#i hate myself for that title take this keyboard away from me

[asliceofzosan]

i'm thinking of sanji growing up with a pet cat at the baratie.

how sanji finds him hungry and cold and shivering on his doorstep. he's frighteningly thin, almost as if a single gust of wind could turn his bones to dust. a chill runs through sanji's spine as he picks up the little green and black kitten — something like a distant memory — of rationing out tiny portions and drying water skeins and the rumble rumble rumble of his stomach as it begs him for more food to eat. just one more crumb. maybe it would sate his hunger.

so he takes the little kitten in, nurses him back to health, and endures the scolding from zeff for bringing the little stray in. sanji gets his reparation by pretending not to see zeff bottle feed the kitten when he was too weak to stand. he doesn't try to hide his knowing smile when he and patty find zeff passed out in his office chair, the little kitten curled up on his lap as it took shallow breaths in his sleep.

sanji took to calling the kitten marimo. he never saw a green kitten before, and certainly one not as fluffy as him once he was regaining his strength. marimo was playful and mighty mischievous. just like every other cat, his life's mission was to rile sanji up with each vase knocked over and each cat tree he refuses to use in favor of the box it came in.

but sanji adored his little marimo.

he always made sure he was well fed and quenched. not a single day went by where marimo didn't have a bite to eat. it haunts his dreams still. when baby marimo was shaking so much in his hands, sanji was afraid he might break him if he moved too fast. now he was a fierce cat, always lazily wrapping himself around sanji's legs when he's waiting tables or doing prep work in the kitchen.

marimo pretends he's not protective. but he's bared his fangs at more people than sanji could count. carne's got the scars on his arms to prove it too. sometimes sanji would catch the little rascal with a small paring knife in his mouth to chase one of the poor line cooks with.

despite his chilly attitude towards him when others are around, at night marimo would already be curled up on sanji's pillow, purring and purring until his owner was sound asleep. sometimes sanji would pull marimo onto his lap and brush him while humming a sea shanty zeff taught him long ago. he cherishes these quiet moments with the once hungry little kitten.

he doesn't want to admit it out loud — and maybe he never will — but marimo gave him another reason for living everyday.

so when sanji found a naked green-haired man where marimo is supposed to be on his bed, it should be understandable that he kicked the guy straight into the wall, right?

"who?!?" sanji couldn't even finish his question, he was hysterical that a naked man was in his bedroom! he long dreamed for a beautiful woman on his bed ever since he hit puberty. this is not how he wanted this to go. not at all. the strange man thankfully got tangled in sanji's bedsheets (note to self: must wash and/or burn those sheets now) when sanji landed a mouton shot to his chest.

but most importantly...

where the fuck was his cat?!?

"i should have dressed first, huh?" the man says through a pained groan. sanji somehow found himself feeling sorry for him, but only for a split second, because he was back to glaring at the stranger as menacingly as he could. sanji watched him warily, trying his best not to stare at his bare chest.

"who are you and what have you done to my cat?"

the man decided then to open his eyes and sanji let out a small gasp.

gray eyes.

his marimo had gray eyes exactly that shade.

"you know, don't you?" the man says, not looking the least bit afraid even after sanji literally kicked him in the chest. sanji backed away when he stood up, the blanket still wrapped loosely around his frame. "you know who i am, cook."

"no i don't!" but even sanji could admit that his tone wavered with each step the man took towards him. "if this is some fucking prank, i'll kick your ass again!"

"careful, curly." the man smirks, baring razor sharp fangs. "cats like to scratch."

and within the blink of an eye, the man was gone. an indignant meow sounded from the pile of blankets at sanji's feet. without really thinking, sanji knelt down and lifted the blanket up. marimo laid there, limbs paws tucked up against his body, and licking one of his paws nonchalantly.

"please tell me i'm dreaming," sanji murmured, running a single hand through his hair. marimo just tilted his head at him, slinking out of the blanket fortress and onto sanji's lap. sanji looked down and saw marimo staring straight up at him, those same gray eyes he saw on the stranger boring holes into his soul. sanji couldn't bring himself to look away.

because something tells him that he might get a visit from the green haired man again very soon.

or maybe he never left.

[blossom-works]

Love Always Comes With Pain

"Hunnigan, patch me to Anastasia." The computer guru asks you why, but you tell her that there is no time to explain. Your eyes are frantic and your breathing is heavy. Hunnigan nods and types away at her keyboard. You quickly take an earpiece and put it into your left ear.

"Anastasia?" You tell the woman who you are and that you work for the federal government (without specifying which one).

"What do you want? Do you want to tell me how crazy I am for doing this to avenge my husband?" The woman spits with venom.

You shake your head "No" even though she cannot see you. "I'm here to tell you that I understand. I'm married and I can't imagine losing my husband."

Anastasia who was about to pour the virus down her gullot stops.

"Listen to me Anastasia, I can't imagine what you've gone through. I can't imagine the pain you felt when you found out your husband died, but I do know that he doesn't want this for you. He doesn't want you to take the path of hatred."

"What do you know? Your husband is alive! You get to hear him say that he loves you! I didn't get that! The last conversation we had was an argument about him not quitting his stupid job!"

"But he loved you! He loved you so much, Anastasia. In fact, before he went on that mission he left you a letter."

"What letter? I never got one."

You take the stack of two papers and hold it out in front of you. You take a nearby sticky note and write something down real quick and show it to Claire.

"That's because you disappeared before the authorities could give it to you." And then, you start reading the letter.

"My dear lily," Hearing the nickname only her husband called her broke Anasatsia's heart.

"If you're reading this, then that means that I am no longer part of this earth. I don't want you thinking too much about my death. I want to let you know that I love my job and I would do it all over again even if it meant my death. If I were to go back in time though, I would've taken the time to listen to you and to tell you that I love you. I regret how we left things off.

Don't cry too much okay, Lily? And don't hate the agency too. If we don't do our jobs then the whole world is doomed. As much as I loved my job and my title, they mean nothing compared to you. My greatest honor in life was being able to call myself your husband, and my greatest accomplishment was calling you my wife.

I left some money in a separate account. I'm sorry that I kept that from you, but I created it for this exact case. Why don't you use that money and go on that trip we always talked about. The one in Australia? Seeing so many damn kangaroos that we end up becoming them. You should go, for the both of us.

It's time that I say goodbye Lily. It doesn't matter where you go, or if you fall in love with someone else and have that family you've always wanted, I'll always be with you. You will never be alone. I love you, Lily."

It took you everything in your power not to break down while reading the letter. Your heart truly breaks for Anastasia. The woman had nothing before meeting Jared. No living relative or children. When Jared died, Anastasia had nothing to keep her grounded.

In the background, you can hear some shouting and the sound of a door being broken down. Heavy boots hitting metal and guns cocking. With a broken voice, Anastasia asks you, "Did he really write that?"

"Yes...He wrote this letter for you Anastasia." You do not know what happens in the next two minutes because Anastasia tossed her phone aside, but then Claire came running in.

"You guys! They have Anastasia Boyette in custody and the vile of the virus."

Hunnigan cheers but it falls dead in your ears. You clasp the edge of the desk and take in a series of deep breaths. You try your best to blink the tears away but one water droplet manages to escape. Your two friends ask if you are okay and you just nod your head. You hand the letter to Claire and ask if she can personally hand the letter to Anastasia when time permits.

Later in the day, you hear the front door open and boots being taken off.

"Babe?"

Huddled on the couch you tell Leon where you are. When they successfully captured Anastasia, you immediately went home. You did not feel like celebrating this win. Leon comes around the corner and makes his way to you, but you beat him to it.

Seeing your husband brings a wave of emotions to you. Your arms wrap themselves around his torso and you bury your face in his chest. Leon thinks that you just miss him a lot and jokes that he should leave more often if this is the greeting he gets. You say nothing. You do not even laugh. Instead, you cry. Feeling his shirt getting wet, Leon asks you what is wrong.

"What's wrong sunshine? Why are you crying? Are you hurt? Did something happen?" Leon cups your cheeks and tilts your head up. His heart clenches at how defeated you look. Again, he asks if anything happened but you cut him off.

"I don't care." Your statement stumps Leon a bit. "I don't care where you go in this world to do God knows what because you have to. I don't care about that. I don't care how long it takes. I just...I just want you home." Your voice cracks.

Hysterically, you continue spilling everything you feel. "I don't care how you do it. Just come home. Do whatever you have to do. Shit, I don't care if you have to lose a limb or two. An eye. I don't care if your body is scorched or if you end up paralyzed for the rest of your life." By now your face is wet with tears. "I don't care Leon...I don't care about any of that. I just want you to come home to me. I want you home."

When you finish, you are completely overwhelmed with emotions. Leon shushes you and kisses your head. He wraps one arm around your back and cups the back of your head. Leon tenses the muscles in his arms to hold you even tighter. Soothingly, Leon rocks your bodies while carding his fingers in your hair.

Leon always believed that he would not survive this world without you. That if he ever lost you he would go insane and might even become the very people he is tasked to stop. Leon still believes this, but he realizes that this way of thinking is selfish. He forgot about you. He forgot about the scenarios when you lose him, not the other way around. Leon realizes that it is not just you who needs to live for him, but that he needs to live for you. The both of you would be empty shells if you lost the other. Your hearts just cannot work if they lose their reason to pump.

---

This idea randomly came to me and I couldn't let the opportunity pass, so please excuse the sloppy work.

FYI, I teared up thinking about this and again when I wrote it.

[leam1983]

Razer Blade 14 - Thoughts

Specs before anyone asks:

AMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HX Processor (8-Cores /16-Threads, 20MB Cache, Up to 4.9 GHz max boost) with Radeon™ 680M Graphics.

Windows 11 Home.

14-inch FHD 144Hz, 1920 x 1080. ...

NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 (6GB GDDR6 VRAM)

1TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4)

Actual thoughts below the cut. Send gamer hate at braingremlin@reeeeemail.com

So. It, um, certainly is a laptop. At fourteen inches, it's just about comfortable enough to sit in someone's lap, assuming you're not looking to kill your cojones by sitting cross-legged through a maxed-out run on Cyberpunk 2077. Not that you could, it's only got 6 GB of VRAM and the onboard RTX 3060 draws a ton of juice. You'd be lucky to get an hour at 1080p Medium. Being a Ryzen lappy, it also doesn't support Thunderbolt, so you couldn't exactly turn it into a hybrid system by plugging in a docked GPU while at home. Your only other option is the humble 6900HX's onboard Radeon graphics, which are, well...

Calling them limited by today's standards would be fair.

So why the fuck did I buy that? Because I'm an adult, and I need something with a screen and a keyboard that can follow me. The Steam Deck's great for my Linux needs and it still is my contender for actual portable gaming, but I've increasingly found myself getting shipped around the city to deal with sales reps directly for the sake of my job, and dealing with a car dealership's Sales Director typically means waiting. Waiting quite a bit, at that. If I'm told to sit around a break room and wait above ninety minutes, I'm getting comfortable and getting some work done.

All that, and the fact that I already have a decent gaming PC. I don't need the new portable hotness, not when gaming at work would get me fired, and not when I'd be liable to wait for a hotel room or some other accommodation to consider loading up a Skyrim save away from home.

On the plus side, the USB-C ports are decently zippy and allowed me to tether to our single Windows server rack quite comfortably.

You're not here for Adult Shit, though, any old croaker can run some form of a word-processor or an office suite. In terms of performance, the onboard RTX 3060 outpaces my housebound RTX 2080 in terms of raytracing capabilities, but has less of a texture buffer. Warhammer 40K: Darktide runs with all its bells and whistles cranked to High on my main rig, and with ray-tracing turned off. On my laptop, my single Darktide run yielded a steady 60 FPS at low-to-medium details, with a few ray-tracing elements turned on. Considering the type of game this is, it's really an "apples or oranges" sort of deal. Crisper details you won't really slow down to look at, or deeper shadows? Take your pick.

The same goes for Cyberpunk 2077, with things improving if you step down a notch and consider older titles. FarCry 5 is amenable with the 3060's lean VRAM budget, as is Assassin's Creed Odyssey - everything gets cranked up with no complaints other than the cooling array's incessant whining.

Therein lies the one reason why I think even gaming laptops should be seen as a stopgap for when computers aren't available: heat transfer. If you're the type to pack a gamepad while on the go, odds are this won't concern you. If you're hoping to tackle an FPS or a Management game, however, odds are you'll quickly realize how toasty your hands and fingers can become. Over time, the resulting feeling can be quite uncomfortable. If you've gone for one of the pricier Blades or any other laptop with an Intel CPU, you've got access to Thunderbolt 3 and as such, could reliably dock the machine and use it as a hybrid rig, thereby negating any heating-related issues. As this is quite the commitment - and a pricey one at that - it's almost more worthwhile to do what I've done, and to invest into a mobile gap-filler.

Do I like it, though? I'll answer like a boring adult man nearing his forties and say that it does what I need it to, without looking like your typically cheap ASUS Aspire build. It's utterly quiet unless taxed, seeing as the 6900HX covers both processing and video display as long as low-effort jobs are presented. You can set it to consistently default to the snappier RTX 3060 if you absolutely must get that high-frequency Refresh Rate feel even while working on someone's Sales portfolio, but then this adds a consistent low hum to the overall use experience. I like the idea of knowing that my laptop's GPU is effectively turned completely off until taxed. In an office, not being known as the one guy with a jet engine of a notes-taker feels particularly good.

As you'd expect of Razer, however, very little is serviceable or upgradeable, with the onboard Wi-Fi suite and default audio and video drivers absolutely requiring the presence of a default, factory-flashed recovery partition. Delete that, and your custom Windows install is going to get unpleasant really, really quickly. I've also attempted to use one of my old Windows 11 serials to upgrade from the default Home Windows fork to the Pro, and it seems as though this particular Home license key is linked to the recovery partition. I can change OSes at will, but doing so will require that I invest in a USB-to-Ethernet adapter first, to work around my lack of an onboard Ethernet port.

Small ray of sunshine, though - remove six tri-wing screws as well as the backplate itself, and you get access to the one and only serviceable component, which is its SSD drive. The M.2 slot could theoretically accept any size of drive whatsoever, but the Blade 14's confines are so tight that tests show chipsets going above 2 GBs will bend slightly when screwed in. The one source I checked who tried it with an obscenely-priced 8 GB stick from Sabrent claims the laptop still works fine after several weeks, but I wouldn't expect them to maintain their optimism once a chip's solder pads pop off. The safest bet would be a simple 2 GB stick, with anything higher perhaps requiring a little bit of literal hacking to raise the stick while somehow making contact with the port's pins.

My thinking is that I could perhaps find an M.2 riser cable, if those do indeed exist, snip it down to barely an inch, solder its other connector end back on, using that to connect with a high-capacity double-sided NVME drive I'd have stuck to the backplate proper with a combination of thumb tack and electric tape. Problem solved, I think - only I'd be unable to touch my laptop's backplate without burning my fingers.

At that point, you have to question who really needs 8 GBs of storage on a laptop, of all things...

I'm more than satisfied, all things told - except perhaps with that dreaded Razer tax. It's almost worth it, seeing as a few gaming-related stickers got the office's Apple cultists to ask me if I'd just gotten a vintage MacBook. Cover up the three tangled snakes and it certainly passes a cursory inspection.

[ljpaul95]

dry lips

It's funny how I am able to title my blogs without anyone knowing, or even caring to know what I am going to be talking about. The damn thing is that I am not very much used to typing with this damn keyboard. Maybe it's from waking up early, idk. Starting this blog off, not sure what to talk about besides that we are not being cared for enough. Do you know what I mean? Not only talking about how, idk, our current principal is not supposed to be here (yes, I am speaking as if I am in school); but Alaskans in general. We finally have an Alaskan representing Alaska. My hearts go out to those that lost their sister/brother/uncle/mom/cousin/etc. that is Alaskan and is missing. No one fucking cares. Are we the next minority that is completely left out of our society that no one cares about? "oh they drink" "Ah, they always ran away" That's not even the fucking case! The fact that nobody cares about me writing about this in 2022-- I mean THAT I understand. I don't post about my blog enough or that even if I do so, I'm barely read like that dude (that is cool btw) in delta discovery that actually knows how to make sense AND takes up half the page. If I wrote this fucking much and do not understand what I am talking about as an Alaskan Native, get the fuck off my page. So many people disappeared this year as if a whole new Dahmers showed up in town for more content on Netflix. But listen: a whole fuckload of them probably don't even drink. I don't understand in what psychopathic mind decides they need to kill a minority. And that's the thing; we are the next minority if that makes sense. What the fuck am I talking about-- We have BEEN a minority. How is that even a thing where cops STILL don't do their fucking jobs. But who am I to say when I am not a cop. My heart is in rage for those that do not have that kind of voice to talk about it, just to facebook. I read that shit like they're family.

I am going to have to cool off now. It's been a few minutes after sipping the first bottle of water I drink 7:35 in the morning itching my damn scalp because I didn't dry them enough last night so that I can wake up this early to download Davinci Resolve for this desktop for future edits of videos. That, and I want to wake up early even if I absolutely fucking hate mornings. Idk I did like waking up early at job corps before, but thinking about it right now; I used to want to wake up before my exes thinking that was a step to recovering myself and also listening to classical music to calm the beast inside me that might have thought of wanting to do things I was able to control. I mean, I have been struggling with the thoughts of suicide NOT that I was going to. But had friends that did. I cannot fathom the idea of what they went through. I wanted to take it back. Their lives. They were such great kids. It only made me wonder why. Why did it feel like it was a fucking tide pods trend to have them be the ones to feel as if they wanted to do such a thing. I wished to have taken their demons because I, myself, wanted to hurt myself. Because with my 22 year old self, I thought it made sense that I wanted to hurt myself because of the fact that I exist and how much pressure it was for me not to pray, to be bullied growing up, to be molested at a young age, to not understand why it was suddenly hitting me that I was. I felt like religion saved me at the time from feeling those feelings, like a drug that numbed me throughout those years. Then it just suddenly hit me; all the bullying and the.. I don't even want to use that damn word. I just realized that I have NEVER talked about my background. I didn't care to, but this is about me building up some sort of content for this website that I CANNOT do with vlogging. I mean, I have the exact equipment that vloggers CAN have like cameras, desktop, software that is currently downloading, and the internet for it now. It's a slow process. I think I am now realizing that I can be myself in front of the camera, it's just that my mind goes from one topic to the other like in this vlog. It's a long vlog. I am surprised that I have not focused on writing for so long only because my content would be about my boyfriend and even that is another topic from how I think talking about my boyfriends jinx me from having a boyfriend :)). He's honestly fucking insane from how beautiful he is in all that he can be; a fucking nerd. Just someone I can absorb all of my information on. I feel like we feed off our nerd vibes. I am not much of a nerd. In my explanations: I stutter, I mumble, I forget words and he asks "thing?" cuz my mind works wonders on how I am so flabbergasted on how far I come to learn English and explaining shit I never thought I would as a kid. This is slowly what I wanted. It's a fucking process. But anyways, I need to eat. This is amazing. I'm happy to have found this damn website. That's the thing too. It's been a few years since I left job corps and I always wonder if I should talk about job corps in a, what feels like fresh, out of job corps alumni matter when I am about talking about the place. Forbidden ass website that could have possibly kicked me out of job corps for what I said. I love you :)) GM.

[guqin-and-flute]

Episode 73: Koala Chlamydia Is A Problem [My Brothers, My Sister and Me Excerpt]

[MBMSAM AU] [First Installment] [Podfics!] [Ao3 Link]

[COVER ART BY THE FANTASTIC LITTLESMARTART]

Jin Zixuan: Do we want another question?

Qin Su: Sure, yeah, got one right here. 'When I was younger, I was really skinny and weak'--hey! Hey, now, negative body talk, much! That's super judgmental of yourself!

Mo Xuanyu: And of us people who are skinny and weak right now! [teasing] Right, Yao-gege?

Meng Yao: [calmly] I'm not affiliated with you.

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: [cackles]

Qin Su: 'When I was a kid, I was really skinny and weak, so I made it my mission to get as jacked as possible so people would take me seriously. I put in a lot of hard work, changed my exercise routine and diet and it worked. But now, as an adult I'm a 6 foot 7 dude--'

Jin Zixuan: [incredulous] 6 foot 7 ?

Qin Su: Just a mountain of a man. '--6 foot 7 dude with serious muscle mass--'

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: [sotto voce] Good God .

Qin Su: '-- and a pretty intense resting face. I routinely make children cry just by existing and everyone shoots me nervous looks in the grocery store. It gets to me sometimes. I’m not a bad guy! I just look scary. What are some ways that I can make myself less intimidating?’

Mo Xuanyu: Huh.

Qin Su: I mean, let’s see...puppies are unintimidating. Can you devise a system where you carry a few around with you at all times? Maybe in some saddle bags, everywhere you go?

Mo Xuanyu: The movies, the gym, on dates… .

Jin Zixuan: Sure, until they start pissing down your legs. Then you’re not just unintimidating, you’re the guy no one wants to stand next to at the bus stop.

Meng Yao: I mean, it still does the job, doesn’t it?

Mo Xuanyu: You could get a butterfly tattoo, like, directly on your forehead.

Meng Yao: Okay, please explain to me your thought process on how exactly that would make anyone more approachable.

Qin Su: They still want to be able to navigate human society, A-Yu.

Mo Xuanyu: Ew, why? 

Jin Zixuan: Let’s see...what makes someone approachable….Who is the least intimidating of all of us?

Qin Su: [immediately] You.

Meng Yao: [affirming] Mm.

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: [incredulous] What?

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: Oh yeah, you’re like...you’re like a poodle. Or a--

Jin Zixuan: [highly offended] Excuse me! I'm the oldest and definitely the tallest one here!

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: [ill concealed snort]

[crosstalk] Qin Su: [pityingly] Oh, da- ge .

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: Or a golden retriever.

Qin Su: Please don't tell me you think that being tall translates into you actually being scary. You’re tallest by, like, 3 inches. At most, that’s just part of the equation of being scary.

Meng Yao: And the rest of Zixuan’s equation is just filled with collared polo shirts. Which absolutely tanks the intimidation ratio.

Mo Xuanyu: That doesn't tank yours, though.

Meng Yao: I wear button downs. It’s not the same. [Vaguely disgusted undertone] Collared polos.

Jin Zixuan: Excuse you, polos are weekend wear and there is nothing wrong-- I can be intimidating!

Qin Su: [doubtfully] Ehhhhh…

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: [badly stifled snickers]

[crosstalk]Jin Zixuan: I can! Just because I’ve never had to intimidate you --

Qin Su: Let's just say; citation needed

Mo Xuanyu: Please, jiejie has you beat.

Jin Zixuan: [indignant] Wha--

[crosstalk] Qin Su: He's right, gege; an unopened jar of mayonnaise has you beat. And I'm no unopened jar of mayonnaise. 

Mo Xuanyu: That shit is opened .

Meng Yao: That’s a Tinder profile quote.

Qin Su: What? 'Spicier than mayo?'

Mo Xuanyu: [half singing, half chanting] ‘My mayo brings all the boys to the yard, and they’re like-- [normal voice] this is really underwhelming.’

Meng Yao: [musing] ‘Saltier than soy sauce, spicier than mayo….’

Qin Su: Why do we always come back to food? Are our Skype calls haunted by starving Victorian ghost children? Are we possessed?

Mo Xuanyu: [mournful, high pitched, bad British accent] ‘My name is Bartholemew and I’m starving. Please, spare some mayo.’

Meng Yao: It’s your own fault if none of you bother to eat before we record. You all had the schedule.

Mo Xuanyu: [crunches loudly near mic]

Meng Yao: [falsely happy] Hey, thanks! Thank you so much, A-Yu, love the level spike on that one. Editing mouth noises out of our podcast makes my day brighter.

Jin Zixuan: [under his breath] Just...unbelievable….You all….

Qin Su: [smiling] I think we broke him.

Meng Yao: [laughing] Zixuan is limping behind the conversation indignantly, brandishing his cane….

Mo Xuanyu: [sympathetically] Awww.

Jin Zixuan: I--! I am a high powered businessman! I am trained in martial arts and archery and swordsmanship --

Mo Xuanyu: [mouth full] Oh please, gege, you’re a pod caster.

Jin Zixuan: [forcefully] I am a CEO--

[crosstalk] Qin Su: [ignoring him] I think Yao-gege is somehow the most and least intimidating out of all of us at the same time, if we're all being completely honest with ourselves and our place in the world.

Mo Xuanyu: Aww, I thought I was at least a contender!

Qin Su: Honey, you're feral. There's a difference.

Mo Xuanyu: What does a kid have to do around here to be intimidating?

Meng Yao: Learn how to chew with your mouth closed, for one.

Jin Zixuan: [indignantly] A-Yao? Are you not going to deny this?

[Brief silence]

Meng Yao: [calmly] I don't think I'm scary.

Qin Su & Mo Xuanyu: [instant uproarious laughter]

Jin Zixuan: Oh, come on! He's like...a little koala bear or something! How is that scary!

Meng Yao: [offended] Excuse me--

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: [still laughing] I’m gonna pee --

Meng Yao: -- koalas have smooth brains and eat poisonous leaves all day. Are you calling me a poisonous idiot bear?

Qin Su: [wheezes] Only in private.

Mo Xuanyu: [laughter trailing off] Wait, wait, hold on. Don’t all koalas have chlamydia or something?

Qin Su: [renewed laughter]

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: [startled laugh] What?

Mo Xuanyu: Chlamydia! I think that I read--!

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: Oh my god, I think I’ve actually heard that. The plague, the bubonic plague, isn’t it? Or that--Some sort of--that disease people used to get where bits of you fall off?

Qin Su: Beheadings?

Meng Yao: [voice strangled from laughter] Yes, A-Su, that ancient disease the French Revolution that all koalas have--

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: [snickering]

Mo Xuanyu: [loud and close to mic] LEPROSY .

[crosstalk] Qin Su: Ow--

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: Holy shit--

Mo Xuanyu: It’s leprosy and you’re thinking of armadillos, da-ge. 

Jin Zixuan: [muttering] Aren’t we all….

Qin Su: [solemnly]  Armadillos and guillotines. Every damn minute of every damn day.

Mo Xuanyu: And I googled it, I’m right; koala chlamydia is a problem.

Meng Yao: And we’ve just found the title of this episode.

Qin Su: If most koalas have chlamydia, I feel like they have other problems they have to deal with.

Mo Xuanyu: Those pesky, promiscuous koalas!

Qin Su: Get them some damn sex ed! Use those eucalyptus leaves for protection!

Meng Yao: [pleasantly] That’s just about the worst thing I’ve heard all day.

Mo Xuanyu: Eugh, that menthol, though. Like Vicks for your dicks!

Meng Yao: I hate it.

[crosstalk]Jin Zixuan: [pained] PSA: don’t do that. Ever.

Qin Su: The voice of experience?

Jin Zixuan: I don’t think you actually want an answer to that, meimei.

Meng Yao: You people make me hate learning and also knowing things.

Mo Xuanyu: Also I've been looking it up and mountain lions are the ones that can have the bubonic plague.

Meng Yao: Choose your fighter; chlamydia ridden koala, leprosy ridden armadillo, or mountain lion with the Black Death.

Qin Su: Well, at least the mountain lion could inflict some damage. Use it like a poison delivery system, like an anthrax letter to secretly infect people.

Meng Yao: [patient teacher tone] ‘A mountain lion is to an anthrax letter, like a koala is to a…?’

Qin Su: [mock frustration] Oh, man, I know this one….

Mo Xuanyu: 'I can't come into school today, I got attacked by a mountain lion.'

Qin Su: [acting concerned] 'Oh my God, are you okay? Are you gonna have scars?'

Mo Xuanyu: 'Worse. The Plague .'

Jin Zixuan:  Okay, glad we got our animal infections all sorted out--back to what we were talking about. So, riddle me this--

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: [delighted, Riddlemancer voice] Rrrriddle Me Piss, kids--!

[crosstalk] Meng Yao & Qin Su: NO!

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: Oh my god --

Mo Xuanyu: [laughing] I don't actually have anything today--

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: A blessing .

Mo Xuanyu: --but I'll get you next time.

Jin Zixuan: No, I need to know, genuinely, this is not a bit-- why do you think A-Yao scarier than me?

Qin Su: I mean, what's not scary about a smooth brained bear full of toxins and chlamydia?

Meng Yao: [disgruntled] Uh huh.

Mo Xuanyu: Technically, they’re not bears, they're marsupials! And I think Yao-gege is more of an armadillo--hard on the outside--

[slight crosstalk] Qin Su: --And full of leprosy on the inside. 

Meng Yao: [further from mic, keyboard tapping] 'And to Mo Xuanyu...and Qin Su...I leave... absolutely nothing, except...this bag of dog shit and...spiders…..'

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: [laughing]

[crosstalk] Qin Su: Awww, A-Yu, we're being written out of his will again!

Jin Zixuan: Listeners, am I wrong? Am I crazy? He’s the size of a toddler--

[slight crosstalk] Meng Yao: [still away from mic, keyboard tapping] ‘And to Jin Zixuan...I leave--’

Jin Zixuan: He looks like a sugar glider baby that got turned into a human man--

[slight crosstalk] Meng Yao: ‘This box...of useless...tetanus filled screws….’

Qin Su: Da-ge--

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: ‘--that i...encourage him to use…--’

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: [snickering]

Meng Yao: ‘As acupuncture needles.’ There. Sent to the notary. Now, what were we talking about, again?

Qin Su: Da-ge, all those things might be true--

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: [flatly] Wow.

Qin Su: But here’s a test. What would you do to someone picking on A-Yu in school?

Jin Zixuan: [immediate, sounding businesslike and slightly aggressive] I would contact their parents and set up a meeting with the school officials and make it very clear that they are never to do that again.

Qin Su: [grinning] Okay. Yao-gege, what would you do to someone picking on A-Yu in school?

Meng Yao: [calmly] Absolutely nothing you could prove in a court of law.

Mo Xuanyu: [bursts out laughing]

[crosstalk] Qin Su: I mean--

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: Uhhhh--

Qin Su: You see? Also-- [quick sing-song voice] 🎵 This is a joke, for legal reasons, this is a joke 🎵 [normal voice] He’s got that--that--

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: [lingering laughter] Yeah, it's that menace. Da-ge, you’re like--you’re like if a duckling--okay, you remember when I brought you to Hot Topic? You were like a duckling at a Death Metal concert.

Jin Zixuan: [defensively] The music was so loud--

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: [pityingly] Oh, Zixuan.

Qin Su: You're like if a golf course got turned into a human. 

Meng Yao You're what would happen if you gave mac and cheese a social security card and keys to a lamborghini.

Jin Zixuan: [unamused] Okay.

Mo Xuanyu: [laughing] You're the lightly salted almonds of people. 

Qin Su: You're like a wholesome Hallmark movie fucked the concept of the suburbs.

Jin Zixuan: [unamused] Sure. Sure.

Meng Yao: You emanate the peril of a box of lethargic kittens.

Jin Zixuan: Wow. My own family. This is coming from the physical manifestation of a My Chemical Romance song--

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: [smug] You say that like it’s a bad thing.

Jin Zixuan: -- and the woman who cries at the Land Before Time every time she watches it. I think this is a case of glass houses, here. Let ye who are intimidating... 

Qin Su: Oh, so we’re not roasting Yao-gege back?

Meng Yao: Not sure how me being compared to a STD riddled marsupial for about 5 minutes straight escaped your notice, A-Su, but alright. 

Jin Zixuan: I feel that you are all being...heinously short sighted, here. Are you seriously trying to tell me that A-Yu is scarier than me, a full grown man?

Meng Yao: I would certainly be more warranted in my concern about him stabbing me than I would about you.

Mo Xuanyu: Oh my God, gege, that was like 5 years ago and I already said I was sorry--

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: [loudly] What--

[crosstalk] Qin Su: Did we actually help this person? I mean--

Mo Xuanyu: We always help, jiejie.

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: Hold on--

Qin Su: We learned a lot about exactly how disturbing the animal kingdom is, but….

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: No, go back--

[slight crosstalk] Meng Yao: Dress like a middle aged accountant, share minion memes on Facebook, and buy your son a puppy so you have an excuse to talk to the dog and not people. There you go. Done.

Jin Zixuan: No, rewind--Xuanyu, you stabbed our brother? 

[brief silence]

Qin Su: [brightly] Well, that's going to do it for us today, folks--!

Jin Zixuan: A-Yu!

[crosstalk] Mo Xuanyu: It was only a little!

Jin Zixuan: How can you stab someone a little ?! 

[crosstalk] Qin Su: Thank you so much for listening in this week--

Jin Zixuan: With what ? Why?!

Mo Xuanyu: It honestly wasn’t that bad, he made it sound like--

[crosstalk] Jin Zixuan: That's not an answer --

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: [begins laughing]

Jin Zixuan: A-Yao--!

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: [still laughing]

Qin Su: [brightly]  We hope you enjoyed our enlightening romp, here! We want to thank Sister Sledge for the use of the song We Are Family. A-Yu, how about that last Yahoo?

[crosstalk] Meng Yao: [farther from mic, clearly grinning] Ohhh, boy. 

Mo Xuanyu: Okay, okay--anonymous Yahoo Answers user asks….[exaggerated, desperate voice] ‘I can’t afford a freezer. Where do I put my deer meat?’

[Outro music begins quietly]

Qin Su: [laughs] I’m Qin Su.

Jin Zixuan: [sighs, disgruntled] I’m Jin Zixuan.

Meng Yao: [grinning] I’m Meng Yao.

Mo Xuanyu: [sheepish] I’m Mo Xuanyu.

Qin Su: And this has been My Brothers, My Sister, And Me! Thank you to everyone, see you next week and remember; send your trash dad straight to jail!

[animehideout]

Hi, how u doin'?

Well, so I thought of this: reader was an UA student and she was in class 1-A with everyone when Bakugou was kidnapped — and so was she. But, for some reason, only Katsuki was rescued by the heroes that night and no one could find the poor reader so they thought she was dead. Years later, however, she shows up out of the blue but with a little surprise for her former friends; she's now a villain and best friends if u know what I mean with Dabi.

Love your writing! ♡

a\n : here's your request I hope you enjoy it and thanks for requesting <3

Title: Cursed Touch

words count: 3615

warnings: angst ending

Ps: sorry about the mistakes it's because of the keyboard and because i type then i delete or change somethings.

Check out happy ending here 💙

How does it feel to be the unlucky one getting kidnapped by the League of Villains ? honored because you present a threat to the villain or scared because you may not make it alive. “At least I have Bakugo with me” you said to yourself then shook your head “I shouldn’t rely on others, not this time” you thought. You’ve been always insecure about your abilities, about your quirk and the way you fight. Of course you want to be the number one hero one day but you’ve always underestimated your potential, you thought that you don’t stand a chance when Shoto Izuku and Bakugo take all the light spots. Your quirk is dangerous you can make someone suffer physically, you can both increase or decrease the pain depending on your emotions and all of that happens when you touch your target. You’re still learning how to control it so you don’t activate it at the wrong timing in order to not harm innocent people including your friends and teachers. Well about your friends you don’t really have them, let’s say only a few people including Izuku and Uraraka. Both of them treat you nicely and believe that you’ll be able to control it one day. However others, they’re either scared to approach you( because many accidents happened in the past) or bullying you Bakugo and Sero they call you cursed touch. You hated the fact that they’re the reason to you being insecure all the time but you still tried your best to be a hero. “I’m warning you for the last time you know that the heros will arrive soon ! THEY’LL CRUSH YOU ALL” said Bakugo smirking clearly not scared of any of the villains gathered in front of you both. “calm down explosion boy, we only want to talk both of you will miss great opportunities if you don’t join us ” said Shigaraki giving Dabi a look. Dabi nodded and approached you “c’mon let’s take you somewhere else” in contrast to Bakugo you were clearly terrified, Dabi gave you soft looks guiding you to another place. “ LEAVE HER ALONE “yelled Bakugo standing up from his seat only to receive a punch “I said calm down we only need to separate you” “Y\N I’LL SAVE YOU I PROMISE” you looked at Bakugo tears gathering in your eyes but you tried to hold them back “ save me from who Katsuki huh? From you? What makes you different from? Villains harm others physically but who damages others mentally huh? YOU DID !” you screamed , you’ve never liked Bakugo, at first you were excited you wanted to be friends with all of them but they only pushed you away you grew hating on him because of his harsh words that pierced holes through your heart. “I hate you Bakugo but I promise I’ll be able to save myself so no need to help me” you added, he only stared at you blankly, did you really just say that? Did his words really hurt you that much? Shigaraki looked at Dabi both smirking , the hate inside you is able to turn you into a villain. You walked your way through the hallway with Dabi turning your back to Bakugo. Thoughts rushed in your mind, did you do the right thing by saying that? Will you be able to save yourself? You were busy thinking when Dabi spoke “ Do you hate him that much?” you ignored him “ it’s okay to feel that way, sometimes hatred is not a bad thing because it unlocks a strength in you “he added, you looked at him frowning “are you trying to comfort me?” he chuckled and said “well let’s say I felt the same way a long time ago” “huh what do you mean?” “I mean when I expressed my hatred toward someone, I felt free and strong because I faced them” you looked down realizing that you actually felt free the moment your harsh words left your lips, “I don’t why I-“ “why you let them inside for a long time and didn’t face him sooner ?” you stared at him in shock you were about to say the same words “h-how did y-you know?” “because we feel the same *he smiled* and I assure you it’s was the right moment it’s because of the accumulation of feelings or bad ones to be specific” you nodded and looked down, “his words make sense” you thought to yourself. “where are we going now?” you said breaking the silence once again “ hum a more private place

so we can talk” “why didn’t we talk there?” “because you and Bakugo have different mind sets he’s blinded by the idea of being a hero” “I WANT TO BE A HERO TOO” you yelled and stopped walking “hey hey relax, being blinded by something is actually a bad thing cause it makes him neglect greater opportunities! oh here we are please sit so we can talk “ “don’t ever try to convince me because I-“ “please just listen to me first then I promise I’ll let you choose your destiny” “huh? You’ll set me free?” “y-yes I will” “is this the plan of the very know League of Villains?” “the thing i-ss that it’s m-my plan! They don’t know about it” “and what if I’m not convinced and run away what would you tell them” “they already know your quirk and how powerful it is so no one can blame me” he said avoiding your eyes. Your eyes widened are you really that powerful does he mean that you’re actually stronger than Bakugo. That was all what you can think about. Not gonna lie but his words boosted your confidence, no one made you feel confident before all of the other made you feel weak and passive . you hesitantly asked him “do you think i would surpass him?” “you are already! That’s why others are bullying and avoiding you because they know you’re better than them” said Dabi giving you a soft smile, you smiled to yourself no one appreciated you this way before, not even your family “then why do they win and I lose?” “because of fear, they made you think that you’re not able to win to the point that you started doubting your quirk” “it was their plan from the beginning” you said “ I really hate them” you whispered “ did the teachers try to defend you once?” he asked so you shook your head in disappointment “ they only gave me pitiful looks that I don’t need I know they instructed me to how to control my quirk bbut- “ “some people are not meant to be heroes “ he said and topped for a moment approaching you and grabbing your hand “ because they’re meant to be something greater that would lead them to glory “ he added squeezing you hand “w-why are you doing this? Why are being good to me?” you said your eyes not leaving his , he looked away and said “b-because I can relate to you I feel that we’re connected in some way” “h-how?” he took a deep breath and added “because I like you (y\n )” you looked at him in disbelief “please don’t lie to me! Why would you like someone like me? Besides we just met! “ “no maybe you just met me but I feel like I know you very well it’s like you’re a reflection of me, I can relate to your pain , your anger and hatred besides I appreciate you and your quirk you’re really strong and special and that’s catchy ��� his words shocked you as much as it made you happy. It was the first time someone holds your hands without being scared of your ‘cursed touch’, it was the first time someone calls you strong instead of ‘so damn weak’ and it was the first time someone confess to you. It was all new, and you liked it. Dabi pulled his hands “ I won’t force in anything, if you choose to leave I’ll make sure to the villains away from you even though I know that you’re able to take all of them down “ he said and looked away sad expressions drawn on his beautiful scarred face “ but I really hope you don’t miss your opportunity to shine” you bit your lower lip, it wasn’t easy for you to take a decision especially under such circumstances. What if Dabi is lying to you? But he’s the only one who made you happy after all this time but his expressions were convincing and why would a cold villain like him act vulnerable in front of you. You took a few steps towards him and finally said “I’m in” his eyes immediately lit up and hugged you tightly “thank you for trusting me , I promise you’ll never regret this” you pulled away “ a-about your feelings-“ “it’s okay take your time I’ll wait for you” he said smiling again. *meanwhile* “sensei what about her?” said Bakugo worriedly “ don’t worry young Bakugo we’ll find her and bring her back safe” “what if that bastard kills her? I would never forgive myself” “shh young Bakugo she’ll be safe and

we need you to be safe now go and join your friends they all rushed to save you” he nodded a left that place joining Deku, Kirishima and the others then went to the dorms. “if something happens to her I would never forgive myself even if she forgives me” said Bakugo to himself wiping a tear. Two weeks passed and none of the heroes could find you, they searched everywhere but for nothing, there’s no trace no hint of you. Everyone started losing hope of finding you and started spreading rumors of you being killed by the League of Villains. Meanwhile you were working on your quirk with Dabi. He helped you a lot and took care of you all the time. The others treated well too but you only trusted Dabi, he was your safe place. He made everything much easier . and comfortable and you were slowly falling for him without realizing it. You were busy with him and Shigaraki working on some plans for your next target when Toga entered the room laughing and “ haha(y\n) they really thought we killed you” all of you looked at her “huh what do you mean?” “quickly turn the TV on” ‘A UA student kidnapped and killed by the League of Villains’ said the host ‘is the UA still able to create heroes? Because apparently your students aren’t even able to use their quirks to defend themselves’ asked the host looking at All might ‘ and why didn’t you search the whole city?’. Your face dropped did they really give up on you? did they really thought you’re weak and unable to defend yourself? Are you a disappointment? when Dabi noticed your sad face he quickly shut the TV before hearing All might’s statement . “ don’t mind them they’re wrong and they’ll regret it” said Shigaraki. You couldn’t face anyone especially Dabi so you left the room before breaking down into tears. “ ah Dabi you should teach her the villain spirit as soon as possible we can’t handle emotion here” exclaimed Shigaraki in annoyance. Dabi left the room to find you. He found you on the rooftop crying “(y\n)!!”you quickly wiped your tears but you couldn’t hide the redness and the puffiness “and managed to say “I hate them all” , “c-can I hold you?” said Dabi sitting next to you, you sniffed and nodded getting closer to him. His arms strongly held you to his chest, he played with your hair to help you relax a bit “you’re so good to me” you said out of the blue “ I can’t thank you enough” “ hey hey listen! They’ll regret what they said, they’ll regret underestimating you. All of them that host , your teachers , your classmates…they’re not worth your tears because soon you’ll make them cry in pain” he said proudly. At first you opposed the idea of causing serious injuries but after seeing the rumors and people’s reactions you realized that who you thought were innocent in the past are now you’re enemies “yes I will”you said as you tightened your grip around Dabi’s waist. The sun was setting and the breeze was refreshing everything was perfect especially you being in Dabi’s arms. You realized how much you needed this feeling in your life, how much you are touch straved and how much you needed only his touches. You pulled away and said “I’m sure I can do this Dabi I can make them suffer but I want you to be by my side…a-always” he grabbed your chin and looked at you, you got lost in his eyes “Dabi I love you” without hesitation he kissed you, his lips were soft sucking on your lower lip. You closed your eyes giving up to the sweet feeling, his hands rubbed your waist up to your chest and landing on your neck pulling you even closer. Your hands are lost in his hair tugging the soft strands. The kiss was passionate it was a mix of love, anger, sadness, happiness. Both of you finally pulled away breathless, breathing heavily and looking deeply at each other “wow” he said you blushed at his reaction “s-so we’re together now?” you asked playing with your hands “yes we are..and we’ll forever be” he answered flashing each other bright smiles. Months passed and you’re getting more and more into the villains’ work, you quickly learned all the rules and started thinking like them. Your

relationship with Shigaraki and the others got better and you put a bit of trust in them. You helped them setting evil plans like robbing places, kidnapping hostages and threatening people but you never showed your real identity you kept it for the big day as the other villains call it. The day where all of you will break into UA and set it on fire including all the teachers and students. You used your quirk perfectly actually it is more powerful. Training with Dabi improved your skills a lot “tch stupid teachers they didn’t see potential in me they only focused on that idiot Bakugo and Deku, now I can lift them and their audacity” you said to yourself wiping the sweat. You committed a lot of crimes along with Dabi, you were the badass duo pairing up together on each mission taking down people together, robbing and setting places on fire. It’s been a year now and tomorrow is the big day, after a lot of training after many tears whenever you remember your old self but also after many happy moments with your partner Dabi after many nights spent together feeling each other up, he made you feel like no one else on this planet finally you were ready to take down the place where you hoped to be the number one hero one day but look at you now. You looked at your reflection in the mirror and said “ you can do it (y\n), you’ll show them who’s the strongest “ a said smile drawn on your face, will you be able to hurt people that were a big part in your life? You were again spacing out when Dabi tapped your shoulder “we’ll do it together” you nodded then both of you laid on bed trying to sleep before starting the big mission. *In the morning* Dabi pecked your lips “ you’re ready babygirl?” “yeah”. You’ll be the first one to get into UA then you’ll help others to get in. you waited until everyone gathered then entered, the security guard was shocked to see you “ hello”you smiled “ long time no see “ he approached you to shake your hand “oh my god It’s nice to see you again (y\n) tell me what happened” “I’m sure you’ll know very soon sir” you smirked shaking his hand making him fall on the ground growling in pain he held his knees to his chest “please s-stop” “ I can’t I’m too lazy to inactivate my quirk” “p-plea-“ but before he can finish it he fainted. You’re quirk was too unbearable. You sent Dabi a message informing him to get in. Now you’re in the center of the school, you took you’re hood off and said “HELLO EVERYONE” everyone looked at you in shock. After a year? You came back? How did you escape the villains? Everyone rushed towards you hugging you “so now they’re acting like they care” you said to yourself while flashing them an innocent smile ”(y\n)”said Bakugo “you’re alive! “ he added and rushed towards you giving you a warm hug. You would be the happiest if they did that before, if they cared before, but it’s too late now. You waited for the right moment to affect them all with your quirk “young (y\l\n)” said All might rushing towards you “are you okay? I’m so proud of you! you fought alone” he added “glad to see you again” said Aizawa. “yes I’m okay, I’m alive” you stopped for a moment “ but soon all of you will be dead” you added giving them a cold stare, in less than a second everyone was on the ground hissing in pain most of them started crying begging you to stop “p-please!” “HELL NO I WONT STOP DO YOU KNOW THE PAIN I FELT WHEN I WAS A STUDENT HERE? ANSWER ME! HAH OF COURSE YOU WONT CAUSE YOU NEVER CARED” you said then the other villains joined you “ good job (y\n) !” exclaimed Shigaraki “what?” said Bakugo “h-how ? how could you do that? You joined them? You forgot about your friends and teac-“ “you did Bakugo! All of you did! Why are you putting all the blame on me huh? You didn’t even bother looking for me, I’m sure you didn’t even cry over the stupid rumors, and now enjoy mu ‘cursed touch’” “no we did all of us did” said Deku through pain, your heart ached a bit at his sight he was the only one beside Uraraka who treated you well. “ young (y\l\n) your friends spent days and nights looking for you they never

gave up on you, they all had hope that you’re alive , especially Bakugo they even encountered many of who you consider now friends ” you doubted his words a bit “then how come I didn’t know about-“ you stopped when you realized you looked back at Dabi and the others “ you knew about it?” “TELL HER YOU SCARRED FACE YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU KILLED HER”yelled Shoto “D-dabi? “ you looked at him in shock “w-why didn’t you tell me? You said that you’re not keeping secrets from the person you love” you said your voice cracking “WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME DABI?” “are they dating?” said shoto in disbelief , everyone trying to process the situation through the pain you planted in their boodies “haha person I love?” laughed Dabi “it’s not the first time lying to you babygirl you were too madly in love with me to be blinded like that”he added in an offensive tone you took a step towards him “D-dabi what do you mean? I thought you loved me you said I’m too special and-“ “and you fortunately believed it” “poor girl” said Shigaraki “you expect him to love a desperate UA student?” “your quirk is too powerful too strong that we needed it so bad” said Dabi “and after committing many crimes that we longed for and after reaching this point you’re useless” you stared blankly you hated the sympathy looks that you received from the teachers and students “I’ve never loved and I’ll never will such a fool *looked at you coldly* you really expected a villain like would love a stupid UA girl like you “ “how dare you?” you said in tears “I lost my friends, teachers and dream to be with you-“ “trust me even if you stayed at UA that lame dream of yours would never be achieved, you have the strongest quirk yes but you don’t have the potential, you’re too naïve to the point that we abducted you cause we knew you’re an easy target, easy to manipulate…villains hacks“ he laughed earning laughs from the others , at this point you tried to slap to Dabi but he dodged you making you fall on the ground “Not gonna lie that I had my fun with that delicate body but overall it was the worst year of my life ..stuck with you”. The effect of your quirk decreased, it was guided by your emotions and at that moment you felt weak and broken hearted. Eventually your quirk was inactivated; your body couldn’t handle or control it. The teachers and students were finally able to stand up and the fight began between the Heroes and the Villains. Everything around you moved in slow motion. You stared at the blurry scene in front of you because of all the tears. You collected yourself and left them fighting not able face the people you betrayed and not able to hurt the man you loved. You left everything behind trying to forget about what happened. You realized that you’re not meant to be neither a hero nor a villain you can just be a broken fool who believed a big lie called love.

[sidespromptblog]

What to Do?: Chapter 10

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine

Warnings: General Angst, Remus being spooky, Hurt/Comfort, Brief Food Mention, and Sad Stuff. 

Summary: Logan realizing that his first mistake was seeing the other sides as anything other than coworkers. They weren't a family. They didn't even like each other. How had he not realized sooner?

Word Count: 2,067

Logan heard the springs in his bed behind him squeal as someone sat down on it, and for a moment he didn’t look away from his computer. His eyes were already straining against the glare of the computer screen in front of him, he just wanted to close his eyes and rest for even just the slightest moment… but the presence behind him forced him to keep his back straight and his eyes trained professionally on what he was doing. It was only when he had made more than one spelling mistake on the same sentence did he direct his attention from that, to his cold cup of tea sitting right next to his keyboard. 

Logan grimaced, now of all times he could have much rather preferred coffee, at least the caffeine from that would have helped keep him awake. But he just grimaced and took a sip, the sweetness mixing with the spices over his tongue making him scrunch up his face a little bit. Yes, he much rather preferred the bitterness of his old coffee, and despite what he’d said to Roman and Virgil… 

He missed it so damn much.  

He moved to take another sip, and the bed behind him squealed again, as the person behind him finally stood up. 

“That’s enough nerd,” Logan felt his body jolt in surprise as he felt Remus’ hand smoosh over his face, and covering his mouth so that he couldn’t take a single sip from his drink. Looking up, he found his eyes locking with Remus’, as his head was bent backwards so that he couldn’t have even tried to look at his computer even if he had wanted to keep working on it. Remus’ stance was clear, even if his methods were… odd. “That’s enough…” The creative side spoke again, with a surprising amount of softness in his voice, the wild chaos that had been present the other day all but gone. 

Nevertheless, Logan attempted to bat the other side’s hand away. 

Clearing his throat he wheeled his chair around so that he could properly address Remus. “You’re a bit late,” He began, before holding up his hands before Remus could talk. “But given your track record, lateness is better than nothing. Do you have your paperwork Creativity?” 

Remus’ expression spasmed, and his hands clenched tightly for a moment, as if he had gone through all of the stages of grief and had gotten stuck in the process of rage for a moment. His eyebrows pinched, and the dark look in his eyes took a moment too long before it finally cleared away to a blank kind of smoothness, that told Logan more than enough about how Remus felt in that moment. 

“That’s not my name,” The creative side said carefully, his fingers clenching and unclenching into fists, as if he was still contemplating decking Logan right then and there. “You know that… Logan.” Remus’ teeth bared themselves in a fierce smile, that was more of a threat than pleasantries. “So do not call me that. My name hasn’t been Creativity for a very long time, that’s Roman’s title… not mine.” 

“Don’t you forget it.” That smile said, “Or I’ll rip out your throat.”

Logan cleared his throat, and in an instant the look was gone, replaced instead by a simple look of impatience. 

“That being said…” Remus groaned to himself, as he flopped back onto Logan’s bed, completely ruining the neat and orderly presentation of his blankets and pillows when he did. “I'm supposed to be here apologizing.” He grumbled, sounding very… not sorry in the process. “Apparently…” 

Logan’s head cocked to the side, curiosity curling in the bottom of his stomach. 

“Apologizing?” He asked, “For what?” 

Remus kicked his legs out, scattering Logan’s starry blanket and nearly making it flop onto the ground, only caught by the creative side’s leg at the last second. An angry frustrated huff left Remus, as he snatched up one of Logan’s pillows and pressed it over his face as if he was trying to suffocate himself so that he wouldn't have to answer these questions anymore. In Logan’s honest opinion, he looked all too similar to a child throwing a temper tantrum, and just like that… the image of Remus wearing the dunce hat while pouting flashed into his mind like a streak of lightning. 

Logan had to press his lips together to keep his smile down. 

And just like that another groan sounded from Remus, “For ruining your schedule!” He finally shouted, throwing his hands up in the air as he suddenly sat up, the pillow flying off of his face and falling at Logan’s feet. “Janus says that if I apologize that it’ll help things, and things certainly aren’t supposed to be like this!” The creative side swept his hands out dramatically, emphasizing Logan’s room, and how it was supposed to look like a cubicle until Logan had started feeling too tired to hold up the illusion of it all. “You’re supposed to be the boring ordinary one that bests me! But this!” Remus stomped his foot, “You’re letting me win with this!” 

Bending down Logan picked up his pillow, and dusted off a speck of imaginary dirt before tossing it back over to Remus. The creative side caught it with no problem, before hugging it tight to his chest, a borderline desperate look on his face. He hadn’t looked sorry before, especially now with knowing that Janus had been the one to make him apologize. But now… now he truly looked sorry, even if it wasn’t for the reasons that Janus had wanted him to be. 

“Remus,” Logan began, his voice much softer than it had been with any of the others. “You don’t have to apologize to me, not for finally getting me to see what I needed to see in order to get the others to listen to me.” Remus’ face blanched for a moment, and a look of miniscule guilt that Logan didn’t exactly understand passed over his face within a second. “Truthfully… I understand how you feel.” Logan began again, this all felt so easy to explain to Remus than it did with any of the other sides, and he had no idea why. “I understand how you felt… by constantly being ignored all this time.” 

For a long moment, Remus looks solemn. Up until the moment that Logan finally stands up and makes his way over to the bed. Sitting next to the creative side Logan stops for a moment, before flopping back much of the same way that Remus had and after only pausing for a moment Remus does the same. The two of them laying there, side by side, as Logan stares up at his ceiling and Remus stares at him 

A heavy sigh leaves Logan, and without even thinking about it he presses his pillow over his face in the same way that Remus did. “I deluded myself,” He mumbled into his pillow, before dragging it off of his face. He feels weak when his eyes start to sting and water, “The others weren’t ever my family, or even my friends. They didn’t like me… I was just.. just annoying to them. So… so…” Logan hates himself for how his bottom lip trembles, but he knows that he’s right and that it needs to be said to the one person who might get it. “So boring.” 

For all intents and purposes… Remus feels crushed. 

It’s a new feeling for him, being this hurt by someone who isn’t Janus and isn’t his brother. And what’s worse is that Logan isn’t even meaning to hurt him, this is a hurt born from feeling empathy for another person. He knows that he should hate it, and that he should hate Logan for it as well. But the kicker is…

He can’t. 

He can’t hate Logan for this, not when he made this happen. 

“I’m sorry.” He wants to say it again and again, until Logan truly understands what he’s apologizing for, until Logan understands that he’s apologizing for the others as well and everything that they've done to hurt him, and until Logan felt that he could go back to the way that things were before all this. 

Instead he just nods his head, “I know.” He turns over, so that Logan can have his tears in peace, “The others miss you though, they… think of you as family…” Remus winced, while the words didn’t exactly feel like a lie, it still felt… 

Hollow.

Like it was too little and very much too late after everything that had been done, he knew that had he been in Logan’s shoes his reaction wouldn’t have nearly been so.. so nice. In his eyes, Logan was giving them far better than what they deserved, despite what he had said to Virgil… he knew that there wasn’t much he could do to help this situation, and that anything he did would mostly just make Logan pull away more and more. If anything, his ranting and even his presence here probably made things worse for the others already… 

Just like with everything that he did. 

Logan snorted roughly, and just that Remus was dragged back to the present. 

“That too bad,” The logical side muttered sourly, his lips twisting into an angry frown. “They can imagine whatever they want, but our relationship was nothing more than them taking what they wanted from me, and leaving me in the dust. They don’t get to miss that just because I decide that I’ve had enough. No matter how much I regret that this is how things are, and no matter how much I miss them… this is how it is from now on. They ensured it.” Logan didn’t like the dark feeling that had seeped into his chest, the anger that burned there, or the hurt that seemed content with lacerating his heart every time he thought about how things used to be. 

He could have been content, and he could have just turned a blind eye to all of this and just… looked at the good moments. Like when Virgil smiled at him after their mock debate, or when Roman had made him his book, and when Patton smiled at him after he had gotten the moral side his new hoodie. He could have just pretended, and learned to take things how they were, and make himself look away from the bad parts. 

He could have…

But he didn’t want to anymore. 

“I’m tired…” Logan finally sighed out, when only silence had answered him after his long spiel. “And maybe that’s boring of me too, but at least I can be happy with that.” 

For a moment there was nothing, before Remus finally moved. 

His arm tucked its way around Logan, pulling him in tight and holding him there firmly. “I know.” Remus merely said, those two words holding a deeper meaning than the logical side could ever truly know. “I know…” 

Logan… 

Logan wanted to break apart into a million pieces the moment that Remus had touched him, in a good way. It had felt like forever since he'd last touched one of the other sides, let alone a good touch that didn’t reek of annoyance from one of the others. It had been forever since he’d sat with the others, everyone touching everyone as they all watched movies late into the night. It had been forever since, Virgil had just casually sat with him on the couch, the anxious side leaning against him without a second thought. It had been forever since Roman had slung his arm over his shoulders to show him something new and interesting. And… and it had been forever since Patton had swiped his hair out of his face, in an act of care and love.   

He hadn’t let them touch him, because he knew that if they did...

Logan heaved a shuddering breath, and turned into Remus’ one-armed embrace and shoved his face into the other side's chest. Letting his tears get soaked up by the fabric of the creative side’s shirt, just this once… he let himself do this. 

While Remus…

Remus let his touches linger as he curls his entire body around Logan, as if he were protecting him just as it always had countless times with Janus.  

It comes to him as easy as breathing does.

[babykatsu]

PAIRING: katsuki bakugou x fem!reader

WORDCOUNT: 7k

RATING: nsfw ⛈

GENRE: smut!

WARNINGS: slow burn, swearing, kissing, no intercourse, foreplay, car sex, little bit of degradation, a littleeee rough!

⤷ SYNOPSIS:

as though fate had its worst intentions, bakugous car had broken down on the way to your high school reunion with you in the car as well. GREAT! Not only was it getting dark and chilly, you were also in the middle of nowhere... That really didn’t ease the atmosphere, especially when Bakugou was already hesitant on lending you a drive to the reunion. But with the discomfort, there always comes a way to ease it ;)

AUTHORS NOTE:

a special thanks to @laylahoran for not only helping me proof read and pick out the title for this scenario BUT also for just being there to support me through out this whole thing! Literally the purest friend🥺🥺💕💕 ilysmmm!!!

Also, this is my first detailed smut imagine so sorry if it’s a bit sloppy :(

Life after high school proved to be a lot more different than expected. For starters, after having moved to find better work opportunities in the city, you found yourself deprived of nearly all social interaction with your previous friends. Yes, you still caught up over text and call, but it was safe to say it was not quite the same. Not only did the hectic schedule of working for a hero agency clash with your friends’, when you were on your days off all your friends seemed to be busy with their own goals of becoming high ranking heroes. You sort of started living a more solitary lifestyle, a drastic change from your previous one.

So when you flopped down on your couch, your body sluggish and desperate for sleep after a bustling day of work, you felt suddenly energised. Eyes wide as you could just barely believe what you were reading. An email had illuminated on your phone screen, reading the following:

“Greetings class A! It has been nearly a year since we have all graduated and I’m in complete aw as to how far you have all come :) On a more dejected note, however, we have all seemed to grow more distant due to our work. I have missed you all dearly and believe the connections we all formed are amazing experiences we should not forget about! Though we may have kept in contact here and there, it’s evident that we all have been lacking. This is why I have taken it upon myself to set up a reunion party! More information is soon to be delivered in the next email, and I’m super excited to hear from you all. Arrangements with your agencies will take place as soon as confirmations come through. You’re previous classmate, Tenya Iida”

As though your prayers had been answered, you were greeted with that email. Now, this was an offer you couldn’t pass up! Without hesitation, your fingers started typing away at your phone, the pads of your fingers darting across the glass as though they had a mind of their own. You were determined to go, excitement flooding your sense at just the thought of the whole event! As your eager fingers hit send on the email a sudden thought crossed your mind.

Shit...

You hadn’t thought about it previously, mind racing and occupied with the general idea of a reunion, how were you going to get to the location of the party?

As said previously, life was not as expected after graduating, and though heroes lived a life with above-average pay, bathing in luxuries at times, it all took years of experience. No way could you have reached such a high status having worked for less than a year in this field. With the lack of money to your name, there were no chances of you owning a car at this very moment in time. Maybe public transport was a good option? But the delays, need for time arrangements and the entire coordination of your journey was already giving you a headache. The travel aspect was less than fruitful.

But you were going to get there one way or another.

Taking in a deep breath, you gently pressed the off button on your device, sinking your body further into the couch as you allowed your body to finally relax. Your mind pondered of all the different options, from uber’s and cabs to all the different forms of public transport available. But as your unresting thoughts echoed around in your head, you finally concluded. A conclusion that churned your stomach, a fluttery feeling pricking the goosebumps along your chilled skin.

You could ask Bakugou for a lift.

Though this plan seemed faulty, a high chance he would decline the offer to attend the reunion filled with “extras”, you still had your hopes up high.

Out of all the people who could have moved to the same part of town as you, Bakugou was the one. It was pure coincidence that you both had ended up not too far from each other, a block away in fact. Though throughout all three years that you attended u.a you had barely spoken to him. You had your exchange in words here and there, the occasional insult would be thrown your way, but oddly enough out of all people in the class, you received his harsh treatment the least. You just figured, he barley knew you so acknowledging your existence was a waste of his time. Yet his subtle acts of warmth towards you didn’t go unnoticed by your subconscious, a strange feeling invading your body. You developed feelings for the boy.

Shockingly, you found yourself attracted to him, even with the lack of a solid foundation for a proper friendship. You didn’t know what exactly enticed you so much, maybe it was his toned chiselled frame or perhaps his confident exterior. Whatever it was, it had your heart thumping faster at every glance you two shared, and the thoughts that lingered with these unexplainable emotions were even more hectic. It was as though every second you spent alone, confined by the four white walls of your room, you lay wondering of all you wanted him to do to you. A peak of curiosity soon turned into a full-fledged lust for him. The moment you batted your eyelids shut, you’d picture his muscular body towering yours, his hands pinning you down as he’d shamelessly make you a mess under his touch. A thought of him could make your entire body explode. It was all far too complicated for you to process.

That’s why when you moved to a new part of the city, in hopes to start work as well rid yourself of your weird infatuation, you went pale at the sight of him only a couple streets away from where you newly lived. You tried to convince yourself this was indeed a one-time occurrence, yet you’d see him again and again... and again. He most certainly lived near you, it was undeniably true.

Every time you’d return from work, shoes hitting the concrete sidewalk with an echoing tap, you’d always pass him. At first, you shared no words, not a single exchange between you two until one day he randomly spoke up. You remember that moment like the back of your hand, as though it happened just a few minutes ago. Admittedly, the conversation was nothing spectacular, but it still caused a rapid shock to strike through you as the memory of you exchanging numbers with him lurked your brain. The whole event was so bizarre and it still seems unreal now.

Snapping from your daydream, you came to a solid answer. This was probably the best time to put his number to good use. Unlike you, he had a car and could most likely drive you to where ever this reunion will take place... That’s if he decides he is going to attend as well. That’s where your plan seems to not be so successful.

Yet, you had no other choice. He was your best shot at finally getting a break from this borderline isolation.

Nervously, you picked your phone up once more, gently scrolling through your contacts until a familiar name was visible: ‘Katsuki Bakugou’. A nervous feeling burnt at the pit of your stomach as you anxiously went to type out a message. Your shaky fingers tapped the keyboard, with every additional letter that was added to your sentence, your heartbeat sped up even faster until you felt it pound against your ears. Who knew you could feel so nervous about a generic message... It was Bakugou you were texting after all. Not only was he known for being an uncontrollable hothead, but he was also the guy you often fantasied about. You were more than flustered by this point.

Finally, after rereading your message frantically over and over again, you hit send. You felt your heart quickly sink before a chill ran through your entire body. Now you play the waiting game...

On the other end of the line sat a pouting Bakugou. Just like you, he had received the same email, his face crinkled into a frown as he read the disgusting email present on his screen. Like he’d show up to watch a bunch of extras overly excited for no reason. The entire thought of a reunion made his blood boil. At the same time, however, he wouldn’t mind seeing a few faces.

Sure he hated the class, but there was no denying he missed the ‘old days’. He rolled his eyes and let out a huff, in complete annoyance at how soft he’d become. Was he really contemplating going to that shitty reunion? Apparently so, as he decided to type up a quick response to Iida's invite.

A thought he had tried awfully hard to suppress soon made its way to the surface. It was you. Out of all the people he’d want to meet at the reunion, it had to be you. Though he didn’t necessarily have to be at the reunion to view you.

Similarly, he found himself drawn to you for some obscure reason. All throughout high school up until now. During school, he would always gawk at the way your skirt swayed side to side as you walked or even the way you leaned against the desk arching your back most perfectly. It had Bakugous eyes adhered to you. He just wanted to run his hands across your entire body, his lips bequeathing marks on every soft sweet spot on your skin. You’d be his, the deep hickeys that scattered your delicious skin marking his territory. Never had he felt so sexually frustrated, desiring a person so bad it was making him lose his mind. He had better things to worry about, like brining the number 1 hero for starters, but no matter how much he tried denying his deepest desires they just wouldn’t leave.

He tried so hard, he even moved just to get away from you. Of course, that didn’t work, when he saw you strutting down the sidewalk, your clothes hugging all your curves in a way that made his mouth water. He wanted you, and he wanted you bad!

And Bakugou gets, what Bakugou wants.

Just as that memory swirled his mind, a ping came from his phone, the gentle vibration of the device in his palm breaking him from his fantasy. His vermillion eyes went wide as he glanced down at the notification that had just gone off. The name he wanted to see most displayed.

‘Hey! It’s [name], hope I’m not being a bother :) I’m sure you also received the email about the reunion party, I hope to see you there. That’s if I can get there... Maybe you could give me a lift? Don’t worry if you don’t want to, I understand!’

Bakugou bit his bottom lip as he squinted down at the information in front of him. As much as he wanted to agree, his pride didn’t permit him an agreement to your proposal so easily. Rather than cooperating the way he wanted to, he typed out a message juxtaposing his real desire.

And there started your exchange in messages, the back and forth and your “convincing” to give you ride. Though we all know Bakugou was going to give in to it either way.

Weeks had passed since then, the texts that followed after between you two was kept to an evident minimum. The only exchange included a catch up on your plans for the reunion and that was about it. You were more anxious by the day, knowing the reunion date was coming closer to existence.

Next thing you knew, the day had arrived.

You were seated in the passenger seat of Bakugous car. Nervously, you shifted in the leather seat, hand resting on the inner door handle as your eyes followed the passing trees that came in and out of view.

The sky was faintly clouded, a ray of golden sun piercing through parted clouds, dripping a soft sunset hue over the ivy leaves of the trees. You sat inside the car, yet you remembered the faint chilly winds that caressed your skin. Overall, the weather was decent, far from perfect but not awful either.

The tranquillity that filled the car was apparent, the most noise that was present was the hushed sound of the radio playing, the music placid. It only intensified the awkward silence that was held between you both.

Playing with the hem of your dress, you spoke up in an attempt to spark up a conversation. “well, aren’t you the conversationalist” you spoke sarcastically, a hint of playfulness in your voice. Though you spoke suddenly, Bakugou didn’t seem to divert his focus from the road. His face stayed in its usual state, not even a smirk dared to spread across his lips. Clearly, your playfulness was not reciprocated. The silence engulfed you both for a while longer before he finally responded. His reply was less than adequate, a simple hum.

You shifted your attention back onto the view outside, watching as the car drives deeper and deeper into some sort of forest. The trees grew larger, the suns light being swallowed by the towering greenery above. Cars began passing more infrequently until you had not seen one in ages on the road that had become more narrow.

It felt like you had been in this car for an unbearably long amount of time. You couldn’t tell if time was just moving slower than usual at how bored you were at this very moment in time or if your destination was farther than you expected.

Pulling your phone from your bag that rested atop your lap, you checked the time.

‘6:23 pm’

It was confirmed that time was just moving awfully slower than usual. You had only been in the car for a little under 15 minutes. There was still a fair amount of time left until the party started, so there were no worries on being late though you still had quite a few kilometres to cover. Relieved, you placed your phone back into your bag. You slowly let your eyes rest shut, hoping a quick nap would pass time more sufficiently.

And as you had just calmed your nerves enough to sleep, your body suddenly jolted forward. Your seatbelt immediately binding around your chest, pressing your body flush against the seat as you braced the impact of the sudden stop of the car.

“For fuck sake” Bakugou finally spoke up as he kissed his teeth, gripping the steering wheel remarkably tight that his knuckles were becoming white.

“what just happened?”. Out of curiosity, you questioned the man, his face now looking more annoyed than ever. His hand fiddled with the car keys, the engine roaring repeatedly as he tried turning the car on. “What does it fucking look like, dumbass?” he barked at you, still frantically trying to turn the car on. It didn’t help that he had now started slamming the steering wheel between each attempt.

“Are you out of gas?” You spoke up innocently. There was no denying you were now, in fact, feeling less hopeful that you had enough time to make it to the reunion.

For the first time, he finally made eye contact with you. His rose eyes staring at you in frustration, in complete disbelief at how oblivious you were.

“Of course not! You fucking moron, the shitty car just broke down” He barked at you before flinging the car door wide open, slamming it with a harsh bang as he made his dramatic exit.

You watched him pace up and down with distinct stomps, muttering something under his breath while typing away at his phone. Taking the hint, you exit the vehicle as well. “So, what now?” you irritate him further with your persistent queries.

“How the fuck is there no service? HOW AM I MEANT TO GET THIS SHIT FIXED?” his yells echoed through the vast scenery that surrounded you.

With him stressing, you couldn’t help but taste your mouth go dry as panic began settling in as well. It was no use having the two of you in a frenzy. Rationally, you walked over to Bakugou, your phone gripped in your hand as you formed the only logical suggestion. “Try my phone”

He didn’t even question or ridicule your suggestion like he probably desired to, instead yanking the phone out of your hand and attempting to dial-up a number. It didn’t take long until his eyes rolled back in failure and his jaw flexed with gritted teeth. No luck there either clearly.

“Guess we aren’t going to the shitty reunion. You're fucking welcome!” He yells once more, slapping the phone back into your palm. The worst somehow ended up playing out, complete defeat washing over your body.

Resting against the car, you dropped your bottom lip into a slight pout, the chilly air growing cooler.

You were in the middle of nowhere, the only form of transport for miles was now down and to top it off you were getting cold. Your body rapidly began to shiver, goosebumps pricking along your exposed skin.

“Aren’t you fucking smart” Bakugou scoffed as he stared at you, arms crossed over his broad chest. “didn’t even bring a jacket while wearing some stupid dress”

Rather than yelling like he had been doing for the last couple minutes, he was calming his nerves by teasing you. It may have been the adrenaline that made him feel so open to being more playful, or maybe he attempted to distract himself from how much of a loser he currently felt with a broken car. Whatever it was, he was now smirking at the girl in front of him, tantalising her about the cold.

“I didn’t know I’d be stuck outside, did I?” You teased back, rolling your eyes at him. The fact he was being so calm on the outside was making you feel less worried, yet more nervous at his sudden change in mood than anything.

His eyes stared you up and down, analysing your shivering state as the wind began picking up. Another sigh left his parted lips before resuming to speak. "Go sit inside the car. No use shivering like a dumbass if you can't handle a bit of wind" he chuckled slightly as he spoke, as though to assure you his comment was in fact not as rude as he intended it to come out.

Though you obeyed, taking careful steps around the car to sit back in it, you decided to throw your own snarky remark his way. "Not one to talk when you're wearing a jacket". You give him a 'look', before fully submerging yourself in the cars shielded warmth. It may have broken down not too long ago, but it was still well heated. An instant chill rolled down your spine as your body quickly adjusted to the sudden change in temperature.

"Sorry, princess. Didn't realise I had royalty as company". That devious smirk sprawled itself across his tanned face as he followed your move, getting in the car himself. Something about the way he addressed you made you quiver, the innocent word was also oh so seductive. That sudden feeling of arousal pent up inside you, fogging your thinking.

"I- don't get too cocky now". Your reply came out as a jittery stutter, senses overwhelmed by his playful tone that had you heated. Senses scattered, too flustered by his seemingly unintentional words. It's not like he knew about your fantasies of him or how your sinful thoughts begged for him to call you such names. And now as you were in the midst of it all, you couldn't help but lose yourself.

He let out another husky laugh. The way you broke apart at the simplest words only stroked his ego. No denying he purposely chose those specific words to see how you'd react, and to his surprise, it went far better than expected. "Here, have my jacket then if you wanna keep yapping about it"

Speechless, your vision was once again fixated on him. Gawking at the leather jacket that slipped of his physique, revealing his toned, muscular arms. You swallowed the nervous lump in your thought down, butterflies invading your system as you watched.

You expected him to carelessly throw the jacket your way, alternatively he leaned over. His significantly larger body mounted over yours as he placed his jacket over your exposed legs, instant warmth tickling your chilled skin.  His hands felt so smooth as they lightly brushed against your thigh, the accidental touch shooting straight to your core. It was humiliating at how quickly you discomposed around him, cheeks red and breath hitched. You just couldn't help it, a presence like his was way too intense. Especially, at this moment.

"U-um, so what are we going to do now?" you try to change topics as you felt your current heated state become far too overwhelming, whole-body hot as your thoughts began drifting to all the wrong places.

He peeped his eyes, as though deep in thought."Wait until someone hopefully passes, I guess?". The uncertainty in his tone had you feeling concerned again. The worry bombarding you, diverting your inner emotions elsewhere. You've wanted to meet your classmates so vigorously for ages, all fired up for weeks as you obsessively counting down the days, only for this to happen. Not a single car had been in view for ages, god knows until the next one would come. That's also assuming that the car would even stop for you two. This was so disappointing, a hollow feeling in your chest as you sulked.

"I guess? For god sake, we aren't even going get to the reunion in time!"

Bakugou had noticed your sudden change in mood. In all honesty, he didn't quite understand why you wanted to see those annoying dickheads anyway, but he felt strangely sympathetic towards you. "Oi, I'm fucking sorry. I'll drive you to see your friends another time".

"What if there isn't another time?" you mope at him, facing your body towards him. He doesn't reply right away, mirroring your actions instead to examine your current behaviour. There was no way he could make this situation better unless the car magically fixed itself. Which to be fair, would never happen. As his eyes scanned you, he noticed the way you were still shivering, the once heated car losing its warmth. It was his best shot at diverting the conversation.

"You're still shivering, dumbass". His red orbs were fixed on you as he reached out his arms towards you. They felt considerably warmer than you as they rested on your shoulders. You followed his gaze that watched his own hands as they rubbed you up and down carefully. The slight friction between his hands and your skin bringing you some heat. It only sunk in then that his large hands were tracing your arms, his warmth transferring to you. Flusters took over your sense again. As much as you wanted to speak up right now, you knew you'd only choke up on your words, far worse than your stutters. As your stomach swirled, you felt ardour rush to your face. A rose haze coated your skin, eyeing the way Bakugou rubbed his hands against you.

"Looks like you've warmed up, that's for sure" he grinned at you, noticing the way your chest began rising and falling, heartbeat thumping rapidly. The way your face flushed scarlet as your eyes danced around your atmosphere, all at his touch. He noticed it all. And boy was it rubbing his ego.

"I-uh, yeah. I mean- no?". Your words came out jumbled, unable to form proper sentences when his ruby eyes finally gazed up at you. The mysterious glint in them made you feel overwhelmed, unaware of what move he would make next.

"So you need to be warmed up a bit more, huh?". His hands swiftly grazed your arms, just about hovering over your soft skin. Careful touches traced it, your words departing from your brain. The entirety of your focus was on the way Bakugou's fingertips tickled you delicately, the electric feeling flowing throw you. "Speak up for me. Do you still need to be warmed?". He snapped you back into reality without warning, only to put you in a trance again. The way he spoke with such dominance, demanding for you to speak, only stirred your imagination further. You had pictured moments like these so many times, him ordering you to do as he says. And as these thoughts rushed to the surface, you started to feel heat build between your thighs.

"Yeah, sorry!". Frantically, you attempt to respond, a nervous giggle followed your sentence as it came out of your mouth. "If that's what you want, princess". He emphasised the nickname, his lips curling into a sneer as his hands began to wander. The soothing touch travelled upwards, his hands gliding over your skin, one resting on your warmed rosy cheek. His sudden action had your breath hitching. You'd portray such touches numerous times yet nothing could have appointed you for this moment as your nerves fell apart.

As you tried to ration the situation out in your mind, his eyes finally locked with yours. The intimate stare had you holding your breath. Gently, he massaged his thumb against your cheek as he slowly moved his hand to the back of your neck, chills dripping down your spine. His eyes flickered between your eyes and mouth, hinting at a kiss. Was he going to kiss you? You must have been dreaming or something. But it was all happening, right now. There was no time to contemplate the event at hand. His face was edging closer to yours only inches apart, his proximity to you titillating. As you waited for his lips to finally come in contact with yours, you began losing patience. It's like he purposely was a millimetre away from your lip just to taunt you. You took in one more breath, easing your nerves before crashing your lips against his.

Your initial cold shivers were a way for Bakugou to change the subject from his broken car, and it all had worked out in his favour. Admittedly, this was not the outcome he was intending for, but he was not complaining either. He was finally able to seel a kiss with a girl that had invaded his thoughts for years. A dream come true if you will.

His tender lips felt so soft against yours, the sweet caramel taste engulfing your senses as they oozed from his lips. The once overwhelming anxiousness that had you falling apart beneath his touch was now easing as you melted into the passionate exchange between the two of you. Bakugou's lips moved in sync with yours, sucking and tugging at your bottom lip hungrily, undoubtedly smudging your lipstick. His pearly whites sunk into your bottom lip, giving them a smooth tug before sliding his warm tongue in. As he did so, his hand explored your body, slowly descending down the side of your torso, gripping you tightly. His other hand, that had itself placed at the back of your neck, suddenly wrapped around your throat. A rough squeeze was given, encouraging a gasp to erupt from your voicebox. His unforeseen move made you feel sensitive, clenching your thighs together to relieve the desperate ache between your legs. The warm wet muscle that had slipped inside your mouth earlier adventured in your mouth, swirling around your tongue and trailing every inch. It all felt so unreal.

Suddenly, Bakugou pulled away with a string of saliva connecting you both. His hands were still firm on wherever they were on your body. Through parted lips, he panted as his gaze darted. "Fuck, looks like you got me warm as well now". His signature smirk was back, his hand that held you by the neck pulling your face closer to his. Vermillion eyes analysed you, watching the way your face was flushed, lips were wet and lipstick was smudged. Realising he probably had some red on his lips as well from your makeup, he brought one hand to his face, wiping his plump lips with the back of his hand. The image before you only made you wetter, thighs already tightly clutched. And as though he could read your mind, he brought that same hand down to your thigh with a slap. The impact of his hands against you instantly shot to your soaking core, though the actions didn't hurt you much. You felt a tingling sensation to dance across your skin. Rubbing the impacted area, Bakugou continued to look at you, his eyes occasionally diverting to were he was soothing your thigh. His hands began needing your thigh higher and higher until his fingers dipped into the gap where your two thighs made contact. Teasingly, he drove one thigh from another to part them. "And you're definitely warmed up now, baby". His words insinuating how flustered you were.

He brought his lips back to yours as he worked his fingertips up your leg. His touch was so close and you felt so sensitive, you couldn't help but let out a shaky moan into the kiss. You wanted him so bad, craving to feel every inch of him against you. Your hands eager, you brought them up to his shirt. Clenching your hands around the piece of fabric, you tugged him closer to you, the distance between you two unbearable as you sat in separate seats. Your actions brought him to a sudden pause, causing him to pull away. "Are you that desperate for me?". His seductive tone made your face heat up and even more aroused. By now, you sure as hell knew your cunt was drenched. "You want me so fucking bad, don't you?". His hand was back in motion, fingertips almost touching you through your underwear. All you could do was moan in response as you craved his touch. "I can't fucking hear you". He taunted you once again, before his fingertips finally stroked your wet panties, massaging your folds through the cotton. You felt your breath tremble as he applied gentle pressure.

"Y-yes, I've wanted you so bad for a long time". Voice unsteady, you could just barely articulate. You felt the way his fingers caressed you through your underwear, index finger circling your clit so that the fabric would trigger your sensitive bud. Another moan emerged out your lips as you took in a profound breath. "I can tell. Your fucking soaking and it's all for me, babygirl". His cool breath trickled down your ear as he murmured against it.

You couldn't bear it anymore, the distance practically eating away at your patience as sexual frustration overflowed your senses. His fingers continued to shower you in affection but it was no longer enough. You needed more. "Please, Bakugou. I-I want you so bad right now". Hitched breaths and shallow moans rolled off of your tongue as you spoke, Bakugou's eyes sinful as he observed you.

"You'll have to be more specific than that". The same mockeries filled your ears, craving to see you flush as you spoke of all your desires, embarrassed by their explicit nature. As he awaited your response, he slowed his movements down, only teasing you further as it stript you off the pleasure you so desperately yearned for. "Shit, I want to feel you. I want to be closer- please".

The words dripped from your mouth as though it was second nature, the thirst for him more than unambiguous by your needy state. With that, his hands left your core, the cool air surrounding you as his warmth departed. You watched him carefully with longing eyes. The way his cherry centres locked on you as his grip came to your waist. His firm hands grabbed hold of you as he granted your wishes, placing you on his lap.

You sat on top of him, his toned legs holding you up and his hands pursued your body. The way your thighs rested atop his, your sensitive core throbbing against his hardening cock and the way his palms massaged your curves felt all so surreal. Subconsciously grinding against him, you felt his cock brush up against your folds, and with every stroke of your hips, the friction was shooting an electric buzz through you. "Didn't know you were such a needy slut for me". He purred at you with that deriding look in his eyes, smirking smugly. All you did was hum in return to his taunts.

Wrapping your hands around his neck, you lingered your fingertips along his neckline, gradually pulling his face in for another kiss. Devouring each other's lips once again, Bakugous hands slipped beneath your dress, lifting it to loosely drape around your waist. Your legs fully displayed, the frigid air hurried to leave goosebumps along your skin. Resuming his excursion, his fingers wandered back to where they seized you previously. As he leaned into the makeout, he rested your back against the steering wheel before tearing away from your mouth. Keen set of eyes watching you."Tell me exactly where you want my hands to go, baby. Your lucky I'm willing to take directions". For a moment you realised the exception he was making.

Bakugou was known for listening to no one but himself. So the fact he considered something like this, even if it was during an odd time, spoke volumes. It only stabilised, if not boosted, the feeling that you harboured for Bakugou. Yet there was no time to ponder over his actions. You hesitated to respond at first, slightly embarrassed to provide him with an answer.

"I want you to touch me". You deeply flushed at your reply but Bakugou only squinted at you. "Babygirl, your such a needy bitch but won't even get into specifics. Come on, you can be open with me". His words only strengthened the blush that overlaid your skin to deepen, if that was even possible. Even in your profoundly flustered disposition, you needed him and retaining your mouth shut was not an option.

"Bakugou, you know what I mean. Here". You childishly whine before grabbing hold of his hand, guiding it to your heat. His firm hand was resting on your bound cunt, not making a single move but rather looking at you intently. "Good enough" was his only response.

Swiftly, his slender fingers submerged under the fabric of your underwear, coming in contact with your wetness. The suddenness of his actions provoked a gasp to emit from your mouth, his fingers already exploring you. The feeling of his warmth travelling tenderly up and down your folds, with the occasional attentiveness to your clit made you squirm as you sucked deep breaths in. Your chest came up and down as air raced to pervade you, your moans getting gradually louder as you rubbed and arched against his touch. His attentive touch began centring more on your delicate bud, picking up his pace as he soaked in the sight of you falling apart atop him. Your heavy breaths and moans that filled the air and the way you desperately moved against every circular motion of his finger. Fuck was the sight something he had dreamt of for so long, and it was far better than he imagined. "You fucking like that huh?" he uttered through gritted teeth as his face crept closer to yours, observing the way you tightly squeezed your eyes shut, mouth dropped open.

"Shit, yes. Just like that" your breathy response came out as just above a whisper, too caught up in the pleasure of his touch. And just when you thought it couldn't feel any better, you felt his two fingers slip inside you. Your warm pink walls instantly sucking his fingers in, frantically tightening against them. A lusty moan shot out of your mouth, the overwhelming feeling of him fully submerged within you, pumping in and out. His fingers curled to hit just the right spot before you could fully adjust. The sensation was all too much and you felt the desire consume you. Panting and moaning, you could barely make sense of your surroundings as he didn't hesitate to advance his movements by pumping harder and faster, your wetness trickling down his bronzed palm.

His pace only intensified, his fingers gliding in and out of you, rubbing against your contracting walls that made your stomach burn. Burn in a way that made you almost lose control as it tied knots in your abdomen. Every spot that made your body arch against its will, legs jutting and twitching, he hit it all. And just as you edged nearer to your orgasm, moans building up at the back of your throat, ready for release as your nails dug into Bakugou's forearms. He came to a sudden pause, retreating his fingers, now soaked in your juices. You felt the dissatisfaction of his lack of attention, yearning to be touched again. Thick pants filled the car as Bakugou smirked at you and at the way you couldn't help but grind against him to supply for his loss of attention towards you.

"Princess, you didn't really think you'd get it that easy" he spoke tauntingly, rubbing your thighs as he trailed kisses on your collar bone. He'd wanted to mark up your delicate skin so many times, his presence forever embedded on you. Sinking his teeth on your flesh, he sucked and licked it, earning a soft moan from you against his ear. The tickling sensation of your breath against him accompanied by your lewd noises only hardened his growing erection. The restricting tightness of his trousers becoming infuriating for the boy.

He left mark after mark, immersing in the way you rubbed and groaned into him. "Bakugou... I need you. All of you.". Your words were like music to his ears, a combination of sounds he'd wanted to hear for so long. You begging for him to please you, make you his. It didn't even take him a second thought to know what he wanted to do to you, almost agreeing instantly. "Show me how bad you need me then". The challenging statement made you feel more heated, already in complete aw at the way his lips marked your skin.

You gently pushed him off you, pressing his back into the black leather seat, planting a delicate kiss on his lips before ducking between his legs. The position was cramped, the compact space of being under the steering wheel, legs crossed as you shifted your body further back until you could feel the disengaged pedal of the vehicle.

Bakugou sat with eager eyes on you, waiting for what you'd do next. To be honest, he felt uncomfortable at his lack of control at this very moment, already plotting how he'd regain it once more once he caught onto what your plan was. "Is this your way of proving yourself" he snickered at you, your hands on his belt, the clinking of the metal drowning out his voice. Through the material of his trousers, you could see the outline of his bulge, tight around the fabric restraints.

And just as you went to undo the restraints, unravelling the package that was contained, your head had hit the soft padding of the steering wheel. The sudden beep of the car horn went off, alarming the two of you. "What the fuck," Bakugou spoke up first in confusion. The car had obviously broken down only a few minutes ago yet it had finally decided to cooperate and disturb your guys' self-indulgence.

"Perfect timing" You giggled as you let your hands fall from his belt, slightly disappointed by the interruption. You wanted to continue this fantasy, see where it would take you both but you had other priorities on your mind as well. Like getting to the reunion for starters."Don't look so distressed, baby" Bakugou spoke softly as he lifted your chin, admiring you and the marks he left all over. "We will finish what we started, after all, I've been wanting this for so fucking long" He admitted and you couldn't help but redden at his remark.

You delicately slipped from under the wheel, dragging your dress down to cover your flashed skin. "I'll be looking forward to that then" You fire your own flirt his way, tipping over to leave a gentle peck against his lips before cleaning your lipstick from his face. He responded with a scoff and a rolling of his eyes, diverting his attention to the road to start driving again.

"I would say cover up the hickeys, but I want all those damn extra's to know who you belong to now" He smirked giving you the side-eye. Only then did you notice your wrecked state, desperately trying to fix your appearance in the small overhead mirror.

Bakugou steadily drove to your destination as his large hand rested on your thigh, you both wondering where you'd finish this excursion...

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[starsuh]

do re mi | myg

featuring. min yoongi x reader | 3.2k

summary. while teaching you how to play piano, min yoongi realizes that his dumbass might have feelings for you after all.

genre. fluff | f2l | roommate!au | mutual pining

warnings. a quarter-life crisis and a soft make-out scene at the end

Amongst Min Yoongi's many talents, his sixth sense of knowing when something was bothering you was the one that most oft caught you off guard. Whether it was the intensity in which you slammed a door shut, or the way in which you didn't choose to annoy the fuck out him like you did every other day of the week; he would notice each time. It was only clockwork that he tentatively wrapped his arm around your shoulders when you had collapsed against the couch with perceptible chagrin.

"What's up?" he asked, a simple question that often entailed a more than complicated answer. Peering down at your tightened features, he awkwardly patted your shoulder as if to make known that silence would be just as valid of a reply.

You ran your hands through your face. "I don't know,” you said. If you did, you would've told him, just as you told him everything. Though the pair of you had began as merely two people who happened to be roommates because there were no other affordable options, spending months watching Netflix with another person tends to lead to friendship — even best-friendship, though neither of you had established such a title. It was the kind of friendship that needn't clarification, rather it was just another unequivocal fact amongst many.

After kicking off your shoes (Yoongi would scold you for that in a less emotionally-turbulent time), you pulled your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around them in a ball-like manner. "It's really fucking lame but I’m just realizing some things,” he nodded, prompting you to continue. "I'm scared of the future, I think. I mean, everyone is, but when our prof was talking about internships and shit earlier I kind of freaked out then decided that hiding in the bathroom was the best option.”

In his gaze was a reassurance so intent that you had to look away lest you become ensnared in it. He oft had that effect, increasingly so throughout the past few weeks. "What about it?"

Your eyes fluttered closed as you took a deep breath. “I think I know what I want to do, but then I see other people, people like you, who are so passionate about their place on Earth that to not do that thing would be a fate worse than death. Like, I love the path that I’m on but there’s always a voice that’s telling me I’m gonna fuck something up and regret everything.” You played with the loose threads of your top, pulling at the offending stitching. You laughed. “This is so stupid. I guess I’m just realizing that I might not be cut out for it.”

His sudden silence filled the room so heavily that you began to wonder if you shouldn’t have said anything at all. Gears turned behind the messy black mop atop his head that hung over his eyes; a face similar to the one he makes when contemplating a new track he had produced, seeking for each of its flaws and corresponding solutions.

It was so sudden when he reached down to grab your hand that you almost jumped. An inch away from falling onto his chest with the sudden upwards tug, you steeled yourself. "I'll show you something," he said to which you replied with a questioning stare. "It'll just be a sec, c'mon."

You allowed him to drag you to his bedroom, though not without glaring at the back of his head and whining. "Your room smells like Cheetos and day-old boxers."

He rolled his eyes. "I cleaned it this morning, so shut up."

He pushed the door closed with his hip, never once letting go of your hand until he unceremoniously shoved you towards the left end of the keyboard bench. You wiped the accumulated hand sweat against the rough fabric of your jeans, both thankful yet forlorn that he had let go. His was a comfort rarely given and you craved his affection the way one did with a cat that ignored those around it.

He reached down to plug the extension into the socket. "Can I play you something?"

You blinked, unsure if the nervous tone laced in the question was figment or reality. “What?”

He gave you a blank stare though it didn’t distract you from the way his hands fidgeted in his lap. “I said, can I play you something? Something I wrote?”

Impatient, he didn’t give you a second glance or a moment to reply before his hands flew across the board, pulling melodies out of the nooks and crannies of its black and white keys. Through every note, he told you of emotion, of love, of heartbreak and melancholy. You don't think you had ever understood what music was until then. It was more than his expertise, though he was quite the expert; it was the way his eyes closed at certain shrills and the way his shoulders hunched at others, the way he slammed harder into the keys and at other parts softer. He played like a poet. A writer. And you refused to be someone who didn't appreciate it for what it was: a story told to you.

The slight smirk gracing his soft features told you that he found amusing the way your mouth gaped open in shock. You’d only ever heard the distant echoes of his sound from behind closed doors as you walked past.

Yoongi had never played for you before, was even shocked that he was able to now, knowing that your mere presence in close proximity provided quite the distraction.

When he stopped, the air almost rang in its silence, as if you had forgotten what the world sounded like without his music in it. The hush blanket laid across the room felt bare and vulnerable. You understood now more than ever why he locked himself within the confines of his space in all hours of the day. If you could live in his symphonies, you would.

"Wow.” Because what else could be said? "That was... Yoongi, you're amazing."

His smirk remained, though as more of a mask to hide softer feelings behind. "Must've been if you're complimenting me for once.”

"Because you already have a ginormous ego."

He began playing once more. This time, a slow and deceptively simple melody. The chords were arrows tightly strung that flew through the air in wisps of smoke. To you, its warmth was paralleled to the feeling of his own beside you, his arm occasionally brushing yours as he reached to play a few lower keys.

"I think you're taking it too seriously," he said. "The future, I mean."

Your brows furrowed. "I kind of have to, dude."

He rolled his eyes but kept playing, occasionally glancing at you as he did so. "What I mean is," he pressed softly against the keys in the left end of the piano, their tenor notes filling your ears. "You need to calm down. Like this," the already soft melody slowed. "You know what you want, don't you? Why are you hesitating?"

You stilled, the feeling of being both caught and scolded grounding you in time. Your eyes focused on his hands to avoid the feeling of his analyzing gaze on the side of your face. “There are things I want to accomplish but there’s also things I want to have,” you groaned in exasperation. “I don’t know if I should choose the former or the latter but they’re so entangled that I can’t even tell which is which anymore.”

"Some things are only difficult if you think they're difficult." He looked down at the keys. "Like playing the piano, everyone knows that learning it is hard but something like this-" he played three chords in succession. "-sounds simple, right?" He continued to play those same chords until they blended together in a single melodious breeze. "But when I was a kid, learning piano was the bane of my twelve year old existence. I hated it so much because my impatient ass wanted to be good without trying. So, in true dumbass fashion, I quit taking lessons after two weeks."

You tilted your head towards him. “How did you learn then?"

“Well, I realized I was being a huge pussy and went back." Shaking his head before the glaze of the memory could wash over, he nodded towards you. Grabbing your hand, he placed them over the keys. “Can I teach you a chord?”

Your heart spiked in one fell swoop. “What? And embarrass myself in front of the music god himself?"

He laughed and it lit up his eyes brighter than the screen of his laptop that he had forgotten to shut off, still on the League of Legends home screen. “I told you, it's only hard if you think it is."

Too flustered to argue, you could only watch as he directed your fingers towards the correct keys until three were stretched towards their respective positions. C Major. You wondered if he could hear the rapid pace of your heart through the vibrations on your skin from where his larger hand rested atop your own. You could only pray to any god who would listen that he didn’t.

Among the numerous feelings that bubbled beneath your chest, the sudden pinch of ice that struck your nerves as he lifted his palm away from yours was one that you were the most unsure of. Filing that thought away for later, you focused on the most important task at hand: avoiding looking like an idiot in front of Min Yoongi.

Before you could retreat, your hands pressed down.

A sudden burst of sound filled the silence that you hadn't realized had grown so deafening. Your eyes widened as if you hadn't expected the chord to occur despite Yoongi's administrations, like trying to guess a passcode and getting it correct in a miraculous feat of luck. The now fading sound was not like anything you were expecting, though you knew even monkeys could do what you had just done. It was an actual piece of the puzzle that was music rather than the CD case or paper bag that had come with it.

Likened to an excited pup, you looked towards him for praise or assurance that you had done it right only to catch his already grinning countenance at your widened eyes.

For the next half hour he taught you two other basic chords, never failing to correct you in such a patient manner that your heart rose and fell with each glance and soft appraisal.

"But sometimes," he grinned. "Sometimes you need to stop thinking."

Your brows furrowed, though you didn’t need more than a few seconds to understand his cryptic wording before you yelped, almost flying off your seat at the abrupt disruption of the peace.

He began smashing his hands against the piano, creating the worst orchestra your ears had ever had the pleasure to hear. Overcoming the shock, both of yours laughs bubbled out, drowned by the keyboard speakers. Without a second thought, you joined, key smashing against the lower end. Together, you created an ear-grating masterpiece of cacophonous noise and piercing melody, yet it was still one of the most beautiful things you’d ever heard.

Yoongi began cheering your name like the greatest hypeman in existence as you gave the most effortful performance of your life, hands pressing against the first keys you saw to the last. You didn't know what you were doing but it didn't matter, not when he was smiling with his gums on full display as you went with your gut for the first time in years. Yoongi, the boy whose hands crafted magic, whose words changed you, whose music moved you. Yoongi, who looked at you and saw past your forced pretensions and society-enforced perceptions.

You laughed until your lungs ached for air, having not even realized that your whole body leant against his as you tried to catch your breath.

"Oh my god, I think my ears are broken," you covered them, finally dragging your hands away from the keys.

His grin widened. “You're a quick learner."

“Is this the part where I say that it's because you're a good teacher?"

“Only if you're polite, which we know you aren't." He hadn't stopped smiling and you had never felt prouder of any accomplishment in your entire life. “Was I able to distract you?"

You laughed, bringing your hands back to your lap to fiddle with them. He's seen you wear the same ramen-stained hoodie three days in a row with hair just as ratty yet you had never more felt exposed. “I’d say yes but I think I’ve exceeded my Yoongi compliment limit for the day."

"And here I was thinking that that compliment limit was zero."

"Hey," you playfully knocked against his shoulder. "I always say your breakfast is good."

He knocked against you back, his eyes turnt to half-moons. "That's because you want to brainwash me into cooking for you everyday with half-assed compliments."

"Or maybe," you lightly leaned against his hoodie-covered shoulder. "It's because I like eating breakfast with you."

He paused, and a grin that could only be described as shy graced his features. He tapped against the keyboard but didn't press hard enough to allow a sound to be let out.

"I trust you," he said in the silence. "That you can follow your heart. Even if that sounds corny as fuck, I really believe it."

You smiled, something you've been doing more and more often with him around. "I'll try," you said, watching as he contemplated his next words with a bite of his bottom lip. Giving him time, you glanced back at the piano. "Is it really that simple?" You pressed on a key.

He finally looked up. "I think so," he played the key beside the one you had just pressed, the side of it touching yours. "Even if it doesn't sound right to other people, who's to say that random key smashing isn't music? When you think you're supposed to play a certain way, that's when you hesitate. Even when you fuck up a piece," he pressed another key. "Regretting it doesn't stop the echo."

He began to play another soft melody, leaving you just as entranced as you were the first time he did.

“I’m a hypocrite, though,” he closed his eyes, lightly scoffing. “Giving you advice that I can’t even take.”

Your voice came out in a whisper. “Why?”

“Because...” He took a deep breath, hands leaving the keyboard as he fully turned to you. “I like you," he said it like it were a fact you should've already known. “I... I like you. A lot. I can't remember when you stopped being my annoying roommate who'd hog the fridge space and became the annoying roommate who I couldn't stop writing songs about. Before I could even realize and stop myself, today’s me kept looking forward to tomorrow’s you. I’d be a hypocrite to tell you to stop hesitating about the things in your life while I spent every second of every day wondering whether I should tell you my feelings and ruin our friendship.”

For if there was anything Yoongi knew more than most was that love was fucking stupid. It caused people to be irrational, selfless, and weak-hearted, yet why did he want to forget the stupidity that came with it whenever you walked into the kitchen for breakfast, hair messy and shirt tousled?

Love was fucking stupid. But maybe he could be an idiot if it meant that you'd be stupid for him too.

“I know you don't feel the same way but I just needed to tell-" you kissed him before he could finish what was sure to be a sentence so ridiculous that even the most astute of linguists would be left baffled. He was Min Yoongi. The boy who spent all day locked in his room making music and playing games with his friends. The roommate who'd wake up early just to cook you breakfast. The friend who knew you better than you knew yourself. The man who you'd found yourself falling for with every gummy smile. Yoongi. It had always been Yoongi.

And he was kissing you back.

His lips were as warm as the hands that carefully wrapped around your hips, gently pulling you closer to him. He kissed the way he played, soft and thoughtful.

Pulling away, he whispered your name slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor them. Never before had your name ever felt so wonderful a one. His forehead pressed against yours, eyes flickering between yours in disbelief. The hand around your waist tightened as if in fear that at any moment you might say that you hadn't meant to give him what had to be the best moment of his life -- that you had actually accidentally fallen on him and he had simply been mistaken.

"You're an idiot," you laughed. "I've liked you since the first time you've cooked me breakfast if the heart eyes I gave you each time weren't already a dead giveaway."

He shuffled in his seat. "You have low standards then," he said. "Or are in desperate search for a house-husband."

You smiled, your nose brushing against his. "Maybe, a bit of both."

He leaned away from you, eyes lit up in a euphoria that didn't hinder from his nervous cadence. "Actually, that song I played for you? Earlier?” You’d never seen him blush before. “I, maybe, composed it thinking of you.”

"A personal chef, jester, and composer? I think I'm winning."

His nose crinkled. "You know you can still back out, right?"

"You're acting as if I'd even want to."

"Stupid songs like that... I suck at love yet I still want to give you everything," he whispered, voice hoarse. "But my everything will still only amount to that."

"If that's your everything,” your hands interlocked with his. “Then your everything is more than enough."

"I like you," he murmured the confession between your lips as if it were clandestine, the urge to say it a million times more bubbling up from his chest. Though stronger than his urge to say it was his urge to hear you say it back.

Your lips met his completely. Perfectly. "I like you, too."

Pulling away once more you couldn't help but laugh at the reddened color of his cheeks and ears. Cutting away at the awkward and still unsure tension, he inched backwards with a startlingly loud clap of his hands. "Now that that's settled, can we go back to making out? This corny shit is so awkward."

"I can't believe I like you," you groaned but kissed him back anyway.

While there was nothing in your life that you could be sure of, you knew that the man whose smile could light up the entire city of Seoul would be there for you for every step, and you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

[svtskneecaps]

crew and cast

(gender neutral) reader x jihoon

genre: fluff + some?? angst? listen i tried lmao; words: 2.8k

well howdy @toxicsocial​ tis i, your tct secret santa. so uh, i can’t actually make people cry in a timely manner and i didn’t figure most people would be down to read like 9k of buildup, so!! the angst is minimal!!! but i tried really hard and i hope you like it i love you so much also i forgot to title it again until right now so don’t look at it too hard

You loved your high school’s theatre crew. From freshman year they’d been a staple in your life. It was refreshingly stable to be able to walk into the tech room anytime and reliably know what would be going on. Except, there was one thing about theatre you couldn’t stand: Lee Jihoon. You’d avoided him since freshman year, but unfortunately for you, you’d taken over the position of Run Crew Head and Prop Master, and he was the Student Director. You were forced to sit through every production meeting with him.

Which, fine. You’d do anything for the show to run well. But that didn’t change the fact that he made you want to commit a crime.

Or three.

“Great news guys!” you yelled, sweeping into the tech room. “The crutches still aren’t right and Jihoon wants us to repaint the brickwork on the platforms to be less ‘garish’ and the typewriter is from the 1940s when it should be from the 1890s and I’m going to set something on fire!”

Chan slammed his head against the nearest cabinet. “This is the third time he’s rejected the brickwork, oh my god.”

“Fourth time he’s hated the crutches too, and I’ve told him that the only period accurate typewriter in the basement is literally one wrong keystroke from breaking onstage but I guess he’s willing to take that risk for a typewriter that’s going to be in one scene.” You massaged your forehead. “I’m gonna stay late Wednesday so we can have our shit together by Hell Week.”

“I’ll have to join.” Chan peeled his head off the cabinet, cracking his knuckles. “You think Mingyu’s got time to spare? I might get him to help; there’s way too much platform for me to do in time.”

“Dunno, he’s pretty busy.” Vernon scooped a loose screw out of a sawdust pile and swept the whole thing into the dustpan. “Makeup’s been working hard to get the ‘ragged urchin’ look right.”

“I’ll con Soonyoung into it then, I don’t think they’re rehearsing the dance numbers tomorrow so he might be free.”

“I wish you luck with that, dude.” You scooped the crutch off the floor. “I gotta go beg costumes to let me into the basement storage and see if there’s another goddamn piece of fabric I can use for the crutches.”

“You have fun.”

You ended up getting lucky; Minghao already needed to go down there so you wouldn’t have to fight for cell signal to make sure you were allowed to deface the cloth scraps you’d found.

“You seem stressed,” he noted as he unlocked the basement door.

You snorted. “Stressed is an understatement.”

“Jihoon again?”

“If he tells me to redo the damn crutches again I’m going to nail him to the wall.”

Minghao lead the way down the stairs. “I really thought you had it that time.”

“Nothing is good enough for that guy.”

He shrugged. “He just wants the show to go well.”

“Yeah, well, so do I. He doesn’t have to get up everybody’s ass sticking his opinions where they don’t belong. He’s never been crew, why does he get to make us repaint the entire damn set anyway?”

“He’s the director.”

“Everyone else thought the bricks looked fine!”

Minghao looked at you sideways. “What’s your deal with Jihoon?”

“Like I said, poking his nose where it doesn’t--”

“No, you had beef before he got appointed Student Director.”

You sighed. “I don’t know. He’s always kind of been a pain even when he was ensemble.” You drove your finger into your temple. “And he broke a crucial prop that wasn’t his the night before the show opened and didn’t tell me.”

“You did props?”

“Buddy I was Prop Master. I literally didn’t find out until the Stage Manager tried to run that scene before school.” You glared absently at the shelves of typewriters to one side of the walkway. “I literally had to skip my last three classes and dinner to get a replacement and he never even apologized for it.”

Minghao whistled. “That’s unforgivable.”

“Tell me about it.” You waded through the costume racks to get to the bins of scraps in the back.

“And you’ve never considered forgiving and forgetting? I mean, it’s been two years.”

You sighed, leaning the crutch against a shelf. “I mean. . .”

He snickered. “Come on, it’s just you and me and the ghosts down here, you can say it.”

“I mean. . . he just makes me so mad!” You yanked the lid off a tote with a snap that echoed across the basement. “Like, every time I start thinking maybe he’s not so bad he pulls some other shit on me and I slam right back into hating his goddamn guts.”

“You’re on the same team,” Minghao called down the row. “You’re just trying to make the show better.”

“Making the show better shouldn’t involve painting the entire set three times.”

“I’m just saying, it’d put at least three years back on your lifespan.”

“Yeah yeah.”

You managed to update the crutches by the end of the day, and repainted the entire set on Wednesday--although you had to sacrifice your lunch and free periods and several hours after school to get it all done. Thursday left you with a finished set and another production meeting.

He didn’t like the bricks.

You saw red.

In the hallway, you pulled him aside.

“What don’t you like about the bricks?”

He frowned. “They detract attention from the actors.”

You wanted to seize him by the shoulders and shake him like a maraca. “It’s gray! It is the darkest most nondescript color we have in the buckets and you’re telling me it detracts attention from the actors? You haven’t even seen them rehearse with it!”

“It’s gonna be too much,” he argued. “It’s the same color as half the costumes--”

“I have seen every single costume in the show, it’s not even close to the same pigment!”

“Even still--”

“Listen,” you snapped, your heartbeat pounding in your ears, “if you want the set redone in time for Hell Week then I expect to see you in the goddamn tech room tomorrow after school wearing something you don’t mind getting paint on because I’m not going to make Chan and Vernon repaint the entire damn set by themselves for the fifth time and I have to figure out how to keep that 1890s typewriter from falling apart, do I make myself clear?”

He looked almost disgusted at the prospect, but he nodded stiffly. “Crystal.”

You turned on your heel just as stiffly, striding away before you lost all composure.

To your complete surprise, Jihoon actually showed up the next day, wearing a pair of faded jeans and a shirt so faded that whatever decal had been on the front had long washed away.

“So he arrives!” Chan yelled from his perch on the desk, where he’d been watching you wrestle with the typewriter.

Jihoon looked distinctly uncomfortable, but he squared his shoulders. “Where do you need me?”

“We gotta move all the set pieces in before we start,” Chan said. “Then I’ll probably have you start on the legs. We gotta wait for Vernon before we can move the tall stuff. One sec, I’ll--” he bolted into the hallway.

Jihoon stared after him, then looked to you. “Where is he going?”

“To tell Vernon we’re actually doing the repaint.” You shrugged. “Honestly I’m surprised you showed up.”

“I said I would.”

“Actually you just said you understood the ultimatum; we had no idea if you’d show or not.”

“Oh.”

You shrugged. “Good to have you anyway.”

Chan returned with Vernon before the silence could get too awkward, and you helped them move all the platforms back into the tech room. From there, Vernon set up his speaker and the real work began.

Jihoon helped choose the color of the bricks (and Chan threatened to really break his leg if he changed his mind about it later), and they got to laying down the base coat. You went back to glaring at the typewriter and reading through every antiques article you could find online.

After trying seven different methods to no avail, you shoved your chair away from the desk. “Typewriters are hellspawn created by the Devil himself to punish unfortunate Prop Masters.”

Vernon snickered. “That good, huh?”

“I’m going to put a screwdriver through the keyboard,” you said mildly.

“Okay maybe don’t do that.” Chan paused to pull a clean paintbrush out of his pocket and throw it at you. “You know where the overalls are; come take a break.”

“Why do you just have that?” Jihoon asked.

“A painter is always prepared.”

Jihoon glanced at you. You shrugged. “I don’t question it.”

Between the four of you, you managed to finish all but one platform by the time Chan and Vernon had to go. Being older, you had infinite time, so you cracked your knuckles and sat back at the typewriter. Jihoon lingered in the doorway.

“You need any help?”

You looked up. “Nah, I think I got it. Thank you, though.”

He shifted. “Listen, I know we didn’t really get off on the right foot but, I’m sorry. I know I never really apologized for the prop, and I’m sorry for how long it took, too.”

You sighed. “It’s fine. It’s kind of unfair of me to hold it against you this long anyway, so, I’m sorry too.” It wasn’t the only reason he made you so angry, but that chip on your shoulder made a lot of other offenses you would have normally overlooked seem larger.

“Can we maybe start over?” he asked. “Freshman year all over again?”

You actually found yourself nodding. “As long as you don’t make us repaint the set ever again.”

He laughed, running a paint-stained hand through his hair. “No, I won’t. I can’t do that to your crew again.”

“Good. Cause we weren’t kidding about breaking your legs.”

“I will keep that in mind.” He hiked up his backpack. “I’ll see you on Monday, then?”

“Happy Hell Week.”

Hell Week was hell (and the sky is blue).

Three of the actors lost their voices four days before Opening Night. One of the glasses for the restaurant scene shattered during the dance number--even though it was supposed to be offstage already--and the third lead got very close to twisting her ankle after landing a jump wrong. The actors could never manage to find their light, there were technical glitches with the backstage mics, and you were so on edge that if you heard the word standby you’d jump so bad you’d bruise your knee on the table.

The typewriter gave you more anxiety than it was worth. The actress using it had strict instructions not to actually touch the keys, because the only thing holding it together was gaff tape. You’d put Jun and Wonwoo in charge of bringing the desk it sat on onstage, because you trusted them to have it under control and keep it from tipping, because if it tipped at an angle any more than about 30 degrees, the keys would get out of alignment and that required time and experience to fix, of which you had neither.

Needless to say, you were two steps away from tearing your hair out.

At least you weren’t fighting with Jihoon, though. You’d even gone out to grab takeout with him for dinner, once, and yelling about all the problems in the car was really cathartic and you came back refreshed and relaxed, for once (only for every muscle in your back to clench at once because an actor bumped the prop table in their hurry to get in costume and one of the glasses fell over).

But it was Opening Night, and you were wound tighter than a spring waiting for everything to go wrong.

And it did.

Jihoon was in the hallway behind the stage, giving Joshua a few final notes about his big solo, and he didn’t check his surroundings closely enough. In his wild gesturing to demonstrate the level of enthusiasm, his arm clipped the typewriter.

And it fell.

He stared at it. Joshua stared at it. You could not tear your eyes from it.

The keys had tilted out of alignment. The bar holding the paper was skewed. The decorative paneling to one side had cracked down the middle. You didn’t have time to fix it before it went on. Maybe you couldn’t fix it at all.

“I am so sorry--” Jihoon started, but you stopped him with a hand, balling the other into a fist.

“Don’t,” you forced through your teeth, because you didn’t want to start yelling at him; it was an honest mistake and it was your fault for not resettling it on the desk after the last run. You were just seething with rage, at yourself, at the typewriter--you didn’t want to project it.

“Ten minutes to go!” someone yelled down the hall. You forced yourself to exhale, gingerly picking it up, flinching with every shift of the keys.

“Is there anything I can--”

“Get to the booth. Tell Seungcheol what happened, just-- be in your place. Jun!” you yelled into the tech room. His head jerked up. “I need you to take over headset for me, can you do that?”

His mouth fell open seeing the typewriter and he nodded, wordlessly, leaping to his feet and hurrying backstage.

Jihoon still stood there, looking between the typewriter and you with an anguished expression. “You’re sure you don’t--”

“I got it,” you said again, clipped. “I can handle it. I can-- just get to the booth, Jihoon!”

You hadn’t yelled. You knew enough not to yell when the audience was already in their seats. But your words had the same effect, because he flinched, and he nodded, and he turned the other way and ran.

Your rage was turning inward as fast as it was dulling, but you had a show to put on, so you placed the broken typewriter carefully on a counter in the tech room and sprinted for the basement.

You managed to get the 1970s typewriter back upstairs and on the desk before it went on, and the show went on without a hitch. The actors hit their marks, all the props found their way back to the prop table, and the pit orchestra didn’t have to loop a section for a missed cue even once.

You waited until everyone was gone before you let yourself cry.

“I really am sorry.”

You looked up.

Jihoon stood in the doorway, twisting his hands.

“It’s fine,” you said. “It’s partially my fault for not making sure it was centered right.” You rubbed your eyes with the palms of your hands, hoping to disguise the redness. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “Do you want help?”

“I don’t know if it can even be fixed,” you said, staring blankly at the remains of the typewriter in front of you. “It might-- it might be beyond my help.”

For a long moment, you stared at it, mind spiralling.

You pushed yourself up. “They’ll want to lock up.” You slung your backpack over your shoulders. “I’ll just come in before the show and work on it. Maybe get Jun to grab me some McDonald’s or something and eat during the intermission.”

Jihoon’s brow furrowed. “That’s not healthy.”

“I’ve done it before.” You waved him off. “The show must go on, you know?” You slung your backpack over your shoulders. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The day came by in flashes as you researched the typewriter with a renewed vigor. You could probably use hot glue and some kind of putty to hide the crack in the paneling, you could probably put the keys back or at the very least tape them to look like they were back, from a distance. The bar at the top would be much harder but you hadn’t really inspected it the night before so maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as you thought it was?

You didn’t feel particularly hopeful when you stopped by the tech room to pick up the typewriter.

Until you saw the typewriter.

“What the fuck.” It was fixed. The keys aligned, the crack sealed, the bar sitting on top just as it was supposed to be. It looked exactly like it had when you’d first set it on that desk.

Jihoon came around the corner, dried putty staining his hands. “Hey,” he said, seeming tired but absolutely beaming at you.

“Did you do this?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I didn’t want you putting your health on the line.”

“Oh my god, thank you. I can’t-- this is incredible!” You kept tracing your fingers over the ridge formed by the sealed crack, but you couldn’t see it.

“I did a good job, then?” He put his hands in his pockets, grinning.

“Better than good, oh my god I could kiss you!”

Your cheeks burned when you realized what you’d said, but he laughed. “Whoa, buy me dinner first.”

“Bet,” you said, accepting it like a challenge. “You pick the place, I’ll pay.”

“Okay,” he said, and then lifted his hands. “I gotta wash up.”

“Meet you by the front door in five?”

“It’s a date.”

[hlcreators]

AUTHOR REC: louistomlinsons / @adoredontour 

Be sure to show some love by leaving kudos and comments!

this town’s just an ocean now (31k)

“I have really great friends. Do you remember Louis? You guys were always hanging out when you were growing up.” Harry remembers Louis. Harry remembers Louis. Suddenly, his throat feels way too dry, despite the ice cream he keeps licking at. He chokes a little on a chocolate chip before saying, “I, uh. I remember Louis.” Her face brightens. “We have dinner every Sunday. He owns the house now. His parents moved further north, and he wanted to stay here, so they just gave it over. Now if you want to worry about someone being lonely, that’s who I worry about.” inspired by watermelon sugar, featuring picnics on the beach and boys being dumb

daydream about me (21k)

“Anything else going on for you at the moment?” she asks, leaning forward on her elbows across the table, mindful of the radio equipment in front of her. “What about you and that Louis Tomlinson?” Harry sputters, mouth moving but no words coming out. She can feel her cheeks heat up, darkening with embarrassment. “It’s not, Louis and I, we don’t—” Harry can’t finish the sentence, tongue heavy in her mouth. She takes a deep breath, thankful they’re not being videoed, and tries again, “We’ve never even met, actually.” alternatively titled 'harry styles does not have a crush on louis tomlinson and other lies she tells liam payne'

robbers and cowards (33k)

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think that you’re enjoying yourself.” The familiar voice immediately gets Louis’ blood boiling, shoulders tensing as he calmly spins around, trying not to draw any suspicion to the pair. “You don’t know me at all,” Louis spits, managing to maintain the polite smile he’s been wearing all evening. “You’re just some asshole who always ruins my nights.” “If I keep ruining your nights, why do you keep going home with me?” Harry asks, taking a sip from his own wine glass. “I don’t go home with you by any choice of my own,” Louis says. “I think you’re annoying and I have no idea how I keep ending up in your bed.” “You end up in my bed because you knock on my apartment door at two in the morning.” Louis wants to punch the smirk right off of his face. “Maybe you should move,” is what he says instead. or a modern day robin hood au where louis and harry (don’t really) hate each other but they hate greedy billionaires more

I’m a Rocket Man (47k)

All he could hear were the faint sounds of Pina Colada coming from the radio and his own heart beating erratically against his chest.

“Oops,” he heard coming from the other side of the front window. He quickly pushed the grey rubber towards the back of the car, the rubber of the thing groaning and squeaking as he did so. Finally, after wrestling the thing away from him, Harry came into view, face pressed against the other side of the window.

“Hi.” Louis smiled, looking towards Harry, eyes curious. He almost got lost in the way Harry’s face was so cutely pinched, green eyes glowing in the sunlight. He was brought back to reality when Harry tried to move, causing the grey whatever it was to push against Louis again. “What the fuck is this?”

“Uhh... it’s Randy?”

or, Niall is an investigative journalist, Liam is his biggest fan, Zayn is just along for the ride, and Harry probably isn’t an alien. A roadtrip au no one asked for.

sip it slowly and pay attention (12k)

“So I’ve got a guy I think you might like,” Louis says. He’s standing in the doorway of Harry’s office, drinking from what is most definitely Harry’s mug. “You’re going to set me up?” Harry asks, rightfully wary. He can’t imagine that this could end well. “Don’t look so afraid.” Louis takes a sip from his mug, wincing as it burns him. Harry rolls his eyes. He’s always warning Louis to be more patient before he loses all his taste buds. “I know you better than anyone else. Who better to set you up on dates than me?” “I guess you’re right,” Harry says, still slightly hesitant. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Louis, but. He doesn’t trust Louis’ taste. Louis has about the same track record with men that Harry does, if not quite as extensive. or, harry is a guidance counselor, louis is an english teacher, and harry just wants to go on one successful date

i hope that you won’t slip away in the night (13k)

He turns back to Maybe Jessica. “Who’s going to be here?” “Harry Styles,” she says. “The one-” “I know who he is,” Louis snaps. “Who invited him?” “Uh, you did, sir.” Louis didn’t think that was serious. When he had responded to Harry’s cheeky tweet about the gala with his own cheeky ‘You should come - I’ll put you on the guest list’ he hadn’t expected anything to come of it. Least of all for Harry to show up. or the one where louis is a prince and harry is a popstar

feels like we’re finally free (13k)

louis just wants to write a breakup novel. falling in love was never part of the plan, but the cute barista at his favorite coffeeshop makes him think otherwise.

who’s that girl? (13k)

“So, do you want to tell us a little bit more about why you’re here?” “What do you mean?” Harry asks, furrowing his eyebrows together. “I’m here because I need a place to live and you guys need a roommate.” “I guess let me rephrase that,” Leo (or maybe Liam) says. He taps his pen twice against the notepad, drawing Harry’s attention away from a large hole in one of the walls. “Why do you need a place to live?” “Oh, that’s easy.” Harry sits up straighter in his seat. “I walked in on my boyfriend of four years banging my boss. I couldn’t very well keep living with them, could I?” harry is canadian, louis owns a bar, zayn comes and goes as he pleases, liam's just trying to keep everyone alive, and nobody knows what niall does. a new girl au.

we’re not who we used to be (30k)

“Harry…” Louis’ voice catches in his throat, thick with tears threatening to fall out, so he coughs to clear it before trying again. “Harry is Liam’s best man?” “You didn’t know?” Harry is standing at the entrance of the garage, mouth slightly open and face pulled together. He sets his bag on the ground and puts his hands on his hips. When he does that, he looks just like the Harry that Louis remembers (and loves, he thinks with an aching heart). “I’m sure I mentioned it,” Liam says, but Louis can tell he’s lying by the way he chews on his lower lip and twists his fingers together. “You’re all a bunch of dick heads, I’m getting in the car.” Louis isn’t sure if he’s being unreasonable. He has no idea what the protocol is when your ex-boyfriend shows up after three years and nobody bothered to give you a heads up. He’s pretty sure he’s allowed to be upset about it, even if it’s only for a bit. or an exes to lovers canadian roadtrip au

old macdonald had a farm (5.1k)

Louis is a hedgehog, Harry is a fish, Niall is a parrot, Liam is a golden retriever, and Zayn is Zayn. It’s a crazy twenty-four hours.

or are you giving it to someone else (3.3k)

“Dude, last night I couldn’t tell if he was being murdered or having the best sex of his life,” Louis said, taking a sip of his beer. He tried to say it as quietly as he could in the loud pub, worried about who may overhear him. “Is this your neighbor?” Liam asked. He was newer to the group, and therefore, newer to the situation. He had only heard a handful of the stories about the strange things Louis heard his neighbor doing, as opposed to the book Louis could most definitely write about the man. In the hallways, he seemed perfectly normal. He would smile at Louis and sometimes make polite conversation. He didn’t seem like the type to be having loud, kinky sex every night at the craziest hours of the day. But he was. or, louis hears his neighbor having loud sex through the walls and it's not a problem until it is

The F Word (23k)

When Louis finds himself at a party for the first time after his boyfriend cheated on him, the last person he expects to meet is Harry. They hit it off immediately, conversation flowing all night. Louis finally thinks he’s ready to jump back into the dating scene, when a wrench gets thrown in his plan.

Harry has a boyfriend.

Or, a movie AU based on the F word

tonight’s not over (come over and stay) (16k)

Zayn doesn’t say anything for a moment, pausing and worrying at his bottom lip. Finally, he asks, “Have you heard that Cox guy is coming out with a new song?” Louis freezes, fingers hovering over his keyboard where they had been typing his password. “No, I hadn’t,” Louis says truthfully. “Where did you hear that?” “Tell anyone this and I’ll kill you, but I’d consider myself a big fan,” Zayn says. His face doesn’t change in expression, completely serious as he admits this to Louis. “Big fan? Like run a blog and everything?” or, harry is a famous singer and louis is a student who just wants to write his novel

honey, honey (7k)

another sorority au that no one asked for - featuring squirt guns, copious talks of marriage, and more useless lesbians.

fall in love with the moon (and everything beautiful) (10k)

“It’s adorable that you think you can compromise with me on this,” Louis says. He places his hands on his hips and tries his best to look intimidating. “But I am not budging on this. Every book pun you say will result in one quarter in the jar.” “What jar?” Harry asks. He furrows his eyebrows together. Louis rolls his eyes. “Like a swear jar, but now I’m going to make yours ‘Harry’s dumbass pun jar.’ Maybe I’ll have you put a quarter in for every pun you say, not just the ones about books. Niall was right - you tell the worst jokes.” “One time Niall told me I’d never said a funny joke in my life,” Harry says casually. “Funny. He told me that too.” or, louis and harry work in a bookstore together and harry tells dumb jokes and they fall in love

get a little bit nervous (14k)

Liam goes to say something, probably something dumb, but he chokes on his spit, coughing loudly. The man in front of him is one of the prettiest people he’s ever seen in his life; he’s got thick eyelashes that fan out and frame his dark eyes and tanned unblemished skin. Liam forgets all of his previous thoughts. “You okay, mate?” he asks, concern filtering into his voice. “Yeah, yeah,” Liam says, still choking and coughing. “Sorry.” “We all reacted the same way we saw Zayn for the first time,” Niall says from next to him, laughter evident in his tone. “He’s a god, isn’t he?” or, ziam farmer's market au where liam, louis, and niall work at the produce stand, harry and zayn work at the bakery stand, and nobody's straight

i’ve heard it both ways (26k)

“I, uh.” Harry is scrambling, trying to think of something believable on the spot. He remembers the woman from reception and her phone call and says the only thing he can think of. “I’m a psychic.” Everyone stills. Zayn laughs, Detective Edwards looks confused, and the officer holding the door open looks mildly frightened. “A psychic?” Zayn gets out between his laughs. “I’ve heard it all. You’re definitely spending the night in the holding cell now. You’re wasting all of our time here.” an au based on the tv show psych where harry is shawn, louis is jules, liam is gus, niall is mcnabb, and zayn is lassie.

i just know you (got to taste like candy) (3.9k)

Harry seduces the cute cell phone repair girl with her phone's wallpaper.

i just want you to dance with me tonight (7.6k)

The sorority au no one asked for. Featuring a prank war, Lirry friendship, and useless lesbians.

beautiful wreck, colorful mess (4.4k)

Harry's been desperate to try out the toys she bought for her and Louis.

she says she doesn’t love me (don’t believe her) (17k)

Harry is a disaster gay who works in a coffee shop and Louis doesn't want to admit she's in love.

only you know me (4.5k)

“It’s just unfair.” Louis can’t help her complaining. “You always get these opportunities I would die for to throw parties. I’ve got, like, a billion siblings, so I never get the house to myself. You’re home alone at least three times a semester. Your parents wouldn’t even be mad or anything.” “That’s not even the point,” Harry says, calmly and evenly. Sometimes it’s frustrating to Louis just how easily Harry keeps her calm. “And what is?” Louis asks, throwing a goldfish cracker in Harry’s direction. It misses. “That I don’t want to.” - Based on the prompt, "Nothing really specific just a harry/Louis sleepover while Harry's parents are out of town involving sexy lady times? "

[lakesandquarries]

Baby Shoes - Chapter 4

Bubby has been a doctor at Black Mesa for 20 years, living there for 50. He’s been bouncing around from project to project, working on whatever needs most help. He doesn’t have any opinions on his work or his coworkers or anything like that, preferring to keep to himself.

Then he meets Black Mesa’s newest project.

AKA: Bubby is Benrey’s dad au.

title from “Baby Shoes” by Bad Books.

AO3 Link

The sound of the door opening jolts Bubby back into awareness - and Benrey too. They have another full body flinch, smacking their head against the concrete wall in their scramble.

Dr. Zeki’s heels click on the floor. “Dr. Bubby,” she says, tilting her head to the side. “This is certainly a strange place to find you.”

Benrey’s halfway off his lap already. He moves them gently so he can stand up to his full height, and their hands cling to his pant leg. “I wanted to try something new.”

“You’re attached,” Zeki says. “I should have known better than to let you on this project. It’s not sentient, Bubby. It’s not a fun little pet. Don’t you ever wonder what happened to Dr. Tipton? I’m sure you remember him.”

He, unfortunately, does. Dr. Tipton had been assigned to Bubby long ago, and he’d been an utter nightmare. No sense of boundaries, plus terrible hygiene.

“I recall him, yes.”

“This little subject you’re so fond of nearly killed him. It bit him and injected some kind of venom. We had to develop an entire new antivenom, in less than two hours, just for Dr. Tipton. He’s got permanent nerve damage and lost a few fingers, but he’s alive. I can only hope I’ll be able to say the same for you.”

Bubby glances down at Benrey. They’re clinging even tighter now, claws making small holes in Bubby’s pants.

“I think I’ll be fine.”

“Well, in that case.” Her gaze shifts down to Benrey. “You were so interested in its living situation, weren’t you? I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if we have it stay with you, then.”

“I don’t, actually.” He folds his arms, leveling his gaze right at Zeki, eyes meeting hers. “You know what, I think that’s a fantastic idea.” 

Zeki smirks at him, unbearably smug. “We’ll have to move you to the Biological Research wing, of course. You can’t be in a regular dorm with it. I’m sure your old room is still available, tube and all.”

Bubby bites the inside of his lip. He’s hated a lot of scientists in his years at Black Mesa, but he’s never had the repeated urge to strangle someone until Dr. Zeki. “That won’t be necessary. I’m sure I can find an empty room that can suit my, and the subject’s, needs.”

There’s a buzz from Zeki’s pocket. “Well, you have until I get out of my last meeting. Good luck, Dr. Bubby.” She gives him a final cold glare, turning on her heel and making sure to slam the door behind her.

“Bitch,” Bubby mutters. He hopes Dekkard broke her stuff while he was wrapping it in tinfoil.

There’s a high pitched noise from Benrey, and when Bubby looks down he sees dark bubbles like shadows. He’s careful not to touch them this time, not wanting a repeat of earlier. He crouches back down, eye level with Benrey again.

“Sorry about that,” he says quietly, reaching an arm out and gently placing it on Benrey’s shoulder. “I think I may have fallen asleep as well.”

“I don’t like her,” Benrey mumbles. “She’s scary.”

“I’m not especially fond of her either,” Bubby says. “But, I think this can actually work in our favor.”

“Huh?”

“She tried to scare me with that story, and she thinks she’s punishing me by inviting me to live here with you.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” Benrey mumbles, hunching their shoulders. “I just - he kept touching me -”

“I’ve had my fair share of encounters with Dr. Tipton. Whatever you did, I’m sure he had it coming.”

“So you - you actually wanna -” Benrey’s eyes are wide and shiny. 

“If you’re alright with it, yes.”

Benrey nods, frantically, leaning their head against Bubby’s shoulder. They can’t quite reach to hug him, so Bubby moves closer, wrapping his arms around them. “I can’t stay for much longer, though. I need to go find us a good room. But I promise I’ll be back, alright?”

Benrey nods, bright yellow bubbles falling from their mouth. Bubby takes a moment to enjoy the wave of joy that comes with them before he forces himself to get up. “I’ll come back as soon as I can,” he says. 

Benrey’s whole being seems brighter, somehow. Less grey. Their hands tap against the ground. “Bye,” they say, as Bubby shuts the door gently behind him.

He checks Zeki’s office first. Dekkard is nowhere to be seen, but he’s clearly left his mark. Everything - the table, the computer, each individual pencil - has been painstakingly wrapped in tinfoil.

Bubby grins at the sight, taking a moment to knock a few paper weights off the desk.

He checks Dekkard’s desk next. No sign of him there, either, but his slinky is on the desk, so he can’t be too far. 

Sure enough, he’s in the next spot Bubby checks - the break room. He’s standing in front of the vending machine, looking for all the world like a professor stumped by a difficult math question.

“Dekkard!”

He turns and waves. “Oh, hey Bubby. Hey, should I get doritos, or -”

“Nevermind that! I have an important project. I need you to come with me.”

Dekkard raises an eyebrow, turning back to the machine. “Doritos it is.”

Bubby sighs. “Please. Look, this is very time sensitive, I only have until Zeki is done with her last meeting and I’ve already wasted ten minutes looking for you.”

Dekkard reaches into the machine for his bag of chips. “I mean, I’m supposed to be on lunch, but if this is to fuck with her, then I’ll help. Let’s go.”

“I saw your work in her office,” Bubby says as they walk back to Dekkard’s desk. “And I will admit, you did an excellent job.”

Dekkard beams. “Maybe I’m not so underqualified after all.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” 

Dekkard slips into his chair. Bubby’s too anxious to sit, instead pacing back and forth as he waits for the computer to boot up. “So, what am I helping you with?”

“Zeki made a proposal. I’m sure she intended it as a threat, but. I need a free room here in Biological Research. Something livable. No tubes or cages or any of that shit.”

Dekkard’s hands pause on the keyboard. He glances back at Bubby, who’s staring over his shoulder, leaning forward to watch. “Are you…moving in here?”

“Yes. Myself and one of the subjects, so make sure it’s big enough for two people.”

Dekkard spins in his chair. “One of the subjects?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?” He folds his arms, standing up straight.

“I mean - pretty much every single subject here could kill you, so -”

“I used to be a subject here, if you’ll recall.” 

“Yeah, but - you’re not like them. You’re like, a person.” Dekkard sighs. “Is it the alien?”

“Their name is Benrey.”

“You named it?”

“We are wasting time,” Bubby snarls, stepping forward to grab the mouse from Dekkard’s hand. He holds it up, stretching the wire as far as it can go. 

“Hang on! Look, I’m willing to help, I just -”

“I don’t have time to argue with you! Either help me, or I will do this myself.” 

“Look, Bubby -”

“Dr. Bubby.”

“Dr. Bubby.” Dekkard groans, tipping his head back. “You’re the only tolerable person here, I don’t wanna help you get killed by an alien.”

“Well, luckily for you that’s not what you’re doing. Now are you going to help or not?”

“You’re really set on this, huh?”

It’s a lucky thing Bubby’s control over his pyrokinesis has grown, or Dekkard’s hair would be on fire. “Yes, I’m sure. I - they have them chained up. Like some kind of wild animal. They’re a child, Dekkard. Zeki made the mistake of offering this, and I’m not going to give her the chance to back down.”

Dekkard’s shoulders slump as he spins back to the computer. “I’m not gonna pretend like I understand, but fine. I’ll help.” Bubby takes a step away from the computer to give him a bit of space, not wanting to hover as Dekkard logs into the horribly designed official Black Mesa website. It takes him a minute to pull up a map, but once he does, he waves Bubby back over. “Okay, so. There’s a few empty areas, it looks like. I’m gonna toss these ones immediately -” and here he points to the screen at a cluster of small rooms - “because those are next to whatever the hell it is that screams all night. XEN - uh, Benrey?” He glances up at Bubby who nods approvingly. “Right. Benrey’s over here right now, and I think there’s actually an unused room pretty close? Big one, too.” 

“Just find me something and show me it. I don’t need your entire thought process.”

“Hey, I’m the one helping you.” Dekkard’s quiet after that, though, focusing more on the screen as Bubby paces back and forth, glancing at his pager every few minutes. “Okay, come here, I’ve got a list.”

This is the time-consuming part. Dekkard shows Bubby each of the rooms, laying out the size and shape and what they’re near, and then they spend a few moments debating the pros and cons. Bubby knows they’re on a timer, but his attention is elsewhere, and he does forget to check the time. 

His pager beeps.

“Oh, motherfucker,” he mutters. Zeki’s meeting must have ended, because she’s sent him a message.

Meet me in my office.

“We need to decide right now.”

“Shit, that her?”

“No, it was the president. Yes, it was her!”

Dekkard sighs, scooting his chair closer. “Okay, I know it’s a weird shape, but I think this one’s best. There’s a bathroom nearby and a sink in the room, which is good. Better than the dorms, even. And you can hang up a curtain or something over here and make it like a separate room.”

He’s gesturing at a vaguely L-shaped room close to the offices and break room. Bubby has seen it before. It’s been unused for ages, gathering dust, and will probably be a pain to clean. But Dekkard does have a point, and he’s out of time.

“Fine. Sure. Yes. What’s the room number?”

“B-22.”

“B-22,” Bubby repeats. “B like Bubby. Excellent. Alright, I’m off to go ruin Zeki’s day.”

Dekkard shoots him a grin and a finger gun. “Good working with you.”

“Also, don’t get the doritos. They’re stale.”

Dekkard looks at the bag on his desk. “God damnit. Asshole.”

[pocket-luv101]

Heartstrings || Chapter 3

Fandom: Servamp Ship: KuroMahi (main), LawLicht (side), Tetsono (side) Characters: Kuro, Mahiru, Hyde, Licht, Tetsu, Misono

Summary: Kuro goes to take a nap in the staircase behind the school and sees Mahiru holding a broken guitar. After he helps him repair the guitar string, Mahiru asks him to teach him how to play. (Given AU/Band AU)

Ch.1 || Ch.2 || (Ch.3) ||

“Are you okay, Kuro? You seem distracted.” Hyde asked his brother. Due to Kuro’s personality, others wouldn’t question why he was silent throughout most of their rehearsal. He could sense that there was something on his brother’s mind though. Kuro didn’t immediately answer him so Hyde thought he could teasingly joke with him. “Did you get rejected by someone?”

“Something like that.” He didn’t take his eyes off his guitar as he absentmindedly answered Hyde. Kuro played a few random notes and tried to match them to the song he would often hear Mahiru hum. After he listened to him sing in the staircase, he asked him if he wanted to join his band. They needed a vocalist and his alluring voice would fit their sound well.

He hadn’t expected him to say no. He thought of how persistent and passionate Mahiru was whenever he asked him how to play the guitar. Kuro assumed that he was interested in music. He was more surprised by the rejection he felt by his answer. He only joined the band as a favour for his brother but he didn’t care about success. Something about Mahiru’s song struck him though.

He wondered if he would see him in the staircase on Monday. What would he say if he was there? The first day he met Mahiru in the staircase, Kuro was disappointed that he couldn’t sleep in his hiding place. He found himself looking forward to their short meetings now. He wanted to know more about Mahiru and to hear the song he constantly hummed.

“Nii-san!” Hyde’s voice overpowered his guitar and pulled Kuro out of his thoughts. He stood behind Kuro and shook his shoulders. “I’ve been calling your name for the last five minutes but you wouldn’t answer me! I thought Tetsu was the one with his head constantly in the clouds. Oh, never mind that. You said you were rejected! By who? I didn’t know you were interested in someone. Tell me who.”

“Shut up, Shit Rat. I can’t hear my piano when you’re yelling like that. This is supposed to be a rehearsal so gossip after we’re done.” Licht kicked Hyde to stop him from bombarding him with more questions. Admittedly, he was also a little curious about who Kuro had confessed to. He had joined the band only a month before but he saw how he acted uninterested towards most things.

When Hyde first asked if they could join the band, Licht was against it. The brothers were clearly talented but they played half-heartedly. He started the band because Misono told him about his childhood friend and he wanted to help him reconnect to music. Such half-hearted feelings wouldn’t reach his friend. In the end, Misono invited them to join the band and Licht could only accept his decision.

“I didn’t ask anyone on a date. I only asked Mahiru to become our vocalist.” He insisted. He was being truthful but a part of Kuro felt as if there was something he was hiding from his brother. Pushing aside the confusing feeling, he added: “Mahiru sang a little bit for me and his voice was beautiful. He’s always asking me about music so I thought I would be interested in joining. He said no.”

“Is this the Mahiru that Tetsu told me about? He watched your rehearsal last week.” Misono hadn’t spoken with his friend since he moved to a new school. Despite how often Mahiru helped him when they were children, he wasn’t able to do the same for him. He held the guilt for years but he told himself that he would face him again after he created a band.

When Tetsu told him that Mahiru watched their band and how he wanted to learn how to play the guitar. He thought that he might’ve moved on. Yet, it was clearly more complicated. Music was important to Mahiru and Misono didn’t want to see him give it up.

“Big Brother Neko, this article might help you. I searched up what you should do.” Tetsu held out his phone to Kuro so he could read the screen. He read the title and his face became bright red.

“This is an article about how to ask out a girl after she rejects you. I said that isn’t what happened at all. Can’t deal.” Kuro pushed the phone back into Tetsu’s hand. He doubted the tall student had intended to tease him with the article but he couldn’t stop himself from bushing. He didn’t understand why he would feel so flustered over the misunderstanding.

“Maybe you should actually take the article’s advice and ask Mahiru on another date to see our band. I want to hear him sing.” His brother was an introvert and he didn’t have a lot of friends. Hyde was curious about Mahiru and what made his brother interested in him. He appeared to be a simple student when they met at the rehearsal last week.

“You give terrible dating advice, Shit Rat. Mahiru will think Kuro’s annoying if he keeps asking him out even though he already said no. I don’t know how you’re able to find a new girlfriend each week.” Licht rolled his eyes at the brothers. “You’re half-hearted with romance, music and school. Is there anything that you’re actually interested in?”

A devilish smile spread across Hyde’s face and he winked at him. He didn’t say a single word and that irritated Licht more than any answer he could give. He jumped to his feet and his hand slammed on his electric keyboard harder than he intended. A cluster of angry notes echoed around the room. The sound reminded Licht that he shouldn’t fight Hyde with so many delicate instruments around them.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” Licht said and walked out of the studio room. The others could see that he was angry and they thought it would be pointless to talk to him before he calmed down. The only one who chased after him was Hyde.

Kuro watched them leave and shook his head. While the two would often argue with each other and have their disagreements, they didn’t appear to hate each other. “Those two need to be better at communicating with each other.”

“Speaking of communicating,” Misono said to Kuro. “Did you ask Mahiru why he doesn’t want to be our vocalist? Maybe you should talk to him about it without pushing.”

The lunch bell rang and Mahiru put away his books into his backpack. His eyes drifted to Kuro who sat a few desks in front of him. He was sleeping at his desk with his hood over his head. They texted each other over the weekend but their conversations had been short. He wanted to talk with him more but he was afraid he would become awkward if their conversation drifted to the topic of music.

Mahiru had planned to wait to see whether Kuro would go to talk with him again but it appeared that he would spend his lunch sleeping at his desk. Kuro had complimented his voice and asked him to be the singer of his band. His words made Mahiru’s heart flutter and tighten at the same time. He was happy that Kuro liked his singing yet he always felt sad when someone asked him to sing. He couldn’t have known the effect his request would have and Mahiru didn’t want to lose their new friendship over the question.

Mahiru took a deep breath before he crossed the room to Kuro’s desk. He lightly tapped on his shoulder to wake him and he groaned in response. The yawn he made sounded like a grumpy cat and laughter escaped Mahiru. His voice woke Kuro and he turned his head from where it was hidden in his arm. He was surprised to find Mahiru kneeling next to his desk.

“You shouldn’t be sleeping in class, Kuro. The teacher has given up on waking you up every few minutes but that’s not a good thing.” Mahiru lectured him and leaned against his desk. “During lunch, my friends on the soccer team will be running around the track to improve their endurance during lunch. He invited me to join him and hang out. I was hoping you’ll come with me. You slept for a good hour so you must have a lot of energy.”

Kuro hadn’t expected him to invite him to spend time with him outside of the staircase. He would only ask him to teach him how to play the guitar. Even though he didn’t like sports or exercise, Kuro nodded and stood from his desk. His silent answer made Mahiru’s face beam with a smile. The moment he put on his guitar case and stood next to him, he took Kuro’s hand and pulled him out of the classroom.

“I’m glad that you agreed so quickly, Kuro. I thought I would have to bribe you into exercising with food or something. Since I always pack too much food for myself, I’ll still share some with you. I like to cook but I rarely have a chance to share it with someone.” Mahiru led him down the hall. “Do you want to race to see who’s faster?”

“We both know that you’ll win. Please, don’t make this poor kitty run, Mahiru. I would rather just walk around the track with you anyways.” He said casually but Mahiru’s eyes widened slightly. Then, his expression softened and he nodded with a laugh. “After I spend the lunch period running, I’ll sleep through the rest of school. I hope you’re ready to take responsibility for that.”

“I don’t mind if it’s you.” He knew that Kuro was only joking with him so he flirted back. Mahiru doubted he had expected him to do so from the blush that rose onto Kuro’s neck. He chuckled lightly and then walked to the doors leading outside.

They walked outside and Mahiru enjoyed the cool breeze. He liked spending time with him in the staircase but going outside was a fun change of pace. He spotted his friend on the track field and he waved to him. Kuro saw the amount of people on the field and he hesitated slightly. Even though he was accustomed to crowds when his bands played at venues, he wasn’t the best with people.

Mahiru noticed how Kuro’s steps slowed slightly and looked up at him. He took his large hand into his and squeezed it lightly. He could feel the calluses on his fingers. “Mafuyu and the others are really nice and I’m sure you’ll get along with them. Don’t worry about feeling awkward. You don’t have any trouble talking with me so focus on that.”

“I wasn’t afraid of talking with people but the running. The track field is bigger than I thought it would be.” He said and shrugged. Mahiru’s reassurance made him feel more comfortable. He had a lot of fun simple talking with him and his presence could make running the track bearable. Kuro wondered how his siblings would react if they saw him with the soccer team.

They crossed the school yard together and Mahiru introduced him to his friends. Kuro put down his bag on the ground and leaned his guitar case against it so people wouldn’t step on it accidentally. He expected Mahiru to place his own guitar in the pile of bags. Instead, he walked onto the track and motioned for him to run with him. The guitar wasn’t heavy but it would be tiring to carry it everywhere.

He could guess that Mahiru had his reasons to keep the guitar so close to him. He didn’t want to push him by asking him why. Kuro joined him on the track field and they began to run side by side. The guitar on his back would make the jog difficult so he matched his pace with Mahiru’s. The soccer team quickly passed them and a gap formed between them.

“I’m really happy that you came with me today.” Mahiru told Kuro and smiled up at him. “For a minute, I was worried that you wouldn’t. Your band needs a singer but I said no to your invitation. You even offered to teach me how to play the guitar in exchange. I don’t think I’ll be the right person for your band though Can we still be friends? We can hang out on the track field like this.”

“I’m not upset that you said no.” He said and Mahiru let out a breath of relief. “But I don’t know if I can survive running around the track every day. Maybe we can do something more relaxing instead. I’ll teach you how to play your guitar after school. That’s less troublesome than running.”

Mahiru stopped and frowned at him. “I said I didn’t want to be a singer.”

“I don’t mind. I’ll still teach you. Playing the guitar is important to you and that’s something a friend should support.” Kuro faced him and said, “You can pay me for the lesson with food. You’re always talking about how you’re a good cook and I’m a little curious.”

He was almost knocked off his feet when Mahiru threw his arms around his neck. Kuro wrapped his arms around his waist and he managed to keep them from falling to the ground. He looked down at Mahiru and their eyes met. His brown eyes were overflowing with happiness and he never thought a sight could make his heart race. They were so close and he worried he would be able to hear his heartbeat. Mahiru cupped his face and smiled. “Thank you, Kuro.”

Kuro and Mahiru would meet in the staircase to play their guitars. He had told him that he wanted to play a particular song so he taught him how to read music sheets. The song he wanted to play didn’t have music sheets for him to reference but it helped structure the song in his head. Over the past few days, he learned so much from Kuro.

Mahiru sat on a park bench and waited for Kuro to arrive. Since it was Friday and he needed to practise with his band after school, they agreed to meet in the nearby park around eight. There were a few minutes before he should arrive so he decided to practise the chords he showed him the previous day. He took out the notes Kuro had made for him.

Kuro gave him a notebook filled with drawings of the finger position to play each note. The notebook also held other advice to help him practise while he was home. Mahiru could tell that the notebook was new and the pages warmed his heart. He acted reluctant to teach him but it was clear he cared from the effort he put into the notebook.

“Sorry, I’m late.” He heard Kuro’s voice across the park and he looked up to see him. He was out of breath when he collapsed onto the bench next to him. “I agreed to teach you how to play the guitar so I could avoid exercising but I ended up running a mile anyways. Can’t deal. Our rehearsal ended up longer than usual because Tetsu broke his guitar stick. That kid is too strong.”

“I can picture something like that.” Mahiru laughed at the image. He considered waiting at the music shop but he didn’t want to distract the band while they practised. He handed a water bottle to Kuro and said, “You didn’t need to run. I wasn’t waiting here for long. Do you think we should go to the music shop to practise? It looks like the sun will be setting sooner than usual.”

Kuro tilted his head back to the side where the sun was slowly descending from the sky. “We should have an hour before it gets too dark to play. I showed you a few chords yesterday. When I started teaching myself how to play the guitar, I just memorized the chords and went from there. I don’t know if you’ll be the same as me though. Are there any that you’re having trouble with any of them?”

“The drawings you gave me have been helpful but I’m having trouble with his one chord. My hands feel uncomfortable when I play it and it doesn’t sound right.” Mahiru adjusted his position on the park bench so he was facing Kuro. He placed his fingers on the strings where he had marked in the notebook and strummed the guitar. “It sounds flat, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t place your finger directly on the fret but behind it a little. You’ll probably be more comfortable if you use your ring finger and middle finger here instead. Hold still.” He slowly moved his fingers into the correct position. Kuro noticed how small and soft his hands were. Without thinking, he stroked his thumb over Mahiru’s fingers. “You haven’t built up any callouses yet so playing will hurt for a while. It’ll eventually get better though. If you start bleeding, I have bandages.”

His fingers were a little swollen from the metal strings but Mahiru didn’t feel the dull pain. His focus was on Kuro’s tender touch running over his fingers. Mahiru noticed that Kuro’s hands were slightly larger than his and he wondered what would happen if he held it. He knew that Kuro was only sitting close to him to help him with his technique but there was a small flutter in his stomach.

“Try playing the chord now and see if it feels better.” His voice pulled Mahiru out of his thoughts and he nodded to hide that he was distracted. He strummed the strings and watched for Kuro’s reaction in the corner of his gaze. He had a subtle smile as he ruffled his brown hair. “That sounds better. Once you feel comfortable with all of the chords, we can work on putting them together to play a song.”

“Will you stop playing with my hair, Kuro?” Mahiru pouted and smoothed his hair back into place.

They returned to playing the guitar and Kuro would give him advice occasionally. He had given him a few lessons over the week and he was surprised by how quickly he had progressed. Kuro sat back and watched Mahiru repeat the same chord. He wasn’t bored because he enjoyed watching the joy in Mahiru’s face as he played.

A string of claps broke through the moment and Kuro turned towards the person. He didn’t recognize the brunette man but there was something familiar about him. The man seemed to know Mahiru though. “I was going to surprise you by coming home early but you’re the one who surprised me. I never thought I would see that guitar again.”

Mahiru nodded and then he hastily placed the guitar back into its case as if he was hiding a secret. “I thought you were out of town with work, Uncle. You should’ve texted me if you were going to come back early. I made plans to eat at a restaurant with Kuro. I would’ve cooked something if I knew we could have a family dinner.”

“It’s okay, Mahiru. I already had dinner with my co-workers so you don’t need to worry about your old man.” He said. Kuro watched the two interact and he reasoned that the man was Mahiru’s uncle. He had told him of how he was adopted. “I know boys probably don’t want to hear something like this but you look just like your mother. You both have the same smile when you play the guitar. I’m glad that I could see it again. Why didn’t you tell me you were learning how to play?”

“I’m sorry, Uncle. I can’t talk about it right now.” Mahiru whispered. Before anyone could react, Mahiru jumped to his feet and dashed away from them. Kuro was confused by the way he suddenly ran away but he immediately ran after him.

Mahiru ran blindly through the sparse street without a destination in mind. He couldn’t face his uncle after he saw him with the guitar that didn’t belong to him. He was in a desperate haze and he didn’t hear Kuro call his name behind him. The only thing that forced him to stop was his legs giving way under him. He didn’t know how long or far he ran but the weight of emotions made him exhausted.

He thought he would fall forward but then strong arms wrapped around him from behind. Kuro’s embrace kept him from falling. Mahiru turned his face slightly to Kuro but he couldn’t see his expression because his forehead was leaned against his shoulder. He could feel his heavy breathing against his neck. He was afraid that Kuro would judge him for his reaction to his uncle’s innocent question. Others would call him emotional or dramatic for running away.

“Are you okay?” Kuro whispered against his skin and it sent a warm shiver throughout Mahiru. He leaned back against his chest and absentmindedly plucked at his guitar string. He moved out of his arms and turned around. Mahiru’s gaze didn’t leave the ground and Kuro leaned down to see his face better. His lips were pressed into a stiff line and his brown eyes were filled with sorrow. “Mahiru?”

The moment their eyes met, Mahiru faked a smile and said: “I’m sorry I made you run after you said these lessons are to avoid exercising.”

“I complain about running but I don’t really mind a little exercise.” Kuro wanted to lighten the mood with the joke but Mahiru’s expression didn’t change. The smile he wore now didn’t hold the sunlight he came to know. His heart felt uneasy and he wondered when Mahiru’s smile became so important to him. “Did you want to keep our guitar lessons a secret from your uncle?”

Mahiru bit his lip and debated if he should tell Kuro about the reason that he wanted to learn the guitar. They only met recently and his problems could be too burdensome for him. He felt Kuro’s fingers brush through his bangs and he finally looked up at him. Kuro asked, “Is it something you can’t tell me about?”

Mahiru shook his head and told him: “I don’t know how to tell people what I’m feeling. I always worry that my feelings would burden people. No one wants a boy who won’t stop crying. Other people have their own problems and it’ll be easier for everyone if I show people the reaction that they want me to see. Instead of crying, people will be more at ease if I put on a brave smile.”

Even as Mahiru smiled reassuringly to Kuro, his fingers were trembling over his guitar. “It was really sweet of you to invite me to your band but I won’t fit in, Kuro. I should’ve explained my reason the first time you asked me. For a band to succeed, you need to communicate your song’s meaning to the audience. Any song I sing will sound shallow because I’m terrible at expressing my honest feelings.”

Kuro could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He wanted to hold Mahiru in his arms and comfort him but he gripped his jacket at his side to stop himself. At the same time, he thought of their past interactions. The determination he had each time he asked him how to play the guitar. The wonder in his eyes as he listened to his band. The pain Mahiru couldn’t hide whenever he avoided Kuro’s questions about his guitar. Those were Mahiru’s honest feelings yet he belittled himself.

“You can’t express your feelings? How can you say something so stupid while smiling?” Kuro yelled without thinking and surprised them both. He couldn’t stop his thoughts from pouring out. “I could hear your feelings when you sang and it moved me. That’s the reason I invited you to the band!”

More emotions clouded Mahiru’s face: confusion, shock and uncertainty. Lastly, hope softened his eyes and overpowered the past emotions. He parted his lips slightly but the words he wanted to say didn’t leave his mouth. He felt as if there was something gripping his lungs. Kuro touched his neck and Mahiru wondered if he was still able to understand him.

“You don’t have to join the band if singing makes you feel vulnerable.” He patted his head. “We should head back to your park or else your uncle will worry. Do you want to buy a soda on the way? I’ll pay.”

“Kuro,” Mahiru whispered his name. He stepped closer to him until their toes touched and the only thing between them was his guitar. They were so close that he could count Kuro’s long eyelashes. He hadn’t noticed how beautiful his eyes were. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against his broad chest. In a soft voice, Mahiru began to sing. His song didn’t have any words but Kuro understood it’s meaning.

I’m a little uncertain but I feel safe with you. I want to try singing with your band, Kuro.

[shadyafternoontea]

Reconnect (Riku x F!Reader)

So a million years ago, I had this insanely vivid dream, woke up, keyboard smashed out the dream, and then just forgot I wrote it.  Fast forward 1.5 years when I discovered it in my writing folder that I was organizing on a new laptop.  This is a Riku x reader fic, and in my dream, Riku looked--idk--mid-30s? With a build like Dante (Devil May Cry). Was I reading @tehrevving smut at the time? Honestly, I don’t remember, but I probably was. But if you are thirsty for Riku, here you have it. There is like minimal/zero editing from my keyboard smash, so sorry.

Smutty smut under the cut from your girl. 

@proximitybobomb @sunflowergem sorry I kept y’all hanging since...Sep 2019. My bad.

You smiled pleasantly at the people around you headed to the same party as you. Everyone was dressed well, looking dashing in suits and flouncy dresses in an explosion of color. It was a beautiful evening outside, but you felt cold though you weren’t quite sure why. You rubbed your arms as you passed one of the rooms to your left in the venue. You glanced into the room and your gaze caught on a pair of cerulean eyes that captured yours the moment you looked that way.

You didn’t remember stopping to stare. You didn’t feel the woman behind you stumble into you at your sudden stop or the pull of the gossamer fabric at your shoulder, threatening to rip, as the woman stepped on the trail of your dress in her attempt to re-steady herself. You didn’t hear the stuttered apologies as you turned and walked. The woman barely managed to step off your dress before it genuinely ripped—not that you would have even noticed at this point.

The lively clamor of the party died to a dull noise in your ear because you could hear nothing, see no one except the one man you had dreamt about for years but had left.  He smiled, but it never reached his eyes. He had changed from the last time you had seen him years and years ago. He was taller, so much broader than before, and the crispness of his black suit accentuated the width of his shoulders. There were a few crows feet around the eyes now, but the piercing gaze was as clear as ever.

“Riku.”

When he spoke your name in return, the syllables sounded as beautiful as ever from his lips. You were always weak for this man.

His gaze chased your face, and you couldn’t look away from their depths. He was always so handsome, but it was his eyes that never failed to capture your attention. They were somber now, the mirth you used to remember reflected within their depths faded.  His arm twitched, as if he wanted to reach out for you but thought better of it.

The jerking motion broke the hold of his hypnotizing gaze so you could see the rest of him. He looked even more handsome up close, the clean structure of his suit stretching over his solid build. He was clean shaven as usual, but perhaps you could detect the faint shadow of facial hair when there hadn’t been any when he had been younger. His hair was silver as ever, cut just above the shoulder like it had been when he was young. Your heart clenched at seeing him here, wanting something you had tried all these years to stop wanting.

“I didn’t think you’d be here,” you said.

“I wanted to see you.”

And just like that, with a straightforwardness only he had, the cards were laid out.

A disbelieving laugh escaped from your lips even as your heart stuttered at the exclamation.

“After all these years?”

It was a dumb question, and you knew it even as you heard yourself say them. You had wanted him every day for the better part of the last decade. You hadn’t stopped just because he had left without any promise of coming back to you.

“I’d want you forever.”

You swiped angrily at the tears in your eyes. “Fuck, Riku, why do you always do this to me?”

There were arms wrapping around you, pulling you into a warmth both familiar and strange now. It felt so good to be in his arms, surrounded by his heat and solidity.

“You’re the one who left,” you sniffled. It had hurt so much when the two of you had decided to part ways.

You didn’t fight when he used a hand to pull your own hand away from your eyes or when you felt the warm touch under your chin to tilt your head up. You couldn’t stop the electricity from shooting through you when the warmth of his lips descended on your own.  The kiss was short and chaste, nothing more than a comforting press of pressure against your lips, but you could feel it—the feel of your heart racing, the warmth spreading through your limbs, and that hope you hated suffuse your heart.

“I made a mistake, like I always do,” he said, the hard edge of self-deprecation creeping into his voice.  “I thought I was making the best decision for your safety, and it’s taken me this long to grow into some semblance of a man who understands that the only person who should have made a decision for your well-being was you.”

“And now you want me to forget all these years and be with you?”

He had the humility to look abashed. “No, but I’ve kicked myself for losing these years with you, and I figure I could at least have the sense to not waste the rest.”

You teared up again, hating the hope and the warm flood of emotion that threatened to emotionally overwhelming you. As you fought against the tears, Riku was already gently leading you to a small hallway and an alcove you wouldn’t have even seen, hidden by the large shrubs outside and the cordoned off hallway outside the room.  

Before you quite knew where he was leading you, he had you against a wood paneled wall, curving around you, arms holding you into his own body. He was so tall now compared to when you were younger, that he quite literally surrounded you with his body even as his heat penetrated your thin layer of fabric.

His lips were at your ear. “What can I do to show you I’m serious?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before his lips trailed the span of your neck. You could feel the smirk against your skin when the color climbed your skin.

Fuck.

He pulled away though before he went further. A large hand cupped your cheek, and you looked into his eyes. There were like you remembered before—clear, but they were darker now, the pupils dilated. A shock of exhilaration went through you—he made you feel alive when he looked at you like that.

You should have pushed him away and told him that he had lost his chance.

You tilted your head up instead and kissed him. The change of his grip on you was instantaneous. The hard back of the wall pressed into you as the hard planes of Riku’s body pressed into the front of you body.  He pulled way briefly to rest his forehead on yours. You were pleased to the color in his cheeks, easily noticeable against his alabaster skin, and the slight tremor of his hands where they cupped your cheeks.

“What do you want me to do?”

You gulped as the feel of his body against yours and the feel of his arousal pressing into your stomach made you feel heady and dizzy with the anticipation of pleasure.

Fuck it.

“I want you to take me.”

You barely got the words out before he mouth covered yours and he deepened the kiss. Hands left your cheeks though you could feel the imprint of their warmth still and swept down the curve of your body. The trace of his hands over the side of your body, only grazing your breast made you release a frustrated noise into the kiss. But when he corrected his path to sweep back up and graze your covered nipples with your thumb, you broke the kiss and titled your head back with a gasp.

As touches went, you weren’t ever this over-sensitive, but the feel of Riku touching you had you trembling in anticipation like it was your first time. His lips traced the line of your jaw and then trailed down your neck, stopping to nibble and suck at the sensitive skin at the junction of your neck and shoulder. You gasped at the sharp press of his teeth at the skin at the swell of your breast and then moaned when he soothed the bite with his tongue.

His hands traveled over the curve of your ass and down your thighs to the side, bunching up your dress and pulling the fabric upwards to reveal the smooth skin of your thighs. The cool air hitting your legs did little to quench the way you felt too warm.

You were flushed when he kneeled and you could feel the traveling soft pressure of his lips descend. You clenched at the sudden feeling of the heat of his hands against the bare skin of the back of your thighs when they slipped underneath your dress. You jolted when the tips of his fingers grazed your pelvic bone at the waistband of your underwear. He slipped them down your legs, helping you take one foot out. You'd have taken the other out, but he was too fast and had already disappeared under the sheer fabric of your dress. You clamped a hand to your mouth just in time before you gave a loud moan when he licked you.  

He hadn’t forgotten what you liked, and when he slipped two fingers into you, you clenched around his fingers hard, your gasps and moans thankfully muffled behind your hand.  You would have wondered how he managed to remember after all these years, but he always was very talented in whatever he did.

You began to ride that swell of pleasure right before you reached the point of no return. He slowed down to prolong your edge, and then chuckled when you gave a groan when he stopped. You twitched around his fingers as he slowly withdrew them so you wouldn’t go over. Your nerves felt frayed at being the denied the release you were craving, but you craved him more and he knew.

Dazed and breathing heavy, you watched him look up at you and pierce you with his gaze as he licked his fingers clean. When he rose, he managed to undo his slacks with one hand while he pulled your hand away from your mouth. You bit your lip when you saw his cock, but you didn’t have a chance to mull over how much you had missed it before you were lifted, your underwear still dangling off one foot rather comically.  You wrapped your legs around his waist, impressed by his strength.

He held you above him, the head of his cock brushing against your entrance. The feeling was tantalizing and you moved as much as you could against it.  He nipped your throat in response.

“Tell me what you want,” he murmured against your skin.

“Riku, p-please.”

“Tell me,” he said insistently, “and I’ll give it to you.”

“I need you in me—I need you to fuck me. Please!”

It seemed that was enough. He thrust against you slowly, groaning at the feel of entering you for the first time in years.  The stretch burned, but you wanted more of him. You wanted to take all of him. You gave a short groan of frustration when it seemed he couldn’t go any more.

He gave a soft chuckle at you and raised his head to look at you.  He gave a look of appreciation at the way your head was titled back against the wooden panel, mouth slightly agape and softly panting, and the way the blush of color had spread all across your face and neck.

“Hey, look at me.”

You obeyed, flexing your head forward and meeting his gaze, as unfocused as yours.

He pushed forward slowly and met more resistance.

“I can’t—”

“Hush, it’s okay.”

He leaned forward and kissed you, working in with shallow thrusts that had you moaning into his mouth at the sensation of fullness. You tangled your hands into his hair and pulled him more securely into you. You relaxed, and then gave a moan of surprise when he closed the last remaining distance between the two of you and buried himself fully.

He kept still for a brief moment, letting you acclimate. You let him feast on kisses while you relaxed around his length.

“I love how you feel around me,” he murmured against your lips when he finally started to move. “So fucking good.”

You made some non-coherent noise in response to his slow, hard thrusts. A fast stroke and then a slow deep slide into you had you clenching around him. He picked up the pace, burying his head into your neck, thrusts hitting harder.  The angle had him grazing the peak of your sex with every thrust, and it had you panting appreciatively into his ear.  It had been so long since you’d had him in you. Every nerve felt primed and over-sensitive. The heat of his breath striking your neck to the feel of his suiting jacket against your exposed shoulder to the feel of him inside you stoking that fire that had been quenched for so goddamn long had you arching against him in pleasure.

You let go of his hair with one hand, smoothing it roughly down his back to keep him pressed to you.

He felt you fluttering around him and slowed down, pulling away to look at you, a smile pulling at his lips at how flushed and dazed you looked.

“Better tell me when you’re coming, sweetheart.”

You managed a nod before he picked up the pace again. It didn’t take you long before you the rise of pleasure rose, and this time he kept going, taking you swiftly past that point of no return, determined to make you cry out his name.

“I-I’m cum—” you couldn’t even get out your sentence before you fell over that precipice. “Ri—” You gasped against his neck as your entire body tightened and your most intimate muscles clenched over and over and the pressure of his cock inside you sent you flying even higher.

Riku clenched his teeth against his orgasm as he felt the way you gripped him. He could barely thrust against you with how tight you had become, but finally, he couldn’t help it as you finished riding that high. He thrust hard and as your body clenched hard around him once more, he couldn’t help coming then, spilling inside you with a satisfaction he hadn’t known in years.

You barely heard him curse against your neck with the way blood pounded in your ears, but it sounded highly complimentary. You both shook at the force of your orgasms, foreheads buried into the other’s necks. It was a comforting feeling to still have him inside you as you came down from your high. When you could muster the energy to move, you pulled away, both hands coming up to cup his face and tilt his head back towards you.

You kissed him softly, warmth spreading inside you as he kissed you back. It wasn’t long—you both needed air.  Riku untangled your legs from his waist, slipping out of the warm confines of your body, and set you down, keeping a tight grip on your waist as your legs wobbled. You tucked him back with still shaky hands, wondering what he was going to do about his slacks. You looked down farther to see your underwear still dangling on one foot.

You couldn’t stop the giggles at the situation, but then felt mortified when the giggles turned into sobs.

With the acute pain of regret of ever hurting you, he held you to him, running a soothing hand on your back.

“I—miss—missed—y-you,” you hiccuped into his chest.

“I missed you too,” he murmured into your ear. He held you securely against himself until your tears stopped and you had ruined his white shirt with your makeup.

He lead you to the bench set on the far side of the room, which you first attempted to reach on wobbly legs before Riku nixed that idea and swept you up. He set you down gently, kneeling in front of you. He gently swatted away your hands from your eyes and used his own handkerchief to gently wipe away your tears and ruined eye makeup.

You looked ridiculous. You had never been more beautiful.

He hadn’t seen you in years, and here you were, looking radiant as ever, grown into your own being, and you hadn’t pushed him away. He was humbled and a little more than ashamed that he had been the cause of your sadness.

In an uncharacteristic moment, he stammered out his apology as you finished sniffling. “I’m sorry.” He couldn’t bring himself to meet your eyes; instead, he looked at where his handkerchief rested in your lap.

“Will you stay with me?”

He met your gaze then, a hand coming up to cup your cheek. His heart warmed when you instinctively leaned into him.

“As long as you want me,” he answered truthfully.

You gave a short laugh amidst the sniffles at the sheer absurdity your day had taken. But here he was, very much in your presence, willing to correct the mistake of your past.

“I want you always, silly man.”

His lips quirked up and then broke out in a silly smile reminiscent of his youth. “You call me silly,” he said as his hands ran down the calf of your leg. Your breathing quickened and the sensual feel of his hands gliding down the length of your lower leg. Until they hooked onto your panties and gave a playful tug.

You snorted, mood rapidly improving. “That, sir, is your fault. You couldn’t let me shake it off before distracting me.”

“I can’t help it when all I wanted to do was be buried inside you.”

You sputtered at his boldness. He was much more a tease than he had been before, if that was even possible.

“You play so dirty!”

“You’re calling me dirty,” he said, working your other leg back into your underwear and sliding them back up, “when you’re the one sitting there with my cum between your legs.”

Your cheeks burned as you stood up, hypersensitive of the sticky remnants of the two of you between your thighs. He looked up at you, eyes burning with desire as he slid your underwear the rest of the way. His hands rested a little too long on the curve of your ass when he was done, and then his hands were gone.

He rose and then frowned when he saw you: your hair was a mess, there was a stain on your dress, and a very noticeable hickey blossoming on your neck.  You looked hot as fuck, and he couldn’t wait until he could take you again, but perhaps this was not the best setting. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and slipped it onto a surprised you.

“Maybe we should get leave.”

You raised an eyebrow at the mark on his slacks. “You think?”

He followed your gaze and groaned.  “Looks like we both got wrecked.”

“You’re still the same, you know that?”

He leveled a cheesy smile at you. “If you mean hopelessly in love with you, then you’re right.”

“I love you too, Riku,” you replied. You closed the distance between him, settling your head against his shoulder and wrapping your arms around him. He was more than happy to wrap his own around you and secure you against him. “Don’t you dare try to leave again.”

He only smiled, wrapping his arms tighter around you. “Not without dragging you with me, I promise.”

He needed to find a way to get them both out, but for the moment, he only held you closer, content to enjoy the peace for which he had been searching for years.

[randomly-random-jen]

Avatar the Last Airbender fic - Avatar Katara AU

To go along with this post: South Pole AU...

On the same night, using my phone, I also wrote over 8,000 words to this Avatar Katar AU. I had a lot of fun worldbuilding the Southern Water Tribe and what life would have been like for Katara had her mother not been murdered, along with coming up with friends for her and Sokka. And, yes, this means Aang was found and died 11 years before the story starts, but he makes appearances in Katara's dreams a lot.

Just thought I'd share what I have written and maybe motivate myself to finish more of it.

South Pole

The Southern Water Tribe lived in a constant state of fear. Her parents tried to act like nothing was wrong, but Katara heard their worried, hushed conversations with Gran-Gran all the same. How could she not worry when words like war and raids and Fire Nation peppered their midnight talks?

Katara, like the few other children of the tribe, knew the stories of the raids. The Fire Nation had routinely come looking for waterbenders, but then suddenly eleven years ago, the raids stopped. That was the night the beams of bright, white light lit the sky in all four nations. A bad omen the elders called it.

That was the night Katara was born, and being born under a bad omen was about as dreadful as you could imagine.

"Katara, dear," her mother called, "you'll be late for school."

Katara quickly dropped the tendril of water extending from her fingers back into the basin just as her mother poked her head into the room she shared with her brother.

"What are you doing?"

"Just washing my hands," she said innocently, holding up her wet hand as evidence.

Her mom shook her head. "Well, hurry up."

Katara let out a sigh of relief, heart pounding in her chest, as she ran to the front door and wiggled into her coat and squeezed her feet into her too-small boots. "Bye, I love you, Mom," she called over her shoulder then hurried out the door.

It was early winter at the South Pole which meant despite the hour, the sun was still low on the horizon, giving the sky a hazy, dusk feeling. It would be like this for the next six months before the sun would rise again fiving way to six months of day.

The schoolhouse was a large, squat building made of ice in the center of the village. The boys attended classes in the morning so they would be free to help with the fishing later in the day while Katara and the other girls had a scant two hours of classes during the afternoon—squeezed in between morning and evening chores.

Katara never minded helping her mother and Gran-Gran with the chores, but she cherished the couple of hours she got to read and learn new things, especially about the outside world. A world she would never get to see. But that was okay, she thought, as long as she had her family and her imagination.

The boys were already tumbling out of the door, yelling and shoving each other in their excitement to be free. Katara quickly gathered a handful of snow, looking for her brother, but before she could pick him out in the crowd, a mass of slush landed mostly in her right ear. She squawked in surprise, tripping over her own feet and landing in the snow.

Sokka and his friends laughed at her humiliation. You'd think she'd be used to it by now. One of these days she would get him first.

Sokka extended a hand down to help her up. "Nice try, kid," he said as she dug snow out of her ear. "It's cute how hard you try."

"You're only a year older than me!"

"That's not why I'm better than you. It's because I'm a boy and you're a girl and that's just how things are."

A growl of frustration built in the back of her throat. She hated when Sokka acted like he was so much smarter than her just because he was a boy. Like that made a difference. "Ugh," she shouted as they walked away still laughing. "Why do you have to be so… so condescending?"

Sokka glanced over his shoulder. "That's not even a word."

"It is, too," she yelled. She had learned it in school last week and was pretty sure she used it correctly—she'd check the dictionary scrolls to be sure, though. Wiping more snow from her hair, she headed inside.

Three older girls were huddled together poring over a well-worn scroll in the corner where the large dictionary scrolls were kept on special rolls. Curious, Katara peeked over the arm of one of them. The scroll was old and weathered so not from the school. She only had time to read a few words of the title—something about love and dragons. Gross—before she was shoved away.

"You're too little for this," Seena said. "You wouldn't understand." The other girls laughed.

Katara stomped over to the dictionary and spun the wheels, winding the scroll from one giant roll to the other, until she got to the correct word. Ha! She did use it correctly. She stuck her tongue out at the equally condescending older girls since Sokka wasn't there. They didn't notice, but her friend Kita gave her a weird look.

Kita was six months older than Katara and had a huge crush on Sokka. At least that's what Kita always told her. Katara wasn't exactly sure what a crush was, but it entailed a lot of blushing and giggling on Kita's part. Sokka didn't seem to notice.

She joined Kita on the fur-covered floor just as the teacher arrived with her new son, Haran, in a wrap across her chest. The infant mewed softly, getting the attention of the youngest kids who just adored babies. The older girls fought over who would get to hold him first if he got fussy during class. Katara groaned knowing they wouldn't learn anything today with the baby there.

"I'm going to have four kids," Kita said, playing with her hair. "Two boys and two girls."

Katara frowned, thinking about having a sister and extra brother squeezed into their tiny room. It sounded awful. She was about to say so but Kita continued.

"It'll be perfect. We'll get married at sixteen and have our first at seventeen. A boy, of course."

"I don't think you get to choose," Katara muttered, but her friend still wasn't listening. Katara likewise tuned her out until she heard her brother's name. "Huh?"

Kita rolled her eyes then leaned close. "I said don't you think we'll make cute babies together?" She signed dramatically at Katara's continued confusion. "Me and Sokka."

Katara blinked at her as the reality of her words set in. "You wanna have babies with my brother?" she practically shouted. All she could think was "why?" and "gross."

The room went quiet, all eyes on them. The color drained from Katara's face as Kita's went scarlet. "I swear, you're such a child, Katara," her friend yelled, hopping to her feet. "You don't understand anything."

Katara wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Instead, she ran from the school. Nobody followed her.

I'll probably add more to this later. I have 8k words started, but it takes a while to edit when a lot of my keys don't work on my keyboard (editing on my phone is just as frustrating and slow). Stay tuned.

[jj-ktae]

·9· Omniscient - Prompt Game -

Title : Omniscient Pairing : Park Jinyoung x Fem!Reader Genre : Ennemies to lovers, fluff, angst. Words : 2588 Summary : Jinyoung has always been here, aware and knowing of everything about you. You can’t stand his pettiness and judgemental stare but when you hear about him moving abroad, you agree to work for his uncle’s company. You don’t expect him to come back and make your life miserable again.

Prompt :

11. “Oh, how I wonder why you’re so annoying yet so attractive.” 32. “Then just kiss me…”

--

Omniscient 

He is back. 

Out of everyone you don’t wish to see, the worst of them is before you. He makes you take a deep breath and close your eyes, doing your best not to burst out in tears because of course it could only be him.

Why the fuck did you accept the job at his uncle’s company?

You seriously thought this wouldn’t happen. Jinyoung had a big mouth about ambition and leaving this hell-hole he called home. He used to laugh evilly at your mediocre grades, his eyes looking at you with pure disgust as he muttered how hard life was going to be if you kept doing so poorly. 

You would shove him away every single time, chirping insults and making him laugh harder.

Oh, Jinyoung loved riling you up. 

Your office turns smaller than it is as you consume the oxygen faster than intended. The memories are way more infuriating than saddening. You feel like you were bullied, hated. 

Jinyoung was always behind you, whenever you failed or succeeded. He started as playful and petty, with witty words and knowing smiles. You thought nothing of it, too focused on your personal issues to deal with that little spoiled bitch. 

He never crossed the line and simply worked on making you feel miserable without succeeding. Today though, he went too far. Maybe it’s not him who decided to take the position as the editorial director but in the end, it’s Park Jinyoung making feel like crap. As always.

A knock on your opened door makes you look at it, sighing in defeat as a smiling Jinyoung appears, waving softly. 

“I refused to believe it when I heard you were working here.” He muses, walking deeper into your office. 

You don’t answer, eyes transfixed on him as you nod in defeat. What can you say? Anger pleases him, crying would result in him mocking you and complaining is useless as he is the big boss’ nephew.

You are screwed and even finding a job somewhere else would probably be a big fail. Jinyoung would never write a recommendation letter and would rather torment you for the sake of entertainment. 

You see him stop in front of your office, blinking. “Are you okay? Shocked to see me?” he smiles but it’s not genuine. You know Jinyoung, you’ve seen enough of his face to know he has amazing acting skills. 

“I don’t want to talk to you. I hate that you’re always somewhere in my life, working hard to make it miserable. Stop with the fake smile, no one’s here.” You try to be as collected as you can, getting up and grabbing folders.

Jinyoung doesn’t seem to enjoy the way you talk to him and crosses his arms over his chest. “Wow, I was ready to be real nice, but I guess you’re asking for more.” 

You snort, turning around and stopping, “Whatever you say, Jinyoungie.” Your fake smile turns into a glare before you walk away. 

-- 

Jinyoung acts exactly the way you predicted. He gives you a huge amount of work, makes you stay way longer than the others and is never satisfied with whatever you do. 

He sends long emails with whatever needs to be changed, let it be in the week-end or during the night. 

He lets you have a break only when he feels like it, which results in you barely getting any rest. Your colleagues seem to have it easier and even get along with Jinyoung, who smiles sweetly at every secretary and shakes everyone’s hand. He buys lunch for everyone and more often than not you reject the invitation, earning a smirk.

It’s at the end of the second month since he arrived that you decide to take the matter into your hands. You start looking around for another job, between heavy folders thrown onto your desk and endless emails. 

And it pays. You get one interview. They don’t need a recommendation letter; they don’t even seem to care about who is supervising your work and oh god you might finally be able to escape that bastard.

The interview goes well, so well that you receive an email, a week later. You don’t get the job. 

It doesn’t explain why, but there’s a line about your current company and you don’t even need to read it fully to understand a certain someone sabotaged your plan, again.

“So, you’re looking for another job?” The annoying voice stops you at the worst moment, your eyes leaving the screen. “Thank god I know Jackson enough, he looked very interested in hiring you.”

He is almost mad, like you’re married and he caught you flirting with another man. 

“Don’t be jealous, that manager was too sweet to even compete with you. You’re still the number one bastard in my heart.” You ignore his presence once more, opening another folder to continue your job. 

You hear a sigh, followed by a hand on your office, “I’m sweet when people deserve my sweetness. You obviously don’t.”

“Oh and I’m so damn sad not to be worthy of your kindness…” You fake obviously, rolling your eyes and typing on your keyboard in hope he’d leave.

But Jinyoung doesn’t leave. He laughs, even. “Wow, you really do hate me.” He seems bewildered. 

You finally look up, frowning. “And you don’t? You’re hating me so much that you’d go as far as destroy my future, just like you did with my past. Oh, and let’s not talk about how you’re a pain in the ass in my present, too.” You shake your head, “You know what, let’s not fight. You like it too much when I get mad. I’ll just resign and fly the country.”

“Sounds a bit drastic to me.” 

You get up so fast that Jinyoung almost takes a step back. “Stop it. Stop talking to me. Just be a bastard like you always do until I leave.”

“You know, I never pictured us ending up that way.” Jinyoung says, hands now into his pockets.

Your eyebrows raise and you turn around, shocked. “And whose fault is that? What did I ever do to you? I’ve been minding my own business since we were 6 and you put glue into my hair and told everyone I was the one who did this to myself. Shall I go on and list everything?” 

“And you said nothing. The day after, with your hair messy and bloodshot eyes you entered the classroom and didn’t even take revenge. You ignored me.” Jinyoung states. 

You make a face, disturbed to the point of crying but fighting the tears away. “What is your point?”

“Why did you always avoid the fight? I want to hate you so bad but you don’t give me any reason to. You just hate me to the point of leaving. Why don’t you just slap the shit out of me instead?” He tries to explain, making no sense at all.

“Why the fuck did you even want to hate me?” Jinyoung can’t be serious, he can’t be saying he was actually doing all this on purpose so that you would hate him and fight back? 

Jinyoung sighs, eyes closing slowly. “You seriously don’t know why I would always be around you all the damn time? You can’t be this oblivious.”

“Oblivious of what? You were – and still are- a little shit. What did I possibly miss?”

Jinyoung laughs, loudly. His hand appears before his lips, hiding his teeth. “Jeez, you insult me more than you call my name.”

“That’s not funny.” You snarl, teeth gritted.

“You annoyed me. You annoyed me because you were flawless. Oh look, Y/N brought cookies! Oh my, her dress is so pretty! Look at her face, she has such cute dimples.”

You open your mouth, now completely lost. “What, you wanted to be popular? You were jealous? That’s ridiculous, you’re being ridiculous.”

“Shut up, it had nothing to do with popularity.” Jinyoung cuts, frowning, “Oh, how I wonder why you’re so annoying yet so attractive.” He spills, running a hand through his hair and stopping when his eyes find yours.


“What did you just say? Are you a psychopath or something?” You ask quietly, now a little bit concerned because Jinyoung just said you were attractive. 

If you’re being honest, he is good-looking. He didn’t change that much but looks more built and adult now. Too bad he is a complete asshole.

Jinyoung looks at with that same judgemental face, the one you hate so much, “When I first saw you, I came back home and told my mom I had found the prettiest girl in the universe. She made fun of me and said I still had time to explore the universe but I refused to changed my mind. You were too nice to me at first but then I discovered you were nice to everyone. You also had a crush on Jaebum because he would give you apples? I mean come on, apples?” He doesn’t know why he spills everything. Maybe it’s the thought of you leaving that makes him explain why he had been to adamant to make you feel like shit.

“So I decided to stop looking at you. The six years-old me tried everything but you followed me, you were in the same class the year after and I couldn’t do nothing but stare at you. I couldn’t stop thinking about the prettiest girl in the universe because I’m a fool.”

“I don’t understand a thing you’re saying, Jinyoung.” You try, sitting back in your chair slowly. 

The way you finally call his name makes him open his mouth, mad at the effect it still has over him. 

His tongue hits the inside of his cheeks briefly. “I thought it would be easier if you were to hate me. If it came from you, then I’d have no choice but to move on, right? So I started being a little bastard. I put glue in your hair even though I didn’t want to and told everyone you were playing with it acting like it was bleach. I went back home that day and I cried so freaking hard. I was hating myself and I could barely sleep thinking about how mad you’d be. But you said nothing. You threw me a dirty look and grabbed yet another apple handed by Jaebum to make you feel better.” 

“Wait, why do I feel like it’s my fault again? Couldn’t you confess like a normal kid? Did you have to bully me through school?” He must be crazy, there’s no other way he is standing here and explaining he had been acting this way because he was in love with you.

Jinyoung sighs. “I’d hardly call that bullying. Why do you think I turned on the lights at Mark’s party while that bastard from the football team was harassing you? Who do you think made you sit on mud so that it would cover the-”

“-the bloodstains on my jeans because of my perio- Wait, you saw that?” You finish the sentence, shocked and now embarrassed. 

“I saw everything. I noticed everything, from the way you were trying to control yourself so you wouldn’t beat the shit out of me, to how you’d cry sometimes, thinking I was hating you for free. I had no idea you were working for my uncle. I had no idea where you were and I was convincing me it was fine because even though you never fought back, I was pretty sure you were hating me. It didn’t make me feel better, though.”

“Why?” You dare to ask, you’re not sure you want to know why, but things took a weird turn and you suddenly need answers.

Jinyoung looks up, his face overly serious and eyes deep with something you had never seen in his eyes. “Because even though I succeeded, even though you hate me and I can finally move on, all I can see is the prettiest girl in the universe, every time you’re in front of me.”

He makes you blush uncontrollably, the words going out quicker than intended. “Hold on, it’s too much information. I feel like I was lied to all these years.” Your elbows find your office so you can rest your head into your palms. “You’re telling me you’re still in love with me? I- I just don’t get why you never conf-

“Confessed?” Jinyoung laughs again, earning your attention back. “Would you have believed me? Do you even believe me now?” he tries, almost hopeful.

“I’m not sure I do. You’ve always been a great actor, just like when you told me the math test was cancelled and I believed you and failed big time.” You explain, almost pouting. 

Jinyoung smiles, his eyes turning into crescents. “You’re just awfully gullible.”

You shake your head, almost hurt by the fact that he’d make this up just to embarrass you. “This is exactly why I hate you, Jinyoung. Even now, you’re playing with me.”

He is quick to raise two defensive hands in front of him. “I mean it! You are gullible but that doesn’t change how I feel!”

“And what do I do with that information? Even if it’s true what do you expect me to do?” You get up rapidly, sending your hair against the wall. 

Jinyoung seems helpless and for the first time in your whole life, you see a bit a weakness within his annoying overconfidence. “It is true. I don’t except you to do anything about it. I just told you because you said you’d leave. If you want me to stop talking to you, I will, only if you believe me and take this seriously.”

“I’m not going to listen to your bullshit, you’re probably recording this and you’ll send it to everyone within the next hour to embarrass me. It’s not going to work.” You conclude, ready to leave your office and hide somewhere else.

Jinyoung grabs your arm before you can escape. “How do you want me to prove it to you?”

“You don’t love me Jinyoung. If you did, I wouldn’t have ended up crying because of you. This is not love, this is cruelty.” 

Jinyoung cracks his neck, slowly. “I said, how do you want me to prove it to you?”

“Then kiss me.”

He freezes, his hand letting your arm go instantly. “What?” Jinyoung says shakily, his voice quivering with anticipation in spite of the situation. 

“Go ahead. If you really do love me, you must be dying to kiss me –oomf”

You can’t believe it. Is Park Jinyoung kissing you? The guy who has been making fun of you for as long as you can remember? That little piece of shit? 

And damn he seems to be enjoying himself. You can feel it from the way he grabbed your face and how close his body his. He takes his time feeling you with his mouth and even sighs when you automatically kiss him back. 

It is pleasing. Kissing Park Jinyoung is pleasing. Who would have thought. The guy spitting venom all day long does taste rather sweet.

He parts from you with difficulty, breath raged and eyes closed in an attempt to keep control. His body doesn’t leave your side, just like his hands, glued to your scalp and waist. 

After a while, he chuckles, his baby face back and pettiness out the window.

“I can’t believe I kissed the prettiest girl in the universe…”

He looks ecstatic.