#and a trainer who was just there taking a break. heard this conversation. looked at my legs. looked at her legs.

[liesmyth]

re: prev post. I love the weight room at the gym but I must say I've only had positive experiences at gyms, and that's why I'm so enthusiastic about it. I know there are plenty of places out there that just plain suck in about a dozen different ways but EYE have been lucky enough to only experience Self-Involved Gym Bros who are literally only there to get a pump and will never look at my ass in the mirror because it's not as interesting as their bicep.

Like. For real. It's amazing. Serious talk: as someone who's experienced an unsettling amount of catcalling / creepy weirdos / groping on public transit / general patriarchy-induced uneasiness that you get sometimes just by existing in public as a woman with a body etc.... that stuff lingers. I've had years of my life where I was just very dissociated from my physical body and hated the idea of just being perceived because of how often I was loudly reminded that I was perceived mostly as a piece of meat. It's a distressingly common experience to various degrees. I like to think I'm pretty well adjusted these days but, like, it's a thing that happens.

And because of ALL OF THAT, I can't stress how refreshing it is to interact on a weekly basis with a bunch of aggressively cishet dudes who just. Don't give a fuck. I could be doing deadlifts in shorts shorts and a sports bra and they'd be like, oh I see you've been working on your hamstrings (this happened to me) It's a next level experience. I love bodybuilders who don't give a fuck about anything that's not their tree-trunk legs. Genuinely. Heaven

[reverie-verse]

Love Triangle Or Not? (Four)- Pt 1

Here are the other parts

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Anon Request Prompt: Y/N is a trainer (very well known for her badassness) She just came back from a mission; she gets a little jelly that Tris and Four had gotten closer. There’s some feelings but on who’s end? Four asks Y/N to help Tris. Being the amazing person she is, she agrees to help, but in the process she gets hurt. After the mission ends she returns home only to have an argument with Four. Leads to late night confessions  

I’m also making Y/N a Divergent but in secret. 

A couple things, this is ridiculously long, I put it in parts and I am releasing them all at the same time because it makes sense okay. Cooooooollll I hope you enjoy. 

Established something between Tris and Four. 

My Requests Are Open!!

————————————————-

It was less than a few days till the second stage test. You had been tasked to take on the dauntless recruits. You were ordered to train them and prepare them for the mental test. This was not your job, this was not what you were assigned but considering all circumstances this was punishment. You were the best and brightest soldier of Dauntless. You were ranked with Four and Eric, Eric in leadership but Four as a trainer. He denied his leadership role. You didn’t blame him,it wasn’t a responsibility you’d want either. However you were tasked as the infiltrator. You were sent out on missions to spy and gather intel when need be. You took care of business as you should. 

That was the problem: your mind worked in ways that were not acceptable in society’s eyes. So you conformed and adapted the best way you could. You built a wall around yourself for protection. There were times you would slip and cover up the traces but this time it went unnoticed. Hence why you were walking to the training room. You were instructed to join Four’s group. You were thankful not to be with Eric. He irritated you to the core but Four, you had known him for a while. Ever since he had first transferred to Dauntless. Yes you were born Dauntless but that didn’t stop you from connecting and helping out with the newbies. 

Here you were dressed in your black leggings pockets on either side of you. A holster rested on your hip and opposite thigh. Your gun rested in your hip holster. Your thigh held your knife. You had zipped your cropped fitted active jacket half way, showing just a tiny glimpse of your black sports bra. Your hands tucked into fingerless gloves, your hair braided into two French braids. Your combat boots echoed off the walls in the chasm before entering the training room. Sparring could be heard Eric standing off to the side with Four talking to each initiative. Four stops at one particular student conversing with her as she tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Eric’s eyes drifted toward you with a smirk on his face. You fought the urge to rip that smirk off his face. You internally groaned. Eric dismissed his student watching you with intense eyes. Four stands with his student watching the two of you  interact, thus causing the rest of the recruits to stop their task.

Eric smiles “ Well if it isn’t our best and brightest Dauntless Assassin.” his irritation and jealousy seeps through his words. You catch onto his words and by the look of Fours face so does he. Everyone in the room looks at you with curious eyes. 

You smile as if you mean it. “ Surprise. I will be joining you for the second stage”. You walk closer coming to a stop. Eric continues his journey towards you to the point he stops in front of you.

“ Oh is that so?” He asked with his arms crossed. 

“ Yeah it is.” At this point you and Eric had a stare down his height allowing him to tower over you. The tension was high and neither one of you was willing to break it. 

“ Everyone mind your business, get back to sparring!!” Four yells at the group walking toward the two of you.The students resumed their task while attempting to silently listen in on the conversation. There was bound to be gossip later on. Four sighed his concern hidden but noted by himself. If the both of you had it your way you both would be doing a little sparring of your own. 

“What’d you do this time? Hm? Follow the wrong orders? Why don’t we ask the leaders.” Eric says to you. The conversation managed to stay between the both of you making it difficult for others to listen in. Good this wasn’t their business.

“ Fuck off Eric.” You growled 

“ You’re in my territory now.”

“ You forget everywhere is my territory.” You challenged Eric.

Four hopped in before Eric could say another word “Both of you need to cool it. We’ve got initiatives to work with. Let's divide the group and run the tests”

Eric rolled his eyes calling out for his group “ Always the savior-My group head to the testing rooms.” He yelled as he walked toward the testing room his group not far behind. Four turned to you, you looked away from Eric and looked at four. Your heart skipped a beat. He caught you off guard with his staring. He always did. His eyes trained in you as he took in your state. Searching behind your eyes with his very brown ones. They peered through the depths of your soul. You held your breath. 

“ You okay?” He asked you, noticing that you have yet to say anything.

 You shook your head and cleared your throat “I didn't need your help”

“ If I didn’t step in, the two of you would’ve fought right there.”

“He deserves to get his ass beat” 

“Yeah well when we are done with these recruits you can take him out back. I’ll pretend I didn’t see a damn thing” Four joked. Yeah he made a joke, on the outside Four is very guarded and stoic but with you he always found a way to be himself.

 You rolled your eyes,  “ Let's head out. Time to do some testing”

Four shook his head as the two of you walked with his group to the testing rooms. As you walked you were silent. This threw Four off. You were never quiet. Not true, only when you were in a room full of strangers. When it came to your friends and Four you were talkative. He became worried, by now you would’ve had a reason to say something and you didn’t. Your arrival here and the reason for it hung in the air. Four and you were both aware of it, he was bound to question you. You sighed and you knew Four wasn’t going to let it go. He stops you at the end of the hallway.

“ You wanna tell me what’s going on?” He asked, crossing his arms blocking your path. 

“ Four. You’re blocking my path”

“ Am I? Or are you avoiding talking about what’s going on? That’s twice now you ended up back here. What happened on your last mission?” At this point he was demanding answers. He wanted details he wasn't about to let one of the people he cares about get hurt. You held a special place in Fours mind and heart. To watch you fall was not a past time he wanted to experience. You were the one person he didn’t have to hide from. He shared everything with you and he only wanted you to do the same. He hated it when you closed yourself off especially when you too have shared so much with him. He knew it was one of your ways to keep him safe. He wanted nothing more than to be by your side so that he could protect you. Ugh it was such a big cycle that kept moving the same direction. 

“ I’m-you-know-ugh fine okay. I messed up and I shouldn’t have. I made a decision against the better judgment of the leaders” 

Four turned his head to the side looking at you knowing that this was about to be something more than what you are making it out to be. “ Y/N” 

Reaching into the side pocket of your leggings you pulled out a small vile. “I took this from the lab at Erudite. I knew something was wrong and I took the serum. No, they didn’t catch me taking it.” 

“ What happened?” He questioned. 

“I had been told my mission was to successfully transport items from Erudite to Dauntless, and to keep an eye on Abnegation. Something about an uprising. One thing led to another and I ended up doing the opposite. I found myself at the lab. Erudite is planning to take down Abnegation and along with it Divergents.” 

“ Y/n” Four pinched the bridge of his nose,” What does the serum do?” He huffed. 

“ I don’t know. I wasn’t able to retrieve much information before having to blow my own cover.” You sighed in frustration. That was the one thing you wished you had seen before taking the vile. 

“ What did you do?” Four uncrossed his arms looking down the hallway making sure no one was around. 

“ I punched Jeanin in the face.“

“ What?” Four’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he looked back towards you. 

“ Well how else was I supposed to get back to you to tell you all the tea?” You shrugged with a smile. You enjoyed it to be honest. You hated Jeanin with every fiber of your being and that was satisfactory. Four couldn’t help but return the smile. It was contagious. How could it not be? The tattoo on Fours back is a form of you. You're honest, kind, smart, brave and selfless. You were a walking embodiment of each faction. That was a dangerous thing to be. But to Four no, never, you were everything he wished he could be. Before the conversation could continue further the blonde haired girl from before peeked her head around the corner. His attention immediately shifted as his expression changed from a serious one to a soft, kind expression. Who the hell is that?

[lostinwoso]

'Alexia's Property' (Alexia x Reader)

Part two of Quite the Catch and thank you for the idea!

Running into the empty locker room, you quickly put on your cleats before running out on the field, where training has already started.

"Look who made it to training." Mapi says quietly when she spots you jogging over to where all the girls were standing listening to the plan of what is done at today's training.

Alexia, who heard what Mapi said, turns her head around to see you jogging over to where she is standing, a teasing grin forming on her face. When arriving, you notice her teasing grin to which you give her a light shove, muttering, "Don't.", which makes the midfielder let out a quiet laugh.

She had left your shared apartment earlier this morning while you were still asleep due to having a media appointment, which also led you to being late now as no one was there to wake you up after sleeping through your alarm.

After the plan was talked through and everyone got told where they had to go, the team got into little groups to start their drills. Walking over to where you would start your training today, you felt an arm wrap around your shoulder, turning your head you see Mapi being the one, "So what made you late?" she asks you.

"I didn't hear my alarm this morning." you answer her, taking a glimpse towards her after you notice a smirk on her face, "What?".

"I mean if those marks on your neck are from yesterday then I'm not surprised you haven't heard the alarm.", she says, the smirk growing when your hand quickly flies up to your neck.

You and Alexia had a date the night prior where one of the waitresses started to flirt with you, leading to a rather long night with your girlfriend and with you already waking up late this morning you totally forgot to check for the potential marks your girlfriend left behind.

The panicked look in your eyes makes Mapi laugh, "Is it bad?", you asked her in hope that it's not as bad as you think it might be.

"Not that bad, you know just a bit here, here, here and he-.", she starts while pointing to different parts of your neck before you interrupt her, "Okay, I get it, it's bad!", you hiss out, annoyed at yourself for being late and not being able to cover the countless hickeys scattered across your neck.

Looking across the field, trying to ignore Mapis laugh, who is clearly enjoying the situation way too much, you catch the eyes of your girlfriend, who has a huge smirk on her face, having witnessed yours and Mapis encounter.

Rolling your eyes at her, you focus back on training, hoping that no one else would comment on the state of your neck for the rest of the training.

____

After a successful training session, you all huddle together one more time at the end to listen to the ending words of the trainer before they leave and training is officially over.

"Damn Alexia, you couldn't have marked her any more than that huh?", Patri speaks upcoming closer to you to inspect your neck, pushing her softly back a little.

"Maybe people get the message now that our Y/N here is off the market.", Claudia being the one speaking up this time, "Okay, can we stop this now? I'm sure we should all get ready now since we agreed on going to the men's game tonight.", you speak up, hoping to break up the conversation.

Hearing some agreements in the group that it probably would be smart to go home to get ready for later, you all make your way towards then tunnel, when you feel the hand of your girlfriend landing on your lower back.

"Stop looking so smug, Putellas.", you tell her, causing her to let out the laugh you love so much.

____

Arriving at the stadium later that day, you and the girls all take your seat, ready to enjoy a night of football.

When half-time came your girlfriend and some of the other girls went to get some drinks, when you feel someone stumbling into you from behind, your shirt getting a bit wet on the shoulder.

Standing up from your seat in surprise, you turn around where you are met with a woman your age who quickly starts apologizing, "Lo siento, I lost my footing and kind of tumbled into you, which caused some water to spill on you.".

Offering a smile you try to calm her down, "It's fine, don't worry about it, it's just water.", noticing that you are not upset about the situation she lets out a relieved sigh, before her eyes scan over your face and body.

"You know, maybe I could buy you a drink as an apology sometime?", she asks with a smile, her eyes scanning over your body a second longer before she meets your eyes.

Letting out an awkward chuckle you start talking, "I'm sorry but I-" "Here is your drink mi amor.", Alexia interrupts handing you your drink, while pressing a short kiss to one of the hickeys on your neck, sending the woman a sharp look after.

The woman muttering a quick, "Sorry.", before leaving to probably go to her seats.

Turning to look at your girlfriend, you notice the annoyed look on her face, wondering "Really? Even with hickeys on your neck, people still flirt with you? What do I have to do?", you two, sitting down while she talks.

"Get her a shirt that says 'Alexia's Property'.", Mapi speaks up as if it's the most normal thing to do.

"No, don't get me that shirt.", you say when you notice your girlfriend actually thinking about the words one of her best friend's just spoke.

After just staring into each other eyes for a moment, holding a daring stare, she lets out a sigh after a minute before agreeing, "Fine, I won't." also muttering something under her breath you can't really catch.

"Good, and thank you for the drink, love.", you thank her, pressing a short kiss on her lips after, causing a smile to form on Alexia's face again.

____

A few months later your birthday came around, spending a nice morning with your girlfriend before making your way to training together, where the girls all started singing Happy Birthday as soon as you came through the door.

"Thank you.", you say to each and every one of them after they came up to hug you.

"We have a present for you.", Mapi says, walking up to you with a small package in her hands, "Here.", holding it out for you to take.

"You know you didn't have to get me anything.", you tell them while accepting the small present.

"Just open it!", one of your teammates yelled.

Opening the package, you don't see the smirk forming on your girlfriend's lips and the way she exchanged looks with Mapi. Looking into the open package, you are met with a white shirt, pulling it out of the package, "A white shirt? Thank you guys.", you say, the confusion clear in your voice.

"Turn it around." Alexia says, giving her a confused look, you do as she says when you are met with two words on the shirt, 'Alexia's Property'.

"Really? You said you wouldn't get one?", you direct towards your girlfriend, who is quickly to respond, "I didn't, they did!".

"You all suck.", you mutter, making everyone laugh before you are pulled into a hug by your girlfriend, which quickly turns into a group hug.

After the group hug broke up, you all start to make your way out onto the field for training, when Alexia whisper in your ear, "You should wear it when we are going out later tonight, so people finally back off, plus I'm pretty sure it will look amazing on you.", clearly enjoying the thought of you wearing a shirt that marks you as hers.

[percervall]

Going trick or treating

Player: Jordan Henderson Words: 1831 Requested: Anon Warnings: Fluff, mentions of pregnancy and miscarriage A/N: Hope you like it lovely! Thank you for requesting this prompt 😊 I decided to go for Jordan, the idea I had made more sense for him

Autumn masterlist

Click here to be added to the taglist

------------

Jordan heard his wife talk to their daughter in hushed tones. The 3-year-old had been excited for Halloween for weeks, asking every night before bed “how many sleeps dada?”. He smiled and put the cottage pie in the oven, ready to heat up when they got home after the festivities at the AXA. Jordan rinsed the knife and cutting board and dried off his hands, turning around when he heard the unmistakable pitter-patter of their toddler running into the kitchen.

“Okay baby, tell dada,” his wife whispered. Jordan leaned against the kitchen counter, a smile on his face. She looked adorable in her Halloween costume. Their daughter looked up at him, big blue eyes twinkling.

“I’m the Greek Scouser!” she cheered, arms up in the air. Sophie was obsessed with one of Jordan’s teammates, she absolutely adored the Greek left back –much to the amusement of the rest of the team. So when Jordan and Emma had asked Sophie what she wanted to be for Halloween, the little girl immediately said ‘uncle Kos’, and wouldn’t let anyone change her mind. In fact, she had even decided who Jordan should dress as.

“I think my heart just might explode,” Emma said, taking in her daughter’s joy. She had even managed to pull Sophie’s curly brown hair back into a matching miniature bun. Her own hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her and Jordan were wearing the training staff tracksuits. Sophie had been adamant that daddy should be Klopp so she decided to dress as a female version of Pep. It was by far the comfiest Halloween costume she’d ever worn, especially now. Luckily the tracksuit bottoms had functioning pockets so she could hide her hands away. She just didn’t know how to tell Jordan, not after last time. 

“Tsimi is going to love this,” Jordan said, running a hand through his beard, pulling Emma from her thoughts. They had spent an hour dying it so he’d look the part and it had turned out better than either of them had expected. 

“Alright Soph, let's put your coat on so we can go outside. You can take it off when we’re at the party,” she said, ushering the little girl into the hallway. 

For once they stood out in the crowd. Everybody at the AXA had gotten the memo to dress up. Most of the children were dressed as their favourite characters, there were a handful of princesses and a couple of Fireman Sams. Emma even spotted some great Paw Patrol costumes. Jordan was wearing a pair of fake glasses and a baseball cap that looked similar enough to Klopp’s along with the official tracksuit including the initials on both jacket and bottoms. She wore a matching set, but her initials were changed to PL. Emma made a mental note to thank the kitmen for hooking them up with their outfits. Sophie was dressed in the homekit with Tsimikas 21 across the back of her jersey, and a pair of red tights underneath the shorts to keep her warm. She’d even found a pair of official LFC socks in Sophie’s size and the girl already owned a pair of Nike trainers. Suffice to say, the little girl looked ready to play football. 

“Shall we go find uncle Kos?” Emma asked Sophie as she took the toddler by the hand before she could run off again. Jordan chuckled and followed them. He worried for his daughter’s heart if Kostas ever left Liverpool. As they made their way through the crowd, they could hear people aww at Sophie and laugh when they spotted them. 

“Uncle Kos!” Sophie shouted as she spotted her favourite person, breaking free from her mother’s hand. Kostas interrupted his conversation with Diogo, James and Andy, and dropped to his knees, holding his arms open. Sophie ran into them and laughed when Kostas rose to stand. All four Liverpool players started laughing when they spotted Jordan.

“Oh, that’s amazing. Has Klopp seen yet?” James said. 

“No, but I don’t think it’ll take long for him to spot us.” 

“Sophie has been practising all day on her best Kostas Tsimikas impression,” Emma said, “can you tell uncle Kos?” 

Sophie nodded her head and shouted in her unmistakable Scouse accent: “I’m the Greek Scouser!” 

Kostas laughed and cheered for her. 

“Careful Kos, you’ve got competition!” Andy said with his trademark grin. 

“She even has the Tsimikas bun!” Diogo said, laughing.

“It’s all or nothing for this girl,” Jordan said, looking lovingly at his daughter. 

They all turned around when they heard Jurgen’s unmistakable laugh. 

“I see our new signing got here!” Klopp said when he joined them. He then moved his eyes to take in Jordan and Emma’s costumes and started laughing again.

“It’s like looking in the mirror. Pep! You need to see this!” he shouted over his shoulder. 

“Sophie wouldn’t take no for an answer. Daddy had to dress up as Klopp,” Emma explained. Klopp laughed again. He himself was dressed in lederhosen, playing into the German stereotype. 

“I see we can take tomorrow off,” Pep said with a grin when he joined them. Emma shrugged.

“I can teach them all about stretches and how the muscles work, but I’m useless at running drills,” she said. The men laughed at that. 

“Hey, maybe that’s just what they need,” Jordan said with a grin. 

“Ready to get all the candy Soph?” Kostas asked the little girl. She turned to look at her parents.

“You can go with uncle Kos if you want baby,” Emma said, “Mummy and daddy will be right here, okay?” Sophie nodded. Kostas took the tote bag Emma had brought for her and carried her to the first person handing out sweets. 

“Our baby’s all grown up,” Emma said with a pout. Jordan chuckled and pulled her against his side, wrapping an arm around her. Emma looked up at him. 

“I’m not ready for her to grow up Jord,” she said.

“I know, neither am I. Guess we’ll just have to accept it.” 

Emma sighed and nodded. Jordan smiled and gave her a quick kiss.

“Okay, now that’s just wrong,” Andy said, shuddering, “Klopp kissing a female Pep. Thanks for the nightmares.” Jordan and Emma laughed, watching Andy go to find his own children. 

“It is a little weird,” Emma said, “the grey beard does evoke more Klopp and less Hendo.” 

Jordan chuckled. “I’ll rinse it out when we get home.” 

“Good, I prefer to share my bed with Hendo.” 

“Glad to hear that,” Jordan said, kissing her again. Emma smiled into the kiss, resting a hand against his cheek.

“I need to tell you something… I was planning on a big surprise but I can’t wait any longer,” Emma said after she broke their kiss. She suddenly felt nervous, her heart hammering against her chest. Emma hadn’t planned on keeping this a secret for as long as she had, but seeing as her last pregnancy ended with a miscarriage at 8 weeks, she had wanted to wait a little longer before telling him. And with Jordan’s away fixtures on top of  all the travelling for the Champions League and her work schedule, there had hardly been any time for the two of them to spend together. 

“Emma? What’s wrong?” Jordan asked, worry evident in his voice.

“Nothing’s wrong. I-.. Everything’s really good, actually. Remember what we talked about when we came to visit in Switzerland?” Sophie had spent a day being spoiled rotten by his teammates while they got to spend some much needed time together as husband and wife. After they had spent the entire day in bed, they had talked about what their future would look like. A tiny spark of hope fluttered in his chest as he looked at her, nodding.

“Uhm, well, turns out we scored in Switzerland,” Emma said cryptically, fiddling with the cuff of her jacket. 

“Are you-... Really?” Jordan whispered, eyes wide. Emma nodded, eyes brimming with tears.

“I’m almost 15 weeks,” she whispered back. Jordan let out a relieved laugh, hugging her to his chest.

“You have no idea how happy that makes me. Another little baby,” Jordan said, a lump in his throat. 

“Soph is going to be the best big sister.” Jordan smiled and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. 

“Dada! Dada, look!” Sophie called from halfway across the room. Jordan and Emma turned to look at her. Kostas had moved her to on top of his shoulder, her tote bag in his hand.

“Did uncle Kos get you all the best sweets?” Jordan said when they were in front of them. Sophie nodded enthusiastically. “I got so many sweeties dada! Even ma-teasers! Uncle Kos carried them all!” 

Sophie’s joy was infectious and all the adults chuckled. 

“Good thing uncle Kos is very strong, baby,” Emma said.

“I strong too!” Sophie said, not at all impressed that her mum would discredit her strength.

Emma chuckled. “I know you are, baby. Alright, say goodbye to uncle Kos. The party’s over and we need to go home.” Kostas lifted her off his shoulders and gave her to Jordan, handing the tote to Emma.

“Bu-bye uncle Kos! Will you come play soon? I got a goal from Nanna for my birthday!” 

Kostas smiled. “How about I ask Thiago to come with Isa and Leo and we have a competition?” 

“Yes!” Sophie said, “can we mummy? Pwease?” 

Emma pretended to think for a moment. “Alright then,” she said, feigning giving in to their plans. Sophie cheered, arms stretched above her head. Jordan smiled lovingly at his daughter. He couldn’t wait to see her as a big sister. He said his goodbyes to his teammates and friends, and carried Sophie outside to the car. 

Sophie was fast asleep, the excitement of the Halloween party having worn her out. Jordan had managed to get the grey hair dye out of his beard. He had changed the jacket for one of his old sweaters, but was still wearing the tracksuit bottoms. Emma had changed into a pair of pyjama bottoms and a long sleeve top. 

They had settled in on the couch. She had put a record on, neither of them feeling up to watching anything. Instead they just snuggled under a blanket, both with a hot drink. 

“May I?” Jordan asked. Emma nodded, instantly knowing what he meant. He smiled that loving smile that always made her heart skip a beat, and scooted down so his head was resting in her lap. He gently put a hand on the slight swell of her stomach, rubbing it slowly with his thumb. 

“Hi baby, I’m your daddy. I know you can’t hear me yet, but we love you so much already,” he murmured against the fabric of her shirt. Emma swallowed back her tears, resting a hand on top of his. She couldn’t wait to see him holding a tiny newborn, but for now she was more than content to stick to daydreaming about it. 

[musedbyalli]

Continued from: If there is one type of event the heroine has yet to adjust to, it would be this. Gatherings, in a large and meticulously decorated hall, where those with influence float about, hiding displays of influence behind invitation with foiled names of different well-known trainers. They are almost always the same, or so Serena has heard. Promises of champions and their leagues being given a chance to voice their concerns in a more informal setting to those with the power to do something about it. That one chance to be heard; to network with those who deign the culture around raising pokemon beneath them. In reality, these events render them nothing more than statues. Something to be looked at, a representation of an ideal the attendees believe to champion, and discussed. She would argue it is far worse than the equivalent in the ballet world. At least during those times, the heroine remarks to herself, topics are not about shares and revenue, but instead skill and the artform itself. And indeed, she would prefer to be suffocated by sickly colognes and perfumes than stares and touchless pushes into conversations not meant for a mere champion's opinion, but the so-called prestige of their presence. To serve as a prop on stage is one thing-- to be lulled into the role for those who could care less is another. "Oh-- no. No. You can stay. I just... wanted a break from all of the talking. And cameras. And the expectant stares," Are the words that escape from the Kalosian champion, although her gaze does not shift away from the sky that sprawls out before the two. This balcony. Despite the unfamiliarity of the event occupying the Parfum Palace's halls, this spot bears a fond memory-- of simpler times; watching fireworks with a friend, before everything. It was an obvious place to seek refuge, or even a moment for the beloved Hero of Kalos to clear her thoughts. "...How have you managed to do this for so long? This part is all so... political. Fake."

@iruludavare

Steven had never been a fan of crowds himself, although he had quite a bit of experience having to deal with them. After all, as a child, his father had often dragged him along to events held by Devon Corporation. Even now, his father often tried to get him to attend since having the region's champion show up and use the products was good publicity. It was all quite a chore and was something that really wasn't advertised with the Champion title.

The steel-type trainer gave a small nod of understanding. "It all does get to be a bit much, doesn't it?" Having to force those fake smiles and shake hands with people who wouldn't look twice at you if it weren't for your position - it was enough to wear anyone down in his opinion, no matter how use you were to the process.

"At least the weather is nice." He always dreaded when these events happened during stormy weather where the options were to either get soaked or to continue the suffocating conversations. There was no signs of any incoming storms in the sky, at least from what he could tell. His attention was usually more focused on the ground looking for stones, so it wasn't rare for him to miss things.

The question she asked was rather reasonable, although it did catch Steven off-guard. "Ah, you are still relatively new to all of this, aren't you?" He gave a small smile before continuing. "I had experience with this type of crowd for as long as I can remember. My father often held events for them and I often had to attend. It served as excellent practice, although it doesn't make it any less exhausting. I often sneak out before these events are even halfway over." Which was something Hoenn's Champion probably shouldn't admit, but he had already been out here avoiding the crowds before she had.

"I suppose I continue to do this though since I haven't met the right person to take over the role." It was a lot and it wasn't something to just carelessly pass on, despite how often Steven was tempted to do so. "If shaking some hands and forcing a smile keeps things civil than I'll continue to do it, despite my own discomfort." Although he often wondered if it even really made much of a difference - it wasn't like the members of Team Aqua or Team Magma had been shunned by him or acknowledged by him prior to their actions, yet they still created problems.

[pkmacabre-shadow]

Captain N: Adventures in Smash

Chapter 7

Melody is pacing back and forth in the training room, looking a little worried. Pit noticed this and came up to her.

Pit: Hey Melody, what’s wrong?

Melody: Hi Pit. It’s just that I have a bit of a problem…

Pit: Problem?

Wren: Her birthday is coming up.

Pit and Melody turned to Wren.

Pit: Birthday?

Melody: Yes, that’s the problem! I wanted to celebrate it with everyone here but I also wanted to keep the cyber world a secret from my mom.

Pit: Oh… Well I’m not sure about the mom part, but I could help you out with the birthday part. I could send out invitations and reminders to everyone in the smash house. Oh, maybe some other stuff like music and food-

Melody: Okay, Pit, thanks for the suggestions. I might even give you some ideas I want for my party after training.

Pit: You’re welcome, Melody!

Pit walked to Megaman who just finished target practice, telling him about his trainee’s birthday coming soon. Melody sighed turning back to Wren.

Melody: Well I got one issue out of the way, now for the second one.

Wren: Any ideas Mel?

Melody: Would Chester mind if we celebrate my birthday at his place? As a sort of ruse to my mom to keep cyber world a secret, I mean.

Chester: Sure, but I’ll tell my folks that it’s a small party and that we’re just playing some games.

Melody: Oh hey Chester, thanks for that man.

Wren: That’s nice and all, but what about your sister and other friend?

Chester: They’ll be fine. I’m sure Samuel, mom and dad won’t mind. Maybe Irene would give Melody a present.

Wren: That’s great. Anyways, break is over so we should go back to our spots. Little Mac and his trainer is waiting for me, so see you two when the sun sets.

And with that, they returned back to their posts. Melody is continuing training with Pit and Megaman with her aim and powers, along with some small talk on the way. Chester is currently sword fighting with Marth, with the Prince giving some corrections in the way. Wren is currently training with Little Mac and Doc Louis, both having done some exercises like jumping jacks and pull ups and taking turns punching the sandbag.

Both teens decided to take a breather. Little Mac, now having the opportunity, turned and spoke to Wren.

Little Mac: So, I heard about the birthday party you’re planning for Melody.

Wren: Really? Did you already heard that conversation?

Little Mac: Yeah. It seems like Pit is pretty excited about it, which I don’t blame him for it. Besides, I know a person who has some pretty good taste in music. He’ll be more than happy to help with that party.

Wren: That’s nice.

Little Mac: If Doc allows us, we should go to the WVBA and meet the boxers there. They’re pretty interesting themselves. I’ll ask him later.

Wren hummed. Meeting the WVBA boxers sounds like a fun idea to her, even if she has to train with Ryu and Ken tomorrow. Once training is over, Pit spoke to Melody on what she wanted on her birthday.

Pit: So you wanted to celebrate your birthday with us. How do you want it to go?

Melody: Hmm… We need some good music and food. Oh! For the cake it’s gonna be a red velvet cake that’s shaped like an armadillo. If you cut it, it looks like it’s bleeding! And don’t forget about the candles, I feel like only the numbered ones work best.

Pit: Got it. I’ll send your requests to Isabelle. Not sure how I’d go with the armadillo cake knowing how Viridi would feel about it, but I digress. Also about the candles: How old are you gonna turn anyway?

Melody: 17

Pit: 17?!

Melody: Yeah, I’m turning 17 soon. I’m a straight up summer baby with parents who had me fairly young… well only one now…

Pit: R-right-uh-a-anyways I’ll be sending your birthday requests to Isabelle on the way. See you tomorrow. Also you want something for your birthday?

Melody: Hmm… I don’t know, maybe some new gadgets or something. I may need to try using my goggles to see how they worked. Maybe sometime.

Pit: Alright, good to know. Bye Mel!

Melody: See ya Pit!

A day has passed. Isabelle already got the message from Pit, commissioning villagers in helping to get and create the much needed things for the party. At the same time, Doc Louis decided to allow Wren to visit the WVBA on the behest of Little Mac. Both of the teens being very excited.

Doc Louis: You two excited?

Wren: Heck yeah! I wanted to know what it’s like. I’ve heard the boxers there are pretty colorful, in terms of personality of course.

Little Mac: I’m sure you’ll like it. I knew some of them well enough, even one of them is a good friend of mine.

Wren: Nice. Also, how can we go to New York? It seems far away from here.

Little Mac: Don’t worry, this house is between New York and Monsteropolis so all we have to do is travel by car.

Wren: By Monsteropolis, you mean-

Little Mac: Yep! The city where Megaman lives. Oh hey, seems like Doc called an uber. Let’s go Wren!

As all three went to the uber, they all went off to where New York City is. Wren became fascinated by the entire city, especially with the state.

Wren: I’ve always seen how New York is depicted in cartoons that I used to watch, even getting some souvenirs when my mom went to New York when I was 15. I kind of wished I could go to here, so being here is like a dream come true. I mean look at these structures, they’re so big!

Doc Louis: That’s New York for you. You’ll be getting used to it once you view more of the cities. *laughs* In fact, both New York and Monsteropolis have large structures.

Little Mac: There’s a lot of stuff New York City has in store. There’s a ton of food, festivals, markets, restaurants, you name it.

Wren: Huh, interesting. We have something similar to that in California, too. It’s just that they’re a little different to New York City.

Little Mac: You’re from California?

Wren: Yeah, aren’t my friends and I Californians? Then again I haven’t told you or anyone else much about us considering, well, a ton of stuff has happened and some training too.

Little Mac: Ah I see. We do have a Californian in the WVBA, but he’s pretty pompous.

The car has stopped, letting the three leave. They’ve entered the subway station, already finding their seats, albeit a little cramped.

Wren: I kinda forgot that there’s subways in New York. Especially with the overcrowding of them.

Once they made it to their stop, they finally exited. To Wren, it feels like freedom to have her own space back after some overcrowding of the subways. They do tend to feel a little claustrophobic to her.

They walked on until they made it to the WVBA and entered the building.

[proudpokemonmama]

The Nymph's melody

Chapter 6, The vicious strike

Warnings: Slight mentions of blood and injury.

POV, Third person

Some time had passed and the duo of Opal and Raihan emerged victorious, having the chance to now face Leon and Kelly. The field was being repaired from the last battle of the two gym leaders who were talking to some fans or families of sponsors while Leon was invited by Rose to talk, curious about the opinions the champion had about the pop idol.

As for the said pop idol, she was a little further away, resting and having a little time for herself and her Pokémon who were enjoying the short break to eat some more nutrient-rich treats made by Kelly while she was also having the chance to eat something for, she had scarcely had a chance to eat since she had arrived.

Back in the conversation with Chairman Rose and the champion, Leon couldn't help but praise her and acknowledged that she was a strong and skilled trainer. The way she managed to keep up with his battle pace was one of the biggest proofs of this, as was the visible bond between the Pokémon and Kelly.

But this conversation was interrupted when a horrified scream echoed, catching everyone's attention: Alphonse was using his own body to support Kelly who was fallen, and her mask had also fallen to the ground near where she was being surrounded by her very worried Pokémon. But what caused the most horror was seeing how the pop idol had one hand placed on her head and a crimson liquid running between her fingers and down her face.

Raihan’s POV

I was just talking to some representatives from the sports magazine that I sometimes model for when I heard screams and it was natural for me to look in the direction the screams came from, but I ended up coming across something I never expected to witness today.

I saw that new trainer that Chairman Rose endorsed this year being supported by her Venussaur and with a bloody hand against her bloody face.

Before I knew it, I was already by her side and helping to take her to the hospital because Arceus, there was no way we were going to risk someone's life even though we just met. We literally met today, but we would never be cheap enough to ignore that a life could be at risk.

Some time had passed and even though I hadn't known her for long I decided to ask permission to see her, luckily the doctors allowed it, after all they knew I would have to report to the Chairman and Oleana later. From what I was told, the cut wasn't deep and there wasn't a concussion, but she would be under observation for the rest of the night and also the morning.

One of the nurses told me where her room was and it didn't take long to find her hospital room, when I got close to the door I could hear her and she seemed to be talking to someone and as I didn't hear anyone else I suspected she was on the phone.

I decided to wait a little while giving her privacy and after a few minutes I noticed her saying goodbye, it was then that I had the chance to make my entrance knocking on the door to let her know.

- Come in. – I could hear her and I opened the door and entered.

I could see her sitting and leaning against the headboard of the hospital bed, I noticed the bandage on her left temple and she was wearing one of the hospital clothes while the dress and accessories were in a basket on the nightstand next to the bed and with her pokemon out of their pokeballs surrounding the bed where she was, some already sleeping.

I try to smile to be friendly and ease any tension, after all it must have been a little scary how things happened so suddenly.

Raihan: Hey~~!

Kelly: Oh, Mr. Raihan! - Still with the formalities? Thats kinda cute though...

Raihan: Drop the formalities, we're almost the same age and I feel old being called Sir or anything like that. But... – I laughed, sitting in the chair next to the bed and at how formal she was being – I'm kind of sad, even at the Ball we were getting along so well.

Kelly: Oh, sorry. Just doing out of habit. – I saw how she smiled embarrassedly, how cute – But, sorry for being rude in asking... Why are you still here?

Raihan: I don't blame you for asking, I wanted to make sure you were okay. But then, how are you doing? – I asked casually.

Kelly: I still have a little pain where I was hit, the painkiller hasn't taken effect yet and despite the shock of how everything happened so sudden I'm fine.

Raihan: Glad to hear, it would be very sad to see such a pretty girl being hurt more than you were hurt today. – as always I couldn't avoid the flirtatious tone and I was pleased with how she blushed.

But soon I put the flirting aside, earlier I had received some messages from Leon and the others. Nessa, for example, said that Officer Jenny of the Wyndon's police station took over the case.

Raihan: By the way, Nessa messaged me and Officer Jenny was called on the case. Whoever did something despicable will not go unpunished. - I commented smiling, but with a bitter imagining who would be so vile and cowardly to do that.

Kelly: Well, if thats the case I can sleep peacefully knowing if the officer in charge is Officer Jenny and we know the culprit will question their life choices. – She laughed at her own comment.

I couldn't help but laugh at the comment, which is true, all officers on the police force are dedicated and passionate about what they do, but any officer Jenny takes it to the next level.

Raihan: The saddest thing is that we didn't have our battle at the Gala. – I commented while dramatically sulking, which had a bit of truth.

I saw her keeping pace with Leon, which few can do and most of are of other champions and some gym leaders and also his lil brother, I knew that in her own right she is a skilled and experienced trainer, as well as being creative in adapting to adversity so well on the battlefield.

Not to mention how her Pokémon emanated extreme power and prowess in battles, even though my intuition said that some of them were more experienced than her Marowak and her Charizard. Something as if the equation didn't give the right value.

Raihan: I guess I'll have to wait to fight with your team until you get the seven other badges. – I look at her giving my signature smile - I'm particularly curious what a blast would be a Gigantamax versus Mega Evolution battle. Your Venusaur and Charizard look real strong huh?

Kelly: Sorry to disappoint you dragon boy, but none of them are part of my main or backup team. – I heard her laughing.

Raihan: Wait, what? – I was really caught off guard, I didn’t expect this confession.

Kelly: Why in Arceus' name would I reveal my team against the Gym leaders and the champion I will battle in the next Gym Challenge? – She gave a mocking and cheeky smile.

Damn, that was a smart move and I have to admit it was a great tactic. It's just a simple and logical strategy but efective... Because, why would it show your team's most powerful combinations so easily? While some of us Gym Leaders have already shown the potential of most of our Pokémon in the Battle Gala Ball's matches. But I could only smile, realizing the chance to tease her a little.

Raihan: That's really sad, but I guess I'll have to thank Tech and Unowning later on your team. – I commented, smiling cheekily just to tease her.

Well, guess I could just search online about her battles. At the Gala I heard that she is a great trainer that almost beated the Unova's champ.

Kelly: Eh, good luck with that. My team has changed a lot since the last time I faced Alder and I've spent at least the last two years dedicating myself to my singing career. – she still smiled – Probably the most recent video you find of me is from before I was recruited by my old label I had contract with and since I arrived in Galar my team and I have been training a lot.

Raihan: ... Touché... – was all I could say when I saw the facts she exposed.

Okay, she got me good and she just told the truth. I have no idea how strong she must be with her team and what she showed with the Pokémon she took to this year's Gala. Just imagining a smirk spread across my face, looking forward to the moment of our battle.

Raihan: I think what's left for me is to wait for our battle. – I comment while getting up – Well, I'm going now so princess, sweet dreams.

After saying goodbye I left the room and met one of the doctors and nurses who attended to her and gave me some more details, I also said goodbye before leaving the hospital after receiving some news that I passed on to the others, explaning that despite the scare and all the blood from the cut wasn't that deep and there wasn't a concussion, but she would stay overnight for observation.

I could feel their relief through the messages and I don't blame them, none of us have known her for some considerable time, but someone would be cowardly to do something atrocious and put someone's life at risk. I have a suspect in mind, but no proof and the only thing we can do is let the authorities handle the case.

Now all I can do is go home and rest, I'm exhausted because it was a long night and the race with the trainer endorsed by the Chairman really was something that caused a commotion. But whoever did this will have to deal with the consequences sooner or later.

I do not own Pokémon or any element of the franchise, I only own any original characters and the plot of the story created for the sole purpose of entertainment among fans. Any type of reproduction or plagiarism of my content will not be tolerated in any way.

[casspurrjoybell-24]

Sugar Punch - Chapter 19

*Warning: Adult Content*  

- Theo -

Sleeping in Maddox's bed, with him next to me made it impossible to fall asleep.

He had helped me pack my things and even had arranged for a moving truck to take all my stuff to his friend, Chris' apartment, tomorrow morning.

We finished up an hour ago and since then, we had both got to his apartment and got ready for bed.

Maddox had just come into the bedroom, with only a towel around his waist as he gets out of the shower and then he climbed into bed next to me, without saying a word.

This strange relationship between him and I was becoming something I couldn't ignore.

What were we?

I thought we could become something I could label, other than something confusing without one, just to see what I was to him but that conversation ended up pointless.

Maddox wasn't interested in a relationship with me.

I was upset, wouldn't anyone be if they were me?

This guy had given me something great, a connection like no other, opening a world filled with pleasure and excitement, where I didn't feel alone.

Did I want to be his boyfriend or something close to it?

Hell, yeah, I did but I wasn't going to cry in front of him just to get what I wanted, just because he didn't want the same thing as me.

I never wanted to cry in front of him again.

"Theo?" Maddox calls my name in the dark, as the bed shifts behind me. "If something is bothering you, you can tell me?"

I didn't know what to say to that, could he tell what I was thinking by saying nothing at all?

Or was my face a dead giveaway when we talked about relationships?

Maddox was the first to ask me if I 'fancied him' or if I saw a relationship with him, so why was I the only one thinking so deeply about it?

"Have..." I can't believe I was asking this. "Have you ever had a serious relationship before?"

I asked him, I really came out with it and my heart was beating so fast because part of me didn't even want to know and the other part of me wanted to know more about him, even if it's something so small.

"Yeah, once," he eventually said, breaking the silence. "It... didn't last. She wasn't good for me and I wasn't good for her."

I turned around in the bed until I knew I was facing him, only seeing the outline of his body in the darkness as I stared at what I thought was his face.

"What happened?" I asked, as Maddox hummed out, shifting his body to face me as he leaned against his hand.

"Why are you curious?"

Why?

Wasn't it obvious?

I felt shy enough just looking at him, now he knew I liked him more than a trainer, more than a friend, so I knew he was teasing me right now.

"I… just want to know more about you," I mumble, moving to lay on my back to look at the ceiling. "You're a mystery and you... you said we didn't know each other much so I... I just wanted to learn more about you."

God, I was so embarrassed I thought my face was going to go on fire.

I sounded like such a girl right now that I'm sure if anyone other than Maddox heard me say that I'd never be able to step outside again.

"She was an addict," Maddox's deep voice surprised me, making me flinch once he goes to sit up on his bed and reach over to turn his bedside lamp on.

I squinted my eyes and then rubbed them as I sat up with him, then turning to look at him to see him already looking at me.

An addict?

Did I hear him right?

"Her name was Pixie," he said, a small smile on his lips. "She moved over from Ireland when she was ten and she moved into my shitty neighbourhood and became my neighbour, we bonded over our piece of shit parents and became fast friends, she was also the one who taught me how to fight back and stick up for myself."

As he spoke about Pixie, I could tell she was a really nice girl and that she meant a lot to Maddox but the sadness in his eyes told me a different story to the small smile on his lips.

"I didn't see it then but despite my folks being a different kind of scum, hers were probably worse in many ways, ways that fucked her up so much that not even I could save her."

"I liked to get into trouble and fight a lot and she liked to get high, it went on like that for years until I was scouted, I didn't see a problem until she freaked out and tried to ruin my chances of getting out of the life I was born into," he said, slowly taking my hand in his.

To think Maddox went through this kind of life and came out of it pretty good.

I always thought it was amazing, that he did something so brave and powerful, inspiring thousands to never give up on their dreams.

I remember the first time I looked him up, I could feel his pain but hearing him talk about it now, it somehow felt worse than what he was letting me hear.

"What... happened to her?" I asked, looking down at our hands as his large tattooed, tan hand covered my pale one.

After a minute goes by and the deafening silence passes, Maddox squeezes my hand.

"She had a breakdown," he spoke quietly, making my body freeze. "She was convinced I was the enemy the moment I told her about going professional, she'd destroy anything I bought, set fires and attack me, it got so bad that I couldn't live like that anymore."

It's all starting to make a little bit more sense, why he doesn't want a relationship, after-all, how does anyone come back from that?

I wouldn't be able to handle a woman like that and come out of it with a hope for future relationships.

As much as it didn't help me, I got to know more about him… so I was happy he shared that much with me.

"It seems you have a type," I joke lightly, looking away from him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." I swallowed the dryness in my throat. "I'm not exactly stable either. I'm a fucking mess."

I felt stupid saying it out loud but it was how I felt, even if it made me come off as pathetic in Maddox's eyes, sometimes it's hard to run away from the truth, when you've been living in despair like I have.

"You're not a mess Theo," Maddox chuckled, before he reached out and grabbed the back of my t-shirt and pulled me back until my head hit in-between his legs and Maddox was looking down at me.

Suddenly, Maddox leaned down slowly, my heart beating crazily when I realize what he's doing but I didn't move away, I waited for the moment his lips met mine.

Maddox kissed me gently on the lips and at first it was sweet, his rougher lips moved against mine in a motion I could follow as his hand went to my messy hair and my hand went to the back of his neck.

My insides were all muddled up and I felt like I was forming into a puddle of water with how tingly I felt from just kissing him and being close enough to touch him back, even though it wasn't the first time.

I will honestly say, I will never get used to kissing Maddox.

"You're strong," Maddox said as he moved his lips from mine, his hand on the side of my face and his dark eyes staring into mine with a soft expression on his tired face. "I wouldn't feel this way about you, if I thought you were weak."

My insides tightened as the words left his mouth, I didn't have a chance to say anything as I moaned out as his lips took mine again, only it wasn't gentle.

Maddox pressed his lips roughly against mine and pressed our faces closer to each other as he deepened the kiss.

His tongue went inside my mouth and I felt like I knew that I really liked him, I liked him so much, he made my whole-body tingle and he made my heart skip a beat from a single touch and when his natural scent fills my nose...

Oh, God.

"Fuck, I'm so hard," he laughed, huskily, between kisses. "We should stop."

I didn't want to stop but he was right, Maddox was incredibly hard and poking at my upper back painfully, he was so large that in my current condition, there was just no way I could have sex with him and not be in pain.

There was only one thing I could do but the more I thought about it the more anxious I got, because I had never done anything like this before, especially not to a guy and guy I was falling for.

What if I did it wrong?

I moved to get up and sit in-between his legs, Maddox looked so sexy without a t-shirt on with all his tattoos on display on his incredibly chest, it always left me speechless when I saw him without a top.

Yet when it saw all of him, nothing quite beat that, he was a God in my eyes.

I took a leap of faith and slowly pulled the blanket back and put my shaking hand over the big outline of his boxers, over his penis, my eyes anywhere but on his as I tried not to burst into flames as my neck grew hot.

Maddox grabbed hold of my wrist, stopping me.

"Theo, you don't need to..."

I swallowed hard and looked at him, already decided that I wanted to try it, he was in a bad way because of me, it made me happy that I made him like this, I wanted him to feel even better.

Even though I was pretty sure his size was going to break my jaw, if I managed to put it in my mouth at all.

"I know but I want to," I shyly said, as he watched me, sighing before laughing and leaning back against the headboard.

Maddox lifted his hips enough to pull his boxers down, making my eyes go wide as I see just how big he was, standing tall and proud as Maddox put his arms behind his head and watched me, a dominant look on his face as he stares at me.

"Go on then Theo," he said, smirking. "Do whatever you want with me."

Oh... God.

What do I do now? 

[w-ht-w]

Stop Trying To Google Your Way Into A New Career (And What To Do Instead)

all you're doing by searching through Google is finding out what other people think about other people's career changes. You're arming yourself with information at a high level, when your career change actually exists in the low-level detail: the things that make you smile every day; the ideas that pique your interest and get your mind racing; the major world issues that leave your blood boiling and your heart aflame.

It's only by taking action and seeking out that sense of resonance – that 'wow' feeling you get when you're inspired and engaged – that this kind of problem starts to unravel.

Let's be clear: I'm not arguing that the internet is the enemy when it comes to your shift. There are a thousand ways to use Google to your advantage as a career changer, and that number is multiplying every day.

The problem arises when the internet becomes your primary go-to mechanism for tackling your shift; when it overtakes other methods that are ultimately more productive.

Next time you're feeling tempted to Google your way around your career change, ask yourself: could I do something more active instead?

So what should you be doing instead?

1. Try out your idea in the real world

What's the smallest way you can actually do something related to your career-change idea? Getting your hands dirty is the best way to find out if something resonates with you.

Considering becoming a personal trainer? Find a friend who wants to take on their health and offer to work with them one night a week for a month.

Dream of becoming a writer? Start writing to a deadline – articles, short stories, whatever takes your fancy. Try on different writing styles and imaginary audiences to see what works best, and to discover what it's really like to have to 'create on command'. This way, when an opportunity raises its head, you'll know if it's likely to be a good fit for your skills and preferences,

[Simon] had been interested in mindfulness and meditation for a long time. He had ideas about starting to teach, but wasn't sure how to break into it, or if he'd even enjoy it once he started. He chose to test out his idea in a small, low-risk way by offering to teach a single session to his colleagues at work. Not only did his colleagues love it, he also discovered he had a natural talent for sharing his passion and started to explore other ways of doing so. 

By 'trying on' a career idea, you'll discover far more about how you could fit into the role (and if you even enjoy it) than you ever would by reading about it online. Is your idea of the job just a pie-in-the-sky perspective on what it might be like, or is it really a good match?

2. Have a conversation with a real person

What do you really want to know about your career idea? What are the nitty-gritty details that you simply won't find out online?Seeking out people who already do the work you want to do is the quickest (and most fruitful) way to honest, balanced and ultimately useful information.

Ask if you can shadow them for an afternoon, or even simply go for a coffee to find out more about what they do all day.

Once you've made a connection and spent time with someone, you'll have access to both their network and their affections. An authentic conversation with somebody makes them far more likely to want to help you out, whether you're qualified for a job or not. 

Who knows who (or what) they know? Maybe they can put you in touch with a colleague who's looking for an assistant (quietly, without advertising it online), or let you know about an amazing organisation you've never heard of.

Cat (pictured) had no concrete idea of the next role she'd like to shift into, having left a brand management role at a multinational consumer goods company.

She spent time researching some areas of interest she had in mind, using books, online courses, podcasts, and TedTalks. This helped her clarify the general theme or area that she'd like to shift into – rural development and economic empowerment. But what really gave her career change momentum was reaching out to people in her network to ask them if they knew about opportunities or organisations that existed within this area ...

[tremendouspeacepeach]

Frank's weights

Once upon a time, there was a man named Frank who loved to lift weights. He was a regular at the gym, spending hours every day pumping iron and building his muscles. However, one day he noticed that some of his favorite weights were missing. Frank looked around the gym but couldn't find them anywhere. He asked the staff and other gym-goers if they had seen them, but no one had any idea where they were.

Determined to find his lost weights, Frank decided to ask around at other gyms. However, everywhere he went, people congratulated him on his "weight loss." Confused, Frank tried to explain that he wasn't trying to lose weight - he was trying to find the weights he had lost. But no one seemed to understand.

At one gym, a personal trainer gave Frank a high five and said, "Congratulations on your weight loss! You look amazing!" Frank tried to explain that he wasn't trying to lose weight, but the trainer just smiled and said, "I know, I know, you're just being modest. Keep up the good work!"

Feeling frustrated, Frank decided to try a different approach. He went to a sporting goods store and asked the employee if they had any of the same weights that he had lost. The employee replied, "Sorry, we don't carry weights that heavy. But hey, congratulations on your weight loss! You're an inspiration!"

Frank sighed and left the store, feeling more confused than ever. He decided to take a break and get a drink at a nearby café. As he sipped his coffee, he overheard a conversation between two women at the next table.

"Have you heard about Frank from the gym?" one woman asked.

"Yeah, he's lost so much weight! He looks like a totally different person," the other replied.

Frank couldn't take it anymore. He stood up from his table and shouted, "I didn't lose weight! I lost my weights! I'm trying to find them again!"

The café fell silent as everyone turned to look at him. Frank realized that he had made a scene and quickly grabbed his coffee to leave. But as he walked out the door, he heard a chorus of congratulatory remarks from the other customers.

"Congratulations on your weight loss!"

"You look fantastic!"

"Keep up the good work!"

Frank sighed and shook his head. He realized that he was never going to find his lost weights. But at least he had inadvertently become a fitness inspiration to everyone he met.

[nrhshm]

I am glad to hear that!

'Cause I wondered how would you treat an idea about Platonic Yandere! Strawhats?

I just had a little. Just a little drabble with Platonic Yandere! Luffy and Y/n and with Platonic Yandere! Whitebeard-

They're are my favorite pirate captains.

Okay, here goes nothing~ Btw, I know whitebeard doesn't usually do favorites between his crew, but tbh this prompt typically begged for such a thing. I'll have to break some rules here- 😅

(Platonic) Yandere! Luffy × y/n x (Platonic) Yandere! Whitebeard

. Reader is gn!

. Marineford mild spoiler

. SFW

° The moment Whitebeard heard you were going after Ace, he had Marco intercept you immediately. There's no way he's letting his favorite child mindlessly walk into the lion's den, let alone you leaving the ship itself. His decision has been made, and there's no changing it.

° Yet you, his youngest, have inherited that same stubborness from your father. You too were dead-set on proceeding with your journey, not backing away a single step. Soon enough, the conversation between both heated up, the air getting more tense by the second, an argument began, leading to the old man using his haki to knock you out, having (again) Marco take you to your room and check on you.

° "This is only for your safety, you're too young to understand." He mutters. Despite that unwavering tough exterior he showed, his heart was aching enough to break a mountain. If only you would just listen to him, he wouldn't have to worry...

° With a bizzare twist of events, you manage to secretly leave the ship and rush after Ace. Your closest sibling is gonna get executed, who are you to just stand there and wait?!

° Cannons firing, the Whitebeard pirates miraculously manage to pass through the gates of justice and into the waters of Marineford. Whitebeard stands in all his glory, proud and confident. It'll be a tough battle, but he must and WILL make sure his sons survive, he will give them a proper future. But then... a ship. A ship falls from the sky.

° You and Luffy were practically huddling for any sign of safety, you were falling and there was no good footing!! The said man realizes that his devilfruit can protect him from any fall, so he brings you closer to him, his overprotective nature quickly lashing out, shielding you from the impact.

° Your father saw you, and his entire world froze. No! This is the last thing he wanted!! You were gonna get hurt and he won't be able to forgive himself. Fatherly instincts making him want to call out to you, to have you by his side, to keep you away from any harm. But he kept his mouth shut, scowl getting darker than usual, he held his focus onto the battlefield.

° You saw Ace and rushed to him, fighting your way through every marine like a pro. Ofcourse you were strong, when the strongest man in the New World was your personal trainer. Your senses were refined and you had considerable haki, you pushed your way through easily.

° The battle raged on, everything looked so good for you, you were almost there! You just need to take down that large scaffold. You need to-

° "Y/n!!!!!" A sceam was heard, the hair on the back of your neck rose immediately, instincts kick in and you quickly become aware of an attack coming your way.

'I can't dodge it-' closing your eyes, you prepare yourself for the sharp impact that'll surely end your life, but it... never came.

° Two pirate captains stood infront of you, venomous auras reaching even the farthest soldier. Luffy, unaware that his conqueror's haki eliminated most of the marines, stood there in rage, the reddest that he's ever been, with steam rising like never before. Next to him was the Emperor of the sea himself, Whitebeard had already crushed the attack into ashes, with that same counterattack almost cracking the earth open. Both were so angry, both wanted to kill.

° Luffy was oddly silent, but his whitened eyes were speaking volumes. He's gonna pulverise whoever tried to hurt you, right here, right now. Whitebeard took a glance at the boy, scanning him briefly.

° "Don't you get in my way, shrimp." Whitebeard said in a low voice, a warning evident that he and ONLY he is allowed to protect you.

° "I'm not planning to." Luffy said with a sadistic grin. He doesn't care who Whitebeard is, he doesn't care if the whole navy is against him right now. All he cares about, are you and Ace, his only childhood siblings.

° Both captains marched towards the poor marine soul, who at this rate couldn't even breath anymore. I mean, imagine triggering Whitebeard (The Strongest of all four emperors) and Luffy (The future pirate king) against you and even worse, Yanderes.

Rest in piece, fellow marine. Lets all give our condolences.

Annndd, I hope I nailed this prompt.

[anneapocalypse]

You Miss, Then You Don't: On Sera's Archery Skills and the History of Red Jenny

The Sera Series: Exploring Sera's Character and Background

Sera is a skilled archer, and this comes up as a point of confusion both in the game and in supplementary materials. Multiple characters seem confused as to where she learned her archery skills. In early conversations in Haven, Sera tells the Inquisitor she had no teacher, that she just "picked it up here and there." She admits that it takes some work, but adds, "I mean, you miss, then you don't. Is it that hard to see when it's wrong?" When the Inquisitor asks if it's an "elf thing," Sera only laughs and replies, "Most I know couldn't find an arrow sitting on it."

In The World of Thedas, Volume 2, a note from the Antivan Crows poses a similar question:

I get it. They all wear the same mask. The rest is bullshit.

The elf, the voice says Denerim, a mutt. But she's got a trainer who must be somebody. You don't split flies like she does without someone teaching you how to nock an arrow. Who gets that at birth? No one the living are supposed to know. (p. 236)

Sera has annotated her usual answer in the margins. "Is it so hard for everyone? You miss, then you don't."

I think it's very easy to misread aspects of Sera's character if you take things she says early on in the game and in party banter literally and at face value. Initially, I accepted her answers as such myself. Later, as I got to know Sera, I realized that her early answers are really non-answers, which she gives specifically to deflect what she sees as nosy and invasive questions.

One thing I was sort of taken aback by, when I was just getting to know Sera, is how much she dislikes Maryden's song about her. Sera likes girls, Maryden seems to like Sera, Sera even comments that she thinks Maryden is "chatting her up." You'd think she'd be flattered Maryden wrote a song about her, right? Wrong. Big wrong. In her journal, she calls the song "creepy." Later, in Trespasser, after Sera offers the Inquisitor the chance to become a Red Jenny, Maryden can be heard starting up the song, abruptly interrupted by the sound of breaking wood, followed by Sera's final declaration, "Creepy song is creepy. Ugh!"

Sera has… let's say, a particular dislike for people being too nosy about her life.

Look at it this way: in Haven, Sera has just met the so-called Herald of Andraste. And she is taking a big chance on them. They're not the "Big Hat" yet, but they're already surrounded by nobs and Important People and Sera's whole thing is she wants to see if they're worth knowing before they get too big to bother with. That's what she says when she meets them: "Get in good before you're too big to like." So when she talks to them in Haven, she's not sure if she likes them yet. She's feeling them out.

So, when Sera's just met the Herald and is asked, "Who taught you to use a bow?" and she says, "No one" … that's not really an answer. It's like when Dorian asks the same, if she just picked it up one day and was a natural, and Sera's response is, "Not your business if I do or didn't. Like I don't ask if you 'naturally' shoot fireballs out your arse, or just opinions." 

It's not an answer, at least not literally. It is an insight into Sera's character, but not in the sense that it's telling us she's a natural born archer who never had to work at it a day in her life. (I mean, she even walks it back two lines later after the Inquisitor prods her further, saying that it does take work.) But what's she's really saying is the same thing she's saying to Dorian: "None of your business."

It's not like it would even be so weird if Sera was a self-taught fighter. As I brought up in a previous Sera post, I think there's some in-universe prejudice in the incredulity characters have about a city elf being good at fighting. No one repeatedly interrogates Duncan about how he learned to stab people good with a dagger.

But that's all beside the point. Because once Sera likes the Inquisitor, she tells them something different.

After raising Sera's approval high enough to get the cookie cutscene—a scene in which she opens up about her painful childhood—the Inquisitor can ask her more about herself. Sera still expresses reticence but is now willing to answer more questions. Let's have a look at that conversation.

Inquisitor: I'd like to know more about you, now that you're comfortable. Sera: Suppose. It's embarrassing enough now, might as well. Inquisitor: Anything more to say about where you came from? Besides hating cookies there. Sera: Denerim, mostly. Before running into another Jenny. He was fun. Had weird friends, though. I think some of them were a lot more serious about being serious. Got some of them killed. I suppose they were like family. Better than Lady Emmald ever was. You know why? They didn't give two squirts about who or what you were. It was all what you did. Inquisitor: So where are the rest of them? Sera: All over. Or they stopped to let new people go all over. Some get rich and stop playing. They can do good things with it. One or two don't. Eventually, someone asks for a favor against them. So don't get like that, you hear? Inquisitor: Denerim is a long way from Orlais. How'd you get there. Sera: By stinky horse? Inquisitor: Sera... Sera: Denerim wasn't much fun after the Blight. Everyone trying to recover, you'd even feel bad for the nobles. But Val Royeaux... that's a fat city full of fat heads. They just don't know when to stop. You saw it. Orlais is rich and stupid. Ripe for the picking. Inquisitor: So is that who showed you how to fight? Gave you your skills? Sera: Nobody gave me anything except a chance. And maybe some lessons to start. But mostly just the chance. I took that and ran.

And maybe some lessons to start.

There it is.

She's not a natural born archer. Maybe she had a normal level of affinity for it, but she didn't magically know how to archery without ever being taught or practicing because of elfy reasons or magic reasons or whatever other tinfoil hat reasons. She had some lessons. And then she practiced. And then she got good. Simple, ordinary people reasons.

And if you read between the lines here I think it's implied who gave her those lessons to start.

You see, the Friends of Red Jenny seem to have originally been a minor assassins' guild. And by "originally" I might right up until the time of the Fifth Blight. Also from World of Thedas Volume 2:

The knives I found think the Friends of Red Jenny started in Ferelden, maybe a hundred years back. Could be longer—they're hard to track. Don't know if the name is a rank or what, but pretty sure it's older than they are. They were assassins back then, but I doubt they competed with true guilds. They were cheap, small, and made a habit of paying urchins to get information or plant weapons. They recruited that way, but that doesn't seem like a way to get skilled people. The Friends had some teeth, and they weren't shy about getting bloody if their people were threatened, but they were strictly local.

It's recent that the Friends have been more active. Since the Blight, mostly. A new Red Jenny at the head—or seems like—in Val Royeaux. And in Kirkwall. Maybe more. Thing is, they might be doing more, but they stepped back from being assassins. And there are a lot fewer of them. Could be Blight—it killed a bunch of everybody. But my gut says different. They didn't just move; they changed how they work.

I found Red Jenny herself, or one of them, I guess. Tall for an elf. I approached her plain, figured we'd talk guild to guild. Her answer was two fingers. She could move, she's proper skilled, but I don't think she's competition. What she and her friends do has nothing to do with us. (p. 236)

The first we hear of the Friends of Red Jenny is in Dragon Age: Origins, when the Warden finds a small painted box in the quarters of First Enchanter Irving, then a note on the body of one of the Crows who ambush the party. The note indicates where the box is to be taken, and is signed "Friends of Red Jenny.” To complete the quest, the box must be delivered to a house in Denerim, where the player can hear the sound of a young girl laughing. No further information is given in that game.

In Inquisition, in conversation with Sera, the Inquisitor may ask her about the Blight, to which Sera replies, "That was ages ago. I was playing with small painted boxes and burying stuff I stole." It's possible this is just meant to be an easter egg, but for the sake of the argument let's assume that Sera does in fact mean that small painted box—that she was working with the old Jennies in Denerim. That one of them gave her that box to play with. Maybe they only needed what was inside it.

I initially read that "more serious about being serious" line as Sera referring to some Jennies who were more actively revolutionary. But I now think I was missing the bigger picture there. Sera was referring to the earlier Red Jennies, the ones she met in childhood before the Blight—the Jennies who were not merely tricksters but assassins.

This dialogue also really frames meeting that other Jenny as a turning point in Sera's life, and from it a picture of her life after Lady Emmald's death emerges for me. Having refused the estate, and still a child, she returned to the streets of Denerim where she met an assassin—a man who was "fun" but had "weird friends." They were "like family," she supposes. "Better than Lady Emmald ever was."

Someone fun with weird friends who took a liking to this little street urchin, perhaps. Gave her tasks to perform for a coin or some food. Gave her some trinkets to play with. Gave her a few lessons with a bow. Never cared that she was an elf, didn't bring it up constantly or tell her it was why people hated her.

Why didn't she just say that from the start? By the time you make it to the end of the cookies friendship cutscene in Skyhold, you've probably figured out that Sera's whole childhood is a painful, difficult subject that she doesn't like to talk about. She's not avoiding the subject of Denerim and her past because she's trying to be difficult; she's avoiding the subject because it's traumatic and a period of her life that she's trying to leave behind. She didn't ride all the way to Val Royeaux by stinky horse because she just loves clopping through miles of wilderness and woods full of the elfiest elves. Denerim is full of painful history for Sera, and I think the old Red Jennies are a part of that painful history. Her voice softens, gets quieter, when she talks about how being "more serious about being series" got some of them killed. World of Thedas Volume 2, in speculating about how the Friends of Red Jenny shifted from assassins to pranksters, notes that the Blight may have played a role in their shift, as it "killed a lot of everyone," so perhaps that contributed. Either way, I think Sera lost friends in Denerim. People who were "like family." There are things there that hurt to remember, and to talk about.

Sera's initial insistence that she didn't have a teacher might not be strictly a lie, especially if she only had a few starter lessons and did the rest herself. If she was observant enough, she might have picked up certain skills simply from watching the assassins she was around all the time. But it's also worth remembering that Sera is very resistant to talking about things that make her uncomfortable or bring up bad memories. Before she knows the Inquisitor well, when they push her to talk about her past, she'll say, "It's complicated. I don't like complicated. Let's leave it at that." Her commentary in the margins of the notes on her life in World of Thedas are mostly flippant, sarcastic, but one of the few that sounds really angry is the note after the old Marcher tavern song "She of the Red," which certainly sounds like it's about assassins and not merely pranksters:

She of the Red, Oh, She of the Red, She's under a lake with no water, it's said. As friendly as any, and then you are dead. "Forgive me; I've killed you," lies She of the Red.

Which Sera has annotated: "Frigging. Piss. Off!"

We might take from this that Sera simply doesn't like having songs written about her (given how deeply unimpressed she is with Maryden's efforts), but I get the sense she also really dislikes people bringing up what the Red Jennies used to be. I wonder if she was even fully aware as a child what the guild was really doing. But she must have made a conscious decision to take the Friends in a certain direction when she took over.

And I do think she took them over after the Blight. World of Thedas notes that Sera "appears to hold seniority, earned at a very young age." She was very young, still a child, when Emmald died. She fell in with the Red Jennies, began to learn archery. Then the Blight tore through Denerim, and a lot of people died. I suspect that the assault on Denerim (whether the attack itself or the ensuing disease) wiped out most if not all of the old Red Jennies, leaving Sera and whatever other urchins the guild had taken under their wing. She'd lost yet another family.

So Sera decided she'd be Red frigging Jenny.

But she didn't want to get people killed. Whatever she knew of the old Red Jennies' line of work, she was aware that it was dangerous. She'd lost friends. And besides, assassins are beholden to people with the coin to hire them—most likely nobles. And there's no one Sera hates more than nobles.

So Sera remade the Friends of Red Jenny into something new. She remade them in her own image and took them to Val Royeaux. They spread north to the Free Marches. I wouldn't be surprised if they're all over Thedas by now. Probably for the best that they're no longer anything the Crows would see as a threat.

But if you're a noble stepping on little people, best look out for arrows. And mind your breeches.

[emwritesfootball]

On The Wall | John Stones

Also you should write a piece about John coming into the pub where the reader works and hitting on her and making fun of her for having his picture on the wall and you can go from there 👀

Word Count: 1,612

Warnings: unprotected sex, oral (Female receiving), fingering, drinking

A/N: an idea I pitched to @bluemoonstonesy who said I should write this myself. Enjoy x

- - -

“We’re closed,” you say automatically when you hear the little bell at the top of the door signal that someone’s come in. You’re wiping the sticky surface of the bar down, not paying attention to anything but making sure the wooden area is spotless for tomorrow.

“Oh, sorry, I must’ve missed the sign,” a familiar voice chuckles and you look up to find none other than John Stones in your family’s pub. John freaking Stones, whose picture happens to be on the wall of your family’s Manchester City-themed pub right next to Aguero and Grealish.

“I-” You don’t know what to say at first, speechless as you just stare at him. You let out a nervous chuckle, ducking your head to hide the embarrassment that you knew was plainly spelled out across your face.

“I can leave if you’d like,” he says when you still haven’t found your words.

“N-No,” you stutter, shaking your head rapidly. “It’s fine. What are you drinking?”

“Virgin of whatever’s your favourite,” he responds, giving you a saucy grin.

“No,” you reply, falling easily into your role behind the bar. “As your bartender, I can’t let you drink a virgin anything - footballer or not.”

John places his forearms on the bar, leaning forward. “And what if I’m an alcoholic?”

“I’d think the media would have let me know,” you retort, smirking.

“You got me there,” he chuckles, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m out of excuses, and we just won earlier today-”

“You did, and you deserve a drink, so what’ll it be?” You don’t reply, mixing up your favourite cocktail and garnishing it, setting it down in front of him. “After the way you played today, this one is on the house.” You realize you actually hadn’t flipped the sign from OPEN to CLOSED, doing so as he sips on the drink. You can feel his eyes on you, watching as you finish your checklist of things to do to close the pub down for the evening.

“So, how’d you get this job?” John asks, making idle conversation as you continue to clean.

“My family owns the place, so I didn’t get much choice,” you shrug, starting to wipe down the tables. “Doesn’t matter, though - pay’s good even if the hours are shit, but at least I get the luxury of telling my bosses to fuck off without being fired.”

“Yeah, not many people get to say that, I suppose,” John said, wincing a little as the alcohol went down.

“Could have worse jobs than dealing with drunks, honestly. I could spend my days getting yelled at by drunks who think they know more than the refs while I get paid millions of pounds to kick a ball.” You shot him a wink to let him know you were kidding, your stomach dipping when you made him laugh.

“Fair enough. At least I don’t have a framed picture of myself where I- wait, nevermind. My picture’s everywhere at the Etihad.”

You walk back behind the bar, making him another drink - two mojitos this time. “Both of those aren’t for me, are they?”

“Only one of them is, unless you don’t wanna pay for your second drink.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” John laughs, shaking his head but motioning for the drink. “Give it to me.”

You hand him one, your fingers brushing his. Your breath hitches at the contact, your eyes meeting his, and you know he’s heard the sound.

“Who’s your favourite City player?” He asks, his voice barely a whisper.

You bite down on your bottom lip, flicking your gaze down at the bar before your eyes meet his again. “If I tell you it’s you, would you think I was lying because you’re the one in front of me right now?”

“Well, now that you’ve said it: yes,” he jokes, smiling. “But you’re so beautiful and sincere that I’m inclined to believe you.”

“Calling me beautiful to try to get out of paying for that second drink?” You tease in an attempt to ignore how fast your pulse is racing and how turned on by him you are.

“Maybe,” he smirks, reaching out and touching your face. You lean into his touch, his thumb brushing across your cheek in a way that makes you yearn for him to touch you in other places. “But it’s also true.”

“You shouldn’t press your luck, Stones.”

His eyes darken. “Call me John.”

“John.” You sound out the syllable, loving the way it feels coming out of your mouth. You’ve said his name a thousand times - screamed it when he’s scored, cried it when City’s lost, casually thrown it out to your friends or anyone when you’re talking about your team - but this feels different… intimate, even.

The pads of his fingers press into the sensitive skin on your neck and you let out an involuntary whimper. John swallows hard, his tongue peeking out to wet his bottom lip. “If I kiss you right now…”

“If you kiss me right now, I’ll end up begging you to fuck me on this bar,” you say, barely recognizing the words as the leave your mouth. You’re not usually this bold, but this man makes you do things you wouldn’t normally do, the least of which is beg him to fuck you in your family’s pub.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” John growls right before latching his lips onto yours. Your stomach presses painfully into the wood as you lean across the bar, matching him kiss for kiss.

“Wait,” you gasp, breaking the kiss as you pull back so you can walk around and stand in-between his legs, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Much better,” you smirk, leaning in to kiss him again.

“Wearing my kit, eh?” John murmurs between kisses, his hands sliding up your waist and underneath the material. “Sexy.”

The word travels out of his mouth and down your spine, your clit throbbing as it responds to his praise. He lifts his kit over your head, letting it fall to the floor. Your jeans are a little trickier and you kick off your shoes before wiggling out of them while he sheds his own shirt and joggers, toeing off his own trainers. For a moment you hate that your bra and panties don’t match, but you also weren’t expecting to get your brains fucked out by your favourite footballer tonight, so it’s definitely not going the way you’d planned.

“Let’s see how wet you are for me,” John rasps, his hand trailing up your thigh before settling between your legs, nimble fingers pushing your panties to the side to probe your slick folds. Your hands fly to his shoulders, a moan ripping from your throat as he slides a thick finger as deep as it’ll go inside your pussy, curling in to your g-spot just right when the heel of his palm grinds against your clit.

“Oh, God, John!” You cry out, a needy whimper leaving your mouth when he pulls out his finger, his eyes glued to yours as he licks his finger clean.

“You taste so good,” he praises, kissing you again so you can taste yourself off his lips.

“Please, John, just fuck me already,” you beg, reaching between the two of you to stroke his cock.

“How do you want it?” He asks, his eyes fluttering closed as you pump his shaft, your thumb brushing over the tip that’s now leaking precum. “I don’t have a condom so pullout will have to do.”

Your pussy clenches around nothing in anticipation, the thought of John fucking you raw and pulling out making you that much more turned on. “Pullout is fine - just fuck me already, John.” You pull yourself up so you’re sitting on the bar, spreading your legs so John can get the perfect view of your already-dripping pussy.

He lines his dick up with your entrance, letting out a groan as he slides the tip into you. You let him go slow so you can feel every inch of him, finally picking up the pace once he’s balls-deep inside you. Your legs are wrapped around his waist, your hands bracing yourself on the wood as he thrusts into you rhythmically, his fingers leaving marks on your hips.

You’re on the verge of an orgasm when John pulls out, pumping his dick a few times before spilling his seed on your stomach and letting out a groan. Without a second thought, you’re swiping it off and sticking your index finger in your mouth, tasting him like he’d tasted you earlier, making a big show of swirling your tongue around your finger.

“Did you cum?” He asks, and for a moment you think about lying to him, but you decide not to, shaking your head. “Lean back,” he orders before kissing up your inner thigh and putting his mouth on your pussy.

Your hands immediately tangle in his hair, grabbing the curls as he licks at your core. It doesn’t take long for you to cum around his tongue, his name on your lips as your orgasm races through you and you grind your pussy on his face.

His lips are shiny with your juices when he comes up, grinning at you before pulling you in for another kiss.

“When do you close next?” He asks a few minutes later as you’re both getting dressed.

“The same day as your next match,” you reply.

“Good,” is all he says, giving you a knowing smile before vanishing out the door, leaving you all alone with your thoughts as you begin wiping down the bar again to remove all the evidence of what you’ve just done.

[mountswhore]

𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞 — mason mount

summary: meeting through mutual friends, you and mason hit it off.

notes: none of my fics are real, never thought i would have to say this. do football teams even have a masseuse? idk it’s fake guys.

requests are open, just look for my prompt lists.

“They’re good for each-other.”

for @vintagebishx

You’d been friends with a few of the United boys for years, working at their club as a masseuse. You’d become super close with Lingard, who you were lucky to find out had made the squad for the World Cup. And you’d been hired as the squad’s masseuse. It was a challenging job, but paid off as you made some great friendships. You and Jesse hung out outside of work many times.

It was your first training session with the England boys, and you were nervous, to say the least. Men in general make you nervous, so working closely with them was bound to make you shake. You watched closely as they piled onto the turf, making conversation and standing in front of you and a few other officials.

One of the trainers had waited for the group to quieten down. “Morning, lads. We have a new masseuse for the team this year, please treat her with respect. She’ll be coming round to assist you with any stuff joints and whatnot.” You smiled at the group, catching a few eyes, but kept your eyes away from anyone else’s to avoid awkward stares.

The training had kicked off, a group of boys heading to each section. It was all the same stuff you were used to, except it was national level. Not club level. You had your clipboard and pen, a huge list of each player, and an empty space which you presumed you’d write what exactly you were assisting them with. Now, where to start?

You’d been here for an hour, making sure the boys had all written down what exactly they needed taken care of each training session. And finally you had gotten to Mason Mount. You’d heard about him, sure, but you’d never met him in person. You were fairly new to National team work.

“Mount.” You called, his head turning towards you immediately. You beckoned him over, ignoring the small ‘ooh’s coming from his fellow teammates. Mason had jogged over with a grin on his face, waiting for you to respond. “I just need you to write down what you’d like me to focus on this week. It changes whenever you need it to, so for example, if your ankles were feeling a bit stiff, you’d let me know and I can get that sorted for you,” you explained, feeling his breath fan down your neck as he towered over you. He was looking intently at the clipboard, seeing what other teammates were down for, most requesting a weekly check-in for their calves and thighs.

“What if I don’t need anything checked on?” He pondered, scratching the slight stubble collecting on his jaw. You could barely remain professional as his smirk wouldn’t disappear.

“Unfortunately, I don’t take no for an answer in this business.” You stated, Jesse passing you both and smirking at Mason. It seemed like the whole team knew something you didn’t, it was quite intimidating. Like sitting at the front of a classroom, and a group at the back were giggling; it didn’t mean they were laughing at you, but it felt like it. “Isn’t that right, Jes?”

Jesse nodded, patting your head before jogging away. “Don’t take that as an invitation to pat my head, Mount.” You told him, watching as he slowly retracted his hand back to his side. “So what’s it going to be? I’ll even massage your head for you.”

“I guess, my arms? They’ve been feeling pretty stiff.” He suggested, grabbing the pen from your hand and writing it down beside his name. “I know it’s not football related, but if I had to choose something.”

“Any part of your body could be stiff, even if you don’t use it to play, it could throw off your whole game.” You declared, taking your pen and clipboard back from him. He’d scrawled, in his messy handwriting, what he needed working on. And added a small winky face beside his name.

As the weeks progressed, you’d had continuous meetings with the boys, and Mount, working on whatever they needed loosening that week. You’d had some interesting conversations — learning that Grealish has a seven-year-old mind, Lingard is still annoying as ever, and Mount is openly flirting with you. Every week you had massaged his arms and shoulders, seeing the subtle winks and smirks he gives you when he enters and leaves your office.

Today, you had an open schedule and would be working outside with the team. Nobody was stiff, or injured, so you’d be observing them and giving them small warm up tips before each game. You were stood with the other trainers, occasionally breaking off as Lingard begged for a unnecessary shoulder massage. You were then sat beside him, watching each boy pelt the ball into the goal and run to the back of the line.

“Hello, you.” You heard from beside you, Mason appearing and scooting closer. You grinned at him and stretched your legs out, taking in the warm sun on your legs.

“What hurts?” You asked, turning to face him and get ready to loosen a body part.

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to keep you company, that’s all.” He mentioned. “You looked a little lonely here.” Rolling your eyes, you blushed and turned your face away from him. “You don’t have to hide, I know I make you nervous.”

“As if, Mount.” You laughed, playing along with him. “Someone needs some humble pie.” The pair of you laughed, catching the attention of Jesse and Declan, who were sitting together beside the goal.

“They’re good for each other.” Declan admitted. “Mason needs someone like her, someone that brings him back down to Earth a bit.” Jesse laughed at his friend, slapping his hand as he held it out.

“Yeah,” Jesse sighed, “she’s a good girl. They seem like a good fit.” The pair observed the two, laughing and Mason clearly flirting with his body language as well as his words, the blush evident on your cheeks.

[babymilkawa]

a love that rings

bakugou katsuki, todoroki shoto (for the first half)

gn!reader :)

a soulmate au heavily inspired by the webtoon/kdrama love alarm

word count; 5682

warnings: angst, fluff, like one swear word

There are many things that Todoroki can put on his list of things he appreciates. The first bullet point, no doubt, would be your name in his curved but elongated writing, followed by several skipped spaces and then a list of the names of his friends. Except it doesn’t stop there. Below your name in those skipped lines there is an indented bullet point where little moments or traits of your relationship are written down. Here are a few: 

I love it when y/n tells me why they love me

I love it when y/n brushes their lips on my scar

I love it when y/n says my name in their sleepy voice

And it could go on and on. He’s still adding more to it to this day. 

Todoroki doesn’t know if you know about this list or if you have one of your own. He likes to know that it’s there, that he can always go back to it when he needs a reminder. And it’s never failed at that. Often times, he finds himself missing you late at night and he’ll just slip the paper out, reading it under the dim glow of his lamp. It’ll bring a fond smile to his face and he’ll be able to fall asleep just like that, counting the days until he gets to see you again. 

So he’s never doubted your relationship. He’s always felt a sense of security from you that he didn’t think he could get from anyone. Aside from that, Todoroki felt like life was moving at the right direction for him. He was making progress with his quirk and he landed an internship at an agency away from his father. Todoroki was slowly letting his walls descend.

One day, the two of you joined your usual cafeteria friends for lunch. Iida and Midoriya were talking about the most recent exam and Tsuyu and Uraraka were having their own conversation. But upon sitting down next to them, you couldn’t help but notice that they were both staring intently at their phone screens, giggling and occasionally gasping. Out of curiosity, you scooted closer and asked what had caught their attention.

“Oh, y/n have you heard?” asked Uraraka. “Apparently there was this app called love alarm that used to be trending in the early 2000′s! Now it’s getting popular again, you should really check it out.”

Her attention diverted back to her phone so you decided to see what was so interesting about it instead of asking her yourself. Pulling out your phone, you decided to download the app seeing as you had nothing else to do. Next to you, Todoroki was engaged in the conversation with Iida and Midoriya, nodding along as he put your favorite items from his plate to yours.

While taking bites out of your own lunch, you created a profile for the app, picking a picture that Todoroki had recently taken of you. You were presented with a loading screen and it was just about to be completed when a ringing sound echoed the cafeteria, followed by another in the same pitch. 

A blanket fell over the voices in the cafeteria and all heads turned to where the sound came from. Towards the east wall, where all the condiments are kept, two people stood facing each other, halos surrounding their feet. 

You were still confused as to what was even happening when Uraraka gasped next to you and whispered, “They rang each other’s love alarm! They’re soulmates!!”

Upon looking closer, you saw that they were students from Class 1-B. Tetsutetsu and Kendo to be exact. The pair of soulmates were glancing at their cellphones and looking up at the other, faces beating a shade of red. Then, one of the cafeteria ladies banged their spatula on a tray and ordered everyone to go back to their own business. 

Looking away, you focused your attention back to your phone where your own profile lay with arrows pointing to an empty bubble. Connecting two and two together, you realized that this app told you who your soulmate was. A lightbulb lit in your head and you turned to your boyfriend who was just about finishing up his lunch.

“Shoto! Have you heard? This app tells you who your soulmate is! See, mine is empty right now and I think it’s because you haven’t downloaded it yet.” 

You turned your screen towards him and he looked at it intently, mouth still chewing. 

“That's..interesting,” he said. “But why do we need an app to tell us that we love each other?”

“I know but Sho, I just want to see if this app is legit. Apparently, it was a thing back then too.” 

He seemed to understand your reasoning and frankly, he was curious himself. Pulling out his phone, Todoroki downloaded the app and set up a profile. As the two of you waited for his screen to load, you overheard students from other tables talking about love alarm too. 

“My parents said that this brought them together! It must be really accurate, then.”

Upon hearing that, your face lit up. It was true that you and Todoroki didn’t need technology to know that the two of you had nothing but love for each other. You already knew that he was your soulmate and that you were his. But the idea of having something like a man-made app confirm your feelings made you feel a sense of pride. It was the fact that you and Todoroki found each other even without one. 

Your boyfriend’s screen finished loading and the two of you leaned your heads together, waiting for a picture of you to pop up in his empty bubble. A line of sparkles circled around it and there you appeared, followed by a burst of confetti on the screen. You gasped and looked at him excitedly, shaking his arm. He smiled at you and looked at your icon on his screen, pride swelling in his own chest. The picture he had chosen for his own profile was one that you took for him. It was on the same day as the picture that he took for you, and arrows linked them together. 

Grabbing your own phone, you opened the app and waited eagerly for Todoroki’s picture to show up. You couldn’t wait to hear that same ringing sound you heard earlier and to see those overlapping halos by your feet. Then everyone would see that the two of you were made for each other, not even an app could disagree. 

But after staring at it for a good minute, the smile on your face started to droop. The grey bubble on your screen remained empty, even the smile in your profile picture looked a little upset. Todoroki was looking too but he said nothing. Why wasn’t his picture showing up? Was the app just glitching? All the excitement you had felt earlier drained away. Todoroki, sensing your change in mood, took your phone and helped you restart it.

“Maybe a lot of people are using it at the moment, that’s why it’s being a little slow. I’m sure I’ll show up if you check later,” he said, throwing you a soft smile. 

You simply nodded and turned back to your forgotten lunch. Around you, the cafeteria was still alive with voices and laughter. Somewhere in the back, another pair of rings echoed around. You picked at your food, not bothering to turn around to see who it was. That could’ve been yours. You and Todoroki could’ve had your own rings and everyone would congratulate the two of you. But instead, shouts of encouragement came from the back, not directed at you. 

Everywhere you went, you could hear rings across the halls or people crowding around their screens. It only angered you even further, knowing that your own love alarm was not functioning properly. It had been a few days since the events at the cafeteria and Todoroki’s profile refused to show up on your screen. He tried his best to console you and to let you know that it was just an app. Technology had its own mistakes, too. And you were starting to believe him. Your own friends had pointed out that the terms and conditions stated that it was only proven to be right 95% of the time. So really, it didn’t mean anything if the two of you were not paired as soulmates. It didn’t mean that you loved each other any less. Todoroki suggested that you both deleted the app and you agreed. But a part of you still wanted to wait and see. If Todoroki didn’t show up, would someone else? But you quickly became disgusted with your own train of thought. How would your boyfriend feel if you were his soulmate but he wasn’t yours? He would be just as upset. And if someone else was paired with you? Right, it would break his heart. You had to delete it right away. And you were just about to when a gruff voice called out to you.

Looking up, you saw that it was Bakugou. The two of you would meet in the afternoon sometimes to train while your boyfriend was at his internship. You and Bakugou both had quirks that went well together. You had the ability to slow down time around you, with a proximity of 10 feet. It came with the cost of extreme exhaustion which is why you had to train your reflexes to react quicker, extending your time while holding out your quirk. Even a few minutes or seconds could make a difference in battle. Bakugou himself was able to react quickly to any situation thrown at him so you figured that he was the best trainer in order for you to advance with your quirk. 

Forgetting all about your task to delete love alarm, you walked with your training partner and started to warm up. 

There was a calm silence between the two of you as you both stretched and warmed up your muscles. Glancing at him, you saw that his face was molded into a stern expression and you wondered if he ever had any other emotion. Then, just as the two of you were getting ready to start, you heard a pair of rings coming from outside Heights Alliance. The sound sparked curiosity in you and you turned to your partner.

“Have you heard of this new app called love alarm? People are becoming obsessed with it.”

He shrugged, “Not interested.”

“Aw, come on. You should give it a try, see who your soulmate is.”

“Like I said, I’m not interested. Now hurry up before it gets dark.”

---

After taking a cold shower and finishing your homework, Todoroki had gotten back from his internship, just about ready to crash from how exhausted he was. Seeing your boyfriend like this made you reach over to ruffle his hair, helping him take his hero costume off. 

“Have you eaten yet?” he asked.

You shook your head. “I was going to wait for you.”

“You must be hungry then. You can go without me, I just want to shower real quick.”

“I can wait for you, Sho. It’s no big deal.”

Too tired to argue, Todoroki nodded and went to go shower. As he was in there, you helped clean up his equipment and put his sweaty clothes in the laundry. 

Somewhere in between, his phone had slipped out and you picked it up. You were going to set it aside when it lit up, presenting his wallpaper, a picture of the two of you on your most recent date. It made your heart warm and you smiled down at it. That’s right. You didn’t need some man-made program to tell you that Todoroki was right for you. You already knew it in your heart. 

But you couldn’t help but wonder if he had deleted the app like he said he would. You realized you had forgotten to do that yourself. Oops. You could do it later. Now, you unlocked his phone, only to see that it was already on the app. So he hadn’t deleted it yet. Looking at the pictures of his gentle face and your happy features, you couldn’t help but feel guilty. Like it was your fault that your alarms didn’t ring. Obviously it wasn’t true but then it didn’t make any sense either. Did you just not have a soulmate? Did the universe decide to leave you alone? Each person should have their own. There was always a pair. Then, you started to doubt your feelings for Todoroki. You knew that you loved him, though. Was it just not enough? You couldn’t shake that feeling of guilt for your boyfriend. He loved you so much, enough for the app to recognize it. Maybe you just had to show it to him more. Yeah, that was it. All you had to do was openly show and tell him how much he meant to you. 

Putting his phone to the side, you patiently waited for him to come out of the shower. You decided that now was a great time to start. As soon as he comes out, you would hand him his clothes and listen to him talk about his day. That was nothing different. But you would also make sure that he himself knew you were listening. Maybe throw in a light massage to his aching muscles. And that’s just what you did when he stepped out. 

The two of you walked hand in hand to the kitchen of Heights Alliance, sticking your noses up in the air to the smell of good food. As Todoroki was talking next to you, you saw Bakugou enter the hallway and you were about to wave to him when the sound of rings bounced the narrow walls. Looking around, you noticed that there was no one around but the three of you. Heart beating in excitement, you pulled your phone out. Was it finally working? Did you finally ring Todoroki’s alarm? The other two pulled their phones out too and you turned your screen, ready to show your boyfriend his picture below yours when you saw that..he wasn’t there. But there was someone below your picture, alright. Instead, it was the last person you would ever expect. Looking down at your phone, you saw that a picture of Bakugou was connected with arrows to your own. And a series of halos surrounded your feet, linking you with him. And Todoroki was caught in the middle of it.  

---

Back in your dorm, you found yourself angry, no, fuming. What kind of sick person would-would create something like this? Todoroki could sense your ignited emotions from across the room and he quickly went over to calm your shaking fists. 

“Y/n, look it’s noth-”

“I’m sorry!” You said, looking up at him with glistening eyes. “I-I should’ve deleted it when you told me to b-but I forgot and-”

“Y/n.”

You swallowed, tears threatening to spill out. You tried to read your boyfriend’s expression but your vision blurred and oh god, why couldn’t you have just listened to him then..

“I’m not..angry, y/n. Just confused.”

You sniffed and he wiped away the teardrops leaking at the corners of your eyes. 

“I didn’t delete it, either,” he said. “I forgot too. So, it’s not your fault.”

Right. You knew that when you looked at his phone. It wasn’t snooping, the two of you trusted each other and freely looked at the other’s phones often. 

“But..” he continued. “I don’t think it would’ve done much of a difference.” 

At this, you looked up at him and he nodded. “I did some research and apparently, your alarm won’t turn off just because you deleted the app. Once you download it and set up a profile, there’s no turning back.”

Oh. Oh. So that meant that Bakugou must’ve recently downloaded it. Because when you had asked him about it, he had said he wasn’t interested. Which is why your alarms didn’t ring while you trained. It was because he didn’t even have it then. 

But then, the idea of you and your training partner made no sense either. The two of you could barely be even called friends. He would often dismiss any small talk you tried to initiate and only commented about your sparring mistakes. So what made love alarm think that the two of you were for each other?

You thought that it was supposed to bring soulmates together. But all you could feel was a whirl of emotions, anything but love and connectedness. It would bring a wedge between Todoroki and you.

“Y/n,” he said, bringing you out of your head. “I think that this app is..what people say it is. Meaning, I think it’s accurate. After all the researching I did, I didn’t read a single story or review talking about how two people who weren’t meant for each other were put together. I love you y/n..but I don’t want to be the one who holds you back from..Bakugou. If he's the one who'll really make you happy.”

Realizing what he was hinting at, you grabbed at his arms, furiously shaking your head from side to side.

“No! This-this app is bullshit! We can’t believe it! You make me happy, Sho!”

Todoroki slowly detached your gripping hands from his arms. “I just want you to be happy, y/n. And if it’s with him, then I’ll let you go.”

No, he couldn't just leave like that. You made eye contact with him and slowly took in a deep breath, letting your muscles relax.

He immediately realized what you were doing and backed away. "Don't."

But it was the only way to make him stay. By slowing time down around you, you could prevent him from leaving, from stepping out that door and turning away forever.

Todoroki, however, was quick to step out, leaving a distance of more than 10 feet between the two of you.

Heart heavy, you could feel the tears creeping back up so you let yourself exhale. It was no use.

He felt like he was doing the right thing for you, but his heart still filled with pain and regret. Todoroki left your dorm, trying to forget the warmth emanating from your hands just seconds ago.

---

In another dorm, one floor down and several doors away, Bakugou lay with his head in his hands.

Y/n? My soulmate? He didn’t know whether to feel hopeful or pity. Pity would be for the man you loved.

Bakugou had always admired your strength and determination, your beauty. And only recently did he really accept his feelings for you. He was doing a great job at hiding it, too. If the two of you were ever put in the same sentence, the topic would only be about your quirks and training. Nothing more. He made sure to avoid conversation with you, even if a part of him was dying to know your interests, anything outside of your quirk and fighting ability.

But now, this new piece of information left him confused, lost as to what to do next. And he always hated this feeling. The feeling of not being in control of yourself. It meant he was weak, vulnerable to whatever was out to get him. He had to figure out the next steps, quick.

First things first, he would delete the app. Yes, the last thing he wanted was to even hear those rings again, especially if they were coming from him. He was sure Todoroki would hate it too, his own significant other, ringing another person's alarm. Though the blonde and Todoroki never really got along, he couldn't help but feel remorseful.

Bakugou sighed out loud. If only he hadn't downloaded it. After hearing you talk about it before training, his curiosity sparked and Bakugou just wanted to know if he even stood a chance. Of course, his goals of becoming #1 couldn't even compare to his desire for you, at least that's what he told himself. He had long accepted that it was just a crush, no need to think about how he might like the idea of you being with him.

After deleting love alarm clean off his phone, Bakugou pondered about what to do next. Scanning his eyes around his dorm, he carefully thought about what could be done to erase that look of horror from your face earlier. His eyes landed on his gauntlets and he grabbed his phone again. Bakugou would text you, saying that the two of you shouldn't train anymore. Although he couldn't think of anyone better than you as his partner, he had to let it go.

The text was about to be sent when a thought occurred to him. Why was he doing this? Why was he trying to cut ties with you all of a sudden? Did he..care about your relationship with Todoroki? No, that's not it. Even if Todoroki looked so hurt at that moment, there was still something about him that pissed the blonde off. Then what was it? Did his feelings for you grow so strong that he cared about your happiness, even if it was with another man?

Annoyed, Bakugou deleted the text. He could just tell you in person later.

---

Back in your dorm, you found yourself pacing back and forth. When Todoroki left, you didn't know whether to go after him or to let him cool off. He was clearly distressed. Maybe it was just something he said in the heat of the moment, breaking up. Yeah.

Leaving your dorm, you set out to go find him. In the common room, a few of your classmates were gathered around, casually talking in their free time. Todoroki wasn't in the room and you were about to leave when you saw him enter, his bi-colored hair standing out. Your face broke into a smile and a call almost left your lips when a pair of rings broke out, shushing the people in the room. Your smile faded a little as you looked at your phone. Nothing changed, as expected. Bakugou's profile was still there but it wasn't yours that rang.

"Momo!"

You looked up. Mina's figure was hovering over the said classmate who was seated on the couch. Sure enough, a small halo surrounded her feet, followed by more increasing in size. Peering over her shoulder, you saw who her soulmate was and your heart shattered. Your breath left your lungs and your throat closed up. All you wanted was to just get out of there. You didn't even want to see where the other set of rings lay, you knew they were there.

After you left, Todoroki found himself staring at the spot where you stood. His eyes were on you when it happened. He didn't have to check to know that Momo's rings were connected to his.

Right after he left your dorm, Todoroki received a notification from love alarm.

Todoroki Shoto, a shield has been gifted to you.

A love alarm shield: your soulmate will be blocked, replacing them will be the second choice.

You can request for a spear anytime after the transaction and all effects from the shield will be erased.

Would you like to use it?

He did it for you, so you could be happy with your soulmate.

And there in the common room, on his screen, was Momo's picture.

---

The next afternoon, Bakugou walked up to you and asked if you still wanted to train together. In your eyes, he could see that you had gotten no sleep, mind still foggy from last night's events.

You answered him with a meek "yes," hoping that sparring with him would wake you up and help you recharge.

After seeing your ex-boyfriend's face on another person's phone, you decided that it was right to let him go. You understood then, how he felt. If Momo and Todoroki were really meant for each other, you couldn't get in the way. You wanted him to be happy too.

Beside you, Bakugou was silent as usual, hands stuffed in his pockets. But you knew that things were different. You were each other's soulmate but you felt like you were close to him as much as you were close to Tokoyami, whom you've never even talked to.

You just felt so lonely. Last night was the first night in months where you slept alone, without the security of Todoroki's embrace. And it didn't feel like that was going to change anytime soon. Bakugou was never one for small talk so it was a waste of time to even try to become closer to him.

The blonde himself was contemplating on whether he should strike up a conversation or not. The reason why he always closed himself off to you was because he knew that if he really opened up, you would be able to see every crack and flaw and he would be left vulnerable.

Still, Bakugou couldn't help but think of the app as some kind of calling to him. He felt like he had to give it a try at least.

Turning to you, Bakugou saw that you were patting your pockets, a slight frown creasing your forehead.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I think I forgot my phone. Sorry, I'll be right back," you said, running towards the direction you came from.

Bakugou let out a sigh. Good, I didn't even know what I was going to say.

He decided to wait at the same spot instead of continuing the path to the field. It wouldn't take you long anyways, Heights Alliance was just in his view.

And only 5 minutes passed when he saw your figure come out of the dorms, jogging to catch up with him.

Then it happened again. A burst of halos surrounded you and looking down at his own feet, Bakugou saw that it was happening to him too.

You froze in place. Dammit, now?! As if things weren't awkward enough between us.

But 5 feet across from you, Bakugou was confused. He had deleted the app, didn't he? Why was it still linking the two of you together?

Slowly, you approached him and said, "Sorry, I know that's going to be annoying. You can't really turn it off."

"What?" You can't? That made no sense.

"Yeah," you continued. "Even if you delete the app, it'll still ring. Once you create a profile, you can't turn back."

That..sucked. And why were you apologizing? Bakugou thought. None of this was your fault.

"Well I guess you're stuck with me then," you joked.

Bakugou looked at you. "You're no bother."

He looked away but still noticed the surprise on your face.

"Really? I mean, training isn't too bad with you. I think we've both improved a lot."

Right. Training. He didn't care about your quirk or how compatible it was with his. He already knew all that. He wanted to know who you were. Your favorite food, hobby, cafe. And now was the best time, he felt.

And so as you trained, Bakugou let himself open up and he welcomed your attempts of small talk, listening intently to every word you said. Conversation flowed naturally out of the two of you and you wondered why it was never like this. Bakugou was someone who was so easy to talk to, even if it didn't seem like it. He probably just took some time warming up.

Over the next hour, Bakugou was able to learn more about you as a person. He felt like he was finally meeting you for the first time. It made him wonder too, why it took him so long to let you in. And to think that all he needed was a push from some app.

A half an hour had passed and training was going well. You were both drenched with sweat but adrenaline rushed through you and you eagerly welcomed it. It was times like this that made you energized. You could forget about every worry you had and focus on the moment, on the fire coursing through your veins.

You dodged a blast directed at you and almost froze it in time when you felt a kick to the back of your knees. What? How'd he get behind me so fast? Your legs gave out underneath you but a pair of strong arms were able to catch you before you met the ground.

Looking up, you made contact with a pair of red eyes staring down at you. He was close, very close. And only now did you notice how handsome the man in front of you was. His jawline was sharp and his nose had a perfect slant. He even had a few tiny freckles that spotted his cheeks. And..a small tint of pink.

Bakugou raised you upright and you both turned away. No doubt, your own face was rising with color.

Holding out a hand, Bakugou helped you get up and you were, once again, in very close proximity with the blonde. This time, you didn't look away. Instead, both your heads leaned in close until your lips touched and it felt..right. The kiss was short and left you wanting more. Bakugou had soft lips and he was surprisingly a good kisser.

For a second there, neither of you looked away. Your hand was still in his and your chests were almost touching. Then, as if realizing what just happened, you separated quickly. Bakugou cleared his throat and decided to call it a day. You nodded, suddenly feeling tired.

It didn't take long for the two of you to crave the other's lips, however. You found yourself in front of his door, asking him to tutor you before the next test. He would then make you dinner after a rough session, even if he was tired himself.

It soon led to lunch in the cafeteria together and hanging out with his friends. One day, he officially asked you out. You agreed, of course, and just like that, the hole that a certain someone had opened inside you was completed.

---

It’s been 2 years and you’re gathered around, taking your memorable graduation pictures. Bakugou’s got an arm around you and you’re both holding a bouquet of flowers his parents gave. The sun beating above you is burning through your black cloaks, making you look forward to that cold drink, sitting patiently at your favorite cafe with beads of water dripping down its shaft.

Looking across the parking lot, you can see other families and your fellow classmates crowding together for a picture to be framed, bright faces smiling behind a glass.

Todoroki holds his diploma tight and places a hand on top of his cap, not wanting the wind to blow away his hard work, his time in U.A., his memories. And looking back at the building behind him, he could feel all of them flooding back. Some were good, some were..best not to mention.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and Todoroki pulls it out. Speak of the devil. There was a message from love alarm.

Todoroki Shoto, a spear has been gifted to you.

A love alarm spear: all effects from the shield previously gifted will be erased.

You may not request for a shield after this transaction.

Would you like to use it?

Fingers hovering over the screen, Todoroki ponders. He's in a relationship with Momo. Would using this break them apart? He had asked her out without thinking one day and they had started from there. It took time, but they worked well on the field, quirks and minds blending together.

He doesn't regret asking her out, they have their good times. But he thinks about his future and if he really sees her in them. Yes, of course she'll be there. To say the truth, Todoroki just wants nothing to do with this app anymore. It gave him a new start and he'll end it at that.

Tapping the red letters on his screen, Todoroki tucks his phone away to lean in close to his girlfriend, smiling for yet another picture.

Hand in hand, you and Bakugou head towards his car, where Congratulations! has been written across the back window with marker. Flowers and their petals litter the exterior of the car as if the two of you had just gotten married.

Placing your bouquets and diplomas safely in the backseat, he drives you away, rolling down the windows as the two of you yell out your goodbyes to your classmates, promising to meet soon.

The air is nice and the wind blowing from the fully opened windows whips back your hair and kisses your face. Out on the sidewalks, people are biking around, enjoying the weather on this lovely day. It makes you smile, how content you are at the moment. You have your boyfriend next to you, a cold drink patiently waiting, and a bright future ahead of you.

Bakugou glances at you and upon seeing your smile, he spreads one himself.

There are many things that Bakugou can put on his list of things he appreciates. The first bullet point, no doubt, would be your name in his scratchy but still readable writing, followed by several skipped spaces and then a list of the names of his friends. Except it doesn’t stop there. Below your name in those skipped lines there is an indented bullet point where little moments or traits of your relationship are written down. Here are a few:

Y/n, I love them and I love that they remind me that they love me back

Y/n, I love them and I love that they support my goals

Y/n, I love them and I love that they are strong and independent

And it could go on and on. He’s still adding more to it to this day.

a/n: wow I'm like proud of this but the romance is where??

bnha masterlist

[sleepysnk]

hey y'all! i decided to make a fic for our lovely Jean boy. i got this idea after Sunday's episode :(, he deserves so much love right now. this is the longest fic i've written, so i hope you all enjoy! ♡

Close the Gap

Pairings: Jean Kirstein x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 6.8k

Warnings: None just fluff

Long distances relationships were always something many people tended to avoid. 

The idea of a long distance relationship made (Y/N) feel queasy, her stomach would always churn at the idea of dating somebody who was miles away from her. She heard the many scary stories from her friends about these people not being who they said they were, or the horror stories of girls going missing after meeting with these people. 

Not to mention she always binged watched MTV'S Catfish the TV Show at 3 A.M. watching how people would get catfished. The show was another reason why she tended to avoid dating anyone who was pretty far away. Her worst fear was to find that the person she trusted wasn't who they said they were. 

That all changed seven months ago when she met him. 

More specifically, Jean Kirstein.

(Y/N) was feeling pretty lonely, she was desperate for a relationship at the time and her best friend Sasha told her about some dating apps she could use. She wasn't exactly down to set her up with one of her friends. (Y/N) took the offer on the dating app and set up a profile. 

She met a few decent guys, but they always ended up sending the usual "send me some pics" or "u down to hook up?" texts. Most of the guys on the apps were idiots who were looking just for a quick fuck or something short term, which isn't something (Y/N) wanted. 

She complained to Sasha about it and even considered just deleting the apps, but she told her to just give it one more shot. 

She was glad she did. 

(Y/N) was swiping through the different guys on the app. Some caught her eye or some made her face scrunch with disgust. 

Her swiping stopped when her eyes landed on him. She was instantly attracted to him, his sharp jawline, shaggy light brown hair which was a bit long, his golden brown eyes, toned chest and that goddamn smile. He had a sly smile that made her feel butterflies. 

After she looked at his profile she was hooked. He seemed like a really sweet guy based on his description. He knew how to cook, draw, he played sports, worked out, etc. He also seemed really sweet as well. 

She was tempted to text him first, but she decided not to. The few times she did message a guy first it ended with the guy being dry, or sending some gross messages complimenting her body rather than her face. 

She totally forgot that day that she added him until she got the notification. 

Jean: hey! i saw your profile and let me just say you are gorgeous ❤

From that day forward the two talked every night, they spent many nights texting until they both felt tired, exchanging social media as well. She learned a lot about him, Jean was a fitness major at his university and he wanted to be a personal trainer. They connected on a lot of things, they had a lot of the same likes and dislikes which made the conversations they had even greater. 

She told Jean about the many shitty experiences she had with guys and how she was very hesitant to even give him a chance. Jean shared a lot of the same stories, he had gotten cheated on about a year prior before getting the app. (Y/N) felt bad for him, why cheat on a nice guy like Jean?

Facetiming him was definitely one of her favorite things to do, she told him about how freaked out she was about trying online dating due to how easy it was to fake an online personality. Jean assured her that was not the case and he wasn't a fake person at all. 

Seeing his face on facetime made her heart swell, he was 10x more attractive on facetime than his photos. He had this amazing smile that made her feel weak, and whenever he laughed she found herself having butterflies. Jean thought the same about (Y/N), he thought she was absolutely gorgeous and he wanted to see her face a lot more. 

He always threw a flirt her way whenever he could, Jean was smooth like that. He told her if she was ever unsure of an outfit that she was to send him a picture, and when she did, he was absolutely speechless. Sending the usual heart eyes and telling her how beautiful she was. His words always made her smile. 

While things were perfect for them, there was one small issue. 

They both lived very far from each other. 

Opposite coasts to be exact. 

Jean lived on the East coast while (Y/N) lived on the west. They lived miles away from each other, and although it wasn't a huge bother, it always made her feel lonely. 

Jean felt the same way, he felt lonely being so far away from her. Parts of him wished he lived closer so he could just drive and see her, but with how far it is, he knew it would probably be a very long drive and he just didn't have the time for that. Nor did (Y/N).

They spent many nights talking about dates they'd go on, things they'd do, etc. Jean told her how he would so make a meal for her and he'd take her to meet his mom. All those things sounded so nice, she wanted it to happen so bad.

But they just lived too far from one another.

Plus they both had very busy schedules, both were too caught up with assignments and their own personal lives that flying out wouldn't be exactly a good idea. 

It was unfortunate, but that was the reality of the situation. 

Even with all of that, they still held onto one another. For some reason, Jean didn't want to let her slip by. For the first time, she made him genuinely happy. (Y/N) felt the same way towards Jean, she always found herself being excited to see his name pop up in her phone or when he asked to facetime. There was just something about this boy she didn't want to let go of. He was the only guy who saw her for who she was, and not just her body. 

Neither of them wanted to let this opportunity slip by.

-

Here they were, seven months later. They still kept up with each other every day, though having not met yet, the feelings they both had never changed. 

They weren't dating, but they only talked to each other. Neither had wandering eyes. 

It was a usual night for the two of them, (Y/N) and Jean were on facetime while she did homework and Jean sat playing video games. She didn't mind the gaming, it was something he liked to do so why dislike it?

She was copying notes when her eyes averted upwards towards her phone screen which was propped up. Jean was shirtless sitting in his chair, he had his headset on his head with one of the earmuffs behind his ear. He was focused on the game, his brows pinching together a few times as he played. 

A giggle escaped her lips, making Jean look down at his phone with a smile. 

"What are you giggling about?" he asked, bringing his face close to the camera. 

She smiled. "Oh nothin' you just look really cute playing your game," she replied and set her pen down on the desk. 

He licked his lips and leaned back against his chair, eyeing the screen. "I'd say you look pretty damn fine doing homework," he replied, raising his brows.

Heat rushed to her cheeks, rolling her eyes in the process. "Ugh shush! I look like a total mess," she said and looked away from the screen. 

Jean chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Nah.. you look like the girl who's gonna have my last name," he replied, smirking. 

Her jaw dropped from his comment, a smile grew onto her lips as her cheeks felt hot. He was smooth like that. 

"You are quite smooth," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Another chuckle escaped his throat. "Yeah I'm smooth.. only for you though," he said, winking at the camera. 

"You're adorable.. I wish you were here so I could squeeze your cheeks," she said and played with her pen. 

Jean nodded. "I wish I was there with you too.." he said, looking down at the ground. "I'd like my cheeks squeezed but I'd want to squeeze yours.. if you know what I mean," he added. 

She started laughing a bit. "Ugh Jean I never get tired of you," she replied, looking at her phone screen. "Will you ever be here?" she asked.

Jean fell silent and leaned back against the chair. A sigh escaping his lips. "I have no idea (Y/N).. my schedule has been busy lately, plus I don't really have the funds to fly out anytime soon." he replied, his voice filled with disappointment.

She felt a slight tug at her heart, she knew they probably wouldn't meet for a long time. Many of her friends told her that Jean wasn't worth her time at all and that she needed someone who could come see her. Her friends also said it's not worth it at all and that he'd probably end up hooking up with some girl, and totally forgetting about her. That's something she absolutely didn't want to think about.

"(Y/N)? You alright?" Jean asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head, blinking a few times. "Y-Yeah! Sorry, I zoned out.." she replied and smiled a bit.

He put his controller on his desk, he stared at the screen for a few moments. "You know (Y/N) I really want to meet you, trust me I do. I know how much it bothers you that we can't at the moment, but I promise you, we will meet some day." he said with a serious expression. 

She felt her heart swell at his words, Jean always knew what to say to make her feel like a princess. Jean always said from day one that they would meet, it was a promise he had yet to fulfill, but he told her to never worry and that he'll make it happen. She just has to believe him. 

"I trust your words Jean," she said, smiling a bit.

A grin grew onto his face. "Ugh.. this is why I want to meet you so bad. I wanna see that pretty smile in person," he said and leaned against his desk. 

Her cheeks felt hot from his words. "You're too sweet," she replied, rolling her eyes playfully. 

Jean chuckled. "Sweet enough for you,"

Suddenly, (Y/N) heard her bedroom door fly open. 

"Hey (Y/N)!- Oh crap.. did I interrupt something?" 

Her head snapped back to see her best friend Sasha standing in the doorway. 

"Oh not at all Sash, I was just talking to Jean." (Y/N) replied, looking back at the camera. 

Sasha grinned widely, she knew who he was ever since they started talking. Jean was cool with her, he felt like first impressions with friends are always important. 

"Hey Jean!" Sasha yelled, coming down to her phone. "Ooo.. (Y/N) he's shirtless for you," she teased, elbowing her side. 

Her jaw dropped as her cheeks grew hot again. "Can you not! Why are you even here anyway?" she asked, looking up at her friend. 

"Uh duh, I'm here to discuss Valentine's Day plans! You know.. Connie and stuff," she replied in a whisper. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes playfully. "Ugh fine! Hey Jean, is it cool if I call you back later? Sash here needs boy advice," she asked, grabbing her phone. 

Jean smiled. "Yeah totally.. text me okay? Be safe." he replied. 

She felt a wide smile grow onto her cheeks. "I most definitely will!" she said, hanging up the call. 

Sasha leaned against the wall with a giant smirk on her face. (Y/N) looked up, her head nodding as she was confused as to why she was acting like that. 

"What?" she asked, furrowing her brows. 

A giggle escaped Sasha's lips. "Oh nothing! Ugh (Y/N)! When are you finally going to meet Jean? Have you guys even made it official yet?" she asked. 

She looked down. "No.. we haven't made it official. We aren't dating Sasha, we're just talking and stuff." she replied, shrugging her shoulders. 

Sasha crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe it's time you do it! You've been talking for months, and I feel like it's a good time. Especially with Valentine's Day and all," she said. 

(Y/N) wasn't sure if what Sasha was saying was a good idea. How the hell would she even ask out Jean? Over a facetime call? That sounded boring. It also sounded too cliche and not special at all. 

"I would Sash but asking him out over a phone just sounds so.. middle school," she replied and stood up. "It's not like I can fly out and ask him out or whatever," she added. 

A grin was displayed onto Sasha's face. "I guess you're right," she said and shrugged her shoulders. 

"Now come on… let's go discuss things for Connie," (Y/N) said, pushing past her. 

Sasha grinned again, following her friend. 

-

(Y/N) spent most of the week helping Sasha with her Valentine's Day gift for Connie. Sasha had some odd ideas, but eventually they came to an agreement on a decent idea. 

For some reason, things felt off with Jean.

The past few days she noticed a change in his behavior, he became a little less interested in their conversations and his replies were a bit dry. Of course she blamed it on him maybe being tired from classes or working out, but she wasn't exactly sure if that was the reason. She questioned it a few times, but Jean usually replied with a 'wym?'.

"(Y/N)!? Hello? Come on help me finish this," 

Sasha's voice broke her out of the thoughts she was having. "Sorry! What's up?" she asked, blinking a bit. 

Sasha put the bag of snacks down. "Are you sure you're alright? You've been acting weird all day," she said and crossed her arms. 

(Y/N) sighed. "Yes I'm fine Sasha," she replied and leaned back in her chair.

She nodded her head and sat back down in front of her. "Alright.. can you just organize this for me?" she asked, tossing the bag towards her. 

(Y/N) grabbed the stuff and began to sort through the items Sasha bought Connie. She wasn't exactly alright, she was feeling lonely the past few days. She saw all of her friends getting ready for Valentine's Day with their significant others, while she didn't have anybody. The pink and red boxes of chocolates, the teddy bears, roses, everything! It made her feel lonely and with Jean's behavior… it didn't exactly make it better.

She looked at her phone which displayed no messages from Jean. For some reason he hasn't been messaging her a lot lately. 

2:31 P.M.<- (Y/N): hey :)) 

4:23 P.M.<- (Y/N): i hope your day is going well! ♡

She sighed and went back to the gift for Connie. 

"What are you doing for Valentine's Day, (Y/N)?" Sasha asked and looked up at her. 

She shrugged her shoulders. "Probably just watching Netflix movies," she replied with disappointment in her voice. 

She nodded her head. "What!? No! You're not gonna do that on my watch. Why don't you come hangout with Connie and I?" she asked. 

A laugh escaped her lips. "Yeah I so wanna do that. Watching you two make out and eat is so much fun," she replied in a teasing voice. 

Sasha blushed. "Oh shut up! Come on.. I know you won't have anyone to hang with," she said and pouted a bit. 

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I can always call up Eren or something," she said and laughed a bit. 

Sasha hit her arm. "No! You're hanging with me and that's final! Plus why would you wanna hangout with Eren? He'd probably take you to some party," she said. 

"Yeah you're probably right," (Y/N) replied, chewing her lip. 

She threw her a smile. "Exactly!" she said and went to go look at her phone. 

(Y/N) looked on her own phone as she felt disappointed seeing no messages from Jean. She hated double texting him, she felt like she was a bother and that she was annoying him. Maybe he just didn't have his phone on him. 

A sudden squeal came from Sasha, which made (Y/N) look up in surprise.

"Uh.. are you okay?" she asked and blinked a bit. 

Sasha looked at her, composing herself. "Oh- u-um! Yeah totally, Connie was just telling me something. That's all," she replied and looked down at her phone. 

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Ugh Connie.." she said, shaking her head. 

-

The next two days were kind of difficult for (Y/N). Jean had totally changed his behavior, he was more dry, took longer to respond, and even on their facetime call he didn't seem very interested. If she did want to facetime, he would claim he was busy or he didn't exactly seem to pay attention. 

Her mind raced with different thoughts about the situation. What if Jean was getting tired of her? What if this was the situation all of her friends told her about? How guys who live far end up leaving you for someone who lives near them. It hurt to think about. 

"I don't know his behavior just changed!" 

She was currently ranting to Sasha who came over for a bit. "He's been dry? I mean.. Connie can be dry," she replied, playing with her pillow. 

"No like overly dry, Jean is never dry! He always keeps the conversation going, he doesn't even send me good morning texts anymore either!" she said and sat up. 

Sasha nodded as she listened to her words. "Have you tried asking at all?" she asked. 

(Y/N) sighed. "I did on facetime and he sort of dodged the question," she replied. 

"I dunno (Y/N).. maybe just see what happens? Maybe he's got some personal stuff going on" Sasha said. 

(Y/N) shrugged. "Couldn't say.." 

A sudden ping from Sasha's phone made her ears chirp, she reached over and looked at her phone. She started jumping around excitedly. 

"What? What happened?" (Y/N) asked, furrowing her brows. 

Sasha looked at her. "I gotta go! Connie texted me about something.. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said, shoving her phone in her pocket. 

She felt confused as to why Sasha was leaving. "Uh.. yeah, okay. See you later," she replied and watched as Sasha exited her room and out the front door. 

She flopped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling as her mind clouded with thoughts about Jean. Her mind was playing scenarios she didn't want to see, Jean finding someone else would absolutely crush her. In a way, it would be for the best, considering they haven't even met, but she was in too deep with feelings. She didn't want anybody else. 

She grabbed her phone, she opened their messages and scrolled to see if there was anything she could have said to make him upset. Jean was always one to communicate with her, he'd always tell her if he was having a bad day or someone pissed him off. Why wasn't he doing that now? Her eyes scanned over the most recent message she sent.

7:21 P.M.<- (Y/N): did you go working out? i bet you're getting those gains! <3 lol.

Another sigh escaped her lips reading the words 'delivered'. What was going with him? 

-

It was Valentine's Day. 

(Y/N) wasn't exactly in the best mood today, that feeling of loneliness lingered in her mind as she scrolled through different couples getting gifts and going on special dates. All the things she yearned for. 

She sent Jean a message that morning and of course, he didn't respond. He read her messages from the previous night, but he never sent a genuine response. It made her heart feel heavy, maybe this was it. Maybe Jean just got tired of waiting around for her and found someone better. 

She shoved her phone into her pocket as she knocked on the door of Sasha's apartment. She looked around as many people exited their apartments. 

"Hey! You made it! We have all kinds of snacks!" Sasha yelled, opening the door so she could come inside. 

(Y/N) smiled and stepped in. The aroma of food filled her nose. "Wow Sasha.. this smells great," she said, taking off her shoes. 

Connie came in from the living room holding a plate. "Hey (Y/N)! Good to see you," he said and waved at her. 

She smiled as she plopped down at the kitchen table, she grabbed a few pieces of candy and tossed them into her mouth. She tried to forget the upsetting thoughts for the night. 

"You want something to eat?" Sasha asked as she came over with a plate of food. 

(Y/N) shook her head. "I'm fine.. thank you Sasha," she replied, looking down at the table. 

Connie came over and set a cup of soda in front of her. "Have something to drink at least," he said and sat next to Sasha. 

She swirled around the soda that bubbled towards the top. "Thanks.." she replied and took a sip of the lemon flavored soda. 

The two started eating and (Y/N) sat there looking at her phone, she silently hoped that Jean would message her back. It had been a few hours since she sent her last message, she felt disappointment going through her veins. She guessed that Jean was ghosting her, it hurt a ton, but there wasn't much she could do. 

"(Y/N)! Connie loved the gift!" Sasha said and wiped her mouth with the napkin. 

She nodded and gave a small smile. "Oh that's cool! I'm glad you liked it," she replied and looked towards Connie. 

He smiled. "Yeah it was dope! It had all my favorite snacks," he said, looking at Sasha with a grin.

(Y/N) felt the heaviness in her heart, she wished someone would look at her the way Connie looked at Sasha. 

"Hey what about that Jean guy you were talking to? I meant to ask," Connie asked and looked at her. 

She laughed a bit. "Uh.. well I don't know what's going on with that. He's been kind of distant lately so I guess he's getting tired of me. It's understandable I guess.." she replied, looking down at the floor. 

They could hear the sorrow in her voice. "I'm sorry (Y/N).. you'll find someone, I know you will." Sasha said.

She shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "I don't know guys.. I feel like after this I just wanna focus on me," she said, taking out her phone.

Connie looked over at her. "Don't say that now.. come on, have some hope." he said and gave a playful smile. 

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I'll try," she replied. 

Sasha and Connie finished up their food and cleaned the dishes, (Y/N) sat on the couch as the movie played on the tv. It was some romantic movie which she didn't even bother to pay attention to, she didn't exactly want to watch one at the moment. 

Sasha appeared in the living room, she had her phone in her hand. "Hey whatcha doing?" she asked, leaning over to look at her phone. 

"Oh nothing, just scrolling through Instagram," (Y/N) replied and clicked her phone off. 

A ping went off as Sasha got a notification, she looked at her phone as a grin displayed on her features making (Y/N) curious. 

"Did Connie send you nudes in the bathroom or something?" she asked and began to laugh.

A blush crept onto Sasha's cheeks. "What!? Absolutely not! You're so gross (Y/N)!" she yelled, hitting her arm. "Let's play a game, I'm bored." she added and stood up.

(Y/N) nodded. "A game? Sasha I'm not twelve.." she said and leaned against the couch. 

Sasha came in with what seemed to be a blindfold. "Come on! It's fun okay? You just have to feel something and guess what it is," she said, crossing her arms. 

"A blindfold? Jeez Sash.. didn't know you and Connie were into blindfolds," she said, starting to laugh. 

Sasha hit her arm playfully. "Shut up! No I'm not into blindfolds.. you're gross! Just come here," she said and waved her over.

(Y/N) stood up and tossed her phone onto the couch. She walked over to Sasha who seemed excited to play, she hoped that this game wouldn't be weird.

"Alright.. let's get started," Sasha said, going behind her to tie the blindfold over her eyes. 

She faintly heard the sound of the front door opening, she was confused as to who came in. Then she remembered Connie went to go throw out the garbage, so she figured it was Connie coming back in. 

"Okay first thing!" Sasha said and held out the item for her to touch. 

(Y/N)'s fingers brushed over the item, it felt cold. It felt like plastic too, was it a box? It felt smooth.

"Is this like.. a box or something?" she asked, looking around with the blindfold on. 

She heard giggles and laughs coming from Connie and Sasha. "Yeah it's a box! Here's the next item," Sasha said.

Her fingers brushed over the soft material, it felt velvety and smooth. It felt like petals from a flower. 

"Are these flowers?" she asked. 

"Damn (Y/N)! You're good at this! Here's the last thing," Connie said, his voice sounding faded. 

She furrowed her brows as she heard whispering and shuffling, she was tempted to remove the blindfold to see if they were playing a prank.

"Okay here," Sasha said. 

She reached out feeling something hard, it felt like.. a chest? Her brows furrowed again as she ran her fingers along it. 

"Sasha is this your chest? Connie is definitely not this muscular," (Y/N) asked, looking around for their voices. 

Sasha giggled. "No it's not me! You can take your blindfold off in a sec," she said, taking out her phone. 

(Y/N) felt nervous as she kept her hands on the person's chest, they felt warm and she could feel their heart racing against her skin. 

"Okay now!" Sasha yelled. 

(Y/N) removed her blindfold, letting her eyes adjust. When she looked up she was faced with the honey eyes of the person she least expected. 

It was Jean.

Her jaw dropped as her hands slapped over her mouth, she couldn't believe it. He held in his hands flowers and a box of chocolate, the flowers being her favorite. Roses. He stood there smiling at her reaction, she looked back seeing Sasha recording and Connie laughing.

"You're real.." (Y/N) said, looking at Jean with wide eyes. 

He smiled. "I'm real," he replied, opening his arms for her. 

She tackled him with a bone crushing hug, his arms wrapping around her waist surrounding her in his embrace. She inhaled his scent and let his warmth engulf her. 

Tears welled in her hues as she put her hands onto his face. "Pinch me please.." she said and laughed a bit. 

Jean chuckled, cupping her cheek. "I don't think you're dreaming," he replied, pulling her closer. 

"This is so cute I feel like a proud mom," Sasha said as she kept recording. 

(Y/N) looked back. "H-How? How did you get him here?" she asked and nodded. 

Connie rubbed the back of his neck. "We actually were both in on it, we paid for his ticket and everything. He's staying at my place actually," he said, smiling at her. 

"Sasha planned the game too," Jean added and looked towards the brunette. 

(Y/N) pulled Sasha into a tight hug. "I literally love you right now," she said as a few tears escaped down her cheeks. 

"Uh (Y/N)! I think you should be the one telling him that," Sasha said, pointing at Jean. 

She came back over to Jean who handed her the flowers. "Someone as beautiful as you are deserves these in person. Happy Valentine's Day beautiful," he said, smiling down at her. 

She laughed as she took the flowers, her heart swelling. "Thank you really.." she replied, pulling him into another hug. 

He put his arms around her, he felt his heart flutter as he felt her touch. "Do you want to..?" 

"Get out of here?" she asked, nodding. 

The two looked back at Sasha and Connie. "Knock yourselves out! Don't have too much fun (Y/N).." Connie said and smirked devilishly.

Heat rushed onto her cheeks. "I'd like to say the same to you both," Jean said, putting his arm around her shoulder. 

Connie and Sasha both turned red. "Okay! Bye Jean and (Y/N)! Have fun!" Sasha said and ran out of the room. 

They both turned to one another, laughs escaping both of their lips. "Let's go," she said, fishing around her pockets for her car keys. 

Jean followed her out of Sasha's apartment building to her car, his hands brushing over her fingers a few times making her cheeks hot. 

Once in the car, she began the drive back to her apartment. She couldn't keep her eyes off Jean, he looked so much better in person. All of his features stood out, his jawline, his hair, and his amazing eyes. 

"You know.. you're 100x more beautiful in person," Jean said, breaking the silence between them. 

She smiled. "Thank you… you're 100x more handsome," she replied and looked over at the passenger side. 

Jean felt his cheeks grow red from her words. "I never thought in a million years I'd meet you this soon," he said and leaned back in his seat. 

She laughed a bit. "I could say the same.. Sasha told me nothing about this," she replied, turning the steering wheel.

A chuckle erupted in his throat. "It was meant to be kept secret. Connie and Sasha both messaged me about it and I was in," he said.

"I thought you were ghosting me at first.. I was so bummed at her house,"

Jean looked over at her. "Oh never.. I'd never ghost you. Connie told me to just put distance so it wouldn't seem weird," he said, brushing his fingers over her arm.

Tingles ran around her body as he touched her. "I should have known something was up," she said and shook her head. "Anyway, we're here." she added, taking off her seatbelt. 

Jean exited the car with her. He followed her up the stairs to her apartment. She opened the door and removed her shoes, Jean stepped in and eyed the room. She kept it clean and organized. 

"Nice place," Jean said and smiled at her. 

She looked back at him. "Oh thank you.. it means a lot," she replied, placing his gifts on the counter. 

The two stood there for a moment just taking in their appearances. She felt her heart racing as Jean stood there eyeing her. 

"So um.. what do you wanna do?" Jean asked, looking down at her. 

She leaned against the wall. "I dunno.. maybe we can watch a movie in bed?" she asked, nodding.

"Sounds like a plan.. I gotta call Connie. He needs to drop my shit off in the morning if I'm sleeping here," he said and took out his phone. 

(Y/N) rocked on her heels. "Sounds good! Um.. I'll be right back, I'm gonna change." she replied and made her way to her room.

Jean texted Connie and within seconds he responded with an 'ok'. He walked towards the room where (Y/N) was, her room was decorated nicely. She knew how to keep it clean. He noticed the familiar sights he used to see on facetime. 

She came from the bathroom wearing shorts and a t-shirt. "Come sit," she said and hopped on her bed. 

Jean felt stiff, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable or make any moves that were too quick. 

"So uh… what kind of movie do you wanna watch?" he asked, looking at her nervously. 

"Hmm.. horror?" she replied, looking back at him as she turned on the tv. 

He nodded. "Sounds like a plan," he said and leaned back against the pillows on her bed. 

She put on one of the horror movies and lied down next to him, her hands brushed over his arm veins. She traced lines where his muscles were. Goosebumps littered onto his skin feeling her touch. 

"Don't be so stiff.. you aren't going to hurt me," (Y/N) said leaning up a bit. 

He felt his nerves loosen up at her words. "Sorry.. I just don't wanna come off as a creep," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. 

She giggled, moving his arm so it was now around her waist. "You aren't a creep to me at all," she said, laying her head on his chest. 

Jean's grip on her waist tightened as he brought her body closer to his. He imagined nights like these for so long, his arms around her holding her close so she never slips away. 

She felt so warm next to him. 

As the night went on, (Y/N) felt her eyes become droopy. She started to snooze against his chest, Jean smiled hearing her small snores and the way she twitched. He turned off the lamp and pulled the covers over the two of them. 

-

The next morning Jean was awoken by (Y/N) moving out of his embrace. Her eyes trying to get used to the light that shone into her room, she grabbed her phone, the time reading 10:12 A.M. 

She turned over to look at Jean who was awake. A giggle escaped her lips as she cuddled back into him. 

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," she said and traced his muscles with her fingers. 

He squeezed the flesh of her waist. "Don't worry about it," he replied and lied his chin onto her head. "What do you wanna do today, beautiful?" he asked.

She sighed. "Do you wanna just relax and chill? We don't have to go anywhere," she replied, looking up at him. 

"Sounds fine by me," Jean said, staring up at the ceiling. 

The two lied there for a few minutes before deciding to get dressed and ready for the day, Jean noticed his suitcases were at the front door. (Y/N) told him that Sasha had a spare key so she most likely stopped by while they were asleep. It made him laugh but also a little weirded out. 

They both changed and lied around (Y/N)'s place, they took many photos together and goofed off. She never felt happier than she did in those moments, Jean didn't want to stop touching her. He loved feeling her smooth skin against his, he held her hand or brushed against her arm. Not in a creepy way of course. 

It was around 6:30 in the afternoon, Jean and (Y/N) messed around in her apartment for most of the day. Watching movies, ordering food, taking photos, etc. It had been an amazing day. 

"Hey Jean.." (Y/N) said, reaching up to play with the strands of his hair. 

He looked down at her. "What's up?" he asked. 

She smiled. "Do you wanna go to the pier near my house? We can watch the sunset," she asked, nodding her head. 

His face lit up with excitement. "Hell yes! Let's go right now," he replied. 

The two rushed out of the apartment and went to her car, the sun was going to set pretty soon, so they wanted to get to the pier at a decent time to see it all. 

The car ride was fun, the two blasted music and sang along with the words. 

Eventually, the two arrived at the pier. Many people walked along the sidewalks with each other, the summer air felt nice. Jean held her hand as they made their way up to the dock, some people leaned along the sides talking with one another. 

The sun shined onto their faces, Jean's honey eyes looked like pure gold as the sun passed through them. 

The tide from the waves crashed below them the seagulls flew in the sky or onto the ground. 

"It's so pretty.." (Y/N) said, smiling as she leaned against the railing staring at the setting sun.

Jean admired the sky as it was painted with purples and oranges. "Yeah.. but not as pretty as you are," he said and held her hand in his. 

She looked absolutely stunning to him. The way the sun shined over her skin and the way the wind lightly blew along her hair made his heart swell. 

She was truly the most beautiful girl he ever laid his eyes on. 

"I always imagined coming here with you.. it was my dream date," she said and smiled.

Jean took her hand into his. "Can I ask you something?" he asked. 

She looked up at him. "Of course Jean," she replied and brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. 

He let out a shaky breath. "(Y/N)... I never thought I'd ever get to meet you, but now that I have I realized how amazing you are. You're so beautiful.. don't even get me started on your smile either. You've made today so great and I've been meaning to ask you this question for so long. My feelings for you are strong and I can't imagine my life without you by my side," he said. "Will you be my girlfriend?" 

She felt her heart burst at his words, she couldn't deny what she felt for Jean. "Yes! Yes!" she replied, putting her arms around his neck. 

He smiled as he put his arms around her waist. "I love you.." he whispered. 

Her eyes went wide. "I love you too.." she said, leaning into his face and pressing her lips onto his. 

The kiss was passionate, his lips felt smooth and soft. It took her breath away. 

"I promise I'll make you feel like a princess," Jean said and cupped her cheek. "I'll never let you go," he added. 

She felt small tears form into her eyes. "I'll never let you go either," she said and smiled at him.

They stood there for awhile watching as the sun slowly disappeared behind the clouds, the sky painted in bright oranges and dark blues. 

Arriving back home they both rushed up the stairs to her apartment. She unlocked it and pulled him into a heated kiss, the kiss feeling hot.

Jean made his way to the couch, his hands on her hips. "I didn't know you were this good of a kisser.." he whispered, smirking as he kissed her. 

"I guess we're both full of surprises," she replied and put her arms around his neck.

He sat down on the couch, her thighs on either side of his legs. "Wait.." Jean said, breaking the kiss between them. "I need to mention one more thing," he added, looking up at her. 

She nodded. "What's up?" she asked. 

He felt a smile grow onto his lips. "I know I leave in two days but.. I wanted to let you know that I was pricing apartments around here as well as schooling.. and I found out I got accepted," he said. 

Her jaw dropped hearing the news. "What!? No way! You're lying! Does that mean.." she said. 

"I won't be far away anymore my love," he replied, cupping her cheek. "It's gonna take awhile for me to move in, but I should be here by the end of next month." 

She felt excitement coursing through her. "That's great!" she said. 

"I mean it when I say it that I do love you (Y/N).. it's not me saying that to impress you, I truly do." he said, smiling at her. "I can't imagine myself with anyone else. I want a future with you," he added. 

She felt a smile grow onto her cheeks. "I love you too Jean… I want you with me forever," she said, running her fingers along his face. 

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her lips. "Your wish is granted baby," he said and pressed his lips against hers. 

She giggled, leaning down towards him. "What do you say we celebrate?" she asked, smirking. 

He eyed her hungrily. "Oh you wanna be like that huh? Consider it your special Valentine's Day treat," he replied, bringing her body close to his.