#anyways why the scavenger hunt... me and my date started out in the same place why couldn't we just. go on the date...?

[liebelesbe]

tonight in my dream it was valentine's day and somebody set me and a person I don't know irl but had a crush on in this dream (and who had a crush on me in the dream!) up on a blind date, but went about it in a scavenger hunt kind of way? Like we were at a hotel and both started out in the lobby, then got different hints and had to find more hints in the hotel until we got to the room where our date was supposed to happen. UNFORTUNATELY I'm terrible at directions & a coward, so it took me a really long time to find the right places and then sometimes it would lead to a room that said "Staff Only", so I was worried I'd gotten something wrong and wouldn't go in until an employee took pity on me and told me I was in front of the right room (bc apparently some employees were in on it too). 😭 ANYWAY at some point I made it to the last room and my date was smarter (and therefore faster) than me and had to wait for me for a pretty long time and was kind of annoyed that I took so long... 🙁 and right before the actual date could start I woke up, rip

[onyxiana-is-obsessed]

It’s Your Birthday | HCS

Hiya! It’s my birthday today aaaand I’ve been gone for far too long! I’ve been working on the requests slowly but this idea hit me and i thought, why not? They’re short, but there’s a lot! I hope you like them! Just a side note: ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE OVER THE AGE OF 20!

Includes: Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugou, Shoto Todoroki, Eijirou Kirishima, Denki Kaminari, Hitoshi Shinsou, Tamaki Amajiki, Mirio Togata, Shouta Aizawa, and Keigo Takami!

Come one, come all! It’s your birthday! See what your mans does!!

Tags: @peachy-yabbay​ @x-midnight-violets-x​ @boku-no-dumbass​ @shiggi-trash​ @happynoodle​ @neon-tries-writing​ @liliesoftherainmain​

He’s waking you up with a birthday kiss! For sure! He likes sleeping over at your apartment the night before, but he’ll also use the spare key you gave him.

Izuku won’t buy you a million presents, but he’ll get you some of the things you want most. He just knows you well enough, so even if you don’t tell him what you want, he’ll figure it out anyway.

It’s your day. Whatever YOU want to do, he’s ready to do it. Want to watch movies all day? He’s got your favorites and some new suggestions? Want to go out? He’s asking what you want to do and plans accordingly. Want an expensive dinner date? Say no more.

The entire day is exciting. If you want to go out, Izuku plans a lot, so you’ll be up early (well reasonably early) and you’ll be out until midnight.

Giant cake. Whether you’ll eat it all or not, you’re getting a big cake. 

He’d love to hold a party for you, but only if you want it. Izuku did once plan a surprise party but it can only be done once or twice, otherwise you’ll start expecting them.

He wakes you up with kisses BUT he’ll pretend like he forgot your birthday. At first!

Katsuki buys you what you want. He’s always got three things he pre purchases the things he knows you want, after that he’ll buy you whatever you ask for.

He usually plans something. He LOVES making you dinner so he’ll definitely make you ALL your favorites on your special day, but otherwise, it’s whatever you want to do. He doesn’t necessarily like to stay in on such a special day, but if you really want to, he’ll do it. He prefers going out.

If he hurt your feelings by pretending to forget your birthday, he’ll for sure make up for it. He never means to hurt you, he just wanted to surprise you. And he’s definitely making up for it.

He’s baking your cake. It’ll be Ground Zero colors but you like it anyway. It’s always huge and he loves seeing your smile when you enjoy it.

He doesn’t like parties, but if you want one, he’ll get Denki and Kirishima to help set up a party for you. He’s never done a surprise party before but he likes the idea.

You’ll wake up to presents littering his side of the bed. He’ll shower you in presents and he doesn’t even need his dad’s credit card anymore. He’s got his own now!

He’ll buy you whatever you want, of course, but tries not to go overboard. Just because you look and compliment something doesn’t mean you want it and he understands that. If you want it, you’ll have to tell him you do.

He likes to plan out a whole date. He prefers to take you out to an aquarium, maybe to the beach, fly you to another country for the day. Simple things like that.

Shoto has done a “birthday trip” before, where he flew you to (country you want to visit) for three days around your birthday. He’ll do it again, but he keeps these trips at a moderate level, so it won’t be too overwhelming for you.

He’ll surprise you with a trip, but he prefers to ask you where you want to go and if there’s anything in particular you want to experience. If it’s a seasonal festival not around on the time of your birthday, he’ll take you when they do have it. Even if it’s months later. Late birthday present.

He’s ok with parties, he’s just not not good at planning those. He’ll get Kirishima, Mina, and Denki to help him. Maybe Midoriya, but definitely Mina and Denki. He’s never thrown you a surprise party… yet.

Waking you up with a birthday kiss and an amazing breakfast! Eijirou has a bunch of presents and you’ll find them throughout the day.

As mentioned before, he’s already bought a lot of presents, but he usually likes to sometimes present them in a scavenger hunt way. He once made you breakfast and hid a small gift in the vase of roses on the dining table. You adore it.

Because of the hidden presents, Eijirou usually plans the entire day. He’ll hide presents in public places and if it’s extremely valuable, his friends play guard, but they’re usually hard to find. Sometimes, you need upwards to five hints to figure it out.

The dates are always fun. He usually asks you two-three weeks prior to your birthday about what you want to do. If you want the scavenger hunt, he starts planning, if not, you tell him what you want to do. He’ll still give you presents throughout the day.

He loves to plan parties. He once rented a venue and invited all your friends, family, his friends, and hid a bunch of presents all around. In fact, that day, you’d only received one present. You found the other 9 at the venue. The other members knew where they were and even dropped a couple of hints.

He’s planned a surprise party before, but he can only do those so many times. If you don’t want a party, you’ll need to tell him 2 months prior. Just so he keeps that in mind. He loves elaborate parties, so he’s always planning a month or two earlier. Just in case.

He bursts into your room, almost scaring you half to death, and plants kisses all over your face. He uses the spare key to your apartment for this one trick.

Denki prefers to buy you what you want. He takes you shopping and whatever you like, he’ll buy. He’s a high ranking pro hero and he makes quite a bit of money, so don’t be shy.

It’s your day. After the shopping trip, he’ll do whatever you want. If you can’t think of anything or don’t have plans, let him know two weeks ahead of time, so he can plan stuff accordingly. 

Denki likes gatherings. He wants you to enjoy your day, but he also wants you to have more friends to celebrate with. Bakugou, Midoriya, Mina, and Kirishima are always more than happy to join you. Last year, Denki even brought Shinsou and Sero along. All of you had a great time and it was a really memorable day.

Even though Denki likes gatherings, he’ll spend the entire day in the house cuddling you too. Denki’s a social butterfly but he doesn’t mind being an introvert with you (if you are one).

Speaking of gatherings, Denki loves to hold parties. He always plans them with Mina, Kirishima, and Sero. They’re never over the top and if you don’t want one, let him know. But no matter what, Denki always makes your birthdays the best days of the year.

He sleeps over and wakes you up with cuddles. He’ll wake you up so he can cuddle you but talk to you at the same time.

Hitoshi buys all the presents beforehand but he likes to give them to you towards the end of the day. Of course, if you want something in particular and he didn’t get it, he’ll buy it. But he’s already got a bunch.

Hitoshi doesn’t like to go out that much, but he’ll do it for you. He knows you love your friends, so he’ll often plan a lunch or dinner where he invites all of your friends so you can enjoy your birthday with them too.

If you want to go out all day, let him know beforehand so he can plan something. Hitoshi plans mellow things, somewhere to relax and spend time together. He loves going to a cat cafe, he loves going to the aquarium, and he’ll even take you to the zoo. But if you want to do something, like go on a picnic or stay home all day, he’s more than ready to cooperate.

Hitoshi can plan dates, but he can’t plan parties. If he wants to do that, he’ll need his friend Denki, who brings two more friends- Kirishima and Sero- along as well.

Hitoshi’s only planned two parties in the four years you’ve been together. One surprise and one you knew about. Both were amazing and you were so happy to attend.

He wakes you up gently and says happy birthday immediately. He’s also prepared your favorites for breakfast!

Tamaki buys a few things, but he’s always nervous it’s not exactly what you want. One moment he’s uber confident, then when he’s got the item, the confidence turns to smoke. So he always offers to buy you whatever you want. You always reassure him that you’ll love his gifts.

Tamaki doesn’t like going out to crowded places too much, he’s a well known hero, people recognize him quickly! But if you want to go somewhere, best believe he’ll build up the courage and take you anyway.

If you prefer to stay home and watch movies, even better! He loves to cook for you. Unless you really want to eat at a restaurant, he prefers to make you breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He’ll even bake your cake, unless you want it professionally made.

Tamaki’s awful with parties. He planned one surprise party with Mirio and Nejire, but he’ll never do it again. It was great! Everything went well and you loved it! Both Mirio and Nejire were there to help, but the anxiety of it all was too much for Tamaki.

That doesn’t mean he won’t plan parties. Just not surprise parties. He hated lying to you, he hated seeming so suspicious, and he just felt scared none of it would work and that you’d hate it.

He wakes you up by falling on you. He’ll love you hugs, kisses, and even little nibbles on your neck. He’s got breakfast ready for you and a whole day planned!

Mirio buys you presents as you go, but he always has two special ones. One he gives you in the morning, along with your birthday kiss, and the other one right before midnight. Anything else you want, he’ll happily get for you.

He likes going out, so he loves to plan dates. He asks ahead of time if it’s ok. He usually plans out half of the day, leaving the rest of the day up to you. If you ask him beforehand, he’ll plan the entire day or let you plan what you want. You’re not spending a dime though. If you’re going somewhere and you need to buy tickets, for example, he’s paying.

Mirio doesn’t mind spending the day at home, but he wants you to enjoy your birthday as best as you can. He’ll invite your friends, even Tamaki likes to attend, and you go out for brunch. You guys all had a picnic once and it was a blast. Of course, Mirio, Nejire, Tamaki, and your hero friends got noticed quite a bit, but it wasn’t too overwhelming.

Mirio loves to plan parties. With Nejire, they can plan the best parties for you! They’ve planned two surprise parties and three regular parties. You’ve been with Mirio for six years. Only one occasion where you didn’t want a party, but after experiencing what your boyfriend had planned for you, you’re always more than excited to go to attend.

Your favorite party was the first surprise party. Mirio had gathered a bunch of your friends, family, and had it at a beautiful venue. You had an entire stack of presents to go through and the food was delicious. The party was a few hours long but you’d never had so much fun before.

He’ll wake you up, say happy birthday, give you a kiss, and then go back to sleep. If he can, he’ll say happy birthday the second the clock hits 12 am. He ain’t tryna waste time!

Shouta usually TRIES to be up before you to make you breakfast. He’s a pretty busy person, but he’ll always make time for your birthday. He buys a few presents and usually lets you buy whatever else you want.

He doesn’t mind planning a date. You just have to let him know what you want to do. He prefers to stay at home and watch movies or cuddle… or do other things. 

It’s your special day and he doesn’t mind going out with you. You can invite all your annoying friends and he’ll still attend with a smile on his face. As long as you’re happy, he’s happy.

He doesn’t like parties. A lot of people aren’t his thing, but once again, you deserve to have as much fun as possible. If you’re a social butterfly, you best believe he’ll work with your friends and try to set up an amazing party for you. If not, it’ll be a small gathering of your close friends.

Present Mic helps with the preparations but he’ll also ask some of your friends for help. He’s set up 2 surprise parties and 2 regular parties in the six years you’ve been together. He really pushes himself out of his comfort zone, but it’s all for you.

Well… he likes to poke your cheeks until you wake up. He’ll immediately kiss your cheeks and wish you a happy birthday.

Keigo’s an oddball. He accumulates your presents throughout the year. He usually watches your body language when you’re out shopping, if you really like something- and lie about not wanting it- you’ll get it on your birthday. He keeps a mental note of everything and he’ll definitely buy it that same day or a couple days later. Expect them on your birthday. Sometimes you forget you wanted something.

He likes to go out, but at the same time he wants to be alone. Walks in the park, taking you out for a small flight, things to do ALONE. But if you like spending time with others, he’ll set up a lunch or brunch so you can spend time with your friends on your birthday.

He’s not too crazy about parties. He likes those small, close gatherings. He’ll have the cake ready, it’ll be at his penthouse, and he’ll invite all your friends. Usually, there’s a whole pile of presents (mostly his) and you get to open them all at the end of the day. Keigo always has one special present he buys that you never ask for. Whether it be jewelry or that (dress/suit) you wore to your party.

In the five years you’ve been together (and the ten years you’ve been friends), Keigo’s set up a party for you five times. One surprise party and the others were known parties. He loves to see you smiling and laughing and if your friends bring you that joy as well, then he’ll go to great lengths to set up the best party he can!

[ahopelessromantic]

31% ➳ S. Reid

Pairing: Spencer x neutral! Reader (if I missed something please tell me!)

Word count: 2,4k

Warnings: Suggestive content, Spencer and reader really have the hots for each other

The nature of your friendship with Reid has been flirtatious from the start. So flirtatious that the team thinks it’s all a joke... right? (A/N: Please don’t ask me what this is. I wrote this in one sitting while suffering from PMS, I don’t even know anymore.)

“Look at that walk.” Morgan chuckled to Emily for everyone but especially you to hear. You rolled your eyes, yet couldn’t help the smug grin on your face. Like girls in high school ready to hear the newest gossip your two colleagues and closest friends leaned over your desk. “You, sweetie, got laid.” You let out a happy sigh and leaned back in your chair. Last time you had been this relaxed had been… god, you couldn’t even remember it.

“What’s their name?” Emily grinned, stealing a sip of coffee from your mug. “And do they have a brother? Sister? Cousin?” You lifted your brow. “A respectable, decent human being like me doesn’t kiss and tell. But it’s a he. And he’s all mine.” Both Morgan and Emily lifted their eyebrows in surprise. “(Y/N)? Getting territorial? We love to see it.” Morgan teased. You squinted at him. “You know what? I loved flaunting my post-coital bliss in front of you, but quite frankly I’m starting to feel attacked now, so I’ll go hang out with Garcia.” Emily feigned a pout. “Come on! At least give us some details!” You just winked at her after getting up from your seat and disappeared down the hallway. On the way to Penelope’s office, you didn’t miss Spencer’s searing hot look on you, a hint of the same smug smile on his lips that had been on yours when you had entered the BAU this morning.

“(Y/N), this is bad. We’re breaking at least three policies just by being here together right now. Also, relationships between colleagues are rarely a good idea.” You chuckled and pressed another kiss to Spencer’s neck. “Then why does it feel so good, Spence? And, actually, workplace hookups are way more common thank you think. About 31% of them even end up in marriage.” “Are you using my own weapons against me right now? That’s hot.” He murmured and pulled you further into his lap. You looked down into his eyes, your gaze dropping to his lips momentarily before wandering back up again. There was just something about him that made you feel like you were on fire, as if an electric current ran between the two of you. You bit your lip and played with his tie. “You have to know how I feel whenever you’re spitting your facts at least once, too.” Your eyes met again, and then your lips were on his.

Spencer and you had gotten along like a house on fire from the day you had joined the BAU. Somehow the two of you had clicked right into place after just a short period of Spencer warming up to you. Before anyone could even tell what was happening you had become the team’s new dynamic duo. Your sharp wit matched his, and what he was too shy to say you spat right out. And that everlasting tension between you had been there from the beginning, too. It had almost cost you your sanity, the way the air in a room would change as soon as Spencer was in it, the way his mere presence made you want to either pounce on him or rip your lashes out. For a while, it had been enough to just bury that attraction where everyone could see it, in plain sight beneath heaps and heaps of slightly inappropriate flirting. Spencer would blurt out how your new heels gave you just the right height to make out with him, you would blurt out how you would like to see him in his glasses and nothing else. Everyone had taken your remarks as jokes, and you had always laughed with them. But there had never been anything funny about the shocks of electricity jolting through your fingers whenever your hands accidentally met or about the warmth seeping through you whenever you slept propped up against each other on the jet. All that tension had unloaded one day after an unusually hard case. Spencer and you had been taken hostage by an Unsub on a psychotic break, and it had only been due to luck and good timing that you had made it out alive. After debriefing, you had found yourself in an abandoned hallway of whatever precinct you had been in, and then your eyes had met. The look in them had been the same. Slightly frazzled, pupils still widened from the adrenaline pumping through your veins. You had both been so high on the incredibleness of still being alive that suddenly, you had decided to just fucking do what your body had been telling you to do for so long already. “I think I’m going to kiss you now.” You had breathed out, barely audible. Spencer had leaned against the wall behind him and lifted his chin as if he had been daring you to do it. “Okay.” He had whispered back. And then your lips had met in what you could swear had been the best kiss of your life. Your hands had tangled themselves in his hair as if they had been supposed to be there all along, and his hands had fit in the groove of your waist as if they had been made for it. Maybe you had both been made for each other.

“It looks like the unsub is citing the karma sutra.” JJ’s gaze wandered over the book excerpts up on the case board. “A sexual sadist maybe?” Spencer shook his head almost excitedly, a familiar gleam in his eyes which he got whenever a case was particularly interesting to him. “See, that’s the interesting part. 80% of the karma sutra is actually just love-related philosophy and how to sustain desire. There is no sexual component to his murders, so I think he might either be trying to throw us off or create some sort of bizarre scavenger hunt.” While chewing on one of the fries Emily had brought you all for dinner you let your eyes wander over the pictures of sex positions and quotations on the board, then to the copy of the book lying right in front of Spencer on the table. “Well, it’s definitely an interesting choice to make for a book. Spence, you’ll keep it memorised for later, right?” You spoke, mostly out of habit. Spencer winked at you in response and Morgan choked on his burger. “There’s people eating here!” He spluttered out, pointing at Hotch, who looked like he wanted to die, and Rossi, who was watching the scene unfold with an amused smile on his face. All he was missing was a bucket of popcorn to match the level of detachment he was displaying. Prentiss just laughed and turned her attention to you. “(Y/N), does your boyfriend know about your workplace flirting buddy?” She knew exactly what she was doing, a mischievous glint in her eyes. You felt your face fall for the split of a second but immediately regained your composure. “Nice try, honey. I’m still not telling you about him. Also, for what it’s worth, he’s not the jealous type. So he doesn’t mind.” You deliberately avoided Spencer’s gaze, praying to whichever deities out there that you weren’t blushing.

Later that evening, back in your apartment, you could tell that something was on Spencer’s mind. He had taken some paperwork home that, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t have taken him longer than an hour. But it had been two and a half hours already, and the subconscious mumbling he only did when he was extremely anxious set you off. “Spence, baby, are you okay?” You had been his roommate for long enough to know that he needed someone to be there in moments like these. The two of you sharing an apartment had been a decision for practicality’s sake more than anything. You had slept over at each other’s apartments half of the time before that anyway, and this way, you were even able to save up some more to hopefully soon buy the house of your dreams. The team probably didn’t even know about the two of you living together, and if they knew, they had probably just added it to the list of weird things Spencer and you did. Spencer hadn’t even heard, and it took you placing your hand on his shoulder for him to return to reality. He looked up at you with a conflicted look, his eyes horribly sad. “Are you alright?” You asked again, sitting down next to him. He nodded and closed the case file he had been working on with a sigh. “I’m okay. I just keep on thinking about what Prentiss said.” You frowned. Emily tended to say a lot of things in just one day. “Back in the conference room. The…” He trailed off to take a deep breath. “The boyfriend thing.” You were still looking at him in confusion. “Am I?” “What?” You asked stupidly. Apparently, your brain had suffered a sudden case of non-functionality. You could feel his frustration get even worse. “Am I your boyfriend, (Y/N)?”, Spencer finally explained for you to catch on. Suddenly, a laugh escaped your lips. “Well, I mean I hope so.” Now it was he who looked like his mind was failing him. “I mean, to be honest, I hadn’t really properly thought about it, but I definitely bragged about my hot, intelligent FBI boyfriend to my friends from high school. So, I guess it would be really nice if you actually were. I mean, I think I haven’t slept in my own bed in weeks.” A smile had spread across Spencer’s face, a light pink hue dusting his cheeks. “I uh… I described you as my partner in the letters to my mom, too. I didn’t know how else to describe it to her. Because I … I guess I was hoping that this wasn’t just us sleeping together from the start. I trust you, (Y/N), more than I’ve ever trusted anyone. And I like having you by my side.” Not able to stop yourself, you closed the distance between the two of you to press your lips to his. Keeping your relationship with Spencer undefined for any longer than that would have been a huge waste of potential.

Somehow, you had always expected that Spencer would one day expose the two of you by taking it too far with your flirting. He hadn’t been all too experienced with dating, sex and everything beyond that before you, that was something he had told you himself once after a few glasses of your favourite red wine. But what you really hadn’t expected was running into Emily in an IKEA, of all places. Ever since once and for all defining your relationship you had moved into his bedroom for good, which left room for creativity in your old room. The two of you had been walking around the furniture store hand in hand, Spencer with a potted plant already under his arm, when you’d suddenly heard Emily calling out your name. If it hadn’t been for Spencer’s hand firmly in yours you would have booked it down the aisle of Malm closets, but this way all you could do was turn around with a deliberately composed expression. “Hi, Em.” You smiled as if you hadn’t just run into your colleague slash best friend while holding the hand of your also colleague, slash boyfriend. Prentiss looked like she was trying to make sense of the situation, her eyes fleeting back and forth between you and Spencer. “Is this something you do now? Hold hands and buy plants together?” You had to suppress a laugh and almost pitied her for her confusion. Spencer was forcing himself not to smile as well, swaying your still intertwined hands back and forth. “It’s not a big deal Emily, we just need some things for our apartment.” Her eyes looked just about ready to pop out of her skull at that. “Your apartment?! (Y/N), what about your boyfriend- oh.” Her eyes widened even more if that was even possible. “OH!” She almost yelled, and now you couldn’t help the giggle that escaped your lips anymore. “No one will ever believe you.” You grinned, pressed a kiss to her cheek and pulled Spencer back to your shopping cart with you.

The next day, Emily sat at her desk with her head in her hands when Spencer and you entered the bullpen. She looked positively traumatised and now you were all the more glad that you had bought her a breakfast muffin on the way to work. “Hey, Em.” You greeted her hesitantly, you tone causing Morgan to look up from his screen. He always immediately knew when something was off. “So, Spencer, huh?” She mumbled instead of a greeting, mustering the two of you up and down. It wasn’t abnormal for the two of you to constantly be glued to each other’s sides, but now she was probably starting to see that from a whole new perspective. You could hear Morgan get up and trip over his chair in his haste to get to Emily’s desk, but your whole focus was on her at that moment. You smiled. “Yup. Don’t ask me how, or why, but I’m sure about him. He’s also just really fucking attractive.” At that, she laughed, and Spencer pouted playfully. “You only like me for my body, (Y/N).” You rolled your eyes and nudged him with your elbow. “I’m trying to make a point here, honey. But yeah, it’s Spence, and I’m happy it’s him.” “You know, I feel like I should probably be more surprised by this, but it’s not really much of a change from the way you behaved already. Kinda saw it coming.”, Morgan finally spoke up, and you couldn’t be more grateful to him for being so cool about the whole situation. “Aren’t you guys worried about the pressure of all of this? You know, workplace romances and everything?” Emily mused. Somehow, she had already switched back into concerned friend mode. But much to your surprise it was Spencer who spoke up and pulled you closer to his side with an arm around your waist. “Someone once told me that workplace romances are actually really common and that 31% of them even end in marriage.” You felt the biggest smile grow on your face and turned to look him in the eyes. “I don’t really know anything, about any of this. But I trust (Y/N), and I trust what we have. I’m just hoping that maybe we’ll be up in those 31%.” You couldn’t help it. You just had to press a kiss to his cheek for that. “I’m hoping for that, too.” You mumbled. Despite Morgan’s and Emily’s theatrical gagging at your public display of affection, you couldn’t help but feel like this was a significant moment. You were really doing this. And boy, were you serious about it.

[kekoma]

— hinata as your boyfriend.

for the simps who like this life size orange. hope you enjoy.

me oh my, he’s sweet like apple pie.

hands down one of the sweetest people to have as your boyfriend.

however i do wanna put out, there’s no doubt... hinata is inexperienced when it comes to dating.

you’re most likely his first official girlfriend.

reason i say official is because he may have dated a few times (literally 2, maybe 3 times) back in middle school, but would you really consider them a relationship when they ended fairly quick?

AND we all know the only thing on this boy’s mind is... volleyball.

so dating in general was never a true thought in his mind until you came around.

most definitely asked noya, tanaka and coach ukai about the feeling he’s experiencing when you two weren’t together yet.

probably won’t ask for advice on how to approach you since his personality naturally draws you towards him and he’s able to take care of the rest. 

really don’t think he’ll be a huge stuttering mess around you but hinata will probably blush and trip up on his words just a bit.

besides the whole crushing stage, boyfriend hinata is a truly a ball of sunshine.

constantly loves to compliment you whenever he gets a chance.

“you look beautiful~”

“hm? you tell me that everyday silly.”

“well yeah! i want you to know that you’re always gorgeous to me.”

will never let you be insecure about your looks.

literally finds you beautiful no matter what. you could literally wake up with your hair all over the place, somewhat puffy face and etc.— dude is already in dream land thinking about how cute you are.

don’t try arguing with me about this because it’s true. i refuse to be WRONG.

definitely the type of boyfriend who checks up on you. 

and i’m not talking about the occasional, every few months; “hey, how are you feeling?”

shoyo CHECKS UP on you. every few weeks, he’ll ask about how you’re feeling, what you’re doing and etc.

he deeply cares about you and always wants to make sure you’re doing perfectly fine along with the fact, he wants to make sure the relationship isn’t causing any tolls on you as well.

it’s not like hinata causes any issues within the relationship since he tends to avoid inflicting any stress on you but he just wants to make sure you’re still satisfied with your relationship.

or seeing if anything he has done made you feel some type of but you just didn’t bring up. 

which brings us to the fact... arguments between you two are very rare.

he doesn’t like fighting with you nor does he like seeing you upset over something he did that wasn’t on purpose.

but if you two do end up fighting then he’s going to take time to reflect on the issue at hand, talk it out with you, apologize and mentally keep a note of the mistake that was made that day.

besides that and going back to the checking up part, if you’re ever having a bad day then be prepared for your supportive boyfriend to use those motivational words of his to get you back up and running.

and don’t think about hiding it either because he going to figure it out regardless.

hinata doesn’t ONLY observe volleyball and rivals, he studies you too since he refuses to be the kind of boyfriend who’s blind to emotional signs that you aren’t okay.

but if you’re the kind of person who isn’t interested in hearing him talk and want to be left alone then he understands.

won’t leave you alone though but he’s going to end up comforting you physically (if you allow him to) and wait until you’re ready to tell him what happened so he can proceed to uplift your spirts again.

most likely... you have better scores than him when it comes to school so be prepared to help him out.

he might complain just a bit yet he won’t pass up the opportunity to have you as his tutor and spend more time with you.

remembers some of the information you’ve taught him, promoting him to do better in school.

yet beware when it comes to study dates. shoyo may be listening sometimes but his eyes won’t hesitate to drift off, admiring and studying everything on your face rather than the information.

definitely the type who likes to FaceTime often if you aren’t able to come see him/he isn’t able to see you.

and yes. falling asleep on ft is apart of his package deal. just don’t think about hanging up because the end call sound will wake him up quicker than anything.

useless he had a tiring practice then go for it— he won’t even notice.

he can be a bit smothering but if you’re someone who isn’t into all that then tell him.

he’ll cut down on it and give you more space.

heh don’t be shocked when he asks you to set for him.

“come on babe~ just a few! it won’t be long. i promise.”

“you said that the last time and we spent roughly 12 hours doing the same thing.”

“what if i offer to buy us ice cream after.”

“only if i get to eat some of yours too...”

“deal! now come on.”

“you’re lucky i love you.”

pda freak.

let me say it again. PDA FREAK.

not even gonna separate them (public and private) because he carries the same energy in both departments.

not ashamed if the team gets on him for it because at least he has a girlfriend who he can touch and love on.

plus his love language is through physical touches anyways.

so be prepared for those smooches at random times, hand holding, cuddles and all that good stuff.

side fact: not pda but you’ve met his little sister and mom— they both you. it’s to the point, they’ll ask if you’re coming over and constantly ask him how you’re doing.

you’re already the apart of the family and there’s no escaping. (although why would you.)

probably been waiting for this one but shoyo always invites you to his games along with practices.

get extremely excited when he spots you in the crowd too. almost to the point you start to become concerned for his checks from all that smiling.

loves when you give him compliments and assurance that the relationship is perfect.

something about your praises gives him a boost, also makes him feel like satisfied that his efforts of keeping you happy is working.

there’s no need for you to ask him do to the same because hinata is a simp.

he’s leveled from the simp card to the CEO of simps.

can’t change my mind about this. no no non. 

hinata the ceo of simps and you’re number one simp at that.

it’s evident in the way he talks about you to his friends/teammates, the way he texts you and even with the way he looks at you.

he truly only has eyes for you too btw.

vv loyal and he just can’t see him being happy with anyone else but you anyways.

now nicknames.

of course the typical ones, babe and baby, are in there but he also likes to call you; cutie, lovely, his star and sunshine. 

mainly it’s just a lot of cutesy nicknames and he’s always testing out new ones to see if you like them as well. 

as for dates.

there’s no specific energy to them. meaning they’re not constantly energetic or super super chill.

shoyo is the kind of boyfriend who wants to try every and any kind of date.

sticking to one concept is just boring to him and he doesn’t want you to get bored either which is why he’s tries new things.

even going as far to create his own such as making a scavenger hunt that lead to you both to a rooftop that has it’s own mini garden and lights all set up with food on the table.

dudes creative when it comes to dates (and again, no arguing with me about this because i firmly believe he goes all out for you... even if he’s inexperienced— still giving it his all so it’s memo for the both of you.)

could literally go on and on about this lovely life sized orange but i’ll end it here.

dating hinata is worth it and each waking moment with him could never be regretful.

we stan and love boyfriend hinata over here.

© all content belongs to kekoma 2020. do not repost, modify or translate.

[schnowydays]

The “Herne and the Red Kite” Analysis Nobody Asked For

WARNING: This is probably a very long and unnecessary post. 

Wah, so at first I was quite nervous on posting this at all because this is just so embarrassingly long and it is really overly thought out. Plus no one even asked for it and there does not seem to be a need for this since the song is kind of straightforward. But, I still put work into this so I’m going to post it anyways cuz it would feel like a waste if I didn’t. Plus, I’m immensely busy with school right now, so why not just let this fester while I’m away? So,,, here we go:::

Okay, so this was spun out by this post and I just became so interested in what the heck this song was about. I’ve always loved listening to it but I had no idea what the heck was going on - who is Herne? A red kite?? Does this relate to Hadley and Rosalie???

Plus, I love reading analysis on stuff so, here I am, attempting to make my own.

Anyways, to give a quick overview, I am going to be analyzing both the words and the instruments used in the song, going strictly by the studio recording. Everything here will be MY OPINION ALONE so it could be possible that I am horribly wrong on certain things. This research was INCREDIBLY LIGHT so there are probably a lot of details that I missed. Plus, I don’t really have strong music or literature knowledge, nothing beyond what you’re taught in high school. I’ll try to clear up the blocks of text with pictures or videos of things I think are helpful. 

I’m basically going to be the English Teacher who finds meaning in everything meme. You know, the:

So, without further ado...

Background

The Song Itself

As we all know, “Herne and the Red Kite” was written by Hadley Fraser and was released on his EP Just Let Go. Although it was released in 2014, I’m not entirely sure when this song was written, so it could have been really any time before then. Just to get it out there, based on what others have already said (from that post, yes), this song is most likely to be about Hadley and Rosalie Craig. Here is the song itself if you’ve (somehow) never heard it before. You can also listen along and read at the same time :D

Characters in the Song

Herne

Based on only a Google search, “Herne the Hunter”, an English folklore ghost, is really the only thing that shows up. He is mentioned by Shakespeare in The Merry Wives of Windsor in which he is described as “the ghost of a former Windsor Forest keeper who haunts a particular oak tree at midnight in the winter time” (Wikipedia). He is associated with the Windsor Forest and the Great Park in Berkshire. He basically does a lot of not cool stuff, like making cows produce blood instead of milk and making trees die. Another version states that he was made so that parents can scare their children into being more obedient. Herne is also the surname of a bunch of people. Because Herne is such an interesting name to use for a song like this (why didn’t he pick literally anything else??), then there is probably some intention behind the use of this name and probably the connotations that come with it.

Red Kite

So, apparently, the Red Kite isn’t actually a kite but is actually a kind of English bird. Fun fact, during Shakespeare’s time, it was considered to be an insult to be called a kite because this bird, back then, was regarded as quite a lowly bird since it was literally associated with trash. It was related this way because it eats dead things haha... However, it was hunted intensely until it became basically extinct except for a few in Wales. Over time, as the population began to thrive again, the Red Kite became a celebrated symbol of Wales (probably) (source). 

According to a lot of different sites, apparently Red Kites also have some meaning to them. I think the most consistent and most important one is how they are a connection between the living and the underworld. This mystical connection binds well with Herne being a folklore ghost who, of course being a ghost, is probably dead. So, already, they are a pretty good match.

A good thing to note as well, birds, in general, are usually used to symbolize freedom. Also, as far as I can tell, there are really no previous stories or songs or works or whatever about Herne and Red Kites together. 

Hadley and Rosalie’s Relationship

I got this information from here (brought up by @peonybooks​ in a chat, thank you!!)

So, depending on where you look, in 2008 or 2009, Hadley and Rosalie met on the set of A Christmas Carol production in Birmingham, although at the time, they were both dating other people. A piece of the set had fallen on Rosalie during that time and basically destroyed her arm. However, she was determined to swiftly come back to the stage because she was afraid that if she hadn’t, she’ll never be able to come back at all. That, and “because [she] had fallen in love with [Hadley]” (my feelings waaa).

Once the production was over, Hadley shipped it back to LA while Rosalie stayed in London. Hadley returned a year later and called up Rosalie for a drink. It was then discovered that they had actually liked each other this entire time!! They just never told each other. They lived together in Crystal Palace after that and married in 2014. This makes it around the time that this EP was released. 

Hadley and Rosalie as Herne and the Red Kite

Something interesting I noticed was the relation of their names to these characters. H is for Hadley and Herne. R is for Rosalie and the Red Kite. 

Of course, this little fun fact breaks a bit if Hadley is using his real first name, Robert, haha. The “Red” in “Red Kite” can also be a relation to how Rosalie has red hair (thanks @alittlepawblog​ hehe).

Also, something worth noting is how Rosalie sings all the lines that are in Herne’s perspective, and Hadley sings all the lines about the Red Kite’s perspective. That trade-off is quite neat, actually. They are both narrators together in this story, but they are swapping who talks about who. It makes the whole song feel like they are speaking for each other together. 

Lyrics and Instruments

I think for this part, I am going to break it up by when each person sings. So basically, whenever there is a new singer or if they start singing together, that will be a new section. Italics are lyrics, regular print is the analysis.

Instrumental

The story is introduced by an accordion. To be honest, it sounds quite static, or maybe even stoic. There is not a lot of feeling in it, maybe to demonstrate how Herne and the Red Kite’s lives were like before meeting each other.

The sprinkles of hi-hats spring the beginning of the song, which consists of a guitar melody, bass and a violin. The violin has a recurring melody that is highlighted every time there is an instrumental break. It could perhaps represent Herne as both Herne (and subsequently Hadley) is mentioned throughout the song consistently, while the Red kite is only mentioned after the introduction. 

Rosalie

Herne lived alone, lived alone in a wood Staring at swallows, wishing he could Join their migration from flower to flower Finally deciding to rest on some bower

Herne is introduced right off the bat, making him kind of the main character. That, and the fact that he has the most lines in the song directly about him. Makes sense if Herne is supposed to stand in for Hadley, since Hadley wrote this song. The fact that he lives in the woods also fits nicely with how he is supposed to be a ghost associated with the Windsor Forest and the Great Park. 

The lyrics state he is lonely and stares at swallows, wishing he could join them and fly far away visiting beautiful things (“flower to flower”). Swallows are typically symbols for very very good things, like happiness, protection, connection, conflict resolution, etc. The words “finally deciding to rest” kind of makes it like he has been on this long trek for happiness for a while. He’s been doing this search for so long that he just has to rest, finally. And, in case you didn’t know like me, a bower is “a pleasant shady place under trees or climbing plants in a garden or wood” (thanks Google). 

So, just to recap Herne is a lonely ghost who doesn’t want to be this way. He wants to be happy, have a connection with something, but being isolated in the wood just doesn’t let him do that. This may indicate how lonely or just duller things seemed to be for Hadley before he met Rosalie. He didn’t feel a true connection or see true beauty, something he desperately wanted to experience, until her. 

BOTH

With another With another

Albeit being very short, these can potentially have meaning behind them. “With another” - another what? They also start singing together here for the first time. Perhaps the “another” is each other, Hadley and Rosalie, or a foreshadow that Herne will be joined by another person or being soon, a sort of set up for the Red Kite, who is introduced in the next line. 

Hadley

Herne lifts his head and the Red Kite goes drifting by Suddenly in love with something that caught her eye

Hadley now sings but from the perspective of the Red Kite. Notice before that Rosalie sang the last verse, but all about Herne. They kind of mirror each other in this way. 

With the video above, you can see how, while they drift, the Red Kites move their head a lot. Maybe this is a normal bird movement and I’m just too dumb to know, but they seem to be actively searching below them. I think this derives from how they are scavenger birds. However, instead of spotting food, she spots Herne and is “suddenly in love”. This could parallel into real life, where Rosalie might have seen Hadley in passing on the production and experienced love at first sight. These lines indicate that Herne (Hadley) has clearly seen the Red Kite (Rosalie) as well, probably having the same love at first sight moment, something that can be inferred once the song progresses into the next Rosalie verse. 

In this verse, the accordion returns as well, possibly indicating some remnants of the past sadness still lingering. There is uncertainty. However, a new instrument is also introduced simultaneously: the mandolin. To me, it kind of sounds very happy and bright and hopeful, especially in the plucky way it was used. This new instrument, as well as the potentially cheesy representation (rip me), can indicate that something new and exciting is going to begin.

BOTH

Something that's shining so bright in the sunlight Let's hope we never...

If we’re sticking with the definition of bowers being shady, then should it not be very unlikely that the Red Kite or Herne have spotted each other at all? Perhaps through this line, they are saying how unlikely their relationship was to have occurred, but when it ultimately did, it was glorious. In the following line, they say “Let’s hope we never lose that thing that shines in the sunlight ever again”. Maybe it was just so unbelievably good, so amazing, that they were afraid that they would lose it because it just feels so unimaginable. Besides, this flips well into reality since they never told each other they liked each other and kept it secret for a whole year!! PLUS, they were dating others when they first met!! Very unlikely relationship indeed. 

...then again, this could just be them saying the other is really great haha. 

The accordion is fazed out as if the longer Herne and the Red Kite gaze at each other, the past sadness and loneliness are slowly melting away. The violin returns, swelling into the next line. 

BOTH - HADLEY MELODY, ROSALIE HARMONY

...lose that thing that shines in the sunlight ever again

Them singing together makes it like they are in total agreement with each other.  It’s like Hadley is making this statement in the melody, and Rosalie supports wholeheartedly with her harmony. From Hadley to Rosalie, and Rosalie to Hadley, they feel like the other outcompetes the sun (the sun!).

Instrumental

The violin melody from the beginning returns, as does the guitar melody. However, after the violin does its melody once, the trumpet now copies it! If the violin represents Herne because of how both he and the violin are introduced at around the same time, then the trumpet could represent the Red Kite, bringing new a much more vibrant, bold and triumphant vibe to Herne’s life. Plus, the fact that the trumpet copies the violin’s melody probably means there is a connection between the two. This would make it somewhat like an instrumental duet or could also possibly foreshadow that something very good is about to happen. 

Rosalie

Only one Herne and not enough wood Climbed up the bower and atop it he stood Called down the Red Kite from high up above Come land down here and be my love

Herne feels so attracted to the Red kite that he feels a physical pull to her, so much so that he climbs up on top of the bower. With not enough wood, he’s too far away from the Red Kite, and with only one Herne, it feels like nothing is there to support him in what he is trying to do. So he calls down the Red Kite to be with him instead, kind of like how Hadley called Rosalie for a drink all those years ago. It was him that reached out at the end that called her to him. “Be my love”, they will soon declare to each other during/after that fateful meeting. 

This also begins the hunter-bird relationship, if we are going to take this a little more literally. Hunter and bird relationships are very mutualistic. They help each other, with the birds guiding the hunters to their targets and the hunters paying them back in some way, usually through food or other means. 

BOTH

Forever Forever

Singing together, they both want to be together forever (haha, pretty obvious?)

Hadley

Red Kite flies down (he's waited his life for this) Whispers to Herne something, whispers, and then a kiss

As the Red Kite flies down towards Herne (as Rosalie gets closer to Hadley, or comes to meet him), Herne (Hadley) thinks that “he’s waited his life for this”. This goes back to the beginning where we know that Herne really wanted to go beyond the wood to see new beautiful things. Now someone beautiful has come to him instead, making his once isolating and lonely world so much more dazzling and loving. 

They also whisper, which is a pretty intimate choice of word. And they kiss! Literally spelling out a loving relationship. The happiness, love, protection, connection that Herne (Hadley) yearned for, for such a long time, is finally here. 

The mandolin also returns, the hope has its pay off! It continues to play throughout the rest of the song until after a few “Herne and the Red Kite” repeats at the very end of the song.

BOTH

Something that's shining so bright in the sunlight Let's hope we never... 

BOTH - HADLEY MELODY, ROSALIE HARMONY

...lose that thing that shines in the sunlight ever again

Once again, they repeat these words, as if to reaffirm this message that they are the best thing to have happened to each other. This is also at the end of the song, you can interpret as the end of this segment of the story, but the start of something beautiful. As time goes on, this magnificent idea they hold of each other never changes, despite anything that happens. 

Instrumental

This instrumental segment sounds like a slightly altered version of the instrumental breaks we’ve heard before. It is a lot more energetic, with the first threeish notes being kept from the original, but now tacked on with something extra. Overall, it just sounds so much happier than the instrumental breaks we’ve been getting before. 

BOTH

Herne and the Red Kite (repeat)...

This line is repeated 12 times (yes, I counted). The overall feel just sounds so triumphant and happy, like we’re celebrating. The joyous melody has the mandolin fade out, and if you really listen, the trumpet and violin seem to be having a very animated conversation with one another, calling and responding to each other and at times responding really quickly. The same guitar melody that we hear during the instrumental breaks is back as well.

Instrumental

All the instruments fade away, with the violin’s recurring melody closing the celebration off until there is only the guitar left. With only the violin standing out at the very end, it's nice that the original solo melody is now surrounded by all these other exciting things, making it kind of say that Herne is still Herne, but now he is surrounded by so many wonders now that the Red Kite is here. With the guitar having its ending solo, It makes it sounds like this is a tale gone by, and now we talk about it as if it were a folktale or a legend. It kind of feels like we’re just talking about this story around a campfire instead. Herne and the Red Kite grew old and grew old together, closing off the song like a musical “happily ever after”. 

Extra Stuff

Interesting Notes

The way it is written sort of sounds like a children’s poem, describing a simple but cute story

The song, overall, personally has a folklore vibe to it haha

There are a few pairs that can be picked out

Herne and the Red kite

Hadley and Rosalie

Male and Female voice (duet)

Violin and Trumpet

Accordion and Mandolin (Accordion is replaced by the Mandolin)

Any time the two sing together, it kind of just reinforces the narrator aspect of things, how they seem to be telling us the story of how they met and ultimately fell in love from a long time ago

Unanswered Questions

Why use Herne of all figures? Herne is supposed to be a very scary ghost. If it truly is supposed to represent Hadley, does this mean he identifies with the ghost in some way? Or did he derive some meaning from Herne’s presence in the works he shows up in?

Conclusion

Waa ok, that’s all I have for now about Herne and the Red Kite. If you made it to the end, thank you so much!! Truly appreciative that you read all the ramblings <3 

Here is the super general story: Herne was yearning for something more and was feeling lonely. Then he saw the Red Kite drift by, and for both of them, it was love at first sight. He desperately wanted to be with her, so he called out to her despite the odds or the distance, and as she descended to him, he felt excited that his loneliness was finally going to end. From then on, they shared a happy and joyous relationship until the end of time. The end~

The writing of this post took much longer than the actual light research and speculation part of it. Again, I might be completely wrong because this is just what I think is going on, and I might also just be looking waaaayyy too deep into things. If this is truly a proper, or at least somewhat proper, reflection of Hadley and Rosalie’s relationship, then I feel incredibly soft :’) 

If you have any other ideas, or if you agree/disagree with my analysis, please let me know!! I’m really excited to see what others have to say. :D

Until next time, I guess haha

[blushdressshop]

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haven’t washed all this already of this information is slightly hard to keep track of you a second thatand gets into that placeand he said last night was abandoned there a long time ago they become friendsand survive together after many years of service Frank S returns home to his family from his militaryand shady servers daysand it’s super niceand emotional however around this timeand Cerberus leaks with Cerberus was actually about including the video that it is a guiding shot to this guy called David whose nickname micro will be back in a sec agent orange transfer for doing this because he’s not a big fan of Frank’sand so with the help of the Cerberus squad including Frank supposed best friend Billy Russo he sets up a three way gunfight between three gangs in a park to kill Frankand his family Frank’s wifeand children are brutally murderedand Frankish on the head but survives after this Frank is enragedand devastated answer decides take matters into his own hands he uses his military trainingand pure anger to hunt downand kill everyone in the gangs involved with his family’s death he does this under the vigilante guys of the punisher first just make a plan though so that takes a little time now micro is a hackerand NSA analyst these to help a Daisy when she was working as a hacker’s analysis info that Cerberus doing legal stuffand he starts leaking it so agent orange triesand killed his men shoot microand think they killand really the bullet his phoneand so survived because phones are bulletproof in this world Michael doesn’t hidingand pretends to be dead even from his wifeand kids who he watches from security cameras Scott Lange has finally finished serving his time in prison for his crime that really was not badand is released going to stay with his old cellmateand pal Luis he wants to see his daughter but his life is moved on to another guyand so that’s difficult in its with Luis his new friends Kurtand Daveand try to get a job at Baskin Robbins but Baskin Robbins always finds out tech is having run by Darren cross hang pencil protégé along with Hank’s daughter hope while Hank is on the world they some old tales of Hank’sand process about his own version of the suit called the yellowjacket only this one is way deadlierand fliesand shoots lasers cross also plans to sell this tech to Hydraand the 10 ringsand just the worst people thanks not too happy about thisand try to think of a plan to stopand even where Scott Lange ever since the very public Vista quick job I think Scott could be a good choice to take on the object stuff before gets into the wrong hands through a series of people think it’s got a tip about as mentioned Rob Casillas to see how good Scott really is what Scott eventually does only to find the entrance to he takes it tries it onand is terrified by the experience Hank is impressed with the skill cc but when Scott tries to return the suit he’s caught by the policeand cost breakdown in jailand tells of his pregnant with cross help is not awfully happy with how things are developing as she was to wear the MS student takedown cross but Hank does a letter because of how her mother died all those years ago so they trained Scott until he becomes great at the shrink tricky stuff even to friendsand called Anthony very good Scott also starts to get romantically involved with hopeand Hank reveals to help our mom diedand she is all well I totally understandand forgive you know dad even though you really could is only sooner I’m an adult you know they’re good now Scott needs advice from an old avenger space to steal the yellowjacket suit is there only to discover that it’s been renovatedand it’s now the new venture space is not by falcon who fights in man is defeated but also impressed by Scott’s abilitiesand less just called Scott’s good fortune that it wasn’t patient who was on patrol that day also by the way crosses going crazy because pen particles mess with the brain after all this Scott goes in to steal the yellowjacket suit but gets caught so him across FIFO while in a helicopterand then a briefcaseand in Scott’s daughter’s room to save his daughterand kill cross Scott go subatomicand saves the day but is temporarily trapped in the quantum realm where Hank’s wife Janet was left however he manages to get outand it’s all good after all this Hank believes that hope is finally ready to become a heroand so gives her the lost barber Scott is back his familyand his daughter Anna’s dosing hopeand never once happy now go back to the moon real quick a place we haven’t been for a while where the go inhumanand potentially the most unlikable character in this entire universeand human arguing about this American flag I am only mentioning this to see him forget that there’s an entire inhuman civilization just living on the moon while all this is happening back on earth the tomb salvaging company shows up in the area were scurvy’s to beand picks up small font Exceland some of this ends up in the hands of Hydra uses it to build a giant robot called ultimo but the manager show up at least those are leftand defeated now were getting into the Netflix world for a while first off Jessica Jones gets new job from Joy Meacham the sister of one Meacham was running red Enterprises will be manipulate it by’s dad was being controlled by the hand I give it a second to sink in again anyway she is Jessica to investigate the people around so she can blackmail them later if need be also Wilson Fisk is stilland by his he I mean jail because he such a big crime boss he start making connections there that Frank Castle has finally gotten all the resources he needs to kill the gangs he thinks were solely responsible for his family’s murder so starts going around doing that in the most brutal way possible starting with the Irish Mafiaand a gang called the dogs of hell is all happening in or near Hells kitchenand that Murdoch starts noticing the stuff so he starts investigating eventually as daredevil in a newand improved suit by the way he comes face to face of the punisher which ends with a bullet to the face that is seriously injured but survives fighting keep fighting that the vigilante stuff while Cassidy is going around the city killing pedophiles in such an entry castle manages to kidnap daredevil Jenny into a chimney where they learn about each other’s pastsand ideologies Castle takes a gun to daredevil’s hand pulse of the criminaland hasn’t had to shoot the criminal or he’s can do it because castle things killing your enemies is the way to go hello I thought a lot of the people daredevil Scott daredevil to try to kill anyway daredevil breaks outand has to fight through some angry bikers Castle unleashes on them later on Frank it’s kidnap by the Irish who brutally tortured him but eventually he gets out with their troubles help explain the situationand himand daredevil cool now but that is arrested that the craziness is now over but nope just now Electra shows up his old girlfriend then ninjaand potentially secret weapon for the handand she’s like a let’s find together because I see her doing that nowand so they do if I think he was a mainly with franking space to Karen what happened to his familyand the bondand become best is so daredeviland Electra are going around fighting the accuserand ultimately come across this giant pit the hand is digging in order to get Dragon bonesand to become immortal that still going on their tax by handand just until state shows up to save the day meanwhile on the lower side of things the punisher trial happensand during that Frank saw like an Angus into jail where he meets Wilson Fisk Fisk is like Frank nothings working everything but my biggest rival this person helped kill your family soand Frank Sykes say no more so he takes a that guy that this double crossesand try seven killed by Frank is just too good for that so Fisk lets them goand Frank tells Fisk to kill him when if he sees them again Frank it’s a geland mean wild animals like snow but again then ninja he thought he go before was brought back by the hand also their little kids being drained of their blood also for resurrection purposes through similar shenanigans the punisher keeps going around killing guys involved with his family’s murderand I will still have conflicting ideologiesand punish ends up killing an old Marine buddy of his Electra stick have a falling outand cystic trust tablets are killedand she didn’t like that so she tries to kill him will saves the dayand sticks kidnapped by the hand so Matt goesand save steak but while he’s doing that nobody reveals that Electra is a black skyand should be leading the hand she almost does but ends up joining their double insteadand the five images together real lasted I’m on right there after a hostage situationand Electra go up against like an infinite supply of hingesand Electra ends up sacrificing yourself for daredevil the punisher also shows up at the last minute to get daredeviland assist which is a pretty awesome moment not to lie no booze killed for real this time by stickand the good guys win except the hand takes Electra’s bodyand uses their Dragon magic to bring her back to life so she can work for them one of the five leaders of the hand the main one Alexandra comes to oversee her resurrection fog equatesand hours for Hogarth from Jessica Jones reveals he’s daredevil to Karenand the punisher goes off to kill everyone was involved with his family’s murder micro also wants answers about the whole Cerberus thing as a goes into Frank’s houseand puts the disk there with the video on it Castle’s unit in Afghanistan tortureand killing that innocent guy which Frank findsand takes with them tiny little break from the granite stuff here a witch just straight up which shows up in Londonand steals a magical artifact called the dark scepter however long case aliasand more masters of the Mystic arts show upand stop her a reminder that there’s magic in this world back to the streets now the gauge is now working at Pops barbershopand I know people disagree on what years these Netflix shows in particular take placeand they are confusing but based on the research I did this seems to check out anyway Luke also works of the barand one evening because he such a player he starts floating with detective Misty Knight the club Lucas working is also my cottonmouth now is a big shot crime boss’s cousin Mariah is a City Councilmanand is also pretty shady just more low key than enough strike is a hammer check from Justin Hammer for some good money but the operation goes wrong look secret half brother Willa striker is also involved here at the highest level is a big criminal now is now called diamondbackand is cottonmouth’s boss basicallyand so he sends in his body shades to make sure everything is running smoothly godmother still cool because these be friends back in the day but because the guy because the deal to go wrong is involved with pop one of cotton’s goons goes against disordersand shoots at the barbershop killing pop through this link in contrast to fightingand looks all like I really care for but not my radar so stop doing illegal stuffand calmness like know so we can start messing up his operation Luke also teams up with Claire Temple daredevil hotel buffet crimeand start a romance energy gets his hands on some bullets I can actually penetrate Luke’s impenetrable scan forand use them thoughand up having an argumentand so she murders him with a mic standand because the new big crime boss with shades help diamondback decides to team up with their setting out a plan to run the crime will do Harlem well Mariah does all the boring political stuff diamondback also shoots a cage twice with those magic bulletsand reveals that he’s actually his brother Claire takes her to the doctor who originated the experiment on themand they send an asset or boiling water something painfuland basically he’s restored to full strength while diamondbackand Mariah are running like a spear campaign against the cage to turn the people filed against them they do this through politicsand super shock loves Lucas backand FaceTime back in the police eventually diamondback shows up in a terrible super suitand even the punch each other for a bit is the end against diamondback partly with helping New York Spiderman style despite all his heroicsand proving himself a good guide to the policeand the people Harlem Lucasand back to prison because been discovered as Carl Lucas back in the day with your call despite being innocent broke out of prisonand so still needs to service time however one of Luke’s barbershop friends is a file that proves his innocence so he’s getting out soon also diamondback is taking them but I doctor who did this experienceand Luke so he’ll probably have some modifications the next time we see them there is a little bummed out that Luke is in jailand that they can’t get a cup of coffee for a while but she keeps itself occupied by starting martial arts training with help from Colleen way that martial artist to statically buy land but doesn’t really know that the hand is evil a bunch of little stuff happens here now firstly that kid who Iron Man said a while back Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider which gives in special abilities like superstrength the ability to climb the wallsand having a dead uncle because he’s a genius kid he also designs web shooters that shoot superstrong webs also because he’s a good kid he realizes if you help people using his new powers he’s responsible for one bad stuff happens so he designs a pajama looking costume takes a living Spidermanand starts fighting little crimes in Queens now over with the Masters of the Mystic arts page 1and Margot find a group called the Dragon Raiders just FYI also falcon is still pretty impressed by thatand I guys a while back I think she could be a valuable asset to the team so he finds a way to contact with them through Luis about potentially joining the avengers Scots like well I cannot stay with my daughter right now but if you really need me yes give me a call we had about the shield team in a while but they’re still doing stuff around these husband Andrew turned into an inhuman call mile he did that is now a giant monster whose sole purpose really is to hunt other humans with humans popping up around the world now shields main mission objective is protecting in humansand training them is made harder because the government treats a group called the ATC you which is designed to track down superpowered people like humansand take them then basically they’re designed to replace yield now that shield has had to go underground in the ATC you is this guy called Malik once again is a big secret Hydra guy said he thought we were done with Hydra you were sorely mistaken the reason this ATC you exists is so Hydra can get a hold of all these in humansand use them you guessed it to make a super soldier army is not getting that seriously 99 of Hydra’s plans so shield in the ATC are fighting for to try to get Simmons off at alien planet which eventually doesand what is still working on rebuilding Hydra I guess Marilyn Stucker’s weightless cool son Werner to join him in a nutshell the main thing is shield us to start up a team of humans the inhuman hunting monster is out there going after them thing of lash is like a less strong or cool version of the book he changes in this monster at different times Olson is asking pretty close to one of the higher ups at the ATC you who isn’t actually evil but then worksheets are in the throat cycles is like I just have to crush discussed just Hydra also wants to get to the matter because they want to bring Benjamin back because they think will be a big secret weapon for them so word fits in Colson end up on an alien planetand cousins like mandatory wordand he crushes Ward’s chest with his robot handand then goes back to think that’s the end of Ward but then the superpowerful clinical human eye possesses corpseand then makes its way back to earth I was now leading Hydra through Ward’s bodyand he’s observing people for strengthand you know typical evil villain stuff so that any rent is still in and now going to basket CCI festand that’s what the iron fist does ever he starts missing homeand gets bored because he’s kind of a spoiled brat so just ramp runs away when the pass is open his eyes to go back to New York to take packs company because that’s I think it works because he’s also kind of a thundering dumbass doesn’t work focuses old friends join Ward Meacham if it were just go with it think is a crazy homeless person understandably wards think that that Harold is still kind of running the company while being controlled by the hand which he started to get kinda sick of becomes friends with Colleen at the dojo he also meets Claire Temple bananas put in a mental hospital he breaks out there with the power of the iron fist stocking 30 with Colleenand Bruce’s friends that it actually is an is coming back with the help of Jerry Hogarth he kinda sucks a business though because he’s been living among city in another dimension for the past decade ends of meeting Harold whose IK we should work together can sometimes take a controlling me so you can go kill themand I like gathers the main purpose in life I had to hand them gal the hand is still selling heroinand Denny’s unhappy about that science of beating herand agreeing to a series of challenges the loser has to pack upand get out of the city anyways but Manga breaks the promise but she’s got ancient society superpowers so there’s not much you can do about it Danny keeps consistently sucking a ring’s company so he’s married now by the board along with the Meacham’s words also super pissed at is that Harold is he took all of his money so he tells Harold bio comes back thanks to the hand Danny Colleenand Claire go to Chinaand take them gal realizes that Ward killed him so he frames them for drug possessionand so Ward gets locked up in the asylum Harold of its joy to be his new number two Danny also made potato Colleen so teacher was also secretly when the 5 m of the handand find out about thisand is in the fan now this guy called divers who isn’t that Dallas is days old friend from and he shows up to help Dannyand Colleen Joyce into saying that the hand probably his neck in the end after helping Dallas is like take the path to come on is open right nowand you’re supposed regarding it what the hell manand I was like well you know is boringand decides to team up with Haroldand joy to take on handand the Kudo but the kudos now working with wordand long story short is defeated but runs away Dallas is not a Danny but they work it out kind of data gets frame for drug stuffand goes in the runand Harold is the bag on the endand tries to take over the company Danny Lord in the big final battle team up kill Haroldand burn his corpse so he will come back to life now Ward is running the companyand Dallas teams of joyand maybe not out to kill Danny down the lineand then sends a team led by lecture to come on which again has no iron fist protecting it they kill a bunch of the monks there it’s pretty brutal the entrance is then close for safety so no one knows when it’ll open up again because back to check out the passand find the city is goneand some abilityand he realizes he probably should state to protect it also Luke Cage sends Claire letter from prison because there still thing overand cover Taj at this point Casillas is starting to get kinda pissed with Angel on it if you like his training isn’t getting him what he wants to start having some friction with most the Masters there also finds out that the angel on his drawing power from the dark dimension which he thinks is pretty have a critical because he must use the dark dimension to see his dead family againand to gain immortality but the angeland told him no because a bunch of people that the ancient one is withholding informationand they should bring tomato from the dark dimension to earth to golf it in eternity forms to rise up against the ancient one they break into the libraryand cover tiesand steal some pages from the ageless book about the dark dimension one tries to stop them but they get away in the end one point Rogers well the shielding goes to Mexicoand meets the human called yo yo who has superspeed who eventually joins the ranksand eventually becomes next girlfriend also Bobby Hunter leave the team because they were so staff spent off but that didn’t happen somewhere venturesand Sue Shield has an inhuman team but highest the inhuman Hydra God takes control of Daisy’s mind because he can do thatand turns against the team just as a vision of the future where one of them diesand other important detail there’s this group called the watchdogs which is basically inhuman racist who are going around killing humans as they plan by the way is to make every human in the worldand in human goes against Dr Ratcliff a scientist who he thinks can help them re create the original Cree experiment that native humans in the first place he realizes he needs actual Cree blood to do it so he sends a signal to the Creed to get some to come downand they do in a fight ensues they’re both taken out but also rendered useless however some Cree blood from daisies used from when she was saved without original Cree corpse long story doesn’t really matter experience go half rate asand it turns peopleand these gross disfigured mindless things meanwhile Scott laying after successfully cross job is still training is at man with Hankand hope that at some point here he upgrade to suitand test out new tech that allows him to become giant he tries it onceand passes out but hey it works Peter is continuing to Spiderman around the city at one point stopping a car crashand getting caught on camera the footage is uploaded to YouTubeand catches the eye of Tony Stark who keeps it in his watch later until he really needs it he’s got bigger stuff to think about right now is right around this point people are starting to take more notice of how much damage the superheroes have actually caused in their superheroand the guy who’s all over this is unsurprisingly general Ross from the days he needs of the presidentand his appointed Secretary of Stateand start talking about how they can keep the stuff moreand check the start of on the ideas for the Segovia cords basically a way of regulating superheroes with more oversight by forcing them to register with the government while this is happening Frank Castle continues his killing spree of people who were involved in this family’s murder going from truck murder to sniper murder to the bathroom murder is getting what he thinks is all them in a decides to move all of his life is the whole point the punisher was to avenge his family so that’s done now or so he thinks also after lectures not has stopping daredevil for a few months now because he’s just too sad things are not bad though foggy Nelson get some helpand I got in the barbershopand clears the cages nameand Lucas at a prison loop is up with Claireand they get that coffee they’d wanted Jessica Jones comes across lecture during one of her cases is still doing whatever the hand once rememberand objective Dragon bones under New York immortality the only problem is those Dragon bones are essential foundations for the city so the removal of them is causing serious earthquakesand could eventually to the whole city collapsing is also hiring a bunch of Harlem kids to help them kill and or clean up the mess is left behind by their enemies cages about this news like I got to protect the people of Harlemand Danny Randy is about this is like I gotta take a hand saw this lease to them crossing pathsand having a bit of a fight every day become friends because of their mutual friend Claire through fortuitous circumstances Jessica’s tracking guy connected to the handand that Murdoch ends up being her lawyerand also gets interested in the case so all four of them end up at the hands buildingand start fighting their ninjas electro sent into daredevil surprise but doesn’t remember him remind you of anyone but they all managed to get out of thereand go hide out in a Chinese restaurant where the become more acquainted state gets kidnapped by the hand but gets out of there by cutting off his own hand get itand goes to talk to the team Alexandraand had followed to see Alexandraand the hand is a whole knee iron fist alive because his iron fist is the key to open the gate to the sweet sweet Dragon bones if I happens electro starts remember who she isand that offenders get their hands on one of the hands main leaders also have their superhero team name is the defenders this guy is not of much help thoughand so stick to set off is not happy about this because they’re running out of there immortality juice the defender starting though because they’re like if the hand need you Danny we should probably had your wayand then he does what he does bestand is a whiny baby so they’ll punch him for a whileand then time however stickand typical stick fashion thinks that he might in the world so I’m getting kill him but lecture shows upand kill stickand tasty on fist to the hand she also kills Alexandra as she wants to be in charge I guess Jessica Jones find out more about that whole get it will found a while back with hands digging for Dragon bones after Lilith over the police that offenders minus Danny fight the hand plus the got Colleen to help Danny accidentally opens the gates of the Dragon bones because of course he doesand other defenders are fighting to hand in a lecture while also trying to block building so the hand can destroy New York the kudos guild Misty Knight loses an armand the offenders whenand get out of there butback to talk to Bucky I mean Electra yesterday heard the building collapses on the master kissingand that he saved by some nuns think look that they savedand that doesn’t actually die thank God it’s time to introduce another very important character very late in the game a Stephen strange is an amazing surgeon but he’s also super arrogantand kind of addict’s ex girlfriend also works with him called Rachel McAdams one day he’s drivingand textingand he crashes his car crushing his amazing surgeon hands in his life because he can’t be an awesome surgeon anymoreand he somehow even more awful to sex than usual really his life is just falling apart he starts to find ways to heal himself however ridiculous eventually he comes across Jonathan born the guy who trained with the ancient oneand was cured so strange has two Taj is there more to one of the masters takes into the ancient one because of all the crazy ultra dimensions there are at least the trip used ones he’s like help me learnand she’s like no your grossand sad in a terrible person but he pleadsand stays her door so she reluctantly changes her mind so strange that’s learning how to control the Mystic artsand other dimensionsand make hologram shieldsand whatnot with the help of Moto the ancient oneand the bookkeeper Wong who he befriends is about the different symptomsand how they protect worldand trains for several months along the way he also stumbles upon the times done sitting in a handy necklace the INI tomato figures out how to been time with it more unwanted like you don’t do that you could get stuck in a time loop anyway at one point you stuck to Mount Everest restraining just while all this other stuff is happening remember Stephen strange is getting great a magic this whole time so U ventures all trained upand going on missions also still looking for Bucky the next hydrogen in Lagosand think it might finally be Bucky but as they get there they realize it’s actually Brock Romo crossbones who understoodand is planning on suicide lineup himselfand Capt. From the capital nation to be only the abandoned government found wanting to you is down for lack of probably racial stories are for slavery would like we enjoyed helping our countries pushed the right from overcorrection Levi Roberts reports be noticeable degree for nearly a century was to story one of America’s years and will grow as he never heard her needs needs degree beating my hair as See Other related products: God Made Scots A Wee Bit Better T-Shirt

[etherealfleurbisou]

❧𝐵𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂 𝒞𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒𝓉

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Ravenclaw Reader

Warnings: a bit of house stereotyping

Word Count: 1,769

a/n: feedback and critique is encouraged! enjoy !

Where is it?

    You could’ve sworn you saw ‘Hogwarts: A History’ tucked away on one of these shelves earlier today. You skimmed over the shelf once more before hopelessly giving up and moving towards another wooden section- the only light source coming from a small candle you brought with you, which hardly did it’s job of illuminating the awfully dark library.

    Maybe one of the other students had just misplaced it, you thought to yourself as you made your way to the Divination section. It wasn’t rare that students often forget to put things back where they found them- meaning it wasn’t rare you had to go on an entire scavenger hunt to find what you were looking for in a library that should be in alphabetical order.

    You had left your house commons after hours to go to the library to find a book you had forgotten to fetch earlier in the day. It may not seem like much, but have being placed in Ravenclaw, you felt the need to keep up your A Game when it comes to studying. After all, the more you study the better your grades will be- at least that’s what your best friend Cho Chang feels the need to tell you and the others every time you sit down and break out a study session.

    After what felt like hours of pacing through the library and risking points from Ravenclaw you decided it was best to just give up and head back to your quarters. With one last huff of annoyance, you sling your bag over your shoulder and make your way out of the library and into the long stretch of the school’s corridors. 

    I could have sworn I saw that book just today, you thought to yourself. You tried retracing your steps- besides, there weren’t many people taking that history course to begin with- so who could’ve taken it?

    You gnawed the skin on the inside of your cheek while you walked, eyes falling to the floor as you attempted to conjure up a plan to figure out exactly how you would complete this essay without the necessary materials. Of course you could always ask one of your fellow housemates to help you out, but what would they think of that? A Ravenclaw, failing to complete an assignment as soon as it was received? 

    The day the sorting hat announced your house, you were quite taken aback.  You never truly saw yourself as a Ravenclaw- after all, you knew you had qualities that could have placed you into either of the four houses but yet it still had caught you off guard. Of course you could have refused the placement, but you couldn’t help but assume it was… meant to be. Maybe you weren’t the best at staying completely organised and you weren’t necessarily the biggest fan of class- especially compared to some of your other classmates- yet you took it as a challenge. This can be good for me, you had thought. Unfortunately, this led you six years down the road, barely making it out with the grades you have now. If it wasn’t for Cho and the others, you didn’t really think you would have made it this far. 

    You were so enveloped in your thoughts you hadn’t even noticed the other steps coming down the hall until it was too late- your body clashing into a slightly taller, slim frame, nearly knocking you down.

    “Woah-” a hand grabbed your arm, steadying you, but instantly pulled away once you were balanced. The person in front of you cleared their throat and straightened their posture before speaking, “You might want to watch where you’re going next time. All this space and you still manage to walk in my way.” He spat his words as his face contorted in disgust- as if you were filth.

    “I could say the same to you,” you retorted, your face turning slightly upwards to look him in the eyes. “With all this space I don’t really see the need to be walking directly in front of someone going opposite of you.” You fold your arms and happen to glance down at what he was holding; an aged book quite familiar to you sat snug in his grasp. “Hey-” Your brows furrow as you attempt to seize the well bound pages from his keeping yet he moves quicker, managing to snatch it out from your grip. You sigh, frustrated.

    “I have been looking for that book all night! Where did you find that?” You go to reach for it once more but he holds it farther from your reach..

    “I checked it out earlier today.” He replies plainly. You attempt to snatch it, resulting in the pale boy who stood before you to extend his arm fully towards the ceiling to ensure you couldn’t grab for it- but that didn’t necessarily stop you from trying. You stood on your tiptoes in attempts to confiscate it but he only held it higher.

    “Give it, Malfoy!” You seethed. He had to have been going to return it to the library anyway, so why not just give it to you now?

    “What’s in it for me?” You stopped, your eyes squinting in confusion.

    “In it for you? Nothing’s ‘in it’ for you. I need that book for an essay, just hand it over!” You tried once more to snag the book, but it was no use- force just wasn’t cutting it. You sighed in defeat and he smirked down at you. You look down and sigh once more before meeting your eyes to his.

    “Draco, come on, please? I have this awful essay due to Professor Binns tomorrow, and I haven’t even started it yet I need that book, can you please-”

    “Shh shut up!” Draco’s attention has shifted to something else now, his demands cutting you off mid sentence, resulting in you returning to your angered state.

    “The nerve you must have Malfoy, I-”

    “Shh!” a finger places itself over your lips and you hush once more, staying silent this time in efforts to figure out exactly what he was on about. His brows knit themselves together as his eyes wander over his shoulder, and you look to meet his gaze. A shadow was limping down the hall, nearing the turn of the corridor where you and Draco stood. 

    Filch.

    Your widened eyes met Draco’s as he pulls you into the broom closet that stood to your left and shut the door, clamping his cold, pale hand over your mouth. You both stood there quietly, the echoes of Filch’s clunky boots bouncing off the handsome walls of the school’s corridor . 

    You couldn’t help but notice how incredibly cramped the dirty broom closet was where you both stood. To your right lay three old, dusty brooms along the wall and a small wooden stool with an aged rag draped over atop of it. The ceiling seemed to lean downwards towards your right side, making the space seem even more compact. To be honest, you were surprised the two of you could even squeeze inside in the first place. 

    Your eyes slowly trailed up to Draco’s face, and you couldn’t help but stare. His masculine features happened to be even more attractive up close compared to all those times you’ve glanced over at him from across the room during lunch or in class. You shift your gaze to his eyes, examining the intricate designs within his steel blue irises; almost surprised you had never noticed them before. 

    Warmth crept beneath your cheeks as you are met with the undeniable realization: you were attracted to the Slytherin boy before you who stood with his hand still secured over your mouth, waiting for the old caretaker to pass by so the two of you could get out of the tight space.

    Filch’s steps had come and gone, leaving both you and Draco alone and both of your bodies practically smushed up against one another. He clears his throat as he drops his hand to his side, his cool eyes flickering to your lips before moving up to meet your gaze. You shift slightly and gulp before breaking the silence.

    “Erm, I think the coast is clear.” Your voice couldn’t have been more than a whisper. He blinks a couple times before breaking eye contact and opening the door to the closet that had enclosed you both for what felt like an eternity. 

    Draco peered out from behind the wooden door before stepping out fully, you following close behind him as if to use him as a human shield in case Filch were to come back down your hall. He turns to face you now, studying your state before speaking.

    “Well that was…”

    “Scary,” you finished his sentence, earning a chuckle from his winsome lips. You let out a sigh of relief, your smile slightly fading as your  focus lands on the history book still tucked in Draco’s grip. He notices this and hands it to you with a small, awkward smile. 

    “You probably need this more than I do.” 

    You take the bounded pages from his hand and into your own, the brown leathered cover warm to the touch from the heat of his own person, you presume. 

    “Thank you, Malfoy,” your words a bit playful now as they exit your lips. He gives you a small nod before speaking once more.

     “Hey, maybe we could share a book next time,” his words mimic your own in their lively manner, but his aura then changed, giving off a more serious manner. “Like… study together?” His hand reached to the back of his neck as he awaited your response, which was a small smile and a nod. “I’d love to, Draco.”

    He smiled now, a sight you weren’t exactly used to- but that didn’t mean you were opposed to it; it was… contagious.

    “It’s a date.”

    You blushed at his words and nodded once more. He extended his arm out in front of you as if to gesture ‘after you’ and you obliged, allowing the platinum-haired boy to escort you back to your quarters. 

[valiantgentle]

HOUSE OF HALLOWEEN. an ashley adams one-shot. slightly au-ish, but technically post-season-one.

─ on halloween, ashley’s seventeenth birthday, she and the rest of the anubis students are dragged into a grave scavenger hunt, and alfie’s life may be at stake.

           Halloween is the best day of the year for three reasons. 1) You get to dress up as anyone you want to be. You want to be a princess? Wear that tiara, spin around in a frilly dress. You want to be a superhero? Remember that with great power comes great responsibility. You want to be a god from any mythology on the planet? …Good luck. 2) You get free sweets. Chocolate, lollipops, and M&Ms, oh my! 3) It’s my birthday. That’s right, 31st October is my birthday, and today, I am seventeen years old.

           Sixteen was an insane year by any standards. Joy went missing, kidnapped by a secret society and her father, and Nina showed up out of nowhere and became one of my closest friends. Then we had that whole Cup of Ankh thing, I saw actual ghosts, and also I started to call Jerome by his first name. Still getting used to that one.

           Anyway. It’s Halloween, it’s my birthday, and it’s the best frickin’ day of the year.

           “Hey, Ash, happy birthday,” Fabian says to me as Nina, Amber, and I sit down for breakfast.

           My roomies had already wished me the same when I woke up—actually, one of them replaced the alarm on my phone to play the birthday song instead of the normal annoying tone. It seeped into my dream and presented in the form of the pharaoh from those museum movies singing it. That was weird.

           Alfie looks up from his orange juice as I thank him, remarking, “It’s your birthday?” I raise my eyebrows, as does everyone else at the table. Even Mara in the kitchen stops and stares at him. Huh. I thought Alfie, of all people, would’ve remembered, what with it being Halloween and all. He said once that we should switch birthdays so he gets the fun one. “That works.”

           “What?” I ask lamely.

           “You forgot her birthday?” Jerome questions.

           Alfie counters, the confused expression replaced with a curious one, “You remembered?”  

           “It’s kind of hard to forget. It’s Halloween.”

           Patricia inquires nonchalantly, “You sure that’s why you remember?”

           Jerome glares as I roll my eyes. They’re really still on this Jashley thing, aren’t they? Just because he and I have decided to be more civil with each other doesn’t mean we’re suddenly into each other. Then again, they’ve been on this pretty much since he and I met, so I’m sure us being actual friends has probably just egged them on even more.

           Alfie downs the rest of his orange juice in a single gulp. “I’m off to school,” he says as he grabs a muffin. “Happy birthday, Ash—but more importantly, happy Halloween.”

           He laughs maniacally as he backs out of the room. The entirety of Anubis House (excluding Victor, who’s locked up in his office like always) follows him with our eyes until we hear the door to the house close. I turn around and question, “Is he acting weird?”

           From the kitchen, Trudy nods. “He was up before me,” she remarks. “And not for a snack.”

           “You know,” Jerome states thoughtfully, “I haven’t seen him with a zombie mask on today. He might be feeling sick.”

           Amber sighs deeply. “I know Alfie.” She’s kind of dating him. Kind of. “He’ll be back to normal after school.”

           Patricia quips, “Is he ever normal?”

           --

           The halls of the school are entirely decked out for Halloween. There’s a plastic mummy poking out of a paper sarcophagus on every corner, spider webs along the walls, and orange and black streamers hanging from every doorway. My own locker is covered with orange and black balloons and a ripped piece of paper that reads in a classic spooky font HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

           I smile as I push the balloons away to open the locker, but something falls out and onto the floor. I bend to pick it up, frowning. It’s a plain white envelope with the number 1 on it. Opening the envelope, I find inside a Halloween greeting card, but the printed message on the inside is covered up with tape. In its place are two messages—one written in English using newspaper clippings, like a ransom note, and the other in French, written in cursive.

           A Halloween Quest for Miss Ashley Adams! To find the rest of your message, locate Nina Martin, Mara Jaffray, and Mick Campbell. Don’t tell anyone, or you’ll get a fright.

           ils disent que les chauves-souris sortent la nuit

           “What the…” I mumble. I close my locker, reading over the messages again. Nina passes by me, smiling as she puts in the combination to her locker. “Hey, do you know what this is?”

           Nina looks at the envelope and shakes her head, just as an identical one with the number 2 instead falls out of her locker. She looks at it, then at me. “I know it’s not a birthday card.” She opens it up, looking over it before turning it around to show me. The French message on hers is different, but the English one is identical, just with mine and Nina’s name swapped around. “Okay, this is weird.”

           “Mick and Mara probably got the same thing,” I say. “We should find them.”

           But we don’t have to go far, because before Nina and I can even get going, the couple comes up to us with matching envelopes. “It’s so strange,” Mara says. “We found these envelopes in our bags during first class.”

           “We found them in our lockers,” Nina responds. “It’s probably Trudy doing some fun Halloween game for us. We’ve all got study hall next, right? Might as well see what it says.”

           “We just passed by the lounge,” Mick says, pointing his thumb that direction. “Hardly anyone��s in there.”

           So the four of us go to the lounge, setting our respective cards and envelopes on the table in the middle of the room. Mara’s the one that notices that each envelope is labeled with a number and organizes them in numerical order.

           “It stands to reason,” she says, switching around Nina and Mick’s envelopes, “that the message goes in order of the numbers. So the one Ashley got is first, Nina’s second, mine third, and Mick’s fourth. It’s a four part message.”

           “So we should each take our own part,” Mick suggests, already reaching for the fourth envelope and card. At the same time, he takes his phone out of his blazer pocket.

           “What are you doing?” Mara asks.

           “I’m looking the translations up online.”

           “But I have a French-to-English dictionary right beside me.”

           “But this is faster.”

           “You two are so weird,” I interrupt. “I vote for Google. I wanna know what it says. Nina?”

           Nina’s eyes are glued on the four cards, and it takes me saying her name twice for her to pay attention. “What? Oh, I—I have to choose the internet. Something’s bothering me about this.”

           My eyebrows furrow. “You mean the unsigned ransom note stuffed into our lockers that warn us not to tell anyone aside from the people we were told to find or we’ll get a fright, which I’m assuming means an extended hospital and/or morgue stay?” Nina blinks at me. Mick and Mara share a concerned glance. “Anyway, we all want to know what the message says. Off to Google Translate.”

           I reach forward and grab my card, already pulling up the search engine on my phone. “You know,” I continue as they hesitantly reach for theirs, “if we’re a team, we need a team name. Team Jackal.”

           “Team Jackal?” Mick questions.

           “The head of Anubis is a jackal,” Mara explains for me, “in Egyptian mythology.”

           “Oh. I get it. We live in Anubis House.”

           “And we need nicknames,” I remark. “I will be The Artist. Nina, you’re The Sleuth. Mick, The Jock. Mara, the Nerd.”

           As I look from my phone to the card, Nina says, “Isn’t it weird that it’s the four of us? I mean, separately, in pairs of two, it makes sense. Me and Ashley, you two,” she gestures across to Mick and Mara. “But the four of us together? It doesn’t make any sense.”

           Mick chuckles lightly. “Makes you wonder what the rest of the house is doing. I’ve got mine done, by the way.”

           “Mine, too,” us girls chorus in unison. Mick looks a little freaked out, while the three of us just laugh. Mara adds, “All right, Ashley, you got the envelope numbered 1. Yours must be first.”

           I nod, reading from my phone as Mara readies her pencil to write it on her notepad. “‘They say bats come out at night.’”

           “Nina?”

           “Uh,” she says, “‘But don’t be overcome with fright.’ Fright, like in the other message.”

           Mara nods. “Mine is, ‘A bat hangs learning somewhere.’ And Mick?”

           Mick finishes, “‘And your next clue is hidden there.’”

           They say bats come out at night, but don’t be overcome with fright. A bat hangs learning somewhere, and your next clue is hidden there.

           “It’s a scavenger hunt,” Mara realizes. I look around the lounge, noticing something odd on the stage. It’s Jerome, Patricia, Fabian, and Amber talking in hushed tones in a circle. That’s weird. I didn’t think any of them willingly spoke to Jerome. “Someone’s sending us on a scavenger hunt.”

           “Not just a scavenger hunt,” I say. “A Halloween-themed scavenger hunt.”

           “Should we…” Mick pauses. “…you know, scavenge?”

           “I think we should,” says Nina, The Sleuth. “I know I’m not going to rest until I get to the bottom of it. The clue says there’s a bat learning somewhere—obviously in the school. We should split up and search, text when we find a bat hanging from the ceiling. Hopefully fake.”

           “Let’s go, then,” I say, standing. I head toward the door first, my card in my hand, and nearly run into Alfie. “Oh, hey, Alfie. How’s it going?”

           Alfie shrugs. “It’s Halloween. Things couldn’t be better! What’s that?” He gestures to the card. “Looks fun and spooky. What’s it say?”

           I glance at the card. “Oh, it’s, uh, a card from my sis. It’s my Hallobirth.”

           “Hallobirth?”

           “It sounded better than Birthoween.”

           “Oh, my God.” Alfie laughs, shaking his head, and holds his glance on the group at the stage. Well, mostly on Amber, I assume. “I’ll see you later, Ash.”

           --

           I take the east side of the school to search; Nina’s north, Mara’s west, and Mick’s south. As I duck into classrooms in search of a hanging plastic bat on the ceiling, I ponder whatever’s happening. Honestly, I’m a little worried this has something to do with our Sibuna stuff. Like… I don’t know, maybe Rufus is back from the dead to taunt us on Halloween. He knew both me and my great-grandmother Lily Henry. Heck, they were technically siblings through adoption! He had to know we share the same birthday, amongst other things.

           But, you know… Rufus is dead. There’s no way he survived those sandflies. But also, what if he had a partner?

           Nope. Ashley, stop it. It’s not Rufus. Rufus Zeno is dead and he’s gonna stay dead.

           As I’m leaving the tenth classroom on the east side of the school, my phone pings with a text message. Mick. He says he found the bat in Mrs. Burton’s art classroom. I stuff my phone back into my pocket, pushing through the crowd in the direction of the art classroom.

           “Hey,” I say, the last one of Team Jackal to arrive, “where is it?”

           “Up there,” Mick says, pointing to the corner. Sure enough, there’s an obviously fake bat hanging from the ceiling, right above a painting I recognize as my own. “Found this paper in its beak. Have no idea what it says.”

           “Another language again?”

           Mick hands it to Mara, who frowns as she looks over it. “They’re hieroglyphs. I don’t have a dictionary for this.”

           “Can we see?” Nina asks, holding her hand out. Mara hands over the paper. There’s quite a few hieroglyphs printed onto it. “We could bring it to Fabian. He could translate it for us.”

           I shake my head. “No. The first message said not to tell anyone. I can translate it.”

           The three of them chorus at the same time, “You can?”

           I frown. I’m not a fan of the doubt in their voices. “Yeah. I can do this. I’ve been taking an online class.”

           Mara raises her eyebrows. “Why?”

           ‘Cause I was forced by my ancestry to participate in Ancient Egyptian mysteries in the place where we live isn’t an acceptable answer, I assume. So I respond, “‘Cause I wanna learn a new language.”

           “You might want to try one that’s being used in the twenty-first century.”

           “What, should I learn Latin, Mara?” I retort, my words coming out sharper and more condescending than I intended. Nina elbows me, and I sigh. “Sorry, Mara. What I mean is, give me a few hours, and I’ll have this translated. Every glyph. Trust me.”

           --

           I spend most of the school day subtly using my phone and the internet to translate the hieroglyphs from the second clue. It was really hard to do that without any of the teachers noticing, but somehow I succeeded in getting away with it. And in translating it. That’s right, Miss Amateur Hieroglyph Translator got thirty-two menacing, creepy as heck words out of those hieroglyphs. The Artist does better with pictures and numbers.

           Also, I’ve seen some of these before with our prior mystery. That helped a lot.

           “You’re sure that’s what it says?” Nina questions warily as Team Jackal crowds around me in Mr. Sweet’s empty classroom just after last bell. “Like, absolutely sure?”

           “One hundred percent,” I answer. “I know. It’s freaking me out a little, too.”

           You found the bat, now find the raven. Corbierre is not who we speak about. There is, in the school, another raven, and if you find it, you might just save him.

           “Save him,” Mara repeats, her voice slightly trembling. “We should tell someone now. Someone’s life may be at stake.”

           “Maybe it’s just one of those Halloween things,” Mick suggests weakly.

           “We’ll never know unless we find the raven it’s talking about,” I state. “We should find it first before we make any decisions to tell authorities. You with me?” Nina nods. So does Mick. Mara does so reluctantly. “All right. So it says the raven’s not Corbierre. That’s good, that means Victor won’t come tear apart the school to find his precious bird.”

           “If there was a real raven in the school,” Mick remarks, “we would’ve heard about it by now.”

           “It’d be all over social media,” Mara adds.

           Nina has her thinking face on. “What if it’s not a real bird? What if it never was? Corbierre’s taxidermy. What if we’re looking for one that was always made of plastic?”

           “What do you mean?” I question, not quite following.

           “The Mysteries of Anubis,” Nina states. Mick and Mara turn pink at the mention of the play (must be thinking about their prolonged-kiss when the curtains fell when the first act ended). But in that play, Fabian played a character inspired by Victor—complete with a prop raven. “The raven.”

           “It’s still backstage with the rest of the props,” I recall. “That has to be it. Great job, Sleuth!”

           “Let’s go!”

           The curtains are drawn when we arrive. There are boxes of props spread across the stage, but none of them have our prop raven on top. Nina orders us to start digging for the raven in such an authoritative, leading tone that not one of us pauses to verbally question why on earth all of these boxes are laid out so nicely for us. These weren’t on the stage when we were in here this morning.

           I throw a feathery scarf around my neck to get it out of the way, digging my hands into the box. “Monocle, flowers—does anyone know why there’s a lion mask in here?”

           Mara pipes up, “The school play the year before you came was The Wizard of Oz.”

           “Cool. Who was the scarecrow without a brain?”

           I’m about to answer my own question with Jerome’s name when Mick calls, a frown very evident in his voice, “Uh… over here.”

           Mara, Nina, and I drop the props in our hands as we crowd around the box Mick’s rifling through. He’s holding the prop raven, the one we used for the play, in his hands, but there’s something taped to it. A photograph of a smiling familiar face.

           “That’s Alfie,” I say slowly, reaching over to take the raven from him. Alfie’s photograph is taped to the raven we were told to find. What does this mean? Does it mean…. “Is Alfie the ‘him’ in ‘you might just save him?’”

           “Okay, we need to tell Mr. Sweet now,” Mara says certainly, sounding freaked out now. More than before. “Whoever sent us on this scavenger hunt has Alfie!”

           “We need to calm down,” Nina instructs. “Take a breath. It looks like there’s something written on the back. Maybe another clue that will lead us to Alfie or whoever’s leaving these.”

           Before I get a chance to rip the photograph off the raven to read the next clue, there’s heavy footsteps from the door. Team Jackal spins around at the same time to see that it’s the group from earlier—Jerome, Patricia, Fabian, and Amber. They’re talking over each other but stop dead in their tracks when they see us staring at them.

           “What are you guys doing here?” Fabian asks.

           “We could ask you the same thing,” Nina responds.

           Patricia’s eyes widen as she points to the prop in my hand. “That’s the raven we’re looking for! What are you doing with it?”

           I counter quickly, “What do you want with it?”

           Jerome steps forward and says bluntly, “Everybody, shut up.” The room falls silent, but he waits a few seconds to continue. In those few seconds, he looks across us. Then he concludes, “You got envelopes, too, didn’t you? Numbered one through four?”

           “Yeah,” Mick confirms. “You’ve been running around school all day, too?”

           Amber nods. “Looking for a clue hidden in mummy gauze. I need a manicure,” she remarks, glancing briefly at her nails (which are as perfect as always). Then she abruptly looks back up, pointing to each of us. “Wait, there are nine people in Anubis House. Where’s Alfie?”

           Alfie Lewis. He’s the only Anubis student missing. He’s the only one who didn’t get an envelope.

           “I haven’t seen him since first class,” Jerome says.

           Patricia closes her eyes. “The last clue. It said something about saving ‘him.’ Alfie must be him!”

           “It told you to find a raven,” I infer, raising the raven with the photograph of our missing friend. “This raven. With Alfie’s picture taped to it.”

           “Nina just said there’s a message on the back of the photo,” Mara reminds us.

           The other four rush to jump onto the stage with us as I rip the photograph off the raven, throwing the prop to Jerome. I turn the photograph over, my blue eyes scanning across the unfamiliar words. “It’s in Latin. Four parts.”

           “We should work on this together,” Nina suggests. “Figure out where Alfie is.”

           There’s four parts to the Latin message, and there’s eight of us. With us splitting into pairs of two and being assigned a part for each pair, it shouldn’t take long at all for us to figure out this message. Especially with the internet and online translation services at our fingertips.

           In the end, the message reads: One clue is at the seat of learning. Another is at the amphitheater of activity. You must split up again, but you will find him.

           “Whoever wrote this knew we’d work on it together,” Fabian remarks. “They have to know us personally.” His comment earns doubtful looks from the rest of the house. “I mean—look, they didn’t even start calling each other by their first names until a few weeks ago.” He gestures between me and Jerome. “And Ashley can still hardly stand him. And Patricia can hardly stand the rest of us. Not to mention them,” now he gestures to Mick and Mara, an odd pairing by anyone’s standards. “Who else would think we would work together to translate this other than someone who knows us well?”

           “That narrows it down to pretty much just Victor and Trudy,” I say. “I don’t see Victor taking the time to draw all this up.”

           “Unless he wanted us out of the house.”

           “He’s out of the house, though,” Amber says. “We just saw him heading into Mr. Sweet’s office. And Trudy’s out handing sweets out to the freshmen.”

           “Stop speculating,” Jerome interrupts, snatching Mara’s notepad with the full translation of this clue. “What does this mean?”

           Mara shrugs. “Seat of learning could be any classroom. I don’t know what amphitheater of activity could be.”

           “Well, think about it,” Fabian states, grabbing the notepad from Jerome. He taps his finger against the paper. “Seat of learning. Where’s all the knowledge in the school?”

           “Definitely not in our brains,” I quip.

           It’s not the answer he’s looking for. I also get a lot of strange looks from them.

           Fabian rolls his eyes. “No, the library! It’s full of books. The seat of learning must be the library.”

           “Great,” Nina comments. She presses her lips together. “Now what’s the amphitheater of activity?”

           It’s silent in the room for a few seconds as we ponder it. The answer comes from the person we least expect. Mick says, “You know, amphitheater is another word for gym.” The looks he’s given could rival the ones just given to me. Then he raises his phone. “I googled it.”

           “There’s a lot of activity in the gym,” Jerome points out.

           Amber jumps up from the couch. “Team Ibis—we’re taking the library. Since our team figured it out.”

           “You’re Team Ibis?” I question, perking up. Two important animals in Egyptian mythology are jackals and ibises. “We’re Team Jackal! I came up with it.”

           “I came up with Team Ibis, too! I also gave us nicknames. Jerk,” she points to Jerome, identifying him as the one with the apropos name, “Nerd,” Fabian, “Goth,” Patricia, “and Jewel!” She points to herself, taking the hem of her skirt and curtsying.

           I laugh. “So did I! I’m the Artist, she’s the Sleuth, he’s the Jock, and she’s the Nerd. Two nerds! Nerd-squared. What are the odds?”

           Nina lightly clears her throat and reminds me, “Didn’t you translate the hieroglyphs singlehandedly? Wouldn’t that make you a nerd, too?”

           “Okay, but I can’t do math.”

           “But you can translate hieroglyphs.”

           “Oh, whatever!” I exclaim, hitting her arm lightly. Nina pulls her arm away and laughs loudly. “Team Jackal—to the gym. Jock, you live there. Lead the way.”

           Mick frowns as he stands. “I’m roommates with Fabian.”

           --

           The gymnasium doesn’t look out of place to me. On this Halloween, it’s being used as a sweets hub, with tables set up inside and adults handing out sweets to younger teenagers dressed in costumes. Trudy’s here, too, dressed as a classic witch.

           “Does anything look different to you, Mick?” Mara asks him. “You were in here yesterday.”

           Mick narrows his eyes as he looks around the gym. Nina and I share a glance as Mara watches him intently. I know Mick probably has the layout of this place memorized, but would he really spot something so minuscule as a random clue in a room full of costumed children and the smell of chocolate wafting through the ai—

           “The footballs,” Mick interrupts my inner doubts. I snap out of it and blink, following his finger point. There’s a stack of sports equipment with gauze-covered footballs. “They weren’t covered with gauze yesterday.”

           “Gauze like mummy gauze?” I question.

           “When you say football,” Nina says, “you mean a soccer ball, right? I mean, for me, the American.”

           “Yes, he means soccer in American. There’s not an American football in the room.”

           “I think an American football wrapped in gauze would be a cool Halloween decoration. Stick some googly eyes on it, make a body out of haystacks. We did that for decorations one year, me and Gran.”

           “Like a Halloween snowman?”

           “Yeah, but made of straw and googly eyes.”

           “Nina, Ashley!” Mara shouts from across the room. She and Mick are already over there by the stack of gauze-covered sports equipment. Nina and I exchange an alarmed glance before running across the floor. She’s holding one in particular. “There’s writing on this gauze.”

           Trudy calls, “Oh, hello!” We turn, waving meekly at her. “What a strange group, you four. Would you like any sweets?”

           “Oh, no, thanks, Trudy,” Nina declines for all of us. “We’re just, uh… walking. Getting in some exercise before partying tonight—double the celebration, you know, with Ash’s birthday and Halloween.”

           I completely forgot it was my birthday until she said that. Oops.

           Trudy gives us a thumbs-up and grins before returning to handing out candy to the lowerclassmen.

           Mara’s carefully unwrapping the gauze from the football. Mick’s holding the other end of the gauze and she hands the football itself off to me once it’s completely unwrapped. I can see the message through the thin gauze—and even with it backwards, I can tell it’s English. Thank God, no more translations.

           “‘This clue you have figured out,’” she reads aloud, “‘beyond a shadow of a doubt. The final is nothing to write home about. Anubis is what it’s all about.’”

           Nina gasps. “The final clue—it’s at Anubis House!”

           --

           Anubis House is decorated for the holiday, too. Well, as decorated as Victor would allow. As in, there’s fake spider webs on the sign outside, and he let us place some fake pumpkins around the place. That’s pretty much the extent he would let us decorate the public areas—our rooms were ours for the taking.

           Team Jackal stumbles into the house, which is exactly the same as we left it.

           “Mick, Mara, you take downstairs,” Nina says. “Look for anything out of the ordinary. Ash and I’ll take upstairs.”

           Before we even get a chance to split up, a commotion from upstairs drifts down to us. It causes us to freeze where we stand before we run toward the stairs, skipping steps and nearly falling more than once. Bursting through the doors to the girls’ rooms, we’re met with the sight of Team Ibis talking over one another again, stood in front of the attic.

           “What are you all doing up here?” I ask loudly, interrupting them. The four part long enough for me to spot a piece of paper taped to the attic door. “What does that say?”

           Find the key and you’ll set him free.

           “The spare key to the attic?” Mara inquires. I try pulling on the doorknob, but it’s locked. “That’s in Victor’s office.”

           “I can pick the office lock—” Nina begins.

           Fabian interrupts, “We already tried that. The spare key is missing.”

           “Well, what about the attic door?”

           “We were just arguing about that—”

           “What’s there to argue about? Mara, do you have a bobby pin?”

           My eyes jump around the door area, looking for anything strange about it. I can see Mara in my peripheral vision pulling a bobby pin out of her hair, but when I turn my head to see that fully, something glimmers from the top of the doorframe. I step forward, biting the inside of my cheek. There’s something on top of the frame.

           “Hey, Mick,” I say without taking my eyes off the spot, “give me a boost.” Mick bends and holds out his hands so I can step onto them. He lifts me up long enough for me to grab the key. It nearly stumbles out of my hands as he sets me back down. “Got the key! Move, Clarke!”

           “Don’t stab me with it,” Jerome says, jumping out of the way.

           I push the key into the lock, turning it. The door unlocks and opens. “Team Jackal goes first,” I say lowly, looking at the dark stairs. “Well, me and Nina do. I have a weird feeling about this.”

           I can hear the rest of them following Nina and I upstairs. She and I are holding onto each other’s arms, the cold key against my skin. We slowly round the corner together before entering the attic fully. There’s someone standing there with their back to us, dressed in a long black cape.

           “Ah,” says the person in the attic, with a Transylvanian accent, “you have figured out my clues.”

           And they turn around. The face throws me and everyone else into a state of confusion and shock.

           “Alfie?!” Anubis House questions in unison.

           Alfie grins at us, showing us his plastic fangs. “Hello, Anubis. Happy Halloween! Welcome to our party.”

           “Alfie,” Jerome says slowly, “do you want to explain what’s going on here?”

           “And why we were led to believe that you were in danger,” I add, “when you look pretty not-in-danger to me?”

           “Oh, I was so tempted to put you two on the same team,” Alfie states happily, “but then I thought: no, putting my two best friends on separate teams was gonna work. Let me explain—I’ve been working on this elaborate scavenger hunt for months. Every detail, every clue, was drawn to perfection. I even tailored them to your interests.”

           Fabian stammers, “Different languages interest?”

           Alfie nods. “Yeah, that’s why I put you and Ashley on separate teams. I’m the one that put the idea of taking hieroglyph classes in her head.” I frown. Yeah, that’s technically correct. He more encouraged me to do it than outright told me to. “Mrs. Andrews helped me with the French clues, and Mr. Sweet with the Latin ones. I gave Team Tweedledee,” he gestures to my team, “the bat in the art room and I assumed you would take the amphitheater of activity because… well…”

           “Oh, because of me!” Mick exclaims.

           “Exactly! And I gave Team Tweedledum the mummies in the halls at school because of Fabian—and I’d hope you’d go to the seat of learning.”

           Amber raises her hand. “I found that one. The one that said to come here. It was in a pretty book on the table.”

           Alfie smiles warmly at her. “I knew you’d do that. And the hieroglyphs I found online. I put on a disguise and watched you all scramble to figure out the clues before coming back here when you figured out the Latin one. It was so much fun, you should’ve seen your faces.”

           “Wait a second,” Patricia says, and there’s a warning in her tone. “You tricked us into going on this scavenger hunt, made us believe you were in danger, and watched us run all about the school for fun?”

           Alfie nods. “Pretty much.”

           “If this is a party, where’s the punch?”

           His eyes widen as he steps back abruptly, bumping into the wall. “No need to pour punch on me or punch me, Trixie! This is a Halloween party. And,” he looks over at me, “it’s Ash’s birthday. I’m gonna be honest with you—I did forget today was your birthday until Fabian said something this morning. But hey, it all worked out!”

           I narrow my eyes, stepping toward him. “You…are so much smarter than I thought you were.”

           “Oh. I thought you were gonna say something about me being stupid.”

           “You are stupid, but this was also fun until we thought you were in danger.”

           “Hey, you guys would’ve pinned this on me the second you realized I was the only one who didn’t get an envelope and in a group. I had to take the suspicion off myself. So who’d you think it was? Victor, Trudy? Oh, was it Mr. Sweet?”

           Alfie doesn’t get an answer as we all stare at him.

           “Okay, so forget that I made you think I was in danger,” Alfie compromises, “and let’s get our party on! Go get costumed up and get back up here, because Trudy and Victor aren’t gonna be back for another two hours! Oh, and get whatever presents you bought Ash!”

           --

           Halloween-themed music and sound effects blast through some speakers set up in the attic as we dance around with each other. Amber’s dressed as (of course) a princess, Nina as Dorothy Gale, and myself as a pirate. Fabian’s recycled his costume from the play earlier this year (sharpie beard and all), Patricia’s a regular witch (no pun intended), Mick and Mara are doing a couples’ thing as Frankenstein’s Monster and the Bride of Frankenstein, and Jerome’s a skeleton. Alfie’s Dracula, the same costume we found him in.

           Honestly, him being behind this whole thing was a plot twist I never expected. In hindsight, I should’ve realized it. He was so focused on making this work that he wasn’t very enthusiastic about Halloween in general.

           But good for him. This was fun, figuring out the clues.

           The presents I received for my birthday were perfect. It was mostly art supplies, but Fabian gifted me a book on Egyptian mythology and Amber bought me a bracelet that goes perfectly with my Ankh charm. The only person who didn’t give me anything was Jerome, which, to be honest, I expected. Although, he could’ve at least, like, given me a chocolate bar.

           I sneak out of the attic with my empty cup, planning to go downstairs and fill it up with water from the kitchen. As I turn the sink on, I hear one of the doors in the hallway downstairs open and close. When I switch the sink off, my cup full, someone says, “Leaving the party so soon?”

           Spinning around, I find that it’s Jerome in all his skeleton-glory. “Just getting something to drink. What about you?”

           “Wanted to give you something,” he replies. He steps toward me, holding out a small, Halloween-themed gift bag. “It’s your present. I didn’t give it to you in front of everyone because I didn’t want anyone to make fun of me.”

           “Oh, you poor thing,” I say sarcastically, taking it from him. “I’m definitely gonna make fun of you.”

           “I’m sure.”

           I laugh lightly, reaching into the bag. My fingers wrap around a long box and I set the bag on the counter as I pull it out. It’s a pen box, not one of those writing pens, but one for drawing. I’ve been on the fence about buying this exact pen for months. I didn’t know if I actually needed it.

           “I went to that art shop in town you’re always talking about,” Jerome explains. “They know you by name there, you know that? All I said is I was looking for something for you and they told me about this pen you’ve been looking at forever. Said you never bought it.”

           “So… you bought it for me?” I question slowly. I didn’t expect this.

           “Yeah. I didn’t want to walk around that shop looking for something I have no idea about. This was the easy way out. Happy birthday, Ash.”

           “This is, uh… very sweet of you, Jerome,” I say, blinking several times. “Thank you. Seriously. I didn’t expect this.”

           “Don’t get used to it.”

           “Afraid I’m gonna tell everyone the Tinman has a heart?”

           “Hilarious, truly.”

           I smile, shaking my head. I take his arm and pull him out into the hallway. “Come on. If we’re both gone for too long, they’ll think we’re up to no good. Happy Halloween.”

           “Happy Halloween.”

[souleater1987]

Sticky Notes (FriendlyPack Fic)

Title: Sticky Notes

Pairing: Stan Wheeler x Jimmy Bending (FriendlyPack)

Summary: Stan and Jimmy had been boyfriends for a while now and Stan thought of a perfect 1st anniversary date for jimmy. He places sticky notes with clues of where he is. With their friends helping Stan with the idea. At the end of the scavenger hunt, Jimmy finds Stan wearing a blue tuxedo with his signature Fannypack standing on the place where they first met.

Disclaimer: It’s been months since i last write something. Hope it’s not too bad! ((Special thanks to @huffle-puff-ego and @missfeisty199 for the help))

Words: 2,668 words (Not including THIS and ABOVE)

“Sunflower?”

     He asked as he opened his eyes. The bed was empty and cold, missing a certain person. His eyes wondered around the room he was in, and then he stumbled upon a yellow sticky note on the pillow next to him. He picked it up and already recognized the handwriting that it belongs to his love. He smiled and whispered to himself the words;

  “Good Morning, Friendly.

  There’s breakfast ready for you in the kitchen!

  Drink plenty of water!

                                                           Love, Fannypack”

 He smiled and went towards their kitchen. He sat down and digs in the wonderful food his sunflower made for him, and of course drank plenty of water. After his stomach was full, he then noticed another yellow note sticking on the flower vase in front of him. It reads:

 “A water a day keeps the thirst away!

I know you’re confused right now from all 

 This notes but don’t freak out! I’m at the

 Hospital-“

  He didn’t even finish reading the note and quickly dressed up and went running out the apartment. He burst through the door scaring some people next to him. He apologized and ran to his car. Arms fiddling to unlock the car door while cursing out such colorful words. His heart beating fast and his mind thinking all the possible bad things that happened to his sunflower. Snapped out of it Jimmy! His fine.

  When the engine is on, he quickly drove towards the hospital. Ignoring the red lights and cars that are honking on his fast driving. He could probably be pulled by a police by speeding but that’s none of his concern at the moment. After what felt like an eternity, -when it was only 4 minutes thanks to his driving-, he finally arrived at the hospital. Bursting through the glass door, shocking some patients and nurses. Brenda, the receptionist, was on her place staring at what was happening. Trying her best to not full on laughing at Jimmy’s full on outburst. The man was yelling his sunflower’s name to people asking where he is and running from A to B. Brenda, with her amusement quenched, called the man over. Not even a second later, his already in front of her.

  “You bitch! Where’s Stan? You stole him from me did you!? Oh my fucking god! When I found him, I’ll kill you and-“

 “Jimmy, chill. Your boyfriend is fine. But he told me to give you this.”  She then gave him a yellow sticky note. And it read;

  “I’m sorry for scaring you! I didn’t mean to give

 You a heart attack! But remember all the times

 We were put here and waited for each other?

 Fun memories, I say!

 I’m at the police station! And no I am not in trouble!

                                                  Love, Fannypack”

He let out a sigh of relief. “Sorry about my sudden outburst, Brenda.” He said embarrassingly. She rolled her eyes and nodded. Pointing at the door and said, “Whatever, just go get your man or something”. Jimmy’s cheeks turn a slight shade of pink. His still not used to hearing someone pointed out that his in a full on relationship. His not thinking it in a bad way! Don’t get him wrong, his so proud that as amazing and handsome as Stan is his boyfriend. Hell, every time he and Stan went out holding hands, they’re not afraid to show it off.

  He shook his head, stopping the voices in his head to write a long ass essay of his life. He put on the ignition and head out to the police station. He turned on the radio to engulf the silence and continue driving. When he finally arrived at the front of the police station, he turned off the ignition and step out the car. The blue haired man walked in the door and saw Lieutenant Ziggy on the counter. The policeman waved him over.

 “Hey Jimmy, what brings you here-“

  “Ziggy, shut up. I know Stan said something for me so just zip it” He said and slammed his hands on the counter. The policeman sighed and gave him another yellow sticky note with the same handwriting. It said:

  “To be honest I have no idea why the next location is the police station.

 Maybe because it’s the only thing Ziggy would work for me.

 Anyway, I’m at the place where we did the you know what.

The cabbage picking. The parmesan. The not so legal.

Okay! The first house we robbed together!

                                                      Love, Fannypack”

   “You didn’t read this, did you?” Jimmy asked nervously. The incident was so long ago but it’s still a crime. The police man chuckled and said, “Even if I did read it or not, I’m not going to bust your ass. Just go and get your man before I change my mind”. He didn’t twice and went directly out the building. Went inside his car and drove the fuck out of there. The man let out a sigh and focuses on the roadway ahead. He noticed that the city is quite silent today, like nothing bad is happening. No cry for help, no ambulance sounds, and no police sirens heard. It’s weird to have a peaceful day in Los Santos. Not that he mind, just weird.

  He saw the house ahead and remembered the quite fun memories he and Stan had. Even though he almost traumatized Stan with him allegedly murdering the man who owns the house. It’s fun. He saw someone on the sidewalk and it seems its Eugene and Edna. He parked in front of them and waved.

   “Funny seeing you two here. Let me guess, Stan told you to wait here for me to arrive and give me a piece of note” Jimmy said to the two. “Hell no, we’re here because a man who looked like Stan is dead inside the house” Eugene said with glee. Jimmy’s face turned pale and nervously laughed. Edna quickly punched Eugene, “Ey! Don’t scare the poor boy with your shit!” She then looked at Jimmy who is still at the state of shock and slapped him, waking him up. “His just being his shitty self, Stan’s fine. Here” She gave jimmy the paper. “Just get out of here, I don’t want any witness when I kill this bitch” Eugene quickly ran away with Edna on his tail.

  “My first time doing something illegal! The adrenaline was

 Something! Remember when I yelled ‘Oh my god’ so many times

 When you killed a man? Good times. Oh, and you almost selling me crack?

 The friendliest crack dealer in Los Santos! I’m at the place where we almost died!

                                                               -love Fannypack”

   He shivered at the thought of the memory. The time when they turned into hostages. He turned on the ignition and drove to Polido Bank. He turned on the radio to silence the long drive to the bank. To his surprise, he heard Kiki’s voice in the radio.

  “Good Afternoon, you mothertruckers! Kiki Chanel in the house for your daily thirst quenching! Queue the applause..... I SAID QUEUE THE APPLAU- yayyyyyy. Okay, okay, okay. Before you get your daily bad choices of song, here’s a special message from Jackie chan himself! He said and i quote with his voice; Better hurry up before this motherfucker is dead!’ And here we have our special sponsors, Kiki’s KOC-“

  He suddenly turned down the radio and pressed hard on the paddle, increasing the acceleration of his car. Moving from left to right, avoiding everything that is on his way. Praying that he won’t get pulled over. After what felt like an eternity with his heart beating fast, he can finally see the bank ahead with Buddha or Jackie chan leaning on the side of the bank. With him are two people with a monkey mask and a bandana covering itself. He pulled over and walked hastily to them. 

  “Where’s Stan-“ he was cut off with a gun on his forehead. The man who has the gun tsked and shook his head. The other two who is with him chuckled, making Jimmy nervous.

  “Remember the time when you said they were boyfriends? And they denied?” The man with the monkey mask said to the bandana. He nodded and replied, “And now look at where we are now. The two supposedly not in a relationship are now lovebirds!” The bandana surprisingly shrieked in delight. Following the monkey and Jackie chan. Removing the gun off Jimmy’s forehead.

  “We’re just fucking with you, Velvet aurora!” Jimmy shivered at the name and corrected him with “Friendly”. Jackie Chan nodded and gave him the yellow note his been waiting for. Jimmy said his goodbyes and quickly walked towards his car. But not without hearing one of them say, “Go get that Water man D!”. Jimmy’s cheek reddened and drove off the bank. While driving, he swiftly read the note. 

  “The time when my life flashes before my eyes! In a bad way, i say! Still grumpy about them not buying my water. Anyway, remember when you threatened me? Yeah I’m there! 

                -Love, Fannypack”

   He checked his watch and saw it’s almost past 4 O’clock. He took off his sunglasses and started rubbing his forehead. “All of this stress better be worth it, Stan” He whispered to himself, but a small smile visible on his lips. He saw the familiar fence and the gate leading to the place where he ‘threatened’ Stan. 

   He gets out his car and walked down. He saw someone standing near the water, wearing a rather familiar outfit. A female police outfit and its pink hat. 

    “Sup, bitch” yep, that’s kiki alright.

 “Why are you here? And how the fuck do you know this place?” Jimmy asked the gorgeous woman. 

   “Well nice to see you too, asshole! Such toxic masculinity. At least someone thinks I’m gorgeous.” Kiki smirked at him. He rolled his eyes and put out his hand, gesturing for something them both already knew. 

   “You’re no fun. I’m planning on like putting it inside a bottle and throwing it in the water and you sacrificing your life to get it or something” She said and simply shrugged at Jimmy’s shocked face. 

   “Anyway, out of all the places you, Stan, and I went to. Why this place?” Kiki asked. Jimmy shrugged and looked the other way, avoiding her eyes. “How do i know?” 

   She scoffed at his response and replied, “Because you’re his boyfriend? I can’t even believe Stan choose you over this bomb ass pussy! Huuuuuuuuuuuuuu” Then started dancing seductively. Jimmy pretended to gag and vomit. 

    “HOOOWWWW DAAAAAARRREEEE YOUUUUUU- here, I’m done with this toxicity of masculinity! This bomb ass pussy is out!” After she thrown the piece of paper to Jimmy, she sashayed away with her hips going left and right with her middle finger in the air. “Don’t forget to use protection and lots of lube!” She yelled. Jimmy quickly grabbed the paper flowing in the air before it hit the wet ground. He fixed his posture and read it out loud; 

   “A place where we’re merely strangers

   Introducing Jimmy and Stan

  Never thought they’ll be lovers

The friendly crack dealer and the water man

     Where am i?

                     -love, Fannypack”

   Jimmy’s chest felt so warm. The feeling is like when they first met. How such a middle aged man that is so naive and innocent ended up with a guy like him. He felt the tears coming up but quickly hold it. It’s not time yet. He pocketed the paper, along with the others, and went to his car. Jimmy started heading to the place he never though a love story would start. 

   While his driving, he can see the sunset shining through him. Letting the final ray of sunshine warmth him. Remembering the time when he and Stan went out to eat burgers and watched the sunset together. It may not seem like a date but it is to him. Oh how he wished his brave enough to tell Stan his feelings that time. But that doesn’t matter right now, because they’re together and happy. He’ll get even happier when he finally sees his sunflower. 

  His nearing at the destination and can see what seems like a curtain blocking the parking lot? Is that legal?

  He slowly parked near the destination and get out the car. He looked around, trying to find his love but no luck. He sighed and leaned on the side his car. He took out his cigarette and lighter, and was about to light it when he heard a very familiar voice. 

   “Didn’t you promised you’ll stop smoking?” 

  Jimmy’s eyes widen and looked up. His cheeks reddened and mouth opened, letting the cigarette fall out his mouth. There in front of him shows Stan Wheeler, wearing a blue tuxedo with a matching blue fanny pack. Some black shorts and black fancy shoes. His blonde hair was gelled back making him look somewhat fancy. His hands behind him fidgeting a bit and his eyes looking around, avoiding Jimmy’s covered eyes. Perfect timing, the final sunrise set on Stan making him shine. Making him looked like a literal sunflower that is blue all over. 

  “Uh-uhmm.. h-hi ji-jimmy...” Stan let out a genuine smile. Then suddenly the carpet behind Stan fall revealing such a beautiful sight. It was a beautiful sight when it got caught off by Stan screaming “GOD HELP! THE CARPET HAS DEVOURED MY EXISTENCE!!! HELPPPP!!”. 

   Jimmy chuckled at his clumsiness and helped him get out the carpet monster. -As that Stan called it-. Stan’s head is finally out, so does the rest of his body, and didn’t realize that Jimmy’s face is so near his. It’s so close that them both can feel each other’s breath. Both men has their cheek blushing. Even after a year dating, these two still get flustered over each other. 

 Jimmy helped Stan up and looked back the beautiful sight. There was Christmas lights attached above lighting over a fancy table with food and of course water. An inflatable balloon on the background spelling “Happy 1st Anniversary Stimmy by Kiki and friends”. 

   “So that’s why all of them are both so cryptic and extra stupid” Jimmy said to Stan. He nodded and gestured to the fancy table. They sat down and started talking about times they’re together and being themselves to others. They can hear some locals walking passed them but Kiki threatening them out loud outshine it. With Ziggy and Brenda trying to stop her from killing someone, Eugene and Edna film the whole thing, and other of their friends laughing. It may looked like they’re invading both of their privacy but without those people, none of this would’ve happened. 

  “I’m so lucky to have them, and also you Jimmy” Stan said. 

  “Don’t be such a sap!” The water man giggled at his response. “Oh! I almost forgot!” Stan then went under the table and let out a present. 

  “Wait, I didn’t get you anything!” Jimmy started panicking but Stan beat him to it and told him its fine. Stan gave the gift to Jimmy, who’s still sulking over not giving him a gift. Jimmy slowly opened the wrapped gift and saw... a water bottle? 

  “Uhm, Stan?” 

  “Look at the brand!” Stan said with excitement. Jimmy raised his eyebrows and looked down. It said, “Friendly Water!”. 

  “You and I are now business partners for my water business!” Stan said with glee. “Aren’t I already am with me driving you all over town?” Stan shushed him and told him that it’s beside the point. Jimmy chuckled at his silliness and stared at him with so much love. His so lucky to have such a wonderful and handsome man like Stan. 

 “I’m so lucky to have you too Jimmy” Jimmy laughed and realized he said it out loud. With the stars and moon shining above them, and the chaos happening around them cause by their friends. Nothing would ever ruin such a beautiful night. 

  “Happy 1st anniversary, Sunflower”

  “Happy 1st anniversary, Sunshine”

[lamptracker]

Scavenger Hunt (hastily thrown-together fic)

The warning’s there in the title, kids. This is a two-days-late birthday present for @the-quackson-claxon so I can’t guarantee it’ll be any good BUT here it is anyway.

FIC: Scavenger Hunt

Pairing: Harrison Osterfield/Female Reader

Summary: For your birthday, Harrison sets up a scavenger hunt; with Tom’s help, you revisit the most memorable spots from all of your relationship’s important milestones.

And happy belated birthday, Kyli!!

**

You blink slowly as your eyes adjust to the morning light. You’re still tired, not quite ready to be awake, but today is your birthday and you’re excited.

You roll over to wake up your boyfriend, Harrison… but he’s not in bed. Instead, an envelope is resting atop his pillow. Curiously, you open it:

Happy birthday, darling! The handwritten note inside reads. Thought I’d send you on a little scavenger hunt for your birthday today. Go take a shower real quick; your first clue will be hanging on the outfit I’ve picked out for you today. See you soon! Love, Harrison <3

Laughing, you head into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Once you’re out and dried off, you go to your closet, looking for the outfit Harrison has thrown together for you. You sigh with relief when you see it’s a simple flowered sundress and strappy sandals. You take off the envelope hanging from the hanger and read your first clue:

Clue number one - I hope you find this bitchin’

You won’t miss it - it’s in the middle of the kitchen :)

You crack up laughing again as you quickly get dressed, brush your hair, and do your makeup (just a fast, simple look for today). You tiptoe into the kitchen, where you’re greeted by a curious sight:

There, in the middle of the kitchen, is a giant cake. It’s not a real cake - probably cardboard or something, covered in construction paper.

“Harrison, if you’re in there, this was the worst scavenger hunt ever,” you say.

Just then, the top of the cake rips open…and out jumps Harrison’s best friend, Tom Holland.

“Happy birthday, (y/n)!” Tom exclaims; you burst into giggles yet again. “I’m going to read you your second clue, ready?”

“I guess,” you say, between laughs.

Tom dramatically clears his throat before reading out the second clue: “Clue number two, hope this is okay. Tom is going to drive you around today. Wait, I am? Oh, okay, yeah. Um… anyway: I hope this isn’t getting old yet, but tell him to take you to the place we first met.”

You smile to yourself as you recall the very first time you and Harrison met.

“Tom,” you say, “take me to the grocery store, would you?”

Tom scrunches up his nose. “The grocery store?”

“He didn’t tell you about that? It’s how we first met. I was trying a new recipe and needed a can of chickpeas, there was one can left and they were on the bottom shelf. He was in the same aisle, went for the same can of chickpeas. We bumped foreheads when we went for it, he felt so terrible he let me have the chickpeas. But I didn’t want him to leave empty-handed, so…”

“...you gave him your number. Yeah, I remember now. That’s bloody adorable, really.” Tom offers you his arm. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” You loop your arm through his and he guides you to the car; you buckle your belt and he starts driving.

“So,” Tom says as he drives you to the store, “how old are you, anyway?”

“Tom, didn’t your mother ever teach you the three things you never ask a lady?”

Tom sighs. “Her age, her weight, and whether or not she’s pregnant.”

“Exactly.”

“But you’re not a lady, you’re (y/n).”

“Just drive, ya div.”

Tom chuckles as he pulls into a parking space at the store. The two of you get out and head straight for the canned goods aisle. On the bottom shelf: Exactly one can of chickpeas.

“How much you wanna bet he bought every can of chickpeas on the shelf just to make this happen?” Tom asks.

“I’d be making a lot of hummus then.” You pick up the lone can and turn it over, finding your third clue taped to the bottom:

Clue number three, now you mustn’t be late

Is located where we had our first date.

(PS: Tell Tom i did not buy all the chickpeas)

“He says he didn’t buy all the chickpeas,” you say, “and now you’re taking me to Subway.”

“You had your first date at Subway?” Tom asks incredulously.

“He’d made reservations at that cute little Italian place on 83rd,” you explain as you walk back to Tom’s car. “But when we got there, the health department had shut it down.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember that. E.Coli outbreak, was it?”

“Something like that. Anyway, all the nice places were booked, so… we went to Subway. That one just up the street from where that Italian place used to be.”

“Used to be? They never opened back up?”

“Oh, no, they did. But a week after that there was a fire, so much damage they had to condemn it.”

“Grease fire?”

“Angry cook mad he didn’t paid while they were shut down.”

Tom shakes his head. “Yikes.”

The drive to Subway is a little longer than the one to the grocery store, so Tom puts on his favorite “Nothing but 90s” playlist and the two of you sing along, loudly and off-key.

Once you get to Subway, you walk in; the manager is waiting by the door with a takeout box full of cookies - raspberry cheesecake, your favorite.

“You must be (y/n),” they say, handing you the box. “Happy birthday! These have already been paid for, plus there’s a note on the bottom for you?”

“Thank you,” you reply, carefully detaching the note as you hand the box to Tom.

Clue number four - I hope you don’t miss

Go to the spot where we had our first kiss

(PS: Tom can have a cookie if he wants one, he’ll whine if you don’t share)

“I will not,” Tom says, in a voice that comes very close to whining.

Laughing, you open the lid of the box; Tom takes a cookie.

“Let me guess,” he mumbles between bites of cookie, “your first kiss was someplace really stupid, wasn’t it?”

You shake your head. “I…” but you sigh. “Okay, fine. It was in front of Gamestop.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not, but I’m going to tell you anyway.” You giggle as you take a bite of a cookie. “His Xbox controller broke, Monty might have been involved. So we went to buy a new one; as we were walking out my mom called and said my aunt was coming for a visit. I hadn’t seen her in probably two years. I was so excited I hugged him and then I just… kissed him. Right there, on the sidewalk, in front of Gamestop. He did that thing, you know, where he just kind of froze. And as I was vomiting out an apology he grabbed my face and kissed me again.”

Tom nods as he drives toward Gamestop. “Again, adorable. And not nearly as stupid as I thought.”

You just roll your eyes, singing along to the 90s playlist once more.

Once at Gamestop, you quickly dash inside to where the Xbox controllers are; sure enough, you find a note taped to one.

“Can’t wait for this one,” Tom scoffs.

You shoot Tom the nastiest glare you can muster; if looks could kill, he’d be six feet under.

“I’m just saying!” Tom throws his hands up in self-defense. “His rhymes could use a little work, I mean…”

“I think they’re sweet.” You untape the note and read it aloud:

Your next-to-last clue is here, I hope they’re not turds

You’ll be going to the first place I said those three little words

(PS: I’m sure Tom is making fun of my poetry skills; tell him to bugger off)

Tom’s eyes grow wide. “How did he…”

“Either he just knows you really well or you’re that predictable.”

Tom just shakes his head. “So what weird place am I taking you to this time?”

“It’s not weird, it’s… unconventional. And you’re taking me to the emergency department at the hospital.”

Tom blinks rapidly for a moment. “Okay, I’m definitely sure I don’t want to know.” He waits for you to climb into the car and buckle your seat belt before driving off yet again.

You giggle a little as you pull two more cookies out of the box from Subway, offering one to Tom (who willingly accepts it). “I’d sprained my ankle - it was really stupid how it happened, I was carrying laundry down the steps to take to the laundromat and I missed a step. Harrison was at a fitting for Joshua Kane but he ran out of it just to take me to the hospital. As we were leaving and he was helping me into the car I thanked him and said something like, ‘Oh, you didn’t have to drop what you were doing just for me.’ He looked me in the eye, smiled, and said: ‘Why wouldn’t I? I mean, I love you.’” You tear up a little at the memory. “And oh my God, Tom, it was like time stopped. But in the best possible way.”

Tom looks over at you, smiling warmly. “I remember that night. He came back to our apartment absolutely on cloud nine. I asked him what happened and he said, ‘Well, (y/n) sprained her ankle and I told her I loved her.’ I was trying to come up with some witty comeback when then he goes, ‘Don’t worry, she loves me too.’ He literally did not stop smiling all night. I think that - oh, we’re here.”

You’re about to ask Tom exactly what he meant by “I think that” when you spot an envelope sticking out of the flowers surrounding the water fountain in front of the emergency department. Wasting no time, you rip it open and read the final note:

Well love, if Tom was making fun of my poetry skills he has a right to

I’m sick of writing these, but i’ll never be sick of you.

This is the last clue (so I guess we both win)

Head to the place where I asked you to move in.

“Oh, even I know this one,” Tom says. “The park, right?”

You nod. “Right there by the pond, yeah. He had this big speech all planned out, but by the time he got around to it he was so nervous he just blurted it out.”

“Sounds about right. He was so scared that I was going to be upset that he was moving out. But that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. I like you, and I like you and Harrison together. He’s been so much happier since you came along, and since he’s my best friend I want him to be that happy all the time. Did he ever tell you I’m the one that found your apartment?”

You laugh. “That explains why we live within walking distance of you and Harry, I guess.”

“Well, I can’t have him too far away.” Tom pulls the car into a parking space, quickly texting someone after he turns the engine off. “Here we are. Harrison says this is where I leave you. So… happy birthday. I’ll have a real present for you later today.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Tom.” You lean over and give him a hug.

“It’s no problem, really.” Tom gives you a quick kiss on the cheek. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

You climb out of the car, cookies in hand, and head to the little gazebo near the pond. You gasp when you’re finally close enough to see it:

Harrison is waiting there for you, sitting at a little picnic table. He’s prepared a picnic lunch for the two of you; the table has a red-and-white checkered cloth on it and a few votive candles lit.

“Happy birthday, darling,” Harrison says softly as you approach him. “I see you’ve brought dessert. There are some left for me, right?”

You giggle. “I only gave Tom two, plus I only had a couple, so… what’s all this?”

“Just wanted to do something special for your birthday. Make it really unforgettable.”

“So far so good.”

Harrison had made sure to pack all of your favorites for lunch; the two of you chat and eat. You’ve been together for nearly two years, and yet you still never run out of things to talk about. He hands you a few presents to open - a book you’ve been eyeing, a gift card to your favorite store, a new case for your phone. “The big present is for later, if you catch my drift,” he says, winking; you burst into laughter.

“Harrison,” you say, “this has been just a really fun day.”

“I’m glad.” He reaches across the table for your hand, squeezing it gently. “Sorry you had to spend part of it with Tom, though.”

You shake your head. “Nah, he was alright. But thank you, this has been a wonderful birthday.”

Harrison raises an eyebrow. “What, you thought that was all of it? I’ve got one more surprise for you.”

“You said that was later, if I caught your drift. Which I always do.”

Harrison chuckles softly. “Okay, two surprises. The first one you figured out. This one…” He suddenly stands up, walks around to your side of the picnic table, and drops to one knee.

“Haz, what…” you gasp, covering your mouth with one hand; he takes your free hand in both of his.

“Is this cliche, to do this on your birthday? Doesn’t much matter, I’m doing it anyway.” He clears his throat for a moment before continuing. “I love you. I love you so much there aren’t enough words for me to properly describe how much. You’re funny, and sweet, and way smarter than I’ll ever be. I want to spend all of your birthdays, and every day, with you for the rest of our lives. So… what do you say? Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” you exclaim, not even hesitating for a moment.

Harrison laughs loudly. “I haven’t even gotten the ring out yet!”

“Well, it’s not my fault you have poor planning skills,” you tease.

Harrison pulls the ring box out of his pocket and hands it to you; you open it slowly, admiring the beautiful diamond ring inside.

“Harrison,” you say, voice wavering and eyes wet with tears, “it’s perfect.”

“Put it on.” He’s grinning from ear-to-ear. You silently comply, sliding the ring onto your finger.

“I love it,” you whisper. “I love you.”

“I love you too, darling. Happy birthday.” He stands up slowly; he pulls you to your feet and kisses you softly.

“Well,” you say, “I definitely won’t forget this.”

“Oh, I should hope not.” He flashes you that cheeky, slightly lopsided grin you’ve come to cherish as you kiss him again.

So far, this has definitely been the best birthday ever.

[gleepotluckbigbang]

Coffee Shop Writing Prompts by @veronicabunchwrites

To start you guys off, a prompt list by @veronicabunchwrites. Veronica is no longer on Tumblr, only on Pillowfort, so I can’t reblog, only repost, sorry about that. The original post can be found here.

100 coffee shop au writing prompts!

there’s something about people meeting and falling in love over hot drinks that presents such a cozy atmosphere. it’s no wonder that it’s a favourite. some of these prompts are classic because who can resist the tried and true?

01.  clearly you’re going through a bad breakup because this playlist is the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard and I’m begging you please change it 02.  you’re my favourite employee because you always have my order ready on the days I’m running late to the office 03.  I order the same thing as my boss in case something happens to their coffee and one day, you write your number on the cup I give to my boss 04.  my friend swears that you can pick the perfect drink for anyone but I’m skeptical because there’s no way you can look at someone and just know their order - and of course, you nail my drink 05.  I run the shop beside your bookstore and I’m trying to convince you that it could be beneficial to knock down the wall between our shops and you’re being a big pain in the ass about it 06.  I hired you to make drinks not flirt with every customer that walks in and how dare you accuse me of jealousy, get back to work 07.  you were a dick to my coworker so I’ve been writing insults on your cups and why the hell do you keep coming back here anyway?

08.  I know you’re about to close and I swear I’ll give you a $20 tip, can you please just take my order? I’ve had the worst day possible 09.  a $20 tip isn’t worth me staying open late, but then you burst into tears and I end up asking you if you want to hang around to talk 10.  you’re the night manager who runs open mic nights and I’m the baker who starts at 3am so sometimes our paths cross and I like talking to you 11.  you never order the same thing more than once and just as you’re about to get to the end of the menu, I start adding new things because I’m afraid you’ll stop coming in 12.  I’ve been writing lame jokes on your cups because you’re the grumpiest person ever and you finally crack a smile 13.  you always get my order wrong and I’m pretty sure you’re doing it on purpose just so you get a free drink out of it because employees have a crap discount 14.  I’ve been working on this essay/project/article/etc. for the last ten hours and I’ve barely moved so you come over to give me something to eat and ask if I’m okay 15.  I’m dragged to open mic night by my best friend, and while I’m ordering my drink, your voice fills the room and I’m mesmerized 16.  there’s a poetry slam and while I’ve never gone on stage, I’m obsessed with your stuff 17.  you were rude so I insult you and you just left a $50 tip??? who the fuck do you think you are? 18.  I decided to use my personal (and massive) mug collection when I opened my shop and you start hanging around just to see which mug you’ll get 19.  I open a cat cafe with a separate room for the cats that are all available to adopt, and you keep coming in to sit with them even though you’re allergic 20.  I haven’t seen you in years but you just walked into my coffee shop and by your snooty attitude, you don’t seem to know that I own the place 21.  I really don’t care that you’re a famous celebrity, you will stand in line just like everyone else and that’s that 22.  this shop is really busy but I need their wifi, so could we share this table? 23.  we’re working on our school project in this cafe and I’m pretty sure my group just figured out that I have a crush on you 24.  I have a job interview and you're the clumsy employee who just spilled hot coffee all down my white shirt 25.  I’m on the worst blind/Tinder/Grindr date and you ‘accidentally’ dump a drink on my date to save me 26.  you’re a big city person visiting my tiny coffee shop in a small town and you’re so rude when you ask if we have cappuccinos that I lie and say no 27.  I just bumped into my ex so I slip my arm in yours to pretend you’re my current partner even though you were just standing in line behind me 28.  my umbrella broke and I just stepped into your shop soaking wet and you run upstairs to get me some towels from your apartment and I’m sorry I’m crying but this is the nicest thing that’s happened to me all week 29.  my AC isn’t working at my apartment so I’ve been spending most of my spare time here and using your wifi and I think you’re flirting with me 30.  I’ve been hanging out more because I sit at the counter to watch two baristas flirt (OT3 bonus!) / and you join me so we make a bet on when they’ll get together 31.  I named my coffee shop Coffee Shop and you’re the customer who loudly talks about how stupid the name is 32.  I’ve been sitting in the break room wondering how to ask you out on a date when you come in and announce you were just asked out by a customer (bonus if OT3!) 33.  you’re a famous celebrity who ducks in to my quiet shop and asks if you can hide, and I mean, sure, but are you going to order something? I have to make a living here, dude 34.  I know you own this place but dude, this song has been on repeat for the last hour and I will pay you to change it 35.  I’m really nervous as I’m meeting a family member for the very first time and you’re the kind employee who sits with me to help calm my nerves 36.  you’re staring at me and I don’t know why until you tell me I’ve been singing along to my music and I’m mortified because I didn’t realize 37.  I saw your Help Needed sign in the window and you look busy so where are the aprons and how can I help? 38.  every day I write a quote on a chalkboard on the wall and apparently you’re the author I just quoted but you’ve never shown your face in public before so why are you telling me? 39.  someone left a note in the suggestions box that the barista is the cutest person they’ve seen and I’m laughing as my coworkers discuss who it could be when you quietly admit it’s about me 40.  you just cut in front of me in line and I’m not in the mood to let it slide 41.  I noticed you were on ao3 reading smut and when you go up to get something else to drink from the counter, I realize you’re reading the fic I posted twenty minutes ago 42.  your dog and my dog just tangled their leashes outside the coffee shop and now they won’t leave each other’s sides, so do you want to join me at this table? 43.  I know it’s not my place but your teenager seems to be mixed up in a bad crowd and I thought you should know they’re hiding in the bathroom crying right now 44.  your father comes in weekly at the exact same time and orders the exact same two drinks because that’s what he used to do with your mother and you come looking for him 45.  I really need you to put up this flyer on the community board but you’re sort of being a prick about it 46.  you hire my band to come place on a weekly basis but the more time I spend with you the more time I want to kiss you 47.  you’re my ex who I’ve never really gotten over and you just surprised me by paying for my coffee and I’m not prepared to see you 48.  my coworker wrote my cell phone number on your cup when I wasn’t paying attention and now you’re texting me 49.  after overhearing you order the eccentric coffee shop owner’s drink of the week, I warn you that it never tastes good (bonus if you convince me it’s great this week so I sip and suffer with you) 50.  the last clue to my partner’s scavenger hunt is supposed to be here, and while I’m looking for it, I discover that you’re my partner’s friend who set the whole thing up (bonus: ot3) 51.  I sold my business for millions when I was in high school and tried to disappear from the spotlight but I’ve just been spotted drinking your coffee and feel bad since you’re overwhelmed with the sudden influx of new customers 52.  I overhear you talking to your friend about how you’re planning on meeting up with your ex and I can’t stop myself from butting in because that’s a bad mistake 53.  I’m hosting a food-eating contest to raise money for charity at my shop and you seem to have an endless stomach that makes me a little concerned 54.  I catch you in the act of placing your newspaper over a customer’s cell phone/wallet/etc. and then stealing it when they deny you money 55.  you walk into my coffee just before close looking like a runaway bride/groom/princess/prince/royalty so I stick around to keep you company 56.  meeting at the coffee shop feels like fate, but now we’re sitting here because I’m terrified to tell you my big secret 57.  you’re a grumpy customer who doesn’t talk but you always have the most fun tie/socks/dresses/sweaters/etc. and I look forward to see what you wear next 58.  I’ve been obsessed with your homemade soups and I always rave about them to the cashier but I didn’t realize you also make them until you surprise me with a new recipe 59.  I rent out your shop for the evening to propose to my significant other and they dump me on the spot 60.  I run a baking class one night a week after hours at my shop and you keep coming back despite being the worst baker ever 61.  you left me a bad review so I’m tracking you down to yell at you and demand a retraction 62.  you’re the contractor I’ve hired to build individual bathrooms so I can offer genderless options for people (bonus if contractor is trans/nb/gender queer) 63.  I host a board game night every Friday and you always come in with your best friend and ask me to teach you a new game and I cannot believe you’ve never played Life before (or: insert own game) 64.  I’ve been getting really creative with my foam art and I do some naughty-bits to amuse my coworker on their drink when you mistakenly take it and think I’m hitting on you 65.  I’m wiping down a table when I notice that you left a cell phone number on the back of your receipt for your lunch and I ask my coworker if I should text you (bonus if ot3) 66.  every time you come into my shop, I swear you have a new sticker on your laptop and I desperately want to ask about this one 67.  you come in to steal the shop’s wifi for video calls with your mom/dad/family member and when they see me in the background, they think I’m your new partner 68.  I really suck at my job but I desperately need the money and when I get fired for spilling your coffee all over you, you offer me a job because you feel bad 69.  we’re coworkers who make out in the supplies closet and get caught by another coworker (bonus if ot3!) 70.  someone enters my hot chocolate into a contest for the National Best Hot Chocolate and you’re the hot judge who gets snowed in town for a few days 71.  you join me at my table thinking I’m your blind date and you don’t stop talking about how nervous you are for this date so I don’t get a chance to tell you that you have the wrong person when your actual date comes up and thinks you were hitting on me while waiting for them 72.  I watch you pull out a flask and add alcohol to your drink and then you wink at me 73.  I’m playing a game on my computer but I keep failing at the level so you tap my shoulder and tell me how to beat it (and we spend the rest of the afternoon in the coffee shop bonding) 74.  I've been assigned a fluff article about the different types of people who spend their days at coffee shops but I can’t seem to figure out why you’re here (articles: x, x, x) 75.  I found you curled up under a blanket asleep at my front door so won’t you come in, I’ll get you some food and give you a job 76.  you’re my favourite actor in my favourite TV show but by the sounds of that phone call, you seem to be having a rough day so instead of flailing, I offer you some words of support 77.  I don’t know how to spell anyone’s names correctly so I spell them phonetically and you always mumble your name so I just make up something 78.  I bump into you and knock your coffee out of your hands and you look like someone just died because you’re having the worst week ever and can I make it up to you? 79.  we met online and you suggest this place for our first date and I’m terrified you’ve catfished me or you’re going to stand me up 80.  when people hit on me and ask for my number, I usually make up a number to put on their cups, and today I just happened to write your number on your cup so you call me out 81.  you’re my significant other’s ex and you’ve invited me to coffee to tell me that I can do better and our connection is immediate 82.  I’m in the middle of a rant about this book I’m reading and oh my god you’re the author in line behind me and I’m sorry, not sorry 83.  you take a selfie and I photobomb you, but you don’t notice until the entire photo goes viral so we agree to meet back at this coffee shop 84.  I’m sorry for laughing at you walking into the glass door/window, please let me help you up 85.  I’m a little concerned that you might be too addicted to coffee since you always come down from your office to my little shop to get your fix multiple times a day but my coworkers think you have a crush on me 86.  I’m expecting an important phone call but my phone is about to die and please, please let me borrow yours 87.  I know your sign says ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service’ but can I please give you a really long explanation as to what has led to me desperately needing coffee without a shirt or shoes 88.  I’m a witch barista and I charm your drink so that you have a better day 89.  I’ve been trying to borrow this particular book that the local/college library only has one copy of and I just realized you’re reading it at this coffee shop and goddammit, why haven’t you finished with it yet? 90.  some asshole just stole your purse/backpack without you noticing so I instinctively jump into action and chase him down the street to get it back for you 91.  you’ve cut in front of me in line for the last three days by shooting me a charming smile and leaving me a little dumbfounded but today, that will not fly 92.  I keep making work-related puns and you’re the grumpy coworker who refuses to find me charming 93.  you sit down at my table and quietly tell me to pretend we’re talking because you’re trying not to be seen by someone and I’m so confused as to what is going on but you’re cute so I’ll roll with it 94.  you order the same obscure drink from the app but I always miss you picking up your drink from the counter and today, I’m going to finally watch to see who you are 95.  I don’t know who you think you are, but you really can’t make this shop your office unless you’re going to order more than one tea for the eight hours you stay here 96.  you read tea leaves as a hobby so I always bring my cups to you when I’m finished 97.  you look like you’re having a bad day so I get some icing and draw a smiley face on your cookie 98.  I overheard you talking about how you wish my shop had board games so the next time you come in, I watch your reaction to my new shelf of board games 99.  you’re the very kind employee who brings me my favourite tea when you witness my public (and loud) breakup 100.  this coffee shop is owned and run by queer people and is so very gay with our decor and the names of our menu items, and I’m pretty sure you’re not as straight you think you are because you keep coming in and asking a thousand questions 101.  you dropped to your knee to tie your shoe but suddenly, people are congratulating us on getting engaged and we just scored free coffee so we roll with it 102. I’m wistfully watching a couple when you come up to the counter to order something and get frustrated with my daydreaming

[imaginegfriend]

gfriend as your girlfriends: [ 🦊 sowon 🦊 ]

g e n r e: f — for fluff

HOW YOU GUYS BEGAN DATING:

you were hanging out with her and the girls at the dorm one night

they had all gotten back from a schedule and you and umji were cooking a meal for everybody bc they were all tired but umji is the only one who would help lol

and sowon runs over to you showing you a picture that she had taken of you from across a table previously on her phone saying “i’m such a good photographer look you look so cute!”

you grabbed her phone and smiled, agreeing with her and sending the photo to yourself. “oh is this from that cafe we went to last weekend? i didn’t know you were taking pictures, creep.” she laughed and slapped you on the arm, “yeah i take almost everybody i know there, it’s the best one around here to go to.”

umji interjected (since she was right there anyways), setting down her cooking utensil with an accusing look on her face, “you never took me there!”

following that, a round of “me either!”s came from the living room and a special comment from sinb: “why do you always take ______ to the good places? is she your favorite or something?”

sowon snatched her phone back with a nervous laugh and a rose color stained on her cheeks, turning around to face everyone else, “shut up! you guys don’t know how to behave and that’s why i never take you to the good places.”

later on, as the mood started to settle and everybody was getting tired from their stomachs being filled to the brim and playing around with each other all night, you were preparing to sleep on the couch as sowon walked in while tying her hair on a bun

“you know you don’t have to sleep on the couch every time, right?” sowon suggested, taking the spare blanket you laid on the couch and beginning to walk back toward her room. “i know the bed isn’t that big but you could at least sleep with me.”

you shrugged and followed her quietly and climbed into her bed directly after she did. both of you were facing one another and she chewed her bottom lip, something obviously on her mind.

“you know how i always buy you those things?” she broke the silence with a whisper as you nodded, suddenly feeling guilty; you never wanted her to, but she always insisteid on you taking her gifts. “like the purses and jewelry and stuff that i always hear you talking about?

“yeah, what about them?” you asked, nervous to hear where she was going with this. she reached for your hand under the covers and your body instantly warmed up.

a shaky sigh left sowon’s lips as she began speaking again, “i’ve just been thinking... and you might not get what i’m trying to say but, maybe you are my favorite. and i know you’re close with all of us, but i was hoping that i was your favorite too?”

she was right; you didn’t get what she was trying to say. of course she was your favorite, you spent most of your time with her; she didn’t see that? “i’m asking you if.. you would want to be with me?” she whispered lower this time, but you still heard her.

 you smiled softly and brought your interlocked hands up to your lips, kissing her knuckles, “well, duh. i was wondering when you were gonna stop fawning over me long enough to ask.”

she tried her hardest to hold her laugh in so she didn’t wake anybody else up as she slapped your arm, just like earlier before pulling you in for a soft, sleepy kiss.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER:

if you’re taller than her, she’s really excited about that because she’s used to being one of the tallest people wherever she goes

when she tries to flirt with you she says “i’m gonna climb you like a tree”

if you’re shorter than her she calls you her little oompa loompa even though you hate it but she thinks its endearing

she even told you to dye your hair green once

and you call her rice krispie because her bones are always snapping, crackling, and popping

she still spoils you like there’s no tomorrow, esp. during a comeback or during awards season because she feels bad that her already minuscule time with you becomes even smaller

she tries to take you on cute, secret dates to low-profile restaurants that have amazing food

but it ends up being less romantic than it is hilarious because she sends her food back 5 times before fully eating it then leaves a rating for it on a napkin

and obviously since she has $$$ but she’s still a scammer she negotiates getting the food for a cheaper price since she had to send it back so many times

since she’s mostly busy during the day, she calls you up late at night to do weird shit like go tandem-bike riding in a park or do an ikea scavenger hunt for your future apartment

“aren’t your old, brittle bones too fragile to be riding bikes sojung?” “okay you’re being really ageist right now so i’ll call you back when you can respect your elders.”

drops hints about wanting to live with you and having a future with you all. the. time.

like she’s always sending you links to sleek apartments for sale with a “👀” attached

she’s used to taking care of everybody else but she loves when you guys are all alone and she’s tired from practice or a schedule and you take care of her for once, cuddling her and running your fingers through her hair

even so, she still catches herself having those moments where she acts like an overbearing mother: “don’t forget to wear a jacket today because if you catch a cold all you’re going to get from me is a hot bowl of ‘i told you so’ noodle soup”

and she would be petty enough to buy alphabet soup and make sure to spell out ‘i told you so’ with the letters

she hates when you hang out with sinb, yuju, and umji for a full day because you always come back to her acting like this

but honestly you could say the same thing about her

she knows she’s sexy but gets super flustered if you tell her that she looks good in something; if she tells you though, and you get flustered, she keeps saying it until you vocally acknowledge how good you look

wont allow you to say you’re cuter than her but she’s allowed to do it whenever she wants

“ugh i look so good today, you could never” “i already did... and twice yesterday”

she always talks about romcoms that you guys watch together on vlive and her face goes like 😧 when people comment stuff like “why are you watching so many romcoms lately are you in love lmao”

then she changes the subject

and one day while they’re at a hotel, yerin walks in their room saying “y/n’s on the phone for yooouuuu” in a teasing voice bc she didn’t know sowon was on vlive

and thats how you guys ended up going public lol but sowon wasn’t upset because even though the members and the company knew, she got tired of lying to everyone else

after this she tries to go everywhere with you to show you off because why wouldn’t she?

the other members refer to you guys as the senior citizen couple because you never want to do anything fun and are homebodies

and you feel bad because you’re the homebody and sowon is the extrovert but you always convince her to stay with you lmao

if you guys are able to spend your anniversaries together, she takes you somewhere in europe for a weekend because she thinks its romantic and obviously she loves the food

and she wants to spend the whole day sightseeing together but STILL wants to be up all night talking to you. halfway through she ends up talking to herself though because you fell asleep lmao

the last day she tries to be extremely romantic to make up for dragging you around the whole time (even though you didnt mind) with breakfast for 2 in bed and a warm bath together with rose petals and stuff in it

if you guys are apart because she’s in a different country or she just can’t see you that day, you guys try to text all day but her heart breaks when she hears how sad your voice is over video chat

when you call some other famous person that you’ll literally never meet in a million years cute she gets jealous. like really jealous

“yeah they’re cute but cute is always going to get demolished next to gorgeous. like they’re cute but they’re not me or anything”

when you meet her family they love you because they say they thought she would never find anybody as crazy as her and she’s like “what do you mean crazy?”

when you guys finally move into an apartment together, she insists on you guys and the members moving the boxes because she wants to prove to you that her bones aren’t weak and fragile

halfway through she’s sitting in the bedroom on the lone mattress ordering a moving team and a some food because she can’t take it anymore

oh yeah you guys finally got to go on that ikea scavenger hunt lol and it’s a relatively cheap store but she managed to pick out the most expensive things in there

almost everyday she wakes up to you about to burn the entire apartment down because “i just wanted to make you breakfast because you’ve been so tired lately”

and she tells you that she’s going to put padlocks on the drawers in the kitchen and the fridge if you can’t manage boiling water without evaporating it on the stove

“i think meonji likes me better than you” “i like you better than me too”

sometimes you guys just stand in the middle of the living room, holding each other and looking into each others eyes and kissing a little

she still gets upset if she sees rice krispies and/or rice krispie treats in the cabinets and she’ll hide them from you

ever since her first fashion show she tries to put together your outfits because she thinks she’s a high fashion mogul now

“we’re just going grocery shopping why do i need to get this dressed up?” “do you want to embarrass me in front of the fashion world? they’re always watching.”

you catch her introducing the products she’s using in the mirror all the time like she’s a beauty guru on youtube

and god forbid she gets a little alcohol in her she’s like sojung 10.0

her hands are everywhere on you and she’s saying stuff to you thats making you go 😧

and those are the times you’re thankful that you have your own place together lmao

“but sojung don’t you think the other girls would want me to watch their fancams too?” “oh i wasn’t aware we were in a polyamorous relationship”

if you guys get into a big argument she’ll impulsively grab a pillow and a blanket from your room and try to sleep on the couch but halfway through the night she climbs in bed with you anyways

“don’t think i’m not still mad at you but this is half my bed too” and then you both apologize in the morning because going to bed mad is the worst thing ever

she almost jokingly doesn’t accept your apology because you tried to make her breakfast again

she’s corny and cute so she got you guys promise rings

“i know i can’t marry you right now but i definitely want to spend the rest of my life with you. if you want to do the same with me.. promise me?”

of course you said yes.

and now she can’t stop taking those pictures where her hand is always in the frame so everybody can see the ring

a/n: okay so i know the first part is kinda like a fic instead of just short or medium length bullet points but i didnt realize that until after i finished so i think i’ll just do the “how you guys began dating” section like that for all the girls

[dontshootmespence]

Broken Homes Fix Broken Hearts

A/N: Let @veroinnumera and I in on your thoughts for our OTP! Fuel us!

Chapter 33

It was far too early in the morning, but Derek was already on edge. Tonight...he was doing this. He was going to ask the woman he loved to marry him. It was actually pretty nauseating. Pulling everyone else out of their morning fogs, Garcia walked into the room clapping excitedly. “Tonight’s the night!” She sing-songed. “Chocolate Thunder, do you have everything ready?”

“Yup. All good to go.”

Hotch’s rare smile emerged as she looked up. “How are you feeling?”

“I definitely want to hurl. I’m pretty positive she’s going to say yes though, so I don’t know why I’m freaking out.”

“Because you’re opening yourself up to rejection. That feeling of vulnerability really sucks,” Spencer said matter-of-factly, barely looking up from his still-steaming cup of coffee. Silence fell around him to the point where he looked up. “What? You weren’t looking for an answer, were you?”

“No, kid.”

Emily moved her hand back, tapping him on the shoulder. “You two are so disgustingly in love. The proposal you have planned is the most adorable thing you’ve ever done in your life. You’re going to be fine.”

                                                            -----

About halfway through the day, Derek gave up on even trying to pretend he was doing paperwork. His head was spinning and he needed to get it on straight before tonight. No way was he letting this be anything less than perfect. She deserved perfect.

There were only two people in the world he knew could help him. One was the woman he planned on proposing to that night, so he couldn’t call her. Instead he picked up the phone and dialed the other: his mama.

The phone rang a few times before her voice came through on the other end. “Hello?”

“Hey Mama, it’s Derek. I just...I needed you.” He smiled.

“Is everything alright? Are you hurt? Is Juliet hurt? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, I promise. Well, there might be later if she doesn’t say yes. But that’s why I’m calling actually. I-uh-I’m going to propose tonight.”

A joyful peel of laughter cut off any further explanation. He could hear the tears in her voice. “Oh baby I’m so happy for you. She will. I know she will. She’s meant to be family and meant to be your wife.”

Wife. He liked that word. But he had to get to fiancee first. “I’m actually nervous, Mama. Why am I nervous?”

“Because you love her. It’s not so much believing that she’ll say no as putting pressure on yourself to make it the most amazing night of her life thus far,” Fran replied. “How are you doing it?”

For the next few minutes, he regaled her with the details of the proposal, confiding in her that while the basic idea had been his, it wouldn’t have happened without the help of Reid and Garcia. “Those are good ones, that team of yours.”

“Yea, they are,” he said, breathing deeply as he looked at his watch. He needed to get back to work. “I’m feeling better, Mama. Thank you.”

“Any time, my baby boy. As soon as she says yes, I need a phone call, okay?”

“Of course, wish me luck.”

“You won’t need it.”

                                                           -----

Her father’s ring was beginning to burn a hole in Juliet’s pocket. Not literally, that would be a fire hazard, especially in a library. But figuratively it was starting to make her anxious. What was the plan? Was there even a plan? Should there be a plan? Her brain was burning through thoughts left and right. She had no idea what she was doing or how any of this was supposed to work.

All those great romances in cinema always showed the proposals, but not how the fuck anyone ever figured out how to propose. Not helpful. She knew how that part worked, all loving words and happy crying. At least, that was if he said yes. He would say yes. Right?

Of course he would. Anxiety was not going to ruin this for her. She was in love and going to spend the rest of her life with the person that made her feel happier than Juliet had ever thought possible. Derek Morgan would say yes, because he loved her the same way she loved him: with everything they had.

Approaching the door to the home they shared, Juliet noticed something that wasn’t there before. It looked like...paper? She strode up and took it off the door, unfolding it and smiling to herself.

This box is mostly filled with things

That never bring you glee.

Like bills, and junk and other things,

You’d rather never see.

A scavenger hunt.

Today was their one-year anniversary and he’d planned a scavenger hunt. He was truly the most amazing man ever. “Okay, so this obviously means the mailbox,” she muttered to herself. An enormous smile spread across her face as she ran like a kid to a tree on Christmas morning toward the mailbox, opening it to see her favorite lavender candles inside - along with another piece of paper. She read the next clue out loud.

Romance, mystery, fantasy Dive deep inside to look Find the place where you and I lose all our time Getting lost inside our books

Juliet frowned to herself, rereading the paper a few times. There were bookshelves in the living room but they didn’t read there usually. Most of the time they read upstairs, in the bedroom. The bedroom? It was worth a shot.

She headed back to the front door and inside, going up the stairs rather than look around for Derek. He might not even be home yet, he hadn’t texted. Hopefully she wasn’t ruining a surprise. Oops?

Juliet pushed the bedroom door open, ready to start tearing the room apart, only to find a bouquet of gorgeous yellow tulips. She paused for a moment, smiling. If Derek was there she would’ve been hugging him so tight. They were her favorites, and he hadn’t even had to ask to check.

Picking them up, she noticed another little paper taped to the bouquet. She could do this all day. The smile on her face felt like it was plastered there.

Up and down, and up and down you climb these everyday. You've likely seen the clue on these, but passed it anyway.

“What?”

Turning around, she stared out of the room and down the hallway. “I climb the stairs. But I passed the stairs. There wasn’t anything-”

She stopped herself mid-sentence when she a box on the floor with a paper attached. Before she read the next clue, she glanced into the box, assuming she’d find a pair of heels, but of course, Derek knew her too well. High heels weren’t her thing - with a few minor exceptions. Instead, she found a pair of white strappy gladiator sandals. They didn’t go too high on the leg either which was something that always bugged her. Only Amazonian tall women could pull off big-ass gladiator shoes. And women with insanely long legs. She almost forgot about the paper until it crinkled in her hand. “What’s next?” She asked softly.

It seems our clothes just keep returning

to this same machine.

At least they're better than the things

the ancients used to clean.

Laundry room. Juliet grinned, it had to be. After strapping on the shoes, she went the rest of the way down the stairs and headed for the laundry room. She blushed looking over the machines and recalling a few adventures. Later. There would be time for fun later, right now she needed to find the next clue.

After rifling through the shelves, Juliet finally opened the dryer to find another box, larger this time. She peeled back white tissue paper to reveal a simple robin egg blue dress, pulling it out she found an intricately detailed open back. Subtle, but beautiful. She’d always called her style casual and comfy, which it was at times, but Derek knew better than that, which was becoming clear right this very moment.

Luckily, the dress wasn’t too fussy so she was able to get it on without help, though she had grown quite fond of Derek lending a hand and zipping her up. Sometimes though that meant they didn’t get out of the house on time because he’d decide it looked much better off than on.

A bittersweet “aww” reverberated through the room as she realized she was toward the end of her scavenger hunt.

For your final item to begin our anniversary date:

When you're feeling less than fresh there's just one place to go To wash and get all squeaky clean and scrub between each toe.

“Bathroom!” She squealed happily. When she ran in, she caught a glimpse of the dress. She looked radiant in it. Maybe it was the dress, maybe it was the fact that she was insanely happy right now. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t about to question this feeling. Quickly, she looked around and her eyes caught a basket of bath products - lavender again. There was a bath bomb, shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion for when she got out, even a purple towel.

Taking out her phone, she texted Derek. “Are you home, you sneak? I’ve found all your clues.”

She didn’t get a reply, but less than a minute later, Derek peeked his head around the door frame, flashing her a cheesy smile. “You found everything?”

“Yes!” She cried out, jumping into his embrace. “That was so much fun.”

“I have so much more planned,” he winked.

Juliet did a little happy dance as he put her down. “Oh, do tell.”

“Well, I have dinner starting downstairs. It’s a surprise what we’re having. These bath things are for you. Take a bath while I finish cooking. I’m even going to put the towel in the dryer and heat it up for when you get out. Then put on the outfit and I’m going to take the flowers and some of the candles downstairs. I figured you could use one in here.” The unrestrained joy on his face told her he was proud of himself. He should be. This was perfect. She’d remember this forever.

She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him, lingering there to capture this perfect moment. “Mood lighting. I like it. Okay, my sexy Casanova. I’ll take a bath and I’ll be down in a bit.”

                                                           -----

Half an hour later Juliet was slipping back into the dress and shoes and heading downstairs. She was trying to be quiet, but the house was old and the stair creaked, betraying her. Derek played along though, ignoring her until her hands were over his eyes. “Guess who.” She murmured happily, pressing a kiss to his neck.

“Hmmm, I’m terrible at guessing. Give me another hint.” Derek insisted, grinning.

She rolled her eyes, removing her hands and kissing him lightly. “Oh, it’s the woman I’m hopelessly and irrevocably in love with.”

“Hi.” Juliet whispered, unable to help the smile that spread onto her lips. She felt giddy; he made her feel so excited and content.

When they’d visited his family, his mama had cooked some fettuccine alfredo that Juliet had fallen in love with, so after hanging up with her earlier, he texted in desperation for the recipe. Up until then, he honestly had no idea what he was going to cook, just that he was planning to cook. Juliet took a piece of pasta from the bowl, slurping it up and leaving a drop of alfredo sauce on her nose. “I kind of want to do the lady and the tramp thing with the pasta.”

For her, he’d do it. His heart started beating frantically. She looked so stunning. Her smile carefree, her eyes awash with candlelight. Dinner smelled amazing, and in the background of his sense, he could smell the tulips he’d picked up for her. “You look beautiful, Juliet,” he said seriously.

“Thank you, love.” She blushed, looking down at her plate. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

It was now or never. He couldn’t wait until after dinner. He’d throw it up in the process and that was not how he wanted her to remember this proposal. “You know I love you more than anything else in the world, right?” He asked, his voice wavering slightly.

“Of course, I do.”

“When we met, I figured this was a favor I was doing for my cousin. I never expected to meet the love of my life. And I definitely didn’t expect for said woman to assume I was a stripper on first meeting,” he laughed.

Juliet covered her face with her hands, remembering the epitome of foot in mouth that had happened the year before. “To be fair. You would be an amazing stripper.”

Derek chuckled. Even in a moment like this she could make him laugh. This was definitely the woman he was meant to spend the rest of his life with, if she’d have him. “We’ll have to revisit that later. But for right now, I have something else I’d like to do, if that’s alright.”

“Derek?” She asked softly, breath catching in her throat. He was going to say another perfect thing if she let him keep talking. But she couldn’t. This was it, this was the right moment. Slowly Juliet started to reach into her pocket.

“Juliet. Could you look at me for a second?” He murmured. She froze, looking up. He was shaking. She gripped the ring tight. “Is everything okay?”

He nodded but didn’t speak, slowly getting up out of his chair and reaching into his back pocket.

No.

As if it was happening in slow motion, Derek knelt down on the floor, reaching into his pocket where he held a velvet pouch. He dropped it into his hand.

This wasn’t happening.

Yes, it was. “Oh my god,” she whispered, hands covering her mouth as the tears sprang to her eyes. “Derek?”

“Juliet Hunter-Lewis,” he started, grasping her hand, “No one on earth has ever made me feel like you do. I see everything when I look at you. The wedding, the marriage, the family, the growing old together. I’ve never been able to imagine that with anyone, but with you it’s just so natural. If you do me the honor of being my wife, I will spend every day of the rest of our lives making you feel about me the way I feel about you...Will you marry me?”

Tears starting to blur her vision, Juliet found her way out of her chair and knelt down on the floor in front of him, trembling as she pulled her father’s ring out of her pocket. “Only if you say yes too.” She laughed through the tears, smiling at the love of her life.

Derek found himself laughing too as he nodded. “Yes. Yes. A million times yes. Or whatever the biggest number Reid knows is. That’s how many yeses.”

“Then yes!” Juliet exclaimed, holding out her right hand and trying in vain to keep it from shaking. They both knelt there on the ground laughing and crying as Derek slid the ring onto her finger and then she did the same. “This is so beautiful.”

“It’s my mama’s. She gave it to me when we visited.”

That was months ago. “You didn’t ask her for it?”

“No,” he replied. “She just knew. Mother’s intuition, I guess.”

She was going to have to give Fran the longest hug in the entire world next time she saw her. “It’s amazing. She’s amazing. You’re amazing.” Leaning in, she grabbed his face in her hands and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I love you so much.”

Cradling the back of her head, he pulled her closer, their sweet and chaste kisses turning breathless in the blink of an eye.

“Dinner’s probably getting cold,” she laughed.

He didn’t care. “We do have a microwave.”

Something told her dinner was going to have to wait.

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[starredwrites]

Fate’s Door, Chapter 10: Getting To Know One Another

Masterpost/Chapter 9/Chapter 11

The first stop on their journey was Midford, a medium-sized but not particularly well-known city. It lay halfway between the coast and the eastern border, in the desert. The trip was two days, as Joan had warned, and the cramped conditions were irritating the passengers even a few hours in. They would sleep in the train as it continued towards Midford, and be there at the end of the next day.

Virgil and Logan took seats next to each other on the train, and talked up a storm about anything and everyone. Roman and Patton were suffering through awkward silence in the seats behind them, both trying to find something to say that wasn’t completely ridiculous. Joan went to the dining car, leaving the teens to their own devices.

After an awkward half hour of silence, Patton asked the question that had been burning on his mind all day. “You rescued a bunny?”

Roman stopped staring off into space, startled. They realized what Patton was asking and began telling the tale. “Yeah, I was enamored with the idea of having a pet rabbit, even though my dad and stepmom were convinced that having a pet would make me less fit for the crown. It was after the king and some other nobles went out to hunt for sport. When I saw a cute little bunny dying from a gunshot, looking just like the pet I had always wanted, I picked it up and ran it over to the royal vet as fast as my tiny legs could carry me.” Roman illustrated their story with their hands and face, making Patton feel like he was on the palace lawn next to the prince, determined to save the little bunny. “The vet laughed at me, said there was no chance of survival and that there were too many rabbits already, so he wouldn’t heal this one.”

Patton’s face fell. “Aw, poor rabbit. He should’ve lived, that vet was cruel.”

“It was the last time I defied my parents.” Roman said, putting on an almost perfect straight face. They stared out the window at the land rushing by, as if dramatically having a flashback.

“Really?” Patton asked, “I heard much different.” Rumor on the streets was that the prince was extremely defiant, and was something of a nuisance to the king, who wanted a perfectly polished heir.

“No. I’ve defied them constantly since that day, out of spite. And, of course, a thirst for justice.” Roman smiled, enjoying Patton’s reaction to their small dramatic performance.

“That makes a lot more sense!” A laugh tumbled out of his mouth. “I heard you once hid out in a storeroom for a week because you didn’t want to deliver a speech.” Patton knew that the gossip probably wasn’t true, but they wanted to see if there was any truth to it.

“It was two days, and it was because I couldn’t check books out from the Fiction section of the castle library,” they clarified, amused that their adventure had been blown so out of proportion. “Ever done anything like that?” Roman asked, curious about Patton’s life. He seemed like the sort of person they wanted to know better.

“No, but I did set up a surprise party for someone-” Patton paused “-on the wrong day. The person comes into the room, everybody’s got confetti and cake and banners, we all cheer, and then they say ‘It’s tomorrow’”

Roman guffawed. “Then what happened?”

“We celebrated anyways, and the cake was delicious. I got teased about it a lot though, no one trusted me with the dates of important events.”

Patton and Roman continued swapping stories and laughing the whole ride until they couldn’t keep their eyes open any longer. As Virgil was painfully awake listening to Roman and Patton not-so-subtly giggling and talking late at night, she felt proud of Roman for making a friend. The thought distracted her from the gnawing sense of anxiety she felt about the days to come. If they didn’t find something, everyone would be doomed.

The sun woke everyone up bright and early the next morning. As any traveler knows, it is nigh impossible to sleep with bright sunlight blaring in your face. Overnight, the other two passengers in Virgil and Logan’s row had left, so Roman and Patton took those seats when the group came back from breakfast in the dining car. After an hour of sleepy silence, conversation started and didn’t stop. Logan asked Roman about the castle library, Roman wanted to give them all wardrobe makeovers, Patton started a game of Would You Rather?, and Virgil laughed along with everyone, though she spent more time staring out the window than anything else.

Logan and Patton were arguing about whether or not their senses of style were the same or not when Roman decided they needed to make an announcement. Logan was on the side that him and Patton were vastly different, Patton thought they had identical taste. Virgil wondered about when they would get to Midford.

With a dramatic hand gesture to capture the other three’s attention, Roman said, “Um, so since we’re going on a dangerous death quest thing together, I think we should be pretty...upfront with each other about personal stuff and anything that’s important for other, trusted people to know,” Roman said, with all the grace of a porcupine tumbling around a room made of cork boards. “Any objections?”

Everyone nodded, somewhat confused.

“I’ve got something to get off my chest. I’m nonbinary. I know it’s a fairly new identity and the very idea of there being more than two genders is like, two years old, but it’s my identity. If you have any problems, please walk back to Archdale because I’m the one paying Joan. Oh, and when referring to me, please use ‘they’ instead of he or she because I’m more comfortable with it. It’s, uh, kinda how you refer to boats as ‘she’ even though there’s really no reason to except, like, the opposite.” Roman gave an awkward, forced smile. This was the first time they’d come out to anyone other than Thomas, and it was already ranking in the top 10 of their most stressful experiences.

“Cool,” Patton said, “I’m a trans guy, so I get it. Thank you for being comfortable enough to share that with us. If you need anyone to talk to about gender-related issues, I’m here.” As the little ones would say, Patton was in “dad mode.”

“I’m fine with it,” Logan said, “There’s actually no scientific or evolutionary reason for there to be only two genders, and respecting identities I consider to be basic human decency. I’ll use your pronouns, and if you’re uncomfortable with anything just let me know.”

Virgil didn’t know what to say, so the awkward silence persisted for an uncomfortable amount of time. Finally, she spoke. “Ok by me. Makes a lot of sense, actually.”

If deer in headlights had a role model they looked up to, at this moment it would be Roman. They cleared their throat and went back to figuring out what exactly the difference between Logan and Patton’s senses of style were. So far, Patton liked dogs and Logan didn’t-as much. Virgil proposed an armor-based style for herself, with accents of black and purple. Designing dream outfits took up hours, and Logan even took his notebook out to write the ideas down. Everyone, Joan included, ate lunch together in the car, and tried not to spill anything as the train bumped along the tracks. Late evening the conductor announced that there was a delay. They would reach Midford early the next morning. Before they all knew it, night had fallen, and Joan told them all to get some sleep. The young adventurers had an important day ahead of them.

They slept like rocks in the uncomfortable seats, and awoke the next morning to Joan telling them that Midford was the next stop. Joan decided to book rooms in a local inn and get some rest after the journey. They told the group to go on and look for magic without them and come back if something required an adult.

On Logan’s hunch, they went to a nearby pub to ask the bartender if there were any rumors of magic in the area. The dimly lit space was full of pleasant morning chatter and light piano music. Logan went directly to the bartender and asked about any rumors or fables about magic. The bartender, who introduced herself as Derionna, told the group to ask the guy playing the piano.

“He knows everything going on around here,” she said, cleaning out a champagne flute from the night before, “If anyone knows, it’s Jamahl.” The four walked over to the piano, nervous about what they may or may not find.

“Hey, Derionna told us you knew stories about magical happenings in Midford?” Logan asked the handsome man leafing through sheet music on the piano bench. Roman winced at the casualness of his statement, but since they were trying to keep a low profile, the young regent couldn’t do anything.

“Why are you asking?”  

“We’re on a...scavenger hunt for our camp because today’s our free day to spend in town, and magic was the coolest item on the list,” Logan bluffed, hoping that there was actually a summer camp in the area or he was screwed.

Jamahl looked down at his music and laughed. “Your counselors must have put that on the list as a joke, because while I do know many tall tales about magic, none of them actually lead anywhere. Believe me, I’ve tried. If there ever was any, it’s gone. Sorry to disappoint.”

“Ok,” Patton said, “We’ll go look for something else.”

Roman dropped some money into the tip jar on the way out for their troubles. Patton, who would remain hopeful of living another day even if he was standing at the guillotine, asked around a couple more places, but everything turned up the same result. They would find no magic in Midford.

Back at the inn, Roman told Joan, who said there was a train to Dockerly coming tomorrow. Patton suggested they get some more food from the store, and, disenhearted, Roman and Virgil went with him. Logan talked to Joan about their quest some more, and went to the local library to look into any magical happenings in their next town, Dockerly. The librarian there was particularly helpful, and Logan found all the information he needed.

The next morning, the group prepared themselves for another long haul. Dockerly was in the mountains, and they would only be able to take the train to a town just outside the mountains. From there, they’d hire someone with a horse and cart to take them the the rest of the way. During the train ride, Patton, unbeknownst to everyone else, had bought a book of car games in Midford. It was a welcome distraction from the stiflingly hot atmosphere of the train car.

When he took the book out, Logan was impressed. “How do you remember this stuff?”

“I think ‘what would the kids need,’ and I plan for that, because it’s more fun that way,” Patton said. “Who wants to play a game of ‘never have I ever’?”

“Me,” Roman said, sitting up straighter in anticipation. “Virgil,  you go first.”

“Um...ok. Never have I ever kissed a boy.”

Patton put a finger down, so did Logan.

“Business party.”

“Roommate.”

Roman raised their eyebrows. “You have to tell me more than just that.”

Both of them blushed and quickly looked at their surroundings as if the floor had become extremely interesting. Roman elected themself to go next. “Never have I ever...read three books in a day.”

Logan put another finger down, as did Virgil. All three looked at Virgil, surprised.

“It was this really good gritty horror series and I read the whole trilogy one after the other. I barely ate or drank. You guys should read it sometime.” She shrugged, trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, even though it was obvious from Roman and Logan’s expressions that it was.

Everyone found the new information about Virgil very intriguing, but Logan cut their thoughts off with another question. “Never have I ever read the same book more than three times.” Virgil, Patton, and Logan all put a finger down, leaving Roman the only one with all their fingers.

Patton went next, and after the initial awkwardness subsided, the game was rather fun. Virgil managed to surprise Roman with the simplest of things, like sleeping with stuffed animals and eating giant squid.

“I thought that you were basically a hermit that lived alone and perfected your collection of dark clothing,” they remarked at one point.

Meanwhile, Patton was losing terribly, Logan and Virgil were both at two and three fingers, and Roman had lost one finger over the stuffed animals. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, Patton had some surprising stories to tell.

The game ended, with Roman being the last standing, right around lunch. They all got off at the small town of Avison and ate lunch with Joan, who wanted to know why they’d been laughing so much during the ride. In the afternoon, the cart taking them to Dockerly was way too bumpy to play any sort of game, so they all just talked, keeping the conversation going well into the night. Shortly after they had all become too tired to talk, they had reached a small inn in a tiny one-horse town where the party would sleep that night. They were a good deal past the foothills, and the air was already growing cold and thin as the mountains became larger.

TAGS: @fanficptsd (see here to get added)

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Exclusive 3/3

Pairing: LYJ x OC (Melanie/Li Xiangjun) || CXK x OC (Serena/Jiang Yingyue) Genre: slice of life, college!au, fluff Word Count: 5,313 Summary: Lin Yanjun openly flirts with Melanie, yet she’s tired of his games and can’t take him seriously. Cai Xukun and Serena chill on a daily, but there’s gotta be more than that between them. Eventually enough, the boys just want the girls exclusively to themselves.

part one.part two.part three

Warning: matured content as in college related stuff. swear words. NOT MOBILE FRIENDLY! not sure why, but it has all the breaks and stuff while on a desktop. (teach me if mobile is different and it can be done!)

The last part of Exclusive. Honestly, altogether if it was posted in one post it would be about 14.6k words. Just saying. Thanks for reading if any of you did and hopefully my next work can be shorter, but who knows. When it comes to you, it just comes to you. Anyways, so yeah, this is the last part and happy reading! kthxbai, Admin Lia~

"Alright, fellas, the votes are accounted for and the results are now out!" Li Rang announced while he and Chen Siqi stood opposite of Yue Yue and Wang Yilong with the big television screen in-between them displaying their house insignia.

"Okay, to keep it in suspense," Siqi began with a wicked smile with the others groaning, "We're going to announce the top five that turned in their list first. Then we'll announce the next top five that completed the most off of the list."

Yue Yue spoke after him. "Next we'll announce the top five who took the most with a Nu Chi Phi member. Lastly, we'll announce the overall number one for this scavenger list who will be our picture center and banquet host."

"Now, let's begin!" Yilong cheered as he listed the top five for turning in the list first. "Fifth, Bu Fan. Fourth, Qin Zimo. Third, Dong Yanlei. Second, He DongDong. First, Cai Xukun. Congratulations."

The boys' names appeared on the TV in their ranking order while others let out cheers for their fellow brothers.

Yue Yue spoke again after it had calmed down. "Now for the five that completed the most off the list." His eyes gazed over them before reading off the names. "Fifth, Lu Dinghao. Fourth, Zhu Xingjie. Third, Han Mubo. Second, Qin Fen. First, Cai Xukun. Congrats!"

Again, the boys' names appeared on the TV in their ranking order under a different category.

"Moving on! Next it's for the most pictures taken with a Nu Chi Phi member. These five brothers are actually super lucky to get a picture with these lovely ladies. I'm jealous I didn't participate in this one as much." Li Rang chuckled before revealing the top five. "Anyways, fifth, Zheng Ruibin. Fourth, Jeffrey. Third, You Zhangjing. Second, Wang Ziyi. First, Cai Xukun. Congratulations, fellas!"

Once more, under a different category, the boys' names were listed alongside the other two ranking statuses. Although Xukun was confused as he remembered that he didn't take it with a Nu Chi Phi member and wondered if Serena had kept that information from him just like the coffee bit.

Yilong looked at the TV before looking at his fellow brothers with an amused expression. "Wow, Cai Xukun has appeared three times in first place. Will he be our number one for picture center and banquet host?!"

A chant for Xukun began and he grew a bit embarrassed and shy from it.

"Okay, okay, calm down. Calm down." Yue Yue held up a hand before turning it into a fist to quiet down his fellow brothers to which they obeyed and he smiled. "Good. Now, Siqi, please announce our number one for this scavenger hunt."

"Can I have a drum roll please?" He asked as everyone started patting the surface before them. "Number one is..." He paused for dramatic effect. "It's Cai Xukun with a whopping nine hundred and nine points!"

Everyone congratulated Xukun as he was shocked and surprised that he actually won the scavenger hunt. Now he was going to be the picture center as well as the banquet host. Yue Yue quieted them down once again before signaling to Li Rang to explained Xukun's points and placement.

"Alright, so, Xukun, there was sixty things listed on the scavenger list," Li Rang began as he gave a summary of how Xukun's got first place overall, "You completed fifty-five of them and they were worth five points each which gave you your two hundred and seventy-five points out of three hundred points." Li Rang paused before letting Yilong continuing with the rest.

Yilong chuckled softly at Li Rang suddenly passing it on to him before speaking. "Okay, so the points are doubled when you take a picture with a Nu Chi Phi member and that's how your points became five-fifty instead." He held a hand up to silence the boys from speaking so he can continue on without interruptions. "Anyways, then we awarded you a random three hundred and fifty-nine points because it's the exclusive Serena."

Siqi interjected before the others could start asking questions about it. "Dongyue, the president of N-C-P, gave us a list of her members to include in our scavenger hunt." He explained. "This was a secret bonus and Serena was one of them, especially in the top to being featured since Dongyue told us that Serena always keeps herself low-key and not many people know she's a Nu Chi Phi member."

"Therefore how we knew for sure it was Serena was through Dongyue's help as she helped us identify each Nu Chi Phi member that you guys took photos with." Yilong inputted. "Since Serena likes covering her face and it obscures our view to notice her, Dongyue helped us make her out and even she was surprised that Serena had taken so many with Xukun and was the one to reward Xukun the points in the end. Congrats!"

Everyone congratulated and cheered for Xukun once more before chanting to reveal second place and Yue Yue announced that it was Ziyi with five hundred and thirty-one points. He rose due to taking the most pictures, but it was also his secret bonus points that was awarded to him by Dongyue because he had the most pictures taken with Nu Chi Phi member, Melanie.

The four then announced that they all can view the slideshow displaying all the images that the members had taken. Yanjun looked over at Ziyi and wondered how close was he to Melanie since he didn't think they knew each other that well or maybe it was just pure coincidence. Bei Honglin then nudged his friend breaking Yanjun out of his dazed.

"What?" Yanjun faced Honglin who shot him a knowing look. "Better ask her soon or you'll regret it."

"I won't regret anything."

"Ziyi could be your potential love rival and I won't blame Melanie if they end up dating in the end." Li Ruotian inputted with a laugh.

"I'll beat him up."

Zhangjing rolled his eyes. "No you won't."

"I could." Yanjun stated with a smug look.

"Yeah, but you won't."

"Whatever."

"Seriously though, I won't blame Xiangjun if she rejects you, Yanjun." Jiang Jingzuo added with Zhixie agreeing. "Yeah, you're the one pulling stupid stuff around her."

"I don't pull stupid stuff around her."

Dinghao looked at him a bit annoyed. "Three times you've used her as your pretend girlfriend. Three times." He repeated as Yanjun rolled his eyes. "That's different."

"Y'know, Xiangjun did confessed something to me." Chaoze admitted as everyone turned to face him with Yanjun staring intensely at him. "What?"

Zhangjing intervened. "Don't you dare say anything or she'll kill us."

"I'll torture you guys instead if you don't tell me." Yanjun threatened.

"I fear XiangXiang more than I fear you at this point, Yanjun." Zhangjing admitted as Chaoze sighed giving in. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you."

"Lin Chaoze, don't you dare say anything." Zhangjing warned, but Yanjun shoved him out of the way and leaned closer to Chaoze. "Tell me now."

"Well..."

Serena's phone buzzed and she reached a hand out to find her phone to silence the call. She almost fell back asleep, but her phone buzzed once more and she silenced it once again without bothering to look at the caller ID again. Serena let out a sigh when her mobile went off a third time and she repeated the same action as before. She felt it vibrate and dinged a second later to notify her that she got a message and it repeated three more times and Serena knew she wasn't going back to sleep peacefully unless she put it on 'do not disturb' and set it only for alarms to go off.

Picking up her phone to do just that, Serena was surprised that it was Xukun contacting her so late at night. He usually just messaged her. He hardly ever called her unless he needed something. Or wanting to be an annoying brat to bother her, but it didn't happen often. Just as she was about to set her phone to 'do not disturb', Xukun's name popped up indicating that he was calling her for a fourth time. Serena let out a sigh, but answered.

"Hello?"

"Can we meet?" Xukun asked her out of the blue.

"Bruh, it's like two in the morning."

"Please, Yingyue."

Serena was about to declined when she heard his next words and reconsider his suggestion.

"I got your favorite boba."

"I'm listening."

Xukun chuckled before speaking again. "I also have your favorite snacks. So will you meet me?"

Serena thought about it before speaking a few seconds later. "Honestly, it's late, Xukun, and yesterday's events was super eventful for me. I just kinda wanna sleep before classes start later today."

There was a long pause and Serena believed he may have hung up on her or she may have dozed off for a bit, but he was still on call with her and she gave him a moment to speak again. Still, Xukun didn't speak and she wondered if he had dozed off instead.

"Xukun?"

"Hmm?" He hummed a few seconds later.

"Oh, you're still awake."

"Yeah, I'm still awake."

Silence fell between them again until Serena broke it.

"Do you still wanna meet right now, KunKun?"

"Yes, YingYing, I do, but I also don't want to trouble you if you don't want to. I know how important sleep is for you."

"True for sleep, but you've already called and messaged me, Xukun." Serena sat up and ran a hand through her hair slowly. "Plus, I kinda can't go back to sleep right now."

"I'm sorry, Yingyue."

Serena could hear the sincerity in his voice and a small smile graced her lips. "It's fine, KunKun. I'll get ready after you tell me where you wanna meet?"

"Do you remember the place where we met the first time?" Xukun asked not hesitating to tell her the meeting point.

Just as Serena was about to answer she was distracted by the vibration sound and light blinking from Melanie's phone across the room. She ignored it at first and replied back to Xukun that she did and before she could clarify the actual location when the vibration and flashing light occurred once again. Serena glared at her sleeping friend, but then heard something knocked lightly at the bedroom's window.

"I'll meet you soon, KunKun. Bye." Serena hung up quickly not giving Xukun a chance to say goodbye as she placed her mobile on the bed and got up to investigate what it was that was making the noise.

Serena pulled back the curtains and opened the window and peered down below to see Yanjun standing underneath.

"You're not Xiangjun." Yanjun stated as Serena rolled her eyes. "Obviously. What do you want?"

"Xiangjun, of course."

"Obviously, but why?"

"To talk."

"You couldn't do it like later?"

"No."

"The boys on this campus are so buggin'" Serena muttered before looking down at Yanjun again. "Were you the one that called her just now?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I just do. Give me a minute." Serena half-turned away, but faced Yanjun again. "No bullshit."

"No bullshit. I swear." Yanjun held up his hands in a surrendering mode. "I promise."

"Don't make promises, Yanjun. Xiangjun seriously hates those because they always get broken. Just speaking from past experiences. " Serena advised him as Yanjun nodded. "Okay, Yingyue, thanks. I'll try my best to not bullshit with anything concerning Xiangjun."

"Good. I'll be back."

"Well, it's not like I'll be leaving any time soon unless she doesn't want to speak with me." Yanjun muttered more to himself than towards Serena as he waited less than a minute before hearing Melanie called him by his English name. "What, Evan?"

Yanjun glanced up at Melanie with a dimpled smile. "Hey, Melanie."

She rolled her eyes before looking down at him again. "What do you want at two in the morning?"

"I just wanna talk."

"We are talking."

"I mean could we talk with less distance between us and me not looking up at you?"

"No. It's two in the morning and some of us are trying to sleep without disturbance."

"I mean I could wake them up by talking louder and letting them know that you got a fat ass crush on me." Yanjun smirked as Melanie became more alert and narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't have a fat ass crush on you."

"Bet."

"I ain't betting shit with you, Yanjun."

"C'mon, Xiangjun, just admit that you actually like me and we can get this all done and over with."

"No. Go back to Iota Phi Theta and leave me alone to sleep."

"But Chaoze said you liked me."

"Damn. I can't tell that boy nothing." Melanie muttered, but Yanjun heard her and smirked even more. "So it's true?"

"It's nothing, Evan. Talk to me when the sun's out."

"But you've out-shined the sun so it's already out, Melanie." Yanjun stated with a smug look as Melanie shook her head at his lame attempt, but still found it kinda endearing and a smile appeared upon her face which Yanjun noticed. "See, you don't completely hate me like you think you do."

Melanie rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "I never hated you, Yanjun, I just hated all the stupid shit that surrounded you."

"So that means you like me, right, Xiangjun?" Yanjun asked unsure as Melanie shrugged with an aloof expression with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Have a good night, Evan."

"No, Xiangjun, wait. Melanie, wait." Yanjun pleaded in a panic to grab Melanie's attention and basically blurted out his confession. "I like you."

"Um, is it right here?" Serena asked herself when she arrived outside the classroom that she had first met Xukun. "Or was it at the library?" She second guessed herself upon not exactly remembering which location it was. "Shit. I should've just asked him."

"You know, Yingyue, if we were together, I would have to set your alarms of all of our anniversaries and add in notes of our special places." Xukun said appearing from around the corner of the building holding a bag of snacks and two bubble tea drinks in hand.

Serena laughed with a shrug. "Luckily we aren't, huh? I'll be a lost cause if anyone was in a relationship with me." She admitted taking her boba from him along with the bag. "Thank you, KunKun."

"You're welcome, and you're not a lost cause, YingYing, just forgetful. Super forgetful and clumsy."

"True." The two began roaming the campus aimlessly. "Anyways, why do you wanna meet so randomly?" She then nudged him. "Oh, did you win the list thing and now you're center and host?"

"Yeah. It's all thanks to you."

"I helped a little. It was all you, Xukun."

"Actually, I only won because you were a Nu Chi Phi member that helped double my points along with gaining secret bonus points."

"Ah, so now you know I'm part of a sorority."

Xukun smiled, but was still left wondering what other things Serena kept hidden in general. "I know it's none of my business, but I feel like there's a lot of things I still don't know about you."

"But isn't that better though?" Serena remarked not looking at him. "The less you know, the less you are aware of things."

"Why do I have a feeling that there's another meaning to those words when its coming from you, Ying?" Xukun looked at her with a curious look just as she turned to face him with a small smile. "You're thinking too much, Kun."

"I don't think I am. I feel like you've been hiding yourself from me or at least trying to keep yourself distant for some reason."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but I would like to get to know you better."

"Isn't what we have good enough?"

"But what if I want more?"

Serena stopped walking with Xukun doing the same and they faced one another while Serena shot Xukun a curious yet cautious glance. "Why?"

"Why what?" He asked confused.

"Why do you want more? Why do you wanna get to know me better? Why are you suddenly interested in my life? Why?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that I have feelings for you?" Xukun answered with his own question instead.

"Xukun, are you being serious, right now?"

"Yes, Yingyue, I am."

"August." Serena used his English name as a warning while Xukun did the same thing to mess with her. "Serena."

Serena narrowed her eyes at him with Xukun shooting her a playful one.

"Out of all the girls in this school and your life, Cai Xukun, why me?"

"Honestly, Jiang Yingyue, I don't know, but here we are and all I know is that I like you and I would like to take our relationship to the next step."

"You do know that if we don't work out our friendship is ruined, right?"

"Yingyue, meeting you was fate. Becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

"Gosh, you're such a dork. I can't believe you would use that on me. Have you been hanging out with Yanjun too much?" Serena playfully punched his shoulder when she heard those words fall out of his mouth with Xukun laughing sheepishly. "Okay, maybe I picked up a few things from him, but it's the truth. I really do mean them."

"Seriously though, love is a little too strong right now. We're just gonna go with like, okay?"

"So does that mean you also like me, too?"

"Well, I never actually thought about it beyond that or anything." Serena coyly responded as Xukun rolled his eyes knowingly. "Xiangjun was right. You really do like playing hard to get."

"I do not." She then narrowed her eyes at him. "You should not listen to Melanie. She likes messing with me."

"Oh, yeah?" He answered with a mischievous glint in his eyes as he neared her and brought his face closer to Serena's. "I started noticing all of your little signs yesterday that Xiangjun pointed out to me when she told me, but thought it was just your introverted self at work." He smiled wider. "But now I'm beginning to think otherwise."

Serena slightly pushed him away while taking a step back herself to put some distance between them. "Whatever, Xukun. Is this the only reason you asked me to meet you at two in the morning so you can clarify my feelings for you?"

"Partially." He answered with a chuckled before continuing. "But I was hoping you'll actually say yes in being my date for the banquet."

"What if your fangirls kill me when they find out about us or whatever. When they knew that you at first thought of me only as a friend, huh, KunKun? I'ma die at the hands of some stupid girls that only like you superficially."

Xukun started laughing and Serena punched him. "Seriously, it's not a laughing matter. I'm being serious about my future life here if we get together."

"I know, YingYing." He calmed down from laughing before reaching a hand out to pull her body against his. "And I'll be here to protect you."

"Couldn't you've just said that without pulling me against you?" She asked him becoming aware of their close proximity.

"No, then I wouldn't be able to do this easily."

"Do w-"

Xukun pressed his lips against Serena's silencing her in mid-sentence. When he pulled away breaking the kiss, Serena's first response was to slap his chest after regaining her senses back and he laughed.

"What was that for?"

"I can't believe Melanie basically told you everything concerning my love life." Serena stated while feeling all sorts of emotions building up inside her and she didn't know which one to express more.

"Well she did tell me that I would have to make the first move since you would continue to run away from it."

"Of course she would."

"Anyways, now that I got the exclusive Serena to myself, you think she'll open up to me more now?"

"I dunno. She has a mind of her own, but I'll ask and get back to you as soon as possible on what she says." Serena smiled after calming down the feelings inside her.

Xukun gave her a look and Serena giggled at his reaction while hooking their arms together and leading them to walk aimlessly once more in a random direction after taking a sip of her bubble tea drink. "C'mon. Let's just take it slow for now. It's too early to process all of this. We can deal with this when it's later in the afternoon or something."

"How about we just Netflix and chill?" Xukun offered as Serena side-eyed him. "You can Netflix and chill alone and I'll go back to mine's to sleep."

"Can't we just fall asleep together while watching a movie and eating popcorn in the process?"

"No. That would mean cuddles for you and waking up to extra body heat for me."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"I guess you have to reconsider about this whole thing of being in a relationship with me then."

Xukun laughed. "Xiangjun warned me that you would try to convince me otherwise and to not fall for it."

"Ugh, Melanie's so annoying even though she's not here." Serena muttered before looking down to see that Xukun had laced their fingers together and looked over at him expectantly where he was already gazing at her tenderly. "Give me a chance, Yingyue, and I'll show you that it'll be worth it."

A smiled appeared on Serena's face as she slowly nodded. "Okay, Xukun, and I'll try my best to be more open with you as best as I can."

"It's a start." Xukun grinned happily as Serena smiled with a shake of her head. "Yeah, it is."

"Excuse me?" Melanie stared down at Yanjun suspiciously. "What did you say, Evan?"

"I like you, Xiangjun." Yanjun repeated while confidently looking up at her. "Now can we talk better?"

"Stay there. I'll be down." Melanie ordered him as Yanjun rolled his eyes. "Does she think I'm gonna run off or something?"

A mischievous smirk slowly appeared on his face as he ran off to hide from Melanie. When Melanie finally made her way out of the house and around it to talk with Yanjun, he was no longer standing where she last saw him.

"Och, where did he go? That brat."

Before Melanie could turn back around to go inside the house, she felt arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her with Yanjun's voice whispering playfully against her ear. "Aww, baby, did you miss me already?"

"Gosh you're so annoying." Melanie answered instead although she didn't fight to get out of his embrace which Yanjun interpreted as a good sign.

"That's what you always say, Melanie, but we've done this so many times."

"It's only because you're super clingy, Lin. Yan. Jun."

"Only for you."

Melanie internally cringed and let out a sigh. "Don't you ever get tired?"

"Only if I'm running around in that mind of yours every day."

"If you don't answer me with an actual straight answer, Yanjun, then I'm gonna slap you."

Yanjun chuckled as his grip tightened a little more around Melanie in a cozy back-hug while placing his chin onto her shoulder. "You've threatened me many times, Xiangjun, but I don't recall you having ever delivered any of them."

"Well, we can find out right now because I want to be the first one to report your death and all of your fangirls can mourn over you."

"That's harsh isn't it? Especially for you, considering you'll be crying the hardest over my passing and didn't even get a chance to confess your love for me when you had the chance to."

"My dude, you're so friggin' annoying." Melanie let out in an exasperated tone as she tried to shrug him off of her, but it was hardly useful as he had a firm grip upon her while laughing at her attempt. "Only the best for my favorite girl."

Upon hearing that Melanie stopped squirming and stood still suddenly alerting Yanjun of her change in behavior.

"Like can you stop?" Melanie said in a flat tone.

Yanjun removed his arms from around Melanie and turned her around to face him instead. "What do you mean?"

"This. All of this. Everything, Evan." She motioned with her hands between him and her. "Can you stop fucking with me and go annoy some other girl who is willing to deal with your bullshit twenty-four-seven because I'm honestly done with it."

Yanjun stared at her blankly as he tried to process her words which made Melanie continued on with her pent-up frustrations towards him.

"You're a cool person and all, Yanjun. Don't get me wrong, but you have nothing but drama surrounding you that I don't wanna fuck with." Melanie admitted. "From your constant flirting to your dumb ass hardcore fangirls and turning to me as a fake girlfriend when one of them gets it into their head that they can be more with you because of your actions when I shouldn't even be involved at all. That's not my problem to handle. It's yours."

Melanie ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Honestly, it's hard for me to see you as a genuine friend or even something more beyond that when I constantly see only that side of you majority of the time and it just turns me off." She let out a long breath while looking at him with tiredness in her eyes. "I'm sorry to blow up in front of you, but I'm just so tired of your games and bullshit excuses, Yanjun."

Yanjun continued to stay speechless as he was still trying to process the sudden change in the atmosphere between him and Melanie from earlier prompting Melanie to end the night with a heavy heart as she didn't want to continue with this. "Anyways, have a good night, Evan. When or if ever you do get your shit together, maybe we can start over."

Just as Melanie had walked on passed Yanjun, his hand shot out to firmly grip her forearm preventing her from leaving and bringing her back around to face him again. Melanie was about to protest when she suddenly felt Yanjun's lips upon hers. Unconsciously, Melanie tried to pull away, but Yanjun placed a hand at the back of her neck instinctively to prevent her from doing so.

Yanjun deepened the kiss to convey his feelings to Melanie as her body relaxed against him and kissed him back a few seconds later. Yanjun broke the kiss a moment later allowing the both of them to catch their breaths. Melanie avoided all eye-contact as she shifted her gaze downwards to regain all of her senses as she was totally caught off guard by the sudden kiss. Yanjun placed his forefinger and thumb against her chin to lift her head so that they can lock eyes with his staring at her tenderly.

"I really like you, Xiangjun, and I'm sorry for putting you through those situations and other bullshit." He confessed. "I didn't mean for them to get out of hand, but one thing led to another and repeated and I just assumed it'll all fall into place on its own accord. I'm really sorry."

"Saying sorry, doesn't fix everything, Yanjun." Melanie told him as Yanjun smiled sadly. "I know, but I'm willing to make it up to you as best as I can."

"Did Serena tell you that I hate promises?"

"Yes."

"That girl."

"And I'm glad she did, because I'm done bullshitting you." He looked at her expectantly. "By chance is it too late to start over?"

"It's never too late to start over."

"Good. Because I need to stake my claim before it's too late."

Melanie shot him a weird look. "Too late for what?"

"To make you exclusively mine, Melanie." Yanjun smirked. "Wang Ziyi is not gonna take you away from me."

"Ziyi is just a friend."

"Then why did you let him take so many pictures with you when you wouldn't even let me ask you to do that for me yesterday?"

"Because you were a brat, Evan, and Ziyi isn't."

"Y'know, I got dirt on him."

"You got nothing on him, Yanjun. The only dirt you're gonna find on him is him planting flowers for the greater good."

"Yeah, you right." Yanjun admitted with a laugh as Melanie looked at him in concern. "What about your fangirls?"

"What about them?"

"You better control them and not come at me because you decided to like me and want to pursue a relationship."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to be the one that gets them off your back for good."

"You better or I'll end this relationship so fast and move on to Ziyi in a blink of an eye."

"Don't you even think of doing that, Xiangjun." Yanjun warned her as he encircled his arms around Melanie's body and pulled her against him with a cheeky smile a moment later. "How about an impromptu late night slash early morning date?"

"Nah, I'm good. I need to sleep, anyways." Melanie declined with a laugh as she wrapped her arms around his waist a moment later. "We can have a date after I'm done with my classes later today."

"But that means you won't be done until after four."

"Okay, stalker, chill. We got lots of time to hang out."

"One, I'm not a stalker. Two, I'm your boyfriend so it's validated that I would know your schedule."

"Okay, boy, slow your roll." Melanie chuckled with a shake of her head. "One, I never agreed to becoming your girlfriend, and two, we just admitted our feelings for one another not too long ago."

Yanjun laughed while also shaking his head. "I'm pretty sure we can skip to the point where we're exclusively a couple already." He grinned. "Besides, Melanie, we had three practices of becoming boyfriend and girlfriend in the past. It's validated that we're official now."

"That's according to you." Melanie rolled her eyes, but smiled anyways as she began to lead them to the front of Nu Chi Phi's front yard. "Whatever, Evan, you do you. Now go back to Iota Phi Theta and get some sleep. Then maybe we can have breakfast in several hours if I feel like it."

"Whether you feel like it or not, maybe I'll bring breakfast to you in bed." He nudged her.

"If you can get through the front door."

"Oh, I have no worries about not being able to get through the doors, Xiangjun."

"I'm sure you don't, but please no. I'll meet you at Little Tangerine instead."

"How about I meet you outside your sorority house and we can go to Little Tangerine together."

"Sure, Yanjun, that's fine with me. Good night." She bid him farewell with a small wave, but Yanjun softly tugged her back by the end of her shirt and she looked at him with a confused expression. "What?"

"My good night's kiss." He said with his dimples showing as Melanie caught the mischievous glint in his eyes.

Melanie quickly pecked Yanjun on the cheek and ran off laughing with a final wave before disappearing inside Nu Chi Phi a second later. Yanjun scoffed with a light chuckle and shaking his head simultaneously at Melanie's action just now.

"How cute." He muttered while looking at the house before turning on his heels and headed casually towards his own fraternity house. "I ain't mad." He told himself with a cheeky grin upon his face. "I'll get a proper kiss later today eventually."

[102818arcvd]

PLOT BUNNIES MASTERPOST

GENERAL/MISCELLANEOUS:

You’re walking home and it’s late. I can't just let you walk home like that so I’m walking a bit behind you so I can make sure you’re safe, but that doesn’t mean I’ll admit that soft tidbit of facts.

‘I can’t avoid you. Why do you keep showing up in places where I’m at and… Are you-? You’re not-? You can’t be stalking me . . . are you? Are you sure you’re not?’

Jinsoo has a bad habit of taking dares and bets with enough coercing even if they are not in the best option for him. your muse had dared him // or you’re involved in a dare that he has been tasked with. 

Jinsoo has been coming by and feeding this stray animal for weeks, only to find out that it was your pet.

We’re both waiting for the bus and you forgot your umbrella but uh– why are you standing so close to me? . . . Are you purposefully trying to stand under my umbrella? This is embarrassing . . just take it, God.

I Tried to get the candy bar that didn’t drop out of the vending machine and now my hand is stuck. can u help me or I’m going to die here… At least send my regards to my family, they might have to cremate me aND the vending machine together. (x)

You’re so drunk that you literally got onto/into my (vehicle) thinking I was a taxi and you refuse to get off, So, I just end up driving you. 

Your muse and Jinsoo both decide to deal with paranormal situations, ghost hunting ig ? i dunno i just want cute talks of all things paranormal stuff, legends, folklore, conspiracy theories-- Going to abandoned places and investigating!! Bringing a camera and equipment, Buzzfeed unsolved type antics!! Going to the haunted forest in wonseo and getting lost!! give me please

‘You fell asleep on my shoulder and I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable but you look so cute and angelic as you sleep and I don’t have the heart to wake you up. No. Wait-- we aren’t a couple, this isn’t what it looks like– Stop it.’

‘You’re a complete stranger but I can tell you have a fear of our current task whatever it may be and I’m attempting to be comforting and take your mind away from the fear by distracting you with conversation and such.’

Jinsoo has a few different things he’s afraid of Spiders,Heights, And open water due to a near-death experience when he was a child. Idea of possibly the other person finding out. Teasing him on it or possibly helping him overcome such fears. He doesn’t like to open up about things about himself unless he’s close to you though so keep this in mind, we can plot some ideas on how they find out!

Muse A is this fairly popular (online persona) and Muse B ran into them and recognized them. when Muse B offered Muse A a handshake, Muse A gave them a hug and followed their (social media) so now they dm each other and every time Muse B visits their events/live streams/ect. Muse A always excitedly greets them and they feel so special.

I meant to grab the popcorn, not your crotch, sorry. 

Muse A Sits beside Muse B In a theatre and Muse B is terrified of horror-- Muse B Freaks out partway through and grabs for Muse A's hand repeatedly and Muse A doesn't complain, Because Fuck.. They're really cute .. 

Muse A is working/chilling at (Location) and witnesses Muse B get stood up and Muse A goes over to make sure Muse B is okay but-- Oh Jeez . . . are you crying? Uhm, Wait , just -- ...

muse a's puppy has a major problem with behaving while on a leash. while out on a walk, the dog takes off after a squirrel or something. enter muse b, who manages to intercept the beast and now the dog likes them better.

You steal my parking spot all the time and I was just heading out to leave a strongly worded note under your windshield wiper but oh no you're hot I saw you trying to hit the 'door close' button in the elevator but I made it in and then I pushed every single button to make you later for work, but now we're stuck in this fucking elevator as it stops at every single floor and I don't know what to say other than 'you started it!' 

Theres a Warning alert because of recent crimes (small to serial killer? whichever) and I'm/You're scared to walk home, so we've been walking home together since.

we're in the waiting room at the vet (groomers or whatever) and my dog keeps whimpering and tugging to go over to your cat/dog and I keep apologizing because my dog just loves everyone seriously

We both like the same person and I’m jealous, so by default, I just don’t like you at least 99% more than before.

We’ve always been partners in crime, best friends till the end, ride or die- but you’ve been spending a lot of time around this new friend and I’m getting way more jealous than I should because I don’t want to lose you.’

FAMILY/FRIENDS THREADS:

‘You and I always get mistaken for siblings and- no, we aren’t? Let’s just roll with it anyway though.’

‘you’re a family member or friend w/e that I drifted away from because you don’t really support anything I do in life and always get preachy about my opinions, actions, and beliefs and now I just try to avoid you every time you want to see me because it’s awkward’

You really like my brother and so you’re asking me to help you but uh… ? I’ve never dated . . . how would I know….

‘character b drifted from their friend (character a) but when they were reunited, one or both of them changed too much’

‘used-to-be strangers who bonded over a mutual enemy’

‘ex-enemies who are now bffs attached at the hip’

'saltmates (friends who bond over their mutual dislike of things) ’

'character b pretended to be character a’s significant other to get creeps to leave them alone and now they’re close friends’

'friends who always seem to find trouble and danger together’

'character a is always pushing character b to do/be better’

'character b is the only person who can talk character a through their panic episodes’

'We used-to-be best friends until character a left character b for new friends’

'friends who bring out the worst in each other (or the best) ’

'they met on social media as teenagers and they’re still close friends’

'We’ve been pen pals/internet friends for a bit and hey, I’m in your area, so let’s meet up?’

“I know I’m the one who suggested we watch a scary movie, but now I can’t sleep. Can I sleep in your room?” (preferably your muse !! Jinsoo is a bit fearless with these things)

CLASS/WORK THREADS:

you keep finding Jinsoo’s origami around and, finding it interesting and also being skilled in (talent) you leave (said item) where his frogs are and somehow it had become a habit regularly, you don’t know each other but tend to always leave the items and maybe words for each other that turn into letters and become friendly penpals of somesort.

you copied off of me and got mad when you got a bad score while I got a good one.  you’re just so frustrated because how the hell does that even happen and damn, I seem pretty pleased with myself because I intentionally marked answers wrong and fixed them later so you would stop copying off of me but the teacher figured that I should tutor you and I’m mad that I have to waste my time on a cheater.

'We’re related / Peers in (Competitive Enviornment) and I have an attitude with you but only because I’m really just envious of you.’

'You’re someone I literally can not stand with every fiber in my body for whatever reason. Who in heaven or hell keeps pairing us together for tasks?’

bonding solely via eye contact over that annoying person in our class that we’re both slowly becoming more and more exasperated about.

 you came into the store i work at looking for something and i had no idea where it was so we bonded over this impromptu scavenger hunt and now you’re always out shopping for something just to see me.

while waiting outside our classroom i asked what the homework was to which you replied "we had homework!?" and now we always wait outside the classroom together,  also you always copy my homework

In (said store) and Muse A Is struggling to reach something, So Muse B comes over to help.

Muse B is a new student / Transfer / visitor to the college and is completely lost as well as horrible at directions, So when Muse A comes by to help-- they end up doing The Most(TM)

NEIGHBOR/ROOMMATE THREADS:

Hanging out and Power outage causes them to have dinner by candlelight; joking about it being romantic

Fighting over the thermostat settings.

You’re a (friend/Neighbor) and something is making noises from the closet but you’re terrified, so I go to investigate the strange noises coming from the closet only to find that a cat had climbed in through your open window and was trying to break free from its encloseted prison.

You keep getting my neighbour to let you inside because I refuse to let you in, can you go home? 

‘you accidentally shipped this weird thing to my apartment and I’m returning it and uh– what the hell is that my pet inside your house…???’

‘You’ve been playing guitar in the hall right outside my apartment door for a while now and its 3AM and I’m exhausted, I have a test tomorrow at 9AM- and I’m contemplating going to beat your ass, shut the fuck up.’

'We are neighbours and you always are so loud so late– stomping around and making so much sound- loud as hell… and I used to get mad and be grumpy as fuck and always go over to yell at you but lately, its been strangely quiet and Maybe I miss it? And- Is that crying? are you crying? That’s it, I’m going over.’

i live downstairs from you and your sink pipe has burst and now it's leaking into my apartment so i go upstairs, knock on your door, and you open it soaking wet so i help you fix it while also trying not to get distracted by the fact that your shirt is now see through

ROMANTIC  THREADS:

I suggested we play spin the bottle so i could kiss you, but now everyone else is kissing you except me and im highkey getting pissed off now,, :/

I suggested we go to the beach but everyone is checking you out in your swimsuit and now i'm jealous, but i can’t say anything because we’re not even dating.

You have a crush on me for some odd reason and always come to watch me during baseball but I’m pretty dense and don’t realize it and so I genuinely think you want to play baseball with me.

You confessed to me before I went to study abroad in high school and I never replied properly– I had forgotten about it till now.

'I asked you to help me with these topics because I didn’t understand them- But honestly, I think you’re stunning and I just want your attention on me for just a minute. Look at me for now.

'we were each others wingman/wingwoman for some time but now I’m starting to realize that I might be kind of into you and I’m confused. When did that happen? Shit.’