#Meets and bangs a mysterious guy at a handful of festivals. the guy only ever shows up at the festivals and pays special attention to Tahir

[bitchfitch]

the thing I'm eternally undecided about is When does that dragon thing start? Like does it start with Tahir and his willful sacrifice and the ensuing relationship with Daeodon before Tahir's death, and then transition into Twohir and his quest to kill the fucking dragon who's dead lover he's the incarnation of and the Mess that is them trying to figure Their shit our while trying to resurrect Tahir.

Or do I just start with Twohir? Theres more drama and more Story to them beyond the growing pains of a new relationship. but also Tahir is my baby boy and i don't want to relegate him to backstory, and a Lot of Daeodon's vibes just Don't work without the explicit context that his words and his feelings or motivations don't always line up.

Like, without Tahir and the way the two interacted it's Way too easy to assume Daeodon made it rain endlessly for the same reason he stopped the rains entirely years ago. That his only motivation for ruining lives and destroying the forest he's lord and god of is that something was taken away from him and he doesn't care What that thing was, just that it was taken. Because this time around he really does care that it was Tahir specifically he lost.

But leaving Tahir as backstory would also make Daeodon having a heart be more of a reveal? More something Twohir and the reader discover together. But it also make Daeodon way fucking creepier.

Daeodon spends the first handful of interactions he has with Twohir (not including the one where Daeodon broke Twohir's arm) being fucking Weird. Twohir is Tahir's reincarnation, and while the two are Wildly different people, there's situations where it's too easy for Daeodon to just Pretend for a moment. And from Twohir's perspective, the fucking dragon he wants dead and to never be near him again because he considers his fucked up life partially Daeodon's fault, is constantly trying to get close to him and abuse Twohir's willingness to drink at parties and miss the little clues that would give Daeodon in his faunsona away. It's creep behavior. Even with context it's absolutely unacceptable, But with all that context and the reader already having a good insight on who Daeodon is as a person, it's creep behavior that Feels more tragic than disgusting.

But Tahir's side of the story isn't short. It's not something that can just go in a prologue, and it's not at All the same genre as Twohir's. so having the two halves butted up against each other doesn't Feel right.

like tldr: Tahir is my very special boy but how he fucked a dragon and became a love god is kinda boring compared to how his reincation fucked the same dragon, resurrected Tahir, and then also became a love god.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

── THE GLASS PRINCESS // SIX

Series Synopsis: You wake up in a strange room with no memories, broken glass at your bedside, and a prince named Zuko as your only chance at figuring out who you really are.

Chapter Synopsis: Two separate encounters with two different Firebenders yield revelations of the sort you are unprepared to face.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 8.4k

Content Warnings: complicated relationships (strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers), amnesia, alternate universe, lots of secrets and lying and mystery

A/N: i have been writing like crazy recently AHAHA but anyways apologies in advance to anyone expecting anything different from this 😫

“I’m so sad that the break is over. It wasn’t nearly long enough,” Jia-Li said as the two of you returned to your room for the first time since you had left it for Ember Island.

“Our beds look a lot smaller in comparison to the ones on Ember Island,” you said. Jia-Li snorted.

“That’s for sure. And did the room shrink while we were gone?” she said.

“It definitely looks like it,” you said. “At least we don’t have class until tomorrow.”

“Do you think Ty Lee is back yet?” she said. “We should go to the market. It’ll be fun.”

“I should probably do some reading so that I’m ready for tomorrow,” you said.

“Don’t be a spoilsport! I doubt you forgot anything in the short time we were gone, seriously. You’ll be okay if you skip out on reading for one day and come enjoy yourself with the rest of us,” Jia-Li said.

You gave the stack of books on your desk a longing look before nodding firmly, knowing Jia-Li was right, and furthermore that Ty Lee would agree with her. It was just as important for you to socialize as it was for you to study hard, and going to the market wasn’t so time-consuming that it would leave you unable to do anything for the rest of the day.

“Alright, but only if you don’t complain about me reading tonight,” you said. “The book I’m on currently is really interesting.”

“What’s it about?” Jia-Li said.

“The history of Ba Sing Se,” you said. “Since I was found there, I thought that learning more about it might spark some memories in me. All things considered, it’s not as boring as one might expect. The chapter I’m about to start is on the royal family and the construction of the palace.”

“To be honest, I don’t see how you find that so fascinating, but if that’s what you like, then who am I to stop you? Sure, you can leave the candle burning a bit longer in order to finish your chapter if we get back too late,” she said.

“Thanks,” you said. “You are the best roommate ever.”

“You flatter me,” she said. “Open up, Ty Lee!”

“What if Kaho is the one at the door?” you said, grabbing her hand to stop her from continuing to bang on it. Jia-Li huffed at you.

“She’s not going to be back until the evening. Don’t you remember how much she was bragging about having to stay late to submit her official reports from the meeting and all of that?” she said. You let go of her hand, for you did remember that. Once freed, Jia-Li continued to knock.

“Coming!” a muffled voice said, and then the door was swinging open to reveal Ty Lee, who was standing on her hands for some reason. “Ursa! Jia-Li! What are you guys doing here?”

“We wanted to ask you if you would come to the market with us,” you said, twisting your neck so that she would come into proper perspective. To your chagrin, it did nothing but make you dizzy, so you gave up and decided to just look down on her upside-down visage.

“Sure!” she said, rocking herself onto her feet and standing properly. “How were your breaks?”

“They were good,” Jia-Li said. “Very relaxing, but way too short.”

“We did see you at one point,” you reminded her. Ty Lee giggled.

“Right, at that stupid party! I heard you guys ended up partaking in the festivities, if you’re catching my meaning,” she said.

“Yes, that’s right,” you said. Jia-Li grinned, flames dancing in her palm before she curled her fist and extinguished them.

“It was fun,” she said. “You were on to something, Ty Lee. It was exactly what we needed.”

“Jia-Li’s brother was not happy with us when he found out,” you said. “But it’s fine. He’ll make up with her, I’m sure, and as for me…it’s fine if we never speak again.”

“Onto the next,” Jia-Li said. “It’s alright. You win some, you lose some.”

“Exactly,” you agreed. “What about you? What were you up to when you weren’t on Ember Island?”

“Strategizing with Azula, mostly,” Ty Lee said. “You know, she killed the Avatar around when Zuko took over Ba Sing Se.”

“Really?” you said. Ty Lee nodded.

“Yup, I saw it myself! He was about to go all glowy-white-eyes on her, and she just shot him with lightning before he could,” she said.

Killing an Avatar as a normal person was unheard of, and Princess Azula wasn’t even a master yet. She was clearly a prodigy, but you knew from Ty Lee that she was still training, though her training was so advanced that it was theoretically impossible for normal Firebenders such as Jia-Li and even Kaho to accomplish. The fact that she had done something as legendary as defeating an Avatar without full mastery of her element spoke to her skill and talents, and you swore then and there to never get on her bad side.

“That’s insane,” Jia-Li said. “I always knew she was on another level from the rest of us, but I didn’t realize until now just how large that skill gap was.”

“Mhm, but for some reason, she’s gotten to be crazy paranoid recently. She’s convinced that he’s not really dead, and she’s been losing sleep over it,” Ty Lee said. “It’s tainting her victory, and she’s been meeting with Mai and I nonstop on what we should do in case he proves to be alive.”

“It’s better to be prepared than not,” you said. “Though she probably doesn’t have much to worry about. If the Avatar was alive, he probably would’ve made himself known, don’t you think? I doubt it would be easy for an Airbender to hide himself, especially not one as powerful as the Avatar surely is.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling her, but she’s still worried,” Ty Lee said. “So my break was mostly work, except for that one weekend on Ember Island.”

“That’s a shame,” Jia-Li said.

“Next break, I’m going to sleep the entire time,” Ty Lee vowed. “Every day I’m at the school serves as a reminder of why I dropped out in the first place, and I need my body and aura to recover from this kind of environment.”

“I always forget you did that,” you said.

“Why’d you come back?” Jia-Li said. “It’s obvious you hate it here, and you have a place in the palace already, so it’s not as though you’re going to climb the ranks socially by attending.”

“Simple! I’m here to keep an eye on Ursa!” Ty Lee said. “Not that she needs it, but Prince Zuko asked me to come along and help her acclimate to the environment of the academy, since we weren’t sure if she’d be able to handle it or not.”

“That’s a lot more logical than you suddenly developing a passion for the scholarly pursuits, which is what I had previously thought was the reasoning,” Jia-Li said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever develop that,” Ty Lee said, wrinkling her nose. “I’ll leave the academic stuff to Ursa.”

“Me, too,” Jia-Li said.

“Hey, come on, guys. Reading is fun,” you said, though it was obviously unconvincing, as both of them made faces at you. “Or not, I guess.”

“Let’s stop talking about school, please,” Ty Lee said. “It’s bad enough that we have classes tomorrow. We don’t need to ruin our free time by thinking about them now, too!”

“It’s not a problem for me,” Jia-Li said. “Maybe Ursa will have some difficulty, though.”

“Shut up! No, I won’t!” you said. “You won’t hear me speaking about school for the rest of the outing.”

“Does that include whenever you drop your random little factoids to explain whatever’s going on at any given time?” Jia-Li said.

“Hopefully not,” Ty Lee said. “I’d be way too confused without her narrating everything.”

“True,” Jia-Li said. “Okay, you can talk about those, but no more explicit mentions of the academy. Or of reading. Or of other things along those lines.”

“I already agreed!” you said. “Honestly, you guys have such a low opinion of me. Anyways, do either of you have anything specific to get at the market, or are we just wandering around?”

“Maybe I’ll get a new hair ribbon, but I’m not particularly attached to the idea, so I’m alright no matter where we go,” Jia-Li said.

“I don’t have anything I need, so we can go look at the hair ribbon stalls if you want, Jia-Li,” Ty Lee said.

“It’s the same for me,” you said. “Besides, it’s not like I really have money to spend, which means I’ll just admire the different shops, so I have no particular preference for where we go. Lead the way, Jia-Li; you’d know the market best, anyways.”

“Ty Lee probably knows it pretty well, too,” Jia-Li said.

“Nope, I ran away to join the circus, remember? I haven’t been here for a while! Even when I came back to the palace, I was always with Azula and Mai, and they’re not really the type to enjoy walking around the market, so it’s been a bit,” Ty Lee said.

“Then it really is up to me,” Jia-Li said, straightening her shoulders and nodding firmly. “Follow me, girls!”

You and Ty Lee marched after Jia-Li as she strode towards a stall decorated with hair ribbons of every shade. Some were patterned the way Kaho’s was, whereas others were solid-colored, like the one Jia-Li tended to wear. All of them were beautiful, richly made and finely dyed, and you could not help running your fingers over a few of them in appreciation.

“What do you think of this one?” Jia-Li said, holding up a red ribbon that had white flowers embroidered on it. “The one I have right now is so plain.”

“It’s very nice,” you said.

“I like it!” Ty Lee said. “You should get it.”

“Do you think so? Let’s see. How much is this for?” Jia-Li said. As she began to argue with the merchant about the price, you found yourself wandering off, observing the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, the different vendors and their goods, the mothers with their little children rifling through their purses full of gold coins, the serious soldiers standing at attention in uniform — and the not so serious ones with their helmets off and tucked under their arms as they talked to each other. Though the market was so large in scale, it was more like a collection of small, intimate snapshots of domesticity than a grand, epic portrait woven together out of perfectly conjoined parts.

There were so many different stories happening at once. People cried and laughed and argued and bantered on these streets. They lived their lives, unknowing of what would happen to them next or what those at their sides were going through. It was one of those mundane sort of miracles, the sort that were so commonplace that nobody would find them miraculous unless they stepped back and thought about them for a moment.

“Did you hear the news?” someone said to you. You tilted your head at the woman, who had her hand held in front of her mouth politely. “Apparently, there’s a prisoner on the loose!”

“What? In the capital?” you said. She nodded.

“Word has it that he deserted the army during the fall of Ba Sing Se and was promptly captured by Prince Zuko, who sent him to prison. But now he’s escaped! It’s all so frightening,” she said. “Be careful. You’re a student at the academy, aren’t you? My daughter is in her first year there, so I recognized the uniform. You should hurry back to the campus — it’s much safer there.”

“Thank you for the warning,” you said. “I hope you stay safe as well, madam.”

It had been an odd encounter, but for some reason, it wasn’t the random nature of the conversation that made you uneasy. Such things happened at markets, and especially because you apparently went to school with her daughter, it made sense that she had approached you. No, it was the story itself that you were worried about.

The History Mistress had never mentioned anyone deserting the army, besides the former General Iroh. That meant that this escaped prisoner, whoever they were, must’ve been some foot soldier so unimportant that they were not even worthy of the simplest sentence in your lectures, but that begot another question — how had a simple foot soldier escaped a Fire Nation prison?

The haggard man in front of you walked with a limp, and the exposed skin that you could see was littered with scars. Unlike what you would’ve assumed, though, the scars were clearly not from burns. They were cuts, deep lacerations that stood out red and furious against his arms, his neck, his ankles and even his face.

He must’ve been in a terrible battle, but for some reason, no one paid him any mind. The crowds parted around him before melting back together, like he had never been there in the first place. It was only you that followed, you who was entranced, matching his every step with your own. There was some burning desire in you that needed to follow him. You couldn’t place it, couldn’t understand its origin or any part of its existence, but you just knew you had to fulfill it. So you went after the man, growing steadily closer and closer until you could hear what he was muttering to himself.

“Gave everything…fought for that damn prince…what does it get me? Going to kill that girl. Going to kill that girl. What does it get me? Gave everything for that damn prince. Going to kill her. I have to kill her,” he said, over and over, repeating the same phrases on loop.

“Excuse me, sir, but are you alright?” you said when the two of you reached a dead end and the man stood still, facing the wall, continuing to say the same breathless things.

“I knew it,” he said. “I knew someone was following me. We Soldiers of Agni, we know these things.”

“Soldiers of Agni?” you said. The man still did not turn around, pressing his hands against the stone wall and resting his forehead against it. “They’re all dead, sir. They fell during the invasion of Ba Sing Se.”

“And don’t I know it!” the man said. “We gave everything for that prince, and what did it lead us to? Death! Death, you foolish girl, all of my comrades are dead! I’m the only one who survived that wench’s onslaught, but instead of being treated as the hero I am, I was renounced as a traitor. Prince Zuko took my status as a Soldier of Agni away, and he threw me in some dungeon to rot. Tell me how that’s fair!”

“I think you’re confused, sir,” you said, stepping away from him, questioning your own instincts for landing you into this situation. Because this was definitely the prisoner that the woman had been talking about, and since that was the case, you were almost certainly in danger. “Prince Zuko would never do something like that. He is a kind and just person. He even saved me!”

He spun around. “He saved — you!”

Before you knew it, there was a blast of fire heading directly for you. You barely leapt out of the way and readied yourself to fight, but even if the prisoner was telling the truth and he really had once been a Soldier of Agni, his reflexes and musculature had faded during his time locked away. No matter how much he tried, nothing but wisps of smoke escaped his hands, and he shouted in fury before rushing at you.

“What are you doing?” you said as you began to run as well.

“I’m going to kill you!” he said, his voice breaking as he did so. “You took everything from me, so I’m going to kill you!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” you said in distress. “I’m just a student at the Royal Fire Academy! I haven’t taken anything from anyone!”

“Is that where you are now, you sly witch?” he spat. “It wasn’t enough for you to destroy us all? You have to infiltrate our nation, too? Get out of here, scum!”

“What are you saying?” you said.

“My comrades are dead because of you,” he said. “I’m in prison because of you. I have to — I have to get justice. If that Agni-damned Prince Zuko really did save you, if he really is just letting you walk around and pretend to be one of us, then the Fire Nation is doomed. I have to do what I must for my country! In the name of Fire Lord Ozai, I will kill you, once and for all!”

“Huh?” you said. “I was a prisoner in Ba Sing Se! I don’t have the faintest clue how I could’ve killed your comrades.”

“That’s rich, coming from you. You don’t have to lie in front of me. I was there, wench. I know what you really are,” he said.

“And what might that be?” you said, skidding to a stop before you crashed into a wall and turning to face him, getting into the hand-to-hand combat stance that you had been trained to adopt at the academy.

“The—” Before he could finish, his eyes widened, and then he was falling over. It was Ty Lee; she had jabbed her fingers into his pressure points in a quick but familiar succession, and now she was standing over him, disapproval etched on her face.

“Ursa! There you are!” Jia-Li said, rounding the corner and almost tripping over the fallen man. “Who is that?”

“He’s an escaped prisoner,” you said. “He claimed he used to be one of the Soldiers of Agni.”

“I thought they were all dead, though?” Jia-Li said.

“They are,” Ty Lee said. “He must’ve been rambling about nothing.”

“Definitely,” Jia-Li said. “What Soldier of Agni would just faint like that for no reason?”

“It wasn’t exactly for no reason. I used my chi-blocking to take him out!” Ty Lee said.

“Chi-blocking?” Jia-Li said as the man groaned, beginning to wake up.

“It’s a pretty useful skill,” Ty Lee said. “All sorts of applications. It can temporarily take away bending, incapacitate people, and more! It’s the way for nonbenders like me to level the playing field and stand a chance even against the strongest of benders.”

“That’s why you aren’t afraid of Kaho!” Jia-Li said.

“Yup!” Ty Lee said.

“Who are you girls?” the man said groggily, pushing himself to his feet.

“I thought you knew who I was?” you said. “You said so yourself!”

“How would he know who you are?” Jia-Li said.

“No idea, but he seemed pretty sure just a second ago,” you said.

“For some reason, I think I do,” the man said. “But I don’t know how or why. There’s just a blank spot in my memories. I can’t — I can’t remember anything.”

“That’s strange,” Jia-Li said.

“He must’ve hit his head when he fell,” Ty Lee said.

“Right,” you said, though when she stooped over to pick the man up and bring him to the nearby soldiers, you narrowed your eyes at her.

You knew that chi-blocking sequence. You knew it well, because Ty Lee had used it on you before, still used it on you even now. You had never questioned it much, never found any merit in doing so. Ty Lee was infamous for being an airhead, so you had always put the strange ritual down as another one of her oddities. But what if it wasn’t? There was no way that the man had hit his head hard enough to forget everything so quickly, especially not when he had been so confident only seconds prior.

The more likely scenario was that Ty Lee had somehow blocked his memories when she had blocked his chi. It made the most sense, but if that really was the case, then what motive did she have to do the same for you? It was uncomfortable thinking about it, but you couldn’t stop the question from reverberating around your mind for the rest of the day.

Was Ty Lee the reason you didn’t remember anything?

That night, when Jia-Li was asleep and you were getting ready to settle in bed yourself, there was a knock on your door. Quickly blowing out the candle and making sure that the door was locked, you leapt into your bed and pulled the covers over your head, squeezing your eyes shut and pretending to be fast asleep.

“Ursa?” It was Ty Lee. “Are you awake?”

You knew what she was there for. It was about the time for her to — if your assumption was correct — block your chi, and possibly your memories. You had never protested, and you didn’t want her to grow suspicious of you in case that led to her taking even more drastic measures, but you also knew you had to avoid her for the time being if you ever wanted to remember who you were.

Just for a couple of days. You only had to stay away from her for a couple of days, and if nothing changed, then you would return to her side and act as if you both were friends once more.

“Are you and Ty Lee fighting?” Jia-Li said the next morning. You were currently suffering from a massive migraine, massaging your temples as you tried to block the light from hitting your eyes, but you managed to shake your head in the negative.

“No, we’re not,” you said. “Why?”

“You didn’t talk to her all morning, and you sat next to me instead of her, the way you usually do. I think she was a little sad about it,” Jia-Li said.

“I just have a really bad headache,” you said.

“Do you need to go to the infirmary?” Jia-Li said. “If you can’t handle class, I’ll tell the Etiquette Mistress. You’re already her favorite pupil, so she shouldn’t mind.”

“No, I’ll go,” you said, knowing that it was of the utmost importance that you didn’t go anywhere alone. It would be an opportunity for Ty Lee to chi-block you again, one you did not need to create, not if you wanted your experiment to be successful. “I’m sure I’ll get over it with something to drink.”

Yet, despite the cups upon cups of water you chugged, it didn’t do anything to dissipate your headache. It was like there was someone pushing on your brow, crushing your head together, the heaviness seeping down behind your eyes and into your jaw. You thought you might be close to implosion, but there was never a moment of relief. The pressure just kept mounting and mounting until you really did wish for someone to take a hammer to your skull and break it open so that you could finally be freed from the pain.

“Ursa, Jia-Li,” Kaho said as you entered the classroom, her voice filled with venom. “I can’t believe you’re daring to show your faces today.”

“Why wouldn’t we?” you said, far too preoccupied with your migraine to temper your irritation with your usual politeness. “We’re students at the academy, the same as you, Kaho.”

“I thought you might be ashamed of yourself after your performance during the break, at Ember Island,” she said.

“What performance?” you said.

“You destroyed my house!” she said. “I know you all did. You and that group of losers from the beach, whoever they were. My brother told me all about it.”

“Your brother’s the biggest fool I’ve ever met,” you said. “Followed closely by Ruon-Jian. Neither of them recognized the prince and princess even when they were right in front of them.”

“Don’t call my brother a fool,” she said.

“It must be a familial trait,” you continued.

“Ursa, what are you doing?” Jia-Li said.

“I have way too much of a headache to deal with her squealing right now,” you said harshly. “Chan is an idiot and we helped destroy her house. It’s true, but it matters little to me, and I wish she’d just go and wallow in her misery somewhere far from where I am!”

“You’re playing with fire,” Jia-Li fretted. “Quite literally.”

“Can you just leave me alone for once, Kaho?” you said.

“You think you’re so much better than me, don’t you?” Kaho said. “You’ve taken my spot as the top student, and you’re favored by Prince Zuko, so you believe that makes you my superior. But there’s one thing that you’ll never have.”

“And what might that be? An insufferable attitude, or a particularly hideous—” you were cut off by Jia-Li slapping her hand over your mouth.

“She doesn’t know what she’s saying,” Jia-Li apologized. “The migraine is making her delirious.”

Kaho ignored her, staring directly at you, the anger which she was so well-known for blazing to life in her irises. It was the same way she had glared at you after defeating that one underclassman in an Agni Kai. It was the same way she glared at you every time you corrected her in class or got a better result than her on an exam. It was the same way she glared at you whenever you received a letter from Prince Zuko while in the dining hall.

She hated you. You had known this for some time, but you had never understood it until that moment. Kaho despised everything you were, but more than that, she despised that she was jealous of you. She was used to everything going her way, and yet, here you were, a girl who had no memories and no background and no bloodline, taking without difficulty everything that was once hers.

It should never have been yours. To Kaho, you were nobody, a girl from rubble who stole everything from the rightfully deserving. And now here you were, insulting her in front of everyone, clearly rising above the place she had designated for you in her mind. It was an offense of the highest order, and in that instant, you came to the conclusion that you would not escape unpunished. Kaho would no longer allow you to walk over her without retaliation.

“Firebending,” Kaho said. “That’s what I have, and I will always, always be your better, because you can’t even bend.”

“Maybe not,” you said, swallowing and then deciding that if you were already doomed, you might as well have the last word. “It makes it more embarrassing for you, though, doesn’t it? That a nonbender has beat you so thoroughly in everything else? That you can only cling to your bending to maintain your sense of superiority?”

“That’s it,” Kaho said. “You know what I’m going to say, don’t you?”

“You’ve really done it now, Ursa,” Jia-Li groaned. “Don’t even think of asking me to be your proxy. I don’t have a death wish.”

“I do,” you said. “And I’ll save you the trouble. I challenge you to an Agni Kai, Kaho.”

If an Agni Kai was declared, classes were suspended so that the school could watch. Though they were so brutal in nature, they were actually encouraged by the administration, as they served to weed out the weaker students, leaving behind only the strongest, the best of the best.

At present, the field where you and Kaho were going to fight was utterly cleared, though staff and students alike gathered on the edges to watch the event. It had been anticipated for some time, this clash between the two top students of the academy, even if one of them couldn’t Firebend.

“You’re seriously not even calling a proxy?” Jia-Li said.

“Who would I call?” you said, rolling your shoulders. “She’s beaten every girl at this academy already, and I’m not about to beg the prince to save me.”

“Let go of your pride for once and do exactly that!” Jia-Li said. “You couldn’t even take me in a fight, so you can just forget about facing Kaho.”

“Actually, she can manage,” Ty Lee said grimly. You didn’t know where she had come from, but there she stood, her face set, her posture stiff. “Ursa. I don’t know why he said it, but for some reason, Zuko seemed to think that you were strong. Stronger than the rest of us, in fact.”

“He told me as much,” you said. “I don’t know why he said it, either, but for some reason, I don’t think he was lying. At least, he seemed to really believe it, which means there must be some thought behind it all.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a prodigy with weapons on par with Master Piandao himself!” Jia-Li said. “Against someone like Kaho, you either need to be a bender or have unusual skills the way Ty Lee does. Can you claim either of those things?”

“I don’t know, Jia-Li,” you said. “I don’t think so. Yet I have to do this all the same. She’s gone unchecked for far too long.”

“And you’ll be the one to check her?” Jia-Li said, throwing her hands up in the air. “I wish you had just gone to the infirmary like I had told you to!”

“Let’s go, Jia-Li,” Ty Lee said. “It’s time. Good luck, Ursa.”

Another pang. You forced yourself to smile through the pain, not wanting to show weakness right when you were about to get into a fight. Ty Lee smiled back, though Jia-Li did not muster the same energy, wailing despondently about how she was going to lose another roommate as Ty Lee dragged her off the field.

“This is your last chance, Ursa,” Kaho said. “If you fall to your knees and grovel, if you accept your place in this world, and if you renounce your ties with the royal family, then I will spare you.”

“I cannot do either of those things,” you said. “And you cannot ask me to.”

“I will not be gentle,” Kaho warned. “I was kind in my last Agni Kai, so perhaps you think that you will get off in a similarly unharmed way. If that is the case, then I want you to know that you are wrong. I will burn my victory into your skin so deeply that you can never look into the mirror without being reminded of the day you angered the wrong person.”

“My head is already full of pain, nearly to the bursting,” you said. “What is one more wound? Do your worst, Kaho. Even if I lose today, I will still have won in the end.”

“And how is that?” Kaho said. You grinned at her.

“Because I’ve shown everyone else at this academy exactly the sort of person you are,” you said. “You can’t beat a nonbender at anything else, so you have to challenge them to an Agni Kai in order to cling to the last threads of your former glory. You’re really very pathetic, and no matter how thoroughly you burn me, you can’t change that.”

“Did no one ever teach you to hold your tongue?” Kaho said, taking a deep breath, fire flickering at her fingertips.

“Certainly, at some point, someone must have,” you said. “But I shouldn’t know when or who or what the purpose of the lesson was. Don’t you recall that I have no memories?”

No one could say that Kaho wasn’t talented. The way she used her Firebending was like an extension of herself, as brutal and efficient as her clinical personality. It wasn’t that she was incredibly powerful — she just did not waste even a drop of energy, focusing her entire being into her forms, which were done with a clear accuracy that was difficult to dodge.

She punched a lick of fire at you, deadly hot, the air shimmering in the aftermath of it as it dissipated into nothingness, barely avoiding singing the edges of your clothes. You employed every trick you had learnt, for the longer you could draw out the fight, the worse it looked for her.

It was a game that you could not win. It was a game you were destined to lose, but — and maybe this was your past knowledge speaking — you had to play along. The outcome was determined, but you still had to play.

“Why did you come here?” Kaho screamed, her careful control slipping the more times she missed burning you. It was like her words drove a knife through your head, and the only reason your faltering was not a fatal blunder was because she, too, was growing more and more errant in her strikes. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“You’re the one trying to immolate me!” you said, sweat pouring from your brow, your shirt sticking to your collarbones and your pants clinging to your legs. “Why don’t you raise that question to yourself?”

“You!” she said. “Why are you speaking so elegantly? Are you mocking me?”

“Of all the things, you choose to criticize my manner of speaking? Your sense of prioritization is as horrid as your personality,” you said.

More fire. This time, the hem of your shirt did catch alight, but you put it out before it could reach your skin, so it didn’t count as a first burn. It did, however, mean two things: you were getting tired, and Kaho was losing even more of her composure.

“You came here,” she said. “I was alright before! But you came here and decided that everything I had was yours. My place in society, my standing in the school…the happy ending I was born to inherit has all gone to you!”

“Happy ending?” you said. “Do you think I care about something as superficial and fantastical as that? I don’t even have a beginning! Have you ever taken a second thought about your hatred? You can choose the direction of your life, Kaho. Whether happy or sad or anything in between, you know who you are. I do not have such a luxury. You resent my friendship with the prince, but if I do not have him, I have nothing left of my past! I helped destroy your house, yes, but at least you have a house — and it was only one of many. I don’t even have a shack in the woods to call my own!”

“Exactly,” Kaho said. “You should be begging on the streets, yet you are here. But no longer. No longer will I allow you to exist beside me, as if we are equals.”

Your eyes widened as her words sank in. This wasn’t just an Agni Kai anymore. She would not stop once she burnt you. It didn’t matter how completely; you had been wagering that you could eventually heal from whatever she inflicted on you. But, according to Kaho, she was not planning on you ever healing. She was planning on you dying.

Without Kaho’s fire, the air was almost cold. Goosebumps raised on your bare arms, though whether it was from chill or fright, you were not sure. Kaho was incredibly still, her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply, centering herself, drawing strength from the core of her bending — her breath. Everyone else was silent, though you thought you could hear someone, perhaps Jia-Li, repeating a prayer to Agni frantically, begging him to protect you from Kaho’s wrath.

You did no such thing. There was a voice in your head, whispering past the pain, telling you that Agni was not your god. You could not pray to him. You could not pray to a lord of destruction. You could not pray to the deity who had ruined your home.

You did not question this voice, though by all rights it was contrary to the little you knew of yourself. You were a Fire Nation soldier. Agni had not ruined your home, he had saved it. He was the one whose banner you had fought under. He was the one whose name you had been tortured in. He was your patron.

No. He was not. He was Kaho’s. He was Zuko’s. He was Jia-Li’s. But you were not a Firebender. You were something else. What? It was inexplicable, but your bones resonated with that truth as the effects of Ty Lee’s continuous chi-blocking began to crumble, your headache finally alleviating as you had your first breakthrough.

Kaho opened her eyes, and then fire gathered in her palms. You stood your ground this time, rooting yourself into the dirt of the field, and as a wave of fire rolled towards you, destroying everything in its path, you cringed back and screwed your eyelids together but refused to move. This time, you would not move.

Right when the blistering temperature got to be too much, it was cut off, asphyxiated before its source could reach you. Then Kaho was hurling insults at you, calling you a mongrel, a filthy half-breed, a daughter of mud. You cracked your eyes open, wondering why she did not attack you once more, why she had ceased her assault at the instant before she would have won for certain.

There was a large wall of stone erected before you, shielding you from Kaho, impenetrable by even the hottest of fires, which certainly she did not possess. That wall had not been there before, and the names which Kaho was calling you suddenly made sense — because you had created the wall. It was yours.

You were an Earthbender.

Within seconds, every single person that had borne witness to the Agni Kai was slumped over on the ground, including Kaho herself. Ty Lee used her momentum to flip over the wall, dropping to her feet before you and crossing her arms.

“You knew,” you said. “The entire time, you knew.”

“No,” she said. “Not exactly.”

“You’re the one who’s been blocking my memories, though,” you said. “Right? You would block my chi so that I couldn’t remember my past or use my Earthbending.”

“That’s right,” she said, bowing her head. She seemed apologetic, but nothing resembling pity filled you. The only emotion you could muster was disgust.

“Why?” you said. “What could have convinced you to do something like that? I thought we were friends, Ty Lee. Was that all a lie? Were you only staying close to me so that you could keep suppressing my memories?”

“No!” she said. “That was the reason at first, but I like spending time with you, Ursa. You really are one of my friends.”

She reached out as if to embrace you, but you took a step backwards so that she could not. She pulled back as if you had wounded her.

“My name isn’t Ursa, is it?” you said. “Who am I really, Ty Lee? Tell me the truth.”

“I have no idea,” she said. “He didn’t tell me anything about you. He just said it was for the best if you didn’t remember anything. I was so afraid the whole time, I thought Azula might be angry if she found out, but he was always so kind to me when I was younger that I thought I owed him at least this one favor…”

“Who?” you said. “Who is he? Who demanded you keep my memories from me?”

She gave you a miserable look. “Zuko.”

“That liar,” you said. It wasn’t just anger for the specific betrayal; there was some old rage quivering in you. You hated him. You hated him. You couldn’t say why, but you hated him. The ground shook, and Ty Lee glanced around nervously, but you paid her no mind. “He lied to me! He pretended like he cared, but the whole time, he was the one who did it! It’s his fault that I’m like this!”

“Don’t be angry,” Ty Lee pleaded. “I’m sure he had a reason. Just talk to him, and I’m sure he’ll explain!”

“Explain?” you said. “I don’t want to hear his explanations. I want him to pay for what he did!”

Another stake driven into your mind. It was your chi, you presumed, chipping away at the place where your memories were stored. There was still nothing concrete, but a sense of claustrophobia was creeping over you. You weren’t supposed to be here. You were supposed to be somewhere else. You were supposed to be doing something, but Zuko — Zuko had snatched you away from that fate.

“Ursa,” Ty Lee said.

“Stop calling me that,” you said. “It’s not who I am.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what else to call you,” she said, clearly near tears. “Please calm down for a little bit. I blocked everyone’s chi in time; no one will remember this happened, so take the moment to settle and think things over. There’s no rush.”

“You can’t just do that,” you said. “You can’t keep blocking people’s memories at whim. They’re not yours to play with like that. Anyways, won’t they remember again? Are you really going to go around once a week and block everyone’s chi?”

“I was quick enough, and it was a small enough memory, that just one time will be sufficient,” she said. “No one will know what you’ve done, and I promise I won’t block your memories again if you stay.”

“I can’t trust you,” you said, straining with all your might to drive the stone wall back into the ground. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t.”

Dust flew up everywhere, but once it cleared, the field looked placid and undisturbed — barring, of course, the scorch marks left in the wake of Kaho’s attacks.

“What are you going to do now?” she said.

“I’m going to my room,” you said. “You can go ahead and tell Zuko I can Earthbend again. I’m sure you’ve been keeping him updated this entire time, so I won’t stop you.”

“He’ll want to come visit you,” Ty Lee said. And, because you did not want her to get in trouble, because despite what she had done there was still fondness for her buried deep within you, you only sighed and then nodded.

“Then he’ll do just that, I’d expect,” you said. “Goodbye, Ty Lee.”

You weren’t sure if she knew what you meant by the farewell. Maybe she did. For her own sake, you hoped she did not, or at least that she pretended that that was the case. She had in the end only been a tool of Zuko’s, so though you did not forgive her, you did not hate her, either.

Perhaps by a stroke of good fortune or perhaps by design, Jia-Li did not return to the room before dinner. This allowed you to collect your meager possessions, shoving them in the bag you had brought with you to Ember Island. Changing out of your uniform, you bit your lip before placing it in the trash. It was beyond salvaging, and besides, your time as Ursa was over. Now, you had to leave behind the life that the prince had created for you and figure out who you were, what your own life was like.

Fastening a cloak over your shoulders and tossing the hood up over your head to further disguise yourself, you slunk through the dormitory, staying in the shadows and hiding whenever people passed. In that manner, you managed to escape detection, reaching the academy’s aviary before anyone noticed you.

“Bian,” you whispered to your messenger hawk. She was instantly awake, cocking her head at you. You shook your own at her in the negative. “I don’t have a letter for you. There’s no one left for me to write to. I just wanted to tell you something: I’m leaving.”

Even if Bian had once been meant to be Prince Zuko’s, you had difficulty thinking of her as anything but yours. She was your friend, yourhawk, and though she was of the Fire Nation, of your time as Ursa, you could not let her go without saying farewell first, the way you would with the rest of it.

“I can’t tell anyone else,” you said. “It’ll just put them in danger. I can’t even say bye to Jia-Li. She’ll think I just ran away for no reason, and she was too loyal of a friend to deserve that, but I cannot implicate her in my defection from the academy. She’ll be the first they question, and I don’t know that she’ll lie convincingly enough to escape suspicion. So, then, when she says she has no idea where I’ve gone, she has to be telling the truth.”

Bian cooed at you; well, maybe calling the throaty sound cooing was being generous, but there was no other way to describe it, and the sentiment was the same. She was trying, in her own way, to comfort you, and you extended your arms to her perch so that you could rub the soft, tiny feathers of her cheeks.

“Thank you for being my hawk,” you said. “Be good for whoever owns you next — unless it is the prince, in which case I give you full permission to bite his fingers whenever he tries to give you letters.”

With that, you turned around, your hands dropping to your sides as you walked, then ran out of the aviary. If you turned around, you would cry. If you turned around, you might not ever be able to leave, so you sprinted until you reached the stables where the various animals belonging to the academy were kept.

Passing by the sleeping dragon moose and the corral of komodo rhinos, you ducked into the stall of one of the mongoose lizards. Throwing its saddle on, you patted it on the forehead.

“I’m sorry,” you said, swinging on and kicking it forwards. “I promise you can go home once you get me out of the capital.”

The mongoose lizard was fast, but more than that, it was stealthy and could traverse many kinds of terrain. Scuttling through the campus, it climbed the walls at your direction, though it was obviously unsure, as it had been trained not to leave the academy, even when given the opportunity.

Looking up, you saw a shadow cover the moon briefly, and you furrowed your brow as the dark shape came hurtling down towards you. The mongoose lizard continued to dash through the streets of the capital, and you used your hands to shield your face from the incoming projectile.

You needn’t have. At the last moment, it flared its wings, landing gently on your shoulder, careful not to dig its talons into your flesh despite the subsequent loss of balance.

“Bian?” you said. She nipped your shirt collar like she was chiding you for daring to leave without her. You laughed in relief, scratching her crest. “Oh, my dear Bian. I should never have tried to go without you. Thank you for finding me.”

She hopped off your shoulder, sitting on the pommel of the saddle, surveying the terrain with the regal bearing of a figurehead. With her at your side, you weren’t quite as lonely, and though it was selfish of you, you were glad that she had made such a choice, that she loved you enough to follow you away from the comfort of the aviary.

You traveled for a while at top speed, but once the mongoose lizard began to show signs of fatigue, you reined it to a stop. Whistling for Bian, you slid off of the beast. It made a clicking noise at you, and you smiled at it.

“Thank you,” you said. “You have done your job well. You may go back now.”

Without hesitation, the mongoose lizard spun and headed in the same direction it had come from. You didn’t wait, either; the palace certainly had methods to track you, so it would be a folly for you to stay in the same place for too long.

When the search began depended on Jia-Li. If she reported your disappearance immediately, then you were in trouble, but you sensed she would not. You had a habit of coming back to the room later than her, so she’d likely not realize you were gone at all until she woke up and saw your bed had remained undisturbed the entire night.

That left you with a window of time in which you could eat and sleep. After that, you had to walk to the nearest village and appropriate a new mount that could get you even farther from the academy and the capital and Prince Zuko’s grasp.

“It’s just so strange,” you said to Bian as you made a small fire using kindling, the way you had been taught in the academy. “If I’m an Earthbender instead of a former Fire Nation soldier, then there really is no explanation for any of it. Why did he abduct me? Why did he order my memories to be subdued? What significance did I hold?”

If she knew anything about the heart or mind of her former master, she did not reveal it. Rummaging around in your bag for the bit of food you had scrounged up while packing, you chewed on it pensively before pulling out the book you had been reading.

Opening to the page you had left off on, you promised to only finish the chapter on the royal family before you went to sleep. Maybe it was foolish to sacrifice any of the precious little rest you could get, but you longed for something to soothe your mind, and you thought that reading, as a familiar habit, might accomplish that goal.

The last ruler of the Earth Kingdom was the 52nd Earth King, born Kuei. He is famous only for his ineptitude. Ascending the throne at the age of four, he was a puppet monarch for much of his life, until the day he was deposed of by Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation forces. 

For some strange reason, there was a lump in your throat reading about the 52nd Earth King, as if he was someone that you greatly missed. But that was not even the oddest thing — it was the next passage that made you truly gasp. Memories upon memories poured in as you read and reread the paragraph, which was more of a footnote than anything.

The 52nd Earth King also had a younger sister, though no one ever saw her. A nonbender like the king, Princess Y/N remained shut away in the palace her entire life, reputedly for her own protection. Because of her fragile and essentially invisible status, her own subjects mockingly referred to her as the Glass Princess.

She, along with her brother, was killed during the fall of Ba Sing Se.

[thewangxianlibrary]

Wangxian Fic Recs - Modern Setting AU

Plant a little happiness (let the roots run deep) | Words: 47,638 | E

After thirteen years away, Dr. Wei Wuxian is back in Gusu. A car accident near his apartment brings someone unexpected back into his life and everything changes for the better.

and so my heart beats wildly | Words: 106,435 | E

“You know, you’re the one to beat this year,” Jiang Cheng offers helpfully, having seen the glare from right next to him. “Hanguang-jun’s been through juniors with the rest of us, he knows all of our tics. You’re an unknown variable, since he’s never competed against you before.” 

“Thanks,” says Wei Wuxian drily. “That’s very comforting.” 

Or: five nighthunting competitions where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were rivals, and one where they weren't.

Unstrictly Ballroom | Words: 47522  | T

Thirteen years ago, Wei Wuxian brought scandal and shame down upon his head and was thrown out of the competitive ballroom dance circuit. He vanished, never to be heard from again.

Lan Wangji aches when he remembers the way Wei Ying danced--like a laugh given movement and form. He has never stopped searching for him.

Let You Love Me (Always) | Words: 14853 | E

“I can't even imagine what kind of person Lan Wangji fell in love with,” Wei Wuxian admitted.

He felt his stomach being tied in knots, and it almost felt painful and definitely unpleasant, just trying to imagine the person that probably had Lan Wangji on his knees.

Or the story where Wei Wuxian was a bully and Lan Wangji was patiently waiting.

Some of You | Words: 60,640 | M

It can’t be that bad, he thinks. There’s no way he would have done that. But the doubt still lingers, turning into full-blown anxiety as he scrolls down his twitter feed, finally arriving on his latest tweet.

Lan WangJi ✔ @lan_wangji

Some of you have never fallen in love with a boy only for him to go missing after his parents die and pine away for three years waiting for him to come back, then continue to pine when he’s back after you realize you’re too scared to confess, and it shows.

23,043 retweets | 73,328 likes

Lan Zhan’s face pales and he buries his head in his hands, letting his phone drop on the table.

This is bad.

This is very, very bad.

-

Or, Lan Wangji gets drunk and tweets a love confession, Wei Wuxian panics, and all of twitter decides to matchmake Lan Wangji and his mystery guy.

Out of the Bin and Into Your Heart | Words: 27,675 | T

"Lan Zhan!” Wuxian exclaims as soon as the door to Lan Wangji's apartment opens. 

“Fake-date me!” The door slams shut in his face. 

or, The Best Laid Plans of Wei Wuxian.

nginal Equivalents | Words: 23,444 | E

He always gets the feeling there is something there, beyond the occasional jabs and the mostly one-sided banter and the way Lan Wangji has tolerated his rambles and teasing all these years and how he has caught him looking at him sometimes with his eyes softer than he has ever seen them. 

But whatever that is makes his heart clench painfully and beat a million miles an hour, and that can’t be good for you, can it? As a self-respecting neurosurgery resident he can’t ignore the symptoms of an imminent heart attack, can he? 

Or: How Wei Wuxian learnt to stop worrying and love his co-resident.

the moon lives in the lining of your skin | Words: 9,143 | M

“Let go,” Lan Wangji says.

“Huh?” Wei Wuxian tightens his hold on Lan Wangji. “Why?”

“If you don’t let go,” Lan Wangji tells him, reaching up to cover one of Wei Wuxian’s hands with his own, squeezing lightly, “then I can’t get up.”

“And what will you do once you get up?” Wei Wuxian asks. “Will er-gege punish me for being shameless?”

(Or, oh my god, they were roommates.)

boyfriend material | Words: 41,689 | M

Lan Xichen would do anything if it meant his brother was happy, which is what lead him to eavesdropping on the Jiang brothers as they discussed their requirements for a partner. 

Or; Lan Wangji attempts to woo an already infatuated Wei Ying using bad pickup lines, and a few more things.

Love wakes me | Words: 42,812 | E

It starts with a bet. All mistakes, Wei Wuxian thinks, start with a bet. 

It’s starts with a bet and ends with Wei Wuxian losing everything. 

Nine years ago, Wei Wuxian made a bet with disastrous consequences. Now, he is part-owner of the popular and eclectic Yiling Cafe, years and miles away from his old life, making the best of things and trying to leave the past where it belongs. When Lan Wangji walks into his cafe by accident, Wei Wuxian finds himself doing what he thought he'd never do again; reclaiming some small part of his past, and hoping for a future he'd given up as lost.

These Things Stay the Same | Words: 29,937 | E

After a career covering news across the world, journalist Wei Wuxian is unexpectedly on his way home with a child in tow. Unfortunately, the path home isn't without obstacles.

your heartbeat, across the grass | Words: 44,278 | E

To his unbridled horror, Wei Wuxian sees his face up on the giant screen in real time for the entire stadium to see. Still laughing as his face takes a moment to catch up with the sheer mortification he’s feeling, A-Yuan perched on his shoulders as the Lan Wangji cape drapes over them. 

There’s also commentary. 

“—scenes from the stands here, this dad and his son making for an adorable twosome all decked out in support for local hero Lan Wangji—” 

“—Speaking of, our man seems to have taken a little tumble—” 

Wei Wuxian finds Lan Wangji on the field. The ball is nowhere near him but he seems to have fallen inexplicably backwards, sitting on the grass as he looks up at the giant screen. 

Right up at the footage of him. 

(AU where A-Yuan is professional footballer Lan Wangji's biggest fan, and his babysitter Wei Wuxian wants nothing more than to forget his days as the photographer of their school football team, calling out to the captain from the stands just so he'd look around at him.)

with you, I am home | Words: 47,049 | M

“I can’t go back home alone, Lan Zhan.”

Wei Wuxian gets a summons to return to Lotus Pier for marriage proposals. To avoid this, he convinces Lan Zhan to come with him and pretend to be his cultivation partner.

it's the little things, you see? | Words: 30024 | T

Hot Stuff’s lips part and his voice— God, his voice —flows past his lips like honey dripping from its jar.

“Are you—”

“Will you marry me?”

Nailed it.

Where single parent Wei Ying greets his son’s preschool teacher— on the first day they meet —with a marriage proposal.

Wei Ying spends the changing seasons wooing said preschool teacher in full-force, no holds barred.

Lan Zhan’s life does a full 360 degree turn when two balls of unrestrained energy land themselves in front of his classroom.

And as the seasons change, so do they.

The Simplest Way Forward | Words: 71,008 | E

It’s a really unfortunate thing, developing a crush on your husband. Wei Ying had assumed this would be easy. Lan Zhan had been so icy and unpleasant to him, it had never occurred to him that he might end up spending the next however many years with this dumb, burning feeling in his chest whenever he looks at him. 

“Okay,” says Wei Ying. “But tell me if I…if the pretending gets to be too hard, okay?” 

“It will not,” says Lan Zhan, quietly certain.

Pretty Things | Words: 25,520 | T

The thing was...Wei WuXian was right. It did suit him. Jiang Cheng took in everything—from the lively red of his nails, to the way he had braided and wrapped his hair in twin buns, leaving his bangs to curl becomingly over his cheeks, to the red silk of his calf-length silk cheongsam with black chrysanthemums blooming over his right shoulder and down the split on the left side of the skirt, to his shapely, shaved legs. And what tied it all together was the way he carried himself. Wei WuXian smiled impishly, pleased to know he was right, that he looked good, and that others would agree. Doubtless, he would be out drinking until the early hours as patrons vied to buy him drinks after the end of his shift.

Operation Old Men | Words: 37645 | NR

An ill-fated parent teacher conference reunites Jin Ling's wayward uncle with Sizhui's father. AKA: A matchmaking disaster as told by Jin Ling, Sizhui, and Jingyi.

Jin Ling knows he’s in deep trouble even before reporting to Headmaster Lan’s office, but the words “your uncle will be here soon” still strike the fear of God in him. His only consolation is that Jingyi and Sizhui’s guardians are also in the office, Jingyi’s mom already lecturing her sheepish-looking son. Lan-ayi only stops when Sizhui’s father, a quiet and tall man in white, clears his throat, causing her to engage him in one-sided smalltalk.

This is a disaster. Jin Ling had spent such a nice break at home for Mid-Autumn Festival, and Fairy’s presence had soothed his homesickness after returning to boarding school in Gusu. He knows pets aren’t allowed, but who is going to report Jin Ling when his father pays good money for a private suite in the dorms? Then there was the incident with Jingyi, a box of mooncakes, and a door left ajar. Long story short, he spent an hour chasing Fairy down the halls with Sizhui and Jingyi before finding his dog nosing up to a very angry Headmaster Lan.

[evergreen-dryad]

day 2 - soulmate

only death will do us part (2319 words)

They told him his soulmate must be dead.

All his life, the circlet of script around his left wrist had always been greyed out. Illegible. You had to squint in order to see it twining around the green-blue of his veins, and even then it might have been mistaken for scar tissue if it hadn’t been for how circular the soulmark was. How regular, the shape of the words were. Little rounded hiragana with a fat ‘ko’.

Amane had studied it as intensely as he had ever studied anything in his life, which was really only the moon rock, any astronomy books he could get from the library, and the newspaper for news of advances on space travel, so he could say for certainty he thought he knew what it said.

    「Hanako-kun!? Are you hurt!? That looks painful...」

Strange, and a little sad, that his soulmate would recognise him for someone else. But that’d make them easier to identify, hopefully?

If they were ever coming. People whispered around him when they saw the little silvery words wrapped around his knobby wrist. Faded words, a gone soulmate. How unlucky...

Another impossible thing to believe in then. He wanted to go to the moon, he wanted to be part of the Space Race, if Japan could join in too... he wanted his parents and Tsukasa back.

They weren't really here right now. They haven't been the same in a very long time. 

Tsukasa always seemed oddly triumphant whenever his eyes laid on Amane's soulmark. His eyes would curve just so, and for a moment Amane could believe he was the cat that had tasted cream. 

(Tsukasa had no mark of his own. People whispered that that meant he was fated to die, unbelonging. 

Unlucky boys, they whisper.

And Tsukasa—

—always gave that queer, cheery laugh, that said That's exactly what I want.) 

Hey, have you heard? Those twin boys... are marked by misfortune. They say the dead do not have soulmarks.

But then came along Tsuchigomori-sensei, with careful dark eyes that did not immediately dismiss him, or cringe away from where he silently sat in the corner, mooning over his newspaper clippings that he meticulously glued in his notebook, or gazing emptily outside to the sky.

Only he said consideringly, one day after class, after a gaggle of schoolgirls exchanging gossip and tattletale had fled the class in giggles, on realisation the tall teacher was still in the classroom.

"Or, your soulmate hasn't been born yet."

The words hit him like a stone. 

"Oh." He felt his breath drop out of him, as if gravity had changed his orbit.

Yet, cool relief swept over him also. Dead, or unborn: they're just not here yet. Their soul is still out there. 

But what if he isn't here by the time they come? 

He got up shakily from his desk, and uttered a quiet goodbye to his teacher before he left.

Tsuchigomori watched him with forlorn eyes. From the book he had read last night, Yugi Amane would have to grow to be 64 before he would meet his soulmate.

Those would be lonely years for him, but hey, the least he could do would be to commiserate with him over a drink or two.

Those of the Far Shore indeed do not have soulmarks.

_

When he met her, he was too caught up trying to remember to breathe right.

Don't cry. Don't let him see he's gotten to you more than this. Don't let anyone hear—

It was useless. Tears still pooled in his eyelids, blood still rose to the surface no matter how much he licked it away, willing the wounds to close. At least the blood would congeal soon. 

The reopened scabs kept weeping, while the orange of evening sunshine drifted in together with the tinny music of the evening broadcast, and the desperate sawing of cicadas.

He hadn't heard the door open. But then suddenly she was there like a ball of energy, dressed in the zaniest clothes he'd ever seen, yelling something about the evening announcement. He can't remember. Trying to remember is like viewing the image through oily water. 

(Even blurrier is the memory of when he fell for a pretty, kind older girl at a festival.

But—

—it couldn't have been her.)

She stopped, and turned to look at him, mouth open. He must have banged the bookcase beside him, he realised dimly.

And then she was over him, asking the words he had long memorised by heart.

Frozen to the spot, he couldn't breathe again.

Kind red eyes stared into his. They widened and began to settle into that expression he didn't know what to do with.

"Were you crying...?" The question broke through him like cold water.

She couldn't, shouldn't see him like this.

He ran. Scrambling out the door, she heard her yell "Wait!"

She had... fat ankles. Cute legs.

Heart in his throat, he sprinted out into the corridor. Don'tbebehindmedon'tbe-

She had nice hands. Nice, gentle hands in those fancy black gloves.

He ran and ran. The moon was already out in the swirling pinks and yellows of the sky.

runrunrun 

Did she have a soulmark too?

His heart rabbiting in his chest, the only sound he could hear for a long time, the deep throbbing next to his ears.

I didn't say anything to her. Except 'goodbye'.

His legs whirred to a stop. Head bowed, he trembled under a lamppost.

He didn't know what to do. His hand slipped into his pocket hesitatingly. Shouldn't he just go back home and forget about all this?

(But what if she's still there?)

It was only then he realised he had lost his key. His copy of the house key. 

"Oh no," he said softly to himself. The light of the lamppost flickered to life above him.

The moon was a pale thumbprint in the violet sky when he turned back.

But she wasn't there. Neither was the key. Both lost to the darkness.

A hiccup caught in his throat, as he felt himself crying again. 

(Were they both ghosts?)

_

They told her her soulmate must be dead. 

(Or, you are dying soon, they don't tell her.) 

All her life, she had waited for the prince of her dreams, the love of her life to show up. Maybe they'd ride in on a white horse, she'd giggle as she daydreamed, watching the fluffy white clouds pass over the blue sky, or in a black limousine, she smiled prettily as she walked on pavements and crossed the road, hoping, hoping. The words of the soulmark though... left little to be desired.

     「Yeeeeeeeees~ Over here.」

What kind of words were those?? Hmph, they came off a bit creepy. Why couldn't these words be something like, You're beautiful, m'lady, or I've fallen for you at first sight? Or even let me help you or good day. 

She sighed as she traced the silvery rope of letters over her right wrist. The 'a's stretched and wriggled like snaky beads. Honestly...

It didn't matter as long as she could meet them soon. She always smiled to herself then, determined.

Yashiro Nene was optimistic.

This she would tell herself everyday.

Yashiro Nene ... was also easily tempted. Aaaaah, when a handsome guy swept by or even looked her way...

She was lost. 

But! How was she to know otherwise, she told herself. From her soulmark it was obvious she'd have to approach or talk to them first, before they said the fateful words.

But she didn't feel ready talking to pretty boys unless she was also, either super pretty or feminine enough to pass.

She picked flowers, she picked stitches, she peeled and stirred and picked out bits of eggshell. All for her love to come true.

(Unsaid, was the what if the old superstition was right.)

So, in the meantime, she pined after boys she never really talked to, while waiting for the one to sweep her off her feet. Or in her case, beckon her over with a stretched-out word that might be a cat's yawn.

It was Aoi that talked to her in high-school. Kind Aoi that took a look at her and smiled brightly, and asked her if she liked flowers. While other girls might have laughed or fallen silent at her soulmark, Aoi 'ooh'd at it.

"It's so delicate," she said. "It's almost like a silver bracelet, I like it!" And then she'd showed Nene hers easily and eagerly, and they'd both speculated and giggled over their soulmarks for the better half of the gardening club session.

And then Aoi told her the tale of Hanako-san of the girls' toilets.

It captured Nene's heart at once. Why not, it coaxed to her. And before she knew it, she was creeping up the old wooden stairs to the third floor, and turning the old-style stained-glass door open.

Red doors stared back at her. Which one? One, two, three...

Braving herself to stand in front of the third door, she swallowed in the dusty silence and willed herself to knock. 

"Hanako-san, Hanako-san..." Her voice creaked out of her, hovering before her. Sunlight underscored the dust motes drifting in the air. "Are you there?"

A beat. Two. And then the stall door in front of her creaked ominously, exactly like from a horror movie, and a voice called eerily in reply. 

Nene hunched her shoulders, clutching her hands. She was ready to run if a monster came crawling out.

The door swung open, but there was only the toilet gaping mournfully in the dark. She let out her breath, sighing in relief. Just her imagination, huh...

"Over here." There was a husky voice beside her ear. Ahandonhershoulder—

She screamed and turned to shove the stranger, but flailed when they shot through someone's chest. Someone's chest. Ohmygodshewasgoingtodie...

Their laughter resounded above her head. She peeked out of the ball she had curled in. Huh...

"Are you alright?" A smiling boy's face entered her line of sight. She tried to gather her faculties, now that the shock had worn off. Something had struck out to her, what was it-

"Ah!" She sat up, eyes wide. "It's you!" The boy — the ghost — looked at her in confusion. "It's you?!" She realised with a start. "Oh, oh no..." Her voice faltered. "The rumours are true then. You're a ghost, right?"

"I am." He looked at her, puzzled.  "Do I still need to introduce myself as 7th of the school mysteries? Because that's what I am, nice to meet you." He smiled.

"I…" Her mouth worked, speechless. Where were the words for this? Where were all the times she'd practiced what'd she'd say if, when, she'd found them? "Hi." She put on a brave smile. "I'm Yashiro Nene, and - I'm your soulmate, and I'm so, so glad I've finally met you." Her eyes filled with tears.

It was true. She was glad, even though he was dead. He was dead, wasn't he? It was a miracle they could meet.

Amber stared into ruby eyes for a breath's space. He stared at her as if she was the ghost. 

"You...?" He looked really taken aback. His face was pale. "You are...?" 

Be still my heart. Yashiro Nene prayed to herself. "Yeah," she said lamely, as she held out her wrist for him to see. His first words carved into silver links on her skin. Be still, don't be nervous, it's okay, it's going to be okay right? Tears rose unbidden to her eyes.

She was always really afraid they might not accept her. He kept staring at her as if he was in a trance.

The ghost finally moved with a start. His hand came up to her cheek. "I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I-" He dipped his forehead against hers as his arms curled around her back protectively. "I always thought you were dead." His voice cracked. She could sense the truth of it.

"Me too," she let herself admit, a tear running down her cheek. "I was always really afraid."

He held her tighter. He didn't feel like anything more than the temperature of the air itself, but she could feel his touch on her. There was a chillness where his face was buried into her shoulder, so she raised her hands to cradle his head softly.

"I'm really glad you finally found me," he said, after a moment.

"Mm," she agreed, cracking a smile. "Hey, what should I call you? I can't just keep calling you ghost in my head." She giggled.

He hesitated. "...I'm used to Hanako after so long," he said carefully. "But you can - call me Amane." He looked at her, oddly searching. "Yugi Amane was my name."

"Okay, Amane-kun it is then!" She said breathily, a giggle bubbling out of her. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the mixture of emotions boiling within her after the adrenaline and the tears had worn off.

He took her hand in his, turning her wrist this way and that. A finger traced the letters over her pulse point. He looked so pensive. "...Do you still have yours?"

"Ah." He caught himself. "I'm not sure," he faltered. 

"It's okay," she told him, holding his hands before he could let go. "We have time." She smiled at him, full of hope.

He flushed, shaken. Appeared to pull himself together. "Actually." He grinned coyly, taking a step into her space. She took a step back, surprised by this change of pace. "We should make up for lost time, don't you agree?" He purred as he sidled closer to her, curling a lock of her hair around his finger.

"Ehhh?" She squeaked. "I mean- yes?" She was about to swoon! His breath hit her red cheeks. They must be red, she felt hot. Very hot and bothered.

Yellow eyes closed in on her, and she closed her eyes.

.

Be still my tongue, he thought to himself with dread, as he stared down at the scar where the soulmark used to be. She can't know she's dying soon.

He'll hold her hands, hold her in his arms, steal sweet kisses as much as he can before—

—he has to let go.

//note: if you’re confused about Nene’s soulmark it’s because it’s Haaaaaaaai, kocchi dayo. I chose to translate it more literally here.

edit 22/2/2020: rewrote where Nene knocked, forgot it's 3rd door. From left or right? Who knows, assume there’s 5 doors and it’s always at the centre.

[evak-fic-rec-turtleanon]

Evak Fics - Soulmates AU

The Soulmates au list. Plus an extra Jokael fic. WIPs are at the end. Under a read more:

***** SOULMATES *****

We can be soulmates by sleepinggiant (SERIES, 2 fics) - After you meet your soulmate, marks that appear on their skin appear on your skin too.

Life is a beautiful thing by skampanda (524 words) - They didn't just survive through life, they lived it. They had so much passion and excitement in their lives. They had each other.

in every universe by queerness (632 words) - The first time your soulmate touches you, a handprint stays there for the rest of your life

Handsome Mystery Boy by waitineedaname (1.3k words) - You need to know your soulmate's name before it can appear on your arm. Coffee shop au.

New Year's Minute by killercatchy (1.5k words) - Alternate universe where you have a timestamp of when you’ll meet your soulmate. The first minute of every year, you spend in your soulmates body.

Show me your true colors by NikiNixie (1.5k words) - A soulmate AU where you have a black stain where your soulmate is supposed to touch you for the first time and it turns into millions of colors once they do.

du er ikke alene by TheGhostOfMe (1.9k words) - soulmate tattoo

you've been scared of love (and what it did to you) by voidskam (1.9k words) - you're born with a specific eye color, but when you meet your soulmate, both your eyes change into a beautiful color that show you have found your soulmate.

In another life, my dear, by HeartbeatsAreMySymphony (2k words) - countdown to when you meet your soulmate appear on your wrist. a twist on the soulmate trope. warning: it's pretty angsty.

spend more time with you by hippopotamus (2.1k words) - isak accidentally freezes time trying to prove even wrong about his ability to reverse it.

seen it all in paper dreams by hippopotamus (2.2k words) - soulmate au where your world turns colourful when you hear your soulmate's voice

When I Kiss Your Soul by jinglebin (2.5k words) - Even's soulmate wasn't who he had expected or hoped it would be. Your soulmate's name appears on your wrist when you think of them. Enemies to lovers.

In This Universe and the Next by bettertoflee (2.5k words) - For the longest time, Isak avoided looking at the name that appeared on his underarm

Real Eyes by SuddenTempest (2.9k words) - au where your right eye is your own natural eye colour but your left is the colour of your soulmate's. It is only once that you meet and recognize your own eye staring back at you that your eyes change to match.

keeping me close to you by alotofphandoms (2.9k words) - Isak and Even are soulmates with shared skin. Any mark made on them shows up on the other.

something lonesome, something so wholesome by hippopotamus (3.2k words) - au where there's a tattoo on your skin that can move around, and when you find your soulmate it can move onto them too. They are animal tattoos!

the threads that bind us by everythingislove (straykid) (3.3k words) - The silver thread appears on his third birthday, tied perfectly around his wrist. He doesn’t remember much about the moment apart from his mother’s tears, and the way his father’s eyes screamed ‘disappointment.’

Of Ocean and Sky by RamblingWithFantasy (3.5k words) - An ancient legend says that the islanders will find their soulmates for the first time on the way back home, someday.

the red thread by thekardemomme (3.5k words) - every time you lie to your soulmate it shows up on their skin. 5+1 things

The clock is ticking by writtenpeach (3.6k words) - A story about how Isak fell into the arms of his soulmate. Countdown to meeting your soulmate.

The Worst Soulmate by kaleidxscope (4.1k words) - Tattoo of the first words you hear from your soulmate. Unfortunately for Isak, his soulmate spoils Star Wars for him.

do right by you by puddingandpie (4.6k words) - an au where you swap bodies with your soulmate

Some of it is transcendental, some of it is just really dumb by r0nj4 (4.9k words) - It’s a place he’s been before, except he knows that it’s not. It’s a rush of endorphins and electricity and bright lights. “Do you think it’s happening?” Jonas asks.

(oh damn) never seen that colour blue by colazitron (4.9k words) - Isak has soulmarks. Lots of them. They are like freckles and they glow.

Shall I Find No Other by ultimatelawrence (5.4k words) - Everyone is born with a compass on their body, inked into their skin and commonly on their inner left arm. Instead of pointing to north, the needle on the compass points in the direction of your true soulmate.

The Imaginative Friend Syndrome by wyoheartsmusic (5.6k words) - Five times Isak and Even communicate in their heads and one time they communicate in person

i always knew by GayaIsANerd (5.7k words) - au where you get dreams of what your soulmate is experiencing.

let's not waste it feeling wrong by prettyisak (6.9k words) - Instead of your soulmate's first words to you written on your skin, it's the last words you ever hear them say, so you don't know who your soulmate is until you lose them. Warning: Angsty. Please read the tags.

flickered in my mind for only you by shadeandadidas (8.2k words) - But even the lonely nights hearing his mom cry for his dad couldn’t stop Isak from tracing the words (looped, like maybe his soul mate was an artist or a writer) etched permanently onto his skin. 

Is This Our Time? by Evakkk (9.9k words) - This is a world where everyone is born with an indistinguishable soulmate mark... it only changes into something recognizable, once you have physical contact with your soulmate, and it's always something meaningful to the relationship. Both partners will bear the same mark. Isak is about to turn 18... and he's the only one in his friend group who still hasn't found their soulmate. But what happens when he goes out one night, gets drunk... and wakes up with his soulmate mark? 

undisclosed desires in your heart by owilde (10k words) - It would be just a massive joke if Isak somehow ended up having a soulmate. He doesn't even want one, not really. It's silly. If Isak wants to date someone, he can find a girlfriend on his own, thank you very much.

our souls aren't strangers by everythingislove (straykid) (10k words) - The six times Isak and Even can't get it together, and the one time they already are. Or a childhood friends and soulmates au

Isak and Even: everything at once by imissedyourskin (10k words) - “yes. I used to see in black and white. Your dad used to see in colour. And then we met each other and we saw everything at once. It made me see colour and made your dad see black and white. That is what happens when you meet your soulmate.”

A Winter Dream by flyingonthewind (11k words) - Set in a world where soulmates are found by the touch of skin, Isak navigates life alone. At least he did until some drunk guy spilled beer all over him on the tram.

Love Is The Drug For Me by mccolfer (12k words) - The soulmate mark system is one that is full of flaws and uncertainty. Sure, most of the time you and your soulmate had each other's names and you'd meet and fall in love and be together forever. But sometimes the marks aren't mutual. Sometimes the name on your wrist is so common that you don't know who your soulmate is. Sometimes you don't fall in love with your soulmate, rather they're just your best friend. It's not always as clear cut as it's supposed to be. 

In this universe, in different times. by Bewa (12.9k words) - When two souls are separated by the Big Bang, they will forever search for the other until they finally are reunited. 

Taraxacum by GayaIsANerd (15k words) - Isak would never say this out loud, but he’s a hopeless romantic. His mother told him stories about the soulbond, how everyone was born with a symbol somewhere on their bodies, linking them to someone else, somewhere in the universe. These symbols were a representation of the soulmates’ souls.

Lost & bound by hjertetssunnegalskap (Crazyheart) (16k words) - Even has been in a bicycle accident and he has lost his memory of the past three years. However, Isak gets a shock when Even tells him that they’re bonded soulmates, and expects them to be a couple.

Trollbundet/Spellbound by Crazyheart (16k words) - A summer fling soulmate AU. Isak has graduated from Nissen and he’s attending Trolsk (Enchanting), an alternative Fair/music festival with his friends. When he meets a guy called Even, they bond. However, Even is reluctant about bonding. Is a summer fling all they will have?

Not the End by nofeartina (16k words) - Sometimes a connection is so powerful that it can bend the fabric of space and time. Or the parallel universe AU where Isak and Even find each other over and over again.

Making shades of purple by rumpelsnorcack (22k words) - The soulmark changes based on the soulmate's emotions. When their left hands touch, the soulmate bond connects.

beautiful people will ruin your life by traumatic (22k words) - au where two people can communicate solely by writing on their skin, Isak and Even are the best of friends until a lie burrows its way between them and nearly rips them apart.

Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking by staylucky (25k words) - The Afterlife is not what Isak Valtersen was expecting. He didn’t think he’d die at 18 years old in the first place. Purgatory’s ‘Apprentice Leader’, Eskild, is a wildcard, Isak's 'Angel Mentor' Noora doesn’t like Isak and he never got to even a kiss boy while he was on Earth. Thank Goodness, while he waits for reincarnation, for Jonas (another’s mentor) who takes Isak under his (literal) wing but most of all for fellow spirit and member of ‘Limbo Land’ Even Bech Naesheim, a beautiful boy with a past of his own. All isn’t what it seems, and Isak has a lot to discover.

Bittersweet Markings by BreeTaylor (26k words) - Isak's soulmate wanted nothing to do with him. Their skin was a shared canvas, but his soulmate seemed to hate every word Isak wrote. Isak's soulmate had a habit of drawing butterflies on his forearms. Isak never really understood what it meant, but when Vilde started showing up to school with them, too, he didn't waste any time in finding out.

You Make My Heart Soar by missmarymakeup93 (32k words) - Soulmates have basically become extinct. But one chance encounter has Isak in a mess of emotions. Especially when magical marks start appearing on his body.

Just your average ordinary everyday Superhero by vorfm95 (34k words) - Isak works for the governament fixing the chaos caused by the Yeti a young superhero who protects the streets of Oslo. The last words he'll hear from his soulmate is engraved on his arm.

we can take the long way home by Treehouse (37k words) - When he gently puts his hand on the right side of his stomach, the skin is burning hot and feels rugged underneath his fingertips, and when he lifts the cover to look he sees a dark patch there, about the size of his palm. He freezes, has to close his eyes for a moment. Surely, it can’t be, not this soon? But when he looks again, he’s sure. He’s gotten a mark. He’s only been eighteen for about a month, haven’t even had the time to start worrying about it yet. 

Colours Speak Louder Than Words by BreeTaylor (39k words) - (9/10 chapters posted) "Colour changes the way we see the world, Isak." Everybody sees the world in greyscale until they meet their soulmate.

For His Love to Flee by wyoheartsmusic (48k words) - in a world where vampires hide, two lost souls find each other. enemies to lovers

(2017/18) tender (is the night) by towonderland72 (kittpurrson) (49k words) - Reuploaded in 2020. His whole body aches, like he’s regrown his limbs overnight, stretched out muscles he never knew he had. Isak knows, in that moment, that his life has just been turned upside down. “You bonded,” Even’s girlfriend confirms, and the pity in her eyes doesn’t go unnoticed. “Try not to move.” The one where Isak and Even accidentally soulbond.

Lost to the Sea by Flatfootmonster (73k words) - Isak doesn't yet know who he is, or who he even want's to be. Even is indebted to the land and living in human form, despite his very nature demanding he return to the sea. Both beings crave belonging and a need to be seen, if only by one other set of eyes.

Burning For Your Touch by cuteandtwisted (221k words) - (16/17 chapters posted) Isak's skin burns anyone that comes into contact with it and therefore cannot be touched. Closed off and extremely manipulative, Isak transfers to Bakka and scares everyone away with his condition. Everyone but Even.

*** BONUS JOKAEL *** because it's cute

Seeing Color by waitineedaname (3.3k words) - He didn't ever expect he'd meet his soulmate in the middle of a fist-fight.

******** WIPs ********

Everything has changed but your eyes by onlydeadsoulscantdance (posted in Feb 2019)

twin reflections of kindred spirits by devonthemenace (last update May 2017)

Hold On (If Love Is The Answer) by silkeborgriver (posted in April 2019)

It Was Always Supposed to Happen Like This by Darwig3 (last update Jan 2017)

Living With the Uncertainty by kitsunechikyu (last update on June 2017) 

The saddest people smile the brightest by vorfm95 (last update in Feb 2019)

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by i_once_wrote_a_dream (last update in May 2019)

Princes and Stars by CrochetingWords (last update in Oct 2018)

cut off my fingers to touch your smile by bbyfruit (last update in Sept 2018)

These Mountains To Move by verlore_poplap (orphan_account) (last update in Oct 2017)

this world was built for two by twentyonedani (last update in May 2019)

Crystal Dust by Liolny (last update in Feb 2019)

[serpent-squad]

Serpent Drop | Sweet Pea x Reader

Sweet Pea has always hated the holiday season, and New Year’s is no exception. Will you and the rest of the serpents be able to make this New Year’s one to remember? 

Written for Day Eight (Blitzen) of @riverdale-events Reindeer Games! 

December 31st 8 a.m. BEEP BEEP BEEP

“What the hell?” Sweet Pea groans as he leans over to pull the alarm clock’s cord from the wall.

“We need to wake up sleepyhead! It’s New Year’s eve.” Sweet Pea shoved his head back under the blankets. “I thought we could get a group together and head to the city to see the ball drop?” Y/n said pulling the blanket from his face and flashing your best puppy dog eyes. You knew this was a long shot, but waking up early gave you more opportunity to beg.

“You know how I feel about this time of year..” He said obviously uncomfortable, “Why don’t you just tag along with Toni and Cheryl or something? That sounds like more their kind of scene.” He got out of bed and retreated to the bathroom.

Making your way to the kitchen you decide to make Pea’s favorite breakfast—French toast. As he shut off the shower, you set the small kitchen table with two plates, a plate piled high of French toast, and started a pot of coffee. Sweet Pea gives you a sly look as he emerges from the door way.

“Smells good babe.” He says as you both slide into your normal seats across from each other. We both devoured the food and drank cups of coffee, while entertaining small talk and both clearly avoiding the question at hand, until I finally started cleaning the table to do the dishes.

“So what time did you want to leave for the city? It’s only 9:30 a.m. so we have plenty of time if you wa—”

“I’m not going y/n.”, he interrupted as he started for the door.

“What?! You were serious?”

“Yes, I don’t get the big deal. It’s just like every other Monday night.” He scoffed.

“Because I want to spend New Year’s with you!”, y/n pleaded, “Sweets what is your problem? Ever since Christmas you’ve been even more grumpy than normal?”

He sighed. “I’ve just n- never really seen the point in celebrating. When I had a family, we didn’t celebrate and then when I was six on Christmas morning I woke up and they were gone. I was all alone.” His voice cracked as he struggled to get the words out. I crossed the kitchen towards him and pulled him to sit on the couch.

“So this time of year has always been associated with pain and loneliness... I’m not usually with anyone and my relationships haven’t made it past hooks up in years. I knew it would be hard being around you because you love Christmas and holidays and I-I just didn’t want to ruin them for you with my problems.”

“Oh, Pea.” I placed my fingers on his chest and looked into those big brown eyes, “You could never bother me, and I want your problems to be my problems. The day I said yes to dating I signed up for that. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know they did that to you on Christmas..”

Sweet Pea didn’t say anything, but I felt his grip tighten on my hand, and his thumb tracing circles. I laid my head on his chest and we sat like that for a while. Until I realized what needed to be done today. Pea’s phone rang from the bedroom and as he went to answer it I shot a quick text to a group chat, that included everyone expect Sweet Pea.

   Serpent Meeting, Noon, @ pop’s (Don’t tell him Fangs)

“Hey babe. Some older serpents called and they really needed my help with a job today.” He explained as he threw on his serpent jacket.

“Be safe please. And call me when you’re on the way home.”, even though you were a serpent you couldn’t help but feel anxious when Sweet Pea went on jobs.

As you made your way into the pop’s, you knew it would be empty because most people were preparing for tonight’s festivities. Jughead and Betty were sitting next to each other in a booth, no doubt working on Riverdale’s latest mystery and Toni and Cheryl were sitting across the bar from one another.

“Alright Y/N, what was so important that I had be here this early?” Cheryl retorted.

Y/N rolled their eyes, “Once Fangs and Kevin get here, I’ll tell everyone. Calm down Cheryl.”

“Early? It’s noon.” Jughead pointed out laughing.

“You and cousin Betty may stay up all hours of the night sleuthing, but some of us actually like to sleep. Plus TT kept me up last night.” Cheryl said shooting a smirk across the counter.

The group erupted with TMI’s, gags, and laughs coming from Cheryl and Toni, as Fangs and Kevin finally showed up.

“Thank god you two finally showed up!” Betty remarked, escaping the previous conversation.  

“So Y/N now that we’re all here, what was the reason for this urgent serpent & co meeting?” Kevin asked.

“I’m sure you all realized how much more grumpy Sweet pea was around Christmas. And today I was begging him to come to the city with me to celebrate New Years and I finally found out why he hates the holiday season so much.”

“What does this have to do with us?” Cheryl asked, “so the giant is a little more grumpier than normal, what’s new?”, she said shrugging.

Fangs sighed. “He told you why, Y/N?” I nodded in response, averting my eyes towards the ground.

Fangs crossed the room towards me, putting his arm around and squeezing my shoulder. “Hey, I’ve never known him to tell any of his exes about that, he must really love you, ya know that right?”, he whispered in my ear.

“I do. Thank you Fangs. And that’s why I need all of your help. I want to show Sweet Pea just how loved he really is by the family, that he has right here in Riverdale.”, I said.

“What did you have in mind?”, Betty asked.

“I thought we could throw our own New Year’s party.. at possibly Thistle house?”

“Of course.” Toni replied. “At least I get to throw a party I guess.” Cheryl added in.

“Great. So, we’ll need some decorations, and of course drinks. It is New Year’s after all.” Kevin stated, “Fangs and I can take care of getting that stuff.”

“I had an idea for a makeshift ball drop.. I know we could just watch it on tv but I feel like actually having one in person would give a better effect. I saw some tutorials online that said something about wrapping paper and a foam ball.” I confessed.

“Jug and I can help with that. I have some left over Christmas wrapping that we could use. ”, Betty suggested.

We all left Pop’s with plans, supplies to gather, and agreed to meet at Thistle house two hours later. Betty, Jughead, and I head to her house to work on the makeshift ball drop.

“The tutorial said we should glue strips of the foil wrapping paper onto the ball. It recommended covering it in glitter for an even better effect.”, I said, “which I was almost positive you would already have some laying around, Betty.”

“I’m sure I have some around here.” She said as she started digging through her desk drawers.

“Then Jughead once we get to Thistle house, I’ll need your help to suspend the ball from the ceiling using an eye screw and a pulley to control it.”

“Can do.” Jughead smirked, as betty and I got busy covering the foam ball.

We were the last group to show up to Thistle house. Toni and Cheryl had invited some other serpents and Kevin and Fangs had brought decorations and alcohol for the party. Everyone was decorating the huge living room and parts of the backyard.

“Wow guys! This looks amazing.. Thank you, really. This means a lot to me.” , I said looking around at all the work they had put in.

“We bought some snacks, plenty of alcohol, and even some fireworks for tonight.” Kevin bragged.

Jughead and Kevin got to work to hang the ball from the patio overhang in the backyard. Cheryl even brought out a spotlight to illuminate the ball during the drop. Everything for tonight was falling into place.

“So how are you planning to get him here?”, Betty asked.

I paused and glanced towards Toni. “I was thinking you could call him and come up with something to get him over here?”

“Say no more.”, Toni smirked as she pulled out her phone.

Serpents had starting showing up around nine p.m. And just like clockwork, I got a text from Pea right after Toni called him.

                       Otw to Toni’s babe. Be home soon

We made sure everyone’s vehicles were parked out back and the music wasn’t too loud while we waited for him. As the roar of his engine came down the road and pulled in the drive way, I got everyone situated in the living room out of sight of the front door.

BANG BANG BANG

“Alright Topaz. Where is this emergency? I have to be home soon.”, Pea explained.

“Why?”

“I don’t really care about New Year’s but it means a lot to y/n so I want to be there.”, he said.

“Aw—”

“Don’t start with me. You want my help or not?” He retorted cutting her off.

“C’mon, it’s in the living room.”

As soon as I heard his voice I started questioning everything. Did I make the right choice? Is he going to hate this? Will this make him feel even more lonely? It didn’t really matter now, his footsteps were fast approaching the living room and there was no time for second thoughts.

“What the hell is this?”Sweet Pea asked gesturing to the silver and gold streamers hanging in between him and the living room.  

Jughead flicked the lights on and the crowd erupts with cheers. As Fangs runs towards his best friend bursting through the curtain of streamers and jumping on him. “Happy New Year’s!”

The room filled with laughter as the two serpents fell to the floor, some joining in and jumping on the boys, and the party was in full force. Sweet Pea managed to get up and escaped Fangs’ grip, and we made eye contact from across the room. His long legs took no time to make the strides in my direction.

“You.. this is what you’ve been doing all day while I was gone?” He smirked as he put his arms around my waist.

“Maybe, but I can’t take all the credit.”

“Who else would do this for me?”, he asked.

“Oh I don’t know. The bonkers serpent who attacked you when you came in the living room, or the girl who got you here, or even Cheryl who volunteered her house, or Betty and Jughead that helped me with a big project today.” He laughed as I listed off the other people who helped, “Your family, Sweets, that’s who.”  

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead as he whispered in my ear. “I love you y/n. I can’t promise I’ll ever love the holidays but with you by my side, they will be a lot more bearable.”

We found the rest of our friends, and spent the night dancing and drinking. Playing party games with other serpents, sitting around the fire, shooting off fireworks, and all the while him not letting you out of arms reach. At about 11:50 the alarm on my phone went off to remind me about the ball drop.

“What was that?”, Pea asked.

Toni heard the alarm and went to find Cheryl.

CLINK CLINK CLINK

Cheryl tapped a fork against her glass and yelled over the music. “Everyone go to the backyard for Sweet Pea’s surprise from Y/N.”

“What’s going on?” Pea asked. I grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door into the backyard. Kevin turned on the spotlight to illuminate the makeshift ball. Sweet Pea’s face lit up when he noticed the double headed serpent emblem drawn onto the sparkling ball.  

“I know it doesn’t quite compare to the real deal, but we tried to make it special? I thought if I couldn’t bring you to the city, I’d bring the ball drop to Riverdale.”

Sweet pea sighed. “It’s perfect y/n. This is so much better than anything the city could offer.” He said as he pulled you into his chest.

Fangs came up from behind and squeezed between us. “Three minutes until the ball drop lovebirds!”

“What’re you doing over here? Where’s Kevin?” Sweet Pea asked and Fangs was gone again.

Pea laughed as Fangs ran frantically looking for Kevin. We went back to holding onto each other, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of this morning. How broken and sad he felt, thinking back on how holidays made him feel.

“I hope you’ve had fun tonight, Sweets.” I said.

“Are you kidding? This is the best New Year’s I’ve had… well, ever y/n.” Pea gulped. “And you’ve done the most of anyone to ensure that. So I do owe you a thank you. No matter how grumpy I got, you didn’t give up. You showed me who really cares, and you’ve showed me who my real family is.”

I was in awe. Sweet Pea had finally realized he did have a family. Maybe not blood, but he had a group of people who would go to the ends of the Earth for him. Before I could say anything, everyone started counting down as Jughead lowered the Serpent ball down from the top.

Five…Four…Three…Two… One…

Sweets grab you by your waist as you wrapped your arms around his neck. The smile that spread across his lips was enough to melt you into a puddle on the floor. Everyone around you erupted into cheers and hollers to ring in the new year. Your lips met as you felt the caress of his warm lips press against yours. Softly at first and then with a swift gradation of intensity as you parted your lips, biting his lip you pulled away with a smirk. Sweet Pea knew how quickly he could get you going.

“Happy New Year babe.” He said planting a kiss on your forehead.

“Happy New Year, Sweets.” I said without being able to contain the grin from my face. “I have a feeling 2019 is going to be our year.”

A loud boom brought them from their trance. Fangs, Kevin, and Jughead were on the other side of the back lawn shooting off fireworks.

“C’mon man, you gotta do the finale!” Fangs yelled.

Any feedback is appreciated! :) Hope everyone had a great holiday season and has a happy 2019 ♡

[viralgossip]

VIRAL GOSSIP’S TRENDING ARTISTS !!

JUNE 7TH, 2018

wayfinder changed my life 🌠 @lilkayns · 6m with a name like [ REDACTED ] i really have to wonder why people ship them.

follow me ezra!! @ajpeg · 12m the claws are coming out! #TEAM[ REDACTED ]

AH! @pinkangel · 6m who fell harder, [ REDACTED ] from that stage or me when i saw her for the first time?  #toosoon?

NO BETTER WAY TO KICK OFF A NEW EVENT THAN A LITTLE REMINDER AS TO WHO’S ON TOP ↴

#10 IVY SERRANO ( @ivcsisms​ )

proud mom @ivydovey · 16m

#20GAYTEEN is the best thing that’s ever happened to me

Honestly, Ivy is just out here living her best life. In honor of it being Pride month, Serrano took to instagram to reveal that she’s bisexual! Everyone here at Viral Gossip is beyond happy and proud of our #bicon, and we can’t wait to see how many more hearts she breaks since literally anyone is up for grabs right now. Parents, lock up your adult children, no one is safe anymore!  Or maybe everyone is currently safe? After all, Arie Castillo also posted on instagram, although his post announced something different. Castillo posted a picture of our lovely queen, Ivy, as the two decided to take an impromptu trip to Hawaii in honor of Castillo’s birthday. Are the two dating? Will Castillo stop getting passed around from woman to woman? Will Ivy Serrano date me? Let’s hope for the best.

#9 KAILANI ( @kaiilanis​ )

follow me ezra!! @ajpeg · 12m

the claws are coming out! #TEAMKAILANI

Kailani was giving her followers a lot of mixed signals these past few weeks---and we really don’t know what to make of it. It was Kailani, and not ₩ON, who threw shade at Mimi Vang of Afterparty after the Wayfinder Music Festival spectacle, which fueled #KAIWON shippers into a frenzy. Yet, that took place only a few days after Kailani was spotted having a dare-we-say romantic dinner with ₩ON‘s ex, Ruby Rixon. And Afterparty isn’t the only band that the soloist is feuding with---apparently she has beef with Renegade and its lead singer Axel Leitch as well.

#8 ROSE QUARTZ ( @jettblvck​, @corinnasrose​, @jcdehq​, @kitwildc​ )

148 days!  @jetts_wife · 6m

#bett is old news and anyone who thinks #georgett is real is delusional.

If all rumored relationships were true, then Rose Quartz’s frontman Jett Blackwell would be a polygamist. Within only the past two weeks, he’s apparently been in a relationship with Georgia Lane, Beckley Byers, and a ‘mysterious hand’ (no, not his own). Those rumors enough are carrying his entire band. To elaborate, some have been speculating that Jett and Georgia are getting back together after Wayfinder (last week’s news!), even going as far as to say that the mysterious hand is Georgia’s. They all want to know if there’ll be any confirmation on Georgia’s upcoming album… but this isn’t promotion for her. On the other side of the spectrum, people are churning rumors that perhaps Jett and Beckley are getting back together. The two have exchanged flirty tweets and have sent each other pictures no one else has seen (again, no, not that kind, although it would make this a lot more entertaining). Others think that hand belongs to a mystery woman. We personally think that’s just for aesthetic.

#7 ETHEREAL ( @chloehq​, @winnisms​ )

wayfinder changed my life 🌠@lilkayns · 6m

with a name like #CHLACK i really have to wonder why people ship them.

It’s a rough time for fans of America’s favorite girl group. Fans were left reeling when two of the group’s members, Chloe Evans and Winnie Whitmore posted photos to their social media accounts that fueled rumors that both girls were leaving the group. Seeing how Ethereal’s only been around for a little over a year, they might want to change their name to Ephemeral if they’re already having breakup rumors. In other news, it looks like Chloe Evans and Jack Jericho might be a new thing---that will maybe fill our favorite white couple void that we have been feeling since #BELLIAN broke up? 

#6 BETTER NOW ( @greyhtml, @sweetshqs )

#bn2 is coming @ezrasweets · 16m

#gezra runs deep in my veins, this is the cutest shit i’ve ever seen.

It seems that Better Now is trending for every reason except their music. Where is Better Now 2? We see you two in the studio a lot but we don’t see any singles being released. Maybe the two are too preoccupied now in their new relationships, #gezra and #kori, to continue with their careers? After all, Ezra has been spotted all over town with his new girl, Gemma Clarke, that there is no time for him to be writing music. I’d say at least we have frontwoman, Sweets Mori, but she’s busy off “not dating” Afterparty’s own, Christian Kelley, that we’ve hardly ever seen the two bandmates together anymore. Was the band just a ploy to find dates? Is eHarmony.com out and creating a mildly successful alternative band to find your significant other IN? Who knows! We just hope this doesn’t lead to a lot of Misery Business.... see what I did there?

#5 GEMMA ( @gemclvrke )

notice me gemma @gemmastone1 · 12m

ugh can we please stop talking about #gezra and focus on gemstones instead???

You’d think we’d be focusing on Gemma Clarke’s upcoming album, right? Wrong. The focus of the week, or weeks, has been Gemma Clarke’s relationship status. (Where’s Alison Bechdel when you need her?) It seems she and Better Now drummer Ezra Grey have been getting to know each other pretty well, and by pretty well, we mean not even subtly hinting that they’re a couple in public. Anyone who thinks speculation is worth it is sorely mistaken. Anyone who thinks ‘confirmation’ is needed is very similar to Jared (can’t read, possibly 19). Sure, the Snapchat story wasn’t even close to a giveaway, just Gemma banging it out to BN. However, when you’re practically practicing PDA in front of a bunch of photographers and posting photos of yourself with that same person everywhere, if you’re not a couple, things just get weird. Anyway, she has an album coming out.

#4 BELLA CARISI ( @bcllahqs )

LEAVE BELLA ALONE @pinkangel · 6m

who fell harder, bella from that stage or me when i saw her for the first time? #TeamBella #toosoon?

It seems as if Bella has had a lot of ups, and one particular down, since coming off from Wayfinder. As if having to deal with speculation over her relationship from us (we can be pretty brutal) isn’t enough, now other artists are joining in (we’re looking at you Georgia “Doesn’t Stay In Her Own” Lane). But even as she deals with petty drama Bella is still out here giving her fans what they want by dropping a music video for her song ‘Jump’ (available on itunes)! Although, do her fans deserve the treat considering they don’t know how to keep their hands to themselves? Yes, we’re talking about when a drunk fan took it upon themselves to do a meet and greet of their own in the form of pulling our pop princess off the stage and into the crowd, resulting in Carisi having to go to the emergency room for checkups. Guys, we know some times people do things they regret when they’re drunk, but don’t pull people off stage! Especially if you’re not even cute, do you see the type of guys Bella gets? She doesn’t want your Coors beer drinking ass. Okay, that’s enough from us about the situation, but just know that we’re #TeamJacob all the way and we hope that Carisi regains her crown as #1 soon.

#3 ARIE CASTILLO ( @arieisms )

how can i breathe with no arie @punkinking · 6m

imagine fucking your best friends girl and STILL maintaining your friendship #iconic #westanalegend

Arie Castillo... what can we say about Arie Castillo? Or more, what can’t we say about him? There are plenty of things that I can’t say about Arie, even if they are true they’re not meant for a blog like this. So, what has our favorite daddie been up to? Nothing! If you guys want to talk about someone who uses their relationships and connections to get to the top look no further than Arie Castillo! Why is it that Georgia and Bella get their name dragged through the mud when Arie is essentially doing the same thing? It’s 2018, folks! Guys can be fame leeches too! Just look at his twitter, liking tweets mentioning Georgia, and his instagram, where he took a picture with best friend, Killian Law, right after rumors fly that Arie and Killian’s ex, Bella, did the nasty behind his friend’s back??  Yikes! Maybe if Castillo focused solely on his music this man would be #1 some day... nah, that’s not how things work around here. Keep stirring up trouble, Daddy Arie, we like you better when there’s nothing but drama attached to your name! Oh, you’re going to release an album? That’s nice...

#2 GEORGIA LANE ( @georgialanes  )

🍑 @laneegirl · 2m

find yourself a girl who’ll drag you with one hand and promo her album with the next. oh, i did, her name is georgia lane. 

It seems Georgia Lane has been one busy girl (talk about twitter fingers). With her upcoming album releasing soon (pre-order Melodrama now), her shady tweets, and just generally out here living her best life, she’s become someone we’ve slowly began to admire. We love a messy queen. Georgia has been enjoying her time in the spotlight, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. While everyone is quick to jump down her throat for her coming for Arie and Bella, are we really going to pretend that the possibility of Arie hurting Georgia isn’t a thing? Your favorite golden boy might not be so golden after all. We’re all good though, because it seems as if our favorite trouble maker might be making other artists swoon. Yes, we’re obviously talking about the notorious “hands” photos that Rose Quartz aritists Jett Blackwell keeps posting. We just have one question: dude, what’s with the hands? And obviously, is the hand Georgia? Hopefully Blackwell will have a face fetish next and finally post a picture of the mystery girl he keeps hinting at. Our money is on our messy queen, Georgia, because if we’re in love with her than it wouldn’t come as a shock if Blackwell was too. But boys and tweets aren’t the only thing she’s good at, Georgia Lane also released a music video to our new favorite track, Perfect Places! If the rest of Melodrama delivers songs as great as that one then there is no doubt that Georgia holds the new #1 album in her hands. Best Album, anyone?

AND YOUR #1 TRENDING ARTIST IS…

[iiimber]

paints and cherry blossoms

shinsou hitoshi x reader

i got this idea out of no where earlier and decided to just sit down and write it in one go.

i love shinsou he deserves rest and a place in 1-A

warnings: none

EDIT: made it gender neutral :) 

There was always someone painting in the art room when you were leaving for the day. His back was turned towards the door so you were only familiar with the broad shoulders and wild, bedhead lilac hair.

 Staying late after school to clean as well as tend to club activities, you never stopped to truly admire whatever he was working on. Exhaustion pulled at every inch of your body, so getting home and in bed was the only thing on your mind once the day was done.

 You just happened to pass the room on your trek out of the school, casually glancing in to glimpse the mystery boy. Curiosity grew over the weeks; what did he look like? What were his interests? Which department did he belong to?

 You didn’t realize you had grown so attached to seeing his back every day until he wasn’t there.

 Stopping mid-step, you blinked into the empty room. The lights were on, even a school bag was leaning against the wooden easel...but where was your mystery guy?

 It was then you noticed the drying canvas in front of you.

 You gaped at it silently, eyes moving from each stroke and color choice with awe.

 You recognized the place...a small clearing outside U.A. had a few large and old trees that was home to cherry blossoms when spring rolled around. The realism of it was there enough for you to know the reference, but the painting had it’s own beautiful style.

 The colors were so vibrant and lively, yet the painting in it’s entirety filled you with a strange sense of melancholy. You didn’t understand why…

 Sounds of shuffling snapped you out of your daze, whipping around to meet the tired and confused eyes of your mystery guy.

 He was holding a couple of bottles of glaze, along with some larger brushes. He held your eyes for a bit longer, before moving forward with an uninterested look. You stepped out of his way, watching as he set down the bottles and brushes. He had a paint-stained apron tied around him, white school shirt rolled up to his biceps. You could hit yourself for not recognizing that wild hair sooner.

 He was Shinsou Hitoshi, from the General Ed. class. He lost the first round of the One on One in the sports festival, but he sure made an impression within the school. If you could remember clearly, he possessed a brainwashing quirk.

 “Are you here to paint or are you going to just stand and stare.”

 The statement made you stutter, watching him glance towards you.

 “A-ah no I just...saw your painting from the hallway and couldn’t help but want a closer look…”

 You cursed your voice for sounding so small, wincing slightly as his intense eyes bore into yours. He stared at you silently for a moment, before turning away yet again.

 “Alright.”

 Hands grabbed at the fabric of your shirt, wondering if you should excuse yourself and leave or stay and try to make small talk. Weeks of curiosity was catching up to you, and now that you had a face and name to the broad shoulders and lilac hair, you didn’t want to leave.

 Your school bag was set on a nearby table gently before walking closer to him. Shinsou was sitting now, opening a bottle of the glaze while trying to ignore your approaching form.

 “I’ve uh...seen you in here almost everyday for the past couple of weeks. I never got a chance to see what you were working on since I’m always in a rush to get home but,”

 The bottle of glaze was opened and set on the table beside him, hand reaching out to lightly trace his strokes. He must’ve been testing to see if it was dry. Eyes turned from him to the painting.

 “It’s really beautiful…”

 His hand stuttered slightly, head turning to look at you again. You weren’t sure why he looked so surprised at the compliment, but you decided then that you’d like to see that expression more often. 

_______________

 After that day, your bed had to wait. Visiting Shinsou after your duties as school became just another part of your schedule.

 He gave that cherry blossom painting to you after the glaze was dry. It hung above your bed.

 At first, there wasn’t much talking between the two of you; small snippets of meaningless chatter or just greetings and goodbyes. The lilac-haired boy just sat and painted whatever he desired while you would read or finish homework. Sometimes you’d just sit and watch him make delicate strokes against the canvases.

 The way he worked was almost hypnotic, like he’d been painting all his life and could do it with his eyes closed. That sparked your first real conversation.

 “How long have you been doing this?”

 Shinsou glanced up, watching you fold the corner of the page you were on and set the paperback down.

 “How long have I what? Staying after school to paint or paint? Be more specific.”

 He liked how you flushed in embarrassment.

 “I-I mean painting in general. You seem like such a pro at it…it’s almost mesmerizing.”

 He turned so he wouldn’t smile, placing his brush in a cup of water and stretching out his cramping fingers.

 “A couple of years. Taught myself.”

 You muttered a small appraisal, looking on at his newest work. This time it was an orange tabby cat, sprawled on it’s back with it’s eyes closed.

 “Her name’s Michi. She lives by my house and likes to follow me around.”

 A smile crept onto your face, finding it a little beyond adorable that he was painting his favorite street cat. Shinsou decided that he’d like to see that smile more often.

_______________

 “‘Toshhhhiiiii.”

 The drawn-out call of his name (his nickname, actually), woke him. Gentle hands tugged at his unruly strands as he blinked sleep out of his eyes. The art room was lit orange, shadows growing bigger every minute he looked around. He must’ve fallen asleep waiting on you.

 “Sorry it took so long, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”

 You were still in your hero costume, smiling sheepishly at him when he finally turned towards you.

 “Kendou wanted to train a little longer than usual… I was just on my way to the locker rooms to change.”

 A hand came up to rub his nape, standing slowly. He offered to wait for you before walking back to the dorms, picking up his bag and placing a hand atop your head to steer you out of the room.

 It was your third year; he made it into the heroics department finally last year, placing in 2-B. You were over the roof to see him there with you.

 You looked exhausted when you came out of the locker room, (length) hair a mess and shirt buttoned up the wrong holes; really quite adorable.

 “You didn’t paint today?”

 He barely heard your whisper, looking down as you tugged on his sleeve. Shinsou shook his head, shrugging when you questioned further.

 “It’s no fun when you’re not there to annoy me.”

 You threw your head back in a laugh, nudging his arm with your shoulder.

 The trek to the dorms was otherwise fairly silent; the sun had set completely, the tall lamps their only source of light. It was cooler, slight breezes chilling the two as they walked. Your bare arms were covered in goosebumps, wrapping around yourself in an effort to stay warm

 “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to wrap myself in my blankets more.”

 “That is most certainly a lie.”

 A weak giggle left your lips as you nodded, stepping closer to him for warmth.

 “Warm me up, ‘Toshi.”

 A muscled arm pulled you to his side, face flushing slightly as you let out a contented hum.

 “You’re so warm, ‘s making me sleepy.” A yawn took over your features almost comically, yet Shinsou couldn’t help but admire how cute you looked; eyes heavy with sleep and hair still messy, blowing gently with the wind.

 “(Name).”

 He stopped walking, making you pause in return and turn towards him with a look of confusion. Your lips parted to call his name, but before you could get out the first syllable, a hand on your cheek rendered you speechless.

 To anyone else, Shinsou Hitoshi might’ve looked bored; eyebrows furrowed and mouth in a straight line. To you, he looked nervous.

 You asked softly what was wrong, but he stayed silent. You could see his eyes moving across your face, like he was thinking long and hard about something.

 “I think,” he started, his hand trembling slightly against your skin. “I think I might be in love with you.”

 Your breath caught in your throat, eyes blown wide as you stared up at him. A bead of sweat trailed down his temple, besides it being chilly. You stood and just stared for a few moments, engraving this moment in your mind. You wanted to cherish it forever.

 Shaky hand moved on their own, reaching up to his face. Your fingers slid by his skin and tangled into lilac hair, tugging him forward as you balanced on your tiptoes.

 His lips met yours in a gentle embrace, hand cupping your cheek while the other grasped your waist.

 You had always heard that the first kiss with that special someone would be like fireworks going off inside you; in a way, they were right. Your heart drummed furiously like it would when the bang of said light show would go off, a feeling of euphoria washing over your entire being. His lips moved against yours with a certain inexperience but it felt perfect, like something you’ve waited your entire life for.

 Shinsou pulled away first, leaning down to rest his forehead against yours. He was so tall he had to hunch a bit, to continue this action. His thumbs stroked the skin of your cheeks while his warm breath hit your parted lips.

 A serene, gentle moment passed before you let out a soft chuckle, watching his eyes flutter open to meet yours.

 “What’s so funny?”

 You pecked him again, lips fitting perfectly against his.

 “I’m in love with you too, dummy.”