#but gonna wind up making a list of people i wanna send letters too ...

[elegyofthemoon]

thinking about...letters.....

[lilchibi-chan]

Reader Has a BF x MHA Boys Pt.3

Part 1

Part 2

It’s the next day and everything from yesterday feels like a dream. You’ve never seen Todoroki that angry and even though you weren’t proud of what he did, you thought it was kinda hot. Seeing Todoroki as something other than composed brought this sort of rise out of you.

This week, UA is going to be doing a cultural festival and class 1A is in charge of coming up with different booths to have for everyone to enjoy when they come to the school.

Some people came up with games like ring toss and the game where you knock down the bottles, other people said a booth where you sell charms for luck, love, etc.

“Ooo!! Guys!! What if we do a kissing booth?!” Mina asks excited

Some of the other girls and boys agreed that a kissing booth was a great idea.

“I really do not think that is and appropriate feature that we should advertise as an academic institution,” Iida says

“Oh c’mon, Iida! It should be fun, that is what the cultural festival is all about,” you say, encouraging Mina’s idea

Everyone else chimed in and thought it was a great idea as well.

Iida was out voted.

“Well, if you all want it so bad, then pick who would be in charge of running the booth,” Iida says

“I think Y/n should do it,” Mina says

“Mina!! I have a boyfriend! I can’t,” you say protesting the idea

“Oh yeah.. you’re right.. sorry,” she says rubbing the back of her head

“W-what about Todoroki,” Hagakure asks shyly

Although no one can see her, you can tell that she was blushing.

“Todoroki would never-”

“I mean I don’t see why not,” Todoroki says, cutting you off

“R-really,” you ask confused with a tinge of irritation

“Yeah,” he says monotone

“Oh,” you say somewhat sad

You don’t even know why you’re sad. Todoroki is single and free to do what he wants. Not just because he’s single, but he’s also his own person.

But you also know Todoroki has feelings for you.

‘Maybe he’s trying to make you jealous’ you think to yourself

‘No way, Todoroki isn’t that petty’ you mentally respond

“Y/N, you feelin okay,” Mina asks, snapping you out of your thoughts

“Y-yeah, just zoned out..sorry,” you say, putting on a smile

“Okay, so now we just need a girl to run the booth with Todoroki,” Mina says excitedly

“What about you Mina, it was you who came up with it. It would only be right,” you say

“Sure, I don’t mind,” she says

“Alright, then it’s settled, Mina and Todoroki will run the kissing booth,” Iida says

Mina moves closer to you and whispers

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on Todoroki for you”

“W-what’re you talking about,” you ask nervous as to what she’s implying

“I saw how you reacted when Hagakure offered him up. I’m not dumb ya know,” she says

“I know,” you say laughing,“but it’s not like that”

“Okaaaayyy,” Mina says not believing you

“It’s not,” you say back

“Look, I’m not gonna bully you into admitting it, but I can see that there’s an attraction there,” she says and makes her way to her desk

‘I don’t have feelings for him. I mean he is handsome and brave and when he smiles it’s really cute,”

‘Don’t forget that time with the tub,’ your other inner voice chimes in

‘Yeah that was-wait!! NO!! YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND!!’ you say mentally shaking yourself to get a grip

“Y/n,” Todoroki says, snapping his fingers and taking you out of your head

“Y-yeah, sorry what was that,” you ask

He laughs

“You somewhat resembled Midoriya for a second when you were thinking to yourself,” he starts,“but I was asking if you wanted to have lunch together today.”

“Of course!! We always eat lunch together,” you say with a smile

“Good...I was hoping yesterday didn’t mess anything up between you and I,” he says

“Todoroki, we’re best friends. Nothing can break us apart. Not even a misunderstanding with my boyfriend,” you say honestly

At lunch, you, Todoroki, and the rest of the squad sat together. You sat across from Todoroki.

“Todoroki,” you speak up

“Yes,” he says

“Why-why are you doing the kissing booth,” you ask, wanting desparately to know

“Just because,” he says, not looking you in the eye

“Todoroki, have you even had your first kiss yet,” you ask

“N-no,” he says, somewhat embarrassed,“but what does it matter, if it doesn’t mean anything.”

“A first kiss is special and it should be with someone you truly care for and they care for you too,” you say honestly

He looks at you for a moment

“Mm,” is all he says and goes back to eating

It’s been a couple weeks since you and Bakugou have spoken and the same goes for your boyfriend.

Flashback

‘We need to talk,’ you text your boyfriend

‘Sure babe...is everything alright,” he asks concerned

‘Yeah...I just really need to see you,’ you respond and send him a ping to a park that happens to be half way between UA and his house

You decide to sit on the swing set and wait for your boyfriend.

There is a soft breeze blowing, so you decide to close your eyes and hum a tune until he arrives. Softly swinging back and forth for a few moments, allowing the wind to caress your skin and kiss your hair.

All the while, your mind drifted back and forth between your boyfriend and Bakugou until it just just stopped and stayed on Bakugou. That moment in the photo booth kept sticking out like a sore thumb.

You could only think about how it felt when you two were close and how badly you wanted to kiss him. You never really felt that with your boyfriend as long as you two have been together. You were definitely attracted to your boyfriend, but the way you felt with Bakugou just felt so...magnetic.

“Hey,” you hear behind you,causing you to jump

“Hey,” you say, knowing exactly who it is

“So what did you wanna talk about”

“Us” you say, getting straight to the point

“Where is this coming from,” your boyfriend asks confused

“We’ve needed to talk for a little while, but it was further confirmed today,” you say anxiously

“Well, what happened today,” he asks starting to get mad about what you might be implying

You explain everything that happened today, even the part about the photo booth.

You both sit in silence but you can tell he’s fuming.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” he says getting up to punch a tree

“If you’re gonna kill him, then you’re gonna have to kill me too,” you say honestly

“And why the fuck is that,” he asks getting angrier

You stay quiet, dreading the thought of telling him, but you swore not to break his trust.

“You wanted him to kiss you,” he says, almost as if reading your mind

“How long have you felt this way,” he asks, demanding an answer

“A while...” you say, not giving him eye contact

“How long is a while”

You stay quiet

“Goddammit! Answer me!! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING ME LOOK FUCKING STUPID?”

“LOOK I NEVER SAID I WAS PROUD OF IT OKAY,” you say finally losing it,“AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I NEVER ACTED ON ANY OF WHAT I FELT BECAUSE I LOVED YOU AND HAD ENOUGH RESPECT FOR YOU AND OUR RELATIONSHIP!”

“OH YEAH AND HOW IS LETTING HIM KISS YOU RESPECTFUL?!”

“WE DIDN’T KISS!”

“BUT YOU WANTED TO...and that’s the point. You may not have physically cheated, but your emotions are clearly with him.”

He turns around and starts rubbing his forehead.

“You know what,” he starts,“maybe we need some time apart. You gotta figure out what you want and I’m not gonna be made to look like an idiot while you do so, so for now we’re done. Don’t call or text me until you’ve made up your mind,” he says then walks away

End of flashback

You’ve mostly been hanging out with the girls and even switched seats to sit next to Mina leaving Bakugou with Kiri which you knew he wouldn’t mind. As much as he wouldn’t like to admit it, Kirishima is his best friend.

“So how’s the whole situation going,” Mina asks. She could tell something was off between you and Bakugou and you knew she wouldn’t stop until she figured out what it was so she is the only one that knows everything from how long you’ve had feelings for Bakugou up until the events that took place two weeks ago.

“Honestly...horrible. I’m still so confused. Part of me wants to be with my boyfriend and work it out and the other huge part of me just wants to give everything to Bakugou. Why is this so hard,” you say, putting your head down on the desk

“If you’re having this hard of a time, maybe you should make a pros and cons list for each of the boys,” she says jokingly,but with a hint of seriousness

“A pros and cons list?” You ask

“Yeah. Just write out everything you feel for your boyfriend, then everything you feel for Bakugou and make a list of what the pros and cons are for dating each boy. At the end if you’re still confused, you might just have to suck it up and make a choice. They’re not gonna wait forever and you can’t really make them,” Mina says

“You’re so right, Mina”

When you get to your dorm after classes, you sit down at you desk and take out a notepad. You start to write how you feel about Bakugou and your boyfriend, but write them as if you’re writing a letter and you just let everything out.

Once finished, you start on the pros and cons list for them.

At the end, you’re no longer confused. In fact you feel like a weight has been lifted. Emphasis on A WEIGHT. There were other things you had to do before everything goes back to “normal”

“Hey...Can we meet...”

“Sure...I’ll come to you. See you soon”

Once you all get back from the trip, you drop your luggage off at your dorm and decide to take a trip to your boyfriend’s house since you got back pretty early in the day.

When you finally reach, you ring the doorbell.

You wait a couple seconds before someone answers.

“Y/N?!” your boyfriend asks surprised

“Hey,” you say smiling,“I figured I would come surprise you since we came back from our trip!”

“I’m definitely surprised,” he says

“Can I come in then since the first phase of my mission is complete,” you ask

“Yeah, sure...sorry” he says nervously

He unlocks the gate and opens the house door for you.

When you enter, you see a pair of shoes there that you’ve never seen before.

“Oh you have company,” you ask, taking off your shoes and putting on a pair of slippers you left over there

“Heyyyy, you’re missing the movie! What’s taking so long out the-oh! Who’s this babe?” the girl asks

She was stunningly beautiful and seemed really nice.

“She’s an old friend from middle school. She was just stopping by since we haven’t seen each other in a while,” he says, blatantly lying

‘She’s an old friend,’ just kept circulating in your head, cutting deeper and deeper each time

“Okay, well I’ll leave you both to it then,” she says,stepping down to put her shoes on

“I’ll call you when I get home,” she says to your boyfriend and kisses him on his lips, to which he responds by kissing back

“It was nice to meet you...”

“Y/N,” you say,“but it’s not really worth remembering. I won’t be here much longer,” you say, the words stinging as they came off your tongue

After she walks out, you slap your boyfriend

“So this is what you have been doing. This is why you give me one word answers or just ignore me completely. Ya know I’ll give it to you...she really is beautiful. Gorgeous even...I wish you two happiness. I really do,” you say, trying to fight to tears but they just keep coming

“Y/N.. I didn’t mean-“

“Didn’t mean what? To cheat on me? You can save that sorry ass excuse or whatever “apology” you think would be acceptable. You told her I’m a friend, but you’re wrong. I’m nothing to you and you’re dead to me,” you say turning around to leave

“Oh,by the way, act like you never fucking knew me. We’re done.”

With that you walk out with your slippers on your feet and shoes in hand. As you’re walking back to the bus, you see, your now ex boyfriend’s, current girlfriend.

You try to walk past her, but she recognizes you.

“Hey Y/N, long time, no se-” she stops when she sees you’re crying

“Are you alright?” She asks, genuinely concerned

“I’m not just a friend,” you say quiet and your voice cracking really bad

“’Scuse me,” she asks, not quite hearing you

“I’m not.just.a friend. He lied to you and he lied to me. You seem like a sweet girl and you’re stunning, so I see why he would pick you over me and you seem nice enough. You don’t deserve to be treated like this. You deserve better. I deserve better,” you say adding emphasis on I

“My bus is here. Have a good rest of your evening,” you say getting on

You cry the rest of the way to UA.

Once you arrive, you head straight to the dorms. On the way to your room, you bump into someone and don’t look up to see who it is. You apologize for bumping into them and keep on going.

You throw down your shoes and slowly crawl into bed, pulling the covers over your head

Soon there’s a soft knock on your door.

“Go away,” you say softly

“Y/n...it’s me,” the familiar voice says

You get out of bed and make your way to the door, pausing before you decide to open it.

“You okay,” Kirishima asks softly

“He cheated on me...” you say, tears welling up again

He pulled you into a hug and held you tight.

“Whatever you have to let out, just let it out. Cry all you want. I’ll be right here. Even if my shirt gets soaked, I won’t pull away. I’m here y/n”

You let him fully enter the room, still hugging and close the door behind him. You guide him to your bed and both lay down, him still holding you against his chest.

“You wanna know what makes this worse...he kissed her right in front of me. Do you believe that? Even said I was just an old friend. We dated for 2 years! How could he be so cold?...It didn’t help that she was so beautiful either...She looked like an idol. I see why he would wanna be with her over me. I’m just regular.”

“Y/n, you are the most beautiful and amazing person I have ever met. I see other girls and not one of them outshines how fucking beautiful you are. I don’t even think the word beautiful is enough to describe you. You’re perfect. Don’t let what this guy did ruin you. You deserve much better and you were way out of his league anyways.”

“Thanks, Kiri,” you say into his chest

It was silent for a while. Kirishima just stroked your hair or rubbed your back in small circles in efforts to console you.

You started to stir in his arms because you wanted to sit up. He unwrapped them, so that you could get up and you wiped your face. You headed to the bathroom and rinsed your face with some water to calm the puffiness from your crying.

When you re-enter, Kirishima is awake and leaning his back on your head board.

You join him on the bed and he moves over to give you more space. You lay your head on his shoulder and he starts massaging your temples.

“Kiri,” you start

“Hmm,” he answers

You sit up and turn to face him.

“Can I try something?”

“Sure. What do you wanna try?”

“Don’t freak out, okay?”

You move in closer until your lips are only a few centimeters apart

“Y/n...are you sure?”

You look in his eyes and see he’s genuinely concerned.

“I don’t want to take advantage of you when you’re emotional and I don’t want you to make a mistake you’ll regret because of how you’re feeling right now. I’ve dreamt of this day for so long and-”

“Wait...what do you mean you’ve dreamt of this day for so long” you ask confused

“I really like you, y/n. I’ve never really felt this way about anyone, but I’ll try my best to tell you. From the day I met you, I’ve had the BIGGEST crush on you. You’re all I think about when I’m alone. If I’m not next to you, I think about you and what you could be doing and-“

You cut him off by crashing your lips together.

He’s surprised, but soon accepts it.

“Wait,” he says pulling away,“as much as I want this to continue, you just found out you were cheated on. I want you to be sure about your feelings and you should sort that out. I’m not leaving. I’m never leaving you, but you should think about if this is what you want.”

“You’re right. The last thing I would EVER want to do is hurt you and...no you’re absolutely right,” you say

It’s quiet between the both of you now until he finally speaks up.

“I can go if this is too awkward,” he says getting up from the bed

You grab his hand and look up at him with pleading eyes

“Stay...please. I don’t wanna be alone right now and you’re my best friend and the only person I want with me.”

He agrees and takes a spot on the floor right next to your bed.

[twiceinadream]

“Anon.”

Requested: Yup

Request: Tzuyu is the popular girl who everyone wants to either be or date, Y/N is the quiet loner with only a handful of friends. In everyone's eyes, Tzuyu is the perfect girl who's always happy, but one day Y/N catches Tzuyu breaking down and crying in secret. Since then, she has been anonymously leaving notes in Tzuyu's locker. Among all her secret admirer letters, Tzuyu finds the notes with positive words and goes on a search for the sender [High School AU]

a/u: Hey, everyone! So I have to admit, my bad. I’m sorry for hyping this up and doing absolutely nothing for like 2 months, but I’m so happy that I finally got it done and I hope you all love it. I love you guys and thank you so much for all the support. Also, thank you so much for 2.3k+ followers, that’s insane!

Category: Fluff and Angst

Word Count: 2.9k

You frowned down at your notes as a soft breeze blew in from the open window next to you, the pages of your notebook fluttering in the wind as you placed a hand on top of them to prevent them from blowing as you sat back in your chair. Your teacher’s voice seemed like a monotonous drone that filled the classroom’s silence as he continued talking about the effects of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment movement and how it changed the world’s thinking of space and the world they lived in, but in all honesty in this moment in time you could honestly care less about what he was saying. Your mind was already too preoccupied with the most popular girl in all of JYP Academy, Chou Tzuyu. Your eyes had left your notes long ago as you couldn’t help but stare, she was so effortlessly beautiful that it was almost infuriating. If you didn’t know any better you could say she was perfect.

She had everything any high school student could ever hope for. She’s beautiful, popular, rich, and oh so perfect. If time would allow you, you probably wouldn’t stop thinking about her at all. But, just as you were about to dive deeper into thought a sudden shrill ring of a bell pulled you out of your thoughts as you blinked, shaking your head as you realized class had ended. You sighed as you closed your notebook and reached for your backpack, stuffing your things inside as you stood from your seat but before anyone could leave your teacher suddenly announced, “Remember, we have a test on this chapter next week! And it’s the last one before the end of the quarter so this will severely make or break your grades!” A loud chorus of groans followed as all the students began filing out of class and out to lunch.

You shook your head as you threw your bag onto your shoulder, ‘Shit.’

-

You breathed out a sigh of relief as you got out of the class, dodging the flow of students heading out of the school halls towards the cafeteria as you made your way to the back of the academy, where the art building was housed. Set on retrieving your friends so they wouldn’t miss lunch and beg you for food later.

The walk there was surprisingly peaceful as you used most of the time lost in thought, your mind filled with images of Chou Tzuyu and history. The halls toward the back buildings were much quieter, save for the sound of a piano being played in one of the practice rooms. A smile growing on your face as you followed your ear towards the music, stopping in front of the open door that housed the source of the sound.

Your eyes landed on the brunette playing, then drifted to the silver-haired fox next to her as their heads both swayed to the rhythm of the song. A small chuckle left you as you knocked on the open door, “Knock, knock.” The interruption does its job and the music stops as Chaeyoung and Dahyun turn to face you, smiles growing on their faces as they get up from the piano to hug you.

“Y/N! Finally!” Chaeyoung says happily as she punches you lightly in the shoulder, “I was starting to think you forgot about us back here.”

You laugh as you lean into her, “What? Never. Classes just ran late since we have finals next week.

Dahyun groaned as she threw an arm over her eyes dramatically, “Don’t remind me, I hate this time of year.” You shake your head as a giddy smile takes over your features.

“But, hey, it’s Friday! Wanna go to, Cup of TT, after school. My treat?” Both Chae and Dahyun nod enthusiastically.

“Sounds good, but you’re paying. No take backs.” The brunette says with a playful smile as you wave her off.

“I know, I know. I’m not gonna come up short, unlike some people.” You raised an eyebrow that was directed to Chaeyoung as you dodged her about to tackle you.

“I swear to all things holy if you make one more short joke.” The tiny tiger seethed as you and Dahyun laughed, putting your hands up in surrender.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you from down there.” You smile as you start running down the hallway, your’s and Dahyun’s laughter filling the halls as Chaeyoung chases after the both of you.

-Finals Day-

The crisp spring air did nothing to relieve the pounding you felt in your mind as you rested your head in your hand, flipping through your notes about world history as you could faintly hear Chaeyoung explaining something about a mountain painting she had seen at an art exhibit recently as Dahyun listened. Her attention fully on the shorter blonde as you absently flipped through every page, trying to cram any last minute information you could before the final next period. But, to be fair, not paying attention in class wasn’t your fault.

How could they expect anyone to focus when Chou Tzuyu was in their midsts?

But your brief study of about three months of work had come to an end with the sound of a shrill bell, signaling the start of your history period.

“Alright, good luck Y/N! Hwaiting!” Dahyun smiled as she squeezed your shoulder.

“Good luck, and don’t get distracted!” Chaeyoung winked as she moved just in time to avoid your reach, cackling as you were left in your classroom. Watching your classmates file in as you let out a breath.

‘I can do this.’

-1 Week Later-

Your stomach has been in knots for the past week as you waited for your teacher to post the grades of the final. Making silent prayers to whatever divine being that heard you as you held your breath waiting for the teacher to post the paper on the bulletin. The lack of air in your lungs makes you dizzy as you had to remind yourself to breathe.

Your heart raced as your teacher opened the door to his classroom, regarding his anxious students with a quick look over as he kept his body in front of the board. Taking his sweet time to staple the papers to the corkboard to prolong his students anticipation before finally taking pity on their bated breaths as he finally moved.

Barely dodging the stampede of students that nearly trampled him in their haste to see their scores. Some rejoiced while some looked close to tears as you finally got to the board, running your finger down the column on the paper till it landed on your name. You held your breath as you removed your finger, revealing...an A!

You had to stop yourself from jumping in excitement as a large smile was plastered onto your face, running to find Dahyun and Chaeyoung to tell them the good news.

-

“Guys!” You yelled happily as you finally found them. Slightly out of breath since you had to run around a bit to find them.

Chae turned first as she took in the smile on your face, “Survey says?”

You smiled brightly, “A!” Both your friends smiled excitedly as they sandwiched you between them jumping in celebration.

“Alright, get together at my house?” Dahyun asked you and Chae as you both nodded, “Great!” You smiled as you slung your arms around both your best friends, the three of you walking towards the entrance of the school before you stopped.

“Aww, crap. I left something in my history class, I’ll be right back.” You turned back as you began running to your classroom, the halls pretty much void of students as you made it through the last corridor before your class. Barely rounding the corner when you spotted Tzuyu in front of the board. You quickly stopped yourself as you hid on the side of the wall, peeking over the side as you watched her, scared to face her head on. So you just waited for her to leave, but what came next surprised you more than just seeing Tzuyu by herself instead of surrounded by her entourage.

She began to cry.

For a second you felt very unsure of what was happening. ‘She’s crying. Chou Tzuyu is crying. I should probably do something.’ Your thoughts seemed to finally catch up to you as you tried to spring your body into action, ‘I should probably do something!’ But your body was frozen in place, unable to move as Tzuyu sniffed loudly. Her head down as she began to walk away, leaving in the opposite direction as you. (Thank God)

You finally felt movement come back to your body as you stepped into the light, walking slowly towards the board as you searched down the list for Tzuyu’s name. Your breath catching as you found it, D. Oh no. That’s not good. You purse your lips in thought as you forgo getting your forgotten pencil as you walk towards the way Tzuyu left, deciding you might as well see if she was okay. But, you turned up empty handed, having no idea where she had run off to and decided to just cut your losses and return to your friends.

A look of relief on Chae’s face as she spotted you, “There you are! We thought we’d have to send out a search party for you.” You smiled weakly at the comment, Dahyun’s smile faltering as she took in your shift in mood.

“Is everything alright, Y/N?” You shook your head, clearing your thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good.” You gave her a thumbs up as you put your arms around them again, “What are we still doing here? Let’s go!”

-The Kim’s House-

The three of you had gone through at least two movies as you laid your head on Dahyun’s lap. Her finger’s threaded through your hair as your brows furrowed, the action usually calming you but had no effect on your consciousness as your mind still replayed the events outside your history class.

The brunette glanced down as she saw the serious look on your face, reaching over to pause the movie. Chaeyoung looked at her, ready to say something but stopped as Dahyun held up a hand, “Y/N,” No response, “Y/N.” Her tone became firmer as you blinked, turning your attention to her.

“Did you say something?” Dahyun sighed, making you sit up.

“What’s going on Y/N, after you came back from your class. You seem...sad?” You frowned slightly as you looked at both of your friends.

“Uh...okay, you got me. When I was going to my class, I saw Tzuyu outside since our grades were posted today then she started crying. I didn’t know what to do so I waited till she left and saw she got a, D.” To your surprise you heard Chaeyoung groan in annoyance.

“Dammit Chewy, I told her she needed help.” You and Dahyun both raised an eyebrow as you looked at your silver haired friend.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Chae shook her head, “I told Tzuyu that she needed to get herself a tutor since she was struggling with the paper. But, she didn’t want to since her parents are such hard asses about her being ‘perfect’ and what not.” But this only seemed to confuse you and the brunette further.

“Hold on. You know Tzuyu? Like personally?” Chaeyoung just nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah, we’ve known each other since we were in diapers. Our parents are family friends, so we’ve spent our whole lives around each other.” The shorter Korean continued talking, oblivious to your’s and Dahyun’s shocked faces. “So, I know all about her grades and things. She was having such a hard time with it, I feel so bad.”

You sat in shock for a little longer, “Wait, so you know Tzuyu and just never thought you should mention it.” Chaeyoung shrugged.

“Must have slipped my mind. But,” The silver haired girl smiled at you, “I think I know how to make her feel better.”

You looked at your suspiciously, “What do you have in mind, Chaengie?”

But Chaeyoung just smiled.

-Monday-

It was early in the morning as you stood in front of Tzuyu’s locker, a small note in your hand as you tried to psych yourself up to put it in. ‘Come on Y/N, she doesn’t know it’s you. You’ll be fine.’

You bit your lip as you slid the note in, saying a prayer as you ran off.

-

The bell rang, signaling the start of school as Tzuyu stood before her locker. Opening it as she watched a few pieces of paper flutter to the ground, ‘More secret admirer letters.’ The Taiwanese girl shook her head as she opened them briefly, tired of reading about how beautiful she was since it was kinda getting old. Until she came across a note that differed from the rest.

Tzuyu, keep your head up. You’re so smart and don’t forget to live while you’re young and wild :) -Anon

Tzuyu nodded as she read the note, ‘Huh, now that’s new.’ She smiled to herself as she secretly tucked the note back into her locker, her head held higher as she walked to her class.

-Wednesday-

It been two days since the first note you had written and you were back with another, holding it to your chest as you breathed out. Before pushing it in.

-

Tzuyu yawned as she moved her hair away from her eyes, opening her locker as a note fluttered to the ground. A smile growing on her face as she noticed the handwriting was the same as the one she had seen on Monday.

Hey, Tzu. Hope your days are getting better! Remeber you are smarter than you know and stronger than you think ;) -Anon.

The Taiwanese girl smiled as she tucked the note with the one she had received on Monday. She was really starting to like this admirer.

-1 Month Later-

It been a month since you had started leaving notes at Tzuyu’s locker every other day, and unbeknownst to you, Tzuyu had actually started looking forward to those days. You stood in front of her locker again, placing a kiss to the note as you slid it in.

-

When Tzuyu arrived to the academy she rushed to her locker. Pulling it open as the note she waited for to fall to the ground.

Tzumong! I hope your classes are going well, remember you are strong enough and amazing. If I had the courage you did I’d ask you out on a date if I could. Have a great day ^ㅊ^ -Anon.

Her eyes widened at the last sentence, so this person did like her. And she couldn’t deny, she had also fallen a little bit for the person writing her, her favorite letters.

-1 Week Later-

You sat bored in your history class as you absentmindedly spun your pencil around your fingers. Barely listening to your teacher as he explained a project he was having the class do on Imperialism. Your eyes focusing slightly on Tzuyu, who you hoped still had no idea it was you leaving the notes.

“Y/N. Y/N!” You shook your head as your gaze was ripped from looking at Tzuyu, to face your teacher.

“Yes?”

He shook his head, tutting, “I said, you’re partners with Tzuyu. Move so you can sit next to each other.” You felt your heart rate spike as your lungs seemed to be completely void of air, getting up on shaky legs as you moved to sit next to Tzuyu.

A small smile on her face as she mouthed, “Hi.” You gave her a smile as the teacher explained the project, before finally allowing the class to talk.

You swallowed the nervous lump in your throat as you faced your crush, “H...Hi, I’m Y/N.”

The brunette smiled, “Hi, I’m Tzuyu. Nice to meet you.”

You nodded, “You too.”

The class went by in the blink of an eye as you talked about the project and how it would work out when the bell rang. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I have to go. Can you write your number.” Tzuyu held open her notebook as you quickly wrote your name and number on the lined sheet of paper as she rushed out of the class. Your eyes following her retreating form as you sat back in your desk.

‘Well that just happened.’

-

The Taiwanese girl had to run to the student council meeting since she was behind on one of her projects. Panting as she entered the room. Taking a seat as she opened the notebook she had given you to write in. Her eyes barely glanced at the paper, when your handwriting caught her attention.

Her eyes widened as she pulled the note she had received this morning out of her binder, holding it next to your name and number. An exact match.

‘Oh my god.’

-The Next Morning-

You walked sleepily to your locker as you ran a hand through your hair, yawning as you put in your code. Pulling it open, only to have a piece of paper come fluttering out. You raised an eyebrow as you squatted down to pick it up, turning it over as you gave it an experimental sniff. ‘It smelled like Tzuyu’s perfume?’

You felt your heart begin to pound in your chest as you slowly opened the note. Your eyes widening in shock.

Found you! Now how about you keep your promise about that date you wanted to take me on. -Tzuyu <3.

You couldn’t believe what you were seeing as you read the note over and over again. Tzuyu stood quietly behind you. Her chuckle greeted your ears as you turned around slowly, catching her gaze. A smile growing on her lips as she looked at you expectantly.

“So. What’ll it be, Anon?”

[chemicalmagecraft]

Taiyuu OCT Round 4

Character Nicknames: Nii-chan: Takeda Ryuji Mulan-sensei: Jailong Chen Mushu-chan: Firecracker Boron: Nerva Rekka Buck-sensei: Kazumi Shunsuke Akai-chan: Naishin-Sunomu Seisho Akai-obaachan: Seisho's grandmother (I do not know her full name and you probably don't either)

@taiyuu-oct

x x x

Yukino hummed to herself, grabbing a quick snack from the pantry. She'd participated in the UA entrance exam a few days ago and to be honest she was still a little drained from it. Still, she felt like she did pretty well. No way she wasn't getting into the hero course.

"Yuki-chan!" her brother shouted, running into the room with an envelope in his hands. "It's the letter from UA! It looks like you got in!"

"Oh?" she said, opening up a granola bar. "You didn't open it, did you?"

"Oh no," Nii-chan said, "it just looks like the one I got when I was accepted." He tossed the envelope to Yukino. "Now, just remember that, when you get into UA, you should be on your best behavior."

Yukino rolled her eyes and groaned. "Do you really think I won't behave?"

He shrugged. "I'm just making sure. I know some of the teachers at your old school had a tendency to... look away when people with 'heroic' Quirks acted up."

Yukino snarled, clenching her fists. "What, and you think I'm like those bullies?"

Ryuji winced. "N-no, I just meant that UA has higher standards than that, and you should-"

Yukino threw the now-frosted acceptance letter on the floor. "Know what?" she said coldly. "I changed my mind. Gonna see what other hero schools there are before I restrict myself to UA."

"Yuki-cha-" Ryuji started to say, but shut up when Yukino glared at him.

"Goodbye, Ryuji," she growled, then stormed off.

x x x

Mulan-sensei had spent the last half-hour berating the entire class about safety. Odd, Yukino didn't think any of the teachers actually cared about that by now. Finally, she was getting to the point of this exercise. "So today you'll be doing a mock rescue exercise." She pointed behind her, at the same dirt cityscape they'd used the last time Mulan-sensei dragged them out to do an exercise. Except this time it was ruined, like there was a massive supervillain attack or natural disaster or something. Wow, did they really have the budget to destroy one of their dirt training course mockups?

"You'll lose points for any injuries that occur, both to yourself and the mock victims. And you get points for every victim you rescue. We're not telling you how many points you have, lose, gain, or need to pass, so you don't simply stop when you have enough to make it. Heroes don't stop saving people until they're sure that there's nobody left to save, so neither will you. Of course, the ruined state of the cityscape means that parts of it might not be safe."

Yukino scoffed. Here Mulan-sensei was telling them to be safe while admitting she was sending them into somewhere dangerous. At least make sure nothing would collapse and kill someone!

"Because of that, my Quirk effects will be flying around the area." She pointed to Mushu-chan, who was floating around her head, when she said 'Quirk effects.' "If anyone gets injured they are to whistle so they can be rescued."

Yukino bit her lip. 'Quirk effects...' She'd tried to ignore it before, but... Mulan-sensei calling her dragons that was starting to really bother her.

"Mommy! What's that big lizard thing doing here?" "Ugh, did the demon woman have to come?" "Sorry, we don't want any weird monsters in our club!"

Maybe Yukino was making connections where there were none, but... The way Mulan-sensei called Mushu-chan and the others Quirk effects and stuff like that, only begrudgingly referring to them by their actual names... It felt disgustingly familiar to the sorts of dehumanizing remarks she and her family occasionally received due to her grandfather's Quirk and the mutations he passed down. Now, normally Yukino would at least try to talk to her about how the language she was using concerned her, but... Yukino glared at Fuwa-chan... the last time Yukino brought her concerns up to a teacher she didn't feel like it was properly addressed. So she just added it to the list of reasons she would be leaving this half-baked, understaffed, ill-funded travesty of a hero school and never look back. Mulan-sensei was still talking, but Yukino couldn't bring herself to listen at the moment. Hopefully it wasn't anything too important.

She did manage to tune back in when Mulan-sensei was starting to wind down, though. "And remember," her final point was. "You'll all be doing this at the same time! You'll lose a lot of points for fighting with each other, but there's no penalty for collaborating. It's encouraged, even. Now, go!" Mulan-sensei blew her whistle, causing most of the class to run to the ruined city. Yukino was among that crowd, though she was towards the back of the group because she couldn't really get that far into the crowd without getting trampled. The group quickly thinned out, thankfully, as people split off, either to go down side streets, climb up the buildings, or take to the skies. She looked around, trying to spot any of the fake civilians.

There! A vaguely-humanoid figure roughly hewn from what appeared to be stone, trapped under what appeared to be a streetlight made from dirt. They... probably didn't say anything about property damage, right? Typically in a situation where things were already this destroyed nobody really cared if heroes had to break a few more things to save someone's life. Yukino quickly tapped the 'streetlight' on both sides of the fake civilian, using Cryokinesis to freeze two segments and then cleave them apart to free it up. She lifted the cut segment off of the civilian, then concentrated on her Quirk. She'd had an idea for a special move, or at least a new usage of Cryomancy if it didn't exactly count as a special move... She chilled the air around her a by few degrees, extending the effect out in a pulse. Yukino could, if only for a moment, feel anything that she was chilling even if she didn't freeze it below zero. It was a little murky, but she could tell differences between things by temperature and texture. It'd have been a bit easier to detect the civilians if they were warm bodies and not made of cold stone, but at least it was something.

The reason why she'd found a civilian first, though, was because she wanted to have an example of what she knew the civilian might feel like to compare the surroundings to. And using the special move produced... mixed results, honestly. For one, it took a small bite out of her body heat, but she was expecting that. She felt like her sense might've gotten a bit too spread out towards the end, which was hopefully something she could work on, but she did notice two more civilians in a nearby building. The door was blocked by a bit of dirt building, but that really wasn't much of a hindrance to a telekinetic as potent as she. Yukino patted the ground next to her civilian, using her Quirk. "Hang in there a bit," she said despite the fact that it was an honestly creepy-looking rock and not even anything resembling a person. Then she walked up to the door, brushing off the rubble with her Quirk.

Yukino quickly froze the ground under the two civilians inside the building, thankfully not obstructed aside from the rubble over the door. She carefully lifted all three civilians on the impromptu telekinetic stretchers she made from the ground under them, then walked out the building. She walked out of the dirtban area, the three civilians in tow. Yukino noticed Boron down the street carefully carrying two civilian stones in the same direction she was going. "Hey, Boron," she said, waving.

"Hey," he said, though he was still concentrating more on trying not to drop the heavy stones.

Yukino, because she wasn't really burdened as much by her charges thanks to her telekinesis, reached the area where everyone seemed to be dropping off their civilians. She gently set them down, still on their platforms, and nodded to Mulan-sensei. She jogged back to the cityscape, slowing down a bit when she passed by Boron. "Trade ya when you get back," she said, then sped back up again. She walked around the city, not using her sensory skill again but just checking under rubble when she saw a spot where a civilian might be hidden. She'd managed to find one civilian that way by the time Boron found her.

"You said you wanted to trade?" he asked.

Yukino nodded. "I chill you off, you warm me up. Also, I have something I wanna try, if you'll warm me up again when I'm done."

He smiled and summoned some fire. "Sure, let's do it!"

After Yukino cooled him down and ate his fire in return, Yukino tried her idea. She sent a pulse of cold off in one directing, hoping that narrowing it down would let her sense a bit more. It was a success, so she, with Boron's help, sent pulses off in three other directions, turning roughly ninety degrees each time. She had a pretty good idea of where all the civilians nearby were, at least for the moment, so...

"There are some civilians that way," Yukino said, pointing. It was true, of course, but there were a few more in another direction that Yukino planned on taking. "Of course, I can't guarantee our classmates won't scoop them up." With that said, she went after the civilians that she'd felt.

x x x

After... maybe an hour or two of the exercise, Yukino saw two people in suits talking to Mulan-sensei and some other teachers as she brought some more civilians out.

"What are you two doing here?" Mulan-sensei asked, looking somewhat miffed.

"We're here about the outstanding debt of Chikyu Tane," one of the suited men said.

When she heard that, something inside Yukino just... snapped. She faintly heard the civilians she was carrying thud to the ground, but she didn't care at that point.

It made... a disturbing amount of sense. But still, learning that Chikyu-’sensei’ apparently got into debt making a shitty-ass seventh-tier dirt school that couldn't properly care for its students? It was all Yukino could do to keep from exploding then and there, instead gritting her teeth and seething at the situation until one of the teachers, she didn't notice who, gently ushered her back to the dorms.

When she was back at the dorms she immediately walked to her room, slamming the door open, and stormed over to her belongings. She immediately grabbed her scratching block, which she usually kept somewhere easily accessible in case of a situation like this where something (or someone) caused her emotions to spike severely. She sat down and growled to herself as she started furiously ripping into it. She tried to take deep breaths to calm herself down, but it ended up shallow and not helping at all.

"Are you okay?" a quiet, nervous voice asked. Yukino jumped to see Yuu-chan standing at the doorway.

She was about to shout at him, but sighed. He didn't deserve it. "I'm... really angry," Yukino spat out. She snarled. "It's... by itself it's petty, but this is just the latest in a string of issues I've had with this damn school. And to be honest? I'm fucking out. Bye." Yukino got up, still scratching at her block. She walked to the door, letting Yuu-chan get out of her way first. "And... for what it's worth," Yukino stopped to say before she left, "you and the other friends I made here... are pretty much the only good thing I got out of this school. I'd like to keep in touch, if that's cool with you."

"Yeah," he said, though he still sounded a little somber. "I'd like that..."

"Thanks." Yukino left, searching for a teacher. She quickly found Goudalone-sensei, trying to calm down some students.

"I-I'm sure Laccadaisy will get back soon!" they said.

That statement hit Yukino hard. Chikyu wasn't even fucking there? Goudalone-sensei probably was trying to keep the students from getting riled up, but all it did was anger Yukino further. "Who do I have to talk to to leave?" Yukino shouted at them.

"A-ah! Takeda-chan!" they winced. They got really nervous when they saw her, and the students they were talking to backed away a bit. "Um... We'd prefer that you didn't leave the island at this time..."

"Not what I meant," Yukino growled, clenching her fists. "I want out of Taiyuu. I was trying to be patient, but whatever's going on now is the last straw!"

"U-um..." they trembled a bit under Yukino's fury. "Y-you'd have to talk to Buckskin about that, but he's... looking for Laccadaisy with Ryujin at the moment... They're... probably on the mainland."

Yukino's hands shook. A few wisps of white vapor rolled off of her as she tried to keep herself from lashing out. "Okay then," she said coldly. "But I'm leaving. Now. I'll contact... Kazumi-sensei about that later." She stormed off, pulling out her phone and opening her contacts. She tapped one of the first contacts, pressing the 'call' button. She went to an area with no people, trying to get some privacy.

"Yuki-chan! What's up!" Nii-chan picked up almost immediately.

Yukino sighed, trying to compose herself.

Nii-chan picked up on her silence. "This isn't an 'I love my brother so much and wanted to talk to him' call, is it?"

"No," Yukino muttered, unamused.

He sighed. "Okay, you here to vent or do you want my help with something?"

"I'm leaving," Yukino told him. "I don't care if you don't want me to, I don't care if you aren't there when I get off the train, hell, if the train isn't available I don't care if I have to use my Quirk to leave!"

"Okay," Nii-chan said. "Wow. Did... did something illegal happen?"

Yukino snorted, a bit of white vapor puffing from her nose. "Supposedly not, but at this point I wouldn't be surprised at all."

"Yeah, you sounded pretty... serious. Okay, luckily my shift just ended, so I'll try to be there to pick you up. If I'm not there when you get off, please wait until I arrive. And if you can't take the train, call me. I should be able to arrange something a little less... technically illegal."

"Thanks, Nii-chan," Yukino muttered.

"Love you, kiddo. Be there as soon as I can!" *Click.*

Yukino put her phone away and headed for her room.

x x x

Yukino hefted her backpack. She'd put some of her clothes, electronics, toiletries, and valuables in her bag but unfortunately had to leave most of it behind for when she could get it later. Luckily Yuu-chan was still in their room, so Yukino apologized for everything and asked him to make sure nothing happened to her stuff until she came back. With that taken care of, she was heading out. But before she could get to the door, she heard a calm voice.

"You're leaving, Takeda-kun," Akai-chan remarked. It wasn't really a question.

"Yeah," Yukino said. "I just... can't take this shit anymore." She'd already vented to Akai-chan about how she'd been having a lot of doubts about Taiyuu, and how she was considering leaving even before this most recent incident.

The much taller girl nodded. "Would you want me to leave with you?" Yukino noticed that she also had her backpack.

"That... that sounds great, but only if it's what you really want..."

"Of course," she said. "I imagine the incident with the debt collectors is what set you off? It does seem very suspect."

Yukino gave her a small, nervous smile. "Let's go, then."

The coupl- pair left the dorm building together, heading for the trains. Luckily, the train was there and it seemed like it was running. Akai-chan spoke to the operators for Yukino while she texted her brother to let him know that the train was running and she was coming with a friend. The operators agreed to take the two back to the mainland after they were assured that there was an adult back there waiting for them. Apparently the operators were going to pick someone on the mainland up anyways, which certainly helped. Yukino and Akai-chan took their seats on the otherwise-empty train, sitting next to each other near the front with their bags in the seats next to them. Yukino leaned on Akai-chan as the train started. She sniffled and rubbed at her eye. Akai-chan put an arm around her.

x x x

Yukino and Akai-chan got off the train as soon as the doors open. When they did, they saw Jailong-sensei about to enter the train.

"Hey," Yukino said coldly.

"Ah, hello, kids," Jailong-sensei said nervously. "I... can guess why you're here."

"Sure, it could be the fact that our 'beloved' principal up and ditched us to dodge the debt collectors," Yukino shrugged. "That was pretty upsetting, but are you sure it isn't the severely cheap and often times literally made from dirt facilities that reek of the sort of budget you can't run a school on? Or perhaps it's the understaffing issues that made it hard to get a proper education? Or maybe, just maybe it was the fact that the girl with the 'uncontrollable'" (Yukino made sure to use her snarkiest air quotes when she said 'uncontrollable') "memory-erasing Quirk was allowed to just erase everyone's memories for a few months with no question or even making the students aware that there was such a student at all? Ooh, or maybe it was all of the shitty things above!" Okay sure, it might've been a little harsh to dump all that on Jailong-sensei, but Yukino was feeling petty at the moment.

Jailong-sensei sighed, looking a little weighed down by the contents of Yukino's rant. "...I can concede most of what you just said, but not your problems with Kayaki."

Yukino snarled. Whatever guilt she had over venting at Jailong-sensei suddenly evaporated. "What the fuck are you on about?"

"It's... it's classified," Jailong-sensei said.

"Oh?" Yukino asked. "Classified? How can I be sure you're not just covering up for her?"

Jailong clenched her fists. "There wasn't a good solution to her problem that wouldn't have negatively affected Kayaki's education."

Yukino cocked her head at the 'teacher.' "So letting her negatively affect everyone else's education was totally fine, then? And to be honest I can think of a few solutions that would've probably only made her a little uncomfortable, as opposed to your amazingly brilliant solution of 'ignore it even though it's probably gonna make over half the school even more uncomfortable than Zuruko would be if we just did literally anything about it.' Did you even try to think of a solution? No Quirk is omnipotent, there had to have been a better way!"

"Quirks can be unpredictable," Jailong deflected. "We couldn't have been sure anything would work..."

Yukino scoffed and crossed her arms. Did she even realize what she was saying? "There are so many holes in that argument I almost mistook it for a thin slice of Swiss cheese. Oh, no, sorry, excuse would be a better word for it. Doing anything is better than nothing, you know. And most Quirks aren't nearly that unpredictable. You're an outlier, you know that, right? Most Quirks aren't sentient beings, just supernatural biological functions and stuff like that. They're not so unpredictable that they can't be dealt with, or that trying isn't worth it!" Yukino uncrossed her arms and jabbed a clawed finger at Jailong. She could feel herself start to heat up, white wisps curling off of her. "Though to be honest from how you talk about your dragons I wouldn't be surprised if you don't think they're alive! You know what your problem is!? You pretend that your Quirk is a thing when it's LIVING BEINGS! ZURUKO HID BEHIND AN ACTUAL THING AND PRETENDED IT WAS THIS BIIIG SCARY MONSTER SO SHE DIDNT HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MEMORIES IT ATE! YOU KNOW WHAT'S NOT UNPREDICTABLE, THOUGH!? KEEP THE HURTY FIELD AWAY FROM PEOPLE AND IT'LL STOP HURTING THEM!! FUCKING!! MAGIC!!!" She let all the hurt, anger, and pain she'd been feeling over this pour into her words.

Jailong scoffed. "You think we should've kept Kayaki isolated? I didn't have a lot of records to work with, but I do know that her Quirk only affects memories of herself and blurs her into the background. I fail to see how that's worth that amount of vitriol, and you clearly disliked her to begin with." Seeing Yukino's glare, for whatever reason, not get any better from being told that her feelings weren't valid and that she was overreacting, Jailong sighed, her face softening. "No, I shouldn't accuse you of anything. But you should know that I did what I could, and I wasn't dealing with just her. Taiyuu was barely equipped to handle a class of completely normal people, and you and I both know that hero schools don't attract just normal people. To say I'm embarrassed by how poorly this went all down would be putting it lightly."

Yukino snarled, starting to see red. Not even a fucking apology. Jailong belittled her feelings, made excuses for her own shoddy work, and didn't even fucking apologize. And now she was making out that she was the one that was hurt by this. A lot of thoughts ran through Yukino's head, none of them polite. "You really think that makes it okay?" "Don't condescend me you fucking prick!" "You covered up for a fucking villain, don't act like I'm the asshole here!" "You're a villain, not a hero!" "Shut the hell up!" "Die, die, die, die die die diediediediediedie!"

Yukino felt someone grab her now-cold shoulder. She looked up at Akai-chan, her breath ragged. Akai-chan... didn't really smile or anything, but she gave her a look of sympathy. Yukino got her breathing back under control, then rubbed at her face with her sleeve. She glared at Jailong, but kept her tone cold. "It's... I can't believe you're looking down on me, when you're the one who didn't do anything when I was panicking over the holes that kept popping up in my memory." She shoved her hands in her pockets, partially to keep them from shaking. "But whatever helps your negligent ass sleep at night, hero." She spat out that last word with so much venom that she was honestly surprised that Jailong didn't die on the spot. If there was one thing she could think of Jailong as at the moment, 'hero' definitely wasn't it. She started to walk past Jailong, Akai-chan right by her side, but stopped when they were behind Jailong.

"Oh, and for the record," Yukino said, feeling like throwing one last barb in, petty as it was. "I hate just about everyone who spends months letting their mind-altering quirk permanently erase my memories about equally, regardless of how well they can directly control their Quirk. It's concerning that you, the pro 'hero' here, don't see what the big deal is. Though at least I know where Zuruko must've learned that self-centered attitude about how I'm not allowed to be angry about my memories of her vanishing, now." She smiled sardonically. "But hey, I guess you probably don't care about what a 'quirk effect' like myself might be feeling. Goodbye."

Jailong didn't have anything to say to that. Good. Before Yukino could start walking again, though, she heard a sound like a firecracker popping. "Hey!" A voice... was that Mushu-chan? He sounded angry, in any case. "You don't know anything about what she's like!"

Yukino snorted. "Ain't that the fuckin' truth. Good to know you've got your 'user's' back despite her repeatedly calling you a 'thing,' I guess." She started walking to the exit of the underground boarding area for the train.

"You kno-" Mushu-chan started to shout, but stopped.

Yukino turned back to see Jailong holding her hand up, probably having stopped Mushu-chan's rant with a silent command. "It's not worth it, Firecracker."

"Yeah," Yukino said flatly. "You've got a train to catch and our ride's probably here by now. I'd say this was a nice talk but, well, I don't wanna lie." Yukino was very tempted to say 'unlike you,' but she was probably pushing it already... She started walking to the exit again. Jailong didn't try to dig herself any deeper, she just sighed and got on the train. Yukino walked up the stairs to the exit, seeing her brother's car when she got to ground-level.

Nii-chan got out of the car, a worried expression on his face. It looked like he hadn't even taken time to change because he was still in his hero outfit. "Yuki-chan, are you okay?" He ran up to Yukino, sweeping her up in a hug. "I'm so sorry, Yuki-chan. I don't know what you've been dealing with, but..."

Yukino hugged him back, hard. It was like a dam burst and she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She buried her head in her brother's chest, sobbing.

x x x

The next couple minutes were a bit of a blur to Yukino. She vaguely recalled being gently led somewhere, Nii-chan and Akai-chan talking about something. But she spent most of that time crying into Nii-chan's costume.

Eventually Yukino calmed down a bit... or maybe just ran out of tears. At some point Nii-chan had taken her to a nearby bench and sat her down. Yukino rubbed her now-wet face off on her sleeve. The tears on her sleeve turned to frost almost immediately. For whatever reason, despite the fact that Cryomancy wasn't technically an ice-based Quirk, her tears were cold and would freeze onto anything other than her. Apparently her grandmother, who had an actual ice Quirk, had the same effect. Even though she was only reminded of it when crying, knowing that she had a similarity like that with her grandmother tended to make Yukino feel... pleasant, at least a little.

Speaking of... Yukino looked at the surface she'd been crying into. Flame-retardant fabric with a scale-like design, covered in frost and, at some parts, outright ice. "Ah, s-sorry," Yukino muttered to her brother.

He gave her a smile, squeezing her back a bit before letting her go from his hug. "It's okay. My costume is made to give me a bit of resistance to cold, remember? While I'm thawing my shirt out, though, do you need some fire?"

Yukino nodded. "Yeah, I might need a recharge..."

Nii-chan took a breath, conjuring fire from his hands. He held one of his flame-wreathed palms over his icy shirt, melting and evaporating the ice, and held the other out to Yukino. Yukino held her hands over the fire, sucking the familiar-tasting heat from it. Nii-chan didn't say anything as she ate her fill of his Dragon Fire, and when his shirt was dried off he let the hand on his chest fall wordlessly, still keeping the fire he was feeding to Yukino up.

"Done," Yukino said when she had her fill, pulling her hands away. "Thanks."

Nii-chan let his fire go out, a slight hitch in his breathing. "I'm... sorry, by the way," he said after a while.

"For what?" Yukino asked.

"This whole thing is kind of my fault..."

"It's literally not, but go on," Yukino said flatly.

"Yeah, but..." He sighed. "I mean, yeah, I didn't cause... whatever happened there, but... you turned down UA because I was a jerk to you all that time ago."

Yukino snorted. "I turned down UA because I overreacted to you giving me valid criticism and decided to do something stupid."

Nii-chan put his hand on her shoulder. "It was criticism, but in hindsight I wouldn't call it valid. I was too harsh on you, and I ended up pushing you away..."

Yukino shrugged, though she didn't shake his hand off. "I still probably should've..." She sighed. "Let's just say we both did something stupid."

He chuckled and ruffled her hair. Yukino pulled away a bit, but grinned. "Yeah, I guess if we're both in agreement..." He looked over Yukino's shoulder. "Hey, kiddo!" Yukino turned to see Akai-chan standing around awkwardly a bit away. "I still want you to call a parent or guardian before I take you anywhere, but once you do that we can get lunch, my treat!"

"I'll need to borrow on of your phones," Akai-chan said. "My Quirk interferes with electronics, so my phone is only for emergencies and usually uncharged."

Ryuji's brow furrowed. "There's really nothi-" He stopped, looked at Yukino, then sighed. "No, no, it's your Quirk," he muttered, "you probably know best... Okay, Yuki-chan, can you give her your phone? I wanna call our parents so they know you're alright." He pulled out his phone.

"Yeah," Yukino nodded. "Though... I don't know if I'm ready to talk with Mom and Dad yet... Honestly I only called you because I needed your help..."

Nii-chan nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I get it. I still have to talk to them, but I'll explain that to them. I'll go call them in my car, give you two some privacy." He did as he said, getting inside his car and calling someone on his phone.

Yukino pulled out her phone. "I can go somewhere else, if you want some privacy," she offered.

"It's okay," Akai-chan said. "Could you please dial the number in and hold the phone for me? I would prefer not to destroy your phone."

"Yeah, that's cool. Gimme the number."

Yukino dialed in the number Akai-chan gave her, then put the phone on speaker for her. It sounded like it was her grandmother who picked up. Akai-chan told her that she'd left the school, and how it was probably not going to be a school much longer. Akai-obaachan asked how Akai-chan's stepsibling was (still on the island and apparently better off that way, which concerned Yukino...) and then suggested she start looking for another school. Then she asked where Akai-chan was and said she couldn't pick her up.

"I'm with... a friend and her older brother right now," Akai-chan answered.

"A friend?" Akai-obaachan asked, clearly interested in what Akai-chan would say next by her tone of voice.

"...Yes," Akai-chan answered.

"Is she the short blue girl with ice powers that you like a lot?"

Akai-chan's ears turned a little red. "...Yes," she muttered.

"And her brother is a pro hero, right? He should be trustworthy. You may stay with them for a while, but please go either here or your home by nightfall."

"Okay, Obaachan," she agreed. "See you soon."

"Bye, Sei-tan," Akai-obaachan said. "I'll tell your mother about this for you." She hung up.

Yukino smirked at her. Akai-chan, probably realizing what that smirk meant, blushed slightly harder in anticipation. "So I'm the short blue girl that you like a lot, huh?" She turned off her phone and put it back in her pocket.

Akai-chan gave a small nod. "That's right."

Yukino smiled at her. "I'm flattered."

"You're... you're welcome, I guess."

Nii-chan got out of his car, stopping Yukino from pressing Akai-chan any further. Probably for the best. "You guys done? I can take your orders if you want!"

"We are, thank you," Akai-chan said.

x x x

"Thanks for this, by the way," Yukino said as she sat down on the bench. They'd gone to Dad's family restaurant for the food, as Yukino thought, but Nii-chan had made it a takeout order and taken them to the park nearby instead of going inside to eat. Yukino had stayed in the car, but Nii-chan relayed the well-wishes of Dad and the employees she was closest with.

"No problem, kiddo," Ryuji said with a grin. He handed out the containers to Yukino and Akai-chan, then opened his. "Smells so good..." he said after giving it a sniff.

Yukino and Akai-chan opened their food, too. Nii-chan and Yukino both ordered the Da'long Katsukare, a special dish that they both liked a lot, and Akai-chan ordered it too because she liked spicy food anyway and didn't have as much of the menu memorized as the siblings.

"It tastes delicious," Akai-chan said after taking a few bites. It was, as the name suggested, a katsukare dish with the tonkatsu shaped and decorated to look vaguely like a dragon. It was also very spicy, as Nii-chan had warned Akai-chan before relaying her order to the restaurant. "Though if I may ask, was it named after Takeda-san's hero name?"

Nii-chan smiled at Yukino. "Really, Yuki-chan?" he asked, his voice dripping with exaggerated joy. "Your girlfriend already knows my hero name?"

Akai-chan's cheeks turned a very adorable shade of red at that comment. "Ah, uh..." she stammered out.

Yukino snorted. "Yeah, that's right Akai-chan," she said. "When Nii-chan chose his hero name, Dad decided to name a dish after him in support."

"And he naturally picked katsukare," Nii-chan added, "because it's kinda one of my favorite foods." He ate some of the curry-covered pork, then sighed in delight. A small, deliberately dragon-shaped puff of fire escaped from his lips when he exhaled. "Plus, it's so spicy that it makes you feel like you're breathing fire, like my Quirk."

"That... sounds nice," Akai-chan said.

Yukino grinned. "And when I finally debut, though unfortunately it seems like it's gonna be a while still, Dad's gonna name something after me."

Nii-chan chuckled. "Yeah, can't wait to see that, huh?"

"I'd love to see it," Akai-chan said.

"Thanks, Akai-chan." Yukino smiled and leaned on Akai-chan's side. "So are you gonna try to get into another hero school after this?" Yukino asked. "I'm planning to try to transfer into UA. Nii-chan's been looking into how to do that for me and could probably help you, if you want to as well."

Ryuji faux-pouted. "Don't volunteer my help without asking, Yuki-chan..."

"Love you too, Nii-chan," Yukino smirked at him.

"Thank you for the offer," Akai-chan said, "but I think I'm going to go into medical school after this, not resume the hero course."

"Oh that's cool," Yukino said.

"Med school is certainly a great goal," Nii-chan agreed. "People tend to glorify pro heroes, but doctors save lives too."

"Thank you," Akai-chan said. "For what you just said, and for the lunch as well."

Nii-chan gave her a smile. "You're welcome! It was nice meeting Yuki-chan's... friend."

He didn't say 'girlfriend,' but Akai-chan still blushed again.

"That's enough teasing, Nii-chan," Yukino said. "Let's eat before our food gets cold, huh?"

"Ah, right," Akai-chan muttered. She quickly took a large bite of her katsukare, probably to give herself an excuse to not engage in the conversation. Yukino smiled and had some katsukare as well.

"Aah~" Nii-chan sighed once they were all done with their food. "That was delicious~"

"Yeah~" Yukino agreed with a smile. She was feeling a lot better after some good food.

"It was good," Akai-chan said, putting her container down.

"So what are we doing now?" Yukino asked.

"We can do something else in a bit, but for now..." Nii-chan pulled another container out of the bag that the katsukare was in and handed it to Yukino. "Sorry if this... probably isn't the best time for it, but Dad and I both thought you might like a little pick-me-up."

Yukino quietly opened the container, revealing... "Is that a meringue?" Yukino asked. It looked like a lightly browned meringue, shaped into a scale pattern somehow.

"Take a bite," Nii-chan said, handing her a spoon.

Yukino took a spoonful of the dessert, revealing ice cream and a brownie under it. A warm feeling spread in her chest. "Oh, it's a baked Alaska," she realized. Her father had made her and Nii-chan the hot-and-cold dessert a few times when they were younger (once he even enlisted Mom's help and Quirk to make it right in front of them). Yukino chuckled. "Haven't had this in a while... What's he calling it? Baked Kuraokami?"

Nii-chan shrugged. "He hasn't told me the name yet, but he's been preparing to add it to the menu since you told us your hero name."

Yukino smiled, taking another spoonful. The meringue and brownie were only a little warm and the ice cream was starting to melt from the wait, but it still tasted delicious. A cold, but not sad, tear came from her eye. She quickly wiped it off, making sure it didn't get in her ice cream. "It's good," she said once she swallowed it. "Remind me to thank Dad."

Nii-chan smiled. "I will."

[ain-t-bovvered]

15X12 Commentary

Bunch of tired and caffeinated Europeans ( plus a sleepy American) scream together, and then die and try to get on with their day ( lol AS IF)

@smol-and-grumpy​​​​ (Nat)

@dean-winchesters-bacon​​​​  (Kat)  

@waywardbaby​​  (Zee)

@ain-t-bovvered  (Giulia)

Nat: welp i guess we'll start?

Giulia: Ye

Zee: I know we’re not ready but yes

Nat: count as usual?

Giulia: U r the only one ready snort

Zee: Shush I’m faking it

Nat: 3

Nat: 2

Nat: 1

Nat: go

Zee: The recap

Giulia: Already hate it

Giulia: ...kaia

Giulia: Ok but i loved dean shout there

Giulia: But i also don t give a fuck about kaia

Nat: i could make a list of people i don't give a fuck about

Giulia: Why the empty has a dick

Nat: earth 2

Giulia: Look how much-waisted air time

Nat: this better go somewhere

Zee: What is he on?

Giulia: Oh look das me every time a clerk looks too clingy

Zee: President Hillary Clinton

Giulia: Nice

Giulia: Radio shed ads look like mediaworld *winks in italian*

Zee: Can he shut up?

Giulia: Nerd

Giulia: Oh and another nerd

Nat: weird that on every earth people are still dumb as fuck

Giulia: The World

Zee: Oh no

Giulia: Yeah that looks my kinda world

Giulia: Aaah beard dean

Zee: Other toys

Nat: He can't even make a world that's gonna function

Giulia: I can get what I want from a hundred worlds

Giulia: What she said

God/ ME A DESTIEL SHIPPER ABOUT DESTIEL ENDGAME: Dean says I'm not gonna get the ending I want. And I don't know. Maybe... I...I mean, that shouldn't matter, right?  I've gotten what I want from hundred of Sams and Deans. I could get what I want from a hundred more. And I don't care.

Nat: you can see the green screen. I mean him standing before one

Giulia: Amazing

Zee: Clear the board

Giulia: Can he clean this one too. I think he’s already doing it

Nat: our world

Nat: how do you know. still, he doesn't take out the dumb

Zee: Vegan

Giulia: ...vegan lasagna *cringes in Italian*

Giulia: Because he feels for them. Between similars u no

Giulia: Aah veins

Zee: I still don’t like it

Giulia: Ah so we are actually where we left off. I can tell u where my head is

Zee: I can tell you where I want his head to be

Giulia: Ooooh nice

Giulia: Look at Jack hair tho

Giulia: BABE

Nat: "I HAVE SPEND TIME WITH HER" *wink wink nudge nudge*

Giulia: 50k

Giulia: Scythe kink

Nat: ouch

Zee: FOCUS

Giulia: Bottom Dean

Nat: on what? dildo scythe?

Giulia: Please comment and reblog

Giulia: Hey

Giulia: No OnE

Zee: Is jack chubbier?

Giulia: Don t talk to my son like this

Zee: Sam should stop doing that thing with his face

Nat: He's just older

Giulia: I can count his gray hair

Giulia: ...

Giulia: AAAAAAAAH beautiful

Zee: How domestic

Giulia: Babe

Zee: Look at that little smile

Giulia: SO CUTE

Giulia: thank you for a small bubble of happiness. That shook my soul a bit

Zee: They seem a little happy. I’m scared. Oh there it is

Giulia: That’s a fancy-ass whiskey bottle. I want it

Zee: Kaia came looking for the spear

Giulia: Cute where is cas

Zee: Babysitting

Giulia: Of course she kicks their asses

Giulia: I wanna choke him too

Nat: they can't even fight one small girl. they're getting old

Zee: Can he get any deeper?

Giulia: What she said

Zee: THE VOIVE I MEAN

Giulia: Oh come on HOW CONVENIENT

Giulia: they pulled a Mary Winchester

Zee: Snort

Nat: i don't know what to think about all this

Giulia: Oh looks it’s us after the coronavirus. Eating lizards

Nat: I mean

Giulia: I just watch

Nat: I would eat it 🤷🏻‍♀

Zee: Dean said not tasted kinda decent

Nat: do I have to

Zee: YES

Giulia: SNORT

Zee: SEE? Babysitting

Giulia: ...listen….How in the hell...War Strategist angel of the lord cas loses at force 4. Fuck off

Giulia: Always makeup on point

Giulia: Not Kaia not helping

Nat: oh I see jody had time for lash extensions

Giulia: She must not be in quarantine

Giulia: ...La piegatrice mondiale. What a horrible translation

Giulia: Oh dean has nice hair. I wanna pull it

Zee: This is going so well

Giulia: Look at cas hair

Nat: He always goes like "Cas-tee-el"

Giulia: Tee-el

Zee: Are you only looking at hair?

Giulia: Cas sounds so done

Zee: But so good

Giulia: WHAT A SOFT LOOK I HATE IT DON T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT

Giulia: A bit of a smokey eye on Kaia, What she used? Burned sticks? charcoal? Burned lizard’s tails?

Zee: Is it me or Jody looks older and Cas looks younger?

Nat: sorry but not Kaia can go fuck herself

Giulia: WHATEVER

Nat: so much airtime

Giulia: WASTED

Giulia: ...Shouldn’t he be strong af

Nat: I hate that the female's make up is always on point.

Zee: He’s gonna do something stupid

Giulia: Definition of a Winchester

Giulia: What a dad tone

Nat: I like Merl. Merl is me

Giulia: HEEEEY

Giulia: AHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Giulia: AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Nat: Winchester dumb

Zee: Winchester dumb

Giulia: what a mood

Nat: she's my fave character

Giulia: I love her

Nat: i want her in all the ep

Giulia: I stan her

Nat: give her more air time

Giulia: She’s the smartest in the room

Giulia: What a sassy reaper. Like my fav sassy demon

Giulia: I love how the Winchesters are there watching, being all: yup, that’s our dumb kid

Nat: Winchester stupid

Zee: They know she’s right

Giulia: DONT BORROW MY ANGEL LIKE A BATTERY

Zee: Dead angel walking

Nat: I seriously thought Cas holds out the cup he ejaculated in like in a sperm bank

Giulia: Can I unread this

Nat: No u can't, that's what happens when I’m in lockdown

Giulia: Look at that cutie with his cute backpack

Nat: boy scout dean

Zee: Sam’s smirk

Giulia: Babysitting again

Giulia: BS angel chivalry

Giulia: SHE’S SO DONE

Giulia: love it

Nat: she should have said "in your own time"

Giulia: Me and you have all eternity, they don’t

Giulia: ...wasting seconds of intense glares

Giulia: Oh look the gremlins again

Giulia: The last healthy Italians vs the infected ones

Giulia: Last Toilet paper’s rolls and dumb scared people

Nat: snorts

Zee: You’re on a roll

Giulia: Dean eyelashes are fluttering in the wind. Sam needs a hair elastic

Nat: I wish something else would flutter in the wind

Giulia: my fucks

Zee: Hey kid

Giulia: WHY ARE THEY HUGGING

Zee: It’s before corona

Nat: I thought they didn't like each other that much

Giulia: Exactly. They have like 0 relationship, I don’t understand

Nat: It's weird.

Nat: if she should hug someone it should be sam. but what do I know

Zee: Have y’all understood the point of all this? Cause I haven’t

Giulia: Literally none

Nat: I’m bothered by all the other things

Giulia: She had time to do her eyelashes

Nat: so we did literally waste an ep with getting Kaia back, like for real? I watched this?

Giulia: ...AH

Nat: you know the last season could have been so fucking good

Zee: Wtf?

Giulia: K

Nat: ah

Zee: She found out

Giulia: What a meme

Giulia: Billy: last season

The reaper: my joy

Giulia: Death is angry

Zee: I was busy In Italy

Giulia: Oh wow

Nat: Merl had one job

Giulia: The writers had one job

Nat: Billy is us because she has no patience in them wasting an ep freeing Kaia

Giulia: Then u killed me

Giulia: Smoulder time

Giulia: Aaaah a baby

Zee: What?

Nat: Meh

Giulia: Why

Nat: God's destruction is Jack

Giulia: Another meme

Giulia: Writers

Giulia: Us asking if season15 will be amazing

Nat: right

Giulia: Go watch the promo

Nat: is that a fiat

Giulia: That’s a 500, my old car snort

Nat: Are they gay antiques, dealers

Zee: Apart from the reaper everything else was pretty lame. We waited almost two months for that?

Giulia: We went through corona for that

Nat: they look like gay antique dealers. especially being outraged when Sam has to lose the man bun

Giulia: With their cardigans and shit

Giulia: We should all live together. Yikes. They gonna die

Nat: they would scream

Giulia: High pitched

Zee: Tf did I just watch ? Loved deans bracelets tho

Giulia: They’re Jensen’s . Probably

Giulia: Oh maybe they are sam and dean that grew up as men of letters

Zee: Gay men of letters

Giulia: Can they get hot and bothered by Castiel?

Zee: Maybe not both of them

Giulia: Nah Nah both

Zee: Will the angel be gay too?

Giulia: There will be no angel probably. Also, Angels are probably sexless so who cares.

Kat: Y’all finished?

Giulia: Yup

Zee: Yes

Kat: And?

Giulia: WHERE IS THE FLAVOUR

Zee: LLLAAAAMMMEEE

Nat: I wasted my time

Kat: Yeah. Who gives a flying fuck about Kaia. Literally no one

Giulia: guess they are tying the loose ends

Kat: No one has thought about her in 2 years, she was a dead end

Giulia: Idk what the point was

Kat: Idk to have Jack use his powers for some reason? Surely they could have found something better

Giulia: Idk man. Between this fucking virus and jib and life and this writing, I’m very much blegh. I mean I love my boys. But

Zee: Let’s just hope they give them a decent ending and not something so lame that it will ruin everything

Nat: You love them and you want the best for them. not half-assed writing

Giulia: Yeah

Nat: lol what show have you been watching the last season

Kat: Yeah. It’ll be ruined. I have no hope of anything else

Nat: I don't have much hope but also that will maybe make me feel better when it's not as bad as I think it will be

Zee: I know but I can’t let it drag me down

Giulia: Yup

.

.

.

If you want to get tagged send an ask HERE or to @waywardbaby​​ or a smoke signal, idk whatever I’m tired af.

TAGS: @wayward-angelgirl​​​​  @destiel-honeypie​​​​      @mariekoukie6661​​​​      @dragontamerm​​​​       @closetspngirl​​​​    @rainflowermoon​​​​     @mattiecat​​​​       @bunnybaby121115​​​​  @aliaitee2​​    @jacks-word-of-the-day​​​​     @4evamc​​​​       @dammitsammy​​​​     @legendary-destiel​​​​   @winchesterprincessbride​​​​    @destielhoneybee​​​​​    @castiellover20   @ravenhg​​​​ @evvvissticante​​​​ @emoryhemsworth​​​​​ @markofdean79​​​​ @janndishsstuff​

[rvnclwrites]

Romania 1999 Pt 3 (Charlie Weasley x Female MC)

Summary: AU where MC is an American who attended the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry instead of Hogwarts. Set eight years post graduation (1999) when she finally gets the nerve to travel abroad and follow her dream to be a Dragonologist in Romania. Check out my master list for parts 1 and 2.

Notes: So first of all, I suck and this is set eight years post graduation not nine. I for some reason had a stroke when I wrote part 1 and thought MC graduated in 1990 instead of 91. Oops. Also, I couldn't find any info on whether magical creatures can see Thestrals or what the rules are so what I wrote may not be accurate, but it worked for my plot line so idc lol.

Word Count: ~8000 (No, I’m not kidding. Sorry not sorry 😅)

(Y/N) had started visiting the owlery nearly every morning the following week in hopes of hearing back from one of her friends. Finally on Wednesday, her heart leapt as she cracked open the door and saw Pearl, one of the Sanctuary's beautiful barn owls, with a letter addressed to (Y/N) clamped in her beak. She tore into the envelope as fast as her fingers would allow, leaning against the cool concrete ledge behind her as she began to read.

(Y/N),

I am so proud of you!! I can't believe you're actually in Romania. I don't know what gave you the final push to make the move, but I am SO glad you did. I think this will be great for you, especially considering it's the one job you've talked about since we were third years. How long do you plan on staying? I hope indefinitely- if anyone deserves a place to settle down it's you.

Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. Things have been hectic since I took on this new teaching job. Can you believe I'm actually a potions professor? Professor Haywood does have a nice ring to it if I do say so myself. Don't worry though, I still have plenty of time for my shop on the weekends. Just let me know if you need any Felix Felicis to help you take on those crazy beasts you're working with. (Or perhaps a small vial of Amortentia if settling down is actually a possibility?? Only joking… sort of.) How's everything been at the Sanctuary so far?

I miss you so much and hope to hear back from you soon. Bea sends her love too!

Love, Penny

(Y/N) sighed as she finished reading, drawing the parchment against her chest. It was nice to know Penny was proud of her. The beautiful blonde had always known what she wanted to do and had her life as a Potioneer planned out since their very first day at Ilvermorny. (Y/N), on the other hand, had been interested in so many different careers in the wizarding world she struggled when it came to narrowing down her options and feeling confident with her decision. Funny how that ended up working in her favor with the way everything turned out...

(Y/N) shook her head clear, not wanting to think about that right now. Reaching out, she stroked Pearl affectionately, realizing this was her first encounter with a magical creature that wasn't a dragon in over two weeks. That was (Y/N)'s only complaint about working at the Sanctuary so far. She was well aware before she accepted the job that owls and Thestrals were the only other creatures permitted on the grounds, but it was an adjustment after having spent nearly two years bonding with all the different creatures back at the Reserve. (Y/N) frowned, feeling the ache in her chest grow, and decided she would have to write back to Penny later. Right now she needed a reminder of just how much she enjoyed being here at the Sanctuary, and maybe she could visit the Thestrals later.

Working alongside Charlie and Hank did just the trick at first. She had purposefully worked through the next two days to keep herself distracted, and it was working fine until now. (Y/N) stilled as Ventus bowed his head to her and flapped his green wings once, creating an all too vivid parallel in (Y/N)'s mind with her favorite Hippogriff back at the Reserve.

"Hello? Earth to (Y/N)?" Hank said, waving a hand in front of her face.

(Y/N) pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to ease the sudden pounding in her head. "Sorry, what'd you say?"

"I said I think Ventus here is growing quite fond of you."

(Y/N) forced a smile, admiring the dragon in front of her. "Yeah. Probably helps that he's the nicest one of the bunch." She felt Hank's inquisitive gaze linger on her for longer than she felt comfortable with, so she added, "We should probably get back down for dinner."

Both Charlie and Hank agreed, and the trio followed the path back to the village, joining Scott at their usual picnic table.

"Did you hear that the Wasps got owned by Puddlemere yesterday?" Scott asked as he piled his plate with a second helping of mashed potatoes.

Hank snorted. "No surprise there. I would'a bet twenty galleons on it with how rubbish Wimbourne has been this year." The forty-three year old who had already downed his dinner grabbed a piece of pie from the tray. "Hey Charlie, didn't you play with some bloke on Puddlemere's team?"

Charlie, who was seated beside (Y/N), nodded. "Oliver Wood. He became captain for Gryffindor after I left. Pretty good Keeper."

"Wait, isn't your friend Andre a Keeper too?" Scott asked.

"For Pride of Portree, yeah."

"Bloody hell," Hank said through a mouthful of pie, "and your sister may start playing for the Harpies? With all these connections, you better damn well get us tickets to the next World Cup."

The men carried on with the Quidditch conversation, but (Y/N) was distracted by the mention of Charlie's sister. So far she had only caught wind of a brother named Bill, and now an unnamed sister, presumably younger if she's just now joining the Harpies. Since (Y/N) didn't want to ask about anyone's family outright, she had resorted to making mental notes whenever something was mentioned. Hank had a sister named Chloe, but Scott had never mentioned family, only a friend named Steven.

"How's Andre doing?" Scott asked. "He should come visit again sometime."

"I haven't seen him in awhile actually. I'll probably send him an owl when I go home for Christmas."

(Y/N)'s stomach lurched at the thought of going home for the holidays. She hoped it wasn't uncommon for people to stay here around Christmastime.

"Awh man, you're going home this year?" Hank asked, disappointment etched on his face. "I was hoping Molly and Arthur were gonna come back here for a change. We haven't seen 'em since your siblings stayed at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament."

Molly and Arthur, (Y/N) repeated in her head, adding who she presumed to be Charlie's parents to her mental list. She was surprised to find herself a little disappointed too. She would have liked to meet them.

"Seriously, that cake she made was the best I've ever had," Scott added, patting his stomach. "Plus it's always fun to get the scoop on Charles' childhood."

So his parents were still together and his mom was a great baker, maybe even a housewife since he apparently had so many siblings. From the sound of it, Charlie seemed to have a big, happy family. Of course he did.

"Are your parents gonna visit, (Y/N)?" Scott asked as he refilled his glass of Pumpkin Juice.

An anxious chill scattered across (Y/N)'s neck, traveling all the way down her back and legs. She hoped to God she didn't look as alarmed as she felt, and she shrugged in an attempt to ease some of the tension between her shoulders. "No, my parents and I aren't that close." She kept her tone casual, not wanting anyone to think it was a big deal. "But I'm sure my friends will sometime," she added for good measure. Even though her parents would never come here, Penny, Rowan, Barnaby or Jae might visit her someday.

"Don't you have any siblings that wanna come?" Hank asked, forking the last of his pie into his mouth.

(Y/N) stilled, feeling the color drain from her face. She shouldn't have been surprised. In all honesty, she was more surprised she had managed to make it this long without it coming up. For a split second, she considered lying- it's not like they would know the difference if she said she was an only child. But these guys were her friends, and she didn't want to lie to them.

Swallowing, (Y/N) looked down at her plate and scooped the last of her mashed potatoes onto her spoon. "Unfortunately my brother passed away several years ago."

"Oh shit," Hank said, his blue eyes going wide. "Sorry to hear that."

(Y/N) offered a smile, not wanting anyone to feel uncomfortable. That was always the worst part. "Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago."

Hank wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Were you two close?"

"About as close as your average siblings. We loved each other but did our fair share of arguing," (Y/N) said with a laugh. To her relief, Hank and Scott joined in laughing.

"Chloe and I used to torment each other all the time," Hank began before diving into a story of the best prank he ever pulled on his younger sister. (Y/N) let out a breath, grateful that they hadn't made a big deal of it. She was surprised, however, when she turned and found a certain dragon lover's gaze piercing right through her. Had Charlie been staring at her this whole time? Why was he looking at her like that?

(Y/N) kept her focus on Hank and Scott but could feel the redhead's eyes on her for the remainder of dinner. As Hank got to his feet, (Y/N) quickly followed, feeling oddly vulnerable. She desperately hoped her mentor wasn't about to start treating her differently- or worse, about to start asking questions.

"Anyone up for a game of Gobstones or Wizard Chess?" Scott asked, downing the last of his Pumpkin Juice. When his eyes flicked to (Y/N)'s, she shook her head.

"Sorry, but I'm actually going to fly for a bit before it gets too dark. I'll be up in the west wing if you guys need me."

Hank and Scott waved as (Y/N) went to retrieve one of the brooms from the storage shed by Aro. She made a point to not look at Charlie, not wanting to know if the confusing redhead was still staring at her like that.

As (Y/N) disappeared up the hill, Charlie reflexively glanced toward the west wing, the winding pathway and herds of workers just barely visible in the distance.

"Would you look at that," Hank said, stepping up beside him. "Yet another thing in common. You're running out of excuses, Weasley."

Charlie remained silent. He hated whenever Hank was right.

"That nagging voice in the back of your head asking if you should go talk to her?" Hank continued, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, you should try listening to that for a change."

-

(Y/N) loved flying, but the real reason she was heading to the west wing was to see the Thestrals. The manufacturing team used them to pull carts and even flew on them occasionally since dragons couldn't see them.

As the creatures' resting spot came into view, (Y/N) lowered her broom handle, dismounting gracefully onto the secluded clearing. The area was easily one of the most beautiful and serene that (Y/N) had found at the Sanctuary so far. The sound of water from the creek greeted her ears, the steady stream leading into a dense forest ahead. Not many dragonologists seemed to approach the Thestrals when they were off duty. Whether it was because her coworkers couldn't see them or because of the bad omen myths about them, (Y/N) wasn't sure, but she was more than grateful for it.

Five Thestrals were there, two laying in the grass while the other three stood idly by, stomping their hooves and flapping their bat-like wings occasionally. (Y/N) didn't hesitate to approach the nearest one, watching closely for any sign of protest before stroking it's long, bony muzzle. The Thestral nuzzled his head against her hand, and that emptiness in (Y/N)'s chest vanished in an instant.

She stayed there for awhile, sitting in the grass and petting the creature, letting her mind wander to the Reserve for the first time since she'd been there.

"There you are."

(Y/N) whipped around, startled from her reverie and even more startled to see Charlie come into view, the matching Nimbus 2008 clutched in his right hand.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, assuming one of the dragons needed help for the redhead to come looking for her. "Norberta's wound didn't break open again, did it?"

"No, she's fine." He set the broom down beside hers and pushed his messy hair back away from his face. "Mind if I sit?"

(Y/N) blinked at him, wondering momentarily if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming- not that she had ever dreamed about dragon boy before. "Uh no, of course not."

He sat beside her, resting his forearms on his knees, and (Y/N) became far too aware of just how close he was. Sure, Charlie usually sat by her at the picnic table now ever since their trip to the pub, but it was a big table with plenty of room between the two. As (Y/N) stared down at the redhead's beat up jeans, she estimated less than seven inches between their legs.

"So why'd you come here?" Charlie asked, reaching forward and running a hand along the Thestral's back. "I could have sworn you'd be up on the landing. Took me awhile to spot you down here."

(Y/N) blinked again, her eyes following his hand before darting up to meet his curious gaze. He could see them. He could see the Thestrals. She bit the inside of her cheek hard, using all of her willpower to stay silent. She wanted to know more than anything, but how do you politely ask someone who they had seen die? You didn't.

"I like visiting the Thestrals," she admitted, glancing back to the creature resting on the ground. "Don't get me wrong, I love dragons, but it's an adjustment only seeing one type of creature everyday." (Y/N) frowned as the image of her Hippogriff returned to her mind. "I, uh, left a lot of creatures back in America."

"Oh. Do you miss home?"

A scoff fell from (Y/N)'s mouth before she could stop it. As far as she was concerned, home was wherever she was working, meaning the Sanctuary was her home now. She looked up at Charlie and wasn't sure why, but something in those big brown eyes made her confide in him. "This is my home now. Closest thing I've got to one anyway."

Unmistakable sadness flashed across Charlie's features. His eyes were fixed on the Thestral, but (Y/N) could tell his mind was elsewhere. "I lost one of my brothers too," he said quietly.

(Y/N)'s attention snapped back to Charlie and guilt swirled around in her stomach as she recalled her earlier assumption. A big, happy family. No wonder Charlie had been staring at her earlier. He may have had a bigger family, but it was broken just like hers.

"Oh." Her mind filled with questions, but (Y/N) knew the first one to ask. "What was his name?"

"Fred." He went quiet for a moment, and (Y/N) understood- she struggled saying her brother's name for an entire year after losing him. "Yours?"

"Jacob." She waited a minute before asking another question, not wanting to overwhelm him. "Was he older or younger?"

"Younger." The redhead rubbed his forehead with his palm before saying, "He and my brother George were twins. I can't even imagine what he's going through."

(Y/N)'s insides twisted, not only at the inconceivable thought of losing a twin, but also at Charlie's choice of words. I can't even imagine what he's going through. How recently had Fred died? "Can I ask what happened?"

Charlie looked down at her, and the sadness in those eyes made (Y/N)'s heart crumple. "Battle of Hogwarts."

(Y/N) sucked in a breath, her jaw dropping slightly. It had only been a little over a year since the battle. She had read about it of course. Even in America, Voldemort's defeat was all people talked about for months. After Grindelwald, Ilvermorny ensured students knew about Harry Potter and the history of one of the darkest wizards of all time for fear of him invading America. But she had never imagined coming so close to it all. Charlie's brother was amongst the fallen who had fought and died for the rest of the wizarding world. She suddenly felt stupid for not putting the pieces together sooner. Charlie had gone to Hogwarts after all. "Did you fight in the battle too?"

The redhead nodded. "My whole family did."

(Y/N)'s gaze flicked back and forth between the Thestral and Charlie. "That's why you can see them," she whispered, reaching a hand out to stroke the creature's muzzle again. "Did you see him- I mean did you see Fred-" (Y/N)'s voice cracked and she looked away, blinking away the tears gathering in her eyes. She hoped he knew what she meant because she didn't think she could get the words out.

"No," he said, and a wave of relief washed through her. "I saw a lot of people die that day, but not my brother. I came in halfway through. I didn't even know he had died until it was all over."

(Y/N) fell silent, unsure of what to say, before deciding to take a risk. She placed her hand on top of his forearm and squeezed, letting her thumb brush comfortingly across his smooth, freckled skin. "I'm really sorry. It's one of the worst feelings in the world and I know nothing I say will make it any better."

Charlie attempted a smile. "You sure? Because talking to you has made it a little better."

It was possibly the worst thing he could have said to her. Butterflies gathered in her stomach and she pulled her hand back, feeling stupider than ever as a smile tried to reach her lips. This conversation was definitely not helping her put an end to the idiotic crush she had begun developing for the redhead.

To make matters even worse, Charlie nudged the side of her knee with his own, causing a cluster of goosebumps to break out down her leg. "Your turn," he said, nodding towards the Thestral.

(Y/N) knew what he meant, but the answer approached dangerous territory. She didn't want to tell him anything, but how could she not after Charlie had finally opened up to her? She just wouldn't tell him the full story.

"My brother was a Curse-Breaker," (Y/N) started, continuing to pet the Thestral. "He went missing while he was at Ilvermorny, and I started looking for him once I got there. It took me awhile to find him, but I eventually did." (Y/N) let out a breath, trying her best to keep the flashbacks from her mind. "But he wasn't the same. He was obsessed with these Cursed Vaults around Ilvermorny and the last one killed him."

Charlie's forehead creased with worry. "You saw him die?"

(Y/N) nodded. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. By the time I caught up with him-" (Y/N) broke off and cleared her throat. "Let's just say I wish I hadn't." The sound of thunder began pounding in her ears, and she shut her eyes, giving her head a slight shake as she forced the miserable memory away.

"Life really isn't fair sometimes," he muttered.

"No. But I still think everything happens for a reason."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Charlie let out a sigh, and he was quiet for another moment before whispering, "Does it ever get any easier?"

She looked up at him, wanting him to see the honesty in her eyes as she nodded. "Yeah, it does."

"Good. I'm sorry about your brother, and I'm sorry you had to leave all those creatures behind. I couldn't imagine leaving these dragons."

(Y/N) smiled. "You guys make it a little easier."

That brought a smile to the redhead's face, one of his genuine ones that lit up his eyes and tugged on (Y/N)'s heart. "What creature do you miss the most?"

(Y/N) frowned. "My Hippogriff Sirius. I'd never admit it to the other creatures, but Hippogriffs have always been one of my favorites."

"Sirius?"

She internally cursed herself for mentioning the Hippogriff's name. "Uh, after Sirius Black. I was a bit obsessed with him when his whole story came out. Couldn't imagine being in Azkaban for twelve years as an innocent wizard."

Charlie laughed. "I'm technically related to him."

(Y/N) blinked at him, completely astounded. "What?"

"My dad's mom was a Black."

"Oh," (Y/N) muttered, feeling suddenly embarrassed for some reason. "Small world."

"Yeah, I never got to meet him, but my siblings did because of the Order of the Phoenix and since he was Harry's godfather."

"You mean Harry Potter?" (Y/N) asked rhetorically. She knew that's who he meant because it had been all over the papers how tragic it was that Sirius never got a chance to be the father figure that Harry Potter deserved, but she couldn't resist a laugh. "You talk about him like you're friends."

Charlie seemed the least bit fazed by this. "Well, he is my brother Ron's best friend and has been dating my sister for over two years."

"What?" (Y/N) gaped at him, completely dumbfounded. "You mean the Harry Potter might be your brother-in-law one day and I'm just now hearing about it?"

Charlie laughed. "Sorry, I'm so used to him hanging around my family I forget how some wizards see him."

(Y/N) wanted to understand where he was coming from but just couldn't. It was Harry Freaking Potter they were talking about. That would be like saying meeting Newt Scamander was no big deal. She shook her head, still bewildered. "You're insane."

The pair sat there for a little longer as the sun began to set. When Charlie remained quiet, (Y/N) gave into the question that had been nagging at her since he had told her about Fred. "So does this mean we're friends now? Because to be honest, I feel like I've been getting mixed signals for the past two months."

"Sorry about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hank's been telling me for weeks I need to get over it, but ever since Fred died it's been hard to let people in."

"A lot of people don't understand," (Y/N) said empathetically. "Nobody, not even my friends, knew how to act around me after my brother died."

"Yeah," Charlie agreed, a sad smile reaching his lips. "It's nice to finally have someone who gets it. And yeah, I'd say we're friends now."

(Y/N) smiled, feeling jitters dance around her stomach. She paused for a moment before peering up at him. "Well then as your friend, can I ask you a personal question?"

Charlie's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What?"

"So I know you love dragons and all, but you're not like into them, are you?" She bit back laughter at the look on the redhead's face.

He shook his head, laughing a bit too. "Funny. Real funny. Did Hank tell you to ask me that?"

"No…" She bit her lip, unsure how truthful she should be. "A certain blonde may have accused you of being more attracted to dragons than women."

The redhead rolled his eyes but didn't seem the least bit offended. "I swear my dating life- or lack thereof- has been of more interest to people around here than I would have ever imagined."

(Y/N) laughed, and luckily stopped herself from saying, "Can you blame them?" The last thing she was going to do was to admit to Charlie just how good looking and talented he was. "You don't have to talk about it. It's really nobody's business."

Charlie shrugged. "There's just not much to tell. I was pretty much consumed by dragons at Hogwarts. I didn't even have a crush on anyone until my last year."

That wasn't weird. People were allowed to be picky or have other priorities. "Did you two end up dating?"

"Yeah. But it was pretty stupid because I knew I was going to Romania and she was staying close to home."

"Ah."

"So then I came here and was primarily focused on work. And it's not like there was an abundance of options around."

(Y/N) nodded slowly, arguing internally on whether or not to ask the next thought that popped into her head. After a moment, she decided to go for it. "And what about Sydney?"

Charlie shrugged again. "She's nice, I just never felt comfortable around her. She didn't really understand the whole dragon obsession. This is just a job for her. Probably why she made that comment."

(Y/N) wanted to ask if he felt comfortable around her but realized how it would sound in that context. The last thing she wanted was for Charlie to think she was flirting with him. She was not about to ruin their new friendship. "Well, she doesn't know what she's missing. This has easily been the best job I've ever had."

"How many have you had?" Charlie said with a laugh, sounding surprised. "I thought you were a Magizoologist before this?"

(Y/N)'s smile faltered. "I was, but only for the last two years. I, uh, moved around a lot after my brother died. Had quite a few different jobs after graduation."

"Like what?"

"Healer, Potioneer, Wandmaker, and a couple others," (Y/N) muttered with a shrug.

"But you graduated the same year I did. Did you really have a new job every year?"

(Y/N) felt nervous being put on the spot. "No, I told you I spent two years at the Reserve." She elbowed him playfully in attempt to lighten the mood, but he frowned.

"So the longest you've ever stayed somewhere is two years? Does that mean…" Charlie didn't finish the sentence but he didn't have to.

Stomach acid churned in (Y/N)'s belly at the thought of leaving the Sanctuary. "I don't know to be honest. Like I said, this is the best job I've ever had, so you might have a harder time getting rid of me."

This seemed to reassure the redhead. He smiled at her, and (Y/N) knew she was doomed because all she could think about was that it seemed like Charlie didn't want her to leave, and that thought made her way happier than it should have.

Eyeing the darkening sky, Charlie said, "Race you back to the village?" Before she even responded, he was standing up and picking up his broom.

"Hey, you cheater!" (Y/N) called as the redhead kicked off the ground just as she reached her broom. She darted up after him, heading back home, and couldn't help but think that this was going to be the start of one of the best friendships she would ever have.

-

October and November came and went even faster than the previous months, and (Y/N) couldn't believe how much fun she was having with team. She felt entirely comfortable around all of them now and hung out with Charlie all the time. She was sure, however, to set specific boundaries for herself, not wanting her ridiculous crush to get out of hand. She was hoping it would disappear altogether soon enough and there would be nothing to worry about.

When the first snowfall of the season came one December morning, (Y/N) couldn't wait to visit the dragons and see just how glorious the Sanctuary's scenery looked.

"Hurry up," she groaned as Scott and Hank took longer than usual to get going. Charlie, on the other hand, didn’t disappoint and seemed as ready as he always was. He was definitely a morning person.

"I thought we agreed to start later in the winter," Scott grumbled mid yawn, pulling a hat onto his head and rubbing his hands over the sleeves of his coat. "It's bloody freezing out here."

"The sooner we start, the sooner we get hot cocoa," Hank pointed out even though he too looked less enthused about working.

They started with Gertie and Aro first, feeding them and making sure they had enough areas to stay warm. Most dragons could handle the severe weather due to their love of mountainous regions, but they weren't entirely immune to illness and overall irritation from the drastic change. Certain breeds in particular seemed to handle the frigid climate better than others, and that became clear as they approached Odie, the Antipodean Opaleye.

"Boy he's cranky," Hank said after dodging a second blast of fire from the agitated beast. Odie was refusing to let anyone feed him or even step within 50 feet of him.

Charlie laughed as he guided the raw sheep meat back onto the ground several yards away from Odie. "You probably would be too if you were from Australia."

"True." Hank stepped away from the rock he had hid behind, his eyes never leaving Odie in case another burst of flames came his way.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," (Y/N) began, eyeing the purple patch covering the dragon's right ear, "but I think it's more than him just not liking the weather. I think he's developed frostbite from it."

"Shit," Scott grunted as his gaze followed (Y/N)'s. "I told you guys we should have made them wait until Spring to ship him here."

Hank slid his wand back into his pocket and turned to Charlie. "Guess I should go nag the research team to help us stun him. Should I get Logan or Felix to heal it?"

Charlie looked from Odie's ear to (Y/N). "Can you do it?"

(Y/N) craned her neck to see the full span of the injury. "If I can somehow get within five or so feet of him then yeah."

"Five feet?" Hank pointed out, quirking an eyebrow.

(Y/N) groaned in exasperation. They loved mocking her American ways. "One and a half meters, whatever. I think you should use the freezing charm instead though."

"Are you mad?" Scott spat.

"If we stun him we risk him not eating for another hour. Dehydration and starvation will only make the frostbite and his attitude worse."

"Can't we use the body-bind curse instead?" Scott asked. "I'd feel far better about you getting so close if he was more restrained."

"And traumatize him while he's hurting?" (Y/N) asked, flinching at the idea.

Scott turned to Hank, clearly looking for backup, but the forty-three year old shrugged and started toward the pathway. "It's your funeral, darlin'."

Five minutes later, Hank came back with Logan and Dave to help with the charm. "Six of us should do it, don'tcha think?"

The rest of them nodded. Half a dozen were usually plenty to subdue a more timid breed like Odie.

"You sure you want to do this?" Charlie asked, handing (Y/N) his gloves. "It's not exactly the safest task in the world."

She smiled at him, sliding the brown material over her hands. "If I wanted safe, I hardly would have picked this career."

He chuckled, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "I've got your back."

(Y/N) hated when Charlie made comments like that. They were crossing far too many of her boundaries and made her insides tingle in a way she wished it wouldn't. Still, she put on another smile and withdrew her wand. "You better."

The six of them lined up and waited for Odie to lay down. As soon as he was comfortably resting on the snow-covered ground ahead, they all shouted, "Immobulus!"

(Y/N) darted forward, unsure of exactly how much time she had, and moved to the dragon's right side, staying as far away from his mouth as possible. With a complicated wave of her wand, she used the hot-air charm first, letting a gentle mist of steam warm the affliction. As soon as the proper pearl color returned to Odie's ear, she performed two healing charms on the injured ear and one charm on the opposing ear to prevent it from facing the same fate later.

"Hurry up," Scott warned. "Or we'll have to do it again."

"No, I'm good," (Y/N) said, catching sight of the slightest movement of the dragon's arms. Just as she stepped back, Odie unfroze completely, standing up and flapping his wings. (Y/N) was almost out of the danger zone until his giant white tail flicked once behind him, hitting her thighs and sending her falling backwards. She winced as her back hit the ground, knocking the wind out of her momentarily and shooting her wand into the air. Luckily, the snow helped ease her fall and she recovered quickly, automatically reaching her hand out and saying, "Accio wand."

Big mistake. Odie's gaze hungrily followed the wand as it flew through the air, clearly mistaking it for potential food. As the wand landed in its owner's hand, Odie's eyes darkened, just now spotting (Y/N) and how close she was.

Knowing no one would be able to subdue or distract him in time, (Y/N) moved faster than she had ever moved before, scrambling behind the only boulder in sight as the Antipodean Opaleye sent a rush of flames her way. She overheard the men in the background attempting to extinguish the blast, but they could only manage to lessen the blow. She ducked as close to the snow as humanly possible, but she was so worried about her head, she forgot to move the hand resting against the rock. Pain seared the back of her left hand as the flames reached the glove, and she jerked it away, tucking her whole body behind the boulder. When she heard Scott and Hank taming Odie, she relaxed, sitting up and yanking off the glove to examine the reddened, already blistering skin. Their gloves protected them as much as possible but could only do so much against such direct contact with fire.

A familiar head of red hair came into view as Charlie crouched down beside her. "You okay?"

"Almost," she said before letting out a sigh of relief as she rested the back of her hand into the snow. She couldn't help but laugh a little, still feeling jolts of adrenaline course through her body. "Would you think I'm utterly insane if I said I'm even a little excited about my first potential scar here?"

A grin spread across Charlie's freckled face. "Not one bit." He stood back up and extended a hand to her. "Come on, let's get that cleaned up."

(Y/N)'s hand started feeling better after burn-healing paste was applied. She continued working for the rest of the day while Hank and Scott profusely commended her readiness and ability to stay calm.

"I could have sworn you were gonna lose your eyebrows like Scott did his first year," Hank had said, ruffling Scott's hair while Scott jerked away.

"It was only one eyebrow and that only happened one time."

The team retired early and (Y/N) was in her kitchen, enjoying a cup of tea and trying to ignore the occasional twinge in her hand, when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called, and she was instantly annoyed by the flip in her stomach as Charlie's silhouette came into view. He was wearing a knitted crimson sweater she had never seen before with a dragon embroidered in the middle. None of them wore nice clothes much since they were usually out on the field, and she tried to avert her eyes, not wanting to admit to herself how well it suited him.

"Figured you could probably use some more of this," he said, closing the door behind him and setting a fresh bottle of the burn-healing paste onto the table.

"Thanks," she said, smiling up at him. "Want a cup of tea?" His eyes glanced uncertainly to the auburn liquid steaming in her teacup and she laughed. "Relax, I have milk and sugar if you want it."

He smiled. "Sure then."

"You Brits are weird," she muttered, moving toward the kettle as Charlie took a seat on the wooden loveseat off to the left and let his eyes wander around her place. The pair had hung out a lot, but not so much in each others' houses, and (Y/N) suddenly felt nervous.

She poured a second cup of tea and grabbed the burn-healing paste from the table before joining Charlie in the section of the room that would be considered the living room. She did, however, decide to sit in the chair adjacent to the loveseat. Boundaries.

"Thanks," he said, accepting the mug from her and leaning back into the cushioned seat. "You did really great today."

"All in a day's work," she said casually, feigning boastfulness with a shrug of her shoulders.

He laughed and set the teacup down on the coffee table in front of them. "You gonna put more of that on or am I going to have to do it for you?" he asked, indicating the bottle next to his mug.

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries, (Y/N) repeated over and over in her head. As much as she hated to admit it, the tiniest part of her understood what Sydney had meant. Charlie was a little clueless when it came to how words and actions could be interpreted. "Okay, mom."

"I just know how much it hurts going on at first."

He wasn't wrong. It stung like a bitch the first time she applied it after the incident, but she wasn't about to admit that. She had a relatively high pain tolerance and was a little too prideful when it came to her resilience. "It's not that bad."

"Oh really?" He picked up the bottle and offered it to her. "Go ahead then."

She stared at it, trying to convince herself that it was like ripping off a bandage, but in the end she didn't want to do it.

Charlie grinned. "That's what I thought." He opened the bottle and poured some of the potion onto his palm.

"What are you doing?"

The redhead moved in front of her, sitting on the edge of the coffee table before reaching for her hand. "Doing it for you. We need your hand better before Monday."

The word BOUNDARIES blared in (Y/N)'s head like a siren, complete with flashing red lights, bells and whistles. She pulled her arm away, attempting a laugh. "I can do it myself," she insisted, trying to snatch the bottle away from him.

This didn't seem to deter him in the slightest. He just stared at her, a half smile on his lips. "And people say I'm stubborn."

She kept her eyes locked on his, refusing to be the first to break eye contact.

"Technically it's only fair,” he added, “considering I let you help me.”

Shit. That son of a bitch cornered her. She glowered at Charlie, feeling defeated as she pulled her sleeve up and extended her left arm.

"Was that so hard?" he asked right as he brushed the potion across the back of her hand, making (Y/N) wince as the orange paste fought to heal her burned flesh. The pain lasted no longer than a minute though and was soon replaced by jolts of electricity at Charlie's touch.

It was less than five minutes before Charlie screwed the cap on the potion and set it back onto the table, but (Y/N) was more concerned with the fact that he didn't return to the couch. Instead, he pointed to the scar along her forearm. "I've wondered how you got that for awhile now."

"Oh, I had to fight off a Chimera once. He got a good slash in but don't worry, I won." Her gaze instinctively flicked to his eyebrow. Her rules were screaming at her to resist the urge, but he had touched her hand first. It was only fair. She reached up, briefly brushing the pad of her thumb across the small scar that separated his left brow. "Your turn."

The redhead cracked a smile, raising his own hand up to touch the scar. "Why does everyone have to ask about this one? It's actually the least exciting of them all."

"Try me."

"Okay… my brother Bill and I wanted to try and play Quidditch once when we were little. He started teasing me, saying there was no way I could ride an adult broom, so I took it from him. Needless to say I fell, but I actually would say I did fairly well considering I was only five."

(Y/N) laughed, unable to ignore how cute a stubborn five year old Charlie had to have been. "No fair. I can't believe you got to ride on a broom that young. My mom would have had my head."

Charlie laughed. "I never said I didn't get in trouble for it."

The pair talked for a little while longer before (Y/N) said, "I like your sweater by the way."

Charlie arched a brow, following her gaze and pinching the knitted material between his fingertips. "You mean jumper?"

"Ugh, whatever." (Y/N) let her head fall back against the chair and Charlie chuckled. At least it wasn't as bad as finding out Brits thought you were talking about underwear when you said pants. (Y/N) had reiterated the word trousers until it stuck in her mind for good. “Where’d you get it?”

The redhead looked a little embarrassed. "Uh, my mum made it."

That was probably the cutest thing (Y/N) had ever heard in her life and she didn’t know which was worse- the fact that Mrs. Weasley was perfect enough to knit her children sweaters or the fact that Charlie was the type of son who actually wore them. "When are you leaving to go see them?"

"Probably a few days before Christmas. I usually stay for about a week."

(Y/N) hoped her disappointment didn't show on her face. She knew Hank and Scott were going to be there, but she was going to miss Charlie.

"Are any of your friends coming to visit you?"

(Y/N) frowned. "Not until early next year. A lot of them are stuck at work or visiting their own families."

Charlie nodded and looked like he had something else he wanted to say.

"What?"

He peered up at her, and if (Y/N) wasn't mistaken, a subtle tinge of pink highlighted his freckled face. "You could come to the Burrow with me if you want."

(Y/N)'s heart stopped. As her mind caught up with his offer, she waved a hand at him. "Oh no, that's okay. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine here."

Much to her dismay, however, Charlie didn't let it go like she thought he would. "It really wouldn't be a big deal. There's already nearly a dozen of us so there's always plenty of food. And to be honest, Christmas is a bit dismal here at the Sanctuary."

(Y/N) had no doubt that Christmas would be disappointing here, but this was exactly the sort of cluelessness she had been referring to. Charlie was just being a nice friend, she told herself, refusing to let the offer go to her head. But why was he asking her and not Hank or Scott?

No. She was overthinking it. Maybe he had asked Hank and he had said no because Chloe was visiting. And she already knew Scott said he would hang back to help Hank with the dragons. Maybe he asked the team every year and it was no big deal.

"Uh, I don't know… I'm not sure I could handle meeting Harry Potter. I'd probably embarrass the hell out of myself."

Charlie laughed. "If either of us stands to be embarrassed it would be me. My siblings live to humiliate one another."

(Y/N) fell silent, trying to ignore just how much she would love a chance to meet his family.

"Are you really going to say no to me two days before my birthday?"

"Hey, that's not fair," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think it is. Think of it as a birthday present."

Why was he being so persistent? This was crossing dozens of boundaries. The last thing she needed to do was fall in love with his family. "What if I already got you a present?"

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "I told you guys not to."

"No, you told us not to buy anything," she corrected before standing up and walking over to her dresser. She opened the bottom drawer, withdrawing a neatly folded sweater before returning to Charlie. "My team gave me this after the Bludger I hit stopped the other team's Seeker and won us the House Cup." She held up the striped blue sweater, showing off the Snitch darting around the center of it. "I never wore it much because let's face it, two Bludgers moving around on it would have been much cooler, but I thought you might like it. I was going to turn it red for Gryffindor and use the enlargement charm on it."

Charlie stared at her, smiling one of those damn smiles- the ones she had become strongly opposed to because of the way they made her feel. "Can I see it on?"

(Y/N)'s eyebrows narrowed inquisitively, but for some reason she obliged, tugging the sweater on over her long sleeve shirt. "Well?"

"I have one word for you," Charlie said, his appreciative smile replaced by an alarmingly playful expression. "Run."

(Y/N)'s eyes grew wide and she darted toward the front door, swinging it open just as the redhead started after her.

After managing to somehow not kill herself on the slushy porch steps, (Y/N) ran toward the west wing, knowing the exact path to take to avoid any dragons. "You're insane," she called as she heard the redhead’s footsteps behind her, but she couldn't restrain a giggle. Pushing past a tall patch of brush, (Y/N) made her way toward the manufacturing team, passing by crates full of dragon-hide gloves and boxes of dragon heartstrings. She tried to slow him down by knocking a couple empty boxes back toward him, but Charlie easily sidestepped them.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that," he said, laughing as he gained in on her.

(Y/N) was panting hard by now, not used to breathing the cold air into her lungs. She kept running though, set on where she was headed, but her plan came to a screeching halt as the path she was intending to follow was covered with a pile of shoveled snow.

Before she could start running again, Charlie caught up with her, and just as she had anticipated, he tackled her onto the powdery mound of snow.

Neither could stop laughing as they landed in the pile, which was nearly deep enough to consume them both. It wasn't until (Y/N) had wiped the snow from her face and opened her eyes that her laughter died out.

"Gotcha," Charlie said, grinning down at her. He was bracing himself on his forearms to prevent from crushing her, and his face was so close- less than five inches from her own, making her go slightly dizzy. She dropped her head back into the snow, letting her eyelids flutter shut as she tried to steady her racing heartbeat- which was only racing because of all the running.

"Fine, you win," she said, and (Y/N) was more than relieved to feel the twenty-six year old collapse onto the ground next to her. She chanced a glance at him, but it wasn't much better. She still felt every urge to kiss him. "I'll go with you."

The redhead grinned at her, still panting slightly from the running. "Good. I prefer the jumper on you anyways."

(Y/N) knew Charlie just enjoyed messing with her and showing off his Seeker abilities, but that didn't stop her from wishing he meant something else by that.

Yep. She was completely and utterly doomed.

[smokedstorybara]

I’m compiling a list of all my wips w/ summaries here to remind myself what all I should be working on and keep myself accountable - and if y’all wanna yell at me about them please do

(Also be warned there will be some spoilers in here cause I suck at non spoiler-y summaries)

Fanfics:

Dear Evan Hansen:

(Apprentice) Park Ranger Handsome part 16 (doesn’t even have a name yet I’m so sorry)

Evan and Connor’s first date!! They go to the orchard of course, and have more relationship conversation... and a picnic.

Fae Court AU

Prince Connor of the Winter Court falls in love with a human boy and acts on it, despite his parents having Rules against relationships with humans. The consequences are big but Connor and Evan weather them well.

Flash:

Soulmate AU (I’m thinking ‘Dream A Little Dream Of Me’ for series title)

A series of one-shots following the Arrowverse characters - with a bit of a focus on Team Flash and the Legends - as they find love and happiness , with some bumps along the way, in a world where you share dreams with your soulmate. Timeline is spread out from Stein and Clarissa’s first meeting to some point around mid canon.

endgame ships include Barry/Len, Hartley/Cisco, Wally/Jax, Sara/Ava, Nate/Ollie/Felicity/Lisa(it’ll make sense I promise), Iris/Caitlin/Shawna, and more

Role-reversal AU

In a world where Barry was kept strictly away from the file on his mother’s murder after he becomes a CSI he grows resentful and distrusting of law-enforcement and a little quicker to recognize that he can’t entirely fix the issues with the police from the inside. So when he wakes from a nine month coma with super speed his first thought is how much he can shove the police’s faces in the fact that the system isn’t perfect and needs to change... he becomes the world’s fastest thief - unbeatable. At least until he goes after a certain diamond at the same time as one Leonard Snart, who walks away from the encounter looking to the world like a hero and gets a sweet taste of positive press that he’s not all that eager to give up.

Harry Potter crossover

Snart and Rory go “backpacking across Europe” on a ridiculous challenge to steal one thing in each country. Their last stop is in England and they’ve set their sights on a suburb in Surrey... which leads them to noticing the treatment of the young nephew of their potential target. Being survivors of abuse themselves they decide to remove him from that environment... along with all of Vernon Dursley’s valuables. Raising a kid is hard, raising a magical kid while maintaining positions as master thieves? ...piece of cake...

Check Please:

Moving On

When Jack and Bitty go through a messy breakup their friends are torn and Bitty is uncertain about what to do, especially when he has to go back to Georgia - where he’s firmly in the closet - for summer break. He can’t talk to his family or his friends about all his conflicting feelings about what happened, so he somehow finds himself corresponding with the one person who he knows would understand - Jack’s other ex, Kent Parson. He also finds himself growing closer to the previous year’s freshmen on his college hockey team and the team’s new manager - especially when summer ends and they’re all handling the situation better than the rest of his friends - ie: behaving like nothing happened except that they’re immediately down to fight Jack at a moment’s notice.

The Umbrella Academy:

Ghost Dave (that’s what it’s called in my google docs but it’s definitely not gonna be the title of the final product)

Dave Katz has been haunting the surviving members of his unit for a couple decades when the story about the 43 women comes on the news; a story Dave had heard plenty about before he died from his lover, Klaus Hargreeves. In whose tellings of it he was one of the children born that day. He also had claimed a few times to be from the future so Dave was fairly willing to take this as proof he was telling the truth. Immediately Dave seeks out Reginald Hargreeves and the 7 of the children he adopted. Over the next 29 years Dave follows the young Klaus around, giving him advice and unconditional friendship and protection from the other ghosts the poor kid could see.

Circle Of Magic crossover

When Tris finds herself dropping out of some kind of portal in a strange land it doesn’t take her long to figure out that some mage had decided to get rid of her - and possibly her siblings - by banishing her to another world, one with advanced technology but not much by way of magic - if one didn’t count the six super-powered siblings she appeared in the middle of. At the same time, but also not, Tris’s adopted sister Sandry wound up smack dab in the center of a group calling themself The Commission who’re very interested in adding her to their ranks, she joins up but maintains suspicion. Daja, the third sister, follows a pair of assassins. And their one brother, Briar, falls into the Vietnam War alongside one freshly tortured Klaus Hargreeves. They all find their way back together eventually - with much fewer casualties than if they hadn’t been there

Harry Potter crossover 1

When an eighteen-year-old Klaus Hargreeves gets bored of being lookout on a mission in London and wanders into the bar across the street he isn’t expecting to find a best friend, but that’s exactly what happens. Lily Evans is a couple months into a break-up and still tired of her ex and his idiocy, especially after his most recent letter - a pile of stupid big enough to send her straight to her local bar. The two hit it off instantly via complaining about anything and everything and egging each other into doing the most ridiculous but fun things. Their night of fun turns sour when Klaus finds out his brother Ben died during the mission and at least one of his siblings blame him. Lily takes the broken boy back to her flat and let’s him stay with her until his visa to stay in England runs out. Thirteen years later the apocalypse is interrupted by a tired ex-professor bringing life changing news - Lily was pregnant when Klaus left England(they’d slept together a handful of times but were never more than friends with benefits), also Lily and her husband(the idiot ex who apologized and changed his behavior, Klaus was at their wedding) are dead and Klaus and Lily’s son was placed with his aunt Petunia(who Klaus has met and knows the boy never should’ve been put with) because only five people besides Lily and James knew who Harry’s father really was and the only one capable of doing anything about it had to find the wandering junkie first. Klaus handles all this about as well as a powerful veteran with a traumatic childhood can - fighting tooth and nail for custody and then raising the boy the best he can with help from his siblings and robot mom and shoving his son’s happiness and safety in the faces of everyone who did the boy wrong

Harry Potter crossover 2

Not long after the war ends Harry finds that he can’t stand staying in magical Britain any longer, so he takes his godson and moves to America. Six years later one of the kids who live across the street sneaks out his window, wearing only pjs despite the heavy snow. Harry finds himself staying up waiting for the boy to return to their street and making some hot cocoa - which he offers to the boy as soon as he sees him. It quickly becomes a Thing(tm); Klaus will sneak out his window in the middle of the night, go for a walk, and eventually wind up having hot cocoa in Harry’s kitchen. They form a strange friendship, one where Klaus has someone he knows he can go to when everything becomes too much - even if that means crawling through Harry’s window, collapsing on his floor in tears, and falling asleep on his couch, waking up just in time to get home before his absence is noticed. Three more years have passed when Harry and Teddy are idly watching tv and Harry sees a very familiar face as Reginald Hargreeves introduces ‘the inaugural class of the Umbrella Academy.’ When Klaus comes over that night Harry asks how much choice Hargreeves gave him and his siblings in their ‘heroics’. After some thought Klaus remembers how his brother Ben hadn’t wanted anything to do with what happened at the bank but was made to participate anyway. He answers honestly: they weren’t really given any. Thus begins Harry’s campaign to get custody for the kids from Hargreeves.

Original Works:

Four Elements Universe(a collection of stories set along one timeline - very far apart and with no overarching plot, just a shared world):

Sisa:

A secluded young king sneaks out of his castle and gets a job under a false identity in hope for friendship, then gives everything up to help his new friends and the rest of his people when he realizes the extent of his adviser’s corruption. Around the same time, a teenage master thief is hired to steal a specific box from the castle - and then to help another thief break her friend out of the castle dungeon - and uncovers several major secrets that might just change the fate of the kingdom.

Kings:

Bandit King Vakhtang’s life is irrevocably changed when he agrees to lend his men to a rebellion for a hefty amount of gold. Over time he finds himself growing fond of the boy prophesied to be the next king and learning just as much from his new employer about letting himself care and open up as he’s teaching the boy how to protect himself. (His best friend and lover is very proud of this growth and kinda wants to adopt the kid)

The Completely Unrelated Adventures Of Four People Who Had Nothing To Do With Each Other Beforehand:

Four teenagers in rural Texas follow a cipher they found in an old tome and discover that all four of them have magical abilities, and that their town may not be as average as they’d believed. As they delve deeper in this new world they uncover two different secret organizations and find themselves caught in the middle of a dangerous conflict over a powerful artifact - that may or may not be the kid sister of one of them.

Mythicals:

Six kids around the world each find objects - artifacts - that grant them magical transformations and abilities. Seven years later all six of them end up at the same prestigious performing arts school in New York. When they discover that they all have these artifacts and powers - and that New York and possibly the world is in danger - they team up to protect everyone else, and quickly become close friends. Though one of them has a secret that could drastically change how the others view them... and possibly risk the fate of the human race.

Eternity And Forever(this one does have an overarching plot):

Eternity Of Forever:

Back in the early years of humanity a young man goes up a mountain for his Trials of Adulthood - a series of three trials set to test a person on the traits of whichever three gods they’ve been assigned to serve - unfortunately for this boy he’s been chosen for the gods of empathy, loyalty, and love... three traits that do not come easily to him. In his desperation to pass his trials he cheats the system and gets caught. As punishment he’s cursed to live forever just on the cusp of adulthood but never reaching it, the only way to break his curse is to prove - with no possibility of dishonesty - that he’s capable of the three traits. Over the next few millennia he gets caught up in a war for the fate of all life on earth, and also somewhat adopts a maybe-alien and falls in love with a time traveler.

Throughout Eternity:

At some unknown point in the future all that’s left of the human race is a refugee colony on an island floating above the desolate remains of our planet. It’s into this that Quinton is born. But when it’s discovered that he can travel through time with just a thought he’s trained for a very important mission: to go back in time and stop the apocalypse. Shortly into his mission he meets an immortal teenager who claims to have met Quinton’s future self and who offers to help, telling him that first thing he should do is gather a team to help him - he even provides names and years. This little team becomes like a second family to Quinton, especially the pretend-aloof immortal.

Forever And After:

After the death of the closest thing he ever had to a father, Slythus finds himself applying to the superhero school the immortal had founded - despite knowing that even if he were accepted into the student body he’d never be accepted by the student body. Somehow he manages to get in... and even more impossible; manages to make friends. But even as he learns how to be good, his past is lurking on the edges of his new life and quickly becoming impossible to ignore - figuratively and literally.

Shadow Warriors:

After the dragon Svartr gets cursed protecting a village from invaders they offer their children to be trained by him - to take care of him as his condition worsens. Those selected and taught by him become known as the Shadow Warriors. Alexir was born several generations after the tradition began of sending every twelve-year-old up Svartr’s mountain for the selection and she never expected to be chosen, being much more focused on intellectual growth than physical, so when it happens it comes as a bit of a shock. She struggles to keep up with her peers in most of the lessons but refuses to give in, pushing herself to reach their level while also learning the complexities of friendship from them all.

Consequences(originally titled ‘Consequences of War’ until I realized it’s more about just consequences for actions in general - like: don’t piss off the powerful magical Being hiding out in the abandoned building):

After deliberately pissing off what they believed to be a ghost - or a false rumor more likely - a college aged idiot ends up being banished into a strange world... with a distinct change in biology(mostly in the area of hormones and primary sex characteristics). As they travel this new world in search of a way home - and back into their original form - they learn new things about themself and make interesting new friends. They find themself questioning whether they actually want their ‘old body’ back and then, when they begin to fall in love, whether they really want to return to their old world.

[bazypitchandsimonsnow]

Into the Woods

Rating: T

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 6246

Summary: Simon is so done with his roommate's shit. Little does he know he's about to find out why Baz is being weird. Based on "Baz is a secret theatre nerd with glasses and a man bun” request.

Read on AO3

AN: I'm alive! And exhausted because work is a nightmare. Seriously, having a full time job sucks ass. But, WAYWARD SON!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!! Excited and scared, but mostly excited. 2020 can't come soon enough holy shit. Anywho, hope you enjoy this little romp :D

——————————————-

Simon

“What the fuck happened to you?”

I glare at Penny as best as I can with my tired eyes. “What the fuck do you think?”

“He was pacing in your bathroom?”

I sink into the uncomfortable lecture hall bench with a sigh. “Yes, came back late then kept me up until midnight, muttering and humming to himself, again. What the fuck is he doing that requires so much talking and movement. And why does it have to be in the fucking bathroom?!”

Penny shrugs, something usually only I do. “I don’t know, Si.”

“I bet he’s summoning the Devil.”

“Simon, for the last time, he’s an arsehole, not an evil wizard.”

“You don’t have to live with him.”

Penelope sighs and keeps typing on her laptop. I assume my occasional lecture position of arms on desk and head pillowed on arms. One advantage of uni is that professors don’t give a single shit if you sleep through their classes. I know I’m probably wasting my education, but I need sleep. Because of fucking Baz.

“Good morning, Snow.” Ugh, I hate his smooth, perfect voice. I grunt in reply. “Still not a fan of speaking, hm?”

“Fuck off, Baz,” I grumble, “it’s your fault I’m like this.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says, completely calm as usual.

I growl, because I hate words enough when I’m awake. And I refuse to use them with him.

He doesn’t answer, the bastard, just walks off. I watch from just over my arm as he sits a few rows in front. He’s easy to spot, what with the tight green t-shirt and stupid man bun. Well, it’s not totally stupid on him. Somehow everything looks good on him. He could wear a garbage bag and still look great. Stupid good looking arsehole.

I doze on and off through the whole psych lecture. It’s not that interesting anyway. And when I wake up, Baz is right in my line of vision, and I keep looking at him. How he re-adjusts his hair every once in awhile. How he spins a pencil between his long fingers. How he lifts his glasses up and down as he looks at the screen then takes notes. Why does he have to be such a good upstanding student and make the rest of us look bad? It’s so bloody infuriating.

I breathe a sigh of relief when the lecture is over. I’m done classes, but Baz has another lecture. I can go back to my room and get a good rest.

“Hey, Si,” Penelope says as I’m gathering my things. “Still wanna study for that English exam together?”

Shit, I promised her we’d study yesterday. Guess my nap will have to wait. “Yeah sure, Pen. Not sure how much help I’ll be. I’m not exactly good at English.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll whip you into shape.” She grabs my arm, and I willingly go.

“Yeah, sure, that’s possible,” I chuckle. We head out the door, but I sneak a look behind me. Baz is talking to a group of people. Huh, that’s weird. Baz and I have been roommates for over a year, and I’ve only ever seen him hang with the same two guys, a freckled redhead and his cousin (I think.) Those two are both standing there now, but for some reason there are a bunch of other people standing around too. Who have big smiles and even bigger gestures. Does Baz have friends now? Huh, he has been out more often. Guess they don’t mind that he’s an annoyingly smart arsehole, or that he looks better than all of them.

“C’mon, Si!”

Penny tugs harder, and I rip my gaze away from Baz. I’ll think about him later.

———————————————-

The only good thing about the student centre is that the chairs are comfy. I’m pretty sure the university invested all their furniture budget into cushy armchairs. I’m certainly not complaining. Especially today, when I could sink into the comfy leather forever.

“And what were the main themes of Fahrenheit 451?” Penny asks.

“Uhhh...” I don’t open my eyes. They feel too heavy. “Books are better than people?”

“I would personally yes, but our prof would disagree. Try again.”

“Blargh.”

“Blargh?” she chuckles. “Simon, are you making up words again?”

“Yes,” I grunt, “because I’m frustrated and tired and probably going to fail all my exams.”

Penny sighs, long and heavy. “You’re not going to fail.”

“You say that because you’re trying to make me feel better because you love me,” I spit out before thinking. I’m tired and have less of a filter than usual.

She scoffs, but in an endearing way. I’m not sure how she does that. “Yes, I love you, Simon, which means I’d never lie to you. You. Are. Not. Going. To. Fail.”

I sigh, because I know she’s right. Penny actually, really believes in me. I’m glad to have her in my life. “Thanks, Pen.”

“You’re welcome. Now, just tell me one theme, please?”

I tilt my head back over the chair, closing my eyes as I try to remember what our monotone prof said. “Uh, censorship?”

“Yes! See? I told you you’d get it.”

“Thank you, Penny,” I murmur, then curl into the armchair. “Now I’m going to sleep for a thousand years.”

Penny sighs exasperatedly, but it’s still loving. “Very well. Want a mint aero bar from the vending machine?”

“Mm, yes please.” I rummage around for my wallet in my back pocket, and pull out (what I hope is) a five pound note. Penny snatches it. I hope she gives me the change.

As I’m sinking into the comfy chair, finally relaxing after hours of discomfort, something gets dropped on my head. I frown and pick up the chocolate bar. I hear Penny sit in the opposite chair.

“Hey,” she says through a mouthful of candy, “look at this.”

“Don’t wanna,” I grumble.

“Simon, open your bloody eyes.”

“Ugh, fine.” I blink my eyes open. Penny is holding a big poster. It’s covered in trees and says "Into the Woods" in fancy letters. Then it lists the school theatre and dates next week. Wait... “Pen, did you steal that off the student events board?!”

“Not important. But look! This is an awesome musical, and the drama club is doing it soon. Maybe we could go see it.”

I twist my lips together. “Hm, I don’t know...”

“C’mon, Si, we’ve both been stressed out. We need to do something fun.”

“And musical theatre performed by probably off key uni students is fun?”

She gives me a deadpan look. “Do we have enough money to do anything better?”

I let out a long sigh. “No, we don’t.”

“Exactly. Now, wanna go see some shitty musical theatre?”

I twist my lips again, fiddling with my chocolate wrapper. “I’ll think about it, Pen. I need to study more if I’m going to pass psych.”

Penelope nods in acknowledgement. “Okay, I get it. The show is next week so we’ve still got time. Now,” she flips her binder open again, “tell me the role of Clarisse in regards to Guy’s character development.”

“Ugh,” I groan, “gimme a minute.”

I put Into the Woods in the back of my mind, and once again try to remember what the fuck our professor said. It’s an annoyingly difficult task.

———————————————-

When I get back to my dorm, Baz isn’t there, again. Man, he’s really been out a lot lately. More than before.

Last year, when he wasn’t in class, he was always in the room. Either reading on his bed or working at his desk. I tried to avoid him as much as possible, because everytime I disturbed him he would glare or make some passive aggressive sarcastic comment. It became clear he didn’t like my presence. So I learned to stay out of his way, but I guess that hasn’t really been a problem lately. And...it’s weird. It’s weird him not being here.

I take a long shower, revelling in the fact that Baz won’t bang on the door and demand I not use all the hot water. After, I curl up in bed, Netflix blaring in my headphones. It’s what I need to wind down after studying. Eventually, I let myself drift off to the sounds of Brooklyn 99.

But I’m woken up again when the door swings open. I grunt but don’t open my eyes. I just listen as Baz softly shuts it, pads around the room, then enters the bathroom. Ugh, fucking hell. He’s pacing and muttering and humming again, and even though he’s quiet, it’s annoying as fuck. I turn up my volume but it’s no use. Just knowing he’s there keeps me up. His presence just overwhelms my brain all the time.

When his footsteps get louder, I know he’s back in the main room. I pull off my headphones and glare at his back.

“Can you not?” I growl.

Baz freezes, head snapping up and shoulders tensing. Guess he thought I was asleep. “Can you be more specific?”

“It’s fucking great that you’re out having fun with your friends, but your late night entrances and obsessive pacing is keeping me up. Some of us aren’t vampires and can’t stay up all night.”

“Sorry my schedule is inconvenient for you, Snow.” His voice is so neutral I can’t tell if he’s mocking me or not.

"Oh fuck off, you prick."

"Incredibly creative insults there."

Ugh, he's so quick tongued. I can't fight him usually, and certainly not when I'm so tired. I opt for grunting and rolling over. Baz quickly goes back into the bathroom to change. (Prudish prick won’t change in front of me.) God, I’m so exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. Maybe I do need a break. Something fun...

I grab my phone from where it’s sitting on the floor and send a quick text.

Simon: heyyyy y’know i think i’m down for the musical i do need a break

Penny’s reply is instantaneous. (She was probably browsing Tumblr late at night again.)

Penny: Awesome! I’ll get us tickets for the last show on Friday.

Simon: sweet :) gonna go to bed night pen

Penny: Night, Si.

I power down the phone and restart Netflix again. Baz is already in bed, his black hair fanned out against the white pillowcase. Yeah, I need a distraction. Anything to keep me from thinking about school and exhaustion. As well as the stupid, annoyingly pretty guy sleeping no more than three metres away from me.

———————————————-

“What took you so long?!”

I ran up to Penny panting, completely doubled over. Christ, my lungs are fucking burning. “Sorry...couldn’t find...phone...bus...was late...so so sorry.”

“It’s fine, Si, let’s just get in there. Curtain is in three minutes.”

She takes my sleeve and drags me inside. She’s stomping, so I know she’s really pissed. I move to hold her hand tightly, squeezing it. “I’m really sorry, Pen.”

Penny keeps stomping, but sighs and squeezes back. “I know. Let’s just get in there.”

I let out a small sigh, because I know we’re still okay.

We rush into the theatre, jittering at the ticket booth and snatching up programs as we run past the poor student volunteer. Penny quickly finds us two seats in a not that shitty place. Surprisingly, the theatre is quite packed. Huh. I wouldn’t expect this many people for a student production.

“We made it,” Penny sighs.

“Yeah,” I reply. “So much for stress free evening.”

She chuckles, almost sardonically. “Yeah, unfortunately agreed. Now shush, curtain’s coming up.”

The whole theatre gets dark, and orchestra music swells. I lean back in my chair. The curtain rises to reveal (what I think at least) is a minimal set with people on it. A few tree silhouettes in the back, a raised platform, a fake fireplace, fake counter, and a fake cow next to a stool. Everything is just so fake. Penny said I had to “suspend my disbelief”. It’s hard to pretend with such little there. This is why I like TV and movies.

All the people on stage are wearing sort of fairy tale clothes. They start singing about what they wish for. To go to a party, for a cow to have milk, and to have a baby. Christ, is this whole thing just about people wanting things? Musicals are fucking weird.

I sort of half zone out, picking up on bits and pieces of the show and dozing off. Baz has been coming back later and later all week and waking me up each time he opens the door. The theatre is dark, so it’s hard to stay awake. I fall asleep at the scene with Rapunzel and the witch, but start to stir again when Jack’s mom throws the magic beans on the ground (ha, idiot.) But since this play jumps around more than a rabbit on a sugar rush, suddenly the Baker’s Wife is walking around in the woods with the cow as Cinderella runs past. She’s running from the ball again and hides behind the Wife. A trumpet goes off as someone gallops ridiculously on stage-

Wait, is that...

“Baz!?”

Three people shush me, but I ignore them, because Baz fucking Pitch is on stage right now, hamming it up with everyone else. He’s wearing a silly outfit that reminds me of a Disney prince, with a white jacket and a red sashs and gloves. His hair is slicked back with gel, emphasizing his stark widow’s peak more than usual. He’s not wearing his glasses either. Huh. I’ve never seen him without them. He looks...good. Well, he looks good with them too, but this is just a different sort of good.

I don’t pay attention to the scene, not even listening to what they’re saying. I’m just focusing on Baz and his amazingly ridiculous appearance. Oh my god he looks so stupid, trotting his feet and flicking his hands like he’s holding reins. When he’s offstage I lean over to Penny, who’s jaw is also on the ground.

“What the hell is Baz doing here?!” I whisper.

“I...have no idea,” she replies very hushed. It’s the first time I’ve heard her admit she doesn’t know something.

The play continues, but I’m paying attention even less. I just keep waiting for Baz to show up again. I’m so jittery. My leg is shaking at lightspeed. Penny kicks my foot in an attempt to stop me but it doesn’t help. The only thing that makes it stop is seeing Baz gallop ridiculously on stage, along with Rapunzel’s Prince.

“Ah, there you are, good brother. Father and I had wondered where you had gone,” he says to Baz.

“I have been looking all night for her,” Baz replies. His voice is like it always is, smooth and commanding. Like he was born to tell people what to do. Usually I find it annoying, but right now it works. He is supposed to be a prince.

The two princes commiserate over their mutual impossible loves. They're both idiots.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel! What kind of name is that? You jest! I have never heard of such a thing,” Baz laughs out.

Rapunzel’s Prince snorts. “I speak the truth. She is as true as your maiden. A maiden running from a prince? None would run from us.”

“Yet,” Baz sighs, “she has.”

Then he starts singing, and my brain short circuits.

Holy shit. Baz is singing. And he’s singing well. His voice is a solid, smooth baritone. It reverberates through the theatre perfectly. I’m totally transfixed. Since when could Baz sing so incredibly?!

“Agony!”  He belts. “Beyond power of speech. When the one thing you want, is the only thing out of your reach.”

Holy. Shit.

I don’t realise how much I’m gaping until Penny pushes up my hanging lower jaw back up. The whole song is quite ridiculous, and Baz sings it perfectly. He looks properly agonized through it. I didn’t know he could be so expressive. He’s, just, amazing.

The songs ends, and Baz exits. I don’t pay attention, what with my mind still spinning. So, Baz, my arsehole geeky roommate, can act, and sing, and looks weirdly amazing in a stupid prince costume. Okay, that’s a lot of new info to process.

Before I know it, the lights come back on, and Penny is tugging on my sleeve.

“Simon?”

I look up at her bewildered. “What?”

“C’mon, get up, I want to stretch my legs, and we can get some snacks. I bet you’re hungry.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, that’d be great.”

I follow behind her with my hands in my hoodie pockets. While Penny goes to the snack bar, I sit on a bench. Something stabs me in my pocket. I pull out the crumpled program. Wait, Penny mentioned this week the actors have bios in the program. I furiously flip through it.

I find Baz’s picture almost immediately. It’s black and white and a bit blurry but I can still make out his face. He looks normal in it. Tight shirt, glasses falling down his nose, hair tied up. But here, he's smiling slightly. Wow, I’ve never seen him look anything other than bored or annoyed. It’s weird, but also nice. I look down at the bio.

Baz Grimm-Pitch - Cinderella’s Prince A witty English literature major with a salt and vinegar crisp addiction plays Cinderella’s arrogant love. In his spare time, Baz plays the violin, studies the development of the English language, and competes in a recreational football league. “Into the Woods” is his first dramatic production.

I chuckle under my breath. Baz really is such a nerd. Even though I already know most of this, it’s kinda...cute? I’m not sure if that’s the right word but it feels right. The little blurb is just makes him sound so adorable. I can almost forget he’s an arsehole.

“Si, you want a cookie?”

I snap my head up to glare at a smirking Penny. She waves the chocolate chip cookie tauntingly. I snatch it from her hand, making sure to glare at her while I take a huge bite. She sits down next to me and looks over at the program.

“Huh,” she says, “at least they got a good photo of Basilton.”

“Yeah,” I reply quietly. “Still can’t believe he’s in this.”

“Me neither. I thought he was just a quiet academic like me.”

“Same, but...he’s actually really good.”

“I hate to give him a victory, but yeah, he is. He’ll probably be good in the second act too.”

I whip my head around to her, eyes wide. “Second act?! I thought the story was wrapped up!”

Penny shakes her head, swishing her curls. “Nope. There’s another part. It’s just as long.”

I look at my phone clock. “We’ve already been here for an hour and a half!”

She takes a bite of her cookie and smiles around the mouthful. “Yup. Welcome to musical theatre, Si.”

I groan and slump forward. The program is still in my hand, and still on Baz’s picture. Well...if Baz has got more songs, maybe I won’t mind staying.

———————————————-

So the second act, from what I can tell, pretty much destroys all the happy endings of the first act. Wow, okay, that’s not depressing at all. Everybody either gets squished by a giant or just generally fucks up. What a pleasant play.

Baz comes back on a few times. First, he and the other prince sing another version of the previous song. It’s the same tune and the same idea, but they’re singing about different impossible women. I chuckle. So Baz’s character is a total bastard. Kind of makes him seem like less of an arsehole by comparison.

Later, as everything in the story continues to fall apart, Baz runs into the Baker’s Wife. After one short conservation, the lights go pink, and the music gets slow. Baz starts approaching her with a smirk.

“Anything can happen in the woods,” he sings. “May I kiss you?”

My eyes pop out. Well, that’s forward. Far more forward than Baz probably really is. I know it’s just the play, but Baz looks so strong and handsome, that I believe him. And, is it wrong that I sort of wish it was real? That Baz would actually be that well, sexy? God, did I just call Baz sexy?!

Baz does kiss her, and it’s so intense that I blush. The Wife walks away from him, but he grabs her again and twirls her into his arms. Together, they glide across the wooden stage, occasionally kissing more. He spins her in and out, leading her around, all while singing a sleezy but beautiful song to seduce her.

“Foolishness can happen in the woods,” he croons. “Once again, please...let your hesitations be hushed. Any moment, big or small, is a moment after all. Seize the moment, skies may fall any moment.”

They kiss again, and I can’t believe how passionate it is. How passionate Baz is. It’s strange and wonderful to watch. All too soon, the Wife is pulling away and the kiss ends. But my brain is still swirling while Baz sings again.

“Right and wrong don't matter in the woods, only feelings. Let us meet the moment unblushed. Life is often so unpleasant. You must know that, as a peasant. Best to take a moment present. As a present, for the moment.”

With Baz’s last line, they walk off stage. I’m still blushing, and very confused by my own feelings.

Soon enough, the play ends. Baz’s character leaves Cinderella and marries Sleeping Beauty. (Wow, what a bastard.) But after all that misery, everyone atill alive is alright, I guess. The actors line up and bow. Everyone starts applauding. Oh shit. I quickly join. All the cast members smile brightly as they bow. And when Baz steps up, he’s no exception. Christ, he actually looks amazing when he smiles. It fits his face far better than a scowl or a thin flat line.

I’ve been learning a lot of new things about Baz tonight.

The cast leaves and the curtain falls. Lights turn back on. People start shuffling out. I’m still a bit dumbfounded to move though. I just saw Baz in a musical, where he sang and danced and kissed perfectly. He was fucking incredible. And I should let him know.

As we’re walking out the door, I turn to one of the ticket takers. “Hey, where are the actors coming out?”

“They should be in the alley to the left soon.”

“Awesome, thanks.”

On the sidewalk, I tug on Penny’s hand. “You can head home, Pen. I’m gonna stick around for a bit.”

Penny gives me a curious look, but just shrugs. “Alright then. See you, Si.”

“See you.”

She saunters off with a spring in her step. I watch her, wondering if I should run after and not do this. But I stay still. Fuck, what am I doing?

The actors trickle out one by one. I notice Baz’s friend and his cousin, but they run off before I can ask them where Baz is. The crowd thins until I’m the only one left, standing there like an idiot. Maybe I missed him. Maybe I should just go-

“Blasted dead mobile,” a familiar voice grumbles.

My head snaps up just in time to see Baz stop in his tracks. He looks like a deer in the headlights, grey eyes wide behind his spectacles. He’s back to his usual style of t-shirt and glasses and manbun. Back to the Baz I know. His mouth hangs open in complete and utter shock.

“Hey,” I say as casually as possible.

“Snow,” he replies shakily, a slight redness appearing on his cheeks. “What are you doing here?”

"I, just saw the show. The one you were in. Obviously. And I just wanted to find you and say you're uh, you were really good."

He visibly gulps, fiddling with his knapsack strap. “Thank you. I...didn’t realise you were a musical theatre fan.”

I chuckle and rub the back of my neck. “I’m not, not really. Penny convinced me to come. I didn’t expect to see you here either. Especially on stage. How the Hell did that happen?”

Baz sighs with both exasperation and what seems like a little happiness, maybe. “Well, if you must know, my cousin was the one who originally decided to audition and I helped him with his lines. I said he was shite, and he bet me I couldn’t audition better. I’m very competitive, so I made a real effort to do well. Then I got in. I was going to turn it down, but Dev convinced me to try. It’s been, weirdly fun. I like performing. And I made new friends. Turns out there’s more to life than studying.”

“Huh,” I chuckle, “that’s pretty neat. So all that pacing and humming in the washroom was you rehearsing your lines?”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t want you to know because it felt embarrassing. Sorry about that.”

I blink rapidly. Holy shit, I’m legitimately in shock. Baz Pitch just apologized to me. Wow. Tonight has been bizzare. “I-It’s okay. I get it now. Honestly, I just thought you were keeping me up on purpose because you hate me.” I try to laugh that last part off with a nervous chuckle.

Baz looks at the ground, shuffling his feet. I’ve seen Baz cold before, detached and pulled in and what not. But this is different. He looks...nervous. When he speaks, his words are shaky and quiet. “I don’t, you know. Hate you. I never have.”

My world tilts sideways. I nearly stumble backwards from the shock of his words. I look for any sign of deceit and find none. All I see is the anxious sort-of-teenager confessing something apparently really hard to say.

“Oh,” I stutter out. “You...you don’t?”

“No,” he says. “I just, I make arsehole comments when I’m nervous. Especially to those who...make me nervous.”

Huh? What the hell does he mean? “I, make you nervous?”

“Yes. You have almost since we met.”

I’m still confused. I take a moment to study Baz. His pulled in body language, his knapsack fiddling, his downcast eyes, his increasingly obvious blush-

Oh. Oh.

“Oh,” I squeak. Baz sighs in an annoyed way. That probably wasn’t the response he wanted.

“Yeah,“ he grumbles. “Oh.”

Crap I don’t know what to say. I end up blurting out the first thing that comes to my dumb head. “So is that stereotype about guys in theatre being gay true?”

Baz head lifts up to better glare at me. His eyes are like stormy grey daggers. “No, obviously not. It’s a stereotype for a reason.”

Shit shit, I’m so bad at this. I run a hand through my tangled hair. “Right, right, sorry. I make dumb comments when I’m nervous.” I sigh and look right at him, eyes fixed despite my fear. “I guess what I’m trying to ask to in my stupid way is, are you gay? Just, want to make sure I'm not misinterpreting. I do that a lot.”

Baz’s face softens. No more steely glare, just neutral, save for his slightly pulled in lips. “Yes,” he says like he has to force the words out. “Yes, I am.” He gulps, fiddling with his strap like mad. “Are you?”

I shrug, because truthfully the only honest gesture. “Sorta, I guess. At least part of me must be, considering how much I like looking at you.”

He inhales sharply, and the blush starts creeping down his long neck. “Oh. That’s...not something I was aware of.”

“Honestly?” I chuckle, pulling at my hair again. “Me neither. I mean, I’m always looking at you, but I never thought about why too much. It wasn’t until the show that I realised how much I like to stare at you. Um, sorry if that’s creepy.”

“No,” he replies very quickly. “no, it’s uh, it’s actually fine.”

He’s blushing very hard. Shit, am I blushing too? It certainly feels like it. “Oh. Okay.”

We look at each other in silence for a long moment. I’m not sure what to say, and obviously neither does he. We’re just two idiots standing on a driveway. I feel my stomach rumble. Oh man, I’m a hungry idiot.

“So,” I say, rocking on my heels, “do you have anywhere to be?”

Baz shakes his head. “No, not really. I’m supposed to go to the wrap party but fuck that. I was just going to go home to the dorm.”

“Well, in that case, uh, you wanna go get something to eat? There’s a 24 hour diner near our dorm building.”

He looks at me curiously, studying me like a specimen. “Are you asking me as your roommate, a fan of my performance, or...something else?”

I chew my bottom lip. Cautiously, I step forward and and brush my fingers on the back of his hand. He doesn’t pull away, so I hold it loosely. “Something else, preferably.”

Baz looks at me with wide, open eyes, filled to the brim with worry. “Snow, you do remember that we're roommates, right? If whatever, this is doesn't work out, we're still going to have to live with each other for months. That would not be pleasant. And hell, Snow, you barely know me, really. Is this really worth the risk?”

My grip on his hand tightens. He still doesn’t pull away. “Y-Yeah, of course I know this could all blow up in our faces. But, Baz, I really want to try. Like, you currently occupy like 90% of my thoughts. And sure most of them were negative, because I thought were a prick.” He frowns at that. It’s actually adorable. “But now, I’d really like to find out what you’re like when you’re not a prick. So I think it’s worth the risk.” I take a deep breath, making sure to look at Baz right in the eye. “Do you?”

I can see the gears turning in his big head. I’ve seen it a hundred times in class when we have to solve a problem. It’s even more fascinating up close. How his lips shift, his eyes darting back in forth. He doesn’t let go of my hand the whole time though. I catch the moment his face relaxes though, when he makes his decision.

“Yes,” he says quietly, “I think it’s worth the risk too.”

We both grin at the same time. Fuck I never knew before tonight that seeing his smile could make me so happy. I think I want to see it a lot more.

“Well, c’mon then.” I tug on his arm, and we start walking. “I’m hungry.”

“When are you not hungry, Snow?”

I scoff. “I thought you were only a prick when you were nervous.”

“I’m about to go on a date with my roommate who I’ve been hopelessly pining after for over a year. So excuse me, but I’m very nervous.”

Wow, my whole face must look like a tomato right now. Looking over, I see that Baz is in the exact same state. Either this is going to be incredible or a complete disaster. I’m seriously hoping for the first one.

“Don’t be,” I say as kindly as I can, “it’s just a date. We’ll see how this goes and go with it, alright?”

Half his mouth pulls up in a lazy smile. I like him relaxed like this. “Okay. I can live with that.”

I grin. I can’t stop grinning tonight. “Awesome. Now, important first date question.” He looks at me curiously and somewhat afraid. “Where the hell did you learn to sing so well?”

Baz lets out a breathy laugh. “Playing the violin all your life gives you surprisingly good pitch. It only took a few sessions with the pianist to get the songs okay. Not that they were easy. Apparently Sondheim is never easy.”

“That’s amazing.” He examines me for any sign of mocking, but he won’t find anything. I genuinely thinks it’s really cool.

“Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.”

“Could I get a repeat performance?”

“No.” I pout as much as I can, bottom lip pushed very far out. Baz stays strong for a few more seconds, then sighs. “Maybe some other time.”

I smile again. “Awesome. Next question, what was it like getting into those tight prince pants?”

“I am not dignifying that question with an answer.”

“Oh c’mon! I’m just wondering.”

“And wondering you shall stay.”

I make a “pbblt” sound with my lips. “Fine, spoilsport. How about you tell me what the production was like? Penny says plays are all drama behind the scene too.”

“Fucking hell it was a nightmare! Dev, Niall, the Witch, and Cinderella were great, but generally actors are self absorbed idiots. First day, Rapunzel came in hungover and spilled her entire coffee on my shirt. Baker's wife was the the world's worst diva. And don’t get me started on the Wolf. He tried to bang every girl in the cast, and a couple of the guys too.”

He goes on like that as we walk down the dimly lit street hand in hand. I interject a bit of commentary here and there, but I just let him talk. He’s fun to listen to. I like his sarcastic, sharp humour. Especially when it’s not directed at me.

I think I like him. A lot.

———————————————-

“No no, I’m serious!” I say far too loud, considering the time and that we’re walking down the hall of our dorm building. “Jamie is gonna kill Cersei. It’s inevitable.”

“He’s already left King’s Landing though,” Baz replies cooly.

“Yeah, but he can come back.”

“I suppose. But I think he’s going to be too busy with the White Walkers to deal with his crazy twin sister.”

“Good point. Maybe it’ll be the finale, when Dany finally storms King’s Landing.”

“Ugh, she needs to do that already. It’s been eight seasons!”

“They’re keeping us in suspense.”

I groan and lean back against the dorm room door. “I know. It’s fucking torture.” I sigh looking at the brown piece of wood. It feels so massive right now. “So, we’re here.”

“I noticed.” Baz stands in front of me, with only a few feet between us.

“First date protocol says I’m supposed to walk you to the door. But we’ve got the same door, so...”

“Yes, I’m not quite sure what to do either.”

We stare at each other. I study his face, like I have been doing all night. I spent most of our meal staring at him as he talked. I can finally admit to myself that I like to do that, and now I can also say I like his laugh, his smile, and the way he talks about his passions. I just keep seeing him in a new light. Everything feels different and new and scary. I love it.

“So,” I say quietly, “did you have fun?”

Baz smiles softly. “Yes, I did.”

“Would you, be persuaded to do this again?

“Is that your way of asking me out for a second date, Snow?”

I shrug up to my pink tinged ears. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Then yes. I would like to do this again.”

I nod rapidly, far too nervous for my own good. “Okay, cool, awesome, sounds good. Do we...just go to bed now?”

Baz shrugs slightly. “I suppose so.”

We immediately go back to staring. But my gaze drifts downwards, to his thin lips that are currently pressed together. I still remember that stage kiss. I know that was all fake, but I wonder what the real thing would be like that. I wonder if that passion translate to real life. To me.

“Simon...” Baz whispers. He’s somehow gotten closer. And my breath hitches, because he’s looking at my mouth too.

Fuck it.

I grab the front of his shirt and kiss him hard.

Baz gasps against my mouth, but very quickly sinks into it. His lips slide with mine perfectly. He presses one hand to my neck and buries the other in my hair. I groan and slide mine across his back. Christ, he’s so fucking fit. I want to tear his shirt off and feel all these muscles directly on my finger.

“Kissing on the first date, Snow?” Baz whispers playfully in one of the few moments we aren’t liplocked. “Scandalous.”

“Oh, fuck you,” I grumble, holding his hips tighter.

After a few more kisses, he pulls away with a small grin. My knees buckle at the devilish glint in his grey eyes. He looks just as sexy as he did on stage. “Well,” he drawls, “if you insist.”

For the second time tonight, my brain completely short circuits.

This is so new and scary, yet, I’m so fucking excited. I suppose it’s going to be an adventure. Into the unknown. Into the woods, I suppose.

I kiss him again, clenching my fist in his hair so hard his man bun falls apart, curtaining our faces in black strands. He pushes a hand under my shirt to feel up my stomach. I fumble with the keycard and get the blasted door open, then pull Baz in by the back of his neck. The door closes, and the rest of the night is a blissful whirlwind.

Hooray for musical theatre.

———————————————- AN: "Blargh" is copyright Theo the Fanfic Writer and anyone who steals it will be sued. /s ;)

So yeah, musicals! "Into the Woods" is my favourite musical of all time and I think Baz would be a perfect Cinderella's Prince. Also I've always thought Baz would be an incredible singer. Simon would be floored lol. Sorry if this is a little rough tbh. Hard to describe someone watching a musical haha. I struggled writing it but, I had fun in the end. I love writing Simon the Oblivious Pining Idiot.  Requests are still open and I will get to them between being dead from work. Hope you enjoyed this :)

[fyrapartnersearch]

It's-a-me! *shot again*

i'm back for a third season and hoping you are too!

(I also forgot to include my contact. whoops! Fixed.) OC or fandom?: Both normally, but for now i'm only doing fandom settings. ( I very much enjoy Canon worlds with OCs included). That in mind it's better for me to figure out what we're doing first, then I can let you know if i'm familiar with the setting, or if i'd like to play any characters. If RPing smut, are you of legal age in your country?: Yes. i'm in my late 20s, and if this winds up being included. I ask that my writing partner be at least 21-22+, (the closer to my age or being around my age would be more ideal, but I won't reject replies outright! just please be at least the number stated and be willing to state your age.) And if you're under 18 please don't contact me. What characters do you have/play?: Oh geez. Is So Damn Many a number?  i've got a lot when it comes to OCs, and still more who are availiable but haven't been put up yet. For canons, it's better to just ask me. I also tend to make a character specifically for a fandom or original setting, if I don't already have a suitable one to drop in there. What characters would you like to play against?: Most types are fine. If we're talking OCs I would love to play against characters who are cheeky and charming... without having the social skills of a bottle of sriracha to the eye. (Jerk Sue/Stu) Or to get a sort of rivalry going where our characters are motivated by eachother to keep getting better. Other than that It often depends on the setting and again most types are fine, but I am very, very picky with bad-attitude characters. Mainly because a lot of my OCs simply aren't going to stand for that for very long and neither am I without good reason, unless you want something mutually antagonistic but !only! if it's a two way street. I'm open to hearing details on this. Preferred rp medium: Email. I can also do tumblr but it depends on what goes down. If i'm comfortable enough with you I may give you my personal email for chatting or plotting purposes -but I only rp through either tumblr, or email. Any additional notes: Yes! Let's get this outta the way right now. If there's plans for romance then I am cool with F/M, M/M or F/F. But as far as F/M goes, gender fixed roleplayers need not apply. Going on that note? I am >not< here to play the top to your bottom. fixed dom/sub dynamics will only get me to burn you. Worse if your character's ***this kind of sub. I play switches and I >expect< the same of my writing partners. That's the price of admission for this, and agreeing to this but then choosing not to honour it will only make me assume you're using me, which will make me resent you and drop the rp without notifying you. This is because I tended to have a hard time saying no in the past so this sort of thing has happened to me twice already, and i'm not gonna have it happen a third time. So no switches = no smut. You push this or try to get any of this out of me? You get burned or ghosted. Or both. Not sorry. (Mind there are also other, completely unrelated dealbreaking offenses that will make me drop thread, feel free to ask me for details.) Finally, if i've dropped thread on you in the past i'm up for talking about it. That entirely depends on a case basis, however. Other things: Be willing to help brainstorm and carry the plot! I can never stress this one enough. Plotting out character specific events is neat and all, but I also want someone who's going to help add to the overarching story and keep it believable. I also don't want to be the only person between us actually moving the plot along in my posts or playing believable characters for the setting. If I feel that that's what's going on, i'll tell you upfront, but if you keep it up then it's a one-way ticket to ghost town. Also! If you feel that i'm dragging my feet on the plot please absolutely feel free to call me on it, I want our stories to be 100% shared effort! How about ships?: I am not a one ship sailor! I tend to find potential in many different combinations, and I like being able to express that freedom. That being said, if it's a ship I ride (which is likely), I may be up for playing one of the mentioned characters but it depends and it's not going to be something instant. I am also totally up for polyships! and ships of other types as well. (rivals, bffs, etc) My port is big! Speaking of which? Canons, OCs and all that jazz?: Many people want to be able to play thier OCs alongside/against a Canon, and hey, i'm no different. So I ask that if I am able to play a Canon for your OC to meet, that you do the same for me. It's double or nothing here, friend! ~A few fandom settings i'm particularly interested in~ > [fandomhere]< = really want! >Castlevania< >Legend of Zelda< >Persona or Devil Summoner< Kuroshitsuji >Devil May Cry< Silent Hill Haunting Ground >Hellsing< >Psycho Pass< Servamp Soul Eater Ao No Excorcist KH >Megaman (Battle Network/ExE, or X)< Tales of Series Pokemon Finally, a couple of important notes: -> while i'm up for any of the ones on the list, again, if there's something you wanna do that's not up there ask about it and if i'm into it i'd be happy to do that too! But no guarantees xD; (BTW I'm absolutely starved for any of the highlighted. or an LoZ or Battle Network rp. jus saiyan ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) -> While it's not listed, i'm also looking for someone who's interested in doing something in the Starfox universe, as I have a character who's been pretty much catching dust and i'd like to give them a spin. i'm not really expecting anything back on this but hey, figured i'd throw that out there~ Other terms and conditions: I do have a list of terms and rules, so feel free to send me an email for more info or if you have any other questions at all, BUT NO RP GROUP SPAM ADS. If you want to send me an ad or invite, then actually approach me first and ask if i'd like to be sent a link! do not send me a stock letter, that's really disrespectful. Putting up my email is NOT consent to receiving your junk mail. Ever. Period. Otherwise? here's my contact: false_monicker@hotmail.com. Hope to hear from you lovelies!

[cephalopodqueen]

Bring the Rain

thanks for suggesting the title for this fic, @thebloodsuckerproxy! it was raining today so here’s a story inspired by that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Rain patter-patter-pattered on the windowsill and the stone cobbles outside. An hour ago it had only been a drizzle, but now it was swelling into a proper storm. Shoot.  Jackson had things to do indoors today, dammit, she couldn’t just drop everything and indulge her urge to go sploshing through puddles and feel rain on her face. Really, there was scrubbing to do, dusting, the pantry needed reorganizing… she couldn’t keep putting those off just for some fresh air.

“Not very busy right now, are you?” Jackson jumped. Marguerite sometimes had a way of sneaking up on you. You’d think a scratchy old stick of a lady would..creak, or something. “Well…I’ve got some chores to do, some regular old abbey maintenance I guess. Nothing I’m too excited about, mind.” Jackson smiled. “Hrmph. If you’ve no objection, I’ve just heard there’s someone in town with some supplies I’d like for the infirmary. It occurred to me that you might tolerate the weather better than most.” “Well! You might just be right about that, Sister.” Jackson was really smiling now. Maybe she’d indulge herself just the littlest bit. By the time she’d taken down Marguerite’s list, a list of what they could offer to trade for the supplies, and put on her cloak, the rain had slackened considerably. That was a damn shame in her mind. She had half an inclination to ask it if it could just scooch back over for a little while; but she hadn’t looked around and seen what the state of things was like yet, and you couldn’t just go calling rainstorms back willy-nilly without making sure no one was flooded first, now could you? No. Instead she took a deep breath in, smelling the rain and the roses Oscar loved so much, and reveling in the little gusts the storm still had left in it. As she splashed along the path into town, those little gusts shook raindrops off the trees overhanging the road, like they wanted to apologize that she’d missed the fun. Jackson laughed. “Not exactly your fault I couldn’t find a reason to enjoy myself sooner, now is it? But you just keep that up for a little while, wind. I sure could use the change.”  Jackson stomped along the road, swinging her arms a little. She resisted the urge to skip, a little because she was a grown nun and felt silly about it, and a little because it seemed like a good idea to save that energy for later. But hey, she could be a responsible energy-saving nun AND stomp the hell out of these puddles, couldn’t she? She sure could.  She strolled into town some time later, her pants soaked through and her face dripping, and about five times happier than she’d been all morning. She stopped in at the tavern, the air inside suddenly so still and heavy after her walk that she felt out of breath. There was a steady hum of conversation coming from the front room. She stood just inside the door, water puddling around her boots, as a woman laid out bowls of stew for customers at a long oak table. The woman wiped her hands on her apron, caught sight of Jackson in the doorway, waved, and made her way around the table and the customers to her. “Hey there Viv, I’m real sorry about your floor..” Viv snorted. “Don’t sweat it babe, I’m used to you bringing in the rain by now.” “Ha! I guess you are at that.” Jackson thinks to herself that her momma would’ve loved that pun. “Sister Marguerite sent me out to find someone she heard had some medical supplies to sell, or maybe trade? You seen anyone like that?” “Sure hon, they’re staying here but they’ve actually just gone to your aunt’s bakery. We’d all got to talking about those chocolate croissants she makes and they just had to try one for themselves. They’re about five foot nothin, with a bright yellow raincoat. While I got you here- how’s that girl of yours? You know when she’s due back?” “This week, sometime! She said she’d got some of that paprika you asked for, too, the uh.. extra smoky kind?” “Perfect. You send her right on over when y’all have a minute to spare, and I’ll be making her that stuffed cabbage dish she was talking about. Got an enormous cabbage out back earmarked just for her. I gotta get back to feeding these folks over here, and you’d better go get your supplies sorted out, but send a note now and then! See you around, Janelle.”  Jackson set off across town to the bakery. The rain had stopped completely, but the stormclouds were still looming overhead. There were some big puddles where people had worn down the paths, but it looked like the storm hadn’t done any worse than that. No flooding, no branches down, just a slightly soggy Mercy. A bell jingled as she opened the door to the bakery and stepped in, having lightly scraped the mud off her boots on the porch steps.  Tia popped out, heavily dusted with flour. Her face lit up. “Hey baby girl! I gotta work this dough a bit more, and then you’re gonna tell me every blessed thing I’ve missed with you this week.”   Tia popped back into the kitchen, and Jackson laughed. She shrugged out of her cloak, hanging it by the door- right next to a raincoat the color of a summer squash. She turned. At the bakery’s table sat a rather short person sipping a steaming cup of coffee and eyeing a plate of Tia’s chocolate croissants in front of them. Jackson crossed over and introduced herself.    They got to talking; about the croissants, about the weather, and then about business. This traveling medic was keen to put Mercy on their map, making a deal to deliver about 20 different kinds of specialized bandages and various tools Jackson had never even seen to their abbey the next day, in exchange for some cloth, some herbs, and a recipe for chocolate croissants.   “Auntie, I think your baking might’ve just significantly improved Mercy’s medical situation. I just told someone how to make your croissants and got enough bandages to swaddle everyone in Salvation out of it” “Now Janey, don’t you go telling everyone my secrets so easy; I’ll bet you could’ve traded that one for enough bandages for three cities and not just one.” Tia’s words were scolding but her eyes weren’t- she chuckled to herself, not really minding the least bit if Jackson shares some of her recipes. Even knowing all the steps, no one ever bakes like her.   Jackson falls into their old rhythm, chatting with Tia about the people who’ve passed through town, about all the little things that’ve kept her busy at the abbey, about how Sam’s houseplants are doing, about the little pressed flowers Olga sends in her letters. She helps Tia put loaves into the oven, and take them out. Before she realizes it the clock on the wall chimes 5 pm. “Shoot. You know I’d like to talk all day, but I’d really better be getting back. I’ve still got things to do before it gets too dark.” “Well don’t stay away so long next time, Janey-love! We miss you here. And don’t dawdle on the road back, it’s getting chilly out.”   Jackson’s halfway back when she sees a little pink light winking through the gloom out in the field to her right. Then she sees a little blue one, and a green…   She breaks into a run, tearing across the field toward the lights. Pixies are all fine and good, but if they’re floating around here, something must not be right.   A flock of grackles takes flight in the field, scattering.  Thunder rumbles overhead. “Please.” she says to the pixies, “Please, I know you wanna get at those blackberries, but where did you get in?”   Pixies love Jackson, love how there’s an electric zing to her, so they show her. Show her how a bald spot in a maple’s branches let water roll down it’s bark like a river, washing it’s ward away. The pixies drift back away, intent on blackberries and plums. Jackson scrambles in her pack, desperately hoping she has good ink and paper on her. How long has this breach been open? if anything got in-   A chill runs up her spine and tingles at the base of her skull. Something’s watching.   Jackson stops scrambling and turns, slowly, slowly, scanning the field, the trees, the woods beyond the line of wards. At first she sees nothing, the clouds deepening the dark under the trees to an early twilight.   She breathes deep, in, out, in, and asks the wind if it’d mind sending a little of that rain again after all. A minute later that wind stirs the trees in the woods, shaking down water, and something shrieks like an angry barn owl.   She claps her hands over her ears, trying to find it before it finds her. Out of the corner of her eye she sees a darker shadow detach itself from the shadow of a pine to her left, where the woods thin out towards a stream. The thing hisses through three sets of jaws at the woods and the wind. She asks the clouds to hurry it up a little, please, and the thing snaps it’s attention to her. It starts to shamble towards her, low across the ground, slow at first and then faster as the wind rises and scattered raindrops start to fall. Shit, shit, shit.          She’s found ink and paper but it won’t be fast enough, she won’t have time to close the breach before it reaches her-   Jackson breathes deep. In. Out. In.   She reaches up, up, up, and up, stands tall and still for a moment. The thing breaks out of the cover of the underbrush, bounding towards her on entirely too many limbs, it’s surface pitted and peeling, rotten teeth and ruined jaws snapping and snarling and oozing-   Jackson drops her arm.   A bolt of lightning crashes down, and time seems to stand still. Every blade of grass stands out like a knife. The thing snaps at the bolt, twisting in on itself, blackening, and when the flash of light leaves, it’s gone. Crumbled.   The sky opens, and rain pours out. Jackson turns her face up, panting. She closes her eyes, letting water rush over her. Her ears sting. She replaces the missing ward, tired now, and walks back to the road. The clouds eagerly empty for her, and when she reaches the abbey door again she’s drenched. Again the rain is patter-patter-pattering on the stone.

[where-his-towel-is]

Rules:

1. Always post the rules. 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you. 3. Write 11 questions of your own. 4. Tag 11 people.

Tagged by: @kasumi-chou @miraculous-katsukii @avocadowrites (jeez guys i love you but wow, i have alot of questions to answer, probably cuz i’m so mystERIOUS oooHHH o.O)

(if you guys are interested enough to read all of this then sure, go ahead)

--------- kas’ questions

First letter of your real name  E!

Age/birthday 2nd November (i’m 18 rn, huzzah for voting rights!)

Favourite season Autumn every time - the colours, the weather, the sweaters, firworks and bonfires on guy fawkes night, halloween... its the best ok. 

Favourite fruit Pear!

Do you have short, medium or long hair? Medium 

Hanahaki or soulmate? i didn’t know what hanahaki was until just now, so even though it sounds incredibly interesting i’m gonna have to say soulmate. (even though soumates in real life would be very very worrying)

Angst or Fluff? fluff fluffity fluff fluff! i love to squee over my babies being happy

Soundboard (help the writer with ideas) or beta (help the writer with wording/grammar)? BOTH ALWAYS, but ideas are my fave and so much fun 

Do you still have an active ff.net? If yes, link haha nope. not worth your time i’m afraid.

Would you trade one of Phichit’s hamsters to bring Vicchan back to life? i find this question personally offensive kas so i won’t answer it you cruel cruel person

Should Victor and Yuuri both wear white at their wedding? as long as its viktor in the dress i dont even care what colour it is, white is overrated anyway fuck purity man, who cares.

---------- jas’ questions

Favorite animal? catties!!! ^-^ ...and also blue whales, they always look like they’ve achieved enlightenment. 

Favorite foods! augh ok. paneer in any kind of curry, grilled halloumi burgers, prawns in any way shape or form <3 (im sorry my delicious prawny friends, i will be the death of you all)

Character you deeply relate to: Tori from the book ‘Solitaire’. i’ll always say that that book saved my life. also Pierre Bezhukov from War and Peace, it kind of scares me how many of my own flaws i see in him.

Favorite book and why: dfgjhhgasfgjdfhg all of them ok, every book ever. complete works of shakespeare, there you go. folio edition for the #aesthetic.

Favorite outfit! there’s this khaki long cardigan thing i have that i love to wear with everything. also my boots with rainbow laces!!

Most vivid and realistic dream: well lets not talk about the one i had when i was 13 and met danisnotonfire (my first crush at the time, i was but a child) and had an awkward dinner in the school canteen with him. ...oops.

Do you think of yourself as a spiritual person or not? not so much. atheism is more my jam. i do like considering how awesome the universe is though, and sometimes i feel like i believe in fate. some moments are too good to be true.

Ghosts: real or not? i wish.

Favorite movie? nausicaa of the valley of the wind for animated movies, and little women for live action films. (what can i say im all about strong ladies ok)

Favorite dessert? banoffee pie. mwah.

3 things on your bucket list: finish this bloody scott pilgrim fic; make an album; write a musical.

------------- andi muffin child’s questions

Spring or autumn? autumn! <3 (see above)

Classical music or EDM? blargh i LOVE BOTH OK, it just depends on the piece/song itself. actually i could probably write a ranty essay on how edm is the classical music of today but lets not get into that. 

Morning person or night owl? i’m writing this at 00:07. huh.

Pastel or punk? like personally? i guess i wear more punky stuff? pastel has never suited me.

Painting or singing? singING i need deM harmoNIES U KNO (but mad love and respect to all painters, you are magical beings)

Piano or violin? in the words of Carole King, “piano is my first language”.

Jeans or skirts? jeeeaaaannnsss 

Extrovert or introvert? i’m basically a rare pepe in my own school. thats how introverted i am. have u ever seen me. no u have not.

Fantasy book or non-fictional book? fantasy all the way; sorry but textbooks aint got dragons in them

Discovery channel or disney channel? discovery channel. to replenish the knowledge ive lost by not reading non fiction books.

Hair up or hair down person? i love love love having my hair down, but i usually have to shove it out of the way into a ponytail. bergh.

OK FINALLY MY QUESTIONS (i’m tired right now so these will be a bit mad ok)

1. where is wally/waldo if you’re one of those weirdos from Across The Pond?

2. favourite tv show theme tune?

3. if you could live in an AU what AU would you write for yourself?

4. which powerpuff girl are you?

5. which ship in YOI do you think needs some more lovin by the fandom?

6. how long would you last in a horror movie?

7. leopard print or tiger stripes? and which half of victuuri would you put in which clothes?

8. how much would you pay kubo-sensei for the down low on the YOI movie?

9. favourite type of sky? (e.g. sunset, cloudy sky, overcast etc)

10. why did the chicken cross the road?

11. if you could send a message to all creators with your newly acquired psychic powers, what would that message be?

Tag: @kasumi-chou @tododorky @miraculous-katsukii (sorry for tagging you right back but i just wanna know what you’d all say tbh, i’m interested) @xuan-timewrite @queenofaburiedkingdom @iceprinceofbelair @n3rdlif343va @islandsofjohnmontagu @sealofwisdom136 @katsukiyuuris @metalkiraliyany

(i hope its ok that i tagged you guys <3 tag me back in your answers to my dumb questions cuz im interested in what you all have to say)

[pengiesama]

GLENWOOD RUSTLEMANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

and now i’m at the final dungeon in Berseria, ready to kneecap anyone who stands between me and my true goal of launching a spinning heel-kick at Innominat’s skull

as always, BIG TIME SPOILER EXTRAVAGANZA UNDER THE CUT, as i am at the endgame at this point

for the curious, per Eizen, a scarlet night happens when the moon and the earth line up such that the earthpulse gets drawn into the moon by gravity

"i'm a wicked little boy, doing this for my own selfish needs!" SWEET BABY!!!! SWEET BABY!!!!!!

it's such an understated character quirk but i love how huge of an appetite Laphi has and how much he zeros in on delicious things. in like two thousand years once your and Sorey's sleepover is concluded i'm sure Mikleo will make ice cream for the both of you

every time Eizen says shitty things about women or is creepy at Velvet, Edna adds another notch to the tally of times she needs to powerbomb him into the mountain. the tally is frustratingly high

bye shigure you're far more appealing than your brother and are one of like, four decent NPCs in the game *plays Taps on kazoo*

bye old fat man you sure were old and fat *plays Mambo No. 5 on kazoo*

"WHEN THE ELEMENTAL EMPYREANS AWAKEN THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL SHAKE AND HORRIBLE DISASTERS WILL RAIN UPON--" you are trying to reason with the wrong ass crew, man. get slormped

Velvet projectile vomits the souls of the abbey bosses she ate into the volcano earthpulse, causing the elemental empyreans to awaken and literally dropkick Innominat into outer space. it is now up to us to get some golf clubs and finish the job of caving his skull in. and somehow steal a rocket ship to get up there; no one's really addressed that part yet

the best part of the empyreans awakening? because Innominat is now so weakened, his suppression on the malakhim/seraphim's free will is gone, meaning we got to see a bunch of malakhim ripping off their masks and loudly tell the abbey to fuck themselves sideways before poofing away.

so now i guess is the point where i would normally fuck around with so many endgame sidequests that i'd never wind up getting around to fighting the final boss, but i wanna break Innominat's kneecaps so bad that that's not gonna happen. the true Sweet Baby must take the throne

that's not to say i'll be skipping endgame sidequests entirely, such as the sidequest where i just fought the main guy from Xillia (?) who got turned into a penguin (???)

normin island is super cute and packed with Zestiria references, including but not limited to: 1) normins daydreaming about finding a nice master to serve, like "a pretty girl who makes terrible puns" 2) Zaveid arriving with little Dezel in tow, who he let wear his coat after saving him from daemons. i believe in Zestiria Dezel is said to be a fairly young seraph by seraphic standards, and Berseria takes place 1000 years in Zestiria's past -- if 1000 is "young" for a seraph, like, Mikleo must be considered a zygote

Zaveid loves kids so much that he and his now-dragonified girlfriend collect orphans and then kidnap random humans to help raise them. specifically he kidnapped some cooks bc he doesn't know how to

anyway we killed the dragonified girlfriend and now Zaveid and Eizen are friends and Zaveid promises to make Eizen's death wish a reality someday. once Eizen goes dragon Zaveid will run down the two-person list of people interested in having sex with him so i'm sure it'll be painful on his part as well *plays Single Ladies on kazoo*

and then we killed dragon-Silva again and confirmed he's the dragon skeleton on Hexen Isle. sometimes i feel Berseria tries a little too hard to shove LORE!!! LORE!!!! in our faces but i think that's just because i want it to focus entirely on lore that canonizes sormik more than it already is

hi other person from Xillia. is the penguin thing an in-joke i don't understand because i don't play Tales games that aren't gay

welcome to Katz Korner and here is where i remind you that Katz Korner explicitly has a sex club that you have to be 2000 years or older to enter and in Zestiria they state Zenrus was their most frequent guest

Laphi wants to enter the Katz wrestling championship where you make biscuits on your opponent and the first person who purrs loses. SWEET BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the final component of that legendary medicine we were gathering to save Laphi's Little Pal proves to be malakhim tears. can confirm that if Mikleo cried, i would gain the power to rend the earth in twain to annihilate the cause of his woes

Phoenix is here to fight again (pre-again? whatever prequels), and despite him putting forth the challenge only because he stalks Edna enough to know Eizen is deliberately avoiding her, he actually puts forth a remarkably coherent and comprehensive argument on how immature and horrible Eizen is being for keeping what he's truly doing a secret -- so much so that Eizen is basically sputtering red in the face in furious embarrassment towards the end and is all but screaming "FIGHT ME THO" to put a stop to it

that's all the compliments i'll give to Phoenix though because his fight makes me realize how much i HATE THE FUCKING STUN MECHANIC IN THIS GODDAMN GAME JESUS CHRIST. DO YOU LIKE GETTING STOPPED DEAD IN YOUR TRACKS EVERY TWO SECONDS IN BATTLE, FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS APIECE, GETTING YOUR MAX ABILITY POINTS REDUCED EACH TIME, UNTIL YOU CAN LITERALLY DO NOTHING AT ALL? WELL YOU FUCKING BETTER BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY TO AVOID IT LOLOLOLOL FUK U

anyway after all that Eizen sends Phoenix to watch over her and is convinced to come clean to Edna about being a pirate. you then receive a letter from her, in which she casually accepts the news in the traditional Edna Way ("well that was obvious. the new doll you sent isn't cute but i'll keep it since you sent it.") then Eizen starts crying and it made my dick stiff

i think the Seres = Lailah theory is dumb and very well-debunked at this point (considering Seres is like. very dead) but Velvet does state in an event skit that Celica loved to make puns so maybe Lailah helps carry on her purpose into the future

i poked my head into the Empyrean/Artorius' Throne area to clean up a hunt but i found a pair of freed malakhim there who stole the Water Divine Artifact (aka Mikleo's bow) from the Abbey and are planning on smoothing out the armatus arte to make it less dangerous and more of an even exchange of power than it is at that point -- as it is it's just exorcists flat out stealing malakhim power with zero consent and then melting from the strain. 

yet another chapter in the Who Fucking Edited This Game's Localization saga; localizing Glenwood as "Greenwood" because who cares about consistency in a pair of linked games. that might sound minor but, seriously, there are skits and dialogue that have complete gibberish as the subtitles/on-screen text. for example: Magilou has a line of dialogue: "That's a little goose I'm even by my standards." I was straight-up staring at my screen and eventually pieced together that they were going for "gruesome". i had a suspicion on how it happened, and checked out videos of the dub to confirm -- sure enough, Magilou's EN VA (who still sounds obnoxious lol i am so glad i changed to the sub so early) says the line, and if you were in fact a poor innocent speech-to-text converter software, used by a bunch of lazy localizers who decided to use a speech-to-text converter to automatically transcribe dialogue so you could whack off in the bathroom instead of doing work, it's very clear how you could parse the line reading as "goose I'm" instead of "gruesome". 

okay i think that metaphor might have gotten lost there. what i am saying is the lazy ass localization team clearly used speech-to-text converters to transcribe dialogue for subtitles, and couldn't be arsed to proofread the result. this happens CONSTANTLY in Berseria's subs/on-screen text. christ, what happened here? Zestiria didn't have this problem...

[junker-town]

How years of scholarship planning set up each team’s National Signing Day

The signing of recruits is the result of years of planning, roster management, and things teams never see coming.

When thousands of college football recruits sign National Letters of Intent on Wednesday’s National Signing Day, joyous moments will unfold in high school gyms and living rooms across the country.

They’ll also unfold in college teams’ recruiting war rooms, where years of meticulous planning will finally come to a head. Signing a good class — or any class, really — requires detailed roster management that needs to be projected over years.

“The hardest part is forecasting, the forecasting aspect of it,” one Group of 5 program recruiting coordinator said in an interview this weekend. “Now I’m mapping out how many guys I’m gonna take in the 2018 class based on, ‘OK, since we took this many guys in 2017 and we’re losing these seniors this year, so they’re being replaced by these starters. How these starters develop during the spring, fall camp, and the season will help solidify what we need. But I need to go ahead and have a tentative plan.”

It all has to fit within two NCAA rules that underpin all of college football recruiting.

The first rule: An FBS team can have 85 scholarship players at a time.

Unlike most other college sports, football at the top level is a head-count sport. That means those 85 scholarships are full rides for 85 individuals. There’s no dividing the value of scholarships among teammates.

The second rule: An FBS team can bring in 25 new scholarship players in one signing class.

The limit is on 25 “initial counters,” which you can think of as players in their first year on an athletic scholarship. But a team can bring in more than 25 enrollees in a given year, in a few circumstances. Most commonly, if an athlete graduates high school early and enrolls for the spring semester, and if the school stayed under a cap of 25 in the previous year, it can assign enrollees to the previous class, up to the 25-man total cap.

If a player wants to delay his enrollment until the following spring, he can then be assigned to the following year’s class. But all players must be attributed to either a prior, current, or future class, and no class can exceed 25.

The only exceptions are Army, Navy, and Air Force. Every service academy student is on a non-athletic scholarship anyway, though those teams have a long list of other recruiting challenges that more than levels the playing field.

Conferences have their own rules, too. The SEC has a limit of 28 signees between December and May, which limits how many players a team can enroll early to avoid breaching the 25-man cap. The Big Ten’s rule is similar and also features a cap of 28 per year.

These rules make balance critical.

Every year, coaches and recruiting staffers need to get a detailed accounting of not only their current roster, but future rosters. That means charting out the remaining eligibility of every player in the program, then parsing that by position. The goal is to stay within 85 scholarships without ever getting too thin at any particular position.

“You set, ‘How many inside linebackers do I need? How many D-backers do I need?’” the recruiting coordinator says. “‘How many safeties do I need? I need seven cornerbacks. I need five running backs. I need four quarterbacks.’ So on and so forth. So each position has a desired number. And what you do is you build your desired numbers to be 41 on offense, 41 on defense, three on special teams — your punter, your kicker, and your long snapper.”

The NCAA now allows schools to give players four-year scholarships, but plenty of offers are for a year or two. Initial counters are almost never taken off scholarship for on-field performance. Walk-ons who’ve been in school for two full years often fill in the margins when a school doesn’t have 85 after fall camp. Those players aren’t initial counters — one of a few workarounds to the rule — and their scholarships don’t have to be renewed.

“The way people are adding two to three on their team is by bringing in walk-on kickers, punters, and long snappers every year, so that you constantly have competition. And then by your third year, you’re able to put a guy on [scholarship] without being an initial counter, so you never have to sign a kicker.”

But you can’t keep accurate tabs on a years-in-advance depth chart by only looking at a spreadsheet.

“The emphasis on evaluating how guys are developing really is important. When I say that, it’s not just the starters. It’s the backups,” the coordinator says. “If a bomb goes off at cornerback, what are we doing? If we have two safeties quit and a cornerback declares for the league that we didn’t expect to declare, and we lose three commits in this class, what are we looking at?”

If a team goes below something like three quarterbacks, 14 offensive linemen, 15 offensive skill players, 15 defensive backs, or 24 defensive front players, it’s playing with fire.

Sometimes, the rules force teams and players into uncomfortable conflict.

Not infrequently, programs oversign in a particular recruiting year. The math’s simple: If you sign 25 players every year and nobody leaves before playing exactly four seasons, you’ll wind up with 100 scholarship players, 15 more than you’re allowed. Add in redshirts, and you’re even further from compliance.

No team is that symmetrical. Players transfer, quit, get dismissed, get hurt, and declare for the NFL. But it’s common for teams to wrap up Signing Day with commitments to give scholarships to more than 85 players. Urban Meyer’s Ohio State got into some internet hot water when it was in that spot a few years ago, and SEC teams used to be infamous for it.

Some teams like to head into fall camp with a handful of their 85 scholarships available, so they can accommodate late graduate transfers and keep some roster flexibility. That can mean uncomfortable conversations with scholarship athletes who aren’t getting playing time. Coaches want their players to get degrees — or else it hurts the team’s NCAA APR score — but sometimes want them to get them elsewhere.

“We’ll wanna push them out of the program,” the coordinator says. “We’ll have that conversation of, ‘Hey, when you graduate, you know that you will not be playing here anymore. We’re gonna help you if you wanna keep playing football. We’ll help you get a spot somewhere else. You can be a grad transfer and not sit out.’”

A common work-around to the 25-initial counter rule is the “grayshirt.” That’s the practice of having a recruit wait to enroll in the spring semester after his would-be freshman season, thus getting around the 25 rule and 85-man total and delaying the player’s NCAA eligibility clock. (The player still eventually counts against both rules, but not until the next season.) That’s OK if coaches are upfront with recruits from the beginning. When they’re not, and the grayshirt comes as a late surprise, they get heat.

“For schools in areas where high school coaches reign as champions of football — you’re talking Ohio, you’re talking Florida, you’re talking Texas — those states, if you screw somebody, they are gonna blacklist you,” the recruiting coordinator says. “When you try to drop somebody or you try to get out of a scholarship or you try to maneuver to add a number and grayshirt a kid, it winds up being a bad look in the area, and word gets around quickly here. That’s the fact of the matter.”

“Blueshirting” is also a tactic to circumvent the 25-per-class limit. If a player wasn’t technically “recruited” by the NCAA’s definition of the term, he can go on scholarship at the start of his freshman year but not be an initial counter until the next year. That practice can work well with scholarship transfers, who are also initial counters and have often generated lots of game film at another school.

Signing Day is a mad rush to the finish line.

The weeks leading up to the first Wednesday in February are mostly what the NCAA calls a “contact period.” Coaches can visit often with players, either at the college or at the player’s home or school. Phone calls, written, and electronic talk are allowed. The last Sunday before Signing Day becomes a “quiet period,” when in-person, off-campus contact isn’t allowed. Official visits to campuses are just wrapping up.

But Monday and Tuesday are a “dead period,” with no in-person contact allowed. Teams still get a phone call to recruits, and recruits can call teams. But it becomes a lot harder for teams to know where they stand.

Teams send official National Letter of Intent offers to their targets who haven’t already gotten them, but they’ve got to avoid more kids signing those letters than the NCAA allows. On the other hand, they can’t be so passive that they don’t sign enough players.

“All you gotta do is, you mail out your NLIs to the guys that you know are going to sign with you,” the recruiting coordinator explains. “Your commits, your solid commits and the targets that you know will sign with you. You know. A kid has already told you he’s gonna sign with you on Signing Day. If you don’t know, you wait until Monday, and then you overnight it.”

On Wednesday, teams wait by the fax machine, hoping it lights up. But if a player’s not committed and doesn’t call you on Monday or Tuesday, he’s probably not coming.

[fyrapartnersearch]

It's-a-me *shot again*

OC or fandom?: Both normally, but for now i’m only doing fandom settings. ( I very much enjoy Canon worlds with OCs included). That in mind it’s better for me to figure out what we’re doing first, then I can let you know if i’m familiar with the setting, or if i’d like to play any characters. If RPing smut, are you of legal age in your country?: Yes. i’m in my late 20s, and if this winds up being included. I ask that my writing partner be at least 21-22+, (the closer to my age or being around my age would be more ideal, but I won’t reject replies outright! just please be at least the number stated and be willing to state your age.) And if you’re under 18 please don’t contact me. What characters do you have/play?: Oh geez. Is So Damn Many a number?  i’ve got a lot when it comes to OCs, and still more who are availiable but haven’t been put up yet. For canons, it’s better to just ask me. I also tend to make a character specifically for a fandom or original setting, if I don’t already have a suitable one to drop in there. What characters would you like to play against?: Most types are fine. If we’re talking OCs I would love to play against characters who are cheeky and charming… without having the social skills of a bottle of siracha to the eye. (Jerk Sue/Stu) Or to get a sort of rivalry going where our characters are motivated by eachother to keep getting better. Other than that It often depends on the setting and again most types are fine, but I am very, very picky with bad-attitude characters. Mainly because a lot of my OCs simply aren’t going to stand for that for very long and neither am I without good reason, unless you want something mutually antagonistic but !only! if it’s a two way street. I’m open to hearing details on this. Preferred rp medium: Email. I can also do tumblr but it depends on what goes down. If i’m comfortable enough with you I may give you my personal email for chatting or plotting purposes -but I only rp through either tumblr, or email. Any additional notes: Yes! Let’s get this outta the way right now. If there’s plans for romance then I am cool with F/M, M/M or F/F. But as far as F/M goes, gender fixed roleplayers need not apply. Going on that note? I am >not< here to play the top to your bottom. fixed dom/sub dynamics will only get me to burn you. Worse if your character’s this kind of sub. I play switches and I >expect< the same of my writing partners. That’s the price of admission for this, and agreeing to this but then choosing not to honour it will only make me assume you’re using me, which will make me resent you and drop the rp without notifying you. This is because I tended to have a hard time saying no in the past so this sort of thing has happened to me twice already, and i’m not gonna have it happen a third time. So no switches = no smut. You push this or try to get any of this out of me? You get burned or ghosted. Or both. Not sorry. (Mind there are also other, completely unrelated dealbreaking offenses that will make me drop thread, feel free to ask me for details. Finally, if i’ve dropped thread on you in the past i’m up for talking about it. That entirely depends on a case basis, however. Other things: Be willing to help brainstorm and carry the plot! I can never stress this one enough. Plotting out character specific events is neat and all, but I also want someone who’s going to help add to the overarching story and keep it believable. I also don’t want to be the only person between us actually moving the plot along in my posts or playing believable characters for the setting. If I feel that that’s what’s going on, i’ll tell you upfront, but if you keep it up then it’s a one-way ticket to ghost town. Also! If you feel that i’m dragging my feet on the plot please absolutely feel free to call me on it, I want our stories to be 100% shared effort! How about ships?: I am not a one ship sailor! I tend to find potential in many different combinations, and I like being able to express that freedom. That being said, if it’s a ship I ride (which is likely), I may be up for playing one of the mentioned characters but it depends and it’s not going to be something instant. I am also totally up for polyships! and ships of other types as well. (rivals, bffs, etc) My port is big! Speaking of which? Canons, OCs and all that jazz?: Many people want to be able to play thier OCs alongside/against a Canon, and hey, i’m no different. So I ask that if I am able to play a Canon for your OC to meet, that you do the same for me. It’s double or nothing here, friend! ~A few fandom settings i’m particularly interested in~ > [fandomhere]< = really want! >Castlevania< >Legend of Zelda< >Persona or Devil Summoner< Kuroshitsuji >Devil May Cry< Silent Hill Haunting Ground >Hellsing< >Psycho Pass< Servamp KH >Megaman (Battle Network/ExE, or X)< Tales of Finally, a couple of important notes: -> while i’m up for any of the ones on the list, again, if there’s something you wanna do that’s not up there ask about it and if i’m into it i’d be happy to do that too! But no guarantees xD; (BTW I’m absolutely starved for any of the highlighted. or an LoZ or Battle Network rp. jus saiyan ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) -> While it’s not listed, i’m also looking for someone who’s interested in doing something in the Starfox universe even if it’s just a short little thing, as I have a character who’s been pretty much catching dust and i’d like to give them a spin. i’m not really expecting anything back on this but hey, figured i’d throw that out there~ Other terms and conditions: I do have a list of terms and rules, so feel free to send me an email for more info or if you have any other questions at all, BUT NO RP GROUP SPAM ADS. If you want to send me an ad or invite, then actually approach me first and ask if i’d like to be sent a link! do not send me a stock letter, that’s really disrespectful. Putting up my email is NOT consent to receiving your junk mail. Ever. Period. Otherwise? Hope to hear from you lovelies!