#but honestly it's just caramel macchiato

[hanjsquokka]

Caramel Macchiato - [ Kim Seungmin ]

🩷 SYNOPSIS : Seungmin hated the morning shift. He hated the way some people thought they could say whatever they wanted to him just because he wasn't able to hand them their scalding hot drink quick enough. You were an enigma of sorts the second he saw you walk in. And suddenly, the six hours he spent every day were too short.

GENRE : fluff, strangers to potential lovers

PAIRING : barista!seungmin × f!barista!reader

CONTENT WARNING : none

WORD COUNT : 2.5K

AUTHOR'S NOTE : I honestly had a lot of fun writing this even though I'm not that satisfied with the ending. The title is inspired by BTS' song Coffee, which is one of my favorites (yes, I wrote it with Jungkook's voice in mind). Hope you enjoy <3 (part of valentines collab with @stayconnecteed )

The bristly cloth of a rag scratched his palms as Seungmin wiped down the counter. The morning rush died down, leaving behind a quiet lull in the coffee shop he was working in. He looked up at the clock. Five more hours until his shift ended. It had been nearly a week since the manager of the shop asked him to work the morning shift rather than the evening one because they were down an employee. Seungmin didn't want to. He really didn't. He hoped the blank stare would send a clear message — please go find someone else — but the man simply didn't understand that. Since the money for his vocal lessons were coming from the very paycheck the manager said he'd bump up, Seungmin reluctantly agreed.

The morning rush hour was a living nightmare. Annoyed and moody adults trying to get their daily dose of caffeine before they headed to their jobs they willingly applied to with a sour face, barking at whoever talked back to them until they've had a shot of expresso. Then they would get mad when he didn't make their coffee fast enough. He'd nearly bit his tongue off trying to hold back a sharp reply that would easily get him in trouble. Instead, he swallowed back the sentences and continued doing his work, trying his best to ignore them.

Seungmin didn't understand why those people were like that. Obviously he'd give them what they ordered for. Handling hot, steaming coffee was difficult. And even with two people on deck, the coffee shop was located in mid downtown — of course there would be a lot of people rushing in.

He was honestly about to give up and beg the manager to give him the evening shift instead, but that was when you walked into the shop. Wearing the same beige shirt with the coffee shop's logo printed onto the pocket. You greeted the manager with a bright smile, asking him how he was. You disappeared into the locker room beside the kitchen and came back with a brown apron in hand.

“Oh, hi?” You said as you approached Seungmin, a puzzled expression forming on your face. He mirrored the same, because who were you? And why did his heart stutter as you drew closer to him?

“Y/n, he's Seungmin. He's not new, don't worry. He used to be on the evening shift.” The manager told you and went into the kitchen, presumably to speak with the guy in there about how they ran out of croissants.

You looked relieved when the man told you Seungmin wasn't new. “Ah, sorry. I've had exams the whole week. I didn't know you were dealing with this alone.” You chuckled. “I apologize.”

Seungmin, for the first time in his life, found himself starstruck. Utterly starstruck by the person in front of him. His words betrayed him, so he simply nodded and turned away to clean the expresso machine before he could embarrass himself more.

He was dumbfounded. Because when had he ever been at a loss of words like that? The answer was never. He was witty and always had a snark reply waiting on the tip of his tongue when his friends made a joke.

It was just the two of you, working in silence. The other guy (was it Jeno?) had gone out to run an errand. There weren't that many customers, just the occasional one whom you greeted like they were old friends. You easily struck up a conversation with the person in front of you. It was like Seungmin was witnessing witchcraft. Not only were you able to keep a smile on the customer's face but you were making whatever they needed in the blink of an eye and handed it to them, telling them to come by again soon. He made awkward eye contact with you every now and then, but he still hadn't managed to say a word.

The next day, you were there before him, looking far too optimistic for someone to be at seven in the morning. For some reason, that didn't irk Seungmin as much as other people did. He wasn't against positivity and happiness, but he expressed those emotions in different ways. Ways other people didn't like. While they spread happiness in smiles and good vibes, engulfing their close ones in lingering hugs, he would add an extra pump of chocolate in their drink and made sure the latte art looked extra nice. You belonged to the former category. He could tell as the usual bustle of people walked in. You handled them all with such ease, he had to mentally slap himself to get back to his work and stop staring at you.

The two of you just clicked, working in harmony seamlessly without uttering a single word, despite never formally introducing yourselves to each other. The mornings started to become a thing Seungmin looked forward to. The six hour shift seemed too less. Every day he woke up, a skip in his step because of the fact that he could see you. Not that he like liked you or anything. His feelings were a whirlwind or chaos ever since you stepped foot into his life. His usually self poofed away, leaving behind a shy boy who could barely look you in the eye.

Although he was slightly jealous of your outgoing personality, he found it endearing the longer he worked with you. You remembered every little detail about everyone — from a man's promotion to a school kid's test grades. And you weren't doing it on purpose. You genuinely liked knowing about people and tried to change their day for the better. He heard you tell Jeno that you would like to be the reason someone smiled at least once that day.

Seungmin didn't speak with you directly, but your attitude was bringing a change in him too. His friends were the first to notice the change in him when they dropped by the coffee shop one day. Seungmin happened to be serving another customer and he looked happy instead of his regular blank expression. It was a nice change. When asked about it, he simply glanced in your direction, that infectious smile plastered all over your face as you placed fresh brownies in the showcase. You found joy in the most miniscule things, it was bewildering to him but he found it rather cute.

Hyunjin noticed his friend's gaze on you and for once, he didn't interrupt or tease him. A soft smile on his face, he brought the cup of coffee to his lips, watching the way Seungmin was looking at you. He wasn't a fool to see that his friend had much more than platonic colleague feeling towards you, whether he understood it himself or not.

The morning shift was starting to be somewhat productive. Once the majority of the people left as soon as the clock struck eight thirty, the place was empty except for the occasional one or two people. He had time to do whatever he wanted. Sometimes he cleaned down the tables and restocked the showcases. Other times, he would study. His daily vocal lessons were taking a toll on him. Not that he would ever quit. But he did have his moments of stress.

A ceramic mug was placed in front of him with whipped cream and caramel syrup piled on top of it. He turned away from the papers for his vocal lessons he'd been hunched over and looked at you. There was no customer in the shop, so you definitely weren't mistaken when you placed it in front of him. Besides, he was sitting behind the counter next to the cash register.

“Caramel Macchiato. Think of it as an apology —” Apology? — “if I managed to upset you in some way, I know I can be a bit too much —”

“I'm not mad at you?” That came out as a question. Not the tone Seungmin was hoping for, but he decided to go with the flow. “What made you think that?” Another dumb question. He'd been borderline ignoring you for the past week. Obviously you'd think you'd done something to upset him which in fact the complete opposite. “Nevermind, I can see why you'd think that.” He rubbed the back of his neck, turning around in the bar stool so he was facing you properly. “I'm sorry. I — uh, I'm Seungmin.”

“Y/n.” Your mood brightened up once he said that he wasn't mad at you. “You can keep the latte though. That one is my specialty.” You smiled, your eyes drifting from his face to the mug, eagerly waiting for him to try some. Which he did. It was… perfect. Not too sweet and the caramel didn't come on too strong. He used his thumb to wipe off the excess whipped cream over his mouth, a satisfactory nod following which made you beam. “Is it good?”

“Very.” Your bright smile was making him crack a small grin as well.

“You should start smiling more.” You pointed out, wiping your hands on the towel tucked in your apron pocket. “It suits you.”

The days that followed were filled with conversations between the two of you, although you were the one doing most of the talking. He didn't mind. He found a strange sense of happiness in seeing you ramble on and on about your cat or about the good grade you got on the test you were stressing about. He found himself wanting to know more and more about you. To see you more than the stupid six hour shift.

The insecure part of his mind told him that the smiles you gave him were the same as the ones you gave everyone else. It was just your nature. Being a living, breathing Pinkie Pie — making a change in an another person's day your life's sole mission. You were only talking to him because Jeno usually helped in the kitchen. Seungmin was just… the same as everybody else.

He didn't want to be everybody else.

You should smile more. It suits you.

Your words rang in his head day and night. Were you being nice or did you genuinely mean that? But you always meant whatever you said. You weren't afraid to hide your true thoughts, although you often sugar-coated your words so you wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings.

There was a new thought arising inside him that he tried to play off. Seungmin turned to his right, watching you make someone's drink. The morning rays of sun made your skin look golden, highlighting the pink tint of the lip gloss you applied that morning.

How could someone be so effortlessly breathtaking when making a cappuccino?

He wasn't foreign to the feeling of love, but you were something else entirely. You gave him a smile whenever you met his eyes, an action that made his cheeks turn pink as he looked away.

“Something on your mind?” You asked as you took a donut out of the showcase.

“No…” He shook his head. “Why do you ask?”

“You've been piling a little too much whipped cream onto that latte.” His eyes widened when he looked at the cup in front of him, a mountain of whipped cream sitting on top. His ears turned red when you chuckled. All the hustle and bustle of the coffee shop canceled out and it was only the sound of your laughter and the thumping of his heart in his chest that rang in his ears. He liked it. He liked hearing you laugh. He liked being the reason of your happiness.

He liked you.

That was a strong revelation. Normally, he'd let those thoughts mull over in his head for a while, but not this time. An idea formed in his head and he began to put his plan into action. He grabbed a cup and started making a latte.

“I do have something on my mind.” He said a while later, when you were sitting idly on your phone.

“What is it?” You asked, putting your phone down to give him your full attention. Your curious face made him hesitate for a moment. He took off the baseball cap he was wearing and ran his finger through his brown hair before focusing on you again.

“You.”

“Me?”

He swallowed. Seungmin picked up the drink he'd been trying to perfect and put it in front of you. He was scared. Your once beaming expression and turned into furrowed brows and an emotion he couldn't gage.

“Caramel Macchiato?”

“Jeno helped.”

A wide, toothy grin broke onto your face. “And here I thought I annoyed you.”

“The only thing that's annoying me is that you aren't trying my coffee.” He tried to act annoyed, but he wasn't able to play down the joy he was feeling.

You laughed, taking a big gulp from the ceramic mug. “Not bad.” You gave an appreciative nod. “I could teach you though.”

“Oh yeah?” Seungmin stepped closer.

“Yeah. Consider it a date.”

“It's a date now?” It was a rhetorical question, he knew that. A bubbling feeling arose in him when you stood up and pressed a kiss on his cheek. He could smell the caramel on you as you lingered close to him for a second before pulling back. He couldn't hold back the happy grin this time, letting it take over as he looked into your eyes. “I want to take you out on a proper date.” His hands found yours, holding them with utmost care, thumbs brushing over your knuckles.

“Well I would hope so. I do have better clothes than this uniform.” He chuckled. “And I want to see more of that smile.” You were definitely something different.

©hanjsquokka | copying, translating or republishing my work is strictly prohibited

[wonton4rang]

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i love u 3000 ¡!

pairing: sungho x reader.

warnings: +18, smut, fluff, some angst maybe, kissing.

summary: short scenarios of firsts with sungho.

note: this will be a series!! hope u all enjoy<33 find the others here as i make them (woonhak and sungho done)

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first encounter: idk if it would be at a cafe or at the gym but I'll go for the cafe because i feel like he would be too into his workout to actually pay attention to his surroundings and see you. so he'd be thinking what to order, looking up at the menu while he stood in the line, you were in front of him and he didn't even see your face but the way you smelled and the way your voice said "i want a caramel macchiato, please, with no sugar" was enough for him to feel as if the sweetness you opted out surrounded him instead and he melt right into it, following you with his eyes when you left the line and yours meeting his when everyone kept telling him to move forward in the line. he finally came to his senses and you laughed at his little blush due to the shame. you can know for sure he would ask to sit with you and launch a conversation about how he zoned out before, ending with your number in his pocket, wrote down on a paper tissue and a huge smile in his face while he walked down the street.

first time he realises he's in love; honestly he knew from the beginning that he liked you, the way he would look for you in his contact list just to see your profile picture setting him up, even if it was the same one. he would even "mistakenly" call you at least twice a week just so he could hear your voice and ultimately your laugh when you said "was this really a mistake, sungho-ssi" and he just went silent before you added "you can call me if you wanna talk, i don't mind" bet. cause he would call you everyday just to ask how you were doing and if there was anything that you may need so he could get it for you. the first day you guys went out was when he finally realized he kinda liked you a little bit more than he expected, looking at you with such a lover eyes that the old people passing by your side kept saying "he loves you so much, don't break his heart". an indirect confession i guess.

how would he confess; kinda obvious (at least for me) but he is wearing the best clothes on his closet, his hair done perfectly, that soft perfume you loved all over his body and that smile on his face only growing bigger when he handed you the bucket of flowers, "what is this, sungho?" , "i would like to ask you out, if you let me. i promise to make you nothing but happy if you allow me" it sounded like a marriage proposal but that's just how serious he was. you said yes, why would you say no? it was sungho and his pretty foxy eyes waiting for your response, the boy who never had an excuse when you needed him and the one who cared for you the most, y'all already looked like you were dating to begin with so now it was just official!!

officially dating w sungho; something i know for sure is that he is such a domestic boyfriend :(( you could find him helping out with the chores at YOUR apartment, doing the dishes and even the laundry while you slept during the morning. he would hold your hand at any moment, hug you while walking on the streets during winter time even if it was uncomfortable, tell you how grateful he was by having you. he would remember all your anniversaries and bring you flowers each time, every time being a different one just so he could tell you the meaning and how much he loved you and hoped for more anniversaries to come. i think he'd also be the type to introduce you to his friends and his family as he sees your relationship as a long-term one.

first kiss; idk why i feel it'd happen at one of your guy's house, like, you are laying down on bed, just cuddling and talking your day, your head resting on his chest and his arm hugging you, giving you the warmth the weather lacked. you were so comfortable with him that even looking up and being so close was not awkward, that's why you did it when he went silent for a few seconds.

"what are you thinking about?" you would mumble and he lowered his eyes to meet yours, making you blush when he just smiled a little bit before saying:

"you"

"i am right here, what were you thinking?"

"about how cute you are, how much i love you and how lucky of man i am to have you and had met you in this life"

"honey... i love you too" you softly giggled and he blushed after saying all that cheesy stuff, you removing the hand from his face and matching his eyes, feeling his breath hitch when his eyes dropped to your lips.

and he really didn't have to ask, he just leaned forward and pressed his lips against yours, you both closing your eyes and shifting in the bed so he was on top of you, between your legs while he softly caressed your cheeks, staying like that for a little while before pulling out and looking into each other's eyes, gosh you guys are so in love :(

first time he wanted to do more than just a peck; it would happen during a movie night, you always got together at your place to wach a movie or a short serie on fridays, buying some junk food when neither you or sungho wanted to cook. you would sit in your couch, your leg between sungho's and one of his hands on your thigh while you payed attention to whatever was playing on the tv, but when you constantly feel him moving below your leg, his hand making some pressure in the uncovered flesh of your thigh, you had to look at him.

"everything good, babe?"

"yes... i'm just... you know"

"no, i don't" you said, pausing the tv and removing your leg from his lap so you could sit properly and look at him. "is something going on?" he just denied with his head but by the way he lowered his head, his cheeks flushed and his hands held that cushion in front of his pants you knew what was going on. "can i kiss you then?" his eyes met yours again. "i wanna kiss you"

but sungho really didn't want to seem like a pervert right now so he would try to say no just to end up with you straddled on his lap, kissing him with hunger and circling your hips on his erection, his tongue would get into your mouth and he'll take control from then on, his hands guiding the pace and movement of your hips by holding down on them. a few moans would escape his lips and tbh he couldn't be more ashamed to be making out w u for the first time due to a boner. but oh well, it was not going to be the last time either.

first time meeting your family; when i say "sungho domestic boyfriend" I mean it!! he would be so excited to finally meet your parents, you met his a few months ago so he couldn't wait to meet the people who gave birth to the love of his life :( he would bring food and help your mom cook it, asking about your childhood and making a few jokes when your mom got too emotional about you being all grown up. i feel like your dad would love him even if they don't have much to talk about, he would see his good intentions and the kind and lovely vibe he gave would make both of your parents love him sm !! i can personally see him calling your mom every mother's day, and your dad too on every father's day, sending them flowers and a present for their birthdays too. he is just such a family boy to me ;(

first time w sungho; when i pictured this i almost got an overdose of sugar fr fr. he would be so loving, so caring, so soft about it, i don't even see him using dirty talk (at least not for the first time). he would worship your body so much that it would make you feel shy yet so good you couldn't explain the mixture of feelings, his kisses would be long and wet, his hips rocking against yours during missionary (because yes, he would fuck you in missionary 99% of the time) and his hands holding your wrists pinned down to the bed on each side of your bed. "you look so pretty, y/n, you feel so good" would be something he would say when he left your lips for a second, looking into your eyes before smiling a little bit about how into you he was (pun intended). he would also be the type to softly moan in your ear and intertwine his fingers with yours while fucking you so good :(( and i also see him using his tongue to make you shiver, could be by kissing you or by playing with your ear.

overall, sungho is a good boy, he is mature and very loving, he seeks honesty and stability so if he ever falls for you, have in mind that he would like to be with you for as long as he can. he is a funny person too, making jokes to enlighten the mood when needed but also knows when to remain silent. his mood wouldn't have huge swings and i don't think he would be one to argue or be jealous. (he could get jealous tho but he'll let you know about it before it gets uncomfortable)

commitment wise he is a 10/10, his full attention is on you when you need him, i think he wouldn't cheat and he is such a lover boy :') but he would expect the same back so if you lack he would feel a little sad too.

so if you are looking for a long-term, marriage oriented and responsible, respectful, honest yet funny relationship, sungho is definitely your pick !!

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also, can we talk about those pictures of him???? he looks so pretty, dazzling, cute yet hot asf?? make it make sense, he can't be a gym bro and look that good 😭😭

[wheeboo]

wilted | kim mingyu

SYNOPSIS. in which you've contracted hanahaki despite being in a relationship, and it makes you question everything. PAIRING. kim mingyu x gn!reader (ft. jeonghan) GENRE. angst, established relationship, hanahaki au WARNINGS. descriptions of illness (hanahaki disease), mentions of coughing and blood, mention of death, cursing, terms of endearment, miscommunication or honestly lack of communication, depictions of an argument, gyu is a little bit of an ass in this and i'm very sorry about that but it's for the plot, description of hospitals and surgery, unrequited love WORD COUNT. 6.1k

hanahaki disease ( 花吐き病 ) 𑁋 a disease in which the infected coughs up flowers due to unrequited love.

notes: this entire story was inspired from this post which i hoped i was able to stick to :)

A shift has never been this relaxing before.

Normally, you're used to the hectic hustle of weary students aiming to acquire their morning coffees before running to class and impatient corporate workers racing against the clock in the bustling jungle of the city. But today, the scene was drastically different.

The clear blue skies outside were barren of any existence of clouds, the sun rays pouring in through the café windows like warm honey and casting ornate patterns of light and shadow on the rustic wooden tables that filled the vast space. In the midst of this fresh and sunny afternoon, you find yourself standing idly behind the counter, fingers rhythmically tapping on your phone as you shoot a text message to your boyfriend.

[ 04:39pm | y/n ] gyu ! should i bring home something for us to eat tonight? been craving that gimbap from a while ago 💕

The message sends before your attention would be halted by the chime of the doors opening.

You've worked as a barista in this café for the past year while searching (or struggling, to be honest) to get a job in the field you sought for. It's easy to give yourself credit when it comes to plastering on the brightest smile on your face every time the bell above the doors would ring. You can be having the worst day of your life, yet you've mastered the skill of hiding your worries beneath that obnoxious apron and sage green logo-emblazoned hat sat on your head.

It's a bit different this time when the customer who walks in is someone you're beginning to consider a regular at your café.

"Ah, Mr. Yoon," You greet him with a shake of your head and a wide grin. "The usual today, I'm presuming?"

"That is, if you can stop putting down 'Mr. Yoon' on my cup than my first name," he responds teasingly, and it makes you lightly chuckle as you lower your gaze to start tapping in his order on the screen.

Mr. Yoon, as he preferred to be called initially as a running gag, had become a latest fixture in the café, like a light-hearted charm that captures the attention of both you and your co-workers. It's rare to see people like him walk in. His visits were characterised not just by his liking for the café's signature caramel macchiato, but also by the easy banter and warm camaraderie he shared each time he visited that makes your busy shifts a little more bearable.

"Okay, Jeonghan," You reply playfully, reading out his order even though you know it's correct. "One caramel macchiato with a pinch of wit, coming right up."

He lets out a chuckle as he hands you his card with a wink. "You're the best, you know that?"

You flash him one last smile before facing your back towards him to prepare his order. "Flattery will get you anywhere, Mr. Yoon."

You take your time in creating his order, looking up briefly to notice he had sat himself down at one of the tables in the corner of the café. You carefully pour the steamed milk over the espresso and caramel, and when you finish, you place the perfectly crafted caramel macchiato on a tray and carry it over to Jeonghan's table.

"Here you go, Mr. Yoon," You say with a smile, bringing the tray down and placing the cup in front of him. "One caramel macchiato, just the way you like it."

Jeonghan takes a moment to properly observe it, as if examining the crevices of each layer in the cup, before leaning back in chis hair and crossing his arms together. He lets out a relaxing sigh.

"Congratulations, you've earned yourself a perfect score this time." He turns the cup just slightly to show off that you've indeed put the order down under his first name.

You roll your eyes. "Well, I'm glad to have gotten it right."

"It's about time, don't you think?" Jeonghan queries, before taking a sip of the drink, eliciting a satisfied hum. "Mmh, but it was definitely worth the wait. Thank you, Y/N."

You grab the empty tray back in your hands. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

Jeonghan just shoots you one last playful smirk in your direction before you turn away to head back around the counter, pushing yourself through your next set of customers.

However, as time continues to pass so torturously slow, an unusual sensation begins to creep into the core of your chest.

It's like a subtle tickle, a slight tightness to your trachea that you merely dismiss just as fatigue from the dry air as you strap the lid on the order of a cup you're preparing. You take a moment to rub your chest absently, hoping the discomfort will pass, but it lingers.

Yet once you set the order down on the customer's table and dismiss yourself back behind the counter, you let out a small, involuntary cough into the palm of your hand. It's nothing, you tell yourself. You're probably just coming down with a minor cold.

But then, you see it𑁋a very small delicate, pale pink petal resting on your hand where you had covered your mouth, and that's when you feel your heart drop down to your feet.

This can't be happening, You think frantically. Not now. Not like this. You glance around nervously, hoping no one else was watching or waiting for you at the front. The café is still bustling with customers, and the regular chatter continues, completely oblivious to your growing panic.

As you stare at the petal, it begins to crumble, disintegrating into tiny flecks that drift away like dust in the wind down to the floor below. The feeling in your chest, however, remains, and it intensifies. It's like a weight, an ache that refuses to dissipate, and sets the adrenaline to your limbs as you dash towards the employee's only restroom, locking the door behind you.

You place your hands on either side of the sink, the coughs leaving your mouth now bouncing off the walls of the restroom. The coughs wrack your body. Each one doesn't bloom out a petal, but as you release one last cough, you watch as another petal slowly floats down in the sink below your gaze.

Then you look at your reflection in the mirror, and it reveals nothing out of the ordinary. No flowers sprouting from your mouth or bloodstained petals; it was purely only just... fresh petals.

Your mind runs circles. It physically hurts to even think, like twist and turns on an abandoned dirt road. If what you're suffering from is really what you think it is, then your thoughts dash back to him. To Mingyu, whom you've been with for the past two years, and the thought of him makes your heart race. Thinking about him helps just slightly, but not entirely, yet... what is causing this?

You're still in love with Mingyu𑁋you know you are.

You splash cold water on your face, trying to collect your thoughts and the pain wracking your chest. This can't be happening. It's impossible that you'd suddenly develop Hanahaki for someone else.

You quickly take out your phone from your back pocket, punching in your passcode and sliding to your text messages. Your fingers instinctively land on Mingyu's text thread, punching in words in a panic for some help. But when your eyes trail to the last message you sent to him, you notice that it was simply left on... seen.

That's when another cough racks your body, and you can't help but watch in horror as more petals, delicate and pink, fall into the sink, before wilting and crumbling down the drain. It felt like they were mocking you in shame.

Hanahaki disease. An illness described to be acquired from unrequited love.

The doctor explained the options to you: surgery to remove the flowers with the risk of losing your feelings for the person you love, medication to suppress the symptoms with the risk of some side effects, or the most common method𑁋reciprocated love. If the person you love returns your feelings, the disease will fade away on its own. However, if those feelings remain unrequited, the flowers will continue to grow, ultimately suffocating you.

And you would die.

Because that's exactly the kind of news you wanted to torment your life with. It's like a fucking parasite, a cruel insidious joke taking root in your chest. A fucking plant is growing in your fucking chest. Hanahaki disease was rare, but it had chosen you, and it had chosen to do so at the most inconvenient time.

You've heard the stories of the disease from the countless articles you searched on your phone the moment you got back into your car. You've also heard these stories growing up like an urban legend, even in its rarity, at some point becoming deathly afraid of it when you were younger, yet your own family had reassured you that no other person even down to your ancestors had ever been affected with the disease.

You're the first person. How fucking lucky are you.

You were lucky enough to catch it in its early stages, explaining to the doctor that you had never once had any other signs show other than today.

"It doesn't mean you have a lot of time to pick a treatment option," the doctor had said to you as you blankly listened. "I recommend getting it treated as soon as possible, no matter how early it may be, because waiting it out could be detrimental to your state. I'm going to prescribe you some medication to help reduce your symptoms. You can pick up at the pharmacy after this."

But you just... don't understand. None of this has been making sense in your head; it's just been buzzing painfully with confusion, and if anything, making you feel even worser than the actual disease plaguing your body itself. You've always been faithful to Mingyu; you've never harboured romantic feelings for anyone else other than him. You tell him that you love him, and he tells you that he loves you too.

Yet here you are, coughing up petals that seem to defy logic and the rules of this damn disease, trying to think of someone, anyone, who may have slipped past a crack in your heart somewhere.

But it all draws a blank, yet it's the only thing in mind that can be causing all this.

The doctor's words echo in your mind. Surgery came with the risk of losing your feelings for Mingyu, something that you couldn't bear to imagine. Medication can help suppress the symptoms temporarily, but it wouldn't cure the underlying cause. That left you with the most daunting option𑁋reciprocated love.

But how could you possibly explain this to Mingyu? How could you tell him that you were coughing up petals because of some inexplicable turmoil in your heart that had nothing to do with him?

You can't do this. Not right now. God, you need sleep.

"Gyu?" You call out, your voice echoing within the quietness of your shared apartment.

Stepping into your apartment, you're initially met with silence, but it wasn't until you hear a door shut that awakens your senses, and you see Mingyu stepping out of your shared bedroom. For a few moments, you let your eyes trail over him, seemingly dressed up like he was going to an outing, and you feel your lips twitch unconsciously.

"Babe?" You call out again, a bit louder this time, and it catches Mingyu's attention.

A faint smile crosses his face as he makes his way toward you, and for a second you can feel something catch in your throat once you can feel his warmth touch your skin.

"Hey," he greets you calmly, pushing away a strand of hair behind your ear. "How was work?"

"It was..." Tell him, Your mind urges. Tell him right now. "...fine. Nothing much today."

"That's good," he responds, locking the watch on his wrist in place.

"Are you going somewhere?" You ask him quickly, shifting your eyes up and down and over his form.

Mingyu's expression changes slightly, becoming almost tense, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes before it changes back to that lazy smile he had on before. You swear that if you weren't so hyperfocused with every fibre of your being pulling you back, you wouldn't have noticed.

"Just some dinner with the guys. Haven't seen them in a while," he responds coolly, brushing past you for a moment to grab the keys hanging next to the door. "Do you want me to bring you something back?"

You watch Mingyu's every move, the unease and some discomfort from the disease in your chest growing by the unbearable minute, even with the increasing tension in the room that's absolutely suffocating you at the same time. This isn't the time to let your guard down, but you're torn between the fear of losing him and the need to protect him from this awful reality.

But... he's going out? And he didn't tell you? Nor even bother responding to the text you sent him earlier? He was probably just busy, You think. Like he always is.

"No, it's alright." You take a chance and step up to him, planting a brief kiss to his cheek. You feel a little bit better doing that. "I'll just heat up something from the fridge. Have a good time with your friends, okay? I love you."

Mingyu smiles softly at your gesture, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. And you swear you notice a distant look in his gaze, or maybe you were just imagining things and it's just another symptom of this stupid disease and your fervent overthinking. The dimness of your apartment didn't help either𑁋his eyes just looked drained of any colour. Maybe he was just tired.

"Thanks, Y/N." He offers one last smile, but there's something lacking in his tone that you can't quite place, and it's anything but comforting you at the moment. "Love you too."

Your heart quickens just a bit at that, the corners of your lips edging up just slightly as you watch him. He grabs his jacket and heads for the door, and you're left behind in nothing but the silence of your place.

And all at once, you feel all the discomfort you were trying to hide finally spill out from your lips, coughs leaving your mouth like a downpour, each one a bit more painful than the last. You double over with one of your arms wrapped around you and the other clutching at your chest as if trying to physically grasp the pain and pull it out of you.

"Shit, dammit," You murmur weakly, bringing your hand down from your mouth to see a few petals fluttering to the floor, feeling the tears brimming at the corner of your eyes.

You bring yourself back up, opening up your bag and taking out the medication you picked up from the pharmacy earlier. Trailing down to the bathroom, the medication bottle rattles loudly in your shaky hand as you fumble to open the cap. The pills inside are small and white, and the label on the bottle provides instructions for dosage. With shaking fingers, you fish out one pill and place it on your palm.

Then you take a deep breath, attempting to steady your nerves, and then swallow it down with a gulp of water from the bathroom sink.

You hope that it will provide some relief, even if it's just temporary.

You don't know what time Mingyu comes home that night. You heard him come in, but don't have the energy to properly acknowledge him. So you stay low to your sheets, feeling some residual discomfort crawl back into your throat when you hear him open the bedroom door.

You wish he can hold you𑁋it's all you want right now. His comfort, his large arms wrapping around you like how he used to do so before, how he would kiss the top of your head and your shoulder before holding you close in his embrace, the way it felt so right and safe being in his hold because you know it's enough to make all your worries disappear in an instant.

But he doesn't, only sliding into the empty space next to you, and you're afraid that if he does it just might make you feel even worse. You barely feel his warmth on you. Yet you miss him; you miss everything about him. And you still love him. You always have.

You always will.

...right?

It's not right to tell him right now.

You certainly wouldn't like it if someone was staring at you, but you can't help it, not when Mingyu is the only other thing in the room you could possibly look at.

It's been more than a week since you found out you have Hanahaki. Each day you would wake up in an absolute coughing fit, the petals coming in more frequent amounts than before. The medication has helped to lessen the symptoms, yet the side effects are taking a toll on your body. You're constantly fatigued, and your appetite has declined just slightly. You feel like a prisoner in your own body, all because something beautiful and deadly is growing within you.

Mingyu still doesn't know about it. And deep down, you can't shake the feeling that something is... different.

He used to be so attentive with you. Now, he often seems preoccupied, lost in his own thoughts. He no longer surprises you with sweet gestures or random acts of affection, and the warm, lingering kisses that he would leave to your lips have turned into quick pecks on the cheek, or simply, just nothing at all. You hardly wake up with him right next to you because of his work, and the shared laughter and late night conversations have nearly ceased to exist.

You remember the days when Mingyu used to look at you with such warmth, love, and adoration, but the spark that used to light up his eyes has dimmed. You barely feel it anymore. His replies to your questions asking about his day are kept brief. You would excuse it as him simply being exhausted, but there's a persistent feeling in your chest, and it's not just from your illness.

"Gyu?" You call out for him meekly from the kitchen, watching as he doesn't peel his eyes away from his laptop screen, only lifting a brow up slightly. "Are you busy later?"

"Yeah, I am. I got invited to a company dinner later this evening."

There's a visible downturn to your lips at his words, but he doesn't see it𑁋doesn't bother to see it, anyway.

"Oh." You feel it crawling up your throat again. "Okay. How about tomorrow?"

Mingyu finally looks away from his laptop, his gaze lingering on you for a moment before he sighs. "Tomorrow's not good either. I have a meeting with a client, and it might go late."

"Maybe the day after tomorrow?" You suggest, some desperation creeping into your voice.

Mingyu seems to hesitate for a moment, and you hold your breath, hoping for a glimmer of hope, something. But then he shakes his head. "I can't promise anything, Y/N. I'm sorry. I'll be sure to make up to you, okay?"

That's what you always say.

Will you ever make time for me again someday?

You swallow hard, feeling a lump in your throat. The realisation stings, more painful than the illness taking form in your lungs.

"Okay," You mumble, your voice barely above a whisper. "I understand. It's okay. I love you."

A brief, long, pause. "Love you too."

But it's okay, because you still love me.

Then you find yourself swiftly retreating into your bathroom, heart heavy as you grab a tissue and let out a few coughs into the tissue. More petals fall from your mouth, before you crumple the tissue and toss it into the bin next to the sink, then splash some water on your face to hide the tears that threaten to escape.

You don't know what to do.

You can't even bother to see how much pills you have left because you feel like you're taking ten of them every damn day. You have yet to tell a soul, and you know that you should before it's too late, but who you can turn to? You have no one𑁋you can't even figure out yourself why this is even happening to you without feeling like you're going absolutely manic.

It's been hard trying to hide the fallen petals away from Mingyu, or away from anyone, in fact, and you find yourself coughing up more petals even when you're just in the same room as him. You always have to discreetly spit them into a tissue or rush to the bathroom to dispose of them, hoping he doesn't notice.

You hardly even see Mingyu anymore. It's either he's always called into work, has something important to do with the guys, or you feel it snaking up your throat painful enough for you to not make a move. The words stick in your throat, and the fear of losing him freezes you up. You can't help but blame yourself for being so distant around him.

If you've really fallen out of love out of him, if you did supposedly fall for someone else, wouldn't that mean that... you're leading him on? It's a thought at the back of your mind, but the guilt gnaws at you day by day like the ever-growing branches piercing through your lungs.

It's frustrating. All of this frustrating, and it's obviously spilled into your work performance as well. You can hardly perfect orders without making mistakes, and your once bright smile has faded into a forced, weary expression. Your manager and co-workers have given you concerned looks, but you've brushed them off, simply claiming it as stress or lack of sleep.

But it doesn't hit hard until today, because it happens so fast𑁋the metal tray you're holding loudly suddenly crashing down to the floor. One moment you can't breathe, and the next you're letting out hacking coughs into your hands, knees dropped to the floor with the spilled coffee staining your pants and shoes.

The café erupts into chaos as some customers quickly rush to your side, a hand still covering your face. You can hardly respond to anyone from the intense heaviness to your chest and dry pain to your throat.

You feel the petals tickling the skin of your hand, quickly crumpling them up in a fist and stuffing them inside the pocket of your apron.

"Y/N, are you okay?" a familiar voice asks worriedly, Jeonghan's voice, who you served earlier, and you catch a glimpse of him kneeling down beside you.

You can't look at him. Tears well up in your eyes, but you blink them back, doing your best to keep whatever you had left of your composure. You force a weak smile as you bring your hand down to the side.

"Yeah," You croak out, voice raspy and barely audible. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy."

Jeonghan doesn't seem convinced, his eyes trailing over you carefully. You only look past him and keep your gaze low, but it wasn't until you catch sight of a fallen petal resting by your shoes.

And he also sees it as well. Jeonghan's gaze flickers downward, his eyes narrowing as he spots the pale pink petal, and something in his expression changes.

Then he looks back up at you, giving a faint smile, yet serious look.

"Let me take you to the doctor," he urges.

"What? Jeonghan, I can't𑁋"

"I'm taking them to the doctor," he tells one of your co-workers passing by with a broom to clean up the mess you brought to the floor, completely cutting off your words.

You can hardly believe your eyes and ears right now. Your co-worker only nods and quickly takes over your duties while Jeonghan helps you to your feet. Despite your protests, he guides you outside the café, keeping a loose grip on your arm before you get yourself to separate from him in a brief panic.

"Jeonghan, you can't just𑁋just take me out of work like this."

He shoots you a bewildered look. "You're sick, Y/N. It's obvious."

"I know, and I'm fine. It's just stress and bad sleep. Please, just take me back to the café𑁋"

"You have Hanahaki," he says flatly and outright. "I've seen you cough them up. You don't have to hide it from me."

Jeonghan's words hang in the air like an anchor sinking in the ocean. You freeze, your heart pounding in your chest, and your mind races to find some way to deny it, to deflect the truth. But deep down, you know he's right.

Jeonghan, however, doesn't press you for an explanation. Instead, he takes you by the wrist gently and drags you to his car parked nearby.

"Jeonghan𑁋"

"I've had it, Y/N. I've had Hanahaki before," he confesses, a solemn look to his face as his words sink inside you.

You're quiet for a few moments as his words hang suspended in the air, a heavy silence between you two. Hearing that kind of news is from him is oddly... both surprising and comforting, knowing how how rare the illness is. But maybe just maybe, he might understand what you're going through, even if you can't seem to understand yourself.

Once you finally slide into the passenger seat of his car, you manage to get your voice back.

"You've... had it? I mean, just... what happened... how did you get rid of it?"

Once the car engine roars to life, Jeonghan just releases a small chuckle.

"It's the usual story: you fall in love with someone who doesn't love you back. It was terrifying, you know, seeing bits of your feelings turn into something physical like that. I waited too long, so I ended up getting the surgery." There's a shadow of some passing tree branches that cast on his face for a moment. "They never told me the surgery would also mean that my feelings would completely disappear, but it was the only way to save my life."

His face remains calm as he continues to drive, keeping his eyes on the road while your own thoughts were juggling together like a tangled mess of strings.

For a moment, Mingyu's face flashes in your mind, and you wish he were here with you. But you're torn. You don't want to burden him with this.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," You finally say, keeping your voice low. It was all you can say at the moment.

Once the car stops at a red light, he turns to you with a small, sad smile. "Don't be. It was a long time ago, and it taught me a lot of lessons, you could say. I survived, and you will too."

Another round of silence passes through the car, but this one feels less heavy, more contemplative. You watch the passing scenery outside the window as your thoughts continue to whirl like a storm within your mind. Knowing that Jeonghan survived offers a glimmer of hope, but it also deepens your sense of isolation𑁋that you can't lean on Mingyu for support in the same way.

You don't want to lose your feelings for him. You've already built this start of a future with him, and you can't bear the thought of basically removing him from your life for no solid reason.

"I-I have a boyfriend, you know," You blurt out, interrupting the silence, hearing Jeonghan let out an acknowledging hum for you to go on. "We've been together for the past two years, and whenever the... coughing, petals, all this started happening, it confused me."

"The heart is a complicated place," Jeonghan assures you.

You faintly smile at that. "I still love him, I'm sure of that. I know I do. I've never had feelings for anyone else. I just... I can't figure out why this is happening, why I'm coughing up these stupid petals in the first place, and it's been eating me up inside. It hurts."

Jeonghan listens intently as you pour your heart out, his eyes fixed on the road ahead but his attention fully on you. When you finish speaking, he clears his throat.

"You haven't... told him yet, haven't you?" he asks softly, breaking the silence.

You shake your head. "No, I haven't. I-I've just been... scared that I've been pushing him away, leading him on and I don't know about it. What if... if my heart is just betraying me? And now, with this... I don't know what to do."

Jeonghan's lips purse together thoughtfully.

"I think... If you know you love someone, you do," he says. "But... what makes you certain that he loves you back in the same way?"

Jeonghan's question hits you like a ton of bricks. It's a question you've been dying to avoid for this entire time, a fear that's been lurking in the shadows of your heart and the deepest corners of your mind.

What if... Mingyu didn't love you back?

The thought startles a cough out of you and you hastily bring your hand to your mouth, suppressing it as much as you can, the fragile petals fluttering out and settling on your lap. Squinting your eyes just slightly, you notice how they appear more redder than the usual pink you were used to seeing. You clench your hand around them, knuckles white from the tension, and swallow hard. Jeonghan shoots a quick glance of worry in your direction.

"I... I don't know," You utter out shakily. And what if I don't want to know?

The rest of the car ride is relatively quiet with the occasional taps of Jeonghan's fingers on the steering wheel, but not uncomfortably so. You can sense the concern radiating off Jeonghan, but he doesn't push you to talk further.

"You need to talk to him, Y/N," is all he says after turning into the parking lot of the doctor's office.

Once you get out of his car, you turn back to Jeonghan and give him a light wave.

I know, You tell yourself in your head. I know I do.

You stare blankly at the dark red petal in your hand, its edges slightly crumpled from where it had been caught between your trembling fingers. You can hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall itching at your skin, a constant reminder that time is passing, and you're running out of it.

Balling the petal in your hand, you stand up from where you sat on the bed and march out the bedroom. For a second, you felt like you weren't in control of your legs, yet you know you have to take advantage of the chance to muster up the courage to finally tell Mingyu everything.

Not just about the Hanahaki, but about... everything that has been suffocating you inside. It's all you've been thinking about for the past few weeks. When you step into the living room, you spot him sitting at your small dining set, focused on his work as ever with the laptop screen in front of him casting a glow to his face. He doesn't even look up when you announce your presence near him, and your heart clenches at that.

Taking a deep breath, you speak up, "Mingyu, we need to talk."

Mingyu doesn't look up, his focus still on his work, brows furrowing together. "Can it wait, Y/N? I'm in the middle of something important."

You hesitate for a moment, feeling something inside you wince at his words. "No, it can't wait. It's about us."

"Y/N, it's one in the morning right now𑁋"

"Do you even still love me anymore?" The question leaves your mouth all at once, and you swear it even freezes this exact moment that you are in.

The room falls into a suffocating silence. Mingyu finally tears his gaze away from the laptop, his eyes meeting yours. In that moment, you see a complex mix of emotions in his eyes: surprise, guilt, and something else you can't quite place.

"I..." he starts, voice shaky. "Y/N, you can't just𑁋"

"Just answer the fucking question, Kim Mingyu." You clench the petal in your hand, feeling its dry, sharp edges dig into your skin. Then you realise the harshness to your words, softening your eyes and lowering your voice. "Please."

The room seems to close in around you as you wait for Mingyu's response. His hesitation hangs in the air, and you see the way his shoulders slump and the way his face contorts as he struggles to find the right words to say to just a simple question.

"I... I don't know, Y/N."

His words stab your heart. It's getting hard to breathe, but you can't let yourself cough now. Not in this moment. The petal in your hand crumples into dust as you clench it tighter.

"What the hell do you mean, you don't know?" Your voice trembles as you ask, searching his eyes for any sign of reassurance. "You either love me or you don't, just tell me, for God's sake."

Your frustration is evident, tone catching him off-guard. Mingyu's gaze drops to the table, and he lets out a heavy sigh.

"...I'm sorry, Y/N. I-I'm so so sorry."

His words hit you like a punch to the gut, and you can feel the tears welling up in your eyes. This is what you've been afraid of, what you've been trying to avoid. But now that it's out in the open, it feels like a heavy weight has been lifted, even if it's crushing you at the same time.

And then, you feel it𑁋a sharp pain to your lungs that makes you gasp as if you've been stabbed by a searing blade. The room spins as you struggle to catch your breath, your hands trembling as you clutch your chest, letting out harrowing coughs after coughs. Mingyu jumps up from his seat, immediately racing to your side.

"Y/N?! Shit, Y/N, you're bleeding𑁋"

You can't respond, the pain in your chest and the taste of blood in your mouth overwhelming your senses. You hold onto him for support as another bout of coughing consumes you. This isn't how you wanted to reveal your condition to him, but there's no hiding it now.

You feel the way Mingyu scoops you into his arms, the blood from your mouth and the petals staining his shirt as he reaches for his phone to dial emergency services. His voice is helpless and frantic, and within seconds, minutes, maybe even whole hour, you hear the distant wail of approaching sirens.

The soft hum of machines echo through the air as you stir awake, eyes fluttering open and the blinding white lights above blurring your vision. The first sensation that you register was the overwhelming scent of disinfectant filling your nose, sharp and pungent. Then came the dull ache in your chest that makes your breath quietly hitch.

Blinking your eyes open, you realise you're in a hospital room, the pale morning light filtering through the curtains. The sight of white walls and strange medical equipment, an IV line running into your arm, makes your heart race anxiously. You try to take a deep breath, but then you feel that ache in your chest again, and it makes you groan.

Just then at that moment, a young looking nurse enters the room, her eyes widening when she catches sight of you awake and distressed.

"Easy now," she says, rushing to your side and gently pushing you back down onto the bed. "You've just had surgery. You need to rest."

Surgery...?

You could only nod weakly, your throat too dry to speak. You watch as the nurse adjusts some of the monitors and checks your vitals, making sure everything was in place.

"Everything went well during the surgery," she reassures you. "But the hanahaki flowers had grown more aggressively than expected and showed signs of piercing through your lungs. It's a good thing we performed the emergency surgery when we did."

Hanahaki... The word lingers in your mind as you try to make sense of it all. Memories began to resurface: the petals mixing with your blood, the coughing fits, and... Mingyu. It all seemed so distant now, as if it had happened to someone else.

"You were lucky that we caught in time before the growth would have overtaken your lungs," the nurse says sympathetically while writing down your vitals on a chart.

Lucky. How ironic. You were alive, yes, but at what cost? You couldn't help but wonder if the surgery had taken more from you than just the hanahaki flowers.

And then it hits you.

There's no trace of the pain that had clawed at your chest for so long, except for the skin atop your heart where you can feel the incisions. The hanahaki flowers are gone, removed during the emergency surgery, but there's something else missing too𑁋your feelings, your love, for Mingyu.

You feel nothing. No pining, no longing, no aching heart. It's as if a weight has been lifted from your chest, but the emptiness is... disquieting, unnerving, just a void, a hole in place of where your warmth resided in.

You're no longer in love with Mingyu, just like he is for you.

taglist (open) ʚɞ @enhazen @haowrld @ylliris-hanniehae @icyminghao @slytherinshua @jeonride @lockburn-castle @vrnism @weird-bookworm @mhlsymlysn @ryuwonieebae @yeonjuns-redhair

[tangerinesgf]

Okay but imagine Tom Ryder falling for a fan who has ZERO and I mean zero clue on him being famous. Like he met the fan on accident and then was expecting the fan to go crazy when seeing him but the fan wasn’t even interested

And he’s like so into it becuase this hasn’t happened to him before!

Also female reader as the fan!!!

Tags/warnings: nothing I think.. Tom being an ass before being nice.

A/N: this was really fun to write. I'll be honest i had to keep myself from making him too much of an asshole, but i think this is pretty in character. Anywaysss tysm for your request and i hope you like itt<3

Tom Ryder has never met someone who doesn't know him. He's the biggest star of the world, everyone and their mother's knew about him. Or at least that's what he thought.

He was at his favorite coffee shop, undercover with a hat and black sunglasses. Usually he'd love the attention and praise from his fans, but today he wasn't really in the mood.

As the barista hands him his coffee order (a grande Caramel macchiato, 1/3 whole milk, 1/3 almond milk, 1/3 soy milk, 1 shot of extra espresso decaf, whipped cream and caramel drizzle on top), Ryder turns away to walk out of the shop.

Without noticing he drops his bank card which he used to pay with. You notice this while standing behind him in line and pick the card up.

"Oh, sir!" You call out as you rush after him.

Tom sighs and rolls his eyes before turning around to face the girl. "Here we go.." He mutters to himself.

"You dropped your-"

He instantly cuts you off before you can even finish your sentence. "Yeah, yeah it's me I'm amazing and the hottest man you've ever seen blah blah I know.."

You stare at him for a bit while still holding onto his card. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" He looks annoyed, you're wasting his time every second that he stands there facing you.

"I found your card.. what are you talking about?" You hold the card up to show him, your face still scrunched up in confusion.

"I'm Tom Ryder. Did you honestly not recognize me?" He raises his eyebrow at you. Is this girl stupid? He thinks to himself.

"Was I supposed to?"

"Yes. Everyone does I'm Tom Ryder." He says almost baffled that you don't recognize him.

"You keep saying your name but it doesn't ring a bell." You shrug your shoulder

"Tom Ryder." He repeats once again as if saying it for the third time would help. "Action Pact franchise? Hot Earth? Bad Cop, Good Dog? Metalstorm? How about biggest moviestar of the world?" He explains to you like you're a child.

"Oh I did hear about Metalstorm. Isn't that with that actress Iggy? Was that her name? She's cool."

"What no- I mean yes she is in it, but it's my movie. I'm the lead actor." Tom says in an agitated tone. How could you not know him, everyone knows him. Yet for some reason you kept staring at him with those confused eyes. Those beautiful confused eyes..

"Right well- good for you." It's a genuine smile, it's adorable. Why are you smiling at him like that? You should be wanting to jump on him out of excitement. Tom has never felt so confused in his life.

"Don't you watch movies at all?" He questions you.

"Ofcours I do. Indie movies." You say with a soft smile on your face.

Indie movies. Right. Tom Ryder was known for big budget blockbuster films, not smallscale indie stuff. Although now that he thinks about it everything could be a blockbuster with his name attatched to it.

"Right- so my face means nothing to you?"

"I mean.. I guess it looks slightly familiar but no.. not really. Sorry." You smile apologetically.

A strange sensation washes over Tom as he realizes this girl does not care about him at all. It's oddly humbeling even for him. "No it's fine I guess, I just never met someone who isn't crazy about me."

"Well I could still do that." You chuckle and finally hand the bank card back to him. "I'll just pretend to be obsessed with you and then you can roll your eyes at me or something."

"You'd really make a fool out of yourself for me?" He raises his eyebrow at you. Sure he's used to everyone doing everything for him whenever he asks, but this felt nice, less forced than usual.

"Yeah, look." You smile and then turn your back to him. A second later you turn to face him again, your face laced with excitement.

"Oh my god, you're Tom Ryder! I've seen like all your movies and you're so cool and hot and so amazing. Can we take a picture oh and an autograph, will you marry me?!" You say acting like an obsessed fangirl that's in love with him.

"Alright alright.. I get it." He laughs, readjusting the sunglasses on his face. He was starting to like her more and more.

"Really? I can go on if you'd like. There's this whole part where I improvise your part in a movie." Yoi brush your hair back from where it had fallen in front of your face and Tom's eyes can't help but linger at every move you make.

"No it's alright." He chuckles. "But I will say you're missing out. I've won many awards ya know. I'm not just a pretty face." He says with a grin on his face, trying to impress her.

"Never said you were. Maybe I should go see your new film at the cinema then." You tease playfully.

He chuckles softly at that. The idea of you going to see his movie made him excited. He wanted to know what you'd think about the film eventhough he had just met you 5 minutes ago. Then an idea suddenly pops into his head.

"I have a better idea. How would you like to go to the premiere, hm?" He grins

A/N: Tysm for reading I hope you enjoyed it!! Comments and reblogs are so much appreciated you don't even understand. Love you guyss<3

Taglist: @earth-elemental18 @cockete @allaroundjejje (lemme know if you wanna be removed/added)

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Hi! Xavier has been living in my head rent free since I watched the show. Could you do a jealous boyfriend Xavier x reader?

I went with a light jealous boyfriend!Xavier

keep sending requests for Xavier

—

Despite the November drizzle, you and Xavier spent the day in Jericho. It was cold and foggy, but you really wanted to check out the new bookstore that just opened and Xavier needed restocks of some paints.

Your beret wasn’t doing much at protecting you from the rain, but you wore it mostly for the look rather than its practicality. You and Enid got matching ones the last time you went shopping. She tried to convince Wednesday to get one too, but she explicitly explain how sticking a needle in her eyes would be less painful than wearing a beret.

‘’Next time we come here, we’re gonna need a wheelbarrow to carry all your books,’’ Xavier teased as you took a corner, taking you back to the main street.

Your arm was looped around his, giving you an excuse to cuddle up to him as you walked. Xavier wasn’t big on PDA, but he liked walking around Jericho in this old fashioned way. It was a subtle way of letting everyone know you were taken.

‘’If the school had a better selection of novels, I would not need to buy all these books,’’ you retorted in justification, holding your shopping bag full of new books in your other hand. ‘’Besides, I didn't get all the books I was hoping for.’’

‘’You got four books. That’s a lot.’’

You once got ten books in one trip, but Xavier didn’t need to know that. It would just give him more material to make fun of you and your love for books and reading.

‘’One of them is a birthday present. I think Wednesday will love the collector copy of Salem's lot I found. I was not expecting a small business to have it.’’

Xavier wasn’t a bookworm, but he figured a collector edition was very nice. A sort of special artwork in the literary world.

‘’Small isn’t always bad.’’ He looked down at you as he said it.

You stopped in your tracks and tipped your head to look at him, raising an eyebrow. ‘’Are you calling me small?’’

‘’I’m a full head taller than you so…’’ A cheeky smile curled on Xavier’s lips.

‘’I hate you.’’ You glared at him, but he wrapped his arms around you, his embrace enveloping you in an extra layer of warmth. Why was November so cold? ‘’Can we stop to get coffee before we head back to the academy? I’m cold and craving a caramel macchiato.’’

Disgust formed on your boyfriend’s face, a strong hater of the overly sweet drink you loved so much.

You ended up stopping at Weathervane for your coffee. Unfortunately, Tyler was working today so Xavier stayed back and waited outside while you went in. The less interactions he had with him, the better.

Although he didn’t go in, he didn’t miss how Tyler talked to you for longer than the other customers or the way he was smiling as you were leaving with your drink.

‘’Tyler is not preying on me,’’ you denied after Xavier made the accusation. It was honestly ridiculous. ‘’We’ve spoken three times and two times out of three it was about ordering coffee. You’ve got nothing to worry about.’’

‘’What about the third time?’’

You took a sip of your coffee before answering, playing with his jealousy buttons. ‘’He asked if I had seen Wednesday.’’

He’ll let that one slide, but he was still not changing his mind on Tyler.

‘’Why do you jump to conclusions every time a guy interacts with me?’’ you asked. You loved that Xavier was protective of you, but jealousy was not something you found attractive.

Xavier shrugged, genuinely not knowing. ‘’I don’t know. Call it instinct.’’

His answer had you thinking. Perhaps his jealousy was to camouflage his insecurities? Perhaps Xavier was not as confident as he made himself appear, especially regarding you and your relationship. Perhaps he was scared you would leave him for someone else.

Your heart sank and you grabbed his hand, tangling your fingers together. He glanced down at your hands, but said nothing. ‘’I don't care about Tyler or whichever other boy that looks at me, I only have eyes for you.’’ You reached on your tiptoes to kiss him and when you pulled back, the corner of his lips twitched.

—

Xavier Thorpe taglist: @sofiaadler @partyfly @hoodforcalum @thelilacmourning @ellessecretobsession @su-alteza-emia @achoo---uu @not-leaprvt @xaviersgf @peterparkerdilf @roadworkaheadisurehopeitdoes @dragon-chica @coldtacozinepanda @wrldofsage @eddiemunsonsluvrrr @capriaura @officialsaturn @babyfiva @maevaomizzolo @kelloggs-world @whosljt @ajpanda181 @belovedrey @emerycrt @elizabitchsshit @heaven-hiding @lilithlikestoread @est-liber @moonisu @dessxoxsworld @parker-nite @bellblake121890 @vesperazhier @kaldurahms-lover @beeebo234 @nephilimsss @mayuphoenix @sweetheartlizzie07 @watermelon-18 @snixx2088 @555stargirl555 @robinscardigan @chumchum19 @lilttblog @aphex2winn @heizenka @mystargirl-interlude @hwrtsiren @babygirljay20 @wildflowerlyss @strangersomeone @openfandoms @charlottelaffin @iheartmaddyperez @starless-starkov @ali-r3n

[kangseulgithegreat]

coffee shop (nishimura riki x reader)

enhypen niki x reader genre: fluff, strangers au warnings: so very extremely cringy a/n: omg this is my first fic here, and its just an intro/filler. so pls excuse my terrible writing skills. hope you like it anywayssss. I'm so excited for my tumblr journeyyyy wc: 822 words

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

I walk into the sad coffee shop, exhausted because of back-to-back classes. gosh, how I wish I could just return to my dorm after class. but no, I had to work at this shitty coffee shop with my shitty manager and shitty customers. I was a mere 20 years of age, in my third year at university, and after 2 years of relying on my parents' money, I decided it was time to lock in and make my own money. after a whole 2 months of searching for jobs, I found an opening for a barista at the neighbourhood coffee shop. so without thinking further, I took the job. that was probably the worst decision of my life. the only people who walked into this coffee shop were retired 60+ year-olds, who were grumpy and hated their life. my manager was the most uptight woman I had ever met, but honestly, I can't blame her. serving grumpy senior citizens every day really alters your brain functioning.

i continued taking orders and making coffees, when suddenly, a miracle walked through the door. he was not like the usual customers, no, he was a young man who looked my age and had the features of a Greek god. as he walked through the door, his hair flew back in slo-mo, and it felt like a scene from a nickelodeon romcom.

i must have been staring at him for too long because the snappy woman in front of me slammed the counter and cleared her throat obnoxiously. startled, I quickly turned my attention back to the woman in front of me. "sorry, ma'am. what was your order again?" I said, trying to regain my composure. "i said i wanted a decaf americano with a splash of almond milk," she repeated slowly, as if talking to a child. as I handed the woman her drink and change, I snuck another glance at the mystery man. he was walking towards me. i quickly adjusted my posture. the man's smile was warm and genuine, a stark contrast to the usual grumpy faces I dealt with every day.

"hello there! what would you like today?" I asked, sounding a bit too excited. gosh, I hope he didn't notice. "hi, I'm new here, so I don't really know what to order. could you please suggest something?" he asked, a voice as sweet as honey. "oh, I really like the caramel macchiato, and it's one of my favorite drinks to make. would you like to try that?" I asked. "I would love that" he smiled. that smile made me want to run into a wall at 100 mph. i nodded, trying to keep my hands steady as I punched in his order. "coming right up. your name, please?".

"riki", he said. his name was as pretty as his face. as I worked on his coffee, i stole glances at him. he seemed relaxed, leaning against the counter and looking around the coffee shop with mild curiosity. I couldn't help but wonder what had brought him here. "so, do you work here often?" he asked, breaking the silence. "uh, yeah," I replied, cursing myself for sounding so awkward. "pretty much every day after classes." "that sounds tough. nice to meet you, by the way."

"nice to meet you, riki. i'm [Y/N]." "hi, [Y/N]. do you go to the university nearby?" "yeah, I do. I'm in my third year." "same here! what are you studying?" "psychology. you?" "music," he said. "i haven't really explored this side of the neighbourhood before, so I thought I could do that today in my free time". i handed him his coffee, our fingers brushing for a brief moment. the contact sent a small jolt of electricity up my arm, and I quickly pulled my hand back, hoping he hadn’t noticed. "exploring the neighbourhood? well, you picked the right place to start," I said sarcastically, glancing around the almost empty coffee shop. riki laughed. "yeah, I guess I did. it's not every day you meet someone as pretty as you" he said with a cheeky grin.

if it wasn't for him standing in front of me, I would have passed out. "thanks. i hope the coffee is good". "it's perfect."

just then, my manager stormed out from the back, her eyes zeroing in on me. "[Y/N]! stop flirting with the customers and get back to work!". I flinched at her sharp tone, giving riki an apologetic smile. "sorry about that. duty calls." he nodded understandingly, but before he left, he pulled out his phone. he looked a little nervous, and that made him look so so so so cute. "maybe we could grab coffee somewhere else sometime? here’s my number." he handed me a small slip of paper with his number scribbled on it. I tucked it into my pocket, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. "i’d like that."

maybe this job wasn’t so bad after all.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

[justtwotired]

Whispers of the night Lloyd G. X F!reader

Part 1 - previous - next

Warning: slight sexual content

Tag list: @cipheress-to-k-pop @whore-of-many-hot-men @bodieohbo @anyth1ngfor0urmoony @luvizuku @viannasthings

Your pov:

I closed the door behind me and waved at Luna who was serving tables. It was a day before Christmas Eve and it was rather busy today.

Normally I don’t work on Wednesday’s, but Luna, who stood alone today, called me as there was an unexpected crowd.

Quickly, I dumped my jacket in the kitchen and headed out to help the people at the counter.

“Are you guys open tomorrow?” The woman asked me and I shook my head.

“Uh no, seeing it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow we are closed, I’m sorry,” I apologised and the woman frowned for a second.

“But I really need a cake tomorrow,” she said and I internally groaned, how did I manage to be here for five minutes and there was already someone being annoying?

“Do you have an order?” I asked, and took the map where we managed the orders from the shelf.

“No? I just thought to swoop by tomorrow and grab a cake,” she said and I let out a sigh.

“Then I am sorry to say that that is not possible, we do not have the time to make a cake on such short notice,” I said and she looked like she wanted to argue but decided against it.

The woman walked out, without any goodbyes and I turned to the young couple who had stood behind her.

“Can I help you two?” I asked, exchanging looks with poor Luna who was stuck talking to one of our regulars. That woman never shut up about herself and escaping was not an option really.

“Yes, please, is there still room for us to sit?” The girl asked and I nodded.

“Uh yeah, at the window over there I think, other than that we’re completely full,” I said and they exchanged happy looks.

“Great, can we get two cappuccino’s then?” She asked and I nodded again.

“Yes, of course,” I quickly wrote it down together with the place they would be sitting. “Please take a seat, I’ll bring it in a second,” I gestured to the spot and they thanked me and walked off.

I quickly headed for the espresso machine and started two cappuccino’s along with a latte, spotting the small sticky note that still stuck to the counter, an order Luna probably hadn’t been able to fit onto her tray.

As I was steaming the milk, she joined me and quickly started arranging a tray for the two yet to be made orders.

“Can you also make a double espresso and a normal coffee for table four?” She asked and I nodded.

“Finally escaped uphill?” I asked amused as I poured the steamed milk into the two cappuccino cups, only to steam milk again for the latte macchiato.

“God, that woman is insufferable,” Luna shook her head and took the two cappuccinos. “Honestly, can’t we just ban her from the shop? If I hear something about her dog one more time I’m going to barf,” she said, walking off as I laughed.

Half an hour later, most people where gone, only three teenage girls and an older couple who regularly came for just two coffee where seated.

“Thank you so much for helping me out here, you are an angel,” Luna came to stand next to me and handed me some coffee, which I found out contained a pump of caramel, when I took a sip.

“Oh I know,” I grinned, watching the rain outside. “I don’t think we’ll be getting a white Christmas,” I pointed out a tat disappointed.

“Oh god, you don’t have to walk home trough this rain right?” Luna asked, giving me a pitying look, making me chuckle.

“Nah, I already managed to get a personal taxi,” I winked and as if on cue, greenie walked trough the door, surprising even me.

I had called Lloyd, but I didn’t know he’d show up like this.

“You called an uber?” He asked amused and Luna laughed next to me.

“Of course,” she said shaking her head, “when one needs a ride home, call the green ninja,” she gave me a look and I shrugged.

“Hey, Lloyd was busy, and I needed a ride, if you have the privilege, you should use it,” I said and headed into the kitchen to grab my jacket.

“Ready to go?” Greenie asked and I nodded.

“Jup, ready as can be, what are we taking? Motorcycle or the dragon?” I asked him, before he could answer, the door opened and the earth ninja also joined us.

“Can you two hurry up? Red is loosing his mind waiting for N/n,” he said and both me and greenie chuckled.

“Yes, coming,” I quickly walked towards the door and followed Greenie out.

“Bye, Lu!” I waved and she smiled and waved aswel.

“O-oh, bye Luna,” Cole noticed her and also waved, making her chuckle shyly and waved back, her cheeks tinted a bit red.

“I will never get over the fact that you have the hots for one of my best friends,” I said when the door was closed, making Cole shush me as if Luna would be able to hear.

Both me and Lloyd laughed at him while he rolled his eyes and flew off on his dragon.

“Trouble!” Kai flew into my side, hugging me making me laugh. “Finally you’re here, these guys where getting boring,” he waved a hand at the others who made offended noises.

“Awe, I missed you too,” I said with a small smile before it fell, “but uh, can we get going? I’m getting drenched and I would appreciate some warmth,” I said making the others chuckle, before calling upon their elemental dragons.

Lloyd held out a hand for me to take, and so I did, before he too, summoned his dragon and we flew off.

“You’ve got to teach me how to do that some day soon,” I said, making him look back at me, “my father never learned me, he never knew how to do it himself,” I explained further and his eyebrows rose.

“I’ll teach you, but let’s get you home first,” he said before pausing, “you can come to the monastery to if you want,” he suggested and a smile grew on my face.

“Yes!” I said excitedly and he chuckled before saluting and taking a turn, changing the course to the monastery instead of my house.

At the monastery, he led me trough the garden, which he hadn’t showed me yet. It was beautiful, all kinds of plants grew everywhere and Lloyd promised that in the spring, the first flowers would start to grow and the whole garden would be full off colour.

I beamed at him and looked back at the garden, imagining it with flowers and other kinds of plants.

The breeze picked up and I shivered, pulling my coat tighter around myself in hopes of warming myself up.

An arm was put around me and Lloyd leaned in close, “let’s get you inside,” he whispered right next to my ear, causing my cheeks to heat up.

Inside, he lead me towards his room and we bumped into Koko along the way.

“Y/n, you’re here, how good to see you,” she pulled me into a hug and I smiled, hugging her back. She put me at arms length and smiled at me, “has Lloyd asked you to spent new years here yet?” She asked and my eyes widened slightly, I looked back at Lloyd who gave me a sheepish grin.

“I was planning on doing that later!” He insisted when he caught his mothers scolding glare. I chuckled at the exchanged while Lloyd crossed his arms and Koko shook her head before giving me an expecting look.

“Uhm, I’ll have to talk to my parents about that first, but I really love the idea, thank you so much for inviting me,” I wasn’t shy in showing my excitement and the woman beamed at me.

“Let us know, I’d love for you to be there,” she insisted before pulling me into one final hug and walking past us, giving Lloyd an affectionate pat on the shoulder before turning the corner.

He took my hand and lead me towards his room, closing the door behind him while I went and took a seat on his desk chair, turning it around so I had my back turned to the desk.

“What are we going to do?” I asked, glancing around the rather empty room.

“Well, I was planning to ask you to join us for new years here, but that plan is ruined,” he hugged and I giggled.

He looked at me and his gaze softened. I sent him a smug smile back and leaned back against the chair a bit more. “What’s the new plan?” I asked, looking up at him and he huffed a small laugh, taking a few steps towards me.

“What do you want it to be?” He shot back and placed both his hands on the desk behind me, causing me to be trapped between his arms, making me look up at him, probably an absolute blushing mess.

“Take a guess,” I breathed out and he looked thoughtfully for a moment.

“Hm, I don’t know, maybe we can watch a movie or something,” he teased and I groaned.

“Oh shut up and kiss me already,” I said and with a chuckle he leaned down and caught my lips in a soft kiss.

My hands clasped around his neck, pulling him into me even more. One of his hands slipped from the desk to my waist, making me softly gasp, he grasped the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth, making me absolutely melt.

We parted and he pulled me up to stand, and if it wasn’t for his hands on my waist, I bet my knees would have buckled.

He didn’t waist time to kiss me again and I couldn’t help but softly chuckle at his eagerness, he deepened the kiss and I pressed my body against him as much as I could, if I was able to mold into him I would.

He pulled away and took my hand slowly walking backwards and I followed without much thought, when he sat down on the bed, I softly kissed his lips again before sitting down to straddle him. He moved his hands to my hips while mine were tangled in his soft hair.

Pulling away from me, he started trailing kisses from my jaw down to my neck. I sucked in a sharp breath when he placed and open mouthed kiss on my neck and I completely lost my breath when he carefully nipped at my skin.

I had a complete error at that, it took a moment for me to start breathing again and gave me an amused smirk before pecking my lips again.

“Hm?” He hummed teasingly and I let out an airy laugh.

“God, you’re irresistible,” I said breathlessly causing his cocky smirk to grow before placing another open mouthed kiss on my neck and I couldn’t help but let a whimper escape me at the feeling of bliss.

It only caused him to chuckle in amusement before pulling his head back and kissing my lips again.

Suddenly there was rapid knocking on the door and it flew open a second later.

“Are you two joining us- HOLY FUCK!” Kai covered his eyes in horror. “Damn you two horny ass teenagers, at least lock the fucking door!” He yelled and left the room, shutting the door behind him, his yelling voice disappearing into the hallway.

I met Lloyds eyes and he snorted, covering his mouth with his hand and I followed. We silently giggled and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“Let’s go see what he was going to ask us,” I suggested with a grin and he nodded and stood up, still holding my waist to put me back on my feet.

He pressed one last kiss to my forehead before taking my hands and walking out of the room. I followed wordlessly, looking at him with adoration, I loved this man so much it hurt.

I spent Christmas Eve the next day at James’ house, just like every year. After eating a delicious meal and finishing dessert, the both of us left our parents and my siblings at the dinner table and head up to his room where we could watch a movie.

“So… are we going to talk about it?” He asked smugly making my eyebrows rise I confusion. Nothing remotely interesting happened at the dinner table today and as far as I knew, there was no drama in either our friendgroup or anyone else at school.

“Talk about what?” I asked, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes while he just sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Listen here, ma’am,” he pointed at me accusingly, “that makeup on your neck might fool your parents but it ain’t fooling me- now tell me, did you get laid?” He asked and my eyes widened.

I spluttered while my cheeks grew bright red. My hand instinctively shot up to my neck where Lloyd had left hickeys the day before. I had covered them up with makeup so my parents wouldn’t start asking questions.

“James!” I shrieked when I managed to compose myself and went to whack his shoulder while he jumped back, laughing.

“What!?” He called out trough huffs of laughter, “it’s a genuine question- you’ve never done it before, I just want to know how it went!” He insisted before turning serious. “How was he? Was he big? He didn’t hurt you right? How was the experience? Did he take good care of you after?” He shot question after question and my face grew even hotter if that was even possible.

“James!” I interrupted him, “I didn’t not get laid!” His eyes widened at this and than he groaned.

“Still not?” He shook his head and rolled his eyes, “give me his number, I’ll tell him you want to get laid or at least suck his dick or whatever,” he held out his hands as if I would ever give him my phone voluntarily.

“What- no!” I took a few protective paces back, hugging my phone to my chest, “you aren’t telling him that,” I hissed. Even if it’s true.

He huffed and crossed his arms. “Hey- if you want to get laid, you hint to that boy you want to get laid, that’s how simple it is,” he insisted and I dropped my head into my hands.

“God- James stop,” I cried out and he laughed at my misery, making me pick up one of his hoodies that hung over his chair and chug it at him, making him try to dodge it but it went straight into his face, causing me to laugh instead while he gave me an unamused look.

[carattaca]

𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚: 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

“𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓃 ℴ𝓊𝓇 𝓌ℴ𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝒷ℯ𝒸ℴ𝓂ℯ𝓈 𝓅ℯ𝓇𝒻ℯ𝒸𝓉，𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓁ℴ𝓋ℯ“

synopsis: joshua x reader

"Can I get an iced americano please?"

words: 791

themes: angst, fluff at the end idk

warnings: crying, mentions of break up

a/n: part 3 of my seventeen as wave to earth series. I hope you guys enjoy this, i kinda rushed, kinda didn't so I hope it turned out okay :)))

(I would also really recommend listening to love by wave to earth -linked in the title- while reading this)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

The past week had been something similar to hell. Constant reports that needed to be given in, your boss pestering you about paperwork, your very weird nice co-workers who you're sure you've never spoken more than five words to. And of course. Him.

As you walk down the street, the grey pavement starts turning darker in splotches, the water beginning to soak your clothes. Great. It just had to rain too. Could my life get any better? You think sarcastically.

Quickly rushing into your favourite cafe for shelter and mostly for your daily dose of caffeine, you feel immediate relief. The warmth wraps around you and even though your damp clothes stick to your skin the smell of rich coffee beans gives you comfort. 

“Can I get a caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso please?”

You smile at the barista pulling your card out to pay. After you finish you step to the side and wait for your drink. But that's when you hear it. The familiar voice ordering, jolting you out of the cosy atmosphere making you suddenly aware of the damp clothes that cling tightly to your body.

 A voice that makes your stomach sink and your heart skip a beat, memories flooding your mind.

“Can I get an iced americano please?” Joshua asks with that sweet voice of his and a small smile on his face. The voice that talked to you through your darkest days, the voice that carried some of your favourite memories.

You must have been shaken or rather debating whether to run or to just stand there like an idiot because you just now realise that the barista has been calling your name out for a good two minutes now. You rush over to collect your drink and profusely apologise to the barista for not hearing them. And it seems like you chose option one as you bolt over to the exit of the cafe but before you can escape a soft voice calls out from behind you.

“Y/n?”

You turn to meet his doe eyes, your heart beating as you do so. And there is something in them. Something melancholy and confusing… like regret.

At that moment you just need to get away. Away from the memories, the good and the bad, away from his presence, just  away. You find yourself back where you started on the pavement, the rain heavier this time, drenching your clothes and your hair. But honestly you didn't really notice or care because all that mattered was getting away from him. 

It's not like you and Joshua had a long, argumentative, one-sided break up. You could both agree that it was mutual and that it was for the best for both of you. Yet you never stopped loving him. And that hurt.

The rain starts to mix with your tears as you come to a stop. Why was everything so screwed up? You angrily wipe the tears off your face but no difference was made as the rain dripped down your hair to your face. But after a moment, the rain seems to stop falling and you feel someone next to you. You look up to see a black umbrella sheltering the both of you.

“Y/n? Is it really you?” he whispers.

And strangely enough the rest of the world feels silent. It feels like the busy city traffic and the bustling of civilians couldn't even interrupt this moment.

“Joshua? Why are you here?” you ask cautiously. The first words you have spoken to him in months.

“I just… had work here for a couple days” he mumbles this out as if dismissing it like it's unimportant to him. Like you are his only focus right now.

In a daze you nod and you feel your body turn to walk away as the sheer amount of emotions overwhelm you.

“Y/n, wait!” 

He grabs your arm and looks into your eyes again. gosh those eyes of his.

“Just let me ask you something before you walk away.” he pleads as if grasping onto the last string of a piece of thread.

“What joshua?” you ask softly, defeated.

“Just give me one more chance” he whispers, never once breaking eye contact.

“What?” You are just barely able to get the words out as they come out more like a sharp exhale.

He breathes in steadying himself for what he is about to ask you. And what he says makes your heart beat faster and your mind spiral. And you feel it. You feel the warmth spread through you, the nostalgia and hope coursing through your veins and the fluttering in your stomach as he utters the words you would never imagine to hear from him again.

 “Please give me one more chance to love you”

𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

[thatfreshi]

"Yeah, Besties" (Uni AU P. 11)

tw - slight mention of abuse

You and Astarion proceed to spend all your free time together, which isn't much for him, but it's nice in between the stresses of life. You go from barely being friends to almost inseparable, studying in his dorm and talking about nonsense. There's plenty of times when he has to disappear for miscellaneous modeling things, which he still doesn't really talk about, but you don't mind.

It's been about a week and a half since Astarion got back from LA, and things have been getting much better for everyone. Academics are picking up, sports are starting, and your little group of, 'friends,' has started to somewhat get along, which is a big relief. Since the seven of you are still working on that damned public speaking project, you meet up on Saturday to start discussing the presentation, but of course, you don't actually end up doing that. Besides, who goes to Starbucks and actually ends up studying?

"Ugh! Tav, I told you it was going to be far too busy here on a Saturday."

You roll your eyes at your white-haired friend.

"We're not even staying here, we're going over to the park across the street. Cool it broody."

He mocks you and you elbow him in the arm, making sure to be gentle about it in case there's some other 'scrape' he hasn't told you about.

"Can the two of you stop flirting and decide what you want please?"

Lae'zel is impatient, especially when it comes to caffeine.

"This? This is not flirting, we're like besties."

You throw Astarion a smile, and he responds, almost reluctantly.

"Yeah, besties."

You hear Gale and Shadowheart giggle to themselves somewhere in the back of the group, but you're not sure what about. Probably some bullshit they always find funny that no one else seems to understand. After some group discussion, Karlach decides to pay for everyone's drink, because oddly enough she's never been in a Starbucks.

"I don't know, I've just never gone! Drink a lot of protein smoothies, ya know? Coffee isn't really my thing."

Shadow of course is wrapped around Karlach's buff arm, and here's where someone would say that thing about sapphics and move-in vans on second dates. Eventually you all make up your minds. You get an iced coffee, something basic for your still-waking brain. The rest of the orders go as follows:

Astarion gets a caffè mocha, but asks for double the espresso, which you soon find out is six shots. You know from texting him this morning that he didn't sleep last night, and you're honestly not sure how he lives off of the amount of caffeine he drinks.

Karlach gets the dragon drink because she thinks it sounds cool.

Shadowheart orders a pink drink, blended, and proceeds to deal with intense teasing from Wyll about her edgy exterior. She yells at him about how she just like strawberries, and the aesthetic of her drink has nothing to do with how cool and mysterious she is.

Wyll then orders a chai latte, admitting he's never actually had coffee before after he was scared off of it as a kid.

Gale, like the classic man he is, goes with the caramel macchiato, but makes sure to ask three times that they're using almond milk, making a big deal about how his stomach will not handle it well if it's actual milk.

Lae'zel gets straight-up black coffee, hot. That's it. She doesn't add sugar, creamer, not even a little flavor, just hot black coffee.

So the baristas get to work on your myriad of drinks. You go to ask Astarion something, but quickly get interrupted by a stranger tapping you on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I just wanted to say, you are absolutely gorgeous. Mother Nature blessed us the day she made you."

You turn around to see a rather tall and built man. Your cheeks can't help but fill with red at the sincerity of the compliment you've just been given.

"Thank you! See, you guys really should worship my looks more."

"I know this might be strange, but I'd be honored to take you out sometime. Here's my number, you don't have to text me if you don't want to, but I just couldn't pass up this opportunity. Oh, and I'm Halsin, a pleasure to meet you."

This Halsin character soon walks off, leaving you with a receipt he's written his number on.

"Wow, and I thought I was a gentleman."

Wyll is clearly shocked by the sudden turn of events.

"Seriously, Tav you have to text him! What a heart throb."

Shadow eggs on the flirting that just occurred.

"I don't know, should I? What if he's like a weirdo."

"Oh c'mon, he seems so sweet! You'd be stupid to not at least give him a chance."

There are murmurs of support for Karlach's statement. Soon, your drinks are done, and your ragtag group starts to leave the building.

"I mean, he was maybe a little forward. And the line about 'Mother Nature?' Did he not have anything better?"

"We get it Astarion, you think you're a master flirt. Not everyone is as lusty as you are."

You don't see it, but Astarion proceeds to give Gale a solid middle finger, and Gale matches him. As much as everyone's getting better at getting along, those two still have some trouble.

"I don't know, maybe I should text him. I mean what's the harm?"

"I don't know, the possibility that he could be a serial killer freak?"

"Astarion, he's not a serial killer. There is literally no way the guy that came up to us is capable of murdering anything."

Shadowheart takes a drink of her pulverized fruity beverage in confidence.

"Alright fine, but if darling Tav gets murdered, don't blame me!"

"I mean c'mon Astarion, you hate every guy I'm interested in on the apps anyways."

It's true, because you've sat there and scrolled through Hinge with him far too many times, and everyone you've ever come across has received negative remarks from your pale friend.

"Because they're all weird! Besides, I find making a real-life connection is much more enticing."

"Says the guy who has never been in an actual relationship."

"You shut it Gale! This mystery woman is the first person you've ever been with, so you have no room to talk. Besides, I'm sure I've bed more people than you've ever laid eyes upon."

"Woah, cat fight. Calm down, you might scratch an eye out."

Wyll's comment earns a few laughs. The group eventually gets to the park across the street, finding a large shady tree to sit under. Astarion makes some off-hand comment about how his pants are too nice to be grass-stained, but he ends up joining the rest of you anyway.

"Okay Tav, so how do we craft this message to the hot nature guy? Because honestly I'd climb him like a tree if I could, you're lucky."

Shadowheart scooches next to you in order to brainstorm.

"Oh, so we're still on this? Great. I'll be over here, not thinking about the wannabe nudist."

"Come on Astarion, you have to help too! Shadow's too thirsty. I need a voice of reason."

He rolls his eyes, only obliging because you're the one asking.

"Fine. We will craft a text to this Halsin fellow."

While the others check their student email and actually do productive things, the three of you sit over your phone, wondering what to send to this hunky stranger. After Shadow and Astarion argue quite a bit, you settle on a sweet but intrigued message.

"Are you guys sure I should hit send? I don't know, what if he was kidding? Or it's like some prank?"

"Tav, if it was a prank I'll kill him."

Shadowheart agrees.

"I second Astarion, I would also kill him."

"Okay, fine! I'm doing it!"

You're a little giddy, excited that a stranger so kindly hit on you. It could've been creepy and weird, but he was so nice. With a slight tap, you've sent the message, and your phone emits a little whoosh noise. Little did you know, Gale had started texting Astarion while listening to your conversation.

~~~

gale_eats_paint: you should tell them

wannabe.vamp: tell them what ??

gale_eats_paint: that you like them. i can see you gritting your teeth all the way from here

wannabe.vamp: fuck off gale, you don't know what you're talking about

gale_eats_paint: alright, if you insist on being secretive that's fine. but i wouldn't wait around too long. also your @ is lame. what are you, a middle schooler?

wannabe.vamp: i'm literally albino AND anemic it could not make more sense

~~~

"Oh god, he responded!"

Astarion perks up from his phone, giving Gale a look across the shaded patch of grass. The artist simply gives him a concerned, yet discreet eyebrow raise. You read out the message, which asks if you'd be free this evening for a botanical garden tour.

"Aw, that's adorable! Tell him you're free!"

Karlach is now scrunched up next to you and Shadow.

"Thanks guys, this is so exciting! And what a cute first date idea, bringing someone to a garden? Oh, and Astarion, you have to help me plan my outfit, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

He rolls his eyes.

"Sure, since you asked so annoyingly, I will."

You go to wrap him in a grateful hug, which catches him severely off-guard.

"Thank you! You're the best Aster."

He almost questions the nickname, but decides to keep his mouth shut, because if this is the type of affection you're going to show him, he'll take it, no matter how small. Gale makes eye contact with him again though while you have him trapped in your warm embrace. While the two aren't particularly friendly, there's a sadness in Gale's eyes, knowing that Astarion won't speak up, no matter how much he wants to. Either way, he'll help you get ready for that date, even if it crushes him when you leave for the evening.

[captain-mj]

Caramel macchiato

Chapter 2! Also, the drink part is so fun, I hope you guys are enjoying that part as much as me.

Ghost had went home afterwards and stretched. He added the sleeve from his London Fog Latte to his hoard before slipping his shirt off and inspecting his back in the mirror. 

Down his spine, a line, or maybe cut would be better, split his skin in half. It looked like a tattoo until he moved, the skin moving slightly. Ghost pulled out his dragon wings. A full shift wasn’t really possible in his flat. He’d be too big for the space. But his wings fit. Kinda. He had to be careful, but they had been hiding under his skin so long that he just wanted to stretch them. 

They were black with gold speckling. There were no claws at the ends or anything, just simple black wings. They folded easily against his back again before stretching to their limits. The bones cracked and he made a pleased hum. His flat was set so there tons of big windows with sheer curtains to keep his privacy but also let tons of sunlight in. It also set on the top floor, basically a penthouse, so no one would be looking through his windows anytime soon. 

Ghost had a bay window he usually lounged on and right now, he wanted nothing more but to soak in the sun. He stretched out and purred contently when the heat of the sun touched his skin. 

His phone rang and Ghost pondered what he did to have friends who hated him so much. It was Alejandro, but that did not ease his frustration. Regardless, he picked up the phone. 

They sat there silently for a moment before Alejandro started talking, apparently getting some signal that Ghost didn’t notice. 

“Hey, so I was wonderin-”

“No.”

“If you wanted to come out later?” Alejandro ignored his interruption. 

“Why does everyone want me to be social? I have a month on leave. I want to enjoy being away from you guys.” 

Alejandro laughed. “You’d stay in your house like a hermit if not for us. Come on. Come out of your house.”

Ghost thought for a moment. “Not tonight, but tomorrow, do you want to go for coffee?”

“Simon… You know I thought we were going to walk around our chemistry forever.” Alejandro sounded very teasing. 

“There’s a hot barista I want to see again.”

“Thank God. What his name?”

“His nametag says Soap. I hope I can find out his real name but I was stupid and didn’t even ask.” Ghost hummed. Soap had annoyingly been on his mind quite a bit. Stupid Scottish man. 

“Soap? No weirder than Ghost I suppose.”

“Kill yourself.” 

Alejandro laughed immediately. “See you in the morning, hermano.”

“Nos vemos.” Ghost responded before hanging up. He stretched again. Admittedly, he did some yoga. For his job, he needed to be flexible and just like his friend Koenig, he wasn’t exactly built for that naturally. Being big had a few disadvantages. 

He considered it but he decided against it for now, instead taking a shower and looking over his hoard. Most of it was made of trinkets from his missions but there were a few personal items. A few hoodies that he had stolen from his friends over the years. Several book series he liked. Tons of jewelry that he thought glittered nicely. Technically, he considered several of his friends to be part of his hoard, but it was tangential. Strictly platonic and he didn’t exactly want to lay on them the way he did his other stuff. After a while, he went to bed, curling up and relaxing. Sleep took a while, but this was a fight Ghost was used to. 

His internal clock woke him up at 5 am sharp. Ghost hated the military sometimes. But regardless, he got dressed and put his boots on. It was freezing outside and there was no snow on the ground. He put a coat on and gloves. His fingers tended to go numb when he got too cold and he didn’t to deal with that. 

He walked for a while. Mostly just in circles honestly. His ending destination would be Alejandro and Rodolfo’s place and then he’d be heading to the Sealie Cafe. He’d probably order whatever Alejandro does. Trying to try more drinks and stuff. 

Maybe he’d try one of those pastries. 

Probably not. Ghost wasn’t a big sweets person. 

Soap would probably taste sweet. And warm. 

He stopped walking. This was hoarding behavior. An instinct to drag Soap up the mountain like he was a pretty princess that couldn’t defend himself. 

Even if he did get closer to Soap, revealing himself was something that would take a lot of time. He hadn’t told Jason until they were almost adults and they had been friends since they were kids. His team knew because almost none of them were human, not anything to really hide. 

But Soap would be different. 

Wouldn’t really work anyway. His job didn’t really allow him to have long term relationships outside his colleagues. Jason was an exception and that was just because the man was stubborn and wanted to stay around him. 

“Two ships passing in the night” was something that passed through Ghost’s mind. He arrived at Alejandro’s at 8 am and knocked, hearing them moving around. 

Alejandro opened the door, hair sticking up everywhere. His curls hadn’t been layered down with products so they poked everywhere. He looked like shit. 

“Did you just wake up?”

“Yes, Ghost. It is 8 am on our leave.”

“Well you guys keep demanding I get out so you just have to deal with it. Get dressed.”

Alejandro muttered something in Spanish and left. Ghost stepped in. 

“Hey Ghost.” Rodolfo waved, clearly having been awake for a while. He looked much more put together. “So a barista huh?”

Ghost really should’ve seen that coming. Of course Alejandro would tell Rodolfo. “Yeah. I don’t plan on doing anything serious with him. Don’t have time.” If he told Rodolfo that, he’d stick to it. 

“If you say so.”

“So you and Alejandro…”

“No.” Rodolfo said immediately, aggressively shoving a piece of egg from his Huevos Rancheros. “That’s not something I want to talk about right now. If you’re hungry, there’s food on the table.”

Ghost saluted him quickly and nodded. “Understandable. No thanks.” His body had decided as soon as he woke up that food just… wasn't going to work today. The thought made him nauseous. 

Rodolfo nodded and smiled when Alejandro reentered the room. Alejandro smiled and said he’d grab lunch on the way home before leaving with Ghost. 

The cafe was a little busy so they waited in line. Simon noticed that he was almost a head taller than everyone else and straightened up a bit. Alejandro laughed, but didn’t comment on it. 

They stood at the front and Alejandro hummed. “Macchiato please.”

Soap narrowed his eyes. “Cafe or Latte?”

“Oh, cafe.”

“Okay, dude, look, a cafe is 3.75 and is a shot of espresso with a small amount of milk foam.” Ghost thought that sounded gross. “Latte is where its the milk with the espresso on top like the one from Starbucks.”

Alejandro frowned. “Yes. I know what they are.”

“Are you sure?” Soap stared him in his eyes.

Alejandro blinked. “Yes.”

“Okay! One cafe macchiato and then for you Ghost?” Soap smiled at him. 

“I will take the one that’s from Starbucks.” Ghost wondered if Soap would stare at him like he just did Alejandro. Instead, he laughed and nodded. 

“I’ll have that right out.” Soap stepped away to make it. It occurred to Ghost that he had never seen anyone else there.

“Him? Really?? Also, you forgot to ask his name.” 

“Oh, I’ll get it in a second.” Ghost led Alejandro away to a table. He stretched. “So Rodolfo.”

“He looked so pretty this morning right?” Alejandro sounded dreamy, like a teen talking about their crush. 

It took… a strong amount of self control to not roll his eyes. “You should ask him out.”

“We’ve been friends so long… What if he doesn’t see me that way? I don’t want to risk it, ya know?”

“I really think you’re overthinking it, Ale. Just… Ask him out.”

“No. it’s got to be romantic. Special.”

“Well if you don’t do it soon, he might not be there to ask.” Ghost pointed out, watching Alejandro glare at him. “I’m just saying. He’s an attractive guy. Wouldn’t be that hard for him.” He was being a little mean, but those two had been tiptoeing around each other so long. Alejandro had already admitted that he considered Rodolfo his. They were both dragons, so Ghost understood. He also understood if there was anything that would rile Alejandro up, it was the idea of Rodolfo no longer being his. 

“He wouldn’t…”

“Are you expecting him to wait forever?” Ghost rubbed his face through the mask. 

Soap appeared, perfect timing as always. He slid Alejandro’s drink to him and set Ghost’s down. “So do they really only call him Ghost?” He addressed it to Alejandro. 

“Yep. Only name we use at work.”

“Ah. Disappointing.”

“I’ll tell you my name if you’ll tell me yours?” Ghost looked up at him, watching the soft blush on Soap’s face. Yeah, it definitely wasn’t the piercings and Ghost wanted to be the evil dragon in the story and drag him to a cave. 

“Johnny.”

“Simon.”

“I think I prefer Ghost.” Soap winked at him and left.

Ghost felt like he was floating. 

“How do you manage to look so lovestruck with just your eyes?”

Ghost kicked him hard under the table. Soap had decorated his drink again. Extra espresso, swirled slightly. The foam had once again been made in a heart with golden sprinkles over it. Ghost almost didn’t want to drink it. 

“The favoritism here is nauseating.”

“What was it like? When he stared at you?”

Alejandro looked at him like he was a delinquent. “Like he was stabbing my soul directly for every customer that’s ever gotten confused by the difference.”

“Hot.”

~~~~

Also, want to be part of a tag list for this fic? Just reply to this and I'll make one :)

[spirit-mail]

Fresh Meat

rai_viz on ao3

König × M!Reader - 1.2k -

C1 - C2 - C3

___×× follow n send asks so I can write more

"Double foam caramel macchiato for Savannah?"

You grumbled maybe your thirtieth order of the morning out, sliding the warm cardboard cup across the counter to the nearest customer. Stomping back to your station just to find another overload of orders, with only two people working including yourself. Your coworker, Farah, taking orders and desperately trying to make a dent in the sudden influx of people, rushing in and out of the medium-capacity store. 

"Is Derek dead or did he just decide not to call in today?" Farah breathed out as the rush finally calmed down. The two of you leaned against the counters, taking maybe the most useful makeshift break you could.

"If anything, I should be the one missing work.."

She instantly quirked an eyebrow towards your tired figure, wiping down the counter and looking at you intently. 

"Do you remember when I told you that my friend set me up on some stupid date?" 

The bell, notifying the both of you that someone entered the store rung as soon as you finished your sentence, and you both were quick to pretend you were hard at work making orders. Farah standing right in front of the register once again to take the customers order, and in that second you thought you really were just being punished by god simply for existing.

“Just a bagel, please..” Your stomach churned and you froze in front of the coffee maker, and you desperately wanted to run out from behind that counter and onto the street into oncoming traffic. Hoping maybe there was just someone with the exact same voice and speaking mannerisms as the guy you hooked up with just last night. Deciding to just “be the bigger person”, you reluctantly turned around to face König. Your lips pressed firmly together in the awkwardest expression you could possibly come up with. You waved, watching as his eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, ultimately staying silent. Farah could clearly see the weird tension between you two and instantly put two and two together, covering her mouth with her hand as she tried not to laugh (fucking sadist).

And then it got worse. Maybe your saving grace- maybe the reason you’re stuck here in the first place, but the man, the myth, and the legend himself, Derek, opens the door, the sound of his footsteps amplified due to your previous silence. “Sorry I’m late, guys!”

_

“Soo judging from your face it's safe to say you didn’t go out of your way to track me down?”

You chuckled awkwardly, sitting across from the much larger man with a bright red drink in front of him with the bagel he asked for. “I’m really sorry, I honestly never expected this to happen..” He began, eyes darting around nervously as you sighed, resting your elbow on the table and staring at him intently. “You didn’t need to get me this..”

“It’s fine, I figured you’d like it. It’s cherry.” He honestly might have just died right then and there. A million thoughts flooded through his head and suddenly it was hard for him to even move, but the one thing that was clear to him was that you remembered. It sounds stupid, maybe- but you didn’t just go off and toss him out your brain like any other person would do, and that meant enough to him as he took a sip of the lemonade, smiling softly. “I didn’t think I’d see you again so I did a bunch of shit I’d never usually do and now its all coming back for me..” You groan, realizing now that you weren’t scared of seeing him, you were scared of having to talk about it. Yeah, you could just pretend it never happened and you two are just strangers who have a hard time looking eachother in the eye, but thats a billion times worse than what you’re doing now.

“The note you left me..”

“Do not bring that up- please. It was impulsive!”

He laughs, tilting his head back as the red on his cheeks becomes more visible. “Alright. My work isn’t far from here, but I should probably be leaving about now.” He stands up, still towering over you even after you stand as well. You’re quick to open your arms out wide, clearly asking for a hug before awkwardly switching to a handshake and then back into a hug, his cheeks still a bright red as he carefully wraps his arms around your form, enveloping you into what might have been the longest hug ever.

“See you around.. Maybe probably?” You pat his back and finally let the hug go, feeling both of your coworkers nosy eyes on you. 

“I’ll call you later.” He does the little telephone motion to the side of his face as he walks out the store, leaving you there practically foaming at the mouth. You would have collapsed on that tile floor right then and there if you didn’t have to work, Farah and Derek passing jokes and bombarding you with questions about him and your relationship. You reluctantly answered most of them, pleading the 5th for all the rest. 

The day finally ends and you end up walking out of that coffee shop alive at 6 PM sharp, your head filled with scenarios of bumping into König on the street, or- unrealistically enough, right in front of your apartment. You made it home successfully, no awkward surprise meet-ups. Lying in your bed desperately trying to distract yourself from the anxiety that he unknowingly caused you with just one four-word sentence. From constantly checking your phone to groaning and rolling around your bed in anticipation. 

You nearly screeched when you heard your phone ringing beneath your pillow, unknown caller ID. Assuming it was spam, you answered, managing a lazy and drawn out "Hellooo?"

“Hi, [Name]!” You could hear him grinning ear to ear with excitement, his voice booming through the phone and practically rupturing your eardrums. He seemed way more outgoing over the phone. 

“Have you been well today?” He asked, you leaned your head back onto your bedframe and sighed. “I’m fine, you?”

“I’m great.”

The silence between you was dreadful. The occasional sound of you breathing or him moving around a bit made you want to slam your head into the wall, and when you both tried to say something but ended up interrupting eachother you really just wanted to hang up and go to sleep forever. Finally, after a little less than 5 minutes of crippling silence, he finally spoke and you were too distracted with your own thoughts to interrupt him.

“I hope I didn’t disturb you or anything like that today, I truly did not intend for that to happen..” He chuckled awkwardly into your silence.

“I uh- really liked the drink you gave me, by the way. Thank you.” 

“If you’d like.. Accidentally walked in tomorrow I could give you another one.” You responded, finally feeling more comfortable.

“I’ll make sure to accidentally show up, then?” He was all giddy now, like a highschool girl talking to her crush. “See you tomorrow, then? On accident?” you grinned, reassuring the joke that it would just be another mistake.

“On accident.”

[drowningyoursorrow]

WALLFLOWER, PT.2

kyle spencer x gn! reader (pt, 1)

You were a barista that worked at a coffee shop in a more secluded area, with only a selective few of customers. You often remained in the back, but ever since you started serving a group regularly. They called themselves witches, and you somewhat believed them. Typically, being away from the world, leading to unwanted loneliness in your work place. You've caught the eye of a certain dead blonde.

!!!: none W/C: 1.7k

IT has been weeks since your encounter with your customer regulars, and honestly, you didn't think it'd affect you this much. But there were many, many moments where you'd miss their banter echoing throughout the café. Sure, most of it was downright ridiculous and made no sense whatsoever from whatever they spurred to hold their place. It still entertained you nevertheless because they'd include you for your input, rather amused at your confused responses. You'd like to think you grew quite close to them because eventually you were even brought in their playful arguments.

They seemed to eventually like your presence as well, saying time to time that they enjoyed your shitty little café more than others. Which has grown quiet, you've begun to think that the guy that was freaking out in your café from before might've had something to do with it all. You've been thinking about the encounter of the whole thing for the time being, well, more about the ragged blonde. The guy started almost going batshit crazy when he couldn't see your face and didn't really speak well. So yeah, you'd say thinking about him was reasonable and not just you being randomly infatuated with him.

You eventually snapped away from your thoughts as you heard a ding from the entryway, shooting your head up. For a quick, fleeting second, you had hoped it would be the girls, maybe even with Kyle once more. It was just another customer, so you quickly got their order. Strange enough they decided they wanted to chat, more like flirting, but you'd pretend to be coy because honestly. You're just trying to do your job, and people like this make you want to chuck off your very own name tag and quit.

But this job was what was getting you food and your shitty apartment's rent, so you can only dream of making a scene to nobody when you quit. You zoned out for a quick minute and surprise, surprise, the jerk is still trying to woo you. Apparently, holding the bitchiest face that you could ever muster and not even staring at the guy is not a hint of disinterest. You wish the café wasn't so empty because he'd have a good reason to go away, but since he's not holding up nay customers. He can do as he pleases, and you're sure that your boss would give you hell if you yelled at a customer that the place barely receives.

As you were slowly going insane, the bell rang once more and there arrived your favorite group and the distinctive boy. They seemed to notice the guy's intentions and how uncomfortable you were, and quickly shoved past him as they ordered their usual. Then like before they made him order as they sauntered off to their seats, even Zoe went off with them. Giving Kyle a reassuring look, maybe to ease his nerves that were very evident on his features when he stood in front of you. You decided that it'd be easier for him if you just offered what he ordered from before, not acknowledging why you remembered.

“So, Caramel Macchiato, like before? If I am correct.” You held the sweetest smile which was strangely genuine in hopes he wouldn't cave into his nerves. He looked surprised that you'd remember what he got, which he struggled to tell you in the beginning. Kyle then fidgeted as he beamed at you now, his face contorting into deep thought. “No, No, I uh- don't want that. It was pretty gross.”

You lifted your brows, somewhat surprised that he spoke more naturally than he did before. Although he was still sort of sluggish with his words, you were impressed by the quick development. Is that why they were all gone? Helping him get better with his speech? The thought made you smile, “I like the speech improvement, impressive to say the least.”

Joking with him, but he seemed flattered nevertheless and just gave you a shy smile as his hands began to tap on the counter. “No caramel macchiato, then?” “Uh yeah- What would... What would you recommend?” He peered up at you, somewhat eagerly waiting for your response, a shy smile laced on his lips. You felt your face heat up lightly at his cheeky appearance, hoping to god that he wouldn't pick up on it.

“Oh, uh- well I don't really drink caffeinated beverages but just the espresso, it does it for me.” You cringed at your awkwardness, but still held a small smile to ease the conversation. Kyle looked deep in thought as he fidgeted before you, “can I get an...- Espresso, then?” His voice was light, and he spoke in a breathy tone, you could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke to you. “Yeah, of course!”

Maybe you spoke to eager? Nobody is that cheerful to make just anybody an espresso. Before you bored more insecurities at yourself, you quickly headed toward the back. Missing the eyes that pleadingly followed after you when you headed out of view, away from him. You leaned on a wall in the back, cheesing out because a cute guy was happy to see you, or well you hope.

Your coworker studied you, sighing, “you're ridiculous.” They knew of your sudden infatuation with the hesitant boy and thought it was just hilarious. And honestly you did too, you don't even know why you're so interested with him. Perhaps it's because of how he talks like he's never dated anybody in his life before, an awkward teenager. You smiled at the thought of his cheekiness from earlier and pondered as his order was being made.

You quickly grabbed it, heading out to see if he hopefully likes this one rather than the other one from before. Like he was from earlier, he waited patiently for you to come back. He looked lost in thought, before he heard your footsteps approach him, perking up. A grin reappeared on his face as he stood straighter before you, focusing on your face. It was like he was trying to remember every feature of you, scanning you.

His eyes made you feel nervous, so you awkwardly handed him his drink with a smile, avoiding his gaze. He accepted it, his fingers encasing around yours in a quick, fleeting moment. “Thank – you.” “Hope you enjoy!” You turned around, feeling the nervousness bubble within you, yet you felt so happy.

You held your face, sighing, turning back around. Jumping slightly because Kyle still stood in front of you, studying you as he drank his espresso. A smile still being held, but a worried look took place in his eyes. You didn't expect for him to still be there, since usually the customers head back to their seats. The girls were still in the back of the café, chatting away, seeming to forget about Kyle.

“Are, you- okay? I'm sorry if I uh, scared you.” He held a look of shame, looking at his shoes now, lowering the drink in his hand. “What? No, it wasn't that, you didn't scare me, Kyle. I was just surprised!” You quickly tried to reassure him, feeling bad since he looked like a kicked puppy. Your answer didn't seem to make him feel any better, but he did look back into your eyes, embarrassed.

What you were going to say now is rather a quick thought and bold, but maybe shoot your shot now before it's too late? Get hurt now rather than getting hurt later. Besides, maybe this can cheer him up, “how about I make it up to you, yeah? I can buy you, uh, coffee later when I'm off work. Unless you don't want to-” “I want to.”

He interrupted you, now beaming at you as he wore a huge smile, his embarrassment from before long gone, “yes we can, w-we..- We should!” You were baffled at his response, kind of suspecting that he would only look at you with confusion and brush it off. But you smiled back eagerly, the same as him, in sort of disbelief with your sudden confidence. “Well uh, yeah great. If you want, we can do it tomorrow, or if you even can wait for me?” Your hands felt clammy, and you felt your throat swell up as you tried to sort things out.

Hell, you were ecstatic, but your nerves were killing you. “I... I can wait for y-youuuu after work. Yes. I will be right here.” Kyle looked at you attentively, still smiling ear to ear as he struggled to get the words out. Too happy at the moment to even properly remember his speech practice that he's been working on. For you.

He begged Zoe to teach him more proper English, so he could talk and interact with you, without seeming crazy. He's been huddled up all day, working and working on how'd he'd casually talk to you like those couples in the movies. Although he couldn't see you during those days, he remembered that he could be more open with you later on. For some reason, when he saw you, he felt as if he should protect you and be alongside you. In the short moment that you two spent together, he felt safe and comfortable because you didn't look at him weirdly.

You spoke to him softly and didn't even flinch during his tantrums, he only saw curiosity and understanding within you. You have enraptured him. Not only that, but you both were drawn to one another, not even knowing really why. Maybe it was foolish to ask him on a date first thing, but the way he looks at you as you smile at one another. Makes you think, perhaps it's good that you both were being hopeless for each other.

Before you guys could say any more he was being pulled away once more from you, the girls needing somewhere to be. You couldn't really hear them, all you could see and hear was Kyle as he looked back at you. His cheeky smile still there, this time he didn't try pulling away from them. Because now he knew that you'd still be there, waiting for him, and you two would be together. You've doubted the idea of soulmates at first, but now, maybe you were the one that was wrong.

..............................................................................................................................

- I literally only watched AHS Coven for him - Frankenkyle is personally my preferred Kyle - I was listening to cheesy 80's music writing this - Proofread

Hope you enjoyed and if you have any requests or questions please dm!

[nanawritesit]

Class 1A as Baristas at a Coffee Shop

TW: this is aged up bc there’s references to alcohol and 🍃, so if you’re a child of god then read no further 💀 also mineta isn’t included because i hate him, and you should too 😊

A/N: i’m a barista so i’m qualified to make these claims. also i know i haven’t written any of my actual requests. i’m depressed and my life is chaotic. besides this is just for fun and didn’t really take much effort so leave me alone 😤

midoriya:

literally the best barista boy on the planet

his customer service skills are GOD-TIER

even when a customer is being rude to him, he’s just such a lil cinnamon roll back to them and kills them with his kindness

has amazing relationships with all the regulars, completely memorizes all their names and orders

legit has full conversations with them

“hey carl, how’s the wife doin’?”

“welcome back emily, did you get into that university you told me about?”

“good afternoon joyce, how’d your husband’s gallbladder surgery go?”

comes up with really creative drinks to use for the monthly specials

is secretly all of the managers favorites because he just works so hard (even bakugou’s)

whips through all the cleaning so fast at the end of the day

todoroki: “okay so we need to wash the utensils, mop the floors, and clean the espresso machine…”

midoriya: “oh, i already did all that todoroki!” 😊

loves coffee but is very sensitive to the caffeine so the managers have to make sure he doesn’t have more than two shots a day 💀

bakugou:

one of the managers

honestly the least likely person you’d expect to be a barista

can only work morning shift bc he goes to sleep at 8:30 (nerd)

his customer service SUCKS but he’s literally so good at his job they can’t really fire him

he just hardly ever runs the cash register and assigns it to one of the more sunshine-y baristas (usually deku or uraraka)

not usually trusted with training new recruits bc he’s such a bully

if a customer is being rude to one of the baristas he won’t hesitate to clap back, because HE’S the only one allowed to bully his employees 😤

uraraka will just step away from the cash register and go “bakugou i need your help with something” and he whips around with the most deadly grimace

bakugou: “is there a problem, sir?”

customer: “n-no problem here, the coffee tastes great” 😄

god forbid one of them gets snappy on one of the rare occasions he works the register

customer: “i demand to see your manager!”

bakugou: “you’re lookin’ at him, dumbass”

damn near explodes when some white girl comes through wanting a mocha caramel latte-cino made with skim milk and no whipped cream in a medium cup with the same amount of coffee as a small so she can stir in her own nutmeg

doesn’t give a single fuck about regulations if he thinks they’re unnecessary

iida: “bakugou, the health department says these bagels have to be thrown away after six days!”

locks the doors ten minutes before closing time and won’t let anyone else in

bakugou: “i don’t give a damn what the health department says, i’m not throwing away six perfectly good bagels!”

punched the espresso machine one time when it wasn’t working and it fucking exploded 💀

iida made him walk across town to buy a new one

todoroki:

another one of the managers

is tasked with training the majority of the new recruits since bakugou cant

the most level-headed chill person to have around during a rush, he never loses his head

can instantly correct someone’s order if they mistakenly got a hot or iced coffee

customer: “excuse me, i ordered this coffee iced.”

todoroki: “oh i’m so sorry, lemme just-“ *touches the cup with his right hand and it fills with ice* “there ya go”

OR

customer: “i don’t mean to be a bother, but i wanted a hot coffee and this is iced.”

todoroki: “yeah gimmie a sec-“ *heats up the cup with his left hand and melts the ice* “should be good now”

likes macchiatos because the separated milk and coffee reminds him of his hair 🥺

pisses off the rude customers with his indifference

customer: “i’ll just take my business elsewhere!”

todoroki: “okay well, it’s your money so you can do what you want with it”

gets flirted with all the time but is too oblivious to notice

kaminari: “dude that girl TOTALLY just gave you her number”

todoroki: “nah she probably just wrote it down in case we needed a survey” *throws it away*

kaminari wants to go off on him but he racks in a lot of money in tips for all of them to split so he keeps quiet

iida:

general manager from hell

runs the shop like it’s the fucking army

really nice if you follow all the regulations tho 😀

he’s the best person to have around during a rush because he just kicks his engines into maximum overdrive and speeds through all the orders

also does deliveries on the side because he’s a fast boi

tried to implement a demerit system, but bakugou took one look at the poster and tore it off the wall 💀

everyone prays to god that they get scheduled with momo instead of him

constantly taps the other workers on the shoulder to hand them a wash cloth and a spray bottle and goes “if you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean”

everyone acts like they hate him, but when he gave a really touching speech at the christmas party everyone started crying

also organized the secret santa

ends up apologizing to customers for bakugou’s terrible customer service and hands them like a thousand coupons

uraraka:

customer service skills only come second to midoriya’s

she’s a DELIGHT to talk to

even at 7 am when you’re sleep deprived and caffeine deficient, the sight of her smiling face behind the counter will cheer you up :)

during a rush she forgets not to grab the receipts with all five fingers, so they’ll just start floating everywhere

bakugou: “hey round face, all my orders are on the ceiling!”

uraraka: “oh shoot, sorry!” *puts hands together* “release!”

draws cute little pictures on all the chalkboards 🥰

somehow knows exactly what a customer would like when they ask her to recommended something? people start wondering if that’s her real superpower

ironically doesn’t like the taste of coffee… her favorite drink is a hot chocolate with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles

tsuyu:

only got the job to be closer to her best friend uraraka but ends up really enjoying it

gets nervous talking to customers so she mostly just sticks to making the drinks

has to be reminded not to grab things with her tongue because it’s against the health code 💀

when a customer is rude to her the ENTIRE team gets pissed at them, because she’s an angel and must be protected 😤

hates when people watch her make their drinks (she gets anxious 🥺)

pretty much the baby of the shop, whenever she accidentally burns herself steaming milk everyone rushes over like “OH MY GOD TSU ARE YOU OKAY?!?!”

kirishima:

one of the only two baristas trained by bakugou, so he ends up being really good at making coffee

is able to memorize large orders really quickly

“alright i’ve got a skinny macchiato no whip, iced dirty chai with oat milk and an added shot, two americanos extra hot, and a vanilla frappe?”

is the designated carrier of the cold brew kegs

AND the delivery boxes

AND the milk jugs

pretty much anything that’s heavy, he happily carries it

eventually becomes a team trainer, which suits him perfectly because he’s always boosting the team’s morale

bakugou giving the morning debrief: “alright guys, today’s gonna be super busy, and it’s gonna suck.”

kirishima: “SO LETS GET OUT THERE AND DO OUR BEST! I KNOW WE CAN DO IT!” 😆

kaminari:

the OTHER only employee that was trained by bakugou

tries so hard to flirt with customers but fails miserably

is really good at making coffee but he makes a decent amount of mistakes, like using the wrong milk or making drinks hot instead of iced (good thing we have todoroki!)

also wanted to become a team trainer but couldn’t pass the servsafe exam 😀

hooked himself up the espresso machine after bakugou broke it so they could use it until he came back with a new one 💀

does stupid shit with kirishima whenever the shop is dead

bakugou walked in on them making a castle out of cups and knocked it over, then screamed at them to get back to work

conveniently goes to the bathroom every time a huge group of people walks in

sneaks his phone in the bathroom with him

is also a chronic stoner and can’t get through a shift without hitting his pen

he accidentally left it in his apron one night and the next day iida gave everyone a talk about paraphernalia in the workplace

and everyone just had to act like they didn’t know it was kaminari’s 🤡

sero:

only has this job to pay for weed

is basically a glorified janitor because he’s not good at making coffee at ALL

he tries tho 😗

has the worst memory ever

customer: “can i get a small hot vanilla cappuccino?”

sero: “yeah so a large iced mocha frappe?”

customer: “no… a small hot vanilla cappuccino…”

sero: “yeah, that’s totally what i said.” 😀

also can’t remember how to make drinks to save his life

sero: “i’m sorry but what the hell is the difference between an iced coffee and an iced latte?”

bakugou: “OH MY GOD IVE TOLD YOU LIKE A HUNDRED TIMES”

goes to take out the trash with kaminari and they don’t come back for like twenty minutes

and when they do they’re coughing up a storm and reeking of weed 💀 like they don’t even try to hide it

would have gotten fired months ago if they weren’t so short staffed

mina:

is also a team trainer because she’s good with people

tries to get everyone to hang out outside of work, and she usually succeeds

made everyone go to karaoke and get drunk together

iida was QUITE the life of the party after a few drinks, and she evilly videotaped it all

makes memes about the managers and sends them to the barista group chat

spontaneously starts dancing while working, even when there’s customers

drinks like eight shots of espresso a day

is also the shop’s social media manager

constantly takes pictures of everyone and posts them on the shop’s instagram

jirou:

manages the shop playlist

kaminari tried to get her to put a bunch of inappropriate rap songs on it but she didn’t want iida to get mad

sings to herself throughout the entire shift, everyone thinks it’s really cute

except bakugou, he isn’t afraid to tell her to shut up

only drinks black coffee, she doesn’t like milk or sugar

always spices up her uniform with cool accessories and jewelry

she’s not going to sacrifice her individuality for a corporate position 😌 (even if iida constantly lectures her… momo didn’t want to hear it anymore so she started scheduling jirou with her)

momo:

assistant general manager

everyone loves her, she’s an amazing boss

always releases the schedule two weeks ahead of time

is everyone’s barista crush

literally, a new man asks her out every day

is in charge of keeping inventory and ordering ingredients, she’s good at math so everything is always well stocked

is super nice to all the new employees she trains

is a tea enthusiast

sources a bunch of fancy tea and recommends it to the customers

she’s actually garnered a few coffee converts, no one is really able to say no to her pretty face 🥰

never gets made at anyone for requesting time off, in fact she’ll excitedly ask them ab their plans

also never guilts anyone for being sick and not coming into work

pretty much everyone’s mom, if anyone comes in looking upset she’s immediately like “okay what’s wrong, tell me right now”

hagakure:

sneaks up on people all the time

like someone will go up the counter to get their coffee and just see a floating apron

customer: “um, i ordered a latte and-“

hagakure: “yeah, it’s right here!” 😄

customer: “OH MY GOD-“

LOVES to gossip with mina

always has way too much energy early in the morning

*todoroki barely being able to keep his eyes open as he unlocks the door*

hagakure: “AYO SHOTO ARE YOU READY TO OPEN THIS COFFEE SHOP?!?!”

aoyama:

refuses to wear a hair net

DEVOURS croissants

wants to put cheese on the menu, and doesn’t care at all that it’s a coffee shop

buys fresh flowers to put on all the tables 🥰

one day the open sign burnt out so bakugou made him shine his navel laser though it 💀

goes on his phone during his shift ALL the time, and never listens to iida when he yells at him to put it away

tokoyami:

everyone likes being scheduled with him because he’s basically two baristas

“hey dark shadow, can you make this order for me while i stock the bakery case?”

wants to be emo like jirou and only drink black coffee, but can’t stand the taste

“yeah jirou, we’re the only strong ones in the shop!” *dumps three creams and five sugars in his coffee when no one’s looking*

made everyone wear costumes for halloween and handed out candy to customers

purposefully messes up rude customers’ orders 💀

like if they ask for almond milk he’ll put in whole milk so they shit themselves

or if they want it skinny he’ll use the regular syrups so they get sugar overload

doesn’t know how to answer the phone

customer: “is this my hero coffee academia?”

tokoyami: “no, this is fumikage.” *hangs up*

almost has a meltdown everytime he spills something, has to lock himself in the freezer to calm down before walking back out like nothing happened

only works night shift for obvious reasons

shouji:

multitasking king

all his arms allow him to do different things at once

him and iida are the speed demons of the shop, so when the two of them work together everything gets done in like two seconds

iida will be running around making all the orders while shouji is cleaning everything all at once

is pretty much everyone’s therapist, he’s just so easy to vent to

gives the best advice

is so huge and intimidating that there’s hardly ever any rude customers during his shift

koda:

gets so upset every time a bug is killed in the kitchen

koda: “NO PLEASE HE HAS A FAMILY”

momo: “koda i understand this is hard for you, but we cannot have a spider roaming freely around the food”

squeals whenever a customer leaves their dog outside

he’ll be standing at the window with his hands pressed up against the glass and tears in his eyes

todoroki: *sigh* “you can go pet the dog if you want-“

koda: “THANK YOU” *sprints out the door*

starts buying dog treats to give to the owners, he even offers to put them in a little cup of whipped cream 🥺

gets sato to make some vegan baked goods :)

ojiro:

cant spell customers’ names right to save his life

ojiro: “alright, can i get a name for this?”

customer: “yeah, it’s brian with a y!”

ojiro: “got it!” *writes yrian*

or he just writes the wrong name altogether

sharon is now shannnon

tyler is now tyson

jack is now jake

let’s kaminari fluff his tail when he gets overstimulated during a rush 🥺

is constantly apologizing to everyone for accidentally bumping into them with it

sato:

the faithful head baker

comes in at 4 am everyday to prep the baked goods

always asks everyone if they have any special requests <3

customers are constantly complimenting the stuff he makes and asking who made them

the baristas just smile and they’ll them that their baker sato made them, and if he’s still there, they’ll drag him out to accept the compliments 🥰

isn’t very good at asking for help, but hagakure and aoyama are always around to frost donuts or decorate cupcakes when he’s running behind :)

(BONUS) aizawa:

the area coach that stops by every so often to make sure everything is running up to standard

everyone is really scared of him but he honestly doesn’t give a single fuck so long as they’re not serving trash

only comes by during the night shift because he refuses to wake up early

and of course that’s when they least expect him

iida and momo are just nervously leading him around the shop while kirishima and kaminari are sprinting to the kitchen to throw away all the expired food 💀

tells them they’ll get shut down if they don’t get enough customer surveys, which makes everyone panic and hand them out with every order

they still didn’t have enough so sero and mina were in the back filling them out the day they were due 🤡

turns out they were never going to get shut down, he just lied to them so they’d push surveys 🙃

[kingyo-konbini]

KINGYO COFFEEHOUSE [SUGAWARA KOUSHI X READER]

[SUMMARY] sugawara has a secret crush on a girl in shimizu's class. shimizu secretly plots a meet-cute for her friend. [PRONOUNS] she/her [GENRE] fluff | meet-cute [POV] third person [WORD COUNT] 1879 [CONTENT] crushes | coffee shops | reader's unnamed older brother | one curse word (shit)

“Have you ever heard of this place?”

“Kingyo Coffeehouse? Nope, I don’t think so. You?”

“Not until Kiyoko recommended it to us. It looks nice, though.”

The outside was very humble, a dark maroon-and-white striped awning covering the doorway and large hanging plants hung from the inside by the windows, their vines spiraling down the edges like curtains. There were two small tables to the right of the front door, each having two chairs to sit on. Maroon umbrellas were situated in the centers of each table, open and providing shade. The shop’s name was printed on a smooth dark brown sign in the window, two painted goldfish bordering the words.

“You know, I didn’t take her as a coffee person, but I guess I can kind of see it.” Sugawara said with a shrug, walking up to the door that Azumane was holding open.

“I guess. She probably just orders tea, though.” Sawamura followed Sugawara, Azumane ending the train and letting the door swing closed behind him.

“I wonder how she heard about this place.” Sugawara mused, examining the neat interior and taking in the warm scent of coffee.

“It is kind of hidden.” Sawamura agreed, eventually shrugging and walking up to the counter, Azumane and Sugawara following. “My treat. What do you guys want?”

“Be with ya in a sec.” A grouchy looking young man spoke, his back to the three as he worked on finishing up what looked like several orders. A small group of businessmen were waiting off to the side, chatting amongst themselves, all dressed up in their work clothes even on a Sunday.

“Something light, probably an iced caramel macchiato.” Sugawara hummed, looking at the menu.

“I’m getting tea.” Azumane decided. “Iced black tea sounds good.”

“Shit.” They heard the employee hiss, their attention turning to him and the cup of milk spilled over the counter and onto his apron. Grumbling to himself, he marched over to a door in the back and swung it open, leaning inside the opening. “[Name]! Come help!”

The three instantaneously furrowed their brows in confusion and looked at each other, Sugawara’s ears heating up. It couldn’t be-

“What did you do?” [Last Name] [First Name] said in exasperation, looking at the man’s apron and the look on his face. “Jeez. Come on, dude.”

“Shut up and help me out. You take their orders while I finish these ones. Where’s dad?”

“In the back doing numbers.” [Name] answered, still not looking at the boys at the counter. She pulled her hair back, away from her face, and washed her hands, slipping an apron on afterwards and finally facing the customers. “Oh.” She said, eyes blown wide. “Uh, hey guys.”

[Last Name] [First Name] was a fellow third year at Karasuno and Sugawara’s recent crush. He hadn’t been fully aware of her existence until a couple months ago, having stumbled across her reading in the courtyard. The moment he saw her hair shift in the wind and the way her fingers carefully flipped the pages, he was done for.

After that he kept seeing her everywhere: during lunch, between classes, after school, in the mornings; he couldn’t escape, and honestly, he didn’t want to.

Sawamura and Azumane had easily figured out what was going on with their friend, repeatedly trying to get him to talk to her and failing each time. Shimizu must have figured it out and knew that her classmate worked here, and that this would be the only way to get Sugawara to talk to her.

“Hey, [Last Name], right?” Sawamura cleared his throat and took the initiative.

“That’s me.” She confirmed with a nod. “You guys are on the volleyball team, right?”

“Yep.” Sawamura nodded. “Funny running into you here, we didn’t know you worked here.”

“I just help out sometimes.” [Name] shrugged, fiddling with her fingers. “My dad owns this place. That’s my brother.” She motioned towards the grumpy young man, who was finishing up the businessmen’s orders. “Anyways, what can I get you guys?”

“Just a small water for me. Suga?” Sawamura turned to his friend, who promptly pretended to not notice the glint in his eyes.

“Small iced caramel macchiato, please.”

[Name] nodded and scribbled the orders onto the cups. She turned to Azumane. “You?”

“Small iced black tea, please.” He spoke politely. [Name] nodded again and scribbled the order onto a new cup.

“All of this on one ticket?”

“Yes.” Sawamura nodded and pulled out his wallet, gathering up the bills. [Name] put the orders into the computer and told him the total, which was less than they were expecting.

“I’m giving you a discount. I don’t ever see any classmates here.” [Name] chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. “Sawamura, Sugawara, and Azumane?” She pointed to each as she guessed their names, eyes lighting up once they confirmed. “Oh, I'm glad I didn’t mess that up.” She laughed and slid back the change. “I’ll get your orders out in just a moment.”

“Thank you.” They each said, meandering off to where the businessmen had stood, having left after receiving their drinks. As they waited, Sugawara made a point to not acknowledge the looks he was getting from his friends, choosing instead to scroll mindlessly through his phone.

“You want me to make this one?” They heard [Name]’s brother ask.

“No it’s fine, I got this under control. Go get a new apron or something.”

Her brother grumbled and they watched as he opened the door [Name] had come down from and went inside, the door shutting behind him. In just a few minutes [Name] walked over to they boys and placed the drinks on the bar, smiling.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.” They said again, each grabbing their respective drink. Sugawara took a sip and was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted, the espresso not too bitter and the caramel drizzle not sickly sweet. It felt good to drink something cold, helping to cool down the innate embarrassment he’d been filled with since realizing Shimizu had set him up.

“So, what are you three up to today?” [Name] asked, glancing to make sure nobody was waiting on her.

“We were on our way to get some new shoes for Asahi. His are worn out.”

“Oh,” [Name] nodded. “I guess they’d get worn down pretty heavily from all that running and jumping. It’s nice that you guys hang out outside of practices and games and stuff.”

“Yeah, we’re friends.” Sawamura shrugged. “Besides, Kiyoko told us about this place and that it was on the way to the store, so we figured we’d check it out.”

“Shimizu-san?” [Name] mumbled, eyes widening a little as though she’d realized something. “I see. Well, I’m glad you guys did. Like I said, we don’t really get students from Karasuno coming in, and I don’t really hang out with anyone outside of my club members, so it’s nice to have some contact with you all.” She laughed sheepishly and messed with her hair, brushing it away from her eyes.

“I feel that.” Sawamura nodded. “We don’t really hang out with anyone outside of the team, either.” He joined in her laughing, Azumane chuckling and Sugawara smiling while trying to hide the fact that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

“Well, you guys are welcome here anytime you want, the rest of the team included.” She stifled her laughs and sent them a blinding smile, eyes landing on Sugawara. “I hope you all have a good day, and good luck with the shoes, Azumane-san.”

“Thank you, [Last Name]-san. You too.” Azumane smiled and bowed a little, his ears a little pink.

“Thanks for the drinks.” Sawamura smiled and bowed a little as well before he and Azumane headed towards the door.

“Yes, thank you, [Last Name]-san. The drink is really good.” Sugawara said, trying to keep his voice steady. [Name]’s smile somehow brightened even more, and she perked up.

“I’m glad. Have a good day, Sugawara-san.”

“You too.” He bowed his head slightly before rushing after his friends, who were waiting for him by the door. Once the three had exited and the door was shut, Sawamura elbowed Sugawara in the ribs, who let out a short ‘oof’ and jumped away, ignoring the teasing grin on his face.

“We’ll have to thank Kiyoko for the recommendation, tomorrow.” Sawamura whistled, Azumane nodding beside him.

“Come on, I really don’t know why you guys are making this a big deal.” Sugawara sighed, taking another sip of his drink. “It’s just a little crush. I don’t actually know her.”

“Then ask her out!” Sawamura insisted, speeding up to walk in step with his friend.

“She doesn’t know me! Why would she say yes?”

Azumane and Sawamura glanced at each other before the latter rolled his eyes. “Did you really not see the way she was looking at you? The fact that she made your drink first? I think the feeling’s mutual.”

“Shut up.” Sugawara shook his head. “It’s nothing. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Fine.” Sawamura held his hands up in defeat. “Don’t say I didn’t try to do anything, though.” 

...

“Who were they?” [Name]'s brother asked, tying his apron back on. [Name] watched them through the window, a flustered smile on her face.

“Classmates. They’re on the boys’ volleyball team.”

“Do you know them?”

She shrugged. “Not really, but one of the girls who sits near me in class is the team’s manager. I’ve seen them practicing a couple times.”

“Mmhm.” He glanced at her through the corner of his eyes, staying silent as he fetched the mop and began to clean up the spilled milk. “You’re a horrible liar.”

“I’m not lying!”

“Then you’re hiding something.”

“Shut up. You spilled milk everywhere.” She huffed and folded her arms, grateful that the cafe was now empty.

“Tell me.”

“Do you really want to know?”

His eyes flashed and narrowed. “Yes.”

The corners of her lips twitched into a devilish grin. “Well, one of them -Sugawara-san, the one with the light hair- is super cute and is a really good player, and he just so nice, and I think I have a crush on him, and Shimizu-san -that’s the girl I sit next to- found out somehow and told me that Sugawara-san is in the university prep class- how cool is that? And he’s the vice captain of the team, so responsible and handsome-“

“Shut up, shut up, I get it.” Her brother held up his hands in surrender. “I’ve learned my lesson.” [Name] chuckled and undid her apron, grabbing the used mop and moving to put both away. “Is any of that true?”

“Oh, yeah.” [Name] snorted. “He's nice and a good player, and Shimizu-san did tell me that he’s in the university prep class and that he’s the vice captain of the team when I was asking about her club."

“You don’t have a crush on him?”

“I don’t know him.” [Name] shrugged. “He is cute though.”

Her brother grunted and resumed his work while [Name] turned away, a small smile and light blush lighting up her features.

Finally, they'd gotten a proper introduction. She'd have to thank Shimizu-san when she saw her at school.

[jann-the-bean]

Fluffynightkiller 2024

Dark Roast

It was a rainy day in the city, both Nightmare and Killer were sitting in the living room.

“G-Guys, I’m making coffee! W-would you like m-me to prepare y-you some?” The barista called from the kitchen, more than excited to use his new espresso machine.

The purple eyed skeleton lifted his gaze from his book to look in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ll take a macchiato with caramel drizzle if you don’t mind.”

“W-what about you K-kiki?”

Killer stretched and yawned. “Ugh.. had a looooong night. I think I’ll take black coffee.”

Nightmare cocked his head and raised a brow.

“What?” Killer asked as he noticed his partners stare.

“Sorry, it’s just… it still amazes me when you get black coffee.”

“Yeah? What of it? I don’t judge your preference.”

The violet eyed skeleton raised a hand.

“No need to get defensive. I’m just saying. You almost always order those ridiculously sickly sweet drinks.”

“Hey, sometimes I just want something that taste good.. and other times I just need the caffeine.”

“Boys..” Ccino chimed in, hoping he could diffuse the situation. Not that he thought something would happen. But those two had a tendency to argue often.

“All I’m saying is that it’s a bit surprising.. liking dark roast.”

Killer frowned.

“I don’t discriminate. Dark, medium, light roast. It doesn’t matter. I guess you could say I like my coffee how I like my men. Bitter.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open, while Ccino choked back a laugh.

“O-oh fuck you, Killer!”

Killer chuckled. “I mean… I wouldn’t mind adding a little bit of cream every now and then.”

“That’s enough b-boys or I’ll b-be putting y-you two in t-time out!”

Nightmare huffed as Killer stuck his tongue out in response.

Ccino by @black-nyanko

Nightmare by @jokublog

Killer by @rahafwabas

Writing by me

Fluffynightkiller 2024 by @help-im-a-gay-fish

I know this is short but honestly I still kinda like it. I miss writing shorter stories.

Thanks for reading!

[haruhar-u]

“How do you say I love you”

AO3 post

beta read by @the-banana-0verlord

CW: none.

Written for SGDLR’s gotcha for Gaza on Twitter please consider donating if you can.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･''･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･

Red eye flights were never fun, but according to Lu Guang , this was a good idea because it’d be cheaper. At least this layover airport has a coffee shop, right? They could easily get their much-needed caffeine before getting on their flight back to Shanghai. They needed to open the shop tomorrow anyway. 

The coffee shop was like, well, any other airport coffee shop. A stand built into a wall with wood counters, a menu over top on the back wall, and a very bored looking barista. The inviting smell of coffee drifts through the stale airport air. They were quite good-looking despite the eye bags, which honestly, the three of them couldn’t judge considering the nature of their own job. Ahem. The side gig. The barista looked like they cared about their looks, their uniform was neat and orderly, and their shoulder length hair was pulled into a half ponytail with a few wispy strands astray.

Cheng Xiaoshi couldn’t seem to decide exactly what he wanted to order, like usual. Lu Guang knew it was either going to be a caramel macchiato or a vanilla latte, like usual. Either way, Cheng Xiaoshi likes it sugary and sweet. Lu Guang, on the other hand, takes his coffee black. Qiao Ling usually orders this strawberry thing. Lu Guang wasn’t 100% what it was. 

Cheng Xiaoshi was the last to order, again, caramel macchiato or vanilla latte? What Lu Guang found odd is that their very tired barista immediately perked up when they spoke to Cheng Xiaoshi. Their face was practically glowing at this point, especially since the two of them also engaged in small talk. Alright, it's kind of strange, but Lu Guang won’t question it. Besides, maybe the barista just needed someone to talk to. It’s not like they could maybe like Cheng Xiaoshi right? Besides, even if they do, it's not like they’ll see the barista again considering they’re in a different country. 

Afterwards, they were able to pick up their drinks and head towards their terminal. With detours, of course. Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling wanted to get some shopping done at the duty-free first. Lu Guang, of course, became the bag carrier as the two siblings ran around, happily chattering away about the things they saw in the shop. Lu Guang mainly listened to them, making  occasional remarks. He liked the sound of their voice over his own anyway.

The three of them decided there wasn’t anything else to do in this airport except sit at the terminal and wait for boarding. Besides, the last time they shopped around, they almost missed their flight. Cheng Xiaoshi’s hand slipped on his coffee cup, slipping the paper sleeve down. It revealed in very neat and pretty cursive handwriting, “text me, baby xoxo,” and then a phone number written right on the cup. The confidence from the barista was amazing…to say the least.

Lu Guang had to physically restrain himself from spitting out his coffee right then and there. Qiao Ling, on the other hand, found this absolutely hilarious. She was practically inconsolable as she burst into laughter, occasionally slapping Cheng Xiaoshi’s right thigh. Cheng Xiaoshi himself seemed the most unphased out of the three of them, with a slight look of surprise on his face. 

"Pffffft, are you actually gonna call them?” Qiao Ling managed, still slapping Cheng Xiaoshi on the thigh occasionally. 

Please don’t. Cheng Xiaoshi let out a chuckle. “I mean, if they wanted to be friends, sure! However, there's someone else I like.”

That got Qiao Ling’s attention, considering she immediately stopped laughing. And Lu Guang’s. Don’t tell Cheng Xiaoshi, though. “Who?” 

Cheng Xiaoshi playfully poked Qiao Ling’s side. “Not telling,” He said in a singsong voice. Cheng Xiaoshi’s poke ignited a full on battle between the two practically siblings, as the two were both poking each other and swatting at each other’s hands while giggling. 

Who could this person that Cheng Xiaoshi liked be, though? Lu Guang tried to list all the possible people it could be. However, he drew a blank each time. There was always something that ruled out each person. At this point, Lu Guang wondered if this person actually existed and if Cheng Xiaoshi was just playing with Qiao Ling. It wouldn’t surprise him. Those two loved playing small pranks and tricks on each other in the name of fun. Lu Guang never really got involved, but he has to admit that sometimes it’s entertaining to watch. 

Cheng Xiaoshi must’ve stolen a glance at Lu Guang because he immediately stopped playing with Qiao Ling. His face softened, and he lowered and softened his voice when he spoke. “Guang Guang, your face is all red, and you’re just staring off into space.” He pressed a hand against Lu Guang’s forehead, gently pushing aside any hair that was in the way, causing Lu Guang’s heart to beat even faster. “Are you not feeling good? You made sure to pack medicine, so just tell me if you feel sick, alright?” 

Lu Guang appreciated the gesture, but no medicine could cure how he was feeling right now. “I’m okay. I just zoned out.” He answers, removing his jacket to pin the slight redness on his cheek as feeling slightly warm. He takes Cheng Xiaoshi’s hand off his hand forehead with his own hand. 

“Alright.” Cheng Xiaoshi let out a yawn and then leaned over and laid his head on Lu Guang’s shoulder, strands of his messy hair tickling Lu Guang’s neck. A peaceful expression on his face. 

“Tired?” Lu Guang asked, putting his jacket over Cheng Xiaoshi, who grabbed it and pulled it closer to himself. 

“Mhm. Honestly, our trip has been fun, but all I want is to curl up in my own bed.” Cheng Xiaoshi let out a soft smile, then closed his eyes. “Wake me up when we start boarding, ‘kay.?” 

If Lu Guang could tell him how he's everything to him, he would. However, there was the possibility that Cheng Xiaoshi didn’t feel the same. Lu Guang felt he should just stop panicking about it; Cheng Xiaoshi probably doesn’t feel the same. He’ll be stuck as Cheng Xiaoshi’s best friend forever. That wasn’t too bad; he still got to see the way Cheng Xiaoshi scribbled stars on the cuffs of his jeans, which no one else seemed to notice. There’s also the possibility that a confession would absolutely ruin their friendship, Lu Guang heard about that happening before with other people. He’ll just be supportive and watch from the sidelines as Cheng Xiaoshi falls in love with someone else, such as the person he likes or the beautiful barista. Besides, how does one say, ‘I love you?’.

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