#I specifically wanted to share the top left doodle because I think he looks so skrunkle | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eureka-its-zico · 3 years

Text

Irrevocably Yours Pt. 2

Part 1

Request: hey! can i request a scenario of jungkook being a rich kid who has some of his legs is leg failure , basically can't walk without a cane , And he falls in love with a normal girl , and they end up running away , happy ending plz , also if u can , LIT IT Up with smut ' thank u ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

A/N: So Part 2 is that slow burn build up (with possible cute moments?) and part 3 will be the actual SMUTTY goodness. Hopefully this is something cute and fluffy that is enjoyable and helps progress the story a little more so when a full length next part of a bunch of smut comes it all makes sense. Or idk anymore lol I edited this thing four times and I just really hope you all like it Please enjoy this wordy mess. I wasn’t sure how to properly write it out the end and yeah...I winged it. If it needs to be fixed lmk please!! As always, I hope you all enjoy. Much love, Jenn

P.s. when I wrote this I listened to Lauv’s “I Like Me Better,” and Pink Sweat$ Feat. Kehlani’s “At My Worst,” on repeat like crazy.

Jungkook x Reader

Word count: 15,496 (I know:it’s a hefty boy)

Genre: Fluffy/Smutty, slow burn,

The next day at school you weren’t a hundred percent sure what was going to happen. And sure, maybe you did wake up from a dream replaying that moment in the mud. The ending is a little bit different. This time, dream you didn’t let your chance to kiss him go by. When the opportunity presented itself, and you were both looking at one another like before, you’d leaned forward and kissed him. You weren’t surprised to feel him kissing you back.

You could still feel the ghost of the imagination of him leaning down to press his lips against yours. The way he leaned in; eyes soft with longing as his body leaned deeper in against you. The weight of him pressing you into the mud until you were sure an imprint of this moment would be there forever. This imaginary kiss you’d shared was sweet, chaste, and everything you could’ve hoped for. Deepening at the last second as your alarm blared you back into realty.

It made you want to ring your hands through your hair in frustration.

Your whole walk to school was nothing but foggy images of the dream on repeat. A mixture of yesterday’s events accompanied them with each frame until you weren’t sure which was the actual moments or what your head had created. I mean, you did know he didn’t kiss you, but...the look in his eyes. Maybe Jungkook hadn’t, but there was that moment you swore maybe he felt the painful comedic romance moment of it all too.

All these unanswered what if’s you'd created had built an impossible chasm that seemed to stretch infinitely wider between you in your head. In the end, you were your own bully as your mind stayed up until three that morning playing out every scenario you could think of. Even the ones that ended with you probably reading everything wrong, because what did you know about body language? Or, more specifically, boys built like Jeon Jungkook.

It didn’t matter that you had two tests today and never finished your homework for home period, but what the hell. Nothing like hopelessly daydreaming about the boy who may or may not have flirted with you and harmonized along to songs with a hidden voice of an angel, am I right? And sure, a large part of your night was spent chastising yourself half the time to remind you there was no way in hell Jungkook could feel that way towards you. Even just a little. Your inner monologue of bringing yourself back down to earth, another culprit in the growing list of reasons why none of your assignments were completed.

What can you say? You were a mess.

Your only game plan you’d been able to agree on was just to daydream out the window. Writing out your own hapless love story starring the boy who sat across from you in the home room. With a silent plea to the universe that you weren’t called on to answer any questions.

Your arrival at homeroom was met with barely seconds to spare. The bell rang behind you, and a few other students, as you rushed towards your desk.

“Hurry, hurry to your seats! Or I’ll write you up as late!”

Mr. Choi was all talk. Everyone knew it and his excessive arm movements to rush every body that passed his desk made him look exactly like a conductor. His crazy movements were enough to distract you for a split second from the one person you were desperate to ignore.

“Good morning, class. I hope you are all fully rested and awake for class this morning. Let’s have us open our books to page two hundred and forty-two and continue on with our lesson.”

In unison the sound of backpacks unzipping with students reaching in their backpacks to bring out textbooks filled the class. The only person who didn’t currently have said book was holding his hand up, and seated directly across from you.

“Yes, Jungkook?”

“Seonsaengnim, I’m sorry. I haven’t received my textbooks yet.”

“Ah, that’s alright, Jungkook. You can go ahead and share with Y/N, again.”

You hoped your face wasn’t giving away the panic you felt rising up to match the blush that was streaking across your cheeks. Jungkook’s hand was already on the leg of your desk. His fingers tips grazing across your knee in passing as his hand wrapped around the bar and used it to bring you closer to him. You kept your eyes glued to page two hundred and forty-three and refused to look in his direction. Jungkook seemed to find a way to remedy this; his hand came into view and grabbed hold of the book corner and slid it over to his side. And as if he was the world’s greatest magician, he now had your attention.

Your eyes immediately shoot up to acknowledge his presence, instead of staying on the book. You knew that devilish smirk of his would be there to greet you even before you actually saw it.

“Well, good morning to you too, Y/N.”

His voice practically hummed a tune as he spoke. His eyes heavily searched your face, and you prayed whatever he found wasn’t any lasting signs of rosy cheeks.

“Good morning, Jungkook. I hope you slept well.”

“I slept very well, thank you.”

“That’s good-“

He cut you off fast, his next words a hush of teasing: “Even though some crazy girl tried to smother me in mud yesterday.”

Your world narrowed in on his smug position in his chair, but quickly realized he just wanted your attention. The smile he wore softened around the edges as his eyes tried to look away from you and yet found their way back. You did your best to hide your smile and must have failed miserably for his face noticeably brightened.

“I’m sure if that’s what she was doing - which I doubt - you probably deserved it.”

Jungkook pretended to be wounded and caused you to practically jump out of your seat when his free hand landed on top of yours.

“I can’t believe you think I deserve to be smothered,” he pouted.

You rolled your eyes in a weak attempt to look away from him. Anything to not be swallowed up by how stupidly cute he looked in this exact moment. The fingers that held your pencil lazily tapping on the pages of the math book to bring his focus to something else that wasn’t you.

“We need to pay attention.”

It was the only valuable excuse you could come up with to look away from him. But who were you kidding? You didn’t have to be looking in Jungkook’s direction to be painfully aware that he was there. His own gaze burned straight through you and left a trail of heat everywhere his eyes seemed to land.

Right now, you were aware they were on your lips and stirring every emotion from your dream you tried to suppress. Plus, you weren’t being cute. Unless Jungkook found the sight of you chewing your bottom lip into dust attractive.

It was a terrible nervous habit that seemed to only backfire right this second. You were sure he was ready to make a comment on it. You waited patiently for it to come in between you mindlessly copying equations off the board and the sea of arms flying up to answer whatever it was you’d just written. My gosh, you were trying so damn hard to not pay attention that you were doing nothing but paying attention to him.

Please don’t let him just see I’m doodling.

Mr. Choi was in the middle of showing how to work out a long equation when you decided it was safe to give Jungkook a glance. It was instantaneous how quickly you regretted it.

You jumped back against your seat in a weak attempt to recover some space. You weren’t exactly sure how you’d missed it -missed him- getting so close, but you had. Jungkook’s face was mere inches from yours and it took everything to not show him you weren’t at all bothered.

“Jungkook,” you whispered fiercely. “What.are.you.doing!”

Jungkook ignored your question. His eyes squinting as they looked around the side of your head. The gesture made you increasingly subconscious until you couldn’t keep your hand from going up to brush alongside it.

“What? What is it?”

You were expecting the worst.

“I think I see some mud still stuck inside your ear.”

And like magic your earlier blush reappeared. Your tongue rolled against the bottom of your teeth in a weak attempt to keep yourself from smiling. Unfortunately, you weren’t able to stop it as the urge to give in tugged mercilessly at your lips. The playful glint in his eyes was enough to keep the panic of how incredibly close he still was. Your eyes hopelessly glancing at the pair of lips that plagued your dreams.

Jungkook noticed.

And how did you know this, you might ask?

Jungkook gave it away by the dramatic way his lower lip was drawn in by his teeth. Every movement he made sure was exaggerated and stupidly slow. His eyes watch for your reaction. He didn’t have to wait long; your eyes were glued to them long before his teeth joined the equation. You should’ve felt more embarrassed at your own blunt display - or maybe at his -but, god help you, you weren’t.

You tore your gaze away from him and did your best to pretend whatever part of the lesson you’d missed was interesting. The dirt on your shoes could’ve been more interesting at this moment; anything to keep you from looking back at him.

“I rinsed my hair three times in the shower. Thank you very much.”

“Did you think of me while you were washing yourself clean?”

If what Jungkook was after was seeing your face light up brighter than a tomato he’d succeeded. Your cheeks instantly flushed and felt scolding hot. The only line of defense you could think of to fight the devilish look in his eyes was to give him a smack on his arm. The motion only caused his sinister smile to turn into a full blown grin; a bark of laughter leaving him seconds later.

Jungkook chuckled out an, “Ouch!” His body leaning back, faux wounded, and rays of sunshine pouring out of him in waves.

“I meant when you were getting the mud out of your hair.” His voice carried the singing sweetness of his laughter; airy and light. This boy who you did think of in the shower. All hard edges and softness; sour and sweet. Your very own sour patch kid. “I mean, I thought of you when I tried scrubbing it out from behind my ears.”

Your heart gave a brief jump at his omission. What you wished you would’ve focused on was the fact he’d admitted to thinking of you...in his own shower. But nope! Instead, your mind appeared to focus more on the fact it was while he scrubbed at his ears.

“I scrubbed my ears too.”

Oh. My. God, you inwardly cringed.

Is that really what your magical brain decided to say in return? Jungkook leaned back in, eyes inspecting not just your ear, but your entire space. Recklessly moving in dangerously close, and your heart was ready to beg for mercy. Whether to completely close the space between you or to stop teasing, of which you weren’t sure.

“It appears you didn’t do that good of a job,” he huffed.

A gurgled scream flew into your throat; the sound was utterly ridiculous and Jungkook ate it up. His head flew back in laughter as your hand moved to swat at him again.

The disruption turned the attention of your teacher directly to the two of you, and Mr. Choi was quick to address it.

“Jean Jungkook! Y/L/N, Y/N!”

The both of you rose from your seats in unison. Jungkook’s rise the definition of graceful, while yours in comparison was met with anxiety and your knees colliding with your desk. Your small “Oomph,” of pain sending him into a fit of giggles beside you. The hand you sent in to pinch at his leg only sent him into another fit.

“Y/N!”

Stupid, stupid! Of course he would see.

“Seonsaengnim!”

To appease him, you felt your body respond in a ninety-degree salute. Your face keeping down to stare at your shoes and praying you weren’t about to be sent out of the room.

“Would you mind explaining what Jungkook and you found so interesting that the two of you felt like you didn’t need to be a part of class.”

God, it wasn’t a question. He really wanted you to tell him, and what could you say?

“Oh, he was just asking me if I was in the shower...thinking of him. And he was thinking of me too!”

Which wasn't a lie. Maybe it wasn’t as dirty as he might have intended, but it was enough to make your cheeks flush to life with their usual color these days. Your mind was still racing with an appropriate answer for Mr. Choi. You were taking so long you were ready to blurt out anything he might want to hear.

“Seonsaengnim.” Jungkook gave a respectful bow and lifted his head. His full attention now resting on the impatiently waiting man at the front of the class. “We were discussing the fact that you, respectfully, have written the equation wrong on the board.”

The entire class seized up. A collective air was taken at Jungkook’s bold attempt to correct him. It was awkwardly obvious that he wasn’t happy at the idea of being corrected. However, Jungkook remained unfazed and waited for the right time to speak.

“Is that so?” He snapped. “If it is so wrong, Jeon, then please, come and fix it for me.”

You were sure his order for Jungkook to go to the front would make him back down . No one enjoyed doing class work on the board up front for all to see. But you’d forgotten Jungkook wasn’t like everyone else. He kept his head high and moved to grab his cane; his hand wrapping tightly to its handle. Jungkook stepped out from inside his desk and let his feet carry him forward. He walked with a noticeable lack of a limp and you were willing to bet that strike of pride was costing him.

It wasn’t that you couldn’t believe that Jungkook was able to walk without it. It was just that your memory forced you to recall the pain he was in during the field trip. The flashes of frustration as his eyes threatened to spill over with tears.

Jungkook came to stand beside Mr. Choi. His hand reaching out to take the marker that the older man had held out waiting for him to prove his equation wrong. He plucked it from the older man’s hand and moved the last few inches to stand in front of the board. His eyes scanning the problem quickly. Your breath held tight in your chest as you watched him get permission to grab the eraser. The class transfixed on his every movement.

You wondered how many of the girls in your class focused on him like you were. The same way your eyes ate up every simple movement he made. The notable flex of his back while he stretched to erase the middle and last part of what Mr. Choi had written out.

“You had a good start here, Seonsaengnim.” Jungkook paused to stretch out his hand. Fingers marking underneath the start of the problem. “But you didn’t multiply these after they were divided, and because of this the middle became wrong. With your core of the problem being wrong the solution was never able to end in its final conclusion.”

With every word, Jungkook’s voice became more self-assured. His presence enveloping the room and demanding the attention he’d already received without question. Mr. Choi watched on with his arms crossed; index finger hugging his mouth in concentration as he watched Jungkook work. From the back of the class, you could see students writing down the new formula. Some of them realized the obvious error Mr. Choi had made.

Jungkook looked at the problem over again on repeat. If it’d been you, you would have left it where it was knowing you’d done what no one else did. But Jungkook wanted to know, for himself, that it was correct.

Finally, he stepped back from the whiteboard and handed the marker back to Mr. Choi. Who looked measurably impressed with him. His index finger he’d used for thinking now covered up a timid smile before he dropped it to grab a hold of the marker.

“Go ahead and have a seat, Jungkook.”

Jungkook gave him a passing bow as he made his way back towards the back of the class. Back to you. It took everything you had not to notice how everyone’s view of him seemed to change. Even the honor students; the ones bound for scholarship glory to prestigious colleges now seemed to take new interest in him.

You’d heard stories about Jungkook, like everyone else did. The Boy Wonder. The boy who seemed unfairly good at everything. Before you’d ever met him, a part of you believed there wasn’t a way the universe would seriously do that. And yet, as he moved to sit back down beside you, you suddenly felt the overwhelming sensation of being below average. Your subconscious rose up to stop whatever sunlight you’d felt at his earlier words, and crushed it until it began to dim. All but snuffing it out.

Jungkook fell back into the seat at his desk riding the high of confidence he’d gained from proving he’d know how to fix the answer. Not just know it; teach it. The air around him completely changed. He was the sun and the rest of you were becoming helplessly lost in his orbit. From the backwards glances of the others around you, you were pretty sure they weren’t going to mind one bit.

Either Jungkook was honestly oblivious to all the attention or he just didn’t care. He practically beamed as he leaned himself closer to you completely unaware at how breathless he made you. That smile you’d admired during your field trip showed itself beaming and bright. He was so damn pleased with himself his eyes sparked with joy and you wish you could’ve pouted. Maybe found the strength not to care or to wonder if he could see how he affected you.

You wanted to pout and be in your own bubble, damn it.

“Don’t worry, Y/N. I don’t think he’ll bother us again.”

Us.

Those butterflies you’d sworn to yourself you were not feeling towards him began to come to life. Or were they butterflies? You weren’t sure what to call the feeling Jungkook gave you.

Sure, Jungkook made your heart thunder in your chest like a caged animal. And yea, maybe you swore to yourself there was an attraction there that you couldn’t explain, but that was just your dopamine talking. That didn’t mean the two of you were soulmates or the universe decided to bring you both together by a mess of unseen choices.

But...when Jungkook looked at you this way it was hard to tell your thundering heart anything else.

The two of you continued to look at one another. A heartbeat of time passing between you with Jungkook waiting for your reply. You watched the edges of his smile start to wilt as realization set in that you weren’t planning to reply. No smile or teasing remark was headed his way, and just as fast as he noticed it, determination swiftly replaced the light weighted joy he’d shown moments earlier.

“Hey, you don’t have to worry. I’m positive he will leave us alone the rest of the class. I promise.”

God, why did he have to make things so difficult? When Jungkook spoke the words, “I promise,” they’d been so earnest. He meant them. Here he was trying to turn the tables and be your knight, instead of you being his. It would have worked, but what he didn’t know was that you weren’t worried about Mr. Choi. Not really.

No one could tear you down further than you were able to do to yourself.

He was still waiting for the answer that you would never give. You turned to face forward in your chair and tried to forget the ripple of sadness that moved over his face. The cost of your stubbornness suddenly felt too high. No matter how it made you feel though, you refused to look over in his direction.

An awkward chasm had built between the two of you. Mostly, well, obviously it was all because of you. You figured Jungkook would eventually stop looking at you. You prayed he would stop. Every time he did it your body became painfully aware of his gaze, and the longing it held for you to acknowledge him. And every time you remained facing front. You no longer could pretend to focus, however, and that seemed to be all the signs Jungkook needed to know you were in some way paying attention.

Your notebook that’d been left unattended on the desk became his private art museum. The doodles started off silly and slowly morphed into small faces and objects that held impressive detail. You tried your best to ignore it; his arm practically took up most of the space on your desk. The angle forced him to shoulder into your space to the point that if you did finally turn to look at him you’d run inches away from his cheek.

You were doing your best to pay attention to whatever your teacher was doing at the front. Your eyes watched as a wave of hands went up to answer questions you’d never heard. Yours kept sliding back down to the latest doodle he was making. The latest one he was working on had forced Jungkook to move further inland on your notepad. His forearm getting dangerously close to having to rest in your lap.

It continued like this the remainder of class. For all the effort you’d put in the last half hour of pretending he wasn’t there, Jungkook shattered it within seconds.

He’d repositioned himself with each new doodle he started. His shoulder wedged itself against yours and his forearm had completely taken up what little space was left on your desk. You were trying very hard to not pay attention to how said forearm was dangerously close to your chest. There was no hiding the redness of your cheeks.

Without thinking, you whipped your head to look at him and almost yelled. You knew he was close, but nothing prepared you for this.

“Excuse me,” you whispered, voice incredulous.

Jungkook turned to look at you and...was he pouting? His eyes played up on the childish quality as he turned to you and batted his eyes.

“Can I help you?”

“Ugh, can I help you? Do you need paper or something?”

“I have paper right here. Thanks.”

Jungkook patted the notepad with the end of his pen. Satisfied with his answer he turned his attention back to his latest artistic endeavor.

“You know this is my desk. Right?”

“I like to think of it more like our desk. Sharing a space like we shared music.”

“Ya, Jungkook. You realize you blackmailed me into using my ipod.”

Jungkook feigned shock. His mouth dropping open and his eyes brows going too high up into his hairline. The entire scene was exaggerated and ridiculous. The scene forced you to roll your lips against your teeth to keep from smiling. The effort it took to hide your grin wasn’t unnoticed by Jungkook, and you couldn’t help but wonder if that’d been his goal all along.

“Blackmail sounds so crass. I like to think of it as bargaining.”

“So we agree it’s called blackmail, then.”

The theatrics of his face dropped into a serious stare that left his face completely blank. Void of all emotion except the annoyance that drew a heavy frown from his face. It was stupidly cute and this time you did allow yourself to smile. Your fingers reached out to grab one of his puffed out cheeks and gave it a sweet pinch, like a grandmother, and cooed in his direction.

“Oooooh Jungkookie, don’t frown. We’ve all gotta be wrong sometimes.”

He playfully nipped at your hand to make you snatch it away. It took everything in you not to make a sound at his sudden movement. Your mouth hung open in an awkward smile-shout as you brought your handle against your chest.

“I think you’re misinterpreting the facts here. Maybe you hit your head on a small pebble or something when you fell in the mud.”

“You mean when you pulled me in.”

He shrugged and replied nonchalantly, “I don’t think I recall any force being used yesterday. You just fell on my chest trying to take advantage of me in my time of need.”

Now it was your turn to look deadpanned in his direction. Jungkook didn’t try to hide his wicked smile, however, and the cage of butterflies that were housed in your gut were released all over again.

“Your appa must be a lawyer. It’d explain why you’re so good at bullshitting.”

“CEO, actually. But I would say you’re close. They are also full of shit.”

You weren’t sure what to say to this omission about his father. Underneath the sarcasm felt like a heavy chasm that spoke of the death of a relationship. Your curiosity threatened to get the best of you, but you decided to just throw it away. Filing it away inside a little folder you’d made for little known facts about him.

The bell rang and the mass of bodies in class all began to rise from their seats. All of them eager to rush from the classroom and do whatever plans they’d made to enjoy their little bit of freedom. You were reaching for your bookbag when Jungkook’s hand was just there. A part of you worried he’d decided to play a game of keep away, or something that fit his playful mood, Instead, he placed it down on the desk.

“Oh, thank you, Jungkook.”

God. Why were you staring? Why was he staring?

The room was still filled with the small display of chaotic teenage energy. Most of them had already filed out of the classroom, while some were still putting things away. Honor students were arguing with the teacher about markings he’d left on papers. Small groups of friends chatting happily as they moved in tight clusters through the door. So much was going on around you, and yet the only person you were aware of was him.

“You’re welcome. Have a good lunch, Y/N.”

The playful air that’d been around him had completely disappeared. This boy who stood before you now was more reminiscent of when you’d first met than the boy you’d grown to like. What had made him grow so distant?

“You too, Kookie.”

It slipped out. You couldn’t stop yourself. He’d already started to walk away in his retreat. As soon as his pet name you’d given him hit his ears he completely stopped moving. His head whipped around to glance at you with that devilish grin raised high on his cheeks.

“Kookie? Are you calling me a snack?”

If your eyes could’ve gotten any wider, they would’ve left your skull. The embarrassment was hot on your cheeks and you knew Jungkook would tease you without mercy for the slip up. By the look in his eyes you could tell he was never going to let this go. Not ever. He would be too happy to remind you of this until the day you died. Or until graduation. Whichever came first.

This time you scooped up your bookbag and snatched your book off the desk clutching them to your chest. In your haste to grab them and go, your knee collided with the edge of the desk, but you’d worry about that possible bruise later. You just needed to flee before Jungkook got any closer.

“No, no. It was an accident.”

“You called me a snack by accident?”

You were backing up towards the safety of the open hallway. Your shoulders shrugging too high and your laugh too high-pitched in your attempt to play it cool.

“No snack nicknames here. It was just a slip of the tongue. I must just be hungry, ya know.”

“Are you hungry for me?”

Oh, he was intolerable sometimes. It didn’t matter how flustered he made you. A part of you knew his endless teasing was growing on you. You liked it, and the sane part of you wondered if you’d gone crazy.

“Ya, Jungkook-”

“I think you mean, Kookie,” he cut in.

Jungkook held a single finger up to silence you. He’d stopped moving towards you and let out a laugh as you tried to swat his hand down. He looked so much happier than he did moments ago. That alone made his teasing at your expense worth it.

“No I mean, Jungkook. It’s the name your parents gave you.” You stated, proud that your voice sounded more stable than you felt. “I’m gonna go eat my lunch now. You should do the same and I’ll...see you later.”

You waited for him to argue. To continue to make comments in passing to keep your face rosy and flushed. He surprised you by just standing there in silence. His smile wide on his face and eyes looking at you like you’d held the moon. A look you weren’t used to and made you unsure how to respond.

You started to walk back towards the door and found yourself disappointed when he didn’t follow. You sent him an awkward wave as your arms still held onto your things from your desk. Jungkook showed his amusement by giving you a wave in return.

“See you later, Y/N.”

At his words you turned on your heel and headed out towards the courtyard. No longer eager to eat your lunch that you’d packed. Your mind replayed his words and knew, without a doubt, he would keep his word.

—————-

Lunch went by as quickly as it came. Instead of eating your lunch with friends, you’d opted for sulking in the auditorium. Absentmindedly taking small bits off your food as you considered what had happened between Jungkook and you.

There was flirting there. You may be a little delusional, but you weren’t delusional about this. It was obvious to anyone who witnessed it and yet you tried to deny its existence at every turn. Of course, you knew why.

It just didn’t make logical sense. You were two opposites that shouldn’t be in the least bit interested in the other. Well, that didn’t really seem correct when it came to Jungkook. He was attractive to everyone and probably even inanimate objects. But you...you just couldn’t see yourself that way. You’d only ever had one relationship in your life and it had been short-lived and in the third grade.

Throwing what little was left of your sandwich back inside it’s little brown coffin, you removed yourself from your spot. A huff left you as you reached out to pick up your mess and started to hop back down the steps one-by-one.

You weren’t sure what walking around was going to do. For the hundredth time since this day started, you were lost in your own head. The only thing you knew for certain was that you’d hoped to run into him again. A thought came to you that maybe, just this day, he’d shown up in the school's cafeteria.

You could think of a million excuses for why you’d need to go into the cafeteria and it wouldn’t be weird. Just the thought of not coming off weird, while most certainly being weird, made you beam at your own creativity.

You’d reached the last step and we’re crossing the field when you noticed, on the other side, the very boy you were looking for. He was alone and sitting under the shade of the only tree next to the amphitheater. His back against the bark and a knee drawn up to give his notepad a place to perch. Whatever he was writing, drawing, or formulating held his interest and refused to let him look up.

All your previous bravado deflated in a second. It would be harder to deny you weren’t actively seeking him out if you went to him now. But, who said that you wanted too?

Grabbing the strap of your book bag tight, you started back on your mission. Your legs made quick work across the field. It wasn’t until there was only a few feet left between you that he looked up. His brow still furrowed in tight creases of concentration as he decided if you were a friend or foe. Your feet almost tripped over themselves when he smiled at you.

“Y/N!” He called happily. “What brings you over here?”

“I came looking for my snack.”

The surprise on his face made your bold choice of a response worth it. Jungkook, being who he was, quickly recovered and set his notebook and pencil down beside him. He placed his arms casually on his propped up leg and leaned forward as if he was about to tell you a secret.

“Well, you found me. Why did you come looking for me? Really.”

You tried to think quickly of what to say. The idea of telling him the truth, that you’d just wanted to see him, felt painfully honest and might press him to ask for you to explain. How could you explain that in the short time you’d met him he was both the most interesting and infuriating man you’d ever met. But he was also the most beautiful, and had a delicate softness under his hard exterior that you were growing to love. He was basically the perfect description of the onion from Shrek.

An idea clicked in your head and your hands quickly moved inside your bag and produced another brown bag.

“I wanted to come see if you’d eaten. I had some spare kimchi rice ball’s my omma made.”

You extended the bag out to him. Your eyes locked together as you waited for him to either accept it or deny it. Jungkook surprised you by leaning forward and taking it gently from you. It took some effort, but he crossed his legs -his bad one in an awkward position - and plopped the bag down between his legs.

You moved to sit beside him in the grass and took your book bag off your shoulder and into your lap. You watched as he moved to open the bag and peered cautiously inside.

“It’s not a bomb,” you chided.

“I never know with you.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile spreading like wildfire across your lips. Jungkook was so charismatic it felt inevitable and fighting against it was futile. He took a large bite of the rice ball and practically swooned. His eyes had fallen shut and a ridiculous chanting of endless “Mhm’s” had started rising up around you.

“Should I leave you two alone?”

Jungkook’s eyes snapped open and for a moment you were worried maybe you did pull him out of some weird food ritual. His eyes were blank and then, all at once, he was back to being his usual animated self. The hand that held the rice ball shaking in your direction before shoving what was left inside his mouth.

“This is unbelievably delicious.” He mumbled around his food. “You said your omma made these?”

“Yup!”

You’d said it in English just to dramatically pop the P at the end. Extending out your own kind of dramatics to match Jungkook’s. You leaned your hands back into the grass and noticed Jungkook watch your every move as you did.

“Is your omma married?”

Your face fell into a deadpan stare as you replied, “Seriously? Of course her and my appa are still married, you creep.”

“If you can cook like your omma, Y/N I’m willing to lend you my amazing tutoring services. All for the low price of making things as delicious as this.”

He was already mid-way through shoving the second rice ball in his mouth. His head tilted back to drop it down. A piece of rice must have dislodged itself from its balled shape, because he erupted in a coughing fit. You couldn’t help but laugh as you handed him your water.

“I think I’ll steer clear of rice treats. Just to make sure you don’t kill yourself.”

Jungkook was about to lift the bottle up to his lips and stopped. His eyes falling on you with a playful glare. You held your hands up in mock surrender as you leaned forward. Your hands clap together to get pieces of grass and soil from your hands.

While he drank the water you’d offered up the two of you fell into companionable silence. You didn’t mind waiting and Jungkook was happy that you did. When he’d finished with the bottle, he set it down beside him. His hand moving like a flopping fish in your direction to make you give him something that you’d had no idea he’d asked for.

“Come on. Let’s see your math homework.”

“For what?”

“To start your tutoring. Duh.”

You hated how cute he’d made the word sound. The way his lips smiled around it and left him beaming at you like a little kid on Christmas.

“Can we pass? We just left the class and I hate math. A lot.”

Jungkook tsked you but didn’t look disappointed.

“You can’t get better at something if you give up on it. Luckily for you, you’ve got the best person in the subject to tutor you.”

“For a fee,” you pointed out.

“All the best things come with a price. I’m most definitely one of them. Now. Book.”

His hand movements were more controlled now. His fingers simply waved once -twice- for you to hurry it up and place what he’d asked in his hand. You really didn’t want any part of this. The thought was sweet, but when you said you hated math you meant it. So yeah, maybe you were grumbling a little as you reached inside your book bag and taking a little longer than was necessary to hand it over.

Jungkook took it from you in one smooth motion and had it open to the spot previously in class. All your homework problems you’d left unfinished glaring against the white of the page. His eyes were already scanning over what little problems you’d written down. A clicking noise from his closed mouth reminding you why exactly you hadn’t finished more of it. The reason was sitting right in front of you.

His hand flicked back out and he held it open. His eyes never lifted off the page as he demanded, “Pencil.”

“What the heck? Why am I supplying everything.”

“Cause I’m supplying myself,” he shot back. His hands taking the pencil you handed over to him. “Plus, I also can’t seem to find any in my bag.”

“You didn’t even look.”

Jungkook gave a graceful shrug. His attention was fully engrossed in the problems. You weren’t ready for how cute he looked. How adorable those concentration creases in his forehead made him look, even deadly serious, with his fingers tapping the pencil absentmindedly on the paper. When he figured out what was missing from the equation he quickly erased and reconfigured everything on the page.

You were staring intently at him, both because his angle’s were ridiculously handsome but also, the way the sun fell down on him here, peaking through the trees, felt like magic. It was hard to believe the universe was more than just molecules and that luck was thrown out randomly. If it was, maybe you’d caught some.

Your thoughts were running wild and your concentration was no longer in the safe zone. Maybe that’s why when he finally looked up from the notebook and found you staring he’d smiled. Not his teasing one. Or the condescending either. This smile was soft like a secret, and directed only at you. \

“See something you like?”

His voice was gentle in his playfulness. As if he wanted to take the cautionary approach in case you were spooked.

“Maybe I do.”

A smile of your own spread to match his and Jungkook wasn’t surprised. He was just happy, and it was a lovely sight to see. He looked away from you with his hand moving up to smooth out the hair on the back of his neck. He flicked the pencil down on the notebook and brought it forward for you to see.

“Let’s get back to this. I’ll be honest with you. It’s pretty bad. You missed a whole line on the third problem that left you with an incomplete answer. Not to mention,” he lifted up the notebook and motioned towards the whole page, “Where is all the rest of the homework?”

Jungkook’s voice was filled with the beginnings of laughter. Not specifically towards you, but just the blatant fact you did not care. You gave him your best nonchalant shrug. In reality, you did care. It bothered you it wasn’t finished.

Your fingers were digging in the grass and ripping some of it up and throwing it out into the field.

“I had a hard time concentrating last night. Plus, if I’m being honest math has always been the hardest subject for me.”

“And that is why I’m going to help you.”

“For a fee,” you reminded him.

“I’ll teach you the easiest way I know how to do these and I promise you, you’ll be flying through these problems in no time.”

The sincerity in his voice was evident. Jungkook really believed it and he wanted you to believe it too. You just couldn’t understand why and you found yourself speaking your mind.

“Why are you wanting to help me?”

It was his turn to shrug his shoulders. His face went blank as he looked at you one last time before he looked away. Whatever he was looking at he wasn’t really seeing. He just needed someplace else to look than the person he was talking to you. You did it plenty of times yourself.

Whatever he’d decided on to say had caused his shoulders to square. Determined that whatever he needed to say he would make sure it meant something.

“I like spending time with you.”

The smile you’d worn completely shattered as you stared at him. The butterflies rushed up and up until they trapped themselves in your throat. Jungkook’s admission was basically three words dropped away from just saying he liked you.

This surprising admission should’ve been enough to make yourself not care who you saw walking. Or care when he stopped, his small mob with him, and start gesturing at his imaginary watch. His fingers rubbing together for money owed.

It was worse when Jungkook looked back and took notice. Even worse when he looked back at you with questions swirling in his eyes.

“Everything okay?”

Your eyes looked down to the safety of your hands. The way they were helplessly fidgeting back in the grass and tearing it apart like a miniature tantrum was brewing inside you. You hated that after all this time, you let Lee Kwon upset you by making you feel embarrassed about your dad. That he felt the need to tell everyone the business deal between his father and yours. How every time he told it he’d turned him more and more into a villain of his own misfortune.

Without a reason why you took back your notebook from Jungkook and shoved it inside your bag. You were ready to leave. You didn’t want to explain, but you knew Jungkook wouldn’t let you just leave without one.

He reached out and his hand gently wrapped around your wrist to stop you. There was no force. Nothing that hinted that he would keep you there if you didn’t want to be kept. Looking at him felt harder. His genuine worry almost threatened to let the tears from your frustration spill forward.

“Hey, Y/N, what’s wrong?”

You shook your head. Your vision dragging away from him and back to the retreating back of the sociopath, Lee Kwon.

You didn’t try to shake him off. You actually felt comforted by his worrisome touch. The way he leaned in closer as if he would pull you into his arms at any moment. As much as you wanted that to happen, you knew it wouldn’t happen. A deep sigh had built up in your chest and you released it while you looked back at him.

“Look. Eventually, I know you’re going to hear about it: my dad, I mean.”

“That’s kind of odd high school kids would talk about someone’s appa.”

“You and me both,” you agreed. “But Kwon’s dad is a banker who doesn’t believe in client confidentiality. So he tells his son about his day over dinner and-“

“And he decides to bring it to school to make your life miserable,” Jungkook finished for you.

He understood and didn’t need you to simplify it anymore. His hand left your arm and you suddenly found yourself missing his comforting touch. It was still there, that comfort, in the way his eyes softened and he leaned in intent to listen to whatever you needed to get off your chest. You appreciated his attention, but also hated it at the same time.

“What’s your Appa’s thing?”

God. He did understand. Maybe just a little too well for your liking.

“Gambling. It started when I was in the seventh grade. At first it wasn’t anything too crazy. He’d always been able to even it out. But then he became obsessed with the idea of winning big. Kept betting on things we couldn’t afford to lose. Eventually, he bet too high and ended up losing the business he and my mom built together and our house. They had to pay the bank back.”

“A bank this dude’s Appa works at.”

“Correct. My Appa...he isn’t a bad man. He’s paid his debt and hasn’t gambled since. What good is it for me or anyone else to make him feel bad for the rest of his life?”

“I don’t get it. Why does that have to do with you, though?”

You’d wondered the same exact thing half of your adolescent life. You shrugged and looked at Jungkook wondering if maybe he’d be able to make sense of it better than you could.

“Twelve year old boys enjoy making up stories. First it was that we became so poor we lived with pigs. That's why I smelled.”

You put air quotations around smelled and Jungkook practically howled with laughter. You tried your best to show no emotion, but could feel the corner of your lips threatening to curl into a smile.

“He probably said it because you didn’t know how to wash back then and, judging from earlier, I still don’t think you do.”

You moved to playfully shove at his shoulder. A scoff of laughter leaving you even though you told yourself you wouldn’t. Jungkook was waiting for you to make a move and when you did he easily grabbed a hold of you. The feeling of intimacy, just like yesterday in the mud, was swimming back to the surface.

Your eyes looked up into his with your laughter being met with a wide grin. The way he was looking at you now made you believe in fairytales and left your lips aching to be kissed.

Before either of you could decide what to do next, the bell for the end of lunch sounded. You could hear it going off all around you, but still the two of you stayed holding each other. Your bodies close enough that if he wanted to make a move all Jungkook needed was to lean down. To say your heart dropped a little when he moved away was an understatement.

You focused on getting up from the grass. Your hands patting down your uniform as you struggle to find something not so awkward to say. You wanted to sound confident. You wanted to sound like you weren’t affected by him at all.

“Well, I’ll see you around.”

God, you sounded awkward. You turned to start heading to your next period. You closed your eyes tight and mouthed, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” You’d gotten a few feet away when you heard him call to you.

You turned to look back at him and found him still standing under the tree. His hands in his pockets and his eyes solely on you.

“Would you let me walk you home?”

Did he really have to ask? You’d let him walk you to the edge of a volcano. You didn’t say that, however. You wanted to play it cool, but on the inside you were screaming.

“I’d like that.”

When you turned back around to make your way to class, the memory of how his face had brightened at your reply, stayed with you. You couldn’t wait for the day to end.

_________

True to his word Jungkook waited for you after school. You couldn’t help looking for him over the countless shoulders as you walked with the sea of students towards the entrance. The hole in the pit of your stomach opened back up from the underlying dreadful thought. That he wouldn't show up. You’d be left standing there waiting for him forever. But Jungkook continued to prove your pessimism wrong.

The closer you got to the school’s gate, you were able to spot him instantly. He was leaning coolly against the gate. His bag at his feet and his cane positioned strategically out of view. If anyone just casually walked up, they would’ve never been able to tell he’d needed one. Maybe that was why he’d done it.

He looked to be searching for someone in every face that passed him. It came to an end the minute his roaming eyes found you. No longer did he appear cool and composed. His body became animated with what you could only explain as a giddiness at your oncoming presence.

By the time you reached him, Jungkook was wearing his backpack on his shoulder and his cane in his hand. He was standing and waiting for you. The happiness at being next to you was intoxicating and you could only hope you looked the same.

“It felt like I was waiting forever,” he admitted.

The two of you started in sync out the gate and turned left onto the main road.

“It felt like an eternity just to get to you. I have Mrs. Chun’s chemistry class for the last period. The classroom is pretty far.”

“Mhm, like on a planet far far away.”

Your eyes rolled up to look at him. The affection you found in the warmth of his eyes was startling, but not a surprise.

Your mom used to tell you to always be careful with smiling. It caused laugh lines. It helped make crows feet. That smiling was a woman’s secret enemy she never knew about when it came to aging. She told you over and over to be careful who or what you wasted smiles on. Smiling up at him now, Jungkook was definitely worth it just to see him respond with his own.

“Don’t be so dramatic. It’s only, like, one planet away.”

A soft hush of laughter left him as he looked away. His gaze roaming around the street signs and their multiple names before looking back at you.

“Are we going the right way to your place? I just realized I never even asked for your address.”

“Does it matter? I mean, with your leg and all.” You hated yourself for spoiling the moment by bringing it up. You knew it was a touchy subject when it came to his leg for Jungkook. So you weren’t surprised to see that spark of warmth fade ever so slightly from his face. His smile wilted at the edges of his lips before it all but disappeared. “You know I’m sorry I said anything. I shouldn’t have. I mean obviously you know yourself and your limits. You wouldn’t have asked if you weren’t able to do it.”

You were rambling. You were fidgeting and waving your arms around while you talked, because why not? You were doing everything else besides hyperventilating at this point. All you knew was that you felt like a jerk for even bringing it up. When all you wanted was to know he was okay.

You were so lost in the space inside your head and worrying that you didn’t notice him laughing at you. You were mid-arm swing. Inhaling for another round of mouth babble to start asking for forgiveness when he waved for you to stop. A finger tip landing on your lips to quiet the words in your throat by shocking you into silence.

“You really don’t have to apologize so much, Y/N. It’s alright. I understand why you would ask.”

You were tempted to lick his finger away, but it felt too intimate. But so was a finger on the lips. Before you could decide your next move from your internal dilemma, Jungkook solved it for you. His finger detaching from your lips as quickly as it’d come.

“No, you don’t. I’m just worried about you. I know I should trust you to know yourself better, but-“ you did an over exaggerated shrug as you finished: “I’m a worrier.”

“I’m flattered, I have you to worry over me.”

You knew he was teasing you and you couldn’t have been happier. You preferred it to making him sad. Plus, he was back to looking at you like you controlled the stars and oh, what a wonderful look it was.

“You should be. I’ve only got so much extra space up here.”

You tapped your head for added effect and were rewarded with a soft laugh that was followed up by a smile. God, you could get used to this.

“I guess I need to work harder to take up more space.”

“Please, no. Let’s not do that. I need my sanity.”

You couldn’t believe you were doing so well at flirting. Usually, your sarcasm won out and you resorted to awkward winking, but this was definitely an improvement.

“I’m not sure you have much of that left either,” he joked.

You tried to hide your laughter with a scoff. You knew you were failing miserably at being offended. Your mouth fighting too hard to ward off a smile as you playfully bumped your shoulder into his arm. Jungkook was ready for you with his cane digging into the sidewalk to give him extra stability.

“Ya, if I do finally go crazy it’ll be your fault, specifically.”

“I think you’d have a hard time proving that in court. My counter argument would be pretty persuasive.”

You looked at him in shock.

“Court? Wow...that escalated quickly.”

Jungkook nodded his reply. He stopped in front of a bookstore and pointed at a manga in the window. You weren’t too familiar with the title, but it's a cover you’d seen plenty of.

“It would happen as quickly as an infection from a zombie’s bite. It would seem all slow until suddenly you jumped up and tried to eat me.”

You couldn’t keep the amusement off your face as you glanced at him and back down to the manga. A part of you wondering if it was one he’d read before or just wanted to use to make his point.

“Question: why are we together during a zombie outbreak?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because I’ll be walking you home. I’ll try and save you and while feeling all heroic about it, I won’t even realize you’d been bitten until it’s too late.”

The two of you moved away from the bookstore window and began to walk back down the sidewalk. Your mind trying to dissect what he was trying to say, but all it left you with was imagining a zombie version of you trying to take a bite out of him.

“You must watch too much Walking Dead.”

“It’s a good show,” he shrugged.

“Did you know that there’s actually a fungus out there that’s sort of like a zombie infection. It’s called Ophiocordyceps. It basically infects the host and within nine days of infection it takes control of the host's body movements.”

You were still walking and looking around while you spoke. Your fingers running gently over a row of gardenia’s that were planted in carefully placed pots in front of someone’s home. You were aware Jungkook had left your side by the sudden coldness of his absence. You turned to look for him and found him standing a foot away from you. A mixture of astonishment and amusement etched on his face.

“Why do you know something like that? Actually, how do you know something like that?”

His eyes were dancing with curiosity as he moved to fall back into step beside you.

“Let’s just say I like to read. I like strange things and facts. And science is full of both facts and strange things.”

With each small statement you held up a finger. When you ended on the third and final small fact about yourself, you wiggled all three fingers at him. The motion earned you a giant smile that only seemed to grow wider as his head shook slightly back and forth.

“You are the strangest girl.”

“How am I strange?”

“You just told me about a body snatching fungus,” he chuckled. “What other girl is going to do that?”

Jungkook had a point. A very strong point. For all your new found confidence when it came to him, you couldn’t keep the heat from rushing to your face. Or the back of your hands from trying to hide it.

“I would tell you to stop being embarrassed but it’s cute when you blush.”

The two of you came to a complete stop at the crosswalk. The red light blinking to tell you two it wasn’t safe to cross. It felt like a weird metaphor for this moment in your life.

Stop! Do not keep staring back at him as if he strung every star in the sky. Stop! Don’t continue to entertain the thought that he looked like he wanted to kiss you or that you desperately wanted to kiss him back. Stop! Even though you already knew it was too late.

You had plans. It’d all been strategically mapped out in your head until you could read it forwards and backwards to yourself. Do your best to graduate high enough in the percentage range to get into a decent college. Get a degree for a job, it didn’t matter what it was, that made enough money to help your parents. For all your careful planning, none of it had included him and yet, the universe had you both standing at a stoplight looking at each other like there couldn’t be any other reality where you weren’t meant to end up right here. Standing at this exact light and looking at one another like no one else existed.

Luckily, the light changed signaling for you to begin to cross. The mass of bodies that had accumulated behind you began to push you both forward and, reluctantly, broke your gaze free from him. Your brain was scrambling to pick up a conversation you weren’t sure how to resurrect. Your mind too busy daydreaming all the scenarios you would’ve taken in different realities if you were braver. Clearing your throat, you did your best to wipe the thought clean and focus on your current reality.

“If it makes you feel better,” you started your body turning to consider him as you spoke, “the study was only ever done on the tropical ants that resided in the forest. The actual effects and what it could do to humans has never been studied. Yet. But I’m willing to bet it would take longer than nine days for it to take hold of a grown adult's nervous system and larger batches.”

He was looking at you in inspired mock horror. You weren’t sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. Or if your unusual fact telling about zombie fungus had completely killed the mood. You got your answer in an excited hush of, “Holy shit it’s like you’re writing your own super villain backstory.”

A smile erupted on your face as you playfully rolled your eyes away from him. It was hard to miss the mischievous glint in his eyes or the way his whole face still swam with the playfulness that lurked underneath his teasing. Jungkook was so alive. A force that required you to hang on or else you would get swept up in him without even realizing it’d happen.

You wondered if this is what falling in love felt like.

“I would make a terrible villain. I’m too clumsy,” you stated. Your weak attempt at downplaying yourself being met with a stern look.

“How clumsy are we talking?”

“Hmm, I would say, ‘Kronk giving the llama potion to Kuzco,’ kind of clumsy.”

A hiss of air whistled between Jungkook’s teeth. A mock look of worry on his face as his hands moved to reposition his bag.

“Can we call that clumsy, though?”

“What else would it be?” You asked.

You could feel the lines grouping together in your forehead just trying to figure out what he was getting at. Jungkook didn’t seem to be in any rush to answer you. The two of you walking a few feet before he must have decided you’d waited long enough for him to reply.

“I always thought Kronk was stupid throughout the whole movie, but really, he was just a good person. He’s a good guy tasked to do a bad thing and he just wants to make people happy. Even if it means doing the wrong thing.”

You wanted to ask if maybe he was talking more about himself than The Emperor’s New Groove at this point. He faced forward with his brow creased in deep thought and whatever it was that held his thoughts didn’t appear to be anything good.

“Or,” you started, voice light enough to drag him out of his head, “it’s just a kids movie.”

Sure, Jungkook was looking at you, but he didn’t seem to actually see you. Somewhere inside his head, he was reenacting or seeing something that ate up all the sunshine that lived in his bones. It felt silly to feel a sense of panic about something that might not even be true. And yet, you couldn’t stop the awful thought that sadness was trying to make a home inside his soul.

Without giving it another thought you reached up and pretended to wipe away a pretend rogue eyelash from his cheek. The suddenness of your fingers brushing on his skin jolted him from wherever his thoughts had held him hostage and back into the present. His eyes darted around your face and his own hand came up to gently take yours.

“Sorry.” Your words came out breathy as you struggled not to focus on how he was practically holding your hand. “There was an eyelash. The wind must have blown it away.”

The earlier sadness that’d hollowed out his eyes was gone. What replaced it was one of knowing you weren’t telling the truth. His head tilted slightly down to inspect your empty finger of the proof you knew your words didn’t have whose eyes sparked with his usual teasing and something else. Something that left a different kind of heat flooding your cheeks.

“I’m sure there was.”

Reluctantly, you removed your hand from his and continued to walk. It only took him a couple seconds to fall effortlessly into step beside you making you wonder if his leg was as injured as it seemed.

A warm silence swelled around you as you continued to walk. A comfortable pace setting between you as he looked in the windows of every store you passed in between the changing streets. He never once asked if you were getting close to your home or how much farther it might be. It was like the moment on the back of the bus. The two of you enjoyed that the other was there without ever feeling the need to say it.

But you knew it was soon coming to an end. In only a few blocks, you’d be home and your fairytale moment would end. You were struggling on how to break this, more to yourself than Jungkook, when you noticed he pulled a Nikon camera from the side of his bag. He was squinting through the lens and taking photos of something up ahead. Of the landscape or the people and buildings that framed it you weren’t sure.

He must have sensed your silent question as he snapped a few more quick photos before turning to acknowledge you.

“Y/N, I have a serious question for you.”

It was hard to keep the amusement off your face as you both came to a stop. The place felt random, but it was anything but that to Jungkook. Whatever he saw in this space you both inhabited must have felt like magic to him.

“Okay. Shoot.”

“Do you think we have enough time for me to take some photos?”

It felt like such an odd request. Why should anyone have to ask to do something that they loved? Jungkook didn’t fully say he loved doing it, but no one spent that much money on a nice camera if it wasn’t something they enjoyed doing. The look on his face was just an added bonus of proving your answer meant something. One that made you wonder why he felt like he needed your permission at all. And then it hit you: he wanted to stay in your company while he did it.

You considered teasing him, but he looked too vulnerable standing there. You weren’t even sure if he was breathing. A pleading in his eyes that reminded you of a child asking a mother to go on just one more ride before they were forced to go home. You considered giving him the bad news that you had more than homework to do when you arrived home. But that could come another day. On this day, with him, you could spare an hour just to make him happy.

Instead of coming right out and letting him know you’d made up your mind, you decided to play coy. A soft, “Hmm,” hummed around you as you looked everywhere but him. Your index finger tapping on your lips for dramatic flare.

"Ok," You shrugged. "I think I have some free time I could spare."

His eyes squinted in question as you moved to stand in front of him. The movement simply to let a couple go by in peace, but somehow placed you closer in front of him. Jungkook’s gaze was roaming your face to find an answer to a question he hadn’t yet asked.

“You planned on saying yes this whole time, didn’t you. You were just trying to make me suffer waiting for you to answer.”

You gasped in pretend shock and did your best not to smile at his accusations. By the growing smile on his face you knew you were failing miserably.

“Me?! I would never do such a thing.”

“You’re secretly a sadist!”

Jungkook’s smile only widened as a scoff of disbelief passed from your lips. Your own smile grew to match his own when his hands lifted up his camera. Seconds later the sound of the shutter clicked and you felt your soul leave your body. The earlier playfulness was swiftly swept in your own dark cloud and the idea you probably looked hideous in that photo.

“Oh god, Jungkook delete it,” you pleaded.

Your hands were reaching out to grab tightly at this shirt. Your fingers curled in the white fabric until there was a small chance you could tear holes. The camera in question was being held far from your reach. His hand easily held it above his shoulder as he used one hand to steady you against him. You’d invaded his space without even realizing, but you had no time to be embarrassed. Not when he had a picture of you forever saved on that camera.

“Why would I delete it?”

He was his usual amused self you could tell, but he wasn’t egging you on. His question was out of curiosity. His own eyes brimming with it as you considered keeping one hand tightly wound in his shirt and the other to jump up and reach for the camera.

“Because Jungkook I’m not cute. You’ll be lucky if it doesn’t ruin the camera.”

All his earlier playfulness drained from his face and what was left made you instantly feel like you were about to be scolded. His hand that had firmly planted itself on your hip was achingly apparent now as his fingers gripped you closer to him. Your own awareness at how close you actually were to his chest made your lips feel dry. Your tongue flicked out to wet them and god, it took everything in you not to focus on the fact his eyes had followed the movement.

“Y/N, why would you say that? You shouldn’t let anyone talk down about you, and you shouldn’t do it to yourself either. You’re beautiful.”

He spoke like it was a fact. A statement that not just the two of you knew, but the universe did too. And what were you supposed to say back? While you were held captive to the thought he was still looking from you to your lips. The determination for you to understand his words and believe them setting soft lines in his face. You tried to keep looking at him, but under his watchful gaze you couldn’t keep yourself from fidgeting. Your eyes moved down the line of his body until it landed on the tops of your shoes.

You weren’t sure what to say back. Thank you didn’t fit here. It didn’t feel like a moment where he was trying to boost your confidence the way a friend did. This felt more like someone who noticed something in you while you hadn’t been looking.

So instead of saying anything remotely clever back you began to dislodge yourself from him. Your hands releasing their hold on his shirt and forcing his hand off of your hip. Standing there with only inches between you, your body was achingly aware that his hand was gone. It’s weight leaving a burning of longing to have it back forced your hands into your pockets and your body turning away from him. You waited for him to start moving back down the road. The motion forced him to either join you or stay where he was.

“We should get going before we run out of time.”

You hated yourself for dismissing him. For not being bolder like you’d promised yourself earlier in the day. It would’ve been the perfect time to thank him. To tell him how you were pretty sure there wasn’t a soul on earth more attractive than him, but that what made him beautiful is what he refused to let people see. The soft tone of his voice still singing along to the songs on the back of the bus had ended up being an unspoken lullaby when you’d gone to sleep.

A part of you considered turning on your heel and telling him this. To tell him that you saw him; actually saw him for who he was and not who he felt like he needed to be. But you just kept moving forward and weren’t surprised when Jungkook found a steady rhythm back beside you.

The both of you stayed quiet. This time it felt more forced than the easiness of earlier. Like the two of you had so many missed starts at creating a conversation that neither of you could understand why it ended.

You watched him as he focused on the area around him. His camera training on an old couple who sat waiting for the next bus. The husband had clutched his wife’s arm close to his side. In his hands he was peeling what appeared to be an orange and with each freshly peeled slice, he gave one to her and one to himself. No one knew what they were conversing about, but it didn’t matter. To them, they were the only two people there. The wholesomeness of the moment made you wonder what they were like back in their youth.

You listened to the flutter of the shutter click repeatedly. His hand twisting on the lens to bring it in and out of focus, while he himself remained deadly focused on capturing their moment in time. You were curious how the photos would turn out in the end and wished there was a way to show them how their love translated on film.

You were in the middle of watching Jungkook turn his attention to a couple birds inside a cherry blossom when he spoke.

“Thank you for agreeing to walk with me while I do this.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Jungkook.”

A sad smile curled his lips as he dropped his camera down in front of him. His thumb skimmed over the buttons to quickly go through what he’d previously taken. The last one he landed on made his entire face light up and you felt a pang of jealousy at what it could be. How you wish he would look at you like that.

“Maybe, but I feel like I do. Ever since my accident, my appa hasn’t been able to force me into things. For once, I get to just do what I want. Sucks it only had to cost me a friend and a leg to get some freedom.”

Your feet had carried you to the next stop sign. The sudden halt in moving forced you to look at him, really look at Jungkook, like you’d never seen him before.

He wasn’t looking at you now. His ears a screaming red while his fingers danced over every part of the camera. His eyes roaming over its edges and flicking too fast through pictures to actually even be looking at them. For the first time since you’d met him Jungkook was scared to look at you. Scared for what you might see if you did.

Looking at him now, you couldn’t have been happier to indulge him. You’d indulge him for the rest of your life if he’d let you.

“Well, I’m happy to be of service.”

You mentally smacked yourself at your choice of words. Jungkook, however, was backing to his beaming self as he finally glanced in your direction. His eyeing ate up your embarrassment as it was your turn to face forward. Your feet hopping in place as you waited for the light to flash it was okay to walk.

“I’m supposed to be at physical therapy right now.”

“Wait, what?”

The light was flickering finally for you to all move. Your feet moved to carry you forward unintentionally, just to keep with the flow of traffic, as Jungkook gave you a small shrug for an answer.

“Did you say you were supposed to be at physical therapy?”

Another shrug and another long pause with no answer. It seemed he had been waiting for you to round the corner onto a quieter pedestrian free street before he replied, “After school. I have appointments almost everyday and I never go.”

“But why? It’s meant to help you get better, isn’t it?”

“Get better to do what, exactly?” He huffed. Jungkook’s entire body took on a broodier tone. His cane practically dug small holes with each press into the pavement. “Who even says that I can get better?”

“Well, doctors for one,” you pointed out. “I’m sure they wouldn’t have signed you up for it if they didn’t believe you could get better.”

“If I was going to get better it would’ve happened already.”

It felt like walking on eggshells. This side of Jungkook was the boy you’d met on his first day of class. His guarded demeanor up on high alert, as he kept his gaze stoically forward and his chin held high.

“You’re not an idiot, Jungkook. You know injuries take time to heal from. It doesn't just magically happen overnight.”

“Who says that I want to get better?”

The coldness in his words forced your legs to stop working. Your feet were unable to move as he continued to push on ahead of you. His own movements became slower now as the long walk was beginning to take its toll on his leg. He knew you weren’t beside him anymore and still he tried to keep pushing forward, before eventually he had no other choice but to turn around.

The look on his face was as defiant as ever. Underneath that defiance was a sadness so raw you only wanted to reach out and hold him. If just to remind him that he was seen and that his pain mattered.

That’s when the realization hit you.

“Unless you feel like you deserve this.”

The stone façade he’d worked so hard to create in the past few minutes began to chip. His eyes being the first to show by the soft uprising of tears that you were right. Somewhere deep inside Jungkook believed that he deserved what happened to him. That this was punishment for losing a friend at his own hands, even if it wasn’t his fault to begin with.

The tears that threatened to spill never did, but they were there. They floated dangerously at the surface of Jungkook’s control and he refused to let go. The rawness of his pain hit you and all you wanted was to help ease it. You weren’t sure if he would accept any kind of affection, even in a small hug. So your only option was to move closer to him. As close as he would allow without pushing you away.

With each step you could see his jaw clenching tighter; pulsing like he was fighting from saying something wicked to send you skirting back. He was just as afraid of what you were about to do as you were at being the one to do it.

When the tips of your shoes nudged against his you drew your eyes up until they landed on his. A spark of something; fear or uncertainty, flashed in his eyes. Was he expecting you to be cruel? To yell at him to stop being a child and to grow up? How much had he already heard those words shouted by adults? How long had he been standing there like this, in a world full of grief, and no one there to pull him out to breathe before the next wave suffocated him once more.

You weren’t sure if it was you or if what you said would matter, but it was important he heard it. It was important he knew that this was okay too.

“You got to forgive yourself sometime, Jungkook.”

The words themselves were simple. Simple and spoken between you as if there was a secret meant only for the two of you to hear. All you really wanted was for him to feel the sincerity of your words for him to know it was okay. Okay to feel sad, unsure, and helpless at times when all the world felt against you. It was okay to not know your first steps and okay to take those first steps when you were ready. Eventually, we needed to forgive, if only to give ourselves the chance to heal and move on.

His gaze was still misty with unshed tears and still they refused to fall. The pain and defiance that had turned his features harsh began to soften. All that hardness he struggled to keep himself in and others out was beginning to fade and the only thing left was him. All that sunshine that you’d seen lived in his smile and echoed in his laughter that crinkled in the corners of his eyes. The way he cared for others and making them feel cared for. The softness of his singing and the way he eagerly filmed people at their most vulnerable: at their most beautiful.

It was at this moment you felt your universe shift and tip until it realigned itself. With your fingers back to holding the edges of his shirt it took everything in you not to close those final inches and hug him. Jungkook closed that distance for you instead.

His lips crashing down on your cheeks causing a soft squeak of surprise to push free from your lips. A chuckle came as he came back into view and your mind struggled to comprehend what happened.

It wasn’t a kiss on the lips but…

“Did you just kiss my cheek?”

Your hand was up to the aforementioned spot. A wicked smile wiping away all of his sadness until you weren’t sure if it had been real at all or if you’d imagined it.

“I could kiss your lips if you’d like that instead.”

If your cheeks could get any hotter you could’ve fried food on them. You felt a surge of disappointment when Jungkook took a reluctant step back from you as his eyes dropped to check the time on his phone.

“As much as I hate to say this: I have to go.”

“All of the sudden you have to go,” you huffed.

Your words felt brave, but inside your heart was thundering wildly against your chest.

“I could stay if you want?”

Smoother than expected, Jungkook slid his way back to you. His chest bumping against you making you lose your footing just enough that it forced you to grab on to his shirt. Jungkook’s own hand had moved behind your back to steady you and bring you closer to him all at once.

You playfully smacked his chest and earned a soft laugh from him. Unfortunately, you found yourself peeling away from him. Your hands grasping at the strap of your bag to keep them from reaching back out for him.

“Not a chance.”

Your reply earned a playful pout from him as he started walking backwards away from you.

“I’ll remember that, Y/N!”

You rolled your eyes and turned around to start walking the rest of the way home. You didn’t get more than a few feet before he called back to you. Your eyes found him instantly in a crowd of people that continued to pass in front of him.

“I forgot to ask: what’s your number!”

He held up a pen expecting you to come back to him and write it down presumably on his arm or hand. You didn’t see any paper and could only assume. You knew it was all just a ploy to get you to come to him. The knowledge evident by the wicked grin on his face.

“You’re a math wiz, right?” Jungkook was perplexed for a second before you started reciting your number as loud as you were willing to shout it. The wind blew it away as he no doubt struggled to listen.

“Wow! What a way to play dirty.”

“If it’s meant to be you’ll figure it out.”

And maybe that was true. Maybe you both had a chance to write your own love story like from the movies and shows you used to watch with your mom. Like Rose and Jack from Titanic or Ross and Rachel...okay...maybe more like Chandler and Monica. Or maybe you were an idiot and should’ve just gone and wrote it down. It was too late now as he was already on the other side of the street.

You were ready to walk the rest of the way kicking yourself for being so lame when you heard him call your name again. When you turned you didn’t expect him to be trotting across the road. You didn’t expect him to stop in front of you and give you another quick kiss on the cheek, this one gentler than before, with every fiber of your body remembering just how soft his lips felt.

“I could fall in love with you, ya know.”

You watched as in the same breath he hopped back across the street and couldn’t help but think you already had.

————-

Later that night you were snuggled up inside the sheets of your bed. The only thing sticking out was the current book you were reading and the top of your head.

You hadn’t heard from Jungkook the rest of the day. Your heart hammered inside your chest every time your phone chimed with a new message only to deflate when you realized it wasn’t him. You loved your friends and all, but they weren’t who you’d been looking forward to all evening.

Maybe you should’ve just gone to him and written down your number. Like a normal human being would’ve done. You just had to be clever and yell it out like a lunatic. For all you knew, you could end up with a random stranger texting you at all hours.

Your current book that you were supposed to be reading but couldn’t really read because you couldn’t focus was now face planted onto your nose. A soft groan echoing into its pages as you fought not to close it and throw it somewhere in your room. You were a hundred percent sure you’d read the same sentence a few dozen times at this point.

In the morning, you decided, you most definitely were just going to write it down. Like a sane person would’ve done. You closed your book and placed it down beside you. Your eyes roaming up to stare at your ceiling and wondering if you were ever actually going to go to sleep when your phone chimed off.

You weren’t in any hurry to look. It could just be your parents from the restaurant making sure you were in bed. It could be one of your friends asking about making plans this weekend. It was probably still everyone but Jungkook and yet…

Your curiosity got the better of you. You shuffled inside your comforter, reached an arm out to grab your phone from the nightstand, and quickly pulled it back inside. You waited for your facial ID to unlock the screen to see who or what you’d received. Your own mind hyping up the suspense of the moment until it read over a reminder text from your dad about your chores for the upcoming weekends.

You hated you’d let yourself have even a glimmer of hope. It was official. You’d ruined your chances when it came to giving out your number. A groan was creeping its way up your throat as you quickly sent back a text. You knew your chores took over almost every weekend. Even when you’d made plans with friends, you’d ended up never going.

As soon as you’d hit send you were rolling over to put your phone back on your nightstand. The shrill sound of pinging messages stopped you cold. There was no way your dad had learned to text back that fast. You laid yourself flat back against the mattress and brought the phone to hover above your face.

Y/N?

Is this the right number finally?

Hello?!!

If this is the wrong person, I’m sorry. I swear I’m not crazy. Just looking for a girl.

Your heart leapt into your throat. It was beating so hard you were scared it would burst from your chest. Your eyes were still skimming over the line of text messages when another one sounded. You were so caught up in reading the next line you weren’t aware your clammy fingers had let the phone slip and it crash landed down on your face.

“Ooow!”

One hand scrambled to pick it back up off your face, while the other massaged the now swelling brim of your nose.

How many people have you texted before me?

There wasn’t a need to send a hi. To give him a coy response to continue to tease him or make him believe he’d gotten it wrong again. Your curiosity at the desperate way he seemed to have been looking for you was endearing. The thought that he’d spent so much time sending out random messages for a response, no matter how crazy he looked, felt silly but cute too.

Jungkook thought you were worth the trouble.

OH MY GOD IS IT REALLY YOU?! And maybe like... seventeen.

You snuggled deeper into your comforter as a soft giggle joined the growing smile across your face.

I’m sorry I should have just wrote it down when you offered the pen lol

It definitely would’ve made it a lot easier.

You’d asked yourself that question all evening while you’d waited for him. You bit your lips as your fingers hovered over the keyboard. Unsure if you should take the chance and tell him.

“Screw it,” you whispered as you typed.

Took you long enough. I’ve been waiting forever.

Well, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. This girl thought it was a good idea to shout random numbers at me 😅😂.

Your head was shaking as you tried to figure out something witty to say. You couldn’t believe you were here. Inside your comforter cave smiling at your phone like a lunatic and wondering if maybe Jungkook was doing the same. Or what was he even doing? You were getting ready to type out that exact question when your phone pinged to life.

So, ugh, on to more important matters. It read. I was thinking about your love of random facts and I think I got one for you.

Ooooooo kekeke this should be good

Do you want to know it or not?

Okay okay! Lol please tell me Kookie

You could practically feel him screaming through your phone as a sideways glance emoji was sent back in a long lined response. You wondered if you’d completely ruined his fact telling when your phone went off.

I found this article that said the chances of finding your soulmate out of 500,000,000 people was impossible. But, if you just place it to where you are, to your age group, and timing it narrows it down to a 1 in 10,000 chance. What I’m trying to get at is...I think your my 1 in 10,000

You read the message on repeat. Over and over until you were sure you’d practically memorized it front and back. You wanted to ask him for his source material. Where such an article could exist. None of that really mattered to you and how could it?

You must have spaced out because you never sent him a reply. Your thoughts were still spinning in a world all their own as you wondered if he was sitting at his desk doing homework or lying in bed. If he was inside or outside and what had made him so brave to send that message: believing you felt the same.

The vibration of the phone brought you back down to earth. You expected to see question marks or another line of, “Hello?” To have left him on read. Instead, the only thing that greeted you was a simple, Goodnight, Y/N.

This time there was no hesitation from you.

Goodnight, Jungkook

See you in the morning ?

His text felt so hopeful. A silent undertone that if you said no there was a chance you’d break him. You bit your lip as you thought about what this meant. The beginning of small promises that eventually grew into bigger ones.

I’ll meet you at the gate

You both finished up with another round of good night’s that felt like the embarrassing texting equivalent of “no you hang up! No you!” And placed your phone back on your night stand. It took forever for the sandman to finally claim you. Your dreams consisting of the magic of being Jungkook’s 1 in 10,000.

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that-was-anticlimactic · 3 years

Text

sk8 headcanons because i am Bored

autistic langa likes frozen fruit a lot—strawberries are his favorite—because he likes the cool texture

reki has lip freckles that really stand out after he’s been in the sun a lot ! there’s like four or five of them :)

just thinking about “all those friday nights / under the lights / under the bleachers together / you and i were meant to be something more than a faded memory / till you and i / something divided us” but matchablossom,,,

“but i’ve already lost it once / what i already won / i’ve lost too much now to care / but i know that something’s still there” ,,, matchablossom,,, ahhhhh

miya and shadow being besties,,, shadow being miya’s parental figure and miya being his adopted nb child,,,

shadow being the first person miya comes out as nonbinary to,,,

adam going to jail,,,

reki having a stuffed animal collection and letting miya name some and then realizing that miya never had a stuffed animal growing up so reki gives miya one of his older ones that he loved as a child and then buys them a new one too… and miya asks reki to name it for them because sentiments,,,

after seeing the girl he had a crush on kiss someone else, shadow takes out his feelings on the only thing he knows how to—skating at s but he’s not in a good mind and he feels sick because he thought he thought he thought he had a chance and he doesn’t pay close enough attention and gets hurt and miya calls him an idiot and patches him up and shadow feels like a kid again but it’s kind of nice to have someone else actually help with his wounds instead of just attempting to wash them and then cover them with makeup by himself,,,

joe and shadow bonding over hating the feeling of loneliness so they make up for it the only way they know how which is being loud and being extra because they don’t feel as lonely if they’re loud

reki, miya, and cherry = adhd club

cherry and reki drawing together… and reki teaching cherry how to be more loose and carefree when he draws and cherry teaching reki how to add more structure to his art,,,

langa stealing and wearing reki’s headbands,,,

langa with glasses

reki’s sisters doing cherry and joe’s hair,,, or even reki, langa, and miya doing their hair and shadow just watches and takes pictures and reki puts cherry’s hair in fishtails because he had practice with his sisters and cherry secretly likes it (and so does joe) and miya and langa just. completely messing up joe’s hair and putting hair clips in it and langa attempts a ponytail kind of like how cherry does his hair at s (and no cherry did Not find it very attractive shut up)

shadow being a scrapbooker and having like ten scrapbooks from his life,,,

shadow not being as good of an artist as cherry or reki but he does it because he enjoys it and when cherry and reki find out they invite him to draw with them

the crew / sk8 fam all going to shadow’s house and doing a couple scrapbook pages together and it’s a mess but it’s them and it’s one of shadow’s favorite pages because he’s never scrapbooked with anyone before

langa is just naturally beautiful and photogenic so the art squad always asks him to model for them if they want to draw people

joe has depression because i want him to

and shadow has anxiety

because i do Not want any of them to be neurotypical

yeah so joe has depression, shadow has anxiety, cherry has add and anxiety, miya had adhd and separation anxiety, langa is autistic, reki has tourette’s and adhd and depression ✌🏻

when miya gets old enough, shadow gets them a part time job at the flower shop

miya likes a lot of pillows

langa sleeps with no pillows (unless reki is partially his pillow)

thinking about after reki’s second beef with adam,,, joe after he tells adam off and they’re away from the crowd, he passes out because let’s be real—there is absolutely no way he didn’t get injured and the worse one is probably a broken nose and a huge gash at the back of his head with like skin peeling and stuff like need stitches so the gang all goes to cherry’s and they help patch reki up

somewhere in that time the love hotel gets brought up and by extension getting hit by the car and getting beat up and joe and shadow are on the verge of slamming their heads against the wall at reki’s nonchalantness

and reki’s p injured so he’s laying in the couch with his head resting in langa’s lap,,,

joe tells everyone embarrassing cherry stories from school like all the time (but joe was a foolish child so cherry gets revenge)

miya likes crime documentaries

joe unironically watched supernatural and that’s part of the reason why he and cherry broke up

(maybe joe just thought dean was attractive—sue him!)

lol wait what if cherry sued adam to pay for reki’s medical bills since they inevitably had to take him to the hospital

cherry constantly tells joe that he will sue him

joe may unironically watched spn, but cherry unironically watched glee

langa wrote destiel fanfiction once upon a time

langa wrote cas bakes dean a pie--

miya is carla’s favorite (after cherry)

cherry and langa with weighted blankets also

sometimes reki steals langa’s but only if he stays the night or langa brings it over and usually if he “steals” it, it’s them sharing it or reki needs the comfort of the weight if he’s not having a good time mentally lol

joe with depression,,, i just think about that a lot sometimes,,, sometimes cooking feels meaningless and, like langa, he only feels something when he skates but it’s only this temporary feeling of joy and life,,,

and shadow with anxiety,,, over-compensating his anxiety by being shadow at night and being over the top and sometimes mean because internalized ableism,,, and if he pretends he doesn’t have anxiety then maybe he won’t feel it late at night or when everything seems to go wrong during a shift at work and he keeps dropping flowers because his hands are shaking and girls don’t like guys with anxiety, right ??? so shadow thinks that he CAN’T have anxiety :/// poor dude

miya with separation anxiety pushing people away before they get attached because if they push them away before they become friends, then they wouldn’t be able to leave them,,,

langa always bouncing his foot in class and all the time because it’s his main form of stimming (look at that boy and try to tell me he doesn’t bounce his legs like there’s no tomorrow i dare you) and sometimes it makes his legs sore and cherry and joe once recommended using a heating pad if it got really sore and langa does sometimes and it makes him happy

reki with ts having anxiety when he has to speak in front of the class / do presentations because he’s hyper-aware of his tics,,, so he always meets langa’s eyes and watches langa the whole time and langa sometimes mimes taking deep breaths which really helps but honestly just seeing langa makes reki feel like he can do anything (because he would do anything for langa)

cherry doodling to stim as a child and always getting in trouble for it because teachers used to like get pissed when students doodled (or maybe they still do and it’s just always been pissy teachers and not specifically teachers when our parents were kids) and eventually cherry got fed up with getting points docked for doodling so he started writing lists and stuff and been realized he had impeccable handwriting (also joe let cherry doodle on his hand during classes they had together so cherry wouldn’t get in trouble)

cherry once had a dream that he was rachel berry and joe was finn uhh *insert last name here* from glee and joe had a beautiful voice when they sang duets in his dream so he managed to convince joe to sing in reality and turns out joe cannot sing and cherry’s glee dreams were never the same (look i am tired lol)

joe likes being the strong one in the group and he enjoys being able to mess around / show off by just casually picking people up (he also does it as an expression of love because they’re basically hugs depending on how he holds you) and one day cherry is like… done with it ??? and just strolls up to joe and just throws him over his shoulder or something and joe combusts because he did Not know cherry can do that and no his face isn’t red shut up he doesn’t find this attractive what’re you talking about

miya wants a sword and keeps trying to convince everyone to get them one for their birthday but no one will agree because ‘they’ll hurt themselves and everyone else it does not matter that all your favorite characters have swords that does not mean You should have one’

langa is the kind of person that puts peanut butter on a cheeseburger

reki’s love language is a mix of gift giving and acts of service, but he tends to lean more towards giving gifts. his receiving love language is words of affirmation but he does Not know that yet (langa does—hence his constant “you’re amazing, reki”—and eventually so does the rest of their gang lol)

shadow likes theatre

miya has internet friends,,, so does cherry,,,

joe posts those affirmations on his story all the time

reki’s texts are sometime hard to read because a) his hands get injured a lot and b) tourette’s but langa (and soon the others) learn how to read reki texts

langa sleeps with a fan on for white noise

shadow was worried (and feeling a little left out but if he doesn’t acknowledge it, then that emotion is not real… that’s how that works, right???) since he was in the hospital when reki skated against adam the second time, so when they all went back to cherry’s to tend to reki’s numerous wounds and also celebrate friendship, miya kept shadow on a face time call the entire evening

langa has an android phone

reki is super comfortable with periods because he lives with five girls—he also usually has a couple of pads and tampons on him at all times because he’s the older sibling lol

langa wears socks with sandals,,, so does shadow,,,

shadow’s feet get cold easily so he wears fluffy socks a lot

cherry keeps his fingernails at the perfect length to dramatically tap them against the table (also to freak people out by doing that)

miya is Not a morning person

miya also likes having the windows to shadow’s car rolled up because their hair gets in their face otherwise but shadow likes them down so it’s this constant struggle

i still stand by cherry suing ad*m and using the money he won to pay for reki’s medical bills (… and shadow’s… and langa’s if he needs any)

i just feel like many people have reason to sue ad*m

ponytail langa rights

joe had really bad acne as a child and teen and cherry helped him feel less self-conscious about it and helped him embrace having acne and that’s one reason why he exposes so much skin as joe because it’s a reminder of personal growth <3

also joe has acne scars on his chin and cheeks

joe has cherry’s calligraphy all over his walls

ik i already said so in reki with ts headcanons but he doodles pictures for everyone in the sk8 fam and they all keep each and every one and shadow even puts them in his scrapbook

let langa punch adam 2k21

let reki punch adam 2k21

actually they All deserve to punch adam 2k21

miya’s favorite movie is coraline

langa can’t snap his fingers

joe and cherry always argue over whether even numbers or odd numbers are best

miya does esports

joe was in marching band and was in drumline

cherry stays up late to look at the stars and he had those plastic stars taped to his ceiling as a child

reki eats tomatoes like apples and it makes joe want to cry

okay if the atla & and the sk8 characters became internet friends… these are who i think they’d be internet friends with…

cherry: katara

joe: suki

langa: sokka

miya: aang

reki: zuko

shadow: toph

note: suki, joe, miya, and aang are all actually besties. aang is the kind of person that would usually annoy miya but they just can’t dislike aang no matter how much he may want to and they somehow find themselves attached

but suki and miya would also get along really well because I know they would and aang and joe would just have fun and like it’s what they deserve so they are interchangeable / all besties

also sk8 characters if they were benders...

cherry: fire or waterbender,,, cannot decide

joe: earthbender

langa: waterbender

miya: firebender

reki: resident nonbender

shadow: earthbender

#corey rambles:)#i have a lot of feelings #also i am really bored #no i totally didn't spend like a half hour going through texts with grace just to find all the sk8 headcanons i sent her wHAT #i should be doing homework but uhhh instead i am thinking about Them #it's fine everything is fine the day isn't over yet but it will be over soon keep it together twilight keep it together--#anyways this was brought to you by corey = bored #sk8 headcanons #kyan reki with tourette’s #kyan reki #hasegawa langa #higa hiromi #chinen miya #sakurayashiki kaoru #nanjo kojiro #sk8 langa #sk8 reki #sk8shadow #sk8 miya #sk8 cherry #sk8 joe #y'all idk what to do i might just write fanfiction #at least i'm bored in my apt and not in the er hahhahhahhhahahahha wednesday #maybe i'll make some tater tots #oh and i stand by the glee and spn one #i am not wrong #joe had a crush on dean winchester #anyways i'll stop talking to myself in the tags #lol #wait i will also die on scrapbooking shadow hill

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luckyasfuck · 3 years

Text

maybe i just wanna be yours [k. bakugou]

A CAMBOY AU SERIES - PARTS 1, 2, [3], 4, 5

pairing // katsuki x female reader

tw // cussing, smut

warnings for this part // (kinda?) mutual masturbation

theme // enemies to lovers au, camboy!katsu au, college student!katsu and reader au, no quirk au

keys // y/n, l/n, h/c

words // 1.8k

a/n // pt. 4 will be written at 100 likes and posted at 5-10 reblogs :). i’m glad ya’ll are enjoying it, send criticism and/or ideas in my inbox.

previous part I masterlist

y/n’s head was no longer cloudy.

it scared her at first, her twitter username and bio must have gave it all away. part of her hoped that katsuki wouldn’t notice the notification, and if he did, well she hopes he’d be too dumb or oblivious to know it was her. but of course, bakugou fucking katsuki wasn’t like that. y/n would know, especially when she woke up him following her back.

fucking son of a bitch.

it was very obvious that it was katsuki. from his voice during lives to his demeanor with his posts: reserved. it was a bitch to think about, no matter what y/n did it was all that occupied her mind. she was aware of the comments she had left on his last live, her other hand too busy pumping her fingers in and out of her pussy to make more than two. that’s what bothered her. not only did she get off to her rival of all people, she did it twice. twice!

she thought about it the whole morning as she reached UA. a person came from behind and bumped her shoulder, rushing to the group of people crowding the main gate. y/n knotted her eyebrows, her mind was too all over the place to know what they could have been fussing about.

the crowd completely blocked the gate and she sighed, opting to take another route until someone grabbed her arm. thinking it was a teacher or a student, she turned around with a smile.

what the fuck.

katsuki stood there gripping her arm and her heart dropped. she yanks his hand away and glared at him, goddamn if looks could kill katsuki would’ve made it to heaven right about now. she stared at him with so much intensity, it almost looked like she was gonna go crazy over the fact that he stopped her, let alone even touch her.

fuck, that’s hot. katsuki gulped and mentally slapped himself after the thought. “don’t let the teachers see you-” he whispered, looking around. y/n sighed, “too late.” she looked behind him where their Biology professor stood with a smile.

“good morning, kids! i’m glad i found you two together, which is um... quite new, don’t you think?” the old woman greeted. katsuki rolled his eyes before facing her, standing beside y/n.

the h/c-haired girl didn’t like being near him at all, he had this weird aura and she didn’t know what his intentions were at all. and him approaching her for the first time without being forced by a professor after the shenanigans of last night? way too timed to be a coincidence, though she wishes it was.

“if you don’t know yet, our school’s competing with others schools with this little competition our school made.” the old woman got straight to the point. “the competition is that weekly for this month, a duo would take a quiz on a specific subject together. the subject changes every week and the questions get harder and harder! the 5 duos with the lowest scores are eliminated. it’s said on the board right there!” she pointed to where the students crowded.

“um, okay...? why are you telling us this then?” y/n questioned, adjusting her grip on her bag as the professor smiled again whilst katsuki breathed out a loud sigh.

“i want you both to be the duo that represents our school!”

“miss-” katsuki started, but got cut off. “don’t you think we’re the worst duo for this? i mean,” y/n laughed sarcastically. “you know we hate each other, everyone fucking knows tha-”

“language, miss l/n.” the professor’s sternly scolded and y/n flinches a bit at the change of mood. “yes, ma’am.” the younger girl looked down on her shoes. “i think it’s a good opportunity for the two of you,” the old woman pointed to the two students. “to get along. you two are really gifted, and i don’t want our school to lose this or get humiliated just because you two have beef with each other for reasons unknown.”

y/n was sweating under her jacket and she gulped as the woman walked away, letting them know her decision was final. katsuki breathed out a deep sigh, face-palming. “what are we gonna do now? knowing that bitch, she’ll tell everyone we said yes.”

y/n didn’t bother to argue with the blonde, she knew he was right. the crowd near the gate starts to disappear and she leaves without responding to katsuki. she doesn’t know where the fuck he got the confidence to talk to her so casually. more like she wished she didn’t know.

she knew that he knew.

and he knew that she knew too.

so simple yet so complicated.

class dragged out and y/n hasn’t spared a single glance at katsuki. she’s done this almost everyday since she met him, so it was easy to do. if only he’d stop staring into her soul, knowing she can see him in the corner of her eye.

katsuki’s always liked to stare, though he had nothing to stare at. and now he does, even he doesn’t like how much he’s staring. he’d snap out of it, curse himself and y/n too while he’s at it, then get caught in a daze while staring at her again.

multiple teachers approached them and individually asked them about the competition, their answers were the same the whole time, a bland “yeah, we’re competing as the duo.”

the students sat in their last class, blabbering around and not caring anymore. it was the last class, after all. they were tired and wanted to go home, but of course, they can’t. at least not yet. y/n didn’t feel like listening, she was tired too. doodling in her notebook, her heart drops when the professor calls her name. fuck, i don’t know the answe-

“oh. and mister bakugou too. i think it’s for the competition, the principal wants you two.” the old male lets out an intrigued hum. “don’t you guys hate each other?” y/n and katsuki walked out the room silently, filling the room with embarrassment on the professors side.

the female walked on the other end of the corridor, she didn’t like katsuki at all. his mere presence makes her gag, and she knows it’s the same for him too. that’s why they opted to stay as far away from each other as possible.

the ash blonde walks into the principal’s office with y/n hot on his trail. “take a seat.” the principal said, not looking up from his paperwork. “listen, you two. i heard a lot from teachers about how you compete with each other, but the both of you are the smartest duo here. all i want is for you two to study together and pass the quizzes as best as you can. you don’t even have to get along! and your grades will be perfect A+’s for the whole month, and if you win, maybe i’ll extend to a month more.”

y/n and katsuki’s eyes widened at the offer, it was so tempting. and education always came first before pride anyway. “fine, i’ll do it.” y/n was the first to speak while katsuki just nodded his head.

“it’s settled then.”

[ timeskip ]

y/n plopped down on her bed. the two of them got sent home early and were forced to share socials with each other. they were also granted permission to use the library whenever they wanted, and were given the schedule to study together from their last two classes until whenever they liked. and before going their separate ways, she told katsuki to text her a plan if he had one.

her phone dings and she automatically assumed it was him. and it was. just... a little more lewd. definitely not what she was expecting.

y/n cussed, “since when the fuck did i let this stupid fucking site give me notifications?” katsuki’s heavy breathing and occasional grunts boomed through her speaker and she hurried to click off it, until her eyes landed on his cock.

from what seemed like it, he had already cum once, the white liquid dripping from his slit down his lenght. y/n can’t seem to tear her eyes from the way he stroked his cock, so gentle yet so rushed, so... satisfying.

she shakes her head and kicks herself out of her absurd train of thoughts, thumb hovering over the ‘X’ on the top left of the site. “have you joined the live, pretty face?” she flinches when she heard his raspy voice, thighs unconciously rubbing together and panties already soaked.

“i hope you have, fuck. been thinking about you all day, mhmm~ why don’t you drop your little comments for me?” she could practically hear the smirk in his words, and it irritated her. but fuck, if he wasn’t so attractive. his perfectly sculpted body, his voice, and that pretty cock. it was that fucking cock.

“are you touching yourself, pretty face? you better. this live’s all for you.” katsuki moaned out, stroking himself faster. y/n watched as the chat went crazy, all of them confessing their sins to him like he was some sort of God.

and maybe he was, cause she found herself running a finger through her wet folds as she watched the camboy play with his tip. she shoves a finger inside, moaning with him before moving in and out parallel to his strokes.

katsuki comes again, his strokes coming to a half. he pants before smirking, “pretty face, lookie here.” he shows a fleshlight to the camera, his tip prodding at the toys entrance. y/n slowly adds another finger as he sunk the toy down onto his cock, both of them moaning.

they both fuck themselves into oblivion while thinking of each other, katsuki’s hips violently fucking into the toy as he hissed, “fuck, i bet your pussy feels a lot better.” y/n felt her cunt clench around her finger at the statement as she started to rub her clit as well.

she orgasms a little bit before katsuki shot his load into the toy, both their movements halting as they tried to catch their breath. she types in a comment before finally exiting the site, feeling slightly disgusted of what she just did. she shudders and opts on taking a shower before napping.

“you dirty little thing.”

katsuki felt his cock twitch at y/n’s comment. he ended the live right after, knowing she probably left already. the notifications for money he hoarded sat heavy on his account and he smiled, cleaning himself up after. the image of her with her legs open, her fingers buried deep in her cunt and her moaning uncontrollably was all that filled katsuki’s brain.

and he fucking hates it. he hates how much power the desires of his cock had over him when he was horny.

and the only desire his cock had was her.

next part I masterlist

taglist:

@princesspeach-00 @tamakisropebunny @bakugous-mamas @ll379333 @j1-914 @gazelle-des-pres @trashpandainahat @dickinson-67 @victoriaestein @amelie-chan @your-worst-obsession [ cannot tag last two ]

#bakugou smut #katsuki smut #mha #mha smut #bakusquad smut #bnha smut #class 1-a smut #bakugou katsuki smut #bakugou imagines #katsuki imagines #bakugo smut #bakugo katsuki smut

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thefandomsinhalor · 3 years

Text

Title: What the Heart Misses

Author: thefandomsinhalor

Written for: @destielsecretsanta2020

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Castiel/ Dean Winchester

Word count: 5K

Summary:

After learning that the Winchesters and Jack celebrated Christmas with Mrs. Butters, Castiel takes the opportunity to give Dean a Christmas present. Which then prompts Dean to reflect on the nature of their bond.

Merry Christmas to @castielsbeeslippers 😊💜💙 (surprise!!) who wanted a fluffy fic with Cas and bees! I hope you like it!!

Read on AO3

----

“What the hell is this?”

“It’s a gift. For you.”

Dean, sipping on his morning coffee in the bunker’s kitchen, shot a suspicious glance at Castiel when his friend placed a flashy green box with a big red bow on it in front of him.

“Yeah, I got that, Cas. I mean, why are you giving me a present? It’s not Christmas or my birthday.”

“That’s true. But Jack mentioned that you celebrated the holiday the other day with Mrs. Butters. We were discussing the concept of Christmas and that got me thinking. I realized that I had never taken part in the tradition before. So, I thought of changing that even if I missed the celebration the other day.”

“That’s, um, nice.” And then, Dean immediately felt the need to add, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“And yet, I did,” he said calmly.

Unsure what to say, Dean simply nodded at him, and after gently putting down his cup, he began undoing the bow. He had to admit that he was partially curious to see what Castiel, of all people, could have possibly thought of giving him as a Christmas present.

Almost nervous about it, he was surprised, however, by the actual contents of the box.

Ties.

Three of them.

Made of soft woven silk.

And all three of them had bees depicted on them.

A golden yellow one, with honeycomb print at the bottom and a few bees near the top.

Another one that was a charcoal color, with tiny bees serving as pattern all over the tie. So small, in fact, they barely seemed like bees, which rendered the tie surprisingly classic-looking.

And one blue tie, with a few doodled bees on it.

Which was instantly Dean’s favourite.

Smiling at the corner of his mouth, after eyeing Castiel briefly, he picked up that last one to examine it closer.

It was far from being something he would have selected for himself. After all, flannel and jeans were more his style over suits to begin with, even less so the overly fashioned ties.

And yet, the fact that Castiel had apparently taken the time to choose these specifically for him could not do anything short of bringing a smile to his lips.

“Bees, huh?”

“I tried to find ones with patterns of pies, but I didn’t succeed. I thought—you don’t have to wear them if you feel they will clash with your suit. I simply wished to offer you an alternative.”

Keeping his eyes on the tie, Dean said, “I like them, Cas. Thank you. Can’t wait to try it on.”

And Dean had meant every word. Just over a week later, when he and Sam were sharing a quick lunch with Donna, while reviewing a possible case involving a wraith down in Rochester, Dean had made sure to tuck a napkin into his collar to not soil his blue tie with bees. Once he was done with his bacon cheese burger, which had been delicious, and wanted to study more properly the files Donna had brought them, he pushed his plate aside and freed himself of his napkin.

“Oooh, that’s a neat tie you got there, Dean,” said Donna.

Mildly grinning, he said, “I know.” He lifted his eyes from the document and added, “Cas gave it to me. I know it’s not super ‘professional-looking’ but I thought, what the hell? Why not?”

“He also kind of really likes it,” said Sam, harboring his most serious expression that Dean and everyone else knew was fake. “Like, really likes it. He wore it every day this week.”

Smirking, Donna nodded. “Gotcha.”

Suddenly feeling somewhat exposed, Dean cleared his throat. “I—so? What if I did?” Then, as he fixed his tie, he added, more to himself than to the others, “Nothing wrong with that.”

“Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, Dean. I wasn’t suggesting there was. Quite the opposite, actually.” Seemingly about to elaborate further on his viewpoint, Sam then turned quiet and stabbed his salad with his fork, adopting a casual attitude.

Dean frowned at his brother. His patent change of behaviour hadn’t fooled him. It was clear that Sam had more to say on the subject and Dean was now curious to hear his opinion. He let the matter go, however, when Donna received a phone call informing her that another body had been found, thus prompting the trio to abruptly end their lunch and return to work.

He came back to the topic by the evening though. With the case closed and behind them, they warmly said goodbye to Donna, and soon after they hit the road to return to the bunker, Dean asked, “Why were you giving me crap about liking my tie?”

“I wasn’t. I’m honestly glad you’re enjoying it.”

“Good. Because I am. It was really thoughtful of him to do this.”

“No argument there. I don’t want to say I’m surprised, but…yeah, I really like the book he gave me too.”

“What?” Dean glanced at him, while also carefully keeping an eye on the road. “What do you mean? What book?”

“For Christmas,” said Sam as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“He—he gave you a present too?”

“Yeah. And Jack.” Sam observed him for a moment and then, assessing Dean’s mild confusion, he asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” His eyes back on the road, he fell silent for as long as he could, until he blurted out, “What kind of book? And what did he give Jack?”

“Um, he—he gave Jack a Star Wars movie collection. He’s been going through them again all week long in—”

“—in the Dean Cave,” said Dean, now understanding where the kid disappeared to in the evenings. “Good thing Mrs. B. fixed the TV.”

“Yeah.”

“And what was yours?”

“I got a book about the most notorious serial killers of the past decade.”

Dean blinked. “Wow. That’s—yeah. That’s…tell the truth: had you read it before?”

“No. It just came out a few weeks ago. And it’s really cool. I’m on the chapter about H. H. Holmes, and I gotta say, considering our insight about the guy, it’s riveting.”

Amused at his brother’s weird interest, Dean shook his head. And while he had other questions regarding Sam’s opinion on Castiel’s presents, his train of thought took a turn when something else occurred to Dean.

Particularly once he compared the gifts.

“You okay?”

Dean shrugged. “Yeah. Just—it’s been a long day and I can’t wait to be home, that’s all.”

On the following morning, after a few not-so-restful hours of sleep, Dean got frustrated from all the tossing and turning, so he left his warm bed and hurried to the kitchen in order to get the day started.

The room was spotless, and just as he had predicted, he found Mrs. Butters already waiting for him.

“Good Morning, Dean.”

Wishing her the same, he took a seat at the table. She quickly put down a plate with a western omelette and fruits on the side, as well as a cup of freshly brewed coffee for him.

“Thank you,” he mumbled. But despite being famished, Dean froze, utensils in hands, and simply stared at his plate.

“Not hungry this morning?”

“No. I am. I—I don’t know.” He put down his fork and knife and let out a deep sigh.

“Oh, dear. Would you like a grilled cheese instead?” she asked and seemingly manifested another plate out of thin air.

“For breakfast?” he said, trying to contain his glee (and failing at it).

“Why not?” She delicately dropped the plate in front of him. “You look like you could do with some cheering up.”

“Is this your way of telling me I look like crap?” he asked her, already chewing on his sandwich, which prompted Mrs. Butters to squint at him about manners.

“I feel like a few additional hours of sleep would have done you good, yes.” She returned to the stove where a few pots and pans were sizzling and boiling. But she kept her stare on him. “Anything the matter?”

That was the question.

He didn’t want to admit it, but his conversation with Sam had bothered him. While he was delighted at the thought that Castiel had been generous with Sam and Jack as well, something that didn’t surprise Dean that profoundly, this revelation had forced him to re-evaluate his own present.

And the more he thought about it, the more it left him with a pit in his stomach.

What Castiel had chosen for Sam and Jack had been perfect for them. If he was honest, Dean wasn’t sure he could have done better himself. Jack had been geeking out about Star Wars since basically his fourth day on this earth, and Sam had his odd fascination about serial killers. Perfect.

And then, there was his present.

Ties with bees on it.

Not exactly something that “screamed” Dean.

And yet, for some reason, Dean had genuinely enjoyed the ties. He had been touched by his kindness and attention. And while ties and bees weren’t things Dean held a deep fascination for, he knew that it was, in some ways, an interest to Castiel.

And that had meant something to him.

Until, that was, he learned of Sam and Jack’s presents.

Now, he felt like his gift was impersonal. Like Castiel hadn’t know what to give him, so he had picked the first thing he had thought of.

And that, above all, bothered Dean. It saddened him, even. Not that he believed himself superior to the others, but Dean, for quite some time now, had been under the impression that he might be something else to Castiel.

“What’s the matter, dear?”

“Oh, um, no—nothing.” He took another bite of his tasty grilled cheese.

Mrs. Butters left her pots once more and joined him at the table, sensing his hesitation.

“Now, now. Something is troubling you. What is it?”

Shifting on his seat, he said, “Not important.”

Unsatisfied with his lie, she took his plate and the second half of the grilled cheese with it.

“Hey!”

“You will get it back as soon as you answer truthfully.” She gave him a menacing look.

Annoyed, Dean momentarily considered abandoning the rest of his grilled cheese to save himself from an awkward conversation.

But his stomach growled and he knew it was a lost battle.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll tell you. Can I have my sandwich back though? Please?”

She held her severe stare for a little longer, assessing his words, and once she judged his tone to be honest, she nodded and returned his plate to him.

“So, I have this—you know who Cas is, right?”

She nodded. “Your friendly angel. Jack’s third adoptive father.”

“Um. Yeah. I—I—him.”

“What about him?”

“Well, he—after you made Christmas happen, Cas gave me—us—Christmas presents.”

“How kind!” she said joyfully.

“Yeah.”

He swallowed hard.

“It wasn’t?”

“It’s just…I’m—I loved the gift—I’m just confused as to why he gave me this.”

“May I ask what it was?”

Dean told her.

Mrs. Butters studied him for a moment and then said, “Were you hoping for something else? Something specific in mind?”

She had said it in such a playful tone it had almost made Dean feel uncomfortable.

Transparent, one might have said.

“I wasn’t expecting anything at all. So, no. No—nothing specific.”

“But you are disappointed.”

“I—I don’t know. No. I’m just…I was happy about it because I—I thought it might have meant—but now I feel like I may have misunderstood.”

“Hmm.”

Desperate to avoid her stare, Dean returned to his grilled cheese, feeling embarrassed by the nature of the discussion.

It was too early in the morning for this.

He remained with his eyes glued to the table for a short time. Once his plate was empty, however, he had no choice but to glance at her.

“So, what are you going to do about it?” she finally asked him.

“What?”

“You say that your friend gave you a present, which you really loved, but that you are now questioning the original intent of the gift. Correct?”

He nodded, determined to not lower his eyes.

“It seems to me that you need to shed light on the situation. So, how do you suggest to go about it?”

This question brought Dean a worrisome thought. Exciting, in parts, but worrisome.

“I—I was thinking that, um, maybe—” he started saying, but the rest of his sentence died in his throat.

“Maybe what?”

“I—I was just thinking that maybe I should do the same. Maybe I should get him something.” He cleared his throat and awkwardly looked to his left, even though nothing remotely interesting was happening there. “Maybe that will, um, help clarify a few things that I—yeah.”

“That’s a wonderful idea.”

Dean let out a short laugh, feeling embarrassed more than ever, as he was deeply praying that Sam—or anyone else, really—would never hear of this conversation.

“What kind of gift were you thinking of?” she asked, utterly invested.

“I—I have no idea.”

“Do you intend to give him something practical? Something he may need?”

Dean pursed his lips. “Not really. It’s not like he really needs anything…he’s an angel.”

“I see. Then, something he enjoys, perhaps? Does he have any type of hobbies?”

“Not…that I know of. He likes bees. And emoticons. And…yeah.”

After a short pause, she then said, “If Castiel doesn’t need anything material, perhaps you can offer him something else, then?”

Swallowing, Dean said, “Like what?”

“I don’t know, dear. He’s your friend. You should know what would please him. As they say, it’s the thought that counts. You are worried that you might have misunderstood something. Perhaps you didn’t. So, think back on the present he gave you and how you felt about it. A nice gesture to symbolize how you feel? That might be a step towards the right direction.”

Following Mrs. Butters’ advice, Dean took time to reflect greatly on the matter at hand. Gifts. Feelings. Meanings.

Which made him even more confused than before.

The fact was that he had previously given Castiel presents. He had even done so on a few occasions, actually. Just never on Christmas. He had done so randomly and simply because he had felt like it at that moment.

Like when he had gotten him a cowboy hat in Dodge City.

And the mixtape.

Of course.

Which Dean didn’t want to dwell on too much. Even if he had meant it. And had certainly not regretted it.

But now, in this context, remembering what Mrs. Butters had told him about his intentions, Dean found the task rather pressuring.

The main problem was that most of everything that came to Dean’s mind that could qualify as “a nice gesture” were things that he would have no problem doing under any circumstances. Which, in his opinion, lessened the effect.

Well, almost everything.

There were certain ideas that could potentially work. They would definitely make some things clear. Be that as it may, Dean wasn’t entirely sure that was the way he wanted to go at this. Mainly because he wasn’t convinced that Castiel would necessarily find it charming—for the lack of a better word—nor did Dean, for the time being, want to get ahead of himself.

One problem at a time.

From the moment the darn ideas had set into his head, however, it had been difficult to get rid of them, to the point that it had rendered him distressed.

Which was why he decided, quite beside himself, to ask Sam for help.

“So, I was thinking,” said Dean, attempting to sound casual, but inevitably failing at it, “since Cas’s been through the trouble of getting us something, maybe we should do the same.”

Sam, not lifting his eyes from his book, nodded. “Cool.”

In the hope that his brother would share a little more insight on the matter, Dean remained still, waiting for Sam to start his usual brainstorming session.

But nothing.

He simply turned the page of his book. He continued reading, sitting across the table. He didn’t say anything.

Annoyed, Dean said, “Any ideas?”

“What do you want to get him?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m talking to you right now.”

Finally looking at him, Sam said, sighing, “Dean, I’m sure Cas will be happy no matter what you give him.” When it was evident to Sam that Dean hadn’t liked his answer, he added, “You know that you don’t have to get him anything, right? It’s not an obligation.”

Shifting in his seat, Dean said, “Maybe…. maybe I want to. Maybe I—I’ve been meaning to for a while.”

Diverting his eyes, as he knew full well Sam was most undoubtedly staring at him, he waited for him to comment, perhaps tease him, even. But to Dean’s surprise—and relief—Sam did no such thing.

“Dean, if you’re getting at what I think you are—and about freaking time, by the way—I’ll help you. But I really think it ought to come from you. You know?”

Dean nodded shyly, agreeing with Sam’s point.

They remained silent for a brief moment, until Sam, taking pity on his brother, shut his book and said, “How about we go into town? You can check out a few of the local shops on Main Street? I was gonna go later this afternoon for a bit of groceries anyway. Browsing might give you some ideas.”

Dean let out a massive sigh of relief and thanked his brother.

Even though he had difficulty believing that he could find something worthy of an angel of the Lord at a local gift shop.

And his assumption turned out to be correct.

Clothing stores. Bakeries. Electronics. And so on.

None were offering him good ideas.

Some options? Yes.

But again, not the best ones. Not what Dean wanted to convey, at the very least.

Getting slightly discouraged, he was about to leave a quirky coffee shop he had stopped by for refueling, when something on display caught his eye next to the cash register.

A tiny object. An ornament. It wasn’t jewelry. Not exactly. Nor was it flashy. It was simple and effective.

And, more importantly to Dean, it held a sort of statement. Perhaps in an old kind of way. And yet, Dean liked it.

It was perfect.

And then, he spotted another item, which he believed could be complimentary. And Dean knew this was what he needed to get Castiel.

The only aspect left to figure out was when to execute the gift exchange.

Of course, Dean could have simply waited until the next time they saw each other or simply called him on his way back to the bunker.

And while that was what he ultimately did, Dean was then blessed with another idea that could make the exchange far better and less random.

But for that he needed the help of Sam, Jack and Mrs. Butters.

And so, a few hours later, after the others had agreed with his plan, he dressed up—wearing his tie, of course—called Castiel and invited him to the bunker.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Nothing’s wrong. We just—come by. We have something planned.”

Puzzled at the mystery, but nonetheless inclined to oblige, Castiel joined them a few hours following Dean’s call.

And witnessing Castiel’s surprised expression when he entered the bunker had been worth the effort and the wait of the first part of his plan, Dean thought.

“What’s all this?” said Castiel, pointing at the garlands on the ramp. And the Christmas lights around the ceiling. And the large tree in the middle of the war room.

“Mrs. Butters was about to move on to the next holiday, but, um, I—I was hoping we could get a redo before that. So you could enjoy it with us this time around, I mean.”

“That’s…very considerate and inclusive, as it was unnecessary,” said Castiel, nearly apologetic.

“Dean’s right,” said Sam. “Although we hadn’t planned to celebrate, it was kind of a bummer that you weren’t there when we did.”

“And then you were nice enough to offer us presents, which you really didn’t have to. So, I—we thought we could have another go at it. With you this time.”

Castiel, now at the bottom of the stairs, was staring at Dean with a warm expression. His eyes fell on his tie, and he smiled shyly.

“It won’t be an exact replica of how we celebrated the first time around—”

“Mainly because we didn’t want to seem either ungrateful and too capricious to Mrs. Butters,” said Sam, cutting his brother off.

“I would have done it properly, Samuel!” she exclaimed, sounding offended.

“Though she keeps insisting she would have done it,” said Dean under his breath.

“But close enough,” said Sam firmly over his brother’s voice, wanting to put the matter to rest.

After taking another look around the room, with a genuine grin on his face, Castiel thanked them. “That’s very kind of the both of you.”

“You’re welcome,” said Sam. And as he offered him an eggnog, he added, “Just also want to let you know that, while this,” to which he gestured to the room, “was also Jack’s and Mrs. Butter’s doing, as much as mine and Dean’s, it was primarily Dean’s idea though.” And then he added in the most awkward way, “I’m gonna go check on Jack now.”

And made himself scarce.

Mrs. Butters along with him.

Thus, leaving Castiel and Dean alone.

“Is what Sam said true?” asked Castiel, taking a step towards him. “You did this?”

“It was about time we had Christmas together, no?”

Taking a deep breath, Castiel stared at him for a long time. “Again, thank you.”

“No problem. But this is just the beginning.”

“What else have you planned?”

Smiling mischievously, Dean said, “You’ll see.”

The next few hours were filled with jubilation. Mrs. Butters had them carolling, they nearly fell into a sugar coma, and participated to a gingerbread house contest, dutifully orchestrated by Mrs. Butters.

Everyone had a great time. Beaming at one another, they shared a sumptuous meal, which had been prepared by the Winchesters and Jack—not just Mrs. Butters.

They also played games afterwards. Mrs. Butters beat all of them at cards. Sam dominated in Trivia. And while Castiel and Jack failed to understand the concept of Mad Libs, they had both somehow managed to create the most hilarious and nonsensical stories Sam and Dean had ever had the pleasure to hear.

Enjoying himself as much as he was though, Dean felt jitters multiplying within his chest as the evening progressed. He caught himself staring at Castiel more times than would be deemed acceptable, and when they exchanged looks, Dean wasn’t able to do anything but beam at him.

He eagerly awaited an opportunity to give Castiel his present in private.

He almost had done so when everyone had busied themselves by bringing back the dishes to the kitchen. Pulling Castiel aside for a brief moment would have been plausible.

But not ideal.

He seriously contemplated the option to do the same when Sam went to help Jack find some additional board games that they had stashed in one of the storage rooms, but he doubted that they would be gone for very long. And sure enough, Dean had barely had the time to pour himself and everyone else another eggnog before Jack burst into the room, carrying an impressive number of boxes.

But at last, Dean got his chance during Monopoly. Despite everyone’s investment into the game, the general vibe surrounding them was of a mellow mood. So, after retiring from the game because of bankruptcy, and noting that Castiel was soon going to suffer the same fate, Dean momentarily left the room to fetch his present.

He had carefully left it on his bedroom’s desk.

Biting his bottom lip, he stared at the small red box. He pondered one last time on his choice.

It was a common enough item, like the ties.

And like the ties, to him, it meant something.

And more than anything, Dean couldn’t wait to see what Castiel would think of it.

The anxiety rose within him.

He was satisfied with his choice.

And there was now only one thing left to do.

Dean needed not venture too far though. Just as he exited his room, Castiel turned the corner in the hallway.

“Hey.”

“Hello, Dean.”

“Sam and Jack got the better of you too, huh?”

Castiel came to a halt once he had reached him.

“It appears that I lack financial skills.”

“It happens to the best of us,” said Dean, smirking. But after noticing a hint of uneasiness in Castiel’s eyes, he said calmly, “Everything okay?”

“More than okay. I really enjoyed the evening, thank you.”

“Awesome. I’m glad, Cas.”

“I simply wanted to let you know before you decided to turn in.”

“Oh,” said Dean, glancing behind him. “I wasn’t. Not yet, anyway.” And then at Castiel’s mild perplexity, he added, “I—I actually came to get this.”

He retrieved the little box from his pocket where he had stashed it moments ago, took a look in the hallway, wanting to be sure no one else was seemingly listening, and presented it to Castiel.

“It’s for you. Merry Christmas.”

As his eyes fell on the present, Castiel seemed genuinely surprised by this.

“You didn’t have to do this. The evening was wonderful, I told you.”

“You got me something. I wanted to do the same.” He slightly lifted his hand to incite Castiel to take possession of it.

Which he did, right after returning a warm smile at Dean.

He observed the box for a second, almost as though he was trying to guess what was in it, and began pulling on the thin string.

“Oh, just—before you open it, can I ask a question?”

Castiel stopped and nodded.

“Why did you give me ties? I love them,” he added promptly. “I just—why?”

“Why do you ask?”

After a short hesitation, but determined to be honest, he said, “I heard about what you gave Sam and Jack. I was just curious how you came to decide on that.”

Castiel nodded once more, now understanding Dean’s question.

“Well, the truth is that it was very difficult to find something for you.”

“How so?”

“There are many things that you enjoy, such as alcohol, food, car related items, pornographic magazines,” to which Dean lowered his eyes for a moment, “firearms and so on, that I could have given you. But I deduced that it was…too practical? Or—most definitions of ‘gift’ in dictionaries suggest that it is simply the act of giving something willingly and freely. Almost none speak of the emotional intent of said act, which I thought was unfortunate. I was under the impression that the intention behind a gift mattered more than the gift itself or the very action of giving.”

Shifting on his feet, Dean said in an even voice, as much as he could master, “So, why the ties?”

“I—I was trying to mirror the cassette tape you had given me.”

This was not the answer Dean had expected.

But he liked the way it was going.

“How do you figure that?”

“Rock music is something you adore. You had wanted me to have something you enjoyed. I saw it as something you wanted to share. And it always reminded me of you when I listened to it.”

And with that, Dean knew he had picked the right present.

“Was I wrong in my assessment?” asked Castiel.

And Dean shook his head, feeling his chest swell with fuzzy feelings.

“I know it isn’t the same,” continued Castiel, “but it was more or less what I was trying to convey with the ties. I cannot always be hunting with you as much as I’d wish, but I figured, that way, the ties might remind you of me.”

Dean swallowed hard before saying, “I don’t need the ties for that. You know that, right?”

After exchanging a deep, lingering look, Castiel gave him a shy nod. Feeling the awkwardness rising between them, despite being appeased by Dean’s words, he then finally took it upon himself to open his present.

He momentarily froze, staring at it after the reveal.

It was two small, delicate pins.

A tiny golden bee.

And a colorful piece of pie.

Castiel stared at Dean, stunned, which rendered the task of holding down his grin very difficult for Dean.

“So, the idea was that this one was intended for you, and I—may I?” asked Dean, as he stepped closer.

Castiel nodded.

Taking hold of the golden bee pin, he said, “I didn’t exactly mean to go all fifties with this, but I—I don’t know, I liked it and thought you might as well.”

“I do like it,” he said earnestly.

Glad, Dean took a deep breath and with a short nod at his upper chest, he silently asked Castiel if he wished to wear it now.

Castiel stepped forward.

As Dean delicately pinned the golden bee on Castiel’s jacket collar lapel, he heard him say softly, “Dean?”

“Hmm?”

“When you say ‘going all fifties,’ are you referring to courtsh—what did you mean?”

Done with his task, Dean gently pressed on the pin to make sure it was safely attached, and stepped back. And met Castiel’s eyes.

“It’s as you thought. That’s why I got another one. That one is for me.”

He processed what Dean had just told him, and as he was reaching out for him, Castiel began saying, “Dean, I—I want—”

Unfortunately, something interrupted him. A loud horn was heard, making them both jump. Unfamiliar with the new alarm, Castiel questioningly frowned at Dean. Amused at his confusion, Dean explained, as loudly as he could over the horn, “Mrs. B.” and “Monster radar.”

Which only brought Castiel additional questions.

The moment the racket was over, before Dean even had time to utter another word, Sam, coming from down the hall, called for them with a sense of urgency in his voice. Castiel turned himself in that direction, while remaining at Dean’s side.

With their shoulders touching.

When Sam finally appeared before them, he said, “So—sorry, I’m sorry. I hope I—I didn’t mean to barge in—”

“It’s fine,” Dean told him. “What’s up?”

“Rugarus. Almost half a dozen of them in Concordia according to the radar.”

“Awesome.”

“I know it’s late and that you—but I don’t think we can wait any longer. And I—I’d go with Jack, but he has to stay hidden because—”

But Dean cut him off. “It’s okay, Sam. No worries. We’ll be there in a minute.”

Sam gave them both an apologetic nod and turned on his heels, eager to leave them be.

Once he was sure that his brother was out of earshot, Dean refocused his attention to Castiel. “What were you going to say?”

“It can wait. Duty calls.” His tone hadn’t been grim. Or even with a hint of disappointment. Simply as a matter of fact.

But he stayed put, facing Dean, with no effort to leave.

“You’re right,” said Dean. “It can wait. There’s just one—a couple of things—I’d like to cover before we join Sam though.” He lowered his eyes to the box Castiel was still holding.

Letting out a faint laugh, Castiel said, “I’ll put it on you right now if that’s what you want. But considering where we are heading, shouldn’t we wait? I don’t want you to lose it. Maybe I should even keep this one safe.”

He lifted his hand to reach for his pin, but Dean stopped him. Holding his hand, he said, “Don’t worry about that, it will stay on.”

“Aren’t these fragile? I told you, I don’t want to break it or lose it.”

“You won’t. I took care of that. I—Mrs. B. helped me. She—just trust me, the only way this is getting off your coat is because you, and no one else, wills it.”

There was a short pause. “Then you are right. It will stay on.”

He lifted the box and installed Dean’s pin in turn.

“Happy?”

“Very.”

“Dean, will you let me know when you will celebrate the next holiday? I’d like to be there.”

Giving his hand a squeeze, he said, “No way we are doing this without you. I’m looking forward to experiencing the rest of them with you.” And knowing that Sam was waiting, he said, “Just one last little thing before we end this one though.”

“What’s that?”

And Dean, slowly leaning in, breathed, “A kiss.”

And he was granted his wish.

THE END

#destiel fic #destiel fluff #SPN xmas #destiel secret santa #my fanfic #Dean Winchester #castiel #castiel and his bees #Dean Winchester loves Castiel

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a-ghostlight-for-roman · 3 years

Text

how to never stop being sad

Summary: Following his brother's acceptance, Roman's life felt like it was falling apart. His family was turning against him, that awful snake was being allowed in their home, and worst of all, he still couldn't seem to do anything right, no matter how hard he tried.

How does he choose to deal with it?

Not in a good way, that's for sure.

Warnings: Gore/Death/Violence (none actually occur but it is described), food mention, cursing

AO3 link

Chapter 1

Repeat to yourself that they’re not really gone

Time has proven

That fooling yourself into believing a lie

Is the most effective way

To deal with things you have no control over

Roman was fine. Completely 100% percent, absolutely fine, and he would tolerate no thinking to the contrary. Things were abnormal, sure, but he was coping. Maybe he felt a bit (a lot) guilty for letting things in the Mindscape get so bad, but it’s okay! He’s managing! Maybe he’s surrounded by people that barely tolerate him now, but he’ll fix it!

...eventually.

Right now, though, he’s in his room. Alone, as is usual these days. Usually, he’d ask Patton or Virgil to hang out with him, but after the last video, things were… Tense, to say the least.

Patton wasn’t mad at him, of course; he wasn’t ever truly mad at any of them. However, Roman would have to be stupid not to notice the disappointed looks Patton gave him when he thought he wasn’t looking or the way that after Roman left the room, he always made a point to talk to Janus afterwards, as if he needed special attention just for enduring Roman’s presence.

Things were a little better with Virgil, but he was frustrated with Roman for tolerating Janus’ presence at all. Despite his obvious vitriol towards him, he still outright refused to talk about what exactly Janus had ever done to him. So Roman was forced to choose between Patton, his father figure who’d never meant to do him wrong (who had acted like Roman was unreasonable for sticking to the very moral rule set that Patton had imposed on him since they were children), or Virgil, who Roman had been wrong in not listening to before, & who was obviously extremely hurt and betrayed by both Janus, and now his own family.

He still hadn’t quite been able to choose, straddling the line between adhering to Patton’s kindness policy towards Janus and respecting Virgil’s feelings. It didn’t really work-- rather, it just seemed to leave them both dissatisfied. Roman could hardly stand it.

...but it’s fine. Really. It’ll blow over eventually. He isn’t quite sure how, exactly, but things always turn out alright in the end, right? There’s always a happy ending.

Except when there isn’t, but… bad endings only happen in Remus’ stories, & he doesn’t have power here in the Mindscape.

...except he sorta does, now. After his video, he’d (albeit reluctantly) been accepted. His ideas were considered, even valued, now. Sometimes, he was even chosen over Roman. Not only by Thomas, but also by the other sides, at times; Logan may think he’s slick, but Roman’s seen him specifically request his brother’s assistance in the Imagination, in the living room, in the archives, in his room- It made Roman sick to think about, and whenever he walked through the house, he could see evidence of his brother’s influence littered throughout. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand the appeal. When had society fallen so far as to value a duke more than a prince?

---

Roman hadn’t thought he’d been in his room for long; he’d only meant to duck in to get a breather after having to endure Remus’ maniacal ramblings for nearly half an hour, but it seemed he’d been brooding long enough to attract Logan’s concern. He heard a knock at his door and broke out of his haze, looking towards it.

“I apologize for bothering you Roman, but I was wanting to inquire whether you were alright. It’s been an hour,” Logan said. Had Roman really been away for that long? No wonder Logan was checking on him.

“Yeah, Specs- Sorry. I’ll be out in a minute, just finishing a project,” he lied. Logan was so cold, calm, rational- Surely he would look down on Roman’s groveling simply because he couldn't deal with his brother for more than a few minutes. As much as Roman was full of himself and proud of his work, he thought if Logan talked down to him, he’d break down and cry.

“We’re currently 'hanging out' in the common room. You’re welcome to join whenever you finish. I look forward to hearing about what you’ve been working on.” Roman could hear his footsteps slowly grow farther from the door.

Shit. Now Logan thought he’d been working on something, so now he had to do something-- he couldn't just show up empty-handed. They’d see through his lies in an instant. He’d be just as bad as Janus, imagine what Virgil would think--

He took a steadying breath. Okay, yeah, he’d lied, but that wasn’t so awful, he just had to make it right. He just had to make something, and that shouldn’t be so hard, right? That’s his job! He’ll just think of something real quick, and it’ll be done in a jiffy, and then it won’t be a lie anymore, and on top of that, he’ll have something to talk about! Talking parts were hard to come by sometimes when you had to find something that would include the two people you hate most, your former-enemy-turned-best-friend, your dad and your colleague (as he insisted to be called), but everyone was always eager to hear his new ideas, so this would be perfect.

---

It was nothing special, but it would do. He hadn’t had the time or energy to think of a concept for a whole scripted video, so instead, he’d written the next Shoutout Sunday. Simple, but it had to be done, and it was already Friday, anyways. He closed his notebook, and stood up, keeping it under his arm. He never knew when inspiration would strike, so he tried to carry it with him whenever possible. He opened his door and stepped out from his room, making his way down the hallway past the multicolored doors of the other sides, pointedly avoiding looking at Janus’ signature black and yellow-colored door. Out of sight, out of mind.

As he walked into the commons, the conversations faltered for a moment, but everyone quickly returned to what they were doing. Remus was noticeably absent; Patton and Virgil were curled up on the couch, sharing a blanket between them and speaking in excited whispers; and Logan and Janus were speaking across the counter separating the living room and the kitchen while Logan made dinner on the stove and Janus leaned with his hands crossed under his chin.

Roman lingered by the stairs for a moment, caught off guard by the lack of greeting, but continued to the side of the couch not occupied by Patton and Virgil. He’d hoped to share his script with Logan, but he was busy at the moment, and he so rarely was this casual with the others; Roman figured it better to let him be for the time being. He pulled his notebook from under his arm and summoned a pencil from his desk. If he couldn’t share his idea, he might as well get started on the next.

He spent around five minutes doodling a new creature to introduce into the Imagination when Logan finally seemed to notice he was there.

“Ah, Roman! Apologies, I hadn’t noticed you were here. What was the idea you were working on?” he asked. He turned off the stove and fully turned to Roman, looking past Janus. Roman was almost ashamed to say he felt a certain degree of satisfaction that Logan had put aside his conversation with Janus in favor of speaking with him. Keyword being "almost."

“Well, it is a most illustrious, melodic creation--” Roman sunk down from the living room and rose into the kitchen, laid his now open notebook on the counter, and gestured towards it with a bow-- “Behold, the newest Shoutout Sunday!” He smiled and rose from his position, bouncing on his feet a bit as Logan rested his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful, and read it. Logan gave a slight, satisfied smile.

“So you’ve worked ahead of schedule, then. Wonderful! Good work, Roman."

“I know,” Roman replied, beaming, “I shall have a new idea by the morn-- perhaps I can even start the next video script!”

“So long as you do not burn yourself out, Roman. Otherwise, I look forward to your next contribution.” Logan closed Roman’s notebook, handed it back to him, and then opened a cabinet, gathering bowls for… Whatever healthy monstrosity was in the pot on the stove. Roman could only guess what it was. Some sort of soup, maybe? “Will you be joining us for dinner tonight, Roman?”

“I’m afraid there are simply too many ideas and too little time, I must return to my work!” Roman replied. Janus narrowed his eyes at him from across the counter.

“I wouldn’t be witnessing any self-neglect right now, would I, Roman?” his voice dripped, cool and patronizing. It carried a lilt of care, but it was clearly faked-- Patton would have scolded him if he’d been listening. Roman rolled his eyes.

“No, I am simply dedicated to my craft! Creations don’t come from thin air, do they?” he replied. Logan tilted his head, brows furrowed.

“...They do,” he said. He raised his palm, and atop it, a paper appeared. “As you can clearly see, I’ve just summoned this piece of paper- Now, it’s not on par with many of your creations, of course, but I’m sure you understand my point. Just last week, you summoned me a new Rubik’s Cube. Don’t you remember?”

Virgil snorted from across the room, and Roman sighed. “Yes, Specs, I- I remember. I meant that metaphorically.”

“That was not a metaphor. According to Oxford Languages Dictionary, a metaphor is 'a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.' Would you like an example?”

“Not now, Logan. I’ll be taking my leave-”

“Aw,” Patton interrupted, “why not stay? You’ve spent so much time up in your room- Now, I know sometimes we need our alone time, but spending some time with your famILY won’t kill ya!”

“Did someone say kill?” came Remus’ shrill, excited voice from by the lamp where he’d just appeared.

“Not that kind of kill!” Patton rushed, “there will be absolutely no killing on my watch, mister!” Remus put his hands on his hips and blew a raspberry at that, exaggeratedly pouting at him.

“You’re no fun,” he replied. “Nothing wrong with a little casual murder to pass the time! Everyone dies sometime, might as well make it exciting.” Patton grimaced as Virgil’s eyes went wide and he groaned.

“...Everyone dies sometime. We are going to die. Thomas is going to die. Death is inevitable,” Virgil mumbled shakily, though it was still quite loud once the tempest tongue kicked in. He put his hands in his hair, but before he could pull at it, Patton led his hands away.

“Now Remus, that may be true, but there’s no need to dwell on it, especially when you know it will upset Virgil,” Logan said with a strict tone.

“Oh oh, I wonder who’ll go first when Thomas dies? Think it’ll be all at once, or one by one? I vote Roman-”

“Won’t you just shut up?” Roman spoke up, voice raised. “You’re harming Virgil and you know it. Keep your ideas in your side of the Mindscape; We don’t want them here.” His fists balled up as he glared at his brother. Oh, what he’d give to be able to walk up to him, to punch him square in the jaw. He’d love to unsheathe his sword and bury it right in his fucking stomach, to watch the emotions flicker through his eyes as they slowly went glassy and he collapsed to his knees, the blade continuing up through his skin like it was paper, the blood leaking through his clothing and pooling around him on the floor-

Roman blinked hard, brows furrowed. No one had responded to him yet, because it had only been a moment. What kind of thought was that? Certainly not one becoming of a prince. Was Remus messing with him somehow? Roman knew he could project thoughts into Thomas and the others’ heads, but Roman had never experienced it himself-- Why would Remus give him an intrusive thought right now, especially one so gruesome as to include his own gory death by Roman’s hands? He didn’t look like he had done anything, but he had to have, right? Roman didn’t come up with ideas like that. He was light creativity, he was good creativity!

Patton must’ve noticed his distress, as he quickly looked between the two. “Oooookay,” he began, “Remus is being a little inconsiderate of Virgil. And that isn’t okay! But that doesn’t mean we don’t want him at all. Everyone messes up from time to time!”

“But he’s doing it on purpose!” Roman exclaimed. He gestured his arms towards Remus and waved them incredulously. “I mean, look at him! He doesn’t even care!”

Remus didn’t respond, continuing to stand in his spot, smiling and unblinking. Janus cleared his throat, gathering their attention.

“I’m sure Remus just loves being talked about as if he isn’t here. Regardless, it’s hardly fair to criticize him for one incident that’s a result of his function as intrusive thoughts, especially considering that you’ve shown a pattern of worse behavior over the past… What, three years?” He looked towards Logan for confirmation.

“Yes, approximately that long, although that’s a misleading usage of the information. He’s improved over time,” Logan responded.

“Only if you consider his treatment of Virgil exclusively. Regardless, you've proved my point,” Janus said, sounding satisfied. “If it took Roman three years to warm up to Virgil, why does Remus only get a few months? Not to mention that he’s just being told that he’s unwanted and to leave, you've never experienced despite your actions, and which is preposterous notwithstanding.”

Virgil finally ripped his hands from Patton and covered his ears, shutting his eyes tightly.

“Shut up shut up shut up!” he said frantically. Patton bit his lip and looked around the room.

“Listen, usually I’d encourage a healthy family discussion, but now’s really not the time to be doing this-- Roman, please go to your room. Remus, I’m not mad at you, but I’d really appreciate it if you would go ahead and leave for the night, too.”

Roman stared at Patton for a moment, mouth agape and brows furrowed. “My room- Patton, I’m not five! This isn’t even my fault-”

“Don’t argue, Roman,” Logan cut him off, “Do as Patton said. We’ll discuss this more in-depth later.”

Roman gave a loud scoff as he trudged across the room and began making his way up the stairs. He gave one last glare to Remus, who’d finally begun to move, and then continued to his room, where he fell backwards onto his bed. He closed the door with a flick of his hand, and stared at the ceiling, letting out a resigned sigh as he reminisced. Why was everything so backwards nowadays, he wondered? When had the dastardly acts of his brother become the new norm, overshadowing his own heroism and creativity?

It wasn’t as if Roman could even do anything about it, either; Patton’s decisions on what was right and wrong was like the word of law in the Mindscape. Sure, Roman could challenge his thinking, but he hardly wanted a repeat of his… Frog incident. He couldn’t bear it if he distressed him that much again. All Roman could hope for was that one day, sooner rather than later, someone would either talk some sense into him, or he’d come to the realization himself that Remus was merely a parasite to their famILY.

For now, at least, Roman could dream.

‘Patton loves me just as much as the others. He’s a dad! Dads love all their children equally.‘

‘Even if it seems like it sometimes, no one really hates me- Well, besides Remus.’

‘...And even if they do, I can fix it.’

Even if it meant lying to himself.

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laws-yellow-submarine · 3 years

Text

Together With Fruit Ch. 9 (Snippet)

Omgomgomg I actually finished something omg

Obviously this is not the full chapter, but it’s a pretty major chunk of it, and because I’m just so proud of myself and happy that I actually got something I set out to write forever ago FINISHED, I am posting this snippet here as a one-shot (it’s...more than a snippet really, it’s like 4000+ words, and it’s mostly unedited so...ye’ve been warned lol)

Word Count: 4199 (yikes)

Enjoy! Hopefully I’ll have the rest of the chapter finished within the next week or so!

“We’re finally nearing the Grand Line…” Nami muttered, pointing at a spot on the map. “It looks like the only way into it is through Reverse Mountain here.”

“Reverse Mountain?” Hazel murmured, peering over the girl’s shoulder at the point where the seas intersect.

“What a pain. Can’t we just sail straight through it?” Zoro groaned, glaring from where he sat leaning against the rail. Sanji shook his head.

“Nope, from what the geezer told me, that’s the only way boats can enter.”

“How come?” Usopp asked.

“Cause it’s supposedly dangerous.”

“But how come?!”

“I don’t know any more than that!” Sanji yelled, glaring at the sniper.

“Boys, please…” Hazel scolded, trying to stop any fights before they could occur.

“The reason for that is-”

“Alright! I got it!” Luffy interrupted Nami, pointing at the map. “Then let’s head straight into it!”

“Are you even paying attention?!”

“But it sounds fun!” Luffy insisted, grin never wavering. “Plus it’d feel way better going straight into it!”

“Fun or not, I’d like to actually make it to the Grand Line before we die,” Hazel told him, side-eyeing her brother’s enthusiasm. Nami shared the sentiment.

“Talking to you makes me feel like I’m gonna go crazy…” the navigator whined, palm to her forehead in exasperation. Luffy soldiered on, ignoring the women’s concerns.

“Anyways, let’s stop at an island first and get meat! Meat! Meat!” Nami reached a finger out to point at a spot on the map, and Luffy and Hazel both peered closer at the paper.

“There’s a famous city on this island...Loguetown.”

“Loguetown?” Luffy asked, puzzled look on his face as he tried to think. “What? Is it famous for its meat?”

“Also known as the city of the beginning and the end…” Zoro chimed in, thoughtful look on his face. “I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that before.”

“It’s where Gold Roger, the former Pirate King, was born,” Hazel supplied, appearing somber, “and where he was executed.”

“The town where the King of the Pirates died...” Even Luffy’s voice was tame, contemplation clear in his eyes. Nami swung her gaze to meet his, sly smile finding its way across her cheeks.

“Wanna go?”

“Yeah! I wanna see it!” As he spoke, his voice grew more excited, though it never lost its reverence. “I wanna see the town where the man who got the One Piece - everything this world has to offer - was born and then died!” Luffy stood up, grin fixed firmly back in place. “Nami! Set sail for Loguetown!”

As the crew scrambled to set their course, Hazel smiled at her brother’s excitement, though she didn’t share the enthusiasm. She didn’t really harbor any opinions on the former Pirate King, good or bad; there just wasn’t enough information available on who the man truly was. She had asked her grandfather once, considering what she knew about his connection to Ace, but after hours of pestering the only thing he’d told her was “don’t believe everything you hear”. Other than that cryptic statement, she knew about as much as anyone else: he was born in Loguetown, he circumnavigated the entire world, then turned himself in (to her grandfather, no less), and was executed in his hometown. For someone who was so famous, you’d think there’d be more to know about him.

Hazel looked down at the notebook in her hand, blank since Shells Town except for the notes she’d taken. She wasn’t going to let Luffy fall into that same level of anonymity. Sure, the boy couldn’t care less about the fame; his views on being the Pirate King weren’t shared by most other pirates, though she found his ideals to be more admirable. What she really didn’t want to happen, though, was for her baby brother’s name to be smeared by the media, with nothing to counteract it.

Which meant she had a lot of work to do.

“Well, before we get to Loguetown, I have to get to work. Which means I’m shutting myself in my room until I’ve finished writing about our adventure so far!” Hazel stated for all to hear. She ignored the odd looks sent her way. “So no one bug me, ok?” When she’d received satisfactory nods, Hazel made her way to the girls’ room, shut the door, and plopped herself down at the writing desk. She ripped out her pages of notes so she could refer to them easily as she wrote, then opened to a blank page, her pencil hovering above the paper.

An hour later and the page was still blank.

Hazel’s pencil had moved, at least. It’d been set on the desk, balanced on her nose (a failure on her part, but no one could see it so she wasn’t too pressed), twirled between her fingers, tucked behind her ear as she stretched in her chair (and changed position at least three times; currently she had her feet on the back of the chair with her head leaning on the desk). She’d doodled little pictures on her note pages; tiny flowers and crude renditions of her crewmates (note to self: hide these so Nami doesn’t see). There’s a reason she hadn’t decided to illustrate this book.

Another hour later and her legs hurt from how much she’d been bouncing them. The page remained blank, her mind void of ideas, and her eyes were fixed on the picture frame hanging on the far wall. Maybe some food would help? She didn’t think she ate much at breakfast…

As Hazel made her way on deck, she couldn’t help but smile at the sight that greeted her. Nami was lounging in the sun on the top deck, being served some fancy drink from their newest member. Zoro was, surprise, napping beneath the mast, his swords propped in his lap. Luffy sat on the other side of the ship, watching Usopp practice with his slingshot. Oh, that could be fun!

“Whatcha guys doin’?” Hazel asked, sneaking up behind the sniper, causing Luffy to laugh at the boy’s frightful shriek. “Oops! Sorry, Usopp!” He just glared at her in return.

“Usopp’s practicing his slingshot! See? We set up some targets against the other side of the deck, he’s really good!”

“Well, you see Luffy, I’ve been using a slingshot for at least 25 years,” Usopp boasted, ignoring the fact that he was only 17. “Which of course makes me an expert sniper!”

“25 years, huh?” Hazel snarked. “Well, mister “expert”, whaddaya say to a little contest? The closer to a bullseye gets you more points. Whoever gets the most points wins.”

“Uhh, ok, Hazel. But where are you gonna get a slingshot?” Hazel just pointed to Luffy. Specifically his arms. “Hey, now, wait a minute! You can’t use him!”

“Why not?” Hazel and Luffy asked, both with blank looks on their faces. The sniper spluttered.

“Because-! He’s not-! And you-!”

“Ok, look - we’re not going for power here, just accuracy, so it’ll still be a fair contest. And we’ll use the same ammo, ok?” She left no room for him to argue back, immediately grabbing one of the pellets from his hand and positioning her brother. Usopp rolled his eyes behind her, but sidled up next to the two, aiming his own slingshot at the first target.

“Ready...aim...fire!” Usopp let the pellet fly, smacking the target right in the center.

“Hey, nice job Usopp! But I’m gonna tie it up right here!” Hazel ribbed, tying Luffy’s fingers together to form a sling. She pulled them back, tongue poking out between her teeth as she aimed carefully. When she felt confident in her position she nodded, waiting for Usopp to give the signal, and then let go.

The target shattered to pieces.

“Oh fuck-!”

“WHAT ARE YOU THREE DOING?!” Nami’s shrill voice called, causing all three to wince.

“Luffy did it!” Hazel immediately yelled while Usopp checked the ship for damage.

“No I didn’t!”

“Now, Luffy, you know you shouldn’t lie.”

“I’m not-!”

“ENOUGH!” Nami yelled again, interrupting the siblings. “I don’t care who did it, you’re just lucky the ship didn’t get damaged! You and you-” she pointed to Usopp and Luffy “-clean this up! And you!” Nami pointed at Hazel, making the older woman feel suddenly small. “You’re supposed to be writing right now! Not breaking things!”

“Well...you see...the thing is…” Hazel trailed off as Nami continued to glare at her. Huh. She didn’t like being on the receiving end of this. “I was hungry…?”

“Then ask Sanji-kun for a snack and get back to work. You told us not to bother you and we’re listening, take advantage of that!” At Hazel’s huff Nami smiled. “If you’d like, you can sit in the tangerine grove. I find it very relaxing when I need to focus.”

“Hmm...a change of scenery may be helpful. Thanks, Nami,” Hazel smiled, rolling her neck. “I better go bug Sanji.” But Nami held up a hand to stop her.

“Nope! You go sit, I’ll get it. I don’t want you to get distracted again.” The orange-haired girl walked away without another word, and Hazel was forced at that point to just listen to her. She made her way to the upper deck, finding a nice spot under the trees to nestle in. She reopened her notebook to the still blank page, and tapped her pencil against her chin as she tried to focus. The breeze up here was nice, as well as the sounds of her crewmates (Luffy and Usopp had made a game out of cleaning up her mess). The smell of tangerines wafted over her, muddying her senses. One of her curls was tickling her forehead.

She’d made zero headway by the time Sanji appeared with a snack.

“Hazel-chwan!~ I’ve brought you a plate of delicious sandwiches, and a fresh glass of cabernet sauvignon,” the man said, brandishing a platter on one hand and a glass of deep red liquid in the other. She looked to the glass curiously. Despite having practically lived in a bar half her life, she’d never actually tried wine. Her alcohol tended to be of a rougher variety.

“Oh, yeah, alcohol. That’ll help,” Hazel muttered, hoping Sanji didn’t think her rude. For all she knew, it would get the creative juices flowing, so to speak. “Thank you, Sanji.” She smiled at the cook, his feet practically floating off the ground in happiness. He turned to leave her, and Hazel tentatively took a sip of the wine...only to immediately cringe when the bitter liquid hit her tongue. She glanced around in panic, hoping the blond didn’t see, and snuck the glass behind her back, hidden under the trees. “Ooh! Sanji, wait up!” she called, wine forgotten as she grabbed her plate and ran after him.

“Yes, my love?” Sanji asked, twirling around to gaze at her through heart-shaped eyes.

“I just realized that I never asked about what happened at the Baratie! After we left?” The cook’s expression had switched to confusion at her question. “In fact,” she continued, following him into the galley, “I don’t actually know that much about you. Tell me, what’s your dream? Your motivation? Your tragic backstory? Spare me no detail!”

For the first time since they’d met, Sanji wasn’t looking at her with adoration. In fact, he almost looked a little scared. His eyes darted around for half a second while she pulled out her best pout, gray eyes shining like a puppy begging for table scraps. Later, she’d chide herself for being so mean. After all, she used to practically torture Ace with that expression. But for now, she needed answers.

“Well…” Sanji started, pulling himself together before all the blood rushed out of his nose. “I am merely a humble sea cook, mademoiselle. I fought valiantly for my former home, and for the chance to gaze upon your lovely visage once again.” He flourished into a low bow.

“Uh huh,” Hazel chuckled, an amused smile on her face as she raised a brow. “Definitely humble.” Sanji rose back to standing, an easy grin in place at their shared humor. “Come on, lover boy. Sit with me awhile and tell me a story.”

The two sat and talked for a time, Hazel’s pencil scratching across the pages of her notebook as Sanji divulged all the details he felt comfortable sharing: how Luffy had bartered with Zeff for his freedom, the way he’d swatted projectiles with a single kick. She had a feeling he may’ve been embellishing his actions a bit, but having seen the way he’d toppled part of a building at Arlong Park, she knew it wasn’t all bluster.

He told her of Pearl, the man who’d covered himself in armor, only to lose his mind (and catch fire, apparently) at the first drop of blood. How Gin, the man he’d helped, had taken the old man hostage, and how he’d been willing to die to save his mentor’s dream. Hazel filed away that note for later, planning to ask about the clear devotion Sanji had for the old man, even if the blond tried to hide it behind snark.

She tried not to laugh when Sanji told her Luffy destroyed part of the ship. From what he was telling her, it was actually a brilliant stroke on Luffy’s part, and definitely contributed to Sanji’s outlook on the situation; but the way the blond’s curly brow furrowed over his eyes at the memory was, in her opinion, hilarious.

“So, wait,” Hazel started, pausing Sanji’s tale of his fight with Gin. “How did you come to the Baratie in the first place? Zeff isn’t your father, is he? Why so devoted to preserving his dream?”

Discomfort crossed the cook’s face, as it had earlier, but whether it was his dedication to please the woman in front of him, or because he’d already come this far, he gifted her with the reason. “He saved my life,” was the simple answer. The follow-up nearly brought tears to her eyes.

Hazel reached across the table, covering his hand with her own, and she sent him a soft smile. A light blush dusted his cheeks, and she allowed him to turn away to light a cigarette; she even grabbed the ashtray off the back shelf for him.

Just as they were about to continue, the door to the galley swung open, a rubbery body bouncing its way inside. “Sanji!! Food!” Luffy yelled, head turning frantically before his eyes finally settled on the cook.

“You just ate, you damn animal!” The cook scolded, and the somber mood was broken as Hazel burst into laughter.

“But I’m hungry! Food!”

“I’m busy!” Hazel took that moment to step in.

“It’s alright, Sanji. I can get the rest from you later. If you don’t start dinner soon, we may not have a ship to sail on anymore,” she laughed, drawing Luffy’s attention. The boy leaped onto the bench in front of her, taking Sanji’s place, and glancing at the notebook for a second without reading.

“Whatcha talkin’ about? Whaddaya need Sanji for?”

“He was telling me about your fight with Don Krieg, since I missed it.”

“Oh! I can tell you! There was a boom! And a woosh! And then I went ‘Gum-Gum Bazooka’! And then there was poison gas, but we’re fine, and then everything went boom boom boom boom! And then I got poked a lot! And then-” Hazel tuned out as her brother continued telling her all about the fight with as little detail as possible. Sanji shot her a confounded look over their captain’s shoulder, and the girl replied with a nonchalant shrug. When Luffy finally finished, he looked to his sister expectantly, proud grin wide across his face.

“Thanks Luffy, I’ll make sure to write that down.” The boy nodded, then looked back at her notes from Sanji’s story.

“Looks like you’ve gotten a lot done!” Hazel flinched, grimacing into her palm.

“Yes and no…” Luffy just looked at her, confusion in his eyes, and Hazel gave a heavy sigh. “To be honest, Luff...I don’t really know where to start.”

“At the beginning. Duh.”

“Wow, I never thought about that,” Hazel deadpanned. “And get your finger out of your nose!” As Luffy stuck his tongue out at her, something struck her. Hazel’s eyes widened, an invisible energy urging her hand to move across the paper. “Actually, Luffy, you’re a genius! Thank you!”

She vaguely heard him say something in agreement, but her mind was too focused on the idea it had. Start at the beginning...she was surprised the thought hadn’t occurred to her earlier; after all, she’d only just told the story a week ago.

--------------

Foosha Village had always been a peaceful town. Even when pirates had settled their sails at its docks the year previous, the villagers had yet to deal with much past the occasional bandit or two. Our lives had been much the same, short as they were; filled with fun and laughter and play. Then one day, the stuff of legends became real, and peace would be known no more.

The sun had shown brightly that morning, though my brother and I had already been up for hours. We always had trouble sleeping the closer to Shanks’ departure. In only a short time, the red-headed man had wormed his way into our lives, and our hearts, and my brother especially was determined to join him this time.

So it was that we stood on the deck of the Red-Hair Pirate’s ship, the hustle and bustle of supplies and crates being loaded around us. A few of the men were singing songs - definitely inappropriate considering the children in their company - but we’d already spent the last seven years in a bar. There was nothing in those songs we hadn’t heard before.

I had been listening to Benn Beckman’s tale of their last voyage when Shanks’ voice had called our attention to the figurehead. Standing atop the dragon’s maw, my brother Luffy stood glaring down at our pirate friends. Unfortunately, none of us had taken his declaration of strength seriously. Not until he drove the knife beneath his eye.

--------------

The paragraphs flew quickly out of her hand, the day in question clear in her mind. Hazel took a moment to shake out her wrist, feeling stiff as she read over her work so far. She liked it, she really did. Now to keep up this momentum.

The door opened once again, and Usopp and Nami wandered in, talking about something she couldn’t hear. Hazel was still glaring at the page, chewing her cheek as she thought about how to word her next sentence. She heard Sanji mention dinner would be ready soon, Luffy’s excitement sounding through the room, then Usopp’s hiss for him to be quiet.

“Don’t distract her! She’s scary when she’s mad!” the boy whimpered out, much to Luffy’s amusement.

“No she’s not!” he laughed, drawing the sniper’s ire.

“You didn’t think that when she made you take a bath!” Hazel stifled a snort.

“Speaking of which,” Nami chimed in, holding a hand to her nose. “How long ago was that?”

“Actually, Luffy, you are due for one. Zoro too,” Hazel said, looking up at her surprised crewmates. What, did they think she couldn’t hear them at all? “Why don’t you go wash up before dinner. Please?” Luffy groaned, glaring at the navigator, but dutifully made his way to the bathroom. Despite what he said, he didn’t want to push his sister. Again.

Hazel took that moment to stand up, stretching her back with a loud pop, grabbed her notebook, and made her way outside to tell their grungy swordsman his bath was after dinner. She couldn’t see him at first when she stepped outside, but after glancing around for a moment, she finally spotted him. She blinked when she saw his bare back, mesmerized for a moment at the way the muscles rippled as he did push-up after push-up. A second later, she blinked the distraction away, and walked down the steps to the grass-haired man.

“Hey, your turn for a bath after dinner,” she told him, practically hearing him grit his teeth at the notion. “Dinner’s actually almost done, by the way, so you may wanna wrap it up here.”

“Not done,” he grunted, prompting her to raise a brow in his direction.

“Well find a way to be done. We’re hungry, and you’re sweaty.”

“If I’m gonna get stronger, I can’t cut training short. I need more weight.” His gray eyes swung up to hers, and Hazel got the distinct sense he was sizing her up.

“What do you want me to do about that?” She regretted asking the instant she said it. Zoro gestured to his back. His extremely sweaty back.

“Climb on.”

“Excuse me? What are you insinuating here?” She crossed her arms, trying to decide if she needed to hit him for calling her fat or not. She caught him rolling his eyes.

“You’re all muscle, it’s heavier. Climb on.” Hazel chewed her lip, weighing the pros and cons. Then, deciding she had nothing to lose except her hygiene (and really, she could do with a bath herself), she stepped closer to him, cautiously sitting down when he paused for her. He reached his arm around, causing a startled squeak as he adjusted her position, then he resumed his training, a new strain in his breath.

While he worked, Hazel puzzled once again over her notebook. Disappointment flowed through her as she stared at the four lone paragraphs, the struggle for where to take the story next staying her hand. She’d gotten nothing done today, and it was difficult not to take it to heart.

“What are you sighing about up there?” her cushion grunted below her. Hazel rolled her eyes, but decided to humor him by answering anyway.

“I’ve been working on this all day, and somehow I have nothing to show for it.” Zoro was silent except for his heavy breathing, but for some reason she pushed on. “What kind of record-keeper am I? What kind of storyteller can’t tell a damn story? I don’t even have to make it all up, it’s all stuff that happened…” A puff of air escaped her as her eyes began to sting. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this…”

She hadn’t meant to say it, at least not out loud, and was startled when her chair suddenly stood up. She cried out as she fell, but before she could hit the floor, Zoro’s arms came out to steady her. She looked up at him in shock, affronted at the small glare he sent her way. “Read it out loud,” he said, pointing to the little book in her hands.

“Eh?!” Hazel shrieked, appalled at the very notion of any living being actually hearing her work out loud.

“Read it out loud,” Zoro said again, shrugging his shirt back on. “Then I can tell you if it’s shitty.”

“No way! It’s not ready for human consumption yet!” she yelled, glaring as he sat below the mast. “Besides, who are you to tell me if it’s shit? You wouldn’t know good literature if it waved a sword at you and said ‘boy, speak your name’!” Zoro rolled his eyes at the reference, but leveled her with a steady gaze as it dawned on her the trick he was trying to pull. “Stop it, it’s mine. Why should I share it with you?”

“Because I like the way you tell stories.” He said it so simply, like it didn’t carry nearly the weight for him that it did for her. Hazel felt the blood rush to her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. Something held her gaze on his, something she couldn’t possibly name.

“So how does me reading it aloud help me write it?” Her voice was so quiet, she was surprised he could even hear it.

“Just write it how you’d say it,” he answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And when he said it like that, it did seem obvious, and Hazel could kick herself for not thinking of it sooner. Before she knew it, she felt herself nodding, sitting beside him beneath the sail.

“Foosha Village had always been a peaceful town….” she began, reading from the beginning, and surprising herself when her voice continued past the last paragraph. He’d heard the story before, but still Zoro sat, listening with rapt attention. Her voice slowed as she wrote, not allowing herself to forget what she’d said, what phrases she used that flowed from her mouth like water.

At one point Hazel glanced beside her, surprised to see the swordsman’s eyes shut. She let out a sigh, finishing her sentence, but not continuing on. She found herself rolling her eyes at the sleeping swordsman, irked that he apparently found her so boring.

“You stuck again?”

Hazel turned to him again, meeting his gaze through half-lidded eyes. She let out a half chuckle, shaking her head in amusement, before diving into the next paragraph.

It was only Luffy’s call of “Dinner!!” that finally drew the two inside.

#together with fruit #twf #monkey d. hazel #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #zoro x oc #one piece #one piece fan fiction #one piece fanfics #one piece oc #one piece original character #I don't even care if this is 'good' I'm just. so glad to have something tangible written #I wanna keep going but it's late and my hands hurt #but the hard part is over; all that's left is canon events

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saiilorstars · 3 years

Text

Metamorphosis

Ch. 3: Reborn

Current Masterlist // Previous Story // Masterlist of all OCs

Fandom: Doctor Who // Pairing: 11th Doctor x Female OC

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @perfectlystiles

[If you would like to be added to this specific OC’s taglist, let me know!]

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Chapter summary: Renata and the Doctor finally return to pick up their companion, Gabby Gonzalez. While Renata gathers her things from Zhe's gallery, the Doctor makes one trip to the past to say goodbye to...Renata?

Gabriella Gonzalez was deep in her sketching book. She had come to sit in the garden of their good friend Zhe. Being an eccentric alien garden, Gabby was often inspired to make doodles and drawings of what was in it. Huge statues lined the cobblestone pathway. Not even the beautiful sparkly blue grass would make anyone take their eyes off the statues. Gabby's own statue—her first statue ever since she learned how to wield the Block Transfer—of Renata as the Vortex Butterfly proudly stood at the front. It was that statue that kept pulling Gabby's attention off her sketchbook every now and then.

She was doodling Renata and the Doctor, her mind not letting her think of anything else. Renata had regenerated then left one day ago to find their Doctor. There was trouble - as the other Doctor had told her and Renata - on Earth and so of course Renata would go find him. Gabby hadn't been too thrilled staying behind but she didn't have much of a choice. The new Renata was just as authoritative as the last. Something about a 'Master' and 'there's no way I'm letting you near him!'. Gabby still didn't understand but then Renata and the Doctor came back...only for Gabby to learn that the Doctor was going to regenerate. He had come to say goodbye to her. Tears still came to Gabby's eyes when she remembered his face. He was going to die and he was saying goodbye to everyone, including her. That had been one day ago and now Gabby was going crazy waiting for some type of contact from the two Time Lords. She didn't know if Renata and the Doctor were safe nor where they were.

The owner of the gallery where Gabby resided, and once Renata, had done her own digging with her contacts. They confirmed that the Earth was just fine, still rotating normally and still in its right orbit. Zhe was more than just the owner of the gallery, she had become a close friend of Renata and Gabby and so Gabby had no reason not to trust Zhe's words. Gabby just wasn't sure where Renata and the Doctor were now.

But then she heard it.

She froze when she heard the first light noise of wheezing.

Please be real. Please be real.

Gabby put her pencil down as she heard the second louder wheezing. She looked up and nearly cried out of joy when she saw the TARDIS materializing in the garden. She dumped her sketchbook on the bench and raced towards the garden. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Her vision was blurred from tears but she kept laughing like a little girl who'd just seen something magnificent. Because she had.

Renata had barely open the door and stepped out when Gabby collided with her in a big hug. "Woah!" Renata barely kept on her feet from such a hug. "Gabriella, what's the mean—"

"Shut up, just shut up! I thought something happened to you!" Gabby hugged her so tight that she might actually crack some bones.

"I'm sorry. We were in a rush and—"

"It doesn't matter," Gabby squeezed Renata one more time before finally letting go. "You're here, you're alive and—" she suddenly stopped and peered inside the TARDIS from where she stood, "Where's the Doctor!? Is he okay!?"

"Uuh...so there's been a change…" Renata was just beginning to explain when the Doctor walked out of the TARDIS.

"That's an understatement!"

Gabby loudly gasped and stumbled back a few steps. Her eyes were as wide as could be. "Doctor!?"

"Am I that bad looking this time?" the Doctor brought his hands to his face. He'd finally had a proper look at himself and he thought he was pretty good looking. It would do.

Gabby's eyes blinked fast while they looked the Doctor over. "It's you!"

"Why are you acting so surprised? I understand this isn't the first time you've seen me," the Doctor fixed his tweed jacket.

"Yeah but...that was the future you! That's what you said!"

"Hello, future!" the Doctor waved a hand. Gabby deadpanned him. "Oh alright," he dropped his hand to his side. "I'm sorry."

"Oh Doctor, I'm so sorry," Gabby's face slowly softened. "You died…"

"We all have to go sometime but in a matter of speaking I did die. But I'm here—"

Gabby didn't let him finish. She walked over and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

The Doctor hugged her back. "I had Renata with me. She took good care of me."

"Still, wish I could've been there when it actually happened."

"No, you really wouldn't have," Renata's words broke them apart. "Because being the Doctor, he of course had to send us directly into trouble."

"Again, I'm so sorry I couldn't die the right way!" the Doctor rolled his eyes at her.

"What happened?" Gabby asked them, fairly amused as they started to bicker over some aliens and a crack and...something about a Prisoner Zero? They sure seemed to be acting normally for them.

"It's a long story, Gabriella. How about we talk it over while we...pick our stuff up?" Renata's eyes flickered to the gallery.

Gabby soon beamed when she understood what it meant. They were finally going back to the TARDIS after such a long time. Renata's illness had finally faded with the regeneration! "Oh yes! So we're all...we're all going back!?"

"Well, we are like a family right?" the Doctor asked and Gabby didn't miss the way his arm curled around Renata's waist.

"Uuuh…" Gabby's eyebrow went up without her trying. She was definitely taken aback when Renata shared a smile with him and leaned on him. "I think...we have a lot to discuss." A lot indeed.

"Why don't you two go ahead and start packing?" the Doctor suggested. "I need to take a quick little trip on my own."

"What? But you just got back!" Gabby was terrified that they would leave again without her. She understood why Renata did it the first time but she wasn't interested in letting it happen again.

"It'll be quick for you. I have to do it," the Doctor shared a meaningful look with Renata.

Renata gave him a nod. She knew where he was going. "Go ahead. And thanks."

"Thank you," the Doctor countered. He dove down to her lips for a quick kiss.

Gabby gaped. Renata, meanwhile, smiled at him with an actual blush! Gabby almost rubbed her eyes to make sure she was truly seeing this.

"Be back!" The Doctor exclaimed and hopped Gabby's head. "Start packing, Gabby-Gabbs—oh," he paused for a second, "I like that! Gabby-Gabbs! Gabbs!" He snapped his fingers a bit too close to her face that she flinched back, not that he would notice. He spun away and rushed into the TARDIS.

"Yeah, he seems to like using his hands more this time around," Renata commented while the TARDIS de-materialized. "We'll see how that goes. C'mon then! We got some packing to do and some goodbyes to say!"

"Wait a minute!" Gabby exclaimed as Renata took the lead towards the gallery. "Are we not going to talk about that!?"

Renata smiled knowingly ahead of her. "About what?"

"Ooh no!" Gabby almost laughed at Renata's attempt to deflect the topic. "You're not getting out of this so easily Renata! I'm serious!" She trailed after the Time Lady into the gallery.

~0~

Zhe's Gallery, 1 day ago.

Gabby ran out of Renata's bedroom, shouting for the Doctor. She heard the TARDIS materializing from inside the room. It was him! He had finally come back and with any luck, he had a cure for Renata. She hated to think that Renata's time was coming to an end.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Gabby yelled all the way down the hall, and to the TARDIS but she nearly crashed into the door when somebody opened it inches from her face. Gabby fervently shook her head and blinked fast to get her sight back. When she did, she saw who had come. "...Doctor?" It was the Doctor alright, but not the version Gabby knew. "Who...who are you?"

The eleventh Doctor smiled kindly at Gabby, though it was very strained. "Hello Gabby. It's the Doctor, don't worry."

But Gabby still didn't look convinced. "No...he's taller. And he wears suits. Plus, you look nothing like him!"

"I regenerated, Gabby. I'm from the future. I got your call but I'm a little late."

Gabby blinked at him, deciding if it was really true what he was saying. She looked back towards Renata's room. "...she's dying. Renata...she's dying…"

The Doctor gave a small nod of his head. "I know," he said grimly. "That's why I'm here."

"Did you find a cure?" Gabby asked him with hopeful eyes. The Doctor remained grim. With his intense gaze, Gabby knew that he hadn't. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked back at the room again. "She's going to die!"

"She will but she'll regenerate," the Doctor gently touched her arm. "And I'm going to be there with her. Thank you for taking care of her."

"Will she be okay?"

"Afterwards, yes. I'll make sure of it."

Gabby sighed. "What's going to happen?"

"I'm going make her last minutes as comfortable as possible," the Doctor gave her a quick hug and a kiss on top of her head.

He left her in search of Renata. He made it down the hallway and walked into the room where his Renata would be, her previous incarnation. His hearts nearly stopped at the sight of her writhing body on her bed.

Zhe was holding her hand tightly, trying to calm the Time Lady down.

"Renata," the Doctor hurried to the other side of the bed, ignoring Zhe's suspicious stare. He brushed Renata's blonde hair our of her face, feeling the sweat from her skin in the process.

Renata was swaying her head, coming in and out of consciousness. "I want...I want the...I want...the Doctor. Where is he?"

The Doctor grabbed her hand tightly, once again feeling the beads of her sweat on her skin. She was close, alright. "I'm here, love. I'm here."

Renata stopped moving to look at him.

Zhe's eyes had widened on him too. "You're…?"

The Doctor gave her a nod just to ease her suspicions on him. He then smiled softly for Renata. She was squinting her eyes as if she couldn't see him when in reality she was trying to process his words.

"I'm here," he told her and kissed the back of her hand.

"You're late," she said, sounding as if she wanted to huff. It made him laugh. Even when regeneration loomed over her, she would always have enough energy to scold.

"Yeah I am. And you have no idea how sorry I am. I should've been here - the other me - he should be here, but he's not coming. I'm so sorry."

Renata struggled to smile without making it seem too strained. She felt her entire body close to bursting. "No...it's my fault. I waited too long to change my mind. I wanted to die alone. But now that I'm here…" fresh tears filled her eyes, "I don't want to die by myself. I want you with me. How selfish am I? To think that you'll always come to me like you're at my beck and call."

"But I am, and I have no problem with that. Anytime you call, I'll run to you. Always."

Renata sniffled. He was always much too kind to people who didn't deserve it. She definitely didn't deserve it.

"C'mon," the Doctor slid his arms under her body to pick her up.

"Doctor, she can't go anywhere," Zhe rose from her seat. "She won't make it to—"

"We're just going to take one last trip to the garden." He told her while he settled Renata's body in his arms. "My Renée deserves at least that. She shouldn't die surrounded in a bland old room. No offence."

Zhe rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. It was definitely him alright.

"She's going to see the flowers one more time." He kissed Renata's forehead and headed out of the room.

He took Renata to the garden in the back, the same garden she would take walks in each day she stayed in the gallery. It was her favorite pastime. Hopefully it could bring her some peace in these last minutes. He wanted to help her as much as she had helped him during his regeneration.

Despite her worsening condition, Renata felt the change of air around them when the Doctor brought them outside. He walked over the blue grass and stopped by a beautiful flower bed he had no doubt Renata planted.

"Here we are," the Doctor lowered himself to the ground, keeping Renata close to him but in more of a sitting position so she could see her flowers.

"Thank you," she whispered, for it was as high as her voice would allow.

"Of course. I wish there was more I could've done for you. If there had been a cure I would've gotten it for you, no matter the price."

"I wouldn't deserve that, Doctor." She tilted her head up at him, allowing him to see the usual guilt that often plagued her. It sat in her eyes like it belonged there. "You have dedicated too much time to me when the truth is I never deserved it. Look at you, I dread to think that you regenerated because of me."

"Hey, that's not true," he lightly scolded her. "You want to know the truth? The truth is we have spent far too many centuries trying to erase what happened between us. We tried pushing it away and in doing so, we built a mountain of lies. But none of that means that I would ever stop loving you."

"Even when I wasn't been honest with you?"

"I don't care, Gala. I love you and no matter what you do, that will never change."

Renata couldn't help but cry in that moment. "I wanted to die," she blurted, immediately reminding the Doctor what the present Renata had said. She'd wanted to die in her last body, truly die without regeneration.

He looked at her with a pained expression. "Why? Why would you want to do that?"

"Because I never learned how to live, especially in this body. I was just so tired of everything going wrong. I thought that it was best if I just...stopped. Forever. But you...but you still love me even after I hurt you so much and I thought...maybe if I survived, we could actually happen. The right way this time. I wanted to live in the end but it was too late."

"It's never late," the Doctor told her. "Because if you put all of your efforts into this regeneration, I'll be waiting on the other side."

Renata brought a hand up to his cheek, gently stroking his skin. "You would want to be with me again?"

"Very much," the Doctor gave her a nod. He lowered his head to capture her lips in a kiss, proving his words true.

Renata welcomed him despite her doubts. No matter where she was, who she was, who he was, it would always be the same old story. She would love him until the end of her life.

They pulled away to share soft smiles with each other but a few seconds later, Renata's hands started glowing with regeneration energy. She groaned and nearly fell out of the Doctor's arms if he hadn't held onto her.

"It's time…" she took in a shaky breath. "Let's see if this is what wipes the slate clean."

"Good luck, love," the Doctor pressed a kiss to her forehead and then helped her stand up. She wobbled for the first few seconds but she ultimately got her balance.

"I'll...try…" she flashed him a tired smile. The months of expelling Vortex and toxic energy had finally taken its toll on her.

She swallowed hard and raised her hands to see them glowing brightly. There was a second energy, one that she recognized as the same energy she used on the Daleks and their Reality Bomb. It wrapped around her like a present. She could feel the ripple of pain strike her once again before the energy took her over. She screamed as the regeneration finally began.

The Doctor shielded his eyes from the brightness, hoping it would be a quick process. He couldn't stand hearing her agonizing screams. He tried peeking through the light and saw the silhouette of the energy forming butterfly wings behind Renata. The Vortex Butterfly was finally finding the balance it needed to rest within Renata.

Slowly, the light faded and the energy dissipated from Renata to leave a brand new woman in its spot. It was the same Renata that the Doctor left in the future. His Renata with long dark hair and matching eyes. She blinked pretty fast as she gathered herself from such a process.

"I...I'm alive…" she spoke hoarsely and touched her neck, her throat specifically. "And I sound younger. Am I younger?"

The Doctor chuckled and rushed to hug her, leaving a bunch of kisses on her new dark hair. "You're beautiful."

Renata smiled and hugged him tight. "Thank you for coming back. I don't deserve you."

"You have got to stop saying that, Renee," the Doctor said with a heavy sigh. "No more of this stuff. I can't bear to hear it."

"But it's true!"

"So I'm completely innocent in all this? I have nothing I should feel bad for?" The Doctor waited for her to try and lie with the answer. She couldn't because she knew that he had some faults in their past.

"I'm sorry," she said in a whisper. "I'm am so sorry."

"I know, dear," he raised her chin up to him. "But this is a new life you have, one free of illnesses. Don't you think you deserve a new chance to live freely?"

Renata bit her bottom lip. "That...that would be nice."

"If you really want to make things better, then just do that. Live the way you want to live. That's all I want from you."

"Wouldn't that be nice?" Renata smiled for a moment. "This is my eleventh regeneration, my twelfth incarnation, and I'm only now going to try and live the way I want to. Isn't that funny? Nearly at the end of my first cycle of life and it's only now where I can try to do something I haven't been since my very first incarnation. I can be happy. It's in my name, actually. Renata. It means 'to be reborn' and I promise that this time I'm going to try and be someone good, be someone better than what I've been in the past. This new me is going to do big things."

The Doctor smiled with her words. He cupped her face gently. "I promise, if you give me a chance, I will do everything I can to add to that happiness."

"But first I have to find you," Renata reminded him. As much as he was the Doctor, he wasn't hers yet. "Where's my Doctor?"

The Doctor was reluctant to answer but he knew that she had to find him in order to get to where they were now. "I swear that he would've came but...he had a mishap..."

Renata pulled away from him, concern etching across her new face. "Is he alright?"

The Doctor wasn't sure how to answer that. His other self was probably on his way to Earth right now to stop the Master from returning. "There are some things I need to tell you before you meet with him. C'mon," he took her hand to lead her back to the TARDIS, only for him to remember something. "Oh wait!" He let go of her and rushed to the flower bed. He looked through them for a couple seconds while Renata watched him in confusion. "This one!" He had picked a beautiful red tulip from the flower bed and returned to Renata. He gently set it behind her ear and admired the sight of her. "Beautiful."

Renata touched the flower and blushed. "Thank you, though I could use a total change of clothes." She looked down at her clothes and realized that they no longer fit with her.

"I've got just the dress for you!" the Doctor promised. He had his current Renata's flower dress neatly folded on the Captain's chair. "C'mon!" He pulled Renata by the hand towards the gallery.

~0~

Present Day, Zhe's Gallery.

Renata picked up her golden pendant from her old bed stand and brushed her fingers over it. Her late husband had given it to her so long ago. She never took it off from the first day he gave it to her but now wearing it didn't seem quite right.

"Renata?" Gabby cautiously called her name. They were having a conversation when Renata spotted the golden pendant and suddenly the room went eerie quiet. Gabby wasn't all that surprised. She knew how important that pendant was to Renata, she just wondered how things would change now that she and the Doctor were apparently starting a relationship. That must be what Renata was thinking about.

Renata turned around to the girl. "Sorry, where was I?"

Gabby's smirk reminded her perfectly. "You just finished telling me about this Prisoner Zero fiasco and this Amy Pond girl and were saying how you and the Doctor finally talked."

"Right," Renata said, her eyes drifting to the side as a deep blush room her face over. They talked alright, followed by a good amount of kissing...on top of the console.

Gabby had come to know Renata really well, so she could see the red face from where she stood. "Hey Ren, something you wanna tell me about?"

"Hm? No!" Renata fervently shook her head and exhaled a shaky breath. "Why-why would you think that?"

Gabby set a hand on her hip and stared at the Time Lady for a good long minute. "Mhm. Is this how it's going to be, then?"

"Be like what?"

"Be like that whenever you and the Doctor make out." Gabby laughed when Renata went into a choking fit. "Oh my God! I knew it! I didn't think you were capable of making out with someone!"

"Stop saying that!" Renata exclaimed.

"What? That you made out—"

"Stop it!" Renata hissed, but the fact that she still had a red face made it impossible for Gabby to stop.

"I'm sorry, I'm American. I should say you 'snogged' instead, huh? Right term for you guys."

"Please, for the love of God, stop saying that!"

"Why? It's what happened, isn't?"

"Well, yeah, but...it just sounds weird," Renata crinkled her nose. It sounded childish and what she wanted with the Doctor would not be childish. "I don't 'snog' and I don't 'make out' with anyone."

Gabby giggled. "But you kind of did."

Renata deadpanned her. "Gabriella!"

"What? Look Ren, there is nothing wrong with having a little fun. And being serious, I am so happy for you and the Doctor." Gabby smiled at the Time Lady. "It was about time. I just wish Donna was still around to see it."

Renata could agree there. They both lamented the loss of their friend, especially since they had become like a little family and Donna was always trying to help the Doctor speak up about his feelings for Renata. If she could only see them now.

"So you guys really want me around?" Gabby inquired after a moment. "You don't want some, uh, alone time in the TARDIS?"

Renata chuckled. "God no! He'll drive me crazy! Plus, I might drive him crazy too. I don't know how these new bodies—" she gestured to herself, "—will interact with each other. Brand new us after all."

"Well, you're already making out—" Gabby giggled when Renata glared, "—so I think you'll be just fine."

"Yeah," Renata whispered as she looked back to her pendant in her hand. She turned away again and walked towards the bed. She didn't have a lot in the gallery to begin with, but the little clothes she had were now packed into a suitcase. "Did you finish packing yet?"

Gabby nodded her head. "Mhm. Just waiting for the Doctor now. Where exactly are we going?"

"I think we'll be going back for Amy Pond," Renata answered distractedly. Her fingers were still brushing over her pendant. "There's something not right about that girl."

"You mean because of the crack in her bedroom? Not really her fault though, is it?"

"No, not at all. But we want to be cautious and make sure her life wasn't affected by a crack that shouldn't have been in her bedroom."

"Good thinking," Gabby nodded again.

There was a light knock on the door a few seconds later. The Doctor poked his head into the room. "Hey! Are we done?"

"Yes!" Gabby beamed. She was more than ready to finally start travelling again. "But where did you go right now?"

The Doctor walked into the room with what Gabby could only describe as a grim smile. He'd been so happy before leaving, what could have changed his mood so quick?

The Doctor went directly to Renata who seemed to know what he would do, for when he hugged she already had her arms open for him. He hugged her tight and swayed her body. Gabby wasn't sure what he was saying but it sounded like he was apologizing for something. Renata had mumbled an 'I'm okay'. She wasn't sure if she should slip out of the room to give them privacy but before she could make up her mind, the two Time Lords pulled away.

Renata held onto the Doctor's hand afterwards. "Thank you," she whispered to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

The Doctor smiled at her until he noticed the pendant in her other hand. He didn't mean to react at it, but it was impossible given who it was from.

Renata followed his gaze to the pendant and sighed. "Gabriella, can you take my suitcase out please?"

Gabby came for the suitcase on the bed and pulled it onto the ground. "I'll be outside then."

"Thank you," Renata nodded for her to go. When Gabby closed the door, Renata apologized to the Doctor. "I'm just a little unsure of what to do with it." She gazed at the pendant, turning it over and over in her palm.

"It's alright. I know how much that means to you. And actually, I do have something else to give you. It's only right you have it back." The Doctor reached into his jacket's inside pocket to take out a familiar necklace with a diamond hanging from it.

Renata gasped and instinctively took it from his hand. "My Whitepoint Star necklace." Tears came to her eyes as she remembered the horrid day her sister yanked it off her neck to give to Rassilon and establish the link between them and the Master. "I thought I'd never see this again." She turned the diamond around to see the old Gallifreyan names on it; her name, her late husband's name and their unborn child's name.

"I went back to Naismith's mansion when we left. The Assessor stole it from you and I thought I could do a little good. I know how much that necklace meant to you." It didn't matter to the Doctor that the necklace had come from Renata's husband, Elek. He'd been a good man to Renata, loved her, and had almost given her a child. "I hope you can find some peace now."

Renata broke into tears with the Whitepoint star in one hand and the pendant in the other. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her for a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I don't know what to do with them now," Renata admitted through her tears. "I used to wear them all the time but...it doesn't feel right anymore."

"Don't think that I'd be upset if you wore them again," the Doctor said just to make sure she wasn't making a decision based on what he would think. "I know how much Elek meant to you."

"Yes but it's not right," Renata raised her head to meet his gaze. "I know it's not. It doesn't feel right. I used to wear the pendant because I was a devoted widow...because I swore to myself that I would never move on. But here I am...wanting to be with you. I can't wear them anymore. I...I don't want to."

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"I would like it if you did…"

"I have a room specifically meant for my previous companions, people I have cared for who are no longer with me. You could add these two necklaces to that room, give them a final resting place."

"I like the sound of that," Renata admitted. Elek was long gone and deserved to rest in peace just as she deserved to move on with her life too.

"Yeah? We can do that as soon as we get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor took her hands and closed them over the necklaces. "Shall we go?"

Renata nodded. "Yes."

They left the room without looking back.

~ 0 ~

"Please visit me soon," Zhe stood just outside the TARDIS with the trio of travelers. The humanoid blue woman was happy that everything turned out fine in the end, only lamenting that both Renata and the Doctor had to regenerate for it to happen.

"We will, I promise," Renata said, taking two of the woman's four hands into her own.

"I still have to continue my training anyways," Gabby chimed in, referring to her Block Transfer abilities.

"Of course," Zhe nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you for everything, Zhe," the Doctor said to her, truly grateful for all the support the woman had given them while Renata was ill. "I will never forget that."

"Me too," Renata agreed. "I don't have a lot of friends—actually, I only have three friends. Gabriella, Martha and you."

"Oi," the Doctor huffed in offence.

Renata gave him a light whack against his chest. "You're more." That certainly made his face brighten up.

Zhe smiled knowingly at the pair, just like Gabby was. "I'm glad it worked out for you two."

"Would you like to come with us for a trip?" asked the Doctor. "Could be fun."

Zhe chuckled. "Oh no. I'm good, thank you."

"Well then, I guess this is it," Renata gave Zhe a tight hug, thanking the woman over and over for everything she had done in the past.

Zhe was then hugged by Gabby and the Doctor. She wished them good luck on whatever adventure they had planned, because she knew they had something planned. She watched them go into the TARDIS and waved as the box de-materialized into thin air.

~ 0 ~

"NO WAY!" Gabby laughed almost deliriously when she saw the new interior of the TARDIS. It was nothing like the previous one. She spun around to catch all the bright orangey details of the walls. "This is too cool!"

"Yeah?" the Doctor chuckled as he watched her stumble after spinning so much. "You approve then?"

"Uh, yeah!" Gabby tapped on the glass floor to see if it was strong. "And we get a new glass floor!? It's so elegant!"

"I thought so too," the Doctor hummed in agreement. He then clapped his hands and turned to the console. Gabby scurried beside him, watching him work the new controls. "So, I know Renata told you about the little girl we met?"

"Yup! Amelia Pond, right? Er, Amy? Yeah, that's really weird what happened with her room. You think she's still in danger?"

"Don't know, but I'd like to keep her around to find out."

"So...is she, like, going to stay with us?"

"Would you mind?" the Doctor asked her, fixating a serious gaze that warranted an honest answer from her. Gabby wasn't just any ordinary passenger, nor companion, she was family and he wanted her to know that he truly valued her opinion, especially after Donna's departure. Nobody new had come aboard since then.

Gabby swayed her head as she thought about the idea of having someone new in the TARDIS. "Well...it could be fun not being the newbie this time. I could take some notes and be what Donna was for me. How old is she? This Amy?"

"Uh, she was 19 I believe."

"Oh! She's one year younger than me! I think it could be fun," Gabby gave a firm nod of her head. "Bring her in, Doctor. Let's see what Amy Pond brings to the TARDIS."

The Doctor laughed with her and that's how Renata found them. She had left her pendant and Whitepoint Star in the room the Doctor told her about. She felt a strange wave of peace when she closed the door, like she was finally moving on from that moment in her life. And seeing the Doctor and Gabby so happy and laughing made her feel even more sure that she was right where she wanted to be.

~ 0 ~

Amy Pond had memorized the TARDIS wheezing on the first night it left her for 'five minutes'. Now when she heard it for the third time, she jumped out of her bed without a second thought. No more pretending with costumes! She bolted down the staircase and into the backyard, almost laughing when she realized it was once again night time and she was in her pajamas! Well, a nightie but it was otherwise the same.

By the time she reached the TARDIS, the Doctor and Renata were already standing outside the box...waiting for her.

"Did we wake you up?" Renata wrinkled her nose as she gazed up into the night, starry sky. They'd been gone for more than a few hours again, she was sure.

"It's you, you came back!" Amy basically confirmed the suspicions. She was staring at them in awe, like she couldn't believe it...again.

"Sorry about the running off, got a bit lost in the moment," the Doctor sent a quick smirk to Renata who rolled her eyes in response. "Plus, we had to pick someone up. But don't worry, brand new TARDIS is ready for the big stuff now!"

Amy looked him over and made a face that didn't quite fit with the usual response someone would get seeing the TARDIS. "You kept the clothes."

Renata laughed to the side while the Doctor deadpanned the ginger. "Well, we just saved the world, the whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge! Yeah, shoot me! I kept the clothes."

"I did not," Renata gestured to her very gray dress.

"And you left the bow tie too…" Amy once again made a face.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure how to feel about that as well…" Gabby emerged from the TARDIS, startling Amy. "Hi," Gabby waved a hand. "Gabby Gonzalez. And yes I agree with you: the bow tie is ridiculous."

"Hey!" the Doctor cried. "Bow ties are cool!"

"Yeah, the jury's still out on that one!"

The Doctor mocked them with a sway of his head. "Gabby, you can go back inside now!"

Gabby laughed and wiggled her fingers at Amy. "See you in a moment."

Amy slowly wiggled her fingers at her even though she still didn't quite understand how Gabby was even there. "Is she...are you...are you all from another planet?"

"We are," Renata gestured to herself and the Doctor. "But Gabriella's from New York. She's quite human...ish." After the birth of the Vortex Butterfly and the Cosmic Butterfly, both she and Renata still needed to run extensive exams.

"So what do you think?" the Doctor asked Amy. Her eyes flickered to him after studying the outside of the TARDIS. It was still as blue as she remembered it.

"Of what?"

"Other planets. Want to check some out?"

"What does that mean?"

Renata smiled at the woman. "It means we'd like for you to come with us."

"W-Where?"

"Anywhere you'd like. First trip is always your choice!"

Amy's eyebrows seemed to knit together for some reason. "All that stuff, the hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero…"

"Oh, don't worry. That's just the beginning. There's loads more!" the Doctor promised but also meant to warn Amy of what was to come.

"Yeah, but those things, amazing things, all that stuff…" Amy's face suddenly darkened with anger and annoyance. "That was two years ago!" She promptly smacked each Time Lord's arm, getting a sense of satisfaction hearing them yelp.

"Oh not again!" Renata let her head hang. "Doctor, you're seriously messing up my track record!"

"Sure, it's my fault—"

"You piloted us! On both occasions!"

The Doctor's mouth opened to argue but shut it at the last moment. Alright, so maybe it could've been been his fault.

"So...um…" Renata awkwardly met Amy's upset stare, the ginger woman having folded her arms over her chest. "What's it been, then?"

"14 years!" Amy spat and just a second after she said it, Renata did the same with a weary sigh.

"Really sorry about that."

"Fourteen years since fish custard. Amy Pond, the girl who waited, you've waited long enough," the Doctor said exactly what Renata had been thinking.

Amy's upset expression faded as curiosity took over, as well a bit of doubt. "When I was a kid, you said there was a swimming pool and a library, and the swimming pool was in the library."

"Yeah. Not sure where it's got to now," the Doctor murmured as he had still yet to locate each room that'd gone missing. "I'm sure it'll turn up."

"It better if you know what's good for you," Renata remarked without a hint of playfulness. The Doctor winced and silently begged the TARDIS to help him out there.

"So... coming?" he asked Amy again since she hadn't said anything.

"No!" she exclaimed, or perhaps meant to shout at them like she knew exactly what she was doing.

"No?" Renata wasn't sure to laugh there and then. Amy was obviously trying to put up a front that she was no longer interested in the TARDIS. "You wanted to come 14 years ago."

"I grew up!"

"Don't worry. We'll soon fix that," the Doctor promised her with a smirk, only for Renata to say he would leave her right alone.

"Just be you, Amy Pond," she told the woman just as the Doctor snapped his fingers to open the doors behind them.

Amy was immediately bathed in the orange glow of the TARDIS interior and before she knew it, her feet were taking her into it. Hearing her coming in, Gabby poked her head from the console to see Amy's reaction. It was a whole other thing being on the other side now. Gabby wondered if this is what Donna felt when she first walked in and Donna watched her take it all in. Gabby smiled warmly at the memory of that day, though bittersweetly too. How times changed.

Amy's eyes had widened like dinner plates as she took in the whole room. She always wondered what it would look like on the inside, but it didn't compare to what she saw now. There were no words to describe how she felt, even if she tried she was sure nothing would come to mind.

"Well...? Anything you want to say?" the Doctor walked past her, missing the way Renata rolled her eyes behind him. He had no concept of being modest in anybody. "Any passing remarks? I've heard them all."

"I'm in my nightie," Amy said for some reason then quickly checked herself to make sure it was true. Yes, it was.

"Oh, I've been there," Renata laughed. "But don't worry. Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe."

"You'll love it!" Gabby exclaimed. "I got lost in there the first time I went in. Played dress up!"

Amy's smile seemed permanent at the moment. She gazed at the console with fascination. She could hear a faint hum within it and wondered if that was part of the engines.

"So, Amy," the Doctor called on the other side of the console. "All of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will...where do you want to start?"

"You are so sure that I'm coming," Amy once again tried playing casual and failed miserably.

"Yeah, I am."

"Why?"

"Because if not he'll just kidnap you," Renata said with a wide smirk on her face that threatened to turned into a laugh as soon as the Doctor huffed.

"We're still doing that!?"

"You kidnapped me," Renata reminded him then looked at a stunned Amy. "Yeah, he kidnapped me. Threw me right over his shoulder and dragged me in here."

The Doctor's mouth was wide open in offence. So that was true...but it didn't mean she had to go telling that to everybody they met. "Oi! You're still here!"

"Because I've been kidnapped!"

There may have been a vein protruding across the Doctor's forehead when Renata turned to him. "That was a year ago! When are you going to get over it!?"

"How does somebody get over being kidnapped?" she arched an eyebrow at him, still smirking knowing that she was getting under his skin.

Gabby shook her head at the two—clearly, that hadn't changed at either—and moved around the console to Amy. "So Amy," she pulled the girl's attention away from the bickering couple, "What do you think? It's fun out there...up—" her eyes briefly flickered to the ceiling to refer to space, "—there. I've gone to see the Star of Orion and I've lived in a space gallery. Oh, and I got to go into some interdimensional weird information link thing belonging to a Block Transfer Matrix." Amy blinked wide at such a complicated list. "Where would you like to go first?"

Amy bit her lower lip and glanced at the couple still going back and forth about the kidnapping fiasco - whatever that was. "Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?"

"Of course, it's a time machine," Gabby answered, wondering why Amy would be so specific about that. Maybe she had an appointment? "I won't say 5 minutes like those two over there but you have to know that they do try. Is there something important tomorrow?"

Amy's mouth opened but she didn't know how to put 'I'm getting married tomorrow' into a casual conversation. "Uh...just stuff."

"Alright then," Gabby motioned her to get close to the console. "Wanna see something funny?" Amy nodded. Gabby winked at her then took over the controls. The Doctor had long ago taught her how to pilot the TARDIS in case of emergencies. She had the laugh of her life, as well as Amy, when the TARDIS lurched and sent both Renata and the Doctor to the ground.

Serves them right for still bickering when they had a new passenger aboard.

Author's Note:

Didn't I say we'd get to see the previous Renata's final moments? We finally get closure and a hopeful promise for Ren's new life! Will she get it, though? Hmmm...

Okay, so the next chapter is super important for Gabby and Amy and I just now realized that the chapter is 18k? Do you guys want me to separate it into 2 chapters instead? Or give you the whole content in one? xD.

#ocappreciation #doctor who #11th doctor #fd: doctor who #dw imagines #11th doctor imagines #11th doctor fics #doctor who fics #dw fics #oc: Renata Cartwright #gabby gonzalez #amy pond #fic: metamorphosis

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ravenwolfie97 · 3 years

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2020 Art Summary

Yep, it’s 2021 already. 2020 is finally over. It felt like it lasted forever, and it felt like the end would never come, but here we are. Crazy how the time flew by.

I felt like I didn’t get much art done this year because of Current World Event, but I made a lot more than I thought I did. Even some of my new favorite pieces came out of this year, so I think that’s worth celebrating and looking back upon!

I was insanely productive during the first month of 2020, and looking back I was surprised at all the stuff I did, but then I remembered that that winter season was actually one of the best times of my life! I started being more socially involved, and I think my newfound drive at the time translated into all the art I pumped out this month. This is just a small fraction of what I made in January, but I only have so much space. Quite a few complex pieces in both style exploration and polishing my own style.

Apparently February was a rather intimate month. Things began to slow down in terms of my own art here, with me spending more time in social settings and school work ramping up, I didn’t have as much time to coop up in my room to draw. I did wanna do something for a friend’s Valentine’s Day OC art challenge, so I drew my lovey-dovey couple from Dance of 1000 Words havin’ a dance. Nothing actually came of that challenge, but it was fun to do regardless.

One of the things I was most proud of in the winter season was making more friends, and one of the closest friends I made was completely coincidental. I met a person named Kiri on the bus one night I decided to volunteer somewhere by myself, and we ended up chatting and getting along. They quickly told me their tumblr username, and I shot them a message immediately after they left. A couple days later, we met up for brunch, and we started becoming really close friends and creative partners!

Not much else happened in March cuz that’s when Current World Event started becoming an issue, but Kiri and I still kept in close touch and we randomly started developing a concept for a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Galar Edition. These are a handful of characters we thought up, with Skipper the Scorbunny and Dross the Dreepy as the main characters, Morgrem as the main antagonist, and some shopkeepers such as those of the Greedent Bank and the Indeedee General Store. This was also my first time drawing all of these Galar Pokemon (except Scorbunny, but I also made Skipper a bit more unique than a regular Scorbunny).

Lots of events happened this month. First of all, Steven Universe Future ended, one of my favorite and most influential shows was no longer continuing. I had to do something as tribute, both as a send-off to one of the greatest cartoons in the world and as a cathartic release for my feelings towards it.

A while later, I got the opportunity to start playing an MMO in beta called Fer.al, by the same people who made Animal Jam, which coincidentally I had also beta tested for back in the day. I ended up getting really attached to my first character, a Senri I named Sasha, and though I’ve made more characters than them since, they’re still my absolute favorite. Though I haven’t touched the game in a few months, I was really engrossed for a long time and enjoyed playing through the beta and early access phases.

At the end of the month, some friends of mine invited to a roleplay group with some mutuals, and we all played characters in a crime syndicate. Just a bunch of ragtag thieves and criminals who ended up together in order to protect an artifact called the Crown of Thieves, which was essentially a flag to be taken by other groups to prove that they are the best thieves in the land. My character was based heavily on my sona (if it wasn’t obvious) and was also influenced by Cloud Strife, since the FFVII Remake had just come out and I was super into watching the cutscenes at the time. My character’s (code)name is Valkyrie, and they are a mercenary, going between multiple different employers to carry out whatever duties they need to do. They have a more complicated backstory, but presently they were recently hired by recommendation of their friend Shark (played by @shmoots-universe who is also My friend now ily maya) who works with a group called the Court Cards who are currently in possession of the Crown of Thieves. Valk never really had a place to call home, but staying with this group of people had to be the closest they could get to that feeling. They still sleep with a knife under their pillow because of trust issue but that’s okay.

Okay, so technically these examples started in April, but I continued making content with them in May, and the month was just pretty void of art in general, so here I am addressing them.

There were two main things I worked on this month: a Steven Universe AU of my own and the whole #sixfanarts thing that kicked off around then. Let’s start with the fanart bits. I did two and a half of them (six in April and nine in May), and it was so much fun to be able to draw stuff I don’t normally do! My personal favorites are shown here: Blake Belladonna from RWBY, Roll from Megaman, Yuki Konno from Sword Art Online, and Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The other thing I’d been planning for a while was a Steven Universe AU, probably to cope with the show being over but also because I was inspired by a lot of those SU AU artists I started following at the time. I won’t share the details here because it’s gonna have its own blog at some point, but the example I’ve shown here is of a comic I made loosely in order to introduce a divergence in the plot of the story as well as introduce a character unique to my AU. It was a lot of fun figuring out how to draw the characters and get a feel for the style.

As the year progressed, my amount of art I made per month began to dwindle, this time mostly because school was kicking my ass especially hard with finals. However, I took what time I had to get some backburner pieces finished, like the Tigerlily picture which I sketched out a couple months back, and the Gunvolt picture which I started working on SIX YEARS AGO. I don’t quite know why I got the urge to work on it again after so long, but it was nice to finally realize. The other drawing for DOTS was done in the dead of night but I was really happy with how it came out.

Despite only having two summer classes left of school, this month was really rough because they demanded a lot of my time and attention. I did not have the gumption to do anything digital, so I stuck to my sketchbook to get out what I felt like getting out.

My friends and I did a stream of the game Helltaker, and I really enjoyed the concept, so in following my friends I made my own Helltaker demon OC named Raksha the Ravenous Demon (it’s a pun but also got mythical insp). I also got super into Hazbin Hotel at this point, mostly because the Addict music video dropped and I couldn’t get enough of it, so I doodled Angel Dust cuz I felt like it. The other drawing I did was actually a free commission I gave a friend of mine as a prize for a trivia game show I ran back in June. He along with a couple other friends got some free drawings from me for getting the top three scores, and this one in particular was fun because of how interesting it was. He wanted me to draw a video game reviewer called the Irate Gamer from a specific moment, and I decided to go ham and just make it as dramatic as possible.

University classes finally wrapped up and right after that I was in the process of moving out of my apartment and getting adjusted to living with my parents again. I did a couple of agg.io drawing sessions with my friends from the Court Cards group as well as a new Dungeons and Dragons homebrew group I had joined. I drew some more of Valkyrie and came up with a design for my DND character Qakuqtuq (or Kai for short). He is monkey grandpa and I love him.

My main focus was on finishing a polished piece for my friend Cake, whose birthday was in the upcoming month. I wanted it to be as amazing as possible, so I put a lot of time into getting more detailed and making them look good. In addition to that, I did a few TOME doodles just for fun. The creature on the bottom was for this month’s art challenge on my Discord server where we made original TOMERPG monsters, and I created Hundylow, a Crystal-element monster based on the Grindylow from English folklore.

This month was a lot more productive than the past few had been. I tried to do a 31-day art challenge called Creatober but failed to get past the third prompt because I was still swamped with other work. I’m still happy with what little I did, including the piece with my characters Kyle and Guarudan from DSWD.

I don’t remember how, but I also suddenly rediscovered an old Flipnote Hatena series called Tales of LostClan, a Warriors fan series that I would say was the most obscure thing I’ve ever been super invested in. It was what got me into the actual Warriors books, and I liked it so much I redrew the animations into a comic... twice. Didn’t get nearly as far the second time but clearly my love for this little fanfiction had not waned after nearly a decade. I felt like drawing a book cover/movie poster for the series, just to get it out there and see how much I’ve improved over all that time.

Also I felt like making a vampiresona just before Halloween because I never dress up for Halloween in art (or real life anymore, for that matter), and I wanted to do something like that for once. It was short-lived but I really liked the design!

The focus of this month was definitely on Pokemon stuff. As per usual I contributed to the current Gotta Draw ‘Em All collab, and I was tasked to draw Regieleki. It was really fun to figure out how to make it stand out and look like it was made of electricity.

I also committed a lot of my spare time to my Fakemon Gym Leaders, as I had been working on bringing them to life in the past year or so now. As of this post, I’ve finished rendering their full body poses and gym badges, but I’m still working on completing all eight VS portraits, the first half of which are shown here.

I... didn’t draw anything this month, actually. What I’m showing here was worked on in the last few days but has actually been in progress for a couple of months, and I just finished it earlier today, in 2021. But I needed to show something off, and it’s also about time I mentioned it.

Back in October, I kept seeing people rave about this game called Genshin Impact, and I was interested but not so much as to start playing it... until my friends started playing and I was like “fuck it, let’s download it”. Since that day, I have been super immersed and in love with this game, to the point I came up with my own canon based on my gameplay experiences. This also included the creation of an original player character: Astra, the non-binary Traveller. And now, I’ve finally drawn them and brought them to life.

It has been one hell of a year. I had some of the highest highs and lowest lows in 2020, lots of changes, and I have now officially moved onto the next chapter of my life now that my time at university is finally over. I’m very excited for what 2021 has to offer, and I’m going to go forward with great ambition.

#my art stuff #art summary #this is always a joy to do every year and i'm glad to keep up the tradition for the sixth year in a row #this year was super good for this as well just to look back on what i was actually able to accomplish #long post #tome #hazbin hotel

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oikaw-ugh · 4 years

Text

Kimi no Number (I'm sorry I find the title so funny so I used it. Also, Daichi x Reader - Soulmate AU!)

Writing Soulmate AU!: When you write on your skin, the same mark appears on the same place on your soulmate's. Such as if you doodle on your skin, your soulmate gets the doodle on their skin.

a/n: If you find the title funny, congrats! We share the same brain cells. Damn, was wondering where my other brain cell went, it's with you all this time.

Also, another Daichi fanfic because I need to remind myself where I started so I'm back with my Dad (like legit Dad. Not 'Daddy' Dad, do you get it?)

I feel like this is something Daichi wouldn't do but I can see how Suga might be at the corner and he taught Daichi about this approach and Daichi thinks Suga is the best at this field so he does what he's told.

Also, other Daichi SMAU fanfic here!

"Name?"

You blinked as you look up, staring at the lad in front of you. His eyes were at you, lips sporting a confident grin as his thick arms were crossed on his chest. Thick, the back of your mind whispered as you sense the toned muscles underneath his worn out leather jacket.

"I'm sorry," you said hesitantly, dropping the book you're reading, shifting uncomfortably on your seat, "I don't give my name to strangers."

He batted his eyes, "Ma'am, I'm a waiter. The one manning on the cashier forgot to ask for your name."

You gasped, eyes wide as you mumbled, "Oh..." Heat rushing towards your cheeks as you coughed.

"I-I'm sorry," you muttered, looking down as you squeeze your eyes tight, suddenly finding the urge to slap your face at this instant! "It's... It's Y/N."

"Y/N..." He nodded, "Okay, Y/N, I lied. The truth is, I've been eyeing you for a while and I couldn't help myself but to ask for your name."

You didn't think you could get any redder than you currently are. You looked back at this stranger, your brows furrowed as your teeth buried on your gums, resisting the sudden urge to grin, "O-Oh," you muttered which disappointed you gravely.

Of all the things you could've said, Y/N? Really? Redeem yourself!

"T-Thanks...I guess," you awkwardly chuckled, your hands flying towards your cheeks, a poor attempt to conceal your blush.

He chuckled with your reaction. His left hand made its way towards you, "I'm Daichi..." He introduced in a voice that sounded comforting to your liking.

Shaking, you took his hand, immediately feeling the roughness of his skin against yours, "Daichi, I'm Y/N - I mean, you know my name but it's - it's...you get my point."

Daichi chuckled as your hands shook, both of your eyes not wanting to look away, as if the stare you both shared are pulling you both to do nothing but to only stare back.

"Y/N..." He muttered as he stared, "I know I'm asking too much but can I have your number?"

You flinched, heart beating louder as the heat from your face travelled to your nape, aiming to also scatter at your spine. You took a heavy inhale, "S-Sure? I mean-Sure!"

"Do you have a pen...? Or a paper...?" Daichi asked as his free hand traveled towards the pocket at his back.

You look at your table only to see a pink highlighter resting beside the book you brought with you, "Only a highlighter."

You could see the sudden hit of happiness in him with the way his eyes gleamed and his shoulders rise as he basically exclaimed, "That's fine! Please write your number here!" as Daichi offered his wrist.

"I... don't have a paper with me," he said with an embarassed grin.

You couldn't help but chuckle. Finding how this Daichi lied of being an employee in this café only to be able to ask for your name a ridiculous scenario. And now, he wishes for you to write your number on the top of his wrist!

"Alright..." You said as your chuckle died, uncapping the blue highlighter, creating a sudden pop.

Your hands were noticeably trembling as you scribbled the digits of your phone. Never did writing my number felt this painfully long before, you thought as you wrote the last number on his wrist.

"There..." You looked up to Daichi and you immediately see him pull his hand closer to his face, checking the number - your number - on his wrist with this child-like grin.

"Terrific!" He exclaimed before placing his hands on his side again, suddenly calming from getting cheeky, "So...expect me to reach out to you soon?"

You nodded, hands playfully fidgeting on your marker, "Yes."

The two of you just idiotically stared at one another, with Daichi slowly retreating away from your booth, heading towards the door of the café, without tearing his eyes off of you.

"Bye..." He said, "Y/N."

Ah, shame. You could no longer hide the smile you have been trying to stop as you raised your hand, waving at him, "Bye."

And just like that, you watch Daichi heading out towards the café, walking at the streets.

You dreamily sighed to yourself, slightly contemplating whether you cling into Daichi's words. Or was he even serious, in the first place?

Shaking your head, you raised your hand, wanting to catch any of the waiters' attention, hoping you could have your order followed up-

You froze as you stare at your raised arm, specifically, at your wrist. Breathless as your eyes widened with the sight of familiar numbers on it.

"Ma'am, is there anything you need?" The waiter who just arrived at your booth respectfully asked.

Lowering down your arm and without lifting your gaze from your wrist, you nodded, "Yes. I'd like to borrow a pen," you said.

#haikyuu imagines #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu one shot #haikyuu Daichi #daichi sawamura #sawamura daichi #daichi x y/n #daichi x you #daichi x reader #daichi soulmate au #daichi smau #hq Daichi #Leia writes

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itsafanficthing · 5 years

Text

The Paper Boy - Chapter Six

Un-Beta'd, spell-checked (which doesn't particularly like the Scottish accent) and ready for reading. Enjoy! (also your comments inspire me to write more, so thank you for that!)

A03 is here

Jamie shifted uncomfortably next to Claire. He was bound to run into Laoghaire eventually. The school wasn’t that big.

“Hi Jamie,” Laoghaire greeted airily. She’d tucked up her skirt to a length Jamie was sure was going to get her in trouble. Her tie was loose around her neck and her shirt- she’d definitely filled out over the summer and Jamie could see some of the buttons on her blouse being held together by a breath.

“Alright, Laoghaire, Megan, Liz.” Jamie nodded at the three girls. He saw Laoghaire’s friends look over at Claire with curiosity.

“How’s yer first day of school going, Claire?” Laoghaire asked, but Jamie noticed that she was still looking at him as the words left her mouth.

“Very well, thank you Laoghaire. Jamie’s been a big help.”

“Aye, told ye he was a gentleman, did I not?”

“You did.”

Jamie smiled at Claire. It was only brief but Jamie saw Claire’s eyebrow twitch as she spoke to Laoghaire. It could have been nothing. Just a muscle moving in her forehead as she spoke but Jamie had a very clear memory of his own mother’s eyebrows doing the exact same thing when she was annoyed with his father. Jenny told Jamie that he did the same twitch when he wanted to thump her and that’s when she knew to get away from him when he was a bairn.

Curious that he should see it on Claire now but perhaps he was reading into things and it was just a perfectly natural facial movement. Still Jamie couldn’t get the image of his mothers eyes narrowing the exact same way.

“Jamie?” Laoghaire repeated his name impatiently and he looked back up at her.

“Sorry, what?”

“I was askin’ if ye are goin’ to eat lunch in the usual spot,” Laoghaire repeated what Jamie had missed when he was stuck in his thoughts of his mother.

“I hadn’t thought about it. Probably,” He shrugged nonchalantly.

“I might stop by on the way to dance- If I have time.”

“Sure,” Jamie shrugged again, he didn’t care. Laoghaire could have lunch wherever she liked.

“Dance?” Claire asked curiously. “You have dance here?”

Megan and Liz both snorted in laughter as Claire spoke and Jamie frowned at them as Laoghaire nudged them with an elbow while smiling.

“Aye, we have tryouts first day of school. There’s competitions throughout the summer. Do ye dance, Claire?” Laoghaire explained and it was then that Jamie realised what had made Liz and Megan laugh as Laoghaire exaggerated the word “dance”.

“Oh, no, not at all. I’m far too clumsy.” Claire immediately started blushing and shifted (unconsciously) closer to Jamie.

Laoghaire saw the shift that brought Claire closer to Jamie and she grimaced.

“Ye should come and have a try. Ye dinna need to have experience.”

“I don’t think so, but thank you for the invitation,” Claire answered politely.

“Nay bother.” Laoghaire was watching Claire carefully now and Jamie couldn’t help but feel like there was something sinister there. He cleared his throat as the bell rang.

“Weel, I suppose I’ll see ye at lunch, Jamie.” Laoghaire’s tone immediately changed as Jamie stood up from the bench, pulling Claire up with him. He grunted in response, turning his back on the gaggle of girls to fetch his things from his bag. “It’s a date, then,” Laoghaire continued, taking his reply as acceptance.

Jamie didn’t turn back around until he was sure that Laoghaire and her friends were gone. Claire was silent beside him as she took out her own books.

Jamie wasn’t sure what it was he was feeling, he just knew that he didn’t like the way that Laoghaire was looking at Claire. It was brief and he could be reading into things, but something just didn’t feel right. He wasn’t sure that Claire had picked up on it and he wasn’t about to tell her about what he was thinking.

He felt protective over Claire. She was new to the school, to the town, to Scotland and the last thing she needed was a silly school girl with a chip on her shoulder. Jamie would need to say something to Laoghaire about how she acted around him and Claire.

Him and Claire. Not that they were a “thing”. But they were friends and Jamie always stood up for his friends. He would do the same for Rupert. Or at least - that’s what he told himself.

Jamie let Claire take the lead into the classroom. She seemed unsure of where she should sit and looked back at him for help. Jamie smiled at her and swept his arm over the many empty desks in a “wherever you like” action and she laughed before rolling her eyes at him and plonking herself down at the set of desks directly in the middle of the room. Not the seat that Jamie would have chosen, but he sat next to her anyway. He would have sat next to her if she had chosen the teachers desk if he was honest.

“I wasn’t sure if you had a specific spot you liked to sit,” Claire explained as the rest of the class started to file in.

“Aye, next to you,” Jamie said before his brain caught up with him and he spluttered as Claire’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. “I mean, that I, I mean, I said I would’na leave ye, if I could help it. Just keepin’ my promise, to ye. That’s what I meant.”

Claire hummed as she grinned at him- there was a faint blush on her cheeks and Jamie was sure that his were bright red. Thankfully Mr Sandringham walked in at that moment and started the class and Jamie didn’t have another chance to stick his foot in his mouth.

—

It was only a single period class, mostly introductions to the new year and what they were going to be learning over the coming term. Claire took studicious notes while Jamie doodled in the margins of his page. He wasn’t sure what Claire was writing about- Sandringham wasn’t really saying anything of substance.

Mr Sandringham was an older teacher, but new to the school. He’d arrived in the last term of Jamie’s previous year when Miss Wellington had taken maternity leave. The town gossips had had a field day with that one. The supposedly single math teacher with a sudden pregnancy. Accusations were flying left, right and centre of who could possibly be the father. Miss Wellington had taken a leave of absence before anyone could find the answer and her small cottage had been on the market the week after she’d gone.

Jamie was absentmindedly fiddling with his pen, thinking about the circumstances of Mr Sandringham coming to the school, wondering if he thought that it would be a temporary assignment, only to then move permanently into the town, when Claire knocked his elbow and looked pointedly at her page.

Jame sat up quickly sat up straighter and read the note in the top right corner.

“Why aren’t you taking any notes?”

Jamie grinned as he pulled her book toward him and scrawled a response.

“What notes are there to take?”

Pushing the book back to his desk-mate, he stifled a laugh as she rolled her eyes when she read his reply.

“He’s giving us the course outline.” - the paper pushed back over to his side of the desk as her fingers tapped impatiently on the desk.

“Then I suppose I’ll take some notes when we’re learning something.”

He heard Claire sniff as she read as he wrote his response.

Sandringham turned towards the whiteboard and started to write dates of upcoming exams (not due for at least two months). Claire feverishly grabbed back her book and copied down everything that he wrote.

Jamie stifled another laugh before looking back at his book and also copying the dates.

—

The bell rang and Claire quickly packed up her desk.

“Ye like to take a lot of notes then?” Jamie asked as led her toward her next class.

“I don’t like missing details or not knowing things,” Claire answered quickly.

“Aye, so ye’ve said.”

“When?”

“Last week. When ye were worried about school. Ye said that ye dinna like to be behind.”

“Oh,” Claire breathed, “well, yes. I like to be on top of things.”

“Did ye learn anythin’ from yer obsessive note taking?” Jamie asked as they arrived outside her next classroom.

“I learned when our exams are and what the syllabus is going to include,” she answered as she removed her backpack and started to get out her books.

“Aye, so did I, but I still have an empty book,” Jamie laughed- laughing harder as her eyebrows narrowed at him.

“Well,” Claire huffed with annoyance, “what are you going to do when you forget and need to know what we’re studying next or when an exam is?”

“I’ll ask ye, Sassenach,” Jamie smirked at her. He could see the annoyance building behind her eyes before it broke and she laughed at him.

“Good luck with that. I’m not sharing my notes with you for anything.”

“Ye cut me!” Jamie exclaimed dramatically clutching his heart. “Here I thought that we were friends.”

“Hmm, friends.” Claire arched a single eyebrow at him and Jamie couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Truly, though, I appreciate yer work ethic. I think ye’ll be a good influence on me,” Jamie said seriously. “At least that’s what my Da and Jen will say if I start taking notes the way ye do.”

“He thinks I’ll rub off on you?” Claire asked as she grinned at him and Jamie tried to ignore the fact that her saying “rub off” made his body have a physical reaction to her.

“Somethin’ like that,” he grunted as he shifted away from her.

“Who’re ye rubbing off on?” The loud voice of Gellis sounded from behind Jamie as she threw her bag next to Claire’s.

“No one,” Jamie answered quickly as Claire looked between them with a sort of curious amusement. “And this is where I leave ye, in the safe hands of Gellis for Biology.”

“What?” The amusement immediately fell from Claire’s face and Jamie saw her grip her textbook a little tighter.

“Aye, I have Physics now. But ye’ll be with Gellis, so not totally alone,” he explained as he adjusted his bag straps.

“You’re not in Biology?” Claire repeated faintly.

“Not smart enough,” Geillis inputted helpfully as Jamie made a face at her.

“Because Physics is so easy.”

“Shoo,” Geillis laughed turning away from him. “Leave us to learn.”

“Ye’ll be fine, Claire. I’ll be right here waiting for ye when the bell rings again.” Jamie almost reached out to her- nearly squeezed her hand in comfort or brushed the curl off her cheek, but he could feel Geillis studying him so he didn’t dare.

“Mr Fraser.” The voice if Mrs Loboscar sounded from behind him. “I dinnae remember seein’ yer name on ma roll call.”

“Aye, Miss. I’ll be on my way.” Jamie nodded once more to Claire before he was off and running to his class.

—

Jamie arrived to his class, panting and throwing his bag on the racks. It was only a single period, then he would run back to Claire to make sure she made it through biology. At least she had Gellis in the class with her. She had a double of history that afternoon and Jamie couldn’t think of any of his friends that were in that class. Not close friends anyway. He was sure that Rachel and Denzel Hunter were in it, but he didn’t know them well. There was Frank Randall, of course, but again, Jamie didn’t really know much about the lad.

Jamie tried to shake the worry from his mind as Mr MacWeather started to speak to the class about the coming term. Claire would be fine. It wasn’t like she’d never been to school before.

—

Mr MacWeather didn’t believe in taking things easy. He didn’t believe in a slow warm up and introduction into the year.

“Physics.” He said before he repeated the word several times. “Let’s get to it.” And then his back was turned to the class and he was sprouting off information and writing things on the whiteboard and Jamie was barely keeping up.

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Jamie was up and out of his seat, grabbing his bag and tearing across the grounds back to where he had left Claire.

He arrived just as Claire was packing her bag. She was listening to something Geillis was saying and laughing as Geillis shook her head. Jamie tried to stand casually, dropping his bag at his feet, as if he hadn’t just sprinted across half the school to wait for her. He saw the moment that she noticed him and her shoulders seemed to relax slightly as her face broke into a wider smile. Jamie also saw Geillis look quickly between them before grinning smugly, but he chose to ignore that.

“Hi,” Claire said somewhat breathlessly as she approached and Jamie picked up his bag again.

“How did it go?” He asked as Geillis fell into step with them.

“Fine,” Geillis answered before Claire had the chance.

“How was physics?” Claire asked quietly.

“Physiciky,” Jamie answered with a shrug. “I took notes, ye’ll be proud of me.”

Claire snorted with laughter as they saw Mary, Rupert and Angus waving at them over.

“Did ye bring lunch?” Jamie asked, sensing a fresh wave of nerves run through Claire.

“Yes, I just erm…”

“Go ahead, Geillis. We’ll be there in a sec.” Jamie stopped as Geillis waved her hand in acknowledgement before yelling something absurd to Angus.

“Are ye alright?” Jamie asked quietly, stooping slightly to meet her eyes.

“I’m fine. I’m just… I just got very anxious all of a sudden. I’m not normally an anxious person,” Claire said quickly.

“It’s the first day of school, makin’ new friends and all new lessons. It would be overwhelmin’ for anyone. It’s no’ so strange to be a bit worried.”

“I know. I know.” Claire nodded. He could see her fingers wringing together as her gaze shifted around the quad quickly. “It’s just that. It’s my first day of my last year of high school and you just… you have in your mind how it’s going to go…”

“Is it no’ goin’ how ye thought?” Jamie asked. He’d tried to make it as easy as possible on her. He couldn’t help that they had different classes. “Did something happen’ in Bio?”

“No, not at all. It’s fine. I’m fine. Truly. I’m alright.”

Claire suddenly stood up straighter, squared her shoulders and strode away from Jamie, leaving him confused. He watched her walk toward his group of friends, trying to figure out what could have suddenly upset her, only for her to shake it off so quickly. Jamie didn’t understand what was going on, but as Rupert called out his name Jamie decided that it was a worry for another day.

—

True to her word, Laoghaire and her friends stopped by Jamie on their way to dance auditions (was her skirt shorter?) to say hello- that was all they really said.

Laoghaire said hello. Claire wished her good luck. Laoghaire smiled at her. Megan looked at Rupert. Liz looked at Jamie and Claire. And then they were gone. It didn’t really seem worth the trouble, auditions were over the other side of the school.

—

“What class do you have after lunch?” Claire asked as she tossed her rubbish in the nearby bin.

“PE,” Jamie answered through a mouthful of his lunch. “What about you?” He asked after swallowing several times (though he already knew the answer).

“History,” Claire seemed to huff. Dare he hope that she was disappointed that they didn’t have another class together? “I thought that they made you stop doing PE after ninth year.”

“Aye, this is Advanced Physical Education.” Jamie wiped the crumbs from his mouth as Angus picked up his soccer ball. “It’s more ‘an just runnin’ laps- It’s sports physiology.”

“Isn’t that biology?” Claire asked as Jamie stood up from the grass and brushed himself off.

“Biology is plants and things. This is about the human body and movement. Sporting injuries, cardio, muscular training- stuff like that,” Jamie said as Angus and Ruper spread out on the field to start kicking the call.

“Do you still run laps?” Claire asked as she picked some grass absentmindedly.

“Aye, more often than no’, we do,” Jamie grinned before he ran out into the field with his friends.

—

A few other lads came out onto the field to kick the ball with them and soon they had an impromptu game of football. Jamie looked back to Claire constantly and was pleased to see her chatting with Geillis and Mary. Louise de La Tour had joined the trio after a while and had engaged Claire in a conversation that seemed to centre around the boys on the field. Jamie didn’t know Louise that well, only that she had drama with Geillis and Mary.

Claire was looking over at Jamie and smiling shyly at him. He waved in acknowledgement before he tore after the ball, stealing it from Angus and tripping Adam McLean in the process. Jamie ran down the field (jogged was more accurate. Jamie was very fit but this was just a fun scrimmage) and quickly scored against the other team. Rupert thumped him on the back, breathing heavily as Angus swore loudly at Adam for getting in his way.

Jamie jogged off the field to wear the girls were sitting.

“Show off.” Geillis was grinning as she glanced up at him from her phone.

“Canna help it that Adam was’na looking where he was goin’,” Jamie grinned as he dug through his bag looking for his water bottle.

“You’re very quick,” Claire commented as Jamie took a long drink.

“Jamie here is on the track, rugby, football and swim team. There is’nae much he canna do,” Geillis answered before Jamie could reply.

“So I’ve heard,” Claire said quietly and Jamie looked at her curiously. They’d spoke about the sports Jamie was in, he was sure that they had, still he was curious to know what she had heard about him.

“Jamie!” Ruperts voice called from across the field and Jamie pushed the second puzzling thing about Claire Beauchamp of that day to the back of his mind as he ran back into the field.

—

They didn’t have much longer to play. The bell was about to ring, Jamie knew it- but he also couldn’t help it. He just wanted to impress Claire. Show that he could score another goal, or at least assist on one.

The ball was high in the air, right in front of the goals. He could head it in. Impressive alright- he’d have to jump for it. Unfortunately for Jamie, Simon Gibbons had the except idea, except to defend the ball from the goals.

Jamie jumped. Simon jumped. Jamie hit the ball. It soared into the goal. Rupert cheered. Simon had jumped late. Jamie was landing. Simon was arching forward. Simons forehead connected with Jamie’s right eye, throwing him off balance. Jamie landed on his back- hard- and the air was forced from his lungs in a powerful whoosh. Jamie was winded and coughed, trying to catch his breath.

He might have had a rock solid head, burn holy cow, that had hurt. Simon has stumbled with the collision but Jamie could see that he was still standing. Jamie rolled onto his side, trying to catch his breath and feeling a pulsing ache radiating from above his eyebrow.

“Ouch,” he breathed as he tried to sit up, before strong bony fingers were forcing him back to lying down.

“Stay down,” the voice of Claire Beauchamp commanded. “You might be concussed.”

“Where’d ye come from?” Jamie asked stupidly, his eyes blinking from the blinding of the midday sun above them, before it was blocked out by the face of Claire. She looked like an angel, or at least what Jamie assumed angels looked like. The sun was casting a halo around her wild curls. Although, Jamie assumed that angels looked far less concerned in heaven, and Claire’s forehead was wrinkled as she studied him.

“I ran over when you both cracked skulls. I swear the sound echoed around the school. Are you alright?” Claire was checking his pulse, though Jamie had no idea why. One of her hands was on his cheek and she was directing his eyes to look at her own.

Whisky. She had whisky eyes. Caramel but lighter. And swimming with life. Like molten lava, swirling depths that someone (Jamie) could get lost in.

“I’m fine, Sassenach. I’ve had worse. Can I sit up?”

Claire reluctantly sat back and let Jamie sit up slowly. The initial pain was subsiding, all that was left was a throbbing where he was sure a bump was forming.

“Are you okay?” The concern in Claire’s voice was evident and he hoped that none of the lads surrounding them would pick up on it.

“Aye- Just a bump. Is Simon alright?” Jamie asked, looking around.

“Aye Jamie, I’mnae hurt, ye went down like a sack o’ tatties though,” Simon replied from beside him.

“Yer head’s like a pound o’ rocks, no surprise I went down. Can ye no’ aim for the ball next time?” Jamie laughed as he stood up, Claire’s hawk eyes watching him carefully.

“Yer head’s sae round, ye cannae blame me for the mix up.”

“'Haud yer wheesht,” Jamie shook his head at Simon as the bell rang and the crowd that had surrounded Jamie when he fell started to disperse.

“I have no idea what both of you just said to each other,” Claire said as they left the field together to collect their bags.

“Och, it was nothin’, just banter.”

“It was like you were speaking another language,” Claire grinned as she swung her bag over her shoulders.

“Aye- Scottish. Ye’ll have to get used to it around here, given yer proximity to the Scottish… in Scotland.”

Jamie dropped Claire to her history class, (he could see her getting more and more nervous as they approached) before he left for his double PE Class.

He’d located the Hunter Twins and introduced Claire to them before he’d left, so hopefully they would help her out and introduce her to a few more students.

Mr Langford, similar to the other teachers, had written the course outline on the whiteboard and was waiting for his students to take their seats.

The first of the double period was spent outlining the coming term (sports injuries) as well as deciding on the sport they would play for the physical aspect of their class (football). As always, their double period would be split between theoretical and physical. The first period being the theoretical. Jamie felt on edge, maybe it was getting hit in the head or maybe it was being away from Claire but as soon as the bell rang for the last period of the day, Jamie was up and out of his chair ready to let loose on the field.

He chuckled to himself as Mr Langford had them run two laps of the oval as a warm up- Claire’s voice echoed in his head about PE being just about running laps. Jamie still had more nervous energy bubbling in his system, the warm-up hardly making a dent in his pent up adrenaline and so when they actually started some training drills, Jamie threw his all into it.

He was lucky. He certainly had good genes that helped him with a lot of his sport, but working on a farm and having a paper route afforded Jamie the ability to keep in extremely good shape. Many of the other students in the class couldn’t keep up with him, except for one lad who had clearly been training over the summer - Tom Christie.

Jamie and Tom had grown up together and there was a sort of friendly rivalry between them. Both very intelligent and also skilled sportsmen, they should have been best friends, the only major difference between them came down to money. Jamie’s family weren’t exactly rolling around in wealth, but they were comfortable. Sure there had been occasions where Jamie had had a smaller birthday or Christmas than he would have liked, but he was never wanting for anything.

Tom however, came from extreme wealth. Jamie was sure that he had never “wanted” for anything in his life, though he seemed to “want” everything. He always came to school with the newest, most expensive shoes that one could buy. He spent his weekends either at his family’s elite horse riding club, or flaunting his exorbitant wealth. Jamie was sure that Tom wasn’t aware that he had a lot of money. One of the perks of growing up around a lot of money was that people that did never really recognised that they had it. Things that Tom took for granted (a lunch from the school canteen, new clothes) Jamie saved and scrounged to have (home packed lunches of leftovers from the night before and sometimes his father’s hand-me-downs). Where Tom trained in his family’s private gym and rode only the most expensive pure-bred horses from a championship race winner, Jamie hauled bales of hay on the farm and jumped on the back of demon horses to try and train them. Both were effective methods of getting fit and training, there was no question, however arguably one was significantly better than the other.

Jamie didn’t begrudge Tom for having money, that was none of Jamie’s business, it was just that Tom was so obtusely unaware of how privileged he was. They got along fine, but Jamie knew that they would never be friends. They were friendly enough with each other, but no, they would never be friends.

It was because they were so evenly matched that Mr Langford always put them on opposing teams. Jamie was competitive- he liked to win, but there was something so satisfying in winning against Tom. For all of Tom’s money, he couldn’t buy Jamie’s talent. Yes, Tom was quick on the field, and he could maneuver the ball without much trouble but Tom had really only been intensely training for the past few years. Jamie had been in training since he could walk and hold a pitchfork. There was something to be said about someone's agility being built over the fear of being kicked by a horse rather than strategically jumping over cones.

Mr Langford blew the whistle and Angus kicked the ball backward to Jamie who tore down the field before passing it back to Angus. Tom stood back at centre staring dumbly at the place Jamie had been a moment ago before he shook his head and ran after the ball.

Jamie had been running constantly for the past 20 minutes, trying to pass the ball to as many of his players as possible. The other issue with Tom, that Jamie had studied over the years, was that he liked to do things himself- often to his own detriment. Tom assumed that Jamie was the same way and continually came at him for attack, only to be caught off guard when Jamie would pass the ball to one of his team mates. It didn’t always work out in his favour- the ball would be stolen by the other team and Jamie would have to work hard to get possession of the ball back to his team, but there was no denying that Jamie’s team had dominated Tom’s.

Jamie could see the frustration rising in Tom as Angus stole the ball, passed it to Phillip Wylie, who missed it entirely, to then be picked up by Jamie and passed back to Phillip. No one expected Phillip to score a goal, but with Jamie and Angus’s help, he did and Phillip nearly collapsed with relief. Mr Langford called the game to a halt and gathered his students.

“Alright. Ye certainly ken how to play well enough. I’m seein’ a lot of good things oot there, but ye are’na playin’ as a team.” Mr Langford looked directly at Tom as he spoke and Jamie couldn’t help but smirk as Angus nudged him in his ribs. “Right, we’re gonna finish off the day with some drills. Jamie, be a lad and run these cones out for me.”

After a painful session of drills (of which the competition between Tom and Jamie seemed to intensify) Jamie was well and truly pooped. He collected the cones and balls for Mr Langford with Rupert and Angus in tow, dumping the gear in the equipment sheds as the bell rang, signalling the end of their first day.

Jamie picked up his school bag and swung it onto his back as Rupert and Angus gave a play by play of the competition between Jamie and Tom.

“And then when ye overtook him at the final cones, I thought he was goin’ tae explode. Ye should’ha seen the face he gave ye,” Angus laughed loudly.

“I’m goin’ tae ask tae be on yer team next time we play. Tom does’na pass the ball tae anyone, it’s infuriatin’. Ye ken I would’ha scored if he passed it to me before Langford blew the whistle,” Rupert complained.

“Competition is certainly on between the two of ye- I thought it might’a died down after last year,” Angus hummed in contemplation as the trio walked together.

“‘Cause I’m so much older and wiser?” Jamie laughed as they rounded the corner.

“Yer aff yer heid if ye think that they will’na try tae kill each other in e’ery class,” Rupert snorted as he shook his head.

“Ah umnae tryin’ to kill the lad, truly. It’s just pure dead brillian’ seein’ him lose at somethin’ he thinks he ought tae win,” Jamie replied, his voice softening at the end as he saw Claire walking toward him.

“Och, it’s his girlfrien’, best leave him be,” Rupert commented seeing the reason for Jamie’s sudden change in tone.

“She is’na my girlfriend,” Jamie bit back, smacking Rupert over the back of the head as Angus started to sing ‘Claire and Jamie, Sitting in a Tree’. “Haud yer wheesht!” Jamie yelled as Angus ducked out of the way of Jamie’s fists, cackling with laughter with Rupert as they left him alone to face Claire.

“Hi,” Claire greeted happily as Jamie saw both Rupert and Angus make kissing faces at him behind Claire’s back.

“How was history?” Jamie asked as they fell into stride with each other and out of the school gates.

“Rachel and Denzel were nice, they sat with each other, which was fine. I sat next to a girl, Emma I think her name was. She didn’t say much. Mr Randall was the teacher again, he recognised me from English, but didn’t make me introduce myself to the class, which was good. You’re right, I didn’t really have anything to be nervous about. You know when you were a kid and they made you introduce yourself to the class and it would be like, say your name and something about yourself starting with the first letter of your name. I always hated that game. Thank goodness we’ve moved on from doing things like that. Anyway, I also met Frank Randall, the guy you told me about, his Dad is Mr Randall. Imagine having your father as your teacher. I can’t imagine anything worse.” Claire spoke quickly and happily.

Jamie relaxed. When they had hung out (however briefly it was) over the summer, Jamie had noticed that when Claire was particularly excited over something she spoke rapidly. It brought Jamie a sense of comfort that her first day at a new school hadn’t been a total train wreck.

“I could see you in your PE class out of the windows,” she continued on, not waiting for Jamie’s acknowledgement. “You did laps,” she said smugly.

“Aye, for warm up.” Jamie grinned.

“You’re very fast out there. I saw you running. Of course I was a fair way away, but it looked fast. Who was the blonde guy that was trailing you?”

“The blonde guy?” Jamie repeated feeling his heart thump heavily in his chest, though he wasn’t sure why. “Oh, that’s Tom.”

“He was right on your heels the whole time. Even in some of the… you know the things you were doing at the end. The back and forth thing,” Claire said using her hands to try and illustrate her point.

“The drills? Aye, we keep on top of each other most of the time.”

“Are you friends? Do you train together?”

Jamie let out a chuckle as he shook his head. “No, I would’na say that we were particularly close. There’s always been a bit of competition between us. We just like to get the best of one another as much as we can.”

“Oh,” Claire hummed, “why?”

Jamie paused as he thought it over. It was just what they had always done, for as long as he could remember. “I dinnae ken to be honest wi’ ye,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “We just always have.”

“Is there a definitive winner?”

“No’ always. I’m a faster runner than Tom, but he’s got better footwork for football. He just needs to learn to share the ball. We’re pretty evenly matched in the pool, I think. It’s been a while since we’ve raced,” Jamie shrugged trying to think if there was something that truly separated them in their skills.

“Do you get along at all?” Claire asked curiously.

“Och aye, we’re fine. It’s all in good sport,” Jamie smiled over at her. “It’s just something we’ve always done since we were wee bairns.”

“It sounds exhausting.”

“It’s truly all in good fun, we all have our strengths and weaknesses.”

“What’s yours then?” Claire asked as she stopped and made Jamie face her.

“What’s my weakness?” Jamie clarified as Claire nodded. “You” he nearly answered before he stopped himself. “If I told ye that lass, I’d have to kill ye.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Claire laughed before she started walking again.

—

“So the first day of school was’na too bad then?” Jamie asked as they approached her front gate.

“Not nearly as terrifying as I thought it would be. I think I can thank my guide for that,” Claire answered as she made her way to her front door.

“Yer welcome, Sassenach. Happy to be at yer service.”

“My service, hey? Could you come in and make me some dinner while I relax in a bath?” Claire joked as she unlocked the front door.

Jamie tried to ignore the immediate visual that came to his mind of Claire slippery and covered in bubbles as she had a bath and he cleared his throat to try and stop the inevitable break that would come when he tried to use his voice to reply.

“Unfortunately this is where my services stop. I have to get home and finish my chores.”

“Didn’t you have chores this morning?” Claire asked in surprise.

“Aye, that’s the joy of livin’ on a farm. The work ne’er stops. I’ll be here tomorrow mornin’ same time to pick ye up,” Jamie said as he picked up his bike from where he had parked it that morning.

“Oh, okay then. I will see you tomorrow.” Claire sounded slightly disappointed and Jamie couldn’t help the smile that came to his face.

“Bye Claire.” Jamie wheeled his bike back out of the front gate and started pedaling away, sure that he had heard a faint “bye Jamie” in return from Claire.

#The Paper Boy #Chapter Six #Chapter 6 #Outlander #Outlander fanfic #Outlander fanfiction #Jamie Fraser #Claire beauchamp #Jamie x Claire #Au #Fluff #Teenage au #Outlander teenager au #first day of school

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meganshinsou-tm · 5 years

Text

be mine. (f)

☙ pairing: ojiro x reader

☙ theme: valentines day confession

☙ cw/tw: profanity, fluff, confessions, gifts, first-kiss, bros helping bros

☙ a/n-request: Hello! I love your blog and I was wondering if I could request scenario for Ojiro. Having it be Valentine's day and he decides to make some chocolates for his crush to ask her out on a date but he ends up getting nervous and seeks the help of the guys to do it

Black eyes watched you as you walked from desk to desk, handing out small bags full of heart shaped cookies you made. A bright and friendly smile remained on your face and a pink dusted your cheeks as you’d scratch the back of your neck as your classmates thanked you. You were so shy sometimes when people acknowledged you and it was too adorable to a certain someone.

“So,” a suave and familiar voice spoke out from behind Ojiro as he felt hands around the fluffy end of his tail, “Did you give (Y/N) those chocolates yet?”

Ojiro froze and his cheeks turned pink as he turned around and swatted at Kaminari with his tail. “Shut up dude!”

The electric boy chuckled and rubbed his shoulder.

“I take that as a ‘no’. What are you waiting for? You stayed up all night making those things!”

Ojiro shrugged his shoulders and rubbed his head as he looked back around at you. He smiled when you looked at him and waved, going back to talking to Izuku. For the longest time Ojiro had the biggest crush on you. Ever since first year, the two of you were close friends and worked in teams a lot. You’d even hangout outside of class, watching movies, going to the arcade or taking walks together. He enjoyed your company more than anything and he could relax and be himself around you, at least when he wasn’t thinking about how adorable you were. Sometimes you’d do something cute like sneeze or blush when he complimented your skills and smarts. He seemed to make you laugh and smile a lot and it was always the highlight of his day.

The two of you even walked to and from class together and ate lunch together everyday. Ojiro had an inkling that you had the same thoughts and feelings towards him but he knew you were too shy to act upon them. So it was up to him to make a move and he didn’t mind, in fact he was one of those types that believed the guy should make the first move no matter what.

So, as Valentine’s Day neared closer Ojiro came up with a plan to make you your favorite chocolates and add a little something extra. Some of his fingertips were singed off from him accidentally burning himself on the stove-top during the process but when he had the finished product laid out, it was all worth it, you were worth it. If only he could find the courage to give them to you. He didn’t want to just hand them over and walk away and he really didn’t want to do it in front of everyone else. He wanted it to be special.

“Hello? Earth to Tailman!”

Ojiro widened his eyes and looked back at Denki with a sheepish smile, “Sorry, what did –“

“Mashi”

The blonde was cut off as you cheered out your nickname for him and appeared at his desk suddenly, placing your palms on the surface of it and leaning in close to him. He blushed profusely and his tail started to wag on the floor between Kaminari’s feet.

“What the?”

Denki quietly questioned as he looked down and back up to see Ojiro’s condition, making him cover his mouth and hide a laugh.

“You were late this morning, are you okay?”

“Uh – yeah I just kind of went to bed really late last night and overslept,” the blonde replied with a sheepish smile.

You pouted your lips and ran your fingers through Ojiro’s short hair and cupped his chin. It wasn’t an unusual exchange between the two of you, in fact you were pretty handsy with Ojiro. You always touched his face and played with his hair, especially when you were worried or concerned about him. His favorite thing was when you’d pass out on the common room couch with him and snuggle with his tail. Ojiro blushed but his body was lax and his tail slowly swayed back and forth.

“I bet you were studying again huh? You work yourself too hard, take a break every now and then. In the meantime, here –“ you paused and removed your other hand from behind your back, placing a small box on his desk, “Enjoy your valentine’s day gift from me! Don’t finish them all off before lunch though. Maybe tonight we can watch a movie and share all our goodies we get together yeah?”

Ojiro was shocked as he looked at the small red and pink box, wrapped with ribbon and a bow. Looking around the class he saw that all the other cookies you had given out were just in decorated plastic gift bags, not boxes as extravagant as his. He smiled and nodded in agreement, his hand reached into his bag to grab the gift he made for you but before he could fully take it out, Mina had called over to you making you turn and wave. Ojiro slowly dropped the box back into his bag and half smiled as you turned back to him.

“I’m gonna go see what she wants, see you at lunch?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” he softly replied as you smiled at him and tossed a small bag of cookies to Kaminari behind him before taking off in the opposite direction.

Denki opened his bag of cookies and immediately started to eat them, making inhuman sounds and drooling over how good they were. He leaned over Ojiro’s shoulder and looked at the box at his desk. Denki knit his brows together and looked at the small bag of cookies he got.

“Hey that’s no fair! What did you get,” he whined and reached for the box but Ojiro held him back with his tail laughing.

The school bell rang, signaling that it was time for lunch. You looked over at Ojiro and he acknowledged you, waving and mouthing that he’d be there shortly. Smiling, you and the other girls left the room and headed for the cafeteria. In no time almost all the boys of the class were at Ojiro’s desk, questioning what was in the decorative box and why they only got a small bag of cookies.

“Mashi gets special treatment because (Y/N)’s his girlfriend!” Kaminari teased and Ojiro smacked him with his tail.

“Well open it! I bet it’s sexy lingerie,” a familiar creepy and pervy voice demanded from behind the crowd of men.

Everyone turned to look at the small purple perv. Ojiro narrowed his eyes and sent Mineta flying out of the door with a swift swing of his muscular tail. Sero politely taped the door shut and everyone shook their head as Mineta clawed and whined outside of the door like an animal.

“Seriously though man, open it!” Kirishima interjected.

“Excuse me, but this gift (Y/N) gave Ojiro specifically, which must mean that it is private. He is in no way obligated to show us anything if he doesn’t want to!” Iida stated as his arms signaled up and down.

The blonde held up his hand and tried to calm his class president down. He was blushing from all the attention his gift was garnering from his friends. He was just as anxious to see what you had given him so he nodded and told everyone to calm down and he’d open it. All the boys looked at each other and chilled, Bakugou rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue as he got up from his desk and marched out, dragging a whining Kirishima along with him.

Ojiro untied the bow and let the delicate ribbon slide from the box. His fingers grabbed the sides and lifted it as the bottom started to slide out. Once Ojiro removed the lid, him and all his friends leaned in closer and looked at the treats inside. Along with a generous amount of the cookies you gave out to everyone else, you also gave him his favorite flavored Ranmue candy, matcha green tea Pocky and fruit flavored candies. The blonde smiled as he realized you had gone out of your way to gather all his favorite sweets. Ojiro wasn’t a big fan of chocolates himself, he’d eat them but they weren’t his preference and you remembered that.

“Whoa, she went all out huh? Look there’s even an envelope under all the candy!” Sero pointed out.

Ojiro dug through the sweets and grabbed the white envelope. He opened it to reveal a hand-drawn doodle of you and him, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day Mashi,’ was written underneath the sketch and he smiled. This entire box was so thoughtful and it was the best gift he had ever received. He wanted to find you immediately and thank you!

“So Mashi, you gonna give her those chocolates you worked so hard on?” Denki asked with a mouth full of cookies, crumbs falling from the corner of his mouth.

“Oh yeah, geez after seeing this … I’m not sure if my gift can top it,” Ojiro sulked as he started to feel bad for not going all out like you had.

“I’m sure (Y/N) wouldn’t care. You made her gift yourself and put a lot of heart into it, she seems like the type that would really appreciate that type of thing,” Izuku stated with a smile.

Ojiro pulled out the box that held the candy he made for you and toyed with it back and forth in his palms. As he thought more about it, Izuku was right. You were a really appreciative person and never asked for much. Small gestures and offerings made you happy, whether it was Ojiro getting you your favorite tea from the vending machine or him winning you a plushie at one of the school’s culture festivals that you still cherished.

“I just don’t know when the right time to give them to her would be. You see it’s kind of personal and private … I plan on finally confessing to her,” Ojiro finally replied as he blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

All his friends started to get rowdy and congratulate him, giving him pats on the shoulder and ruffling his hair. It had only been almost two years. Your second year at UA was almost over, only leaving him a year and a few months left to make up for his wasted time. Everyone knew you and Ojiro were meant for each other and it only aggravated them more how neither of you ever made a confession or move.

“Hey, you’re spending time together tonight right? She suggested you watch a movie. That’ll be the perfect time!” Denki suggested.

“But … I don’t want to go all day without giving her something! She already gave me her gift - won’t she get upset?”

“Uh – is there something special in the caf that she likes? Maybe rush in and get her that and her favorite drink, make up some bullshit excuse that you got caught up in studying and forgot about an actual gift. She’ll understand and be totally surprised when you give her the chocolates!” Sero suggested.

Ojiro’s eyes brightened and he nodded, that would definitely work! The dining hall had this cheesecake you loved so much but you always ended up not getting it because you’d spend all your lunch money on actual food before dessert. Jumping from his desk Ojiro thanked his friends and ran towards the cafeteria. On his way he stopped by every vending machine until he found one with your favorite tea. Once he made his way into the cafeteria he spotted you and saw that you didn’t have any cheesecake.

“Perfect!”

A few minutes later Ojiro was walking up behind you, holding his food tray in his hands. His tail swayed from behind his back and in front of you, another tray resting on it with your drink and cheesecake. You looked at it then over your shoulder at your blushing friend.

“Happy Valentine’s Day (Y/N). I’m sorry I didn’t get you something better, I got caught up in studying.”

You smiled and shook your head while removing the tray from his tail and sat it on the table. “Aww Mashi don’t sweat it, I love this! I was actually really craving cheesecake today but as always, I ran out of money!”

Ojiro couldn’t believe his luck and how the suggestion really worked out for him and let out a relieved breath as he sat next to you. You looked at him and leaned over, placing a quick peck to his cheek and giggling as he blushed.

“Thank you so much! Did you look in your box?” You asked as you opened the tea he got you and took a sip.

“I did! That’s the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever gotten me, thank you, you’ll help me eat it all tonight right?”

You smiled and nodded giving him a thumbs up. Ojiro nodded back, bringing the tip of his tail up and tickled your face with the fluffy fur, making you giggle more. Ojiro smirked and started to eat his food, hoping that the rest of the day would fly by.

After class Ojiro walked with you back to the dorms and to your room. He left you to go back to his room and changed into more comfortable clothes, grabbing his box of goodies and your gift as he jogged out the door. When he knocked on your door it took no time for you to answer with a smile on your face. Ojiro entered, making sure to keep your gift wrapped tightly in his tail and out of your sight for the moment.

You grabbed your backpack and turned it upside down, letting a fountain of treats fall out of it and onto your low-rise coffee table. You and Ojiro both laughed as he walked over and added his gift from you to the pile. You smiled and grabbed two drinks from your mini fridge and sat on the floor next to Ojiro, both of you leaning back against your bed.

“So what do we watch Mashi,” you questioned, placing the drinks on the table and grabbing your console controller.

“Uh – what’s that one you’re always going on about that we always try to watch but never do?”

“P.S. I Love You,” you questioned as you looked through Netflix on your tv.

“Yeah, it sounds like you really like that movie and I’ve never seen it so why not?”

Smiling you went straight to the movie the two of you talked about and you looked at Ojiro, “I can’t promise I won’t cry. This movie really gets to me every time.”

Ojiro smiled and realized that this was his chance. Removing his tail from behind his body, he swung it around and caressed your face with the fluffy end that wrapped around your present.

“Well you’ve got my tail to wipe your face with!”

You giggled and grabbed his tail, your fingers brushing against the box wrapped in it. You quirked a brow and looked as he turned his appendage over more for you to see the box clearly, gently releasing it into your lap. You pouted your lips and wrapped your fingers around the object before looking at him with a quizzical smile.

“What’s this?”

“It’s your real Valentine’s Day present. I may have lied a lot today. You see last night I stayed up all night making this and I wanted to wait for the right time to give it to you but I didn’t want you to go all day without at least something after the wonderful gift you gave me.”

Your smile grew bigger and Ojiro could feel his heart beating faster than normal. Without warning, you crawled over his tail and into his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck, hugging him tight and burying your face into him. At first Ojiro stiffened and his face turned beet red, you’ve hugged him plenty of times before but something about this hug was different - you were legit sitting on his lap! But also, you held him in a different way. Slowly he lowered his arms and wrapped them around you, burying his own face into the crook of your neck. He quickly became addicted to the feeling of having you wrapped in his arms, even his tail wrapped around your body adding an extra hug. You smelled like sweet fruit and were extremely warm.

“Thank you so much Oji, this is really sweet of you. Next time though, pace yourself! I could’ve waited!”

Ojiro chuckled as you loosened your hug and sat back to look at him, reaching over to grab your gift that was forgotten on the floor. He let his arms lower, hands resting on the tops of your thighs and smiled, “I’ll remember that next time.”

You let out an ‘good,’ while unwrapping the ribbon from around the rectangular box. Gently sliding the top off, you awed and bit on your lip as your eyes rested on the handmade treats that Ojiro made. In separate small chocolate squares a message was laid out, the letters dusted and colored in red.

‘Be mine.’

Your cheeks were hurting from how big you smiled. Your (e/c) eyes looked up to Ojiro who was softly smiling back.

“Mashi~!”

“I’m not asking you to be mine only for today, I’m asking you to be mine for as long as you’ll have me. Ever since first year you’ve been my best friend and somewhere along the way you’ve become more. I love waking up each morning, knowing you’ll be the first person I see, it’s the thing I look forward to each night when I go to bed. I love how strong and endearing you are, how kind and friendly you are to others. I think it’s cute how you blush when people compliment or praise you, you’re so modest and humble. You never ask for anything but deserve the whole world and … I want to give that to you. I want you – to be mine.”

You bit your lip again, trying to keep your smile from growing any bigger. Your heart was so full and overwhelmed by Ojiro’s sweet confession. There was no way you could top his words and you knew that you didn’t really need to, you just needed to give him an answer. So you cupped the blonde’s cheek and slowly leaned forward pulling him closer to you, smiling upon feeling heat build under the skin of his face. Before he could question what was happening, you closed the remaining distance, placing a kiss to his lips.

Ojiro's black eyes widened as he felt your warm and soft lips on his. Your mouth melded with his perfectly as he relaxed, fluttering his eyes shut and kissing back. His own hand held your face, arm wrapping around and pulling you closer. You smiled and giggled on his lips as you could feel the wind from his tail swaying back and forth, the furry end brushing against you in the process.

Ojiro finally broke your first kiss together and blushed, “I-I’m sorry, I’m just happy, that meant ‘yes’ right?”

You smiled and nodded, kissing him again quickly and chuckling as his tail wrapped around and hugged your waist. “Yes Ojiro, I’ll be yours!”

#ojiro mashirao #ojiro mashirao x reader #tailman #bnha #mha #bnha x reader #mha x reader #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #fluff #requests #answered request #xreader #reader insert

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act-addict-actors-matchups · 4 years

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@navi-chan said,

(♡1♡) Hello ˃ᴗ˂ I wanna know who I match up with in A3 Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ I'm a Virgo and IFJT girl living her life at the moment. I know and think things that are apparently weird (idk why) that makes my friends question on what I do when I'm alone (✿◠‿◠). I'm exactly 5 ft for now (still growing), wavy shoulder-length black hair and I have a fair skin tone cuz I don't like the sun too much XD. I love and enjoy to draw and read stories and articles that captivates my interest.

(♡2♡) I like to travel cuz I want to know the place and it's culture especially its art. I also like to sleep cuz whenever I'm alone and have nothing to do I would feel lonely that is why I tend to sleep the loneliness away. And, I love-hate cuddles (don't attack me pls ( ˃̵⌓˂̵)). LOVE cuz I would feel sense of comfort with the person. HATE cuz I feel like the person might disappear or will leave me behind and I would feel lonely again. Well, that's all (❁´▽`❁)

✧ Tumblr is not letting me tag you. 😔 I hope you’ll see this. Honestly, I really wanted to match you with Azuma but ‘I’m still growing part’ made me feel like you’re a minor so I couldn’t. I can be wrong though lol. Sorry for taking so long and thank you for requesting a matchup, love. 💞✨

I’d match you with: . . .

➜ HOW YOU TWO FIRST MET ; It was a hot summer day and for some reason you’ve made it into your personal mission to do random acts of kindness for the people who were a total stranger to you. So far, you’ve helped old people cross the street, helped someone load their groceries and left a copy of that days’s newspaper on your neighbor’s doorstep. You had to admit, it was a productive day and it wasn’t even midday yet! With your accomplishments for the day, you decided to treat yourself something cold, like ice cream or soda. Just the thought itself made you smile. With a nod of your head, you began walking towards the area that had the shops in it. While walking, you caught a glimpse of a boy in front of vending machine, sulking. He was wearing a short sleeved shirt with black and white patterns on it and a black shalwar like leggings. Ah, you knew what the problem was. The vending machines in this area were famous for eating the coins of people. You were a victim of them yourself many, many times. But with some brain power, you managed to come up with a single move that can get the snack or drink you’ve wanted. You were already on a kindness roll so you might as well help another person out. With a smile on your face, you cleared your throat and shot the boy a knowing look. “Allow me.” You have said before hitting a specific spot with your hip and bam! one of the sodas has dropped. Sticking your arm in, you grabbed the cold beverage and tossed it to the boy, who was looking at you with shining eyes. “Eh!? That was so cool! Teach me how to do it!” A giggle escaped from your lips at how enthusiastic he was being. You could basically see a tail behind him, wagging with anticipation. With a small shake of your head, you flashed a knowing grin as you took a coin out of your pocket and popped it into the machine, pressing the numbers of the drink you’ve wanted. You were planning on buying something cold anyway and this was more convenient for you too. And just as you thought, even though the vending machine took your money, it didn’t give you the drink. You hit the machine one more time and grabbed your drink after it fell down. You popped open the can and took a sip, turning your attention to the red head afterwards, you began to explain how hitting that exact spot was important and if he messed it up even just a little, the money would go to waste. With every word left your mouth, he nodded with serious eyes. After you were done, you took another coin and basically sacrificed it. “Alrighty, it’s now your turn. Give it your best shot!” You said before stepping aside and giving the boy a thumbs up. “Yes, ma’am.” He said before hitting the machine and successfully making the can of soda fall. His bright blue eyes lit up as he throw his fist up. “Hey, I did it! I really did it!” “Haha, congratulations. Make sure to use that power for good.” “You can count on me!” After that exchange you two grabbed your cans of sodas and sat on a nearby bench. He told you that his name was Taichi Nanao, he was a student at Ouka High School and an actor at Mankai Company. After that, you introduced yourself and you two just chatted about whatever came to mind until it was around three pm. Taichi was first to leave since he had practice with Autumn Troupe around an hour later but he didn’t leave without getting your phone number, which you happily gave without much thought.

➜ PERSONALITY COMPATIBILITY ; Taichi is like a puppy, often noisy and upbeat so there is never a dull moment when you two are together. Don’t ever worry about him leaving you behind because he is so whipped for you. In fact, I feel like you both might fear that whole ‘my significant other is to good for me what if they leave me all of a sudden?’ more than necessary. Yes, I said both of you because let’s not forget that under that positive attitude of his, Taichi actually has very low self esteem. What I’m trying to say is words of affirmation and physical touch is your canon love languages, although the later happened less in your earlier stage of relationship. IFJT people are often perfectionists with extremely high standards of performance for themselves so whenever you’re too harsh on yourself having a chill & silly boyfriend would calm you down or whenever he needs to get serious about something (ex. schoolwork because let’s face it, he’s the type of person who does his homework at the very last moment be it on the breakfast table or while the teacher is collecting them) you’re there making sure he’s not destroying his future academically. Those are just basic examples but in short, you two just balance each other out very nicely. Please just marry each other. 🥺

➜ SHARED ACTIVITIES ; Since apparently you do things that are considered weird, now you have a partner by your side to do those things. I feel like the both of you would totally be up to having intense conversations with pets, rating total strangers out of ten or texting each other weird things even though you're in the same room. If not, I can see you two going to a convenience store, buying the magazines that catches your eyes, sitting back to back or with him laying down on his back and you on top of him, making a + form and reading articles until one of you gets bored. If you’ve seen Taichi’s doodle he made in the notebook, you’d know that the boy is at the very least decent at drawing, so even though he might get bored quickly, he would do his best to draw with you. Since you don’t like the sun very much, if he wants to go outside with you he’d wait until late afternoon-evening. When it comes to outdoor dates the first thing came to my mind was amusement park date. Can you imagine how fun it would be to go on the rides with him??? I headcanon that Taichi loves rollercoasters so you bet he’s gonna beg your to go with him. If you freak out, he lets out a laugh and you feel his arm wrap around your waist, pulling you back against him, his other hand is stretched up to the sky.

➜ ZODIAC COMPATIBILITY ; Taichi’s birthday is on October 11 which makes him a Libra. Considering that Libra and Virgo are zodiac neighbours, it goes without saying that the two will be compatible. While Libra is an air sign, and Virgo is an earth sign, the two are as disconnected as they are connected. Virgo is duty-bound and nurturing. While Libra is also a sign that will do what needs to be done, their priority will be more on the reality than the idealistic acts. When Virgo and Libra join together in a love match, it can be like puting two puzzle pieces together. Each locks into the other and sits comfortably in place. Both Signs seek security in partnership, and they share a love of beauty and culture. They can work together efficiently and smoothly because they desire similar rewards. The Virgo-Libra relationship may trickle along in the beginning, but it will rev up once both partners grow to respect one another. Just like any other pairing, this pairing has its own set of pros and cons. Both these personality types have a tendency to be very similar to each other. As such, the suggestion would always be to give this relationship a shot. However, another advice would be to keep your eyes open. While loyalty is the way for both these signs, triggers for a change of duty may be something as simple as their partner not putting the toilet seat down. All the best!

#act! addict! actors!#a3! matchup #taichi nanao

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joostsblog · 5 years

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promises and secrets - Peter Parker One Shot

Pairing: Peter Parker x reader

Description: Peter and you are best friends and a great team, you share every secret, even the biggest one there is. Except, you don’t share one specific secret with Peter, that you are in love with him.

Word Count: 3.8k

A/N: No spoilers for any MCU movies. they go to college and Ned is in this for a bit as well. First work writing for Peter Parker! I’m really excited about his one, it’s so cute! I hope you enjoy, let me know your thoughts! if you wanna be tagged in future works of mine, please message me, I write for Tom Holland and Peter Parker! (masterlist is in my bio)

Warnings: a bit of angst, tiny bit of swearing and more use of the phrase what the heck than you have ever experienced in real life.

PROMISES AND SECRETS

You were laying on your stomach on your bed, laptop in front of you. You knew that you could be spending your time right now studying but you were too exhausted from the day, so instead, you were watching videos on YouTube. The wind was ever so slightly blowing through the window you left open for Peter, the air softly moving the white curtain in front of it. Your window was almost always open for your best friend. He was the best best friend you could ever ask for, you knew each other since you both went to the same High School and now you were going to the same College doing the same degree. You shared every single secret, even the biggest one. So when a little bit later Peter slipped through the window to lay beside you on the bed and laugh along to you at the videos playing it was like any other evening. And when Peter later got a call on his phone from Tony Stark you pouted at him for leaving already.

“Promise me, you’ll get enough sleep tonight?”, you asked as Peter was getting up, ready to leave. “And please take care of yourself.”, just like everyone in Peter’s life who knew about his secret, you were always worried about his dangerous double life. But you felt like you were the one that worried about him the most.

“Promise.”, Peter said and pressed a hasty kiss to your forehead before putting his spider-man mask on again and leaving through the window behind the white curtains. Peter’s words ringing in your ear and the exhaustion taking over your body helped you fall asleep sooner than you anticipated.

Surely, when you woke up the next morning you were relieved to see the message from Peter saying got home safe. The phrase “text me when you get home” had taken a whole different meaning between the two of you. With Peter battling dangerous criminals every day and you knowing the secret identity of Spider-man and by that also being a potential target of criminal masterminds.

When you got ready to leave you grabbed your backpack, your study books, your notebook and a few notes you took for Peter during a lecture he missed due to some Avengers business. You and Peter were a great Team. If Ned was Peter’s guy in the chair, helping him get information about important missions, you were Peter’s girl to keep him on the ground. You were the one that always filled him in on everything he missed in lectures, you were the one to help him keep a cool mind when things with College and his superhero life got too much. You always gave him the best advice and sometimes you had to force him to take a break or to step back a bit for his own good. Yes, everyone deserves saving, but sometimes you can’t save everyone, and you needed to remind Peter of that so he wouldn’t risk his own life too much. You wouldn’t forgive yourself if anything bad ever happened to Peter and you could have prevented it.

Later that day, when you were done with your lectures you found yourself sitting in the library working on a group project which was due the next week with Ann and Kathrin. You knew the two from some lectures you took together, you had been meeting to get lunch or coffee a few times and now to work on the project, but you didn’t know each other too well. Your group was concentrated on the texts and papers sprawled across the table in front of you so much that you didn’t realize when Peter approached you. He placed a coffee and a blueberry muffin in front of you on the table and leaned down from where he was standing to place a short but firm kiss on the top of your head.

“I figured you would need some fuel.”, he joked.

“You’re the best.”, you beamed up to him and put your arms around his torso for a short hug. “See you tonight?”

“Promise.”, Peter smiled before leaving with his text books under his arm to look for a table in the library to study by himself.

You smiled to yourself when Peter left and took a sip from the coffee, he had gotten you. You noticed that Ann and Kathrin were watching you, smiling as well.

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”, Ann said surprised. “You look really cute together.”, she added before you could properly process her words. Heat was immediately rushing to your face as you realized that to Ann Peter was probably already out of listening range, but you knew that he could probably still pick up what she just said with his enhanced senses.

“Peter? No no, we’re just best friends.”, you hastily answered, even though now you could see what Ann probably meant. It wasn’t off-limits that people would assume that you were together from the way you interacted with each other, how easily you two played off each other. But you never looked at each other in that way, you never looked Peter in that way. You had never seen him as anything more than a very good friend. But suddenly it was consuming your mind and even though you tried to direct your concentration towards the work in front of you, you weren’t quite able to fully concentrate on it anymore.

And that evening you were sitting on your bed watching a movie – a rom-com so maybe that wasn’t helping much either in your situation – trying to get the image of you and Peter as a couple out of your mind. You started to imagine how your interactions would change. Not much, really. You already cuddled to comfort each other sometimes, you already shared every secret and every free moment together. So, the only thing that would change is you two kissing. And as the movie was reaching its climax with the two leads finally coming to their senses and sharing their first kiss, you couldn’t help but imagine it was the two of you kissing. Suddenly your heart started beating like crazy in your chest and heat once again began raising to your cheeks as you admitted that you liked the thought of kissing Peter.

“Hi, (Y/N)!”

You shrieked out loud when Peter was entering through your window as usual and interrupted your daydreaming. In a swift move, you shut your laptop, maybe a tad too strongly.

“Oh my god, (Y/N). I’m sorry to startle you.”, Peter said with a smirk as he saw you calming down slowly. “Were you watching porn?”, he teased.

“No!”, you exclaimed and thought that maybe it would be best if you lied and said yes. “You just scared me, Peter!”, you said, hand laid across your chest as if to calm down your heartbeat.

“Okay okay.”, Peter laughed and seated himself beside you on your bed. “Thanks for the notes by the way.”

“What?”, you asked confused, still recovering from the scare.

“The notes you took for me? They are always better than the ones I take myself. And so cute. The doodles are just the best.”, Peter said referring to the little drawings you always added to the sides to hopefully cheer Peter up when he was revising.

“Of course. Everything for you.”, you smiled as Peter put his arm around your shoulders. You couldn’t deny that for the first time, your heart suddenly started beating faster than usual when Peter was touching you. You grew uncomfortable as you remembered the thoughts you had about Peter kissing you just a few minutes prior when you were only friends. You shouldn’t be fantasising about your best friend like that. You didn’t want to ruin the amazing friendship you built. Thinking about the possibility of that made you sad already. So, you decided to ban those thoughts to the back of your mind and just continue with the friendship as if nothing had ever happened. After all, this was the first time you thought about those things anyway.

Your promise to yourself didn’t last for long. From now on, every interaction with Peter felt different. Whenever Peter was getting you a treat or when you hugged or when you were cuddling in your bed, you felt as if suddenly there was a different energy in the room. Suddenly they didn’t feel like small signs of affection between two friends anymore. Instead, you wished that every time you hugged each other goodbye that you could just get on your tiptoes to kiss him instead. And every time you would imagine that you hated yourself a little more for even wishing for something like that.

So without even realizing it too much, you slowly grew a little bit distant to Peter. More often you would now answer I have to study to Peter’s text, asking if you were free. And then sometimes you would even lie a little when he would suggest you just study together and send him a text saying it’s for a class you’re not taking. And you would slowly drop the amount of funny and cute doodles on the sides of your notes you carefully took for Peter. Your hugs became shorter, your cuddles colder in an effort to keep yourself falling for your best friend.

There was nothing that could stop it though. Because, without realising it, you had already fallen for your best friend a long time ago. You were only keeping yourself from realising it.

Eventually, it came to a point where Peter started to notice something was off. So, when he swung by your window unannounced one evening and he saw you cuddled up to yourself in your blankets, fixated on a book in your lap, trying your best to ignore Peter’s presence, it fell apart.

“What the heck is up with you?”, Peter snapped after a few minutes of him sitting on your desk chair, fiddling with his mask in his hand when you didn’t react much to him making conversation.

“Geez.”, you said when you finally looked up from your book, only holding eye contact with Peter for a few small seconds. “Nothing.”, you shrugged with your shoulders, hoping he would just drop it again.

“Nothing? Are you serious? You’re ignoring me right now!”, Peter said, slowly raising his voice.

“I’m not.”, you mumbled, even though you knew he was right.

“You know what?”, Peter got up from your chair, obviously having enough of it. “Text me when you can talk to me normally again.”, he said snappy and put his mask back on before leaving through your window again.

As soon as he left you felt guilt washing over you. You knew your behaviour was unacceptable, that it could potentially ruin your friendship you had with Peter and you cursed yourself for it. Frustrated you ran your hands through your hair as a tear ran down your cheek. You concluded that tomorrow you would put your act together and apologize to Peter. Maybe you should just be honest with him about your feelings, but you weren’t sure about that. For now, apologizing and rebuilding your friendship would be the first task, you decided.

But when you woke up the next morning your heart dropped to your stomach when you noticed that Peter hadn’t texted you last night that he got home safely. Either he was just angry with you and didn’t text your or something bad happ-

You didn’t even allow yourself to think something like that, so instead, you texted Peter. Have you gotten home safely last night? Can I see you today? I need to talk to you. And when you got to campus you had convinced yourself that Peter was only angry with you and didn’t text you because of that. You tried to keep the bad thoughts to the back of your mind, not worrying too much.

But the alarm bells started ringing again when at noon, Peter still hadn’t texted you back and Ned Leeds approached you.

“Have you seen Peter?”, he asked you.

“Not since last night. Have you?”, you answered, worry growing inside of you.

“No, we were supposed to meet for class two hours ago.”

When those words left Ned’s mouth you felt as if the world was suddenly turning around you. Your head was dizzy with all the thoughts flooding it.

“Have you tried calling him?”, you asked, trying to organize your thoughts.

“Straight to voicemail.”

“Shit shit shit.”, muttered and walked over to the nearest chance to sit down for you. “We've gotta do something.”, you said as tears started welling up in your eyes.

Ned only nodded in agreement and not long after you found an empty group study room you could occupy. You started up the computer while Ned was already typing away on the laptop, he brought with him. You tried to search social media, news articles for any recent mentions of Spider-man. Usually, this wasn’t the kind of stuff you did, usually, Ned was Peter’s guy for this work. You could tell because Ned was already trying to hack Peter’s suit AI to find his location.

“Does this happen a lot?”, you asked Ned as he was concentrating on the screen in front of him. It took him a little bit before you could give a definite answer.

“No, but it has happened. Sometimes Peter is just not much of a team player and doesn’t give you a notice.”, Ned’s words sparked a little bit of hope in you. “But I think this is the most extreme case of that so far.”, crushing the spark of hope again.

An hour later you and Ned still hadn’t found anything. You had been stuck on a loop in the customer service hotline of Stark Industries because, of course, you didn’t have Tony Stark’s private phone number.

“I’ve got his location!”, Ned exclaimed suddenly. You darted over to where he was seated to look at his screen.

“Chicago?”, you read out loud. “How are we gonna go there, that’s like a 12-hour bus drive!”, you were already starting to think over your options.

“I can detect movement though. Let’s wait another 30 minutes first and see whether he moves or stays in one place.”, Ned suggested.

“Okay.”, you settled in your seat again. “It’s bad if he doesn’t move, right?”

“Yes, I can basically detect his movement down to a meter. So, if he doesn’t move any meter that would be very bad.”, Ned explained. Fear rushed over you at the image of Peter being tied to a chair in a warehouse somewhere or even worse-

“Who the heck uses meters? Are you trying to be a posh European?”, you teased Ned, trying to distract yourself from the imaginary in your head.

“The metric system just makes more sense.”, Ned shrugged his shoulders and continued to watch his laptop screen. “He’s moving.”, Ned stated. “Not much though, from the movement, it could be possible that he’s in a fight right now.”

Even though Peter was fighting crime every day, this was different. He was in a different city, without any notice and you didn’t know whether he was alone or not. Ten minutes later Ned informed you that Peter has been moving at a faster pace now.

“If this keeps up, it looks like he’s possibly flying back to New York.”

“Thank god.”, you muttered and put your hands on your face, only now realizing that it was covered in tears. “How long till he’s back?”

“Probably in around 1 and a half hours if he keeps it up.”

“Should we go back to his apartment?”, you suggested, and Ned agreed.

Two hours later you both were sat on the couch at Peter’s apartment when the door clicked and opened. Both of you quickly sitting up and turning your heads to see Peter walk in, looking fine and wearing normal clothes.

“Dude!”, Ned exclaimed, making Peter jump slightly in surprise.

“What the heck?”, he asked when he saw you both sitting on his couch.

“No, Peter, what the heck?”, you opposed, your words filled with anger. “Where have you been?”

“On a mission with the Avengers.”, he answered as he set his backpack by the side of the door.

“Dude, you have to tell us.”, Ned said after he stood up and walked towards Peter to hug him. “You seriously can’t do that.”, Ned said silently after he hugged Peter. Peter let his eyes quickly dart over to your face and noticed the red swollen eyes looking back at him.

“My phone died, I’m sorry.”, Peter said.

“And Tony Stark doesn’t have a phone charger on his multi-million-dollar quinjet?”, you snapped. Peter only shrugged his shoulders. All you wanted to do was just hug Peter, but you were still angry with him and you didn’t feel like it was the right choice, with everything that happened last night.

“I’m gonna go.”, Ned said and patted Peter on his back before sharing one last look with you.

“Don’t you wanna go as well?”, Peter asked as he was running his hand through his curls.

“You don’t know what I want.”

“That’s true.”, he said, undertone in his voice clear as he was settling himself on the other end of the couch opposite of you.

“So you really had no form of communication to tell us you were okay? We missed class because we tried to-“, you said before Peter was harshly interrupting you.

“Oh my god, (Y/N)! Quit it!”, Peter put his hand into his hands. “You have no idea what it’s like to be a superhero. You have no idea how tired I am right now because you have no idea what a mission like this means!”, Peter raised his voice, his eyes already glistening from tears. “And then you only make it worse with your weird behaviour. So, if you’re only here to make me feel worse, please just go.”, when Peter looked you directly in the eyes to tell you the last sentence it broke your heart. This was the first time you had ever fought. You tried to swallow down the tears, but you couldn’t stop them from coming up again. You knew this was exactly everything you wanted to avoid.

“Damnit, Peter. I was worried. I had no idea where you were and I knew you were angry with me.”, you tried to explain yourself. “I am so sorry for last night, Pete.”, you almost whispered now. “I could not live in a world where anything bad happens to you.”, you admitted, looking deep into Peter’s eyes but not being able to read his expression.

“Didn’t look like that last night…”, Peter muttered under his breath.

“I am sorry! I know I have been distant recently. I didn’t mean to be.”, you said, not sure how you could explain your behaviour.

“We were always the best team, (Y/N). Why did you suddenly act as if I was invisible to you?”, Peter asked, hurt obvious in his voice.

“You’re going to hate me if I tell you.”, you said, your eyes avoiding Peter’s gaze.

“No.”, Peter said empathetically as he was scooting closer to you. “I could never hate you.”, he said and took one of your hands into his, unsure whether that was okay for you. You knew that the very base you two built your friendship upon was honesty. And you knew that honesty was the only way you answer to Peter right now.

“Pete, you are my bestest friend in the world and I don’t want that to ever change…”, you said, still not looking up from the hands of the two of you intertwined in your lap. “But I have a feeling this is going to ruin our friendship.”, you slowly continued. “I’m in love with you.”, you said, already bracing for whatever reaction Peter would have to this. The few seconds that lasted after your confession felt as if they were hours. You didn’t know you had been holding your breath until Peter finally moved. He released his hand from your grip. Of course, you thought yourself, it’s over now. You didn’t allow yourself to look up now, too afraid to see Peter’s weirded out face. You were only frozen in place, unable to move as a cold shiver ran through your whole body. Before you could release your body from its stare to leave Peter, as it was the only logical thing to escape this hurtful silence, Peter’s hand moved towards you again. This time it reached for your face to gently cup your cheek in his warm hand.

“(Y/N)-baby…”, Peter said in a low voice, almost only a whisper. “Look at me.”, he said as he used his other hand to cup your other cheek, using his thumbs to slowly wipe away some of your tears that had already gone cold. You slowly raised your gaze, surprised to see that Peter still had tears in his eyes, but he had a small smile on his lips. “I’m in love with you too.”, he said, making your heart skip a beat and your breath hitch. “Weren’t you able to tell by now?”, he asked, only making you shake your head in turn, because, no, you hadn’t noticed. But suddenly all those moments of affection flooded your mind. All the times Peter brought you coffee without even asking, all the times you two cuddled in bed, watching all your favourite movies and shows, all the times Peter took you for a swing around the city and all the cool buildings he brought you to the top of to watch countless sunsets with you. After all, those weren’t signs of affection between friends. “Stop thinking so much.”, Peter laughed as he practically saw how much time you spent making sense of all the things. And before you could say something yourself, Peter used his hands resting on your face to move your faces together and to finally lock his lips with yours. A warmth you had never felt before immediately overcame your body as Peter’s soft lips were innocently pressed on top of yours. They tasted sweet and if they could taste like it, they would also taste like comfort and familiarity. You finally gave into the tingling in your fingertips when you moved them from your lap, to find their place in Peter’s soft but unruly curls. After your lips disconnected again you two immediately fell into a long comforting hug.

“I can’t believe this.”, you mumbled as your face was pressed against Peter’s chest.

“Me neither.”, Peter laughed and pressed a kiss on top of your head. “Promise me next time you will just tell me what you’re feeling, instead of just ignoring me?”

“I’m sorry.”, you said truthfully. “I promise.”

“No more secrets.”

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@sltwins @roosterteethgirl @ffxfancy

#mine #texts #my fics #tom holland #peter parker #spider-man #peter parker one shot #peter parker imagine #peter parker fic #peter parker ff #peter parker fanfic #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x reader #peter parker x (y/n)#peter parker x female!reader #peter parker x female reader #peter parker x you #tom holland!peter parker #peter parker fluff

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