#I feel like people are rlly mean to them on the internet whenever it’s clear that they’re going through something like… maybe don’t

[taohun]

say what u will abt Demi Lovato they have suchhhh a powerful voice

[thejugheadparadox]

plsss write why you think kendall is written as autistic i wanna hear it <3

right i am no longer as attached to this idea as i once was and i rlly would need to rewatch again to solidify it but i do still have things to say. okay OKAY so. hear me out please.. i KNOW kendall roy is a fucked up man in his 40s but to be fair half the internet calls him their little meow meow (dont mean that disparagingly!) so i think ill say what i like actually. this is literally just what i think might be a writing choice or something that MIGHT have been discussed however minorly behind the scenes if any of the writers or actors have done their research on it.

because like kendall stims, he either doesn't make eye contact or makes a show of it, he submerges himself physically when he needs to calm down (ie in water), he often likes solitude with music and/or routines. he has markedly different and sort of more extreme physical and vocal reactions to things than at least shiv and roman (ie bathroom scene AND THEN HE CLEANS IT UP!). he absolutely has difficulty with certain forms of empathy, and only seems to find it v easy to exist around/open up to/feel comfortable with people who've had really specific (bad) experiences similar to his own (to me naomi is the main example of that, as well as his siblings and sort of stewy). we know he has the remainder of a stutter and likely had broader issues with speech as a child. he is sometimes on the edge of going non-verbal when shit goes wrong for him.

and on that, he's terrible at adapting to change. whenever logan shocks him or acts differently to how he expects, it really throws him through a loop and he can barely ever handle it, so he fixates on being one step ahead. he has obsessive routines and is fixated on self improvement. he carries out plans to the very end even once it's clear theyre not going to work just bc he needs to have done them to move on. the end of which side are you on always comes to mind - his plan went wrong, he has zero fucking clue what to do with himself. and this i leave to the end bc i feel like we all know, its basically explicit: this man performs soooo hard. he basically copies the scripts to all his conversations from his dad and we see him mask multiple times.

ANYWAY. i just maybe think jeremy strong or jesse armstrong (wow they have oddly similar names) might be aware of this, and tbh i wouldnt think that if not for iverson! so iverson roy brings it all together by being kendalls explicitly autistic son (idk if i need to back that up.. he just is yeah? and i love it!). and the symptoms he displays of being blunt and finding change difficult are literally ones that kendall does too, but has had to learn to conceal. and ofc its v common for autistic kids to have autistic parents/relatives. potentially if these are all things the writers/cast are aware of, it could maybepossiblymaybe be an intentional writing choice. just something thats interesting to consider when analysing the character yk.. probably wrong tho especially since i have no idea what it would add to the narrative. id love to know if anyone else has a perspective on that?

[tsukidotcom]

Haikyuu HC to COVID-19 (Karasuno edition)

This is horrible 💀 im just so bored so I made whatever this mess is KFJSJDMSK enjoy

Hinata Shouyou

huh? isn’t it just the flu?

“No, hinata. People have died from it-“

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH-

goes bananas

whenever someone sneezes or coughs, his soul leaves his body as he runs away to sanitize/wash his hands for a miserably long time.

eats an expired can of peaches thinking it’s his last resort

lowkey happy school is closed because homework sucks

but also highkey hates it because now all volleyball tournaments are closed

then gets all angry when he realizes he’d have to do online school???!!?? like wtf he got jipped.

thinks they could still do volleyball if they did online calls cus if the school can do it,, then vOLLEYBALL CAN

will probably miss half of the class calls from oversleeping/forgetting anyway.

sheepishly ask yamaguchi, yachi or tsukishima for help on assignments/notes. (he will NEVA ask kageyama. he’s always in competition with him here!)

still practices volleyball 24/7 in his backyard or room (maybe even with his baby sister??)

He’s really good at practicing all by himself from practicing all alone in middle school—

but will probably go crazy being alone all the time with his family. he just wants to play volleyball with the team again.

looks up “what to do when you’re bored” or “what to do at home while in quarantine” on youtube

Kageyama Tobio

probably says he’s immune to the corona because he’s just better than everyone else

doesn’t really think it’s real until school shut down because of it

When he sees that corona is airborne he wont know what that means so he’d probably think it’s produced by air itself?? which makes him think air is trying to kill the human race?? and will be so confused as to why it decided to pop up now???

DESPISES online school. He had enough trouble understanding it from the gecko, so now he has to learn it basically all by hiMSELF?!?

And no way is he just gona email the teacher for help. If he does it’s gonna be only once in his lifetime. Anymore than that he thinks he’s doin too much. He doesn’t want his teachers thinking he’s dumb 😭

he says literally nothing during the calls he just tries to pay attention? and fails because he’s on a computer. in his room. alone. he’s bound to daze off or stare at a pen for 5 minutes.

Obvi still practices volleyball. Very much misses it. At least Hinata had his sibling to practice with him. tobio is a lone wolf in his household.

When his mom goes out to get groceries he gives her one of those doctor masks so she doesn’t catch corona.

Few moments later through the internet he realizes that corona is smaller than air molecules so if you can breathe through something you could still get it so he struggles for an hour thinking he just killed his mother

When his mom is back he keeps his distance in case she’s carrying the plague

omg did she just cough or am i imagining things no she definitely coughed she has corona oh oh god

In reality she was just clearing her throat.

is lowkey worrying about everyone and how they are 🥺 (yes, maybe even hinata).

thinks he’s science smart by calling it covid-19 than corona.

Asahi Azumane

He just worries about everyones health

like he just imagines the worst case scenario’s and starts to get really worried if people got it. Always checks on everyone and asks if they’re feeling any symptoms of corona ❤️

He’s either not gonna get it or he gets it and dies there’s no inbetween

but he’s jesus himself so theres no way he nor anyone in his bloodline can get it

is very happy to know that dogs can’t get it.

Takes online school seriously and tries his best

And is honestly so sad school just ended??? even if it’s temporary, he could be learning, playing volleyball, and going about his day instead of staying in a cage. he’s a third year so—how would graduation even go..?

always is up to date on the news !! and notifies everyone if anything important is added/changed.

Always tells everyone to stay safe! Whether through text or before ending a call.

only buys a lot of toilet paper from the fear of there being no toilet paper in stock since evERYONE IS BUYING IT-

Starts to try new hobbies that he put off for the longest time cus quarentine is rlly getting to him.

Is all out a family guy so he doesn’t mind the extra time with his family.

Nishinoya Yu

OAOAOAOAOAOAOAOAOAOA

420 blazin’

thinks going outside means you’re instantly gonna die from corona attacking your white blood cells (????)

but also probably doesnt care as he goes outside like everyday to run around and get rid of energy (and to practice volleyball, of course).

also why is it called white blood cells when blood is red ☠️ smh

Buys 101611018320129 bags of chips because that’s his comfort food

yay more gaming time!!!

Noya🐒: Tanaka do u wana play minecraft 2getr latr?

Tanaka🍌: HELL YEAH!!

doesn’t shower for three days straight because screw personal hygiene!! No more school!!! Can do whatever he wanted!! It’s basically summer!!!

until he’s forced to do online school.

Is def the class clown. Probably somehow kicks the teacher out of the call through a little bit of hacking.

“alright guys so i’ll be you’re substitute teacher for the day-“

tbh acts the same as he would in school. maybe a little more rebellious because, i mean, what is the teacher gonna do? send him to DETENTION? call his mOMMY?

Calls/spams literally everyone in his contacts because he’s so bored and lonely. Answer him!! Y’all will be on facetime for hours!!

He’s fun to facetime.

Will call you a loser if you don’t have an apple iPhone because then he can’t facetime you and facetiming is one of his favorite things to do to pass time (besides gaming)

HE A TRUE GAMER

Okay but he lowkey still tries at school for the sake of his grades and his future ;-; maybe calls asahi or sugawara for help??

always looks up his homework on the internet to see if he can get an answer key or something (he did that anyway even before corona but)

will do one subject for 3 hours thinking he’s finally done with everythinf till he realizes he has like 4 other subjects and needs to do those too.

Sending memes all the time

Tsukishima Kei

oh, what about corona again?

honestly could give NO fucks??. like ABSOLUTELY ZERO. nonxistent.

doesn’t even remember it’s still happening half the time.

is surprisingly very knowledgeable about corona.

he’s just smart and sciency¿ so he understands the ins and outs of corona like how it works and how its spread.

so if you tRULY want any update or background info on the corona virius, ask Tsukishima.

bitch don’t touch me you have rabies.

doesn’t care that he’s obligated to stay at home because he would have stayed either way. he very much likes being alone.

might go a little crazy cooped up in his room so he’ll hang with his brother/family or go outside before he says ‘okay that’s enough’ and goes back to his room.

isolation? oh okay *puts on headphones*

he rlly gonna be rocking it out in his room cus he can listen to music all day any day

developes a really bad sleep schedule since he had no way to get rid of the energy he got rid of at school.

still a huge tease so he says everyone has the corona virius.

is never online on social media which means he’s never up to date with his frIENDS. Doesn’t have a clue what those dipshits are doing and could care less (besides yamaguchi,, they probably facetime or call thru skype or something).

I bet the whole volleyball squad has a groupchat and honestly he puts all notifs on mute cus his phone keep goin DING DING DING DI DING ID DID IDKNG DING DIG

Brother: Omg why are you getting so many text messages?

Tsukki: Shut up

if he is online on the gc and he texts it would be simple replies like “Hi” “Okay.” “No.” “Goodbye.” and then he’s gone for another week

every first year is begging on their knees for tsukishima to give the answers or help them out and he obviously says: go do the hw yourselves idiots

besides yamaguchi!!!! again!! cus theyre gay for each other

maybe practices once in awhile with his brother or alone in his backyard but he doesn’t care

Tanaka Ryuunosuke

buys 101817 pounds of toilet paper because everyone else is? but not because of the same reason as asahi. he thinks toilet paper is the cure to corona.

GO STUPID AAAAAAAAA GO CRAZY AAAAAAAAAAA-

probably has a part time job at a grocery store so he still has to go to work 😭 i dont even know how he could have a job in the first place he’s probably always late-

still gamin with noya of course

GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM IM PLAYING MINECRAFTT

also buys like all the junk food thats in stock. and since he works at the grocery store he gets a ton of coupons and deals.

texts Kiyoko everyday goodmorning ❤️❤️❤️ and goodnight 😘😘 texts just to be left on read.

“i love it when she ignores me !!!”

scrolls through tiktoks for 1000 hours to pass time

School Is For Losers!!

similar to noya, he thought it was basicaly summer until he realized they were gonna be doing online school. literally had a fit and said he didnt wanna do jack squAt

Laughs so hard when nishinoya somehow kicks the teacher out of the call he’s like laughing so loud and hard he starts crying

all of the sudden has a better view on school

gets excited when he sees nishinoya on the call

makes funny and ugly ass faces when the teacher isn’t looking. everyone laughs and the teacher’s like 🤨

probably uses the green screen effect so he can change hus background (somehow) and accidentally misclicks a file so a girl wit a bikini becomes his background for .5 seconds before changing it to a cursed meme:

doesn’t get half the shit the teacher is talking about

but it’s okay because the half he doesn’t get is the other half noya gets

and the half noya doesnt get is the orher half tanaka gets

they’re two peas in a pod 🥰

until they try explaining it to each other and suddenly get confused?? mental malfunction ¿?

yeah im SMART!!!

s -

m -

a -

r - penis

t -

Daichi Sawamura

quite calm about the whole coronavirus

like he knows it is serious and understands how it is spread but he’s still calm about it??

tells everyone to sanitize and wash hands on a regular. and social distancing!!

honestly still wakes up like he does on normal school days and does all his academics just fine.

he even does gym activities (besides volleyball) for 30 minutes to an hour!!!! he be running on that treadmil! getting stronk!

does each subject on his own for 20-40 min each day. he’s really good at self discipline

makes sure sugawara and asahi are up to date on school work and will gladly help.

sadly can’t help the first years (and probably second years) because that info is deep in his brain and basically forgot how to do it after a year or two of not using it.

VERY VERY VERY sad that volleyball nationals are cut off. this is his last year and for it to be??? gone??? just because of some flu?!?! hates it.

he wishes school to go back and still has hope that school will go back to normal in a couple of weeks (even though it’s a slim chance).

asks the teacher questions whenever he has questions. He’s also vv considerate so he’ll ask questions he knows the answer to but asks them for anyone who’s confused ab it/wants to ask but is too shy. (literally i lov daichi sm)

Eats a healthy amount of everything

asks asahi for any updates on corona even though he’s quite up to date himself. he just wanna make sure he didn’t miss anything.

also doesn’t mind being around his family. he’ll do more chores around the house to help his parents out :> he’s literally perfect wtf

def does worry about everyone in the volleyball gc and anyone else he has contact with. Will also email classmates and ask if they’re doing all right. Even away from volleyball he’s a team player ☺️✌️

Is happy for the rest of the day when asahi tells him dogs can’t get corona.

Yamaguchi Tadashi

oaoaiquqhdkoaiaagadjsiwi?

doesn’t know what to believe anymore

keeps in touch with everyone!! always online 24/7 on social media, vball gc, you name it.

Literally everyone is acting so normal why are people so calm am i the only one worrying about this and the worlds future like this year has been really bad so far for not just me but the whole nation actually the entire world honestly like war almost broke out in january and now this corona stuff is really buttering my crissont the wrong way-

Even though tsukishima literally gives No Fucks, yamaguchi is the complete opposite.

like tsukki and yamaguchi call on skype and eVERY TIME yamaguchi starts with ‘how have you been? do you feel sick at all? have you drank enough water today?’ and so on

“What are you even worrying about?”

“Well...what if you get the corona virius?... it can be deadly, you know!! Thousands of people have died from it!!! The fact school is shutting down and people are panicking is making me feel like i should be panicking-“

Tsukki will then snarkily reassure him it’s fine and people their age are the least likely to get it bad.

Yamaguchi will feel a little better afterwords

“Thank you, Tsukki!”

Tsukki will ‘tch’ it off

Even though he gets really good grades he has triuble finding motivation to do any school work?? doing school work in his own home? 😐

His home was kinda a place he can chill whereas school is a place he can be fully focused

but now his home is ALSO school??!!?

Luckily he understands the work, at least.

When he sees tsukishima on the call, too, he instantly says hello.

“Tsukki!! Hey!! 😁”

“Shut up.”

“Gomen, Tsukki.”

Yeah. Even when they aren’t at school, he’s still the same as always.

He takes extra care of his family and always stays in touch with other relatives. Especially grandpa and grandma. THE SECOND he learned elderly people are at more risk you bet your ass he’s calling them making sure they’re okay. He checks up on them everyday now.

He peobably practices volleyball a little, too. He’s more focused on schoolwork though.

Sugawara Koushi

Have you guys ate dinner yet? 🥺

obviously checking up on everyone

he would fail as a mother if he didn’t.

Actually reads in his free time?? He finally has time on his hands to read these books so.... here we are!

Wakes up at a scheduled time everyday (minus weekends. Maybe sleeps for an extra hour or so).

He dresses in pjs rather than actual clothes because he’s not going anywhere with this social distancing thing.

Always tries to lighten the mood when all the students are on the online call. Maybe crack some joke or innocently play around with the effects.

He still pays close attention in class and does quite well on his own. No help from his parents! He can do everything on his own! He a big boi!

Does homework really well, too. Probably does extra work or more work than needed just because it makes him feel good afterwords.

Honestly i can see him cooking in his free time. If he doesnt feel like reading or scrolling mindlessly through his phone, he gonna cook.

Will make the best cookies in the universe.

HAS A HECK OF A SWEET TOOTH. NOT A DAY GOES BY WITHOUT HIM GETTING HIS PRETTY HANDS ON SUM TREAT

Honestly isn’t too good with exercise so he might gain a few pounds or grow the smallest chub 🥺🥺🥺 he would be so cute omfg.

is realy involved with his family!! they play a board/card game every friday night and have the best time.

if he has a dog, cat, or literally any animal you know he’s gona be hanging with them since he has more time.

Still! Playing! Volleyball! I mean by now every boy is practicing at least a little bit. He would probably be in his backyard playing volleyball with his family. Theyy’d set up a net and everythin! They’re all rookies at it but he still cherishes the moments with them.

It’s honestly still practice. Better than nothing

He talks about how his family plays volleyball and everyone is so jealous like 😭😭 makes him more grateful hearing half the volleyball team saying they have to practice alone.

Watching youtube videos of random videos/vines making him giggling.

“Hey, Dachi, look at this video.”

IS A SWEETHEART STFU !!!

[tynct]

Dreaming

masterlist

» summary: Not having a soulmate never bothered you, because you could always take comfort in the boy who lived in your dreams

» genre: fluff, angst

» words: 2.8k

» a/n: i didn’t read the last part of ur request bc i got rlly inspired when i read the first half ghjk sorry if this isn’t like what u were expecting

In the beginning, when noticed you didn’t have the first words your soulmate would say to you on your skin, or their name neatly scrawled on your wrist like others, you thought you were one of the unlucky people who didn’t have a soulmate. It wasn’t unheard of to go throughout life without your supposed other half; it hadn’t bothering you much, because you could always take comfort in your dreams. Whenever you’d go to sleep, he’d be there, almost like he was waiting for you.

He’s been the center of your dreams since you can remember, and sometimes, you swear he’s real, because when he touches you in your dreams, it feels real, like he’s really beside you and not in your head. Your alarm has ripped you out of his arms multiple times, and you’re once again reminded that he’s a figment of your imagination, someone you’ve made up to cope with not having a soulmate.

It doesn’t stop you from trying to find him in a crowd, though, or in the isles between the books at the library. It’s silly, because you know he only exists within your dreams, but you can’t stop your heart from jumping whenever you think you’ve spotted him.

You’ve never known his name; it hadn’t occurred to you to ask, always too swept up in his sweet smile and warm eyes. But maybe knowing his name could somehow help you get over him, help you stop comparing him to every other boy you’ve met. Everytime it happens, you scold yourself for it. You sometimes wonder that if he was real, what would he do in different situations, like if you ever spilled coffee on him, or dropped a book on his head. It’s amusing to think about until you snapback to reality.

There hasn’t been one night that you can think of when he wasn’t there, and as you pause at the foot of your bed, you briefly wonder if you had wished him away in your dream, would he really disappear?

“Of course he would,” you mutter, slipping under the covers and stare up at the ceiling. Maybe that is the solution to everything; telling him to disappear, and dreaming up something different. Something that doesn’t leave you feeling disappointed when you wake up, wishing that he wasn’t a person you had fabricated in your mind.

It takes longer to fall asleep that night, because as you drifted off, you couldn’t help but feel nervous. You had always been excited to see him, to tell him about your day, but when you open your eyes and sit up in the dream, your heart is racing as you look around. You’ve tried to dream of a different place, picturing something like a warm coffee shop instead of the open field you always find yourself in, but it seems like you don’t have much control over it.

A hand on your shoulder has you whipping around, only for him to engulf you in a hug and suddenly, your racing heart isn’t because of anxiety, but him laughing softly in your ear.

“Did I scare you?” he murmurs, pulling away to grin down at you, the dimples etched into his cheeks making you want to reach out and squeeze them. You’ve done it once before, and his ears had burned so red you had worried he’d explode. “It’s only me.”

“Of course it’s only you; who else would it be?”

He hums in thought, tugging you along by the hand. “Someone else?”

You’re lost for a moment as he steps over a patch of flowers. What does he mean, someone else? You’ve tried dreaming up others before with no luck, and even though he’s your dream, you’ve never been able to change anything about him. He’s wearing different clothes every time, and just like the landscape, you have no idea why he is the way he is.

“But who?” you ask, careful to keep clear of the peonys as he leads you towards the lake just out of view.

“I don’t know, maybe a friend? Or another handsome stranger?”

“But you’re not a stranger,” you say, coming to a stop and he peers over his shoulder in confusion. “I’ve known you all my life. I dream of you every night, and think of you during the day. Isn’t that weird?”

The easy smile on his face freezes. “What do you mean, during the day?”

“Like, when I’m not asleep. When I’m on the bus, or eating out with friends, and-”

“But you can’t do those things,” he shakes his head, and you frown.

“And why not?”

“Because you’re not real.”

“You’re the one who’s not real,” you let go of his hand, and his eyes widen. “You’re the one who’s only a dream!”

“I am not! I wake up, and I have a life. I go to school, and I’m on the soccer team-”

You scoff at his insane statement, backing away and heading towards the gazebo. He had shown it to you once, like he had known it was there even though this is your dream. It was tall and beautiful, with vines covered in flowers wrapped around the roof and dangling down. He had pulled one when you had your back turned and carefully tucked it behind your ear when you had turned, and that had been the first time he had kissed you.

“I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings,” he appears at the foot of the gazebo, only stepping into it once you’ve turned away. He quietly sits beside you, and you jump when he places a white flower in your palm. “It’s funny..” You softly touch the petals, not looking up until he whispers, “I wish you were real. You have no idea how much I do, and I know it’s crazy. I made you up, and I don’t even know your name, and I’m afraid to ask, because then I’d have a name to match to the face of the person I’m in love with.

I know you’re here because I can’t handle the fact that I don’t have a soulmate. I started dreaming about you the day I realized that I was alone, and if I ever told anyone about my feelings for someone I’ve fallen in love with in my dreams, I’d probably be locked up or something,” he nervously meets your eyes, and his breath hitches when you place the flower he had given you in his hair.

“But I am real. I know it’s hard to believe because I have a hard time believing you’re real too. And what if.. you are my soulmate? And we meet through dreams?” you laugh, standing up and shaking your head at the pink sky. The sun is beginning to set, and you know you’re going to be waking up soon. “Am I really trying to convince my imaginary boyfriend that we’re soulmates?”

“Imaginary? I literally just said I’m real, and- wait, did you just call me your boyfriend?”

“No?” you wave your hand in embarrassment, your cheeks reddening. “And if you are real, then why have I never seen you before?”

“There’s this thing called living in different parts of the world?”

You shrug. “Fine, then tell me your name and I’ll try to find you.”

“What? How?”

“There’s this thing called the internet?”

“Alright,” he gets to his feet, and you stare as the sunset lights up his skin and makes the flower glow. You’ve never actually thought about what would happen if you met him outside of the dream, always telling yourself that it was impossible, but as he gets closer and runs his fingers down your arm, you find yourself wanting nothing more than that. Going on dates with him, finally escaping the endless field and haunting gazebo. “I’ll tell you my name tomorrow.”

You open your mouth to protests, and he stops you from complaining with a kiss that feels warmer than it should for a dream. “Why tomorrow?”

“It’s my birthday tomorrow,” he says happily. “I’ll be turning 18, you know.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me soon? I would’ve, like, tried to dream up a gift for you or something,” you grin, knowing fully well that you couldn’t have. Your abilities in these dreams seem to extend as far as to waking yourself up when you wanted. You’ve done it a few times when he had been bothering you, or made you mad when you were younger.

“You can give me a gift when we meet when we’re not both asleep.”

His eyes glitter as the sun disappears below the horizon, and he presses a final kiss to your cheek before a breeze blows the flower from his hair and lurches you into the real world. You sit up and shiver at the temperature, glaring at your open window and dive back under the covers. Tomorrow, he said. Tomorrow you’ll know if the boy in your dreams is real, and you’re not sure if you’re excited or terrified.

And when tomorrow comes, you have a sickening feeling in your stomach when you close your eyes. You had told yourself it was nothing, that you were just nervous about finally knowing about him. The feeling didn’t go away, not even when you were asleep and waiting for him in the dream. It had felt like forever, sitting alone in the field of wilted flowers. Their color was gone, the peonys you had seen only the night before now dead. Even the gazebo was grey, like it had been burned and the ceiling had caved in.

You’ve tried dreaming of him for a year after that. You’d picture him in your mind and force yourself to sleep, but he never appeared again. You couldn’t stand sleeping anymore, and went through a period of time when you’d stay awake as long as you could, surviving on energy drinks and coffee before crashing. It went on until you met another who didn’t have a soulmate; he had saved you from yourself, and he’s been your best friend since.

“I’m just saying,” Taeil plucks the book from your hands and you shoot a glare at his smug grin. “If you want to get fired, that’s fine by me, but can you please slack off of work when I’m not here? My back is killing me and I haven’t even finished stacking half of these.”

You grumble as you shove a novel back into its slot. Volunteering at the old library you used to study in had been your idea, but you hadn’t thought about how hard it would be to reach the top shelf. You’ve fallen more than once from the ladder, and Taeil had found it funny until it had happened to him. He landed hard on his back and wheezed so loud a hush echoed from across the room, and you had nearly cried from laughing. His lack of height was amusing, and ever since he had sworn off of using the ladders, he’s been lugging around a bright red stool you had gotten for him.

You’re almost tempted to ask him to borrow it, but you decide against it and reach for a couple of books that required you to use the cursed ladder you both hate. The only plus side is that none of the shelves outside of the very back of the library require a ladder, and only a few people rent books from this section, which means you restack the books very rarely here.

Taeil snorts when the ladder creaks when you lean over, and you grip the wood tighter. “You know if I fall, you lose the only person who bothers to listen to your endless stream of complaints about the customers.”

“A tragedy,” he mumbles before heading for the employee room. “Hey, I need to grab another cart; don’t slip while I’m gone.”

“That’s only my greatest wish,” you call over your shoulder.

Of course the book that needs to be reshelved happens to be just out of your reach, and you inhale slowly before extending your arm and banging the end of the book against the others. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to fit, and amidst your futile attempts of shoving the fat book between the others, you don’t notice someone rounding the corner.

“Excuse me-”

You nearly scream as you lose your balance, catching yourself at the last minute and drop the book. You don’t expect a yelp from below, and you look down to see a guy rubbing the top of his head, the book you had been holding by his feet.

“Oh shit,” you gasp, quickly scaling down the ladder and rushing to him. “I am so sorry. Are you okay?

“I mean, I’m alive,” he chuckles, bending to pick up the book and you hesitantly reach for it. When he doesn’t let go after the second tug, you glance up at him in confusion, and your heart leaps to your throat when you realize it’s him. The boy from your dreams, and he’s a lot taller than you remember.

“You..?” you breathe in disbelief, and your skin erupts into flames when he takes your hand in his.

“You are real,” his eyes are wide, and you swear you see tears, but before you can confirm, he tugs you against his chest, burying his face against your neck. “I am so sorry. I’m so sorry I left. I didn’t mean to, I swear. I tried so many times to dream you back, but when I turned 18…” he leans back and brushes a piece of hair out of your eyes. “We’re soulmates, just different from everyone else. We meet in our dreams, and stop when we turn 18. If I had known then, I would’ve told you my name that day.”

You’re not sure how to respond, because suddenly, the boy you had believed was nothing more than a figment of your imagination is in front of you, holding you tight against him like he’s afraid you’ll vanish. You don’t remember how many sleepless nights you’ve spent because of him, or trapped in a colorless dream, screaming for someone who you thought only existed in your head.

But none of that seems to matter anymore, because he’s now, and when you reach up to cup his face, his eyes flutter shut as he leans into your palm. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

“Y/n..?”

You drop your hand quickly and turn to Taeil, his brows raised in surprise. Before you can explain, his arm snakes around your waist and you stop breathing when he says, “I’m their soulmate.”

“What?” Taeil exclaims, the books he’s carrying falling to his feet. “But I thought-?”

“Remember those dreams I told you about? I guess he is real after all.”

“How do you know it’s really him? Didn’t you say you didn’t even know his name?” Taeil asks cautiously, and his hold tightens.

“My name is Jaehyun,” he snaps. “And who are you?”

You hook your arm through his and tug him towards the exit. “Taeil, I’ll be right back.”

He blinks as you round the corner, Jaehyun sending him a glare before allowing himself to be dragging outside. You had completely forgotten about the snow until your shoe sinks into a pile when you step out, and you immediately regret not grabbing your coat when the door clicks shut.

“Who does that guy think he is?” he huffs. “I bet I could easily toss his five foot ass over my head.”

You cross your arms, watching in amusement as he kicks at the snow before facing you. “That’s my best friend,” you say, pausing for a moment and rub at your arms. “We met at a... support group for people who don’t have soulmates, and he helped me through a lot.”

“Oh, shit,” he all but deflates at your words. “I’m sorry. Again. I feel like I’ve been apologizing ever since you dropped that book on my head.”

You cringe. “Right, about that, you won’t file a complaint against me, right?”

“If I promise not to, will you go out on a date with me... Y/n?”

A shiver goes up your spine, and you’re not sure if it’s because of how he had said your name or the cold. It’s so surreal to have the boy from your dreams asking you on a date after all these years. Except, this time, he has a name, and you know that he’s your soulmate.

“I have to think about it, Jaehyun,” you reach out and do what you’ve been dying to do ever since he had smiled at you, his reaction the same as it had been in the dreams with his ears burning red when you pinch the dimples in his cheeks. “I guess that proves you really are you.”

He ducks his head, laughing softly while reaching for your hand. Your stomach erupts in butterflies when he intertwines your fingers. “You’re freezing. Let’s get inside.”