#and yeah Chem is gonna be hard but a lot of the assignments are just practice problems

[starbuck]

me last semester: i am NOT taking four courses again! no way!

me now: *clown shoes jingling as i go to sign up for my fourth course*

[daveeddiggsit]

Game Time

WIDEOUT MASTERLIST

Series: WIDEOUT

Note: Well, it’s been two years since I’ve updated this series and I missed it so much. This one was a lot of fun to write. Can you tell I thirsted hard for Diggs in a football uniform? Let me know what you all think!! And let me know if you wanna be tagged in future installments! :)

Word Count: 4.6k

Pairing: Football Player!Thomas Jefferson x Reader

Warnings: nothing really. kissing, some language? football lingo

Summary: When you’re assigned to tutor Thomas Jefferson in chemistry, you find out that there’s more to him than just football. After you start dating, you attend your first football game to see him play for the first time.

Tagging: @coololdsoulpoetlove​​ @wreakhavoconmacroissantdiggs​​ @merrahonthawall​ @katierpblogg​ @thespianbooks​ @a-hopeless-fan​ @uniquelystarchildthedragon​ @wcreech​ @sabbrriiinnaa​ @imperial-martian​ @harpersmariano​ @icanneverbesatisfied​ @underthewillowtreerycb​ 

The hallway buzzes with sound and activity as you and Maria get your books out of your lockers.

As you close your locker and slip your bag on your shoulder, you can’t help but smile when you think of the events that happened this past weekend. Images of Thomas’ bright grin and his soft gaze right before and after your first kiss flash through your brain as you get lost in your thoughts.

“Y/N, are you even listening?” Maria’s voice brings you back to reality.

Your eyes snap over to her and you give her a guilty simper. “No, sorry. What were you saying? I’m listening now.”

“I was asking if you’re ready for the chem test tomorrow…” Your best friend trails off, narrowing her eyes at you, obviously suspicious of something.

“Oh uh, yeah.” You chuckle a bit nervously. “I’m always ready, M. Are you?”

“Mhm,” she starts before continuing without taking a breath, “Are you okay? I feel like there’s something up with you. You’re like… radiating this weird energy. You haven’t stopped smiling all morning. Not that it’s a bad thing, but...”

Your eyebrows scrunch together as you try to play dumb. “What do you mean? I’m not smiling now… What weird energy? I’m fine.” You say before your eyes flicker over Maria’s shoulder to see Thomas coming in your direction. Butterflies erupt in your stomach at the sight of him and against your will, that smile Maria mentioned finds its home on your face once more.

“See? There it is again.” Your best friend accuses, pointing a finger at you. Your gaze shifts back to her for a second and you shake your head, pursing your lips to force the smile that won’t go away. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Um... “ You trail off before your eyes flicker over her shoulder again. Thomas catches your gaze and winks as he makes his way over.

“What are you looking at?” Maria asks before she turns around to see your boyfriend approach you two. And suddenly, she thinks she understands.

“Well, would you look at that?” She turns back to you with a smirk, her tone teasing. “It’s your beau.”

Yeah, no kidding. She doesn’t know, yet, does she?

Thomas is grinning when he reaches you and his smile is contagious. He swoops down to press his lips to your cheek sweetly before draping his arm across your shoulders.

“Reynolds.” Thomas greets Maria with a nod, smirking at her wide-eyed expression. Her realization is evident on her face as she puts one and one together.

“Jefferson.” Maria replies, sobering up before she narrows her eyes at him. Oh, she fully understands what’s going on now. 

Thomas looks away from Maria to look down at you.

“Mornin’, sweetheart.”

You look up at him, your grin unfaltering. “Hi, T.”

“Meet me at the field after school? I wanna show you something.” Thomas says, his gaze soft and smile warm.

You nod, causing his smile to widen. 

“Okay, cool.” Your boyfriend leans down to press a kiss to the crown of your head before he lets you go and takes a step back. “Alright, ladies, as much as I wanna stay, I have to go and round up the boys. Make sure they get to class on time and blah blah blah. Team captain duties. I’ll see y’all in class.”

Maria rolls her eyes before deadpanning. “Of course you have to do ‘team captain duties.’”

Thomas just shrugs. Before he can leave, you pull something out of your backpack and call out to him.

“Oh, hey, T! Wait, before you go.” He turns to you, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips, giving you his undivided attention. “Here’s your hoodie back. Thanks for letting me borrow it on Saturday.”

The football player sends you a genuine smile. “Keep it. I want you to wear it for the game on Friday. It’ll be cold out and I want you to have some sort of school pride.”

Your jaw drops at his teasing jab. “I have school spirit!”

“Maybe I just want you wearing my hoodie, then.” He smirks before he quickly continues. “Alright, I’ll see y’all.” He waves, before he nods at the hoodie in your arms and gives you a pointed look. “That’s my favorite hoodie. I trust you with it. Keep it safe.”

You laugh and give him a mock salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”

Maria watches your encounter with her arms crossed. So when Thomas finally leaves and you turn back to her after putting the hoodie back in your bag, she gives you a look that says, “What the fuck, Y/N?”

A sheepish grin shows up on your face. “Yes?”

“You, uh… wanna tell me what the fuck just happened?”

A teacher passes by at that exact moment, reprimanding Maria on his way past. “Language, young lady.”

You both ignore him.

“Uh… yeah.” You start, walking towards class and Maria falls into step with you. “So, Thomas and I are dating now… as you probably found out.”

“You didn’t think it’d be important to disclose this information?”

“I’m sorry, M. I’ve just been stuck in my own head since it happened on Saturday and—”

“I knew it! I knew y’all weren’t just gonna study!” She exclaims, causing some students to turn their heads. She drops down to a reasonable tone before she continues. “Tell. Me. Everything.”

Her reaction causes you to laugh. “Ugh, you sound like my brother.”

“I’m basically your sister. Now, tell me everything. All the details!”

“I mean… after his practice we just went back to his house and Thomas convinced me to watch this show he’s in love with because apparently I remind him of one of the characters.”

“What show?”

“Futurama.”

“Gross.”

“Right? That’s what I thought!” You laugh before you continue. “Anyway, so I told him I’d watch one episode after he showered—”

“Ooh, spicy—”

“Not that kind of story, Maria.” You deadpan and she simpers. “So we watched the episode, and I told him it was kinda dumb and one thing led to another and next thing you know we’re…” You lower your voice, “Making out on his couch. Then he asked me, well more like told me, to be his girlfriend. I agreed. Here we are.”

“Making out? That sounds pretty spicy to me, Y/N.” She wriggles her eyebrows at you. 

“Oh my God, you’re terrible. And can you not use that word?” You groan, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation.

“No, but seriously, Y/N.” Maria says genuinely. “That’s actually really cute. I’m really happy for you guys.”

You smile at her before pulling her into a hug. “Thanks, M. Means a lot.”

She returns the hug for a few seconds before she pulls back to point a finger at you. “He breaks your heart, though, and he’s a dead man.”

“Oh, I know.” You laugh outwardly as you two head into your first class of the day. 

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

“Why’d you want me to meet you here?” You ask Thomas. You enter the gated entrance to the track and football field, one of your hands intertwined with his.

“You’ll see.” He says, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Thomas,” you groan, impatience evident in your tone. “Don’t you have practice today? You’re not gonna make me sit through another one, are you?”

Thomas laughs heartily and shakes his head. “Nah. Practice isn’t until 7 today, so we’re fine. And I thought you enjoyed the view when you watched me practice on Saturday.”

You roll your eyes and look up at him. “I did…” You trail off and his eyebrows raise slightly at your confession (though it isn’t much of a confession anymore since you two are together now). “But that doesn’t mean that I wanna come spend my free time watching a bunch of dudes run around with a ball and tackle each other while getting yelled at by Coach Washington.”

He grins at that, looking down at his shoes for a second. “Understandable. I wouldn’t wanna listen to Coach’s yellin’ in my free time either.”

You two take your first steps on the turf of the football field and Thomas leads you towards the yellow field goal post.

“Anyway, why’d you bring me to the field, T? You said you wanted to show me something?” You ask, thoroughly confused.

“Yeah, I got something in mind.” He says softly, his gaze making you feel warm. “Remember how you said that we’ve never been on an official date before? On Saturday?”

You nod in response.

“Well, this is me changing that.”

“Aw, really?” Your heart swells and he nods.

“Mhm. But first, I gotta make sure of something.”

You raise an eyebrow and Thomas’ smile turns smug.

“Alright, darlin’, what,” he begins before letting go of your hand to gesture to the area around you two, “is this area called?”

You look around briefly before you tilt your head to look at him. Narrowing your eyes, you cross your arms and deadpan. “Seriously?”

“Ahh, you thought I forgot about our little football tutoring sessions, didn’t you?” His grin is playful as he watches you with an amused gaze. “Consider this a pop quiz. You need to be prepared before Friday.”

“I thought this was supposed to be a ‘real date,’ Thomas, not another tutoring session.” The look you give him is serious, but your tone is teasing. “Also, you know we have an actual test tomorrow for Chem, right? We should be studying for that.”

“Oh, I have been, sweetheart, trust me. I studied for a few hours yesterday.”

You cock your head to the right, grinning at him, unconvinced. “Did you, really?”

“You don’t believe me?” Thomas gasps dramatically, putting a hand over his heart. “Y/N, that wounds me.”

You chuckle and shake your head at him, thinking back to when you saw the open chemistry textbook on his desk. He’s definitely telling the truth.

“I believe you, Jefferson. Just a little surprised since it’s always a drag to get you to study for that class.”

“Hey, now, I’ve gotten better over time.” He sends you a pointed look.

“Yeah, that explains why we got nothing done on Saturday.”

“You were just as distracted as I was! Don’t gimme that. I’m not the only one at fault here, missy.” He takes a step closer and towers over you, but your gaze is challenging as you look up at him.

“I mean… you’re the one who forced me to watch Futurama.” You shrug, watching him deadpan. You wonder how much further you can tease him before you rile him up. “And you are the one who kissed me first, which then led to us being unproductive for the rest of the day. So, yeah, I’d say you’re the one at fault.”

Thomas just narrows his eyes as he looks down at you. One of his hands comes down to grab hold of your waist to bring you closer to him.

“Oh, so it’s like that, huh?” He asks, his voice low in tone.

“It’s like that, T.” You say, bringing your hands up to his chest.

“Did you forget that you kissed back? Or that you kissed me the second time? I’d say it was a mutual effort, darlin’. As good of a student you think you are, you pushed back studyin’ just as much as I did.”

He’s right. You are as guilty as he is. And right now, you’re even more guilty because you’re just trying to distract him from giving you your impromptu football lesson. 

You grin at that, leaning up to bring your face closer to his. “Alright, you win. Can’t argue with that.”

“Yeah?” He smiles down at you, his nose brushing against yours.

“Yeah.” You murmur before you push yourself up on your tiptoes to press your lips to his briefly. His arms pull you closer to him as he reciprocates the kiss and deepens it by leaning down and tilting your head up to thread his fingers into your hair. Thomas pulls away suddenly and you find yourself chasing his lips as he retreats.

“Uh uh, I know what you’re doing, sweetheart.” Thomas says, short of breath but grinning at the same time. “You think you’re slick, but I know exactly what you’re up to.”

“What am I up to, Thomas?” Your hands slide down his chest and arms until you lace your fingers with his once more.

He gives you a knowing look. “You’re tryin’ to get outta this tutoring session, but I’m not havin’ it.”

You send him an innocent simper. “Guilty.”

Thomas just chuckles and pecks you on the lips. “I forgive you.”

He then leads you a few feet forward until you're standing in the middle of the painted ‘Panther’ letters in the end zone. “Alright, let’s try this one more time. What is this area called?”

You sigh and look around, taking a second to think. Thomas watches you intently as you rack your brain for the answer. “Um… the end zone?”

A bright grin spreads across Thomas’ face as he beams with pride. “That’s it! You’re so smart, baby.”

You can’t help but smile at his praise as you two start walking again, this time towards center field. He points to the goal line as you walk over it. “When the ball crosses this line, it’s a touchdown, meaning that the team has scored. So, when I cross this line, you better be cheering on the sideline.”

You raise an eyebrow at him. “When you cross this line?”

“Yes.” He says, an aura of pretentiousness surrounding him. “Oh, it’ll happen, sweetheart.”

You breath out a laugh, rolling your eyes at him. “You’re so cocky sometimes.”

“Hey, I prefer the word ‘confident’.”

You shake your head, biting your lip in amusement.

You two walk for a bit longer and your heartbeat quickens when you see a beautiful picnic set up in the middle of the huge Panther logo at center field. Your eyes widen in surprise as you look up at Thomas and he’s smiling genuinely at you, one of the smiles that make the corners of his eyes crinkle. And just like that the butterflies are back.

“You did this for me?” You ask, feeling elated.

“I had some help from the guys.” He explains softly. “They went out to pick up the food during their free period.”

You make a mental note to thank James and Aaron later.

“Thomas, this is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” Your voice is quiet as you look at the picnic (take out from the Thai place you went to a couple months back lies in the middle of the blanket). “Seriously, thank you, T.”

Thomas grins as you lean up to kiss him once more.

“Let’s eat, yeah?” He says before you both go to sit down and open your take out boxes.

After all the food is gone, you just lay on the blanket with Thomas and watch the clouds go by. You can’t stop thinking about how normal everything feels with your boyfriend. You haven’t been together for more than a few days, but it feels like you’ve known each other for years. You’ve never experienced this amount of closeness or intimacy with someone… and it feels so… natural.

“Hey, T?” You ask, voice quiet as you sit up with your legs crossed under you.

“Hmm?” Thomas hums, eyes closed, still laying down. His arm extends out towards you and you take his hand in both of yours. You busy yourself by lightly running your fingers over the lines and grooves of his larger hand.

“You know how you have a secret handshake with James? And the rest of your teammates?”

“Mhm, why?” He asks, opening his eyes to glance over at you. His hand clasps around one of yours and his thumb caresses the top of it.

“We should have one, too.”

Your boyfriend grins at that. “You serious?”

You nod and shrug. “Yeah, it’d be cool.”

“Okay.” He moves to sit up so that he’s right across from you, your hand still in his. “Let’s see what we can come up with.”

You spend the next 20 minutes going through different hand motions and taps to figure out which one would be the best for you two. Both of you look like you’re having a blast creating it.

“Alright, alright, I think we’ve got something here.” Thomas says. “Let’s do it slowly.”

You nod and you extend your hand out to meet his. Your palms meet sideways, then the backs of your hands touch before you tap your palms together again twice. Then, your hands move up to the sides of Thomas’ head to touch his forehead to yours.

You both are grinning as you pull back.

“I think that’s it, T.”

He laughs before leaning forward to kiss you on the nose.

“Can’t wait to do it on game day.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

It’s finally Friday. After a long week of waiting, game day has finally come.

When you and Maria arrive at the football field, the bleachers aren’t completely filled yet and both teams are warming up and stretching on the turf. You follow Maria to the sidelines so that she can start setting up. While she unpacks her camera, your eyes scan the field for a certain athlete whose jersey number happens to be 14.

You spot Thomas stretching in the middle of the field as he talks to James and Aaron. It’s the first time you see him in uniform and you have to admit… he looks hot. His helmet is off, so you can see the black lines drawn under his eyes along with the headband that spans across his forehead, holding his hair out of his face. His purple jersey hugs his form tightly, making his athletic form way more prominent than usual. On top of that, he seems to have pulled up the bottom of his jersey to reveal his abs as he stretches out. You can’t say you’re surprised to see Thomas Jefferson working out in a crop top.

Thomas seems to be speaking when James looks over in your direction and waves, causing you to wave back. He then says something to Thomas and nods in your direction, bringing your boyfriend’s attention to you. Thomas grins when he sees you, dismisses himself from his teammates, and runs over to you after picking up his helmet to carry it with him.

“Ladies, good to see you.” Your boyfriend greets the both of you as he puts his helmet on the ground. “Maria, nice to see you shooting again. Y/N, it’s great seeing you finally come to a game. Nice hoodie, by the way.” He says, sending you a wink, which causes you to blush.

“Mhm…” Maria hums, distracted by building her camera up and checking all the settings.

“Happy to cheer you on, T. It’s weird seeing you in uniform.” You grin, looking him up and down while biting your lip.

“What’d’ya think, sweetheart? How do I look?” Thomas asks, blue-steeling as if he’s posing for a magazine cover. His gloved hands gesture down his body, highlighting his form like he’s a show girl.

“Like a football player.” You laugh loudly at his antics and bite your lip while he grins at you. “But very handsome, T. I’m loving all the purple. The sleeve is a nice touch, too.”

He chuckles and poses by putting a hand on his hip dramatically, accentuating the purple sleeve on his right arm that hugs his toned bicep. “Yeah? You like it?”

And at that moment, Thomas’ teammates interrupt by yelling in the distance.

“Yeah, Jefferson! Get it!” Burr shouts, causing the football players around him to laugh along and follow along with his teases.

“Strut yo’ stuff!”

“Work it, TJeffs! Show us what you got, pretty boy!” James yells, pretending to take pictures of him like he’s a photographer at a fashion show. Thomas continues to dance around and strut like he’s a supermodel walking on a runway. Meanwhile, Maria is rolling her eyes by your side while you grin and shake your head at Thomas’ and his teammates’ tomfoolery.

Thomas keeps strutting and dancing for a little longer before he stops and shakes his head, laughing at himself.

“Alright, darlin’, I gotta get back.” He says, grabbing his helmet off the ground. He reaches his hand out and you extend yours to do your special handshake like you practiced the other day. 

“Good luck, T.” You say, tapping your hand against his twice. “Kill it out there.” Thomas leans his forehead down to press against yours to complete the handshake. 

“Oh I will, baby, trust me.” He says before winking and leaning in to give you a quick peck on the lips. Then, he starts backing away from you and slips his helmet on. “Panther Pride, remember?” You nod, grabbing and ruffling your (Thomas’) purple Panther Football hoodie. He gives you a quick salute before he turns around to run and warm up with his teammates.

“Y’all are too damn much…” Maria mutters as she changes the lens on her camera.

You pout at her words. The last thing you want is to become one of those annoying clingy couples that make out in the hallways between every class. “Are we really?”

She just looks up at you and smiles softly. It eases your feelings a bit. “A bit too much… but it’s cute. I think you guys are good for each other.”

You give her a shy grin and glance over at Thomas in the near-distance with his back turned to you who seems to be in the zone as he talks to his coach. He (unfortunately) pulls down his jersey so it covers his abs. Probably for game regulation purposes.

“Thanks, Maria.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

The game has been going back and forth since kickoff. While your team is the first to score in the first quarter, the other team quickly retaliates with a touchdown of their own to even the score. The frustration shown on Coach Washington’s face and through his body language grows more evident as the game goes on.

Right after halftime, the Panthers get a lucky break and Thomas catches a touchdown pass, putting you up by one point. It’s the first time you’ve seen him score, and he knows that, so you’re extremely ecstatic and a sense of pride fills you up. He celebrates in the end zone by dancing with his teammates hitting his helmet and jumping up and down around him. When they break away and Thomas goes running back to the sideline, he blows a kiss in your direction which makes you grin.

That happy moment doesn’t last long, however, because the Beavers come right back with a touchdown of their own, which puts them in the lead once more. After that, the scoreboard goes dry with neither team scoring for a great chunk of time.

The stakes are high. It’s a playoff game, which means that the bleachers for both the Home and Away sides of the stadium are full with fans. The stadium roars with supporters for each side. Everyone seems to be in their zone.

Maria, while she’d left you occasionally throughout the game to get a certain shot of a player or staff member, is beside you, shooting consistently and concentrating on the play that is about to happen. You look for Thomas who is on the field in a huddle with his teammates fulfilling his role as team captain. It seems that he’s hyping them up and giving them a motivational speech so they can close out the game and come out on top.

There are 13 seconds left in the 4th quarter. The Panthers are down by one and Coach Washington is yelling a play into the mic on his headset. The huddle around Thomas breaks and the players all go to line up at the line of scrimmage at center field.

You can’t help but watch Thomas as he moves. Your eyes have been on him all night; he’s the reason why you’re there, anyway. He’s the only reason why you learned the rules of football in the first place. It’s also a plus that he looks extremely attractive in all his glory: muscles and talent and all. It isn’t until now that you understand all of the stigma and hype around him at school; he’s great at what he does, and it’s no wonder why he’s so highly regarded as an athlete at your school.

After a few moments of quiet, the ball snaps and all the players on the field go into motion. Thomas takes off quickly from his initial position at the line of scrimmage and runs towards the end zone while trying to juke his defender. The quarterback throws the ball in Thomas’ direction and he is able to create just enough space between him and his defender to catch the ball, causing you along with the Home crowd to go wild.

He sprints it back to the end zone with his defender hot on his heels. The defender tackles him, but it’s too late. Thomas has already gotten the ball past the goal line, signifying that the Panthers have won the game.

For a moment, you’re worried that he’d gotten hurt while tackled, but he’s up and celebrating by spiking the football in no time.

“We won!” Maria says beside you before she turns her camera to capture the team’s reactions and celebrations on the field.

“We won!” You echo and you find that it’s the first time you’ve been truly excited about a sports win. You know how much this means to Thomas, and because of that, it means a lot to you, too.

Thomas’ teammates surround him in the end zone jumping up around him and pushing him around excitedly. He chest bumps and touches helmets with James and a few more of his teammates before the two teams line up to shake hands. After Coach Washington congratulates him, he starts to run over to you. 

You find yourself growing more and more excited the closer he gets and when he reaches you, you’re grinning wide. You push up his helmet to expose his face and you both lean in for a celebratory kiss. You hear Maria’s camera click beside you as you both smile against one another. 

“Proud of you, T.” You murmur when you pull back. Thomas looks like he wants to go in for another kiss, but his teammates interrupt by crowding around him from behind.

“You girls may wanna get away from here because Jefferson here is about to get drenched with Gatorade.” Burr warns you and Maria.

You both nod and back away from the scene and you mouth, “see you in a bit,” to Thomas. He nods before going to celebrate with his teammates.

When you and Maria get a safe distance away, Maria looks through the photos on her camera.

“Aw, you guys are adorable. That’s definitely going in the yearbook.” She says before tilting the camera so you can see a nice photo of you and Thomas kissing with his teammates excited about the playoff win in the background. You flush at seeing the image.

“Maria…” You trail off, your jaw slack from amazement. “That picture is amazing. My best friend is so talented.”

“Aw, thank you, girl.” She says, giving you a hug. “I’m just happy you’re happy.”

You smile before looking back at Thomas once more. He looks like he’s having the time of his life with his teammates and as he’s getting drenched with water and Gatorade, his gaze catches yours and you feel your heart soar when his grin seems to brighten (if that’s even possible) at the sight of you.

You are happy. He makes you happy.

[dreaming-of-assclass]

Do you have any science project group headcanons like for groups like Nagisa, Kayano, Maehara, and Kataoka that were grouped for science class like in season 1 episode 5 (Assembly Time)

Oooooh! Love asks like these!!! 💚

And thanks to this post by the awesome @/greengargouille, we know all the canon groups!

Itona and Ritsu aren’t in official groups, so I put them in where I thought they’d fit in best!

1. Isogai, Mimura, Nakamura, Okano

Wow...I forgot that Nakamura and Okano were ever in the same group

But I love it because I HC their friendship to be a casual but hella fun one

Isogai and Mimura are old friends from last year! I imagine there’s slight awkwardness on Mimura’s side given that they’re in different friend groups now. But Isogai is very friendly and aware, so it passes pretty soon

Nakamura is one of the biggest causes of Isogai’s headaches lmao. But hey, at least they’re on the same wavelength academically.

POOR OKANO. SHE IS A JOCK SURROUNDED BY ACADEMICS.

Well at least she’s interested in science and it’s her best subject. She still feels bored unless they’re dealing with physics, then she’s completely on top of her game.

Nakamura and Okano are the chaotic half. Isogai and Mimura are the ones who wanna get shit done. Unless the girls manage to drag poor Mimura into doing dumb stuff

Have I ever told you guys that once in my Chemistry lab, one of my friends and I managed to break the sink faucet? Like we destroyed it lmfao

That is Nakamura and Mimura friendship energy ngl

Okano is one of Isogai’s most dependable close friends, but she also loves to annoy him for no reason sometimes.

So she’ll ask obvious questions with a smug smile, trying to watch his patience explode. But jokes on her because Isogai has an infinite amount of patience sadly

2. Kurahashi, Yada, Takebayashi, Kimura

They’re a...fairly productive group lmao

Tbh I don’t think Kurahashi is the type to really pay attention to any science outside of biology like me

So she’ll be a BEAST when it comes to that and get 100′s on everything. But like in chem and physics, she’s not as great

Yada is the best at design and organization, so she always takes that job. Making colorful presentation slides? She got it. Need to type up the final report in a google doc? Yep, she’s your girl

Kimura is a gremlin, like I always say. He’s the clown of the group lmfao and will spend more time stalling and messing around than doing actual work

He also tends to lowkey distract Kurahashi with unrelated convos. He tries to talk to Yada too, but she goes into girlboss mode and ignores him

Guys, everyone give it up for Takebayashi. King is hard carrying this entire group

He’s the one who stays the most focused but on occasion can be distracted by Kimura bringing up topics they’re both into, like certain comics or something.

Kurahashi and Yada also can get caught up in their own conversations since they’re besties. Also they will roast the boys all they want, if they feel like it.

All around, they’re kind of a mediocre group haha

3. Nagisa, Kayano, Maehara, Kataoka, Ritsu

Woah I LOVE this combination of students

I couldn’t help but add Ritsu here hehe. I also like the idea that she’s kind of attached to Kataoka in the beginning, considering all their moments together in canon.

Nagisa and Kataoka act like parent friends, as usual. They’re the ones who wanna work diligently and just get things done.

Maehara and Kayano are the more lenient ones haha. They’ll claim that they have low attention spans. Both Kayano and Maehara much prefer labs and getting to do cool science stuff, at least. 

Also!! It’s good that they’re in this group because they’re social types who can reach out to other groups and get help/answers from them ^^

Kataoka, sighing: “Well, Maehara, at least you have a talent for networking, I guess.”

Ritsu is in between the lenient side and the diligent side. She’s very good at science and can do her work very well!! But sometimes she gets swayed by Maehara and Kayano’s fun attitudes and doesn’t concentrate haha

Kayano keeps getting flustered whenever she’s sitting right besides Kataoka haha. Bonus points if their arms brush or she has to lean over her or something.

Also best believe there’s lots of Big-brother-Maehara and Little-brother-Nagisa moments

4. Kanzaki, Hazama, Yoshida, Muramatsu, Terasaka

So...this is basically just AU where Kanzaki joins the Disaster Squad lmfao

Hazama, Yoshida, Muramatsu, and Terasaka are already besties, we know this. They’re probably totally used to working together.

Enter Kanzaki. A newcomer.

Lmao I don’t think she’d be totally friendly at first. I think she’d be polite but distant, and barely speak up unless they were discussing.

Sgsjhakdj who thought putting the squad together was gonna lead to productivity, they’re probably gonna create so much chaos lmao

Something definitely explodes at least once.

They’re dealing with an acidic chemical and literally the whole class manages to not get burned, except for Terasaka. 

Yoshida voice: “dude you had ONE job”

After a couple classes, Kanzaki breaks out of her shell more and more, and she gets pretty chill with them.

She’s closest with Hazama, and they like to roast the boys at times. Also have random literature discussions that drive Terasaka crazy. “Can y’all not? Like this is literally physics class?”

The squad teasing Yoshida about his crush on Kanzaki whenever he blushes or stutters talking to her

Idk why but I really like the idea of a Kanzaki and Muramatsu friendship

5. Hayami, Okuda, Karma, Chiba, Okajima

AWKWARD

THIS IS SUCH AN ODD GROUP LMAO

My bestie Nao made a post on them before which I love

And yeah...I don’t have much to add lol.

Chiba and Karma definitely join forces to insult Okajima at some point

Okajima kind of constantly digs himself into a grave with stupid comments. He almost dies after pointing out how Karma and Hayami act like cats

Okuda doesn’t have to carry the group that much since they’re all fairly smart for the most part. But if you want verified answers, then yeah definitely check in with her

6. Sugino, Fuwa, Hara, Sugaya, Itona

I think this is a really cute and funny group

Sorry, couldn’t resist adding Itona mainly because Hara is in it, and I would love their interactions in a schoolwork-group setting

Tbh?? None of them are very sciency lmao, so they’re that one group you always see in irl class that are very lost. And they’re super vocal about how confused they are adjkhjda

Sugaya, yelling across the room: “Can someone help us? Please?”

Hara takes the reins as leader but more in like a “getting everyone organized and harmonious” way

Sugino takes the charge in the actual lesson work and lab stuff, but he really shouldn’t lmao. I love the boy, he’s a talented genius in so many ways, but he leads them to chaos

Fuwa surprisingly isn’t as vocal in these groups as she usually is. In fact, it’s a little concerning how quiet she- WAIT FUWA ARE YOU REALLY WRITING FANFICTION IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR LAB

#fuwagotexposed

Itona, as usual, is around to make blunt and sarcastic comments that are in no way helpful. If you voice this to him, he will insult your intelligence even more while still looking adorable

He especially comes at Sugino and Sugaya, who feel very attacked. Like?? WHAT DID I DO TO YOU ITONA?

I feel like...while the group descends into confused chaos, Itona just watches with blunt criticisms. Then in the very last seven minutes of class, he takes over and finishes the assignment with 100% accuracy

Sugaya: “YOU LITTLE BASTARD GENIUS-”

Sugino: “WHY DIDN’T YOU DO THIS EARLIER?”

[bastardtetsu]

critical thinking | ch③

pairing: kuroo tetsuro x gn!reader

genre: college au, enemies to lovers, tsundere!reader, slow burn

wc: 2.3k

warnings: swearing, being a theatre major

※ mlist | ① ② ● ④

there is no greater hell than finals week as a college theatre major.

and this year, on top of juries to prep for, studio scenes & dance combos to rehearse, essays to write, exams to study for, and rehearsals to attend for the show you’re in, your chemistry teacher decided to assign a final project in addition to the final exam. rejoice.

it was enough trying to study for the written final while staying on top of all your other assignments and obligations - you’d busted your ass so hard leading up to the exam that you hardly had time to think about the project until a week before its due date. and even when you do start thinking about it, you barely understand what you’re supposed to be doing, much less have the time or energy to try and figure it out.

you end up texting kuroo in desperation and make him agree to meet up with you for an extra tutoring session, however, due to your extra-chaotic schedule this week, the only time you’re both able to meet up is after your all-day rehearsal the sunday night before the project is due.

it’s better than nothing, you suppose.

still, you don’t fully realize the consequences of your choices until you’re exhausted on your way back from your second consecutive day of 12-hour tech rehearsals - a pretty standard tech week schedule in the professional theatre world, but not very convenient for a college student during finals.

needless to say, you’re dead tired. the last thing you want is to fry your brain even further with chemistry & kuroo’s smart mouth, but at this point you have no choice.

as you approach him in the library, you notice he’s dressed way more casually than usual. this shouldn’t come as a shock, seeing that it’s 11pm on a sunday, but the way his t-shirt and sweatpants accentuate his figure is actually insulting. somehow the way the fabric stretches around his pecs makes his chest look even broader, and christ you were not expecting his arms to be THAT toned.

NOPE. now is not the time, you remind yourself. you have a project due in ten hours. you can feel a headache coming on as your stress levels rise again.

“evening,” he greets you with a smile.

“hey,” you respond shortly as you set your stuff down, “thanks for meeting with me this late.”

“of course,” he replies, “anything for my favorite student.”

“…are you being sarcastic?”

“no.”

“i’m your favorite?” you question skeptically. “jesus, who else are you tutoring…”

“well I didn’t say you were my best student—“

“cool, i’m gonna stop you there.”

he just giggles. asshole.

you let out a fatigued sigh as you plop down in your chair. this feels like your first moment of rest all day, but in reality it’s just the start of the most difficult battle of them all. you attempt to gather up the remnants of your brainpower, silently praying that kuroo will decide to behave himself.

“you don’t seem like you’re in the mood for chemistry tonight.”

some prayers must go unanswered.

“yeah, i’ve had a long day,” you reply unenthusiastically, “so i’d really like to get this done as quickly as possible.”

“really? that’s gonna be difficult in your condition,” he jeers.

“well i don’t have much choice, do i?” you snap back a bit too aggressively.

“guess not,” he shrugs nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair with his hands resting behind his head. what is with this attitude? is he really just being a dick right now? and WHY do his arms look so god damn tasty??

you can already feel your sanity slipping away as you try to will yourself to focus on anything that’s not kuroo’s juicy biceps flexing through the fabric of his t-shirt. or his chest. or the little strip of exposed skin that’s appeared just below the hem of his shirt - fuck.

focus, you instruct yourself. your brain, however, is already giving out, the stress of not just the day, but the whole week finally catching up to you. the possibility of having something passable to turn in by tomorrow morning seems further and further away.

“look,” you sigh, leveling with him, “we both know i’m awful at chem—“

“really??”

“shut up,” you cut him off quickly, “and i’ve had a long ass week dealing with all this other shit on my plate and i’m really fucking tired and i just want to get a good grade on this so i can graduate, so can you please, PLEASE just—“

“if you’re gonna ask me to do the assignment for you, I already did it.”

a pause.

“wait. what do you mean-“

“i did the assignment for you. project’s done.”

“um,” you stutter, dumbfounded. “excuse me?”

“what, you thought i was gonna let you do it yourself? after you procrastinated it til the literal night before?” he says with an especially wide grin, “it would be irresponsible for me as a tutor if I let my student do so poorly! granted, she’s really bad at this—“

“ok shut up,” you cut him off. your mind is swirling with a mixture of shock, gratitude, and rage as you process his words. “when did you—“

“this week. after you texted me.”

“what?” you cry, “why are we even meeting up then?”

“i dunno,” he responds with a coy smirk, “it would’ve been rude to cancel.”

the swell of gratitude in your chest is overtaken by the growing wave of rage.

“so you decided to waste *more* of my time,” you state pointedly, “when you literally have enough to do an entire final project just for funsies. cool.”

“hey, show a little more gratitude,” he whines, quirking an eyebrow in annoyance, “you’re the one who left it til the last minute.”

“i’m the one?” you shoot back, “you still think i’m just procrastinating because i’m lazy??”

“look, i know finals are demanding—“

“no, I don’t think you do know,” you cut him off, now fuming. “you want a rundown of my week? i can give it to you.” you list off all the assignments you had to turn in, all the finals you had to prep for - both written and performance, all the meetings with scene partners and voice teachers and rehearsal pianists you had to arrange, all the hours you had to spend in rehearsal, including the 12-hour tech day you just came from. kuroo just sits there, taking in your words. when you finish, you let out an exhausted sigh, “so if you’d like to tell me when the fuck i was supposed to work on this stupid project, be my guest. i’d love to hear it.”

this might be the first time you’ve seen kuroo look shocked. for once he doesn’t seem to know what to say. is that a trace of guilt in his eyes too?

“i—“ just as he’s about to speak, he is cut off by an unholy sound coming from your stomach. you both sit there frozen for a second.

“um… when was the last time you ate?” he asks, cautiously breaking the silence.

“uhh,” you think back, “like 3pm.”

“okay, well it’s past 11 now,” he says, “and you need to eat. get your stuff, let’s go.”

“huh? go where?”

“to get food,” he states simply, “i’m driving, come on.”

“kuroo,” you protest, “i’m not gonna make you drive me—“

“you’re not making me,” he interrupts, “i’m making you. let’s go.”

you let out a sigh of defeat and grab your bag. with the rage beginning to melt away, that swell of gratitude begins to stir in your chest again. it’s still weird when he’s kind to you, but you’re starting to mind less.

—

you hadn’t realized how hungry you truly were until the smell of oil and salt hits you.

after grabbing your food from the drive thru, kuroo pulls around and finds a spot in the near-empty parking lot. you waste no time scarfing down your food, which he even insisted on paying for. whatever, it’s just mcdonald’s, you think. but still, the gesture is nice.

“you didn’t have to do this you know.”

“i think i did,” he says, jokingly referring to how hard you were just stuffing your face.

“funny,” you respond sarcastically, “but seriously.”

“it’s no big deal,” he says, looking away slightly. is he blushing? you can’t tell in the dark. “anyway, i figured i owed you one for making you stress about the project.”

you can’t believe your ears - is he actually apologizing?

“yeah, you really let me suffer all week, asshole,” you respond teasingly.

“i didn’t know it was that bad, alright,” he says, slightly defensive. a brief pause, and then, “sorry.”

you can hear the remorse in his voice - he means it. the corners of your mouth twitch upward.

“thank you,” you say gently, “that means a lot.”

his gaze darts back over to you. you’ve never seen his eyes look nervous before, yet somehow his stare still feels piercing.

“you’re gonna have to buy me a lot more nuggets before i fully forgive you though,” you joke, breaking out your own devilish smirk. he chuckles too, relieved.

“how many are we talking?”

“as many as i want.”

“fine,” he relents, “guess you’ll have to hang out with me more then, if i’m gonna be buying you all these nuggets.”

“whatever, i’m immune to your bullshit by now.”

“oya~? you’re starting to like me, y/n??”

“is that what the fuck i said?”

“no, but it’s what you meant,” he responds with a smirk.

“and how would you know?”

“‘cause i’m a genius,” he says, reaching over to swipe a fry from your lap. you halfheartedly swat at him.

“sure, keep telling yourself that.”

your banter feels natural now, strangely comfortable. for some reason it actually feels good talking to him. he did do something really nice for you tonight after all, despite your continued bickering. no matter how much you insult him he always has something to say back. but as much as it pisses you off, you’re not sure what you’d do if he ever stopped.

—

as kuroo drives you back to your place for the night, your mind begins turning over the events of this evening. in the time since you’d met up with him (which somehow feels longer than the literal 12 hours of rehearsal you were in earlier), you’d not only found out that the final project you’d been so stressed about had been taken care of, but you also hung out with him for the first time outside of tutoring. and he was nice to you. it’s a lot to process.

it’s not like you aren’t used to spending time alone with kuroo - like you told him, you’re immune to his bullshit by now - but this feels different somehow. it’s more peaceful, maybe even comforting. you figure it’s probably because of the rollercoaster of a day you just had, not to mention how unusual it is for him to treat you like this.

“why are you being so nice to me?” you finally ask him, turning to steal a glance at his side profile in the dim glow of the streetlamps.

“huh?? i needed to make sure my student got their nutrients!” he replies, as if it was obvious.

“what nutrients? you took me to mcdonald’s.”

“okay fair,” he says, “but nothing else was open!”

“sure, but you didn’t need to take me anywhere,” you protest, “much less spend money on me.”

“maybe i’ll just cook for you next time then,” he smiles.

“next time!?” you squawk, “what, are you trying to get into my pants??” the words leave your mouth before you fully have time to process them, but either way, you aren’t expecting the sudden silence that falls over him.

a flash of anxiety darts through your mind, but it only lasts for a second before he laughs quitely, almost to himself.

“not if you don’t want me to,” he mutters.

your breath catches. is he joking?? your heart feels like it’s in your throat. he’s definitely joking.

“what are you cooking?” is the only thought you can manage to put to words.

another pause.

“um. probably fish.”

“EW, WHAT THE FUCK?”

“what???” he gripes, “you could use more docosahexaenoic acid!!!”

“you are such a freak.” you’re relieved that the subject has changed, even though his earlier response is still circling your mind.

“okay but can you tell me the chemical formula for docosahex—“

“no, you are not bringing chemistry into this car, absolutely not. i already took my final.”

“what about the molar mass—“

“NO.”

—

you arrive back at your place not long after. kuroo’s comment is still eating away at the back your mind, but you don’t say anything as you gather your belongings. it was a cop-out response, and he was probably joking anyway.

“thanks for everything,” you say gingerly, “the project, and the food, and the ride, and the help with the semester, all that.”

“anytime, princess,” he replies with his signature smirk. usually that kind of response would trigger a jolt of annoyance in you, but this time it feels different. maybe because now you’re actually grateful to him.

in fact, you’re very grateful, and you feel like you should be expressing it more, but you’re not sure how. plus you’re too embarrassed, and have way too much pride. so instead you wish him goodnight and head towards your front door.

he waits to drive off until you’re all the way inside.

you think about him a little differently after that.

a/n: why is he so obsessed with docosahexdhfafdjh acid.... making me have to google how to spell that shit smh. anyways thank you for all the love on this fic so far!! if u actually enjoy this self-indulgent fantasy of mine know that i love & appreciate u to the ends of the earth ;-;

[stargazerholland]

Home - Peter Parker

Peter Parker x Reader

Summary : You’re left to do an English assignment that catches you off guard, but Peter may or may not have been your inspiration.

Warnings: Cussing (let me know if you find any, though!)

Words: 3.2 k

What is home? The message was sprawled across the board as your English teacher, Mr. Gilloway stared at the class, eyebrows scrunched up and his hooked nose crinkled. The soft light bounced off of his bald head. 

“Since you all like to complain about wanting to go home, you might as well write down what is home. You can either write it as a descriptive piece, because I’d live to know why you want to go so badly,” he said sarcastically, “Or whatever comes to mind. It’s due in a month, so Flash, you better not complain about not having completed your work. You will also have to present in front of the class just so I can hear your wonderful voices grace my god-awful days. Class dismissed.” 

You had no idea as to what is home to you, as you’ve never felt at home wherever you go. It seemed as though you never stuck to one place. A million thoughts ran through your mind thinking of a solution as to how you were going to come up with an answer, when you meet up with your best friends, Ned Leeds and Peter Parker near the school’s overcrowded parking lot.

“Hey, Y/N! Are you ok? You look a bit.. distracted.” Ned stated, his voice laced with concern. Ned always looked out for you, right after Peter. The duo had welcomed you into their “super secret that no other soul should ever be told cult” with open arms, when you had first moved to Queens. Overtime, the three of you were inseparable, the school knowing you as the three who would be sitting in the quiet, snug corner of the cafeteria fighting over who was the actual hero in Star Wars. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, just thrown ‘off the rails’, if that’s even a saying,” You created air quotes to try to emphasize it, “it’s just Mr. Gilloway being a pain in the ass with his ‘deep and meaningful projects’ that are supposed to bring us to a realization of some unknown idea to our ‘uneducated minds’, whatever he means.” The Polynesian boy smiled, his pudgy cheeks showing off the rosiness of his almond skin tone.

“Peter and I both told you not to take AP English and look at where it got you, huh,” he taunted, as you looked to see both of them give their signature ‘I told you so’ faces, with their eyebrows raised and an amused smile, “just goes to show that we’re always right.” 

With a roll of your eyes, you moved on to go home, 

“Yeah, yeah, thanks mom. I’m gonna head out now. See you in chem tomorrow.” Before you left to catch the subway, Peter grabbed your wrist and said, 

“Wanna come over? May misses you and we’d love to have you for the evening.”

You quickly nodded in affirmation and sent your mom a text to let her know about your whereabouts. The ride to his place was the same as always, sharing the headphones to listen to AC/DC, you complaining about Flash being your lab partner, and Peter sharing the previous night’s events during his patrol. Everything felt right at the moment, as if he was your safety blanket. Peter had the ability to radiate this sense of comfort even if you were across the room from him. 

The subway finally stopped at your final destination, and you soon found yourself in the small, cozy apartment. It was the same as always, the soft grey throw blanket draped over the back of the worn out brown couch, and the smell of charred bread in the air. It was simple, just like the family. You sent a simple wave to Peter’s Aunt May and followed Peter to his room to start on your Chemistry homework. 

Hours later, there were papers filled with math calculations and Chemistry formulas scattering the small room, as Peter was munching on some cheese-flavored potato chips. 

“Did you get seventeen moles of copper nitrate for number 8?” Peter inquired, causing you to let out a groan.

“It’s seventeen? I got twenty-nine. Pete, I’m a hopeless teenager who doesn’t understand a single thing about this right now,” You heard a chuckle across from you and looked up, only to find Peter staring at you, something was different about his expression, but you still threw you eraser at him. Peter simply replied, 

“Instead of complaining, you could have just asked. Lemme see what’s wrong… Ah,” he went on to explain the confusing lesson, however everything he said became sets of useless words as you were focusing on what was happening to you. Your entire body filled with warmth, while your heart was beating feverishly, like you’d just ran a marathon. The constant feeling of elevation in your stomach was overbearing, it felt like the spark on a tungsten before it reached the gunpowder for fireworks. It was different to what authors wrote in their stories, it was so much more than what you’d imagine, but it didn’t feel like love. The constant overcame your mind until you heard Peter call your name,  

“Y/N, Y/N, are you still alive? May’s calling us for dinner, it’s Thai Food Thursday.” For the rest of the night, you could feel yourself being distant and distracted from the conversation, all thanks to Peter. 

A week later, you still hadn’t made any progress on your English paper, which made you dread English class even more than you had before. Your past made it harder to even get an understanding of what home even was when all you could think of was your father. 

Your father was always distant from you and your mother, acting like a guest at a bed and breakfast where he was only there for the night. Some weeks, he’d have to leave for a business trip, not coming back for a few weeks, or at least you thought that until you found him at a city nearby while being on a class field trip the fifth grade. He was with a familiar woman who you’d known growing up, Aunt Lydia, your mother’s younger sister. It turned out that your father had become infatuated with her in the duration of his first marriage, eventually starting a new family with Aunt Lydia and being much happier with her. The news spread like wildfire in a forest, eventually getting to your mother last. It broke you to know that your father would rather spend his days with some other kids than with you, another woman instead of your mother. After a short 2 weeks, the two of you had packed your bags and moved to Queens to forget the past, making it seem as if everything you knew from before was now supposed to be thrown out of a window. The project was no use when now all you could think of was a cold space where tension was intermingled in the air, and pain stained into the deepest threads of the couch pillows when you thought of home. 

The library was almost completely empty, which was usual considering that the people of New York had better things to do than spend their time at the library, except for you, Peter, and now Ned. It was your annual reader’s binge night, where you’d all spend the afternoon reading a book from start to end, and then go out for a sub at the small, family-owned deli from around the corner. It was a tradition, and allowed you to bask in each other’s presence without the hassle of having to talk. The sounds of iced coffee being sipped and the constant whoosh of pages could be heard throughout the day. After the author had infuriated you enough with their cliche-filled sci-fi novel, you looked up to break the silence, until the sight of the room stopped you. More specifically, Peter. The sunlight shining in through the gigantic windows had illuminated the small features of his fair, pale face, like the freckles that were sprinkled all over his nose and cheeks just as the course sugar on sugar cookies. His chestnut brown hair became an array of colors as the copper undertones shining through, as he was concentrating on the book before him. Peter’s state of peace made you feel safe, as if nothing bad was going to happen to you. The time flew by as if it were like seconds as you continued to take in his image, until you felt a twinge on the side of your head, looking to your side to find a plastic straw on the ground.

“Y/N, you can stare at Peter after finishing the book. Now hurry up or else Mr. Delmar’s is gonna close up shop before we even finish!” Ned exclaimed as he smirked at your actions. Peter softly chuckled as you flipped off Ned, before all three of you went back to the book. While you mindlessly flipped pages, all that you could ponder was the same weird feeling that you felt at Peter’s house. It was almost as if you belonged there, as if you weren’t an outcast who had came out of nowhere. There was something about the feelings you had that you couldn’t comprehend completely, but it was becoming more and more prominent to you each day. Whatever the universe is trying to tell me, it sure is fucking me over, you thought, just as you saw your best friends close their books. Peter saw your expression, it was evident that you were deep in thought, and asked, 

“You okay, Y/N?” To which you simply replied in the most New York way possible, 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wanna go grabba sub now?”

You picked up the group’s sandwiches and headed over when you heard Ned and Peter talking about you, 

“I don’t know, Ned, Y/N is hard to be around when she can’t even take a hint,” You stopped dead in your tracks, like gravity was pulling you down and you weren’t able to move your feet. It felt like the day at the school field trip, everything you once knew was fabricated and far from what you thought your friendship was. 

“Peter, you’re going to have to tell her someday. It’s hurting you and it's probably gonna hurt her too in the future,” you took your chance and walked in before any more damage could be done to your friendship. 

“Whatcha talkin’ about?” You said as you sat down. The two shook their heads, muttering words that you couldn’t make out, and started a new conversation. Throughout the rest of the day, you couldn’t help but wonder about what you’d done wrong, guilt and fear flowing through your veins as if your blood had been replaced with it. 

You  invited Peter over the next day for dinner to repay him for when you ate at his house last time, and in hopes to try to mend whatever tension Peter was feeling. The dingy apartment that you’d been living in for the past 5 years was usually dull and quiet, your mom still hadn’t comprehended how her sister could betray her and you were left trying to feel the same way as she did when you were younger, when your family wasn’t broken. While eating the burnt ends of your chicken parm, the English project was still running on your mind. Of course Peter knew you were thinking about it, so naturally, he had to ask how the English assignment was coming along. 

“I can’t connect with anyone or anything that relates to my home. I am genuinely convinced that literally everyone hates me, and soon I’ll be living alone with my three cats in a studio apartment!” You complained as your arms flew up in exaggeration. Peter, on the other hand, seemed frustrated, with his eyes in annoyance and his knuckles turning white from clenching them so hard. Peter cried,

“Well, maybe if you would just open up and try to let more people into your life, then you wouldn’t be here right now!” At this point, the tension you tried to get rid of was now a thick fog that couldn’t be seen through. 

“That’s impossible, Peter! You, out of all people, know it’s hard for me to get close with someone, when practically no one finds me bearable,” you looked at him with anger, “not even you.” Peter was taken aback, 

“How did you hear that?” 

“So it was true,” you scoffed as you felt the wet trail of plump tears run down your cheeks, “gee, thanks a lot, Pete.” He stood up, intimidating you, as he boomed,

“Well, yeah, it is. All you ever do is push away anyone whoever tries to get close to you. You’ve built this thick barrier around everyone and it stupid. Grow up and stop acting like a four year-old, it's annoying,” and immediately walked out the tiny apartment’s door. 

You sunk down in your chair, the tears flowing faster and add onto the pain-ridden apartment. There goes someone else I love, you pondered, I love you, Peter, more than I’ve loved anyone else. 

Your English assignment was now due in a week and a half's worth of time and you’d barely had an outline or a single idea as to what you wanted to write about. For multiple nights, you would just sit in front of your grey, busted laptop and stare at the blank document until you’d figured it was now time to sleep. Multiple sentences that were once on the document soon disappeared by the click of a button immediately after.

As sleep-deprived teenagers rushed to leave the room, you went up to Mr. Gilloway, intimidated by the hunch on his back that formed every time he was scrolling down the New York Times about another political outburst from the Senator. It wasn’t that Mr. Gilloway was bad in person, it was just that he tended to be very unfiltered. All it took was one glance from him and you knew that you were going to take in the bitter and harshful words about not working on the assignment. But you took the leap anyway, and took all the courage you had in you to ask,

“Mr. Gilloway, I don’t know what to write for the assignment. I keep thinking about it, but nothing is coming to mind and I really have no clue as to what home is.” Squeezing you eyes, you braced for the string of words that were meaningless to him.  

“Well, what was it like for you to be at home? Anyone particular who comes to mind? Or perhaps a memory that just replays over and over in your head? Remember, Y/N that home is not a definitive object, you can make it anything you want. It could be the simplest idea, or something over the top, but that is what it means to you. I have full trust in you to go with your guts and write wha’ is home to you,” Mr. Gilloway gently replied. His response was out of character compared to who he really was. It was unrecognizable, sympathy and gentleness was the last thing that would come across anyone’s mind when they thought of Mr. Gilloway. Unable to form words, you nodded your head, only to hear, “Now go, I need to catch up on what our jackass of a Senator we have right now.” 

It wasn’t until you got onto your laptop once again when you knew what to write about. You finally had an idea. 

It was finally the day of the presentation and your nerves got the best of you. The past week was more muted, with evenings spent writing the English assignment, and the daytime spent studying in the library in hopes to avoid Peter. It was also the most emotionally draining week, knowing you couldn’t just go up and tell him how you really felt about him. 

Y/N, it’s your turn. And Flash, puh-LEASE keep the flirting for someplace else, my classroom is not a ‘Singles Mingle’,” Mr. Gilloway said. The voice at the back of your head kept telling you don’t mess up, don’t mess up, don’t mess up. The anxiety of sharing something so intimate with a group of bored teenagers was nerve wracking, so much so that your hands were quivering. 

“Home is an abstract idea, and to most people, it is their place to go to sleep, eat, and repeat. In my entire life, I'd never felt like I was at home until just recently when I came to know how I know I am at home. Home is a blend of emotions, where there are multiple feelings every time you’re there, A sense of belonging, where no matter how different, broken, or mismanaged  a person is, they still know that the very spot will always let them be themselves. Home is where a person feels comfort and safety, where they know that they will be supported and consoled through all the times you’ve been through. A sense of adoration that lingers in the air, making a person feel loved for who they are. The idea that a person knows who they are when they’re at this place, or with this person, makes us realize that this very place is our home. My home is with someone who I’ve known for a while, and even a glance into their brown eyes makes me feel complete. As they always say, home is where the heart lies.” 

You looked around the room to see blank stares and an unusual smile from Mr. Gilloway, but it was relieving to feel the overbearing weight of not knowing yourself being lifted off your shoulders. 

Once class had ended, you heard your name being called by none other than Peter. 

“Was your speech about me?” Peter had a look of desperation and hope, “I feel like home to you?” How’d he listen? You thought, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  

“I asked Mr. Gilloway,” Peter had read your mind, “Y/N, I only said I couldn’t bear you because I’m so deeply in love with you, but you never see that. It’s kind of hard to be friendzoned all the time, y’know?” 

The moment you had awaited all along finally came in the least expected way, nor was it how everyone else described it to be. There were no fireworks in the background but instead, it was just as if the world had stopped around you. 

“I love you too, Peter,” you whispered. 

“So is it true?” With a simple nod and a small smile, you said, 

“Yeah, it is about you, Peter.” A soft smile creeps up his face as he pulls you into his arms. It felt right, as if your body was perfectly molded to fit into his embrace. You decided to take the risk and pulled away, placing your hands over his pillowy cheeks, and pulled him towards you. You placed your lips on his, they were soft and smooth, with a hint of vanilla from the chapstick you made him use after seeing how rough they were a few months back. Peter kissed back, trying to empty all the love and adoration he had kept inside of him. 

You couldn’t tell what the future held for you two, but you made a vow, right then and there that you would protect him with your entire heart, help him after his patrol’s and night, and most importantly, keep him in your heart for the rest of your life. 

This was your home, right here with Peter. 

A/N: Hi! I hope you liked this piece, I’ve had a a writer’s block for almost 2 years now, so to write this was a bit of a struggle, but it’s all good! Feel free to send over any requests or criticism. I also have to give an honorary mention to @wazzupmrstark​! Her INCREDIBLE works gave me a bit of a push and inspo to get back to writing, so thank you so so much Kaili! (i’ll stop annoying you guys, byee :) )

[ghostly-cabbage]

Frigid (Chapter 1)

Danny Phantom fanfic

Genre: Horror, Angst, Enemies to Friends

Fic Rating: M (Language, Underage Drug Use, Violence and Gore)

Summary: Wes and his brother Kyle have just moved to Amity Park. Wes is only worried about fitting in, but all the ghost nonsense is making that harder and harder. Something weird is going on in this place, and his chemistry lab partner is no different. Seriously, what the hell was up with the Fenton kid and why did everyone ignore it?

Danny is a junior in high school, and pressure is squeezing in on all sides. Keeping good enough grades to graduate, and dealing with the snoopy new kid wasn't bad enough, but he's starting to feel like his parents are getting closer to figuring out his secret. Jazz is off at college and he didn't realize just how helpful it was when she was home to cover for him.

Danny's been able to keep his secret at school for one reason, and that's that no one cares to watch him close enough to connect the dots. Wes is different.

AO3   FFN

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"The air is different here," Wes said, looking up at the swath of stars across the sky. Kyle exhaled a plume of smoke that clouded the view. 

"Shit. Don't get all poetic on me now." Kyle coughed his way into a laugh and Wes kicked his shin just hard enough to hurt. 

"Ow!" 

"Shut up dude, I mean it's colder here. More humid or something too." 

"Yeah, definitely nothing like home." Kyle swung his legs back and forth off the brow of the roof. "How was your first day of school btdubs?" He offered Wes the joint pinched between his fingers. Wes waved him off. 

"Thrilling, nothin' like being the new kid," he said.  

Kyle shrugged and took another hit.

“‘S not so bad, my day was chill,” he croaked out while trying to keep his breath held in. 

Wes scrunched his nose at the smell. “Jesus dude, that stuff smells worse than normal.” 

“Yeah—” he puffed out the cloud of smoke “—the shit here isn’t as good. Missin’ that green triangle right about now.” Kyle let out a wistful sigh. Wes almost wanted to ask how he’d found a dealer already, but it was Kyle. He always found someone. It was like his supernatural ability to sniff out someone who’d sell to minors.

 “Anyway, basketball tryouts are at the end of the week, right? Cheer up my man, you’ll get mad chicks once you make the team.” Wes shot him a glare. Getting chicks was the last thing on his mind. He was more preoccupied with the fact their dad uprooted their entire lives to move to fucking Illinois. Illinois!

“Whatever dude.” There was a brief silence, before Kyle bumped his shoulder into him. He took another deep drag off his joint, the static burn filling the air like white noise. The stars continued to glimmer coldly in the sky, and it sent a pang of homesickness through him. It was bullshit. 

“Any classes you like?” 

“Psh. Hardly… Well. There’s a photography class—” 

“Didn’t you mention something about chem at lunch?” 

“Oh. That.” Wes started to get angry just thinking about it. “Yeah. Chemistry two. Apparently we have to have a lab partner for the whole semester. Which wouldn't be a big deal but I got stuck paired with a dude that’s ‘banned for life’ from using the chem equipment.” He used his fingers for the air quotes. “So I’m probably gonna have to do everything.”

Kyle took a breath like he was about to say something, but Wes pressed on. “What the hell do you even have to do to get banned for life from using the chemistry stuff?” 

“Dude! Maybe your partner got busted for making drugs! That Breaking Bad kinda shit! That’d get him banned fer sure fer sure.” His words slurred around the edges.

Wes almost laughed. “You’re high Kyle. If you saw him you’d understand. This guy isn’t a drug lord, trust me, he’s a twig. No way he’d be involved in anything dangerous. If that guy does anything more exciting than video games I’d eat your hat.” 

Kyle gasped. “Brooo!” 

“What?”

“Somthin’ to eat sounds wicked. Wanna swing by that... Nasty place, what’zit called? We saw it on the way in.” 

Wes rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. 

“Nasty Burger?”

“Nasty Burger!”

“As a majority of you are aware, it’s a new school year, which means as per new school district regulation it’s time to report to the gym for the annual ghost safety course, and later today at an unspecified time there will be a ghost drill.” Mr. Lancer droned at the front of the class. The other students around Wes all groaned like they’d been assigned a pop quiz, rather than that being the most batshit crazy thing they’d ever heard. Uh, what the hell? He raised his hand. 

“Yes, Mr. Weston.” 

“Did... you just say ghost safety course?” Kids around him chuckled and shared knowing looks. It was like he was on the other side of an inside joke.   

“Regrettably so, Mr. Weston. Everyone single file to the gym please. Leave your bags here, you’ll be back before the third period,” Lancer said as he gestured to the door. Wes stayed sitting for a few seconds longer than the class, trying to make sense of what he’d just heard. Ghosts? Like actual ghosts? 

“Hey, Fenturd, can’t wait to see how your parents fuck it up this year!” Wes turned towards the back of the classroom to see a tall broad shouldered guy, Dash if he remembered right, shoving past Danny Fenton, AKA his chem lab partner. Danny lurched to the side, stumbling into a desk. There were two other kids that Wes hadn’t seen before standing behind Danny, a goth girl and a dweeby kid in a beret.

“Bro, I still have the picture on my phone from when they couldn’t get Mr. Fenton out of that ghost netting,” said an equally massive asian guy. The small knot of kids around them all laughed and filed past Danny and his presumed friends. Danny was glaring daggers at the back of Dash’s head. 

So… Danny’s parents were the guest speakers, and they were giving a talk on... ghost safety… Seriously, did anything here make sense? Wes followed after the crowd, trying to wrap his head around it. The odd trio started following a few paces back.

“Great. Just what I need to kick off the year again,” Wes heard Danny grumble. 

“Oh come on Danny, It wasn’t that bad,” the goth girl said. 

“Nah, it was pretty bad.” 

“Tucker!” 

“What?!”  

Wes tried to continue listening to their conversation but the person in front of him turned around to look at him. 

“You’re the new kid right?” She asked. She had long blonde hair and perfect makeup. 

“Uh, yeah. Wes.” 

“I hear you’re trying out for the basketball team, right?” A few of the popular kids walking in front of her glanced over their shoulders to look at Wes.

“Y-yeah. I was point guard on my last team back home.” 

“I don’t know what that means.” She tossed a lock of hair behind her shoulder. Her eyes were burning into him like she was personally judging where he fit into the social caste system of the school.  “But good luck. I’m Star, by the way. My boyfriend’s on the football team so don’t get any ideas.”  

“Oh please Star, you’re like, totally out of his league, basketball team or not,” a new voice cut in from just in front of Star. Another girl with dark wavy hair turned to look at him. She had dark olive skin, almond eyes and thick eyelashes. “I’m Paulina, but I’m sure you’ve heard all about me already. People are kind of obsessed with me, they can’t help it.” She said it with a smile and a cute giggle to punctuate her sentences. He’d seen her in homeroom yesterday, and he knew right off the bat she was top of the hierarchy, her and Dash both seemed to have a pretty solid hold on their popularity. If he was going to survive here he needed to make sure they liked him, or at the very least had nothing bad to say about him. 

“I can see why, it’s nice to meet you,” he said. The two girls shared a look, shrugged and turned their attention away from him. 

He let go of the breath he’d been holding, feeling like he’d just passed some sort of test.  He’d never exactly been a popular kid. In elementary school he was small and easy to pick on. Unless Kyle was around, who had a nonchalant courage about him, even as a kid. It’d taken a lot of work for Wes to figure out how to fit in just under the radar of the big fish. 

He stepped into the bustling gym along with the rest of the Junior homeroom class. The bleachers were pulled out, and the class dispersed to find their place to sit. Wes bobbed his head over the shoulders of other students looking for Kyle. It took some work but eventually his eyes landed on his brother. He was lounging, taking up two seats worth of space on the far left side of the bleachers. He made a beeline for him, and took the stairs two at a time. The clamor of the student body filled the room, and when he sat down he had to speak over it. 

“Dude, can you believe this? A ghost assembly?” His brother had never been the most believing of the supernatural. But this place, openly acknowledging the presence of ghosts? He’d like to see Kyle try and refuse to believe now. 

“Yeah man! This school must really love Halloween.” 

And there it was. 

“Kyle. It’s September.” 

“And? Bro they got the Halloween decorations up at wally-world already, why not have a fun Halloween thing?” Wes frowned, and clicked his tongue. He propped his chin against his hand and watched as the school started to settle. His eyes wandered the rows until he found the goth girl. Danny and the kid she’d called Tucker were with her. They were sitting in the section over a row down. Danny had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black NASA hoodie, and a pinched look on his face. He couldn’t exactly say he blamed the kid, the thought of his own dad showing up to give a presentation made him shiver in horror. 

They’d set up a stage in the center of the gym. Principal Ishiyama stepped up to the podium, and tapped the mic. 

“Hello students of Casper High! For incoming freshmen, allow me to officially extend a warm welcome, and to all returning students, welcome back!” She was way too chipper for the time of morning. “As many of you know we have to review some safety precautions. Now, this may not be new information but I expect you all to pay attention and be respectful regardless. With that, allow me to introduce local ghost experts: Jack and Maddie Fenton.” Ishiyama moved back, clapping for the guests. The crowd gave mixed reactions. Most people looked like they were only applauding out of awkwardness. Wes was definitely included in that category. 

A man and woman with brightly colored… jumpsuits? Hazmat suits? Whatever they were, came forward. The man was intimidating from the pure size of him alone. Jesus christ, he looked like a NFL linebacker. Next to him, was a slight and fit woman. She spoke first, standing at the podium. 

“Good morning everyone! My husband and I are honored to be welcomed back to run through the safety course with you kids!” Mrs. Fenton was peppy and direct with the way she spoke and the way she moved. “As of last year the manual ghost alarms were installed around the school.” Maddie motioned to the projector screen behind her that had been lowered from the ceiling. “As you can see here.” The picture on the projector showed huge red buttons ringed by yellow and black caution trim. Wes had seen them around before, but he’d figured they were for... tornados or something, they had those here right?

“If you see a ghost you are encouraged to press this button so that the school can evacuate and the correct professionals may be notified.” 

“By that she means us!” Mr. Fenton shouted, popping up in front of the projector. She moved on as if the interruption hadn’t even happened. 

“Whatever you do, do not engage with a ghost. Ghosts are highly dangerous. Even a low level ecto-entity can be a threat to your life and well-being!” Her voice was grave, and practically oozed with conviction. Wes looked over at Kyle, gesturing towards the stage, incredulous. 

“Really? Nothing to say about this?”

“What can I say, they’re pretty dedicated. Dude, Wes, it might be an ARPG, like remember the Halo 2 ‘I love bees' thing?”

“I hate you. This isn’t even anything close to—” 

“Shh!” Someone who sounded like a teacher hissed at them. He turned his attention back to the presentation, annoyed. 

“Now, let’s go over what to do if you think you’ve been possessed or otherwise overshadowed by a ghost! First thing to look for are gaps in memory or consciousness. Changes in mood or violent tendencies can also occur. Keep an eye on your friends and loved ones. Remember that no one is immune to being overshadowed by a ghost, unless you purchase a Fenton Specter Deflector available on our website!” Almost out of nowhere, the woman pulled out what looked like a metal belt. There was silence in response, and she cleared her throat. 

“If you or someone you know has been or is currently possessed please seek help immediately, go to your teachers or parents.” Wes watched as she moved on to the next subject, talking with the fervor and simplicity of an expert. Screw whatever Kyle said, this wasn’t just for shits and giggles or some halloween event. Something was different here. The other students, despite seeming bored, looked like they fully believed her. Maybe people here would actually believe him about what happened when he was a kid. 

The hazy memories crept along his skin, making the hair on his arms stand on end. His dad told him he had an active imagination. He knew it wasn’t that.

“Finally, let’s go over what to do if a ghost fight breaks out!” 

“A ghost fight?” he echoed, brows furrowing. 

“As we’ve said, do not engage or interact with ghosts for any reason—”

“Hey, what about Phantom?” Someone from the crowd shouted. A murmur of agreement rippled through the students. 

“Who’s Phantom?” He wondered out loud, and a guy sitting in front of him turned to give him an affronted look. 

“We strongly discourage interacting with Phantom especially! When it comes to ghosts, it’s simple. There are no good ghosts! Ghosts are ectoplasmic post-human impressions driven only by their obsession! They are not human and don’t care about the havoc they wreak.”  

The crowd murmured again, the disapproval evident. A few kids shouted unintelligible things, but they sounded defensive. Wes didn’t get it, the Fenton lady seemed to know her shit, why argue? 

“Quiet! Quiet please!” Ishiyama called over the voices. Eventually the students settled, and the Fentons wrapped up their presentation. Everyone seemed disappointed that nothing embarrassing happened, until Mr. Fenton underestimated the height of the stage, and face planted onto the gym floor. The students broke into an uproar of laughter, and Ishiyama rushed to the mic to dismiss everyone back to homeroom. Wes couldn’t hold back a laugh, and glanced over to see Danny hunching up his shoulders. If Wes had to describe someone that looked like they wanted to disappear, it would be Danny in that moment. 

The walk back to the classroom was uneventful, though he was pretty sure he heard Mrs. Fenton repeatedly calling out “Danny sweetie!” Wes was really glad he wasn’t that poor bastard, talk about humiliating. He tried to ignore the pang that twisted inside his stomach. Still, it must be nice to have a mom around. 

Fifth period started in four minutes, and Wes was stuck fiddling with the lock on his locker. The damn thing looked like it’d been fished off the titanic. The wheel made an awful squealing noise when he twisted it, and even when the lock popped, he had to yank on it to get it to unlatch all the way. He put in his combo for the third time and pulled. It came undone and if it weren’t for holes on the handle he’d have gone stumbling backwards. He opened the locker and was just about to grab his History textbook, when an ear splitting alarm blasted from the overhead speakers. He jumped and spun around, hands coming up to cover his ears. 

It wasn’t like a fire alarm, instead of the shrill school bell ringing, it was a long whooping siren that echoed up and down the halls like a nuclear strike was incoming. Wes had to hand it to them, it sounded creepy as fuck. The emergency lights flashed in the hallways, and the kids around him started to make for the exits.  

“Your attention please,” an automated female voice came over the speaker, offering  a brief respite from the siren. “A ghost has been sighted in the building. Please evacuate or get to safety as soon as possible.” Holy shit, was this really happening? The siren began its wailing again. His heart thundered in his chest, and he looked both ways up and down the hall. He didn’t see anything, except for Lancer standing at the end of the hall, directing students to an emergency exit. Wes remembered then that Lancer had said something about a “ghost drill”. Of course that’s what this was. Just a drill. Wes let out a shaky breath, and went to close up his locker before he headed out. 

Which in retrospect wasn’t the greatest idea. In less than a second, something changed. The hall felt darker, and the air grew cold. Not cold like someone left the window open, cold like he’d just walked into a meat freezer. It prickled against his skin, and he felt a deep sense of dread sink to the bottom of his stomach. 

“Little lamb…” Murmured a soft voice. It echoed up the hall, and Wes forced himself to turn and look. He shouldn’t have, he really shouldn’t have. It was the shape of a woman, but she was floating a foot off the ground. She had stringy hair, and bangs that partially covered her empty eyes. In her hand looked like a shepherd's crook. Wes slammed his back against his locker, his knees locking up. He felt his hands start to tremble. Not again, he didn’t want the nightmares again.

The hall was empty, the last few terrified kids were gone. 

“Little lamb... separated from the herd… Don’t you know there’s predators?” Her voice echoed unnaturally, it’s clarity sending chills across his skin. She was hardly speaking above a whisper, but it was rough and cracked, like something had happened to her voice. But the thing that was worse was even at barely a whisper, he could somehow hear her over the sirens. Like she was right next to him breathing the words into his ears. 

The alarm cut out and the automated message looped. The woman—ghost lifted her crook to point at him. “Little lambs have to come back home,” she said. The sound of panting and low growling filled the hall. A green shape, low and lean flew out from behind her. It closed the gap between them in three strides flat. It’s eyes glowed red, and white teeth slavered toxic green. Wes’ voice stuck in his throat and he couldn’t scream, he squeezed his eyes shut and hoped he’d wake up.

Wes felt the air stir in front of him, and he heard a meaty crunch followed by a deafening caterwaul. His eyes flashed open to see the mountain lion-like creature picking itself up off the ground on the other side of the hall. And directly in front of him, it was another human shape, another ghost. They had white hair and a black jumpsuit on. 

“Bad kitty! What, did someone forget the catnip?” It was a guy’s voice that echoed around the hall. The shape cast a glance over his shoulder at Wes. He gulped down a breath, it was a boy about his age. His eyes glowed the same neon toxic green that painted the hall in its supernatural light. He looked like he was about to say something, when the big cat hurled itself at his flank. Its massive front paws slammed into his midsection and they disappeared into the wall. 

The shepherd moved towards him, and Wes felt like he was going to pass out or throw up. Maybe both, both sounded okay. She was focused entirely on him as she drifted over the floor. She was four feet away, and the expression etched onto her dead face made his stomach twist. This was worse, this was way worse than even the nightmares. Her empty eyes leaked tears. 

“It’s dangerous. There’s predators.” She lifted a hand like she was trying to reach for him. A blast of green light suddenly filled his vision, and the girl let out a scream. She was slammed backwards into a set of lockers and she slipped down to the ground. Wes’ gaze snapped to where the blast of energy had come from and saw the ghost boy. He was floating six feet off the ground, and his right hand was glowing green. He had a long deep slash across his side that was oozing and dripping globby green ectoplasm. 

“I’ve never seen you before,” he said. “What do you want?” his tone of voice was firm and sharp, it felt like ice. The girl looked up at the boy. She opened her mouth and screamed. It was a raw terrible thing that petered off into an agonized gurgle. The ghost boy arched a brow, but before he could say anything else the Shepherd melted into the wall. 

“Shit,” the ghost puffed. He turned his eyes to Wes and he stiffened again. Right, he wasn’t exactly out of the woods yet. “You must be new here. Piece of advice, run away next time, okay dude?” The ghost boy looked up at the ceiling that still had the alarms blaring and rolled his eyes. In the next instant he shot through the wall where the shepherd ghost had disappeared. 

Wes let out a breath and sunk to the floor, shivering from head to toe. What the hell was that?    

[ampmiscfiles]

To Us You’re Worth Everything Chapter 9: Doubts and Investigations

Start From The Beginning

Peter stared out the window from the backseat of the social services vehicle.

It hadn't taken long at all for them to come collect him after Kathy and Kent had been arrested. He didn't know the full extent of the event, but from what he managed to overhear, the cops had been completely unprepared for what they found at the house. Kathy and Kent had been victims of a brutal home invasion.

The dark part of Peter wanted to know exactly how "brutal" it had been.

How bad had they suffered?

Who did he owe his thanks to?

"Don't worry Peter," the blonde haired social worker smiled back at him. "From what we heard, you won't have to stay at the home long."

No. He wouldn't, and it had nothing to do with Pepper wanting to adopt him. As soon as he was "settled in", he would make his escape.

He couldn't go back to the compound. He didn't belong there.

He didn't.

He gave a small smile back to the woman, hoping it didn't look at fake as it felt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How long before we can go get the kid?" Steve asked, watching the social services van leave.

"Not until the lawyers get all the paperwork pushed through." Pepper sighed. "I wish he could have just stayed here, but that's not how it works."

"He'd have been better off here." Sam frowned. "We have better accommodations than any group home. Besides, we're literal superheroes. He couldn't be safer anywhere else!"

"Relax bird brain," Tony grinned. "Kid's only gonna be there a day at the most. My lawyers are the best for a reason."

"The sooner Peter's back here and those two are behind bars for good, the better." Steve frowned.

No one argued.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll be glad when we can get him back." Wanda sighed.

"At least we're on the right track." Pietro smiled. "And think, we made some really good progress today! He was talking to us!"

Wanda smiled back. They had been able to learn a bit more about him, even if it had been a little tense and awkward.

"Yeah, it's just.....it shouldn't be this hard." she frowned. "Everyone is usually so happy to find their soulmate and Peter......he just....he seems so......unhappy. It's like finding us was not something he ever wanted. Sure, he talked to us, but it wasn't really an effort to connect with us. It was more like he just didn't want silence or something."

"Well, we know he didn't have the best home life."

"Lots of people have bad home lives, Pietro. There's just something about Peter..." she said, a worried look on her face.

"You think there's more?"

"I don't trust him." Wanda said after a moment. "I don't trust him not to do something foolish. Something that could get him unnecessarily hurt."

Pietro looked at her with wide eyes.

"You're not really thinking he's-"

"No!" Wanda gasped. "No! I don't think that! I just.......I don't think......I don't think he'd think about what he was doing. I don't think he puts much thought into his own safety. I don't think he......I don't think he thinks he should care about himself at all."

"Do we know anything about his other families?"

"Maybe Nat and Clint could look into it for us. I feel like they'd be honest with us on whatever they find." Wanda replied, pulling out her phone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter's brain was always in a constant state of action. Whenever something settled in, he became hyper aware of what had to be done to see it to the end.

It took him roughly five minutes to figure out the best exit from the group home.

A quick tour of the building and the room he was sharing gave him all the information he needed. Once everyone went to sleep, it would be easy to leave without detection.

"Peter?"

"Oh, yes?" he asked, turning to the young woman showing him around.

"Just checking. You seemed out of it. I...I know you won't be here long, sweetheart, just trying to hang in there." she smiled warmly at him. "You can come talk to me anytime you need to until you leave."

"Thank you, Miss Jones."

"I know you don't really have anything other than what's in your bookbag right now, but I've been told you'll be getting a few things from..." she hesitated, not wanting to mention Peter's former home. "I've been told there was a request put in for you to receive a picture today. It should be here by this evening."

Peter nodded, the picture of Ben and May the only thing he was worried about.....well, that and those weird clothes he had tucked back in his closet.

Then again, maybe they would find out where they actually came from.

Giving him one last smile, the woman left him alone in the room to get settled. The other children would be returning from school and various other activities soon.

Walking to the window, he looked out over the street below. He had no idea where he would go when he left, but at least he couldn't be a burden to anyone anymore. No one would have to put themselves out to take in some pathetic orphan from Queens.

Sighing, he turned as the door to the room opened and a boy about his age walked in, throwing his bag onto one of the beds.

"Hey!" he grinned. "You must be the new guy. Miss Anna said we'd be getting a roommate. I'm John."

Peter hesitated a moment before taking the boy's outstretched hand.

"I'm Peter."

"Nice to meet you, Pete." John said, giving an easy smile. "The idiot that has that bed over there will be in a little later. He takes writing classes from a woman down the street."

"That sounds fun." Peter said, trying to keep the friendly air.

"He seems to like it." John shrugged. "I'm not even much of a reader, let alone writer."

"I enjoy reading, when I can." Peter smiled slightly. "I haven't really had much time recently though."

"Well, we don't really have any books here, but the library is just down the street. So, will you be joining us at school?"

"Oh, I don't.....I don't know. I only just got here a little while ago. Nothing....nothings really been discussed."

"You'll probably join us then. Don't worry though, the people at school are actually pretty cool about us living here at the home. Even so, I'll keep an eye out for you."

Peter blinked in surprise. This boy didn't know anything about him and already he was willing to look out for him? No. He couldn't let John do that. He didn't deserve to have anyone trying to make sure he was ok. He was a failure at most things and definitely more trouble than he was worth. He would no doubt just cause John trouble, and the guy didn't deserve to suffer because Peter was a terrible person. It wouldn't take long for anyone to figure it out anyway. Just a few minutes around him and everyone knew what a waste of space he was.

Wanda and Pietro didn't seem to think so. Neither did Pepper, Tony or Steve. Pepper wants to adopt you.

The small voice in Peter's mind spoke up.

Peter pushed the hopeful voice to the back of his mind. There was no point in entertaining such thoughts. He'd disappoint them anyway.

He looked at John's expectant face, then remembered it didn't matter anyway. He'd be long gone before John would have to be tainted by him.

"Y..yeah. I...I appreciate it."

"Great." John nodded, turning to his bookbag and digging around. "Sorry I can't be more company on your first day here but, I gotta start on my homework. Chem is my worst subject."

"Chem?"

"Yeah. I'm way better at gym than most of my academics. I mean, I can hold my own for the most part, but Chem always causes me pain."

"I....I could help. I've always been....I've always been good at science."

"Really? That would be great!" John grinned, pulling out his notebook and Chem book. "I really appreciate it. I really want to be able to get into a good college one day, so I need to keep up my grades. If you're really good, maybe I'll be able to keep my average up after all."

Peter frowned as the boy set up his things on the small desk in the room. He felt bad offering help he was going to be able to continue with. Helping John with one assignment wouldn't be enough to help him for the rest of the school year. John had been nice and friendly to him without even knowing him, and this was how Peter repaid him. Offering him useless help.

The guilt fell heavy in his chest as he joined John at the desk and began walking him through his work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natasha frowned as she looked down at her phone.

"What's up?" Clint asked, looking over at her.

"The kids are wanting information on Peter's former homes."

"Not surprising. They're smart kids. No doubt they've picked up on the fact Peter's obviously come from more than one abusive home. I mean, we haven't exactly met the kid, but it's easy to tell just from hearing everyone talk about him."

"I know. I just worry what uncovering his past could do to them.....or him. I'm sure it's not something Peter wants advertised." Natsha frowned. "Still, it may help with getting through to him as closed off as he seems."

"Well then, time to do some snooping."

"We keep this up and we're gonna know more about this kid then we do the others."

"If it helps the three of them move forward, then its worth it. Laura would probably kick my ass if I didn't help, honestly."

Natsha smirked before turning back to her phone.

"I'll find out who Peter's original adoption agency was and we can pay them a visit."

"After hours I'm assuming."

"Is there any other time?"

Clint grinned, watching as the SHIELD agents brought out the freshly painted car. The black surface was shiny with a new coat of wax.

"You know, you can ditch the wig. I'm just not used to a blonde Nat."

"I don't know, I think I pull it off pretty well."

"Maybe give it a little time before drastic appearance changes. I don't want you getting mistaken for some crazy blonde that attacked two abusive perverts in their home."

The two shared a look before getting into the car and driving off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Peter?"

Peter looked up from where he and John were finishing up his homework to see Anna in the doorway. She smiled as she entered, holding out a photo.

"This was just dropped off for you. Thought you'd want it quickly."

Peter took the photo of Ben and May, tears burning in the back of his eyes at the thought he almost was never going to see it again.

Anna smiled softly before looking over at John.

"Wow, don't think I've ever seen you so excited about homework, kid." Anna grinned, looking over John's shoulder. "And Chemistry at that."

"Pete's a genius at it! I understand this stuff now way better than any of my teachers have explained it."

"Well then, maybe you'll be able to bring that grade up after all. Anyway, I was just coming to give you your photo, Peter, and let you know supper will be in a few minutes."

"Thank you." Peter replied softly.

"You're welcome, honey." Anna said, ruffling his hair as she passed.

Between Anna and John, Peter couldn't stifle the small burn of anger he felt. Perhaps if he hadn't been shipped off to an overcrowded orphanage, he wouldn't have ended up where he had. Then again, what did it matter? A burden is a burden no matter where they are.

"Thanks again, Peter." John said, putting his homework away. "I meant it. You really are better at teaching me this stuff than my teachers are."

"Yo-you're welcome."

"Come on, let's go eat. If we don't get there early, the younger gremlins get all the good stuff."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter watched as John joined Anna and two other workers as they started making plates for the youngest children, while sneakily stashing away food on his own. He grinned over at Peter as he also motioned to another plate he was filling.

Peter forced a smile as he looked out at the other kids. Who was he to take food from any of them? He was new, and most of them were younger than he was. He shouldn't take it. It wasn't that long ago he ate at the compound. His metabolism was always on overdrive, but he had been making due without enough food long enough to know all the tricks. He'd just slowly give his food away. He was gonna be gone after tonight anyway.

A heavy hand fell his shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. Looking over his shoulder he felt his breath hitch.

The boy behind him towered over him, and despite the silence from his Spider-Sense, he still felt the dread of acquiring a new bully fill him.

“Hey, you must be the new kid bunking with me that loser over there.” The boy grinned, motioning to where John was looking at them and flicked the boy off.

“I’m Alex. I’m sure loudmouth over there told you where I was.”

“He….he said you….you were at a wri-writing class.” Peter stumbled, still unsure of the larger boy.

“Mrs. Crabapple, yea that really is her last name, teaches a few of us a few days a week. You should come with me one day. You might like it.” The boy smiled, leading Peter towards line.

“I...I’ve never been much of a writer.”

“You should still come. You might change your mind.”

As Alex rambled about his class, Peter couldn't help but study him. The boy fit the bill of so many bullies he had encountered before, and yet, none of them had ever talked to him the way Alex did. There was no malice or ill intent in his tone or posture. The boy really was just a big softie.

"I'm not blind, Akins." Alex smirked. "I saw those extra plates you were fixing."

"You'd get the good stuff to if you weren't at your fancy classes." John rolled his eyes.

Peter watched as the two bickered back and forth before John slid Peter and Alex each a plate.

"See butthead," John grinned. "I didn't leave you out."

"Normally I'd have a comeback but I'm starving so I'll let it go."

"Come on Pete, we always eat outside when it's nice. More room."

Peter nodded, following behind the two boys and realizing, to his dismay, there would be no way to give his portion to the other kids that needed it more. Then again, if he was going to leave, having a full stomach might not be such a bad idea. He could cover more ground if he was full.

"So, Peter," Alex started. "Tell us something about you. You already know I enjoy writing, and that John has absolutely no talents or anything-"

"Hey!" John shouted, shoving the boy. "I have plenty of talents!"

"Name one."

"We're talking about Peter you ass!"

"See, Pete. No talents."

"I hate you." John glared.

"Please, I'm to lovable to be hated by anyone."

"You wish. Anyway," John went on. "Peter's really good at Chemistry."

"Really?" Alex asked, snapping his gaze to Peter. "Tell me that idiot knows you're good at it because you helped him with his homework. I suck at it too!"

"Y-yeah. I helped h-him out before supper."

"Great! I could use help with mine!" Alex cheered. "Finally, someone useful around here."

"You do realize you just called yourself useless, right?" John asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're just jealous of my good looks."

Despite the fact the other two boys were carrying the conversation, Peter didn't feel left out. It was an odd feeling. He couldn't remember the last time he felt....uncluded.

The Avengers want to include you.

The voice returned.

They still want to. Pepper said she would come get you.

Peter winced at the words.

Words.

They were just words.

No one was coming to get him.

Why would they?

Your soulmates want you back.

Only because they don't know him.

They will get to know you.

They will hate him.

They love you.

No one loves him.

Let go of your fear.

Letting go is dangerous.

"Peter?"

"Huh?" Peter shook his muddled thoughts away.

"You spaced out on us man." Alex grinned, poking him in the forehead. "Just making sure you were still in there."

Unable to stop it, a small smile lifted his lips.

"Yeah, I'm here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pepper sighed as she hung up the phone.

"Troubles dear?" Tony asked, walking into their bedroom.

"They're not going to let me adopt Peter until after the trial. Apparently not even Tony Stark and his team of top notch lawyers hold any sway."

"And I pay them how much?" Tony huffed.

"I told him I was going to come get him." Pepper frowned. "This trial could drag out for months."

"If it makes you feel any better, I arranged where he was sent."

Pepper's head shot up at the statement.

"Kids been through enough. He deserved to go somewhere decent. Top rated home with a cap on how many kids they can take due to thier size. Peter's the last one."

"Is he really, or did Tony Stark through a little bit of money at the situation?"

"They're a good home. They deserved it with or without Peter. I'm considering the logistics of a foundation to help out orphans." Tony shrugged.

Pepper smiled, standing up and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"And people wonder what I see in you."

"Well, I am kind of amazing."

"And you ruined it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who's that?" Alex asked, pointing to the picture Peter was holding.

"You can't just ask stuff like that, numb nuts!" John scolded.

"I wasn't trying to be a jerk, ass wipe." Alex shot back.

Peter looked from the picture of Ben and May to the two grumbling friends.

"I-it's ok." he said quietly.

The two boys stopped arguing and turned to look at him.

"You don't have to talk about, Pete." Alex replied.

"It's ok. It's my aunt and uncle. They....they took me in after my parent's died. They both died a few years ago."

Peter studied the photo, memories of the happy times he shared with Ben and May running through his head. It hurt to remember a time when things were good. A time before he caused thier deaths. Everyone he loved eventually left.

"At least you have a picture of them." John said quietly. "I don't have a picture of anyone in my family. Everything burned up in the fire."

"Mine arn't worth having a picture of." Alex scoffed. "They didn't want me, so why would I want anything of them."

The rooms was quiet for a while, the three teens locked inside their own minds.

"Boys?"

The three jumped as Anna peeked into the room.

"It's time to get ready for bed. I brought you some clothes, Peter. I know you didn't come here with anything. We'll get you more clothes soon."

"Th-thank you." Peter mumbled, accepting the small bundle.

"Well, I'll leave you to it." she smiled, ruffling his hair once more before walking out the room.

"Bathroom's down the hall, Peter." John said, pulling out his own clothes. "Better haul ass if you wanna beat the rugrats. They ruin the bathroom."

Nodding, Peter turned and made his way towards the bathroom. As he made his way down the hall, he could hear the other workers struggling to wrangle in the small kids that didn't want to go brush their teeth or put on their pajamas. Though firm, the tones were all full of caring.

Peter couldn't remember the last time he was given those types of instructions, much less with those tones.

He was expected to be smart enough to just do it on his own. No one ever cared if he did though, nor did they always provide him with the means. If he was dirty or with bad breath due to improper mouth care, they either made fun of him or ignore him in favor of other people ridiculing him for it.

Walking into the bathroom, he froze. The wall outside it was lined with cups labeled with each child's name. The cups each contained a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush and a stick of deodorant. Looking at the names, Peter's eyes stung as the cup right next to John and Alex's was labeled "Peter". Inside was everything the other kids had.

His mind warred with his heart. His heart was over joyed with the simple expression of care, while his mind screamed how he was taking supplies from the other kids. Supplies he shouldn't have been given because, what had he done to earn them?

Taking his toothbrush and paste out of the cup, he starred at them a few minutes before shutting the door and turning to the sink. The mint burned his mouth, but he didn't stop. He brushed and brushed until his teeth and mouth felt smooth and clean. The spider bite and made him sensitive to mints, but he couldn't say it wasn't worth it. Rinsing out his brush, he set it on the clean counter top before changing into the fresh set of clothes. They were a little stiff from the wash, but he didn't care.

A beating on the door, made him jump.

"Hurry up!" a small voice yelled through the wood. "I gotta go!"

Grabbing his brush, Peter opened the door and hurried out as a tiny boy rushed inside, not even bothering to shut the door as he yanked down his pants and did his business.

"Carter! Shut the door!" A brown haired woman scolded, shutting the door. "Sorry about him, Peter. He has a nasty habit of waiting till the last minute to go."

Peter looked up at the woman in surprise. She knew his name?

"You're the newbie, kid." she grinned. "Of course I know who you are. I'm Lisa."

"H-hi." Peter stuttered.

"Well, more introductions later. It's time for bed now, squirt. Scoot on. Tell Alex he better stay in bed tonight. The bed isn't off the ground so he can climb underneath it to write at night when he thinks we're all sleeping. I can see the light from his flashlight under the door."

She laughed before turning to question the emerging Carter on whether he had washed his hands or not.

Peter hugged his other clothes close to his chest. Everyone here was so....nice. They all seemed to care and get along.

He didn't know what to do with that.

His former families hated him. They never wanted anything to do with him. There was even one family that never learned his name. They just called him "brat" or "little shit" or "trash".

He had to leave.

They didn't know who they were being so nice to.

They didn't know why they shouldn't be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuri Watanabe has seen a lot during her career with the police forced, but anything involving children always took her back to how she felt as a rookie.

In a lock box, buried deep inside the Matthews’ bedroom closet, was pictures upon pictures of physically and sexually abused teens. Attached to each picture was a letter thanking them for the “present” they delivered.

It was atrocious.

She listened as members of the team whispered their hatred and disgust for the couple. Many of them mentioned how eager they were to get home and hold their own children.

The more they searched, the more they found. Floor boards were pulled up, revealing more lock boxes with pictures and letters.

The more they found, the more they worried about the young boy that had been removed from the home.

It had been revealed that the couple had waited till each teen reached the legal age to sell them off, but they had no idea what all the children had endured until then.

The door to the boy’s room had remained closed during the search of the house. No one really wanted to enter, afraid of what they might find. Eventually though, it was the last room in the house.

They had been aware that a request for a picture of the boy’s aunt and uncle had been requested to be freely handed over to the kid. Usually, nothing from a crime scene was to be removed, but a simple picture could easily be overlooked.

Walking in the room wasn’t what they expected.

Truthfully, no one was really sure what they expected, but this wasn’t it.

The room was bare aside from the most basic things. The window was bare, no blinds or curtains. The bed was covered in a thin blanket, which the removal of revealed a sheetless mattress.

There was no lamp or any other light source in the room meaning, when the over head light went out, the kid was in darkness.

Pushed up against the wall was a single dresser with broken doors. Inside each drawer were clothes way past their prime, not many of them even looked washed.

Inside the closet, hung two pair of jeans and two worn out sweaters.

“Jesus.” one of the officers breathed. “This poor kid.”

“I was really worried what we’d find in here. I didn’t need to, the kid doesn’t have anything in here.” another grimaced.

“There’s another blanket over in the corner. Looks just as bad as the one on the bed.”

The officer crouched down, gloved hands pulling out the blanket before dropping it in surprise.

“Someone get the captain!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuri watched as the evidence they collected against the Matthews was loaded into the van. Her gaze followed the entire trek of the sealed bag containing an outfit stained with blood that they had found inside the kid’s closet.

“Forensics is gonna have a fit.”

“They’ll have to get in line, Phillips.” Yuri sighed. “The entire team is already in arms. Finding a blood stained outfit in the back of an obviously neglected kid’s closet is never a good thing.”

Phillips nodded, turning to look at her.

“We found the picture. Where should we take it?”

“The kid was dropped off at a group home. I’ll get you the address and you can take it to him.” she paused. “Where did you find it?”

“Tucked under his mattress. Looks like the kid was hiding it.”

“Wonderful.” Yuri replied, tight lipped and disgusted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Have you heard anything from Nat and Clint?” Pietro asked, watching as Wanda filtered around the room they had set up for Peter. She busied herself arranging extra pillows on the bed and putting away the clothes Pepper had had Happy go pick up from the store.

They wanted Peter to be able to pick out his own things, but there was no doubt he would need things as soon as he arrived.

“They’re waiting till tonight to do anything. They found out the agency that had assigned Peter to that…….place. They’re going to look for his file.”

Pietro sighed, sitting down in the rolling chair at the new desk.

“Are you nervous about what they’ll find?”

“No. I’m just frantically working in Peter’s room for my health.” Wanda huffed. “Of course I’m worried! I’m so torn between wanting to know and not. I know I’m the one that asked them, but now I’m questioning my decision. Is it really going to change anything?”

“I think it was the right choice.” Pietro smiled, standing up and pulling her into a hug.

“If anything, it might help us better approach him. The more we know, the better prepared we are.”

“I just want him to want to be here as much as we want him to.” Wanda sniffled.

“He does,” Pietro assured her. “He’s just having a hard time accepting it. Once we break through those walls, I think we’ll finally see the Peter who’s happiness we used to feel so strongly.”

“It’s been a few hours,” Wanda smiled, looking up. “And I haven’t seen a single mark on my skin.”

“And that’s a good start.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter climbed into bed and for the first time since he was sent to the Matthews, he felt the softness of sheets and the warmness of a real blanket.

The smell of fabric softener filled his nostrils, and though it was a bit strong for his sensitive sense of smell, he relished it.

If only for a moment.

He couldn’t stay here.

He shouldn’t stay here.

Even though Pepper would break her promise and leave him, this wasn’t a place he could stay.

He was dangerous.

People who were nice died around him.

It’s why he knew he didn’t deserve to have anyone good in his life.

Ultimately, he would kill them. It would be his fault. He would take someone good from the world, and he would remain.

Still, listening to Alex and John throw playful insults at each other as the climbed into their own beds made his mind halt.

He had been here a few hours and no one had yelled or hit him. He had been fed, properly clothed, and people talked to him kindly.

He knew this unwelcome feeling paled in comparison to what he had felt with Wanda and Pietro at the compound, but it still was to much.

There was to much at risk by staying. There were kids here. Good kids. Kids that deserved to be sent to good homes with people that would love them. Kids that deserved to find their soulmates and be happy.

Looking over at the window, Peter stared at the glass. Outside the window was a world he could get lost in. A world where he would never hurt anyone, because no one out there loved him. He could leave New York and live out the rest of his life alone, just as he should be.

Everyone would be better off if Peter Parker didn’t exist.

Sliding his hand under his pillow, he ran his fingers on the smooth texture of the photo of Ben and May.

He missed them.

It was his fault they were dead.

Bad things that happened around him were always his fault.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he waited in the darkness for Alex and John to fall completely to sleep.

Despite Lisa’s comment of Alex wanting to stay up past bedtime, the boy fell asleep before John. His deep breaths sounded in Peter’s ears as he waited on John’s to even out.

It wasn’t long before they did.

Sitting up, he reached under his bed and pulled out his beat up backpack. He carefully placed the picture of Ben and May in the front pouch before shedding the new pajamas and tossing them in as well. He slipped on the clothes he had come in and crept to the door. He opened it slowly, peering out into the hall.

He didn’t know why his heart was beating so fast. He could easily hear the silence of a house of sleeping people.

Stepping out the door, he closed it softly behind him and made his way to the bathroom. He hesitated as he looked at the cup with his name on it before removing its contents and putting them in his book bag as well.

Spider-Man the thief.

You could have these things and more with Wanda and Pietro.

The voice returned.

No.

Yes. They’re your soulmates.

Peter Parker doesn’t get to have his soulmates. That’s not how it works.

Peter Parker is alone.

By choice if you leave.

He shook his head. The stupid voice was wrong. They only thought they wanted him.

No one really did.

Why would they?

It wasn’t just the Parker Luck working against him that sent him to those various homes.

No, that was the him being taught his place.

He was sent to each family to learn just how little he mattered. Just how much of a burden he truly was.

He had been taught lessons, and helearns from his lessons.

It was time for Peter Parker to disappear for good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can we talk about how shitty this filing system is?” Clint huffed as they rummaged through various filing cabinets.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to any of it. There’s no order!”

“There’s an order.” Natasha glared. “It’s just a hateful one.”

Clint raised his eyebrows at her.

“They’re organized by ‘successes’ and ‘failures’. The files of adoptions and kids with good reports from foster homes are the easiest to find.”

“Guess they want to see their ‘good’ kids first.” Clint growled, aggressively slamming shut another drawer.

“Let’s move to that room over there.” She motioned across the hall. “It’s further from the office so it’s most likely full of more ‘troubled’ cases.”

The room contained filing cabinets that weren’t even closed properly in some cases. Opening the closest, it was easy to see why.

“Look at how thick some of these are.” Clint frowned, lifting one file almost to full for its folder.

“Work from the front. We’re going to assume the further back we go will be kids who have been here longer. Peter wasn’t born into the system.” Natasha said, opening on of the drawers.

The two worked quietly and quickly for a time before Clint cheered.

“Found it!” He grinned, moving to pull it out.

He frowned at how thick it was.

“Looks like we’ve got some reading to do. Let’s makes some copies.” Natasha said, taking the file from his hands and moving to where they had seen a copier.

As they ran each sheet, they read.

Peter’s file was full of various families he had been to. He was labeled a troublemaker and a generally unpleasant child to deal with. He was rude, selfish, violent, a thief, and a liar.

“This doesn’t mesh with the image I’m getting of the kid. Pepper’s pretty preceptive. I find it hard to believe a 15 year old kid, with these descriptions, would be able to act innocent enough to fool her.”

“Considering what we just saved him from…..speak of the filth. Here’s a report from them on Peter.”

Natasha laid the two pages out for them to see.

“Peter is a highly aggressive child. He is physically and verbally violent. He will go days without eating if not given what he wants, when he wants.

He has destroyed a lot of the things we have given him. He doesn’t take care of himself or his things. His hygiene is a touchy subject and one of the more difficult things to manage. He simply doesn’t care.

He gets into fights with other children once they leave school and comes home with various cuts and bruises.”

“Well, that sure doesn’t match the timelines of Wanda and Pietro’s marks.” Clint grunted.

“Still, we feel we can manage through this storm. We care deeply for his safety and well-being and are committed to seeing him improve. We are very interested in keeping Peter until he’s gotten the help he needs.

We’re positive he’s going to be perfect soon.

-Kathy Matthews.”

“In a very few years he would have been.” Natasha scowled, knowing what “perfect” meant to the couple.

“Let’s finish up and get out of here. I want to meet this kid.” Clint frowned at the papers. “I want to hear what he’s got to say.”

“You won’t. He’s apparently pretty closed mouthed.”

“Can’t blame him. I’m sure they drilled silence into him.”

“This is the last of it. Let’s put the file back and get out of here.”

“I’m going to assume we’re both in agreement we’ll look over everything before sharing with the class.” Clint looked at her, taking the file.

“Naturally.”

[speckofglitter]

ot11 silver boys getting jealous

--- let's get this bread mates

noa • Noa is not at all the jealous type • Which is why you were so surprised when he pulled you aside at school • ‘What were you doing with lee byounggon last night? You know he’s bad news right?’ he questioned, leaning against the wall. • ‘Are you stalking me noa? You don’t have to be jealous, byounggon and I are barely even acquaintances.’ You smirked, reaching out to fix noa’s uniform. • ‘I’m not jealous, I just wanna know what you guys were talking about that was so important you had to cancel out date.’ He sighed. • ‘Look, byounggon needed a tutor for chem and he asked me. That’s literally it we didn’t even have a conversation, I barely know the guy.’ You explained. • ‘Good. Because I don’t need my girl getting in trouble’ he smiled, taking your hands in his.

jeonwoong • woong is super hard to impress • You've been training together for the past year but he seems to not even notice your existence • Ever since you developed a crush on him, your motivation to be the company's best female trainee had only gotten stronger • You spent hours in the dance studio, sweat pouring down your body as you executed the assigned choreography countless times • A huge opportunity was given to the trainees, the opportunity to be backup dancers for the company’s most successful group during their world tour • You and woong both practiced endlessly and eventually made it amongst 10 other trainees • You were absolutely ecstatic • As you started working together, woong warmed up to you and you two became quite close, even spending some time together outside of practice, visiting the numerous tour stops • For the last stop, the main dancer was asked to perform a dance duet and chose you to perform with him • You worked with the choreographer, trying to get the moves down in a short amount of time • The dance was slow and sensual and most definitely out of your comfort zone but you made it work • As the dress rehearsal started, woong couldn’t keep his eyes off of you • Of course, he was proud of you but what he was feeling wasn’t just that… • He wished he could be dancing with you instead as he saw your body moving fluidly and effortlessly on the stage • As soon as your rehearsal ended he found you backstage • ‘you did great y/n. I can’t believe how much your dancing has improved.’ he hugged you tight. • ‘thank you woong, I hope we get to do a duet together someday as well.’ You grin, taking a swig of water. • ‘ahhh but you’re too busy working with the famous guys now’ he laughed, playfully slapping your arm. • ‘of course not, I’m never too busy for you.’ You blurted out. • ‘huh?’ • ‘I mean, I thought it was pretty obvious that I had a crush on you… haha’ you laughed nervously, scratching your neck as you waited for his response. • ‘me too. I mean I like you too. I wish I could do a duet with you as well’ he immediately replied, getting closer to you. • ‘well, then let’s go! The practice room is still open!’ you exclaimed, dragging him out.

raesung • You and raesung used to be best friends • You had gotten into a huge fight when you were in middle school • All the new memories you share are kinda hazy • Mostly because you're usually high when you see him • You're usually sending him dirty looks when you see him at a party • Everyone knows you two despise each other • Whenever you walk past him at school you usually roast him • 'Wow raesung you look like shit today... y i k e s' • One night, you're at a party when raesung's friend hyunsuk starts flirting with you • You don't think much of it at first, he's attractive and you're single so... Yeah you guys end up making out • Raesung sees you making out with hyunsuk and immediately feels betrayed? He's not sure why he's so annoyed but he is • So he decides to walk over and drag hyunsuk away, with the excuse that he's too drunk • You're obviously furious because hellooo you were making out with a hot boy? • So you dm raesung that night like y/n: why the fuck did you drag hyunsuk away from me? -you deleted his number in middle school lol- gongjuboi: good evening y/n i think the correct words would be 'thank you raesung for saving me from being a teen mom' but aight y/n: wtf is wrong with you thinking you can control me when we having been friends since we were 12? gongjuboi: maybe because i fucking care about your dumbass? you think it's easy seeing you make out with my bestfriend when i've had and still have the fattest crush on you? y/n: oh... that explains a lot. umm maybe we can meet at the park tomorrow and talk it out? i don't wanna be lame like you and confess in the dms ♡ • let's just say you had raesung's heart palpitating, he couldn't sleep the entire night because he couldn't wait to see you

hyunsuk

• you're dating hyunsuk and you have a cold • obviously as soon as you text him that you don't feel well he's at your feet with a bunch of cold medicine and healthy foods • you're drinking one of the weird ginger tea concoctions he made for you when you start feeling bored cause hyunsuk ran out to buy more chicken soup • so you start watching videos on your phone and you stumble upon some of yedam's covers • you know yedam well cause he's hyunsuk friend but his talent still baffles you • as you're singing along to his cover of 'there's nothing holding me back' hyunsuk comes in, watching in horror • 'what.... are.... you.... doing...' he says, slowly removing the phone from your hands. • 'i'm singing?' you answer. • 'first of all, no offense i love you babe but you sounded terrible. second of all, why aren't you singing along to my songs? i'm offended?' he whines • 'fine omg stop being such a jealous baby, i'll just jam out to yammy gang with a sore throat then' you huff out • 'didn't stop you from horribly belting out those high notes though' he mumbles, a smile on his face as he gives you your phone back and kisses you on the forehead

byounggon • Sooo you’re dating byounggon and you work as an actress • Since you were so young when you started out, you usually worked on ads for family and children's products • However, now that you’re finally of age in korea, your agent had been getting a lot more calls for fashion, perfume and athletic wear • Today you were working on an ad for adidas • You’re super excited because it’s one of your favorite brands • What you didn’t know was that you would be working with another model, Bobby from IKON • You freaked out as soon as you got to set • Bobby was already dressed and waiting for you • ‘Nice to meet you y/n i’m Bobby from IKON, Byounggon told me a lot about you!!’ • Oof you had completely forgotten that gon and bobby were friends • ‘Nice to meet you too!!’ you smiled, trying not to fangirl • You finally got dressed in an adidas hoodie and leggings, getting ready for the shooting • As the camera flashed, the photographer instructed you and bobby to act like old friends, running together and even making him give you a piggyback ride • It was a cute concept honestly,, something softer and more approachable that most sports ads • Time passed by quickly, within an hour you two had taken almost 2000 shots together • You were super happy when you saw the pictures in the midst of their editing, even giving bobby a friendly high five for the teamwork • When you got home, gon was waiting for you with some food • You hugged him tightly, telling him all about the photoshoot • He was happy that your first major ad was with bobby,,, until he saw the ads • ‘You guys look awfully close, don’t you??’ he looked at you with a questioning smirk. • ‘huh?? Our concept was childhood friends why would we not look close??’ you laughed, not noticing the way gon was clenching his jaw • ‘Do you think bobby hyung is more handsome than i am??’ he questioned, making you stop eating • ‘No of course not, and even if i was attracted to him it wouldn’t matter because i love you.’ you gasped, realizing that you had said the l-word • You and gon had been dating for a year now but none of you had the courage to say those words yet • You internally cursed yourself for saying it at such a shitty moment • Gon sits on the couch wide-eyed for a few seconds and you think he might not say it back, before he puts your plates aside and grabs you close, hugging you as he whispers ‘i love you more’ y/n.

jihoon • you and jihoon are the class clowns • are true reckless pair • you guys are attached at the hip, always roasting someone or just being true crackheads • everyone in your class shipped you but you always shut it down claiming 'nah fam jihoon's gonna get married to one of those manga girls cause he's a weeb' • one night the silver boys squad are having a movie night and you're invited because duh jihoon likes you • the problem is that you're kinda short and junkyu, gon and noa decided to sit in the front which makes no sense cause they're the tallest? • so seunghun being the #dad that he is asks if you wanna sit on his lap so you can see better and you're like 'yEs' • jihoon is coming back from the kitchen when he almost drops the popcorn when he sees you on seunghun's lap • he doesn't want to cause a scene so he puts the popcorn down and goes back to his seat to text seunghun hoon🐶: dude wtf are you doing??? you know i like y/n... • meanwhile poor seunghun is struggling to text while your whole body is in front of him so he's wobbling all over the place hun🍯: i'm so sorwy dud e it's really hard to text rn • and the inevitable happened, seunghun dropped his phone and you picked it up • jihoon looked up in horror as you briefly skimed the texts, eyes stopping over the words 'you know i like y/n...' • you immediately get up and grab jihoon's arm, pulling him into the kitchen as the rest of the boys pretend like they didn't see anything • 'so.. you like me huh...' • 'umm yeah and i know you don't like me back but i really want to take you out on a date... if you'd let me..' • seeing him get so nervous actually made your heart flutter a bit • 'fine, take me out tomorrow crackhead' you giggle, returning to your seat • 'wait can you sit on my lap instead?' • 'damn we're not even dating yet and you're already so needy' you laugh, carefully sitting on his lap • jihoon couldn't concentrate at all during the movie, he was too busy internally crying over your last words 

seunghun • So,, it’s valentine’s day which means everyone is spending time with their bf or gf • Meanwhile you’ve been dating seunghun for about a month so you’re excited to spend this day with him • Your school has set up a system where students and teachers can buy roses for someone else in order to raise money for school activities • You would usually get some for your female friends who were single so they wouldn’t feel too lonely • Obviously, this year you would get one for seunghun as well • When your bio teacher comes into class with a bucket full of roses and names on it, you only expect to get one from seunghun • You were w r o n g • You get a total of 5 roses • 1 from seunghun, 3 from your best friends and 1 anonymous • When you get out of class, seunghun is looking at you curiously • ‘Who are they from??’ he asks. • ‘Oh these 3 are from yeeun, lisa and jisoo. this one i have no idea, it's anonymous...’ you shrug. • You had never seen seunghun get so red before • ‘ANONYMOUS?? YOU HAVE A SECRET ADMIRER?? I need to find whoever this is and give them… give them some very strong words because i can’t fight...’ • ‘Seunghun can you please calm down it’s probably just a friend’ you chuckle, amused at how worked up he is • ‘But what if they steal you away from meeeee’ he whines and that’s where you lose your shit • ‘Kim Seunghun. Nobody can steal you away from me. In our short time of dating i’ve already seen enough of you to know you’re the only person i see myself with okay?? Not will you please shut up and take me on a date??’ • Let’s just say Seunghun was s h o o k

yedam • You and yedam had met at school and bonded fairly fast due to your mutual love for reading • After a while of getting to know each other you’re finally dating • Your favorite date spot is the bookstore, you and yedam usually go once a week to pick out books together and read at a café • This time you’re looking for a book on mitosis for a school report • Unfortunately, the book you need is on the highest shelf making it impossible to reach • Even though yedam tried to get it for you he was still a little too short • Seeing you two struggling, the book store worker seunghun decided to step in and help • He reached up, taking the book with ease as he gave it to you with a huge grin on his face • ‘thank you so much’ you smiled, taking the book from his hands as you dragged Yedam to a nearby aisle • Yedam was obviously annoyed that he hadn’t been able to help you • The entire time you were at the bookstore he kept shooting glares towards Seunghun, getting even more annoyed when the latter would just smile back • Sensing that Yedam was acting weird, you pulled him aside and asked him what was wrong • ‘What’s wrong is that- that worker was completely flirting with you right in front of me!’ he exclaimed • ‘Yedam, I really don’t think he was flirting with me stop exaggerating. even if he was I wouldn’t care cause you’re the only person I want to be with.’ You smiled softly, leaving Yedam a blushing mess

junkyu • you and junkyu have been dating for a while now and he finally wants to introduce you to his friends • a perfect occasion came up as hyunsuk was hosting a party with all of the silver boys so junkyu was taking you as his date • you’re incredibly nervous as you walk to hyunsuk’s place, trying to rehearse the ways you could introduce yourself • ‘relax baby, you’ll be fine’ junkyu chuckled, grabbing your hand as he knocked on the door • you introduced yourself to everyone, nervously giggling everytime jihoon and seunghun would make stupid jokes about junkyu • you particularly got along with hyunsuk • he helped you stay calm, bringing you water or food everytime you seemed a little too tipsy and joking around with you when he sensed you were feeling a little left out • as junkyu observed you two, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy • you were his date and yet you had barely spent a second of the night with him • towards the end of the night you sat on the couch, completely forgetting you were wearing a skirt and you exposed your thighs a bit too much so hyunsuk took off his yellow jacket, laying it on your lap • junkyu l o s t it • he downed his drink and put his leather jacket back on, silently leaving as everyone watched on like ‘ummm wtf just happened…’ • you were too drunk to go after him so hyunsuk ran out • as he caught up with junkyu he immediately pulled him by his jacket • ‘yo wtf junkyu why would you just leave your girl like that?’ • ‘it really didn’t seem like she was my girl when you two were all over each other at the party?’ he laughed bitterly, turning back as he kept walking. • ‘look junkyu, it’s not what it looks like. I talked to y/n and she’s really serious about being with you. She just asked me to stay with her because she was nervous about the other guys not liking her and she was a bit overwhelmed… I mean can you imagine being introduced to 10 boys at once?’ hyunsuk chuckled. • ‘ohh… I guess that makes sense...’ junkyu sighed. • ‘can we please go back to the party now? I’m pretty sure y/n needs someone to take her drunk ass home’ hyunsuk laughed, pushing junkyu in the direction of his house.

doyoung • you were laying on magnum’s dorm’s couch, waiting for doyoung • he was out getting snack for your weekly date night • usually the dorm was quite loud but today even jihoon and mashiho were knocked out from practice so you were calmly scrolling through your Instagram feed • you came across a picture of seunghun so you went onto his profile, mindlessly scrolling through his recent pics as you wondered how he was doing • you two had been friends for a long time, he had even introduced you to the silver boys and that’s how you met doyoung and started dating • ‘what are you doing’ you gasp, turning around to see doyoung glaring at you with bags of snacks in his arms. • ‘oh my god you scared me?? What the fuck doyoung??’ • ‘I should be asking you that. Why are you stalking seunghun? Do you like him or something?’ he raised his tone, dropping the grocery bags. • ‘first of all, no what the fuck? Also, I’m not stalking him, I just haven’t seen him for a while and I was wondering how he is…’ you sighed. • ‘you haven’t seen me for a while too…’ he muttered. • ‘well, let me know when you have a personal Instagram account so I can stalk you too?? Stop acting like a jealous baby. I’m not going to see you a lot when you debut so can you please just chill??’ you asked. • ‘you’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry for overreacting. Let’s just watch a movie and talk okay? I’ll go put the popcorn in the microwave’ he smiled, gently rubbing his thumb over your hands.

midam

• it’s the first day of spring break and you’re on vacation with all of your college friends and your boyfriend midam • you brought your friends lisa, yeeun and chungha while midam brought his friends hyunsuk, seunghun and byounggon • for the first night, you guys decided to go out and get dinner together • you did your make up for the first time in a while and even the rest of the girls could agree you.  did. thAT 😳🗣 • so,, you looked really good and midam couldn’t stop looking at you the entire night. He wasn’t the only one tho… • the waiter at your table spent the entire night flirting with you and midam was starting to get annoyed • on top of that the rest of your friends were even getting uncomfortable cause the guy just wouldn’t take a hint • at one point midam went to the bathroom to calm down • while he was away, the waiter came back • he brushed your hair out of your face, leaning in to whisper ‘do you want my number?’ • Your eyes shot wide open as you saw midam right behind him, fists clenched in anger • ‘do you want my fist in your face?’ he yelled out, grabbing him by his collar. • Seeing as other customers were starting to look your way hyunsuk and byounggon both got up to calm midam down and you all left • On the way, back the others pretended they wanted to go shopping as an excuse to give you two some space • ‘so… that was a shit show’ you laughed, linking arms with midam • ‘I’m really sorry babe I know how much you wanted us to have a nice dinner together’ he sighed • ‘it’s fine, he was making me annoyed too. I’m glad you care enough to defend me.’ You smiled. • ‘hey, do you wanna go get some ice cream?’ he suddenly suggested • ‘hELL YEAH’ you yelled out, making midam laugh at how excited you were

-

hi hello i’m literally sick so i’m kinda dying but hope you guys like this hehe

[jennycalendar]

imperfections (69/?)

read it on ao3!

a spotlight on a different relationship dynamic this chapter!!

Xander had literally never seen Giles this happy, especially in the face of an impending apocalypse. Generally, Giles was all Stiff-Upper-Lip Guy, even in his most relatively cheerful moments—but here he was, late at night, waltzing Jenny round the living room and humming along to a song on the radio. It was like the proposal had brought out a new side to Giles, and honestly, Xander was really glad about it. The terrible couple of hours where they’d been sure Giles was going to die—that had majorly sucked, and seeing Giles this lit up with delight made things feel like they might finally be getting back to normal.

As such, when Jenny tugged him aside and entrusted him with what she said was an “incredibly important assignment,” Xander couldn’t help but feel like he’d been given a soft toss. Keeping an eye on Giles during the apocalypse? Giles? Totally Capable Librarian Man? Jenny might as well have asked Xander to stay at home and watch TV while the grown-ups saved the world. He wanted to tell her that, but…Jenny was letting him stay with them, in a warm, cozy house with home-cooked meals and family movie nights. Xander couldn’t disagree with her if it might mean going back to living with his dad, so he kept his mouth shut.

That got hard when he had to watch everybody else getting ready for the apocalypse.

“Buffy, Faith, before we head down to kick the hell-beast’s butt, I need you to check in on that bomb,” Jenny was saying, strapping a knife to her thigh.

“Bomb?” Buffy repeated.

“Jack O’Toole was trying to chat me up in chem,” explained Cordelia, who was applying lip gloss and loading a crossbow at the same time. Somehow. Honestly, Xander really didn’t know how he’d landed a girl as incredible as Cordy, but he counted himself lucky every day. “Said something about some bomb under the school. Probably nothing, but it’s at least worth looking into.” She considered. “Knock his head around a little if he doesn’t tell you how to turn it off, Faith.”

Xander glanced over at Giles, who looked just as happy as he had ever since he and Jenny had gotten engaged. Also a little nervous, but Giles always looked a little nervous, so it really didn’t seem like anything worth keeping him company over. “You’ll be all right?” Giles was saying to Jenny.

In answer, Jenny took Giles’s face in her hands and said something, quietly, that Xander didn’t attempt to make out. He turned to Willow instead, but Willow was busy discussing spells with Creepy Demon Substitute Teacher Lady. And Faith was polishing her knife, and Buffy was tying her hair up in prep for battle, which left…Wesley, for some reason. Wesley seemed to have latched himself even tighter onto Anyanka after she’d stood him up, buying her excuse about a flat tire way too easily.

No way was Xander feeling low enough to talk to that guy. He sat heavily down on the couch, feeling more useless than ever.

Giles kissed Jenny goodbye one last time on their front porch, feeling the old, familiar terror rise up in him as he looked at her. The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with—it would be so poetic, so painful, if she died tonight. It would fit the pattern of his life: happiness snatched away only seconds after he realized it was there. And then he would be alone, again, with no one to hold him and kiss his hair and tell him she wanted him, even with all his life’s absurd complexities—

“Baby,” said Jenny, “get your shit together. We still have a wedding to plan.” That made Giles smile; he couldn’t help himself. Warmth spread through him as she smiled back. “I love you,” she said. “I promise I’ll play it safe.”

“I love you too,” said Giles, and tried to smile as he watched her turn and go. He couldn’t stop thinking about how quickly things could go from perfect happiness to—he had left his house, weeks ago, looking for Jenny, and ended up with his throat slit in a derelict old mansion. He could have died. He should have died. Some part of him would die, permanently, if he lost Jenny tonight.

Faith stopped as she was leaving, turning on the porch steps to give him a strange look. “Hey, man, you know it’s gonna be okay, right?” she said, a note of genuine concern in her voice. “You look really fucked up right now.”

“Thank you, Faith,” said Giles absently, and headed back inside, shutting the door behind him.

Xander was still sitting on the couch, staring up at the ceiling with a positively miserable look on his face. Giles empathized. His old instincts said that he should leave Xander to his own devices, but Jenny had taught Giles quite a bit better than that. Sitting down on the couch next to Xander, he said, “Would you like to talk about it at all?”

“No,” said Xander, glaring at the ceiling.

“All right,” said Giles. “Can you help me make cookies?”

“Don’t fucking patronize me.” Xander turned his glare on Giles, then froze, flinching back. “Uh. Shit. Man, I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget how, how you guys are being nice enough to let me live here, and I just, I need to keep remembering that—”

“Your living here isn’t a privilege, Xander,” said Giles, confused. “If you wish to air a grievance, we won’t turn you out on the street.”

“You say that now—” Xander’s voice broke. Looking mortified, he scrubbed at his face. “Jenny doesn’t want me out fighting with everyone else,” he said. “She made some dumb excuse up about you needing company, but I got the message loud and clear. This one’s a big battle and she wants to make sure I stay safe.”

Lord, there was a lot to untangle here. Giles honestly wasn’t quite sure where to start, and latched onto the easiest one to explain. Unfortunately, this was also the most honest one, and he had to take an unsteady breath before saying, “It wasn’t an excuse, Xander.”

Xander gave him an oh, really? look.

“The incident with Kralik affected me rather more than I let on,” said Giles carefully. “I don’t feel entirely ready to enter the field of battle, and required—” He swallowed, ducking his head. He felt as though Xander might think less of him after his admission, but he knew Xander’s feelings would be helped by it, and so he soldiered on. “I required company,” he said. “Jenny suggested you, on the grounds that we both thought you might treat my situation with the required sensitivity.”

Xander looked a little stunned.

“I do apologize if your feelings were hurt by any perceived insult,” Giles continued a bit shakily. “I truly never meant to offend—”

“Oh, man, Giles,” said Xander. He now looked upset in an entirely different way. Without a word, he leaned across the couch and hugged Giles—an awkward hug at a bad angle, but a hug nonetheless—and a rather overcome Giles had to blink very fast to stave off tears. “Are you okay?” Xander asked quietly.

“Well,” said Giles. His usual brush-offs weren’t coming to mind. “Well. Not quite. But your company really does help, Xander. Please don’t think Jenny—that she was giving you an easy assignment in order to keep you safe.”

Xander pulled back, looking a little embarrassed. “Kinda hard not to think that when she put me in charge of Hypercompetent Watcher Guy,” he said, leaning back into the couch and doing his best to look like he hadn’t just hugged Giles.

“Xander, I’m touched, but I’m hardly hypercompetent,” said Giles gently. “I’m simply doing my best in a rather difficult situation.”

Reluctantly, and a little wryly, Xander smiled. “That makes me feel kinda better,” he said.

“Oh?”

“I’m doing my best in tough times too,” said Xander. “Makes me think someday I can pull off the kind of stuff you do.”

“I fully expect you’ll surpass me within the next five years at least,” said Giles, grinning a little when Xander smiled back.

Giles started some chocolate chip cookies, and roped Xander into helping. “This is an extremely important life skill,” he informed Xander, who was currently attempting to pick shards of eggshell out of the egg in the mixing bowl. “At some point, you’re going to make some drastic mistake, and your significant other will want recompense. Baking always works in that regard.”

“Yeah?” said Xander, grinning a little. He’d just gotten a pretty tricky piece of eggshell out without breaking the yolk. “Does it work on Ms. Calendar?”

“Almost always,” said Giles. “I made her apology brownies after I accidentally recorded over one of her terrible action movies.”

“Might not work on Cordy,” said Xander contemplatively. “She’s always on some diet.”

“She’s rather young for that,” said Giles, sounding mildly concerned.

“I know!” Xander agreed. “I’m gonna tell her you said that, because she totally needs to hear it. I tell her how pretty she is all the time and she just goes—” He pulled a face.

Giles rolled his eyes a little, smiling. “Romantic partners can be a bit obtuse,” he said. “They tend to assume you’re biased because you love them.”

Xander blinked, then blushed. “Yeah,” he said. “Uh, you think I should tell Cordy I love her?”

Giles looked over at Xander. “Do you?” he said.

The answer to that question made Xander’s heart pick up and his cheeks flush. He ducked his head, looking down at the bowl.

“Of course,” said Giles awkwardly, reading Xander completely wrong. “You two are rather young to—that is, I would never suppose—”

“Yeah, I do,” said Xander to the eggs. It was the first time he’d told anyone. “I love her a lot. She’s smart, and she’s snarky, and sometimes we hang out in her car and she tells me all the latest gossip.” He smiled a little shyly, first at the eggs, then at Giles. “She makes me laugh.”

Giles was looking at Xander in a way that made Xander’s chest hurt, kinda. He’d always wanted an adult to look at him like that. “Well,” said Giles. “That’s wonderful. I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear it when you feel ready to tell her.”

“Maybe I’ll tell her when she gets back from the world-saving,” said Xander contemplatively. “You think that’d be a good call?”

“I think it’s a very important decision that only you can really make,” said Giles. “Are you done with the eggs?”

“What?” Xander glanced down at the egg, carefully picked out one last shard, and cracked another one, this one a little more precisely. The yolk broke, but the eggshells remained outside the bowl. “Hey,” he said, grinning. “I did it!”

“Good job,” said Giles, clapping Xander on the shoulder. “Help me mix them in and we’ll be half done with the batter.”

“Baking takes a long time,” groaned Xander, following Giles over to the larger mixing bowl.

The cookies were in the oven when they got a call from the library. Giles, who had been largely calm throughout the entire baking process, scrambled for the phone, picking it up before it had even gotten through its first ring. “Hello?” he said, sharp and anxious.

Xander waited, heart in his throat.

Giles’s shoulders relaxed, his face softening. “Darling,” he said. “Yes. Yes, we’re making cookies. Yes.” He paused, listening. “That’s—that’s wonderful news. Is the—” His smile flickered. “Oh. So you still have to—all right. Yes.” He swallowed. “I love you too. Stay safe.”

What’s going on? Xander mouthed.

Giles held up a hand, then hung up the phone. “They defused the bomb, but the Hellmouth is only a few minutes away from opening,” he said.

Xander thought about Cordelia up against a big, gross hell-monster and felt sick. “When are the cookies done?” he said.

“I don’t know,” said Giles. “I think that I would rather like to bake something else right now.”

Anything was better than waiting around. “Isn’t the oven in use?” asked Xander.

“Willow likes pudding, doesn’t she?” said Giles. “We can make that on a stovetop, and then we can make some hot chocolate for,” he swallowed, “for when they all come home.”

Home. Xander liked that. He liked that almost enough not to think about his friends fighting evil while he made fucking pudding in a kitchen. “Yeah, okay,” he said.

“Xander?” said Giles, and crossed the room, then placed his hands on Xander’s shoulders. This felt more deliberate than Xander’s dumb, clumsy hug, and the way Giles was looking at him reminded Xander a little bit of the way Giles sometimes looked at Buffy, and the combo of those two things made Xander almost unable to meet Giles’s eyes. “They’re going to be all right,” said Giles, just the way Jenny always said it. “Come now. Let’s make some pudding.”

It was three in the morning, Giles and Xander eating cookies and pudding in front of the television, when the door burst open and a chattering horde of people tumbled through. Cordelia’s hair was burnt off on one side, and Faith was leaning heavily on Buffy, and Jenny had what looked like a messed-up wrist, but they were all alive. They were all alive.

Xander stood up very fast.

“Oh my god, Xander, don’t look at me!” Cordelia shrieked, attempting to hide behind Willow. “I have to get a haircut! I look like some lopsided Before picture!”

“Before what?” Willow asked, mouth twitching.

“Hi, honey,” Jenny was whispering, and Xander saw that Giles’s face was buried in Jenny’s shoulder. He was shaking. That was a lot for Xander to process, especially since Giles had held himself together impressively well for pretty much all of the night. “Hi. Hey. We’re all okay.” She pulled a face. “I mean, I probably need to get my wrist checked out, but I break bones all the time. Nothing new.”

Xander crossed the room to help Faith off of Buffy, who looked pretty drawn and exhausted herself. “I can get her up to bed,” he said to Buffy.

“No, it’s okay,” said Buffy, and took Faith fully in her arms, giving her a soft kiss. “You kicked ass,” she whispered.

“Sure did,” Faith agreed, starry-eyed.

“Please stop,” said Cordelia. “Gag-worthy.”

“Hey, Cordy, I love you,” said Xander suddenly. It felt like something he kinda just really had to say, seeing her there in all her Cordy-ness. The world had almost ended, but Cordelia Chase was mostly just upset about her haircut and excessive PDA—and for some not-so-stupid reason, that made him love her just so much.

Cordelia blinked, peering out from behind Willow. Her hands fluttered to her hair. “But I look the worst right now,” she said breathlessly.

“So?” said Xander.

Cordelia bit her lip, smiling, and ducked her head. “I love you too, loser,” she said, and crossed the room, leaning in to cup Xander’s face in her hands and kiss him. She smelled like burnt hair and demon blood, and Xander felt kind of sick from all the pudding he’d been eating, but none of that took away from the fact that it was the best kiss of his entire life.

“Okay, everybody needs to stop kissing and go to bed,” called Jenny from the couch. “We’ll take it easy tomorrow, but right now I think we all really need a break—”

“I love it when you take charge,” said Giles happily.

Cordelia pulled back, bumping her nose against Xander’s. “Love ya,” she whispered, then giggled, like she almost couldn’t believe she was lucky enough to say it.

“Super glad you’re not dead,” Xander whispered back. “You wanna stay over?”

“Safe sex, kids!” called Jenny, who was shepherding Faith and Buffy up the stairs.

“Thank you for totally ruining that, Ms. Calendar!” Cordelia called back, but tucked her arm into Xander’s anyway.

[kashimos-hajime]

Social Justice

Request: could you do a peter kavinsky x reader imagine where everyone in the school knows your Peter's, so they don't even dare try hitting on you, except this one guy does it so often that Peter just gets so angry. But instead of yelling at him in a angry manner, Peter confronts him with such sarcasm and calmness that it ends up scaring the guy away? yeah idk? something like that i guess...

A/N: Hope I do you justice, anon!

As always, thank you @teawithbucky​ for giving this a read over before I let you all read it.

Masterlist and Taglist are in my bio!

Summary: When a new student threatens the power couple of high school, you and Peter Kavinsky firmly put him back in his place with a proper verbal smack down.

Characters: Peter Kavinsky

Wordcount: 1.7k

Rating: T (swearing, one slap, sexual harrassment, strong feminist views because I can’t help myself and I love writing a strong Reader)

You grab your what-was-once-hot coffee and sigh, raking your gaze over the stack of textbooks in your locker. It’s lunch (finally) and you’re exhausted.

“Hey, babe,” Peter greets, sneaking up behind you with his hands on your hips. Not paying him any mind, you cast a doubtful look at the chemistry textbook, wondering if you should study during lunch.

“How was the chem test?” you ask and he plucks the takeaway coffee cup from your hand. He quickly presses a kiss to your neck before taking a sip of your coffee. Making a face, he swallows painfully and you try to stifle a smile.

“It was pretty easy. You should be good to go for tomorrow.” He heads down the hall to throw away the cup as you nod to yourself. That means less work for you. Closing your locker, you smile at your boyfriend. He always has a habit of making you smile even when all you want to do is frown so much that the lines become permanently engraved on your face. Adjusting your backpack, you sneak an arm around his waist as he tosses one around your shoulders, bringing you close.

“Wanna get some subs?” Shrugging, you push open the school doors just as someone calls your name.

“(Y/N)! Hey!” Turning around, you feel Peter’s arm fall away as you spot Thomas Callaway who’d been assigned as your chem partner since the new seating arrangement had taken place. Also a new student, you’d been assigned as his tour guide for his first month. “Hey.”  

“Thomas, hey.” Smiling, you brush a piece of hair behind your ear as Peter grabs your free hand, kissing your temple. “Do you need something?”

“Uh, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the movies? See the new Shades of Grey movie?” He has a smirk on his face but you, knowing that every Thursday means a chill night with Peter, shake your head.

“Sorry, I have plans.” With one last (not so) apologetic look, you and your boyfriend turn around and he reaches for the door when Thomas calls out again.

“How about lunch? We can ditch the afternoon.”

“I’m gonna get subs with Peter,” you say and Thomas’ eyes go to the taller Peter Kavinsky who has an indifferent expression directed down at him.

“Right. Is that even allowed?”

“As long as you don’t tell,” you say flatly. “Can you find your way to the cafeteria?”

He stutters for a moment, at a loss for words before uttering, “Yeah. Uh, maybe next time?” You shrug and then the two of you turn. Tossing a glance over your shoulder, you offer a forced smile.

“Yeah, next time.”

As the two of you leave the high school, Peter lets go of your hand and resumes the arm around your shoulder.

“Who was that?” he asks, acting disinterested. Knowing he’s only trying to act aloof, you nudge him in the ribs.

“My new chem partner. Play nice for now.”

“If he doesn’t stop flirting with you, I might have to mark my territory,” he mumbles with a hot glare and you laugh, resting your head against his shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I don’t like him either.” He tilts your chin up, pressing a full kiss against your mouth. Pushing back, you wrinkle your nose when he pulls away first. “Come on. We needa get back in time.” Tugging your hand, the two of you start in a run towards the Subway down the block.

.

As the month goes on, you find yourself more short-tempered and annoyed than a usual first month back. Normally September’s weather makes you all calm and happy, but with Thomas Callaway as your parasite, you find yourself being unable to be anything but.

It started out fine. Little proposals to hang out, to study, and then it became outrageous.

“Hey, good lookin’.”

“If your name came up in ‘Smash or Pass’, I’d full on smash.”

“Your ass in jeans shouldn’t be legal.”

Let’s just say Peter’s temper matched yours whenever the two of you saw him. To say the most popular couple in school is on a warpath is an understatement. Although the both of you are well respected in your own right, everyone knows to stay the fuck away from either of you. Every girl and guy has made a solidarity pact and everyone likes (or respects or fears) both you and Peter too much to so much as glance in the direction of your boobs and his dick.

Callaway just didn’t get the damn fucking memo.

As the date of homecoming approaches, you know that Peter will plan something elaborate to ask you out. Every year you feel the urge to tell him it doesn’t matter. He could ask you while you were in the middle of the exam and you’d still say yes. Not enthusiastically, but you would say yes. Unfortunately for you, that means that Thomas Callaway’s ‘suave’ flirtations doubled in amount.

As you stand at your locker during break, stuffing your notebook into your locker, you feel another presence hover over you.

“Hey, (Y/N).” Mentally preparing yourself, you pay Callaway no mind even when his breath puffs over your ear. “You got a date to homecoming? Because if you don’t...” He clicks his tongue and jabs a thumb towards himself. Rolling your eyes, you pause to calm yourself down before beginning to jam your textbook into your locker a lot harder than God intended.

“As I’ve told you a thousand times, I am going with Peter. I have been dating him since I have met you; that is not going to change, and I don’t want to go with anyone else.”

“Aw, come on. What does he have that I don’t?” Callaway asks, coming closer until his lips brush against your ear. Closing your eyes, you give him a count to three. You know people are staring and whispering, probably at how stupid this new guy is and when you give him two extra seconds and count to five, you’re wondering why you’re so merciful today. “Come on, baby, why don’t you bend over-”

“Woah!” Whirling around, you slap him hard across the face. He stumbles back as you storm up to him, digging a finger hard into his chest. “No. You don’t get to say that. You do not get to come to my locker, into my personal space, and insinuate things I don’t like, even after weeks of me saying no. You may have been able to push around other girls, make them feel uncomfortable, but let me tell you,” you chuckle, “you chose the wrong girl. I am not afraid to stand up to you. I am not afraid to make a scene. You have been sexually harassing me, even when I have calmly, firmly told you no. I have been forced to work with you because the school has told me to do so. You seem to mistake it for interest. I assure you. It is not. I loathe you. I despise you. And don’t think I won’t report you to the goddamn principal. You’re nasty.”

“You wonder what Peter Kavinsky has over you? A sense of what consent is near the top of the list,” you snap. “Leave me alone, Callaway.”

“Bitch,” he spits and you laugh facetiously. So he’s one of those people. “You’re probably one of those sluts who has him wrapped around your finger while you go off blowing all his friends.”

“Oh, don’t be one of those sad, sad guys. Calling me names because I hurt your little fragile ego? Slut-shaming? Really? I hope you grow up before you even think about asking another woman out again.” Slamming your locker closed, you turn to walk away when you see your boyfriend standing there with a slight smile on his face. A crowd has half-formed, students littering the halls in a semi-circle around you but you don’t care.

“You know, that wasn’t smart of you to piss her off like that,” Peter starts dangerously, walking forward and placing himself between you and Callaway. “Mostly because one, she can fucking kick your ass and two, she has a boyfriend who can probably bench press you right now if he wanted to.” Peeking around Peter, you see Callaway stare at you. “You know what else was a genius move of yours? Hitting on a girl who has a boyfriend.” Peter smiles blandly at the shorter guy as he takes a few paces up to him. “I’ve let it go, seeing as how you’re the new guy, but let me make one thing very, very clear. You come near her again outside the classroom again, and I don’t think you’ll like what happens to you, Thomas. You are not worth her time with how you act and what you say. Grow up, dude, seriously.”

Peter genuinely sounds disgusted and disappointed; so deeply so that it makes you chuckle and he glances back at you. He winks and you smirk as he turns back to Callaway.

“Go, man. Why are you still here? You’re just embarrassing yourself.” There’s a long moment where Callaway stares at you then drags his gaze back to Peter.

“Whatever. You’re not worth my time anyways. Skank.” You roll your eyes. What a classic tactic to bid for the last word. Name-calling. Cute.

“Uhm, bitch, you’re walking a fine line.” Peter crosses his arms over his chest and for a moment, there’s a long stare-off. “You’re dismissed, Callaway.” Another tense silence, then Callaway turns pushes through the crowd. “Let him through.”

“Alright guys, showdown is over. Let’s just get back to class,” you announce as Peter finally turns around with that wide smile you know is for you.

“I am so blessed that you’re my girl,” he whispers and you laugh as you wrap your arms around his neck, kissing him. “Honestly, I only wanted to step in for my two-cents but watching you verbally kick his ass was pretty great.”

“Well, now you’re making me blush,” you faux-swoon and he laughs, twirling you around. “Come on. Let’s get to class.” Pulling away, you extend your hand towards him and he takes it, swinging your arms as you walk to history.

“I love you.” Beaming from ear to ear, you feel your neck warm up as you stare at the tiles beneath your shoes.

“I love you, too.”

TAGS: @teawithbucky @shadowsndaisies @meemeehoelland

[macbookpro-hard-drive]

control [jeremy h. x squipped!reeader] pt.1

like what i do? consider buying me a coffee!

haha so i literally was on the fence abt how to do this first part before CB helped me decide ‘yeah this would work better so’ ;)

i’m gonna post this first part on it’s own since this one isn’t really heavy at all - but i’ll try to post the heavier parts w some fluffy stuff for people who need it/don’t want to read control

warnings: mainly just pain in this part. we’ll get into worse things later.

           The first day of eighth grade at a new school was stressful. You walked into your first class with shoes tied a bit too tight, backpack light, and your stomach tying itself in knots. You remembered finding your name taped into the corner of a desk, right next to a first: at the head of the list. You remembered not having friends for a while. And then you found yourself sitting behind Jeremy Heere in eighth grade physical science, and you found yourself partners with this awkward, tall, noodle-y thirteen year old for some stupid project that you actually didn’t remember. Jeremy Heere had planet stickers on his bedroom door. Jeremy Heere laughed at the same stupid jokes you did, liked the same music as you (plus more that you two got each other into), and loved video games like Spyro and Kirby. Jeremy Heere was your first friend, and then Michael Mell was your second, and the rest of eighth grade didn’t seem so tough anymore. You had friends to sit with at lunch, people to bitch about classes with, and video games to win and lose at sometimes with two pretty nerdy guys. But you didn’t mind that last part - you were fairly nerdy as well. They didn’t judge you for the little doodles you’d leave on your class notes or on your knockoff Vans or on the cuffs of your jeans - and neither did their parents, honestly. Michael’s moms accepted you like their own, treating you as if you knew Michael as long as Jeremy had. Jeremy’s parents were kind, his father soft-spoken and his mother bold and full of life even on her longest work days. You felt at home with the two of them.

          Freshman year wasn’t so daunting either - the three of you moving onto Middleborough with a lot of familiar faces. Freshman year was when the three of you went to homecoming together for about thirty minutes before ditching to go play Mario Party 7 on the GameCube that Michael Mell still had in his basement with his brother sometimes chilling in the background every so often. Freshman year was when Jeremy met Christine Canigula for the first time, saw the winter play with her in it, and immediately fell. Freshman year was when you realized how the butterflies that stayed in your stomach whenever you were near Jeremy weren’t just anxiety-fueled, but a soft sort of yearning that fluttered whenever his hand brushed your own. The end of freshman year was when things started turning rocky. The start of sophomore year is when Jeremy starting becoming distant, and in turn, that’s when Michael followed him out of your life. Hanging out started to become a happy daydream, lunch grew too quiet and a time to lose yourself in doodles and music, and your afternoons were filled with homework and no one to bitch to about it. Late sophomore year is when you heard about the divorce.

          You’d been standing next to Jeremy after school one day, a week later, stomach churning with anxiety and loose feelings that began to resurface. “I’m sorry about what happened, Jeremy.” You’d mustered up, fingers curled tightly around your bag, sleeves dipping down over your fingers. 

          He looked over to you, slouched forward and hands shoved into his pockets - a habit he’d recently picked up, as if maybe he could hide himself if he just kept trying. “Yeah.” He sort of smiled a little, “it’s... fine.” He lied. You remembered how Jeremy would badly lie: teeth slightly clenched, gaze averted, voice quiet and wavering every so slightly at the end of his words. 

          “Is there anything I can do-”

          “No.” He said, a bit blunt, before finally adding on, “it’s uh.. it’s fine, [y/n]. Thank you.”

          You watched his dad pull up, gaze distant and soft. Jeremy left your side. Fifteen minutes later, your dad’s car pulled up to the curb and you were quick to enter the car.

          Five months later, you were a junior - so close yet so far from that bit of freedom you craved. Just two more years and you’d be out of high school, and you could deal with college when that got closer. Five months later, and you were stuck with Jeremy Heere in four of your classes. In your American History class, he sat desks ahead of you, close to the door - and you’d caught yourself staring at the back of his head while your attention evaporated, and you prayed that he didn’t notice that shit because staring was creepy, fuck, you didn’t mean to stare at him. In Chemistry, he sat next to Michael at a table close to the teacher’s desk - the one in front of him preoccupied by a certain Rich Goranski and some baseball player who’s name you never bothered to remember, all because they were trouble and that was the easiest way for your teacher to keep an eye on him. In American Literature, he sat across the room, hidden behind multiple football players which gave him the perfect cover to nap behind because that was in the mornings and he was a tired little shit sometimes - something you understood a bit too personally. And then there was algebra, where you sat right next to Jeremy Heere, who always asked you for your calculator because he forgot his own. 

          You’d begun to keep your head down, your focus on anything but the people around you, and your task to keep invisible. You hardly stood out - plain clothes that were usually dark in color, hair sort of kept neat as you could keep it, and the normal shitty acne that you’d been trying to get rid of. Maybe it was the stress. You’d caught yourself picking at your nails plenty of times (and fuck, you were going to have to find out how to break the stupid habit), or keeping close to the walls and shoving your hands into your pockets, or fuck - when anxiety reared up bad enough, you’d take to biting your nails. In the eyes of the world around you, you could only assume you were written off as some emo freak or some shit - not that you’d care, frankly. You were left alone for the most part, and that’s how you enjoyed it.

          Jeremy, on the other hand, wasn’t. Something apparently turned Jeremy into more of a target than you - and to be honest, you weren’t exactly sure what it was. You’d seen Rich make shitty remarks to him, ranging from just a simple “tall-ass” to shit questioning Jeremy’s friendship with Michael being just that. Maybe one day you’d gather your courage and tell Rich to fuck off. But you weren’t a blip on the radar - not like how Jeremy was. So you told yourself it was better you stay safe for right now because Jeremy had Michael: you had no one, and you weren’t sure if putting that target on your back would leave you to survive high school. The regrets were there, sure, but at least you stayed unseen.

          At least, until around three weeks into the school year. You had this habit of going to the mall after schools just to wander - never really buying too much since you’d been saving your money from your allowance and your commissions (as sparse as they’d been) for some sweet merch you’d been eyeing up. This habit didn’t lend itself to every single day of every single week - but it had been enough to call it a habit, just because the idea of heading home alone to do nothing but drown yourself with bullshit homework assignments and commissions started to turn your stomach. You didn’t spend a long time there anyway - just sort of wandering into Spencer’s or into GameStop before leaving, maybe grabbing some pretzels or cookies or something first. One Thursday afternoon, you tore out of Spencer’s as business picked up, and as fate would have it: you stumbled right out into the familiar frame of Rich Goranski. Lucky for you, he’d been alone - about to make some comment as he studied your face. Recognition flickered. He knew you.

          Your breath caught in your throat as you flung yourself back a step, “shit - fuck, dude, I’m sorry, I should have-”

          He looked absent. “[y/n].” He said, voice quiet, processing slowly your presence before he blinked several times, as if he was coming back to life right before you. “Right?”

          You gave a slow, cautious nod. “Yeah... look, I’m sorry about-”

          “Tomorrow,” he cut you off, “after school, behind the gym. We’ll talk.”

          Anxiety squeezed your organs. “Fuck, dude-”

          “We’ll talk,” he repeated, and that pretty much solidified the thought that well, shit, you’re probably going to die.

          You nodded slowly before he walked off, muttering something softly before stealing a quick glance over his shoulder at you. And then he was gone, swinging into some store before you let out a long sigh. Okay, so - Rich was going to kill you, you decided. At least that means no chem test for you to fail? You frowned. Weak attempt to be okay with that - but... then again, when you really thought about it, Rich wouldn’t just... kill you on school grounds, right? Especially right after school?

          You swallowed hard, before heading towards the exit. Twenty-four hours. Time to see how many scenarios you can dream up.

          The entirety of Friday was swallowed up by dread and panic and everything shitty. Your heart was beating hard in your ears during your last class, and you’d been pretty damn jumpy all day - accidentally nearly throwing your calculator when Jeremy asked for it, right on cue, and then you came up with some bullshit excuse that you weren’t feeling too peachy keen, Jeremiah, but you’d definitely feel better later. He stared at you before sliding the case from your calculator, slowly turning back to Michael to continue his work. Could that have gone better? Totally. But he seemed to buy it at least - and that’s all that truly mattered in the end. Your leg bounced continuously for the entirety of lunch and throughout the remainder of your final class, anxiety screaming for some sort of release and endless leg bounce was the best way you could channel it. The moment the bell rang, you shoved your things into your bag and bolted out of the room, heading towards the gym. To your surprise, you were alone when you first arrived.

          Twenty minutes later, Rich showed up, bag hanging off of one shoulder and hands jammed into his jeans pockets. He gave you a once-over, before shrugging his bag from his shoulder, tossing it to the ground. This was it: he was gonna fucking kill you and you sort of stumbled back, wondering if you could outrun him-

          “... Jesus fucking - Relax.” He frowned, staring you down as he stretched, joints popping as he did so, “didn’t think you’d show up.”

          You nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, uh, figured... you’d probably hunt me down if I didn’t - but... look, Rich, about yesterday-”

          He groaned, “god fucking-” He cut himself off there, watching as you tensed up, before letting out a heavy breath. “You...” He paused once more, studying your face, “you...” He spoke slowly, “you remember me freshman year, right?”

          You nearly said no. But you did: Rich Goranski, who sat next to you in Biology and... was actually rather quiet, speaking with a strong lisp that you weren’t sure if you remembered correctly because you’d never heard it again. Rich with the D&D dice set in a little pouch in his bag, who sorta smiled at you a little when you brought up this idea for a campaign you had but you didn’t have the players for. Nodding slowly, you finally answered him: “yeah. Biology-”

          “Then you remember how I was-”

          “Yeah? We talked about D&D a couple times-”

          “Don’t fucking bother me with that nerd shit,” he spat, “that’s not important right now.”

          You pressed your lips together for a moment, before finally speaking once more. “I... I don’t see what this has do to with yesterday-”

          “Shut up about that shit!” He snapped, and you flinched slightly and took a step back. He watched you, before he started to regain his composure. “Sorry. Habit.” Shitty habit. “Look. I thought you could use the help I got.”

          “What help? You went from being kinda nice to being a huge fucking dick-” You started before catching yourself. Anger flared up in his eyes. “Sorry-”

          “If you don’t fucking want my help, then fine-”

          “No!” You started, “no - dude, I just... what’s this help?”

          The smallest little smirk started to play at the corner of his lips, and he stood slightly straighter. “You like Jeremy, right?”

          Fuck, was it obvious? “How did you know-”

          He didn’t answer. His smirk became more apparent. Something about it was unnerving - and... Rich didn’t feel so Rich-like, as weird as it seemed. “I’ve got something that can help you with that.”

          “With... Jeremy?” You started, furrowing your brow, “look - Rich, Jeremy and I were friends-”

          “And you can be his friend again, and more, with a SQUIP.” Something about he said that made you feel uneasy. 

          But curiosity reigned supreme in the end. “A... what?”

          “A SQUIP,” he repeated, “it’s this grey, oblong pill with a supercomputer inside of it. You take it and,” he reached up, tapping the side of his head, “you don’t have to worry about shit anymore, because you’ve got it telling you all the right moves to make. You’ll be cooler or smarter or whatever the fuck you want to be! You want to fuck Heere - you can.”

          “I don’t-” You paused, cheeks growing warm, “is that... safe?”

          “It’ll help you.” He said. “Look, it’s six-hundred dollars-”

          “Six-hundred?” You parroted back, “oh, fuck, yeah sure, let me just pull out my fucking wallet with six-hundred in it right now-”

          “Are you always a sarcastic little shit?” Rich asked, stepping towards you, “give me your phone.”

          You pulled it out, unlocking it before holding it out. He opened the contact, and you could only assume he was punching his number into it. Thoughts simmered in your mind as he handed the phone back to you. Questions bubbled. You didn’t speak.

          “Text me when you get the money.” He gave you another smirk, “I know what you’re thinking but... it’s worth it. Trust me.”

          He turned, swiping up his bag in one hand before shrugging it back onto his shoulder, and left you standing there in the hot afternoon sun. Trust him. You looked down to your phone, Rich’s contact still open. You looked back up, watching him disappear into the distance, and started off towards your home. Six-hundred bucks for a pill that’ll change your life, by the sound of it. All you had to do was trust Rich. 

          You let the thought sit with you all through the rest of the afternoon, all through the half-assed attempt at homework that you’d probably finish throughout Sunday and Monday, through dinner with your parents. It wasn’t until you’d been tidying up your room that you found this old shoe-box hidden underneath your bed, and counted the cash that you’d found inside of it - seventy dollars. Why you’d hidden it away, you weren’t sure, but you remembered still having money from commissions that you’d been saving up on PayPal. Seventy as well, you were pretty sure. With your weekly allowance of fifteen dollars, that left you with over a hundred and fifty. Maybe getting six-hundred wouldn’t be too rough after all.

          So you took the leap and you trusted Rich.

          The next day, you called up as many family members as you could looking for any sort of work you could do. Your grandmother was happy to take you up on the offer, and for the next few hours you were outside doing a ton lawn work with the promise of fifty dollars fueling you forward. It wasn’t until you were sitting in her living room, ice-cold lemonade and cookies (the traditional grandma offerings, in your experience) between the two of you with conversation flying, that your phone started to ring and you were greeted with your aunts asking if you could babysit since your parents had said something about you wanting work and that they were willing to pay you forty for tonight - ten dollars an hour. Before you could question why Alexander (the oldest of their kids at age fourteen) couldn’t handle shit, you learned he’d been getting into fights and they couldn’t exactly trust him right then.

          So you thanked your grandmother for the refreshments and the money, and offered up to come help out again if she needed you within the next week before you head home to take a cold shower and head over to your aunts’ in a few hours. Time flew past quickly, and by eleven that night, you were sitting in your bedroom with ninety bucks to add to your total - and that was the moment it hit you that you should probably transfer your funds from PayPal to your bank account then instead of waiting.

          Sunday you started to clean things out, finding anything that you could sell. Thanks to trading in shit at GameStop, a lot of your old video games managed to add up to almost a hundred - only at the cost of childhood nostalgia. Counting everything up, you had roughly three-hundred and thirty dollars. This wasn’t so bad. You could handle this.

          Then came the idea of baking. That usually had a good payoff, right? Besides - you weren’t against the idea of baking at all, since it was rather therapeutic. You focused on baking cooking the entire night after dinner. You managed to rack up fifteen during the school day, fifteen more for baking shit for someone’s younger sibling’s birthday, and then twenty more from their mom for being such a nice kid and doing this on such short notice. Thursday comes and these seniors approach you after school, saying they heard you were the kid that bakes shit and asked if you wanted to come with them - and then immediately clarified they need your baking expertise for brownies, if you caught their drift.

          You did. You weren’t one for weed, but you were one for money. The girl with them drives you to one of their houses that looks a bit too fucking fancy for this kid to just be a stoner who goes to Middleborough. But you shook the thought away - you couldn’t really judge, could you? Money was money, and this wasn’t harming anyone. The three of them sat, talking you through everything while two of them pooled their money together to pay you upon your refusal of any brownies. The two come up with sixty, thanking you for being a bro and also using their vegan ingredients (which you honestly thought deserved an extra ten since vegan weed brownies weren’t your area of expertise) before the girl - Martha, you caught - drove you home.

          She asked you why you agreed. You told her you needed the money. She shoved an extra five into your hand saying that she can’t really pay much since she’s short on cash. You thanked her anyway, and immediately proceeded to do laundry the moment you got home just as a precaution because you really didn’t need to explain the smell of weed.

          Your allowance came the next day. That night you ended up texting Rich that you’ve almost got all the money, if the offer still stands. He told you he’d give you another week. The deadline surprised you, but you figured that you could maybe try to get some commissions if anyone was willing to buy. So you knocked down your prices seemingly out of nowhere, and you end up getting two takers for two full-body, full-background pieces for twenty each. You’d regret the work later. Through a mixture of art, more yard work, the selling of a couple books, you managed to withdraw what you needed with your allowance that Friday giving you the final bit you needed. You texted Rich. He told you to meet him behind the gym in an hour. You told him you’d have to sneak out. He told you it’d be worth it.

          So you trusted him.

          Picking the remainder of leaves off of your shirt, you looked up to see Rich approaching you, his truck pulled onto the grass with headlights shining behind him. His shadow stretched toward you, and soon he was standing before you, a shoe-box tucked under one arm and a Mountain Dew in his other hand. When you go to question him, he stopped you.

          “I’ll drive you home.” He said, shifting the box. You could hear rattling inside of it. “Where’s the money?”

          You reached into your sweatpants pocket, feeling the large wad of cash and for a moment, you had to wonder if this was a good idea or if Rich was just scamming you. Slowly withdrawing the money, you hold it out to him and he took it, shoving it into his own pocket. “You’re not going to count it?” You asked, watching him pop the box open.

          He looked back up at you. “Do I need to?”

          “It’s all there,” you said, “but... I just thought you’d-”

          “I trust you to not pull any shit.” He plucked a pill from the box, stepping towards you, “look. For some fucking reason, you have to take this shit with Mountain Dew. It’s going to fucking hurt for a bit but... it’s not gonna last long.”

          Cautiously, you took the pill from his hand, watching him uncap the Mountain Dew and hand it to you. You only watched him place the lid back on the box, stepping back for a moment to set it down, as he stared you down. Finally, you placed the pill on your tongue, and took a swig of the soda, the taste of mint chasing it’s way down your throat. A small smirk twitched at the corner of Rich’s mouth. Fear filled your stomach.

          “I... don’t think it-” You started, only for a sharp pain to stab through your head, “fuck-” For a moment, you thought that’d be it before the ache spread through your brain, pulsing. You let out a hiss, shutting your eyes, “shit, Rich-”

          > CALIBRATION IN PROCESS. PLEASE EXCUSE SOME MILD DISCOMFORT.

          Your legs shook underneath your weight, the pulsing threatening to knock you over, and before you knew it, Rich was there to steady you. But finally, your legs gave out, your hands flying to the sides of your head as you dug your nails into your scalp as the pain slowly increased, your breath growing more labored between the soft swears that started to spill from you. Then there was the strangest sensation of what you thought was something forcing it’s way into your brain took over. And then, all in a moment, it’s gone. You steadied yourself, looking to Rich as you were about to try to stand.

          “Was that-”

          > CALIBRATION COMPLETE. ACCESS PROCEDURE INITIATED.

          “Wait, Rich-”

          > DISCOMFORT LEVEL MAY INCREASE.

          “FUCK-”

          Barely a moment later, you’d been thrown to the ground as pain spiraled throughout every single fiber of your being. It grasped you strongly, seizing you with nothing but agony as spasms ran through you involuntarily, a shriek finally escaping you before Rich pounced, a hand clasped over your mouth as he swore, trying to keep you still. Tears streamed down your cheeks as your thoughts were gone, replaced with nothing but pain and the occasional swear and something else-

          > ACCESSING: NEURAL MEMORY.

          > ACCESSING: MUSCLE MEMORY.

          > ACCESS PROCEDURE: COMPLETE.

          > [Y/N] [Y/L/N].

          > WELCOME TO YOUR SUPER QUANTUM UNIT INTEL PROCESSOR.

          > YOUR SQUIP.

[makeyourlivesextraordinary]

AU Yeah AUgust Day One-Soulmates

I used the first prompt on this: http://virgno.tumblr.com/post/149729543490/soulmate-au-where-instead-of-having-the-first

So thank you very much to them for the prompt idea! 

This strays away from canon towards the end, just to let you know. ( I mean it is an au so that’s kind of implied, but I just wanted to say that). 

I hope you all like it! :D 

Neil was around the age of six when he started noticing the tattoos on people’s arms. Pretty much everyone in his class had one, including himself, and many of them were the weirdest, most preposterous sentences he had ever seen.  This could be due, of course, to the fact that he was six and six-year-olds were not known to have the best vocabulary, but he still had a steadfast determination to find out what the words on his arm meant.

After school that day, when his mom picked him up, he asked,

“Mom, why do a lot of people have weird words on their arms? What do they mean?”

His mom, a timid and sheepish woman, simply replied,

“You don’t need to know about that. Someone will tell you when you’re older.”

He knew better than to ask his father. His father was always very busy and when he came home from work often had no time for him, instead choosing to be holed up in his study, reading or on a business call.

Although he was disappointed with the answer his mother had given him, he was still determined to find out the meaning of the strange words etched upon his, and most others, arms.

The next day at school, he was playing at recess, when a boy, slightly taller than him with a mischievous grin on his face came up to him and said,

“I heard you’ve been asking around about the tattoos?”

“Tattoos? What does that mean?”

“The words on our arms.”

“Oh! Yes, I have! What do they mean?”

The boy brought Neil over to an area where no one was around and he said,

“My ma said they’re words that ‘a special someone’ will say to you someday. She says that person will be a huge part of your life.”

“Okay. Well, I still don’t really understand, but thanks for telling me, uh, what’s your name?”

“Charlie,” the boy said, extending his hand and with a big grin on his face.

“Nice to meet you, Charlie.”

***

Neil was sixteen now. Ever since that day that Charlie had told him the basics about what he came to find out were called “soulmate tattoos”, he was determined to find out everything he could about them. Also since that day, Charlie and he had become best friends.

Even with all of the interviewing people and looking at their words, Neil still felt that his words didn’t really make any sense. Sure, a lot of the phrases that showed up in tattoo form on people’s skin didn’t make sense out of context, but Neil studied his phrase which was “a sweaty-toothed madman with a stare that pounds my brain” and wondered what the context for such a phrase could be. He read through book after book, trying to find any reference to a “sweaty-toothed madman” but he had found nothing. What could this possibly mean?

Neil spent his entire summer trying to come close to finding a meaning for his tattoo, but he found nothing. Charlie always told him he would drive himself crazy doing this, that the right person would come along, but Neil was starting to get worried. He worried daily about who his soulmate was and what they would be like and were they a boy? This last question he only ever kept to himself, not sure how anyone around him would react to his asking of such a question, but he had to know. Since Neil was younger, he had always been gay and he knew it. So he worried about the day that he met his soulmate. The only other thing his mother had ever said to him regarding the whole soulmate situation was that “he would meet a nice girl someday”. Hardly anyone in his class had met their soulmate yet, but all those who had were straight. Did same-sex soulmates exist? Was he weird? Was he alone? Would he have to live a lie for his entire life? These were questions that haunted him daily and kept him awake at night.

Some of these questions were answered finally the day Charlie found out who his soulmate was. Neil remembered being in his room, studying for a Trig exam, when Charlie burst into the room and said,

“Neil! I found him!”

Neil looked up. “Found who?” he asked.

“My soulmate! Neil, I found my soulmate!”

Neil smiled really big and told Charlie he wanted to hear everything, which was true, but on the inside, he was throwing a party. His best friend had a male soulmate! It was possible!

“So, you know how Meeks and I always sit next to each other in Chem?”

“Yes?”Neil asked, confusedly because he thought Charlie would want to be telling him about his soulmate, not Meeks.

“Well, Meeks dropped his pencil and so I bent down to pick it up for him. I said, ‘you gotta watch where you throw those things!’ and then Meeks gasped. He said, ‘I-you-what?’ and then the words on my arm just disappeared.”

Neil knew that words disappearing meant his soulmate had said the words to him so that must mean…

“Meeks is your soulmate?”

“Yeah! He is! And I’m so happy, Neil! I’ve had a crush on him for so long.”

“You did? You never told me that.”

Charlie sighed and looked a little guilty.

“I know, Neil, and I’m sorry, but I didn’t know how you would feel about me liking a boy. I’m not ashamed of who I am, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to lose my best friend over it.”

Neil’s jaw had dropped open and Charlie looked scared.

“Neil?”

Neil snapped out of it and said,

“I didn’t know how you would feel about me being gay!”

“You’re gay?”

“Yeah! I’ve always known, but I didn’t tell you for the same reasons!”

The two of them hugged and then Neil asked if they could talk.

“Yeah, Neil, what’s up?” asked Charlie concernedly.

“I’m a little worried that my soulmate won’t be a man.”

Charlie said,

“The soulmate system knows people better than they even know themselves. I wouldn’t worry about it. Whoever your soulmate is, they’re the perfect person for you, trust me.”

***

The first day of junior year, Neil introduced himself to the new boy and his new roommate, a boy named Todd Anderson. He did a double take upon seeing him for the first time because he was so stunning, but he managed to pull himself together and just talk to him. Being new in general is hard, but at Welton, where there’s so much pressure to be the best one can be, well, Neil figured Todd would need some friends, or at least, familiar faces to help him get by.

Neil noticed how shy Todd is and he felt for the boy. But he wanted to try everything he could to make the boy feel welcome and included. He was determined to befriend him. When his friends came in and talked about the study group they were gonna be forming, Neil made sure Todd was invited. Even though he doesn’t end up going, Neil still wanted to make it clear that he was always welcome.

Having always been interested in each person’s tattoo and what they said, Neil was very curious to see Todd’s, but he was never able to see it. He knew that Todd was a very private person and very shy and so he figured he should stop trying to see it since Todd probably hid it on purpose.

When the English teacher, Mr. Keating, told them about a club he used to be a member of called the Dead Poets Society, Neil was eager to get it started again. Charlie, always having been one to call along with his plans, agreed to be in it as well. All of his other friends-Knox, Pitts, Meeks, Cameron, and, of course, Todd-were also invited. Some of them, including Todd, seemed very reluctant to join. It didn’t really surprise Neil that Todd hesitated. He did everything he could to accommodate for Todd, having him be the secretary so he didn’t have to participate, but could still be present.

The school year was getting off to a pretty good start. The boys were starting to get settled into their courses and Neil kept trying to befriend his shy roommate. Mr. Keating, after his lesson one day, told them each that they would have to create an original poem to recite in front of the class. Neil knew this assignment would be tricky for Todd, but he was also very interested in hearing what Todd would write about. Whenever he wasn’t working, Todd was always writing and Neil was excited at the prospect of getting a look into what Todd wrote.

Neil wrote his poem and he didn’t think it was very good, but at least he had given it a try. He decided to go into town to pick up a newspaper and maybe some candy. He felt he deserved it because he had finished his homework. While in town, he noticed a poster hanging on the town board. Having just talked about Shakespeare in Keating’s class, Neil approached the poster when he saw the words “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare. As he read the poster, he was getting more and more excited. They were gonna be holding open tryouts! He went to Henley Hall, where the auditions would be held, to inquire about getting a copy of the flyer. Once he had done so, he ran home, excited to tell Todd.

When he went into the room, he noticed Todd was sitting on his bed, scribbling furiously. He told Todd all about the auditions and although Todd seemed nervous about it at first, because of what his father would say if he found out, he eventually seemed happy for him. Todd told him that he could take care of himself, but Neil wasn’t having any of that. When one is in Neil Perry’s life, they’re there to stay. He takes care of his friends. Friend...is that what Todd was to him? Not really, but he’d take that over not having Todd in his life at all.

He took the opportunity while Todd was distracted to grab Todd’s notebook and see what he had been working on. He was shocked to discover it was the poetry assignment Keating had given them. Todd chased after him trying to get his notebook back, but he wasn’t going to just hand it over that easily. Cameron came in and asked them why they were making so much noise and soon enough, the whole gang was in the room, joining in on the fun. Neil couldn’t wait until poetry day. He knew Todd’s would be the best.

***

The day for poetry reciting had arrived and Neil was very excited. He was leaning towards wanting to get his poem over with so he wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore, but he definitely didn’t want to go first so he decided maybe he would go second.

Luckily, Knox volunteered to go first and read his poem about a girl named Chris that he wished was his soulmate, but was definitely not. She had already met her soulmate and so Neil cringed listening to Knox’s poem. He knew the guy was desperate for love, but he didn’t have to be such a creep about it.

He was getting ready to volunteer to go second when Mr. Keating spoke up. Knox had apologized for his poem being “stupid” and Keating told Knox that it was “a good effort” and then he called on Hopkins to go next since he had been laughing at Knox. Neil thought maybe he would go third then.

After Hopkins poor attempt, if one could even call it that, Keating asked who’s next and Neil was about to raise his hand again when Keating looked at Todd. He told Todd he should just get it over with when Todd said he hadn’t written a poem. Neil was taken aback when he said that. He knew Todd had written a poem. He’d read it! Neil honestly wished Keating would just let him be. He obviously was uncomfortable, but Keating wasn’t the type to just let things be. He made Todd stand up in front of everyone.

Neil was nervous for Todd. He knew he couldn’t be enjoying this experience at all. He wanted so badly for Keating to go easy on him. He watched as Keating tried to get Todd to “YAWP”. The first few attempts were quiet until Keating had badgered Todd enough to make him let out a loud “YAWP!”. Neil watched as Todd tried to sit down, thinking he was done when Keating had him look at the photo of Walt Whitman on the wall. He told Todd to tell him what it reminded him of without thinking. Just to say the first thing that popped into his head. Todd said a madman.

After hearing that word, Neil felt a weird sense of familiarity. He couldn’t quite place it. Keating kept at Todd, telling him to describe the madman and at first, he said crazy, but then Keating told him to use his imagination and he said “a sweaty-toothed madman”.

Upon hearing this, Neil clutched his arm. Could it be? Could Todd be his soulmate? But no, he hadn’t said the whole phrase, only part of it. Neil kept watching Todd, hoping upon hope that he was his soulmate.

Neil watched on as Todd closed his eyes and said,

“Uh, I-I close my eyes-

Uh and this image floats beside me.

A sweaty-toothed madman with a stare that pounds my brain-”

At this, Neil gasped as the words disappeared from his wrist.

Mr. Keatng looked at him.

“Mr. Perry?”

“Uh, I’m sorry, so sorry, I’ve uh, got to go. I think I’m gonna be sick-,”

Keating gestured to him that he could leave the class.

Neil wasn’t sure what was happening in the classroom. He just knew he had to get out of there. He was freaking out. His soulmate was Todd! Todd was his soulmate! He couldn’t even believe it. All this time he had been crushing on his actual soulmate! He was so happy, but then he remembered that if his parents ever found out, they’d kill him. And then he started freaking out again.

He just kept pacing back and forth in his room, unsure of what to do. He kept doing that until he heard a knock and the door and Todd said,

“Neil? Are you in there?”

“I am,” said Neil who kept on pacing.

Todd came in and Neil looked up at him, instantly feeling guilty. Todd looked sad and ashamed and embarrassed and all the things Neil was trying to help him be more confident about. And Neil had made him feel that way. He was so annoyed with himself.

“Neil? Did I? I mean, um, are you? Did it happen to you too?”

Neil nodded. “Yes, you’re my soulmate!”

“Umm, are you, I mean, is that okay with you?”

“Yes, Todd, yes it is!” said Neil, wrapping his arms around Todd.

“Okay good,” said Todd, a relieved smile on his face. “I just wasn’t sure because you left and I thought-,”

“I was just so shocked. I mean, I had liked you for so long and-”

“You liked me?”

“Yeah, I-”

“I liked you too. Just didn’t know how to say it.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Yes?” asked Neil, confusedly.

“Oh good, Neil. You’re in there. Are you okay?” Charlie asked.

“Yes, Charlie. I’m good. Really, really good,” Neil said, looking at Todd.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes, come on in.”

Charlie came in, saw Neil and Todd standing close to each other, looked down at their wrists and then went,

“Wait, are you two-?”

Neil smiled and Todd buried his face in Neil’s shoulder.

“We’re soulmates!” Neil said excitedly.

As it always did, the loud commotion eventually drew in a crowd as everyone wanted to hear the story about what had happened to Neil just now in English class. Everyone congratulated them and celebrated, but eventually, Neil kicked them out. He knew Todd didn’t like the crowds and also he wanted to spend some alone time with his roommate-turned friend-turned soulmate.

To Neil, it didn’t matter if his parents didn’t accept him, all that mattered was that he had found his soulmate and it was someone he was ecstatic to spend the rest of his life with!

[drumie]

Salutatory Speech.

So as Salutatorian, I was told I would have to write a speech focused on the history... I find that a bit challenging, but here it goes.

A very long time ago, the universe did not exist. There was infinite mass and density, and said universe couldn’t take it, so there was a boom. A big bang of sorts…

Then in the late 90’s and early 2000’s we were born. One of us, in fact, was born on this very day. I want to wish Alicia Hernandez a happy birthday. (sing alicia happy birthday)

So we were born. Our worries were few, but substantial. Two of my personal struggles included catching the next spongebob episode and drinking chocolate milk too fast.

We started pre-school. My only memory from there is getting sick on one too many pigs in a blanket. We met some of our first friends here. Simple times.

2004 - Facebook was created.

2005 - Youtube was created.

Then we started Elementary school. I was at east ridge. Our worries here included getting the last breakfast pizza that was left over because “adam wasn’t here and he would want me to have it.” They included  obsessively cramming for spelling tests, memorizing multiplication facts,  and taking our first TAKS test. TAKS test. Feel old yet?

2006 - Twitter was created

We moved onto 4th grade at SIS… The turf wars began. And for the folks that don’t know, there were two different elementary schools that brought up Kindergarten through 3rd grade. And then these two schools would feed into SIS, Sweetwater Intermediate School. This was our world now. Where we came from defined a person… were you from east ridge, or were you from south east? And I’m ending the beef now, East Ridge was the better of the two. Only kidding! It didn’t matter. There were good things from both schools. I’m just glad that hating and judging people from where they’re from is only something 4th and 5th graders do.

I digress. We’d rack up AR Points ca ching! We’d party like the year we were born… Flamingo fling. Not many worries, but we were still in a hurry, learning about history and Martin Luther King. And those days remained romanticized because again, our biggest concerns only included passing a TAKS test and… our first puberty class.

2010 - Instagram was created

Speaking of puberty, here came middle school. Oh my God. Puberty was like Everyone telling you to look both ways before crossing the street to watch for cars and then a falcon swoops down from the sky and attacks you. Folks I thought that was it for us. As soon as coach Huskey said “Let’s go hit that creek” I recall thinking to myself “yeah I’m going to die in the next few hours.” I found my passion: Band. I also found what I thought was my passion: Football. I remember one day Kiante hit me and I was like “I don’t think I like this very much.” Life got real. Technology took off. We all got phones, social media, iPads. Remember how cool we thought we looked with all of our decent selfies  camwow retro logo in the bottom left? Instagram, Snapchat, facebook, tumblr (lowkey though), Jokebox, iFunny, Youtube, and for the first time, We stopped going to older people for help and we got online and googled it. We were the pioneer generation that was raised by technology. Surrounded by information in the times of our lives when we needed it the most. We began to comprehend the different weights of life. As a middle schooler I pulled a few all-nighters to finish projects and homework… I may or may not have procrastinated on. Our priority list was fine tuned. School and extracurricular were up there now. But memes, relationships, and social media were among them as well.

2012 - Vine was created

Then came High School. lots of smells in high school have you noticed that? The big room smells like shredded tires and hard work and dedication with a hint of Trent tears scattered here and there. You could always tell when bunsen burners were on because the science hall always smelled unpleasant. And Mrs. Melendez’s room when she would burn those Orange Buttercream Scenses that smell like fruity pebbles oh my god.

Smells like the big room, bunsen burners, teen spirit, and those scense’s are the things I think I’ll remember the most.

I learned a few important things in my time in High school that I’d like to share with you.

Freshman year I learned that if you’re unhappy in your situation, you have the ability to change it. Whether it be relationships, extracurricular, or any aspect of life, you can change it. I also learned that social media can be a cruel blackhole, that can distort views, reputations, and relationships. Even more so today. Tread carefully.

Sophomore year, I learned the true value of hard work thanks to Mrs. Judith Brentz. She taught us many valuable lessons, the most important being “how to use our heads for something more than keeping your ears apart.” I also got my first B… Thanks Mrs. Mac. I also got my second B… Thanks Mrs. Brentz. I also learned how to rid my life of toxic people, and for the first time I began to see the world for what it really was. All the variables, and the factors that can play into what, when, why, and how we think the things we think.

Junior year was the toughest for me. Between band, Round 2 of Brentz for chem 2, Coach Mayes, Work, and family…. It taught me that you can’t do everything you want to, and at the same time get enough sleep. I also learned that it’s healthy to rock the boat every now and then. You’ll either get humbled, humble someone else, or if conditions are just right, a healthy mix of the two.

I also learned probably the most important lesson I’ve learned thus far. This applies to everyone listening, Teachers, families, current students, etc. If you don’t get anything about my longwinded speech, please hear this.

My junior year, I stopped worrying about grades, and I started doing the best I could to learn and retain everything that was being taught to me. Numbers are just Numbers. But what we should understand is that we have the world’s most powerful computer between our ears, and once we start using it, we become unstoppable. There are people that will disagree with what I’m about to say, but stop trying ace tests. Stop trying to do the bare minimum to get by. Learn and retain the information, and those good grades will come. I guarantee it. And class of 2018, it’s not too late to apply to your lives. Whether you’re going to college or not, this is a fundamental principle that can be applied across the board, and I encourage you to do so.

Alright back to jokes.

My senior year I learned lots. Like how you can overcook a TV Dinner and still get food poisoning, ruining your chance for perfect attendance that year. Once I started seeing colleges I started learning how a world that I thought was so big is about a whole lot bigger. I learned that if you fall asleep exactly 47 minutes before the first bell, you’ll wake up and be in a sour mood the entire day. I learned that once people figure out that you’re doing a speech at graduation, everyone wants a shout out. I also learned that you can market shoutouts and get a headstart on paying tuition by selling them for a dollar a piece. I also learned that I should've thought of that sooner and not just the night before I gave the speech. Nobody bought shoutouts. (this was what was originally written, but nick gomez bought a shoutout lol)

But our priority list is strict now. When we have to be where and with who? Some of us are paying bills, we have to worry about finances, college tuition, student loans, our next meal, car payments, gas money, textbooks, toothpaste, medical, dental, water, electrical, internet, phone bills. Oh my God I thought I wanted to be an adult but this isn’t what I meant. Of course, those are all things we should be concerned about.

I for one have my priorities just a little bit different

My biggest worries are still catching the latest episode of spongebob and drinking chocolate milk at the right speed.

So welcome. I hope you enjoy tonight's ceremonies. I’m going to wrap this up with a few thank yous, and we’ll get on with it.

Thank you God, for the many blessings you’ve laid upon my life as well as the blessings you’ve given my friends and family. I know I tick you off sometimes, so, I just ask that you’ll bear with me. I’m still learning

Thank you to my dad. You’ve taught me a lot. The most memorable being the wisdom you passed on from my grandmother in heaven… To never take life too seriously.

Thanks momma. You make me laugh like no one else can. And you get me the way no one else can. You can bet everything you say I’m gonna steal and make it my own. I love you.

Marlee, you’re the only one that gets me emotional anymore. I’m so proud of you. I once described you to a friend as a little packet of sunshine that grew arms, legs, and a face, and now you just walk around spreading happiness and joy. I’m glad you made your own path and didn’t follow in my footsteps. I know you’ll continue to make me proud with everything that you do.

Band - Thank you for giving me a place I belong. I’m odd, and yall were okay with it. Without you, I wouldn’t be standing up here.

Directors - Thanks for making me feel at home. I still cant wait to call yall by yall’s first names here in about an hour.

Teachers and Administrators - Thank you for bearing with me. I know I was a thorn in yall’s side from time to time with scandalous assignments and requests. And Mrs. Reyes and Mrs. Little… I made it.

(With the exception of what’s bolded, the other shoutouts made were ad-libbed and did not have a concrete order. I recall thanking other teachers, friends, and family, and shouting out nick gomez, lauren rodriguez, and trini and bell.)

And last but not least, I’d like to thank Jeff Stein and Richard Ferguson for keeping me on their staff after numerous hiccups on 96.7 FM, 1240 AM, KXOX. Good times, great country. For the job opportunity you’ve given me, you helped ease the financial stress that comes from being a poor high schooler, and a soon to be college student. I cant thank you enough.

And in closing. Heed this warning, everyone listening.

We are strong.

We are persistent.

We are mustangs.

We will go on.

We will succeed.

We will prosper.

We are coming.

We are graduating

We are the Class of 2018.

Thank you, and God Bless.

“Salutations” //Trent(on) Hicks. May 25, 2018

[melonmork]

college jungwoo pt 1

alright my honeys are u ready??💕🌷🌸

~okay i dont feel like i know jungwoo as well as the other members since i havent known him as long but im gonna do my best!!

~jungwoo is in his sophomore year studying to be a veterinarian so hes always very busy since he's taking science-intensive classes

~he loves biology. it's easily his best class; he makes As on nearly every assignment and he focuses super hard during labs, but this also means he's almost always either in the campus library or cafe studying or writing lab reports

~his junior friend doyoung always has to drag him away from studying or writing because jungwoo will forget to eat, he'll only drink lattes or hot chocolate for an entire day

~jungwoo resists doyoung but he's always thankful once they're eating together and jungwoo has the chance to see his friends and relax. he's a workaholic, but he enjoys his friends' company immensely when they manage to drag him away from his textbooks

~you're also a sophomore! u know jungwoo because you had bio lab with him in freshman year and he was often your lab partner

~you honestly felt bad when he voluntarily partnered with you because you felt like you werent as good at bio as him. whenever he approached you first about partnering up, you felt like he did it out of pity. after all, he's a sweet boy and he even helped you on your calc homework after labs even though he wasnt in calc

~but you loved being partnered up with him :^) jungwoo would subtly take charge of the lab because he got super excited about being hands-on with the scientific material he was learning about

~he would quietly and patiently help you set up equipment, reaching beakers from high shelves for you without teasing you, lighting burners for you bc those things are scary as heck (jungwoo: is it okay if i do that? i dont want you to get hurt :-o)

~one time he even put your apron on for you and tied the strings behind you (after asking your permission, of course) and you could have sworn you saw a cute dusting of pink on his cheeks as he asked

~u have not forgotten anything about that moment,,,

~also, being his lab partner meant you got to see his cute smile up close!!! actually all year during labs you would glance his way constantly, admiring the soft features of his profile and the way his eyebrows would furrow and he'd purse his lips when he was super concentrated on a task

~sometimes, every now and again, he'd catch you watching him and the two of you would blush and look away and pretend like it never happened

~through the year you two became closer and you exchanged numbers and would send each other notes and ask about each other's lab reports

~eventually the texting ventured away from school and once he even invited you to get smoothies with him at the end of second semester

~but over the summer, you two fell out of touch :~( and this year you didnt have any classes together

~honestly, you missed him a lot. you have chem lab this year and your regular chem partner is sweet and helpful but not as,,, well,,, enchanting as jungwoo was, so you admittedly dont enjoy lab as much as last year

~in fact, u dont even really see him until one night when you're in the library printing out a two page essay you wrote (last minute) for literature

~you're waiting by the printer, wearing sweats, a hoodie, and teddy bear slippers, literally nodding off as you wait for this old printer to crank out those pages

~after a few seconds it starts humming loudly and you perk up, ready to snatch those pages and trudge back to your dorm so you can go the heck to sleep

~the printer spits out two pages and you go to grab them but ,...more pages keep coming out... and more and more and more and you're standing there in front of the printer like ????? what is going on????

~you dont see anyone else in the library and most of the computers are visible from where you're standing so you're thoroughly confused

~you wait for a bit longer as the printer finishes up and for a second you hesitate to grab papers that obviously arent yours but... maybe yours are in there? so you grab the stack and look at the name

~your heart skips a beat when you read the name on the paper.... "jungwoo?" you read aloud

~and you jump in surprise when you hear a small "hi" from behind you

~feeling your cheeks heat up, you sheepishly turn to face him, embarrassed to be seeing The Kim Jungwoo, the sweetheart angel boy who you havent seen in so long, while wearing sweats and a hoodie and slippers

~but it's okay cause sweetheart angel boy is also wearing sweats, a hoodie, and slippers..... and wow does jungwoo look exhausted :~( your embarrassment wanes as you get a good look at his softly smiling face

~he has exaggerated dark circles under his eyes and his skin isnt as clear as you remember it being last year, his hair looks like he's been running his hands through it all day, and his smile is a little bit less bright than it used to be

~but he still looks ethereal... his hoodie framing his wide shoulders so cutely, strands of his soft black hair falling haphazardly over his forehead and his pretty mouth forming that warm smile of his, framing his cute teeth and Oh My God your little crush on him has not gone away at all

~"jungwoo... how,, have you been?" you manage, heat rising to your cheeks again

~"ive been alright... sort of overwhelmed this semester!" he laughs softly and glances down at his feet, then looks back up at you, "but im okay. how are you?" he looks you in the eyes and smiles again and your stomach does a lil flip

~"im pretty good! i dont like my lab partner this year near as much as last year, though"

~it's quiet for a moment after u say that and u realize what u just said and u feel ur face burning up now because whY thE Heck did u just blurt that out oh no hes gonna be creeped out oh no

~but his smile widens and his entire face softens and he lets out a genuine little laugh

~"yeah, me neither. i... miss you" he says, hesitating a little and looking down at his feet again

~your heart warms up and ur stomach does that lil flip again and you smile and for a few seconds it's quiet and you finally say "me too." and then it's quiet again

~then u remember that you're still holding jungwoo's enormous stack of papers in your hands so you shuffle over to him and hand them over and he takes them, apologizing for making you hold them for so long and you laugh and tell him he didnt make you carry them

~and u stand in front of each other for another few seconds, awkwardly wondering whether to continue talking or to move along

~finally, jungwoo says he has to get going and that it was nice to see you and he flashes you a tired smile before making his way out of the library, laden with a huge bookbag and a textbook in his arms as well as all of his papers

~you watch him go, feeling a little bit sad that nothing more became of ur lil run in with jungwoo

~u print our ur essay and make ur way back to ur dorm, ur heart and eyelids both feeling a bit heavier than when you went to the library, despite having seen sweetheart angel boy again after so long

~the next morning you get breakfast with ur roommate and the head to literature and turn in your essay, trying not to think about jungwoo cause u dont want to fall back into that crush especially since u wont be seeing him again,,,

~u do a pretty good job of circumventing any lingering thoughts of (sweetheart angel boy) jungwoo from the night before

~that is, until 11:48 AM

~when you get a text

from: jungwoo 🐻

good morning!! I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk longer last night. are you busy sometime after 5 today? I'd love to catch up 😊

~u, in the cafeteria, mouth hanging open: Yes

~n then you realize that u probably should send that as a text ,,, so you quickly respond yes!!! i would love to!!! im free at 6

~and u put ur phone down and start eating but like ,, a minute later ur phone vibrates again

from: jungwoo 🐻

Yay!!! 😆 Let's get smoothies again! 🥤see you there at 6!

~u send him a confirmation text and then finish ur lunch while ur heart soars because wOw he actually does want to see you!!! wow!!! and this time u wont be wearing slippers!!!

~and u cant deny that u also get excited about the idea that jungwoo will also not be wearing pajamas or slippers ,,, u always liked jungwoo's style,,

~all day after that all u can think about is jungwoo's soft voice last night when he told you he misses you... it was so forward of him and it makes ur heart skip a beat even just thinking back on it... is he always so forward? you wonder

~around 5:50 you start walking to the smoothie place, feeling nervous but much less silly without ur teddy bear slippers

~jungwoo's exact thought at 5:50 while hes sitting at a table in the smoothie place waiting for u: their teddy bear slippers were so cute 😣

~once u arrive he gets up to greet u and u guys awkwardly say hi and stand in front of each other and then get in line to order smoothies

~u two are a little bit clumsy with your conversation at first, speaking at the same time and then laughing and telling the other to go first

~but eventually, once u two are sitting across from each other at a little table and sipping on ur smoothies, u have a steady conversation about school and sophomore year and your friends and new roommates

~the conversation dies down again after a while and u two sip on ur smoothies and u wonder what u could say to continue talking to jungwoo because you're having such a nice time and ur heart is so happy to hear his soft voice again... u hadnt realized how much u missed it until this evening

~but before you can think of anything to say, jungwoo rests his chin in his palms, his elbows propped up on the table and he looks at you, making eye contact and doing that soft smile of his

~u have to take a second to remember how to breathe

~after a moment of gazing at u he sighs

~"im so happy to see you again, i really have missed you" and he smiles, his cheeks getting a bit pink but otherwise not rlly seeming to be embarrassed or shy by what he said and youre a flustered mess !!!!

~u manage to not stutter when u say "me too, jungwoo" and he giggles at your shy expression that you're trying so hard to hide (hes dying inside because youre so freaking cute !!!)

~after u finish ur smoothies, he walks with you back to campus and as you guys are on your way back, you're stopped by doyoung who comes up to you guys with his mouth open wide and his eyebrows raised

~"jungwoo... i just went to the library to look for you and you weren't there so i went to the cafe and you weren't there either and it didnt even occur to me that you werent actually studying... are you... are you two-"

~jungwoo cuts him off with a little shake of his head and explains that u guys were lab partners and friends last year and were just catching up and hes on his way to the library now

~you're kinda confused by the whole exchange bc from what doyoung said, it seems like jungwoo is pretty much always studying and it's odd for him to have gone out and done something other than study in the evening

~and while that thought makes u feel bad for him, u also feel pleased that he chose to spend time with you instead of studying :'~)

~doyoung leaves after a few minutes of him n jungwoo laughing abt something that their friend taeil did earlier that day

~doyoung and jungwoo hug and hold each other's hands until their fingertips are touching, then let their hands fall to their sides again as they say goodnight to each other and you're watching and smiling fondly cause jungwoo is so loving to his friend and it makes your heart swell

~jungwoo turns to u and smiles sheepishly, letting out a little laugh and apologizing for making you wait on him

~you shake your head and tell him you're happy to have met his friend!!

~and his eyes light up and his face brightens into a beaming smile and he tells you that he's so happy that you met doyoung, too

~he walks you back to your dorm building and u two say goodbye and u start to go up the steps when jungwoo calls for you again

~you turn around to see him at the bottom of the steps, smiling up at u and looking a little bit shy but So Handsome (ur heart? mush)

~u walk back down the steps to see him and you're standing on the step in front of him so you're pretty much the same height now and his face is kinda close to urs and both of u have an entire butterfly garden break dancing to dubstep in ur tummies tbh

~"yes?" you ask him, smiling and trying to hide ur nervousness because of the proximity

~"i just wanted to say that i had a lovely time tonight and i want to see you again soon"

~omg sweetheart angel boy makes your heart do acrobatics with his soft sunrise voice and his pretty dark brown eyes looking into your own and the cute shape of his cheeks as he smiles at you

~"let's get dinner this friday?" he continues, his eyes widening a little bit in a hopeful way, his smile widening too

~and you cant help but smile so big, u have to look down at your feet for a second just to regain any semblance of composure u might have had before

~after a second you look up and nod and hold your pinkie out to him

~"pinkie promise" you tell him, and he smiles Even Wider and links his pinkie with yours and touches his thumb to your own and you two stand there like that for a little bit longer than necessary

~finally u both let go and say goodbye for real this time and u walk up the steps to your dorm but u feel like you're floating cause woW sweetheart angel boy kim jungwoo is going to take you out for dinner in three days... friday is in three days...

~both u and jungwoo spend the entire three days in anticipation and almost middle-school-like-giddness because !!!! this is kind of a date right???? like neither of u said it but it's kind of a date????

~doyoung certainly says so and he's been telling all of his and jungwoo's mutual friends

~doyoung: yukhei, guess what? jungwoo has a cute date this friday

~yukhei, in the library, at a table with jungwoo and doyoung: ooooHOhOhoHHOHOHO jungwoo has a DATE!!! get it!!!!!!!!!

~jungwoo, probably: im leaving

~when thursday night rolls around, you're sitting on your bed, typing something up on your laptop and probably watching youtube tbh and your phone dings :^)

from: jungwoo 🐻

I'm excited to see you tomorrow. I'll meet you at the bottom of your stairs at 7 tomorrow night, is that okay?

~you probably forget to respond for like 15 minutes cause u take a screenshot of the text and send it to ur best friend and yell about how nervous and excited you are and when u finally respond, you tell him you're looking forward to it! and you ask him what you should wear

~a few minutes later, you get a response...

[oh-gawd-why-blog]

Jealousy

Pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader Plot: Peter has a huge secret crush on you. Every day he sees guys flirting with you and gets a little bit more envious each time. Warnings: Slow burn fluff A/N: This is my first Peter Parker fanfic so i have no idea if it’s good or not. Probably not. Hope you enjoy it anyway! —- You sat at your table, tracing little patterns into the surface of the wood with your pencil. Another boring day in Chem lab. Once the teacher was done lecturing, your lab partner Peter took out some vials and sat them on the table. “So we put this liquid in this beaker…(y/n), are you listening?” You picked your head up and turned it towards Peter. “What?” He looked both shocked and stupefied. “You’re not even wearing your goggles. Are you okay?” “Yeah, I just don’t give a shit about this class today,” you answered truthfully. Peter sighed. “I understand how you feel, but I can’t do this on my own. Can you please concentrate, for me?” You nodded reluctantly. As you read off a list of ingredients, a familiar student came up to you. “Hey, (y/n),” Flash said in a singsong voice. “Morning,” you replied. “Whatcha doing over here?” Flash smirked. “I just wanted to say that you look good today.” You felt your face heat up. “Oh. Thanks.” You didn’t notice, but Peter was glaring quite fiercely at Flash. “You know, (y/n), you’re usually so…up for working. It seems to me like you’re going bad. Are you? ‘Cause I like bad girls,” Flash said in a flirtatious voice. You knew you were blushing. Before you could stammer out a reply, the teacher glared at him. “Mr. Thompson, please return to your seat.” Flash winked at you and placed a small piece of paper in front of you before heading back to his table. You picked up the piece of paper and discovered that it had his phone number scrawled on it. Peter made a small noise of disgust. “Ugh.” You turned to him. “What is it?” Peter seemed unnaturally irritated. “I can’t believe him,” he muttered. He didn’t make any indication that he heard you. You gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched at your touch and his head jerked towards you. “Uh, Peter? You alright?” He averted his eyes back to the beakers. “Y-Yes, I’m fine.” He didn’t seem fine, but you knew you wouldn’t get anywhere like this. You decided to drop it and get back to your assignment. —– For the next few days, the same thing happened again. A guy came up to you, flirted with you for a little, and Peter got irritated. Each time, you asked him what he was going on and he refused to talk to you. He just said he was fine and left it at that. A small idea clawed at the back of your brain, but it couldn’t be true. You quickly rejected the possibility and just tried to focus on your food. As you ate, having some lighthearted chatter with Peter about Star Wars, a familiar face came up to you, blushing. “Uh, h-hi, (y/n).” “Hey, Ned. What’s up?” You saw that he had an arm behind his back and his forehead was sweating. “I…I just wanted to tell you…I brought you something.” He retracted the arm he was holding behind his back, producing a beautiful bouquet of pink lilies. You were taken aback. You gazed at him incredulously. “Are…are those for me?” Ned nodded. “I heard they were your favorite.” You gently took the bouquet from him. “Oh, Ned. They’re beautiful,” you said, cradling it in your arms. Ned tipped his hat. “Just like you.” You almost dropped the bouquet. Ned was never this forward. He winked and turned to leave. Apparently, this was the last straw for Peter. You looked over to him and flinched. He watched Ned leave with straight up malice in his eyes. His lips were curled up in a snarl, an unexpectedly vicious one at that. He noticed you staring at him and sighed. “So, I’m not fine,” he finally admitted. “I hadn’t noticed,” you replied sarcastically. “Pete, what’s going on?” A soft blush came over his cheeks. “I…I…” He took a deep breath and quickly scanned his surroundings. Once it was confirmed that you two were alone at your table, he whispered out of the corner of his mouth to you. “Meet me in the front after school.” He got up to throw his tray away and headed out of the cafeteria with the other students. You were a little skeptical, but you wanted answers, so you decided to comply. —— After the bell rang, signifying the end of the day, you rushed out of the school building as quickly as possible. You stayed out of the way as the flow of running students dispersed across the campus entrance. You waited for Peter for a lot longer than you thought you would. You grumbled. Of course he wouldn’t show up. He never told you about stuff. As you walked down the stairs to leave, you heard a breathless voice call out to you. “Hey, (y/n), wait up!” You turned and saw Peter standing behind you. “There you are. I was worried you ditched me.” You continued walking down the stairs, Peter following you. Peter chuckled nervously. “Sorry. I forgot my backpack in my math class.” You laughed. “Wow. Nice job, Spider-Man,” you taunted. Peter blushed. “Can you not say that as loudly? There are still people here.” You rolled your eyes. “Fine. So what did you wanna meet me about?” Peter visibly tensed. “Oh. Right. That.” He saw your confused expression and sighed. “This is really hard to say, so bear with me here.” The two of you reached the bottom of the stairs and you leaned against the side of the rail. “Okay. Spit it out, Pete.” An embarrassed look crossed his face. “Uh, a-alright. So, (y/n), I…I sort of, you know….l-like..” It was clear by your facial expression that he wasn’t making any sense. He sighed and took a step towards you. His eyes briefly met yours. He sighed. “Okay, I’m just gonna do it.” Before you could ask what that meant, he swooped down and planted his lips on yours. You almost fell over from the suddenness of the kiss. Peter grabbed onto your hips and you gripped his arms to balance yourself. He pulled away slowly, eyes sparkling. “So, do you get what I was trying to say?” You couldn’t get your voice to work for a few moments. “Uh…I think…” you said with a raspy tone. The embarrassed look returned. “So, I-I love you,” he blurted. The filter on your mouth seemed to turn off. “I…I…love you, too,” you returned on impulse. Peter looked surprised at that statement. “Really?” You smirked. “Oh, that’s what you were trying to convey earlier? I didn’t really get that.” “Oh,” said a dejected Peter. “Yeah. Maybe you can tell it to me once more and I’ll understand.” Peter was about to say something, but it finally clicked in his mind. He smirked back at you. “You just want me to kiss you again, don’t you?” You sighed. “Am I that obvious?” He laughed. “I think I love you even more now,” he said, leaning down to oblige your request. Your arms wrapped themselves around Peter’s back, forcing him closer to you. “Hey, you two!” A sudden shout broke your kiss apart. You pushed Peter away reflexively. A teacher was standing on the steps, watching you two. “No PDA on campus,” he called. Peter blushed and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh, s-sorry, sir!” The teacher gave you a satisfied smile and walked off towards the parking lot. You watched the teacher climb into his car and turned back to Peter. “So,” he said with a sultry smirk, “you wanna come to my house and make out?” You chuckled. “You know me so well.” Peter took your hand in his. “So I take it that’s a yes?” “Of course.”

[wellimhavinga3outof10day]

The Femme Fatale

Description: When Betty realizes she has feelings for Veronica, their upcoming spa weekend becomes a source of anxiety.

Read on AO3

Betty smiled as she saw Veronica headed her way. She closed her locker and waited. Veronica smiled back and Betty felt her heart flip-flop, the way it used to for Archie, the way she wouldn’t quite admit meant something more than friendship. She bit her lip and looked down at Veronica’s shoes – black kitten heels that definitely wouldn’t fly for their Chem lab.

           “Hey, Bets,” Veronica said.

           Betty raised her eyes to meet the other girl’s. “Hey. Good morning?”

           “So far, so good.” Veronica adjusted the coat slung over her arm. “I had fun last night. Even if I got about three hours of sleep after that movie. Remind me again why I let you convince me horror movies are funny?”

           Betty laughed. “Some horror movies are funny. I admit that one was an exception.”

           When Veronica laughed too, Betty felt her cheeks flush under the other girl’s attention. Veronica reached out and touched her arm, her thumb rubbing circles on the inside of Betty’s elbow. “Well, you’ll have to make it up to me. Flowers, maybe? Yellow’s for friendship.”

           Betty wondered what the colour for I have a massive fucking crush on you was. Not that she did. Veronica just... exuded something special that Betty was drawn too. And it was probably nothing. It would go away in a few weeks when she got used to Veronica’s presence, to her smile, to the way she just reached out and touched Betty and immediately made her feel calmer. Yeah. It was a passing phase. A normal reaction to getting used to a new person in your life.

           Veronica was talking – something about massages and a spa just out of town – and Betty nodded along. She didn’t notice that Jughead had stopped beside them until Veronica’s eyes glanced to him. Betty quickly did a double take and tried to smile at him as brightly as she’d smiled at Veronica.

           “Tell me you have the math homework,” Jughead said.

           Betty blinked. “Why?”

           “Because I probably didn’t do it and I’m definitely at risk of failing if I don’t hand in yet another assignment.”

           “You know I don’t like cheating.”

           Jughead saluted. “Sir, yes, sir. But I really don’t have time for you to tutor me and, anyways, I’m not sure you’re actually better at math than I am. You’re just a lot less lazy. So help a guy out? I don’t want to sit through that drivel for another year.”

           Betty stared at him blankly.

           Then Veronica took her hand in both of hers and held it up to her chin. Betty lost her breath momentarily, her eyes flicking to Veronica’s puppy dog eyes. “Please, Bets?” Veronica said. “If only so he leaves us alone.”

           Jughead winked. “Love you too, Ronnie. Don’t forget, Archie will believe me if I say you have crabs.”

           To stop Veronica from murdering Jughead, Betty said, “Okay, fine,” and started to dig in her bag for the math homework. She handed the stapled pages to Jughead. “I need those back at lunch.”

           Jughead saluted again and walked away.

           Betty watched Veronica as she watched him walk away. When she turned back, Betty made a show of looking like she’d been watching Jughead too. Veronica rolled her eyes. “He’s a weird guy, isn’t he?”

           “You’ll get used to him.”

           “I don’t think he likes me very much.”

           Betty shrugged. “Jughead doesn’t really like anyone. Except Archie. And even that’s been off and on for years.”

           “Likes him, likes him?”

           Betty laughed, shook her head. “No. Jughead doesn’t like like anyone. At all. Not even Archie.”

           Veronica shrugged, then grabbed Betty’s hand again. Betty felt a thrill shoot through her at the sudden contact, at the smile on Veronica’s face. “What?” Betty said.

           “It’s a long weekend,” she said. “Tell me you’ll come up to the city with me. We can find a nice spa and spend the weekend naked and pampering ourselves.”

           Betty’s brain short-circuited at the word naked but she managed a nod and a smile. “Sounds great.”

           The bell rang, giving Betty sudden relief from Veronica’s touch and her smile. Veronica backed away with a frown and a childlike wave. Betty waved back, watching until the other girl turned, and then headed the other way, forcing herself to take deep breaths.

           She was lost deep in her thoughts by the time someone bumped into her.

           “Jughead?” Betty frowned and looked around the hallway like maybe he was a hallucination. But, sure enough, he was walking right beside her. “I thought you were going the other way.”

           “I was,” he said. “I came back as per my duty as your friendly neighbourhood asexual to tell you that that wasn’t straight and neither are you. Thank you for your time.”

           Before Betty could open her mouth to respond, Jughead had turned and disappeared into the hallway crowd. She stopped cold, waiting for her brain to catch up to what the hell had just happened. Her mouth open, her eyes over her shoulder, she didn’t move until Kevin laid a hand on her shoulder. She flinched.

           “You all right?” he asked.

           Betty nodded. “Of course. We should get going.”

           Kevin smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He started to talk about something but Betty couldn’t focus on it. She had a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. Ignoring her own feelings was something she could do. Fighting with herself was easy; she did it every day of her life. But convincing Jughead of something he didn’t believe, that was near impossible.

  At lunch, Betty skirted around her usual table in favour of finding Jughead in the back corner, alone and bent over his laptop. She slammed down her tray across from him and he didn’t even look up.

           “Jughead,” she said in her most serious voice.

           “What’s up, blondie?”

           “You can’t just go around saying things like that to people and then disappearing.” Betty sat down on the bench and fixed her best glare on Jughead’s bent head. “It’s like dropping a bomb and then refusing to accept responsibility for the consequences.”

           “Please. I didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know.”

           “Yes, you did! Or didn’t.” Betty pressed her lips together and curled her hands into fists. She felt her nails bite into her skin. Shaking her head, she steadied herself with a breath. “What you said wasn’t true.”

           For the first time, Jughead looked up, every inch of his expression doubtful. “While denial is an interesting plot device and an annoying one, too, it doesn’t usually work that well in real life.”

           Betty shrugged. “I don’t have to listen to you. I don’t even know why I would listen to you. It’s not like you know anything about this sort of stuff.”

           “True, but you’ve got to realize that if even I can tell two people have sexual tension, you’re in too deep.”

           Betty opened her mouth to bite back a response, but closed it quickly. She had no good retort to that. As stupid as it might sound, Jughead actually had a point. She sighed. “Fine. Let’s say you’re right. Not, of course, actually admitting that you’re right, but if you were right, then what should I do?”

           Jughead snorted and shook his head. He went back to looking at his laptop. “Sorry, Bets. That is not my department. Go talk to Kevin.”

           Betty slammed the laptop closed and Jughead pulled his fingers out just in time. Keeping her hand on top of the laptop, Betty said, “Listen to me very closely. You got me into this mess, so you’re gonna get me out of it.”

           “Technically Veronica got you into it,” he said. “I accept absolutely no responsibility for other people’s hormones.”

           “Please, Jughead?” Betty didn’t quite know what had caused the break in her voice but it did make Jughead’s expression soften ever so slightly. “I can’t tell Kevin because he’ll just tell the next five people he talks to. And Archie won’t get it and it’s not like I can just tell Veronica—”

           “I’ve never gotten that, actually. Explain. Why when you have a crush on someone can you not just tell them and get it over with?”

           Betty stared at him for a second and then laughed. She covered her face with her hands. After a long moment, she shook her head and looked back at him. “You’re going to be no help at all, are you?”

           “Sorry.”

           Betty nodded and slid off of the bench. “You know you can sit with us, right? Archie’s not mad at you anymore.”

           “Honestly? Archie mooning over Veronica. You mooning over both of them. Kevin talking about Moose?” Jughead shook his head. “I’d much rather be alone with my laptop.”

           “Right. Thanks for talking to me.”

           “Happy to be of no help at any time.”

           Betty laughed and turned away as he reopened his laptop. She threaded back through the tables to find her friends and plopped down beside Kevin. He smiled, she smiled back, he stole a fry. Betty stared at Veronica who stared at Archie who stared down at his guitar. It figured, really. Whether Betty wanted the boy next door or the femme fatale, she ended up the unwanted goody-two-shoes.

  For the rest of the week, Betty suffered more than she had in her whole life. Knowing that she had feelings for Veronica was infinitely worse than denying that she had feelings for Veronica. She smiled through innocent touches, tried not to stare too much during cheer practice – really, those black short shorts were unfair – and stayed completely stoic when Veronica told her Archie had asked her out. Betty didn’t know who she was more jealous over. She didn’t really understand anything she was feeling anymore.

           “He said Friday night and I asked if we could do right after school because we’re going to drive into the city Friday night and he said that worked for him and... Betty. Oh, Betty, tell me if this is too hard for you and I will cancel in an instant. I swear.”

           Betty almost flinched away from Veronica grabbing her hands but forced herself not to. With a smile, she shook her head. “No. You were right. Archie doesn’t like me back and I have to get over that. You two go. Have a good time. I’ll see you afterwards.”

           Veronica squealed and pulled Betty into a tight hug. A hug that Betty didn’t reciprocate all that readily. All she could think of as she pulled Veronica to her was that the last time they had been this close. The last time Veronica had grabbed her unexpectedly, they’d been kissing Faux lesbian kissing. Betty wasn’t sure how fake it had been, not on her part. Veronica, on the other hand, seemed not to remember the incident at all.

           When Veronica pulled away, Betty gave her her best good luck smile. And as soon as she walked away, Betty let her face fall. She gripped the grates of her locker, felt the metal scrape into her skin, and fought to breathe. Fought hard not to cry.

           Soon, Jughead found her and spent several seconds trying to figure out what the hell to do before he pulled her into a hug. She gripped him tight and sobbed into his shoulder, tried to focus on the soothing tones of his voice in her ear.

           Jughead unintentionally became her rock after that. He spent the next two days at her side – even at lunch – and would pull her attention away every time Veronica or Archie or both of them lapsed into anything romantic. Betty relied on Jughead in those moments, probably too much. But it kept her from cutting up her hands with her nails, from breaking down in the middle of class, and outing herself to both of them as not okay. And bisexual.

           Friday came, the last bell rang, and Betty found herself at her locker with Jughead at her side. He had offered to walk her home and watch bad movies with her until the date was over. But now she had other worries.

           “Veronica booked a hotel room with one bed,” Betty said as she shoved books into her locker. “She bought a freaking couples massage package so that they wouldn’t separate us. I don’t know if she’s actually trying to kill me or if she’s just never met a girl who likes girls before or maybe she just doesn’t know how freaking adorable she is, but I can’t do it. I can’t. I thought the hardest thing would be her and Archie going on a date, but no. It’s the fact that they’re going to go on a date and then we’re going to spend a weekend surrounded by roses while she goes on and on and on about every single detail.”

           “Breathe,” Jughead said unhelpfully. “Just tell her you don’t wanna talk about it. Tell her it’s too hard.”

           “But I already told her I was fine with it.”

           “Yeah, I don’t know why you did that.”

           Betty slammed her locker shut. “Because. If Archie doesn’t like me and she doesn’t like me, but they do like each other, then I shouldn’t stand in their way. They shouldn’t not date just because I’m hopelessly in love with both of them.”

           Jughead nodded even though Betty could tell he didn’t quite understand. “Would this be the wrong time to suggest polyamory?”

           Betty laughed. “Yes, it would be.”

           Jughead smirked. “Sorry.”

           Betty pushed him away and they started to walk out of the building. Once outside, Betty caught a glimpse of Archie opening the door of his dad’s car for Veronica. She smiled at him, the same way she smiled at Betty, and he smiled back, in a way that he had never done for Betty. Betty lost her breath at the sight, stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

           Jughead wrapped his arm around her waist. “No use looking at that.”

           “I can’t do this. I really, really can’t.”

           “Fake sick.”

           “I’m too nice.”

           “Being nice sounds awful.” Jughead pulled her in the opposite direction of Archie and Veronica. “I mean, I get it’s like, your aesthetic and everything, but remind me to never try it. I much prefer to be the bitchy emo friend.”

           Despite herself, Betty laughed and leaned into his side. She let him talk the whole way back to her house and even let him talk straight through the first movie. Her worries changed from being about Archie and Veronica to being about what her mom was going to say when she came home and found Jughead in her bed. And by the time Veronica texted to say that she was on her way to pick her up, Betty almost felt like she could do this.

  In Veronica’s car, Betty sat in the passenger seat and looked out the window at the rapidly passing fields. The sun had gone down a long time ago, leaving the night sparkling with stars. Betty could hear her own breath over the radio crooning out bad pop music that Veronica sang along with under her breath.

           It had been an hour of this. Betty, silent, pressed against the window. Veronica, singing, her hands tight on the steering wheel. And Betty couldn’t take it anymore. She broke the spell with the words, “How was it?”

           Veronica glanced at her, then looked back at the road. “I didn’t think you’d want to know.”

           Betty shrugged, shifted so that she was sitting upright. “I want to be a good friend. I can’t say it’ll be fun to listen to, but... if you’re excited about it, then I’m excited for you. And all I really want is for you two to be happy, so... tell me how it went?”

           “Thanks.” Veronica smiled and her grip on the wheel loosened a little. “But I don’t think me and Archie are going to be happy together anytime soon.”

           Betty frowned. “What do you mean? I thought at Cheryl’s...”

           Veronica shrugged, shook her head. When she looked at Betty, a sad smile lined her crimson lips. “You know how you can have physical chemistry with someone but everything else is just... flat? We spent the entire evening either in awkward silence or disagreeing about politics. It was a disaster.”

           “How?” Betty turned down the volume on the radio and turned in her seat to watch Veronica. “You two are friends. You have plenty to talk about and a lot in common.”

           “Dating’s different, Bets.” Veronica let one hand slide to the bottom of the wheel and she drummed her fingers against the leather. “All of a sudden it’s just you and them. And it either goes really well or falls flat on its face. Rarely is there an in between. Me and Archie, we fell flat on our faces and I kind of wish we had never tried at all.”

           “But you know now. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

           “Maybe? But who knows? Monday morning we could be friends again or we could not even be speaking to each other. And on top of all that, we hurt you and we ruined the memory of what happened in that closet. Is any of that worth it just to know we’re not compatible? We could have been happily suffering our mutual pining romance for the rest of our natural lives. Maybe that would have been better.”

           Betty stayed silent. She couldn’t help but apply that speech to herself. Was life better now that she’d told Archie about her feelings? Or had they irreparably ruined something special? And then there was Veronica. If what she was saying was true, then maybe Betty needed to keep her mouth shut. She could break her heart all over again, ruin what she had with Veronica, and destroy the memory of their kiss. All in one fell swoop.

           “Hey,” Veronica said after a minute. Her tone was light, a smile back on her face. “Are you all right? You seem sadder about this than I am.”

           Betty shrugged, forced a happy expression. “I just really wanted you two to be happy.”

           “You’re sweet, Bets.” Veronica reached over and squeezed her hand. “But I’m happy. I’m with you. We’re on our way into the city for a weekend of pampering and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be. Can you?”

           Betty watched Veronica’s mouth move around the words like a shifting bloodstain. Her lashes, dark and luscious, closed over brown eyes. Betty shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

           Veronica raised Betty’s hand to her mouth and kissed her knuckles. Betty smiled, weak, and promised herself she could make it through the weekend without ruining things.

  Three hours later, Betty lay on her back in the queen bed with Veronica at her side. She stared at the ceiling, drummed her fingers against her stomach, and tried not to listen to Veronica moaning at her side. Whatever the other girl was dreaming about, it was far from PG and Betty didn’t have the guts to wake her.

           She’d nearly gone over her texting limit since they’d gotten to the hotel ninety minutes ago. Not that that had helped anything at all as Jughead continued to prove that his greatest skill was being unhelpful in crisis situations. She’d almost broken down and texted Kevin instead, but he knew where she was and would instantly make the connection between her anonymous crush and Veronica.

           Betty let out a deep sigh. She turned her head to the side, watched Veronica shift in her sleep. She faced away from Betty, so all Betty could really see was the rise and fall of her chest, the restlessness of her legs as she kicked off the covers. On a whim, Betty reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of Veronica’s face. Then, unable to stop herself, she continued to brush her fingers through the raven locks.

           Jughead had been right. She was in too deep.

  The next morning, Veronica woke her by whistling. Betty spent a few extra minutes with her eyes half-closed, a smile on her face as Veronica pranced around the room in her tiny black bathrobe. Then Betty yawned, stretched, and sat up on the mattress.

           “Just in time!” Veronica clapped her hands together. “Room service is on its way. Our first treatment of the day is in an hour – I said we preferred to do mani-pedis first, is that okay? – and then we’re off! Just two girls in love.”

           “What?”

           Veronica laughed as she sat down on the end of the bed, inches from Betty’s feet. She reached out and grabbed Betty’s legs. “We’re doing a couples package, remember? That means a lot of people mistaking us for girlfriends and telling us how cute we are together and how they wish they were lesbians.”

           Betty laughed nervously. “Couldn’t we just tell them we booked it as friends?”

           “Where’s the fun in that?”

           Betty shrugged. She didn’t want to admit that the fun in that was her maintaining a thin hold on her sanity. Veronica patted her legs, then got up to pace around the room some more. Betty followed suit. She pulled one of the hotel’s fluffy white bathrobes over her pink pajamas and sat down at the desk, picked up the newspaper.

           Only seconds later, Veronica grabbed the paper from her as a knock sounded on the door. “The news is only going to stress you out,” she said as she headed for the door. She opened it and ushered in the room service cart, helped to set it up on the little table at the side of the room. She thanked the man who had brought it, tipped him, and then closed the door behind him.

           Betty wandered over to take a look at the food and sat down when Veronica pressed down on her shoulders. “This weekend is all about relaxing,” she said. “I know it’s been stressful lately and we’ve been up and down and everything’s been twisted upside down and backwards, but I’m hoping we can get back to normal here.” She pressed a kiss to the top of Betty’s head. “I love you, Betty Cooper.”

           “And I... love you, Veronica Lodge.” Betty fought to keep the words light as Veronica sat down across from her. She dipped her eyes to her food fast, started to shovel it into her mouth. She nodded along to the conversation, let Veronica feed her bits of this or that from her plate. Betty could hear her heartbeat and she wasn’t quite sure how Veronica couldn’t.

           They moved on from breakfast and on to their first treatment. Conversation got easier and soon Betty was laughing, returning Veronica’s light touches, and smiling whenever someone complimented them on what a great couple they made. Okay, so maybe Betty was able to do that because she’d stopped reminding herself that they weren’t a couple. She’d gone with the flow and accepted every word of praise, leaned into Veronica’s touch, and didn’t stop herself from staring at the other girl. She was perfectly aware that the entire illusion would shatter once they got back to their room and that that would break her heart. But she couldn’t stop herself from allowing the dream to be real, if only for a day.

           She faked fatigue when they got back to the room after dinner and Veronica left her alone to change into her pajamas, brush her teeth, and get ready for bed. Looking into the mirror, Betty pursed her lips and swallowed hard. She could hear the soft buzz of the TV in the other room, knew Veronica was sitting on the bed, stretched out. Betty took a deep breath.

           “You can do this,” she whispered to herself. “One more day and then you’ll be home again and everything will go back to normal. One more day.”

           She pushed away from the bathroom sink and headed back to the bedroom. As she took her place on the bed, Veronica headed for the bathroom. Betty glanced at the TV – a rerun of That 70s Show was on – and turned the volume up a bit.

           When Veronica came back, she snuggled under the covers and moved closer to Betty. She rested her head on Betty’s shoulder and let out a deep sigh. “This is what it should be like,” she murmured.

           “What what should be like?” Betty asked, glancing down.

           “Dating. Relationships.” Veronica’s eyes were closed, her lips moving against Betty’s shoulder. “It should all be this easy. Just... you and me and spa weekends and laughing about stupid stuff and watching TV in bed. This is what I want.”

           “Veronica.” Betty had lost her breath. The word came out almost inaudible. “Do you mean that?”

           “Huh?” Veronica raised her head. Her eyes sparkled, maybe with tears and maybe with fatigue. She shook her head and smiled. “Sorry. I’m just... I really thought Archie might be the one. And I know that’s stupid, we’re in high school, but... I didn’t expect it to go so badly so fast.”

           “Right.” Betty felt her heart restart as a weight fell on her chest. She shifted closer to Veronica and started to rub her back. “But there’s no need to worry. You’re going to live a long, fantastic life, and you’re going to do things that you never imagined you would do. And along the way, you’re going to find the right guy. And he’s going to love you more than the sun and the moon and the stars. And it’s going to be just as easy as this.”

           “Or girl,” Veronica said.

           “What?”

           “You said I’d find the right guy. But it might be a girl.”

           “What?”

           Veronica pulled a confused face and looked up at Betty again, rested her chin on her shoulder. “Have I not told you this yet? Sorry, it’s just I was out to everyone in New York and I guess I just forgot that I never told anyone here.” She let out a slight laugh. “Bet that really changes your opinion of sleeping in the same bed as me.”

           “No. Of course not.”

           Veronica pressed a kiss to Betty’s shoulder. “I do love you, Betty. I love you a lot.”

           “Veronica...” Betty bit her bottom lip, suddenly afraid now that she met her friend’s eyes. But if there was ever a time to do this, ever a time when Jughead’s advice might actually make sense, it was now. Betty licked her lips, took a breath. She could be brave. She could do this. “What if it could be this easy?”

           “Of course it can be. I’ve always wanted to fall in love with my best friend, so—”

           “What if your best friend was in love with you?”

           “That would be great, but—”

           Betty sighed and did the one last thing that she could do to make Veronica understand. She pressed their lips together, very briefly, and pulled back to look at her. And when she did, Betty’s heart fell to her feet.

           Veronica, eyes wide, lips parted, looked terrified.

           “I’m sorry,” Betty said. She sat frozen for a split second and then started to move, scrambled to get out of the bed. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”

           “No! No, Betty.” Veronica grabbed her arm and pulled her back down, hard. “I’m not... shit. I’m just surprised. I thought... you love Archie and—”

           “I love you too. More, maybe. I—”

           It was Betty’s turn to get cut off with a kiss. Veronica took her face in her hands and held her gaze right up until their lips touched. Betty moved to cup Veronica’s hands, pressed into the kiss with shaky breath and unsure lips. Veronica coaxed her mouth open, slipped in her tongue, deepening it past what had happened at cheer tryouts, past what Betty had ever done before.

           Veronica pulled back after a minute and rested their foreheads together. She looked up at Betty through dark lashes. “I am so desperately in love with you, Betty Cooper.” She pecked her on the lips, rubbed her bottom lip with her thumb. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over you.”

           “Then don’t.” Betty kissed her again, fervently. She pulled Veronica to her, tangled up their legs under the covers. “You have no idea what it’s been like. Being here with you. Pretending to be a couple.”

           “I know exactly what it’s been like.”

           Betty laughed. “You haven’t been taking advice from Jughead.”

           “Well, maybe I should have been.” Veronica wiped a tear off Betty’s cheek. “He seems to know what he’s talking about.”

           “What happens when the weekend’s over?”

           “Whatever you want. We tell people or we don’t tell people, but no matter what, we don’t forget how easy this is. How right it is.” Veronica gathered Betty’s hands in her own and kissed them. “I love you and I want you to be happy and I will do whatever makes you comfortable for as long as you want.”

           “We can tell people. Maybe not my mom but... everyone else.” Betty smiled and felt a tear drip into her mouth. “God, I just really want everyone to know how happy I am and how much I love you.”

           “Me too.” Veronica kissed her again, soft and sure.

           Slowly, they sunk down into the bed, sharing kisses and letting their hands wander. They fell asleep with their hands in each others’ hair and their lips half an inch apart.