#Because I like adding spice to homework

[catiuskaa]

Yeah, Flowers Follow.

You have always been committed to your duty at your mom's flower shop since she got hurt carrying bags of dirt over a month ago. It was mostly just you and the flowers, until he barged in one day, slapped 20 bucks on the countertop and with a passive-aggressive tone, asked: "How do I say fuck you in flower?"

because seo changbin + fluff will always have me in a chokehold. And a flower au? fuck yea, bring it on, babe.

inspired by this pin which I'll link here

edit: omg guys you loved this so much I just couldn't resist making a part two, still, this can be read as a stand-alone, although I hope you guy's like this one as much as its 'second part', which I'll link here

Word count: 5k. Binnie isn't mean, ok? He's just emo and tough-looking. And kinda introverted. fluff fluff fluff. swearing. kinda horny towards the end, but no spice added. Lol

You wiped your sweat from your forehead, rolling your sleeves up with a huff as you took back in your hands a big old water can. You watered the lilies and small ivies that remained outside of the flower shop, quickly waddling back inside for more water.

Your mother was usually the one who took care of Lilac, the flower shop. At first, it had been her and your aunties, but it all flew away after your grandma's passing. You had been young, so much that your memories of the time were mostly made of blurry faces that were not present in your life to this day. Your mom had been okay taking care of the small flowery world she built, but an accident with a heavy bag of dirt over a month ago made you complain. She reluctantly let you handle the store until her back got better, which was coming along slowly.

After watering the plants, sweeping the floor, pruning the bonsais, and preparing the several bouquet orders you had for the day, you ran out of things to do, settling to play some jazzy music while you reviewed your class’ notes as you waited for clients.

Your evening was quite calming. Clients came in like droplets, so the shop never felt too crowded. Most of them asked for flowers for their loved ones, some even speaking about their partners, how they had met, or the dates they were excited to have.

It was cute. You had always been fond of the small flower shop and shared the interest with your mom, reason why you didn't care about taking the lead for a while or doing your homework there. You loved the way the flowers brought people together, and the stories and meanings that they had behind them.

Just as you figured out the answer to that one question you had been stuck on, the bell rang, indicating someone's presence inside. Someone that approached you in a rather passive-aggressive manner.

"How can I say 'fuck you' in flower?"

Words that you had never imagined coming out of someone's mouth —which was something, considering the wide range that your imagination could reach sometimes—.

You carefully observed the man's gestures, who didn't stop scanning the place. Years spent helping out at the flower shop had given you a kind of sixth sense, one that allowed you to easily see through people's appearances.

"Do you have anything in mind, or do you not care as long as it is full of loathing?" You inquired with a sweet smile.

Changbin found himself suddenly falling into the harmony of your eyes without realizing it. You quickly left the books on the shelf under the counter, lowered the music and turned to him. Your eyes rested on his, brown and limpid, to which he adopted a belligerent posture in response, an action that —to his surprise— did not unsettle you. He quickly shook his head, focusing on the anger that remained inside of him.

"Make it striking. Something so colourful that can even hurt to look at." You giggled.

"Intense." He held back a smile, his lips twitching. "One second."

He stared at your figure as you went to the small workshop behind the counter. The feeling that Changbin had at first had nothing to do with what he was perceiving at that time. A pleasant floral smell, mixed with mint and lavender essence filled the building. It wasn't only the exquisite aroma that captivated the man, but the beautiful colourful landscape that that small establishment hid. The white wood decoration made any bouquet or flower pot stand out as if it were the icing on a cake. The large windows allowed a large amount of light to enter, and they gave amplitude to the small place.

It was a beautiful place, but strange. Peculiar, for sure, and it was due to the chromatic order of its flowers. Sorted by colour scale, regardless of the species. The red roses were with the poppies, the tulips with the clivias and the orange jasmines. The ferns, aloe vera and fittonias were also together, despite having nothing to do with each other. The coves, cherry blossoms and hydrangeas shared a common space that at first glance, they should not have. It was a beautiful chaos, but it was still a floral hustle and bustle.

"Do you like it?" You asked sweetly when you came back.

"It's not bad." He replied vaguely. "It's..." Ravishing "...small."

From his attitude and the way he studied the place, almost as if he expected some kind of danger to appear among the pots and leaves, some would say he was not to be messed with, but to you, he looked like someone rather shy and quite sceptical, nothing to do with what he might seem as, considering that tattooed bad-guy build and the killer stare that he carried around. A thought occurred that his somewhat murderous look did not allow him to say what he really thought.

Nevertheless, you could agree with him. Not only was it a small store, but it was a disarray of varieties. Nevertheless, to Changbin, above all, feeling watched all the time was something he was used to, yet your stare felt different, making him feel more goosebumps the longer he was under your eager gaze. He couldn't help it, but when you looked at him so kindly, he felt strange.

He wanted you to stop looking at him.

"Orders arrive on Wednesdays," you mentioned, already arranged behind the counter. "Shop opens at nine, so feel free to arrive whenever. I will need more flowers for your bouquet, so until then, I'm afraid I can't have it. Either that or..."

Changbin interrupted you. He couldn't stand to have those deep-coloured eyes immersing in his own.

"Wednesday is fine." He said in a huff.

You smiled, dimples on display. "Okay! Then as long as you stop by on Wednesday, we can arrange the bouquet. I'll be here, spraying water to the chrysanthemums, alliums and hydrangeas."

Changbin felt his chest tighten, his eyes wandering around your features, your dimples, your lips. He stopped himself, took back his cash almost in a hurry, and left almost as quickly as he had arrived.

"See you then, and thanks for shopping in Lilac!"

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

Wednesday. The delivery truck was parked on the street facing the back of the store to unload the flowers you had ordered for the week.

To your surprise, Mystery —the nickname you had chosen for him, that sounded way better than 'fuck you flower boy'— came back precisely at nine am, and again, surprisingly enough, he wasn't alone.

He looked way more relaxed with his friend, the anger that almost shocked you looking long gone as his features didn't remain tense.

The bell rang as you were preparing the workshop for the arrival of the many flowers.

"Wow, this place is lit." His friend had good taste, judging by what you could hear.

"Thank you!" You mentioned with a cheeky smile, startling both men when you came out of nowhere. "Sorry, the truck’s outside, but I’ll be here in a minute."

You approached the delivery guy, who was opening the truck and setting the ramp so lowering the different flowers wouldn’t be too hard.

“Hey, Jerry!”

A comfortable chat took place between the two, who had met each other several times ever since your mom got hurt.

Inside, another conversation was happening. “Remind me, what are we waiting for, buddy?” Han asked as he wandered about in the colourful building.

Changbin sighed, frustrated at the reminder.

“The boss said something the other day I didn’t like. As a matter of fact, I despised it,” he grunted. “He looked at my desk and saw the bouquet I kept there, the one we got for that other show, you know?” Han hummed, paying attention. Weirdly enough, Seo’s eyes never left the backdoor you had gone through, not even when he continued. “So he mentioned how untidy my desk looked, how disgusting it would look when the flowers died, and hinted that flowers would look way better in his studio. It made me fucking angry. I don’t care if no one likes you that much to give you pretty flowers.” Han cleared his throat, allowing Changbin to return from his hating cloud. “Yeah. Uh. So we’re here to plan his bouquet.”

“Sheesh, I get that. The boss can be such an asshole sometimes.” Jisung mentioned vaguely. “But why nine am?”

Because I needed the excuse to see her. “I want to get this over with. If I’m lucky, he’ll even brag about the flowers.” He smirked, hiding his true intentions.

He suddenly heard some giggles through the door you had crossed. Han arched his brows.

“So you offered to pay for coffee and takeaway tonight for me just so I’d come with you here only to get flowers for the big man? Really?” He said, faking innocence as he settled his elbows on the counter, holding his cheeks in his hands, almost like a toddler.

He gave Han a side-eye. He shrugged. “Give me one more sign, and I might start thinking that…”

Bin covered his mouth. “Don’t. And that also goes to don’t lick it, or I’ll make sure Minho air fries you.”

Jisung lifted his hands, giving up. “I wonder what’s going on back there.” He smirked, teasing.

Changbin didn't want to flutter around you two, but he knew that putting the flowers in the store wasn’t that hard. He clenched his jaw unconsciously.

"If I had known that you were looking for an employee, I would have come running," said the boy, putting his cap back. “If you are looking for more staff, you know where I am.”

"It's very kind of you, but I never looked for anyone in the first place. Mom wouldn’t even dare to accept it,” you laughed. “Also, I wouldn't bother you knowing that you have your own trade. In addition, I get to put my skills to the test, but I can get quite moody sometimes. I bite, you know.”

He arched an eyebrow. "Don't worry about any of that. Working with you would be a thousand times better than distributing flowers throughout the city.”

Maybe it had been how you laughed or the snarky reply he had just heard, but Changbin needed that man to leave. Now.

Your eyes landed on that buff silhouette who entered the inside of the truck. Seo continued to unload the flowers. You tried to finish the conversation, but the guy wouldn’t stop talking while there was a client of yours doing your fucking job. You grew tired of Jerry, and you got up inside the trunk, willing for the man to take a hint and leave already.

Han couldn’t believe his eyes.

"Oh, please don't," Jerry went up too. "I'll take care of moving the plants.”

"Don't worry, it's the last one.” You tiredly smiled at him.

You took the remaining bouquet and got out of the truck behind Seo while the delivery guy wondered when the flowers had been unloaded. You quickly said your goodbyes before you returned to the counter.

"Thank you for lowering the flowers, it was not your job yet you did it anyways,” you smiled shyly as you started preparing the table in front of you with different sorts of labels plus the diferent tools you needed. “Sorry for the wait.”

“You’re fine. Don’t worry.”

Han stared blankly at the man who scolded him singlehandedly every day he was late to the studio just by a minute. He then stared back at you, then at his friend.

No bloody way. Holy shit.

"For your order, I found something the other day I though you might enjoy," your smile widened, your eyes like crescent moons as you handed him a small book.

“Oh.”

It was an old copy of a book that read “The Language of Flowers.”

“Maybe you could search up in the insults chapter if you see any meaning that you think could suit.”

He looked at you and quickly back to the book so he wouldn’t drift away in your eyes like days ago.

“Yeah, fine.”

Changbin was not very talkative, but the bitter tone with which he spoke was unusual. Han could tell, years of knowing the man allowed him to feel a bad mood in the way he communicated. His gaze was more frivolous than usual, and he squeezed his lips as if he didn't want to say anything. Shockingly to him, you noticed and were unable to let it go.

"Is something wrong?" You questioned softly. “Are you upset?”

Changbin hesitated. Han gave him a soft kick where he knew you wouldn’t see it.

“Yes.”

You started slowly writing in the labels before you as he, at the same pace, passed the pages.

"May I know why?"

Changbin cleared his throat. Shit, why was he so nervous?

"That guy was just talking, and that's why I had to do his job,” he grunted.

"I... I'm sorry." You looked down, sounding sincere. “If I hadn't given him a conversation, he would have started unloading the flowers.”

It wasn't true, and Changbin wasn't an idiot. That guy wouldn't have taken his eyes away from you unless he didn't have enough time to finish his shift.

But that didn't matter to him. What mattered was that your voice didn’t sound the same when you talked about this guy. It didn’t sound right.

"What type of flower is a Forget-Me-Not?" Han interrupted, looking at the book, reading past Changbin's shoulder. If he continued like that, Seo may not scold him anymore. For a short time, at least. Maybe a week.

"Oh." You recovered your kind smile, and the knot that had formed on Changbin’s chest untangled as soon as he heard your excited tone as you showed Han the small blue flowers. “They actually import them, from Mexico! Did you know?” You asked no one in particular, the two men in the shop suddenly interested in the topic as you continued to blabber about flowers.

To Changbin, only when you talked about them, your voice seemed less annoying. Even pretty, he could admit —not out loud, obviously—. But he liked it, mentally classifying your sweet tone of voice into “I-would-listen-to-it-to-fall-asleep”.

No one would notice.

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

“Dude. You are like, I don’t know, totally in love with her?” Han said as he took a sip from his takeaway coffee as he entered the recording studio and sat on the sofa.

In his mind, just because he hadn’t paid for it, it tasted ten times better, even though if it was the same he chose every day.

The accusation almost made Changbin spit his own drink. He stared at it, wondering if there could be something in it that could’ve explained why his face felt so hot all of a sudden.

Fuck, was it that noticeable?

“Yeah man, it is really noticeable.” Han smiled, surprised at his silent victory. “You look at her like Minho Hyung looks at his cats. It’s sickening, really.”

Changbin frowned. “I do not.” Jisung deadpanned.

“Says the man that made me third wheel in a fucking flower shop.”

“What are you guys bickering about?” Chan asked with a small smile as he got inside.

“Changbin is in love with the flower girl two blocks away.” Han teased in a sing-song voice.

“Fuck that.” Chan’s eyes grew big with emotion.

“Shit, he is.”

“Actually, Hyung,” Jisung mentioned as he handed Chan the other coffee he had bought, “I think she might like him back.”

Changbin coughed violently. The others smiled.

“Why the fuck would she?” He frowned again, his eyes not leaving his phone. “I literally met her last week and behaved like a piece of shit.”

Both Chan and Han smiled, knowing that by not refusing the allegation, Changbin was actually interested in Miss Flower Girl.

“Remember the analogy I made with Minho and his cats? Same shit goes for her. I’ve never seen anyone staring so intensely at someone’s eyes.” Han trembled, exaggerating. “Chills. Literal chills.”

Small hope was planted in Changbin’s heart, but he tried to shove it deep inside him. “Either way, after I go and get the flowers from her, whatever this is, is over. There’s no chance,” he shrugged.

Chan and Jisung shared worried looks. Despite what Changbin could show to people, he was a loving, sensible person. They both knew that if he had silently admitted the existence of a crush on this girl, it was because he meant it. And for a guy like him, who was often viewed as mean and rude or even dangerous, he usually chose to approach new people the less, so whatever was going through his mind meant a big deal.

Chan tsked. “Maybe it’s none of my business, bro, but after Hari, I’ve-.”

“Spare me the trip, Hyung,” Changbin interrupted in a low voice. “She’s been stalking me for months since I broke up with her. I really don’t want to hear it.”

Chan patted his back, a sad smile on his features as he looked at his friend.

“S’good, man. No hard feelings.”

After working on some tracks for a while, the topic was thoroughly avoided by the members, until Changbin sighed.

“Okay. You guys can stop your mind games.”

The others gave him a puzzled look.

“Whaddya mean?” The Australian wondered.

Seo let a small smile show as he passed his hands through his face.

“I really want to see her again.”

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

So thanks to Chris, the bell in the flower shop rang once again. You were humming a popular song, one that Changbin knew, so instead of approaching you, he wandered through the isles filled with flowers, listening to you as you continued the melody.

His heart beat like crazy when after a while, he opened and closed the door again, pretending he hadn’t been there listening to you.

“Oh, hey, Mystery.”

Your smile made his heart skip a beat. The sundress you were wearing, along with the short brown apron, made him swallow dry.

“Flower girl,” he greeted. You lifted your eyebrows.

“That’s a change of attitude. What can I do for you today?”

Do me. “I was wondering if you could deliver the flower bouquet. Is that possible?” He asked politely.

Your dimples showed when you smiled at him, looking for a notebook in the mess that your study guides made.

“College?” He wondered, staring at your eyes daringly as he pointed to your books.

“Music major, final year,” you grinned. “For your delivery, write the address here, and I’ll deliver it myself,” you played with a strand of hair, quickly moving it behind your ear.

Chanbin’s hands tickled. He wanted to do that too.

“I wouldn’t do it usually, but I figured you wouldn’t enjoy seeing Jerry again.”

He scoffed as he scribbled in the notebook. You cackled.

Suddenly, a loud noise from the workshop startled both of you, who were kind of lost in the other’s eyes.

“Girl, are you still here?” Your mother asked loudly.

You facepalmed, mouthing ‘sorry’ to Changbin, to which he quickly gestured that it was fine.

“You ok, mom?” You replied.

“I’m fine! God, you spend your days here. If it were me, I’d be outside kissing boys!”

Your face turned red in the blink of an eye. “Mom?!” Changbin held back his laughter, covering his mouth with his hand.

She never answered, just chuckled teasingly.

Changbin quickly closed the notebook and gave it to you, his cheeks suddenly almost as red as yours.

“See you soon, I guess?” He smiled, still holding back a loud cackle.

“Stop laughing.” You snickered. “But yeah. See ya… eh…”

“Changbin. Seo Changbin.” He left, smilling like an idiot.

You opened the notebook as you raised the music’s volume again, blushing furiously at your discovery.

Along with the address of what you recognised as some well-known company and the name of who the flowers where for, he had left a note below it.

In case you want to go kiss boys.

Was that… his phone number?

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

After closing the shop for the day, you stared at the flower bouquet as you were walking down the street, headed to where Changbin had written down. After figuring your way out with the maps app on your phone, you decided that taking your bike would be stupid, as it only was two blocks away.

The mix of colours was striking. At least, it had that. You hoped the person who would receive it would like it, meanings aside, considering you put effort into it.

The company was bigger than you expected. Before you could allow yourself to enter and look around, a security guard stopped you.

“Excuse me, miss, no one is allowed inside without a pass,” he explained.

You smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of your neck. “I was just here to deliver this…? I wasn’t told about this restriction, my client just said that I should deliver it in person.” Yeah, that was a lie, but he didn’t know that. “Would it be ok if I went inside? It’ll be only for a minute.”

He sighed, then shrugged. “I don’t think I’m allowed to let you pass…”

“Oi, Hyung!”

A somewhat tall man —at least taller than you— approached you two.

“You’re Flower Girl, right?” He said, sounding excited, failing to hide it. “She’s with me, don’t worry.”

You entered the company with him, but after that, you stopped and turned to him.

“I appreciate the help, but who are you?”

He smiled. “Yikes. Forgot about that. My name is Chris, it’s nice to meet you. I am close friends with Changbin.”

Your eyes softened, and you smiled. “Oh, I see.” You then looked back at the notebook you carried, the one Changbin had written down in. “Do you know where could I find Park Jin Young’s office?”

Chan looked at you weirdly. “Changbin paid for flowers for the big man? Damn.”

You giggled. “It’s not what it looks like. These flowers all have different meanings, and none of those is a good one.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! For example, the orange carnations?” You pointed out one of the flowers. “Those mean ‘I hate you.’”

Chan snorted and laughed at every meaning of every flower you gave him.

“Chan!”

He turned around to face whoever had called him, seeing Changbin approaching him, looking anxious.

“Chan, she’s fucking downstairs.”

Chris’ stare turned darker. Your heart tightened in your chest.

“Stay with her. I’ll go see if I can talk to security.” Chris managed to say before he rushed downstairs.

“Bin, is everything good?”

He noticed your presence, to which he froze for a second. Time started to feel slow. His spine locked up, and his shoulders stiffened. He even felt his shirt stretch in a sudden motion.

“Flower Girl.” You could feel the sudden state of relaxation he arrived, his figure visibly less tense.

You hesitated on what to do but then chose to act by instinct. Hugging him.

He tensed up again, the sudden act taking him by surprise. You tried stepping back, feeling like you had made him awkward, but he then pulled you in a bear hug.

“Thanks, pretty.” He whispered in your ear. “I needed that.”

“S’ok.” You smiled, a fluttering feeling settling in your stomach

He stepped away, shyness all over him. You smiled at him, but something changed as he looked at someone behind you.

Before you could turn around to see what had been the issue, he got way closer than a second ago, a hand travelling to your cheek, directing your face to meet his.

“I’m going to kiss you,” Seo whispered, just before he pressed his lips against yours.

Your confused self couldn’t manage the sudden emotions that ran through your body. You felt his tongue brush your lips, and you had to make an effort not to drop the flower bouquet when you started matching his pace, feeling him smile in between the kiss.

Concentrated on the man that had a hand on your face and an arm around your waist, you were too into it that you didn’t hear a woman gasp at the end of the corridor, leaving in a rush, crying fake tears.

Don’t get Changbin wrong. Seeing the girl that had tried to manipulate and gaslight him out of his music career just so he could spend his time doing stuff for her, things she took for granted, he figured the only way of making her leave should be a harsh one.

And okaaaay, he might have been dying to kiss you for a while now.

After texting Chan that she was gone, you both eventually arrived in front of the office.

He stayed behind as you entered, approaching a somewhat 50-year-old man with clothes as striking as the bouquet you had in your hands.

“Who sends these?” He questioned, his features suddenly looking younger when he smiled.

“Seo Changbin, sir," you bowed. "Have a good day!”

You couldn’t help but snicker when you closed the door. You found the three known men standing in front of you.

“So? Did he like them?” Han inquired.

“Pfft. I made that bouquet. Of course, he loved them.” You bragged jokingly.

The three of them offered to give you a quick tour, as it wasn’t common to have the opportunity to see the JYP building from the inside. Before you realised, it started pouring outside, heavy rain that looked like it wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

You cursed under your breath. If you even dared to walk under that rain, you would end up swimming your way home, your skirt and your blouse ruined.

3RACHA stood behind you, noticing that you were still at the entrance after a bit. Both Jisung and Chan ushered and pushed Seo to where you were.

“Is everything ok?” He asked, in a tone softer than what you expected.

“It’s just… ugh.” You looked at him, then tsked.

He froze when you got even closer, passing your hands above his shoulders. He had to hold back a shiver when your hands brushed his neck.

“Got no one to do this for you, I guess?” you gently fixed his collar, hands lingering on him more than they should have.

He couldn’t hold back a smile, looking at you differently, in a more intense way.

“I’ll take that as a no.” You ended the topic quickly, your eyes wandering from his eyes, then his lips, and back to his eyes again. You swallowed dry. “I can’t go back home with this rain, but my phone died, so I can't call for a cab or an Uber.”

He looked at you up and down. “Are you in a hurry?”

You stared at him, trying to match the intensity from before. “Not really. I just don’t have anything better to do. Why?”

“I’ll give you a ride.”

Neither Chan nor Han could say that Changbin was the messiest of the three, but he still was messy a generous amount. So when he got into the studio and picked up everything in less than five minutes, they gave him a look.

“Use protection, you bitch.” Jisung teased. Bin ruffled his hair.

“Fuck off," he chuckled. "See you tomorrow, guys.”

He guided you to the parking lot, and you both started driving.

Changbin’s grip on the steering wheel tightened when he noticed how your skirt rode up your knees when you sat down.

“Wait, I didn’t give you my address.” You realised, confused as to where was he going.

“I know.”

You looked around when he entered an underground parking lot, then parked and quickly got up to open your door.

He got really close, unbuckling your seat belt.

“You don’t need to be home tonight, right?” His eyes didn’t leave your lips when he asked.

“No.” You answered, almost in a whisper.

He took your hand as you got out of his car. Changbin walked with you to where the elevators were, hands still linked.

“Where are we?”

He pressed the elevator button and looked at you, even more intensely than later at the studio.

“My place.” He kept looking down at your lips. “I’ll take you home tomorrow.”

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

You woke up the following morning with a warm body next to you, the feeling making you snuggle closer to Changbin, passing his arm and setting it on your waist.

The sound of a notification made you groan in a low voice, reaching for your clothes and grabbing your phone from your jacket’s pocket. It was your mom.

You didn’t arrive last night. Where are you?

You smiled and replied.

I went to kiss a boy, like you said.

You went back to bed, looking fondly at the man next to you.

A buzz from your phone made you wake up from your daydreaming.

Cheeky girl. Flowers follow?

You laughed. As a florist, your mom had made up the expression one day. When saying “flowers follow”, it meant that there would be a positive outcome of whatever you had on your hands.

You knew that to your mom, in this context, 'flowers follow' meant just one thing.

Yeah, flowers follow.

Yeah. You might have fallen in love with him.

Don’t you dare come back home without that boy. I’ll cook something!

“What’s got you all smiley?” A sleepy Changbin made you giggle even more.

He, on the other side, could definitely get used to a morning like that.

You left your phone on the bedside table, and then got close to him again, tangling your legs in between his. He poked your dimples, and you chuckled.

“You, silly flower boy.”

~Kats, who has the urge to put lil’ details in every fic, like how the flower shop is named Lilac, which means ‘first love’ in flower, or how the flower that Han asks about means 'true love'.

(if you ask me, she was humming Come Inside of My Heart, bc I fucking love that song)

[emyluwinter]

Yuu and streams.

I've always wondered what if Yuu uses his smartphone to conduct simple amateur streams? Over time, they even gain a small popularity and audience. But no one at all can intelligibly say that such Yuu.

All their followers could find was that they study at Night Raven College, but their dorm is unknown to anyone. And there are ghosts there? Some particularly energetic followers sometimes build wild theories about the life of Yuu and about the life of ghosts.

Next I will write that Yuu is a girl. I'm so comfortable.

Yuu usually streamed her normal life. Washing dishes after dinner and cleaning the kitchen. A quiet place, with simple actions and some tired charm in every movement, something hooked everyone who accidentally stumbled upon this stream. No magic despite the fact that this is her uniform belongs to one of the famous colleges of magic. Occasionally she puts a gramophone nearby that can play the music you remember. (This thing is in the guest room in the game) This thing is so old that some go to search the Internet for what it is.

On some streams, Yuu cooks a recipe book for beginners or something a little more complicated.

-Add 4/1…w h a t ? - Yuu squints at the book in puzzlement and then her eyes blink in surprise.

Her expression changes to confused and confused. Leaving the spoon and the bag of butter on the table, Yuu takes the recipe book and turns it upside down, shaking it slightly along the way so that all the joking notes from the former owners of the recorded and enclosed scraps of paper fly out.

-Pretend you didn't see it.. - Yuu asks awkwardly, unable to hide her reddened ear tips from shame.

Having a habit of pronouncing his actions, Yuu tries to follow everything according to the recipe, occasionally adding one or another spice to his taste if it is permissible.

-Oh, what a delicious syrup. - Licking a drop of syrup that fell on her finger, Yuu thinks for a second and adds even less than a teaspoon to the pie mixture more.

At one of the not birthday parties. Cater suggested that Yuu make some settings for donations or the location of the chat for followers that Yuu can see live.

It all started with pretty simple and cute donations. 15 madols on a new sponge for dishes, because this follower can't look without pain at this horror with which Yuu washes plates.

45 madols for a new light bulb so that Yuu can use them for a new light bulb in the kitchen, without fear that the last working light bulb in the chandelier will burn out and have to cook by candlelight.

Grimm wanted to participate in this for a while, but he was so lazy to do anything after classes and a good dinner that he just slept peacefully or dozed next to Yuu while she was hosting.

Accustomed to the "definitely not feline" habits of the Grimm, Yuu did not even swear when he suddenly fell asleep in the middle or at the beginning of his work.

But the followers, Grimm definitely liked it.

Ace and Deuce definitely watched every Yuu stream if they weren't busy with club activities. Why? Because somehow even the mere sight of Yuu through the screen calmed them down and motivated them to continue their training.

Despite his completely "not sincere language", Ace left any emoticons under each stream of Yuu.

Deuce really liked doing homework in the living room of the dorm while watching Yuг stream along the way. His favorite streams were when Yuu was studying or cooking something. He could not explain why he could concentrate on studying on such days and better assimilate the material. In truth, both of them could not find the strength to overcome the desire to go right now to visit Yuг and Grimm and ask for a portion when the Prefect was cooking something delicious.

Trappola more than once ran away from his duties when Yuu made pies or buns, just for the sake of being the first to try them. He gets punished by Riddle, but in a lighter form because Ace "pays off Yuu's cooking"

He ends up doing double punishment anyway.

Often Deuce is also involved in this.

Yuu's followers just go crazy when they can't find a single song they hear on her streams. Someone even made recordings and sent them to local radio or music stations, but no one could give an answer to the name of the song or melody. Which is why there are even more theories.

Detective stories that she occasionally retells while Grimm finishes his homework. And as a reward receives the answer to the riddle. He definitely likes to feel this tension from the tightening mystery like a narrow bottleneck. And then swear that the solution was so obvious and he would have guessed if Yuu had given him more clues.

Some book clubs almost pulled out their last hair trying to find the name of the book or collection mentioned by Yu. But there is not one even close to what they heard from her.

Absolutely insane theories about who the Prefect of Yuu is are starting to go around on the Internet and Magikamе.

Her dorm? There is not a single official document that it was ever possible to find. There is not one of the accounts among College students who would be there. But absolutely EVERYONE could confirm that such a dorm REALLY EXISTS. And yes, the Prefect is a living person.

One day Yuu comes to one of the streams of the next donat "1000 madols. User xxxx2546 asks - Yuu are you some kind of forgotten deity or a lost child of a famous family?"

Of course, she is very flattered that she will be donated, mostly small amounts, but she definitely improves the hostel on them so she definitely won't complain. And never in his life will he tell Director Crowley about it.

After reading the text to the donation, Yuu quietly choked on air and laughed merrily covering her mouth with her palm. Her cheerful ringing laughter bounced off the old shabby walls and pale faded wallpaper, giving the room a more lively look at least for a moment.

-Forgotten deity?! Do you guys seriously think that I am….pf… Oh, I can't… - Yuu doubled over with laughter and then suddenly straightened up.

-First of all, thank you for your help, I can finally buy some pots. And secondly….what nonsense is this?!I'm not a forgotten deity, I don't even have magic…look here..

Standing in a ridiculous hero pose, Yuu points to the window with his index finger.

-Let there be thunder and lightning! Hdysch! - having invented the ridiculous sound of the spell, Yuu jumps on the spot when thunder begins to rumble loudly on the street so much that the glass in the window frames vibrates and the room is illuminated by a thunderbolt.

Biting his lip, Yuu awkwardly looks at the camera. Now she definitely won't be able to reason with some of the people who watch her.

-I swear to you…..it's not me….

Suddenly realizing something, Yuu again makes a ridiculous pose and hand gesture.

-I want to become rich!

But nothing happens, except that the thunder and lightning increase.

-Oh, come on….it's not fair. I only know one who could….Oh shit!

Running up to the window and quickly opening it, Yuu leans out of the window and shouts loudly to someone on the street.

-Tsunotaro, please let's not rain today! I just hung up all the laundry!!!

Suddenly, the whole storm subsides and the chat just blows to shreds from text and messages. Yuu looks at his phone even more confused.

-I don't think I can explain it to you for sure….

I think that Vil also makes streams from time to time. Because he is a media personality and he needs to maintain his level.

So on one of the streams, several of his followers notice a terribly familiar interior and furnishings that they have definitely already seen somewhere.

-Schoenheit I brought you tea as you requested.. - a quiet voice-over is heard in the room while Vil continues his stream.

-Oh, thank you, put it on the table, please.

The chat begins to fill up with questions whether it could be someone from the staff or college students. And what kind of relationship they have with a celebrity.

Behind Schoenheit, a small figure in an apron can be seen placing a tray with a cup and a small teapot on a table behind the place where the model is sitting. The face does not get into the frame. And the chat is even more crazy.

-Is there anything else you need? - again an unfamiliar and quiet voice for everyone.

-Yes, here is a list of what we talked about earlier. And don't forget the ointment.- Schoenheit puts some paper in her hand with a plaster on the brush.

-Okay, I get it. Thank you, that helped a lot from the burn.

A few days later, on Yuu's stream, some people notice the same hand with a Band-Aid and the same paper in her hands.

"150 madols. user xxxx45461 asks - what happened to your hand?"

-Oh thank you, oh…. a trifle I burned myself in class today. I've already been given a good ointment so it's okay. Today there will be a short stream because I will need to do a lot of tasks from the list. And it's secret.

A huge wave is now pouring into the piggy bank of theories about the origin of Yuu, what kind of relationship she may have with the most famous Schoenheit model. Magikame buzzes like a pterodactyl from all the most impossible and ridiculous options.

[cottonchronicles]

an updated disney princess legacy challenge

hello!

i have been playing my own version of disney princess legacy challenge since a year and a half now, and i’m about to finish it soon. i have immensely enjoyed playing this legacy, and would like to thank its original creator, MissPlaying. in my game, i created my own version of the challenge by combining rules from three sources and adding my own spice on the mix. i think the result has become a much more story-oriented and aesthetic heavy version that is more challenging than the original but prioritizes the narrative over task solving. i have a lot of respect for the previous versions, and mine is just one take among the others, but if you’d like to give it a try, go ahead!

my sources: MissPlaying: the original version Melinoe: a more challenging take on the original Irene van den Berg: an aesthetically oriented version on the pinterest

some notes: i didn’t want to follow the original order or go chronologically because then all the classical early disney princesses come one after the other, making it a bit boring in my view. shuffling older and more recent princesses makes it interesting with very different types of characters following each other, and this particular order worked well for the transitions within my storyline. second, i focused this around the disney princesses whose films i actually watched, so pocahontas and some of the newer princesses are lacking, but feel free to add them if you want. lastly, when i started playing this, i had very few packs. so my rules kind of reflect the way i gradually acquired more of the packs. feel free to tailor it according to the packs you have! for each gen, i determined a city to live and an aesthethic. if you follow those, please tag me in your photos, i’d love to see!

snow white windenburg. cottage-core

After the death of your father, you soon realized you were not wanted at home anymore. Although you left that place brokenhearted, your optimism soon fills your new life in a cottage with joys of kindness. You have always loved children and animals, and enjoy turning your home into a fun place where kids can eat cookies, do their homework, and play, while animals become your lifelong friends.

Start as a young adult

Complete the friend of the animals aspiration

Have 7 male children friends with all different personality traits

Find your spouse around your home

Never open door to strangers and don’t talk to elderly women

Have 4 children

Max singing skill

Max baking skill

Have pets (forest animals preferably)

[some of the earlier versions has snow white make seven babies as dwarves. i think that makes this gen something like a mini-100-babies-challenge, and players can’t focus on snow’s own story. instead, i just made a club with 7 little boys as my dwarves and focused more on snow’s story of getting used to her new life. my version is quite easy as you see--i was still new to the sims and found it very challenging back then lol! feel free to tweak it a bit to make it more difficult for yourself. (if you have Cottage Living EP pack, go ahead and exploit those possibilities!--i didn’t.)]

tiana . the princess and the frog san myshuno. city pop

Your family’s cottage life is cozy, but there is much more you expect from life: You want to stand on your own feet, earn your own money, experience what the big city has to offer, and taste all the different flavors cuisines of the world provide!

Start as a teenager

Have the ambitious and foodie traits

Work at a bistro (fast food part time job) during teenage years 

Father must die before the end of Tiana’s teenage years 

Complete the master chef aspiration

Try out all flavors of San Myshuno 

Marry someone unattractive, lazy, or with green, OR AN ALIEN

Marry at the romance festival

Own and run your own restaurant before turning elder

Have two kids

[i ended up marrying a normal human sim, and involved an alien later in my game. so i don’t know how it would play out with an alien sim, but go ahead if that sounds interesting to you! at this point the only occult sim variety i had was the aliens.]

megara . hercules san myshuno. film noir

Your parents are in love despite having such opposite personalities, but somehow you never believed in true love. Regular family life bores you, and you have as independent a personality as your mother does. Yet, as you move out to start your own life, you meet the wrong kind of people...

Start as a young adult

Have the noncommital and self-assured traits

Have the villanous valentine aspiration (you don’t have to complete it)

Complete the secret agent career

Have one bad relationship before finding your main partner

Never marry but keep a strong relationship with your partner

Betray your partner but win their heart back

Have an evil friendenemy (this will be your Hades)

Only have one daughter

[megara’s sassy attitude really spices the game up! i had very few worlds back then, and with film noir aesthetic i thought the city went very well, but feel free to put her in another world that you think works better.]

cinderella willow creek. midcentury

Your mother never had a strong maternal instinct, and on top of that having lost your parents so young, and growing up mistreated in a strange household, you have always longed for the warmth of a loving family life. You have always dreamed about taking care of your own home, children, and spouse with all its simple domestic pleasures.

Start as a teenager

Have the romantic and neat traits

Have a family aspiration (I had superparent, but feel free with any)

Mother must die while Cinderella is a toddler and father must die while she’s a child

Have an evil stepmother and two mean step sisters

Live in a lot with filthy trait

Do all the cleaning, cooking, and laundry until getting married

Meet your spouse at a party, leave the party midway

Have four daughters

[tbh the first three disney princesses (snow, cinderella, and aurora) seem to be all obsessed with getting married lol. that was the norm back then, these films were made in 30s-50s! so in my mind cinderella’s home after she gets married is midcentury-modernist in decoration but suburban and somewhat conservative in family lifestyle. with her previous maid-like treatment by her step-family, she was perfectly prepared to be a housewife haha. making a lot of kids suits her too. in the story, ariel had six older sisters but for me that was simply too much, so i made it three + ariel.]

ariel . the little mermaid brindleton bay. kawai

You are just full of energy, and so curious to discover the world! Your family means well, but they are a little overprotective. But it doesn’t hurt to break just a few rules, right?? There is so much to explore and collect out there!

Start as a teenager

Have the clumsy and cheerful traits

Complete the collector’s aspiration

Mother must die before the end of childhood

Have a pool and swim in it everyday

Max dancing skill

Marry your teenage love but never have friendly interactions with them before marriage (Ariel is mute! So mischief pranks and romantic touches are okay, but try to avoid speaking with your love interest as much as you can.) 

Have a collection room

Only have one daughter

[i didn’t have Island Living EP pack when i played this, so i made sure that cinderella’s husband was an alien lol. i imagined, instead of swimming in the ocean, they were swimming in the outer space. it’s a bit weird i know, but worked out fantastically well for my storyline! if you have Island Living go ahead and make them actual mermaids.]

jasmine . aladdin magnolia promenade. bohemian

After your mother’s death, you grew afraid of leaving the safety of your home for a while. You really enjoy a serene, peaceful lifestyle, but then again... Someone who interrupts it with crazy ups and downs might become the love of your life after all! 

Start as a teenager

Have the loner and self-assured traits

Mother must die before the end of childhood

Have a tiger companion called Raja

Visit the flea market when it comes to town

Don’t leave house unless it’s for school until your first flea market

Marry a poor, criminal street rat OR someone who comes with the welcome wagon

Have a night travel with your partner, going places you never been to

Live with your partner’s alien best friend for a while, and he should control people’s minds (this a really good mod for improved aliens, giving them extra powers--if you have Realm of Magic GP, feel free to make the Genie a spellcaster instead)

Have kids until you get to a daughter

[you can find tigers in the gallery! simmers did a wonderful job creating very realistic tigers. this is not in the rules but my jasmine was really into yoga and self-care, pampering herself with aromatic baths etc. i think that fit very well. that’s partly why i chose magnolia promenade instead of oasis. i thought the latter would be too basic (agrabah desert=oasis desert), and jasmine’s life in the palace was so lush, so i thought some commercial town would work well for her pampered lifestyle.]

nala . the lion king oasis. girl next door

You and your best friend were always a handful as kids, on monkeybars, pirate ships, swings, running around, playing, screaming, and just having the good adventurous life overall. But now your bestie is gone... You miss them so much, but will the two of you ever come together again?

Start as a child

Have the adventurous and outdoor loving traits

Gain the responsible and empatethetic traits before becoming adult

Eat only grilled meat

Max out fitness skill

Spend your teenage years camping away from home

Marry your childhood best friend

Never see your childhood best friend during teenagehood

Have two kids

[it felt perfect for nala to be the born in a household with a tiger pet. she’s normally not counted as a typical disney princess (being an animal, lol), but the pinterest version adds her, and i found that really fun. if you have Jungle Adventure GP, feel free to incorporate that!]

aurora . sleeping beauty newcrest. minimalist

You were born with a serious illness (or was it a curse?...) and barely had a chance to meet your parents. In your small, peaceful life, you were still happy growing up, but will your illness come in the way of your finding love, or will love conquer all?

Start as a teenager

Have the lazy and good traits

Complete the soulmate aspiration

Live in seclusion with  good friends of the family from toddler to young adulthood

Have a big birthday party for becoming a young adult

Die on your young adult birthday

Live as a ghost secluded in a room until ressurection

Your love interest should revive you

Max singing skill

Have only one daughter

[aurora in the film lives a very humble life with her fairy godmothers, so i thought minimalist aesthetic worked well for her. after she died, i revamped the house to make it look ruined and covered with vines; aurora’s ghost was trapped in the upper floor bedroom with no stairs going down. her lover was downstairs in the ruined house, working on creating ambrosia for weeks. this was my most romantic gen in this legacy.]

mulan mt. komorebi. boyfriend

Your parents are so in love with each other and are so happy to show it all the time that it kind of makes you sick. Your mother, believing that love can save someone from anything in the world, keeps urging you to find a partner ASAP. But that’s not what you want!! Maybe running from that and doing the exact opposite (SUCH AS JOINING THE ARMY) is what you need actually...

Start as a young adult

Have the unflirty and clumsy traits

Complete the military career

Has to accept every outing invitation until marriage

Hang out only with men during young adulthood

Marry a coworker

Max snowboarding skill

Climb the top of Mt Komorebi

Become famous

After completing all the other tasks, have a holiday named after you

Have three daughters

[i moved mulan into a military barrack before she reached the captain’s rank when she moved out to her own house. you can find some really cool barracks made by simmers in the gallery. i thought of this a bit too late, but if you wish, you can move mulan much earlier in the legacy so that your later gens coming after her can commemorate their ancestor on mulan day!]

belle . the beauty and the beast britechester. dark academia

Growing up, your household was hardly a center of culture and learning, and we can’t exactly say that your family lineage focused on higher education. But you always loved books, and dreamed about publishing your own works one day. Very well disciplined, you plan to go to university and accomplish amazing things, but who knows what fate keeps in store for you?

Start as a young adult

Have the bookworm and loner traits

Complete the academic aspiration

Turn down every outing invitation until marriage

Visit library twice a week until marriage

Finish a distinguished humanities degree in Britechester on an A GPA

Marry a werewolf

Help your spouse turn human

Live an isolated life with robots until your spouse becomes human again

Max out logic or flower arrangement skill

Have two daughters

[i’m still playing this gen! i don’t have much to say yet, but the robots are intended to stand for the living household objects in the film (the candelabra, clocks, tea wares, etc)]

alice . alice in wonderland sylvian glade. steampunk

You are a curious child with full--some might say crazy--imagination. Let’s go on an adventure into the past and discover what our grandmas were up to!

Start as a child and finish before turning a young adult.

Have the erratic trait

Find the hidden world in Oasis

Have a Chesire Cat

Have one big tea party

Stalk one person with white hair

Spend a night at each of the earlier Princess houses

[this is the 11th gen that i added as a nice postscript to the whole legacy. it’s intended to be only a half-gen. i plan to use a mod to live in sylvian glade.]

that’s it! i’m ending with a picture of belle at her university dorm for now since i haven’t got to alice yet. in the rest of the blog i’ll post more detailed photosets for each gen. i LOVED this story, so i can’t wait to share it with you!

[butmakeitgayblog]

Top five favorite tropes to write/read and 5 you dislike?

1. Friends to lovers. I love the pining, and if it has added spice of each thinking the feelings are unrequited??? Gimme

2. Canon divergent/missing scenes. I love seeing writers take the bones of the plot and create something so entirely their own

3. Cheating/jealousy. When I say this, I mean them cheating together! Not on one another 😠 I love the illicit connection and the passion that grows between them, the yearning and the hiding and the needing each other. It's awful but I want it *chef's kiss*

4. Breakup-makeup. Again, gimme the jealousy and anger and the yearning and the finding their way back to each other

5. Time period aus. I like reading these fictional hoes being plunked into random places in time and seeing them Do Stuff

Tropes I hate:

1. Most dub-con and all Non-con. I know it serves it's purpose for some people but it's not my bag at all. At all.

2. Huge age differences. Gross. No. The younger one should be doing their homework and the older one,,, should be in jail. Or therapy. The only way I think I could ever mayne like something like this would be if it were like a Sarah Paulson/Holland Taylor type situation in a fic, and that's still a maybe

3. Manufactured angst through "Missed communication" or something that isn't done right. Do not have two characters sitting in the same room, one of them having all the answers that could fix whatever's wrong, but they just don't say it cuz uwu they don't know how to say it. Someone interrupts. They're feeling too much. No I hate that. There's has to be an actual tangible reason why they're not talking or why things have gotten fucked up. Plot holes are inevitable sometimes but good god don't just build a story off the premise of "everything fell apart because I didn't say what I should have said because... idk reasons." *sound of gun cocking* don't do that

4. Generally speaking, I'm not into like sports aus or music aus, things that rely really heavily on those kinds of setups for the story. Idk why, they just tend to not really strike with me. No hate to them specifically, but they're not my thing

5. Most kid fics. Not all (see EIB Clexa + Aden), but most fics with a lot of kid/parenting material tend to not do it for me

[kazoosandfannypacks]

summary: gideon gold fumbles through an argument with his best friend, hope swan-jones. this time, for once, he has no idea what she's talking about. taglist: @accidental-spice @kanerallels @ouatnextgen @booksteaandtoomuchtv [let me know if you'd like to be added to or removed from the cygnet scholar taglist!] archive of our own

 Gideon had always prided himself on his intellect. He had his father's knowledge of magic, his mother's knowledge of everything else, and a report card to prove it.

 And yet, when his best friend pulled him aside to talk after school, with desperation in her eyes, the first thing she said was, "I really hope you're stupid."

 Gideon almost thought he hadn't heard Hope's words clearly.

 "What?" Gideon asked, "Hope, you of all people know…."

 "I know," Hope rolled her eyes, which for some reason didn't try as intently to meet his as they usually did, "you're the smartest person I know— and still, I've been praying for months now that somehow you're stupid."

 "Why?" He tried to study her face, but he'd always been better with pages than people.

 "It's easier that way," Hope shook her head, then sighed and crossed her arms, "at least, it's better than the alternative."

 "That I'm smart?" Gideon asked, feeling like the stupid one for the first time since they were kids.

 "Yeah," Hope said, "I can't bear the thought that you're smart. I don't like that you notice every little detail, and that you always think things through. I want to pretend you're not so intelligent, because it's a lot easier if you aren't. I've been really obvious. If you were stupid, maybe I could pretend you haven't figured it out yet— but you're not— which leads me to the only remaining conclusion."

 She stopped and took a deep breath, Gideon still unsure what she was talking about.

 "You know exactly how I feel," Hope said, her words edged with an anger he wished he could soothe— not just for his sake, but for hers, "and you don't feel the same way."

 In Gideon's defense, he had no idea how she felt, or what that had to do with him being stupid or smart or anything in between. Quite frankly, he had no idea what she was talking about, or, at least, he hoped he didn't.

 "Feel the same way about what?"

 Hope shook her head and sighed. "About us."

 Crap.

 Apparently, Hope had caught on to the fact that he was crushing on her. He'd thought he'd only stolen glances at her when she wasn't looking, that maybe she'd translate his help with her homework and how he'd treasure time they'd spend together as just a natural outpouring of their years of friendship. Maybe she'd picked up his feelings regardless— and if so, she definitely wasn't on the same page.

 "I'm sorry," Gideon said.

 "It's alright," Hope bit her lip, "it's not your fault."

 "No, no," Gideon said, "it probably is."

 "Not this time," Hope said.

 She had a point. She was a very hard person not to fall for— golden blonde hair, eyes always dancing with a scheme or a dream, a smile so lovely that even her sharpest insults felt like a gift.

 But, irony of ironies, now that the cat was out of the bag and the feelings weren't reciprocated, he doubted he'd get to hear many more of those smiled insults. He liked her, apparently she didn't feel the same way, and now things could never go back to the way they'd been before. And, as much as Hope might try to take the blame for this one, it was Gideon's fault.

 "It's not your fault I fell in love with you," Gideon shook his head, "no matter how easy you made it for me."

 "What was that?" Hope asked, her eyes living up to her namesake.

 "You made it easy for me?" Gideon repeated, a bit confused.

 "Before that," she quickly replied.

 "I'm in love with you?" Gideon repeated, more than a bit confused.

 "You're in love with me?" Hope asked.

 "Yes! Isn't that what this whole argument's about?" Gideon asked, "I fell in love with you, but you don't feel the same way, and I've missed the obvious signs that it's not mutual."

 "Not at all," Hope said, and for some reason she laughed a little, "I guess I must've missed something too. I thought you didn't like me."

 "But I do," Gideon said.

 "And I love you too, stupid," she shook her head and smiled.

 "You do?" Gideon asked, replaying in his mind everything they'd just said and seeing how it made sense this time around. He and Hope were on the same page. "That's great!"

 She slipped her hands into his.

 "Thank God you're so stupid," Hope said.

 There it was again, those insults that felt so special, wrapped in her smile.

 Before he could stop himself, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

 "I love you, too," Gideon whispered across her reddened cheek.

 Hope let go of his hand to tuck a hair behind her ear.

 "I should probably get going," she said, "my dad finds out about this before I get the chance to break it to him, and my first crush will be dead before I get the chance to call him my first boyfriend."

 As Gideon processed all the words in that sentence and the somersaults they taught his stomach, Hope stood up on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

 "Call you later, okay?" Hope said.

 "Okay," Gideon nodded.

 He was left to his musings quite a while as he walked home. Suddenly, he didn't care one iota about whether he was the smartest kid in his grade. He must be doing something right, if Hope was almost calling him her boyfriend.

 Maybe he wasn't the smartest guy in the world— but he was certainly the luckiest.

🦢•💛•🎓

[thefanciestborrower]

Whoop here you go everyone, take this short unedited stream of conscious of Ben and James just being silly. It’s fluffy, it’s stupid, and I wrote it at 1:30am so have fun

“Come on James, please?” 

James groaned to himself, narrowing his eyes at the human flopped over the edge of his bed. Ben might have been his best friend and boyfriend, but right now he was really testing his patience. 

“Why, it’s not my fault you didn’t study.” He stretched his leg out to kick Ben off the bed, smirking a little at the resulting shriek and stream of swearing that stemmed from his boyfriend as he fell to the ground with a thump. A moment later a small hand gripped the corner of his sheets and Ben’s disgruntled face made an appearance. He huffed, hauling himself back up onto the bed with some effort and glaring at James the entire time. 

“But you still gotta help!” Ben all but whined. “I didn’t think I needed to study when I was literally dating a giant, but nooooo. You’d rather leave me to suffer and die.” 

Rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s dumb antics James reached over and grabbed the back of Ben’s shirt, dragging him up towards the middle of his bed like a cat grabbing a kitten. “Alright alright, cut it with the theatrics. I’ll help. But on ONE condition.” He added, seeing the triumphant look in Ben’s eyes. “You actually have to study this time. No falling asleep and forgetting like you tend to do, alright?”

Ben’s rapid nodding earned another eye roll from James, but the mini giant grabbed him all the same. Positioning Ben’s hands in his own after making double sure Ben had grabbed his phone and turned the camera on, James opened his mouth and slid them inside, phone and all. As much as he hated having to do this because apparently Ben decided not to study, he couldn’t deny how good the human tasted. He was like roast chicken almost, with just a hint of spice. In any case it was a delicious flavor and James blushed as he felt drool beginning to run down his chin. And if the giggling coming from his current meal was anything to go on, his enjoyment was certainly not going unnoticed. 

Gulping strongly he pushed Ben’s head into his mouth and swallowed again, not willing to put up with any more teasing than he had to. No no, this was for educational purposes because SOMEONE conveniently forgot to study. He shouldn’t be enjoying himself, he should be teaching Ben a lesson. Still, that didn’t mean he could just ignore how good it felt to be eating someone either. And, well to be fair it was a known fact that giants enjoyed the taste of human, so maybe observing that could count for studying as well? In any case, he still was in a hurry to get Ben down and out of the way so he could get back to doing homework. 

One strong swallow later and more of the human slid into his mouth. His ribcage snapped and popped as it dislocated to allow his large meal passage, and while it sounded like it should be terribly painful, James simply shifted in place to get more comfortable. It didn’t hurt at all. Ben’s little hands were poking around inside his stomach now so he decided it was as about time he finished this. It didn’t take long to shove the rest of Ben’s lanky body down his throat and his stomach stretched easily around his living meal. Despite how easy it was to forget sometimes, giants really were made to eat humans. One last gulp and James reclined back in his bed, panting a little as his stomach swelled and wiggled under his hands. 

“Alright Ben,” James hiccuped, poking at his belly, “tell me you at least got a good video this time.” 

There was a sharp little movement from inside as Ben worked to do something with his phone, and a dark red flash appeared through James’s belly for a second before Ben called up. “Yep! All good here!” 

James rolled his eyes. “I swear if you just took a selfie-“

“What! It’s for educational purposes! And besides you know Prof loves it when I can get real internal pics for our presentations.” Ben argued, kicking the wall and throwing James off balance for a second. “Don’t worry though I really did get a good vid and I’ll label it in a second.” 

“Alright well, while you work on that how about it I break out the flash cards.”

Ben stiffened before letting out the most pitiful groan James had ever heard. “What? Already? Aw come on I just got here! We can wait a second before we start studying right? Just so I can get settled first you know?” 

James shook his head, leaning over to retrieve the cards from his bag slouched against the bed. “No! Last time I let you get settled you passed out and got absolutely nothing done at all. Now, first question.” 

Ben groaned dramatically as James began reading off the cards, but in the end he finally began to cooperate. Studying like this had been his idea after all, and besides, he really did need to pass this test. 

The more questions James read the more he realized Ben might have actually studied more than he let on and the whole pretense was just an excuse to get himself eaten, but that was alright. Excuses or no, he really did enjoy having his boyfriend inside. It was shaping up to be a long night, but it was okay. Long as they had each other, neither of them minded. 

[zealouscanonindeer]

Chef Gourmet

I dragged my feet along the smooth marble tiles below me,trudging along at almost tortoise pace. It had been too long a day. Five different spellwork classes plus three assignments one of which totally skipped my mind and needed to be done last minute. Thankfully, I have a genius nerd of a boyfriend so I could copy it from him. A small smile crept onto my face thinking of him.

But my brain dragged me back to my own personal blackhole. There is also an upcoming test and I'm completely unprepared.I groaned internally. This year had just started and it already seemed like I was on the ropes.

I fumbled around in my bag looking for the key to the dorm. I was alone tonight because shreya had her new cosmetic launch and surprisingly atlas had decided to join her. I invited Beckett as it was a good opportunity to spend some time with him. We hadn't really had anytime for ourselves with him being busy with his major and new internship and I with thief and all this homework. There had been a serious lack of library dates. Well...any dates to be honest.

I guess I've lost the key. I used metal magick to twist the lock and it clicked open, revealing Beckett in the kitchen in a plain white shirt with his sleeves rolled up uptill his elbows. My god I could just start drooling at the sight of him.

Our eyes connected. His steel orbs locked into mine. I just stood there gawking stupidly. Snap out of it! I scolded myself.

Ugh he knew. I made my way towards him slowly wrapping my arms around his torso and burying my head into his shoulder. He wrapped his free arm around my shoulders as his other held the spoon. He continued stirring whatever thing he was making. We were both silent for a while. He slowly began rubbing my back languidly the tension slowly began melting away as I relaxed into his touch.

Shit day I mumbled into his shoulder barely audible.

Hm? he was urging me to vent as he kissed my head.

I recited the whole crappiness to him, tears slowly forming in my eyes and soaking his white shirt.my runny nose wasn't helping either.

Oh honey he mumbled wiping away my tears with his thumb. You know I'm always there for you and if things ever get overwhelming you know where I am. He winked at me. Plus I could help ease some of the tension.

I laughed nodding.

Look I also made you that favourite pasta of yours. Darn it, what a golden boy.

Oh thank you so much bean!

We sat down on the couch , me snuggling into him as he wrapped his arm around me, gently running his fingers over the length of my thigh.

I devoured the entire meal, gulping down the delicious pasta.

As I cleared up the dishes he grabbed me and lifted me onto the kitchen counter.

I really enjoyed that. You should definitely cook more often.This seasoning is incredible. Your cooking skills are quite gourmet you know I said poking him in the stomach .

He kissed me sweetly in response.

But I know what your better at. Wanna know?

What?

Adding some spice in bed.

Ellie! c'mon must everything be a bedroom joke?

[elliethesuperfruitlover]

ooh a life update *stares*/mild vent oopsie

sometimes (my every waking moment) I’m like “wow college should not cost this much money” and it really fr fr doesn’t feel worth it because why the fuck do I have to pay to apply to have a place to stay on campus

like I wish my 3.6 GPA got me a full ride or smth but nooo my academics have to be perfect or I have to play a sport and my leggies are not built for any of that

My pipeline was “does homework at the end of the day in class to watch animal shows at home” to “comes home and watches sillies then sleeps”, none of that is related to Kicking A Ball or Throwing Something.

sometimes I wish I contributed more to that type of thing but like……I don’t know if I’d still be the same person or if I just…..it’s odd. I want to feel appreciated by my school but I don’t want them to take credit for something I did myself.

My HS isn’t responsible for showing me how to write well, the internet and writing shitty smut since 2017 did that. I did that myself by building my skills. But they don’t care unless you win stuff for it. They don’t care about your passions for creating change and not liking authority because of how hypocritical it is. You want me to throw a fucking ball, or have other people be impressed by my art, or never have failed a class (sorry, I can’t control when my depression and OCD flare up).

and then the ever looming “getting a job in my field” and paying off student loans after I’m paying thousands each month to stay in fucking school so I maybe have a career in the field im studying for

like make some noise yall (lower tuition permanently or it’s you and the woodchipper)

also another thing that sucks is knowing there’s things wrong in the world and in your government and not being able to do shit about it but call your senators and wish you could vote it away and wish you could give starved kids your meals and your water and your bed and home.

and nobody your age cares either. They’re so unaware of everything going on, or on the most surface level it makes you want to pull your hair out. And you get weird looks for being upset that things are shitty?? Like you don’t get how this is bad and why I’m mad?? How? What does it feel like to not care about anything that’s not an arms length in front of you?

anyway um. Thanks for reading. I hope I actually write that archivist fic. AND ANOTHER THING WAIT

sometimes I feel illegitimate for saying I’m a writer but I don’t write unique characters that I made or stories I created. And I almost want to invalidate it but then I remember how much depth I’ve added to characters and situations and what they’re like, and just sprinkling a bit of ✨spice ✨ into their design. Idk. It’s weird. Like I get what writers mean when they’re talking about writing but I don’t feel special because I feel like what I’ve written in terms of fanfiction isn’t impressive enough. (I fucking forgot I wrote a 10 page research paper in a night, and got to the state level of the social studies fair for one I did last year) anyway

words of advice are very welcome

have a silly for listening to me yap

[marieadeledracherambles]

The Remingtons: Those Menaces Who Almost Completely Changed The Genre

Realms of Infinite Wonder was meant to be completely superheroes. Then I decided on a whim to add a couple magic users to spice it up. The problem was that the magic users I added were so extraordinarily charismatic that they took over the story. I had to fight to get it back on track, and it still circles around magic far more than I meant it to.

Meet Nicholas and Madeline "Maddie" Remington.

Nicholas Remington is a human (well, mostly human) chosen by a fey-deity to become a Warden, which is basically a champion in battle who removes salt and cold iron from the Realm in peacetime. He's the only Spring Warden, which makes him an outlier; most Realms the size of the Spring Realm have around thirty Wardens or more. He doesn't actually like being the Spring Warden, but he needed the clout and the power boost to rescue Maddie from some people who'd kidnapped her. When he's not fulfilling his official Warden duties, he likes to bake, hang out with/annoy his friends, and garden.

Nicholas isn't entirely human; he's about 1/16th elf on his mom's side. This didn't hugely affect his magic, it just meant that A) he was more attractive to fey-deities looking for Wardens and B) he got tol. He's 7'8" and the definition of gentle giant. Give him a kid and he will dote on that kid. Give him a queer person and he will be loudly accepting and throw hands in their defense.

Nicholas is a wizard, which means he can throw spells, transmute objects, and gets a glowing spell effect on his hands. Like Dr. Strange, kinda, but green. Wizards are the most common kind of magic user, to the point of having a Shard Realm all to themselves. This doesn't mean they're superior, no matter how the Warrenists insist otherwise.

Maddie has even less elf ancestry than Nicholas, but it comes through more strongly for her because her mom was bitten by a vampire while she was pregnant with Maddie. Her natural magic-shall-not-affect-body-or-baby defenses were overwhelmed fighting that off, so Maddie got exposed to more ambient magic than the average infant. This means that not only does she have pointy little ears and a hell of a growth spurt ahead of her, she's an extremely powerful wizard once she comes into her power. Which she does very early, because the Remingtons have what wren in the TPOFATIGF server called "The Hobbit's Curse;" a boring life Will Not Happen for a Remington. She comes into her power in the first book, when she's a ripe old 10 years of age, and this gives Nicholas stress headaches because it's possible for her magic to outstrip what her body's ready for and hurt her.

Maddie is actually a secret, for the most part. She isn't locked away in a high tower, but she's being raised by a trustworthy family who do not have the Remington Luck, she has a hellhound-disguised-as-a-giant-floofy-service-dog guard (who looks like he's too stupid to have passed the service dog certification but was actually top of the class), and she never calls Nicholas "Papa" where people can hear her. For all intents and purposes, she's Maddie Richards. This doesn't mean that either the Richards family or Nicholas don't count as her family; she has a giant loving family that just happens to include a secret extra dad and a legally-dead extra mom. (Daniela Zorita, journalist, faked her death so she could go expose corruption without getting black-bagged. She does appear in the story, but her and Nicholas's engagement ended disastrously and now they're just. Hideously awkward when they can't avoid each other, so she does not appear in his sections much.)

For the most part, Maddie is Watsonianly not allowed to participate in the main plot because she's smol and the adults around her are on the ball when it comes to duty of care. Her B-plot is the lower-stakes stuff that narratively acts as a breather; between episodes of the adults saving the world, she and her friends are running around avoiding homework and causing benevolent chaos. The kids treat it as seriously as it looks to them, though, because they're kiddos and school drama is serious at that age.

[0nez1]

7th Oct 2019

Narrative essay.

Write a story about someone who had a narrow escape.

Describe how it happened and what has that person learned from the experience.

Begin your story with: "Let me out of here at once! ..."

0_______0

"Let me out of here at once!" With rage in her eyes, the woman demands her immediate release.

What began as a bizarre sight to both prisoners and guards alike had readjusted itself as a norm in their everyday life in the dungeon. It was a repeated occurrence that the she-beast refused to abandon. Others had long forgone their resolution to escape. Escaping from the wall of the empire was unimaginable. Still, the spitfire rage on.

The guard only rolled his eyes and grunts, "Shut up, woman."

Isabella scoffed back, annoyed at the same response. Even under the dimly lighted dungeon, her long reddish locks and evergreen eyes were fairly visible to be seen. It was clear she belongs to a noble heritage for only the powerful had such colouring. Yet strangely, there was no jewellery nor a speck of luxury on her person. Only a plain white rag to wear and shackles clasps to her wrists. Mana resistance shackles, to be precise.

Her scowl deepens at the thought. It felt uncomfortable to not have mana flow evenly in her vein, being unavailable at her fingertips to use. It was like a part of her was forcible stripped away from her and never to be seen again. Isabella swore to get them back. She refused to come out of this disgusting place incomplete.

To achieve this, Isabella went back voicing her demands, uncaring of her increasing parches throat. She whines how unbearable it was to be put in a dirty environment and be surrounded by commoners of all people. Do they not know who she was!?

Moments later, the guard stationed stood up, decided to have enough of his fill and gave her a nasty look before going outside. Isabella made a point to do a final shriek to make his day even better. Hearing the metal door shut with a loud click, she instantly drops her previous demeanour.

Other prisoners perked up, like their favourite show was about to start, whereas she was the first act. They watch her with a strange fascination, always amaze the extreme differences her two personas were.

Isabella resists a snark and ignored them as always. They never bothered her nor tell-tale her to the guards. The least she could do was to let them keep their means of entertainment. Isabella settles herself in her little corner and it was no lie how disgusted she found the cells were. Hygiene would be the first on the list for the new lord to oversee if she had anything do with it.

If, the revolution went successful that is.

Speaking of which, she opens up her palm to reveal a crumpled scrap of poor-quality paper. No use complaining, it would be a waste to use them on such occasion anyway.

'All going according to plan.' It wrote. She sighed and leans back, closing her eyes in prayer. For freedom, for glory, for peace to the kingdom. Isabella swore in her family name to carry on her act and have the mission complete.

×

It was three months ago, the final preparation for the upcoming rebellion was going well in the process. Away from the imperial search, for rebels outside the kingdom's walls. No one would have guessed said rebels were discussing their plans in a hidden room underground at a local tavern. It was truly a sight to behold. Various species from all sort of social standings gathered. From humans to beastmen, a noble or a commoner. It was a gathering of the century to bespeak.

The meeting went on smoothly, most issues were settled with ease. Then, there was a bump on the road. The plan needs a decoy. A sacrificial pawn goes unspoken between them. The atmosphere turned cold. The shared silence implied a crack in the group. It was unsurprising with suspicion and distrust still held them tightly like a leash. After all, they come together for a similar cause, not due trust. Oh no, there was too much bad blood to speak such a thing.

Isabella, herself had attended the meeting and was quite unimpressed by the whole ordeal of it. She did not come here to witness some children's squabble. Enough yapping and wake up, they were going to war. Sacrifices were bound to be made in the process. Seeing unwilling to take the task, Isabella volunteered herself. Consequently, chaos followed afterwards.

Rebukes of her participation were heard; they were fully against it. It was both ironic and amusing she was the cause of their current united hearts. Isabella refrains from scoffing, and instead calmly explaining her reasons. She was only but a placeholder. A common fact throughout the whole kingdom. She neither have any real value to any party so why not use it to their advantage?

Isabella vowed in her family name, a name even in disgrace still holds recognition from others. His grace will not suffer any loss if she fails and only received benefits if she succeeds. It was a winning deal. It was only a slight miscalculation on her part, to her surprise, someone spoke up for her.

Isabella narrows her eyes, watching the person in suspicion. Elaine Gurn, a fairly famous missionary and also a fellow friend of the rebelling prince. She had also been the one to raise her hand and volunteered to join her. A laugh and a mischievous grin, the female missionary managed to have the others on board with it. Isabella did not know what to make of it nor the intention of herself being elected as the leader for the mission. There was a mission onhand now, that was all that matters to her.

It was a pleasant surprise to find the dynamic between her makeshift team turns out well. They listen to her orders, adding their own two cents and it was just so... Nice. There was a strange glint in their eyes, something Isabella could not decipher as to what exactly. What was clear though, like, in the previous meeting, the experience she was feeling now was all thanks to her apparent second-in-command.

"You have my gratitude, Miss Gurn." Isabella whispered, awkwardly taking a seat beside the missionary.

It was the night a week before the mission to commenced, the team decided to throw a celebration. Never one for the crowd, Isabella slip out to the roof exchange for some fresh air. There she awaits, the usual mood maker, sitting alone under the starless night sky. It makes a good cover for those in need to keep a low profile.

Elaine smiles, not saying a word and turns her head overlooking the sight of the town. It might be their last too if they failed to succeed. It was then, it dawned to her how heavy the burden she was carrying. Her life did not hold much meaning with her family increasing declining, but her teammates were another thing as a whole. Family and friends await for their survival. This was not about her. Never was.

Was this how Father felt all those times long ago? Isabella wonders in nostalgic. Her grip on her cup tightens and her resolve steels. Then, the harsh training he made her gone through would do her good. She will make sure it would.

×

A beat. Two.

There was a shout. It was faint, but the world turns madness following it. Screams, explosion and orders all-around mix in the chaos, the prisoners tensed, asking themselves what happens outside.

It was time.

Evergreen meets dull brown and suddenly the ceiling went crashing down.

Elaine took cover, like every other prisoner done the same. Amidst the dust and debris, she could make up a silhouette of three people.

"What took you so long?" Jack, another comrade of her group, joked casually as he came out from his hiding place. Despite his habit of playing the fool, he has a sharp mind and survival skills to make up for it. Not to mention, his experience as a real commoner made it easier for her blend in.

There was a sound agreement Isabella would fail without back-up. She didn't argue nought. It was foolish because she knew, knew even her patience has its limit. Only meeting with another comrade's eyes did she remember the weight she carries. The lives in her hands. It was the only thing that kept her act from cracking after its overdue curtain call.

"Enough." Isabella bark, cutting off the friendly banter short. The ambush was successful but that doesn't mean their work was done.

She felt satisfied as she watches her group straighten themselves and listened to her orders. Hers. It was a good feeling. A rare few moments in her life. Especially when the cuff on her wrist was removed and power hums at her fingertips.

"Ready for some actions, leader?" Elaine asked, eyes twirling with amusing.

To her, Isabella might as well look like a child who got her toy back. It can't be helped after all; her mundane experience is nothing to compare to hers. It was time like this Isabella questions why had she appointed her, out of all people, as the leader?

Elaine has always had the charisma. The will, the strength. So why—

Focus. A voice brought her back to reality.

"We follow as planned." Isabella coolly said. "Scattered into two people's team and make way to each assigned checkpoint. You know what to do next."

The rest of her team nod and scatter they did, leaving Isabella alone in her steps to the outside field. Another group of the rebels ran past her, if she remembers correctly, was assigned to transport the prisoners to a safer place, preferably away from the chaos of the battlefield. They ignored her, not she would find offended of said actions, since they were wise to do so.

As the skies darken and let out a rumbling groan, a gleefully smile stretch across her face, just as feral and dangerous as one could imagine.

It was time after all. Once again, her family's name would be whispered with respect and fear throughout the lands.

Power flow collectively as Isabella lift one hand. She could feel its humming, excited to what they might become and with one swift movement, she brought it down.

The skies roar on her command.

[nyxnygma]

Fem!Reader being jealous over a girl flirting with her boyfriend Remus with maybe a tinsy bit of spice but not technically smut- I really need to quit the addiction ❤️

New Lab Partner || R.L

Fem!Reader x Remus Lupin

MASTERLIST

Summary: Remus’ lab partner is too touch y for your liking and no matter how hard you try, you can’t stop bubbling with anger

Warnings: sexual inferences, jealous girlfriend ready, curse words, hickeys, Mary kinda seen as a bad guy but this is just because I find her so beautiful (will make sense if you read) BUT I LOVE HER SM <333

We recently received a new seating plan for our potions class. I was moved away from my handsome boyfriend to be moved next to James Potter. It’s not as if I didn’t like James, he was one of my best friends, it was the fact that Remus was moved to sit next Mary MacDonald. She was known as the most beautiful girl in our year, the school even. I do trust Remus with everything I have got but a girl still has insecurities, and especially when the prettiest girl in Hogwarts kept getting unnecessarily close to him.

“Cool it there Y/N,” James chuckled from beside me, “it looks like you are trying to explode them with your mind.”

“Shut up,” I huffed as I watched Mary rub my boyfriend’s arm as she laughed over-dramatically. “Do you think she knows that Remus and I are together?”

“I mean you getting with one of the most hottest guys on the menu was the juiciest gossip for a month,” James shrugged as he cut up the ingredients to add to our potion. I was too busy staring at the pair in front of us to know what we were supposed to be making. I decided to stop being an over-obsessive girlfriend and help my friend out, I’m pretty sure he also did not know what we were supposed to be making because he was randomly adding strange ingredients to the cauldron- including Sirius’ DADA homework.

“You okay there, hun?” Remus asked as you curled up against him in the empty dorm room where he read.

“Mhm,” I mumbled as I played with the hem of my jumper.

“Y/N…” He put his book down and looked at me.

“I miss you in potions..” I huffed, not telling him the whole truth.

“I saw you staring at me. Am I really that hot?“ Remus winked as he put an arm around me. I snuggled closer into his side.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I sniggered.

“Are you..” he paused and looked down at me as he furrowed his eyebrows, “are you jealous?”

“Me? jealous? Pfft no,” I awkwardly laughed.

“Y/N.” He used a stern tone.

“Maybe just a little,” I cringed and looked away from him but he softly held my chin and pulled it so I was back to staring up to him.

“What does a beautiful girl like you have to be jealous about?” Remus questioned in almost a whisper.

“It’s silly,” I huffed. He raised his eyebrows as a sign for me to say why. “Mary keeps on flirting with you and she is so beautiful and sexy and- “

My words were stopped when his lips pressed gently against mine. “Oh Y/N. I promise I would never ever give her the idea I was into her.”

“I know. I know,” I shrugged. I could tell he had an idea.

“C’mere,” he hummed as he motioned me into his lap. He unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt and moved his head to the side. My lips took it as an invitation to press against his neck and to make aggressive purple and red marks trailing all across his neck and down to the top of his chest. I pushed him down so he was lying flat on the bed and took his shirt off to make more room for my ‘art’.

“Mine,” I huffed in between each kiss and bite.

“Yours,” he would moan back to me as he trailed his hands through my hair.

Remus forgot for a moment about the events of the night before. He was soon reminded by the shocked face of Mary MacDonald.

[thebomb-thebird-andtheburntbitch]

Seasoned Until Perfection

b.katsuki / reader

genre: third year UA students, established relationship, fluff

warning(s): lots of food (obvs) and eating, bakugou is a picky eater (he doesn't like procress foods), chicken nugget slander, bakugou gets offended approx. one (1) time for the lolz

w.count: 2.5k

synopsis: it hasn't been long since bakugou and yourself started taking turns cooking for each other. you don't understand exactly why it started, but nonetheless it's been happening for a while. all that mattered now is bakugou's food kept getting spicier after seeing you constantly adding spice to the food he served you. just how much spice could you take? he was determined to find out.

-x-x-x-

a/n: everyone thank @gingerpeachtae for the idea im finally breathing life into and also thank her for giving me more bakugou ideas bc yes pls

-x-x-x-

"So, you don't eat chicken nuggets?"

"Who the fuck would willingly eat processed food? That shit's obviously bad for you."

"I would eat an entire bag of these oven-cooked, crispy bad boys on my death bed."

"The fuck is wrong with you?"

"A lot, but we don't have time to unpack all that."

That was the conversation that started it all.

You were pulling a frozen, unopened bag of chicken nuggets Kaminari had graciously bought for you at the store a couple days ago from the freezer one evening after all your homeworker was sorted away. As you were sliding the cookie sheet lined with the frozen nuggets into the preheated oven, Bakugou had walked into the dorm's kitchen and gave you the most disgusted look that's ever crossed his face to date.

"What?" You questioned, lifting the oven door up and securing the heat inside while setting a timer.

"You actually eat that crap?" It wasn't offensive to you, the question he asked. You were just bewildered.

"You don't?"

"It's processed."

"Yeah? And?"

"It's disgusting." The conversation went back and forth with Bakugou slandering you for eating such obviously unhealthy food, but the moment the oven's timer went out, you were still happily dancing to retrieve your now crispy dinner from its heated prison.

"Processed or not, I'm eating them and nothing you say or do will change that." He ends up letting you do what you want, but the next day when you open the dorm's freezer in search of something to cook up, he's suddenly slapping your hand from the handle and re-shutting the door.

"Sit down, shut up, and wait," he tells you with no other explanation as he practically shoves your behind into a chair before he starts cooking. Before long, he was putting a plate of steaming noodles with spices and steamed, cooked vegetables mixed in a rich-looking sauce in front of you.

"Is this for me?" You ask, not really waiting for an answer as you pick up the pair of chopsticks he had slid over to you along with the plate. It looks delicious and you could feel yourself salivating from the smell alone.

"Well, it's not for anyone else. You just gonna stare at it all night or what?"

"That wouldn't be a bad idea, it looks great."

"Shut up and eat it," he grumbles, trying to hide the fact that your compliment and stary gaze definitely inflated his ego. As you happily eat, he remained beside you, watching you with a soft gaze and refilling your glass of water when it was close to becoming empty.

The flavor was thick and rich and with eat bite you felt happy because the food Bakugou made you was delicious, but also sad because each bite was one closer to finishing your plate. Even when Bakugou said that there was more if you wanted, you knew you had to save some for him to eat too. Before long, he got his own and joined you in sharing a meal.

Later on that day, he did get a little teasing from Kaminari because he had cooked for you. It didn't last very long though.

Now, it's been close to two months and Bakugou was once again slaving away at the stovetop, turning his sizzling pan with beef down to a simmer as he stares down at the brown, well-cooked meat. He lazily stirred the meat around with his cooking chopsticks, pushing the grounds around in the grease that came from the pieces, he lifted the pan to strain the content.

On a separate burner was a concoction of flavors in the form of a sauce that would soon be added to the meat then to the cooked noodles he had sitting on yet another burner. As he looked at the sauce, he contemplated adding a little kick to it.

On occasion, when his back was turned, he would see you sneak in spices and seasonings when you thought he couldn't see you. Ever since he started cooking for you, he had taken it easy on the spice since his classmates all called him crazy for the amount of spice he adds to his food. The last thing he wanted was you telling him to stop making food for you because it was too hot or spicy.

So, bit by bit, he's been adding flavors and spices to up the ante just to see what you could take and what your limit was. So far, it's been a week since he's started that and part of him was relieved to have some spicy food back in his stomach. He also always had a side bowl of plain rice to serve just in case the next meal he served was too much for you.

You were currently up in your room finishing up some homework when he mixed in the sauce to the meat and then stirred in the noodles. He pulled his phone from his pocket, taking the spice of the day and sprinkling it in until he thought enough was enough. Pushing his phone against his cheek with his shoulder, he calls your cell.

"Dude," Kirishima walks into the kitchen, smelling the strong scene of the spice he was adding into the almost finished dinner product. "Are you trying to burn your own tongue off?"

"It ain't for you, so shut yer trap," he bites back when you finally pick up. "Hey, idiot, come downstairs. Foods done." He hung up after a quick 'I'm coming!' from you before he promptly stuffs his phone back into his pocket. Turning the burner off with a satisfying click of the turner, he moved the pan to the only cool burner and started spooning it into bowls.

Part of him was nervous for this dish honestly, not that he was going to voice that concern out. It was a bit different than the normal Japanese dishes he made, and took a bit from other regions than Japan. It sure did smell good though.

"You're really going to make Y/n eat that? It smells like a full-on pepper man!"

"I already said, it ain't-" his temperamental rant got caught off when you come trotting into the kitchen all smiles and once again with stars in your eyes. Every dish of Bakugou's you've had the pleasure of eating so far was bliss to your taste buds so you couldn't wait to try something new! "Well, you got down here fast."

"Took the stairs. This food isn't going to eat itself!" You peek around his back to Kirishima, his hair all flat and still dripping with remants of shower water. "Looks like someone just took a shower. Hunting for food?"

Kirishima smiles, rubbing the side of his head with the towel still thrown over his shoulders to collect those annoying beads of water.

"Yup. Nothing like something tasty right after a nice shower."

"You want to try Bakugou's cooking? It's really good!"

Before Bakugou could reject your offer of his food that was made solely for you and him exclusively, Kirishima laughs. The red head opts to open the fridge and pull out a small, prepacked sandwich instead. They were small, easy and for sure not packed full with ridiculous spices, he and the others had stocked up on them other day because they were on sale.

"No thanks. I think maybe that's an exclusive delight." He looks at Bakugou's glare that could double as a faint pout. He started opening his packaged food before continuing. "Besides, I can't handle that type of flavor." You raise your brow at his reasoning but shrug it off esaily.

"Your loss."

"Stop talking moron," Bakugou interjects, handing you your bowl filled with steaming food. "Go sit, I'll be right there." You quickly take the bowl and utensils from him as you place a small kiss on his chin in thanks and trot off to sit down and wait for him.

Bakugou feels a burn on his side as he glances over at Kirishima, peering over his sandwich at his friend. His eyes were thin in mischieve when he sees the slight flush on the blond's face that ran to coat the top of his ears.

"Not one fuckin' word," he growls, the silent acknowledge of his blush between the two only made him redder.

"I'd never," Kirishima taunts back. Bakugou just makes his own bowl and practically stomps to go and join you for dinner, leaving the red head to his tasteless, store-bough sandwich.

Loser, Bakugou thinks to himself- although fondly.

It really was easy to get to Bakugou's heart. Just compliment his cooking and give him one, small kiss in the kitchen. Simple as that. Well, with the added condition that it was you fulfilling the overall quota. If it were someone like Midoriya, a quick 'wow, it looks great', and whatever food was mentioned would be thrown out the window asap.

As you two ate, Bakugou watches you. Today's food was almost up to his spice standard and you joyfully take bite after bite like it didn't have even a hint of a kick in it. As you both were close to finishing, he spoke up.

"Hey." You hum at him, mouth full as you almost whine at the thought of having no more food after this. "I'm making food tomorrow too."

"Isn't it my turn though?"

"I'm not repeating myself," he hisses. You immediately cave, letting him have his way. You weren't going to complain about not having to cook for one more day; far from it. Although, you were curious as to why he wanted to cook again. Maybe because he enjoyed cooking or maybe there's something new he wanted to try?

"Is there a particular reason or?" You try pushing.

He's silent for a moment, sitting in thought. "Not really," he mutters. You drop it at that. If he wanted to cook, then you'd let him without too much fuss.

And then tomorrow came.

Bakugou was already in the kitchen cooking, or rather finishing up cooking, by the time you got back to the dorms. You had showered and changed into something clean and comfortable before you meandering your way down to the kitchen. Coming up behind him and popping off to his side, your hands behind your back and neck craning to get a good look at the food he was messing with.

"Soba?"

"Okinawan soba noodles," he mutters the specifics before he grabs a small bottle without a label on it. The bottle was something he had gone home earlier in the day for since it was a weekend and snaged from the kitchen in his home before tearing the lable off so you wouldn't know what it was.

Koregusu.

The best way to eat the punget hot sauce from Okinawa was to have soba noodles with it in his opinion. It happened to be one of his favorates he had at home, even with the alcohol mixed into it, it was more spicy than acoholic. And it always hit the spot that is his spicy fix.

Pouring in drop after drop of the sauce, you close your eyes, smelling the spice and taking it in.

"That smells really good," you purr.

"It better taste good to you too." Finishing up, handing your your portion and taking his own, you both move to the table and start to eat. Nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary aside from the slowness of Bakugou's actions.

He was purposely taking it slow, taking it easy. A few noodles between his chopsticks here and there, stiring the soba around, scrolling on his phone on occassion, taking a small sip of water. All to just watch you.

He watches you happily eat bite after bite and not so much as flinch at the taste of the hot sauce he added. After slurping up another string of noodles, he clears his throat to get your attention. You flick your eyes up to him, cheeks full as you chew your current bite.

God you were adorable.

"'s it good?" You happily nod at him, cheeks red. He couldn't tell if it was red because of the spicy sauce or because of your eleation of the food itself. However, the level of spice did effect your lips, he could seem them puffing out in a near induced pucker that he found just a bit too cute if he was being honest with himself.

"It is! It's nice to finally have something decently flavoured to eat."

"Excuse me?" His voice dropped along with his brows. You immediately tried to remedy the automatic reply that just shot out of your mouth. Coughing lightly, you take a drink of water before you notice Bakugou had set his chopsticks down and brought his elbow up to rest on the table, his chin in his hand while he frowns at you.

"It isn't what you think," you rush out, trying not to smile in embarrassment at the predicament you had put yourself in. "All the food you've made me was good! It was, really! I promise," you almost whine at his unchanging, offended expression.

The hand that didn't support his chin rested on the table, his fingers tapping as if trying to make you continue to convince him why he shouldn't be offended by your off-hand comment.

"Ughh!" You groan, throwing your head back and kicking your legs under the table. Resetting your position, you lower your head and form a pout. As you look down at what little remains of your food, you fumble and play with your chopsticks lightly. "I just really like spicy foods and the foods before weren't that spicy, that's all." Your voice almost sounded pathetic now, like you were on the verge of crying.

You weren't. You just knew that if Bakugou hears the way your voice was quiet and held the smallest tone of dejection, he'd stop scowling at you. You hear him sigh in front of you, the sign of you being correct. When you glance up again, he was no longer glaring at you, but more scrunching up his face in mild irritation.

"If that was the case, why didn't you fuckin' tell me. I would've added my level of spice from the beginning idiot." His hand that was under his chin slid up to his forehead, rubbing at it as his eyes closed in supressed anger.

"I dunno," you whine again until all the creases in his face had finally smoothed out.

"Whatever," he finally dismisses. "It's over and done with." He finally looks back up at you with eyes that held the same look of aderation he would always have with you, all traces of potential offense vanished. "In the future, if you want something spicy, just tell me."

"Okay," you slowly nod. "I will."

Bakugou grabbed his chopsticks again, reached across the table and pusing the ends of them into your bottom lip. He pushed into your lip enough to slip them between both of your lips and then slid it to the side and up up, pushing the corner of your mouth up into your cheek.

"Good. Now smile," he told you. You instinctively smiled at him, before he took his chopsticks back and started eating again. "Eat before it gets cold."

He didn't say anything else and neither did you. Although, you really wanted to tease him about the red dusting his cheeks that you knew wasn't from the koregusu.

-x-x-x-

a/n pt2: i can't end fics for shit sorry (gimee that feedback pals)

[julyshewillfly]

When I suggested to Erskine and Konkle that they were making a “cringe comedy,” Erskine said, “We don’t really write jokes,” adding, “Someone once called it a ‘traumedy,’ and that’s probably the closest way to describe it.” Instead, the creators and a small team of writers pore over their yearbooks and their juvenile correspondence. They trade real-life tales of scarring first kisses and frantic masturbation attempts. The more painful the old bruises, the more inclined they are to apply pressure.

Gabe Liedman, a co-showrunner for Season 1, told me about one of the early scenes they shot, in which Maya, Anna, and three of their classmates film a Spice Girls-inspired video for a homework assignment. The group decides that Maya, who is half Japanese, should play Scary Spice (the only group member of color), and that she should also be the other girls’ “servant” — “because you’re, like, tan,” one girl explains. Maya plays along, adopting an exaggerated accent and hunching over like Quasimodo to extract a laugh from her more popular peers. During the shoot, Erskine did a few takes of the scene and then broke down crying. “It scared the shit out of me,” Liedman said. “There were these literal twelve-year-old girls in Spice Girls costumes who have never heard of the Spice Girls, and it’s a heat wave, and Maya is heaving sobbing. I was, like, is it my responsibility, as a manager here, to shut down this set?”

But Erskine forged ahead. She explained, “Anna started crying, and then members of the crew started crying. It opened up this flood of everyone sharing stories. That was a light-bulb moment. We realized, Oh, this is what this show is.”

-- Rachel Syme

[princess-of-inarizaki]

Haikyuu manager headcanons!!

Okay so these adorable teams all have the softest spot for their tiny little manager-chan, and here's how they all treat her.

[Ari's note: okay manager fics and headcanons are my absolute favourite and I love writing them]

*.` | Karasuno

They are extremely laid back with you, compared to some of the other teams. They give you your space, at the same time listen to you when you have something to say.

Respectful simps. Similar to how they act with Kiyoko (ugh yes queen-chan) they're in tears whenever you do things to motivate them, like cheer at their practice matches or give them good luck charms.

They still have the good luck charms you fastened on their bag before one of the matches.

Tanaka and Noya would literally worship the ground which you walked on. Like wow how did they get so lucky as to have three?? Cute managers?? On their team??

Yachi and you would probably subtly simp over Kiyoko with them too ngl.

Hinata and Kags would probably see you as an older sister, eventho you're their age because you're so caring and responsible.

Suga is literally your mom and Daichi is your dad. They make sure you're all healthy and you're doing well in school.

Asahi gives you hugs whenever you're sad or upset! Fite me but I think this gentle baby gives the best hugs ever >:( he's like your comfort senpai and you'd do the same for him, especially when he's feeling insecure or down.

Yams would probably be very shy around you, but he'll warm up in time.

Ahhh the best part. Tsukki! He'd find you annoying and simply not get why you're so Mcfreaking happy at first (shut up u salty beanpole, manager-chan is just a ray of sunshine, okay?) But he soon finds it endearing and slowly gets closer to you.

You walk home with Yams and Tsukki every day since your houses are close, and Tsukki walks you to your door to make sure you're safe!

Ennoshita, Kinoshita and Narita all see you as a little sister and often help you with your managerial duties.

The team cares and respects you so much, and are so thankful you've joined them!!

Meat buns at Ukai's are your hangout spot, and everytime you see them chilling you're so thankful to have such great friends.

*.` | Aoba Johsai

Aaah we're at the team of one of my favourite characters!! I'll start with Oikawa (can't you tell I'm so biased omg)

Oikawa absolutely adores manager-chan because although she's tiny, she's very strict, and doesn't let his fangirls near the gym when he's practicing, which he appreciates.

"yn-chan, you're so good to me, can I take you out as a thank-you?" Cue Iwa-chan's ball which comes flying at Oikawa's head. "Stop flirting with the manager, shitty-kawa"

Iwa's very fond of you too, but he doesn't let it show too often. Sometimes he picks up your favourite coffee from the vending machine and claims that he bought it by "accident". (How believable<3)

Kunimi probably sends you weird tiktok videos and tags you in funny memes. Very wholesome 10/10.

Kyotani just?? Doesn't understand you?? Like wow, she's small but the team listens to her?? Why?? He later finds out you're the manager. Mad dork here didn't know you were managing the team for the past month, and thought you just came to the gym to watch them practice. Smh.

Matsukawa and Hanamaki give you headpats and like taking selfies with you, much to Oikawa's dismay. He wants to be the only one taking pictures with you.

Like no manager-chan. Stop. Get away from them. My phone's right here I wanna take selfies with you :(

Kindaichi is cool with you. Y'all are bros and you game together sometimes.

Watari and Yahaba join too, and they're surprised to know that you're so aggressive when you game.

Cue a jealous Oikawa who struggles learning how to game just so he's invited to play with you. Simp smh.

They're all very gentle with you, and since you're their first female manager, they make sure to never make you feel uncomfortable.

You guys like grabbing ramen together and having eating contests. They really bring out your aggressive side but you love them for it.

*.` | Shiratorizawa

Can I just say Semi bsf material? Yes? Yes. Semi Eita is best friend material.

Makes you cute little Spotify playlists and you help him write lyrics to songs occasionally. You play an instrument too and you guys can just jam out for hours on end together.

You get the idea of applying to be the manager because of him, and it all took off from there.

Goshiki loves you. You're fond of your kohāi, and you genuinely just give this touch-starved future ace a lot of hugs and cuddles, which he's SO grateful for.

Like wow, y/n-chan isn't just pretty?? She's also so sweet? And smart? And capable? Semi why have you been hiding her for so long??¿ >:(

Goshiki is just so protective of you, he'd commit murder if he had to.

You have to earn Ushiwaka's respect, yk? And slowly but surely he comes to realise how dependable and responsible you are, and treats you like an indispensable member of the team.

He's got your back. And if he ever senses you're upset, he's trying to cheer you up as best as he can.

"do not feel upset, those grades will mean nothing to you in the future. I doubt you will be able to remember what you got in your second year, third monthly test." You think he's being sweet, and yes he is (in a way), but he's also trying to be reasonable and logical.

Tendo loosens you up and you tend to play pranks on the others with him.

The funniest was when you tried to prank Ushijima by adding wasabi to his onigiri and he?? Didn't get it??

Like "y/n-chan, Tendo, why did you add wasabi to this onigiri? It would've been so much better with tuna mayo??" And he has no reaction whatsoever?¿?

Cue Goshiki who tries the onigiri because he wants to prove he has spice tolerance like Ushijima, eventhough you can low-key see him tearing up.

Shirabu is your voice of reason and you and him often study together. You also have deep and philosophical conversations at 12 a.m. over text, and it is just so wholesome.

He respects you so much, not just because you care for him, but because he finds your brain so fricking smexy.

These eagle babies bring out the best in you and you're always eager to push them forward and bring out the best in them.

*.` | Fukurodani

First thing's first, besides Akaashi, you are the only other person who can cheer up an emo-mood Bokuto.

Just say "Hey Bo, you're gonna look so much cooler when you spike the ball like the true ace that you are" and his hair's all perking up and his eyes are shining.

Akaashi thinks you are an angel sent from heaven.

You're very soft on your baby owls, and they genuinely just love getting positive affirmations from you.

Akaashi always blushes when you compliment him on his sets. And you can hear him murmur genuine words of gratitude.

The other members do too. They're glad because sometimes people focus on Bo too much and forget to give them recognition, yk? It's easy to get overlooked :(

But thanks to manager-chan who's so attentive with all of them, and who's aware of all their quirks and moods, they're all so touched and so so happy.

You have a habit of getting cold pretty often, especially since practice finishes late and it's pretty chilly by then.

Konoha always lends you his jacket and walks you home, since your home's are the closest. There's just something about you that makes you soft.

You get along really well with Kaori and Yukie, and you'd definitely consider them your best friends, considering y'all are in this thang togetherrrr!!

The Fukurodani team are just all a bunch of crackheads, but they're your crackheads and you wouldn't trade them for the world.

You're a very tight-knit family, (like ugh I just get lots of comfortable, safe vibes from Fukurodani :(( <3)

You guys hang out at the store near your school pretty often to recharge after grueling days of practice together.

*.` | Nekoma

My second favourite team, Nekoma!! They are precious, gentle, soft babies and I love them to bits and pieces >:(

I'll start with Kuroo. You've always had a tiny soft spot for Kuroo ever since you've become his lab partner in chemistry class.

His notes are immaculate. I mean, cmon we're all hoes for pretty notes

You think he's so incredibly smart and talented, so when he suggests you become the Nekoma manager, you just agree right away.

You guys grow closer since you've started spending more time with him, and you banter around more often than not with chemistry pickup lines.

"hey kitten, let's form a covalent bond"

He's so whipped after you retort back. Like wow she called me sodium fine and said I'm like an exothermic reaction? Permission to simp??

(Ari stfu this isn't a Kuroo fanfic)

Kenma and you definitely play animal crossing together, and he even lets you try his switch, after you guys grow closer.

Kuroo is so insulted, he's never even touched Kenma's switch before >:(

You also push Kenma to do better during practice and he starts to care more about volleyball, since you seem so enthusiastic about it.

Yamamoto isn't even subtle about his simping smh T-T unlike Kuroo, he shamelessly flirts with you, and can't wait to show you off to Tanaka and Noya at the next camp.

"we have such a gorgeous manager now, Nekoma is ThRiViNg" he says in his head with this ridiculous dopey ass smile on his face +_+

Since deep down inside, you're a huge baby, you, Lev, Shibayama, and Inuoka get along so well. They're just happy energetic kittens, and they make you feel so happy.

y'alls energy just match, yk?

Although Fukunaga is shy to tell jokes, he tells them to you, because he knows you'd never judge him, and you actually kinda enjoy laughing along :) he's so touched.

Momma Yaku!! Yaku always lends you his jacket and makes sure to carry snacks for you in his bag. He knows you care so much about the team that you often neglect your own health, which is why he's always there to make you're feeling healthy and good.

Kai and Teshiro help you with your homework and like talking about their favourite singers with you.

They're all just such amazing human beings who treat you so well, and you feel so blessed to be a part of their team. You adore them so much, and they adore you back tenfold.

*.` | Inarizaki

[Ari's note: Ello there luvs, you've made it to the bottom of this sweet hc post and just get ready for Inarizaki :( they're my favourite team of all time, and I'm just so biased, I'm sorry ;-;]

Inarizaki's entire team just adores you so much, they think you're the light of their lives.

They're all super touch starved babies, and once you realized that, you've made sure to ensure they never feel that way.

Aran is kinda like your protective senpai, and his heart flutters ever so slightly when you call him that senpai kink oops and give him headpats, and he loves patting your head in return.

The twins are so incredibly soft for you.

Their fangirls are sometimes pretty mean, but one glare from the duo is enough to shut them up.

Osamu cooks bentos for you and gives you the warmest hugs when you ask for them, burying his head in the crook of your neck.

Your hand is almost always in Atsumu's because he's so slick?? Like y'all, this mf would be like "y/n-chan, my hand has been aching for a while now" and when you go to observe it, he just pulls your hand into his and pulls you to follow him.

His entire body heats up when you kiss his cheek after a particularly good game, and his brain literally goes "grrrr empty", when he's usually so sly.

The twins are your bodyguards, they follow you everywhere and protect you all the time.

Enter Suna Rintaro, your meme king. He definitely records funny moments that happen during practice and send them to you, just to make you laugh, or memes of the members.

He also definitely takes pictures of you when you aren't noticing, simply because he likes the way your hair looked, or because you looked so beautiful.

Like the twins, his eyes widen whenever you kiss his cheek or ruffle his hair, and it's literally like suna.exc has stopped functioning.

Congrats manager-chan, you broke the kid -.-

Omimi might come across as stoic and cold but he's actually a huge softie, and you often give him positive affirmations.

He's also definitely a huge lover of your hugs, and looks forward to them as motivation to play well.

He'd never tell you though, he's shy™.

My baby Kita compliments you all the fricking time.

"y/n-chan, I mean this is the most sincere way, I think this hairstyle looks stunning on you"

Or "you're so capable and you work so hard, I'm so thankful to have you by my side"

And he has the most genuine expression on his face, his eyes are so earnest and shining so bright.

And when you smile at him, he's like oh shit I made her smile, depression whom? I only know serotonin.

Ginjima is usually rash but with you, he takes his time and weighs everything he says.

He doesn't wanna accidentally hurt you and regret it since he was being careless and not thinking at all.

You calm him down when he's getting too hotheaded with gentle words and he's suddenly a blushing mess.

Unlike some of the other teams that tease you a bunch, Inarizaki treats you so gently. Their little princess, as they think of you.

So mf-ing protective, like if someone looks at you wrong, you can totally bet Atsumu's going for their ankles, sangwoo style, or Osamu is trash talking them to their knees.

Would drop anything and everything to help you if ever needed.

They think you're they're entire world because you go above and beyond for them, and they genuinely love you. Like actually LOVE you to bits and pieces.

—*.`

[Ari's note: AHHH so the manager fic is done this was literally such a joy to write!! I hope you enjoyed it

Big big hugs <3 have a beautiful day, luvs!!]

[study-coffee-chicago]

Who Would've Thought? A Government Teacher and an English Teacher (A Halstead Brothers + Upstead + Halstead Daughter! Imagine; Part of AU-gust)

A/N: Thank you for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment! I'm also donating all the proceeds that from my buy me a coffee account to Save The Children to help the children of Afghanistan. Link to buy me a coffee.

Anyway, enjoy!

"Hey, I know you aren't a morning person," your dad said as he walked up to you sitting at the bar in the kitchen with a piece of paper in his hand.

"You're right, I'm not," you said.

"All I need is for you to look over the seating chart I made for the juniors."

"Make sure you didn't put people who have beef next to each other?" you asked.

"Exactly. And I figured, since it's your class, you'd be the perfect person to do it."

"And because I'm your daughter."

"That, too."

He set the paper in front of you. "Since I'm doing this for you, care to make me my coffee?" you asked

"The pumpkin spice one?" You nodded. "Kid, it's the first week of September. It's like 75 out (23.9 celsius). Fall's not even close. And, technically, it's still summer."

"Listen, Dunkin' came out with their pumpkin spice stuff in mid-August. And, you know the minute it hits September, I get in the fall mood."

"But you still won't go to a Bears game with me and your Uncle Will," he said.

"Dad, I don't understand football."

He pulled the K-Cup out and put it in the Keurig. "I told you that me and Uncle Will could teach you. And, you seem to understand it when you're at school football games."

"I just cheer when everyone else does. It's not that hard."

"Fair enough."

He pointed to the counter of the bar, so you looked down at the seating chart. You waved him back over to you as you heard the sputtering of the Keurig, telling you that all your coffee was almost in your tumbler.

You pointed to two seats. "These two girls have had beef since middle school, so throw them across the room from each other." Your dad grabbed a pen from his breast pocket and drew a line to put one of the girls on the opposite side of the room. "These two are dating, so unless you want them talking all the time, I suggest you at least move the guy to a different group." He drew another line on the seating chart. "And this guy dated these two girls, so you need to make sure that they're as far away from each other as possible."

"Which one is he dating now?" your dad asked as he drew more lines.

"Neither. He was dating both of them at the same time. Get why none of them can be by each other now?"

"Gotcha."

He took the seating chart from you and handed you your tumbler of coffee. "I don't drink it black," you said as you raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, believe me, I know, but I'll leave you to do that because I don't want to mess up your coffee to creamer ratio and have you get mad at me for it."

"Fair enough."

You sighed as you poured your creamer into your coffee because you thought about all the homework that was going to be piled on to your plate this year.

"What's wrong?" your dad asked.

"I'm gonna be drowning at the end of today."

"Can't argue with you there. But tell me if you think your homework load for APUSH (AP US History) and AP Gov (AP Government) is getting too much for one class. I'll talk to the teachers. And, you have me to help you with your government homework." He said the last part with a huge smile on his face.

"Dad," you groaned. "You've been waiting for me to be a junior forever now just so you could be my teacher."

"Yup, and you chose AP over me. How rude."

"Sorry, but college is expensive. It was only like 50 bucks a class when you went to college back in the olden days."

"Young lady, I am not old."

"Fine, you're vintage. Better?" He just glared at you while you finished stirring your coffee and then started making your breakfast. "But, at least Hail- Miss Upton doesn't give us a ton of homework because she knows we're drowning in homework already and have the SATs to worry about, so that's nice."

You were super thankful for your Honors English 11 teacher, who also taught AP Stats. She gave you at least half an hour each class period to do your homework since she knew that most of you had sports or after-school clubs or a part job to get to and didn't have all night to do homework. She was the one who also said to send her an email if you couldn't get the assignment done and she'd give you an extension. She said that your physical health and mental health were way more important than you finishing your homework.

Your dad was like that, too. Granted, he didn't give the students in his class a ton of homework to begin with, and he made the class fun...at least, that's what you heard from the kids who were juniors last year. The only time your dad really gave homework was when he gave out study guides to fill out. He'd give them out a week before the test and then after two days, he'd check that everyone got them done and go over them in class so that everyone had the right answers to study from. Mr. Jay Halstead also didn't give tests on a Monday because that was just cruel...and he knew that when he was in high school, he absolutely hated homework, so he didn't give a lot of it. And, he hated coming to school on a Monday when he forgot to study over the weekend, so he didn't give tests on Mondays.

"You're not going running this morning?" you asked as you cut up a banana to go into your oatmeal.

"No, I think I'll run with you guys after school today at practice."

Your dad was also the high school cross country coach. You weren't a fast runner by any means, but your best friend, Emma, had made it to regionals and was a great runner. And, your dad said that you either play a sport in high school or you get a job, so you joined the cross country team. In all honesty, you liked running for the endorphin rush it gave you after the run and just talking to some of your teammates while running or listening to music or podcasts while running. But, you weren't competitive, so that's probably why you weren't as fast as Emma, and your dad knew this. But, he was just glad you were being active in some way after school and that you enjoyed exercising even if you weren't the best or the fastest runner. He just wanted you to live a long and healthy life, and he knew starting to exercise in high school would help you build those healthy habits.

But, usually what your dad did in the morning was go to school at like six in the morning, so he'd be up at five, and then he'd utilize the weight room or the indoor track to workout. Then, he'd take a quick shower and get ready there, and be teaching by 7:30. Yeah, he was crazy for running that early.

"You know," you started, "Miss Upton likes to run. Maybe you should see if she'll co-coach with you? Or maybe she'll run with you in the morning?"

Jay shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. "Y/N, how many times do I have to tell you that Hailey and I are just friends. Nothing more."

"Says the man who lesson planned with her last week," you said, wiggling your eyebrows.

"Y/N, she's a coworker. I would've done that with anyone. It was just coffee. You read too much into things."

"Dad," you sighed. "You haven't dated in years."

"Yeah, since Abby dropped you off on my doorstep." He used to refer to Abby as your mom, but she wasn't around, so when you were around 14 years old, you just started referring to her as Abby. After all, you had never even met the woman, and she didn't want you, not even leaving an address on the note attached to your pajamas, so she didn't deserve the title of Mom.

"So, 17 years. You haven't dated in 17 years, Dad. You gotta get back out there. Even Uncle Will said you need to."

"You talked to your uncle about this?" he asked. "Oh, and put some egg whites in that oatmeal for some extra protein."

"What? You gonna make us lift weights today at cross country practice?"

He shrugged. "You never know. Now, no more talking to Uncle Will about my love life."

"There's not even anything to talk about. But, he does think you and Miss Upton would look cute together."

You added some egg whites to your oatmeal and put it back in the microwave for an extra minute.

"This has been going on for way too long now, Y/N. We're not gonna date. We're just friends and coworkers. Just drop it."

You put your hands up in mock surrender.

Ever since freshman year when you had Miss Upton for creative writing (yes, she taught one section of AP stats, one section of creative writing, and she also taught Honors English 11 and regular English 11 for the rest of her sections), you knew that her and your dad would be a great match. So, you confided in Emma and she agreed. Ever since then, you hadn't really let the topic go.

"Fine," you groaned...even though you and your dad both knew that the topic would not be dropped in the slightest.

"Now, do you want me to drive you, or do you want to drive yourself?"

Usually, since he left before you, you'd just drive yourself to school since you were 17 and had been driving for a year now. But, during the first week of school, your dad didn't do his morning workouts, so he always gave you the option if you wanted to ride to school with him.

You pursed your lips. "Fine. I'll ride with you, just cause it'll save me gas."

Jay laughed. "You're not even the one who pays for your gas."

He was right. He was the one who paid for your gas because you had always studied hard...and you played a sport, so you didn't have time for a part-time job. Because of this, Jay decided he'd pay for your gas. But, you did have to work a part-time job in the summer.

"Fine. It prolongs the time before I have to go to the gas station. How's that?" you asked.

"Miss Upton would be proud of how you worded that."

"Maybe you should tell her that, Dad. It'd be a great conversation starter."

***

"So," Emma began as you were warming up for your run after the school day ended, "how'd the chat with your dad go?"

You sighed while jogging. "I don't think it's ever gonna happen. He's too damn stubborn to ask her out and he claims that they're just friends and coworkers. I hate it. They'd be so damn cute together."

"I know," Emma agreed. "You know, I overheard her in the hallway between classes saying that she was going to chaperone the homecoming dance. Maybe your dad could get in on that and that's how they could talk more?" she suggested.

"Emma, that's a great idea, but I really don't want my dad at homecoming. That is awkward as hell."

Emma laughed. "Sorry, didn't think about that."

"Hustle up!" your dad yelled. "Time to stretch!"

You started your normal stretching routine before your dad started to give his normal beginning of the school year speech. "Alright, I need all of you to listen up. I don't want anybody talking over me, you hear me?" You all nodded. "Okay, good. So, I know that some of you have heard horror stories about the old cross country coach who said that if you miss a practice, then you miss a meet...unless it was for being sick." Most of you nodded.

Before your dad started coaching and the other cross country coach retired, a lot of the students hated the previous coach's coaching style. His coaching style was run more to get better at running...which sounded good in theory. But, this didn't actually work. You see, what would end up happening was that he'd make the runs longer and longer. He'd even make the athletes do a long run on Saturday and then a short run (which to him was three miles) on Sunday. If an athlete didn't send him the screenshots from apps like map my run, then they wouldn't be able to race in the next meet. This obviously was a recipe for overtraining and injuries. You heard that one girl even hurt her IT band from running so much! So, it was no surprise that most people hated the coach and so many parents complained, so he stepped down, and then your dad came in to coach.

"That's not how I coach," your dad continued. "School and your grades are really important. So is sleep. I don't want you guys not getting sleep or not getting to spend time with friends or not have other social interactions because you have to practice for two hours and then go home and do homework and get to bed late. I don't want you guys to be sleep-deprived zombies." Most of you laughed at that. "With that being said, if you're overwhelmed and feel like there's not enough time in a day, just come talk to me and we'll figure it out. Whether that's only coming to practice for an hour or taking a few days off to study for an upcoming test or taking time off for a family emergency, we'll figure out what to do." Everyone nodded. "Alright everybody, let's go run the big loop. Keep track of your split times."

***

You were walking inside with Emma to go grab your stuff from your locker after you had finished practice. Perks of having your dad be a teacher? You and your friend could leave your stuff inside instead of bringing it outside with you.

"Just meet me in my room when you're done, Y/N," your dad told you. "Have a good night, Emma."

"You too, Mr. Halstead," she replied.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jay when it's not school or practice hours?" Jay smiled and then walked down the hall to his classroom to retrieve the stuff he had brought with him for the day...with his shirt sticky from sweat since he had run with you guys today.

He walked out of his classroom with his backpack and gym bag, to come face to face with Miss Hailey Upton walking out of her classroom as well.

"Run with the team today, Jay?" she asked.

"Yeah, you know, first week of school, kind of hard to get my early morning runs in when there's so much to do on the classroom side," he answered.

"Understandable. I've been doing mine after I lesson plan and before dinner. Hopefully, I'll be back to nightly runs soon before it starts getting dark earlier and earlier."

"But, when it gets too dark, then you'll be running in the mornings soon...and then it'll be cold," Jay pointed out.

"There's this thing called a treadmill, Jay. I utilize that in the winter."

"That shows that you're an English teacher: you use big words."

Hailey rolled her eyes. "I see you reading books during your lunch period. I know you know big words, you just prefer not to use them."

"Yeah, because I want the kids to think I'm a cool teacher...not a snob."

"I am not a snob!" Hailey jokingly argued.

"I'm kidding, Hailey! I'm kidding! And, I know you lesson plan and grade on your lunch break, too instead of going to the teacher's lounge."

"Spying on me now, huh?"

"Our rooms are right across from each other and we have the same lunch period, what else am I supposed to do?" he laughed.

Hailey sighed dramatically. "Oh, I guess. Tell you what: come to my room during our lunch period and I can give you some good book recommendations."

"I get enough book recommendations from my daughter, thank you very much. But, I guess I can always use more."

"So, see you during tomorrow's lunch period?"

"See you then. Have a good night, Hailey."

"You, too. Tell Y/N I say hi and not to work too hard on all her homework."

Then, they walked down the hallway and Jay walked back towards where you were still chatting with Emma. All the while, he was thanking God that you weren't there during that conversation between him and Hailey because he wouldn't hear the end of it. But, he was also wondering what the hell he'd just gotten into.

***

"You will not believe what I just saw!" Emma whispered to you the next day in your AP gov class.

"What?" you whispered back.

She had forgotten her laptop in her locker and had to go get it. Which, the route to her locker from the classroom you were currently in went right past your dad and Hailey's classrooms.

"Your dad and Miss Upton are in her classroom eating lunch together."

Your eyes practically bulged out of your head. "No way!"

You received a glare from the teacher and were quiet. But, you'd be sure to ask your dad about this when you went home tonight.

***

"Uncle Will's coming over for dinner in an hour," your dad told you when you got inside your house after practice. You had decided to drive yourself to school today instead of riding with him. "How much homework do you have?"

"Uh..." you blanched and set down your backpack and unzipped it. Then, you grabbed your planner and flipped it open, laying it out on the kitchen table. "I have an AP stats worksheet that's due tomorrow, I have to read half a chapter in my AP bio textbook by Monday, I have to read a full chapter of my AP gov textbook by Tuesday, and I have an APUSH assignment due tomorrow. Oh, and I should probably read a chapter of the book I chose to read for my English class plus I have to annotate a few paragraphs of crappy 16th-century literature by tomorrow, too."

"Christ," your dad said. "So, what do you have to do tonight?"

"AP stats worksheet, APUSH assignment, and I have to annotate for English. I could always not read the chapter in the book I chose to read if I don't want to."

"Do you want me to just tell Uncle Will to come over this weekend?" he asked.

Jay know knew you absolutely loved his brother and that you were always excited to tell him about your day and how school was going. It had always been this way because, when Jay found you on his doorstep, he was 22, and had just started undergrad and was working on his teaching degree. Because of this, when Will wasn't studying in his last two years of med school and later working in a hospital as a new resident, he was your go-to babysitter. And you absolutely loved when he came over...despite not being able to remember much because you were so young. Apparently, you had been particularly fascinated by Will's red hair and would pull on it every chance you got. But, he'd let you play with it until it really started to hurt him because you were his favorite (and only) niece and he knew he'd do anything for you. This came in handy as you got older because you realized you had him wrapped around your finger and would always ask him for homework help. Or, if your dad wouldn't give you spending money, you'd go straight to your Uncle Will, and usually, he'd give you some.

"No," you answered. "A doctor needs to know stats, right?"

"I think so," your dad answered. "Why? Are you struggling already? Do you need to go into the regular stats class instead of the advanced one?"

You laughed at your dad's concern. "No, I'm fine. Just figured he'd be able to check it for me to make sure I did everything right."

"Oh, good. And, I'm pretty sure he can do that. Now, go take a shower so you can get started on your homework before he gets here and so I can start on dinner."

***

"Guess what?" you asked as all three of you twirled your spaghetti onto your forks at the dinner table an hour later.

"Chicken butt," Will said.

Jay rolled his eyes. "I swear, I wonder if Mom and Dad were lying when they said that you were older. Maybe I'm the older one and they just lied to us because you sure do act like the younger brother."

"Relax, Jay. Just because I'm more fun than you and Y/N likes me better, does not mean that I'm immature."

"Anyway," you said, wanting to tell Will what you had found out earlier today, "do you want to know what I have to say or not?"

"Go ahead," Will said.

"Okay, so today during AP gov, Emma had to back to her locker to grab her laptop. And she went right by Dad and Miss Upton's classrooms." You paused as you looked over at your dad and saw his eyes slightly widen and then go back to normal. "And they were eating lunch together in her classroom!"

"Awe," Will cooed. "My little brother's back on the market. Good for you, man." Then, he turned to you. "Upton's the short, blonde English teacher you've been trying to set him up with for years now, right?"

"He's not supposed to know about the set-up part!" you hissed.

"Oh, sorry. Jay, forget I said that."

"Y/N, I already you've been trying to set us up," your dad laughed. "It's been kind of obvious."

"Now that that's settled," Will started, "how'd it go? What did you two talk about? And are you having lunch together tomorrow?"

"You two are terrible, you know that?"

"Oh, we know," Will said. "But, you can't ground me, so I can be as terrible as I want."

Jay laughed. "She won't get grounded for that, Will. She might get grounded if she keeps procrastinating her stats homework, though."

"Need help, kiddo?" Will asked. "I have to read stats for things like new drugs and stuff, so I'm good at that. Don't know if I can help you with actually solving the problem because it's been ages since I've done that, but I can try."

"No, thanks, though. I just took a long shower so I have to get it done after dinner. I understand it all, though."

"Good, you can always come to me if you need help with it, though," Will offered. "Or, since it's Miss Upton--" He looked directly at Jay when he said Miss Upton and then turned his attention back to you. "--who's your stats teacher, you can always ask her. But, be sure to drag your dad along with you."

"Will!"

***

Two weeks later

"Might want to tell them to drink a ton of water after this, Jay, because it's so hot," Hailey Upton said as she walked up to Jay Halstead--and Coach Halstead for the next few hours--at an away cross country meet on a Wednesday afternoon in mid-September. "Or better yet, get them some Gatorade."

"Hailey?" Jay asked as he turned around, getting his stopwatch ready. "What are you doing here? And, I'd get them Gatorade if I could. I kinda forgot to pick it up last night."

"I'm here because some kids asked me to come to their meet. And, I always try to come to those things if kids ask me."

Jay cocked an eyebrow. "Would two of those kids be my daughter and her best friend?"

"Among others."

He looked down at the rolling cooler she had brought. "What's with the cooler?"

"Well, you may not have had time to pick up Gatorade, but I did. So, there's one in there for each kid plus the coach...and me of course."

"How'd you know Gatorade would help?" Jay asked. "Other than logic of course."

Hailey laughed. "I've run a few marathons in my life, Jay. I know all about proper hydration and how important it is to refuel after a hot run."

At this, Jay raised his eyebrows. He knew that she ran, but she didn't know that she ran marathons. "Oh, wow. Which ones?"

"You know, the Chicago marathon obviously. Always wanted to do like Boston or someplace, but you have to qualify for those, you can't just go and sign up like here in Chicago. Oh, and I've always wanted to do a Disney marathon. I think it'd be cool, you know? Run through Disney World, maybe hop on some rides during the race."

Jay smiled. "That actually does sound really fun."

The announcer said that it was ten minutes until it was time to race.

"I gotta get to the first mile marker," Jay said.

"Okay, where's our tent? I'll go put this cooler under it."

Jay told Hailey where the tent was and was about to leave when she stopped him.

"Where do I get the maps? I can go to the second mile marker to help out with times in case you can't get there fast enough," she suggested.

"That'd, uh, that'd actually be great, Hailey. Thank you. And, you just get the maps from the table right over there," Jay answered and pointed to a table about 200 meters away.

"Awesome, thanks. See you after the race, Coach," Hailey joked.

Jay nodded and started to jog off toward the first mile marker. But, all the while he wondered what the hell this woman was doing to him. Because he felt his cheeks heating up in a blush as he jogged off.

And, as for Hailey, well she was watching as Jay jogged away and loved the way he ran with perfect form and how his biceps flexed just enough that she could see the muscles slightly bulge.

She laughed to herself. If they ever went running together, she'd have to tell him to loosen up because you weren't supposed to run with your arms as taut as his were; he was wasting energy.

But, for now, she just made her way over to the tent and left the cooler and then went to get a map and start off toward the second mile marker to help out a fellow teacher...well, maybe he was starting to be more than just a fellow teacher. Neither of them really knew at this point. But, Hailey liked the thrill of it all. She felt like she was in high school again...a high school student, not a high school teacher.

***

You panted and winced as you crossed the finish line. Shit, your shin splints were really acting up this time, and God, it was so hot out and you felt nauseous and even had to walk during some points of the race. We'll see what your dad had to say about that.

Wait, was that Miss Upton coming up to you?

It is! She actually came!

"Y/N, are you okay? I saw you walking," she said worriedly while your dad jogged over since you were the last one on your team to finish.

"You good, kid?" your dad asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. My shin splints just hurt really bad and I think the heat's making me feel sick."

"Okay, well, I have to go watch the boys and make sure they're ready. Hailey, can you, uh, help Y/N? The medical tent's across from here. Maybe make sure she gets under our team tent without puking and get her something to drink?"

"I can do that, Jay, don't worry."

Emma walked up to you. "Good job!" she exclaimed.

"Girl, I didn't even run as fast as you! You flew through there. But, it's hot as hell!" you said.

"It is really hot. You gonna watch the guys' race?"

"No, Dad told me to sit under our tent in the shade. Gotta get some ice for my shins first, though."

"Shin splints acting up?"

"Yeah."

Then, you, Miss Upton, and Emma walked over to the medical tent where you got bags of ice wrapped around your shins.

***

"I'll run to Mcdonald's and get you ice, too," your dad said before you got in your separate cars back at school after the meet. "What do you want?"

"Uh, a ten-piece nugget--don't forget the honey mustard--a medium fry, and a medium lemonade," you said as your dad typed it into the notes app of his phone. "Thanks."

"I'll see you at home. Drive careful."

"See you in like half an hour."

Then you drove home and decided to start on some homework while still in your sweaty cross country uniform.

When your dad got home, you gobbled down your food because damn, you were hungry after that mentally taxing race. Then, you and your dad filled the bathtub up with ice and cold water.

Time for hell...aka an ice bath. At this point, you'd do anything to prevent your shin splints from getting bad. At least the old coach wasn't coaching because, from all the horror stories you heard, it'd be worse for your shins if he was coaching and not your dad.

After you changed into a pair of spandex shorts and a long-sleeved running shirt and a hoodie, you lowered yourself into the freezing and icy water. You set your phone timer for eight minutes and braved the cold for that long.

Then, after that, you drained the bathtub and took a very hot shower. But, as you were in there, you started feeling nauseous again. You crouched down and actually ended up throwing up a bit in the shower. It was nothing major, you just figured it was from eating too fast. But, you were still really tired.

And this is what you told your dad when you got out of the shower.

"But, I still have homework," you said defeatedly. "I kinda wanna just go to sleep now. It's already 7:00 and I have at least two to four hours of homework to do."

Jay sighed. He never wanted to play this game, but he wasn't going to let you run on not enough sleep tomorrow when you weren't even feeling your best.

"What classes?" he asked.

"Uh, I have to get APUSH done which will take me like at least two hours, and then I have English and stats homework," you answered.

Jay sighed. "I'll give Hailey a call and explain the situation and see if she'll give you an extension on the English and stats homework."

Your eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, now go grab some water and get started on your APUSH homework. And.. it will only be a one day extension."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best Dad ever!"

Then, you grabbed your water and went back upstairs to your room.

But, all you could think about was that your dad and Miss Upton were talking over the phone outside of school. Maybe they were becoming more than just co-workers.

Jay dialed Hailey's phone number and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"Jay?" she asked when she answered.

"Hi, Hailey. Yeah, it's Jay. Listen I have a huge favor to ask you," he said.

"What is it?"

"So Y/N puked a bit in the shower, probably because of the amount of sodium in those damn chicken nuggets she wanted, and then she took an ice bath and then a hot shower, so the quick and significant temperature change probably played a role. Anyway, how it happened isn't the point. It's just that she's really tired and she has AP US history homework that she has to finish. So, would it be okay if you gave her a one day extension on her English homework and her stats homework? If not, I completely understand because you can't just make exceptions because she's a teacher's kid and--"

"Jay, relax," Hailey laughed. "Yes, I'll give her the extensions. What is it that you always tell your team? Their physical and mental health comes first?"

Jay chuckled and then took a sip of his beer. "Yeah, that's about right. And, thank you. Y/N will greatly appreciate that."

"No problem. But, I also have a favor to ask you."

Jay cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"So, we're short on chaperones for the homecoming dance and I was wondering if maybe you could chaperone? And, I figured that since you have a kid and would probably want to be there for her pictures before the dance, you don't have to help us set up. Maybe just chaperone and then help us tear down? If not just chap--"

"Hailey, of course, I'll help out. Now, Y/N, she might not be happy that I'll be chaperoning her school dance, but I'll be there. Count me in."

***

2 weeks later, 3 days before homecoming dance

"Okay, I know I'm just your English teacher," Miss Upton started at the beginning of class that day, "but I still care about your guys' safety. So, please, please, please do not drive drunk or buzzed. Call your parents to pick you up. I can absolutely promise you that they'd be happier that you called them to pick you up than you trying to drive home and getting into a car accident."

"What if my parents will be mad at me for drinking anyway?" one kid asked.

"So, if that's the case, you can always call me and I will come pick you up from wherever you're at. I can lose a few hours of sleep to make sure that you guys are home safe." She started writing numbers on the whiteboard. "Right here is my cell phone number, if you think you'll need it, write it down or make it a contact in your phone. Again, I'd rather not come to school on Monday and learn that one of you is in the hospital because of something that could have been prevented."

You pulled out your phone, you didn't think that you'd need Miss Upton's number, but you figured you'd put it in just in case since two girls from your AP gov class asked you to be the DD for a party. You were kind of friends with them, like you studied for tests together, but that was it. But, you had debated it because it was a party after homecoming and you had never been to a party before...let alone one after a dance.

"Oh, Miss Upton," you said as you put your phone face down on your desk.

"Yes, Y/N?" she asked.

"What color dress are you wearing when you're chaperoning the dance?"

"I haven't really thought it much." She furrowed her eyebrows as she wondered why you were asking this question. "But, probably red. Why?"

"Just wondering."

And now, you just needed to make sure that your dad had a red tie and that he actually wore it when he was chaperoning the dance.

***

3 days later, homecoming

"What about this?" your dad asked as he walked out of his room in dress pants, a white shirt, a navy blue tie, and a sport coat.

You were already in your dress and had gotten your hair and nails done earlier in the day, so now you were just waiting to take some pictures with Emma and then actually go to the dance.

"Hmm, I don't know. The shirt and tie are kind of what you wear to work everyday, so I think you need something different. Maybe a brighter tie or something," you said and then walked into his room and opened his closet.

You sifted through the closet until you found what you were looking for: a black shirt and a red tie.

"I think you should wear these," you said and laid the two pieces of clothing on his bed.

"What? Why? You know I never wear red. That tie has been hung up in my closet since you were probably ten," he argued.

"That's the point, Dad! You need to get out of your comfort zone and wear something besides what you wear to school...or in your case, work. It's a dance, so you have to wear something fancy."

Jay groaned. He knew he wasn't going to be able to win this argument.

"Fine. I'll change."

"Good."

Then, you walked out of his room.

Your plan had worked.

***

"Mr. Halstead," Hailey said as she saw Jay walk onto the dance floor a few hours later when all the lights were off and the cleared-out cafeteria became full of students dancing.

"Miss Upton," he greeted. She laughed. "What?"

"It's nothing," Hailey said quickly. "It's just that, well your tie..." she trailed off while his eyes raked down her body in the slightly tight (but not too tight because they were at a school function) spaghetti strap bright red dress that she was wearing. "Let's just say I now know why Y/N asked me what color dress I was wearing."

Jay groaned and shook his head. "My daughter. Always...you know, I don't know what her game is at this point, but I should've suspected something when she told me to go change."

But damn, Jay thought, she does look good in red.

God, Hailey thought, I wish he'd wear those kind of black shirts to work more often.

***

It was now after the dance and you and your dad had arrived back at home at around the same time.

"You're a little devil, you know that?" he asked when you were both inside.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I plead the fifth," you replied.

"Very funny. You can't do that."

"Yes, I can. You should know this, Dad, you teach government."

"You can plead the fifth in court, but you cannot do it with your dad. So, I know that you asked Hailey what color dress she was wearing just so my tie could match it."

"Oooh, so we're calling her Hailey and not Miss Upton now. I'd say that's a step up. What did you two talk about at the dance? Because I know for a fact that you didn't ask her to slow dance."

"And you didn't slow dance with anyone either, so we're even, kid," Jay retorted.

You rolled your eyes. "I'm gonna go take a shower. Get this hair out."

"Okay." Your dad yawned. "I'm gonna get to bed. Now I know why you sleep until noon the day after dances: they're exhausting."

"Tell me about it. Goodnight. Send Miss Upton-- well, Hailey now-- a text to make sure she got home safe!"

You didn't even wait for your dad's witty reply before you bounded up the stairs and into your bathroom.

But, you didn't actually end up taking a shower. You ran the shower while you washed off your makeup and re-did it into something more party-appropriate and then took down your hair and put it up into a ponytail.

After half an hour, you turned off the shower and wrapped your still dry body in a towel after you had stripped off your dress. You peeked out of the bathroom to see that your dad's bedroom door was closed, which meant that he was asleep.

Then, you tiptoed into your room and changed your clothes.

You pulled out your phone to tell the girls to park a few houses down so your dad didn't hear the car pull in the driveway or see the headlights.

Your plan of going to your very first high school party was a go.

***

It had been two hours since you had snuck out and it was nearing two in the morning. And, you weren't feeling too hot. You had decided not to drink because you were the DD out of you and the two girls from class. And, you had kept the car keys away from them so that they couldn't do anything stupid...and so you could keep them safe. You hadn't drank anything, but you had eaten the fruit off of the top of the spiked punch bowl and, for whatever reason, you were starting to feel lighter and happier.

Shit.

Your dad had warned that fruit soaks up alcohol. How could you have been so stupid to forget that? He was going to kill you! There's no way you could call him to pick you up, absolutely no way!

Somehow, you found your friends, they were by the makeshift bar, no shock there because you knew the only reason they were there was to get drunk. Note to self: if people you only know because of one class ask you to come to a party for the sole purpose of being the DD, do not go.

Luckily for you, one of the girls' boyfriends played on the football team and wasn't going to risk his season just for one party. So, you told him that you needed to leave and that you were the DD and asked if he could get the two girls home safely. He agreed and you passed off the car keys to him.

Then you walked outside, the chilly mid-October night air helping to slow the nervousness coursing through your veins about facing your dad.

You pulled out your phone and hit the contact you had made in class a few days ago.

"Hello? This is Hailey," you heard Hailey's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Miss Upton, it's Y/N Halstead," you said.

"Y/N? Are you okay?" You heard shuffling on the end of the line and assumed that Miss Upton was standing up from somewhere.

"I mean, I'm kinda woozy I guess. But, I snuck out and my dad doesn't know where I am." You hung your head. You couldn't believe you had been so stupid.

"And you had a drink so you can't drive home?" she finished.

"Yeah." She didn't need to know the details. All she needed to know was that you needed help getting home.

"Okay, send me your location and I'll be there soon, okay? Is it safe for you? Do you need me to stay on the phone or call the cops?"

"No, no, I'm perfectly fine. Just need someone to drive me home."

"Okay good. Send me that location and I'll be there soon."

Then, she told you the model of her car and the color so you could spot her easily. Once you were off the phone, you sent her your location and she replied with a thumbs up, telling you that she got it.

Your phone rang. You thought it was Miss Upton, but then you looked down and saw it was your dad.

Double shit.

***

"Please don't tell my dad," you said when you pulled up to your driveway half an hour later.

"Y/N, I have--"

But, she was saved from telling you that she needed to tell your dad when the front door flung open.

Your dad must've seen the headlights.

"Go," Miss Upton said. "You're only prolonging the inevitable if you stay in here."

You sighed. "Will you walk me up?"

"Sure."

So, both you and Miss Upton exited the car.

The minute your dad saw you, he ran down the steps to you.

"Young lady!" he yelled. "Where were you? Do you know how worried I was? You could've gotten seriously hurt!" He paused. "Get over here!"

You knew to listen to him when he pulled out the dad voice.

He put two fingers underneath your chin and tipped your head up. "Breathe. Now."

It was faint, but it was there, your dad smelt stale vodka on your breath...mixed with a citrusy scent and teeth that hadn't been brushed since the previous morning.

He sighed and clenched his teeth. Then, he put his hands down and he finally spotted Hailey. "Hailey, what are you doing here?" he asked, unclenching his jaw.

"I always tell my students that they can call me if they need to get picked up from parties and can't drive. So far, Y/N's the only one who has utilized that."

"Well, thank you. I'm sorry she had to make you come out at this time of night." He turned back to you. "As for you, go inside. Not only did you drink, but you went to a party, too. We'll talk in a few minutes."

You hung your head and made your way inside and sat down on the couch in the living room.

Jay walked up to Hailey. "I'm really sorry about her. But, thank you for getting her home safe. How far did you have to drive? I can give you gas money for all of this on Monday."

"Jay, it's fine. I make this offer for homecoming and prom every year. You don't have to pay me. I just wanna make sure all the kids get home safe, that's all."

"At least let me buy you coffee or something. You brought my little girl home safe when I didn't even know where she was. I think that warrants some type of reward."

"If you want to repay me that bad," Hailey began, "I'm lesson planning and grading at Starbucks tomorrow. I guess you can buy me a coffee."

"Done. Text me the time and I'll be there."

"Will do."

"Now, excuse me, but I have to go deal with my daughter."

"Goodnight, Jay."

"Night, Hailey."

Then, she drove off and back to her house while Jay walked up his front steps and wondered what he was going to say to you.

"Look at me," your dad demanded when he made his way into the living room.

You looked up. "I'm so--"

"No," your dad said quickly, cutting you off. "You don't talk. You only listen. Do you understand me?" You nodded. "Good. Do you know how worried sick I was when I couldn't find you inside? I was beside myself, Y/N. I didn't know where you were, I didn't know if you were hurt. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you. What you did was stupid and reckless and please do not ever, ever do that again. Never do that again. Do you hear me?"

"Yes," you answered.

"Good."

You took a deep breath before you asked your next question. "Am I in trouble?"

Your dad sighed and sat down next to you. "As much as I want to ground you, no you are not in trouble. I'm just so relieved that you're home safe. And, you made the right decision by not driving and calling someone to pick you up...even if it wasn't me."

"Do you want an explanation as to why I went?" you asked.

"No, God no. I may look calm on the outside, but on the inside, I'm still pissed."

"Can I ask how you knew I snuck out?"

"You forgot to leave your fan on and I knew it was way too quiet in your room."

The doorbell rang.

"Shoot, I forgot to tell your uncle that you're home safe. But, you better go up to bed before me and him talk and think of a punishment for you."

"So you're still mad?" you asked.

"A little mad, but mostly I'm just relieved and disappointed. I thought you knew better." You hung your head. "Now, go to bed."

"Okay." You stood up. "Goodnight, I love you." You gave him a hug.

He gave you a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, too, kid. Now, get to bed."

You went upstairs, but instead of going all the way to your room, you sat down on the landing, intent on listening to your dad's and your uncle's conversation about you.

"Hey, she's home. It's all good," Jay said as he answered the door and then motioned for his brother to come inside.

"Oh, thank God. Where was she?" Will asked as they made their way to the living room and sat down on different couches, facing each other.

"Apparently she went to a party. I know she drank because I smelled alcohol on her breath. It was just a bit, but it was there."

"If you want, we can bring her to Med and I can do a tox screen to see the level of alcohol in her system," Will suggested.

"You know, that's not a bad idea actually."

Jay quickly stood up, but Will stopped him. "I'm kidding, man! Don't do that! She was still lucid when she came home, right?"

"Yeah, she was walking and talking normally."

"Okay, then sit your ass back down and don't drag your daughter to Med. Did you ground her?"

"No, I actually didn't."

"There's a shock. You always said you'd ground your kid if they snuck out. Oh, how things changed."

"I was just so relieved," Jay said and sat back down. "When Hailey pulled in the driveway and Y/N got out of her car--"

"Wait," Will started, cutting Jay off, "Hailey picked her up? Hailey Upton?"

"Yeah," Jay answered. "Apparently she'll give out her phone number to the kids in case they need to get home safe from somewhere after prom and homecoming. And, Y/N called her and not me."

"I wouldn't call you either," Will joked. "You'd probably scream at her in front of everyone at the party."

"I would not!" Will cocked his head to the side. "Okay, maybe, but that's beside the point. All that matters is that Y/N had the wherewithal to know that she couldn't drive and she solved that problem. God, Will, the amount of adrenaline that left my body when I saw her get out of that car was astronomical."

"I bet. So, do you know where she went?"

"I just know it was some party. She got lectured when she got home, don't worry about that." Jay put his head in his hands.

"What? What's wrong, Jay?"

"Anything could've happened to her, Will, and I wouldn't have been there to protect her. I wouldn't have been able to protect my own kid."

"Jay, you can't blame yourself. Hell, most teenagers do this stuff."

"I know, I know. It's just that her grades have been slipping slightly and I'm wondering if I should have her transfer schools." Your eyes widened as you listened to that part of the conversation. "Maybe, having her dad teach at the same school isn't helping her. She went to a party, Will. Maybe it's the kids she's meeting in class, maybe being at another school would be better for her."

"Jay, you can't make a decision like that based on one stupid decision the kid did." He knew his brother was torn up about this, so he changed the subject. "What'd Hailey say?"

"I offered to pay for her gas, but she shut me down."

"Anything else?"

Jay sighed. He knew his brother wouldn't let up. "We're going out for coffee tomorrow to grade. She said I can repay her by buying her coffee there."

"Aw, you're going on a date."

"It is not a date! It's just two coworkers working in a coffee shop together...in their off time."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

A few minutes later, the conversation was over and Jay walked Will out, so you made your way to your room.

One thing was for sure: you were not giving your dad another opportunity to even think about you switching schools.

It was time to grind...starting tomorrow because you desperately needed to sleep right now.

***

You woke up around 11:00 the next day, which was Sunday. Then you got up and went downstairs to eat some breakfast.

"Morning," your dad said. "I made breakfast sandwiches. There's two in the fridge if you want one...or both."

"Thanks," you said. You wanted to ask if he was still mad, but you didn't really want to have an argument right when you woke up.

But, being around teenagers all day must've given your dad a sixth sense.

"Listen, kid, I'm not mad at you if that's what you're worried about. You just... you scared me last night. If something happened to you because I couldn't protect you-- because, as a parent, it is my first responsibility to keep you safe. Anyway, if I couldn't keep you safe because I didn't know where you were, I would never be able to forgive myself."

"Can I tell you why--"

"No. As a teacher at the school, the less I know the better. I really don't want to have to tell the administration and then get kids suspended from their sports for drinking. So, all I know is that you snuck out, went to a party, and drank. I don't wanna know who else was there or whose house it was at."

"But, I--"

"Y/N, end of discussion. Now, I have to go and meet Hail-- Miss Upton, for coffee since she so graciously picked you up when you made a bad decision last night. Don't do anything stupid when I'm gone or else you will be in trouble, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. I'm just gonna study for the SATs."

"Good idea. Be back later. I love you."

"Love you, too, Dad."

***

"...And whatever she's having," Jay said and slid over so that the barista could input Hailey's order.

"Just a grande vanilla sweet cream cold brew, please," Hailey ordered.

Jay paid and then he and Hailey waited by the other side of the counter for their drinks to be ready.

Jay laughed. "You and my daughter have the same taste. You both like vanilla sweet cream cold brews."

"I'm shocked you let her get that with the amount of caffeine in cold brew," she said.

"Eh, it's just like once a week. On my rest day when I don't have to be at school before dawn to run, I'll grab her and I something from Starbucks, and then she'll just stop by my room to get it before school starts."

"That's nice of you," Hailey mused.

"Yeah, but nothing compared to Miss I have coffee in my room for the kids and you can drink as much as you want Upton."

"If you've ever heard kids talk about how little sleep they get like I do since I teach AP classes, then you'd get why I do that, Halstead. I hear kids saying that they normally only get four hours of sleep a night because they're up so late doing homework. While I don't think they should become dependent on caffeine at such a young age and need to be getting a lot more sleep than that, they need to stay awake during school. That's also probably the reason why you and I don't give a lot of homework."

"And it's ridiculous how early school starts anyway," Jay said and grabbed their drinks off the counter.

"I'll drink to that," Hailey laughed and then poked her straw in her cold brew and took a sip.

Once they took their seats, they talked a little before starting to grade and lesson plan.

"Not to pry or anything," Hailey began, "but did you ground Y/N? You don't have to answer it if you don't want to, I'm not her parent, so I know I'm not the least bit entitled to that information."

"Well, you did pick her up when she needed help, so I'd say you are entitled to that information," Jay chuckled. "But, to answer your question, no I didn't ground her just because I was so relieved that she was home. The amount of adrenaline and cortisol that dropped in my body when I saw her get out of your car was amazing, Hailey. Thank you so much." He paused and took a sip of his cappuccino. "But, we did have a talk about how she shouldn't be doing that because it's dangerous and if something happened to her, that I wouldn't be able to help her and since I'm her parent, my first job is to keep her safe. She does know that if she sneaks out or goes to a party again, I will be grounding her, though."

"Well, you had a much different and a way better reaction than my dad did when he learned that I snuck out," Hailey muttered.

But, Jay had great hearing and heard her. He put down his coffee and furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened? You don't have to tell me anything you aren't comfortable with."

"Why did you become a teacher?" Hailey asked instead.

"Why did I become a teacher?" Jay repeated and Hailey nodded. "Well, as you know I was in the Rangers in Afghanistan and, while I was there I saw so many kids walking super far to schools or us accompanying children to school. They had to go through so much just to get to school, and I wanted to make a difference in kids' lives here Stateside. So, when I came home, I enrolled in college and got my degrees in education and a minor in history." Hailey had known that he was a veteran, which explained why he took every September 11 off, but she didn't know he became a teacher because of what he saw over there. "What about you?" he asked. "You went into social work before you became a teacher, right?"

For the past almost month and a half, the two teachers had been eating lunch together in either Hailey or Jay's classroom, and during those, they obviously talked about their experience with education and what made them want to go into the teaching field. Hailey mentioned one time that she was originally a social work major but then switched it to education. But, Jay didn't know why.

"Yeah, yeah, I was originally a social work major. But, it uh, it brought up some really bad memories and I didn't think I could handle being around that all day," Hailey answered, staring directly at her coffee.

Jay cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? Again, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"Um, it's okay. It's a part of my past. So, why I said that you were a lot nicer to Y/N when she snuck out was because, well, when my dad found out that I did, he uh, he..." she trailed off.

Jay's gaze was soft and sad as he finished for her. "Physical?" he asked, referring to the type of abuse she had endured as a child and teenager.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Hailey, I am so, so sorry that happened to you. I'm honored that you'd tell me this."

"It's uh, it's why I give those kids my phone number in case they need help. And, at the beginning of the year, it's on my syllabus, too," she said.

"In case they need a way out, they can call you," Jay said, piecing it together.

Hailey nodded.

Jay reached across the table and gently grabbed Hailey's hand in his. "You're a good woman, Hailey Upton."

She smiled sadly and nodded, grounding herself by focusing on the feeling of Jay's hand in hers.

"Do you want to get started on grading now?" she asked after a minute had passed.

"That might be a good idea," Jay laughed. Then, he let go of Hailey's hand. But, neither of them wanted that little handhold to end.

***

One month later

God, you were in pain. You didn't wanna get out of bed; you just wanted to sleep. Hell, you needed sleep.

Over the past month, you had thrown yourself into studying. You wanted to stay at this school. You loved all your teachers and you didn't want to leave your friends, especially your best friend Emma. And, you were also scared that if you had to transfer schools, that you might not do well on your AP exams or that you'd have a bunch of other requirements that the new school had that you'd have to do the last half of your junior year and during the entirety of your senior year.

You didn't want any of that.

So, you had come up with a plan.

The day after homecoming and that next week, you studied an hour or two hours later than normal. But, you still felt that you had work to do if you didn't want your dad to transfer you at the end of the semester. So, during your study hall hour, you'd go to the teachers and ask how you could get your B+ up to an A- or your A- up to an A. You'd even review questions you got wrong on quizzes so that you could get them right when those types of questions showed up on the tests.

Yes, the teachers probably thought you were crazy because you had good grades already and were trying to be Little Miss Perfect (or they thought that you were trying to get into another scholarship bracket for college or trying to become valedictorian), but you didn't care if you looked crazy. You wanted to finish your high school career at the school you were at now.

Also during this time, you had been "going to sleep" around 10:00-11:00, which was your normal time, just so that your dad didn't get suspicious. But, what you'd actually do was sleep for an hour-ish and then get up and study more.

It started with you studying until midnight and at the latest 1:30 in the morning...and then you'd wake up five hours later at 6:30. It wasn't ideal, but you could manage. Because, since your dad went to school earlier than you, you just brought extra coffee to school and he didn't notice a thing.

But, since all the teachers wanted to get their tests in before Thanksgiving break, for the past two weeks, you had been doing your power nap thing so your dad assumed that you were asleep, and then would wake up and do homework and study until 3:00-3:30 in the morning. This meant, that during the week, you were running on just three to three and a half hours of sleep a night. And, it wasn't like you could catch up a ton on the weekend, or else your dad would get suspicious. So, you just got like seven or maybe eight hours of sleep on the weekends. So, you were constantly in a state of sleep debt and in desperate need of caffeine.

You had done the extra cup of coffee for the first two weeks, but for the past two weeks, you had been drinking two cups of coffee at your house before school and finishing the second cup at school right before classes start, but then going into Miss Upton's classroom and getting another cup of coffee. Then, you'd also get another one from her room a little after lunch. (You made sure to never go in there during her lunch period because your dad and her still ate lunch together and you didn't want him to get suspicious.) Also, sometimes you and Emma would go to Starbucks to study after school. So, lately, you had been averaging four to five cups of coffee during the week and just two on the weekends. Because, again, you couldn't have your dad getting suspicious.

And, your dad and Miss Upton ran together in the morning before school now, so you really had to be careful about what you told Miss Upton. You couldn't have her telling your dad that you were drinking a couple additional cups of coffee. You just told her that your coffee never stayed warm long enough when you brought it from home, which is why you opted for hers. And, she bought it.

To cover the bags under your eyes, you had been wearing a bit of extra foundation and cover-up. And, to make sure that your dad didn't notice at home, you'd wash off all your makeup after school, but then quickly redo the area under your eyes.

So far, he was oblivious.

But, for a week and a half, your stomach had been super achy and you couldn't stand to eat anything in the morning before you had at least one cup of coffee. So, what would typically happen was that you'd end up eating a bowl of overnight oats in your car in the school parking lot before walking inside so that your coffee had time to digest. You figured out that you were fine after that. Well, it was still achy, but not as bad as in the morning.

God, you wish you were at that point right now.

For the past five days, you've been feeling nauseous and your stomach has been achy, but in the morning, there'd be a stabbing pain before you had any coffee. You'd roll out of bed when your alarm went off and go straight downstairs to get coffee because that seemed to be the only thing--besides ibuprofen--that would alleviate the pain.

But right now, right now was the worst you had ever felt in your entire life. You felt like someone was stabbing your stomach and it wouldn't let up. You felt nauseous like you'd puke any second. And, trying to get into another position didn't help. Nothing helped.

Fuck, you had to swallow your pride and your secrecy and go tell your dad.

You needed help and you needed it now.

So, you got up. But, that just made it worse. You swallowed, trying to keep the lump in your throat and not have it go on the floor.

You whimpered and then walked a few steps and opened your bedroom door.

Then, you threw yourself on the floor and crawled across the hallway.

You held your breath as you stood up, anticipating a ton of pain--which came--when you stood up and opened the door to your dad's room.

Then, you went back on the floor and crawled in there with tears streaming down your face.

It took all your energy to whisper, "Daddy."

***

Jay blinked sleepily. He thought he heard his daughter mumble "Daddy", which she hadn't called him in years. But, then he heard it again.

He looked down and saw a figure curled up in a ball on the floor.

"Daddy, make it stop, please," you whimpered.

He quickly flicked on the light so that he could get a better look at you.

"Y/N, baby, what's wrong?" he asked quickly when he saw your tears, your face contorted in pain, and how jagged your breathing was.

"Hurts," you whimpered as more tears fell and you clutched your stomach.

He jumped out of bed and knelt down next to you. "Your stomach?" he asked urgently. You nodded. "Can you sit up?"

You nodded and leaned against his bed. But, that was a bad idea because the minute you were upright, you puked right down yourself. You groaned and pressed down more on your stomach, which just caused you to vomit more and more.

The minute you started to vomit, Jay looked at the clock. He started to soothe you by rubbing your back, but then quickly stopped and ran into the adjoining bathroom to grab the trashcan and put it underneath your mouth instead.

"There you go, there you go," he soothed as he held the trashcan with one hand and rubbed your back with the other. "Get it out. It's okay. It's okay. I'm right here. I'm right here, Y/N."

But, when you puked for almost four minutes straight and were still in pain after, Jay knew something was seriously wrong.

"Don't get up, you'll make it worse," he said. You nodded weakly. "I'm gonna go grab you some water and Gatorade and put those and a bowl in the car. Then, we're gonna go to Med to get you checked out." You nodded again. "I'll be right back. I love you."

He gave you a quick kiss on the forehead and then sprinted off into the kitchen to grab the stuff he previously mentioned. Then, he ran outside and unlocked his car, turned it on to start heating up, put that stuff in the backseat, and sprinted back inside.

"Y/N, you still awake?" he asked when he walked back into his room.

"Mhm," you hummed with your eyes still closed and your hands still clutching your stomach.

"Okay, I'm gonna throw on a hoodie and my shoes, and then I'm gonna run into your room and grab you some shoes and a hoodie because it's pretty cold out. Are you okay here?" you nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll be right back. Don't get up."

Five minutes later, you had your shoes and hoodie on. You weren't much help getting those on; your dad basically had to dress you as if you were a baby again.

"I'm gonna pick you up and bring you to the car and we're gonna go to Med to see Uncle Will."

"Uh huh," you said, letting your dad know that you had heard him. Then, you felt yourself being lifted off the ground and soon felt the chill of the late November air and then the leather seats of your dad's truck on your back and the warmth of the truck.

"There's water and Gatorade. I want you to take a few sips," your dad said. "There's a bowl, too in case you have to puke again."

You drank a few sips of Gatorade and then laid back down and closed your eyes.

As your dad backed out of the driveway, he called Will to explain the situation and tell him that the two of you were on your way to Chicago Med.

After the call, he threw his phone into the passenger seat and reached his left hand into the backseat, and grabbed one of your hands. You gripped your dad's hand weakly as he drove as fast he could to Chicago Med.

He had to make sure that his little girl was okay.

***

"We've got a treatment room right here," Maggie said when she saw Jay sprinting into the ED with you in his arms.

She quickly led him to it and he laid you down in the bed.

Will rushed in with Natalie and April a few seconds later.

"Y/N, Y/N, can you hear me?" Natalie asked.

"Hurts," you mumbled.

"Jay," Will started, "did she puke on the way here at all?"

"No, no, she didn't. She just puked for almost four minutes straight at home and it's worse when she sits or stands up. She's been clutching her stomach since she woke up."

"Gonna- gonna--" you started to heave and a pink basin was thrust under your mouth and then you emptied the few sips of Gatorade into the basin. You started to cry even harder once you finished. "Make it stop, make it stop! Please make it stop!"

Natalie turned to your dad. "Do we have permission to administer medications?"

"Please," he answered, his voice cracking. He was terrified. He was terrified something was seriously wrong. He had never seen you in so much pain. "You have permission. Just please help her."

April pushed antinausea and pain medications as well as a light sleeping medication because it was apparent that, along with puking and being in a world of pain, you were also utterly exhausted.

"Y/N," April started, "you're going to get sleepy soon. But, can you give us your pain level on a scale of one to ten?"

"Ten. My stomach hurts at a ten," you answered while tears still ran down your face.

"Did you eat anything you weren't used to? Drink anything?"

"No, no," you panted. "Just- just lots of coffee. Not a lot of sleep. Studying."

Will and Natalie shared a look. They knew what this could be. And, at least they got it out of you now, because it was clear that the meds were starting to work and you were fading fast.

"Hun," Natalie began, "we're gonna leave April in here with you in case you get sick again. Is it okay if me, your Uncle Will, and your dad have a chat outside real quick?"

"Want my dad. Please."

Natalie smiled sadly. "Okay, he'll stay. We can talk to him later."

Your dad reached for your hand and held it and rubbed his thumb over the top while you drifted into a medication-induced sleep.

Five minutes later, you were out.

Jay looked at his brother. "What's going on? What's wrong with my kid?"

"From what she told us, it sounds like the acid in the coffee she's been drinking has been irritating her stomach lining. Has she been drinking a lot of coffee lately?" Will asked.

"Not that I've noticed. But, sometimes there's a little less in the coffee pot than I think there should be. But, even if she is drinking two cups, that can't cause this, can it?" Jay asked worriedly.

"No, two cups shouldn't. But, if she isn't sleeping a lot, sometimes lack of sleep can make people feel pretty crappy. So, if she's drinking more than her normal amount of caffeine and not sleeping, then that could be what's causing it."

"But, she goes to bed at her normal time," Jay argued.

"That doesn't mean that she's sleeping. She could be lying awake in bed. Has she seemed more tired to you?"

"No, not that I've noticed. Uh, what do I do, Will? Can't you run some tests?"

"I mean, I can run one to see if she's sleep-deprived, it's a plasma cortisol test. If her levels are elevated, that means she's not getting enough sleep. But, it wouldn't give us the reason why her stomach's hurting so bad and why she's nauseous and vomiting," Will answered.

"Then don't run the test," Jay said. "If it's not going to figure out the problem, then I don't want to put her through that. But, what do we do?"

"If it's what I think, an irritated stomach lining, then we keep her for observation for a few days, ween her off of caffeine to a healthy amount, give her antinausea and pain medications, and just wait for her to go home until she feels better," Will answered.

"Okay. I guess we wait. You mind grabbing me some coffee?"

Will laughed because they had just been talking about how you had been possibly drinking too much coffee and now Jay was asking for it. "Yeah, I can do that. My shift ends in an hour, so I'll be down here to wait with you then."

Jay smiled. "Thanks, man."

***

It was 7:30 in the morning the next day, which was Thanksgiving Day, when Jay's phone rang, waking him up. He answered it without checking the caller ID because he didn't want to disturb your peaceful sleep.

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Jay? Where are you and Y/N?" he heard Hailey's voice through the phone.

Shit, the Turkey Trot, he thought.

He and you always ran the Turkey Trot every Thanksgiving, sometimes dragging Will along if he didn't have to work. Then, you'd have your Thanksgiving feast later in the day. Granted, your dad had to keep pace with you for the entire time, so it really wasn't a race. But, it was a nice bonding experience, so the two (sometimes three of you) kept it up.

Jay had mentioned it to Hailey one morning when they were running the indoor track before school started, and she said she'd sometimes run it, too. So, Jay had invited her to run it with him and you, and she agreed.

You were convinced that Miss Upton and your dad were secretly dating.

But, Miss Upton had been waiting for you and your dad at the designated meeting spot for half an hour now. And, Jay Halstead was not one to be late.

"Listen, me and Y/N aren't going to be able to make it. She had some stomach issues last night and now she's in the hospital and the doctors are trying to figure out what's wrong," Jay said.

"Oh my God," she said as she started to walk away from their planned meeting spot and towards the parking garage where she parked her car. "What hospital are you at?"

"Chicago Med," Jay answered. "Why?"

"I'm gonna find someplace that's open and grab breakfast and then I'll be there."

"Hailey, you don't have to."

"Jay, I want to do this. I'll be there within the next hour."

Then, without waiting for him to protest once more, she ended the call.

***

When you woke up a few hours later, you rubbed your eyes, despite the IV in your hand, and rolled over.

"Well good morning, or almost afternoon," your uncle Will said and stood up. "How's the pain on a scale of one to ten?"

"Uh, maybe a six, seven?" you said.

But then, you looked around the room.

Why was Miss Upton here?

"I'll go get a nurse and let you three talk," Will said and then left the treatment room.

You looked at your dad and raised your eyebrows. At the same time, the achiness in your stomach started up again and you clutched it.

"Gonna be sick?" your dad asked.

"I don't know," you answered.

He handed you the pink basin anyway (a clean one because last night's was gross and went off to get cleaned) and you set it on your lap.

"Feel like you can eat anything?" your dad asked. "Hailey brought food...and coffee, but we'll have to check with the nurses about how much coffee you can drink."

"You brought it?" you asked as you looked at Miss Upton.

She smiled. "I did. I called your dad to see why you two weren't at the Turkey Trot yet, and he said you two were here, so I figured I'd find somewhere that's open and get you breakfast." She rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a container. "He mentioned you were having stomach issues so I opted for something light, so the fruit and nut oatmeal from Mcdonald's. I also grabbed a packet of syrup in case you wanted it sweeter."

She passed the food to you along with a spoon and a napkin. "Thank you," you said as you took them from her. "Sorry I messed up your run."

Hailey laughed. "It's okay. My run's the least of my problems. Me and your dad just want you to get better."

You tried to hide your smile. She said she and your dad. She cared about you more than she did other students...and you were just waiting for them to slip up and call each other babe at this point.

"Hey, I'm back," Will announced as he walked into the room. This time, he had Dr. Choi and Monique in tow. "Natalie and April have Thanksgiving off, so you have Dr. Choi as your doctor and Monique as your nurse."

You nodded.

"Hi, Y/N, I'm Dr. Choi, as your brother just mentioned. Monique here is just going to check your vitals." You nodded again. "I understand you've been having some stomach issues. Can you tell me when they started? Any changes to your diet or routine that I should know about?"

Here goes nothing.

You looked at your dad as tears formed in your eyes. "I'm sorry," you said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Your dad moved his chair closer to you and gently grabbed your hand. "Tell me what, baby?"

"I- I went to that party because--"

"Y/N, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to know why because I'm a teacher? Me and Miss Upton are both teachers."

"But I didn't go to drink at all! I hadn't even planned on drinking! I didn't even drink a drink!" you yelled, causing Monique to take a step back. You took a deep breath and turned to her. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be calm so you can do your job." After a few breaths, Monique went back to checking your vitals and you continued your story. "These two girls I know from my AP gov class asked me to come to the party to be their DD. So, I went. But, when I was there, I ate the fruit from the punch bowl and I forgot that the fruit absorbs the alcohol. I'm sorry."

"And when you realized what happened, you called Miss Upton?" your dad asked.

"Yeah," you confirmed. "And, I even made sure to give the car keys to one of the girl's boyfriends who wasn't drinking because he plays sports so that they'd get home safely."

Jay smiled slightly; he had taught you well.

"Did you keep drinking consistently after?" Dr. Choi asked. He couldn't see one drink causing all these problems.

"No, God no!" you said. But, then you clutched your stomach and took in a deep breath.

"Pain?" Dr. Choi asked.

"Yeah, it's not as bad as last night, though."

He looked to your dad. "If she wants more pain meds, will you allow it?"

"Yes," your dad answered.

"Do you want more pain meds?" Dr. Choi asked.

"Please," you answered.

So, Monique started to get the pain medication ready to go into your IV and then pushed the meds.

A few minutes later, once the medication had started to work, you continued your story.

"I heard you and Uncle Will talking," you said.

"When?" your dad asked. "Me and Uncle Will talk a lot."

"The night I snuck out. You and Uncle Will were talking and you said that you might make me transfer schools if my grades don't get better. I don't want to transfer schools, Dad."

Your dad sighed. "Kid, I was mad, but in reality, I wouldn't do that. That was just me being angry and trying to find a solution when I wasn't in the right headspace. Were you so nervous that your stomach hurt all the time?" he asked.

"No," you answered. "but, I started staying up later and doing homework."

"Really? You always seemed asleep to me."

"I'd sleep for an hour and then wake up and study more." Your dad sighed. "I'm sorry. And then I was just sleeping for like three hours, so I'd drink four or five cups of coffee a day and my stomach hurt so bad in the morning if I didn't drink any coffee, so I'd eat breakfast in my car before school."

"For how long?" your dad asked. "For how long have you been bottling this up? For how long have you been waiting to eat breakfast?"

"The stomach aches started a week and a half ago. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." You started to cry harder.

"Hey, hey it's okay. We know what happened now, so hopefully, Dr. Choi and everyone else here can fix it." He looked up at Dr. Choi who had been intently listening as well. "Right, Doc?"

Dr. Choi smiled. "That's right, Y/N. And, what it seems to me is that you've just been drinking too much coffee, and coupled with the lack of sleep, have had abdominal cramping and nausea due to all the caffeine irritating your stomach lining. So, what we'll do is ween your caffeine intake back down to one to two cups of coffee per day, not go cold turkey because you'll probably feel pretty crappy if we did that, and then continue giving you pain meds and antinausea meds. We'll probably keep you here a few days upstairs in a recovery room just for observation to make sure nothing else is going on."

"So, I have to spend my whole Thanksgiving break in the hospital?" you asked.

"I'm afraid so," he answered.

"Well, this sucks." You looked at the table next to Miss Upton. "Is that coffee for me?"

"It is. I don't know if you can have it, though," she answered.

"She can have it," Dr. Choi answered. "Just, no more after this one seeing as that's a large."

You nodded.

"I got you a vanilla iced coffee. Since apparently, we have the same taste because your dad said you also like vanilla sweet cream cold brews as much as me," Miss Upton said and then handed you the coffee.

"Seeing as everything looks good, me and Monique will check on you later." He turned to the three adults in the room. "If she pukes up that food or her stomach pain gets worse, come get us."

"Will do, Doc," your dad answered.

"Jay," Hailey started, "can I talk to you for a minute? Outside?"

Jay furrowed his eyebrows slightly but nodded. "Of course. Be right back, Y/N. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad," you said.

Then, your dad and Miss Upton left the room.

Outside the treatment room, Hailey took a deep breath, grounding herself as she prepared to talk to Jay.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out.

"For what?" Jay asked, utterly confused.

"I knew she was drinking extra coffee but didn't tell you! Well, she told me when she brought it from home, that it would get cold too fast, so she always came to my room and had two cups during the day. If I knew she was drinking some at home, too, I would've never let her have any. I'm so, so sorry, Jay!"

"Hailey," Jay began and placed his hands on her shoulders, "it's not your fault. Hell, I didn't even notice it and she's my daughter."

"I know, but I just feel slightly responsible for her being in that hospital bed--"

"It's not your fault, Hailey. I promise. I don't blame you one bit and I know Y/N doesn't either."

Meanwhile, back in the treatment room, you really needed to use the bathroom.

"Uncle Will?" you asked, causing him to look up from his phone where he was trying to figure out what restaurants were open for dinner on Thanksgiving. He really didn't want him and his family eating hospital cafeteria food for Thanksgiving dinner.

"Hmm?" he hummed and gave you his full attention.

"I really need to go to the bathroom," you told him.

He pocketed his phone and stood up and moved over to you. "Okay, I'm gonna help you up and with one arm, I'll hold on to you and with the other, I'll hold onto the IV pole for you. Is that okay?" You nodded. "Do you think you'll need help in the bathroom? I can grab a nurse if you need me to," he offered.

"No, just help me to the bathroom, please. I should be good when I get in there."

"Okay." Then, he helped you up and the two of you made your way over to the bathroom where he stood and waited while you went inside.

Back with Hailey and Jay, Jay reassured Hailey once again that none of this was on her.

"If anything," Jay began, "I should be thanking you. You got Y/N home safe after that party."

"Jay, we've been over this. I would've done it for any one of my students," she said.

"But, would you take their dad up on their offer of buying you coffee if it wasn't my kid you picked up?" Jay asked and tilted his head to the side.

"Probably not," Hailey said, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Can I ask why?" She stayed silent. "Listen, Hailey, it's been a long time since I've seen you as just a fellow teacher," Jay admitted.

She looked up at him. "Since we're all sharing secrets today, it's been a long time since I've seen you as a fellow teacher, too, Jay."

Jay smiled and moved a piece of her hair behind her ear. He leaned in. "Can I?" he asked.

He didn't get a response because she quickly pressed her lips against his. It was the kiss she had been waiting for since she asked him to eat lunch with her that first week of school.

You and your uncle Will had chosen that exact time to make your way back to your treatment room. You two had seen everything: your dad putting a strand of Hailey's hair behind her ear and them leaning in and kissing.

You were glad that one of your hands was free because you whacked Will across the chest in excitement.

It was finally happening!

Jay and Hailey pulled away and looked at each other and smiled.

"I uh, I hope that was okay," Hailey said quietly.

"Oh, it was more than okay. I'd happily do that again, but we should probably get back into Y/N's room. She's probably wondering what's taking us so long," Jay said.

Hailey laughed. "Probably."

The two turned around and saw you and Will standing thirty feet away. Jay's eyes widened. "Uh..." he trailed off as Hailey blushed hard.

"Finally!" you exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree with Y/N on this one," Will laughed. "But, who would've thought? A government teacher and an English teacher?" He started to help you walk back to your treatment room but turned his head back to Jay and Hailey. "Oh, don't stop on our account."

"Will!"

A/N: hank you guys so, so, so much for reading! Again, please remember to like/reblog and comment because I love reading all your comments and seeing that you liked/reblogged because that means you enjoyed reading the imagine! Again, I am donating all my proceeds on buy me a coffee until the end of AU-gust to Save The Children to help the children in Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee here.

As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’d be happy to add you!

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[kazoosandfannypacks]

"Road Less Traveled" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 5/12: Cookie Break

Pairing: Beauty and the Puppet (Belle/August) [with hints of CaptainSwan]

Rating: General

Word Count: (401/8K)

Summary: [Mid Season 4 Canon Divergence.] After becoming a man again to help the heroes track down the author, August stops by the library- only to realize he now has a crush on the librarian, who's working through some complicated feelings of her own.

Chapter Summary: Belle gives August a cookie.

Tags: season 4, canon divergent, fluff, beauty and the puppet, captain swan, anti-rumbelle,

Author's notes: none

Taglist: @zahara  @kmomof4  @jonesfandomfanatic  @booksteaandtoomuchtv  @jrob64  @tiganasummertree  @anmylica  @teamhook  @undercaffinatednightmare  @gingerchangeling  @lonelyspectator  @caught-in-the-filter  @ultraluckycatnd  @cs-rylie @silver-the-phoenix @kanerallels @accidental-spice @poptart-cat-78 @kingofbr00klyn [if you’d like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!]

Also on AO3!

 "Liberty Belle walked into the Tories' pub like she owned the joint, not like she was playing for the other team. She scarcely batted an eye at the men who whistled as she walked by. She knew who her mark was- and knew what it would take to get him."

 August watched the words pour out of his typewriter keys. Sure, this method of writing was unorthodox given the time, but it had its appeal, and he was comfortable with the clacking of each and every key, the only sound in the world more soothing to him being the voice he now heard dance through the library.

 He heard Belle talking to someone, her accent unmistakable, telling whoever had just walked in to stay quiet because someone was working in the back.

 But August had since stopped his work, instead staring out the window, daydreaming. He was shaken from his daydream, though, when he heard that lovely voice say his name. He turned and saw Belle standing in the doorway with a plate of cookies, like she'd often done to interrupt his homework breaks when he was a boy two weeks ago.

 "Do you still like cookies?" Belle asked.

 August nodded. "I may not be a child any more, but I'm still human."

 She brought him the tray and he took one.

 "Killian came to work on Operation Free The Fairies some more today." Belle said. "He isn't a bother, is he?"

 "Not at all." August gestured to his half-blank page. "It's hard to be interrupted from something you barely started anyways."

 "I'm sure some brain food will help." Belle said, and held out the tray to him again.

 He smiled and took a couple more cookies.

 "You made these yourself?" He asked.

 "Yeah." Belle said.

 He savored the taste of another bite. "They're fabulous. Thank you."

 "You're welcome." Her flustered smile lit up her face. "I'll, uh, leave you to your work now."

 "Alright." He nodded, and watched as she left, turning back to his typewriter only when it looked like she was turning back to look at him. But instead of getting back to his work, he pulled out his phone to text Emma. All those years in the land without magic, he'd more or less been there to give her guidance, when she really needed it- and this time it was her turn to give him some advice.