#also me working on assignments yesterday... hmmm...

[orcelito]

Somehow got so exhausted that my body put me on bed rest. I'm up after a 3 ish hour nap to eat a little more and take my meds, then I'll be going back down for actual sleep. Can tell by the radiating exhaustion that I just have to give this to my body

[sweet-as-kiwis]

Never before have I turned in negative peer reviews. The time has finally come.

[littlehypnone]

Of Sunlight

WC: 3k

Relationship: Little Aeon and Caregiver Swiss (also Little Rain, CG Mountain and CG Aether)

Tags: Cuddles, Play Date, Fluff, Food, Slice of Life

Day in the life of little Aeon and caregiver Swiss

Notes: Commissioned by @everybodyshusband <3

Read under the cut or on AO3.

Aeon wakes up slowly; his senses tuning into his surroundings one by one. He wiggles in his bed and curls up more tightly around his favorite plushie—a little bat, just like him. He’s too sleepy to realize that he’s still regressed and where he is just yet, though; he chuffs and nuzzles his cheek into the warmth under him.

It’s another hour before Aeon’s eyes finally open. He yawns and stretches and rubs his eyes and feels something rumbling under his ear and tightening around him. The little ghoul feels silly when he realizes it’s Swiss! He remembers now that yesterday ended with a bedtime story and cuddles in the multi ghoul’s bed. He chirps happily as he cuddles closer to him.

“Good morning, buggy,” the vibration of Swiss’ gravely morning voice coming from his chest makes Aeon feel all warm and cozy—safe.

“Mmm, hi Swissy,” Aeon purrs. “‘S n–nice.”

“It is,” the other confirms, not pointing out that the quintessence ghoul is still little. Why would he? It’s not an issue in the slightest; he just wants his bug safe and happy. “I like having my cuddly buggy with me.”

Aeon giggles at the name, “An’ I l–like havin’ my warm Swissy wiv me.”

It takes another while for them to roll out of bed and start getting ready for the day. Swiss helps Aeon pick an outfit to match the weather, wash their face, brush their hair and soon enough they’re on their way down to the kitchen; their hands clasped together.

“What do you want for breakfast today?” Swiss asks as he is already rummaging through the cabinets. They’re always full of absolutely everything and even though the pack tried a system of each having an assigned shelf for their favorite food and snacks, it all blurred soon enough and now it’s just…chaos.

“Hmmm…” Aeon hums, thinking, “I fink the–the rice f–flakes.”

“With raisins and all?”

“Yes, please!”

“You’re such a polite little ghoul, buggy,” Swiss smiles at him and the quintessence ghoul blushes pale lilac. He loves when Swiss is all nice to him like that, it makes him feel so loved. “I’m on it.”

Aeon focuses on playing with his bat plushie by the table as the multi ghoul works on their breakfast. He can see Swiss stirring the pot with the slowly warming up milk, preparing the rice flakes and the raisins and setting up mugs for their drinks, coffee and hot chocolate.

In no time at all it’s all ready and Aeon claps excitedly when Swiss sets everything up in front of him. “You m–made a face!”

“That I did.” The multi ghoul smiles proudly as Aeon smiles at the raisins laid out on top of the milk in the shape of a crooked smiley face. “Enjoy it, buggy.”

Both of them eat their breakfast rather quickly and soon enough Aeon is slurping up the last bit of his hot chocolate. He looks up at Swiss and snorts out a laugh when he sees foam from his coffee sitting on his mustache. “Swissy! Your f–face!”

“Huh?” the multi ghoul pretends to be completely clueless. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Your m…m–m–mustache is white,” they keep on giggling and pointing at him despite struggling a little with the longer word. Swiss dramatically acts out having a revelation and finally wipes the foam off.

“Better?”

“Bet–ter,” Aeon confirms. The multi ghoul sends him a toothy grin and stands up to gather up the dishes. “Swissy, c–can we visit Aeth?”

“‘Course we can!” the multi ghoul assures, but after a moment he realizes there might be a hidden question in there. “Are you alright, though, buggy? Why do you want to visit him?”

“‘M okay, not h–hurt,” Aeon giggles at how Swiss’ brows furrowed in worry right away, “miss Aeth, ‘s all.”

“Okay, okay, you silly little creature.” The multi ghoul shakes his head with a smile. “Let’s go and from there we can go to visit Mounty in the greenhouse, too. I heard there’s a little lady in there with him today, maybe you two could play for a while?”

“Rainy?” Aeon gasps, already excited at the prospect of playing with his best friend.

“Yup! I’ll message Mounty and ask what their plans are, okay?”

The quintessence ghoul nods eagerly. Swiss goes back into the kitchen to dispose of the dirty dishes and grab his phone that he left on the counter. Aeon can see him typing up a quick message before he shoves it into his pocket and returns to the small ghoul.

“Do you want a ride?” Swiss winks with a grin as he points at his back with a thumb.

Aeon could never say no to a piggy back ride and so he smiles widely himself and nods. “Yes, p–please!”

“Alright, then, buggy, hop on,” the multi ghoul chuckles and crouches down to allow Aeon to climb on. He doesn’t get smaller when regressed, but he’s a slight ghoul anyway. He obliges and once he’s glued himself to Swiss’ back he starts purring immediately. “Ready? Off to see Aeth we go!”

The  infirmary is quite literally on the other side of the Abbey, so getting there takes them a small eternity, but Aeon couldn’t be happier about such a journey on Swiss’ back. He doesn’t mind it either; an adorable purring little backpack is a great companion.

“Do you want to surprise him, buggy?” Swiss asks once they finally get there, still outside the door.

“Yes!” the little ghoul cheers and scrambles to get off of the multi ghoul’s back. “Wanna su’pise Aeth!”

“Alright, let me check if I can see him,” Swiss giggles, cracking the door open just enough to take a look inside the main room of the infirmary. Aether is there with his back turned to the door and he seems to be taking inventory; rummaging through shelves and taking down notes. “Okay, buggy, if you sneak in quietly he won’t see you. You can go up and hug him, how’s that?”

Aeon nods with a wide grin. Swiss opens the door some more and lets him in.

He watches from a distance as the little ghoul does his best to creep up on Aether; he’s a little clumsy and the older quintessence ghoul most likely already heard him or felt his energy, but he’s nothing if not a good actor.

“Oh, hello there!” Aether laughs as Aeon gets to him and glues himself to his back, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Didn’t see ya there, kid.”

“W–we came to visit ‘cause I m–missed you,” Aeon confesses, nuzzling their face against Aether’s shoulder.

“That’s nice of you, I’m always happy to see you,” he chuckles, turning around in Aeon’s arms to bring him close to his chest in a bear hug. “Who’s with you, kiddo?”

“Swissy!” The aforementioned comes in through the door with his signature grin plastered on his face. The older quintessence ghoul rolls his eyes at him with a smile on his own.

“Hi, spark,” Aether greets him and earns himself a peck on the cheek. “What have you two demons been up to today?”

“Nothing much yet,” Swiss shrugs. “Buggy was very sleepy, wasn’t he?”

“Yeahhh…” Aeon agrees. He still didn’t let go of Aether, but the other doesn’t seem to mind. “Bu’ we w–wanna go t–to Mounty an’ R–Rainy.”

“I’m sure they’d love to have you, kiddo. Do you wanna sit down for a moment?” The little ghoul nods into his chest and pulls away to take a hold of Aether’s hand instead. The other walks them to his little office and flops down onto a big chair before patting his lap in an invitation. Aeon, of course, takes it and curls up against the older ghoul in a cat-like manner. “There we go, all cozy.”

“How’s it in here today?” Swiss asks him, sitting on the edge of Aether’s desk.

“I’m not going to use the s-word,” he laughs, “but there haven’t been any incidents yet.”

“Gotcha.” The multi ghoul nods. A relative silence falls after that, interrupted only by the most adorable quiet purring coming from the little ghoul curled up in Aether’s lap. He and Swiss gesture and mouth to themselves above Aeon’s head about just how precious he is.

It’s a while before someone moves—the big ghouls think Aeon has fallen asleep. At some point a sibling of sin comes in needing Aether’s assistance, though, so Swiss and Aeon decide to get going.

“I’ll text Mountain to tell him we’re on our way,” Swiss tells the little ghoul.

Before they leave, Aether squeezes Aeon once again and gives him a few lollipops to share with Swiss, Rainy and Mountain. The little ghoul is overjoyed. He and Swiss leave the infirmary and the multi ghoul offers Aeon a piggy back ride again; he takes the offer, of course. A few minutes into their walk Swiss feels a vibration and hears a ping coming from his phone. He pauses and fishes it out to check the notification.

“Mountain asks if we can bring some snacks for lunch on our way,” he turns his head to look at Aeon as best as he can with him hanging off of his back. “What do you say?”

“Yes, snackies! Le’s go!”

“Alright, then,” Swiss giggles and turns in the ghouls’ den direction.

Aeon is so much happier after visiting Aether and the prospect of playing with his best friend; he’s kicking his legs and humming as the multi ghoul carries him down to the kitchen.

“Okay, what do we take?” Swiss asks when they reach the kitchen and he sits the little ghoul on the counter. “Definitely some Capri-Sun for you.”

“For Rainy t–too!” Aeon reminds him. “An’–an’ the crackers, Rainy loves the c–crackers.”

Swiss could just about melt at how caring, kind and considerate Aeon is, big or small.

“Capri-Sun and crackers for Rainy, got it,” he says as he throws them into a basket. “Something else you want?”

“Hm…” he considers for a second, “the–the ap’l sauce! For me an’ Mounty.”

Swiss and pulls some apple sauce packets from a cupboard.

“Ap’l s–sauce for Mounty ‘cause i’s green like h–him,” Aeon explains and the multi ghoul nods in acknowledgement, smiling.

“Anything else, buggy?”

“Somefink for y–you!” the little ghoul points out. “You like the c–cookies.”

“Oh, I really do like cookies, you’re right,” Swiss hums and gets a pack into their basket. “I think that’s all we need, hm?”

“Yes! Wanna p–play wiv Rainy now!”

“So excited, aren’t you?” Aeon nods; so excited indeed. “Alright, but I’m afraid you have to walk this time, I have to carry the basket.”

“Dat’s fine,” the little ghoul shrugs and hops off of the counter. “Le’s go!”

He’s out the door before Swiss even grabs the basket, laughing. He follows two steps behind Aeon until they’re outside and halfway down the way to the greenhouse.

“Can I r–run?” he asks, giving Swiss his best puppy eyes.

“Yeah, you can, buggy.”

“Wohooo!” He grins and turns on his heel right away.

“Just be careful!” Swiss calls after him. It’s not a huge distance to the greenhouse from there and the way is rather even so the multi ghoul doesn’t worry. He watches as the little ghoul runs with his tail swishing behind him and storms into Mountain’s greenhouse.

Swiss makes his way down slowly and with care to the snacks he’s carrying. When he gets inside he sees Mountain standing over and watching with a smile as the two little ghouls hug each other. Swiss grins and comes up to the earth ghoul to hug him, too.

“Hi, big guy. They’re so cute my heart hurts,” he chuckles.

“They really are,” Mountain agrees. “You should’ve seen them when Aeon just got here.”

“Ah, can’t miss it next time.” Rain and Aeon finally pull away and the little water ghoulette runs up to greet Swiss—one of her favorite caregivers—while Aeon goes to Mountain.

“Hey, princess,” the multi ghoul murmurs into Rain’s hair as she throws his arms around him.

Aeon all but climbs Mountain at the same time. “I g–got ap’l sauce for you!”

“Did you, now? That’s very nice, Aeon, thank you!” the earth ghoul giggles, holding him up under his legs after he wrapped them around his waist. The quintessence ghoul holds on tightly for a little while longer—just as Rain is holding onto Swiss—but eventually they all part.

“Alright, who’s hungry?” Swiss asks, holding up the basket they brought. “We’ve got snacks!”

“Yippee!” Rain cheers, clapping her hands as she sits on a big picnic blanket Mountain spread out in the middle of the greenhouse. Aeon grabs something from the basket before joining her.

“I have c–crackers and Capri-Sun f–for you, Rainy,” the quintessence ghoul hands them to her, both blushing slightly.

“It’s my favorite crackers!” Rain beams as she grabs the snacks and inspects them. “Thank you, Ae!”

“You’re wellc–come,” Aeon giggles. Swiss sets the basket between the two little ghoul’s and sits with Mountain a little to the side, giving Rain and Aeon some space for themselves.

The little quintessence ghoul grabs himself a juice, sticks the straw in and starts to slurp happily, but his brows furrow when he notices Rain struggling with opening it.

“D’you wan’ h–help, Rainy?” he offers shyly.

The little water ghoulette only nods and hands her Capri-Sun to Aeon for him to open. It really is tricky sometimes and no one is better skilled in it than him. He hands it back to her with a bright grin, so proud of himself and happy to help his friend.

“Thank you,” Rainy mumbles. After that it’s all a blur for her and Aeon, really. They share their snacks—Swiss and Mountain gasp when Rain gives Aeon one of her crackers; she rarely shares those, they’re special—and once the basket is empty, they jump up excited and full of energy to play. The caregivers keep an eye on them for the next few hours as they run around the greenhouse and outside of it, playing in so many creative ways. They play hide and seek and tag and some game without a name that is apparently based on hanging things off of their horns. They both have so much fun that day it feels like it’s going to be impossible to get them to their beds.

Mountain and Swiss only decide it’s time for Rain and Aeon’s day to end when both littles start yawning and rubbing their eyes. Their decision is only proven right when they don’t protest being picked up and carried back to the Abbey.

The dinner in the den is planned quite late today because of Aether’s long shift in the infirmary, which means Swiss and Mountain having two littles on their hands have to come up with something else themselves. They make it work; the earth ghoul takes Rain and Aeon to entertain them—and keep them from falling asleep—on the couch in the common room while Swiss makes them all grilled cheese and pours some juice into their sippy cups.

Both littles are exhausted after the long—but super fun—day they had, yawning every two minutes as Mountain does his best to distract them from the tiredness tugging down their eyelids.

The grilled cheese by Swiss—no one misses the joke potential there—is always delicious and even despite their compelling need to sleep, Aeon and Rain devour it like never before. When the plates are clean, Mountain picks Rain up and sets her on his hip and they both murmur the others’ goodnight. Swiss grabs Aeon, too, switches the common room lights off and carries the little quintessence ghoul to his bedroom.

“I’d let you skip the shower tonight if not for the dirt on your face,” Swiss remarks, swiping a gentle finger through the aforementioned mud on Aeon’s cheek.

“I c–can show’r, ‘s okay,” he assures the multi ghoul and he doesn’t doubt it.

“Alright,” he smiles, “I’ll prepare some cozy jammies for you and leave them by the tub, okay? Then I’ll wait here for you.”

“Mhm, ok–kay.”

“Off you go then.” Swiss ruffles his hair. “Just be careful, don’t slip, buggy.”

Aeon nods once again and disappears into the bathroom. As promised, the multi ghoul gets his jammies and once he hears the shower curtain being closed and the water being turned on, he steps into the bathroom and lays the clothes on a tray by the tub.

As he waits for the quintessence ghoul to be done, Swiss takes care of the nest; fluffing up and rearranging the pillows and blankets. He sits Aeon’s plushie atop it all—handling it with the care it deserves—changes into pajamas himself and waits. He emerges from the bathroom soon enough, with wet hair and a tired face.

“Really sleepy again, aren’t we, buggy?” Swiss asks, but not to tease. Aeon gets extremely cuddly and soft when he’s like this and the multi ghoul can never get enough of spending time with him.

“Mhm…’m real s’eepy,” he confirms before letting out yet another yawn.

“You’re adorable,” Swiss mutters, making Aeon smile softly. “Come on, bedtime.”

The little ghoul obliges, crawling into the nest and wiggling his body to bury himself under all the comforters. He grabs his plushie and brings it close to his face to rub it against his cheek. Swiss feels like he could melt into a puddle at the spot as he watches him.

He gets in after him and lays on his side—head propped up against his bent arm—letting the little ghoul choose if he wanted contact or not; and if he did, what kind. Of course it was easy to presume that Aeon would shuffle closer, but Swiss always gives him space to make a choice.

The little quintessence ghoul lays his head against Swiss’ arm and puts his face close to his chest—he loves being all small and safely tucked against the bigger ghoul. Swiss wraps his free arm around him and holds him close.

“C–can I get a bed st–story?” Aeon whispers after a minute; barely audible as he’s already falling asleep.

“Of course you can, buggy,” Swiss answers equally quietly. He leans down to kiss his forehead before starting the tale. “Once upon a time, deep in the woods, there was a tunnel. It wasn’t a normal tunnel, it was a magical one made of big trees…”

Aeon is fast asleep before Swiss even gets to introducing the main character.

[screampied]

Hello!! I hope you are doing good nowadays.

Your sugar daddy! Gojo is always on my mind. I think, I wake up and the first thing comes to me is him, and when I go to bed he is the last thing I think about. Yeah, I maybe went a little bit crazy over him, but, do not judge me!!! The way you are writing him is so freaking delicious, I keep rereading your works and not because I love your smut(still the best), I adore the personality you created for him.

I enjoy dreaming about how sugar daddy! Gojo will be happy to be in real relationship with reader, not just some fuck here and there for money, maybe, sometimes he really wants to create family with her. The man literally found his reason to live in her and I cannot blame him.

He would be a great dad for their children. He is the type to spoil his child a little bit, but still be the strict one. He is the one to teach them how to be a good man or how a real man must treat a woman. Maybe, he will be too much happy when his first child is a daughter. He will talk about her a lot and always call her “my little princess”.

I just wanna keep him in my pocket🥹🥹🥹🥹 He is probably the one, who gives the best hugs and always say “everything will be okay, sweetheart, I am always here for you and only you” or something like that.

Thank you for creating my everyday meal and I send you the best kisses on cheeks and forehead🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

ANON BABY, UR GONNA MAKEME CRYYY 🥹🥹 i meant to answer this yesterday but ive been drowning in last minute assignments but im here now !!!!!

first i just wanna say — THANKYOUUU for reading lap of luxury !!!! like, genuinely :( im glad u enjoy sd! gojo. i should really be thanking yall bc i had you all vote for what series to write and everyoneee voted sugar daddy gojo hehe. he’s really fun to write and it’s crazy the lil mini series has been up for about maybe what, seven months now?

also icl🕴️ you guys are on me and i do apologize for the slow updates h- haha.. don’t stone me. more content should be coming soon whenever i feel like it’s ready to be posted !! hopefully before this month ends bc ive been dyiiiiing to expand more on their sugar relationship <3

noooo i understand u !!!! i want him too 💆‍♀️ oh to have a rich, loving sugar daddy that’s literally the gojo satoru. the dream. but i’m so glad you like his personality :((( AH i honestly get scared because i think gojo’s my most hardest character to write bc i have a fear of being too ooc sometimes but hearing u say that makes me happy. 🎀

YESSSSS YOU GET IT ☝️. in the first fic in hell on heels, satoru def probably gave the vibe where he’s just in for a quick fuck n to spoil reader but u can kinda see them develop. like i think after bon appetit n harley’s in hawaii he’s really starting to feel more than just the sugar baby dynamic :’))) and idk if i mentioned it in the au !!!! but reader is his first sugar baby, satoru’s a powerful ceo businessman but just couldn’t help but sweep her off her feet when he met her in first class.

i think in the next installment, he’s gonna introduce reader to his parents — that’s what i’ve originally outlined so we’ll see how that goes 💆‍♀️. mhm, you’re right though. i think sd! gojo would definitely be a family man, a sweet loving dad for sure. throughout your whole pregnancy he’d be supportive. i can really see gojo as a girl dad n he’d be so protective for his daughter, giving her the childhood he never got growing up. (i kinda wanna expand more on his lore, maybe give satoru a kinda sad upbringing hmmm. . )

but “my little princess” KMGONNA SOB. gojo loves his girls <3 i teased a bit about starting a family with him in the last fic, so who knows !!! imagine him taking you to your doctor appointments :(((. doesn’t mind calling off important business meetings to spend time with his family, oh im sick. he does give the best hugs n im callin it ☝️

really though nonnie, you don’t know HOW much this sweet message of yours brightened my day 🥹💗. i dunno how to express my love n gratitude to you, but im soso glad you enjoy sugar daddy gojo! he loves you !!!! and he’ll be back soon ^.^

[lokeefe19]

Uzi’s Streamer Life - Chapter 18 Wedding investigators.

A follow up to last chapter with Uzi and N trying to figure out where Tessa and Matt should have their wedding.

Uzi Pov

Uzi’s Room

The next day back at Uzi’s Apartment she and N were currently at Her computer trying to find a place for Tessa and Matt’s wedding like she asked them to do yesterday. Of course  Uzi didn’t know how to plan for a wedding and she needed some help with this assignment so she asked N to help her with this wedding planing and knowing more about Tessa than  she does.

So that’s what they were going to do for the next couple of hours. Searching up information on wedding locations based off of N's information about Tessa.

"Alright N.” Uzi Begins to say to N from her Chair with him in a nearby chair that he brought into her room. “We have a wedding investigation to do like your Sister asked us to Do Yesterday. So could you open up the Google chrome Tab I have left open?” 

“Sure thing Uzi.”

So N Used the Mouse to open up threw Google Chrome tab that Uzi had left up only to be brought to an ask.com Page of all things.

“How to get your dad to like your Boyfriend?”  N then reads the title on the page which caused Uzi to instantly Panic after seeing that was still up.

“Ahhh! Nothing. That’s nothing at all.” Uzi immediately says while quickly exiting out of the site.

“Hmmm. Are you trying to figure out how to get your Dad to like me still?” N thinks to himself and then asks Her.

”Sigh. Yes.” She admits to N. “Before you showed up in the room I was searching up solutions to try and figure out how to get him to like you.”

”Well The last time I saw your Dad here at the apartment it went Well didn’t it?” He then tells Uzi While pulling up a chair towards her and the computer.

Uzi remembers the last time N and Her father Khan were in the same Place together with her was when he visited her Apartment last year and had his typical unimpressed look on his face when he saw N at the door when he first opened it and throughout the whole visit which Uzi had taken noticed of and has been trying to get him to like N a bit more but nothing has worked.

"I think you have a different memory of how that visit went down." Uzi honesty tells N while reopening up the Google site on her computer.

“So what does your sister like in general N? Maybe if we can figure out what place she would want to have the wedding.” She asks N. 

N then stopped and thought to himself about Tessa’s interests and likes so he can tell Uzi and was having a bit of a struggle to think of something other than building things and her love of him and V as siblings. 

“Hmmmm. Well she likes oranges, likes to make a lot of inventions and Ummm That’s as much as I can think of.” N then says to Uzi while looking a bit nervous at her.

“So we’re in a bit of a road block here.” Uzi then says to him. “Well that hasn’t stop us before in solving problems.”

“It sure hasn’t. So I guess we’re going have to think around Tessa for bit.”  N tells Uzi. “I know some things about Matt that could help us pick a place for them both.”

”Ok N. So what are Matt’s interests?”

”I know that Matt likes sports,Helping out Tessa with her inventions, Coaching Football and loves Tessa as his girlfriend. And that’s about it.”

“That doesn’t give us much either to be honest N.”   Uzi tells him.

“Yeah. I guess I haven’t been paying attention much to Their Relationship to figure out each of their likes and dislikes. N admits to Uzi. 

“Hmmmmm.” Uzi thinks to herself. “Wait a minute. I have an idea for something that could work.” 

“You do?” N asks her.

”Yes.” She tells him. “I think that Tessa and Matt should have their wedding at the park down the street. Not only is there the baseball field nearby that Tessa mentioned that Matt works at part time but also that’s nearby the School that Tessa and her Boyfriend went to. So maybe since that’s of their interests in a connected point that could be a good spot for their wedding.

“Oh! That’s actually a great idea Uzi. Nice investigating right there.”  N congratulates Uzi for her conclusion while giving a thumbs up.

”Thank you N.” Uzi says while pointing right back at him. “Now  all we have to do is Call Tessa and tell that we found a location that could be suited for and Matt.” 

“Sure thing. I will go Call Tessa and tell her about it.”

So N got Up from the chair that was next to Uzi’s and Headed out of her room to his to get his phone to tell Tessa about the New information they have gathered while Uzi stayed in her chair watching all of it happen.

[emerulynn]

hi!! i saw a post where u mentioned u go to wdka, im also applying for illustration and im super nervous. whats the worst thing about the school? or do you have any tips for the portfolio?

oh shit sorry I haven’t been checking my asks, but I think yesterday or Friday was the Open Day, idk if you could’ve gone bc that would also help but I hope my rlly late answers help as well 😭

Hmmm the worst thing about the school and I’m gonna be honest here is how it sometimes feels like some of the assignments aren’t helping me all that much?? Like wdka’s concept of illustration is broad, it’s less than just drawing and more of visual storytelling through any medium. So sometimes I find myself struggling with an assignment that doesn’t involve drawing and pushed way out of my comfort zone.

I think it gets better now that I’m in my second year tho because I know how to navigate things better and also learn how to put a bit more balance on personal work and assignments. You just have to get through the Practices and Second big assignment in first year Illustration tbh, that’s the point where most people dropped out 😭 The most useful thing in the school is the facilities, teachers (ask for suggestions or networking opportunities from teachers you think have the same career path/vision as you) and ofc your peers, sometimes classes. Also if you don’t feel like you align with illustration that much you can always switch majors after the first term without having to repeat the year.

Note that I might also be harsh about the academy bc I’m paying international fees which is like 10x the tuition EU students have to pay.

As for the portfolio, they love to see you explore and experiment with different mediums and methods of art-making, so include photography, clay, mixed media work if you have them. If you don’t, don’t worry because my portfolio barely has any range, that was their critique for me after receiving my portfolio too since I mostly drew digitally and only included some analog drawings and photos. but i got in heyy

Another thing is make your portfolio easy to navigate ofc, you don’t have to go over the top with the design, just write concise texts of your work and make it not look confusing. Number your works and number the pages.

That’s it I think they love versatility that’s the main takeaway. Good luck and hope this helped!!

[sen-no-kotowari]

PGR Noan Character Profile

Good day and I'm back with some good news! The formatting plug-in I use is back to normal so everything should look the same like before. Aside from that, I will be posting back-to-back character profiles over the next few days and the first one up the bater is Noan's! You can learn more about Noan under the cut down below!

Voice Line Data

Motion Voice Lines

Lobby Voice 1

Noan: I passed nearby the Arts Association while walking around the other day. If there comes a time when peace will be upon us and an Arts Association is built on Earth, would people who love to draw be able to feed themselves? ...I see. That'd be wonderful.

Lobby Voice 2

Noan: What do you think of having a war memorial on the plaza? ...Huh? What do I think about it? I believe the people in this era making the most of their lives are just as awe-inspiring. Perhaps it's because I've seen too many death that I strongly believe more than ever living in itself is...incredible.

Lobby Voice 3

Noan: (Paints something) ........Hm? Oh, I've been painting a picture with the paintbrush you left. It's nothing fancy, just a simple drawing of a sunflower. If I told you I drew this while thinking of you, would you believe me?

Raise Affection Level

Noan: If I tell you that I want to become closer to you... what will you do?

Repetitive Taps

Noan: What's wrong? No need to be frantic. I'll be right by your side.

Log-In

Noan: Welcome back, Commander. I've been waiting for you.

Online for a Long Time

Noan: Wait a second, let me check your eyes. ...Hrm, now open your mouth. What time did you sleep yesterday? ...(Sigh) Really now...

AFK

Noan: I don't know if you're asleep or you're working hard... Well, maybe it's not so bad, getting to see your back like this.

Shake

Noan: Wha—! Are you okay?! Did you trip?

Offline for a Long Time

Noan: Showing up just now, did you oversleep? Were you having a dream of a calm and harmonious world? If that was a blissful dream, then you should've dreamed a little while longer. Don't worry, I'll continue to wait for you here 'til you show up.

Introduction and Formation

Structure Acquired

Noan: Hello there, Commander. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name's Noan, that is my real name. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

Level Up

Noan: I have to spare no effort if I want to grow as a person.

Advancement

Noan: Thank you. Does this mean you've acknowledged me?

Model Improvement

Noan: Looks like the things I can do for others have increased yet again. Thank you.

Skill Upgrade

Noan: I'll continue to hone these skills until the day I put them to rest.

Equipment

Noan: This weapon... Hmmm, what should I call it?

Add in Team

Noan: Perhaps I should be grateful to you, who put your faith in me.

Assign as Captain

Noan: You're making me the captain? Yeah, I think I can do it. Leave it to me.

Mission Accomplished

Noan: Okay, mission complete. Do we have anything else to do?

Daily Small Talks

Voice Line 1

Noan: Ever since I left City Number 075, I've been staying at Oblivion's base. I wonder if Watanabe's doing well. I'd like to go meet up with him if there's a chance.

Voice Line 2

Noan: Lee sometimes has this resolute look in his eyes... It's as if he had already made peace. Recently, he— ...Nevermind, forget I said anything. It seems like it's something he wishes to keep to himself.

Voice Line 3

Noan: How have I been lately? Maybe I'll tell you a little secret of mine. I'm actually a super Eden-class ambassador. Since both my conversational skills and presentation skills are perfect, I was able to make friends in Eden and also fit in right away.

Voice Line 4

Noan: My past? You've seen plenty of vagabonds who lost their hometown, right? I'm also a part of those vagabonds. There's nothing special about it.

Voice Line 5

Noan: I've heard from Commander Simon that you were an alumnus who graduated as the top student of FOS Military Academy, right? What kind of things do they teach during class in school? ...Most of the schools on Earth were closed down. It makes you wonder—how many people born in this era were able to receive proper education in their life?

Voice Line 6

Noan: I passed nearby the Arts Association while walking around the other day. If there comes a time when peace will be upon us and an Arts Association is built on Earth, would people who love to draw be able to feed themselves? ...I see. That'd be wonderful.

Voice Line 7

Noan: Ah, that's right. I'm done reading the books you've told me about. Do you have other books you can recommend to me? I want to try reading a variety of books more. The library's just around the corner plus I also have a wonderful guide who'll give me a tour.

Voice Line 8

Noan: The starry sky isn't the only thing that shines in the darkness. Even if the small glowing lights around us aren't as bright as the North Star, they emit a faint light with everything they have.

Voice Line 9

Noan: Everyone used to admire stories about heroes saving the world when they were little, right? But when they grew up, they knew that those are just fictional stories, nothing more—no matter how much you do your best, you can't change the world around you alone. That's why... I'm glad that we both could do our very best here.

Voice Line 10

Noan: I don't regret rejecting the offer of becoming an Ascendant, even if it meant I'd accept how ordinary I am. I would be betraying my heart if I did. Don't worry. I already made up my mind from the moment I told you the name "Noan," no matter what may happen.

Voice Line 11

Noan: You always devote yourself to either listening to other people's worries or what they feel deep down, just like the gentle protagonists from the stories I've read... But why don't you try asking someone for some advice once in a while? I fear you might break someday if you always keep your worries to yourself.

Voice Line 12

Noan: What do you think of having a war memorial on the plaza? ...Huh? What do I think about it? I believe the people in this era making the most of their lives are just as awe-inspiring. Perhaps it's because I've seen too many death that I strongly believe more than ever living in itself is...incredible.

Voice Line 13

Noan: I look forward to the day this world overcomes the harsh winter and welcomes the tender spring... If you also share the same sentiment as I do, shall we make a promise to each other? Of course, I'd want you to be included in that future.

Voice Line 14

Noan: (Paints something) ........Hm? Oh, I've been painting a picture with the paintbrush you left. It's nothing fancy, just a simple drawing of a sunflower. If I told you I drew this while thinking of you, would you believe me?

Voice Line 15

Noan: I don't regret the things I've done in the past. I've used the grief I experienced as a catalyst to move forward without ever denying myself. ...For a brighter tomorrow free from strife, I shall give everything I have head-on so that we won't lose any more people we hold dear.

Raise Affection Level

Voice Line 1

Noan: (Chuckle) You sure have a lot of friends.

Voice Line 2

Noan: It'd be a waste to gift that to me. How about giving it to someone more worthy than me?

Voice Line 3

Noan: I'm happy enough that you're standing in front of me without your guard up.

Voice Line 4

Noan: Thank you... Are you just this kind to anyone you've met?

Voice Line 5

Noan: What are your hobbies? Ehehe, getting to know each other is the first important step in becoming friends.

Voice Line 6

Noan: Should I draw a picture for you in return as thanks? I'm kidding. This present you gave me is far more valuable than any of my drawings.

Voice Line 7

Noan: Despite the countless despair and spite this world has, you still make sure to treat others kindly. You truly are amazing.

Voice Line 8

Noan: I'm fine with any notebook and pen. I feel like it'd be wasteful if I use such a good quality paintbrush for this.

Voice Line 9

Noan: Are we... friends already? Ah, I want to be your friend, your comrade. And from here on out, I wish to stay by your side... That's what I feel.

Voice Line 10

Noan: I don't have much to give back to you in return, but... Please don't hesitate to tell me if there's something I can do for you.

Voice Line 11

Noan: Can I... come meet you again tomorrow?

Voice Line 12

Noan: Thank you so much... truly. It's not just the presents you've given me. I'm thankful for you and the words you said to me back then.

Voice Line 13

Noan: We're still amidst the harsh winter... But whenever you're with me, it feels like it becomes less cold than before.

Voice Line 14

Noan: If I tell you that I want to become closer to you... what will you do?

Voice Line 15

Noan: It's enough for me that we're aiming for the same goal and being able to fight alongside you, but that doesn't mean I'll stop longing for you... (Chuckle) Commander?

Voice Line 16

Noan: Can I take it that you're okay being this close to each other, Commander...?

AFK

Voice Line 1

Noan: Your sleepiness is also making me feel sleepy, hrm... Even though I already don't need to sleep anymore...

Voice Line 2

Noan: It's been pretty quiet, but are you busy with something else?

Voice Line 3

Noan: I don't know if you're asleep or you're working hard... Well, maybe it's not so bad, getting to see your back like this.

Voice Line 4

Noan: Are you asleep? I want to check up close if you're sleeping, but just in case I might wake you up... Yeah, I should stop here.

Voice Line 5

Noan: ♬~Our wishes will outlive us~♪ The light you shine is gentle as you are~♬[1]

Online for a Long Time

Voice Line 1

Noan: Having a lot of missions to deal with seems tough. Is there something I could help you with?

Voice Line 2

Noan: Oh-kay, let's confirm if you're still wide awake. What do you see on this ink blotch? ...It's some sort of abstract matter? Uhh-huh...

Voice Line 3

Noan: You're complaining that your neck hurts because you're always looking downwards. ...Come on, let's do some light stretches. Relax your muscles, and move around your head and shoulders.

Voice Line 4

Noan: Wait a second, let me check your eyes. ...Hrm, now open your mouth. What time did you sleep yesterday? ...(Sigh) Really now...

Voice Line 5

Noan: You've sacrificed your health just so you can finish all your work. I doubt you'd even listen to me, but... Why not rest even just for a few minutes?

Log-In

Voice Line 1

Noan: Morning. Do we have a mission today?

Voice Line 2

Noan: Commander, here's the list of missions for today. If we're all set, let's head out.

Voice Line 3

Noan: Morning, Commander Simon told me to pass along this message to you when I met him in front of the training room. Let's get along, he said.

Voice Line 4

Noan: I've been thinking it's about time you arrive here. I guess we're connected telepathically then?

Voice Line 5

Noan: You're back, Commander. I did several missions while you weren't here the past few days, but I knew I'd think about such a thought... "If only you were here," that is.

Voice Line 6

Noan: Welcome back, Commander. I've been waiting for you.

Voice Line 7

Noan: Did you sleep well last night? Your ability to focus would recede when you're tired, plus the people who care for you would be worried. Hm? Of course, I would be. I'm also one of those people.

Voice Line 8

Noan: Welcome back, Commander. I've been thinking about you. Oh, well you're not wrong that you're in front of me right now. Even so, I just couldn't help myself.

Offline for a Long Time

Noan: Showing up just now, did you oversleep? Were you having a dream of a calm and harmonious world? If that was a blissful dream, then you should've dreamed a little while longer. Don't worry, I'll continue to wait for you here 'til you show up.

Shake

Voice Line 1

Noan: Wha—! Are you okay?! Did you trip?

Voice Line 2

Noan: Stop it, my glasses are about to fall down... Wha- wait... Don't take off my glasses...!

Voice Line 3

Noan: Even if you do that, a coin won't come out from me.

Repetitive Taps

Voice Line 1

Noan: Hm? What the- (Sigh)... I already said I'm not hiding anything. Wait, this isn't a body inspection?

Voice Line 2

Noan: W-wait— th-that tickles! Aha-...Gee, that was unexpectedly childish of you. It's fine, I'll let this slide since I saw your smile.

Voice Line 3

Noan: What's wrong? No need to be frantic. I'll be right by your side.

Activity Task Full

Noan: Our activity level's at max level, let's take a small break. If you have other plans you want to do, shall I tag along?

Battle Dialogues

Battle Start/Character Switch

Noan: I fight so the plights and suffering in our lifetime will be kept at bay.

Voice Line 1

Noan: Let's reassess what their sins are.

Voice Line 2

Noan: This is how the "best duo" pairs up.

Voice Line 3

Noan: Tear through the darkest night.

Ultimate Skill

Noan: Amidst the depths of winter will genuine springtide flourish!

Light Damage

Noan: I'm fine.

Heavy Damage

Noan: No... I mustn't fall here...

Incapacitated

Noan: I'm sorry... for leaving you all alone...

Friend Support

Noan: I don't plan to make you suffer any longer.

QTE

Noan: Aim for a swift victory.

Battle End

Noan: It's over, let's go home now.

Structure Documentation

Document Detail 1

Noan's appearance has established the fact Ascendants can turn humans into Structures. He is currently under surveillance in Eden for associating with an Ascendant. Although he doesn't seem to be disgruntled by the constant surveillance, research, and cooperation with his examinations, most of the "people who know his situation" feels somewhat lonely since Noan acts courteously as if he's keeping them at arm's length.

Document Detail 2

Noan himself named his model "Sojourn." He took inspiration from the time a young boy had preached to him after he left the Azil—"the world around us is a sojourn and all the sorrow they've experienced will one day return to the earth." The world around us is a large place of dwelling. Yes, even this very body he has. He has begun his new journey to the final destination of his life.

Document Detail 3

After he had fitted one of his coatings, Noan was sorely unsure whether or not he'd dye his hair in a rainbow color. However, everyone in Barometz Platoon strongly opposed it and even received harsh criticism from Arts Association Chairman Allen, saying it was "an abstract expression." The white streak of hair strands offset by his raven-colored hair expresses his resolution.

Document Detail 4

Even though Noan could deftly master a weapon and can write in either his left or right hand, he isn't particularly good at handling heavy weapons. It's not because of how incompetent he is, but because he's proficient in keen and nimble combat. The blueprint for his Energy Blade is a gift he received from Rachel on his 17th birthday. The other blade he wields on his other hand is something he had been using ever since he joined the porter company. Until Noan obtained his Energy Blade, his weapons used to be a blade and a gun.

Document Detail 5

He is hardly proficient in long-range weapons. Even the accuracy of the gun Noan previously used wasn't high. When you'd think he missed the mark, he would actually hit the vital target by fluke. There was a time when the bullet Noan fired pierced 3 windows, hitting the billboard across the building, and it fell on the leader of a burglary group.

Document Detail 6

He was able to escape an Ascendant's interferences and hallucinations alone. According to later observations, it was acknowledged that the stability in his Sea of Consciousness allows him adaptability toward Specialized Models. The Science Council still hasn't concluded whether this characteristic was something Noan originally had or was the result of the Ascendant's interference.

Rumors and Secrets

Secret 1 Has read a considerable amount of manga in a stack room. Noan seems to be receptive to any work, possibly because there are also peculiar plots among those he'd read. He would thoroughly read a manga title until the end, especially titles recommended to him by his friends.

Secret 2 To secure some space in his bag, Noan left a manga with a pear blossom between its pages at City Number 075. It was the Gray Raven Team who found that manga when they had visited for a survey. Noan retrieved that manga after that, but he lost it when he was heavily injured in City Number 210.

Secret 3 Noan still occasionally dreams of his past up until now. With how he is now, however, he is distinctly self-aware that it's all a dream and immediately wakes up—because in that dream, there isn't a single scratch on the firefly in his hands.

Secret 4 Although Noan had learned countless skills to survive, the only exception to that is cooking—up until he became a Structure, cooking delicious food wasn't a necessity for him. Now so long as he has a recipe to follow, Noan could cook the dish to a certain extent. Since he frowns upon ingredients going to waste, he inattentively ate the scrap parts of the ingredients on one occasion.

Secret 5 Whenever Noan is at a loss for what to do, he would tell a joke with a serious look on his face and divert the subject matter. He would often make his facial expressions overly serious so the other person would take them seriously. Noan would most likely say "maybe I'll tell you a little secret of mine" whenever he would tell an outlandish joke in the beginning, but he'd immediately give an explanation for his actions if the other person does take it seriously. If he manages to get by each time, strictly speaking.

Secret 6 Noan was once praised by his colleagues in the porter company for being skilled at consoling people and he would usually be the person they rely on to take care of their hammered colleagues at their drinking parties. Although he doesn't drink alcoholic beverages himself, it doesn't mean he wouldn't help them out or ditch out on the people who need someone could lend an ear to them.

Secret 7 Noan isn't good at handling people who are crying—he also can't tell if the other person is actually crying or shedding crocodile tears. To appear calm in front of a crying person even though he's panicking internally, Noan will probably almost nod to every request he generally won't agree on.

Secret 8 He wants to be reincarnated as a seagull in his next life, yet he has never seen either the ocean or a seagull before he became a Structure.

Secret 9 Noan was infamous as a pigheaded person in Passenger Car N until he was 13 years old. Because he recurrently used to incite a reckless feud, he was referred to as a "prickly boy"[2] by the people in that car. The person in question, however, has neither seen a chestnut's burr nor a person getting stabbed by it so he never knew they were referring to him.

Secret 10 Even though he isn't particularly nit-picky when it comes to colors, Noan prefers shades of white that give off a pure and clean feel—it ranges from white fabric, white bird feathers, clear skies, a pristine piece of paper, and so on... But the only thing he hates among the pure white things is snow, especially an endless snowfield.

Secret 11 While he was easy to get along with and had hit off with many friends, Noan had very few close friends he cherished in all sincerity. He's somewhat dense when it comes to emotions and is constantly passive, as he never expressed his desires or his eagerness to someone he was just recently acquainted with—he's the type of person who'd like to know the other person well on top of closing the distance between them.

Secret 12 He would frankly express his emotions to close friends. When the other person shows an interesting reaction to his words, Noan will try to pull a prank using that word. Despite being aware that he still has a childish side, he doesn't plan on hiding this side of himself entirely from his close friends.

This is in reference to the Surviving Glimmer's main theme song.

This may possibly be a reference to the manga "Igakuri-kun" (Igakuri-kun: Young Judo Master) written by Fukui Eiichi.

[cjsinkythoughts]

FATWS One Shot #3 - Stars, Stripes, and Bubbles

Word Count: 1912

Warnings: Cursing, Fluff, erm…a Relationship that You Want to Happen but Know Never Will

Setting/Characters: The first part of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014 after Steve’s hostage mission; Reader, Steve Rogers, mentions of Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanoff, and Nick Fury

A/N: This…isn’t what I thought it was gonna turn out to be. But I like it, it’s cute, and I needed something pure with the shield after that ending scene, so I’m posting it.

I have a few more One Shots planned that take place during TWS so I’ll be writing those today and tomorrow. This week is a lot less hectic than last week (I was being trained in another area of my job last week, hence crazy hours), so expect more One Shots coming this week. Again, I’m trying to post them chronologically, but there might be some out of order depending on what you guys request and when, which is totally fine!

For today, I have the Reader meeting Sam (which is kinda what this was supposed to be, but…oh well) and more about the notebook planned. Also Reader meeting Bucky unofficially for the first time because he’s, you know, brainwashed and stuff. Later this week I’m planning on AoU stuff which will include the Party Scene and Wanda interactions.

If I can get through those by Friday when the new episode comes out, I’ll start on CA:CW which will include Reader officially meeting Bucky and possibly the airport scene if you guys are interested in that. Then I’ve got some Wakanda scenes and some Peter interactions. If not, I’ll start CW:CA next Sunday. Once the backstory is set up and completed chronologically, I might go back and just write some drabbles and stuff of random moments - kinda like this one. 

I did get a request earlier for Bucky’s perspective on the dancing scene in Part 4.2, so I’m planning on doing more rewrites of scenes in Bucky’s perspective, but that’ll come after the One Shots, so hopefully next week.

I think that’s all…umm…yeah. Once again, not beta’d so please excuse any mistakes! Thank you so much for reading! I’m so glad you’re all enjoying this almost as much as I am! Be kind to yourselves and others! Enjoy reading and stay tuned!

FATWS Masterlist

cjsinkythoughts Masterlist

The beeping of the timer made you groan and set down the book you were digging into. You were just starting to get to the good part, but the food smelled so good, so you decided it could wait.

You were so focused on your task of getting your breakfast ready that you didn’t hear your front door open or the footsteps that followed it shutting, the thud of boots hitting the floor just around the corner. Setting the ready food on the counter, you jumped at the arms that wrapped around your shoulders and waist.

“Shouldn’t you be more observant for a spy?”

You gave a hum at his deep voice, tilting your head slightly as he placed his cheek on your shoulder, nose pressing up against the column of your throat. “Shouldn’t you be heading over to the Triskelion for your debriefing with Fury?”

He growled at the mention of the mission he was just sent on yesterday morning. The first few assignments he had surprised you with how quick they were over, but then you remembered yours were a bit different than his and you got used to him being back within the next couple days.

“We don’t have secrets right? I’m so fucking tired of secrets.”

Your eyebrow quirked up as you turned to face him, his hands slipping down to your hips. You took in his state; he was still in uniform, dirt on his face, hair unruly, the shield on his back gray with the dust that covered it. He obviously hadn’t even gone to his own place yet, meaning he just got back. “What happened?”

He huffed, letting go of you to rub his face tiredly. “Natasha. She didn’t tell me that Fury sent her to do something other than what we were supposed to be doing.”

“They’re spies, bubs. It’s what they do.”

“You’re a spy. You wouldn’t do that.”

Chuckling a little at his comparison, you shook your head. “Our relationship is a little…different than yours and Nat’s.”

“I wish they’d put you on my missions. I don’t know why they don’t. We work well together, don’t we?”

You snorted. “That’s probably the reason.” At his confused look, you shook your head. “Never mind. Just…we’re closer. I know you better than they do. You can’t compare them to me. It isn’t fair.”

He grumbled, eyes glancing down to your feet. “They still should’ve told me.”

“Hey,” you tilted his head back up to meet your gaze. “It was a hostage mission, right?” He nodded. “Did you save the hostages?” Another nod, which made you shrug. “Then there you go. You did your job and you saved people. It was a success. That’s all that matters.”

“He got away.” Steve argued. “He got away because she didn’t feel the goddamn need to tell me-”

“She was following orders. Don’t be mad at her.”

“You’re right.” His quick admission stunned you for a moment, until he continued speaking. “It’s Fury’s fault. I think I’m gonna go-”

He started moving away, but you tugged him back, shaking your head again. “Not yet, bubba. You can talk to him later. Let’s get you cleaned up first. Then we’ll eat and you can tell me how that run you went on yesterday was. Okay?”

His features softened and he nodded, setting his forehead against yours. “Okay.”

You had half of your dresser sectioned off for Steve’s things. SHIELD had moved him to DC about a year previous to be closer to HQ, especially after the Helicarrier became decommissioned for repairs. You already had an apartment in DC - it was where you stayed for the most part, hence the reason you were more than willing to stay in New York for a couple years. 

The moment he moved in about ten minutes from you, you knew, just like in DC, he’d be spending a lot of time at your place. Which is why you made the executive decision to have him bring a bag over one night and unpack his stuff.

It wasn’t the first shower he took at your place and it most certainly wouldn’t be the last.

While he was cleaning up, you got to work washing his suit and the shield. You teased him by saying you’d just throw his suit in the washer and the shield in the dishwasher, but you wouldn’t actually.

His suit was air drying by the window and you were at the sink scrubbing off the shield, wishing you had a backyard and a hose, when he padded back into the room, hair plastered to his forehead, dripping down his temples, sweats and a t-shirt clinging to his body. He shook his head, leaning on the counter besides you. You always found it amusing how big he looked in your tiny kitchen.

“You know you don’t have to do that, right?”

You scoffed. “If you think I’m gonna let you walk around in that disgusting thing all day, you, my friend, are nuts.”

He chuckled, moving behind you and setting his chin on your shoulder, his larger hands stopping yours from their movements. “At least let me do this, then.” He murmured, taking the scrub brush from you, spreading the bubbles over the rings of the shield.

“You can help me. But I like finishing what I started.” You whispered back, reaching for a clean rag and dunking it into the soapy water, wiping down the star in the middle.

He placed a gentle kiss to your jaw, relenting easily. “Fine.”

You two worked in silence, the water running over the shield, taking the dirt and grime with it, hands occasionally brushing each other. Almost finished, Steve placed his hand over yours, moving it over to a certain spot. “The brush won’t get it.” He explained, his low voice sounding right beside your ear.

Smiling, you turned your head to look at him. There was a crease between his brow as he concentrated on getting rid of the smudge on the precious metal. Your lips turned up when you noticed a dark spot on his jaw he must’ve missed. He looked at you with a grin when you started giggling. “What’s got you giggling so pretty, honey?”

Letting go of the side of the shield you were holding, you reached up to wipe the dirt on his jaw that he missed with your thumb. “Can’t let that handsome face of yours get stained. And, speaking of stains,” you turned back to the shield, holding it up for the both of you to look at, the soft light from the window above the sink making it shine even more. “You think we got it all?”

“Hmmm. I think you missed a spot.”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “What? Where?”

He leaned closer to the shield, face right besides yours, cheeks practically brushing together. “Right…here.” His hand that you didn’t notice cupping water, came up and splashed your face.

You let out a shriek, stepping back, further into his chest, your jaw dropped. “Steven! My pjs!”

He cackled, leaning back and holding his chest, before gasping when you did the same thing back to him. “You’re on!” He grabbed his shield and filled it with water, making you squeak and try getting out of his hold. Stupid Super Soldier strength. He dumped it on you, water falling on your head, sliding down your back and making your pajamas stick to you. You quickly retaliated, grabbing the facet and turning it towards him, laughing at his shout.

The water fight continued for a few more minutes, bowls and cups coming into play, with Steve diving behind the counter and you slipping on the floor.

“Woah, there, honey!” He chuckled, the chortles coming from your lips reassuring him that you weren’t hurt. He leaned over you, reaching his hand out. “You okay?”

You nodded, taking his hand. “Let’s call it a truce, yeah?”

“Truce? Hell no! I won!”

“You did not! You just got lucky!”

He pulled you up, tugging you close. “Alright, alright. Fine. A truce. Let’s get you into some dry clothes, now. Don’t want you gettin’ sick, honey.”

You shook your head. “That’s actually a myth.”

“I’ll take note of that.”

An eyebrow of yours raised. “In that little notebook you never let me read?”

He smiled innocently. “Maybe. I added something else yesterday.” He informed you while tugging you down the hall to your room.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man Soundtrack.”

You hummed with an approving nod. “Yeah. That was a good suggestion. Who gave it to you?��

“This guy I met on my run.” He shrugged, heading over to his dresser as you grabbed a couple towels. “Sam Wilson. He seemed like a good guy.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded, grabbed another set of sweats and a shirt, before turning to you and taking the towel you handed him. “Yeah. He served two tours in Afghanistan. Now he’s working down at the VA. Told me to drop by sometime.”

“Aww.” You stood on your tiptoes to ruffle his hair. “My bubba’s all grown up and making friends.”

He rolled his eyes, ducking away from your hand and running his own through his hair. “Yeah, yeah.” His smile dropped as he looked at the clothes in his hand. “I think I’m gonna head out now. I should talk to Fury.”

You frowned. “You have all day, Steve. Just eat first, okay?”

“Okay.”

He was holding something back, you could tell. Picking out your clothes for the day, you decided to question him about it. “What’re you thinking about?”

Your backs turned to each other, you started changing, just as you’d down countless times before. “I was thinking about going to the Air and Space Museum again. If you wanna come.”

“You know I do.”

It was quiet for a few more minutes, only the sound of rustling clothes and zippers filling the air. “I-I think I’m gonna go after. To see her, I mean.”

You froze, keeping your heart and your breathing steady so he wouldn’t pick up on anything. “It’ll be good for you. She…she always knows what to say.”

“So do you.”

You cleared your throat, finishing with the final touches of your outfit. “I actually forgot that I have some stuff to finish up at HQ today, so I dunno if I’ll be able to go-”

His hand grabbed your wrist, turning you around, eyes pleading and face fallen. “Please. Please come with me. Honey. I need you there. With me. Please.”

You inwardly cursed yourself for falling for those puppy eyes, a soft sigh leaving your lips. “Okay, bubs. I’ll come with you.” You might regret it later, but the relief that washed over his features was worth it for now. The power he had over you scared you, especially since you knew he didn’t realize the hold he had on you, but you couldn’t help it. It happened quickly, swiftly, and you were down before you recognized it. And you didn’t know how to deal with it other than taking it one day at a time.

“Let’s go get some breakfast, now. I can promise it’s at least decent.”

The beam he shot you made your heart flutter no matter how hard you tried keeping calm. “I’m sure it’s better than anything I could ever make.” He pulled you close, lips brushing over your forehead. “Thank you.”

“For what?” You sighed, leaning your head against his, eyes closing.

“Existing.”

***********

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All Works Taglist (Open):

@happygoreading​

@bibliophilewednesday​

[sincerelychifuyu]

cat! (a whisker away au)

kazutora x gn!reader

– 1681 words

– hurt/comfort

– not proofread

note: i didn't exactly follow the whole plot and scenes of the movie and the ending was rushed

story belows the cut! hope you enjoy!

“you like him, right?”

“huh?” you stopped walking and turned you head only to meet a cat who was sitting upright, you titlted your head as you pointed your index finger towards the cat and asked, “where y-you talking to me...?”

to simply answer your question, the cat nods, “mhm! you like him, kazutora, right? and you know he likes–no, loves cats, am i right?”

you didn't wanna question any further so you wouldn't complicate the situation more and simply said, “yeah! he has told me multiple stories about the cats he's taking care of... yeah...” your voice slowly getting lower at the end of your sentence, you didn't even know why you were telling a literal cat about your liking towards kazutora. but it wouldn't hurt, right?

“well, [name], would you kindly accept my offer–you give me your mask and i'll grant you the power to be able to transform into a cat anytime you want?” the cat grins, showing its sharp teeth, its eyes held a mysterious glint for a short amount of time and you would've missed it if you blinked.

you were willing to accept the cat's offer because you already have a plan in mind with what you were going to do first in your ˝cat form˝, but you were confused about one thing, “m... mask? what kind of mask exactly?”

the cat was well aware of your tone, it knows you were willing to accept the offer but still cautious, “i'd say it's similar to a human body,”

“h-ha–?!” you shrieked loudly which resulted in accidentally cutting off the cat's answer, “vessel for vessel, get it? if i offer a cat vessel, you offer me your human vessel. it's only a fair trade, do you not agree?”

“you have a point there...” you scratch your head and the cat explains more thoroughly, “simply shake my paw and that'll mean you accept my offer, if you need more time to think–”

“i need a week! give me a week to think!” you intertwine your hands together while show a pleading look towards the cat and it sighs, “...fine, just repeat the word ˝milk˝ three times and i will appear once your mind is made up,”

the cat was already preparing to leave before it stops and tells you, “if you do agree, you have five months before your human vessel is completely stripped away from you, there's no turning back and you'll be a cat for the rest of your life.”

you shivered at the thought of not being able to be a human again, “i see... i'll go now! bye...?”

“yam, you can call me yam. looking forward to our meeting again, [name]” the cat grins once again and dissapears out of thin air, as if it wasn't there in the beginning.

you continued your way back home and immediately laid down on your bed. you looked at your window to see the sun was setting down, you sighed and closed your eyes thinking about kazutora for the nth time that day.

‘would kazutora pay attention to me more if i was a cat?’ you didn't tell yam earlier that you had countlessly thought about turning into a cat just to get noticed by kazutora, but yam could have possibly knew about it hence why the feline offered you a cat vessel.

‘will it be worth it?’ you asked no one in particular and slept.

you woke up in a messy state. realizing you were late for the second time that week, you rushed with no second thoughts. quickly getting on your bike to get faster to school.

you saw your friends by the school gate and approached them full of sweat because of the exercise you recieved from your bike. you greeted them nonetheless and pretended you didn't hear them scolding you for being late.

you opened the door to your first class and saw kazutora sitting while doodling something. you went to your assigned seat which was next to his and asked, “oh! you're drawing a cat? as expected from you, kazutora.” you smile at him and your classmates cheer for you.

“thank you, [name].” he smiled back at you and you felt butterflies in your stomach. you were gonna do everything for kazutora even if it meant you had to give up your human vessel.

your week went smoothly. you thought about yam's offer for a few more days, five days to be exact. finally making up your mind, you repeated the word ˝milk˝ three times.

“oh? you finally made up your mind? it's not even a week yet.” the cat asks you, eager to hear your answer.

“yeah... i didn't think it'd take me just four days to make up my mind, too,” you looked away from yam.

“mhm, continue, don't keep me waiting for too long!”

“fine, fine! um, i'll accept your offer but...!” the cat extends its paw and grins.

you groaned and just told yam, “ok, i'm really, a hundred percent, completely sure that i will accept your offer!” you shook his paw and the next thing you new was that you passed out.

you woke up the next day, to eat breakfast and saw yuzuha at your table. “yuzuha? what are you doing here?” you neared the table and sat down. “i just wanted to visit you and since your door wasn't locked i went in!” she replied with a mouthful of cereal.

“hm, yeah but swallow before talking!” you giggled at her behavior and continued talking, “also, what day is it?”

“don't worry, today is saturday, i would have woke you up if we had school today.” you were thankful for yuzuha, you truly are.

you almost forgot about the agreement you and yam had yesterday and excused yourself, “wait! i'll go outside real quick i just need to do something!” yuzuha just nodded.

yam didn't tell you how to turn into a cat and you mentally cursed yourself for not asking.

you closed your eyes and pictured yourself as a cat, opening your eyes, you realized your vision look funny, you looked down and saw your paw.

you celebrated in your mind and ran to kazutora's house, he has invited you numerous times already. you went to the second floor, it was a little tricky but you were now face to face with kazutora's room window. you slid it open and was met with him drawing something once again.

you meowed so he could notice you, it looked like it worked because now kazutora was playing with you. you had lots of fun but you didn't forget you told yuzuha you'd be out ‘real quick’, you looked at kazutora's clock and went for a run to your house.

you opened the door and saw yuzuha watching a show, “i'm back!” you shout with the largest grin on your face.

“why do you look so giddy? where did you go to?” yuzuha raises a brow suspiciously and you just waved her off, “hmmm, nowhere in particular! by the way, you can leave anytime, just tell me! i'm going to my room.”

you went upstairs and squealed, you haven't even confessed to kazutora and yet you're already acting like he accepted your feelings.

it went on for months, you visited kazutora in your cat form and always spent time with him, cherishing the moments you spent with him even if you're just a cat.

you'll never forget the smile he sends your way, the sweet words that left his mouth, the way he takes care of you–you wonder if he'd do this if you were in your human form, you hope he would then you wouldn't have to visit him and rely on your cat form.

it didn't go unnoticed by you when you realized it was getting harder to transform back to your human form.

you didn't even realize that the five months you had before your human vessel was taken away from you was already over.

your friends put up missing person posters, you saw that they were grieving over you. you thought in that moment that you were so selfish, you didn't even think about the people around you and just accepted yam's offer just to get noticed by a person.

you didn't know what to do now and just weeped in the middle of a street. kazutora heard a cat meowing and walked towards it. it was raining that night but kazutora dropped everything just to cradle you in his arms.

kazutora's always like this, caring and kind, he may look like he doesn't care about anything at all but he's the opposite. that's what made you fall for him.

tears continued to fall at your eyes,

more,

more,

and more.

you were now crying over kazutora, you were such a hopeless romantic, you were so stupid, so reckless, so careless.

“[name]...?” kazutora questioned.

your sobbing stopped and you slowly understood the situation you were in.

you have turned back into your human form–but how?

you could see from your peripheral vision the cat that offered you your cat form. you could see its grin but before you could ask something to the cat, you felt kazutora's hold on you go tighter than before.

heat went up to your face upon the realization that kazutora hanemiya, the person who you have the biggest crush on, is hugging you like there's no tomorrow.

“i thought i lost you.” kazutora whispered.

“i'm... sorry, kazutora. i shouldn't have done that.” you said as you hugged him back just as tight.

“it's alright, [name]. you don't have to apologize for anything.” kazutora suddenly backed away after he said that but both of your hands are still entwined, he continued, “well, now that's settled, do you wanna go anywhere?” kazutora grins and tilted his head, his earring jingling at the action.

“are you... asking me out?” you teased him and laughed. “you could say that.” kazutora replies and you froze.

“how could i say no when you're the one asking me that?”

[laventae]

Haikyuu boys - Pretending to be your boyfriend

Akaashi Keiji

Summary: Oneshot stories of random situations where the boys pretend to be your boyfriends, but y’all also kinda like each other?

Pairings: Akaashi Keiji x Gn!reader (I tried my best to make it gn, if there are any mistakes though, please let me know)

Genre: Fluff?

Word count: 6.4k words

Warnings: Mild cursing

Becoming close friends with Bokuto when you got into Fukurōdani Academy a year ago was probably one of the best accidents that happened to you since you moved into town. Because you weren't very extroverted and had a hard time making friends whenever you got into a new school or was put in a social situation, you thought moving to Fukurōdani meant that you'd become an outcast once again. That, however, totally changed when you were assigned a seat next to Bokuto in class on your first day. And ever since then, you've been as close as ever. You can also definitely say that, because of him, it was much easier and much more comfortable for you to put yourself out there and be able to make friends and get along with many different people. You couldn't even express the amount of appreciation you felt towards him for helping you through it all. But, its moments like these that you just question if you should feel thankful or just straight up want to kill him. Your right leg shakes as you anxiously wait for the bell of your last class to ring. ‘Just a few more minutes’ you think to yourself. And surely, a couple of minutes later, the bell rings. You hurriedly grab your things and wave goodbye to your friends as you leave class. "Really? Nothing??" You exclaim as you look at your phone to see if Bokuto replied to any of your messages or calls. "Fine then" you say as you head to the gym, where you know he definitely would be.

-~-~-

You open the gym door slowly, and try to look for Bokuto. Your eyes scan the gym for any signs of him and then you spot him standing and talking to some of the guys from the volleyball team. ‘Gotcha’ you think as you make your way to him. You greet some of the guys on the team as you pass through the gym court to get to Bokuto. "Hey Bo!" you loudly call on him as you cross your arms while facing his back.

You see him stiffen and start turning around slowly, the boys laughing and wishing him luck. They probably know he’s done some shit again this time, and frankly, they're not surprised.

“Oh hey, y/n,” he scratches the back of his head nervously, “what brings you here?” he asks innocently.

“Oh, just missing you,” you answer. You see his shoulders relax and take another step towards him, “and wondering why you haven't been answering my texts or calls”

He puts on an innocent smile on his face and reaches for your head, ruffling your hair and trying to hug you “Oh, you're missing me? You’re missing your daily dose of Bokuto to re-energize your-” you swat his hand away before he finishes his sentence.

“Stop trying to act cute,” you say as you start fixing your hair, “explain”

“Oh, my bad, did you text me? I was just busy with practice and all, didn’t have time to check my phone.”

“Since yesterday?” you ask, unamused.

“Yesterday? Hmmm...” he pretends to start thinking about the last time he checked his phone.

“Quit it, I know you’ve been avoiding me and haven't started working on your part of our history project”

He gives you puppy dog eyes and reaches for your arm in a way where you know he means “can you help me with it?”

“It’s due in 3 days, you know that, right?” you ask, unamused, yet again.

His round, golden eyes don’t waver as he silently begs you to give in.  

‘Goddammit, why does he have to be so cute’

You sigh, “fine”  

He immediately gets excited and raises his fists in the air as if he won a game.

“But just this once, idiot” you say, and you can’t help but smile at how excited he gets.

“You say that every time, you know” you hear Konoha say teasingly and you send him a glare.

He quickly raises his arms as if to say “sorry” and you laugh.

You turn your attention to Bokuto again, “Today, after practice, I'll be waiting for you at our usual café, do you understand?”

“Sure, sure,” he says as he drags you to the court, “now toss me a ball, let me show you how much better my spike has gotten!” he exclaims excitedly and you can't help but give in, yet again.

A couple of minutes after you start tossing balls for Bokuto to spike, you feel someone staring at you. You turn around and notice it was Akaashi, but he looks away as soon as you notice him and continues chatting with another team member.

You grab another ball to toss Bokuto, “You know, I still don’t think Akaashi necessarily likes me” you quietly tell him.

He looks at you confused, “Here we go again, why do you think that?” he asks as he spikes another ball you threw his way.

“I don’t know, I always feel like he’s glaring at me when I look at him” you say slightly disappointed, “do you think I accidently did something wrong to annoy him?”

Somehow, you always found it hard to talk to him or get close to him. And it wasn’t a surprise since you weren’t the most extroverted person, but you were still able to get along with most people, just, not really, him.  

“Hey, I'm sure that it’s just all in your head, he doesn’t hate you” Bokuto says as he waits for you to toss him another ball.

“It’s just so hard to read him, I can never know what he’s thinking”

“Then just ask him”

“It’s not that easy, you know”

“Why would it not be easy? What? Do you like him or something?” Bokuto says teasingly.

Skip

Your heart skips a beat.  

‘What? Me liking him? That’s ridiculous’

I mean he’s very attractive, don’t get me wrong. He has the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen. And your eyes can't help but follow him when watching the team play during matches. He always looks focused and serious and h-

‘What am I even thinking right now?’ you curse yourself in your head and turn to answer Bokuto but find him with a surprised look on his face.

“Wait! DO YOU ACTUALLY LIKE-” Bokuto yells before you put your hand on his mouth to stop him from finishing his sentence.

“OH MY GOD, NO!” you whisper yell before you turn around, and once again you see Akaashi turn his head away.

“No, stop being a weirdo” you tell Bokuto again as you remove your hand from over his mouth, hoping nobody heard what you guys were yelling about.

He eyes you suspiciously for a few seconds before asking you to toss him another ball.

“Well anyways, I don’t want my two best friends to be awkward around each other, so you guys better start getting along” he says as he spikes another ball.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” you sigh, relieved that Bokuto isn't pressing on the matter any further.

‘Wait, why are you even relieved, it's not like you actually like him’ you think and unintentionally laugh out loud.

“Hey weirdo, stop laughing and keep tossing the ball”

You spend a few more minutes tossing the ball for Bokuto before leaving to get your stuff ready to meet him at your usual café nearby.

-~-~-

You check your phone as soon as you get in the café.

1 NEW MESSAGE FROM ‘Baka-to’: “Sorry! With coach! Be there in 15 mins!”

You sigh.  

“Didn’t expect much from the king of tardiness,” you say to yourself quietly as you chuckle and find a seat for the both of you.

You sit at your usual booth and start taking out your laptop and other books you need to help with the project.

You hear the café bell jingle and you look up instinctively to see who came in.

‘Fuck’ you think as you look away and try to hide yourself when you notice your ex walk in with some of his friends.  

You try to hide behind your laptop, “he didn’t see me, he didn’t see me” you quietly tell yourself but hear him excusing himself from his friends, “he didn’t see me...”

You feel someone towering over you and you look up from your laptop.

“Hey y/n”

‘Goddammit... not now’

“Hey Azami” you reply as you put on a fake smile.

“What're you doing here?” he asks as he rudely takes a seat in front of you.

“What do you want, Azami?” you say getting frustrated and ignoring his question.

“Ouch,” he says pretending to be fake hurt and laughs. When he notices that you haven't even cracked a smile, he continues, “you haven't been answering my calls or texts”

“Well, we did break up months ago, and I told you not to contact me anymore, so I don’t know what you were expecting” you answer annoyed and check your phone to see if Bokuto sent you anymore messages about when he was getting there.

“I already apologized for what I did, y/n,” he starts, “it didn’t mean anything, I swe-”

You cut him off, “okay, I don’t have time for this,” you say getting fed up already, and you get up and start packing your stuff.

He grabs your wrist, “Wait, let me expl-”  

“Don’t touch me!” you exclaim as you cut him off again and try to get him to let go of your wrist.

“You’re not even listening to me, I-” he is cut off once again, but this time it wasn’t you.

Someone grabs his wrist and snatches it off yours.

You look up and notice Akaashi standing next to you, “Is there a problem here?” he asks in a serious tone. Even with his unreadable face, this time you can feel how serious and annoyed he looked.

‘What is he doing here now’ you think, feeling embarrassed that he caught you in this awkward situation.

Out of any situation you could've been in, this is how you guys accidentally run into each other. Figures.

Azami quietly chuckles, visibly annoyed, “I’m just tryna talk to y/n, so,” he glares at Akaashi, but keeps an innocent smile on his face. He then looks back at you and before he says anything he gets cut off, once again.

“Well, it seems like y/n doesn’t want to talk to you right now, so,” Akaashi replies back.

“What’re you? The boyfriend or something?” he says seemingly getting more annoyed.

“Yes” you reply without thinking and curse yourself in your head.

You just wanted Azami to leave quickly and you didn’t think about it when you answered.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid, why would you even say yes’

You feel Akaashi stiffen and both of them snap their heads at you.

You look at Akaashi apologetically and turn to face Azami, “So just leave us alone, will you?” you try to confidently say, and hope Azami hasn’t noticed the confused look on Akaashi’s face.

Azami just stares between the both of you for a few moments before he sighs in frustration, “Listen, I just wanted to talk to you and apologize again, about everything, so answer my calls sometime, alright?” he says as he turns around and goes back to his friends before you get the chance to reject his request.

As soon as he leaves, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

‘At least he’s gone, for now’ you sigh to yourself.

“Oh,” your head snaps to Akaashi, and notice him still looking at you, “I’m really sorry about that” you tell him embarrassed and look down.

“It’s fine” he sighs and takes the seat opposite of yours.

You look at him confused before you sit down again, placing your bag back down next to you, “Wait, what are you doing here?”

“Bokuto told me you wanted to meet us here” he says casually and starts looking over the menu in front of him.

“Me?” you ask, even more confused, and he just looks up at you.

‘Fuck, he has such pretty eyes’ you think to yourself.

‘Wait what am I even thinking right now’ you curse yourself again and look away, feeling your face turn a bit red.

“Was I not invited?” you hear him ask, disrupting you from your thoughts.

“No, it's not that-!” you answer quickly.

“I’ll go order something then, you want anything?” Akaashi says as he gets up.

You feel a pair of eyes staring at you. You turn and find Azami glaring at the both of you. He doesn’t even turn away when you notice, and just smirks.

“I’ll come with,” you tell Akaashi as you get up as well.  

He just nods and you head to the counter.

You tell the barista your order and then Akaashi starts ordering.

You can’t help but feel eyes on you again and you turn to Azami.

But this time Akaashi steps back and blocks your line of sight and you look up at him.

“You know, if you want him to stop looking, you should stop as well” he says as he looks at you with his piercing blue eyes.

You feel yourself slightly blush under his gaze and look away as soon as you notice how close your faces were.

“Yeah, you’re right...” you answer quietly and try to look at him from the corner of your eye. You notice him smirking.

After your orders were paid for and done, you grab your drinks and walk back to your booth.

It gets quiet, except for the occasional sips you both take from your drinks.

You awkwardly shift in your seat and feel the need to break the silence.

“Thanks, by the way,” you start and he looks up from his drink, “for you know, helping me out, and not saying anything about not being my actual boyfriend”

“It’s nothing,” he says casually as he looks out the window next to your booth, and you can't help but notice a small blush appearing on his cheek.

‘What... what even kind of expression is that? He looks so fucking cute? I didn’t even know he can make that kind of expressi-’

“Hey kids!” you hear someone say as they run over to you, dragging you back to reality, and making you choke on your drink as you notice what you were even thinking about.

Both you and Akaashi notice it’s Bokuto when he gets to your table, then he  pushes you to the inside booth seat.

“How are my best friends getting along with each other?” he asks you excitedly.

‘Ah, so that was his lame plan of getting us to get along better?’ you shake your head at him.

“Hey Bo, I thought we have a history project to finish here” you glare at him and he smiles innocently.

“I thought Akaashi could help us as well, considering we have so little time” Bokuto tells you, getting even more excited for some reason.

‘Ah... if only he knew he actually put Akaashi and I in an even more awkward situation than we were in before’

“Uhm... I’m actually pretty bad at history...” Akaashi quietly mentions as he looks at you and awkwardly scratches the back of his head.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute he looked right then.

Both of them look at you confused.

“Anyways, we should start, shouldn’t we?” You ask Bokuto and he just sadly sighs.

-~-~-

A couple of hours pass by as you try to finish the project but you were all sharing laughs and jokes in between, which would explain why it was definitely taking more time than is needed for it to be done.

But honestly, it was the first time you felt like you and Akaashi were getting along easily, so even though you were annoyed with Bokuto inviting him without telling you, you were still grateful it gave you both a chance to get to know each other better, or just enjoy each other's company.

It wasn’t much, it wasn’t like all of a sudden, you became besties, but it was definitely better than before, when you both could barely keep a conversation going.

It was mostly the both of you sharing funny and embarrassing situations you’ve been through with Bokuto, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. And honestly being able to get a laugh or two from Akaashi, definitely made it worth it.

‘No wait, why did I even think that’

“Excuse me guys, I'll just head to the restroom for a bit” you say as you look at Bokuto, motioning him to let you out of the booth.

“Nooo... don’t leaveee! The story’s just about to get better!” he whines as you push him off his seat to leave the booth.

“I'm literally coming back,” you shake your head and look at Akaashi, “Keep him in check while I'm away, yeah?”

Akaashi just chuckles and nods while Bokuto pouts at you.

“Come backk!” you hear Bokuto jokingly cry as you head to the restroom area and you shake your head at him.

You pass through the café to a hallway where the restrooms are located and feel someone grab your wrist, “Bo, I literally told you I'm gonna go ba-” you turn around and notice your ex standing there instead.

You instantly stiffen and push his hand off your wrist.

“Stop touching me” you snap at him.

He looks down, “I'm sorry, y/n, I just honestly want you to know that whatever you saw happen with that girl at the party, wasn’t my fault. She pushed herself on me! I promise!” he desperately pleads.

As bad as you wanted to feel pity for him, you couldn’t. “That doesn’t explain the texts, DMs, and everything else you did while we were still together. We both know that probably wasn’t the first time you did it. It was just the first time you got caught.”

He looked up at you, speechless for a moment, “But I've changed now, it’s different” he says as he slowly tries to reach for your hand once again.

“Okay, that’s enough,” you hear someone say sternly, then you notice Akaashi walking up behind Azami and puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from grabbing your hand again.

“Babe, you should go ahead” Akaashi says as he nods to the restroom area.

Skip

You nod, and Akaashi just shoots you a soft smile before Azami pushes Akaashi's hand off his shoulder. You turn around and slowly run to the restrooms.

You wash your face.

Once.

Twice.

‘Babe?’

‘Did he really just say babe?’

‘And why did your heart skip a beat again when he did??’

You wash your face again and look up at the mirror above the sink.

‘And why the hell are you getting flustered like this?’

You chuckle at yourself.

“This is ridiculous,” you sigh to yourself as you turn off the tap, “you don’t actually like him, do you?” you ask yourself as you look at the mirror again.

I mean that might explain why you found it hard to talk to him at school, or trying to keep the conversation going when you did. Maybe it wasn’t him that was the problem, it was... you?

“I’m just overthinking this,” you sigh to yourself again.

You grab a paper towel and dry your face off.  

“Okay,” you clear your throat as you reach for the door handle, “don't overthink things, you're barely even friends as is” you whisper to yourself as you open the door.

You notice Akaashi leaning against the wall in the hallway where you left him and Azami earlier. He looks like he’s intently thinking about something.

‘Pretty...’

Skip

You clear your throat as you close the door behind you, which looks like it also snapped his attention back to you and you notice him smile softly.

‘Don’t smile at me like that...’

“Were you waiting for something?” you ask him as you slowly walk to him.

“Yeah, you” he says as he straightens up and turns back to head to the café.

Skip

-~-~-

It was starting to get late, and you and Bokuto were almost done with the history project at that point, after hours of half working and half messing around with each other and Akaashi.

Even though at the beginning, you were iffy and kind of annoyed with Bokuto for sneakily inviting Akaashi without telling you, you couldn’t help but feel thankful for him because it turned out to be a fun hangout.

Even though your ex was there, and usually, even the thought of him would sour your mood, if not your whole day, this time you actually felt somewhat safe? You knew that Akaashi was definitely the reason for that, even with the occasional feeling of stares you felt, it didn’t really bother you as much.  

Though this hangout made you also realize you might have a thing for Akaashi, you tried to push that thought away every time your thoughts wandered.

I mean you guys were finally getting along, and you didn’t want to jeopardize this blooming friendship between you guys for something stupid, like your heart skipping a beat every time he would look at you and smile, or the way he laughed, or the accidental touches you would have when he would point out something on your laptop screen.

That would just be stupid.

“Alright Bo, all you have left is to add the citations at the end of the report. I saved all the sites and documents we used here” you tell him as you point on the screen.

“Y/n, you literally are a life-saver!” Bokuto exclaims as he jumps on you for a hug.

Your eyes accidentally land on Akaashi and you notice him looking annoyed as he looks at Bokuto. Your eyes meet and he looks away.

‘I’m just making this up in my head at this point, right?’

“Alright, alright, Bo! Get off!” you chuckle as you push him off you, “Just please promise me you'll finish your part in our final project on time”

“No promises” you hear Bokuto quietly say.

“HEY!” you laugh as you hit him on the back of his head.

“I’m joking, don’t hate me~” he laughs as he links his arm with yours.

“Stop trying to be cute” you say, pretending to be annoyed with him.

“Yeah, stop that” Akaashi says seriously as he continues to look away and take a sip from his drink.

‘Is he actually pouting right now?’

“Why are you pouting right now?” Bokuto asks Akaashi, as if he heard my thoughts.

“I’m not” Akaashi says finally looking up.

Bokuto just shrugs it off, but doesn’t notice the slight blush on Akaashi’s cheeks.

“Anyways,” Bokuto checks his watch, and his eyes go wide, “Oh my god, its 11pm already, I have early practice tomorrow!”

“We’re done anyways, so you can go” you tell him.

“But... I won't be able to walk you to your dorm...” Bokuto says as he pouts.

“Hey its fine, it isn't far anyways, I can walk back alone-”  

“I’ll walk you back,” Akaashi interjects out of nowhere.

Me and Bokuto both look at him.

“No, it’s fine, I can-” you try to reply but get cut off again

“Right, you both live in the same student dorm accommodation, don’t you?” Bokuto says as he suddenly remembers.

‘Do we?’  

You don’t think you've ever seen him go there, though they usually do finish volleyball practice late so, that might be the case.

“Yeah, we do” Akaashi replies casually.

“That’s perfect, thanks Akaashi, look after y/n for me, would you?” Bokuto says and Akaashi nods as a reply.

“Guys, seriously, I'm ok-”

“Alright, I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Bokuto says as he gets up and hurriedly grabs his things, “and y/n, send me the project with the links so I can finish it off later, alright?”

I nod and he excitedly runs for the door before he waves us a final goodbye.

You sigh as you check the time on your phone, “time passed by really fast, huh?” you say to yourself but you hear Akaashi agree with you.

I guess time really does go fast when you're having fun, and honestly, you really didn’t want the night to end yet.

You turn to Akaashi as you get up and start packing your things.

“How did you know we live in the same dorm accommodation? I don’t remember ever seeing you go there” you ask him curiously.

“Bokuto mentioned you stay there a couple of times,” he continued, “and I usually go there late, around this time maybe? When I'm done with practice or schoolwork”

Ah... just as you thought...

“You really don’t have to walk me back, by the way, it’s fine” you say. Though that’s not true, you were kind of happy he offered.

You cursed that thought.

“We are going the same way anyway, wouldn’t hurt to make sure you get home safe while I'm at it” he says as he smiles at you.

Skip

‘Get that sweet smile off your face right now’

“Thanks,” you say as you look away flustered.

You hear him chuckle.

‘Is he purposely teasing me right now?’

“Why are you laughing?” you eye him curiously.

“You just look cute, when you get all flustered” he says smiling as he grabs the rest of your books from the table.

“I'm- I'm not flustered!” you say, quite flustered.

He chuckles even louder this time.

“Whatever” you say quietly, as you look away from him, pouting.

“Ready to go?” Akaashi asks when you grab everything.

You nod and try to take your books from him.

He just moves back, and takes the bag you were holding instead and throws it over his shoulder.

“Let’s go,” he says as he starts walking to the door.

You try to catch up with him, feeling confused.

He opens the door and motions you to leave first, as he smiles.

You walk out the door and he follows you right after.

You keep following him with a confused look on your face and he nods towards the café, where you find your ex staring at you both.

“Oh... I didn’t even notice he was still there” you say quietly.

“I guess that’s a good thing, right?” Akaashi smiles at you, and you both start walking to your student dorm accommodation.

When you’re finally out of your ex’s sight, you reach for your bag again.

Akaashi doesn’t let go of it, however.

“It’s fine, he can't see us anymore” you tell him.

“I’m sure you’re tired, I don’t mind holding your things” he replies casually.

Skip

‘Ahh... stop being so nice to me, I can’t handle it’

“It feels like I’m taking advantage of you now” you reply sadly.

He just chuckles, “I want to do it, you're not forcing me”

You sigh.

“I wanna apologize,” you start and Akaashi just looks at you, “and thank you again for helping me out today”

“It’s no big deal,” he looks back straight ahead “I'm glad I could help”

You walk for a few minutes in comfortable silence, when Akaashi speaks up again.

“I accidently overheard you guys,” he looks at you again and you look at him confused, “in the hallway, when you talked about what happened between the both of you”

“Oh...” you sigh as you look back on the street ahead of you.

“Hey, you did nothing wrong you know,” he continues, “actually, I find it quite attractive that you stood your ground and didn’t stay, or fall for his sorry bullshit”

Skip

‘Not right now, stupid heart’

“Thanks,” you say trying to sound calm but you can feel your heart beating fast.

‘Did he just say he found me attractive? No wait, he said he found the action attractive... but I mean, if you think about it, it was me who did the action so-’

Your thoughts were interrupted when you felt Akaashi gently grab your hand to stop you.

“Hey, you okay?” He asks worriedly, “I’m sorry if I brought up something you didn’t wanna talk about, I don’t even know why I mentioned it, I was-”

“No, it's fine,” you interrupt his rambling, it wasn’t like it was his fault your ex was there. If anything, he helped you get your mind off of it all. “I was just thinking about something else” you say as you look down and notice his hand was still holding yours.

Skip

‘oh my god, oh my god, oh my god’

He lets go of your hand as soon as he notices you staring at it, “sorry,” you hear him mumble as he starts walking again.

‘What are you 5? SNAP OUT OF IT’

You run to catch up to him and notice a small blush on his cheeks even though he was trying to look away from you, and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?” he says as he looks at you.

“You just look cute, when you get all flustered” you say, quoting his line.

“Hey, you can't use my line against me” he pouts, and you couldn’t help but chuckle again, and he joins in seconds later.

After about ten minutes of walking, and small talk, you get to your dorm building.

‘Dammit... I wish it were further’

“So,” you sigh as you stop and turn around in front of Akaashi, “this is me, I guess.”

‘Stop me, stop me, I know it’s late but stop me...’

“Right,” he says and you notice him hesitate.

You mentally sigh.

“Yeah, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow” you smile and he nods.

You turn around and start walking to the building.

“Wait!” you hear Akaashi call out.

‘Yes!’

You turn around excitedly and notice Akaashi taking off your bag to hand it to you with your books.

‘Wow, I'm a fucking idiot’

“Right, I forgot,” you say and chuckle nervously. He smiles as he hands you your things.

You shove the books in your bag, and throw it over your shoulder, slightly disappointed.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you manage to smile then turn around, embarrassed and try to rush to get inside the building.

You then feel him grab your hand and gently pull you back, “Wait,” he says again, before you accidentally bump into each other in the process of him turning you around to face him.

“Sorry,” he quickly says and pulls you into his chest before you start to fall back from the force of the both of you bumping into each other.

Skip

He takes a step back, “You okay? Sorry if I pulled you too hard” he asks you worriedly as he stares into your eyes.

‘I told you not to look at me like that...’

“It’s okay, I’m fine” you say as you quickly look down, flustered, and notice him, for the second time that evening, holding your hand.

‘It’s so warm, I don’t wanna let go...’ you think before your thoughts are interrupted with him trying to let go of your hand as soon as he probably noticed you staring at it again.

“Sor-” he starts before you boldly grab hold of his hand again, not allowing him to let go.

‘Why... why did I just do that??’

You feel your face heating up, but you don’t feel him letting go. You slowly try to look up at him and notice his face turned away.

‘Is his face red right now as well?’

It was too dark to fully tell but you were sure there was a tinge of red on his cheeks.

Skip

You didn’t want to let go but you were too embarrassed, and you weren't even sure if he felt anything or was just standing there shocked or flustered.

“Uhm, my bad...” you say flustered, and try to let go of his hand this time.

“Fuck it,” you hear him whisper to himself, but it was still audible to you. Probably because it was so late and nobody can be seen or heard outside, in that moment everything was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

He interlocked his hand with yours before you had the chance to let go and pulled you to his chest again.

You look up at him, shocked, and you were met with his piercing blue eyes yet again.

Skip

‘So close... So pre-’

“Pretty” you hear him whisper, as if he was completing your thought.

‘Wait, is he talking about me?’

You feel your face heat up again, and your heart beat like crazy, not that it died down since the last few minutes.

You see him smile softly, “you’re getting all flustered again” he says with a smirk on his face.

“Are you teasing me again?” you say looking away as you try to push him back but he pulls you back again.

“No,” he chuckles and you can feel his free hand touching the red of your cheeks, “It’s cute”

Skip Skip Skip Skip

You meet his piercing gaze again with a look of bemusement on your face. And this time you can see it much clearer, the redness of his cheeks as well.

‘What’s happening right now, there’s no way he...’

You feel his hand cupping your face before you get to finish that thought.

“You can tell me to stop, if you don’t like this,” he says, staring at your lips, as he slowly starts leaning down.

Skip Skip Skip Skip

He stops right before your lips meet; and you can feel the warmth of his breath against your lips.

He looks back at your eyes for a moment, and when he doesn’t see any hesitation coming from you, he closes the space between your lips.

You close your eyes and feel the warmth of his lips travel like a shiver all across your body. You could swear that if he wasn’t holding you this close, you would've passed out.

It wasn’t even deep, it was short, warm and sweet, but somehow you feel like it was something you’ve been waiting for, for a very long time.

After a few seconds, he pulls away and you open your eyes, dazed.

You notice him smiling and then he bites his lip, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now, actually” he says quietly as he stares into your eyes.

You somehow feel your face get even hotter, “same” you quietly whisper.

You notice you said it out loud and you quickly cover your mouth with your free hand.

He chuckles, and you push him back lightly, “You’re teasing me now” you tell him as you look away, pouting.

“I’m not, I promise,” he says as he guides your face with his free hand back to face him, “I mean it.”

“I thought you didn’t like me...”

“Me?” he asks, looking confused.

“I don’t know, I'd always find you glaring at me when we pass in the school halls, or whenever I'm with Bo during lunch or during his practices...”

He just chuckles softly, “I guess I understand why you’d think that,” he says, looking like he’s thinking seriously about it, “I think, I just found it hard trying to get close to you, or try and get your attention. I mean, you're friends with Bokuto for god’s sake, the king of attention,” he says and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘That is true, no one can beat Bokuto at attention seeking’

“And by the way,” he continues, “I wasn’t glaring, I was admiring”

Skip

You look away, getting flustered again and you hear him chuckle. “I swear you're doing this on purpose” you sigh and you hear him chuckle louder.

You look down and notice his hand still intertwined with yours, but this time he doesn’t let go when he notices you staring.

‘This is too much for my heart right now.’

‘If this is a dream, however, then I don’t want to wake up yet...’

“I should, head back now, though. It's... getting late, so...” you say as you look back at him.

“Right,” he says as you both slowly start to let go of each other's hand, “I can, uh, pick you up before school, tomorrow, you know, so we can go there together, if you'd like” he says, or asks(?) as he scratches the back of his head.

‘God, he’s so fucking cute...’

“Sure,” you answer him, trying to sound cool and calm on the outside but you're actually freaking out on the inside.

“Alright,” he says looking happy, and he nods towards your dorm building, “I’ll watch you go in”

“Alright,” you don’t really know how to say goodbye, so you just turn around and take a few steps towards the building

‘Do it coward. I mean you just kissed why are you even getting embarrassed now. Wait did we just kiss??? Okay don’t go off topic, just... fuck it’

You turn back and run to where Akaashi’s standing, he looks at you confused but you just reach for his face and place a kiss on his cheek.

You feel him stiffen at first but then relax as he gives you a flustered chuckle, “BYE!” you half scream before you run into the dorm building without looking back.

As soon as you reach your room, you throw your bag on the floor, jump on your bed and start screaming onto your pillow.

After a few minutes of you trying to calm yourself down, you flip over and stare at your ceiling.

‘I can’t believe this just happened...’

You take out your phone to text Bo, not necessarily to tell him what happened, but to share your excitement, and you notice 2 new text messages.

2 NEW MESSAGES

You open the first one.

FROM ‘Baka-to’: “Hey, idiot, did you get home safe? You still haven't texted me. Anyways sorry for surprising you with Akaashi today, I just definitely thought you guys would get along, and you did, didn’t you? Didn’t I do well? Hohohoho anyways text me back, idiot”

You shake your head at him, but cant help but agree.

REPLY TO ‘Baka-to’: “You were right, as always, I love you dumbo. And I got home in one piece, no worries”

You then open the second message.

FROM ‘Akaashi Keiji’: “Hey pretty, I’ll be waiting for you at 6:30 a.m tomorrow morning, see you then. Sleep tight”

You grab your pillow again and scream into it.

‘I never want to wake up from this dream’ you think as you slowly drift to sleep.

(HQ Masterlist)

[mymelodyheart]

Miles Between Us Chapter 11 ~Suspicious Minds~

Picture Edit by melodyheart

Previously in The Art of Non-Communication ...

A familiar bright red Fiat slowed down next to them just as Jamie was about to get into the car, and Ian, their brother-in-law, poked his head out of the window. "Hey, lads, guess who I just saw back in town?"

The brothers looked at each other and shrugged. 

When Ian stalled, Willie blew out an impatient breath. 

"Out with it!" Willie grumbled. "I've been away from work for far too long already."

Ian grinned. "Yer pal Christie."

Jamie waved a hand in the air in dismissal and turned to open the car door, not particularly interested in hearing the latest coming and going in Broch Mordha. "I'm pretty sure the lassies will be thrilled he's back."

"Aye, ye're probably right, but I dinnae think ye'd be too pleased to hear if one particular lass is enjoying his company."

Jamie whipped around. "What do ye mean?" He sounded like someone just launched a flying rugby pass onto his stomach.

"Saw Claire and Tom through the window of Slater's Arms. Probably sitting down for late lunch."

  If you wish to read this on AO3, here is the link.

If you wish to read this from the beginning:

AO3 link

Tumblr link

 Claire hurriedly made her way to Slater's Arms to meet Tom Christie. They'd arranged earlier to meet at the pub after he'd dropped her off at the village centre to do her errands, so she was surprised to see him waiting outside. After exchanging a hurried cursory hello, he allowed him to guide her through the half-filled bar, his hand ever so lightly touching her elbow. They were greeted by a string of boisterous sallies from the locals, to which Tom good-humouredly responded with a couple of wisecracks of his own . It was becoming pretty clear they were in his local haunt and was well-liked by its patrons. But she also suspected there could be whispers going around, wondering what she was doing with him. Despite those thoughts, she kept her head up, and a smile plastered to her face.

After navigating through the narrow maze of tables and chairs, they opted for an empty space by the window, away from the bar where a heated football discussion was just about to begin. They simultaneously slid into their seats, sitting opposite each other, his lopsided grin and lax manner putting her immediately at ease. He was seemingly oblivious to the curious stares around them, but Claire paid no heed to the attention they were garnering and pushed her earlier encounter with Jenny away from her mind. This was a professional meeting, a welcome distraction even though it was proving an impossibility not to picture Jamie across from her. Suddenly missing Jamie, she allowed her thoughts to momentarily drift and wondered what he was up to.

"Hey."

Claire snapped out of her reverie. "Huh?"

"I asked if ye're hungry."

"Oh! Well, I'm not sure," she murmured, squinting at the specials scrawled on the blackboard hanging behind the bar. "Sort of, I guess."

"Sort of?" he laughed. "What kind of answer is that?" He passed her a menu. "Here. Ye ought to try their haggis tweeds. They have the best in this area."

She snorted, taking the menu card and skimming through it. "Really? I've never met a Scot who liked haggis, and yet every one of you lot I've met recommends it to non-locals."

"Aaahh," he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. "To be honest, I dinnae like haggis myself when cooked the traditional way. But the haggis tweeds are different ...more palatable. They're rolled into balls, breaded and deep-fried. I'm quite sure ye'll like them."

"Hmmm ..." When she glanced up from the menu, she met his thoughtful gaze. Though smiling, he had an odd expression on his face. "Wot?" She smoothed her hair, thinking it must be all over the place. She dreaded what her hair looked like after being caught in the rain earlier on. She wished now she'd tied it back before leaving the cottage. "Anything wrong?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders. "Just noticing ye dinnae look as upbeat as ye sounded on the phone the first time we talked. I was expecting ye to be more excited about selling me the idea of publishing my travel book. Ye kinda look as if something is bothering ye. Is anything the matter?"

She let out an exhale and placed the menu down. "I'm sorry. I've just had a rough day."

"Boyfriend problem?" he asked slowly.

She arched an eyebrow at him. Friendly as Tom was, Claire wasn't prepared to share any details of her personal life. "I just have a lot of things going on, and then you threw me out of the loop," she explained, not wanting to lie but not wanting to over-share either. "I was caught off-guard when you phoned earlier, and I wasn't expecting your call until, at least, sometime next week."

"Ye could've told me to meet at a later date. I wouldnae have minded."

"No! Today is fine," she assured him quickly. "I'm probably slowly weaning from the fast pace of hectic schedules in London, that at the first sign of change, I stumble a bit."

He grinned. "Weel, whatever is bothering ye, I dinnae like you looking so downcast. Maybe we can do something about it right now and tell ye a bit of good news. To cheer ye up."

"I like good news ..." she remarked, perking up, guessing he probably had a new picture or post on his blog he wanted to show.

"That's much better," he said when he caught a hint of a smile forming on her face. "As I was saying, I have a bit of good news. I've been giving your proposition a lot of thought ..." he shifted on his seat and took a deep breath. "I've decided I want to go ahead and publish my travel blog in print."

She blinked and swallowed before finding her voice. "But you haven't seen the projected sale and all the ..."

He waved a hand. "I'm quite sure after that impressive pitch over the phone, yer projected whatever and other wotnots ye wish to go over with me will be just as equally convincing. The idea is sold, and I'm on board."

"Just like that?"

He nodded his head, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Aye. Now that I've met ye in person, I'm pretty confident ye'll make sure I'll get a fair deal for my book. I'm a good judge of character, and I trust ye'll do what's right."

"Of course."

"So it's settled."

"Well, that's ...that's fabulous," she breathed, her mind rushing in all sorts of direction.

"This calls for a celebration, don't ye think?" he smiled, waving at the waitress.

Before Claire could reply, her purse vibrated. She pointed an index finger at Tom. "Hold that thought." She opened her bag and grabbed her phone. It was her boss, John Grey.

"Oh, hi, John! I'm in the middle of ..."

"Claire, I'm sorry to dump this on you," John said rapidly in a panicky tone. "Mary Hawkins just phoned and said she expects you to pick her up at Inverness Airport."

"Wot?!? But how? Why?" She glanced at Tom and noticed a light frown lining his brows. "She hasn't been answering any of my emails. What the hell is she doing in Inverness?" She knew it wasn't professional to be discussing another author over the phone with a potential client in front of her. But it couldn't be helped. At the moment, she was far too agitated to care. Mary Hawkins, the publishing's star author, had been elusive ever since she disappeared to France, and she'd been the reason Claire had decided to take a break in Scotland only to be given another job in the form of Tom Christie. "Please don't tell me you sent her here. I have enough on my plate as it is." She gave Tom an apologetic look, to which he just shrugged and smiled in understanding.

A frustrated sigh came from John. "I swear to God, this isn't my doing. She arrived yesterday here in London, and when she demanded to start work right away on her book, I assigned another editor. But she wouldn't have it. She insisted on working with you. So I told her you're in Inverness doing another project. And then she called a few minutes ago, demanding you pick her up at the airport. I swear I didn't know she was planning on flying to Inverness."

Oh, God! "John!" she whined. "I can't just drop everything and pick her up. I'm an editor, not a chauffeur! I'm in the middle of talks with Mr Christie."

"I'm terribly sorry for this mess, Claire but, isn't there anything you can do? Your boyfriend, perhaps? You know how Hawkins is a big deal for the company."

She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Claire felt she was being put in a position she didn't want to be in. On top of it all, her uncle would be arriving in two days, and there was the added worry she had with Jamie and potentially Jenny. The day was definitely getting worse by the second, but Claire reminded herself she was John's only hope, and he was a friend and had always been good to her. When she finally had the strength to open her eyes again, Tom mouthed something she couldn't quite catch.

Wot do you mean? She mouthed back, shaking her head.

"Claire, are you still there?" 

"Yes!" she snapped, tamping down the urge to curse. "I'm here!"

"Well?"

She let out a frustrated breath. There was no way out of it. "Fine, John! But you owe me big time! I'll see what I can do." Damn it!

"You're a star!" John said, relief lacing his voice. "I knew I could rely on you. I'll text Hawkins to let her know you're on your way, and then I'll text you her private number. I don't think you'll have that. It's one of the reasons you couldn't get in touch with her. Anyway, let me know later how you get on."

Before she could answer, the line went dead. What the bloody hell just happened?

Claire dropped her head into her hands and groaned. She wanted to bawl, throw stuff and pull her hair out in frustration.

"Problems?"

She raised her head and looked at Tom. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. I have to cancel our meeting. I need to somehow get to Inverness and pick up this author I'm working with." Without going into too many details, Claire quickly explained her predicament, almost forgetting to breathe. By the time she finished, she was gasping for air and wondering if Tom understood what the hell she was on about. "As you can see, I probably have to organise her accommodation as well. So I really must get going." She stood up and grabbed her bag. "Raincheck?"

He got on his feet as well. "Look, I'm not doing anything for the rest of the day. How about I drive you to Inverness. I can even help you set her up."

"Tom, you don't have to."

"Hey, I'm about to get a book deal from your boss. Let me at least prove to ye what a perfect travel guide I am as I've portrayed on my blog."

Claire stopped to collect herself. On second thoughts, she did need Tom's help, and she couldn't well impose on Willie to drive her to Inverness when he'd been taking time off to check up on her ever since Jamie left. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone and talk him through his own book's publishing process on their way to the airport. It was a brilliant idea, and hopefully, by the end of today, John would be able to draw up a contract for Tom. With a resigned smile, Claire appreciatively accepted the offer. "Alright then, but we do need to get going now."

"Absolutely. We'll go through the back door." When Claire looked at him curiously, he grinned. "I've parked the car in the staffs' parking lot. I'm good friends with the owner, so I get the privilege to walk through the kitchen and use the backdoor," he explained. Then he leaned closer to her ear and spoke in a low voice. "And if the chef is in a good mood, he might allow us to taste today's menu."

Claire laughed out loud, attracting attention from the pub's clientele. She ignored the curious stares. It was good to laugh again after the last couple of days of feeling down, and she owed it to herself to steer negativity and worries from her thoughts. "We'll stop by the cottage to get some clothes. Knowing my client, she'll probably want to stay in a posh hotel in Inverness and want to start working right away. She doesn't do bed and breakfast or small places. So I doubt she'll want to come to Broch Mordha."

Tom nodded with a smile as he took her hand and lead the way.

Heading to the back of the pub, Claire made a few mental notes on what she needed to take with her. She also reminded herself to message Willie about taking care of Rollo and Adso while she's away, hoping he would think nothing of it when he hears from the village gossip of her meeting with Tom.

...........

Jamie caught Willie's livid expression before the car started, and they were driving down the small country lane. He knew his brother was miffed with Ian, who'd sped ahead of them after revealing Claire's whereabouts with Christie. Though common sense told him he had nothing to be worried about, it had been still a punch in the gut to hear Claire was out with another man.

"Can ye speed up a bit?" Jamie muttered, shifting restlessly on his seat.

"We're not in a bloody motorway, and there are speed limits for a reason," Willie growled, his fingers flexing on the steering wheel. "And it will do ye a lot of good to use this time to calm down before we reach Claire. It's obvious ye're not thinking clearly."

Jamie almost wished he'd taken a ride with Ian instead. They couldn't see their brother-in-law's red Fiat anymore as it disappeared at a bend further ahead. But he knew Willie was right. He wasn't thinking clearly. It's just that, why it had to be Thomas Christie of all people Claire had chosen to go out with. He had nothing against the bloke, but he was a renowned player. What if Claire had grown tired of his condition and fell for Christie's charms? It wouldn't be a difficult feat as the bloke oozed charms by the bucketload. Hadn't he lost a girlfriend in the past because of Christie? Or was it because of his condition? He couldn't be sure anymore. Either way, knowing Claire was with Christie at this very moment was burning a hole in his stomach. "So ye're an expert on my thoughts now, are ye?" Jamie grunted, unable to think of a better excuse for his behaviour.

"I dinnae need to be an expert to know what ye're thinking ... it's written all o'er yer face," Willie retorted. "If ye'd called her up in the first place, then ye would've had a fair idea why she's meeting Christie, and ye wouldnae be in this stinking shite thinking the worse. The lass has been worried sick about ye, and she's put up with yer silence more than what could be expected of her. So do both yerselves a favour and calm the fuck down, aye?"

Jamie knocked back the claustrophobic sensation and forced himself to breathe. This had always been his trouble with his PTSD. He always had these intense emotions that always grew out of proportion to a point it would suffocate him, especially negatives ones like a feeling of lacking or guilt. Wasn't that what Geneva had said? There was a lot of misplaced guilt involved? And no matter what he did to get better, it was a bloody never-ending cycle that always brought him back to square one. But despite the shortcomings, he knew it would kill him if he didn't give himself a fighting chance with Claire. He might as well die trying. She was, after all, either going to be his reason for living or the reason he died. It was all right there, shining in front of him like a floodlight. 

With a sigh, he tried to relax. Jamie knew justifying his earlier behaviour was a bad idea in both their current edgy states, but nothing would stop him from seeing Claire right now. It was like a need that required satisfying, and he couldn't wait to finally see her. He focused on the road ahead of them and listened to the radio to take his mind of negative thoughts.

It's a dreich Thursday afternoon, and here's another trip down memory lane with Mac's Classics here at MFR, with the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks. Next up is a song sure to make ye forget the dreary days ahead – Let's get rickrolling with Never Gonna Give You Up. 

"Turn it up," Jamie said suddenly, surprising his brother.

"What?" Willie glanced at him like he'd grown a pair of horns.

"I said, turn the bloody volume up!"

"Ye're joking, right? Rick fucking Astley? Nae chance pal!"

"Just do it," Jamie huffed, not caring what his brother thought of his song choice. When Claire had told him it had made her smile listening to it in the cafe the other day, he'd listened to it as well on his mother's antique record player. It was a bloody awful song, but for some strange reason, it had made him smile too.

Scowling and cursing under his breath, Willie eventually complied, and they listened to Rick Astley's song for the rest of the way. When they reached the village centre, Willie illegally parked outside Slater's Arms, carefully avoiding bumping into the menacing bollards. They were just about to get out of the car when Ian appeared from the pub, shaking his head.

Willie stuck his head out of the window. "What's the matter?"

"They're gone," Ian replied, shrugging, perplexity evident in his expression. "Spoke to Angus, and he said they didn't even order anything. They just got up and left."

Jamie got out of the car. "Did he say where they went?"

Ian narrowed his gaze at him. "I didnae ask."

Jamie ran a hand in front of his face and got back in the car. His brother had to work. There was only one thing left he could do, and it was to go back to the cottage, and if Claire wasn't there, he'd give her a call. He turned to Willie, letting out a sigh of resignation. "Just drop me off at the cottage. I've taken too much of yer time already."

"Ye sure?" Willie asked quietly. "I can drop ye off at Lallybroch. Yer car is there. Ye'll most probably need it soon, especially with more bad weather to come."

Jamie shook his head. He was certain Claire would be at home, and if not, surely later. He wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon but had every intention of making up for lost time with her. "It's time to go home," Jamie sighed, waving goodbye to Ian. "No more running away," 

Willie smiled, starting the car. "Good choice!" 

It was a short drive to his cottage, and by the time they pulled up outside his house, the sun started to peek out for a splinter of a moment, his driveway though occupied by an unfamiliar vehicle. As soon as he saw a man's profile sat on the driver's seat, he immediately knew it was Christie. As if anticipating his next move and before he could yank off his seatbelt, Willie slapped a hand across his chest.

"What?" Jamie wheezed.

"Claire's in the cottage. Talk to her first and find out what's going on before ye jump to any conclusions."

Jamie breathed through a laugh, but he could hear it was edged with doubt. "What if I've fucked this up?"

"Ye havenae. And it's up to ye to keep that way. Now go to her. Ye'll find out soon enough there's a perfect explanation for Christie hanging about."

Words were fighting to leave his tongue, but he clamped his lips together and held them back. Vocalising the feelings raging inside his chest would only allow his emotions to run away with him. He reigned them in and took a deep breath. Whether it's a consequence of PTSD or not, he couldn't expect Claire to understand every time. So instead, Jamie gave Willie a reassuring nod and hoped his brother was right. 

He got out of the car and walked straight to the cottage, refusing to acknowledge Christie. He knew he was being rude and could feel his brother's eyes boring into his back as well as Christie's. He didn't care because right at this moment, his primary focus was Claire. 

As soon as he opened the door and saw Claire hooking a bag onto her shoulder, he bounded across the room, dropping his face into her neck and breathing for the first time in days. "Sassenach," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for leaving ye. I wasnae thinking. Please forgive me."

Claire dropped her bag on the floor, wrapping both arms around his neck. "Jamie, you're here," she breathed into his ear. "Are you alright? God, I've been so worried about you."

"I'm alright now that I'm here and ye're here," he rasped, lifting his head for a moment and eyeing the bags on the floor. "Why are yer bags packed?"

She followed his gaze. "I ...ah ... it's work, and I have to ..."

"Ye're going back to London?"

"No!"

That's all he needed to hear. Unable to wait any longer for an explanation, he pulled her into his arms as urgency pumped in his veins. He badly needed to absorb as much as he could of her, breathing her in, in huge gulps of air. His mouth travelled over her neck, into her hair, across her lips, whispering for forgiveness, his hands restless as he touched her everywhere.

"Hey, look at me ... there's nothing to forgive," she murmured, drawing away. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and searched his eyes. "I understand what you've been going through, and I know you're fighting your hardest. It's going to be alright."

"I've missed ye." He turned his face to kiss her palm before placing her hand on his chest. "I-I thought ye're better off without me. I thought I could walk away from ye, and it would be enough knowing ye're safe from me. But nothing was right. I was sick to the soul, knowing I've left ye. I wanted ye to be with a better man than me, but now ... I'm gonnae be selfish and beg ye to let me be that man by yer side."

"Jamie, where's this coming from?" she queried. "I was worried and afraid for you, but I haven't changed my mind about us." She sighed. "Your brother told me yesterday, you were seeing a therapist this morning. Did you go today?"

Jamie swallowed and nodded, unable to still his hands, touching her everywhere, needing to assure himself he was really holding her.

"Is this why you're talking like this? Has the therapy dug up a lot of unwanted issues? Because if it has, it's perfectly normal."

"No!" He let out a frustrated breath. He'd been so unpredictable with the symptoms of his PTSD coming and going, she wasn't taking him seriously when he needed her to hear him out. "No, please listen and look me in the eye. I panicked when I saw the bruises on yer arms, and without thinking, I left. I did what I did because I didnae think I could ever be the man for ye ...a bloody disappointment, constantly causing ye grief. But I understand now why my condition is out of control at the moment ... it's because I have suppressed emotions that need to come out. It's been coming out more because all this while, ye've been the key to my healing. So I'm handing everything inside me over to ye because I trust ye, and ye're the only one who can make sense of me. I cannae promise smooth sailing, Sassenach, but there is one thing I know ye can depend on and will always be constant despite my condition. And that's my love for ye. I can guarantee ye with certainty ye can rely on that. This isnae a result of my therapy talking, alright? I willnae let ye go for anything. I can work around my condition with ye by my side, and I'll work twice as hard to get better."

"Jamie, I love you too, and I have no doubt that ..."

"Then why are your bags packed?" he questioned accusingly. "And why is Christie outside waiting for ye?" 

With a sharp intake of breath, Claire quickly explained everything from the call she received from her boss to Christie's involvement and an impatient Mary Hawkins waiting for her at the airport. 

He could tell she was itching to go by the way she tried to subtly glance at her watch, but he was feeling too selfish. "How about I drive ye to Inverness?" he cajoled, his hand stroking her hair. "Willie is still outside. We'll get my car in Lallybroch, and I'll drive ye." He suddenly felt like a bastard keeping her from doing her work.

"Jamie, no!" she said gently but firmly. He knew she was restraining herself from rushing off, wanting to make sure he was alright first. "I can't be fretting about you being in a city when I have work to do. There's a possibility I'll be back tonight, but if Mary wants to work straight away on her book, then I have to stay in Inverness for a couple of nights, tops. Besides, I need to explain to Tom about his book's publication and make sure he hasn't changed his mind. Until we've drawn up a contract, nothing is certain." Her hands smoothed the hard muscles on his chest. "Besides, I need you to be here when my uncle comes. He'll be hiring a car, so he won't require picking up."

"What? Ye're uncle is coming here?" he almost shouted.

"No. I mean, uncle Lamb won't be staying here in the cottage even though you told him he could. I've already booked him a place in the village centre ...close to the amenities."

He let out a sigh of relief. He didn't think he was ready to bond with Harry's look-alike ...yet. If anything, he dreaded it, afraid of other suppressed memories dying to come out and choke him with guilt.

"Jamie, I really ought to go. I promise I'll call later and explain everything."

With a groan, he pulled Claire in once more in his arms and kissed her thoroughly, and she responded with a whimper that told him she was enjoying the kiss. He hadn't even had a second to savour getting her back before the prospect of letting her go again struck him like a baseball bat between the shoulder blades. But he wanted to give her something to remember while she's away and what she'll be missing if she didn't hurry up with her work. He slipped his hand under her cardigan, caressing her nipple with the calloused pad of his thumb and pressing his burgeoning erection against her belly.

"I love ye ...always remember that." His mouth coasted along the lines of her jaw, his hands squeezing her waist. "I ken ye've been patient and understanding with me, but just try to be extra tolerant with me for now. Can ye do that?"

She nodded, her face red from beard burn. "Alright, but I do need to go, Jamie." Her eyes flashed. "And you have nothing to worry about. So please rest up tonight because you'll need a hell of a lot of energy when my uncle comes."

It's the way she looked at him, pleading for understanding that became his undoing as if she's reading his thoughts, and despite everything he'd done, she couldn't find fault with a single one. He needed to be a better man and control his emotions and needs. Her work was important to her, and she was important to him. "Fine, I'll walk ye to the car." He stooped down to get her bags and followed her outside.

They stopped beside Christie's car, and Jamie watched the other man climbed out, both men grunting a greeting at each other. 

"Am I still driving ye to Inverness, Claire?" Christie asked, avoiding Jamie's eyes.

Claire nodded. "Yes, please, if that's still alright with you. I'm so sorry I took so long."

"It's nae bother, and of course, I'll drive ye to Inverness," Christie smiled warmly. 

A long silence stretched as the three of them just stood there. Christie rocked on his heels, and Jamie held on to Claire's bags like it was his lifeline. 

Caught up in the awkwardness of the moment, Claire bit her bottom lip. "Well, I guess that's settled then. We best get going before Mary does something like bite some poor soul's head at the airport." Claire's attempt to sound cheerful lessened the tension in the air but not the one on Jamie's shoulders. She turned to him and tried to take her bags off his hands, but he couldn't seem to let go. "Jamie ...my bags," she whispered, her hand running up and down his forearm as if to tell him everything was going to be alright.

But instead of giving Claire's bags back to her, he begrudgingly handed them to Christie while launching if looks could kill look over her head. They had a few seconds of stare off until Claire's hands on his face forced him to look at her.

"Jamie, kiss me, goodbye?"

He didn't hesitate at her request and sucked on her bottom lip as she made a sobbing noise. That wee noise she made jolted something free inside of him, and he, too, wanted to cry. He couldn't remember wanting to openly cry before. Not like this. He couldn't control it, and it dragged him down, stealing oxygen from his lungs, but Claire's touches soothed him. 

"I don't want to go," she murmured against his mouth. "Not one bit. But I'm doing this for us, remember that. The sooner I'm done with work, the more time we can spend time together." 

He allowed himself to wade into the shallow waters of comfort Claire was starting to represent. He'd lived with this reality for too long that he wasn't enough. Or probably worse, he was too much. For years, these memories of loss and guilt and shame had been subdued. Now they're coming out with guns blazing, and he felt totally defenceless. But with her arms around him, he felt cocooned in her bubble of protection. So he clung to her like a drunk with his last shot of whisky, the desperation inside him going into overdrive, and he was practically mauling her lips with no care whose watching, drawing her onto tiptoes so he could get all of her from every angle.

"Jamie," she whispered shakily, gently pulling away. "My phone is going off every second. Mary is probably wondering why I haven't called her." 

Breathe, lad, it's going to be alright. Don't lose yer cool, or ye'll drive her away. He let go and opened the car door for her, not taking any notice of the man waiting patiently at the driver's seat. "I'm sorry," Jamie mumbled.

"It's alright." She smiled in understanding, squeezing his hand. "I'll be back before you know it."

He held on to Claire's eyes, the only tangible thing he could grasp, giving him a renewed determination to manage the condition that had ruled him all his life. At that moment, the world suddenly made sense, and he was veering into a place he didn't recognise ...a place of calm, where the voices in his head had lost their dominion over his thoughts.

He watched as Christie's Land Rover drove away and was surprised when a hand landed on his shoulder. Jamie turned around to discover Willie stood there, a smile etched on his face. Jamie had forgotten about his brother, too caught up with Claire's departure and the intense emotions he'd nearly let out of control. 

"Ye did well, bràthair. I'm so proud of ye."

Jamie dropped his head forward and let out an exhale, feeling a lot lighter in days. He knew he'd only scratched the surface of their relationship, but Claire was giving him all the time in the world to get back on his feet, and he was determined not to disappoint her. Though it had been a struggle not to let his emotions take control, it was at least a start. He glanced up at his brother and smiled.

"Ye alright there, Jamie lad?" Willie playfully slapped him on the back for good measure.

"Aye, I think so." This time Jamie meant it and believed his own words. He threw an arm around Willie's shoulder, squeezed it briefly before stepping back. "And thank ye for sticking around. I owe ye one."

"Aye ye do," Willie grinned. "How about repaying me like right now and coming to work. It should keep yer mind busy and help me catch up with a long list of jobs."

Jamie didn't need prodding. His mouth curved into a smile, and he nodded his head. "After seeing Christie, I think I'm in the mood for uprooting trees."

They shared a wicked glance and then laughed out loud.

 Dear Readers,

Thank you all for your patience with this story and the feedback from the previous chapter. 

Mental health stories are, I personally think, the hardest to put across because it involves a lot of emotions and psychological battle that are difficult to put into words. But I was determined to write this account even though it has its challenges, so I hope I've done it justice.

Part of the reason for pushing to write such a story that delves into the mind of a tortured soul is to raise mental health awareness because there are many things that people still don't understand about this illness. In saying that, some of you were disappointed by Jamie's behaviour, and I wanted that to happen to make a point.

In real life, it's so much easier to categorise and point out someone's shortcoming instead of trying to understand the psyche of a person's behaviour. From my perspective, each of us has undoubtedly suffered a form of mental illness at least once, but not everyone has the emotional and psychological strength and maturity to cope or overcome it. Nor do they have access to help. In Jamie' case, he's got a strong network of family, and he got Claire to help him get through it. 

So the moral of the story is, spread kindness because you never know what really is going on in someone's mind. 

For now, take care of yourselves. Until the next update ... X

[akaashisupremacy]

Connecting Flights w/Iwa

Summary: On Hajime Iwaizumi’s flight back to Japan, he meets an unexpected friend from his past who is a little hung up on someone else. 

Iwaizumi x fem!reader/Oc || Read it on A03

Genre : romance, friends to lovers (wc: 2.2k) 

Notes: Hiromi Miura is an original character, but readers are free to put themselves into her shoes! Coming of age fics are fun to write but I wanted to explore a world centered around adulthood that included a work life outside one’s significant other. Hope you can give me feedback on whatever world-building I’ve done. Successive chapters will def have more Iwa. 

Hiromi Miura packed the last of her toiletries into her large black check-in luggage. Rolling the luggage out into the hallway, she checked her phone for the third time in ten minutes. Her boss, Hayate Hoshizora stood in the hallway waiting for her with her own luggage standing beside her.

“Where’s Tsuchida?” she asked.

Itsumi Tsuchida was the third member of their team of three and Hiromi’s room mate for the trip. She handled production and logistics so Hiromi and Hayate could write and shoot their articles on food history without worry. Despite her astounding efficiency with her work, Itsumi had a habit of being late.

“Itsumi is almost out. She’ll be here in a minute.” said Hiromi.

The three checked out of the small business hotel before going their separate ways for their last minute shopping. Hiromi wanted to window shop for shoes and cosmetics while Hayate set out to buy some omiyage for her family. Itsumi offered to accompany Hiromi on the condition they stop by for milk tea.

“Let’s meet outside of Time Square before 12 for lunch. I’m going to buy some jerky and maybe some dried goods. Do you guys want anything?” asked Hayate before they set off.

Hiromi declined. Itsumi asked for some jerky for her own omiyage.

As the two junior members of Hayate’s team entered Time Square, Itsumi noticed Hiromi was checking her phone again. She had been doing so whenever she could during the trip.

“Still no texts from Eita?” she asked Hiromi.

“Nope,” sighed Hiromi. Everything had been going smoothly just last week. She had been texting consistently with Eita. He even offered to call. She would send him photos of their first day in Hong Kong and he would eagerly reply.

Come the day before yesterday, he stopped replying all of a sudden. Hiromi had begun to worry that things had fallen apart without knowing why. Their last conversation was on Hong Kong protests. Eita fumed against the injustice, Hiromi agreed with him and nothing came after that. Maybe he joined the resistance?

“I don’t know what went wrong. I thought he liked me.” she moaned, “We have similar political views. Maybe I wasn’t enthusiastic enough when I replied to his call for justice or something.”

“Maybe you should just ask him about it.” Itsumi suggested, rolling her eyes.

“He ignored me for two days what else is there to say?”

“So why are you still looking at your phone?” Itsumi asked, with her brow raised at her co-worker, “Come, let’s go shopping to keep your mind off things.”

————————————————————————————

Hiromi and Itsumi had a penchant for hole in the wall restaurants. For their last meal, they asked to eat at a restaurant at the back of Time Square, nestled between narrow shopping alleyways. It was the first restaurant they ate in upon arrival and it would be their last meal too. They both ordered a bowl of wonton noodle soup and  a serving of bok choy shared between the three of them. Hayate ordered chicken noodle soup for herself.

The restaurant was small and narrow, not to mention humid from all the steaming and the boiling from the kitchen. Although the lunchtime service was quick and brash, the two did not seem to mind. The girls were well-travelled and cosmopolitan. They were used to environments different from the quiet efficiency of Japan. Hayate found it chaotic but the team did not get many out of country assignments so she took what she could.

Hiromi in particular specialized in writing about Southeast Asian diasporic (meaning a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale) cuisine. Noise hardly fazed her but apparently boy problems did.

“Hiromi, you looked so forlorn. Are you really that sad about leaving Hong Kong?” she joked. Hiromi’s focus in her work was second to none. Her tolerance to mediocre young men, less so.

“There’s a boy who hasn't been texting back…” trailed Itsumi.

Hayate didn’t pry, but the girls opened up to her for just about anything.

“Oh, hmmm don’t overthink it.” she said.

“It’s ok, I mean he’s smart and artistic and he knows my friends, but I guess I wasn’t interesting enough.” wailed Hiromi in between bites of her noodles.

“Honestly, if he can’t be bothered to speak with you clearly, he doesn’t deserve your time.” said Hayate, sipping her scorching hot red tea burning a bit of throat in the process. Her eyes grew wide as her throat grew numb.

“That’s true, besides I feel like you’re more worried about why he doesn’t like you than the actual relationship.” sighed Itsumi, mixing some soy sauce, chili oil and black vinegar for their wonton dip.

“Enough moping, let’s eat and talk about something else.” exhaled Hiromi, raising her hand to call for cold water for Hayate.

The topic shifted to work. They were excited about editing the photos. Hayate couldn’t wait to unpack but was a little sad about going back to the office again. Itsumi dreaded doing the liquidation and desk work for their Hong Kong trip. Hiromi was buzzing with ideas for their next assignment and was hoping to pitch recipe ideas to the cooking staff at their next meeting.

Just before boarding, a familiar figure caught Hiromi’s eye. A tall, tanned boy with a lean muscular physique stood a few rows in front of her. He was wearing a white shirt and black athleisure pants. Iwaizumi from college?

The three were seated separately on the plane. Hiromi was seated near the back while Hayate and Itsumi were on the second row. As she got to her seat, Hiromi was surprised to find Hajime Iawizumi beside her, blinking sleepily at the seat in front of him.

“Miura-san!” he said in incredulity realizing that his college friend was right beside him in his Hong Kong layover.  

“Iwa! It is you! I thought I saw you while we boarded.” she said, shoving her carry on onto the storage, “Also, do you really have to be so formal?”

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“What are you doing in Hong Kong?” she asked simultaneously.

“I just finished my time in LA. I’m moving back to Japan. This is my last layover.” he yawned, popping a breath-mint into his mouth.

“I work as a food writer and researcher for a publication in Tokyo. My team and I are just finishing up our assignment in Hong Kong. We get out of country assignments from time to time. I’m still kind of new, but when I become a veteran I’m hoping to get more regular trips.”

“Cool! I’m moving to Tokyo next week because I got a gig training members of a Division 1 Volleyball League! This week, I’ll be home to do some laundry and just get things in order.” he said.

“If you need help moving or settling in let me know. I moved to Tokyo just last year.” she offered, “It was crazy.”

Iwaizumi nodded and thanked her for her offer. They continued catching up as the plane took off and soon the stewardess began handing out food.

“I’m so tired of plane food. It’s all I’ve eaten in the past twenty four hours,” he sighed.

“This has definitely got nothing on everything I’ve eaten so far” she exhaled, “I can’t wait to go home, even my own cooking is better than this. I got lots of new recipe ideas to try too.”

“I thought you said you were a writer. Do they make you cook at work too?” he inquired. It seemed like her job required an awful lot of skills for one position.

“I can cook to some capacity. I don’t really cook at work, it just helps if I know how.” she waved.

They ate in silence, chewing through the mediocre airline food.

“By the way, I need some boy advice. Do you have space to hear me out?” she inhaled, gathering her courage before she unloaded her questions on her friend.

“Sure? What about it?” he shrugged.

Hiromi opened up about her latest romance and its frustrations. She gave him a bit of background on who he was and how they started the relationship particularly the wishy washy feelings about their courtship.

“Do you really like this guy? You’re having more questions and doubts than answers. That’s not really a good sign. You can go ahead and be upfront but is this guy worth it?” he asked thoughtfully.

“I don’t know. I want to give it a chance but each time I think about him I get more confused and anxious.” she sighed, putting down her utensils. She bumped her head against the chair in front of her.

“He also hasn’t texted back in a few days without saying why.” she promptly added, looking to him. Iwa jerked back, his arms in a flurry.

“Scratch what I said. I don’t think the relationship is going to work. It’s not serious enough for him if he can’t at least let you know why he goes off the grid.”

Her face fell, shoulders sinking into her back.

“Sorry,” apologised Iwa, pausing to empathize with her.

“I kind of already know this and I guess I just hate uncertainty suspense. I don’t know why I feel so affected to hear it out loud.” she groaned, massaging her temples. Iwa was not good at hearing about boy problems. He didn’t really know what to say.

“Why’d you go for him anyway?” he asked, thoughtfully chewing some eggs and shifting in his seat. The seat was obviously a bit narrow for his shoulders. Hiromi moved a bit to her right to allow him more space.

Her poster straightened up while she plopped her elbows onto the table. She clasped her hands together and thought for a bit before turning to him, her eyes wide and a tad bit glassy.

“He just ticked the boxes you know? I knew him from college and we understand the other worlds we worked in. He’s smart, artistic and apparently he’s been crushing on me since freshman year or something like that. I wasn’t seeing anyone so I thought I’d give it a shot.”

“But why are you adamant to make it work is what I mean?”

Hiromi shrugged her shoulders, “I can’t help but feel like it reflects on me. I feel like I’m not worthy enough when I can’t make a relationship work with someone who ticks the boxes.”

“I really hate dating and letting someone have this much control over my emotions though.” she growled at the chair in front of her.

Iwa had a small smile to himself, glad he was not in her place. She had always been the one better at giving advice when they were in uni together. He wished he could return the favor.

Before he got together with his college girlfriend, he was swimming in a lot of doubts about himself. It was difficult for him to speak about just anyone, but Hiromi was one of few who could coax the subject out of him.

“So how are you two getting on?” Hirom had asked him.

They were sitting together in the school cafeteria for lunch. Usually they sat with common friends and some classmates, but today they were alone which meant she could pry on Iwa’s love life. Even when Iwa wanted to talk about his girl problems, he had difficulty opening up. She saw it as her mission to initiate the conversation to help him out.

Iwa scratched the back of his head and sighed, “I don’t really know how I could be a better replacement for her ex. I’m not her first anything. I’m not any more good looking, or smarter or more athletic than he was. I’m not even nicer. I really don’t know if I’m worth the shot.”

His brow furrowed in concern. His lips were midway between a pout and a scowl.

She choked on her lunch. More often than not, it was Iwa encouraging other people and giving square judgement. Iwa was by no means arrogant, but he was also not self-deprecating. Hearing him speak about himself this so despondently was out of his character.

“Iwa, dating is not a competition!” she managed to say while pounding on her chest. Iwa handed her some water.

“I guess…” he mumbled.

After slugging down some water, Hiromi composed herself, “Yeah, her ex may have been great, but you’re great too! She likes you now which is why even if her ex is still in some of her friend circles she’d still rather date you.”

Iwa perked up a bit and smiled at his food.

“Just because you’re not her first doesn’t mean you can’t have a meaningful relationship right? What’s this obsession with being first? It’s not added value.” she said thoughtfully, putting her face between her hands as she leaned into her tray.

That lunch seemed so long ago. Who would’ve known that their next lunch after college would be a plane in between Hong Kong and Tokyo?

“Hey, are you still using the same email? Let’s keep in touch when we get back. I’m holding you by your promise to show me around.” he grinned, handing her his phone.

She continued sulking in half-hearted despair at the seat in front of her while she took his phone.

“Cheer up! I’m sure you’ll find someone in Tokyo.” he added, settling himself back into his chair looking at her.

-------------------------------------

Taglist: @scrappydaisies @itstheee-ha-chan

[neo-shitty]

toffee!

yeah same, i follow some fic accs that occaisionally post smut and its like mmmmm is the fluff writing enough to balance the posts that gives me finger burn trying to scroll past it? but yeah thats probably the way to go

ah i wasnt there for the teaser but i can imagine that was tantalising. lmaoo yes but to be fair i do have a writing acc called channiesbigheart so... balancing it out? but i absolutely am whipped beyond belief. it was a TRAVESTY how COULD they have. yeah the b sides gave him more lines but they werent the ones that were performed over and over at stages. yessss the line distribution in this album is impeccable, im pretty sure the thunderous stuff was some of their best distribution

hehe i can understand that, sometimes putting someone in a situation so horrible it would be considered a violation of human rights is theraputic, ya know? mmmm the differences are a bit nuts, it was 14 degrees today and in less than a week its going to be 32 or smth. BROOO that would be legendary, i bet theyd treat their artists rlly well and have great music as well ahhh but its a lot of work adn commitment. yES that is a mood if ever i heard one.

its the same in australia as well, sadly, you have people who hold up harry styles and lil nas x for breaking gender roles and wearing make up adn steryotypical womens clothing (and keep in mind i have infinite respect for both of them theyre honestly doing so much for the de-dehumanising of gay people and those who wear whatever they want), and calling the kpop boys gay and other things for doing the same thing, when theyve been doing it for years and gotten no recognition smh its so tragic. yes, anyway YES ONLY 6 MONTHS I AM FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES A BBY STAN altho i considered myself a fully fledged stay like 2 days after i got into them cos i just spent all day researching and fixating. YES someone said it. it feels like theyre losing a huge chunk of why a lot of people liked their music in teh first place, which was that whole dna, dope, fire mood. and even doing bright songs is fine, liek they should do what they want but i feel liek the western music industry is so fucking toxic that they feel pressured into making these decisions. dont get me wrong, theyre good decisions from a business perspective, theyre getting record breaking sales but still. mmm yeah honestly yg just needs to get its shit together or get out

oooh! not into nct but i see a lot of him, he seems rlly talented. ahh yes another channie ult lmaoo i feel that, my list is growing in leaps and bounds as well. mmm yeah i think i will, im just going to try to save enough money :) mingi appealed to me mostly for the voice (like felix smh what is it with me and deep voiced bois) but also his soft visuals and the whole cutesy thing he has going on i rlly liked. yes i did get into them while he was on hiatus, but im still mostly a casual stan, ill listen to the album when it comes out but i dont think ill obsessively look over everything to do with it, like skz. HAH WE'RE MORE SIMILAR THAN I THOUGHT. lmaooo the thot line describes them perfectly, why are they all so damn attractive. especially seonghwa, like that man looks like a character from a book, cardan greenbriar vibes anyone? mmhmm! his vocals are absolutely insane. ty! yeah im excited altho idk how theyre every going to beat border:carnival, that shit was impeccable. ahh no stress, enjoy teh groups you stan atm!

ahh thank you so much, ill keep that in mind. hehe thats good! hopefully its soon :( ah ty, it means a lot. ill think abt that and hopefully talk abt it a little more :)

ah, no it was inside our gymnasium but to get to the other side of the stage you had to exit the building, go around the back and then enter through the other stage door. ah tysm! im glad too. mmm same, they baffle me. ;n; noo so sad :( ahh, thats um not smth i put on here, but im in high school so make of that what you will :)

thank you! ive done a majority of them, i just have maths, an english presentation and an economic assignment due now so im pretty much home free. yeah i feel like hes the epitome of here for you while being inescapably far away. haha she sounds like one of my friends. lmaooo why is that me. hmmm i feel like youve answered a lot of them in that answer so maybe just ateez, enha, txt and bp? if you stan them? :)

ahhh no problem at all, proud of you for managing to overcome the procrastination! progress! mmm thats good! ahh pls do let me know if you ever decide that, i cant promise i wont cry but do what you gotta do :)

<3 w.a. 🐺

hi! sorry for the late reply, i didn't know how to construct sentences yesterday e.e

yeah sometimes it's the perfect balance! i personally don't like fics that focus mainly on the filth? the plot has to carry the whole fic somehow and the smut is just something to add to the mix. also, i'll follow you on your writing blog! i keep forgetting to do so, damn it.

"sometimes putting someone in a situation so horrible it would be considered a violation of human rights is theraputic, ya know?" putting it this way just silenced me but yes. angst just feels more realistic. it isn't always happy endings irl so i tend to do it a lot.

falling into skz is so easy! it felt like that for me too. stanning them felt like getting sucked into a blackhole. also yes i agree. kpop is nothing but an industry after all and it runs on money so i get why they do what they do as well.

i suggest we not talk about haechan because i will literally not shut up but yes my boy is an ace :( chan is also sooooo easy to love. and the chan's rooms just solidified his place as ult. having something to look forward to every week at a time when my mental health was just plummeting into the depths of tartarus just helped me be stable. oh yeah, mingi's deep voice is indeed sexc. and he has some wack ass duality as well! and i think seonghwa was one of the people i nearly considered as bias just because of his visuals because wow that's one beautiful face. and true, idk how enha's going to beat border:carnival. i don't like all the tracks simply bc of taste preferenceds but i like more than one so i consider that a lot already.

bro that gym should've had some sort of a covered walk :// also i miss being in high school sO DAMN MUCH. but i still feel like i am because time stopped when quarantine started and i was still in senior year at the time.

my ateez bias is wooyoung! it wasn't that much of a shocker to my kpop stan irls because i was a jimin stan for the longest time. enhypen is jake and they kept pointing out that he looked like seungmin sometimes so it's like chan's aussie-ness with a tinge of seungmin (the other guy in my skz bias line, in case i haven't mentioned it). txt is huening kai! i find it hard to believe that he's my age because he looks a lot younger? o.O and he always looks good damn :(( sigh for blackpink it's lisa! i tend to bias the maknaes of yg groups, it's a pattern i've noticed but don't intentionally do!

DON'T WASTE YOUR TEARS OMFG. you can always reach me elsewhere if i like disappear off this blog.

[sohin-ace]

Jotaro - Fanletters

This is cross-posted from Wattpad and available on AO3.

Enjoy~

You and the infamous Jotaro were pretty close friends. It was really a weird friendship, but it worked out well. You knew each other from elementary school and lived 2 blocks away from each other. Your parents were nicely acquainted as well.

You basically grew up together. Overtime, you learned to manage his edgy nature and embrace his odd gestures of kindness while he learned to tolerate your eccentrism and appreciate your patience towards him.

In any other circumstances, you both would have never even been friends, but fate worked like that sometimes. You wouldn't trade Jotaro for anything in the world and he wouldn't let anyone think of even touching you.

Of course, everybody at school knew about the Jojo-Y/N duo. Everybody wondered how a girl like Y/N managed to get to the stone cold Jojo, and how a guy like Jojo could even bear the presence of the freaky Y/N.

Some were jealous, some were excited, and some were completely indifferent to the chemistry of the two.

And between some jealous fangirls stood some who wanted to take advantage of your accessibility to pass some messages, letters, gifts and many more to the lady-killer Jojo.

It has become a habit for you now, you didn't really mind, even if it could be bothersome sometimes. It was actually pretty entertaining for you. You were the person who received the most love letters at school, with your shoe locker and desk always filled to the brim, too bad they weren't from your fervant admirers, but Jotaro's.

You would usually just take the love letters to him but you always got the same response of denial. Telling you to just throw them away or whatever. But you would always try and convince him to read some of them with you, since 'it could be fun'.

"Yooo Jojo that one is wild look at that! Ewwww! Would you even do that to a woman? No that's straight up EVIL!" you showed him the letter as he was laying on his bed and you were sat at his desk.

"Yare yare daze... I don't want to see it" he huffed, not wanting to deal with yet another cringy lustful confession.

You two would spend some afternoons like this. Sometimes you felt like his personal assistant sorting out his mailbox or something.

One day was very special though.

At the end of one school day, you were assigned in cleaning duty. After cleaning with the other assigned students, you stayed a bit later to empty your shoe locker and desk which took forever. Everyone was gone by now and you were heading back to the classroom to get your bag and finally call it a day.

You got the lockers and opened yours to get your shoes but found one single letter left there.

"Oh? I forgot one... I was sure I got everything... Did someone just put it in? Eh whatever."

You took the letter, put on your shoes and decided you'll pass by Jotaro's house to give him the letter, even if you knew he couldn't care less about it.

"What do you want?" he grunted, but opened the door wide to let you in. The duality of the guy.

"Oh nothing important, just this." you handed the pastel pink enveloppe. "It sat in my locker, alone and afraid." you joked.

Jotaro reluctantly took the letter in his hand. He was ready to just tell you off and shoving it back into your face, but then he noticed what was written on the other side of the enveloppe.

'For Y/N <3'

Jotaro let appear a tiny smirk on his strong features. Things just got interesting for him. If you brought him the letter, that means you didn't notice it was for you.

To your surprise, Jotaro kept the letter and put it aside.

"Huh? You're not going to tell me to throw it away or shove it up my ass or something?" you said a bit baffled.

"No, I'll do it myself." he turned and tossed it on a nearby table.

"HUH ??? SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS???"

You then felt Star Platinum slap you across the back of the head with a nice 'ORA!'

"Owowow!" you cried a little while rubbing your head. Jotaro turned around muttering his iconic "yare yare daze".

Later that evening, when you were already gone home, Jotaro took the liberty to read the letter, wondering what kind of boy could even be interested in you, and see who he had to pick a fight with.

He read the entire thing, and throughout the reading he thought that person was acting pretty mysterious, it was very different from the letters that he recieved from his fangirls.

No, here the letter was filled with many "I'll understand if you don't really roll that way" or "I know it's weird, please don't take this the wrong way". Basically the letter felt very apologetic and the person was obviously self conscious.

At first Jotaro didn't understand why until he read the name of the sender.

'Kaneda Mokou'

He froze. 'Mokou'? So it was a girl. Well at least he wouldn't have to fight anyone so that's good, but also it was interesting.

A girl was into you. Romantically. Or even more. How cute.

He leaned back in his chair, wondering what your reaction would be when he'll break it down to you.

Even if you had a weird sense of humor and overall weird personality, he knew you were very kind, too kind to confront these situations by yourself, especially if you had to reject someone.

He expected the next day greatly.

You went to pick Jotaro up to walk to school with him. You greeted Holly and went on your way with him.

"Aaah it's way too early, be my pillow Jojo." You leaned lazily on his arm without even waiting for his response and he just let you be, too tired to deal with your shenanigans right now.

After a brief moment of silence with both of you peacefully walking, Jotaro broke the ice suddenly.

"Y/N, what about girls?" he blurted. You stood back straight and looked at him like he was the craziest man on earth.

"What the hell is that question, out of nowhere? About your fangirls, you mean?"

"What if a girl liked you?" he looked straight ahead so you couldn't read his eyes, but he seemed serious.

"Aaah...." you paused to think. "I think I'd be flattered, but also sad that she would like me of all girls haha wouldn't that be funny? Not like it will happen anytime soon. Why? Did a guy ask you out again? Was it the letter from yesterday?"

He stopped in his tracks and had a scary glint in his eyes as he took the now opened letter from his pockets and handed it to you.

You hesitated and looked at him with worry.

"You scare me Jojo, what's going on?" he didn't reply. You just took the time to read the letter and realized it was not aimed at Jotaro at all, but at you!

You blushed at the realization and looked at him, but he ushered you to continue reading with his gaze.

Your face reddened the more you read the letter. The tender words of affection, the compliments, the poetic lines and the saddening doubt in the sender's words.

You finished reading and gasped when you saw that it was from your classmate Kaneda Mokou.

"W-waaah!!! Mokou-chan likes me???" You squirmed in embarrassment and stared at Jotaro who seemed amused by the ordeal.

"YOU KNEW IT DIDN'T YOU?? THIS IS WHY YOU KEPT THE LETTER !! YOU SHOULD HAVE SHOVED IT UP YOUR ASS LIKE YOU SAID INSTEAD OF READING IT!"

Jotaro was this close to slapping you to space.

"Just go see her before I kick your ass" the boy growled.

"Hey Jojo, what do you think I should tell her?" you said recovering from your flushed state.

"I don't give a shit it's on you."

"So you wouldn't mind if she becomes my giiiirlfriend~ ?" you said with a teasing tone.

Jotaro flinched and didn't answer for a moment.

"...Do you want to?" he mumbled.

"I don't know, will you be okay with me kissing her and holding her hand and-"

He suddenly grabbed your shoulders, turned you around and shoved you forward.

"Just walk already we're late" he stayed behind you to hide his growing blush.

To be honest Jotaro had this tiny crush on you but even he barely realized it. He was very protective of you and swore he would beat the crap out of any guys that would confess to you, but now that the opponent was a girl he was lost.

Did he have competition? Were you even interested in girls? Or even interested in trying? What should he do?

He thought you would just be a coward and act as if the letter never existed, but now you acted like you were contemplating the offer a lot and that brought a sweat to his brow.

At the end of the day, you decided to talk to Mokou to give her your answer. Jotaro decided to wait for you a few feet away where he couldn't hear what you were saying.

After a few minutes of talking and even some laughing, Jotaro saw you both hug and then separate before bidding each other goodbye. You then joined your tall friend and he didn't say anything but his eyes spoke the question for him.

"Hmmm can you guess? Did I say yes or no?"

"Cut the crap Y/N."

"So impatient! To be honest I wouldn't have minded but..." you blushed a little bit and he raised an eyebrow at you "I think... I need someone that's a bit more like you, Jojo." You added, embarassed.

He showed you a surprised face a this sudden confession. Before he could react any further you continued.

"She wouldn't have put up with me I think. She's very nice and sweet, but she probably would have dumped me after, like, 3 days. Can't blame her haha." you laughed sheepishly.

"Good." Jotaro said turning around. You were confused at his reaction.

"Good? What do you mean 'good'? How is me being dumpable any good? Hey, come back here! ...Jojo! SLOW DOWN YOU'RE TOO FAST! JOJOOOOOO !!!"

He ignored you and speedwalked away from you as you started jogging to catch up to him.

That basically was your relationship with Jotaro Kujo. There was a hint of something more than friendship between you two, but neither of you could put your fingers on it.

"Finally haaah... I caught up to you haaa, you freaking daddy-long-legs" you panted.

He smirked and grabbed you in a headlock.

"Oi, that hurts let me go!" you hit his arm repeatedly, asking for mercy.

"You said you wanted me to be your pillow" he said, dragging you back home.

You only knew that you wanted to be with each other, and no one else.

"Yare yare daze..."

"...That's my catchphrase."

[ruthoakenshield]

The Lady in the Black Leather (Ch 20)

catch up here: [chapter 19]

Richard X reader , Aiden X Scarlett X Reader

Morning came all too soon for you. Aiden & Scarlett woke you up knocking on your door at 8am. The officer from last night looks up at them then over to you. You grin and nod and he motions for them to enter.

Scarlett comes in and plops on the bed and hands you a hot cup of coffee. You thank her and sip on it. The officer stands and tells you that he will go out in the hallway and let you have some time with your friends and to call for him if you need anything.

You thank him and he heads out to the hall.

Aiden wandered in and plopped down on the floor and petted Phantom. “So, how’s it going with Rich?” he asks. “Good.” You reply with a smug grin.

“You two getting pretty close? He looked so worried about you yesterday after you had been shot. It really scared him, Harley. I think more than he wanted to let on.” he tells you.

You nod. “Yeah, we have talked a lot and are getting close. I have never been treated the way he treats me. All my prior boyfriends were jerks compared to him. They never treated me with kindness and only manhandled me roughly.” You tell him. Scarlett rolls her eyes and says, “Now that’s and understatement if I ever heard one!”

You glare at her and continue, “Richard makes me feel safe and loved. It’s still hard for me to get used to. It helps though that he always has a hand resting gently on me. Either on my back or around my waist or on my arm, or just holding hands.” You reply.

Scarlett and Aiden grin. “Yeah, we noticed he can’t seem to keep his hands off of you.” They both giggle. “He can be quite possessive, but it’s always in a good way, don’t worry.” Aiden tells you.

“Chivalry certainly isn’t dead with him!” Scarlett giggles.

You giggle. “Well, I don’t want a knight in shining armor.” You reply as you raise the bed up more so you’re more in a sitting position. You wince and adjust your weight, so it isn’t on your left leg as much.

Aiden looks at you confused. “I thought that was what all women wanted, a knight in shining armor to come rescue them and take them to the castle to live happily ever after. Why don’t you want that?” he asks.

You chuckle. “Thank You Disney for giving young impressionistic women such a dangerous ideal! I much prefer Tolkien’s version of Knights/warriors and royalty. If I’m gonna have a knight come and rescue me, I want him in dented and dinged up armor. A knight in shining armor means he hasn’t seen battle and never waged war. You don’t know if he’ll stick around when the battle gets intense, or if he’ll tuck tail and flee, leaving you to fend for yourself.

Whereas a knight in dented and dinged up armor shows he HAS seen battle and had his mettle tested. It means he has fought, defeated and survived what the world has thrown at him. And not fled when the going got tough. He stands and fights to defend what he loves and cares about.” You giggle. “He’s a real warrior!”

Scarlett nods. Aiden just smirks and grins widely. “I guess I never thought of it that way, but I get what you’re saying. It makes sense.” He tells you as he takes a bite of his breakfast sandwich.

“So, speaking of knights, what are your plans for today? Isn’t Sir Guy working all day today?” Scarlett asks.

You giggle and nod catching her Robin Hood reference to Richard. “Yeah, he’s workin’ all day today. He asked Graham if he’d stay with me today and meet with the attorney that Rich hired for me.

I guess I have to appear before the judge to tell him my side of the story. Then I have to appear before him again as my ex stands before him and explains himself. After that, the judge will make his ruling on the restraining order being made permanent or temporary.” You explain.

“How are you going to appear before a judge when you’re in the hospital?” Aiden asks.

“I guess Alex was going to try to set something up using the internet and video calling.” You explain. “I am not entirely sure.”

“Ah, that would make sense then.” He replies.

You nod and are quiet for a few minutes. “Thank you for the flowers and balloon, you two.” You tell Aiden and Scarlett.

“Glad you like them, Hun.” Scarlett says. “You seem pretty quiet this morning. Didn’t you sleep very well?” she asks.

You shake your head. “No, the nurses were in and out a lot checking on me every hour. The officer assigned to guard me ended up telling them to let me sleep and to leave me alone for a while.” You tell her. “I’m just tired and been thinking about a lot of stuff.” You reply.

(You spent a lot of last night thinking of all the people who have helped you and wondered how you can thank them for everything. Saying ‘thank you’ just doesn’t seem to be enough.

You decided to do something nice for each person who has helped you through this. Starting with Richard and Graham. You make a note to ask Graham what you could do for something special for Rich.

You thought about Graham and how far away his family is. You wish you could meet them and say “Hi” so they can put a face with a name. You decide to ask him about his family today and ask him what their names are.)

You ask Aiden how long he has known Graham and Rich. He replied they all met on the set of the Hobbit films. You ask him what kinds of things does Rich like. You explain that you realized you didn’t know much about him, he always turns the conversations to be about you.

Aiden chuckled. “He always does that. And it can get to be annoying. He hates talking about himself. I’ve learned most of what I know just by watching him & listening & observing.” Aiden explains. “He likes to read, and has several Lego sets of the Hobbit. He’s just a big little kid at heart. He likes a good wine, chocolate ice cream, and good coffee, and was pretty good at horse riding and sword fighting. He is frugal with his money, but isn’t afraid to splurge on those he loves. He did mention one time that his Mom used to help him answer fan mail and it meant a lot to him. He really misses her, she passed away a few years ago.

He doodles, and dances, and tends to write back stories for his characters he portrays.” Aiden tells you.

“So, if I wanted to do something super special for him as a ‘thank you’ for all the help he has been, what would be something meaningful for him?” you ask.

“Hmmm. I don’t know. Maybe a nice journal for him to do his writing in, or taking him to a winery for a private tour? I guess it depends on what you want to spend. He really just seems to cherish spending time with you, Harley.” Aiden tells you.

You nod.

“Well, I need to get ready. I’m supposed to spend the day with Graham. I have no idea what we are going to do other than meeting with the lawyer. He said to let him know when I was up and ready to go.” You tell them.

“Ok.” Aiden says as he stands up. “If you want some company, let us know. We can meet up with you later on.”

“Thanks, Aiden, I’ll let you know.” You tell him.

“I’ll head out and get us some breakfast while you get ready. What do you want, Scarlett?” He tells her with a kiss to her cheek and brushes a strand of her curly, red hair off her face.

“I’ll eat whatever you find, Sweetie.” She tells him.

“What about you, Harley?” he asks.

“Thanks, Aiden, but Graham is picking up breakfast for me on his way here.” You tell him.

Aiden nods and heads out to get himself and Scarlett breakfast.

You grab your phone and text Graham. “Morning Pops! What’s the plans for today besides meeting with the attorney?”

He texts back “Morning Sunshine! Not sure what we’ll end up doing. We can figure that out when I get there. Still want breakfast? How’d last night go?” he replies.

“Ok, Yes, can you pick up something for breakfast, please? Didn’t get much sleep. Nurses kept me up checking on me every hour till the officer told them to leave me alone and let me sleep.” You text him. “When ya coming up to see me?”

“Be there in about an hour, Sweetie.” He texts back. “Finishing up some stuff here before I go.” He replies.

“Ok Pops, see ya soon! 😊”

Scarlett grins and shows you that she brought up some of your tops and corsets. “So you feel a little more comfortable.” The nurses said you can put the tops on but want you to wait with the corsets till later.” She tells you.

Scarlett helps you find something to wear and you end up putting on a long sleeved black peasant top with the shorts the hospital provided. A nurse helped with the ports, disconnecting them long enough for you to put the top on and then re-connected the iv’s to the ports.

Scarlett helps you with washing your face and helps with your hair and the two of you have fun playing around with a few different hair styles for your incredibly long hair. The two of you settled on a 5 strand Dutch French braid.

Aiden comes back in after a bit with breakfast for him and Scarlett and said, “Oooohhh! I like the hair!” as he comes over and admires your braid hanging over your shoulder. “Your hair is SO long, Harley! How long did it take to grow it out like that?” he asks.

You giggle. “10 years!” you reply and laugh as Aiden’s jaw drops.

“What?!?! Did you just say 10 years?!?!?!” he asks.

You nod.

“Wow!” he replies as he runs his fingers along the braid. “How do you keep it so soft and nice looking?” he asks.

You chuckle. “Hair oil, and I get it trimmed regularly to control split ends. I also try to keep it in some kind of braid or updo so it’s not just flying all over and getting all tangled up.” You reply.

He nods. “I can’t imagine having hair this long. We thought the long wigs we had to wear for The Hobbit were annoying. They kept getting in our faces and making it hard to see. When we weren’t filming, they were all tied back so it was out of our faces.” He tells you.

You giggle. “But you all looked so damn sexy with long hair!” you tease. He blushes and grins.

Scarlett digs through the bag of food Aiden brought and hands him a breakfast sandwich, “Here, Aid. Sit and eat.” She tells him as she pulls out one and a container of tater tots and sets them on the bedside table.

You giggle and snitch a few tater tots and pop them in your mouth. Grinning wickedly when Aiden says, “Hey! You said you didn’t want anything!”

Scarlett smacks him on the arm. “Oh hush! She can have a few of the tater tots to hold her till Graham gets here!” she scolds.

Just then you get a text from Rich. “Hey Love! Am just taking a break on set and thought I’d say, ‘hi and love you!’ How’s it going this morning?”

You reply back, “Hi Hon! The morning’s going good. Just getting ready for the day. Aiden and Scarlett are here now & Graham will be here in an hour. He had to run some errands before we meet with the attorney.” You message back.

He sends you a thumbs up emoji and ‘Have fun, sweetheart! See you after work. Xoxo’

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[tavi-hayes]

challenge one ~ first day of the selection

((i honestly have no idea how i even wrote this fic! this was literally written very very quickly so please excuse me for the quality of this, i don’t have time to write anything better. oh and writing out rps is not one of my talents. anyhow thanks to pia @brookelynnsanders for that super fun rp! and thanks to anna for the interview))

We are all waiting for the gigantic doors in front of me to open, well not directly in front me. The other girls are chatting to one another, excited for this whole thing to officially begin.

I, myself, don’t feel that excited. Waking up alone in a new environment, without any of my loved ones around, hit me harder than I expected. Plus my energy levels are a little low, probably because of the time difference with Denbeigh. Back home I’d be in the store right now, my belly already filled with food. But my life had taken an unexpected turn, and I wasn’t sure yet if it was for the better.

Some gasps around me take me out of my daydream, the doors had opened and now there was a clear view of the room inside. The other selected are swarming inside already, but I decide to hang back a little so I can actually breath in some fresh air.

I slowly make my way inside and have a look around. There are lavish decorations everywhere, paintings, flowers, crystal chandeliers. I don’t share the feeling of awe visible on the faces of some of the other girls. What I feel is more like disgust. I mean there are better ways to spend your money. But why would you lower the taxes for the Illéan citizens when those same taxes make it possible for you to buy that enormous Rembrandt?

Another thing I notice are the tables. Five of them are placed on a semi-circle with the sixth one in the front of them. That must be the table for the royal family. A maid taps me on the shoulder and points me to where I’m supposed to sit. How great, from my chair the royal table is right in my line of vision.

I take a deep sigh while making my way to table two. A familiar blonde is already seated, “oh hey Brooke.” She actually seemed alright when I met her yesterday at the airport. Therefore, I’m glad to be sitting next to her. It could have been a lot worse, what if I had been stuck with some dramatic, overly confident Two. Yuck.

“Octavia!” she replies. It’s still weird for me to hear people calling me by my name. I’m so used to everyone calling me Tavi. And the only person who called me Octavia hadn’t been around for six years.

Shaking the thoughts of my dad off me, I take a seat on the chair that has been assigned to me. On the plate in front is a little card with my name written on it in a very elegant handwriting.

“Looks like we are stuck together again.” I quickly scan the other girls from this table. The only person I recognize, beside Brooke, is the one sitting on my left side.

It was the hugely famous Shala Lie. What an honour it is to even be in her presence.

Everyone, and I literally mean anyone, knows her. Even when you have lived under a rock for the past 10 years, you would know of her banging song simply because it was one that got stuck in your head and you would be humming the melody without even being aware of it.

On my other side Brooke chuckles, “rather stuck with the devil I know than a stranger.”

“Amen to that,” I softly chuckle along, “how have you settled in yet? Are you liking your bedroom?”

“Ohh I love my bedroom. Full of plants and a wonderful view on the garden. How about you? No complaints yet.” Thank god for Brooke and her extensive answers. I appreciate someone who can keep a conversation going.

“The gardens must be beautiful, with so many flowers blossoming.” I sigh trying to find the words to describe my own stay. Actually telling her I’m not really looking forward to this whole thing doesn’t seem like the best idea. For now, anyway. Instead I sigh and say, “no complaints yet, no, though this weather,” pfft, “pretty warm, even at night.” While I give the room a quick scan, I notice all girls have taken their seats. My eye also falls on the buffet tables, but too bad it doesn’t seem like we’re allowed to go grab some food just yet. Then I remember the other kind girls from our plane ride yesterday.

Just as I spot them sitting on the table next to ours, Brooke says, “You don't like warm weather, never heard someone complain about the sun. Who are you looking for?”

“When you're used to freezing winds and coldness, this weather feels like a thousand degrees.” Clara and Haven have worse seats then we do, their table is right in front of the royal table. They won’t be able to escape from watchful eyes. Poor girls. “oh just the other girls from our plane, it's good to see they've survived their first night as well.”

The blonde next to me laughs, “why wouldn't they have? Know something about a secret attack?”

I turn back to face her again, “You never know who or what lurks around when everyone is asleep.” We haven’t met the prince yet, maybe he is some creep slipping in and out of our rooms through some secret passages.

Brooke and I chat a bit more before the royal princess herself enters the room. I hear some gasps again, girls staring with nothing but admiration shining in their eyes. The princess smiles at us, I don’t feel the need to smile back. Instead I mumble softly, “this is gonna take a while.”

“Good morning. I’m sure you’re all... eager to start seeing as you’re meeting my brother shortly, so I’ll try to keep this brief.” Well, if there is one person in this room who is eager it’s me. Eager for some food I mean. The princess continues talking with an elegant tone in her voice. With everyone being silent, her voice carries very well over the room. I can tell the acoustics are spot-on, a musical ensemble would really benefit when playing in such a room.

My band would sound a-freaking-mazing here. If I close I my eyes, I can already see us performing here. Though that would mean they���d have to fly in all the way from Winnipeg, costing a lot of money. Money that some of us have to work very hard for.

Then a door opens, some girls turn in their chairs to have a look. What’s that on their faces? Shock? Fear? Jealousy?

I turn my face in the same direction to see someone, a girl, walking into the room. I honestly have no clue who she is or what she is doing here but judging by the smug look she has on her face, she is not some scullery maid.

“Who is it?” I softly ask Brooke. Perhaps she knows something I don’t.

Turns out she is almost as clueless as I am, “She looks familiar, but I can't really pinpoint where I know here from...”

“Hmmm,” the girl walks over to the princess, they seem to know one another. “Maybe a friend? Or some distant relative?”

The princess doesn’t look too happy, a few deep sighs and some looks between the other girl and us.

Then Brooke jumps in, “But why should I recognize a distant rel- ohhhhh.”

I take my eyes of the scene happening in the centre of the room and turn to Brooke instead, “who is it?”

The look on her face is a bit unreadable, “Don't quote me on this, but I am pretty sure it is Prince Arin's ex-girlfriend.”

I have honestly never been the person to show interest in the royal family and their whereabouts. Though there is something inside me that clicks and a memory resurfaces. Gina’s voice calls out to me, ‘his engagement was called off not that long ago.’

“Wait wait, the one from the cancelled engagement?”

Brooke replies with a nod, “yep.”

Why on earth would she be here? Isn’t this like extremely awkward for her? One of us in this room is supposed to fill the spot next to the prince. Correction, her spot.

“Why is she pointing at us?”

I sigh, “don’t know. I wish we could hear what they’re saying.”

“Safiya doesn't seem too happy about the news....” the blonde next to me points out. And she is correct, the princess does not look happy, not at all.

“Yeah you're right, but the other girl, the ex, looks way too happy though.” I say as I flip my hair over my shoulder, “why do I feel like drama is gonna come of this?”

Brooke chuckles, “I wouldn't mind some drama actually.”

I join her, softly that is. I don’t want to catch any attention, especially not the attention from the ex-fiancée. She has a bit of a weird vibe hanging around her, “I agree, this selection could use a little bit of spice.” As long as the drama doesn’t involve me.

The princess’s voice calls out to us again, “table manners are very important, and before you can eat in front of the royal family, you must be aware of certain etiquette.”

With that my focus lands on all the stuff laid out in front of me. I don’t understand why there should be at least 5 glasses for just one person. And I haven’t even said anything about the crazy amount of cutlery. I feel bad for the people who have to do the dish washing here, what a crappy job.

“It’s like we’re back in school again,” a place I hadn’t been to in years. My school years had been with ups and downs. I seem to have troubles keeping my attention on one thing. Every time I need to focus on something my brain seems to riot, making me remember the most random stuff.

Exactly that is happening right now.

I can’t suppress a yawn, “I could use some food.”

Instead of paying attention, I engage in a softly spoken conversation with Brooke about her passions, ballet dancing and psychology.

Suddenly, she gets up. Following the direction she just faced, I see that ex-girlfriend looking towards our table. Brooke does a curtsy, to which I comment, “perfect curtsy, 10 out of 10!” along with some thumbs-up.

She winks at me as she takes a bow, “thank you me lady.”

That makes me laugh, Brooke also makes a sound. Though it’s not coming from her mouth. No, it’s coming from het abdomen area.

I let out an oops. That same thing has happened to me many times before. And always in the most awkward situations. Like on a nearly empty subway train, where you can’t really blame someone else.

“Oh look I think the princess has done with the lesson?” I couldn’t be any happier, given that I could use some food too.

The girl next to me replies, “I fuck- freaking hope so. I am starting to get hangry.”

Oh she is so great. Someone who isn’t looking at everything and everyone with heart-eyes, hoping to make the best impression. No, Brooke seems to be very similar to me, just throwing sarcasm around like confetti but still showing a lot of passion for the stuff she cares about.

Did I just make a friend?

Before I know it, I have my plate in my hand and I’m standing next to my chair, “let’s go!”

Together we make our way to the buffet. There is literally anything you could think off. From cupcakes and waffles, to broccoli and bacon. What is this place?

Brooke seems to have noticed the crazy amount of food as well, “how am I supposed to choose?”

“Just take a bit of everything,” I say as I use some tongs to grab a croissant.

My action doesn’t go unnoticed, “someone learned something today.”

“It might seem shocking, but I did listen to what the princess was saying,” next I move towards the fruit section, but keeping it simple I go for some apple slices, “well only partly but still.”

Brooke giggles at that, “didn't take you for a multitasker.”

Pfft, why do people seem to underestimate me? “I have many talents,” and many of them still hidden, hidden so deeply that even I don’t know what they are.

So far there’s a croissant on my plate and some slices of apple. I decide to take a little bowl filled with yoghurt and add some granola to it.

Brooke is waiting for me to finish, bless her. Her own plate has some very healthy-looking stuff on it.

We barely make it back to our table when Brooke starts attacking her food, something that makes me laugh again. “This is sooo good. Didn't think a palace would have such amazing avocados.”

I take one of the spoons from the table, not knowing nor caring if it’s the correct one, and start eating my yoghurt. “Only the best of the best for this wonderful family.”

After several minutes of eating, I already feel much more alive, “and now that we've had some food the day can officially begin”

I opt for the croissant, but I’m not sure whether to eat it out of my hand or if I should use cutlery. I decide to just take a bite. Not clever Tavi. Crumbs and flakes fall everywhere. On the table, on the napkin covering my lap, on my dress.

The girl next to me hums, her spirits obviously lifted now that she has some food in her mouth, “I guess the prince doesn't have to face hangry Brooke just yet.”

While wiping the crumbs from my dress, making sure no one notices the fact that they’re now on the floor. Oops. “So is food the way to your heart?”

“Not the entire part - but a good chunk of it.”

I instantly forget what I was about to say, when someone’s name is called. My eyes follow the girl as she is escorted out of the room. The first one to meet the prince, tough. She must make a good first impression for herself, and for the rest of the group. If the prince doesn’t like her there’s a huge possibility he’ll be in a crappy mood once it’s my turn.

“Would have preferred some liquid courage beforehand tho,” Brooke chimes next to me.

I laugh as I face her again, “now that would have been interesting!”

“Then everything would be easy peezy lemon squeezy,” she pauses for a little while, “but seriously - are you nervous?”

I shrug, not really knowing what to answer. “A little bit, he is a member of the most powerful family in this country,” flipping my hair again, I decide to redirect the question, “What about yourself?”

Brooke smirks at me, “so you are nervous.” But then she pauses again and I see her smirk drop, “I am not quite sure what I feel... On the one hand I know I should be scared but on the other... I just feel invincible... You know?”

We talk a bit more before someone calls out Brooke’s name. As she gets up, I wish her good luck. She probably won’t need it. If she is anything like the way she was around me this morning, then the prince must instantly like her.

I’m left on my own, alone with my thoughts. But before I know it my name is called. I quickly pick up a spoon to check if there’s some croissant stuck between my teeth. Then I get up, my mind set on making the best first impression as possible. Can’t have him send me home already.

I’m ushered into a different room. The first thing I notice are the cameras. I flinch, if say something stupid or insult the prince, the whole country will be able to see. I can feel my pulse rise, but before the nerves get the best of me, I push them down and lock them away, deeply hidden.

The second thing I notice are the luxurious decorations. Every wall is lined with paintings. I just can’t with these people. Don’t they have better causes to spend their money on?

Only then do I notice the prince, right when he stands up from the sofa. His eyes go to my name tag and then he gives me a small bow, “good morning, Lady Octavia. Please have a seat.”

The imagine of Brooke’s perfect curtsy flashes before my eyes. I try my best to copy it, but I’m failing miserably. Maybe I should have practiced when I had the chance? Oh well, too late for that. “Thank you, Your Highness.” I quickly make my way to the sofa and sit down.

The prince, the most powerful male figure in Illéa, sits down next to me. I strongly feel the need to put some distance between us, but it would be extremely weird if I would just stand up to sit somewhere else. Plus the whole country would be able to see that happen. I can already imagine the headlines in tomorrow’s newspapers.

He takes a deep breath, “how is your morning so far?”

It was perfect you know; I finally learned some table manners. And oh, did I mention your ex-fiancée paying us a visit. What a catch she is! That does not sound like a great answer. So I go for something vague instead, “I can say it has been very interesting so far, thanks. How's your morning going?”

He raises his eyebrows before he smiles a little. “I think mine has been interesting as well. Did you sleep alright last night?”

“Yes I did, the mattress was perfect. Though I was a bit confused when I woke up, I kind of forgot where I was.” Oh not to forget that my bedroom here is bigger in size than the entire first floor of my family’s house back in Winnipeg.

The prince frowns at my answer, but then he nods. “I get that. Being somewhere new can be difficult. What’s your home province?”

Geez, what’s with all these questions. Doesn’t he know how to have a spontaneous conversation. “Denbeigh, sir.” Sir? What are you saying Tavi? I push a curl behind my ear, “oh wait, I meant Your Highness.”

He smiles a little again, “you can call me whatever you like.” I’ll keep that in mind. The prince takes a breath and then adds, “um, what do you do in Denbeigh?”

Memories of my friends and family resurface, a feeling of happiness and pride washing over me. I sit up a little straighter before I blurt out, “I work in a music store, we have all sorts of music instruments and CDs, records, all that sort of stuff.”

“Oh, that sounds cool,” he says as he nods his head. “What sort of music do you like to listen to?”

“What makes you think I like to listen to music?” Oops, that sounded a bit harsh. I decide to add an I’m kidding, just in case he couldn’t tell. “I can appreciate every genre. Though I think my favourite would have to be rock music. What about yourself? Do you like music?”

“I do, yeah. I like alternative mostly. But I like some classical too,” he says before he glances around.

That makes me glance around as well, suddenly making me very aware of the cameras surrounding us. I immediately forget what he just said, “ah okay, yeah that is cool.” That sounds like a very suitable answer. Unless he asked a question. Shit.

I focus back on the prince’s face, trying very hard to forget the cameras filming my every move. His face crunches up again, “uh, how are you liking the weather?”

The weather, some might say it’s an awkward topic to talk about only brought up when in the need to fill a silence. It’s actually one of my favourite conversation topics. “Uhm, very different from the weather I'm used to. Denbeigh's climate is way colder, with a little snowstorm here and there this time a year.”

“Really?” Apparently, my answer caught him by surprise, “I don’t think I realized that. I’ll have to look into it.” What kind of royal person is this? Isn’t he supposed to be the heir to the throne? And he doesn’t even know the different climates?

I decide to hold back from saying that, “yeah go for it. Back home everyone is still walking around in their winter clothing, with so many layers. And here I can basically walk around in a bikini and not be cold at all.”

That makes him chuckle, “you could but the maids might look at you funny.” His reply surprises me. Based on that draw we all saw on tv, I thought he’d be uncomfortable, expressionless and maybe just a tad bit boring. But he turns out to actually have some emotions.

“And they will be blinded by the reflection of the sunlight on my skin, I won't put them through that.” Because let’s be honest, when is the last time I’ve been able to walk around in a bikini outside? Oh yeah that’s right, never!

He laughs a little harder this time, “please don’t, they’d complain.” Then his face is lit up again by a small smile. His laughter, his humour and his smile are all so shocking to me that I even smile in return.

Before I can say something else, he glances at his watch, “oh.” His eyes land on me again, “Lady Octavia, thank you for speaking with me this morning. It’s been a pleasure.”

“Thank you too,” I say and I think I might even mean it. I join him as he stands up, “have fun with the rest of these interviews.”

“I’ll do my best,” he smiles at me again before I walk away.

As I leave that room, I come to the conclusion that this whole prince guy might not be so boring after all.