#I was trying to figure out which colors made them look like latte art and I finally did it this time around!

[thatonesubwaypenguin]

Submas, but they're made out of milk and coffee foam!!!

[ehwaryuns]

night skies

hiiii i finally finished a wip ✨

can be found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/31956910

---

Bam woke up with a start. As it always did on Friday mornings, his alarm clock went off at exactly 4:45 AM, loud and annoying enough that he wasn’t so inclined to go back to sleep.

He got up with a groan, crossing the room to turn it off. He both cursed and was grateful to Hwaryun for telling him to put it on the other side of the room so he would be forced to wake up faster. Sure, it worked, but Bam was very much not a morning person and grieved the loss of sleep. He’s just glad the walls were thick enough that the blaring didn’t wake Wangnan up.

However, there was a reason he made himself get up so early on Fridays: he had work to do.

---

The bell above the door jingled as the first customer of the day walked in, yawning as he did. Aguero didn’t know much about him, but he did know that the man was cute (adorable, some might say) and alternated between sugary sweet drinks and the strongest coffee they had to offer, depending on what day it was. Today was Friday, which meant today’s order would be as caffeinated as possible.

Aguero gave the man a sympathetic smile as he approached the counter. “Early morning again? Same as usual?”

The man nodded. “A large quadruple shot mocha, iced,” he rattled off tiredly, rubbing leftover sleep from the corner of an eye.

Aguero entered his order into the register, accepting the man’s payment with a smile and making his drink, as he always did on Friday mornings at approximately 5:07. He thought, as he always did on Friday mornings at approximately 5:07, I’m gonna do it this time.

However, as soon as he turned around to retrieve the sharpie he intended to use to write his number on the cup (cliche, but effective), the man caught his eye, giving him a sleepy smile, and Aguero’s heart skipped a beat. So instead of going through with his meticulously laid out plan, he just smiled back and pulled a stack of lids out from under the register, putting them in their designated spot on the counter as the coffee was brewing, mentally cursing himself all the while. Just as he’d done for the past seven Friday mornings.

Technically, he was supposed to ask the man’s name to write on the cup, but the first time he had come in he was the only other person in the shop so Aguero hadn’t really felt the need to do so, and he was in too deep to break the habit now. It’s been almost two months and he can go on until he gave the man his number, dammit.

Once the drink was ready, Aguero handed it to the man, whose golden eyes crinkled as he smiled another one of those warm smiles that made Aguero’s heart threaten to pound right out of his chest. “Enjoy, and have a nice day,” Aguero managed to say in a calm, normal, not strangled or high-pitched voice.

“You too,” the man rumbled before turning and walking out the door, taking a sip as he left.

Aguero braced himself on the counter once he was gone, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. Dammit, he thought. Next time for sure. Just as he had thought to himself for the past seven Friday mornings.

---

His coffee wasn’t as sweet as he usually liked it, but it woke him right the hell up, so Bam figured it was a fair trade.

Luckily, Bam was the only person aside from the driver on the city bus at the early hour of 5:23, so he didn’t have to worry about getting weird looks from other people for being up so early, visibly being a college student and all. Instead, he got to relax with his coffee, counting the stops in his head as he gazed out the window.

At one red light, Bam was met by the sight of a sprawling night sky spray painted on the side of a building, blues and purples and black swirling together and shot through with white streaks. He smiled, recalling the morning he had done that particular piece- it had been bracingly cold, but it was worth it, seeing his handiwork turn out so beautifully.

All too soon, the bus lurched back into motion, and the mural was left behind.

---

Bam got off the bus a few stops later, looking around for a good spot as he readjusted his satchel.

He was downtown, it seemed, with its brick buildings and curio shops and artisan restaurants galore. This was the perfect place.

He started wandering around under the guise of window shopping, though it wasn’t too long until he found a relatively clean alley to duck into. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, he pulled out a can of spray paint from his bag and started tagging.

He lost himself in his art, recalling the sketch he had designed in his sketchbook the previous night; he watched how the cyan faded into cerulean, cerulean faded into black, and black seemingly melted into the brick wall right before his eyes, just as he had envisioned. It looked damn good, he had to admit.

This particular night sky spanned half the wall, depicting a galaxy as viewed through a copse of trees, lines as sharp as Bam could make them forming their silhouettes. He stepped back for a moment to admire his work once he was done, breathing in the crisp morning air that was shot through with the chemical smell of the paint, before pulling out a can of bright red. In the bottom right corner, he left his signature: the letters JVG with sharp angles and a thin kite shape next to it.

He left before the paint stopped dripping, cans safely tucked away in the plastic-lined pocket in his bag, and checked the time. It was just after 8, which gave him enough time to get back to campus in time for his first class of the day, which was unfortunately at 9:30. It was a good thing he woke up early.

---

Bam slid into his seat moments before the professor walked in, thanking his lucky stars as he did. Beside him, his best friend Hwaryun raised a delicate eyebrow. “Almost late again, are we?”

Bam huffed, setting his bag on the floor next to him. “Whatever, miss half-an-hour-early. Missed you.” He leaned over to kiss her cheek.

If she saw the speckles of paint on his forearms when he pulled his sketchbook out, she wisely didn’t say anything.

---

It was Tuesday afternoon, just after peak hours, and the coffeeshop was painfully boring.

Aguero flicked yet another straw wrapper at his coworker, smirking as it hit its target-- the back of Hatz’s head. The shorter man flinched and turned around, glaring daggers at Aguero. He simply waved a few fingers, a mockery of a greeting.

“You better stop that, or I swear--” Hatz threatened, only to be cut off by the merry sound of the bell above the door chiming.

They both turned to look, and Aguero’s heart jumped into his throat.

The man came in--the one with chestnut-colored hair and honey eyes and the cutest smile when he’s tired from waking up so early--accompanied by a woman with long, bright red hair. Aguero distantly wondered if she dyed it.

The man brightened up when he caught sight of Aguero, pausing in his conversation to wave and shoot him a smile that rivalled the sun.

“Oi, quit staring and take their orders,” came from behind him.

Aguero shot back a low “piss off, I’m working on it,” before positioning himself in front of the register. “Hi there, I can take your orders when you’re ready.”

The woman observed him, crimson eye surveying him critically, before she gave a coy smile. “I’ll take a medium green tea, and a large strawberry pineapple coconut milk latte.”

He nodded, writing on cups what was to fill them before passing them off to Hatz. “That’ll be right out. And you?” Aguero asked, turning his gaze to the man he totally isn’t crushing on.

“I’ve been wanting to try that funnel cake frap,” he said, leaning over the counter conspiratorially. “Is it any good?”

Aguero leaned towards him, playing along. “If you get it with heavy cream instead of coffee, it’s fantastic.”

The man nodded decisively. “Then I’ll take a medium, extra whip and extra strawberry, if possible.”

Aguero would put all the freeze dried strawberries in the world into this man’s drink if he asked. Instead, he just gave a smile and pulled out another cup to mark.

Once the drinks were paid for and Hatz was busying himself, the redhead came back up to the counter and said in a low, husky voice, “you’re in Ehwa’s study group, aren’t you?”

He blinked. “How did you know?”

She just gave him another one of those knowing smiles. “I’ll be bringing Bam by for a study session soon. Don’t miss it.”

Before he could say anything, she was sashaying her way back over to the man--Bam, he guessed--and sitting down just in time for the frap to be called out.

A study session, huh? He idly thought as he started to restock cups. Seems innocuous enough.

[izubabes]

Can I request for Mirio with a s/o who is the daughter of nighteye,she is quirkless and works at a bakery/cafe.What if Miri took Deku for a quick bite before meeting Sir🥰 💛🥐

Yes, this is too cute! Thank you for the request, love. I hope this was okay. Anything for my special birthday boys. 💚💛

“Togata, where are we going?” Midoriya asked again, a hint of uncertainty in his voice but his blond companion provided a simple smile in return. Mirio kept leading him the opposite direction of their intended destination making Midoriya’s thoughts scramble for answers.

“Sir Nighteye’s agency is across the street, right?” The nervous boy attempted to question his senior again. His eyes landed on the sight of a local cafe that clearly had Mirio’s attention. “Shouldn’t we head there first?” 

“Midoriya,” Mirio eagerly replied, turning to his nervous underclassman. He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulders while leading him through the door. “Don’t be so anxious. Sir is not expecting us until later, let’s get something to eat, yeah?”

Fresh coffee mixing with the intoxicating scent of pastries coming hot out of the oven made Deku’s mouth water. Delicate faerie lights strung across the walls gave the cafe an elegant touch. Soft piano music hummed from the speakers bringing the shop to life.

“Table five is waiting on their Hawks latte art!”

Young baristas were hustling by taking and fulfilling to-go orders left and right in order to minimize the waiting time brought upon by the lunch hour rush. 

“Can I get one Flat White with three Bubble Girl macarons?”

Enthusiastic conversation bounced off the walls from both customers entering and leaving the cafe, cheerful smiles littering all of their faces. The cafe had a warm and welcoming atmosphere, catered to all patrons from high schoolers to corporate businessmen. 

Deku noticed that most of the customers were enchanted by a particular barista whose bright demeanor never appeared to waver. She definitely was a familiar face though he had never met her before, puzzling him. Mirio’s eyes followed her figure as she lifted people’s spirits which each action she took until she caught sight of him waving her way. 

“Mirio!” You called out, overwhelming excitement radiating from your face as you rushed towards your s/o and embraced him tightly. You noticed the freckled boy standing alongside him and offered him a kind smile which he returned. “I didn’t know you were coming by today, who’s your friend?”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Izuku Midoriya,” he politely introduced himself while becoming worried at how you eyes sparkled at his reply.

“Oh my god, you’re the energetic first year!” You gushed while unexpectedly pulling him into a tight hug. Deku flustered cries were drowned out as you reprimanded your S/O. “Mirio, you didn’t tell me he would be this adorable.”

“Because I knew that’s how you would react,” Mirio only chuckled in response while gently tugging his underclassman away from your tight grip. Deku was a scarlet-faced mess while trying to properly calm himself down. 

“You scared him.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” you apologized, gripping your apron in embarrassment. You motioned the pair towards an empty table near the window area for them to occupy as you returned to the cafe barside in order to complete more orders.

“Take your time looking through our menu!”

Deku and Mirio quietly peered over the cafe’s menu in search of anything they’d like to try. All of the food items were hero-themed since it was the shop’s cute aesthetic. The clinking of glasses being set on the table caught both of the boys attention.

“As an apology for earlier,” you snickered nervously while giving Deku an apologetic glance and taking a seat next to his blond companion, “I made these fresh for you and Mirio. The All Might Parfait! ”

Deku was mesmerized by each multi-colored layer in the dessert representing each one of his favorite hero’s costume colors. Fresh several layers of jello, yogurt, granola, fresh strawberries, raspberry sherbet, wafer cookies and a fondant decoration made to mimic All Might’s signature hairstyle.

“Thank you,” he smiled graciously before hesitating on eating it and snapping a quick photo, “I feel bad for eating it but I won’t let your efforts go to waste! Uh... what was your name again, Miss?”

“Y/N Sasaki,” you answered before taking off towards the kitchen as Mirio watched Midoriya’s expression slowly fade into a shocked one. His spoon fell out of his shaking hand while his uncontrollable mumbling habit started up.

“Sasaki... Sir Nighteye’s real name is Mirai Sasaki... could be a coincidence but the resemblance... daughter... Nighteye... daughter?”

“I’m also Mirio’s S/O,” you confirmed, cutting off his continuous rambling by sliding plates across the table full of fresh entrées, specifically the entrée Midoriya had in mind. The Golden Age Burger and Endeavor Spicy Fries.

‘Togata is dating Sir Nighteye’s daughter, does All Might know?’

“Incredible, isn’t she?” Mirio beamed while placing a sweet kiss on your cheek. “Are you on break right now, Y/N? I don’t want you getting in trouble.”

“You worry too much, Mirio,” you playfully scolded while ruffling his hair. “I’m off the clock and Ayumi’s covering for me. How’s the food, Midoriya?”

“It’s delicious, thanks!” replied Deku, but due to his overcurious nature, suddenly asked, “Did you inherit Foresight?”

He knew he should have kept his mouth shut when he noticed the way your shoulders tensed up along with how your cheery smile softened into a slightly melancholy one. Mirio couldn’t help but give his S/O a worried glance.

“No…” you sighed, eyes cast down towards the ground. “Papa blames himself but it happens, right?”

Deku could relate on the hardships of being Quirkless but it must have been even worse for you considering you were daughter of a well known Pro Hero. He felt quite insensitive to bring up such a heavy subject like that upon first meeting you. His heart aches knowing he made you feel so downcast without knowing.

“I’m so sorry,” he quickly apologized, guilt overwhelming his conscious, “that was rude of me to ask. Please forgive me!”

“Don’t worry about it,” you waved him off in an effort to calm his nerves. “I’m not held back by not having a Quirk—”

Deku felt relieved you had such a positive outlook on life despite being Quirkless, opposite to how he was when he was younger. It gave him hope towards the future, especially was going to working with Sir Nighteye.

“—Plus, Papa says I’m such an expert at guessing people’s orders that I must have Foresight in some way, huh?”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Mirio replied, squeezing your hand in support.

The rest of the hour was filled with conversation circulating the topic of work-studies, Sir Nighteye and All Might’s partnership, and the agency’s sidekicks.

“We have to go, Y/N,” Mirio pouted, not wanting to leave his S/O side due to the fun they were all having. “I’m introducing Sir to Midoriya today in hopes of securing him a work study position,”

“Oh, have just the thing!” You winked, before running towards the bakery display.

Both Deku and Mirio were confused by your sudden action but all was explained as soon as you returned.

“Can you give these to Papa for me?” You asked while holding a few pastry boxes. The desserts inside were decorated to look like each person currently working at the agency. “He’ll appreciate them more knowing I’m the one who gave them to you!”

“It was nice meeting you, Y/N!” Deku smiled while bidding his fairwell alonside your S/O.

“I like him,” your coworker, Ayumi, laughed as she hugged you as you returned the affectionate gesture. “I think Sir Nighteye will like him too!”

“Uhm,” you mumbled quietly, “about that… that’s why I sent him with the box. It’s a bribe.”

“Oh my god…” Ayumi gasped in horror, “Y/N, you didn’t tell him?”

“Stop exaggerating,” you slapped your friend’s shoulder playfully, “He’s going to make a great hero someday. They both are. I can feel it.”

[delicatelyherdreams]

Pragma(tic) 10: She Sees the World in a New Light

Pairing: Persephone!Bucky Barnes x Hades!Reader

Summary: In a world where the old gods never truly died, you must learn to navigate your way through the ups and downs of immortality. And if living forever wasn’t hard enough, an ancient evil is now threatening to break free after centuries of silence. And as if that still wasn’t hard enough for you, now a pesky and infuriatingly handsome god is trying to wedge his way into your life. Gods, work, love, and conflict—what more could a goddess need? [Hades & Persephone AU]

Word Count: 4272

Warnings: Language

Pragma(tic) Masterlist

Previous 9: The Past Comes Back to Haunt Her

It’d been years since you’d actually gone out into the Mortal World and stayed for any amount of time. You used to make trips daily to reap your own souls before Pierce came to work for you and Clint agreed to help you out. But that was during the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans; way before any of the modern technology came out.

Back then, people went to sleep right as the sun went down. They were quiet, reserved, timid, and shy. You were free to roam the streets of the villages, hardly a soul to join you. You’d enjoyed the silence of the Mortal World.

But now?

You couldn’t believe how much the world had changed.

The city was set ablaze with neon lights and lamps. You could hardly tell that it was nighttime anymore. People bustled around, talking to each other, talking on their phones, or not talking at all. Some walked with friends, others alone, but all were awake and lively. The colors from the street lights and glowing signs bounced off their skin, turning them different shades and making them ethereal and strange. You hadn’t seen anything like it in a long time.

Sure, Olympus had mimicked these mortal cities, but there was something unique about the Mortal World that Olympus simply didn’t have. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but it was beautiful and comforting and it made you happy.

The atmosphere was warm despite the piles of snow on the ground. White fairy lights were strung from lamppost to lamppost. People talked with animated gestures, a smile on everyone's face.

Sipping on your frappuccino, your eyes traveled from person to person, taking in their clothes, their hair, their facial expressions, everything. You were able to gauge what kind of a person they were within moments and garner a bit of insight into their life by mentally scrolling through the registry of souls and taking a peek at their file (that was the good thing about being the Queen of the Underworld—because every single soul was technically your subject, you were able to access every bit of their information).

A hand squeezing yours drew your attention away from the people, and you turned your eyes to the man beside you.

Bucky smiled down at you, his eyes sparkling in the dim light. “You enjoying yourself?”

Pulling your lips away from the rim of your drink, you nodded and smiled up at him. “I haven’t had a night like this in forever. I think I was in my early five hundreds the last time I got to roam the Mortal World. It’s changed so much.”

“It has, hasn’t it?” Bucky took a sip of his latte and looked forward. “I’ve been coming here for decades, and every time I come, I find it astonishing.”

“Here? As in New York?”

“Heh, yeah.” He paused as he slowed to a stop at the corner of the sidewalk, a red stop hand commanding pedestrians to halt. “Steve and I love coming to Brooklyn. We practically grew up here. My mom spent a lot of time here before it got built on, tending crops and stuff. She moved away when the city sprang up, but I still love it here.” A happy sigh escaped his mouth. “It’s a beautiful city. I love coming here, especially in the winter.”

“Do you come here often?”

“At least once a week or so. I’m considered a regular at some shops.”

The stop hand turned into a walking man and you and Bucky followed the crowd across the sidewalk. Your voice quieted as you asked, “Isn’t that dangerous though? Won’t the mortals realize you never age and get suspicious?”

He shrugged. “Some might, but they hardly pay attention enough to realize that I still look the same as I did years ago. And the ones that call me out on it, well they deserve to know the truth.”

Your eyes bulged out of your head. “You told them?”

He laughed. “Relax, (y/n). I don’t tell everyone, only some. I think I’ve maybe told five people the truth in my 1,385 years of existence, and most of them are elderly at that. In fact, you’ll be meeting one of them tonight.” His grin was sly as he tugged you across the street by the hand. “He runs a pastry shop I’ve been dying to take you to. His cinnamon rolls are the absolute best.”

You followed Bucky down the street, eyeing the path ahead warily. “So, he knows about you and what you… are?”

“Yeah. I told him a few years ago when he called me out on not aging.”

“So then he knows you’re the real ‘Persephone,’ as the mortals call you?”

He breathed a laugh. “Yes, he does. And the first words out his mouth were, ‘I knew you were a flower child,’ and the second ones were, ‘Wait, you’re not a lady.’ Gods, it was mortifying to try to explain to him that the myths were wrong and that I was, indeed, not a woman despite the feminine name given to me by the mortals.”

“So am I to assume that he knows about me too?”

Tilting his head from side to side, he pursed his lips in thought. “I think he probably knows you exist, but I’ve never had reason to tell him about Hades, the goddess of the Underworld. I didn’t think it was important or necessary until I befriended you. But I’ll introduce you tonight. He’s a cool guy, and I think you’ll like him.”

Gods, you hoped you would; but you hoped he’d like you more. Mortals were not very hospitable to the gods that resided in the Underworld and dealt with death. They were afraid of you and that made them abrasive, hostile even. The last time you told a mortal you were Hades, she blanched with fear and ordered you (the best she could with her trembling voice) out of her house.

Bucky led you through the city, down another block or two, and stopped outside an old fashioned pastry shop. The red and white awning had faded to a salmon above the store, but the gold lettering that read “Pop’s Pastries” on the window was still crisp and neat as if it had been painted on yesterday. Bright lights illuminated the shop from the inside, casting a glow over the endless display cases of pastries and cakes as well as an elderly man sitting behind the counter on a stool with a book in his hand and reading glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose.

“Come on,” he said, tugging you in by the hand. A little bell over the door jingled as Bucky pushed the door open and passed through the threshold.

The old man behind the counter looked up, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. “Well well well. Look who it is.” He fit a bookmark in between the pages of his novel and set it down so he could give his undivided attention to the pair of you. “If it isn’t my favorite celestial being. And who is this you’ve brought with you, Persephone?”

Bucky chuckled. “It’s Bucky, not Persephone, Arthur. We’ve been over this.”

“I know, but I don’t care.” Arthur’s eyes glistened with amusement. “Now answer my question: who’s the pretty lady. A goddess perhaps? She’s pretty enough for it.”

You giggled and shook your head. “I don’t know about pretty, but yes, I am a goddess.”

“Ah-ha! I knew it! Now, which one are you? No no, wait, let me guess.” He leaned back in his chair and eyed you, scrutinizing your entire figure. “You’re… Aphrodite.”

The laugh that tore through your threat was louder than you had intended and you quickly slapped your hand over your mouth. “Oh gods. I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to laugh. But no, I am not Aphrodite. That name belongs to the lovely Pepper.”

“Artemis then.”

“Nope. That’s Wanda.”

He hesitated. “Hera?”

Your lips curled up in a grimace. “No, that’s my sister’s wife Maria.”

“Your sister’s wife… You mean your sister is Zeus?”

“Carol, actually. But yes, the mortals call her Zeus.”

“So then, if your sister is Zeus, then you’re…” You could see the gears turning in his head.

You smirked. “You’ve got a fifty-fifty shot at this, mister. If you get it wrong, you’ll hurt my feelings.”

“Alright… My guess is…” He sprinted and turned his gaze up to the ceiling. “Oh, lord; you’re wearing black. You are… Hades?”

A smile took over your lips. “Ding ding ding. We have a winner.” Bowing to him with an ounce of flounce, you said, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am (y/n) Aidoneus, the unseen one, eldest daughter of the titans Kronos and Rhea, goddess of the dead and wealth, and Queen of the Underworld, at your service.”

Arthur whistled in appreciation. “Those are some pretty impressive titles, your majesty. I am honored to be in the presence of one of the big three. Just, one question.”

“Shoot.”

“Why you hanging around with a minor god like Bucky here?”

“You know, I’ve been asking myself that for weeks.”

“Hey!” Bucky narrowed his eyes. “You love me and you know it.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that, Springy.”

Arthur snickered, his voice ringing out through the otherwise empty shop. “Oh, to be young and in love. I swear you two act like an old married couple already.”

Your head snapped towards him and you lost even more color if that was even possible. “In what? No no. We’re not… I mean… No. We’re not a thing.”

“Oh, my mistake your highness,” Arthur said. “I only assumed that you were together cause Buck here has never brought anyone here unless they were special to him.”

“We’re just friends, Art,” Bucky said, holding up his hands. “Nothing more, nothing less. Believe me, I just barely got to be friends with her; she almost had my head the first couple times I broke in and she only just gave me the keys to the kingdom.”

“Ah, that is right. You were a little trespasser up until a few months ago, right?”

“Mhmm. He was.” You shot Bucky a glare. “However, I have learned to tolerate his presence in my kingdom. There are still places he’s not allowed to go, but he can come into my house so long as he has my permission first. Now.” You rolled your shoulders back and sauntered over to the display cases of baked goods. “Bucky tells me you have the best cinnamon rolls in the world and I’m curious to see if he’s right.”

Arthur popped off his stool and walked behind the cases, pulling a small plate out of seemingly nowhere. “I sure do. It’s an old family recipe, dating back to when the first cinnamon rolls were created in Sweden. I sell nothing but the best here.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Arthur pulled two cinnamon rolls from behind the case and set them on two small plates that were just the size for the pastries.

Mumbling your thanks, you took your plate over to one of the tables that stood in the vacant shop. You took your seat elegantly, sitting up straight with the posture that only royalty seemed to have. Ever so carefully, so as to not dirty your hands, you wrapped your fingers around the roll and lifted it up to your lips. As soon as the sugary icing touched your tongue, you were hooked. “Oh my gods, this is amazing!”

Arthur bowed his head. “Thank you, milady. I’m glad that they have your seal of approval.” He moved back over to his spot and plucked his book from the counter. “Well, I’ll leave you two youngins to it.  I’ll be in the back reading. Holler if you need anything.”

“Will do. Thanks, Arthur!” Bucky sat down at the table across from you and smirked. “So what did I tell you? Best cinnamon rolls in the world, am I right?”

You bobbed your head as you chewed. “Yeah, yeah. I guess you’re right.” As you swallowed your bite, you dragged the back of your hand across your face to wipe away the crumbs that had undoubtedly made their home in the corners of your mouth. Smiling down at your roll, you couldn’t help but feel satisfied with your current situation, though a bit saddened. This place—as quaint and lovely as it was—felt like one you should be sharing with a lover. Naturally, the only lover you’ve ever had fell into your mind. You could just barely imagine the naiad sitting in the chair across from you, his brown eyes sparkling as you covered his nose with frosting. It would be the perfect date. You would’ve loved to have brought him here. A mellow sigh left your lips and you murmured, “Gods… Brock would love this.”

“Who’s Brock?”

You blinked. Holy fuck, had you really said that out loud? Welp, shit. Time to roll with this. You gulped. “He’s my… Uh...”

“Boyfriend?” Bucky’s voice was timid, cautious, perhaps a bit scared. He spoke the word like it was bitter on his tongue.

You breathed a laugh. “No. I don’t know what he is to me.” Your lips formed a thin line as you averted your gaze.

His brows furrowed. “How do you mean? How can you not know?”

“Well, our relationship… It’s complicated, you know? Like, we obviously have some sort of feelings for each other. He’s been there for me for centuries and he’s loved me for that long too. But it… It doesn’t feel like love exactly. I don’t know what it is.”

Bucky’s lips pursed, but he let you speak.

And you spoke. You told him about how Brock was the only one who treated you like a queen and goddess in the beginning, going so far as to pledge his undying fidelity to you and vow to serve you with his life. You hesitated as you started to get into your relationship with him, talking about the late nights you spent together with only the vaguest detail. You didn’t know why, but it felt wrong talking about it in front of Bucky, and you were almost ashamed of it. No, scratch that, you were ashamed of it. You felt like it was almost betraying him to admit what you and Brock had done in the dark. But, swallowing the lump in your throat, you continued with your pathetic tale, telling him about how in recent centuries, Brock hardly ever came around anymore unless it was to satisfy his own desires. He never stayed for the morning after or to actually talk to you anymore and it left you confused and hurt.

Bucky listened with solemn interest, staying silent until you finished. He frowned, his brows pinching together and his lips turning down with an agitated air. “Permission to speak freely?”

“Always.”

He took a deep breath before starting bluntly with, “It sounds like he’s a dick.”

You snorted.

“No no no, hear me out! From what you’ve told me, this asshole is using you and doesn’t seem to care about your feelings. All he wants you for is someone who will give him what he wants and someone whom he can just take and take from.” He shook his head with a growl that surprised you. You’d never seen the god of spring so… angry and dark. “He sounds like a dick who only cares about himself and he’s hurting you in the process. He’s using you and it’s not right. Who does he think he is to abuse a literal goddess such as yourself. You don’t deserve that shit. You don’t deserve someone who will use you and leave you. You deserve the world. You deserve all the stars in the heavens. You deserve love—not that fake lust—true love. You deserve someone who will take care of your emotions and treat you with respect and adoration. You deserve someone who will stay with you through thick and thin, treating you as if you’re a precious gem. You deserve someone—”

“Someone like you?” The words were gentle as they escaped your mouth; hopeful, sincere, begging. They surprised you, but their implications that you wanted him surprised you more. How could you imply that? You hadn’t even known each other for a year yet, and you were insinuating that he wanted a romantic relationship with you and you wanted one with him. What the fuck were you thinking?

How could you think such? You didn’t know him. He didn’t know you. He was just a friend and hardly even that. He’d only been down to your domain a handful of times.

But then again…

Each time had been more blissful and lovely than the last. Sitting with him in the garden… Strolling through Elysium… Picking flowers in the Meadow… Each time he visited drew you closer and closer to his light until you considered him close to your heart.

He turned to you, his astounding blue eyes looking at you with an ounce of surprise and, for a second, you feared you overstepped. But then his gaze turned kind and he smiled a smile so kind, so genuine, and so real that you lost your breath for a second. And he reached for your hands—both of them—and took them in his. His hands dwarfed yours, but they fit together perfectly. Holding one, he brought the other up to cup his face, to hold his cheek. He turned into you and pressed his lips against the palm of your hand.

You could feel his breath ghosting over your skin and it sent shivers down your spine in the best way.

And then his lips moved, and even the slightest twitch was enough to take over your senses. “If you’d have me,” he said softly, his voice just barely above a whisper. He turned away from your hand to gaze into your eyes. “I know I’m a young god—naive, stupid, innocent to the world—but I also know my feelings. And I do have feelings for you, (y/n). I know that we don’t know each other the best, but that’s the great thing about immortality, right? I have all of eternity to get to know you.”

You gaped at him, your mind on red alert as the meaning of his words kicked in. He wanted a relationship with you. Suddenly, your thoughts went on autopilot.

This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong.

He was less than half your age. He was a young god. You didn’t know him. He didn’t know you. He doesn’t know what he wants.

This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong.

What were you thinking? You’d just met him. You couldn’t possibly be interested in pursuing a relationship. You would be insane. You couldn’t take advantage of him like this, no matter how badly your subconscious wanted him. And even then, he was the god of spring, of life, and you were the goddess of the dead and Queen of the Underworld. There was no way that those two things mixed. How could they? They were polar opposites.

This is wrong. This is wrong. This is…

But what if it wasn’t? What if he wanted you just as bad as you wanted him? What if he wanted to know you like you wanted to know him? What if?

This feels right. This feels nice. This feels right.

Maybe there was a reason you felt safe and secure around him. Maybe there was a reason you called him instead of Brock when you had your nightmare. Maybe there was a reason he stayed in your mind, always lurking in the corners no matter the time of day.

This feels right. This feels nice. This feels right.

Your eyes traced his face and your heart hammered in your chest. If you were being honest, you wouldn’t mind trying to pursue something with him. He was kind, sweet, and genuinely wanted to know you. That was more than any other man had been in years.

But there were other factors than just what you and he wanted. What about the age gap? You more than doubled him in age. And then there was also the fact that you were practically ostracised by most of the gods and immortals on Olympus. Would he join you in exile from the others if he associated himself with you? And then what about his mother? She despised you with a passion, and there was no way that she would approve of you two dating. And what about…

Brock…

There were just so many fucking factors to it, way too many for you to work out in one day. You might’ve been a goddess, but that didn’t mean you weren’t without responsibilities that had to come before your love life.

You hung your head, removing your eyes from his body. “Bucky, I just… I don’t know…” you whispered, your voice cracking with strain. “How could we work? How could the world let us work? There’s just so much that needs to be accounted for and I… I just don’t see how it’s possible.”

“So long as we try, so long as we both want it… Anything is possible, really—even us being together.” He gave you a lopsided smile. “The Fates would not have had us meet if it wasn’t.”

You barked a bitter laugh. “The Fates could not be so cruel as to interweave our futures, Bucky,” you said in a shallow whisper. “It’s a curse to be stuck with me.”

“See, you view it as a curse, but I would see it as the greatest blessing they could give me. To be so lucky as to spend all of eternity with you who cares so much about people and who gives so much of herself so selflessly is all that I can ask for. You are so much more than what you give yourself credit for, (y/n). Let me be there to remind you of your value.”

“But what about Brock?”

He sighed and tightened his grip on your hand. “You can let him go. You don’t need him. He’s abusing you, (y/n), I know you can see that too. Just let him go.”

“I… I just… I can’t let him go that easily, Buck.” You hung your head. “I think that, deep down, I know the words you speak are true, but I… He’s been there for me—with me—for hundreds of years; I can’t just let him go. I know I should, but I can’t…” It was toxic, what you had with him; you knew that, but he had planted his weeds so deep in your heart that you could not tear them out so easily.

“What if I helped you?” he asked, his voice lifting an octave as he thought aloud. “I can be there for you, occupying your time so that way you wouldn’t have to see him. I have no obligations or responsibilities other than bringing Spring to the Mortal World once a year, and so I could be down there for you. No one says that you have to cut him from your life all at once; you can do it little by little and I will be there to help you every step of the way.” He bit his lip as he let go of your hand and reached up to hold your cheek.

You closed your eyes at his touch and leaned into him. His hands were worn and smooth and filled with warmth that filled you to your core.

“I can help you, (y/n), but you have to tell me you want this. I won’t make you decide one way or the other; this is your life, you’re in control. I am but a tool for you to use to help you along. You tell me what you want and I will help you make it happen. Okay?”

What you want…

You had virtually everything you could ever want: a kingdom, loving family, millions of subjects who respected you, power, wealth, good friends, the best dog ever, and security. But that wasn’t everything you wanted.

You wanted love. You’d never admitted it before, but you really wanted love. Not the stuff Brock gave you, but real love. If you remember correctly, the Greeks had given a name for the love you craved.

Pragma: long-lasting love.

You knew that you were never going to get that with Brock. You were chasing him down a one-way road that led to a dead end. There was no future of growth for you, no practicality whatsoever, only the same for years, decades, centuries to come. There was nothing more he could offer you, nothing he could give to you that you didn’t already have.

But with Bucky? Gods, there were so many options; he’d already proved to you time after time that he was invested in you and more than willing to stay with you. He’d risked getting flayed alive by his mother and his own safety just to get closer to you. With him, there was a chance that you could find what you wanted. No matter how minuscule the chance was, it was still there; a single thread hanging in the middle of the room that you were going to hold onto and climb until it either turned into rope or disappeared.

You had nothing to lose, so why not take a chance on him?

Next 11: She Takes a Stand

[artificialqueens]

Pretty in Pearls, Chapter 3 (Jankie) - Plastiquedoll

read on ao3 💄| previous chapters

A/N: hi! I was going to update earlie but things happened...... so here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading it <3

-3-

It was late when they went back to their room, Jan had only two classes in the afternoon but Rosé had one in the morning, yet, they talked for what it felt like hours and Jan only stopped speaking to read Jackie’s message. She was very happy. During that day she had made several friends –something she couldn’t have imagined a week before- she had met some of her professors and attended a couple of classes so she wouldn’t feel as nervous the following day.

In the morning she heard cursing in whispers when Rosé’s alarm went off announcing she had to get ready to go to class. After the girl left, Jan had the room for herself. She laid in bed watching videos on Instagram for a while and then decided it was a good moment to take a shower and get a cup of coffee.

Tuesdays were her lightest days and she could get used to it. She felt fresh out of the shower, braided her hair, and put on some clean clothes before walking out of the dorms.

On her way out she crossed paths with Nicky and who seemed to be her roommate. The girl had orange long hair and a great amount of makeup on but that worked perfectly on her. She also wore high waist pants with a turquoise loose blouse and dangling earrings. Nicky looked as great as the day before with a mauve off-the-shoulder mini dress and a high ponytail.

“Jan!” She waved at her.

“Hi, Nicky! How are you?”

“I’m doing good, thank you.” She smiled at her. “This is Crystal, my roommate. Crystal, this is Jan, the friend I talked you about.”

“Hi!” Crystal greeted Jan with a lot of energy. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Crystal. Well, I kind of feel like I know you through your room.”

“Oh, God…” She blushed. “I’m not taking the One Direction poster off, I already told Nicky.”

“I swear Niall’s eyes follow me whenever I’m in the room.” Nicky shivered.

Jan giggled.

“I have to go, I’m already running late.” Crystal said while checking the time on her phone. “See you guys later.”

“Don’t forget your keys…” Nicky reminded her.

Crystal pulled a key set with tons of colorful keychains. “Never again. Bye, Jan.”

“Bye!”

After the girl left, Nicky looked at Jan. “You missed a great dinner yesterday.”

“Oh, I imagine but I needed to spend some quality time with my roommate. But I’m still craving Thai food since it was mentioned.”

“There’s no choice, we’ll have to go back soon.”

“Please.”

“Are you heading to class?”

“No, I have my Tuesday mornings free. I was getting some coffee, actually.”

“Ugh, lucky you. I have a class in thirty minutes. Do you mind if I get coffee with you?”

“Sure, that’s great because I was going to google where the café is, I have no idea.”

Nicky just smiled. “I’ll show you the way.”

They walked for a couple of minutes; Nicky pointed to the café’s exterior when they got closer. As soon as they got in the smell of freshly brewed coffee embraced them. Autumn was around the corner and college students demanding pumpkin spice lattes prematurely were flooding the place.

Luckily for them, the line moved fast and the barista quickly took their orders. Jan ordered decaffeinated –because she wasn’t technically allowed to drink coffee after that one incident on St. Patrick’s day- but she compensated it with a lot of sugar and whipped cream. Nicky, on the other hand, asked for an iced Americano.

While they were waiting sitting at a little table, Jan recognized the familiar figure of the one person from her hometown she so badly wanted to see.

“Oh my God…” She suddenly felt coy when he started walking in their direction.

“Janie!” He greeted the girl but his eyes went directly to Nicky who was unimpressed while on her phone.

“Hi, Nathan.”

The name rang a bell for the blonde girl who looked up.

“How are you doing?” He rested half of his arm on almost all the table’s surface.

“Oh you know… just chilling before classes. I have Tuesday mornings free.” She tried to sound chill, smooth even.

“Cool…” He kept staring at the other girl a little too much. “Who’s your friend?”

“Ah, yes… this is Nicky, she’s in the same dorm as I am… Nicky, this is Nathan, he’s…”

“A friend from New Jersey.” He extended his hand to shake Nicky’s but the girl glared at him.

At that moment, their names were called by the barista.

“I’ll get the coffee.” Nicky rushed to leave the table. “Salaud…” She murmured before going.

Jan was thankful because now she had some time to speak with Nathan alone.

“So how’s the-”

“Janie, your friend is smoking and she’s French or something, right? That’s hot. Do you think you could set us up?”

Jan’s spirit sank. She should’ve guessed.

“Uh… I don’t think she’d be interested. She’s already dating someone.”

“What a shame because she’s one hundred percent eye candy.”  His gaze followed Nicky’s curves.

“Besides, I thought you liked that girl you met yesterday,” Jan mentioned shyly.

“Abby? She’s alright I guess but this is week one, I have to keep my options open, you know?” He shrugged. “Can’t wait to hit the baseball field next week again, huh?”

“Yes! I’m so excited about it, actually-”

He threw his backpack over his shoulder. “I gotta run, Janie.”

“Oh, okay… see you.”

“Tell your friend that if she ever needs a rebound…” He left, still looking in Nicky’s direction.

Jan tried to smile but she ended up with a weird grimace.

The blonde returned to the table when he was away.

“Here’s your drink…” She tried to put a real smile on the girl’s face but she failed. “Jan, what is it? Did he tell you something?”

“Oh, no… it’s nothing.” She took a sip of her sweet beverage but didn’t enjoy it as she intended. “It’s just Nathan being Nathan…”

Nicky bit her tongue to avoid telling her he seemed like an asshole.

Jan looked at Nicky, of course he’d be interested in her. She was beyond gorgeous and she was stylish as hell with her pretty dress and makeup while Jan had barely washed her face and put on the first pair of joggings and a graphic t-shirt she found in her drawers.

“I bought you a cookie.” She slid the little chocolate treat in front of her.

“Aw, Nicky… thank you.”

Nicky squeezed her shoulder.

“I have to go to class but I don’t want to leave if you’re feeling down.”

Jan shook her head. “No, I’m fine, really…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep, I’ll go to the library or drop by the copy room to annoy Jackie a little.”

“She’s in class during the mornings, someone else is running the copy room in the mornings.”

Jan sighed. “The library is then.”

“Always exciting.” Nicky checked the time on her watch. “Now I really have to go. See you later, dear.” She blew a kiss in the air.

“For sure.” She smiled to show Nicky everything was alright even when it wasn’t.

But enough of being pitiful, she had a cup of coffee, a cookie, and the sun was shining outside. She had this.

The library turned out to be a great place to spend some spare time between classes. Jan met the librarian –Mrs. West- who was probably one of the sweetest people she had ever seen and she was kind enough to explain Jan the rules –besides keeping it low in the study and reading area- Jan walked directly to a free desk and pulled out her computer. She needed to check if she was registered correctly on her classes once again just to be sure and she had to revise if her teachers from the previous day had left some new reading –they did.

She read the two papers and prepared a little draft for the next class before she noticed, it was almost noon. Nicky had said Jackie had classes in the morning but maybe she was free already, so Jan pulled out her phone and typed a quick text.

To Jackie C.: Hi Jackie! Nicky told me you were in class I was wondering if you’re out already, I can drop by the copy room :D

The reply arrived a minute later.

From Jackie C.: I’m already out and heading to the copy room, I’ll be there in no time.

And with that, the girl picked up her things and walked following the map that was scribbled over. She rushed toward the copy room in a way that her former high school teacher would’ve scolded her for« running in the hallways». Finally, she opened the door of the room carefully.

“Hello…?” She walked in.

“I’m over here.” Jackie had a little closet in the corner open. “I’m picking some toner for the machine. I swear, every morning it’s the same, Yvie forgets to change it every time and I have to-”

Jackie smiled as soon as she saw Jan waving in front of her.

“Hi, there.”

“Hi! Thank goodness you’re out of class I was so bored… Well, I was being «productive» or something like that –I’m guessing it’s something college students aspire to be- but then the internet of the library started malfunctioning and I got distracted with the little T-Rex game –do you know which one? With his little jumps and tiny arms, it was so cute- and then I wasn’t being productive anymore so…”

“It’s so good to see you again.” Jackie shook her head.

“How was your morning?” She moved closer to the counter.

Jackie pointed at the chair next to her and Jan sat there.

“All of my classes are during the mornings; that’s how I get to work here after I’m done with them.” She explained while changing the copy machine’s toner. “On Tuesdays, I have this one class with a professor that absolutely despises everything I say because –and listen to this- «I try to push a gender agenda» on his classes.” She scoffed. “Only because they don’t mention women in art centuries ago it doesn’t mean that they weren’t there… it’s ridiculous.”

Jan listened to Jackie ranting for ten minutes about the class, the girl was fuming but there was something entertaining about seeing her mad and the way she gestured as if it was a Ted talk… not to mention she did it all while doing the maintenance work of the printers.

“I’m sorry, I really went off with it…”

“No! It’s okay. I don’t know much about art and listening to you is like actually taking a class… but more engaging because you’re pissed and it shows.”

“Yeah… I have to tone it down in class or that… professor… is going to fail me.” Jackie let a big sigh out of her chest. “Anyway, I’m sure Nicky told you about last night’s dinner…”

“Yes! I wanna eat Thai food so badly now… Nicky is great by the way, she’s very nice and helped me a lot with the dorm things. Thank you so much for introducing me to her and Jaida.”

“No worries. They all liked you the moment they met you anyway.”

Jan beamed and blushed a little.

“So, you met your roommate…”

“Oh, right! My roommate, Rosé, is great… we got along like, instantly and she’s a theatre major so now I’m sharing the dorm with a Broadway fangirl. It’s going to be fun.”

“Wait, isn’t that the girl with the pink hair? I’ve seen her a couple of times I think.”

“Yeah, she thought you were very serious.”

“Don’t tell anyone I’m nice, I have a reputation to keep.”

Jan giggled. “But you are nice! I can’t believe people think otherwise.” She snapped her fingers. “You know what, I’m having lunch with her right now. I have a class at one so I was going to head to the cafeteria, why don’t you come with me?”

“I’d love to but I have to stay a little longer before taking my lunch break. If you have a class at one you better hurry before it gets too crowded there.”

“Oh, that’s too bad… I’ll get going there but… text me later?”

“Sure.” Jackie smiled at her.

“Okay, have a nice day! See you later!” The younger waved on her way out.

“Bye, Jan.”

At lunch, Jackie sat with her friends and while she tried to finish reading a museum review of a new exhibition, she got a text message from Jan telling her how boring the class was. Jackie shook her head and replied back to her shortly after.

Widow was next to her chatting with Heidi, Jaida was sitting across the table typing on her phone until Nicky arrived so the quick smile that appeared on her face went unnoticed –thank goodness.

“Bonjour, mon rayon de soleil.” Nicky kissed her on the cheek.

“I’ll pretend I understood every word… hi, baby.” She kissed her back.

The blonde sat next to her and they shared a lovey-dovey look.

“I want what they have,” Heidi whispered while looking at their friends. “What does take to get a girlfriend here? I’m in the art department, it should be easier.”

Widow cackled.

“I thought you had retired from the dating world when Janelle Monáe blocked you on Instagram.”

“Okay, listen… I was nothing but respectful to Miss Monáe, I still don’t understand the reason behind that blocking but yeah…”

“Heidi you don’t want to date, you’re just horny.”

The girl gasped. “How dare you?”

“Because… you can’t keep your interest on one person for more than a week.” Jackie pointed.

“I think you’re better off single.” Widow agreed.

“Excuse me… I came here to have lunch and a lovely chat not to be attacked like this.” Heidi crossed her arms on her chest. “Unbelievable.”

They didn’t say a word.

“You may be right though…” She finally admitted.

“Oh! You know who should get a girlfriend…” Jaida glanced at the brunette in front of her.

Jackie sighed. “We’ve been through this yesterday… I already told you she’s out of the conversation.”

“I didn’t give any names though,” Jaida smirked. “You did that to yourself.”

Jackie blushed. “Whatever… I’m too busy to date anyway.”

“But you’d make an exception for a special someone, wouldn’t you?” Nicky pushed.

“She’s straight.”

“So it’s pasta until it gets hot and wet.” Heidi pointed.

“Heidi!”

The table burst into laughter.

“Enough with that, I’m serious. The last thing I want is Jan to feel awkward, she already has a lot on her plate.”

“Right, all jokes aside… I met the guy she pines after this morning…” Nicky started gossiping. “and my goodness he’s even worse than what I pictured… a jerk with capital letters. I think he was trying to get my number through Jan.”

They all made a disgusted sound in response.

“No fucking way…” Heidi’s mouth dropped.

“She deserves better and I don’t even know her personally.” Widow stated.

They agreed, especially Jackie who had seen the guy the day before breaking Jan’s heart in just a matter of seconds.

“Maybe meeting new people will help her seeing beyond his… spell?” Jaida raised an eyebrow.

“He’s not that charming, trust me.” Her girlfriend assured, basing her opinion on the –hopefully- only encounter they had. “But anyway… Crystal has classes until four…” She looked at Jaida with bedroom eyes. “would you like to take a nap with me?”

Jaida caught the hint instantly. “See y’all later, bitches.” She stuck out her tongue and both left the table.

“Maybe I am just horny.” Heidi reflected before sipping her apple juice.

“Be honest with me, do you hang out with us because you like us, or is it part of your sociology thesis investigation?” Jackie asked Widow.

“Bitch, you’ll never know.” She chuckled.

A week had passed and with that, Jan had established a little routine: in the mornings she would go to the library –sometimes on her own, sometimes with her roommate or one of her classmates-, she had lunch at the cafeteria in rotating schedules –as if she was the loving child of a divorced couple- during the afternoons she was at the copy room whenever she had some spare time and when Jackie was there and afterward she’d have dinner with her and her friends or with Rosé. They all ended up having dinner together on Friday night so Jan was secretly hoping the group would merge into one big supergroup.

She had also become close with Jackie’s friends including Widow of whom she had heard a lot but was formally introduced to a few days later and with Crystal, Nicky’s roommate who shared the struggles of being a freshman like her. Plus, she met one of Rosé’s friends from her musical comedy class as well, a girl called Lagoona that adopted Jan immediately and kept teaching her Spanish words.

On the weekend she watched cartoons wearing pajamas with the girls from her dorm in the lounge room and then completed some assignments for her classes with Crystal at the same place.

On Monday, however, she was extra excited –more than usual- because it was the day she was going to play baseball again. She could almost smell the grass of the field, the rubber of her sneakers, and the leather material of the ball… She could picture herself running around scoring like no other.

And because she was so thrilled, time seemed to pass slower than ever.

“Jackie…” She cried while sitting on her –now- regular reserved spot behind the countertop. “I still have to wait another two hours…”

“Two hours are almost nothing, c’mon.” The brunette was in the middle of copying a Shakespeare play for a group of students from the Literature department. “Besides, it’s not like it’s been years since the last time you played.”

“It’s been like two months.” She pouted. “Two long never-ending months.” She dragged the words to make emphasis on her sadness.

“But you survived.” Jackie pointed out before reaching for the staple on the shelf.

That day, Jackie was wearing a pleated plaid skirt with a knitted long sweater and mid-heel loafers. She moved smoothly in the limited space; Jan had memorized her moves by the time; she knew exactly when she had to lean back for the brunette to pass through while she mumbled something about Yvie not taking proper care of the machines or when she was fighting with the printer that didn’t mind for the students’ urgencies at all. She had also discovered that Jackie always hummed to California Dreamin’ no matter how often it played on the radio, that she liked gourmet jelly beans and that she had a stock of candy hidden somewhere -only she hadn’t found her secret spot yet.

“Hi, Jackie.” A girl hummed with a melodic voice as she rested her elbows on the countertop while batting her lashes overly.

Jackie, who was on her back stapling a final set of copies, took a deep breath as she recognized the owner of the voice right away.

“Hello, Vanessa.” She spun on her heels and faced the girl. “What can I do for you?” Her tone was deadpan.

Vanessa, the girl in question, was gorgeous with her long black hair perfectly curled, flawless makeup, and clothing; she was wearing a cropped pullover with the word «Angel» stamped on it a and pair of high-waisted jeans. She was tiny but she wasn’t scared of wearing high high-heels.

She flashed a dazzling smile as soon as Jackie turned around.

“Are you finally going to accept going on a date with me?” She blurted out.

Jan’s eyes got wide. Her type of courage was worth admiring, she was certainly fearless.

“No,” Jackie replied, coldly. “I’ve told you before; I’m not going to date you.”

Jan gasped but Vanessa didn’t even flinch. She just waved her hair and readjusted her pose.

Oh, she was about to say something, wasn’t she? Jan looked, expectant.

“Please…” She pouted. “Pretty please? You can’t say no to a pretty please.”

Jackie rolled her eyes. “There we go.” She shook her head and sighed. “Look, I’m not going to repeat the whole speech but if you have something for me to print or copy, I’m all ears.”

This time, Jan couldn’t keep it to herself. “Jackie!” She shouted and jumped off the chair.

The brunette turned toward her. “What? It’s Vanessa.” She said as if that was a fair justification.

Vanessa waved. “And who are you?” She looked at Jackie, then at Jan, and then at Jackie again. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“No.” Jackie blushed a little. “This is my friend, Jan. Jan, this is Vanessa she’s a sophomore that testes my patience since she was a freshman.”

“I worked very hard for that title.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Jan!” She shook her hand.

“Vanessa has an on and off long-distance relationship and she likes to flirt when she’s on the «off» side,” Jackie explained.

The girl shrugged. “Can you blame a girl for asking? I gotta try once in a while at least.”

Jan chuckled.

“Anyway, can you copy the marked pages of this textbook? I need it for class, you’ll be glad to know I didn’t come here exclusively to ask you out. Although…”

“Give me the book.” The brunette extended her hand to grab the object, Vanessa held it tightly for an instant but Jackie pulled it. “I’ll be done in a couple of minutes.”

“Thank you!” She smiled showing all her teeth. Then she turned back to Jan. “So Jan, is it…?”

“Don’t even try it!” Jackie yelled from the distance.

Once her shift was over, Jackie closed the copy room and walked around for a little before deciding to take a look at Jan’s baseball practice. She told herself it was okay to drop by, after all, she had been hearing about it all afternoon, she was curious now. But being honest, she had to ask around to find where the baseball field was –she didn’t even know their university had a women’s team before she met Jan- so she wandered through the corridors before finding the door that led to where they were playing.

The lights were on since their practice was after sunset and most students had classes during the day. The perimeter was surrounded by a chain-link fence so she guessed that was how close she could get to the field; she finally found a bleachers section -and she was one-hundred percent sure people smoked weed behind them.

She sat holding her purse against her chest. It seemed she made it just in time; it was Jan’s turn to bat. Even in the distance, Jackie had never seen the younger so focused on something as she was at that moment, it was like watching a completely different person. She moved into position and prepared.

She had the number eleven on the left sleeve of her striped uniform, purple socks on and a pair of shoes –already- covered in dirt. She adjusted her high ponytail under her cap before grabbing the wood bat with determination. Jan’s eyes were sharp as she tried to read into the pitcher’s moves.

Jackie had a shiver.

The pitcher threw the ball and she missed it, it went directly to the catcher’s glove. The brunette mouthed some curse. She had never been this invested in some sport.

Second attempt, she would get it this time. Jackie crossed her fingers, her heart was beating faster.

The pitcher threw the ball again and this time, it impacted against Jan’s bat making a thunderous noise that echoed everywhere. Jackie gasped, her eyes followed the girl’s figure as she ran as fast as she could before one of the players grabbed the ball from the ground. Now she knew her heart was about to break her ribcage, she couldn’t get herself to calm down. Jan was running and running like a roadrunner cartoon and she was about to make it when the players started passing the ball, maybe someone was going to catch her before she made it. But she was so close, just one more base to go. She ran, encouraged by her teammates, and drifted creating a cloud of dirt around the base.

She made it.

Home run.

“Yes! Yes!” Jackie cheered and raised her hands in the air.

Apparently, loud enough for the whole team to hear it.

Jan, who was bent over her knees, still out of breath due to her incredible race, grinned and waved as soon as she recognized Jackie. The brunette smiled back and clapped discreetly, even when she had just displayed such enthusiastic behavior.

The team -mainly the batter- had gained a new fan and the season hadn’t even started.

[jj-lynn21]

Santa’s favorite Elf Part 2:  Ch 3: Pre-production

Santa’s fav elf ch 1, Santa’s fav elf ch 2, Santa’s fav elf ch 3, Santa’s fav elf ch 4

Santa’s fav Elf Part 2 ch 1, ch 2, ch 3,  ch 4

warnings: A dash of angst

“Time for our fitting day, käraste.”  

You woke groggily to Bill kissing your bare shoulder. Turning you reached for him before flickering eyes opened to see him smiling down at you. “How long do we have?”

He kissed your nose. “Enough time to throw on some cloths. I let you sleep while I showered. Joe will bring us coffee.”

You stretched and sighed as he got up. When you came out of the restroom dressed, he was on his cellphone texting. Seconds later there was a knock on the door. It was Joe.

“A caramel macchiato for the lady and a black coffee with two sugars for the gentleman”  

You took the venti hot drink. “Just what I needed. Thank you.” Setting it down for a moment you bundled up for the walk to the car.  

Bill slides his coat on with a red hat and scarf that covers most of his face. You follow Joe to car. You look out the window quiet as you sip your coffee just thinking about being “friends.” with a man you wanted so much.

“Are you ok?” Bill put a hand on your shoulder.  

You sighed looked over at him. “Yeah, it’s just early.”

“We have an interview after our fitting.” He took your hand in his which confused you a little.

“You should have told me.” You whined. “I don’t think I’m dressed well enough for today. I’m not even wearing make-up”

“You can always grab an outfit from costuming and have the make-up department do what you want.” He added. “I think you look great as is.”  

“Thank you.” You threw him an uneasy smile.

When you get to the staging site there are vans with equipment galore and the crew are hard at work putting set pieces together. Your driver that you have figured out is also a bodyguard ushered you over to one of the buildings on the premises. He walks farther with Bill when some ladies tell you to follow them to your fitting.  

“Good morning Miss. My name is Carol.” one of the ladies said as she started measuring you. “Looks like you stayed about to same so no big costuming changes at this point. We have three wardrobe choices for you to try on today. You will get a bit of hair and makeup over with Tamera for different looks also. Then we will take some photos and show them to the director and producers. After they decide which look they like best, you and Santa will get some promo pics taken for the awaiting press. Lastly the two of you will do a few interviews together in the same PR tent you pose for photos. And that is all that is on the agenda until Monday.”

“Sounds like a full day of fun and games.” You finish your coffee. “I’m done with this. Ready to go.”

“You are going to be great.” She smiled. “if you want another coffee, water or anything else just say the word. Tamara will take you in make-up as me and Sara bring your first look out.”  

“How are you doll?” The make-up girl fusses over you. “You do, you do, you look like a doll baby. We are going to give you a porcelain complexion like you have been in this cold climate. Then rosy up these adorable apple cheeks.”

“Whatever works” You smile. “Sorry I am still a little tan.”

“No need for sorry.” She began to lighten the skin tone on your face first. “People come in with full dark tans for movies like this sometimes. I have no problem with it. You do you. I provide some of that Hollywood magic to create your character.” She rubbed the makeup down your arms next. Then yours legs. We let that sit for a half hour before we apply your rosy cheeks and a dash of eye make up for your first look. By that time, you can try on your first costume.”

“Sounds good.” you strip your coat off hanging it on the back of your seat. The heaters in the room make it warm enough. “May I get a bottled water and a bagel with cream cheese? I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

“Of course, doll.” She goes out coming back minutes later with what you asked for. “I am going to put these plastic gloves on your hands for you to pick things up without getting the makeup everywhere.” She applied the gloves. “Anything else?”

“I’m good.”  

As you ate careful not to get the makeup off your face before it dried you face timed Bill. Your phone was on a standing charger, so you didn’t have to hold it. He was in the same base porcelain color you were. Both of you waiting for it to dry.

“You were a little to tan too, I see.”

“Just a little.” he chuckled. “How are you doing. Did you see the art concept for your character? I hope you will still want to kiss me as this evil looking Santa. We are supposed to have this love that last beyond the grave or some shit like that.”

“I might have to do some heavy duty acting but I think I can pull it off.” You laughed.  

“I have to go. Getting the wig and beard glued on in stages.” Bill told you. “FaceTime again in an hour and you can see the progress.”

“Sure thing, Bill.” You wave on the video. I should be on my second look by then. I have three to try.”

“I just have this one, but it will take a while.” He waved. “Talk to you later.” He hung up and you hung up just as Tamera was coming back.  

She ran her index finger over your forehead. “All dry so we can start phase two.”

She put some basic make-up on you, and you went back to costuming. The first thing you tried was a green elf dress that looked very much like the original one you wore in the first movie with white fur trim. Cute, short and flirty. Thigh high white boots this time. Red and green fleece lined legging and green gloves with the white fur. Your scenes would be outdoors, so they wanted you to be as warm as possible. You stood for the photo with a plague with the movie title.  

The next outfit was very much like the first except it was red. It also included a short cape over your shoulders. Another picture was taken. You thought you would need a coat over each if they were chosen. Something to just keep you warmer when not filming. You filmed indoor for the last movie, so the short skirt was fine. From the script this would be all outdoor shooting mostly when the darkness hit at 2p.m. You shivered just thinking about it.  

The last outfit seemed way more reasonable for the weather in your opinion which didn’t count for much you thought. It was a long velour red dress with long sleeves with some gold designs at the bottom. It had a long red coat with fur white edging. It was held on with a thick black belt. Then a short cape that came up in a hat that matched. They added a curly blond wig, black chunky heeled boots and to top off the whole look a white mask made to look like Snowflakes around your eyes. Tamera darkened your lips in candy apple red lip stick.  

You twirled around smiling loving how it looked and felt. A truly great look for someone so in love with Santa they would do anything to have him back. You felt similar about Bill. A few pictures were taken with the plaque.  

“Back in your regular cloths until the higher ups decide which look they like better.” Carol said as her and her assistant took the costume off you.

“I really hope this one.” You beamed. “It seems it would be warm enough for in outside in cold weather.”  

“Not my call but I agree.” Carol’s assistant carefully hung the outfit. Then she took the photos printed from the digital camera in an envelope to give to the powers that be. “What would you like for lunch? We have subs in turkey, beef and hand with chips or fries. Cold pasta salad. Coffee, tea, water and soft drinks. My assistant will pick them up on her way back.”

“Pasta salad and a caramel latte, please, thank you.” You asked politely.  

As you waited on a comfy plush sofa you checked in on how Bill was doing. Dirty white long hair, beard, and mustache was drying when he answered the phone looking up at you.

“You doing okay Bill?”

“Yeah, I just have to lay back until this dries.”  

You could barely see his smile as he attempted it.

“Then I get to put on the extra tum tum and suit.”

You giggle. “Tum tum, that is so cute. I tried on a few different looks. They are showing some pix to the producers and director.”  

“Yeah, they just got here.” He scratched the corner of his ear where some of glue was dripping. “I’m an executive producer so they put an envelope on the table here. I will have to look when I can sit up. Which outfit did you like best?”

“I loved all of them but since we are shooting outside the longer dress with all the layers is the one I won’t freeze to death in.”

 “I will keep that in mind and pass it along to the others.” He glanced away from the the phone a second and then back. “Michael is coming in to check if this is dry enough. See you soon.”

“Looking forward to it.” You hang up.  

This whole process had already taken four hours. You expected to be in your costume dealing with the pr photos and interviews by now, but it would be another hour before you heard that you would get to wear the longer dress. A half hour after that you were escorted to meet Bill at the door to another building. Joe was there to watching over the situation, so people did not attempt to touch or get to close either of you.

“Just take a breath my favorite elf.” Santa (Bill) suggested. “I’ll tap your back to turn where the cameras are flashing. Smile with your eyes not your mouth. Try to keep your face relaxed.”

You nod fidgeting a little. Your eyes wide. Nervousness runs through your body. You have watched enough of these photo shoots with characters sure but being on this side of it was different. Bill took your hand and kissed your knuckles as Joe opened the door and flashes from cameras started going off.

“Don’t forget to breath.” He murmured before walking with you to your first mark.  

The camera flashes went off as multiple photographers told you to look towards them for a perfect shot. You could not look both ways. You looked up at Bill trying to breath without hyperventilating. He looked to you eyes sparkling. His pinkened lips in a small smile. You smiled back as the cameras flashed.

“Twirl for us (YN)”

Bill twirled you away from him. He moved to another mark. Some cameras followed him. A few stayed on you for separate pictures. You stood in place getting your Barings trying to keep your eyes smiling and face relaxed as Bill told you. All the cameras moved to him. You waited until he held out a hand for you to join him again. He escorted you back through the exit.  

You took a deep breath. “That was a little claustrophobic.”

“It always is.” He hugged you the best he could in his Santa suit. “Are you going to be okay with the interview part of our day? We just sit and answer some of the same questions over and over. I think only five reporters but could be more. I will be right at your side the whole time. “

“I guess after a small break I will be ready.” You walked back to the costuming building where you parted with Bill again to get your costume off.

You glanced through the clothing finding a cashmere sweater to go with the jeans you wore today. It looked better than the bulgy sweatshirt you wore. Tamara toned down your make-up for a natural camera-ready look. Bill had a lot more to deal with to get back to himself, so it took him a bit longer. You waited patiently with a Christmas chocolate chip cookie and bottled water.  

Joe opened the door. “It's time.”  

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Making music with bebop gyroids

Musical gyroids galore! Kelly, Ned, Gutsy, Livvy, and Lulu are here with us to enjoy the sunny weather and make some fun musical instruments. The gyroids were designed by Daisy Jane and Kelly with some input from Ned and Goldie - and they look (and sound) so awesome!

It's been so bright and sunny these past couple of days, it feels kinda unusual. Looks like the sunshine's come out early this year! No shorts yet, but we've pulled out the sunglasses, where I finally get to use my new shades Daisy Jane got for me. Pretty and functional is how I like it - though I'm pretty sure that Daisy Jane spent quite a bit on these sunglasses - not that I'm complaining as they're really good at what they're supposed to do. I feel so cool and badass wearing them!

With Livvy home for spring break, she and Gutsy figured, what better place to spend a short vacation than at a camp? Gutsy always wanted to drop by to visit us since we came to Charm Villa to see her a while back. And of course, she had to bring little Lulu along to explore the great outdoors with her. Good thing they chose to come during a campsite event! What better way to be introduced to the camp than a gyroid adventure?

Since the Coloratura Jazz Band Festival last year Kelly and Daisy Jane began working on gyroid designs inspired by the festival. Kelly really has a way with instrument designs, coming up with interesting ideas like an electric cello in the shape of a treble clef or a harpsichord that looks like one of those cool antique desks. That's why gyroid events are so much fun - you can craft so many creative things with them!

Joining Kelly is her best friend Ned, her partner in crime. They've been friends since high school, often attracting trouble although things end up working out in the end. Coincidentally, Kelly's mom is a private investigator and a few years back she worked with Gutsy on a case involving a farm at Cedar Pickett. Kelly and Ned got involved and wound up riding horses along the infamously dangerous canyon trail to catch a criminal. They all remembered each other after all these years as it was an interesting case. It's fascinating how small the world can be sometimes!

Ned, according to Kelly, is a world class baker when it comes to pies. She wasn't exaggerating. He and his dads run a bakery/nightclub called Dub Step Pie Club. Despite the name, it actually looks like a pretty cool place. I should drop by there the next time I visit the island.

At first glance, Kelly and Ned seem like an unlikely duo. In a way, they kinda remind me of Daisy Jane and Almie - the bubbly outgoing one paired with the introverted quiet one. Kelly's the one dragging Ned into her schemes, usually involving her mom's cases. Ned has an unusual connection with the dead, so every once in a while he and Kelly end up with a murder mystery or a ghost with unfinished business. They have a fun dynamic, those two.

In between gyroid hunting sessions, we hung out at the main campsite and did a little baking. Ned taught us how to make pumpkin brownie pecan pie, a specialty at the Dub Step Pie Club. That, along with the cubeyberry pie he brought from home, were some of the best pies I've ever had! Tomorrow we're gonna make peach lolliberry pie, another favorite at the club.

Lulu's so cute when it comes to finding gyroids! Seeing her get excited and waddling around while carrying a gyroid - which looks huge in her little arms - my heart just can't take it! She's also become quite a chatterbox - I love hearing her point out things at the camp and getting excited about everything. Lulu's definitely the type of kid who's not afraid to take a tumble and get her hands dirty. It's so cool to see more of her personality come out, especially now that she's talking. If Lulu keeps this up, I'm pretty sure Kelly's gonna straight up die of cuteness before the end of this event.

Livvy has been enjoying the great outdoors, especially after a stressful couple of weeks at school. She's a business major with a minor in humanities - the latter which kinda happened and she decided to go along with it because, why not? It's more work, but she's not complaining too much because she enjoys the classes. Since going off to college, Livvy started a study/productivity vlog called coffeelivvy, where she posts about study tips as well aesthetic and practical notes. I enjoy watching her videos while journaling, especially her plan with me bullet journal videos.

Gutsy's been busy with Lulu and the cafe. She's into making bread these days so later this week we're gonna make baguettes, which sounds fun! I'll admit, the process of making bread - as in with yeast and proofing and such - sounds kinda intimidating, but with a pro like Gutsy, the process seems less daunting. Since working at the cafe, Gutsy found out that she has a knack for baking as well as making latte art. So along with some decadent pies, we also got to enjoy lattes with the pretty milk foam designs - a winning combo that's perfect for a camping event!

Kelly's on spring break too, a well deserved vacation after a busy semester. She reminds me of Alex and Claire, being the kind of person who does a lot of extracurriculars and manages to be on top of everything academically. Along with being in the Coloratura Jazz Band, Kelly's also a volunteer of the Asian Pride Film Festival, a video editor for Leicester Academy Theater, an RA, and captain of the badminton team. She also plans to take summer classes and go to Amsterdam for the the fall term, graduating in the winter.

Ned, of course, is managing the bakery of Dub Step Pie Club while juggling classes at Seashore Path. After taking a year off due to burnout, he returned for the spring semester, changing his major from English to business marketing. So far Ned finds his second go of college much less stressful than when he first enrolled, which is great to hear. I hope things turn out better for him this time around.

While collecting gyroids at Lost Lure Creek, we ended up taking a detour through the acorn trail. It's one of many places I haven't got to exploring yet so it was the perfect opportunity to finally check it out. Kelly took a bunch of pics of the trees with its warm autumnal colors. This area of the woods looks like it's fall all year round and it looks so pretty! And of course, the trees are full of cute little acorns that we had to take back to the camp.

Later on, while crafting gyroid furniture, we painted the acorns. It's been a long while since I've painted so naturally I was a little rusty at first. The idea for a painting session came about when Kelly mentioned that she and a friend led a Bob Ross style painting event at their dorm building that everyone enjoyed. Peaches and Lolly just bought some new paints so it was the perfect opportunity to try them out. I think my favorite is the acrylic gouache - something about painting with them is so satisfying to me.

Then we hung out at the beach, collecting shells, sea glass, and gyroids. Although it's bright and sunny out, it's not warm enough to go swimming yet. It was nice sitting out there under the warm sun, just hanging out with friends. We also did some fishing, catching some tuna that we later made into poke bowls for dinner. And for dessert, we had cubeyberry pie paired with a bottle of peach wine, courtesy of Gulliver.

Before heading back to the main camp, we dropped by the hangout sites to collect more gyroids before calling it a day. Lulu enjoyed helping out campers by bringing them fruit. I love seeing her chatter away to the campers and talking about fruit. Gutsy says that Lulu isn't afraid of strangers, which we clearly saw as she approached everyone she met. She's a little handful, keeping Gutsy and Livvy on their toes! I swear, you blink for less than a second and next thing you know, Lulu's run clear across the camp and trying to climb a tree or get into the water.

At some point, we got into an impromptu musical session starting with Kelly on the drums. Then Ned joined in with maracas, Livvy and Friga on guitar, Benedict on double bass, Soleil on keyboards, me on the toy piano, and Gutsy and Daisy Jane on percussion. Lulu was so cute dancing along to the music! I think we made a pretty good band - it sure helped passed the time while waiting for the gyroid stuff to be built!

Today we crafted the harpsichord, a galaxy themed dulcimer/synth, and a star shaped hybrid of a ukulele and violin. Like I said earlier, the designs of these instruments are amazing! Plus, they sound fantastic! We had so much fun making music - I can't wait to build more stuff and create even more music!

[thatanonwiththeoc]

The Taste Of Coffee Ch. 1

A Lukagami fic. Read on AO3

I guess I’m cross posting on tumblr now lol

Part 2

Of all the places the universe could’ve landed her, it turned out to be here.

Staring her right in the face.

Kagami instantly recognized the boat in front of her. It was the Couffaine’s residence that she’d visited a few times before with Adrien, ever the same familiar clashing colors bearing into the eyes, screaming as loud as the music it played. Kagami sometimes wondered how they only got in trouble with the police once out of the many times they’d been playing on the deck. She could absolutely testify to how the music they played shook even her own inner being.

But anyways, that was irrelevant to the reason she was here in the first place.

After telling her closest (girl) friend that she’d taken an interest into playing guitar, Marinette brightened and almost instantly scratched down an address into her sketchbook. It was a wonder to Kagami how the paper still held intact by the violent way she ripped it out. Still, she’d be lying if the way Marinette winked at her didn’t send a sneaky suspicion through her.

‘This person’s a great teacher.’ Marinette beamed. A little too friendly and innocent even for Marinette, but she just chalked it up to not having much experience in the ‘friends’ department, ‘Plus, they’re pretty cute too if you’re into that.’

Kagami made sure to give her a good whack in the arm for that last comment.

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she realized who would probably be teaching her. “Of course that’s what she meant by ‘cute’.” She said to herself.

However, she wasn’t one to be defeated by a little shyness. Or even the godforsaken emotion of hesitance. She asked for guitar lessons, and she was going to get it. No matter how painfully awkward it would’ve been if it was coming from her sort-of-ex’s new girlfriend’s old sort-of-ex. Kagami was on a mission, and she was determined to complete it.

Kagami knocked on the door. Three times, as she was taught to do since she was little.

It was a sort of bitter reminder of what her and Adrien was. Of course she was happy for Adrien and Marinette, she loved them both in her own unique way. But the sting of seeing him happy with someone else that wasn’t her still didn’t sit well with her even weeks after their relationship began.

Okay, it hurt a lot, but she’d be damned before she let either of them know that.

They deserved that much happiness, and Kagami wouldn’t dare intrude on that.

Her mother’s voice rang in her ears.

‘Second place is never a spot for us.’

Kagami shook her head, trying to forget about her mother for once. It definitely wasn’t what she needed to hear right about now.

Thankfully, reality came back to her when the door gave way to a familiar, friendly face.

“Hello.” Kagami greeted. She mentally ran through her to-do list on Social Interaction 101.

Luka shot her an easy-going smile that showed his teeth. Kagami had to admit, she was in a way, envious of how easy he held himself around others. Should she smile back? “Kagami! Come in, please.”

Discarding her previous thoughts, she instead decided to simply bow her head and avoid words altogether. Actions worked better for her than words anyway, they always came out more clipped and harsher than she intended it too.

As was expected from his proposal, she made her way inside to the common area of the ship-house. In her mind, a thousand different questions roared about how she should walk, how she should handle herself, when would be a good time to speak up or let him lead the conversation. It was a wonder how she even made it to the sofa in one piece. Kagami sat upright with perfect posture. It was probably the right thing to do, wasn’t it? Keep the legs together, and the hands on the lap. Perfect. She was going to make the most of this new path and relish in the glory of talking to people like a winner.

Luka leaned over the counter from across the room, as calm and hospitable as ever. “So, what brings you here onto my humble ship?”

Right, of course. Point of contact. Classic social connection basics.

“I’ve heard you teach guitar lessons.” Kagami stated, more than asked. “I was hoping that you’d teach me how to play.”

Luka chuckled lowly. “Funny you say that, actually.” He stretched his arms over his head. “Marinette convinced me to start teaching yesterday, as it would turn out. Consider it fate.”

Kagami coughed.

So Marinette put him up to his, huh?

She shook her head. What was her quirky friend up to?

“Everything okay?” Luka asked, and Kagami had to resist the urge to lose her composure right then and there. If not for her sake, then for the boy in front of her from across the room who was looking at her with a bit of worry in his eyes. Kagami held up a hand in front of her, straight up towards the ceiling. Ordered and proper, like she always knew herself to be.

“It’s fine.” She said. A little more dismissive than she meant it to be. “It’s just a coincidence, is all.” A really funny coincidence. In the broadest definition of the word.

“Alright then.” Luka turned around and opened a cupboard behind him, bringing Kagami back to attention. The wood squeaked a high note as he did so. “Do ya want some coffee? I’ve been learning how to make some.”

Kagami furrowed her eyebrows. From her experience, coffee was never really something she liked to begin with. The bitter taste it always left in her mouth made her want to gag sometimes. She’d much preferred a nice hot cup of tea over the brown bean juice any day. It was familiar, reminded her of her relatives distant in a land she hadn’t visited in a while. Green matcha was her favorite. Flavorful, yet still enough room for the senses to breathe.

Still, her mind flashed through the countless online articles she’d studied on how to make friends. Kagami could recall one in particular.

‘If you want to get to know a potential friend better, it might help to talk to them over a nice cup of coffee.’

Kagami conceded. Seemed like fate had different plans for her.

“Yes please.” She said.

“Great!” Luka chirped, already grabbing two round mugs. “How do you want it?”

Her mind blanked at the unexpected question. For the first time in a while, she wasn’t sure what to do. There was more than one type of coffee?

Thankfully, she was as quick as ever to come up with a quick answer.

“I’ll have whatever you’re having, thank you.”

Ha! Operation: Converse with Luka is a go.

He seemed unphased. “Alright then. Two mochas, coming right up!”

At that, Luka got straight to work, pulling out a choice few instruments that Kagami couldn’t recognize at first. It was as if he was in his own world as he created their drinks, pacing to and fro between stations with a grace that she only saw in her own fencing. But it was slightly different, as if he didn’t have as much of a system, and more of a flow; a rhythm that no one could hear but himself. It was entrancing, in a way.

A short burst of hope bloomed in her chest when he made his way towards her with their finished drinks.

When he set them off the table, she was almost caught speechless. On the top of the mugs, there were illustrations of a brown and white heart, outlined by streaks that surrounded its outer edge. It was beautiful, really. How did he manage to create something like this using nothing but a bit of steamed milk? Must’ve been the dexterity that stemmed from being a skilled guitarist, she figured.

“It’s beautiful.” She commented. Her eyes were still fixated on the drinks before them.

“Thank you.” Luka smiled as he offered her one. She took it gracefully, and took a nice warm sip. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as face-scrunchingly strong like she expected it to be. It still had the richness of coffee that Adrien liked to rant to her about. She was made aware of that much thanks to him, but there was also a thick, blissful layer of sweetness that she didn’t know coffee was even capable of! What was his secret, the madman?

“Excuse me.” She asked. “This is really good. I’d like to know what you put in it, if you may.”

Luka laughed lightly and gave a small shrug, careful not to spill his drink. “I don’t know. It’s nowhere near as well as I’ve seen. I just used a little bit of pre-ground, chocolate syrup and some steamed milk on top.”

“But the hearts?” Kagami asked.

Pink suddenly dusted his cheeks, which she wasn’t expecting at all. Kagami was quite sure she’d never seen him flustered. Ever! “As for the hearts, well… it’s the only thing I know how to make when it comes to latte art, so you’ll have to excuse me for that-”

“It’s okay.” She interrupted, holding the mug close to her lip. “I like the hearts.”

“Oh.” He blinked, unsure of what to say. “Okay then.”

As Luka took another, longer sip of his coffee, Kagami had to resist the urge to jump out the window and into the Seine. What the heck did she even just say? And why so sudden? Damn her inability to talk properly like a normal person! Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this whole thing after all.

No, she told herself, this interaction could still be saved. The right opportunity just needed to come, and this time, she would make sure to cease the opportunity as soon as it arrived.

And it came when Luka spoke up again.

“Kagami, if I may so politely ask,” he said, as if trying to muster up all of the properness he could, “what made you want to learn guitar in the first place?”

Nope, forget that. She was just going to have to deflect that particular question.

Kagami cleared her throat awkwardly. “No reason.”

“C’mon, you and I both know that’s not true.” He teased, leaning on his fist as he propped an elbow onto the back rest of the couch. “Why does Kagami Tsurugi of all people want to learn the humble six-string?”

She mulled over her possible options to respond appropriately to the conversation. Maybe she’d just have to learn to roll with it if their future lessons were going to be anything like this. Was this a test? Hopefully, she’d pass with flying colors. That’d show him.

“I like how it brings people together.” Kagami stared at her cup of coffee, now half-finished. The slight swirl of it inside the mug reminding her of the ebb and flow of those around her that always seemed to elude herself. It was true what she said, she’d made it her mission to make more meaningful friendships ever since that fateful day she managed to become a friend to Marinette, of all people. She was amazing, in all senses of the word. She made her wonder exactly how much she was missing out on in the world. “I’ve seen how happy people are around Kitty Section, and it makes me want to try doing something similar.”

Not only that, but she also wanted to do something outside of her mother’s knowledge for once. Her heart ached for something novel, a new path that would reap some results that wasn’t from the request of her mother, but of her own initiative and being. Was that so wrong?

It wasn’t until Luka leaned in closer beside her that Kagami realized she was hunching in on herself and slowly leaning towards him. Since when did she lose her posture like that? She fixed her posture before she could do something stupid like talking about her feelings. There was a sudden distance between them that suddenly felt a bit empty to her.

“That’s really flattering of you, actually.” He tilted his head. “I’m honored to have been the one to inspire you to learn.”

Kagami raised a brow. “Really?”

“Really.” After setting his drink on the table, he pulled out an acoustic guitar from behind the couch. Since when was that there? “So, what are you interested in learning?”

“Isn’t that your job?” She quipped.

Luka started tuning the guitar, his eyes on the head while still listening to her. “True, but it helps to know what you like.”

Kagami hummed. “I’ve only ever been exposed to classical music.” That, and the fact that she’d never gone out of her way to develop a palette for the art medium. Not that she’d ever admit to it, though. She’d come to learn that normal people actually listened to music for fun and not to one up each other in an arms race to prove who had the better, more acquired taste.

Yeah, normal people were a bit different than what she was used to.

He whistled low. “That might take a while.” He said, strumming a chord. To her, it sounded fairly in tune but he proceeded to fiddle with the pegs anyway. “Classical pieces are a bit tricky.”

She straightened and held his gaze. “I’m more than willing to dedicate myself to it.”

“I definitely don’t doubt that.” Luka nodded, getting her point. “Alright then. It’s settled.”

He began playing absentmindedly and looked back at her, not even looking down at his hands. “What times work for you?”

At that, they were able to work out a time in their schedules for both of them that would work. A surprisingly easy feat, since it seemed that other than his part-time delivery job, his schedule was pretty much free. A bit of a contrast to her own weekly plans, but it wasn’t like she was going to voice her complaints. Kagami was eager to get as much practice done as soon as possible. She was going to learn this instrument. She was determined to.

“I’m glad we were able to get an arrangement down.” She set her coffee down and held out a hand, just like she’d read. Palm directly forward to the recipient, with her forearm coming up at a 45 degree angle. Luka eyed her hand, an unreadable expression on his face. “It’s a high-five.” She said, hoping he’d follow. “You see, you smack it with your own hand. A casual gesture to demonstrate our agreement.”

Luka nodded with an amused smile on his face. “I know what a high-five is.” He high-fived her hand with just enough force to emit the sound of a light smack. Good, they were able to seal the deal with a good natured high-five. Kagami dared thought she was getting pretty good at this ‘talking to people’ thing.

“I’ll see you next Saturday, then?” Luka placed his finished drink back on the table and stood up, all while towering over her. Kagami always wondered why the universe made her so small and short, when people like Luka seemed to be given the luck of the draw in that department. She just supposed she had to make do with what she got. Flexible, her mother would say. Flexible and adaptable.

“That’s the plan.” Standing up, she brushed down her blazer and skirt, trying to smooth down any wrinkles in the fabric before fixing her posture so she could try and at least look taller than she actually was. “Thank you for having me, but I’m afraid I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

Luka put his hands on his hips. “You’re always welcome here, Kagami.”

Oh?

“Sorry, come again?”

“I said, you’re more than welcome down here on good ol’ Liberty.” He gestured to the room around them, and as if to illustrate his point, the boat rocked the slightest bit. “And besides, don’t worry about ‘overstaying your welcome’. There’s no debt among friends after all.”

Kagami felt a familiar warmth bloom in her chest at the word. A warmth that she’d been hoping to chase for a while.

She lifted her chin up towards him in question. “As friends?”

Luka smiled warmly. “As friends.”

Kagami couldn’t help the smile that crept on her face.

Yes! They were friends now! To think, all she had to do was speak to him over a cup of coffee.

Kagami rummaged through her research to find an appropriate way to thank him. Any way to express her gratitude for his kindness.

One of them only sounded more appropriate, but it was a little sudden.

But then again, Kagami was never one to hesitate.

So, she stepped forward and raised her arms.

And wrapped them around his torso in a hug.

Hugs weren’t something Kagami was all that acquainted with. What with having the little friends she had, and a mother that didn’t give them at all, for that matter.

But now, she had to admit that hugging felt sort of nice.

It was made even better when Luka wrapped his arms around her head and pulled her in close. His own warmth enveloping her into a bliss that Kagami wanted more of. The smallest scent of denim tickled her nose, and for the first time in a while, she liked the silence of the room more than anything before. It wasn’t awkward, even though it should’ve been. Her own (failed) first kiss with Adrien was a hot mess that she wanted to completely forget about for even trying. But for some reason, Kagami could never imagine herself ever coming to regret hugging Luka.

Maybe this would run deeper than she thought.

Kagami pushed away, not expecting the sudden thought to arrive. The sudden heat in her cheeks were not a welcome addition, either.

She tried to fix her stance before walking out. “I-I should get going.”

What the hell was that? She never stuttered. Ever! That was Marinette’s thing!

“Wait!” Luka stopped her in her tracks. “Aren’t you going to finish your coffee?”

Kagami paused, unable to answer. The coffee was pretty nice actually, and it’d be a shame to decline the gift of her host.

He seemed to be able to read her expression, because he made his way towards the counter. “I’ll put it in a to-go cup for you.” The scent carried all the way through to her nose as he poured the coffee into a bright blue plastic mug. The same color as his hair. “Here, you can give it back on our first lesson.”

The kind, disarming smile he sent her was enough to make her heart clench. What game was he playing on her?

Kagami was fairly sure that the heat in her cheeks was about the same temperature as the drink in her hands, but she hoped that it didn’t mean whatever she thought it did. This was absolutely no time to be crushing on her new mentor. Nope, no way. That would be absolutely disastrous for her efforts in learning the new instrument. He’d just be another distraction, no matter how sweet he was.

A voice in her head piped up despite all of the orderly, logical reasoning that she’d been trained upon ever since she was an infant.

But would a new distraction be so bad if it came with something; someone new?

As she stood outside the boat, she gazed up at the blue, blue sky. It reminded her of new opportunities to come, more stories to be told, new events that fate was going to put into her hands, of opportunities that awaited her on the other side of whatever this new feeling was. It was similar to how she felt around Adrien, but new. New and different. It wasn’t the same, but different. In a good way, she felt.

Kagami looked down at the drink she held in both hands, close to her heart.

It was a promise.

She smiled.

Maybe she could learn to love the taste of coffee after all.

[identityexcavationstation]

The High Fidelity Remake is Good and my Identity is Irreversibly Linked to Music Consumption

Hi! So, I’m kinda insane about playlists.

This year I’ve made a lot of them. They’ve been short and snappy on index cards, scanned and pasted in a book and uploaded to the internet. (I’ve really fallen in love with index card playlists and they’re my thing now and I think everyone should do them always and forever.) They were easy to churn out as a retrospective exercise because the music I listened to as a teenager really defined my high school experience. Also, I have most of my favorite songs from that period in a very dramatic playlist I started in 2014 so it was really a game of copy-and-paste. 

Making these smol boys in batches has been a really peculiar experience because for years now, I’ve only made one playlist at a time. In my second semester of college, I’d officially burned myself out listening to only CHVRCHES for three months and began venturing elsewhere. (Don’t get me wrong, CHVRCHES absolutely bangs, but you can only listen to “Never Ending Circles” so many times before getting seasick.) All of the random songs I was listening to made me feel kinda hazy and purple, like I’d done all of this before. So I made a playlist full of them and called it “Deja Vu.”

I added to it all semester, and then suddenly it was summer and I didn’t feel purple and hazy anymore⁠—everything was blue and crisp on the way to South Haven as my friend blasted “Settle Down” by Kimbra in her beat-up Honda. So I started a new playlist and named it the first word that popped into my head: “Roots.”

Using Deja Vu as a rubric, I developed some ground rules for the playlists I would go on to create. They are pretty nonsensical but also exceedingly firm because if I don’t make rules for every area of my life I feel like I’m falling into a deep and limitless void. Health! Anyway, the rules are:

The playlist’s title has to be a short noun (seven letters maximum).

This has since transformed into a noun that is also a verb.

To generate a title, I ask myself what short word I would use to describe the phase of life I’m currently in. The answer comes quickly and reflexively, and I choose the very first word I think of.

One song per artist, no repeats!

Exceptions are made for artists who are featured on a track.

There have been times when I’ve obsessively listened to a whole album or an artist’s entire discography, so I have to choose just one song that represents the very best of that album or artist.

Tracks are added chronologically, based on when I first hear them and/or start listening to them compulsively.

The playlist has to contain an amount of tracks that is divisible by five.

If a song in a playlist is deleted from Spotify, I have to find a replacement asap that is accurate to what I was listening to when that playlist was being created.

and, most importantly, 

I can’t make a new playlist until I feel I’m finished with the current one.

These playlists represent seasons of my life, cycles in which I change and evolve and stagnate and fuck up and try again. The only rule I have for beginning a new playlist is that I feel done with the current one—those songs are a little stale and don’t represent me anymore. These “seasons” don’t have any set length, and I can never predict when I’ll feel like a new being who needs new songs to define her. So far, my life has looked like this:

Deja Vu - 176 days (12.03.16 - 05.28.17) Most common lyrics: now, love, time, need, take

snow that covers ivy that covers bricks, towers made from dining hall dishes, smiling at the bus stop without knowing, sheet masks in the dorm bathroom at 2am, pink string lights and pink crocheted blankets and pink shag carpeting, cheap beer behind tarps and walking everyone home

Roots - 111 days (05.28.17 - 09.16.17)  Most common lyrics: love, one, give, wanna, know

t-shirt tan lines, mozzarella and tomato and basil and singed spaghetti, sunset walks around abandoned high schools, green leaves outlined in watercolor, the smell of mildew and old paper in banker’s boxes, sweat-soaked french braids, the knife twist of eye contact, tarot readings under lamplight

Walls - 110 days (09.16.17 - 01.04.18)   Most common lyrics: wanna, know, baby, take, feel

crying in the gender-neutral restroom, pretty boys holding guitars or rolling rock, photos in the forest, blue carpeting and lofted bedframes, pitch-black bonfires, sitting in the dining hall to just watch the people pass, snow on eyelashes in large wet clumps, laughing at lies

Bite - 78 days (01.04.18 - 03.23.18)    Most common lyrics: know, love, stay, come, need

impatience at the airport, texting on the laundry room floor, nervous night drives, five grilled cheese sandwiches, acne like freckles, ceiling photos taken in secret, watercolor lines and paper houses, broken glass on the sidewalk, ink-stained forearms, notebook paper comics, writing small on basement walls

Windows - 131 days (03.23.18 - 08.01.18)   Most common lyrics: love, now, know, baby, fall

books piled up by the bed, rum and coke and orange juice and vodka and cheap white wine, rainy day night walks, streetlights turning the leaves orange, echoes from the party upstairs, solo trips to the grocery store, always leaving the blinds open, aperol and chai lattes and smørrebrød, never coming home

Grip - 136 days (08.01.18 - 12.15.18)    Most common lyrics: know, boy, lost, girl, night

read receipts, the creaking of an empty house, sand and bricks and traffic cones, sitting on the curb and shaking, applause at dinner, bubble tea, bike rides in torn jeans, mr brightside blasting at 10am, doodles during lectures, embroidery at the kitchen table, blue bus panic attacks, half an apple for lunch

Wait - 117 days (12.15.18 - 04.11.19)  Most common lyrics: heart, want, one, back, know

crying in the lobby, measuring oats by the quarter cup, drunken voice memos, shoes on power lines, another bowl of granola, reading all the lyrics, photos taken with the flash on, sleeping on strange couches, shoeboxes full of photographs, wire catching the sunlight, fifteen minutes of windchill

Wave - 108 days (04.11.19 - 07.28.19)  Most common lyrics: wanna, know, now, love, come

dancing on the porch, reading on the roof, tipsy trips to the corner store, silent heavy parlor air, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, barred windows and string lights and exit signs, highlighting the important parts, nails tapping on wooden tables, wet wind before the storm, biking straight into the smoke

Home - 178 days (07.28.19 - 01.22.20)   Most common lyrics: down, know, now, wanna, think

steep downhill walks, fingertips covered in graphite and lead, blank faces on green walls, forest walkways, hands gripping thighs too tightly, light leaks in darkrooms, the handwriting of strangers, chains trapped between teeth, white words left unread, twirling at the tennis court, yellow becoming blue

Hand - 63 days (01.22.20 - 03.25.20)   Most common lyrics: know, time, love, die, back

masking tape messages, laughing four shots in, BiC .07mm HB mechanical pencils slipped into coat cuffs, cheeks blushed with red ink, green floodlights and kissed knuckles, windows fogged from the inside, falling asleep with earbuds in, finger guns and everything in boxes, wedging open locked doors

_______________________________________________________________________

It’s interesting to look back at these playlists altogether, see them as self-contained units, little stories I tell about myself, about the people I used to be. Adding a song to one of these playlists was like making a vow, entering a relationship with a collection of sounds. It’s like I was saying “this song is now a part of me.” I constructed this little world for myself in the space between my ears, and it, in turn, created me.

I really mean it when I say that the first word that floats to the front of my mind becomes the title of whatever playlist I’m making. I never question what the word means, and its meaning always ends up describing that season of my life. 

“Roots” became a period of reconnecting with essential pieces of myself I thought I had abandoned. 

During “Grip,” I was holding on so tightly to things that had left me ages ago, and I think I knew that, even if I was unable to admit it to myself. 

“Wait” revealed itself in two ways: it was a time in which 1.) I felt stagnant and restless, unable to be patient, and 2.) I was forced to grasp with a physical and emotional weight that had been bearing down on me. 

The mind is a magical thing—it processes what we refuse to recognize. 

Speaking of which, these playlist covers have been driving me up the wall for ages. They’re like nails on a freaking chalkboard for my synesthesia. Is “Bite” a heavily blue playlist? Sure. But is “Home” purple? Is “Grip” pink??? I think the fuck not! 

(I could do a whole goddamn blog post on synesthesia, and I might.)

Now that I know how to switch out playlist cover art (can you believe it’s taken me this long to figure out how to do that?), I have decided to issue myself a challenge/project/way to procrastinate actual work I have to do. 

I’d like to make a piece of cover art for all of the above playlists. And because I am, to reiterate, insane, I’m setting up some Rules For Creation:

All works must be the same size, on the same type of paper using similar materials (tbd but probably graphite, colored pencil, watercolor, fineliners, and/or collage).

The preliminary sketch for each cover must be created while listening to the playlist.

Each piece can (must?) incorporate the five most common lyrics as listed above because goddammit I did not spend four hours compiling lyrics in a web-based word cloud generator for nothing.

If I’m not having fun, I won’t make myself do it because this is literally just for laffs. 

Anyway, I’m looking forward to creating some fun weird art! I know nobody is gonna read this and nobody is gonna comment but if, by some miracle, you feel like it, comment a playlist you’ve made that you’re really proud of! Or comment if you have some weird playlist rules! Or cyberbully me! Anything’s fair game. 

TL;DR playlists are fun and I’m a maniac :)

[grandtheftstarship]

Painted Roses (Barista!Jim Kirk x Artist!Fem!Reader) [Request!]

“So, Jim is a barista in a coffe shop /he could be the owner too, but it's not that important / and the reader always goes there but she never drinks coffee just hot chocolate or sometimes tea. She's an artist and she always goes there and sits there for hours just drawing people in her sketchbook. Sometimes she's all covered in paint. /continuing/... And she somehow caught Jims attention and one time she forgets about time and sits there all day, Jim brings her refills time to time maybe some desserts to eat because she kinda forgots... Until Jim tells them that it's closing time, but they start a conversation an they sit there for a litte while longer... ||Sorry for the long ask, if you don't want to do it, it's fine, still love ya! 💕 Have a nice day ❤️” - @rh-girlonfire

I love this request SOOOOOOOOOO much!!! Mainly because I like to think of myself of an artist :) I can never get enough of coffee shop AUs! Please enjoy :) Love you too ❤︎

Also THANK YOU ALL FOR FOLLOWING ME!!! I just reached 100 and even though it’s a small milestone it still means a lot to me :) Thank you all for supporting me and what I love to do! Love you all ❤︎

P.S- I just wanted to let you all know that I see it when you guys comment and reblog! I just can’t respond because this is a secondary blog, so it won’t come up as me :( Just know that I see you, and I appreciate you!!! Every time someone comments or reblogs it makes me so happy :) Did I mention that I love y’all?

Word Count: 2157 Warnings: mega fluff, I’m pretty sure this is my favorite thing I’ve ever written ever, swearing, keep a lookout for the Office reference ;)

Take a shot every time I use the word sometimes lol

You didn’t know when you first started coming to the quaint little coffee shop on the corner of your block, and you didn’t know when you started making a habit out of it. Once or twice a month turned into several times a week, and then suddenly you were there for several hours a day to work on your projects. You found the atmosphere warm and inviting, as opposed to your cramped apartment down the street that you could barely afford.

 Yes, you were a starving artist. But that didn’t make your art any less meaningful. Ever since the first day you had been coming, you had your table. It was the smaller booth in the corner by one of the large windows overlooking the park and the busy street. It was also dotted with paint marks, but the owner didn’t seem to mind. 

It was the barista, though, that caught your eye. Every single day, he was there ready with one of your usuals. You never drank coffee, it was usually tea or hot chocolate. He usually chose for you, but you didn’t mind. Whatever he made tasted delicious. You always ordered ‘for here’, enjoying the cute, white mugs with the pretty art he made with the cream in your hot chocolate or with the honey in your tea. It was different every day, sometimes a flower, or a cute face, and one time he made an elaborate heart with swirls and sprinkles which made you blush as you thanked him. 

On days you were really working hard, you were there from opening to closing now and again, he would bring you refills and sometimes small deserts. You would pull your headphones back and thank him, smiling as he would rub the back of his neck, bashful. You thought it was cute.

In fact, you thought he was cute all the time. On days you weren’t really working on big pieces you would just pull out your sketchbook and draw the people around you, but mainly it was him, dressed in his black apron and a collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. You would draw him from various angles; walking with the serving platters filling both his hands, smiling at a customer, washing things in the sink: rough sketches of him filled many pages in your book. 

Other days, you would decide to paint outside in the park in the morning to get practice with realistic nature, get covered in paint, and then head over to the coffee shop for your afternoon drink. It was on these days that you felt the most insecure since you were in your painting overalls and your old vintage Queen T-shirt underneath and you were covered in various colors and stages of dried paint. There was even paint in your hair or on your face sometimes, and the barista (who, after you finally took notice of his nametag, was named Jim) would kindly point it out to you. You would get red in the face and frantically try to wipe it off, getting more paint on your already paint-splattered hands; it was all just a mess. 

Today was not one of those days, though; today you were working in your sketchbook, doodling and working on drawing people. You came in early, some twenty minutes after they had opened. Jim was there as you walked in, beaming as you walked up to the counter. 

“Hey,” he greeted, pushing a mug full of steaming cocoa up to you. 

You peeled your headphones back to rest on your neck as you pulled out some wrinkled dollar bills. You frowned. You didn’t realize how low you had been getting on money and you knew exactly where it had all been going. Nevertheless, you put a smile on your face and slid the money across the counter to him. 

“Hey,” you returned the hello, lifting the mug from the counter. “What’s my drink of the day today?”

“Well, we just got some new teas in so I thought I fix one up for you,” he replied. “This one is Chamomile Citrus, with three swirls of honey just how you like it.”

You smiled, pink dusting your cheeks. “Thanks, Jim.”

Your blush deepened as his face reddened up at the sound of his name coming from your lips. It was the first time you had ever called him by name, and you felt like he liked it. He did. 

You moved away before he could say anything else, heading over to your table and settling in. You pulled your headphones on and unpacked your backpack, flipping your sketchbook open to the next blank page and getting started. 

                                                    _______________

Jim didn’t know when he first started noticing her. Maybe it was when she first started coming in with paint splattered all over her overalls, maybe it was when he first saw her set out her paints. He didn’t really care, all that mattered was that he noticed her now. 

He had never been so captivated by someone like he was by her, his typical pulled-together demeanor was thrown out the window when she entered the shop and when she smiled all of his insides turned to mush. He didn’t even know her name. 

So, in order to capture her attention, he started writing down her orders for future reference, such as how much whipped cream she liked on her hot cocoa, or how much honey she preferred in her tea. There was one thing he knew for sure; no coffee. 

He figured out that she was pretty lenient when it came to her orders, so he started making them ahead of time. He knew that she would be in almost every day, so he made them when he had a free minute. He even started practicing latte art on other customers’ orders to try and impress her. He felt like she enjoyed it. She did.  

He would never forget the time the flower he meant to do on her hot chocolate one time morphed into a heart that actually looked pretty good so he decided to just go for it. Her face was exactly what he wanted, her cute cheeks turning a soft pink and her thank you coming out a bit quieter. 

He couldn’t deny the fact that he was attracted to her. He had been with plenty of girls, but it was different this time. His palms would get sweaty when he saw her come in and butterflies would spring up in his stomach when she thanked him for whatever thing he had brought her. 

He caught himself staring at her sometimes when hours were slow, noting how her bottom lip got caught in her teeth as she concentrated, and how that one strand of [h/c] hair fell into her eyes every so often and how she would blow it out of her face and keep working. He was mesmerized by it all. The only problem was that he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with those feelings. 

There wasn’t exactly an outlet for him to let them out through and he didn’t want to sleep with other girls, so he kept them in a little jar in the back of his mind. When he lied alone at night in the small apartment above the shop (that the owner, Leonard, had graciously let him stay in), he would let them out and let himself feel in full throttle. Sometimes it was a lot to handle.

He didn’t realize how much he felt for her until she came in only a few minutes after he opened with a large canvas. She didn’t go to the counter right away since her hands were full, so Jim came to her. He set her iced tea on the table out of the way, humming as she thanked him. 

He wiped his sweaty hands on his apron as he walked away, only then understanding what he had gotten himself into.

                                             _______________

You had never been there this long. You barely noticed the time passing as you painted, concentrating hard on the details. You hadn’t even realized that you had started painting the cafe storefront until you started mixing the paint. You decided to just go with it. 

Jim brought you little pastries and refills from time to time, making sure you wouldn’t be disturbed. Even he didn’t disturb you, letting you enjoy your time listening to [your favorite band] and just paint to your little heart’s content.

That was, until closing time rolled around. 

You didn’t know that you had been there for that long until Jim tapped your shoulder and you jumped, like, three feet in the air. 

You yanked back your headphones and smacked him in the arm. 

“You scared me!” you gasped. He chuckled, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

“Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you, but...” He waved his arm at the empty floor. 

“Oh...” you sighed in disappointment. You had really wanted to finish your project before the day was over. 

“I mean... if you want to stay I could close up shop and we can talk or something while you finish...?” he asked it like a question and a smile spread across your face at his flustered expression. 

“Sure,” You replied. “You got an aux cord?”

He nodded, leading you behind the counter and letting you plug your phone in and shuffle your playlist. 

“Wanna help me?” he asked, beckoning you over to the counter.

“With what?” you wondered, walking over.

“With the drinks,” he picked up the box of your favorite tea. “Tea sound good?”

You nodded, grinning. He showed you how to mix the two teas together and how he made honey flowers to float on top of the steaming mug before they dissolved into the hot drink. He fixed himself one before shutting off all the lights besides the one above your table and sat in the booth across from you that had gone unused for so long.

Your music played softly in the background as you resumed painting, Jim watching your brush intently. 

You looked up sharply, catching him off guard. “Wanna play A Question Game?”

“A question game?” Jim repeated, bemused.

“Yeah, like where we ask each other random questions to get to know each other better.”

“Is this what you do on all of your first dates?” he smirked. 

“What’s a first date without the basics?” you mirrored his expression. “You go first.”

“What’s your name?” he questioned.

“[y/n],” you replied, not looking up. “[y/n] [l/n].”

He let your name roll around his mind, liking the feel of it. “Your turn.”

“What’s your last name?” you glanced at him, a smile playing on your lips.

“Kirk,” he responded. “James T. Kirk.”

You looked up quickly. “Your real name is James?”

“What did you think it was?” he chuckled. “Jimothy?”

You laughed, enjoying the reference. Jim’s eyes bore into yours. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh before,” he said, a little quieter. “You should do it more often.”

You sent him a knowing smile. “Next question, Kirk.”

The game went on like that for at least another hour or so, basic questions like favorite colors, birthdays, favorite shows, hometowns, etcetera etcetera. You learned that Jim’s favorite color was purple, his birthday was on March 22, and he was from Rivertown Iowa.

“I think I’m finished,” you said suddenly, wiping your paintbrush off on a paper towel and putting it in the water.

“Oh yeah?” Jim stood. “Let’s see it.”

You propped it up and turned to look at it, pride flooding your senses. 

“Wow,” he breathed. “This is amazing.”

“Thank you,” you said shyly, cleaning up your things and putting them back into your backpack. “Well, I really should be going.”

You started to open your wallet to pay for the food, but Jim stopped you by putting his hand over yours. Heat blew up in your cheeks, as you met his gaze. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, eyes flicking down to the painting. “If you want, you can pay by letting me hang that on the wall.”

You eyes blew open wide. “Seriously? You want my art on your wall?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I really do.”

You stared back into his blue eyes and let him close the distance between you, liking the feeling of his smooth lips against yours. He pulled away first, stomach flipping at the sight of your eyes still closed. They opened slowly and you smiled up at him. 

“Second date?” he asked, leaning his forehead against yours.

You giggled, raising your hand up to boop his nose.

“Mhm,” you hummed, pecking his lips before pulling out of his embrace. You picked up your backpack and slung it over your shoulder, holding your headphones. “See you tomorrow?”

“Same time same place,” he grinned as you smiled and waved as you left, pulling your headphones over your ears and putting your hands in your pockets as you started walking down the street to your apartment. 

Both of you thinking about what a wonderful day you had.

[tisfan]

Accountability

Title: Accountability Square: K2 - Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier Warning: coffee shop AU, unrepentant fluff Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Summary: Tony wants to have a stable relationship by New Year’s Eve. Well, Bucky’s here to hold him accountable. Link: A03 Word Count: 2,199 For @tonystarkbingo and @aoifelaufeyson

A/n - not responsible for tooth decay.

“Coffee, Black, extra, extra large. And put a few shots in it,” Bucky’s first customer of the day said.

“Resolution?”

“Ton- what?”

“What’s your resolution, for New Years,” Bucky asked.

“You’re going to write that on my cup? You know you’re going to have people in here fighting for the cup of ‘go to the gym more’ by ten a.m.”

“It’s called accountability,” Bucky said, loftily. “If everyone sees you in the coffee shop with -- what did you say it was?”

“I didn’t. But-- I’d-- I had a shitty night, and my New Year’s kiss was a joke. I’d like to have a real relationship, this year.”

“Get a significant other,” Bucky wrote dutifully on the cup, then Bl, xxg 2sh on the side under it.

He handed the cup off to Sam, who started pulling shots and getting the drink line moving. Wanda rang up the sale, and Bucky went on to the next customer, who, true to SO’s prediction, had lose twenty pounds as their resolution. Not gonna happen if you keep drinking large lattes, extra whip, sugar.

Bucky’s idea started conversations; at least half a dozen people pulled out their phones when Call Mom More Often picked up her Americano. Two people found workout or walking partners. People lingered in the shop to talk about it; lingering people bought more coffee or muffins. And word spread, the way it tended to do. By lunch, the line was thirty deep.

“Man, I hate you,” Sam said, as Bucky passed yet another cup along.

(more under the cut)

Get an SO came up at least three times to get a refill, spending most of the morning poking his tablet industriously, taking advantage of the free wifi. In the relatively dead period just after lunch, while Bucky was clearing off tables, he asked, “So, how do you go about keeping people accountable?”

“Really? I don’t,” Bucky said. He picked up the chair, turned it around and straddled it. “You do it. Once you say it, and someone says it back to you, it’s halfway to being a fact.”

“Is that a fact?”

“It’s psychology,” Bucky said. “The power of saying things outloud.”

“Which is why you… work in a coffee shop, instead of having an office and clients on your couch?”

Bucky only chuckled. “I’m still in school, hot shot. Plus, I like my job. Talking to customers, getting to know people. Testing my threshold for some wall street tool’s dickish behavior. Means I’ll be able to handle him when he’s in my chair, wondering why he still ain’t got a date.”

Sig Other waved a hand near his forehead. “Yeah, okay, you got me. We’re square now?”

“Actually, no,” Bucky said. “Tell you what, why don’t you prove you’re being accountable. Bring your first dates here. Coffee shop meet ups are the thing, and I’ll see you’re taking my advice seriously.”

“You’re going to give me dating advice?”

“You can tell a lot about a person from what they order at the coffee shop,” Bucky told him.

“And what, pray, does my order say about me?”

“Mostly? That you should probably get more sleep. That whatever you do keeps you busy; you don’t have time to be fussy about your coffee. Black’s easy. Hard for someone else to fuck it up. You don’t strike me as the kind of coffee snob who wants black because he pretends he knows shit about the beans and roasting. You probably drink red wine, or scotch. Forget to eat more than you want to admit. And you don’t have very many close friends.”

By the time he was done bullshitting the guy -- playing Sherlock was fun, but it was no more true than Wanda and her tarot cards -- Sig Other’s eyes were huge.

“Okay, you convinced me,” he said. “I’ll bring my dates in. You tell me which ones to bring back.”

Bucky hadn’t actually expected Sig Other to come back, much less return with a date. He wasn’t even sure, after the first week of January was over, that he’d have remembered the guy. Waiting on more than five hundred customers a day, it took a lot of repeat business before he usually recognized anyone in more than that vague way of seeing thousands of faces. Even longer before he knew names.

But orders, for whatever reason--

“Oh, hey, Extra Grande, black, right?”

Those brilliant brown eyes, almost the same color as the heart of an espresso pull, lit up. “Hey, it’s the Accountability Guru,. Yeah, please. And--” He gestured and a very lovely woman stepped up behind him.

She was willow, brunette, and way overdressed for a coffee date. Her haircut probably cost more than Bucky made in tips during the day. She glanced up from her phone for a few moments to ponder the menu. “Raspberry latte,” she said. “With the art on it? And a biscotti.”

Bucky wrote the orders down, passed them on. “Do the swan,” he told Wanda. She was the best latte artist they had, not that many people bothered to look into their cups before heading out the door. Might as well give Sig Other a head start, right?  

He watched them between customers, Sig Other keeping a proper date-space for a first meeting, asking questions and appearing interested in her answers.

When she bothered to give them. Mostly she poked her phone. Took a picture of her latte. A selfie. A picture with Sig. Cackled over some responses to her social media of choice. Tipped her screen toward Sig a few times so he could share in the joke.

They stayed about twenty minutes, and then she got up and he saw her to the door and her taxi. A moment later, he was leaning on the pastry counter.

“No,” Bucky said, flatly.

“No?”

“She was dressed way too nice,” Bucky said. “She expected you to wine and dine her. She’s in it for the money. I assume there is some?”

“You could say,” Sig said. “You didn’t like her? She seemed friendly to me.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Bucky said, then turned his phone toward Sig. “She dissed out my coffee artist. Real friendly.”

It hadn’t taken him long to find the instagram, not when she tagged the shop by name. Run of the mill coffee art. There was more, mostly talking about her date, but Bucky didn’t bother to read that.

“I thought the swan was clever,” Sig said.

“Well, I don’t want to brag, but Wanda’s competed at the WBC, she’s not run-of-the-mill.”

“How is it bragging, when you’re praising her?”

“You want one to go?” Bucky asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah--” Sig paused a moment, then, “It’s Tony, thanks.”

Sam nudged him. “Your boy’s got another one.”

Bucky flicked his cigarette and took a long drag. “I’m on break. Another socialite?”

“Naw, if it was that boring shit, I’dda left you out here. He’s got a dude with him this time,” Sam said.

Bucky swallowed his mouthful of smoke and then choked on it. Well, that changed everything, didn’t it?

Except it didn’t.

“You oughta quit that nasty habit,” Sam said, and Bucky waved him off.

He snubbed his butt and tossed it in the ashbin out back. The alley was gross and smelled like stale coffee and rotten muffins, but at least he was allowed to smoke there. There weren’t lots of places left that allowed it.

Went inside, snuck a peek at the line. Sure enough, there was Tony, about ten back, with a good-looking blond guy. Like, underwear model good looking. And then Bucky got a better look at his face. Oh, god. That guy.

“Is that--”

“Yep.”

“What are we talking about?” Wanda wanted to know.

“Don’t bother trying to get blondie’s coffee right,” Sam told her. “He’ll spend the next twenty minutes telling you what you did wrong. Just pour him a cup and some cream, and then make him what he actually ordered. He never accepts the first one. No point in wasting your time.”

Tony got his usual, and then spend a moment behind blondie’s back making the ‘look at his guy’ gesture with both hands. Bucky’s mouth tipped up in his the customer is always full of shit smile.

Bucky poured Tony’s coffee, pulled a shot, and went around the side of the counter to give it to him, while blondie was describing how to put half a pump of sweetner in his cup. “Really? This guy? I didn’t know you were into dudes, or I wouldn’t have suggested that you give Heather another date last month.”

“Yeah, no I figured that out when we had a little discussion about Freddie Mercury,” Tony said. “You knew?”

Bucky bobbed his chin around. “I suspected. She’s said some shit, but-- eh. Some people just have a little bi-prejudice, doesn’t affect anybody much, unless they’re dating someone who is bi. Besides, she ticked off all your other boxes.”

“Well, if she’s not going to want to have a relationship because I might have, at some point, touched some other guy’s dick, then the rest of the boxes don’t matter.”

Trust Tony to say something like that, while Bucky was already thinking about the fact that Tony was actually into guys. Bucky shifted uncomfortably. Getting a chub while at work was awkward.

“So what’s wrong with Ty?” Tony looked over again, watching as Ty walked Wanda through the steps of pulling a shot, like she’d never done it before.

“He’s a mansplainer,” Bucky said. “He always knows everything, better than everyone.”

Tony chuckled. “I am, in actual facts, a genius.”

“Won’t matter,” Bucky said. “He’s the expert.”

“Could be good for a romp,” Tony said. “Experts can be great lovers.”

“Until he starts telling you everything you’re doing wrong,” Bucky pointed out.

Tony looked offended, although Bucky wasn’t sure if it was directed at him, or at Ty for not-yet-occurring critique of Tony’s bed skills. “We’ll see,” Tony said.

“You’re planning to make pancakes for breakfast?” Bucky wasn’t jealous, he wasn’t. Not that it hadn’t been a while since he’d gotten laid, that was irrelevant. Just--

“It’s been looking good, so far,” Tony said.

“Well, have fun,” Bucky said, his smile coming naturally to his face. Yay customer service job.

“I plan to,” Tony said.

“Coffee, black.”

“Tony?”

“You were right, if you want to tell me so,” Tony said. “But, coffee first?” His eyes were bloodshot, as if he’d been drinking heavily, or crying. Or both.

“Sure, sure,” Bucky said. He added two shots to the mix. “Here, come on, it’s on the house, are you--”

Sam waved at him. I got this.

“-- are you okay?”

Tony held up his hand and waggled it back and forth. “We had a big fight,” he said. “It, uh, didn’t end well. But hey, I had almost three months of a relationship. Well, a little more than two, at least. Too bad it’s freaking October. I’m… running out of time.”

“You’re not running out of time,” Bucky told him, scoffing. “You’re in your prime. Plenty of time to find someone, settle down.”

“I mean, I know,” Tony said, sinking down in his chair, “that I don’t need someone to make me happy, that my life has meaning and value. And just because I’m alone, it doesn’t mean I’m unlovable. See, I’ve been talking to my therapist, right.”

“Well, no,” Bucky said, hesitant. Tony thought he was unlovable? He was the most interesting person that Bucky knew. “You’re pretty damn amazing, actually. Smart and sexy, funny. You’re interesting, you’re unabashedly nerdy, and enthusiastic about your geekiness. But not a gatekeeper. Really, Stone didn’t deserve you. He was a dick. I think you’re a hell of a catch, and I don’t understand why people are bein’ so dense about it. I--” would totally date you.

“Yeah, no, I’m-- I’m just not seeing it,” Tony said, and he turned his phone around to show Bucky a hungover frownie face selfie. “Not… just not happening this year. I’m done. Accountability shows that I tried, but this year is just another fucking washout.”

“Um…” Bucky licked his lip, hesitating. “Uh, maybe it’s not?”

“Yeah, why, what do you think, the perfect person’s going to just plop themselves in my lap? I mean, I know you work in a coffee shop--” Tony pushed his chair away from the table. “-- and you’re apparently delusional enough to be a romantic, but--”

Bucky stood up, took a deep breath--

--and plopped himself into Tony’s lap.

“I am an incurable romantic. I do work in a coffee shop, and maybe the perfect person for you is absolutely going to throw themselves in your lap.”

Please God, let this work, because otherwise, this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Tony almost dropped him, before scrambling to get an arm around Bucky’s waist. “Wh-- oh. Oh. Oh, my god.”

“Would you, erm… like to go out? I know a great coffee shop--”

Tony blinked a few times. Then his arm tightened on Bucky’s waist. “Yeah, yeah, I think I might like that. Wouldn’t want to, you know, fail in my resolution.”

“Don’t worry,” Bucky said. “I’ll hold you accountable.”

[mysticsparklewings]

Pumpkitten Spice Latte

After I made my Spoopy Kitty piece, I'd had such fun with it I kinda wanted to do another Fall/Seasonal Kitty drawing. And then I had the idea of doing something themed around "Pumpkin Spice Lattes" because while I personally don't like them (I don't like pumpkin in general as a food/flavor), I think it's pretty undeniable that they're extremely popular this time of year, to the point of becoming a cliched joke. Speaking of jokes, this may not be the best or the most original pun in the world, but hey, I thought it was funny.  My art, my supplies, my RedBubble shop to put it up in, so I'll do what I want. Anyway. The natural choice this time was to do an orange kitty since my idea was to have the cat be the "pumpkin." Most orange kitties actually have a tabby sort of pattern, so after I had my sketch down (and I had this kind of look in mind pretty much from the beginning; the cat just sitting inside the cup, as I couldn't figure a good way to have the cat in the cup with some actual coffee without the cat looking horrified/upset to be both wet and in burning hot liquid, and just doing the cat as a logo or something on the cup didn't seem as fun of an idea to me) I took a moment to line the cat several times over on a separate sheet of paper so that I could practice coloring methods, having never attempted to color a tabby cat of any kind before. Honestly, once I came back to my coloring samples the next day, none of them were explicitly bad, just different. I ended up going with trying to replicate the third variant that I made, as out of my samples that one felt the most like the vision my head while still being recognizable as a simple orange tabby cat. Of course, thanks to the mild unpredictability of art and alcohol-based markers (at least the way I use them), he didn't turn out exactly like the sample, but I think he turned out well enough in the end. I did try to style him similar to the last kitty, but I'm still sort of re-learning how I draw cats and this is still fairly experimental, so he still didn't come out quite the same as the other one. Aside from the cat, which I went with softer, lighter, and more yellow-oranges for because the richer, more vibrant oranges from the pumpkin over on Spooky Kitty seemed like a little too much, I tried to stick with a similar color palette and colors in general to what I used last time. They are supposed to be sort of sibling art pieces, after all.  So, again other than the cat, all the colors used here were ones I'd picked out and used to at least some extent (however small) on the other kitty piece. I went with an orangey-red for the base of coffee cup, since I felt like I had enough orange and brown both seemed too boring and I kinda had planned from the very beginning for the lid for the cup over on the right to be a very dark brown color, as that's the color I most often associate with coffee cup lids anyway.  (It didn't end up being that dark in practice but that's because I didn't want to mess up the contrast by having it be a super dark, shaded color while everything else was more flatly shaded and the red on the other side only got so dark). I also went with that color after looking up "Pumpkin Spice Latte" on Pinterest and looking at pictures to convince myself that this rusty kind of color was a suitable choice for a correlating coffee cup because at first, I was kind of uncomfortable with the idea. But then again, I was also mildly uncomfortable with the idea of going for a cooler, deeper red because that struck me as too Christmas-y for a Fall-centric piece. Don't ask me why the color of the cup mattered so much. It just did, I have no answers for you. The cardboard thing--which I think is unofficially "officially" called a zarf?--made it in mostly to sell the coffee cup imagery, not unlike the lid itself. Otherwise, it's just a cat in a cup regular ol' cup, which is cute but not very festive. (Unless it's International Cup Day or something). It's kinda the same thing with the leaf/vine bits. I added those in as I knew I was planning a pretty warm color palette with little else and wanted something a wee bit cooler to make a little more visually appealing, as well as to tie the fall and pumpkin themes in a little more closely. So a few pumpkin-plant-ish leaves and vines in this yellow-green I used on some of the leaves last time seemed like a good way to do all of those things at once. I did have the idea of doing something similar to the Spooky Kitty piece in having a bunch of scattered fall leaves around the bottom of the opening of the cup, but something about it just didn't sit right with me, so I skipped out on that. I also think what I ended up going with makes a little more visual sense. (Though admittedly where you'd get a cup that big or a cat that small is up for debate, but I mean in terms of leaves why they are where they are and such, not in regards to realistic proportions--and I am way off-topic, aren't I?) Anyway. I also thought about but didn't do the faded shadow at the bottom of the image this time. It just didn't feel like it needed it this time, so I went without. I did try to shade the cup, including the inside, at least semi-realistically, but I had a surprisingly hard time finding a good reference for a cup in this kind of position (or finding one at all for that matter, let alone good) so I had to make one myself and at 2 in the morning the closest cup to what I wanted that I had where I could get to it was clear and did not have a cardboard "zarf" thing (and it only occurs to me now that I probably could've at least slapped one of those together with some cardstock or paper or something but whatever, it's kinda too late now), so I had to mostly guess on the shading even though I think the proportions on the cup turned out pretty okay. In the end, this one also turned out quite cute and I'm pretty happy with it.  Now even non-pumpkin spice folks like myself can have a trendy Pumpkin Spice thing to like at this time of year.  (Well, if you like cats anyway ) ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[btsstan4life]

Inspiration

Genre: Fluff

Pairings: Yoongi x reader

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 1,751

Summary: You’re in need of some inspiration for your art, and it turns out someone else is in need of inspiration for their music. 

Inspiration is a hard thing to find. And as you sat in your favorite coffee shop, the smell of roasting beans and fresh baked pastries filling your head, you had trouble thinking of anything to draw. 

It was a Saturday, one of your favorite days to be at the shop as it was full of energy and people, including you. You would come to the coffee shop often, just to clear your mind and get out of your house for some drawing inspiration, but I guess today that just wasn’t happening. You sighed softly and looked around the shop before laying down your notepad and going to the counter to order another drink. The barista, a man named Jung Daeho whom you had come to know very well in your time here, looked up at you as you walked closer. 

“Macchiato or Chai latte?” He asked, smiling softly. You laughed at his remembrance and thought for a second. 

“The macchiato please. And add some espresso. Maybe it'll boost my inspiration.” You laughed. He nodded and shook his head, taking your card and swiping it on the machine. 

“You know, maybe you should try to look around rather than just imagine something. Try more real life stuff.” Daeho offered, handing you back your card. You paused for a second before reaching for your card back. 

“That's a good idea. Maybe I'll try that.” You said, moving to the side while he prepared your drink. You began to look around the room, looking for anything for inspiration. 

As if on cue, the bell to the store jingled and caught your attention only for you to look over to see one of the most attractive men you'd seen in your life. He had a slight scowl on his face as he walked to the desk to order a drink. You noticed a laptop tucked up under one of his arms and a pad with a pen in the small bag he had around his shoulder. Maybe another artist? 

“Annyeonghaseyo. Can I have a black coffee please?” the man said to Daeho. He held out his money for the drink and you looked away before the man caught you staring. He moved closer to you as he too waited for his drink while you tried not to blush being so close to the attractive man. Daeho called out your drink and you walked forward to grab you coffee as you walked back to your table with your supplies. 

You looked down at your notebook and laptop before sighing and sipping your coffee. You decided to look around the coffee shop again, hoping that you’d find any inspiration you could, before your eyes fell on the man you noticed earlier. 

He had since gotten his coffee and was sitting at a table not far from you. He had on a simple outfit, but you would still classify it as stylish, and he was typing away at his computer as he sat at a table alone. You couldn’t turn away, for some unknown reason, and you found yourself looking over his features more and more. As you continued to look over him, you thought about your art again. 

Maybe… maybe you could try drawing him? 

You opened your laptop and began to sketch out a general outline of the man sitting at his table, a cup of coffee sitting beside him as he worked on his own laptop. You sketched out his smaller frame, his soft scowl as he worked, his small eyes and the focus you saw in them. He looked so… ethereal. 

You finished your rough sketch and began to fill out your work, going through the colors and the features one by one, going as far as to include in detail the round wooden table and the clear half empty cup that held his coffee. As you got into your drawing, you heard the jingle of the bell again and looked up to find the door closing. Looking back to the table with the mysterious man you were drawing, you noticed that he was no longer there. Must have been him that left. 

You sighed and closed your work, finishing your coffee and checking the time. You’d been in here for almost two hours now… guess it was time to get back to your house. You stood up and went to throw out your cup when you heard Daeho call out to you. 

“See you tomorrow (Y/N)!” he called out. You smiled and waved back to him as you walked out the door. 

~~~ The next day ~~~

The familiar jingle of the coffee shop door welcomed you back into the soft atmosphere you spent many mornings in. You began to walk up to the counter, only to find the man from yesterday already up there. You blushed softly, feeling somewhat embarrassed that you had spent all morning yesterday drawing this guy without knowing his name or asking for his permission, but at the same time you didn’t think you’d want to meet him by asking for his name and then permission to draw him. It sounded creepy that way. 

“Min Yoongi? Here’s your black coffee.” Daeho called out. You looked over to see the man grab the coffee with a small thank you. Yoongi huh? You got so caught up in thinking about his name that you didn’t notice Daeho call out your order. 

“(Y/N)?” 

You looked up to see Yoongi, holding your hibiscus tea in his hand while giving you a questioning glance.

“O-oh! Yes sorry!” You answered hesitantly, taking your tea from him. “I wasn’t listening…”

“Yeah I noticed. The barista was about to hop the counter for you. Figured I’d help out.” Yoongi answered. “Anyway, I need to get back to work. Enjoy your tea.” 

You watched him walk away from you back to the table he sat at yesterday, and you stared after him for a moment, holding your warm tea in your hands. You smiled and walked over to your table, pulling out your laptop. You decided to continue your work from yesterday, looking at the colors and details you had missed from before. You looked over at Yoongi as he was working on his laptop so you figured it would be okay to look over his features again. 

An hour later, you had just about finished your piece of art when you heard the bell chime. You looked up and noticed that Yoongi had left. You smiled and followed soon after, glad to have done some decent work this morning. 

And that morning wasn’t the only productive one you’d had. After that you’d been in to the coffee shop every day for a week straight and had gotten some great motivation from it. You’d drawn multiple things, abstract things from ideas around the shop, and other detailed pictures of random things that came into your mind, but mostly you had been drawing Yoongi. He’d come in nearly every morning right after you did, and he almost always ordered a black coffee as you ordered a Caramel Macchiato. You hadn’t spoken to him other than the first time you learned his name when he handed you your forgotten drink earlier this week, but it seemed like you almost knew him, with how much you’d been drawing him anyway. 

It was Saturday again, a full week since the first day Yoongi had walked into the coffee shop. You were running behind today, so when you walked into the shop you weren’t surprised to find Yoongi already at a table with his coffee. However, you were surprised to find him looking your way and waving you over. You blushed and slowly walked over to him. 

“(Y/N)... Right?” He asked. 

“Yeah… and you’re Yoongi?” You asked. He nodded and gestured to the seat across the table from him, so you sat down. 

“I hope you don’t mind.... I ordered you a tea. The hibiscus one you had earlier this week.” he spoke softly. You sat down your laptop and looked up at him. 

“Oh thank you…” You trailed off, nervous to be sitting beside him. 

“I’m just going to be honest (Y/N). I’ve been coming here to write lyrics and work on making my music… and for some reason I found a great deal of inspiration from you. I just… wanted to tell you and ask if you wouldn’t mind sitting with me for the day.”Yoongi blurted out, looking somewhat embarrassed. You froze hearing his words. 

“You… find inspiration in me?” You asked in disbelief. He nodded, making you smile before bursting out into giggles. “That’s such a strange coincidence… I’ve been finding inspiration for my drawings from you… I’ve actually drawn you a few times now.” you said, somewhat embarrassed to confess. 

“Really?” He asked, looking shocked at your honesty. You laughed at his cute face and opened your laptop to share the pieces you had made of him. “Wow… these are amazing. You have a real talent here.” You blushed at his compliment. He in turn moved closer to you and showed you the lyrics he had written and the song he was creating, which you enjoyed. 

You both sat there together for a couple more hours, silently working on your independent things while occasionally sharing progress with each other. It seemed that time had flown by and before you knew it Yoongi was packing up his stuff. 

“I’m sorry, but I need to be going. My friends all want to meet up for lunch.” He said, rising from his chair. 

“Oh… right okay. Enjoy yourself, and thank you for keeping me company.” you said, smiling gently. He returned your smile and shuffled on his feet beside you for a minute. 

“Umm… I know we haven’t really talked much, but would you maybe be interested in going out for dinner sometime?” Yoongi asked shyly. You blushed before pulling out your notebook and writing your number on it for him. 

“Here. Just text me and we can definitely go out.” You said. He smiled brightly, in a way that you could only describe as a gummy smile, and took your number. 

“I’ll call you.” He said, walking to the door. You began to pack up your stuff and noticed Daeho on his break. He walked over as you were about to leave. 

“Hey (Y/N), take my advice?” He asked. You looked to the door in the way that Yoongi had left. 

“Yeah I did. And thanks.”

-------

So here’s a story I wrote as a sorta request and sorta stress relief. Written with @yoongi-sugaglider in mind but it’s for all ARMY artists. Know that we appreciate and love all in this fandom, no matter where you are and what you do. Lots of love to all my readers and feel free to request! 

REQUESTS ARE OPEN FOR FAKE TEXTS, ONE SHOTS, AND REACTIONS! FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME!

[keichanz]

Coffee

I literally worked on this all day lol. I started it at work this morning around 8 am (it is now after 11 pm here) after I requested some prompts from you guys because I wanted to write cute inukag to cheer me up and then I got this idea from a prompt blog and I had to write it down. I promise I’ll get to your other prompts over the next few days! Thank you all for sending them to me! ^_^

So this short drabble...oneshot...thing...whatever was inspired by this prompt from @dailyau. I put my own twist to it that I hope you all enjoy!

He found the place by accident.

While he’d never really call himself a tea lover, he tended to avoid places like these all the same because the bitterness of coffee had always been too strong for his sensitive palette, despite the fact that coffee joints usually had a wide selection of teas to choose from. However, most of the time even the smell of such places was enough to send him into a sneezing fit, to which he’d also like to avoid if given the chance.

So when he’d stumbled inside the small Shikon Café in a bid to escape the raging storm outside, Inuyasha would have instantly ducked back out and brave the tempest to find shelter elsewhere had he not caught a brief glimpse of the dark-haired, brown-eyed barista behind the counter.

Instantly he was enraptured, blinded by her brilliant smile, trapped within those caramel-colored orbs, and frozen to the spot as her melodious laugh floated to him on the coffee-scented air. And then he sneezed three times and the dark-eyed beauty he’d been gawking at turned her attention to him and he could feel the flush creep up his neck to color his face a telling shade of scarlet. He watched as those eyes widened, a soft blush stole across her cheeks and a timid but welcoming smile graced her mouth.

Then she bit her lip and ducked her head and Inuyasha’s feet moved of their own accord toward the counter, thinking a nice hot cup of tea wouldn’t be remiss while he waited out the storm. When he reached the counter, he realized two things: one, her name was Kagome according to her nametag and two, of fucking course he had to find the one coffee shop that didn’t offer tea. A subtle hint of vanilla teased his nose and he wasn’t sure if it was her or the coffee shop but either way he found he didn’t mind it.

Annoyed, Inuyasha looked into her eyes, opened his mouth, and calmly rattled off some random drink offered on the menu. Kagome smiled at him as she rang up the cost, his heart skipped a beat, and his body moved on autopilot as he retrieved his wallet and handed over some cash. He frowned slightly in confusion when his barista giggled, plucked a five out of the cash he’d given her, then gave back the remaining forty dollars. Flushing, Inuyasha grumbled and hastily shoved the cash back in his pocket.  Dark eyes danced in amusement and then she was flitting about behind the counter, preparing his drink that he was probably not going to drink.

Trying not to scowl, Inuyasha took a step back as crossed his arms as he partook in his new favorite pastime, which definitely wasn’t staring at the beautiful barista while she concocted his caffeinated monstrosity which from the smell of it included milk, a bit of caramel, and espresso.  He cocked a brow and wondered just what the hell he’d ordered and watched curiously as she poured the contents into a wide coffee mug. Or at least that’s what he assumed she was doing since her back was to him and she was blocking the view.

Several minutes later – why had it taken so long just to pour a cup of coffee? – Kagome turned back with his beverage in hand and curiously she was blushing again – God, she was adorable – as she flicked her eyes up once to his, and then carefully set his java on the counter before him. He kept his amber gaze on her for a few seconds longer, admiring the becoming shade of pink on her cheeks, then glanced down at his coffee, reached to take it…and then abruptly paused.

His eyes widened, his back stiffened, and he was acutely aware of Kagome shifting nervously from foot to foot behind the counter that separated him.  

Staring back at him from the brown liquid of his coffee was, he grudgingly admitted, very well drawn latte art of a dog’s head with two perky ears and a large, doggy grin complete with tongue lolling out of its mouth.

Inuyasha’s jaw clenched and he dropped his hand to his side, fingers balling into a fist as he lifted his gaze and glared coldly at her. Evidently Kagome was not expecting that reaction because she gasped and paled slightly, taking a single step back and allowing a scowl to twist his features, Inuyasha abruptly spun on his heel and stormed out of the shop, ignoring the rain pelting down on him, unware of the regretful brown eyes that watched him leave.

Three days later found Inuyasha stepping into the warmth of Shikon Café once again because no matter how hard he tried he could not get Kagome the beautiful barista out of his head. He thought about her constantly, her brilliant smile, fathomless pools of warm caramel he could get lost in, and dammit but suddenly he found himself buying anything that came vanilla scented. After such a brief encounter, even after she had thrown his half-demon heritage in his face with her latte art, Inuyasha was addicted. He couldn’t stay away any longer; he wanted—needed to see her again. He still didn’t understand why she’d drawn a fucking dog in his coffee, and maybe he never would, but the urge was too great, the craving too strong to ignore.

Face blank, Inuyasha carefully kept his gaze away from the counter as he claimed an open booth by the window and set his thermos of hot tea on the table before fishing out his phone and casually scrolling social media.  Since he was so busy pretending to be absorbed in his phone while he mentally asked himself for the thousandth time what the hell he was doing here, he missed the wide-eyed look full of cautious hope sent his way from a certain dark-haired barista, nor did he notice the whispered conversation between she and another barista while shooting him furtive glances.

Several minutes later, Inuyasha had just about convinced himself that it would probably be a good idea to stop torturing himself like this when the subtle scent of vanilla suddenly got a mite stronger and his grip on his phone tightened as his back stiffened. He could sense her hesitation as she slowly set down a cup of coffee on his table and he stole a quick glance in time to see her scurry away back behind the counter, studiously avoiding his gaze.

Curious despite himself, and hoping he wouldn’t find another dog staring back at him, Inuyasha shifted his gaze to the mug in front of him and once more his golden eyes widened slightly at the sight that greeted him.

It was not a dog.  Kagome had written “Sorry” in elegant cursive with a little white heart right below it.

Stunned, all Inuyasha could do was stare down at the latte art, the sudden lump in his throat making it harder to breathe as all the anger, embarrassment and hurt drained away like it had never been. Something warm bloomed in his chest at the realization that Kagome had been as torn over this as he, had been regretting what she’d done and had obviously wanted to apologize.

Relaxing into his seat, Inuyasha set his phone down, picked up his freshly made cup of coffee, and contentedly nursed the hot beverage over the next fifteen minutes until every last bit was gone.  Kagome didn’t return, he didn’t seek her out, and even though he figured it was on the house, Inuyasha left a five and then left the shop without a word or backward glance.

Five minutes after he left in which Kagome deemed it safe enough to come out of hiding from the kitchen, she moseyed over to his table to collect his dishes and was a little surprised to find cash waiting for her. She thought it would be obvious it was on the house after her foolish mistake, but perhaps the handsome golden-eyed customer was the kind to pay regardless. Heaving a sigh, though a small smile flirted at her lips, Kagome picked up his mug and then blinked down at the folded square of paper hidden beneath the saucer. Frowning, Kagome unfolded what looked like an old receipt and then she positively beamed, her heart fluttering in her chest as she stifled the urge to squeal in delight.

Forgiven.

Inuyasha

-X-

It wasn’t until the sky was a lovely shade of reddish orange that Kagome was finally allowed to leave for the day and with a yawn, she shrugged on her coat as she pushed out the door, calling a weary goodbye to Sango who’d been asked to stay later. Swinging her purse onto her shoulder, she was attempting to psyche herself up for the four block walk home when suddenly she stopped in her tracks and her brown eyes grew large at what she spotted leaning against the building next door.

Hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket, a booted foot propped against the building behind him, her silver-haired hunk of a customer locked deep honey eyes onto her and her heart skipped a beat in her chest. She stood rooted to the spot as he lazily pushed off the building and strolled toward her, stopping only once he was right before her. Sucking in a sharp breath, Kagome tipped her head back to keep her gaze locked with his, licking her suddenly dry lips.

His amber eyes flashed wickedly and he smirked.  “Kagome.”

Kagome damn near swooned on the spot at the deep rumble of his voice and she released the breath on a shaky exhale. “I-Inuyasha.” Her voice came out more breathy than she’d intended and a soft flush colored her cheeks, however she couldn’t stop the bashful smile from curling her lips upward.

Inuyasha’s smirk broadened just a smidge as he reached up and brushed a tendril of raven silk away from her flushed face. Kagome sighed and leaned into his touch, not once flinching at the deadly claws tipping each finger, and now it was his turn to suck in a sharp breath. Abruptly his hand dropped and he stepped back, but before Kagome could question him, Inuyasha wordlessly offered her his hand, the smirk on his face gone, however he could not disguise the hopeful glint in his amber eyes as he regarded her silently.

Kagome didn’t hesitate in putting her smaller hand within his own and she graced him with a truly brilliant smile when he tugged her closer into side and slung his arm around her shoulders.  He grinned as she leaned into him and he gave her a gentle squeeze.  Kagome emitted a soft sigh in response, content to let him lead her down the vacant sidewalk. To where, she wasn’t sure, and nor did she care as long she was with him.

A couple months later Inuyasha escaped the brisk December air by strolling inside his favorite coffee shop and claiming his usual seat by the window. He was shrugging out of his coat when slender arms wrapped around his waist from behind and the sent of vanilla teased his nose. Inuyasha grinned, tossed his coat onto the bench seat and turned around to swoop his girl into a hey-there-beautiful-how-are-ya kiss, not caring who bore witness.

Kagome hummed and happily returned it, flapping her head toward her coworker who was currently making faux gagging noises. Inuyasha was less kind and flipped her off. They both heard a snort and when they parted a few minutes later Kagome was flushed prettily and Inuyasha’s gaze was heavy lidded.

“Well,” Kagome breathed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hello to you, too.” Inuyasha merely grunted and busied himself by nipping along her jawline as his hands locked at the small of her back, keeping her against him. She smiled. “I have to get back to work,” she reminded him but made no move to escape his embrace.

He grunted again and buried his face in her neck and what Kagome liked to call his “happy rumble” started in his chest, which meant he wasn’t letting her go until he was damned good and ready. Kagome sighed, glanced over at her coworker and shrugged helplessly with an apologetic smile.

Sango cocked a brow and rolled her eyes but she was smiling as she shook her head and took over her friend’s tables, which only consisted of their regular customer Dick and a couple of teenagers chatting over hot chocolate. It was a slow day, so she supposed she didn’t mind letting her friend slack off with her boyfriend…just this once, of course. With a secret smile thrown toward the cozy couple’s way, Sango topped off Dick’s cup of coffee before wandering on over to see if the teens needed anything.

While Inuyasha idly rocked her in his arms and nuzzled her neck, Kagome contented herself with rubbing his ears before breaking the quiet between them. “We updated the menu,” she began and his ear flicked against her fingers. She bit her lip and continued, “Changed some prices, removed a few items and added some new ones based on consumer review and suggestion.” Here Kagome paused and then stated casually, “…We have tea now.”

Inuyasha’s ears shot straight up and she could feel his smirk against her neck. Kagome had to bit her lip to stifle her giggles as he slowly leaned back and idly started playing with a strand of her hair, the smirk gone from his features. “That so,” he murmured and Kagome didn’t miss the way the corners of his lips twitched.

“Mmm,” she affirmed and ran her hands down his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles and telling herself it wasn’t an excuse to feel all those wonderfully hard muscles. The way his golden eyes gleamed down at her suggested he knew better but she ignored it and continued, “We have regular black, an assortment of flavored, Earl Grey, oolong, green, and my personal favorite…” Her eyes flicked to the thermos still sitting innocently on the table beside them. “…Honey citrus mint tea…”

Like she knew he would, Inuyasha’s back straightened and his gaze cut to the menu board situated behind and above the counter. He found what he was looking for immediately and he nodded, his face conveying nothing though had to fight to keep his lips from curving upward. “So you do,” he said and turned his attention back to his girlfriend, taking note of the way her eyes glinted impishly up at him. Cheeky little thing, wasn’t she? Was it possible to fall in love with someone after only a few short months…?

“I’m sure yours is probably cold by now,” she said even though they both knew the thermos was keeping it quite hot. “Shall I make you some?” The smile she graced him with was innocent and he didn’t buy it for a second.

Inuyasha studied her silently for a moment, admiring the way her eyes seemed to catch the light filtering in through the window and trap it, making them bright, glowing, and beautiful. And then he finally allowed the smirk he’d been fighting against to spread across his face, the hint of fang she glimpsed suggesting a playfulness that threatened to turn rather naughty making her breath catch in her throat.

“Thanks for the offer, but…” His voice, a deep rumble that was like a physical caress as it rolled over her skin, through her body, made her shiver as she unconsciously leaned toward him. Heated amber flashed with wicked intent as he growled out, “I’ve found that I’ve developed quite a taste for the many exciting and different varieties of coffee compared to boring, hot flavored water.”

Kagome’s hands fisted in his shirt as her head tipped back, lips parting on a breathy sigh. “Oh yeah?” Her voice was barely a whisper, laced with the beginnings of a hunger Inuyasha was well familiar with.

Eyes at half-mast, heat unfurling in his gut and spreading throughout this body, Inuyasha hauled her closer against him with one arm while his other hand reached up and delved into ebony tresses, releasing them from the ponytail she’d had it in and loving the way it tumbled down around her shoulders and framed. It was official; he was utterly and madly in love with this beautiful woman after only four months, and somehow knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she felt the same way. He saw it in her eyes whenever she looked at him; saw it in her smile when she asked how his day was; in the way she cooed and fussed over every little scrape and bruise he received from his career of working with heavy machinery.

Inuyasha Takahashi was in love with Kagome Higurashi, she loved him back, and everything was perfect.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha finally answered her on a rough growl before promptly leaning own and claiming her mouth in a torrid kiss meant to covey everything he felt, what she meant to him, and when she kissed him back just as fervently, Inuyasha’s last thought right before all thought not centered around Kagome was swept out the window was that the taste of coffee had never been sweeter.

[some-cookie-crumbz]

What a Brew-Tiful Night

What a Brew-Tiful Night Fandom: Naruto Pairing: SasuSaku Summary: Coffee Shop AU. Sasuke works at a local coffee shop and hates basically everything about it. Except for the cheery, polite young woman that comes in. She’s okay. AN: This is the first snippet of the infamous Coffee Shop AU that my dear friend, @jaz-draws-stuff, drew some absolutely amazing art work for, which you can find [here], [here], [here], [here], [here] and [here]! Give her a follow and check her out all of her amazing artwork (if you haven’t already because she is so, so, so fucking amazing I swear she should have everyone on this site eating from her palm~!!)

He doesn’t normally get invested in the lives or well-being of his customers.

This is primarily because he normally hates the customers that come in to Bean Time of Youth. They are stupid, rude, bossy, picky, or any mash up of the four options. Most of his customers are the kind that will cut him off midway through a question or greeting because they are impatient. Most of his customers don’t know how many shots of what they want in their drinks, or what size they want, or what different flavor variables they offer. Most of his customers come in on cell phones and then have the nerve to shush him when he tries to take their order when they shouldn’t have even come up to the register if whining about some trivial bullshit was that important.

This woman is nothing like the rest of his customers.

She always comes in practically glowing, like the moon and stars on a clear evening in summer, regardless of the time of day. Hell, even when she comes in after using the campus gym to crank out a quick session she looks and sounds fresh as a daisy. She always waits for his prompts and is always polite yet concise with her responses. He knows what her three preferred menus items are - Cinnamon Dolce Latte, Caramel Raspberry Macchiato, and the house brew coffee with one shot of French Vanilla creamer and two scoops of Splenda – and he can typically get a read on what kind of day she’s going to have based on her request – classes all day, two classes and a few hours interning at the local hospital, and a heavy assignment load from her classes with deadlines pressed together in a claustrophobic time frame from one another, respectively – because he genuinely likes getting to engage with her. He actually even remembers her name and always spells it right.

Sakura. It suits her well, with her floral colored hair and leafy tinted eyes.

He’s just getting ready to end his shift when she comes up to place her order. She’s normally not in so late – the clock reads that it’s eight pm and the latest he’s seen her is four – and she actually looks tired. She plasters on a smile and greets him in a voice that still carries some of her usual cheer, but it seems significantly muted. He can get a better look at her as he writes down her name and order – a pure black coffee with two shots of espresso – and he can see the bags starting up under her eyes. They’re in the faintest stages of turning from purplish-grey to black and easily overlooked by someone who isn’t paying attention.

Not that Sasuke Uchiha was paying attention to some random girl. That would be absurd.

She keeps staring out at the darkened streets as she waits, shifting her weight and biting her lower lip slightly – shifting because both legs are worn down from her working and gnawing on her lower lip to keep a yawn under wraps. He knows the tell-tale signs of exhaustion all-too well. He mixes the drink up and pauses, taking a beat to think, before scrawling a small note just a bit below her name. He covers it up with the cardboard overlay used to keep the coffee’s heat from burning the customer’s hands.

Not that he doesn’t want her to see the note; he just doesn’t want her to see it while he’s around.

“Sakura,” He calls calmly, resisting the urge to snicker at how she actually flinches out of surprise. She walks over and doesn’t bear a hint of embarrassment; either pretending she didn’t just jump, pretending he didn’t see her jump, or honestly not knowing he witnessed the jump, he figures. She takes the cup carefully with a smile and muttered thanks, and he decides to bite the bullet. “You waiting for someone?”

She perks up, blinking twice in slight surprise at the question, before smiling again and shaking her head. “Nah. Just dreading the walk to the campus library,” She says.

He quirks an eyebrow. “You’re going to the campus library at eight at night?”

“Hm. I have two research papers due a week from today and need to have at least six sources per paper. Plus the library is open until eleven, so I figure why not take advantage?” She hums back, taking a sip of her coffee. She doesn’t even flinch from the taste.

He knows she can take care of herself. He’s seen the light muscle definition on her arms and legs when she comes in from the gym or when it’s warmer outside – again, not that he was looking or anything – so she could protect herself from any potential attackers. Even still, he can’t stop himself from opening his mouth to ask, “Want some company on the walk there?”

“Oh, I should be fine. I wouldn’t want to be a nuisance,” She says with a small laugh, but what he can’t help but think is a note of hope resides there, as if she’s trying to be polite but actually wants him to insist on escorting her.

He’s figures he may as well take what he thinks is an invitation and see where it gets him.

“I actually live in the dorms so it’s on the way. As long as you don’t mind waiting for a few while I clock out and finish something in the back,” He explains just as he hears the restroom door open. Suigetsu had ditched Sasuke up front to clean the bathroom before he had a chance to protest.

Admittedly, it seemed it had worked out in his favor in this case.

“As long as you’re sure you’re okay, I don’t mind waiting,” She beams, her smile back to its usual level of vibrancy. He turns away and nods to hide the blush creeping up along his cheeks, Suigetsu waltzing back behind the counter with a knowing grin on his lips.

It takes him less than five minutes to punch his time card and ditch his work smock. When he steps out, Sakura is giggling about something Suigetsu said that must have been about him with how they both go silent when he steps out. They watch him for a moment before Suigetsu disappears to start taking apart one of the machines, whistling inconspicuously, and Sakura turns her full attention to him. “Ready?” He asks.

“Hm,” She agrees. He makes sure to hold the door for her as they leave, pausing to send a warning glare at Suigetsu. The other male grins cheekily and blows him a kiss.

Because of course he would, the smug prick.

They walk in silence for the first block, Sasuke with his hands shoved in his pockets and Sakura still cradling the coffee she’s been nursing slowly. He glances at her sideways. “How do you stomach that stuff?”

She perks up, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. “What? You mean the coffee?”

He nods. “I can get why you have your usual drinks because they have flavors and creams and things to make them have an actual taste. But just the black coffee… I wasn’t expecting it,” He admits calmly.

“Well,” She says after taking another quick sip, “it’s not my first choice, honestly. When I actually go out and pick up a coffee I normally prefer getting the mixed drinks. But I really need the caffeine since I need to get this research started and have an early morning shift tomorrow.”

“Your internship, right? How’s that going for you?” He remembers they had talked about it a handful of times over the last few weeks. Monday’s were Sasuke’s longest days, where he worked from opening at six to five in the evening, which earned him a thirty minute lunch break. The last three Monday’s, when he was on his break, Sakura had been settled in the café working on homework and some documents for her internship. Because Monday’s were ridiculously busy, Sasuke had been forced to take the available seat at her table – and Kiba made more than his fair share of comments about how Sasuke had never complained about sitting with her – and from there they’d talked a little bit to fill the time. Specifically, he remembers being impressed when she admitted to having a part-time job, taking six classes, and working an internship under a Dr. Kato.

“Really good! A lot of the kids have been feeling better and had a lot more energy to play, which is so great! Little kids shouldn’t be stuck in hospital beds on machines and stuff, you know?” She gushes excitedly. He nods slightly, keeping his surprise well masked. He hadn’t known that she worked in the children’s ward, but it did make sense to him. Someone like her, with boundless energy and patience; a woman who carried herself with confidence and had a sincere smile for anyone she crossed paths with? Children would absolutely respond and benefit from that kind of genuine warmth. “It’s just… It feels good to see them acting like children. Getting to see them play around with their parents and each other, seeing the relief and joy in the parent’s face, being able to give others that sense of security that things are going to be okay... It feels good to know you can help make their lives a little brighter.”

He smiles at her, feeling warmth at the enthusiasm and sincerity to her words. “You’re really passionate about your work,” He comments.

“Well, it makes sense, I think. If you aren’t passionate about the field you’re studying, then what’s the point in going for that career?” She answers lightly. She then waves one hand and takes another swig from her coffee. “But what about you? You live in the dorms so you must be a student here. Why hadn’t you mentioned that to me before? And what are you studying?”

“I don’t really want to talk about that,” He snaps, his tone much harsher than he intended. She winces a bit and her smile falls but she doesn’t look away from him. He averts his gaze for a moment to try and regain himself. He shouldn’t lash out at her for asking innocent questions and keep the conversation going. She’s not the one that frustrates him, after all. “Ah, sorry. I just… It’s kind of a touchy subject,” He mumbles softly, not even daring to look back over at her. He should have known this would happen, really, and its his own fault. He always gets pissed when people ask about this, regardless of how they phrase it. He expects they’ll enjoy awkward silence the rest of the walk to the campus and then she’ll start avoiding coming in during his shifts.

Instead she sips her coffee again and says, voice calm and understanding, “It’s okay. So, have any funny customer stories from today?”

They fall into easy, casual chatter after that, talking about various topics from the obnoxious customers of the day to Sakura’s childhood incident that left her terrified of clowns. It all comes so natural and easy, like relaxing with a cup of warm tea after a particularly rough day. He feels immensely grateful that she didn’t take his bark personally and was so eager to let the matter drop, to have someone not try to push and press answers out of him. They part ways once they get about halfway across the quad, the dorms and library being on opposite ends from one another, but as he heads off he notices her removing the little cardboard cover on her coffee cup. He ducks around a nearby corner, just barely watching over to see her reaction.

She’s dropping the cardboard cover into the trash when she spots the black ink marks of a note on her cup, just under her name.

Sakura

Doing a good job shouldn’t mean you neglect your own well-being. Don’t forget to look after yourself every now and then.

She blinks three times before giggling, a faint blush reaching her cheeks. “I knew he was a sweetheart under that grumpy face,” She mused happily, readjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder before heading toward the library. Around the corner, Sasuke can feel the rush of heat signaling that a blush is settling over his cheeks and the tips of his ears, but there’s a smile there too.

After all, she thinks he’s a sweetheart.

[rainsoakedsmiles]

Bechloe Week Day 3: Blurred Lines

Summary: (I really want to quote the Robin Thicke song but I won't...maybe) Anyway, both girls are in love and neither of them want to admit it. Chloe Beale was head over heels in love with Beca Mitchell. The only problem was Beca had recently broken up with Jesse and she was probably straight. That didn't stop Chloe from trying to drop hints every time she was around the brunette. Unfortunately, Beca didn't seem to be responding in any way differently than she usually did. Beca wouldn't admit this, but she was madly in love with Chloe. There was literally no reason she couldn't ask her out except that she was scared. Both girls had been sending mixed signals for awhile and as sick of it as they were both getting, neither of them wanted to say anything to risk losing their friendship. ********* "Hey Becs?" Chloe asked, knocking on Beca and Amy's bedroom door. "She's pretty in the zone," Amy whispered, looking over at Beca as she opened the door for Chloe. "You can get her out of it though," she winked as she grabbed her phone off the bed and was about to walk out of the room. "Stay, I'm gonna get her to watch a movie in my room," the redhead said as she glanced at the small brunette sitting at her desk. When Amy returned back into the room, Chloe walked over to Beca's desk and put a gentle hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Becs?" Beca pulled her headphones off her ears and around her neck. "I can't fucking get these songs to go together," she grumbled with a pout at the redhead. "Why don't you just give it a rest for tonight?" Chloe suggested. "Because that would make me a failure," Beca deadpanned as she glanced at her computer screen. "See on here it's telling me that the chord progressions match but it just doesn't sound right." "Can I listen?" "No. Not until it's finished," Beca said seriously. That was her one rule with mixes. No one was allowed to listen to them unless she was finished with them. "Oh, right," the redhead remembered. "How about this? I know you don't like movies, but I've missed you today so can you come watch a movie in my room?" "Sure," Beca replied, pressing save on her mix before shutting down her computer and closing it. "I'm gonna go and get some water. Want anything?" "Tea," Chloe said, squeezing Beca's shoulder as she walked upstairs. Beca went down to the kitchen and surprisingly no one was in there to get in her way. She filled a mug with water and stuck a tea bag in it before putting it in the microwave. She also grabbed a bag of cheddar popcorn from the counter and a water bottle before making her way up to Chloe's attic bedroom. The redhead had decided that since there was an uneven amount of girls to share a room, she'd just take the attic. She managed to paint it and hang up art to make it look really nice, and it was one of Beca's favorite places to be. "I brought popcorn too, I hope you don't mind," Beca said as she sat down on Chloe's bed next to the redhead. "I don't mind," Chloe smiled as she opened her laptop and scooted closer to Beca. "What should we watch?" "Wait can I see something?" the smaller girl asked after Chloe opened Netflix. The redhead nodded in confusion and slid the laptop over to Beca. The brunette clicked on the search bar and typed in a couple of letters before the category came up. "Can we watch something from here?" She asked with a small smile, passing the laptop back to Chloe. "LGBT movies," Chloe smiled widely at the brunette. A smile that was reserved for only her. "Of course." "I saw Blue Is The Warmest Color awhile ago and it was pretty good," Beca shrugged. "I still haven't seen Jenny's Wedding." "I haven't seen that one either, we'll watch it!" Chloe said. "You know, I think it's really important that the LGBT community is represented in movies." "Me too," Beca said. "Jesse never wanted to watch any, it kinda bummed me out." "I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but I'm pansexual," the redhead said hesitantly. "Well if we're sharing things about ourselves, I'm bi," Beca said with a laugh. "Well I'm glad we know now," the redhead said as she pressed play. "I knew you wouldn't take it badly, I just didn't know how to bring it up." "Same," Beca admitted with a laugh before reaching into the bag of popcorn. Chloe wrapped her arm around Beca's waist and the brunette mindlessly intertwined her fingers with Chloe's. After about a half hour, both girls were sound asleep, their limbs tangled up and Beca's head nuzzled in the crook of Chloe's neck. ********** Beca woke up first the next morning, which was uncommon, but it made sense since she wasn't in her own bed. She gently removed Chloe's hand from her waist and quietly headed downstairs. She was just very confused about the events from the night before. It just seemed like Chloe had a thing for her, which was a nice feeling, just unexpected. She stopped in her bathroom to brush her teeth and fix her hair before padding into her and Amy's room to change into socially acceptable clothes to stop for coffee in. She poked Amy on the shoulder and the blonde immediately woke up. "You slept in Chloe's room last night," she said with a knowing smirk on her face. "Yeah, whatever," Beca said, rolling her eyes. "And I think she likes me but it's...whatever. Do you want a coffee?" "Iced mocha," Fat Amy replied quickly. "What do you mean you think she likes you?" "I don't know, I don't want to talk about it," Beca sighed. "I'm gonna go get coffee." "Beca wait!" Amy called as the brunette left the room. She followed her out and grabbed the smaller girl's arm. "Tell me why you think she likes you back." "Back?" Beca asked nervously. She thought she had done a pretty good job at hiding her crush on Chloe. "Come on Beca, it's obvious you like her," Amy said, rolling her eyes. "Now tell me why you think she likes you back." "Because she was like cuddling with me...more than usual," Beca said with a shrug. "It's not a big deal, I'm gonna go get cofeee." "Whatever you say," Amy smirked as she walked back into her room. Beca passed through the living room on her way out the door and Emily was up watching some morning talk show on the tv. "Hey Legacy, want come coffee?" Beca asked as she grabbed her purse off the hook. "Just a vanilla steamer, thanks Becs," Emily said. "Do you want me to come with?" "I'm fine," Beca said. "See you in a little bit, kid." She left and drove out to a coffee shop that was off campus. It was a few minutes away, but the coffee was the best around. She ordered her, Emily, and Fat Amy's drinks before deciding to get Chloe a latte as well. Whenever Beca Mitchell was overwhelmed and confused about something, she got mad, basically fuming. Unfortunately, that's exactly what she did just now. She began to overthink it all and decided her best way to figure this all out was to be straightforward about it. She got home and set the drinks on the counter before angrily marching up to Chloe's bedroom. She opened the door and the redhead was in front of her standing mirror tying her hair into a bun. "Do you like me?" Beca asked bluntly, silently hoping Chloe wouldn't flip out at her. Chloe turned to face Beca and crossed her arms. "That depends...are you gonna be upset if I do?" So basically yes, she did like Beca, but she wasn't about to get the silent treatment if she admitted it. "No," Beca shrugged, letting her arms hang helplessly at her sides. She was trying not to show how hard her heart was beating and that she felt like she could pass out. "Yes, I do," the redhead said promptly with a small smirk on her face. "Good," Beca sighed in relief, grabbing onto the redhead's waist and pulling her in for a kiss. "I can't fucking deal with these blurred lines anymore." "Me either," Chloe whispered right before she crashed her lips back into Beca's. The blurred lines were finally clear and Beca and Chloe were finally happy.