#can u guys hear the water gush like omg

[daichibi]

I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE HES SO SEXY

[sunghun]

enhypen pranking you

requested; yes!

warnings; some cursing??

note; help i feel like this took forever to write 😭 and i literally have no excuses other than procrastination and the fact that i couldn’t think of pranks for like half the boys. hopefully my next post won’t take as long...

unedited so apologies for any mistakes/typos!!

희승 | heeseung;

okay i feel like heeseung would be the guy to go on reddit and be like “how can i prank my s/o without making them cry or get angry”

will absolutely research until he finds the perfect prank

he decides on the one where you wipe off your s/o’s kisses bc like

that’s a relatively harmless prank right??

if only he knew

so later that day when you two meet up you give him a kiss on the cheek like always

and he just . wipes it off

you can tell he’s kinda trying to be discreet about it

and at first you’re kinda confused by it

but then figured maybe you accidentally put too much chapstick on and left some on his cheek

bc you know. that can happen

but then throughout the day he just?? keeps wiping them off???

eventually you can’t take it anymore

“alright lee heeseung what the fuck is your problem”

immediately he knows he’s screwed up

like you used his government name and everything

“i might’ve been.....idk.....pranking you. or something.”

“😐😐😐”

never tries anything like that again

who knew you could be so scary?

제이 | jay;

okay it took me like 8 years to think of a prank jay would do

but i feel like he might try the “pretending to talk bad about my s/o in another language” thing

like one day when you and him were just having a casual little date

he gets a ‘phone call’

and he’s just like “hey babe do u mind if i take this? sunghoon said he needed to talk about smth”

“ofc baby go ahead 🤗”

and so it begins

the first time you didn’t even realize he said your name

so the next time he like . overemphasized it

and yeah it got your attention it also made you suspicious as hell

his first mistake

you looked at him questioningly thinking that maaaaybe you were being dramatic and he was just trying to get ur attention

but he just ignored you and kept talking

and you kept hearing your name Very clearly

and you can see jay discreetly glancing at you to see your reaction

which just confirms that it’s a prank

and you’re pretty sure you know which one he was trying to do

so after like ten minutes with absolute no reaction from you

jay finally hangs up

and you’re just like “did u have fun pretending to trash-talk about me to sunghoon?”

he just freezes for a second

bc damn he did not expect you to figure it out that quick

but then he just wraps his arm around ur shoulders and grins

“typical y/n. sucking the fun out of everything.”

you’re about to protest

but then he gives you a very sweet kiss

so all is forgiven ❤️

for now

제이크 | jake;

i’m sure we’ve all seen those videos of someone calling their significant other by their name instead of a pet-name or smth

so naturally jake decided to try it on you

bc. ya know.

he only ever calls you cutsey nicknames and shit

his friends like to tease him abt forgetting your name because like. literally he never calls you by it.

but it’s okay because you never call him by his either

bUT anyways

one day when you two were just chilling at your place watching movies and stuff

and you were in the kitchen making some popcorn

so he just goes for it

“hey Y/N can you bring me some water?”

he has to stop himself from losing it at the way you just freeze

“i didn’t know we were back on that level, JAEYUN.”

oh shit

is literally the 😦 emoji

was not expecting the uno reverse card

makes up for it as soon as you sit back down

kisses all over your face and calls you the most ridiculous names.

“i’m sorry my lovely sugarbear, sweetie-pie, pumpkin, baby boo.”

he’s just lucky you didn’t bring him a glass of ice and tell him to wait <3

성훈 | sunghoon;

recently, you got a box from ur mom that was full of all your favorite snacks that you couldn’t get in korea

and you were like . so excited

which is why sunghoon, your lovely but slightly evil boyfriend

decided to play a prank on you

you had been gushing to him about how excited you were to have some of them when you got home from work/classes

and so he decided to hide them

later when you went to get them you almost had a heart attack when you couldn’t find them

“hey babe have seen those snacks my mom sent?”

“oh you mean those odd looking ones? yeah the guys came over earlier and we kinda finished them off. sorry hon.”

now

sunghoon was absolutely ready for you to get mad

he was prepared for shouting and maybe even having a pillow thrown his way

what he was not prepared for was your face falling and tears to start welling up in your eyes

“o-oh. okay.”

“wait y/n-“

but you had already started crying

which might seem like an overreaction but like

you’d had a really shitty day

and looking forward to those snacks and cuddling with your boyfriend was the only thing keeping you going

and you just couldn’t help it :(

“y/n, baby i’m sorry please stop crying.”

runs as fast as he can to where he hid them and brings them back to you

“look, see? i was just pranking you.”

promises that he won’t ever do something like that again

bc he hates seeing you cry :/

선우 | sunoo;

it took me so long to think of a prank sunoo would do 😭

but after some careful consideration

i think he would do smth like give you really salty cookies just to see how you react

like are you gonna tell him they’re awful in a nice way or will you just tell him straight up that they taste like crap??

is so obvious about it tho

“hey y/n wanna try these cookies i made with love just for you~?”

watches your reaction very closely when you take the first bite

he can tell that you’re trying so hard not to make a face

“wow, babe. these are uh, really good. thank you so much!”

wait what

are you.....trying to spare his feelings???

“are you sure? they’re not too salty or anything?”

“nope! i love them!”

did you just take another bite???

this time you can’t hide the grimace quite as well tho 😭

at his blank look you try to take another bite

but he stops you before you can poison yourself anymore

“babe you weren’t supposed to pretend to like them i know they’re awful 🤦‍♂️”

is very touched that you would eat a cookie that is like half salt just for him <3

정원 | jungwon;

okay don’t @ me but i feel like jungwon would just like . try to ignore you

like he saw someone on youtube doing it and their s/o was being super affectionate and cute trying to get their attention

and he’s just like.....😏 hmm.....

so he tries it out the next time you come over to his place

and you’re just . so confused??

bc aside from him opening the door to let you in

your usually sweet and cuddly boyfriend is acting like you’re not even here??

you start trying to get his attention with snuggles and cheek kisses and bringing him something to eat/drink

but the boy won’t budge

and now you’re paranoid

did you do something wrong??

is he really upset????

finally you can’t take it

and you come up to him a little watery eyed

“i don’t know what i did, but i’m sorry. i’ll try not to do it again.”

literally breaks his heart in two 💔

immediately apologizes and tells you that it’s a prank

and then cuddles you the rest of the night without letting go <3

니키 | niki;

one day while watching random youtube videos

niki got the stupid brilliant idea to pretend that he was gonna break up with you

of course he had to wait for the right timing and whatnot

and that seemed to be just a few days later

the two of you planned to play video games and watch some movies

and that seemed like the perfect time to do it

so a few minutes after he got to your place

and you two had just sat down on the sofa

he turned to you all serious and said

“y/n. i hate to do it like this, but i can’t keep it in any longer. i think we should break up.”

“oh thank God.”

wait what

why did you sound.....relieved???

“wh-what?

“yeah i was actually planning on breaking up with you, but you beat me to it! nice one, bro.”

niki frowns

“y/n this isn’t funny.”

“oh but it would’ve been funny if you did it to me?”

yeah turns out jake found out about his little prank and tipped you off

omg but once niki realizes that you’re not actually dumping him he just kinda.....crushes you into a hug

“i’m so sorry you’re right it isn’t funny please don’t leave me.”

the rest of the day is spent much more calmly after you two vow to only play harmless pranks on each other.

[konowhore]

aoba johsai headcanons | watching a volleyball game with them

warning(s): spoilers from season 2-3, not proofreaded 

a/n: these are,,, very long HAHA and i’m so sorry that these are like,,,,,, all ending with reader and bf sleeping LMAO...

prompt: you watch a volleyball game with your boyfriend. you didn’t realize that it was a game between the two teams his team lost to.

oikawa

PLEASE HE WAS SO BITTER IN SEASON 3 IT WAS SO FUNNY????

but anyways

he had dragged you to watch the shiratorizawa v. karasuno game bc ‘you’re my gf i need emotional support<3′

you didn’t really know much about volleyball, maybe the basics like positions, but you were still excited to watch

his ass would choose the seat farthest away from the court simply bc he didn’t want to be seen and he would make the snarkiest remarks while watching about how they played and you would just be like: .. yea..... 

he’d realize that you’re a little confused abt what’s going on and then go:

“need me to explain anything princess?”

you lean into him and nod a bit, turning your head to smile up at him

his glasses reflect some light but he shifts them so he can look you in the eyes

cue you blushing bc the looks he gives you ?? <333 it makes ur heart cartwheel

anyways he rubs circles on the back of your hand with his thumb, explaining to you about the big play that just happened

you would just stare at him and take glances at the game because he was just so admirable

he knew so much, he played really well

you knew he worked so hard to try and get nationals, yet his team ended up not making it

out of the blue while you both sit and watch, you stretch up to kiss his cheek

oikawa, who usually isn’t too flustered, has pink-dusted cheeks when he looks at you

“yes princess...?”

“nothing, i just adore you.”

the growing smile on his face makes you giggle and rest your head on his shoulder

the game continues, oikawa continuing to make remarks about each team, observing the game

you get a little bored, hugging his arm and watch the ball go back and forth 

oikawa pays really close attention tho bc he offers to take you home awwwwww

“if you’re tired we can go-”

“no it’s okay!! i like hearing your commentary uwu”

stop he’s so in love with you

like he would stare at you after that and just be all <3

and so you two stay for the whole game (you fell asleep some point,,,,,, woke up once to buy water LMAO)

watching volleyball with oikawa makes you realize how much he has a passion for it and you just admire him. so. much. 

and oikawa would be so grateful that you’re so supportive and he’d tell you a thousand times after the game that he’ll do anything for you bc you tagged along and everything pls <3

matsukawa

you two hang out at your place and land upon the shiratorizawa vs karasuno game

you: aren’t those the teams you guys lost to

issei: yeah and what about it. 

he’d jokingly pout and hide his face in your neck

“you’re mean </3″ he’d whine

you laugh and run your fingers through his hair 

he grins, his hands going to rub your back as you two watch the game on the screen

you recognize some of the players from aoba johsai’s previous games, humming while watching them play

issei is only half paying attention

“well he’s cute,” you note, watching the camera pan through the karasuno members, only for it to stop on the captain

issei would roll his eyes and smack your ass a little LMAO 

“he’s short,” he’d retort, chuckling soon after when you look at him and roll your eyes back at him

“okay and”

BYE HE’D JOKINGLY GET MAD AND GO “go date your new boyfriend then<3″

it’s all fun and games between you two tho and it’s soooo cute !!

he can be a little shit but 

anyways you’re cheering for karasuno, occasionally going ‘look at their captain omg <3′ 

issei would sit up with you still straddling him and he’d just press kisses against your neck, making you giggle and try to push him away

“stopppppppp”

“not until you take your eyes off of him~”

you run your fingers through issei’s hair once more, smiling and leaning down to kiss him 

“don’t worry issei, i’m all yours”

he’d lay back again, letting you lay on top of his chest

the game keeps going, you and mattsun sitting in comfortable silence while watching

your eyes are heavy and you don’t pay any attention to it

but then you wake up hours later, still on top of your bf’s rising chest

(pls i love him god i want to hug him and cuddle with him he’s so fucking cute <3333)

hanamaki

tbh semi was one of your old friends from middle school so he asked you to come to his game,,,

your boyfriend wanted to hang out with you so you asked if he wanted to go

HONESTLY he’d be like ‘since when did you talk to people from shiratorizawa’ but he’d be fine with it

maybe he’s a little bitter but lmao

you two go to look for your friend, and when you see him, you call his name and hug him

“eita!!”

makki:  🧍

semi: hi uwu

you would introduce them to each other all smiley 

there’s tension and for what

semi: okay well i have to go warm up

you: bye eita ^^

makki:,,,

PLEASE????????

you two would sit close to the school section and holy shit is hiro glad that he didn’t wear his team jacket LMAO he would’ve gotten flamed

anyways not you cheering for eita even tho you have no idea what the fuck is going on lmao

hiro is amused and he just thinks you’re so cute tbh 

he’s staring at you watching you yell out semi’s name even tho he wasn’t in the starting lineup help.

he’s such a dumbass tho pls 

HE WOULD PURPOSELY BOO ONCE WHEN SHIRATORIZAWA SCORES THEIR FIRST POINT DAKJNDKJBJKD

not these girls staring at y’all um......

you’d scold him and he’s just :P

anyways you take a break from cheering and you sit, leaning on your boyfriend’s shoulder

“hiro are you doing okay?” you mumble, playing with his hand

“mhm, are you?”

you nod at his question and watch the game continue

“you sure you’re okay?? you seemed kinda tense, maybevenalittlejealous, when i introduced you to eita”

“i’m fine baby don’t worry”

him: me???????????? jealous>?????????????????? no.

YOU WOULD TEASE HIM SOOOO MUCH AND HE KEEPS DENYING IT EVEN THO HE VERY SECRETLY IS

after the game, you drag your boyfriend along with you to tell eita he did a good job

he’d give you a really big and long hug in which hanamaki is just standing there 

you gush about how great eita was, earning a big smile from him

when you leave the gymnasium hand in hand with hanamaki, you cling onto his arm, your smile never leaving your face

“soooo did you like the game?” you ask, looking up at your unusually quiet boyfriend

“mhm”

“did you like meeting eita uwu”

“yeah-”

“were you jealous??”

“no comment.”

cue you teasing him while his cheeks become the same color as his pink hair 

he’d just remove his arm from your grasp and then wrap it around your waist to pull you closer to him

(SORRY I GOT SO CARRIED AWAY .......)

iwaizumi

i know we all know this but iwaizumi hajime best bf idc !!!

he honestly wanted to go see the game bc he just wanted to see how the teams would play against each other

he had asked you if you wanted to tag along so you agreed

in all honestly, he didn’t think you would want to because you don’t usually seem interested in it whenever he talks about it, but in truth, you listen to every word he says abt it pls TT

he loves u so so much and u love that he’s passionate about volleyball HE JUST,, DOESNT REALIZE THAT YOU LISTEN

like he thinks it’ll bother you if he talks about it too much <//3

he’s the one who is genuinely surprised when you point out a strategy karasuno had used

“y/n i didn’t realize you liked volleyball??”

“you talk about it all the time silly”

and you give him a kiss on the nose and he just :0

“hajime cmonnnn you took me to the game you should tell me more about it uwu”

STOP. he literally,,, loves u so much

he holds your hand, his little smile never leaving his face

you lean your head on his shoulder, watching the game on the court

when the tall blond blocks ushijima’s block, you flinch a bit and stand up to look closer, seeing the tall blond yell and his teammates following suit

you cheer along with them, your boyfriend finally standing up to stand next to you

his eyes are on you only, your hair bouncing with you as you jump in excitement, your eyes shimmering with excitement

his smile just grows as you grin , turning to him in excitement

“did you see that hajime?? :D”

STOPP HES SO IN LOVE HE JUST STARES AT YOU .

and u just :D

“hajime..???”

YOU HAVE TO SNAP YOUR FINGERS IN FRONT OF HIS FACE AND HE JUST SNAPS OUT OF IT AND LOOKS AT YOU

“you’re very beautiful princess, did you know that?”

that alone makes you go pink and you playfully push him by his arm

“baby stopppp”

and you’re both just laughing and watching the game together, spending the whole day with your hands intertwined 

(he.. hajime best boy)

yahaba

you had started watching the game a bit after the first set started and your boyfriend was busy taking a shower

you knew a lot in all honesty, since shigeru happened to be on one of the powerhouse schools in terms of volleyball throughout miyagi

if he was gonna be honest he wasn’t expecting you to sit down and actually watch a game of volleyball intently

so walking into his room seeing you focusing on the karasuno v. shiratorizawa match surprised him a bit

“you watching the game?” he’d ask

“mhm!! it’s really interesting uwu”

he finds it absolutely adorable but then he tries to flirt and flex his muscles like “babe look i just got out of the shower” AND YOU JUSt,, KEEP LOOKING AT THE TV

yahaba: baby *bites lip*

you: babe get dressed and come watch with me

goodbye he just throws a shirt and some shorts on and basically jumps on top of you in which you yelp and go “shiGERU” and his mom is ON HIS ASS !!!!!!!! she literally comes in and she’s like “shigeru stop jumping onto your gf” and you rlly stick your tongue out at him

him: you’re acting like a child

you: you STARTED IT.

and you guys bicker a little and you just go “well you made me miss half the game” and HE GETS SO MAD HELPPPP

“BOOOOO”

him: clinging onto you, asking you to cuddle him

you: watching the game

eventually you give in and hug him, kissing him which makes him go quiet

“are you happy now you baby?” you ask him

“.......maybe.....”

and he just gives you a quick kiss, smiling and also giving you a slight eskimo kiss

the game becomes an afterthought as he brings up the beach volleyball game the third years organized for tomorrow all day, asking if you could help his team out 

(he insists that since you’re the ref, you should help his team consisting of kyoutani, kunimi, hanamaki, and another first and second year win bc kyoutani will just keep spiking outside the lines but you tell him it’s cheating LMAO...)

watari

(btw he’s so underrated i mean he’s not one of my faves but he deserves the world like y’all sleep on him and for what)

he’s super observant and he had been watching recorded games for a while to learn and make sure he plays his best next year pls </3 

he had invited you over to his place to hang out and you really wanted him to take a break from watching all of those recorded games

you emphasized this when you told him you would come over lmao

but alas.........

when he opened the door and you looked at the tv to see what he had put on, you saw the shiratorizawa v. karasuno game

watari: I CAN EXPLAIN.

you: .... sir.. 

PLEASE he’s taking your hand and pulling you to the couch while saying he’ll relax and just watch for fun

you sigh and follow him, letting him pull you down to sit next to him on his couch

you throw your legs over his lap, smiling while looking at him

he would give you quick, soft kisses all over your face and you both just fall into a fit of giggles

stop u literally love watching him gaze at the tv so passionately and observe how they play </3

YOU GIGGLE AT HIM AND HE’S LIKE “what are you laughing about?”

AND YOURE JUST LIKE “you’re so cute uwu”

so y’all are really just out here giggling at each other huh....... 

he??? pulls you into his lap and hugs you tightly

he’s literally so in love with you pls

so you guys just sit there and watch the game while you occasionally ask him questions

he’d be happy to tell you and he’s holding onto you the whole. entire. time.

honestly the game kinda slips away from you because you’re suddenly asleep on his chest, his arms around your waist, a hand gently rubbing your back

and he’s so grateful that he has a girlfriend who cares about him and worries about him :((

he’d turn off the game and then take a little nap with u <3 

kindaichi

tbh you spent so much time with him after the game his team lost bc he kept beating himself up for it which is >:(((((

him: i could’ve-

you: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DO NOT BRING YOURSELF DOWN COME HERE LET ME KISS YOU

as you should !!

and when he tells you he’s gonna be watching the shiratorizawa vs karasuno match after school at his place, you tell him you’re watching with him too

“i don’t want it to bore you y/n-”

“it won’t bore me yutaro dw uwu”

no bc the way you’re both in love !!!!!

you would do anything for him tbh but you genuinely thought his passion for volleyball was cute :D

he was always striving to do his best and you think he’s absolutely precious

he’d turn on the game and then immediately come over to sit with you 

you lean onto him, clinging onto his arm and smiling

“y/n are you sure you wanna watch with me??”

“mhm!!”

he gives u a very soft kiss on the head and you can’t stop smiling bc you know he gets kinda shy abt showing affection

but he feels very warm and you start feeling very sleepy 

YOU TRY YOUR BEST TO KEEP YOURSELF AWAKE

you think him making comments abt the game or what he finds interesting is really cute but youre just,, tired ya know

he notices and he’s like “you should sleep-”

“noooo yutaro i’ll watch with youuuu”

“y/n cmonn”

you pout and lean turn to lean your forehead against his arm

“i don’t wanna </3″

“it’s okayyy you can sleep if youre tired”

you look at him and he smiles, leaning forward to kiss your forehead

you can’t help but melt and you’re just,, staring at him dreamily

he’s like “..baby..?”

and you just lean forward and kiss him

“you’re the best bf ever <3″

and he chuckles and goes “and you’re the best and cutest gf ever”

he has you lay down on his bed, your hair sprawled about his pillows

he lays with you, the two of you facing the tv and your back to him

he puts an arm around you, smiling

you slowly fall asleep, smiley and snuggling back towards yutaro

he kisses your head again, telling you that he loves you and hopes you sleep well 

he’s so<333

kunimi

he acts like he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the game but you guys are chilling at his place and you flip to the channel that has the game on 

at first he’s like “you’re interested ?? in this ????”

you: babe,, of course i am,,  my bf is a volleyball player,,,,,?

PLS? he’d be like ‘oh ok’ and rest his chin on top of your head

it’s so chill between the two of you guys he’s literally just playing with your hair, humming a bit

you ask him smth but he asks you to repeat what you asked because he spaced out 

and when you ask again he just stares at you and is like ‘yes’

YOU JUST LAUGH AT HIM AND HE THINKS YOURE SO PRETTY so he just continues to listen to you ramble abt the game

eventually, he finds himself dozing off and you take notice as his chin starts feeling heavy on your head

“baby c’mon let’s take a nap-”

and he’d shake his head and go “we can finish the game-”

but you can tell he’s tired, especially from practice earlier today

so you turn off the game and turn so that you’re straddling his lap and hugging him tight

he wraps his arms around you and hums, kissing you

you smile and lean back to look at him, his eyes droopy from exhaustion

“sleep bby”

“mm only if you do too”

“i will dw <3″

and you just cling onto him, arms around his neck

he hums,  nuzzling your neck and you giggle

eventually, you two start breathing slowly, falling asleep

(tbh you didn’t rlly even care who won you just watched the game bc it was on LMAO)

kyoutani

you guys were hanging out in your room, his head in your lap while you sat up against your pillows

you were both occupied by your phones atm

he put his phone down, looking up at you curiously

you smiled as he reached to intertwine his fingers with yours

he had been at the gym more often, playing volleyball and practicing 

especially after their loss against karasuno :( 

today was one of the days that he decided he would spend his time being with you 

he doesn’t voice it often, but he appreciates how much you support him and care for him

(you picked him up from the gym the other day with some of his favorite deep fried chicken bits with the cute chicken packaging and he didn’t know how else to show you how much he loves and appreciates you other than by cuddling with you all night pls i’m </3)

anyways he’s just staring at you, admiring you, thinking about how much he loves you while you’re watching some tiktok your friend had sent you 

you had asked if he wanted to watch the game with you on your phone but he had been occupied thinking about you 

“what’d you say-?”

“i asked if you wanted to watch the game with me..? if you don’t want to it’s fine-”

“oh sure”

and he’d adjust himself so that he’s sitting with you, shoulder-to-shoulder, leaning his head so that it lays on top of yours

you’d just be all smiley, leaning into him more while playing the live stream of the game

he seemed focused, watching the game intently

you tried to focus on the game, but the only thing you could think about was the way kyoutani was holding your hand, rubbing the top of it with his thumb

eventually, as the game continues, he huffs a little, making you look up and smile at him

“you okay? we can stop watching if you want-”

“it’s fine-”

and then he adjusts himself, scooting away from you to lay his head in your lap

he reaches for your hand and puts it on his head, looking up at you

you oblige, gently rubbing his head and smiling

his eyes are closed, a slight hum coming from him

after a while, you realize kyoutani had fallen asleep, so you turn the game on your phone off

during this, kyoutani grumbles, reaching for your hand

you can’t help but giggle a little, rubbing his head while humming a little

“get some rest baby~” you croon quietly, staring at him lovingly

he opens his eyes a little, giving you a small smile

“you too okay..?”

“mhm-!”

when he closes his eyes, you smile, mumbling a little ‘i love you’ to your boyfriend

[karasimpno]

Hi can I request a short drabble about how everyone thinks suga is innocent but in a threesome with daichi he's the one sittung in a chair telling you and daichi what to do pleaseee

I love your writing 🥺🌌

Oh wow this made my mouth water this morning.... this was low down in my inbox but I saw it and I was suddenly like..... oh..... of COURSE

Also omg thank you that’s so sweet of you!!! I love hearing that <3 :)

Suga x Daichi x CisFem!Reader

Contains: voyeurism, dom/sub dynamics, oral (f receiving), hint of breath play but not really? (suggestion of being out of breath), orgasm denial, suggestion of either anal or dp who knows!!! Thank u to @bluntkingkuroo for beta reading!!!

You find yourself gasping, unable to catch your breath as your hips stutter clumsily across Daichi’s again, and again, and -

“Again,” comes the cool voice from behind you. You feel your heart pound in your chest and you obey, your sweet core gushing over the unbelievable thickness filling you as you buck your hips once more.

It had been his idea.

You were out for a fun night of drinking and clubbing with the old Karasuno team, many of them in town for various holiday breaks. Tanaka and Noya had been ribbing Suga, giving him a hard time about what he must be like in bed. 

“Oh please, I bet you Suga’s even more vanilla than Yamaguchi,” Tanaka smirked confidently, taking a swig of his beer.

The silver-haired former setter just laughed softly, his lips quirking slightly as he knowingly caught your eye over the rim of his drink. You gulped down some of your own beverage and looked away, afraid you would laugh or somehow give him away.

You had graduated with the guys, but it wasn’t until after you’d gone off to college that returning to your hometown held an extra special appeal. One night when you were home for the summer, after a couple of drinks, things had gotten a little handsy with Suga, and your friendship quickly became one with an impressive array of benefits. 

“Yeah - honestly Suga, what’s your body count even? Do teachers even get laid?” Noya laughed, a little more obnoxiously than he would sober.

“Alright, alright,” Daichi said paternally, “we don’t go around talking about your sex lives, do we?” his voice was dry, but you had also noticed him avoiding Suga’s gaze. 

Daichi, another close friend, had only grown more muscular since joining the police force. You knew there had always been a spark between him and Suga, and you silently wondered whether anything had ever happened between them. They probably wouldn’t have told you because you three had been so close in high school. You laughed at Daichi’s remark, tearing your gaze away from his impressive biceps, still just as authoritative as ever.

“No, ‘cause you don’t have to. It’s practically the first thing out of their mouths,” you teased with a smirk, elbowing Noya, who pretended to be more hurt than he was.

Shot after shot and before you knew it, you were on the dance floor, sandwiched tightly between Daichi—your hips rolling back into him as he wrapped his arm around your waist—and Suga, your knees interlacing as you ground your crotches against each other, his dark eyes dangerously close to your face. In other words: you were exactly where you wanted to be. 

Suga was being a tease, a playful smile on his lips as he watched you undulate your torso into him over and over in an attempt to get closer to him. He kept his lips just out of reach, but you didn’t mind - you smiled at his games and played right along, your nose brushing with his as you danced. 

Daichi’s firm chest pressed into you, heat flooding your back as Suga’s lean forearms came up to rest on your shoulders, his hands reaching beyond you to caress Daichi. You very nearly shuddered at the responsive snap from the hips behind you - strong and staccato in contrast to Suga’s sensual sway. Daichi reached past you and placed a firm hand on Suga’s side, squeezing it roughly and pulling it closer to you. 

Leaning your head back onto Daichi’s shoulder, you caught the intense stare that Suga met him with, and you had a feeling you knew where the evening was going. You felt your heart race a little as the two men’s lips connected over your shoulder, Daichi’s chest pressing into you as Suga pulled him closer. You let out a sigh that would probably have been closer to a moan if the music weren’t so loud. 

The tangling of Daichi and Suga’s lips was so hot, so practiced, that you were almost certain your sneaking suspicion was true: Suga had benefits with both of his good friends. Inhaling, you placed a hand on both their cheeks, calling their attention back to you as their hungry mouths broke apart. Both their eyes were dark with lust, and a wicked smile had spread across Suga’s lips, one of his greatest fantasies coming true just as he had hoped.

And that’s how you find yourself completely naked with Daichi’s full length suctioned into your gummy walls, heat flooding your body as you feel Suga’s eyes on you both. 

You had felt smug, getting the attention of the two men in the back of car ride on the way to Suga’s place. But walking in the front door, as the two men shot each other heavy, meaningful glances, you had decided you wanted your share of the affection. Your eyes first landed on the thick ropes of muscle connecting Daichi’s shoulders to his neck. You zeroed in on your target, knowing what it would do to Suga. From behind him, you had draped your arms over his shoulders, standing up on your tiptoes to place a wet kiss to the corner of his jaw, maintaining your eye contact with Suga all the while. He merely smirked, disentangling himself from the grip Daichi had on his hand. Suga’s eyelids lowered as his pupils widened with lust. You grinned at his reaction, pulling back your lips to scrape your teeth gently down the side of Daichi’s neck. Rolling his hips to feel more of you, his arms came back, squeezing any part of you he could get his hands on.

Suga had always talked about this fantasy of his. Seeing his two friends with benefits, well, benefiting each other? It was a dream. But you knew what he really wanted. 

“So you want to play it that way, hm? Giving Dai all the attention?” he crooned, the threat of impending authority dripping from his voice. It sent shivers to your core; you could already feel Daichi melting beneath you. Whether it was from Suga’s words or your tongue, however, you couldn’t be sure.

“Get on the bed,” it wasn’t a request, and it made your heart pound.

Daichi moved so quickly your jaw nearly dropped. Before you could even move towards the bed, he was crawling over it, pulling his shirt over his head. Your eyes fluttered to see the rippling of his toned chest, the mere sight of him luring you to the bed with greater force than Suga’s words. Was he always this pliant with Suga? you wondered.

Suga knew what you liked, and it certainly wasn’t the vanilla any of his former teammates had suggested. Something about that man unlocked something animalistic in you - he knew exactly what he was dealing with.

Pretending to ignore Suga’s presence, you followed suit, climbing over the bed to seek out Daichi’s lips. But before you could indulge in the sloppy kiss that was calling your name from the flex of his muscles, you were interrupted by the soft voice of your original lover.

“Make her pant, Dai. If she’s able to catch her breath, you’re not doing enough,” Suga had said calmly, having settled into an armchair perfectly placed to provide an optimal view of your activities on the bed. You grinned at his position, loving the idea that he would just watch while you and Daichi pleasured each other. You couldn’t wait until you knew you would be able to hear the sweet tension in his voice, strained over the sound of skin on skin as he got off to two of his best friends getting each other off.

But so distracted were you by your racing heart and the situation that you found so enticing, you just about had the wind knocked out of you, taken by surprise when Daichi’s strong hands pounced on you in acquiescence of Suga’s instruction, throwing you into the mattress before kissing you breathless. It took you a moment to recover, but when you did, you were overwhelmed by the musky taste of Daichi in and against your mouth and the heady pleasure of his knee pressed between your legs. His change in demeanor was so shocking that you found yourself moaning at the contact. Soon, you couldn’t keep your hands off of his muscles, your fingertips working – and sometimes scratching – into the impossibly toned flesh of his back.

“Daichi,” Suga’s voice rang out. There was no command attached to it, but the muscular man above you acted as if trained to do so, instantly kissing your neck, pulling your blouse off as he tongued and bit his way down your torso, lighting up a trail of heat that shot straight to your already-soaked panties, every nerve standing on end.

As Daichi’s head progressed further down your chest, making quick work of your skirt, you were able to get a clearer view of Suga from where he sat, his erection pressing painfully against his pants. His fists were clenched firmly on top of his knees and though he was trying to maintain an air of unaffectedness, you could see the way his shoulders were beginning to rise and fall with more frequency. You smiled lightly, blissfully, and made a point to keep eye contact with him, making sure he could see your reaction to every single one of Daichi’s caresses, sometimes letting out soft “oh”s or moans or screwing up your eyebrows in pleasure, just for him. Suga swallowed before you realized you had become so focused on Suga that your attention on Daichi had wavered. You gasped when you felt his broad tongue swipe a messy lick up the cotton of your panties. That took your attention off Suga, making you miss the utterly delicious smile that your reaction had evoked from him.

Slightly shocked at Daichi’s boldness, you had let out an airy laugh when he used his teeth to pull the material down your legs, completely exposing you to both the men in the room. From your periphery, Suga visibly shuddered and you were sure you saw a hand dart to his crotch.

Daichi’s eyes were hooded and hungry, drinking you all in as he hovered over you. Biting his lip, he ran experimental fingertips up your shin, tickling you in their wake. 

“Put your feet flat on the bed,” Suga said, still calm but with a strained edge to his voice. Your eyes rolled over to him, a little annoyed at being the only completely naked one in the room, not an article of clothing missing from the watching party.

“What, and who’s gonna make me? You?” you challenged, meeting his gaze.

“No,” he said with a grin, “but he will—” Suga didn’t even need to tell Daichi what he wanted. Before he had even finished his sentence, you felt two large, calloused hands grip your ankles, pushing roughly upwards and forcing your knees to bend with the angle. You found your feet planted flat on the bed, just as Suga had commanded.

Within moments, Daichi’s face was between your legs, his tongue laving over your sweet folds and taking you in, sending tremors of pleasure up through your body. He wasn’t quite as good with his tongue as Suga, but his fingers were so much thicker that their presence was just as appreciated.

It’s not until what feels like hours of pleasure and panting and passion later that Suga finally lets you slide down on Daichi’s cock. Wickedly, he only lets you top Daichi like he knows you’ve wanted all night when he’s sure you know who’s really in charge.

“Fuck, baby, just like that.” 

So lost in your own pleasure, you’re not sure whether the voice comes from the man below you or the man to your side, stroking his cock to the sight of you bouncing on his best friend and lover. Your ears are filled with the lewd squelching sound of your movements, all your concentration centered on the way your palms rest against Daichi’s toned chest, struggling to keep your balance as your mind fills with a lusty haze. Daichi’s eyebrows are screwed up in pleasure, and you feel like you could practically drool, your body’s strength beginning to falter.

You’re too absorbed in the intensity of the stretch inside you to pay much mind to the sound of movement off to the side of the bed, though still keenly aware of how hot Suga’s penetrating gaze makes you feel. 

Suddenly, lithe, smooth hands are wrapping around your waist and you cry out with pleasure at the shock of the unexpected gentle contact. In an instant, Suga’s now-bare chest is pressed to your back and you keen openly from how overwhelming it is to be touched in so many ways by two very different men. Already trembling from the thickness of Daichi’s cock inside you, you feel as though your body will give out, pleasure surging through you as Suga’s hands creep up to play with your pert nipples. A blinding white light plays at the edges of your vision, a euphoria rising through your throat just before—

A strong, slender hand pushes down hard on your back, sending your chest tumbling over Daichi’s, effectively ripping your climax from you and causing you to cry out in both shock and frustration. The hand on your back lightly traces down to your backside.

“I hope there’s still enough room for me?” Suga asks, his voice saccharine sweet.

general taglist: @goddessofchaosleo @kodzurin @honeybunny-sawamura @bluntkingkuroo @waitforitillwritemywayout

[hiccanna-tidbits]

okay, okay but hear me out!

Hiccanna, Moanida and Jackunzel (and maybe someone else if u want) going on a holiday trip together (it could be sea or lake or just swimming pool).

And that three couples playing "chicken fight game"~ When u have to sit on partner shoulder or ridding piggy-back and knock down or separate the other couple!

sksksks just imagine the fun and the chaos!! hahaha

Okay SO I recently watched Palm Springs so I’m just imagining The Gang going to like…a fancy pool resort in like Arizona??? SURE LET’S GO WITH THAT

I’m imagining the only resort the gang could afford to stay at is someplace out in the middle of Arizona or something

It takes a LOT of persuading to get Jack to go, because he haaaaates deserts. Rapunzel basically has to beg. Moana finally managed to bribe him with really good homemade ice slushies. (She’s used to making smoothies for Merida, so how hard can slushies be??? Just throw in some ice!)

Rapunzel offers to help Moana with the slushies, since she gave Jack SO many puppy dog eyes to get him to come. Since they’ve got two people working on them, they’re REALLY good slushies. Jack approves.

Anna also tries to convince Elsa to go, but the perpetually-single Elsa is just like “Um, deserts? Sunburns? Being indefinitely stuck with gross couples doing gross couple stuff?!? Yeah no thank you”

Hiccup tries to wake everyone up at like 6 am to go hiking because "that's when the desert iguanas are out guys!!! C'mon, we have to go!!!" Anna is only persuaded to go after Hiccup makes her coffee--she really wants to make her bf happy, but also mornings can suck her dick. Rapunzel is more than happy to go, because she loves mornings anyways!!! And oh my god, IGUANAS!!! Jack, Merida, and Moana are like "oh FUCK no" and put the pillow back over their head, shoo Hiccup away, and go back to sleep.

On their hike, Hiccup just goes "!!!!!!!" about every reptile he sees. Snake, lizard, horny toad, literally anything with scales will send the boy into an excited frenzy. Rapunzel has similar reactions. Anna could not love both of them more.

At one point, they stumble across a gila monster sunbathing, and Rapunzel is overtaken with the unwavering desire to adopt him. She gets Hiccup on board, and he tries to lure the lizard over with a dusty piece of a snake carcass he found (Anna tried to tell him he really shouldn't touch that, but he was not to be swayed and Anna ended up figuring he could just wash his hands really well when they got back). Anna finds herself in the unusual position of having to be the Voice of Reason, having to be like “hey uh I think this might be illegal and stuff??? Also aren't they poisonous???”

(I know what you're thinking. Bold of you to assume Anna knows the difference between poisonous and venomous.)

Rapunzel literally CANNOT stop gushing to Jack about all the wildlife she saw when she gets back! Jackrabbits! Kangaroo rats! Roadrunners! Peccaries! Centipedes! Jack has only mild to moderate interest in desert ecology, but loves hearing his gf gush so he listens attentively anyways. 

Anna and Rapunzel definitely hit up the gift shops in the resort town at some point, and go ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT HOGWILD buying gifts for everyone. They probably max out their credit cards. It's embarrassing, really. But Anna gets Hiccup an absolute shitton of those little wall lizard things and he nearly cries tears of joy when he sees them, so it's all worth it, really.

Moana will not leave the pool like. The entire time. The girl is just obsessed with being in the water, honestly. She gets restless, though, and can't just stand in the pool and vibe--she needs to constantly be moving and swimming around or she'll explode. Merida is more than happy to indulge her by hanging out in the poor with her, but Merida is also constantly challenging her to swim races--a very dumb idea, considering Moana is on the high school swim team and water polo team. Merida, naturally, is an extremely sore loser and is not above excessive pouting, splashing, yelling in angry Scottish, and dunking her girlfriend in revenge. It's at least entertaining for all of their friends to watch.

Jack keeps fucking taking huge buckets of ice from the ice machine and dumping them in the pool. At first he only does this because he keeps griping about the pool not being cold enough (this boy will accept nothing less than sitting in the goddamn arctic ocean), but after her figures out that it pisses off his friends, he takes to pouring said ice directly over their heads. Merida has threatened to murder him several times for this.

Hiccup and Anna's main pool activity is just lazing around on their pool floaties (Anna has a duck one, Hicccup has a dragon one because obviously), sipping cocktails, and just generally vibing. Through some ungodly mixture of pure charisma and a fake ID that Rapunzel helped photoshop, Jack manages to talk his way into getting the whole group access to alcohol. Hiccup is a sangria or Moscow Mule kinda guy while Anna usually gets a Pina Colada or a Sex on the Beach (she's aspec, so she literally will not stop joking about the irony of this). Merida makes a game out of attempting to tip over their floaties and dunk them. Jack, chaos gremlin that he is, puts aside his usual rivalry with Merida to join in. They have a surprisingly strong dunking alliance.

Hiccup and Anna try to form a syndicate of their own, and try to lounge on the same floatie so that they can protect each other while fighting off Jack and Merida together. Unfortunately neither of their floaties were made to hold 2 peoples' weight, so the one they're on ends up tipping over, spilling their cocktails everywhere and dunking them anyways. Jack and Merida consider this a Win By Default.

Moana of course loops everyone into playing water polo at some point. Unfortunately some idiot decided it would be a good idea to let Merida of all people pick the teams, which means of course that they are incredibly rigged. It's Moana, Merida and Anna vs. Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup, so basically The Jocks vs. The Nerds (although admittedly Anna is more of a softcore jock--she's nowhere near on Moana or Merida's level, but she's still more naturally athletic than Hiccup, Rapunzel, or Jack). Naturally, Jock Team absolutely whoops Nerd Team's ass. Jack gets salty and demands a rematch. ...Jock Team kicks Nerd Team's ass again.

Throughout all of this, no one thinks to just...rearrange the teams a little. Merida was counting on this. All according to plan.

In the titular chicken game (yes, I remembered, don't worry!), it's Merida on Moana's shoulders (Moana swims and has a lot of upper body strength, what can I say?), Hiccup on Anna's shoulders (I mean...Hiccup's a twig, and Anna HAS to have a fair amount of upper body strength from throwing busts around and punching men off boats and such), and Punz on Jack's shoulders (Jack's pretty lithe and good at keeping his balance while jumping around, so he's their best candidate for not just falling over).

Jack and Rapunzel actually manage to stay in the game longer than anyone expects--their primary strategy is “be good at dodging and staying out of the way while Merida and Hiccup duke it out.” And it works! As limber as Hiccup is, Anna's not nearly as coordinated as Jack and is no match for Moana's sturdy footing. Also, neither Anna nor Hiccup are prepared for how goddamn ruthless and determined to win Merida is. Even though they really, really should have been. I mean...have you met Merida???

When it comes down to Merida-Moana and Rapunzel-Jack, Mer feels a little bad for having to go up against Pure Sweet Punzie. Unfortunately, Rapunzel turns out to be a very hardcore fighter when she puts her mind to it, and Merida is much more evenly matched than she initially thought and realizes she must use her Full Power. It definitely helps her snap out of Going Soft when Jack starts brutally roasting Merida in particular (as per usual). Merida gets a rage-fueled Second Wave, and finally manages to knock Rapunzel over in one foul swoop. Merida and Moana are victorious!

Moana and Merida basically always shower together after a day at the pool. They claim it's because they both know how to handle curly hair in chlorine, and just like to wash each other's hair, but the rest of the gang is pretty sure that's not all that's going on in there.

One day, Anna hits up the resort town alone to buy some kind of secret gifts for her friends with what little money she has left (this girl seriously has no chill when it comes to buying presents).  She goes past this huge, fancy ice cream shop and she's like “!!!! OMG!!! I'm gonna surprise all my buddies with pints of their faves!!!” She just gets super hyped and buys everyone ice cream, getting so caught up in the thrill of it that she forgets that she'll have to like. Drive all this back all the way back to the resort in the rental car. In like. You know. 110+ degree weather.

By the time she gets back to the resort, the ice cream is, of course, goop. Poor Anna, feeling incredibly dumb and like an utter failure of a friend, just kind of bursts into tears. Like damn. This is too much. She was gonna make all her pals so happy, and all for naught! Jack just kinda shrugs and throws all the melted ice cream cartons in the freezer anyways. Once they're (partially) re-frozen, Rapunzel and Moana make slushies with them. They actually come out pretty decent. Anna is substantially cheered up.

Moana prepares some tropical fruit platters for everyone to snack on. Rapunzel tries to “improve” them by adding chocolate sauce and nutella to half of them. Sometimes it works (I mean...bananas and strawberries with chocolate and/or nutella is pretty solid). Other times it just tastes...very weird. Merida gest frustrated and yells at Rapunzel for “ruining all of her girlfriend's good mangoes.”

Jack just thinks this whole thing is so funny, and decides to swap the chocolate sauce with barbecue sauce to cause further chaos. Absolute mayhem ensures. Everyone has a bad time. Except for Anna, who apparently is just a freak who enjoys eating pineapple slices dipped in barbecue sauce.

At some point, Merida gets really drunk on appletinis or some shit and signs the entire group up for a local archery competition. Much to everyone's chagrin, it's no refunds. Naturally, basically everyone sans Merida does terrible. Rapunzel and Hiccup very nearly shoot themselves, while Jack and Anna come very close to  accidentally shooting a group of referees (although Jack might have done this on purpose). Moana gets the farthest, if only because Merida's taught her how to shoot a bow at some point. Merida actually ends up winning--although unfortunately, the prize is $20 and a very cheap plastic trophy (which Merida STILL manages to find a way to break before the trip is even over).

The rest of the group is much more amicable to the concept of going on hikes when said hikes are in the evening. Hiccup and Rapunzel are still excitedly chattering about the local ecosystems the entire time, and Jack and Anna are just kind of looking at their nerdy SOs like “<3 <3 <3″ Moana and Merida, meanwhile, are just kinda vibing in the back, passively listening in and watching the desert sunset.

Rapunzel manages to capture Mer and Mo's interest and gets them to participate more with geology, of all things. Merida just thinks rocks are cool (especially when they can be thrown at people bothering her!), while Moana likes learning about the physical history of places--how water can carve out landscapes, and all that. Hiccup and Jack just kind of exchange a look like “I had no idea that they were into rocks, but...the more you know, I guess???”

Jack makes fun of every reptile they see, mainly to piss Hiccup off. Unfortunately it has the opposite effect, and Hiccup can't help but be entertained--mainly because Jack's insults are so weirdly specific and over-the-top that they loop around to being hilarious. Seriously, he keeps saying shit like “Those are the lamest scales I've ever seen. Absolutely drab, and not nearly shiny enough to prove that nature is beautiful. 0/10.” and “Ohhhh, this fucking rattlesnake think's he's so scary, with his dumb percussion instrument tail!!! I could be more intimidating with a mean look and a large pair of maracas!”

At some point, a bunch of tourists riding donkeys pass them. Anna, Rapunzel, and Merida just absolutely lose their shit fangirling over how cute the donkeys are, thus exposing all three of them as the unabashed Horse Girls they are. Hiccup, Jack, and Moana find this extremely amusing, and definitely aren't above teasing their girlfriends about it. Hiccup asks if next time they take a couples' vacation, the Horse Gang (as Moana insists on nicknaming them) would like to go to a ranch instead.

Anna gets like. Obsessed with palm trees. Like they're just so pretty and exotic and tropical!!! OMG!!! And they definitely don't have them wherever the gang is from in this AU. (Also if griping about Elsa not having "tropical powers" is anything to go by, she DOES canonically like the tropics!) She has to take a picture of like...every palm tree on her phone. And considering the gang is in Arizona, that means Anna is stopping to take a picture like...every 2 minutes. Rapunzel catches onto the fact that Anna likes them, and paints her a picture with some when Punz has the time. Anna definitely cries when she sees it. Hiccup can't do nearly that good, but he does buy her some little plastic figurine ones in a gift shop that she can put in her room. Anna also cries about this. She just cries whenever any of her friends indulge her random fixation on palm trees. Surely she doesn't deserve such niceties!!!

Rapunzel is just. In love with the desert landscape tbh. Like the huge funky cacti!!! The shrubs!!! The desert wildflowers!!! The mesas!!! All of it!!! So of course she needs to pull out her easel and paint it. Jack walks by one day and sees her working on it and, partly just to troll her, he's like “put some snow in it!” As he walks away, Rapunzel just stops like “wait...that'd actually be such a great idea for a surrealist-type fantasy piece!!!” After she finishes the main landscape, she adds an overcoat of little puffs of snow on top of everything, and has some clumps falling off of the cacti. When she shows Jack, he just about cries tears of joy, but frantically tries to hide it. She gives the painting to him as a present at the end of the trip. He hangs that shit front-in-center in his room and cherishes it forever and ever.

At some point, Jack gets the ingenious idea that he's going to prank Merida by catching a tarantula and leaving it in her room. It's one of the harmless ones--Jack fact-checks this by offhandedly asking Hiccup and framing it as a casual interest in local etymology. Still, Merida screams far louder than is at all dignified, and also probably loud enough to wake a neighboring country. Rapunzel later has to physically hold Merida back to keep her from absolutely beating Jack into a pulp. Rapunzel also manages to get the World's Largest Sheet of Cardboard and the World's Largest Cup and somehow manages to get the damn thing back outside.

[artificialqueens]

Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, 11 (Branjie) (and background everyone) - Ortega

a/n: omg HI u lovely lot i’m so sorry this update took so long!!! thank you all so much for your lovely feedback on the last chapter and for being so patient with me. hope this chapter’s worth the wait- it’s BLACKPOOL BABEYYYYY!!! will Vanessa and Brooke get that perfect score???

fic summary: Strictly Come Dancing enters its 18th series and its producers, after being goaded by a rival dance show on its inclusivity, commission it to be an all-female cast. Unlike Akeria who’s just here to bone her potential dance partner, dancer Vanessa is ready to act like a professional.

And then TV presenter Brooke Lynn walks into the rehearsal room.

***

21st November 2020

“Someone was havin’ some nasty-ass sex this mornin’.”

Vanessa watches Crystal almost spit out the water she’s currently glugging down after their full cast dress rehearsal. If she hadn’t just finished her own bottle Vanessa would’ve probably done the same. Akeria’s comment is casual but Vanessa knows her enough to work out its intentions; she wants to know who’s banging, specifically who did so in the last eight hours.

Crossing her legs, Vanessa thinks back to the day she’s spent with Brooke Lynn so far. Obviously the events of the morning are still playing on her mind, fresh and still searing hot like lava. But after that it was almost as if they had been on another date. They’d headed out into the crisp, bright morning and grabbed breakfast at a nearby cafe, where the tables were sticky and the menus were stained and the ketchup bottle had rings of old sauce around the outside. They had both ordered matching fry-ups and Brooke had tried black pudding for the first time, claiming it didn’t taste as bad as it looked.

“If we get picked for the tour just wait. I’m gonna make you try haggis when we get to Glasgow. It’s fuckin’ horrible,” Vanessa had teased her, Brooke fake-gagging and making her laugh.

Then they’d had a walk along the beach, the cold stinging their faces and the wind whipping at their hair and making Vanessa wish they could just hold hands without the fear of being caught by someone videoing them on their phone. It had still been nice to share it with Brooke, though, and before they’d had to be at rehearsals they’d gone to the arcade and played on the penny falls machines, Vanessa laughing at Brooke as she got way too excited because “it’s like real life Tipping Point!”.

And now Brooke is sitting beside her, calm and composed as Akeria brings up the sex that Vanessa is still recovering from which was apparently so noisy and loud that it managed to wake her up.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Gigi says all too quickly, which piques Vanessa’s interest and makes her wonder why she’s so quick to rush to denial.

“Nope. Neither,” Jan shakes her head, the clear attempt to make her face look impassive not fooling Vanessa in the slightest. Narrowing her eyes, Vanessa casts an eye over a guilty-faced Monique and Monet.

She’s starting to question whether or not she and Brooke were the only ones that got some action this morning.

Brooke herself has got a small smirk on her lips as she opens her mouth to speak. “How did you guys not hear that? It was so loud. Sounded like somebody having the best sex of their life.”

Vanessa almost chokes on her own tongue in her desperate attempt not to react. Akeria is nodding emphatically.

“This morning? I must’ve been out for my run,” Jackie shrugs nonchalantly. She’s got the best poker face out of them all.

“It was somebody really whiny,” Brooke adds casually. Vanessa slowly turns her head and narrows her eyes at her. Brooke raises her eyebrows, tilts her head innocently. “You hear it, ‘Ness?”

Vanessa kind of wants to melt because she that’s how she feels every time Brooke calls her that and she loves it, but also she’s winding her up too much and Brooke must know Vanessa wants to clap back about how Brooke wasn’t complaining at the time, or how whiny she’d been when Vanessa had been teasing her with her fingers and whispering in her ear.

“Jeez, I mean, I must’ve been in the shower.”

“No, I think you would’ve been able to hear it.”

“What name’d they call out?” Asia shrugs. Brooke’s reaction is visceral- Vanessa watches her give a sort of panicked cough.

“What?”

“Well. You girls hear ‘em yell a name? That’ll give a lot away.”

Most of the girls are silent and holding their breath. Crystal, Gigi, Jan, Jackie, Monet, Monique, Vanessa, each one hoping their own worst or best-kept-secret isn’t spilled. Even Brooke who was gleefully winding Vanessa up moments ago has fallen mute and is looking at Akeria quietly. Vanessa’s brain is flicking through a rolodex of snapshots of the morning she and Brooke shared, trying to pinpoint any specific moment where either of them had begged the other just a little too loudly.

Akeria, for her part, gives a sniff and a shrug. “Hmm. Nah. Just moaning.”

“Well whoever it was, I hope they had some lovely sex,” Crystal babbles, her face guilty as sin as she finishes buckling up her dance shoes. She’s laughing nervously as she desperately tries to move the conversation along. “God, when will this band be ready? Like, how long does it take to tune a trumpet? Right?!”

Monique enthusiastically jumps in and agrees, and the conversation is dropped. Although Vanessa still tilts her head at Brooke questioningly and, as the girls become embroiled in a new conversation, she leans into Brooke’s side and whispers to her.

“If you think I ain’t gonna make you pay for that later, you’re wrong,” she murmurs, keeping her eyes trained on the other girls.

“Cute that you think you’re going to make me pay for anything, it took me what, two minutes to make you crack?” Brooke replies, and Vanessa can hear the smile in her voice. Vanessa, once again, can’t resist (it’s becoming a theme) and she turns her head to meet Brooke’s eyes, the twinkle in them still sparkling relentlessly.

“Whiny? Really, bitch?”

Brooke tips her head back casually. “I know we’re dancing to Let’s Get Loud but you know that’s just a song title, not an instruction, right?”

Vanessa tries to stifle a giggle, attempting to maintain her unimpressed charade. When Brooke looks at her again the endeavour fails, and they both end up laughing together. As their laughter dies down, Brooke sighs and Vanessa watches her pick a little at her outfit. They’re both in co-ordinated showgirl costumes- Vanessa’s green, Brooke’s pink- and even though Brooke objectively looks incredible Vanessa can tell she doesn’t feel entirely comfortable.

“Hey. You good?”

Brooke sighs. “This is just very…out of my comfort zone. I’m a TV presenter, God, I’m pretty sure the BBC would rather I was just a floating head half the time. No limbs, no boobs, no butt, no skin. Maybe a skeleton, actually. I’m just not used to getting my legs out. Or…anything out, really.”

Vanessa feels herself frowning in concern, a little embarrassed at how quickly she rushes to boost Brooke’s confidence. “Hey, listen. If you don’t feel like you’re fuckin’ sex on legs after this morning- shit, scratch that, every damn day- then I’m not doin’ my job right. You look perfect.”

Under the orange lights of the ballroom and the sparkle of the glitterball Vanessa swears she sees Brooke blush a little. She smiles and touches Vanessa’s arm gently. “Remind me what I did to deserve you?”

“Nothin’, you just ran off with my heart on that induction day an’ never gave it back,” Vanessa sticks her tongue out at her. Brooke grins and Vanessa wants nothing more than to lean in and kiss her right there and then, in fact she swears that Brooke’s edging closer to her and maybe they could just give each other a small kiss, maybe everyone else would be too distracted, maybe-

“And here we have one couple who keeps saying that they’re Definitely Not Romantically Involved With Each Other At All,” comes a voice, and Vanessa realises who it is as Yvie sits herself down on the chair beside her, filming a video on her phone. Vanessa covers her face in embarrassment.

“Delete that,” Brooke says, and just by her tone Vanessa can tell she’s rolling her eyes.

“Why? Too on the nose?” Yvie laughs, and as Vanessa looks up again she can see Brooke fixing her with an unimpressed glare. Yvie sighs, sulks and stops filming. “Fine! Fine, God. But you know if you had nothing to hide, you wouldn’t want me to delete it.”

“Listen, you just think everybody is as loved up as you are because you’re so happy with Scarlet. How is she, by the way? She coming up to watch you or has she got filming?”

Vanessa relaxes, impressed with Brooke’s ability to steer the conversation off course as Yvie is happily distracted by talking about her girlfriend. While Yvie speaks about Scarlet and gushes about how amazing she is and how lucky she feels to be with her and how she never thought she’d find a girlfriend through a TV dance show, Brooke makes sure to bump her knee a little bit against Vanessa’s with each new compliment, a little gesture that speaks so many words without Brooke having to say anything at all and lights Vanessa up from the inside out, so much so that she feels like the glitterball hanging from the ceiling, sparkling and dazzling.

Rehearsals soon end and the girls all move into the green room backstage to chat about nothing in particular, laugh at the top of their lungs like teenagers at the back of a bus, and eat tiny amounts of pizza that they’ll finish after their performance when it’s cold. Vanessa’s heart is so full she feels as if it might burst because she’s here, she gets to dance in the tower ballroom on the biggest TV dance show in the country. Okay, she’s danced here before- for competitions and showcases- but tonight she’s getting to do it with Brooke. Vanessa feels silly for having that mean so much to her. They’ve only been seeing each other for about a fortnight and she shouldn’t feel this deeply, but every time she tries to self-regulate and pull her feelings back Brooke ruins her plans with a smile, or a burst of laughter, or a squeeze of her shoulder or her leg that turns Vanessa to jelly and puts her right back in her feelings again.

Again. As if she could ever possibly be out of them when she’s with Brooke.

It’s not long until the audience all file into their seats and the ballroom lights go down, and Vanessa’s heart is almost beating out of her chest as Brooke gives her a quick kiss on the cheek for luck in the dark of the heavy curtains backstage. As she makes her way to the middle of the dancefloor with the other pros ready to begin their dance, Vanessa can’t even bring herself to wonder if anyone saw the moment they’d just shared because under the hot yellow lights and the huge glittering orb hanging from the ceiling and surrounded by the ornate gold that seemed to decorate every inch of the ballroom, Vanessa simply feels giddy and light just like any other infatuated girl.

“Live from the Tower Ballroom…this is Strictly Come Dancing!”

The music from the band blares, the audience breaks out in cheers, and even though she’s in Blackpool Vanessa feels as if she’s home. The pro dance this week is full of joy and sparkle, and as she dances Vanessa’s smile reflects on the faces of the five other girls she’s dancing with. It’s not her performance smile, nor is it a fake one; her face is radiating genuine joy, sunbeams that she hopes light up even the living rooms of whoever’s watching. When Brooke and the other celebrities join them for the last part of their dance Vanessa gravitates towards her and they snap together in hold. She can feel the excitement pulsing through Brooke’s veins as she takes her hand, and they’re smiling at each other with such ferocity that they end up giggling for the last section of the dance. On the final beat of the song they all freeze together, and Vanessa rests her head on Brooke’s chest as she relaxes. There’s golden confetti raining down on them and a little piece nestles itself in Brooke’s blonde locks of hair that Vanessa never wants her to brush out.

“Blackpool,” she hears Brooke murmur above her, so nearly inaudible she’s panting so much.

Vanessa looks up at her, cheeks hurting from her grin. “Blackpool.”

The girls all run off to get changed into their individual dance costumes they had worn before. Vanessa is glad that Brooke seems a little more confident in her outfit; she doesn’t know whether her new-found self-assuredness is down to Vanessa’s pep talk earlier or the adrenaline rush of performing, but she’ll take happy Brooke over nervous Brooke whatever the reason. Brooke looks the best out of all the girls- okay, Vanessa knows she’s biased, and in fairness everyone looks amazing. Crystal and Gigi are done up as little astronauts for their Salsa to Cosmic Girl, huge perspex space helmets over their heads with their faces covered in glittery highlight and little stars. Asia and Akeria look like early 00’s girlband members in matching green camouflage cargo pants and black bodysuits. They’re doing some sort of cool thing with aerosol cans for their Commercial dance to Scandalous and Vanessa’s promised Kiki that she’ll get into a good position in the auditorium to watch them both.

Although as everybody begins to dance, Vanessa slowly becomes less excited and more nervous. She mentally repeats each couple’s score in her head like some sort of meditational mantra- Yvie and Jaida 29, Akeria and Asia 37, Jan and Jackie 36. They range from unthreatening to panic-inducing, and as she and Brooke make their way backstage while Crystal and Gigi’s VT plays, Vanessa can feel the anxiety climbing in her throat, can feel her feet shaking in her shoes with every step.

“Hey,” Brooke stops suddenly in the darkness, her tone concerned and a little worried frown set on her face. “I can feel you worrying. What’s the matter?”

Brooke is beginning to thread her hand in Vanessa’s own, and she accepts. She already feels it grounding her, but her breathing is still shallow and her stomach is still in knots. “Just these scores…fuck, Brooke Lynn, I want us to be on top so bad. I want you to be on top so bad.”

“Yeah, you seemed to like it earlier,” Brooke winks at her, as Vanessa instantly realises what she’s said. She splutters a laugh, clamps her hand over her mouth in case they’re picked up over the microphones even though Vanessa knows there’s no way they could be. Brooke’s smile softens as she takes Vanessa’s other hand, swings them a little.

“Look. Do I care about being top of the leaderboard? Sure! But this, this whole thing has become less about the competition for me and more about getting to dance with you every week. Knowing we can go out there and be amazing no matter what the judges say, knowing I can showcase your amazing choreo and bring it to life, and being able to show you off and watch you be talented and incredible and clever. If we get the scores, we get the scores. But even if we don’t I want you to know that there’s nobody else I’d rather dance with, nobody else I’d rather be sharing this journey with. You’ve made it so special for me just because you’re you.”

Vanessa feels herself lean into Brooke’s touch as she takes a little curl that’s framing her face and tucks it behind her ear. She can feel something tumble and fall gently inside her- maybe she’s developing more feelings or maybe it’s a barrier breaking, she doesn’t know- and in that moment she throws caution to the wind and pulls Brooke in, their lips meeting softly as Crystal and Gigi start their dance through the curtain beside them. Vanessa’s heart thuds in her ribcage as she thinks about the fact that that’s all that’s separating them from the ballroom and the cameras and the millions of viewers. If the curtain were to fall…

She melts into the kiss and she can feel her anxieties melting away; Brooke is a gentle wave on the shore and Vanessa is sand and the occasional broken piece of shell, shifting under her and allowing herself to be drawn in. As Brooke pulls away Vanessa pouts her lips in disappointment, so Brooke gives her one, two, three little pecks before stepping back for good this time.

“Better?”

Vanessa can feel her pulse racing, but this time it’s excited nerves rather than anxious ones. She fixes Brooke with a little smile. “Yeah. Better.”

“Okay. That being said, let’s go get that top spot.”

The audience cheer Crystal and Gigi, and Vanessa’s skin prickles as she realises she and Brooke Lynn are dancing soon. They make their way to the wings where they’re met by a runner who eventually shows them out onto the floor. Vanessa takes a deep breath in her spot on the lacquered wood underneath a spotlight. She looks over to Brooke who’s on a little plinth, all lit up with a wall of halogen bulbs behind her, and gives her a little wink and a thumbs up. Brooke looks just as nervous as she is, but the smile she gives Vanessa goes some way to reassure her.

And then, a few seconds which feel like minutes later, the commentator’s voice booms overhead.

“Dancing the Cha Cha Cha…Brooke Lynn Hytes and Vanessa Mateo!”

The halogen lights behind Brooke blind Vanessa as she looks at her, suddenly confident and poised, a huge smile on her face on the stage. She looks like a real professional. Fuck, Vanessa’s so proud of her.

“Blackpool!” Brooke yells as loud as she can. “Let’s…get…loud!”

Pyro goes off behind the wall of light as the music starts, and the audience screeches as Brooke descends the stairs and practically runs to Vanessa, holding her hands tightly as they start their dance with matching smiles on their faces. A cha cha cha is a technical one, all about the footwork and arms, and they can’t really hide behind their obvious chemistry this time. But they’ve worked hard, so fucking hard, and Brooke can do it without a single mistake, Vanessa knows this.

Vanessa jumps up into a lift, Brooke holding her in her arms and spinning her round and making her giggle involuntarily. Maybe Brooke is right, Vanessa thinks, as she is gently deposited down and they jump back in hold again. Maybe none of this matters any more; the competition, the scores, the TV show. Maybe all this has to be is Vanessa dancing with Brooke and having fun, the pair of them growing closer with every passing second, and Vanessa coming dangerously close to falling for someone again with every passing day.

As Brooke faces forward and Vanessa does the same, then drops to the floor and wiggles her way up Brooke’s legs, it also occurs to her that it could also be about the great fucking sex they’re having. Well, have had. But Vanessa knows there’ll be another time, maybe probably very soon judging from the way Brooke’s now gliding her hands down Vanessa’s body.

She can’t let her concentration wander, however, so Vanessa’s brain is back in the game as they step, twirl each other round, Brooke dips her confidently before they go back to stepping quickly again, twirling effortlessly into a New York. As the horn section from the band blasts, Vanessa gauges the audience reaction. They’re cheering and clapping along and the judges are leaning forward, engaged and impressed. Even Bianca’s got a little smile on her face. In spite of everything, Vanessa feels her heart begin to rise.

“Ain’t nobody gotta tell ya what you gotta do…”

As the song ends, Vanessa holds Brooke’s hand as they whip out their final party piece- Brooke drops to the floor in an effortless split, and the crowd raises the roof. Shangela is screaming from her position behind the judges’ table and Brooke is screaming too as she swings her legs round and stands up, crushes Vanessa in a hug who’s already got her own arms out waiting for it. Vanessa mutters praise into Brooke’s chest and she can feel her planting a kiss to the top of her head in response, their little tradition that she’s glad Brooke hasn’t stopped.

As they cross over to Michelle Vanessa is grateful that Brooke is carrying the interview, as she can hardly speak out of her own gripping nerves. She knows that dance went well, she knows it’s the best they’ve ever done it. So when Michelle hands over to Shangela, Vanessa isn’t sure that she breathes for roughly ten seconds.

“I…thought…” Shangela starts, and Vanessa’s lungs almost give out. “…that that was the best we’ve ever seen you dance, Brooke Lynn.”

The audience erupts and Vanessa looks up at Brooke and beams, squeezing her tightly and refusing to let go. Brooke’s eyes are still on the judges as Shangela’s compliments continue. “Your footwork and your synchronicity with Vanessa…it was all just so, so polished, I mean a lot of celebrities when they come on this show, they can find the syncopation really difficult and you just- I mean it was like asking you to count to ten! You had a great night tonight, well done.”

The audience cheer her comments, and then it’s Kennedy’s turn to give her feedback.

“Yeah, I agree with Shangela. You are at your peak in this competition, and that was your best night yet. That was absolutely flawless, I just…I don’t have anything left to say at this point.”

Vanessa’s breath is heavy and laboured, trying to calm her rising hopes at all this praise Brooke is receiving. After Kennedy is Laganja, and she’s practically on top of the table as she yells about the pair of them, how much chemistry they have and how faultless Brooke’s performance was and how their Cuban breaks were perfection incarnate.

“And if this doesn’t get the score it should-” she finishes, shooting Vanessa’s pulse through the roof with a catapult. “- then I’m leaving the show!”

As the audience laugh and applaud Laganja’s comments, Vanessa feels Brooke’s grip on her waist tighten as it reaches Bianca’s turn. The crowd is silent, and if Vanessa squints she can see Brooke’s rapid breathing beside her.

Come on…come on…

The whole room seems to hold its breath. Bianca’s face is impassive as she opens her mouth to speak. “I couldn’t fault that if I tried.”

Vanessa’s face drops in shock and she feels Brooke lurch beside her, the levels of praise they’re receiving from Bianca Del Rio hardly registering. The audience is almost deafening at this point and Vanessa’s ears are straining to hear the rest of the judge’s comments.

“The Cha Cha Cha…I mean it’s a fun dance, it’s a cheeky dance, but it’s so rarely a showstopper, and that just stole the show. Shangela is right, there are so many things that meant you could’ve butchered that entire dance- hello, you’ve got one of the best Latin specialists in the country coaching you, hard not to be a little intimidated- but you took it all in your stride and it was like watching a fish swim, the effortlessness of it all. But one of the things I loved most about it all was just how much fun the pair of you were having. It was like neither of you seemed to realise that you were dancing in a competitive setting, and it felt as if we were all here to watch you on tour or something. Really well done tonight, Brooke Lynn, you did yourself proud.”

As the crowd claps for them both and Michelle sends them up to the Divinatorium, Vanessa clutches Brooke’s hand tightly. She sneaks a look at her as they run up the stairs and giggles as she finds Brooke’s eyes already on her. As Divina talks to them both and Vanessa feels Akeria squeeze her shoulder from behind her, she can barely concentrate on anything as her whole body vibrates in anticipation. Vanessa does manage to tune in, however, when she hears her name mentioned.

“Bianca did say it must’ve been intimidating for you to have Vanessa coaching you on a Cha Cha Cha- did you feel the pressure this week?” Divina asks Brooke, and Brooke just laughs, puts an arm around Vanessa’s waist and pulls her close.

“I mean there’s always that little bit of pressure when you’ve got someone like Vanessa coaching you, because she’s so talented and perfect at what she does,” Brooke smiles down at her, and Vanessa’s heart feels completely stuffed full of affection. “But she’s never intimidating, and she never puts pressure on me. In fact she puts way more pressure on herself, which she needs to stop doing, because look how well we both did tonight!”

Vanessa feels herself blush and all she can do is wrap another arm around Brooke’s waist as Divina continues to speak.

“Well, Brooke Lynn, I can confirm the judges’ scores are in. Let’s see what they thought.”

And then there’s the all-consuming feeling of holding her breath and gripping Brooke’s side as if she’s her lifeboat. Vanessa’s heart is just going and going and going because maybe, maybe, maybemaybemaybe…

“Will the judges please reveal their scores. Bianca Del Rio.”

“Ten.”

“Kennedy Davenport.”

“Ten!”

“Shangela Wadely.”

“It’s a ten!”

“Laganja Estranja.”

“TEN!”

They have done it. Forty out of forty.

Brooke has wrapped herself around her like an octopus with half its limbs cut off and is screaming in much the same matter. Vanessa can feel her nails dig into her back, a few tears drop down onto her shoulder and something inside her just breaks, and before she knows it she is simply holding Brooke and crying and Brooke is doing the exact same to her. The cheers from the other couples on the balcony turn into awws, and a box of tissues is shoved towards them. Vanessa soon realises that Divina is attempting to talk to her so she takes a tissue, sweeps it under both her eyes quickly.

“Sorry…that was a big reaction, it just meant a lot to the both of us. Brooke Lynn’s been working so hard every week so to get that sort of acknowledgement means the world to me. I just want everyone to think she’s as amazin’ as I do.”

As Divina reads out their voting details then signs them both off, everyone claps and Vanessa takes Brooke’s hand again. This time her grip is gentle as if Brooke will crumble apart on contact. When Brooke pulls her into her dressing room, there’s not the fire and heat that there had been last week; instead they hold each other softly, and Brooke rubs her back slowly while murmuring quiet, affectionate words into her hair in between pressing kisses to her forehead.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she says after a pause, and Vanessa’s stomach does a bungee jump.

“Stop it,” she replies quietly, if only to deflect from the fact that she’s thinking the exact same thing about Brooke but doesn’t dare say it back; she’s scared to say it out loud because the last time she felt this way about someone it all ended up in heartbreak and hurt and mess.

“It’s true,” Brooke insists simply, but she doesn’t push it or overdo it- her statement is her statement, and Vanessa’s glad she’s letting it be.

The perfect score, being top of the leaderboard, everything Brooke’s said to her tonight- Vanessa’s on cloud nine. That is until the results show is filmed, and one of Vanessa’s worst fears about being on the show comes true.

“I can now reveal that the second couple in the dance-off and joining Yvie and Jaida are…”

Drum beat. Drum beat. Vanessa’s ribcage is tight and constricted, and she daren’t let herself relax even though their scores were so perfect, even though they did exactly what they’d set out to do because maybe their fans could get complacent, maybe they didn’t vote as much this week…

“Monet and Monique.”

Vanessa’s guts feel as if they’re plummeting to the floor. She breaks away from Brooke, cranes her neck and looks over at her friend whose spotlight has changed colour leaving both Monique and Monet bathed in a sickening red. Monique had told her their dance hadn’t gone great- they’d performed directly after her and Brooke, and the pressure of having to follow their perfect score had rattled Monet to the point where she’d made too many basic errors- but Vanessa didn’t for one second think they’d land in the bottom two. Monique catches her eye, gives her a helpless, sorrowful smile, and Vanessa feels her eyes fill with tears.

As the other dancers are led up to the Divinatorium to watch the couples, Vanessa and Akeria gravitate to each other like little magnets, take each other’s hands with grave faces and emotional eyes. Brooke rests a hand on her shoulder and leans down to whisper to her.

“It’ll be alright. Yvie got under 30, God love her. She’s great, but Monet’ll overshadow her. Monique isn’t out, don’t worry.”

Brooke can usually say all the right things to calm Vanessa down, but not this time. She, Akeria and Monique had been so excited the moment they found out they’d all have partners this year, and Vanessa remembers the drunken pact they’d made after the launch show that they’d be the last three standing in the competition, the best of the best. It had been a silly joke, but watching as Monique takes to the floor and holds Monet in her arms, it’s never meant so much to Vanessa to have her friend share this journey with her.

As the music begins and Vanessa watches Monet and Monique glide across the ballroom floor effortlessly as the sparkling glitterball casts its mirrors over their bodies, she feels Brooke wrap her arms around her from behind and rest her chin on her head. Without thinking they fall into a soft sway and even though Vanessa’s heart is still in her mouth- because the two girls can’t leave the competition yet, it’s not their time, and she, Monique and Akeria have to be in the final together- Brooke’s gentle rocking manages to ground her and calm her without her even having to say a single word. Vanessa thinks back to what she had said backstage, how much Brooke had completely lit up her heart, and she wonders if she truly meant it all. The song’s lyrics drift into Vanessa’s consciousness as she watches Monet lift Monique gently, spin her around like she’s the dancer twirling around in a music box.

“What you say you can’t take back, no takebacks, don’t take that back…‘cause your words mean the world to me…”

Vanessa feels like laughing. Ain’t that the truth.

Monet and Monique finish their dance well with only a couple of noticeable faults, and then Jaida and Yvie do their Tango once again. It wasn’t too strong the first time and the clear pressure that comes with being in the bottom doesn’t help Yvie, as she makes a few visible mistakes. If the judges have eyes, Vanessa knows they’ll save Monique and Monet. Then again…stranger things have happened on the show.

Michelle consoles both pairs as they take their places under another spotlight each on the dancefloor. Monique and Monet’s hands are joined together tightly, and Yvie has her arm around Jaida’s shoulders, a light smile of defeat on her lips as if she knows the result already.

“Judges, I am now going to ask for the name of the couple you want to save and take through to Musicals Week next week. Starting with Bianca.”

Bianca shuffles a few papers and fixes both couples with a calm stare that flips Vanessa’s internal organs. “Well Yvie, I think you’ll agree that there were a few mis-steps there that couldn’t really be ignored, and Monet, conversely, you managed to elevate your performance in the dance-off. So tonight, I’m saving Monet and Monique.”

Vanessa feels Akeria squeeze her hand, her grip damp from the nervous sweat on her palm.

“Shangela.”

Shangela frowns, a pained expression on her face. “I mean it’s hard, because both dances had some errors here and there. However I’m going to go with my gut and the person I think deserves to stay and improve is Yvie. So I’m saving Yvie and Jaida.”

Vanessa lets go of Akeria’s hand, brings both of her hands up to cup her cheeks and exhales heavily. As Kennedy is head judge her vote holds the most weight on the panel, and so Michelle next comes to Laganja.  

“Yes, as Shangela said, neither was a perfect dance. But I personally think one couple managed to improve on their initial performance, and so tonight I’m saving Monet and Monique.”

Brooke squeezes Vanessa’s waist and holds her tightly as finally, Kennedy makes to cast her vote. Vanessa feels ill. She can only imagine what’s going through Monique’s mind as she stands in her character shoes, gripping Monet’s hand with her gaze very firmly locked on the floor.

“For me…it comes down to the connection between one couple in particular, and the emotion and the storytelling behind their routine. The couple I’m saving…is Monet and Monique.”

Vanessa melts out of Brooke’s arms and instead turns to hug Akeria, holding her as tightly as she’s holding Vanessa back and feeling her heartbeat through her chest. Vanessa feels Brooke put a light hand between her shoulder blades reassuringly, and the double dose of human contact helps bring Vanessa right down to earth from the rafters her sky-high anxiety levels had perched her up in. When the show ends, Yvie and Jaida share one final dance, and the others are allowed to invade the dancefloor and say goodbye, it’s not the eliminated couple Vanessa runs to but her cherished friend instead. Akeria joins them and the three of them hold each other and shed tears, relief not even being able to cut it.

It’s Yvie’s idea to go for drinks after the show- she’s happy even though she’s been knocked out, though Vanessa thinks that’s got something to do with the fact Scarlet has travelled up to watch her after all. So it’s a pleasant feeling when Vanessa finds herself clambering off the emotional rollercoaster she’s been strapped into all night and instead beginning to take on a more mellow form of happiness induced by the three pornstar martinis she’s managed to knock back so far. Even though they arrived at short notice the dancers and celebrities have all managed to secure a huge booth near the back of Revolution, where it’s dark and private and everyone else is too glammed-up and full of flavoured shots to notice a huddle of TV personalities. Vanessa looks fondly over at Brooke who’s dancing with Yvie, Scarlet, Jaida and Jackie who collectively are making her wonder how they’ve managed to lose the co-ordination and grace they show on TV every Saturday. Gigi and Crystal are on the other side of the booth, sitting close and having what looks to be a deep, meaningful heart to heart, and Jan, Monet and Asia are nowhere to be seen (either smoking area or bathrooms is Vanessa’s best guess).

Vanessa cheers as Monique returns to the booth with Akeria, carrying a stick of shots and a huge fishbowl of purple liquid respectively. The pair of them squash themselves down beside Vanessa and they grab a shot class each, toasting to them all surviving another week in the competition.  

“I can’t lie, my heart was in my damn asshole when Michelle said your name,” Akeria points at Monique, her turn of phrase making Vanessa snort out half her drink.

“Excuse me! You were the one panicking? I was the one that had to dance the damn thing all over again!” Monique clutches at her chest incredulously. Vanessa wiggles her eyebrows at her friend.

“Well ain’t it lucky you and Monet have that connection that managed to save you.”

Akeria jumps on Monique’s bashful expression like a cat on a mouse. “Yeah, how’s that situation goin’? Seems okay by the looks of things.”

“We had a long chat on Tuesday,” Monique brushes a bit of hair out of her face and looks at her lap. “I was honest with my feelings and so was she. Turns out she actually really likes me back. Crazy, ain’t it? My actual real-life celebrity crush likes me like that.”

Vanessa and Akeria squeal excitedly, and Vanessa sips from the fishbowl as Akeria asks where this leaves them both.

“Well, we’re both just focussed on the competition just now. Need to beat both you bitches, don’t we?” Monique sticks her tongue out, tinged blue from all the cocktails she’s been drinking. “But we’ve been doin’ more cute stuff, not just all the nasty shit. She came round to mine the night before we got the train up here an’ we had some wine and watched a movie an’ just talked an’ cuddled.”

“Ugh, puke. I don’t know what’s worse, havin’ to hear about your rehearsal-room bangin’ or havin’ to hear about all the diabetes-inducing shit you do now you’re both all in your feels,” Akeria gags jokingly, and Vanessa chuckles as Monique pushes her friend, unimpressed. Suddenly, something seems to occur to Akeria. “So wait. Was it you two I heard this mornin’ then?”

Vanessa’s tipsy and she doesn’t want to keep Brooke a secret any longer, at least from her two best friends. So as Monique shakes her head, she grimaces and gives a slow shrug.

“Uh…I think I can answer that.”

Akeria blinks at her and Vanessa can practically see the cogs turning in her brain. Monique gets there first though, and she emits a high-pitched shriek that soars above the speakers and makes Gigi and Crystal jump about twenty feet in the air from across the booth. Vanessa frantically shushes her, and that’s when Akeria catches on.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Lord Jesus. It was you an’ Brooke Lynn, wasn’t it? Tell me I’m right,” Akeria grabs Vanessa’s wrist, shaking her so excitedly and violently that even the table manages to shake too.

“You sorted your shit out? When?! Where is Jesus!” Monique squeaks at a pitch that, if Vanessa couldn’t make out herself, she would be convinced only dogs could hear.

“God, okay, it was after that night I came and stayed at yours. You know, when I kissed her and then she got weird with me and I told you both about it on the group chat,” Vanessa explains, starting from the very beginning. “Anyway it was that week we did the Argentine and it’s hard not to feel a way when you do that kinda dance, y’know? So it ended up happenin’ again an’ we actually talked this time. She told me she had this big crush on me, an’ obviously I felt the same. So…yeah. We’re…well, not together, but we’re a thing for sure.”

In the midst of Monique’s excited reaction, Akeria narrows her eyes. “What, when you did that Tango? Girl. That was what, a whole-ass week ago? More? Why’re we only just getting told about this?”

Vanessa pulls a face. “Well, we’re both trying to keep it low key. You know what happened with Kam, an’ I don’t wanna get too invested too fast. Plus if it gets into the papers…”

“That’s fair. Got it, girl. We’ll keep it all secret,” Akeria reassures her instantly, taking her hand and leaning into her side in her tipsy state. “This is dead cute, though. I’m happy for you, babe.”

Monique gasps in outrage. “Oh, so when Vanessa gets a girl it’s cute but when I get a girl you gag?”

“Yes. Because Vanessa don’t bang her girl on the rehearsal room floor,” Akeria frowns at her, and Vanessa explodes a laugh. She’s so full of love for her friends, and she’s beyond glad that tonight’s been her night. So when their song comes on over the speakers and Akeria starts yelling it out in her own off-key way, Vanessa drags them both up to join the clump of girls already on the dancefloor, and when she dances over to Brooke’s side she can’t help but feel a little warmth flow through her veins as Brooke’s vision sparkles at the sight of her.

They all end up dancing til closing time, and as they spill out onto the streets like the club has coughed them up Vanessa has to fight the drunken thoughts her mind is producing that are urging her to take Brooke’s hand on their walk back to the hotel. There could still be a camera anywhere, even at one in the morning, and Vanessa doesn’t want to risk the small beginnings of whatever it is she and Brooke are sharing.

Still, when they’re back in their hotel room they’re free to act as affectionately as they want, and Vanessa has never been more glad of the fact they’ve been given a double bed as they fall back against the mattress, giggling and kissing each other like the worst kind of honeymoon phase idiots the world has ever seen.

“Can’t be bothered to put m’ pyajamas on,” Brooke murmurs, her speech impeded by the espresso martinis she’s been drinking and the lethargy that’s rapidly taking over her. Vanessa laughs softly, turns over onto her side and tucks a strand of hair behind Brooke’s ear. Her lipstick is faded, one of her eyelashes is sticking up at the side, and there’s a little patch of smudged eyeliner at the corner of her eye, but Brooke’s still perfect to her.

“Jus’ sleep naked,” Vanessa says, attempting to sound seductive but getting betrayed by the yawn that escapes her mouth mid-sentence. Brooke laughs.

“You really know how to charm a woman into bed, Ms. Mateo,” she teases her, tapping her lightly on the nose with her finger. Vanessa bares her teeth at her, biting at the air and causing Brooke to dissolve into giggles.

“You’re a mess.”

“Hey, so are you!” Brooke laughs incredulously, and Vanessa has to concede. She watches as Brooke sighs wearily, sitting up against the pillows and pulling off her lashes one by one. Brooke leans over the side of the bed for the packet of makeup wipes in her bag and Vanessa can’t help but smack her butt that’s sticking in the air. Brooke responds by launching the makeup wipes at her, hitting her square in the face and causing the pair of them to burst out laughing again.

Vanessa takes out two wipes and hands one to Brooke, and somehow the pair of them end up taking each others’ makeup off, their hands swiping at each others’ faces haphazardly like faulty windscreen wipers on an old car.

“This is the worst facial I’ve ever had,” Vanessa jokes disdainfully, and Brooke waggles her eyebrows.

“I’ll give you a facial later.”

Vanessa snorts ungracefully as Brooke breaks out into a ridiculous grin and ends up with the makeup wipe in her mouth. “Shut the hell up!”

They eventually end up in their pyjamas, but not before Brooke gives Vanessa the world’s worst striptease (Brooke attempting to take her pants off but instead getting them caught around her ankles and falling onto the floor, rendering Vanessa incapable of speech during a laughing fit that lasts a solid five minutes). Vanessa’s not sure what time it is when they finally turn off the lights, get under the covers and sleepily wrap themselves around each other, but she knows it’s pitch black outside and the seagulls are silent and she can just about hear the waves crashing onto the beach if she listens hard enough.

She’s so busy trying to hear the sea against the shore that she doesn’t register Brooke is saying something until she hears the tailend of her sentence, only aware Brooke’s lips have been moving against her skin when they stop.

Vanessa stretches a little. “Hm?”

She feels herself melt as Brooke pulls her closer, hugs her tighter and shakes her head a little. “Doesn’t matter. Night, ‘Ness.”

“Night, Brooke Lynn.”

It’s only once Vanessa is ever so close to falling asleep that she feels as if something was missing, like she wanted to say something more- but the words elude her and she is too tired to think too much about it, so she lets herself be carried off to sleep in Brooke’s arms, comfortable and relaxed inside and out.

[hyyunjinn]

a locker flower a day because i like you | florist!hyunjin fic

→ pairing: florist!hyunjin x reader (ft minho and the owner of the flower shop and bff!jisung ahahah)

→ pronouns: they/them

→ genre: f L U F F ♡♡♡ + high school au

→ format: bulletlist

→ words: 5.3k

→ a/n: IDK I JUST HAD THIS IDEA FROM READING THIS SANHA FLUFF and I wanted to write with flowers so uh yEAH. AND IT’S SO LONG LMAO I DIDN’T THINK IT’D END UP AS 5K WORDS I actually considered changing it to a florist!Jisung but then I was like “naAAhHHh I’ll be biased and write about Hyunjin” lkdsjfadshj I hope you guys enjoy this! it’s so cliche askldjfa

Hyunjin needed a job and didn’t want to work at a restaurant or something so when he was walking home from school one day, he saw a poster for a florist shop in need of employees and he was like “oh that’s cute” and just yoloed and decides to apply

easily got the job not because he was like the only applicant but because he walked in and the old lady running the store was like “oh! you look like a flower boy omg!”

and he just scrunches up his face and laughs and he pretty much landed the job

pushing open the creaky door to the low ceiling shop on his first day, the old lady was so excited he already loved the job

she taught him meanings of flowers, how to trim the stems and thorns, and how to arrange a bouquet

HYUNJIN GOT SO INVESTED IN THE MEANING OF FLOWERS--he bought his own copy and loves to sit by the sofa in front of the shop and read each flower

he brings it up to his friends sometimes too and they’re like “lksadjf lmao hyunjin who knew you would like these kind of things”

but the owner of the shop loves how excited hyunjin is about flowers and is always telling him some kind of stories about bouquets people have ordered and super cute stories about customers

she was such his hypeman the first time he arranged a bouquet lmao

plus imagine hyunjin in one of those dark green aprons with his white button up uniform sleeves rolled up halfway askldfjklsdjff b y e

and the fact that he’s towering over this sweet old lady B Y E

most of the time, he took care of the hanging garden inside the shop, watering the flower pots and if work was slow, would do his homework on the sofa

the shop is only open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 10 to 6. Hyunjin usually has the shift from 3 to 6 while his only other coworker, Minho, switched off.

although Minho really likes working there too so he usually sticks around

Hyunjin loves it when customers come in. they’re more frequent than he thought and his smile is so bright the customer buys one extra flower because why not because he’s cute duh

his favorite is when he’s tending to the flowers and a customer walks in and he just gets to recommend flowers, occasionally calling to the old lady for help because he can’t recall what this certain flower means

but the customer doesn’t mind because he’s so into his work

OKAY LET’S SWITCH TO YOU, READER!

you’re his classmate ohhoh

sits a seat diagonally in front of him and your friend, Jisung sits right behind you, next to him

he always thought you were cute—the way you laughed and playfully argued with Jisung

how he can always see your face clearly when you turn around to talk to Jisung

plus he can discreetly steal glances at you because your teacher is still in his line of sight so it looks like he’s paying attention to the lesson when he’s really studying the way your hair rustles when you move  

doesn’t usually talk to you—mostly only through Jisung because he doesn’t know how to start a conversation

that’s because you two sort of stopped talking to each other during the end of seventh grade up until sophomore year since no classes were shared

you two considered each other to be close but in reality, that’s because you two knew each other since grade one.

that’s why it’s a little awkward

yet last year when he finally had one class with you again

all his feelings hit 

and he actually held up a couple of conversations with you? however, something always interfered and the conversation was interrupted

anyways,

it was a Friday afternoon and he just appeared to the main room of the shop, still tying his apron when the front door creaked in notice of a customer

“hi! welcome to—oh, hey”

he looked up to face your hesitant stance as you awkwardly walk into the shop

your heart rate shot up

“o-oh, hi Hyunjin. I didn’t know you work here”

you mentally facepalmed yourself for stuttering over your words

it’s not like you developed a crush on him or anything. he doesn’t even talk to you in class

he let out an awkward laugh, “yeah. I got the job recently”

Minho and the old lady walked in with the new deliveries of flowers and immediately registered the tension

and they grinned lmao

“hELLO!” the old lady chirped, dropping her box of flowers on the countertop and startling Hyunjin “what would you like to say today?”

she snapped you back to attention and Minho took the opportunity to whisper into Hyunjin’s ear:

“you like them don’t you?”

he snickered to himself as Hyunjin spluttered over his words

“you’re too easy to read kid”

as he went to organize the box of flowers in his arms, Hyunjin stayed at his position behind the cash register, tracing the worn out guide of flower bouquets and their prices

he can hear the old lady ask you why you wanted to buy flowers and his heart stuttered when you say:

“it’s for my dad~ his birthday is coming up and I wanted to say I love you and I’ll always be there to support you.”

Hyunjin smiled to himself as he continued tracing the guide and you bet Minho caught that smile ohohohoho 

“love and support? hmmm, I think this flower and this flower…”

the old lady finished picking out the flowers with the correct meaning and slammed her hand on the  counter dramatically

“hEy Hyunjin! can you arrange the flowers for me? Minho and I have to finish sorting the new flowers in the back”

she said that way too loud and Minho cheekily winked at Hyunjin before the both of them disappeared behind the door

you just stood there awkwardly with a bundle of flowers resting on your arms and flashed Hyunjin a confused smile

he smiled back and motioned for you to give him the flowers

“uhhh, so how’s this job?” you asked, trying to break the silence “i didn’t think you would work at a floral place.”

“I actually really like it here,” Hyunjin replied, still focused on arranging the flowers. “it’s really chill and I really like Nana and Minho.”

“yeah?”

“yeah”

you watched, fascinated on how his hands gingerly picked up each flower and with a quick glimpse, decided where to place the stem into the vase

“okay that would be $27”

he finally looked up at you and you had to avoid his gaze

then your phone went off

“oh! sorry let me take this for a sec,” you excused yourself, exiting the building

“psst you should give her a dark pink rose”

Hyunjin jumped and Minho and the old lady laughed

“it means thank you,” the old lady added, pushing it into Hyunjin’s hand “you can make up the excuse it’s for all customers who buy bouquets here or something I don’t know”

Hyunjin just glared at them before the door signaled your incoming again, his hand dropping to his side to hide the rose while Minho and the old lady scurried off

“$27 right?” you clarified, giving him three $10 bills

singlehandedly, while still gripping the rose, Hyunjin gave your change and all and just as you took the vase--

“um, here! it means thank you for purchasing here!” he exclaimed

surprised, you gently took the rose from him and studied the perfect way the dark colored petals formed the flower and how pretty it was “oh, really? that’s cute, Thanks Hyunjin—see you”

he just watched until he couldn’t see you outside the glass door anymore and Minho and the old lady burst into the room, complaining how awkward and blunt he was about it

“wHERE’S THE FLIRTING THING YOU ALWAYS DO WITH OTHER CUSTOMERS?”

“YOU WERE AS AWKWARD AS MY BEAN SPROUT GROWING OVER THERE”

to say you were flustered was an understatement—you had to get out of there. when you looked up into his eyes when he gave you the flower, you swore you saw a sparkle and you had to blast

when you arrived home, you told your mom you got the bouquet but the first thing she saw was the solo rose in your hand.  

“what is that” and you heard the slight teasing in her voice

“oh this?” you looked at the rose and panic when hyunjin’s kind eyes flashed through your mind

“it’s a thing the shop does when customers purchase something! it means ‘thank you’”

she just looked at you suspiciously before gushing about the vase of flowers in your other hand

finally escaping her and filling one of the empty vases you had at home with water, you put the rose in it and carried it to your room

where you put it to the side of your desk

I know this is just a marketing strategy, but—

you shook your head and went to go distract yourself

but the distraction didn’t really help

the next day at school, you were just about to bring up dark pink roses when Hyunjin appeared into the classroom and you shut up

Jisung asked again but you waved him off with a “nevermind”

Hyunjin did catch “pink roses,” so after school at work, he was just tending the flowers when the dark pink roses caught his eyes

caught staring at the basket of roses, Nana went ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) and sidled up to the zoned out boy

“soooooooooooooooo, you like them?”

hyunjin jumped, his hand whacking the flower basket and the roses spilled to the floor

Minho was just about to bid his goodbyes when he heard this—

“YES HYUNJIN! GO GETTEM”

“hYUNG SHUT UP YOU DON’T EVEN—”

“they mentioned about the rose to someone and you overheard huh?”

“w h a—”

“AWWW HYUNJINNIE YOU’RE SO CUTE! Nana will help you!”

“wait Nana no—”   

basically Nana and Minho created this elaborate plan to give you a flower each day with a cute note with its meaning and managed to convince Hyunjin to do so 

“isn’t it too obvi—”

“NO IT’S NOT!”

“NO ONE ELSE WORKS AT A FLOWER SHOP THOUGH?”

Minho and Nana narrowed their eyes and looked at each other before

“eh whatever it’s cute you should do it Hyunjin”

it’s true Hyunjin could refuse, but he thought it was a pretty cute plan and he loved the way you studied flowers when you received them

so uh

yolo

the first day, he appeared into your graduating class’s hallway where everyone had their lockers there and prayed he was earlier than everyone else

more or less, there was like four kids in the hallway all focused on their phones as they waited for their friends to arrive

he tried to calmly walk towards your locker—it’s not like his hands were shaking as he hid the flower in his hoodie pocket and his heart threatening to leap out of his chest

quickly taping the flower and the pastel yellow envelope to the locker, he hurriedly shuffled to his locker just as his friend appeared into the hallway

you were a little later than usual, which meant your friends were already by the lockers

once they saw you just around the corner—

“HEY Y/N, LOOK WHO HAS A SECRET ADMIRER!”

you squinted your eyes at them, too cold and tired to respond quickly

they all parted and

o

there was a yellow flower taped to your locker

all your friends grinned to themselves as you gently removed the tape and studied the flower

opening the note, it read:

hi! um, yes it’s one of these shy anonymous “i like you” ploys but let’s not wonder who I am—I wanted to give you this flower! It’s a prairie sunflower and sunflowers mean admiration! I really admire you and think you’re really cool and I hope this flower brightens up your day~

your heart swelled and skipped a beat and instinctively, you looked up from the note in the direction where Hyunjin usually stood with his friends

“hey hEy HEY what does the note say?”

he wasn’t looking in your direction and you immediately reprimanded yourself for even hoping it’d be him so you tore your gaze from across the hallway back to Jisung who’s grabbing at the note

“OOOOOOOOH Y/N SOMEONE LIKES YOUUUUUUUU”

“OH MY GOSH JISUNG WHY TF ARE YOU SO LOUD”

you whacked him and he dramatically screamed

Hyunjin flushed hearing your shouts, but lucky for him, the cold air could be his excuse

for the next month, you would walk to your locker and see a flower taped on accompanied with a cute note in a cute, little, pastel yellow colored envelope about its meaning

and every. freaking. day.

“YY/NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN YOUR SOULMATE GAVE YOU A PINK FLOWER TODAY!!!!”

your favorite flower was the white carnation because your mystery flower fairy (he was called that by the rest of the school) somehow knew there was a big English test you were freaking out about and explained how white carnations were historically good luck gifts. mystery flower fairy also decided to add cheesy stuff like how the flower also represents sweetness and loveliness, innocence and pure love—it doesn’t matter, you thought it was cute how they gave you a good luck gift  

back to Hyunjin—this boy was so giddy everyday and he always had his copy of the language of flowers book in his backpack, mulling over which flower you should receive the next day when he should be finishing homework

he’d hum around the shop with his nose buried in his book, trying to do his job but instead, he knocks over baskets of flowers

some regulars would whisper to Minho and Nana: “what’s up with him?”

“he’s doing that thing where he’s giving a flower to his crush each day, that little nerd.”

“it’s okay, I can’t fire him bc he’s still, sorta, doing his job… sorta”

even some regulars come just for updates on Hyunjin’s progress: what flower he’s giving his crush today, did he get caught yet, is he ever gonna confess?

it’s really cute though because sometimes he’d scream for Nana and is like “WHAT FLOWER SHOULD I GIVE THEM?????”

and Nana would pull out her ginormous book of flowers and they’ll browse for a cute flower

as Minho throws snarky comments and laughing as Hyunjin tosses him glares

Hyunjin gets really excited when new flowers are ordered though

these flowers are usually delivered around the time he reaches the shop for his shift and he’d excitedly bounce around Nana and Minho asking “what are these flowers? what do they mean? they’re really cute! do you think y/n would like them?”

one time, Hyunjin was nearly caught delivering the daily flower

you were just really early that day and cocking your head as you recognized Hyunjin’s body right where your locker is:

“um, Hyunjin? can I get to my locker?”

he probably jumped a foot high

“oh! sorry! I was just uh, looking at what flower your admirer gave you today, yeah! that’s what I was doing.”

internally his gears were turning and his ears heated up in embarrassment and his heart hammered so much he thought he could just faint

you smiled weakly, still embarrassed by the attention you received with your flower person

“yeah, a lot of people are really curious to be honest.”

Hyunjin sighed in relief that you believed him

there was this one time you got a gillyflower that meant “beauty and happiness” and there was a scribbled out portion of the card where your secret admirer probably rushed to write the note

what you deciphered was “these flowers are used in wedding bouquets to” where it was cut off and you blushed, a little flustered your admirer wrote that

jisung didn’t shut up about it for the whole day

LEt”S TALK ABOUT JISUNG FOR A BIT

this kid hella knows

he freAKING SEES HYUNJIN STARING AT HIS FRIEND EVERYDAY IN CLASS

and when Jisung missed you in the mornings because you were late to class—he’d always ask “what flower did you get today” and in the corner of his eye, he’d see Hyunjin perk up  

Jisung never vocally bothered Hyunjin about it but sometimes he’d smirk at Hyunjin and the other boy would pretend he doesn’t know anything

that’s why Jisung is so into this because he kn o w s you have some feelings for Hyunjin since like eighth grade. It’s not full blown but it’s hidden

he also knows you suspect that your admirer is Hyunjin because liek? not only whenever his name is brought up, you get all self-conscious as if you’re gonna say something that’s gonna tell the whole world you really like hyunjin

and the fact that the flowers started AFTER you visited the flower shop

Jisung was just like

“it has to be that nerd”

all his thoughts were confirmed when he caught Hyunjin delivering a flower AND SAVED HIM LMAO

Jisung snuck up behind the flower boy with a push and a “BOO” and Hyunjin knocked his head into the lockers

“SO—”

“PLEASE DON’T TELL THEM”

Jisung jokingly frowned but he was like “yeah yeah i knoW BUT THE REAL QUESTION IS—”

“Jisung NO”

“JISUNG YES. SO—” but he saw you rounding the corner with your eyes glued on your phone and

“oh sht they’re here uh HyUNJiN!” he hissed when Hyunjin fumbled and the card fluttered out of his hand

“here I got you bud—HEY Y/N! I NEED YOU TO VISIT ROOM 57 WITH ME!” and by the time you looked up, Jisung crashed into you, linked your arms together and tugged you with him

by that time, everyone in the hallway knew the locker flower fairy was Hyunjin adskjfhsdf

only you didn’t want to admit it because it was almost too good for it to be true that Hwang Hyunjin likes you

it’s just a coincidence he… works… at… a… floral… shop….

but honestly these flowers were so cute and you really wanted to meet them one day—no matter who it turns out to be—so you returned to the flower shop when winter break and finals were nearing

just wanting to escape from the cold, you rushed into the shop where Minho was trimming flowers for a bouquet at the front

you sighed softly as the shop blocked all the cold wind and waited for the door to close

“OH HI Y/N!”

your head shot up, surprised to see Nana yell your name

she just smiled at you and explained: “Hyunjin talks about you a lot!”

bashfully, you smiled at them before approaching the main counter

“what would you like to say today?”

studying as Minho trimmed the flowers, you searched to find the right words

“um, I was hoping for a flower that means ‘thank you’? like? “i admire you and thank you? I don’t know uhhhhhhh—”

“who is this for?” minho asked innocently

a flush spread across your cheeks and Nana and Minho immediately knew

“there’s uh, a person at school who gives me flowers each day with a cute note explaining the meaning behind it and? I want to tell them thank you? it’s really sweet? but the problem is, I don’t know who they are and—”

“OOH I got the perfect flower!” Nana exclaimed and she rushed to the back

“we just ordered these after a long time, lucky you y/n” Nana explained

coming back, there was an elegant stem of green, decorated with white orchids

“orchids have a variety of meanings, usually along the lines of admiration,” she said, beginning to wrap it up carefully

“this one, white orchids, mean innocence and I think this fits your situation?” she asked

you stared at the stem she’s carefully wrapping up

“y-yeah, I think so?”

when she tied it off with a translucent yellow ribbon, she handed it to you

“on the house”

you did a double take—“WAIT wHAT? aren’t orchids expensive?”

she smiled and shook her head “it’s okay! you’re a friend of Hyunjin’s right? we’ll give it to you for free”

“but I can’t—”

“just take it y/n,” minho persisted, only to add “we’ll remove $5 from Hyunjin’s pay”

he laughed when your jaw dropped, ready to protest

“I was kidding! it’s okay! just take it!”

you looked at the flowers in your hand and just

“really?”

“really.” nana and minho said in unison

“thank you so much!” and as you neared the door

“COME VISIT US AGAIN AND TELL US HOW IT GOES!!”

you totally didn’t want to bring your hopes up but you were certain your secret admirer is Hyunjin now

the next day, after receiving a cute yellow tulip wishing you to have a good day—you placed your white orchid inside your locker, only to go back to your locker after school and made sure the orchid would withstand the night taped outside your locker  

Hyunjin was shocked

he honestly nearly had a heart attack when he saw something taped outside your locker and rushed towards it, the only thing racing in his mind was someone else decided to give you flowers?

that was his thing!

except he saw Nana’s favorite yellow ribbon she uses for friendship bouquets and he paused

taking the flower off gently rather than his original intention of ripping it off, he saw the note and saw it addressed to “mystery flower person”

So uh, hi! I honestly can’t write pretty notes like how you do it and I just wanted to say that I really appreciate all the flowers you’ve given me? The ones that are still alive sit on my desk while the wilted ones are all pressed! I can’t believe you’d even spend even this much amount of time for me and to be honest, I’m lying when I say I’m not embarrassed. But they’re really sweet, don’t worry—so I wanted to return the favor! You probably already know what this flower means, but the white means innocence—my innocence of not knowing your identity—and orchids mean admiration and gratitude, and I want to thank you for all the cute flowers you’ve given me. I hope I get to know your identity soon!   

Hyunjin legit collapsed onto his knees in happiness and couldn’t contain the dumb grin from appearing on his face.

although

once he reached the flower shop for that day’s shift,

“NANA! MINHO! YOU DIDN’t TELL THEM I’M THE PERSON WHO GAVE THEM THE FLOWERS RIGHT?”

Nana poked her head from behind a shelf, “what nonsense are you talking abou—”

“I KNOW YOU GAVE THEM THE WHITE ORCHID! THE YELLOW RIBBON YOU USE WAS ON IT”

minho snickered and hyunjin was ready to fight the older boy

“I SWEAR WE DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING WHY WON’T YOU BELIEVE US”

but? tomorrow was the last day before winter break and?

“i’m gonna do it”

“you’re gonna chicken out kid”

“minho! don’t tell him that—hyunjin you can do it”

honestly hyunjin was in a crisis for the rest of the day, not even focusing on his work as he flipped through pages and pages of the book to find the perfect flower

“AGHHH IDK WHICH FLOWER TO GIVE!”

cue him slamming his head repeatedly on the book

the mom currently in the store raised her eyebrow at him and Minho had to grab him by the hand and drag him to the back of the store

“hey nana, do you think giving them a tulip would be nice?” he interrupted the old lady when she was in the middle of talking to a customer

“yo kid she’s helping someone—”

“hyung help meeee”

minho and hyunjin were trimming thorns on new roses when hyunjin was so deep in thought he poked himself and started bleeding

he also shot up and ran around the store only to forget what idea popped in his head and he just screamed

the regular was also a boy in love but his story was giving his boyfriend flowers up until he proposed to him and he’s like “not able to pick a flower again, hyunjin?”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

“nana, do you think he’s gonna be okay?”

“he’s gonna be fine minho”

“hyunjin hurry up we’re gonna close soon”

he walked around the store like two hundred times until he had to ring up the last customer who decided to buy a bouquet of dark pink roses

“oh...

“i can give them this”

“AW HOW CUTE!” minho yelled when he saw the younger boy hold the dark pink rose

“HYUNG SHUT UP”

“DON’T CHICKEN OUT!” minho encouraged, hip bumping into hyunjin that caused the latter boy to stumble and decided to fight back before nana tsked at them to stop

to say your heart dropped when you didn’t see a flower the next day was an understatement

you were sort of hoping mystery flower person would like the flower you gave back to them but—

even Jisung was surprised

“oh, no flower today?”

“yeah, I wonder why,” you said deflatedly as you twisted the familiar lock

the locker clicked open and out fluttered a yellow pastel envelope and jisung whooped

“nAH theY’re too smitten to stop askldfjasf” jisung teased and you narrowed your eyes at him

“YOu kNOW—”

“NO I DON’T! I’m saying,,, I’d do the same thing?”

you paused, your heart rate escalating but also dropping, wrongly interpreting what your best friend 

“... this was all you?”

“WAIT NO OH MY GOSH NO wait i didn’t mean it like that—i love you y/n—but askldfj what i meant was that—” he paused for a tense second, hopping on the balls of his feet before “jUST READ THE NOTE!” he blurted

hesitantly, you opened the envelope (and jisung stole a quick glance at hyunjin from across the hallway where said boy was glaring daggers at jisung) and pulled out the note

Hey Y/N, I was wondering if we could meet up here, at your locker, after school? You probably already know what I’ll say but I’ll meet you at 3:10? I need time to steel my nerves and then I’ll tell you? If you can’t make it, tape the note outside your locker saying you can’t. Thanks.

you couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the day oh boy

you were on the edge in every single class room and the minutes passed by so slowly you thought you were gonna die  

yet by the time the last bell rung, you couldn’t move as your anxiety increased

“y/n?? y/nnnnn?” jisung called, waving his hand in front of your eyes as the classroom quickly emptied while your supplies still sat on your desk

“what do i do?” you whispered “they’ve been so nice to me but what if i reject them or something?”

jisung smiled softly and squeezed your shoulders

“don’t worry, trust me,” he reassured

you turned to face him “you know who this person is don’t you”

he just 😬 and you shook your head

“it’s gonna be fineeeeee”

you sighed and packed up your things, bid your teacher bye and left the classroom,

where you slowly dragged your feet to where your locker is

“good luck bro” jisung said just as you reached the hallway

“tell me everything later!” he said and turned around to leave the school

taking a huge breath, you tried to steady your shaky nerves and walked into the hallway

there were a couple of your classmates left, all conversing with their friends and your nerves heightened when you didn’t see anyone at your locker

pulling out your phone, you saw that it was 3:08

here we go

reaching your locker, you slowly switched out the supplies and things you needed and whatnot

it was only 3:09 when you finished and it was treacherous

the closed locker door, the clicked lock, the double check pull on the lock and just as your hand released the lock

“y/n?”

turning around, your eyes met a set of nervous brown ones that immediately flicked away when they met yours

it was hyunjin

the rose was hidden behind his back but hyunjin couldn’t keep his hands from shaking and he tried his best to calm down but the moment you turned around, all coherent thoughts flew out of his mind

“um, I—”

he gaped at you helplessly, but it’s not like you knew how to react either

“ireallylikeyouandyouprobablyalreadyknowthatbecauseisaiditamilliontimesthroughthenotesplusigaveyouflowerseverydayandhonestlyidontreallyknowminhoandnanadraggedmeintothisireallylikeyouandyouprobablyalreadyknowwhatthisrosemeansandwhileicouldvegivenyouadifferentflowerithoughtthiswouldmeanalittlemorebecauseitwasthefirstflowerigaveyouandiguessthankyouforacceptingtheflowers”

he held out the flower with both hands and looked down at his shoes, too afraid to look at you; his face was completely red, his breathing shallow

you looked at the familiar dark pink rose and a nervous giggle escaped you

“thanks, hyunjin”

taking the rose from him finally prompted him to look at you in the eye and you smiled at him, not really knowing what to do next

“i,,,, uh,”

“okay for real though, did you really not know it was me?” hyunjin blurted, his shyness disappearing and his usual self peeking through the way he carries himself around you—the familiar “i think we’re friends so i’ll tease you but idk what happened so i’ll be a little awkward around you” him

“h E Y it was either i embarrass you or i embarrass myself and i’d rather not jump to conclusions and ask if you’re the flower fairy when there was a possibility you’re not” you animatedly explained, but hyunjin didn’t really listen

he was trying to process that he sort of failed his confession and before he knew what he was doing:

“i like you”

your heart stopped because even though you heard it when he was going through his rambling confession, you didn’t expect him to say it again and you heard it clearly this time

hesitating,

“i—”

“look, I know we haven’t really talked since middle school so I don’t really expect anything, i just wanted you to know and I really loved seeing your reactions to getting the flowers”

you glared at him

“you didn’t even hear what i was gonna say kid,” you sassed.

“you hesitated”

“you’re point is?”

hyunjin sighed, adrenaline still rushing as he tried to think coherently and his mind raced in fear of what you’ll say next, but: “sorry, go on?”

you took a deep breath to steady your voice before “i think I like you too”

hyunjin took a moment to process your words before: “you think?”

“it’s just, like you said, we haven’t really talked since middle school and you changed a lot so—”

“would you like to meet up during break then?”

you looked up and he was looking straight into your eyes and he looked so sincere—

“y-yeah, yeah i’d like that”  

a huge grin spread across his features and, noticing a small yellow flower on a nearby bush, he plucked it and tucked it behind your ear

heat rushed up to cheeks as his fingers brushed your skin so you attempted to ruin the mood by saying “what’s up with you and flowers? you never struck me as the one to like flowers this much”

“that’s because i like you”

you two locked eyes and

“EW DUDE THAT WAS SO CRINGE”

“YOU KNOW WHAT FORGET I SAID THAT”

you were laughing so hard, he felt the need to be defensive

“hEY I JUST PICKED UP A JOB AT A FLOWER SHOP OKAY. FLOWERS ARE CUTE AND THE MEANINGS ARE SUPER COOL TO LEARN ABOUT PLUS IT’S A CHILL PLACE TO WORK AT—YOU’RE NEVER GONNA GET ANOTHER FLOWER FROM ME!”

“it’s okay, I’ll go and ask Nana and Minho instead~~~~”   

[magpiewords]

Sugar and Snow

This was way too much fun to write. Text-talk style is my guilty pleasure. The title isn’t my best, but half the story is about a ski trip and half of it is about sufganiyot.

It was the sixth night and no one was home. Steve shouldn’t have been surprised, they were all busy people. The fact that nothing alien or super powered had threatened the world in the past few weeks was a miracle all on it’s own. He was grateful for the peaceful days they had together, but he was left wanting more as he stood alone in the kitchen, mading a single sandwich out of leftover brisket. There weren’t even any latkas left to heat up, and he really didn’t feel like making more if he was just by himself.

He was on the last bites of his sandwich when his phone buzzed. A lone text message from Tony. [check snapchat]

Steve was just happy with was in actual English instead of whatever amalgamation of emojis the genius was prone to communicate with. Bucky had picked up on that new language fast enough, which seemed to give everyone else clearance to speak solely in pictures on the team group text. They were having so much fun and Steve didn’t have the heart to tell them he felt left out.

Snapchat wasn’t as bad. It took him a little longer than everyone else to figure out, but once he did, he loved it. It was still more pictures than words, but it was pictures of real life. Usually it was selfies or sneaky pictures of Clint asleep at a stakeout. The stickers were really fun and everyone seemed to enjoy the drawings Steve could create after Natasha had given him a stylus.

He opened the app, noticing several notifications waiting for him on the team thread. A video of Sam walking past some birds on his way to meet with an advisor for his master’s degree, a series of photos in which Bucky braided Thor’s hair, and finally, one photo from Tony.

The geo-filter said Los Angeles in a fancy type, and the image was of a giant donut sign above a building. The caption must have been what he wanted Steve to see.

[THEY MAKE SUFGANIYOT AND IM SCREAMING want some???]

The rest of the picture was filled with heart-eye emojis and what looked like water droplets. Steve chuckled to himself and snapped a photo of his open palm. It only took a minute to doodle a cartoon donut on the image.

[I would love one.]

Tony didn’t reply for a while, but Steve had already put his phone away and made himself comfortable in the living room. Everyone else had missions and meetings and “Thor’s never been skiing so we’re going upstate for the day”, but Steve had things to do too. Important things like…

Well, he had his sketch book and some podcasts. That was fine.

It could have been five minutes or a few hours, but Steve’s phone turned on and didn’t seem to stop. He scrambled to pull it out of his pocket; it would only go off like this if he was getting a phone call which probably meant villainy had finally stopped taking a vacation. If that was the case, though, wouldn’t Jarvis be alerting him too?

Instead of a phone call, he was rapidly getting a string of text messages.

TStark: buck how could u fail us like this???

Bucky: wut im skiing i literally did nothing

Widow: winter soldier sucks at winter sports btw

Bucky: fuck off

Hawkeye: haha i want pics

TStark: no shut up

TStark: steve’s never had Sigmund Freud

TStark: i mean stuff and yaks

TStark: autocorrect bullshit i cant do this while flying

Col.Rhodes: DON’T TEXT AND FLY

Col.Rhodes: We talked about this

TStark: S U F G A N I Y O T

Widow: omg bucky how could u

Steve had barely caught up with the string of texts when his snapchat notified him again. It was from Natasha’s account, but someone else was filming. Likely Thor, if the camera half being covered by a thumb was anything to go by. The video featured Natasha and Bucky, both on skis at the bottom of a slope they must have just come down. With one solid shove, she pushed him into a snow bank. There was shouting and laughter before the video cut out.

Bucky: tony i need a new phone tash got snow in mine

TStark: haha nice

TStark: but seriously

TStark: every1 get home asap so we can eat these

Hawkeye: dont u have an AM meeting tomorrow?

Col.Rhodes: Pepper is not going to be happy about this.

Another snapchat notification, this time with a photo taken from the Iron Man armor’s outside cameras. Tony didn’t just have a box of donuts, he had a crate, carrying it on the suit’s shoulders like he would carry building materials. The photo was surrounded by thumbs up emojis and a small bit of text in the corner. Steve leaned in, just barely reading it before the image timed out.

[I told Sir that I do not approve]

Steve chuckled again, glancing up at the ceiling. “He giving you too much trouble, Jarvis?”

“At least I got him to stop texting and flying. The trade off is I have to type his messages for him. And he is very particular about the placement of those emoticons.” The AI sounded the closest Steve had ever heard him to exhausted.

Another video came in, this time from Sam. The camera was facing him as he walked across campus.

“I was in a meeting,” He sounded furious, but it was too over the top. Steve knew what a truly angry Sam sounded like, so this must be played up for a joke. “In a meeting with my graduate advisor and my phone sounds like the end of the world. She asks me if it’s Avengers business and I have to look her dead in the eye, with all you still texting me, and tell her to ignore it.” The camera rapidly moved as Sam seemed to throw up his hands. “Now she thinks I value my studies over saving the world and you know what, right now I think I do!”

The video ended, followed with a short text message.

Falcon: You guys suck

The rest of the team replied with a series of different emojis, ranging from laughing symbols to something with birds that was probably a Falcon related joke Steve didn’t quite get.

Falcon: T I want those donuts when I get home

TStark: what’s that birdy? i should go faster??

Jarvis: Sir is already breaking several interstate flight regulations, please do not encourage him.

Col.Rhodes: damnit sam

Widow: save some for us!

“Iron Man should be landing at the tower in fifteen minutes.” Jarvis reported. Steve could hear the coffee machine in the kitchen start to power up. “Mr. Wilson will be arriving in twenty. Agent Romanoff, Sergeant Barnes, and Thor are leaving the ski lodge and are due home in just under two hours.”

“You work way too hard, Jarvis.” Steve slid his phone to silent, knowing Jarvis would tell him if there was anything important, and went back to sketching.

“Captain, you have no idea.”

Exactly fifteen minutes later, Tony was on the landing platform outside the tower windows. He all but dragged the crate into the kitchen, opening it and pulling out smaller cardboard boxes. He walked into the living room with a spring in his step, pastry in one hand, cell phone in the other.

“Those don’t look like your usual donuts, Tony.” Steve said. It looked more like a small cake with powdered sugar on top.

Tony didn’t say a word, just kept the camera on Steve as he shoved the pastry in the soldier’s face. Steve took a bite, jelly gushing around the sides as flavor overwhelmed his senses. His eyes must have been comically wide as Tony started laughing before lowering his phone. A few seconds later, as Steve was cradling the donut to prevent any jelly or crumbs from getting on the couch, his own phone went off. He let out a sigh, half annoyed despite the something warm curling inside him, knowing the rest of the team would get to share the moment of his first sufganiyot with him.

<prev> <next>

[prettysei-remade]

He’s Taken

Written for @leojiweek 2017: Day 1 

Prompt: Others’ Interpretation of Leoji/Social Media 

read on ao3

Laura xoxo: ugh

Laura xoxo: dani im so sry but my sister saw that picture u put on insta of u and ur brother at the water park and now she's begging me 2 get his number from u

Laura xoxo: she went on his insta and found out he's a wrld famous figure sk8r and she wont shut up abt him

Laura xoxo: pls ill buy u ice cream 4 a week if u can make her stop gushing abt how hot he is

Daniela sighs.

This is not the first time this has happened.

So many people - her friends, her friends’ sisters, girls from drama club, even a couple guys at her school - have tried to get to Leo through her. They're incredibly persistent, and Dani supposes she can see why they would be, from an objective standpoint.

Even she can't bring herself to say that Leo is bad-looking. It's horrible when all her friends come over while Leo is around, because they get all stupid and tongue-tied. She loves them, but they become incredibly annoying in those moments.

She knows Leo has his reasons for choosing to stay at home after graduating high school, but honestly, him moving out would make her life so much easier.

Of course, it doesn't help that he's also a competitive figure skater on the international level, and that he's won a bunch of medals. He's pretty successful, and relatively famous, so naturally everyone wants to be with him.

It would be marginally less irritating if everyone would stop hounding her for information on him.

She sets her phone back down on the kitchen table, prepared to ignore the text until she's finished her geometry homework, when a loud laugh from outside nearly makes her drop her pencil. She rolls her eyes.

Leo's home, and he's probably talking to his skating friend from China.

It's not that she doesn't like Guang Hong. From what she's seen and heard of him, he seems to be very sweet, pretty quiet, and definitely…

Well. It's obvious that he has a crush on Leo.

Anyway, she's spoken to him a little before, during some of his and Leo's many (many) Skype calls, and she likes him. He's only two years older than her, and he's always nice to her.

She knows Leo has a crush on him, too. They're seriously so obvious. But neither one of them thinks they have a chance.

Dani would be amused if it weren't so pathetic. Boys are so stupid, especially when it comes to feelings.

She hears the door swing open, and Leo continues to laugh and talk to the person on the other end of the phone as he walks through the house.

“We'll see each other soon, you know,” he says, a smile in his voice. He mouths a quick “hola” to Dani as he passes the kitchen. “We were both assigned to Skate Canada this year.” A pause as Guang Hong replies. Then, “I know, I feel like I haven't seen you in…”

His voice trails off down the hall, and Dani rolls her eyes. She picks up her phone to tell Laura what she's told everybody else.

It's not quite true, but it might as well be.

You: he’s taken, sry

…

Dani storms up the stairs, shouting all the way up.

“Leo! Mamá already called you for dinner twice, she's gonna be...”

Stopping by his slightly opened bedroom door, she looks through the crack to see Guang Hong's face on Leo's computer screen.

She rolls her eyes and barges in.

“Hi, Guang Hong,” she sighs. “Sorry to steal your boyfriend, but it's time for dinner and Leo really has to come downstairs right now.” She directs those last words at Leo with a pointed glare.

He sputters in response.

“Guang Hong isn't - we're not dating! I'm not his boyfriend!”

Guang Hong just laughs a little on his side.

She has to give him kudos for his reaction, at least. It's still obvious he likes Leo, but he seems to be way more chill about it than Leo is.

She directs her next question at him.

“Hey, isn't it really late in China? Or, like,  early?”

He laughs again.

“I'm actually in France right now, for a competition,” he explains.

“A competition he's going to dominate,” Leo adds.

Guang Hong blushes.

Dani throws up in her mouth a little.

“Sure, whatever,” she says, turning to leave. “Mamá's getting really mad downstairs, so say goodbye to your boyfriend.”

“He's not my boyfriend!”

…

The cheers of the crowd nearly drown out what the TV announcer is saying when Leo is awarded his gold medal.

A few moments later, they roar up again when the silver medalist is presented, and then a final, third time when Guang Hong goes to get his bronze.

They look good, standing side-by-side on the podium.

Dani watches them hold up their medals for pictures with matching grins on their faces. Leo says something to Guang Hong, which makes him laugh, and then Guang Hong responds, which makes Leo blush.

To anyone else, this is nothing unusual.

Well, actually, it's nothing unusual to Dani, either. She has to live with half of this. But she's pretty sure she's the only one who's noticed the massive crushes they have on each other.

She's thought about schemes to get them together, before. Like, texting Guang Hong from Leo's phone, or something. It would probably be amusing, and they'd at least stop acting like idiots all the time.

But they should figure it out for themselves. It's bound to happen, sooner or later. Eventually, one of them is going to confess, or make a move. They're building up to something, all on their own, and she doesn't want to interfere unless she absolutely has to.

They're actually pretty cute already, she supposes. Leo is skating around the rink with Guang Hong, an arm draped over his shoulder, and they're both laughing and smiling. They keep saying things into each other's ear, and it's like everybody else - the photographers, the cheering crowd, even the other medalist - doesn't even exist.

She hopes they figure it out soon.

…

Unknown Number: Hi, this is Guang Hong! I hope you don't mind, but Leo gave me your number after we talked on Skype last night. Good luck for your play tonight!

Dani is surprised Guang Hong remembers what she had said about the play, and her drama club.

Sure, Guang Hong had invited her to join the conversation, and they'd actually all talked for a really long time, until Dani realized how late it was getting. She'd thought he would mostly just focus on Leo, though, and was only including her because he was nice to everyone like that.

Apparently not.

She quickly saves his number as a contact (“Leo’s Boyfriend,” because she’s hilarious) and tries to think of how to respond.

Despite her many interactions and connections at school, and a rather large amount of social experience, she isn't exactly sure on the protocol for when your brother's almost-boyfriend texts you, completely separate from said brother.

Whatever. Guang Hong's cool, he'll be nice no matter what she says. She does try to tidy up her grammar, though. At least a little bit.

You: it's cool, i like talking to you. and thanks

Leo's Boyfriend: You're welcome! :)

He still uses smiley faces. Unironically.

That's honestly adorable.

Dani has to hand it to Leo. He's found himself a keeper.

…

Leo's Boyfriend: one time, when we were in japan, phichit made us all try sushi

You: omg no

Leo's Boyfriend: lets just say im never again forcing him to eat anything he says he doesn't want 2 eat

You: omg

You: ok ok my turn

You: so one time we went on this road trip to minnesota

You: it was winter so we decided to go skating at an outdoor rink for fun

You: of course, hes famous and everything so this one lady recognized him and asked him for a picture

You: so they take the picture, everythings great

You: but then he goes to skate away

Leo's Boyfriend: oh no

You: he somehow slips

You: and falls flat on his back

Leo's Boyfriend: did he get hurt??

You: just his pride

You: he got so embarrassed. it was hilarious

Leo's Boyfriend: omg!! XD

You: u know, i think sharing our blackmail material is the best idea weve ever had

Leo's Boyfriend: agreed

…

You: omg i know

You: its always the worst when he tries 2 rap, though

Leo's Boyfriend: don't get me started

Leo's Boyfriend: one time he tried to rap along to ceiling can't hold us by macklemore?

Leo's Boyfriend: like it was cute, but also probably one of the most awful things ive ever heard

Leo's Boyfriend: !!! pls dont tell him i said that!!

You: the cute part or the awful part

Leo's Boyfriend: …

Leo's Boyfriend: both

You: u know he wldn’t care right

You: actually he'd probably spontaneously combust if he knew

Leo's Boyfriend: u want me to tell him i think he's awful at rapping??

You: no

You: nvm

You: has he told u abt his death metal phase yet?

Leo's Boyfriend: !!!

…

“Hey, Dani?”

She looks up from her phone, about to tell Leo off for interrupting her in the middle of an important conversation about whether or not Charlie actually likes Liza, but then she sees his face.

He looks nervous. And… maybe a little upset, though he's hiding it pretty well.

“What?” she asks, turning off the screen and dropping her phone on the armrest.

“Um… can I talk to you?”

“Of course.”

He sits down next to her on the couch and takes a moment to collect himself.

“It's…”

He pauses. Swallows.

“It's about Guang Hong.”

Dani’s ears perk up at that, but she decides not to say anything. She'd rather Leo tell her what's up on his own terms.

“I…” he takes a breath. “You guys are… pretty close, right?”

Dani raises an eyebrow.

“I mean… I guess,” she answers. “I guess we text a lot.”

“Yeah. Well, you - you like him, right?”

“... yeah?”

Leo exhales.

“Okay,” he says decidedly.

Dani is confused.

Did she miss something?

“Okay… what?” she asks.

“Just… okay. You have my blessing.”

What on earth is he talking about?

“I have your blessing? Your blessing for what?”

Leo holds up his hands.

“I know, I know, you don't care what I think,” he says quickly. “I know you don't need it. But… I just thought… I know you like each other, but he's my friend, too, so I thought I'd just… tell you, I approve. Okay?”

A cold, hard pit starts to form inside of Dani’s stomach as she begins to realize what's going on.

“Leo,” she says, carefully, “what… exactly are you giving your blessing for me to do?”

Leo frowns. He runs a hand through his hair.

“To… to date Guang Hong.”

Oh.

Oh my god.

Dani lets her eyes fall shut and her head drop back against the couch.

“Leo,” she groans.

“It's okay! It's fine, I don't mind, really!”

“Leo…”

“I know, this is awkward, but I'm your brother, so - ”

“Leo, you're so stupid.”

He stops at that.

“I…” he swallows. “What?”

“Leo,” Dani says patiently. “I don't like Guang Hong like that. Guang Hong doesn't like me like that. We're friends. Just like you.”

Leo sits back.

“Huh,” he says. “Well, nevermind, then.”

Dani looks at him, sitting there all confused, getting lost in his own thoughts.

He looks a little relieved, but he doesn't know what to think, now. Dani wonders how much he had psyched himself up, prepared himself for hearing that Dani wants to date the guy he's in love with.

Probably a lot.

He has no idea Guang Hong likes him back, and Dani is just now realizing how seriously it's affecting Leo.

They can't go on this way. Dani needs to do something, if only to keep her brother from hurting like this.

“Actually, we're not like you at all,” she says, sitting up straighter. “Guang Hong and I are friends. Guang Hong and you are… I don't even know what you are.”

“What do you mean? We're friends!”

“No, you're not, Leo,” Dani insists. “I mean, you are, but don't you see you're so much more than that? God, you guys are hopeless.”

“What do you mean, more?”

“I mean, you two are in love with each other and you don't even know it! It's driving all three of us insane, and I'm the only one who even notices! I mean you're hopeless, Leo!”

She pauses at the stunned look on Leo's face, panting slightly.

Leo stares at her.

Dani stares back.

Then Leo whispers, “You think he knows?”

Dani swallows.

“Not about you,” she whispers back.

“But he likes me back.”

“Yeah.”

Leo looks at the floor.

“Wow.”

Dani grins, in spite of it all.

“Yeah. Wow.”

He looks up at her, squinting.

“Do you think I should tell him?”

“If you don't, I'll tell him myself.”

He looks back at the floor.

“Wow,” he whispers.

He looks amazed, as if the idea of Guang Hong actually liking him back had never even entered his brain.

He smiles softly to himself.

Dani rolls her eyes.

…

Unknown Number: hey, this is tara from drama club last year! ashlyn gave me your number, hope that's ok lol! i was just wondering, that's your brother and his friend in that pic on instagram, right?

You: let me guess. u want my brothers number

Unknown Number: actually, i was wondering abt his friend? he's rlly cute lol

Dani is a little surprised Tara doesn't want Leo's number, but she knows the post she's talking about, and honestly, she kind of gets it.

Guang Hong has been coming over every few days to visit, since he’s training in California in the off-season. In this particular instance, he and Leo were sitting side-by-side on the couch, Leo's arm resting casually over the top of Guang Hong's shoulders, and the lighting coming in from the bay window was absolutely gorgeous. They made a perfect picture, and Dani couldn’t resist putting in on Instagram.  

Well.

She smirks as she types her response to Tara, entirely truthful this time.

You: he’s taken, sry