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#beating my social anxiety and awkwardness up
mochiwrites · 5 months
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manifesting a “I want to be better at talking to my mutuals”
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moonsaver · 7 months
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Brain rotting with the image of Veritas on his knees, pleading but also demanding..
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"Dr.Ratio–"
"Veritas."
He insists, cutting you off. The small beat of silence is enough to deafen both of you, but you continue with a deep breath,
"..Veritas. Please. I can't ever consider this so please stop asking me–"
"I am begging, [Name]. Do you think any person of social standing would be on their knees right now?"
He looks at you with fervor in his eyes, brows tense from anxiety and poorly hidden desperation,
"[Name], just think."
Another beat of silence. He takes it as his initiative to continue,
"Think about what I am willing to offer. Imagine every detail of the life I am offering to you, [Name]. I am pleading to you."
The grip of his sturdy hands tightens over your knees, digging into the hollow where your bones end,
"Doct– Veritas, I.. can't. You know I can't accept such a condition.."
Your hands nervously but gently try to push his off, crescent marks forming from the digging of his nails into the thin skin of your knees, but he doesn't budge. His palms form warm sweat on the skin from the prolonged contact, not daring to move an inch. His chin ghosts the inside of your thighs, as he leans over more, looking up at you.
"[Name], we can go over this many, many times. You should have already come to know of my desperation. I will make compromises, so make up your mind. Time is a thin, linear membrane that continuously flows and awaits for none."
His eyebrows furrow even more, the nervous desperation being slowly replaced by irritation, and anger. Your back has started to ache from how tensed up you've been, your neck hurts from being held at an awkward angle, looking at Veritas. Just how long have you both been talking?
"I.. I don't know, Veritas.."
You've mentioned his first name this time, without any mishaps. Progress. Slow, but progress – he notes.
"I have made a multitude of compromises to our situation and agreement. Are you really not satisfied? What do you exactly desire?"
His tone is warning. He knows what you may say, and what you have been for the past several times. You know despite having him on his knees, he's the one deciding and placing every piece of the puzzle anyway. He won't extend any mercy to you.
"I.."
You bite your lip.
Freedom. You want to be out of his grip. Once and for all.
He knows.
He doesnt care.
"..Nothing. I just.. need some more time. Please."
Your voice comes out a bit softer than before. His grip relaxes on your knees, the skin finally decompressing a bit, given the extra space. The air sneaks in from small gaps, cooling down the skin coated with a thin layer of sweat.
"I trust.. you will make the right decision."
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azrielbrainrot · 9 months
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I'll Be Here
Pairing: Azriel x Healer!Reader
Description: You feel a little out of place at a celebration in the House of Wind and a certain Shadowsinger comes to the rescue.
Word Count: 3605
Warnings: None
Notes: I had this stuck in my head and decided to just write it down. I'm not really a writer so bear with me please. Hope you enjoy!
Healer!Reader Masterlist
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It's hard to keep an eye on how much wine you drink when the glasses get refilled magically. You've heard that this house has a consciousness of its own. Maybe it can sense your growing anxiety and keeps filling your glass in hopes of helping ease your mind a little. The more you drink the more worried you get, the thought that getting too drunk will only put you at a higher risk of embarrassing yourself having infiltrated your brain and pushed all the rational thoughts out. Big gatherings aren't exactly your cup of tea and the fact that this one was personally hosted by your High Lord didn't exactly help ease your nerves.
You've visited the House of Wind before but always as a part of your duties. Though it was because of your duties you were invited to this dinner so maybe you could add this attendance as part of your job. The High Lord and High Lady decided to invite notable people in Velaris for a night of celebrating the thriving city. After losing its High Lord for decades and the war that followed his release, Velaris went through some tough times but with the help of its people - most of them gathered in this space tonight - the city was once again prospering.
As a healer you usually see the High Lord and his Inner Circle in a state of emergency, when your abilities are needed and there's usually no time for formalities or worries. Every time you encounter them outside of those situations you never know what to make of yourself. You wouldn't say you're completely inept at social situations but you're definitely a lot better at handling them when they involve your patients and you have a job to do, something more important to focus on than choosing the right thing to say.
Your relationship with the Inner Circle is professional albeit friendly. It's hard not to feel your heart warming at the cupcakes the General insisted on buying you for helping heal his wings even after explaining that you actually only helped on his recovery process. Every time he drops by the clinic to pick up any herbs or ointments he insists on buying you one - though you suspect it's also an excuse to get one for himself - and when you see him out and about he demonstrates how healthy his wings are, having done it just before dinner when he was in charge of flying you up to the house. The painting the High Lady personally painted for you, as an acknowledgement of your efforts during the war, hangs right behind your desk in your office at the clinic and is one of your most important possessions.
This would be the kind of relationship anyone would kill to have with their employees - friendly acquaintances. But, since you were there for some of their most intimate moments and helped them through them, you never know how to act when you're not doing your job. You can't exactly call them your friends, even putting the fact that is your High Lord and High Lady aside, outside of work you only exchange some pleasantries whenever you bump into them. However there's too much knowledge for you to act completely professional after decades of nursing them and their family back to health. It feels awkward to shake their hands when they have hugged you with tears in their eyes, thanking you for saving their family.
There's also the tiny detail of the crush you've harbored on the resident shadowsinger ever since you first laid eyes on him. On top of trying to walk the line between friends and strangers with everyone else, you also have to be careful with not letting the observant Spymaster find out about the beat your heart skips when you see him. Making things awkward because of a silly crush is the last thing you need.
It's that reminder and the monumental effort you have to make not to let your eyes search for him that has you finally sneaking out of the room, deciding to find a quiet place to sober up. The House had fed you too much wine, and you still had to be flown back down at the end of the night. You'd really hate to throw up on Cassian's fancy suit. He probably wouldn't buy you cupcakes ever again.
You remember some of your surroundings after decades of being called in for emergencies, quickly finding one of the huge balconies overlooking the city. The fresh air grounds you almost immediately. You can still hear the muffled sounds of the ongoing party but the quietness of the mountain lets you get lost in thought. As much as you enjoy the liveliness of the nightlife in Velaris, you infinitely prefer the quietness and freedom only the woods or mountains at night can provide. When it's only you, the moon and the stars, and the world stops.
You don't know how long you sit there for, leaning on the railing and looking into the distance, wondering why your healing abilities work on some forms of poison but not on sobering you up. Your head only comes back to earth when you hear a familiar voice calling out your name behind you. You turn around fast enough to make you a bit dizzy, leaning back against the railing with wide eyes.
“Didn't mean to scare you,” the shadowsinger explained, “I just noticed you were gone from the room.” You spot the way he's bringing his wings closer to his body, making himself smaller, if that were even possible. Azriel made you feel a lot of things but you hadn't felt scared of him in decades, ever since the first time you met him. If you hadn't been already tipsy and distracted thinking about him you wouldn't have reacted so dramatically.
Realizing the spymaster of this court had just found you wandering around his house unattended, you rush to apologize and give him an explanation.
“I'm sorry. I needed some fresh air and remembered there was a balcony around here. I shouldn't have left the party without permission.” You make to move back, showing you were ready to go back to the party but he raises a hand and takes a step closer to you, stopping you before you can.
“You're not a stranger to this house. No need for permission,” he took another tentative step towards you before continuing, “Do you feel better now?” You relax back against the railing, your heart beating fast for a whole different reason now. It's not often you get to see Azriel out of his leathers and you barely had a chance to see him up close tonight, he looks mesmerizing.
“What?” Maybe you didn't sober up as much as you thought. Maybe being this close to Azriel was just an intoxicating experience in itself. Either way your brain was having a hard time catching up to his words and your chest was starting to feel warm.
“You said you needed some fresh air.” There's a glint in his eyes that wasn't there before. Probably realizing that you weren't actually going to be sick. His shadows peak behind his shoulders, following their master as they usually do.
“Yes. It was just getting a bit stuffy in there.” Aside from the butterflies creating a hurricane in your stomach, talking to Azriel feels right. His calm demeanor lets your thoughts quiet. “I might have drank too much because of the nerves.”
The Shadowsinger moves until he's leaning against the railing next to you. His eyes wander the illuminated city slowly before meeting yours. Stretched wings hang in what you assume is a less straining position after having to be pulled tighter into his body in the crowded room. Shadows start rolling off his shoulders, now lazing around him instead of covering him. The soft wind moves his hair ever so slightly, letting a few strands curl around his forehead and giving him an almost boyish look. It's not often you see the spymaster appear relaxed. You decide it might be your favorite look on him.
“Nerves?” Your eyes search his face once again after hearing the confusion in his voice. Azriel has a permanent seat at the High Lord's table not only as the Night Court's Spymaster but also as someone Rhysand considers family. This night isn't so different from every other dinner he shares with his family, just more crowded.
“I've never been to this house outside of my duties. It's a bit nerve-wracking to be personally invited by the High Lord.” As you finish speaking one of his shadows curls around his ear. You've learned they do this when they're speaking to him. The thought of it being about you has your heart speeding up. Only the Mother knows just how much those shadows can see and hear, if they can hear your thoughts. You check your mental shields just in case. They can be as terrifying as they are beautiful.
“Rhys and Feyre couldn't have thrown a party celebrating the strength and courage the people of Velaris have shown without one of our best healers. You've helped more people than we could ever thank you for.” The warmth you felt in your chest before was now spreading up your neck at an alarming rate. You had just been doing your job but being recognized for it felt incredibly rewarding. The fact that this praise came from the shadowsinger was making you especially giddy. “Rhys invited you because you're very important to this court, to us.”
“I am?” The question comes out before your brain has a chance to catch up. You try not to cringe at the surprise in your tone. It's not that you're not aware of your capabilities, the High Lord and High Lady either call for you or for Madja, one of the most powerful and wise healers you have ever seen. But old insecurities will always show their claws, indifferent to your achievements. To think that you could be important to all these extremely powerful people seemed like the punchline to a joke.
“Of course.” His body turns to you ever so slightly. Fingers uncurl as if he wanted to reach out, comfort you. “None of us would be here in good health if it wasn't for you, maybe not at all. You've helped us more times than I can count.”
“I was just doing my job. And I can't take credit for Madja, I'm usually just assisting her.”
“Even so, you've helped us through a lot.” He sounded very sincere, there was no denying he meant every word, but you still have a hard time believing it.
“I just don't think I really fit in here,” you whispered so low that if it wasn't for his fae hearing he wouldn't have been able to make out the words. The admission felt heavy in the air, it felt good to let it out. You hadn't been this honest with anyone, perhaps even yourself, in decades, you must have drank way more wine than you initially thought.
You weren't born in Velaris, but you've lived here for a century. The problem is you've spent the better part of that century waiting on feeling like you finally belonged. You never felt at home in your own court or in your family so it might have been wishful thinking that it would happen here.
“I think like that sometimes too.” As baffled as you were to hear that coming from him, he looked even more surprised than you. It seems he hadn't meant to say that out loud, but the words couldn't be taken back now.
“That's insane,” you try to level your voice after the outburst, "You're part of this family. Why wouldn't you fit in?” You couldn't let him think like that, there was no doubt in your mind everyone here loved and cherished him like family.
Rhysand's inner circle was known for how close they were, they were seen as the High Lord's family regardless of if they were blood related or not. Azriel has always been calmer and you know he likes to keep to himself but you never thought he looked out of place for a second. It's hard to imagine Rhysand and Cassian without his brother.
His eyes were trained on the city under you. His shadows had come back to him, almost covering him completely. Azriel was quiet for a while, long enough you thought he wouldn't even give you an answer. But then you feel a shield form around you, lest someone wanders in and hears his next words.
“Sometimes things and people change while you stay stuck in the same place,” his eyes meet yours as he talks and you search his expression for the rest of the story you know he won't tell. If there's one thing you hate about the shadowsinger is his ability to mask his emotions. His face was the perfect stoic mask as always.
It's not hard to understand what he meant. In less than a decade the inner circle almost doubled and some of the dynamics had likely changed with it. His brothers have found their mates, something every fae dreams of, and he was the odd one out. Even the Morrigan and Amren had found lovers in recent years.
You had heard some rumors he had taken a liking to the middle Archeron sister after pining for the lovely Morrigan for centuries, but she had also found her mate. Not even his methods of interrogation could make you admit you were avoiding the entire inner circle during that time. The hope you had felt upon realizing he wasn't looking at Morrigan like she hung all the stars in the sky was short lived and it only made you feel pathetic. You didn't understand why it had affected you so much. This was just a silly crush after all, you had never considered actually pursuing a relationship with the shadowsinger.
“I still don't understand how Amren got a lover before you.” You had meant to clear the heavy air between you but why your brain decided to use the millennia old creature to do so was beyond you. “I mean she's just…” you continue, startled by your own words, praying to the Mother that the shield he put up stopped Amren from hearing you, “Well, she's fae now but wasn't before and is still mildly terrifying, even after the transition, and you're so-” Wide eyes meet hazel and nothing could ever prepare you for the look on his face. The amusement shone bright in his eyes and in the teasing grin he wore. Just when you thought the shadowsinger couldn't get any more beautiful.
“I'm so?” He tilts his head a little as he asks the question. His shadows start almost dancing around him, like they can't wait to hear your thoughts on their singer. You clear your throat before continuing, trying to salvage some of your dignity.
“You're the Spymaster, the only known Shadowsinger. That's incredible, anyone would be lucky to have you.” Something flashes in his eyes and your mouth starts back up at the thought that it could be disappointment at the impersonal description. Azriel is much more than his role in this court and you can't let him think that's all you see in him.
“You're also one of the kindest people I've ever met. I've seen you worry over every single person in that room, putting their needs over your own even when you're also injured. You always keep your composure for them and give them your support. I've seen you around Velaris too, you're always respectful to everyone, even when they're a bit scared of you.” Eyes drag themselves back to the shiny stars in the night so you can keep going without wanting to jump off the balcony and making an even bigger fool of yourself. “Even as far as looks go... I would bet my house that if we walked down any of these streets we wouldn't find anyone that doesn't think you're stupidly handsome.”
“Stupidly handsome?” The amusement was dripping down his voice at this point. The smile was unmistakable in his tone and you couldn't hold yourself back from watching him any longer. You feel yourself relax at the grin plastered on his face. It isn't often that the shadowsinger shows any emotion at all, and you can't help the pride in knowing you put that gorgeous smile on his face, especially after the somber turn the conversation had taken earlier. You continue despite the warmth you feel in your ears, you'd compliment him for hours if it meant he wouldn't feel sad ever again.
“I've actually heard someone use those exact words to describe you.” You've thought it to be the most accurate description of the immense beauty the shadowsinger radiates ever since you heard the barista use it. Apparently she hadn't been born in Velaris and had taken up the job only a few days prior to serving the illyrian. She had barely held the compliment down long enough for Azriel to exit the building, shooting up into the sky. A few fae present couldn't contain the laugh at the fervent appreciation of the shadowsinger, but the air of agreement shared by everyone was unmistakable.
“I'll have to let my mom know,” there was laughter in his tone, “I'm sure she will be very proud that her son is receiving such compliments.” You hadn't known his mother was still alive which makes you think it's meant to be kept secret. You almost curse at the way your heart flutters. Stupid crushes.
“I'm sure she is very proud of you regardless.” He doesn't give away any hint of what might be going through his brain and it leaves you in a slight panicked fear of overstepping or having said the wrong thing. You could swear you saw a glint of disbelief but it was gone too fast for you to be sure. The idea that the Spymaster couldn't see his own mother being proud of him was ludicrous to you.
The nod he gives you doesn't give any of his thoughts away, but his shadows keep moving slowly around the balcony, never rushing to cover him.
“Why are you single then?” You know he's changing the subject but you don't have time to consider that when you realize it's your turn to answer the questions.
“Me?” You barely register the slight nod he gives to show you he's expecting an answer. If you had shadows of your own they would have wrapped around you like a blanket until only the top of your hair was peaking out. “How do you know I am? Are you using your spies on me, Spymaster?”
“I have to be well informed of what happens in this city,” he searches your face just like you did to him, “And as the spymaster I'm more than familiar with deflection. You don't have to answer my question. Tell me if I'm overstepping”
“No. It's-” you cringe, trying to find the right words. “I just never found anyone special I guess.” Even talking about this with him has your heart swelling in your chest and you pray to the mother he can't pick up on any changes in your heartbeat. You've been avoiding this conversation with family and friends, but despite all this you know Azriel will understand and won't make fun of your feelings. It feels safe talking to him. “I get really busy sometimes so it's hard to keep up a proper relationship, even with friendships. Sometimes people need more time than what I can give them.” You try not to think of all the times you didn't measure up to other people's expectations, when they didn't see you as enough for the trouble.
“They're idiots for letting you go.” You don't know if he's being polite in not mentioning how your heart keeps speeding up or if he thinks you're drunker than you are, but you thank every deity you can think of that he doesn't say anything.
“Some things just aren't meant to be.” You hope he doesn't insist on this conversation. There isn't much else to say and you'd rather not keep talking about how many times you'd gotten dumped. You consider pointing out he never gave you a reason for being single and that he was the one actually deflecting, but you don't want to push what clearly isn't an easy topic for him to discuss either. You suspect Azriel barely opens up with anyone, so you'll just treasure the brief look into his heart he allowed you before.
The rest of your night is spent with the shadowsinger, sitting in that balcony, watching the stars and talking about anything. The next day you'll sit in bed mortified, thinking about how you were doing most of the talking while he listened, but he had seemed content enough so you couldn't have been too annoying. When the party ended you had said your goodbyes to your hosts, without the previous nerves after your conversation with the shadowsinger. Feyre had even asked you if you were alright because she also noticed you leaving in the middle of the party, though something about the glint in her eyes told you she had gotten the wrong idea. Then Azriel had flown you down the steps and winnowed you to your front door - even though you could do it yourself. Maybe you'd have to rethink calling the inner circle your friends.
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hotyanderedaddies · 7 months
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Yandere Jock wants Nerdy You... Badly
🦦: Hi, it's my first time requesting without anon, so please excuse any awkwardness.
Can I request maybe yandere jock/bully x  extremely anxious male reader with an oral fixation? Only if you want, though.
A/N: I decided to go with jock since I haven’t written that yet. Hope you like it!
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[Yandere! Jock x Anxious! GN! Reader]
·゜·:.。..。.:·☆·゜·:.。..。.:·☆
Chase is the captain of the baseball team, and he’s helped lead the team to several victories. He’s an all-star athlete and has scores of girls (and some guys) throwing themselves at his feet. As if his position at the top of the school sports hierarchy wasn’t enough, the young man was also blessed with a pretty impressive body too— muscles for days and coming in well over six feet tall.
And he loves you so much!
But you don’t pay too much attention to Chase because you’re too busy hiding away from everyone due to your extreme social anxiety.
It feels like a curse, really. The mere thought of being trapped in a building (a.k.a. school, *shudder) with a whole bunch of other people who all stare at you and talk about you behind your back is torture!
Hence, you try your best to blend into the crowd and not stand out.
After reading a tip in a mental health article, you resulted to sucking on hard candy when you get stressed out. Your nerves start to climb? You pop a little mint into your mouth and suck on it.
It helps.
And it also garnered the attention of a certain jock.
The mere millisecond that Chase had first seen you popping a piece of candy into your mouth and sucking on it as if your life depended on it, he swore his heart had skipped a beat.
“So cute,” he’d whispered to himself as his eyes honed in on you— focusing on his cute little darling.
He has something else for you to suck on.
And from that moment on, Chase knew you are his.
You just didn’t know it yet. He just had to court you.
Unfortunately, with your social anxiety, that proved to be a little challenge to the lovesick jock.
Chase would frequently wait by your locker for you, trying to strike up a simple conversation that would lead to him asking you out. However, every time you’d see the big guy, you would turn bright red and pop a candy into your mouth, turning around and heading straight for your class instead.
Chase tried to offer you a ride home so that you wouldn’t have to ride the bus— but the idea of one-on-one time in a cramped car with a guy sent shivers down you spine, and you’d barely had time to blurt out, “No thanks!” before sprinting to the bus.
Chase even “surprisingly” transferred into some of your classes. And with one glare at the students sitting next to you, they’d fled, allowing him to take any seat that was closest to yours… but you would refuse to look up from your textbooks, your jaw clenched as you sucked on some hard candy.
But Chase is persistent.
One day, as you’re leaving English class, Chase utilizes his impressive bulk to block the classroom exit from you.
“Hey, Y/N,” he said in his deep voice, trying to act all nonchalant, yet his Adam’s apple quivered when he noticed you sucking on something.
“Oh,” you muttered, your face already growing cherry red, “h-hi Chase.” The exaggerated size difference between you and the jock was striking. He completely towered over you and was at least twice as wide with solid muscle. It really made your heart beat faster, both from fear and a little because you thought it was hot.
You sucked on your candy even harder.
Chase casually leaned against the door jam, crossing his big arms in front of his beefy chest. “So, I was wonderin’ if you’d come see me play tonight?” he asked, playfully flexing his massive biceps, the muscle curling out of his short sleeves with the action.
Your eyes widened, but still, the idea of being in the crowded bleachers with a bunch of screaming, rowdy people wasn’t something you looked forward to.
“Um…” you began, trying to think up an excuse to turn Chase down.
Chase could sense your hesitation, and before you could put two and two together, the large jock reached out and snatched you up. He easily tossed you over his broad shoulder, as if you weighed absolutely nothing.
Chase felt on top of the world carrying you, like this was where you belonged: in his arms.
You were stunned silent, unable to move a muscle while in the strong grip of the large jock, who carried you off towards where you assumed would be the gym…
But Chase passed the gym, and even exited the school, heading towards the parking lot.
“Um, wh-where are we going?” you asked. “I thought you had a game?”
Chase puffed out his chest with pride.
He has you! He finally has you! And he’s not going to let go.
Chase stopped in front of his car, practically tossing you inside.
He quickly ran to the driver’s side, starting up the car and speeding off, taking you, his Darling, home with him so that he can really see your sucking skills in action!
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transform4u · 2 months
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I don't feel confortable in my body or have any self confidence. I jsut wish i could have the self confidence and sex appeal of those sexy influencers doing dances and thirstraps. They always look so confident moving their hips to the bit of the music. I jsut wish i had what it takes to do that.
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As you stare at your reflection in the mirror, a wave of self-doubt crashes over you, your weak and pallid form starkly contrasting the chiseled gods that parade across your social media feeds. Your eyes dart between Instagram and Twitter, where every scroll bombards you with images of impeccably sculpted abs and flawless features, and a gnawing frustration gnashes at your self-esteem. You pull up Grindr in a desolate search for validation, only to find the silence of no responses more crushing than else. Desperate to reclaim some semblance of self-worth, you snap a picture and upload it to Instagram, your trembling fingers betraying your anxiety. The instant rush of a new comment, “Wow, what a total himbo!” from FlirtyFashionista, sends a shiver of confused exhilaration through you, as if someone’s taken a sledgehammer to the walls of your old life.
In a heartbeat, your thoughts begin to dissolve, your mind melting into a mindless haze of shallow adoration and self-obsession. Your old self, with its worries and insecurities, is consumed by the fiery blaze of your newly minted persona. You’re now marooned in the bubble of a TikTok star’s psyche, a world where your every waking moment is dominated by the reflection of your own dazzling image. You live in a state of perpetual self-admiration, meticulously crafting each post to perfection, obsessively curating your look, and plotting the next viral sensation. Your existence revolves around the pulsing glow of likes and comments, each notification a hit of validation that fuels your insatiable ego.
Critical thought is abandoned in favor of fleeting trends and the allure of immediate gratification. You dance through life with exaggerated self-importance, convinced that every quirk and angle of your existence is of monumental significance. Long-term aspirations are drowned out by the thrill of the next brand deal or viral video, your world a carousel of transient pleasures and ephemeral praise. The bubble of your narcissistic universe protects you from the mundane and the meaningful, leaving you adrift in a sea of self-centric indulgence where only the glitter of your own reflection matters.
As you gaze into the mirror, a smirk begins to curl at the edges of your lips, igniting a flicker of transformation. The lines and wrinkles that once mapped your face seem to dissolve, smoothing into a visage of youthful perfection. Your reflection morphs seamlessly from the awkward, boyish nerd you once were into someone almost too good to be real. Each detail of your face sharpens into a strikingly polished countenance: a strong jawline emerges, high cheekbones carve out a more angular structure, and your skin adopts a flawless, sun-kissed glow that seems to radiate under an invisible spotlight.
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Your eyes, now intensely captivating, glint with a smoldering confidence that commands attention. They’re framed by meticulously shaped brows that lend an air of intensity, and your hairstyle—whether a carefully styled quiff or a sleek undercut—frames your face with an effortless, trendy perfection.
The new comments on your post, like SassySugarPlumSarah’s enthusiastic praise, only amplify your transformation. “OMG, you are literally perfect. When are you going to share more of your fitness secrets?? 😍🔥” The validation ignites a fire within you, reinforcing the image of a flawlessly polished, effortlessly confident figure who stands at the pinnacle of admiration and allure.
As you watch yourself in the mirror, the once-dull and pitiful reflection transforms with each rhythmic bounce to the beat of "Apple" by Charli XCX. Your hands, now flailing with exaggerated flair, slice through the air, as if they’re trying to catch the spotlight that’s gradually melting away the last vestiges of your old self. The burn of the dance isn't just physical; it's a searing heat that radiates through every muscle, each pulse of the beat fueling a metamorphosis from the frail and awkward to the epitome of TikTok royalty.
Your body, once a monument to nerdy self-deprecation, now morphs into a chiseled marvel of gym culture. Abs, once a distant dream, now dominate your midsection, sculpted into a perfect six-pack that looks almost too flawless to be real. Each muscle is defined with a meticulousness that speaks of countless hours dedicated to perfecting your appearance rather than functionality. Your biceps swell into an almost cartoonish exaggeration, bulging impressively with every flex, each movement a testament to your obsession with showcasing your strength. Your pectoral muscles stand out like twin peaks of a glamorous V-shaped torso, every contour and vein a declaration of your extreme dedication to achieving a show-stopping physique.
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The heat of the dance seems to ignite every fiber of your being, as if your very essence is being sculpted with each beat. The transformation is intoxicating, a heady mix of vanity and self-admiration, your body now a showcase of ostentatious perfection. You move with a deliberate, almost exaggerated confidence, every flex and pose designed to captivate and impress. Your new form is not just seen but celebrated, a living testament to the allure of a life lived in the glare of social media's spotlight, where every muscle is honed not just for strength but for a dazzling display of self-adoration.
Gone are the days of your old, nerdy wardrobe. Instead, you’re adorned in a wardrobe that exudes high-fashion and athletic prowess. Fitted designer pieces cling to your newly sculpted physique: tight t-shirts that flaunt your toned form, sleek joggers that highlight your athletic build, and occasionally, extravagant streetwear or tailored suits that underscore your ostentatious flair. Gold chains drape around your neck, a designer watch gleams on your wrist, and trendy sunglasses shield your eyes, each accessory meticulously chosen to elevate your look and accentuate your newfound confidence.
As you flash a dazzling smile into the camera, your voice radiates with an insufferable charm that mirrors your newly minted persona. “Hey, everyone! What’s up? It’s your boy, Zeke, coming at you live from my totally epic crib,” you begin, the words dripping with a self-satisfied glow. Each syllable is a polished gem, crafted to reflect the boundless adoration you bask in. “Just wanted to drop in and say a massive thanks for all the love and support you guys have been showing me,” you continue, your tone a melodious blend of flattery and self-aggrandizement. You pause, letting the praise wash over you, before launching into a monologue that’s less about genuine gratitude and more about inflating your own sense of grandeur.
Your mind, now a swirling tempest of self-obsession, is wholly consumed by the image you project. You obsess over every detail of your appearance, each flicker of charisma meticulously engineered to maintain and amplify your follower count. Validation is your lifeblood; every like, every comment, every new follower is a hit of dopamine that fuels your inflated sense of worth. “You know, it’s honestly incredible how you all are so into my content,” you say, as if your mere existence were a miracle of cosmic proportion, each compliment a testament to your unmatched greatness.
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When you speak of your workout routine, it’s not just about sharing tips—it’s about showcasing your superiority. “Well, stay tuned because I’m planning a super exclusive live workout session just for you,” you declare, your words oozing with the promise of privileged access to your meticulously sculpted physique. The session will be nothing more than a show of your own physical prowess, a dazzling display designed to keep your fans enamored with your perfect form and unparalleled charisma.
Your content, every snap, every post, is a deliberate act of self-promotion. Deep, meaningful connections are a foreign concept in your world; instead, you prefer to curate a glamorous façade that flaunts your wealth, your style, and your endless self-love. You revel in the superficial, in the praise that comes from your carefully manufactured persona, while critical thinking and genuine empathy are discarded in favor of maintaining your dazzling, narcissistic bubble.
In conversation, you dominate with a self-important flair, steering every topic back to yourself with a sense of entitlement that makes others mere accessories in your grand narrative. Criticism is met with dismissive airs, and any deviation from your carefully crafted image is a dramatic affront to your carefully curated reality. Beneath the charm and polished exterior lies a self-absorbed tempest, a whirlwind of vanity and superficiality that leaves little room for anything beyond the next fleeting moment of adulation.
As you scroll through your TikTok comments, a familiar username catches your eye - RadiantRainbowViincent. Your heart skips a beat as you read their comment: "OMG your soooo hot babes!" You can't help but feel thrilled at the attention from such a cute blonde twink.
But then, another comment appears below RadiantRainbowViincent's message. This time, it's from BubblyBlondeBelle: "Ew, you better not be some gross homo. You're way too hot to be gay." As soon as you see BubblyBlondeBelle's profile picture - hues tits that take up half the screen - your mind goes numb with desire. Your dick hardens instantly at the sight of her perfect breasts and sexy smile.
You find yourself unable to stop thinking about those tits and how they would feel in your hands or wrapped around your cock. The more you dwell on them, the more aroused you become until all rational thought is lost in a haze of lustful fantasies involving BubblyBlondeBelle and her perfect body.
As you continue scrolling through your TikTok comments, a wave of anger washes over you. You can't believe that someone would accuse you of being gay just because RadiantRainbowViincent complimented your looks!
In a fit of rage, you decide to go on a long rant about fags on TikTok. You flex your muscles for the camera and begin spewing hateful words about how disgusting it is to be gay. Your followers love it - they comment their support and agree with everything you say.
Soon enough, the messages start pouring in from girls who want nothing more than to fuck the "straight" guy who stood up against homosexuality on social media. They send pictures and videos, promising all sorts of sexual favors if only they could have just one night with you. The sheer amount of attention makes your dick hard as steel - every message brings another surge of desire that threatens to consume every thought in your head except for lustful fantasies involving these horny women eagerly waiting for their chance at getting between your legs.
As you watch your muscles dance in the mirror, you can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride. Your abs are chiseled perfection, and your biceps bulge with every flex. You spin around to show off your backside - not an ounce of fat on those glutes!
The comments start pouring in from your millions of followers, each one more complimentary than the last. They call you a god among men and beg for workout tips so they can look just like you. Your ego inflates with every passing second as these words wash over you, making it harder to resist the temptation to be even more vain and cruel.
You start dancing for the camera again, grinding against it as if it were another hot girl begging for a taste of what only you can offer them - raw sexuality personified by rock-hard muscles and sweat dripping down your body like honey from heaven.
With a cocky smirk, you open up your TikTok direct messages and find the hottest girl on your feed. She's already sent multiple thirst traps in hopes of catching your attention, and now that she has it, there's no turning back.
You snap a quick picture of your abs - the definition is off the charts today - and send it her way with a message saying "want more?" Your ego inflates at her response; she can barely contain herself as she sends heart-eye emojis back at you along with an invitation to come over tonight for some "fun."
You accept without hesitation, knowing full well what kind of night lies ahead: endless hours of pleasure as this slutty girl worships every inch of your perfect body while begging for permission to cum all over themselves.
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saeist · 1 year
Text
it's not living if it's not with you ── s. itoshi
synopsis: if it's meant to be, it will be genre: ex2lovers, arranged/fake dating, celebrity!au, pro!au, fluff, angst with happy ending, sharing a bed, 2nd chances, ... word count: 12.3k warnings: reader and sae aged up 22+, implied sex towards the end, reader has a hint of social anxiety/claustrophobia, i think sae is a little ooc in some scenes, lmk if i missed some notes: THERE YOU HAVE IT SAEISTS.. MY 1K SPECIAL!! THIS IS THE SUPER SECRET SAE FIC I'VE BEEN TEASING EVERYONE ABOUT FOR LIKE A WEEK NOW AND IT'S FINALLY IN FRUITION! <3 here's a lil sae brainrot to show my gratitude to you guys ^_^ fellow saeists who also consume an unhealthy(?) amount of sae content...... this fic is also dedicated to the loml my bae aeri @saerins for taking ur time of day to beta-read and to my angel baby sage @invsu as well <33 ilu guys extras: i made a playlist for this bc i am insane like that and without further a do.. sit back, relax and enjoy! lmk what u guys think either in the tags or comments bc i rlly worked hard on this for like a week and i jus couldn't stop writing! talk abt a sae earworm... ++ if u guys find theres a lot of the 1975 references.. its bc i was listening to their songs as i made this lawl .. tmi!
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001.
you didn’t really put into consideration how awkward it actually was to be working on a modeling gig with your ex boyfriend.
the pay was obviously really good that’s why you even agreed to book it in the first place, especially since it was for a famous luxury brand and their fragrance line
so imagine your horror when you walk into set and see your ex posing for the cameras.
you silently hoped that it was just his solo shoot and not with you because your manager did mention that you would be having a partner for this photoshoot
the photographer greets you with a hug and compliments your outfit for the shoot. a white, sultry open neckline dress. the theme of the shoot was it was set on the beach with a sunset background
he instructs you to lay on the makeshift sand and tells you to start posing for your solo shots.
after a couple of clicks, the photographer compliments you on your professionalism on set and then calls your ex boyfriend.
“sae! time for the couple shots i told you about” the photographer calls out to sae who was on his makeup chair. your eyes widened in realization that he was, in fact, your partner for today’s shoot
you tried to look at your manager for some help but it was no use. your manager was busy talking to other people on set. you can feel your heart beating faster by the minute as sae walks closer to you
he was wearing something similar to what you were wearing. dress pants and a white oversized unbuttoned polo. his exposed toned abdomen was probably the main highlight of his outfit with it glistening under the studio lights. 
you bit your lip and looked away. sae has always been eye candy, there was no denying that. you were surprised yourself when you managed to bag him during his rookie days, but now that he was almost, if not an A list celebrity with his elite status in the world of football, you can almost say that itoshi sae was totally out of your league
you come back to your senses when the photographer claps his hands and muses how you and sae have insane chemistry that he has ever witnessed. you let out a little huff at the comment.
‘if only he knew’ you think to yourself, avoiding sae’s gaze as much as possible
the shoot starts and the photographer instructs sae to hover over you while holding the perfume bottle. sae nods and does what he’s told, he’s a professional after all. he wouldn’t let his personal feelings interfere with his work. that was the golden rule in the industry
you locked eyes with sae for the first time in years. he still had those fiery teal eyes that gets you weak in the knees each time. your eyes slowly dart from his eyes to his lips.
“keep doing that y/n!” the photographer cheers, clicking away on his camera. did you do something in your past life that you would inevitably end up in an awkward situation like this. a situation wherein you and your ex lover, in a position where you two are posing like an actual couple
your eyes flicker back from sae’s lips to his eyes again. for a second there you thought you felt a spark, a connection, an old flame that has been rekindled at that very moment.
til it all comes back to you in a flash
you forgot you hated him. you hate itoshi sae and you could’ve sworn itoshi sae hated you too. 
the bitter taste is still in your mouth after all these years. how could you forget the man who broke your little heart in two?
it was childish really. looking back at it now, where you were merely just starting out as a rookie model and sae being the same, a rookie at his profession. just two kids having a similar situation in two whole different industries. it was hard not to get entangled.
you were always known to be sae's long time lover. you were always supportive of his games. present whenever you can, sitting at the exclusive VIP section of the stadiums, wearing his number on your back; and if you weren’t able to attend due to your own schedules, you would still manage to find the time to support him. may it be posting an instagram story that you were watching him on your phone while you were getting your makeup done or wearing his jersey on the day of the game
sae was the same. he would always be seen wearing the stuff from brands you’ve modeled for. from jewelries to exclusive clothing lines, sae would always be seen wearing them, his silent way of showing support in your own craft. 
you were proud of him, and he was proud of you too.
but as all things are, good things come and go. even in the most unexpected times.
there were already rumors circulating that you and sae were ready to tie the knot, some news outlets even stating that maybe you two have gone ahead and tied the knot at some island during your secret little rendezvous. (having been caught going to santorini for more than multiple occasions)
the public has always been supportive of your relationship throughout the years. even earning the title as the nation’s sweethearts with how they’ve seen your relationship blossom from puppy love to what they call as “true love”
with the news that the nation’s sweethearts have parted ways, the public was as heartbroken as you. 
sae suddenly called it quits after almost five years of dating. it was after he has been taken under the wing of real madrid’s division A where his career as a midfielder really took off. to make matters even worse, he broke it off at the same place he claimed you as his.
since then, you’ve sworn to hate him. you’ve resented him. you felt like all those years that you two have built was nothing. you couldn’t even believe him at first when he spat out the words “we’re over” like it was nothing. 
five years, five years worth of unforgettable firsts. five fucking years to unlearn everything.
you were absolutely crushed back then. you even took a hiatus with everything going on in your life. you were a mess. you actually can’t believe sae had no remorse over this. were the five years you were together nothing for him? all those tears you two have shed, the firsts of everything, all those precious memories, were they all nothing? 
it hasn’t even been a year or so but it seemed like sae already moved on, which added more salt to your already open wound. he was flourishing with his career while all of this was going on. sae has been photographed multiple times leaving clubs with lipstick stains all over his neck. 
it stung of course. seeing him move on with his life as if he didn’t just ruin yours. that very night, you swore to yourself that you will never forgive itoshi sae for what he did.
never again would you open your heart to someone like itoshi sae.
itoshi sae, the man who broke your heart into two.
“earth to y/n?” the photographer snaps his fingers in front of you, breaking your little trance.
you apologize to the photographer, your cheeks heating up at the realization that you really got lost in your thoughts the moment you’ve met eyes with sae.
“as i was saying,” the photographer eyes you and sae, “the shoot is over. well done” he bows, motioning the people behind the scenes to clap for you and sae
almost immediately you stood up from your awkward position from sae. intentionally avoiding his hand that was held out for you to take. (you hate how he was still a gentleman to you, even after all these years)
you look around for your manager and strut towards him.
“we’re leaving. now” you say with no emotion in your voice, even walking farther ahead from your now confused manager. 
he takes a look around on what could’ve made you pissed off but sees no one but itoshi sae in the flesh. 
“but y/n, itoshi sae is here-” your manager gets cut off when there was a loud slam of a door nearby. he winces when he realizes it was you. he turns around and bows his head at the people on set.
“i apologize for y/n’s actions” 
with that, your manager runs after you.
sae could only stare at your direction with mixed feelings. a part of him was relieved that he got to see you again after all these years, yet he doesn’t understand why he was feeling off to find out that you still resented him. i mean, that was what he expected for his own actions all those years ago.
with a click of a tongue, he goes back to his own manager so they can finally go home after a long day.
you don’t even know why you were crying. tears blurring your vision as you try to find the exit out of this damned building.
you harshly wipe your tears, opening the last door to your left. you were met with the harsh, cold air of japan. you weren’t looking where you were going, barely even noticing that someone was by the door til you bumped into them.
the steel floors were making it hard to walk in your heels. so when you bumped into the said stranger, you lost your balance. 
the stranger had quick reflexes. they immediately caught you by your waist and your hands flew to their chest to keep yourself steady. you looked up at the stranger to apologize only to meet eyes again with the same teal eyes that belonged to no one other than sae fucking itoshi
you don’t know how long you two have been in this position until you see a bright flash in your peripheral vision.
you have just been papped by paparazzi with your ex boyfriend and sworn enemy, itoshi sae.
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002.
the headlines in both social media, news outlets and the such were exactly how you expected it.
it was crazy. 
the general public going wild, thinking that the once famed couple were now back together after how many years.
your phone was blowing up with emails upon emails. calls from friends and relatives to confirm the news themselves that you’ve been seeing sae again. you look at your manager beside you apologetically as he receives another phone call from what you think is another e-news outlet asking if the rumors circulating were true.
you have been summoned by your company for an emergency meeting as the whole situation was getting out of hand.
that was when you realize how big of a name itoshi sae was after all these years of blocking his name on twitter.
your PR team is currently a mess. they are currently working their asses off to put out a good story for your sudden reunion with the famed midfielder. 
“how many times do i have to tell you to be careful being papped after a shoot?” the head of your PR team, pinches the bridge of their nose. clearly this wasn’t the first time around 
“i was!” you defend yourself, “i didn’t even know it was him til i looked up..” you murmured
your manager facepalms at your response. how did you not know it was sae?
“so what i’m getting here..” the head puts their glasses on the table, “you didn’t “know” that it was the itoshi sae, your partner for this specific photoshoot, the famed midfielder of real madrid, itoshi sae?” they quote, looking at you like you just grew another head
you nod in content, “exactly” you grin, putting your thumbs up. in hopes it raises the mood. (it doesn’t, unfortunately)
“y/n, i hope you know this isn’t just something we can brush under the rug. this is not the same situation with yukimiya kenyu where you two were caught being cozy in his car” 
“yuki was literally just driving me home! and we’re close friends!” you defend yourself, yet again. 
“exactly! yukimiya is a close friend! while itoshi sae is not. that’s why this is such a big deal!”
you slump back to your seat. okay, maybe they were right. this was a lot harder to get around with especially since the public knows about your past relationship.
“luckily for you, we have talked things out with itoshi sae’s management,” it was your manager’s turn to talk. he stands up from the seat beside you and walks over to your PR team’s head. they exchange glances before nodding.
“we have come up with a way that this whole issue will be over soon” your manager starts. 
as if on cue, the doors of the meeting room suddenly open. you take a look on who could be entering this sacred room this late. surely it couldn’t be more of your PR team as they were all already present in the room. 
there stood with their hand still on the doorknob is no one other than sae, with his manager right behind him.
your jaw drops as you put two and two together.
you whipped your head towards your manager and the head of your PR team in both horror and disbelief.
no, it can’t be…
“you two will now be in an arranged relationship for the meanwhile. until your situation dies down” sae’s manager finishes, taking a seat next to sae, who took the seat next to you.
you could see your manager squeeze his eyes shut, knowing where this is going. you were about to have a fit right here right now.
“WHAT?!” you let out a loud scream. the whole floor probably heard you. 
sae also winces at how ear-piercing your scream was.
you abruptly stood up from your seat, snatching your purse from the table and stomped out of the meeting room. not forgetting to slam the door shut on the way out.
immediately you called up your two closest friends, reo and yukimiya to meet you at your apartment ASAP.
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003.
“so you’re telling me– us,” yukimiya pauses, looking between you, who has mascara running down your cheeks and reo, who was busy rubbing circles on your back as he hands you another tissue for you to blow your nose on, “that you are going to be in an arranged relationship with your ex, itoshi sae.. am i getting that right?” yukimiya confirms, waiting for your response
you nod before blowing your nose and throwing the now used tissue on the rising pile of tissues behind you.
“this is the worst day of my fucking life” you cried out, reaching out to reo to cry on his shoulders.
“oh, y/n” reo sighs, pulling you into his embrace as you cry your eyes out. 
you pull away from reo’s embrace, “i mean, why him, why now?!” you rambled, words getting choked up.
both reo and yukimiya could only frown. after all, even with their power, money and status, there was nothing they could do to help with your situation.
your doorbell suddenly rings, catching all three of you in surprise. who could be at your door right now?
yukimiya took the initiative of opening the door, only to be met with the eyes of the itoshi sae. barely noticing your manager behind him.
sae raises his eyebrow at the man in front of him. who was he and why was he at your apartment?
“yukimiya-san! i didn’t know you were over..” your manager sheepishly greets yuki, trying to break the growing tension between him and sae.
“who’s out there, yuki?” you croak out, trying to take a peek at the door from reo’s shoulders.
“it’s me, y/n” you hear your manager call out. you look at reo in confusion. what was your manager doing here?
gradually, you slowly stood up from your kitchen island and walked over to your front door.
now, you just expected a scolding from your manager from your little fit back at the company, that’s why he was at your place or so you thought. what you didn’t expect that you’d see itoshi sae again but this time, in your own space.
“have you lost your fucking mind?” you shot a look at your manager, who only winces as a response. 
“y/n- i can explain-“
“i made him take me here” sae speaks up for the first time. you felt your breath hitched. it’s been so long since you last talked to him, let alone heard him speak. (you’ve done everything you can and blocked every single thing related to sae. that meant interviews, news articles, you name it, you had his name and everything blocked and muted)
sae invites himself inside your apartment with your manager following suit as you stand there at your front door, stunned. 
reo is equally as shocked as you are when he sees itoshi sae casually walk to your living room as if it was his. before reo could open his mouth to say something, you come running in, fuming.
“who the fuck told you you can come inside MY house” you spat. your attitude turning a whole 180. 
sae only raises an eyebrow at you. “our team” he casually says. he then looks at your manager and cocks his head towards your direction. like he was trying to get your manager to tell you something.
“what now?!” this time it was your manager’s turn to get yelled at by you. he winces again before checking for something in his ipad.
“since you um.. walked out at our meeting earlier today… both managements has come to terms that you and itoshi sae would be living together for the meantime”
silence fills the room, the entire apartment if we were being honest
your vision goes dark, the next thing you know and you black out.
as you slowly regain your consciousness, you hear some people talking. well, to you it sounded like they were slurring because you couldn’t really comprehend what they were saying. slowly, you open your eyes. the first person you see is a frantic reo who seemed to be fanning your face with yukimiya holding your hand
“where am i?” you grunt, feeling some dull ache on the back of your head and lower back. 
“you fainted” sae points out. staring at you who was on the ground. you sat up and stared at sae, wide eyed. “what the hell is he still doing here?!” you ask in distraught. you thought everything prior to this was all just a fever dream, or a nightmare as you’d like to call it
your manager, who was getting you a glass of water comes running to your aid. he crouches and tells you to drink up- to which you do.
“we were discussing your current situation with itoshi sae until you fainted… ” your manager starts, you choke on your water after hearing those words but thankfully didn’t start a coughing fit. you motioned your manager to continue so that you’d finally hear the end of this dreadful moment
your manager's eyes flicker between you and sae, “we’ve come up with an agreement that until the time being, itoshi sae would be living with you and you’d market yourselves as a couple. sae has already consented and agreed with the contract and your PR team as well…” he finishes, clutching his ipad close to his chest
reo, who was listening intently, felt like it was unfair for you to be in this type of situation regardless if it was an order from your company
“isn’t unfair for y/n though? she herself didn’t consent to this contract right? doesn’t this violate her own rights of code of ethics?” reo interferes, giving your manager a look. you look at reo and smiled. maybe you’ll ask him to contact the finest lawyers of japan that he knows after this
your manager was about to speak up but sae beat him to it.
“i was the one who suggested this whole setup, not their company. so technically, this isn’t “violating y/n’s rights of code of ethics” as it’s not even printed on a contract because simply, there is no contract” sae states, mocking reo’s tone of voice, giving him a side eye before turning his attention back to you. 
this time it was yukimiya who steps in. he turns to sae with his eyebrows raised. “isn’t there another way to get around this? not just by your means?” yukimiya pauses, pushing his glasses up, “i mean, why does it have to be like this where you’ll live with y/n for an issue that could be squashed with just a single article denying your relationship or involvement with y/n?”
sae sits up straight, staring yukimiya down with an icy stare. “this doesn’t concern you”
yukimiya and reo both stand up, “actually it does. y/n is our friend” reo hisses, glaring at the red head who merely just yawns and rolls his eyes.
was sae even taking this seriously? 
sae sighs, a bored expression on his face. “this is matters between me and y/n only”
finally having enough of his bullshit, you got up from the ground and walked in front of sae.
“what exactly are you planning, itoshi sae?” you narrow your eyes at him. this was the first time in years you’ve looked at him. you note how appearance wise, he hasn’t changed one bit. 
sae chuckles a bit, catching you by surprise. what’s so funny?
“drop the formalities, y/n. you know me better than everyone else in this room” he scoffs, eyeing you from head to toe.
sae won’t lie. he thinks you were still beautiful the day he left you. to him, you were always the prettiest in the room and from the way his heart raced after seeing you for the first time again in years, he knows himself that thought stayed the same.
he watches your eyes soften for a second before it goes back to your signature glare.
“actually, I don't,” you say dryly, crossing your arms. “so, tell me. what exactly are you gonna get out of this?” 
sae sighs. he doesn’t know himself either but he wasn’t just about to say that out loud. he doesn’t know what got into him all of a sudden. was it because he was curious about how you were doing? was he intrigued? did he somehow miss you all of a sudden because he saw you again?
a part of him always longed for you even after you two have gone your own separate ways. it was hard not to, considering you have spent a chunk of your lives together. not to mention, you two grew up with each other and built blossoming careers together hand in hand. 
it was only until he finally got recruited for division a of real madrid where he thought it would be best if you guys would stop what you have in order to be the best version of himself— wrong. 
he realized he fucked up that maybe that wasn’t the best option when he realized he needed you more than ever. you were his best support system. you were always there with him during the hardest times holding his hand but it was already too late. the damage had been done and it was irreversible. 
the day he broke up with you, or the day he fucked up everything was also the last time he ever saw or heard from you ever again. 
sae tried. he tried and tried and tried to reach out to you. he tried searching for your socials, your contact information, literally everything he can get his hands on. but even with his power and money in the world, it was still not enough to find you.
the only updates he had of you was the ads that were plastered all around social media and in the busy shopping districts of the cities he’s in. it was almost like a constant reminder of what he lost. 
so shocked was an understatement when you were his partner for the commercial shoot his manager had booked him for some random luxury brand. 
after all those years, he found you again.
to say the stars were on his side when you two got papped by the paparazzi is a bit selfish on sae’s end. as much as he fucking despises the paparazzi as they tend to ruin things for him, he’s quite glad that for once that they did something right.
they brought you back to him.
so sae couldn’t just let this opportunity of a lifetime slide. even if this so called “scandal” could easily just be cleared out with a simple denying of such rumor. but sae couldn’t just let this end like that. 
he wants to fix everything he broke. sae wants another chance.
“this is pointless” you deadpan, after waiting for sae to speak. he was just sitting there, staring right back at you for god knows how long that you begin to become conscious.
sae looked like he just snapped out of his train of thought as he shook his head before clearing his throat. 
“it’s a win-win situation for both of us” sae blurts, “you get more publicity out of this–”
yukimiya and reo both looked at him like he was crazy.
“excuse you— with or without you, y/n is already famous. hell, you don’t even know how many brands are waiting for her to reach back at them!”
“do you live under a rock or something? how do you not know y/n is one of the, if not the number one top model of the country?”
you were secretly thankful that you called both yukimiya and reo beforehand. not only you got an ego boost, but it gave sae a taste of your own reality that you are where you are now because he left you
a small smirk tugs on your lips when sae frowns. you watch him chew his bottom lip, a telltale sign that he was thinking of something to save his ass
“well, if you aren’t gonna get something out of this.. i have” you say, catching everyone’s attention, including your own manager.
your manager looks at you with his head tilted to the side. mouthing “what do you mean?”
“i’ll only agree to this if after this whole scandal is over, i don’t ever want to see you again” you propose to sae. it was only fair for it to end like this as one, he was the one who suggested this idea in the first place. two, you can never be too complacent with sae who apparently has no motive regarding this. this was sae we’re talking about, he’s bound to plot something and three, you can finally find the answers you’ve been yearning for after all these years. might as well use this as an opportunity to get your well deserved closure.
there was a glint of hope in sae’s eyes.
“deal”
you hear yukimiya and reo yell a bunch of lines like “seriously y/n?” but all you can focus on is sae who’s also looking right back at you.
your manager claps his hands in joy, immediately dialing your company about your decision. sae takes this time to call his own manager to probably tell him to bring his stuff in. 
did you make the right decision? you’re not too sure. only time can tell.
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004. 
today was the first day of you officially “dating” sae again.
also the first day of living with sae, for the meantime
just a little after you’ve come to an agreement with sae with the set up of your rekindled “relationship”, both managements didn’t waste a single second on confirming the news that the nation’s sweethearts have gone back together
needless to say, both of your names are trending and is the current talk of the town
so your first agenda (from both PR teams) is that you both post strikingly similar instagram stories as if you were together the night prior. (in which, you two were.. force binded by a non-existent contract)
it was a good thing that you chose an apartment that had a spare guest room because god forbid you’d even dare to sleep in the same bed with your ex. 
you didn’t give sae a warning that you were already gonna post something. just a quick snap of your window, that holds the view of shibuya, with a little sunlight peeking through. you captioned it with a little “good morning indeed” with a cheeky emoji just to spice things up. 
sae, who was in the next room, was casually scrolling through instagram when he sees that you posted a new instagram story. he clicks his tongue in annoyance at the fact you didn’t even give him a heads up. quickly improvising, he took a mirror selfie from the vanity mirror that you have around in your guest bedroom. 
you started your day with making your own breakfast. not even bothering to call sae. hell, he can starve for all you care. after all, he was not your responsibility. you only agreed to do this because frankly you had no other choice from your company.
while waiting for your eggs, it didn’t take you a while to also notice that sae already posted his part of the agenda. thinking of it as nothing, you innocently clicked on his profile. his story loads and wow. resonating with your caption, good morning indeed!
sae posted a shirtless mirror selfie. he was still under the covers but made sure his torso was seen on the mirror. 
“take a screenshot, it’d last longer” sae says flatly, moving past you to your fridge. you jolt in surprise, almost dropping your phone in the process. “what the fuck!” you yell out, a hand over your chest. 
you hear sae chuckling behind you and the fridge opening
“you got all that money stocked up somewhere and yet you don’t even have groceries?” sae comments, noting your almost empty fridge. there were only some milk boxes and some of those edible collagen jellies that help you with swelling when you have early morning shoots and the such.
sae takes the last chocolate milk box you had that was hidden away at the back of your fridge
“well, my manager does it for me and i usually eat at reo’s or yukimiya’s– is that the last of my milk?!” you pried your eyes off your phone to see sae casually sipping on the last milk box you were saving
“so?”
“that’s mine” you argued, getting up from the kitchen island to snatch it from sae. you stomp over to him and tried to swipe it off his hands. unfortunately for you, sae is an athlete and that meant he had reflexes like no other. he raises his arm high just before you were able to grab the milk box from him.
“sae, give it back” you grit your teeth, standing on your tippy toes, trying or attempting to take the milk box from sae’s hold but the height difference is just something else. 
sae leans down and gets all over your face. “come on, you can do it,” he teases, eyes fixated on yours. 
this feeling almost felt too familiar. almost like a wave of nostalgia just hit you in the face. the memories you’ve been trying to suppress all coming back 
you snapped out of your little trance when you realized the position you two were in. 
“my eggs are burning” you lie, leaving sae dumbfounded. you scurry off to your stove to finish what you were cooking while sae goes and sits on your kitchen island. 
he watches you plate your breakfast and sit on the other end of the kitchen island. you actually felt him staring but chose to ignore him. the sound of his stomach grumbling breaks the awkward silence.
“where’s my breakfast?” he asks, voice small
you shrug, “i don’t know”
“you didn’t make me one?”
“why will i?” you raise a brow, happily munching on your bacon while sae could only look at you in disbelief.
later that day you two had your own schedules. he had practice and other stuff to do while you had another meeting about different commercial offers and a lunch date with reo and yukimiya just like you promised the two.
you got home later than sae. you were about to grab some water from the fridge when you notice that it was fully stocked with groceries. you can’t help but smile a little at the gesture. 
you did your usual night routine before getting comfy in bed. just before you were about to hit the hay, you don’t forget to send sae a quick message, thanking him for the groceries. 
[11:43] you: thanks for doing the groceries ig
[11:44] sae: i couldn’t just let myself starve here, can i?
you rolled your eyes at his reply. he’s still so sarcastic even after all these years
[11:45] you: whatever 🙄
[11:46] sae: i also restocked that milk you love so much. call it truce from earlier today
[11:46] you: who told you it was my favorite? 🤨
[11:47] sae: gut feeling, call it old habit
you raised a brow at his text. what did he mean by that? before you could type your reply, your phone notifies you that sae sent another message
[11:49] sae: jk. your manager told me
you didn’t realize you were holding in your breath. you let out a sigh of relief after reading his message. you were not gonna let him get under your skin. not anymore
you ended up not replying to him. instead, you shut your phone off to reflect on today’s events, hoping that this all ends soon. your phone suddenly dings again. it was a notification from sae.
[11:55] sae: i’m going to sleep now. goodnight, y/n
it’s officially been a week of living with sae and pretending to be a couple in front of the cameras and the public. to think you’d even last this long is an understandment on it’s own.  
for this day, both managements wanted you two to be seen out and about in public doing whatever you two wished to do. 
you were debating on what you two should do that won’t involve much physical contact like going out for shopping because that only meant that you two would be forced to hold hands which is something you don’t want to do for obvious reasons. you’d rather die than to be papped with sae holding hands
“what do you want to do today?” sae asks from the couch. you two were already all dressed up. intentionally matching your outits just for the sake of it. sae was wearing a maroon turtleneck with holes in them with a white long sleeve shirt underneath and some track pants? you don't question his outfit much further because why would you exert the effort to do so? 
you were wearing something similar. a maroon crop top with some leggings to match the laid back outfit of your fake boyfriend. 
“what can we do without much physical contact?” you pondered, a finger tapping on your chin. sae scoffs at your question, mumbling about what’s wrong with physical contact with him. you almost wanted to tell him “everything” but that would just start another argument today
“how about we get some coffee?” sae offers, unable to think of more activities to do in such short notice. you hum in agreement, coffee does sound good right now. you get up from the couch and grab the keys to your car
“what are you doing?” sae asked. you stop in your tracks and hold out your keys for him to see. “we’re taking my car” sae says, showing off his. 
not putting up much of a fight, you agreed. it was getting tiring driving yourself around anyway.
you two arrive at the coffee shop sae graciously let you choose in no time (by graciously, he meant that he’s good with anything you choose) you then decide on sitting by the window where you know the paparazzi will be in front at in no time to capture this date between rekindled lovers
you sit at your chosen table by the window while you wait for sae to order something for the both of you. telling him that you’re okay with whatever since this cafe was your favorite.
it didn’t take sae that long to come back with your orders. he sets the tray down and you find an abundance of sweets and pastries. you look up at him confused but he simply shrugs. he then places your drink down. you take the receipt that was hanging off the tray to read everything he has ordered.
looks like he ordered everything on the menu with the sweets and pastries, which is not surprising really. when you read what he got you however,
“you ordered me a spanish latte?” you ask, taking the drink from the table. 
sae nods, taking a sip from his own drink. “something wrong?” 
you shake your head no. you just can’t wrap your head at the fact he ordered your usual go-to drink.
“nothing, it’s just i'm surprised that you still remember what i usually order in coffee shops” you shrug, finally sipping on your drink. spanish lattes does always hit the spot for you
“do you think i have forgotten?” sae raises a brow, a slight frown forming on his lips. you rolled your eyes at his comment. 
“well, it’s been a while, don’t you think?” you retort, avoiding his hard stare. technically, it’s been almost two years since the breakup. one of you were bound to forget each other’s habits and the such. 
there was silence again after that. an awkward one at that
“let’s take our post now so we can leave” you say, taking pictures of the food in front of you while keeping sae in the frame. sae simply nods and does the same. the photo you decided to post was mostly all the food sae ordered with him in the background. you purposely cut off his head just for the thrill of it. you do tag sae in the instagram story though with the caption “coffee run” 
sae’s post was a bit different. he simply posted a candid shot of you taking pictures of the food in front of you. for captions, sae isn’t much of a caption person because he thinks they defeat the purpose of photos so instead he just adds a heart emoji with your username next to it. 
it didn’t take much for the paparazzi to find your whereabouts. just like planned, they were outside the window you two were seated in taking photos after photos. 
“do we go now?” sae asks, eyeing the amount of people that were outside the cafe. 
“yeah..” you trail off, not really expecting a whole crowd to form outside. sae must've sensed that you were tensed with the way he stands next to you when you two were leaving the coffee shop
the moment you two step foot outside, it was an absolute frenzy. the press were everywhere on your faces. asking questions from all sorts of directions that it actually made you dizzy. 
you were never one for crowded crowds. especially when they topple over each other just to take the perfect photo or get an exclusive. it was just never your cup of tea
you covered your eyes from the bright flashes that were all over your face, trying to maneuver around the paparazzi to get to sae’s car faster but the paparazzi was too much for you to handle. you instinctively leaned on sae for support as your legs start to feel wobbly. sae immediately catches on and wraps an arm around your waist securely, pushing forward against the hoarde of people in front of you guys
“get out of the fucking way!” sae barks, pushing the people in front of your faces. the group of paparazzi do make way for you guys as you finally reach sae’s car. 
sae unlocks the car and opens the passenger door for you to enter first. he shields any possible camera that was trying to capture your face with his body. even going as far as pushing them away making some of the paparazzi stumble and fall on their asses. 
once you were secured in your seat, he runs over to his side of the car and starts the car before speeding off. not wasting a single second for some short interview.
“you okay?” sae steals a glance at your slumped state, before turning his attention back to the road in front of him. 
“... yeah, just dizzy” you say meekly, rubbing your temples. “i’m gonna rest my eyes for a bit, sae” you murmur, leaning against the window before drifting off to sleep.  
sae sighs and speeds up faster so you two could get home sooner. ‘damn paparazzi’ he thinks to himself, not noticing how his knuckles have turned white with how hard he was gripping the steering wheel. 
the car comes to a halt when the traffic lights beam red. sae couldn’t help but look at your state. he always knew you were bad with crowds but yet you still fulfilled your lifelong dream to be a model. he wonders who took care of you during flash mobs when you were out in the streets. 
was it your manager? was it that reo guy? or was it yukimiya aka that person he doesn’t really like. sae hates how close you are with him. sae will also never forget your scandal with him. he can still remember it like it was yesterday when the news dropped that you may or may not be in a relationship with your fellow model yukimiya kenyu after being papped being cozy inside his car. 
practice was hell that day for real madrid and sae may or may not have punctured a soccer ball out of pure rage. 
the damned light finally turns green and thankfully you were at the last street before the turn to your apartment complex.
sae parks the car and turns to take a good look at your sleeping figure. you look too peaceful to wake up. so he gets out of the car and goes to your side to pick you up bridal style. 
he gently puts one of your arms around his neck (for safe measure) and loops his under your knees to carry you. with the help of the security guards around, he presses the elevator up to your penthouse suite. 
for once in his life, sae is thankful that he was an athlete as he successfully tapped in your passcode to unlock your front door with you in his arms. when he reaches your bedroom, he gently sets you down on your bed. 
sae was about to leave to make some dinner just before you wake up but was stopped by your hand reaching for his. 
“stay..” you mumbled, tugging his arm. sae hesitates for a bit, unsure if you were actually conscious or was just sleep talking. sae watches your eyebrows furrow when you notice he still wasn’t beside you. clicking your tongue in annoyance, you tug on sae’s arm harder so he gets the hint
“okay, okay” sae hums, slowly getting in your bed. he’s unsure himself on what he should do. should he stay still, wrap an arm around you, what?
to his surprise, you were snuggling next to him. your head nestling to his chest. sae lets out a small gasp. he definitely didn’t see this coming. 
coming to a realization that no harm would be done if he wraps an arm around you, he slowly drapes his arm over your waist. sae suddenly feels like he was on top of the world, like everything suddenly made sense to sae. 
sae caresses your cheek, brushing the stray hairs from your face. 
“you still look beautiful the day i lost you..” sae whispers. he debates on stealing a kiss. he weighs out the pros and the cons and figures that it was more of a liability if you ever find out he stole a kiss from you, especially when you were asleep. that’s gonna have to be for another time. 
sae was beginning to feel sleepy. he carefully drapes the duvet across your bodies. not even a moment later, sae is now fast asleep with you in his arms
you find yourself plush against something hard and warm. you try tossing to the other side but you were being held securely around your waist. your eyes shot up, now fully awake and aware of your surroundings.
“good morning” sae rasps, his morning voice sending shivers down your spine. 
“what are you doing in my bed?” you whisper-yelled, actually genuinely surprised to see him next to you. your heart was racing, like it was about to jump out of your chest. did something happened yesterday? you couldn’t quite remember everything after leaving the coffee shop. it almost felt like a hazy dream
sae reluctantly unwraps his arm around you and scoots to the edge of the bed. you almost pout at the warmth that disappears but you internally scold yourself for thinking of such things.
“you passed out in the car and i brought you here” sae explains, now sitting up. “i’ll go make breakfast. stay put” he pats your leg before excusing himself to leave your bedroom. you lay there confused because that wasn’t enough to explain why he was quite literally sleeping next to you. 
just the mere fact that you slept next to him sent you into a frenzy. you grab your phone and immediately dialed reo
“hello?” reo answers groggily, you checked your phone for the time and it was literally 8 in the morning. 
“reo!” you hushed, trying not to catch the attention of sae “something happened yesterday!” 
“what?”
“we slept together…?” your voice going up an octave, chewing on your lip as you await for reo’s reaction
a beat of silence passes by. you thought reo may have accidentally ended the call
“YOU DID WHAT?!” reo basically screams at your ear. you had to remove your phone from your ear from the impact of reo’s shrill scream. “DON’T TELL ME YOU GOT BACK TOGETHER WITH HIM IN JUST A WEEK’S NOTICE—”
“NOT IN THAT WAY, DIPSHIT” you say abruptly, cutting reo off. “i mean like.. we just slept in the same bed after yesterday’s turn of events…” you trail off, trying to remember every significant detail that eventually lead up to you and sae ultimately sleeping with each other.
“my guess is with the paparazzi. i just saw the photos” reo says, typing away on his keyboard. “not gonna lie y/n, you and sae do make a good couple” he adds, giggling
you huff over the phone, earning a hefty laugh from the other end. 
“talk to him. clearly you need it” reo advices. it was like he knows where this was going. “ i gotta go for now, y/n. i’ll call you back later. duty calls. ciao!” reo ends the call before you could even say something. 
you threw your phone on the other side of the bed, groaning as you put your head in your hands. what was happening to you
there was a faint knock on your door, probably sae was gonna tell you that breakfast was ready but to your surprise, he brought the breakfast to you.. in bed.
sae walks in with a little bed tray that you didn’t even know you owned filled with some breakfast. 
“was all this necessary?” you say in disbelief. sae simply shrugs and sits by the foot of your bed.
“i contacted your manager about your state and he says he’ll be coming over to check up on you later” he notes, typing away on his phone with one hand. sae turns to you and motions for you to start digging in. “c’mon, eat up” 
you feel your face heat up at his extravagant gestures. he was a man of service after all. even during your relationship, sae wasn’t the type to be vocal about his love for you. it was mostly through actions may it be subtle or not. you can feel the love with the way he does everything for you.
with a small smile, you start to eat the breakfast he made. 
“sae,” you call. he looks up from his phone, a confused look on his face. 
“need something?”
“come here” you motioned for him to scoot closer to you. to which he happily obliges. he is now sitting right in front of you. 
he watches you cut a piece of your pancake and stabbed it with your fork before holding it up for him.
“here,” you say sheepishly, not even looking at sae in the eye. sae looked at you like you just lost your mind. 
“can’t let you not eat your own cooking..” you mumbled, feeling your face burn in both embarrassment or something you can’t pinpoint. with a chuckle, he takes the fork from you. unintentionally brushing your hands together.
in an instant, you snatch your hand back as he quietly eats the pancake you’ve given him.
things are changing between you and sae and you’re not sure if you like it.
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005.
it’s been a few days since the whole ordeal with you and sae in bed together. your management gave you guys a few days off just to keep things at bay with the paparazzi after the whole fiasco of you almost fainting because of the sea of paparazzi outside trying to take photos. 
your manager did end up checking up on you that day just like sae has mentioned. you told him off that you were fine and just needed more resting before you can resume with your work. he reluctantly agrees and goes ahead and reports your status with your company.
reo and yukimiya also came over for the past few days. just to check things up with you after your pictures were published for the public. you had a talk with your two closest friends about your current situation with sae. 
yukimiya was a bit unsure for you while reo advised that they’ll be there with you for every decision you make. he also opted that you two should have an open forum about each other’s whereabouts since the break up. clearly you still had unanswered questions.
sae was out again for his daily practice. although he did tell you that he’d be back around the afternoon. 
you take this opportunity of being alone to actually think about everything for the past week. 
this few weeks has been a whole rollercoaster. not only you’ve been reunited with your ex, you had to be in a “fake” relationship with him again for the media, and now it’s like you and sae were back to your old routines all those years ago. 
a part of you does miss being able to call sae as yours, not just for the sake of the cameras but just because you really do love him and you want to be with him, but this time for real. yet, another part of you is scared that maybe there’s a catch to this. maybe in the end sae was just using you for his own sake. 
you made a promise to yourself that you were not gonna have him play with your heart like that anymore. not again, never again.
but here you are, willing to take the same risk again. the things you are willing to do just to call him yours. 
because at the end of the day, it will always be itoshi sae.
no one else has your heart the way sae has it. 
you barely notice that sae has arrived back from practice til he was waving a hand in front of your face.
“y/n” he jabs a finger at the side of your head, an amused look on his face. “what are you thinking about?” sae hums, plopping down on the couch next to you. 
“nothing much, just about life”you hissed, clutching the spot he just poked you. you leaned back on the couch, stealing a glance at sae but you made eye contact instead. immediately you looked away, feeling your cheeks heat up.
sae snickers next to you, a small smile on his face as he takes a good look at you. 
“having a midlife crisis at your young age?” sae pokes your sides making you jump. you let out a little yelp, causing sae to smirk. 
“don’t even think about it sae itoshi— AH!” you hold your hands out in defense mode. you know that devilish look on sae’s face. sae’s fingers reach your sides before you could even finish your menacing (not) threat. 
your laughter fills the living room. 
oh how sae missed this. how he missed coming home from practice and to have you wait for him. how sae missed you.
sae stops tickling you to let you catch your breath. barely even noticing the position you two were in. he was on top of you, hands on each side of your head. your cheeks painted red, chest rising rapidly as you try to control your breathing. 
“can i kiss–” 
the front door slams open to reveal reo and yukimiya in tow with some food.
“y/n! we brought you some food!” reo happily chirps, setting the food down on your kitchen counter. sae’s eyes immediately widen and rushes to get off of you. he stumbles and falls on the floor, just right in front of reo’s feet.
reo and sae make eye contact. reo awkwardly smiles at the now embarrassed sae.
but sae being sae, he brushed it off like he was in the middle of push ups. 
“... and 50. 50 push ups done” sae puffs, pushing himself off the ground, pretending to wipe the non existent sweat on his forehead and ushers away to his room. not missing reo’s comment before he slams the door shut.
“i’m gonna just pretend i didn’t see you fall right in front of me” reo cackles, wiping a tear from his eye. “anyway y/n, we got you some food. i forgot that athlete was living with you sooo.. it’s up to you to give his share” reo shows you the amount of food he just got you.
yukimiya giggles behind him. he pulls reo to the side before giving you his infamous smirk
“reo, we gotta go now” yukimiya smiles slyly at you. he takes a good look at your ruffled shirt, flushed cheeks and messy hair. 
“what? we just got here!” reo complains, looking back at yukimiya, who points out your current state. he then whispers something to reo that you obviously can’t hear. you stand there with your arms crossed, eyebrows raised as you wait for your two best friends to fill you in
“i’m literally right here” you rolled your eyes.
“oh!” reo gasps, eyes wide as he seems to put two and two together. he covers his mouth like he just witnessed something scandalous. 
you were about to open your mouth to say protest against what allegations yukimiya has of you but both reo and yukimiya bolt out the door. yelling about how they were sorry for disturbing something while cackling. 
“those bitches..” you muttered, shaking your head. you walk over to the kitchen to go through what reo just got you. of course it was his favorite steak with some side dishes. 
“are they gone?” you hear sae call out from his room, his head poking out the door. 
you laugh, “yeah. you can come out now” 
you hear the door open and sae comes walking in the kitchen with nothing but sweatpants. you let out a squeak as your hands fly to your eyes, covering them from seeing sae’s half naked body.
sae scoffs at your reaction. “you’re acting like you aren’t used to it”
“was used to it” you correct him. sae’s mood drops a bit. you awkwardly fiddle with the hem of the plastic. taking out the plastic containers to at least lift up the now sour atmosphere. 
sae looks at the meals you’ve settled down on the counter. “from reo?” he asks, going ahead and taking out some chopsticks. 
he must be starving from coming home after practice.
you slid the plastic container that held reo’s favorite steak to sae. his eye widens and shakes his head. he pushes it back to you. it becomes a silent tug of war. sae ended up losing because you were starting to get upset and he can tell by the way your lips are jutted out and you were pushing harder, causing some of the sauce to spill out.
“okay, damn..” sae mutters, accepting his defeat. you let out a victory cheer by dancing a little in your seat. sae couldn’t help but smile. now here you were, watching him chomp down the food reo initially got for you.
“let’s head out somewhere” sae says, poking you with his chopsticks. you swat his hands away as you scowl at him. going out all of a sudden after he just ate?
“where are we going?”
“places” 
you look up at him unsure. you didn’t really want to go anywhere this week knowing that paparazzi might be up on your asses again. you weren’t gonna risk your health again for just some dumb post
“but we’re on break with posting though” you protest. was sae really serious about heading out? 
sae pouts and looks at you with pleading eyes. something he only pulls when he really wants to do something or get his way. something you couldn’t resist. you guessed old habits really die hard
“please?” 
you avert your gaze elsewhere because those teal eyes are only trouble for you. you hear sae sigh beside you and you realized that was your last straw.
“fine”
you look back at sae who had a small smile on his face. his face screaming “i know you still can’t resist me” and quite frankly you wanted to punch the living daylights out of his smug face. 
“i’m not gonna get dressed up or anything though. just a hoodie and a hat to keep our identities hidden” you say, getting up from the barstool to head over to your room to get an oversized hoodie and your hat.
“wasn’t counting on it” sae says, humming to himself that he got you to agree.
it didn’t take long for you guys to get moving. you two were now on your way to wherever sae was taking you. even if you kept asking where you two were going, sae simply shushes you and tells you to just sit back and relax
you were leaning towards the window, watching the city skies fade as you two drive aimlessly around the city. your phone connected to his aux, softly playing some tunes in the background.
your eyes peer over to sae who had one hand on the steering wheel, while the other was used to prop himself up against the window. you find yourself smiling at the memories going back to you. 
the old late night drives with sae just to clear your minds. 
the route sae was taking you felt awfully familiar. you sit up straight and looked outside to see that you were going up a familiar hill. you snap your head towards sae. sae catches your stare and winks at your direction.
the car eventually comes to a stop. sae silently turns off the car and gets out with you following behind him. there you realize where he took you. sae took you back to your favorite spot to get away from it all. the hilltop where you can get a whole view of the ever so busy city of shibuya. 
the same place sae asked you to be his,
the same place sae broke things off with you,
“what are we doing here, sae?” you ask, sitting on top of the hood of his car. sae follows suit. he sits next to you, observing the view in front of him.
“to unwind” he says flatly, putting his hood on. you can’t help but look at him. what did he mean by that?
“you looked pretty occupied today, so i just thought i’d bring you here-”
you furrowed your brows, “then why here?”
sae stays silent. the sound of the city filling your ears. you can’t help but think that it was now or never. it was the perfect time to get things across. for your own peace of mind, and for the sake of it all. 
it was silent between you and sae all of a sudden. you almost wanted to laugh at how ironic it is that you’d end up in this place again for the third time in a row with the same person. 
‘how nostalgic’ you think to yourself. you get up from the hood of the car and walked towards the wooden fence. just to get a clearer view and to get some air that you so desperately needed before talking to sae. 
“you know, this reminds me of the time you took me up here for the first time,” you start, kicking the rocks just by your feet. sae’s ears perk up at the sudden mention of the memory.
“i was so happy that day. to think we’d last for over five years. i was the happiest when i was with you, sae” you continued, smiling to yourself as you recalled everything.
sae can’t help but feel there’s more to what you’re saying. he can’t help but anticipate the bomb that you were about to drop.
“til one day, you brought me out here again. this time, to break up” you turn around to face sae who had an expression you can’t comprehend. his hands were stuffed inside the pockets of his hoodie
“you broke me that day, sae” you breathe out, looking up at the moon. “and to think not even two weeks later i see you with someone else” you let out a laugh. to sae it sounded forced. 
“i hate you, sae itoshi” you finally look at him again, sae averts from your hard gaze. 
“i hate how you took all my firsts, i hate how you talk to me with that voice, i hate how i know your morning routine better than anyone else, i hate how you always opt to cook because you know i suck at cooking, i hate how you know me like the back of your hand..” you list off, with every list you say, you take a step forward. 
“i hate how even after all these years, even after you hurt me, even how you broke me to pieces, i hate how i can’t ever find myself to hate you” you finish. a teardrop running down your cheeks. 
“i hate how i still love you..” your voice was shaky. your hands were trembling, here you were, confessing your heart to the guy who initially broke it. 
you broke your promise to yourself. 
with a deep sigh, you fixed your composure. you harshly wipe the tears that were running down your cheeks before turning your back on sae again to face the city you live in. 
“i just have a question for you, sae…” you take a deep breath. finally. you were gonna get the answers to your questions. those times you’ve doubted yourself, those sleepless nights wondering where it all went wrong, nights where you ask yourself if you were ever enough for sae.. 
you were finally gonna get your well deserved answers. 
“why? what did i do wrong? was i not enough for you?” 
sae silently moves towards you. he pulls your head to his chest where you freely the tears fall. 
you push him off of you, you were not gonna let yourself be fooled much longer.  
“was it worth it, sae? was throwing away our years together worth it?” you seethed, tears pricking your eyes.
sae’s eyes widened, “i–”
“you know sae, even if i was in a room with all the people i love the most. i’d still choose you and you all over again. i will always choose you, sae” you cut him off, trembling. words shaking as you are basically spilling your heart to the guy who broke it into a million pieces.
sae’s heart breaks at the scene before him. it was too late for him to realize the damage he has done to you. for you to act like this.
“that’s why i agreed to be in this fake relationship with you. i wanted to find out why you did this to me, to us” you admit, tears now fully flowing. “i just..” you weren’t able to finish what you were trying to sae as you sob in front of sae.
“why sae?.. just, why?”
you barely notice sae approaching. the next thing you knew, he pulls your head to his chest. 
“shh… let it out” he says, his free arm rubbing your back as you cry your heart out. finally, after all those years, it felt good to release everything. like a million bricks has been lifted off your shoulders. 
sae pulls away, cupping your cheeks as he wipes the tears pouring down your cheeks with his thumb. his eyes flicker from your eyes to your lips. 
“don’t look at me like that, sae..” you say in a low voice, almost like a whisper. peering away from sae’s eyes. 
sae slowly leans in and before he knows it his lips are just ghosting over yours. without a second, sae smashes your lips together.
your eyes widened. you wanted to push him away. you put your hands on his chest ready to push him away, but something in you is stopping you from doing so. 
how you missed this. how you missed sae
how sae missed this. how sae missed you
you pull apart, catching your breath. you look up at sae to see him crying too. he cups your cheeks, caressing them with his thumb.
“i’m sorry” was all he could say. he puts his forehead against yours, teal eyes fixated on yours. you can tell with his eyes that he was sincere. sae was also shaking as he holds you, his whole body language screaming guilt.
“i was young and stupid. i thought i’d be better off without you but i realized that i wasn’t. it was too late by then.” he explains, looking down at your feet instead of meeting your eyes.
you put your hand over his, squeezing them. relishing in the moment of two ex lovers putting the past behind them.
“i tried reaching out for you, you know?” sae brings up, laughing to himself at how stupid he sounded. “but knowing you, i knew you’d probably act like you never existed. i had to find out the hard way” he scoffs at the end. 
“eventually, the stars brought me to you again” sae finally looks at you in the eye. “i took that as a chance to try and redeem myself. i think it failed though,” sae admits sheepishly, “i was persistent. i wanted you back and i did everything i can just to keep you with me” 
you listen to sae stumble with his words. he’s trying. he’s actually proving that he was genuinely sorry for everything.
“i never stopped loving you, y/n” sae admits with a sad smile, “i never did” 
you tear up again at his confession. because frankly, you were the same. 
sae opens his mouth to say something but instead, you crash your lips against his. sae doesn’t move for a second but relaxes as soon as he realizes what was going on. he instantly wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you close as he can. 
“i love you,” 
“i love you too,”
you two find yourselves basking under the moonlight once again. fixing and treating each other’s wounds as you two try again. this time you two are sure that whatever you two have planned for each other, you two will make it right. 
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006.
the sound of an alarm blaring through the room wakes you up from your sleep. you feel some shuffling behind you and suddenly the room turns quiet again.
“did i wake you?” you hear sae’s morning voice ring through your ears, sending a shiver down your spine. you let out a small whine, nodding your head yes. 
sae chuckles, and tightens his hold around your body under the covers. “good morning to you too, baby” he kisses your cheek. 
you open one eye before twisting your body around to face him. 
“morning..” you yawn, leaving a trail of kisses from his jaw to his adam’s apple.
“still didn’t get enough from last night, hm?” sae teases, rubbing circles on your hips. you feel your cheeks heat up. you slapped his chest before turning your back on him again. 
“our managers will kill us if we’re late” you remind him of your schedules for the day. you sit up, slipping on his shirt that was lying on the floor, recalling last night’s events. you looked at yourself from the mirror to see some love bites all over your neck up to your chest. a gentle reminder that you were now his again.
“they can wait,” sae murmurs, slipping his hands under your (his) shirt. you let out a giggle before pushing his hands off of you. 
“sae come on!” you tug on his arm as you two head out to your bathroom. 
after what seems like an hour or so due to sae’s rowdy hands. you two finally arrive at the red carpet of the luxury brand you two have modeled for. 
the screams of fans fills your ears as you wait in of the car and onto the red carpet where a line of reporters were waiting. 
sae, being the gentleman he is and a marketing genius, he obviously makes a scene for your entrances. he gets out of the car first and holds out his hand for you to take. the audience goes crazy as you two make your entrance. 
“sae, y/n! over here!” you hear a bunch of reporters yell out. lights, and flashes all around. 
you and sae stop at the first reporter on the line. he greets you guys with a smile before starting his short interview. it was the usual questions about the brand and you guys feel about being the new faces of it.
“well, clearly they have a good eye for casting both y/n and i as the new faces for their brand” sae answers for the both of you, his arm wrapped securely around your waist. 
the interviewer gushes at how cool his answer was and proceeds to ask you another question.
“my, my, my, miss y/n. you look lovely as usual but i can’t help but wonder, what does it feel like to be back together with sae itoshi?” he asks, intrigued, his microphone on your face. 
you look at sae for approval and he simply smiles and motions for you to say whatever you want to say. 
“well, it still shocks me til this day that i got back together with sae” you joked, making the interviewer laugh at your response and sae who fakes being offended. you laugh at his reaction before answering seriously, 
“but seriously. i guess it’s true that if it’s meant to be, it will be” you smile, showing off sae in front of the camera to which the interviewer loves.
“what an answer from, y/n! well you heard it here first folks!” the interviewer beams in front of the camera, “i wish you two never ending happiness. thank you for letting me interview you guys!” he waves off, finding another celebrity to interview. 
you and sae both smile and wave him goodbye as you two continue along the red carpet.
“do you really mean that?” you hear sae ask beside you. he was busy waving for the cameras. you let out a little giggle before waving around for the paparazzi and cameras around. 
“mean what?”
“what you said about if it’s meant to be, it will be” he quotes you, tucking a stray hair behind your ear sending the audience and the paparazzi in a frenzy again. 
“it happened to us, didn’t it?” you smile, motioning to your current situation. 
sae was yours again, and you are his. 
just how it should be. 
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bonus!
you didn't consider how awkward it actually was to be working on another modeling gig with your boyfriend.
especially when the poses instructed by the photographer and way too intimate to be imitated in a semi-public setting for your liking.
“what are you being stiff for?” sae holds in his laugh, seeing how motionless your poses are with him. “it’s awkward when theres people around..” you say through gritted teeth, praying to the gods that this shoot will finally be over
“it’s not this awkward when we do this alone though..” sae seductively whispers, lowering his head just right at the shell of your ear.
the photographer squeals in joy at the amount of shots he got from that pose alone.
you feel your face burn up in embarrassment.
“sae!” 
1K notes · View notes
luizd3ad · 4 months
Note
OH ok ok ok…
Can I maybe request a Pandora x shy!reader who has a crush on Pandora but obviously just admires from a distance; but Pandora Be Knowing (tm) - maybe Pandora just starts inserting herself into readers daily routine and readers like “?!?!?!” and Pandora’s like “!!🥰😇🤗!!”
Hope this is enough? You can message me if you want more 😉 xx
Universes Mistake | Pandora Rosier x Reader
ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 ࣪˖⤷ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ࣪ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 ˖ ⤷
Pairing: Pandora Rosier x Fem!Shy!Reader WC: 2,431 CW: Use of Y/N, kinda hints of more social anxiety and awkwardness than shy (??), Reader gets anxious and overthinks. Author's Note: My first request damn😮‍💨 I'm sorry it's taken so long I’ve just had like no motivation? it kinda looks like that been kinda going around rn tho? idk maybe somethings in the air lol. I really hope you like it tho. Summary: You've liked Pandora for years but with you being painfully shy you just like her from a distance but Pandoras not having that.
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✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩ ✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩ ✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°
The first thing you did every time you walked into one of the few classes that you shared with her was look for her. 
She was just so amazing that you couldn't help but like her.. a lot. She was always so sweet to the people that were important to her. She was always so happy, so lively, she just seemed so carefree. Always laughing and smiling.
Merlin, that smile. What you wouldn't do to have her smile at you.
You’ve liked her since second year.
You were sitting under a tree by The Black Lake reading, you were almost completely lost in your book but then your attention was stolen when you heard talking and laughing. 
Walking past you was Regulus Black, Barty Crouch Jr, Dorcas Meadowes, Evan Rosier and her, Pandora Rosier.
They didn't notice you but you noticed them. 
You remember when you heard her laugh the first time, how it made your heart speed up, how your hands got all clammy, how you felt the heat crawling up your face. How you felt like you couldn't breathe.
You were captivated.
You started to notice her everywhere, classes, halls, the library, it felt like she had consumed your life in the best way possible. 
You had always been the shy type, finding it hard to talk to people, making friends, you would get embarrassed easier than you probably should, you'd get easily nervous so you had always just kept to yourself, you were alone. That's how you liked it.. or at least that's what you told yourself. 
So you were fine with the fact that she didn't notice you. You were happy and content with existing in the same space as her.
When you walked into Divination you noticed she wasn't there yet. You tried not to let yourself feel disappointed so you decided that in the meantime you would just take your normal seat in the back and get ready for class while letting yourself hope in the back of your mind that you'll see her at some point.
You were so focussed on getting ready for class and you didn't notice that someone had sat at the chair across from you until you heard her. “Hello, Y/N.” Your movements froze at the sound of her voice as if you were just hit with the ‘Glacius’ charm. You slowly looked up, trying to control your breathing. 
Social interactions, talking to people made you quite nervous but most of the time it was manageable. Talking to Pandora though? That was something you would have never even considered. 
You were content with just seeing her, from a distance that is.
“Um, H-hello Pandora?” You internally cringed when you stuttered and your sentence came out more like a question instead of just a normal greeting. 
But Pandora just smiled at you, not in a teasing way but in a way that had you get butterflies in your stomach, a way that made your heart skip a beat.
To your relief before the conversation could continue the professor started class and for the next hour and a half you were sitting next to Pandora Rosier trying not to completely freak out or embarrass yourself. 
When the class was dismissed you were out of there within seconds. You had never packed up and left a class so fast before. You were rushing to your next class trying to put distance between you and Pandora.
It's not that you didn't want to talk to her, it was just you didn't know how to talk to her. 
How do you just talk to the girl that you’ve basically been in love with for years? How do you talk to someone that just made your heart melt by saying ‘Hello’ to you? 
How do you talk to someone that makes you want to give her your everything just to hear your name fall off her lips again?
The rest of the day you were distracted by the thoughts of Pandora. You had shared classes with her for years. Why all the sudden did she sit with you? Why did she suddenly talk to you? Maybe she was just being nice? She was a nice person. That was one of the things you loved about her. It just never seemed like she knew you existed, let alone knew your name.
It had been a few days since Pandora had talked to you. She hadn't tried talking to you since.. admittedly it might have something to do with the fact that you didn't share many classes together and you might have also been actively avoiding her.. but who knows?
So that weekend you were in the library studying for a Charms test that was coming up. The library was quite empty since most people were off at Hogsmeade, you never went unless necessary which wasn't often. You liked how empty the castle was on Hogsmeade weekends. It was nice to just calm down for a while.
Especially because you had been spending the better part of the week running around trying to avoid Pandora.
At this point though you were willing to put the whole thing behind you. Just forget about it, move on, act like it never happened. Just chalk it up to a mistake made by the universe, something that would never happen again.
The universe didn't seem to appreciate your thought of it making a mistake because it was apparently wishful thinking to assume it wouldn't happen again.
Your head snapped up at the sudden sound of a chair being dragged on the floor. Across the table from you was Pandora, she sat across from you silently reading a book. She had a faint smile on her face but she seemed focused on her book.
You silently took a deep breath internally debating if you should leave or not.
You were there first. She didn't make it seem like she wanted you to leave. Maybe she wanted your company? Why else would she sit with you? Especially when there were so many empty tables.
You made the choice to stay and keep studying. Neither of you said a word the whole time you were there. You would look at her every so often but she did seem to move at all.
You hadn't realized how much time had passed until Pandora suddenly closed her book and stood up. You looked up at her surprised by her movements, based on the smile on her face you most likely looked as surprised as you felt. “It's dinner time. You should take a break and eat… Goodnight Y/N.” With that Pandora practically floated away, her smile never fading.
You felt your breath get caught in your throat. You mind started to race a bit. Why did she sit with you almost all day? What was her sudden interest in you? 
You started to feel a headache creep into the back of your head, because of that you decided to take her advice. To eat dinner and then just go to bed. Once again you just wanted to brush today off as a mistake made by the universe.
Well apparently the universe really likes proving you wrong because the weeks following that day you and Pandora found yourselves in an unspoken schedule.
After classes you would sit at your normal table in the back of the library and start to study then Pandora would sit with you reading or working in silence till it was time for dinner, she always said the same thing by the end. ‘It's dinner time. You should take a break and eat.’ then she would wish you a goodnight and walk away. 
You got used to having Pandora around. You stated to grow comfortable around her. You like being around her. You started to become comfortable with your routine.
Today was different though you only knew that when you grew closer to your table and you saw Pandora already there. In the few weeks you two had sat together you had always gotten there first. Pandora would usually follow after about ten minutes, today she beat you there.
Slowly and hesitantly you walked to the table trying to calm your anxiety. As you got closer to the table you notice that Pandora didn’t have her school bag with her but a picnic basket. 
“Hello Y/N. I know normally we sit here but I was wondering if you were interested in going on a little adventure with me.” Her voice was as soft as silk and fuck that smile. She could get you to do anything with that smile. 
So who were you to deny her?
You silently agreed with a nod of your head not trusting your voice. After she had gotten the picnic basket in one hand she slowly reached for your arm with her other as if asking you if it was okay, you once again nodded in agreement. Pandora linked your arms together with a smile on her face and then she led you out of the castle. 
You two silently walked together arm and arm toward The Forbidden Forest. You started to slow your walking when you realized where she was leading you to, you sent her a questioning look. “We'll be fine, I promise. You'll like where we're going.” 
A big part of you trusted Pandora more than you'd like to admit, but you couldn't help but be hesitant. You never went into The Forbidden Forest. You had heard the horrible stories rumors of past students that had ventured off into the forest and the beasts that resided in it. 
The idea of going in scared the hell out of you but with a simple squeeze of your arm and that damn smile you started to happily follow her in.
As you walked into the forest you realized it wasn't as terrifying as people made it out to be. It was actually quite beautiful in its own way the farther you walked in. Sure it was dark and sometimes the shadows would play tricks on your mind but having Pandora help more than you thought it would.
She somehow managed to calm and spike your anxiety all at the same time.
Eventually she led you to a small clearing surrounded by fireflies, trees, small hills and a lake with grass and flowers covering the floor. Close by there was something that appeared to be a wooden arch, you felt your eyes widen when you noticed what was laying under the arch.
There were two unicorns lying next to each other, they seemed to be sleeping. It was a unicorn den and it was breathtaking. 
While you were distracted by the beauty of the clearing and the shock of the unicorns Pandora had managed to set up a little picnic. There were small sandwiches, fruits and candies. She was already sitting down on the picnic blanket patting the spot next to her to have you join her.
You silently sat down next to her, your thoughts consuming you. You didn't want your overthinking to ruin this moment but you couldn't help it.
You had followed her into the ‘dangerous’ Forbidden Forest blindly. You had let her come into your life more than you thought you ever would. You had started to grow comfortable with her. Why was she doing this? Part of you was scared it was just a sick and twisted prank, but the rational side of you knew better Pandora wasn't that type of person, she wouldn't do that to someone (unless that someone deserved it). You just had to know why.
“Pandora? Can I ask you something?” For a moment you thought that your voice was too quiet for her to hear but it seems you were wrong since Pandora turned to give you all her attention with a small nod to let you know she was listening. 
It took all your courage to start talking, to not back down. “Why the sudden interest in me? We've shared classes for years now and I didn’t even know you knew my name until you sat with me in Divination. I'm just confused.”
Pandora looked away for a moment as if she was processing your words. “I've always known who you were, Y/N. I also know how shy you are, I never wanted to make you uncomfortable. So I was waiting for the perfect moment to introduce myself.. but I realized that there's no such thing as the perfect moment.”
You couldn't help but be skeptical about her answer, it made no sense to you. What was the need for a ‘perfect moment’? “Why would you need a ‘perfect moment’ just to try to be my friend?” 
A small smile spread across Pandora's face while a soft chuckle fell from her lips. She looked at you with those beautiful eyes, honesty with a hint of amusement lingered in them. 
“Who said I wanted to be your friend?” Before you could completely process what she meant her hand cupped the side of your face while her thumb crested your cheek softly. “I don't want to be just your friend, Y/N. I want to hold your hand, to take you on dates, I want to spoil you rotten and I really want to kiss you.”
To say you were stunned by her answer was an understatement. You could faintly hear your heart in your ears while a shiver ran down your back.
This felt like a dream. You had dreamt about this, more times than you could count. The only way you knew this was real was because you could still feel her hand on your cheek. You could feel how soft her hand was, how warm it was against your cold skin. It felt perfect. 
You two felt perfect. 
Pandora was eccentric, lively and so free. You tend to keep to yourself, you're quiet and observant. You balanced each other out. 
You don't know what came over you but before you could talk yourself out of it you softly pressed your lips to Pandoras'. Your heart started to race as your lips met hers. A wave of warmth washed over you as you relished in the feeling of Pandora's soft lips. 
You drew back slightly, and you felt your breath catch in your throat, your cheeks felt hot. As you look into Pandora's eyes, you saw a beautiful mixture of sweetness and love in them.
She smiled at you and pulled you in for another kiss as soft and perfect as the last one.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩ ✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°✩ ✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。°
129 notes · View notes
rekino2114 · 22 days
Note
Hmm, how about Asa mitaka being asked out on a date by one of her male classmates. And she overprepares like she did with Denji, though this time it goes better cause the Reader is an airhead that marches to the beat of his own drum, so he ends up dragging Asa to multiple different places and she ends up having fun.
First date with asa mitaka
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Pairing:asa mitaka x male reader
A/n:I decided to do this in a non devil au cause my girl needs a break (sidenote but your relationship in this is literally the definition of black cat/golden retriever love. Just something I noticed)
I didn't realize i wrote this much until I reread it to color it but that should tell you how much I love asa and want her to be happy
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Asa is an anxious person in general, especially in social situation and especially when it comes to romance. She never had a boyfriend and never really thought about having one, and she's very clueless to love as a result, so when one of her classmates (who she admittedly had a crush on too) asked her out on a date she freaked out incredibly hard.
Literally, every minor thing became a concern for her. What would she wear? Should she put makeup on? How much? Should she plan the date or leave that to you? Should she try flirting with you? (She quickly dismissed the last idea as she had no idea how to flirt, and it would make things awkward very fast)
She eventually figured out what she was gonna do and went to where she was supposed to meet you, which was a street near school. When she was there and didn't see you, her anxiety kicked in very fast. It felt like everyone was staring at her. Did you stand her up? This was probably all a prank, and she should have never accepted. After all, who would love someone like her? She was ready to go home and cry herself to sleep when a masculine voice interrupted her thoughts
"Asa! You came"
You quickly tackled her into a hug making the black haired girl blush intensely
"Y-Yeah obviously.....to be honest I thought you were gonna stood me up"
"Why would you think that? That's so rude I would never do that let alone to such a pretty girl"
Asa's cheeks basically caught on fire the moment she heard that and her brain struggled to think of a response
"T-thanks y-you look......h-handsome too"
"Aww thanks ok let's go now, we have a full day ahead of us, I promise you'll have a lot of fun"
"O-ok"
As soon asa answered, you held her hand and started dragging her around, which made her blush even more if that was possible
After a while, you two arrived where you wanted to go, which was an arcade.
"An arcade?"
"Yeah, you don't like it? I wanted to play some games with you but if you don't want to we can do something else"
"Oh no it's fine"
"Great let's go then"
You walked inside and started running around and looking at everything until you arrived in front of a cabinet and pointed at it
"Look they have DDR come on let's give it a try"
"Oh no I-I don't know how to dance"
"Neither do i, don't worry, you don't need to know how to dance to play, just step on the plates"
Asa started to think: if she said yes, there was the possibility she was gonna embarrass herself, but if she said no, then you would probably think she was boring and wouldn't like her something which she really didn't want to happen
"A-alright, I'll try"
"Great! I know you can do it"
You two started playing with asa actually having fun, the game was dumb but seeing you get so excited over getting a high score made her want to smile too, you eventually finished playing and continued going around
"*gasp* a claw machine! Do you want a plushie?"
"Oh no thanks, those things are a scam anyway"
You put your coin in before she even finished the sentence
"Come on it's fine, what kind of guy would I be to not get you anything, I'm a pro at this anyway"
"Whatever you say"
You spent.....way too much time and way too much money but eventually managed to get a cute plushie of a cat
"Yay!!! Finally"
As you grabbed it and held it to your date you quickly realized something
"O-oh sorry I never asked which plush you wanted.......do you like cats?"
"Yeah actually I love them"
"Oh thank god"
You gave asa the plushie and she spent a bit staring at it happily before turning to you
"If I may ask, why did you get me this in particular?"
"Well you just seem like a cat person, if that makes sense like your whole vibe screams I like cats"
"........is-is that a compliment?"
"Yeah I love cats, they're really fluffy and adorable"
Asa smiled and hugged the plushie tighter
"I agree, they're really cute"
".....you look cute when you smile"
"H-huh?"
"I mean you look cute in general but your smile is extra cute, it makes me happy to see you happy"
The black haired girl felt her heart flutter once more at your words
"T-thank you"
"Don't mention it, now let's go, the date is not over yet you know"
You two went (you dragged her) to a bunch more places to have fun, which asa actually did, which was a surprise to her because she usually felt more comfortable alone but in this instance she genuinely felt happy to have said yes when you asked her out, your positive attitude made her forget all about the worries she had before, she felt like she could just relax and have fun with you.
Eventually evening came and the date ended so you started walking asa to her home
"Ah that was great I had so much fun"
"Yeah me too........thank you"
"No thank you for accepting, I don't know what I would have done if you said no"
"......you cared this much about me?"
"Of course, you're so pretty and cute and fun to hang out with, I had a crush on you for the longest time, denji was pressuring me to ask you out for a while"
"Wow really? I-i just-it's still kinda hard to believe someone can like me like that"
"Don't say that, you're awesome asa and don't let anyone tell you otherwise not even yourself"
Asa felt like crying a bit, you actually loved her.......she had struggled with actually loving herself, the fact that someone else could say that to her with a smile on their face and with nothing but truth made her smile so brightly
"......thank you, thank you so much"
"It's nothing. Do you wanna take a selfie?"
"Hm?"
"I just wanna get something to remember this day. If we do actually become a thing, I would hate to have nothing of the first date with my amazing girlfriend"
"Y-yes alright"
"Great. Say cheeeeseee!"
You pulled out your phone and did a peace sign to the camera while making sure to get asa in the shot too, you saw her smile like she did earlier and you loved it
"This looks good, great smile, I'll keep it, but tell me if you want me to delete it ok? I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable because of me"
"Oh no it's alright"
"Amazing, oh hey isn't this your house?"
"Yeah it is, thanks for accompanying me"
"It's nothing soooooo.... second date when?"
Asa giggled at how enthusiastic you sounded
"I'll text you when and where"
"Great so we are having a second date"
"Of course, like I said, I had a lot of fun and would love to hang out with you again"
"Thanks so much, I'm really glad you think so"
You got close to asa and kissed her cheek which immediately got red, asa put her hand on the place you had kissed before looking back at her date who in the meantime was already walking away but turned back to wave at her
"See you at school tomorrow!"
Asa smiled before waving back at you
"Yeah see you"
53 notes · View notes
w0rmm1lk · 8 months
Note
Hiiii
Can I request a Bakugo (Cuz let’s be honest, he is FINE AS HELL) x gn! Reader who’s very socially awkward?
Like, if anyone they don’t know tries to talk to them they’ll just be like🧍‍♂️and give them that classic awkward smile
yes!!!! i relate to this reader sm and also I 100% agree bakugo is so fucking fine like??????? he's a fucking 2d character from a style where theporportions arent even based on humans, he has unmanaged anger issues and will fucking explode and not in the joking sense and yet????/ like whoever made hi design TEL ME YOUR WAYS. he's so fucking pretty. but also as much as I love him jeanist did him so fucking dirty with that hair. jeanist looked at *THAT* and really said "I can fix him"??? bitch don't fucking fix him I like the explosive pomeranian bitch. but like that one scene when he was making fun of todoroki during the provisional license extras classes like bro I was watching with my siblings and had to aggressively hold back a fucking screach noise. AND I STILL DO WHENEVER I WACTH IT. he's a fucking anime character who is so damn unhealthy but if you cant tell by the length of this, I fucking love him.
reader: GN
characters: bakugo katsuki
summary: reader is a very much not people person so how the fuck are they dating bakuhoe out of all bitches
warnings: swearing if you couldnt tell. anxiety, mentions of anxiety attacks. bakugo being a bitch.
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💥- okay honestly, first day? didnt even know you were in the class.
💥- this mf too focused on beating everyone up to notice you.
💥- was forced to acknowledge you when you kiri and bakuhoe were in the same area during the usj attack.
💥- after yall beat the shit out of some ppl you were sweating a ton but not bc you just fought some bitches.
💥- your ass was panicked af, not only are you shoved in a small space with two extroverts, you're also being exxesivley complimented by Kirishima bc you punched someone and along with that the fucking usj is under attack.
💥- it was very obvious you were panicking tbh.
💥- like bakuhoe at this point doesnt give a shit about other peoples feelings at this point but even he could tell.
💥- you were just standing there with you r arms pinned to your sides staring into the distance as Kirishima was obsessing oever how you beat someone up.
💥- after the usj he started to notive you more often.
💥- he noticed hpw evenn when the whole class was close with each other, you were still extremely quiet.
💥- he noticed how awkward you were even when talking to your friends.
💥- he noticed how youd speak up if your friends were being rude to you but the moment someone like monoma said something you just shut down.
💥- he even noticed how panicked you were when you learned about the internships.
💥- during the sports festival you both fought one on one, that's when he truly noticed how awkward you were.
💥- like bro was beating the shit out of you while yelling shit like "say something damnit!"
💥- honestly even though he wouldve won anyways, the round ended faster due to your panic with him yelling n shit.
💥- bro was thinking about it more and was like "damn. but like why were they kinda cute."
💥- first thoughts?
💥- immediete denial.'
💥- bakugo thought his time would be something like loud and outgoging, someone whos super confident.
💥- then saw you who was about to have a fuckinh panic attack and was like:
💥- i want that one.
💥- honestly ur crush on him was not obvious at all, you were just your normal panicky self but this time with slightly more blush.
💥- honestly you guys didnt get together until someone had to word it to make it seem like they were challenging bakugo to confess.
💥- will fight someone for you.
💥- monoma insulted you? 3 days of house arrest for bakuhoe.
💥- someone judged you? explosions.
💥- cashier looked at you wrong? banned from the convenience store for the next 6 months.
💥- congrats on your new scary dog privledges.
💥- mf so fucking protective tbh
💥- its not that he doesnt think you cant fight for yourself, he knows you can beat anyone to a pulp. i mean like- you're in the hero course for gods sake man.
💥- more in the sense of, distant jealousy. you wont know he's jealous, but whoever is talking to you thats making him jealous will know.
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not my best work but i wanted to type something lol.
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suiseisyojo · 1 year
Note
Hello! I absolutely adore your TWST love potion HCs and I'd love it if you did one for Idia too!
a/n: thank you so much, i'm so happy you like them! i'm sorry this is a little belated, i've had idia's segment done for the longest time but i felt awkward only uploading 1 character LOL but i hope this was worth the wait, and that you enjoy! thanks for requesting!♪
「idia shroud, silver x gn!reader」 ↳ in which you accidentally drink a love potion and fall for the one who’s always harbored unrequited feelings for you. [parts 1 + 2] cw: angst, suggestive themes (all), reader is based off hen wen (silver)
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[idia shroud]
Everyone knew how difficult it was to befriend Idia—an introverted, pessimistic shut-in with no social awareness—and yet, you found yourself on amiable terms with him. The two of you bonded over your mutual love for 〈Precipice Moirai〉. You confided in Idia about how their music aided you in troubling times, and your relationship began to blossom deeper and deeper from then onwards.
But Idia's feelings for you were much more profound, severing the border between 'like' and 'love'. Ortho was aware of these feelings Idia possessed, encouraging him to be open with you; yet Idia would always, always refute, ”There’s no way they’d love someone like me. If I ever confessed, I can hear the way they’d say, ‘Ew, why would I date a walking corpse like him?’!!”.
And so, when you had accidentally consumed a love potion and began lavishing heaps of affection onto him, him of all people!, Idia was at a complete loss on what to do. "Idia-san, I'm going crazy. I need you, my heart is on fire because of you," you softly spoke to him, fingers grasping his sweater.
Ortho giggled at the sight of you cooing at him, before letting it slip that Idia loved you. "Isn't this great, Nii-san? [Name]-san's heart rate is 114 beats per minute, all from looking at you! They must love you, too!" Oh no, oh no, oh no⋯ Ortho, no!
“Aah! I can’t believe Ortho outed me like that⋯!!” Idia lamented, his scorching cheeks hidden behind overly long sleeves of his sweater. Thanks to his little brother admitting to you that Idia’s always harbored feelings for you, you were even more obdurate on receiving his affections while under the love potion’s influence. “Huh? It’s fine? No way is that true!”
In the first place, having you on his bed like this was enough to make him faint, now let alone having you try to make advances towards him! Isn’t all of this happening too fast? It’s as if the writers in a romance visual novel didn’t care enough to develop the relationship past the four bullet points in the reveal trailer!!
Anxiety and heat swirled in his mind and left him overburdened by his own pessimistic thoughts, mourning his existence with you before it even began. Your hand coiled around his wrist, bringing his hand down away from concealing his countenance from you.
Breathlessly, Idia stared at you with wide-eyes, “Eh? What is it?” He looked mortified beyond his normal scope, and it made your heart squeeze. The palms of your hands smoothed over his cheeks, feeling how he trembled beneath you.
“Put on some Premo?” Repeating the words back to you, Idia realized why you suddenly had such a request. To make him feel more comfortable, to settle his unease with your shared love of the idol unit. “⋯ I guess that would help.”
Idia got up from the bed and sauntered over to his computer, where he put on your favorite album. Unconsciously, he did so—he thought of you as if it was second-nature. Can’t he just stay here at his desk? Why did you have to be so insistent on being close? Okay, it was the heightened effects from the love potion, but still.
You were killing his heart! Inhaling shakily, Idia begrudgingly climbed back onto the bed as you pleaded oh so sweetly to him. His heavy breaths scorched his lips as it spilled out, and he froze when you wrapped your arms around him.
“Now It’s too hot? Well, that’s what happens when you snuggle up close to someone like me!” Idia sobbed, only for pure, unadulterated panic to suffuse through the fissures of his body as your fingers hooked around the hem of your shirt. “LEAVE IT ON, PLEASE!”
The faint sound of incoherent mumbling could be heard, as Idia senselessly babbled, “I-I didn’t think I’d unlock an H scene!” under his breath.
Overlaying his panting was your beloved idol unit, and Idia was on the verge of tears as he watched you come closer and closer to him. Your first kiss with Idia was underscored by your all-time favorite song. The song that even brought your path to his.
Idia melted into you as your mouth rounded with his, the heat from your mingling breaths sending a frisson of excitement down your spines. Deep in his chest was guilt, a dreaded sensation he was all too familiar with.
A mixture of worry and titillation coated his insides—what if you hated him after this? He only just worked up the courage to talk to you first without being prompted!!
“You’re going to be the death of me, [Name]-shi; I’m falling for deeper seeing you like this-!!”
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[silver]
Your relationship with Silver had always been extremely close—in fact, many people were stupefied to find out you two weren't dating and remained friends. You retained potent oracle powers, your magic bestowing you the ability to see into the future. And most of the time, you used the aforementioned ability to predict when and where Silver would fall asleep; so that you may catch him in time, or be prepared to wake him up should he sleep too long and miss a class or event.
It didn't help that the two of you would often be caught cuddling together, your arms and legs tangled with one another as you shared your heat. Silver had never experienced love until he met and fell for you, and even as those feelings flourished in his chest, he never once put that pressure on your relationship. He kept all the words he wished to say, and the feelings, hidden away.
When word got out that you had ingested a love potion, whether accidental or not, Silver vowed to continue being your knight and stay staunchly by your side in order to protect you. And things would've been perfectly fine if the words "I love you, Silver" hadn't spilled from your pretty, entrancing lips.
As his heart stopped in his chest, Silver ran. His legs carried him far away before his mind could process a single thing, and he couldn't tell if that was for you his sake⋯ or yours.
Fluttering his eyes open, the sensation of soft lashes dusting across skin distant, Silver’s weariness exacerbated as his vision was enveloped with your prepossessing countenance in propinquity to his own. “[Name]⋯?” he inquired indolently, bewildered by the sight before him.
Your body hovered above his as you pinned him down further onto the couch he rested upon, the spates of warmth emanating from your skin seeping into him; in a way that didn’t beguile him into slumber or serenity, but another kind of excitement. 
“You knew I would be napping here so you looked for me?” Silver found himself sighing as he heard your words, a pathetic attempt to placate his titillation, before latching his hands onto your hips. “Never mind that, you should get off me.”
With ease, Silver dug his fingers rougher into your hips as he lifted you up; shifting himself upwards with hasty movements so as to be sedentary. The reason he was tucked away in a spot aberrant for him, occluded from view, was precisely because he was avoiding you.
The harrow of receiving your distorted heart was too much to bear—he didn’t want to do something shameful, something unbecoming of a knight-to-be. Yet your obstinacy towards clinging onto him was alluring all the same, like a gleaming spindle meant to tantalize and corrupt.
It made Silver’s head spin.
“I see that the love potion hasn’t worn off yet⋯ if you can predict the future, wouldn’t you have known if that drink you accepted was poisoned or not?” Silver, of all people, knew that your powers weren’t that easy to manipulate or control.
Ever since Silver was a little boy, he’d always dreamed of falling in love like that of a fairytale. When Lilia would swathe him in abundant blankets as they snuggled together in bed, utilizing his magic to resplendently illuminate the room along with fantastical and whimsical stories. ‘Will I find someone like the prince did?’ Silver remembers asking his father, a string of giggles overflowing from his lips as Lilia tickled his sides, ‘My fated person?’.
If this was a fairytale, true love’s kiss would break the egregious spell holding you captive—but as your lips feverishly met with his, Silver realized he wasn’t your prince; for no prince would so greedily taste your lip-gloss on your teeth while he deepened these incessant kisses.
“Yeah, you’re my fated one, [Name]. Let me show you how I’ve always dreamed of having you.”
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mysmuttyy · 4 months
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Scary? My gosh, you’re divine! ♫ 𐙚
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new girl. I’ve never really liked people, all my life, I’ve tried my hardest to steer away from them. There’s a few that I tolerate, but other than that, I don’t wish to be associated with anyone else. Not that I’m stuck up, it’s just people often make me uncomfortable. I’m an awkward person, which has quickly turned me into an introvert. My social anxiety always gets the better of me, and I just let it.
Seeing as I’m the new girl, I’m the talk of the school. Random people come over and introduce themselves to me, but I never remember their names. Some even tell me gossip, it’s never really interesting, seeing as I know no one at this school. Other than my twin sister, Luna. The two of us are alike, we aren’t really ‘people persons’ and we kind of like it that way.
I remember some random girl telling me about this one boy- Actually, she was warning me about him. Mattheo Riddle, a dangerous boy who has no remorse. I can’t help but wonder if he’s actually dangerous. Is Mattheo Riddle really as cruel as they make out? Or do they judge him based off his family? I understand that. People think Luna and I are weird, seeing as our family is portrayed as weird. We don’t care, none of us care. Father says it’s a good way to live; not caring about what others think of one’s existence, to live a happy life, and discard of any negativity. People think he’s crazy, I think he’s wise, and misunderstood.
I head down the hall, staring down at a piece of parchment in the palm of my hand. The parchment has all my classes written on it, but fails to say where exactly they’re taken place. My eyes roll, wrist flipping to check the watch. I’m already ten minutes late, and it’s my first fucking class. As I turn yet another corner, my body collides with another’s. The smack of our bodies almost knocks me over, but strong arms catch me, pulling me back onto flat feet. I look up, my blue eyes locking with his deep brown ones.
The boy has curly hair, scars on both his face and neck, and a plump pair of lips. He easily towers over me, arms still wrapped around my body, boobs smooshed against his chest. They slightly ache from the force of the hit.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going- I’m lost.” I speak clearly, not stuttering a bit. Which is unusual when speaking to someone new, someone as pretty as him. There’s a comforting aura that swims around this boy, something that sets me to be at ease. Although, my heart beats ten times faster, blush no doubt painting my cheeks bright red- But I believe that’s just because he’s so breathtaking. The curly haired offers a slight smile, nodding his head. “It’s fine,” His deep voice speaks, sending shivers to erupt throughout my entire body.
“What class do you have, I can show you to it?” He suggests, pulling one of his hands off my hip, taking my parchment from my hands. I’m quick to notice the veins in his hands, causing my pussy to drench with my own arousal, throbbing with need for a stranger. The word “pathetic” echoes in my mind a million times over.
The stranger chuckles, eyes flickering back to meet mine. “Don’t be so hard on yourself little one, it’s okay to be turned on.” He whispers. My whole body freezes at his tease, face flushing an even brighter red. “Come on lovegood, let’s get you to class?”
“Who are you?” I question, standing still to the spot. “Mattheo Riddle.”
I stare into his eyes, examining every part of him. In the five minutes the two of us have spoken, I’ve failed to find anything slightly ‘dangerous’ about him. My eyes roll, the rumours that spread pissing me off already. He huffs, “I’m assuming you’ve heard. I’m not as scary as they all make me out to be, y/n.” He tells you, sounding desperate for me to believe him.
I laugh a loud laugh, “Scary? My gosh, you’re divine!”
Mattheo stares down at me, pure shock written across his face. He leans down, smashing his lips onto mine, arms wrapping around my body once again. I kiss back twice as hard, allowing him to push me up against a near wall. Our hands begin moving all over one another’s bodies, far out of our control now, the two of us moaning in one another’s mouths.
“The- The bell will ring soon.” I state, pulling away from his kisses. He takes your hand in his, dragging me toward the abandoned girls lavatory. Mattheo effortlessly picks me up, placing me onto the nearest sink. My legs wrap around his torso, back arching as I pull him closer, feeling his hard on through his school trousers. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone so fucking bad before, y/n.” He whispers, kissing leading down toward your neck.
The boy begins biting, sucking, licking and kissing a purple mess into the skin of my neck, moaning as he does so. I throw my head back, letting it bang against the mirror behind me, my moans echoing throughout the bathroom. “Fuck, please!” I cry, grabbing his arm in my tight grip, fingernails digging into his tanned skin.
“Please what? Use your fucking words.” Mattheo demands, harshly slapping your thigh. “Touch me, please!” I cry out, guiding his hand underneath my skirt. He chuckles, biting one last harsh kiss into me before pulling back.
“Touch you where, y/n? I’m not a mind reader.” He taunts, knowing damn well he is a mind reader.
I huff an annoyed huff, sighing as I stare into his lust filled eyes. “There.” I tell him, pulling his hand further. He squeezes my thigh, eyes hardening as he glares down at me, warning me to use my words once again. “My pussy, please.. touch my pussy.”
“Was that so hard, hm?” He questions me, eyebrows raising as his thumb rubs soft circles on my clothed clit. “F-Fuck up!” I whine out, feeling my breaths get caught up in my throat. His free hand wraps around my neck, pushing me further into the coldness of the mirror. “Swear at me again, I fucking dare you.” Mattheo demands, slight smirk as my face turns red again.
“I’m not scared of you.” I choke on my own words, trying my best to put up a fight. His eyebrows raise, hand pulling away from my neck. “Yeah? Not scared of me?” He questions me, tilting his head, curls flopping to the side. I nod back at him, gulping a loud gulp. It’s clear that I am very much scared of him, but he’s seeming to ignore that, focusing rather on the fact that I’m testing him.
He uses his free hand to swiftly undo his belt, allowing the metal to smack against the floor below him. The sound of his zipper unzipping sends shivers up my spine, body moving backwards, knowing what’s about to happen. His other hand moves away from my panties, gripping my thigh, holding me in place, eyes locked with mine. I breathe heavily, watching his every move. “But maybe, you’re scared of this?” He speaks up again, holding his long, fat, and veiny cock in his hand.
My mouth falls open in shock, both at the size and girth of him. Mattheo’s hand wanders underneath my skirt once more, a finger slipping under the band of my panties, inching toward my soaking wet pussy. I feel a finger slip deep inside me, my arousal coating it. I wince, eyes rolling back. “You’re so tight, I’m not sure my cock will fit.” He taunts, smirking devilishly. “But you’re gonna take it anyways, right? Cause you’re not scared of me, right?”
“I- Mattheo..” I whisper, lip quivering as my whole body shakes, chest heaving as my breaths come out uneven. “Speak up.” His harsh voice echoes throughout the empty bathroom, eyes squinting as he leans closer to me. Mattheo discreetly slips another finger inside me, pumping out a harsh rhythm. My cries fall ignored, his cock hardening as he slowly strokes it to the sound of my echoing sobs. “Not so tough now, are you?” He asks, lips grazing past the shell of my ear.
“Such a whiny slut, hm y/n? Who knew you were a crier.”
“Mattheo.” I grunt out, pushing him back, forcing him to look back into my eyes. “Tell me what you want, baby. Tell me, and I’ll give it to you, huh?” Mattheo whispers, cooing even. The softness in his voice provides me with a calming feeling to spread throughout my entire body. “Fuck me, fuck me please sir?” I finally let out, needy eyes looking deep into his, body grinding into his fingers.
“Mhmm, my needy little fucking slut- You want my cock? Say it again.”
“Fuck me sir, put your fucking cock inside me!” I scream at the top of my lungs, back arching once more. His hand retreat back to his side, fingers sliding out of my pussy, a trail of my own juices leaking with them. Mattheo pulls my panties down, shoving them in his pocket. I feel his pink tip align with my entrance, and with no warning, he snaps his hips, pushing himself balls deep in my aching hole.
Our moans mix together, his veiny hands holding onto my thighs, in attempt to keep himself steady. His cock thrusts inside me, like a fucking hammer. It’s to long, so big, I fear it might rip into my stomach. The two of us stare into one another’s eyes, my hands landing on top of his. “S-So beautiful..” I whisper, feeling weak already. “Mhm good girl, look at me, keep going.” He encourages, squeezing my hand.
“Come on baby, look at me. Fucking look at me.”
My head snaps back in his direction, body collapsing against his. He laughs, pushing me back up, resting me against the mirror. One of his hands keeps at my hip, the other trapped underneath my trembling hand. He allows me to squeeze his hand, ignoring the way I cut off his circulation as I scream his name, coming all over his cock. He cries out a breathless whimper, feeling my harsh orgasm slam onto his twitching cock.
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scaredpigeons · 8 months
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Sunrise, Crystallize I: to pray to a fallen deity.
Masterlist // Next Chapter
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Zhongli x Gn!reader
SFW (there will be nsfw chapters but I will keep them separate so everyone may enjoy.)
Word count: 6.2k
You find yourself seeking solace in the prayers you speak to the god of your new home, despite the fact that he’s passed away. Despite the fact that no one answers, your loneliness seems to be lessened by the warmth of the sunrise. You gain a few new companions, and push through your awkward and nervous disposition to embark on a challenge that you may or may not have little hope of succeeding in.
CW: reader has anxiety, real deep lack of self confidence. Very socially awkward. Reader is a florist, running a greenhouse in the harbour. (Author has absolutely zero florist experience or knowledge, so many apologies.)
Authors note: this is the first chapter of many to come, as Zhongli was my first love in genshin impact. This is kind of self indulgent, because while I really enjoy badass, beautiful, desirable reader inserts who exemplify everything I want to be, part of me really fantasizes about what it might be like to have such a desirable character love me not despite of, but because of my self-perceived flaws. I also think that Zhongli is a wonderful character to explore this dynamic with, as he’s incredibly patient and thoughtful, and having lived for 6000+ years— I can really see him finding someone who is socially his opposite very charming. Anyways, please enjoy this first chapter!
———————
Watching the sun rise on Yujing Terrace had become your most beloved pastime since the death of Rex Lapis. You’d never really ventured up the steps further than Bubu pharmacy, but after everything that happened, you decided to go and pay your respects in a more private setting. 
You hadn’t attended the rite of parting. It felt too strange, seeing as you weren’t from Liyue, but you’d lived in the harbor long enough to feel a little twinge of guilt afterwards. 
The attack on the harbor had halted your plans, you really hadn’t wanted to venture outside when there was an ancient sea god wreaking havoc in the waters just beyond your home. But once everything was settled, and the novelty of Rex lapis’ passing finally became outshone by recent events, you decided it was time. 
You’d spent all evening working in your greenhouse, realizing the night had escaped you only when your eyes barely skimmed across a clock on your way to grab fresh potting soil from your storage room. You’d figured beating the morning rush to the terrace was better for your sanity, and washed your hands before heading out. 
The sun had not begun to rise, everything washed in fading starlight as you made your way up the stone stairs. You breathed a sigh of relief when you saw that only the Milileth were occupying the terrace, a few standing guard here and there and a few making their rounds. 
One soldier looked at you a bit warily, most likely wondering why you were here so early. But he only nodded politely when you sheepishly showed him your box of incense. 
When you made it to the topmost part of the terrace, you lit a singular stick and placed it in the holder. You’d seen people immediately murmuring their prayers after lighting their incense, but you weren’t really sure what to say, so you walked around a bit before standing at the railing facing east over the harbor. 
The water looked so peaceful. The sky had started brightening, the first glimmers of the rising sun peeking up from the horizon, casting early shadows along the boats and buildings. 
You took a deep breath, pushing your exhale further than normal. Your chest felt strange, You’d never really prayed to anyone before. 
“Um…” you fiddled with your hands on the stone railing, watching the sun rise ever so slowly. “I’m sorry I didn’t attend your rite of parting. Crowds are really not my thing.” 
You felt too strange to say his name out loud, hoping that wherever the wind took your words would eventually lead to wherever he was resting. Where did gods go when they die? 
“I’ve not lived in the harbor long, but I can see why you loved it. Though I have been here long enough to understand the love you must have had for your people, and the love they gave to you in return. Despite that, I feel as though we’re all going to be just fine in your absence.” 
You cringed a little, wondering if your words came across too crass or irreverent. 
“Ah, well, what I mean to say is you shouldn’t worry.” you chewed on your lip, watching more shadows form along the harbor as the sun grew and grew over the sea, bathing the sky in oranges and pinks.
“Oh, what else do people say when they do this…” you mumbled. “People usually ask for blessings or good fortune, don’t they? I’ve never really understood that. I won’t ask for anything… or is that rude too?” You could never remember the protocol for things like this. 
“Maybe I’ll just ask for happiness. If you can send some sense of fulfillment my way, that would be nice. But don’t put yourself out or anything.” 
You scoffed at yourself, rolling your eyes as you gazed out at the sea. “Or maybe I should just give my blessing to you. Does anyone do that? Ask for blessings and good fortune for you?” 
You shook your head, leaning on the railing and smiling at yourself a bit. It felt like you were talking to yourself, but it wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as you thought. 
“Well then, I ask that you rest in peace. You deserve it after the multiple millennia you endured. I can't imagine having to work for that long, sounds exhausting.” You yawned, stretching out your limbs. 
It was strange, you felt tired— obviously. Being up all night was not exactly ideal, but standing there, watching the beautiful sun rise over your city, you couldn’t help but feel a warm wash of pure… peace. You felt good. You didn’t feel so alone. 
You looked around a bit, still seeing that no one was near you, before looking up half heartedly at the sky. 
“Is that you? Is that why people do this sort of thing?” You smiled as the sun finally broke its way from the water, painting the sky in all its glorious colors. 
Hmm. Perhaps I should design a new sunrise themed bouquet. 
You rubbed the tiredness from your eyes as you made your way back to the stairs, but as you walked through the first archway, your eyes caught sight of the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. 
He was standing, holding a cup of tea while he chatted with an elderly woman at her table. The warm, early sunlight bathed him in its amber hues, making the colors of his clothing gleam, and exposing the rich warm tones of his hair. 
He was exceptionally tall, that much you could tell, even from so far away. He held himself with such grace and poise that you couldn’t help but stare. He looked like royalty. He looked like he belonged on a throne, not walking amongst the common people. 
His smile was small but contagious— you’d pressed a hand over your mouth to hide the fact that you were grinning as he did down at the little old lady in front of him. 
The woman chuckled a bit, before turning to the small flower bed behind her, before picking one of the flowers that was growing there. 
A glaze lily? They were extremely rare, you knew that for certain. They hardly grew in the wild, which is why you hadn’t bothered to grow them for your shop yet, as you harvested the majority of your seeds by yourself. 
He took the delicate flower in his gloved hand, bringing it to his nose and taking what looked like a deep breath. Your heart lurched as his face became almost solemn, but he pushed a smile through and nodded to the woman, saying something you couldn’t hear. 
You couldn’t help but watch as he finished his tea, his striking eyes scanning around the terrace. It was a moment too late when you realized his eyes were eventually going to fall on you. You— who was watching him like some sort of lunatic. 
His eyes met yours for the briefest of moments, and even from a distance they seemed to burn in the early morning sunshine. You instantly flushed, an embarrassing noise fluttering past your lips as you turned around and hid behind the archway, hoping that it looked like you were just heading back towards the overlook. 
You took several deep breaths before you dared peek around the corner again, sighing in relief as you watched the beautiful man make his way down the steps. 
That was the single most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done. You thought, before shaking your head as memories of far more embarrassing events flooded your brain. Actually, never mind. That was pretty far down on the list. 
You almost thought that perhaps you never wanted to see that man again, for fear of embarrassing yourself once more— but that thought was quickly swept away. It would be a shame never to see him again. He was far too pretty. 
———————
it was about a month into your new habit when the elderly woman called out to you. 
You were simply making your way back towards the stairs, having only ever greeted her with a polite nod or a rushed “good morning!” Here and there, so you were surprised when she called you over and invited you for tea. 
You introduced yourself, and she smiled, pouring you a cup. 
“Ah, you’re the young one running that new flower shop, yes?” 
You nodded. “Yes ma’am. ‘New beginnings: flowers and things.’ I sell little trinkets and gifts here and there when I collect them on my travels. But mostly it's just my flowers.”
”oh, you little darling. No need to be so formal. You can call me granny if you like— or Ping. Either or.”   
Normally you wouldn’t be so formal with someone you’d just met, especially an elder, but there was something about Ping that made you feel so comfortable. 
“Alright, Granny.” You smiled. 
“Much better. “ she said, taking her seat. “Now why don’t you tell me all about your shop. I was very surprised when I heard that someone had built a little greenhouse in the city.” 
And so began your new routine of waking up early to watch the sunrise— talking to yourself under the guise of “praying to Rex Lapis”, and having your morning tea while chatting with Madame Ping. 
Ping turned out to be quite the gossip, and you got most of your updates on the comings and goings of the people through her. You learned about her disciples, though you weren’t quite sure what she was a master of. She seemed very wise, having many a tale to tell and advice on things that plagued you. 
One morning you brought her a speciality bouquet of Cecelia’s, one of your more popular flowers, and she gushed about how thoughtful you were. 
“I hope you don’t mind, I stole one from the bouquet earlier and left it on the overlook as an offering with my incense.” You said, sipping your tea. 
“Nonsense, they’re your flowers to begin with, dear. I never would have even known if you hadn’t said something.” She pulls a vase from beneath her table, and pours some water from her nearby jug inside. Ping places the flowers in the vase, fluffing up the greenery to look nice and setting it on the other end of her table. 
“There, just beautiful. Thank you my dear.” She says, sitting back down.
”It's really no trouble. They’re some of my last Cecelias, my recent batch of seedlings went bad. I'll have to make a trip to Mondstadt to collect more seeds soon.” You fiddled with the sleeve of your shirt. 
“If you need someone to watch over the shop for you while you’re gone, I’m well acquainted with a traveler who is just perfect for odd jobs like that when they have the time.” 
“Oh,” you said, looking out at the colors fading from the sky. “That might be nice, I’ve been putting off going out because I’m not too sure who I can trust to watch the greenhouse.” 
You were trying hard to hide your wavering tone, but you knew immediately Madam Ping had caught on. 
“Is there something else on your mind, dear?” She said, “You know you can talk to me about anything that troubles you.” 
You paused, looking around a bit before you took a deep breath. “It’s just…”
Chewing your lip, you sighed at her kindness. You knew better than to be anxious around Ping, but your embarrassment over what you had been doing the last month was eating at you. 
“Is it strange that I've been… praying to Rex Lapis every morning, even though he’s no longer with us?” 
“Ah,” Ping hummed, her eyes glittering with mirth. “I had been wondering what you do over there before the sun rises. When you said you left a flower as an offering, I thought perhaps you prayed to a lost loved one, but Rex Lapis?” 
“I know— it's odd isn’t it? I don’t even know if gods still hear prayers when they pass but—“ 
“Nonsense.” She interrupted your downward spiral, her tone light to soothe you. “There are plenty of people who still pray to our fallen archon. And I can guarantee you that wherever he is resting— those prayers still make it through to him, and crystal clear at that. He may not be able to descend from the heavens as a magnificent dragon to grant the wishes of his followers anymore, but he will always bear witness to our prayers, of that you can be certain.” 
“Oh,” you breathed. You weren’t sure if you believed her, but you didn’t want to seem rude. “Do you think it bothers him? To hear so many people while he is trying to rest?” 
“I’m sure the requests for wealth and glory get rather tedious very quickly.” Madame Ping laughs. “But what do you pray to him for?” 
You flush, running your finger along your teacup. “I don’t really ask him for anything. I just sort of… tell him about things?” You shrug, feeling rather sheepish. 
Ping simply nods, encouraging you to continue. 
“I wasn’t really ever certain he could even be listening. It just feels nice to get things off my chest, you know?” You took another sip of tea. “I feel sort of bad, I mainly just vent to him— it’s kind of like chatting with you, granny. Only I say things I might not be comfortable sharing with others.”
Ping hums, staring out over the harbor thoughtfully. 
“I’m sure your kind of prayers are the most interesting to him. Perhaps even his favorite.” She says after a few moments. 
“Really?” You scrunched up your nose a bit. “I find that sort of hard to believe.” 
Ping smiled, and her eyes seemed to glitter with something unknown. She always seemed to be brimming with unobtainable knowledge, it kept you clinging to her every word in hopes of soaking it up. 
“It was once said that after so many years of being a god— watching over his people and nation with the weight of thousands of years of history and bloodshed upon his shoulders — that Rex Lapis would don a disguise and wander among his people, to gain a taste of what it was like to be human.” She gathered your empty teacup, placed it on the tray with the rest of the tea set and put it aside. “I think perhaps your prayers would remind him of simpler times, of what it is like to be human.”
You let her words ruminate for a while, watching as the harbor started to wake up— typically your sign to tuck tail and run home. 
Finally, you spoke. 
“Do you think he enjoyed my flower offering?” You asked. 
Ping smiled wide, eyeing her bouquet of Cecelias. 
“I think it's a lovely gesture, but he was particularly fond of the glaze lily. Perhaps those— as opposed to the anemo archons favored flower would be more fitting.”
You cringed. You hadn’t even registered that Cecelia’s were known as Barbatos’ favorite flower. After giving yourself a mental scolding, and a reminder to brush up on your international flora guidebook, you hesitantly spoke up once more. 
“I’d love to, but I harvest my own seeds, Granny. I wouldn’t even know where to look for wild glaze lilies. Aren’t they extremely rare?” 
She pulled a little sack from beneath her table — she always seemed to have whatever she needed right on hand, how curious. — and gently placed it in your hands. 
“These are quite old, but I have a feeling if anyone will be able to get them to sprout, it will be you, dear.” 
————————————
You weren’t very hopeful. 
Seeds, when preserved under the perfect conditions, can last up to ten years. But extremely rare and delicate flower seeds tucked in a sack under Madam Pings table? 
You started small; putting six seeds into six little nursery pots, and diligently reading up on the proper humidity, soil, nutrients and water required for glaze lilies. Within the week, small little green shoots were poking through the soil, and you nearly jumped for joy. 
The revelry was short lived when the following week you entered the nursery to find six shriveled up, sad, and very dead plants. You cussed under your breath as you stomped around your greenhouse, reading through your glaze lily guide and wondering what went wrong. 
You had plenty of seeds, plenty of room for trial and error. 
You just did not expect the trial and error to last several months. 
It was the morning after you found your most recent batch absolutely ruined. The humidity or the hydration levels were off, they had to be. What other reason would they have turned to mush for? You’d abandoned the guidebook long ago, it was a lying liar who killed your plants before they even budded. 
“It’s just so frustrating, you know?” You said, leaning against the railing of the overlook. “I feel like if I can't do this, then my entire life as a florist has been for nothing.” 
There was no response, but you sort of enjoyed that. You still weren’t sure if you entirely believed Madam Ping when she said that the archon could still hear you, but you’d never stopped your ranting and rambling to him either way. 
“I know, I know. I’m being dramatic.” You flicked a pebble off the railing, watching as it tumbled down into the trees below. “This started out as me just wanting to give you a proper offering, one that you’d like. But now it feels like something I’m meant to do. If I can find a way to make Glaze Lilies more prosperous in Liyue again, I feel as though that would be a much better gift in your honor—  as opposed to just… sitting one on the terrace to get stolen or blown away in the wind.” 
Still no answer, but once again you were enveloped by that warm and lustrous feeling of peace as the sun rose over the water. Perhaps you were becoming addicted to this feeling. You certainly would not feel as ready to get through another day without it. 
You gave a deep sigh, thinking long and hard before you decided it was time to ask for help. 
“Granny?” You said as you made your way to her table. “Do you know anyone who has information on how Glaze Lilies were cultivated in the past?”
——————————
You were absolutely filthy. 
Your knees were coated in dirt, wet soil clinging to your arms where your gloves didn’t cover. You were nearly certain your hair was a complete disaster. 
None of that mattered. Your other plants were thriving, your shop was freshly stocked with premade bouquets and trimmed flowers for custom bouquets. You just unloaded your shipment of silk ribbons and wrapping paper, and were now nearly elbow deep in buckets of potting soil for your Mourning flowers. 
They required a specific blend of nutrients and earth in comparison to your other flowers, and with your newest batch almost ready to trim, you needed to get a move on with the new growth before they all sold out. 
You had just finished the mixing when the bell on the front door of your shop jingled. 
“Just a moment, I’ll be right with you!” You yelled out. 
The greenhouse was built connected to the shop which housed your little apartment on the second floor. 
Everything was relatively close, so you often worked in the greenhouse during the slow hours. And that damned bell was so loud, though you supposed it had to be, otherwise you could run the risk of people sneaking in and taking what they’d like. Now, you didn’t think that was likely to happen, but it never hurt to be cautious. 
You tossed your gloves onto the nearby counter and washed your hands with the bulle fruit scented soap by the sink. 
You took off your dirty apron to exchange it for the clean shop apron. It helps to look somewhat put together when greeting customers. 
You wiped your damp hands along the sides of the apron as you finished tying the knot, rounding the corner into the shop. 
“How can I help you today?” You said, making your way to the front counter and pausing to make sure your bags were stocked in case they were purchasing something. 
“I was told by a friend that you were in need of some information on historic flora cultivation?” The mans voice was deep, with a delicious rasp about it that had you wondering exactly what kind of man had a voice so alluring. 
You looked up finally, trying to peek through the shelving as he walked along, only to catch glimpses of rich, warm browns. Curse you for stocking your flower bins so damn full. 
You caught sight of warm brown hair, the morning sun gleaming in the windows to catch along the amber hues scattered throughout. 
Your heart lurched as he turned the corner, watching as his eyes scanned the walls lining your shop— decorated with plants and trinkets, little baubles glimmering in the sunlight. 
The face of quiet admiration he gave as he looked at the flowers might’ve buckled your knees if not for the realization that this was the man you had seen Madam Ping speaking to— that day. 
This was that man. The man who may or may not have haunted your dreams for weeks after you saw him. You had wanted to ask Ping who he was, but you were so incredibly embarrassed about the whole situation. Now here he was, standing in your shop as you wondered if this was insanely good luck, or insanely bad luck. 
“Ah, yes. Gran— I mean, Madame Ping said you might be around today.” You introduced yourself, welcoming him to your store as you tried to keep your voice level. 
“It’s a pleasure,” the man said, giving a slight bow. “My name is Zhongli, I currently work at wangsheng funeral parlor as a consultant, but in my spare time I am somewhat of a historian, among other things.”
”It's lovely to meet you, Zhongli.” You wrung your hands together, unsure whether you should look him in the eye or not. They were so startling, so liquid gold it was difficult to hold their gaze. 
He simply smiled softly. “I am at your service. Would you perhaps be willing to show me what you’ve been working on?” 
As his gaze traveled across you, awaiting your response, but you suddenly became very aware of your current appearance. Surely any minuscule chance you had with this man flew out the window the moment he saw your disastrous hair and dirt scuffed knees. 
Not that you thought you really had a chance with him to begin with, but it doesn’t hurt to dream big, right? 
“Ah, yes. Of course.” You said, gesturing towards the back entrance to the greenhouse. “Right this way.” 
He followed closely as you made your way back. His eyes roamed the expanse of your greenhouse in what looked like appreciation, and he nodded encouragingly at you when you paused to watch his reaction. 
“This is quite impressive.” 
Feeling your face heat up, you turned to remove your shop apron and threw your dirty one back around your waist with unsteady hands. 
“It’s nothing really, I just figured that I should turn my hobby into a source of income, and well…” you hoped he didn’t notice your slight cringe as you donned your gloves once again. “I have a lot of free time on my hands.” 
“Such dedication is nothing to shrug off so casually.” He walked around, his eyes catching the latest batch of little failures and he stood in front of them, leaning in close as if to inspect their misery in finer detail. 
“These are the lilies?” He said, eyeing the drooping sprouts. 
“Yes.” You sighed, coming to stand beside him. You were anxious, sure. But your greenhouse was your safe space. You ruled this kingdom, he was just a guest here. A well dressed, knowledgeable and extremely attractive guest, but you had to convince yourself that everything was fine. If you remained calm and collected, everything would be fine. 
Fake it ‘til you make it— or however the saying goes. 
“They either shrivel up and dry out, or they take in too much moisture and rot. I had a guidebook, but it was about as helpful as a catalyst in a crystal mine.” 
You nearly gaped at him as he let a little chuckle fall from his lips, but he cut it off with a rough clearing of his throat, continuing to look at the plants. 
“Hm, well. Let us take a look at the book. I can revise any incorrect information, and we can work from there, yes?”
Nodding, you turn to dig the accursed book from its time out in the pile of shame. (A pile of useless guidebooks that carried misinformation, or were just overall genuinely bad. However terrible they may be, you’d spend decent money on them and refuse to get rid of any of your books. Hence the creation of the pile of shame.) 
Handing it to him, you move to start clearing the ruined plants from their nursery pots. You tried not to watch him as he flipped through the book, only allowing yourself little glances from the corner of your eye as you cleaned up. When you were finished, you lined up fresh nursery pots and flicked at a loose thread on the bag of seeds. 
“Surprisingly, there are only a few minor discrepancies in this guide. Overall, it seems to be alright, however there is one glaringly obvious detail that has been completely missed.” Zhongli spoke behind you. 
“Oh?” You turned, leaning against your countertop as you waited for him to elaborate. 
“In order to successfully grow Glaze Lilies, you must sing to them.” 
Your brow scrunched in confusion. “Excuse me?” 
The corners of his lips tilted up, and you flushed at the attitude leaking from your tone in such a casual manner. You’d only just met this man, and he was being extremely professional and kind in helping you with this matter. Where were your manners? 
Zhongli however, seemed unbothered by your casual display, and simply continued on. 
“I’ll make the necessary notations here, to correct the minor discrepancies, but the main focus should be — that after the first sign of sprouting — you need to sing to them at least once daily for them to continue growing properly.”
You crossed your arms and looked at him through a furrowed brow. 
“You’re not just making fun of me, are you? Because if this is some kind of practical joke, I don't find it very amusing.”  
Zhongli smiled warmly, closing the book and leaning quite casually against the opposite countertop, his liquid gold eyes glittering with amusement, but it didn’t seem like the kind that was at your expense. 
“I can assure you, I would never jest about something so important, nor would I play any kind of practical joke at your expense. I am simply sharing in my knowledge, hoping to help you in your desires, however I can.” 
You felt your heart fluttering, and you attempted to steady your breath. “Alright. I’m sorry, I just…” how could you tell him you weren’t used to people being so sincere? How could you explain that you weren’t used to such kindness without seeming pathetic? 
“Please do not worry yourself,” he said, stepping closer. He gestured to the small starting pots behind you. “Shall we get started?” 
—————-
“—And now he’s spent the last two weeks dropping by after the parlor closes every day and just— hangs out in the greenhouse while I work? I mean, his help with starting up the lilies was wonderful, but now it’s just about keeping the right moisture levels and singing to them every night, which I refuse to do while he’s there, because I’m not up for embarrassing myself in front of the literal most gorgeous man alive, thank you.” 
Your voice carried a little louder than usual, but by now the Milileth knew your routine, and hardly even batted an eye if they heard you speaking to yourself. 
The sun hadn’t started to rise yet, you’d gotten to the terrace early, early enough that the lanterns were still lit, illuminating the darkened path up those torturous stairs. 
“And he’s so polite? I don’t know how to act around him, he’s always giving such genuine sounding compliments, asking me questions while I work, helping me with little things. Surely a man like that has better things to do with his time?” You huffed, that creeping sense of self loathing wrapping around your shoulders like an old blanket, scratchy and rough, but oh so familiar. 
“He’s so beautiful, and intellectual. He’s literally a walking historical archive and I could honestly listen to him talk for hours— But in comparison, I’m just… I’m just a little girl who plays around with dirt and flowers. I really don’t understand why he keeps hanging around.” 
You scrunched your nose as the sun started to spill those beautiful colors across the sky. 
“Do you think Madame Ping asked him to keep coming around? I know she thinks I'm lonely, but I don't need her to bribe a grown man into being my friend.” 
You shook your head, rolling your eyes. “No, I can't see her taking it that far. I just… I really don’t see why he would want to be around me.” 
That warm feeling started to envelop you, and you took a deep breath to soak it in. “I know… I have a lot of self worth issues. It’s not like I've asked him why he’s hanging around, I just kind of… let him.  Maybe I can work up the courage to ask him why he’s so interested. He probably only wants to see if I can actually manage to grow those flowers.” 
You rubbed the lingering sleep from your eyes and lingered a bit longer than usual, wondering what Rex Lapis would think about Mr. Zhongli. 
——————————
Around the 3 month mark, when things started looking promising, you developed another new habit. 
Instead of spending a dedicated section of time at night standing awkwardly and singing to your newly budded plants, you decided it would save time and effort to just sing away while you do your evening chores in the greenhouse. 
You wouldn’t go out on a limb and say that your other plants were magically affected by your singing, but like your lilies, everything in the greenhouse seemed just a bit more vibrant as you did so. 
You checked the clock, chewing your lip as you scolded yourself for missing Zhongli’s presence. 
About a week ago, he’d stopped by to say that he was taking a leave of absence to go on a trip with a friend of his. He’d introduced the traveler and their strange floating  companion to you before they headed off. 
“I’ll only be gone for a week, maybe more, but I truly look forward to seeing the progress when I return.” 
You’d sort of settled into the strange routine of greeting him in the evenings, making the odd pot of tea while he spoke about anything under the sun, entertaining you while you worked. It felt strange to not have him here, but you knew you couldn’t get too attached. When the lilies bloomed, he would most certainly lose interest, and you’d have to go back to your regular routine of lonely nights. 
Your heart felt a bit somber as you hauled a few buckets of mulch along, not really focusing on your surroundings, just zoning out while you sang random tunes to help your lilies grow. 
You remember a song you’d heard your grandmother sing a long time ago, a distant memory, but the melody was still so vibrant in your mind. 
“Eyes shining like the sunrise,
 Ever deeper than the night sky,
Nature sweet, like faun and flora,
More valuable than jade or mora, 
Take me me there, safe from harm,
Safe at home, in your arms.
nature's bounty he—“
Your voice caught in your throat as you turned to grab the next bucket only to find Zhongli standing silently in the doorway, eyes nearly glowing in the lantern light. 
You jumped, and you were sure if you had something in your hands, it would’ve flown out of them, most likely spilling all over you— embarrassing you even further. 
“Zhongli?!” You yelped, throwing a hand over your pounding heart. “I didn’t hear you come in! You nearly gave me a heart attack.” 
He chuckled, a warm sound you’d grown so fond of hearing. “I did not intend to startle you. Though I am surprised you did not hear me, considering how you’re always on about how loud that bell is.” 
“Yes, well,” your face grew so extremely warm, you pulled off your gloves and shoved them in your apron pocket, kicking a foot on the flooring of your greenhouse. ”I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here tonight, so I suppose I let myself get too carried away.” 
“I wouldn’t say you were too carried away.” His eyes were sparkling, his smile deeper than you think you’d ever seen it before. 
“Wha— are you teasing me? I thought you said you wouldn’t—“ he cut off your rambling with a simple murmuring of your name, nodding to the countertop behind you. 
Confused, you turned, and in the moonlight streaming in through exposed glass sat six perfect glaze lilies, fully bloomed. 
You walked towards them in awe, feeling Zhongli’s presence not far behind. 
“I…” you stared at them, eyes wide and mouth nearly hanging open. “I can’t believe…” 
You were hopeful, of course you were. But a part of you genuinely expected to come in one day and find them dead, destroyed like the others. You had wanted this so badly, but after months of failure, you had lost your confidence. But there, sat in front of you in their little pots, sat six perfect fully grown glaze lilies. 
“I did it.” You mumbled, turning around to face Zhongli. Your heart felt like it was bursting in your chest. You jumped, barely able to contain your joy as you shrieked. 
“I did it!” You excitedly danced around, pumping your fists in the air and whooping, in total bliss at your accomplishment. 
“You did it.” Zhongli simply said, smiling down at you.  
“We did it!” You yelled, your joy uncontainable. Without thinking, you threw yourself at him, giggling as he caught you effortlessly, spinning you around as you wrapped your arms around his neck. 
He smelled like amber, like the forest and the mountain air, crisp and pure and addicting. You took another deep breath before you realized what exactly you were doing. 
You quickly pushed yourself away, backing up with a squeaking “sorry!” Only in your embarrassment, you completely lost your bearings, immediately tripping backwards on a stack of potting soil sacks and tumbling down. 
You tried to catch yourself on the side counter, but only succeeded in grabbing hold of a stack of books you’d been meaning to relocate, the pile of shame.
Perhaps it was your karma for naming it such, perhaps it was irony, but the pile of shame merely tumbled down along with you, spilling onto your head with a terrible series of audible smacking sounds to accompany your little cries of pain. 
“Oh!” In Zhongli’s defense, he really had tried to catch you, but you supposed when you pushed away, you must have shoved him a bit farther back as well, and he was merely seconds too late from grabbing your arm to steady you. 
You sat in your embarrassment, letting a loose book stay where it landed, covering your face. 
“Are you alright?” Zhongli said, his voice filled with genuine concern. 
“Can you pretend like the last five minutes never happened?” You said, cringing beneath the pages of an extremely outdated copy of Flowers in Food: recipes for your floral tastes. 
“Unfortunately, my dear,” Zhongli began removing the book from your face, peeking down at your reddened cheeks beneath the pages. “I have the pleasure of having an impeccable memory.” 
“I had a feeling you’d say something like that.” You grumbled. 
You began peeling books off yourself, face warm as you wondered how you were going to get out of this one. 
“You did not need to apologize, though.” Zhongli said, crouching down to help you. “I am more than comfortable sharing in your excitement at such an accomplishment.” 
Your heart fluttered, and your face heated for entirely different reasons. Maybe it was okay that you’d hugged him? As much as you want to think he’s always teasing you, he has never once lied about how he’s felt about anything. 
“Oh.” You said, peeling away the last couple books. “Well then, I’m sorry for pushing away so abruptly, and uh… that you had to see all that.” 
He smiled, shaking his head as if he was going to tell you something more, when his eyes seemed to catch something along your torso. 
You looked down, and under the last book you’d pulled off your stomach sat a little glowing orb, about the size of your palm. 
Its warm amber light glowed against the fabric of your shirt, and you looked just as shocked at Zhongli for a moment. 
But his face steadied, and he smiled down at you. “It seems that your perseverance has been recognized in the highest regard.” 
You gapped down at the geo vision sitting on your stomach. 
“I… what?” 
—————————
AN: what did you think? Please let me know in the comments/tags/askbox! Also feel free to send in ideas for some dynamics you’d enjoy seeing between these two, as I have a vague idea of where the story will go, but its not entirely concrete yet!
- from Pidge, with love <3
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st-el-la-luna · 9 months
Text
Thinking about König
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Mainly, thinking about his anxiety being like my anxiety. It's social anxiety but more than the "oh no, people, scary!" That people tend to generalize it as.
That's not to say that it isn't like that. Yes, people are intimidating, especially large groups of them. Or if you're being put in a command position. Or if you're in a position to be judged... Which is most situations. (Public speaking, especially for school projects is especially bad).
But it's not just shyness. It's also the aversion.
Walking through the halls, with a dead sort of stare. Not intentionally intimidating, but it's very much a resting bitch face, look at me and I'll kill you sort of expression.
Saying as little as possible to people he's not comfortable with.
"yes."
"no."
"I don't like that."
"I don't want to."
"we are not friends."
Staring so intently at people that it unsettles them.
"-and that's why I think... Why... It's... Is everything okay, Colonel?"
"Ja, why?"
"You're, uh... You're looking very intently."
"This is just how I look. Eye contact is important."
"uhh... Right, it's just... I haven't seen you blink?"
"I blink when you blink."
Like, yes, of course there are situations where he gets mousy voiced or sweaty palms. But not at work, no. At work he's able to conjure up, maybe not confidence, but something.
At a restaurant though? Speaking softly, making himself small, saying please and thank you after every sentence. It doesn't matter what the server does, he's always soft spoken and polite, nervous. If he asks for no pickles and they bring him his dish with pickles, he'll eat it. If he orders a chicken sandwich and they bring him a burger, he'll eat it. If he tells them that he has a deadly peanut allergy and they bring him a tub of peanut butter... He'll send that back, but he'll be polite about it.
"Oh, ja, I'm sorry, I... This isn't what I ordered. Oh, no, no, it's okay, don't apologize. I'm sorry. You're busy. It's fine, I understand."
Sometimes during mission briefs he will randomly growl and smack his fist on the table. People think he's mad at them and straighten up, stop sipping so loud, on their best behaviour. He actually just got mad at himself, remembered something embarrassing from his past.
He almost acts like a narcissist. Passes by a mirror, winks at his reflection: "How's it going, good looking?"
Makes jokes about being the pretty one. People think he's full of himself.
He actually hates himself but has replaced negative self talk with show boating. He doesn't hate himself any less, but he tells himself to kill himself way less often!
Always has some sort of plan. An escape route, a plan of attack. Watching the people around him nervously.
Sits in the back of the room so he can watch everybody. Sits with his chair pushed far back so he can stand quicker.
Glares at people who walk by. Gives their dogs heart eyes. Prays that the owners realize and ask him if he wants to say hello. He's too awkward to ask permission. And he's too angry looking for people to offer.
Represses lots of anger from incidents he feels he can't lash out in, goes batshit in training or on missions. (I used to do kick boxing, the gym people had to keep coming up to me and moving my punching bag back because I was hitting it too hard).
The kind of person to, when going to someone's house, immediately look for signs of a pet. If he finds it. The animal is now his best friend. Goes to a party hangs with the dog type of beat.
Thinks smoking pot would help him. But the idea makes him nervous. Which he thinks, smoking pot would help... But the idea of smoking pot makes him nervous. But he–
Will just lie to get out of shit.
"Hey, we're going to get drinks tonight, do you want to come?"
"ah, I can't... I promised to get dinner with a friend."
Goes home and enjoys a night alone.
Avoidant. Will just not do things that cause him stress. Hasn't been to the dentist in years because talking to the lady at reception makes him nervous. What if the phone signal is bad? What if it just keeps breaking up? What if she can't understand his accent? What if when he gets to the dentist they hate him for the state of his teeth? What if he goes to the dentist and they steal his teeth?! It's happened before! He's seen articles!
Gets adopted by extroverts by being unhinged.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Horangi asks.
"I heard that human meat tastes like pork... The best pork, actually." König says absently.
"Huh... And you know this why?"
"I was curious."
"okay... Let's go to dinner."
"Ja, let's."
A sort of dry air about him that comes off as a lack of empathy. But he's just got so much going on in his brain that he can't focus on emoting anything but augghskft.
Will stare off into space with a blend of the hundred yard stare and the most murderous expression known to man. He's not mad. He's just thinking.
Undiagnosed autism
Forgets people's names, gets to nervous to ask again. So he just calls everyone "you".
Acts cold and indifferent. He just really hates small talk, doesn't understand it. Why say something if it's not important? He doesn't care about your grandchildren. Or your wife. Or your morning.
Is the world's best host mainly out of fear. Asking if you need food or a drink or a blanket or if–
König who after confrontations, has to take a step back, hands shaking slightly. But who's also still super pissed and ready to throw punches at the drop of a hat
König who worries so much about physical affection that it just becomes too much. Hugs are suffocating, hands are held too tight, cuddling is like being smothers. But it takes him a long time to initiate anything. God forbid you initiate anything. Hug the man and he bluescreens
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horrorlove14 · 7 months
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Hallo, thx for doing my request. Now I'm thinking of rin itoshi with an ambivert reader. Ambivert means you are both and extrovert and an introvert. Rin is an introvert and reader is an ambivert. Reader is elegant, ladylike, calm and collected. She likes to hang out alone in the the garden. Draw, read a book, dance or sing. Usually she loves elegant dancing or traditional fan dancing. On the other hand, she is also cheerful bubbly and not rlly shy and doesn't get awkward when socialising.
Hello again and of course, I'll fulfil this request
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Pairing: Rin Itoshi x Female! Reader
You are considered as an ambivert, meaning that you're both introverted and extroverted at the same time. You can be quite comfortable about socialising with others without being awkward, but you also want to have alone time to yourself to recharge your social battery.
You meet Rin Itoshi during one of your traditional fan dancing practices at the public gardens, which catches his attention because he's in awe with the way you dance in rhythm with the fan.
Once you're done, Rin applauds with a slight smile on his handsome face, and you didn't hesitate to go up to him and introduce yourself with your sweet, bubbly personality, along with your ladylike mannerisms which has him in awe.
You two end up talking to each other to the point that you lost track of time as a result because you two share an instant chemistry. You exchanged contact details with Rin before returning home.
As time goes on, you and Rin have hung out together and gotten closer that you two end up dating each other when you went to go watch one of Rin's matches where you cheered him and once the match was over Rin confessed his feelings towards you and you returned them with a sweet kiss to his lips.
Throughout the whole relationship, Rin has seen your introverted side where you would sometimes prefer to stay at home and do your hobbies to recharge yourself and relax. He also has seen the extroverted side where you would be confident to socialise with others in social outings.
For your dates, you would dress elegantly and ladylike, which makes him blush, and his heart beat fast. You'll be in awe of whatever Rin wears because he's handsome like a supermodel who'll look in anything he wears.
He looks forward to the future with you by his side at every step on the way and making many fun memories together.
----------------------------------------------------
End of story. Likes and reblogs are very much appreciated.
My deepest apologies for the delay due to my part-time job and mental health because I went through a dark place in my head and had a mental breakdown due to stress and anxiety.
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solaris-amethyst · 2 months
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💫Sing for me?💫
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✨Pairing: non idol!San x gn!reader ✨Prompt: You over hear your coworker sing and convinces him to sing at work in front of your guests. ✨Word Count: 2.6k ✨Genre: fluff, romance, coworkers to lovers ☀️️Authors Note: That picture of San is one of my favorites😭 What did you guys think of this one? I am so proud of this one actually, I'm so happy with how it turned out🥰
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There was not much going on at the moment at work. You were finishing up your chores by throwing out some of the trash so San who were closing alone tonight wouldn't have much to do at all.
You liked working with San, he was a great man who was kind, lovely, funny and just overall someone you enjoyed being around. Sharing your shift with him always led to you laughing so much your stomach hurt and walking home with butterflies.
He was incredibly handsome and you would be lying if you said you didn't have a slight crush on said man. He was incredibly handsome and such a sweetheart that your heart almost always beat a little faster when around him.
If only you could get the courage to ask him out on a date. But the anxiety of him potentially saying no and it ruining the friendship you two got going on is what stopped you from acting on those butterflies. Nothing would make it worse than having to go to work every day and it being awkward with the two of you when usually the two of you always had fun playing around at the little cafe.
After the last trash bag had been thrown away you entered from the back of the cafe to walk back to the front but you suddenly stopped when you heard a lovely voice singing from the front. It sounded almost siren like in your ears as the voice sang softly along to the radio.
The voice was beautiful, luring you back to the front where the man you had been working with was singing, his back towards you as he cleaned the counter. You couldn't help yourself just standing there in the door opening looking at him in awe.
Never had San mentioned he could sing and oh how you wished he had mentioned it earlier because this was simply so beautiful it almost moved you to tears with the way he sang the love song that was softly playing from the radio. It wasn't until San turned around while singing that he noticed you, causing him to falter and flinch not having expected you there. "Oh shit! Y/n!! What ar you doing here?! I thought you clocked out and went home!" He looks flustered, holding a hand to his chest.
"I went to throw out the trash before I clocked out. I wanted to make the closing shift easier for." You confessed sheepishly looking him straight in the eyes.
San quickly avoided eye contact with you, his ears turning a bright red you noticed.
"You sing beautifully San. I didn't know you could sing like that." You complimented him hoping he'd look up at you.
"I'm not that good..." He says rubbing a hand behind his head denying your compliment causing you to look at him flabbergasted.
"What are you talking about San? You sounded beautifully when singing. You have talent that's for sure. You could definitely pursue music you know and be very successful." You told him earnestly.
"You really think so?" He looks at you curiously and with a glint in his eyes that you can't fully tell what it means.
"Yes 100%. Ohhh! I know! Why don't we have you sing here at work?? We could create a little stage and have like a two hour time slot where you sing ballads and such in the cafe for our customers to enjoy??" You say excitedly walking up to him.
Sans eyes widen at your idea and he takes a step back as you walk closer in excitement. You look so passionate about this, so beautiful with your eyes shining with happiness in his own eyes.
"You... You really think so? But what if they won't like me singing?"
"Oh please! They'd love it! I can promote it on social media together with Yeosang! People would come and they'd love it! Please San, think about it you'd get to sing infront of people and share this side of you."
"Okay I'll think about it."
You beamed at him nodding excitedly giving him a quick hug before going back to the staff room to change and check out for the day. Saying goodbye for the day to San and going on your merry way home. What you didn't see was San smiling to himself doing a little celebration dance due to the fact that you had complimented his singing voice earlier.
- 🔆 - 🔅 - 🔆 - 🔅 - 🔆 - 🔅 - 🔆 - 🔅 - 🔆 - 🔅 - 🔆 - 🔅 - 🔆 - 🔅 -
"Hey Y/n" "Oh! Hi San!" "I have been thinking about what you told me yesterday about me singing and doing it at work." "I want to try it. You were so encouraging and I'd like to take a leap of faith and if all else fail and people doesn't turn up at least I get to sing for you" "😲 !!!" "Ahhhhhh I'm so glad to hear that!!!" "Omg I'm so excited to make this work!!! You think about which songs you wanna sing and let me and Yeosang do the online stuff okay!!💞"
You immediately after you had responded to Sans messages went to text Yeosang about this all giddily. Your heart had done a somersault once you had read the part where San had written that even if no one turns up he'd at least get to sing for you.
You're glad you live alone so that no one had to see the way you were swinging your legs happily whilst texting Yeosang. He had agreed immediatly once hearing your plan about San and were already thinking about how the two of you were going to decorate the whole place. He had specifically written that he knew a guy who could help you guys with the sound system and find a good mic for San to use and that he had texted him immediately about this whole plan and his friend named Hongjoong had been on board.
The three of you made a group chat together and spent the whole night discussing and planning for the show. Yeosang was already making posts about what ended up dubbing The Evening Serenade and he had already made some amazing posters which he had sent to San as well to get his approval before he posted them on your cafés social media.
The next few days at work you and Yeosang had been buzzing like bees since your boss had agreed to this and the both of you were working so hard to decorate the whole place. Today was finally the day of the performance and you were finishing up the last finishing touches on the stage.
"Is there anything I can help you guys with?" San questioned as he went up to you, looking over the little stage you were decorating for the performance.
"Do you think you could hand me the flowers over there? I wanna make a pretty backdrop for you." You motion towards the flowers and he quickly went and picked them up joining you on the stage to help you create the backdrop.
"I've decided on the songs I want to sing today." He said with a shy smile as you looked at him excited.
"You have?! Will I get to know which songs you've chosen or will it be a surprise?" He chuckled at your question whilst handing you a rose
"It will have to be a secret for you, I've told Yeosang and his friend about the songs but for you it will be a surprise."
"Awwww you can't give me a hint? At least one song??" You beg him hoping he'd tell you at least one song, it brings out a giggle from him causing you to smile. His giggle was just as melodic as his singing is and you loved hearing it. It made your heart soar at the fact you managed to get him to giggle.
"All I can say is one of the songs is your favorite song and I even made sure it was the right version they're using for the instrumental, just for you." He confesses with a smile, his eyes twinkling and ending up in the shape of crescent moons. He looked so soft and kind right now.
"My favorite song... but I have so many San! How will I figure out which one you chose?!" You pout and he gently bumps the side of his body against yours.
"I guess you just have to wait and see until the performance starts sweetheart" He gives you a wink before taking some more flowers to put on the backdrop.
"I'm looking forward to hear your lovely singing voice again." You admit trying to fight the way your face is heating up, hoping he won't notice it, if he does he says nothing of it.
After the two of you had fixed the backdrop and you had made him sit on the chair and do some poses as if he was singing, which he did shyly trying to ignore the customers who were already there looking at him curiously, had you decided it looked good and brought forward the best side of him.
The closer the time got to 14:30, the more people started to come inside and order something to eat and drink before the performance was about to start. Yeosangs posts on social media and all of you working plus Yeosangs friend Hongjoong sharing it had caused it to gain lots of traction.
Your boss had even said if this was a success then she wanted it to become a reoccurring thing at the café.
"Oh wow look at you San! You look stunning!" You couldn't help but gape at him, he looked beautiful in black dress pants, a cream colored shirt which he had rolled up the sleeves so you could see his forearms and a pair of black shoes.
"Thank you. Is it alright? Does it fit the theme? I wasn't sure of how much I should dress up for this." He admitted looking a bit worried whilst looking down at his own clothes. You took a step forward taking his hands in yours to reassure him.
"You look absolutely stunning San. Truly, you look wonderful."
"Thank you Y/n, it means a lot hearing it from you." There it was, that gorgeous smile that always gave you butterflies in your stomach. He squeezed your hand lightly before excusing himself as Yeosang called for him to come to the stage so they could quickly fix the mic before starting the whole event.
You walked back to the counter incase anyone wanted to buy something but also so you would have perfect view of San as he was performing infront of everyone.
After some introductions and a thank you to everyone who had turned up the music started and the first song San sang was I'm Yours by Jason Mraz, he looked nervous in the beginning but soon the nerves must have melted away because he flourished on that scene like the flowers behind him.
"There is one song he's dedicated to you, you know." Yeosang whispers to you as he takes his place next to you causing you to look at him surprised.
"Really?"
"Yeah I'll nudge you when it comes on so you can focus on him." Yeosang winks at you before getting his work phone up to film some of the performance to post on your works instagram.
Very often during Sans performances would he make eye contact with you and give you a smile or a wink as he was singing before focusing back on the crowd. It was perhaps 1 hour and 30 minute into his performance that a familiar tune came from the speakers and Yeosang nudged you eagerly clearly wanting you to focus on San.
You glanced at Yeosang with big eyes before turning to focus on San. There was no way he dedicated this song to you. The melody to I will always love you played through the speakers as San started to sing the song.
You were surprised that San had actually remembered how you had mentioned you preferred the original version of the song and how you loved the way Dolly Parton sang the love song she had written. Yet here he was proving you wrong, he had remembered how you had told him that when speaking about favorite love songs.
Sans eyes had never left your form once since the song had started. He enjoyed seeing the way you stared at him with big eyes, clearly shocked he had chosen this song to dedicate to you. He could see Yeosang next to you grinning and whispering something causing you to smile shyly.
During the entire song you could feel every single emotion San put through the song and it was beautiful, truly. You almost teared up because of it had you not been at work. He finished the song with a small wink towards you.
"That concludes today's Evening Serenade. I want to thank everyone who turned up today and made this a success and came here to listen to me sing. Thank you all." San said into the mic before giving a little bow on the stage to the sound of applauds and whistles.
People were complementing him as he went off stage and towards the back to have a little moment for himself. Yeosang nudged you towards the back as well, saying it was very important you went there immediately.
You hurried to the back to see if you could find San after his wonderful performance.
"San?? Are you here?? I just wanted to congratulate you and tell you how wonderful you wer-oh!" Your rambling was cut off by a bouquet of flowers appearing infront of you together with a red faced San.
"T-these are for you Y/n." He confessed
"Me?! What? I should be the one gifting you flowers! You were amazing San! And the last song! I can't believe you remembered me telling you that was my favorite love song." You said whilst accepting the flowers he insisted on giving you.
"Yeah I wanted this to be very special for you."
"Special? For me? Why? This is your big day not mine."
"There's something I wanted to ask you." San said suddenly seeming more nervous than he had been during his first shift which had included a hectic rush his first few hours.
"Okay, I'm listening to whatever you want to ask." You smiled wanting to be encouraging as he was fidgeting in his spot.
"Y/n, I have realized lately that you mean more to me than I had previously realized. You're kind, passionate, loving and such a delight to be around. Being with you is like a dream I'd never want to wake up from. I look forward to work because I know I get to be with you and listen to you talk about anything and everything you want with such passion. You're like the light of my world and if you'd have me I would want to be the light of your world as well." He confesses and you stare at him in shock, you're not entirely sure if you're dreaming right now or if this is real life.
"San are you..." You couldn't even finish the sentence in fear you were dreaming or making it all up in your head.
"Would you like to be my partner?" He finally asks and you nod quicker than you've ever done before that its almost embarrassing.
Almost.
"Yes. Yes San. And for the record you're already the light of my world love."
San takes a step forward and brings you into his embrace and you carefully embrace him back before he leans up and look towards you. He leans forward and captures your lips in a short but sweet kiss.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
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bellysoupset · 3 months
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Is it okay if I use 🍁 as my anon emoji? If not then 🦊?
But my request is could you do a story about Vince and Max taking a class on an overnight field trip somewhere and both begrudgingly have to share a room. But of course one of them (I don’t mind who) gets a really upset tummy and the other has to be the reluctant carer while also having to deal with kids who are constantly knocking on their door, complaining or asking for things as young kids do. And then, the next day it’s a painstakingly long, bumpy bus ride home.
-🍁/🦊
-🦊 anon and ☂️ anon requested Max with a tummy ache opening up to others.
I'm sorry it took me so long!!
—----------------
Vince zipped up his jacket and turned around as he looked over the teenagers, all brimming with anxiety over the trip. 
It was a tradition of Doverport’s High to grant senior students a more expensive field trip than usual. Usually all excursions had to fall under the guise of education, with a teacher drafting up a whole proposal signaling why it was important for the students to experience it and how it would benefit their curriculum. 
The seniors trip, though, was exclusively for socialization. The fancy word they used for fun. 
Sophia had been talking about the trip nonstop for weeks now, she had even gone on a shopping trip to get a new swimsuit — one Ma had promptly forbidden her from wearing — and had nearly exploded with happiness when Wendy had gifted her with a fancy toiletry bag with three hundred little pockets that Vince thought was a monstrosity. 
He’d never understand women.
Vin could easily spot his sister in the crowd of excited faces, as they showed Daniels their parent permits. She was in the far back, talking with a much shorter black girl and they were giggling and whispering. Sophia was as tall as the boys in her grade and she attracted quite a bit of attention, so Vince was under sworn duty to watch out for her. 
He hadn’t even wanted to be a part of the trip, unlike Max who had been hand picked by the seniors. Vince had only volunteered as a replacement to Ms. Lobdell after much begging from his mother, only for the literature teacher to injure herself a month ago and end up with a cast leg.
“Hi, Mr. Daniels,” Vince cringed as he heard his sister’s sugary voice, a tell tale of her flirting. This was more awkward than Sophia hitting on Luke. 
“Hi, Sophia,” Max answered without missing a beat, not indulging her in the least, “Hi, Charlie. Permits?”
“I don’t really need papers, mom sent him to follow me around,” Sophia complained glaring in Vin’s direction, but handed Daniels a folded paper. 
Max snorted, “I’ll make sure Mr. Monacelli has enough on his plate he’s not following you around,” he patted the metal of the bus, “go on to your seats, shoo.”
Vince scoffed as he noticed Sophia was red up to her ears as she walked past Max and entered the bus, right in front of him, “comportati, Soph,” he told her to behave herself and she responded by folding her arm in a bras d’honneur, which went over her American friend’s head but meant a loud fuck you to Vin.
“Ready for the trip, Mr. Mo?” Max asked cheekily, as he finished up retrieving the permits and slammed the pile of papers against Vin’s chest, “I’m sure it’ll be great.” 
—------
Senior trips were a dying tradition around the US, but the few schools that still did it normally took their students to Disney World or New York City… Not Doveport. They were mainly a harbor town, made of blue collared workers and glamor wasn’t in their alphabet. 
This year, the trip was to Canada, to a resort that had offered them some incredible rates since it was off season. The only downpoint was that the trip there was nearly five hours long. 
Vince didn’t mind long bus trips, had gotten used to them when in the football team, but he did mind not having anyone to talk to. The teens were noisy, but mostly enthralled with themselves and so excited that no one was causing much trouble. Daniels, on the other hand, had curled up on his seat up the front and gone quiet. 
Vin glanced at his watch. One hour down.
“Are you gonna keep pacing?” Sophia whined, when Vince walked the bus hallway for the fourth time and caused the boys who were chatting her up to sink back to their seats. 
Vince rolled his eyes, “just doing my job.”
“You’re a history teacher, not a hallway monitor,” Sophia spat back without hesitating, “you’re making everyone nervous by walking around like a prison guard.”
He didn’t buy that, but once he glanced over his shoulder, there were more than a couple pairs of eyes glued to his back, probably wondering if he was giving Sophia a hard time and if they were next. Vince sighed. 
“Fine, fine, fine, I’m going back to my seat,” he relented, walking back up to the front. Daniels stirred slightly when Vince sat next to him, grimacing and scratching his prickly cheek.
“Did little miss Monacelli chew you out?” he asked, his voice rough as if he had been sleeping. Vince didn’t know how he could even fall asleep with so much noise. 
“Doesn’t she always?” Vin teased lightly, stretching his legs as much as the cramped seats allowed him. From the corner of his eye he could see Max was still frowning, so Vince squirmed on his seat, retrieving his phone from his back pocket and throwing the other man a quick glance, “you okay?”
“Yeah,” Max nodded, “just tired, that’s all. You got them handled?” 
Vince shrugged, glancing over his shoulder, “they’re all behaving, it’s not as if they’re children. You can take a nap if you want.” 
“Thanks,” the blonde curled up against the window once more, shivering violently and rubbing his hands as if to warm them up.
Not thirty minutes later, Vince snapped out of his New Girl rewatch, because Daniels had just…Kicked him? 
Vin frowned, looking over his shoulder — All of the teens were busy, chatting amongst themselves, napping or listening to music — then back at the blonde. If Vince didn’t know better he’d think it had been on purpose, but no… Max was pressed up against the window and he had an arm curled around his stomach, when yet another twitch hit him and he involuntarily kicked. 
Vin snorted, sliding down his seat and getting comfortable. He was bored, but texting Wendy or his friends was out of question, they were all at their jobs right now. 
An hour later he muffled a yawn of his own, getting up to stretch and looking ahead. Now most of the kids were knocked out and the bus was much quieter. Outside, the sun was setting and the wind had picked up, howling. 
He did another round in the hallway, just to keep his leg from falling asleep and snorted as he passed by his sister’s seat. The teenager was curled up on her friend, snoring softly, long legs folded like an origami project. 
Vince’s stomach rumbled with hunger. There were two more hours to go in their trip, but once they arrived and finished check-in, they had a free pass to the hotel’s restaurant and he couldn’t wait. 
He sat back down and rubbed his stomach to stop the growling, only to realize Max was shivering.
Vin frowned, turning off the mini A/C unit that stayed over their heads. Daniels looked much more friendly when he was passed out, face smooth, no snark. 
“Daniels?” Vince whispered, shaking his arm slightly, “you’re ok?” 
“Uhhhm,” Max groaned, forcing his eyes open, looking out of it. It wasn’t a nap, the man had fallen into slumber. 
“Are you alright?” Vince repeated himself, a little louder.
For a moment it looked like Max was going to bite his head off for waking him up to ask such a question, but then the other man groaned again and shook his head, “I’m fff-fucking fee-freezing,” he said, his teeth chattering. 
Vince raised his eyebrows. The temperature had dropped considerably since the sun set and they were about to cross the Canadian border, but the bus was packed with people and fairly warm. 
“Here,” he said without thinking, digging through his backpack and handing a hoodie to the other guy. Even with the beard covering most of his cheeks, Vince could see the man turning red. 
“I don’t-”
“Don’t be stupid, you’re cold, I’m not using it,” Vince shrugged, “but it’s not that cold…” he reached in without thinking, but before he could feel Max’s forehead, the man slapped his hand away sharply, glaring at him.
“Don’t do that.”
Vince scoffed, turning on his seat in an offended manner. The other man was still a puzzle for him: adored by all teenagers, hated by other teachers. An asshole and ex-bully, but at the same time willingly driving Vince back home when he found the man plastered at 3 AM.
And then there was that haunted look on Max’s face, that Vince had seen the other night with Lucas. That horrible, terrible yearning, which Vince could easily place alongside Max’s cavernous one bedroom house, the fact he never saw the guy hanging out with anyone, never texting a soul… 
When they did park outside the resort, two hours later, the teenagers were quickly shaking off the sleep, their voices getting higher and higher. 
“I want- I want-” Vince pinched his nose bridge as loud piercing laughter interrupted him two times in a row. Daniels was watching the crowd with a pacific smile, happy to let Vince deal with it. 
“I WANT TWO QUEUES,” Vince said loudly, startling the teens and cringing, “GIRLS WITH MR. DANIELS, BOYS WITH ME.”
There was a minute of silence, then hurried steps as they organized themselves. Vince grimaced as he felt a thump to his back and Max whispered, “good job, Mr. Moron, you scared the ducklings,” stepping ahead to shepherd his group of teenage girls. 
It was a minor chaos to sort through all the room keys and get everyone checked-in, but around one hour and a half later Vince finally made it to the bedroom he would be sharing with Daniels. His stomach was hurting with hunger and he was starting to get considerably cranky. 
Max’s bags were on his bed already, claiming it, but he wasn’t in the room. Irrationally, Vince felt a wave of annoyance at the fact the man was probably down in the restaurant having dinner, not that this was Max’s fault at all. 
However, when he made it to the cafeteria… The other teacher was nowhere to be found. Their students were already spreading around, playing as adults and getting together in little cliques. Sophia lit up as Vince walked in the room, something she rarely did and Vince raised his eyebrows as the girl waved for him to join her table. 
He grabbed a bottle of juice as well as his full plate and walked over, sitting on the booth and squeezed between a pack of girls who were all blushing. 
“Yeah?” 
“This place is great, Vin,” Sophia told him, “I never wanna leave.”
Vince snorted, starting to eat. Before him, one of the girls started to rave about the hotel having an indoor heated pool. Vince’s stomach clenched with worry as a million little accidents flashed in front of his eyes. 
“You girls are going to behave, won’t you?” he asked seriously, “act like adults.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Soph dismissed him easily, grinning mischievously with her friends, “do you know if Mr. Daniels is single? We never see him with anyone.We should invite him to swim-”
“I don’t know and even if I did it wouldn’t matter,” Vince glared at them, “you’re all underage, this is simply embarrassing.”
“I’m eighteen!” Sophia cried out, as Vince stood up, taking his food, “c’mon, don’t be such a prude!” 
Vince scoffed, “wait until babbo hears about this, Sophia Maria,” he told her viciously, causing his younger sister to glare at him, her light eyes squinting.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me,” he glared back, “focus on the boys your age, or better yet, don’t focus on any boy. Focus on college.”
“Thank you Mr. Hypocrisy,” Sophia pouted, “you were dating in high school!”
Vince sighed, “and it led nowhere,” he pointed out gently, “I just want you girls to be careful and-” he snapped his mouth shut as Soph yawned at his words, exaggerating it and causing her friends to giggle. Vince rolled his eyes, “leave Mr. Daniels alone, this isn’t cute, he’s working.” 
“Are you dating, Mr. Monacelli?” one of the girls called sweetly as Vince started to walk away, only for Vin to hear as Sophia said sharply “EWw Rita, that’s my brother!”
Deciding he’d have better luck eating by himself, Vince found a secluded corner of the restaurant and all but inhaled his food. He hung around as the kids finished up their meals, then ushered them to bed, despite knowing they were allowed to enjoy the hotel facilities. For the next three days, they were allowed nearly everything. 
His sister had long disappeared, much to his worry, and Vince was still scoffing to himself as he made his way back to the room. Vince’s anger vanished with a puff as he noticed the bedroom was untouched. Max’s bag was still on the bed, but no sign of the man. 
“...Daniels?” Vince kicked the door shut, walking further in and noticing the bathroom door closed, “Daniels, you in there…?”
A beat of silence, and then a groan and Vince raised his eyebrows, walking closer to the door, “man, are you alright?” 
“G’away…” Max slurred, his words sticking together, “m’fine.”
“Uhum, you don’t sound so good… ” Vince picked at his nails, glaring at the knob, “did you have dinner at all? Restaurant is closing, but I can get you a plate if you di-” a retch answered him, a muffled little oh-god before the sound of liquid hitting liquid.
Vince cringed, clearly realizing the other guy was sick. He tried the knob and realized the door wasn’t locked, even if the request for privacy couldn’t be more clear as Max let out a loud groan from the floor and tried to kick him. 
“Gooooaway-”
“Shit, Daniels,” Vince crouched down, taking the other guy in. Max had pulled his hair into a manbun, but some strands had already escaped and they were sticking to his clammy face. He was the color of spoiled milk, white with a green undertone, and there was a dark wet spot in the front of Vince’s borrowed hoodie, a clear tell he hadn’t made it to the bathroom in time, “why didn’t you say anything? I could’ve handled the students-”
“Itssssfine,” his honey colored eyes were dazed with fever, “they’re not hard to…To handle…” He turned his face towards the toilet once more, groaning as another wave of nausea hit him, cheeks puffing as he blew out a belch towards the water. 
“Were you already sick when we left?” Vince didn’t know what to do with himself. If this was any of his friends, he’d be all over them. Rubbing their back, holding back the strands of hair, getting them water, checking their fever… But this was Daniels, who clearly didn’t want him there.
“No,” Max pressed his overheated forehead to the cool porcelain, “just a stomach- Stomachache…” he gulped down nervously, “but I- I get those all the time, so…” 
Vince sighed in sympathy. It must be terrible to be sick so often that Max couldn’t recognize when he was coming down with something or not. 
“Okay,” Vin decided, stripping himself of any grudge he might hold towards the guy. He just couldn’t be mean when Max was looking so pathetic, “are you done? Let’s get you into bed.”
The blonde shook his head, leaning forward and panting over the toilet, “not done…” 
They sat there for another minute, the sick man’s breath picking up and then calming down just as Vince thought he was about to puke. He hung his head in shame, “you don’t have to stay, I’m gonna get you sick… Again.”
“I have nothing to do,” Vince shrugged, sitting against the small hotel cabinet and playing Candy Crush on his phone, “my girlfriend is probably at class right now, so I can’t even call her…” 
Max turned his head to face him, pained lines around his eyes and his lips a grayish shade, wrapping an arm around his stomach, “your girlfriend with the cute bob?” he gestured to his hair and Vince snorted, nodding. 
“Yep.” 
He raised a judgmental eyebrow, “Oh no, please don’t say she’s a high schooler…?”
Vince frowned, “Do you always assume the worst in people? Do I look like the type to date a high schooler, when I’m about to turn twenty five?”
“Yes,” Max groaned, gagging and spitting. He let out a whimper as a cramp hit him, squeezing his eyes and waiting for it to pass, “fuck my entire life…” 
“See, that’s karma,” Vince teased him, leaning back, “I’m not an asshole, you know? Or a criminal. Wendy’s older than me,” he rolled his eyes, “she’s a doctor.”
“But you said she’s in class,” Max pointed out and when Vince only stared at him, he pouted, “humor me? My gut’s killing me, I don’t wanna think about it.”
Vince let out a huff at that, but indulged the guy, “she takes Interior Design classes on thursday nights, she likes to keep busy,” he explained, “I don’t understand why you think I’m such an asshole, you’re the one who were a fucking bully, not me.”
“You look like an asshole,” Max pressed on his stomach, closing the toilet lid and letting out a groan, “and you acted like a homophobic moron the other day, when I said your boyfriend was there.”
This elicited a startled chuckle from Vince, making him throw his head back with such force it hit the cabinet and made him wince, “shit, ow-” he was still giggling and rubbing his head as he said, “I’m not homophobic, I’m bi! You’re ridiculous!” 
“Ah,” was Max's despondent answer, as he leaned back and rubbed his chest in an uneasy manner, “but you were an asshole for no reason…”
“I thought you were being t-” Vince interrupted himself, cringing. It was not his place to out Wendy, “homophobic. You know, the new teacher is gay haha so funny,” he rolled his eyes, feeling very proud of himself for the save. 
“Now I feel queasy, disgusting and stupid, thanks,” Max said sourly, wrapping both arms around his stomach and making Vince snort all over again. 
“You’re welcome,” he got up from his spot, filling up a glass of water for the guy and then offering him a hand to get up from the floor, “you should be in bed, you’re burning a fever there…” 
“Anyone ever tell-” Max swayed on his spot as Vince pulled him up, bracing against the sink, “ever tell you that you’re such a mother?” 
“Not really,” Vince patted the guy’s back with a little too much force, “I’m the chill one of my friend group.”
Max scoffed, leaning over the sink with a wet belch and spitting some frothy saliva “uhmmm… Don’t- Don’t believe you…” 
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