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penmansparadise · 2 years

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Eddie Munson ~ Sonnet 18

*I DO NOT OWN THIS GIF* *CREDIT TO THE GIF OWNER*

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Tall Male!Reader

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: Mild language

a/n: If I told you about the kind of week I've been having you would probably not believe me. But before I get into that, here it is, the Eddie Munson x Male!Reader requested from my Wattpad. As you all know, I was traveling. Well, the good news is I arrived safely. The bad news is literally days after arriving, I get COVID. I mean, it has been a whole whirlwind. So, now I'm going through the worst part of this and have been feeling like I got hit by a train. So, in short, I'm fighting for my life. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoys this one and can forgive me for taking so damn long to post it. My next post will be a Steve Harrington oneshot! As always, thank you all for the support!!!

Ms. O’Donnell droned on about Shakespeare and his impact on literature as you twirled your pencil between your fingers. Usually, you paid attention. In every class, you were an A+ student and were even projected to graduate in the top ten percent of your class. But when you got to Ms. O’Donnell’s class, things were different. Although you enjoyed Shakespeare’s works, your attention was captured by something much more interesting – a head full of perfectly sculpted ringlets and a denim vest that looked like it had been to war and back. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth and propped your head in your hand. Sitting just a few seats in front of you was Eddie Munson, the kind of man that would make anyone want to write poetry.

Since elementary school, you had shared at least one class with Eddie. Which meant that your crush on the boy started at a very young age. But he never gave you a second glance. You had always assumed that, just like everyone else, he believed you to be the quiet weird kid simply because you had good grades and paid attention in school. But he didn’t know the real you. The guy who drove a little too fast while blasting hard rock through the speakers of your beat-up Honda CRV. Eddie didn’t know the guy who spent an hour every day after school lifting weights to sculpt his body into that of the Greek Gods. Eddie didn’t know a thing. And instead of embarrassing yourself and making the first move, you resorted to side-long glances while passing the boy in the halls. That would just have to do. Because despite your confidence, you just couldn’t bring yourself to ask Eddie on a date, let alone tell him how you felt about him.

You continued twirling your pencil as you stared at Eddie. It didn’t matter how many times you saw the boy; you always found something new. It was like a game. And you were so invested in discovering something new about Eddie that you almost missed Ms. O’Donnell’s statement.

“You will have the week to complete the project before presenting it next Monday.”

Everyone let out a collective sigh that earned a chuckle from Ms. O’Donnell.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she said, waving the class off. “But, lucky for all of you, this is a partner’s project.”

At that statement, you groaned while the rest of the class perked up in their seats. You were used to doing group projects by yourself, but that didn’t mean you enjoyed it. Ms. O’Donnell smirked.

“But you don’t get to choose your buddy. I do.”

The hushed chatter silenced as everyone stared at Ms. O’Donnell. She walked to her desk and picked up a piece of paper. Then, slowly but surely, she began to work her way around the classroom, pairing people together. Here and there, a student would grumble in disdain at their partner while you waited in anticipation. Then, finally, Ms. O’Donnell looked up from her paper and looked right at you.

“Mr. Y/N, you’ll be paired with Mr. Munson.”

It was as if time had stopped. Your heart began to beat like a race horse, and your body felt numb. In all the years you two had been in school together, you had never been paired to work together. Eddie had never even asked you for help on an assignment. You turned to face him, only to be met with his big brown eyes. He gave you a small smile, and you were a goner. You knew that there was no way you could work with Eddie. You could hardly pay attention in the classroom, and there was absolutely no way you’d be able to focus when it was just the two of you.

“Now,” Ms. O’Donnell began regaining your attention, “you’ll be discussing a piece of Shakespeare’s work. It can be a play or a poem. I don’t care. All I ask is that you make it interesting and have fun.”

With that, students began to rise from their seats to move by their assigned partners. But you didn’t move. Instead, you were trying to figure out a way to get around working one on one with Eddie. But while you were trying to formulate a plan, Eddie had already made his way to your desk. Your eyes were trained on the tile floor in front of you until a pair of beat-up white Reebok sneakers came into view.

“Y/N, right?” He asked.

You raised your head to look at him and had to reel in your emotions. For years you admired the boy from afar, and now he was standing directly in front of you. He was even more amazing up close. You could see little beauty marks on his fair skin that you never saw before. You were able to see the messy stitching on his denim vest and knew for a fact now that he did it himself. His lips were turned upward as he waited for you to answer him, but all you did was nod, unable to create a sentence. Eddie chuckled nervously as he grabbed a chair and pulled it up to your desk.

“I don’t think we’ve ever really been introduced before. I’m Eddie,” he said, straddling the chair.

You stared at him for a split second before finally gathering your wits and squaring your shoulders, your normal confidence returning.

“We’ve had at least one class together since elementary school,” you said, leaning in a little with a playful smirk. “I know who you are.”

Your sudden change of demeanor surprised Eddie, and you could see his cheeks turn a bright crimson.

“Right,” he said, nodding a little too furiously, “right.”

Neither of you said anything for a minute. Instead, you shared nervous glances and awkward giggles.

“So, do you-”

“I was thinking-”

Both you and Eddie spoke at the same time before falling into a fit of laughter. The sound was something you could never get used to, but you wanted to hear it over and over again. Eddie ran a hand through his curls and gestured toward you.

“You go first.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Eddie said with a light chuckle, “go ahead.”

You leaned back in your chair and folded your hands behind your head, stretching a little. Eddie’s eyes fell onto your toned arms, and you smirked.

“I was just gonna say I think we should do a poem.” You shrugged and sat up straight again. “It’ll be a little easier.”

“Okay,” Eddie said, his stare finally moving to meet yours. “Do you have one in mind?”

You chuckled.

“No, I don’t.”

Eddie looked down at his tapping foot before finally looking up at you and saying, “What about Sonnet 18?”

You froze for a second.

“You read poetry?”

Eddie didn’t cross you as the poetry reading type. He liked loud music and played the guitar in a metal band, and smoked marijuana. He wasn’t soft. He was hard and a little rough around the edges. Yet, he was suggesting a Shakespeare poem for your project. Eddie scratched his head and nodded.

“Yeah,” he began, “my uncle he, um, he has a few…poetry books?”

You raised your eyebrows in question.

“Poetry books?”

Eddie shook his head.

“Just, never mind. What do you think? Sonnet 18? You know, ‘shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’?”

You couldn’t help the way your heart swelled just slightly as you examined the boy in front of you. His head was dipped down a little, his messy curls covering most of the blush that graced his cheeks. He looked at you with eyes as innocent as a child, and all you could do was smile.

“Okay,” you said softly. “We can meet up today at my house if you want.”

You could almost visibly see Eddie relax at your suggestion. A wide grin spread across his face as he sat up a little straighter.

“Sounds perfect.”

It was cute how nervous he was around you. You wanted to make him blush almost as much as you wanted to hear him laugh again. Anything to see his bright brown eyes light up. So, you wrote down your address on a piece of paper, ripped it from your notebook, and handed it to Eddie. Your fingers just barely brushed over his as you gave him the paper. You could feel your heart jolt a little in your chest, and when you looked at Eddie, that beautiful blush was back on his cheeks, and you chuckled. The bell rang, and you gathered your things before turning to Eddie.

“I’ll see you later,” you said with a wink, then showed yourself out of the classroom.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. All you could think about was how later that day, you’d be alone with Eddie. There wouldn’t be a teacher or a class full of bored teenagers to act as a buffer. It would just be the two of you and the nagging urge to kiss is very plump lips. When the final bell of the day rang, you were nearly running to your car. Nervous energy was running through you like blood pumping through your veins. When you reached your car, you got in, turned it on, and turned up the radio. AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” began blasting through the speakers just as you started to back out. People turned toward the sound of the music, and you managed to ignore most of their gawking until you turned and locked eyes with Eddie from across the parking lot. He was standing next to his van, and even from where you were, you could see his jaw a little slack as he stared at you while AC/DC thundered through your speakers. A smile tugged at your lips, and you just turned away before driving off toward your house.

By the time you reached your house, your anxiety was almost eating you alive. Despite your best efforts at relaxing on your drive home, nothing worked. So, you did the only other thing you could do. You changed into a pair of gym shorts, opened up your garage, flicked on your radio, and began lifting your weights. It was the only mind-numbing activity you could think to do to stop yourself from going crazy while you waited. After the first set of reps, you ended up pulling your top over your head, leaving you in just your shorts. Sweat glistened on your bare chest as you continued your workout. “The Number of the Beast” by Iron Maiden began to blare through the tiny speakers on your boombox, pushing you even harder than before. You went rep after rep until suddenly you heard the sound of a car door shutting. When you turned toward the sound, you were greeted by Eddie’s wide eyes. You grabbed a towel and wiped off your torso as you approached him.

“Holy fuck,” Eddie whispered a little too loudly, earning a light chuckle from you.

A smirk pulled at your lips. What you would do to hear him whisper that very same phrase into your ear over and over again. You wrapped the towel around your neck and held an end with each hand.

“What was that?” You asked, cocking your head to the side.

Eddie’s eyes snapped up to meet yours. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally said, “Nothing.”

He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I, uh, I didn’t say anything.”

You stood in front of Eddie for another moment, letting the late afternoon sun and sweat on your chest create a shimmer effect on your skin. Eddie’s eyes traveled down the length of your body again, taking their time as they carefully examined every inch of exposed skin. You smiled as he deliberately checked you out.

“You want to head inside?” You asked, gaining Eddie’s full attention again.

He nodded before you turned and led him to your room. When you reached your small space, you walked straight to your dresser, leaving Eddie to gawk in the doorway.

“You can sit wherever,” you said, but Eddie didn’t make a move to sit. Instead, he did tiny circles as he took in his surroundings.

You didn’t lead on at school that you were anything but a good student. You didn’t advertise your music taste or show off your body, so by just looking at you, no one would know that you were a metalhead who took pride in his appearance. But once they walked into your bedroom, it would become evident. Hanging on your walls were posters ranging from Motley Crüe to Judas Priest, and sitting on your desk was a paper detailing a pretty strict workout regimen. After you grabbed a shirt from your dresser and your textbook from your desk, you turned and found Eddie sitting on the edge of your bed.

“I didn’t know you were into this kind of music,” he said, turning to watch you pull the shirt over your head. “Or that you were like,” he gestured toward you, “in great shape.”

You laughed, took a seat next to him, and leaned in a little.

“You also never asked.”

Eddie dipped his head, and that cute blush crept back onto his cheeks, making you smile. You so badly wanted to just grab him and kiss every inch of his red face, but you didn’t. Instead, you opened your textbook to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18.

“Okay,” you began reaching down into your backpack for your notebook and pencil, “so I went ahead and began the analysis of the poem. I figured I’d just do the analysis, and maybe you could worry about the poster board? Or whatever way we’re going to present the poem.”

You put your pencil between your teeth and began flipping through your notes when Eddie chuckled.

“What?” You said, the word barely coming out audible with your pencil still in your mouth.

Eddie reached forward and placed a cautious hand on yours, and your breath caught in your throat, the pencil falling between you two. It was as if time stopped altogether as a series of shocks ran through your body. His hand was warm, and his fingers were rough, but he was soft and gentle. Every nerve ending in your body was on high alert as you stared into his eyes, brown like the sunlit bark of an oak tree. You could have stayed that way forever. Just sitting there in a comfortable silence with Eddie’s thumb drawing lazy circles on your hand. It didn’t matter that you had a project to do. All you wanted was to be with Eddie in every way imaginable. Eddie’s thumb stilled, and he gave your hand a light squeeze.

“I know you’re used to doing all the work by yourself, but I actually did some of the analysis too.”

You couldn’t remove your eyes from his face. He was so close. All you wanted to do was trace his every feature from the arch of his brow to the curve of his lips. Eddie never let go of your hand as he reached into his bag and pulled out a ratty notebook. He flipped a few pages before finally releasing his light hold on you and picked up the notebook with both hands. Eddie cleared his throat, and you could feel a shift in the air. His throat bobbled as he swallowed several times, and his hands looked as if they were shaking just slightly. He looked at you briefly before returning his eyes to his notebook.

“Sonnet 18 compares a young man to a summer day,” he said before swallowing again and looking up at you.

Your eyebrows raised, and a playful smirk pulled at your lips.

“You don’t say.”

Eddie gave you a knowing look.

“I wasn’t done.”

You chuckled and put your hands up in defense.

“Sorry,” you said, crossing your arms, “by all means, please continue.”

Eddie gripped his notebook a little tighter and squared his shoulders.

“Shakespeare wrote this poem to describe this, uh, this guy he likes. It was kind of like a,” he tilted his head back and forth, “confession of sorts. He doesn’t just say this guy he likes is handsome because that would be too boring. So, he says he’s beautiful like a summer day.”

Eddie shook his head, his curls bouncing around his face.

“No,” he said firmly before placing his notebook down and looking directly at you. “This guy is more beautiful than that. He glows brighter than the sun and lights up any room. He hides from everyone even though he’s actually really cool and hardcore. This guy, he doesn’t let things or people strip him of his beauty despite what they may say.”

Your lips parted as your heart began to beat so rapidly that you were almost certain it was going to beat right out of your chest. But you couldn’t say anything because Eddie huffed a sigh and continued.

“This guy is someone you can watch from afar for years because you’re too scared to make your move. You’re too scared to even say two words to him, but you secretly hope every day that he’ll look your way. He’s someone you can fall in love with before you even know a single thread of information about him.”

Your stomach was doing somersaults as you stared at Eddie. He was fidgeting with a frayed edge of his denim vest. You couldn’t help yourself as you reached forward and placed your hand over his to still his busy fingers.

“May I interject?” You asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Eddie nodded.

“He’s also incredibly adorable, especially when he’s nervous. You know, this guy that Shakespeare is talking about.”

You gave a playful smile that Eddie reciprocated.

“Right, of course.”

You leaned in a little.

“He’s also creative and funny and smarter than he gives himself credit for.”

A hint of red blanketed Eddie’s face, and he looked down. You placed a finger under his chin and forced him to look up at you. The two of you just held the other’s gaze. You moved your hand to brush his hair behind his ear and let your hand linger for a split second longer than necessary. Your eyes darted down to look at his perfectly rounded lips. His tongue slid over the bottom one, and a tiny rush of electricity zinged through you.

“Are you gonna kiss me?” Eddie asked, causing you to look back into his eyes.

“W-what?”

“Because,” Eddie began, scooting a smidgen closer, making the gap between you two almost nonexistent, “if you’re second guessing yourself, just know I really want to kiss you right now.”

Your body felt numb at his words. For years you had dreamt of being in this exact position. Your hand on his and his face mere inches from yours. It was surreal, and you didn’t want to wait any longer. So, you leaned down and pressed your lips onto Eddie’s. He froze, body going rigid with surprise before melting into the kiss. Your lips moved against Eddie’s slow, but the kiss progressively grew urgent. Your hands traveled down the length of Eddie’s back until you were pulling him onto your lap. His legs straddled you, and his hands gripped your toned shoulders. Eddie’s arms snaked their way around your neck, deepening the kiss.

Every part of you was buzzing, and every place Eddie’s fingers grazed was lit aflame. You wrapped your arms around Eddie’s torso and, without breaking the kiss, fell back onto your bed. Eddie let out a small yelp and released your lips. You moved your hands to cup the back of his thighs, and he hovered over you on his elbows.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” you said, a little out of breath.

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed, “that makes two of us.”

A burst of confidence zipped through you, and you squeezed his legs.

“Oh, really?”

Eddie dropped his head into the crook of your neck, chuckling lightly before lifting it again to look at you.

“Uh, yeah. I’ve had a crush on you for a long time. I always thought you were cute, but today when,” he motioned to your walls, “I realized we have a lot more in common than I thought, the feelings only grew.”

You couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of you.

“I’m glad you only like me because of my music taste.”

A smile spread across Eddie’s face.

“Hey,” he said, poking your chest playfully, “music has a lot more pull than you think.”

The two of you started to laugh again. The sight of Eddie straddling you and the low rumble of his laugh against your chest was that of a dream. You could stay in that position for a thousand lifetimes if possible. But you knew you had a project to do. So, you nodded toward your discarded notebooks.

“Should we get back to work?”

“Actually,” Eddie said, drawing the word out, “I was hoping we could go get dinner.” He tilted his head to the side. “Like on a date.”

“Oh!” You exclaimed.

Within a matter of a day, you were kissing the boy you had a crush on and getting asked out on a date by him. Eddie bit his bottom lip and shrugged nonchalantly.

“If you want, you know?”

You knew that he was trying to play off his anxiety, and you couldn’t help the smile that crept onto your lips. You brushed his hair behind his ear again and cupped his cheek.

“I’d love to, Eddie.”

You planted a sweet kiss on his nose before he peeled himself off you. Neither of you bothered to clean up your notebooks, leaving them strewn on the floor. Instead, you followed Eddie out to his van and jumped into the passenger seat. Eddie got behind the wheel and started digging through his pockets for his keys. You looked over at him and furrowed your eyebrows.

“So, do you actually read poetry, or was this whole thing planned?”

Eddie pulled his keys out and shoved them into the ignition with a laugh.

“Oh, yeah, no. I don’t know shit about Shakespeare. I was just trying to be romantic.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled, nonetheless. Eddie leaned toward you with a smirk.

“Did it work?”

You tilted your head back and forth with an “Ehhh.”

Eddie threw his arms up but joined you when you started to laugh. You cupped his cheek and forced him to look at you again.

“I was joking. It was definitely very romantic.”

Eddie smiled so wide his eyes crinkled, and your heart jumped in your chest. You leaned forward and pressed your lips to his for a long kiss before pulling back and allowing Eddie to drive off. Neither of you knew where you were going, but you didn’t care. As long as you were with Eddie, that’s all that mattered.

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planetpiastri · 1 year

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[1] that damn timing

summary - as a kid, you were sure that you and bradley were twin flames. but then you spent years circling one another, never being single and interested at the same time. so you moved on, and so did he—literally. but mere weeks after your life falls apart and you have to move back home, he returns for the big wedding on the horizon. and maybe, just maybe, this time you'll get the timing right.

warnings - small town/hometown au, gn!reader, benjamin!reader, bartender!reader, no use of y/n, reader is nicknamed 'moonshine,' small town inaccuracies probably, carole and goose are alive because i say so, right person wrong time, language, underage drinking mention, reader works in a bar there will be booze, drug mention, takes place in a fake town in missouri so do with that what you will

word count - 2.6k

this blog is 18+, minors please don't interact

on the rocks masterlist

Senior Grad Night - 10 Years Ago

The barn was decorated with everything the Student Council could pull together. Strings of fairy lights swooped across the rafters, and swathes of tinsel hung down like strange plants. Ribbons and flags were stapled to the old wooden slats, and a huge poster reading Congrats Grads covered an entire wall.

Metal cafe tables had been gathered and placed across one side of the floor, and the other side had been cleared away to make an impromptu dance floor. Speakers were sitting high up on a stack of hay bales, playing some twangy pop song as the senior class graduates milled around the space, laughing and reminiscing.

You sat at a table with your best friend Natasha, examining the mason jar holding a small, flickering candle that sat in the middle of the table. Natasha drummed her fingers on the tin table top, her cheek propped on her hand, watching the dance floor. Glancing over your shoulder, you followed her eyes to see Jake, wrapped in the arms of the same person he’d been wrapped in the arms of for the last four years, and even before that.

“Vom,” you said without meaning to.

Natasha swatted your arm gently. “Don’t be mean. I think they’re sweet.”

“Vom,” you said again, grinning.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. At that moment, someone slammed into your table, their hands gripping the edges to keep it from toppling over as you and Natasha both cried out in alarm.

“Bradley!” you yelped. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry,” panted Bradley, his cheeks rosy as he fought to catch his breath. His hair was mussed, and he’d undone the first few buttons of his shirt, his tie hanging loose around his shoulders.

Natasha wrinkled her nose. “Why are you sweaty?”

“Had to run… here,” gasped Bradley, falling into the seat next to you and grasping his side. “Cops… caught us… everyone… scattered.”

“Cops?” you echoed, eyes wide. “Why would—”

“For you,” he interrupted, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small tin flask, which he held out to you.

You took it and shared a stunned glance with Natasha. “Is this what I think it is?”

Bradley shrugged. “It’s Grad Night.”

You unscrewed the cap and took a careful sniff, wrinkling your nose. “Where’d you get this?”

“Where do you think?”

You narrowed your eyes at Bradley. “It better not be my mom.”

Bradley shrugged again, his expression hard to read.

“Penny will kill you,” Natasha told him confidently.

“Then stop talking about it and just drink it,” Bradley snapped. “I almost got arrested getting it to you, make it count.”

He met your eyes when he said it, and against your will, your heart skipped a beat. Bradley always had a way of cutting right to the center of you, seeing you in a way no one else saw you. Ever since you were kids, you were sure no one got you the way Bradley got you. But for some reason, nothing had ever come of it.

Probably because he was never single, and even when he was, you weren’t.

Timing was a son of a bitch.

“Thanks, Bradley,” you said before taking a quick pull, but immediately regretted it. You screwed your face up and fought back a cough, holding it back out to him. “Oh, nasty. That is definitely not from my mom’s stuff—she has quality. That is ripe.”

“Okay, Moonshine,” Bradley mumbled, taking back the flask with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks. “Sorry it’s not up to par.”

Natasha laughed, reaching over and subtly taking the flask. “Moonshine. Oh, man, that’s great. Get it? ‘Cause you’re such a grump? And also ‘cause you put away shine better than anybody else?”

You wrinkled your nose. “It’s not a competition.”

“Yet somehow, you always win, Moonshine,” said Bradley with a small smile.

You pushed down the butterflies at the use of the new nickname. Before you could reply, Natasha announced decisively, “That’s it. I’m gonna go dance. Either of you gonna join me?”

“Vom,” you reiterated.

“I literally just caught my breath,” said Bradley.

Sighing dramatically, Natasha stood and walked away from the table, flipping both of you off as she went. You and Bradley laughed, quietly passing the flask back and forth till it was mostly gone.

“Have you two just been sitting here all night?” Bradley asked.

You nodded. “There’s no good music playing.”

Bradley grunted in agreement, taking another sip. “That’s why a bunch of us took off. It was good until we got busted.”

“Tale as old as time,” you hummed.

Bradley snickered. He was leaning back in his chair, his legs spread in a way that only he could make endearing. He ran his hand through his hair, looking attractively disheveled. You forced yourself to look away, turning back to the dance floor. Natasha was now dancing and having a great time with Javy Machado, him spinning her in dizzying circles as she laughed.

“Hey,” said Bradley suddenly, leaning forward and making you jump. “Do you want to get some air?”

“Okay,” you said, a little nervous, and you followed him away from the table and out the big double doors of the barn. It felt like everyone was staring at the two of you leaving, even though you knew no one probably gave a single shit.

It was cool outside the barn. Kids milled around here in inconsistent little groups, some obviously passing around flasks of their own, some passing around cigarettes or joints. The sky was clear and inky blue overhead, the stars little silver pinpricks of light.

“What are you doing?” Bradley asked you abruptly.

“Huh?” Your heart pounded painfully in your throat.

“After summer,” he clarified. “Are you sticking around, or…?”

“Oh,” you said, weirdly relieved. “No, I’m going away to Colorado for school. What about you?”

“Same,” he sighed. “My folks are being, like, super encouraging about it, too, which is almost weirder than if they were upset. Is Penny upset?”

You pulled a face. “No. You know how she is. She graduated and fucked off to Europe for a month with no warning when she was my age. She probably thinks I’m being kind of a square.”

Bradley laughed, toeing at a clump of grass. “I guess that’s a fair point.”

It was quiet for a moment, and you ran your hands up and down your arms. Bradley stepped closer, almost like he didn’t realize he was doing it. You were standing chest to chest, and when you glanced up, he was already looking at you. Your breath caught in your throat as his eyes locked onto yours.

“Bradley,” you started to say

His phone buzzed in his pocket and you both jumped back like you’d been caught. He fumbled for his phone, pulling it out and blinking hard. “It’s Amy,” he said.

Right. His girlfriend.

“You should get that,” you said.

“Yeah. Yeah,” he said again, shaking himself. “Yeah, I’m gonna—step back in.” He shot you a smile. “See you around, Moonshine.”

“See you,” you said softly, and watched as he walked away. He put the phone to his ear, and when he walked into the barn, he made sure to shut the door behind him.

The Benjamin Bar - Present Day

Your fingers hovered over your phone screen as it glowed up at you, illuminating your face in the dimly lit bar. Those two words—LAID OFF—seemed to stare at you, swarming around your head till you felt nauseous. Sucking in a deep breath, you closed out of the email for the billionth time and slid your phone back into your pocket. You picked up a rag and began to wipe down the counter again, even though it was just as clean as it was five minutes ago.

Classic country music oozed from the old jukebox in the corner. The neon lights over the bar buzzed faintly. In the corner, the mechanical bull was silent and still. The dance floor was shining and empty. Only a couple old-timer drunks were sitting farther down the bar, nursing glasses of whiskey and trying not to fall asleep.

You didn’t hate your mom’s bar; in fact, you really liked it. But it was not where you’d hoped to be spending your summer working.

Things in Colorado had been great—almost perfect. After college, you’d been offered an internship at a real estate company, and pretty much from the moment you’d walked through those doors, the rest had been history. You’d risen up through the ranks until you had your own office and one of the best salaries in the building.

Then one of the partners of the company crashed and burned and took all of its shares down with it. You lost your job, your apartment, and your boyfriend when you found out he was screwing the girl downstairs. Within two weeks, you had gone from top of the world to rock bottom. You had gone from the penthouse suite to your childhood bedroom. You had gone from Associate VP to picking up spare shifts at the bar your mother owned. You had gone from picking out engagement rings to cuddling your pillow at night.

Needless to say, things were a little rough right now.

But your mom was getting married to the love of her life in just over a month, and she and Mav had been nothing but kind and welcoming to you, and all the people you had left all those years ago only had kind things to say to you. All in all, there were much worse hometowns to fall back on than Silver Springs, Missouri.

You checked the clock on the wall even though you knew it had barely moved. You didn’t mind working the early afternoon shifts for your mom while she was doing wedding prep, but they did crawl by. It was only two in the afternoon, and you were already dreaming of getting off work and walking across the street to Blackthorn’s, the local diner.

Then the door to the bar opened, allowing a blinding strip of daylight to momentarily stun you. You blinked, and when the light died down, you thought maybe you’d passed out and started hallucinating.

“Bradley?” you said before you could stop yourself.

Because it was Bradley. It had to be. But he was tall now, and broad, and… and… cool-looking. The Bradley you’d known in school had never been cool. But now he had a cool mustache and a cool white tank top and a cool floral shirt and cool blue jeans and he was in the middle of coolly taking off his sunglasses and coolly hooking them to the front of his shirt.

Your mouth hung open in stunned silence, and he seemed to be just as surprised as you were. He stepped towards the bar and said, “Moonshine?”

That damn nickname. You’d almost forgotten about it.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” you asked, a laugh bubbling out of you. “Oh my god—oh my god, hi! It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” he chuckled, leaning his hands against the bar. “I’m back for the wedding. I came back a little early ‘cause, well, my mom asked me to. And I’ve been saving up vacation days. This trip’s overdue.” He tilted his head. “But what are you doing here? Last I saw you was on a real estate sign outside a mansion in Connecticut. What the hell are you doing in Benjamin’s?”

Your cheeks warmed. “Oh. Uh. That sign is probably gone now. Our company went under.”

Bradley’s face fell. “You’re kidding.”

You shook your head.

“Damn,” he said bitterly, and it sounded like he really meant it. He slid into a stool across from you, rapping his knuckles on the bar. “I’m sorry to hear that. Seriously. How long have you been back, then?”

You shrugged. “Couple weeks now. It’s not so bad.”

“No,” said Bradley, and you were surprised to see he was smiling at you. “It really isn’t.”

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes scanning over your face. You fought to keep your breathing under control. God, you’d forgotten how good he looked. I mean, you’d thought he was cute in school—but now?

Your eyes flickered down to where his bicep strained against the sleeve of his open shirt before darting back up to his eyes. The outline of a smirk on his lips told you he’d caught your look—but he was looking too, dammit.

“Want a drink?” you asked.

He nodded.

You were relieved for the chance to turn around and grab a glass. You took in a breath, hoping he didn’t notice the way it shook as you exhaled.

“What’ll it be?” you asked without looking over your shoulder.

“The Moonshine special,” he answered.

Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you grabbed a bottle. Adding a couple ice cubes to the glass you’d set down, you poured the liquor over the ice before replacing the bottle and turning around to hand Bradley the glass.

His eyebrows quirked up when he saw it. “This is the Moonshine special? Bourbon neat on the rocks?”

“I’ve had a rough couple weeks,” you deadpanned.

Bradley barked out a laugh like he couldn’t hold it in any longer. You’d always liked that about him. “Fair enough,” he said. “Cheers.”

And he knocked back his bourbon.

When he slammed his glass back down, you said, “You know, we have shot glasses for that.”

He grinned at you, and you tried to ignore the swarm of butterflies that his smile woke up in your stomach. Ignoring your statement, he said, “So the company goes under, and then you end up back in Silver Springs. No boyfriend to stay with in Colorado?”

You felt your smile fall away, and the mischievous gleam immediately faded in Bradley’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—” he started.

“It’s okay,” you said quickly, shaking yourself and taking his glass, putting it on the rinser under the counter. You cleared your throat. “No, there’s no boyfriend. Not anymore.”

“I’m sorry.”

You hated the way he was staring at you. That was the worst part of getting dumped, and especially of getting cheated on. You couldn’t stand that pitying look in everyone’s eyes when they looked at you.

“What about you?” you said bracingly. “No fiance moping around back home, waiting for you to hurry up and get back? Leaving for a month must have been a tall request.”

Bradley winced. “No,” he said, “definitely no jilted fiance. I haven’t been having the most luck in the old dating department lately.”

“Cheers to that,” you sighed, pouring another two bourbons and handing him one so you could do just that. You both drank, and as the alcohol burned its way down your throat, you realized something.

For the first time you could recall, you and Bradley were both single at the same time.

A chill went down your spine.

Bradley seemed to sense that same tension, because he was suddenly unable to keep looking you in the eyes. He fidgeted, and all of a sudden stopped being cool. He was that same boy that you’d known all those years ago, and that felt like a relief.

Lifting his wrist, he squinted at his watch and said, “Oh, shit. I promised Jake I’d say hey when I got in. I better run.”

“Sure,” you said, clearing both glasses away and wiping down the counter. “Nice talking to you, Bradley.”

He drummed his hands on the bar. “You too, Moonshine. I’ll be seeing you, then.”

“Be seeing you.”

This time when Bradley walked away from you, it didn’t feel like your heart was being painfully squeezed by an angry fist. You breathed easy as his palm splayed against the door and pushed it open, stepping back out into the brilliant afternoon sunshine.

When he left, the door didn’t slam closed; instead, it hung slightly ajar. And that warm strip of sunlight on the floor of the bar had never looked so inviting.

masterlist

@harringtonbf / @spideystevie / @almightyellie / @sunlitide / @holypowell

#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw series #bradley rooster bradshaw fic #bradley rooster bradshaw fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw series #bradley bradshaw x you #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x you #rooster x reader #vinny fics #the road back home #on the rocks

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daughterofthereaper02 · 2 years

Text

Honorable Discharge

Pairing(s): Hangman x Rooster x Bob x F! Veteran! Teacher! Reader

Summary: After being honorably discharged, you began to teach at the high school near TOP GUN. Your soulmates were gone for a bit but your students were happy to listen, they were even happier to meet them with everyone else.

Warnings: Inappropriate jokes, PTSD and depression mentioned, cursing

You walked into your class room, your students sitting in their desks giggling. You looked at the bored, "Oh Jesus! I'm going to throw up! Get this math off my board! Eraser, quick!" You called.

A few students laughed, one tossing you the eraser. You wiped it down, "This is a history classroom! Keep that shit outta here!" You joked to your Juniors. "Mr. Keller had to teach here last period, Ms. L/n," one of your students said. "Well, they never informed me. Tell Mr. Keller he almost gave me a heart attack, Jason," you grinned. You and Andrew Keller were friends and it was well known, they all knew he wouldn't mind.

"So, today is the pep rally, we leave this room early. I don't want to do work, you don't want to do work, so let's talk. Get to know each other a little better, yeah?" You smiled. Your U.S. History 2 class cheered, they were your last period and only U.S. 2 so you didn't mind.

“Okay, go around the room and say what you want to do when your graduate high school. Just remember, even if you chose it and it falls through, all that matters is you tried to make a plan,” You smiled, a lot of them looking more relaxed. So many people judged others when they no longer went through with it or they couldn’t, your students felt comfortable with you because you didn’t pressure them.

You listened to each student, making a little input and tips for them. The last student came up and he was cocky, looking down on you practically, “I plan to become a Naval Aviator ma’am, just like my father,” he said smugly. You grinned, “That’s a great career. I saw so much when I was one. As many know, I was honorably discharged,” you said, smiling sadly. “WHAT!?” your class shouted, making you jerk back in shock. “Shh!” You said, “Yes, I was a Naval Aviator, my call sign was Sparky. You don’t get a name you like, mine was from constantly electrocuting myself,” you chuckled, “I had bad luck then,” you told them. You moved to sit on top of your desk, “Obviously I have been teaching for two years but I went down on a mission and hit my head. Due to my injury I was honorable discharged as I could no longer fly a jet. For my safety and others,” You told them. “I will never regret it though, I met my soulmates in the military!” You grinned.

“Can we circle back to the fact you’re a badass, Ms. L/n!?” one of your female students said, making you blush. “Thank you Cassidy,” You told her, “Yes, I had an amazing career. On my downtime I did schooling to get my degree, I had it as a backup,” you shrugged. “But, my soulmates are naval aviators as well. They have been gone six months for a mission currently,” You sighed, glancing at the photo you had of them. Your students begged you to tell them stories as they looked at the photo of you four.

“Obviously you know I can’t tell you all classified information, right?” You asked and they nodded, some looking sad, “Good, just wanted to managed expectations,” you joked. You thought back to appropriate ones, telling them about the time you had a WSO and made them throw up from too many tricks, flying with each of your soulmates and Jake being the only one to scream along happily, the bet of 200 pushups from the Uranium mission.

“ATTENTION! All third floor students report to the auditorium for the pep rally,” The Principle said over the loud speaker, “That’s us kids! Go on down!” you smiled, “Can’t we stay here to hear more stories?” The future aviator said, “Nope, maybe if you all behave next week,” you smiled.

You went downstairs, your heart constricting painfully as you thought about your old career, you missed it every single day. You kept well in shape though, easily keeping up with your soulmates still. You felt so out of touch when you hung out at The Hard Deck with your friends without your soulmates, they all barely talked to you except for Maverick. You thought back to the jokes you used to crack with Phoenix, your best friend, and now she could barely look at you.

“In other news, the sex position 69 will now be 96 due to the increase costs in the economy,” She joked, you smirked, leaning over, “My vagina tried to clean its self at a inappropriate time, that's what I call a dishonorable discharge!” you joked back. You both fell over laughing and winced as Maverick smacked you both on the back of the head before laughing all over again.

You snapped yourself out of it and went by Keller, sighing, “Can this be over? I hate these things,” you grumbled. He snorted, “Yeah, but today should be better, we get to leave right after the kids, some before,” he grinned, neither of you had to stay late. “Want to come to The Hard Deck with me?” you asked, he shook his head, “Can’t, Miranda wants to go shopping for baby clothes,” he chuckled. “Enjoy it,” you told your friend, a big smile on your face that still didn’t reach your eyes. He knew you have been struggling lately with PTSD, your friends not talking to you, your soulmates being gone, and your depression, “Chin up, it will get better,” he told you softly.

You sighed as the pep rally began, your head pounding from the band as they played off key. You watched as the students began to do the games and activities, confetti cannons going off, t-shirt being thrown and teachers being pulled into them.

“We’re going to have our two veteran teachers compete against each other!” The gym teacher, Mrs. Grims said, a smirk on her face as she thought she could get you to lose against the other, “Ms. Ln and Mr. Wilks! Ms. Ln is former Naval Aviator and Mr. Wilks is former Military police!” she smiled. “Each with try to do as many pushups as possible,” and you turned to Alexander, “What the fuck? I didn’t agree!” you hissed, he looked equally as mad.

You went over and shook his hand, glad you were in flexible clothes as it was dress down day. You wouldn’t be seen sweating either like Mr. Wilks who also looked upset, who wore light grey.

You started and everyone cheered loud for you both, by 50 he started to shake, you were just breathing harder. He wasn’t keeping form at 100, “Army strong?” you joked tightly to him, and he groaned, just continuing until he collapsed. You got in more after you were told to keep going, little did you know they were getting your soulmates in and wanted people distracted. Finally, you hit 200, it was easier without being under the sun on the tarmac.

Everyone cheered and Wilks helped you up, “Good job sailor,” he joked, “Aviator to be more accurate,” you joked back.

“NOW! We have a surprise for our champion!” The superintendent said, making you look surprised. You turned and saw Jake, Bradley, and Robert standing there in their dress uniforms. You teared up and ran straight to them, throwing yourself into their arms. “For those who don’t know, Lts. Bradshaw, Floyd, and Seresin are Ms. L/n’s soulmates. They have been overseas for six months now, serving this country. Welcome home, aviators!” The superintendent cheered.

You were trying to not cry but smelling their colognes made you feel like all that emotions from before were silly, you had them now. “Welcome home!” You smiled, looking up at them with love. “You can go home early, Y/n,” the Superintendent told you and you nodded, you grabbed your stuff from next to Alexander, “Have fun, Y/n!” he grinned. You smiled brightly and once you got them to your car, you kissed each of them deeply, “I missed you all so much!”: you told them. “Phone calls weren’t enough...” you smiled, knowing you couldn’t ask them to not go anymore, you would never hold them back.

Let’s just say, once you got home after giving them a good welcome home, you cuddled them and were held for a long time. You were feeling better already.

Taglist:

@peaches-and-sunshine

@natasharomanoffisbaebby

@sweetheartlizzie07

@lollypop90907

@jamiedontbeacracko

@fandomstanner24

@casperlikej

@lyn07

@luckyladycreator2

@spidermankenobi

@fangirlofallthings22

@18crazybutcutealsopsycho

@teti-menchon0604

@lisedanie

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onigirio · 2 years

Text

Glaze Lilies

heikazu

warnings: extremely unedited, i wrote this in class

word count: 1629

a/n: is this me posting my first real fic? it was meant to be for heikazu week but i got so busy i didn’t finish the other fics :,) anyways enjoy

Heizou was not the type of person to take vacations. He simply did not have the time. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. That was his schedule, assuming he even had time to sleep. He wanted to be the best he could be, even though he was just an underpaid intern. The only way to become a revered criminal investigator was to work hard. So he’d work long hours, stay up late at night doing research, unpaid overtime, the usual. That was the thing, being an intern for the bantan sango detective agency meant he was doing a lot of the little things. No, he didn’t do verbal investigations or get called to the crime scene first, but he did get to do background checks or organize criminal documents. It wasn’t exciting, but it was work none the less. Getting to the bottom of criminal identities and tracking down escapees was interesting. Maybe the colour coded files were overkill, but it made the cases easier for the senior investigators.

It never really dawned on him that maybe he was doing too much

“Take a vacation” his boss had said, “Things have been quite slow recently, theres no point in losing sleep for a dead case”

So Shikanoin Heizou filed away his colorful research folders for later investigation, and begrudgingly took a vacation. What do people do on vacations? sleep? Heizou didnt sleep, that much was clear. Reading was his only pass time, or watching the newer true crime series. So when his friend Kamisato Ayato gave him a pamphlet that read, “BEAUTIFUL BEACHES, INCREDIBLE CUISINE. TAKE A TRIP TO LIYUE”, Heizou decided that maybe the change of scenery was what he needed. What was so special about liyue harbor anyways. They had beautiful beaches and incredible cuisine in inazuma, so what was all the chatter about? The brunette was simply curious.

Thats how he ended up here, tripping over his own feet in the middle of a bustling street of liyue harbor. maybe he shouldve stayed at home after all. Curiosity killed the cat and they say satisfaction brought it back, but heizou the cat was anything but satisfied. He just wanted something to eat, is that too much to ask? His airbnb recommended a place downtown. Cheap and tasty chop suey. Clearly it was popular, seeing as the line went basically around the block. Maybe he could ask some nice looking locals, so he went to the closest shop he saw. Neon Lights flickered, “GUIZHONG’S BLOOMS, WEDDINGS, GRADUATIONS, FUNERALS”.

The bell jingled as he entered. the small store smelled like a mixture of exotic flowers and vanilla. it was a breath of fresh air in comparison to the heavy scent of fried food that lingered in the streets of the harbour. the shop was empty, to heizou’s dismay. besides the music playing over the speakers, there was no sign of life. the flowers were colourful and in top notch condition. each type was labeled with their names and area of origin. the one that caught heizou’s eye the most was the bouquet of blue and white flowers kept in a glass case. “GLAZE LILLIES — JUEYUN KARST. 5000 MORA”

5000 MORA?

Maybe it was the life as an underpaid intern, or maybe the crippling student debt, but 5000 mora for flowers? if he wanted them that bad he would grow them himself

“I see you’re interested in our glaze lillies?”

Heizou jumped at the sound of a new voice. He turned to see a short guy with cream, almost white coloured hair. His tresses had a red streak that matched his eyes almost perfectly. Heizou tried his best not to stare but fuck, this guy was pretty

pretty boy laughed at his surprise. His laugh was soft, like a warm autumn breeze.

“i didnt mean to scare you, I didnt expect anyone to come in today, especially not someone interested in our glaze lilies”

Pretty Boy leant over the counter, heizou caught sight of his decorated name tag on his embroidered apron . Kazuha. He wasnt sure what surprised him more, how pretty his name was or the fact that he was possibly from inazuma too

Heizou was at a loss for words, “I was um, just looking for a place to find a local, Im not from around here and I just wanted something to eat” he rambled like an idiot. he usually spoke so eloquently, it was an important part of his job. There was just something about this guy that made all his formalities drift away.

“cheap and tasty chop suey?”

Heizou nodded

Kazuha sighed, moving around the counter, “you’ll wait at least an hour. on a good day. better off going somewhere else”

Heizou slumped, “ah its okay, i’ll find something eventually”

Kazuha chuckled, “I can give you some recommendations, im kazuha by the way, kaedahara kazuha”

“youre from inazuma?”

The white head nodded, “moved here for the culture, something about this place inspired me. judging from your question i assume youre from there too?”

Heizou nodded, “Shikanoin Heizou, Im not moving here, just a vacation”

Kazuha smiled knowingly, “ah i see, not many people move here from inazuma.”

Heizou wasnt sure what to think. This boy seemed nice, but he was in this flower shop all alone. it was a bit peculiar to the brunette

“are you here all alone?” heizou questioned

kazuha chuckled again, “It’s just me. occasionally my boss comes in but she’s quite old. Really i’m just here to make sure the flowers are okay, no one is really in the market for flowers these days.”

Heizou smiled, “not if they’re being sold for 5000 mora”

“Those are the most expensive flowers we have! everything else is 200 mora or less” kazuha bickered playfully

“200 mora could buy anyone a decent meal Kazuha”

The blonde flushed faintly. He liked the way his name sounded when heizou said it

“I cook for myself so I don’t have to wait in long lines for someone else’s mediocre cooking”

Heizou raised his eyebrow, “You cook?”

Kazuha nodded, “Cant afford to be eating out every night, not with this salary”

Heizou thought for a moment before continuing

“Well” the dark haired boy began, “Would you like to come with me for dinner? I dont know my way around this place well and i would really appreciate the company. I’ll even pay”

Kazuha smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners

“I’d like that”

—

So that was their routine. For the next 2 weeks, Heizou would meet Kazuha at the end of his shift and they’d explore the brightly lit streets of the harbour together. on the poet’s days off, the pair would take long walks and explore the natural sights of the nation. Kazuha showed him his favourite places to relax, and Heizou caught Kazuha up on the recent events in inazuma.

“Everyone suddenly loves dango milk” heizou told the blonde.

“I take it the yashiro commissioner had something to do with it?” Kazuha replied

heizou chuckled “I would be surprised if he didn’t”

The pair laughed together, their faces illuminated by the street lamps.

They stood on a balcony over looking the ocean. the streets were busy as usual, the chatter fading into the background as the two boys enjoyed each other’s company

“I leave tomorrow”

“oh”

then it was silent. His words hung in the air, the sour news putting strain on their previously happy aura. Kazuha glanced at Heizou and back out into the horizon, the salty ocean breeze carrying memories of home

“You could always come back you know” heizou said, breaking the silence, “Things are a lot better now, and the yashiro commission said the upcoming irodori festival might be the best yet”

once again, Kazuha sighed

“I dont think I can ever go back”

now it was heizou’s turn to be quiet

“Theres nothing there for me, no one there to go back to” Kazuha said wistfully

Heizou looked at him. The way the moon illuminated the blonde’s face made heizou dizzy. There was a comfortable silence, filled by the chatter of the streets below them.

“Well” Heizou started, leaning over the railing, “If you ever go back, just know I’ll be waiting for you”

Kazuha looked over at him as Heizou spun around and began to leave

“I should finish packing, I don’t think i’ll have time to come around to the flower shop tomorrow morning. Good night Kazuha, i hope i can see you soon”

Kazuha stayed silent as the rookie detective walked away

and for the first time in weeks, the wandering poet felt lonely once again

—

“Yes I’ve packed everything! No I didnt lose anything- Yoimiya im not bringing you anything!” Heizou held his phone between his ear and his shoulder, packing the last of his belongings. His flight was leaving soon and he was running extremely late. Honestly he had no valid excuse, though at the time reading the conspiracies on the knights of favonius felt like the right decision

“I’m leaving now! i’ll land in a few hours- Ayato is picking me-“ he opened the door and was greeted by a small vase of flowers, “-up. i’ll call you when i land, okay bye” he tucked the phone into his back pocket, and picked up the vase. They were glaze lillies, and a small note was attached to the neck of the vase. “GLAZE LILLIES — 5000 MORA”. He flipped the note and a small smile graced his lips when he saw the writing on the back. “Safe Travels, I’ll see you at the irodori festival :)” there was no name on the note, but heizou had a sinking suspicion it was from a certain blonde poet. That was when Shikanoin Heizou decided that maybe vacations weren’t so bad

#rio rambles #rio writes -🐝#heikazu my heikazu🥹#heizou #heizou shikanoin x reader #genshin heizou #kazuha #kaedahara kazuha #genshin kazuha #heikazu #kazuhei #genshin fanfic #genshin one shot #heizou fluff #kazuha fluff #genshin impact #genshin impact writing

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a-wildemusing · 3 years

Text

The Three of Us: A Late Night at the Cafe.

word count: 1,676~

genre: Kenma x platonic!reader, Kuroo x Platonic!reader.

warnings: nothing I can think of. probably any mistakes.

summary: Y/n took the late shift at the Cafe they work at. It’s been a slow night until unexpectedly a whole volleyball team decides to get a late snack.

a/n: this is part of a series I’m doing, called the Three of Us. Its made up events and adventures with being best friends with Kuroo and Kenma. Hope you enjoy!

The Three of Us. ✨ Masterlist. ✨

The night was going to be a long one, you thought. As a courtesy to your boss lady, you said that you would take her closing shift so she and her family could spend the evening together. It was her son’s birthday. You wanted them to spend as much time with her family as possible. There was no class the following day, so it all worked out. You could sleep in and your boss lady can relax.

A few customers came in, but it wasn't overwhelming. Even at the last hour, you even told your co-worker they can go home early. You have done this many times before. Taking the closing shift wasn't anything new to you. The boss lady did not hesitate to trust you.

It was a quiet night. Only two people came in for drinks after your coworker left. They left after a short stay. You were on your own after that. From the front window of the cafe, you looked out. Occasionally, a car passed by. As the minutes passed, the streets began to clear. After catching yourself spacing out, you decided to keep busy and start cleaning a little.

You had your back turned from the door. Cleaning the counters a little while waiting for closing time. There were still forty minutes left. You were minding your own business. Humming along with the low melody of the song playing over the speakers.

This sort of quiet was sometimes enjoyable to you. However, it was beginning to feel a little overwhelming. You went too deep into your thoughts.

The past few months have been interesting. There were many things coming up soon. Summer break was just around the corner. Graduation was drawing near for third-year students. In the coming term, Kuroo will be attending university. Kenma and you were going to be third years. Everything felt a little overwhelming.

As you sighed, you began to organize some things. Your work routine slowly returns and you try not to space out again.

Your ears were alerted to the chimes from the door. A smile soon appeared on your face as soon as you turned around to see your smirking best friend. You had a slightly confused expression on your face, but the smile was still prominent. Kuroo was standing with what seemed like the whole volleyball team.

“Welcome!” You cheerfully said putting down the rag you were using the clean moments ago.

You smiled at Kuroo. “What are you guys doing here? I thought you guys had practice”

“We-

“Y/n, can I still order?” Lev interrupted Kuroo. Lev walked towards you with heart eyes. Kuroo rolled his eyes and sat at the nearest table. Kenma follows him. Both of them are watching you. Before giving Lev your full attention, you shook your head at the two.

“Oh. yeah! Of course,” You said cheerfully as you made your way to the cash register. “What can I get you, Lev?”

The rest of the team lined up behind Lev to order and offer a small greeting as well. After taking some orders, you take a short break to make the drinks or give the snacks to the boys. Even though they had practiced, everyone was so lively. Kuroo caught your eye as you glanced over at him. A smile spread across his face. It was as if he knew you needed the company.

Kenma finally came up to you to say hi when it seemed you had a small moment to yourself. You handed him a box to go.

“Hi, Kenma.” You smiled. “I saved that for you.”

Kenma opens the box to see a piece of apple pie. He smiles, and thanks you before sitting with Yamamoto. Then you went back making drinks again.

Once everyone had their food and drinks. You went around chatting with everyone. Yaku and Fukunaga were the two you ended up with. The two of them took care of you by protecting you from Lev, Inouka, and Yamamoto from simping too hard or bothering you.

All in all, it was a good time. You felt so much better. The thoughts you thought earlier weren't so bothersome to you anymore.

In time, the volleyball team began to slowly leave. Everyone said goodbye and thanks to you. Before leaving, some of them helped you stack some of the chairs on top of the tables. All that remained was to mop the floors and finalize the cash register.

Soon the only person that was left was Kuroo. Kenma was actually feeling tired and went home with the rest.

“Thanks for tonight.” As Kuroo grabbed the spare mop, you said softly, "I was kind of feeling weird." You moved the mop side to side as you slowly walked backward, not making eye contact with him.

"I remember you telling me you would be taking the night shift and we ended practice early. So why not.” Kuroo said while he mopped an area a little further apart from you. “But what’s up?”

“I don’t know.” You shrugged.

“I am sure you do. How am I supposed to give you amazing advice if you don’t tell me what’s bugging you? How can your elder help you?” Kuroo teases you.

You shake your head with a small smile on your face. “You are only one year older than me... Shut up.”

A chuckle escaped Kuroo's lips. Then he taps your mop with his. Bringing your eyes up to look at him. As you hold the mop and pretend to be holding a sword, Kuroo follows your lead and does the same.

“I don’t know…” You softly tap your mop with his a couple of times. “What are we going to do without you, Kuroo?” You leaned the mop by the counter.

“What do you mean? I’m not leaving.”

“Yes, you are. This is your last year. Graduation is coming soon.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. We have been together since we were kids and I don't know... Maybe I'm just being weird.” You looked down.

“No. No. you’re not. To be honest with you. I thought about this.”

“Really?” You looked back up to meet Kuroo’s eyes. There was a seriousness to them.

“Yeah, really. I was thinking that I get one whole year without you and Kenma. How peaceful will that be.”

You nudged him playfully, “ Hey!”

Kuroo starts laughing, putting the mop that he was holding down next to yours. He leans on the counter to keep his balance.

Kuroo as he calms down. “It’s not like I’m leaving the face of the Earth Y/n. Plus, you are going to the same university as me.” Kuroo teases.

“I know! Okay…it’s just I-I’m... I’m going to miss you.” You give him a small smile.

But with that Kuroo starts laughing again.

“Oh come on, Kuroo let me be sappy for a second.” You sighed and gave Kuroo a shove. “You’re my best friend...my annoying older brother. God. Maybe, this is going to be a nice break from your teasing!” Your vision slowly started to blur. You shocked your head.

“I’m going to miss seeing you every day,” Kuroo said, as he walked towards you. He wraps you in a hug and you return the hug. “But don’t worry. It’s going to be like I haven’t left. I’m going to bug you and Kenma as much as possible.”

You rolled your eyes but hugged Kuroo a little harder. The both of you stayed like that for a bit.

“Hey, come on. I know you still have to finalize the cash register and it's getting late.” Kuroo lets go of you.

You and Kuroo completed the cleaning and you completed the cash register after your conversation. The cafe was locked. The two of you walked home together. It was a quiet walk and train ride home. Each of you taking a moment to ponder over the small conversation you both had.

There was going to be a lot of change. Getting used to not seeing each other every day was going to take some time. However, you knew Kuroo and Kenma would be your closest friends for a long time.

*Kenma and Y/n during the first two weeks of their third year*

Your alarm went off and when you saw it was the third special alarm you woke up so quickly. A burst of energy helps you race to get yourself ready and out the door. Your third alarm was your last warning before you were going to have zero time to make it to school on time.

You knew if you were waking up late, Kenma would be as well. Your hair was a little messy, your uniform wasn't tucked in completely, and there were some papers trapped in the zipper of your school bag.

“We're going to be late, Kenma!" You barged into Kenma’s room. Kenma is still lying in bed. Opening his eyes gradually, he gazes into the distance towards you by the door.

“Kenma! Let's go!" You threw his uniform at him. Despite still being confined to his bed, he slowly begins to rise.

“What do you mean...Kuroo is not here yet.” Kenma rubs his eyes.

After a brief pause, you turned your attention to him. Your face displays a sad smile. It's then that Kenma realizes what's going on.

“Oh.” He grabs his uniform.

Kenma and you were finally out the door and rushing to school. You both were able to catch the train. Both sitting down, you placed your head on Kenma’s shoulder trying to catch your breath.

“How did Kuroo manage to keep us from being late for so long?” You look up smiling at Kenma.

“I don’t even know.” Kenma takes out his handheld console.

You lifted your head from Kenma’s shoulder when you felt your phone blowing up with text messages. You smile to yourself seeing who was texting you. Kuroo was texting you asking if you made it on time and if you and Kenma were at school yet. You message him back and then put your phone away. Placing your head back on Kenma’s shoulder to watch him play his game.

end notes lol

~ Kenma and Y/n were so distracted by the game that they almost missed their stop. ಥ‿ಥ

~Kuroo is stressed af bc of Kenma and Y/n and he doesn’t even go to same school as them anymore lol

#haikyu!!#haikyuu!!#kozume kenma #kenma #hq #hq kenma #kenma x reader #kenma x you #kenma x platonic! reader #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu x reader #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo x reader #hq kuroo #haikyuu!! kuroo #kuroo x platonic!reader #platonic reader #haikyuu x you #a-wildemusing writes

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blossomingimagines · 3 years

Text

Icarus

Harley Quinn x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2,703

Summary: Like Icarus she had flown too close to the sun and fell-- though you were certain the fall Icarus suffered from wasn't a descent into madness. It was unfortunate that she had always been your own sun. Always pulling you in no matter how far you may go to escape. You just hope you won't get too close this time. As you were sure this fall would be the greatest of all.

Notes: I saw this idea floating about and decided to give it a try. Hopefully it isn't too disappointing for you all. This is going to be left open-ended in case you all want more in this universe, which I don't know if you will. (You knew Harley Quinn before she was Harley Quinn. You were rivals, in whatever capacity, and she always beat you. Until suddenly you were her therapist at Arkham.)

I also got the idea from @kiraimagine. (Wanted to give credit where credit is due as this idea was a really good one and I enjoyed writing it.)

Warnings: Mental illnesses as depicted in Arkham.

The tale of Icarus was one that you were familiar with. How he had dreamed of something for his entire life and that had ended up being his downfall. Flying too close to the sun, despite the many warnings beforehand, and his plummet back to Earth. It was a tale that you associated with personally. For you were Icarus-- wanting something so bad that you would do anything to achieve it. No matter how far you would fall because of it.

Harleen Quinzel was your sun.

You had known her for most of your life. Meeting on the playground at the start of fifth grade-- you had tripped over something and ended up sprawled in front of her and her friends. Her golden-white locks pulled back into a loose ponytail as she stood above you. Her blue eyes mocking as she took in your expression. You had scrambled to your feet with fumbling apologies escaping your mouth. Your face became as red as the shirt she had been wearing. Despite your efforts, however pathetic they may have been, she had barely given you a second glance before walking away. Her ever-loyal posse following along like lap dogs. And, even as you turned to head back towards your friends, you couldn’t get her bright blue eyes out of your head. Making you feel like you were falling all over again.

From then on a rivalry was born between the two of you-- whether you were aware of it or not. You were a person that wasn’t even in the same galaxy as her radar and suddenly you became the direct center of it. Whatever things you took interest in, Harleen always followed. Of course, it always looked like a complete coincidence that she ended up taking the same courses as you. Always excelling at everything she put her mind to-- you in a close second.

Even as you aged, going from knobby-kneed kids to maturing teenagers, Harleen had made it her mission in life to always one-up you. To always make sure that she was around no matter what. The first day of your sophomore year had been a clear indicator of that fact.

The crowded hallways of Gotham High were roaring with life. From incoming freshmen that were trying to get their bearings to returning seniors that were establishing their claim as the rulers of the school. You just rolled your eyes at all the showboating that was going on as you made your way to your locker. A hand clutching on your bag as you were jostled for the millionth time by a football player.

Finally catching sight of your locker was like a breath of fresh air. A small sliver of sanctuary that you needed within the bustling halls. However, as quickly as the happy feeling appeared it vanished without a trace at the sight of the woman leaning against the locker adjacent to yours.

Harleen Quinzel-- in all her glory.

Light blonde hair falling loosely past her shoulders. Painted lips pulled into a smirk as she listened to the jock standing before her. Though you could clearly tell she wasn’t actually listening. As her, normally sharp blue eyes were dull at the incessant rambling of the boy.

Hoping that you could quickly open your locker and deposit everything before she noticed, you slowly made your way towards them. Seeing that she was still distracted by the jock, you felt a small smile tug at your lips. Glad that at least something was going your way today.

You shouldn’t have celebrated so early.

The moment you made contact with your lock a perfectly manicured hand appeared on top of yours. Your heart-stopping at the feeling of her smooth skin on yours. Your wide eyes meeting her devious blue as she smirked at you. Numbly you noted that they were once again the sparkling blue that you were so familiar with. Though you couldn’t find it within yourself to celebrate the fact. Not when she was leaning towards you ever-so-slightly.

“Y/N,” she purrs. “I was wondering when you were going to show up. The school is not the same with my best girl gone.”

For a moment you actually think she cared for your wellbeing, but the glimmer in her eyes made you think otherwise. Your lips thin into a line as your annoyance grows. You didn’t think you had the patience to deal with her today.

“What do you want, Harleen?”

A faux look of hurt flashed across her face. “I’m wounded that you think I need something from you, Y/N.” Her other hand rubs your arm-- you try to desperately ignore the goosebumps that appeared because of the action. Though you were certain she was aware of it-- if the look on her face was anything to go by. “I was just wondering if you knew that we were both in the same AP classes?”

Your stomach drops at the news. Her devious smile only causes your nerves to fray even more. “How? I changed my schedule three times.”

Harleen shrugs. “Looks like it was a match made in heaven.”

You shake your head with a frown starting to furrow your brow. “No, I know you did something. There’s no way we accidentally ended up in the same classes again.” Your annoyed gaze meets her amused one. “Why? Why do you like doing this to me? Don’t you have better things to do?”

At your questions, her smile falls from her lips. A sharp look flashing across her face as she leaned closer to you-- almost to the point of her nose brushing against yours. You wanted to take a step back but the hand on your bicep stopped you. You had never seen Harleen look so angry before. Even if she wasn’t completely showing you everything she was feeling. You could tell by the darkening of her eyes-- an almost desperate quality hiding underneath.

“I think you know exactly why I do what I do,” she hisses. “You just refuse to see what’s standing right in front of you. You choose to be blind to everything.”

Her voice elevates slightly towards the end of her sentence. An almost shrill quality to her tone that you had never heard before. It causes a small wince to flash across your face. Your eyes glancing towards the other occupants of the hallway. You didn’t want anyone to be listening in on this… whatever this was.

Harleen, noticing where your attention had diverted to, seems to pull herself together as she takes a step back from you. Her hand finally releasing your bicep out of the death grip she had imprisoned it in. Though the same darkened expression in her eyes remained even as she smiled at you.

“But that’s no matter,” she continues in a calmer tone. As if her outburst had never happened. “Just know that until you realize what you’ve been blind to I’ll always be here.” Harleen inclines her head ever-so-slightly towards you, her voice dropping into a whisper. “Nothing will ever be better than that.”

Then she was gone.

Only leaving behind the faint scent of her perfume and the confused feeling in your very soul.

Even now you still had no idea what she had meant. High school passed you by in the same manner as your other school years. In a standoff with Harleen Quinzel for the top student position, which she won by barely a point. Not that you were too surprised she beat you at that too. No matter how egotistical she may be, you could admit that she was highly intelligent. In another life, you could even see yourself being friends with her. If only life had turned out slightly differently for you both…

College seemed to be the only reprieve you were ever going to get from her. So you were excited to apply to as many as you could. Wanting to have as many options to choose from as possible. Anything to minimize the chance of Harleen choosing the same one-- even if deep in your heart you wanted nothing more than for her to do just that.

Learning at graduation that she was going to Metropolis for school had been a shock. As you had been deliberating going there as well. That was before your mother got sick and you decided to stay in Gotham, however. A fact that you didn’t think twice about sharing with Harleen.

Sometimes you look back at the night and curse yourself for opening your mouth.

The party was already in full swing as you stepped into the house. Loud music blaring through the speakers. The sound waves caused the very house to shake. It was lucky that the host of the party lived so far away from anyone else. It wouldn’t do to have the party shut down by what was left of Gotham’s police force. Moving deeper into the party, you bypass throngs of people dancing to the beat of the song and random couples that were lost in each other. Your eyes scan the room for a quieter place that you could just rest in until the rest of your friends arrived.

Thankfully, the search didn’t take that long as you quickly found a relatively abandoned corner. You gratefully lean against a wall once you reach it. Thankful that you had been able to find a spot that you could hide away in. As the party scene had never been a place you thrived in. Rolling your neck, you try to get rid of some of the tension that had settled over your shoulders from the past few days. Things at home were only getting more complicated but you know you made the right decision in deciding to stay. Even if Metropolis would have been a hell of a lot nicer than Gotham.

Movement from in front of you causes your eyes to widen as a solo cup is thrust into your hands. The flimsy plastic bending in your hands as you stared at the woman who had given it to you. Your mouth pressing into a thin line at the sight of her devious smirk.

Harleen Quinzel, of course.

“I’m really not in the mood right now, Harleen,” you sigh. “Why don’t you go hang out with your friends and leave me alone?”

Harleen pouts. “But you’re my best girl, Y/N. Why would I leave you all alone?”

“Because your friends are probably looking for you.” You try to offer in hopes that she would just leave you alone. You didn’t feel like hearing her gloat about getting the valedictorian spot. Her laughter was not the response you were expecting, however.

“Oh, Y/N/N, what am I going to do with you?” She asks but you’re sure it was rhetorical. Though at your continued silence her eyes flash with annoyance. “You still don’t get it, do you?”

You sigh, Harleen and her mind games were not what you signed up for when you agreed to come to the party. “I don’t know what it is I’m supposed to be getting, Harleen. Maybe if you actually told me then I might.”

She grins at you. “Now where’s the fun in that?” Her head tilts ever-so-slightly as she appraises you. As if she suddenly realized that you were wearing a low-cut dress-- courtesy of your best friend. Her blue eyes shone with varying emotions that you couldn’t even begin to decipher. Though they soon snapped back up to your face as if she suddenly realized something. “But that doesn’t matter really. I’m certain you’ll figure it out when we’re in college.”

Her words make your stomach drop. “What?”

“When we’re in college, Y/N.” Harleen drawls. “You know the place where we’re going to be going for the next four years?”

“What do you mean we?”

Her laughter, once again, catches you off guard. “Didn’t you know? We’re going to be going to the same college. I heard through the grapevine that we both got accepted to Metropolis University. Go Sharks.”

You frown, your next words coming out before you could even think. “But I’m not going to Metropolis University.”

Harleen completely freezes at that. Her eyes turn razor-sharp as the smile falls from her face. “What?”

You gulp. “I’m not going to Metropolis University, Harleen. I was but then some personal issues came up so I’ve decided to stay in Gotham.” You shrug with a rueful smile pulling at your lips. “I’m going to Gotham University. So it looks like I’m going to be a Nighthawk and you’re going to be a Shark.”

The smile falls from your face, however, at the look, Harleen gives you because of the joke. Her expression darkened even more as each second ticked by. Only the call of her name from her friends pulled her attention from you-- though she seemed more annoyed at the interruption. Thinking about the quickest escape routes you could take, to hell with your friends, you begin to shift away from the wall. Only to have Harleen suddenly grab both of your forearms and yank you towards her. Your face almost smashed against hers as she held you. Her voice coming out in a low whisper.

“We’ll see about that.”

Before you could react, her lips pressed against yours in a brief kiss before she was gone.

Only the scent of her perfume and the feel of her on your lips remaining.

You hadn’t been surprised that come fall she had appeared in your lecture hall. Her ever-present smirk flashing towards you as she took her seat a few rows in front of you. You weren’t even surprised that she had taken the same major as you. After all, you both had always been eerily similar in your interests in that regard.

Sometimes you wish you had chosen something else.

Anything else.

That’s all that could run through your mind as you made your way down darkened halls. Your heels clicking against the floor with a resounding presence that almost made you wince. The faint moans of the criminally insane echo from deeper recesses in the building. You try to not tense at the sounds. Your armed escort led you down various halls and security checkpoints before you finally reached your destination.

A door, plain as all the others, stood between you and the reason you had returned to Gotham. You didn’t want to, God did you not want to, but getting a call from Mayor Hill had changed things. You had met the man on several occasions and you had never even considered the possibility of him begging anyone. Hearing the desperate plea within his words flashed you back to a time when your mother was still alive. When there wasn’t a giant bat protecting the streets of Gotham. You hadn’t had the heart to decline.

Even if you wish you had now.

Turning to one of the guards stationed at the door, you nod. Steeling yourself for what you are about to witness. Your back straightened as your hands tightened on the various files you were holding. Your resolve only wavering as you stepped into the room. Your eyes take in the large abundance of space that surrounds the single cage in the direct center of the room. A single figure entwined with silk in the middle of it.

Moving down the staircase, you try to ignore the way the figure's burning gaze followed you. The intensity behind it is both so familiar and completely foreign. Standing directly before the cage, you finally are close enough to the figure to see the way burning blue eyes took in every small aspect of you. A familiar smirk began to make its way onto her face when she finally met your gaze with hers.

“There’s my best girl.” A grin takes the place of her smirk. A sight that causes your heart to lurch in your chest. Yet another reminder of why you didn’t want to come back to Gotham. Why you never wanted to return to the place that had taken everything from you. “I was wondering when you were going to visit me.”

“Hello, Harleen.”

#harley quinn x reader #harley x reader #dc imagines #suicide squad imagines #dc #icarus #harleen quinzel imagine #harleen quinzel #harley quinn imagine #reader insert

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jjaeong · 3 years

Text

And If I Still Have Feelings, Will You Accept It This Time? (Triple Threat Confessions).

Series: KPOP Girl Group: 이달의 소녀 (LOONA).

Pairing: Kim Hyunjin & High School Student/Idol Female Reader.

Summary: Y/L/N Y/N was never the center of attention when she was a student, she was never really recognized by her peers because she blended in so well in the academy—until news broke out after their graduation that she was debuting as a soloist under a big company. With that, Y/N’s name grew into the entertainment scene, her songs topping the charts—even having enough credit to be called in to guest MC for a KCON event, which the idol did not even think twice about accepting. As rumors of Y/N being assigned to the Global Girl Group LOONA’s event, both artists’ fans were thrilled with the interaction. Well, you could say other than Y/N and LOONA’s second member Kim Hyunjin—who blatantly had confessed to having feelings for the soloist before they she had debuted.

“You’re looking again, Y/N-ah? Really? You do know about the dating rumors between her and Jeon Heejin.. Right?”

Your eyes stayed glued on the view outside the window, chin resting on the palm of your hand as you continued to watch the Track team jog down the field—particularly on the laughing brunette who won’t stop smiling to herself while she pushed a few of her teammates, teasing her for some reason you could only wonder about. The girl made a turn around the track so your view of her flushed features were blocked, giving you the opportunity to scan the field for the figure that usually lingers somewhere around the area. And there she was, impossible to miss—stunning visuals even from your view through the window of the fourth floor, Jeon Heejin, on her phone as she talked to her friends and a few followers flocking around her.

She didn’t seem to be paying attention to her best friend at all, almost as if she just decided to drop by and talk to the Track Athlete—who also doubled as the second member of the idol’s recently debuted girl group—before leaving and continuing about her day, coming back after classes to walk home with the girl.

“Seriously, if I was Kim Hyunjin I would be worried that you’re my Sasaeng or something..”

“Will you cut it out? She’s just watching—God, you act like Y/N is obsessed with her. Everyone’s acting like they’re obsessed with Kim Hyunjin and Jeon Heejin!”

They were right about one thing though, about everyone being obsessed over those two, you couldn’t entirely understand it but you had guessed that everyone suddenly wanted to be friends with the two because they were idols. But through your eyes, they were just like you—just two girls finishing their last year in High School, and excluding the fact that none of your schoolmates knew that you had already signed a contract that locked you into the idol life after you’ve graduated. But some of your closest friends knew, and the said close “friends” being ITZY’s Shin Ryujin—who was actually the one that told you about being friends with the two, and endlessly raved about them as you mentioned that you were schoolmates.

All of this happening while these girls around you, these "friends" of yours who knew nothing about how you’d cover it up to them that your late night expeditions were just cram school but in reality—it was actually practice.

Though watching this was insane to you, the sudden spike in recognition—people they’ve never talked to acting like they’ve been friends forever, being pulled to the side for a picture, all the attention they’ve never had suddenly there because.. They became a figure. You could say that you were watching the two not because you were in awe, but rather—taking notes, what to do and what not to do, and you were learning a lot. And with the information you gathered, you’ve concluded that Kim Hyunjin and Jeon Heejin really are good people, but for now at least—you didn’t want to be associated with them.

Just for the entire potential pre-debut drama that might come with it after you’ve debuted.

“They’re really pretty.” you commented, just to entice whatever reason it was for your classmates trying to converse with you for. They were never really your friends, and definitely are not after the continuous spiteful remarks they’d pitch in whenever they’d hear about the two idols.

It wasn’t that you hated these girls, but you just can’t be friends with people that are overpowered by envy.

“Of course they are, they’re idols, Y/N. Ugh, whatever—I’m going back to my seat.” you didn’t even bother to check if they actually had left, but you just kept your eyes locked on Kim Hyunjin who was now sitting on the field. You continued to observe until your teacher entered the room, which made you tear your eyes away from the scene to stand up to greet her along with your classmates.

Completely missing Kim Hyunjin’s piercing gaze directed on your figure through the window from the field.

“Come on! Aren’t you the least bit excited? You’re debuting in three days!”

You had stayed in school for a bit longer after being called into the faculty, your adviser reminding you about the award that would be given to you in the ceremony for your debut date—asking you if you were still going to go for it, and congratulating you along the way. And just as you were slipping your shoes on, Ryujin called to suddenly bombard you with congratulatory messages—all while you can hear the speakers behind her blasting ITZY’s songs which had meant that the girl was currently practicing, but decided to call you through her break.

As if you weren’t going to get Tteokbokki later once she’s finished, something about it being an advanced celebration for both of you graduating and your own debut day—because you would both be too busy on the said date.

“I’m too hungry to think about that right now, you know how I’ve been on diet since last week's photoshoot—this is the only time my manager said it’s okay to eat whatever I want..”

“He’s scared of me, as he should be. I’ll beat him up if you pass out in the practice room again..”

“Seriously, Ryujin you are—”

“Kim Hyunjin!” you stopped just before the entrance of the building, tentative steps pulling you closer to the side of the building. The back of an unfamiliar schoolmate of yours was the first image that had greeted you as you peeked—making you clamp a hand on your mouth, stepping away from their view once you saw the dark look casted on the face of the track-suit wearing idol who looked down at the girl with the yellow letter in hand.

“Please accept my feelings, Kim Hyunjin!”

Your heart hammered heavily in your chest, quickly tapping the red button on the screen of your phone—something that you can only apologize to Ryujin for later, but that isn’t important right now. As of the moment, you knew you weren’t supposed to be lingering—you should be willing yourself further to leave the area because this was something private, it was a situation that can only be resolved by the two people involved, but all you could think of was that..

You wouldn’t know how to deal with this either, this was a girl and—it wasn’t entirely wrong for idols to have same sex relationships because even the opposite would be considered a scandal. If Kim Hyunjin were to accept this.. If she were to even consider this.. Right now just when she had just debuted..

“Why?” Hyunjin’s cold voice pierced through the silence, the tone even making your own heart drop but your mind quickly raced to find an explanation you would use if you were in the idol’s place.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to sound so harsh—I just can’t be in a relationship right now, I’ve just started my career..”

“I—well, you’re cool! And you’re pretty! You like the things I like—”

“I’m really sorry, maybe we could at least be friends?”

“No! There’s more! There’s..” the girl pulled her phone out to show Hyunjin something, making the idol lean a bit closer to stare at whatever it was and from the way her lips pulled into a frown—it was something that had made her even more upset, somehow, “I went to your first fan signing event, and look—even the 1/3 one too! Look, if you would just give me a chance—”

“And that’s enough for you to say you love me?” your fingers clenched around your phone at the dry laugh Hyunjin let out, your patience wearing thin as the idol continued to push the poor girl. The girl stammered for a moment, making you slightly peek to find a look of disbelief on Hyunjin’s face—not at all seeming to be mocking the girl but actual concern, as if she wanted to actually get into the root of why she had confessed in the first place.

For a moment, once you heard her dry laugh—you thought that the girl had really lost it, with her idol mask dropped. But how she had carefully stared at the girl, how her fingers seemed to dig themselves into the hem of her jacket.. She was worried.

“You only love me.. Because I’m an idol?”

“Stop—I didn’t say that! You’re putting words into my mouth—why are you being such a bitch!?” Hyunjin visibly flinched at the sharp tone of the girl who fumed at her statement, making you also tense up in your spot.

This.. This isn’t supposed to be how it’s supposed to go. The unknown girl was just supposed to walk away crying, something along those lines but not hate on the girl—she says she loves her but.. This isn’t..

“Your name is Yoon Jiyeon, right?” the idol asked, inhaling deeply as the toxic girl stayed silent—giving Hyunjin enough time to straighten herself and give her a polite smile, “Jiyeon-ah, thank you for being my fan. But I think you should consider how you treat people first, be kinder to them—because if you end up actually liking someone, and this is exactly how you treat them.. Jiyeon-ah, you’ll end up alone.” you could feel the blood draining from your face at Hyunjin’s unfiltered words, knowing that it was enough to put the final nail in her career’s coffin if it ever got out.

And with the sharp sound of the girl’s hand connecting with Hyunjin’s cheek, your phone dropped in your hand and the sound made Hyunjin’s vacant eyes snap to yours, which quickly widened as she realized that it was you.

“I got that all on voice record—I knew this would happen, say goodbye to your career Kim Hyunjin!” the girl sneered at Hyunjin before turning to leave, which made her face you—the annoyed look on her face flashing into shock for a moment, until it snapped back to annoyance once more.

“What are you looking at, loser? Get lost!” she hissed as she walked closer to you, aiming to walk past you as your eyes stayed locked on the phone she shakily held in her hand.

What were you thinking?

“Yah! Give it back!”

You should’ve just minded your own business.

“No—How dare you humiliate me! You bitch!”

You just wanted to watch, like the usual.

“Run!” you felt a hand grab yours, dragging you away from the girl and the crushed phone by the side of the wall as your feet did it’s best to keep up with the speed of the girl that pulled you past the school gate—with the girl that you both had just left screaming as she practically pulled her hair out. The burning in your thighs didn’t cease, your head turning to face the image of the girl you had always watched from the fourth floor window—smooth dark brown strands of hair lightening just as the sun setting in front of you two caressed them, the cold evening slowly creeping in but that didn’t matter at the moment.

You just ran, wherever the girl was leading you through the side-walk with her laughter in the background—you just followed.

“..I can’t believe that just happened!”

She’s even more prettier up close.

“I really thought I was done for—you’re crazy, Y/N!”

Her voice.. How is it so soothing?

“I need to get a new phone..”

“Ah—give me a second,” you looked back at Kim Hyunjin who was now sitting next to you on the bench outside of the ice cream store, both of you holding onto a popsicle that was her treat as she fished something out of her pocket, reaching over to grab your free hand and place your phone which now had a cracked screen on it. You frowned at the sight which made Hyunjin laugh, leaning back on her seat as she looked across the street and to the view of the sun setting over the river—her eyes moving back to your figure as you sighed in relief when the device seemed to still be working, opening a series of spammed messages which you quickly replied to.

Hyunjin wondered who the contact name Ryujin was.

“I’ll get you a new phone on my next paycheck.” your alarmed eyes quickly snapped to Hyunjin’s unbothered ones, making you shake your head as the sides of her lips almost pulled into an amused smile—but she had stopped herself.

“That’s not necessary—I was actually on my way out when I decided to snoop around, It’d make me feel bad if you’d think this is your fault..”

“So? Feel bad then.” you gaped at the bluntness that came from the idol, not expecting that she wasn’t all cookie cutter—even with how she handled the girl from earlier, she didn’t have to act like this with everyone.. Or can she?

“Y/N-ah, you’re from class 1B right?” Hyunjin asked nonchalantly, as if you didn’t really have to reply because she knew everything already. Though it almost felt that way, you can never be too sure so you just nodded—looking at the scene in front of the both of you.

She didn’t really need more people staring at her at this point.

“This might sound stupid, since Heejin and I’s name’s are practically always mentioned during every assembly but—I’m Kim Hyunjin. Nice to finally meet you.”

Finally?

“How did you know my name? Hyunjin?” Hyunjin didn’t reply for a moment, so you turned to check up on her—apparently, she was just caught up staring at you before she blinked, forming an ‘o’ shape with her mouth. Furrowing her brows and looking as if she was trying to remember where exactly she had heard your name from, and when she had finally recalled it—she smiled at you.

“I was checking out clubs when we first transferred, you were the only one in the music room and a member approached me before I could talk to you. There weren’t any meetings that day apparently, they told me your name.” you knitted your brows in confusion, not being able to recall a memory of her—other than when you started watching them from your window of course—but this was oddly surprising, that she had known you way before you knew her apparently.

“Did they tell you, or did you ask?” you bit a piece off of your popsicle, not really seeing the question as a serious one—just a simple way of getting to talk with her more, but since Hyunjin didn’t respond you decided to apologize and tell her it was a stupid question to ask. But before you could even speak, Hyunjin laughed—more to herself than at your question, making you look at the grin plastered on the girl’s face.

“This can’t be real..”

“What can’t be real?” Hyunjin looked at you, something meaning to be said deep behind her eyes which made her laugh again and rise from the seat, glancing down at her melting yellow popsicle as she stood in front you—the sunlight casting an orange glow at the gentle eyes that had directed themselves at your curious ones.

“What?” you pressed further, making Hyunjin lean over to get in eye level with you as you did your best not to slightly move back because the position somehow made you a bit uneasy.

“I asked,” Hyunjin answered, making you release a barely audible hum in reply—counting down the seconds until she could finally give you some space to think, but as Hyunjin’s grin got bigger when you avoided her gaze she decided to give you what you want. Leaning back to her height and staring at the road behind her, “because I thought you were pretty.” she shrugged, making you almost drop your popsicle in your hand.

“But then I started to look for you everywhere, you know—not just in school, but mostly in school. You’re really hard to look for, do you know that, Y/N?” you gripped the wooden stick in your hands as you tried to think of what to reply but Hyunjin got back down to your level, hands resting on her knees as she eyed your popsicle stick and her own before trying to get you to look at her.

“You’re always in your classroom, in lunch you barely stay in the cafeteria with your friends—I see you in the library, in the courtyard, but after a few minutes you’re moving to another place. Y/N, the year is already over and you’re still all over the place, around this time you should already be home—”

“I was in the faculty, my adviser said she needed to talk to me.” you mumbled, which made her raise her brow and sigh as she looked at you—who continued to refuse to meet her eyes. How was it that the girl you've been watching from afar since her debut—was actually watching you at the same time? Even before you had been watching?

“..right, but you do know what this means right?” you turned to look at the expectant gaze of the idol, an inquisitive look on her features as you stared back with an contemplative expression.

“You’re confessing to me?”

“Yup, I know it sounds weird but—I just feel it, and I don’t even know you that well so.. There has to be a reason, right? I was planning to confess in graduation too!” you sighed, looking away from the girl as she stood back up on the soles of her feet to finish up the remains of her half-melted popsicle as she waited for your reply.

“Is it.. Because I’m cool? I’m pretty? Because I like the things you like..?”

“Hey! That’s not fair—” Hyunjin’s heart fluttered at the sight of your lips pulled up into a grin, followed by a laugh at the recollection of what had just happened and how that was practically the most odd thing that had ever happened to you—other than being scouted to be a soloist for one of the biggest idol companies in the entertainment industry.

Which reminded you..

“I’m sorry,” the idol tensed in her spot, the light feeling in her chest slowly disappearing as your smile turned into a somber one, “You don’t deserve to have your career hurt for liking a person of the same sex as you are.” you stood up from your seat, eyeing the darkened sky before meeting the look of disbelief on Hyunjin’s face.

“Is it because you’re.. Straight?”

“What? No—it’s because you’re an idol—”

“So? You’re not, is it because I’m—"

“Hyunjin, please listen,” you had placed a hand on her shoulder which made the girl’s wry smile quickly wiped from her face at the sight of the look of frustration on your features, inhaling deeply before shaking her slightly, “it’s not that I don’t feel anything for you—but this is not the right time to be thinking about yourself. There are literal lives on the line if you let yourself have this—it’s not just you, not just your members.. But your team, your employees, your fans that only wish the best for you until you reach the top.”

“I have feelings for you, Y/N. Can’t you see that—”

“I can see that you do, Hyunjin. But,” you stared at your hand on her shoulder, trying to find the right words to say as she continued to stare at you in anticipation—no matter how much it had pained her, she had seemed to need to hear it from you unless she wanted to carry it with her until her last breath. Taking your hand off her shoulder and staring at her with a determined look on your face, meeting the clear dejection in her eyes, “not right now, this can’t be about us—because we’re almost there. We’re so close to reaching our dreams and.. We’d just both get in the way of that, you need to let this go.”

Hyunjin just stood there, staring at you as you reached for your bag on the ground—taking in a deep breath before meeting her eyes for the last time, thinking if you should say any more to the girl that stared at you with a blank expression on her face.

“You’ll achieve great things, Kim Hyunjin. I’ll see you around.”

You stared down at the cue cards in your hand, biting the inside of your cheek before looking away from it to look through the windows and find your fans and LOONA’s fans excitedly waving at you—it was heartwarming to see, both of you and the group’s fans in such good terms under such bad weather conditions yet they still looked thrilled to be watching this unfold. The main MC stood next to you on the stage for an opening speech about the group as you plastered a small smile on your lips as she did so, completely clueless about the whirlwind of thoughts you were currently having at the memory that had played nonstop in your mind since your team had mentioned which group you were assigned to.

Ryujin’s cackles echoed through the memory as well, remembering how you had met her in the Tteokbokki place with distraught features—looking absolutely stunned as you sat there in front of her and told her what had just happened. And once it was publicly announced that you had gotten LOONA.. Maybe you shouldn’t have picked up that phone call from your best friend that had her laughing through most of your conversation, and she even called you earlier to wish you the best of luck—but to also laugh into the receiver as well.

Though you and Hyunjin had never spoken to each other since her confession, it didn’t stop you from giving her group your support. It wasn’t hard at all, they were great and you actually were into their concept accompanied by the lore—you even went out of your way on one of your lives to converse with your fans about their theories, and of course this had reached the members.

And with the members hearing about you, singing a few of your songs—Heejin mentioned that you did indeed come from the same school, that you were in the class directly in front of theirs. There were numerous questions directed at Hyunjin in that live as well but you were quick to leave the clip, not wanting to see if she had actually ended up hating you or whatnot. But as you went about your days, your fans hadn’t mentioned anything so you had guessed that the girl didn’t really speak much of you—which was great, that means that what happened that evening was just between the two of you and had involved no one else.

Though it did have you wondering if this was her purposely brushing the encounter off, if she had done this because she knew this would hurt both of your reputations—or she had really saw you in a different light, the opposite of how she had seen you back then. It didn’t matter now, really—idols have disputes, it happens, but in truth it would sting if it’s between you and Hyunjin. You were only looking out for the girl, you were more concerned about how she had seen her career than you had wanted to keep yours clean—you saw the surprised look on her face once you were crowded by paparazzi in the ceremony, she should’ve known your intentions were clear by then.

But if she ended up hating you for it, there wasn’t really anything you can do.

“Im Yeojin!” the MC announced as the nine other members stood on the sides, the Maknae waving in a formal manner to everyone and even going out of her way to walk over to you and shake your hand—which had you laughing in no time, shaking your head as the girl threw a heart sign at the camera before it was your turn to announce the next member.

Of course, it had to be you.

“Kim Hyunjin.” you couldn’t meet her eyes so you settled on looking down at the cue cards, hoping that both of your fans hadn’t caught up on your aversion by going through the words written in them just before the woman next to you announced Heejin’s name. You looked up from the cards in your hand, expecting to find Heejin already in place—only to directly look into Hyunjin’s eyes, making the both of you quickly look away from one another, with Hyunjin almost tripping on her own feet as she scrambled to stand next to a concerned Yeojin.

“Unnie, are you okay? You look pale.”

“Be quiet.” Hyunjin shushed the member, the mic catching the nervousness in her tone that echoed through the feedback of everyone’s earpieces—making her members glance at the girl just as they did their usual greeting before looking at the main MC who continued introducing the girls as you smiled at the camera.

“So how are you feeling right now Y/N? With this being the first time you’re guest hosting?”

“I’m a bit nervous, actually—it’s the cue cards that I’m afraid to mess up, I’ve always been a fan of LOONA so..” Chuu squealed from her spot while Yves grabbed onto Olivia Hye’s arm to start dramatically singing your most recent song, the intimidating girl making you flustered when she returned the girl’s energy. The members ended up trying to one-up one another for your attention—except for a silent Kim Hyunjin who had a small smile on her lips as she just nodded—so the main MC quickly asked them to take their seats before it got too much about you than the group. The event had passed faster than you’d expect it to, even though you and Hyunjin barely had any interaction—her members were too soft to ignore, they made your first hosting experience go smoother than you could have ever imagined it.

But if you thought you could easily slip out of the girls’ hold that fast, you should think again—because just before they were supposed to make their way to the dressing room to get ready for their performance, they were quick to engage a conversation with you which almost felt as if it would never end until their staff called for them. So you took this as your cue to leave, bowing before turning to head to the stage when you felt fingers wrap around your wrist—making you turn in your heels as you were dragged into a less crowded area in the set.

“What—”

“I still have feelings for you.” you choked when you met Hyunjin’s glare, your eyes locked on the idol who looked almost as if she sprinted from the dressing room the second she was done getting changed—because she had donned her stage outfit, contrasting her members that just lingered to talk with you.

“This isn’t the right time to be talking about this—”

“You told me to forget about it, right? But how can I do that if I see you everywhere, hear you everywhere—do you hate me this much? Y/L/N Y/N!?” Hyunjin’s grip tightened around your wrist but you didn’t wince, the image of the girl’s eyes slowly brimming with tears made you glance at the staff who passed by yet didn’t seem to see you two at all—so you made a move to shift the distraught girl even further out of view so you stood in a way that blocked her from being seen by anyone. Placing your hand on her own that were on your wrist to give her a calculated look.

“Don’t cry here.”

“It's still about them? After all these years you still don't think about yourself? Y/N—"

"I was watching you, before—the same way you did with me," you carefully told her, watching her angered expression slowly turn into a look of confusion as you felt her fingers loosen around your wrist. A small smile on your lips as you scanned her features, "after that evening, I found myself doing the same thing you did—with looking for you everywhere."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hyunjin grumbled, sniffling as you melted at the sight, even though it was a painful scene to watch. Reaching over to tilt her head up so her tears don't smear her makeup, she looked even more confused but still let you place your fingers on her chin.

"I guess you can say that your confession made me realize that I wasn't only watching you because I wanted to prepare myself for when I become an idol," you swallowed sharply, trying your best not to lose your train of thought at the sight of Hyunjin continuing to stare at you, "I think it's just funny how the first thing that came to my mind after I debuted was that I needed to talk with you. You know, after I told you to forget about it."

"Is this.. You confessing that you like me?" Hyunjin took your hand off her chin, holding it firmly as she squinted her eyes at you as if trying to see if you were kidding or not.

"Why? Does it sound like a setup? I'm trying to tell you I like you back, it took some time to think—"

"But you still won't date me?" you opened your mouth to reply as Hyunjin raised her brow, swiftly grabbing ahold of your neck to pull you closer to her and making you yelp, almost actually falling into her hold—but Hyunjin was strong enough to hold you both in place, the closeness of your faces making your mind flash back to that evening but also fully recognize how mature her face has gotten.

"But you still can't kiss me?"

"H-hey, I told you—I've just come into terms with liking you, you're pushing your luck, Kim Hyunjin—"

"You're the one pushing your luck, I've liked you for years and you think I'd just let you get away with acting like this?"

"Yah! Kim Hyunjin! Where did that girl run off to.." you had reflexively pushed Hyunjin off of you, making her stumble back as you turned to face a clueless Haseul who had her brows knitted—but as soon as she saw you her eyes lit up and a warm smile eased your flustered state.

"Y/N! Have you seen Hyunjin anywhere? She left the dressing room earlier looking a bit under the weather, but Vivi and Gowon are almost done.. If you see her can you—"

"I'm here, I'll catch up later." you felt your heart stop once Haseul's eyes moved from you to her member, to then move back to you—making her smile turn into a smirk before she nodded.

"Right.. Later." Haseul snorted before waving at you and meeting Heejin down the hallway who was complaining about Yeojin bothering her—the sight looking almost like a sibling fight.

"So.. Where were we?"

"Goodbye, Kim Hyunjin."

"What? No! You can't do this to me—I want my payback! Y/N!"

Long time no see, long time no see~

A week passed by too quickly, I thought I posted a few days ago—turns out it’s been a week and three days? But I’ve been very busy this week so it was honestly weird how I went in and out of the writing mood when I had so much on my plate, I wanted to write to relieve some stress but I guess it just frustrated me even more—it’s funny lmao.

New template! Do you guys like the inverted borders or.. Through my screen it looks better than the first one—maybe more cleaner? And I like it better because of that? Oddly enough when I changed it to the new one it reminded me of this version of Lightning Mcqueen.

(Did I ruin the OS for you guys? Yes? Ok, sorry then—Lighting’s staying though lmao.)

Also, new template because I got into photoshop, and now there is no way you’ll ever see the gifs in non-high definition form no longer—I’ve also learnt how to color change objects in videos for my gifs, (and when I tell you guys that I’ve thought of another Jinsoul OS that I thought would be a cool concept.. I keep Jinsoul-baiting I’m so sorry, she just has the greatest ideas from me, she’s not even my bias but her power.) and I’ve also learned how to change the header colors in the actual color hex of the members. All that while I’m balancing my irl life in a span of a week! Still can’t believe that even on my free time—I’m still pushing myself to be productive.

Also! By the way—we’ve reached 100 you guys! And with that—a blog that I’ve binge read obsessively before I made this blog is part of you guys. I’m too shy to tag so if you’re reading this..

IreallyloveyourworkandIhopeyouwritemoreaboutloonabecauseIlovethemsomuchandIwentanononyourblogtorequestonceanditwasablackpinkonesoI’msureitgotthroughbecauseitwaswaybackwhenyouhadroséinblackpinkhouseasyourpfpthankyouforyourserviceIcan’tbelieveyouactuallyfollowedthisblog.

How about you guys, what have you been up to? Did the week pass by smoothly with you guys too? I really feel like something shifted in this week for some reason, but maybe that’s just me you know? But damn, you guys really grow fast don’t you? I remember feeling so shy when we just had around 10 but—you guys..! :(

I want to keep writing more for this blog, I have so many ideas yet it’s as if only time will tell when I’ll write it exactly the way I want it to.. Because fics like this was done in one seating and—I want to put more thought into it so it would be clearer! More expressions! But for now.. We can settle for this, yeah? At least we know she’s still writing, that’s a place to always start.

Laters (hopefully for not more than a week again),

JJ.

>ovc: loonatheworld (170329)

https://youtu.be/o25-mCo2RkM

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cno-inbminor · 4 years

Text

a/n: drabble dump for our boy kuroo -- i love him loads and think about him endlessly. i also apologize beforehand for the awkward ending bc i’m terrible at ending things. hope you all enjoy! gonna go knock back a melatonin and sleep my wooziness away

w/c: ~2.4k; some angst, fluff, mentions of alcohol

you’re avoiding tetsurou, and he’s keen on figuring out why. college!au, friends to lovers.

“you’re not as slick as you think, y’know.”

instantly, a shiver creeps up your spine, electrifying you in quick, tiny bursts. those eight, nine words were more than enough to let you know who was standing behind you, peering over your shoulder in an effort to catch your gaze. his voice made your heart clench and lungs fight for oxygen – you begin to curse the high, intellectual level of tetsurou’s observational skills. you just wanted to make it another day without seeing his face outside of class, opting more for longer walks and just looking back to see the back of his stylishly mussed hair in the far distance. it frustrates you how much you’ve used the word ‘infuriating’ when it comes to him, but there’s no other better word you can think of without having to consult the thesaurus.

you have a few seconds to dart your eyes around, desperately searching for a way to escape. your productivity typically thrives within the library, but he’s always there, so with lots of pleading and promises of baked goods and decent coffee, you were able to borrow a close friend’s ID, a graduate student, and access the graduate resource room in a less traveled hallway. and in the expanse of that area, you’ve tucked yourself away into the back corner behind some shelves where almost no one visits. but it leaves you cornered and vulnerable – no matter which direction, in combination with his long legs, tetsurou would catch up to you in a heartbeat. you thought you had finally found a way to permanently escape his grasp, but apparently not.

much like you, he’s not supposed to be able to access this area. after all, you’re both senior undergrads so –

“how did you get in here?” you quietly hiss. you’re pretty sure you’d be booted out if you made any sound above 15 decibels, and you’re not about to let tetsurou ruin this haven for you.

there’s a rustle of clothing, a hand that rests on the back of your seat, and the hairs on the nape of your neck spike, before a delicate whisper informs, “you’re not the only one with grad student friends, love.”

if you weren’t so focused on keeping yourself rigid, body absolutely understanding of the effect that this man has on you, you definitely would’ve shivered from the proximity. but the gentleness in his tone sends you back to three weeks ago – you’re no longer under a fluorescent light tucked between cream-colored walls, but rather basked in a somewhat garish hue of crimson. your veins were tinged with alcohol, the substance leaving you feeling like you were on clouds, a silly smile breaking across your face uncontrollably. other bodies surrounded you but the only one you were focused on was the one in front of you, following your swaying movements to the beat of the music coming through someone’s speakers. even in the warmth of the house, tetsurou’s hands on your waist seared your skin, branding the feeling on you for eternity. his eyes twinkled with apparent affection, unbridled and screaming at you for you to understand the line he wanted to so desperately cross, that the alcohol pushed it behind his efforts to deny himself the one thing he’s been searching for in all these years.

“i’m a little drunk, but fuck, you have no idea how bad i wanna kiss you,” he had murmured just loud enough into your ear, then ghosting his lips over the shell of it. everything around you dissolved into a blur as you could only focus on his breaths and the tightening of his grasp on you. his confession wasn’t completely unwarranted – not at all.

tetsurou and you had met in the quantitative analysis lab freshman year, having been assigned as partners for the semester just by how the ta’s drew the seating chart. he was a friendly, kind soul – had saved your ass multiple times from overshooting your titrations, prevented multiple beakers and graduated cylinders from falling over, always down to compare numbers to help ensure that neither of you were fucking up too hard.

coincidentally, the two of you were registered to the same ochem lab the next year and immediately gravitated towards each other, grateful to find some familiarity in all the anxiety. he witnessed your breakdown mid-lab, did his best to comfort you and salvage your sample so there was enough for recrystallization because you somehow got landed with a shitty, leaking separatory funnel, and stayed back with you when you had fallen behind in the cleanup process. from then on, it was a weekly habit to study together and work on your lab journals and reports together, not taking long to become close friends.

tetsurou did his best to keep his growing feelings at bay, knowing that you had explicitly mentioned swearing off relationships as you tried to figure out your future first. he wasn’t oblivious enough to think that you didn’t feel anything for him whatsoever – you were stubborn and tenacious at best. the house party at miya atsumu’s was simply a suggestion for the both of you to relax after a brutal midterm in your inorganic chemistry course, to let loose and treat yourself. he really hadn’t meant to say what he said, but just looked so good, so lovely and beautiful and enthralling, and you were looking at him like he hung the stars and moon in the sky – he knows he’s sent that same look to you multiple times when you weren’t looking, completely sober and unfazed.

he couldn’t stop himself from leaning close into you that night and you hadn’t stopped in – he knows he should’ve resisted, but feeling your soft lips against his was easily one of the top ten highlights of his college career, and his love for you only surged beyond his hold, overwhelming him to the point where all he could think about was nothing but holding your cheek in the palm of his hand so he could get a better angle and let himself indulge just this once.

that’s all it was – kissing and kissing in the middle of the makeshift dancefloor until there was no more oxygen left in either of your lungs. like a decent human being, he dropped you off at your apartment and bid you goodnight, hoping that you wouldn’t forget all the events that had transpired. and maybe, just maybe, he wished that you would let it happen again, that you could make him the exception in your plans.

evidently, you did remember it, because suddenly your responses to his texts were delayed and dry. you were picking up extra shifts, showing up to class at the very last minute, and leaving as soon as the professor dismissed you, allowing practically no room for him to make small talk. and while he would usually pass you in the halls of the chem building at some point, you were always too far from him and scurrying away in a different direction. tetsurou did his best to give you your space, but the less he saw of you, the more nervous and frustrated he grew. there was a wrench thrown into his daily routine, and your presence had always managed to bring some peace to him. so when he realized that you had truly abandoned your usual study spot in the library a week and a half later, he set himself on a mission to find out exactly where you were hiding.

it honestly had been sheer luck that he saw your figure ducking around into a hallway he’s never bothered to go down, and by the time he caught up, the door to the graduate resource room had just closed on your and there was no way he could get in without some help. luckily, his mentor who had stayed at the university for their phd was pretty nonchalant about letting him borrow it for a few days, preferring to study at home or in a coffee shop off-campus themselves.

he knew that since you were hiding, you were probably going to be in the most inconspicuous spot possible. so while there was some time dedicated to navigating the new maze of an area, he immediately felt a sense of relief when he saw your back hunched over your notes, hair tied up into a messy bun, and your laptop open with a spotify playlist.

after you’re done reminiscing, you begin to pack your stuff up, opting to just nor respond to tetsurou and ignoring the pleasant sensation that his term of endearment for you brought. he pulls back and stands straight to give you some room, but the tapping of his foot against the tile floor speaks to his blooming agitation at your silence. you’re still wordless as you weave between the shelves to the exit, knowing that the man plaguing your dreams is not far behind. the game of ‘follow the leader’ (or is it ‘cat and mouse’?) continues until you both have exited the main door, and right before you can walk down the granite steps, tetsurou seizes the opportunity to run ahead of you and stand in your way.

“tetsu, please,” you sigh, avoiding his piercing stare by fiddling with the sleeves of your jacket. “is there something you need?”

“you can’t play coy with me,” he chastises, bending down slightly in hopes that you’ll finally look at him. “you know why i’m here.”

it’s a bad habit of yours to nibble on the inside of your lips when you’re searching for the right things to say. tetsurou only picked up on it just last year – the action itself is very subtle to the outside viewer, and he hadn’t been paying close enough attention back then. “don’t bullshit me right now.”

“do we have to do this now?” you whine a bit.

“yes, or else i’m never gonna get you to talk to me. come on, you don’t do this, love.”

“what do you mean?”

“you’re running away. that’s pretty cowardly, don’t you think? you’ve had 3 weeks—”

you start to walk forward and around his tall, lanky figure. “i’m not humoring you with this—”

“with what—”

“—you’re doing that provoking thing, you’re trying to get me to think that i’m wrong in avoiding you—”

“so you have been avoiding me—”

“i said not now!” you protest in a raised voice, path once again blocked. tears of frustration are beginning to build in the corners of your eyes, and you’re cursing yourself for feeling so weak in this moment. part of you wants nothing more than to run into his arms.

it’s dead quiet for a few seconds – the ambient noise of the wind and the occasional passing car this late at night fail to make themselves known over the pounding of blood in your ears. only tetsurou’s first knuckle underneath your chin to raise you up grounds you, and you can no longer avoid his gaze. small crests of guilt wash over you as you recognize the uncharacteristic brokenness in his eyes – the last three weeks must’ve been much harder on him than you thought.

“just hear me out for a few minutes, okay? you can make your decision then.”

he takes your nod as a signal to continue, but also softening a bit at how nervous you look.

“i’m in love with you,” he softly confesses, a smile of defeat gracing his complexion. “and i have been for a while. i don’t think i’m bullshitting when i say i think you feel something for me, too, but i knew it wasn’t in your plans. didn’t wanna push or force you into making a decision when you weren’t ready. so i held back – but i couldn’t help it at the party, and…i’m sorry, love. i really am.”

tetsurou doesn’t miss the flash of hurt that crosses your eyes. “so does that mean you regret it?” you bite out, nails clenching and digging into the fabric of your jacket sleeves. he shakes his head.

“i don’t regret kissing you at all – it’s all i’ve wanted to do for the last two and a half years. but i’m just sorry that i did it without your explicit, sober permission. i went against your wishes in a time of vulnerability, and that’s pretty shitty of me – i’m not gonna excuse myself either just because i was a little drunk, so i hope you’re able to forgive me.”

he watches you sniffle and fight the grin that’s trying to creep across your face. “someone had their shot of respect women juice this morning, didn’t they?” you chokingly tease.

“five shots directly injected into my veins, every morning,” he jokes back, thumb sweeping over to catch your falling tears. “but i mean it though – i’m really sorry.”

“you’re forgiven, and i appreciate that more than you know. but if i’m being honest…it was something i’ve wanted to do for a while, too. i was just really scared because it was so unexpected and i wasn’t sure if i was ready for our relationship to change, or like if i would be emotionally available enough for you, y’know?” you blubber, hand reaching up to rest against his on your cheek.

“hey—”

“i really want this to work out.” tetsurou can hear your voice shake, and he’s sure you’re almost trembling. “you’re one of my best friends – i can’t lose you, tetsu. and what about grad school? what if we end up too far away from each other and video calls aren’t enough? what if you get tired of me or—”

“i know you hate it when i interrupt, but honestly (y/n), you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried. i’m gonna do everything i can to make this work, too, mmk?”

“okay,” you whisper. “okay.”

his thumb gently sweeps back and forth against your cheek for a little bit before speaking up again. “not to ruin the moment, but do i have permission to kiss you now?” his eyes shine despite the midnight sky, and you can’t help the small chuckle that leaves your chest.

tetsurou swears up and down that your kiss in response is much, much sweeter than the one at the party, and he can’t wait to see what the future holds for you two.

#kuroo x reader #haikyuu!!#kuroo tetsurou #kuroo tetsurou x reader #hq #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu angst #haikyuu kuroo #kuroo angst #i fully stan the fact that kuroo is highly respectful of anyone and especially women #no one can fight me on this #stay hydrated and get good quality sleep and eat some nutritious food and take your meds!!!

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sunmoonandsandsoundtracks · 2 years

Text

little miss loved

it's our precious sunshine boi's turn! he's my number four man in his own damn story. 🤣🤣🤣 he's probably the most precious, though. he just hits different than my other men.

this one is for anyone who has struggled with their identity, especially if you've faced unfair consequences for being who you are. please be yourself. you were born to play a part that no one else can.

also, i hope you like usagi, she was just too perfect to play the part i needed. i have a reference for her if anyone cares. i'm pretty proud of both my two most developed characters, but usagi is one that i had to push myself with because she was so different from me when i was developing her. she's based off of my closest friends, who have always had the same attitude and confidence, but not the same foul mouth or sexual humor. that's on me.

masterlist

spotify/youtube the first and last songs will explain the cheesy title.

word count: 13061 it's long, but it comes in sections, so hopefully it's digestible.

enjoy!

Everyone said that you were born to be Little Miss Perfect.

High grades, student council president, and succeeding in a well-rounded collection of extracurriculars were all just part of upholding a standard your parents set because they just wanted what was best for you. They gave you everything you needed to succeed. Why wouldn’t you want to be someone that was praised and applauded? Someone with your name on display in the school trophy case. The favorite to be your graduating class speaker. Guaranteed a ticket to a top university. Most likely to succeed.

Better yet, what human, let alone a teenager who might otherwise scramble to find their place in the school halls, wouldn’t want that? Your future was all but set in stone, you just had to follow the plan. Up until a month into your final year, that was all you thought of, and you never saw a problem with it, until a new student and someone you’d overlooked for far too long turned your world upside down.

“Excuse me, are you almost done?” A smooth, low pitched feminine voice asked. You quickly grabbed your books for your first couple classes, shut your locker, then turned around and immediately froze.

A heat you had never felt before rushed to your face as you took in the sight of the girl. She was one of those girls that wore her attitude on her sleeve, like others you knew, and the way she carried herself just broadcasted that hardly anything got under her skin. She had ash brown hair that hung just a little above her shoulders, a mess that gently curled under toward her neck, choppy side swept bangs, and rogue strands that did whatever they wanted. Her eyes were a honey brown that held the promise of fun, if you stuck around long enough, set into a soft, round face. Moving south quickly, your eyes took in her body in the school uniform. Ample curves that put her in the more well-developed crowd of girls, but not at the top. That position belonged to Hinata Hyuuga. This girl wouldn’t even crack the top ten, but she’d be close. Her legs weren’t particularly impressive. Height wise, she was very average. With the exception of her wild hair, everything about her appearance was average. She was pretty enough if her physical features were all there was to it, but her clear confidence put her into total knockout territory. Her name would be on many boys’ conquest lists.

“Oh, um, can I help you?” You asked her.

She gestured to the locker next to yours, that the door of your locker had been blocking. “I’m your next door neighbor.”

“Oh,” you muttered and stepped aside. “Are you new? This section is only for the seniors, and I know them all.”

“Yeah, I am,” she answered as she fidgeted with the lock. “I’m guessing you’re either the student council president, or that random quiet kid that somehow knows everyone, but not everyone knows you- aha!”

She pulled her locker open after a successful first try.

“I’m the president,” you replied. “Takara Aimoto.”

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Usagi Hiyasashi. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know Naruto Uzumaki and his friends, would you?”

You rolled your eyes. “Who doesn’t know Naruto?”

The response was a happy laugh. “Yep. Glad there’s no confusion. Can you tell me where they hang out?”

“Well, they usually eat lunch outside, over by the big oak tree,” you explained. “So you’re a friend of his?”

“He’s one of my best friends. Him, Sasuke, and Sakura. We all more or less grew up together, until my guardian got transferred by his work for a couple years, right after middle school. He just got sent back, and they don’t know I’m here, so I’m kind of hoping to surprise them,” she explained as she organized her things, keeping what she needed and depositing what she didn’t before closing the blue metal door and leaning against it.

“It’s actually about the time that the rest of the students should be arriving,” you informed her. “If he’s not late today, you should see him before homeroom. Those three have to walk through here to get-”

“Oh my god!” You were interrupted by a cry from behind you, a voice you recognized. “Usagi?!”

The girl in front of you lit up with a grin. “Thanks, I think I’ve got it from here.” She stepped to the side, letting Sakura see her completely. “The one and only!”

Another voice you recognized joined in the delighted squeals as Ino and Sakura rushed towards the new girl, wrapping her in a three way hug as they bombarded her with questions, ending with an echo of, “we missed you so much!”

“And I missed you! Look at you two! Pictures were definitely not enough to show how much you’ve changed!” She laughed. “So, where’s our favorite asshole and knucklehead?”

Sakura sighed. “Naruto slept in again, and Sasuke’s driving today.”

Usagi shook her head. “And some things never change. They better get here before homeroom. What do you guys have?”

You tuned out their conversation, but didn’t leave. To avoid looking weird, you put on what you hoped was a convincing act of realizing you forgot something in your locker. Truth be told, you were interested in this new student, and you happened to have a soft spot for Naruto, so you wanted to see his reaction. You didn’t have to wait much longer, and you heard him coming before he was even in sight, which wasn’t an uncommon occurrence.

“Sakura! Hey, can I copy your math homework?” He called.

You turned around to see him walking down the hall, and you guessed he hadn’t seen Usagi yet. Before he got close enough, he approached you with a broad grin, leaving Sasuke standing alone, looking at his phone. “Hey, Takara! What’s up?”

“Nothing really. I just had a student council meeting this morning.”

“That sounds so boring!”

You shrugged. “Someone has to do it, right?”

“Yeah, and you’re awesome for doing it! You’re super smart, super nice, and super cool!”

The heat that had cooled in your cheeks flared back up. “I don’t know about that.”

“Well, I do!"

You couldn’t take the compliments anymore, so you quickly pointed at the girls. “Someone has been waiting for you.”

Puzzled, he turned, and for the first time, you saw him speechless. For maybe ten seconds.

“No way! Usa?!”

“Hiya, Sunshine,” she greeted him. “Don’t let me interrupt.”

He didn’t listen, running over to take her into a hug that lifted her off the ground as they shared a laugh.

“What’re you doing here?!” He demanded.

“Hoping to finish my mandatory education, but who knows how well that will go with you around?” She teased him. They didn’t release each other until Sasuke had made his way over, looking as happy as you’d ever seen him, which wasn’t saying much.

“Hi, jerkface,” Usagi said with a smirk. “You’re looking far too content for someone who should realize his personal hell is back in town.”

“I don’t remember you being that big of a deal,” he mocked, sending his own little smirk back at her.

“Then I guess I’ll have to remind you! I’m an even bigger deal now.”

Something burned in your chest as you watched them all interact. Your goals hadn’t left you much room to make friends and your image didn’t make you the most approachable person, so no one had really reached out to you… except Naruto. All it took was you giving him a spare mechanical pencil loaded with lead and telling him that the only time it should ever be out of his sight was when it was in a specific place in his backpack to keep him from losing it. He treated you like a hero from the first week of high school. Then you supposed he decided to make a friend out of you at some point. Him and the student council were as close to having friends as you ever got. You felt pretty pathetic when you thought about it.

You felt almost as pathetic as you took secondhand joy in seeing the friend group chatter in excitement. Naruto looked happy enough to cry. When it was time to head to class, you waited for them all to go ahead, dragging out your time at your locker.

“Takara, come to class with us!” Naruto insisted.

Your heart fluttered a bit, but you hesitated, then Usagi joined in. “Yeah, come on! I’m sure people seeing me with you will earn me extra credit!”

You just chuckled and shook your head before joining them. You would later reflect on that day as the day that you started on your journey to discovering the beauty of imperfection.

♡~♡ little miss loved ♡~♡

“Hey, Triple B!” Usagi said as she caught you at your locker a month later, eliciting a smile. That was her nickname for you. She’d decided it by the time you reached homeroom, fifteen minutes after you met her.

Beauty. Brains. Benevolence. Triple B. You’d never had a nickname before, and you really hadn’t believed that you were missing anything, but when it was something someone attached to you because they genuinely felt it described you, it didn’t feel as silly as you thought it was when you heard others use them. It wasn’t easy to accept right away- she barely knew you- but when she presented her reasoning, you could only try to hide your embarrassment.

Beauty, she claimed, was easy enough to see. If you didn’t accept it, she’d start listing your traits out loud. You didn’t challenge her.

Naruto helped with telling her how smart you were, but she said she knew you had to be smart to be student council president.

Benevolence was where you learned that Naruto had paid more attention to you than you’d realized over your school years together. He listed things you’d done to help others at times you hadn’t even known he was there.

Thus your nickname was born, and while you’d gotten comfortable with it, you wished she’d use your name a little more.

“Yes?” You answered.

“Sakura, Ino, Hinata and I are all getting together Friday night for a sleepover. We haven’t figured out where yet, but do you want to come? It’ll be so much fun!” Surprise must have been written all over your face, because she laughed before speaking again. “I’m guessing you haven’t heard that question a whole lot?”

“Not really. I’ve never made close enough friends with anyone to merit an invitation. I’ve always been too busy anyway.”

“Well? Are you too busy then?” She pressed.

“I-I don’t know… I don’t think I have any plans other than studying.”

“Great! Toss the books aside, ‘cuz it’s time to party!”

You couldn’t help laughing. “I suppose I could take one night off. My parents are going out of town that night for some work event with my dad’s company, so I’ll ask if we can do it at my house.”

“Really? That would be so cool! We can order in, and I’ll bring the drinks!”

“I’ll see what I can do,” you said.

“Girl, you rock!” She cheered, throwing her arms around you, then quickly pulling back. “Sorry.”

You got that funny feeling in your chest again. It was present ninety percent of the time you were near her, and you didn’t know if you liked it or not. Something told you it wasn’t a good thing, but it sure felt nice. You couldn’t liken it to anything else you remembered feeling before. It was more intense than almost anything you knew, the only exception being the pressure you put on yourself, and it didn’t hurt nearly as much.

That night, with a lot of pleading and promises to keep everyone on their best behavior, you convinced your parents to allow the sleepover. Years of achievements and doing exactly what they asked paid off. The next day at lunch, you joined a large group of friends that seemed to be connected mainly by Naruto, with a few other friendships that had nothing to do with him. The day Usagi arrived really changed everything for you, and it was a little intimidating at first, but you stuck to talking to her and Naruto for the most part, so it wasn’t too bad.

“You mean they’ll leave us in the house unsupervised?” Sakura questioned. “My parents would never let that happen at my place.”

“Perks of being Little Miss Perfect, eh?” Naruto teased you, eyes sparkling. “Does that mean we can make it a mixed party?”

“Depends on what you have to offer,” you teased him right back. “What could you possibly have to make it worth our while?”

“Think very hard about what you say next, Sunshine,” Usagi snickered. “Our girl can be mean. You should have seen her a week ago when some poor sucker hit her with a notebook he was throwing to his friend. I wouldn’t risk setting yourself up for her to knock you down.”

“Takara? No way! She’s always so nice! Like Hinata!”

You didn’t know whether you liked that or not. You respected Hinata, but she wasn’t the kind of person you aspired to be. She was too passive for you.

“Then say what you were going to say, and see what she says.”

“I was going to say we’ll bring the entertainment!” He huffed.

“Who’s we?” You questioned.

“Me, Sasuke, Sai, and Kiba! Maybe I’ll convince Shikamaru and Choji to come along!”

The thought of that many people in your house made you a little anxious.

“And what entertainment do you have in mind?” Sai questioned innocently. “It’s my understanding that parties with boys and girls involve games that result in stripping and making out with each other. Are we all really going to do that? We’ve never done it before.”

“Yeah, but I’m here now,” Usagi cackled, “and if you get people buzzed enough, you’ll be surprised how much their comfort levels grow. I bet sweet Triple B could turn into a high class stripper.”

It was a rather unfortunate time to take a drink, but you were fortunately able to avoid spitting up on anyone as you turned away and coughed.

“Usa, you’re awful!” Naruto said, patting your back.

“Whoops,” she laughed, not sounding apologetic in the least. “You okay, hun?”

Your face heated a bit at the term of endearment and you nodded. “I’m fine. It was just bad timing.”

“But I stand by what I said,” she said in a singsong tone. “I bet if we got you drunk enough-”

“She’d never be near your level when you’re sober,” Naruto quipped, earning some laughter and an intrigued look from the one he’d spoken to.

Not for the first time, Usagi’s eyes darted from Sasuke to Sakura and back, questioning their friend’s behavior. Sasuke gave her no response. Sakura just shrugged.

“All right then,” she carried on with the conversation. “Girls, we now have something solid, and those of us who aren’t hosting have our assignments. Let me know if you need help.”

You nodded in acceptance, just thinking about how you’d make sure your parents didn’t find out that the boys were involved. You’d have to get them around the security cameras somehow.

Friday came faster than you expected, and before you knew it, you were answering the front door to let the girls in.

“Nice place,” Usagi complimented, looking around as they entered. “What do your parents do?”

“Dad’s a stockbroker at an investment firm, and Mom’s a pretty big social event planner,” you explained.

“Damn. I’ve got to tell Asuma to step it up,” she joked.

“That’s your guardian, right?” You asked her.

“Yeah. He’s a cool guy, but he’s not the most motivated. It’s hard to believe that he’s done some heavy duty security work. Now he’s basically a mall cop, but it’s a speed he enjoys, and he deserves it.”

“Sound like someone we know?” Ino laughed, and you thought about it.

“The only one I can think of is Shikamaru?”

“Yep! Asuma was once a cop who worked with Shikamaru’s dad when he was a prosecutor and they became good friends, then Asuma and Shikamaru bonded over similar traits,” she informed you. “The funny thing is that while Asuma became kind of a mentor to Shikamaru, his wife Kurenai has been my dance teacher for years, and now she’s mentoring Chii.”

“Wait until later, if he shows up tonight, and we’ll see how red Shikamaru turns when I tell you the story about why he started calling ahead, even when they made plans for him to come over just the day before,” Usagi cackled.

Ino started laughing as well. “You’re so bad! He wouldn’t tell anyone about what happened that day except Choji! The only reason I know is because they didn’t know I was within earshot!”

You couldn’t help smiling as you shook your head while you went to put the drinks in the fridge. Was this what you’d been missing out on for so long? Glancing at the four girls, you did feel a little melancholy that you’d let years go by without developing friendships, but you were really glad that you would have at least the rest of the school year with them.

That feeling did not extend to the boys when they arrived. Six boys- only one of which you were even remotely comfortable with- added to the four girls was more out of control than you knew how to handle. However, the only ones you were worried about were Naruto and Kiba, and even Naruto was arguably tame. If Kiba started acting up, most everyone was ready to get on his case. They all showed respect for your home, and you were thinking that it might be something you’d be able to do again as you all ate, drank, and talked in your basement den.

“-so he and Kurenai were out of the house when this punk shows up, walks right in, and starts setting up the board,” Usagi recounted the tale she’d mentioned before the boys got there. “I’m fresh out of the shower, and I hear these noises, so I’m nervous because I wasn’t expecting anyone to be home for a little while longer. I go to investigate, and he’s sitting there like he owns the place. He notices me and immediately falls off the couch!’’

A thoroughly embarrassed and red-faced Shikamaru grumbled, “you were in a towel that barely covered you. What did you want me to do? Just sit there and stare?”

“What a wasted opportunity!” Kiba groaned, earning hits from Ino, Sakura, and Usagi.

“If you had, I would have just told you to take a picture and then walked away,” she said with a shrug. “I would know you were doing it because you were stunned, not because you were looking for a free show, like this perv.”

You were giggling like a child, but you’d blame that on the alcohol. “Have you guys always been this wild?”

“Pretty much. The only changes have been that Shikamaru complains less and does more, and Sasuke is a bit less of a grouch.”

“She wouldn’t be saying that if she saw all of what he was like when she was gone,” Naruto muttered from beside you, just loud enough for you to hear.

“Are they a thing?” You asked him, stomach clenching, only to release when he shook his head.

“Nah. She treats him differently than others do, and he appreciates it. Everyone else is someone who doesn’t care, a girl that doesn’t want him to think badly of her, or a guy that wants to fight him.”

“You being one of the last type,” you snickered, covering your mouth.

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckled. “I’m usually the only one, but sometimes someone will come along and get pissed at him enough to start swinging on him. Usa calls him out when he’s being a dick, and she doesn’t hold back, but she usually plays fair. She’s like that with everyone. She’s brutally honest, but she tries not to be too harsh.”

“I see that.” you replied with a little smile. “It’s no wonder the two of you get along so well. You’re the same kind of person.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re just warm people who make others feel better. You can get along with pretty much anyone with a little effort, even people like Sasuke who are your complete opposite. You bring people together.” His face was bright pink as he looked away shyly, something you’d never seen him do before. It was a little alarming. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” He insisted, rubbing the back of his neck and clearing his throat.

“Okay, the first bottle is empty! Time for Spin for Heaven!” Ino declared.

You were totally clueless, and it showed.

“Hang on, we’ve got to educate the newbie,” Usagi laughed. “It’s a fusion of Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven. Someone spins, and whoever the bottle points to, they have to pick on going in the closet for seven minutes where they can do whatever, or they can kiss for ten seconds in front of everyone. If they can’t agree, it’s a coin flip.”

You bit your lip as you glanced around, worried about who you might get, and who might get you.

“Don’t worry, hun. Everyone here will behave, or I’ll be making an appointment for an emergency neutering,” she said, glaring at Kiba.

“Why are you always looking at me?” He complained.

“Just count your blessings that your sister is a well respected vet. Be a good boy, or see what the dog house is like before your future girlfriends put you in it.”

“Yeah, yeah. You call me the dog, but I’m not the bitch here,” he quipped.

“Want to see how fast that can change?” She smirked. “You’re the one in control here. You follow the rules, and we won’t have a problem, got it?”

He just flipped her off, irritating you. You didn’t appreciate the disrespect, and neither did Naruto.

“Kiba-” He started, but cut off when you spoke up.

“I wouldn’t go making that sign too much, if I were you, or people might suspect you’re deflecting. Then again, it might be a good strategy to get girls used to the imagery of your finger so they’re less disappointed when they see you with your pants down.”

Heads whipped in your direction, a few mouths agape.

“Damn!” Ino and Sakura chorused.

Usagi looked at you like a proud mother. “Like I said, our girl can get mean when she wants to.”

All the attention had you shying away, avoiding looking at anyone. You briefly saw Naruto’s face, and you weren’t sure what it was communicating.

“Just to clarify, she’s insulting his penis size, correct?” Sai questioned.

Without further drama, the game was set up, and you all circled around an empty beer bottle on a pizza box.

“Hostess gets to pick who goes first!” Usagi said, looking at you. “So do you want to take the first spin, or give it to someone else?”

You certainly weren’t ready to start kissing anyone yet, and you weren’t relaxed enough to be stuck in a room with any of the guys, except Naruto. You trusted him.

“I’ll pass it to Sakura,” you announced. The rosette nodded, sent a hopeful glance at a certain guy, then spun the bottle. The first pair of the night was Sakura and… Shikamaru.

“So we’ve got the cute smarty pants, and the lazy smart ass,” Usagi chuckled. “What’s it gonna be?”

Shikamaru sighed, and you’d guess Sakura wasn’t down to kiss him… You pointed to the guest room they could use, since your closets were all uncomfortably small. She grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him along at a faster speed than he was prepared for, almost resulting in a faceplant into the carpet.

“Poor guy,” you said, making Naruto laugh.

“Nah,” he said. “Nothing will happen. He’ll find somewhere to lay down and close his eyes, she’ll find somewhere to sit and play on her phone. Those two are friendly enough, but that’s where it ends.”

You nodded in understanding. “Has anyone ever dated or liked each other in this group?”

“Kiba and Ino have been out a few times, but it’s not going anywhere. Kiba is into Hinata, and Ino’s into Sai anyway.” “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

“Yeah. Then there’s Sakura, who’s been into Sasuke since elementary school. Ino had been too, but she gave up on him a few years ago. The rest of us haven’t really thought about it with each other.”

“That you know of,” you teased him. “No offense, but you can be kind of oblivious.”

“I am not!” He protested, his lips forming an adorable pout, making you laugh.

“Okay, tell me, who told you about who people liked?”

He averted his eyes in shame. “Well, some were pretty obvious… but I overheard Sakura and Ino gabbing about it.”

“Ha!” You laughed.

By the time it was your turn to spin, you’d been lucky enough to only end up in the room with Sai, and all he did was ask you a variety of- some of them uncomfortable- questions.

“All right, who’s going to be the lucky one?” Usagi asked no one in particular.

You shrugged and spun, your heart racing. You definitely knew who you didn’t want it to be, but if you had to pick one person-

A world of stress on your shoulders crumbled, leaving only relief in the rubble when it finally stopped, pointed right at… Usagi.

“I guess it’s my lucky night,” she laughed. Including her turn, she had gone three times already. The first was with Kiba, and to spare herself seven infuriating minutes with him, she surprised him by taking up the joking offer to kiss him. That had raised a few eyebrows, until she pulled back and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, complaining about feeling like she just learned what dog food tasted like. Then Ino landed on her as well, and with matching shrugs, they kissed each other, baffling you. When she spun, it landed on Naruto, and you watched with bated breath as they seemed to contemplate, then broke down in laughter before going to the bedroom, where the laughter continued for five out of the seven minutes. The last two were eerily quiet.

“Think they’re plotting something?” Choji had asked.

“Probably,” You, Sasuke and Sakura had said in unison, making you chuckle. The two people you would say were your closest friends- who you would now call actual friends- had a very partners-in–crime type of relationship. Usagi knew where to set limits better than Naruto did most of the time, but she didn’t let him get into trouble alone, or so you’d heard. They had a very openly loving relationship that at times made you feel left out, but then they’d look back at you and pull you right in.

“You kissed Kiba, and you still want to call it your lucky night?” You scoffed, earning a grumble from him.

“Hey, three good goes out of four is pretty damn lucky!”

You just shook your head with a light laugh as you got up, motioning toward the room. The two of you went in and sat on the bed.

“So, what are you thinking of your first party?” She asked, getting comfortable. “You’re doing great, I’d say.”

“It’s not as bad as I feared. I just have to keep my parents from finding out about pretty much everything after you and the other girls walked in the door.”

“Setbacks of being Little Miss Perfect, huh?”

You just nodded.

“But is that who you want to be?” She pressed. “Or are you just doing it because it’s who you think you need to be?”

You bit your lip and looked away, saying more than words ever could.

“I used to think it’s what I wanted, and part of me refuses to let go of the expectations I’ve had for so long, but…”

“But what?”

You fidgeted with your fingers. “You showed up.”

“What did I do?” There was genuine confusion in her voice, and you realized she might not be as dialed into things as you gave her credit for.

“You became my friend. I didn’t know how to be friends with anyone, and even someone like Naruto made me nervous, but then you just kind of… took me in, and made me part of all this. I don’t know for sure if I like who I’m becoming now, but at the same time, I feel like I’m actually figuring out who I really am, not just who I’m trying to be to please my parents. They’d lose their minds if they saw what I’ve been like tonight.”

“Are they planning on you becoming a nun or something? You’ve definitely branched out a bit, and you’ve clearly become more comfortable around people, but you’re not going wild, hun.” She wrapped a comforting arm around you. “You’ve lived for them for so long, you don’t know how to do what you want. I get it. I’ve never really tried to be anyone other than myself, but I get why you’d want to. You’re adopted, right?”

You nodded. “My parents got me when I was two years old.”

“So am I. Well, fostered. My birth mom left me at the hospital before I was even a full day old. Asuma’s mom and dad were actually the ones that took me in shortly after I turned seven, and then Asuma became my secondary guardian. I was scared they’d decide to back out, so I tried to be on my best behavior, but I never did anything I didn’t want to do. I know I drove them up a tree on countless occasions, but they got a babysitter out of it. Asuma’s sister’s kid Konohamaru is as much a little brother to me as he would be if we were blood. He wasn’t even five when I met him, and as soon as I agreed to play with him, I was his new best friend. Then I took a back seat to Naruto when they met when we started middle school.” You giggled lightly. “He really is a special one, isn’t he?”

“You have no idea.”

You laughed even harder. “He’s probably the nicest person I’ve ever known.”

“Before tonight, he thought the same thing about you. You might not have felt like you knew how to make friends before I came along, but he’s thought of you as a good friend since you met him, y’know?”

Your cheeks warmed a bit. “He does that with everyone.”

“To a degree, but you’re on a higher level than most. He really cares about you.” She smiled more tenderly than you’d seen yet, and it made your heart throb.

“W-well…”

“You don’t seem to feel the same way,” she concluded.

“No, I do! You and him are my best friends!” You scrambled to answer. A gleam in her eye told you she was thinking of something.

“Well, that’s good. We’re happy about that. You’re pretty great, Takara.”

The fizzy feeling you’d had for the last hour seemed to double in force upon hearing her use your name, and then it felt like the cap had been popped off a shaken bottle, and all that pressure had to go somewhere. In a flash, before you could think too hard about it, you leaned in and pressed your lips to hers, muffling a surprised gasp. The alcohol in your system had to have been messing with you. That was the only reason you enjoyed it so much that you didn’t pull away as soon as you realized what you were doing. It just screwed with the platonic feelings you had for her.

After five or so seconds, she relaxed and very carefully reciprocated. It was more reserved than when she had kissed Ino and Kiba in front of everyone, and fear that you had just forced yourself on her pierced your heart. Then it hit you.

You were kissing a girl.

Your parents- fairly traditional people- would likely have heart attacks.

You pulled back, bolting to your feet, then stared back at her in horror. She was calm, showing no signs of displeasure. “Breathe, hun,” she spoke softly. “You’re okay.”

“I-I… I-I just… I ki-kissed…”

“Yeah, you did. Want to talk about it?”

There was no answer given. You had none to offer. Fight or flight kicked in, and you were flying Panic Airline. You ran out the door and up the stairs for your room, ignoring the concerned calls after you. Panting, you shut the door and leaned back against it, as if barring it would keep reality at bay. You didn’t even turn your head to look at your alarm clock, so you didn’t know how long it had been from when you got inside to when you heard Naruto calling your name.

At some point, your trembling legs had given out, dropping you to the floor. It was difficult, but you managed to get to your feet again. You needed to tell them the party was over. You couldn’t handle it after that. Hinges creaking, you opened the door and stepped out, feeling like you were making the walk to a terrifying reveal in a horror movie.

“Takara?” Naruto called out again, and you found him and Usagi standing in the sitting room. When he spotted you, relief painted his face. “There you are. What was that about?” “Not what’s important right now,” Usagi said gently, not looking away from you. “Are you okay? Do you want us to chase everyone out?”

As before, you couldn’t answer her.

“Sweetheart, you’ve got to give us something to go on. We’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want, but we don’t want to if it’s not what you need.”

Your head fell and you stared at the carpet. So soft… You remembered falling asleep on it dozens of times as you grew up, waking up with imprints on your cheek. It felt like you had to cling to something like that to tell yourself that the world wasn’t ending. Little Miss Perfect didn’t kiss other girls, and she certainly didn’t enjoy it. You brought your hands up to cover your face, and your whole body began to shake again.

“Naruto, get her.”

Before she finished speaking, you felt strong arms around you, and a firm chest against your arms.

“Hey, you’re okay. You’re going to be fine,” he said, softer than you could have ever thought him capable. The comfort was like air when you thought you were going to drown, and he was the life preserver you latched onto. Literally. Your arms went around him and you cried into his shirt, soaking through it quickly. He just held you until you were able to somewhat collect yourself, and didn’t loosen his hold until he was sure you wouldn’t fall apart if he let you stand on your own.

“Okay,” Usagi spoke again after what felt like an eternity of silence. “First things first. We need to know what we need to do. Do we get rid of everyone?”

After crying it out, you realized you didn’t want the party to end. The night had quickly turned to horror for you, but you’d been having a lot of fun… If you ended it, you’d be alone, and that was the last thing you wanted.

“No,” you said, barely making it through a clogged throat.

“Okay. I’ll go tell them to entertain themselves for a bit, then we can turn on a movie or something chill. I think Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji have to leave pretty soon, and I have no idea what’s going on with Sasuke and Sai, so we can probably kick the three dicks and get it down to chicks whenever you want. Be right back.”

A look you didn’t see passed between her and Naruto before she left the two of you alone. “Why don’t we sit down?” He suggested, and you wordlessly agreed, taking the loveseat. He cautiously sat beside you. “Are you okay?”

“I think so.”

“Usa didn’t say what happened. Did she say or do something?” His tone was light, giving you room to not answer.

“No. I did,” you admitted, staring at the ground again. “I kissed her.”

He didn’t see what the problem was, but he was a little disappointed. “Okay? What’s the big deal? Usa’s cool. Even if she didn’t like it, she won’t make a big deal out of it.”

“It’s not… I can’t… I shouldn’t be attracted to girls.”

“Well, why not? You can’t really control it, so why shouldn’t you accept it?”

“Because that’s not…” You were getting frustrated with your inability to articulate. “My parents… I don’t think they’d be okay with this.”

He frowned, bordering on a scowl. “What? Why wouldn’t they? It’s not like you’re doing something wrong.”

“They won’t understand. They have a plan for me, and I believed in it until Usagi got here and I became better friends with you. I don’t know if it’s what I want anymore. I don’t know if my idea of success matches theirs anymore, or if it ever really did. I’m seeing now that I really don’t know what my idea of anything is. I’ve done everything to make them proud of me. It was all I needed, but I just don’t know anymore. It feels like it’s too late to try to find my way-”

“It’s never too late. We’re not even eighteen yet! You can figure it out-”

“And then probably not act on it. Not until I build up something solid to fall back on, but by then I’ll have already done what they want. I feel… trapped.”

He was silent for a minute, before saying, “All this because you kissed a girl?”

You gave a weak laugh. “A trigger is a trigger, no matter how dumb it seems.”

“It’s not dumb. It just seems like you’ve been carrying this for so long, something that little wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“It’s the first time I’ve ever stepped out of line, Naruto,” you explained. “It makes sense to me.”

“That’s what matters, I guess… No matter what happens, Usa and I will be here for you, okay?”

You sniffled and nodded. “Thanks.”

Usagi returned a minute later with a water bottle from the fridge and gave it to you, demanding you work on rehydrating.

“All right, now where do you want to go from here? Be straight with me, was that just an impulse, or what?”

You couldn’t help the opening she gave you. “Well, I don’t think I can be straight with you, or anyone.”

She barely held back a laugh as she rolled her eyes. “We’re not talking about labels right now. I just-”

She glanced at Naruto, wondering if you were okay with him hearing this discussion.

“I told him. He’s fine.”

Her response was a warm smile. “Good. Now, be honest. Was that just a random impulse, or something more?”

“Both?” You sighed. “I’ve liked you since day one, but that was the first time I felt anything like that.”

She nodded in understanding. “Okay. Where do you want to go from here?”

“Can we just… pretend it didn’t happen?” You suggested hopefully.

“We can, but I think we should get this out in the open, for your sake. Are you into women exclusively? If that’s the case, I’ve got plans about who I can set you up with to re-evaluate.”

“What? No way are you doing that!”

That got a laugh. “There you are. I think you’ll be fine. I still want an answer though, just so you aren’t trying to shoulder this on your own.”

You pondered a bit on your answer. “I haven’t really liked anyone this way before, so I can’t say.”

“Fair enough. Can you promise that if you start to freak out about this or anything, you’ll come get one of us? I don’t care when it is. Shoot Naruto or me a text, and we’ll be right there, okay?”

You looked between the two, then gave a little nod. The good feelings you’d experienced before came flooding back, and you knew that who you were attracted to didn’t mean anything then. You had two great friends who were there for you, something that you had definitely never experienced before.

“All right, let’s go see if you can knock Kiba down another peg!” Usagi cheered, probably loud enough for the person of ridicule to hear.

With a laugh and a glance exchanged with Naruto, you followed after her. Much to your relief, no one made a big deal of your hasty exit. You figured Usagi had said something before, but you didn’t really care. Everything settled back to normal, and you’d say that the night of your first mixed party and sleepover was an overall success.

♡~♡ little miss loved ♡~♡

You’d never questioned your parents’ methods until you saw the mayor of the city… in a frilly pink apron.

“I’m home, and I brought friends!” Naruto announced as the four of you entered his home. It was the weekend following your graduation, and it would be the last time you’d get to spend time with them before you’d say goodbye and leave for university.

“Welcome home, sweetheart,” a beautiful red haired woman greeted, coming in from what you assumed to be the kitchen, wearing a simple powder blue apron. “Hello, Sasuke, Usagi. It’s been a little while. How are you two?”

“Doing great, Kushina,” Usagi chirped. Sasuke piggybacked off her answer with a nod.

After they gave their replies, the woman looked to you, unintentionally somewhat hiding behind Naruto.

“You must be Takara!” She greeted you with a bright smile. “Oh, I’m so glad to meet you finally! Naruto’s told us all about you!” “Ma!” Naruto groaned as you eyed him.

“Has he?”

“Well, he mentioned the day you taught him how to save his pencils, which I thank you for, and then he said you had started interacting with their group since Usagi came back. Your name has popped up pretty much as often as those two over the last year!”

“Oh, really?” You tried to hide your bashfulness.

“Mom! Seriously!” Naruto griped.

You heard laughter as a man you’d seen quite a few times on the news and in the papers walked up beside his wife, wearing the gaudiest apron you’d ever seen, wrapping an arm around her and setting a hand on her waist. It was the first time you could remember seeing such a tender action. Your parents weren’t affectionate at all in front of you. Seeing the two of them together left no question where Naruto got his good looks from.

“Stop embarrassing our son, dear,” he spoke gently.

“You’re no better, Dad, wearing that…”

You heard a muffled laugh and glanced back to see Usagi covering her mouth, hiding behind a smirking Sasuke.

“It’s great to meet you, Takara,” Mayor Namikaze said with a warm smile, pulling your attention back. “Your speech at graduation was excellent. You put a lot of heart into it. More than any I’ve ever heard.”

“Thank you, sir,” you replied, trying to keep your voice from failing. It was probably the first time you had gotten a compliment like that. You were used to simple praise as long as every area of your life held up. If anything was lacking, you received criticism, which was far more specific.

“Please, call me Minato.”

“And you can call me Kushina.”

“O-oh, I really couldn’t,” you muttered. “I’m sorry, but I could never address my elders so informally.”

“There goes our strategy!” Kushina said with a pout. “We have you kids call us by our names so you see us less like your elders! It keeps us feeling young!”

“Mom,” Naruto groaned for the third time, and again you heard Usagi trying to muffle her laughter, only to lose the fight when Kushina wrangled her son into a headlock. A small noise of amusement even came from Sasuke. If you hadn’t been so stupefied, you’d have been laughing too.

“What?! Why are you so embarrassed by us, huh?” She growled. “Is that why you haven’t brought her around before? You thought we’d scare her off?”

“No, that wasn’t on him!” You quickly tried to defend. “It’s my parents’ rule. They asked us to keep things over at my house. I’m sorry, if I had known you wanted him to be here more, I would have spoken to them.”

The three in front of you all looked at you blankly, then Minato set you with a smile.

“It’s not a big deal at all. Kushina and I aren’t home like this very often anyway. We were just eager to meet you after all that we’ve heard.”

Naruto struggled to get out of his mother’s grasp. “Okay, you’ve met her! Can we go now?”

Worry rushed through you as she tightened her hold on him a bit, which was impressive, considering how much taller than her he was. “What’s the rush? Afraid we’re going to do something like show her your baby pictures?”

“Oh, please!” Usagi gasped, fully leaning against Sasuke for support. “I think I might die laughing if you do!”

“Dear, I think we’ve tormented him enough,” Minato chuckled.

Kushina let go of her squirming son, almost dropping him. “Fine. Dinner will be ready in an hour.”

“Got it. You know where we’ll be,” Naruto stated in a hurry as he straightened up.

She rolled her eyes, then smiled at you. “Don’t be a stranger. Naruto said you’re leaving soon for school, but whenever you’re in town, you’re welcome here.” Warmth filled you, and you wondered what the foreign feeling was. “Thank you. I’m very glad to have met the two of you. Naruto makes a lot more sense to me now that I have.” “Don’t hold that against us, please!” She laughed, which made you laugh lightly in return. “Okay, okay, we’re going!” Naruto said, gently dragging you away, followed by a still laughing Usagi and an unquestionably amused Sasuke. When you reached the entertainment room, he released you and flopped down on the couch. “Sorry about them.”

“Why?” You asked, voice soft as you sat down. “They’re amazing.”

He lifted a brow in disbelief. “You think?”

You nodded. “I really do. You’ve met my parents. I love them, but they’re not expressive like yours are, and yours are obviously so proud to have you, no matter what. They care about your friends, while mine… they’re more concerned about how my friends affect my performance. I saw so much in those few minutes, I’m kind of jealous. Again, I love my parents, but I don’t think I’ll ever truly be enough for them. I can’t imagine any child with parents like yours feeling that way.”

He was solemn as he stared back at you. “I guess when you put it that way… they are pretty great.”

You smiled and nodded once more. “They are, and like I said, meeting them has helped me understand you a lot more, and heaven knows everyone needs that.”

He shook his head with a laugh. “All right, I get it.”

“That’s a first,” Usagi chimed in, and when you looked back at her, you saw mirth in her eyes, but also… you couldn’t describe it. It was warm and joyous, but you didn’t have a name for it.

Later that night, Sasuke dropped you and Usagi off at her home where you’d been allowed to stay while your parents had another event, and you still had the Namikaze-Uzumaki family on your mind.

“You okay?” Usagi prodded gently, to which you nodded.

“Yeah, I’m absolutely okay.”

That night, you fell asleep with a smile on your face, thinking it was one of the highest points in your life.

♡~♡ little miss loved ♡~♡

You never envisioned that rock bottom would look like you shaking with heartbroken sobs in your car in the grocery store parking lot, everything you owned in the backseat. It was the furthest you had gotten from your parents’ house before you broke down after they all but kicked you out. They were thinking it, you could tell, so you made the final call. It at least meant you could get out of there before they could take the car from you. It had been a graduation present, but you wouldn’t put it past them to leave you with nothing. They still could.

Choosing- or accepting the decision made for you- to go to school in Ame would be the biggest mistake you’d yet made in your life, if not for one thing. You’d uprooted yourself, saying goodbye to the friends you’d come to love so strongly, and moved across the country. It was quickly apparent that you were a little fish in a huge pond, and you were floundering. All the structure your parents had provided you was just gone, and you struggled to cope. You swore you only survived because you kept in daily contact with Usagi and Naruto. She was rational and straightforward, he was optimistic and lighthearted. They got you through until you were able to get into the swing of things, and then your calls were less frequent, but much more relaxed, and you still texted daily.

That got you through while you figured things out, but you still had a hard time being so far away from your support system. You powered through with the help of your roommate. Konan was the only reason you decided to stick it out a second semester, even though you nearly ran home within the first term of your first when you started to re-experience the feelings you’d had that had resulted in you almost losing it after acting on those feelings. When you realized you were falling for her, you called Usagi, almost hyperventilating.

“Takara, listen to me. There’s nothing wrong with you. This is a good thing.”

“But-”

“No. You have feelings for someone who makes you feel stable and happy. That’s all that matters. Gender has no part in this.”

“How… How do you do it?” You asked. She’d never explicitly said it out loud- likely because it hadn’t come up before your freak out, and it was just best for you not to bring it up after it- but you knew part of the reason she was so calm about what you did was because she understood what you were going through, just without all the pressure on you.

“Well, I have it easy. I was lucky to be surrounded by people who don’t care who I love, but even if someone did, I don’t have the patience to deal with people like that. I just do what I want, and everyone gets out of my way or stands with me.”

You sighed. “I wish I was like that. I don’t even know if I should tell her.”

“Hun, you have your own power. You just need to tap into it like you have at least a dozen times since I met you. You don’t have to tell her yet. Just ask her to hang out and see what happens. Maybe you’ll realize you don’t actually feel that way for her as a person outside of your room.”

“I-I guess I can do that.”

“You’ve got this. Keep me posted, and remember, Naruto and I will come out there if we have to, just so we can kick some sense and optimism into you.”

You laughed. “Yeah, I know you will. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay. We love you. Call Naruto too, okay? He misses you.”

“I will. I love you guys too.”

You had hung up that call with a smile, and when you got a chance, you called Naruto. The two of you weren’t able to talk for long, but you took one thing from it.

“I know you and I didn’t get close until Usa showed up, but I’ve always thought of you as a friend, and a great person. We’ll always be here for you.”

You’d managed to keep from crying until the call ended. He always seemed to know how to make everyone feel better.

With their encouragement, you asked Konan on an unofficial date, and you’d learned that she was willing to explore. The second half of the semester stamped the first into the ground in the best way. Then everything went downhill. You bit off a bit more than you could chew when you decided you wanted to get a job to start saving. Your parents were paying for everything you needed, but you wanted to get a jump on the real world. College had been enough of a shock, you didn’t need to be thrown off completely. Someone should have warned you about any customer service positions. Your classes were also a little overwhelming. Konan did her best to help you, but you quickly declined. Before you had made it through a third of the second semester, you couldn’t take it. You decided to drop out, then head home and hopefully have your parents and friends help you figure out a plan. You weren’t sure you were on the right path.

When you called them, your parents were unhappy and reluctant, but they agreed to let you return home on the condition that you promised to go back the next semester. You were expecting that. When you got home, you updated them on everything… including your love life.

Your father looked like he was going to have an aneurysm. Your mother was scandalized. You gave them an hour to calm down and do or say something, but they didn’t even acknowledge you after you stated you were dating Konan. With Usagi’s words ringing in your head, you packed up and took off. It was the hardest thing you’d ever done.

Thus you were crying in your car, just trying to figure out how you’d get through to the next day.

Your phone suddenly lit up and rang, displaying Usagi’s name. A curse escaped you as you tried to decide what to do. When things got hard, your contact with your friends had dwindled, until you were talking to them maybe twice a week, and even your text messaging had become only a handful of messages from you each day. You hadn’t even told them you were returning home.

“Hello?” You finally decided to answer, figuring it was best that you start building a story. Maybe if you told her you were going to be home in a day or two, then she wouldn’t be upset-

“Hey, how are things?” She asked, and the tone of her voice told you she had something she was dying to say.

“Oh, uh… You know… Same old, same old.”

“Yeah? How’s Konan? Is she with you?”

You bit your lip, not wanting to lie to her. “No, she’s not right now…”

“Well, you can’t be on the same schedule all the time, right?”

“Right,” you replied with a little sigh of relief. “How are you?”

“I’m good. I actually have some news I’ve been meaning to tell you for a good week now, but the timing was never right, and you’ve been so busy. I’d really like to tell you in person. When are you coming home for a break?”

And you felt sick. “Well, the semester doesn’t end for over another month, and we don’t have any long breaks before then.”

“Damn, that sucks. Naruto knows, but he’s not super hyped about it, so I was hoping you might be. You know, as hyped as I would have been if you had told me you were home right now.”

Your eyes widened as your stomach sank, and then you saw movement out of the corner of your eye. Whipping your head to the side fast enough to give you whiplash, you saw three figures approaching. One was neutral. Another showed a mix of concern and hurt. The third was fuming. With what little nerve you had left at your disposal, you hung up, got out of your car and went to meet them.

“What in the fucking hell?” Usagi demanded. You’d never seen her so mad. “You go nearly no contact with us, and then you come home and don’t let us know you’re here?! Did something change you out there? Are we not-” “Usa, calm down,” Naruto intervened, being the voice of reason for once, even though you could tell he was just as upset as she was. “Give her a chance to talk.”

He then fixed his shimmering blue eyes on you. “When did you get back?”

“This morning. I’ve only been home for a few hours,” you answered in a trembling voice, finding that it was possible to feel even worse.

“Why didn’t you tell us? Did something happen?” He gently questioned.

You nodded. “I quit my job and dropped out of this semester. I couldn’t do everything, and I just caved. My parents weren’t happy about it, but they let me come home on the condition that I promise to go back next semester… Then I told them about Konan, and they reacted pretty much exactly as I feared.”

Like the night you had first acted on your attraction to anyone, your head hung, and you caught it in your hands. Also like that night, Naruto rushed to console you, wrapping you in his arms.

“It’ll be okay. We’re here and I’ve got you.”

You didn’t hesitate to react the same way as before, crying into his shirt and clinging to him. Knowing that he’d never let you fall was what literally gave you the strength to continue to stand.

“So they kicked you out?” Usagi softly spoke when you lifted your head again.

“N-no. I left. They didn’t say anything to me afterward. It’s like I wasn’t even there anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re not going back there, you’re staying with us,” she stated. “Do you have everything you need?”

You nodded. “I’ll take the couch and get a job right away.”

“Whoa, hold on. Take at least a few days to process and figure out where you’re going from here. We can cover you for a bit, right, guys?”

“Yeah, we’ve got this,” Naruto confirmed, still holding you.

“Okay, then I’ll do work around the house, at least,” you insisted. “Takara, stop,” she commanded. “The only thing I want you to think about right now is getting moved in. Take my bed.”

“I couldn’t do that!”

“Yes, you could,” Naruto scoffed. “She hasn’t used it in almost two weeks.”

“What? Why-” You peered around Naruto and found an interesting sight. At some point, Sasuke had grabbed Usagi by the waist, and judging by the look on his face, he was content to keep his hands there. You’d never seen her look bashful before, and you wouldn’t say she was then, but it was close. “So you really did have news to tell me.”

“Yeah, I did, but that’s not what’s important right now. We’ve got weekly grocery shopping to do, so Naruto, you get her back to the house while Sasuke and I take care of that, and we’ll sort shit out when we get back.”

You gave a nod in agreement, not wanting to cause any trouble. It wasn’t like you had any other options.

Before you split up, Usagi gave you a tight hug. “I’m glad we found you. I don’t know what he and I would do if something worse happened. Things are going to be okay now. We’ll be your family, and we’ll love you no matter what.”

You started to tear up again as you hugged her back, but it was for a good reason this time. After letting go, you drove back to their rented house, got settled in, and Naruto showed you where everything was.

“So, has anything changed since they got together?” You asked him while the two of you waited for the others, lounging with drinks on the three seater.

“Other than giving me reason to buy earplugs a couple of times, and I’ve walked in on them making out way more than anyone would ever want to, no. They really don’t act any different around each other.”

You laughed and shook your head. “Got a spare pair?”

“Nope. I could only find some reusable ones that I’m probably going to have to replace after another use. I’ve been thinking about getting good noise canceling headphones.”

“I can’t decide if I saw this coming or not. I guess it makes sense, but you and her would have made just as much sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if all three of you gave a relationship a shot.”

He pretended to gag, almost to a point that made you wonder if it was real. “No way in hell!”

“To which one?” You cackled, enjoying it a little too much.

“Both!”

“Why not? They’re your best friends. Isn’t that the basis of all good relationships?”

“Well, yeah, but… No way!”

More laughter at his expense. “Well, you live with them peacefully enough.”

“I guess. It’ll be nice having you here. Usa doesn’t pick sides very often when one of us gets pissed off, and I don’t think she’ll start just because they’re together now…”

“But you can’t help but worry that her allegiance will start leaning in his direction?” You questioned.

“It’s really stupid, I know-”

“No, I’d say it’s pretty reasonable. This is a new dynamic for the three of you. I’d probably feel the same. I’ve only been friends with you and her a small fraction of the time you’ve been friends with each other, and I’m still iffy on applying that title to Sasuke… If it had been you and her, I might have started worrying that you two would stop caring about me.”

“But we never would!” He insisted.

“I honestly believe that, Naruto. You two are the last people who I think would ever stop caring about anyone, but my point is that we get scared of losing those we get attached to. It took me years to get attached to anyone other than my parents, and you saw what that did to me. If it hadn’t been for your support, yours and Usagi’s, I’d still be killing myself, trying to keep up with my parents’ expectations. I’d probably still fall in love with Konan when I roomed with her, but I’d be fighting it, and I’d be miserable. Losing my parents hurts, especially because I realize they didn’t really love me. They didn’t adopt me because they wanted to make a child happy, but because they wanted a child that would make them happy… They were all I had, until you two came along, and until I had you two, I didn’t know how to be anything other than Little Miss Perfect.”

You stared down at the glass in your hands, absentmindedly tracing the rim with your finger. “If I thought I was going to lose the friends that have helped me learn how to live life the way I want, and that have caught me multiple times when I’ve fallen in the not even two years I’ve gotten to really know them, I’d be way more irrational than you’re being right now. You’ve been friends with Usagi and Sasuke for most of your life. You have even more to lose than I do, so no, it’s not stupid to worry. With the friendship the three of you share, it’s totally fair to be afraid that the change in their relationship will affect your relationships with each of them. I’ll always be there to remind you that they still see you the same way, and when they’re doing their thing, I’ll be there to mock them to make you feel better.”

Lifting your eyes, you saw the heated way he stared at you, and it made you feel something you hadn’t felt yet. It was in the same vein of what you felt for Konan, and even the little crush you’d had on Usagi, but so much deeper. So deep, you felt like you would drown in it, but you didn’t care.

“You’ve always been so smart, believe it,” he said, his voice deeper than usual.

“N-not really. I-I just-”

The door opened and you felt like you’d been caught in the middle of something intimate. When you thought about it, you had been. What had passed between you and him then was more intense than anything you’d ever known.

Usagi and Sasuke entered, toting bags of groceries. After setting your glass down, you ran to help, ending the moment. The connection might have been broken for a bit, but it left you feeling disoriented.

Later that night, after putting clean sheets on her bed, you and Usagi sat on it to talk.

“How do you feel?” She asked.

You hugged the pillow and stared at the garnet colored bedspread.

“Hun? Are you okay? I know it’s been a long day, I just want to make sure you’re going to be all right. I’ll stay here with you if that’s what you need.”

“No, go be with Sasuke. Just don’t make me hear anything I’m not ready to,” you said.

“You’re still so innocent,” she teased, then got serious. “Are you sure? I don’t mind staying, and Sasuke will live. We haven’t been sharing a bed that long.”

“I’m sure.”

“Fine, but is there anything you want to talk about tonight? It’s understandable, but ever since we got back here, you’ve been… off. Can I do anything?”

“I don’t think so, but thanks… How did you know you were into both men and women? Which were you into first?”

Quirking a brow, she got comfortable. “Well, I know I had my first short lived crush when I was twelve. It was a boy, but I’d noticed I’d been getting bits and pieces of the same attraction I had to him with other people, and it was pretty indiscriminate. I didn’t make a big deal of it, and as long as they were on board with it, I’ve never stressed out about acting on that attraction.”

“Have you been romantically into both genders?”

Something seemed to dawn on her, but she held it back. “Yeah. I’ve only gotten serious with two people, both guys, but I’ve definitely had a few women I wanted to date. It’s just that it wasn’t the right time, or they were straight.” “Not the right time?”

“Yeah, for at least one of us. Sometimes both. It always just fizzled out. I’ve made out with as many women as I have guys, though, or at least really close. I went a little wild when I moved away, because it was a new place with new people I didn’t have to worry about feeling weird with, unlike here.”

“Have you ever… with a woman?”

You couldn’t say it, but she got it.

“No. Actually, I’ve only slept with one person, period.”

Your eyes widened. “You mean?”

She nodded. “Sasuke’s my first. I got really close with my ex, but it just never felt right. The thing is that when it gets down to getting down, all that matters is that you both want to do it, and that you’re safe about it. If those conditions are met, everything else is up to the individual, and that can vary from partner to partner.”

“So what makes Sasuke different? How long you’ve known him?”

“The history we have certainly doesn’t hurt us, but I honestly think I could be okay with someone in a really short time too. It depends on the person and where I’m at emotionally. ”

You realized there was so much for you to learn, but it all seemed to apply to any person you might be with, no matter their gender or sex. “Okay.”

“Anything else?”

“No, I’ve got too much to think about as it is.”

“Okay. If you need anything, you know whose room is whose. I have no problem being woken up, but for all intents and purposes, you might want to try Naruto first.”

“I hate to say it, but I agree. I do not want to see what Sasuke looks like when he’s been woken up.”

“He’s not that bad, believe it or not,” she chuckled.

“Maybe to you. One, you’re now his girlfriend. Two, you’ve never taken any flak from him. I don’t think he’ll be very nice to me.”

She just shook her head, then gave you a hug and stood. “I’ll protect you if necessary. Goodnight, Triple B.”

“Night, Usa.”

That got a soft smile out of her as she walked out the door. “You’ve been talking to Naruto too much.”

Despite all the suffering, you fell asleep with a smile on your face.

♡~♡ little miss loved ♡~♡

One week. One week of you trying to put your life back together passed before the last vestige of what was chaining you to your old life fell away.

‘I’m sorry, I just can’t do this right now. Good luck and thanks for everything.’

That text was all you got from Konan after over four months together. Like you’d only been dating for a few weeks and she decided it wouldn’t work. You didn’t have a clue how you felt about it. You would have thought you’d be more upset than you were, but you wouldn’t say you were okay either. On the upside, you had no reason to try to go back. Life as you had known it was over, and you had no choice but to embrace what lay ahead.

Staying in bed was all you could do until you figured things out.

Around five- you’d gotten the text at noon- Naruto knocked on the door, and you gave a half hearted call, granting him permission to enter.

“Hey. You’ve been in here for hours. Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t,” you spoke softly, voice dry and monotonous.

“What happened?” He moved to stand at the side of the bed. You just showed him the text and watched as his eyes narrowed in contempt. “Seriously?! Who does that to someone they care about?”

You shrugged.

Hearing Naruto’s outrage, Usagi came running. “What happened?”

He passed your phone on to her, and the process repeated. “That bitch! She knows what you’re going through, so she chooses to end it now?”

“It isn’t really fair to expect her to stay in a relationship that became long distance overnight, especially not with someone who has to completely reorganize their life,” you muttered.

“Fuck that! By the looks of this, she’s leaving you high and dry! No support whatsoever, like she never cared! She’s so lucky she’s so far away.”

“Not far enough, if you ask me,” Naruto snarled.

She joined you on the bed, sitting down and rubbing your back. “What can we do to help? Movies and ice cream? Go out? You name it.”

“I don’t want to do anything,” you said.

“Okay, but you need to eat. I haven’t seen you eat anything today. What do you want?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hun,” she said, trying to find a way to help you.

“Go get her some water,” he commanded, surprising both of you.

“What?” She shot back incredulously.

“She needs to drink something. She’s been crying.”

As he mentioned it, you noticed that you did feel tears trickling off the bridge of your nose and out of the corner of your eye as you lay on your side.

She looked like she wanted to protest, but ultimately gave in, leaving the two of you alone. He replaced her on the bed.

“We’re still here,” he assured you, his harsh tone disappearing. “We’re not going anywhere, and neither are you. You’ll get through this, and then you’ll look back at this and see how kick ass you are. Okay?”

You gave a slight nod, because you knew he wouldn’t drop it if you didn’t acknowledge him. He saw your hand lying idle and lightly rested his on it. “I’ve always thought you’re a great person, you know. Even before I really got to see you.”

“What do you mean?” You asked, your voice coming out as more of a croak. “You’ve always seen me, haven’t you? Based on what you told Usagi when she first got here, you’ve seen me more than anyone ever has.”

“I thought I did, but you didn’t really start to show yourself until that party. I always thought you were nice, and I kept seeing you be nice, but then you opened up more and more, showing that there was more to you than what you had shown everyone else before then.”

“There really wasn’t much to see. I’ve been nothing but who they tried to build me to be for so long. It doesn’t feel like there’s anything left now that I’ve given up on that.”

“There is. There’s the girl that burned Kiba after he insulted Usa. There’s the girl that kept that party going even when she was having a hard time coping with what she was feeling. There’s the girl that gave a graduation speech that she really believed in. There’s the girl that supported everyone when they talked about their plans. There’s the girl that made me feel better the same day she had to start building a new life pretty much from scratch. There’s the girl that can’t stand to just sit back and let the people who care about her take care of her, no matter how hard things have gotten. There’s still a great person left, it’s just that now, she’s got nothing to hold her back.”

If you were crying before, you were bawling by the time he finished. You bolted upright and latched onto him, as had become habit. His arms were open and waiting the second you started to move. You were definitely going to need that drink if you wanted to avoid a headache.

“I’ve got you,” he assured you, as he had before, holding you and rubbing your back. “You’re going to be okay. We’ll be right here.”

You stayed like that, silently crying, until your back began to ache from lack of lumbar support.

“Who are you and what have you done with our loveable goofball?” You joked pathetically when you straightened up. He chuckled anyway.

“Still here. He just has a hard time seeing you cry.”

“You’ve never known how to handle when girls cry.”

“Sure, I have. When I see Usa or Sakura cry, I know to run to the nearest store and buy their favorite ice cream. It doesn’t happen too often, but I haven’t forgotten that Usa likes cherry chocolate chip the best. It works as an offering when they’re angry too.”

It was so ridiculous, yet so him, you immediately broke out in a fit of laughter.

“How do you keep surprising me?” You asked. “I think I know where the bar rests, and then you come along and raise it.”

He grinned. “How else am I supposed to surprise people?”

“I don’t know, but let's surprise Usa. I think I’m getting my appetite back.”

You locked eyes with him as you smiled back, and the same heat and intensity from before looked back at you. This time, you knew exactly what you wanted to do, but you weren’t sure that you should at that moment.

“Naruto,” you sighed as you drew closer, hoping he’d put a stop to it. He had no intent to do so, but he was holding back too, judging by the tentative way his lips brushed yours as he whispered your name in return.

A sharp gasp pulled you both back to your senses and your heads whipped over to the doorway, which was empty. With one last glance at each other, a painfully longing one you saw from Naruto that made your stomach flip unpleasantly, you stood.

“I know it’s not fair to ask this, considering that I wasn’t about to stop what I think was happening, but I need some time before anything new happens,” you told him. “Think you can wait for me?”

“I’ve been waiting for a lot longer than you’re asking me to,” he replied. “What’s another few months or years?”

You almost went through with it then and there, but you possessed enough restraint to softly smile and promise him the second you knew you were ready, he’d know too.

It didn’t take years, or even months for you to piece your feelings together enough to realize that you were definitely ready to accept what was happening, which only kept building as more time passed. It wasn’t a full two months before you caught Naruto one morning and practically attacked him.

“It’s about goddamn time! For fuck’s sake!” Usagi had cried when she and Sasuke had shuffled their way out of his- in the process of becoming their- room and found you two feverishly kissing just outside the kitchen. “I’ve been waiting two years for this!”

You glanced at her, then Naruto, and you both shrugged before continuing with no shame. To say the least, you gave Sasuke and Usagi plenty to complain about each day. They weren’t the most reserved couple, not hiding their tiny displays of affection from anyone, but you and Naruto ran laps around them even when they weren’t hiding anything outside of their room.

As time continued to pass, you grew into someone of whom you were proud. Whenever you felt you were losing sight of yourself, your important people were right there to remind you and love you until you found your way back.

You weren’t born to be Little Miss Perfect, and you never would be, but when you accepted that who you were was worthy of love with no strings attached, you felt like you had achieved perfection regardless.

#naruto modern au #naruto uzumaki #naruto x reader #oc x reader #identity exploration #sexuality exploration #supportive friends

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mannien · 3 years

Text

Mornings in Sheffield Park | TH - PROLOGUE

The one with graduation, daisies and carnations, and a hopeless emotional addiction.

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings: some stress and anxiety here and there

Some feelings are addictive. It’s easy to get used to the way something tingles with excitement, warms up with passion, or stings with powerful adrenaline rush. People get comfortable with feelings known and desired and more often than not, they turn them into coping mechanisms. Whatever sticks their wobbly pieces together the longest, is the ultimate solution. Feelings don’t need to be entirely positive or with pure intentions behind them. As long as they cover up the shattered pieces, they stay. They may enhance some experiences, especially when someone decides to stick with something as simple as joy. But some make life more difficult than it seems; they mess up the timeline and allow people to feel so many wrong things before reaching the truth.

An array of emotions weaves through fresh university graduates. A sense of freedom and relief is somewhat clouded by fear or excitement. Someone has an internship lined up, their friends take a year to travel across Europe, a roommate has an apprenticeship at their next job. Others might take things slow and see what the future holds, while some students get prepared to have a fresh start. The overall unknown seems to be the underlying tone in the speeches during the graduation ceremony, but each person in polished shoes and with a rapid heartbeat subconsciously sticks to a feeling that makes them feel more at ease.

Students of each program are called on stage. Every little success along the way is cradled into slippery hats and fitted gowns with the university’s subtle emblem on the front. The audience is sitting on the large balcony above the graduates. People clap with appreciation at each young person walking across the wooden floor and shaking the chancellor’s hand. Some receive a more enthusiastic applause, sometimes even a roar of cheers. As the long queue of journalism graduates makes its way through the hall, the names are listed rapidly. Students walk as if they were a part of an assembly line, trying their best not to delay the process of the nerve-wracking hand-shaking and walking without tripping. The last are always graduates with exceptional results, so the crowds are encouraged to clap vigorously. And that’s what’s heard when the eyes of two women in the audience are focused on the proud figure walking on stage: the loudest cheers of the afternoon so far.

“Remind me, why aren’t we screaming for your boyfriend, and the whole department of journalism is?” A questioning voice surprised Millie so much that she jumped in her seat.

“I’m nervous, Thea. That’s why.”

She stated the obvious. Millie Beaver was the one to frantically fix the sleeves of her gown as a nervous tick. She got up early that morning, dreading the day full of polished festivities and exaggerated elegance requested upon a bunch of tired, educated enough people. The pride in successfully finishing her studies was yet to come; her body was rather keen on reacting dramatically to the large crowds of scholars, pupils and their families. The dread of participating in an unrehearsed event like this clouded her brain and made her focus solely on not loosing it. Though she wouldn’t dare admit it to the smiling man, who was just about to shake some hands on stage. The confidence he wore on his face was something she was used to seeing, even in the least favourable scenarios.

“I still don’t get it, how some people are born so talented that they don’t need to work their asses off to get somewhere,” she shrugged, making her tight black curls shake with her head, “I mean, the hours we spent on reading and researching…”

“I guess we’re just different.”

“Different? It’s not fair, that’s what it is. Patriarchy at its finest.”

The comment made Millie laugh and release some of the tension. Her eyes followed Franklin into the side corridor, where a little crowd of his friends formed a circle around him – the star of the department - before continuing into their seats. His cheerful stance made her bit her lip in excitement; for a moment, she tried to forget about whatever was said through the speakers. She genuinely wanted to be feel happy for him and his academic achievements. After all, she spent previous months on watching him get to the top of their classes almost effortlessly, as if he was born to be talked about by the teachers.

Millie felt her heart speed up at the thought that he might start searching for her for a little cheer, or even a tiny wave of support. But Frank sat down and continued to enjoy his fame, and Thea started to pull her up from the wooden chair.

“Come on, it’s our turn.”

She followed her friend and attempted to smooth out the heavy gown. Her light brown hair flowed as she walked, making her nervously fix it every now and then. She turned to the very end of the queue to find Jane, who wore a wide smile. They made eye contact and the blonde sent her a half-smile, knowing that they are almost through the tough part. It calmed Millie to know that she had her support system, not only up in the balcony, but also somewhere among the students of literary and media studies. At one point she feared that her nightmare of falling off the stage will become reality, but as a surprise to her and her close ones, clumsy Millie walked gracefully and with pride painted across her face.

Mission accomplished: she made it through college without falling.

The main floor of the event hall once again filled with students, their peers, and families. Loud chatter was heard across the building as people were celebrating the achievements of the year’s graduates. Some of the groups moved outside and took in the chilly London air. It smelled of rain and freedom, clouded with light grey pillows in the sky.

The three girls tried to make it through the crowds of chatting people in search for the perfect spot to take pictures together. Jane wore the highest heels of them all, so she was designated to lead them to the wall with the logo of the university. In a tight weave of pinkie fingers, they rushed through the hall just as they would through a college party. Millie felt dizzy from the sea of the same black gowns surrounding them from every angle. Some people waved at them, so she kept her smile wide and left Thea – with her one hand free – to the waving back duty. Their secure escape led them safely to the back wall on the side of the entrance, where some of the students usually found peace between classes and sat down on the floor, watching over the busy entrance to the building during the semester. The carpet remembered a lot of spilled coffees and teas in the wobbly little cups purchased from the cafeteria inside. Millie let out a breath of relief, seeing that only a couple of students found this spot perfect for keeping the memories.

“Hey, congrats! We’re graduates!” Jane welcomed the group that was finishing their poses in front of the wall.

Thea laughed with them, but desperately waved her hand in front of her reddening face to cool off.

“I hate your speed in heels. That was too fast!”

“Don’t worry, at least you don’t have to run to the Linguistics ever again.” Millie pulled her little bag from underneath the gown and looked for a sheet of paper with old notes. As long as Jane was busy chatting up other students, the other two tackled the makeshift air conditioning to prevent Thea’s makeup from running.

“Okay, are we ready for some iPhone memories?” The sound of a snapshot stopped Millie from frantically fanning their friend’s face.

“You sound ready. Do you have a tripod or a selfie stick, though? I want to have a picture with all of you.”

“We could still catch that group and ask someone to snap a few?”

“I’m not running anywhere, I’ve just fixed my face!” Thea puffed her cheeks and did a few more waves around them, certainly for an enhanced dramatic effect.

“Then don’t run anywhere, I’ll call my mom to come here, she’s probably out for a smoke anyway.”

“You really want to have your graduation pictures taken by your mom?” Thea and Millie chuckled at Jane’s resigned sigh. “Maybe Frank could come here? I trust his steady hands more.”

“He was supposed to go to the student’s office after the ceremony. Honours and stuff.” Millie pursed her lips.

“Right when we need him! What a boyfriend.”

“Jane!”

“Do you need a hand, girls?”

A sudden male voice stopped the rising argument and made the three of them look into the corridor. He welcomed them with a warm smile and soft wrinkles by his eyes. With a small bunch of colourful flowers, he stood out in casual, non-graduate clothes, yet with similar youthfulness to him.

“I’m not my brother but I can take a straight picture in focus.”

“What the fuck?” Millie covered her mouth in shock. Hesitantly, she took one step away from Jane and Thea, afraid of her next reaction. “What the actual fuck are you doing here?”

“I came to my friend’s graduation, fancy seeing you here.”

“I’m serious!” She raised her voice and made her way over to him, meeting his steps somewhere in the middle of the distance. He was smiling at her stupidly and she couldn’t stop herself from mirroring his reaction.

“I’m serious too, you made it! That’s so cool!” He opened his arms and invited her in, with a small encouragement of his waving hand.

One of the most addictive feelings are those of an utter comfort and safety. This teasing sparkle making your insides warm up and encouraging you to be a little more positive. That’s precisely what Millie felt when she was engulfed in a tight hug by her childhood best friend. Tom held her tightly across her back and swayed them side to side, earning a hearty laugh from the girl who was now, shining. She felt a sense of genuine relief once he squeezed her in reassurance; her brotherly figure showed up, so she was finally able to relax. Suddenly everything felt easy and perfect. All of the stress, fear of the unknown, anxiety about the grand event of the day, and the rest of damaging emotions slowed down their tempo in her veins, simply because she was home. Her smile swiftly changed into more prominent and definitely brighter by a shade or two. As he held her close, he could feel Millie’s warmth suddenly radiate through his body, making his eyes twinkle with joy because of this very girl.

“Congratulations, Minnie Mouse, I’m so proud of you,” he whispered next to her ear, cautious of what others may hear from their little exchange. She did not need any more nerves weighting her down, so he decided not to make a big scene – even though he definitely wanted to tease her worrying head and make sure she’s having a good time. “you’re all grown up now, so I got you flowers.”

“Oh, so otherwise you wouldn’t?” Millie shook his head, but accepted a small bouquet of carnations and daisies.

“Nah, I know you hate flowers.” He winked at her and put his arm around Millie’s arms, tucking her into his side a little too tightly.

“Absolutely. Thanks Tom, I’ll throw them out after the pictures.”

“Go ahead,” He tucked her in even more, making her squirm in discomfort. It was one of their things, to squeeze one another too tight. It made them feel connected as if they were siblings. They knew how sibling love worked, Tom having three younger brothers and Millie being the youngest of three sisters, but it was refreshing to have it a little spiced up. She let out a shy laugh and pushed him away before taking the delicate bunch from him. She lost the smell of his familiar perfume and took a breath. Once he extended his hand to Millie’s friends, he was back to his public confidence and charm. “Hey! Thea and Jane, right?”

They took an intimidating number of pictures; some of them good enough to share with people, other more fitting into a private photo album filled with silly, heart-warming memories. The group shared a lot of easy laughs together; Millie’s girlfriends eased into the lightly flowing chatter with Tom in no time. It made her sink into the bubble of comfort and light; she was smiling brightly when they reached the entrance to the building. Tom opened the glass door for all of them. A slightly chilly air hit Millie in her blushing cheeks and slowed down the pinky glow spreading across her cheekbones. Somewhere in the distance she noticed her parents lurking excitedly at the group and waving them over expectantly.

There was this heaviness slowing her down and taking up an excess of space in the back of her mind. As they were making their way across the university’s main square, Millie slowly turned her head to the side. She perked up at the sound of loud cheers and noticed a familiar group of students. Among them, there was Frank—laughing and hugging people from his department—and he definitely enjoyed being in the centre of attention. She was sure he didn’t even notice her walking by, but she didn’t want it to affect her as much as it was going to.

In turn, what she didn’t think of was the attention someone would give to her best friend: the smiling, cheerful young man, who was shamelessly chatting up Millie, Thea and Jane.

“Oh my God, is that Tom Holland?”

This simple question, raised somewhere from the group of journalism graduates, didn’t surprise Tom. However, it definitely rose the hairs on the back of Millie’s neck. Though he brushed it off and sent her a reassuring smile, Millie felt panic flowing through her veins. They both knew it could happen, but Tom seemed to be focused more on making her a priority, rather than fearing being recognized as the famous actor. He watched her reaction, now fully aware of her boyfriend emerging from the crowd and skipping towards them.

“Hey, I was trying to find you earlier,” he brushed his hand through his dark blonde hair and gave her a brief smile, before turning excitedly to Tom. “Hey man, I didn’t know you were coming!”

“We just went to…” she paused, seeing as he was already extending his hand towards her friend. “…take pictures.”

“The girls had a nice little photoshoot back inside.” Tom cut short his smile, raising the side of his mouth only to her. He accepted Frank’s handshake but didn’t allow it to turn into a bro-hug. It was fairly easy to read their body language; Franklin tried his best to seem friendly with his girlfriend’s celebrity friend, but the said celebrity was too kind to allow his cheekiness outshine Millie’s comfort zone. Jane and Thea turned their heads away at the sight of palms squeezing a little too tight for a friendly greeting. Frank’s friends and a couple other bystanders watched the exchange with prying eyes, and Millie let out a frustrated groan at the unnecessary tension.

“Cool, cool. Can I steal my girl for a moment?”

Frank didn’t wait for an answer, but rather just took her hand and pulled her to the side, hiding slightly behind the group of people. He fixed the tinsel attached to her hat and winked at her, giving her his full attention. He looked at her with his gleaming blue eyes and made her smile at the intimate moment.

“You good, sweetie?”

“Yeah, just fine.”

“Good. I’ll see you tonight, yeah?”

“Are your parents here? I haven’t seen them.” She looked around, trying to find his mom’s flowing blonde hair.

“They went to get the table at the restaurant nearby. Wanna join us?” He searched her face and leaned in closer, brushing his nose against hers. Millie laid her hand on his shoulder and allowed him into her little space.

“Why are you asking me to choose between our parents?” She chuckled, but patiently waited for his reaction. “Could we all spend time together, at least once?”

“I told you, it’s not a good idea,” Frank brushed his lips against Millie’s, slowly easing her into him and making her return the kiss. “you can ask Tom to come to the party tonight, it’ll be fun.”

“No promises.”

They shared a few more kisses that left Millie breathless - Franklin wasn’t usually the one to publicly show his affection, so she craved anything he willing to give her. She smiled up at him and let him go, happy that he took the minute to catch up with her.

With one last wave of his hand, Frank joined his party. Although he was instantly pulled into celebratory pictures, he couldn’t help but watch Millie walk away; she joined Jane and Thea in a heart-warming group hug. She was just sweet like this: sticking to her people, making sure everyone’s happy, and embracing all the kindness in the simplest actions. Franklin smiled to himself at the sound of her cheerful laugh and turned back to his friends, but then he noticed the source of her laugh. Her and Tom did a barely-there joyful dance, raising their hands and curtseying to her parents. Alfred, her dad, patted him on the back and shook his hand vigorously, while Millie was being squeezed by her mom.

People from Frank’s department praised him for having any kind of relationship with Tom Holland. Frank watched Tom’s joyous exchange with his girlfriend. Tom was proudly paying attention to his best friend, and Millie’s cheeks were hurting from the smiles. She was content and felt at ease. She was sure that her heart was filled to the brim with love and comfort.

Yes, being addicted to feelings is difficult. It holds people hostage in the arms of the sole premise of positive emotional experiences. It’s also blinding for the addicts, making the loss of certain feelings hurt more than it should. Addiction feeds off the weak, the confused, and the uncertain. It eats them up alive and strives to receive more and more satisfaction. It allows for the illusion of reality, so that the addicts can project certain feelings onto their consciousness. They live in their bubbles of unruly contentment and often forget to look into their souls and perform a regular check-up.

Millie was an addict.

***

Please let me know what you think!

tagged: @peeterparkr @katieraven @kozybear @sunsetholland @hey-marlie @lauras-collection @cunaeparker @constellationsv @heyhihellowhatsup0

#tom holland #tom holland fanfic #mornings in Sheffield park #misp #tom holland fluff #tom holland x oc #tom holland blurb

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