#became a slowpoke hell yeah

[kennahbunny]

Harry Potter Preferences Pt 2: Relationship Development

Disclaimer!: If you haven’t read my other HP Preference “How you guys meet” then this won’t make much sense. I also plan on making a single imagine for each of the boys for their storyline, so please be patient. I have to brainstorm then write drafts for each story then finalize, then edit, then post. So it’ll take a while to say the least. I also have so many ideas about a crossover with different shows! AHH! I’m so excited! Also, I’m posting these stories on Wattpad and Tumblr.

Part 1  Masterlist

Harry: After you helped him with his potions homework that one night. He noticed you more every day, he kept an eye out for you hoping to see you say thank you and hopefully make it a regular thing. When he did see you, it was in a class where he couldn’t just get up and talk to you and when class was over you seemed to disappear when class was dismissed. He was determined to talk to you, and when you weren’t in class when he saw you, you were surrounded by your girlfriends, laughing, gossiping. A week went by when he finally saw you alone, he took his chance to ask you for a study date. Harry wanted to know, you were so kind to him, you didn’t seem to care about him being the chosen one. He felt like he could talk to you, open up and talk about his past without somebody asking about ‘you know who’.

Months pass and now you’re close friends and your feelings for each other grew even more but neither one of you wanted to ruin the amazing friendship that you had. Every Quidditch match you went to for him, you weren’t as close with him as the golden trio they had their special bond. What you guys had was special, he kept telling Ron how he felt about you and how afraid he is to ask you out just cause of the fact that you might say no and that you don’t feel the same. Boys, right? So a week passed of you two being awkward, both contemplating to admitting your feelings and eventually, it gets to the point where you finally build up the courage to ask him.

You notice Harry in the courtyard with Hermione and Ron, you run up to them thinking, 'Oh what the hell.’ “Harry!” They all turn their heads when they recognize your voice, they say their hellos but your mind was on one thing. “Hey, Harry can I talk to you for a sec?” Hermione and Ron share a knowing look, Harry nods and says sure. I pull him to the side,

“So what is it that you needed to pull me aside to say?”  You gave him a nervous smile, “Would you like to go to Hogsmeade?”

“Like all together? Sure.”

“No, like just us on a date?” He smiled, “I thought you didn’t like me like that. To be honest, (Y/n) I’ve fancied you awhile and was too afraid to ask you and I’m so glad you did.” You were so relieved you kissed him on the cheek, then blushed once you realized what you did. “Oh, sorry.” He didn’t say anything, he just simply returned the kiss and said he’d see you this weekend.

Ron: Days after the party Ron couldn’t shut up about you, it was starting to get on Harry’s nerves and Hermione’s not because she was jealous or anything she thinks you would be good for Ron, it’s just Ron couldn’t go one conversation without mentioning your name. For example,

“Ron, did you get that Transfiguration homework done?” Hermione asked.

“No, but I bet (Y/n) probably did, she’s so talented and smart. Did you see her today? She’s so pretty an-,”

“Ronald!” Hermione snapped her fingers in his to snap him out of his trance, “I get it, you fancy (Y/n) but that’s not what I asked.” she huffed, “Just man up and go ask her out.” Harry nodded, “Yeah mate, it’s getting old at this point.” He patted Ron’s shoulder and nodded in (Y/n)’s direction. Ron noticed and instantly stiffened up, his heart raced every time he saw you. So that’s what he did, well that’s what he attempted to do…

It ended up being a complete disaster… When he approached you at the entrance of the great hall, he froze but it was too late you already saw him and waved, excited to see him and get a chance to talk to him again. “Hey! I’ve been meaning to chat with you again,” You meet him halfway, you can’t help but smile every time you see him. There was just something about him that made you happy, meanwhile, in Ron’s brain, it looked like that one scene in Spongebob where his brain was on fire and there was mini Spongebob’s running around screaming. Yeah, that was what it looked like. Ron blackout, but from (Y/n)’s p.o.v his words came out fast and all jumbled.

“Uhhh… erm, Hiwouldyouli-want-tomaybegoonadatewithme?” He was visibly nervous, he swaying side to side, and you could guess his hands were clammy. You felt bad for the guy, you fancy him too.

“I’m sorry?” You gave a sympathetic look towards him, trying your best to understand what he just said. You think you heard the word date? He took a deep breath and tried saying it again,

“Would you like to go on a date with me? Please?” Ron wanted to punch himself for being such a git, he was thinking this is going very bad and he was so lost in his thoughts that he barely heard (Y/n) says yes.

“What?” He looked confused, “Did you say yes?” You giggled at his nervousness, “Yes, I’d love to go on a date with you.” He has a goofy smile on his face, “Great, so this weekend?” You nod eagerly.

Draco: The past few weeks, you dreaded going to potions class. Every day it spiked up your anxiety levels to the max, you try to stay as calm as possible but your thoughts keep running in circles about how good Draco smells and other things, then you tell yourself to snap out of it and by the time you do you’ve missed a section of very important notes or you knicked yourself with the knife when you were supposed to be cutting some ingredient. Damn. Before you swapped partners you were the 3rd best in class, right behind Draco who was behind Hermione. 'Maybe Snape did have the right idea putting use together, he probably thought we’d make a good pair considering how smart we both are. He’s probably disappointed with how many mistakes I’ve made since working with Draco, and Draco must be annoyed with my clumsiness. Why do I have to have a crush on such a git?! Merlin, I need to get a grip.’

When I’m not messing up it seems like Draco enjoys my company? Or isn’t completely annoyed by it anyway. We get along well enough,

“Hey, erm, do you have any plans later tonight?” I turn my head to look at Draco. 'Did I just hear that right? Did Draco Malfoy just ask me out?’ I turn my head to see Snape going over our homework from last week,

“Um, I just have some homework from other classes to go over but other than that I’m free. Why you ask?” I whisper back unsure of what his intentions were? These past weeks, Hermione has told me Draco hasn’t been harassing her as much which I find strange but I’m glad about that. “No reason, well it’s just that you could use some extra studying and I thought you’d enjoy my company.” 'Ugh, why do I like this guy?’  “Uh, thanks? We could study together after dinner, that’ll give us a couple of hours before curfew. Sound good?” He nods then goes on with class like that conversation never happened. 'What the hell just happened?’  

Fred: Ever since that prank you pulled on that Ravenclaw word spread and still no one knew who pulled it off. Of course, there was an announcement saying that the staff knows who done it so they might as well come forward and accept their punishment but weeks went by and nothing happened, no surprise there. The only people who knew were Fred, George, and your two dormmates. Fred was so proud of you, well everyone was but Fred especially. After that prank you caught yourself spending more time with the Weasley twins and you started to develop a crush on Fred. There was something about his personality, he was so easy to talk to aswell.

Free period, I finally get a chance to breathe. “(Y/n)!” Noo~ I turn around to figure out if it was George or Fred calling my name so I know who to knee in the balls, they know not to bother with my “study” time. I just want to go to my common room and take a nap, that’s it. The time I waste talking to whoever, there goes how many minutes of sleep I lost.

Oh, it’s Fred. “Oh, hey Fred.” I move to the side of the hallway so I don’t get crushed by the stampede of students. Damn, he’s cute. “Hey, (Y/n) I was wondering if you wanted to join me and a few of my other friends this weekend at Hogsmeade?”

“Sure, I’d like that. May I ask why the sudden interest in me?”

“Well, if you must I fancy you” You’re taken back “Really? You fancy me?,” You pointed to yourself, “Not Angelica? Because I heard she fancies you, also I’m so boring. I don’t understand why you would fancy someone like m-”

“(Y/n)! I fancy you alright and there are reasons I fancy you. The more time I spend with you the more I fall for you. I find it adorable that you take naps after classes and one more thing you’re not boring! You’re hilarious, you’re so carefree and that prank idea you had was genius! So please stop being so down on yourself and please come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend” The entire time he was caressing your face, it was sort of difficult to focus on his words when you were so lost in his eyes.

You can’t stop smiling, so you just nod a yes, “Great, now will you let me join you for a nap. I could use one right about now.” You looked confused, “Wait, I thought you didn’t have a free period today?” You raise your eyebrow in confusion.

“You’re right I don’t but it’ll probably be boring and I would most likely fall asleep, so why sleep there at an uncomfortable desk when I could be cuddling you?” You laugh as he sends you a wink, “Who said anything about cuddling?” “I just did.” You laugh some more, “Now cmon slowpoke time’s a-wasting.”

George: The Yule ball was still a while away so you were glad George asked you when he did. On our date, we found out a lot about each other and we have a lot in common. And you became a little bit less mysterious to him and his feelings grew more for you. You had no idea what he had planned for the date so when he told you to meet him at the Astormany Tower at 11:00 pm you were a bit anxious, to say the least.

You try you’re best to walk quietly so you won’t draw any attention from a prefect or worse Flich or Mrs. Norris. It was freezing out so it was really difficult to look cute while not freezing to death. So just opted for a hoodie and some skinny jeans, you tried your best with your makeup skills, you decided to keep it natural and you left your hair down. You kept fidgeting with your hair and hoodie strings as you make your way up the tower’s stairs. At the top of the stairs, you see his read hair almost immediately, you also notice a blanket spread out on the ground with a woven basket sitting next to him.

He still hadn’t noticed you, and an evil idea popped into your head. You closer you snuck towards the less control you had of keeping a straight face, you couldn’t help a huge grin. You make a growling noise as you grab his shoulders quicky,

“Merlin!” George jumps up from his spot, “he turns around quickly to see me laughing. He can’t help but laugh as well, "Well hello to you too,” You calm down from your laughing fit and finally admire the scene George laid out in front of you. It looked absolutely beautiful out tonight, the stars were out and the moon was bright enough to light up the tower. You were at a loss for words, that was until George offered you a seat which you gladly accepted. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, endless talking and food lots of food. That date was only the beginning of something great.

Neville: Second year, you became friends, you always stood up for him against Malfoy or any other person that gave him a hard time. Third-year, he started to develop a crush now that both of you were changing, growing into your bodies. There was something about you that changed that only he truly noticed, you were more confident in yourself. You were before last year but you’re even more so now and it made him care about you, even more. Now it’s year four, a full two years later and talk about the Yule Ball has come into full effect. The talk about the ball is stressful but so is this essay for Muggle Studies.

You help him with his self-esteem problems, you’re his outlet when it comes to his feelings about his parents and his grandmother. Neville tells you things that he just can’t with his grandmother, every day you two grow closer but you’re too scared to admit the way you feel to him because you think he just sees you as a friend, nothing more than that. You like the way things are and you don’t want to risk anything by saying something you might regret.

“Hey, Neville,” You guys were sprawled out on one of the couches in the Gryffindor common room You guys tend to take up the whole couch which annoys some people, you were laying on your back while Neville was sitting properly on the couch as you were using him as a footrest. You tap him with your foot until he lifts his head from his Herbology book he was lost in.

“Hmm, yeah?” He glances at you then goes back to his book, “Ugh, Neville~~~ I need your help with my essay. Can you please reread it, I feel like I can do better with it.” He closes his book, to give you his full attention, “Alright, hand it over.” You hand him your paper, he takes a few minutes going over your paper and you take this moment to gaze at him. You think about how attractive he’s become since you first met him, he’s truly becoming a man and damn do you wish he will take you to the Yule ball.

“(y/n), did you hear me?” You snap out of your thought and come back to Earth, “Huh, sorry I was spacing out.” He laughs, “Well yeah that’s because you’ve been up all night and getting up early in the mornings to finish this essay.” He hands back your essay and starts to push your legs off his lap. You sit up, eager to what he has to say, “Well how is it? Does it more detail? Does it sound good enough, do I need to edit it anymore-” “Alright, I’m going to stop you there.” He turns to face towards me, grabs my hands and pulls me in closer. “It’s perfect. Now go to bed.”

Cedric: Every week you and Cedric would meet at a tree near the Black Lake and you’d swap books. You’d give him a muggle book and he’d give you one that he’d think you’ll love, and every week you’d talk for hours about how much would love or hate that book. He found your passion for books to be adorable, he found it so cute that you’d rant about how much you’d dislike a certain character or how a different character deserves to be treated better and that they’re misunderstood.

You were ranting on and on about how Luce from Lauren Kate’s “Fallen” doesn’t deserve Daniel because she treats him horribly for some reason?. He stopped listening after a while because he was too distracted by the way the sun hits the back of your hair. It sort of had a halo effect and he thought you looked absolutely stunning, he always thought you looked amazing even if you didn’t. He is so captivated by your beauty that his silence didn’t go unnoticed by you, you thought you were boring him so you stopped taking about starting blushing.

“Sorry, am I boring?"Cedric being the gentleman he says, "Oh no of course not, I just love how passionate you are about these things. It’s one of the reasons I fancy you.” He gave you one of his signature smiles. You stared at him dumbfounded, “Sorry what? Did you just say you fancy me?” You really couldn’t believe your ears. He sat up from his laying position to look at you properly, (Y/n) would you like to go on a date with me?“ Cedric hoped deeply that you would say yes, with a hopeful look on his face your mind was racing with questions. "Well? What do you say?”

“Uh, yes, of course, I’ll go on a date with you.” You were so happy you didn’t care what was the reason he’d fancied you but your mind did quickly fill with insecurities. “Ced?” He smiled, he loved the fact that you already have a nickname for me. “Yes?” “Why do you want to go on a date with me? I swore you like Cho?” He gave you a confused look, “Cho? I don’t fancy her at all, she’s pretty and all but you’re who I’m interested in. I feel like I already know you, you are so down to earth and I want to get to know you more. I need to get to know you more or I feel like I might explode, there’s something so captivating about you and I can’t put my finger on it.”

You were at a loss for words, and before you knew what you were doing you hugged him and he returned the favor within seconds. “I never have had someone say something so sweet about me like that, and that speech how can I say no?”

[sweetestrequiems]

Time for a Getaway!

Requested by: One of you lovely Anons! Thank you for sending a letter. <3 Prompt: 80) “What do you mean they escaped?”

Character(s): The Beheaded Cousins (Anne Boleyn / Katherine Howard) Catherine Parr / Jane Seymour

Summary: Anne and Katherine generally cause a bit of chaos when the two hang out together. But, push came to shove one day and Jane Seymour had decided they needed to take a day to themselves. She thought the two would listen, as she acted like the authority figure most of the time, but this time? The two cousins hatched a plan to get out of the house and have a little bonding moment.

TW: Very short and brief mention of past CSA (Howard references her past life, but not in detail).

A/N: IT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN! As Gloria Estefan once said... “DONDE ESTA MI GENTE?” cause y’all, I am so happy to have been able to have the chance to write Beheaded Cousins chaos! This is also oddly wholesome chaos, too? Like they’re not even causing trouble. They’re just stargazing and acting like siblings. So yeah, this is what we call wholesome Beheaded Cousins with Angry Mom at the end.

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“Katherine Howard! Anne Boleyn! Get down here this instant!”

With arms crossed across her chest, and the not-so-friendly furrowing of her eyebrows, it was evident Jane Seymour was not a happy woman at the current moment. The two queens, one in a green tracksuit for some unknown reason, and the other one in black sweatpants and a pink hoodie, ran down the stairs. The two had smiles on their faces, but that quickly faded when they saw the scowl on the blonde woman’s face. Normally, this was the part where Katherine pulled her “I’m too cute.” card, but the unwavering Seymour was scaring her just a little.

“Yes, Jane?” Boleyn glanced over to the side, seeing her cousin hide behind her arm just a little. “What could we have possibly done to get–” Then she spots it. A laugh comes out of the green queen with the pink one giggling a little. Harmless prank, but a messy one. The two cousins had somehow managed to get about a solid row of six glasses, all upside down, with water inside of them and on top of the table. One could spot a rather upset looking Catherine Parr behind them, with her clutching onto a folder.

There was the heavy Manchester accent, and it only came out when she was talking a lot, or when she was rather angry. “I can’t put this down out of the fear that if we even move one of those glasses, it’s going to be nothing but a huge mess! And these papers are important! D’you know what, ladies?” A hand stops her. Jane speaks up. “Yeah, d’you know what? You’re both grounded. Yes, both of you. In your rooms, not a single peep comes out of you both until dinner time. Are we clear, you two?”

There was a nod from Katherine, but from Anne? Just another bout of laughter as she walked away. It was safe to say Anne did find the harmless prank on them hilarious. Even better was that Kitty was giggling the whole way back to her room. The two always pulled pranks on the queens, but this was the first one that actually would leave a mess behind. At least it was water, so it wouldn't be too difficult to clean up.

“Those girls are the epitome of chaotic energy,” Anna of Cleves let out a small chuckle. “Come on, let’s figure out how to get these glasses empty without a huge puddle o’ water.”

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It was maybe around 10:30 at night when the house grew silent.

The Beheaded Cousins had made a plan to go out and enjoy some of the nightly sights before dawn, as to not get caught by Seymour. The two met downstairs, all suited up in matching tracksuits for some odd reason, and went on out the door, closing it as quiet as possible. Once outside, the two began to laugh. “We did it, Kit! We actually snuck out for once! Alright, where to?”

“This feels awesome. Just us hanging out and not having to worry about anything! D’you know what, Anne? We should go to the park! We can go stargazing! Surely, that’s gotta be... well, interesting! It’s the night sky with no lights around,” Katherine began to jog on ahead of her cousin. Taking a moment to process it, it didn't hit Anne that she was being left behind. “Hey! ‘Old on a sec!” And the green queen chased on after her cousin. 

For the two, spending time was something they cherished once they were... well, gifted the new bodies. They didn't really know too much of each other in their past life. And needless to say, Anne was rather happy to be able to have built a good relationship with Katherine. “Jesus, Kit! You got right on ahead like it was nothing.” “Yeah, well, catch up, slowpoke!” A laugh. The two truly shared a relationship that was unlike any other. 

A fifteen minute walk–– which was shortened to maybe twelve minutes since they jogged the first three minutes–– came to a stop once they crossed the entrance to the park. With a deep inhale and heavy exhale, Howard opened up her arms and smiled. “I love it here. It’s nice and quiet. The sky looks gorgeous, too! More than it did in the lights. There’s the North Star right there, Annie,” pulling her cousin next to her, a lithe arm pointed up in front of them as they paced about the trail.

A soft chuckle. “You aren’t kidding, Kit. This is gorgeous. How’d you discover this spot?”

“Well, I sometimes sneak out of the house when you lot are in bed and just walk around. It helps ease up the nightmares and stuff. Makes life... easy for just a few minutes, even though I spend like an hour outside.” Pulling on her cousin’s sleeve, Katherine guided Anne over to the bench she normally sat at. “I tend to sit right here. Close enough to the light that I can see London’s nightlife, but far enough that you can still––” “See the nighttime sky. Yeah, I get that. Sometimes it’s a whole lot easier to breathe with actual fresh air. I wish you would’ve told me, though. I worry about you a lot. You’re the only living family I have left, and... I’d be devastated if anything happened to you. One of my regrets from my past life is not taking the time to meet you properly. We only ever spoke in passing. Shame, though... that I had to meet an untimely fate and couldn’t save you from the hell you went through.”

“Yeah, I sometimes wish I was brave enough to have spoken up about it. But, times were so drastically different back then. Speaking up would’ve gotten my head chopped off a lot sooner. But this day and age? It makes me proud to see the people that come out with their stories. There’s so many survivors, and... I can’t help but get overwhelmed sometimes. It feels nice knowing our voices are finally heard, y’know?”

“D’you know what, Kit? Talk to Cathy. Maybe you could write a memoir!”

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12:00 am on the dot.

Catherine Parr was the sleepless one of the group. Most of her nights consisted of her staying up at her desk, either handwriting or typing out anything that came to her head. In this case, she was finalizing the first draft of a series of memoirs. That series, of course, being about the six of them as the wives of Henry. Having been sitting in the living room, Parr found it a bit odd that the house was quiet. Standing up from the table that had been cleaned off hours ago, she stretched her arms upward and yawned.

Katherine and Anne both normally had some form of music playing in the background when they slept. Or some form of ambient noise. There was none of that, and it was driving her insane. Pacing carefully as to not make that much noise, Catherine headed down the hallway. Boleyn’s door was ajar, and Howard’s was wide open. Pushing the ajar door open, Parr’s eyes widened and she immediately looked into Howard’s room. “They’re not here. Jane’s going to kill them. But Jane also loves them too much to do that. Those two always know how to cause chaos...”

With a heavy sigh, the blue queen just let her shoulders fall as she headed towards Seymour’s door with a bit of dread. This was either where Jane lost her mind, or became a worried mom, or both. Only time would tell. Reaching the door, she just gently knocked.

“Come in.”

Seeing that it wasn’t Katherine, but rather, Catherine, Jane Seymour sat up and put the bookmark inside of her book. “Catherine? Why are you––... never mind, don’t answer that. Better question is, why are you in here?”

“Kitty and Anne. They’re not in their rooms, Jane.”

Parr saw her expression become deadpan. No emotion, nothing to read. She became a true statue at that moment. But just as quickly as she could blink, the grey queen was up on her feet and pushing past her counterpart. The silence was almost bothering Catherine, and she wrote in utter silence. It gave her a cold shudder, before a frustrated groan echoed in the hallway. “They escaped their rooms, huh.”

“What do you mean they escaped? I would more-so call it sneakin’ out, Jane. It's not like they were cooped up in there for long, anyways. Come on, I have a bit of an idea of where they could be. Maybe.”

“Did you help them?”

“No, Jane. Cleves and I have gone out to eat at a diner this late before. It was the one night we got back from Edinburgh really late and didn’t want to wake you lot up. There was a really cozy diner in London and we’ve been to it a bit. Grab a jumper, let’s go. I’ll take you to it.”

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That diner Parr had mentioned was exactly where the Beheaded Cousins were.

And they weren’t even really eating, they were just sitting in there since they had gotten chilly.

“We’ve got to come here during the day some day, or maybe after a show. It’s all cozy and... retro. I think that's the word, anyways,” Boleyn let a laugh out, with her cousin giggling. “Seriously though, Kit... thanks. For, well... y’know, showing me that spot in the park. I wish I would’ve brought a camera. I feel like it would yield some wonderful pictures.”

“I’m glad I got to share it with you! I’d love to tell the other queens, but I’m scared they’re going to be worried as to why I go out so late at night. Especially Jane. But I do think she’d quite enjoy it!” Howard gently tapped on the table. “D’you know what, Annie? I’d love love love for you to help me maybe convince the others to––”

“Sneak out like you two did?” And looking down upon them with what could’ve been described as the Mom Stare was Jane Seymour. The blonde woman furrowed her eyebrows, unwavering in her position and demeanor. “You two have a lot of nerve t’do that. At least nothing bad happened to you two. Come on, we’re going home.”

Looking at each other, and at the door to see Catherine Parr, the cousins both just laughed it off. “Relax, mum. We’re bringing all of you next time. I really want to show you this nice spot in the park when it's dark outside.”

“It's really nice. Kitty’s got taste for picture perfect places. Literally, she does.”

A groan from Jane. “Fine, but next time... tell me you two are going out late. You both gave me a heart attack.”

[thollandthot]

woman like that part 2; tom holland x harrison osterfield

a/n: dang. took me long enough, right ?? but here is the second part of woman like that !! i feel like this one kind of drags, but i promise the next part will be MUCH better ;) feel free to message me with any feedback, and let me know if you’d like to be added to my tag list !!

word count: ~2.5k pairing: harrison osterfield x reader, potentially tom holland x reader… i guess we’ll find out. warnings: pining and infatuation. perhaps unrequited love. guilt and inner turmoil, and lots of it.

CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE. CLICK HERE TO READ PART TWO. CLICK HERE TO READ PART THREE.

WOMAN LIKE THAT

As the California sun began to set, Tom and Harrison left to pick Y/N up for the night. Their destination? Dave and Busters; by her request, of course. And since Harrison was already whipped for the poor girl, Tom was outnumbered. Not that he minded, though. Because perhaps Dave and Busters would be a good change of scenery for him. It was actually pretty low-key, all things considered. The lights were dim, making it more difficult to recognize Tom’s face, and you could still get a decent drink there. And, of course, Y/N wanted to win a stuffed animal, so win a stuffed animal, she shall.

Pulling up to her apartment felt like a scene out of a romantic comedy. Mere moments after Harrison texted her that they were out front she had appeared, and it became clear that she looked good in anything she wore. She donned a different ensemble from what she had worn earlier that afternoon — denim shorts with a cozy oversized sweater, accompanied by a pair of sneakers — and she still looked just as adorable as she the first time Tom had saw her. The two friends stood to greet her, but of course her first priority was her boyfriend, and that was clear when she gave the blond a face-splitting smile and wrapped her arms around his frame in a tight embrace. Harrison’s expression mimicked her own when he returned the squeeze.

They really were happy together.

Her attention diverted to Tom when she gave him a smile, which was shy but just as heartfelt as she gave him a quick squeeze. He wished it had lasted longer.

And she’s watching him with those eyes. And she’s loving him with that body, I just know it. And he’s holding her in his arms, late, late at night...

In order to respect the new couple, Tom sat in the back seat on the drive to Dave and Buster’s, forced to watch them interact with each other. Of course, it served as good research for Tom to see how well Y/N treated his best friend, and vice versa, but it also only fortified how badly Tom wanted something like that for himself. And, specifically, how badly he wanted it with someone like her.

Their hands were laced together, placed delicately over top of the car’s center console, and Harrison would give her hand a squeeze every few moments, as if to remind her silently that he was thinking about her. They’d mumble little inside jokes to each other before giggling for a few moments and then going back to their comfortable silence. Tom tried not to sigh too audibly, but it had been a while since he had some form of affection to call his own. He couldn’t remember the last time he held someone, cuddled with someone, memorized every dip and curve of their body before heading off to film, in hopes he wouldn’t forget. He couldn’t remember the last time he had made love to someone.

Because Tom was too much of a romantic for his own good, and his career often got into the middle of that. Which was one of the many reasons he had been so touch-starved as of late. Perhaps that was why his mind began to wander. It couldn’t be helped, really. His first thought replaced Harrison with himself, Tom’s hand laced with Y/N’s as they drove, her big, beautiful eyes watching him adoringly, and occasionally he would return the look of infatuation for a moment before proceeding to keep his eyes on the road. The thoughts got progressively more inappropriate from there, and before his mind could go anywhere too far off limits, his best friend’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“You alright, mate?” Harrison asked, making eye contact through the rear view mirror.

Tom nodded, even though he was very clearly not alright. He actually felt incredibly guilty. “Yeah. Just tired.” He tried to grin before Y/N took off her seatbelt, turning in her seat to give Tom a grin. It made his heart skip a beat.

“Then you’ll both have to win me something quick, huh?” She opened the passenger side door with ease, stepping out, and it was only then that Tom realized that he spent the entire car ride daydreaming.

Harrison exited the vehicle and Tom followed suit, eyes glazed over, making it apparent that he was still in a post-daydream haze. Haz pivoted on his heel, furrowing his brows in his best friend’s direction, a look of concern on his face. “You sure you’re alright?”

Tom feebly attempted to nod at the blond reassuringly. Luckily, Tom was a good actor, and Haz took his word for it. Harrison exhaled in relief, purposefully staying a few yards behind his girlfriend as she walked, wanting to speak to his best mate privately.

“Here’s the plan: I’m gonna get us all drinks and you can spend some time alone with her.” That pulled Tom right out of his thoughts, a bewildered expression on his face. Why would Harrison want him to spend time alone with his girlfriend? ���Just want you to get to know her. One on one, yaknow? Like the way I know her.”

Alright, so maybe Tom could understand that. After all, he wanted to give his best friend his unbiased opinion on this girl, so getting different perspectives could be beneficial.

Or it could be absolutely terrible, and make this a hell of a lot harder.

“Hey, slowpokes!” Y/N called from across the parking lot, raising up on her toes and waving her arms so she’d be visible, even though there weren’t any cars in sight to block their view of her frame. “If you wanted to go on a date by yourselves, you should’ve just told me!” Even from a few yards away, Tom could see her smirk and hear her snicker at her own joke. Some people might’ve found that incredibly obnoxious, but Tom enjoyed being in the company of someone who could laugh at themselves. Clearly, Harrison was the same.

The two boys jogged a few paces to catch up with Y/N, Harrison giving his girlfriend a chaste peck on the lips before going off in his own direction. Y/N turned to face Tom, her features still shy and hesitant. If it weren’t for the dim lighting, it would’ve been easier for Tom to decipher whether or not she was blushing. He decided, in the end, that she wasn’t, because it would be far too endearing if she was.

She took a few steps towards the arcade, allowing Tom to follow suit. “So, what’s your game of choice?” She asked with an arched brow, turning her head so she could face him every few moments as they walked. 

Tom tried his hardest to shove down any possible emotions he felt while looking her in the eyes. He couldn’t flirt with her, and frankly, he shouldn’t have WANTED to flirt with her. Nevertheless, he found it difficult to not say something cheeky, so he shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets awkwardly. Smooth move, Holland. 

Clearly, Y/N didn’t seem to notice Tom’s change in demeanor (this was their first time alone together, so perhaps she just didn’t know any better), continuing the conversation as usual. “Something tells me you’d be good at that punching thing. You know, where you hit the punching bag and they give you a score? Or those old fashion ones where you hit the thing with a mallet and try to ring a bell,” she pursed her lips, snapping her fingers as if willing an answer to come to her head. She smiled, “test your strength! That’s what it’s called!”

Tom stifled a chuckle, taking a deep breath as he remembered his mission: to see if this girl was good enough for Harrison. Of course, he couldn’t do that if he was stiff as a board all night, at least, that’s what Tom said to himself to ease the guilt of potentially getting a bit too friendly with her. He just had to remember his boundaries. “You know I’m not actually Spider-Man, right, l—“ Tom coughed at the end, resisting the urge to call her one of his infamous terms of endearment, even though she was already calling him Tommy. This had to remain professional. Platonic, at best.

Y/N tossed her head back in a laugh, shoving lightly at Tom’s shoulder upon hearing his response. Was what he said even that funny? Maybe. Tom didn’t think so. “Oh, believe me, Tommy. I know. Tobey will forever be my favorite Spider-Man.” She was clearly being sarcastic. It was just a bit of banter. Cheeky banter, but banter, all the same. Tom liked a girl that could crack a joke every once in a while. Wait. HARRISON liked a girl that could crack a joke. This wasn’t about Tom (it never should have been in the first place). Tom feigned a hurt expression before she continued.

“It’s nothing personal. I’ve just seen your movies and you’re pretty damn awful.” She deadpanned before shooting Tom a wink.

Wait a minute. Was SHE flirting? That wasn’t fair. Although, Harrison did say this girl was a fan, so Tom already knew she wasn’t serious, but the wink made him stumble a bit. 

Perhaps that was just her personality. Tom could see that. In fact, it was kind of attractive how comfortable she was talking to not only a guy she had just met, but Tom, of all people. Perhaps she was feeling just as awkward as he was and was merely trying to break the tension. Either way, it was something Tom would keep in the back of his mind going forward. Whether or not it was a concern would become apparent eventually. And before Tom could say anything about it, Y/N had changed the subject.

“Alright. How about the claw machine? I’ll probably try like six times before I get angry, then you can give it a go?” She stopped in front of one of the claw machine games up against the wall, giving Tom an expectant look. Her eyes widened, almost as if she assumed he would say no. Who was he to deny this girl her joy?

Tom grinned, and to him, it was blatantly obvious that it was forced. “By all means.”

She smiled, the corners of her eyes scrunching and her nose wrinkling; another full faced smile. It made Tom’s heart pound heavily in his chest, knowing she was that excited over something so small. Tom was like that, too. He tried to enjoy the little things. She gestured to the other side of the game, “Will you stand on the side and help me line up?” 

He nodded, standing at attention before giving her a salute, jogging off to the other side of the claw machine. Tom mentally slapped himself. A salute? Seriously? What the hell was wrong with him? She was just a girl. A pretty girl, but an off limits girl. He should not be this nervous about talking to her, nor trying to impress her. That was Harrison’s job. 

Nevertheless, Tom found himself watching her instead of the crane, like he was supposed to be. The flickering carnival lights made her eyes sparkle with a childlike gleam as she scanned through the different teddy bears, weighing her options and deciding which one she wanted, or rather, which one she had the best chance of getting. 

She slid in enough quarters for her first try before popping back up, hands wrapped daintily around the joystick. She squinted, lower lip between her teeth as she concentrated on getting the claw in the perfect position. Her brows furrowed and her eyes squinted. Wow, she really wanted a teddy bear. 

After a few moments of her attempting to line up the claw with her chosen teddy bear, Y/N glanced over at Tom, who already had his eyes on her. “What do you think? Does it look good from over there.”

I bet you look good from every angle. That was Tom’s first thought that threatened to leave his mouth. Of course he didn’t say it, but he thought it. Which honestly might’ve been just as bad. Tom tore his gaze from his best friend’s girlfriend, examining where she had the claw positioned overtop the teddy bears. “Looks good.” Tom finally spoke with a grin, and with his permission, Y/N pushed the big red button to lower the claw, and she watched in anticipation as it grasped the teddy bear, only to have the stuffed animal fall out of its grasp once in the air.

Her brows creased and she frowned in disappointment, but it didn’t last long, because soon Harrison was sneaking up behind her, snaking his arms around her waist and nuzzling his face into her neck. The blond blew a raspberry into the crook between his girlfriend’s neck and her shoulder, effectively making her squeal in surprise. She spun around, a wide beaming smile plastered on her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They looked at each other like they were the only people in the world.

Tom felt nauseous.

After a few moments of the couple exchanging “I missed you”s and filling Harrison in on their failed efforts to win a stuffed teddy bear, the blond turned to Tom, who gave a meek smile. This was quite possibly the most uncomfortable Tom had ever felt in his best mate’s presence, and Harrison had seen some incredibly private things no best friend should ever see. Haz cleared his throat.

“I got us a table, if we wanna have some drinks, yeah?” His attention diverted back to his girlfriend for a brief moment, as if looking for her approval, as well. “And we can try again after?”

Y/N nodded eagerly, unraveling herself from her boyfriend’s grasp before leading the two best friends back from the arcade. 

“How’s it going?” Harrison mumbled to Tom, frosty blue eyes hopeful. The poor guy really wanted his best friend to like his new girlfriend. And of course Tom liked her, but he’d never say just how much he liked her. He valued their friendship too much, really. Tom would rather take this crush -- this infatuation -- to the grave than ruin that.

Tom rested what was hopefully a comforting hand on his best mate’s shoulder, giving it a pat. “She’s great, mate. Really. I’m happy for the two of you.” And unfortunately for Tom, none of the words he spoke were a lie.

Yeah, perhaps they all could use a drink.

---

@tom-hollands-eyelash​ / @ophcelia​ / @tiny-parker​ / @jackiehollanderr​ / @starlightfound​ / @unholyhaz / @agirlwithpointlessideas​ / @i-love-superhero​ / @dylanrauhl​ / @triviaisabop​ / @awkwardfangirl2014​ / @adayasgeorgia​ / @lucychg​ / @maybemona​ / @antoouu​ / @appleciderpimp​ / @littlebluewoods​ / @ajxlawley​ / @mwitsmejk / @charli-xy​ / @just-a-littlebit-of-everything​ / @osterfield-holland-andcompany​ / @yourwonderbelle​ / @peterparkoure​ / @robbinholland​ / @hazmyheart​

[shadowphoenixrider]

(A self-indulgent little self-insert fic I wrote up so I could maybe stop thirsting over Kabu for five minutes. Hopefully this doesn’t awaken anything in me. Protag is 26.)

“Not on your way to Hammerlocke, Gym Challenger?”

Katla jumped at the sudden voice behind her, her eyes widening when the young woman saw who it was.

“Kabu!” Heat rushed into her face for reasons she didn’t really want to consider as she turned to address Motostoke’s gym leader. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to see you out here.” She grinned weakly, inwardly cursing how she fumbled over her words. He’s just a man, calm down.

If Kabu was offended, he didn’t show it, his silver eyes seeming to twinkle.

“Likewise...Katla, was it?” He nodded as she did. “I expected you would be well on your way to your next challenge. Your friend seemed very eager to be away.”

She chuckled weakly, shoving her hands in her black trouser pockets.

“Yeah, that’s Hop for you. Running through everywhere at break-neck speed.” She looked over her shoulder at the place she’d set up camp, and the Pokemon that frolicked around it. “I prefer to take my time training and catching new Pokemon. We’ll get to the next gym in time, no matter how many times Hop calls me a Slowpoke.”

“Understandable.” Kabu replied. “It was clear from our battle that you spent as much time as possible training before it.”

A smile pulled at Katla’s lips.

“Figured it was only polite, seeing that you were doing the same in Galar’s Number 2 mine.”

The older man chuckled, a soft, warm sound that made her heart skip a beat.

“That’s very considerate of you,” he said.

There was a loud thrill from their feet, revealed to be a Sizzlipede, peering inquisitively up at the two trainers. Forgetting her company, Katla immediately crouched down to greet the creature.

“Hello sweetheart!” She cooed, stroking the little bug under her ‘chin’. “How’s the baby doing?”

The Sizzlipede replied in a very happy thrill, closing her eyes and starting to curl herself warmly around her trainer’s hand.

“I see you chose to catch a Sizzlipede during the Gym Mission.” Kabu commented, and despite his calm voice, she could hear a smile in it.

“Yeah, and a Litwick too.” Katla glanced briefly over her shoulder at him, still petting the Pokemon snuggling against her hand. “I’ve been trying to catch a Sizzlipede for ages, actually. I spent so much time on Route 3 hunting for one, but I never got even a glimpse. Eventually I decided I best keep moving, and one day I’d come back or find one somewhere in the Wild Area.”

“So when I saw I could catch one for your Gym Mission, well...Almost a dream come true.” She smiled as the Bug Pokemon glanced at her curiously. “Now I have this lovely little one to join me on my adventure.” Katla tenderly stroked Sizzlipede’s ‘cheek’ with her thumb. “A living memento of our battle.”

There was a pause, just a little bit longer than would be normal, and Katla looked back up at the Gym Leader, brows arched with confusion. Kabu wasn’t really looking at her, yet he wasn’t really looking at the Sizzlipede around her hand either, not really. His gaze was far-away and none of his thoughts reflected on his face.

He seemed to notice her looking, however, and he smiled properly. Damn, he looks handsome.

“It was an invigorating battle, for certain.” He lifted his gaze up and away, towards the body of water Katla’s Gyarados was swimming in. “Whilst I may not have anything physical to remember it by, I will treasure the memory.”

Katla felt her face heat up again, and she tried to ignore it, especially when Sizzlipede seemed to become curious about her blush, reaching up with trembling whiskers.

“You’re welcome. Glad I could provide a challenge,” she said.

“You certainly did.” Another pause. “When are you going to tell Hop your secret?”

The trainer’s heart froze in her chest. He’s bluffing, he can’t know. Keep talking.

“What secret would that be?”

Kabu’s gaze bored into her.

“You’ve had prior experience of other Leagues, Katla. I could tell from our battle that you’ve fought competitively before. Perhaps not in the form it takes in Galar, but the other more...’traditional’ Leagues.” Kabu said. “Can I assume that you’ve not told your friend about this?”

Katla looked away, pressing her lips together into a thin line. She tried to ignore the concerned noise Sizzlipede made as she sensed her trainer’s change of mood. Guess he’s rumbled me.

“You’re right on both accounts.” She admitted, soothing the Bug Pokemon. “I’ve done this sort of thing before. Couple of times, actually.” She sighed. “I didn’t want to tell Hop ‘cos...He can be annoying sometimes, especially with all that bloody ‘Champion’ talk, but he’s a sweet kid. Don’t think he’s got a mean bone in him. Just seemed a bit cruel to tell him ‘yeah no I’ve been doing this for years, kiddo’ - just seemed better to make him think we’re both on equal ground, you know?”

“He will find out eventually.”

“If he or I don’t get knocked out towards the end of the Challenge, then yeah. Probably.” Katla lowered her hand to the ground, letting Sizzlipede scuttle off.

“The longer you leave it, the worse a reaction he will have when you finally tell him.” Kabu warned, and Katla bristled.

“Yeah, I know! But I’m in too deep now and there’s never gonna be a good time to dump it on him.” She sighed, forcing her shoulders to relax to release some of her tension. “Knowing my luck, it’s gonna be when he’s boasting about when he’s gonna be the champion and I finally snap at him.”

“All the more reason to do it soon.” There was another brief pause, where Katla expected him to continue pestering her. But when he spoke again, his tack had changed.

“Which League did you start with?”

“League? Uhh, Hoenn. I came of age to get my first Pokemon there, despite growing up here, mostly.“ She rose up from crouching as he knees began to complain. “My first Pokemon was a Torchic. She became the closest companion I ever had. Still is, I think, despite all the other regions I've been to. Wish I could bring her to Galar, but I think that’d be a bit unfair on the other trainers!”

“Ah, Hoenn!” Kabu smiled properly for the first time. “That is where I’m originally from.”

“Really?” Katla’s eyebrow rose. “Dang, you’re originally from Hoenn, come to lead a Galar gym, and I’m originally from Galar, and I started off in Hoenn.” She chuckled, lifting a shoulder. “Weird how these things turn out.”

“Indeed. Torchic is a very good choice.” He titled his head to the side, eyeing the Drizzile about to pelt Gyarados with a water bomb. “But you chose a Sobble to begin your journey in Galar?”

“I’ve always wobbled between Fire and Water starter Pokemon.” Katla said. “I tend to gravitate to Fire and Flying types, but I like to keep a broad team. That and Scorbunny just...we didn’t jive. But Sobble did. She’s a pretty tough girl too.”

“She is. You have trained her well.” Kabu nodded.

“I know it’s par for the course, with you being a Gym Leader and all, but yours are really well trained too.” Katla said. “Definitely gave me and my team a tough challenge.” She started to smile weakly as she realized she was starting to babble. Shut up shut up shut up.

A brief moment of silence settled between them, watching Katla’s Pokemon amuse themselves. Gyarados and Drizzile played together, whilst a Corvisquire preened himself, throwing wary glances at the Boltund play-bowing at Sizzlipede. Despite their obvious size difference, the little bug Pokemon seemed eager to accept the bigger canine’s offer. The only other Pokemon keeping to itself was Farfetch’d, absorbed with cleaning his leek.

“I notice your Carkol isn’t among your team.” Kabu commented.

“No. I keep a big team, I have to keep rotating them.” A smile pulled at the side of Katla’s lips. “After winning your gym battle, I think she earned a bit of a rest. Need to give the others time to shine.”

“Of course. Training them all to the same high standard takes effort, and a lot of time.”

“Yeah. I dunno who runs the Pokemon storage systems, but I think I’m not much liked by them. I tend to catch a lot of Pokemon I caught before in other regions for other Leagues. I have two Roselias now, for instance - one from Sinnoh and one from here.” She chuckled weakly. “One day I’ll have to go through them and see who I can keep and who would be better off elsewhere.”

Katla winced, and she looked away, face heating up in embarrassment. “Sorry, I don’t mean to talk your ear off. You’re, you probably don’t want to hear about that boring stuff.”

“I don’t mind.” Kabu said, which she assumed was out of politeness. “But I have taken up enough of your time.” He turned to her, a small smile on his features. “I wish you the best of luck in your Gym Challenge, Katla. I will be watching your matches with interest.”

Now she was sure she was blushing, with her face boiling up as it was.

“Oh, well, thanks!” She managed to splutter out. “I’ll, I’ll try to live up to your expectations.”

“I’m sure you will.” Kabu replied. “So long as you are true to yourself, and unleash the potential I witnessed during our battle.” He gave a quick nod, before turning away. “Travel safe, Katla.”

“You too, Kabu. Bye!” He lifted a hand in response, before he jogged away, leaving the trainer alone with her Pokemon and her thoughts.

“Si?” Sizzlipede was at her feet again, peering up at her curiously.

“Hey little girl.” Katla smiled, crouching down to the bug again. Seeing its expression, she gave a lopsided smile. “Ah, it’s nothing. I just...I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

Sizzlipede trilled, reaching up to clamber onto Katla’s leg so she could receive some more pettings. Her trainer smiled, watching the Pokemon relax into her hand.

Kabu’s gonna be watching my next matches? Bloody hell, no pressure.

[shizumble-blog]

Dusk till dawn (7/11/2019) [Atsumu x Osamu]

Not tryna be indie

Not tryna be cool

Just tryna be in this

And tell me how you choose

A mellow light shined in Osamu's face, waking him up with a cold breeze traveling to his whole body; It was the usual day, doing his daily routine...

Waking up his brother.

"Tsumu, wake up.", He gently shake his brother's body, making the blonde figure move a bit as he opened his eyes. "We'll be late at school."

"I know, that's your usual "Good morning" to me.", He chuckled a little bit. Making Osamu sigh and get out of the bed, it was usual for Atsumu to say that, he couldn't be excited nor in a grumpy mood. Just...that.

Even though Osamu is the slowest, he was the fastest one to change into their uniforms, he was the fastest to finish their food, and he was the fastest when doing their homeworks. "Tch, being a slowpoke again.", That made his brother complain about it non-stop. "Shut your mouth, Samu. Don't need your complains."

"Fine."

"Then it's all good."

They both went to school together, they were almost late for checking out the game arcade. "It's your fault damn you."

The gray haired brunette can only chuckle as he pats his brother in the shoulder as his sign of sympathy...well, more like pity.

Osamu opened the door to see Suna looking at him while holding a notebook. "I'll be returning this to you. Thanks.", He said, making Osamu gran the notebook and put it on his bag. "No problem."

Can you feel why you're in this

Can you feel it through

All of the windows

Inside this room

He seems to be distracted by something, he can only look at the window. The gentle breeze slightly brushing to his hair, his golden eyes examining the tree outside of their room. He sighs as he tried focusing on their subject, but no avail, he's still distracted by something... Something that he haven't told anyone about it.

He fell in love with his brother

Crazy right? He couldn't believed it too. At first, it seemed like he was being delusional about him liking his brother, but then, he realized, after they're growing... He fell for him.

Call it disgusting, he wouldn't mind. After all, no one knows about it. And his secret won't reveal itself, and he'll take it to his final breath.

Before he knows it, class was over and Suna was frequently tapping his shoulder. "Airhead, it's lunch time.", The ravenette said as he walks away. "Kita-san told me to tell you that we have practice after school ends."

He slightly nods then stood up, he has to tell his brother that they have practice.

After the short walk he had, he stood in front of Atsumu's classroom door, nervous; Anxiety was dragging him down, but he didn't mind.

He opened the door. "Tsumu, we will have practice after school ends-"

He froze in the spot, he saw his brother laughing with a girl. It crushed his heart and broke his mental stature; a fragile glass— so...fragile... He cleared up his throat, catching the attention of his brother. "Ah, what is it, Samu?", He told him that they're gonna have practice later. It made the blonde nod in response... It was the sign that he needs to leave.

"I'll be going, make sure that you aren't late."

"Okay~"

He walked away, he still have some free time before the lessons start again. He went to the comfort room, washing off his face, just to hide his tears. He was in pain, his brother with that girl, he can feel his heart getting smashed into pieces.

He was suppose to be the calm and serious one... So why is he breaking down like this?

Easy, because he loves his brother that much, more thicker than the bond of two brothers. And it's also because he predicted that his brother won't feel the same about him. Imagining that scarred the half of his heart, and it's too painful to even proceed.

After he left the comfort room, his aura around him felt more...heavier, as if he doesn't want anyone to approach him...ever.

'Cause I wanna touch you, baby

And I wanna feel you, too

I wanna see the sunrise and your sins

Just me and you

Their practice ended, and Osamu sat up as he grabbed his bottle and started drinking up. He didn't saw his brother beside him, making the blonde grabbed his bottle and gave him the bottle. "...really? How am I suppose to drink when it's all empty?", This made Atsumu chuckle as he gave his bottle to him. "Much better, didn't know you have a heart to begin with."

"Rude! That's just rude, I have a heart ya know!?"

"Yeah right.", He ignores the boy, making sure that he ignores him and will bother others, but, he can only feel a heaviness in his lap. Looking down he saw his brother resting. "What are you doing?", He asked, making his brother looked at him with half-lidded eyes. "I'mma rest for a while, let me in this form for now?"

"As long as you treat me to some puddings, not the ones we buy in the grocery store."

"Wha- Ugh, fine."

Silence surrounds them; the quiet harmony resonated within the gym, the mellow snore of his brother was a wonderful Melody in his ears. He can only look below and gentle played with his hair, it was silky and smooth.

This was his chance, to tell him the truth. But he remained voiceless, he predicted that his brother will feel disgust with him.

Who wants a relationship with his brother? More than that, with a boy?

He'll just fall into the Abyss, with no one to help him rise up and escape the inescapable..

Who will help him...?

"Tsumu, save me..."

The chains that made him trapped in here, this feeling of dread and sadness.

He was getting weak, not physically but mentally, he wanted to shout his feelings for him but he can't, after all, maybe the people around him will only look at him with disgust and hatred in their eyes; he wore the mascara of the fool—

a fool that fell into forbidden love.

Light it up, on the run

Let's make love, tonight

Make it up, fall in love, try

They went inside of their room at the same time, holding their gaming consoles as they played a multiplayer game where they had to defeat a boss where it drops rare items. "Samu take the lead.", He said while spamming the buttons with his thumbs, making the gray haired brunette stare at him as his character marches forward.

He was calm at that moment, he didn't let his depression get him again, he hated it. He hated the fact that he became so sad of that one harsh truth; not being liked by his brother the same way he likes him.

Such a sad thing... isn't it?

He noticed that his health level was getting low, and he didn't got the chance to heal. "Damn.", He cursed out, making his brother looked at him with concern. "Are you okay?", He nods in response, signaling Atsumu that he WAS okay.

After a while, they managed to defeat the boss, giving them rare items as they equipped them in their characters. "Nice one Samu!"

He placed a gentle smile on his face, he was satisfied by seeing his brother smile like that, he was a treasure; a diamond— strong and unbreakable.

While him? He thought of himself as glass; vulnerable and completely breakable. He was weak, he couldn't be strong, because...

Even if he became strong... For what purpose? To see himself broken again? What is he a toy that's fixable? No, he's just a fragile person...so fragile that one word or action will break him.

But you'll never be alone

I'll be with you from dusk till dawn

I'll be with you from dusk till dawn

Baby, I'm right here

It's been a month and his condition is becoming worse, so worse that it now concerns the people he knew about.

He was thin, he doesn't eat that much. His eyes were blank; as if you can see the endless Abyss in it. His skin became pale, he doesn't mind it.

Their Captain, Kita notices his condition. In which made him talk to Osamu about having a break from practicing and playing volleyball matches. He was against it at first but later accepts it.

And right now, he's lying in the bed, looking at the ceiling as he starts to cry again.

"...why do I have to make myself suffer? It's just...why can't I say it to him...?", He can only punch the wall, his gaze turned into a soft one as he saw blood trailing down to his hand. He punched the wall too hard.

He cried, it's so painful...

But then, he saw that one solution... To end his suffering.

It's his only choice, he doesn't want to get hurt any more further than that.

He walked in the kitchen corner, opened up a cabinet where the kitchen utensils are inside. He saw it...the sure way of him getting rid of the pain he beared ever since that day.

A knife, the end of a long-long pain...fall down, and let your memories sink inside.

Fall

With your eyes closed you can only have a small smile

Cry

Cry out loud until your eyes bled, a soothing peace

He was about to slice off his wrist when a loud noise coming from the living bothered him. It was loud, and was rushing towards his place. He knew who it was...

"...Tsumu?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?", He approached him and threw the blade from a long distance of their place to the place where the knife was. He grabbed him by the collar and looked at him in the eyes. "WHY ARE YOU BEING LIKE THAT!?"

Osamu remained quiet, in which made Atsumu grit his teeth and punched him in the face, putting in into the counter as he grabbed him again. "Did I do something that made you like this!? Tell me!", He remained voiceless, but now...he was crying, in front of his brother. That made Atsumu soften his grip and gaze.

"I...", Osamu took a deep breath before looking at his brother. "I'm sorry...because I fell in love with you."

...silence once again, this time...this isn't the awkward silence, it was...somehow...

...the calm one.

Osamu felt the silence so he tried talking again. "Tsumu I-", He was cut off by a tight embrace, he felt Atsumu crying in his shoulder.

"Thank goodness, you feel the same way."

Did he...just heard that right? Him? Having the same feelings as him?

He doesn't know what to say, but can express himself in his face; his tears trailing down to his face. He forgot the pain, and was replaced by that warm feeling in his heart and chest. The burden he carried went away... For good.

"Thank you, Tsumu.", He said, sniffed as he smiled widely at his brother. "For returning it to me."

"After all, we're not only bonded by blood.", He says while hugging him once again. In a tight embrace; he doesn't want to let go.

"We're bonded by Fate"

Go, give love to your body

It's only you that can stop it

Go, give love to your body

It's only you that can stop it

[kjllerbass]

Slice of Life: A Total Drama Fanficiton

Chapter 1: First Day Jitters

Point of View(s): Cody Anderson and Heather Mendoza

Chapter Summary: The teens go back to school for their sophomore year of high school! Will a new teacher and new classmates cause strife for class nobody Cody Anderson and queen bee Heather Mendoza?

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September 3rd, 6:15 in the morning. The alarm on Cody’s phone started. It was officially his first day of sophomore year at the teenager-dubbed “hellhole,” more commonly known as Wawanakwa High School. After what seemed like the shortest summer vacation of his life, he had strong disbelief that going back to school was the right idea. The crisp fall morning brought an attitude of freshness to Cody, despite his dread to leave his bed. He finally crawled out after a self pep-talk and a few tears. Little did he know that sophomore year held more in store for the young man than he could handle.

“I don’t understand why you’re so apprehensive to go to school, Cody. It’s not like you’re getting, like, tortured in hell for eight hours every day.” Izzy laughed, still bounding a few steps ahead of the male. His morning walk for the last three years, now four, had consisted of chasing his neighbor down a block or two before barely catching up to her for conversation. It was a blessing and a curse, but a great deal of cardio each weekday morning.

“Except I AM!” Cody sighed. He was now at an equal pace with the redhead. Her energy levels at such an early time were not understood by the male, but he brushed it aside to continue getting his thought out. “I have a literal fear of Heather Mendoza. That’s not good.” Cody was too busy playing with the straps of his backpack to notice Izzy almost double over in laughter.

“It’s a rational fear. I think everyone fears that-” Izzy stopped laughing as a horn stopped her, causing the friends to peer into the street. What they didn’t expect to see was Noah Archya waving them into his older brother’s car.

“You’re gonna be late.” The brunette whined unenthusiastically, and Izzy compiled by dragging Cody into the street with her. What was the girl thinking? He grumbled in protest as she forced him to climb into the backseat. Why would he want to get into Noah’s car? The two were barely friends, but Izzy was the buffer for the time being. “What were you guys talking about? Seemed funny.” He chimed sarcastically, making Cody’s face go red.

Izzy smiled enthusiastically as she started speaking on the topic again. “Cody’s fear of Heather! Isn’t that so crazy?” She said, almost speaking a mile a minute. The scrawny brunette sent his friend a glare. No one deserved to know about his fears. Especially not Noah.

“Priceless.” Noah chuckled. “I had to work on freshman council with her last year. Sucked ass.” He said plainly, shrugging his shoulders. “I gave up all thoughts of running for president this year.”

Before Cody could even muster up the courage to answer, the car reached its destination. It was quite an oddity, getting a positive and meaningful answer out of Noah Archya. He had no time to mull over it, though. Izzy had already booted him out of the car and chided at him for being a slowpoke. Cody watched the students file over the school campus. Some, mostly freshman, were socializing in the middle of the pathway. Others could care less about conversation and made themselves straight inside.

“The first bell is in three...two...one!” counted Noah, who led the threesome through the wilderness called the hallways. Turns out, they were all in the same homeroom. And to think Cody had a break from the brunette.

On the other side of things, Heather Mendoza couldn’t wait to be back and reigning the halls of Wawanakwa High School. Freshman year was a bit rough, yet she still made quite the reputation for herself. Who knew telling half of the student body about Gwen’s crush on Trent would boost her popularity? And getting her hair cut by Gwen as a result? The perfect catfight. Everything was normal. She was the top of the food chain. The presidential election would come as a piece of cake to her. That was until she entered homeroom. 

Wawanakwa’s current sophomore class was one of the smallest in its current cast of students, only being split into two or three homerooms that haven’t changed since freshman year. Heather walked into the classroom, immediately taking the middle seat Lindsay was saving for her. The two had fallen out over summer, but their status of the most popular girls in school kept them together.

“Hi Heather, how was-” Lindsay attempted to start a conversation, before noticing Heather’s drastic change in hair length. “Heather! Where did it go?!” She exclaimed, only for Heather to give a sigh as a response. Sometimes the blonde’s reaction time wasn’t too... outstanding.

“Pasty cut it off. As if she wasn’t already busy enough sucking Courtney’s boyfriend’s face off.” Heather said, loud enough for Gwen to hear. The goth ignored it though because everyone else had already assumed she and Duncan were a couple just because of their appearances. The chatter of the room was brought down by this year’s homeroom teacher, Mr. McLean. He was the new head of the drama department and taught English to teenagers who really didn’t care about why Harper Lee chose to write about Southern racism. Oh, and rumor had it that he once was famous.

“Alright, campers,” The man started, standing up from his desk. “I’m Mr. McLean, call me Chris. I don’t mind it.” He shrugged, now using the surface as a seat. He dressed casually for such a job and looked about in his mid-thirties to Heather. Sort of like the brother she never speaks of. “Enough about me though! Today, we have-”

Mr. McLean was interrupted by Beth Kanassis, resident nerd and wannabe friend of Heather. “Weren’t you on that figure skating show? The one where that guy dropped the girl? Right on her head?” She asked, and you could see the teacher get more and more flustered with every specification she gave.

“What a dumb assumption!” replied Chris, his face reading an emotion Heather couldn’t place. A girl from the back of the room stood up. “It was him! I’ve only seen it about sixteen times, though.” She said with a certainty that some students believed to be...unsure of.

“Speaking of new students, thank you, Sierra, for the confirmation!” An already aggravated Chris said. “Class, we have two new students joining us today!” He continued, staring the purple-haired girl down. “Please give a warm Wawanakwa welcome to Sierra West and Alejandro Burromuerto!” Chris waved the girl and a new, Latin-looking man into the front of the classroom. Given how many girls, and Tyler, were staring at him, Heather could tell Alejandro would be even more trouble than Justin.

“Hello! I’m Sierra, and I can’t-” Sierra already froze up during her introduction. Was it because she finally caught the daggers Heather was sending? The girl gave herself a mental pat on the back before softening her features. Even after she did, Sierra was still starstruck by something in the back of the room. Heather followed Sierra’s sightline to a brunette boy slouched in his desk. Cody Anderson? Oh god.

 “Next!” Chris said, nudging Sierra back to her seat. Attention was now focused on Alejandro, the guy who Heather already hated. “Hello, I’m Alejandro. Always Alejandro. Never...Al.” He stated, his voice falling to a malicious mumble towards the end of his introductory statement. Most girls were already tuned out and just in awe, but Heather was listening, alright.

“Sorry, Al, could you repeat that?” Owen, another person Heather wasn’t fond of, asked the question to set him off. Instead of losing it, Alejandro kept his composure. “Please, el gordo, just stop talking.” He chided, returning to his seat after speaking. 

So he was transparent, fake and...deliciously seductive? Well, not to Heather. Maybe he would be an easy target to gain as an ally, like Lindsay. But Owen pissed him off, so he was smart enough to comprehend that already. He didn’t know that Heather Mendoza was a force to be reckoned with, though.

Throughout the day, it was like she couldn’t escape the Latin Lover. He was in her honors classes, where she thought she could catch a break from at least some people. Lunch was the only period where she didn’t feel the threatening eyes of the new student. She made her way from the line to the table, immediately stopping when she spotted who Lindsay had already directed to the table. It couldn’t be real.

“Hello, you must be Heather. Lindsay has only said the most wonderful things about you!” Alejandro said, giving Heather that charming smile that made all of the girls, and Tyler, fall earlier in homeroom. He was good, too good, and so perfect. Heather would have to get it through the blonde’s thick skull that hanging around with him was bad news.

“That’s right. And you’re Al, right?” She asked, an emphasis on the nickname he hated. He kept his charming smile, and just blew a kiss to the girl who became an annoyance. Heather gasped, turning her head away from the boy in front of her. She could tell what was running through his mind, but it wasn’t until they were walking back to their lockers when Heather confirmed her suspicions.

“So, what do you think your purpose here will be?” Heather asked, still very uninterested at the thought of this boy. She was only playing nice for Lindsay’s sake. Yeah, for Lindsay’s sake. “You know, when you’re not too busy making everyone look more stupid than you do?”

“I was planning on running for class president. Lindsay suggested it to me. Nothing like a little bit of healthy, friendly competition. Right, Mendoza?” He said, opening the locker that lived three doors away from Heather’s. Thank god that he couldn’t see her face right now, for it was redder than his shirt. How dare Lindsay tell him about her plan? She would have no competition until the dumb blonde opened her fat mouth. Plus, the idea that he could just go and call her Mendoza like that? Unthinkable! No one disrespects the queen bee like that. Maybe behind her back, but certainly not to her face.

“May the best man win, Al.” She sneered, leaving the lockers with a thud and a growl that even scared herself.

[aligalloo]

Christmas in Newcastle

Pairing: Will Lenney (WillNE) x Reader Word Count: 2,350 Warnings: A couple of swears Requested: Yes! Requests: Open (Sidemen, sidemen of the sidemen, ChrisMD, WillNE, Joe Sugg, Caspar Lee, Buttercream Boys etc etc.)  

Y/N: Your name Y/B/S: Your birth stone

“William!” I yell, jumping on top of him where he lays asleep in bed.  Gee has let me in their flat because I decided that its been too long since I’ve seen him.

“Jesus Christ, Y/N,” Will groans, pulling the blankets further over his head.  I yank them back and climb in beside him, cuddling up to his warm body.  He wraps his arms around me and looks at me sleepily, “What are you doing here?”

“I miss you, we never get to see each other anymore,” I reply, fluttering my lashes up at him.  

“Don’t try that on me, mate,” He laughs. “But yeah, I’ve missed you too.”

We lay in silence for several minutes before Will suddenly sits up.  “Hey, what are you doing for Christmas?” He asks curiously.

“Ah shit, yeah, I was gonna talk to you about that.” “Why, what’s happened?”

“My parents have decided to go on holiday over Christmas but I can’t leave uni.  I guess I’ll just stay in London and entertain myself.”

“We can’t have that!  Why don’t you come home to Newcastle with me?”

“Won’t your parents mind?  I’m not exactly a Lenney.”

“Don’t be an idiot Y/N, my family will love you.  Probably more than me to be honest.”

“Oh alright then, I’m not going to say no to an offer like that.”

As I lay there, I think about the history that we share.  I’ve known Will for years, I met him through mutual friends and we became close very quickly.  When he decided to drop out of uni to concentrate on YouTube, I was supportive but also hesitant, because I didn’t know how much of a future there was in the industry.  He seems to really love it though, so I make an effort to not show my doubts around him.  I’ve never actually met his family or his dog Darcey, so I’ve gone from dreading a Christmas alone to looking forward to a visit to Newcastle with my best friend.  

Will puts on some Netflix and we just talk for a bit, catching up on all the things we’ve missed out on in recent months. “So how’s your love life going?” I ask cheekily, winking at him.

He stares at me blankly for a moment before replying, “What do you think, Y/N?”

“I’m gonna guess a variety of drunk one night stands.”

“And you would be right,” He laughs awkwardly. “I’m not sure why I can’t hold down a girl, there must be something wrong with me.”

“Hey, look at me.  There is nothing wrong with you.  You just haven’t found the right one yet.” He meets my eyes reluctantly and I see something indefinable in their depths.

“Yeah that’s true.  Maybe one day.” He says hopefully, breaking eye contact and playing with a strand of my hair mindlessly.

“It’s absolutely true, and I hope I’m still around when you do find her.”

“I don’t think there’s any doubt in that respect, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I just smile at him and cuddle closer, and we spend the rest of the day hanging around the flat catching up and watching Christmas movies in preparation for the festive season.

- A few days before Christmas -

I hear a knock on my door and I run to open it, seeing Will on the other side.

“Ready to go, love?” He asks, and I nod my head excitedly.  “Let me just grab my stuff.”

I emerge out of my bedroom a minute later, lugging a gigantic suitcase.  Will laughs at me and I huff.

“You do know we’re only going to be away for a week right?” He says, looking at the amount of luggage I have incredulously.  

“... I don’t know what we’re going to be doing, I had to be prepared for anything.” I reply in annoyance.

“I can tell you exactly what will happen, we’ll get there and my mam will fuss over you and say how adorable you are, Darcey will be obsessed with you, and my sister will force you to go last minute Christmas shopping with her like she does every year.  I’m just glad it won’t be me being dragged along this time.”

“Fine, I’m not re-packing though.  Your big strong muscles will just have to deal with the strain of lifting my suitcase.” I poke his stomach playfully and he ducks away from me.

“Don’t even go there Y/N, Jesus Christ.”

I just smile at him and flounce out the door, holding it open for him to bring my suitcase out.  “Hurry up slowpoke!  I wanna cuddle this dog of yours.”

- A few hours later -

We get off the train and a kind-looking middle aged woman comes towards us with her arms held out.  I’ve seen her in photos before, but it’s nice to finally meet the real person.  

“Will!” She calls in her strong northern accent.  “And you must be Y/N, it’s so nice to finally meet you.”

The next thing I know, I’m being pulled into her arms and Will is mouthing an apology over her shoulder.  

“Your dad’s waiting in the car, we didn’t want to pay for parking.” She says to Will, leading us out of the station.  

During the short car ride to Will’s house, I’m grilled on every aspect of my life, to what I’m studying at university to whether I have any siblings and where my parents are traveling over Christmas.  I can already feel a strong connection to these people, they are making me feel completely welcome, and I feel at home with them.

“Did you know that Will hasn’t brought a girl home since he left high school?”

“Mam it’s not like that,” Will groans and looks at me apologetically.

She just looks back at us knowingly and changes the subject.  

We arrive at the Lenney house and are greeted at the door by Darcey, who runs straight to Will.  He pets her and she then decides to come over and check out the intruder.  Will introduces us to each other, which I find incredibly cute.

“Darcey, this is Y/N.  Y/N, Darcey.” He grins as she asks to be petted by sticking her nose in my hand.  I do so gladly, and stand up when Will’s mum calls my name.

“We’ve put you in Sarah’s room for now.  You may have to share when she arrives but we can deal with that when the time comes.”

“Ah, thank you so much, I’m so grateful you let me come.”

“Of course, sweetie.  We couldn’t let you spend Christmas on your own!”

The days go on and I fit easily into life in Newcastle.  Soon, it’s Christmas Eve and Will’s sister Sarah arrives with her husband and young daughter, Isabella, who hides when she sees me.  However, with Will’s coaxing she soon pokes her head out to investigate.

“Hey,” I say in a soft voice, “How are you?”

She just looks at me with her big blue eyes, but doesn’t run away, instead coming over and holding out her hand for me to take.  We shake hands solemnly and then she runs back to her mum.

“Don’t worry, she’s always shy around new people.  She’ll love you by the end of the day.”

“Hi, I’m Sarah,” she smiles at me and stands up to give me a hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, we’ve heard so much about you from Will.”

“It’s good to meet you too.” I laugh, sneaking a glance at Will, who looks decidedly embarrassed and has gone all red.

“How old is Isabella?” I ask.

“Four, and you don’t know how strange it is that she’s not talking - she usually never stops,” Sarah replies. “Sorry we’re kicking you out of my room, the house isn’t very big.”

“It’s alright, I’ll manage perfectly fine on an air bed in Will’s room - I’ve done it before.”

“If you’re sure...?  It’s only for a few days I guess.”

I spend the rest of the morning getting to know Sarah, and we find that we have a lot in common with each other.  Later in the afternoon, we all decide to go ice-skating in the centre of Newcastle.  We bundle up warmly and head out to her car, piling in with me sitting on Will’s lap.  Sarah is driving and looks back at us knowingly.

“What are you staring at?” Will asks her, while nuzzling his face into my hair.  She just smiles and I see a shadow of a wink as she meets my eyes.

“Y/N, will you skate with me?” I hear a small voice ask from beside me.

“Of course, I’ll skate with you all you want.” I smile at her and ruffle her hair.  

We arrive at the skating rink and rent skates.  I put mine on and then help Isabella get hers, before leading her out onto the rink.  I hold her hands as we skate around and she lasts a surprisingly long time before getting tired and tugging me over to Will, who’s standing on the side watching us.  

“Jesus Christ,” I sigh after handing Isabella over to her dad. “I’m knackered, she’s so full of energy.”

I lean against Will’s shoulder and he wraps his arm around me. “You’re so good with her love, I’m impressed.  She doesn’t like many people as much as she likes you.” Will says, and I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head.

I duck my head and blush, looking over at Sarah who’s once again eyeing us intently.  “Why does she keep watching us?” I mutter, and Will looks down at me.

“What?”

“Ah it’s just Sarah, I swear she spends her whole life watching us.”

“She hasn’t seen me interact with girls very much so it’s probably a new and scary experience for her.” He takes my hand and leads me over to where Isabella is sitting with her parents.  “Ready to go home?” He asks.

“Yeah, lets go!” Isabella exclaims, running toward Will.  He catches her in his arms and picks her up, turning around and heading towards the car.  I hurry behind him, and we reach the car and wait for the others, who are not far behind.  I see Sarah whisper something into her husband’s ear but they’re too far away for me to hear what they are saying so I don’t even bother.

We get home and I’m surprised by how tired I am.  Despite this, Sarah drags me out to the mall to “experience the Christmas atmosphere” and buy last minute presents.  When we get back to the house, I head upstairs to Will’s room where I find a bed made up for me on the floor, and him on his phone.  I wave to him and go to get ready, coming back into the room afterwards.

“You ready to sleep?” He asks me, smiling at me.  

“Hell yeah, your family is exhausting.”

“Believe me, I know.  How was Sarah?  Did she kill you?”

“No, I actually had a really nice time with her, it’s nice to spend time with a female for once - I have too many guy friends.”

I go over to the bed on the floor and am about to hop into it when Will calls my name. “Why don’t you just come and sleep with me?”

“What if your parents see?” I ask, slightly worried.

“What are they going to see?  Friends sharing a bed?  It’s fine, come on.” He coaxes, scooting over and patting the place beside him.  “It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”

“Alright,” I sigh, too exhausted to argue.  I walk over and get in beside him, instantly gravitating towards his warm body.  I snuggle against him and fall asleep almost immediately, missing the whisper against my hair: “I love you, Y/N.”

- Christmas morning -

I’m woken up by a small form jumping on the bed. “Wake up, Y/N!  Wake up Will!  It���s Christmas!  Come open presents!”

“I am so sor... Oh!” Sarah has rushed in the room behind Isabella and sees me cocooned in Will’s arms.  “Come on, sweetie, let’s let them wake up.” She says as she leads the small girl out of the room.  

“Fuck, what time is it?”

“Six.” I reply, picking up my phone to check it

Will groans and buries his face in my shoulder, “Can we please go back to sleep?”

“No, Isabella was so excited, we should go downstairs so she can open her presents.”

“Cuddle first?”

“Cuddle first.”

We stay in the bed for a while longer, dozing on and off.  Around seven, I sit up and shake Will’s shoulder, “Wake up you lazy bastard.”

I hear a muffled “no” from under the covers so yank them off him, making him yelp, “You’re crazy, you know that.”

“That’s why you love me.” I toss my hair and make my way to get dressed, missing his mumbled, “You got that right, love.”

We arrive downstairs and start to open presents.  Isabella is of course adorable and attacks each new gift with vigour.  We make our way through the family until it’s my turn.  I open them all and think I’m done when Will touches my arm and slips a small box into my hand.  I gasp, “This isn’t...?”

“Oh god no!” He exclaims, “Just open it and see.”

I open the box and see a beautiful Y/B/S necklace.  There’s a small note inside, written in Will’s distinctive handwriting: ‘I think I’ve found the right one.’  My mind flashes back to the conversation we had when I asked him about his love life and my mouth drops open before I lunge towards him and plant my lips on his.  Only a small cough breaks us apart, and we remain with our foreheads touching, staring into each other’s eyes.  

“Wanna go out for dinner sometime?” Will asks, smiling at me tentatively.

“I’d love that,” I reply, slightly breathless.

“It’s about bloody time.” I hear Sarah mutter behind me, but I just laugh.  With my best friend by my side, I can face anything the world throws at me, even over-enthusiastic sisters.

-fin-

A/N: Well this is long.  I took creative liberties with characters, I know that Will has a sister but literally nothing else about her.  Hope you enjoyed!

[pyropsychiccollector]

“You’re panicking again.”

Hajime nervously smiled as his eyes darted all over the place. He knew this was supposed to be just two friends hanging out, but he couldn’t keep the… new obligation he had now out of his head.

“Of course I’m nervous! I’m supposed to be watching out for you now!” Aside from getting paid, there were also the… threats of bodily harm, should anything befall “Mistress Natsumi”. How could he NOT be nervous?!

Said gangster girl scoffed at the concern lacing his voice.

“Kami, you sound like a bodyguard, or my boyfriend. You do know I have people to call on for the first, and the second is just plain gross.”

Hajime could not help sweating bullets all the same. This could just be a test, to see if he remembered his responsibilities…

“W-Well… Your brother told your dad that was the arrangement… r-right…?”

“That was the bullshit line my brother fed my dad, yeah. But my parents instantly saw through that and just took it in stride. ‘Cause in a way, they do still wanna repay you for what you did. Kuzuryuu Clan honor and all that.” Natsumi nonchalantly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re really more like an informant than anything else. Like how you told my bro and parents everything you knew about that Sato bitch… which was basically way less than I knew about her.”

Hajime noticeably became more relaxed.

“S-So… You guys really won’t make me learn how to fight, or use a weapon?”

Natsumi’s deriding laugh had him slouching again…

“Hell yeah you are. Informant or no, your self-defense skills are shit, and I REALLY don’t want a repeat of that near-attempt at seppuku. That was pathetic.”

“… Thanks.” Hajime was truly at a loss for words.

He got a punch in the arm for his snark.

“I don’t want to live if it means I don’t get to repay you someday, got it? You dying like a pussy makes that impossible.”

… Mixed feelings aside, that was… better. Hajime felt like he was seeing through the “tough girl” exterior, little by little.

“Besides, if you get really good at some form of fighting, maybe Hope’s Peak will let you into the Main Course.”

Forget the tough girl exterior, Hajime’s heart was staring to soar at these prospects.

“… Right after they let me in as the Ultimate Little Sister. And you work your ass off.”

Ah… Back down to earth his heart goes… The blinding optimism was nice while it lasted…

“Ugh. C'mon, slowpoke! You were gonna introduce me to that Nanami chick, remember?”

Hajime blinked as he recognized he was now several places behind Natsumi, as lost in thought he had been. He chuckled sheepishly and jogged to catch up, hoping for the best that his friend and kinda-friend would get along…

~*~

“She’s in big bro’s class.”

Hajime sweatdropped as Nanami continued to play obliviously as they got distracted by Natsumi’s revelation.

“I… I see that. Or at least, so you’ve told me…” Five times now.

Natsumi added onto what she was muttering.

“She’s in big bro’s class, and you didn’t tell me…” Hajime’s head reeled back a bit. Was… Was that a growl just now? A CUTE growl…?

“She’s never said any names, s-so… I really didn’t know…” When Natsumi pursed her lips, he got the vague feeling this was one of those things he “should” have known… somehow.

“Whatever… The real question is why this bitch hasn’t lost yet?!” There was another cute growl. “I can kick your ass just fine!”

Hajime inwardly corrected her that was half the time at best… He had a feeling she wouldn’t be happy if he said that out loud…

“Well… She’s the Ultimate Gamer.” Hajime parroted in a tone like SHE “should have known”.

“Seriously?! There’s a talent for THAT, but not Little Sister?!”

… Hajime wisely kept to himself that this was going to be another round that she lost… She was too distracted. Amazing, the perspective he gained with not having to mull over the Kamukura Project invitation… His gaming did improve when he wasn’t distracted with those morbid thoughts on talent and no talent… even if just a little…

“I win!” Chiaki’s slightly peppy voice kinda ruined Hajime’s plans to keep Natsumi calm…

The gangster girl growled cutely a third time.

“Again… Bitch.”

Hajime was never more thankful that Chiaki was “used” to Natsumi’s older brother… She probably would’ve needed time to adjust to the gangster’s typical way of addressing people, otherwise…

“Sure! Let’s play lots and lots of games, Natsumi-chan!”

… On the other hand, Natsumi was going to need time getting used to Chiaki’s good nature… She didn’t gloat when she won, but Chiaki’s chipper tone unsettled him at first, too. Like she didn’t care about winning or losing. As long as they had fun.

Which she did feel that way. Natsumi just didn’t know that yet… like he hadn’t…

~*~

“Hinata, I’m leavin’ this idiot in your care for the next few days.” Fuyuhiko said gruffly one day as he shoved a guy in a jumpsuit at his feet. “Sonia and I are working together to help with ideas for our talent demonstrations comin’ up, and he won’t leave us alone.”

The pink-haired guy shook a fist at Kuzryuu.

“Stop monopolizing Miss Sonia’s time! You don’t even know what she likes!”

Hajime sweatdropped as Fuyuhiko fixed the guy with a glare. Before he could chew out the guy, Hajime decided to defuse the situation.

“I’ll… keep an eye on him. Go focus on your demonstrations, I guess…”

With a curt nod, the blond left briskly. The guy in the jumpsuit seemed decidedly less happy…

“Who does he think he is, treatin’ me like a kid!” He grumbled sourly. Hajime rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Ultimate Gangster, Nanami’s classmate, and Natsumi’s brother, apparently…” His shoulders drooped as the guy seemed to take offense to one of those…

“I’m his classmate, too!” The guy’s tirade was brought to an abrupt halt, as he stood up and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Hajime. “Hey, wait… How do YOU know Nanami?”

Hajime shrugged neutrally.

“We play video games after school… She was the one who started it, just 'cause I knew Gala Omega…”

The pink-head scratched the side of his head.

“Yeah, that’ll get her pumped… So, wait, back up again… Kuzryuu has a sister??”

Hajime nodded.

“She’s in my class, and we’re… kind of friends…”

“What talents do you guys have?”

“Well, we’re not recognized for anything yet… We’re both in the Reserve Department…” Hajime frowned lightly.

“Reserve? I never knew Hope’s Peak had somethin’ like that…” The pink-head looked thoughtful.

“They rolled it out last year, I think.”

“Ah.”

There was an awkward silence as they just stood there.

“Graagh… Whatever! I don’t have time for you! I gotta get Miss Sonia to like me!”

“Why?” Despite knowing the guy would overreact, Hajime couldn’t help himself.

And he wasn’t disappointed with the overreaction…

“Why? WHY?!” the pink-head exploded. “She’s Miss Sonia! The most amazing girl ever! In our class and in the whole world! Don’t you even KNOW about Miss Sonia?!”

“Not really… Nanami only talks about your class vaguely, doesn’t give names or anything.”

“And you don’t ask?!”

… Okay, fair point…

“I don’t really wanna pry when I’m just a Reserve scrub. She’s already spending time with me as it is…”

The guy stared blankly at Hajime.

“Y'know, Miss Yukizome would probably tear into you for calling yourself a scrub like that, dude…”

Hajime weakly chuckled.

“Oh, she has… Kinda picked my brain about the Reserve Department not too long ago…”

The pink-head tilted his head slightly before nodding, as if reaching a decision.

“… Okay, I’m gonna help you out, dude. I kinda feel bad with you being a downer on yourself like that.”

Hajime waved his hands peacefully.

“You don’t need to do that! With Kuzuryuu dropping you in my lap like this-”

“Nope! Already decided, dude!” The guy leaned back with arms behind his head and a massive grin. “Besides, I gotta educate you on the ladies if you don’t even know about Miss Sonia!”

“A-Ah…” … Well, Hajime was uncomfortable, yet again…

“Souda Kazuichi! Ultimate Mechanic!”

“Hajime Hinata, Reserve.” Hajime grinned somewhat weakly.

… Was he going to meet ALL of Chiaki’s class?

[lucier1032-blog]

Baby, I’m Howling For You - Chapter Six

”A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.”

-Maya Angelou

 “Harry! Wait for me!”

“Come on you slowpoke! We’re going to be late!”

“You’re going too fast! Don’t leave me!”

“I’m not going to leave ya darlin!” Harry slowed to a trot, a smile reaching from ear to ear and dimples on both cheeks. His emerald green eyes sparkled in the rare London sunshine as he waited for his best friend to catch up. Pushing his newly wild coffee colored curls from his eyes, he pivoted on his heels to see the flushed brunette finally catching up to him. “You should know better by now.” His chuckles made the young girl illuminate with warmth as she joined his pace, giving the giggling boy an eye roll.

“Why does everything always have to turn into a race with you?” The two slowed to a casual walk along the pavement path, both breathing heavily.

“I like a challenge.” Harry shrugged casually as the pair walked further into the park. The two youthful teens were on their way to their first football match of the season, their identical blue and white jersey’s giving away their agenda.

“Oh, come off it, you just like to win and you know you’ll beat me every time.”

“Hey! I’m just trying to help build up your stamina so you can move up to offense this season!” Harry sent a wink in her direction before she shoved him off the path playfully.

“I don’t know if I’m going to make it past this season.” The tone of their conversation instantly turned discouraging as Ryder shoulders slumped inwards. “My dad doesn’t want me playing, thinks it takes up too much of my time.”

“What else does he think you’re going to do?”

“Couldn’t tell ya, but he’s got some kind of master plan thing he’s always fighting with my mum about. He already has Liam on some ridiculous training regimen; he’s in the gym every hour he isn’t in school. In fact, I’m surprised he hasn’t been pulled from school to follow my dad around at all hours of the day. I barely even see him anymore.”

“So…I take it he isn’t coming to the game today then?” “Nah, as usual he’s sucking up to our father.”

“Always a kiss ass that one.” Harry elbowed the girl in the shoulder spiritedly in hopes of lightening the mood. This is what Ryder loved about their friendship; Harry never pried into her home life and always offered a cheesy smile or silly face to brighten her day. Their budding friendship came so naturally; never forced and never questioned. They had formed a solid bond that you could attribute to shared crayons and peanut butter banana sandwiches. Even at eleven years old now, the two’s likes and dislikes mimicked each other, stitching their paths together for eternity.

When the friends finally reached the football pitch, Harry quickly snatched up a ball and pulled Ryder into a warmup. They joined the rest of their team on the left side of the field, casually kicking the checkered ball back and forth on the dry grass. “Speaking of your dad…” Harry began, but chose his words carefully because he knew how touchy Ryder was with the subject, “Did you ever, you know, find out what his job is?”

“Hi Haz!” A little blond girl with a bright pink backpack half the size of her stood at the edge of the field. Her lemon-yellow rain boots and butterfly hair clips sparkled in the sunlight and rivaled the smile spread across her rosy cheeks.

Harry stopped the ball and rested his foot on top of it as both he and Ryder turned towards the girl. “Hey Quinn. Just go sit over there and I’ll be over in a bit, yeah?” The tiny blond nodded encouragingly, pulling her backpack up tighter on her shoulders.

“Hi Quinn!” Ryder gave her the friendliest smile and a wave. Only to be returned with a scowl and the cold shoulder. The girl turned her back and headed towards the stands without another word. “She hates me, doesn’t she?” Ryder turned back to Harry with a head tilt and a frown.

“She’s just jealous of all the time you get to spend with me darlin.” Harry’s cheeky little grin made the brunette wish she had the ball so she could power kick it right into his stomach. “She’ll warm up to you eventually.”

“I highly doubt that.” The brunette jumped to the side to block Harry’s pass from disturbing the pair behind them. “And to answer your earlier question, no.” She kicked the ball back, quickly trying to force her dark fringe from her eyes. “Liam told me it was none of my business, mum told me not to worry about it and dad told me to stop spending time with you.”

“What?” The boy scrunched his nose in confusion. “What do I have to do with anything?”

“Probably nothing, but you’re always his go to subject change when he wants me to go away and stop pestering him.”

“I am nothing but charming! The perfect specimen of a man to bring home to parents.” Harry tossed his curls around, pretending to model across the grass.

“You’re so cocky!” Ryder hollered before kicking the ball a little too hard towards him. “I can only imagine what you’ll be like when you start dating!” The ball caught Harry on the hip, making him loose his balance and trip over his own feet.

 *****

Hooooowwwwllllll

A loud noise startled Ryder awake sending a jolt of adrenaline coursing through her. She took in a sharp breath, eyes darting open only to be met with the same dark room and ratty old mattress as before. There was another muffled howl on the outside of the door accompanied by loud banging. Ryder sighed to herself, rolling over onto her back but being careful not to move her chained bruised ankle much. The captive brunette was overcome with exhaustion and yet was unable to sleep.

It’s hard to sleep over the sound of your own thoughts.

The Howlers had grown accustom to waking her up with loud noises within minutes of her eyes closing. She was more physically and mentally exhausted than she had ever been in her life. Even worse than the time her father forced her to box with Bauer for over three hours.

In the early days, she tried to maintain some knowledge of time; paying close attention to how long passed between visits from Louis or small portions of food or water being delivered from one of the other Howlers. But as the minutes, hours, days ticked by it became more challenging for her to keep track. With no windows or any glimpse of daylight the time passed freely and on no schedule.

It’s hard to count the days when your buried alive.

She tried everything she could think of to gain some concept of how long she had been held captive. Ryder would pretend to sleep sometimes, hoping that she wouldn’t be woken which mean it was night and everyone else was asleep. But without fail, someone always made noise; she was being watched 24 hours a day. The woman was slowly losing all concept of time, of life outside these four walls. But then again, isn’t that what Harry wanted?

Harry had not made another visit to her after the first night. He laid down the law, pushed fear into her bones and then left her to sink in her own confusion, weighed down by her own thoughts….a dangerous thing. He withdrew himself from her life years ago, leaving the faintest of trails dancing through her shiny black waves. The man left her the good and the bad; their friendship jumping off a cliff only to be met with jagged rocks, tickles of blood filled with smiles and tears staining their clothes. Their friendship would never be remedied and that probably killed Ryder the most. Harry was no longer the boy she knew, the boy who carried her on his shoulders through childhood.

He was now the black coffee before she added the sugar.  The brewing storm before she washed him clean with droplets rain.  The Devil’s venom was slithering up his arms and across his stiff shoulders; its poisonous sting playing into his weakened state; tearing him apart limb by limb, bone by bone, snaking its way into his thoughts. His thirst for revenge becoming a slithering assassin, an all-consuming idea for his own retribution. One shiny bullet shot on command altered Harry’s course, leading him to the life of darkness.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here.

Ryder sought light even in her darkened room though; drawing on the memories of her closest loved ones; swimming in the feelings of happiness, the touch of passion, the sip of sweet wine and the taste of his lips. Perpetually sentimental for the embrace of tenderness and the warm sunshine hopping across her pale cheeks. She refused to play into Harry’s twisted games of revenge, refused to be a victim of the Howlers empty threats.

The woman broke her time into tiny, manageable pieces; for the whole being entirely overwhelming. As exhaustion crept further towards her she drew strength from the knowing feeling that Liam would fight for her. No matter their continued distance in the past years, she held on to the vision of her older brother, her protector, storming through the bolted door and never letting go of her again. She made promises to fulfill once this was over; to be a better sister, a better team player, to stand next to her only brother instead of across from him. Even with her distant, difficult relationship with the men in her family, she knew they would fight for her and that was the best feeling in the world.

If you were to ask what one thing Ryder drew her light from though, you would receive an instant and definite answer:

Niall.

The sunshiny blonde brought hope to her bruised and battered state. With one blink of the eye she saw his face, complete with lopsided toothy smile and glimmering baby blues that put the stars to shame. With one inhale of murky air she smelled the faint mix of laundry detergent and his cologne; as if she were resting her head against his chest in their bed. With one lick of the lips she could taste the watermelon chap stick he always insisted he didn’t like but stole from her the feeling of his soft lips pressing against her neck and across her collar bone. With one moment of deafening silence she could hear his boisterous, full bellied laugh bouncing off the cold walls. She held on to every memory of their existence together, every touch and every laugh, the luxury of having him constantly within grasp. The thought of being reunited rumbled in her chest making her heart ache for the security he provided.

Ryder shifted on the bed again, pulling herself into an upright position and closer towards the edge to allow her ankle the tiniest bit of relief. The banging and howling slowed, fading into the darkness soon after it began. Ryder rubbed her sore muscles and sleepy eyes, stretching upwards to release the tension in her neck and shoulders. It was then that her stomach rumbled, a reminder of the constant hunger that pained her. It was only a matter of time before someone brought her the standard bowl of chicken and rice and a plastic glass of water. Entering the room and leaving without a single word. Harry and the Howlers had cut off all human interaction and communication, they were isolating her even more than being held captive and chained to a bed could do on its own.

The Howler delivering her meals usually changed, Ryder noticing a pattern which meant they were taking shifts watching her. She had seen three men rotate in and out, all possessing unique body structures and tendencies. A bigger man with a permanent scowl usually thumped through the door, throwing her food on the floor and causing it to splatter everywhere. Going down in size, the next was a muscular boy without the height. He carried himself with confidence, shoulders back and head high but weighted with his unruly hair. The last was a much smaller boy, almost looking like the other two’s younger brother rather than their equal. He lurked along the walls of the room, blending into the shadows with his tiny frame and slumped shoulders. He was the most cautious of the three, placing her meal gently on the floor in front of her but never making eye contact before running out. He didn’t seem to fit the typical Howler reputation, which struck Ryder as odd.

As if on cue, the door locks began to click on the other side. Ryder sat up straighter, shoulders back and jaw tense. Four. Five. Six. The door swung open slowly, a bit of pressure released from the brunette’s body as a small figure snuck his way through a barely open door. He held one bowl and one cup in his hands as he slowly moved forward. Ryder watched his movements; his small steps carefully calculated and shaking hands as if he was almost afraid of the chained-up woman.

“What’s your name?” Ryder spoke quietly, not to startle the boy. He looked up to her for the first time, his light eyes soft. The woman let a small smile glide onto her face, an offering of peace, yet the boy remained silent. “Mine’s Ryder…but you probably already knew that.” She folded her arms in her lap as he placed the bowl on the floor in front of her. “Thank you.” She gave him a gracious head nod and he showed the smallest sign of a smile. Ryder knew he was the easiest alley to acquire in this situation. He might not have much pull when it came to the three in charge but it was a start that gave Ryder another glimmer of hope.

“Bug, out now.” A nasty snarl startled the two, sending the boy running out of the room as if he would pay for his mistake later. A breeze of cold air rushed in, sending shivers through Ryder’s exposed skin, but the coldness of the voice shocked her even more. Every muscle in her body stiffened at his shadow in the doorframe, leaning to one side like the cocky man he was now. Ryder stood her ground at the edge of the bed, refusing to cower from him. “Been a few days huh darlin.”

“Just a few, is that all?” Ryder spoke with the same cockiness he exuded. She tilted her head to the side, a clear signal that she wasn’t about to deal with his shit.

“Oh, so suddenly you’re so tough?” Harry moved further into the room, pushing the door so that only a small crack of light shone through it. “Trying to be little miss badass?” He moved through the room, tapping at one of the lightbulbs and sending it swinging back and forth. The light cast shadows across his face as it swung, only giving Ryder more of a reason to stand her ground. His scare tactics were not going to work on her anymore. “You really think you’re going to win this one?”

“I’m sure as hell not going to let you win.” She spit in his direction. “I know this isn’t the real Haz, I know he would never really hurt me.” She tried to play their friendship again, fingers crossed that even an ounce of her old friend still lived. “You can talk the talk but it’s all just empty threats.” Harry stopped in the middle of the room, chest tight and hands balled into fists.

“You think so?”

“My Haz is still in there somewhere and I know he would never, never intentionally hurt me.”

“You don’t think this is hurting you? Chaining you to a bed, leaving you alone for days on end? Slowly tearing away every layer until you’re an empty blank space with nothing left to offer? No emotions, no memories. You don’t realize that I win no matter how this plays out.” Harry’s tone growled with confidence as Ryder stayed quiet. “I’m going to tear you down; break you into so many pieces that you’ll never be able to be whole again.” He took three steps forward. “I’m sending you back to your brother in a hand me down box, an empty shell of a person. See, he’ll never get the closure of visiting your grave; the pain ever so slowly fading with each passing day. No, he’s going to have to look at the face of his sister, to live with the torture every single day; to be reminded of what he did.” The woman couldn’t help the tears stinging her tormented eyes, the lump building in her throat.

“And that boyfriend of yours? You can say goodbye to him.” Harry came closer and closer until he was towering over her, their knees bumping into each other. “Because, let’s be honest here…” He let out wicked laugh, “who’s going to want to stay with someone so damaged? Someone who can barely feed themselves or even take a piss alone. Who’s going to want that responsibility? Who’s going to dread waking up every morning only to have to care for you? You’re going to be left with nothing.” The tears fell freely down Ryder’s dirty cheeks, Harry’s words slicing through her like razor blades. The thought of Liam having to see her shattered porcelain face every day, or of Niall leaving her in search of a new happiness were more hurtful than any physical pain Harry could cause. “But if you don’t think any of that is hurting you, then maybe we should try a different approach.

Ryder didn’t even have time to look up before Harry was pouncing on her and pushing her weak frame up against the wall. A shriek of pain rocketed from her mouth as her ankle pulled at the restraint; the air being stolen from her lungs due to Harry’s sheer force. He braced himself on his knees, using his thighs to hold the girl’s legs still. Ryder gripped at a veiny arm connected to the strong hand that was wrapped around her neck. Harry pressed further into her windpipe as wheezes and gasp for air filled the room. Ryder’s chest grew tight, fighting through the most basic of instincts to breathe. The man’s eyes filled with animalistic hunger when he used his free hand to grab at the collar of Ryder’s filthy shirt. He released her neck but not before slamming he head against the concrete wall.

Ryder scrambled for air, eyes mechanically closing due to the agony of pain throbbing in her head. Harry used her moment of weakness to rip her shirt down the middle, exposing her black lace bra a bruised belly. Ryder was quickly aware of her now exposed skin, her hands hastily pushing against Harry’s chest, trying to create space between them. This only made Harry push further into her. He gripped both her wrists with such force she could have sworn she heard a bone crack.

“STOP! PLEASE! STOP!” Ryder screamed and pleaded, but Harry’s eyes were as black as night; he was gone. “HAZ!” The raw screams only attracted the man to her more, she was now his pray; a true wolf at heart. “NOOO!” He slid her back against the wall until she was pressed into the mattress once again. Harry dominated over her, in both physical strength and mental. “Haz.” She wept a continuous stream of fresh tears.

There was a small moment of stillness between the two, as if for a split second the true Harry had come back. He stilled on top of her, loosening his grip just enough to still maintain control. Ryder’s chest heaved with sobs as she looked up to his olive-green eyes. The brunette froze under him, unsure if what was happening. Harry let go of one of her wrists and the girl surprisingly stayed still. A soft and gentle hand ran across her tear-stricken face, his thumb brushing away a fallen tear. It was almost as if he cared for her again; as if he was trying to comfort her. “Haz.” She whispered, which was a bad idea.

The man snapped, his body stiffening and eyes fading into black. Ryder started to squirm and fight, kicking her legs in every direction but he held tight to her with such malice. He pinned her arm between his knee and her thigh, limiting her movements and allowing his free hand to explore her stomach. Never in a million years would Ryder imagine being in this situation. For one, being held captive and taken advantage of was not the ideal situation for anyone and caused enough PTSD for a lifetime. But here Ryder was, not only being held against her will but being tortured but her once friend now turned foe.

“This is only step one darlin.” Harry gave her a deadly smirk, his touch leaving her bare skin to reach around to his back pocket. Ryder went rigid beneath him, preparing for the worst, but when his hand came back into view her eyes went wide with fear. With the swift flick of the wrist, a visible silver blade caught the dim light. Ryder fought with all the strength she had left as Harry drew the knife closer in towards her bare stomach, making contact right above her left hipbone.

Shrills of pain seeped out of the room and into the hallway, filling the basement with such agony. The remaining Howlers were on the edge of their seats, such discomfort and apprehension swirling in their glasses of alcohol. The screams only worsened as Louis poured himself another drink. Zayn looked up to his best friend with such hopelessness. It was in both of their personalities to run to the aid of damsel in distress but Harry had forged such a rock between the Howlers in the last few days that they both stayed seated and silent. Their friendship being tested repeatedly at Harry’s show of dominance. Louis still withheld secrets from his best friend, but to keep Harry from going over the edge it was about time they had a heart to heart

[audreycritter]

Fic for @cerusee�� Gen/Family Bonding Young!Jason Todd Rated: T

The massive clock ticked off the seconds of the fourth quarter and far below on the field, players were moving into formation at the Gotham Knights offensive twenty yard line. They looked minuscule from the windows, so the few people in the luxury box mostly watched the game on a huge flat screen television mounted in front of a curved leather couch.

On the other side of the room, a table with the remnants of catered h’or d'oeuvres was set back against the wall, beneath framed and signed photographs.

Bruce Wayne was doing three things at once, during the last quarter of the game. He was giving just enough attention to the score that he could react appropriately during plays. He was keeping up a buddy-buddy conversation with two executives that were considering merger deals that let Wayne Enterprises essentially buy out company control in return for shared accounts and research funding.

And finally, he was occasionally twisting around on the couch to glance at Jason Todd. The tiny thirteen year old could still pass for eight or nine despite the fact that he'd single-handedly cleared about a third of the catered snacks himself. The boy had been visibly excited at the prospect of the luxury box when Bruce had mentioned it, but the thrill had clearly faded when it became clear that Bruce was busy, in a way, and that there wasn't much to do other than watch a football game.

Jason wasn't, for all his protests, really that interested in sports.

A few times, Bruce had tried to draw him into conversation at least, to alleviate the boredom, but Jason was sullen and silent around the other men. Despite that, he had refused a quiet offer to have Alfred pick him up early. And now, while the last minutes of the game ticked away, Jason was lying on his stomach on the deep, plush carpet near the table, flipping through a Car & Driver magazine. Occasionally, his hand would snake upward and he'd snatch another miniature spinach quiche off the table.

With a frustrated slant to his mouth, Bruce turned back around when the others cheered, just in time to see a touchdown victory dance on the screen.

Half an hour later, the Knights had won their game by a narrow margin and Bruce Wayne had informally closed two separate deals, bolstered with good spirits from the scoreboard and expensive wine. The last of the guests in the Wayne luxury box shook hands with him in turn and left by the private hallway, on a tour to meet the team post-showers.

Bruce declined to join them, claiming he was tipsy and didn't want to slow them down. He was not tipsy. He'd had one glass of wine to their three each.

Once the door closed behind them, he turned to find Jason standing at the window overlooking the field and pressing his face against the glass to take more of the view in.

“This is so high,” he breathed, despite the fact that they went higher when they patrolled.

Bruce joined him at the window.

“It's pretty far up,” he agreed.

Jason breathed on the glass and wrote his initials in the fog, and before it had even faded, he tore himself away from the window and flung himself across the leather couch.

“That was so boring,” he complained. “Do you even like those guys?”

“It's not my job to like them,” Bruce answered, loosening his tie. “It's my job to make them think I do.”

Jason flopped backward and somersaulted off the couch and sprang to his feet. He walked through the sitting area in front of the television, trailing one hand on the leather of the couch arms, and then hopped up the step to the kitchenette.

“That seems slimy,” Jason said bluntly, opening cabinet after cabinet and peering inside. He punched buttons on the shiny microwave and then cancelled the beeping operation. “Man, I could live here.”

Bruce was content to let him explore, now that he realized this is what Jason had been waiting to do and wouldn't do in front of guests. He stretched out on the couch, thinking maybe he could doze for ten minutes before heading back to the Manor and suiting up for patrol.

It wasn't long before he was half-asleep, listening to the opening and closing of drawers, debating facing Jason’s wounded anger to insist that the lad stay home and sleep after a long day. Alfred would come around with the car when Bruce called and maybe the ride home would be a good place to deal with the reaction in a contained way.

“Hey, B,” Jason said, from close to Bruce's face. Bruce opened one eye. The boy was hanging over the back of the couch, his eyes mere inches from Bruce’s. “I'm not kiddin. I could live here.”

“You're not going to live in the luxury box,” Bruce said, yawning.

“It's got everything,” Jason insisted. “A bathroom. A kitchen. The best carpet. A TV. I could sleep on the couch.”

“Jay-lad, you have a bedroom at the Manor. This kitchen doesn't even have a stove.”

“Don't need a stove for Spaghettios,” Jason answered, balancing on his stomach on the couch back. He slipped and toppled onto Bruce’s head but didn't rush to leap off, like he might have a year ago. “Puhleeeeeese, just a week. I'd do so much homework, I swear.”

“You do all your homework now,” Bruce answered, his voice muffled by Jason’s shirt and belly.

The boy slid to the floor in a heap and rubbed fiercely at his stomach. He craned his neck so Bruce could see his angry expression.

“That tickled. I hate being tickled.”

“I hate being suffocated. Call it even?”

Jason grumbled.

“I don't know why you'd have an awesome place like this and not wanna use it.”

“We did use it. Today.”

“For boring stuff!” Jason yelled, throwing his arms in the air and falling from sitting on the floor onto his back next to the couch. “One night. Just one. We can rough it like Robinson Crusoe.”

“I don't think Crusoe had deep-pile carpet,” Bruce said wryly, closing his eyes again.

“Like the Swiss Family Robinson, after they built their tree house,” Jason said, sitting up again. Bruce sensed, rather than saw, the motion. “Please, just one night. One night and I won't complain about anything for a month. For the rest of my life.”

“That's a pretty big commitment. What if you live until you're ninety-seven?” Bruce asked, resigning himself to no dozing. He sat up and rubbed his face.

“Eww,” Jason said, his lips curled in disgust. “I'm not getting gross-old. I'm gonna die when I'm like normal old, like forty-five. I'll have a dozen cars and a shit-ton of money and a girlfriend.”

Bruce bit back a laugh and tousled the boy’s hair.

“Normal old, huh,” he said. “Don't let Al hear you cuss.”

“Yep,” Jason said. “I got it all planned. So, can I stay the night?”

Bruce unknotted the tie he'd loosened earlier and pulled it all the way off. He threw it over the back of the couch and stood. He mussed Jason’s hair again and went to the box phone on the wall by the kitchenette. He was acutely aware of Jason’s eyes tracking his every moment.

“Alfred. Yeah, we’re done. No, change of plans. I need a few pizzas and two sleeping bags. Maybe a book or two.”

“Stuff for s’mores!” Jason shouted. Bruce turned. The kid was standing on the back of the couch like it was a balance beam.

“And stuff for s’mores. No, I know. No, I'm not going to light a fire in the box. Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.”

Bruce hung up and Jason whooped loudly and jumped from the couch onto Bruce’s back. Bruce kept his balance and Jason leapt back off.

“I can't believe this,” he said, pressing his hands to his cheeks and smooshing his own face together. “This is gonna be the best thing ever. I promise. You won't even want to go home after.”

“I doubt that,” Bruce said. “But one night might be fun. Did you want to explore the stadium while we wait for Alfred?”

“Are we gonna have to pretend to like boring old guys?” Jason asked suspiciously, glancing over his shoulder toward the glass with a guarded frown.

“Not if I can help it,” Bruce said. He was about as done playing nice as Jason seemed to be. “I'll race you up the steps. From the field to the peanut gallery.”

Jason’s suspicious gaze turned immediately disdainful.

“I shoulda known,” he muttered sourly.

“What?” Bruce asked, bewildered.

“That this was a ruse to get me to exercise,” Jason grumbled. He sank to the floor with a dramatic sigh. “B, I ate like, an entire whale. If I run I'm gonna hurl all over the whole freaking stadium, like so much it'll make even you sick.”

“We don't have to run,” Bruce said, shrugging a shoulder. “I just thought you were probably fast enough to beat me by now.”

Jason moved his arm off his face to squint up at him.

“You think so?” he asked.

Bruce shrugged again.

“Maybe. It's okay. We can find out some other time.”

Jason was at the door by the time Bruce blinked. The boy tugged the door open and yelled over his shoulder, “C’mon, slowpoke! You make snails look fast!”

Despite the sound of rushing feet in the concrete hallway, Bruce took the time to peel his suit jacket off and leave it behind on the couch.

“How the hell do we get down? Heck, I mean,” Jason yelled from outside the box. “Never mind! I'm gonna jump this railing!”

“Don't--” Bruce shouted back, but he was interrupted by the sound of a body landing on a hard surface and then rushed almost-nervous laughter, followed by a whoop.

By the time he emerged on the lower platform above the steps in the empty stadium, Jason was already turning cartwheels on the field. Bruce went down the steps, taking his time. He'd barely set foot on the bottom path before Jason scaled the concrete barrier to join him in the stands again.

“OnetwothreeGO!” Jason yelled, sprinting past him as soon as he'd vaulted over the rail. He was up a dozen steps by the time Bruce turned and started up them by twos.

He hung back a little until Jason started lagging, halfway up, and then quickened his pace until he was beside him. Right as he was going to pull ahead to see if Jason would push himself to keep up, the boy ducked his head drove forward, then launched himself off the edge of a stadium seat and onto Bruce's back.

For a moment, Bruce staggered, slipping sideways with the force in his slick dress shoes that weren't exactly made for running smooth cement stairs. He regained his balance and picked up speed.

“Uuughhh,” Jason said from near his ear. “This was a bad idea.”

“Should I stop?” Bruce asked, slowing a little.

“Not unless you're too weak, old timer,” Jason retorted.

A minute later, they were at the top and Bruce turned to survey the stadium. Jason was draped across his back and after a nerve-wracking hiccup, he sighed and said, “Okay, I swallowed it. I think I can hold it down.”

“That's gross, Jay,” Bruce said affectionately, heading for the elevator. “C’mon, you can lie down on the couch.”

Back in the luxury box, Jason sprawled out on the leather and didn't move until Alfred knocked on the door. Bruce opened it to see the older man standing with two pizza boxes and a sack of supplies.

“The sleeping bags are still in the car,” Alfred said, as Jason rolled off the couch.

“I'm starving,” Jason said, taking both of the pizzas. “All we had for lunch was snacks.”

Bruce faltered under Alfred’s stern glare of reproof and he turned to the boy, who had already flipped back the cardboard lid of one pizza.

“Ten minutes ago you were complaining you'd eaten too much,” he said, hoping to salvage himself in Alfred’s estimation.

“That was like, forever ago,” Jason said. “We were waiting for half my life.”

“It was finger food,” Bruce said firmly, deciding to take the offensive. “He ate.”

“Hm,” Alfred said in a noncommittal way. “I'll return with the sleeping bags. Should I remain available this evening?”

“I think we’ll be fine,” Bruce said, watching Jason hold a piece of pizza with his teeth while he searched cabinets for plates. “Take the night off.”

“No post-midnight activities, I presume?” Alfred asked from the doorway.

“I think we’ll skip tonight,” Bruce confirmed.

In the kitchenette, Jason froze. He took the pizza slice with one hand to free his mouth, so he could ask, “Do we have to?”

“One or the other, kid,” Bruce said, glancing out the window at the skyline beyond the stadium walls. It was actually right inside the city and a lot closer than the Cave.

“No,” Alfred said sternly from behind. “We are not relocating.”

“One or the other,” Bruce repeated with a small sigh. “A night off is okay.”

When Alfred brought the rest of the supplies up and said farewell, Jason took a break from wolfing pizza down to shove the couch back and unroll the sleeping bags. Bruce ducked into the bathroom to change out of his suit, and when he reemerged, Jason was lying on the bed he'd made with more pizza, flicking through channels on the television.

“I didn't even know that had cable,” Bruce said, sitting on the floor with him and taking another piece of pizza. Jason found a B-list action film and tossed the remote aside.

“Eew,” Jason said a few minutes later, covering his eyes but continuing to watch through splayed fingers. “Does it really look like that when someone’s head is blown off?”

“Give me that remote,” Bruce said, reaching over the boy. He changed the channel and then added, “Yes. It was pretty close.”

“Ugh, you know the coolest shit,” Jason said, fighting half-heartedly for the remote. “Go back, I wanna see if they win.”

“They win,” Bruce said, holding the remote above his head. Jason apparently didn't care enough to stand up and really go after it. “It's the formula. We're sticking with something less likely to get either of us in trouble with Alfred.”

“Brown-noser!” Jason moaned. “You just hate it if I have fun.”

“I do,” Bruce replied, leaving the TV on an old sci-fi show instead. “I hate when anyone has fun.”

“I'm gonna make a s’more,” Jason said, pushing himself up. “I'll even make one for you, just ‘cause you'll hate it for being delicious.”

Bruce leaned back against the couch and watched the dark sky out the window. The microwave hummed and Jason whistled and drummed his hands on the counter until the whistling and drumming both cut off abruptly.

“Fuck,” he heard the kid say under his breath. Bruce looked over toward the kitchenette. Jason’s face was a picture of panic and he was reaching for the microwave door with a towel. “Shit! Shit, shit, shit,” he yelped while Bruce was climbing to his feet.

“What happened?” Bruce asked, jumping over the couch. The microwave was steaming and he snagged Jason around the waist and pulled him back while it hummed then beeped. White ooze seeped from the edges of the microwave door and the whole glass was a solid pale gray.

“Uhhh,” Jason said, his eyes wide.

Bruce scanned the counter and took the towel from Jason. The marshmallow bag was half-empty already.

“How many did you put in there?” Bruce demanded and Jason stepped back.

“I don't…” Jason said, his hands clenched into fists. “I didn't count. I was gonna…”

Bruce unplugged the microwave just in case and gingerly sprang the door open, jumping back as steam and goopy, sagging marshmallow oozed out onto the counter. He turned and Jason was gone.

“Jay,” Bruce said, trying to keep the edge of annoyance out of his voice. He hadn't heard the door open or shut. He studied the room and there was a telltale lump inside one of the sleeping bags. He gave the marshmallow mess a rueful frown and abandoned it for the moment.

Across the room, he knelt next to the lump and prodded it.

“Do we have to go home?” Jason asked from within, sounding wretched and embarrassed.

“No. Come help me clean this up. Maybe we can save some in a bowl and make a dip.”

Jason’s face peeked out of the sleeping bag, his cheeks tear-streaked and his eyebrows bunched in a worried, angry glare.

“You can just say I'm stupid,” Jason said stubbornly.

“Why would I lie to you?” Bruce asked, offering a hand. “Come help me find some spoons.”

Jason let himself be pulled to his feet and he dragged himself to the kitchenette and started opening drawers to look, slamming each one shut after.

“At least you didn't start a fire,” Bruce said. “First time I tried to make tea for Alfred, I caught the kettle on fire.”

Jason grinned suddenly and looked up.

“I bet he was mad.”

“He was mostly worried. We took care of it.”

Jason handed him a spoon and a bowl.

In the end, it took forty minutes to clean the mess. Half of it ended up in the bowl, another fourth Jason ate straight with a spoon while they worked, and another fourth was scraped off with damp paper towels and soap.

Bruce rewarmed the hardening mass in the bowl and Jason gleefully stirred in broken chocolate bars. Bruce would have preferred to just try from scratch with the rest of the bag, but after twenty minutes of indirectly encouraging Jason back to a good mood, he was reluctant to undo his work.

They sat in front of the television and used graham crackers like chips until even Bruce was feeling a little ill. He expected Jason to need to go run off the sugar rush, but the boy had the opposite reaction and was nearly tipping over with sleep-lidded eyes.

He curled up in the sleeping bag when Bruce took the bowl away and yawned.

“B,” he said, in a sluggish voice. “Are you sure we can't live here?”

“I'm sure,” Bruce said. “But a night’s not bad.”

“A night is the best,” Jason mumbled. “Did Al pack my Nancy Drew book?”

Bruce tugged the monogrammed duffle bag closer to him from the end of the couch and rifled through it.

“He did,” Bruce said, pulling the book out.

“I'm on chapter seven,” Jason said with another yawn. “I'm too tired to read.”

“You want me to read?” Bruce surmised. After a second’s thought he decided it wasn't the right time to prod Jason into just outright asking, considering how well the boy had done during the day.

“Yeah,” Jason said sleepily. “Chapter seven. Do the high voice for Nancy.”

“What high voice?” Bruce asked, acting falsely affronted.

“That one you use when you tell Alfred things Selina said that annoyed you,” Jason insisted. “I’ve heard you.”

Bruce sighed and opened the book and resolved to be more careful in the future about conversations he assumed were private.

“Chapter Seven,” he said.

“We really could live here,” Jason interrupted. “It's right in the city.”

“Don't tempt me, Jaylad,” Bruce warned. “And hush. You wanted me to read.”

Jason giggled every time Nancy had dialogue and was asleep before the end of the chapter. Bruce set the book aside, turned off the light, and stretched out in his own sleeping bag.

He looked around the dark room and then over at Jason, sleeping with his face smashed into the little nylon pillow. Drool trickled out of the boy’s mouth and onto the bag. Bruce reached over and used Jason’s own shirt to wipe it off.

Then he leaned back and closed his eyes. It was actually nice to go to sleep before midnight for once.

He woke with the sun streaming through the huge windows and Jason leaning over him.

“Get up!” he ordered. “We’re nearly out of supplies. I'm making marshmallow dip for breakfast so we don't starve.”

“We’re not going to starve,” Bruce said, grabbing Jason’s ankle when the boy tried to rush off. “Call Alfred. We’ll get breakfast on the way home.”

“Marshmallow dip or we waste away!” Jason shouted, kicking at Bruce’s wrist with his other foot. “Lemme go!”

Bruce resigned himself to his fate and released the kid. He rolled over and buried his face in his arms.

“When Alfred gets here, we pretend we haven't eaten yet.”

“Deal,” Jason agreed. “But he’s gonna know anyway.”

“Yeah,” Bruce nodded. “But we can go down fighting.”

“Or live here forever!” Jason crowed, jabbing microwave buttons. “Luxury box kings!”

Bruce laughed and tried to go back to sleep.

He did not succeed.

[userlando]

Mine (Ethan x Reader)

Summary: “Be mine.” he gasped, and I thought I’d heard him wrong before he repeated it, “Be mine, baby.” Word Count: 1,675 Warnings: None. A/N: Hi, have this fluffy ball of fluff while I work on getting all the requests done. It’s kind of like a small imagine, so hope you like it. Requests are open xxx

My dress swung back and forth as I walked in a quick pace, my heels clicking against the dry pavement. I could hear Ethan’s footsteps quicken behind me which made me pick up my pace, giggling as I almost began running.

“Stop running so fast. Christ!” He breathlessly yelled, letting a little laugh escape his smiling lips. I couldn’t see his smile, not really, but I could hear it in his voice as I was running. “How the hell do you manage to run so quick with heels?”

We were about to reach my neighborhood when I felt his arms circle around my waist, letting out a little squeal as he picked me up easily and swung me around to the right. I couldn’t stop giggling, felt like a little girl on a sugar rush, and apparently my laughter was contagious because Ethan began laughing along with me. Hot little puffs of air hit my bare neck as he hugged me close.

“Gotcha.” he murmured and I almost shrunk in on myself when he leaned his face closer to my neck, nuzzling his scruffy face against my skin until it felt tender to his touch.

“Shit,” I murmured breathlessly, feeling a bit ashamed as I realized how much it turned me on. This was our fourth date and we’d kissed a few times, but my attraction to him could be seen from miles away. I wish I could lie and say that he didn’t have any effect whatsoever on me, but that would be lying. And I didn’t lie. “You’re a slowpoke.”

“Hey!” he exclaimed, feigning offense. “I’ll let you know that these muscles are the real deal.”

I couldn’t help but laugh and made a show of reaching my arms upwards to where his arms were still wrapped around me, squeezing a bicep and humming thoughtfully; playfully.

I ignored the fluttering in my stomach as I felt his bicep, “I’ve seen better.” I was joking and we both knew it, still he huffed and loosened his hold. Before I could even blink he was tickling my waist and I almost screamed in surprise, worming my way out of his hold and taking a few steps back as I faced him.

His face was flushed and his eyes were glittering. How the hell did they glitter? He wasn’t a damn Disney character. But one look at him made me wonder exactly when Disney would cast him as the new Prince Charming. I wouldn’t be surprised.

“That’s off limits and you know it, Mister!” I told him off sternly, referring to his little tickling session.

He snorted, waving a limp hand in my direction. I tried to hold back a smile as he came forward, holding out said hand for me to take. And who was I to say no? Who would blame me for giving in?

We started walking, hands intertwined and swinging between our bodies. We must’ve looked ridiculous, walking around in my neighborhood at midnight, me in a dress and him in a dress shirt. I was so sure I was sporting a ridiculous grin but one glance at the boy beside me told me that he was smiling the same.

As we got close to my house I began to sweat a bit. I knew that my roommates were sleeping by now but I was still nervous that somebody would recognize Ethan and cause a scene. And Ethan knew it, so before rounding off a corner he stopped us both by halting his steps. I backtracked, feeling him squeeze my hand.

I searched his face for some clue of what he was thinking, and watched as he did the same to me. To some extent I began to feel a bit self-conscious, wondering if I had something on my face or between my teeth. He gazed at me with such serenity that I felt my knees shake. I giggled nervously and reached for a strand of hair that had fallen in my face, crooking it behind my ear with an audible sigh.

“Do you have work tomorrow?” I asked, needing to fill in the silence that had stretched for quite some time now. I knew that he’d finished with the tour and they were way ahead on the filming schedule, and I didn’t even know why I asked. Maybe because he’s a Youtuber, I heard a tiny voice in my head sigh. I squirmed a bit as he continued to study me.

“No I’m free until Sunday.” he responded quietly and reached out his other hand that wasn’t holding mine, putting it on my waist. I concentrated on breathing properly and willed myself to not think of how big his hands looked on my body. Damn it.

“Do you want to, um, maybe stay the night?” I stuttered out nervously.

Ethan smiled and bent down to press his lips to mine gently. my arms automatically went to wrap around his head, standing up on my tip-toes to reach his lips in a good angle. He slowly pried my lips open, kissing me with so much passion and heat that I almost toppled over and became mush in his arms. His hands snuck around my waist to my lower back, spanning them there and pulling me in closer. I let out an embarrassing, tiny moan against his mouth and was just about to pull back to apologize, but he made a noise against my lips and kissed me with more intent.

I was shivering by the time we pulled away, licking my lips and trying to get my breathing under control.

“Well, shit.” I couldn’t help but swear and he laughed, nodding in agreement.

“Want to lead the way, m’am?” he asked jokingly and stretched out an arm, gesturing towards the house. I bit my lip and took his hand in mine, leading him over the neatly trimmed lawn and up on the porch.

I was careful with my clicking heels against the hardwood floor as we got in, locking the front door behind us with a tiny click. As I was about to turn around to face Ethan, I felt him press up against me with a sigh, kissing up my neck idly and sucking a tiny mark into my skin under my lobe. I felt absolutely helpless where I stood, complete putty in his hands, and I knew if we didn’t reach my bedroom soon then my roommates would be greeted with an interesting sight that they wouldn’t appreciate.

Ethan apparently had the same thought, because he toed off his shoes without any problem and turned me around. Before I could even open my mouth and indulge him in my thoughts he had picked me up in his arms and my legs automatically wrapped around his waist.

“You’re so beautiful.” he whispered and I grinned, feeling a blush creep up my neck. I leant down, burying my face in the juncture where his neck and shoulder were connected. “Which door?”

“Upstairs, first one to the left.” I murmured against his skin. I unashamedly inhaled his scent, shivering at the smell of manly sweat overshadowed by his strong cologne. And just to get him back for the small hickey he gave me, I began kissing up his neck to the place under his ear, giving him a similar mark by the use of my lips.

Ethan clearly had trouble walking straight, because when ascending the last step of the stairs, he lost balance and my back made a loud thud as he backed us into a wall. I couldn’t help but giggle against his neck, feeling his body shake with laughter. He stroked a hand against my back lovingly, snorting out a laugh.

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” He mumbled, pulling back his head to look at me properly with a grin on his face. I giggled, muffling it with my hand as I shook my head.

Gazing at Ethan now, I realized how breathtaking he was. I always knew that he was good-looking but this? Now? In my hallway, in the house I shared with my friends, under the dim lights? He looked stunning and I couldn’t yearn for him more than I did then.

“Let’s give this another shot, yeah?” He breathlessly said, giving me a playful look as he lead us both to my bedroom door. He walked in, shutting the door with minor difficulty with me still in his arms before proceeding to the bed that stood in the middle of the room by the window. I laid down on my bed, watching as he was on his knees by my legs, eyeing me down with something akin to lust. He reached for the bedside lamp, switching it on. I blinked by the sudden light and grasped for his shirt, pulling him down for a kiss. I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I wanted him, needed him. He made me laugh, made me open up, made me feel beautiful. My confidence before I met him was average, but since I started dating him it had skyrocketed.

I kissed him deeply, trying to unbutton his shirt, whining a bit when I couldn’t. He chuckled against my lips and took over, unbuttoning the remaining buttons before shedding his shirt on the floor by the bed. I let my hands roam freely over his chest, feeling his hair and the goosebumps rise as I kissed him with more intent.

“Be mine.” he gasped, and I thought I’d heard him wrong before he repeated it, “Be mine, baby.”

Our lips separated with a tiny sucking noise that usually would’ve made me blush, but I was too caught up in what he’d just uttered.

“Really?” I whispered, a bit close to tears. Why, I didn’t know.

“Yeah. I want you to be mine as much as I want me to be yours.” He murmured and pressed trembling lips to my cheek. I nodded shakily, feeling a smile pull at my lips. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I echoed and pulled him down for another kiss.