#i have to try and find one he 1) hasn’t read and 2) wouldn’t buy for himself but 3) he’ll still love!!

[pancakehouse]

going to the bookstore tonight to pick out all the little books im gifting my friends and family my absolute favorite part of christmas shopping im soooo excited teehee

[antisocialmastermind]

Chapter 8

Chap 1 Chap 2 Chap 3 Chap 4 Chap 5 Chap 6 Chap 7 on Ao3

Day 8: DRAIATN = radiant

Elliott doesn’t come home all weekend. Once Kurt’s texted to make sure his roommate is actually alive, he finds himself hoping that Elliott and Sebastian are working through their shit. The Friday phone call had sounded strained from Kurt’s perspective, but surely they can’t be fighting for an entire weekend. Elliott would just come home if that were the case, and he hasn’t. Which is good. Kurt hopes. Even if he’s a little freaked out by his unexpectedly empty apartment.

Kurt considers the strange match of Elliott and Sebastian. He’ll never understand how the quirky, creative, passionate soul that is his best friend could be so drawn to such a buttoned-up, upper-crusty type as Sebastian. But he is. And it’s none of Kurt’s business, this yin and yang dynamic he assumes they have.

So he lets it go, hoping for the best.

He keeps busy all weekend. He cleans the apartment and cooks – spinach-sausage lasagna and a seafood gumbo – so that he and Elliott have reheatable dinners for the week. He does laundry. He sketches a little and sources some raw silk he wants to use in his next piece.

It’s finally Monday. He’s behind the desk at the gallery, nose glued to the laptop screen, when he hears the door whssk open and lifts his head. “Welcome to Muse–” he begins automatically, but cuts himself off when he sees a gigantic mass of orange and burgundy roses marching its way toward him. 

The roses alight on the desk in front of him before their bearer, a tiny woman with lovely green eyes, pokes her head around the enormous bouquet and announces, “Delivery for … Kurt Hummel?” She plonks a small card in front of Kurt and marches back toward the door, where she turns and gazes back at him with interest. “Are you Kurt?” she queries.

When Kurt nods his response, her head tilts slightly to one side. “Burgundy and orange,” she says, and he swears her tone is envious. “You’re doing something right.” And then she’s gone with another little swish of the gallery door. 

Kurt has no idea what the hell that means. 

The roses are amazing. Extraordinary, even. The burgundy roses are so much deeper and richer than typical red ones, and the orange are fiery and intense. There are easily two dozen here – no Baby’s Breath or filler. Just dozens of radiant, luscious-smelling blooms packed tightly together in a large glass vase. The contrast of the two colors together is breathtaking.

The tiny envelope in front him definitely has his name on it. He turns it over and over in his fingers, then puts it back on the desk and turns to the laptop, pecking out a quick query. Orange roses mean ‘fascination, enthusiasm and desire,’ according to the website he’s pulled up, while burgundy roses signify ‘devotion and deep passion.’ 

Passion. No way.

He finally slides his finger under the flap of the envelope and pulls out the creamy cardstock inside. The handwritten note reads simply, I’m afraid it’s I who made a poor first impression. Reconsider. Dinner? —Blaine.

No way.

Without thinking, Kurt drags the bouquet closer and buries his nose in it. The roses smell almost as good as the man himself, and while he can’t help but frown at the ostentation, his heart is fluttering in his chest like a caged bird. No-one’s ever made such a dramatic overture to him before. Is he wrong about Blaine Anderson?

Does it matter?

Even if the man is every bit the starched, superior, arrogant person he seems, he’s obviously serious in his pursuit of Kurt. Would one date be such a terrible idea? Or is he trying to buy Kurt’s affection? Is Kurt a class-A jerk if he wants to have dinner with Blaine Anderson just because he’d probably get an excellent meal out of it? 

He’s indulging this internal monologue, still nose-deep in the large vase, when Elliott swans into the gallery from the back. 

“Jesus,” he cracks when he sees the roses. “Who’d you blow last night?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Kurt parries. “Good weekend?”

“Not as good as yours, apparently,” Elliott replies with his most dazzling grin.

“They’re from Blaine,” Kurt tells him. It takes a moment for Elliott’s face to shift from blank confusion to shock.

“Blaine?” he squeaks. “ Anderson?”

“The very same.” Kurt adjusts the vase on the desk and turns back to the computer.

“Jesus,” Elliott says again. “Did you …”

“No,” says Kurt. “But apparently he wants me to. Badly.”

Elliott barks a surprised laugh. “Blaine Anderson,” he murmurs, “as in B.D. Anderson. As in the guy who’s bought two of my paintings. Of you.”

That brings Kurt up short. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he declares, glancing at the roses again.

“Time to start,” Elliott smiles. “I’ll be out back.” He stops to smell Kurt’s roses before disappearing back to the studio.

****

The afternoon gets absurdly busy for a Monday in an art gallery, and Kurt doesn’t have much time to think about anything. He directs several patrons to works he thinks will interest them and provides artists’ bios to a number of browsers. He sells one of Serena’s works to an enthusiastic couple who have apparently been closely following her career. He sticks a red dot onto the title card to indicate that the piece has been sold and opens up the ArtLogic software to record the sale.

That’s when he sees that two of his own pieces sold over the weekend. How did he not notice that? Curious, he opens the popups for the two pieces marked sold. The ‘buyer’ field reads simply, online purch. anon. collector. He’ll probably never know.

Kurt’s still on the computer when the gallery door opens again. He finishes entering his sales data and is about to look up when he hears a familiar voice.

“Ah. You received them, then.”

Blaine Anderson is standing at the gallery desk looking at Kurt’s bouquet appraisingly. His friend from Rachel’s party stands a half step behind him. Judging from their suits (Brooks Brothers and, if Kurt’s not mistaken, Ralph Lauren) they’ve come by the gallery directly from work. Blaine, as usual, looks like someone custom designed the suit for his body, and he smells mouthwatering.

“I did, yes,” Kurt replies. “They’re exquisite, thank you. It’s a good thing you and your friend stopped by. I wouldn’t have known how to reach you.” Kurt feels his face go pink.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Did you not meet Wes the other night? Kurt Hummel, this is Wesley Jiang. Wes, this is Kurt. His work’s over there.” 

Blaine gestures vaguely toward the wall where Kurt’s work hangs, and Wes wanders away in that direction after shaking Kurt’s hand with a disarming smile. Blaine and Kurt are left to contemplate each other across the gallery desk. 

“So,” Blaine says pleasantly. “Have dinner with me.”

It’s still not a question and Kurt’s annoyance must show on his face because Blaine quickly adds, “Please?”

“Blaine,” Kurt says slowly, “The roses are beautiful, really. No-one’s ever done something like that for me before. But I’m not sure –”

“Kurt.” Blaine interrupts, “One meal. I’d just … really like to get to know you better.” There’s something glinting in his eyes that belies his calm. It’s intriguing. That, more than anything, is what changes Kurt’s mind.

“Fine,” he sighs. “One date.”

He’s not sure he’s ever in his life seen a smile as beautiful as Blaine’s.

Chapter 9

[cathey-winchester-666]

I READ CHAPTER 23 OF LFLS BY @eternalglitch (again) AND MY BRAIN IS GOING A MILLION MILES AN HOUR AND I HAVE A THEORY THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYONE ELSE POST ABOUT YET AND IDK WHY PEOPLE AREN'T TALKING ABOUT IT.

FIRST OF ALL, THE ANGST IS BEAUTIFUL ANOTHER PAINFULLY CRAFTED MASTERPIECE I LOVE IT SO MUCH THANK YOU FOR SHARING WITH THE CLASS WE ALL LOVE (and loathe a little, but we’re kinda also to blame for indulging in the pain lmao) YOUR WORK.

I just want you to know it’s got my brain worms tossing and turning in their little graves. I am seriously considering properly analysing your fic (threat).

Now on to the theory (below the cut to avoid spoilers) :)

WHAT THE HELL ARE THE NOTIFICATIONS THAT DONNIE KEEPS GETTING????

Well, here’s my theory: Muninn and Huginn (I refuse to believe he’s dead)….

Just think about it for a second. With the whole scuffle that was going down, Muninn had time to escape, or at least find a place to hide and carry Huginn off with him to (or drag or whatever).

There’s no way that Muninn would return to Draxum after the betrayal and the showing of Draxum’s true colours and all that juicy angsty stuff. And the pair have also canonically not had a previous master (at least none that they’ve stuck with for a substantial length of time) that they would go to in a crisis. And he wouldn’t return to the Gargoyle Sanctum thingamabob we saw them come from in the series. So that leaves only one conclusion: Muninn is somewhere out there fending for himself and a very injured Huginn.

My theory is that Donnie’s little notifications are of Muninn resurfacing for supplies - we’ve seen how often the boys have to change bandages for wounds in LFLS, so the logical implementations are that he has to buy a fair amount of bandages for his buddy. Whilst he would have to buy bandages for Huginn, there’s also the additional requirement of food - it doesn’t matter how small they are, the little guys still have to eat - and Muninn is only small and canonically not very strong, which means he can’t carry heavy loads of shopping. Also, without the income (if he even got any) from Draxum and/or the ability to rely on the yokai for a constant supply of food, much like a dog it’s owner (not derogatory, that’s just how they’re represented in the series) that means Muninn had to risk leaving Huginn often to steal food and supplies. Seventeen times in a week may seem a bit excessive, but when you’re building an infirmary from scratch and consider how tiny Muninn’s little arms are, it really isn’t that crazy.

NOW, ON TO WHY DONNIE HASNT SAID/DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS YET

This bit’s a little bit flimsy and I’m not too sure how to answer it, but I’m doing my best to fill the 7ft plot-holes in my theory. I believe it is due to a possible combination of three things: (1) He’s worried about how injured his family is and he doesn’t think they can handle another fight; (2) He’s not sure how Leo will react to seeing the Gargoyle pair again (this is the big one); (3) Donnie may not completely trust them yet (HEAR ME OUT!!) and he hasn’t turned off the notifications bc he feels guilty for not doing anything, but he still wants to know that they’re there and alive (also, if Draxum suddenly appears, Don will know about it).

(I also have a theory that Don is going to try and save them himself, but that's a very shaky one because of the trauma of Leo going alone and what that all entailed that glitch has been exploring throughout the fic. He probs has several trackers planted on the whole family by now. I’d honestly be more surprised if he didn’t.)

But I digress. On to theory one: The family is 100% injured and not at all ready for a fight. April is out of commission, Raph's hands are fried (but I feel that he would insist on joining a fight anyway), and we all not Leo's kinda down in the dumps. Plus, everyone is emotionally and mentally destroyed. They are not up for any kind of fight. And Donnie doesn't exactly strike me as the kind of person who intentionally puts his family in more danger than is necessary, especially in this current situation.

Number two: He's not sure how Leo will react to seeing the sidekicks present for the worst trauma he's ever (and hopefully will ever) experience in his lifetime. The pair were there during just about everything that happened to him - including the Battle Nexus, when Draxum wasn't present - and Leo would undoubtedly have made strong links in his mind between the gargoyles and the trauma he experienced. One can pretty confidently assume that having the pair around whilst he is trying to recover and whilst the fear of Draxum's return is still very heavy in the air, is going to cause problems for both Leo and the rest of the family, even if they know that the gargoyles willingly chose to help at the risk of their own lives. And if a dumdum such as myself can make those links, then there's no way that Donnie hasn't made them as well. For the sake of his family (especially Leo), Donnie is choosing to do nothing for the ex-henchgoyles. BUT, with each passing day and as more of the notifications continue, Donnie's guilt may start to eat him up inside and he's likely to just react without thinking (he's very emotionally tense and high-strung, so he's not thinking like his usual, logical self) and try to rescue them. I could go so much further into depth about the repercussions of what the gargoyles being in the lair might do to the fam, especially Leo, but I'm trying to keep this relatively short, lemme know if you wanna know more and I'll theory dump on you :)

Third and final: Donnie doesn't completely trust them. Let's be honest, Donnie's never really struck me as the overly trusting type and this whole situation would have only amplified it and made his trust issues a thousand times worse. This one is probably my flimsiest reasoning and it likely just added on to the others.

Either way, whether I'm right or not, I know glitch won't leave us hanging with that forever. They're a good writer and they don't seem to me to be the kind of author that leaves loose ends just hanging around. Cliffhangers, absolutely without a doubt they leave us hanging off of. But not loose ends (especially with how hard they were hinting at the notifications during the last chapter, it MUST be something important and I am absolutely BURSTING to find out what it is :)

(I'm looking back over and you can tell which one my favourite theory is LOL)

[mrpenguinpants]

Genshin: University AU [V1]

I love modern au. Or any “everything is fine, no one died, it’s just a fever dream” au. Half of me is thinking, damn maybe I should answer this serious- LOL HAHA no. That’s not happening. Time to crack my knuckles and let my brainworms take over again.

Once again, this is 90% crack 10% content. I want to switch up my characters from the last brainworm post but I included Kaeya and Diluc.

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Today’s appreciation post goes to twistedwishes. Hey! I’ve been seeing you pop up a lot lately and thanks for the support 💕💕 I hope things are going better for you and you’re doing alright^^ I feel kinda bad for making appreciation posts on crack fics but hopefully this is somewhat funny haha. 

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Genshin: Holding Hands [V1]

Genshin: When you’re cold [V1]

Genshin: Roommate [V1]

Genshin: Royalty AU [V1]

[Masterlist]

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

  @mikeysbike @hanniejji@unionwitch @musekala @twistedsunnshiii @stanzastic @akaasea @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @dilucsz @dai-tsukki-desu @thicmitten @youaskedfurret @diaxfeliz @wintergreen-aix @dandelily @thegayrubberducky @lovelykittycatmeow @yuunoagivesmelife  @dokidokisama @simpygrimoire @minakohasmanyhusbandos @strwbrry-lia @tigerpriestess @yuu-yuukurotsuki​

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Diluc

Absolute pretty boy who has braincells, but only if Kaeya is not there. In his mind, Kaeya’s presence makes his room loose 40% of their common sense. He can’t prove it just yet but he’s working on it. He majors in accounting but also has a minor in marketing, logistics’ management, fia- he majors everything business related. He’s going to become the next Elon Musk through smarts or by getting the competition drunk. There can be no contest if he’s the only candidate. He’s actually a hard working guy that overworks and stresses way too much. You have daily “Diluc recharge” evenings where he just hangs onto you while you go through your day.

“Don’t fucking talk to me until I’ve had my coffee,” except there is no coffee - he drinks grape juice out of juice boxes and his only energy boost is when he meets up with you - and that’s his constant mood. So he usually only hangs around you and Jean, since she has childhood friend status and is actually an angel. By default, Lisa is added and Diluc doesn’t mind her but if he see’s Kaeya, it’s full on war paint mode. If he's not busy with work or studies, he's usually with you either in your dorm or his apartment.

He has a fanclub and he seriously hates it and tries to do everything in his power to get Ningguang to take it down. Shouldn’t this be against his rights? But she refuses for whatever reason and makes a whole speech about free will. No matter what he does, someone manages to take a picture and it get’s printed in the university’s newspaper. The only bonding time he has with Kaeya is every Monday, where they collect and burn all the universities newspapers before anyone can get their hands on it. You always bring marshmallows to make smores during their arson activities.

“When I graduate I’m going to burn this school down to the ground. That’s not a threat it’s a promise.”

Ningguang

Is secretly the leader of the Diluc fanclub - not that she likes Diluc, she’s in a questionable platonic poly marriage with you and Beidou - but it was the easiest way to gain funds for the student council. Which she is the president of, so rip Diluc the fanclub stays. Ruthless business woman I tell you. But she can run in heels so her danger factor rises by at least 20%.

Majors in social sciences and law but more specifically the political science & government. She saw the Imperial State Crown that the Queen of England wears and says yes, that’s mine now. If she’s not with Beidou and you planning on “how to infiltrate the state government just for lols”, then she’s with Keqing, Ganyu, and Zhongli discussing student council things. Should they or should they not tell the student body that they can see everyone’s search results? Sit back and relax as the school goes into chaos. 

She’s probably the scariest person on campus No, she is the scariest person on campus. She’s the scariest person on campus. But secretly she’s popping 20 aspirins just to make it through a night. She has the digestive system of steel. She still holds the title of "seriously do not try and beat her in a drinking game it's never going to happen" and that's her proudest achievement in life but sadly she can’t put it on her resume. Kaeya is still trying to beat her out of spite but so far it hasn't been working. You’re seriously concerned for her when she get’s challenged but Beidou gives you a way-to-hard slap on the back and cheers her on. If Ninngguang somehow get’s alcohol poisonings she’ll somehow find away to make a profit out of it.

"I'll let him die, I'll get the insurance money."

Kaeya

One day he chugged too much mouth wash, passed out, and somehow woke up in university majoring in law. His idea is that if he is apart of the law, he can therefore stand above it. To be fair, his only goal in life is to say “I am the manager” and he can go live the rest of his life in bliss or as a hermit. He’s secret best friends with you but wouldn't be caught dead beside you. He will stab a bitch if you ever get hurt but will still trip you on the way home. Seriously, you have no idea why people find him attractive. Your guess is it’s the eye patch or the clap of his ass cheeks that keeps alerting everyone.  

He’s apart of the newspaper club and if anyone asks: No, he has no idea who keeps taking all the newspapers and burns them in the back of the campus. Originally, he joined because he was nosy and needed to join some type of club for his resume. He sometimes feels bad for his junior assistant Amber because he keeps tricking her and says that Diluc is secretly a demon that is trying to steal all the jobs and is apart of the lizard government hell bent on eradicating the human race. He even brought out a whiteboard for this joke, he’s dedicated to his job ok? 

The type of guy to try and be humble and say his work is “okay” but will choke a bitch if anyone agrees. He tends to leave everything last minute and says that it’s his drug since actual drugs could land you one year in prison and a maximum penalty of $2,000. You have to awkwardly hold in your concerned mother head shake when you see him speed running his assignment literally right when the professor is walking around to check if students finished. 

“I was taught how to lead not to read.”

Mona

Broke wallet #2. Zhongli is broke wallet #1 but Childe simps for him so is he really a broke wallet at this point? In this essay, I Mona Megistus, will explain why I have the rights to the title “Broke Wallet #1″...

Believes that astrology should be an actual career path but refuses to take astronomy as her major. I can read the stars not a textbook that tells me how to calculate the mass of the sun divided by the fucks I give. Instead she went into Philosophy and cries to Albedo, who is an actual prodigy genius- sir lend some braincells to everyone else please?, that her professor keep turning her paper down because “star reading” is not an academic source.

Fischl wants her to join the occult club because, surprisingly, Mona is very good at telling people’s fates through her crayon sketch ouija board. She thinks first year Fischl is cute but is put off by the cosplay roleplay that she has going on. She would join except that stupid hat wearing gremlin in her lit class would make fun of her if he found out.

You gave her half your lunch one day and bought her a doughnut "because she seemed upset" and "out of the goodness of your heart" whatever the hell that means. She thinks you pensioned it but once that thought comes she takes a bite. Poison from a doughnut is not the worst way to go out, classes are hard enough. She’s waiting for the lord to strike her down anyways. 

“Its not about passing, its about doing better than everyone else.”

Venti

Slept through most of highschool and people question how he got into university. He’s a music major (wow how fucking original is that), and if anyone asks him to serenade someone or just do anything, he’ll do it for the right price. Or if you buy him alcohol because he still keeps getting ID checked. He’s banking on Kaeya actually becoming a lawyer or being on good terms with Diluc so he can finally stop being arrested for looking like a toddler.

Takes one step into classes and quickly nopes out and goes back to bed. Professors have no idea how he hasn't dropped out or failed. He just has some god given talent. He does whine at you to pretty pretty please with a cherry on top tutor him because you're such an angel and would never leave your poor but awesome best friend hanging right? He needs to get this essay down but how he is suppose to explain how the number 10 is symbolic and connects to the universe or the meaning of life. Do you think he can just say it’s apart of his culture and make up some random myth to pretend it looks like he knows what he’s doing? 

He’s honestly going with the flow and put his brain on the back burner all of highschool and only now realizes wait, I actually have to use my brain?

He’s been banned from most club chats since Venti has the no chill card. Someone says “lol I look ugly today.” and he’ll respond "yup, you look like a cow." and he get’s banned. Zhongli keeps a speed run timer on his phone just to document these occasions.

"Sad spelled backwards is das and das how it be sometimes."

Childe

An actual dumbass that somehow does well. He eats sandwiches with the crust off, this heathen. Surprisingly he’s studying to become a physical therapist but most of his experience has come from breaking his own bones. You’re scared how he's going to be if he actually becomes a therapist. If he'll make bets with his patients or try to one up whatever crazy injury they get into. Everything is a challenge to him that sometimes the best way to deal with Childe is to knock him out. 

This man really knows the way to a Zhongli’s woman's heart. Through micro transactions. Mona saw him accidently drop $20 and just shrugged and walked off. She has never been both spiritually and physically offended in her life. She did take the $20 though. As much as you hate leeching on Chile when he’s basically a walking wallet that probably uses bills as tissue paper, you can’t help but give him puppy eyes while planning on how to get into his will. If he even plans on having one, he might honestly write “whoever wins in a gladiator style duel in my funeral’s tournament, they will get my fortune.”. 

Any sport the university offers Childe is probably in it. Which is how he met Zhongli, challenged him to a fight, proceeded to have his ass handed to him, got a backhanded compliment, and screamed to you he was in love and how he found his soulmate. He's secretly very sappy and has cried and watched every Disney and Pixar movie at least 28 times.

"IM NOT TOO SPICY! I’M A TINY BIT ABOVE MILD IF ANYTHING!”

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God if it isn’t Scaramouche, it’s Childe that ruins the aesthetic. This is why I hate you. Why do you people enable me like this, it isn’t even good. This is pretty much a @ yourself moment and I vibe hard with Venti. This entire post was just to make a joke about the clap of Kaeya’s ass cheeks alerting the guards.

This week might slow down since I have classes and assignments. My reply’s are gonna be late too, sorry;; (oh and thank you to everyone that was so supportive and nice when I mentioned it. All of you. Beautiful 💕💕 )

[itsthewritergal]

Dear Y/N - Odd one out part 2 Weasley!Reader x D.M

I know i said i was going to upload this last night.. but I fell asleep (I’m sorry!!!) here it is :) 

Lots of love xx 

Part 1 

“What are you doing here? The carriages are leaving for the station soon” Draco said sitting next to Y/N who was curled under a blanket with her legs tucked underneath her

“Do you think Dumbledore would notice?” She asked her eyes never leaving the murky waters

“Notice what?” Draco asked gently “What are you planning?” “If I stayed” She said turning to face Draco. Draco sighed and took her hands in his

“I’m only an owl away” He said with a knowing smile

“I know you are” She said looking back down

“Hasn’t your mum booked that trip to Egypt? Draco asked remembering hearing Ron rave to Harry about it in one of their classes, Y/N merely nodded “It’ll be fun I promise you” Draco said

“You’ve seen how they’ve all been treating me since Ginny got taken, they think it’s all my fault” Y/N said with a huff,

“We know it isn’t though. If they are stupid enough to believe that you were to blame then they’re not worth any of your energy okay?” Draco said with a sympathetic smile

“I wish I could have been born a Malfoy, my life would have been so much easier”

“Being blond wouldn’t suit you though” Draco said with a teasing smirk, “Come on, we better get going. Otherwise the Gryffindorks will get all the good seats home, and I’m not sharing a compartment with anyone!” Draco grinned pulling Y/N up and dragging her reluctantly out of the common room.

— — — — —

“Y/N How are you?” Harry asked politely  as he sat down at a table in the leaky cauldron

“I’m alright, just catching up on some reading before school. How are you?” She replied looking up from her book, Harry had never been one to tease her. He’d always been alright.

“Looking forward to going back, What are you reading?” He said

“A book on magical creatures, Draco bought it for me, he said it would be good to get ahead” Y/N said with a smile “You’re welcome to borrow it, if you would like of course” She said with a genuine smile

“It’ll probably be cursed if she gives it to you” Fred called from the other end of the room, Harry watched as Y/N’s shoulders fell in disappointment

“I’d like that” Harry grinned

“As soon as I’ve finished I’ll give it to you” She plastered a fake smile onto her face, her fake smiles were her best skill, nobody ever knew the difference.

“Are you coming to Diagon Ally with us?” Harry asked

“I didn’t kn—” she started

“No she’s not!” Molly said bustling into the room “She’s staying and catching up on some reading aren’t you Y/N” She said, Y/N nodded not nothing to say anything to her mother

“I’ll pick you up a chocolate frog” Harry grinned,

“Thanks, but I’m alright” She said the smile wiped from her face as she stood and retreated back to her room. Digging in her bag she pulled out the tattered letter which had made it all the way to and from Egypt.

Dear Y/N,

Feels weird to have not seen you for so long! I’m writing this after having lunch with mother, father,  Blaise and his parents, although it would have been much nicer to have you here instead of him (But don’t tell him I said that). Blaise told me we’re supposed to be getting a new professor for Dark Arts again this year, Snape missed out once more on the job, if I’m honest I would hate for him to be our Dark Arts professor I don’t think we’d learn a thing! I just hope this new one is better than Lockheart, I really hated him. Mother and I are heading to Diagon Ally tomorrow to pick up some new school supplies, I promise to pick up that book you wanted on magical creatures, I’ve already asked mother to reserve us a copy so I’ll send that to you as soon as I’ve got it, it’ll be good for you to get ahead on some of the reading, I remember I was so behind on it last year. But if you need any help you know where to find me (i’m the handsome blond one!) Mother has also asked if you need some new robes, I know we won’t get a reply before tomorrow but let me know, I’m pretty sure mother is just going to buy them anyway!

I’ve been practicing my quidditch skills this summer, you wouldn’t believe just how good I’ve gotten, I bet I could beat Potter easily. Father’s bought me a new broom as well, when we get back to school I’ll let you have a go, I think you’ll love it! I’m hoping you’ll come and watch some of the quidditch games this year too, I know you enjoyed them last year. Maybe I’ll even manage to persuade you to try out for the team, although it can get pretty brutal so perhaps it would be better if you just watched from the stands, I don’t have to worry about you getting hurt then.

I’ve got so much more I wanted to tell you but I suppose it’s going to have to wait until I see you, mother is calling me about something, I’ve probably left my broom in the hall way again. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could hear her moaning at me from Egypt.

Can’t wait to see you, I’ve missed you

See you at school,

Draco :)

Taglist :) 

@whitewineandpizzapuffs

@planet-naptune

@thefandomplace

@sebby-staan

@witch-and-a-half

@nojamsonmytoast

@seanh-boredom

[angelsfalling16]

❛ i want this. ❜ or ❛come to bed ❜ (or maybe both) as a nice trifecta to the last two 👀👀 but not pressure lol these are all great :))

Ooh this is such a good idea!! Thank you so much for this; I really enjoyed writing a sort of ending to these fics :)

Read the other fics here: Part 1 | Part 2

And read this part on ao3 or down below

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Simon

Groggily, I sit up in bed. It’s still dark out, probably somewhere in the early hours of morning. I rub my eyes and yawn before reaching over to click on the lamp. It is only then, as the light casts shadows across the bed, that I realize Baz isn’t it. I glance around the room and find him standing in front of the mirror that leans against the wall by my door.

It’s meant to be hanging, but I never got around to mounting it to the wall. The only reason I have it is because Baz made a remark once that it’s strange that the only mirror in my flat is the one in the bathroom. I joked back something about how obsessed he is with appearance, but I went out the very next day to buy this one.

He’s buttoning up the shirt that I ripped off of him only a few hours ago, dressing himself like he’s about to go out.

“Come back to bed,” I say through another yawn.

He shakes his head. “I should head home.”

“It’s the middle of the night. Stay here and head home once the sun is out.”

He turns to me now, his shirt fully done up, and I can tell by the look on his face that he won’t listen to me.

“Look,” he begins, and my heart sinks. This is it. This is the moment that I have been dreading for months. This is the end of us. “I have really enjoyed this thing that we have been doing, but I think that it is time that we stop.”

I jump out of bed, grateful that I managed to pull on some pants before we fell asleep so that I'm only half-naked as I stand in front of him.

"So, this is it?" I ask even though I already know what he’s going to say.

“It is better this way. We should end it now before it turns sour. Let’s end on a good note, as it were.” His voice is emotionless, and I want to scream. Is it possible that all of this really meant so little to him that he could just get up and walk away?

Baz

I tried to get away while Simon was still asleep, but it’s just my luck that he would wake up before I could. I was going to call him tomorrow and break this off. I didn’t want to do this in person. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to handle it.

I school my features and disconnect myself from this moment emotionally. It works for a moment, but I can feel my heart breaking with every word that I say.

He looks shocked when I tell him that it’s over. How long did he think that this would last? It couldn’t go on forever. Eventually, this was going to end. Isn’t it better to do it sooner rather than later?

I was hoping to end things before someone (me) got hurt, but I think it is too late for that. I got in too deep, which is why I have to get out now before I lose sight of the exit.

“I’m sorry, Snow,” I say and turn for the door.

My hand hasn’t even touched the doorknob before I feel his hand grip my arm.

Simon

“Baz, wait,” I say before I even realize that I’ve made the decision to try to stop him.

He turns to face me with a sneer on his face, and I’m reminded of why I hated him back in school. This isn’t the real him, though. It’s just a facade. I just don’t understand why he’s putting it on now.

“Can’t we talk about this?”

“What is there to talk about? I’m done with this, and I’m leaving. It’s that simple.” His voice is so cold, and he yanks his arm out of my grasp.

“Don’t I get a say? I don’t understand what happened. I thought things were good between us.”

“They were, but that’s why we have to end this.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Someone is bound to get hurt if this doesn’t end soon. Or one of us will move on.”

“Have you? Moved on, I mean? Is there someone else?” I hate how hurt I sound, how desperate I probably look while he doesn’t seem to care at all.

“No. There is no one else, but that is beside the point. I don’t want to see you anymore, Snow, and you will just have to deal with that.”

Baz

I can see the way that my words are hurting him, but I can’t stop them from coming. He needs to hear this. One day, he will see it from my point of view and understand. He will be better off without me in his life or in his bed. He will be happier. He just can’t see that now.

I start to turn away again, but he stops me once more.

“Wait. Please,” he adds, a whispered plea. I stop but don’t look at me. “Just tell me one thing: did this mean anything to you?”

I should lie. The break will be cleaner that way, but when I open my mouth to say no, I hear myself saying, “yes.” I turn to face him and am surprised to see how much pain there is in his expression. “Of course it did. I care more about you than I care to admit, but that is why we have to stop. I can’t keep doing this when it’s just sex for you.”

“It’s not.” He says it so quietly that I almost don’t hear him.

“What?”

“It’s not just sex for me. Yeah, maybe it was in the beginning, but after a while, I started to care for you.”

Simon

The iciness of Baz’s expression starts to melt away, and underneath, it’s warm and vulnerable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this.

“If you still want to go, you can,” I tell him. “But I want you to know that if you stay, we can have more than this.”

“Is that what you want?” He asks carefully.

I nod. “I want this — all of this — with you.”

The corners of his mouth slowly turn up into a soft smile that makes his eyes shine in the dim light of my bedroom, then he’s scooping me up into his arms, lifting me off the ground as he kisses me. I tangle my hands in his hair as he carries me back to my bed and lays me down on it.

I work on unbuttoning his shirt as he starts kissing down my neck, biting lightly at the skin there. I get it undone, and he moves down my chest, giving brief attention to my nipples before moving on., moving down and done until he reaches my pants. He drags them and tosses them aside, all the while kissing any skin that he can reach.

He ignores my cock and moves further down until he reaches my arse. He lifts my legs up over his shoulder, and I moan when I realize what he plans to do. He gets right down to it, licking and sucking at my hole before pushing his tongue inside, and oh fuck, that feels so good.

Baz

Simon is making the most delightful as I rim him until he’s panting and desperately asking for more. I smile against his arse then slip a finger in beside my tongue. He groans, and the sound goes straight to my cock. I will never get over the way he sounds during sex.

I can’t believe that I almost gave this up, but I am happy with how things turned out. I’m looking forward to what more looks like with Simon.

I slip another finger inside of him and move it in and out a few times before pulling out of him completely. My shirt is hanging from my shoulders, and I still have my jeans on. I quickly remove them before slipping on a condom and rubbing lube over it.

I can already tell that he won’t last much longer, but it’s fine because I don’t think I will either. I slowly work my cock into him, holding still for a moment once I’m fully seated. I take the moment to lean down and kiss Simon so softly that it almost hurts, waiting for him to tell me to move.

When he does, I set up a quick pace, bring my hand up to pull him off in time with my thrusts. We only last a couple of minutes before we’re both coming together, and when we’re both done, I lean back down to kiss him.

I like this, being able to kiss him as much as I want to, and I find myself smiling into it. He doesn’t seem to mind it either, and we continue to kiss until my cock slips from his arse. I quickly clean us both up before crawling back into bed with him.

This time when I fall asleep in his arms, it’s with the knowledge that this won’t be the end of us. It’s just the beginning.

[thevibraniumveterans]

Tony Leung: “[Wenwu] isn’t a villain at all!”

On September 6, 2021, Tony Leung sat down with Hong Kong actress Carol “Dodo” Cheng for an interview about life, sports, and of course, his latest Hollywood outing as a widower who grieved the death of his beloved wife and a father who “didn’t know how to love [his children]” in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

=

Interview is originally in Cantonese, and has been translated into English.

FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW:

-

Today I'm really pleased to interview Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. The last time I really chatted with you in earnest was... Do you remember? In 2013.

I think that time I was with...

We were on a plane together. 

At the mall? On a plane?

We arrived in Hong Kong, and went to some awards ceremony. We were waiting for our luggage, exchanged a few words. That was 2013, and we haven’t met since. Where did we meet up next? I’m sure you won’t remember. It was here in Hong Kong. I was surprised by you. I usually go to the supermarket, very early in the morning. Because there's no-one there. 

Yeah.

I saw you there.

I think that was probably it. Not too crowded in the morning. 

You too. Why so early in the morning?

To... buy food. I usually wake up at 6am. I’d exercise until about 10am-ish, and then I’d…

Go for a walk.

Shower, then shop for food. I usually eat quite simply— it’s either salad, or buckwheat noodles. Salad doesn't stay fresh very well. So I’d get up early in the morning, shop for what I like, and prepare it at home.

Have you been eating healthy all this time?

I’m not doing this particularly for my health. I get an upset stomach easily. I get food poisoning very easily. And it’s miserable having food poisoning! When you’re at work, others don’t know how bad you’re having it. But you can’t tell-- you can’t convey that.

Alright, at this point it’s time for a nostalgia trip. We used to be colleagues, and we’ve shot TV series together. At that time, did you feel that you could eat whenever and not have to sleep… When did you start prioritising your health?

When did it start? I think it would have been… at least 20 years ago. Because it’s miserable being sick while on set. You’ve got to keep working. Even when I had a fever, (producer) Wong Kar-Wai would say, “No, it’s the last day, you’ve got to make it.” So I would work with a fever!

It’s good that everyone's health-conscious now, and wants to avoid falling ill. So when I was preparing for this interview, some friends told me, They’d seen you and me do an interview, from many years ago. I don’t think you’d remember. We’re talking many years ago - decades here! You were really young at the time. At the TV station you were a rising star, a top male lead actor. So I interviewed you. I asked you a question, and I don’t know if you remember how you answered. I asked, “Have you thought about retirement?” You did give me an answer at the time. Do you remember at what age you said you’d retire?

I really don’t remember. I’m sure retirement was always on my mind then.

You were in your 20s then, not quite 30. You told me— “I will definitely retire at 36!”

[laughter]

What changed your mind?

I believe that when I started out as an actor, it was certainly hard work when I was just starting out. But I thought, I wouldn’t get to where I am today without going through tough times. But as I slowly grew as a person, my perspectives and values have changed. I feel more at ease. So I wouldn’t think in extremes like I did before. I think that in the past 10, 20… 10 years? I've become a more relaxed person. I wouldn’t just say, “now I’ll retire.” If I want to keep going, I will.

This is your favourite line of work, isn’t it?

Except sport. 

Could you imagine yourself in any other career? I can’t.

I’d be a sportsperson. 

A sportsperson, playing what?

I play a lot of sports. I like mountain biking, sailing, water skiing, surfing… I’m up for anything. 

You really like water sports, don’t you?

It’s hot in Hong Kong, and summer takes up most of the year. What’s more refreshing than being in the water?

How about in winter?

I’d still be in the water, wearing long sleeves.

You wouldn’t take up running?

I don’t particularly like it… I can’t seem to find much variety in running. I like to interact with nature directly. There’s something new every day. Take sailing, for example. Every day is different, the weather changes.

Your body is in a different condition every day.

You're working with the changing conditions. You end up building up a lot of knowledge. You learn about nature, the weather, changes in conditions. The water, currents, what do you call it... Hot weather warms the ocean and you’ll have gusts of wind. I didn’t know all this. But the more I sailed, the more I thought,“This is great!”

You’ve got a real passion for this.

I do.

What have you been up to during the pandemic? It’s been 1— almost 2 years, hasn't it?

I was filming in 2 movies… And... flying here and there.

Do you need to quarantine? 

Quarantine! Countless times.

We’ve talked for so long, let’s come back to this film, Shang-Chi. I believe Tony has received endless invitations to appear in overseas films. Why did you choose this film?

I didn't really... I believe it’s fate to be involved in certain films. I can’t just want to act in some type of film, then get it. An opportunity comes up, but sometimes the director might not like me, or I might not like the screenplay. Or I might like the director, but I don’t like the character. So you can’t just make this sort of thing happen. I think sometimes the time will be just right and things will happen. The director may like me, and I like the project, or I like the director. Or I might want to try something in particular. It takes a lot, a combination of factors, for something to happen.

It's like a piece of furniture, isn't it? The pieces need to be joined precisely.

Yes.

How were you scouted for this movie? How were you approached?

The director approached me, wanted to have a chat with me. So I...

What's your requirements for taking on a film? Do you need to read through the whole screenplay?

That would be best. It would.

You would've been in many films without a solid screenplay, wouldn't you?

There would still be an idea. 

An overview of sorts.

But this movie... You know Marvel is very secretive. At the beginning, I was in a video conference call with the director. What he could tell me at the time was, "You're going to be the main villain. Your character has many layers." Then I asked, "do I need to fight?" "No, because you have those rings." So I said, "then I'll definitely be fine." That was all.

What about that drew you in? Being the main villain?

That was one of the draws. In the past few years, I wanted to try characters different to those I'd played previously.

Why do all actors who have played male leads want to go off and play villains?

Actually... there's more complexity to them. I feel like there's a different mindset between playing a protagonist and an antagonist. I've acted for 30-something years. It's about time I did something different.

So you're in, you're headed to the shoot, and you're now the main villain! What's the mindset behind this?

Oh, not for this film. I thought I was the villain at first. A month before the shoot, I read the script. I didn't think this character was a villain at all. There was a real human side to this villain. Perhaps Marvel was hoping to portray a villain from a different angle this time around. So I was puzzled. Initially I was expecting, "Ooh, a villain, this will be fun", but when I looked at the script, "no, this isn't a villain at all!"

Very sentimental? 

Yes, and a lot of humanity.

You thought it would be easy playing a villain.

I didn't think it would be easy.

You didn't think there would be so much emotion. 

I didn't think it would be easy. I thought there would be more evil in him. I read the script and thought, "oh no, he's not evil at all", And that's difficult to portray. How would you let the audience... and I thought, "wow it's as if he's a good guy?" I read through the script and couldn't find the evil in this character.

How would you portray this character? Was the director able to help you?

The director...

Or did he put a lot of trust in you? 

I rarely... He put a lot of trust in me, and I don't discuss with the director often. I thought, what's the use of discussing? I could just act it out. You can be really idealistic when you discuss. I would rather do more... When I arrived, Destin would ask me, "Do you want to talk it out?" and I would say no.

Was there a read-through? 

No, no read-through.

You went straight to shooting?

Yes, straight to the shoot.

Then it would be like, "Tony, stand here, in this shot do this and that, and you'd do it?

Yeah. It was kind of like that. We filmed the action scenes first. So there was time to warm up. Then the dramatic parts. I like the drama most. I felt the most excited during these parts. The action scenes were particularly tough, because it was summer in Australia then.

Did you need to train?

I did. At first I was told I didn't need to fight. Then when I got there— wow, there's so many action scenes! So I scrambled and...

But you've got those rings. You can just throw the rings.

Sure, but there's still some action involved. Because I didn't physically prepare beforehand, it was rather tough at first. I got used to it as the shoot went on, but the weather was still hot. And there were period costumes, so it was tough at first.

So there was a sequence, they filmed all the action scenes first, and then scenes with dialogue afterwards, is that right?

I think they deliberately scheduled this so I could warm up a little. So I wouldn't need to dive straight into very intense dialogue.

There are a lot of actors involved, right? Your character has a son, too. Is this the first time you're portraying a dad?

Would it be my first time... 

Or you have, but not for a much older son?

Yes, not for a much older son. I had a child in “The Grandmaster” as well. But not that old, no.

How would you portray the emotions of a father-son relationship? Because your character didn't know his son. 

It was manageable. In this movie, the father-- not that he didn't love his children. He didn't know how to love them. This character doesn't even know how to love himself. The love was from his wife, portrayed by Fala Chen, He found love in this woman. But he doesn't know how to love others. So he was very distant from his children, his sons— his daughters were pretty much ignored. He was a father figure who preferred sons over daughters, a rather... traditional father archetype. Almost the old-fashioned type.

In shooting this movie, what was most difficult for you?

The action scenes. 

Do you do all these scenes yourself?

I try to, but they wouldn't let us do the really dangerous ones. If you're injured, who's going to replace you?

Sure.

But I try to do as much as I'm able.

You'd need to rehearse the scenes with everyone. 

Of course. Once we arrived, they arranged for Fala, my son, played by Simu, and my daughter... like you and I used to, we would all practice in the studio.

How long were the working hours?

It was 10 working hours a day, but we went all the way through that. There was no break in between. 

Really? I thought you would be sitting comfortably in your trailer?

No! We filmed a lot every day! You know how that made me felt? It felt like I was in my TV days again.

Really?

You'll think, "will we get through this much filming today?" And by the end of the day, you would. But it was very intense. Perhaps they didn't want us to have a break, because we'd have to disperse and regroup. So we went all the way through. Once we arrived in the studio, it was full steam ahead. There was no meal break, because there was always...

No meal break?

No.

I've never heard of a Hollywood film shoot without meal breaks.

There's food throughout the day. Catering comes around, and we'd just eat.

But there wouldn't be an hour for a meal break.

No.

How long was shooting in total?

I was involved for about... 4 months.

Was that long or short timeframe, in your experience?

I felt like it was short, because they were very efficient and organised. They planned it really well. So every you'd head in and whoosh,

It flowed well. 

Yes, very professional.

In your opinion, are there particular scenes you're in that the audience should pay attention to?

I think... I wouldn't say particular scenes, but the film as a whole. I don't think you've all seen me in this get-up before.

We could tell from the promos.

Very different to what I've played before.

Did you stay in one place for four months, or did you have to fly around?

We were only in Sydney, because we were in a studio. It was all green screen. There were a lot of special effects, so we only had to construct part of a set, And the rest was green screen, so it was mostly shot in the studio. Only the opening and ending were elsewhere, in a park, and in a village on a set they'd constructed. So I was there for... I was in Sydney the whole time. But because of the pandemic, I left for a few months in the middle, and returned when were were able to shoot again.

How did you feel about your experiences after the shoot? It's a Marvel movie, very different from the dramas and other films you've been in. How would you sum up your experiences?

Very stressed, very frustrated.

Really?

Because I'm the type of person who stays in their comfort zone. I filmed with familiar directors, and familiar crew.

You've really leapt out of your zone there.

I really stepped out of this comfort zone, working with strangers. The only person I could trust in was the director. I didn't know anyone else there. And when I got a copy of the screenplay, like I mentioned, I realised, "Wow, a villain that doesn't feel like a villain, what do I do?" I'd only received the script a month before the shoot. And when I got there, I had to work with the dialect coaches on delivery. I was filming, I was thinking... it was stressful. But we got through in the end.

Where were the costumes done?

In Tokyo. I was there at the time, and our costume designer kindly flew over to dress and fit me. At the time I didn't know what was in the script, I didn't know the story. But the costumes helped me a lot at the time. The movie's costumes were made beautifully. I thought they had good design sense. So when I was dressed for the first time, I was able to feel...

That you were the character.

Yes, roughly. I had an initial feeling for it. And then I would turn up in person, and get a better feel as I played the character.

So the shoot is over, it's about to be released. What plans do you have next, Tony?

Well when I came back to Hong Kong, I took part in a local film. Then I might shoot one in Shanghai, and then a TV series in Vancouver.

So you've done a complete turn-around since I last interviewed you. You were thinking of retiring at 36, do you not plan to retire now?

Not that I haven't thought about it... I'll stop when I feel tired. Then I'll go back to playing sports. If I feel like I've taken too long a break, and go "no, I need to do something," and there's something I'm really interested in, I'll do it. I don't need to come to a complete stop. It's something I like, after all.

So when you film in future, you wouldn't be thinking, "oh, I've been in a Hollywood production, "I will only appear in productions at that tier.” You'll be happy with a good screenplay.

Yes.

You might be asked to shoot drama films again. You would still take that on?

Well, I haven't given myself...

You've already left your comfort zone.

Yes, but I haven't really limited myself to what I think I should film. If there's a good film, I'll shoot in it. If there's something I like, I'll do it.

Well Tony, surely a typical day in Hong Kong for you wouldn't be on the water all day. What's a typical day like for you without shoots?

Well I'd get up, and there would be at least 2 hours of exercise.

Every day?

Yes.

Monday through Sunday?

Maybe one, half day's rest. You've got to let your body recover.

How about when you're shooting in Hollywood?

Not during filming, I'd save up my energy for that. Shooting takes 10 hours a day, but hair and makeup could take 2 hours. That's 12 hours, and it was tiring.

That's true.

I needed the energy for filming. But in Hong Kong, without a shoot, I'd have 2 hours exercise in the morning, make lunch, I might do some sports, like sailing, or water skiing. I'll come home, maybe watch a movie, or read a book. That's it. Maybe I'll have dinner.

I wouldn't exactly call that exciting. [Laughter]

It's pretty exciting!

For you, at least.

If the weather's good and I spend the day out sailing, I'd feel really happy about that. But not every day's a good day. I might capsize, and it would feel wrong. But it's not all that bad.

Why don't you enter competitions?

I have entered competitions.

Have you placed in these competitions?

Well... I have placed before.

What did you place?

I think second.

Oh, that's quite good. If you competed in the Olympics in sailing, there's no age limit there right?

Yes, there's no limit. But you don't necessarily have to compete in the Olympics. I could...

But we would all be happier for it, Tony. Imagine, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai representing Hong Kong and winning a medal! You've seen how happy the medalists have been this year.

It's really hard! It's really hard!

Why is that?

You're not as fit as younger people. It's hard. I play sports purely for enjoyment. I feel like it's an experience.

Fair enough.

It's... I'm not the type to want first place or something.

You're not a competitive person.

Yes. I don't want to experience a sport in that way. I'm there for my own enjoyment, not to win.

Let's say in future... since I last saw you in 2013— that wasn't even an interview, and now I've met you after all this time. Let's say in 5 years. What would you be doing in 5 years' time?

Maybe I...

Back then you said you'd retire at 36. I'll ask you again now, let's not dredge up the past. What do you think you'd be doing?

In 5 years' time, I think I would have more time for sports. [laughter]

Still on the water?

Yeah. Well, not necessarily, but a lot of different sports. I do want to try some—

Try running! I've seen Kar Ling (Carina Lau) run before! 

Yes, she likes running, and hiking too.

Why don't you run with her?

I don't really like running.

Hiking?

Hiking, I'd rather... well when I'm skiing, I'd walk in the back country, in good weather, carrying my skis and wearing my cleats, it's the same thing. I'd hike up and ski down. But not that kind of hiking. Well sometimes... when in summer, in Hokkaido, I can't ski. I would still hike, but I wouldn't really like it. But it would be better with friends.

But you don't like being around too many people. 

I sometimes like being with family. But my family... not everyone can hike. One might cramp up halfway.

Since you like being on the water so much, how many people does it take to do that?

One.

Just you?

Yeah.

Just someone to steer the boat.

Uhh... yeah.

It doesn't matter if there's a boat?

I do a lot of different water sports. I have those... electric boards, the type that shoot up like a magic carpet on the water, I have a stand up paddleboard, I can surf by myself too, that's doable. A lot of the sports I do can be done solo. I don't need a lot of people around.

You've really changed from before. You used to like to... go out at night?

Yeah.

That's all gone?

It has for a while. I haven't been in the nightlife for 20, 30 years. I'd eat out for dinner at most. Then I'd go straight home.

I remember I used to shoot TV dramas with you, you surprised me— We've filmed one or two series together, I would go straight home to bed afterwards, because I've always been a morning person. You could still say, "I'm going to go out for a bit." Yet the next day — our call sheets had us in very early — you were still able to make it in on time. Back then…it was a rite of passage.

Because I was young. Yes, and it was life experience. There are things you should do at that age.

Sure. Well, I hope to see you in another production soon. If this series were really successful, would you continue in any sequels?

[laughter] I really don't know, I can't say.

Why's that?

I feel like... as I've mentioned, there's fate involved in shooting a particular film. We'll see where...

…where fate takes you.

...where fate takes me.

Thank you Tony Leung Chiu-Wai for being with us today.

You're welcome.

[subbe93]

The Roulette of Destiny part 7

A/N: Like you know already, I got this fic's draft ready a week ago. And I'm super happy about it! All I need to do now is to edit the rest of the chapters and post them to you. So I decided that from now on I would try to get a new chapter out every Sunday. I have to say, I hope that I can keep up with that :D

This time I save you all from long babbling and let you read the new chapter. Hope you like it! ❤

Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 2 ~ Chapter 3 ~ Chapter 4 ~ Chapter 5 ~ Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Those two detectives didn’t come back that night, and as restless as Ran became, Kazuha was more at ease. "It’s okay, Heiji always took his time at the crime scene", Kazuha had explained. And she told her that since Shinichi was with him, Kazuha wasn’t worried at all. They got each other’s backs.

It was true that they were together, and two were always better than one. Yet Ran had an uneasy feeling. It had been so long when she last time saw Shinichi, and even though she was still a little upset that he hadn’t told her that he was a detective, she was still worried. She almost wanted to suggest that they would go to meet the boys, but she didn’t believe that anyone would let them in the police station or a crime scene just because Ran wanted to see Shinichi. Well, Kazuha would probably get access, but Ran didn’t want to use her for that. And if Kazuha was relaxed, then should she – in the end, Kazuha had known those two much longer than Ran.

Maybe Kazuha had seen through her because she said: “What about we do something while we wait? Do you want still go somewhere or watch some movie or… something else?”

At first, Ran thought about a movie, because it would take her thoughts away from the boys, from Shinichi, but when she thought about him, she remembered one other thing. It wouldn’t be a nice thing to do, but at least she would buy some more time to herself. And with another woman, it would be much easier to do than with Shinichi.

“Actually… Do you want to help me plan my wedding dress and maybe some other things?”

At first thing in the morning Ran looked beside her. It was empty and cold. It wasn’t surprising since her whole night had been restless and because of that she would have known if he would have come back, but part of her had hoped that he would have come while she slept.

Well, part of her was a little relieved, because last night, before they went to sleep, Kazuha told her embarrassed that since they thought that she and Shinichi were dating, they thought that they could sleep on the same bed. And even though Ran felt a little awkward about it, she had told her that it would be okay. In the end, she had shared a room with Shinichi, so one - or two - nights in the same bed? It shouldn’t be a problem.

Yet it had made her nervous.

But it didn't change the fact that she was still so worried. She was worried because if he wasn't here, it meant that he hadn't come back. And if he hadn't come back, it meant that something had happened to him!

Ran sat up and looked around, trying to find any clues that Shinichi had come back even for a short time, but there was none. Ran took her phone and opened it for a moment to see if there were any messages or phone calls, but there were none. She thought about calling him, but then she remembered one thing: They haven’t given their phone numbers to each other.

Ran wanted to scold herself. It has been a week already, and they didn’t have each other’s phone numbers! What were they thinking? What if they got separated? But then again, she couldn’t blame herself or him. In the end, they were all the time together, and if not, then they both were somewhere in the hotel. Usually, if Ran was taking nap or speaking on the phone, Shinichi would have gone somewhere, but he usually wasn’t too far. So, there hasn’t been any situation where they would have needed other’s number.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Calm down. The fact that Shinichi wasn’t back, didn’t mean that something had happened, right?

She couldn’t make herself believe in that.

Ran started to listen to her surrounding. She didn’t hear any noises from anywhere. She opened her eyes and looked at the closed door. She wasn’t sure if she could hear noises from other rooms. If Kazuha was awake already and doing something in the kitchen, she didn’t hear anything.

Ran glanced at the clock. It was eight already. She wondered if Kazuha even wake up this early.

Ran stood up and slowly walked towards the door. Carefully she opened it and looked around, listening to what was going on. There was still silence and Kazuha’s and Heiji’s bedroom door was close. It seemed that they were still sleeping.

She wondered what she should do. She was too restless just to lie on the bed. If she would be at home, she would go to the kitchen and make some breakfast for her and her parents before starting her daily routines, like going to school or seeing friends. With Shinichi? Well, she usually woke him up since he had a bad habit to stay up late and read something, so he wasn’t very good at waking early in the morning. He wasn’t hopeless, but some mornings were slower than others, and because Ran didn’t want them to miss breakfast, she needed to make sure that he would wake up early.

But now she was in someone else’s home. She was a visitor. Well, Ran believed that she and Kazuha were friends now, but they had just met. Would she dare to go to Kazuha’s kitchen to do some breakfast?

But then, if Kazuha would be Ran’s guest, would she be mad if she would find Kazuha in her kitchen? No. Well, she would feel a little embarrassed because she didn’t want her guest to do “her job” as a host, but maybe it would also be a nice surprise? And since they made okonomiyaki last night together, she probably would find all she needed from the cabinets, and after cooking, she would clean up the mess she had made. So there would be no harm done, right? And in the end, making breakfast for Kazuha and Heiji would be a little payment for letting them stay, and since Shinichi was the one who had paid most of the journey, maybe it would also show some gratitude towards him.

If those two detectives had come back last night. But if they were, where was Shinichi? Could it be that he was awake already?

Ran glanced behind her to observe the other side of the bed again. It still didn’t look like anyone would have slept there.

Ran shook her head. Maybe it took more time from them than they thought? Maybe they had told Kazuha about it? And if Kazuha won’t say anything when she wakes up, Ran could always ask her to call Heiji and ask about it.

She really needs something to distract her thoughts.

Ran stepped out from the guest room, and after looking around one more time, she tiptoed on the living room. From the way to the bathroom, she heard something. She froze while her heart beat too fast on her chest. Carefully she looked to the way she heard the noises. On the sofa, there was someone sleeping under the blanket. This, someone, had dark hair…

Shinichi?

Ran stepped a little closer to see better his face which pointed to the couch’s back.

Yeah, it was Shinichi…

Ran couldn’t tell why, but she felt annoyed. Of course, she was happy that he was here and okay, but still, she got a big urge to rip that blanket away from him and kick him awake, screaming at him… It was his fault that she had slept so badly, it was his fault that she had been so worried… And she didn’t care when he had come back, but why he hadn’t come to the guest room to sleep? Kazuha had made a bed for them! And Ran was ready to share it! Well, yeah, maybe she had been a little stressed out about it, but still! If he would have come to bed, she wouldn’t have to worry about him that much!

Maybe he had his reason to stay on the couch, the reasonable side of her suggested. Maybe he was scared that he would wake you up?

That wasn’t a good reason enough for Ran. In the end, they had shared a hotel room and he have never woken her up while wandering around - if he even had wandered around at nights.

But he hadn’t been away for that late before…

As much as Ran wanted to kick that man up, she turned around and went to the bathroom. She reminded herself that she and Shinichi weren’t the only ones here, so she shouldn't march around, slam the bathroom door behind her, and rattle everything she touch. She also didn’t know when Shinichi and Heiji came back, so it wouldn’t be nice to wake them up just because she was angry.

So, after washing her face, she decided to make some breakfast for everyone. The good thing was that she had taken a part in planning the breakfast with Kazuha, so she had paid attention to where Kazuha had put all the ingredients. Finding cutlery, knives, pots and pans and all other things was a little harder, but once she found them, making breakfast started to be faster. Though she still tried to be as silent as she could.

She started to steam rice on the rice cooker and made a miso soup. She grilled salmon, prepared omelets, and started to cut vegetables. In no time everything started to feel like doing it at home. And soon after that, she got absorbed in cooking too deep that she forgot her annoyance or the fact that she wasn’t home. She hymned while she turned around to check what was going on the stove. Salmon files were doing great, so she turned them around. Rice was ready, but she kept them on the cooker to keep them warm and miso soup… Ran tasted it and it was good. She lowered the heat just enough to keep it warm. One of the omelets was ready, so she took it off and put another one to fry. She rolled the ready one on the plate. She also put natto on another plate to be ready to serve. After that, she started to make coffee because she knew that there was a chance that Shinichi wouldn’t be at his best after he wakes up, and sometimes he just needed a cup of coffee to wake for the day. She also warm some water, since she wanted to drink tea, and since she wasn’t sure what Kazuha or Heiji would like to drink, she made sure that there would be enough warm water and coffee for everyone.

When she made sure that everything was fine that she could look another way for a moment, she turned around to continue cutting some vegetables.

“Good morning!”

Ran shrieked and put both of her hands in front of her mouth to block that sound. She took a deep breath through her nose before she opened her eyes and met those blue eyes which were looking at her sparkling with amusement. He grinned while Ran tried to calm herself and get away from that little panic. God, why does he needs to be like that?

“Really, Shinichi”, Ran breathed out while she let her hands drop. “Why do you need to scare other people?”

“I didn’t”, he answered while sitting on the other side of the counter, leaning on it. “I thought that you would have noticed me already.”

“How could I?” Ran almost shouted and she needed to take a little break to calm herself down again. She needed to remember that there were others who were still sleeping. “Thank your luck that Kazuha-chan and Hattori-kun were still sleeping. Otherwise, I would shout at you and give you an earful.”

Shinichi smiled. “Hey, we haven’t seen each other almost on a day and this is the greeting I get? And here I thought that we are friends.”

“Very bold of you to assume anything like that”, Ran answered coldly and took a knife to cut the last green onions. She was so irritated right now. “How hard would it be to make some noises or greet me earlier or… or… I don’t know, anything would have been fine”, she scolded him. “Here I am, thinking to make some breakfast for everyone to thank them to letting us stay here and… and… And I even prepared coffee for you just because I know how hard it is for you to wake up in the mornings and how you are if you don’t get your morning coffee…”

“Oh, you made me a coffee?”

“Don’t change the subject”, Ran hissed and raised the knife to point it at Shinichi. The man shut his mouth and raised his hands as a mark of surrender. She “And all you can think of thanking me is just appear in there and scare me like that”, she continued while cutting all the last green onions. When she was ready, she put that knife on the sink to wait for washing.

“Hey, I really thought you noticed me”, Shinichi defended himself when Ran turned to check omelets. The next one was ready, so she took it on the plate and put the next one on the frypan. “I even went to the bathroom. Didn’t you hear that?”

Ran stared at the omelet. No, she hadn’t. But it’s not like she would admit it to him.

“And on the other hand,” she continued like Shinichi hadn’t said anything. “Why did you sleep on the sofa?”

“What?” he asked.

Ran turned to him. “Why didn’t you come to the bed last night?”

They stared at each other. Ran leered at him, wanting an answer, while Shinichi look more confused.

“I… I… Because it isn’t appropriate”, he answered eventually.

“It isn’t appropriate?” Ran repeated like she didn’t believe what she heard. “What do you mean? How it wouldn’t be appropriated?”

Shinichi laughed nervously. “Come on, Ran, you are a woman. I am a man.”

“So what?!”

He stared at her for a moment before he shook his head. “Now you’re just playing dumb…”

“I’m not!” Ran shouted and she have to remind herself again that Kazuha and Heiji were still sleeping. So she leaned on the counter closer to Shinichi, who was still quite confused about what was going on and lowered her voice. “After I told her that we are only friends, she was so embarrassed since they only got that one bed. I was nice enough to tell her that it would be okay since we had shared the hotel rooms for a week now, so I thought that sharing the bed on a few nights wouldn’t be a big problem.” And then, without even thinking about it any further, she let it out from her mouth: “Or am I too disgusting to share the bed with you?”

“What?!” Shinichi shouted with surprise. “What are you talking about? It has anything to do with that, and you know it”, Shinichi answered before shaking his head. “Listen, Ran, I don’t really understand why you are so upset about that. If you just calm down…”

“Oh”, Ran said and raised her head a little. “So, famous detective Kudo Shinichi isn’t so great after all, it seems…”

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Shinichi”, she hissed and lowered herself closer to him. “Kazuha-chan told me everything. Oh yes, she told me that you are some kind of famous detective from Tokyo, someone who I should have recognised.” She stared at those blue eyes which didn’t unveil anything to her. Didn’t he care at all? Didn't he feel sorry for lying to her? “Why? All this time, you could have told me, and you didn’t. On the first day, I even asked you. Why did you lie to me?”

“I didn't…”

“Good morning you two!”

Ran raised her gaze and looked at Kazuha who walked towards them, yawning and stretching her arms. She looked a little sleepy. It took a moment before she cheered up. “Oh, what is that good scent?”

“Oh!” Ran shouted and turned around. She had almost forgotten the omelet. It was almost burned. Well, it would be hers. She took it off and put the last one on the pan.

“Oooh, you have made breakfast, are you?” Kazuha’s voice asked somewhere behind Ran. “No, you shouldn’t have…”

“No, it’s okay”, Ran laughed and smiled at the other girl. “I thought that maybe this could be a little payback for letting us stay here and all…”

“Aaaws, you’re so sweet, Ran-chan”, Kazuha said and put arms around her as hugged her.

As soon as they – or rather Kazuha – got Heiji up from the bed, they ate breakfast together. It was nice and fun to eat with a group, but the more Ran got to eat, the more she started to feel bad. She started to regret the argument with Shinichi. She started to believe that she was just too harsh to him. She started to feel so childish of getting angry at something like that. Because in the end, Shinichi was right. She could have heard him moving around if she wouldn't have been so into the cooking. And about his job? Well, it wasn’t like he had made any big lies. He just didn’t mention it, maybe for a reason, and since Ran herself didn’t care enough to find it out, it wasn’t a big surprise that it hadn’t come out sooner. If his identity had been so important to her, she could have roasted him about it earlier. But she didn’t. Because she liked to be with Shinichi, and to her, it didn’t matter what he did for a living. Or who he really was.

And maybe she had been tired, worried, and hungry…

Shinichi must think that she was totally an idiot.

But every time she stole a glance of him – first she just wanted to make sure that he knew that she was still angry with him, but later she just was too embarrassed to meet his gaze -, he didn’t look like he was angry to her or even bothered about that argument. He talked to Heiji and Kazuha like nothing had happened, and many times praised the breakfast. And every time Ran blushed and looked at her plate avoiding those blue eyes until Kazuha beside her joined Shinichi’s comments.

She felt bad, and she promised herself that she would talk with him as soon as she got a chance to do it in private.

But there was no such a moment. Ran tried her best to be observant, to be ready to take that moment to herself, but there was no point. Well, in the end, in an apartment like this there weren’t many chances for four people to be alone. So, her best chance would be when they would go somewhere.

When all of them were ready, Kazuha and Heiji took them sightseeing. Well, they mostly showed places only to Ran since Shinichi had seen those places before. Ran opposite it at first since she didn’t want that others would be bored because of her.

“Nah, don’t worry about that”, Heiji answered with a smile. “If nothing else, Osaka castle and its park is something which you should visit even once in your lifetime!”

And that Osaka’s detective wasn’t wrong. Castle and its park were beautiful. They walked almost right in and bought tickets. Then they were free to walk around and learn the history of that building. There was a movie theatre that showed some programs about Hideyoshi Toyotomi and the castle itself, but they didn't go to watch it since they wanted to take a tour. There was also a museum shop. Ran promised to visit there before leaving, though she wasn’t sure would she buy any souvenirs for anyone. She smiled. She wondered what her parents would say if she would buy something for them. Though maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea…

The next floor told them basic facts of Osaka castle and other castles and there were also replicas of Shachi and Fusetora.

“If you were sharp, you saw outside of castle them too”, Heiji told to Ran while she admired those replicas. Ran tried to remember everything she saw when they were outside, but didn’t remember to see anything about them. “I didn’t”, she answered.

Heiji smirked. “I show you when we go back outside.”

“Like you remember something like that later”, Kazuha’s voice said behind them. When Ran turned, she was beside her. “You just want to make an impression for Ran-chan and look cool, right?”

“I don’t have to”, the dark-skinned man answered and looked proud. “I am cool since I’m the best detective in Japan! I need to know things like that, right?” Then he looked away and raised his voice. “Right, Kudo?”

Ran followed his gaze. Shinichi was standing in front of one of the display panels. He seemed to read it, but when he heard his name, he looked at them. “About what?” he asked.

“Just say yes.”

Shinichi observed Heiji for a moment before turning back to the panel. “No.”

“Come on, Kudo!”

“Don’t care about Heiji”, Kazuha said and smiled, when Ran looked at her. “He just wants to be a better detective than Shinichi-kun since they are always compared to each other. But now, let’s do something fun!”

“Something fun?” Ran repeated, but Kazuha just took her with her while ordering the boys to come with them. What Ran didn’t know was that there was a chance to wear samurai helmets, battle surcoats of warlords, and kosode kimonos. One by one they were helped to put them on and after some little laughs and jokes, the same museum worker, who helped them to wear those costumes, took a photo of them.

It made Ran happy when she looked at that photo. She started to think that maybe she should make some albums from this trip.

The third and fourth floors concentrate on Hideyoshi Toyotomi and his era. There were many historical artifacts from the era and history glances: another one told about Edo's time and the other one how Tokugawa Shogunate reconstructed the Osaka Castle after the war. The third floor also got another shop and a golden tea room. It was impressive, Ran gave it that much. The fifth floor holds the knowledge of the Summer War while the last floor told about the life of Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

“I have to say”, Ran began when she was close enough to Shinichi, who was reading History glance about The Period of Ishiyama Honganji, “we must be lucky that these kinds of wars aren’t part of nowadays anymore. So many lost lives and for what?”

“Mmmm”, Shinichi hymned as an answer. “Humans are greedy. When you have power, somehow you always end up wanting more, whatever it takes.”

Ran shook her head a little. “I can’t understand it.”

Shinichi showed her a smile. “Me neither.”

When he gazed back to that panel, Ran looked around them. There were other visitors, but she didn’t see Kazuha or Heiji anywhere near them. “Compared to this, my own war against parents feels a little childish”, she admitted and looked at him. “And the worst part is that I feel like I lost before I even started it.”

His smile widened a little. “You haven’t lost until the war is over”, he said and looked at her again. “Until you have answered yes to the priest in front of the altar, you still have a chance to win.”

“How?”

He shrugged and looked away. “They say that everything is fair in love and war. So, I believe whatever you feel like doing, you can do it. Though…” Blue eyes met hers. “Don’t kill anyone, okay?”

Ran rolled her eyes with a smile. “I don’t intend to”, she answered before she got serious. “By the way, Shinichi, about…”

A loud voice shut her up. She looked for the voice and saw how Heiji and Kazuha were close to them, arguing about something Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s life.

“And now I’m going to pretend that I don’t know them”, Shinichi said and pretended to be so interested in the panel that he had been reading for. Ran smiled.

“Oi, Kudo! Say something to her!”

“Don’t be ridiculous”, Kazuha shouted. “Shinichi-kun is on my side! After all, I’m right.”

“No, you’re not, and he is going to say it.”

“So much for pretending”, Ran laughed.

Their last stop was the observation deck. The view was amazing, and Ran couldn’t stop taking pictures from everywhere where she looked at. Osaka looked so beautiful from there. She couldn't wait to show these pictures to everyone.

They went back to the ground and walked through the park. There were many trees, a huge stone wall which was good defense in history, and gates and turrets, which probably played their parts in the Edo period. They also visited Shudokan, which interested Ran very much, and the Hokoku shrine.

After that, they decided to go to eat something. Heiji tried to interest Ran about police headquarter since it was something, which Shinichi was interested in at his first visit to Osaka, but with Kazuha’s help, she declined it since it wasn’t something which would interest her enough, and since she started to be hungry, she just wanted something to eat.

So, they went to the mall where, as Heiji said, where best sushi place in Japan. Ran saw how Shinichi rolled his eyes with a small smile.

“If you ask him, he thinks everything is best in Osaka”, he told her with a low voice that Heiji in front of them wouldn’t hear it.

They ate and then start to think about what they would do next. After Ran came back from the restaurant’s women's room, she saw Heiji and Kazuha arguing their next stop. Surprisingly, Shinichi was gone.

“Where is Shinichi?” Ran asked when she came to their table. The couple stopped their argument and looked at her.

“He said he is going to visit the bookstore”, Heiji answered. “Said needing something to read since he finished the last one.”

Oh yeah, that book. Ran knew what they were talking about, but she wasn’t sure about the name. She only remembered that there was a word “dead” on the name and she remember that Shinichi had told her that there was a couple, and the woman went to the supermarket but disappeared without a trace and no one had heard of that woman after that, and the man got arrested as a suspect. And then there was that some detective and… and… Ran didn’t even remember anymore. In that week, she had heard so much about detective novels, fiction detectives, and their authors that she wasn’t even sure anymore which plot belonged to which novel. But mostly she had heard about Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle, and Ran was pretty sure that she could even keep some kind of presentation about that topic.

“Missing him already, Ran-chan?”

Ran felt her cheeks warming, but she looked at smirking Kazuha trying to show her some annoyance. “Well, since he is my ticket back to Tokyo, I need to make sure that he isn’t leaving me behind.”

“So, you two are together?” Heiji asked and smiled. “I knew it! He was just too embarrassed to admit it! Well,” he continued and leaned to the table while looking at Ran with curious eyes. ”How did you two meet? Had he taken you some nice dates? When did he propose to you? And how? Where?”

Ran felt something tightening in her chest.

“Heiji”, Kazuha shouted and looked at him with a warning look. “They’re not even dating, they are just friends.”

“Don’t bullshit me”, he answered and looked at Kazuha. “You just asked her if she missed him. I think it’s a clear clue that they are together.”

“I was joking, idiot”, Kazuha answered fast and looked at Ran like trying to apologize. “Sorry, Ran-chan, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“But they have to be”, Heiji continued stubbornly and glanced at Ran. “I tried to ask Kudo about her and you should have seen how he looked when I bring that girl up. He was blushing, but because he is Kudo, he just tried to look so cool and said that they are just friends, that they happened to meet like a week ago in some hotels’ restaurant…”

“Heiji…”

“Like I buy that lie, he just doesn’t want to admit anything”, the dark-skinned man smiled. “I’m detective, I know these things." Then he looked like he was thinking. "And he also mentioned something about getting married, but if it’s not that girl, then who else it could be? I mean…”

“Stop, you idiot”, Kazuha snarled, making Heiji shut his mouth. Ran took it to a sign to leave. She didn’t want to be the one who would explain everything to Heiji since she already did tell it to Kazuha. And for some reason… it hurt her. She couldn’t explain why since she had known this from the beginning, but somehow, she felt terrible. No, she needed to leave.

And maybe this would be a good time to find Shinichi and apologise about the morning.

“I think I’m going to check how Shinichi is doing”, she said and tried to smile. “Maybe I can convince him to read something else than mystery novels.”

She turned around and left. She heard Kazuha shouting something like they would come a little later and Ran raised her hand to wave them over her shoulder as a sign that she had heard. Then she stepped away from the restaurant and tried to look like she knew where she was going, but truth to be told, she had no idea where the bookstore was. Maybe she should have asked it from Heiji and Kazuha, but…

Ran sighed. Well, there were probably some information panels where she can check it.

She wandered around looking at that panel, but she didn’t find one. And she didn’t see a bookstore either. She was almost decided that maybe she should go to another floor when she felt like the floor was shaking. She looked up. Earthquake? Then the alarm started to ring and then there was a voice that announced: “Attention: This is an emergency evacuation. Please, stay calm and follow our introductions.”

Chapter 8

[shinysobi]

i came in from the outside, burnt out from the joyride

this was born out of a conversation with @akinosakiya, so all credits go to her >.<

chapter i | chapter 2 (coming soon)

Han Joon Hwi and Kang Sol, years after graduation. post-canon fix it, idiots to lovers.

ao3

a/n : i got this idea as i feverishly dm'd my friend about a solhwi prompt,,, i took it too far i think >.<

please tell me if you like it!!

a/n: title taken from Hozier's Almost (sweet music) which i recommend while reading this.

chapter 1: you and i are lovers in the dark

There has got to be another way of doing this. I can’t be doing this all my life.

“You know,” the words from Yeseul makes her look up, “you didn’t have to do this to yourself. You could have not taken the case, eonni. I told you not to take the case.”

Sol doesn’t say anything, just hangs her head in shame. The soju burns as she tips her head back, draining the last dregs of it, “I knew I shouldn’t have asked you for help. You’re being insufferable now that you’re dating Bok-gi.”

Yeseul laughs, reaching for the soda can, “eonni, I think you’re thinking about it too much.”

“I am, aren’t I?” she looks at the other girl, clearly panicked, “does it show? Oh, it shows, doesn’t it? Oh, what am I going to do—”

“Ah, noona, you shouldn’t have taken this case on, then,” Bok-gi says as he enters the room and take in the sight of a dishevelled Sol and a grinning Yeseul, “oh, Yeseul noona, I was looking all over for you!”

Sol scowls, “haven’t the two of you been dating forever? Why do you still have the honorific? And for your information, I took the case before I knew it was going to be him that I would have to go up against.”

Bok-gi looks affronted, and Yeseul comes to her boyfriend’s rescue, “ah, I like it, eonni.”

“Of course, you like it, you’re just as gone for him as he is,” she grumbles, “so, Bok-gi, Yeseul’s been telling you everything now, has she?”

“Ah, eonni, leave him out of it,” Yeseul soothes her, rubbing circles into her back, “do you want me to take the case? Instead of you—”

“The client won’t agree on it,” Sol whines, “and just when I thought I had got rid of him.”

“Rid of who?” so Bok-gi doesn’t know, Sol notes with some amount of pleasure, good. At least Yeseul didn’t tell him about the fact that—

“Oh, eonni might have to work with Joon-hwi oppa,” Yeseul chirps, looking entirely too pleased for Sol’s liking, “she’s the public defender for Joon-hwi oppa’s case.”

“The attempted murder one?” Bok-gi sounds as perplexed as Sol is, “but I thought hyung only dealt with financial cases, what happened? Didn’t you say you had some other prosecutor to deal with, noona?”

Sol groans, “apparently he’s taking criminal cases too, and the first one he chose to take was mine,” she stands up, “can’t I ever get rid of him?”

Yeseul blinks, “why did you have to get rid of him in the first place?”

Sol groans, sitting down on the chair with a thump. This was becoming a frighteningly regular occurrence, groaning at the mere mention of his name, “I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

“You sound like a sixteen-year-old right now, noona,” Bok-gi giggles, and she scowls at him. How dare they find happiness in my misery. Just because she loved them didn’t mean she would put up with everything that they did.

Liar. You’ll always put up with whatever they do.

Wait, why did that sound like him? Did he finally manage to get inside her head?

No. no, calm down, Kang Sol. Joon-Hwi is not inside your brain. Your brain is filled with statutes of law, precedents, your grocery list, the things you need to buy Byeol for her birthday—

You have too many things on your mind.

Ah, fuck.

She stands up again, taking a look at Bok-gi and Yeseul’s surprised faces, and sits back down, “never mind. It’s just him. how bad could it be? We just lost touch over the years, and I specifically made sure to not keep in touch with him after we graduated—I’m going to die, Yeseul-ah.”

“No, eonni, you won’t,” Yeseul props her up gently, pushing the bowl of bibimbap towards her, “at least eat something before you cry.”

“No, you’re right,” Bok-gi agrees, although Sol knows he’s laughing at her internally, the little shit, “it’s wrong to cry and not eat. I’ll be dehydrated.”

The food tastes bland in her mouth, although she knows she’s made it spicy, but Sol works her way through it with tears in her eyes (she passes it off as due to the spice) and promptly starts sobbing again, lamenting her crappy life.

“Eonni, the trial isn’t until next month, you have enough time to prepare,” Yeseul tries to placate her, but it only increases the volume of her groans.  A whole month spent dreading the presence of Han Joon-Hwi as she prepared for the trial. “You’ll win it, right?”

There. That was what had been bugging her. The fact that he hadn’t lost a single case since he’d become prosecutor. It isn’t like she hadn’t expected this from him, coming first in her class, but—

“Is this even fair?” she wails, “the attempted murder case doesn’t even have to have him as the prosecutor, it is going to be easy for me to win, the client was framed, and there is no evidence—”

“Noona,” Bok-gi peers at her, his eyes going wide, “you’re scared, aren’t you?”

“Ah, it isn’t like that!” she tries to defend herself. But Yeseul just stares, “fine. You caught me. I’m scared of losing to him, he hasn’t even lost a single case since he made prosecutor, he’s on his way to becoming head prosecutor in less than a decade, and I’m—I’m barely surviving as it is, so why did Attorney Geun-Tae give this case to me?”

Both Bok-gi and Yeseul look shocked, and Sol isn’t surprised. They should be. She was the one who cut off contact with Joon-Hwi after graduation, claiming he didn’t need her to weigh him down, and she was the person who did everything without a single glance backwards, so why was she being so defensive? “It’s not like I don’t want to whine all the fucking time, it’s just that—”

“Whoa, noona swears a lot when it comes to Joon-Hwi hyung, who knew.” Bok-gi says, clapping a hand over his mouth, “have you always been this way, or did this just happen after you found out that you were going up against him?”

Sol scowls, “you’ve been trying to act cute, don’t try that with me, Min Bok-gi.”

Yeseul nods at Bok-gi. Sol scowls again. Traitor.

--

The truth is, she should have known this was coming. Their field doesn’t leave much for anonymity, and even if it did, why did she think it would be so easy to avoid Joon-Hwi? The boy—sorry, man, she supposes she should give him at least that much, they were both in their thirties now—the man was everywhere, the newest rising star in the prosecution. Even her boss, the clueless Park Geun-Tae knew about it, and had requested her to work in a case against him. her, the person who barely passed her law school course at Hankuk. Who has a sister far smarter than her, better than her at all aspects, who really isn’t cut out to be in this profession, something which she’s heard all too often from everyone, and all she wants to do is yell I know, I know, she knows it all.

Which is why, when Han Joon-Hwi approached her after the graduation ceremony, a determined look on his face, she dreaded the words that would come out of his mouth, and instead chose to flee. In retrospect, it wasn’t the best decision, but Kang Sol A isn’t known for making the best decisions.

She still lives with her mother and Byeol in that same house, where Joon had once installed a CCTV camera, which Lee Man-Ho had broken with a well-aimed rock, but the camera is still there, and while Byeol is in middle school now, a big girl, who doesn’t like Sol picking her up from school every day and who is already getting into trouble with that big mouth of hers, and certainly doesn’t need protecting, the camera is still there, and every once in a while, she likes to take a look at it, sipping beer after a long day at work. It’s obviously dysfunctional, but she likes to imagine that Joon-Hwi still takes a look at the camera feed, doing whatever “top secret” things he did.

She sighs, opening the door to their home. I have work to do if I need to beat Joon-Hwi.

--

“Why was I assigned to this case?” Joon-Hwi asks, surprise evident on his face, “I usually take financial dispute cases, this is an attempted murder, and the evidence doesn’t even look solid. Why am I being given this?”

He’s speaking to the wall in his office, and his paralegals are out on break, but he feels as though he should at least vent about this to something, if not someone. He’s supposed to be a star prosecutor, someone who hasn’t lost a single case since they stepped foot into the District Prosecutor’s office. And it’s true, he hasn’t lost a single case since he began working here, spurred on by a desire to both step out from under his uncle’s shadow and to prove himself.

The cases he has handled until now, have all been financial, catching the people who use money to get their way in the world, much like Ko Hyeong-Su, people so entitled to the world that they didn’t consider the rest of them as human beings. He liked bring them down to their level. Hell, he loved it.

But his specialty is not criminal law, and that too, a case that would be difficult for him to win, given that there was very little evidence and whatever he had, would never fly in a court of law. He’s kind of pissed at Prosecutor Lee for giving him the case. No, scratch that, he is pissed at Lee for giving him the case.

Defending lawyer—

Defending lawyer, Kang Sol.

Could it be?

He turns to his computer, and contemplates for a second if he should ask the police officer about the defending counsel, but decides against it. I don’t want to seem like a fool. Which—is correct. He is a fool.

So, he calls up the person who had the case before him, Prosecutor Shin, and tries not to hide the excitement in his words when he asks, “did you meet the defence counsel when you arrested the defendant, Prosecutor?”

“She didn’t have one,” the prosecutor replies, voice scratchy, and he wonders of he did the right thing by disturbing someone who was in the hospital, “we’ve indicted her, but the defence counsel was changed at the last moment, something about the public defender dropping the case. Her new counsel is some young lawyer, although she has a lot of experience.”

A lot of experience. “A lot of experience?”

“Yes,” the voice on the other side cracks, and there’s some commotion in the background, “I remember meeting her in the courthouse once. People call her crazy, the lengths she goes to defend her clients are insane. She’s a good egg though, doesn’t take on cases that she doesn’t like.”

“Hmm, thank you, Prosecutor,” he mumbles, hanging up the phone. So that’s what you’ve been doing all this time, Kang Sol. how long has it been, four-five years? And we’ve never met once, impressive.

He’s suddenly very excited for the initial hearing, even if he knows its going to be nearly impossible to win. But at least he can see her for the first time in years, even if its on the opposite side in a court of law. At least he has that.

—

“You’re being stupid,” Jiho says without much in the way of context, but Joon knows what he’s talking about, “you had to take a case just to meet her? A case you are most likely going to lose? What kind of person does that?”

Joon-Hwi rolls his eyes. Jiho was a good man, but sometimes, he really didn’t know the reason behind things. Or to be more specific, why Joon-Hwi did some things. Still, it was understandable as to why he would behave like this. Neither of them has had any connections with each other over the past five years, missing each other by mere moments at times, and yet, he’s still enamoured by her memory, of the way she used to look at her law books and the way she used to stick her highlighters in her hair, her triumphant smile after she answered something correctly; he remembers everything, and he gets nostalgic sometimes, but such is human nature, one supposes.

“It’s been five years, hyung,” Jiho mutters, pushing the bowl of soup towards him, “isn’t it time you gave up on Sol noona?”

He raises an eyebrow, “I didn’t think you addressed anyone as noona.”

Jiho shrugs, “she’s older than me, so it’s only right. And I did work with her on a case about three—two years ago, and she’s really become good. Or is it all the experience that she has had now, working as a partner at Attorney Park Geun-Tae’s firm, which is unheard of, at her age, but she’s far more competent than him—”

He’s talking, but Joon-Hwi doesn’t register anything anymore, “you’ve worked with her? Together?”

“Hmm?” Jiho mumbles, thrown off his track, “yes, I literally just said that I did, what are you thinking about?”

“No. no, back up a little,” he insists, and Jiho’s confused expression clears when he realises what exactly is Joon-Hwi implying.

“Really? You’re jealous over the fact that I worked with Sol noona? That’s how petty you’ve become now, hyung?” Jiho rolls his eyes, and Joon has the incessant need to just—bury his face in his hands, “you could just give her a call, you know.”

He glares. Jiho nods, “guess not,” and resumes eating. He takes another look at the case file, and sets it down, proceeding to shove food into his mouth. The Japanese restaurant has good food, he does agree, but nothing beats eating too-hot ramyeon at three in the morning with your best friend after you’ve finished reviewing three lectures’ worth of notes together. Crap. He still remembers her as his best friend, even though they haven't had any contact over the past years now. Pathetic.

But self-deprecation isn’t his forte, and he shakes his head at Jiho, who’s determinedly eating, “how’s Sol B doing? Isn’t she going to be a judge?”

“She’s still practicing,” Jiho replies, “her mother wants her to be a judge, although I don’t think Sol wants to do it. She’s happy being a legal scholar. Wants to become a professor at Hankuk later on, if the constitutional law position opens up.” His face has a curiously fond look when he’s talking about her, Joon notices, or perhaps it’s a trick of the light, because Jiho straightens up, “who gave you the case, though?”

“My superior sent it to me because the prosecutor in charge had fallen ill, and had to be taken to the hospital,” Joon-Hwi replies, “it isn’t east for me to win this one, even though—”

“Even though you’ve never lost a single case?” Bok-Gi’s voice almost makes the two of them jump, and Jiho sends a well-aimed smack his way, “so you’re taking noona’s case, are you, hyung?”

Jiho snorts, “he’s losing sleep here.”

“When did I say I was losing sleep?” Joon-Hwi begins to say indignantly, but Bok-gi is still grinning as he slides in beside Jiho, “who told you that, Seo Jiho?”

Jiho doesn’t say anything, so Bok-Gi fills in for him, “hyung, you look terrible. Haven’t you been eating properly?”

Joon-Hwi squints at the other boy, how did he know I haven’t been sleeping well? Does it show on my face? Is it that bad?

“It is that bad, hyung,” Jiho pipes up, “you look like death warmed over.”

“It isn’t that bad, honestly,” Bok-gi says, and promptly shuts up under Jiho’s glare, “jeez, all right, all right, he looks bad. Very bad. Bad with a capital B.”

Joon-Hwi groans. He was supposed to have been handling another financial scam by this time, but he’s now talking to two of his classmates, preparing for a case that he was sure of losing, just to see the girl of his dreams.

Pathetic.

--

It had been two weeks since she had found out that Han Joon-Hwi was going to be the prosecutor for her newly-assigned case, and Sol already felt like she was going to drown amidst a sea of precedents, case studies, and more cases that she needed to read just once, in order to keep her client from getting a guilty verdict. She would have to work harder if she needed to beat him, and had even contemplated asking Professor Yang for help, not that the man would do anything to make her life any easier.

Instead, she settles for the next best thing, calls over Sol B and Yeseul for help, and while Sol B grumbles, Yeseul agrees enthusiastically, even offering to bring over Bok-gi for an extra pair of eyes. Not one to be outdone in anything, Sol B offered to bring over Jiho, who grumbled more than Sol B (if that was possible), but agreed to come along nevertheless, and they all sat in her tiny living room, looking as though they had lived there all their lives, and had helped her with the case, although the boys were more interested in devising ways to make Joon-Hwi lose, as Jiho put it, “noona is our best bet, and he owes me food if he loses.” No one could argue with that, honestly.

Except she feels like drowning, and the trial was only two weeks away.

Stupid Joon-Hwi. Why did he have to take my case? Why couldn’t he just remain in civil law? Why did he have to do this? Why, why, why?

She knew that she was being irrational. He didn’t have much control over the cases he was assigned to, and given the fact that the prosecutor in charge had been admitted to the hospital, she doesn’t think he had any sort of control over what cases he would be assigned to. Still.

You’re being irrational now, a voice that sounds surprisingly like Professor Yang’s pipes up in her mind, you’re being distracted right now, Kang Sol. You won’t win if you’re distracted.

Right. She turns back to her papers, trying her best to push the thoughts out of her mind.

I can’t be distracted.

—

He was distracted.

It wasn’t his fault, perhaps, but Joon-Hwi feels guilty nevertheless, especially as he stares at his two paralegals who are stuck alongside him, working into the night.

He’s been staring at the same picture for the past thirty minutes. In his mind, it qualifies as work, but what sort, he isn’t sure. It’s a picture from their graduation day, the seven of them (Seung-Jae hyung was behind the camera) and Professors Kim and Yang, Yangcrates even had a rare smile, something which he hadn’t ever imagined witnessing, at least not sober. Him with his arm around Jiho, who clearly didn’t want to be dragged into a conversation then, his attention focused on someone else. Sol B, staring straight into the camera, grinning ear to ear. Bok-gi and Ye-beom, the latter gesticulating wildly and Bok-gi just laughing at him, Yeseul with her head thrown back in laughter, and Sol—Sol was radiant, (he laughs at that, radiant, the Greek meaning fitting her like a glove, Sol, the Sun) the way she smiled at the camera, her hand held up in a peace sign. It was an imperfect picture, and he has the final, proper version hung on his living room wall, but it’s the warmest picture he has ever been in.

The trial is the next day, and he should be getting some sleep, but he finds himself staying awake even after his two paralegals have gone home, apologising profusely for leaving him alone, and then he takes out his phone, which has been blowing up with messages from Bok-gi and Jiho, asking to come out with them for dinner. He knows it’s a bad idea, that they would try and get him drunk, or worse, that he would voluntarily get drunk, and showing up hungover at the courthouse isn’t a great idea.

Except… he really wants to do so. It’s like he’s back in university again, trying to find ways to rile Kang Sol up, teasing her, to revel in the way she would get angry with him for cutting short her study times, even though she should have been in bed three hours prior. She would always look at him with that strange sort of expression in her eyes, Joon-Hwi remembers, as if she couldn’t decide whether to hit him or to just kiss him and shut him up.

His phone pings, and it’s a text from Jiho, telling him that hyung, do you want to come out for dinner? Sol’s buying.

He really shouldn’t. even if it had taken him a moment to know which Kang Sol Jiho had been talking about and even then, he couldn’t stop his heart from skipping a beat at the mention of her name, he shouldn’t.

Oi, Han Joon-Hwi, aren’t you a little too old and a little too responsible to be drinking before the day of an important trial?

The voice in his head sounds suspiciously like Sol, not Sol B—Sol A, although he doesn’t know how anyone could confuse themselves between the two—they were as different as light and day, and the one on his mind was not the one who was offering to buy him drinks and dinner. He sighs, texting Jiho a quick apology before he heads out of the office. He needs to be alone tonight, trying to get his thoughts in order before he faced Kang Sol in the courthouse the next day.

Even though he’s sure to lose, he just might win.

--

[43sparrows]

satisfied - {Five x Reader AU}

Read Part 1 & Part 2 & Part 3 / Part 3.5 & Part 4

Warning: a rollercoaster from start to end

Word Count: 4,512

Note: Here it is. The final installment. I'm also impressed I've managed to pull off my own little goal which was to make each chapter longer as we go deeper and deeper into this relationship. It was fun to write, and I hope you stick with me for my next series

You've ignored four of his calls.

Well, technically, you've only ignored one, deleting the message from the answering machine after a short but brutal internal war. The other three times he's tried to get in touch with you were on the typical ripped out notes taped to your mirror. Each one was plucked down, scanned for words you didn't really expect to find (sorry, mistake, asshole), and then tossed into the waste bin.

You know that even as fucked up as your last encounter was, he deserves more--an explanation or at least a clean break--but you can't bring yourself to give him either. And you hate that about yourself. You hate it because you know why you can't do it, and the feeling that comes from this fact is worse than any of the ways Five's ever made you feel.

So, you don't call him. Instead, you work to erase the little traces of him you find in your apartment and in your thoughts until at last you're faced with something you can't just stick in the garbage: the man himself.

He's standing at the foot of your bed, hands on his hips and brow knit together. The look stops you dead in your tracks as you enter the room.

"You're avoiding me."

You feel like you're going to throw up. The thought briefly crosses your mind that if you do, you might get out of having this conversation. But instead you take a few more steps into the room and close the door behind you. When you face him again, you find his finger tapping at his waist. Your eyes remain on the finger instead of his face and you stay silent. This isn't an admission of guilt, but he seems to take it as one.

"Why?" he demands.

Objectively, you know the words. You're proficient in more than one language, so frankly you have more than enough words to use. But you can't seem to piece them together quite right, and so, no sound comes out. Instead you turn your gaze to your right and it lands on the candle on your bookshelf. The flame flickers, dancing in a breeze you can't feel yourself. You feel like there's a metaphor somewhere in there.

"Look--"

"Why would you do that to me, Five?" Your voice is soft, but the interruption effectively cuts him off. If you were looking, you'd imagine you'd see his eyes squint at you in frustrated confusion. His mouth would be slightly open, and you'd want to kiss it closed. So you can't face him. Your gaze stays fixated on the candle.

"Do what?"

You wet your lips as if that will help get out what you need to say. It doesn't work, but it does buy you a bit of time and makes the tension in the room that much more palpable. You wonder if that's what's guiding the flame through its movements.

"You brought me to Howl's just to fuck me in front of my ex."

Five's quiet now, and you chance a look at him from the corner of your eye. He doesn't look frustrated, but he does look like he's working a math problem and each time he comes to the end he gets a different solution.

He notices you're looking and tries to catch your eye, so you turn back to watch the candle burn it's way down the wick.

"You said you wanted something to shove in his face."

You don't remember saying that, but it's true. You did want something to shove in his face. But not like this. You shake your head at him.  "Not that." Your voice is both airy and tight, and it's not a good sign. "That wasn't anything worth shoving in his face."

"What?" There's heat in Five's voice now, and you can tell that something you've said has pushed a button. "He's working two jobs so he can get married to some boring elementary school teacher, and you're having mindblowing sex with the closest thing this city has to a goddamn superhero. Who came out on top there?"

"You," you say, simply.

"Me?" he repeats, and you finally find the strength to turn and face him. His eyebrows have shot up so high, you're surprised they're not touching his hairline.

"You're the one who got what they wanted out of that show Five. Because he's still happily getting married having been proven right that I'm nothing more than a call girl dumb enough to work for free."

Five narrows his eyes at you, and there's nothing confused about the look. Instead, he looks downright mean. You realize in that look, that he's missed the point completely. He's not listening to you. He's not seeing you. And you're starting to realize that he may not even want to. The realization hurts. It fucking hurts. Like you're being ripped apart from the inside. And the worst part is that you really should have known this.

Before he can get any words out, you beat him to the punch. It's the only way this argument was ever going to end.   "I can't do this anymore, Five."

The look shifts into one of incredulousness and then disgust and then stoniness. And then, without a word, he vanishes.

You feel like you've collapsed on the inside.

Apparently, you look like it too.

Your boss had taken one look at you and tried to send you back home. You'd told her that you were fine to work and made it half the day before she insisted you looked truly terrible and needed to go home. And maybe see a doctor.

Judging by the look on your roommate's face, you look even worse now that you've made it home.

"Are you alright?" she asks, peering up at you from the couch.

"Got sent home early," you mumble. It's not exactly an answer to her question, but you hope that it gets you out of having to talk anymore. It's not that you don't love your roommate. But you'd rather crawl in bed and stay there for a month if it meant that you didn't have to socialize with any humans in the meantime.

You successfully shuffle all the way into your room and drop your things next to your desk before the TV shuts off. Your roommate's footsteps echo throughout the apartment, and then there's silence and the feeling of someone hovering in the doorway behind you.

"I'm worried," she says, and you sigh, your shoulders dropping as you turn around.

"I'm fine."

She hums a no and gestures at your room.  You've let piles of dirty clothes take over most of the floor. There's about six different cups scattered on different surfaces, all with varying levels of water in them. Only one of the candles is lit. Her eyes find yours again, and you can't help but look away. "You've been locked in here all weekend. And most of last week too. I know he hasn't been by. He hasn't even called. What's up?"

You shrug helplessly, and the same way they do any time you think of Five, your eyes betray you and start to water.

"You don't know?" she presses, and you shake your head, looking off to the side, trying to get yourself under control. She walks into the bedroom then, coming around to sit on the edge of your bed and stare up at you. "Talk to me, Y/N. Seriously, I'm worried about you, and I don't know what to do."

"I--" your voice feels too thick, and you're having a hard time keeping it even as it comes out. "It's over." Your roommate's eyebrows draw down in sympathy as do the corners of her mouth.

"He ended it."

You shake your head and swallow. "I did." The pitch is too high now.

"Why?" your roommate's voice softens in response to yours, and it's then that you break, face crumpling, tears falling, and a broken sob escaping. She doesn't say anything more, instead rising from the bed and wrapping her arms around you from the side, leaning her head against your shoulder.

It takes an embarrassing amount of time to stop crying. Then again, any time spent crying over a boy who you weren't dating and never made any promises in terms of feelings or commitments was embarrassing. But, when you do slow down, you finally find the words to tell her everything. What happened while she was away. Your trip to the bar and what you discovered. Your fight. She listens and doesn't say anything, instead doing the one thing that you need most from her: she doesn't let go.

You look less like shit.

But you still feel awful.

It's been just over a week since your fight with Five, and you feel like you should be over it by now. The disappointment, the embarrassment, the hurt. But you're not. Sure, you don't exactly feel like an open wound anymore. But you feel a bit like someone's just put a single layer of gauze on top, and that's not nearly enough.

So, you decide there's only one course of action that will make you feel better on this Saturday morning: Griddy's Doughnuts.

Just walking into the shop makes you feel lighter. The sweet smell of the different glazes and jellies wafts through the air, and kids are crammed up against the doughnut case and perched on stools with their parents. Walking into the place is like a time warp--it feels exactly the same way it did all those years ago when you were the kid tugging at her mom's hand.

And then you make accidental eye contact, and it all shatters. Because the brown eyes you're staring into belong to none other than Vanya Hargreeves.

You pull over to the side of the line to do the right thing and make brief small talk. If it hadn't been for two occasions where she'd come home sooner than planned, you wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't recognize you. But this girl's seen you half naked and spoken to you several times over the phone. She knows more of you than you wish she did. She probably feels the same way. Regardless of the willingness either of you have to engage in this conversation, she's coming over, bag of doughnuts and tray of coffee in hand.

"Y/N, hi," she greets, offering a nervous looking smile.

"Hi," Your own attempt at a smile is disastrous. It's too tight and it doesn't reach your eyes. It hardly even reaches your cheekbones. "Seems like we had the same idea for breakfast."

She nods, looking down at the bag in her hand. "Yeah. We have this family tradition to grab Griddy's whenever one of us--"  she stops then, seeming to remember who she's talking to and restarts with a safer question. "How are you?"

Vanya's voice sounds the way Griddy's smells--like nostalgia and comfort and it makes you ache inside. You want to know how her sentence was going to end, but you want out of this conversation more.

"I'm fine," It comes out more of an exhale than a word, and she seems to see right through it.

She nods, her smile taking on a sad quality. "You and Five both then. Guess we did get the same memo about Griddy's."

A silence seeps in between the two of you, and you hate the way this feels--like you're drowning in the middle of a swimming pool and trying not to call attention to it.

"I don't want to pry--" She must see you go rigid because she seems to decide on a different route. "I don't know what happened, but I'm sorry it didn't work out. I know you guys cared a lot about each other."

You don't know how to respond to that. You're not sure if you want to be the fool who fell in love with her friends with benefits or the slut who was just in it for phenomenal sex or the bitch who points out Vanya's brother is a heartless bastard and doesn't deserve doughnuts because he clearly never gave a damn. She must catch the crease between your eyebrows, your lips instinctively puckering into a qualification, because she saves you from responding.

"Look, I know Five can be...a lot. And I don't know what he did, but I can tell it was big and it wasn't good." She looks like she wants to reach out and touch you, but her hands--thankfully--are full. "But you should know, he checks the answering machine every day."

It stings. He still thinks you'll call.

And you almost have.

You can't look at her open and earnest face any longer, so you look down at the ground and nod dumbly. "Thanks." She stays in front of you, and you can feel that she wants to break the silence again.  You swallow hard and force yourself to meet her gaze once more. "Well, I don't want your coffees to get cold. It was nice to run into you, though, Vanya."

She nods, her mouth settling into a line. "Take care of yourself, ok?" she asks, and you lift your lips into half a smile because it's just about as much as you can manage. She nods once more and then turns and leaves the doughnut shop. You get in line.

Your roommate decides it's time for you to leave the house.

You point out that you leave the house almost every day.

She argues that leaving for work doesn't count. It's been two weeks and you need to have fun.

You insist that if you're going to have fun, it's not going to be on a Tuesday.

She informs you that there will be dollar tacos where she's going.

That's how you end up at Don Pablo's at eight o'clock on a Tuesday night with your roommate and two other friends all crowded around a table. It's hard to say what it is, the dollar tacos, the strong margaritas, the good company or the Spanish covers of pop songs, but whatever the reason, you're feeling lighter than you have. You're even laughing as your friend, Faith, updates you on the latest antics of the passive aggressive post-it queen at her work.

"That is...one hell of a story," someone to the right of your table says, and the eyes of the group look up to a lanky man with shoulder length brown hair. He's wearing a mesh crop top that sparkles a little under the light and leather pants that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination, a fact that's captured Sam's attention.

The man pushes off from where he's leaning against the coat rack, and it's a testament to Faith's storytelling prowess that not a single one of you noticed him lurking there until this point. He motions for Faith to budge over, and the motion is so familiar and friendly that she scoots without protest.

"So," he says, resting his chin in both of his palms. "Which one of you radiant young ladies is Y/N?"

The words are objectively skeevy, but much like his admittance to the table, this earns nothing but a few snorts and smiles. He's also smiling like he's in on the joke, and it's genuine and sparkling rather than leering. You're half tempted to tell him, but your roommate stops you.

"Why?" Nasreen asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Because she's the one person who will save us from my brother's broody pining," he says with a faux pout.

Nasreen's eyebrows lift even higher. "Isn't it a little middle school of your brother to send you over here for him?"

He chuckles and lifts his head, shaking a finger at your roommate. She grins back at him. "Yes, it would be, but he very expressly told me not to come over here. I'm here looking for Y/N of my own free will." He glances around the table and steals a chip out of your basket, dipping it into the salsa. "Technically," he says, crunching down on the chip. "I'm risking my life for this."

Sam laughs and the man grins, reaching for another chip. "It's true. He said, and this is a direct quote, 'Klaus, if you go over there, I will drive this tiny umbrella through your eyeball until it hits that thing you call a brain and puts us all out of our misery.'" He pops the chip into his mouth and gives a dramatic eye roll. "Very eloquent, my brother."

Your friends laugh at this, even Nasreen, but you grow cold. Because you know one person with a brother named Klaus.

"So," Klaus bounces his shoulders once, sitting up straighter. "Who am I sacrificing myself for?" He looks around the table pleasantly just as Sam glances at you. It's a small motion, but Klaus latches onto it. "Ah," Klaus says gesturing toward you. "I'm going to need you to come fuck my brother."

Faith spits out her margarita. Sam barks out a sudden laugh. Nasreen blinks and draws back into the booth.

"I know he's an emotionally stunted little asshole, but he's been even more insufferable than usual, and Vanya says it's because of you." He drops his hand onto the table, relaxing back into the booth. "Obviously, he's the one at fault--you seem like an angel. But it would mean the world if you would come fix our little shitheel."

It's the name Vanya that brings Nasreen up to speed.

"I'm vetoing this right now," your roommate says, shaking her head. Klaus presses his hands together and points them at her.

"Your objection has been heard and noted, but let's hear from Y/N."

All of the eyes on the table are on you, and dollar tacos isn't enough to redeem this moment. You shake your head slowly. "No."

"No," Klaus repeats. He seems surprised.

"No, I'm tired of being fucked over so Five can feel better. No." Your roommate's approval radiates over you, strengthening the feeling. Faith and Sam straighten up at the mention of Five.

Klaus heaves a sigh and leans back to rest his head on the top of the booth's cushion. "I don't blame you, but I don't want to go back over there," he says to the ceiling. "Not only is he going to publicly murder me, but he'll probably drive me up this stucco painted wall with his moodiness before he does it." He lolls his head to turn to Faith. "Can I stay here with you?"

Faith laughs a little, looking at the rest of you.

"Depends," your roommate says, leaning on the table.

"On?" Klaus raises an eyebrow.

"If the next round is on you."

When you stumble into your apartment, it's a little past 1 am, and you're not so much as drunk as you are high on a good time. Allowing Klaus to stay at your table had been the best decision you'd made in the past...month? Maybe longer. Not only had he supplied you with enough good stories to take your mind far away from Five (whose gaze you could feel once you knew it was there) but Klaus had also pulled each of you up to salsa with him despite the fact that it wasn't a dance bar at all. Still, several other couples from different tables had followed his lead, and you'd allowed yourself to be spun and turned about until your legs were ready to collapse.

It's hard to imagine that anything can bring yourself down from this feeling as you place a kiss on your roommate's cheek and thank her for dragging you out.

Then again, you hardly imagined Five would be popping into your bedroom at 1:30 in the morning.

His hair is wild, eyes are hazy, and he looks more disheveled than you've ever seen him. "You were there. You were there and Klaus came over, and what the fuck?"

You've never heard so many nonsensical words come out of his mouth.

"Are you...drunk?" you ask, dumping your clothes at the door to your closet.

"Figured that one out," he says, gesturing flailingly at you.  "I got drunk because that's what you do when the one person in this world who doesn't make your life worse won't even look across a bar at you." He says.

You, for your part, remain silent, head tilted, trying to make sense of what's going on--how much of this is him and how much of it is the alcohol. Because you can't believe he's this upset--Five doesn't seem to do emotions other than stressed, horny, and smug.

He sways a bit. "You were right there. Right there. And you didn't even look at me. Not even when fuckin' Klaus went over."

"I didn't realize you cared that much," you say quietly.

Five scoffs. "Why else would I spend five days hunting down your ex just so you could get your closure."

You blink several times at this fact, but you don't have time to formulate some sort of response before he continues. "Do you know how many Jordan Millers there are in this city?"

"You--what?" The words come out as hardly more than a disbelieving whisper.

"Five days and perfect planning to get you there and have it all work out at just the right moment, only for you to end it. No reason. You just ended it."

You swallow hard and then fix him with a stare. Because he's right--he should at least have a reason. "I didn't end it because of Howl's." You pause, and he takes it as the end of the sentence because he continues on.

"I don't even know what happened. I keep trying to work it out. It's all I can fucking think about, and I can't figure it out. You wanted just sex, so I gave you just sex. You wanted to show up your ex, so I made sure you could show up your ex." His voice takes on a hysterical quality as he starts to pace the room. "What am I missing? Please, enlighten me. Because Vanya and Allison are up my ass about trying to fix things with you, and hell if I know where to begin."

"You can't fix this," you shake your head and then wet your lips, steeling yourself up for the most embarrassing truth. "I ended it because I wanted more, and you didn't."

He pauses and then lets out a manic laugh. "So you left because you wanted to be with me?"

"I left because I thought it was just sex to you, and that's all it would ever be."

"That's all it was supposed to be," he says, not stopping his pacing.  "That's what we both wanted."

"Wanted," you repeat, quietly. "Wants change."

He lets out a manic laugh. "Oh, I know that," he says and stalks closer to you. "Why else would I be here right now, still trying to figure out what you want so I can give it to you instead of fucking any of the girls who came up to me tonight?"

You blink a few times, and this has to be an exhaustion induced delusion, because there's no way he's saying what you think he's saying.

"What are you talking about?" you ask, quietly. He doesn't answer, instead closing the remainder of the distance, pulling your body flush against yours and kissing you.

He tastes like margaritas. His kiss is as intoxicating as the alcohol itself, the sensation rushing through your body and urging you to relax into him. He's only kissed you four times before, and all of those were different. In those kisses his hands ran over your body, pushing at your clothes, his frame walking you back towards the bed. But now he's solid, and his hands are still, a vice keeping you close to him as his lips remain on yours.

It takes an extraordinary strength of will to extract yourself from his kiss. "Don't do this," you whisper, your lips brushing his since he's chased after your kiss.

"Why?" he pulls you even closer, pressing another kiss to your lips.

"Because you don't mean this," you say, bringing your hands in between your bodies to push him away. "You're drunk and you're lonely and…"

"And I want you," he says, not moving, ducking his head to kiss you again.

"No you don't."

The words make him step back angrily. "I don't know how to make it any fucking clearer," he says, raking a hand through his hair. "I want you. I want you Y/N. I wish I didn't. I wish things would go back to being just sex. Because my life was so much easier then. But they can't. Not for you and not for me. You want more. I want you. So why won't you just accept that and let me kiss you?"

As far as romantic speeches go, it's pretty shitty.

"Fine," you say.

It's an equally shitty romantic response.

But then he's kissing you again, and you let yourself lean into the hope that maybe, come morning, he'll still mean what he said.

When you wake up, Five's gone.

The other side of the bed is tucked in tightly, like he was never even there. But you know he was. Because if he wasn't, there's no reason for your whole body to ache inside and out. It's tempting to stay in bed and throw yourself a mix of pity party and roast. After all, last night you exhibited top tier dumbassery.

But you're tired of feeling like shit. So you drag yourself out from under the covers and towards your door, hoping that some coffee and a warm breakfast will help you to feel better.

You pad out the door and down the short hallway to come out to the kitchen where your roommate is pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“My head hurts like a sonofabitch,” she says, reaching into the cabinet to grab down a mug for you. “You?”

You give a rueful smile and head over to stand next to her by the coffeepot. “Surprisingly, I’m ok. Better than yesterday.”

“Good,” she says, filling your mug up.

Your toilet flushes, and both you and your roommate look at each other. The silent question is answered not long after as there, appearing in the doorway, still wearing yesterday’s clothes and looking a bit disheveled, is Five.

It’s the first time your roommate has ever seen him.

“Uh…hello?” your roommate says, and Five nods at her, moving forward to steal your mug of coffee. He lifts it to his lips and takes a long sip.

“You’re…here,” you say dumbly, and he nods, drinking some more coffee.

“It’s where I want to be.”

Your roommate looks between the two of you. “And you are…”

“Five,” he says over his coffee, and your roommate looks between the two of you wildly before finally settling you with a significant look.

“You’re going to have to make more coffee, and explain all of this to me,” she says, circling a finger at Five.

You look at him, a small twist of a smile on your lips. “Fine with me.”

[mcheang]

Where did I go wrong?

Prompt I got from @amethyst-geek : Mrs. Rossi is under the impression that the various Kubdel and Cesaire akumas r still running around (and that the girl Pharaoh decided to sacrifice, successfully so according to Lila, is a seperate person from Lady Wifi) when she runs into Mr Kubdel and Marlena Cesare (who ran into each at the store by chance).

When Mrs Rossi does have some free time, she enjoys visiting tourist spots with her daughter. In order to prevent her mother from meeting her class, Lila lies that akumas such as the Pharoah and Lady Wifi are still haunting the Louvre and Le Grand Paris. So they instead visit places like the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe.

That doesn’t mean Mrs Rossi is blind to the advertisements of why you should eat the dishes by Chef Cesaire or visit Mr Kubdel’s latest exhibit.

When the class bake sale is coming up, the students had agreed to bake together and share costs. And Mr Kubdel and Mrs Cesaire have the same favorite store that specialises in baking ingredients.

Meeting each other, they know they are probably buying the same things and decide to shop together. Besides, they can probably make use of the buy 2 get 1 free discounts or such like.

Mrs Rossi was also there (not for the bake sale. Like Lila would wanna help Marinette bake. But to make some old family recipes that required certain ingredients you can’t normally find in a supermarket)

So when Mrs Rossi’s trolley bumped into theirs, she immediately recognized curator and chef.

Mrs Rossi: oh hello. You’re Mr Kubdel the museum curator, and Chef Cesaire from Le Grand Paris, yes?

The two adults exchange glances. “Yes, that’s us. And you are?”

Mrs Rossi exclaimed. “Oh nobody. Well, I mean, I had come here from Italy and I was looking forward to visiting your museum and your restaurant. But before i could, I had learned about the akuma attacks. I’m so sorry.”

Mr Kubdel sighed. “Don’t worry about it. That’s what Ladybug’s miraculous cure is for. I shudder to think of the cost of damaged artefacts.”

Mrs Cesaire: tell me about it. My daughter actually attacked the daughter of my boss just because she was following a scoop. Never mind following her suspension for invading the girl’s privacy. I’m lucky to still have my job!

Mr Kubdel: I know how you feel. Jalil is my son, but I don’t know where he gets his stories from. And to think he wanted to break rules for a crazy theory of his.

Mrs Cesaire: to think, all this could have been avoided if our children were more practical. I mean, how could she think blond Chloé the bully could be raven-haired Ladybug?

Mr Kubdel: or if my son had bothered to make a credible history team and submit a proper proposal to the board, maybe our reputations as parents wouldn’t be so bad.

Mrs Rossi: I’m sorry. But the akumas are your children? I didn’t know. I apologize for my words.

Chef Cesaire waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s fine. These days, you’re bound to meet someone related to an akuma incident at least once a week.”

Mrs Rossi: I’m amazed at your composure, Chef. I would have thought you would be more devastated about your daughter’s akumatization and her absences from home.

Chef: I try to stop her from running out to film the akumas, but somehow she just evades my grasp, usine twins as a distraction.

Mr Kubdel: at least, Jalil has a blog of his own to spout out his stories. Better he find listeners there than in my museum.

Mrs Rossi: the Pharoah has a blog?

Now both adults were frowning at her.

Mr Kubdel: I know you’re not from here, but to call my boy by his akuma name is really rather rude. It’s like calling the reformed Pamela Isley Poison Ivy, like you can’t forgive her crimes and give her a second chance.

Mrs Rossi: isn’t he still akumatized?

At that, both adults brought out their phones. “There’s nothing about a new akuma on the app. When did you hear about his akumatization?”

Mrs Rossi was baffled by their response. “Months ago, by my daughter Lila.”

Mr Kubdel laughed. “Oh, you had me worried there. Maybe you need to read up on your akumas more because akumatizations last less than a day. Jalil has only been an akuma for 3 hours at most.”

Mrs Rossi didn’t understand. That can’t be right.

Meanwhile, Chef Cesaire looked at her Italian feature and considered her words. “By any chance, is your daughter Lila Rossi?”

Startled, Mrs Rossi shifted her focus to the Chef. “Yes. How did you know that?”

Raising an eyebrow at her ignorance, Chef Cesaire replied, “Because she’s been helping me babysit my twin daughters whenever Marinette can’t make it.”

Mrs Rossi took a step back. None of this was making sense. Lila said she was friends with Alya, but if Alya was Lady Wifi, she can’t have been akumatized for months! And Marinette was the school bully, how could Alya be friends with her?

Or, her mind whispered, how can you believe anything your daughter says?

Unable to think of a proper response, Mrs Rossi politely excused herself. “Pardon moi, I need a moment to reflect on what you have just told me.”

The other two politely rolled their trolleys on, silently agreeing that while they need to be stricter with their children, at least they knew what was wrong.

Mrs Rossi found an abandoned aisle and quickly leaned against the shelf, her legs weak.

What was the truth?

Shakily, she brought out her phone and did a quick research on Lady Wifi. Yup, defeated at night and only reappeared for Puppeteer.

Pharaoh? Defeated during the day.

Akuma plague at Dupont? While it is a hotspot, there hasn’t really been a mass akuma gathering concentrated there alone.

Akumatized principal? Defeated at night.

Curious now, Mrs Rossi typed out “akuma” and “Lila”

The first instance was Volpina for unknown reasons. The second instance was Chameleon, again the reasons were unknown.

What Mrs Rossi did know was that Lila had abused her trust. But no more!

That night, 3 parents were going to have a discussion about doing research with their kids.

1. first, Marlena asked what was Lila’s relationship with her mother like? Alya said Mrs Rossi spoils her daughter and takes her on incredible trips. But Lila is so modest and generous, that she was telling her celebrity friends about her classmates. Marlena found that hard to believe when Mrs Rossi didn’t even know who Alya was, or enough about her anyway. Not to mention she doubted Mrs Rossi would be close friends with someone like Prince Ali when she is so oblivious about the akuma situation. Before Alya can go call Lila for an explanation, Marlena sighs and asks her daughter to try doing research before rushing out like always. Try thinking of the bigger picture for once.

2. Mr Kubdel asked Alix about Lila. Alix said she could give Jalil a run for his money in a storytelling competition. Mr Kubdel: she was lying? Alix: hard to say, she always has an excuse ready. But she doesn’t really give legit proof. Mr Kubdel suggests she try doing research so she can tell fact from fiction. And maybe have Jalil join in, if only so he will stop insisting that Ra is really Ladybug. Show undeniable proof before you talk ears off.

3. Mrs Rossi confronted her daughter, having read the news and called her principal. Lila gulps and tries to claim that her principal is an akuma who messes with online information. “I doubt that since you are probably the only one who would say this! You are grounded, young lady! And while you are grounded, you can try finding a new job or fill out your school application forms because you have been expelled for framing a student!” After this, Mrs Rossi decided to keep a much closer eye on her own daughter so as to find out where else she had gone wrong! She actually bugged every room in their house and considering how Lila had nowhere to go for the moment, she was watched 24/7. To prevent Lila from getting suspicious, Mrs Rossi gave regular calls to check in on her daughter. She would never accuse Lila of lying immediately after being told a lie, but would save it all up for later with further punishment. Lila decided to quit talking and start behaving after Mrs Rossi warned her that one more strike, and she would be sent to military school and disinherited.

Miss Bustier would have tried to give Lila some dignity by hiding the real reason for her absence. But Alya and Alix told the truth.

And so maybe Alya, Jalil and Mrs Rossi learned a thing or two about pausing before taking a leap of faith. That maybe you should just gather some proof so the words can be believed more easily.

[mggssocks]

Followed- part 2

Not My Gif!

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid

Content Warnings: regular criminal minds stuff. (please let me know if i missed anything!)

Summary: Spencer makes an Instagram and stumbles across reader’s page.

Word Count: 2.2k +

A/N: Thank you so much for the love i have received on my last chapter!!! It means so much to me. Also i’m going to try to update chapters as much as i can but i’m graduating in a few weeks and i will have a lot going on. But again, thank you guys!!! xoxo

masterlist // part 1

Although he was only going off of a few hours of sleep, Spencer came to work with a pep in his step today. His interaction with this girl was very brief but he still got butterflies with the thought. He was early as usual so he made himself a cup of coffee and sat at his desk, settling in. He pulled out his phone and reread the text messages that the two of you shared. When he finished reading the short message thread, his thumb hovered over the letter G. He wanted to type “good morning” but he didn’t want to come off as too clingy or overbearing. That in fact was the last thing he wanted. 

“Hey Spence” he hears from behind him, causing him to jump and quickly lock his phone before shoving it into his coat pocket. 

“Hi” he turns around to see JJ and forms his mouth into a straight line. 

She eyes him weirdly. Something was up.

“Everything okay?” She asked. Knowing how Spencer was, she wasn’t expecting him to answer truthfully. Especially with him jumping startledly like he just did at a simple ‘hi’.

“No- yeah. Yeah I’m fine. What about you? Are you okay?” He asked to switch the conversation around. 

Yeah. Something was definitely up.

“I’m… fine?” She answers confused

He nods awkwardly. She was just about to ask him if he was sure that he was fine but everyone else started to walk in and she knew if he was being this secretive with her, he definitely wouldn’t want everyone else to be in his business. So she drops it… at least for now. 

Garcia speed walked into the bullpen with a file or two in her hand, not bothering to say anything to the team. She goes straight to the conference room.

“Looks like we have a case” Morgan declared as he walked past the desks and up the stairs. Everyone else followed.

“And from the looks of it, it’s bad,” says Emily. 

They settle in their seats as Garcia passes Spencer his case file while everyone else gets on their tablets.

“We’re going to Wichita, Kansas.” Hotch says as he was the last one to come into the conference room.

“This sicko stabs straight through the heart. They chop off as much hair as they can before shoving it in the victim’s mouths.” Garcia speaks, a little disturbed a little while avoiding her gaze from the screen.

“Four victims within one week. There’s no cooling off period at all” Morgan said, swiping through his tablet.

“Which is why we’re debriefing on the jet. Wheels up.”

——————

After the team debriefed on the jet, Garcia chimed in through the video chat.“Guys, A store owner just found another victim.” 

The team looks at one another. Hotch sighs momentarily before speaking.

“Alright, JJ, you and Reid to the M.E. Morgan and Rossi go to the latest crime scene and Prentiss and I will go and set up at the station.” 

Everyone nods their head at their temporary partners for confirmation.

————

“So on the first victim, the person hesitated.” The examiner spoke factually.

“-And on the other four he didn’t hesitate at all” spoke JJ, trying to get the bigger picture. 

“Exactly. Now with the new victim… I noticed something strange. “ She walked over to the newest victim from earlier that day and the agent and dr followed her.

She turned the woman’s head and revealed a cat-like scratch with three of them synchronized.

JJ and Spencer looked at each other. After they called the other team members to fill them in, they walked to the car in pure silence.

“So… this morning” says JJ, walking to the driver’s side.

Spencer gives her a questioning look as he takes the passenger seat.

“What about this morning?�� He asked in a suspicious tone and avoided her gaze by looking out of the window.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, Spence, but I know something’s going on. Just tell me that it’s nothing bad.” She put her seatbelt on.

Spencer didn’t dare to give in “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

——————- 

After three days, they finally caught the unsub. The man was purely a sick and twisted psychopath. Jeffery Magnum. A 30 year old man who was severely abused as a child. His mother would make him eat the cat’s fur balls for dinner and when he refused, she would shave him bald. His mother died and that was the stressor that made him begin to kill.

As they boarded the plane, Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ sat together in the four seats. Rossi and Hotch sat together in the seats across from each other behind them. Spencer sat on the couch, far away from everyone. He wasn’t trying to distance himself. He just wanted to sit alone.

He pulled his phone out. He hasn’t thought much about that girl since he’s obviously been busy but now he was thinking about her. When he opened the app, he saw that she had posted a story. Before he watched her story, he clicked on her account and scrolled a little. She posted a lot of books and her cat too. Spencer really liked this one in particular.

26 likes

Yourinstagram I looked up from my book and seen this. thought it was a great photo op. 

View all 11 comments

He comes across a picture that really catches his attention.

11 likes

Yourinstagram okay just finished these two Jung books. He’s officially my favorite psychology/ prolific author. Freud’s got nothing on this guy.

View 1 comment

Spencer nodded his head approvingly. He swiped back to look at her Instagram story. 

He swiped up, thinking of a way to start a conversation. He just wanted to talk. About what? He doesn’t know.

spencerreid what’s tomorrow?

As expected, she didn’t respond right away. Instead of waiting for a response, Spencer picks up a book to occupy his attention. About 15 minutes later, his phone vibrates and an Instagram notification pops up. It catches the attention of JJ and she looks from the corner of her eye.

Spencer let’s 3 minutes pass by before responding because he didn’t want to seem too eager to talk to her. Although he definitely was.

yourinstagram nothing special! I’m a pastry chef so I’m just preparing them for the week! 

spencerreid Do you have some sort of bakery?

yourinstagram yup :)

Spencer didn’t know what to text back. So he started a new conversation with her.

spencerreid By the way I was looking at your page and seen that you read Carl Jung books.

yourinstagram you were stalking my page??

He started to panic. He didn’t mean it like a weirdo.

spencerreid I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to see what you were about, I guess.

yourinstagram relax haha I was kidding. And yes I do like Carl Jung books. What about you? Jung or Freud?

spencerreid I’m a fan of both, though I feel as if Jung was more open minded.

yourinstagram you, my friend, have great taste.

Although he knew “my friend” was just a term, Spencer couldn’t help but let a smile spread across his face. 

JJ notices and nudges Morgan who was listening to music. Prentiss notices JJ’s act and she gives her a questioning look. JJ nods her head towards Reid who was smiling at his phone. Emily who was sitting next to the window across from Morgan leaned over the seat to get a peek at Spencer.

She looks back to JJ. “What?”

“He’s been acting weird since before we left for this case. Like… secretive.”

Derek quirks an eyebrow. “You think he’s got something going on?” 

JJ shrugs.

“Hey” Emily says to Spencer.

He doesn’t necessarily jump but he was obviously startled. 

“What are you smiling about?” She asked. JJ and Derek watched as he fumbled over his words.

“I- uh-just- just a joke” Spencer cringed internally, because not even he, himself was buying it.

“What’s the joke?” Derek asked.

“It’s… nothing you would find amusing.” 

The three pretended to believe him and gave each other subtle glances before continuing what they were doing. Spencer turned back to his phone.

yourinstagram I’m y/n by the way. Just thought I’d formally introduce myself.

spencerreid I’m Spencer.

yourinstagram It’s nice to meet you, Spencer.

spencerreid It’s nice to meet you as well, Y/N.

After the jet landed, it was only 3:00 in the afternoon. Hotch gave them the rest of the day off so Spencer decided to head home and catch up on some sleep that he’s missed these past few days. 

He knew that it’d be terrible traffic on his way home. But since he stupidly decided to drive to work a few days ago, he couldn’t take the subway. He had to drive home. After about 10 minutes of sitting in his car calculating the fastest route home during traffic hours, he decides to take a way that he’s never taken before.

It would take him about thirty minutes but on his normal route during traffic hours, it would take him an hour and twenty. 

While driving, he catches a glimpse of a bakery and his stomach automatically growls. He decided that he’d stop by. Spencer walked into the shop and it wasn’t very busy. He looked over all of the options while waiting for someone to come to the counter.

A girl soon trails around dusting her hands off on her yellow apron. Her hair tied back in a ponytail.

“Hi. How can I help you?” She gives a kind smile.

“Uh- can I have two of the Danish pastries And a water?” He asked.

“Of course! Will that be all?” She puts some clear gloves on and makes her way over to the pastries.

“Yes” Spencer answers, digging through his satchel for his wallet.

She puts the treats in an apricot colored box, closed with a sticker with the name of the bakery. 

She puts the order in and looks back up at him “That’ll be $5.37!” 

He’s finally able to get a feel for his wallet and pulls out his card, handing it to her. She swipes it and hands it back over to him after it was approved along with his box and a reusable water bottle. He murmurs a thank you before leaving and heading to his apartment, enjoying the delicious danishes and finishing up some case files.

*******

“Seriously, Y/n. There’s so many relationship opportunities in Virginia. And you’re thinking about someone from a social media platform. You’ve never even seen them.” Your older sister lectures you as you close up the shop.

“Woah woah woah. I never said anything about a relationship with him. He’s nice but I’m not going to date someone over the internet. For all I know, he could be from England. I just said we both have an understandable love for Carl Jung in common.” You explained.

“Mom is worried about you. You’re thirty and you haven’t even found someone you’re interested in.” She lifts her eyebrow.

“She doesn’t need to worry about me. And every single woman doesn’t need to get married and settle down in their thirties.” you argue back

“She wants grandchildren, y/n. And not just from one of her kids.” 

“Look. I’m fine. You guys need to stop with the pressuring. I’m happy and I have all that I can ask for right now. When that time comes then it comes but for right now, i’m content” You shrug as you lock up all of the treats in the display cases.

She gives up the argument. And there is a weight of silence that fell between the two of you.

“Alright. Dave and the kids are expecting me so I'm going to get some pizza and head home.” she says, breaking the silence.

“Okay. Love you. Be safe. Bye” you say to her. 

After locking up the shop, you head home and when you open your door, you are greeted by your cat, Luna. After locking the door, you kneel down to properly greet your baby.

“Hey, girl” you pick her up and make your way to the kitchen, opening the fridge to see what options you had to eat for dinner.

You decided on some grilled cheese and tomato soup so that’s what you made.

*****

You throw the crust down on your plate, flipping the page of the book you were almost done with. You were curled up on the side of the couch with Luna sleeping by your feet. After finishing the last page, you were bored enough to go onto twitter and then instagram. 

As you make your way to his dm, you bite your lip, hesitant to say something. You didn’t often speak to people through social media. But he’s already texted first so the least you can do is text something first this time. You were uncertain, but you did it anyway.

yourinstagram hey

You mentally smack yourself as you look at the time. He’s probably already slee-

spencerreid Hi.

yourinstagram i was thinking….

spencerreid About?

yourinstagram I told you what i do for a living. I figured it’s only right that you told me what you do..

spencerreid I’m in the FBI. I’m a profiler.

yourinstagram that’s pretty impressive.

You didn’t know it but Spencer was blushing.

spencerreid Thank you.

yourinstagram you’re based in D.C right?

spencerreid That would be correct.

yourinstagram That’s funny.

spencereid Why is it funny?

yourinstagram because I live in D.C too.

[slippinmickeys]

A Sequel: Amazon Archeologist/Scientist AU, Part 2:

You can read on AO3 here.

1. “How does it feel to have cured cancer?” asked Kathy Lee. Scully couldn’t take her eyes off the rim of the host’s wine glass; it was smeared with lipstick, and the wine contained therein had legs, running down the bell curve of the glass in thin amber stripes.

It was oddly, surreally quiet on the unnaturally blazing stage -- multiple cameras pointing at them, a team of professionals sitting in dead silence in the dark spread out below.

“I only wish I’d done it sooner,” Scully said, going off script a bit. “I think of the people that died while we were still searching, still researching, while the studies were being checked and… I just wish I’d found it sooner.”

The host’s face softened, and she reached forward and put her hand over Scully’s on the arm of the chair where it was resting. She gave it a squeeze and Hoda took over, “Up next, the group BTS is going to sing us their latest single!”

There was a dull bell that rang off to Scully’s right and the stage manager stepped forward, headphones clomped over his ears, his mic slung low around his jaw.

“We’re clear!” he called, “Sixty seconds!”

The show would be cutting to a co-host standing at a stage set-up outside 30 Rockefeller Center. Scully reached up to unhook the mic attached to her lapel, and a trio of sound technicians descended on her. In ten seconds, she was relieved of all equipment, and she was left swaying in the funnel of the Fresnels on the too bright stage.

“You did great,” she heard from her left, and the show’s host winked at her, and retook her hand, leading her to the dim cool just off stage.

She found Mulder standing before her once her eyes adjusted, just outside the reach of the stage lights, looking nervous and out of place, his hands clasped behind his back. He was wearing a turtleneck and a suit coat, looking every inch the tenured professor.

“And who’s this?” Kathie Lee asked, looking at Mulder brightly.

Scully shook herself, trying to remember her manners. It wasn’t always easy, having spent so much time in the field.

“Uh, this is Mulder,” she said, “Dr. Fox Mulder. My, um… my fiancé.”

The television host smiled warmly at Mulder and clasped his hand.

“I’ve heard the story of your meeting,” Kathie Lee said, “It’s a real pleasure.”

“I’m a big Giants fan,” Mulder said, giving her hand a firm shake, “the pleasure’s all mine.”

The host winked at him and then stalked off, and Scully exhaled, falling a little into Mulder’s side.

“I’m glad that’s over,” she said.

“The price you pay for changing the course of human history,” Mulder mumbled, squeezing her into his side and kissing her hairline. He led her off the soundstage and into a waiting limo.

2. It had been a whirlwind since the Nobel Prize Award ceremony in Stockholm. It was cold in Sweden in December — especially to a person who’d spent years in the humid jungles off the beaten paths of the world, and she and Mulder both felt out of place and perpetually in the clasp of a bone-clutching chill.

“I just want to be back in the field,” she’d whisper to him, and he would kiss her hand. With the prize money, they could buy a house, start a family — but they both would rather be in a jungle somewhere, sweating into the other’s skin on a too-narrow cot, in a too-hot clime. There was no science when they were in the cradle of the other’s hips, there was just each other. Sex made life more simple. Sex made life more fun. But sex didn’t cure cancer. Pleurotus Mulderatus did that, and the world wanted to hear about it.

3.She had a free ticket. Any university, any assignment.

“I feel pressure,” she told him, her nose pressed into his ear. “What do you do after you’ve cured cancer?” she asked, earnestly, “there’s nowhere to go but down.”

He’d taken her to Rhode Island, to his family’s cottage in Quonochontaug, creaky and drafty and smelling of mildew and old pine. No one had visited in decades and everything needed to be cleaned and aired out.

They kayaked and frolicked in the waves, drank coffee in adirondack chairs and listened to the pinched squawks of hovering sea birds. They’d find a place in the dune grass, down low where the wind wouldn’t catch them. They’d soak up the sun and then go into the cottage and make love between the knotty pine walls, their moans absorbed by the thick shag carpet laced with the grit of sand, faded drunkards path quilts nailed to the walls.

“Down is a state of mind,” Mulder would murmur into her ear, “Up is fighting gravity. You have nowhere to be but here. You have no one to impress but me.”

He would catch her lips with his own and they would sink into each other gratefully.

4.Mulder was burning pancakes in the kitchen when there was a dull knock on the screen door.

Scully was laughing at Mulder’s culinary ineptitudes when she turned toward the sound, her laugh fading when a well-done-up woman appeared on the stoop, holding her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun’s glare, trying to see into the murky depths of the house.

“Are you press?” Scully asked through the screen door glumly, her mood taking a nose dive.

“I’m Samantha,” the woman said, and it took Scully a full five seconds for her synapses to fire, to figure out the identity of the visitor.

“Oh my god,” Scully said, swinging the door open to admit the polished woman waiting on the other side. The door itself was swollen with humidity and didn’t shut all the way -- it caught like there was a second latch. “Come in, come in!”

Samantha had a full head of thick hair just like her brother, but it was curled and tawny, streaks of not-quite-blonde highlights running from the roots. She was wearing Lily Pulitzer pastels, and would have looked at home in a sun hat or on the pages of Coastal Living.

“You must be Dana,” she breathed, smiling widely. Scully nodded and looked around self-consciously. “God, this place hasn’t changed in thirty years,” Samantha finished, shaking her head ruefully. “Where’s Fox?”

“Kitchen,” Scully said, inclining her head toward the cooking space, though she knew Samantha knew right where to go.

“You’re using the cast iron?” Samantha said boldly and apropos of nothing, stepping into the sunny kitchen, “God, I hope you seasoned that thing.”

Mulder’s face brightened at seeing his sister, and he turned to her fully, enveloping her in a hug, a greasy spatula in one hand, held out so as not to soil her clothes.

“Like you can cook,” he drawled, turning back to the smoking pan.

“I know enough to hire a caterer,” she said, plunking down in an olive green vinyl kitchen chair, looking at ease but totally out of place in the dated decor of the cottage. “So. Who do I have to fuck to get a mimosa around here?”

“Me,” said a voice from the entryway. The screen door slammed ineffectually shut and Scully’s own sister Melissa stood awkwardly in the slant of sun showing through it, holding several plastic bags laden with glass bottles and juices, a hopeful, nervous smile on her face.

“Missy?!” Scully squeaked, and Mulder looked to the door, his face chagrined and pleased as Scully launched herself at her sister, wrapping herself in the earthy patchouli smell of the woman, the plastic bags clunking to the floor at their feet.

XxXxXxXxXxX

“I got ordained online,” Melissa said, drinking a Bellini from a yellow smiley-face mug, her feet tucked under her on a rough-hewn dining chair. “It’s perfectly legal.”

“But it’s--” Scully started, then abandoned her argument. She looked to Mulder desperately, who smiled and plunked a cup of hot coffee in front of her.

“It was only an idea,” he said, squeezing her hand and sliding an ancient sugar dish in front of her. The crinkles around his eyes had hardened in the ocean-reflected sun, lending him an air of easy humor she hadn’t witnessed much of in the jungle.

“Don’t you need two witnesses?” she asked, realizing how lame it sounded the second the words were out of her mouth.

Samantha leaned over and grabbed her hand, squeezing her fingers in such a way that made her feel bolstered and secure. “Not in Rhode Island,” Mulder’s sister told her, looking her square in the eye.

“We don’t have to do it,” Mulder said, still standing at her side, “but I thought…”

She felt overwhelmed with emotion, thinking of her father, who hadn’t lived long enough to witness her greatest achievement, which would have saved his life.

“Mom sent her wedding dress,” Melissa said, holding up a garment bag -- it was a yellowed ivory in the kitchen sun, the zipper up its middle aged and brittle.

XxXxXxXxXxX

They exchanged vows on the beach in front of the old cottage in a whipping Atlantic wind. Gulls hovered overhead and the sun was as bright as a brass doorknob, the air clearer than glass.

Samantha had read a poem by an amateur poet named Tim Pratt called Scientific Romance (Mulder having confessed to her later that night that it only seemed right to have had a reading replete with scientific notation for a wedding between two people such as themselves). Melissa had read words as old as the institution of marriage itself and they exchanged simple rings and had eyes only for each other. Scully handed her bouquet -- a small posy of wild swamp azalea and yellow flag that Melissa had picked the hour before -- to her new sister in law as she strode up the peeling wooden steps of the house. Mulder had insisted upon carrying her over the threshold and Melissa and Samantha had stood back thoughtfully, and were now sitting closely on the beach, heads bent together, talking in hushed tones.

Scully didn’t know quite what to do with herself, dressed in old lace in the heavy salt air, her left ring finger feeling as heavy and pendulous as an old bell. Mulder wrapped his arms around her from behind and told her they never had to leave.

“Nobel Laureates live in Rhode Island, too, you know,” he whispered into the hair behind her ear.

“Mmm,” she said happily, watching her sister and his dig their feet in the gritty sand.

He kissed the skin where her shoulder met her neck. “Life can be as simple as the state motto.”

“Which is?” she asked.

“Hope.”

5. She stood above the riverbank, the grass a trampled, muddy squelch. A monkey called from overhead, a high primate shriek that echoed through the canopy. Its compatriots soon joined in, the welcoming committee announcing the rare arrival of a visitor.

He sat in the back of the approaching hollowed-out canoe, his knees practically to his neck, the lanky bones of him jutting out at all angles. He wore jeans and chambray, all wrong for the climate, but the blue set off the dark mink of his hair, and his eyes -- as green as the river upon which his boat perched -- caught hers from twenty yards away -- they held her gaze as the craft glided to shore, and he leapt off with the galumphing grace of a power forward.

“Dr. Scully I presume,” he said, finding his balance on the slippery shore and reaching a hand forward. She clasped it gratefully, then brought it to her belly, which was protruding out like a carved fertility statue, a life-sized goddess, gravid and full. “I thank God, doctor, that I have been permitted to see you,” he finished, and they embraced on the shores of the jungle river, perspiring and damp and finally, finally feeling at home.

[fandomscombine]

Make The First Move

George Weasley x Reader

BG: The Yule Ball is only a month away, but the boy you were hoping to ask you out still hasn’t make a move. So you decided to take matters into your own hands.

(With guess appearances of Fred and Cedric)

This is an entry for @heloisedaphnebrightmore​ ’s 1k Followers Writing Challenge

Fluff prompt #1 “Do you find it sexy when girls make the first move, or should I wait for you to do it yourself?”

Fluff prompt #6 “If you want to make a move, today would be the perfect time to go for it.”

Trope #8 Friends to lovers

WC: 2623

>>>MASTERLIST<<<

>>JOIN MY WRITING CHALLENGE!<<

y/n l/n is not a girly girl. You would categorize your fashion mentality to value comfort and functionality more than style.

Yes, during the weekends, you do tend to rock a graphic tee, jeans, soft sneakers and a outwear of choice, depending on what you’re feeling that day- be it a leather jacket, causal blazer to a denim jacket.

Hey in your defence, the Scottish Highlands where Hogwarts is located isn’t exactly the warmest place, besides students are only allowed to wear casual clothes during the weekends.

But every now and then you do wanna pop on a skirt or a dress, especially when its warm outside.

This upcoming event though…. you, like everyone else is oh so very much do want to feel like a star! To feel elegant! Luxurious!

That’s right the Yule Ball is only a month away. It is all that is in every single student’s mind ever since it was announced. Who would their date to the ball be? What outfit would they wear?

A number of students had already picked their respective dates and dresses. However, a remaining select few have not done either- Like yourself. Time is running out and the pool of available potential partners is decreasing day by day.

You didn’t mind going alone, as long as you have a great time with friends, going alone it isn’t really a big deal. But there is a small childlike wishful thinking that wants to have a fairy tale experience.

It also isn’t helpful that you had started to develop feelings for a certain redheaded twin over the summer. You swear that he too felt the dynamic changed between the two of you- who knew that 3 weeks tinkering with joke shop ideas and fixing out the burrow’s garage could be so impactful.

Though now coming to think of it, could you have just read the signs all wrong? The lingering stares, the tighter and longer hugs… Could this be signs that he planning of ways to murder you? Because if this were all romantic signs, wouldn’t he have had asked you out to the ball by now? It was no secret that you hadn’t said yes to anyone yet.

So, what’s taking so long? George Weasley is one of the most confident and popular guys on campus. Surely, he wouldn’t chicken out or get nervous to ask you.

Right??

Pushing boy trouble aside, you focus back on the dress catalogue your mum had sent you earlier today.

Flipping through the pages, 2 dresses caught you eye. One was a short tule the other had a long side leg slit.

You were in the process of bookmarking the page when you felt the catalogue being pulled out of your grasp.

‘Hey!’ You instinctively shouted to the culprit.

‘What’s this?’ George said, turning to the front cover. ‘“Madam Bella’s Evening Gowns, Autumn/Winter 1994”’

‘Give it back George!’ You tried to take it from him, but he quickly held it above his head.  

You stood on the bench in hopes to extend your reach. You could almost take hold-

‘Catch Freddie!’ Shouted George and threw it across the table.

Fred flipped to the dogeared pages. ‘Ahh..’ He was scanning through the choices you had circled. ‘Great choices indeed, my dear y/n!’

At first you weren’t sure if he was teasing you or being sincere.

That must had shown on your face as Fred continued, ‘I’m serious y/n/n!’ He placed his left hand on his heart and raise his right. ‘I swear! But you would look good in any dress anyway.’

You blushed at his compliment. ‘Thanks for the confidence boost Freddie.’

He hands back the catalogue to you, and as you took it, he whispered in your ear. ‘A little hint though,’ He shifts back a bit- now being face to face. ‘My vote is on the slit dress...’

Your brows scrunched together- was this boy seriously giving you fashion advice?

‘….I know George would like that..’ He steals a quick glance towards his twin, who has now turn bright red, both from being embarrassed and furious at him. ‘… I-I mean, it would match George’s dress robes.’

Fred sends you a final wink and bids you both goodbye.

You watch Fred exit the Great Hall, never letting him out of sight until he turns the corner. Which George to grateful for, as that had bought him time to calm his face down.

That was the one of the weirdest exchanges you’ve ever had yet, but you also couldn’t help but wonder if there was some truth to it.

George cleared his throat ‘So…y/n...Have you got a date yet?’

‘No why?’ You look over at him and you thought that you might give your hypothesis a try. Smirking hopefully, you asked ‘Are you gonna ask me?’

If you only knew what was going on inside of George’s head, the boy was panicking.

It was as if time slowed. Or it was because George’s thoughts are going a thousand miles a second.

Of course, he wanted to ask you to go with him!

But his brain was feeding him of insecurities. What if you didn’t want to go with him? What if you did say yes but only as a friend?

Plus, he didn’t want to ask you in front of all these people, thinking that you might be pressured by the crowd to agree.

No, he wanted to do it in a private, more intimate setting. Deserving of your beauty and grand place to confess his feelings.

He’d dream that in return you would say ‘Yes, I loved to go to the ball with you, George!’ and perhaps even say those 3 words he’s been dying to hear-more in the romantic nature than of friendship- and if he was lucky, maybe even share a kiss, that would be the best case scenario.

The worst-case scenario would be you rejecting him, possibly forever ruining the relationship with his best friend and having his heart broken- at least that case, nobody else would witness that.

‘Eh George?? Georgie?? Hello??’ You frantically wake a hand in front of him. ‘Earth to George Weasley!!!’

Great, when you finally had the courage to ask him to be your date-albeit indirectly- You broke him.

‘uuh.. I… I have to go...’ George looked like a deer caught in headlights

‘What?’

His eyes, dart upwards, thinking of an excuse. ‘Yes, I have to go… GO CLEAN MY SOCKS!’ Unfortunately, for him, in an uncharacteristic manner, he failed to think of a believable lie. ‘I’ll see you later!’

And with that he rushed out the Great Hall, leaving you once again gawking with a confused face at another Weasley twin.

~

You had your back against one of the rock formations near the Black lake, deciding which of the 2 dresses you would be wearing to the ball.

You were enjoying the last good sunny autumn days, taking in the sights of other students having a picnic on this beautiful Saturday. When suddenly a figure had landed right in front of you.

‘Ahhh!’ You had jumped in fright, causing you to slip a bit.

‘I got you, I got you!’ You felt arms holding you tight, preventing you from falling off the rocks.

Once you had regained your balance you check to see the perpetrator that had gave you a heart attack.

‘CEDRIC DIGGORY!!!!!!!! I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING THAT!!’

The boy chuckled. ‘I know y/n/n, but I just couldn’t help it!’

You narrowed your eyes at him. Which made him laugh even more.

‘You know you love me.’ He gushed, bring you into a hug.

‘And that is my weakness’ Your reply being muffled by his shoulder. You Cedric were as close as brother and sister, having basically grew up together as both your families super close. Your father is best friends with his father and so are your mothers ever since their Hogwarts days. Therefore, naturally you and Cedric have a close bond too, being joined at the hip since birth-the only time part was the 3 months that you are older by.

It has been a while since you two had caught up with each other, him being busy with the Triwizard Tournament ofcourse.

‘Have you got any idea about the second task?’

‘Yeahh’ Cedric gulped.

You crocked a brow. Not buying his bullshit.

Cedric scratched the back of his neck. ‘Fine, I haven’t….’ Gazing towards the lake, he continued. ‘But I think it’s got something to do about the water.’

You take hold of his hand. ‘Hey, it’s alright. You’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it out.’

‘Thanks y/n. I thought initially you wouldn’t be against me joining.’ He confessed.

‘You know I would support you no matter what. But don’t get me wrong, I’m worried for you Ced, always am. The tournament just upped it to level 1000! But I know that you have it in you to win this, to be the Triwizard Champion!’ You beamed. ‘Imagine that Ced, a Triwizard Champion in the family!’

‘It would be great, would it?’

‘Now to the matter at hand, The Yule Ball.’

‘What about it?’

‘Have you asked someone yet? You enquired.

‘Well there is this gorgeous lady that I’ve been meaning to ask…’ He hinted. ‘Though I am waiting for the right opportunity to ask her, you see everything has to be perfect!’

‘Awww, what an absolute sweetheart!’ You swooned.

Behind Cedric, you could have sworn that you saw someone in the trees. However, in your eagerness to know more of Cedric’s possible date, you brushed it off as the swaying of the branches and falling autumn leaves.

‘How about you? Has Mr. Beater asked you yet?’

You sighed. ‘Not exactly…’

Cedric leaned forward with hands on his chin, interested to hear more.

‘He asked if I had got a date yet, to which I said no. Then teased if he was gonna ask me.’ You recalled. ‘Then he froze. I guess I broke him, cause the next thing he said was that he’s got to go clean his socks.’

That had Cedric doubling over. ‘George really said that?!?!!?’ He had his arms wrapped around his stomach. ‘Clean his socks?!!??’

‘Yeah yeah yeah, laugh all you want Diggory. But you still hadn’t asked Cho out yet.’

‘Heyy! I told you I am waiting for the right moment!’

‘C’mon Ced, Sweet intentions aside. Cho has been declining offers to the ball, time is running out and I bet she is getting tired waiting for you to make a move, especially this close to the ball.’ You know how much Cedric likes Cho and hate to see him sad if and when Cho doesn’t get tired of waiting for him. ‘Sooner or later she might just say yes to some other guy, cause you’re talking so long!’

‘I’m sorry Cedric.’ You had realized that you projected your own frustrations on him. ‘I didn’t mean to go off on you like that.’

‘I know y/n, it’s alright really.’ He smiled, having come up with an idea ‘How about this, the next time you see George, YOU ask him out?’ He suggested.

‘ME?!?’

‘Yes.’ He insisted. ‘That why we would get a definite answer. And this time not more asking in an indirectly direct way. - We don’t want another system error in that head of his. Deal?’

‘Deal’

Picking up the discarded catalogue, he remarked. ‘Hmmm, I think that the long one would suit the occasion better, don’t you think? Being it a formal event and all.’

You agreed. ‘and you‘re not the first one to say that too.’ You muttered-more to yourself.

‘Huh?’

‘Nothing!’

‘So what color are you thinking? Blue or…’

‘Oh I got that all figured out! I was thinking that since the point of the Triwizard Tournament is school unity, I want the grown to be featuring my house colours.’

~

Fred had ran back to the Gryffindor dormitories as fast as he could. Glad to spot that his twin brother laying down on the bed.

As much as he enjoys teasing his siblings. He could no longer endure the obliviousness of his brother and y/n. He can no longer take the constant nonessential pining, especially when they obviously like each other.

Fred had been trying to get them together for the past month, but it seems that subtly pushing them to the right direction isn’t working. Which leaves him with no choice.

‘If you want to make a move, today would be the perfect time to go for it’ Stated Fred.

‘What?’

‘I can’t take it anymore Georgie!’ He grabs his brother by the collar. ‘I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I KNOW YOU LIKE Y/N AND BELIEVE ME GEOGRE WHEN I SAY THAT SHE LIKES YOU BACK OKAY.’ Fred pleads, shaking George with each word. ‘AND YOU HAVE GOT TO MAKE A MOVE TODAY! NOW! ASK HER TO THE BALL BEFORE CEDRIC DOES.’

George now dizzy, mumbled. ‘What? How?.....How do you know this?’

‘I saw them together at the lake and me being the best brother that you have decided to eavesdrop.’ Fred admitted. ‘And guess what, Cedric plans to ask a gorgeous lady- y/n- to the yule ball but is just finding the perfect opportunity.’

‘Therefore, brother dearest, it’s only a matter of time til that happens. And I your very supportive wingman urge you to freaking ask y/n out RIGHT NOW before it’s too late.’

That news that Cedric might ask y/n to the ball before he does, had put George back into his senses.

In record time, George had tidy up his clothes and fixed his hair. ‘Right.’ He turned to Fred who was looking smug leaning on the door frame. ‘How do I look?’

‘Smashing.’

‘Great, Now get out of the way you prick.’

~

George was busy thinking on how to ask y/n out to the yule ball and possibly even side in the chance to ask to go on a date with him, when he accidentally bumped into someone.

‘Wooooahh careful George!’

Damnit! he thought, out of all the people in this huge school, he just had to bump into the one person he doesn’t want to see.

‘Diggory.’ George growled.

‘You two alright?’ Said a voice beside them.

In his annoyance towards Cedric, George hadn’t noticed that you were close by. ‘Yeah, I’m good.’

‘Heyy’ Cedric interrupted. George had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. ‘I’ll see you later okay?’

Cedric kissed your forehead and whispered. ‘Good luck.’

This was is. George interpreted that sibling affection as you going out with Cedric to the ball.

Accepting defeat, he cleared his throat. ‘I guess imma go too-‘

‘Wait George!’ You held onto his arm to prevent him from leaving. ‘I wanted to ask you something.’

‘Go ahead.’ Replied George, curious onto what it is that is so important to ask him.

‘Do you find it sexy when girls make the first move, or should I wait for you to do it yourself?’

‘Hmm?’ George once again confused.

‘Gosh you are slow sometimes aren’t you.’ You chuckled. You take a step closer to him, coming up face to face. ‘George Weasley will you go to the ball with me?’

It took a second for George to believe what he was hearing. ‘YES!!’ He exclaimed then recomposed himself. ‘Yes, I would love to go to the ball with you.’

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he decided to take it one step further- cause what else has he got to lose? ‘Will you y/n l/n go on a date with me?’

You bring your arms to his neck, his him close. ‘I’d love nothing more.’ You grinned, pulling him into a long awaited kiss.

 Taglist [All/General]: @gruffle1​

[ready-to-obeyme]

[OM!] All Demon Brothers + Undateables as Babysitters (Part 1)

Scenario: For the sake of the exchange program (probably), the entire cast is now in charge of taking care of kids ranging from infants to pre-K children at a daycare with you. Headcanons on what type of babysitter they would be + whatever cute shenanigans that may occur

Note: Baby fever!! Inspiration is the entirety of Gakuen Babysitter/School Babysitter. It is literally the cutest anime I have ever watched in my life and I highly recommend it if you want a cute feels-good, slice of life!! Some of the kids I may have based off of them, but you don’t need to watch it to understand this! :))

why do i always make my headcanons so long

Part 1 has the 7 Demon Brothers

[Part 2] has all five Undateables

--

Lucifer

This was probably Diavolo’s idea so he has no choice but to go along with it, much to his dismay

He already thought humans were fragile, and now they were going to take care of the smaller, younger ones? 

His face scares 90% of the kids on his first day as a babysitter, which kind of hinders his job because every time he tries to help them clean up or change diapers, the kids start crying 

The other 10% who are not intimidated by him claim him to be the Big Bad and play fight with him all the time, and considering his attitude, he’s a pretty perfect villain in their make-belief play so he’s won their hearts IMMEDIATELY 

Generally a pretty strict baby-sitter who is listened to without having to repeat himself; his power and authority is unyielding (and also he’s just plain scary even if he doesn’t mean to be, and lowkey he likes the power he has because the kids remind him of Mammon sometimes) 

It’s honestly a big debate whether he should just give up and ask for help or power through, but if he’s just babysitting with you, pleads with you to please help him because he’s so lost and why do they scream so loud and not that he would ever admit to it, but he is a tiny bit hurt that he can’t seem to have the kids trust him

Once he’s told that he should smile more and speak more gently, he implements it with mixed results (at first), but it’s a significant improvement from the first few days

During a moment of rest, he’s sighing when a baby crawls up to him and sits in his lap without warning, and he’s a goner 

Literally has the hardest time trying to train his face not to look so pleased or happy, but his smile is so soft (and he will not hesitate to kill any of his brothers that see him like that, but for you and the undateables, he’ll just be embarrassed) 

Loves infants and how trusting they are of him despite how scary his face may seem sometimes-- the epitome of unconditional love and he’s just… very tender

Probably ends up being the respected babysitter who’s super cool to all the kids but slightly unapproachable (unless you’re a babyyyy) but eventually climbs the ranks in terms of babysitters because he vouches for them if they do need him

Mammon

The kids have decided that he is the biggest kid on the playground and now to assert dominance, they must beat him up

Which is what they do-- or as much as they can with their tiny fists and miniscule strength and the fact that Mammon is a literal demon

You just stare at Mammon as he cries on the ground, whining at how the kids ganged up on him and you’re just like…. They’re literally <4 years old. 

Despite that part, Mammon gets along with all the kids really well!! 

He talks to them as normal and calls them ‘brats’ but they all know he’s soft for them so they kind of take advantage of that? But only a little bit because they don’t like seeing Mammon cry either

You forget who comfort the other more at this point, the kids or Mammon

Mammon is the best person to call for if the kids want to play around because he’s pretty animated himself and goes along with whatever the kids want to do 

You might have to reign them in a little yourself, because you’re not quite sure Mammon really knows what’s actually dangerous for them

“Mammon, please only carry one kid at a time please, you’re scaring me”

“Huh? You know I can carry all four of them on my head--”

“Please”

Suuuper popular with the kids even though he kept complaining about them to anyone who would listen that he had to look over these tiny humans

But the moment any of the kids ask for his help or do something cute, he’s the FIRST one to go and help because ‘you need the GREAT Mammon’s help? Guess you can’t help it after all…” and he just likes the fact that he feels reliable to these kids

He might… actually save money to buy these kids Christmas gifts?? Will maybe cry if they bring little Valentine's Day candies (that their parents probably told them to give but shhh let him dream)

Leviathan

May or may not be hyperventilating as he hypes himself up to go into the daycare and meet the kids

He tried to brush it off to his brothers that they’re just kids and he doesn’t care if they like him or not because it doesn’t matter to him because he’s just an otaku-- but my god he hopes they like him 

Little does he know, the fact he lets them play on his game consoles (whether or not they actually know how to play) wins them over immediately and breaks the ice

They find him super interesting to talk to and he ends up a pretty popular babysitter because he talks to them like adults (yes, even to the babies) 

Catch him giving a bottle to a baby while talking to them in baby-voice (that he adopts not on purpose) about his favorite TSL season 

One of the biggest reasons why the kids love him is because he really listens to them even though their rants and blabbing doesn’t always make sense

When he does talk about his interests (or it slips out, as it does), the kids are genuinely interested in what he has to say and that’s when his mission to convert all of these kids to watching anime and reading manga started

“Reading manga is going to help them develop reading comprehension!!”

Probably brings his entire stash of (kid-friendly) manga-- probably the magical girl anime with Ruri-chan-- and has the kids dig in 

It does have some negative repercussions because kids aren’t exactly good at handling precious material, so things do rip and break and Levi had to excuse himself to go outside and mourn his lost

But the fire of his mission burns brighter than the sadness over what he has lost (besides, he would never bring limited edition/1st edition things outside his room so these things are replaceable) 

If Halloween rolls around, the kids will exclaim that they want to be [insert character] from TSL or another anime and Levi may shed tears of happiness right there and then

Will make it his side quest to make costumes for ALL the kids-- especially if they can’t afford their own and will encourage them to be whatever they want to be!!!

He’s literally leading an army of newly-created weebs/otakus that look up to him in the daycare and the power he has over these kids is so formidable some of his brothers are actually a little jealous HAHA

Satan

Acts casual about the whole thing and is actually casual about it

He hasn’t necessarily spent much time with kids, but he figures he’d be able to do it-- and he’d be right; considering how natural he is with people in general, I doubt kids would be much different, especially if he talks to them like adults and respects their opinions 

Is definitely the type of babysitter some of the kids end up having a little baby crush on, considering how charming and prince-like he can be with his gentle tone of voice 

Not that he’s perfect-- some kids are just brats and he does get angry at them but he only needed to snap once before the troublemakers all learned not to mess with him

Despite that, he would most likely be the ones to keep an eye on the troublemakers, because it may be a sign of a troubled home (not always, but… well, he would know best, wouldn’t he?) and he’d want to reach out to them if he can help them in any way

What he loves to do with the kids-- and you can probably guess-- is have Story Time!!

The kids are so excited to circle around him before naptime and listen to him read storybooks, doing voice overs and dramatic/animated readings; the kids are so intently listening and giggling at the funny parts

At first, he attempted to bring all his books over to the daycare, but he had to put some back when you tell him these kids are literally three and probably don’t have the reading comprehension required to read Quantum Physics-- so he provides picture books instead; anything he procured from the human world

Really encourages the kids to try their best to read and, if he has the time of day, tries to teach them basic things like the alphabet, how to spell out each words etc (you may call him…. Sensei) 

Adores their imagination too because he knows adults could hardly compare at times and he encourages them to make up their own stories and he’d help them write it down 

Uses a lot of tactic like these to encourage their education and their development-- he loves books and the impact they’ve made on him and he wants these kids to be able to experience the same things

Asmodeus

A little hesitant at first because kids can be super cute and great for pictures but… they can also be super gross and kind of mean; and he’s seen both ends of the spectrum so he’s not really sure what to expect

Then one of the kid compliments his hair clip shyly and shows their own similar hairclip and he’s sold because obviously they have the cutest kids in the world

Hair undone? He’s there

You wanna try out painting nails? Oh hun, he’s got you-- free make-overs for EVERYONE-- except maybe the infants, he doesn’t wanna ruin the natural baby smell and softness they have going for them

He wants to encourage ALL the kids to express themselves so he sometimes brings old clothes he doesn’t wear anymore so they have a fashion show/runways

ALWAYS encourages the kid to wear what they want because gender norms who???

If ANY and I mean ANY parent comes up to him and talk about him letting them wear non-gender conforming clothes he WILL go off on them because they are LITERALLY KIDS-- let them express themselves and have fun

Kinda grossed out by snot and diapers tho so you’re gonna have to help him with that; and since the universe knows that he hates getting dirty, he’s probably the brother most likely to get peed on while changing a diaper

You have to force him back into the daycare after that incident because he refuses to come out of the bathroom after changing into clean clothes 

But he is so captivating that the kids usually don’t cause trouble when he’s around, and also similarly to Levi, he talks and listens to them blabber while he’s doing their hair so it’s always pretty soothing 

Probably ends up in charge of the creativity hour and cooing over everyone’s art project, encouraging them to sprinkle as much glitter as they want, use as many colors as they want-- as long as it makes them happy! 

Beelzebub

Considering he’s the sweetest and physically the strongest, he’s actually pretty concerned about hurting them, and asks you to help him adjust to this new role so that the kids will be okay (you know he’ll be fine, but if saying yes to helping him will make him feel better, you say it)

Beel keeps to himself as a babysitter for the first few-- oh idk-- hours before some of the kids figure out how STRONG he is and he’s the best thing since sliced bread

The kids start to literally hang from him, testing how strong he really is, and are all delighted that he can hold all of them in and from his arms; he’s a little worried he’ll drop them, but since the kids are so excited about it, decides to lift them only a little high just to please them

Happily, he eventually gets used to knowing how to deal with them, and it helps that the kids are so polite to him

He’s the ultimate Big Brother figure to them, much to his surprise since he’s used to being the younger brother, and it makes him really soft inside that these kids actually look up to him and rely on him 

During free play, he has definitely carried at least six kids on his back when they play horsey and not break a sweat and throws the babies up in the air playfully (and carefully) and let them pretend they were flying

He’s their protector, making sure that they’re playing safely, even though he went a little too ham on the protection, grabbing a kid by the scruff of his collar because he was running and beel was afraid of him falling and scraping his knees

“It’s okay Beel, they can handle it--”

“Are you sure?? But they’re so tiny and fragile--” 

Changes diapers pretty handily after the first time; has definitely tried the baby formula and ate the entire bottle by accident before feeding a baby

Makes sure the kids are nice to each other, especially siblings, and that they eat; you tell the kids that if they eat their vegetables they’ll grow as strong as Beel, and that’s the FASTEST you’ve ever seen picky kids eat them in your LIFE

Belphegor

“Alright, nap time, everyone!”

“Belphie, they just arrived;;;”

Honestly just thought this entire thing was a hassle because kids in general take a lot of work and he just doesn’t want to put that sort of effort into something he didn’t sign up for

But since you’re there, he may as well try to be proficient enough to be well-liked enough to not cause a fuss and be able to babysit with you

He’s the type of babysitter who converses with the kids and pretends he doesn’t know something so the kid tries to teach him-- and honestly this give the kid a chance to be confident in their skills and also lets Belphie not do as much work to keep the conversation alive so win-win

As you can probably guess, is definitely in charge of enforcing nap time… by napping with the kids-- gotta learn by example right?

There are probably mats that the kids lie on but whenever Belphie lies in the middle of them, they all end up rolling and curling near his side; when he wakes up he’s always surrounded by a sea of kids and he’s so confused and he can’t move unless you wake up the kids for him 

The most efficient babysitter out of all of them because efficiency means less effort and time taken to change a diaper, clean up a spill, or wipe a kid’s nose 

Doesn’t understand why the kids keep wanting to interact with him but he’ll always indulge them in the end regardless of his nonchalant attitude

He actually finds a lot of them endearing when they talk about the things they like to do and about their daily life because it’s always interesting to learn about their perspective on things

When it’s creativity hour, the kids like asking him to doodle something on their paper (it can be a small chibi or caricature or just some animal) and it always makes them super happy; you watch him crack a smile as he sees the kids try to copy his drawing right next to it

If any of them are interested in stars, will gently show them the constellations in books and watch as they fascinate over them as he did before

[krappykawa]

ಌ i mildly like you more than like (p.4) 

— in which an incessant fan girl, a kiss, and a little bit of denial makes oikawa tooru realize he might mildly like you more than like

description. you’ve been in love with oikawa tooru for longer than you can remember. having known him for the better part of nearly 11 years, you’ve come to accept that you’ll never be more than a best friend to him. but with the help of a few irritatingly persistent fangirls and a kiss that was only meant to drive them away, a tale of unrequited love might just prove to be something more.

warnings. language

word count. 3.8k

oikawa tooru x f!reader, childhood best friends to lovers, fluff, some angst

parts. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Received: did you get home safe?

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Sent: yes (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ 

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Received: what’s with the hearts?? … did something happen with captain pretty face?

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Sent: captain pretty face?  

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Received: that was hard enough to type y/n-chan i’m not saying it again (>_<)

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Sent: he bought me a cup of frozen yogurt and free frozen yogurt makes me happy :D

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Received: that’s good to hear

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Received: i think i’ll crash for tonight, don’t stay up too late

1 new message: tooru ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭

Received: goodnight y/n-chan ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶ sleep well

Oikawa sets his phone down on his nightstand and lets out a heavy sigh as his fingers come up to massage his eyes. His gaze comes up to the ceiling, eyes locking on a picture of you, him, and Iwaizumi that’s surrounded by bounds of glow in the dark stars. It’s from your first year -- the first time that he’d lost to Shiratorizawa. 

He’s laying a head on your shoulder, looking dejected in comparison to the grin on your face as you hold your arm up for the selfie. On his right sits Iwaizumi with a mildly confused look on his face as he pokes Oikawa’s shoulder with a lone chopstick. Oikawa feels a grin crawl up onto his lips as he stares at it. He wonders for a moment how different he’d felt about you then. He wonders if first-year him felt the same fluttering in his stomach laying his head on your shoulder the way it does now. 

The grin fades when he remembers that that fluttering should’ve died the moment he started dating Hishoko. He knows that it should’ve. 

And yet, despite it all, he ends up calling you at 3AM in the morning, feeling that same familiar feeling when he hears your mildly fatigued voice on the other end. 

He falls asleep to the sound of your laugh. 

You thought that maybe it would get easier. You thought that maybe your heart wouldn’t ache every time you saw Oikawa’s fingers wrapped around Hishoko’s smaller ones. 

It doesn’t. Not when Oikawa still smiles at you like you’re the best thing to happen to him. Not when his eyes still look for yours whenever you enter a room. Not when he still calls you in the middle of the night to tell you about his day because it’s well past midnight and he just can’t fall asleep. You decide that maybe you’d let him tear your heart bit by bit every day for the rest of your lives if it meant that he would always love you the way he does now -- even if it’ll never be in the way that you want. 

It seems like maybe you could actually do just that, to love him from a distance for the rest of your lives, when suddenly it hits you that this isn’t like the other times he’d gotten a girlfriend. That something about loving him now is different. Maybe it was the kiss you shared, or maybe it’s something else, but you realize for the first time that maybe you can’t keep holding on to him the way you do. This realization comes after Aoba Johsai’s first win of the Preliminaries. 

You’ve been going to every single one of Oikawa’s and Iwaizumi’s games for as long as you can remember. The only two games you missed was a day in which some bad planning landed a date with Kaoru on the same day as one of their games, and the other was when you were forced to take an extra shift at the bakery.  

Hishoko stands next to you, speaking quietly to you. You feel relaxed as she speaks, the tenseness in your muscles ebbing away with every soft word from her lips. Despite her relationship being the cause of the ache in your heart, you can’t find it in you to fault her. She’s a friend to you now, no matter what happens with Oikawa. 

Your eyes follow the small figures of your best friends as they huddle up, and a smile slips onto your face when Matsukawa looks up at you and smiles that tiny smile that he only reserves for people he really cares about. Hanamaki follows his line of vision and blows a kiss in your direction, which you make a show of catching and stomping on. 

But then Oikawa turns and smiles like he’s ready to take on the world and you think that the ground might fall out from under you. Because for a moment you think that smile is for you, but you remind yourself that you’re sitting next to his girlfriend. The knife in your heart twists. 

The game goes by the way you expect it, with Aoba Johsai winning after two relatively easy sets. You wait with Hishoko in the lobby afterwards, waiting for the team. 

It’s only when Oikawa walks out and Hishoko runs up to him and pulls him into a kiss that it finally hits you. It hits you for the first time that you might not be able to do this. That despite everything, you might not be able to watch them fall in love when Oikawa still has a firm string tied to your heart. 

You try not to cry as you run into Iwaizumi’s arms and stay there. He’s understanding. 

Hanamaki and Matsukawa each throw an arm around you. Hanamaki ruffles your hair. Matsukawa offers to hold your hand. 

For a bit, it doesn’t hurt as much. 

You think that maybe the world hates you when you’re about to close up the bakery and Kaoru walks in. You had to leave shortly after the game, but your shift was only until 6 pm today, so you didn’t really mind. Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa were going to spend the night at your house to watch a movie anyways, so you didn’t feel too bad about leaving them so early. 

“Hey,” Kaoru says as he walks up to the counter. If there’s anyone that you would rather not see right now, it’s him. 

You try your hardest to muster a convincing smile. “Did you want to order?”

Kaoru rolls on the balls of his feet and you already know from when you dated that he’s about to ask you something big. You remember because he confessed to you while rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Actually, I was hoping to ask you if you’re free today?”

You almost laugh at yourself at that point. Here’s your perfect-on-paper ex-boyfriend asking you on a potential date, and you can’t find it in you to say no because you’re still thinking about another brown-haired volleyball captain that’s probably happily smiling at his girlfriend right now. 

“Not today, no. I made plans,” you reply with an apologetic smile. 

You try not to notice the way he seems to deflate. “Oh that’s okay. You’re closing up though right? I’ll buy two cupcakes and walk you home if you want?”

“As friends?”

You can’t seem to understand why he decided to ask you this today, of all days. 

“Sure. As friends, if that’s what you want.”

“Okay,” you say because you’re only human after all. 

You feel the tears flow down your face the minute that you close the door after thanking Kaoru for the nice walk.  

The tears come hot and heavy because you think that it’s fucked up how you’ve got a guy that’s so obviously still in love with you, and you still can’t love him back. All because you’re in love with your dumb, stupid, oblivious best friend. 

You wish that you’d never taken him up on his offer to kiss him in order to get the fangirls off his back. If you’d never kissed his lips, then maybe you wouldn’t be as hopeless as you are now. But you did, and now all you can think about is him and why -- just why -- the kiss hadn’t meant something to him the way it meant something to you. 

You’re still curled up on your couch with tears leaking out of the corners of your eyes when the doorbell rings. The clock on the wall opposite to you tells you that it’s not even close to the time that you and the others had set for your movie night. 

“Give me a second!” With as much haste as you can muster, you run to the kitchen and attempt to rid your eyes and face of the redness that crawled onto your features. A quick glance at the window tells you that you didn’t do a very good job, but it’d be more suspicious if you took more time. 

You open the door to find Iwaizumi standing there, his expression changing the moment he lays eyes on you. “You’ve been crying,” he says.

“No.”

“I’m not Oikawa, Y/N.” He closes the door behind him before looking back at you. “You don’t have to try so hard to hide your feelings around me.”

You sigh to yourself and make yourself busy with cleaning up the randomly scattered objects littering your floor. “I don’t do that.”

“Right,” he snorts. “You’ve been walking on eggshells with him ever since he’s started dating Hishoko, it doesn’t take a genius to notice.”

Oikawa hasn’t noticed, you think bitterly. He’s been able to read you like the back of his own hand his entire life, and yet, he seems to be completely oblivious to the way your heart belongs to him. 

“Yeah, well he hasn’t noticed, so I guess doing alright,” you shrug.

“He notices.”

Your head whips up faster than it should’ve and Iwaizumi raises a brow at you. You bow your head. “Oh.”

Iwaizumi sighs before taking a seat on your couch. “Not in the way you think he does though. Knowing that shithead, he’s probably come up with some bullshit excuse for why you’re acting different.”

“And what would that be?”

“Kaoru.”

It’s a half truth. Kaoru has been putting you on an extra edge lately. You two kept on friendly terms after your breakup, but you rarely saw him. At least, you barely saw him before. Now you see him nearly everyday, either in passing in the hallways or at Takeru’s volleyball camp. You’re not sure why he’s decided to start making the extra effort to see you now, months after your breakup. 

“He knows that I don’t like Kaoru like that anymore.” You’re sure that he should at least know that with how much you complain about the brown-haired baseball captain whenever Oikawa ends up calling you at some ungodly hour. 

Iwaizumi chuckles lightly, like he’s amused. “Does he really? Cause if he did, he wouldn’t be talking my ear off whenever Kaoru comes anywhere near you.”

“He does that?”

“Yeah, makes me want to punch him in the face. Maybe if his voice wasn’t so annoying …” There’s a smile on his face as he says it, so you know he doesn’t really mean it in a harsh way. 

A silence engulfs you as you head to the kitchen for a glass of water. You don’t know what Iwaizumi wants you to do with that information. At the end of the day, the way that Oikawa reacts to Kaoru is of no matter because he has a girlfriend who he seems happy with. At least, that’s what you tell yourself. 

“Do you want something to eat?” You call from the kitchen. “You came early.”

As you walk back into the living room with a glass of water in one hand and a bottle of juice in the other, Iwaizumi looks up at you with that same worried gaze that he had on that first day that Oikawa had broken the news of his new girlfriend. “I wanted to check on you. It’s not healthy not talking to anyone about it. I know you’ve been avoiding it.”

You hand him the juice and sit down next to him. “I haven’t been avoiding it, I’ve just been … skirting around the problem.”

“You were crying because of him,” he says as he takes a drink from his juice. 

You shrug. “People cry, no big deal.”

“I can’t just stand here and watch while you tear yourself apart watching them. It’s like seeing your heart fall to pieces. It’s painful to see.”

“I’ll get over it, Iwa. I always have.” You train your eyes to your feet and try to stop yourself from feeling that same drop in your stomach. 

“No,” Iwaizumi shakes his head. “Something’s different this time and neither you or Oikawa are willing to tell me what the fuck went down between the two of you. So as much as I respect your privacy, tell me before I drag Oikawa’s ass over here and make you two sit here until you finally fess up.”

A small smile creeps up onto your face as you remember the way he looked at you after you pulled away from that kiss. Despite everything, that look is forever ingrained in your brain. “We kissed.”

Iwaizumi looks at you warily. “You … kissed? Don’t tell me that he…”

“No!” You’re quick to deny that assumption. “No, it was before he and Hishoko started dating. It was the day before we went for karaoke actually.”

Realization dawns in Iwaizumi’s eyes. “Christ. He’s so fucking dense it hurts me. How stupid is he?”

“What?”

“Nothing, he’s an asshole. I’ve got things to say to him later. But I came here for you. How are you really feeling?”

“It hurts I guess. I really thought … Iwa, he changed after we kissed. Something changed, I could’ve sworn it did.” You don’t even notice that you’re crying again until a tear falls into your lap. Iwaizumi places his arm around your shoulders. You smile gratefully at him. “But then he started going out with Hishoko and it was like waking up from a really good dream you know? I thought that maybe he finally liked me back but … I guess he didn’t.”

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Iwaizumi mumbles as he rubs your shoulders. You remember a similar conversation you had like this a year ago, when he confided in you about how he figured that he had a crush on Hanamaki. Though he’s since moved on to having eyes for the girl that sits to your right in class, it still brings back an odd sense of nostalgia. Iwaizumi chuckles from beside you. “Have you seen the way he looks at you? It makes me want to gag, but he loves you. That much I can tell.”

You shake your head. “He loves me as a best friend, just like he loves you. You know that.”

“Bullshit. That’s bullshit. He’s never looked at me the way he looks at you. You know that.”

You know that maybe Iwaizumi has a point, that maybe all the years you spent denying that Oikawa could ever see you as something else might have been in fruitless efforts. But, even if Iwaizumi has a point, Oikawa has a girlfriend. You don’t know what hurts you more - that Oikawa might actually love you the way that you love him but decided to get a girlfriend anyway, or that Iwaizumi is wrong and that Oikawa doesn’t think of you that way at all. 

“Whether he’s in love with me or not, that doesn’t really change the fact that he has a girlfriend,” you sniff. 

Iwaizumi sighs. “Yeah, well he fucked up.”

Before you can even think of a reply, the doorbell rings. Neither of you have even moved from your place on the couch before it swings open. 

“Makki, you can’t just go around opening people’s doors,” comes Matsukawa’s exasperated voice. 

There’s a snort, and you’re sure that Hanamaki’s about to reply with something mildly sarcastic until you find his eyes on you. Evidently, you forgot to rid your face of the evidence that you were just previously crying. “Woah, what’s going on here?” 

Matsukawa’s head appears right behind Makki’s shoulder. “Y/N? Why are you crying?”

You shuffle away from Iwaizumi’s hold and wipe at your face before moving to get up. “Nothing,” you say as you flick your arms.  “Just stressed.”

Matsukawa snorts. “Didn’t know that Oikawa’s name is ‘nothing’ now.”

Your head snaps up to where Hanamaki and Matsukawa are standing. They’re both looking at you with raised brows that are so similar that you have to suppress a shiver. 

“Does every person know?”

Matsukawa walks into your living room and puts his bag down next to your coffee table. Hanamaki follows after him. “No, just us. The rest of the team could really care less because they all have some weird massive crush on you, and Oikawa’s been living in denialville for a while now I think,” Matsukawa says as he takes Hanamaki’s bag from him to put it down next to his own. 

You slump back down against the couch, feeling a fatigue that you’re sure is a result from all the crying that you managed to do. Makki hurries towards you.  

“Ah, ah, ah. No getting down on yourself. Seriously though, moping over Oikawa? Not a chance. Come on, up, up,” Makki extends a hand towards you, but you simply look at it stubbornly. 

“No, you’re mean. I’d rather talk to Mattsun.”

Matsukawa smirks. “You hear that Makki? She likes me better.”

“Yeah, Mattsun’s my favorite.” You nod. “He’s nice to me and is only irritating when it comes to bombarding me with requests for lemon squares.”

Iwaizumi cocks his head from beside you. “Hey, what am I then? A pile of dog shit?”

“You transcend all of them, there’s no competition there. Though you might be marked down points for not carrying me everytime I ask.”

“So all I have to do is carry you? Fine then.” Before you can protest, Hanamaki takes you by the midsection and throws you over his shoulder. You slap his back in an attempt to get him to let you down. You can practically hear his crooked grin when he yells, “I’m not letting you down until you stop crying over a stupid brown-haired bitch!”

You hear Matsukawa yell out from where he’s leaning on the wall. “Yeah fuck brown-haired bitches!”

Iwaizumi scoffs, but even as you hang upside down, you can see the small smile gracing his face. “Mattsun, you have brown hair dumbass.”

“Okay then fuck brown-haired bitches.” You can’t see either of their faces, but you’re sure that Matsukawa is smirking at Hanamaki. You can only guess that Hanamaki has turned red from Matsukawa’s comment. 

“Oi! Don’t flirt with me when Y/N is crying over her love life! It’s rude.”

“Who said I was flirting with you?”

Hanamaki gasps dramatically. “So you want Y/N and Iwaizumi to fuck you then? I’m wounded.”

At this point, the blood is beginning to rush to your head. You continue to thrash around in Makki’s grip. 

“Makki, let me down!”

You can feel Hanamaki stand straighter and you’re sure that he has the stupidest triumphant grin on his face. “No. Not until you stop crying over captain pretty face.”

“Y/N-chan’s crying over who now?” 

You feel Makki freeze in the middle of his marching. Awkwardly, you turn to see Oikawa’s figure at the door from your position thrown over Hanamaki’s shoulder. You forgot that he was the only one that doesn’t knock. 

Something in Oikawa’s expression is odd.

“Makki, fix this or I cut off your dick,” you whisper into his ear. He gulps.

“Oh, hey Shittykawa. We’re just helping Y/N with her captain pretty face problems,” Hanamaki says. You already don’t like the way that this is heading.  

“Who … exactly is .. captain pretty face?” Oikawa’s eyes are on you. The irony of the nickname is not lost on you. You can only hope that the words that come out of Hanamaki’s mouth next are not the words you’re dreading. 

“Don’t worry. You’re not captain pretty face. Kaoru is!” The world does not seem to be on your side. 

Oikawa’s smile drops and suddenly you have the urge to cut Makki’s dick off anyways, because he just made this a lot, lot worse.

note. don’t read too much into the hanamaki-iwaizumi crush thing,, it’s really up for interpretation but at this point in the story, mattsun and makki have this weird will they-won’t they relationship so iwaizumi’s crush on hanamaki was unrequited and he never confessed. (also, iwaizumi’s crush on makki wasn’t huge, it was just important to him because it was how he realized that he liked guys too). 

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