his hips forward, pressing his growing member against you. The only clothing separating him from your weeping core was a pair of thin panties.

 He groaned against your lips, pressing harder against you. A soft whimper from you egged him on, he couldn’t help himself. He grinded his hips harder against you, his member uncomfortably hard and searching for some kind of relief.

 His lips began trailing kisses along your jaw and down your throat, his fingers brushing against your collarbone, pushing your shirt away to reveal more skin.

 You gazed up at his ceiling in a daze, softly gasping at each thrust of his hips, you could feel your panties dampening further with your arousal as you clutched at his shoulders.

 “Take these off.” he demanded huskily in your ear. He tugged at your jacket and shirt, his fingers dipping underneath the fabric and brushing against the delicate skin at your stomach.

 “You first.” you breathed out, your own hands sliding beneath the blue shirt he opted to wear today. The tips of your fingers trailing softly against the hard lines of his stomach, his skin was warm and soft, the muscles flexing as he exhaled in a shudder.

 He sat back on the balls of his feet, his hands easily removing his shirt, tossing it behind him on the floor. He almost moaned at the sight before him. 

 You were sprawled out on the floor, legs bent slightly at the knee, your skirt was hiked up just below your panties. Your face was flushed red, your eyes half-lidded as you stared him with desire. Your chest heaving up and down.

 “Your turn.” he said simply and helped you sit half up. But before you could even remove the clothing yourself, Tsukishima was already at it. Pulling the jacket off your shoulders and then tugging your shirt over your head, revealing the soft white colored bra to his greedy eyes.

 “Fuck.” he whispered under his breath, you were fucking beautiful, and you were all his. “Come here.” he breathed, pulling you easily onto your feet and then pushing you down onto his bed, crawling on top of you.

 You loved the way he looked at you, like you hung the moon. Like you were the brightest thing he had ever seen in his entire life. It made you feel wanted, loved, adored. 

 Tsukishima’s lips easily found yours once again, still needy and urgent. He was pressed against you between your legs once more, grinding softly against your soaked core.

 His fingers trailing up softly from the hem of your skirt, up your stomach, to your ribs, and then they were cupping your right breast. 

 Kneading you softly through the cup of your bra. Like before, his lips began trailing kisses along your jaw, sucking at your throat, and then to the tops of your breasts.

 His breath was hot and damp against your overheated flesh, his tongue flicking out to taste your soft skin. You tossed your head back in pleasure, unable to stop the sweet moans and gasps that were escaping your lips as he began sucking and biting.

 “K-Kei.” You stuttered out, eyes slipping shut in pleasure. He glanced up at you and reached to pull one of the straps of your bra down, allowing one of your breasts to pop out freely.

 He watched as your exposed nipple began to harden before softly engulfing the pebbled bud into the hot cave of his mouth.

 Fuck, he’s never heard anything as sweet as the moans and high-pitched whines that escaped your swollen lips.

 You couldn’t breathe, the pleasure was overwhelming as he began flicking his tongue back and forth against your nipple. The back of your hand resting over your mouth, attempting to quiet the moans that were escaping your lips. Tsukishima began rolling your nipple between his teeth carefully, causing you to arch your back off the bed.

 Hot white pleasure shooting into your body, your lower half was on fire, burning with so much need. You had soaked through your underwear completely, and your cunt was throbbing to be touched now.

 “Please.” You whined out, chest heaving as you struggled to catch your breath. “K-Kei. Please.”

 He hummed against your breast, releasing your nipple with a soft pop before moving up and pressing a soft kiss to your lips. 

 “What do you want?” he asked, voice low and deep. But he already knew that answer, his fingers already dancing across the zipper of your skirt, easily opening it, and pulling it down your legs, where you kicked it off of your ankles. 

 Tsukishima could have cum in his pants then and there. You had luckily decided to wear a matching bra and panties today, but that wasn’t why he was in awe. He could visibly see how wet you were.

 Your wetness soaked through your panties; a dark wet spot easily being spotted by the tall blonde. 

 “Is this because of me?” he murmured, a long finger gently rubbing up and down against the stain. “You’re soaked.” he breathed out, feeling the moisture collect on his finger.

 “Kei.” a high-pitched whine left your lips. “I-I want you. Please.”

 He exhaled loudly through his nose and began removing the rest of your clothes, his gold eyes drank in your exposed body greedily. 

 This. this was all his. You were all his.

 He then removed the rest of his clothes; his body bare for your eyes to see. 

 Tsukishima was the most beautiful person you had ever laid your eyes on. The muscles in his body flexing as you took him in, and then… he was fucking hard. It looked incredibly painful, his member pulsing and leaking precum.

 Gently parting your legs further, he carefully rubbed his member against your glistening slit, moaning at the wetness.

 This was it.

 “Are you sure?” he asked softly, gazing at you with a gentle expression, his thumb rubbing softly against your knee.

 You nodded, fearing that your voice would shake with the nerves you were experiencing, but the desire for Tsukishima overshadowed that. You wanted him.

 He shook his head. “I need to hear you say it Y/n.”

 “I want you Kei.” you said breathless. “I-I love you.”

 You weren’t… fuck, you weren’t planning to say that. You could feel panic rising in your chest, your eyes widening as you took in his expression.

 Tsukishima’s eyes were wide, his lips parted softly at your statement. A soft blush coating his face.

 “I love you too.” he finally said, and then pushed his hips forward.

 The sudden pressure below, the intrusion you weren’t used to had you gasping loudly, throwing your head back at the unfamiliar sensation. 

 The stretch wasn’t uncomfortable, there was the slight fear at the back of your mind that it would hurt based on all the stories that you had heard from your friends and senpais. 

 It was just different… but fuck. The expression that was now on Tsukishima’s face wiped away any kind of discomfort you may have been in.

 His face was contorted in pure bliss, his eyes squeezed shut, lips parted in pleasure. It was a beautiful sight.

 You were the one making him feel that way, you were the one that was giving him all this pleasure. This was yours to keep, this moment.

 You gasped softly as he began moving, carefully rocking his hips against yours. His cock rubbed against your velvety walls, reaching a depth within you that you didn’t even know you had.

 “Y-You’re so tight.” He stuttered out. “Feel so good.” he praised and began moving in and out of you more. 

 You were getting used to the uncomfortable feeling of being full; and that’s definitely what you felt when Tsukishima was inside of you.

 It started to feel… good actually. 

 Tsukishima must’ve realized that as well, his speed and force increasing a bit more. He reached down and carefully began circling your clit with his thumb. 

 Oh fuck. No, that was good. That was really good. Your body jolted in pleasure, a soft whine escaping your lips. 

 “I’m close.” Tsukishima said panting, his eyes began to focus on your expression, wanting you to feel just as much pleasure as he was. 

 You were beautiful. You were so fucking beautiful, naked, and gasping, taking his cock so well. He gritted his teeth, hastily removing himself from your weeping core. Tsukishima grasped at his member tightly and thrusted twice into his fist before spilling himself onto your lower belly.

 His cum was hot and thick as it splattered onto your skin, you had never seen anything more perfect than the way Tsukishima looked coming undone. 

 You couldn’t help but stare at him as he came down from his high. His blonde hair was disheveled, sweat gleamed on his pale skin, outlining the hard muscles in his arms and stomach. 

 When he finally opened his eyes they immediately softened as they took in your spent form. 

 “Hold on.” he murmured softly and got up to find a towel, carefully cleaning up the mess he made on your stomach.

 You couldn’t help but to continue laying there, exhausted despite the fact that you hadn’t done much. After Tsukishima finished taking care of you, he pulled the blanket on the edge of the bed up as he laid next to you. You moved closer to the blonde male, resting your head against his chest, his fingers began combing through your hair.

 “I’m sure that wasn’t good for you.” he said quietly, after a moment of comfortable silence. “But I plan on making you feel good every time from now on.”

 “It was good.” You said softly, on the verge of sleep. “We just need more practice… like volleyball.”

 Tsukishima laughed softly against your hair. “Shut up stupid. Go to sleep.”

[whaleofatjme1920]

Dealing With People Who Don't Care (Ticci Toby X F!Reader)

Dealing With People Who Don't Care

[Ticci Toby X F!Reader]

[Warnings: slight language and calls to violence? Bullying, slight yandere behavior]

[AN: Requested from ѕρσσку яανισlι on Quotev! Idk if I'm ready to tell y'all that this was basically my first quarter of college.]

College wasn’t supposed to be like this, at least, that’s what you keep telling yourself. When you graduated from high school, you were told that petty drama and catty people were going to fade away because that was high school and this is college. Something new, something for young adults, and something you’d been looking forward to for far, far too long.

Truth be told, in high school, you didn’t really have any problems. You mostly got along with the people you did talk to and aside from a few arcs which you lovingly call ‘character development’, you generally kept your head down and to yourself which allowed you to stay off some of the cruller people’s radars. You were liked when it was necessary but ultimately stuck to yourself.

How did it all go so wrong?

When you first came in on orientation day, you’d met up with a group of girls and bonded on the train ride back to campus. There was a group chat made and you were a ready part of it. You felt nicely about your entire situation because these were nice girls, and they treated you like you held the sun and rose the moon. Is that what positive friendship was like?

For the first few weeks, everything with them was a bliss. Unfortunately, you were the only person from that group in your specific branch and major. This meant that you often spent most of your daylight hours alone or with yourself entirely. The other girls all had majors that were almost word for word the same, and that meant that they spent a lot of time together. Slowly, that had been growing closer and closer to each other and leaving you out.

It came in small doses at first, and you had chalked it up to your nature being so different from theirs. They were much more extroverted than you ever could have been. They were fire, and you were ice. But that did not mean that you were boring, or any less interesting, you were just quieter, preferring to take this just as softly. Wandering around the city with maybe one or two people, talking about the things that matter as opposed to getting wasted in a crowded apartment with fifty people who don’t even care about your wellbeing.

That’s what was different about you than them.

“Hey ladies,” you smile widely as you take your tray of food from the cafeteria to the table where all the girls sat. You notice that they’re all engrossed in conversation but quickly turn to greet you with smiles and waves.

“Hi, Reader! How has your day been?” Maria greets, her fingers gently tugging through her blonde hair. “Me and Georgina were just talking about you.”

Georgina nods and pats the seat next to her for you to sit down. “Yeah, what have you been up to?”

You take a seat next to the redhead and sip from your drink. “It was alright. With midterms coming up though… Little stressed,” you admit as the two girls sitting around you frown in response. “Lots of essays, some minor discussion posts, a group project but we’re just starting it early because it counts for like, 20 percent of our grade and is part of our final,” you say as you stab into your food.

“Oh? A group project?” Georgina asks with a raise of her eyebrow.

You nod. “It’s actually more like a partner project. I’m paired with this guy named Toby? But like, I haven’t seen him yet - he doesn’t show up to class,” you sigh.

“Maybe try emailing the professor,” Maria suggests. “But I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” she hums with a small smile, her hand reaching over and gripping yours warmly.

From there, the conversation that follows has you drifting away. By now, a third girl has joined the conversation and her name is Helena. Helena is also in the same class as you with the group project, but she isn’t as close to you as Georgina and Maria are. She greets you just as warmly but she turns the conversation in a direction you weren’t expecting.

Laughter rings out from the table.

“And that guy from last night?” Georgina giggles.

“He was insane!” Maria adds. “You have to come inside!” She mockingly says before bursting into another fit of giggles.

“And he dressed so weirdly,” Helena continues. “Ratty as all hell jacket and then followed us into the theatre? Asked to show us magic tricks-” she’s not even able to finish her words because she’s laughing much too hard.

You tilt your head slightly. “What happened last night?” You ask.

The girls pause for a moment. “Don’t worry about it,” Georgina says as she swats off your question. “You weren’t there.”

“This was last night?” You ask again.

They nod.

“Yeah, wasn’t anything special,” Maria attempts to shrug off before those three continue with their conversation and inside jokes.

You eat in silence, every now and then smiling and offering forced laughter as you think about what you did last night. You weren’t doing anything, in fact, your roommate went out on a date with her boyfriend and left you in the dorm all along. So, you finished your work a little early and started on some other things, then watched Netflix and fell asleep before midnight. You were free the entire night.

And they didn’t even think to invite you.

From there, you started to notice all the times they forgot about you and excluded you. It carried on in the sloughed off invites, the ‘sorry we can’t meet up for dinner,’ and generally just avoiding you. They had jokes they couldn’t share with you, and you were at their side, they acted like you weren’t even there until it faded into nothing.

Reader: Are you guys doing anything tonight?

Maria is typing…

Maria: no not tonight :(

Reader: oh okay! But if any of you want to come to Target with me or something..? Maria: sorry, I’m busy!

Georgina is typing…

Helena is typing…

After that, they’d left you on read, not even bothering to answer you. Later that night on snapchat, you saw the three of them wandering the city without you, laughing and having a good time.

Instead of talking to them right away, you focused on your classes and your work. And that meant finally tagging down toby.

You’d managed to finally get him in your sight after emailing your professor who struck some type of fear into him. You were able to meet him face to face at a little cafe somewhere off campus.

“Over h-here,” he calls out from near the window of the cafe, waving you towards the back.

You flash him a quick smile and let it fall before finally taking a seat across from him. You’re slightly surprised to see that there’s a cup of hot chocolate and a chocolate chip muffin is there waiting for you. “Oh, uh, thank you,” you say as you get comfortable.

“It’s n-nothing,” he says with a small smile. “I-I’m sorry for k-keeping you w-w-waiting all t-this time,” he continues in an apologetic tone. “T-Things with my f-family aren’t e-easy right n-now.”

Not wanting to push him, you nod and smile reassuringly. “It’s okay,” you relent. “So, this project..?”

“It’ll b-be a breeze,” he replies. “D-Don’t worry about i-it, yeah?” He picks up his own cup of hot chocolate to fight off the child of mid autumn and nods to you, his dark eyes scanning over your form. “I w-wanna know j-just who I’m w-working with.” He smirks slightly, the corners of his mouth pulling up like a know-it-all cat.

You look into your cup of hot chocolate and shrug. “Nothing too interesting,” you attempt to slide off.

Toby rolls his eyes. “Calling b-bull,” he snorts. “You l-look stressed. W-What’s on your m-m-mind?”

You sigh deeply and relax your body as you think back to the situation with those girls. “It’s nothing.”

Toby hums once more but does not push you. Deep down though, he knows something is wrong.

And that’s how it carries on. You and Toby meet every so often to work on your presentation and your paper together and your so called friends continually leave you in the dust. Before you know it, you’re spending more and more time with Toby than anyone else, and because of that, you don’t feel nearly as alone as you used to.

From Toby’s perspective, he would never tell you what he thought when he first saw you walk through those doors of the cafe to finally meet him in person.

When he first got that email in regards to him not showing up and worrying you, he’d rolled his eyes and pretended it didn’t matter. It was whatever, who cares? Apparently you. With a slight gripe in the back of his head, he looked you up on social media with the help of a friend named Ben and found all that he needed to know just by looking at your profile. He was almost ashamed to admit how enraptured with you he had become. That’s why he was so adamant you met him at a cafe, where he could spend time with just you.

When he saw you walking through the doors, his eyes scanned over every inch of you. You had a slight bounce in your walk despite it being so chilly.

He wondered if you wanted to be warmed up.

You looked so soft in his eyes, so sweet and so alluring. Just your looks alone was all he needed as water for a growing obsession.

Toby is addictive by nature. Seeing you was what allowed that addiction to take off. When he heard your voice? He felt like he was high.

He knew something was wrong with you when you sighed like that. It was a loaded sigh. Of course, after the two of you parted ways for the night and on good terms, he immediately dug into the lives of your so-called ‘friends.’ Let’s just say that damn near instantly, he did not like them.

Maria, a nursing major. He considered her an air head that wouldn’t get anywhere with substance, and saw that she was much more of a party girl than anything else.

Georgina, another nursing major. Also considered her a lost cause.

Helena, a medical assistant major. Toby considered her the worst one, but it didn’t come at first. He found that girl was vile in every sense. The things he’s overhead her saying about other people? Terrible. The things he’s overhead her saying about you? Absolutely unacceptable.

He noticed her whispers that cut like thorns wrapping around you from the shadows as he sat in class near her, but never next to her. He listened to the filth that poured from her mouth and was able to pick up the conversations from her phone like it was nothing.

And all of that? It lit a fire in him, a fire that would eventually burn her down and scorch her until she was nothing but ashes.

You’re about to head to class and present your final project with Toby. You look like a mess, and it’s not just from the lack of sleep because of your other class’s finals, but because you are absolutely emotionally drained and have nothing left to give. You’d finally formally broken up from those girls, but it did not come without tears.

Reader: hey guys, it’s been a little while, but I just wanted to get some things off of my chest before I call it. First and foremost, I want to thank you for the time we did spend together, but I don’t feel safe or happy anymore. These past few weeks have been nothing but straight ice and being left out and I’m just… I’m tired, for a lack of better words. I know that you don’t really want me around anymore, so I thought I’d just nip this one in the bud before it got out of hand or anything like that. I just - whatever, I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to offend you.

Georgina is typing…

Georgina: Honestly don’t take this the wrong way but you legitimately brought this all onto yourself.

Georgina: you don’t really talk to us the way that we talk to each other

Reader: but you literally never gave me a chance???

Maria: shes right tho,,,,, like, you just always kept to yourself. You didnt really give us anything to go off of

Georgina: right??? And it’s not like she’d actually do any of the things we wanted to do either

Reader: I’m sorry but like, I offered for you guys to come do some things with me and I even asked for you to tell me when you guys were making plans - I would have gone out

Helena: does it even matter now though? You brought literally all of this onto yourself there’s no use for you to just beg us for you to come back lol. Just stop while you’re ahead

Helena: you were never really there to begin with tbh you just kinda existed

Maria: exactly that! Like im glad we’re getting stuff off our chest because omg did you get on my nerves. Always quiet and just watching??? Never saying anything??

Georgina: RIGHT It was like a literal ghost in the room LMFAO

Reader: are you fucking serious right now?

Reader: you’re going to act like this?

Maria: you brought it on yourself

Helena: it was bound to happen

Reader: I cannot believe you guys are acting like such assholes right now

Maria: you did it first though?????

Helena: ^^^^

Georgina: ^^^^

From there, the conversation had delved into them throwing all of their problems onto you. It honestly felt like projecting, but you had a class to go to and project to present and no time to cry.

You wiped your tears, got ready for the day and headed out to your building from out of your dorm. Soon, you would be on break and away from this place that’s driving you up a wall.

You walked across campus and plastered a faint smile on your face as you continued to move through the nippy air. You enjoyed seeing the leaves as they danced on the flowing air and eventually kissed the sidewalk. You could smell pumpkin spice and the remnants of November. What a beautiful season.

Waiting for you outside of Wendell’s Hall was Toby, hands in his pockets as he leaned up against the wall just beside the door.

“Were you waiting for me?” You ask with a small smile.

“Maybe,” he hums with a small smirk. “C-C’mon, it’s a little c-chilly out here,” he says as he gently shuffles you inside after opening the door for you. He watches you carefully as you walk through the halls and find the elevator to get to the sixth floor.

As the two of you wait for the doors to open, Toby checks you over.

“What?” You say with a small chuckle.

“J-Just checking,” Toby hums. “A-Are you okay?” He asks as the doors open. He nods for you to go in first, and then follows in directly after. He watches your finger press the button for six.

“Why?”

“You s-seem a l-little tense,” he says as he looks over you again, his eyes narrowing in on yours. “I-Is it the p-presentation?”

You hold your hand out and make a ‘so-so’ motion. “I guess,” you reply, attempting to shove off anything that might make you cry again. Your eyes are a little dark, and your skin is still soft from the saline, raw from you rubbing those pearls of water with your sleeves repeatedly.

“You w-wanna talk a-about it l-later?” He asks softly, his hand resting warmly on your shoulder as he brings you into his side.

You look up at him and smile. “We’ll see.”

When the doors open, you and Toby quickly make it to your class and are pleased to see there’s spots open and the two of you can sit together. Toby is quick to snag the seats for the both of you and his warm expression falls when he sees Helena waltzing into the room.

Helena sits a little ways from where you and Toby sit before she wiggles her fingers at you like a nonverbal smile before actually turning her lips up in a fake saccharine smile.

You shift uncomfortably and instead focus on your presentation. You feel a little nervous, mostly because Helena is here and this is also a big chunk of your grade. You’re academically passing with flying colors, but a hiccup like this could spell something bad. You breathe out deeply when you feel Toby’s hand resting on your shoulder, grounding you.

“We g-g-got this,” he says with a small smile, squeezing you lightly. “You w-wwanna get it out of the w-w-ay?”

“No,” you reply suddenly. “I just want to see how this goes.”

Toby nods and turns his attention to the other students that continue to walk through the door. “A-Anything for y-y-you,” he says softly.

You barely hear it, but you smile all the same.

Presentations pass in a pretty boring manner. Your professor seems pleased with everyone that presents, and she offers praise and saves the criticism for emails, but so far, it seems like everyone is doing well! You’re almost fully calm by the time you raise your hand to present but when Helena and her partner begin snickering, your heart sinks to your knees.

“Alright, you two are good to go,” your professor says with a warm, reassuring smile on her face after she pulls up your project on the overhead projector. “Giving the remote to Miss Reader, whenever you two are ready.” She holds the remote out to you and then whispers ‘you’re gonna do great’ before taking her seat in the front row.

You silently thank her for her reassurance and then turn your attention to Toby, who begins the presentation.

You make sure to speak clearly and concisely as you present your project, paying close attention to detail and everything that was outlined on the rubric. You watch your professor’s expression light up brighter and brighter as you carry on with your half of the presentation. It seems that she’s really pleased with the both of you, but especially you!

Your big hiccup comes when the questions part of your presentation comes up.

See, prior to this, the questions portion had been empty and pretty dead. But of course, because Helena is here, she’s dead set on making you flop.

When she starts firing questions, you and Toby answer them to the best of your abilities. Admittedly, you are more than mentally dead at this point. With every question that Helena digs into you, you feel your brain cells dying off at an even faster rate. The lights of the projector bore into you and make you dizzy. You’re just… exhausted.

Helena finally poses a question that makes your face heat up. “So?” She taunts, her eyes looking at you innocently. “I just wanna know,” she continues, her eyes flashing.

You should be able to answer this. It’s so simple and right there in your bank of knowledge you just can’t open the vault.

“Miss Reader..?” Your professor quietly asks, pulling you from your thoughts. “Are you able to-” You shake your head, feeling numb and cold all at the same time. “I’m sorry, no,” you whisper. It was one of the first things you learned in the class and one of the most important.

Your professor nods and mouths, ‘don’t worry,’ before turning to the rest of her class. “Alright then, you two are dismissed. Give them a round of applause for their work.”

The applause surrounds you but you do not feel it, and when you move back to your seat, you can’t help but feel embarrassed. The looks that you get from those around you are of pity and ‘she hasn’t learned anything this quarter, has she?’ It makes your face burn with embarrassment and you feel so unnaturally warm because of it. A rush of emotions comes over you when you see Helena’s shifty glances and hear her insipid giggles and you hurriedly get your things together and bolt out of the classroom.

Toby shoots up when you rush out and he’s not able to catch you. Instead, he sits in for the rest of the class to give you some space and anything else the professor may say. His glare is turned on Helena. When she flashes him that same sickly sweet, mocking smile, he sees red.

Class ends shortly after that, the professor clearly uncomfortable with whatever just happened with Helena and Toby is keeping his ire hidden until what comes after he deals with you. He’s got a few choice things in mind he’d like to do to Helena, mostly spinal disfigurement and popping bones from their joints and scattering them across the country, but he knows he has to play this as slimy as she did. He’s already conjuring up ways to academically cripple her.

Toby pushes those thoughts to the side before he makes his way to your dorm. He’s nodding to the guy at the front desk and running up the stairs to find you faster than his thoughts can even gather. He just wants to make sure you’re okay.

He walks through the hall of your floor before going over the room numbers. He’s only been in your dorm once - the two of you tend to spend time with each other outside of the campus. Twenty four hour McDonalds, out and about in the city, public parks, the two of you just like wandering. When he sees the numbers of your dorm, he internally sighs and knocks. “H-Hey, Reader? Y-You in t-t-there?” He asks as he knocks again.

From inside, you shuffle underneath your sheets. He’s here? You don’t answer.

“I j-just want to make s-sure you’re alright,” he continues in a soft voice. “If you n-need space though, I c-c-can go-” he barely makes the motion to move when you open the door just a crack.

You look up at Toby with dark, puffy eyes. You can’t bring yourself to say anything, but he can see that you’ve been through hell and back emotionally. You look like a mess, in less graceful words.

“Oh g-gods,” he murmurs as you push open the door just a bit more. “R-Reader,” he says softly as he takes you into his arms, his shoe gently pushing the door closed as you wrap your arms around his waist, taking in the scent of graphite and sandalwood as you sob into his chest. “What h-happened, s-sweetheart?” He asks softly as he rocks the two of you back and forth.

You continue to cry into his chest and grip onto the back of his hoodie as he gently maneuvers you to the side of your bed to let your tired body rest. “S-She’s so mean!” You cry as you continue to squeeze your eyes shut, still gripping Toby like he’s the only thing grounding you.

“What h-have they d-d-done to you?” He inquires in a tone just a little louder than a whisper. Internally, he knows he’ll make all three of those demons suffer and leave the school, by any means necessary. He just wants to hear it from you to know how hard he needs to fuck up their lives. Judging by this interaction alone? It’s monumental.

You then go into a painful detailing of everything those girls have ever made you feel, at one point even bringing up the chats you have saved on your phone. Your breathing begins to even, but Toby’s vision grows redder and redder.

He listens to everything you say as you recount your pain to him and he grits his teeth. Especially those chats - those are unforgivable.

You’re exhausted by the time you finally finish telling him everything they’ve made you feel and the things they’ve done to make you feel this way. You finish it with just a few more words. “They make me feel so small,” you admit through sniffles and broken breaths. “They just - they made me feel so left out and so insignificant,” you admit, still wiping away tears.

Toby holds you tighter before one of his hands reaches up to cup your cheek. “N-No! You’re n-not insignificant, you’re e-everything and m-more,” he begins to ramble. “Y-You’re s-s-so smart and p-put together and o-on top of i-it,” he continues, his thumb wiping away your residual tears.

“You’re just saying that-”

“I w-would never,” he cuts you off in a tone that’s more serious than he intended. “I m-mean everything I s-s-say and those g-girls suck. They d-don’t hold a candle to you,” he says as he cups your face.

“Toby…”

Toby hushes you by pressing a soft, almost scared he might spook you kiss to your lips as if he’s testing the waters. When you make no motion to fight him, he presses just a little more fervently before pulling away, leaving you with stars in your eyes. “I’ll handle e-e-everything, okay?” He promises softly, watching as the stars fade to exhaustion. “G-Get some r-r-rest,” he coos.

You allow him to lay you down as he moves the blankets to cover you before he gets up to turn off the lights. “You’re going to handle it?” You whisper as you allow sleep to veil over your body.

“Y-Yes, I’ll handle e-e-everything,” he promises again, flicking the lights off.

Toby fumbles through the dark for just a moment before slipping back into bed with you, allowing you to wrap around him like an octopus. He cradles you in his arms, his lips pressing to your forehead. “Sleepy t-time,” he mumbles as you cuddle into his chest.

You smile softly and feel your body go light, only anchored by Toby’s warm embrace.

[p1harmonyofficial]

[📰] P1Harmony May Be New to K-Pop, But They're Beauty Experts

By Devon Abelman

"Pots-and-pans music" is what Keeho, the leader of P1Harmony, lovingly calls the K-pop group's songs. They're loud, explosive, and essentially caffeine mainlined through your eardrums — all in the best way possible, of course.

"Because our music is so strong, we try to portray that in our hair and makeup as well," Keeho continues. "For me, my hair is all slicked back for our new song, 'Scared,' and our makeup is a lot darker than [for our debut single,] 'Siren.'"

In fact, Jongseob, P1Harmony's youngest member, adds their strikingly different hair colors, like Theo's whimsical light pink, Intak's sleek jet black, and Keeho's enigmatic navy blue, balance each other out and express the range of emotions portrayed in their lyrics and melodies.

But this is just a basic overview of P1Harmony and the intense aesthetic they've been building for the past six months since debuting in October 2020. In advance of the release of their new EP, Disharmony: Break Out, today, April 20, I sat down with the rookie K-pop group via Zoom to get a deeper look at each member, their individual relationships to beauty, and how they are choosing to present themselves now that they are on the world's stage.

Keeho

When I ask Keeho which P1Harmony song fits his personality best, he replies, "You can't really fit me in a box like that. There are various characters I can be." The 19-year-old from Canada even wears many hats throughout our interview. Not only is Keeho the group's official leader, but he's also their unofficial translator, color commentator, and storyteller — he truly has an aside or anecdote to share about everything.

The first tale Keeho tells dates back to second grade, when he begged his mom to let him get blonde streaks in his hair. "I was that kid in class," he remarks.

Then, Keeho delves into how his family introduced him to the wonders of beauty growing up. His mom, in particular, made him "do a five-, six-step skin-care routine," he recalls. Every morning before school, he'd splash his face with warm water ("must be warm water, so you open up the pores") and wash up with cleansing foam. Then, he'd rinse it off with cold water ("so you close them").  Although this isn't scientifically true, I'm glad this worked for him.

When layering on his serums and creams, "the first one you need to do is the most liquidy one and the last one you need to do is the one that is not liquidy at all," Keeho recalls his mom instructing him — a fact I confirm for him. Also, she'd tell him to never rub his skin-care products on, only pat.  

Last but not least, Keeho would (and still does) reach for sunscreen — "always sunscreen," he emphasizes. "My mom said, 'If you don't put it on, you're going to age like a raisin.'"

Keeho's older sister, on the other hand, brought him into the world of makeup by employing him as her guinea pig for testing out new looks. "I would let my sister put makeup on me all the time," Keeho says, mentioning Halloween as a common occasion for her artistry. They even playfully filmed YouTube beauty tutorials and challenges together.

One aspect of beauty Keeho has yet to try is a manicure, but he's ready to dive into that realm. "I think it would be fun," he says. A$AP Rocky's eye nail art that he showed off front row at Prada back in October 2019 is Keeho's major inspiration.

Intak

Another unofficial title Keeho has taken on within P1Harmony is hairstylist. Intak, the group's 17-year-old charismatic rapper and star dancer, credits him for his hair-care routine. "I learned how to use hair serum to volumize my hair when I go out," Intak says. Keeho goes on to explain that they both have incredibly dry hair, so he recommended his favorite moisturizing products to Intak and told him to rake them through his hair while it's still wet and only slightly towel-dried. Intak was so pleased with the result that he went out and bought the same products that day.

Although he has kept his hair black throughout his career so far, Intak is quick to share he's very experimental with beauty. For performances in the past, he's adorned his eyes with bloody scratch-like liner and ultra-sooty smoky eyes. Plus, you're about to see some cheek art on him and dramatically flushed cheeks.

Unlike Keeho, Intak didn't get into skin care until after debuting. "I've started visiting the dermatologist frequently," he says. "They gave me a set [of products] that includes [everything I need]." His favorite is a mask infused with avocado and peppermint, like the Tonymoly I'm Real Avocado Mask Sheet or Skinfood's Pear Mint Food Mask, which quenches his dehydrated skin.

Jiung

Spoken like a true Libra, Jiung is the first to mention he enjoys expressing himself through beauty and fashion. "[They are] really important things," the 19-year-old explains in English. "I always try to learn how to express myself that way. So the more I know, the more I can do."

However, when I ask Jiung what kinds of looks he feels the most confident in, he laughs before taking time to think about it. (In the meantime, Keeho shares he knows what he, personally, is least confident in: T-shirts, due to his long arms.) "This is hard," Jiung groans. I must say his short honey-blonde hair — a look he's always been curious about trying — is definitely bringing out a particularly magnetic side of him, as seen in the P-side track video for "If You Call Me."

When he was younger, Jiung dabbled in all different kinds of haircuts, colors, and perms, he lists off. The latter of which he looks forward to trying out again now as a K-pop star.

When the members were just trainees, Keeho helps Jiung recount a time when he wanted to fill in his eyebrows. "He did not how to do it at all," Keeho says. "He got a Sharpie and started coloring in his eyebrows. It was devastating, to say the least, for the people who had to see it."

"It was art," Jiung interjects. Now, he proudly declares he has a proper brow powder.

Theo

Theo, P1Harmony's straightforward vocalist, is admittedly a sneakerhead. He strictly wears Jordans, according to Keeho's translation. Air Jordan 1s are Theo's favorite style, but he can't pick a color that he's the biggest fan of. He can tell you what he feels least confident in, though: shorts and short-sleeved shirts. So if you barely see Theo in summery clothes, now you know why. (However, he doesn't offer up an exact explanation.)

Since elementary school, the now-19-year-old has permed and colored his hair every shade of ROYGBIV, including red, gray, and even blue for one summer break — all thanks to his mom, who is a hairstylist. This is a revelation even many of the other members weren't privy to, much to the chagrin of Keeho. "It's annoying me right now because his hair is healthy," he remarks. "My hair looks like a broom."

Knowing his hair is healthy comes as a shock to me, though, as Theo has gone from white-blonde to rosy-pink over the past six months. (Let's be real, that's a transformation few people's hair can handle.) He's also been able to grow out hair; it falls past his eyebrows and is starting to graze his shoulders in the back.

Honestly, Theo is ready for it to be short again, he shares. "I like my long hair, but I don't like it being in my face," he asserts. "I can't really maintain it. I bleached it so much that it flips in all different directions."

Soul

Before our interview officially started, the members and I exchanged weird facts about ourselves to get to know each other better beyond our beauty routines. Keeho revealed his left eyebrow has been twitching lately, and he needs to cuddle a body pillow to fall asleep. Intak has a freckle on his finger that his grandma often mistakes for dirt and tries to wipe off. Jiung had pet geckos, scorpions, and tarantulas growing up. Jongseob loves mint chocolate. Theo can't burp, and Soul enjoys petting insects.

But that's not the weirdest thing about him or any of the members. The strangest thing about the boys is that "Soul doesn't do anything at all [for his skin-care routine], and his skin is actually pretty good," Keeho says. (You can scroll through Soul's selfies on P1Harmony's Twitter to confirm this, but spoiler: His complexion is immaculate.)

Soul, 16, goes on to explain that his skin is incredibly dry and sensitive, so much so that even cleansing makes his face turn red and any bit of friction causes bumps to form. Needless to say, he's scared to put anything on his face. "I just do cleansing foam and leave it at that," Soul admits. Makeup isn't off the table, though. Soul is no stranger to subtle washes of pink shadow on his lids and fake eyebrow piercings made out of silver studs.

Although Soul is seemingly one of the shyest members and keeps to himself for most of the interview, he's an intense rockstar at heart. He favors P1Harmony's more aggressive, hard-hitting songs, like their new title song, "Scared."

Raise your hand if you'd like to see Soul with thick, black kohl or graphic blue liner and long, raven hair, perhaps paired with a studded leather jacket over a ripped-up T-shirt. OK, great; I'm not the only one. For now, we'll have to appreciate his bob-length ashy-blonde hair.

Jongseob

Other than his nuggets of knowledge about the way P1Harmony reflects their music in their hair and makeup, Jongseob mostly listens throughout the interview. Luckily, the 15-year-old rapper/songwriter did pipe up to share his skin-care routine.

First, Jongseob double-cleanses to remove his makeup, starting with cleansing oil and following up with a foam cleanser. Serum is slathered on next, then moisturizer. When his skin is feeling especially dry, Jongseob layers a gel cream on top as a sleeping mask — a tactic I'd never considered before. Typically, I reach for them in reverse order.

Jongseob's hair has also been through the wringer since P1Harmony's debut. Last October, he colored his hair lilac and gradually went darker shades of purple until it was an electric violet hue. Most recently, though, his dye job has been a fiery orange. Next, Jongseob says he wants to try gray with an ash tone.

And this is just the beginning of P1Harmony's journey through the mystical world of K-pop beauty. This time next year, they're sure to have experimented with even bolder, brighter, and more eccentric looks. For now, you can check out a teaser for their brand-new music video for "Scared" of their latest EP, Disharmony: Break Out, below.

[lov3nerdstuff]

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 6.4}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 4.7k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

______________________________

The moment they were back in Snape's office, Robin got started on making them coffee. It was early afternoon by now, and she was well aware that there still was plenty of work to be done before they could move on over to the lab. Once again she offered her help with his work, but his (admittedly very much justified) objection remained that he couldn't let her grade other students' essays, and Robin had to accept that. Thus she merely sat down at the smaller table with her own coffee after handing him his, and henceforth listened to him complaining about the many stupid mistakes the second years had made in their essays. Eventually it became a real game between them, to keep a list of the most ridiculous things people had written in their essays, and to rank them by their level of idiocy. Robin, void of anything else to do for once, actually wrote it all down on a piece of parchment, both the most ridiculous statements and the ranking points they had given them.

In the end, they successfully managed to miss dinner entirely, as their game was more entertaining than either of them had anticipated. But the work was done, and Robin was proud to say that she had made it less dreadful for him after all. Even if not entirely on purpose, but still very much willingly.

"You know, you could probably fill an entire lesson just with reading out the dumbest quotes on this list and have the students figure out why it's so wrong." Robin sighed with a smirk as she stretched in her chair. The piece of parchment in front of her looked almost like a piece of art at this point, littered not only with the most desperately wrong quotes from the essays, but also Robin's corrections of them, as well as some extended elaborations on the matter and little drawings of ingredients. Yes, she had been that bored between judging ridiculous quotes.

"I could. Should I, however?" He raised an eyebrow at Robin with a not-smirk while he got up from behind his desk at last, only to sit down again across from her at the small table. Without taking his eyes off hers, he snatched the piece of parchment out from under her fingertips and only then lowered his gaze to inspect it. A few seconds passed before he frowned, and Robin smiled.

"I think you should." She remarked innocently, replying to his earlier question while leaning back in her chair. "Have them correct the mistakes, that is, not mock the person who made them."

"I am surprised that you bothered to correct them."

"Didn't have much else to do between judging students' idiocracy. Besides, at this point I really should know the second year topics, shouldn't I? Did them twice, after all."

"Twice because…?"

"Once in my own second year and then again last year when tutoring Jorien and Cas. So technically I only did them once, and then tried to teach them a second time."

"You still tutor your roommates regularly?"

"Yeah." Robin shrugged with a smile. "Not just them though, and by far not only in potions. Just this morning I actually had sixteen students, can you imagine?! Sixteen thirteen-year-olds! And they actually listened to what I said!!!"

Now Snape's eyebrows rose in surprise, but the not-smirk turned into a real one; small, but definitely visible. "I had no idea that was even a possibility."

"Me neither!" Robin laughed, then kept on grinning. "So, just in case you get a suspicious amount of high quality essays from your third years next week, you know who to blame. Or who to thank."

"We will see about that." He replied with the same smirk, but then continued on a more serious note as he took another look at the parchment in his hands. "May I keep this?"

"Sure." Robin shrugged easily, and for whatever reason her heart skipped a beat. "I hope you can decipher all of it… I didn't specifically try for readability."

"I have been reading your handwriting for years, Robin. Not only in tests or essays written specifically to be handed in, but in scribbles and working notes as well. I would even say I know it quite as well as my own."

"Good." Robin couldn't help grinning at him with enough excitement to make him frown a little in suspicion. Before he could ask however, she had already summoned her handbook out of her backpack and dropped it on the table in front of him with a dull thud. "Because there's something else I have been dying to show you."

_______________

A quiet rustling of sheets, soft breathing, hushed whispers. "Robin…" The mattress dipped gently at her side. She smiled, curling a little closer around the new source of warmth. "ROBIN!!!"

She jumped at the loud voice, sitting up with a start, and her head bumped against something hard in an instant.

"Ow…" She grumbled with a deep frown, rubbing her now aching forehead in an instant, while her eyes finally went into focus enough to see Cas sitting in front of her on her bed, rubbing her forehead just the same. Jorien sat on the other side, laughing at both their misery without a hint of guilt or pity.

"Very funny, you guys…" Robin groaned tiredly as she crossed her legs underneath her to make room for the two girls. "The last time you woke me up like this was-..."

"Happy birthday, Robin!" Both girls cheered before she could finish her sentence, and Robin had to smile despite the small mishap.

"Thank you! Is it really the twentieth already? Again?" She sighed, but by now she knew that resistance to Cas was hard, and resistance to Jorien was entirely futile.

"Twentieth of October, six o'clock in the morning!" Cas grinned, and crossed her legs as well while Jorien followed suit a few seconds later.

"Six?! Good gods…" Robin groaned exaggeratedly and frowned at them with a desperate smile. "Why on earth would you wake me up this early?"

"Because it's Thursday and our present for you requires some time before breakfast." Jorien replied factually, and Cas nodded in her usual giddy eagerness.

"Do I need to be scared?" Robin inquired with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. She knew that look on their faces, and she knew that they were up to something. A second later, a small box very much like the one she had received last year was placed in her lap and Robin opened it with a curious smile. When her eyes fell onto the contents however, her brows furrowed, and she looked up at Cas and Jorien with a big question mark on her face.

"We're not doing anything you don't want to, of course… But you liked those onyx earrings so much when we went to Hogsmeade, so we decided to get them for you." Cas shrugged with an excited smile, and Jorien merely nodded in no less amusement.

"That is very sweet of you, but you realize that I don't actually have any holes in my ears but the ones nature demands, yes?"

"Yet. That is part of the present." Cas replied mischievously, and both girls smiled at Robin in a way that made her realize that they were absolutely serious in what they were planning to do. It humored her more than it probably should have.

"Alright." Robin said with an easy smile. "Thank you for the lovely present. If you take joy in stabbing holes into my skin, feel free to. I don't mind."

"Wait… really?!" Cas frowned incredulously. "I thought you were going to protest! I prepared an entire speech to convince you that it was for the best!"

"I told you she would be all for it." Jorien shrugged at her friend, with a humored smile similar to the one Robin wore herself. "And you didn't write a speech, you practiced saying 'please' in as many ways as possible."

"Don't tell her that!" Cas protested with a roll of her eyes, and Robin merely had to chuckle at the two of them. They were like an old married couple sometimes, and it was hilarious and adorable at once to observe. Cas turned to Robin once again. "Anyway, we asked McGonagall for a spell to pierce your ears that wouldn't blow your head off along the way, so you don't have to worry about a thing. It's all approved and safe for use."

"I'm not worried." Robin replied easily, and really she thought the idea was rather sweet. It was such a typical teenager thing to do… something of the kind she had never spent a second thinking about before now. But to Cas and Jorien it actually seemed to be of immense importance to do this themselves, and Robin felt touched that they included her in their spark of youthful rebellion. And she wouldn't mind getting her ears pierced after all. "So… You actually asked McGonagall for a spell?"

"Who did you expect us to ask?! What Professor Snape is for you, McGonagall is for Jorien. I'm just swimming on her wave." Cas explained, then motioned for Jorien to go ahead and do the actual work. A typical Cas move, giving the speech and leaving the work for someone else. "This is probably going to hurt, so you might want to grab something."

"Don't worry, it takes a lot to hurt me these days." Robin sighed and for once, she would just have to trust them; there wasn't much that could go wrong anyway. "But try to keep my head intact, alright?"

Ten minutes later, and luckily without any accidents, Robin had two neat holes in her ears and could at last make use of the gift she'd received. Two studs of black onyx, small but just as gorgeous as she remembered them to be from the two times they had looked at them through the shopwindow in Hogsmeade. She smiled when she looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the subtle new detail about her appearance. The deep black really was a sharp contrast to her ashen skin, but so was her dark hair anyway. The new piece of jewelry probably wouldn't be all too noticeable in comparison to that.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, birthday girl…" Cas declared dramatically, still lounging on Robin's bed even while Robin herself had gotten up. "Now we just need to get a little colour onto your face and you're ready to seize this day!"

Robin spun around to face them in an instant, glaring at the two girls in both horror and defense. There was a lot she would let them do to her, but that most definitely did not include turning her into a canary! "Cas no! Absolutely not!"

"Cas yes!"

"Jorien?" Robin pleaded with both her tone and her eyes while moving back over to her bed and to the girls. "I already let you make holes into my ears!"

"Sorry, but it's all part of our present." Jorien shrugged with a sympathetic half smile before she moved off the bed to get ready. "Just let it happen."

"What is your present if it includes piercing my ears and painting my face?!"

"We're making you pretty, dumbass! Like they do in the movies!" Cas groaned loudly and rolled off the bed as well to pad back towards her own. "You're bloody 17 now! And you still don't have any dates! We're trying to get you one."

"Not that again…" Robin sighed in return, hiding her head in her hands for a moment to regain some composure before she started getting dressed for the day of classes. "Don't you guys have anything better to do than meddling in my affairs?"

"No." Both Jorien and Cas replied at the same time, then giggled at their synchrony, and Robin finally had to realize that resistance was futile indeed. Sometimes living with thirteen-year-olds demanded a sacrifice; sometimes Robin just had to make concessions to their youth. And honestly, she couldn't deny them a thing, being as excited as they were about this now.

"Fine…" She sighed at last, mindlessly buttoning up her blouse with long practiced moments, then tugged it into her trousers. "You may paint my face if it means so much to you. But I'll get the bathroom first, now and all to myself. And I forbid you to use anything actually colourful."

"But colour is the best part! It's ALL colour!!!" Cas cried as she struggled into her tights. "Some charcoal would do wonders on your eyes!"

"Black isn't actually a colour but a value." Jorien corrected with a roll of her eyes. "So technically you can use all the black, white and grey you want."

"Precisely! Thank you, Jorien, your thought-out input is always very much appreciated." Robin smiled proudly at the girl, who in return grinned to herself upon the praise. "Now, do we have an agreement? I get the bathroom first and you will use no colours, but you may otherwise do with my hair and face as you please. Deal?"

"Deal!"

… … …

In the end, Robin had to make another compromise: in exchange for not getting any brown paste and powder onto her face, which Cas seemed to be very fond of unfortunately, she had to agree to let them use colours, dark colours, on her eyes. Thus Robin ended up sitting on her bed, sighing repeatedly, while Cas painted her face and Jorien braided her hair. Honestly, she still didn't know how or why exactly she (the older one!) had become their dress up doll, but under the pretext of 'making her look pretty for her birthday', Robin still found herself unable to deny them. Even if, on the inside, she very much felt like running.

When all three of them made their way towards the great hall for breakfast at last, Robin still felt mildly uncomfortable. The braid Jorien had forced her hair into was rather charming actually, and also very much useful to keep the wavy, bushy mess out of her face, but she wasn't so sure about the 'smokey' black, brown and green Cas had layered around her eyes. Robin felt more like a raccoon than herself… but in comparison to what some (few) of her classmates wore on a daily basis, or those women in the magazines Cas read instead of books, it still was subtle enough to tolerate for a day. Makeup may be fun for some other people, which was fine, but it most definitely wasn't for Robin and she had a rather strong interest in not repeating this masquerade. Oh well… she still would be racoon-Robin for a day now. Besides, it would break the girls' hearts if she didn't suffer through it with a smile on her face, so that's what she did as they hurried to breakfast.

"And where would we be coming from?" A taunting voice stopped all three of them just outside the great hall, and Robin had to smile while the other two looked rather panicked upon the unexpected appearance of their potions teacher. "Miss Miller, Miss Blakeley… Punctuality is a virtue, not an option. Breakfast started fifteen minutes ago. You are late."

"So are you, professor..." Robin replied with an innocent smile, which however turned into more of a smirk as soon as her eyes met his. "Isn't that a funny coincidence?"

Snape approached them with long strides and his usual public facade, and the closer he came, the more Cas and Jorien hid behind Robin. She still didn't understand how they could miss the humor in his face that even now was obvious as day! All they saw was the menacing scowl he wanted them to see. That they probably wanted to see as well; expectation and prejudice were the masters of deceit in one's own mind.

"Funny." He said to Robin in a particularly flat tone that made her bite her lip to keep from laughing, then he turned to look at Jorien and Cas instead. "You two would do well to be on time from now on, even if for a mere meal. I tolerate no slacking. Now find your seats before your classmates leave nothing but their empty plates for you." With that, he motioned for them to get going, clasping his hands behind his back with that indifferent look that made Robin smile even more.

"Robin…? Are you coming?" Jorien asked carefully while Cas straight out started walking off already, gaining as much distance to Snape as possible until she disappeared out of sight. Jorien still stood between Robin and the doors, looking at her insecurely.

"You should be fine without your precious Robin for five minutes, or is that too much to ask?" Snape drawled in feigned annoyance, and Robin gave him a look before turning to Jorien.

"I'll be there in five minutes, just save me a seat and some toast, will you?" She smiled at the girl as positively as possible, who only nodded with a weak smile in return before quickly following behind Cas, out of sight.

"Did you have to scold them for something so minor?" Robin finally asked as she turned back to Snape with a small frown. "They were only late because of me, or rather because of what they did for me. Today, at least…" Really, they were usually late for all meals. No matter what day it was, and no matter if they were with Robin or without her.

"Had they been any later, all they would have found left is scrapings. It might have slipped your notice, but their classmates are more animals than civilised beings when it comes to meals." He pointed out calmly, and Robin had to sigh. He was right. "Unless you wish to show them how to use the kitchens or leave them to fend for themselves in the future, I would prefer to teach them punctuality."

"Yeah, alright, I see your point." She said with another sigh. "Nevermind. I usually prefer being early anyway."

"I am aware." He replied with a not-smirk, upon which Robin had to smile again as well. "Is that colour in your face the reason for your mutual lateness?"

"Ah, well, yes." Robin chuckled awkwardly, and before she knew her fingers nervously brushed over the rough spot of skin on her neck again. "It is, uh… it's part of their birthday present to me, I guess. They insisted on it."

For a moment Snape observed her closely, with a curious frown that made Robin feel both nervous and tingly. He leaned a little closer for a second, then back again. "Something else about you is different than it was yesterday evening, but I cannot tell what it is."

"Well, uh, I also let them pierce my ears, because they really wanted to, so it's probably that." Robin shrugged with an almost apologetic frown. Did he observe everyone that closely? Probably.

His eyebrows rose in surprise, torn between incredulity, humor and irritation. "Why would you let them do all that to you? I was under the impression that people did nice things for others on their birthdays…"

"They gave me earrings, so they also had to make sure I could wear them. And as for the colour on my face… you better don't ask what made them do that to me." She shrugged again, deeming the way he said 'nice' highly amusing. "I let them do it because it quite obviously made them happy."

"It is your birthday. People are supposed to ensure you are happy."

"Oh, I'm quite happy as it is." Robin replied with a small smirk, and a soaring heart once more. "I can manage looking like a raccoon for the day. Perhaps it'll scare Morgan off at least."

A quiet snort escaped him before he could make an effort to remain stoic, and even then he seemed to struggle not to smirk. "Raccoon certainly is not what I think of when I look at you, Robin. But you make me curious about their reason to obviously try for exactly that visual."

Now Robin had to snort as well, shaking her head to herself. Damn, she didn't want to tell him… but she also knew that she could deny him even less than the two girls. What was it about the people she cared about?! The only weak spot she knew of, and they all were entirely oblivious to it.

"If you have to know, they wanted to make me look pretty for the day." She sighed, but as soon as he even made an attempt to reply, she added, "Don't. Please. No scorn or mocking on my birthday. I know I look stupid, but I have to make concessions if I want to keep my sanity when living with them, and this was such an instance. I could have looked far worse."

"I was merely going to say that they obviously have a strange concept of beauty if they are blind enough to try to cover it up with paint." He said as if it wasn't enough to make Robin's entire body feel too hot all of a sudden. Actually, he didn't even seem to realize what exactly he had just said in the first place as he went on. "I do very well understand your need to make concessions, and your diplomacy is certainly appropriate. However you don't have to tolerate everything they do to you merely because I told you to watch over them."

"I know. That's not why I do it, not at all." She sighed, regaining control over her heartbeat by simply ignoring what he hadn't even said on purpose. "They care about me, they really do, and they only want the best for me in their own kind of way. A thirteen-year-old way, which unfortunately entails trying to draw more positive attention to me."

He frowned at that, with a lingering hint of amusement. "They paint your eyes black to draw positive attention to you? How… curious."

"I know, right?" She huffed in both humor and dread. "I for my part like black better than anything else they could've put on my fave, but it's probably the wrong colour to make other people think 'pretty' and not 'scary'. I forbid them to use bright colours though, so perhaps it is my fault that I'll scare people off all day, which I do almost every day anyway, so-..."

"Robin." He quirked an eyebrow at her, and Robin took a deep breath to untangle the mess in her head that caused her to ramble.

"Yes. Sorry. Nevermind, just forget about it."

"Give me your hand." He ordered calmly an instant later, holding his own out to her with his palm facing up. Robin's heart skipped a beat, but she did as he said without question, placing her hand in his only to feel the familiar surge of electricity running up her arm and through her body.

To her surprise, he turned her hand around to rest in his with the inside facing up as well. Then, without a word, a small spark of light flickered to life inside her palm. It glowed softly in different colours that came and went so quickly it left the light white, an addition of all colours, and yet black at once in its subtraction. Robin couldn't have described it even if she'd wanted to, for her eyes and mind were too drawn to their hands to even try such a thing. The spark grew, not into a bigger light, but into a shape, a web of atoms that made up matter one by one. It grew, blossomed and rooted until at last it took on the unmistakable shape of a flower. A flower Robin had never seen before, one that was entirely black in its impossible existence, but yet consisted of all the colours in existence indeed. She couldn't take her eyes of it as it rested in her palm, all light gone but the impossible colours remained. His hand was still curled around hers, long fingers brushing against the delicate skin of her wrist beneath the cuff of her blouse… Robin didn't know which of the two fascinated, enchanted her more. Perhaps both did, in a different way.

"Now, would you expect someone to deem this flower scary?" He asked after a few seconds, dropping his hand from hers at last.

"No…" Robin replied quietly, holding the blossom in her palm like the greatest treasure. "It's beautiful, breathtaking even. I've never seen anything like it."

"Because it stems from your mind alone, which makes it entirely unique in its existence."

"But, how… I mean…" She didn't even know what to say, leave alone what to think, neither in a positive nor in a negative way. Why had he shown this beautiful piece of magic to her? Why hadn't she known that he could do something like this in the first place?! The overwhelming urge to be closer to him overcame her when she looked up at him, and it couldn't even be lessened by his perfect neutral facade. Gods, why did he always hide when she wanted to see him the most?! "Why?"

"It is nothing but a reminder that darkness does not scare everyone." He replied neutrally, neither bothering to feign indifference nor to let his honest expression shine through. A few seconds passed in silence, and they merely looked at each other as they did so often.

"Thank you." Robin finally said, giving him the most sincere smile that had graced her lips all day. "It's a lovely gift."

"It isn't a gift." He was quick to respond though, frowning first, then looking almost humored again. "But it might counteract the racoon visual nonetheless."

Robin chuckled, closing her eyes for a second to dwell in the happiness of the moment. The overwhelming bunch of emotions tied to the impossible flower in her hand. "Well, thank you either way. I appreciate your help with my facial issues."

Finally the not-smirk was back on his face, and if Robin wasn't mistaken, so was the humor in his eyes. "What kind of… person would I be if I didn't help you even with the most obscure problems?" Again he raised his eyebrows at her, and she smiled brightly enough to light up the entire hallway, until he spoke on. "That, among other things, is why I want you to be prepared at two o'clock this afternoon."

"Huh?" Robin's brows furrowed into a deep frown in an instant. "Prepared for what?"

"To play along." He smirked for real this time, quite obviously basking in her confusion. "You will see."

Then, without another word, Snape turned on his spot and disappeared down the hallway towards the dungeons before Robin could say another thing. Two seconds later, the doors to the great hall were opened by the first students already leaving breakfast, and they stormed the hallway with enough noise and chattering to break Robin free of her frozen state. Did Snape actually enjoy being that cryptic?! He probably did; insufferable idiot.

Robin sighed to herself, looking at the flower in her hand in careful consideration, then moved to tie it into her hair with a smile. Having this little piece of magic with her, his magic, would certainly make her day a lot better, even if it was prone to cause her constant tingles. Who cares… it was her birthday, she could allow herself to enjoy one single day of dwelling in her feelings. And besides, nobody had to know who had given her such an impossible flower; it wasn't a gift after all, just a point proven.

As Robin made her way into the great hall at last, hoping that at least some kind of food was left for her, she wondered what would be happening at two o'clock. She really couldn't wait to know. Then again, the anticipation and excitement of not knowing was also quite delightful. Two o'clock… that was a third into her defense against the dark arts class. And that meant whatever was going to happen, it could only be an improvement.

______________________________

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[yayeetsonny]

Family~Krashlyn x Baby Reader

Prompt: Baby r is super short (shorter than Crystal lol), she is super close with Ali and Ash, they are like parents to her since her home life isn't great and her actual parents suck ass. She’s bummed about a father daughter dance and tries to hide it but Ash and Ali get her to spill. Ash saves the day

Requested By: Anonymous 

TW: Mentions of Neglect, verbal and emotional abuse and Anxiety. Brief depictions Verbal/emotional and brief physical abuse.

Y/N PRO//

I have always been jealous of kids whose parents are actually decent human beings. Jealous of those who have a good relationship with their parents and their mom and dad are actually nice to them and care about them. My parents are all about themselves, they never make time for me and I’m pretty sure if they had it their way they would have abandon me years ago. The only reason they haven’t is because of their precious “Image” They are some pretty powerful people in the business world and they don’t want their reputations ruined by any bad publicity. They see me as secondary to their company, and they are always leaving me alone in the house for long stretches of time. On the off chance they are home they make a point to tell me how pathetic I am and how I’m useless or worth nothing. They admonish me for my grades in school even when I’m doing really well and they call my social anxiety “ridiculous” and tell me I need to “get over it.” 

My life isn’t all bad though. I have made a pretty good name for myself, I’m a pro soccer player in the NWSL for the Orlando Pride and I play on the National team. Even at the tender age of 15, I have been afforded all these amazing opportunities and I have several college scholarships waiting for me. It’s amazing, and I have some of the best people in the world supporting me and my dreams. My Pride teammates of course and my national teammates as well, they’ve all be my anchors through everything but 2 people have always stood out above the rest. My teammates and ‘moms’ Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris. They are my biggest role models and the parents I’ve always wanted. I would not be where I am without them. I don’t speak very much around anyone but them but everyone else understands and doesn’t push me to talk.

Speaking of those two I’m currently smooshed in a Krashlyn sandwich as I make my way onto the field for Pride practice.

“Hey shorty! Good to see you!” Ash said 

“Hey baby girl, How was school?” Ali asked 

“Hey guys, good to see you too. School was okay.” I said once they pulled away

“Just okay? Why’s that?” 

They looked at me concerned. They both knew about my social anxiety and how sometimes school was really hard for me. I only shrugged in return.

“Come on Y/N, what is it?” 

They got me to move over to a bench and sit in between them.

I once again only shrugged.

“Please tell us?”

I let out a tired sigh but knew I could trust them with anything.

“ My anxiety was getting in the way of a lot today.” I said, suddenly finding my shoes very interesting. 

“Hey…”

Ali put her finger under my chin and gently lifted my head so we’d make eye contact.

“What have we talked about when it comes to your anxiety?”

“That it doesn’t define me and that it’s okay if I have hard days sometimes.” I mumbled

“And what else?” Ashlyn chimed in

“And that I can always talk to you guys about it and that I don’t need to be ashamed of it. I know, I just don’t want you guys to think I’m weak or-”

“Hey, no. Don’t do that to yourself.”

“We know not everyday is going to be happy, full of sunshine and rainbows. That doesn’t make you any less strong and it most certainly doesn’t make you weak.”

“Thanks guys. I needed that reminder.” I said wiping the tear that had started to fall.

“We’ll always be here to let you know just how great you are.” Ashlyn smiled softly at me

“You ready to practice or do you need a minute?”

“I’m ready.”

I stood up, shook out any extra nerves and Ali leaned down to kiss me on the head.

“You know, kid… you’re really short.” She laughed

“I know.” I giggled

“I’m pretty sure you’re shorter than Crystal.” Ashlyn chuckled

“No way!” 

“Yeah I think so! She’s what… 5’0 feet even? How tall are you?”

“4’9 and 1/2” I mumbled

“Oh man! You are short.” 

“It’s not funny!”

I pouted at them as they continued to laugh at me but after a moment I smiled and joined in.

“Okay, okay. Time to get to work kids.” Ali said

“Yes mom” Ash and I said

We made our way to the center of the field where the rest of our teammates were. Alex Morgan and Carson Pickett among them.

“Hey, Krashlyn! Mini Krashlyn!” Carson Pickett said, excitedly running up and giving us all a hug.

“Hi.” I said 

“Hey guys! Hey mini K, how you been?” Alex asked coming up and also giving us hugs.

The Pride and national team all called me “Mini Krashlyn” or “Mini K” because they know how close I am with Ash and Ali and they consider us “America’s cutest family.” It’s a little silly but mostly really cute.

I waved and gave her a thumbs up.

She smiled at me softly in return

We were interrupted by coach telling us to get to work.

“Alright ladies! Let’s go, you know the drill. Warm up and then get on the line!” 

I rolled my eyes at the thought of doing suicides or sprints first but did as told. After we warmed up I got on the line in between Alex and Ali. Ashlyn was on Alex’s other side and our other teammates filled the rest of the line.

“You ready, kid?” Alex asked

I nodded and smiled in return.

Coach Skinner blew his whistle and we were off. We started out with sprints and then moved to suicides. By the end everyone was panting and trying to catch their breath. Well everyone except for Marta, she looked barley winded.

I just shook my head at her.

She shrugged in return, smirking at me. After a quick water break we moved onto drills. We went through, passing, defending and shooting drills and then a scrimmage before coach called it a day. We said good bye to our teammates before Ash and Ali gave me a ride home.

“You did good today, kid.” 

“Thanks.”

The ride to my house was in relatively comfortable silence with just the radio softly playing in the background but no one seemed to mind. Once they pulled up and stopped at the curb I got out and grabbed my stuff from the back.

“Bye guys. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the ride.”

“Y/N, wait.” Ash stopped me before I could go any further 

“Are you sure, you don’t wanna just spend the night at our place?”

I had told them that my parents were out of town and they knew what that meant. They tried to let me handle things how I saw fit but since I was only 15 they worried about me being alone for too long and sometimes convinced me to stay with them for a few days. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. Thanks for the offer though. My parents should be home tonight.”

“Are you sure? They don’t seem to commit to being home on time and we-”

“Ash I’m good. I promise. See you tomorrow.” I cut her off

I could tell they were conflicted about leaving me here but I gave them the best reassuring smile I could and they let it go.

“See you tomorrow, Y/N. We love you.”

“I love you guys too.”

I closed the car door, they waited for me to unlock my door before driving off. When I got inside I dropped my bag on the floor and sunk down next to it. My parents were actually coming home today and I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing them. 

I knew I needed to clean the house a little bit, so after sitting for a while longer I got up and got to cleaning. After a couple hours everything seemed to be the way they liked it, spotless. So I deemed it done and went to put away the supplies. As I was doing that I heard the front door open and rushed to finish putting everything away. I then made sure I looked “presentable” and made my way to the front of the house.

“Hi, mom. Hi dad. How was your trip?” I said as I came face to face with them for the first time in 2 weeks.

“Is the house clean?” My father asked completely ignoring what I said

“Yes sir.”

“It better be.”

My mom did little to even acknowledge my presence, only going as far to hand me her luggage and point upstairs. She then followed my father as he inspected my cleaning job. I rolled my eyes but brought her bag up anyways. I would have taken my dad’s too but he hates when I touch his stuff.

“Y/N M/N L/N!” dad yelled from wherever there were in the house. Oh man, he sounds really mad.

I went downstairs, and after searching for a minute I found them in the guest room.

“Yes sir?”

“What is this?” He asked sharply, showing me his hand that had a white glove with dust on it.

“Dust, sir.” 

“And why is there dust in this room?” His voice was dangerously low.

“I-I’m sorry sir, I did the best that I could.”

“Yeah, well your best isn’t good enough! You worthless waste of space. Clean the whole house again!”

“The whole house? But sir it’s just a little dust, I can-”

I didn’t get to finish because I felt a stinging sensation in my cheek and only after did I realize he had slapped me. I was dumbfounded, he had never done that before, he’d only ever yell at me and break the occasional vase but I never thought he’d actually hit me.

“Don’t ever talk to me like that again.” He growled 

I didn’t realize that I started crying.

“Stop crying before I give you something to really cry about.”

I stood there, stunned. I knew my parents were awful but I never thought either of them would put their hands on me. I wasn’t sure what to do, I wanted to call Ash and Ali but decided against it because I knew that they would most likely want to kill my father for this. I really wish my parents loved me. 

I did what my father said and cleaned the whole house again but this time I paid extra attention to the guest room and when it was finished I decided to go to bed. I could have eaten dinner but I was too exhausted to even try.

The next day…

At school I stayed more to myself than usual and made no real effort to talk to anyone. I was just walking to my next class when a very cheery girl, who looked to be a senior came up to me and in a cheery voice said

“Hey! The father daughter dance is next week on Friday night, don’t miss out!” 

She then handed me a flyer and all but, skipped away. I stood there for a moment wondering how someone could be so… happy, then I looked at the flyer and it read

“Spring Father-Daughter Dance! Next Friday, the 18th at 7! Don’t miss it!” 

I just scoffed at the idea of attending it with my dad, there was no way he would take me or even consider it. I just crumpled up the flyer and shoved it in my bag. Stupid dance, stupid flyer. 

I carried on with the rest of my day continuing to keep to myself. As much as I hated to admit it; I really wanted to go to the dance. I always wondered what a father-daughter dance was like and wish more than anything my dad actually carried enough to go. I knew that would never happen so I just continued to sulk about it until the school day was over.

When I got home I wasn’t surprised to find that my parents were gone, again and they wouldn’t be back for awhile. So I decided to call Ashlyn and Ali. Ali picked up on the first ring.

“Y/N?”

“Hi Ali, um- well, m-my parents left and they won’t be back for a-awhile and I was wondering if I could stay with you guys? I know we normally just have dinner together on Tuesdays but I just thought that w-we could-”

“Y/N! It’s okay, yes of course you can stay with us. We’ll be there in 15 minutes.” She said cutting off my rambling.

“Okay, thank you.” 

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“Of course Y/N. See you soon.”

“See you.”

After we hung up I went to go pack a bag and I couldn’t help but have a bounce in my step as I did. The 15 minutes flew by and before I knew it I was meeting Ash and Ali out front and they were putting my bag in the car.

“You, okay?” Ashlyn asked coming around and giving me a hug

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

“How was school?” Ali asked as I got in the car.��

At the mention of school I went silent. I had forgotten about the sour mood it had put me in but now I remembered why and became sad all over again. 

“Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

“I asked you how school was?” Ali turned off the car and turned around in her seat.

“Oh, it was fine.” I said trying not to look at either of them.

“Are you sure? You seem upset about it.” Ash said

“Yeah I’m sure. Nothing upsetting me today!” I said hoping they would believe me.

Ashlyn PRO//

Ali and I shared a worried glance as we watched Y/N avoid our eyes. We knew something was bothering her but didn’t want to push, so we just let it go and see if she would tell us on her own. The drive back to our house was quiet and not in a good way. I really hoped Y/N would open up to us soon, I hated when things got awkward between her, Ali and I.

When we got back to the house Y/N got out, without a word, got her stuff and headed to the garage, waiting for us to open it to let her in. After Ali and I once again shared a worried glance we opened it so she could go in and she did, presumably disappearing to the guest room.

“Do you have any Idea what could be bothering her?” 

“Not a clue.”

“Do you think her anxiety is acting up?”

“No… Well maybe but we just talked about that yesterday. She knows she doesn’t have to hide that from us.”

“Hmm… I’m sure she’ll tell us when she’s ready.”

We talked for a few more minutes before heading inside. We decided to leave Y/N be and get started on dinner. After we were done we called her into the dinning room and we sat down to eat. We knew school was possibly a sensitive topic but since she said it was “fine” we decided to ask about her day anyway.

“So… learn anything new in school?”

“W-we learned about fossils.” She mumbled

“That’s cool! Anything exciting happen?”

She once again looked uncomfortable and I started to think this may have been a bad idea.

“N-nope. Nothing.” 

“Y/N are you sure you’re okay?” I asked

“Ash…” Ali said, putting her hand on my arm.

“What? I just want make sure she’s okay.”

“I’m fine. School was fine.”

“Why do you seem so bothered every time we ask about it then?” 

“I don’t know.”

She looked down at her shoes and I knew her facade was starting to waver. I didn’t want to push but I was starting to become really concerned.

“Hey… What is it?”

“It’s no big deal.”

“Anything bothering you is a big deal.”

“I’m fine.” She said but her voice cracked, giving away how she really felt

“We all know that’s not true. Y/N, please talk to us. It’s okay.” 

“There’s a father-daughter dance next Friday.” She said quietly 

“Oh, babe. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because it’s stupid. Not like I have a dad to go with anyways.” She said angrily 

“Hey, no… It’s not stupid, not if it was bothering you and you want to go. Do you?”

“Yeah but it doesn’t matter. My dad would never willingly go.” 

“I’m sorry he treats you so poorly it’s not fair.” I paused for a moment before coming up with an idea. I decided to keep it a secret for now and tell Ali later when Y/N goes to bed.

“It is what it is.” She mumbled

“Well, what if we had a movie night to cheer you up?” I said

“Thanks guys, but I think I’m just gonna go to bed. May I be excused?”

“Sure, kiddo.”

We smiled sympathetically at her as she made her way to the guest room. As soon as the door shut I turned to Ali with a big grin on my face.

“What?”

“I have an idea, but we have to keep it a secret from Y/N.”

“Okay? What is it?”

“We hold our own dance right here. On the same night as the father daughter one!”

“Ash, that’s brilliant!”

“i know, but shhh, we can’t let her know.”

“When did she say it was?”

“Next Friday.”

“Perfect. I have some calls to make.”

After talked more about the plan, we agreed to call all of our teammates, from both the Pride and the national team. I started with Alex since she was on both teams.

“Hey Al?” 

“Hi Ash, what’s up?”

“Well, I’m planning a dance for Y/N. With Ali’s help of course. It’s next week on Friday night. She’s bummed about the father-daughter dance at school and I thought we could throw a better one to cheer her up.”

“Ash that’s so thoughtful. Do you need help with decorations and that kind of stuff?”

“That would be great, yeah.”

“I’m on it and I’ll text everyone and tell them not to spill the beans.”

“Thanks Al.”

“Anytime. Ahhh, she’s gonna love it.” She squealed 

“I hope so. Bye Alex.” I chuckled

“Bye Ash.”

The plan was in motion and I couldn’t be more excited. We just had to keep it a secret for a week. That couldn’t be that hard.

It was very hard.

We had contacted everyone from both teams and the majority of them said they could make it, some were flying in a few days early, to come visit us and to say Y/N was confused and suspicious was an understatement. She had almost caught me talking about it on the phone several times but I convinced her it was something else. But when players started showing up she grew even more suspicious.

Hey Y/N, good to see ya!” Tobin said as she and Christen made their way into our house.

“Hi?”

“You not happy to see us?” She teased

“No, I am b-but Ash said no one was coming to visit.” she said turning to me, narrowing her eyes.

“Well we decided to surprise you, surprise!” Chris said

“So... You, Tobin, kelley, Emily, Lindsey, and Alyssa all decided to surprise me?”

“Yes?”

“Hmmm. Well thanks for coming. I’ve missed you guys.”

“We missed you too!”

The next few days flew by and by Friday everything was set to be perfect. Ali took Y/N out for the day so we could set everything up. Our Orlando Pride teammates, along with the national teammates who had flown in early were helping. Everyone else would be landing in a couple hours.

“Ash where should we hang this banner?” Christen asked, holding up the “mommy-daughter dance” banner we made.

“Right over there, above the fountain.” I said.

We were planning to have it in the backyard so everyone could fit into the space. We compiled a playlist of songs that Y/N loved along with a few that were about a mother and daughter so that we could have to special dance they had at the father-daughter dances. We also strung up some twinkly lights and made sure the yard would be as lit up as possible. While this was mostly my idea Ali and the others really helped me put everything together and I was grateful for all their help.

Ali and I agreed that I would dance with Y/N first and then she would.

“Ash, When are the others supposed to get here?”

“By 5:00. Why?”

“Ali says Y/N wants to come home now.” Alex said

“Shit. What time is it?”

“4:15.”

“Okay, that’s not too bad. But how are we gonna hide all of this?” I gestured to all the decorations and food that was set up.

“I have no idea.”

“Oooo I know!” Tobin said

“What do you got, T?”

“I’ll just convince her to play Mario Cart with me, distract her from looking at the yard, and give you, Ali and everyone else enough time to get ready.”

“That’s perfect! But what about you?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I have a perfect outfit already lined up and it’ll only take me 5 minutes to change.”

“Jeans and a T-shirt huh?”

“Yeah...”

Alex and I chuckled. Of course, classic Tobin.

Time continued to fly by and before I knew it, Y/N and Ali were home and Tobin whisked her away to play video games.

“Wow Ash, this is amazing.” Ali marveled at our handy work.

“Thanks babe, you think she’ll like it?”

“She’ll love it.” She kissed me gently.

5:00 o’clock came around and everyone else started to arrive. Tobin did a good job of keeping Y/N away from the commotion and I told everyone to come in through the side gate.

“You did good, Harris” Megan said, patting me on the back.

“Thanks, Pinoe.”

Everyone started to get ready, taking turns in the bathroom or our room. Ali and I the last to get ready. When I was sure everyone was good, and everything was set I texted Tobin letting her know it was go time.

“Okay everyone! Thank you for coming! Y/N will be out here any minute so get ready to surprise her.”

Everyone left through the side gate to wait until I gave them the signal to come in and I stood right in the middle of the yard, waiting for Tobin to bring out Y/N. I heard the door to the yard open and adjusted my bow tie when I noticed it was crooked.

“Okay kid, don’t peek yet okay?” I heard Tobin say.

“Tobyyy... where are we going?”

“Just one second... Okay open!”

When she did, the look on Y/N’s face was one that I would never forget. Her eyes sparkled as took everything in and when she saw me standing there, she started to tear up. She really started to cry when she saw the banner we made.

“Mommy-daughter dance. Ash... You did this for me?”

“Of course kiddo. I wanted you to have a special night tonight, even if it meant you didn’t go to the dance at your school.”

“This is so much better, thank you!”

She ran to me and jumped in my arms. I caught her with ease and spun her around, peppering her face with kisses as she giggled.

“Anything for you baby girl.”

“Where’s Ali?”

“She is here, that’s actually the other part of the suprise. Ali! Guys!” I called out to them.

Everyone walked through the gate, Y/N gasping as they did.

“Oh my god. Guys?! What are you all doing here?”

“Well... we know this is a mommy-daughter dance but we wanted to be here for your special night.”

“Thank you!”

“We wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Alex said softly

Y/N PRO//

I was overflowing with emotions, I had never felt so loved in my life. I hugged everyone and thanked them for coming before finally getting to Ali. She smiled at me with tears in her eyes and opened her arms, which I quickly ran into.

Ali... how can I thank you?”

“Save a dance for me?” She giggled

“Of course.”

“As much as I would love to chat with you, I think someone is waiting for you on the dance floor.” She said pointing at Ash. I looked back at her hesitant to leave.

“I don’t mind at all. Go have fun, we’ll dance soon.”

“Thank you mama, I love you.” I said before kissing her on the cheek and running off to dance with Ashlyn. That was the first time I had ever called her mama but I thought it was a fitting title and her and Ash are the parents I’ve always wanted

I joined Ash on the dance floor and she signaled to someone to change the song to a slow one. She smiled down at me as she took my hands in hers. Our height difference made it so I was definitely going to be stepping on her toes but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Thank you for all of this, mommy. I was so bummed about missing the other dance but I couldn’t be happier.” I said softly. I saw suprise cross her face at the new name I had given her but she embraced it without hesitation.

“I’m so glad, little one. Your mama and I love you so much. We always will.”

“I love you both more than I’ll ever be able to explain. You guys are the parents I’ve always wanted and the family I’ve always needed.” I said getting emotional.

“Family. Always.”

//

Sorry for any mistakes - N

[stargazerholland]

Home - Peter Parker

Peter Parker x Reader

Summary : You’re left to do an English assignment that catches you off guard, but Peter may or may not have been your inspiration.

Warnings: Cussing (let me know if you find any, though!)

Words: 3.2 k

What is home? The message was sprawled across the board as your English teacher, Mr. Gilloway stared at the class, eyebrows scrunched up and his hooked nose crinkled. The soft light bounced off of his bald head. 

“Since you all like to complain about wanting to go home, you might as well write down what is home. You can either write it as a descriptive piece, because I’d live to know why you want to go so badly,” he said sarcastically, “Or whatever comes to mind. It’s due in a month, so Flash, you better not complain about not having completed your work. You will also have to present in front of the class just so I can hear your wonderful voices grace my god-awful days. Class dismissed.” 

You had no idea as to what is home to you, as you’ve never felt at home wherever you go. It seemed as though you never stuck to one place. A million thoughts ran through your mind thinking of a solution as to how you were going to come up with an answer, when you meet up with your best friends, Ned Leeds and Peter Parker near the school’s overcrowded parking lot.

“Hey, Y/N! Are you ok? You look a bit.. distracted.” Ned stated, his voice laced with concern. Ned always looked out for you, right after Peter. The duo had welcomed you into their “super secret that no other soul should ever be told cult” with open arms, when you had first moved to Queens. Overtime, the three of you were inseparable, the school knowing you as the three who would be sitting in the quiet, snug corner of the cafeteria fighting over who was the actual hero in Star Wars. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, just thrown ‘off the rails’, if that’s even a saying,” You created air quotes to try to emphasize it, “it’s just Mr. Gilloway being a pain in the ass with his ‘deep and meaningful projects’ that are supposed to bring us to a realization of some unknown idea to our ‘uneducated minds’, whatever he means.” The Polynesian boy smiled, his pudgy cheeks showing off the rosiness of his almond skin tone.

“Peter and I both told you not to take AP English and look at where it got you, huh,” he taunted, as you looked to see both of them give their signature ‘I told you so’ faces, with their eyebrows raised and an amused smile, “just goes to show that we’re always right.” 

With a roll of your eyes, you moved on to go home, 

“Yeah, yeah, thanks mom. I’m gonna head out now. See you in chem tomorrow.” Before you left to catch the subway, Peter grabbed your wrist and said, 

“Wanna come over? May misses you and we’d love to have you for the evening.”

You quickly nodded in affirmation and sent your mom a text to let her know about your whereabouts. The ride to his place was the same as always, sharing the headphones to listen to AC/DC, you complaining about Flash being your lab partner, and Peter sharing the previous night’s events during his patrol. Everything felt right at the moment, as if he was your safety blanket. Peter had the ability to radiate this sense of comfort even if you were across the room from him. 

The subway finally stopped at your final destination, and you soon found yourself in the small, cozy apartment. It was the same as always, the soft grey throw blanket draped over the back of the worn out brown couch, and the smell of charred bread in the air. It was simple, just like the family. You sent a simple wave to Peter’s Aunt May and followed Peter to his room to start on your Chemistry homework. 

Hours later, there were papers filled with math calculations and Chemistry formulas scattering the small room, as Peter was munching on some cheese-flavored potato chips. 

“Did you get seventeen moles of copper nitrate for number 8?” Peter inquired, causing you to let out a groan.

“It’s seventeen? I got twenty-nine. Pete, I’m a hopeless teenager who doesn’t understand a single thing about this right now,” You heard a chuckle across from you and looked up, only to find Peter staring at you, something was different about his expression, but you still threw you eraser at him. Peter simply replied, 

“Instead of complaining, you could have just asked. Lemme see what’s wrong… Ah,” he went on to explain the confusing lesson, however everything he said became sets of useless words as you were focusing on what was happening to you. Your entire body filled with warmth, while your heart was beating feverishly, like you’d just ran a marathon. The constant feeling of elevation in your stomach was overbearing, it felt like the spark on a tungsten before it reached the gunpowder for fireworks. It was different to what authors wrote in their stories, it was so much more than what you’d imagine, but it didn’t feel like love. The constant overcame your mind until you heard Peter call your name,  

“Y/N, Y/N, are you still alive? May’s calling us for dinner, it’s Thai Food Thursday.” For the rest of the night, you could feel yourself being distant and distracted from the conversation, all thanks to Peter. 

A week later, you still hadn’t made any progress on your English paper, which made you dread English class even more than you had before. Your past made it harder to even get an understanding of what home even was when all you could think of was your father. 

Your father was always distant from you and your mother, acting like a guest at a bed and breakfast where he was only there for the night. Some weeks, he’d have to leave for a business trip, not coming back for a few weeks, or at least you thought that until you found him at a city nearby while being on a class field trip the fifth grade. He was with a familiar woman who you’d known growing up, Aunt Lydia, your mother’s younger sister. It turned out that your father had become infatuated with her in the duration of his first marriage, eventually starting a new family with Aunt Lydia and being much happier with her. The news spread like wildfire in a forest, eventually getting to your mother last. It broke you to know that your father would rather spend his days with some other kids than with you, another woman instead of your mother. After a short 2 weeks, the two of you had packed your bags and moved to Queens to forget the past, making it seem as if everything you knew from before was now supposed to be thrown out of a window. The project was no use when now all you could think of was a cold space where tension was intermingled in the air, and pain stained into the deepest threads of the couch pillows when you thought of home. 

The library was almost completely empty, which was usual considering that the people of New York had better things to do than spend their time at the library, except for you, Peter, and now Ned. It was your annual reader’s binge night, where you’d all spend the afternoon reading a book from start to end, and then go out for a sub at the small, family-owned deli from around the corner. It was a tradition, and allowed you to bask in each other’s presence without the hassle of having to talk. The sounds of iced coffee being sipped and the constant whoosh of pages could be heard throughout the day. After the author had infuriated you enough with their cliche-filled sci-fi novel, you looked up to break the silence, until the sight of the room stopped you. More specifically, Peter. The sunlight shining in through the gigantic windows had illuminated the small features of his fair, pale face, like the freckles that were sprinkled all over his nose and cheeks just as the course sugar on sugar cookies. His chestnut brown hair became an array of colors as the copper undertones shining through, as he was concentrating on the book before him. Peter’s state of peace made you feel safe, as if nothing bad was going to happen to you. The time flew by as if it were like seconds as you continued to take in his image, until you felt a twinge on the side of your head, looking to your side to find a plastic straw on the ground.

“Y/N, you can stare at Peter after finishing the book. Now hurry up or else Mr. Delmar’s is gonna close up shop before we even finish!” Ned exclaimed as he smirked at your actions. Peter softly chuckled as you flipped off Ned, before all three of you went back to the book. While you mindlessly flipped pages, all that you could ponder was the same weird feeling that you felt at Peter’s house. It was almost as if you belonged there, as if you weren’t an outcast who had came out of nowhere. There was something about the feelings you had that you couldn’t comprehend completely, but it was becoming more and more prominent to you each day. Whatever the universe is trying to tell me, it sure is fucking me over, you thought, just as you saw your best friends close their books. Peter saw your expression, it was evident that you were deep in thought, and asked, 

“You okay, Y/N?” To which you simply replied in the most New York way possible, 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wanna go grabba sub now?”

You picked up the group’s sandwiches and headed over when you heard Ned and Peter talking about you, 

“I don’t know, Ned, Y/N is hard to be around when she can’t even take a hint,” You stopped dead in your tracks, like gravity was pulling you down and you weren’t able to move your feet. It felt like the day at the school field trip, everything you once knew was fabricated and far from what you thought your friendship was. 

“Peter, you’re going to have to tell her someday. It’s hurting you and it's probably gonna hurt her too in the future,” you took your chance and walked in before any more damage could be done to your friendship. 

“Whatcha talkin’ about?” You said as you sat down. The two shook their heads, muttering words that you couldn’t make out, and started a new conversation. Throughout the rest of the day, you couldn’t help but wonder about what you’d done wrong, guilt and fear flowing through your veins as if your blood had been replaced with it. 

You  invited Peter over the next day for dinner to repay him for when you ate at his house last time, and in hopes to try to mend whatever tension Peter was feeling. The dingy apartment that you’d been living in for the past 5 years was usually dull and quiet, your mom still hadn’t comprehended how her sister could betray her and you were left trying to feel the same way as she did when you were younger, when your family wasn’t broken. While eating the burnt ends of your chicken parm, the English project was still running on your mind. Of course Peter knew you were thinking about it, so naturally, he had to ask how the English assignment was coming along. 

“I can’t connect with anyone or anything that relates to my home. I am genuinely convinced that literally everyone hates me, and soon I’ll be living alone with my three cats in a studio apartment!” You complained as your arms flew up in exaggeration. Peter, on the other hand, seemed frustrated, with his eyes in annoyance and his knuckles turning white from clenching them so hard. Peter cried,

“Well, maybe if you would just open up and try to let more people into your life, then you wouldn’t be here right now!” At this point, the tension you tried to get rid of was now a thick fog that couldn’t be seen through. 

“That’s impossible, Peter! You, out of all people, know it’s hard for me to get close with someone, when practically no one finds me bearable,” you looked at him with anger, “not even you.” Peter was taken aback, 

“How did you hear that?” 

“So it was true,” you scoffed as you felt the wet trail of plump tears run down your cheeks, “gee, thanks a lot, Pete.” He stood up, intimidating you, as he boomed,

“Well, yeah, it is. All you ever do is push away anyone whoever tries to get close to you. You’ve built this thick barrier around everyone and it stupid. Grow up and stop acting like a four year-old, it's annoying,” and immediately walked out the tiny apartment’s door. 

You sunk down in your chair, the tears flowing faster and add onto the pain-ridden apartment. There goes someone else I love, you pondered, I love you, Peter, more than I’ve loved anyone else. 

Your English assignment was now due in a week and a half's worth of time and you’d barely had an outline or a single idea as to what you wanted to write about. For multiple nights, you would just sit in front of your grey, busted laptop and stare at the blank document until you’d figured it was now time to sleep. Multiple sentences that were once on the document soon disappeared by the click of a button immediately after.

As sleep-deprived teenagers rushed to leave the room, you went up to Mr. Gilloway, intimidated by the hunch on his back that formed every time he was scrolling down the New York Times about another political outburst from the Senator. It wasn’t that Mr. Gilloway was bad in person, it was just that he tended to be very unfiltered. All it took was one glance from him and you knew that you were going to take in the bitter and harshful words about not working on the assignment. But you took the leap anyway, and took all the courage you had in you to ask,

“Mr. Gilloway, I don’t know what to write for the assignment. I keep thinking about it, but nothing is coming to mind and I really have no clue as to what home is.” Squeezing you eyes, you braced for the string of words that were meaningless to him.  

“Well, what was it like for you to be at home? Anyone particular who comes to mind? Or perhaps a memory that just replays over and over in your head? Remember, Y/N that home is not a definitive object, you can make it anything you want. It could be the simplest idea, or something over the top, but that is what it means to you. I have full trust in you to go with your guts and write wha’ is home to you,” Mr. Gilloway gently replied. His response was out of character compared to who he really was. It was unrecognizable, sympathy and gentleness was the last thing that would come across anyone’s mind when they thought of Mr. Gilloway. Unable to form words, you nodded your head, only to hear, “Now go, I need to catch up on what our jackass of a Senator we have right now.” 

It wasn’t until you got onto your laptop once again when you knew what to write about. You finally had an idea. 

It was finally the day of the presentation and your nerves got the best of you. The past week was more muted, with evenings spent writing the English assignment, and the daytime spent studying in the library in hopes to avoid Peter. It was also the most emotionally draining week, knowing you couldn’t just go up and tell him how you really felt about him. 

Y/N, it’s your turn. And Flash, puh-LEASE keep the flirting for someplace else, my classroom is not a ‘Singles Mingle’,” Mr. Gilloway said. The voice at the back of your head kept telling you don’t mess up, don’t mess up, don’t mess up. The anxiety of sharing something so intimate with a group of bored teenagers was nerve wracking, so much so that your hands were quivering. 

“Home is an abstract idea, and to most people, it is their place to go to sleep, eat, and repeat. In my entire life, I'd never felt like I was at home until just recently when I came to know how I know I am at home. Home is a blend of emotions, where there are multiple feelings every time you’re there, A sense of belonging, where no matter how different, broken, or mismanaged  a person is, they still know that the very spot will always let them be themselves. Home is where a person feels comfort and safety, where they know that they will be supported and consoled through all the times you’ve been through. A sense of adoration that lingers in the air, making a person feel loved for who they are. The idea that a person knows who they are when they’re at this place, or with this person, makes us realize that this very place is our home. My home is with someone who I’ve known for a while, and even a glance into their brown eyes makes me feel complete. As they always say, home is where the heart lies.” 

You looked around the room to see blank stares and an unusual smile from Mr. Gilloway, but it was relieving to feel the overbearing weight of not knowing yourself being lifted off your shoulders. 

Once class had ended, you heard your name being called by none other than Peter. 

“Was your speech about me?” Peter had a look of desperation and hope, “I feel like home to you?” How’d he listen? You thought, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  

“I asked Mr. Gilloway,” Peter had read your mind, “Y/N, I only said I couldn’t bear you because I’m so deeply in love with you, but you never see that. It’s kind of hard to be friendzoned all the time, y’know?” 

The moment you had awaited all along finally came in the least expected way, nor was it how everyone else described it to be. There were no fireworks in the background but instead, it was just as if the world had stopped around you. 

“I love you too, Peter,” you whispered. 

“So is it true?” With a simple nod and a small smile, you said, 

“Yeah, it is about you, Peter.” A soft smile creeps up his face as he pulls you into his arms. It felt right, as if your body was perfectly molded to fit into his embrace. You decided to take the risk and pulled away, placing your hands over his pillowy cheeks, and pulled him towards you. You placed your lips on his, they were soft and smooth, with a hint of vanilla from the chapstick you made him use after seeing how rough they were a few months back. Peter kissed back, trying to empty all the love and adoration he had kept inside of him. 

You couldn’t tell what the future held for you two, but you made a vow, right then and there that you would protect him with your entire heart, help him after his patrol’s and night, and most importantly, keep him in your heart for the rest of your life. 

This was your home, right here with Peter. 

A/N: Hi! I hope you liked this piece, I’ve had a a writer’s block for almost 2 years now, so to write this was a bit of a struggle, but it’s all good! Feel free to send over any requests or criticism. I also have to give an honorary mention to @wazzupmrstark​! Her INCREDIBLE works gave me a bit of a push and inspo to get back to writing, so thank you so so much Kaili! (i’ll stop annoying you guys, byee :) )

[keijiski]

bloom for you.

kuroken , slight kurotsukki - hanahaki au

word count - 10.0k

The first time Kenma has ever seen a red begonia up close was when he was about ten, forced to leave the safety of his home by Kuroo himself. He has seen red begonias, for sure, but he has never made the effort to actually look at them.

He was sitting by the side of a playground, eyes glued to the device in his hands as he took occasional glances up at the other boy struggling to keep the brand new volleyball in the air.

After a while, when he looked up again for the nth time, his line of sight was only greeted by the familiar ball on the ground. The lack of troubled shouts and ball hitting skin went unnoticed by Kenma as he was too focused in his game before. Where did he go?

“Kuro?”

Putting away his device into his pocket, he hopped off the swing nonchalantly. He then scanned the scene in front of him for clues to Kuroo’s whereabouts. It did not take him long to find Kuroo's foot sticking out from between two bushes.

He walked closer and shock flashed across his face before he could stop himself,”What are you doing, Kuro?”

Kuroo’s full body then came into Kenma’s view, half lying on top of the bushes as he struggled to reach for the flowerbed behind. Said boy however ignored his question, putting full focus on reaching for the flower instead. With a huff, he gave one last push.

“I got it!” Excitedly, Kuroo wiggled out of his awkward position, body covering what was in his grasp.

“Got what?”

Kenma peered over Kuroo’s shoulder curiously with a slight frown. In his hands laid a red flower, its bright and flashy look capturing Kenma’s attention immediately.

“It’s just a flower,” He mentioned instead.

As though offended, Kuroo turned around and scoffed,”It’s not just a flower, Kenma. This is a red begonia! My father taught me a few days ago when we went to the park near school.”

The taller boy waved the flower in Kenma’s face obnoxiously, forcing him to take a step back uncomfortably. The former brought the flower closer to himself, eyes glued to it as though hypnotized. He asked,”Isn’t it pretty?”

Kenma’s gaze moved up. Kuroo’s hazel eyes sparkled in delight and amazement, still intrigued by the vibrant colour of the flower as a small smile started to grow on his face. The long-haired boy did not look back down.

“Yeah, it is.”

~

Since that day, Kenma would never admit it but he would notice red begonias more regularly than he did before. However, that was just the beginning.

A couple of years sped by, and Kenma found himself standing alone by a corner in his middle school’s graduation ceremony.

It was not his graduation, though. It was Kuroo’s.

From afar, Kuroo could be seen crowded by both boys and girls. Kenma let out a sigh, slightly regretting his decision to wait for Kuroo to head home together. He waited for another half an hour before he was approached by a boy who was much taller than him.

“About time.”

A cheeky smile climbed its way onto Kuroo’s face,”Sorry, a lot of people were waiting to talk to me. I’m really popular in my grade, you know?”

“Funny. Get over yourself.”

Kenma stopped the conversation short by setting off in the direction to their homes without warning. Kuroo followed soon after, not bothered by his usual behaviour. Their walk home was quiet, but both of them found it peaceful and comfortable.

“Before I forget, I have a gift for you at home,” Kuroo said as they took the last turn before arriving at the front of their homes,”Wait here, I’ll go get it.”

Before Kenma could question anything, Kuroo sped off into his home, leaving Kenma in a state of confusion in front of his own. What in the world is he doing?

Not long after, Kuroo reappeared, but this time, instead of having all his graduation gifts in his arms, he held a single potted red begonia with a wide grin.

Skeptical, Kenma frowned slightly,”What is this for?”

“A graduation gift for you, of course.”

His reply made Kenma frown more,”I’m sure you’re the one graduating this year, not me.”

“I know,” Kuroo emphasized, holding the begonia out towards Kenma,”But I’m certain you’ll miss seeing me everyday next year, so this will accompany you in my place instead.”

Still confused by what Kuroo was trying to say, Kenma took the potted flower from his hands anyway,”We’re literally neighbours. You progressing into high school wouldn’t make that much of a difference.”

It seemed like Kenma’s acceptance of his gift made Kuroo happy, as he turned a deaf ear to Kenma’s words. He gave a small smile,”It’s beautiful, right? Look after it well, okay? I don’t want to see it withered any time soon!”

Dumbfounded, Kenma nodded nonetheless. He should be awed by the beauty of the red begonia flower, but he found himself staring at something else which was shining.

Kuroo tilted his head to a side when he made eye contact with Kenma’s dazed ones,”Kenma?”

The sound of his name rolling off Kuroo’s tongue jolted him awake, and his eyes quickly dashed to look at his bedroom window above.

“Okay, promise. Thank you, Kuro.”

On that day, Kenma decided that he loves red begonias. Not just because they are beautiful, but also because they remind him of someone beautiful in his life.

Kuroo Tetsurou.

~

Surprisingly enough, Kenma’s last year of middle school really felt different without the annoying presence of Kuroo. Even so, the year went by as quickly as the previous ones, and soon Kenma stood in front of the gates of Nekoma High School beside second year student Kuroo.

“You look excited,” Kuroo commented, and Kenma knew it was sarcastic. Hence the now blonde boy made no attempt to rebut him, opting to go ahead and walk into school instead.

It had already been a month since his first day of school as a Nekoma High student, and if Kenma had to be honest, he was glad he had Kuroo back by his side. Even if they were in different years.

Just like every other day, his mind subconsciously followed his daily routine. Switching to indoor shoes, Kenma took a side glance at Kuroo, who was oddly quiet.

What Kenma did not expect was to see Kuroo’s indoor shoes still in his locker, and Kuroo just standing in front of it with a small note in his hands.

He looked at him expectantly. Feeling Kenma’s curious catlike gaze on him, Kuroo looked up from the note, shrugging,”I think it’s a confession note. Someone asked me to meet them by the corner staircase after school later.”

Kenma knew this should mean nothing to him, but he could not stop the feeling of his heart being squeezed and his throat tightening. He subtly gulped, looking away,”Are you going to?”

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Kuroo stuffing the note into the pocket of his school pants.

“Of course.”

It was obvious that Kuroo said more after, but Kenma then could not hear it over the loud pounding of his heart against his ribcage. He quietly announced his leave, nodding slightly as he left the lockers.

~

That day went by and not once did the thought of Kuroo meeting his admirer after school left Kenma’s mind. School finally ended, which meant the only time Kenma got to spend time with Kuroo in school came.

Volleyball training.

Kenma was itching, itching to know what happened between Kuroo and his supposed admirer. Was it a he or a she? How did they confess? How did Kuroo react? Did he say yes or no?

However, when Kenma entered the sports hall, the familiar black bedhead was nowhere to be seen.

“Kenma.” He heard his name being called, and he turned to see the second year libero waving to him with a friendly grin on his face.

“Yaku-san,” He simply greeted back.

“Have you seen Kuroo? Kai and I went to find him after class, but we couldn’t find him anywhere.”

Kenma had not seen him, but he sure knew where he was.

“No, but-”

“Are you two shit-talking about me?” A voice suddenly interrupted, causing Kenma’s heart to flip as his eyes widened in surprise.

Yaku, on the other hand, handled it smoothly,”Perhaps. Glad to see you barely making it for training, Kuroo.”

At his words, Kuroo sent a dazzling smile, but from how close he was,  Kenma could see the competitive sparks forming between the two of them. Fortunately, interception was not necessary as Yaku headed off to set up the courts with the other club members.

That left Kuroo and Kenma in a blanket of silence. It might not have been awkward for Kuroo, but for Kenma, as his mind rushed to formulate low-key questions to ask about Kuroo’s relationship status, it was.

Kenma could feel his mouth turning dry while his throat tightened for some reason he could not place his finger on. It’s just a question, what is he so worried for?

Turned out, all of Kenma’s worries were for nothing when Kuroo spoke up first.

“It’s a girl from your year.” It was as though Kuroo could read his mind as he spoke, making Kenma turn to look at him,”I turned her down, anyway. She wasn’t really my type.”

Kenma felt a chill run down his spine once Kuroo’s words entered his head. He looked away immediately, not wanting to risk the chance of Kuroo seeing how he truly felt from his eyes.

“Oh, that’s a pity.”

For the first time in Kenma’s life, he felt a different type of relief. It is not the same relief he feels after every training session, or the relief he feels after finally beating the final boss in games.

Kuroo would never understand how much those four simple words of ‘I turned her down’ meant to him.

~

Another year passed, and it is finally the present.

In that one year, Kenma was not sure whether Kuroo was hiding it from him or not, but Kuroo never received another confession after that day. One side of Kenma felt relieved, but the other felt confused. Why was he thinking this way?

He did not dwell on it though, as the new year rolled in and he finally became a second year.

Initially, it seemed like the new year would be just like the one before, maybe even better since Kuroo became the team captain. The only difference is that for this year, for the first time in a really long time, their school reunited with their old rival.

Karasuno High School.

“Kuro.”

Their last practice match for the day has finally ended. Both teams are now given the chance to properly interact with each other, but the sole thought of that only makes Kenma’s heart race as he runs away from the creepy setter of the other school.

“Hey, Kenma,” Kuroo greets in return with a smile as he watches the smaller boy’s hair bounce while approaching him,“How was today?”

“Okay, I guess.”

“Are you sure it was just ‘okay’?”

Kenma’s gaze drops from Kuroo’s eyes, taking in his sweaty form discreetly. He gulps inwardly, looking back up quickly and frowning,“What do you mean? It’s just like any other practice matches.”

A smirk grows onto Kuroo’s face,“I saw how you were looking at the shrimp from Karasuno. You just like how you do when you buy a new game. Sparkling eyes and all. You hardly look like that.”

His eyes squint accusingly,“Shoyo is just interesting. You don’t understand.”

“I do,” The other male insists,“Ask me the same questions.”

There is an excited glimmer in his eyes, and even if Kenma finds it highly suspicious, he plays along anyway.

“Okay, how was today?”

Kuroo’s shoulders drop. Kenma knows he’s mocking him.

“Okay, I guess,” He replies in a monotonous tone, but his eyes pressure him to continue the conversation.

Kenma sighs,”Are you sure it was just ‘okay’?”

At that statement, Kuroo hurriedly looks at their surroundings, as though making sure nobody can eavesdrop on their conversation. Kenma looks around instinctively, then looking back at the other male suspiciously. What is Kuroo up to?

Once Kuroo knows the coast is clear, he bends down slightly so he can whisper to Kenma.

“I trust you,” He states, and Kenma frowns.

“What?”

“Do you see the tall Karasuno middle blocker over there?”

Kenma’s eyes follow the direction Kuroo’s finger is discretely pointing at, landing on the back of a Karasuno jersey with the white numbers ‘11’. His frown deepens.

“What about him?”

The finger drops. “I think he’s pretty cute, I heard he’s a first-year.”

The sentence takes a few seconds to register into Kenma’s head, and when it finally does, he feels his stomach drop. The familiar yet unfamiliar feeling of his heart being squeezed and throat tightening returns from about a year ago. Maybe Kenma forgot how it actually felt, but this time, it feels worse.

What is this?

Kenma unwillingly lets out a cough to clear the uncomfortable feeling in his throat, but he plays it off as a choke from surprise. However, he is not given a chance to reply as Kuroo continues.

“I’m going to talk to him.”

Kuroo is his best friend. Who is he to stop him from going for the person he’s interested in?

He takes a deep breath, hoping Kuroo will not realize how shaky his voice is when he opens his mouth to speak,”This is unnecessary information. I don’t remember asking, really. Plus he lives in Miyagi, how is this going to work?”

It is as though Kenma did not mention the first two sentences, as a wide grin is plastered on Kuroo’s face while he pats Kenma’s back playfully.

“Shrimp lives in Miyagi too.”

“Huh?”

“You won’t understand now, Kenma, but you will, soon!”

With that, Kuroo announces his departure, heading off to the blonde middle blocker and leaving Kenma behind to drown in his own thoughts.

~

Kenma has never liked camps, especially volleyball training camps.

Training camps are a chore, and Kenma hates going through unnecessary trouble. However, there’s a change this time, for Karasuno High School will be joining them for this year’s annual training camp.

Kenma felt indifferent to it, or maybe even looking slightly forward to it, at the idea of playing against Shoyo again. However, Karasuno does not only have Shoyo. They have the tall blonde middle blocker as well.

Are they in contact? Do they text everyday?

Kenma does not know. Kuroo never mentioned anything about him since that day.

Still, why is he so worried anyway?

This is just a training camp. He knows Karasuno High School, and Karasuno High School knows them. How much of a difference would one person actually make?

However, when he stands in front of the entrance of the third gym of Shinzen High School, he finds out how wrong he was to assume that.

Last year, it was a regular night routine for Kenma, Kuroo, Akaashi and Bokuto to train together for extra practice during training camp. Kenma was not entirely willing at first, but somehow when he saw Kuroo’s pleading eyes, he could not stop himself from saying ‘yes’.

After the first day, Kuroo dragged Kenma along with him to find Akaashi and Bokuto for the rest of the camp no matter how much Kenma protested. It seemed as though he did not want to be there, but truthfully, Kenma was really happy that Kuroo remembered and included him.

Hence the boy naturally assumed the same would happen at this year’s training camp. Though, that is not the case.

“Yaku-san, have you seen Kuro?”

He remembers asking, and he remembers the shorter boy mentioning their captain’s earlier leave from the sports hall.

He found it weird. Why didn’t Kuroo ask him along if they were going to head to the same place?

Now, he does not find it weird anymore.

“Watch out, Four Eyes, Bokuto’s straight is coming!”

Kenma’s keen catlike gaze follows Kuroo’s body as he prepares for a block. The Nekoma captain jumps, and alongside him is the Karasuno number ‘11’. The block turns out successful, and he watches Kuroo turn to his side to ask for a victory five from the other blocker.

Everything looks okay, everything looks just right. Everything looks perfect.

The lack of Kenma’s presence inside the third gym appears to not have any impact on the other three males as the atmosphere inside remains the same as last year, filled with drive and competitiveness.

Kenma subconsciously takes a few small steps back from the entrance of the gym quietly, not wanting to interrupt their session.

The sound of shoes squeaking and balls hitting the ground gradually gets softer as the beating of Kenma’s heart gradually gets louder.

“Come on, Four Eyes! I’m sure you’re better than this.”

His eyes freezes upon the sight of Kuroo patting the first-year’s back teasingly yet encouragingly. The sight is so familiar, but this time, the back Kuroo is patting is not Kenma’s.

Is he so easily replaceable in Kuroo’s life?

It is the same feeling again, the feeling of his throat tightening and his heart getting squeezed.

His breaths become heavier while his steps back become bolder. The world starts to spin, making him feel nauseous as his mind races. A pain shoots through his chest, doubling the nauseousness he is facing.

What’s happening?

Turning on his heels, he starts running to the nearest toilet he can find. Not only because he has the urge to vomit, but also because he does not want to be seen by Kuroo any time soon.

Fortunately for Kenma, the toilet he finds is empty.

He does not need anyone around him right now. He does not want people to ask about him. He just wants to be alone.

He can feel the sourness of the bile in his mouth when he pushes the toilet door open, wasting no time to bend over the nearest sink. Tears start to well up in his eyes as he begins to painfully choke from the suffocating feeling in his throat.

Something smooth slides down his tongue, but Kenma’s vision is too blurred from the tears to take a proper look at what lands in the sink. All he sees is red.

Blood?

Hands shaking, he lifts them up from the sink to wipe his tears away. He blinks to get leftover tears out of his eyes, before looking down.

His heart drops immediately.

A flower. Not just any flower, a red begonia. The flower he is so familiar with, the flower he waters every day. The flower that reminds him of his best friend, Kuroo Tetsurou.

How is this possible?

Kenma has no time to think through when the feeling returns and he starts coughing all over again.

~

Kenma does not know how long he has been alone in the darkness of the toilet. All he knows is that there are a bunch of dead red begonia flowers in the sink, and his throat hurts.

Slumping against the dirty toilet wall, he lets out a shaky breath. He is tired and thirsty, but he cannot find the strength within himself to stand up and leave the place he is so sick of now.

Just as he feels his consciousness slipping off the tips of his fingers, the door creaks, bringing light into the dark space.

Kuroo?

He weakly forces his head up to look in curiosity, and his dead eyes meet with bright and concerned ones.

“Kenma! Oh my gosh, are you okay?”

Before Kenma can fully take in his arrival, Hinata dashes towards him in horror. “What happened to you?”

He makes no effort to speak considering how much pain his throat is in, opting to communicate with the orange-head through eyes instead. His gaze moves over to the flower filled sink, causing Hinata’s to follow.

Kenma watches Hinata’s eyes widen in shock at the sight in front of him. “What is this?”

Not knowing the answer himself either, he moves his hand up his throat, lazily showing a vomiting gesture. Something flashes across Hinata’s eyes for a split second, but Kenma pays it no mind as the former brings his arm over his shoulders.

“On three, you stand, okay?”

Kenma nods. Fortunately, Kenma is not as tall as other volleyball players, as Hinata manages to support him out of the toilet with ease.

It is as though Hinata is able to read Kenma’s mind. Upon exit, the shorter male scans the hall to avoid crossing paths with others. Afterwards, he quickly guides him towards an empty classroom nearby.

“I’ll get some water for you, okay? Just wait here,” Hinata turns swiftly, but stops short when Kenma grabs his shirt sleeve. He looks back, on high alert,”What’s wrong?”

Kenma gulps, and a shot of pain runs down his spine,”P-please don’t t-tell anyone.”

At that, Kenma sees Hinata’s eyes soften as a reassuring smile grows on the latter’s face.

“Okay, I promise, Kenma.”

Hinata then leaves Kenma to be in the darkness alone again, surrounded by thoughts he wants to avoid.

What’s going on with him? Why is this happening to him? What caused this? Is he sick?

Thankfully, Hinata returns with a bottle of water and a wet towel before the darkness can overwhelm him.

Kenma bows appreciatively as he takes the bottle from Hinata, chugging down the water immediately. The pain in his throat becomes numb as the cold water flows down, finally bringing Kenma the peace he has been seeking for the past hours.

“You were missing for hours, you know? I was looking for you after I took a shower but none of your teammates knew where you were, so I volunteered to find you,” Hinata starts to explain, now passing the wet towel.

“Thank you, Shoyo,” Kenma whispers in return, feeling too exhausted to speak any louder as he refreshes himself with the towel.

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Hinata eyeing him suspiciously, and he knows he wants to know more.

“Just ask if you want to.”

Hinata sighs.

“What happened?”

That is one question he would like to know the answer to as well. Kenma suddenly feels a chill, and lets out a long breath,”I-I don’t know.”

A blanket of silence follows, but it does not stay for long.

“You vomited those flowers, right?” Hinata asks, but it feels like a slap to Kenma’s face,”Do you want to head home? I think you should go to the hospital. You’re not in the state to play volleyball.”

Immediately, denial comes. “No,” Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he shakes his head,”I don’t want people to know what happened. I’m fine now. It’s okay, don’t worry. Maybe I ate something wrong.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m okay. Thank you for finding me, Shoyo.”

The real question is, is he trying to comfort Hinata or himself?

~

Kenma is not okay.

By now, he has already lost count of how many times he ran to the toilet in the middle of a practice match to vomit the same flowers he is so sick of now. He has not been performing well either, considering how many times he has dropped the ball in just one set and how many times he is unable to set accurately to his teammates.

He has also noticed the strange looks given to him by his teammates and the opponent teams, but no matter how many times people ask him about his wellbeing, he will just insist that he is okay.

It is easy to avoid people especially when they have questions Kenma does not want to answer, but the same cannot be applied with Kuroo, whose eyes have been drilling into the back of Kenma’s skull for the past hour. He knows that sooner or later Kuroo will corner him to find out what is happening.

From afar, he is able to feel Hinata’s worried gaze on him from time to time, which occasionally he will send a small smile back, in hopes to ease his worries.

However, he knows his body will not be able to withstand his fatigue any time soon.

“Kenma, here’s your water.”

Kenma barely hears what Kuroo says to him, as the world starts to spin slightly, and every sound that enters his ears is muffled. His throat starts to itch again as he brings the bottle of water to his mouth.

“Hey,” He hears someone say, and that person grabs his shoulders so that he will face them. His eyes meet with Kuroo’s,”Are you sure you’re okay? You look out of it.”

There is a second delay before Kenma realizes how close he is standing to Kuroo. His heart suddenly throbs as he pushes Kuroo’s hands away from him without thinking twice.

Feeling his cheeks turn hot, he looks away,”Sorry. I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so,” Hearing that makes Kenma feel relieved, but his heart drops next,”Anyway, I got to play with Tsukki after training yesterday! I feel like he might like me back, but I’m not sure yet. There’s progress.”

Kuroo’s warm smile used to make Kenma feel at ease no matter the circumstances, but this time, Kenma only feels the pain from his chest and the flower petals begging to be thrown up. Kenma chokes, trying to keep the petals in as Kuroo hits his back excitedly.

Tsukki? Is that some sort of nickname?

“Huh? Did I hit you too hard?”

“N-no,” Kenma breathes in deeply, forcing a small smile,”I believe he’ll like you back, Kuro. Sorry, I need to go again.”

However, before Kenma can even take a step away from Kuroo, his vision goes black and he loses his balance. He feels his body fall, but someone grabs him before he touches the ground.

“Kenma! Are you okay?”

“Oh my God.”

“Give him space! Don’t crowd around him!”

“What happened to him?”

Yeah, what’s happening to him?

~

The next time Kenma opens his eyes, he finds himself in the darkness within four white walls, in an unfamiliar bed and unfamiliar dressing.

The next thing he notices is the beeping sound coming from his left. Turning his head, his eyes land on a machinery, which he immediately recognizes as a heart rate monitor.

He’s in the hospital?

“Oh, Kozume-san, you’re awake.”

He jumps, and his head whips to the other side of the room to see a man dressed in a white coat sliding the room door close. He watches the doctor carefully as the only other person in the room takes a seat in front of his bed.

Looking down, he takes in his new dressing and the bed he is resting in. The entire room has a significant smell, the smell of cleanliness and antiseptic. Everything feels so white, so clean, so dreadful. Everything about hospitals reminds Kenma of death itself and he hates it.

He looks back up, eyes locking on the nametag by the side of his coat immediately. Hano Akira, doctor.

A friendly smile grows on the doctor’s face. “How are you feeling?”

How is he feeling? He doesn’t know.

His chest feels heavy as he clears his throat to reply,”Okay.”

“Do you know where you are and what happened before?”

His gaze shifts from the doctor to stare at an empty corner of the room, thinking hard.

“I fainted at a volleyball training camp,” He answers simply.

“That’s right,” Hano nods, not minding his simple reply,”Your teacher sent you to the hospital earlier today. It’s night time now, you’ve been resting for half the day already. You fainted because of dehydration and exhaustion from overworking yourself. I heard you were vomiting as well, which was probably the cause of dehydration.”

There is a nagging feeling in the back of Kenma’s mind telling him to mention the red begonias, but before his mind can come up with a statement, Hano beats him to it.

The doctor sighs, which makes Kenma look back at him. Running a hand through his hair tiredly, he places the clipboard in his hand on his lap as though preparing for a complicated conversation.

This makes Kenma’s hairs on the back of his neck stand. What does he know?

“This is important information that I’m telling you, okay? Please pay attention.”

He nods.

“During your check up, we found withered flower petals and stems in your lungs. It’s a symptom for a rare disease. May I know when you vomited, did you vomit flowers?”

It is as though Kenma’s thoughts have just been ripped out of his head by the doctor. Mind flashing back to the many scarily lonely and painful trips to the school toilet, his breathing quickens as his hands start to shake and sweat cold sweat.

Rare disease? What the hell? Because of the rare disease, I vomited red begonias?

“I-it’s fine, Kozume-san.” The doctor cuts his train of thoughts, bringing him back to reality,”You have the Hanahaki Disease, it’s contracted when the person faces one-side lov-”

“I-I! I don’t want to know about it, please.”

Only when he hears his own voice, then he realizes how tightly he is gripping onto the blanket on the bed, for his knuckles have already become white. His wide eyes meet Hano’s surprised ones.

Kenma forces himself to let go of the blanket as he takes in a deep breath to calm himself down. Why is he getting so worked up for? Is it because he doesn't want to face reality that’s right in front of him right now?

“I’m sorry, Doctor,” He gulps, shivering slightly when a pain follows,”I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I don’t have the disease.”

“Kozume-san, but-”

“I would like to know when I can be discharged, please.”

His gaze lowers, avoiding the doctor’s at all cost. The sound of the chair being pushed back and footsteps walking out of the room follow, and Kenma heaves a sigh of relief.

Kenma’s not dumb. He recognizes the name. He knows what the doctor is talking about, and he can guess who is the one who caused this to him.

Why didn’t he think of this earlier?

~

Hanahaki Disease. A disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. It ends when the beloved returns their feelings romantically, or when the victim dies. It can be cured through surgical removal, but when the infection is removed, the victim's romantic feelings for their love also disappear. There is a chance where the victim’s memories of the beloved disappear as well.

Kenma sighs.

As he scrolls down the page to find more information, his phone suddenly starts to ring.

In the darkness of his bedroom in the middle of the night, the sudden noise makes him jump, but when he sees the caller id on his bright screen, his heart rate slows down.

“Hello?”

“Kenma! Sorry I couldn’t call earlier. How are you feeling?” The warmth of the voice manages to reach Kenma despite the distance, and that makes Kenma smile.

“Shoyo, it’s 1 in the morning. Why are you awake?”

“I heard you just got home a while ago! And you haven’t answered me, how are you feeling?”

It has been almost three hours since he has left the hospital with his parents. Everyone was worried, it seems, as his phone was blown up with notifications from his team when he finally got it back. There was one person, however, whom he has not heard from ever since he was in Shinzhen High School.

“Okay, I guess.” Lies.

He has been running from his bed to the toilet and back every ten minutes since he set foot into his home three hours ago. He is tired for sure, but the uncomfortable feeling in his chest and the constant need to regurgitate prevent him from lulling to sleep.

“I see.” Hinata takes it anyway,”What did the doctor say? You won’t be returning to training camp, right?”

“Dehydration and exhaustion. I’m not allowed to.”

There is a pause. “Anything else?”

Kenma squints his eyes suspiciously. He is rather certain Hinata knows by now, so is he just trying to get him to tell him everything?

Nonetheless, he replies,”Yes. The doctor mentioned Hanahaki Disease.”

“Ah.” From this, Kenma can tell that Hinata has done his research. “What do you think?”

“It might be true,” Kenma mutters bluntly,”And I don’t really have a chance, so I might end up dying anyway.”

“Huh?” His tone is anxious,”What are you talking about? There’s no way you’re going to die. M-May I know who is the person?”

Maybe it’s because he has never actually spoken about it out loud before, but even though he has already come to terms with it, he feels his stomach drop with queasiness when he replies,”Sure. It’s Kuro.”

Suddenly there is pin drop silence.

“Hello?”

“O-Oh! Sorry, I was doing something,” The reply comes immediately after, and Kenma knows he’s lying,”You said Kuroo, right? I see. Anyway, I’m sure you’re tired. I won’t bother you anymore, okay? I need to get up early for tomorrow’s training too. Rest well, Kenma.”

He wants to ask more, he wants to know more. However, the calling from within his body makes him do otherwise,”Okay, you too, Shoyo.”

Kenma’s about to put down the phone to run to the toilet for the nth time when Hinata suddenly speaks.

“Kenma? Are you still there?”

He swallows hard, wincing as he forces the bile down. “Yes?”

“I promise I’ll save you, okay? You’re my friend, I won’t let you down.”

Even if these are the words he wants to hear from someone else, it warms his heart nevertheless and he finally no longer feels isolated in this situation.

“Thank you, Shoyo.”

~

For the first time in Kenma’s life, he is happy that he is not in the same class or cohort as Kuroo.

After the training camp ended, Kenma only saw Kuroo once outside of school. Considering how they are practically neighbours, this occurrence is definitely something out of the ordinary.

The one time was the day when training camp ended, Kuroo came to pay a visit to Kenma and check on his well-being. Kenma hated how just the presence of Kuroo could brighten his horrid experience so easily, and he hated himself for giving the black-haired boy such power over him.

However, after day, Kenma never saw Kuroo again.

No matter what time of the day it is, whenever Kenma goes over to find Kuroo, he will only be greeted by Kuroo’s father, who claims that Kuroo’s out studying with a friend. Lies.

They even stop going to school together. Because of Kenma’s early morning vomiting sessions, Kuroo never waits for him to leave anymore. Hence they really do not have any chance to talk other than during volleyball training, which Kenma holds close to his heart and appreciates more than ever before.

Another thing is that Kenma’s so sick of red begonias now. It is as though its beauty is mocking him, staring back at him from the bottom of the sink as he empty his insides. He does not only hate them for their beauty, but also for reminding him of the person giving him the most problems right now.

He is not happy because he gets to avoid any unwanted interactions or confrontations with Kuroo, it is because he can handle his new tendencies without anyone questioning him.

Other than the second-years in the team, barely anyone talks to Kenma in their year, unless deemed necessary. Kenma thus finds himself extremely fortunate that none of them are in the same class as him as he enters every class with a face mask on covering his mouth.

Though, this fortune is a short lived one as the school day will always end with volleyball training. Even if he looks forward to training to see Kuroo, he has to deal with all the curious questions that come along with it.

“Hey, Kenma! What are you wearing the mask for?”

He winces as he recognizes the voice of Yamamoto. Turning around, he greets the over energetic male dully,”Hello, Yamamoto. I got a cold sore.”

“Oh, I see.” He walks past Kenma towards the school gym, and Kenma follows suit, glad that he did not question more,”Are you better now? You’ve missed a lot of training because of your medical leave.”

Having a cold sore may be a lie, but it is not far off the truth. Because of the endless amount of flowers coming out from him, his lips earned a couple of cuts along the way.

“Yeah, I’m feeling better,” Kenma lies through his teeth, as though he did not just leave the toilet after vomiting a bunch of begonias into the toilet bowl.

“That’s good! Can’t wait for you to set for me today!”

Honestly, Kenma cannot wait either.

If only he can do it.

~

“Kenma! What’s up with you today?”

He stands in front of Coach Nekomata nervously, eyes glued to the ground as he fiddles with the corner of his shorts. From the corner of his eyes, he can see the rest of Nekoma cleaning and packing up, but he knows they are paying attention to the conversation.

“Sorry, Coach.”

“You know how important this period of time is, Kenma. I can’t have my only setter not being able to set to my other players.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Seeing how many times you missed receiving and setting really scares me. If you’re still not feeling well, don’t force yourself. You should be fully well before coming back to practice.”

Kenma is panting hard, but he does not whether it is because of training or because of his disability to breathe properly with all the flowers stuck in his throat and lungs. The immense pain in his chest comes and goes, disallowing Kenma from doing anything strenuous.

“Okay.”

With that, Coach Nekomata dismisses him, letting him join the team to clean up the gym. By then, they are already almost done with cleaning, and it is time to head home.

After one final trip to the school’s toilet, he finds himself walking beside Kuroo with the rest of the team ahead of them. It seems as though the team had collectively agreed to let Kuroo handle the problem Kenma has that is affecting the entire team’s dynamic, but Kuroo did not get the memo.

Kenma looks at the oblivious taller boy awkwardly as the latter taps incessantly onto his phone, paying no attention to his surroundings with a giddy smile plastered on his face.

It was the same during training. The only time Kenma gets to have with Kuroo in school is ripped away from the palm of his hands as Kuroo pays zero attention to the setter. His body was physically in the gym, but his mind was elsewhere.

“K-Kuro?”

Kenma knows it is because Kuroo’s too immersed in texting whoever he is texting to hear him, but he blames it on the mask he is wearing instead.

“Kuro.”

This time, he grabs the sleeve of the team jacket he is wearing, proving an effective method as Kuroo finally looks away from the brightness of his phone. Their eyes meet, and Kenma feels his heart stop.

“What’s up?”

Does Kuroo not know what happened?

Dumbfounded, Kenma looks down, and he remembers the phone in Kuroo’s hand. “Who are you texting?”

For some reason, this simple question immediately brings light into Kuroo’s eyes. Kenma can only wish to have this kind of impact on the boy.

“Tsukki, remember, the middle blocker from Karasuno? His name is Tsukishima Kei.”

Then, Kenma realizes he regrets asking.

“I really think I have a shot with him, Kenma,” Kuroo smiles, a smile Kenma has never seen before, and the pain in Kenma’s chest doubles,”He seems as interested in me as I do in him. I was thinking about how to ask him out during practice just now.”

“A-Ah, that’s great,” Kenma feels the familiar feeling of the flower petal at the top of his throat, and he swallows hard to force it back down,”I need to get something from the convenience store. You guys can go ahead first.”

What Kenma is expecting is for Kuroo to volunteer to go with him, like usual. However, Kuroo instead just nods in acknowledgement, then speeding up to catch up with the rest of the team. His head looks back down as he walks, back to typing away on his phone and leaving Kenma alone just like before.

Numb, Kenma stands in the same position where Kuroo left him for a while, processing what just happened before the disease pays its regular visits and sends Kenma running again.

Tsukishima Kei took everything from Kenma. His life as a volleyball player, his special bond with Kuroo, Kuroo Tetsurou himself. He is the one who cursed him with this disease, not Kuroo. Kenma hates Tsukishima Kei.

If only Kuroo had not met him.

~

“No.”

“What do you mean by ‘no’?”

“I’m not doing it.”

“Kenma, your health is on the line here. I don’t think you have a choice.”

Kenma remembers this conversation.

It is one he and Hinata had the night before, one that is almost exactly the same as the one he had with Coach Nekomata, but the second time, the dreadful Hanahaki Disease plays a part in it.

Hinata has been begging the past few days for Kenma to quit volleyball and put his own health above everything else. Kenma knows his good intentions, but how can he quit the only thing that connects him and Kuroo together?

“I will get better, Shoyo.”

Kenma heard his sigh from the other side of the line,”I don’t think that’s how it works, and I also want to tell you that I found a very reliable doctor who specializes in Hanahaki Disease surgeries here in Miyagi. That is, if you are willing to travel. If you’re not, I can find one in Tokyo.”

If he really ends up going for the surgery, he would rather have it done in Miyagi, where his hometown friends would not be able to find out. However, there’s still one more factor to consider.

“I’m okay with Miyagi, but if I go for surgery, there’s a chance where I lose my memories of Kuro, right?”

Silence followed before Hinata answered,”Yes.”

Kenma’s mind was clear. As cliche as it was, he would rather die knowing how much Kuroo impacted his life than not remembering Kuroo at all. After voicing his thoughts, Kenma remembers Hinata sighing once again, before giving in and starting to give advice on how to approach Kuroo instead.

Kenma rejected countless brainless suggestions from Hinata, but the orange-haired boy did not give up. Eventually, it was Kenma’s turn to give in, and he accepted the one he finds most feasible by far.

Still, nothing mentally prepared Kenma for what he is about to see.

With a box of grilled salted mackerel pike in one hand, he stands near the gates by the entrance of the school. Having woken up earlier than usual, Kenma has spent half of his morning cooking with a little help from his mother and the other half bending over the toilet bowl.

It was both painful and tiring, but Kenma knows that it will bring a smile to Kuroo’s face and brighten up his day by at least a little. That is enough for Kenma to find that it is worth his early morning suffering.

After his terrible performance during training the day before, Coach Nekomata decided to give the team a good break by cancelling training today. Hence Kenma decided to make good use of this opportunity to spend some time with Kuroo.

He looks at the time on the screen of his phone. Kuroo should be out by about now.

And Kenma is right.

From afar, Kenma catches sight of Kuroo changing to his outdoor shoes by the lockers, and the grip he has on the handle of the bag tightens. He feels his heartbeat start to race, beginning to feel nervous.

It is just like any other day, where he and Kuroo walk home together after school. Why is he reacting this way?

He watches as the male waves goodbye to his classmates and starts heading for the school gates. Mustering up his courage, he opens his mouth to speak.

“Kuro.”

Kenma is not sure whether it is because of the mask again that causes Kuroo to not be able to hear him or because Kuroo seems fixated on something else.

While Kenma is looking at him, Kuroo is looking in the other direction. Following his gaze, Kenma’s eyes fall onto a tall hooded figure standing at the other end of the gate.

Who is that?

Kuroo walks straight towards the unknown person, not noticing Kenma’s presence in the slightest. A small smile slowly grows on the boy’s face as he taps the person’s shoulder, and when the person turns, Kuroo smiles a smile Kenma has honestly never seen before.

It is a bright smile filled with adoration, a smile filled with love. A rare smile from Kuroo, a rare smile that will never be directed to Kozume Kenma.

Kuroo brings the person in for a hug, and their hood drops. A blonde head is revealed, the hood then bringing Kenma’s heart down together with it. The all too familiar feeling of his stomach churning and chest suffocating returns.

“Tsukki! Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all, Kuroo-san,” The younger male replies,”I just arrived not too long ago.”

“That’s good! Let’s head to the movie theatre first, we need to get tickets.”

Kuroo swings his arm over the bespectacled boy’s shoulder, guiding him in the direction of the nearest mall, opposite of where Kenma is standing.

Kenma does not notice that he has already lost grip of the bag with the food, as it lands on the ground hardly and spills its contents all over. He only notices how small he is, how insignificant he is in the world of Kuroo Tetsurou.

Who is he to get in between their happiness?

At that moment, Kenma realizes he has been wrong all this while. It is neither Kuroo nor Tsukishima who caused him to get the Hanahaki Disease. The real culprit has been himself all along.

~

Kenma does not know how long he has left. Two months? Two weeks? Two days?

However, what he knows is that he should not be feeling so comfortable with the disease. He has detached himself from everything, from school, from volleyball, from his family. The only thing that reminds him he is still living on Earth is the fact that he cannot stop vomiting.

His parents pay no mind to him locking himself in his room everyday, they just think he is gaming as per normal. And Kenma would like to keep it that way.

“Did you do it?”

“Yeah, I’m officially not a member anymore.”

Kenma hears Hinata’s sigh of relief, and yet he cannot find himself feeling the same way as his friend does.

Not long after his homemade mackerel snack went to waste, he found himself standing in the middle of the teacher’s room with a club withdrawal form in his hands. He remembers himself shaking as the form was passed from his hands to his teacher’s, half knowing he is going to regret it and half knowing this is for his best.

With the explanation that he has a disease that he needs to go for an operation for, he is officially removed from the lineup of the Nekoma volleyball club with immediate effect. He has not seen any of the club members physically since then, he could only explain his situation halfheartedly online.

‘Will you return?’

‘Maybe.’

“That’s good. By the way, please remember you have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow at 2pm.”

He lets out a shaky breath,”I remember.”

“I’ll meet you at the train station, then we can head to the hospital together.”

“Okay, thank you so much, Shoyo.”

Hinata replies, and Kenma knows he is smiling,”I already told you, Kenma. I’ll save you, and that’s a promise!”

That is what Hinata says, but all Kenma thinks about is how he is going to repay Hinata for everything he has done for him. For if Kenma had not met Hinata, he would have been all alone throughout the journey, with no one to trust and no one to turn to. Hinata brought light into the darkness he is facing because of the disease.

How fortunate, he is able to be Hinata’s friend.

His words bring a small smile to Kenma’s face. Before he can answer, he hears his home doorbell, which immediately makes his smile drop.

“Sorry, Shoyo, I need to answer the door,” He mutters apologetically.

“It’s fine! Take care of yourself, okay? See you, Kenma!”

Swinging his legs across his bed, he tiredly forces himself out of his room. The doorbell has been incessantly ringing, making him furrow his eyebrows in irritation. Who the hell is that?

What he does not expect when he swings the door open is to see Kuroo, panting hard and drenched in sweat from head to toe. His hair is no longer standing as it sticks onto his forehead because of the sweat.

Still, Kenma manages to find Kuroo ethereal.

“What are you doing here, Kuro?”

His heart is racing, and he is starting to find it hard to breathe.

“What am I doing here?” Kuroo questions back,”I should be the one asking you what are you doing here? At the comfort of your home, when you should have been at training minutes ago!”

Kenma’s frown deepens,”What? Don’t you know I have already quit the team?”

Kuroo’s eyes are different, different than usual. His eyes are hard and angry, and he has never looked at Kenma like this before.

“I know! And I had to hear it from the rest of the team! What the hell, Kenma? A disease? What an excuse. Don’t be so selfish. This is a time when the team needs the brain the most, we need you the most, and you’re bailing out on us? I can’t believe you.”

Kenma should not be feeling this way, but he cannot stop the tears threatening to fall upon hearing Kuroo’s words.

“I-I’m not being selfish, Kuro.” His fingers findle with the sleeves of his hoodie anxiously,”I already explained myself in the groupchat. Didn’t you read it? I don’t want to leave the team, but I don’t have a choice.”

“Sure you don’t. You look perfectly fine to me. Just because you’re too lazy to play anymore doesn’t mean you can just give up on the entire team. Just come back for the next training.”

“What? No, I can’t. I really can’t, Kuro.”

“Stop denying. I’ve been your best friend for so long, you can’t lie to me. Just listen to me, Kenma.”

Suddenly, Kenma’s dejection evaporates and anger replaces it instead. He uses his hoodie sleeve to rub away his tears roughly, leaving a stinging feeling behind as he vents,”No. You listen to me! You don’t know what I’m going through right now, don’t think you know everything about me. I-I am suffering from Hanahaki Disease, and I can’t do anything strenuous!”

Silence follows, and Kenma regrets everything he says.

“Hanahaki Disease?” Kuroo finally speaks after staring at him blankly for a few seconds,”That’s funny, Kenma. Good joke. There’s no way you have that, it’s so rare.”

Something breaks within Kenma. Is it the trust he has in Kuroo or his heart?

He can feel the all too familiar feeling of flower stems crawling up his throat. Pain shoots through his chest as he takes in a deep breath to calm himself down. He feels so weak, and he hates feeling like this in front of others, especially Kuroo.

Bringing up a finger accusingly, he snaps back,“Y-You don’t understand how hard it has been for me the past weeks, and how hard it was for me to actually confess that to you. Yet you brushed it away so easily. I got this stupid disease because of my stupid feelings for you! Will you believe me when I finally bloom for you?”

Now finding it difficult to breathe, he turns to enter his home without waiting for Kuroo’s reply. Before he can slam his door shut, Kuroo’s voice stops him.

“Kenma-”

Kenma turns back to face Kuroo for the last time and forces a smile,“I wish I never met you.”

~

No matter where he is or how old he is, Kenma will never like hospitals. The entire general vibe of hospitals just throws him off, and he hates it.

“Kenma, are you feeling okay?”

He nods.

With yesterday’s events thrown behind him, he approached the new day with a smile, for this is the day when he finally gets to be free from the stems holding him down against his will. His trip to Miyagi was luckily not troubled by , and he managed to arrive at the foot of the hospital with Hinata safely.

“You’re not having regrets, are you? Oh no. Do you need anything? I’ll get them for you.”

Hinata’s nervous, which is weird for someone who is meant to be an emotional support for the person going for an operation. They look like they have switched roles.

Grabbing Hinata’s wrist before he can run off, Kenma pulls him back down onto his seat, saying,“Stop. I’m fine, Hinata. Don’t worry.”

Hinata stares at him worriedly, causing the blondie to look back at him with a frown.

“I told you, I’m fine.”

Hinata sighs in response, then shaking his body which Kenma can only assume is to calm down his nerves. His gaze moves from the boy beside him to face the doctor across them as the doctor turns back around. A document is placed on the table in front of them, and Kenma notices his name written in bold on the top.

“I have checked your status and I can deem you ready for surgery any time. Even though we already have your parents’ approval, we still need your approval first before we can proceed. Are you certain you want to undergo this surgery?”

It was difficult. After knowing how Kuroo reacted to knowing about Kenma’s Hanahaki Disease, it was difficult for Kenma to come forward and confess to his parents about it. However, he needed his parents’ approval before he could actually do anything. At least, they reacted better than Kuroo did.

They were upset at first, of course, but they knew why he kept it a secret from them initially. From Kenma’s eyes, he also knows how bad they felt for not noticing what was going on in his life.

“Yes, I’m certain.”

“Just to be sure, Kozume-san, you do know of the possible after effects of the Hanahaki removal surgery, right?”

“I do.”

“Do you still want to go for it?”

Kenma pauses.

“Yes.”

~

He has never felt his body feel so light in a long time.

It has been almost a week since he agreed to having the Hanahaki removal operation, and Kenma has never been more happy. The doctors have finally decided to discharge him after a week, allowing him to leave the godforsaken dreadful place people call a hospital.

“Welcome home, Kenma,” His father comments as he pulls up the car,”I’m glad to see you looking so much happier.”

Over the week, his parents dropped by occasionally to check up on him, but they never got to stay for long because of work commitments back in Tokyo. Regardless, he never feels alone because Hinata would never fail to visit him after school and training.

“I’ll bring your bags home first.”

“Thank you.”

Kenma swings the door open softly, exiting the car carefully. Taking a deep breath, he indulges himself in the familiar scent of his home area. It warms his heart, and he smiles.

Walking towards his home’s open door, he stops short when he realizes an odd boy staring at him from the house next door with wide eyes. Kenma frowns in confusion, but decides to ignore him and continues walking.

“K-Kenma!” His name is called out, and he stops.

Kenma frowns. How does the boy know his name?

“Kenma.” The tall boy now runs to stand beside him. He grabs Kenma’s shoulders, making Kenma jump in fright. “Where have you been? I have been looking for you everywhere.”

Kenma’s eyes fall to the boy’s hands on his shoulders. He is insanely uncomfortable.

“Sorry,” He slowly reaches to bring the boy’s hands away from his shoulders,”I think you got the wrong person. I don’t know who you are.”

Moving back, he puts a comfortable distance between him and the boy. Kenma looks up to meet the boy’s wide eyes. His eyes seem panicked.

“Y-You don’t know who I am? Kenma, I’m Kuro. I’m your best friend, Kenma, we’ve been neighbours since we were like, ten. Don’t play this kind of sick joke with me.”

Kenma only frowns further. “I’m sorry, I really don’t know who you are. I need to go.”

Who the hell is this guy?

Leaving the boy to stand alone in the middle of their houses, Kenma enters his home quietly. Despite only leaving for a week, he still missed his home dearly. His eyes scan the layout of his home slowly before it lands on a potted flower by the side of the television.

As Kenma walks closer to it, he notices how dried up the flower is, and he is certain it has not been watered for weeks. Even though he can still see a hint of the redness it used to have, it is practically dead by now.

Sighing, he brings the potted flower into his hands, then walking back out of his house. He is surprised to see the boy with the weird bedhead still standing at the same place as he was before, but he ignores him.

It fails, anyway.

“Kenma,” The boy who claims to be ‘Kuro’ calls out again, and jogs towards him to start a conversation Kenma does not want to be a part of,”Since you’re back, are you going to join the volleyball club again? The team misses you, you know?”

This makes Kenma stop dead in his tracks. How does this stranger know he was in the school’s volleyball team?

Feeling bad for ignoring him, he says,”No. There’s nothing that is connecting me and the team. I don’t see any reason for me to join again. I don’t like doing sports, anyway.”

“W-What? B-” The boy stops halfway, and Kenma turns to look at him curiously. He then notices that the boy’s attention has been brought to the plant in his hands.

“Is that a red begonia?”

Kenma shrugs,”I don’t know. I think my mum forgot about buying it. I’ll just throw it away.”

“I-It’s withered,” The boy states, as though panicked, as his eyes are blown wide and speech is rushed,”Are you sure you want to throw it away? Isn’t it precious to you? Why don’t you try to save it?”

Kenma frowns, head tilting to a side in confusion. Why would a random plant that his mother bought be so important to him?

He answers him noneheless.

“There is no way to save hearts that have withered.”

[promethes]

how an idiot like me got into good schools

A quick run-through of my academic history and how I got into good colleges will be below the cut! I’m also including a list of some of the schools I got into for reference. I apologize in advance for how messy this is, but my memory is shitty and I remember random things that I keep throwing in lol. (and for people congratulating me, thank you very much, but I got into all these schools last year lol! so keep in mind I graduated high school in 2019)

If all you came for are the basic stats and you don't want my rambling: I went to a public school GPA: around 4.4 on 4.0 scale (3.9 unweighted) SAT: 1520/1600 APs: 10 (4 3s, 2 4s, 4 5s) Extracurricular: mainly NHS (around 300 volunteering hours), StuCo, Varsity Golf, and Quiz Bowl

EDIT: comments made by the readers who reviewed my application are available here!

First off, I am not an einstein! I am blessed that I pick up on stuff easily and gifted in academics, but I’m nowhere near a genius. For a little backstory, I went to a public school in Michigan for the entirety of my pre-k - 12 education. When I was in the third grade, the district introduced an accelerated program. We took a quasi IQ test and if we tested high enough (I think the threshold was 80%? If I remember correctly I got a 97) we were put in a class that was 2 years ahead in English and Math. We stayed grouped together for the rest of our public schooling, basically a core group of around 20 people. Since we were the first year of the program and our grade was exceptionally gifted for some weird reason, it was a very high achieving group of students, so I’m going to include their stats along with mine for comparison because colleges also factor in your peers when they look at your stats.

I’ll start off with basic stats:

I got a 1520 on the SAT. My grade had around 5 - 10 people achieve over 1500. Some of them had been studying for years, while others (me) did not know that the SAT existed until that year and couldn’t afford any private tutoring and had no patience for the study books from the library. I’m lucky to have an aptitude for the skills they were testing. I did not take any SAT subject tests.

For GPA, I think I ended up with around a 4.4 on a 4.0 scale. I was around 15/350 when it came to class standing, so I was far from the valedictorian. I think our valedictorians got around a 4.6 or 4.7.

I took 10 AP tests. I got a 3 in APUSH, World History, Language and Comp (I fell asleep lol), and Chem (I will get into this class a little later). I got a 4 in Literature (I fell asleep. Again.) and in Psychology. I got a 5 in Calc AB & BC, Comp Sci Principles, and Environmental Science.

AP classes were really pushed in my high school, especially onto my grade, and I don’t like being told what to do lol so I pushed back and took fewer AP classes than most of my peers (valedictorians ended up with maybe 15? It’s crazy) and basically only took classes I was interested in or that I had to take because I had exhausted the rest of the curriculum.

I also dual-enrolled in 2 classes at the local community college since I’d exhausted the curriculum at my high school for things I wanted to do (english and comp sci). I want to make it clear that I never sat down and planned how I was going to maximize my schedule or how I’d take the most advanced classes, I just fell into it since we had already essentially skipped two grades. Most people didn’t dual enroll since they wanted the AP GPA boost.

For extracurriculars, I mainly focused on Quiz Bowl, Golf, NHS (volunteered around 350 hours in 3 years I think) and Student Government. I never had any leadership positions and just kind of fucked around most of the time. Most of my peers held several leadership positions throughout the years and did like a bazillion things. 5 of them even traveled to Europe for some science research thing where they presented their research. I was not that big of a nerd.

In junior year, I stumbled on something called Questbridge and decided to apply because I wanted the money for the scholarship. I became a Questbridge college prep scholar, which then led me to apply for the National College Match. I didn’t rank any binding schools so I didn’t match, but I did apply to several schools with their application. If you are a low-income high achieving student, I highly recommend looking them up. I was the first person in my school to do this program and encouraged my peers to do it too. I think 4 of us were Questbridge scholars.

As you can see, I had good numbers, which probably got me past the first wave of application look throughs. However, I’m fairly confident that what made me stand out was my essays. I always stress this to whoever asks me for advice: do not write a perfect essay, write YOUR essay. I can only imagine how bored those poor people are of reading about someone winning a soccer game or a spelling bee. Add some pizzazz in there. Talk about your flaws and your mistakes and your unique life experiences! 

For example, my personal essay wasn’t even in essay format! I wrote it like journal entries, focusing on my sophomore year when my life was Extra Tumultuous and I was going through homelessness. I did not say I was homeless once in the essay. I just did day by day entries of what my life was like during that time and through that the readers were able to see that I loved to read, that I am fiercely protective of my single-parent family, and they saw how I handled adversity. I want to stress that I’m not encouraging poverty porn at all. I did not write it to make the reader feel bad. I simply relayed what I thought about in a day, focusing on both big and small.

I also wrote about funny things related to academics, partly to explain my transcript and partly to be funny. This is the AP Chem thing. I actually dropped out of it after one term (so about a third of the way through) so I could dual enroll in a class I was interested in instead. My chem teacher HATED that since I was good at chemistry (hate it. Hate that subject so much) and tried to convince me to stay. One of the things he said was “You’ll never be ready for college if you don’t take this class! You wouldn’t even be able to pass the AP test!” so I said bet. dropped the class and signed up for the AP test that same day and showed up almost every day for the rest of the year and dicked around the entire class, taking naps in the back of the lab, sitting on his desk, cracking jokes about whatever he was teaching. I got a 3 on that exam purely out of spite with only half the information I needed. So write about stuff like that. It’s fun.

The fact that I had no guidance in writing the essays was actually really good for me since I just kind of let loose. My UChicago essay read like I was on crack, and they loved it so much that they literally mentioned it during the welcome speech for their little college visit in April.

And don’t sweat over the small stuff! The short answers don’t have to be perfect and mind-blowing, just answer honestly. For the “why Yale” supplemental essay I just ranted about how beautiful their library is for a good 300 words (at some point I said I needed my inhaler because it was that breathtaking. I made a Yale admissions officer read that.) I ranted about Howl’s Moving Castle to Columbia. I told them my favorite magazine was the American Girl ones for their arts and crafts! I have a friend at Columbia who literally sent them a picture of her in a duck costume as a supplement. They loved it. So don’t lose your mind trying to sound worldly and educated. You’re like. 17. Just answer honestly and don’t think too hard about it.

I was also extremely lucky to have a dedicated counselor who sat down for hours with each individual student to write fantastic letters of recommendation. She really made it clear what I had achieved and what challenges I’d faced.

So. tl;dr: I got lucky. Unless your parents donated a couple billion to the school, there are no guarantees. Sometimes you can have the stats and perfect essays and amazing extracurriculars and you can still get rejected because they don’t think you’re a good fit with the school compared to the rest of the applicants. There’s limited space in the student body. I got into schools my valedictorians didn’t get into even though I was academically less than them in every possible way. So let yourself shine through your essays and know you’ll end up in an environment that values the person they saw in those essays.

I got into a lot of schools, and don’t really have a record of all of them, but here are some of the top ones I can remember off the top of my head:

Yale, Columbia, University of Chicago (likely letter), Northwestern, University of Michigan, Northeastern, CWRU, UNC Chapel Hill, and a couple other schools here and there that slip my mind at the moment.

[sunflowerhae]

Linger

Episode • 1/8

Mobile Masterlist •

♡ ☾ ✐

Authors note• bro this is so long I’m so sorry I’m breaking it into parts for u (I HATE MY LIFE)

Warnings• mentions of death, language

Songs• something - the Beatles/ With love, Vincent - Murray Gold/ she’s so lovely - beach house

•Na Jaemin remembers the exact moment he first laid his eyes on Y/N Y/L/N.

•He was standing by his locker on the first day of sophomore year

•laughing with Jeno and Haechan about their new math teacher

•when she walked past him with two other girls, smiling and holding some books in her arms.

•Jaemin will tell anyone that listens that this was the first time he felt the air knocked out of his lungs

•He remembers thinking that she was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen.

•He didn’t know who she was; he had never seen her before (he would remember) (sike he’s stupid)

•yet he knew that he would marry that girl.

•he was worried bc he didn’t know who tF she was, but don’t worry bc the second time he ever saw her was maybe 6 minutes later

•he walked into his 4th period Honors English 10 class, and she was talking to the teacher across the classroom, before moving and sitting down in the first empty seat she saw.

•Jaemin didn’t know what to do

•his new mystery dream girl was in his class.

•Should he sit next to her?

•Should he just ignore her and talk to her later?

•what is gonna wear?

•is he gonna cry?

•Jaemin didn’t have much time to decide

• a mere 10 second delay was all it took for three boys (also on the football team with Jaemin) to enter the room and wrap their arms around his shoulder

•ushering him over to an empty table in the back while showcasing their excitement about being in the same class together.

•Jaemin tried not to show his disappointment, and instead gave one of his usual, dazzling smiles (ya know the one!) while joking along with them

•trying to forget about the mystery girl (and the excitement he got when he learned her name during roll call)

•It was then that Na Jaemin’s and Y/N Y/L/N’s rolls in their story were set in stone.

•He would be the popular boy that everyone knew, but didn’t really know

•and you would be the quiet girl that only a few, special people knew of, but those people were your closest friends.

•And over the course of the next two years, it would stay that way. •Jaemin, secretly pining for you

•and you, thinking the beautiful boy as untouchable.

•That would, however, change, on one god forsaken, cloudy Friday.

•A Friday that would forever be ingrained in Jaemins memory as the day he sealed his lonely fate in the world

•and the day he lost his true soulmate

•before he even talked to her.

•If Haechan’s persistent moaning and groaning about school wasn’t enough

•the weather was gloomy and cloudy

•and anyone with eyes could tell that rain was to be expected. •Jaemin, secretly, didn’t mind.

•Although he would never share it, he loved the rain.

•What he did mind, was his friends continuous bitching.

•”Hyuck, shut up,” -Renjun, 2020

•I mean he wasn’t even paying attention to the group, too preoccupied w his sketch book, sometimes glancing up at a girl that sat across the school yard, before looking back down at his sketch book (spoilers for something I’m writing??? Hehe you’ll never know hehe)

•all Jeno did was MenTion that rainy weather meant football practice would be cancelled

•hyucks smile was BaCk

•Jaemin was not impressed

•okay the conversation went something like this

“Damn Na, why are you looking at me like how my mom looks when my report card come in?” -full sun

•You literally insulted football to my face.” -nana

•haechan let out a loud laugh

•at Jaemin’s expense

•“you don’t know the ups and downs of High-school football” -nojam and injunnie

•also at Jaemins expense

•due to an ongoing joke that Jaemin reminded their friend group of the teenage redhead from riverdale

•Na Jaemin was so upset, he didn’t even eat his fries.

•”I wouldn’t care so much if I wasn’t the fucking captain of the team, hyuck. I mean, I gotta hold you responsible to a certain degree, you’re the fucking quarterback!” -Na Jaemin

•someone bully him

•so as that is happening, 2/3 of the missing members of their group come in HOT

•I mean literally

•they’re breathing heavily and everything

•acting like they just ran a mf marathon

•jisung YEETS his bag in the table (covering Renjuns sketchbook, which annoyed the fuck out of the older boy, but really who cares)

•”Guys guys guys! You will never guess who we just saw in the library!” -Mochi

•”lemme give it a try; mark?” -bitch ass Chinese bitch (renjun)

•”No! We saw Mar- wait what? How’d you know?” -child prodigy Zhong Chenle

•“Uhh, maybe because he texted in the group chat that he was gonna be in the library?” -nojam makin a comeback

•”Okay okay, but - can I have a fry? - did hew shay who hedt be wif?”

•”Swallow your fucking food first, le.” -smart boy you guess who

(Whew are y’all getting sensory overload like I AM)

•“He said, did he say who he’d be with, though? No, he didn’t, but guess who WE saw him with,” -jisung bringing the T E A.

•no one answers

•Chenle and jisung give each other the “we’re friends w dumbasses” look

•“Y/n! He was sitting with y/n!”

•oh shit

•Everyone quickly turned their heads to Jaemin

•tell me why this boy was glaring at the table like it messed w his daughter

•Out of everyone ever, the only people who knew about Jaemins secret crush was the 5 boys sitting with Jaemin

•and the one sitting in the library with said secret crush.

•They didn’t even really know, they just knew that they once saw Jaemin slip something like a note into Y/n’s locker junior year

•and Jaemin made up a bullshit excuse that it was something for class that no one

•-not even Jeno, who always trusted his friends -

•believed.

•”why aren’t you mad”

•”you should be angry”

•literally all of the present boys were THROWING it on jaemin

•and naturally -

•he deflected

•”bro I’m not even upset, I don’t like y/n!”

•lmao K

•now at this point

•the boys thought they were helping

•really

•it was innocent they promise.

•really how were they to know what was going to happen

•so hyuck had JOKED and said that if Jaemin didn’t like u, he wouldn’t mind hurting u

•it was super harmless

•unTil

•some other popular ppl walked over RIGHT as Haechan said that

•and he was like oh fuck

•but silently

•bc Haechan knew what Jaemin was like

•if it was just their lil group still, Jaemin would have told hyuck to fuck off

•but Jaemin was terrified to lose his reputation

•he was an insecure boy

•he would have really done anything to keep his position as most popular boy in school

•so when one of his jock friends dares Jaemin to get you to date him until prom, get ur virginity the night before, and then ditch u at prom and tell you it was all a dare in front of everyone and that he never liked you

•well

•he stupidly agrees

•the dreamies agree with it

•only bc they don’t actually think Jaemin will last

•they think he’ll back out last minute and stay w you

•and that Jaemin will finally get u

•wishful thinking

•you were failing math

•it’s not that you were stupid, you weren’t

•you just R E A L L Y hated math

•and your mom was so upset w your grade

•my girl forced u to get a tutor

•good thing u knew mark

•he agreed to meet w you in the library Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s at lunch

•and Thursday’s if you needed it

•thank god 4 mark

•everything was going Super Fine™️

•up until you both look up when you hear squealing and the sound of someone smacking someone else

•and there’s jisung and Chenle,

•staring at you both

•and squealing

•and smacking each other on the arms

•before just plain running out

•”if I don’t go after them, they’ll tell all of our friends that we’re marrying each other, so i should go.” -Mark fucking Lee

•so you’re walking towards your locker to put all of your math work in it,

•and when you open it, a lil note falls out and flutters to the ground

•your smile: 3% -> 95%

•honestly you were kinda having a shitty day

•so you were so happy to see a note in your locker

•you had been receiving love notes since you were in sophomore year

•you don’t remember exactly when during the year

•but one day, they were just there

•you were excited to add another one to your box

•this one wasn’t big, it just said “Your Personality makes me want to be a better person! I hope you have a beautiful day, sunshine!”

•the rim of the paper had squiggly yellow lines, and the bottom had a poorly drawn sunshine, with a heart, like always

•you didn’t know who your secret admirer was

•but you wish you did

•u lowkey loved them

•you’re still smiling about it as you walk into your 7th period math class

•and the note was found at lunch, like an hour ago

•they make you so happy

•you silently sat down in your seat, and stared off into space with a dreamy look on your face

•and THATS how Jaemin knew you got his note

•you always had that look when you read his notes

•not that you knew it was from him

•it made him so happy

•even if you two had never talked before, he still freaking loved that he could make you smile

•Jaemin wasn’t happy for long

•he tried not to let you notice him staring at you in class,

•it was kinda hard, seeing as you two literally sat next to each other

•he couldn’t believe he had to break your heart

•he wanted to die lowkey lol

•but he had to do it

•not really, but really

•so he took a deep breath

•and opened his mouth

Continued here

{taglist}

@ivietea @fiveguysgoodbyeguys @comically-sleep-deprived @woosans-sann @mozartwasajungkookstan @littlefluu @cxcxlxlee @jaesluvklub @uyuzo @sweetie-yoongi7 @marklexleaf

[ryqoshay]

How to Handle a Nico - Dinner at the Nishikino’s

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Words: ~4.1k Rating: K Time Frame: Late in Maki’s 1st year and Nico’s 3rd year in college. Story Arc: Stand Alone

Author’s Note: This chapter was assembled from a patchwork of about a dozen instances I wanted to include and thus wrote each separately. And somewhere along the lines, MS Word decided not to sync between my PC and mobile devices, so I ended up with two, slightly differently edited versions. Thus, here’s hoping my self-purported prowess with prose was successful in stitching this scene into a sensible structure. Please forgive any unsightly seams.

Nico couldn’t remember the last time she had been this nervous. No, wait, just a few days ago, her first date with Maki. Well, first official date, not counting all of the not-actually-date-but-technically-were-dates from years prior. Unfortunately, that was quickly falling into second place as she approached the gate to the Nishikino home.

Perhaps the date had been easier because she knew Maki, knew Maki liked her, knew Maki liked spending time with her, knew Maki wanted to date her, and was fairly confident Maki was attracted to her. She had known all of these things even before they started dating officially. As such, looking back, she wasn’t sure why she had been so nervous for their first date, because with the exception of one little hiccup named Etsuko, it had all gone splendidly.

But the parental Nishikinos were more of an unknown. Nico had met both of Maki’s parents a handful of times throughout the years, but had never really gotten to know either. She was all but certain she would have little problems with Maki’s mother as she had apparently been talking behind the scenes with her mother about her and Maki’s developing relationship. And she had been quite supportive of Maki’s time as a school idol, so Nico didn’t think she would object to her intended career choice.

Maki’s father on the other hand… Nico remembered quite vividly when he almost made Maki quit being a school idol after her grades slipped the tiniest of bits; not even enough for her to drop from her position as top of her class. Umi had been the one to stand up to him, which made sense insofar as she understood having parents with high expectations. Still, looking back, Nico couldn’t help feeling a bit of regret that she hadn’t been the one to protect Maki. Sure, she had offered her support, but…

“Good evening, Yazawa-san.” A voice came over the speaker.

Nico jumped. Had she even pushed the button to announce her presence?

“Yes, good evening.” She replied as she recognized the voice of the Nishikino estate manager.

“Ojou-sama has informed me of pending arrival, though as always, you are most welcome here.”

“Thanks.” Nico replied as the buzzer sounded to indicate the gate was unlocked.

One gate down, literally. Nico thought as she made her way toward the front door. Though part of her wished Maki had been the one to answer the intercom, she was nonetheless thankful that it had been a member of the house staff with whom she got along well. At least it hadn’t been…

“D-Dr. Nishikino?” Nico sputtered as the door suddenly swung open to reveal a towering, bespectacled man who immediately fixed her with a cool and calculating gaze.

Damn. Why had she stuttered? This wasn’t the first time she had met Maki’s father, and if all went well tonight, it wouldn’t be the last. You can do this Nico! Sure it wasn’t the man she expected and she was caught a bit unaware, but… Gah! Stop being intimidated. You’re here for a reason! And that reason is Maki-chan!

“Yazawa-san.” Maki’s father stated flatly.

“Hi…” Nico cutoff by clearing her throat. “Good evening.” She corrected, offering a polite bow. “I’m…”

“I’m afraid my daughter will be unable to entertain your visit tonight.” Dr. Nishikino interrupted. “We are expecting an important guest who should be arriving presently.”

I’m an important guest? No, wait, of course I am! I’m Maki’s girlfriend now. So, buck up and tell him that.

“Yes, sir, that guest is me.” For emphasis, Nico indicated the stylish dress she had picked out specifically for the occasion. “I’m Maki’s date.”

“…” Dr. Nishikino raised an eyebrow but remained steadfast in his position.

“Nico-chan!” the voice of an angelic savior came from behind the barrier of the paternal Nishikino. “Papa, let her in.”

Dr. Nishikino stepped aside and…

Holy… Nico had to make a conscious effort to avoid letting her jaw hit the floor. Not that Nico, at any point, had forgotten that Maki was beautiful, but when the redhead went all out, it was all she could do not to stare. Though elegantly modest, the deep purple dress still managed to highlight Maki’s best features.

“You’re early.” Maki said, bringing Nico back to reality.

“I’m sorry, did I take you away from your precious piano?” Nico couldn’t help teasing a bit, figuring the younger girl had wanted to arrive at her parents’ home earlier for a few moments of nostalgia with the instrument she grew up playing.

“Yeah, actually.” Maki admitted as she glanced away sheepishly.

“Well maybe after dinner, you can continue your concert, but with an audience?” Nico pointed herself as if it wasn’t already obvious who she meant.

“I’d like that.”

“You look lovely, by the way. Purple always looks good on you, Maki-chan.”

“Thanks.” Maki replied as pink dusted her cheeks. “You look good too. I like when you leave your hair down. It makes you look more…” She trailed off.

“More?”

“Sorry, I meant…”

“More mature?” Nico completed what she believed to be her girlfriend’s thought.

“Uhm… yeah…”

“I’ll have you know Nico is always mature.” She squared her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips pridefully.

Maki raised an eyebrow in a way that left no question as to her linage.

“Anyway, I haven’t seen that dress before, is it new?”

Maki nodded. “Mama and I just got back a little while ago from picking it out.”

Huh… Mama and I were also just out shopping for my dress. Nico thought to herself. And, wait a minute… “We match.” Or at least they matched in the way their old idol costumes matched in overall theme and enough details to be an obvious set while maintaining enough individuality to be unique as well.

“We do?” Maki glanced down at herself before back at Nico. After half a second, she smiled. “Yeah, we do. What a nice coincidence.”

Nico found herself wondering if the coincidence was perchance planned by a pair of meddling mothers who meant well. She made a mental note to ask her mother about the issue later, if for no other reason than to thank her for the cute gesture.

“So, dinner isn’t for a little while yet” Maki continued “but they might have appetizers ready already so why don’t we head to the dining room and I’ll quick check?”

“Lead the way.” Nico decided not to bring up how she still got lost in the huge house, even after visiting frequently over the last few years.

“You coming, Papa?”

Nico realized she had all but forgotten the paternal Nishikino was still there. Stealing a quick side glance, she found him quietly observing the couple. If she was reading things correctly, his aura had warmed somewhat, though was no less calculating than before; gears were obviously grinding behind his stoic expression.

“Your mother and I will meet you at the table.” Dr. Nishikino stated. “I’ll go find her.”

As Maki took her hand to lead her through the house, Nico noticed her grip was tighter than normal. A lot tighter. Maki was more nervous than she was letting on. Just how worried was she about her father’s approval of their relationship? Nico already knew Maki’s mother was wholly supportive, as was her own, but the only things she really knew about Maki’s father were that he had high expectations for his daughter and was not particularly fond of idols.

“Wait, Maki-chan,” Nico said, stopping in the hallway before they reached their destination “hold up a moment.”

“Eh?” Maki uttered, not seeming to notice the change and almost yanking Nico’s arm out of the socket before being held to a halt. “Nico-chan?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Maki.” Nico fixed her girlfriend with a steady stare. The redhead returned the gaze, though was far more furtive, and when she began to fidget with her hair, Nico reached out and gently touched her hand. “What’s wrong?” She repeated.

Maki released a puff of air. “I’m nervous, alright? I… I just really want Papa to like you.”

“I’m nervous too.” Nico admitted, her thoughts racing through things she could say to calm them both down. “But you know, he didn’t turn me away at the door, so that’s gotta count for something, right?” She paused for a moment. “Well, technically, he did, but that was before he realized why I was here, but he still let me in, so that has to mean he’s willing to give me a chance, right?”

“I just… I know he’ll bring up idols, and…”

“Maki-chan.” Nico took a step in to close some of the distance between them. “Nico didn’t become the No. 1 Idol in the Universe without learning a thing or two about reading her audience.”

“…” Maki’s expression wasn’t one of disbelief but of continued concern.

“Look, I’m not going to lie to your father about my career of choice, but I’m also not going to try to convert him into a fan or convince him that idols are the most amazing thing ever, even if I believe that myself.”

“I know…”

“And I am attending college and aim to get a degree.” Nico continued. “Sure it won’t be a fancy medical degree like yours, but I’m getting it while still being an idol. So that’s also gotta count for something, right?”

“Papa does respect hard work.”

“And Nico is a hard worker.”

“I know.” Maki affirmed, dropping her hand before leaning her head into Nico’s hand. “Nico-chan is one of the hardest workers I know when it comes to working toward her goals. It’s always admired, and envied, about you.”

Nico scoffed. “You say that as if you don’t work hard as well, Maki-chan.”

“Mmm…” Maki hummed in a tone that implied she was paying attention to something other than the conversation at hand.

Hand… Maki closed her eyes and nuzzled her cheek against Nico’s hand, causing her to open her fingers to increase contact. It should be fine here, right? Nico moved in the rest of the way and tilted her chin up. Maki followed her hand as Nico guided her down. Their lips touched and…

“Oh dear…” A startled voice uttered, causing the couple to jolt away from each other. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, Ojou-sama.”

“I-It’s f-fine…” A blushing Maki stumbled through.

Nico recognized the woman one of the newer members of the Nishikino house staff. She was responsible for general assistance wherever needed.

“Welcome, Yazawa-san.” The woman said with a polite bow, but when she righted herself, her expression was thoughtful. “Although, now that you’re dating Ojou-sama, perhaps Yazawa-sama is more appropriate?”

“Just Nico is fine.” Nico assured.

“Right, anyway, I’m on my away to retrieve some bottles of Cloudy Bay at the behest of the master.”

“White?” Maki inquired.

The woman nodded. “We’ve prepared a delightful shrimp pasta for the main course.” She turned to Nico. “Ojou-sama has informed us of your talent in the kitchen, so we hope to meet your standards, Yazawa-sama.”

Guess the new title is going to stick. Nico thought to herself. “I’m sure it will be great.”

“The caprese salads should be ready if you wish to head to the dining room now.”

“Tomatoes, of course.” Nico couldn’t help commenting.

“Yes.” The staff member confirmed. “We have also been informed of one of your preferences, so for dessert, we will be serving traditional crepes with lemon and sugar.”

“Sounds delicious.”

The woman smiled before bowing again to excuse herself and hurrying down the hall.

“Is there anything wrong with your father requesting white wine?” Nico asked, trying to gauge her girlfriend’s reaction.

“I don’t believe so.” Maki shook her head. “White is better paired with seafood, after all.”

“Yes, but…?”

“No, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” Maki shook her head again. “Cloudy Bay is actually one of Papa’s favorites. He’s quite fond of the New Zealand area in general.”

“One of his favorites? That’s gotta be a good sign, right?”

“I hope so.”

Nico took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then released it slowly. “Well, the salad is apparently ready, so we may as well get to it.”

Maki nodded before taking Nico’s hand once more to complete their journey to the dining room. Nico noted, thankfully, that her girlfriend’s grip was far more relaxed this time around.

Upon arrival, the couple was greeted by the Nishikino estate manager who showed them to their seats. Shortly thereafter, Maki’s parents arrived and took their own seats. Next the chef and her assistant from before arrived with the first course. Finally, the first bottle of wine was uncorked and the meal was underway.

“So, Yazawa-san,” Dr. Nishikino stated, drawing Nico’s attention “you’ve known Maki since high school, am I correct?”

“Yes.” Nico affirmed. “It was Maki-chan’s first year and my third.”

“I see. And were you one of the girls who helped convince her to become an idol?”

Well, that didn’t take long for the subject to come up. Nico thought to herself. Straight to the point, I guess, unlike a certain dishonest daughter of his…

“Actually, it was the other way around.” Nico replied.

“Oh?”

“I was in a disillusioned and jaded state back then, after my first attempt at forming a group fell through.” Nico admitted. “And it was Honoka and Maki-chan and the others that pulled me out of my funk and helped me remember why I adored idols so much and wanted so desperately to be one.” She couldn’t help smiling as fond memories flooded her mind. “I really do owe them all a debt of gratitude for that.”

“I see. And you are still an idol now?”

“Part time.” Nico nodded. “I was able to find a small production company that was willing to work around my classes. It fills up my schedule and keeps me busy, but also lets me keep my foot in the door.”

“Because you intend to go full time even once you’ve earned a degree?”

Nico wasn’t particularly fond of the wording of the question and had to resist the urge to call it out; had it been Maki and they were in a more casual setting, she likely would have done so.

“I do.” She said aloud instead. “And once I retire from being an idol, the degree will help me find other employment.”

“And what type of employment might that be?”

“Something still in the industry, if possible.” Out of the corner of her eye, Nico caught a suppressed expression of surprise on her girlfriend’s face. Understandable, as it was news to Maki as well. “Choreographer, trainer, costume design, heck maybe even a producer, someday. Basically, I’d like to pay forward my debt by helping the next generations of idols.”

“And one is able to earn a living in such an industry?”

“Others have before me; I believe I can as well.” Nico gave another glance to the redhead beside her. “I may not have the skills to become a life-saving doctor like Maki, but I can still do my part to make the world a better place; one smile at a time.”

“Medicine, law, business, engineering,” Maki’s mother suddenly spoke up “these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” She smiled at Nico. “I believe Mr. Keating’s words hold true for many things. Music, painting, writing, really the arts as a whole are what make life worth living.”

“Mr. Keating?” Nico inquired.

“The lead character of Dead Poets Society.” Maki responded. “We should watch it sometime, Nico-chan; it’s really good.”

“And it is because the arts are so important” Dr. Nishikino continued “that my husband and I strive to support them as much as possible. In fact, we will be attending a performance of The Barber of Seville late next month and have not even started sending out invites to fill our box. You two are more than welcome to join us.”

At this, Maki’s eyes lit up. “Next month? When?”

“I’ll message you the dates later, but it’s a weekend so you should be able to work it into your study schedule.”

Maki turned to Nico with an expression rivaling the one she wore when December started. “Do you want to come with me?”

Nico smiled at her girlfriend’s excitement and word choice. “I’d love to. But where have I heard that title before?”

“From my playlist.”

“Tchaikovsky?” Nico made sure to pronounce the name as correctly as she could.

Maki shook her head. “Rossini.”

Nico racked her memory. “Cinderella?”

“Yes, different opera, same composer.”

“One smile at a time, you said?” Maki’s father suddenly stated.

“Oh, yeah.” Nico recalled her words from a few minutes ago.

The barest hint of something tugged at the edges of Dr. Nishikino’s lips. “Well, if nothing else, you have succeeded in making my daughter smile.” He nodded toward Maki, directing Nico’s attention back to the mentioned reaction. “And as my wife and I can attest, that is not always the easiest of tasks.”

“… P-Papa…” Maki offered a mild protest as pink dusted her cheeks and her mother chuckled.

Nico couldn’t help a smile of her own as she turned back to Maki’s father. “I think I’m up to the challenge.”

“Indeed.”

Wait… wasn’t this a bit hypocritical? Nico suddenly thought. Why claim to be a patron of the arts while simultaneously disallowing one’s daughter from being an artist?

On occasion, Maki had bemoaned being railroaded into the medical career while her dreams of being a professional pianist were dismissed as a passing fancy. Yet she hadn’t acknowledged the contradiction. Was she even aware of it? With the level of reverence Maki held for her parents, Nico could easily imagine her remaining oblivious; well, that and Maki’s overall naivete in many aspects of life.

Should she tell her? Was it even Nico’s place say such a thing? Nico was no stranger to speaking her mind when it came to her own interests, or those of her siblings. And she was dating Maki now, which meant defending her girlfriend’s best interests also shouldn’t surprise anyone. Or at least what she believed to be Maki’s best interests, as her parents obviously felt differently.

“On a related topic, Yazawa-san, Maki has told us much about your shared love of music.” Dr. Nishikino continued.

Nico derailed her own train of thought and refocused her attention on the conversation at hand. “It is one of our favorite subjects to discuss… or argue over.”

“And you often listen together while studying.”

“I believe music helps keep us in a good mood, which then helps us study.” Nico explained.

“I think we can all attest to the positive effects of music.” The Nishikino matriarch said.

“Indeed.” Her husband agreed.

“And Maki-chan has helped expand my appreciation of other genres of music.” Nico turned to her girlfriend. “And I’d like to think I’ve expanded hers as well.”

Maki nodded an affirmation with a smile.

“Maki also has told us that she often helps you study.”

“She does.” Nico confirmed. “Maki is incredibly smart. Even if she doesn’t know the answer to a problem, she is often able to logic things through and help guide me in the right direction. Honestly, if I didn’t already know she was going to be a doctor, I’d’ve suggested she become a teacher.”

“Now that would be an interesting career choice.” Maki’s mother said thoughtfully.

“Hrm…” Her father seemed less than convinced. “So, do you help her study in return?”

“Well…” Nico started.

“Nico-chan helps in other ways, Papa.” Maki offered. “Even if she isn’t able to help me with a given topic, she helps ensure I take regular breaks so I can come back with better focus. She makes sure I’m hydrated and helps track my nutrition and is quite insistent on keeping a decent sleep schedule. Honestly, she’s better at taking care of me than I am.” Her eyes widened as her admission registered in her mind.

“That’s right,” Her mother continued with the thoughtfulness from earlier, though Nico was sure she detected some teasing undertones “wasn’t it Nico that saved Maki from herself back on her birthday?”

“Mama…” Maki was losing a battle in trying to keep down another blush.

“Maki is very diligent in her studies.” Nico stated. “And I’m happy to help where I can.”

“Hmm… sounds like another couple we know, right Dear?” Dr. Nishikino sent a sly smile toward her husband, the teasing more obvious now.

“… Perhaps.” Maki’s father conceded.

Was it Nico’s imagination or did she just catch another glimpse into the source of some of Maki’s behavior? The Nishikino patriarch wasn’t the easiest to read behind his stoic mask, but his daughter wasn’t always straightforward with her emotions either and Nico had figured her out fairly well by this point.

As far as Nico was concerned, the rest of dinner went quite smoothly. Once Maki’s father got past his initial questions, he remained mostly quite. It ended up being Nico and Maki’s mother carrying the bulk of the conversations, which honestly didn’t really surprise Nico all that much. Maki’s mother inquired about Nico’s family, though Nico suspected she already knew most of the things anyway and it was more for Maki’s father’s sake. Still, Nico wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to brag about her amazing siblings and about how proud of them she was in taking care of the household and themselves in her absence.

After dinner, Maki’s parents excused themselves to finish up the day’s emails and paperwork. Nico couldn’t help but wonder if that would be something Maki would end up doing once she became more involved with the hospital administrative duties.

As for Nico herself, she joined Maki in the Nishikino music room for the previously promised private concert. There, she had happily settled into the best seat in the house, next her girlfriend on the bench. All in all, it was a wonderful conclusion to what she believed to be a wonderful night. However, as confident as she was, she still wanted to be sure, so she made a mental note to ask the one she believed would know best, or at least better than herself.

“So, how did I do?” Nico asked, once she was sure they were well beyond earshot of anyone even remotely associated with the Nishikino residence.

“You were perfect, Nico-chan.” Maki responded with a smile that sent a warm feeling through Nico’s chest. “I think Papa likes you and is fine with us dating, and we already know how Mama feels.”

Thank the gods… Nico thought with relief. And with that load off her mind, “Of course I was perfect,” she decided to get in some teasing of her own, after spending the evening watching Dr. Nishikino do so “Nico is always perfect.” She grinned and held up her signature gesture.

“Id…” Maki’s typical retort was interrupted by a yawn.

Nico laughed before continuing the tradition. “You love it.”

“… Maybe…” Maki managed to get out as her energy seemed to be leaving her rapidly.

Nico leaned her shoulder into her girlfriend. “Steady there, Maki-chan, you going to be alright getting back to your dormroom?”

“Eh? But, I thought…”

“You thought…?”

“I thought I was going to your place?”

“Well you can, obviously you’re always welcome, but…” Nico motioned to Maki’s outfit, taking the moment to enjoy the view as well “I figured since you don’t have a change of clothes, you wouldn’t want to put this back on in the morning.”

“It’s fine…” Maki stifled another yawn. “I just want to go home…” She blinked and shook her head. “I mean your home… Yours… yours and Nozomi’s, I mean… ueeehhh…”

Nico chuckled. “It’s your home too, Maki-chan.” By the gods did she want to kiss the redhead whose cheeks were now matching her hair, but even this late at night, there was a risk of being seen. Later. She promised herself. “Nozomi and my names may be on the lease,” she said instead “but that doesn’t make it any less home to you or Eli.”

“T-thank you…”

“You don’t have to thank me for that; that much is normal for couples, right? But you know, Eli does leave a lot of stuff in Nozomi’s room…” Nico thought aloud “perhaps I should clear out a drawer and make some room in the closet for you.”

“I’d like that.” Maki smiled. “I’ll be sure to bring some stuff over soon.”

“Good. For tonight, you can borrow your usual sleep shirt and we’ll figure out something else in the morning. I think the outfit I lent you the other day is clean, but if not, maybe Nozomi has something that will fit you.”

Maki nodded.

“Then it’s settled.” Nico took Maki’s hand as they boarded the train together. “Let’s go home.”

Author’s Note Continued in Followup Post

[strayneoculturekids]

Denial - Minho x Reader

Pairing: Rich!Kid Minho x Rich Kid!Reader

Summary: You and Minho hated each other’s very cores, always having a go at each other and competing with one another. It wasn’t until guys’ mutual friends started getting a bit too close to you did Minho admit that he might’ve been challenging you 24/7 for a reason other than spite

Enemies to Lovers AU, Childhood Friends(?) AU, Rich Kid AU

Genre: Fluff

Requested by Anon: Minho: frenemies to less frenemies with more feelings of love than hate.

A/N: to all of my followers, this doesn’t mean I’m off of hiatus, my apologies, it was just a request I hadn’t finished before I went on hiatus, so please enjoy it!

Warnings: None~

—-

You nodded as you walked alongside your best friend, Bang Chan, to your guys’ next class, wordlessly agreeing with his speech about how he, Changbin and Jisung would ‘make like, the best rap group ever’, so as he liked to put it. You were just about to open your mouth to speak when Minho walked into the conversation.

“Hey, Chan” He smiled, completely ignoring your presence, knowing how much it pissed you off

“Hey, Minho” Chan spoke awkwardly, feeling the tension rise despite you and Minho not having had said a single word to one another

“Hello, Minho” You seethed, being obnoxiously loud, still, the annoying boy pretended like you didn’t exist

“We’ve got the next class together, right Chan?” He said, “Did you finish the homework?”

“We had homework?!” You paused in your tracks, breath seeming to stop, you’d never forgotten your homework before and you sure as hell weren’t planning on starting today

“No, we didn’t” Chan interrupted, trying to sound calm and indifferent “He’s just trying to rile you up, Y/N”

“So gullible” Minho sneered, mumbling just loud enough for you to hear

You almost jumped on him right there and then but decided maybe starting a fight in the middle of the extensive school grounds wasn’t the best idea, especially since you three were only a couple metres from your next class now. Gulping down your retorts to Minho’s spiteful behavior, you walked into the classroom, head held high, followed by Chan and then Minho. You went to the corner and sat in your usual seat, your best friend took his seat next to you and your enemy took his seat next to Chan.

After a couple minutes of hateful silence between you and Minho and Chan in the middle of it all, trying not to sweat, the teacher walked in and the chatter in the class died away.

The lesson began, as usual, with the roll, followed by the teacher introducing what was going to happen during the lesson and then followed by her actually starting it. It seemed today would be a boring lesson; a class test was coming up soon, so it was all bland theory work. You immediately took out your laptop and began making quick notes- just detailed enough for you to come back and actually understand what you were thinking while writing them. Usually you didn’t have to try all too hard in classes to get decent grades, but your and Minho’s undeclared competitions had recently moved along to academics and there was no way in hell you were going to let him surpass you.

The period ended quickly and, satisfied, with the amount of notes you’d written, you looked over to Minho before he managed to close the extravagant book he preferred to write in rather than his laptop; they were the neatest notes you’d ever seen. You were puzzled for a second, you’d never really taken Minho to be a neat person, but you quickly shook your head and began to pack up so you didn’t get left behind, not that Chan wouldn’t wait for you anyway, though.

“Do we have Chapel this afternoon?” You asked, looking to Chan as you got up from your seat; barely anyone at your school was Christian, but going to a Christian private school, chapel was compulsory

“Nah,” He said, quickly glancing to Minho as he walked out of the classroom, only saying bye to Chan on his way out, to which Chan replied with a ‘cya later’

“Oh, thank god,” You said, overdramatically placing a hand over your heart “what do we have, then?”

“I think year assembly” Chan shrugged “Let’s just go to the library, we’ll check there.”

You nodded and followed Chan out of the classroom and into the school grounds.

Your school was big- like, really big. It had five separate parts, one for k-2, one for 3-6, one for 7-8, one for 9-10 and one for 11-12, it was a bit ridiculous, and especially with the years k-6 and 7-12; they were separated across the school grounds so far that it took 15 minutes to walk between them. The grounds were full of luscious plants and large, rustic but comforting looking brick buildings; even more, there were a total of three libraries in the school. The library that years 7-12 used was so big that even you still hadn’t been everywhere in it.

After about three minutes of walking, you and Chan made it back to your guys’ lockers, put away your things (excluding your laptops) and started to walk towards the library. The library was one of the more modern-looking buildings, with windows everywhere, made of white concrete and the occasional house-plant decorating it. Inside, the library looked even bigger, decorated with ridiculous things like the giant snitch hanging on the wall behind the reception desk.

“Guys!” A deep voice came from behind you

You and Chan swung around to see Felix, waving to you from one of the biggest seminar rooms. You looked at the number it had on the front of it: ‘seminar room 3′ and went to the reception desk to sign you and Chan into it next to Felix’s, Seungmin’s, Hyunjin’s, Changbin’s, Jeongin’s, Woojin’s, Jisung’s and, unfortunately, Minho’s names.

Even though you already knew Minho would be inside the seminar room, you still groaned at the sight of him. Minho looked up and raised his eyebrows at you but quickly went back to showing Jisung something on his laptop.

“Hey, Y/N” Seungmin greeted, patting a seat next to him, “You said you wanted help with that history assignment we got, right?”

“You still haven’t finished that?” Minho interrupted, smirking evilly

“Relax, hot stuff,” Jeongin said jokingly “No one except you has finished, we got it two days ago. It’s due in three weeks”

“New watch, Woojin?” Chan said, taking a seat beside the oldest in the group

“Yeah” Woojin nodded and scooted his laptop so it was in between him and Chan instead of just in front of him. “It was a present from my aunt, I’d never wear it otherwise. Pure gold, supposedly; it’s quite heavy” Woojin frowned down at his watch; evidently, he’d been forced to wear it

You let the sound from the other eight boys in the room drown out and started your own conversation about the assignment with Seungmin, who happened to choose the same topic on it as you.

Around 40 minutes passed of you working on the assignment with Seungmin when Hyunjin stood up.

“Guys, we should get going now, don’t want to be late for the year assembly” He sighed dramatically

The rest of the members of the group stood up and followed Hyunjin out the door to the tall science building (where the lecture theatre was).

By the time you got there, a large crowd of everyone in your guys’ year had formed outside of the theatre. A short teacher came bustling through, the students automatically made a path for him to get to the door and unlock it. Once he had managed to push open the heavy entrance, people streamed through it, taking seats in the grand layered room. You and the nine other boys with you took seats at the back; seven of them streamed into the row, Chan was third last, then you, then, to your dismay, you looked back and saw Minho was walking into the row of cushioned seats to sit next to you, an unimpressed look resting on his admittedly handsome features.

Silence quickly fell over the theatre when your year co-ordinator walked into the middle of the lowered platform. She, as usual, greeted the hall and quickly went onto what was going to be happening during the following week, issues that have come up as well as congratulations on small things.

A couple minutes passed and you were half asleep when you felt Chan tap your shoulder. You looked over to your smiling best friend as he held up a discreet finger heart for you. You almost chuckled aloud, but stopped yourself and, quickly, you gave him two finger hearts in exchange. Chan scrunched up his nose in amusement and reached over to your face, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. You mouthed a bashful ‘thank you’. You hadn’t noticed (Chan most certainly had) but Minho was watching everything go down, steam almost coming out of his ears. Why in the world was he feeling like this? Like he just wanted to…grab your hand and make you look at him instead of Chan, Minho wanted to be the one sending you innocent finger hearts, even though he didn’t admit it to himself. No, he couldn’t be feeling jealous, why would he need to?

Finally, after half an hour of the teacher at the front droning on about whatever it is she had to say, and half an hour of Minho sitting with his eye twitching, watching you and Chan platonically flirt, the assembly ended. The chatter immediately started up again and people went to go gather their things for last period- or go straight to their class if they had brought their things with them.

“Y/N” Minho grabbed your hand as a bunch of others passed you two, purposely losing the other eight people in your friend group, trying not to let the red on his face show

“The fuck do you want?” You asked, turning and facing him, ripping your hand away from his grip

“I-” Miho pursed his lips “Whatever. Never fucking mind” He grunted brutally, deciding that talking to you about his feelings wasn’t worth the embarrassment

You huffed and walked away from him, catching up with Changbin and Felix, who you had your next class with.

“Where’d you go?” asked Changbin when you joined the pair

“Minho held me up,” You said, trying not to frown at the statement- you couldn’t help but wonder if you’d imagined the blush that was painted across his face or not

“Minho?” Felix said skeptically “Did he finally confess his undying love for you?”

You were about to elbow Felix, except that when you turned to your friend, he didn’t seem to be joking about it at all.

“Pfft, likely story” You pulled your elbow back, deciding that maybe you could pry a bit more information out of Felix, knowing that he knew a hell of a lot more about Minho than you

“Yeah” Changbin chuckled “Chan has been trying to make Minho jealous” He looked like he had more to say, but Felix elbowed him

“He has? But…he hasn’t really been doing anything different to what we normally do”

“Well, yeah, you and Chan are already pretty platonically intimate, but he’s started doing it especially in front of Minho, haven’t you noticed?” Felix stated smartly

“Felix?” You cocked your head “Are you feeling okay? I didn’t even know you knew what half the words you just said meant”

Changbin let out a snort as he shut his locker, his stuff piled in his arms, quickly joining you and Felix with going to the last period

“Stop dodging the subject” Felix whined, “Just admit that you like Minho too!”

“Hell no” You furrowed your brows “Minho and I have been enemies since- since we were kids. I don’t have feelings for him…” You trailed off towards the end, beginning to sound unsure of even yourself

With that, you became quiet, ignoring Changbin and Felix chatting away next to you. ‘I don’t like Minho…’ you thought to yourself ‘no…I just…admire how smart and talented he is…and how good he is at dancing and singing…and how handsome he can look sometimes…holy shit I like Minho’ the very thought of it made you pause mid-step. Changbin and Felix stopped as well, turning around to check what was wrong. A few year sevens walking behind you almost bumped into you, but quickly changed their path, chattering away nervously.

“what’s up?” Changbin questioned

“Nothing…” you shook your head and kept walking, Changbin and Felix almost had to jog to keep up with your fast pace

“Y/N” Felix ran up to you, panting slightly “We weren’t going to invite you because we knew you’d probably be offended that we even thought you would want to come, but the eight of us are going to Minho’s house tonight, and you could come if you wanted”

“There’s no way Minho would want me to come” You snorted, scrunching up your nose

“But do you want to?”

“I- …no…” You said unconvincingly

“We’ll see whether he’ll let you come once class is over,” Changbin smiled, running to catch up with the pair of you as well

“Whatever,” You grunted in what you hoped to be a stoic voice

You three finally made it to the classroom where your teacher was already waiting at the front of the classroom sat behind her desk.

“Did the assembly go over time?” She asked, seeing as most of the class hadn’t shown up yet

“Yeah” Felix nodded and took his usual seat, followed by Changbin and then you

Just a few seconds passed and students began to flow into the classroom, all taking their ‘unassigned assigned seats’.

It felt as if the class barely began when it had finished, your mind had been on Minho the entire hour and for once, you didn’t take notes on what the teacher was saying- you didn’t even participate in a single class discussion, only narrowly dodging being called on by the teacher a few times.

You exited the classroom, more slouched than usual, wondering whether Minho would let you come along.

You were frowning the whole way back to the locker rooms, completely lost in your own thoughts. Everything you were doing was done absent-mindedly, unlocking your locker, packing away your things, grabbing your bag; it wasn’t until Chan tapped your shoulder that you finally came back to reality.

“Lix told me you wanted to come to Minho’s this afternoon?” He questioned

“What?! I didn’t say that!”

“Good, because I wouldn’t have let you come anyways” a snide voice interrupted from behind Chan, one that so obviously came from Minho

“Well,” Chan said, stepping aside, letting you and Minho have direct eye contact before continuing “Y/N would probably feel really left out. I’ll just skip out on your place tonight and hang with Y/N”

“Wha-?” Minho looked very taken aback, but his surprised expression was quickly replaced with that of an annoyed one “Fine, they can come,” He crossed his arms “only because I don’t want Chan to not come” Minho quickly added when you gave him a perplexed look

“Whatever, I’m only coming because I have no other plans tonight”

“tsunderes” Chan muttered under his breath

“What?” you and Minho both squinted at him suspiciously at the same time

“Nothing! Nothing” Chan defended himself, smiling in what he hoped to be an innocent fashion

After less bicker between you and Minho than the eight other boys had expected, the ten of you made your way to the school gates, being met by a black stretch limo and a sophisticated looking driver.

“Dude” Seungmin frowned at Minho “weird flex”

“What?! I don’t have another car that fits ten people” Minho said, smiling, raising his hands in defense jokingly

You almost smiled while watching Minho interact with his friends, he looked so handsome, smiling and joking carelessly with them, but you caught yourself just as the corners of your lips turned upwards.

“This is Y/N” Minho motioned to you when he talked with the driver, being much more polite than he normally would with you otherwise

“Ah, Y/N. I remember you,” The driver smiled and looked kindly to you, you smiled and waved back, you enjoyed the company of literally everyone in Minho’s family except Minho himself “The last time I saw you was when you were about eight; are you and Minho finally friends?”

“Pft- they’re not- we’re not friends- I-” Minho seemed to notice he was doing more damage to his image than good, so he hastily followed his friends into the car

“Hm. Seems Minho has a crush” The driver muttered to you as you entered the door

Without waiting for a reply, the driver left you in a flustered state to go to the driver’s seat. With a vigorous shake of your head, you entered the limo and shut the door behind you. It was incredible, like the typical millionaire limo you’d see in movies- black everywhere, basically couches instead of seats- hell, there was even a mini-fridge.

“I second Seungmin” Hyunjin came just as you sat down, looking around the car “Weird flex, Minho”

“Don’t pretend like you guys aren’t just as rich as me” Minho smiled, rubbing the back of his neck, his cheeks heating up

“Jeongin and I are here on academic scholarships, remember?” Seungmin spoke up “and Changbin is here on a music scholarship”

“Chan and I are here on music scholarships too!” Jisung yelled stubbornly, being far louder than necessary

“Yeah, but you and Chan could afford to be here without scholarships” Woojin raised a brow at Jisung

Soon enough, the car was full of chatter, you were so busy talking that you hadn’t even noticed the car had started moving and, before you could even process that the car had come to a stop, the driver opened the back door once again, telling you that you had arrived at Minho’s.

You blinked once and shook your head, soon stepping out of the limo into the surprisingly bright sunlight. In front of you stood possibly one of the biggest houses you’d ever seen- it was even bigger than yours; you had to strain your neck back just to see the top.

“Welcome to my oh-so-humble abode,” Minho said to you, ignoring the other eight boys for now since they’d already been there

“I third Seungmin,” You raised a brow, looking at Minho, unimpressed “Weird flex”

For the first time in your life, you thought you’d just caught a glimpse of Minho flashing a genuine smile directed at you, but he’d turned away before you could tell. To say it didn’t fluster you would be a complete and absolute lie; you stood there, cheeks red, refusing to believe that Minho could make you feel like this.

Finally, after a bit of a mess, the ten of your made it into Minho’s house, through the hallways that seemed almost endless, passing the far-too-big living rooms decorated with extravagant gold, silver, jewels and a couple charming house plants and up the wide marble staircase to be finally met with Minho’s room. The room was just as big as you’d expected it to be, but it was much more home-y than the rest of the house. A king-sized bed was placed in the corner, black sheets adorning it and a sweet looking wooden bedside table. There was what looked to be a gaming corner in a part of the room, a large, full-body mirror stretching across almost an entire wall and a modern but not overwhelming desk tucked away in the corner right of the entrance along with a couple bookshelves stacked with study books and keep-sakes next to it.

“That mirror is so distracting” You sighed, looking to the overly-large mirror

“It’s for dancing” Minho mumbled as he passed you, so low that you didn’t understand what he said

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” He said quickly, turning away from you with a red face

“I’ve got the switch!” Jisung shouted, running up to the array of consoles in the far corner of the room and grabbing the red, blue and black coloured Nintendo switch along with six other black controllers “Who’s playing Smash Bros with me?!”

Chan, Felix, Seungmin, Hyunjin, Changbin, Minho and Jeongin all rushed forward to grab a console, sitting on the bean-bags surrounding the corner while Woojin and you stood back, chuckling at their childishness.

“You’re not joining them, Woojin?” You asked, taking a seat on one of the spare bean-bags

“Nah, the winner of the brawl rotates out” Woojin replied, relieving his wrist of the gold watch he had around it the whole day

You nodded and watched as the boys all hastily picked out their favourite characters on the gaming console and started a brawl.

“What character do you normally pick, Y/N?” Felix asked, keeping his eyes on the screen

“Usually it’s Link” you shrugged, searching the boys’ chosen characters “the Breath of the Wild one” You added, remembering how many Links there were

“What a coincidence” Seungmin smiled mischievously as the brawl started and they all started smashing the controllers

“Minho usually chooses Zelda” Hyunjin interrupted, smirking at the large TV screen just as you’d gotten to Minho’s character

“Pfft, Zelda’s a bad character,” You said haughtily

“Not if you know how to use her properly!” Minho defended himself “Hah! See!” He said just as he’d knocked Felix (who had chosen Pikachu) off the stage

“Lucky shot!” Felix yelled as he respawned and immediately went for Minho for revenge

You laughed, completely forgetting the fact that you absolutely despised Minho in all the chaos. Only another couple minutes passed and the shouting became louder than ever; Seungmin (who had chosen Dark Pit) and Chan (who had chosen Meta Knight) were locked in a battle between each other, everyone else aside from the pair had run out of lives. Finally, after a shout of frustration and triumphant cheer, Chan lost his last life.

“catch, Y/N” Seungmin called, throwing you his controller

You quickly caught it while blinking, unaware of what was happening. You then saw Chan hand over his controller to Woojin and realized it was your turn to play. You walked forward and plopped down on the same bean bag as Jisung, who was closest to you.

“Agh! Hey, there’s no room for both of us!” Jisung whined, scrunching his nose “Just sit on my lap” He grabbed you under the arms and lifted you slightly onto his lap

“Can you see?” You asked, trying not to block your friend’s view

“Yeah” He confirmed, leaning slightly to the side while you leaned slightly to the opposite side

After that, you paid no attention to Jisung, busy changing your character from Dark Pit to Link while Jisung (who stayed as Kirby) peered around you. Minho, on the other hand, was glaring at Jisung like he never had before. ‘They could’ve just as easily sat on my bean bag’ he thought poutily to himself, glancing at you before shaking his head and turning back towards the screen just as another brawl had started.

Just for the irony of it, you immediately went for Minho’s character, still Zelda, and started fighting. The shouting quickly started up again and Minho was thrown off the edge by you, something to which he took great offense from, immediately respawning and going to attack you again. You and Minho continued your guys’ separate brawl until Jeongin (who’s character was Yoshi) interfered and managed to land a K.O move on you, considering your health percentage had gotten so high. Minho cheered and high-fived Jeongin while you frowned and respawned.

A couple more minutes and you and Minho were the only ones left. All of the boys shouting behind you seemed to be cheering on only you.

“You guys are so biased!” Minho yelled angrily “Just cause’ Y/N’s so pretty and sweet you cheer for them instead” Although his hands weren’t free, you could almost see him crossing his arms

“No, it’s because they’re a better player than you” Hyunjin (who had been Ice-Climbers) commented matter-of-factly

“You think I’m pretty and sweet?!” your jaw went slack and you were so distracted that you didn’t even bother to try and jump back up after Minho knocked your character off-screen, resulting in him winning

“What?! No! That’s not- I didn’t say-” Minho stuttered, his cheeks flushing red

“Yeah, yeah, we all know you guys have major crushes on each other, hand over the controllers” Said Seungmin, grabbing Minho’s controller from out of his hands and happily pushing Minho off of his bean-bag and taking his spot

You didn’t even process that you were absent-mindedly handing Chan the controller and sinking back into Jisung’s chest, both of whom were chuckling almost uncontrollably from your bewildered state.

“Alright Y/N, up” Jisung pushed you off his lap, toward the spare bean-bag where Minho had taken a seat, still puffy “Now that I’m free of my handi-cap, you fuckers are going down!” He yelled

You and Minho made quick eye-contact. He puffed out his cheeks and moved to the side of the bean-bag, making free space for you. You raised your eyebrows but nonetheless, took the seat next to him, trying to get comfortable without making skin contact with your self-proclaimed enemy, but it proved to be quite difficult with how much the bean-bag was moving.

“Sorry” You muttered, aware that by now, Minho was probably beginning to get annoyed

When he didn’t reply, you looked up to him, yet again, you two made eye contact for a split second. Minho’s eyes widened and his face turned even more red. He quickly averted his gaze to the screen, most of your guys’ friends had died by now and were instead cheering on Changbin (who was playing with Samus), Seungmin and Jeongin.

An hour must have passed, but you and Minho didn’t move from the bean-bag unless it was to retrieve the controller from the two that had been the last in the brawl, which was followed by you guys immediately going back to the same bean-bag to sit next to the other. You had no idea which round it had happened, but one time when you got up and went back to the bean-bag, Minho pulled you into his lap before you got the chance to sit next to him, and the next time Minho had to get up, you sat back down and made Minho sit in your lap, and it changed like that depending on who had to get up. Neither of you seemed to notice that everyone else in the room stared at the pair of you in shock each time it happened.

“You two…” Chan shook his head, smiling to himself

“What?” You looked up from your place on top of Minho’s lap

“Huh?” Minho peered around you to look at Chan

“What happened to hating each other?” Jeongin teased

You and Minho paused, faces growing red. Neither of you answered, just looked down, not willing to take your gazes off of the ground, even though Felix had just taken your last life in the game.

Finally, after it grew dark, you guys turned off the TV and console, leaving it and the controllers for a charge.

“There are uh…” Minho looked to his fingers and began to count on them “six bathrooms upstairs, not including my parents’ en suite. So…which of us are going to shower first?”

“Fuck- I didn’t bring clothes” You face-palmed, only now remembering that you’d been invited to the ‘sleep-over’ unexpectedly, and hadn’t brought any supplies to school with you

“You can borrow my hoodie,” Chan said

“I brought spare sweat-pants, actually,” Seungmin said

“I’ve got another t-shirt” Hyunjin rummaged around in his bag

“Would offering you a pair of fox socks be weird? They’re fluffy” Jeongin questioned cutely

“I don’t think any of us have spare undies” Seungmin looked around with a raised eyebrow

“You can borrow Minho’s boxers” Changbin chuckled, joining in

“Wha-” you blushed

“I mean, it’s probably the best option if we’re being completely honest” Woojin added, fighting back an amused smile “You do clean your boxers, don’t you, Minho?”

“Of course I do!” Minho said, looking fairly offended “But lending them to someone else- isn’t that a bit unsanitary…?”

“I mean I’m sure it’s fine between…romantic partners” Jisung smirked, raising his eyebrows suggestively

“Shutup” Minho glared at his friend

Despite his initial protests, he walked over to his overly-large cupboard, opened it, and got out a pair of plain black boxers. The entire group ‘ooh-ed’, all except for you.

“This is actually happening? We’re actually doing this? …jesus christ…” You tried not to laugh as Minho reluctantly threw the boxers at you and pointed to his en-suite

Trying not to die of embarrassment, you walked into the bathroom while the other nine boys sorted out which five would be showering first, followed by Minho showing them where the other bathrooms were.

Not too long after, everyone had showered and the ten of you gathered in a circle.

“Let’s play truth or dare” Seungmin smiled- it would look sweet if you didn’t know any better

“I’m down” Hyunjin agreed, a chorus of agreements sounded throughout the group

“Me first,” Minho said quickly “Felix, truth or dare?”

“Dare, obviously,” He said in his deep voice

“In the next room over, there’s a balcony where you can jump safely into the pool from. I’ve done it before.” Minho paused dramatically “I dare you to jump from the balcony in your PJ’s into the pool”

“What?! I’ve already showered!” Felix complained

“Fine, you can take off your shirt” Minho reasoned, still smiling

Felix opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out, so he stood up, the group following him, exited the room and proceeded to march to the room next to Minho’s.

“Other way, idiot” Minho said from the group

Felix bashfully changed directions and went into the other room, which was similar to the rest of the house, so unlike Minho’s comforting room. The balcony doors were glass and Felix quickly stripped himself of his shirt and socks and stepped out onto the balcony. The drop wasn’t far, it was like a diving board, the only catch, you supposed, was that Felix would have to shower again, and probably steal a pair of Minho’s pants.

Without another thought, Felix dived into the pool, creating a big splash.

“IT’S FUCKING FREEZING” Felix yelled once he resurfaced, quickly wading his way to the edge of the pool and pulling himself out

The group chuckled while Woojin shook his head. Minho threw a towel at Felix which he grabbed and wrapped around himself.

“The door inside is over there” Minho pointed to the left “you know your way around this house. Seeya in a bit”

“Seeya” Felix waved, ruffling his wet hair to hopefully dry it a bit so he didn’t completely soak the carpet inside

The rest of the group walked back to Minho’s room and rearranged themselves in a circle, leaving an empty space for Felix.

“Wait….we have to wait for Felix to get back so he can ask the next person,” Changbin said, scrunching his nose

“I’ll go!” Chan interrupted, looking rather amused “Minho, truth or dare?”

“uh- dare” Minho hesitated, knowing that if he said truth, he’d be asked whether he had feelings for you

“I dare you to kiss the cutest person in the room”

“Pft- easy” Minho smirked again, standing up

“Other than yourself!” Chan quickly added when he saw Minho making his way to the large mirror behind him

Minho groaned and turned to face the group just as Felix had walked in, looking rather cold and, without even asking, went into Minho’s closet, grabbed a pair of pants and made his way to the en-suite with his dry shirt and socks and- somehow- another pair of his own underwear.

“I smoke all you bitches” Minho stated “but if I must, Jisung come here”

Jisung raised his eyebrows, whispering a ‘what the fuck’ to himself, staying seated.

“Don’t lie to yourself, Minho” Woojin leaned forward “we all know you think it’s Y/N-”

“Yeah” Hyunjin intercepted before Woojin could finish his sentence “it’s obviously me. Have you seen this face?” He cupped his face in his own hands and gave a charming smile to the group

Minho looked over to Hyunjin, unimpressed.

“Okay, change of dare” Chan stated before a fight over who the cutest in the group is broke out…again “I dare you, Minho, to kiss Y/N”

“damn” Changbin snorted

“just straight up? How bold of you, Chan” Minho glared at his friend

Chan smirked, maintaining eye contact with Minho. None of the group seemed to notice that, in the corner, your entire face was shining red. You had tried to distract yourself from the situation by focusing on the running water of the shower that Felix was using, but your brain hated you and that started to lead to images of Felix you didn’t want, you quickly moved on from that. ‘I wonder how jealous Minho would get if he found out that I was unintentionally picturing Felix showering’ you thought to yourself, and the thought of Minho being jealous seemed enough to distract you.

“Y/N?” Minho turned to you

“huh?!” You snapped out of your thoughts

“come here” Minho motioned you towards him

“How about you come here?” You scrunched up your nose, ignoring your oh-so-obvious blush

Minho, ignoring his own ‘oh-so-obvious blush’ silently got up and walked towards you. The entire group watched with bated breath. The room was completely silent, Felix seemed to have stopped showering now and was drying off, so not even the sound of water running could distract anyone. Minho cupped the side of your cheek, his palm and fingers were surprisingly cold, but you could practically feel the heat radiating off of his face from all the blood rushing to his cheeks.

“so…” Minho started, breaking the silence, and the group finally seemed to be able to breathe again “can I kiss you?”

“…yeah”

And with your confirmation, Minho leant forward and placed his lips onto yours, immediately pulling away afterward. The seven people around you erupted into a mixture of cheers, ooh’s and fake gags. Felix came barrelling out of the bathroom, beckoned by the sudden uproar, his shirt still wasn’t fully on and he looked extremely confused.

“What happened?!” He asked, finally putting his arms through the last hole

“Y/N and Minho finally fUCKING kissed!” Jisung yelled

“They did WHAT?! AND YOU GUYS DIDN’T BOTHER TO TELL ME TO HURRY UP SO I COULD WITNESS THE MOMENT?!” He looked utterly distraught at the news that he’d missed something so ‘important’

The group burst into chuckles, snorts and giggles. Minho and you hadn’t made eye contact since the kiss, although, it was so short that you weren’t even sure it could be considered a kiss; that fact didn’t seem to trouble the group though.

“Oi Felix!” Minho yelled, and once again, the group turned silent

Minho grinned before turning towards you again, his cocky smile faltered slightly when he made eye contact with you, but before he could turn back, he went in an kissed you again.

“OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” Felix whooped

“truly a moment to behold” Chan shook his head comically, along with Woojin

Your mouth hung open slightly, just out of surprise that Minho had kissed you again.

“You should’ve asked first!” You pushed him away, angry that he had the ability to make you so flustered

“Sorry” Minho smiled sweetly and rubbed the back of his neck

Eventually, the ten of you moved on from the kiss and continued with the game, which ended in Hyunjin almost being brought to tears from eating an entire spoonful of hot sauce, Changbin confessing that he did, in fact, steal Jeongin’s socks, more than once, Seungmin coming very close to accidentally knocking Jisung over the head with a baseball bat, Chan admitting that he had slept in Seungmin’s bed before purely to annoy him and then blamed it on Felix, and Woojin baking cupcakes for everyone (one of the more tame dares) and far more, too much to explain.

Finally, when it came time to sleep, which was well past midnight, you and Minho slept on a spare mattress together, arms tangled and sharing warmth between the two of you. It was, you felt, the most content you’d ever been in your life.

[paradisobound]

World’s Greatest First Love: Chapter 3

Summary: Dan Howell wanted a clean break from his father’s publishing company. It was why he applied for a different company in London: to stop the ridicule of his coworkers for riding on his ‘daddy’s coat tails’. But he wasn’t expecting to suddenly be going from a literature editor, to a graphic novel editor. And he certainly wasn’t expecting to come face first with his first love who broke his heart from when he was a teenager: who just happens to be his new editor-in-chief.

Based on the Anime and Manga “The World’s Greatest First Love: The Case of Ritsu Onodera” aka Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi

Rating: Mature (For Now)

Word Count: 2.2k (this chapter)

Warnings: Implications of consensual sex between minors

Updates Every Saturday at 1pm EST

Read on Ao3 | Read on Wattpad

Dan was never the most exuberant student when it came to anything school related. He was average in most respects. He got passing grades on everything he did and he was okay with just staying average because he knew that he had a job lined up anyway at the end of his education.

But that still didn’t deter from the fact that Dan loved books and he loved reading. And anytime he wasn’t expected in a classroom, he was sitting in the library with a stack of books on the table waiting to be opened.

He was only 14 when he first noticed him, sitting at the table just across from Dan. He was busy with his nose tipped into a book and a look of determination reading across his blue eyes. Dan stopped in his tracks when he saw him, not knowing who he was but suddenly wanting to know everything about him.

But they never meet. Not right away.

It’s a year later when they finally do. Dan’s short for his age, not having fully grown into his growth spurt that’ll kick in within the next year or two. He’s standing on his tip toes, trying desperately to reach the copy of Catcher in the Rye on the top shelf of the stack. He knew that he wanted to read the book after hearing so much about it and he was getting annoyed that they put the book too damn high for him.

A hand suddenly reaches over his own and grabs the book with perfect ease and hands it to him. Dan turns his head and a blush furiously overtakes his cheeks as he sees him. The guy who he’s been crushing on for over a year.

This is the first time that they’ve ever interacted and there is something about him that makes Dan feel speechless and short of breath. He can’t believe that something as simple as him reaching up and grabbing a book for him could spark such feelings.

They don’t speak, not even for Dan to say thank you or for him to say you’re welcome. He just nods his head at Dan and walks past just in time for Dan to turn around and see him standing at the book drop off. He puts a few books on the desk and leaves them behind, heading to one of the tables.

Dan looks around the stack, curious because he wants to know what types of books this boy is reading. He wants to know everything he possibly can about him.

He walks out of the stacks and heads to the desk and picks up the books and opens the inside cover.

Phil Peterson.

So this “him” has a name and it’s Phil. Dan looks at Phil and smiles to himself as he signs out the same books and packs them in his bag.

***

Dan doesn’t ever talk to Phil between the time of their first meeting and the present: three years later. He watches Phil from afar, and he’s aware that as much of a stalker as that makes him sound, he swears on his heart that he is not. He’s just a poor boy who is in love with another boy and has yet to grasp the concept that this isn’t taboo.

Being in love with someone of the same sex isn’t something to be ashamed of.

He spends most of his free time bouncing between being at the library and being home where he reads all the books that his father gives him that his company has published. He has a whole bookshelf at his house that he keeps them on.

But one day at the library, he really wants to read a new book that the library just got in and put into the system and it’s a book by Stephen King, which Dan wasn’t expecting the school library to actually get. He had read the reviews online and he thought the plot sounded really good so he was really excited when he saw it on the card that told him it was new.

Dan circled the shelves until he came to the K’s and then he looked up and down and sighed when he saw the book on the highest shelf. Of course it was, and of course he still hadn’t hit a damn growth spurt yet and he had to stand up on his tip toes to reach it.

He tried to balance as he reached up for the book but as soon as his hand reached up, another hand went up too and they brushed as Dan gasped and rocked backward. He turned his head to see Phil stood there, his hair hanging over his eyes slightly as he grabbed the book from the shelf and gave it to Dan.

“Thanks, Phil.”

Dan’s mouth says it before he can fully comprehend what he just said. Phil turns his head to him and cocks his brows, “How do you know my name?” He asks. “I don’t think I’ve ever talked to you before.”

Dan’s blushes furiously as he tries to gather his thoughts.

“Oh...um...we had a class together, one time,” Dan says as his mouth just spews out whatever excuse he can figure out to make himself not look like a creep.

Phil nods slowly and then smiles back at him, “Do you like Stephen King?”

He points down at the new Doctor Sleep book that is poised in Dan’s hand and Dan follows his finger as he makes eye contact with the eyes on the cover and then jolts up and nods his head, “I really like Stephen King! I think he makes really good horror novels.”

Phil smiles wider at him, "What one is your favorite by him?" He asks. "I really like IT but there will always be a special place in my heart for The Shining."

"I've never read IT or The Shining," Dan answers truthfully, spinning the book in his hand. "But I have read Kujo and Misery and I really liked those so I thought maybe I would like this one too."

Phil turns from him for a moment and Dan worries that maybe he said something to upset him. But then he notices Phil is looking over all of the books on the shelf and he makes a defeated sigh when he gets to the end of the line of Stephen King books.

"It's a shame that they don't have either of those books here," Phil says. "I would love to hear your thoughts on them."

"Oh, yeah," Dan finds himself muttering.

"Do you have any plans after school today?" Phil asks, "I have an entire collection of Stephen King books that you could borrow and check out."

A blush rises in Dan's cheeks and he shakes his head, "No, I don't have any plans."

"Oh, awesome!" Phil smiles, "Meet me outside the front door after school and I can walk you back to my place."

Dan nods and Phil walks away. Dan holds the book closer to his chest and squeezes it with his arms as he smiles wildly and lets out an incredulous laugh at how he just made a new friend with the kid that he likes all over an author of a book.

***

Dan was feeling stiff as he walked to Phil's house beside him. He felt awkward, not sure what to do because he wasn't all that acquainted to going to peoples houses. Most of the time, he didn't get invited.

Phil tells him little things along the way, telling him about the different houses in his neighborhood to where his dog ran away when he was young. Dan took in everything that Phil was saying and eventually they ended up at the front of Phil's house as Phil was fishing the key out of his coat pocket.

"My parents aren't really ever home," Phil says with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "So it's kind of like I live alone."

"Oh?" Dan says, "For work?"

Phil stiffens for a second and shrugs, "Something like that."

Dan feels like he shouldn't have said anything but the natural need to be curious won out and now he feels a bit like a dick. He shouldn't be asking anything about the private life of someone else.

"I can go get us some drinks," Phil says. "My bedroom is right upstairs if you want to check out the books. They should be on the little shelf next to my bed."

Dan nods and walks to the stairs where he heads up them and goes into the room that he assumes is Phil's. He looks around and sees all of the books and notebooks thrown everywhere onto the floor. It actually looks a bit homey. Not like his bedroom back home where his parents force him to keep everything neat and tidy.

"Do you like tea?" Phil asks. "This one says that it's a green tea on the packaging."

Dan turns his head and sees Phil offering him a mug and he takes it with a smile on his lips. He brings it up to his lips and takes a sip, "It's good."

Phil sets his cup on the table next to his bed and Dan follows suit, not sure what he should actually be doing. He doesn't exactly know the etiquette of what he should do as a guest inside someone else's home when he's not at some fancy party with his parents.

"If you want to look down here," Phil says, bending down and pulling out a stack of books, "The Shining and IT should be here but if they're not, I can find them for you. I'm sure that they're here somewhere in my room."

Dan just smiled and picked up the books and set them on Phil's bed, "You can sit on my bed, you know." Phil says, motioning to the wrinkled comforter on what is definitely Phil's bed.

Dan takes a seat on it and looks through all of the books as Phil watches over him. He finds both of the ones he was looking for and when he goes to hand the other books back to Phil, he sees Phil is staring down at him with intent, "Didn't we have a similar encounter over another book like a few years ago?" Phil asks.

Dan blushes and nods, "Yeah, it was over another book that I wanted to read but I was too short to reach it on the shelf."

Phil nods and laughs a bit, "That's what I thought."

There is a silence in the room for a moment until Phil finally speaks up and says, "You didn't learn my name from a class, did you?"

Dan's mouth goes dry and he feels his chest tighten as he braces himself for whatever blow he's going to get from Phil. Which, frankly, he probably does deserve it a bit because what he has been doing has been creepy. If he thinks about it, he's been watching and studying Phil for nearly three years.

"I...I got your name for the library card in the books you checked out."

Phil nods and brushes his hair out of his eyes. Phil has such nice long hair, Dan supposes. It looks like a beautiful hair that you can run your hands through and Dan desperately wants to do that right now, "Do you like me, Dan?"

Dan meets his eyes and stutters because if he answers truthfully, he might get punched or get decked or worse and his stomach is suddenly fluttering harder and he feels like it's getting harder to breathe.

"It's okay if you do," Phil adds on, "Because I like you too and I wouldn't mind getting to know you and maybe even eventually date you."

Dan opens and closes his mouth and Phil just smiles as he suddenly leans forward and is brushing his lips to Dan's. Dan gasps and tries to return the kiss but he doesn't know how. He's never kissed anyone before, let alone another boy.

"Don't close your lips so tightly," Phil chuckles. "Makes it stiff."

Dan nods and tries his best to follow what Phil says as he leans down again and kisses him once more as Phil lowers him to the bed.

The bed is comfortable under Dan's back, despite the ache in his hips that Phil had settled between just moments before. He's not sure if he did anything correctly, or if Phil himself knew what he was doing.

It hurt, more than anything but he tried to drive those thoughts out of his head as he let his body climb in pleasure. But it wasn't until Phil cried out his name and kissed his neck before collapsing on his side next to Dan when Dan got emotional. As Phil slept beside him, his arm thrown over Dan's chest, Dan let a few tears slide out.

Sleep didn't come easy.

***

"You're not using the correct formulas."

Dan looks up and over his shoulder at Phil who is sat next to him in the library. Phil was helping him with his math homework which Dan knew he was shit at. But he literally didn't know any of the correct formulas to use and it was showing as Phil kept correcting him.

"You're just kind of solving these and praying for the best," Phil says with a chuckle.

Dan erases all of his work and puts a small tear into the paper as he lets out a sigh of frustration. He pushes his chair back and stands up, walking away from the table, "I'm going to go get a math book."

Phil leans back in his chair and drums the tips of his fingers on the wooden table top.

Dan feels like this shouldn't be awkward but yet it is because he doesn't know how to react around Phil. He had just done all of that with Phil two days ago and this was the first time that they've spoken since.

Dan had left the next morning in such a haste to get back to his house before his parents noticed that he didn't even grab any of the books he intended to read. He just grabbed his clothing and his bag and he ran out of the door and walked across town.

But now, Phil was helping him after seeing Dan struggling with his math homework in the library so he feels like the conversation about what happened between them is inevitable. And maybe that’s why he’s hiding in the math textbook section of the library that he’s never ventured to before.

In the distance, he can hear other people talking, having normal conversations with each other, and he almost wishes he wasn’t socially challenged and could just talk to Phil, ask him what they are. He just wants to know if he should let his hopes bubble up in his heart that Phil is more than just a one time thing for him.

He really likes Phil...a lot. And he gave him such an intimate part of himself.

“You don’t need a textbook for this,” Phil’s voice scares him and Dan jumps back from the shelf. “Why are you avoiding me?”

Dan’s cheeks heat up and he opens and closes his mouth a few times, “I’m not trying to.”

“But you haven’t spoken to me since you left my house,” Phil counters. “If you didn’t want to actually talk to me, you could at least tell me that.”

“That’s not the case,” Dan says. “I just...what did Tuesday night mean to you?”

Phil furrowed his brows, “It meant the same to me as it did for you.”

Dan didn’t know what that entirely meant but it still made his heart race all of the same.

“Do you want to come back over to my house again after school?” Phil asks, cutting through Dan’s thoughts. “We can talk more there than we can here, especially with the library closing soon.”

Dan turned his head outside of the stacks and noticed the setting sun just beyond the curtains of the window. Yeah, it was getting late. He should probably tell his parents where he is going to be...fuck, he would need to tell his parents again that he wasn’t coming home tonight.

Because he is going to be spending the night at Phil’s again right?

Suddenly, he doesn’t know and everything feels overwhelming as his chest contracts again.

“Okay,” He eventually says.

Phil smiles at him and walks out of the stacks, back to the table where Dan’s empty math homework laid open. As Phil sat down at the table, it was like a beam of setting sun came through the window and projected onto his skin and just like that, Dan knew:

He was in love.

[draconida]

BKDK Fic Recs

I've a lot of bookmarks in my AO3 profile and I needed to make a list with all those wonderful stories! 

[This list will have other parts]

1- Mechanical Bull by warschach [Explicit]

Katsuki has a track record of bad choices, it's a condition, but Izuku might be the one choice that's right.

2- Dull by choimarie

“What? Never have seen a hot dude before?”

3- Caught Looking by EAter [Explicit]

He hadn’t meant to look, but once he did, he couldn’t stop. Izuku always knew Katsuki was attractive, in a sort of removed, passive way. He’s obnoxiously fit- with good posture and clear skin and those sharp, dangerous eyes.

Really, it’s a wonder Izuku hadn’t stopped to stare sooner.

4- Sour Silk by BrightEyesEren [Explicit]

Midoriya Izuku starts to receive random gifts at his door. Chaos ensues when he realises he has a sugar daddy.

5- Drinking Watermelon by warschach [Explicit]

For whatever reason, maybe divine fate, Izuku turned and looked over his shoulder and waved to them.

Katsuki’s heart full on stopped right then, and his fingers forgot their duty on the rails, and his body neglected its job to keep Katsuki balanced.

Izuku’s summer sweet smile fell into concern as Katsuki went airborne and cracked his skull on the porch.

Or Katsuki works as a camp counselor, and Izuku is a boy made of summer heat and sunlight.

6- Sucker Punch by warschach [Explicit]

But, whatever, Disney Boy over there was—

Prettying up real damn good that Katsuki got kind of distracted—totally understandable, like god those CGI pine eyes—and didn’t see the straight path he made for the metal trash bin in the center of the area until he was tipping forward and waist deep in discarded bottles, plates, balled up tissues sticky with he prayed was chocolate ice cream and nacho cheese.

Mina howled behind the gate. “Look, Katsuki returned to his home.”

(Or Katsuki works security at Six Flags and moonlights as a derby dude and continuously looks uncool around Izuku)

7- K-9 by warschach [Explicit]

Izuku takes in a stray on one rainy night, except it's not a dog, it's a dog shifter who goes by the name, Katsuki. After the initial wave of panic and embarrassment, Izuku thinks his new pet/roommate is pretty cute.

8- Misfire by deplore

Life's difficult when you're a teenager and your hormones make you lose control of your quirk. Alternately: A PG-13 version of "Sex Sent Me To The ER."

The pleasant sensation that comes from kissing Bakugou – the knowledge that it’s because he’s touching Bakugou so intimately that’s got Bakugou making such vulnerable noises – it tingles satisfyingly underneath his skin in a way that almost feels like when he activates One for All.

– and then there’s the sickening sound of something snapping just as Midoriya realizes, half a second too late, that the feeling is actually exactly like when he activates One for All.

9- Sugar Stardust by milkcandie

Between baking pretty macarons and sculpting wedding cakes, Katsuki slowly falls in love with a certain green-haired coworker who has effervescent stars in his eyes. Maybe working as a pastry chef in Nowhere, Japan isn't so bad after all, especially when he’s in such close proximity to a boy who manages to beautify every little thing in his presence.

A pâtisserie AU where Katsuki and Izuku are really the perfect ingredient for each other.

10- Gravity by warschach [Explicit & Omegaverse]

Izuku is back in his hometown and plenty hasn't changed much from the 8 years he was gone. Except, Katsuki Bakugou, the alpha king of their small town. He's hotter- because that's fair, right, God? -, stronger, a now-famous pro fighter, and noticeably nicer this round.

Not that he cares, pfft.

Ha, Izuku Midoriya caring about Katsuki Bakugou, thinking he's pretty cute and not half bad once you get past the asshole persona; though that gargantuan ego of his could take a dive off a very tall cliff.

(Fine, he cares.)

11- In Which Bakugou Finds His One Tru Luv by Erina

Welcome to the Explodo-kill agency! We can destroy your buildings, crash your cars, and help you solve one of the seven mysteries in life: who is Bakugou Katsuki's mysterious boyfriend?!

The Misadventures of Explodo-kill Agency It is a really fun series! Super recommended ❤

12- Cherish Me by Justaperson1718

“What?”

Izuku looked back down at his menu and flipped the page, a small smile on his face. “Nothing.”

Katsuki glared at Izuku from across the table. “If it was nothing then you wouldn’t be staring at me.”

“It’s just a little funny watching you try to look your best for our date when you always look great anyway,” Izuku explained. He wouldn’t look up from his menu while he spoke, but his words remained ingrained with confidence nevertheless. He considered what he was saying to be fact, and nothing else. “Even when you’re not trying in front of the cameras, it’s still hard to take my eyes off of you.”

13- Chewed Up by warschach [Explicit]

Zombie apocalypse, more than a third of the population currently dead or in the state of undead, and Katsuki still somehow managed to get his shit stolen by two chicks and Freckle boy.

Fuck this new generation.

14- Manage Me by Justaperson1718

Izuku caught himself moving forward, his head tilted somewhat to the side, and his eyes shot wide open. His gaze met Katsuki’s half-lidded eyes now that he was no longer in a dreamlike state, and seeing the way Katsuki was looking at him—waiting for him—made him realize Katsuki would’ve let him do it. He might have even wanted him to do it.

“You’re both doing fabulous!” the photographer called out to them, packing his camera into his bag and getting ready to leave. “I just got word that what we have now should be good, so we’ll stop there. Thank you for your time! Lock the door on your way out after you change.”

The pair stayed frozen in place, with Izuku’s arms around Katsuki’s neck and Katsuki’s hands resting on Izuku’s waist, while the photographer and his supervisor left.

“Kacchan,” Izuku cooed once they were gone. “Did you want to…?”

15- I'll Hold You In My Heart by InkspillsNotebook

"Someday, everything you own, everything you love... will be mine."

When a threat from the past comes to light, the budding romance between Prince Katsuki Bakugou and Prince Izuku Midoriya is put on hold as Katsuki struggles to save the love of his life, and Izuku puts up with being turned into a swan.

The Swan Princess (1994) AU

16- King Tide by warschach

Izuku meets a sea prince.

17- Play It Cool by warschach

Izuku accidentally becomes Katsuki's secret cuddle buddy.

(or that time Izuku and Katsuki snuggle on real pretenses then false ones, each finding a way to poorly miscommunicate their emotions cause what do these boys do aside of making carters in infrastructures and in each other, make the whole class of 1-A weep for them, and manage a romance to bring Ryan Gosling to the brink of tears.)

18- Boom, Badoom, Boom by warschach

Izuku's working the kissing booth at the school fair, it just so happens Katsuki has been crushing on him since the first grade.

“Did you—“ Izuku parted his mouth with no sound leaving it, “Did you pay?”

“Yea.”

“For a kiss?”

19- Bad Dog by Morpheel [Explicit, Omegaverse & Hybrids]

Katsuki Bakugou is a Wolf-Dog hybrid who has been returned more times than he can count.

His natural aggression and anger is excessive, even for an Alpha. Every time he's been purchased he's wound up blowing it one way or another. Yet when another chance comes around to prove his worth, he'll do whatever it takes to stay-

That is, until he runs into a minor roadbump. He isn't the only pet in the Asai household. When said pet is also an Omega, currently in the throes of his season, how the hell is he supposed to not blow it? (Literally).

20- Cafe Mocha by HG_Wells

Everyone has a timer on their wrist that appears when they turn thirteen, they can never remove it until the moment the timer reaches zero and you find your Soulmate. Izuku Midoriya works at a cafe in downtown Tokyo and he finds his Soulmate in the worst way possible.

21- Heartbreak Aftermath by HG_Wells [Explicit & Omegaverse]

After a harsh breakup with his ex-boyfriend, Todoroki Shouto, his friends decide to take him out to get his mind off things. A few drinks with a stranger turns into something more and he gets more than what he bargained for.

22- It's Better Than Drinking Alone by osakakitty [Explicit]

On the fourteenth of July, Izuku Midoriya's girlfriend called him to her place, and dumped him. And now, on the morning of the fifteenth of July, he woke up with a gruesome hangover and no one to celebrate the day with.

Or not.

Modern-day AU where Midoriya and Bakugo are strangers who meet in a bar, and then have wild and crazy sex later that night. The morning after, it's Midoriya's birthday, but he can't quite remember everything that happened. Bakugo is still willing to give him a present.

23- The Morning After 'The Morning After' by VRios

Izuku gets his keys back. Short epilogue to "It's Better Than Drinking Alone".

24- Fishy by warschach for DriftingGlass [Explicit]

Izuku’s convinced his hot co-worker/neighbor, Katsuki, is a mermaid-or merman- you gotta consider genders even with mythical creatures- and plans to prove it.

(or this is kinda like the show ‘Monster Quest’, except Izuku actually finds said monster, falls in love, and have sexy times.)

25- Piggyback by deanvspanties

I found this prompt and I wanted to do it for Bakugou's birthday but I'm a bit late:

Person 1 complaining about how long the walk to wherever is, and Person 2 constantly telling them to shut up and that they’re almost there. After Person 1 doesn’t stop complaining, Person 2 picks Person 1 up like a child and tells them that’s what they get for complaining like a child, and carries them all the way there.

“If you’re going to act like a fussy goddamned brat, I’m going to treat you like one.”

Really I just wanted to write adult Izuku getting a piggyback ride from Kacchan.

26- The last dragon-blood king by claimedbydaryl [Explicit & Omegaverse]

Katsuki Bakugou was the alpha heir to a forgotten throne, reigning lord and warden of the Fyre Isles, a famed warrior of vicious repute in the Western Seas, and he would be wed to Izuku Midoriya by the day’s end. 

27- Storge by Mellosweet [Omegaverse]

“Hold on,” Aizawa said, his voice harsh as if he couldn’t believe what he was just told “let me see if I heard it right. You went to Midoriya’s house with Eri and Kouta, because they wanted to see him, but Midoriya is in heat. Then he called the kids his ‘pups’, took them to his bedroom, and now Bakugou won’t let you near the house?” “Yes” Togata looked up to the building behind him “What should I do?” Aizawa sighs “I am not paid enough for this.”

28- Where's the Fire? by InfiniteTeal

Uraraka is on a mission, a mission to find out whether or not Bakugou and Midoriya are actually together. The evidence stacks up to prove that they are, even everyone else she brings with her sees it, but there's nothing she can do when the couple denies the evidence.

29- Curse the Way to Heaven by InfiniteTeal

Midoriya actually knows how to swear, and Bakugou gets turned on at the simplest moments.

30- Head Game Strong by InfiniteTeal [Explicit]

Some of the students from class 1-A decide to go out to dinner together for the evening. Midoriya hadn't planned to joined them, but it's no surprise that he's under the table fooling around with Bakugou. It sounded like a good idea at first, but Bakugou has a hard time keeping it together when Midoriya gives him a secret blowjob while everyone else is sitting around him.

31- Kacchan's Piercing by InfiniteTeal [Explicit]

Bakugou is bombarded by his classmates about his not-so-secret piercing. He finds out about what the other classmates did to Midoriya, and decides that he wants to feel Midoriya's tongue piercing for himself.

32- Memorized by SchrodingersCat_DoA [Explicit & Fem!Izuku]

Stupid. It was stupid.

Bakugou leaned down and grabbed her scarred wrist to pull her to her feet. He made his way to the dance floor, dragging Deku behind him. He could hear her sputtering behind him, trying to find words to say, but failing.

As he reached the edge of the dancing mass, he turned to face Deku and pulled her into him. Her hands met his chest and fisted in his shirt, pinching some skin, but he didn’t wince. “There, now you have someone to dance with.”

33- Blonde Haired Bunnies by Morpheel [Explicit, Omegaverse & Hybrids]

In an attempt to create a new genetic pattern in the Rabbit-Hybrid Gene, Izuku Midorya is paired with a very strange (and almost unorthodox) stud. The end goal is blonde haired, red eyed rabbits- though only one Alpha truly fits that bill.

Surely a wolf and a rabbit can't breed?

34- Never Skip Leg Day by SecretKiwi [Explicit]

Deku loves leg day, and so does Katsuki- just in a different way.

35- F.U. by warschach [Explicit]

Izuku smiled; Katsuki understood why people warned that the devil wore a Sunday hat and fine clothes because deception worked better if no one expected it.

Not anymore. He knew Izuku’s evil ways, and his ass might be a 20 on the hotness meter but Katsuki held grudges.

“Izuku,” he sneered; he too could be evil right back.

(Or Katsuki's a football player; Izuku's a cheerleader; they have a rivalry until it isn't one)

36- A Rare Exchange by aideyn [Explicit]

"Oi Deku! Heard you're looking for some "Rare Might"~?"

37- How To Fall In Love With Your Enemy by Insomnia_Productions

When you find the soul that is perfectly matched to your own, any mark that appears on their skin will appear on yours, as well. Everyone knows that.

Midoriya knows it... but, somehow, he's never imagined it happening to him.

Bakugou knows it, too... but he doesn't have time for stupid things like that.

And, although both of them know that Fate is never wrong... there have got to be exceptions. After all, this match cannot possibly be anything but a mistake. Right?

38- One Exception by GreyLiliy

If you’d have told Katsuki when he was in middle school that every day after his shift he’d come home to Deku waiting with a soft smile and dinner, he’d have laughed and set off an explosion in your face. But Deku is stubborn, Katsuki was weak, and now they share a home.

Routine is broken, however, when a Villain makes himself known by taking the lives of Pro Heroes with no trace of motive. With the entire Hero community on edge, Katsuki can only be grateful that Deku has given up on his childish Hero dreams and is safe at home instead of in the line of fire.

39- Swipe Right by Cellaira [Explicit]

Kirishima had another stupid idea, and Katsuki had nothing to lose. Then, he discovered a witty, freckled, attractive stranger, and he had everything to gain.

(Like some damn good sex.)

In other words, the Grindr AU no one asked for but everyone secretly needed.

40- Matchmakers by Trashreciptical

When Katsuki agreed to be Jirou's wingman at a school dance for his students he expected to be bored out of his mind, he expected to laugh at his students suffering trying to communicate with the opposite sex, and he expected being subjected to shitty pop music all night.

What he wasn't expecting was the gorgeous teacher from the other school with forests in his eyes and stars on his cheeks....fuck he has it bad.

In which Katsuki is a chemistry teacher that is one explosion away from being fired and Izuku is the adorable english teacher from a different school, who sweeps Katsuki off of his feet and he doesn't know what to do.

41- Between ink and thorns by soulstring

There are a lot of things people are amazed at when it comes to Bakugou Katsuki. The thing that stands out the most – especially since it comes from a man with so little patience and an explosive temperament – is his unsuspecting love for botany. In an ideal world he would look after his flower shop and get paid for it without having to deal with an annoying element attached to his work; namely bother, namely aggravation, namely humans.

And that day, the worst of them is about to enter his flower shop and his life.

42- Daisies bunches and heather branches by halcyonwhispers 

Izuku falls in love with the foul-mouthed tattoo artist next door.

43- Unknown Number: I Love You by Lillabelle

Opposites attract right? Well that's what Midoriya's friend, Uraraka, thinks. Her friend from another school talked about another guy, Bakugou Katsuki, and the two girls decided the two were perfect for each other. Now Midoriya is left with the number of a guy he didn't even know.

How bad could it be?

44- How IKEA Sells All Their Beds by thankyouforexisting

The next day, Kacchan turns on the cold water while Izuku is showering, resulting in a screaming match that the whole floor gets involved in, and soap bars starts flying everywhere, while Mineta throws his purple balls so that people can grab onto them and not slip on the wet floor, earning a “You’re not that bad, dude,” from Kirishima (It's a lie. Literally everybody hates him). Aizawa punishes them all by making them run laps for an hour the next morning.

Two days later, Izuku retaliates by lowering the thermostat until Kacchan can’t summon fire to burn his clothes, and Iida appears in the doorway holding a flag and shouting, “JUSTICE FOR CLOTHES! NO MORE DESTRUCTION OF FABRIC! WE MUST FIGHT THIS STRIKE AGAINST THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY, COMRADES!”

Kacchan rips the thermostat from the wall with his fire cannons and burns the flag, half of Izuku’s wardrobe, and his bed.//Deku and Kacchan are roommates, and everyone fears for their safety.

45- Yes, They're All Safe by teaandtumblr

Villains have entered UA grounds and are disposed of just as quickly, but that doesn't mean a headcount of the students doesn't need to be done. Toshinori would admit, he wasn't quite prepared for what he found in Bakugou Katsuki's room.

46- I’ll share this with you, so leave it behind by yabakuboi [Single Dad!Izuku]

For the sake of the story, All Might is never in need of a successor, and, when Izuku saves Katsuki from the sludge monster, encourages young Midoriya down a different path. Thus, Katsuki and Izuku part ways after junior high, as Katsuki enters U.A. and the Midoriyas move overseas. It’s later that Katsuki realizes that there’s something missing, that he drove that something away.

Years after, Katsuki finds him in the last place he looks, in the cereal aisle at the local grocery store of their childhood neighborhood.

47- Catharsis by dollcewrites [Explicit]

It's been six years since Izuku graduated.

It's been six years since he confessed to his childhood friend; his classmate and his inspiration.

It's been six years since he deleted Bakugou's number, asked his friends not to mention the name, spent every last effort of his heart turning off the TV and averting his eyes from the newspapers.

It's been six, long, long years since he gave up on Katsuki Bakugou ever loving him back.

48- Stopping All Stations by glamour_weeb [Explicit & Rape Fantasy]

Izuku begs Katsuki to roleplay as a pervert that feels him up on the train. Katsuki only agrees if Izuku wears a slutty school girl uniform. They both get a little bit too into it.

49- Go the Fuck to Sleep by glamour_weeb [Omegaverse]

Izuku can't sleep and Katsuki takes care of him aka Izuku is needy and Katsuki is whipped.

Takes place during the training camp.

50- Serpents by glamour_weeb [Explicit & Omegaverse]

Izuku goes into heat and leaves a trail of scent across Katsuki’s territory. When the Alpha catches his scent, he tracks Izuku down and mates with him.

51- Let's Get Closer Still by bionic_heehaw (nmhotel21) [Explicit, Fem!Izuku & Incest]

Izuku has a week to find out if her brother wants her the way she's desired him since middle school. After their parents come back from holiday, she probably won't have a chance like this again.

52- What’s up danger by The_Crafty_Cracker [Omegaverse]

Because apparently,The fic where Deku punches a bigoted entailed asshole Alpha in the face wasn’t an appropriate title.

Poor Katsuki has his handful with his mate nearly getting arrested, again!

53- Devil in Me by glamour_weeb [Explicit & Omegaverse]

Katsuki's usually the one getting into fights over Deku when they go to the club, but this time, his Omega's the one that starts a fight over him, but he doesn't stop there. Deku's determined to mark his territory.

54- You've Got Mail! by glamour_weeb [Explicit, Omegaverse & In process]

Izuku is a Quirkless Omega and Katsuki is an Alpha pro hero. Their paths might have never crossed if they hadn’t started using the anonymous mail service where Alphas and Omegas can buy and sell their clothes as heat/rut aids.

Izuku wonders if it's possible to fall in love with an Alpha's scent and Katsuki wonders if he'll ever meet the Omega that smells like his True Mate.

A very horny love story in three parts.

55- Pets take after their Owners by San121 [Explicit, Omegaverse & Hybrids]

Shouto and Eijirou are a loving couple, Shouto recently got a rabbit Pet and Eijirou wants his Katsuki to like his boyfriend's Pet. Katsuki does more than like.

56- Way more than a handful by Morpheel [Explicit, Hybrids & Trans!Izuku]

Izuku wasn’t quite sure what to expect in bringing a rescue to his home.

While most owners would pride themselves in adopting a mixed breed of dog, or perhaps a stray cat; Midoriya had completely bypassed the beginners circle and brought home a fiery wolfdog hybrid with a bad temper.

It... has up and downs.

57- Dii Consentes by Souzoshiyou [Explicit, Fem!Izuku, Torture, Gore and Blood & Slight TodoBakuDeku]

The two ran along the secret passage with Izuku running ahead, dragging Katsuki by the hand with giggles. The blonde looked at their joined hands before looking the heiress' back. God, he loves her so much. He'd do practically anything for her, even become her plaything if she wants. He had never met anyone that reflected and complemented him so much. He'll chase after her everywhere even to the pits of hell.

58- Wild Thing (You Make My Heart Sing) by Gezelligheid [Fem!Izuku]

A series of mostly unrelated one shots revolving around genderbent Izuku, mostly involving her relationship with our favorite hothead.

59- Earned It by Morpheel [Explicit & Omegaverse]

Because within the illumination of lantern light stood a brothel’s worth of Omegas, all in various states of disarray, giggling and washing themselves without a care in the world to the army in their path.

Bakugou’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Bakugou Katsuki wasn't expecting any interruptions in his conquest of the Capital. Let alone for that interruption to backfire.

60- When the sunset shifts by ser_problematique [Explicit & Werewolves]

Katsuki has a problem; Izuku is there to help him through it. Smutty fantasy au with werewolf porn.

61- ¡NO CULPES AL ALCOHOL! by GABY_NEKO [Fem!Izuku]

"Oh my god, did I steal Kacchan's virginity?!"

62- Maid You Mine by glamour_weeb [Explicit, Omegaverse & Hybrids]

“Welcome to Yuuei, Master!” A squeaky voice greets Katsuki when he pushes through the door of the Omega maid cafe, the little bell on the inside jingling, announcing his arrival. “Oh, hi, Kacchan!”

“Deku,” Katsuki growls back, his own fluffy golden tail flicking behind him irritably.

A hybrid AU where wolf Katsuki begrudgingly puts up with his obnoxiously cheerful coworker, bunny Izuku, until the day Katsuki comes into work and goes into heat.

63- The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know by oyasumi_yue [Fem!Izuku]

‘Intrigued’ is an understatement for the Bakusquad as they notice Bakugo Katsuki, a guy who has a tongue that could rival Satan himself, is refusing to eat spicy food.

64- Do You Know What I'm Seeing? by oyasumi_yue [Fem!Izuku]

Katsuki Bakugo prides himself with a headstrong attitude, his only goal is to be the best Hero, 'distraction' is not part of his majorly curse-composed vocabulary. But then, it all wavered when that purple perverted bastard made a comment about Deku's prominent body features.

Alternative Title: When Did Deku Become So Hot?

65- Little Bad Girl by SchrodingersCat_DoA [Explicit & Fem!Izuku]

Bakugou tossed the All Might sleep pants back on the shelf but held onto the oversized t-shirt. He let it fall open and brought it to eye level to study it. It was two sizes too big for Deku – at least in the terms of length. It was a simple grey t-shirt and soft – it was also a men’s shirt. As he was studying the shirt, the tag caught his eye. Bakugou adjusted his grip and brought the shirt closer to his face. He grabbed the tag and sneered.

On it was written T.S. Of course that Half’n’Half bastard would write his initials in his clothing.

Bakugou’s smirk fell from his face as it finally clicked in his head that Deku had a shirt that belonged to Half’n’Half. His blonde eyebrows pulled into the center of his face until they met and could go no further. The smirk continued to fall until it was twisted into an ugly grimace. The t-shirt in his hands started to singe as his Quirk fired off.

This wouldn’t do. No, this would not do at all.

66- Reflections by Kreativekilljoy

Where hero Bakugou Katsuki keeps having impromptu encounters with officer Midoriya Izuku.

67- Changeling by Souzoshiyou [Fem!Izuku & Attempted Rape]

'He's not an angel, nor a demon. I guess I can call him a ghost... But I prefer to call him a soul in need.'

In one whole month, how did they affect each other? Did Izuku help Katsuki? Did Katsuki help Izuku? We'll never know, but one thing's for sure; they changed each other.

68- Izuku and the Stag by Sarcastic_Metaphor

Katsuki is a god, a patron of war and a conqueror of nations. Trying to court a puny, green-haired mortal shouldn’t be giving him as much trouble as it is.

Meanwhile, Izuku lives in the forest and studies magic. All he wants to do is continue his work, but he finds himself continuously running into a strange, angry boy in the woods.

69- Please Scent Me by fleurown [Omegaverse]

In which Deku needs a quick favor at a party and Katsuki can't deny such a cute face.

70- Mamma Is Here by KurageMonsta [Explicit, Omegaverse, Non-Con & Incest]

Midoriya Izuku really really loves his son.

71-  Thrill of the Hunt by DrProblematic [Explicit & Omegaverse]

It began the way it always did — Izuku running, and Katsuki chasing after him. Despite both knowing where it would inevitably lead, they persisted for the sake of the journey: for the thrill of the hunt, of being hunted.

72- Drabbles and drabbles by kacchansass [Incomplete]

A collection of writing prompts sent to me on my tumblr! Typically gonna be BakuDeku prompts, but other pairings may pop up as well. Not all will be canon compliant either!

73- I'm So Glad I Found My Mate Today by kittiegirl1616 [Explicit & Omegaverse]

Pro-Hero Ground Zero has captured a villain when he senses his mate is nearby.

74- Nesting - The Omega Superstore! by Swifty_Heart [Omegaverse]

Imagine a store that wall to wall full of the softest blankets, pillows, and gourmet food! A superstore where Omegas go for all their nesting needs!

75- His Reflection by CarCarWong545 [Omegaverse]

Forced into a life that doesn't feel like his own, what shall Izuku do when he meets a not too pleasant alpha?

76- Eternity by PeppermintLeo [Explicit & Omegaverse]

Izuku was Kacchan’s partner, in every sense of the word. He ruled right next to Kacchan’s side, an alpha and an omega, leading Kacchan’s tribe against all sorts of odds. As well as his romantic partner, steady and solid by his side but giving when emotions called for it.

Izuku has adapted to the ways of the barbarian tribe with the help of Katsuki Bakugou, the barbarian king. From the beginning, he knew their connection would be special, but he never expected the man to ask him to spend forever, and after, with him.

77- If you can't find the morning light, i'm here tonight by yabakuboi [Omegaverse]

“You’re still you.” Katsuki can’t look at him as he says it. “You’re still Deku, but you’re not useless. You got dealt a shit hand, but you didn’t give up. You’re strong as hell, and you always have been. I didn’t see it as a kid, but I do now.”

Katsuki swallows. There’s a sharp smell to the air, blossoming up from where Izuku sits across from him at the little breakfast table, and it smells like grief, but like relief. And when he meets Izuku’s teary eyes, he feels his heart thud heavily in his chest. Slowly, cautiously, he slides his hands across the table and takes Izuku’s into his own.

Katsuki was never sure what happened to his childhood friend, quirkless Izuku who had presented as an omega and was whisked away to a traditional matchmaking house. Katsuki never saw him again after that, and tried to convince himself it was for the best. Many lonely years pass before he finds Izuku in the last place he ever wanted to, in the middle of a battlefield with a child clutching to his shirt.

78- Katsuki and the Hare by GreyLiliy [Hybrids & In process]

While hiking in the forest, Katsuki finds a wild hybrid caught and injured in a hunting trap. He performs his due diligence to call for help, not expecting to see the hybrid again.

However, on future hiking trips in those same woods, he spots hints of green in his peripheral and before he knows it, Katsuki finds himself with a curious tagalong that becomes a part of his life in a way he could have never predicted.

79- Dogged Love by GreyLiliy [Hybrids]

While helping out his friend Uraraka with her work, Izuku notices the client’s pet locked in a kennel wearing a muzzle. Izuku’s chest ached with the desire to help and before he knew it, he’d gathered the money and bought the dog from the other man, becoming a pet owner for the first time in his life.

Katsuki, however, wonders how he went from having a bad owner to one that needed a master of his own to keep himself out of trouble.

As time goes by, though, Katsuki and Izuku find out they’re both exactly what the other has always needed.

80- A Burrow for You and I by GreyLiliy [Explicit & Hybrids]

Katsuki and Izuku grew up together as neighbors, a human and a hybrid that most would call the best of friends. But after an unexpected step forward in their relationship, Izuku backed away and put distance between them—too much distance.

When Izuku arrives back home after a year of absence, he makes sure Katsuki is the first to see the fruits of his labor.

81- Izuku's Home for Wayward Pets by glamour_weeb [Explicit, Omegaverse, Hybrids & In process]

Izuku works at the Bureau of Companion Protection as a rehabilitator for abused and abandoned Companions, animal-human hybrids. He’s seen his fair share of cruelty cases and even fostered a few Companions, but he’s never had a Companion of his own, until now. After rescuing Katsuki from a life in an illegal, underground Companion fighting ring, Izuku must take in the wolfdog that no one else can handle.

Eventually, Katsuki comes to love his new home, as well as his new Master.

82- Does your mother know? by setitoff

It's hard for anyone to impress katsuki bakugou, much less catch his eyes, really. so when izuku midoriya, their new english professor shows up, katsuki is more than a little interested.

83- My ex-man brought his new boyfriend by setitoff [In process]

izuku's desperate to get a date after being persuaded (forced, more like) to go for a family reunion back in his hometown, in which he will most definitely see his ex, todoroki shouto, with a date of his own.

in a last attempt to find someone, izuku asks for help and ends up getting bakugou katsuki.

84- Payphone by flowercafe [In process]

Izuku’s in trouble — like, SOS trouble. Lucky for him, he’s one phone call away from salvation. Hopefully his trembling fingers dial the right number, because it would really suck if he accidentally called a stranger right now.

Or

The “I was walking home alone in the middle of the night and someone started following me so I ran into this phone booth with a lock on the door to call for help, but my hands were shaking so badly I accidentally dialed the wrong number and I don’t even know who you are but please help me" au — ft. a Quirkless Izuku whose misdial connects him to the personal cell line of pro hero Ground Zero.

85- For whatever we lose by kindaopps [Dubious Consent]

He locks the pelt up in a chest, and keeps the key hanging from his neck.

The boy's face was devastated, but Katsuki found even that quite beautiful.

86- Plucking the Heartstrings by K1NGKYO

Izuku never expected to become attracted to a customer in the cafe, but sure enough, Katsuki 'Boom Boy' Bakugou catches his attention. As he pursues a friendship with Bakugou, Izuku discovers he is secretly a popular horror writer, but what's most surprising is Bakugou's musical prowess.

Music without words can say many things and Izuku discovers how.

87- In A Sky Of A Million Stars (Who Cares If One More Light Goes Out?) by Stringlish [Suicide Attempt, Depression, PTSD & In process]

He could never forgive himself.

It was his fault.

He’d planted the idea like a seed he’d never known would grow.

(Or: What if Izuku jumped?) (OR: The one where Izuku jumps and lives and Katsuki visits him every day and Class 1-A not-so-secretly finds it adorable that their designated angry pomeranian brings flowers to his comatose childhood friend.)

88- Printer Daddy by deanvspanties [Explicit]

Izuku knows the only way to fix a broken printer is to buy a new one, but printer repairman Bakugou is here to exceed all of his expectations.

And there's nothing hotter than a guy who knows his way around a printer.

89-  How to Train Your Shitty Omega by deanvspanties [Explicit]

Izuku will have Bakugou's knot. He's Izuku's alpha after all.

90- The Tale of an Extra by Anzul

In which Katsuki channels true holiday spirit by inviting himself to his former middle school classmate's party and then sitting in a corner glued to his phone. Psh, like his secret-not-so-secret boyfriend is having a better Christmas anyway.

(Someone please save his former classmate.)

91- You Ready For This? by sabasama

“You’re saying you wanna fuck?” “Oh my god, don’t say it like that!” “What? It’s the same thing.” “No, it’s not!” Izuku wailed; he couldn’t be alone on this subscription of thought.

92- warm hands by flowercafe

"Your hands are so soft," he blurts.

Katsuki gives his fingers a threatening squeeze. "What the hell, Deku? Are you sayin' there's a problem with having soft hands, hah?"

Izuku never thought that Bakugou Katsuki, of all people, would willingly give him a hand massage. But here they are, sitting knee to knee, with his fingers lying innocently in those explosive palms.

Or

a 5+1 featuring copious amounts of massaging, a dollop of mutual pining, many ridiculous competitions, Izuku’s achy joints, and one very tactile Katsuki.

93- After Hours by Morpheel [Explicit & Trans!Midoriya]

Who would have thought school locker rooms were a bad place to get it on at?

Midoriya and Bakugou decide to wind down together after training past hours within U.A. Little do they know they weren't the only ones with the idea of staying after class. This could get pretty messy, pretty fast, if Bakugo can't brush off the fact he had Midoriya pinned to the shower stall.

94- Eat Your Damn Dinner by glamour_weeb [Omegaverse]

"Katsuki's been with Deku long enough to know the signs of when his Omega is about to go into heat. Hell, he’s more in tune with Deku’s cycle than the fucking nerd is with his own body. No surprise there, Deku’s always been absolute shit at taking care of himself. That’s why Katsuki's going to take care of him, like always."

Katsuki Bakugou is not whipped. He just likes taking care of his Omega.

95- As Fate Would Have It by ScientificallySinful (VampireGaaraCheesepuffs) [Explicit & Omegaverse]

Katsuki Bakugo had plenty of reasons why he wasn't mated yet, not that he was going to explain why to just anyone. But now, Ground Zero was running out of time. If he didn't find someone soon, he'd lose his position as a Pro-Hero and he'd never get to be #1. So, when he finds out there's a male Omega recently arrested for prostitution that's headed to prison if he too doesn't get a mate…well it must be fate.

Izuku Midoriya doesn't know if he should laugh or cry when his childhood bully shows up in front of his jail cell asking him to be his mate. He also didn't know if it was good or bad that Kacchan didn't seem to recognize him, but fate hasn't been kind to him before so why should it start now?

96- since some liar brought the thunder, the land is now deserted by baby345 [Omegaverse]

"17 years ago 5 omegas was each taught the act of espionage, when they graduated they were given careful instructions to follow their mission and regroup when the time came." the old man revealed casually. "omegas were often sought after by outside agencies especially as little kids because they were so much easier to mold and teach. they were perfect for undercover missions simply because they had the talent of being able to flawlessly work a room, nobody ever suspected the little omega in the corner of being a assassin until they were standing over them with a blade in hand."

"two of the omegas who excelled brilliantly in their training were code named flicker and cottontail or as you know them: Izuku Bakugou and Denki Shinso." He revealed.

Katsuki and Hitoshi whole world is flipped upside down when their mates are accused of being sleeper agents and are missing, trusting nobody but each other and the clues left behind they have no choice but to wonder what's the truth and whats a lie.

97- You Wonderful Motherfuckers by BeyondPhantomhive [Explicit]

In which the Bakusquad unwittingly get Bakugou and Midoriya together through a series of pranks.

98- torn fur, blunt teeth by SageMasterofSass [Past Non-Con]

After eight months of being collared, Izuku is finally free. But a dark, stormy city is no place for a lonely shapeshifter on the run.

99- Get on my Level by Mikacrispy

Bakugou Katsuki is a Pro Hero whose boss demands him to take an intern. Midoriya Izuku is a UA student who needs an internship. When the two of them are put together, they learn about what it truly means to be a Hero and what it means to be in love.

100- Just Like The Comics by brichibi

If this were anything like the comics, Izuku Midoriya being quirkless would be the norm while heroes would be treated as a rarity. As it stands, everyone’s got a super power, except for Izuku, of course. No worries, though, because he’s over it (nope) and has moved on to bigger and better things (again, nope) like working at a tiny comic book shop and indulging in stories where being able to lift a bus with your bare hands was deemed impossible until proven otherwise.

Oh, and running into your heroic ex-boyfriend? Also unlikely. But Izuku’s life isn’t like a comic book (maybe?) and Katsuki Bakugou is standing right in front of him: still perfect, still handsome, and still putting his combat booted foot in his mouth.

[Or: AU where Izuku works at a comic book shop because that’s as close to a hero as he’s gonna get, and Katsuki plays the part of heroic ex-boyfriend who is good at everything except winning Izuku back... maybe]

[nyxxon]

Secret Admirer (Football Player Bakugou Katsuki)

(A/N: Before you read, I'd like to state this is a regular high school AU with no quirks.)

It was now or never.

     Swallowing, you walked quietly down the now empty hallway as you made it towards a certain locker that belonged to a certain ash blonde while tightly gripping a letter you had in hand though not tight enough to cause any ugly creases and such on the envelope that protected the letter inside to a certain extent.

     Once at the designated place, you stopped in front of the red locker before looking left and right to make sure no one was present to see you. You then looked back at the locker, your heart beating rapidly. Who'd thought you'd be doing something like this? Then again, your friend, Shinsou Hitoshi (who used to be in the same class as you but got moved up to 2-A for his outstanding grades and especially his promising sports ability) had convinced you to do this.

     Having had had a crush on one of the most egoistic and hotheadedest boys in the school who was also one of the best football players in U.A., Bakugou Katsuki, for a little over a year... The indigo haired male had convinced you to tell the ash blonde albeit in a reluctant manner since he wasn't too keen on him... But bluntly went on about the inevitable rejection you'd face from the ash blonde being big on that and the fact that there were multiple other girls that like him. Though he had then come in right after saying that there was always a zero point three percent you'd actually not be.

     With the bluntness and statistics along with the fact you were not the only girl that had a crush on the male, you had opted not to do so and told him you'd rather not face rejection and would rather keep it to yourself. However, he then had come up with another alternative to it. This had earned him a weird look though he didn't seem all too bothered by it⁠—probably having expected⁠—it as he had then proceeded explained his idea.

     The idea being:

     Give Bakugou a secret admirer note.

     Giving you the line of 'you can't be rejected if he doesn't know who you are, I guess.' after he had shrugged. You still felt a bit skeptical of the idea though but you could see where he was going with it. You couldn't really be rejected fully if Bakugou didn't even know who sent him the letter, the worst he could do would be throwing it away.

     After that, Shinsou had continued to push you multiple times throughout the school week to do it until you finally agreed, he wasn't usually the type to care much for this stuff but since you two had been friends for quite a while⁠—since you both were little kids⁠—he felt it to be an exception. After all, you were like a little sister to him. Though he'd never admit to such directly even though you knew it, he cared for you deeply and would do anything to see you happy.

     It had been a strain the past year to see you in such a lovesick puppy state, but he had been super busy trying to get into one of the top classes (A or B) and aiming to gain momentum in football⁠—a sport that didn't seem like it suited him though he had had a secret passion for it yet had been unable to previously join the team at the start of high school for reasons⁠—he didn't really have time to help you much. However, with him now in the top class (Class A at that), he had some downtime this year⁠—⁠though he still had to continue working hard if he wanted to stay put—to actually help you out...

     And that was basically why you were here now... In front of the locker of the ash blonde male who had caught your interest as he did with many other girls around the school which didn't make you any more special than them... You wouldn't lie that you were having seconds thoughts...

     But you knew, deep down, keeping such feelings bottled up would not be a good thing for you to do and even though you weren't directly saying any of the things you wanted to tell him to his face, it was still better than not telling him at all. Though you also knew he was the type to prefer face-to-face contact... So the likelihood of him instantly throwing the letter out⁠—as Shinsou had said and yourself had thought of—was high.

     Taking in a deep breath, you looked down at the envelope in hand before quickly shoving it inside the locker through the little openings in the front before you'd change your mind completely about doing any of this and let the breath you had been holding out before you quickly dashed off back to the classroom since you had told the teacher you were actually going to the bathroom and weren't really supposed to be out this far in the halls...

The majority of the day had been nerve-wracking as all you could think about was the letter you had left in the ash blonde's locker.

     You knew he hadn't seen it yet though as he usually only ever went to his school locker at the end of the day (only knowing of this from casual observations throughout the past year since your locker was only a little ways down the hall like it was this year because the hall arrangements were similar to last years since they ordered locker placements in class order, A-K, and being only C you had a pretty close distance from the A lockers) hence why you had placed it there.

     Letting out a sigh, you walked out of the classroom and into the empty halls, empty because it was an hour or so after school, and made your way to your locker to get your bag. You having had stayed a bit later than usual since you had class clean up duty... On most days you'd walk out and all the way home with Shinsou... But he had after school personal training with the football coach, Aizawa.

     Not too bothered by it though, you continued walking to get to your locker and passed the corner but instantly stopped upon spotting a certain ash blonde making way to his own while on his phone. As quick as light, you instantly went back behind the corner and pressed your back to the surface. It was obvious he hadn't noticed you yet though as he was looking down at his phone (thank goodness).

     Hearing a locker open, you glanced to the side as you poked your head out⁠ slightly (just enough to see exactly what he was doing)—⁠having a good view of his side profile since the locker door was on the other side—and watched as he paused for a moment while an envelope, obviously yours, fell to the floor.

     Bakugou raised a brow at the envelope before bending and picking it up. He had a pretty good idea as to what it was though it looked oddly plain compared to the many others he'd get just about on a daily basis as they'd usually be decorated with shitty sparkly heart stickers, disgusting glittery pink ink that had his name spelled out with it, and a pink envelope to top it all off... But this one was just a plain white envelope with his name on the back written in plain black ink. It honestly made him second guess if it was a love note though he knew better given the location.

      He began to just stare down at it, contemplating if he should bother to open it or just throw it away like he usually did as he could guess exactly what it said; however, he remained oblivious to a pair of (eye color) orbs that were staring intently at him as he pondered what to do, curious as to what his reaction would be and if he'd just throw it away.

     After a few seconds more, he started to slowly open the envelope, curiosity getting the better of him, and pulled out the neatly folded notebook paper inside⁠—yet another oddity since he usually got pink paper as well though it was welcomed in all honesty as he practically hated the color at this point, not that he ever liked it in the first place⁠—and began to read the note.

Dear Bakugou-kun,

     I’m writing this and leaving it where you’ll find it. It’s not that I wouldn’t like you to know who I am, but it’s just that I’m really, really shy... (I guess that much is obvious by how I just left this in your locker)... I’m also afraid that if I tell you who I am, you’ll reject me or laugh at me... Both probably... So for now, I’d just like to admire you from afar...

    Signed,

Your Secret Admirer

   Bakugou blinked a few times at the letter. He honestly didn't know how to feel about it though it had a much different feel from the normal 'love letters' he'd receive some days as they'd usually always straight up tell him they loved him even though he had never seen some of them a day in his life...

     Before he knew it, his lips tugged upward in a smirk of slight amusement. He wasn't usually a big fan of people not confronting him directly as he found that low; however, for some reason, this letter more so amused him than pissed him off like he'd usually be.

     "Heh."

     He shoved it in his backpack after he had removed the bag from his locker before swinging it over his shoulder, closing his locker, getting his phone out once again, and turned heel to exit out of the school to go home still having not noticed the pair of eyes that were watching him.

     Once the ash blonde had left you by yourself and you had waited for a few minutes to make sure he was completely gone, you returned from around the corner and continued to stare in the direction that he had left in, your heart still beating rapidly as surprise was very evident on your face from him reading and not even throwing your letter away...

     Slowly a smile made way to your face as you placed your hand over your chest and a blush lightly made it to your cheeks while a newfound confidence started to bubble inside of you.

     There was no doubt inside of you that you'd most likely continue giving the ash blonde male little secret admirer notes to express the deepest depths of your feelings in hopes that one day... He'd perhaps return them...