#ch 54 made me so giddy

[lxvepup]

Drew this a few days back! they're everything to me I love them

Characters from Seekers of Soul by @teshamerkel !!!

[luckyshotwrites]

Ch. 2 // Too Good to be True // Day 1

Contents (Warnings/Mild spoilers): More story/character building. Contains Soft vore, size difference, unwilling prey, willing predator, and M/F.

Wordcount: 2,820

Side note:This will contain experimental writing, first person (Lynette's view) will be implemented alongside third person for the two other essential characters, (mostly) Alexander and (occasionally) Drake. For those third person moments all their text will be italicized and have the characters name in Bold at the start. There may be other characters I write for in the future using this method but we’ll see...

_________________________________________________________

(Sept. 8th, Thursday)

I checked my texts when I woke up. 

Wicks: Hey, Lentils, I'll be home tonight to congratulate you on your new job! 11:54 a.m.

I sighed and laid back in bed. My phone dropped from my hand. Wicks always sounds so busy. My mind fluttered to the call I had with him yesterday. Was he really in some kind of fight? I laughed to myself. I'm sure the person attacking him would have stopped for a second and let him answer. 

I rolled my head back and forth on my weighted blanket. It bothers me that he's never fully disclosed his job. He just said he worked with people, and anytime I called, it sounded like he was working in a construction yard or a sound deprivation tank.

I sat up. And he always avoids any talks on the matter. I shook my head. What would embarrass him to talk about? Selling his body? The thought casually crossed my mind. 

I squeaked out loud. "STOP IT. HE'D NEVER DO THAT." I didn't want to think of my brother doing that to make money. 

"He's smart and has a ton of talents. Lynette, stop being dumb!" I grumbled aloud. 

I turned my head and picked my phone back up from the covers. I texted him back and decided to watch meme compilations to distract myself until work. 

I got another spoonful of cereal and tried to get my mind off it by watching a meme compilation.

My metaphorical backpack full of enthusiasm got heavier. 

I felt excited to start somewhere fresh. Especially after I quit my job yesterday on short notice. Not that my manager cared much; they didn't like me anyway. Though, I had pity for those that would have to make up for my slack.

I drove to the Pizzeria and waited in my car. I expelled a few deep breaths to further hype myself up. I'm going to make the Employee of the Month by ensuring every customer and coworker leaves this place with a smile. I repeated to myself. They'd be my goal while working here. 

Then I can retire and make youtube videos of animated DnD sessions or people can watch how stupid I am playing videogames. It made me smile to think about it. 

Wicks offered to support me in making a career like that, but I knew I'd only waste his money. 

My alarm buzzed, which meant I had ten minutes to get inside before my shift started.

I scrambled out of my car and looked down at my badge and uniform. Check. I patted my black jeans with extra big pockets. Phone, check. My shirt was on correctly with the little pizza slice mascot on the breast pocket. Check. I quickly snagged my hat from the passenger side seat, put it on, and closed my door. Okay, Sandra said the employee entrance is at the back. 

I got to the glass doors with one-way mirror film and scanned my badge at the scanner near the door. It unlocked, and I was able to look down at the long stretch of hallway.

The giddiness started to bubble in my stomach. My eyes went to the next two doors I passed right across from each other. The doors looked about three times my size if not more, and were entirely made of glass. Similar to the one I came in, but I could see past them.

My eyebrows dropped. The signs above the two doors said, "Breakroom 2" to my left and "Breakroom 4" to my right. Why are they so huge? From what it sounded like he didn't have a lot of employees.

The door then slid open, and I jumped back. I realized there was a sensor that caught my badge. That's neat. The need to scan in kept me from exploring the breakrooms further.

I rushed ahead, passing two more break room doors, "1" and "3". I slowed down as I saw the tall blonde guy with glasses who invited me, Alexander, and another male. He had black hair, and I feel like I briefly caught a glimpse of him on my way to the interview yesterday.

I overheard them talking about Olden Ring. 

"Hi," I said with a hand raised. Maybe I should try to be friendly with them. "Have you guys played it yet? I know everyone's been raving about it, and I, unfortunately, haven't got around to playing it yet."

Alexander flinched like my pitch hurt him. Was I too excited? He didn't look at me. 

The boy with dark hair did. He was shorter than Alexander, a little shy of six feet. He had a very kind complexion, and I could make out noticeably redder eyes through his bangs. Reminds me of Edgar.

"We haven't played it either; we were talking about when we should get it and play online together…" He gestured to me, "And you're the fabled Lynette, right? Alexander told me about you."

I guessed he was looking me up and down with the way he bobbed his head. His bangs did a great job of hiding his gaze. The slight smirk on his face slowly dropped, and his head swayed with curiosity, "Huh…"

"Is something wrong?"

He glanced over at Alexander and then back at me, "No, not at all. Sorry, uh-." He anxiously laughed it off, "Yeah." He jabbed at Alexander's side.

Alexander turned to me. 

He wore very dark circles under his eyes. So much so that they were clear even with his black frames on. His hair looked more disheveled, too, the longer I looked at him. 

"Did you not sleep well?" I asked.

His voice held little to no volume, "Yesterday was my birthday, so I was up, auwh," he yawned mid-sentence. "-night."

"Well, happy late birthday!" I said with a smile. 

He nodded and didn't say another word. His eyes seemed glued like he wanted to. Is something wrong with me? 

His friend's voice pulled me away from Alexander's intense stare, "And I'm Drake, by the way; nice to finally meet you, Lynette." 

"Yeah," I turned to Drake, "nice to meet you too." My eyes drifted to the timeclock, "we should scan in if you guys work at the same time as me." I said to them as I went forward to scan my badge.

Drake and Alexander did the same.

They walked a little behind me.

Then Drake went behind the counter in the kitchen and gave us fast finger pistols. “I’m working at the Pizza's, so good luck, Lynette. And Alexander, take it easy on her.”

Is he usually not? I wondered. We walked up to the registers and got to work. I expected it to be fast paced and difficult...it wasn't. The customers were fine, and the register was easy to get the hang of.

Alexander taught me how to work them, how we'd usually greet customers, "welcome to the happy pizzeria," special order type ins, and a few other things like keeping the work area clean.

It all seemed relatively simple. Though, during the explanations, Alexander refused to get too close. I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't try to move in for an explanation just to have him take a few steps back.

I knew I showered and washed my uniform the night before. Maybe he likes his personal space?

I decided not to ask and continued on, until our first break came around.

“You go ahead. I’ll handle the customers while you’re gone.” Alexander said.

"Thanks," I replied and went to the break rooms through the kitchen, alone. I got to the first breakroom door on my right and saw a note, "don't forget to scan your badge for breaks and lunch!" -Edgar

Right next to the door to break room one, on the left side of the door was a time-clock. Different from the one near the hallway that led to the offices and the kitchen.

After I scanned it, I went into breakroom one. Firstly, my eyes went up. It was at least sixty feet high, maybe more. Not that the rest of the pizzeria building didn't have high ceilings. Was this a warehouse before? Are all the other breakrooms this big and tall?

Scattered about were a few round tables with comfy looking chairs. And In the far right corner there were a couple of rather large couches, and a giant plasma T.V., all the way in the back left corner there was a fridge, cabinets, and a stove. All this for such few employee's?

I sat back on the black leather armchair near the T.V. because the couch looked oddly bigger than it should have, almost like it was made for a "giant".

I looked at the T.V. “This would be a nice place to game. I should bring my console at some point so we can all play together.” I shook my head. I don't think we'd have much time to play.

I slipped my hand into my pocket and took out my phone. Wicks called me an hour ago. I sighed and called him back.

“Hey–”

“Lentils! I'm sorry I realized I called when you were at work." He sounded so apologetic, "I wanted to tell you I got home safe and to ask what cake you wanted, if anything different than usual." He added, "Don’t worry though, I winged it!”

I rested back on the chair making sure to keep my shoes off it. “You didn’t have to buy me a cake!”

“Yeah I do! You got a cooler job right?”

I smirked, “money wise, yeah. From what I understand I’m just cashiering right now and training under the guy that invited me… I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Wicks scoffed, “who doesn’t like you Lentils, you have the charisma level of a puppy!”

“Thanks.” I said with a small chuckle. I think I'm doing fine at least, right? “I don’t want to mess this opportunity up.” I accidentally said that aloud.

I think I heard him change his position on the leather chair in his room, which was funny because I changed mine too. Charletta does say we mimic each other when we talk on the phone.

“You’re one of the most determined and hardworking people I know. You won’t.” He hit me with that positive conviction, “so throw those stupid thoughts away. And think about how good the cake’s gonna be tonight!!”

My lips pouted. In an attempt to still hold my doubt, it was impossible to do that when I talked to Wicks. "You're the best."

We talked until I heard a soft ding from the room. I looked toward the door and saw my name above the door with a timer. I didn’t know it timed my break. I was glad it did.

I said my goodbye, hung up, got out of my seat then headed out. On my way out I noticed a sign by the door saying something about lunch but didn’t have enough time to read it.

It's probably the rules in the lunch room or something. I put a small reminder in my head to read it later. I scanned back in and raced back to the counter.

Upon seeing Alexander I smiled, “It's your turn, buddy.”

His faint bluish, gray tint met my green hue. He didn't say a word, and he acknowledged me with a nod. He moved past me and through the kitchen out of my sight.

He's probably tired. I've got all the time to make friends with him and everyone else.

While I got situated, my eyes wandered to the girl I saw running around earlier. She cleaned up the messes on the tables and floors. Once she noticed I watched her, she gave a small wave and smile.

She looks very fit like Alexander. I glanced down at myself. I wasn’t chubby or anything but I had as much strength as a twig. And how much Wicks loved to remind me of that fact.

After another fifteen minutes or so, Alexander came back. The work isn’t really that hard? Why would anyone quit this position? I manned most of the customers, while Alexander cleaned the counters and got some of the pizza's from back when requested.

I failed to start any conversation with him. It was like he refused to speak to me. He'd either nod, yes, or shake his head, no. And unless it was work related, anything that required a longer answer, he ignored.

Why won't he talk to me? Does he not want to scare me off on my first day? Does the work probably get worse later?

Before I knew it, Alexander spoke again after nearly two hours of silence. “I’m going to get Viola to take over the registers while we go to lunch, I’ll meet you back there.”

I nodded. I watched him go to the muscular woman earlier who was engaged by a customer.

I left the counter, scanned out for lunch and went to the first break room. I looked back and over the door at the giant screen, my name and time left popped up like before.

“That’s so cool.”

I flicked back to the seats. There's so many tables to choose from. Where should we sit? Wait. I exhaled in frustration. I didn't even pack a lunch today.

The door slide open behind me. I heard the person who entered copy my exhale. I wasn't that much of a pain teaching today was I?

I faced him as he marched toward me.

I pointed over my shoulder and back at the tables. "Which table did you want to sit at?" Should I have assumed we'd sit together? He might want to relax alone.

Alexander shut his eyes. He groused though I couldn't hear what he said.

Then, without any warning, he snatched up one of my arms.

"H-" I couldn't speak, only squeak. I pulled against him and my hat dropped to the floor. I feared he'd tear my clothes off or something. I got ready to defend myself by kicking him where it'd hurt.

I couldn't.

My eyes widened in disbelief. He brought my hand to his lips and watched his mouth open to engulf it.

My heart stopped when he encompassed it with ease.

I was too stunned to say a word, while his tongue squirmed under my palm, coating my fingers in his thick saliva.

I snapped out of it as he grabbed my other arm and stuffed it inside his mouth as well.

I felt too paralyzed to move when I stared into his hunger filled eyes that glinted past his glasses. He grabbed at my back letting go of my arms once he got up to my elbows.

His body looked much bigger now, like he was steadily growing as he ate me.

The drool streamed down my arms and dripped partially onto the floor. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get away. He was hunched over and from what I could tell maybe three times my height. And to make it worse, his throat refused to let go of my arms, no matter how “varnished” they were.

When he gulped, my head went closer to his lips.

“Don’t do this…” I pleaded, but I knew if he got this far he wouldn’t be willing to let go if I asked.

I was too terrified to even scream and he consumed my head seconds after. The pool of saliva drowned out my cries. His tongue slathered every bit of my head.

I tried so hard to escape, but when I brushed against his teeth I was too scared to risk it. He could bite down on my neck at any moment.

He started to pick me up and hold my body above his head.

I couldn't escape, I only fell further down into his expanding gullet. Soon, I couldn’t move, his throat and esophagus stopped me from pivoting my body. His muscles tugged, clearly used to this enough to pull me deeper with ease. He didn't gag, nor struggle, ever gulp he did had no strain.

While I did. I strained to do something, until my hands and arms reached an "open" space.

Soon my head was pushed into it as well, while my hands got comfortable with what I figured was the bottom of the pocket.

Now, I was trapped inside a humid, dark, squelching flesh. My back was pressed against one wall and my legs nestled tightly to my chest by the other. I'm alive...

After what felt like twenty minutes, he gave one final GLURK, swallowing the last bit of my feet after taking off my shoes and socks.

The rest of me fell inside a little faster. It forced my disoriented body to be pushed upright, or what I believed was upright as I didn't feel the blood rushing to my head.

No...this is real.

My voice croaked out. I couldn’t see anything. I only heard the soft yet excited thumping of what I presumed was his heart, and a loud groan of my current surroundings. This isn’t possible, it’s just a bad dream.

I pressed my trembling hand against the flesh and nearly lost my digits in its folds.

I desperately pushed with my arms and feet. But, I couldn’t hold the position very long, his insides were far too firm. It felt like I fought against a hot, slightly malleable, steel wall.

This is what happens! This is why the position was empty! I yelled in my head and shouted out inside him too.

There was no point begging or reasoning with him, if he did this, why would he have a change of heart. It seemed like there was a lot of flesh between him and I anyway, so I figured he couldn’t hear me, let alone anyone else.

I squirmed about, hoping to upset his stomach and make him spit me out. It didn’t work. All I felt was the goo inside him weighing down on me.

I didn't let it stop me, I had to make it home. I’m not going to die.

The more I uselessly pushed the more his stomachs disgusting inner bumpy walls pressed down on me. There mocking me. I yelled out in frustration, punching with the last bit of strength my shaky hands could muster. I had no traction to gain.

I didn’t feel any pain, and there wasn’t really a smell, at least one that I noticed.

I gasped out again, trying to find my phone. I could call for help!

But, it was too late. My arms were too weak to lift up and my eyelids wanted to close.

I grit my teeth. Why am I so tired… My head slumped over and my eyes closed. I refused to cry. I didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

Thank you for reading! :D

Now I understand why Edgar offered me such a ridiculous amount of money. I wouldn’t last a year, not even six months... My consciousness dwindled with regrets. I barely lasted a day…

...

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Catch up or check for release dates down below ↓

What I’d do for a Livable Income (Synopsis/Chapter - List)

[kuroopaisen]

the in-between | iii (kuroo tetsurou)

➵  it took you and kuroo far too long to learn that love was never singularly defined. it can be both striking and understated, sudden and unhurried, gentle and all-consuming. and most of all, it can be anything else in-between.

wc: 7.2k (part 3 of 3)

warnings: f!reader, depiction of anxiety & mentions of depression (kind of)

a/n: a grand final thank you to @w-yuren once again for going through ALL OF THIS,,, anyway, i hope you enjoy this finally!  

m.list |  ch. 2 ↞ ch. 3

"You gotta make sure you squish it down," Kuroo said, patting his hair.

"I know," you laughed, on your tiptoes as you balanced yourself on one of his shoulders. You tried not to think too much about how close the two of you were, and how unnecessary it was. Measuring the heights of the rest of the team hadn’t felt this weird. Was it because you’d stood on a step ladder for the other behemoths of the team? Was it because Kuroo was kind of attractive? Hard to say. 

You really should’ve just used the step ladder. That way, you wouldn’t have to rely on your admittedly shoddy sense of balance– 

Oh shit. You felt yourself falling backwards, squeezing your eyes shut as you prepared for your inevitable and humiliating collision with the gym floor. 

But you didn’t fall. A pair of hands grabbed you, hoisting you up. 

You opened your eyes. 

He may have had a shit-eating grin on his face, but the look that Kuroo was giving you was undeniably fond. Although, fond in the way you might look at a puppy that was chasing its own tail. 

His hands were on your waist. You’re close, closer than you’d ever been before. You looked up at him, unable to shake the feeling that this was a bit like something out of a shoujo manga.

"You and your damn lack of balance," he chuckled, that aggravating smile of his painting his lips. "You've really gotta do something about that, you know."

"I'm well aware," you huffed, plopping your heels back on the ground. You tried to ignore the hammering in your chest and the way you couldn’t take your eyes away from his face. You tried to stop your mind from flicking back to the day he’d been crowned captain, and how it had felt to be in his arms like that. 

You’re doing a rather shit job at it, really. So instead you half-dove for your notebook, jotting down his height. You’d already prepared all the measurements from the last assessment in order to compare them. 

"You've barely grown," you mused, brows all furrowed as you looked at the notebook.

"As long as I'm still taller than Bokuto, it's fine."

You laughed. He's glad for it. "Isn't he catching up to you?" You asked, looking over your shoulder at him.

Kuroo waved a hand. "We don't talk about that."

You smiled, taking the opportunity to jog over to Coach Nekomata and hand him these new stats. You really needed a moment to distance yourself from him, to let yourself catch your breath. 

Those weird little feelings had been cropping up more and more. Frankly, they were annoying. You enjoyed your friendship with Kuroo. It was comfortable. It was safe. And you didn’t know what you’d do without it. Feeling… whatever it was that you were feeling could jeopardise that. So, you were determined to suppress them as aggressively as you could. 

Meanwhile, he’s trying to get the thought of just how pretty you looked in his arms out of his own head.  

✉

[YOU] 8:31 PM: if i told you you've shrunk a few mms since last year, what would you do?

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:31 PM: don't even joke about that

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:31 PM: i’m a respectable 187.9cm thank you very much

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:32 PM: that's basically 188. and up from, what? 186.4 cm last year?

[YOU] 8:32 PM: aw you sound just like yaku

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:32 PM: now that's just uncalled for

✧ ✧ ✧

Your approach to training camp was quite similar to how a zoo animal might respond to being released into the wild. Excitement, followed by a brief spurt of anxiety, and then flitting about relentlessly as you experienced all you could. 

He hadn’t had many chances to talk to you, given how busy you both were. He was actually kind of miffed at that, much to his own surprise. But, he knew it’d only be for a week. 

You were always with the other managers, sorting out food and water, and making sure that everyone was doing okay. You had some friends on Karasuno, too, and you’d been taking the time to catch up with them. 

Somewhere along the way, you’d ended up becoming friends with Bokuto of all people. You’d been acquainted before from previous practice matches, but for some reason you’d really clicked at this camp. 

And that was fine. Wonderful, even. But sometimes Kuroo really needed your help to control the kids, but he never knew where you were. 

At that moment, he needed you to whip Lev into shape. So he was doing his daily scan of the gym, hoping to catch sight of you. 

Ah. There you were.

You were peering at… something, brows furrowed and bottom lip jutted out just a little. You were sitting on the gym floor, hunched over your knees. You looked like a little gremlin. It's kind of cute, but he's not going to say that.

"What're you thinking about?" Kuroo flopped down next to you, legs spread wide.

You nudged him with your foot. "Give me some space, would you?"

"Nah," he shrugged, spreading his legs even wider.  

“You doing alright?” You murmured, slumping down to sit properly. 

“Lev’s being a little shit,” Kuroo said, “I need you to talk to him.”

“Same as always, then,” you smiled. But, you still weren’t looking at him. Your gaze was somewhere else entirely. Frowning, Kuroo did his best to follow your gaze across the busy gym. 

Were you looking at… Bokuto?

He glanced back at your face, trying not to get distracted by your eyes as he followed your gaze once more.

Yeah. There's no way you weren’t.

Bokuto was two courts away, rapt in deep conversation with Akaashi. Kuroo knew, deep in his heart, that it was probably about something stupid. But nonetheless, you were staring at him. 

"Don't tell me you have a thing for dumbasses," Kuroo chuckled, trying to ignore that weird little pit forming in his stomach.

"And what if I did?" You hummed, tilting your head.

"Really?" Kuroo scoffed. "Bokuto's your type?"

You used to be so easy to fluster. But you knew each other too well now. 

If he wanted to know if you really thought about Bokuto that way, he’d have to be bolder. 

He wished he could ask the question more directly. He wished he could ask in a way that'd get him a definite answer.

You grinned, shaking your head. "I'm not admiring him, if that's what you're asking." 

"Then why are you staring at him like some kind of superfan?"

"He's just… serotonin in human form," you shrugged. "Literally, he's always smiling about something." You bit your lip. "I don't know, he just seems like someone who's… always making people… happy."

Kuroo snorted. "You really don't know him very well."

"Hey, don't be mean!" You slapped his arm gently for that one.

"I wasn't insulting him!" Kuroo grinned, holding up his hands. "I'm just saying–"

"I thought you were friends."

"We are!" Kuroo couldn’t tell if you were genuinely upset or not. "I just… not sure if his team would agree with you on that," he grinned. "Have you seen him in a slump?"

You shrugged. "Not my problem." A pause. "Thank God."

Kuroo chuckled. "You know, I can put in a good word for you if you'd like." He didn’t know why he offered. Maybe to ignore that swell in his stomach. Maybe to hear you say 'no thanks.’

You shook your head, a smile tugging at your lips. He thanked whatever deity was looking over him. 

"Can't I just admire someone for being a good person, Tetsu?"

He didn’t miss a beat. He quirked an eyebrow at you. "Calling me that here, huh?" A grin swept across his face before he could suppress it. "What if people hear you? They might get the wrong idea."

You blushed at his words. You blushed. He didn’t know why he loved it so much when you did.  

"Shut up," you mumbled, crossing your arms. It's like you’re shrinking. Some part of him, unruly and foolish, wanted to wrap his arms around you.

Instead, he smiled, reaching up to ruffle your hair. "I don't mind, at least."

You glared at him. You didn’t know how that name had come out of your mouth. You’re still not sure if it's okay for you to call him that. You just knew that the little smile that touched his lips whenever you used that nickname made you happy.

But it's a small fondness; the sort that made you feel all giddy inside, but usually went unnoticed regardless. 

But nothing went unnoticed with Kuroo. No remark, no glance. He's infuriatingly observant.

You finally understood what his opponents must feel.

His hand was still tangled in your hair. Neither of you had broken eye contact; and you’d been looking at each other for much longer than usual. There’s a voice in the back of your mind, begging you not to let your mind wander. But it’s hard, when you’re this close. When he felt barely a breath away. Your ears thrummed as you came back down to earth, the pounding of volleyballs and the chatter of far too many sweaty boys reminding you of where you are.

"Hey, Kuroo!”

A voice called out. You’re not quite sure who it belonged to. You’re too distracted by the look in his eyes.

His head whipped around, brow creased ever so slightly. But it was enough for you to know he's annoyed. You wouldn’t let yourself wonder why.

But he's up on his feet, and the air suddenly felt a lot cooler. And you couldn’t help but wonder, 'what was that?’

As he walked away, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. About Bokuto. About the fact he's so bothered by the mere thought that you might have a crush on his friend. You’d said you didn’t like him, right? That should’ve been enough. And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. There's something about it being someone he knew that got on his nerves.

He’d convinced himself that this wasn’t love. So why did he feel like this? 

✉

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:54 PM: i literally cannot believe that bokuto’s your type

[YOU] 11:54 PM: okay FIRST OF ALL

[YOU] 11:54 PM: i told you he’s not my type omfg i can’t believe you’re still thinking about this 

[YOU] 11:54 PM: second of all

[YOU] 11:54 PM: tetsu you should be asleep 

[YOU] 11:55 PM: go to sleep or there’ll be consequences 

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:55 PM: i just

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:55 PM: i thought you’d have better taste than that, you know? 

[YOU] 11:55 PM: I Am Going To Kill You

✧ ✧ ✧

“Okay,” Kuroo nodded, pen in hand. “So what exactly are you worried about?” 

You were both sat at the desk in your room, huddled over a textbook. You’d been trying to pay attention, but you just couldn’t. Your brain was too frazzled from stress. And Kuroo, as always, had picked up on that. 

You took a deep breath, straightening out your shoulders. Quite frankly, you were worried about a lot. But, you weren’t about to drop every single little anxiety you had on him all at once. 

“It’s the uni exams, right?” He asked, tilting his head at you. “Amongst other things.”

You nodded slowly. “Yeah…” 

“Did you want to do more practice exams?” He asked, reaching for his laptop. 

You shook your head. “No, I’m just…” You took another deep breath, your fists balling in the fabric of your sweatpants. “I feel like I can’t keep up with all the content we’ve been learning, and I genuinely have no idea what I’m going to do if I bomb the entrance exams.” 

Kuroo gazed at you with just the right amount of sympathy. 

“My chemistry grade’s been improving, yes, but I feel like…” You took another deep breath, trying to ground yourself. “It’s been… really, really hard trying to stay on top of everything, and… and I don’t even know what I want to do with my life, so I have no idea how hard I’m supposed to be working, or what I’m supposed to be focused on, and… and I’m scared, and I’m worried I’m letting people down, and I’m.. I’m scared that I’m not going to do anything meaningful with my life, and–” 

Your words caught in your throat as you felt a hand on your head, smoothing over your hair. It wasn’t an unusual spiel for you; Kuroo was quite used to them. And he was getting better and better at handling them. 

“Listen,” he sighed, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I know it’s hard for you to see your own merits. And I know that things are getting pretty overwhelming. But you’ve got to have faith in yourself.” 

You swallowed, leaning into his touch instinctively. 

“I know that’s easier said than done, but you’re smarter than you think you are,” he said, giving your arm a squeeze. “You’ve improved a lot over this past year, you know? You finally know what a compound is!”

“Hey,” you whined. 

“I know, I know,” he grinned, hand now ruffling your hair. “But believe me. You can do this. I know you can.” 

You bit your lip. Oh, no. Your chest was constricting again. 

“I’m just… scared,” you mumbled, looking down at your hands. 

“I know,” he murmured, giving your arm another a light squeeze. “Let’s take this one step at a time, yeah?”

You nodded, but you didn’t lift your head back up. You kept staring at your balled up fists, trying your best to take a long, measured breath, in the hopes that doing so would help ground you. 

Don’t think too much. Just focus on the moment. On his voice. 

“Hey,” he murmured, unlooping his arm from your shoulders and instead taking your hand. You flinched at the suddenness of it, but you didn’t pull away. He brought his pen to the back of your hand, the nib tickling you as he scribbled something over your skin. 

It’s going to be okay. You can do this. Those words stared at you from the back of your hand, emblazoned in Kuroo’s chicken-scratch script. 

He’d always been saying this sort of stuff to you. He’d always been trying to help ground you, to bring you back down to earth. And above it all, he’d always had an unshakeable faith in you. A faith you didn’t quite feel like you deserved. But he was always there, always supporting you. 

He meant more to you than you could even put into words.

“I’m sorry,” you sniffed, squeezing your eyes shut as you felt an all-too-familiar sting in them. “I didn’t mean to freak out on you, I’m–”

“No,” Kuroo shook his head, smiling at you. “Don’t do that.” 

You bit your lip. He hated it when you apologised for stuff like this. Totally unwarranted, he’d said. 

“Do you still have it?” Kuroo asked, letting go of your hand. 

You dug around in your bag, pulling out a little booklet. “This thing?” 

He grinned. “Yeah. You told me it’d be useful.” 

“It has been,” you murmured, fiddling with the corner of the booklet.

You’d been a little surprised when he’d first handed it to you a few months ago, but now it was well-worn. It was a collection of articles, each one dedicated to different types of coping strategies for all sorts of problems. Stress, anxiety, melancholy, a lack of motivation… any potential problem you could face, he’d found at least a handful of potential solutions for. 

Honestly, you weren’t sure if things would be running so smoothly if it wasn’t for him. Kuroo was the sort of person who always liked to be on top of things – ‘it gives me more time to goof off,’ he’d said. But you knew that he also wanted to do well; to see his hard work pay off, to get into a good university, and to make his family proud.

And he’d helped you stay on top of things as well. His timetables and this booklet were just one small part of that.  

As you ran your thumb over the booklet, a lump began to form in your throat. 

You really couldn’t have predicted that the two of you would get so close. And each and every day, you grew closer still. 

You’d noticed the little affections between the two of you. The way your hands would brush when he walked you home. The way you leant against one another whenever you had movie nights. They way his hand always lingered in your hair when he ruffled it. They were only little moments, nothing particularly grand. It was nothing that transgressed either of your boundaries. Everything you shared was nebulously platonic; more a testament to just how comfortable you really were with each other than to any undercurrent that ran differently to friendship. 

But you knew that some part of you wanted it to speak to something else. That frightened you.

And yet, romance didn’t cover it nicely. It felt almost disrespectful to try and think of your feelings that way. You had the suspicion that this love of yours didn’t fall neatly into either camp.

There’s so much at play – he meant so much to you, and you honestly couldn’t imagine your life without him in it. Where would you be? Who would you be? 

You loved Kuroo Tetsurou. Deeply. And you had for a while. 

Your love for him was somewhere in the in-between. There’s a wealth of feeling here, deep and powerful and intimidating. But you were scared of the grey. Scared of what it meant. Scared of how those feelings might express themselves. And you had no idea what he was feeling. No idea if he was even on the same page. The last thing you wanted to do was to make him uncomfortable.  

So, it’s easier to call them platonic. For the sake of your friendship, if nothing else. 

✉

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: i hope you’re asleep right now

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: but don’t forget to look after yourself, okay? 

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: i know you’re really stressed, but don’t forget to eat well and keep your fluids up 

[passable at best] 11:35 PM: and when you’re stressed, take a deep breath 

[passable at best] 11:35 PM: your brain needs the oxygen, if it’s going to run smoothly ;) 

✧ ✧ ✧

It took everything within you not to squeal at the top of your lungs as you watched that final spike from Yamamoto go flying off the hand of one of Nohebi’s blockers. 

Your kids had done it. They’d won. 

You’re running on pure adrenaline as you launched yourself in the air, jumping being the only way to properly express your delight. Yamamoto dashed towards you, hands held up. You high-fived him with a grin, saying something that you were sure was totally incoherent. But you just didn’t quite know how to put your overwhelming pride into words. 

Lev was next, running at you while screaming. You screamed back, standing on your tip-toes in an attempt to ruffle his hair. Oh, you had words for him; but you’d wait until you’d calmed down a bit. 

There was someone in particular that you wanted to see, though. Someone– 

“Oi!” You flinched, turning around. 

Kuroo. With his arms spread wide, already anticipating you. 

You threw yourself into his embrace, and his arms found their way around your waist. He wanted nothing more than to be close to you, to share the joy and elation coursing through his veins. What he wanted most, in that moment, was to be with you. 

You melted into him, your face nestled in the crook of his neck. And then, he knew. 

It’s love.

It’s not love in the way it’s always been sold to him. It’s not a love that burns bright with passion and spectacle.

But it’s how he loves you. It’s a quiet, peaceful love, an impressionist watercolour of every shade and tone of affection. 

You looked up at him, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with joy. 

And he wondered, in that moment, if he should kiss you.

You’re looking up at him with such resolve, such determination that he felt like maybe, just maybe, the things he'd dreamt of might be possible.

There's a pleasant remembrance, a deep gratitude for the fact that all this time, you’d been there. Supporting him. Like you always had.

But it wasn't time to think about it. You’re still technically on the court, and there were so many people around. He wasn’t going to put you on the spot like that. 

He merely wrapped his arms around you again, pulling you into his chest. "I can't thank you enough, you know."

"Me?" Your face was burning red, and you’re glad he couldn’t see that.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, resisting the urge to kiss the top of your head. “You’ve done a lot for me. Both as a manager, and as a friend.” 

Your arms were around his waist, and you squeezed him tight for just a moment. “You too.” 

He knew he should let you go. He knew that the two of you had been entwined like this for far too long to pass it off as platonic. But he didn’t want to let go. He wanted this moment to last forever. 

He only found the courage to let you go when Lev came thundering towards the two of you, arms raised above his head and elated smile on his face. Kuroo managed to release you, watching with an unabashedly fond smile as Lev gave you a highly dramatised play-by play of the game you’d just been watching. 

But you were smiling, all the way up to your eyes. And for Kuroo, part of loving you was feeling nothing but joy when he saw that look on your face. 

And he knew he would be blessed with that sight for the rest of the evening. 

By the time you’d all left the stadium, you and Yaku were in tears. The first years were flitting around, offering you both a copious amount of tissues. Both of you refused them, content on just using your shirts. 

Usually, the sight of you in tears would break his heart. But he knew these were happy tears. And he wouldn’t trade that brilliant smile that accompanied them for anything. 

You’d calmed down a bit by the time you all settled into a nearby ramen joint. The tears had stopped, replaced by nothing but high spirits. Kuroo, for one, was having the time of his life. There wasn’t much time to just let go these days; entrance exams were closer than he wanted them to be, and finals were growing more and more imminent. And that wasn’t even taking volleyball into account. 

But for now, he could lose himself in this moment; in sharing his glee with this team that he loved so much, that he’d fought alongside with everything he had. 

And you, of course. 

As he sat next to you, watching your face light up as you spoke to Kai about nothing of consequence, he knew that he was done with tip-toeing around the issue. Done with denying his feelings. He knew that he’s feeling something on top of friendship. Not instead of it, but alongside it. And maybe that was the realisation he should’ve come to a while ago.  

But that didn’t matter. He knew now. He had to say something. 

He tried his best as he walked you home. But confessing was harder than he’d given it credit for. 

You were chatting away so animatedly about how proud you were, your entire face lit from within by nothing but pure adoration for your kids. You even pulled out specific examples from today’s game, complimenting each person who’d been on the court. 

Seeing you like this made him so soft. So fond. 

And he wanted to kiss you really, really badly. 

Say something, he thought to himself. Say something, you absolute idiot. 

“And Lev,” you breathed, a hand on his chest. “Can you believe it?” 

Kuroo chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ll be honest, I thought it’d take a bit longer for the whole teammate thing to click.” 

“I’m so proud of him,” you said, shaking your head. “He’s grown so much in just one year.” 

So have you, Kuroo thought to himself. 

“Will Yaku be okay?” You asked, looking up at him. Fuck, you were so pretty. 

“He should be,” Kuroo nodded. “Honestly, at least that sprain means he’s obligated to take a couple days rest.”

You grinned. “That’s true.” 

Your arm kept brushing against his, your hands so close to touching. 

Why were his palms so sweaty? He might’ve reached out and taken your hand if his own didn’t feel so gross. 

Fuck. You’ve already reached your house. 

“Well,” you sighed, rocking on your feet a little. “Thanks.” 

“For what?” He raised an eyebrow at you. 

“For tricking me into being your manager,” you laughed, moving to stand right in front of him. “It’s been fun.” 

“Geez, you don’t have to say it like it’s over.” He scoffed, too nervous to reach out and ruffle your hair like he usually would. 

“Sorry,” you grinned. “I’m just… happy.”

“Me too,” he admitted. 

You smiled at him, eyes bright and full of wonder. Were you letting the moment linger? Did you not want this to end either? Was there any possibility that you felt the same way he did? 

Do it, he thought to himself. She’s right there. Just… just do it. 

Something in your face shifted. Just a little. But you stepped back, giving him a resolute nod. 

The moment was gone. 

“Make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?” You smiled at him. 

Do something, he pleaded. 

But the adrenaline’s gone. That bright flame of courage he’d felt when you were in his arms had flickered out. And now you felt just out of reach. 

“I will,” he nodded. 

By the time you made it up to your room, you knew. 

You threw yourself on the bed, burying your head in your pillow. 

He was going to kiss you. 

You could see it in his eyes. In how he’d looked at you in his arms at the stadium. In the way he’d hesitated before dropping you home. 

You’d wanted him to kiss you. You’d felt nothing but crushing disappointment when he hadn’t. 

You rolled over onto your back, staring at your ceiling for a second. You took a few deep breaths – just as that little booklet of yours instructed you to. You needed to calm down. To sort out your thoughts. 

You sat up, reaching for the photo album sitting on your bedside table. 

It was his birthday tomorrow. It’d been lost in the hub-bub of the qualifiers, but you’d been preparing this gift for a couple of months now. You just had to get the photos from today printed, and it’d be complete. 

You flicked through the last few pages, gazing over the pictures of the past few months with a strange lump in your throat. 

It hit you as you looked at his face in one photo. It’s decorated with a genuine smile as he gazed at you, sat next to him in a little booth at a ramen joint. You’re not doing anything special. Just laughing, probably at something stupid he had said. But he looked so happy, and that made your heart ache in the way it only did for him. 

You couldn’t chalk your feelings up as just friendship. You had feelings for Kuroo Tetsurou, and they’re multiplicious. They’re something in-between friendship and romance, something you hadn’t given shape and form to. 

But they’re something you wanted to explore. 

✉

[YOU] 8:43 PM: hey

[YOU] 8:43 PM: i don’t think i made it clear enough today, but i’m so proud of you 

[tetsuwu] 8:44 PM: yeah, the team really gave it their all 

[YOU] 8:44 PM: they did! but i meant, like you. i’m proud of you

[tetsuwu] 8:47 PM: oi

[YOU] 8:47 PM: ????

[tetsuwu] 8:48 PM: what did i say about warning a guy before you say sappy stuff like that? 

[YOU] 8:48 PM: look, i just wanted to let you know! and you should really be proud of yourself, you know?

[tetsuwu] 8:49 PM: just. give me a moment 

[tetsuwu] 8:50 PM: also did you have to change my name back to tetsuwu?

[YOU] 8:50 PM: it’s a classic :) 

✧ ✧ ✧

Birthday mornings were always a gamble in the Kuroo household. 

Was the rest of the family going to pretend they forgot? Were they going to be standing in the corner of your room, waiting for you to wake up and scream? Were they going to be hiding in the garden as you woke up to an empty house? 

Most years he tried to wake up early to get the jump on them. But he’d permitted himself a sleep-in, just this once.

He’d been up late, after all, cursing himself out for being such a coward. The thought’s still with him when he woke up. 

He had to push it out of his mind. There was a lot to be happy about – a spot at nationals, a chance to make the Battle At The Garbage Dump actually happen, his birthday. He knew he shouldn’t dwell too much on you. He also had to check on Kenma; chances were he was suffering from a fever, as usual. 

He’d confess. Eventually. But first he had to actually enjoy his birthday. 

And the only way to kick that off was with a tea. 

He’s still a bit bleary from sleep as he walked into the kitchen, intent only on getting some caffeine into his body. He didn’t need to peek at the mirror to know that he looked like a damn mess. His family would chew him out for it regardless. 

So he tried to steel himself for the typical morning tirade, playful jabs that he had to be lucid enough to return. 

What he didn’t steel himself for, however, was seeing you standing in his kitchen. 

He froze. What were you doing here? Why were you speaking to his grandmother? Why did you look so cute in your jumper? 

The questions flooded his mind all at once, a mental labyrinth that he couldn’t quite make his way through. 

Your arms were around his neck before he even had the chance to process it.

“Happy birthday!”

Oh, oh–

He’d been awake for barely fifteen minutes, and he had to act like this wasn’t making him melt into a puddle? His mind was back at the play-offs, his arms around your waist as you pressed your body against his. He needed to regain his composure, and desperately.

“Thanks,” he managed to mumble out, his arms hovering awkwardly above your waist. 

At that moment, he locked eyes with his grandmother. Her face was plastered with the trademark Kuroo grin, and she winked at him. 

That’s it. His composure was completely in shambles. He grabbed your shoulders and pushed you away from him, giving him the space he needed to think clearly.  

“So…��� He cleared his throat, one hand pressed on his neck as if to ground himself. “What are you doing here?”

Your face fell ever so slightly, and it broke his heart. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” You frowned, tilting your head at him. “It’s your birthday. I wanted to come and say hi.” 

He locked eyes with his grandmother again. She took a sip of her tea. 

“Let’s… let’s go to my room,” he suggested, painfully aware of the fact that the flush in his cheeks had made its way to his neck. It’s not ideal, being alone with you in his room when he’s feeling like this. But if he was going to embarrass himself, he’d prefer to do it somewhere his grandmother couldn’t watch. 

He didn’t wait for your response. 

He turned on his heels, stalking out of the kitchen as quickly as he could. 

He’d wanted at least twenty-four hours to pull himself together. At least. Then maybe he would’ve stood a chance while talking to you. But here you were, one of the first faces he’d seen today. How long had he been awake? Twenty minutes? 

This was, quite frankly, a disaster. 

He thundered into his room and sat himself on his bed, back a little too straight and hands balled up in his lap. 

You sat yourself down next to him after shutting his door, close enough to make him a little more nervous. You’ve got a gift bag in your hand and a look of concern painted on your face. 

“Tetsu, are you okay?” 

Did you have to use his nickname? You’d called him that plenty of times before, but now it just felt… strange. Now it made his stomach flutter in all sorts of ways.

“Yeah,” he blushed, looking away from you. “Do I seem… not okay?”

“You seem uneasy.” 

Idiot, he thought to himself. Of course you’d be able to read him. And it’s not like he’s being subtle. 

“I’m fine,” he said, trying to replicate his usual easy smile. “Just feeling old, you know?” 

You laughed. “Sure.” 

He could feel his face burning up. And he could feel you watching him. That just made it worse. 

He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what he even wanted to say. Blurting out a confession wasn’t the best way to go about it. But he didn’t even know how to start a conversation with you right now. 

“I, uh… I brought you something,” you said, holding out the bag. 

He took it with a nod, setting it in his lap. Okay. This was a start. At the very least, he now had something to talk to you about. 

He took a deep breath as he reached into the bag, pulling out a thick, square-shaped present. Peering into the bag, he caught sight of an envelope. 

“Read the letter later, please,” you said, your cheeks a little pink. 

He nodded. You probably got all sappy in it. If he read it now, he’d probably explode. 

“You can open the present, though,” you said, gesturing to it. 

“Right,” he mumbled, taking a second to collect himself before tearing into the wrapping.

It’s a photo album. The photo you’d slipped into the cover was one of the team, collapsed in a human pile as they beamed at the camera. 

He looked at you tentatively. You offered him a beautiful smile. 

“I hope you like it,” you said, a hint of blush to your cheeks. 

He already knew he would. 

But he wasn’t ready for the absolute flood of emotions that was stuffed between these pages. There was that time from second year, when the team had gone to a theme park. It was just after Kenma had started to bleach his hair. Kuroo, Yaku and Kai beamed up from the page, completely unaware of Yamamoto pulling a face in the background.  

There’s the day you, Kuroo and Kenma had gone to get ice cream in celebration of Kuroo’s captaincy. Kuroo’s beaming at the camera, one arm looped around Kenma’s shoulder. It’s only slightly, but Kenma’s smiling, too.

There’s a selfie from that trip to the temple, both your cheeks flushed. He couldn’t tell if it’s from the cold or from the promises you’d made that day. 

There’s photos from the New Years’ Festival you’d both attended with Yaku and Kai. You’re all dressed up in your nicest clothes, pressed together for a poorly lit selfie. 

There’s the first group photo from this year, the entire team huddled together. The taller guys had to hunch to accommodate the likes of Yaku, even if they weren’t about to say it out loud. But, half of Lev’s head still got cut off. 

And that’s just a handful of them. His heart was already overwhelmed as he flicked through countless photos of birthday celebrations, the training camp, and many other little moments he’d forgotten about. 

There’s even photos from yesterday, each member of the team grinning like idiots. 

The tears welled up before he could stop them. 

He wasn’t the sort to get sentimental. But this just got to him. Seeing every happy, joyful memory of the past two years made him feel like he was about to collapse in on himself. It filled him with a certain sense of adoration that he couldn’t hold back. 

He covered his face with his hands, bending over. 

“Hey,” you murmured, placing a hand on his back. “You alright?”

“I’m–” He choked on his words, clearing his throat. “I’m great.” 

When he finally dropped his hands and let you see his face, your heart stuttered. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, his nose was all red, and his cheeks were flushed a deep, deep scarlet. But you didn’t have time to process it. 

His arms wrapped around you, pulling you towards him. You conceded, resting your face in the crook of his neck and wrapping your arms around his chest. He’s warm, comforting. 

"I wouldn't be who I am today without you."

His breath fanned your neck as he said those words. And as fuzzy as that made your mind, you knew you felt the same way. 

You genuinely couldn’t imagine who you’d be without him. He’d had such an impact on you, and you couldn’t be more grateful for all the ways he’d helped you grow as a person. 

And you knew now that, it’s okay to love him in the in-between. You didn’t need to be afraid of how you felt. You could love him in all sorts of ways; in ways that were cleanly defined, and in ways that weren’t. You could love him as you needed to. As you’re able to. 

"Me neither," you mumbled. 

He drew back, bringing one of his hands to cup your cheek. You didn’t shy away. 

He was looking at you with such affection, his eyes still a little watery, still a little red. You loved this Kuroo – this big, dense softie. 

His thumb ran over your cheek gently, and you hoped your face didn’t look as flushed as it felt. 

He thought you were the most precious thing he’d ever seen. 

“Can I kiss you?” His words were soft, his voice low and gentle. 

You could feel your heart hammering in your chest, your mind abuzz with excitement, nervousness and everything in-between. 

You managed to nod. 

The smile on his face rivalled even the most beautiful sunrise you’d ever seen. 

When his lips met yours, you felt everything from elation to relief. Elation at being able to hold him like this. Relief that you could finally hold him in all the ways you wanted to. 

His lips were softer than you’d expected them to be, and his touch so gentle and hesitant that you felt like you’re about to melt. 

But there’s desperation in this kiss, a testament to all the build-up. You wanted more of him. You wanted to give him more of you. 

He pulled you into his lap gently, both hands on your waist. One of your hands was twined in his hair, the other running over his shoulder and collarbone with a feather-light touch. You’re just so glad, so grateful that you finally get to be with him like this. 

His hands moved from your waist, to your hips, to your thighs, to your shoulders. The only thought running through his brain was you – how good it felt to kiss you, how exhilarating it felt to hold you close to him like this with no hesitation, how it felt like he’d waited his whole life for this. For you. 

Some part of his brain thought that was oh-so-adolescent and stupid. Most of his brain didn’t care.

You pulled away, lips pink and cheeks flushed. He blinked at you, dazed and a little startled. How did your post-kissing face look so cute and pretty? Why hadn’t he kissed you sooner? Why’d he deprived you both of this for so long? 

“Tetsu,” you hummed, cupping his face in your hands. 

“Hm?” 

“Your family is home.” 

“Oh,” he swallowed, a little embarrassed by how much he’d let his mind wander. “Yeah.” You both knew that his grandmother wasn’t the type to knock. 

You laughed, pressing a kiss to his nose. 

He smiled at you. A sudden swell of gratitude gripped his heart; you felt the same way as he did. You hadn’t necessarily traded those words yet, but he had a feeling that they were in that letter you’d written for him. 

But you didn’t need to talk about it right now. You could just enjoy this moment. Enjoy the fact that neither of you were holding back anymore. 

He couldn’t wait to tell Kenma–

Oh shit. Kenma. 

“You alright?” You asked, brushing his fringe out of his face. 

“Huh?” He asked, blinking at you. 

“Your face went all weird,” you pouted. 

“I just remembered that I’ve gotta go check on Kenma,” he said, resting his hands on your hips. “I want to make sure he hasn’t got a fever from yesterday.” 

Oh. Oh. Your heart was going again. 

There was a lot you could say about Kuroo Tetsurou. And there were so many things you couldn’t put into words. You adored him. You adored him for his perspective on things, for how he always managed to bring you back down to earth. You adored him for just how much he cared, even if that was veiled by his playful deflections. You adored him for the fact that, even though he’d never admit it, he’s soft, and had a penchant for offering people all that he could give. 

And he’d given you so much. He’d been your resource to use as you pleased, and so much more. He’d held you up without complaint, and he’d done nothing but support you. He’d been one of your closest friends, if not the closest. And ever since you’d gotten to know one another, he’d been someone you’ve always felt comfortable with. In many ways, he’d been your safe place. 

Yet on top of it all, he’s a dork. He’s clever, yes, and one of the most interesting people you’d ever known. But he’s such an idiot, so endearingly goofy. He always seemed to find the levity in things, even though he knew when to take things seriously. And for all his maturity, for all those wonderful things about him, he’s still just a guy.   

You wouldn’t want him any other way. 

✉

[whipped] 2:01 PM: okay but… can i call you my girlfriend now? 

[whipped] 2:01 PM: am i... your boyfriend?

[YOU] 2:01 PM: tetsu we’re in the same room 

[whipped] 2:01 PM: yeah but i don’t wanna say it out loud 

[whipped] 2:02 PM: also kenma’s here and he’ll get uncomfortable 

[YOU] 2:02 PM: sounds suspiciously like you planned this 

[YOU] 2:02 PM: anyway, i thought that much was clear? 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: not necessarily 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: just wanted to check 

[YOU] 2:03 PM: you’re such a nerd 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: yeah well… i also wanted you to know that you’re the best birthday present i could’ve asked for ;)

[YOU] 2:03 PM: oh my god

[YOU] 2:03 PM: you’re so cheesy 

[whipped] 2:04 PM: :) 

[zintranslations]

Kaleidoscope of Death, Ch. 54

Kaleidoscope of Death by Xi Zixu Link to Chinese / Link to ongoing Taida Translations

Chapter 54: The Sixth Door

A few months later, Lin Qiushi was to face his own sixth door.

He thought that like last time, Ruan Nanzhu would have him pass it with Cheng Qianli, who was on door six himself. However, Ruan Nanzhu intentionally separated them this time.

Though he didn’t know why, Lin Qiushi didn’t ask further, trusting that Ruan Nanzhu had his own logic.

With about ten days left, Cheng Qianli received his own clue. Typically, everybody helped to research the clue, but this time was an exception. Cheng Qianli’s clue was kept secret from everybody in the mansion, known only to himself and his brother.

Cheng Qianli became rather cheery after he got his clue. When Lin Qiushi asked what he was so giddy about, Cheng Qianli replied, “hehehe, my brother told me not to tell.”

Lin Qiushi, “...” Even though Cheng Qianli was foolish sometimes, he still listened to his brother about important matters.

Once Cheng Qianli was done giggling, he said to Lin Qiushi, “After I come out, I’ll tell you in private. Have you gotten your clue?”

Lin Qiushi shook his head, “not yet.” Ruan Nanzhu had yet to give him anything, and seemed to be contemplating something.

Cheng Qianli, “you got Ruan-ge with you, so don’t worry, nothing’s gonna happen.” 

“Mh.” Lin Qiushi nodded. “Good luck to us both then.” 

“Good luck.” Cheng Qianli just kept grinning in shameless glee.

A few more days passed before Lin Qiushi finally got the clue to his own door. This time the clue was simple: the slender shadow. 

“What’s this?” Lin Qiushi asked upon first receiving the clue, confused, “some kind of legend?” 

“It’s a foreign urban legend,” Ruan Nanzhu replied. “People also call it Slenderman, have you heard of it?” 

Lin Qiushi thought a bit before nodding, “vaguely.” He thought he’d seen a movie of the sort.

Ruan Nanzhu tossed him a file.

“Take a look first. There's not a lot, but it’s better than nothing.”

Lin Qiushi began looking through the file.

The file recorded in detail this slender ghostly shadow. It was a Western urban legend about a kind of humanoid monster with long thin limbs and no face. With spindly arms and legs, this monster looked somewhat like a human spider. It appeared in rural spaces or small towns and preyed primarily on children left on their own. Of course, it attacked adults as well. The children it targeted simply disappeared, but the adults would start manifesting odd symptoms, like nosebleeds, nightmares, and even seeing their own worst fears.

The file continued to describe Slenderman's distinct methods of killing, such as spearing people on tree branches and bleeding them to death. They also liked removing people's organs and putting them in plastic bags… Regardless, urban legends like these were terrifying enough in real life, for more faint-hearted people, not to mention inside the world of the doors.

Lin Qiushi quickly finished reading and thought that was all the prepwork needed. To his surprise, Ruan Nanzhu suddenly said they were going shopping for clothes. 

Lin Qiushi, bewildered, “for clothes? What clothes?”

Ruan Nanzhu smiled, “clothes for you to wear inside.” 

Under the pitying gazes of everybody else in the mansion, a still-befuddled Lin Qiushi left for the mall with Ruan Nanzhu. The first few items were still normal men's clothes, but then they came to the women’s section…  

Ruan Nanzhu, who was obviously used to this, announced he was buying clothes for his girlfriend. His gaze, however, surveyed Lin Qiushi.

Lin Qiushi didn’t understand at first, and asked like a fool, “Nanzhu, you have a girlfriend?”

Ruan Nanzhu, "no."

Lin Qiushi, “then why are you buying women’s clothes?”

Ruan Nanzhu, “I’m not buying, you are.”

Lin Qiushi, “but I don’t have a girlfriend either…”

Ruan Nanzhu, walking up front with a few bags, turned.

“It’s for you to wear. What girlfriend.”

Lin Qiushi’s brain bluescreened for three whole seconds. When he finally comprehended what was going on, shock and fear entered his eyes.

“Me? Wear?"

Ruan Nanzhu, "yes, you."

Lin Qiushi, “But— Can I wear them when I look like this—”

Ruan Nanzhu’s expression went strange, “what do you think you look like?”

Lin Qiushi, “just a regular guy."

Sinking into silence, Ruan Nanzhu’s gaze on Lin Qiushi went stranger and stranger. Goosebumps rising from that gaze, Lin Qiushi forewent further questions and obediently followed him back to the mansion. 

Three days later, Ruan Nanzhu plucked Lin Qiushi out of hiding from his room and made him change his clothes. 

Lin Qiushi, who had been an office worker for some time, couldn’t be said to be particularly fit. He had an average male physique, with features that were nonaggressive and clean: double-lidded eyes that weren’t too big with a pretty smile. Ruan Nanzhu sat Lin Qiushi down and began taking out makeup tools.

Lin Qiushi’s eyes went wide with trepidation. “Nanzhu… Can we talk?”

Ruan Nanzhu, “talk about what?”

Lin Qiushi asked faintly, “can we not do this?”

Ruan Nanzhu was expressionless. “Didn’t you ask if I really liked crossdressing so much? Rather me explain, why don’t you just experience it yourself?” His eyes narrowed with a fake-looking smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you once we’re inside.”

Lin Qiushi nearly cried. 

He knew none of the makeup items before him, and felt only Ruan Nanzhu rubbing and patting all these things on his face. So much time passed that he was nearly asleep when Ruan Nanzhu finally straightened and patted off his hands. "Done." 

Lin Qiushi, "....."

Ruan Nanzhu handed a mirror to Lin Qiushi.

“Take a look, then pick a hairstyle you like.”

Lin Qiushi took the mirror, and was a bit dazed by what he saw: a woman’s face. “She” wasn’t astonishingly beautiful, but was certainly attractive enough to draw the eye. This face was gentle and the expression ill-treated, inspiring pity and sympathy.

Lin Qiushi couldn’t help himself, and declared, fuck.

“Dirty mouth on a lady,” Ruan Nanzhu said. “Do you like long or short hair?”

Lin Qiushi, “long…” He meant he liked long-haired girls, but Ruan Nanzhu just picked up a wig and began putting it on him.

Lin Qiushi, "....."

Once that was done, Ruan Nanzhu began finishing up the last details. He probably planned for Lin Qiushi to wear a dress at first, but upon seeing Lin Qiushi’s expression of utter terror—he looked on the verge of fainting—relented on this kind of shock for Lin Qiushi’s first time. The end outfit was fairly unisex.

Once it was forced onto him, Lin Qiushi only wanted to turn and run—he’d learned his lesson about running his mouth.

Everything was finally ready, and Ruan Nanzhu examined the person before him with a satisfied expression. Lin Qiushi wasn't the chiseled sort of handsome, but rather a mellow and personable sort, which meant makeup could easily smooth out the more discordant details. Paired with Lin Qiushi's gentle nature, it actually all came together quite finely.

"I have to wear this?" Faced with the big man himself, Lin Qiushi couldn't exactly express a temper. He could only attempt to pitifully plead, "Nanzhu, I know I was wrong. Can't we..."

Ruan Nanzhu lifted a brow.

"No."

Lin Qiushi, "....."

Lin Qiushi, "but I don't know how to speak in a fake voice." Ruan Nanzhu's voice inside the doors was slightly unisex, but definitely did not ping as boy.

Ruan Nanzhu, "so practice."

Lin Qiushi, "I only have ten days or so..."

Ruan Nanzhu's insincere smile: "Take your time, there's no rush. We have plenty more opportunities in the future. This time though, if you can't talk, you can always pretend to be mute."

Lin Qiushi, "....."

Ruan Nanzhu tapped his finger against the table. "A frail and fragile mute girl, isn't that an interesting character?"

Lin Qiushi, "....." Tan Zaozao, come get the man for your entertainment circle, and the next Oscar was sure to go to China.

After saying what he did, Ruan Nanzhu still provided Lin Qiushi a "generous" second option: if you don't want to play a mute girl, you can always play a man with a passion for crossdressing.

In the end, Lin Qiushi, not wanting to field odd looks, still opted to play mute.

Because of the outfit, Lin Qiushi had to bear the ridicule of others in the mansion.

"Hahahaha Lin Qiushi, so you've come to this too." Cheng Qianli was the most impertinent. "But you actually look good like this, much better than Chen Fei."

Lin Qiushi, "hah?"

Chen Fei glowered from the side. "Fuck if you're one to talk, Cheng Qianli. Looked in a mirror recently?"

Cheng Qianli, "hmph, I'd be drop dead gorgeous as a girl."

Ruan Nanzhu, "oh yeah?"

Cheng Qianli, upon hearing Ruan Nanzhu's voice, did a full-body shudder. "No no no, Ruan-ge, I'm only kidding."

Ruan Nanzhu peered once at him, then sat down at the table. "How are preparations with your brother then?"

Cheng Qianli, "good, actually." He took a bite. "This next world seems pretty easy."

Ruan Nanzhu only hummed in response, and didn't ask any follow-up questions. He seemed confident enough in Cheng Yixie—Lin Qiushi just didn't know what the argument he overheard on the rooftop the other day was about.

Considering his personality, no matter what, Cheng Yixie didn't seem the type to easily get into arguments with people.

But in the end, Lin Qiushi didn't figure any of this out, because the time to enter the door quickly arrived.

Ten odd days later on a random afternoon, Lin Qiushi had been snacking in the living room with Cheng Qianli, but after eating and eating, he turned around and suddenly found Cheng Qianli gone without a trace.

His first thought was to wonder if Cheng Qianli had gone to the bathroom. After a while without Cheng Qianli returning however, he realized Cheng Qianli had probably gone into the doors.

About half an hour later, Cheng Qianli suddenly reappeared on the sofa.

His face was awfully pale and he clutched at his chest, sucking in deep breaths. Seeing him like this, Lin Qiushi quickly asked, "are you alright? Qianli?"

Glancing once at Lin Qiushi in panic, Cheng Qianli bolted for the stairs without a word.

Seeing him so distressed, Lin Qiushi hastily followed.

Cheng Qianli went straight for Cheng Yixie's bedroom door, twisting the knob without bothering to knock.

The door opened to reveal Cheng Yixie, having just returned as well, sitting on the bed. He was still mostly expressionless, looking up at the agitated Cheng Qianli.

"What?"

"Ge—" Cheng Qianli threw himself onto Cheng Yixie, clutching on for dear life. "I thought you didn't make it, I thought you didn't make it—"

Cheng Yixie didn't reply, only patted at Cheng Qianli's back with a gentle hand to calm his brother.

Cheng Qianli seemed to have been well and truly terrified; his face was still colorless, and looked much worse off than Cheng Yixie.

The brothers stayed in the embrace for a little while, until emotions have settled. Slightly embarrassed, Cheng Qianli wriggled himself out of his brother's lap and scratched his nose. "I'm hungry. Gonna go eat something."

Cheng Yixie didn't stop him, and watched him go.

Once everything seemed fine, Lin Qiushi made to leave as well, but Cheng Yixie's voice suddenly came behind him: "Lin Qiushi, if anything happens to me, will you help Cheng Qianli?"

Lin Qiushi startled.

"Never mind," Cheng Yixie said. "Go on."

With that he closed the door, not giving Lin Qiushi an opportunity to respond.

Honestly, the usual Cheng Yixie didn't seem anything like a sixteen year old. He tended to be cool and calm, a lot like Ruan Nanzhu. Perhaps this sixth door really had been a close call, to have provoked him to say something like that.

Lin Qiushi felt an inexplicable ache in his chest.

Back in the living room, Cheng Qianli had started on the snacks again, but he didn't seem to be enjoying them at all. He looked thoroughly exhausted.

Lin Qiushi asked after him for a bit, and found out the world they'd gone into this time was a medieval post-war battlefield. There really had been some close calls.

Fortunately, they'd managed to escape in the end.

"My brother and I both have a genetic disorder," Cheng Qianli spoke as he snacked. This was news to Lin Qiushi. "We can't do sports, and when it's really serious, we can barely walk. The doctor says neither of us will live past eighteen."

Lin Qiushi listened.

"Then my brother entered the doors first," Cheng Qianli said. "His illness got better… Then I went in too." Scratching his head, he laughed, "sometimes I think, that the doors aren't really scary at all. Without them, we wouldn't have been able to lead normal lives, or live at all. We've already got more than our fair share."

Lin Qiushi said, "don't think like that. There are more days ahead of you."

"Yeah, more ahead." Cheng Qianli's gaze suddenly seemed lost. "And I don't know at all how I'll end my life."

This was hard to listen to. It was in this moment that Lin Qiushi fully realized that everybody in the mansion was dying. Some were emotionally prepared, some weren't, but there was no exception—they'd all caught on their breaths the scent of death.

"Good luck on your next door." Cheng Qianli stood. "I'm going to rest for a bit, I'm exhausted…"

And when he yawned, Lin Qiushi nodded and watched him go.

Probably because he had nothing in particular to cling to, Lin Qiushi could enter the doors with relative calm; he would take death, but he'd also happily welcome each rebirth.

Lin Qiushi's door and Cheng Qianli's weren't that far apart; the midnight after Cheng Qianli returned, Lin Qiushi started awake in his bed, left his room, and walked out into the hallway with those twelve metal doors once more.

The first five metal doors were sealed off, and the seventh onward all could not be opened. Only the sixth door allowed Lin Qiushi to pull it open with ease.

After the familiar spinning, Lin Qiushi found himself on a paved pathway. It was empty all around the path, with only a black sign pointing forward, on which was written the blurry text: Throughwaters Village

It was chilly, and Lin Qiushi wrapped his clothes tight around himself before starting forward. The path was wide and swathed in thick fog. After about six to seven minutes, a human silhouette finally came into view. The figure was familiar. Lin Qiushi's eyes lit up the moment he saw it, and called out, "Mengmeng—"

The person turned. The face was a stranger's but the disposition was not. He asked, "candy?"

Lin Qiushi, "love it, can't get enough. I like mint and strawberry flavored ones."

He replied, "I don't like them, because I've got an ache in my fourth tooth."

With the secret signal and each other's identities confirmed, Lin Qiushi could finally sigh in relief. He said, "I didn't think we'd find each other so early… Hang on, why are you dressed as a guy?" His eyes went wide.

Ruan Nanzhu replied, "did I say I was going to dress up with you?"

Lin Qiushi, "....."

Ruan Nanzhu put a finger to his lips and smiled. "A mute person can't speak so much."

Lin Qiushi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Can't I…"

“No." Ruan Nanzhu already knew what he was going to ask and heartlessly refused. "Be a good girl now."

Lin Qiushi, "....." Giving his hair a tug, he discovered that the wig did in fact become real hair, and for some reason, his height inside the door this time was shorter than usual.

"Come on, let's go find the others first." Ruan Nanzhu scanned their surroundings. "This fog's all kinds of irritating."

So the two headed onward.

Walking behind Ruan Nanzhu, Lin Qiushi discretely snuck a glance inside his pants. He exhaled in relief when the important bits were all still there.

Thankfully, it was only the hair that changed and nothing else, or he’d have found himself gone catatonic about it.

They kept going ahead, until finally different scenery grew visible: a ragged little town emerged from the fog before them. This town had clear Western influences, but most of the signs were still in Chinese.

Suddenly curious, Lin Qiushi asked, "have you ever ended up somewhere foreign?"

Ruan Nanzhu, "sure, aren't we in one now?"

Lin Qiushi said, "but the signs are Chinese."

Ruan Nanzhu, "they probably factored in people's standard cultural knowledge and figured sticking with Chinese was best." He glanced at Lin Qiushi. "After all, some people can't even read that."

Lin Qiushi knew Ruan Nanzhu was teasing him for pretending to be illiterate in the last door, and could only mutter awkwardly, "those were extenuating circumstances though…"

They walked into the town and found a group of people gathered in the small village square.

With a single sweeping glance, Ruan Nanzhu was able to count, "eight."

Lin Qiushi was already getting into character, and didn't reply.

Emerging from the fog, the two drew some attention. Some eyes fell on the stunning Ruan Nanzhu, but some even fell on Lin Qiushi.

The current Lin Qiushi had long hair and, due to being shorter, an apparently frail frame underneath the clothes. He was also pale and seemed a bit frightened, looking up at Ruan Nanzhu with dark eyes wide with helplessness—or at least that's what it looked like to outsiders. The reality was…

Lin Qiushi: fuck, fuck me, they're all staring at me.

Ruan Nanzhu: let them stare, what's the harm.

Lin Qiushi: what if they discover I'm a guy?

Ruan Nanzhu: whip the big guy out and scare them all to death.

Lin Qiushi: .....

And after the above transpired through nothing but meaningful eye contact, Lin Qiushi knew there was nothing more he could say.

Somebody was approaching. Probably because Ruan Nanzhu seemed harder to get along with, the person's attention completely targeted the poor, weak, and helpless-looking Lin Qiushi.

Before Lin Qiushi even had time to react, Ruan Nanzhu extended a hand to halt the person in his tracks. "Yeah?”

"Nothing." He was a handsome young man in his twenties, clad in a stylish outfit, and he seemed very interested in Lin Qiushi. "I just wanted to ask if you two needed some help."

"I don't think she can talk." Staring the guy down, Ruan Nanzhu blockaded himself in front of Lin Qiushi.

"Can't talk?" That person seemed even more interested now, and said, "Hi, I'm Wang Tianxin."

Ruan Nanzhu, "Lu Meng."

Seeing Ruan Nanzhu's protectiveness, Wang Tianxin smiled.

"Do you two know each other then?"

Ruan Nanzhu said, "no, but meeting the moment we entered feels a bit fated, doesn't it."

Lin Qiushi fished out his phone and typed: I'm Yu Qiuqiu, it's a pleasure to meet you both.

They both read the text on Lin Qiushi's phone screen, and Wang Tianxin said, "oh, so you're called Yu Qiuqiu. That's a cute name." He was a bit shorter than Ruan Nanzhu, and bent forward now with a friendly expression. "I'm Wang Tianxin, and if you'd like, I think we can try to be friends."

Lin Qiushi pretended to be a bit frightened, and ducked slightly behind Ruan Nanzhu. To be so solicitous without cause, the man was sure to peddle treachery or crime; Wang Tianxin's eager friendliness toward complete strangers obviously had ulterior motives. And though Lin Qiushi wasn't scared, he also wasn't stupid enough to step right into some kind of plot.

Ruan Nanzhu also didn't bother to be cordial: "she seems scared of you. Why don't you stay away from her."

Wang Tianxi looked at Ruan Nanzhu, but then actually turned and walk away.

Lin Qiushi didn't anticipate him giving up so easily, but Ruan Nanzhu let out a cold laugh—he seemed to have guessed Wang Tianxin's intentions.

The team of people for this round gradually gathered.

There were two newcomers again, both male this time. One appeared steady enough, but the other had completely broken down, crying and wailing the whole way here.

Fortunately, aside from all the crying, the new guy didn't do anything too extreme.

After giving up on Lin Qiushi, that Wang Tianxin quickly found himself another girl. In just a short amount of time, that girl and Wang Tianxin seemed to have grown very close, chatting and laughing with good cheer.

Lin Qiushi peered at Ruan Nanzhu.

Ruan Nanzhu knew what he wanted to ask, and replied under his breath, "there's always that kind of people inside the doors. They like finding teammates. Of course, the teammates aren't just good for teamwork, and can be good for something else as well."

Lin Qiushi: such as?

Ruan Nanzhu just watched him. His smile was meaningful, but he said nothing further.

Lin Qiushi was shocked into understanding by that smile.

Wang Tianxin was clearly an expert of this way, and found his targets with precision. Upon gathering, he approached delicate-looking women with care and concern, easily winning their trust.

And Lin Qiushi, a woman with a disability, was even more clearly his type. It was only because Ruan Nanzhu got in his way that he had to change targets.

Ruan Nanzhu said, "you better follow me closely, and don't get hoodwinked by others."

Lin Qiushi shot him a glare, and thought so what if he was hoodwinked, he'd only have to whip off the skirt and compare sizes a bit...

Author's Note

Ruan Nanzhu: there's no way we're not getting a show, if I don't act someone else has to.

Lin Qiushi: .....

[Ch. 53] | [Ch. 55]

[emmaswritingdump]

Internet Friends- Chapter Three

Words: 2011

Pairing: Adrienette, Ladynoir

AO3 // Wattpad

Ch 1 // Ch 2

Masterlist

Summary: In which our favorite dorks get married.

***

Marinette nearly falls out of her seat when Alya suddenly gasps- very loudly.

"What is wrong with you?" Marinette demands in a whisper.

Alya holds up her phone to show her a tumblr post made by chatnoir- a picture of a "Save the Date" wedding invitation inviting all their tumblr followers to watch a live video feed of their "wedding" tomorrow at noon.

"Miss Césaire," Madame Bustier says, walking over to Alya and holding out her hand. "No phones allowed in class."

"Sorry," Alya says meekly, handing the teacher her cell phone.

Alya gets notifications when ladybug and chatnoir post.

Marinette knows for a fact that chat is on the same school schedule as her, so either he scheduled that to post, or he, too, is on his phone during class.

Why would he schedule it to post at 9:54 AM, though?

Thinking it over, Marinette remembers him saying his best friend's girlfriend is like Alya. Maybe he just wanted to see her reaction.

Marinette tries to focus on her work again, but now that she's thinking about the "wedding", she can't stop.

She needs to finish making her dress. She and Chat both agreed that he would wear a tux, and she would wear a pretty dress- not a wedding dress, but a nice dress all the same- and to top it off, they would both wear simple masquerade-style masks to match their outfits.

She's making a dress she designed a few weeks ago. The past couple of days, she's been devoting most of her free time to sewing it, and she's hoping to finish it up tonight. She's also planning on getting her mask and shoes tonight.

Tomorrow, she will meet chatnoir in person.

She couldn't be more nervous- yet excited all the same.

***

Adrien grins at Alya's reaction to the post he scheduled that morning.

He thinks over everything, making sure everything is taken care of for tomorrow.

He got his tux, his mask, and his shoes last night- along with a little something else. He smirks remembering the surprise accessory he bought on a whim.

He already called the donut shop to explain to them what's happening, and they seemed cool with it; it turns out the manager's daughter is a ladynoir shipper, so she'll get to see the "wedding" live instead of on a screen.

Now all that's left is to actually meet the girl of his dreams.

***

***

Marinette wakes up the next morning and immediately leaps downstairs to eat breakfast.

"I'm going out today, maman," Marinette calls to her mother as she goes back up the stairs.

"Okay, Mari," Sabine responds. "Will you be back before dinner?"

Marinette hesitates. "I'm not sure. I'll text you later and tell you."

"Okay."

Marinette runs up the stairs to her bedroom and sits in front of her vanity to do her hair and makeup.

She does her makeup as she usually does- though perhaps with a tiny bit extra mascara, and adding some subtle pink to her lips. She elects to wear her hair down instead of in its usual pigtails, and she curls it elegantly.

She puts her dress, mask, and shoes in a bag, deciding to change into them when she's closer to the donut shop, and puts on a pretty necklace she got for her last birthday, along with a t-shirt and jeans.

The plan for the "wedding" is to livestream it on Chat's blog, and to have the manager of the donut shop "officiate" it. She and Chat will say their "vows," they will both bite into the same donut, and the manager will pronounce them canon.

Why anyone would watch this video is beyond her.

Checking her hair and makeup one last time before leaving, she goes down the stairs and heads outside.

***

She arrives at the donut shop at 11:50 and changes in the bathroom of the coffee place next door.

Leaving the coffee place, she gets a lot of people staring at her.

She's wearing a short red sleeveless dress with black polka-dots on the bottom half, a black sash around the middle, and thin black lace peeking out from the bottom. Her feet are adorned with black heels that have straps with tiny bows around her ankles, and her mask is red with black polka-dots to match her dress.

She tries to ignore the staring, and walks out of the coffee place and into the donut shop next door.

She immediately spots him sitting at a small table near the window.

That stupid boy is wearing a headband with cat ears on it.

His face lights up in a slightly-amazed grin as soon as he sees her. His green eyes shine with excitement and happiness, and his blond hair is a messy- yet endearing- mop on his head.

He stands, and Marinette nearly stops breathing.

He's tall.

She has a thing for tall guys.

And he's really tall.

Grinning, he makes his way over to her, not paying any attention to the many stares both of them are receiving.

He takes her hand in his larger one and bows slightly. He brings her hand up to his mouth and kisses the back of it, still grinning.

"My lady."

This time time, Marinette does stop breathing for a moment or two.

His voice.

His. Voice.

His. VOICE.

Marinette repeats the words in her head for what seems like an eternity, but is really only a second or two.

He has one of the most beautiful voices she's ever heard.

Blushing, she gives him a small smile. "Bonjour, Chaton."

***

Adrien is internally screaming.

Even with a mask, ladybug is more beautiful than he could've imagined.

And her voice is so sweet and soft. Although she only said two words, he can tell that he could listen to her talk forever.

Her hand in his, he leads her back to their table and pulls out her chair for her. She thanks him softly and sits down. They still have about five minutes to talk before the "wedding" starts.

"How are you?" he asks awkwardly.

"Good. And you?"

"I'm good. Did your parents ask why you left the house dressed all fancy?"

She shakes her head. "I came here wearing regular clothes and then changed next door."

Adrien laughs. "I wish I'd thought to do that. My father wasn't home, luckily, but his assistant was, and she thought I was insane."

"Your father has an assistant?"

"Yeah, um... he runs a fashion label."

Ladybug's beautiful blue eyes light up, and he smiles. "Really?! That's so cool! I love fashion; I design a lot- which you probably know from my Tumblr. What's it like? Do you know a lot of designers? Do you get to meet a lot of models? Do you get free clothes and stuff?"

Adrien laughs softly, grinning fondly at his lady's eagerness to learn about his father's business. He knows she doesn't want to know his identity, though, so he tries to reveal as little as possible about who he his.

"It's... it's different. I wouldn't say it's great, but I have almost everything I need or want, so it's not horrible either. Yeah, I know a lot of designers, and I... I know a lot of models, too. I'm usually allowed to have my pick of the clothes every time he releases a new line."

Ladybug smiles in awe. "That sounds amazing to me."

He laughs. "Yeah, well, I'm not really into fashion."

"Really?"

"Really. I guess being raised on it has some consequences- I have some pretty bad memories associated with fashion."

Ladybug frowns. "Like what?"

Adrien thinks back on some of those memories. "Like when I was a kid and my father pulled me out of a photoshoot- that I was, um, watching- to tell me my mom had disappeared. And when, after she vanished, he threw himself into his work and hardly paid attention to me anymore."

Ladybug's eyes fill with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Chat."

He shakes his head. "Never mind. What do your parents do?"

"They own a bakery," she says hesitantly.

He smiles. "That sounds like fun."

She gives him a small smile in return. "It can be. I help out with the baking a lot, and I get to eat free treats all the time."

"That sounds like a dream come true for me."

Ladybug laughs.

Adrien's phone buzzes, informing him that it's two minutes to noon. He smiles, thinking about the "wedding" and the surprise he has planned for the end.

"Looks like it's time," he tells Ladybug. He stands up and starts speaking to the rest of the customers. "Excuse me, everyone, we're going to be doing a live video now. Please refrain from making too much noise or getting in the shot."

The manager's teenage daughter walks out from behind the display case, holding a video camera, and smiles eagerly at them. She and her mother start moving tables out of the way, and the girl then sits at a table in the center with her video camera hooked up to her laptop. Adrien is already logged into Tumblr so she can stream the video on his blog.

The manager gestures to Ladybug and Adrien, showing them where to stand, and then takes her place between them to officiate the fake wedding.

Adrien smiles at Ladybug as he takes both her small hands in his. The manager nods to her daughter, who presses record on the camera.

"Dearly beloved followers and shippers," the manager begins. Ladybug giggles. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Ladybug and Chatnoir."

She continues with her speech, and Ladybug and Adrien exchange "vows" promising to always feed each other junk food and to never throw shade at each other online.

The manager reaches behind her and picks up a donut, then holds it out between the two of them.

Trying to fight back their giggles, they bite into the donut together.

They pull away and quickly chew and swallow the donut. They smile at each other as the manager speaks again.

"I now pronounce you canon. You may kiss the bride."

Ladybug's eyes go wide in surprise as realization takes over.

Adrien leans in and presses his lips to hers.

Fireworks go off in his belly, and he is giddy with the knowledge that he's kissing his lady.

Her lips are soft and warm against his, and once she gets over her initial shock, their mouths begin to move together in perfect harmony.

He smiles into the kiss, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her into him as she places her hands around his neck.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

***

Marinette giggles as she and Chat leave the donut shop hand-in-hand.

He leads her to a waiting carriage pulled by a white horse. They step onto the carriage and sit down, smiling.

"You're not mad about the whole kissing thing?" Chat asks her after a moment.

She thinks about it. "I'm surprised- and maybe even a bit irritated that you didn't tell me about it- but I'm not mad, no."

He smiles. "Good."

They go for a carriage ride around Paris, seeing all the beautiful sights.

At some point, Marinette finds herself resting her head on Chat's shoulder, her hand still intertwined with his.

Finally, they arrive back at the donut shop. Chat assists Marinette out of the carriage and, before she can see it coming, hugs her.

"Can we meet up again sometime soon?" he asks in a whisper. "We can still wear our masks."

Hesitantly, she wraps her arms around his torso and hugs him back. "I'd like that."

After a few moments, he pulls away from the hug and looks at her. "Do you need me to escort you home?"

Marinette shakes her head. "Thank you, Chat, but I'll be fine. Besides, I don't want you to know who I am- yet."

***

Adrien's heart leaps. "Yet? Does that mean you'll tell me who you are one day?"

Ladybug smiles. "We'll see."