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rieamena · 3 months ago

Text

two plus two equals six

nerd!takuma ino & popular-ish!fem!reader

contains... both of you being absolute losers and incredibly embarrassing. that's about it.

word count: 9.4k (its been a while since i've written something this long...)

riea's comments: it's been a terrible couple of days but this idea really stayed in my head and i really had to act on it. idk if its one of my best works but i still like it! i will prove my spot as the mayor of takuma city!!!

technically, you weren't supposed to bother him. something about threatening a restraining order but a threat is really just empty words, amiright?

"hey…," you called out towards the man just two feet in front of you, as a result of you sneakily sliding into the seat across from him at the cafe table he sat at. your lips hung on that final syllable, really stretching out that "eyyy". "you're in my gen chem right?" the harmonic clink of your bangles rang through the space you occupied as you focused on making your voice sound as sweet and sultry as possible

the man in question, y'know, the ones your friends call p.f.b.b.. the p.f.b.b. thing was all credits to you of course. every time you talked about that day's writing or chemistry lecture, he was always mentioned as just that: pretty face black beanie, even though "pretty face black beanie" never looked your way once. it was several continuous moments of pure delusion, your pure delusion

p.f.b.b. glanced up at you and gave a small head nod before turning back to his laptop. it had a clear case with a bunch of stickers from bands you didn't recognize amongst other things you assumed he liked. "of course you are! the chemistry between us is just so genuine maybe its cause you're such a gentleman!"

a giggle escaped you as you continued talking. "see what i did there? the gen from genuine and the gen from gentleman both correspond to the gen from gen chem. which i know means general by the way, i'm not—"

"are you okay?"

p.f.b.b.'s eyes were now trained on your form, looking with an expression you couldn't discern as anything but pure concern. but of course, for you, that meant something completely different. under his gaze, you felt your cheeks heat up and you began to fidget. "p.f.b.b., stop looking at me like that! you're making me shy…"

it was silent for a few seconds before he spoke. "why do you keep calling me that?"

"i'm sorry?" you tilted your head a bit

"this is maybe the third or fourth time you've called me p.f.b.b.," he takes a sip from his coffee cup before continuing to type away on his laptop

i've spoken to you before??? is what you thought

and its also what you said.

"well yes," he started, gaze never leaving the blue light of his device, "like that time i answered professor's question and you said 'wow p.f.b.b. you're so smart!'. or that other time when i picked up your pencil case for you as i was leaving the lecture hall. or when—"

"okay i get it! i seriously don't remember that happening at all though… maybe i should start taking memory pills…" you muttered

"i know you're popular and stuff but we're in university now. the bullying thing is outdated and super uncool."

you had to take a couple of moments to fully grasp what he was saying. he thought you were bullying him. he thought you were a bully. and worst of all, he thought you were uncool. your body shivered at that thought and a pit formed in your stomach

"wait—!" you exclaimed, even though he wasn't going anywhere, "first off, i'm not bullying you! the p.f.b.b. thing is an inside joke—"

"am i in on the joke?"

you froze in place. he got you there. "well no—"

"exactly. move to the second thing please." he bluntly stated as he took another swig of coffee

"okay um, i'm not uncool! i'm actually really cool. and i wouldn't consider myself to be popular either!" you scrambled to find your words and for each syllable that you said, you felt that pit in your stomach growing bigger

"everyone in the school knows you. you're popular." he said as he reached into his messenger bag, pulling out glasses and putting them on

you usually would be entranced, but you had way bigger fish to fry. "i—i can't be popular! what if someone asks me for the best date spots, or amazing places to eat, or secret secluded areas for a bit of privacy!? i'm not from here! i wouldn't know! and—and then i'll look like a failure! i'll look like a loser! p.f.b.b. i can't!—wait."

it was only when you stopped talking that he looked up from his laptop, "what…?"

you'd never noticed it before but his voice was really nice, almost to the point where even you would shut up just to hear him talk about any topic that came to his mind

"are you from here?"

"uh, yeah? i was born and raised in this area. why?" p.f.b.b raised his eyebrow at your sudden question to which you sighed in response. "oh nothing…," you cupped your hands on your jaw and looked out a nearby window. "i just wish a local, y'know, someone who's lived here all their life and was born and raised here, knows all the ins and outs of the city…, yeah just wish someone like that would show me around. i'm still new here…"

"well, i hope you find that person."

your eyes snapped open to see him all packed up, headphones on, and that suspiciously never-ending coffee cup in hand. "bye for now."

sitting in shock was all you could do. and sit you did. a calm five or so minutes had passed before you noticed something shiny in your peripheral. a card, but not just any card, a pokémon card, but not just any pokémon card, an ultra rare pokémon card at the back of a phone, but not just any phone, p.f.b.b.'s phone

you struck gold. pretty face black beanie will certainly be looking for this soon enough, and then you'll be there to swoop in and save the day. and it'll go something like this…

"ugh, where is that thing!" p.f.b.b. mutters frustratingly

"what thing?" you say sweetly, batting your eyelashes

"my phone. i must've misplaced it."

"oh perhaps…" you walk over to where he's standing, his phone in hand, "is this your phone?" you look up at him cutely

"yes! this is my phone! you found it! how can i ever repay you?"

"oh… you don't have to. i was just looking out for you…"

"i know! let's get married!"

"well if you insist…"

"of course! i love you!"

cue flowers and glitter and sparkles

you giggled from how creative and vivid the scene was but unfortunately that sound broke you from your delusion and brought you right back to the real world

"i have p.f.b.b.'s phone." you said flatly, opening the door to your shared apartment. shouts of "what?!" and "huh??!" filled the space as you set down your things and laid on the couch. your best friends quickly flooded the living room, throwing questions at you

"ladies, ladies, please. one at a time."

nobara hit your thigh, "stop acting so high and mighty! how did you get his phone?"

mimiko massaged the area as she listened to you, "so long story short, we were talking at a cafe and then he left but forgot his phone so i just picked it up!"

"so… you stole his phone." nanako stated

"no. he left it and i picked it up."

"wait— don't you know his schedule?" nobara mentioned, resting her head on the plush couch, "shouldn't you have been able to give it back to him?"

"well no… i'm not a stalker! i just have general knowledge of when and where his classes will be during the week."

"so why didn't you give it back to him, instead of stealing it?" mimiko teased, now kneading at your calves

"not you too, mimi!" you whined, "like i said, i didn't steal his phone! he left it on the cafe table and i picked it up!"

their voices mixed together to try and get the same two words through that thick skull of yours

"that's theft!"

the arguing of you and your roommates concerning your concerning ethics filled your ears, preventing you from hearing anything else. especially that banging on the front door

nanako shushed you all, bringing her voice to a barely audible whisper, "do you guys… hear that?"

thump. thump. thump.

"its probably one of your packages," nobara mentioned, earning an enlightened nod, "you seriously have a shopping addiction."

the shopaholic stood up and walked over to the door, still whispering, "you're one to talk!" you, nobara, and mimiko watched on as nanako's hand slipped over the door handle and turned it open. you swore that the door wasn't even open for a full five seconds before it was slammed shut. "it's a man."

the four of you exchanged confused looks. "yeah… maybe it's the delivery man…? check for a package," you said reassuringly. the door opens and it closes. nanako's voice right after. "no package."

"well… uh… what does he look like? maybe he's returning something one of us misplaced?" mimiko stammered, feeling the tension in the air rise at the unexpected stranger. the door opens again and it closes again. "brown hair. brown eyes. he's kinda emo looking…"

"spencer's emo or hot topic emo?"

"spencer's."

"wait!" you realized, practically falling over yourself as you ran to the door and pulled it open, "its–!"

"uh, hi..." you said, voice suddenly small compared to your usual playful demeanor. he was standing right outside your apartment door, looking more tired than annoyed, though the crease in his brow said he was definitely annoyed

"hey," he replied, with little emotion. his eyes briefly flicked to your roommates huddled behind you, who had all gone suspiciously silent. "you have my phone."

you unfortunately understood his intentions of finding where you live. it wasn't to ask you on a date, or to take you up on that offer you made earlier, it was to get his phone. you could've lied and said you didn't have it but…

"i do!" you held it up triumphantly like some kind of trophy, though the look on his face immediately made you regret it. "...but i swear, i wasn't trying to steal it or anything!"

his eyebrow raised slightly, and for a second, you thought he might actually laugh. instead, he sighed and reached out his hand. "can i have it back?"

"of course," you said quickly, but just as you extended it toward him, you froze. "wait! how do i know this is really your phone?"

"i'm sorry?" he blinked, looking somewhere between incredulous and exhausted. "you know it's my phone. you picked it up."

"yeah, but..." you stepped back slightly, holding it just out of reach. "what if it's not your phone, and you're just some random guy who also happens to wear a black beanie and drink coffee in moody cafes?"

your roommates groaned audibly from behind you, and you heard nobara mutter something like she's impossible under her breath

p.f.b.b., stared at you for a long moment before pinching the bridge of his nose. "okay. fine." he held out his hand again, palm up. "ask me something only i'd know if it's my phone."

you paused, scrambling for a question. "uh... what's on the back of your phone case?"

"a meowscarada pokémon card. holo, rare," he said without missing a beat. "which you clearly already saw, since you're holding it."

damn. he had you there.

"okay, okay," you relented, placing the phone in his outstretched hand. "i believe you. say no more."

he chuckled softly—barely audible, but enough to make your heart do a little somersault. "thanks. i appreciate you picking it up. i was worried i'd have to replace the card."

before you could stop yourself, you blurted, "you must really like pokémon, huh?"

"it's nostalgic," he admitted, remembering his childhood. "my brother and i used to play together when we were kids."

your lips curved into a grin. "that's cute. guess you're not as emo as you look."

his head tilted slightly at that, but you caught the faintest twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips. "guess not. anyway..." he glanced past you at your still-curious roommates. "thanks again. i should go."

"wait!" you called after him as he started to turn. he stopped, looking at you expectantly. "how do you know where i live? do you live around here or something?"

"i… uh… live just over there," his thumb pointed behind him and you followed that direction to…

the unit right across from yours.

703.

"what?!" you gasped, "how come you never said anything? plus, i never see you in the mornings? how is this possible?!"

"one, we don't know each other well enough yet to know where the other lives," p.f.b.b. scrolled through his missed messages while he continued, "and two, i make sure to leave early and come back late every day just so i can avoid you."

grumbling, you wanted to slam the door in his face again but remembered that you had to choose peace. "that's great! i hope you're happy!" aaaand you slammed the door anyway

yet. we don't know each other well enough yet.

"oh p.f.b.b~!" nanako swooned

"oh [name]~!" nobara giggled

"insert kissing sounds and the actors are running their hands over the other's body."

"stop that!!"

music was blasting and your spirits were up. you were practically skipping to your next class. that was… until you caught sight of a familiar head of blonde behind the granite fountain

"uncle ken!" you called out, rounding the fountain's corner

"hello, [name]. what brings you here?" the well-composed man paused his previous conversation, giving his research assistant a silent apology while he focused on you

you nodded to p.f.b.b. before answering kento, "nothing much! just walking to my next class,"

"uncle…?" p.f.b.b questioned under his breath

unfortunately for him, his mentor picked up on it. "my apologies, i should introduce you two," kento turned towards the other man who seemed to regret his decision of speaking his thoughts, "ino, this is [name]. her parents and i are close so, naturally, she calls me her uncle. and—"

kento spun back to you, using his hand to motion towards "ino". you noticed a bracelet adorning his right hand. kento doesn't like wearing anything that's not a watch and it looks handmade and those colors… yellow, blue, black and brown??? how odd… "[name], this is takuma ino. he's been my research assistant for two years."

it was kind of weird to realize that p.f.b.b.'s name wasn't… well— p.f.b.b. like, he has a whole name: takuma ino. it hung on your lips and your tongue savored the taste. "hi," you spoke, giving ino a small wave. "hey," he responded, parroting your motions

"was that what you were working on at the cafe yesterday? some data stuff?"

"uh…, yeah. yeah i was."

kento silently watched this happen and even he was uncomfortable. there was a slight tension in the air. it was missable but apparent enough if you looked for it. he cleared his throat softly, bringing your attention back to him. "how are your parents?" he asked.

"they're good," you replied, smiling, though your voice carried a slight hesitation. "they always ask about you, by the way. mom wanted me to tell you that you're still her favorite."

kento allowed a rare chuckle, shaking his head. "i'm flattered, but i imagine that makes your dad roll his eyes."

"it does." you laughed

"speaking of family," you continued, "my brother is getting discharged from the military soon! and we're planning to have a little get together or something. nothing too crazy, but it'll be our first one together since he left and i know how much he loves you so…" your voice trailed off, hoping that the silence was strong enough to carry your unspoken words

"i understand. of course i'll be there."

kento smiled when he saw you beaming, on the verge of jumping up and down from happiness, and from the corner of your eye, you swear that you saw the corner of a lip curl up from that "ino"

"great—oh shoot—!" you checked the time on your phone and realized that… if you didn't go now, you'd be late. and that professor does not play. you showed up three minutes late to one of his lectures and he basically publicly humiliated you. "i gotta go but text mom and dad about it, okay uncle? bye now! bye ino!"

as you speed walked away, you felt ino's eyes lingering on you. a soft chuckle escaped your lips. takuma ino—you liked the way it sounded

the campus library was unusually quiet for a wednesday night, the usual hum of late-night chatter replaced by the occasional sound of a book being flipped or the muffled footsteps of a librarian making their rounds. you had no plans to be productive tonight; in fact, you'd come here specifically to procrastinate. or, more accurately, to bother someone

your target was easy to spot, tucked away in the far corner of the library like a hermit hiding from civilization. p.f.b.b was hunched over his notebook, one earbud in, one out, the faint sound of rock music drifting in the air around him

you made a beeline for him, sliding into the seat across the table before he could even process what was happening. "fancy seeing you here," you whispered conspiratorially, even though this was his obvious habitat

he didn't even look up, just sighed. "you're aware this is a library, right?"

"and you're aware you're in my study spot, right?" you countered, setting your bag down with an exaggerated thud

finally, his eyes flicked up to meet yours, unimpressed as always. "you… study?" before you could fight back, he continued, "anyways… pretty sure i've been coming here since the semester started, so if anything, this is my study spot."

"well that's too bad for you because i've been coming here since the first day i set foot on this campus," you shot back with a grin, leaning forward on your elbows. "but i'm willing to negotiate. how about we share?"

p.f.b.b. stared at you before shaking his head and returning to his notes. "as long as you don't talk too much."

"me? never."

silence settled between you for a few moments, a fragile truce held together by his focus and your determination not to annoy him too much. but that didn't stop you from sneaking glances at his notes

"why are you studying organic chem?" you asked after a while, squinting at the complicated diagrams on his page. "i thought we were suffering through general chem together."

"because i'm actually trying to graduate," he replied flatly

"well, me too," you said with a dramatic sigh, leaning back in your chair

he glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, finally setting his pen down. "if you're not here to study, what are you here for?"

you grinned, pulling a pack of gummy bears out of your bag and sliding them across the table toward him. "to make sure you don't pass out from starvation, obviously."

he looked at the gummy bears, then at you, his expression unreadable. after a beat, he shook his head, a small, reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "you're weird, you know that?"

"compliments will get you everywhere," you said, plucking a gummy bear from the pack and popping it into your mouth

for the rest of the night, you sat across from him, not saying much but somehow managing to get under his skin with every little comment or movement. oddly enough, seeing him work made you itch to do some studying of your own. and when he finally packed up to leave, muttering something about having an early class, he didn't tell you to leave him alone or call you annoying

instead, he paused just before he walked away, turning back to you with a bemused look

"thanks for the gummy bears."

"anytime— wait! aren't we going the same way…? wait for me!" you scrambled to pack up your pencils and books, stuffing them in your bag, not realizing that p.f.b.b—i mean— ino, was kinda, sorta, maybe, if you had asked him he'd say "no", but from what i saw, he was… waiting for you…

"then move faster, idiot."

you walked through the halls, passing numerous rooms, a small skip in your step. your body froze as you recalled a certain room's number, kento's research lab. walking back to where it was and peeping through the windowed door, you saw that it was… organized chaos. papers and binders were stacked, whiteboards covered in dense equations, and the faint scent of coffee could be smelled from outside the door. looking closer, you could see someone hunched over a desk, scribbling something on a notepad. ino.

you twisted the handle of the door, opening it with a push, "tough work?"

ino looked up from his desk, blinking at you in mild surprise. his hair was slightly disheveled and rid of that beanie, and there was a smudge of something that looked suspiciously like marker on his cheek

"i'm fine," he said, though the dark circles under his eyes told a different story. "really. i've got it handled."

you raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down. "you're drowning in… whatever this is. don't worry about it, i'll just provide extra assistance."

he groaned, leaning back in his chair. "seriously, you don't have to. it's not a lot of work."

the phrase held so much irony considering there were sheets upon sheets of paper, and towers of that. you guessed he realized his small lie once he glanced around the room

ino sighed but didn't argue further, instead gesturing to the mountain of work in front of him. "fine. if you're so eager to help, you can start with that pile over there."

you pulled up a chair beside him, scanning the papers and the spreadsheet open on his laptop. "okay, let's see what we're working with."

as you both settled into the task, the room grew quieter, save for the sound of typing or the rustle of papers

"you're surprisingly good at this," ino said after a while, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye

"surprisingly?"

he winced. "i didn't mean it like that. just… i didn't expect you to pick it up so quickly."

"thanks for the backhanded compliment," you said dryly, but there was a hint of a smile on your lips

he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "sorry. i meant it as a real compliment. you're making this way easier."

"you're welcome," you said, turning back to the spreadsheet. "but seriously, how have you two been doing this without losing your minds?"

"coffee," he said immediately

you snorted. "yeah, i can tell. your bloodstream is probably ninety percent caffeine at this point."

he smirked, but the teasing in his expression softened into something more genuine. "it's been… a lot. nanami keeps me grounded, though. he's really good at this kind of thing."

"yeah, he is," you said, pausing for a moment before adding, "but so are you."

ino blinked, caught off guard. "me?"

"yes, you," you said, glancing at him. "you're smart, ino. you don't give yourself enough credit."

he looked at you for a moment, his usual demeanor towards you faltering. "thanks," he said softly

the moment lingered longer than either of you expected, the air between you feeling just a bit heavier

the hours passed in a steady rhythm of work and banter sprinkled in, and by the time the sun began to set, the two of you had cleared more than half of the tasks kento had left behind

"see?" you said as you leaned back in your chair. "teamwork makes the dream work."

ino laughed, shaking his head. "alright, fine. you win. maybe having you here wasn't the worst thing."

"don't get too used to it," you teased, grabbing your bag. "next time, i might just let you suffer alone."

he playfully shot you a look while stretching in his chair, "hey, how about i show you around."

"what? are—are you joking?"

he got up and packed his bag with never before seen speed, "yeah. i am."

"you—!"

"follow me."

ino led the way out of the building, his energy contagious despite the long day you both had. the evening air was cool and refreshing, the city humming quietly as the golden glow of the setting sun bathed everything in a warm light

"i know this great spot," he said with a grin as he walked slightly ahead, hands casually stuffed in his jacket pockets. "you've been here for a while, but have you actually seen the good stuff?"

you raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite yourself. "define 'good stuff.'"

he smirked over his shoulder. "you'll see."

as you followed ino down the bustling streets, the city seemed to transform as it got darker. neon lights flickered to life, illuminating the shop windows and casting colorful reflections on the wet pavement from an earlier drizzle. the aroma of street food mingled with the faint scent of rain, creating a vivid tapestry of sights and smells

"so," you began, dodging a biker weaving through the crowd, "what's the first stop on this magical mystery tour of yours? please tell me it's food. i'm starving."

ino grinned, gesturing dramatically toward a food cart that had a line of eager customers. "you, my friend, are about to experience the best takoyaki this city has to offer."

"oh, come on," you teased, falling in step beside him. "isn't that what everyone says about their favorite food cart?"

"don't disrespect taro-san like that," ino shot back, placing a hand over his heart in mock offense. "this man has been perfecting his craft since before i could hold chopsticks."

moments later, you stood together, balancing plates of piping hot takoyaki drizzled with sauce and topped with dancing bonito flakes. ino took a bite, his expression almost reverent. "see? what did i tell you? food of the gods."

you took a bite, and your eyes widened. the crisp shell gave way with a soft crunch, revealing the molten, creamy filling inside. it was so warm it nearly melted on your tongue, a perfect blend of savory depth and a subtle sweetness that made your mouth water instantly. the octopus at the center was tender, just the right amount of chewy, and so fresh it almost seemed to bring a whisper of the ocean with it. the sauce on top was like a burst of fireworks—sweet and tangy, with a smoky undertone that paired flawlessly with the creamy mayo drizzled alongside it

you had to pause for a second after swallowing, just to appreciate it. the warmth lingered in your mouth, and you already knew one bite wouldn't be enough. within seconds the entire thing was gone, but you couldn't give ino the satisfaction of being right

"it was alright i guess." you shrugged, "i suppose you're not as full of it as i thought."

"right…," ino said with a suspicious grin, nudging you lightly with his elbow. "stick with me and i'll make you a connoisseur."

he didn't waste any time bringing you to the next point of interest, grabbing your hand with his and dragging you to a small, secluded alley lined with string lights and small artisan shops. it was beautiful, to say the least

"it's… quieter here."

"yeah," ino agreed, his voice softer now. "this is one of my favorite spots. it's like the city pauses for a second."

you glanced at him, noticing the way his eyes softened as he looked around. "you come here often?"

"used to, back when i needed to think. or when i was avoiding studying," he admitted with a sheepish grin

"you? avoid studying? how unlikely…" you sneakily caught a glance at your still interlocked hands, noticing a small, oddly colored, handmade bracelet around ino's wrist. but it seems you were staring at it for far too long

"oh! sorry!" he stuttered, pulling his hand from yours, and bringing it to his chest. you immediately felt the slight chill of the night but still flashed a bittersweet smile that conveyed something of a don't worry about it. out of the corner of your eye, you saw one of the shops practically twinkling. getting a closer look, your wallet itched once you saw the array of jewelry and hair accessories. it was sorted by color and then by type, gold earrings on the far left and silver necklaces on the far right. but you were inexplicably drawn to one item: a hair clip with four small, white seashells on it

"that one?"

ino's voice next to you made you jump slightly. giving him a small hit on his shoulder, you followed his finger to the item you were just admiring. "yeah, that one. it's really pretty, isn't it?" ino hummed in response, surprised to see you turn away from it and walk down the alley instead

"but…, maybe i'll get it another time."

after a minute or so of window shopping the rest of the stores, ino caught up to you. "next up is the park. you can't say you've really seen the city until you've walked through it at night."

once you got closer, ino pointed at the beautifully lit area in the distance. lanterns illuminated the paths, and the sound of a bubbling fountain echoed softly. children chased each other, their laughter carrying through the crisp air, while couples strolled hand in hand. ino brought you to a bench overlooking a pond, the moonlight reflecting off its surface like a scene from a painting

"alright, i'll give it to you," you said, leaning back and stretching, stomach craving that takoyaki from earlier. "you weren't kidding. this is incredible."

"see?" ino said with a smirk, leaning back beside you. "i'm full of surprises. and speaking of that… here." ino reached into his left pocket, pulling a small item out, and pushing it into your hands

staring down at it, you realized it was the seashell hair pin you were eyeing from earlier. overrun with happiness, you flung your arms around ino, showering him in thank you's. pulling away and on the edge of bouncing in your seat, you slipped it into your hair, looking at ino for validation

"how does it look?"

oh. oh.

she's… beautiful. though, i've always known that…

thanking the cashier and gathering your bags, you made a beeline for the exit. you see, you were trying to make it home as quickly as possible because it was friday and you and your roommates always watched a specific show on friday nights. you guys ordered in and it was just amazing, until nanako said that she was craving your cooking, everyone agreed, and then you somehow lost the four way rock, paper, scissors on who goes to the store to get the ingredients. so here you were, standing under the awning of the nearby grocery store, bags in hand, watching the wall of rain as it drenched the street. the rain that wasn't in the forecast and the kind of downpour that left everyone scrambling for cover

great. just great.

your phone buzzed in your pocket, and you pulled it out to see a text from kento

kento: the rain was unexpected. are you alright?

you sighed and quickly typed back

you: yeah, just stuck waiting for it to stop. don't worry, i'll figure it out

after a couple minutes of you standing and contemplating your next move, a sleek black car pulled up to the curb, and the passenger window rolled down, revealing p.f.b.b.'s grin that even though you've seen about three times, you'd never get used to

"need a ride?" he called out, leaning casually over the center console

you blinked at him, caught off guard. "what are you doing here?"

"i was with nanami when he mentioned you," he said, shrugging. "said you were stranded. figured i'd play the hero."

you tried to cross your arms but the weight of the bags were kind of weighing them down, "play the hero driving kento's car? do you even have your license?"

"hey—," he explained, raising his voice just a bit, "it may be nanami's car but he said i could take it! and yes, i do have my license!"

you rolled your eyes but couldn't help the small smile tugging at your lips. "alright, fine. but what about these?" you gestured to your grocery bags

"pop the trunk," he said, pressing a button on the dash. the trunk lid opened smoothly. "problem solved."

with a sigh, you stepped into the rain long enough to stow your bags before climbing into the passenger seat, shaking droplets off your jacket as you settled in. the interior was warm, the faint scent of leather and air freshener filling the space

"comfy?" he teased as you buckled up

"more than i'd be waiting in that rain," you shot back

he laughed, the sound light and easy, as he pulled back onto the road. the rain drummed steadily against the car, but inside, it was quiet, almost peaceful

"alright, then…, let's go home."

home, huh?

the blue light of your laptop pierced your eyes as you typed the final words of your assignment, and submitted it, chemistry work abandoned at the edge of your desk. as you were looking at it ashamedly, a ping came through your phone

xxx-xxx-xxxx: have you done the writing assignment yet?

you: wrong number

xxx-xxx-xxxx: no. it's p.f.b.b.

you: oh! how did you get my number?

p.f.b.b.: don't worry about that. did you do the assignment?

you: yeah i just finished. why?

p.f.b.b.: can you come over? i need some help with it. in exchange, i'll help you with your chem work that i know you didn't start

you: well since you're offering…

"do you still even like him?" nobara questioned, "before you'd be jumping up for joy."

"yeah, i do," you put your laptop and chemistry work and textbook in your tote, grabbing some snacks from the pantry too, "i'm just not as upfront about it anymore. maybe it's cause we're friends now, but i don't know!"

you slung your tote bag over your shoulder, opening the door to your apartment and saying a quick "i'll be back" to your girls. walking just across the hall and knocking on his door, you barely had time to exhale before it swung open to reveal ino in a hoodie and sweats, his hair slightly tousled like he'd just slipped off that beanie

"right on time," he said with a grin, stepping aside to let you in

"you texted me like two minutes ago—"

"make yourself at home," he interrupted, already moving to clear space for you

his apartment mirrored yours in layout but had its own chaotic charm—textbooks and notes spread across the coffee table, an empty coffee mug sitting precariously on the edge

you dropped your bag and slid onto the couch, pulling out your laptop. "let's see what you've got so far."

ino groaned, flopping down beside you with an exaggerated sigh. "barely anything. writing isn't my thing."

you rolled your eyes, smiling despite yourself. "that's what i'm here for."

the second session, where you both stumbled through the assignment, bickering over comma placement and syntax while munching on the snacks you brought. you teased him for his messy handwriting, and he fired back with jokes about your overuse of sticky notes

the fourth session, where ino finally made good on his promise to help you with chemistry. he sat cross-legged on the floor, explaining concepts in a way that actually made sense while you leaned over his shoulder to read his notes

the sixth session, where the stress of exams had both of you yawning into your notebooks. he brewed coffee—terrible coffee—but the gesture made you smile. you fell asleep on his couch that night, waking up to a blanket draped over you

or that one time he showed up at your door, unannounced, holding a coffee cup in one hand and a thick textbook in the other for an "emergency study session,"

today was no different. you walked over to ino's apartment that he graciously started leaving unlocked around this time—just for you. walking in and greeting him briefly, you sat on his couch, your knees brushing against his as you both hovered over the same textbook as you reviewed chemical equations. the proximity made it hard to focus; you were acutely aware of the way his shoulder brushed yours every time he shifted, and you wondered if he was too

"see?" you said, pointing to a diagram. "like what does that even mean? what does this show me?"

"okay so, this shows esterification. ethanoic acid and ethanol produces ethyl ethanoate and water in the presence of an acid catalyst like sulfuric acid. the reaction begins with the acid protonation of the carbonyl oxygen of the carboxylic acid, making the carbon more electrophilic." he replied, the words falling off his tongue with ease

you glanced up at him, finding his eyes already on you. though the usual playful spark was there, his words went in one ear and out the other, and you felt embarrassed that you didn't understand a word except acid, produces, reaction, and catalyst

neither of you spoke for a long moment. the tension was palpable, the world outside his apartment fading away until it was just the two of you in this bubble of uncertainty and longing

"ino, repeat that for—" you started, but your words were cut off as he leaned in, his lips brushing yours in a kiss so tentative it felt like a question

your breath caught, your mind racing even as your heart leapt. what is happening right now? it was almost an immediate reaction that you kissed him back, the touch lingering just long enough to send your thoughts spiraling before you pulled away

"i—" he started, his expression a mix of surprise and hesitation. "i didn't mean to—"

you shook your head, rising from the couch as you scrambled to gather your things. "i should go."

"wait," he said, standing as if to follow, but you held up a hand to stop him

"i'll… see you later," you murmured, avoiding his gaze as you slipped out the door

the walk across the hall to your apartment felt endless, your heart pounding in your chest. once inside, you leaned against the door, your fingers brushing your lips as you replayed the moment over and over

what the fuck?

the party was in full swing, a cheerful celebration of your brother's long-awaited return. laughter and chatter filled the room, plates of food were passed around, and glasses clinked in endless toasts. you were busy setting a tray of drinks on the counter when you spotted takuma ino standing near the door, looking a little out of place but still managing to charm a small group of your family members and friends with his easygoing smile

your steps faltered, your chest tightening. he hadn't mentioned he'd be here. not that you blamed him—why would he? last night's kiss wasn't a topic either of you seemed ready to breach today. but still, the sight of him caught you completely off guard

turning on your heel, you found kento by the kitchen, nursing a glass of wine. marching up to him, you jabbed a finger in his direction

"why is he here?" you hissed, keeping your voice low

kento raised an eyebrow at you, calm as ever. "he's here because i invited him. your brother wanted to know more about my project. what better way to tell him about it than to bring my research assistant? why?"

you rubbed your temple, biting back a groan. "look, i'm not saying that he can't be here, but… you could've given me a heads-up."

kento's gaze turned suspicious, and his lips twitched into a slight frown. "why would you need a heads-up? haven't i introduced you two?"

you felt heat rising to your cheeks, the embarrassment seeping into your voice as you fumbled for an explanation. "well, yeah, formally, but he and i—we—we're—he and i—NO!"

kento stared at you, unblinking, while you buried your face in your hands, muttering curses under your breath. his frown deepened, and you could practically feel his uncle intuition kicking in

"wait," he said slowly, his tone sharpening. "what do you mean, 'he and i'?"

"nothing!" you snapped, dropping your hands, "i meant nothing. just—just forget i said anything."

kento's expression didn't waver. he studied you for a moment longer before sighing and shaking his head. "whatever you're freaking out about will pass. ino's a good guy."

"yeah, i know," you muttered under your breath, glancing back toward ino, who was now engaged in a conversation with your brother. his laugh echoed across the room, and you couldn't help the flutter of nervous energy it sent through you

as the party continued in full swing, you moved around the room, trying to keep busy—refilling snacks, grabbing empty plates, and avoiding ino's gaze whenever your paths seemed to almost cross

you weren't sure how long you could keep this up. every time his laughter reached your ears or you caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of your eye, your heart seemed to skip a beat. the kiss from last night lingered in the back of your mind, a constant, unspoken weight

you had just finished setting down a fresh tray of drinks when you heard a voice behind you

"hey."

you froze, recognizing it immediately. slowly turning around, you found ino standing there, his hands holding a can of soda; they were shaking. his usual smile was softer now, almost nervous

"can we talk?" he asked, his voice low enough that no one else could hear over the party noise

your heart sank and leaped at the same time, "uh, sure. now?"

he nodded. "yeah. just for a minute. outside?"

you hesitated, glancing around the room. kento was chatting with your brother near the couch, and the rest of the guests were engrossed in their own conversations. no one would miss you for a few minutes

"okay," you said finally, your voice quieter than you intended

ino led the way to the front door, holding it open for you before stepping out into the cool night air. the silence stretched as you stood there, arms crossed against the slight chill. ino rubbed the back of his neck, clearly searching for the right words

"so," he started, his tone careful, "i uh… figured it was probably a bad idea to bring this up inside. with, you know, everyone around."

you nodded, unsure of where he was going with this. "probably."

he let out a small breath, finally meeting your eyes. "about last night…"

your stomach flipped. of course, he'd bring it up. you'd been bracing for this moment all day, but now that it was here, you didn't know what to say

"look," he continued, "i don't want to make things weird between us. especially not with nanami, or your family, or—"

"it's not weird," you interrupted, surprising even yourself. "at least, it doesn't have to be."

his brows lifted slightly, a flicker of hope in his expression. "really? because i was worried i'd screwed things up."

"you didn't," you said quickly. "it's just… unexpected."

ino nodded, stepping closer. his voice softened, almost hesitant. "i don't regret it, you know. the kiss. but if you're not okay with it, i'll back off. no questions asked."

the sincerity in his tone made your chest ache. you looked up at him, taking in the way his usually confident demeanor seemed so tentative now

"i didn't say i wasn't okay with it," you murmured, barely louder than a whisper. "believe it or not, but i've been flirting with you for a while now."

ino blinked at you, his brows knitting together in confusion. "wait… what?"

you tilted your head, giving him a look that said seriously? "flirting, ino. you know, dropping hints, teasing, trying to get you to notice me?"

he stared at you, his lips parting slightly as if the realization was slowly dawning on him. "you're kidding."

you let out a soft laugh, part amused and part exasperated. "no, i'm not kidding. you're telling me you didn't pick up on any of it? not even when i started making excuses to see you more?"

ino's hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing it in that familiar sheepish way. "i thought you were just being nice! like, nanami-level nice."

you raised an eyebrow, crossing your arms. "nanami-level nice? ino, i bought you coffee with your weirdly specific order three times in one week. kento would never do that."

he opened his mouth, then closed it, a look of genuine shock crossing his face. "wait… that was flirting?"

"yes," you said with a small laugh. "and the time i told you your new haircut made you look good? or when i made sure there was always a snack for you at kento's? flirting, ino."

ino's jaw dropped slightly, his hands falling to his sides as he processed your words. "oh, my god. i'm the dumbest guy alive."

"well… maybe," you said, trying not to laugh at his adorably stunned expression

"i am," he insisted, his voice rising slightly in disbelief. "you've been into me this whole time, and i've been walking around like an idiot, completely missing it."

you couldn't help but laugh now, the sound easing the tension between you. "well, now you know."

he took off his beanie and ran a hand through his hair, still looking flustered but with a hint of something softer in his eyes. "yeah. now i know."

for a moment, neither of you spoke, the quiet night stretching around you. then, almost shyly, ino glanced at you again. "so… does this mean i can kiss you again? like, now that i'm finally catching up and all."

you smiled, warmth blooming in your chest. "i think that depends. are you going to keep being oblivious, or are you going to start paying attention?"

he grinned, his usual confidence flickering back. "oh, i'm paying attention now. promise."

before you could respond, he stepped closer, his hand brushing against yours as his gaze met yours. slowly, he leaned in, his lips expecting to meet yours in a kiss that was as sweet as it was certain, but… instead they met your pointer finger

"do you hear that? i think someones calling for me." you walked back into the house, leaving ino to wallow in his self-inflicted embarrassment for a while

the convenience store's fluorescent lights buzzed softly above the aisles, casting a harsh glow on shelves stocked with instant noodles, snacks, and cheap energy drinks. you and ino—or, as he let you call him in private, takuma—had wandered in after a long evening of hanging out at his apartment, the kind of night where laughter and teasing filled the silence

takuma leaned against the refrigerator door, his black beanie pushed back enough to reveal a few strands of his messy hair. he squinted at the drink selection like it held the answers to life's greatest mysteries

"you've been staring at that for a full minute," you teased, sliding up beside him. "it's not that deep. just grab the green tea like you always do."

he smirked without looking at you. "and miss out on your expert critique of my choices? never."

you reached past him to grab a bottle of sparkling water, your shoulder brushing his arm. it wasn't much, just a small touch, but it was enough to make the air between you shift. for a second, it felt like the buzzing of the fluorescent lights got louder, the hum filling the space where words should be

he cleared his throat, stepping back just slightly. "you always drink that fizzy stuff. isn't it just soda pretending to be fancy?"

"it's called having taste," you corrected, placing it in your basket

"right. taste," he said, rolling his eyes but smiling anyway

as the two of you wandered through the aisles, the quiet of the late hour settled over you, broken only by the occasional sound of a cashier scanning items. you found yourself in front of the snack section, takuma trailing behind you with his hands shoved into his jacket pockets

"you want anything?" you asked, holding up a bag of chips

"nah, i'm good," he said, but his eyes lingered on the pack of pocky in your hand

you smirked, tossing it into your basket. "liar. i'll grab it for you. consider it a thank you for giving back that hoodie you stole last week."

"i didn't steal it," he argued, though his tone was more defensive than adamant

"oh, so it just walked out of my closet on its own? how did you even get in?"

he scratched the back of his neck, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "mimiko let me in… and… it's comfortable."

you grinned, but decided to let it go. instead, you nudged him lightly with your elbow as you headed toward the counter. "next time, just ask. i might even let you keep it."

he followed you in silence, but when you glanced at him out of the corner of your eye, you caught the faintest hint of pink on his ears

after paying for your haul, you stepped outside into the crisp night air. the streets were quiet, the kind of stillness that felt rare in the city. takuma walked beside you, the pocky in his hand already opened

"you're eating that now?" you asked, digging through the bag for that sparkling water of yours

"why not?" he said around the stick in his mouth, offering you the box

you took one, the chocolate coating melting slightly against your lips. for a moment, the two of you just walked in comfortable silence, the tension from earlier still lingering but softer now, like a thread pulling you closer without snapping

"thanks," he said suddenly, his voice quiet

"for what?" you asked, glancing at him

he shrugged, not meeting your eyes. "i don't know."

"he knew. he definitely knew," you insisted, gesturing wildly as you paced the living room

mimiko tilted her head thoughtfully. "but if he knew, why wouldn't he just say something?"

nanako smirked. "maybe he's waiting for you to say something first. or maybe he's just an idiot who can't read the room."

nobara clicked her tongue. "i mean, the guy's not exactly subtle. pretending he needs help with writing assignments? clearing his schedule to go grocery shopping with you so that you never have to carry the bags in by yourself? and don't even get me started on how he looks at you when you're not paying attention."

you threw up your hands, exasperated. "what am i supposed to do, just march up to him and demand he explain himself?"

"yes," they chorused

"ugh!" you groaned, grabbing your bag and stomping toward your room. "i don't wanna do this anymore!"

their laughter followed you down the hall, but your irritation evaporated the moment you stepped inside. on your desk, there was a letter

your name was scrawled across the front in unmistakable handwriting. your breath caught as you picked it up, hands trembling slightly as you unfolded the paper. the words inside were written with care, each line pulling at your heart:

to you, the one who's always on my mind,

i've started and restarted this letter more times than i can count, and even now, i'm not sure if i've found the right words. how do you tell someone that they've completely changed the way you see the world? that their laugh is the best sound you've ever heard, or that their smile makes even the worst days feel a little brighter?

i've never been good at this—putting my feelings into words—but for you, i'll try. because you deserve to know how incredible you are, even if i can't say it as smoothly as i'd like.

you have this way of making everything feel easier, lighter, just by being yourself. and it's not just the big things, like how you help me with work or how you always know exactly what to say when i'm frustrated. it's the little things too. like how you hum under your breath when you're focused, how you tilt your head when you're confused, how you always manage to start an argument over the stupidest of topics, how you light up when you talk about something you love. it's those little things that make me fall harder for you every day.

i don't know when it started—maybe it was the late nights we spent working together, or maybe it was how you didn't let me quit when things felt impossible. but now i don't think i want to stop. you make me want to be better, just so i can be someone worthy of being by your side. and maybe i'm not saying this the right way, but i hope you understand what i mean.

i don't know what you'll do with this letter, and maybe i'm an idiot for writing it (and asking mimiko to put it on your desk for me), but if nothing else, i just needed you to know.

yours (if you want me to be),

p.f.b.b.

your chest tightened, emotions flooding through you as you reread the letter. before you could realize it, you were across the hall, in front of takuma's door

you knocked on it and pushed it open without waiting for a response. "takuma—"

he was standing in the kitchen, and your eyes immediately caught the bouquet of your favorite flowers on the counter. the vibrant blooms were arranged with care, their familiar scent wafting through the room

takuma turned, his face a mix of surprise and panic. "oh. uh… hey."

"you're unbelievable," you said, holding up the letter, trying to fight back your smile

his ears turned red as he scratched the back of his neck. "so, you found that."

"takuma, what is this?" you gestured to the flowers and the letter, your voice a mix of exasperation and something softer

he hesitated, looking uncharacteristically shy. "i… i wanted to tell you how i feel, but every time i try, i just… i mess it up. so, i thought maybe this would be easier."

you stared at him, your heart pounding. "and the flowers?"

"i thought they'd make you smile," he said simply, stepping closer. "do they?"

you felt your lips twitch despite yourself. "they do."

his shoulders relaxed slightly, but the tension between you only seemed to grow. his voice dropped, softer now. "i meant every word in that letter. i did."

your breath hitched, and before you could stop yourself, you blurted, "why didn't you tell me sooner? i've been…" you trailed off, shaking your head

"been what?" he pressed, his eyes searching yours.

"waiting," you admitted. "i've been waiting for you to say something since the party. anything."

takuma stepped closer, his hand brushing against yours. "i'm saying it now," he murmured. "i care about you. a lot. more than i probably should. and if i'm being honest, you terrify me a little because of how much i feel when i'm around you."

your heart twisted at his words, and before your mind could find a reason to say no, you leaned up, capturing his lips in a kiss. it was hesitant at first, soft and searching, but when his arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer, the world seemed to melt away

when you pulled back, both of you were breathless, his forehead resting against yours

"i think we should date," he said, a small smile playing on his lips

you laughed softly, your nerves giving way to warmth. "i think we should too."

his grin widened, but before the moment could get too serious, he quipped, "does this mean i get to steal your clothes now?"

you smacked his arm playfully. "i'm pretty sure it's supposed to be the other way around."

"hey…, what does p.f.b.b. stand for?"

"mmm," you hummed, looking at your… boyfriend. "don't worry about it."

jjk taglist

@blendingcaramal @gzchaos @theamazingrain @woah-girlz @voloslobotomyservice

@kyozvy @obessionofagrl @bubybubsters @sugurusbaobei @raindropsonrwses

@c-moon20-12 @saltynanobeanie @theamazingrain @synthiiiiis @ghostlyluminarycloud

@poopyyy @supernatrualqueen @bxrbie-jadeee @laitifly @babysoo-meu

@cheesecake95 @strawberry-cherrypie @makeshiftproject @magiamad0ka @ncitygreen

@mayyhaps @oniondrip @cloudy-yyy @definitely-not-leena @kidd3ath

@atigerandabear @russianremy @ohnoitsamistakee18 @ivy-vivii @ourfinalisation

@1ndee @yourhornysister @ancientimes @cupcaketeddybehr @tomikixd

@e-dollly @ozdramaqueen @nymphsdomain @beeksyurr @colorcode

@baekhyunsbestie @vorfreudevortex @leuriss @xaithings @corvid007

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femmefatalevibe · 2 years ago

Text

Femme Fatale Guide: How To Master An "Effortlessly Elegant" & Put-Together Look

Table of Contents:

Treat your skin like royalty

Take ample care of your natural hair

Dress in crisp neutral outfits that cater to your body shape

Choose your accessories wisely

Embrace feature-enhancing makeup

Keep your nails clean, filed, and simple

Regarding your signature scent(s)

Follow your dental & bodily hygiene routines religiously

Treat your skin like royalty:

Use high-quality skincare twice a day

Wear sunscreen every day

Remove your makeup every night before bed no matter what

Use makeup that doesn't clog your pores/irritate your skin

Change your pillowcases weekly

Eat plenty of produce & drink lots of water

Prioritize sleep

Limit or eliminate alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and processed foods/sugary drinks

Keep your skin exfoliated/derma-planed

Take ample care of your natural hair:

Use high-quality shampoo/conditioner combos that suit your hair type & don't cause build-up

Hydrate with a scalp mask 1-4 times a month

Use cold or lukewarm water to wash your hair

Apply shampoo to the roots/hair covering your scalp and conditioner only on the "ponytail" section of your hair

Use a specialty hair towel after getting out of the shower

Always comb wet hair and brush 1-3 times a day when dry

Limit heat on your hair when possible & always use a heat protectant every time you do

Use non-elastic or silk hair ties

Get regular trims at least 3-4 times per year (get your hair layered if it's very thick)

Try to limit how much you dye or, especially bleach, your hair and do elaborate styles with tons of heat & harsh products

Dress in crisp neutral outfits that cater to your body shape:

Embrace minimalist basics (tees, tanks, blouses, sweaters, jeans, trousers, blazers, leather jackets, coats, etc.) in high-quality fabrics (Pima cotton, Merino wool, Tencel, mulberry silk, etc.)

Choose options in black, white, grey, charcoal beige, navy, burgundy, or cream depending on your skin tone and preferences

Invest in a collection of sleek footwear options (black boots, loafers, black pumps, white sneakers, etc.) in minimalist, timeless styles that suit the color palette, hemlines & proportions of your go-to outfits

Ensure your shoes and accessories feel proportional to the weight/silhouette of your outfit, color-coordinate with the rest of your look, and have streamlined hardware from head-to-toe (all silver, all gold, or one piece that mixes silver/gold and another gold & silver piece each to balance out the color palette)

Keep all of your clothes steam and lint-rolled, so they look crisp & fresh all-day

Befriend your tailor to take in or let out clothes as needed when purchased off the rack

Choose clothes/styles that flatter your body shape and proportions

Utilize belts and bra tape to adjust the waist, keep shirts tucked in, and keep straps from falling down or create an impromptu cuff/hem on your pants

When in doubt, select a neutral head-to-toe monochrome outfit

If on a budget, consider choosing black, grey, camel beige items to hide fabric imperfections that could cheapen your look

Choose your accessories wisely:

Select sleek, simple neutral (& almost exclusively) monochrome shoes made with smooth (recycled/vegan) leather with

Pair almost any outfit with a shoe featuring a slight platform, block heel, kitten heel, and/or a sharply pointed toe to elongate your silhouette

Complement your outfit with structured, pared-back handbags with no logos (Focus on quality and construction, not the brand name) in a neutral shade and timeless silhouette

For jewelry, choose at most one statement piece and all others should be focused on different areas of the body (e.g. don't mix statement earrings with layered/bold necklaces or stacked rings * bracelets). When in doubt, choose simple diamond chains or earrings, sleek bangles or chainlink necklaces & bracelets, simple pendant necklaces, and minimalist rings in hardware that all go together

Embrace feature-enhancing makeup:

Cover up any dark circles, blemishes, or hyperpigmentation with a color-matched concealer

Lightly contour with a bronzer that complements your skin tone

Fill in your brows for a naturally full look (or get them professionally tinted)

Apply a light wash of rose, coral, or mauve blush

Use black mascara with a little bit of eyeliner and/or a subtle wash of brown eyeshadow on the lids

Apply a "your lips but better" nude shade or "just kissed' berry lipstick or pigmented lip balm for a subtle wash of color

Keep your nails clean, filed, and simple:

Maintain cut, cleaned, and filed short nails

Opt for a square or almond nail shape

Choose a timeless nail shade (pink, nude, red, beige, dark cherry, navy, dark purple, black) with no nail art

Hydrate your hands and scrub under your nails daily

Regarding your signature scent(s):

Ensure your body wash/lotion and perfume scents don't clash

Test perfumes for a trial day to ensure they smell divine with your unique pheromones

Choose a fragrance appropriate for the seasonal/occasion

Apply a dab on each wrist and on your neck/behind the ears. If the scent doesn't project well on you, try applying these small dabs on the cuffs and shoulders of your jacket/walk into it to get it on your hair (if it would stain your clothes)

Don't layer more than one heady perfume at a time or scents that don't have complementary and/or shared notes

Follow your dental & bodily hygiene routines religiously:

Floss every day (after each meal if possible)

Brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush twice a day

Have mints on hand if you're a garlic, spice, or coffee lover

Keep your lips & hands well-moisturized and protected with SPF

Shower your body daily and be extra diligent in scrubbing your privates, everything behind, and under your arms

Don't use very hot water in the shower (it burns/dries out your skin)

Exfoliate 2-3 times a week with a sugar scrub

Moisturize daily or anytime you get out of the shower

Apply SPF on any exposed sun (especially in the summer or when the UV index is high in your area)

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friend-shaped-but · 5 months ago

Text

Marathi Rukmini Jewellery Breakdown

Ok so I found this art of Krishna and Rukmini by Himanshu Bankar where rukmini is shown in marathi traditional attire and it made me SO SO HAPPY to see that because she's rarely depicted like that! And thenI saw it being shared on tumblr by a lot of ppl who didn't know that whatever clothes/jewellery rukmini is wearing is traditional marathi bridal attire.

So I thought I'd do a deep dive into this painting and talk about her clothes, hair, and jewellery! This is a long post, imma put everything under the cut! Tagging @cyndaquillt because you asking me about marathi miku made me learn a lot more about marathi jewellery, @sharngapani for showing me this image in the first place, and @chahaa-piun-ja for cheering me on!

Hair:

Her bun is a hairstyle called "Khopa" (खोपा) and the gold pin in her hair is called a Juda(जुडा). These can either be gold pins or have strings of pearls attached to them and I'm thinking that the latter is what she is wearing. Then the maang tika is pretty standard across cultures. The golden band between the maang tika and the juda is called a Bijwara(बिजवरा) and it's not used much in the modern day so I did have to do a bit of research to find out what it was.

Images, from left to right: Khopa, juda, and a minimalist maang tika/bindi.

Face

On her forehead, and hanging on either side of her face are Mundavalya(मुंडावळ्या), a forehead ornament worn by Maharashtrian brides & grooms. It is made from pearl & has two pearls strings which stand for the togetherness of bride & groom. Chandrakor is actually my ABSOLUTE fave part about maharashtrian culture it's the crescent moon on her forehead. Then on her nose is a pearl Nath(नथ). She's also wearing Kanpatti(कानपट्टी) aka ear strips on her ears and they're attached to her normal earrings. Fun fact btw the kanpatti in her ears looks a lot like the one my mom has.

Images from left to right: mundavalya+chandrakor, nath, kanpatti(without earrings)

Neck:

Generally what I've seen people wear at their fanciest is three-four necklaces, one right at the throat, one slightly lower, and a couple hanging almost down to mid-chest or upper stomach. Rukmini in that drawing is following that pattern. The choker-style necklace she's wearing in the picture isn't super clear but I think it's a thushi(ठुशी). It is a choker necklace crafted out of gold beads in varying sizes and is adjustable thanks to a soft thread that can be adjusted according to the wearer��s convenience. The next one seems to be a plain golden chain but the fact that she's wearing a mangalsutra at the time Krishna is taking her away is icing on top!

Thushi, mangalsutra and mohanmal in the picture below!

Arms:

There is a shela around her shoulders. These are generally made of silk and worn by brides.

Rukmini is wearing a vaki(वाकी) or bajuband(बाजूबंद).

Maharashtrian women generally wear green glass bangles(I've heard north indians wear red ones someone pls confirm this), and for weddings and festivities they're layered with gold bangles. Today, for everday wear, some people wear only one golden bangle on each arm(like my mom) or they might wear glass bangles(my grandma does this), and only do the gold-glass layering during special occassions.

The names of these bangles differ according to the way they're made and where they're placed on the layering. The thickest gold bangles nearest to the hand are called Tode(तोडे) and they're pair of heavy gold bangles that feature intricate designs that go all around the bangle. Since they keep the layering in place, they're generally smaller than the actual wrist and include a screw and hinge to fasten them. The gold bangles in the middle and back are called Patlya(पाटल्या), are a type of traditional gold bangles and are often decorated with intricate designs on the outside.

She also has a kamarbandh on her waist but ig that's also pretty standard so I didn't include separate pictures

#mahabharata #krishna #rukmini #krishnablr #lakshmi narayan #lakshmi #narayan #hindublr

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sare11aa11eras · 10 months ago

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Daenerys Missandei Irri and Jhiqui!

[Image Description: A full-length drawing of four people, Daenerys Targaryen, Missandei of Naath, and Dany’s two Dothraki handmaidens, Irri and Jhiqui. They are standing progressively farther back from the viewer. Daenerys stands in profile, walking forward, talking to someone. Missandei and Jhiqui have their bodies facing the viewer, Irri is angled slightly to the right side of the drawing. Missandei, Irri, and Jhiqui look at Daenerys. They are standing on a red carpet against a blank background.

Daenerys wears a purple tokar with a gold fringe. She wears her dragon crown, a gold bangle, rings of various materials, a gold vambrace with purple stones, gold earrings with purple stones, and an elaborate necklace with purple stones. From the necklace and the crown dangle long strings of red and black beads. She wears an anklet and leather sandals. A few golden bells can be seen in her hair.

Missandei wears a knee-length light orchid-color dress. It hangs loosely around her. Her dress is trimmed at the hem with purple and blue beads of different lengths. She wears sandals similar to Dany’s. She wears a large V-shaped piece of jewelry similar to a collar around her neck and over her collarbones. It is gold, mostly decorated with purple stones, and a blue butterfly design. Missandei wears earrings with blue butterflies and purple, pink, and yellow stones. She wears a bracelet of alternating pink and yellow stones. Her hair is in braids to pull it away from her face, but is otherwise in an Afro-type style. She holds a tablet and writing utensil in front of her chest. She has an interested expression as she looks up from her writing towards Dany.

Irri wears Dothraki clothes. She wears long trousers, which are blue fabric with a fringed panel of leather along the inside of her leg and groin. She wears leather boots with green, white, and purple painted swirls on them. She wears a dark leather belt around her middle and a belt of gold discs over it. The central gold disc has a green stone. More blue fabric wraps around her chest, either pleated or wrappings. Over this is a painted vest, primarily decorated with blue, green, and white. On her upper arm is an armband with an illustration of a horse galloping in grass. She has leather wrappings on her wrist and opposite upper arm. She wears one visible ring. She wears a leather necklace with a triangular gold pendant and gold triangular earrings. Her hair is in at least three braids, tied off with gold beads. She has bangs. She wears a woven headband of green and blue, with jade stones. Her face is neutral.

Jhiqui also wears Dothraki clothes, although hers do not look practical for riding. Her clothes are primarily fabric of a deep raspberry color. Along the outer side of her trousers is a stripe of leather, fringed at the end, painted with pink and pale purple flowers. On her chest she wears a beaded brooch shaped like a flower, with pink petals and a green “stem”. She wears slippers, in the same material as the rest of her outfit, with a decoration of pink flowers on yellow around the heel. Her vest is laced closed over a green and gold under layer. Her vest is trimmed at the hem with gold discs. Around her middle is a dark leather belt, with a thin belt of gold discs over it. She wears a leather necklace similar to Irri’s, with a circular gold pendant with a garnet stone. Her earrings match this pendant. She wears two rings. Her arm band is gold and garnet. Her hair is worn similarly to Irri’s. She has a bracelet with chips of green jade set in silver on a leather cuff. She has a nose piercing with a gold chain that leads to her earring. She appears to be wearing rouge. She looks mildly interested in whatever is happening. End ID./]

#asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #my art #asoiaf fashion hour #dothraki fashion #dany’s crown #daenerys targaryen #missandei #irri #jhiqui #dothraki #okay tokar design partially inspired by artistellen’s assyrian mermaid design #irri’s outfit is also inspired by someone else hang on.#okay it’s greywoe ghostlyturncloaks and ilrex. usual suspects!!#missandei’s is partially based on a shebsart art I think #okay that’s p much everything #trying out id in caption since I saw smthg abt those being more reliable than alt descriptions??? lmk what ppl think!#I hope this conveys to everyone that Jhiqui IS WEARING DOTHRAKI FASHIONS. she’s just doing fancy princess city style dothraki fashion.#vs irri’s more horse girl style.#this is NOT a guide for agot irri or jhiqui!!!#adwd #okay does anyone remember if slavers bay uses clay tablets papyrus parchment or paper bc I did not. help.#@ grrm YOU COULD AT *LEAST* COLOR CODE THEM. ITS NOT HARD.

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winchestermysterymachine · 12 days ago

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dean winchester ; manic monday

Monday Morning, 8:30 AM

The sun shines into the dusty motel room. Dean's asleep, Sam's asleep, I can't sleep. Today feels super refreshing. It's early spring in Miami, Florida. It's all beaches, tan's and bikini's over here. Lousy bars and trashy songs, dancing on counters and bad beer. My skin is sticky from the beach from yesterday. Lying by the ocean beaches wasn't something we normally did. Sometimes we'd pull over by a lake and crack open the ice chest full of the good beers, but this weekend was different. Everything was peaceful for once, so we were on a bit of a vacation.

Every girl is Sam's type. I spot her out at the bar, I become her friend. I talk about my boyfriend, and make Sam seem like an absolute angel. She comes over, they hit it off, and Dean and I find ourselves alone in the motel room for the night. That's the routine for the past two days. Until last night. Our most recent pick up ended up having a boyfriend, and likes getting into fights with guys to 'defend his girls honor'. Of course Dean wasn't gonna let that slide and had to jump in. So now both boys are exhausted, bruised all over, and mad at me for picking the wrong chick and ruining their night. I was half tempted to just buy another room for myself, but I hadn't felt tired at all. I just sat on the couch and watched crappy TV show reruns until I passed out on the couch. Of course if Dean found out I slept on the couch he'd be pissed off again.

I get changed into a bikini, throwing Dean's flannel and a pair of shorts over it. I leave the top half of the buttons undone, my gold necklace glinting across my skin. Dean bought it for me from one of the vendor's in a downtown area. It's super pretty, and simple, and it hasn't rusted or turned my skin green or blue, so it's just about perfect.

I step out of the bathroom, seeing Sam sitting up in bed, stretching and yawning, and then running his hands through his hair. "Morning Sammy." I said cheerfully, keeping my voice down to not wake up Dean. "I'll start on coffee." I walked to the kitchenette, putting the pieces together for motel coffee. "You want to make a run for breakfast?" Sam asked, standing up and I nodded. "Yeah, gotta hurry though. If Dean wakes up and we're both gone he's gonna get mad at me again." I sighed and rolled my eyes. It's not strange for Dean to get mad at me, mostly it's pointless misunderstandings or I didn't listen to his requests on a hunt, but he's been weird since last night.

It might not even be the fight though, it might be that I mentioned our four year anniversary is coming up and I wanted to do something special. I've never been in a relationship this long before, I've never even dated someone I could see a future with. But Dean's always hellbent on keeping everyone away. Not me though, I snuck in somehow and I'm not about to be kicked out.

Dean grunts from the bed, rolling over and letting out a deep groan. "You really didn't think you were getting away that easily?" his morning voice is so deep and sleepy, and his eyes haven't even opened yet. Sam and I share a small smile and he nods, letting me know he's got the coffee covered. I creep over, crawling onto the mattress. Dean's arms wrap around me like a Venus flytrap, holding me tight. I press a few gentle kisses to his cheeks and forehead. "You're bruised all over." I whispered against his skin and he sighs. "I know that."

"We gotta get you some ice then." I suggested. "It's not that bad. You should see the other guy." I chuckled and relaxed on his body, seeking refuge in his shoulder. "I did see the other guy, I had the give the police statement." Dean laughs and presses kisses to my shoulder. "You showered without me?" he asked quietly and I giggled. "Sorry."

A few hours later, after an argument about an ice pack, and lunch at a random restaurant, we're on our way to the beach again. The two boys sit in chairs while I lounge on a pretty stripe patterned towel. Dean's old flannel and my shorts were discarded on a pile beside me while I lie in the setting sun. The sounds of teenagers and young adults fill the beach. Ocean waves smash against the sea shore, the scent of ocean water wafting through the air. This is true peace.

The boys had been a few feet behind me, I didn't want to hear them talk about whatever beach babes they laid their delicate green eyes on. I had my speaker set up beside my head, softly playing some music, a beer tucked deep in the sand. My eyes are closed, thick framed sunglasses covering my eyes. I could fall asleep here.

A shadow envelops my body, and I half expected it to be Sam or Dean begging to go back to the motel, or maybe prank my and splash water on me. "What?" I whined, opening my eyes. Instead of Sam or Dean, it's a random guy I've never seen before. I swallowed, sitting up, and I slipped my sunglasses off. He's cute and all, but he's no Dean.

He's shirtless, black swim shorts on. Floppy blond hair that's wet, dripping in water. "I saw you from over there and I thought you were to pretty to be alone." I don't even get the chance to respond when Dean stomps over, knocking into the guy, who falls to the ground. I gasp and stand up, pressing against Dean's chest to get him to back off. "I could've handled it." I grumbled but Dean's eye's narrow down at me. His arms cross over his chest, daring me to go against him again. "Don't act all tough Dean." I scoffed and turned around, helping the guy stand up. "I'm so sorry about him, he doesn't like strangers." I pull the guy up who offers a sheepish smile. He nervously stares between Dean and I. "If I knew you were a taken lady, I wouldn't have bothered but I saw you, and I wanted to introduce myself." he holds his hands up in defense. He had a country accent, and definitely wasn't from around here. "Go find someone else to introduce yourself too."

"Don't mind him, he's just mad someone else was giving me attention." I too crossed my arms over my chest. The guys looks back and forth between Dean and I. "You've got a might fine lookin' lady, lyin' on the beach on her own." the guy shakes his head, like me being alone was the worst thing imaginable. "If you was my lady, you'd never be alone." Dean lunges at the guy but I step between them making Dean shake his head. The other guy scampers away. "Pack your fuckin' shit, we're leaving." Dean snapped, glaring after the guy who ran back to his buddies. "I'm not leaving." I plop down on my towel, relaxing on it once again. "Yes you fuckin' are, get your ass up." I ignore him, opening one of the books I borrowed from the library, something Sam and I took an interest in and were sharing back and forth during our vacation. "Y/n, I'm not fucking playing with you. Get up." Dean growled lowly. I groaned and rolled my eyes, standing up I pack my thing's into my shoulder bag and shove Dean out of the way, walking up the sand back toward the hotel.

How dare he? He hardly ever compliments me anymore. It's like he doesn't even love me. And last night he yells at me cause I brought Sam the wrong chick? It's not my fault Sam can't find his own bitches. And then he only comes to my rescue when someone's hitting on me? He didn't want to tan with me, he didn't want to play in the water with me, he didn't even want to talk to me.

Sometimes I don't even get why we're together. I love him so dearly, but when I'm with Dean everyday we have to fight to live. Apocalypses, Demons, Angels, we've lived through it all and somehow I'm not sure if our four year anniversary is possible anymore. I just feel like we're not compatible anymore. I'm getting old and at some point I won't be able to live on the road anymore, in crappy hotel rooms. Before I know it, Dean and I will be together for sixy years and we'll both have skipped over everything normal couples do. We wouldn't get married legally, he can't anyway because he's supposed to be dead, and he's a convicted felon. We can't have kids cause their lives will be in danger. He doesn't like cats or dogs in baby, which excludes every other pet too. We can't even own a home together cause all he does is worry about our safety. It's so exhausting. I haven't even mentioned how little food we eat, how little sleep we get, how little money we have.

Thing's like vacations and breaks are always cut short cause those boys don't know how to just stop. I'd never change them, I love them for who they are. Their need to protect, their loyalty, it's all so admirable and so necessary in a world like this, but if one of them don't come home one day I think I'll lose my shit. Every time one dies, watching the other go through that pain multiple times, trying to get them back. It's like a horror movie with too many sequels. It gets old.

I notice that the boys hadn't followed me back, and the sun was setting soon. I was pretty sure they'd walk to a bar or something, and I wasn't in the mood to be nice to Dean. I needed some time to think and relax. I packed up some of my thing's into a bag, and headed over to the main office where I requested a one night stay in my own room. I also requested that if an older, kinda scary looking man with a tall, broad puppy comes in, pretend not to know who, or where I am. Of course I slipped the woman behind the counter a fifty for all her hard work, and then set off to find my own room.

Room 207 was on the second floor and had a beautiful view of the ocean from the window. It was exactly what I needed. I changed out of my bikini and headed straight to the shower.

Dean Winchester

"She's so annoying sometimes." I kick the sand as she walks away. Her hips swaying, in a way I can only tell is pure attitude. Sam lounges on his chair, legs crossed at the ankles. A pair of sunglasses rest against his face, sipping a beer. "She's not annoying, you love her." Sam replies all lovey-dovey and it makes me want to hurl. "Don't say shit like that." I scoffed, sitting on the chair again. I wasn't gonna follow her, she wants to walk away like a brat then let her. "What were you planning for your four year anniversary?" Sam asked curiously. I rolled my eyes and cracked open another beer. "Wasn't planning shit."

"Why? This is like the longest relationship you've had." Sam reminded. I cannot believe we've been together for four years. It wasn't supposed to be that way. About six years ago, Y/n's whole family was killed, leaving their only daughter alive. Which she was meant to be used in a ritualistic sacrifice by a witch trying to contact an old deity. After we killed the witch, Y/n begged to stick with us for a while. Learn about hunting and then split apart after a few weeks. Leave her in a new state, in a new town, and forget everything that happened to her. But I couldn't leave her at that bus stop a year after we saved her. She became an important part of my day, always checking up on each other. She was vital in research too. She had a great memory, great listener, quick decision making skills. She was loyal to Sam and I, and often went out of her way to keep us safe, doing shit I don't want her to.

She had some anger issues, she liked to push my buttons all the time. Storming away in the middle of a fight knowing I'll run after her to talk it out. Cutting me off to talk over me, stealing my beers right out of my hand. Spraying her vanilla and coconut perfume in the Impala even when I didn't want her to. It messes with the cars natural musk. When she steals my flannels and turns my music off.

But then there were the times when she was incredibly sexy too. Dancing in bars with rock and country songs in the background. Her tight jeans. That belt she loves to wear so much. The denim vest she wears, and only that. It cups her tits perfectly. When she smiles after I make a stupid joke. When she ties her hair up into a bun. When she argues back at me, it's both sexy and frustrating. She definitely knows how to put a man back in his place.

And the soft parts of her. When she'd hold me and run her fingers through my hair. When we cooked and probably burned random foods in the kitchens of motels. Watching old western movies together while eating pizza. Snacking on cereal at 3 AM while Sam sleeps. Going on drives in the country. Her white cowboy boots sticking out of the open windows. Her voice shouting out the words to our favorite songs, annoying the shit out of Sam just because it's funny. God I love her to death, but damn does she piss me off. "You need to go apologize."

"Apologize?" I scoffed, sipping my beer slowly. "I'm not apologizing for shit. I'll let her cool off and then we talk like civilized humans." Sam shakes his head, staring out at the ocean. "You're gonna lose her man." Sam shrugs but I wasn't listening anymore.

Within the hour, Sam and I packed up our stuff, carrying it all back to the motel. I guess Sam's not wrong. I need to make it up to her. Four years means a lot to someone like me. I've been alive ever since we started dating, I've been alive for four consecutive years. I calculate our hunts more, I steer clear of danger just cause I don't want her to be alone in this world. I had many dreams picturing her life with Sam after I've died, and I can't take the look on her face every time he tells her I've died. I told Sam after that first nightmare that if something does ever happen to me, I want them to take care of each other. "Baby, we're home!" I called jokingly, hoping to catch her lounging on the bed, or painting her toes on the couch. Maybe reading a book with coffee at the table. Or in the shower scrubbing away the sand from the beach.

Instead, I find most of her shit gone.

I run out to the front desk without another thought. She fucking left after one little argument? I know yesterday was kinda fucked up, but today, really? "Where is she?" I ask the woman at the front desk, ripping the door open. The woman behind the counter sinks to her chair and shrugs. "I'm sorry sir, I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"My girlfriend. You know who she is, I know you do!" the woman's eyes widen. "Look sir, I'm sorry. But you're going to need to calm down or else I'll have to call the police. I'm not allowed to give out residents locations."

Sam inserts himself between us, glaring at me and then offering the woman a kind smile. "I'm sorry about my idiot brother. His girlfriends gone missing and we're just wondering if you've seen her, talked to her." the woman nods. "I can't give you her stay. She paid with cash anyway, so she's technically not in our system." I lunge forward, leaning over the counter. "You will tell me where my girlfriend is or I'll knock on every door until I find her!"

"Dean!" Sam shouts, pulling me off. The woman dusts off her clothing and fixes her hair. "If I get a complaint called up, I'll have to call the police and kick you two out. But honestly, I'd leave her alone. She was pretty specific with what she wanted to happen." the woman offered a small reassuring smile. "She only booked one night, so whatever you did, I assume she just needed a few hours to herself. Her check out is 10 AM tomorrow if you want to catch her here."

"Thank you, will do!" Sam calls, pulling me out of the main office and back to our room. "See man! See what happens when you push your girlfriend away, she runs!" Sam shouts in a whisper as we walk back to the room. I pull open our motel door and head straight for the bedroom. Scratch loving her, she's fucking annoying. What is she a child? Running off like this? Doesn't she realize how dangerous it is for me to not know where she is? She's too delicate to be in this world alone. Her ass better stay in that motel room or I'll lose my fucking shit.

----------------------------------------------

part 2 coming asap! this was only going to be one part, but i'm already at almost 3k words and there's a whole lot more that needs to be said & a lesson or 2 to be learned! Also most of the sundays you see I probably meant Monday but oh well we can’t win them all

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ebonystarfall · 8 months ago

Note

Nezha x Female!Reader who’s also a deity associated with music and flowers (specifically irises)?

Could be a rivalry turned to good friends to lovers

Or acquaintances to lovers?

Pick a Flower~!

Nezha x Flower Deity!Reader (fem version)

Created by: Starbeam (Owner 1)

Type of content: Headcanons

Pov: Second

Word count: 433 (approximately)

TW: erm not beta read at all...boob mention btw but it's not sexual

A/N: Gonna do the male version sometime, or just make the g/n one a little later. It's only going to be a few tweaks here to there, nothing too wild and different. Maybe I won't, idk, I feel exhausted haha. And the two are acquaintances

REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED

Right, so from the start he's known about you. Of course, Nezha knows about most, if not all of the deities within the Celestial Realm, and you were no exception. To be honest, the two of you only have some interactions, just a simple 'hello' and 'how's your duties coming along?' you know, just simple talk.

Now, don't assume he doesn't like you, he actually thinks you're pretty interesting. While he protects that map to the Samadhi Fire, you play your music and melodies. Sometimes during his off-days (which are HORRIBLY) rare, he likes to sit down in the gardens you've made and listen to one of your performances.

Eventually the two of you get attached to each other and become the topic of some gossip with the other deities and officials...not like you guys care much. Blah, blah, blah, you two confess your feelings, everyone's happy, ect.

Now time for the actual headcanons!

He's very gentle with you, oftentimes giving you massages like the charming little Lotus Prince he is, especially since your fingers become sore after practicing with your instruments a little too much...

Of course he adores your playing! Why wouldn't he? It's common knowledge that you're a master at music, and he's a gentleman at heart. Like- did you really think that Nezha wouldn't be concerned whenever you talk about how your fingers hurt from playing? He's pretty damn observant when he wants to be, that's a guarantee.

High chance he went to your place after he got beat up by Wukong, complained about the guy when he was getting patched up. His ass is NOT going to simply...head immediately over to where that damned primate was. (he would've done it if he wasn't bruised as hell)

Sometimes he gives you gifts, especially on days that seem important to you (do deities remember their birthdays??), like one time he gave you a golden bangle with lotus and iris carving into it. He loves it when you wear them and you cannot change my mind-

He can get sleep-deprived a lot, and when he's really tired he likes to rest his head on your boobs. Calls them 'pillows fit for a god'...he also likes to rest his head on your lap, absolutely loves it when you comb through his hair, high chance he'll be out like a light.

Sometimes you ask (force) him to come down to the mortal realm with you for fun. You guys went to a museum once and Nezha got a bit sour after noticing one of the statues got his nose wrong or something lmao-

#lmk x reader #writers on tumblr #lego monkie kid #lego monkiekid x reader #lmk nezha #nezha x reader #nezha x y/n

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gavisuntiedboot · 1 year ago

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We Can't Be Friends (but I'd like to just pretend)

Pedri x Reader

Part 1

Warnings: None

Word count: 8.7k

A/N: After a lot of consideration, I have decided to start posting my Pedri series. I think that I can get a lot of interaction with these, and I think it is a good way to feed my soul and get eyes on what is happening in Palestine. So please, if you enjoy this series, consider helping out Palestine. Even if it's just with a click (second link!)

(Also if there are any continuity errors pls pls pls lmk)

Operation Olive Branch is an org working to help raise money to evacuate people from Gaza. I have decided to highlight Anwar and his family, who need to raise $35,000 in order to survive. Please donate what you can:

I will continue to highlight this family on all my posts until they reach their goal inshAllah.

Synopsis: Moving to a new country can be a pain in the ass. So can starting a new job when your position is completely different to what you thought. But nothing is going to stop you from achieving your goal of being the next Law Roach. Not the language barrier, your aching feet on the wonky streets, and definitely not your annoying, full of himself client. Because everything is going to stay professional, right?

~~~

"Bryce, can you please pay attention? God, I hate Americans."

The slow and thick laughter flowed through the line, peppered with static and cutting off whenever a particularly loud vehicle rolled past.

"Self-hating much? You are also American."

"I'm Texan, sweetheart. We are basically our own breed. Now can you help me?" You were finally able to flag down a taxi, stepping in carefully to make sure you didn't flash the driver. The stark white of the flowy skirt contrasted heavily with your bright orange cowboy boots, worn to match the white "TEXAS" baby tee with orange lettering. Your bangles clinked happily against your wrist as the door closed, hair mused by the late September wind. It was a comfort-from-home turned fashion statement, a way to stay close to your roots but show everyone at the office you were the type of girl that people saved on their "cool y2k outfit inspo" Pinterest boards. At least, girls back home would.

"How the hell did you move to a foreign country without learning the language?"

"Because I was supposed to be in PARIS, remember? I didn't minor in French just for mierde and giggles."

"Yeah, yeah, and then Paris decided to self destruct. I've heard the story. Just put me on speaker already."

Through the phone, Bryce's Spanish flows fluently as she instructs the driver to deliver you at your new place of work. Style Di Fortuna was one of the best styling firms in Europe, if not the world. Located a mere two streets from the Passeig De Gracia, there was nowhere better for a young woman to start her career in the fashion world. Except you weren't supposed to be here.

The plan had been perfect. After 4 years working your fingers bloody at UT Austin, you finally turned the bright orange tassel and accepted your B.A. in fashion. You were able to say "couture" with the perfect amount of phlegm to be taken seriously by the French snobs you had interned with, the ones who were supposed to be your colleagues after you graduated. The dreams of smoky cafes, bike rides through the city, and the lights of Paris fashion week were often the only things that helped you push through your professor telling you that you sewed like a blind sloth.

But then the French did what they do best: went on strike. For months. And after the long periods of no productivity and the destruction of half the inventory, you got the concise email that you would need to find employment elsewhere. About a week before you moved to France. So in a blind panic, you applied to every job you could think of within Europe, desperate to not have your first year post grad be spent at the soup kitchen or bagging groceries. You finally heard back from one of your contacts, another alumni from your school who said they could get you a job in Spain, but it was a little far from the type of fashion you wanted to do.

A "yes please I'm begging" email and 24 hours later, you had a job with SDF. Hey, fashion is fashion, and if you have to start by styling TikTokers in sparkly mini dresses before you could get to the good stuff, so be it. There were dues to be paid after all. So you grabbed your already packed bags and changed your ticket from Paris to Barcelona.

"I can speak Spanish. I lived in Texas for 21 years. Just not... Spain Spanish." You said quietly, rummaging through your bag for the ID that had been mailed to you the week prior.

"Right, and my white ass took it in school and he seemed to understand me just fine. So you, Miss Texican, need to stop with the perpetual fear that people will think you're stupid. Be confident and just speak. The company is Italian, anyways. Most of them will probably speak English, and if not, they'll think you're exotic and sexy."

"Mhm I'm sure."

"You're going to do great, okay? Just be yourself. You had like ten billion friends at home. It's almost impossible not to like you. You got it girl - go hook 'em."

Laughter bubbled out of you at her cheesy pep talk, feeling lighter already. She was right - even if you had gotten this job on the fly, your portfolio was super impressive, and people had no trouble liking you. So what was there to be worried about. After bidding her goodbye and having the courage to thank the driver in Spanish, you stepped out of the cab to the front steps of the new building. It was much taller than the surrounding, standing out like a sore thumb amongst the lower buildings and pale stone. Making your way up to the 16th floor, you were quickly ushered past bolts of bright fabric, racks of shoes worth millions, and some very stressed (yet very stylish) other employees.

"So excited that you're going to be joining our team! It is going to be so helpful having some international input to make sure we are not pigeon-holing our clients into fashion that is not received well globally. You will be reporting directly to Katerina, and she will report to me. Your colleagues are mostly male given the nature of the division. But Tania, Silvia, and Maria should be a good support as you move into the role. We also have Juliana who is between here and the Milan office. So it isn't a complete boy's club."

Huh?

After years in fashion, one thing you definitely knew was that it often was not a "boy's club". Sure, all the suits and big investors were often old and withered men, but most of the creative side of the business had been run by almost fully female teams (and the exceedingly rare stylish man).

"I'm sorry, the nature of the team? What do you mean?" You asked, trying to keep smiling while running after her towards a more and more barren part of the office.

"Sorry, was it not included in your offer letter? You're working in our athletics division. We are horribly understaffed in that department, especially now that we have taken on all the Adidas athletes in Spain. My word there are a lot of them. Bellingham alone needs three team members for every event."

No no no no no. This cannot be happening. You had come in prepared to style a lot of things: prom dresses, lingerie, even the scraps of fabrics that were rented out by the local burlesque show. But sports???

Now don't get it twisted, this isn't some "I'm a girl and I don't know anything about sports!" kind of thing. On the contrary. You were at every football game rocking the longhorns, cheering on your friends as they crushed it at basketball, and even tried watching a formula 1 race (there was a three car crash and you fainted) - you were totally hip with sports. Although you were not a fan of stretch materials or athleisure, you were willing to bite the bullet as a first step. The issue was the hidden undertones of your job. It was the fact that you would be working with, from what you could surmise, a lot of male athletes.

Bryce was right - it did feel like you had ten billion friends back home. Everywhere you went, you spoke to strangers with ease, and people warmed quickly, conversation flowing and bonds forming. But that's the issue: everyone seemed to warm to you, and so it meant a lot of male attention. And despite your best efforts, you always made a "too flirty" comment to someone's crush or "inappropriately smiling" at someone's boyfriend. And so as fast as they liked you, suddenly you were public enemy #1, and the drama became all-consuming.

No one seemed to understand. There was constant advice to just brush it off, to ignore the people who brought pain to your life. But you couldn't help it, laying in bed, stomach in knots, questioning why no one could see that you were just trying to be kind to everyone around you. The cycle of worrying had created a very isolating experience.

"Tania! Where are the other girls? I want to introduce you to the newest member of the team."

A girl with blown out black hair turns around, double nose piercings taking a back seat to a piercing charcoal stare. She was in high waisted jeans and a leopard print button up, the first two unbuttoned to show off the black strap of her bra. Her neck was adorned with a simple gold cross necklace, and she flashed a cordial smile as she stuck out a hand.

"I love your shoes." You said sweetly as you exchanged a shake, eager to make your first friend at work (and maybe in all of Spain).

"Oh, thank you. Dolce and Gabanna - they're friends of the firm. Your shoes are..." She gave a glance to the cowboy boots you had on, "muy naranja" (very orange).

You crossed your legs, self confidence waning after she addressed you like you had traffic cones on your legs. You were introduced to Silvia (a tall girl with short blonde hair and vintage Adidas Sambas paired with boxer shorts) and Maria (dark blue hair slicked back to show off her Italian football jersey). All of them oozed the coolest essence, and you were excited to get to know them.

"Alright, girls, not too much chattering. Barca arrives in 15 minutes, and there is not a single jersey in sight. Lets go! Rápidamente!"

A gasp spread across the room, accompanied with a groan from Roberto in the back, and there was suddenly a mad dash. Stretch fabrics in a hundred different colors were flying across the room, and it seemed like no one could move fast enough.

"I'm sorry to ask but... what is a barca?"

Silvia's sambas squeaked loudly as she came to a halt, whipping her neck towards you. Her eyebrows knitted together, looking at you like you had just said Jesus was a goat.

"Who is Barca? You cannot be serious. Please don't say anything like that when they walk in the door. Just stand out of the way and do some googling. We will fill you in when the team leaves."

You stepped back towards the mannequins, trying not get trampled by the other employees. A quick search on Instagram gave you the basics. Soccer (or well, football now) team that was super famous. SDF was tagged in their post from their TV series premier, so you came to the conclusion that they were long time clients. You were so consumed with your search that you didn't notice the gaggle of young men enter the constricted space until you heard a chorus of voices chant "Bon Dia, Pedri!"

You glance up, trying to see the man that the girls were addressing, but he was covered by a crowd, which was comprised of Tania, Silvia, and girls from the other departments of the building (you could have sworn that red head worked at the café in the lobby).

"Bon dia, ladies."

The giggles that came as response were far too exaggerated for just politeness, and before you could roll your eyes, you heard the gag from beside you and turned to who was ultimately Maria.

"Don't mind the girls. They aren't usually like this, but their brain turns to mush around the magician."

"The magician?"

Almost as if planned, the swarm of girls parted in that moment, a pair of sickly sweet molasses eyes meeting yours, holding your gaze in something that felt warm and almost intimate. His stubbled cheeks spread into an infectious smile, and suddenly a gorgeous man in a hideous pair of jeans was giving you a subtle wave across the room.

"Pedri "The Magician" Gonzalez, current reigning golden boy at FC Barcelona. Who knew God could pack so much talent and trouble into such a small package? Anyways, the other girls in the office are obsessed with him. They all think they're going to be the special little snowflake to pull him away from the line of Instagram models waiting to jump in bed."

As you listened intently to Maria's rant about the sports star, the two of you couldn't keep your eyes away. As Tania and Silvia went back and forth, talking his brain into oatmeal, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Who is the new girl?"

Pedri Gonzalez was many things: a generational talent, a laid back 20 year old, and (though less known) a shit-stirrer. These monthly team visits to SDF ranked very highly on his list of favorite activities. He was able to sit with his teammates as they watched some of the hottest girls in Europe fall over themselves just for a kind word or a prolonged glance. He just wished the boys would have seen the way they moved when he came in for personal sessions whenever there was a new Adidas campaign. Not even the king was served so wonderfully.

As the team bus parked outside the building, he lazily draped one arm over Gavi's shoulders, ripping his attention away from his phone screen.

"You know she does have a life outside of answering your texts, Gavi."

There was no attempt to hide or deny, just a continued scowl coupled with scrunched brows.

"She was really weird during the drive home the other day. After Martin was a little bitch on the field, she hasn't been the same. I think there's something wrong, but I don't want to push her away. I just want her to be happy."

"Ay, you'll have lots of time to make her happy after you confess your undying love in her passenger seat and kill her boyfriend." Pedri quipped back, taking a few careful steps off the bus and rushing into the building, the squeals of his name from adoring fans fading into the background.

"Okay, maybe not the best idea I've ever had, but now you do have work with Adidas and Springfield and all the other brands that want a piece of Pedri Potter." The nickname earned Gavi a light smack on the back of the head. "So in the end, I did you a favor."

The boys make their way upstairs, greeted at the elevator by Pedri's fan club.

"Bon dia, ladies."

"Bon dia, Pedri. We missed you."

Gavi tried to tone down the look of confusion that painted his features, watching these two girls trail behind his teammate in a way that was anything but professional. But there was a natural air to Pedri that had women swooning whenever he uttered a sentence, so Gavi supposed this situation would be no different than the one he had seen before in the club, at the beach, in the grocery store - basically anywhere Pedri went. He said a silent thank you to the powers that be that their types were vastly different.

The girls vying for his attention were promptly shooed away, with only the two who were actually part of their styling team remaining. Pedri scanned the room, making a mental note of who he would be looking up on the SDF Instagram once he was done for the day. He was a humble young man, but he wasn't self depreciating. He knew the number of women that wanted him was rising into 6-figure range, and he was not one to deprive himself of a pleasure that wasn't closely regulated by the staff over at Camp Nou. He loved entertaining the occasional tryst with an influencer or model or bottle service girl - whoever caught his eye for the evening. The world was his field, and boy was he ready to sow.

His newest playthings were his regular stylists. Since he was going to be spending a lot more time at the firm, he decided to at least enjoy himself a little bit. He dropped casual compliments, noticed the changes they made to their appearance, let them talk his ears off about how well he did in the previous match. Whatever they wanted he would provide. Why not? He was young and single. If they were to delude themselves into thinking he was going to settle down and take a wife at this stage of his career, then really they had no one but themselves to blame.

Tania and Silvia were nothing if not wholly entertaining. They always bounced around the office together, blonde and black hair making them look like a salt and pepper shaker set. Today, they dedicated themselves to dressing Pedri in the vintage Barca jerseys that were being photographed, leaving the rest of the squad to be dealt with by Maria, Roberto, and the bright spot in the corner of the office that caught Pedri's eye.

"Who is the new girl?"

He knew the question was going to cause the bile to rise in the throats of the two girls in front of him, who were already milliseconds away from killing each other if it meant he would take the survivor to dinner. But there was something about the flash of color that had caught his eye, hair falling in front of a pretty face that was glued to a screen and trying to stay out of the way.

"What new girl?" The response came from Tania, the more jealous of the pair by a mile. Pedri had often caught her stalking his account, his brother's account, and the account of every girl DeuxMoi "spotted" him with during the international breaks.

"Her. In the corner. She's new, right? That's someone I would remember seeing." He raised his head to get a better look at her, taking in the tight shirt and bright colors, watching her jewelry sway along as Maria (his least favorite in the office by far) called her over to help dress the rest of the team. The girls whipped around, taking in the same view that Pedri was.

"La naranja?!" Tania asked, disgust evident in her louder-than-appropriate tone. At the use of what was quickly becoming your office nickname, you looked towards the sound of the commotion, seeing Pedri staring intently at you once again. And while the depth of his gaze threatened to ignite a warmth somewhere within your chest, it was Tania's furious expression that had your heart racing in fear. You hadn't even been at work for an hour - what could you have possible done to have invoked such a murderous glare?

"I didn't think foreign girls were your type." Silvia said, much calmer but tone still icy.

"Maybe I just like the color orange." He replied smoothly, whipping off his shirt to slip into the one from 1980 that he would be modeling for the Barca site. The sight of bare skin was enough to make his playthings forget their rage, being replaced by lustful stares and lingering touches as they "adjusted" the fabric over his pecs about 20 times over.

"I think orange is a hideous color on girls." Tania couldn't help but mutter and she fixed his collar, putting in a couple pins so it wouldn't move as he walked to the photographer.

"I think the ugliest color on a girl is jealousy green." Pedri's eyes met hers in a silent warning. She was officially nothing more than one of his stylists. He was a busy man, and the last thing he needed was for his distractions to become a new stressor. He was notorious for being quick to cut girls off for the most superficial reasons, and Tania was not eager to be one of those deprived of his affections. She smiled sweetly, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Oh, of course. Especially when there is obviously nothing to be jealous of. Go welcome her on her first day - if she can even understand a thing you're saying. I don't think the American school system teaches Canarian." She left Pedri in that moment, calling sweetly to Ferran to come get dressed.

"Ay, Gavi, I knew you were short, but they can't even find pants that fit you now?"

The sudden voice behind you made you jump, causing a yelp from Gavi, who had been stabbed with a stray pin due to your scare. Your head whipped around, meeting that same smile that was brighter up close.

"Perdon, Naranja. Didn't mean to startle you."

Your eyebrows came together, a small frown on your features.

"I don't know what Tania told you, but that's not my name."

"I didn't think it was, but it's quite fitting, don't you think? A cute nickname for a cute girl."

The complement caught you off guard, and your mouth dropped open, reply unable to form in your mind. Was he seriously flirting with you? After half the office just threw themselves at his feet?

"Thank you, but I would really prefer if you called me-"

"Your accent is strange. Where are you from?" Pedri cuts you off, giving you a once over and taking in your figure, focusing intently on the writing across your chest.

"Texas. Can't you read?" You asked, growing more annoyed by the minute. Maria would be back any second to grab the boy who you were hemming, now identified as Gavi. You weren't eager to be seen as a slacker on day damn one.

"Houston?" He asked, accent preventing him from getting the "S" in the word quite right. "My brother used to live there for a bit."

"San Antonio, actually. But I went to school in Austin." As desperately as you wanted to make a good impression on your first day, something inside your chest wanted to make a good impression on Pedri, who was listening intently to the mini tour of Texas you were giving him.

"Is that close to Dallas? We are meant to play a game there in the summer. Maybe you can come along, show me around your city." He punctuated his sentence with a wink. You wanted to speak, tell him that Austin was actually several hours from Dallas, San Antonio even further. But your heartbeat was in your ears, and you could do nothing but nod along.

Pedri was not much better off. He had spoken to some of the most gorgeous women in Europe, maybe even the world in his mere 22 years on the planet, but something about the way you looked at him while speaking, eyes locked onto his, made his heart race in a way that was foreign but not unenjoyable.

"Hey! Hurry up - they need Gavi next. Or are you incapable of putting in a couple pins?" It was Silvia barking down at you, causing you to tear your gaze away from Pedri and back to Gavi's leg. Thankfully, the boy was typing away and didn't notice the break you had taken to chat with his teammate. "Pedri, stop distracting la naranja with your flirting and go get a pair of shoes from Maria."

You burned with embarrassment, the nickname turning from something affectionate to something sour, used to remind you of your outsider status as 'Cinderella' was reminded of her place by the coals.

"I was just being friendly." Pedri said, standing to follow her instructions.

"I think you have enough friends in the office." She bites back, shoving him lightly towards the wall of sneakers.

Your cheeks burn, embarrassment causing your hands to tremble as you continue hemming the trousers in front of you. Maria had gone out of her way to warn you that Pedri was off limits, and yet here you were again: persona non grata with your coworkers because some boy had taken an interest in you.

"You speak really good Spanish for someone from America." A quiet voice said from above you. Looking up, Gavi was gazing down at you, distracted by his phone every few seconds.

"I'm half Mexican, and most people in Texas speak Spanish anyways." You reply, trying to tone down the annoyance in your tone.

"Oh, I didn't know that. My friend- eh, physiotherapist also studied in America. She has this really cute accent when she says some of her words now." You watched his eyes glaze over in a way they probably shouldn't if he was just talking about his doctor.

"You don't have to make conversation with me, you know." You mutter back, scared that maybe this player was Maria's and you would sever the final connection you had left in the office inadvertently.

"Oh. I didn't mean to annoy you." The tone in his voice and his crestfallen expression made you feel like you had just kicked a puppy.

"Oh no! You're not. I just... It seems like I just pissed off the girls by talking to Pedri, and I don't want to make any other mistakes."

He laughed, eyes crinkling and head tilting back. "Pedri is a special case. When you flirt with everything that moves, someone is bound to be upset eventually."

The admission caused a pit to form in your stomach. Everything that moves? The romantic heat you felt earlier cooled into a slimy, sickening emotion. What kind of person toyed with people's feelings for fun? As you entertained the thought, you tapped Gavi on the leg, instructing him to hop off the stand and go get photographed. A shadow loomed over your form as you tidied pins from the floor of the workroom.

"So, I believe you were about to give me your address before we were so rudely interrupted." It was Pedri, returning with a grin, standing coolly with his hands in the pockets of his cargos. "Of if that's too personal, I'll settle for a phone number. Or an Instagram handle - I'm not picky."

"I can tell." You muttered back, unease still sitting in your chest. You avoided his gaze, chewing nervously on your bottom lip and directing your eyes to anything but Pedri.

"I'm sorry about Silvia. She can be... intense. And let me just go ahead and apologize for Tania as well, in advance. They're weirdly possessive over me for some reason." Pedri sounded sincere, eyes doing their best to catch yours and convey his message.

"Don't worry about it. I can see why you're so popular." You shuffled to collect stray pins off the floor. Pedri was not like any other guy you had ever been attracted to. Usually they were tall, lanky frat boy types, all blue eyes and khaki shorts. But the combination of beautiful brown eyes brushed by dark hair, chiseled jaw and plump lips, and strong arms that lifted a mannequin out of your way did weird things to your heart and your stomach.

"Can you now?" He was smirking. You could practically hear it in his voice, the amusement dripping from every syllable. He was obviously completely unbothered by your clear signs of distress.

"Yeah. Every girl I ever knew wanted to be the sugar baby of an athlete. Watch out or you'll get your bank account drained." Despite your best efforts to come across as cutting and sharp, he laughed at the statement. A full head thrown back and hands on his belly type of laugh.

"It's been a long time since I've spoken to a girl as funny as you." His eyes held yours, and the look was so captivating you simply couldn't avert your gaze. In that moment, it was also lost on you that you had, in fact, only made one joke. You responded with a half smile and heat radiating from you.

"Hey listen, a couple of the boys and I are going out tonight. You should come with us."

The invitation started to knock some sense back into you. Out? As in out out? Back home, going out usually meant getting shit-faced and riding a mechanical bull. It wasn't the best look to pull up to work the following morning looking like death and smelling like tequila. You were already on the way to holding the record for the worst first day in history.

"I don't know... I think Tania would put Nair in my shampoo if we were seen together when not contractually obligated."

You looked up shyly, and a part of you waited for him to insist, to feel somewhat special.

"Ah, I won't make you do anything you're uncomfortable with. Just DM me on Instagram if you change your mind. I'm not hard to find."

"Do you answer DMs from every girl that finds you?" You asked, rocking back and forth on your heels.

"No. But I'll be looking out for yours."

Another voice called out to Pedri, and he left you standing there slack-jawed. Who was this man? And what was so special about you to have piqued his interest? You asked these same questions of Bryce, who was now fully awake.

"Girl, the answer is obvious." She said through face time, words garbled by her teeth-brushing.

"Please don't say-"

"You're hot."

"That. Bryce, these girls in the office, they're stunners. 10s across the board. If he was going for looks, he wouldn't be going for me."

"I think you're over-thinking this whole thing. He just wants to talk to you for now," She paused to spit, "So talk! What's the worst that could happen?"

A shrill voice cried out 'Naranja!' and the trill of your new unwelcome work nickname was the signal that your lunch was over. You trudged back into the office, abandoning the warmth and sunshine for the cold front put up by Tania and Silvia. They bumped you every time they walked past, making comments about your clothing, your hair, the speed of your work, your taste level - everything. You stuck close to Maria, getting only two smug "I told you so's" before it was back to business. The boys left a disaster in their wake, with jerseys, trousers, socks, shoes, and all manners of accessories scattered about the workroom. Maria exchange stories of her childhood in Rome for your escapades in San Antonio and Austin, and the day passed with relative ease. Katerina click-clacks into the room an hour before your sweet release, huddling together everyone who worked with the team for a summary of what was accomplished.

"Great job team. I think Barca will be very happy with the photos, which will make me very happy. Now," Katerina handed out a series of files to everyone in the circle. "As some of you know, we have been fighting tooth and nail against Fordham Fashions for the new Adidas Rising Stars contract. Well, we have finally won! Here are the clients that we will be working with closely for individual Adidas campaigns, collaborations, and so on."

Opening the file, a familiar face grinned back from the first page.

"Everyone already knows Pedri, so we will move past him. Now, let us begin the style briefing for Bellingham..."

You stared for another moment at the bright grin on the page before turning it to take notes on everything Katerina was saying. The meeting wrapped 30 minutes later, with one final request from the boss.

"The new Predator boots have just come in from Adidas. We will be sending a pair to each of our athletes to allow them to adjust before we style and shoot in the coming weeks. And to avoid another, ehem, hair pulling incident, the new girl will be sending Pedri's. Sort the rest out among yourselves. See you tomorrow!"

The glares burned your skin before you even had the chance to process that the 'new girl' in question was you. Everyone scurried to the wall of blue shoe boxes as you looked over the brief again to find the man of the hour's shoe size. Pulling it out of the pile, you moved to a far corner of the workroom, but that did not seem to stop Tania from coming your way.

"So, you think Pedri likes you?"

The statement caught you off guard, hands slowing and your eyes widening at your coworker.

"Excuse me?"

"You think that now he's going to date you just because he laughed at one of your jokes? Because trust me, you're not his type."

You were prepared to rebut, tell her that she had completely misunderstood the situation, and you were just being nice to a client. But it died on your lips as the meaning of her words washed over you like an icy tidal wave, leaving you to pathetically whisper out,

"Why not?"

Her laugh trickled out lightly, delicate and beautiful and cutting all at once.

"Just look at you, Naranja. Anyways, this is a note from the agency that needs to be included in Pedri's box, so slip it in there, 'kay? See you tomorrow!"

Swallowing thickly, you didn't watch her walk away, staring at the table top to stop the flood of emotions that was clogging your throat. You knew you weren't ugly. Quite the opposite actually. It usually only took a coy glance and the bat of an eyelash for you to have people eating from the palm of your hand. But the self doubt started to eat away at you. What was wrong with the way you looked?

And then your eyes focused on the crisp white envelope on the table. The girly scrawl of Pedri was too... romantic to be a formal note. The green slime of jealousy seeped through every one of your veins. You took a quick look around the room, and finding no one, you carefully opened the envelope. Immediately a strong perfume assaulted your senses. The letter was a quick confession of love, and you couldn't help the increase in your heart rate. If your coworker was determined to hate you, then you should at least give her a reason.

Your childish antics came two fold. First, you tiptoed over to the cabinet with the stationary, grabbing a blank envelope and some corrector fluid. You carefully removed Tania's name from the bottom of the letter, writing in a little "S" with a heart beside it. You refolded the letter and placed it into the new perfume-less envelope. The letter found its home in the shoe box, and on your way out of the building, you dropped it off at the mail room. As you waited for your cab home, you typed five familiar letters into the Instagram search bar, and sent a message asking,

"Am I still invited out tonight?"

Pedri could not contain the Cheshire cat grin that lit up his face when he saw the DM from you. Scrolling quickly through your Instagram, he zoomed in on your pictures from the summer, swimsuits the same bright orange that had hugged your chest earlier that day. He responded quickly, telling you that you would be the highlight of the entire outing, and as he predicted, your phone number quickly followed.

"See, Gavi? I told you." He turned the screen to his teammate, who could not possibly be less interested. Being met with silence, he quickly snatched Gavi's phone from his hands, eliciting a protest.

"Gavi, this is an intervention. You need to stop this sad puppy behavior. After the sixth unanswered text, it's time to accept that she's not going to respond."

Pedri almost regretted it as soon as he said it, the sunken look painting Gavi's features being too much to bear. It was like taking a baby's favorite toy away.

"I just mean that she's probably busy, hermano. She'll respond when she can. Now, back to me."

Gavi rolled his eyes and leaned back against Pedri's couch. He displayed his most exasperated expression.

"Please, Pedri. Tell me again how you got a girl to swoon for you in a matter of minutes. It's always my favorite story."

Gavi barely missed the pillow chucked at his head, but pressed on anyways.

"Come on, Pedri. It's the same story every week. Find a cute girl, flirt, invite her out, sleep with her, and then block her on all your socials."

"Okay but this one is different. She's my first American."

Gavi gave him a look that told Pedri that maybe the joke should have been reserved for Ferran. Despite all the wisdom Pedri had imparted, Gavi hadn't listened. Instead of taking advantage of the swarm of women ready to show him heaven, he had gone and fallen in love with one of his coworkers. Sheesh. What a stupid idea. But he had never seen Gavi, or anyone really, care so much about a person. So he was being a good friend, just pretending that this love story wouldn't go down in flames (badum-tsss).

Pedri was not willing to be a hopeless lover boy. He killed himself on the pitch, and there was no way he wasn't going to enjoy life after the whistle blew.

"I just don't think it's an idea to start involving girls you're going to have to see again."

The statement cut straight through Pedri's daydream of what you would wear to the club that evening. Gavi may have been right. When messing with Instagram models, it was easy to avoid previous flings. A block online, a slip of their photo to Camp Nou security, and worst case scenario, when they came up to him at an event, he just put on his best confused face and asked, "Do I know you?"

But this was new territory. He had toyed around with Tania and Silvia for months now, but it never left the office. Inviting a girl who he would have to see again and again for work out was risky. But the risk-assessing brain cells were on vacation. All that was left were the party neurons, the ones that craved dopamine and finding out what your skin would feel like against his palms. So he pushed all of Gavi's valid objections into a dark corner of his brain. He opted instead to ask,

"So, are you coming out tonight as well?"

Gavi lifted his hoodie up to cover his face, using all his self control to not grab his phone from its place on the coffee table.

"I don't think so. I'm not in the mood to see Ferran or... anyone really. Just want to sit home and watch my show."

"Suit yourself then. I'll let you know how the night ends."

"I'm begging you not to."

You smoothed your hands over your dress one final time. You were pacing around your living room, eagerly waiting for Pedri to pick you up. Despite your best efforts to assure him that you could Uber yourself to the club, he refused, and you couldn't help the giddy feeling at the gentlemanly antics.

Staring at yourself in the mirror once again, you thought of the dates you had been on in your senior year of college. From darties on frat lawns to drive-thrus to fine dining, many guys had tried to win your favor. It wasn't that all of them sucked (even if the majority did). It was just that the guys back home in America were... boring. All of them were pretty self centered and shallow, nice to look at but nothing deeper. While a pretty boy was nice at 19, it was time to grow up and look for something more.

The buzzing of your phone knocked you out of the trance you were in. "Pedri from work" illuminated the screen as you rushed to answer.

"I was going to come in and knock on your door, but I can't get into your building."

You laughed lightly in response, apologizing about the door code while grabbing a jacket and heading downstairs. A low whistle greeted you, dark eyes tracing your figure with a look that you tried not to interpret for your own sanity. A shy smile played across your features as you allowed Pedri to open your car door, sweet talk you throughout the drive, and escort you in to what was more of a lounge than a club. Live musicians played just loud enough for ambiance, but not enough to completely drown out everyone chattering amongst themselves. The two of you walked up to a table of Greek Gods, which you assumed were his teammates.

Pedri introduced you to the group, making sure that his body was physically situated between you and Ferran. He was a good guy somewhere deep, deep down, buried under the anguish of his last girlfriend, who left him upon finding out about the pay reduction that came with moving from Manchester City to FCB. Pedri tried to stop him from taking out his rage on a coworker (and Gavi's crush), but he was hard headed and couldn't be swayed. Eventually he would calm down, and they could go back to being young and single and not bitter. Pedri's phone glowed with a notification from the boy on his mind.

[Gaviiii]: dude i foujd her outside my house just sitting in her car n cryng so im gonna take care of that

[Gaviiii]: dont tect me or call me im not gonna answer

The typos were normal, as it was hard for Gavi to avert his eyes for even one second when his most precious was in sight. Pedri shook off the text and turned his attention back to you, arm coming to rest around your waist in what was meant to be a comforting gesture.

You were not comforted. On the contrary, you were on the verge of throwing up. You were one of only two girls in a circle of incredibly attractive men, the other being someone's wife. You couldn't remember the names of any of them, except for Ferran, who you had been specifically warned about on the drive over. The devil really is a charmer. His short cropped hair showed the angels of his face beautifully, long lashes fanning against his cheeks. A few tattoos peaked out from under rolled up sleeved, and you had to remember that you were with his friend on a... what was this exactly? Pedri had never said anything more than that he wanted to be friends. But he asked you to go out with him, picked you up, gave you the pre-date compliments, and now was shielding you from other men. Were you on a date?

You tried your best to participate in small talk, listening to them go back and forth about football and training and life in general. The various accent were not kind to your brain that was barely used to the Canarian lilt to Pedri's speech.

"Are you okay?"

The whisper came softly in your ear, hot breath against you skin causing an eruption of little bumps. Pedri's arm had not left your waist, but now he was rubbing delicate circles into your skin.

"I'm fine. Just... a little overwhelmed? I feel sort of out of place."

"Don't worry, linda. No one can take their eyes off you."

The affirmation only increased your heart rate once again, the thump against your chest beating in rhythm with the base from the speakers. You were acutely aware of the warmth of his palm against your skin, radiating through the fabric of your dress. You loosened up as the evening progressed, participating in the conversation more confidently and laughing more freely. Slowly, the boys excused themselves from the gathering one by one, and soon it was only you and Pedri in the low light, talking about the most beautiful scenery you have ever seen.

He was lost in describing his home island, the clear waters and lush foliage that he called home. You leaned forward, enraptured by the passion that he spoke with about the places and people he loved. Slowly, you found yourself getting closer and closer, until there was only a few inches of space between you. The gold flecks interspersed in dark brown became clearer, and you struggled to breathe as you watched Pedri's gaze drift to your lips.

"I am getting the impression you want me to kiss you. Please correct me if that's not the case." Pedri breathed out slowly, more strained than you had previously thought. You don't know what you were thinking. Maybe you weren't thinking. You just acted on what felt right. Closing the distance, you joined Pedri's lips to yours, arms around his neck as you kissed with a hunger borderline inappropriate for the public.

You weren't usually this person. It was usually a couple dates before you would allow for a goodnight kiss, let alone the almost make-out you were currently engaged in. You pulled away from Pedri, the heavy breathing a commonality between the two of you. Maybe it was the being in Spain. Maybe it was that he was hot and young and famous. Maybe it was that of all the girls throwing themselves at him, including your coworkers, he picked you after an hour of conversation. Something told you to take a chance on what could be your love at first sight moment. So when Pedri leaned close and asked,

"Do you want to go back to your place?"

There was no answer but yes.

The following morning was filled with bliss. Pedri had woken up just as the first rays of sunlight were painting the stone. He kissed you on the cheek, whispering something akin to "see you around" before he left to training. You floated through your morning, making a coffee in a daze and dressing with a permanent smile. Bryce was still fast asleep, so you left her about 30 minutes worth of voice messages before you had the guts to step out and hail your own cab to work.

You walked into the office still riding the high from the night before. Your skin was ablaze, and every time you thought of the "activities", heat spread through you rapidly. Luckily the November chill kept you from sweating through your bones. Your bliss lasted for most of the morning, as you worked with Maria and a couple of people you had never met to create a mood board for an upcoming photoshoot. As you flipped through paint swatches, a piercing scream split the air, causing you to drop to the ground and cover your head.

"Why are you on the floor, Naranja?"

One of the boys looked at you with raised eyebrows, and a part of your brain registered that your new work nickname had trickled into other departments.

"Oh, sorry. I went to high school in America. Screams like that meant someone was getting jumped. Or shot."

Another scream rippled through the hallway as Maria helped you up.

"That was Silvia. Given recent history, your prediction about her being attacked might be correct."

The both of you scurried down the hall, the clicks of the other department workers followed behind you, eager for the newest and juiciest chisme. The sight before you made you stop dead in your tracks. Roberto was holding Tania by the waist, apparently the only thing that was keeping her away from Silvia, who was on the other side of the room crying and grabbing her head. There was a trail of silver thread between the two hysterical women. No, not thread - hair.

"She cut my hair! She came up behind me and cut my hair!"

"She's a traitor and, more importantly, a whore! I should've slit her throat."

Katerina had finished ushering everyone who didn't work there out of the room, and now she was standing in the middle of the room ready to mediate.

"You two have 5 minutes to explain what the hell happened and why I shouldn't fire you."

Tania had calmed, no longer straining against an iron grip and gaze filled with slightly less murderous intent. She released the clump of hair that she had in her hand onto the floor, revealing the absolute carnage that had taken place. Safe to say Silvia was going to be rocking a pixie cut for the next few weeks. Both of the girls remained silent. The prisoner's dilemma in real time. Katerina clicked her tongue after the moment of silence and simply said, "Roberto."

You could swear you saw a smile on his face briefly before he cleared his throat and began.

"Tania gave the new girl a note with her phone number in it to send to Pedri. Pedri texts the phone number, but instead of addressing it correctly, he says-"

"HEY SILVIA. THIS MORNING HE TEXTS MY NUMBER WITH HER NAME." Tania's outburst had everyone stand up, fearing that she was going to lunge. She remained in place, but no one sat back down.

"So you decided to attack her because he can't tell you two apart?"

"She must have done something to my note. She-"

"No." Katerina interrupted. "I have hear enough. Both of you are no longer working on any project Pedro Gonzalez is involved in."

Protests came from both of the girls, suddenly sullen and docile. They began to plead to be punished with anything else, but not exile from their favorite footballer. As they whimpered to your boss, who reminded them they were lucky to still be employed, it dawned on you. This morning. He texted who he thought was Silvia this morning. In response to a flirty message. After he left your bed. Maybe before he had even left the apartment.

There it was again. The nausea. The urge to projectile vomit. All because of Pedro Gonzalez. Fuck a nickname. He was a rich fuckboy that had played you like a fiddle. You held the tears back as you went back to fabric swatches, taking a moment to block him on Instagram.

"So, how does it feel to be Pedri's personal stylist now?" Katerina startled you, and the shock caused a delay in processing what she had just said.

"His what?"

"Well, now that those two are not allowed to be within 50 meters of him, it's only you and Maria working the Adidas contract. Especially now that Roberto is part of the Olympics team. So you get Pedri, and she gets Bellingham. Perfect, no?"

You nodded, swallowing hard to push the bile back down. This very unfortunate one night stand maybe have been the worst idea you have ever had. You walked through the rest of the day with disgust and rage flowing through you. You decided to brave the cold of the November afternoon and walk home, stopping by a bakery to get something with chocolate to keep the tidal wave of intense depression at bay.

How could this be happening? You weren't this girl. You weren't someone who let yourself be gullible and played. Hell, you had gone the last four years with all of Texas and parts of Mexico vying for your affection. But this little Spanish boy took advantage of the connection you felt, and he had barely left your bed before starting to text your coworker. Your phone buzzed with several messages in rapid succession.

[Pedro Gonzalez]: My agent just told me you were my own personal stylist

[Pedro Gonzalez]: that's good to hear.

[Pedro Gonzalez]: At least I'll have a friend at all these long and boring photoshoots

No mention of the night before. No "I had a good time". No question about your wellbeing. Nothing except his own self interest. How the situation would be good for him. Again. You felt awful as you pushed a teenage boy out of the way, barely making it into the bathroom before throwing your guts up. What the hell. How did you manage to fuck up so poorly so quickly? It was day damn one. And now you were throwing up in a bakery bathroom in Spain because of a man that's 5'9". You sat at a table, cake and coffee cooling in front of you. You didn't trust your legs or your stomach just yet, so you decided to type out a response instead.

Pedri was in overall low spirits. His injury had had another flare up, causing him to limp to the locker room. The email from his agent brightened his day, as he saw your name in the email. He shot a quick text your way, excited at the prospect of seeing you again, only to sour at the response.

[Naranja]: dont speak to me pedro

[Naranja]: we are not friends

[Naranja]: and we never will be

[You can no longer send messages to this user]

~~~

A/N: Here it is! The first part of the new series! Just some preemptive answers: I don't know what my posting schedule will look like and idk how many parts it's going to be. I hope you enjoy this first part. It might be a little rushed because I just wanted to set up the main story. Please let me know your thoughts in comments and asks! I'll try to reply to as many as I can. I love you all <3

Palestine: I will try to donate $1 for every comment that has a watermelon or an olive in it. I will keep y'all updated with how it goes.

Here are some more links to please please please look at while you're here.

Care for Gaza: an org that has been getting help and aid to people on the ground -> https://www.gofundme.com/f/careforgaza

Daily click that donates money to help Palestinians -> https://arab.org/click-to-help/palestine/

#gavisuntiedboot #gub we cant be friends #pedri #pedri x reader #pedri gonzalez imagine #pedri imagine #pedri blurb #pedri gonzalez #pedri x y/n #pedri x you #pedri gonzalez one shot #pedri fanfic #footballer #football rpf #football fanfic

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hedgeartzone · 4 months ago

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The Bishop of Medicine Pestilence

Kallamar was such an interesting character to try and design due to the fact of wanting to add their damaged ears but not knowing how to draw it. Other than that, it was a lot of fun designing their robes.

Not seen, hidden by the robes, is that Kallamar has four arms just like his boss fight in game. His arms would have been adorned with different types of bangles that were gifts/offerings from his followers.

Kallamar has actually been sitting in my drafts just waiting for lineart for awhile now. I had completely forgotten that I had never finished or shared him with anyone until yesterday when I was going through my wips seeing what I should work on next.

Speaking of next, Heket is next up to be designed. Here's hoping artblock stays out of the way.

#kallamar #bishop kallamar #cotl kallamar #cult of the lamb kallamar #cotl #cotl art #cotl fanart #cult of the lamb #cult of the lamb art #cult of the lamb fanart #cult of the lamb au #The Lamb's Shadow #hedge's art #i give up on trying to add the stick things on the bishops' heads. i forget them each time

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desifleabag · 1 year ago

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Hello beautiful people out here!

I am Deepali. I am from Pune, Maharashtra. I am 21 years old (shaadi ki umar)

Desi fleabag? Because I relate the most with that specific character. Horny, messy, vulnerable, and crazy all the time but also considerate, expressive, and kind. I am a desi version of her.

🎀What I like? I like to dance, sing, journal, write poems and stories, and doom scroll all the time

📍Professional side of me

I did my bachelor's in philosophy. I have been working in an organization for quite a long time. I am a content writer. I am a writer/poet. I am an open mic performer. I have performed at esteemed platforms like tapeatale, poemsindia, kommune, and many more. I am a psychology and sociology student too. I am a co-facilitator and youth lead in different schools through my organization. I have worked on poetry anthology books.

The most important part of my life is being a poet or a writer. It's been a decade since I started writing, and professionally, it's been two years. My poetry and stories revolve around different and unique topics like mental health, family dynamics, feminism, societal norms and culture, romance, life intricacies, friendship, etc. I love being a poet and telling people stories about me and the world because I believe poetry is everywhere. I have a blog called Sip and Sofa Stories where I share the most wholesome blogs and fun-to-read stories.

Not much of a reader, but I like reading poetry by Sylvia Plath and more female writers.

💌 Movies and songs? I am a die-hard fan of Bollywood. I listen to 2000s Bollywood and retro songs. No one can challenge me the way I vibe on these songs and dance. My childhood is memorable because of Sunidhi Chauhan, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, RD Burman, Asha Bhosle, Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Arijit Singh, and many more artists. I also listen to Kpop, pop, indie type of music on days when I am dissociating at the fullest. Hold my clutcher, I am a Swiftie and Lana Del Rey fan too, bitch.

I love Bollywood movies, and I am yet to discover more Western movies. I have a bunch of comfort movies like Ye Jawani Hai Dewaani, Piku, Om Shaanti Om, etc.

🪕 My aesthetic type? A combination of Geet and Piku and a little bit of Poo vibe sometimes. But I love desi clothes. Kurti, jhumkas, bindi, bangles, oh god I love being a woman.

Interesting facts about me :

🌸I have three tattoos on my body (Crescent moon, "you're on your own kid" title, "grateful"). I love getting tattoos!!

🥃Loneliness who? I go to bars, cafes, and parks alone because why not. I fear no god.

💛I never was in a relationship, just some hardcore crushes who crushed my soul.

❤️‍🩹I have been in therapy for almost three years and on and off on meds. GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) gang assemble!

😶‍🌫️I love and hate spending time on LinkedIn. Girl boss era.

💬I write poetry about my crushes and defame my ex-friends. They know it very well! Lol.

I am a hopeless romantic and a professional delusional person. I will cook the best scenarios in my head and write about them. I romanticize life on another level though there are 156 rupees in my bank account by going to aesthetic cafes.

:¨ ·.· ¨:

`· . ୨୧⭒๋࣭ ⭑ 𝛢𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝘰'𝑠 𝑔𝘰𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑠 𝘵ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝘰𝑤𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠,𝑊ℎ𝘰'𝑠 𝑔𝘰𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑤𝑖𝑝𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝘵ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝘵𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠? ⊹ ‧₊˚

🖇To connect with me

𖹭 kavitavali.deepali to read my poems and stories on instagram

𖹭 sip and sofa stories blog. I write monthly blogs

Thankyou for reading my long ass introduction! Flying kiss tumhai💋

#a much awaited intro mera!#bohot mehnat lagi bc #hellowww!#desi dark academia #desiblr #desi #desi shit posting #desi academia #light academia #dear diary #poems #poetries #short essay #spilled poetry

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talonabraxas · 8 months ago

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“Om Tare Tu Tare Ture Svaha” Green Tara ॐ Talon Abraxas

Tara’s name is derived from the Sanskrit root tṛ, which means “to traverse” or “to cross.” Tara guides and protects us as we journey across the ocean of the suffering of cyclic existence and arrive at the shore of enlightenment. In Tibetan, she’s known as Jetsun Drölma. Jetsun means “noble, revered” and Drölma means “she who liberates.” Tara is the noble one who liberates us from the ocean of suffering.

She arises in many forms of varying colors and demeanors, each of which has a specific way of supporting us on the path to liberation. Green Tara is a principal form of Tara whose activity is to remove obstacles and protect us from fear and danger. Green Tara has an entourage of twenty-one forms, each of which protects us from a specific type of fear, danger, and calamity.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, various colors represent different facets of awakened awareness and how we experience them on an ordinary level. The color green is associated with enlightened activity, wisdom, and compassion in action. So Green Tara is the embodiment of enlightened activity; her unimpeded action is instantly and precisely attuned to the needs of each moment. She knows just what’s needed to facilitate our liberation. Green is also associated with the wind element, and Tara’s green form expresses her unwavering commitment to act for the benefit of beings with the swiftness of the wind.

Beyond her color, every aspect of Green Tara’s appearance is imbued with meaning. Her boundless, unbiased generosity, joyful diligence, patience, ethical conduct, concentration, and wisdom adorn her as fine silks and jewel-encrusted earrings, necklaces, and bangles. Her golden crown expresses her realization of the five disturbing emotions as being wisdom in their essence. Her black hair is partially drawn into a topknot symbolizing that she’s attained full realization, while the rest of her hair flows down her shoulders and back indicating her commitment to benefit all beings mired in suffering.

How to do Green Tara Practice

1. Take Refuge

Find a quiet place to sit and settle into a posture that allows you to be alert yet relaxed. Take several breaths. Let go of any thoughts or concerns and welcome the present moment. When settled, take refuge in all awakened beings and your innate basic goodness by reciting: “Until awakening I take refuge in the Buddha, dharma, and noble sangha. By the merit of my acts of generosity and other awakening qualities, may I attain full awakening for the benefit of all beings.”

2. Visualize Tam Turning into Tara

With eyes open, gaze into the sky in front of you, taking in the openness of space with a sense of receptivity. Visualize that unconditioned compassion emerges from that openness in the form of a green Tam, the mystical seed syllable associated with Tara. (See the script on top of the lotus at right.) The Tam instantly transforms into Green Tara who sits upon a luminous disk of the moon atop a fully blossomed lotus. Her body is made of blue-green light, the color of a clear, alpine lake. Like a rainbow, she appears, yet her form is not substantial.

3. Empower Your Visualization

Visualize rainbow-colored light radiating out from your heart. It purifies the world, makes offerings to the awakened ones, and invokes Green Tara’s wisdom and compassion to be present with you. In response, many forms of Tara rain down and dissolve into the Green Tara that you originally visualized, empowering your visualization. Have confidence that all your teachers’ mind streams are united with hers and that she’s truly present in the sky in front of you.

4. Chant Green Tara’s Mantra

Begin to chant Tara’s mantra Om Tare Tu Tare Ture Svaha as a way to connect directly with her. The mantra is Tara’s wisdom and compassion manifesting as sound and vibration. Feel the vibration of the mantra in your body and feel that resonate with Tara’s body. As you chant the mantra, visualize that a stream of wisdom-awareness nectar begins to flow from her open right hand. It’s like liquid light that’s blue-green in color. This river of nectar flows into the crown of your head and removes all fear, gives protection, removes obstacles and obscurations, and transmits awakened awareness to you and all beings. Make any prayers to Green Tara that you would like, and allow yourself to receive her blessing.

5. Know That You Are Tara

See Green Tara dissolve into light and that light dissolve into you. As it enters your body, it illuminates you from the inside out, and your ordinary body now arises in the form of Green Tara. Experience your blue-green body of light as being emptiness and form inseparable. Your awakened qualities adorn you as silks and jewels. Your hands and legs rest in the same gestures and manners as hers. Experience your mind as being inseparable from Green Tara’s mind. In your heart area is a blue-green Tam. As you continue to chant the mantra, light radiates out from your heart, sending joy, compassion, loving-kindness, strength, and equanimity to all beings without exception.

6. Dissolve the Visualization

When you’re done reciting the mantra, take a moment to sit and feel the impact. Then, gradually dissolve the visualization until there’s just a drop of blue-green light left in your heart center, radiating brilliantly the essence of your true nature. Then the light dissolves into space, like a rainbow disappearing into the sky. Rest your mind naturally for a few minutes or longer.

7. Share the Benefit

End this practice session by sharing with all beings any benefit that came from your connecting with Green Tara. Do this by reciting: “Through this goodness may awakening spontaneously arise in our streams of being. May all obscurations and distortions fall away. May all beings be liberated from suffering and the stormy waves of birth, sickness, old age, and death.”

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beneathsilverstars · 10 months ago

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@horatiocomehome replied

ooo how about jewelry taste. dangly earrings vs studs, do they wear bracelets, rings, flashy vs elegant, etc

mirabelle has so many cute trinkets! we know she loves accessories that go ding ding, and she'll layer a ton of necklaces so they knock against each other. sometimes they all match nicely, sometimes it's eclectic chic! she adores metal charms and carved beads, especially charmingly unusual shapes like an itty bitty fork, ducky, book, etc. as well as classics like lockets and bells! she tends to fidget with rings and lose track of them, so she avoids those. post-canon she decides to stop wearing earrings, so she turns her novelty earrings into bracelet/necklace charms! and gives her more basic studs to isabeau so he'll actually own some basics.

isabeau is all about shapes and contrast, so he likes chunky beads in materials like turquoise or jasper that have different shades marbled together, metal geometric shapes, wire-wrapped stone, and unique arrangements of elements. he likes funny noises too, but will go for one complicated necklace instead of multiple single strands. he definitely tends towards statement necklaces and earrings — he used to run into trouble because he only had statement pieces, so they would clash terribly, but then he started buying more matching sets. he loves bonding earrings as a romantic, but is a little torn because there's no way any two earrings could match all of his fits...

odile is the kind of person to pick a nice look and stick to it, so there's not much variety in her accessories. she has her glasses gems, a pair of pearl studs, a pair of silver studs, and a couple sentimental rings that she keeps somewhere safe instead of wearing. we know bonding earrings are popular in ka bue but not as universal as in vaugarde; i think it would be cute if ka bue had a whole language of earrings and rings, with different gem types/cuts/colors denoting different sorts of relationships and emotions. so she's got, like, a [daughter, you are the most important thing in my life] ring from her dad, and a [lover, we change each other] ring from an ex.

siffrin is all about sentimental pieces!! it doesn't really occur to him to buy himself jewelry, but isa or mira will see him looking at something in the market and buy it for him and suddenly the aesthetic appeal that sif had mildly enjoyed doesn't matter at all compared to They Gave This To Me. siffrin tends to be drawn towards solid shades or starry dots, and smooth, swirling shapes. isa also gets them stimmy pieces like a bumpy bangle or spinny ring, and mira gets them cute things that remind her of them like star pins or kitty charms. he's just so fun to give trinkets to, even bonnie and odile have gotten him some, so he's working up quite a collection! he carefully rotates through everything, and keeps some pieces in his pockets when he can't fit everything he wants onto his body or doesn't want to wear any jewelry that day.

bonnie's bracelet is smooth wood, and they're going to be very upset the day it no longer fits over their hand. they prefer non-rock materials like wood, shells, bones, and sea glass, because that's just way more fun! they made shell necklaces with nille all the time, so many that it doesn't matter how often they lose them.

loop goes full magpie! since they don't have to buy necessities like food, they're less careful about spending money than siffrin, plus they're more desperate to capture any scrap of joy. they also have a bit of "everyone else is an npc" brain and "i am both above and beneath normal rules", so they're more comfortable with stealing than siffrin is. they like drapey chains, black and white beads, and unusual pieces. they like the pressure stim of very heavy necklaces and the clack of many bracelets. once when one of their favorites broke they procured the tools to fix it, and started modifying the stuff they own and stringing trinkets onto chains!

#me starting to type this answer: oh this one will be pretty quick just a line or two each #at least it's only one paragraph each!!#ask meme answers #isat #thoughts about the whole family #thoughts #thoughts about siffrin #thoughts about mirabelle #thoughts about isabeau #thoughts about odile #thoughts about bonnie #thoughts about loop

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carmensbrain · 4 months ago

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Hi, I hope you can make this request that I'm going to make, if you can't I'll understand.ei.

Could you make a fic where the reader is similar in terms of weapon and some of the lore to Jinx? (I'm still not over arcane).

This request is from Overwatch, Jinx reader with Lúcio, he is perfect and is the greatest representation of the Brazilian community♥️

Please, if there is something written wrong it is because English is not my native language.

Apologies for this being short and a little bit boring I am recovering from Covid as of current (๑-﹏-๑)🎀

Contains: Lucio x jinx coded! Reader

Rating: E for every brain!

Warnings: brief mentions of guns

Authors note: brains… I fear I’m loosing my mind ˙◠˙

Fic starts below cut!

In an information retrieval mission the not so sneaky musician ended up running into you, a long time missing person who talon had taken to run less than legal experiments on, courtesy of Moira of course.

You had just wiped out the remaining few rookie agents who had followed after the brightly colored skater so it was just you, him, and the gun that was sure to rip him apart any moment…

But it didn’t.

Maybe it was the goofy smile plastered on his face, the music blaring from him, or the tranquilizer dart that you’d been shot with but you couldn’t bring yourself to shoot him.

That was months ago and getting used to life with overwatch was surprising pleasant. The food was actually edible, the medical staff actually made things better, and your overall quality of life was far better, but there was one nagging thing. The agent that had found you persisted in following you around like a lost puppy, asking questions about your equipment and watching you repair the large gun that once decided his fate.

“So… what kind of music do you like?” The man’s voice peaks into your brain once again as you tinker with a new type of bomb. He found his place sitting on your bed, his athletic loungewear burning your eyes with how bright his choice of colors was.

Reluctantly you hand him your headphones, watching his lips curl into a smile. He briefly took ownership of your headphones while he fiddled with his own phone. He connected your headphones to his phone and replaced the headphones back onto your head, causing some of your hair to fall into your eyes, his touch leaving a lingering warmth on your skin for longer than you’d have liked.

In that short time he had taken your things he had created a playlist with songs you’d never heard of before, many from his own albums.

Lucio became one of the only agents you found tolerable after that. He took you out often to different small concerts and shows with great seats, granted he knew a majority of the artists. His warm enthusiasm wormed its way into your heart.

Angela and the older members of the crew teased him for the gold bangles and blue paint that have weaseled their way into his wardrobe over the short time you’d been with the team. He allowed you to tinker with his locks, his head lulled back on your thighs as you decorate his hair peacefully.

#carmen’s brain🎀#writers on tumblr #fanfic #fanfic requests #writeblr #overwatch #lucio x reader #lucio overwatch #jinx #arcane jayce

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furrbbyx · 6 months ago

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The Orc's Obsession part deux: The Dream

I'm just going to put this draft here and get a final, mostly unchanged version up on a03.

approx 2600 words

orc male x magical being woman ( witha poussy). Idk what your being type is Y/N but you can do magic.

This is a Y/N yandere story, but Y/N is described as a fat person. Die mad about it.

Warns! stalker returns, slight-somno, dream sex, explicit sex, references a past dub-con with the MC's, trauma references, mentions plotting murder, stalking, dub-con, obsessive behavior.

Summary:

You dream you're his bride with an antler bouquet. On his thumb is the thick syrup of the potion he drugged you with a year ago. You wake up suddenly. You've been exploring Orc culture. Obsessed with finding weaknesses.

Do not copy or reproduce.

"Y/N..." someone is calling your name. Their sing-song voice rises up and down, teasing.

You open your eyes slowly as if your eyelids are made of thick heavy cloth. There's an eerie violet-twilight to everything. The only thing visible in that light is a bouquet in your hands resting between the overly generous curves of your bare breasts. It's such a huge display of flowers and foliage that you can barely grasp the stems and its weight presses into your hands, straining your arms.

There are falcon feathers mixed in between huge dark purple blast fire flowers, and thick bright green trailing mosses, ferns and nettles. Fleshy succulent pitcher plants add to the sense of fecundity that is in contrast to the antlers and long-fanged jaw bones sticking out from the blooms. Crimson brownie tufts add a cosmic shimmer as the cool light in the darkness surrounding you defuses through the crystals on the tips of the fluffy petals.

It's beautiful, odd, the nettles are stinging your skin.

Are you getting married?

You can't seem to remember anything. It's as if you had just begun to exist with this moment. Bit by bit you can sense more of the dreamy world around you.

There's a cool grassy ground cushioning your chubby toes. Warm air tickles across your exposed shoulders and arms. You're weighted in place by yards of stiff brocade wrapped and tucked around your hips and thighs.

You blink hard, and try to think. You blink more, but it doesn't help because your vision, your mind is filled with the sight of the display in your arms. That, and the throbbing. It's all around you. Under the grass, moving up your legs, you can feel it shaking through your thighs, your belly, your chest.

Was it your heartbeat that was shaking through you? It's rhythmic and compelling.

Rolling your eyes upward helps you find the answer. Your heart seems to stop cold and melt down your spine at the sight of Bagul standing before you looking proud and intense, huge and primal, dressed in traditional Orcish clothing. Indigo and yellow hand dyed cloth wrapped low on his hips. His arms, chest, and neck are adorned with jewelry, bones, trophies, and he's crowned with the same greenery you hold.

His red hair and beard are longer than you've ever seen, braided beautifully in fat plaits and canerows draped around his ears and, like his tusks, they are well-decorated with rings and bands of precious metals, obsidian, and jade.

The throbbing beat hasn't stopped like your heart has. It's pressing in around you insistent, it's making you gasp, making the air close and heavy. You feel like you're barely able to breathe.

Bagul reaches for you and your body responds like you're compelled. Pulling you forward, taking steps into his arms, trembling. Bangles jingle around your ankles, the ornaments hanging from the belt at your waist beat out a rhythm on your swaying hips. You can feel your pounding heart again, and you can see the strong pulse of Bagul's heart under his skin, veins standing out in his neck.

One of his arms slides around your back trapping you close as he raises his other hand to your face so that your vision fills with a different glittery sight.

On his thumb is a thick, sticky drop of the potion he had dosed you with you at his cabin. Your eyes widen but you can't seem to summon a protest while he presses the substance into your mouth, his thumb is so large there is not way to resist it curling against your lips and tongue, smearing it sloppily but thoroughly.

The anger and revulsion that swells into you feels like a burning scream straining to rise from your chest. The thrumming, the beating, the stinging, the taste it's all pressing in and overloading your senses as your groom looms over you satisfied, possessive.

No! your mind screams out as you try to gather every ounce of your magic to break this unholy bond. Every muscle in your body clenches and makes ready to flee.

Jerking violently, you awake in your bed sitting upright, disoriented and look around your dark room in fear. Your ears are ringing with the throb of the dream as it fades from your mind and body. You wipe at your lips feeling the potion there, and swallow thickly.

Sighing in annoyance you flop back down into your bed. Your hand hits on the book you'd fallen asleep reading. Rolling over you stare and try to read the pages where you'd left off, frowning deeply.

The book is one of a few that you have stacked around your room right now, secretly gathered from the different boroughs and markets around town.

Bagul's return had brought back so many memories and feelings that you couldn't focus or stop your mind racing around and stoking the flames of your fear for the first few days after seeing him in Drink Me. When the flames died to banked coals it seemed obvious that the only way for you to protect yourself was to learn everything you could about Orcs. Especially their weaknesses.

Each book and scroll was a secret shame. You'd basically had to bespell yourself to have the courage to step into the shops and ask for what you wanted. First you'd searched out bestiaries and menageries, before you'd realized how you own bias had blinded you to the racist ideas you'd held about Orcs. None of that lead to any knowledge about the warrior clans.

When you finally made some progress you hadn't stopped at a one or two, you weren't sure which would have the information you needed. And now you have about a dozen scrolls, books and tapestries, about Orcs their anatomy and their culture. Each was fascinating and well researched.

The page you're glaring at is open to the exquisite illustrations of cultural clothing styles of the clans. Powerful and gorgeous Orcish women are shown adorned in similar jewelry and trophies that Bagul had been in your dream. There are drawings of intricate wraps and head adornments, diagrams of ceremonial tools and their significance, and pages of footnotes between the drawings that add more context. So far you haven't found much reference to vulnerabilities.

You turn a page and stop before letting it fall into place. There is your dream bouquet. In fact there are a few different variations on the pages, each with notes about the meaning of different elements, exploring to the spiritualism of Orc wedding ceremonies.

The implications of the dream and the portent associated with such vibrant symbolism have your head whirling and you fixate on learning more. This tome keeps you up until you are too exhausted to stay awake longer and finally sleep with the book laid open on your chest. You slumber peacefully up to the point your wake-up alarm rings out.

"You look like you haven't been sleeping."

"Yah." You snap. You're tired and wondering what kind of attempt at small talk this is.

One of your coworkers is leaning against the counter of the beverage shop you both serve at and perceiving you quite a bit more than feels necessary.

Your coworker takes half a step back and raises their arms in front of their chest.

"My stalker is back in town. I guess he's finished his reassignment." you say sullenly and slump on top of the counter.

"Whoa for real? Has he been in here? Are you going to be ok?" Though their eyes are wide you get the feeling that your words are registering like mild gossip to them, instead of a dangerous situation.

You hesitate "Yes and no. He did come here but... It was too see someone else. And he hasn't been back..." You trail off.

"Omg when did this happen? We should make a report." They say.

"Three weeks ago."

"Oh... "They trail off losing some of their urgency. "So he hasn't like contacted you or come back and he wasn't even here to see you? Sounds like reassignment worked! You probably don't have anything to worry about."

"Yeah probably" you give in. No one came back from reassignment and relapsed. You'd told yourself that many times. It made you worry that maybe you weren't facing your fears healthily. Obsessing instead of healing.

Your heart is throbbing and making your chest quiver. You don't want to explore this any further anyway. You remind yourself to talk to Kalani when you're done working, and you focus on the work to get through your shift.

You don't end up calling Kalani. You make your way home and into your bedroom closing the door and giving a little magic to keep it locked and muffle disturbances. You also feed into the protection spells and markings in the room. Some are Orcish but what better way to avoid an enemy than using their own tactics?

You pull out a tapestry of diagrams on the shamanistic interpretations of Orc physicality.

Oouu it feels so warm. The thought floats through you, rippling out and over your body like that heat. You feel amazing and boneless, with a sense of satisfaction. You arch trying to get closer to it, and squirm as it laps over you again. Your eyes flutter open. Your head is thrown back lolling in pleasure. You can see lights overhead, curtains of twinkling faery fires hovering near the ceiling.

Hmm those look kind of familiar you think lazily before another warm, gushy feeling travels up from your curled toes and tingles under your scalp like a fizzy beverage. Closing your eyes again you enjoy every moment without thinking at all.

Fizzy beverage....you look up again frowning and feeling disturbed. Those lights are the same ones floating around Drink Me. Your bad mood doesn't hold you for long. You sigh thinking you've never felt this good at work, might as well enjoy it. You try to relax but..

What's that low hum? Was that always there in the background and you were just too blissed out to notice? That mummer that starts to get loud, surrounding you.

You're getting annoyed. It's already sound like a thrumming beat, but you know this noise.

What...? Your eyes open as your feeling of familiarity turns to one of recognition then horror. Its the shop! You bring your head upright and look around. As you suspected you're sitting on the barista counter at Drink Me and facing out, looking over the creatures sitting in the booths and roundeaus, and standing around in a crowd filling the room. They're all watching you and obviously tittering in gossip behind hands and beverages. Everyone is staring openly and some are smirking. There's so many that you can't hear any single voice but you can sense the weight of the conversations just like a busy day at the real Drink Me. Their steady pulse of conversation confuses you. Why are they staring? What are they saying? The noise thrums, beats, pulses around you like....

Like the dream you had last night!

Finally, and sickeningly you look down at yourself.

Bagul is kneeling before you, his big hands wrapped around your legs and holding them open, licking you all over your pussy like hot water, as you lean back on your forearm on the counter at your job. You watch mesmerized by the site of your wet lips in a hungry kiss with his. His palm sized tongue laps you obscenely, flicking at your swollen exposed clit and curling it into his sucking mouth with gently tugging strokes, at the climax of each lick. His tusks slide along your juicy, fat thighs through glistening trails of girl cum and spit. One of your hands is moving over the top of his shaved head guiding him to your puffy, spread open cunt.

You scream and jerk bodily, all sense of pleasure turning to ick. You wrench your legs out of his grip and kick out at Bagul's massive head as hard as you can.

In the next moment you awake with your legs kicking nothing, tangled in blankets. You lay on the floor where you'd fallen asleep reading , soaking in cold sweat and scared af. You stay still and try to wait for your breathing and heartbeat to slow down. They don't so you get up and start pacing. You start thinking. Thoughts jumble over into and on top of each other.

Bagul's doing this somehow! Your mind shouts out over and over. You haven't been able to think about anything else since he came into your life again.

Why?!

After a year of healing, moving on, it's like you're back in those first haunted weeks when you still had ghostly, and bodily memories of the cabin. The days of bitter anger and blood lust because your couldn't focus anything but fantasies of destroying Bagul. But at least then those thoughts had given you a sense of power.

You have been spending days and weeks fascinated, no, obsessed with Orcs. As soon as you'd decided to find a weakness you start dreaming about Bagul making you weak again, taking away your thoughts and your screams and...

He's cursed me! Compelled me! You stomp around your home, thighs jiggling with your manic energy.

Angrily you grab all the Orc lore scattered about and throw it into a trunk in your closet. You're thinking that maybe you need to brush up on astral projection and dream magic from your book of shadows, as your eye catches on one of the books about Orc's cultural magic practices. You're thinking that maybe your approach hasn't been right this whole time. Obviously you're not going to track him down for battle in public. No.

Your brain begins to slow down as you consider. Bagul is playing with your mind, You're certain. But you would need proof to get him reassigned as a criminal. He hadn't learned a thing during his punishment, you fume and speculate.

He probably used his magic to help sway the mysterious overlords, or at least his case worker. He's a dangerous cunning male with not enough brains to repent, you muse nastily. And now Bagul is torturing you from afar, for deniability you suppose. For what? You don't intend to suffer through these sex-magicked dreams until you find out his malicious plans. You have got to be more devious than him.

A grinchy smirk curls your mouth hard against your teeth.

Find out where he's living.

You can take pictures of the spell circle he must be using to summon the dreams. With that proof you can destroy his life. You look into the trunk and hesitantly pull out the slim tome of Orc magicks. You still need to send him a message though. And by now you are familiar with their religious and ethnic symbolism and feel confident your can send Bagul a particularly punishing dream.

But finding him.....you frown but your mind is half made up. A simple charm to find a whole from a part. The part...

You clutch the book like a talisman and go pull out the box of things you had left over, and unable to burn or disassemble from the cabin. There's the cum-stained panties in a sealed clear pouch from the hospital when they'd collected samples of Bagul's sperm. You eye it warily and wish again that they had disposed of the things for you, instead of sending them home like some terrible souvenirs.

I got fucked by an Orc and all I got was.....mind bending orgasms? Reality altering dreams? Fear for your life.

Some of those thoughts you still aren't ready for. But you get the pouch out, you get your BOS and you get to work. You can't sleep now anyway with revenge as your fuel.

#the ranch house #the orcs obsession

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lazybabs · 1 year ago

Text

Hybrid Love

This is a self insert X Keegan one-shot. Hybrid AU where you as reader or y/n is a Bangle Tiger hybrid and Keegan is a Grey Wolf hybrid. Its an enemy to lovers trope but y/n aint no damsel, you are a strong and confident tiger hybrid, and low-key wrote Keegan as a simp after you save him. lolol he just seemed like the type to be a simp for a strong and self assured person. (One could say MILF/DILF energy) This is SFW but with mentions of death but nothing too Gorey.

Out of all the other hybrid soldiers You were the least liked by Keegan, a sergeant sniper. Keegan himself was a Gray wolf hybrid, a very dominant and judgmental kind. His entire being had been angered when he found out he had to work with you.

In the middle of the night your mission started, the forest was thick and dark as you wandered through it. Keegan’s long wolf ears twitched in different directions, picking up different sounds in the distance, his tail remaining tense. “You better keep up, cat.” Keegan spoke quietly with a threatening tone.

You rolled your (E/C) eyes, you a Bengal tiger hybrid was used to the hate, as you followed closely behind. "Don't need to worry about me doggy." You shot back in a quiet tone. Your eyes glowing in the dark as your ears as well as twitching and listening to different sounds. Though you were much more relaxed then Keegan. He didn’t appreciate being called a dog and let out a grunt, his ears going flat against his head.

“Shut it cat.” Keegan gritted his teeth under the balaclava, the wolf eyes now looking directly at you. Glowing eyes stared at him back, which in the dark was a bit unsettling. You don’t respond, obviously because he told you to 'shut it'. After a moment of eye contact you look away from him, You just wanted this mission to be over with. Just wanting to take a nap. As they trekked on through the forest, Keegan’s ears flicked from side to side for different sounds. His muscles under the balaclava were tensed, as he moved along his senses were on high alert.

“You smell even worse than usual.” Keegan stated, obviously trying to bait you into an argument, but also possibly hoping you wouldn’t respond.

You just let out a hum of acknowledgement, not really saying anything back. He was angry and you wouldn't feed that anger that could jeopardize the mission. Keegan gave a huff, frustrated that he wasn’t getting a reaction out of you. He was just about to give up and wait until the mission was finished to complain when an idea occurred to him.

“You know something funny?” Keegan’s voice was a smug one, and he was already grinning under the balaclava. Not even waiting for a response, he continued. “You’re so hated by everyone that you probably don’t even have a mate.”

This made you huff out in annoyance. "Just focus on the damn mission." Your tail flicked from side to side, as you quietly stalked behind him. Seeing that he had gotten a reaction out of you, Keegan pressed.

“What I said is probably true, isn’t it?”

“I bet you’re so ugly no one will touch you.” Keegan had a sick smirk on his face, he knew those kinds of words were sure to get to you.

“Do you even know what it’s like to be touched by another?”

"Be quiet." You growled softly, as you quickly grabbed him and covered his mouth, ducking under a bush. A second later distant speaking could be heard. "I thought I heard someone over here. Must be wrong." Then footsteps fading away.

After you felt they were gone you let go of Keegan.

Being a larger person than you, Keegan just stared at you with an agitated expression on his face. When he was able, he pulled out from your grip and stood up into a crouch, breathing heavily as he tried to get out his rage. He had lost it when you had covered his mouth, a look of hatred and fear crossing his face.

Once you had let go of him, he yelled out to you, his voice loud and aggressive.

“DON’T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!”

Him yelling alerted the enemy soldier who had just left. The Bengal tiger hybrid growled in annoyance for Keegan being loud and reckless. You quickly jumped out of the bushes as the enemy ran back. Running right into you, which you made quick work of biting his throat with your sharp canines and snapping his neck. Keegan watched in amazement as you brutally snapped the enemy’s neck. He could see the blood spatter onto your face and it made him feel a mixture of fear and amusement.

The shock and anger slowly disappeared on his face and he let out a snicker.

“Damn you’re crazy…that was…you’re actually a useful cat.”

"No thanks to you almost blowing our cover." You sighed as you dropped the now lifeless body to the ground. You quickly groomed the blood off your face. Keegan chuckled at you grooming yourself for a moment before shaking his head, his face now one of admiration.

“That was…impressive, cat. Just that quickly you can snap a man’s neck in seconds… I didn’t know your kind could move so fast.” Keegan looked impressed and this time there was no mockery behind his tone.

Your tail twitches at his complement. "Only when we need to." You told him as you finished grooming yourself, you hated being dirty. Keegan’s ears twitched slightly at your tail twitching, however he immediately shook his head to clear his mind. He wouldn’t let his mind wander to… other thoughts.

He was pretty shocked that you didn’t seem to hate him anymore, actually you are pretty calm and quiet now.

“So, you’re not going to try and bite my head off now?” He said, hoping for an answer.

"No, because I know how to control my anger. Now let's get going. I want to finish this mission quickly." You told him. Keegan raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m with you.”

The two now continued to move forward, through the thick forest. However, Keegan’s senses now felt more relaxed than before as it seemed all the enemies were gone. That was until they got to a clearing and saw an entire group of soldiers.

Keegan grabbed your arm, yanking you back into the safety of the brush.

You weren’t bothered by the fact he grabbed your arm and pulled you back. They both watched silently, looking for their opportunity of attack. The soldiers weren’t doing anything at all, as they chatted and ate some rations. Keegan was trying to think of a plan while still being cautious of any other enemies.

Keegan then got an idea.

“Could you get these guys without making a sound?” Keegan whispered in your ear, his mouth close to it.

Your ear twitches and you give a nod. Quickly and quietly climbing a tree that was close by, using your claws to climb up to a higher branch to be above the enemies. Using your feline agility to your advantage. In the tree you used your rifle to quickly take out a few enemies that weren't with the main group. Keegan watched as you took out half of them within minutes. A smirk grew on his face as he crawled forward, moving to the main group without making any noise. He took out two of them in a quick succession and then moved into an offensive position. He took out another two, using his advanced marksmanship to quickly take out their leader. He was going for the final soldier when… A shot rang out next to him as a soldier he hadn't seen behind slumps forward with a hole in there head. "Headshot." You mutter into the radio that had you two connected. "Next time be more aware of your surroundings Keegan." Your voice was smooth and calm. "Take out the last guy and let's get going." Your voice gave him chills. You was so calm and collected, even in the face of danger.

Keegan killed the last soldier without wasting any more time. After checking for any more enemies (there were none) he gave a signal over the radio.

“Alright, there is no one here. We can head back to our base now.” Keegan says, his tone firm yet respectful.

You jump from your perch landing gracefully on your feet, slinging your rifle on your back. "Great, I'm tired and ready for a nap." You reply as you move to him. Your tail flicking lazily behind you. Keegan smiled at you tail flicking and gave a brief chuckle as he began walking back. He walked next to you, not saying anything and just allowing himself to admire your movements for a bit.

When the two arrived back to the base Keegan looked over to you.

“You did great out there.” He complimented you, his look was one of admiration.

" ...Thank you, so did you." You reply back as you take off your gear. You seemed a bit surprised by the sudden niceness from him when he had been horrible to you before. Keegan smirked and shrugged his shoulders, he was also unstrapping his gear. He could tell you were surprised, yet you weren't giving off a negative response to it.

“Hey…” Keegan looked over to you, seeming to be hesitating a bit before speaking.

You looked over at him as you put up your gear. "Yeah?" You reply casually. Keegan looked at you for a few seconds before taking a deep breath.

“Look, I just wanted to say, I’m sorry for being rude to you, the whole time before the mission started.”

His voice was soft, almost unsure as he finished speaking.

"Oh, well I forgive you." You told him calmly. "I'm used to the hate so it does not bother me that much." You explained as you finished putting up your gear. Keegan stared at you for a few seconds. Your calm demeanor made him feel more relaxed around you, maybe more comfortable. Though he would never admit it, you were growing on him.

“How do you deal with it? The hate I mean.” The wolf hybrid looked at her.

You give a shrug as you take your hair out of the fishtail braid it was in. (if you have short hair you just run your finger through it.) "I ignore it when I can." You combed your fingers through your hair. Keegan thought your hair was absolutely beautiful, your flawed skin really made it pop. Keegan couldn’t tear his eyes away from it.

Your calm, carefree attitude only made him want to get to know you more.

“You can ignore it? But…how doesn’t it bother you? Not even a little bit? Don’t you get frustrated at times?”

"Yes it does bother me but I don't react. That's why most are mean, to see me lash out and prove I am the monster they call me. So I don't give them the satisfaction of pissing me off." You told him as you glanced over at him. You pull your hair into a lazy ponytail.(If your hair is short you do nothing)

It made sense, he had seen first hand that you never reacted. Your patience was admirable, you were a lot different from what he had originally thought. It made him wonder…what made you that way.

When you pulled your hair into a ponytail his eyes were drawn to your soft and warm looking eyes. He tried to clear his head, he had to snap out of this before he did something stupid.

Once you were done you looked at him. "Well I'm going to turn in." You moved to leave to your personal quarters, stopping to add. "You're not half bad doggy." A small smirk graced your lips as you left him with that, your tail swaying behind you. When you had given him the small smirk it made you so much more desirable, you were absolutely gorgeous to him. As you moved away he could not help but admire your beautiful curves and body, your tail twitching as you went away was very alluring.

Keegan blushed at the comment, when you finished it off his face was red and he was biting his lip with a smug look on his face.

You had entered the safety of your room, because you were a Bengal tiger hybrid you needed your space so you didn’t have a roommate. You took off your uniform and put on some comfy sweats and stretched out on your bed and put on some of your favorite music. Letting out a content purr as you snuggled into your pillows and blankets, happy to take a nap after a mission. The door of your room was cracked open.

A few minutes later Keegan was approaching your room. His thoughts had raced back and forth the entire time he was back at the base, your little comment ‘you’re not half bad’ had stuck out to his mind. That was what made him come here and seek you out. He slowly and quietly pushed open the door, leaning against the wall as he just took you in. Though you didn't show it you knew he was at your door, his scent being strong and you remembered his scent. Your tail flicked lazily. "Are you just going to watch me?" Your voice called out suddenly, your eyes on him now. A sleepy smile on your lips. The small flick of your tail had made his eyes trail from your eyes to your tail then back up to your eyes. Your cute sleepy smile and eyes were definitely attractive. “I…you…” Keegan felt himself unable to properly articulate what he wanted to say. He was completely flustered, he had never expected you to be this calm after a mission.

It seemed you were actually okay with him. What should he do? Should he go inside? Leave you be? He was at a loss.

"Cat got your tongue?" You ask amused at him being so flustered. You sit up and pat the empty spot beside you. Inviting the wolf hybrid into your den. Your invitation was just the green light Keegan needed. He quickly and confidently walked over to you and sat just beside you, a little closer than he should have but he wanted to be close to you. He was nervous to say the least, yet he couldn’t stop staring into your eyes. They had a captivating effect on him. You chuckled at his eagerness, he didn't notice how fast his own tail was wagging. "Someone's excited." You carefully placed your hand on his head in between his ears. "I didn't know a scary wolf hybrid like you could be so cute." You chuckle warmly. Keegan leaned into your hand, his face turning bright red. Though, being called cute by you didn’t seem like a bad thing at all. It made his heart race and butterflies flapped in his stomach.

A soft smile grew on his face, he finally felt comfortable around you. For a moment you could do no wrong, You could not be more perfect.

"Such a good boy." You hummed, your own tail flicking side to side faster than normal. You didn't mind staying up from your nap to pet Keegan. He had closed his eyes just as you started petting him, he let out a satisfied mumble as his head laid against your lap. His ears twitched in response to your petting, clearly enjoying it. He was not embarrassed by it at all, in fact he felt safe and comfortable around you, being pampered like this was just icing on the cake. A loud deep purring came from you, he could feel it vibrate through him as you petted him. Your pupils were dilated as you watched him. You were a happy tiger hybrid. The vibrations of your purring felt like a nice comforting blanket wrapped around him. He felt your eyes wandering over him, admiring him. He was so relaxed he felt his head lay back further so you could pet his neck as well.

This was definitely different from what he expected, he never thought that someone as pretty as you would ever see him that way, let alone even call him cute. You were amazing.

"I think I'll keep you. I wouldn't want to share your cuteness with others." You mused, mostly to yourself. Keegan’s ears perked up and he opened his eyes up, your words had caught his attention.

He blushed at first, yet he couldn’t help but laugh a bit at your comment.

“You would really want to keep me?” Keegan was surprised, he never thought someone as attractive as you would be this interested in him.

You blinked at him, a common way cats used to express love. "There is just something about you that I like." You explained as you moved and cuddled up with him pulling a blanket over them. "You seem like a great cuddle buddy." You yawned softly as you cuddled him. Keegan smiled and moved slightly closer to you before cuddling deeper into you. He wasn’t bothered at all by you embracing him so closely, instead he let you pull him closer, holding him in your tight embrace. The feeling of your warmth was comforting to him, he felt relaxed and content, maybe even…happy? He couldn’t help but laugh at that thought, that he was feeling happy around you.

Keegan closed his eyes again and just leaned closer against you slowly falling asleep feeling loved by you.

#cod mw2 #fanfiction #finfic #cod x reader #keegan p russ #hybrid au #fluff #one shot #x reader #angst with a happy ending #tigers are cool

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