#i hope the crowd there won't be as rowdy as it was for the front row at JOs last night ugh

[diathadevil]

To the two moms who hung out with me as I was waiting in line, kept my backpack safe as I left to give away my other ticket, and then later in the concert gave me a spot to sit off to the side which had a great view of the entire stage, and made me feel a little less alone at the concert.

Bless your hearts, I hope you two have plenty of concert viewings in the future.

[jazeswhbvault]

Glad to see you open request again cuz I've just came up with a fun and silly idea :)

So you know the MC in WHB is originally Korean right? That makes me wonder how the kings (+ any characters you like) would react to MC asks them for a trip to Earth with them so they can go to her/his favorite K-Pop idols' concerts together. I think some of them would love to share the fun and even enjoy the chaotic atmosphere 😄

Hope you accept my request. Have a great day! 🫶🏻

Hi anon! I know it's been a while since I've been over here on this blog, but it's bittersweet to be over here. And oo there was an ATEEZ tour just recently I think? A couple moots of mine went and they had a lot of fun so this should be cute to talk about with the bois.

Kings

Satan's always wanted to go to a concert, there are a couple on Gehenna but they don't always last so long before everyone gets too drunk/rowdy to continue. When MC invites him to the local K-pop concert that's in town he accepts. Thankfully, everyone is dressed up so he doesn't have to really change how he looks and everyone thinks the horns are just cosplay. MC picked good seats, and the concert starts and the crowd starts going wild. Satan watches, intrigued by the band's uniformed movements and outfits and a how the girls in the crowd scream every time there's a bit of fan service. There was a point....where he has an idea to go up on stage and join in, but yeah not happening when MC grabs him by the collar and forces him to stay put.

Well....going to a K-pop concert with Mammon is truly the VIP experience. He has his own boy group in Tartaros so he's familiar. He claims that's where humans got the idea from anyway. He buys out an entire section of the venue for him and MC and any friends they want to bring. it's a good thing he did buy out the section and it's balcony seating because no one would be able to see over him otherwise. Drinks, snacks, MC has it all. Mammon doesn't react much but he's happy to see that his Master is having so much he doesn't really care if he feels the music is a bit of a "copy" to his group.

If there's a local tour happening, Beelzebub is the devil to ask to travel to every single one with MC. He has no issues booking hotels, no flights because he can just "poof" them there, and it doesn't matter what seats they get at the venue because he's not going to stay in the section anyway. It's odd how no one seems to challenge him when he pulls MC through the crowd to get to the front, or somehow the two end up backstage and no one questions it. Perhaps that's just Beel's magic. But also he finds it intriguing to just travel, listen to good human music and have fun with his favorite human.

At first, asking Leviathan was like pulling teeth. Why would he want to go watch a bunch of humans that MC possibly finds attractive dance and sing across a stage and listen to a bunch of screaming from others who also found these humans attractive. They possibly can't be that entertaining. He ends up going anyway, but it doesn't go quite as what MC thought. Not only did they have to leave the venue due to the chaos that was caused by Levi arriving, but the K-pop group performing literally tried to recruit him and the manager was chasing them down for a few blocks. Let's just say, that Levi's jealous energy leaked onto everyone, and the fans literally began to fight each other and some tried to claw towards Levi thinking he was part of the group. He was amused, MC...was not lol

Lucifer isn't the one for crowds. If he does go to a concert with MC, he requests that they get the seats furthest away from people. Also because he can't exactly hide his bloodied wings that well, sitting in front of someone would a bit grisly. MC picks the best seats where they won't be disturbed even if they have to pay more to get them. But once the concert starts he seems a bit uncomfortable, so MC tries their best to get him to enjoy it with them the best they can. Eventually he does smile and says he enjoyed spending time with them, but it's best that he does it at home next go around.

Belphegor didn't even show up. He rolled the dice, it came up as an odd number so he laid back down in bed and said "better luck next time." Beleth didn't see a smoking section at the venue so he declined respectfully. Gusion isn't really the one for it, and Bathin is missing. Oddly, it's Agares that agrees to accompany MC. He finds the K-pop idols interesting, while he's peeling an orange and enjoying some fine liquor from the bar. It's a very different experience going with this devil, but hey it beats having paid for two tickets and going alone! Plus, a lot of compliments were thrown MC's way saying that Agares looks like a sexy sugar daddy. He also seems to appreciate the compliments, although MC had to explain to him exactly what the phrase means.

Nobles

Paimon and Eligos bother MC to go as a group. These two are already planning outfits, Eligos has eaten and packed snacks to sneak inside. Paimon is best sassing any rude fans that push MC or say something weird about their outfit. Eligos brought cash so he's of course paying for most of the merch, drinks, everything. Best seats, meet and greet, tons of photos. MC pretty much had a blast from the beginning of planning the trip all the way until coming back to Hell again.

Belial is another devil to accompany MC to a concert. I mean it's his entire thing to do this stuff. He leaves Jjyu with Ppyong so there isn't someone yelling out insults the entire time, and he wears his best outfit and brings glow sticks to cheer since he can't use his voice to show appreciation. The music has Belial in a trance, and he's even dancing and smiling. MC is having just as much fun and it's nothing but good vibes with Belial even if he can't vocally express his excitement.

Did I mention? That Amon would be a perfect devil to ask to go with to a concert? He already dresses the part, he's got the cool laid back energy, and he's totally boyfriend coded when he links arms/holds hands with MC if he feels someone is trying to hit on him while they're standing in line or defends them if someone is trying to skip the line. Now, when it comes to music, Amon may be a bit picky, but he's spending time with MC. To him this is the most fun he's had while not dealing with the day to day mess of Avisos. He gets to unwind and be himself for once. Plus he found a cute keychain he bought for Beel as a gift.

[currentlyfckingurmom]

Her Song part 6

LED lights flash on beat with the electric guitar. Everyone is practically screaming, singing along with the band's cover of "Heaven's On Fire" by KISS. VIP night was technically supposed to be over an hour ago, but everybody is having way too much fun for me to end it now. Plus, I'm getting mad tips.

And I'm fairly certain that a few people snuck in alcohol, but I'm going to pretend I don't notice. Ash took Syd home an hour ago and agreed to watch her, so what do I care if people get a little rowdy. Except Zach. I'd be alright if he dialed it back a notch and kept his hands off Florence's body for five seconds.

God, I wish I could be drunk right now.

"Y/N, hey! These nights don't usually go this way!" I hear someone yell from behind me. I turn around to face them, and see a beautiful woman giving me a hazy smile.

"Oh, hey, Willow! I didn't know you were here!" I yell back over the music. Willow goes to school with Ash, and we may or may not have worked together at a certain club in the past. I've always loved hanging out with her, but I guess I've never thought of pursuing anything more.

"Yeah, I got here a couple of hours ago. It's been way too long since we've hung out. You wanna go grab a drink after this?" she asks as she steps closer to talk over the music.

"Uh, I don't know if I should. I mean, Ash is watching Syd and..."

"Come on, they'll be fine. Knowing them, they're probably already asleep. Just one drink."

I mull it over as my eyes travel across the room, spotting Florence dancing with Zach. With a sigh, I reluctantly agree. "Yeah, okay. Why not?"

"Yes! I promise you won't regret it," she celebrates.

"You better hope not," I joke with a small smirk. "I'll have the band wrap up and then close down, okay?"

"Deal," she says with a wink, sauntering back off into the crowd.

Laughing, I cross the room and beckon over one of the band members. I tell them to play one more song and they agree, so I walk back to the cafe bar to shut everything down. When the music stops, David turns the lights back on and I send Ash a text.

Me: Hey, I'm going out for a drink with Willow. I don't know when I'll be back so just put Syd to bed, please.

Ash: Willow as in the hot chick you used to work with at the club?!? Get it, girl!

Me: I'm gonna kill you. It's just a drink.

Ash: Oh, right. I forgot you have your heart set on the Brit. Don't worry about Syd, she's already out for the count. Don't forget to use protection! ;)

Me: That's not how that works. But thank you.

Florence comes up to the counter and says, "Hey, we're gonna head out. Tonight was a lot of fun."

"Good, I'm glad. Will I see you tomorrow?"

"You can count on it," she promises with a sweet smile.

Just then, Willow waltzes over to the counter and drawls, "You ready to go? I believe I promised you a night of fun."

Florence smiles bitterly at Willow, sending her a glare before turning around and walking away. She stops at the door and says, "Don't miss me too much," with a flirty wink. What the hell was that about?

"Damn, my bad. Didn't mean to piss off the illicit affair," Willow quips.

"Wait what?"

"She was totally jealous. Look, I don't wanna step on anyone's toes here-"

"You aren't, I promise. She has a boyfriend."

"Well in that case, can I buy you a drink?"

"Maybe once we actually get to a real bar. You might wanna save some of your moves for later, cowboy."

"Oh, don't worry. I've got plenty of moves I'd like to show you," she practically whispers, her eyes darting between my eyes and lips.

I clear my throat and say, "Yep, that's- that's good. Great, so we should get going."

Fumbling with my keys, I lead her out of the store and lock the doors behind us. We spend the next few hours at a bar downtown, laughing and singing and drinking way more than we probably should.

I walk her to her apartment since it's only a few blocks down from mine. Pausing in front of the doors, she looks down at her feet and says, "I had a lot of fun tonight, Y/N. It's nice hanging out with you outside of...that environment."

"Yeah, it's nice to be fully clothed and not have creepy men slipping dollar bills in our thongs," I deadpan. "Honestly, though, tonight is the first time I've gone out in a long time, and it was really fun, so thank you."

"Anytime," she whispers with a smile. I take a step back to walk away, but she asks, "Wait, can I- can I kiss you?"

Instead of answering verbally, I cup her cheek and pull her into a gentle kiss. It's slow and sweet, and everything a first kiss should be, but there just isn't that feeling of fireworks and warmth. It doesn't feel the way Florence makes me feel every time she looks at me.

I pull away and say, "Goodnight, Willow," before walking away.

"Goodnight, Brandy," she teasingly calls after me, using my former stripper name.

I spin on my heels and yell, "No way. Do not call me that, asshole! If my legs aren't wrapped around a metal pole, then Brandy is not my name."

She laughs and I flip her off, walking backwards down the street toward my apartment.

~

The next morning, I awake with a loud groan, followed by, "Ash, turn off the fucking lights!"

"That's the sun, sweetheart. Can't exactly turn it off. But I can give you advil," she says, plopping down next to me on the bed and handing me a bottle of ibuprofen.

"Ugh, you're a godsend. I could kiss you right now," I mumble as I take the pills with a swig of water.

"I know. Speaking of which, how did last night go?" she asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"It was fine. We had fun. Hence the hangover."

"Don't hold out on me now, Brandy. Did you kiss? Fuck? Buy a house and get married?"

"Oh my god, what is it with everyone calling me Brandy lately? And we kissed goodnight. But that was it."

"Really? You don't sound very excited."

"Yeah, I mean...it was nice. But-"

"But you'd rather be locking lips with the hot blonde Brit?" she finishes for me.

"God, you're so weird. C'mon, I need to get ready for work."

"I had David open it up, since you were slightly incapacitated. So take your time."

I took a quick shower and got ready for work before waking Syd up and forcing her to get ready. I ended up having to carry her to the car because she fell back asleep.

Eventually, we made it to the store. And only an hour late. I really need a better alarm clock...

"Morning, David. Sorry I'm late," I greet him.

"Mom refused to wake up. It's all her fault," Syd accuses me.

"Yeah, right. Don't lie; we're late because you wouldn't get your ass out of bed," I correct her.

"You said ass! That's a dollar in the swear jar."

"We don't have a swear jar. And you said it, too."

"It's fine, guys. And don't worry, your favorite customer hasn't stopped by yet," David interjects from behind the counter.

"Thank you, David," I sigh, ushering Syd to go do something while I put my bags in the back room and get ready for the day.

The bell above the door rings as I walk back out into the main area, and I look up to see Florence with a tired smile adorning her face.

"Good morning, Florence," I greet cheerily, before noticing that she looks kind of upset. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's nothing. Just tired, that's all. How was your night?"

"It was alright. Not worth how tired I was this morning, though," I joke as I make her tea.

"So...Willow, huh? She seems nice. She's very pretty."

"Uh, yeah, she is. We aren't- I mean her and I aren't, like, together or anything," I stutter uncomfortably.

"Right," she mumbles under her breath.

I turn around and grab a sharpie, writing "I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys" on the paper to-go cup. She barely even looks at me as she pays. She leaves without so much as saying goodbye, and I sigh heavily. Why is she so upset?

"Hot damn. Trouble in paradise?" David says with a low whistle.

I scoff and mutter, "What paradise?"

~

"Secrets I have held in my heart are harder to hide than I thought. Maybe I just wanna be yours, I wanna be yours."

[raytorosaurus]

Hello! I’m going to one of the MCR shows in Brisbane and i was wondering if you could give me some info on the venue/etiquette over there (I’m from Puerto Rico). Do you know if they’ll do the wristband system for GA or if you’ll have to queue all day? Are pits particularly rowdy or anything like that? I’m so excited to go to Australia for the first time! Any tips on what to do/eat would also be welcomed 😅 thanks!

heyy!! sorry this took a while for me to get to, i wanted to give you a decent answer. first of all, that's really exciting that you're coming from pr!!!! hope you enjoy your trip <333

okay so you didn't specifically ask this but just as a general heads up because i worry about it - one thing for i know for sure is that overnight camping at this venue is strictly prohibited. it's also not actually possible at all, because the venue is in a large gated-off area that's locked at night and borders/is surrounded by swampy wilderness lol. so as a heads up to anyone attending the brisbane show, please please do not camp overnight it's not only illegal but very unsafe. you'll also literally be eaten alive by bugs lol it's a huge mosquito breeding ground. i promise you'll regret it lmaooo.

okay the rest of the answer is under a cut bc it got rambly lol sorry. but if anyone else is travelling to brisvegas 🤘🤘 for the show/s, here's a little crash course for you if you want lol

so to answer your original question, i highly doubt there'll be any kind of wristband system organised by the venue tbh, i've just never heard about a precedent for that here (though i haven't been to this particular venue since before covid so i guess i could be wrong). their website says you can queue "outside the turnstiles" on the day, so i think it'll just be down to who shows up tbh! also as a reminder, the venue is kind of out of the way and there isn't much in the way of food/water nearby to purchase so if you do do that, come prepared! and bring plenty of sunscreen and probably insect repellent. remember it will almost definitely still be quite hot in march down here. i'm not really expecting a very serious queue myself - i'm thinking there'll be maybe a dozen or two dedicated people who show up in the morning at most, and the rest won't show up until maybe a few hours in advance. i could be wrong though!! i'm personally not planning on getting up really early, i'd rather be rested for the show. maybe late morning? who knows i might change my mind

it's also not exactly the easiest venue to get to by public transport lol, your best bet is the nearby train station (boondall station). but on the plus side it's close to the airport!

as for pit rowdiness, it's really hard to say, i reckon it just varies from show to show. i'm honestly really curious myself as to what the crowds will be like because from what i can tell mcr aren't really as popular over here in general as they are in america/the uk (not so sure about europe). i already know a couple of people who are going who don't actually know much of their music they were just like oh huh mcr, i remember them LOL. for reference there are two shows in each city, one that was announced in 2019 and one that was added the second or third time they rescheduled, and in every city that second show still hasn't sold out. so i don't thiiiink the pit will be very rowdy at these particular shows, no. but same as always - if you're worried, just avoid standing front and centre!

as for what to do/eat - now this really depends on where you're staying and how long you're staying for! the best place for that kind of stuff is obvs around the centre of brisbane, whereas the mcr venue, like i said, is pretty close to the airport. if you want to really see brisbane and eat out in nicer restaurants/bars, southbank (most tourist-friendly place, accessible and genuinely nice to wander around along the river), the fortitude valley (which is also the nightlife district and chinatown), and west end (pretty heavily gentrified 'hip' youth area - lots of vegan food and brunch places, farmer's markets and the like) are probably your best bets, though not the cheapest. brisbane does actually have a good foodie culture so there's plenty around - it's hard to go wrong with asian food here thanks to australia's pretty high asian population! if your budget is smaller than that - dude trust me. go to any brumby's bakery or to any pie face and get a proper meat pie. and a lamington while you're at it.

if your stay is short and you just want to find cheaper accommodation close to the airport, honestly the aforementioned swampy wilderness that the entertainment centre is in is part of a national park (boondall wetlands environment centre) that's quite nice to walk around if you're into that kind of thing! it's a mangrove system which is a really fascinating ecosystem if you haven't seen them (though i think pr has plenty lol), lots of native birds and shit. the nearby suburbs of sandgate and shorncliffe are a great place for some classic fish and chips and to walk along/sit by the water (though don't get excited, they're not a 'real' aussie beach, it's a sheltered bay so the water is flat and the sand is brown).

depending how long you're staying and whether you'll have a car, there are lots of very beautiful "real" beaches surrounding brisbane an hour or two in either direction - the gold coast to the south is for the touristy ones (good if you like shopping/nightlife, more accessible by public transport), and the sunshine coast to the north is quieter and prettier. there's also lots of nice hiking trails around if you're into that but you would need a car.

anyway. sorry this is long, i hope i answered your question!! you're welcome to dm me if you want specific clarification on anything :)))

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

A show

*I don't usually do one piece, but this has been driving me insane ever since I watched the OPLA. No, it's not meant for that, and sorry I didn't name drop, but I wanted you to have some imagination*

She took a deep breath. The sound of the music starting and the rowdy men outside quieting down was a sign she was about to start. She got into place and opened up her umbrella, placing it over her shoulder just as the curtains opened.

She glanced up innocently at her que and twirled her umbrella. She had every single pirates attention in this little bar. The whitebeard pirates had stopped at this island. It was time to earn some coin.

♡Dearest friends, dear gentlemen, listen to my song. Life down here's been hard for you... life has made you strong.♡

She walks to the edge of the stage. She can already see several pirates leaning towards her. They were spellbound by her soft voice.

♡Let me lift the mood~ with my attitude~♡ She casually walks along the side of the stage, knowing that several sailors are waiting with baited breath. She gives a cute small twirl, exposing her legs from under her long skirt.

♡Hey, fellas, the time is right. Get ready. Tonight's the night!♡ The small kicks and twirls she did as she strutted across the stage had lots of attention at this point. But she promised a show and she planned to deliver.

She leans down to the nearest pirate, who is practically drooling on her stage. Honestly, sometimes it was just too easy. She gives them a pretty smile.

♡Boy's what you're hoping for will come true. Let me be good to you.♡ A wink, and she leaves the poor sap moving on. Twirling her umbrella idly as she stepped off stage and onto the nearest table.

♡You tough guys! You're feeling all alone~ You rough guys! The best of you sailors and bums all of my chums!♡

She teased. Her voice became louder as she leaps to the next table. Normally, she'd move back towards stage at this point, but today was different. It had been a long time since she'd seen her darling, so she leaps again, landing perfectly on the commanders table directly in the middle of the bar.

She looks at him through her lashes and sees that smile she adores. She loves it when he looks at her like that. She'll make sure to give him something to remember her by.

♡So dream on and drink your beer. Get cozy your baby's here! You won't be misunderstood. Let me be good to you~♡

She tosses her umbrella back to the stage. Smiling down at her lover. He always loved this part. The music picks up. And she tosses her long skirt aside to show her cabaret outfit.

♡Hey fellas! I'll take off all my blues! Hey fellas! There's nothing I won't do, just for you!♡ she cupped his face crooning sweetly before letting go. She hoped off the table and started doing a few tricks to the beat.

High kicks and twirls, a cartwheel thrown in for fun as she struts back to the stage. The cheers from the audience add to her own amusement. She kicks and waves away the groping hands with a laugh.

♡So dream on, and drink your beer. Get cozy your baby's here!♡ She winks and points at her lover. ♡Hey boys, I'm talking to you!♡

She skillfully twirls away from the front of the stage, picking up her discarded umbrella as she goes. She looks over her shoulder and smiles at the now rowdy crowd. What a bunch of suckered.

♡Your baby's gonna come through! Let me~♡ she takes a running leap. He's already standing ready to catch her. ♡be good~♡ He spins her around now that she's in his arms. ♡To you~♡

She kisses him deeply. Happy to grant some much needed loving his way. "Hiya sailor," She giggles. And he has that dopey grin again. The one meant just for her.

[catras-witchy-girlfriend]

Talk To Me| Catra x Reader| Angst w/ Hopeful End

tw: semi graphic depictions of self-harm, Catra isn't in a healthy mindset at all, this is an old old draft so my depictions of mental health may not have been written as well as I would've hoped, they flirt and it gets a wee bit suggestive at the end, but it's mostly just Catra being a tease and reader being awkward. Lol

You walked passed the cadet dorm rooms, the heels of your boots clicking on the floor. Your hands were filled with old history books of Brightmoon and Scorpia's kingdom, you also had multiple maps in hand, and used your magic to float your spell book in front of your face.

Seeing how crowded the halls of the dorms were, you were desperate to get to your force captain's room quicker. With Scorpia and Entrapta gone from the Horde it was just you and Catra left and with a half of your friend group missing, you weren't really in the mood to make new ones.

So you had busied yourself with learning about Scorpia's old kingdom. After all, you found it beyond odd that two powerful queens would just give up their home and all that lived in it, and even if it was true, where were the rulers? Where are their subjects? You've never seen someone like Scorpia, and sadly, you knew you never would.

You had to tell Catra what happened to Scorpia's family, to her kingdom, and maybe it would convince Catra to help you find her, to bring her back home.

You continued to ponder as Catra's individual room came into focus, before you shifted the weight of all the stuff to your other arm. Grunting from all the weight now on one side of you, you quickly knocked on her door, "Catra? It's me, y/n, can I please come in?"

You heard rustling from the inside and a hoarse, broken, "Give me a minute!"

You groaned inwardly, the weight of the smelly old books, and protected maps starting to get to you. Now you were by no means weak, but come on! You're not a knight, infact, you're usually the one scaring the knights! Brain over brawn that's how you did things...though in this moment you wished you had a bit more brawn.

You knocked again, "please hurry, this stuff is heavy!"

"I said give me a minute," she snapped from behind the door. "shit, why won't it stop?"

Too preoccupied with the girl keeping you waiting behind a door, you didn't notice two rowdy cadets running up behind you. Seemingly on purpose one of them shoved you up against Catra's door by their shoulder before they ran off with their friend.

You managed to keep all your items in your arms, but in the panic you lost focus on your spell book and dropped it. With no spellbook you had no weight lifting spell, and with no weight lifting spell all the stuff in your hands was twice as heavy.

Knowing you would be dead meat if Hordak found out that not only had you stolen restricted information but also damaged them if you dropped them, you made the executive decision to just invite yourself inside.

As you swung the door open you rambled out, "Sorry kitten but this stuff is really heavy and you were taking too long!"

It was only when you sat the stuff down on the floor did you noticed soft sniffling from behind you. You quickly spun around and the sight that met you put a large lump in your throat and a pit in your stomach.

Catra sat on her bed with her head hung low, what you could see of her face looked tired and marked with tear tracks. Her room was also trashed, her blankets ripped to shreds, and her walls clawed.

"Oh kitten..." You whispered and took a step forward only to immediately step back and run to get your spell book from off the floor and run back.

You grabbed her bloody arm that you had only just noticed she was trying to hide from you. She had a small white towel that was now stained with her blood in her other hand, the red liquid leaking from between her fingers onto her hand.

"Its- it's so deep, wha-?" You hesitated, almost not wanting to ask since you were so sure you knew the answer. "What happened?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," her voice was now not only hoarse, but slurred. You nervously placed your hand on her heart and her pulse only to feel a panicked rhythm.

You cursed between your teeth and looked for something to create a tourniquet with before your eyes landed back on her. "Can I take your belt off?"

You felt bad for not waiting for her answer, but you were scared for her, and she was taking too long to respond, though you didn't blame her.

You tied the belt tightly above the wounds on her forearm. Tears brimmed at your eyes, "Catra...why? This??" You shook your head, trying to stay strong.

You swung her good arm over your shoulder and carefully walked her into her bathroom and sat her down on the toilet seat while you searched for a clean towel and disinfectant to clean the wound.

"I'm fine," Catra slurred and from the corner of your eyes you saw her get up from her seat only to try and take a wobbly step toward you, "I don't need your-"

"Sit your ass back down right now or I swear I'll tie you to that seat, you understand me?" The glow in your eyes suggesting that you weren't playing around, though Catra would never give up easily, even if she was slowly bleeding out.

"You can not talk to me like that," she slurred with an accusatory finger pointed to your face. "I am your force captain."

"No you're not! Right now, you're my friend Catra, who's bleeding to death, and I'll be damned before I let you leave me too!" You yelled, a few small panicked tears leaving your eyes.

Her ears pulled back as she gently grazed her fingertips over her wound before she let out a defeated sigh and sat back down on the toilet seat.

As soon as she was seated you rushed up to her and kneeled as you took her arm in your hands. You poured a bit of the disinfectant onto the towel and held it about an inch from the cut.

"I won't lie to you, this is gonna hurt like a bitch." You laughed nervously.

Without saying anything Catra nodded her consent and braced herself for when you pressed the cold towel on her flesh. Despite trying to handle herself she hissed loudly as soon as you made contact with the wound.

"I know, I'm so sorry, but we can't let this get infected, especially with it being so..." Your heart sank as you noticed something that proved what you didn't want to be true. "...clean."

The cut was so clean, no regular knife, scrape, or sword could do this, you only knew of one other thing that could make this clean of a slash.

"You did this to yourself, didn't you?" The words on your tounge felt like swallowing alcohol, and your eyes burned with more tears, though when you looked back up she wouldn't even look at you.

"C-catra?" Your voice croaked as you tried to clear away the obvious worry and pain that laced it. "Why?"

She remained silent as you shook your head and took the now blood soaked towel to the sink and grabbed your book from the counter. You flipped to the strongest healing incantation you had before going to wash your hands thoroughly of any blood or grime that remained on them.

When you came back you quickly wiped your tears on your sleeve before putting your cold hands on the deep scratch marks making her jump.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before opening them back up to revel their brilliant gold, and a light disembodied whistling around you. "With this spell I beg of thee, spilt the pain from them to me, with this spell I say to thee, their hurt is enough to make hearts bleed, with this spell I promise thee, ask it and it shall be received."

As the spell was completed and the whistling died down you felt a light stinging on your arm, but you were far more worried about Catra. You placed your hand lightly on her thigh as she examined her arm that was now far into it's healing now that the blood had clotted.

When Catra lowered her arm from view she was met with your concerned face. Your nose and cheeks were red from crying, though in that regard Catra didn't look any better, and your lips were pursed tightly in worry.

"Thanks..." She muttered solemnly, seemingly still embarrassed she was caught.

Without hesitation you assured her it was no problem and offered your hand. "Help you to bed?"

Catra hissed and lightly swatted your hand away, "thank you for your help, but I'm good, you can leave now- HEY!"

While Catra was being...well Catra... You swung her good arm around your shoulder once more and slowly walked her to bed being careful to not go too fast or make her dizzy.

When you two were about a foot from the bed you leaned her up against her small dresser, repaired her sheets with a spell, and pulled them back before you turned to her, "Do you have any pajamas or something comfortable you could wear?"

She scoffed, "What's wrong with you? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Your eyes widened in shock, "Excuse me?"

"I'm not a child you don't need to baby me!" She hissed and lightly pushed you back.

You clenched your jaw your frustration starting to build in you, "I never said you were one, I just wanted to help-"

"All you're doing is embarrassing me,"

Now was your turn to scoff, "look I might be new to the horde, but where I come from, asking for help isn't embarrassing, it's how you stay alive! And in case you forgot because you were, ya know, bleeding out; you almost died!"

"I would've been fine, I've been through worse!"

"Yeah I know you have, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit and watch you suffer for stupid ass reasons!"

"Don't talk to me like you know what I'm going through, you don't!"

"You're not the only one who lost friends Catra, I did too! It's just you and me here now, and I can't fucking do this alone! Okay!?" The hot tears now fell freely down your face, and the more you tried to wipe them away, the faster they seemed to come.

"You scared me, Catra..." Your voice was so quiet, and so soft that if it weren't for Catra's hightend hearing it would have been unlikely for her to hear you. "Your heart was beating so so fast, I wasn't sure if I would be able to..."

You shook your head, "Why didn't you just talk to me? Why did you have to hurt yourself like this? We couldve lost you...I could've lost you..."

With the mood of the room falling fast from agitated to somber, Catra scooted further onto her small twin sized bed and pulled her legs in.

"So what? You'd probably be better off...everyone else seems to be..."

"Stop it." Your stern yet still gentle voice caught her a bit of guard. She wasn't sure what she thought you would say but it wasn't that. "Stop saying things like that, stop lying to yourself. If I didn't want you in my life, I wouldn't be here right now."

You moved to sit down next to her and placed a hand on her knee. "I'm here because I care about you, Catra, and unfortunately for you, I'm not very easy to scare away."

"I scared Adora and Scorpia away..."

You sighed and thought for a bit before scooting closer to Catra and slowly resting your head on her shoulder. "What happened with Adora? That wasn't your fault, sometimes people just...grow apart, and there's nothing we can do about it. That's why it's so important to cherish people while we have 'em, you know?"

Catra didn't answer for awhile and you did nothing to break the silence until she was ready.

"Do you think Scorpia hates me now? I mean...I wouldn't blame-"

"Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that Scorpia is capable of hating anyone, much less someone she cares so much for?"

Once again she fell into a silence before signing in defeat and stretching her long legs out. "I hate it when you're right."

You laughed and softly caressed the side of her face, "Sorry kitten, I'm not as stupid as I first appear."

Catra looked between you and your hand, with what you at first mistook as anger, but was more bewilderment. "I-I'm sorry, that was weird wasn't it? Just uh...tell me what you want to wear, I'll get it for you and then I'll be out of your hair alright?"

"I uh-" she cleared her throat of the nervous edge that was so uncharacteristic for her. "I have a sports bra and uh...boxers...you know what? I'll just get them."

She went to get up but you quickly stood infront of her. "No, you need to rest, you lost a lot of blood and you need time to recover, just tell me where they are and I'll get them."

Catra groaned a bit in annoyance before pointing back to her small drawer, "Top shelf..."

You walked over to it and opened it up to find very few outfits, the full red suit you first met her in, a few socks that had large holes in the toes area, and a handful of boxers and a few bras.

"Is this all you have?" You questioned. "What about if you get cold or something?"

"I have a jacket hanging up in the bathroom along with my suit."

"oh well...if you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask. Where I come from when it got cold it got cold, so I still have sweaters and jackets to spare."

You grabbed her a black pair of bras and boxers and gently handed them to her. She stared at you for about a minute before it finally clicked, "I should go get you some water!"

Catra laughed lightly as you made your way back into her bathroom while she got undressed. While you waited for her, you cleaned out a drinking glass still left out on her sink and filled it with tap water, before pulling out your spell book and flipping to a page with small seeds embedded within the paper.

You trailed your finger down your messy handwritten notes, muttering as you went along. "Sea holly, no... benzoin, maybe? Probably not though, uh...juniper?? Why not?"

You swirled your hand around the seed and raised it until the plant was fully grown. With one hand magically warming the glass and the other picking the ingredients needed for some nice tea for the stubborn girl in the other room, you got to work on your mini witches brew.

In hardly anytime at all you knocked on the bathroom door, "Catra? Can I come out now?"

You heard a stout laugh before she said, "Yeah sure."

You carefully opened the door still nervous even though you'd been given permission, but when you saw her it felt like all the blood in your veins ignited, you always knew Catra was gorgeous, but...wow.

She laughed at your clearly flustered expression, "Like what you see?"

Shes gonna kill me, you thought to yourself, but still you smiled, and walked up to her. "You mean you clearly feeling better since you're teasing me?"

"Teasing you? What's there to tease, princess?"

You stood still for a minute feeling like she had trapped you before shoving the warm cup infront of her face. "I made you some warm tea!"

"How the-?" Her playful smirk had fallen into genuine confusion. "How did you possibly make tea in the bathroom?"

You laughed softly before holding up your spellbook, "Magic?"

She scoffed and shook her head, "are you sure it's not poison, princess?"

The events of today had weighed so heavily on you that you would do anything to keep the light heartedness flowing.

"I don't know," You mused with a finger resting on your cheek, "let me check."

You gently slipped the cup from her hands and took a small sip, the warm liquid warming you from the inside out, making this quaint moment with the girl of your dreams all the more relaxing.

You passed the cup back to her and with an innocent tone, "Don't worry, kitten, I think it's safe for you."

Catra turned the cup slowly until the side you took a sip of was facing her as she brought it to her lips in an indirect kiss. Your eyes widened, wondering if Catra knew what she was doing, or if it was just some innocent coincidence.

But when it came to Catra, she was always one step a head, so there was absolutely no way this was an accident. As she finished her first sip, she hummed, "Thank you...really...for everything."

You smiled and nodded, "Anytime Catra...I uh..." you took a deep breath. "I love you a lot, really I do and I'm always here if you need me. Trust me, not even death himself could keep me from being at your side."

Catra took another sip of her tea before musing, "Is that like witch flirting? Challenging death?"

You leaned in a bit whispering softly, "We witches do not kneel to false Lords or worship arrogant gods, Etheria and her love is our goddess, we only kneel to those with her thorns on their tounge."

"So does that mean you want me to kneel, princess?"

"No over course not," You playfully dismissed with a wave of your hand. "Why would a goddess kneel to her disciple?"

Catra's ears folded back once more, her pupils dilated, and rose dust on her cheeks. "I-Im not a goddess."

"You're not?!" You feigned surprise before gently pulling her eyes to face yours, "well you sure had me fooled."

For a moment you felt her body vibrate with a delicate purr but as quickly as it came it went. She shook her head free of your hand and hissed, "What are you doing? Not only is this incredibly inappropriate because you're my cadet, but after all you've seen me do? You still compare me too your goddess."

"Not compare, you are not the Goddess, and none of us could ever hope to be, but-" you smiled and held her hand. "If it's true that the Goddess created us all in her image, I'm simply suggesting that she took her time with you. That she made you rough enough to withstand any storm, yet soft enough to let in a little bit of warmth."

You crawled on the bed so you were now directly infront of her, and slowly went to caress her face again, giving her ample time to move away. But when she didn't you allowed your hand to graze her soft skin as you traced every curve of her face with your fingertips and tried to memories each small scar and freckles.

"If you want I'll back off and we can just stay as we are," You moved closer to her. "But I love you Catra, and wether you like it or not I'll always be there for you if you need me."

You smirked and moved your hand to trace the curve of her jaw, "Death is afraid of people like you, kitten, do you know why?"

Seemingly enamored by your forwardness, she remained silent as she shook her head, no.

You laughed softly, "because you don't need to cast a single spell, no trickery or manipulation, people just give themselves to you because they believe in you and believe that you're worth it, and death is afraid of that. Because even when our bodies become one with the Goddess, if you can make someone love you -truly love you- you can never really die."

You felt her gulp under your fingertips and smiled, "Are you just going to keep talking in riddles or are you going to kiss me?"

Though the question initially caught you by surprise you wasted no time in fulfilling her request. Taking things slowly, giving her a passionate and loving kiss, something you had felt she was lacking. Shadow Weaver, Adora, and Hordak made her believe she had no love left to give, you wanted to show her differently. You wanted to fill her cup until it overflowed with your love for her.

But that would have to wait, as you slowed down the deepened kiss, "You still need to rest kitten, but promise me," you placed a small kiss to the corner of her mouth, "promise me, if you ever feel like this again, you'll come talk to me?"

You mindlessly found a strip of her hair and played with it, "I love you, Catra, and I don't ever want to lose you."

This time Catra placed a soft kiss on your lips, "You won't," she assured you with a smirk, "after all, death is afraid of you~"

[dream-a-little-bigger-darling000]

Author's Note: Hi that isn't my GIF. But this is my fic and I would really appreciate it if you told me how you thought it was, and if you especially like it, my requests are open friends. :3 I have the spicy sad right now, and needed a little angst with a happy ending. Ok, be fed I guess.

This has 3,000+ words, are you proud of me or what!?

From the prompt: As teenagers, a boy and a girl agree to marry if neither have by their 35th birthday. Follow the boy as he attempts to sabotage every relationship the girl has until then.

"Hey Tommy? I was thinking."

"That's a shit idea, you should stop doing that"

You swiped at the back of his head.

"Shut up you ass, I'm serious."

"Hi serious I'm- OW fucking hurt is what I am it's a joke, learn to take a-AH." You hurdled a handful of playground pebbles at the 17 year old.

"Alright, alright gorgeous, hit me- No! I meant hit me with the question you little shit." It was getting hard to breathe when he got you to giggle so hard.

You're laughter died down. You looked down, unsure if you could look at his face when you said this.

"I don't have a boyfriend." He abruptly stopped laughing, hiding the obvious fact that he almost choked on his own spit. You breathed a laugh again.

"I don't have a boyfriend. And you don't have a girlfriend." Your smile slipped off.

Tell him. Tell him, you're almost there. I don't have anyone, and you don't either except we do we have each we have each other we have-

You looked to Tommy, his boyish presence fitting on the swing set made for much younger kids. You were much younger kids when you met for the first time, on this very swing set. You think about telling him you fell in love with him when he pushed Jackson Paloski down on the asphalt because Jackson said trailer-trash can't play on the nice swing set. You didn't know it was love though, you were in the fourth grade but your heart still beat a little faster and when you asked him if you could sit beside him during lunch he huffed and complained, showing off he was moody and tough and haughty, but he very obviously made Michael Welsh move from his spot beside Tommy so that the pretty new girl could take her place beside him. And you stayed there. For years. Right beside him.

You felt the breath leave your lungs as you thought about telling him you can't stop thinking about him lately.

Can't stop hoping your skin will touch when he asks you to pass him something.

Can't help feeling like punching every girl that makes a scene trying to gain his attention. You're usually so focused on glaring at the girl that you miss the way he shrinks in on himself, the way he actively turns his body to you.

You think about telling him. And how telling him could mean you could do more, be more.

You think about telling him. And you think about him pulling away from you, gently gathering his things as he stumbles over how to let you down easily, unaware that that's not an option any more. Tommy letting you down would mean shattering.

You clench your jaw. His eyes try to tell you something.

"So. So since. We don't have someone." You look toward the Shell gas station across the street. Tommy wets his lips with a quick swipe of his tongue.

Your throat twinges, the twinge you get when you're trying to hold back tears. You shrug to yourself and let out a breathy laugh.

Coward.

"So since we don't have hot dates, we should make a deal." You make your voice upbeat. You know Tommy can call your bullshit but he doesn't, sit's quietly.

"If by the time we're 35, and we don't have a, someone, to, ya' know. We should get married." Your heart clenches. "If we don't have. Like if I don't have a husband, and you don't. Have a girl, or-" Tommy is quiet. White hot panic races up your spine. You look over at him.

Tommy looks-

He looks like he's frozen, like he's still a few sentences behind, and you're about to throw in the towel and swallow a few of these pebbles so you'll choke and die and won't have to hear his laughter tear apart your heart.

Then Tommy blinks and kind of hunkers in on himself, looks anywhere but you, eyes shifting and darting. His smile isn't his when he manages it.

"Oh, you're so on, sweetheart."

It's not quite right. The atmosphere is still tense and you feel like there's a conversation you're meant to be having, like there were supposed to be different words spoken and heard during that time.

But having Tommy, even if it's like this, even if he doesn't want you like you ache for him, is better than not having him at all.

Beside you, while you hurt quietly beside him, watching the sun set, rocking back and forth on the too low swing, Tommy swallows down self-hatred and overwhelming feelings. Instead, he schemes.

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

It's been five years since you've made your little deal with Tommy. Five years, and every single time you've tried to move on from the man, it's ended in catastrophe.

The time you two had just graduated high school and drove to Tommy's house so his older brother could congratulate you two. Brendan had had a buddy over that night, not much older than you, and you would be lying if you said you didn't flush appreciatingly at his sly smile toward you and the way he actively tried to add you in on the conversation.

The night ended rather abruptly when Tommy had spilled hot tea all over the guys front. Tommy was always collected, and it was rare moment when he was clumsy. Never mind the fact that Tommy never drank tea, and actively made fun of you drinking the stuff.

Or the time you two reluctantly went to Brendan's wedding. You loved Tess, and thought they were a great couple, but stomaching an entire ceremony of the two being gross and affectionate, all while you and Tommy couldn't boo and throw miscellaneous items at them? The entire evening was spent with Tommy snuggly against your side snarking quietly in your ear, so close you could feel his warm breath on the entire side of your face.

Yes, your plan of moving on was going swimmingly.

Then Tommy went to the bathroom, and a handsome man smiled at you across the room. You tentatively smiled back, and he moved as if to cross the distance. Then immediately stopped, his face dropping and his eyes widening slightly as he spotted something a little over your shoulder. You saw him clear his throat and veer toward a large group laughing.

Your felt your face slightly warm and your heart drop a little, self consciously looking over your shoulder.

And let out a noise of surprise.

Tommy stood behind you, so close for a second you thought a very well dressed wall had somehow appeared while you weren't looking. You had just enough time to see 'The Expression'.

Tommy was an amazing fighter. And all throughout high school, he made sure while he minded his own, he could also hold his own, and everyone knew it. He had developed an expression, one that scared every single boy in this town shitless. It was a mix between unbridled rage and open invitation. The message was pretty clear and universal.

Come get some.

You usually laughed and teased him about it, because to you it just looked like he stubbed his toe and he was trying not to yell.

You weren't expecting to see it at his brother's wedding, and you certainly weren't laughing now.

In a blink it was gone from his face, and he turned to you with his beautiful sweet smile, the smile that showed just a little peak of his slightly messed up front teeth. He usually reserved that smile for you. You had never seen anyone else on the receiving end.

"Tommy, why were you just-"

"This blows, I just passed Tess and Brendan flirting. They're already married, why would they keep doing that." He rolled his eyes, moving to your side as his hand disappeared behind your back.

"Tommy did you just square up to the guy checking me ou-"

"Brendan's friend is here, the one who can can do a Kick Up."

You stared at each other for a long moment. You felt his hand barely ghosting over the small of your back. His eyes where sharp, a little desperate.

"Tommy."

"There's also a rumor he killed a guy with just a playing card."

You licked your lips. He raised his eyebrows, his lips getting distracting.

"Shit Conlon, why didn't you start with that, take me to him."

Or the time, more recently, when you went to a match to watch Tommy completely destroy his opponent. You loved going out to see him fight. Loved the adrenaline and the satisfaction when Tommy won, making him less timid, a little more rowdy and confident, a little more touchy and feely.

You've kind of given up on the whole moving on thing, even if it was driving you up a wall.

Tommy had just won, and you were eagerly waiting to congratulate him, excited to hug him freely, without him wondering why you were hugging him to begin with. And maybe to hold on a little tighter. Maybe to allow your hands to rove a little more freely.

Hey, was it not a night for celebration?

A man started to chat you up. You smiled patiently and gave some noncommittal grunts and affirmations as you continued to scan the crowd, looking for the familiar mass of Tommy, all hard edges and bulk. You were bouncing on the balls of your feet.

The guy moved closer, making a joke you didn't really hear. You laughed, your eyes darting and searching.

"You look beautiful by the way. I saw you watching the fight, crazy that you're into this stuff. Not a lot of women I know cheer like that."

You finally glance over to the man, but quickly get back to standing on your tip toes, looking above heads.

He doesn't even look that bad, and it's obvious he wants to get your number. He's just not the man you want chat with, and definitely not tonight. Not on a night that Tommy just won, and a night he'll want to come over to yours, joking and teasing, touching you much more confidently than he normally would. Falling asleep much more easier with his head on your lap.

You tamp down a smile. You wouldn't want this guy to get the wrong idea.

"You know, there's a really good Thai place down the road- Ah, fuck, watch it buddy. Can you not look where you're go-" You hear the man choke off the sentence, trying not to smile as you imagine the other guy. probably a lot bigger than he is. Wouldn't want to completely ruin his night by laughing at the guy.

"Fuuck me, buddy, sorry. I did not know who I was talking to." You could hear the man swallow. "Hey, I think you did great in the ring tonight, real good job of... Knocking that guy out. With one punch."

You whirled around, smiling so wide you felt the strain on your cheeks. There was only one guy who did that tonight.

Sure enough, Tommy was standing there. He had put on a shirt and took his gloves off, but he was still sweaty and breathing hard. He completely stanced up, like he is in the ring, and his expression was-

Well, you chalked it up to the testosterone flowing freely through the place. Probably just mad that he ran into another dude.

It still didn't stop you from running and jumping directly on him, arms coming up to wrap around his neck, legs completely circling his torso. You giggled into his neck, exclaiming how proud you were of him, how good he looked out there, completely stroking his ego, but not caring at the moment.

You felt his arms immediately span your back, feeling like his hands where trying to be everywhere at once. That was new. That was new and you couldn't say you hated it.

What you didn't see was the look on Tommy's face. The cold calm of someone who just threw a punch so hard at a man who was bigger and faster than him and shut his shit down. Directed at another man, much slower and smaller in comparison.

You didn't see the stranger's face pale, but you distantly heard the sound of chairs clatter to the ground as he turned tail.

Five years of pining (not so) quietly for Tommy, the man you had fallen in love with, but without a doubt did not love you back.

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

Tommy knew without a doubt that he loved you.

All those years back in fourth grade, when he let it slip that his favorite snack was those crackers with the cheese filling, and you showed up with a whole pack of them to share, smiling this big goofy grin with your beautiful eyes and warm presence.

God how could he not.

The problem was how he was supposed to convince you to like him back. Him, Tommy, who fought most of his way through high school, who didn't like to get too close to people, who didn't like eye contact or conversation that ran too long or too forced. Who loved you though.

And who was very annoyed at the boy flirting with his girl.

It never failed to make Tommy's blood boil. He knew he had no right, because for one, he spent five years doing his damned best to break up every chance at you leaving him.

Just until you guys turn 35, right Tommy boy? You can probably keep that up.

Tommy breathed in a shuttering breath.

He just wanted to buy you your favorite drink at your favorite café. That's all he wanted to do. And maybe find and excuse to hold your hand without burning up from the embarrassment of actually having feelings (can you imagine?).

But of course, some dick-head always noticed how beautiful or kind or warm you were, and had to take their shot.

Well, Tommy was fucking sick of it.

Tommy thought of all the times, and there were a lot of times, when he had to step in and derail the situation. He knew this would be the last time. He had to do this, get rid of the unrelenting ache he felt while going to sleep, looking at you, thinking about you.

Tommy moved toward the you and the man you were talking to like he was entering the ring. With the mindset that he could get totally and irreversibly hurt, but he was gonna fight to the bloody end beforehand.

"Do you need directions?" Tommy asked as he slid up behind you, closer than he would have ever before. He felt your confusion even if he couldn't see your face.

"What?" The man was just as quizzical.

"Oh, I was just asking if you needed directions or if you could get lost on your own." Tommy raised his eyebrows, setting his hand on your hip, trying not to think about the many, many questions you'd have about that.

The man thought about arguing, but then he really looked at Tommy. Looked at you, then back to Tommy. Decided he didn't want to bleed tonight, and huffed out an angry sound.

You at least waited until he was out of ear shot before whirling on him.

"What. What was that?"

"Ok, I know what your probably thinking-"

"That you're out of your mind Tommy?! Are you kidding me right now? 'Get lost?' Get outta here with that shit, what was that?"

The two of you were pretty far back in the shop, but he still lowered his voice to make sure no one was bothered.

"Ok, yes, you're mad, I can see that-"

"Oooooh well I'm glad you can see that Tommy." You felt your face start to turn red, feeling exhausted and confused. "Explain. Explain to me Tommy, that every time a guy wants to have a nice, civil, God forbid, flirtatious conversation with me, he high tails it out of there just as fast, Tommy, explain."

Tommy felt an expanding ache somewhere behind his left eye.

"Ok. Ok I'm gonna say something stupid-"

"You always say something stupid, stupid-"

"Can you just. Can you let me finish." Tommy felt exasperated and a little insane. He was about to confess in a coffee shop to the girl he loved and things would never be the same again because she was about to leave, but fuck it if he wasn't at a boiling point.

"Ok. You know how we made a deal?" You looked at him, raising your eyebrows.

"About who could spray the most whipped cream in their mouth? Yeah it's me, it'll always be me. So you got so mad you're trying to, what, make sure I die alone, I don't..."

"What? No can you not, can you focus right now?" Tommy's palms were starting to sweat and he clenched his eyes shut tight. He breathed in and let it back out in one harsh huff. "When we were seventeen-"

"Seventeen?"

"When we were seventeen you said that if we weren't married by the time we were 35, that we should marry each other." He watched as your eyes widened and your face warmed a little. "Well, the deals off. I'm not doing it any more."

Tommy wasn't sure what to expect, but the flash of utter pain that tore across your face was not it. You stepped back, looked like you were about to bolt, your eyes wild. You tried to pull yourself together but it was really hard to breathe. No matter how many times you tried to prepare yourself for this day, you could have never imagined how it actually almost brought you know to your knees.

"So. Here's the new deal. If in like, five minutes, you're still single, and I'm still single..." Tommy swallowed hard, licking his lips. "We should just." His eyes darted to your lips.

You froze. Tommy caught his lush lower lip in between his teeth. He'd never been more nervous his entire life. So nervous for the inevitable laugh, the pity laced rejection, because really, it was one thing to be friends with a shy awkward boxer, but another to look at him and think, 'yeah, that'll do.'

Tommy had approximately five seconds to wallow in self deprecation and pure terror before he had a handful of you, and something that suspiciously felt like lips on his lips. But that's funny, because he's almost positive that that's not the case.

Then he felt your tongue swipe his lip and decided he cared fuck all and proceeded to get lost in you, your breaths, God he could feel, taste, your breath as you both got consumed by each other.

Someone coughed disapprovingly your way. The two of you broke apart, panting slightly.

"Ok, ok please don't. I really don't want you to hit me but I'm really fucking dense, right, and I just have to ask, you did that because you. You like like me- OW I said I didn't want you to hit me!"

You felt yourself laughing, felt your never ending ache subside and your love sky rocket.

"Oh, you're an idiot," You pecked his lips, he tried to catch your mouth fully but failed. "You are such and idiot- Oh my God we're both idiots holy- Hey. Hey, you, you've been. Have you been sabotaging-"

"Did you hear that?" Tommy tilted his head and looked toward the ceiling. "Ope- oh yeah. No. yeah, that's for sure the sound of-" He cut off, dropping his serious expression, grinning as he leaned down and kissed your mouth again, this time taking your words and any objections, affectively cutting off any questions that would leave him looking stupid.

You two would need to sit down, to talk about how you've felt all these years, how you were both so stupid that you both refused to confess to each other.

But for now, you lost yourself in the taste of Tommy, and the heady feeling of someone you've loved for seemingly forever, loving you back.

Real Quick: Would you be mad if in the next fics I write I called this man Tomithy? Asking for a friend.

[the-fandom-abyss]

Sacrifice 2.0

Jennifer Check x Fem!Reader

Genre: Fluff ♡

Word Count: 1,069 words

Warnings: alludes to murder

A/N: Thank you so much for replying to my last post @elsafowl, here’s a little something for Jennifer’s Body!

The town lit up in excitement when Low Shoulder announced their next tour. Officially announcing that Devils Kettle will be their first stop on a long list of venues. Everyone was planning on grabbing tickets, everyone except Jennifer. Who simply scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Who would want to spend an entire night listening to their god awful music?" Her eyes stared down those who whispered about their last appearance. Vivid flashbacks of the horrid events filled Jennifer, a night she would much rather forget.

"Oh come on Jen, they did save those people, remember?" A goofy smile playing on your lips, a smile that Jennifer fought hard not to ruin.

"You're forgetting that I was there that night. They ran like little babies, they didn't save a single soul, only their own." At this point, Jennifer could feel the anger inside rising.

"I believe you, I just like to ruffle your feathers" the once goofy smile, changed into a teasing smirk. Jennifer's eyes snapped to you, observing the look on your face. She wanted nothing more than to lean in and wipe that smirk off your face. So she did, kissing you passionately in the hallway. Students looked and whispered but none of that mattered, it all melted away when her lips touched yours. When she pulled back, her features softened and her lips formed a smile.

"You know what? Let's go see them" Jennifer's face was happy but her eyes sparkled with a different emotion. You couldn't decipher it but you know it couldn't be good.

"Are you sure?" You hesitantly asked, hoping this wouldn't set her off.

"Oh yeah, it'll be fun!" Her words dripped with sarcasm, her lips emphasising "fun". She held your hand and pulled you down the hallway. Keen to start choosing outfits for the concert tonight.

The bar was filled with underage students, all flooding in from the closest high school. The smell of alcohol was strong enough to make a lightweight drunk. You didn't mind though as you pushed through the crowd. Jennifer by your side, holding your hand tightly. Just as you reached a secluded area of the bar, the lights began to dim. The crowd became rowdy, roaring cheers and whistles at the stage. The band waltzed out, offering waves to those they could see. Scouting the next sacrifice for their way to fame. The drummers eyes landed on you, his interest was certainly piqued. He was so focused on your presence that he failed to notice his previous sacrifice next to you. He was quick to alert the others, all eyes were now on you.

To say the band was good at what they do would be a huge compliment. They sucked on all levels and it seemed that only you and Jennifer had noticed. Jennifer had excused herself just as the set ended, motioning towards the bathroom. As you waited, the band mates used the opportunity to lure you elsewhere.

"Hello there" the front runner smoothly spoke, a horrible feeling began to churn in your stomach

"Hey" you shortly replied, showing no interest in his attention.

"Would you like to come and chill with the band?" His eyebrow raised, while his hand landed on your shoulder. You were quick to shrug him off, a look of disgust visual on your face.

"I've already had enough of you for one night" you rolled your eyes at his advances. Jennifer would rip them to shreds if she saw the way he was looking at you.

"Oh come on, a few more minutes won't hurt" a sickly sweet smile graced his lips. His eyes darting to one of his mates. A clear signal for him to grab and run. The next moment happened in a slow like motion. You were being dragged out of the bar, through the woods to a secluded area.

"Let me go!" You screamed, hoping someone could hear you through the trees. Your legs kicked, disturbing the dirt underneath, leaving indents as they dragged you. The men threw you against a rock, forming a small circle.

"Not so lippy now, are ya? Cat got your tongue?" The singer forcefully grabbed your chin, squeezing  tightly. He shoved your head back down, returning to the circle.

"What do you want from me?" Your voice wavered, tears slowly rolled down your cheeks.

"We need a sacrifice and today that just happens to be you" he shrugged off the question, pulling out a knife. He wiped it across his jeans before inspecting the blade. A few leaves rustled from nearby, the noise alerting the band. Their heads turned towards the sound, eyes frantically searching for the source. Out of the shadows, a petite figure appears with an amused look on their face.

"For a bunch of mummy loving virgins, you really have a hard time finding other virgins" Jennifer's voice broke the silence, moving into clear view. A sigh of relief passed your lips.

"I can assure you, this one is all bark and no bite" he argued, prioritising this issue over the immediate danger.

"Oh she definitely has bark, you should hear her scream my name. It's hard to keep her quiet" in any other situation, you would be blushing with embarrassment. However, Jennifer trying to prove you weren't a virgin, was quite amusing. You couldn't help but giggle at the faces of the band.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm just going to take my girlfriend home" she walked in your direction, offering a hand to help you up. She pulled you to your feet before walking you out of the woods. Once you were in the clear, she checked you over for injuries. Satisfied with your unharmed body, she placed a kiss to your cheek.

"I'll be right back" her classic smile sparkled in the night as she gleefully entered the woods. A few moments later, horrific sounds could be heard. Manly screams filled the air, drifting through the cold breeze. Branches breaking, leaves crunching, bodies being dumped carelessly. Shortly after Jennifer resurfaced, her body glowed with happiness. She was quick interlock your fingers and lead you towards the car.

"Now that was bark" you joked, earning a laugh from Jennifer. You were in awe of Jennifer, counting your lucky stars that she had found you. That she cared enough about you to murder a few band freaks and save the day. She truly was a keeper.

[chaos-writes]

The Lost Boys: Road Trip

Based on one of the most vivid dreams I've ever had. Word count: 2,255. Implied romance with the boys and Star. Tw: none.

“I’ve always wanted to travel and go sight-seeing without any real objective, like moving,” said Lucy, in a dream-like tone. I chimed in, “I’ve had a cross-country road trip planned out for quite a while, but I’ve never had anyone to do it with.” “Oh really?” Lucy asked, “Where to?” “Well, it’ll be a round trip with touring both going and coming back. I'm hoping to go through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, then we’ll go north, through Ohio, and Michigan, then come back home through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, then through the top of California all the way back home.” “Oh my goodness! That sounds like a dream, but also a lot of gas money,” Lucy exclaimed. We laughed.

 

“It really would be, but I have the money saved up in a debit account, so hopefully it'll cover it. There’s also hotels, toll bridges, food, water, all that fun stuff,” I giggled. “But it would be worth it, I have tons of film for my instax camera, and a couple journals to write down my experiences.”

I gestured to her, “I have a couple extras for people that want to tag along,” Lucy smiled but quickly frowned, “Oh, I would love to go, I really would, but I have to work and look after the boys and their grandfather,” she mused. I chimed in, “It doesn't just have to be you, you know, I’ve got quite a few people in mind who could benefit from traveling.” “Well, I'll have to check with my boys and my boss. I’ll let you know if I can or can’t as soon as possible,” lucy said, with a look of disappointment in her eyes. I nodded in understanding and smiled, “Well, whenever you do let me know, I wouldn’t be upset if it was a no. I would be sure to share every detail with you, though.” “Oh, thank you for understanding, it means a lot to me!” “No problem. Well, I guess I'll be on my way then,” I said as I opened the front door.

We said our goodbyes and I headed out on my motorcycle to go and see the boys. It’s getting dark enough out where they should be slowly getting up by now. I wonder if Laddie and Star are there, too. They usually are, but sometimes they’re out and about, since they can handle sunlight a bit better than the rest. I park my bike and I can hear distant yawning and mumbling from where I'm standing at the cave entrance. They all start to float out and stretch one by one, Dwayne being first, Marko being second, David being third, and Paul being last. Of course Paul is last, he’s the heaviest sleeper. This road trip would be nothing to him, if they all agreed, that is. I just have to do some convincing.

Marko slipped his jacket and boots on, and the rest followed suit. They’re all quiet when they first wake, that’s why I don't ‘show up’ until I start hearing conversation and laughing. However, I’ve got to wait for the perfect time to come in, when they’ve been talking for a while and can actually think. “I wonder what Michael’s been doin’” I hear Paul say. “I don’t know Paul,” David sighed. “Maybe he’s been avoiding us…” He paused for a minute, then said, “Anyone hungry yet?” a wave of “not me’s” and “mm-mm’s” spread across the cave. I hear Dwayne grab a torch, light it, and begin lighting the cans all around the cave. The -now illuminated- boys begin bantering about who they should target next and what they plan to do for the day- well, night.

As a result, I put on my big-kid pants and stepped into the cave. They all turned to me, Marko exclaimed, “Hey! There you are!” “Hey guys,” I said, waving. Laddie ran up to me and hugged me from the side. I patted his back and ruffled his hair. Star smiled at me as she greeted me with a wave. I smiled back. Marko and Paul ran to me and squished me in their arms.

“I have something to share with you guys. An idea, really,” I said. All the boys looked at me in curiosity until David spoke up, “Well, what is this… idea of yours?” I beamed at all of them and said, “You all know how much I like going on adventures…” they looked even more puzzled now. “So, how about I take everyone on a really big adventure? A road trip!” They looked contemplative, as if they were considering going or not. “I could go alone…” Paul's and Marko's eyes widened, “But I much prefer having company with me, especially on trips like these.” Dwayne piped up, “So... where would we be going?” I smiled and pulled out a map, “How about I show you guys?”

The boys, Laddie, and Star crowd around behind me as I point around a U.S. map and explain where we’re going and what I'm planning on doing. I point all over the map and across the northern states. "We can add on a couple more destinations if you'd like… this is just more of the baseline plan." "Are we going to any big cities?" Marko asked. "Hell yea! And we're gonna go touring at night and see all the pretty lights and stuff. It'll be so fun!" "I'm down!" Paul says. "Me too!" Dwayne chimed in. "I wanna go!" Laddie exclaimed. Star smiled, and turned to David. The rest of us followed suit. This… is it.

I smiled at David and asked, "So, leader of the pack, are you in?" He paused. We cautiously awaited his answer. Laddie's eyes met David’s as he silently pleaded to go. David finally broke, smiled, and said, "alright. When are we leaving?" The cave uproared in a fit of whooping and hollering, mainly thanks to Marko and Paul, and Star picked Laddie up and twirled him around. "You won't regret this!" I said to David over the noise. "Well, I'm actually looking forward to it." He said. 

We left to go grab a bite to eat, the boys did their thing and I took Laddie and Star to a little Italian place on the boardwalk to eat. I told the boys to meet us there when they were done. “You sure about all this?” Star asked. “Absolutely! I like having an adventure crew. I'll admit though, it's gonna be a little different with a youngin' on board,” I laughed.

After a while, Lucy finally agreed to go with our party and told her boys to look after one another. We all packed our clothes and bought some more for the boys. They needed clothes that were fit for the amount of walking. I also couldn’t let anyone see my boys in blood-stained clothes in public, we’ll look like we got in some freak accident. I rode my motorcycle and directed the boys to my place, where we have a big Volkswagen bus parked out front, fit for a party of eight. Lucy is already there after a phone call telling us she would meet us at my place. We packed our bags into the trunk, all 4 boys could fit their bags into one suitcase with vacuum seal bags, Star and Laddie share a backpack, Lucy has her own suitcase and I have my own backpack. There's a box of toiletries for us all, except for Lucy, who decided on keeping everything of hers separate from the others, which is fair enough. 

It was 9pm, and we made sure everyone went to the bathroom and was all taken care of before we took off. The first drive is twelve-and-a-half hours, from Santa Carla to Salt Lake City, Utah. We toured the entire city on foot for a few hours, and decided on the next driver to take us to our next destination. Before we left Salt Lake, I put all the pictures I took into a scrapbook and wrote down the notes of what happened that day. “Hey, guys? If you want a journal to write anything down about the trip, I have a few extras here! And we can go over everyone’s journals and keep them in a safe space after the trip!” I said, as we all piled into the bus. David, sitting in the same row as me, turned to me and said, “I’d like to document what i’m experiencing. It’s a good idea, considering we’ve got a lot of…time left” he paused. I gave an understanding nod and handed him a journal. Star, from the third row, said, “i’ll take one!” 

We continued across the country and journaled, and took as many pictures as possible. I will never forget how genuinely happy all the boys were, they were so used to the boardwalk and now they get to go places. Laddie would bounce around happily when we toured around on foot. Star and Lucy spent their time quietly admiring land and cityscapes. The boys would get rowdy and restless at night, desperate to get in a fight or two. I've had to intervene more than I want to admit. But overall, they were well-behaved and did great throughout the trip.

The most precious memory to me, though, is when Dwayne, Paul, and Laddie grabbed me to go for a walk. At this point we were in Cincinnati, we checked in a hotel for a couple days, just on the water. A few of us wanted to go walk on the Purple People Bridge before we left. It was getting dark out, so we held close together. We walked across the bridge, Dwayne carried Laddie piggyback style and Paul and I were walking close by. We got down far enough on the bridge that we were close to the water. The sound of the river was calming, less rapid than the water outside the cave. I pointed out all the boats on the water to Laddie and we watched the water and the city in front of us.

What the boys didn't know was there was an event going on in the city. Some sort of charity event, I was never really sure about that part, but what I did know was the boys were really gonna like it.

"Hey, let's stay here for a bit. We're not in a hurry!" I said. "Umm… alright then," Dwayne said. Paul looked at me in confusion, but didn't say anything. Laddie was falling asleep on Dwayne's back, but Dwayne didn't seem to mind.

Soon, lights flicker on, one by one, lighting the whole city in blue. "Look Laddie!" I said while tapping his arm. He hopped off of Dwayne's back and stared at the illuminated city. All of Cincinnati was now an icy blue, and I will never forget the look of wonder in Laddie's eyes. Paul and Dwayne shared the same look as well. We were all starstruck as the night sky before us lit up in a beautiful blue. Paul's smile slowly grew and he giggled. I looked at him with a questioning look.

He turned to me, and said,"Thank you. This is… was, amazing. I don't think you know how much I appreciate you. This…" I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist. We held each other close as the city behind us twinkled and glowed. Footsteps came alongside us, the rest of the party decided to try and find us. "Looks like you and Paul are having fun," David said. I wasn't even mad at the joke this time. "We really are, why don't you join us?" I asked. David smiled and ran his fingers through my hair. He wrapped his arms around me from behind as I was hugging Paul, so I was sandwiched between them. Marko stood beside us all. David saw and invited him into the middle with me. I turned around and squeezed Marko as the others adjusted.

Laddie was excitedly pointing out every detail to Star, Dwayne and Lucy and bouncing in pure joy. "Laddie seems to be enjoying this the most. I'm so happy I get to show him these beautiful places." I said. "I will never forget the look on his face for as long as I live."

The rest of the trip went smoothly. We stopped in big cities, small towns, natural parks, and got to see part of Canada from the upper peninsula of Michigan. I wrote down two journals' worth of notes and had to buy another scrapbook to fit all the pictures I took. 

Surprisingly, the whole party responded well to the really long drives we did. When we made it home and said our goodbyes to Lucy as she drove to her own home, it was like this weight was lifted off of us as we stepped into the cave. No more stress of travel, a place to stretch your legs, a place to just be... in peace. Laddie hugged me as Dwayne went around and lit the cave up. "Thank you so much," he said. "You're welcome, little dude!" I said. "Yeah, thank you!" Marko and Paul chimed in. Star walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Thank you for doing all of that for us," she said. "You really didn't have to." "I know, but I love you guys. The least I can do for you is take you on one of my adventures." 

[estrxlar]

The Ghost Of You

12 - Coincidence

This chapters songs:

Beach Bummer; No Vacation

Goodie Bag; Still Woozy

Sports; Beach Bunny

- Y. L. Perspective

I wasn't sure what to think when I had read the message aloud. "I want to talk." What could that possibly mean?

"Y/n, I'm sure you're just being dramatic. Maybe he just wangs to check up on how you've been doing, " Toruku suggests, sipping from his box of apple juice. The two of us sat against the brick wall on the outside of the cafeteria, discussing my issue. Giki and Hikishi couldn't join us for lunch because of school work that they had to finish up, and Suga had to meet his friends.

Ever since the party, the only thing that stuck to my mind was my situation with Koushi. But other than that, I had forgotten about certain things that happened. As an example, bumping into Oikawa. And as crazy as it was, the moment completely left my mind for a good five days. Until I got a message from him, saying, "I want to talk."

Oikawa, Toruku, Iwaizumi, and I have known each other ever since the beginning of junior high. The only reason we had separated was because of Moku's tragic death, and our schools. Toruku and I had decided to stick together and go to Karasuno, while Oikawa and Iwa felt their volleyball was more important than staying friends. But honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal. The older we grew, then we realized that we wouldn't stick with our middle school friends.

But what Oikawa had caused between the four of us is what made things awkward.

Around the summer of my first year of high school, we all subtly kept in touch with each other. But then after he had thrown a party around July a fight had broken out between him and Toruku because of me.

Oikawa was telling others cruel things in a group of people that were discussing school, lying about how I acted around him. That I had messed around with him, or how I was jealous of Moku for being with Toruku and took it out on Oikawa. But truth was that Oikawa was the one who liked me, and I never paid too much attention to him because of how guilty I felt for liking my best friend's boyfriend.

Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Toruku, and I all knew what Toru said were false claims that he only told for attention from other girls that he would talk to. Oikawa let his popularity get ahead of him, causing a ruckus to occur that day. The further he would go with these stories, the angrier Toruku and I had grown. Eventually, his mouth ran far enough to drive Toruku to punch him more than I had expected. Oikawa was all bark and no bite, therefore, he didn't fight back. That night is when Toruku and I had realized that we needed to move in from our past and find lives of our own. Ones that wouldn't have to ever run into the two obnoxious duo Oikawa and Iwaizumi.

So you could imagine my anger when seeing him at a party that didn't involve him.

"Uhm.." Toruku takes a bite out of his egg sandwich, munching while talking. "Just text him back! Say 'about what?' I bet that would get you answers."

I groan at his stupidity. Today wasn't the best day to have lunch with Toruku, but who else could relate to me as much as him? So, I do as I am suggested, texting back a simple reply and hoping it would lead me to the best possible outcome.

—

Oikawa

I want to talk

About what?

...

—

"Oh my god, he's typing," I say quickly, dropping any items in my hand to hold the phone in front of Toruku and me. He finishes his egg sandwich and crumbles the wrapper to throw into a bin not too far away from where we sat before crossing his arms in concentration.

It wasn't that I was excited to talk to Oikawa. I was nervous as to what he wanted to discuss with me. Other than school, there wasn't much to talk about with him. All I knew was that he turned into a jackass with an ego.

'What does he even wanna say?'

When my phone vibrated in my hands, I had thought my questions were answered. But only a simple reply was given to me.

—

Oikawa

I want to talk

About what?

I just want to see how you've been doing. How about lunch on Saturday?

—

Toruku frowns at the message. "Why would he want to have lunch after what happened?" He asks me. "Say you're busy." A protective tone overtakes him.

"Ok, ok."

—

Oikawa

I want to talk

About what?

I just want to see how you've been doing. How about lunch on Saturday?

I have a tight schedule, so I don't think I'm free that day.

Hmm

Sunday?

What would we talk about, Toru?

Honestly

I just wanted to see you again

You know, talk?

Mhm

But why? Soon it won't matter

Cause after I saw you on Saturday I realized I had some things to say

Please?

Okay

We'll figure something out

—

"Do you think he still likes you?" Toruku pops in.

"No, I don't think so. But I also haven't been able to see his development, so I wouldn't know," I reply to him. I could either ruin or glorify my relationship with him. That was a bet I wasn't sure I wanted to take. And not only that, but he also had beef with Toruku. Why didn't he ask him to lunch as well? Was it because he didn't run into him during the party?

Now I had yet again another thing to worry about. Right now, my current concern was my first volleyball practice this afternoon. Kiyoko had informed me that this weekend they were to have a practice game with one of the competitive teams. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it or not, but I mine as well have given it a shot.

To be honest, I was a little bit excited. Not only would I be able to see Suga more than in the afternoon, but I could get to know the underclassman more. That was if they even liked me.

"Whatever. I don't need to be worrying about this right now," I tell Toruku as I get up from the wall to throw my trash away. He nods, tossing his trash in the basket as well, before picking up my bag and bento, handing it to me. "Thanks for having lunch with me."

"It's no issue. Just tell me how things go with texting Oikawa and have fun at practice."

"Sure thing."

-

I waited at the front of her classroom. By her, I mean the beauty herself: Kiyoko. She told me earlier that she would run through the rooms the volleyball club uses so that I could get familiar with where I'd be going every day I attended practice. I was in good hands when it came to Kiyoko, one of my very close friends.

Finally, her classroom door opens, followed by the many students held inside to flood the hallways, including Kiyoko. "Hey there!" She throws a hand over my shoulder as we begin walking to the exit of the hall. "You excited?"

"I guess. I'm more nervous than excited," I reply.

"Don't be. The boys are very sweet. If you'd like, I can try giving you a summary of what to expect!" She exclaims, her excitement practically glowing off of her skin.

Once I nod, Kiyoko begins her full explanation of the players. "Well, we have the three third years. Me, Sugawara, and Daichi! And you already know about us. And there are only four second years. There's Tanaka, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita. Tanaka is a loud person, but he's super hard working and nice to me, so I guess he's okay. As for Ennoshita, he doesn't talk very much, but I wouldn't be rough with him. He seems like the insecure type. And Narita and Kenoshita are like him, except a little more wild! They usually stay in the back of the crowd, though. Then there are the first years— man are they talented. We have this amazing pair of first years, Kageyama and Hinata. Hinata is so good at jumping, probably the best I've ever seen, and a very rowdy boy. Kageyama is usually a prick to everybody, but he's learning to be a team player. Then there is Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. They're pretty simple to predict. Tsuki just bosses around Yamaguchi all the time and they both talk crap about everybody, but they're good friends and good players."

I can't help but widen my eyes at how fast Kiyoko had explained the players. It was as if she had a lite notebook in the back of her mind where she stored every detail about them, knowing every word she wrote like the back of her hand. "...wow, so there's some personality in the team! That's good to hear," I say, taking a deep breath before we both leave the school building and make our way behind it. "I think I know about Kageyama, though. I went to middle school with him and my old friends that were on the team with him weren't very fond of him— but that's all I know. Sugawara just tells me that he's a very talented person, which doesn't say much about his persona."

"Oh yeah! How're things with Sugawara going?" Kiyoko has no hesitation to jump towards the subject. I couldn't blame her, though. It had been a while since we had a girl-on-girl chat.

Embarrassed, I chuckle, staring at the ground as we discuss. "Nothing much. I mean— he did ask me to be his girlfriend, and we made out a couple of times, but that's it!" I act as if the actions weren't such a huge thing.

Kiyoko gasped. "Y/n! You didn't tell me that you were so close to him, I would have teased you way more than I already do! You kissed him?! How many times? When—where?!"

"Shimizu, stop talking so loud!" I exclaimed, raising my brows as the girl pipes down. Kiyoko wasn't ever the type to get so rowdy about things, that is if it didn't have to do with romance. As for that, she was a downer. And if her friend was involved with it then she wouldn't stop with the blabber. "Anyway, after the party, we both spent the night in his car. We didn't do anything but make out. Still, it was so nice," I whine. "He was so gentle and confident at the same time, and I'd never had somebody want to kiss me so badly— y'know? After that, he took me home, and we both slept in my bed for a couple of hours. Once I woke up, he wasn't anywhere to be found. Only my cat and a letter were left on the pillow next to me."

"A letter?" She questions.

"Yeah, explaining his feelings—his feelings,

Shimizu! Isn't that so sweet?! He told me that he was in love with me and never felt so passionate about anybody the way he does with me. But the thing is, I'm not even sure I wanna be in a relationship. And it's hurting both of us. I think I'm just so confused about everything that I can't even make up a decision."

"Hm, that's understandable. It's a big surprise two of my friends are getting together without telling me! Especially since they're so in love with each other. But now you're saying you don't know what to say?" Kiyoko hums. "Well, from the way you talk about him, are you sure that you're not just scared? You seem like you're head over heels, Y/n. What's stopping you?"

Suddenly, a tall shadow stops us in our tracks, interrupting our conversation. "Yeah, what's stopping you?!" A deep voice says as Kiyoko nudges him.

"Daichi, you don't even know what we're talking about!" She says. It was no other than Sawamura, acting silly again.

He wore a black jumpsuit that I assumed was his volleyball uniform and white tennis shoes, topped off with his grin. "Hey, Y/n! You excited for practice?" He asks in enthusiasm, crossing his arms. If I was being honest, Daichi always scared me when confronting me, but I knew he had my back. Therefore, the goosebumps that crawled up my spine had disappeared once I settled into his smile.

"I mean... I'm a bit nervous. But yeah, I'm excited."

Daichi claps his large hands, then points towards a grey building that was only a few meters away from where we stood under the school roof. "Great! Kiyoko can lead you to the locker rooms and the team will meet you in the gym!"

I look to Kiyoko, who's nodding. "Sure thing. Let's go, Y/n." Her hand lightly pushes me towards the direction of the changing rooms.

Once we arrived at a certain locker room, Kiyoko showed me around the place. There were sixteen lockers on each side of the wall and two benches in the middle. Lots of different sports instruments were piled up in a corner, while a few bags were tossed in another. Overall, it seemed like a regular changing room.

"Here, you can use this locker here. No one ever does." Kiyoko points to an empty silver cubby. The others that surrounded it had posters and locker decor on them, telling me they were already claimed by other girls.

I open the locker, placing a few of my things in it like my bag, school vest and tie, and my shoes. After, I turn to Kiyoko, who's standing right behind me with a black bag in her hands. "Here, this is your new uniform. The team will take you more seriously if you have it on."

Taking the baggy, I pull open the zipper, revealing folded clothing inside. It was the same that Daichi had on earlier, except it didn't come with shorts and tennis shoes. Kiyoko told me that I would only need to bring some sport shoes and a white tee to wear under my sweater. "Thanks! Are you gonna be wearing one too?"

"Not today. My uniform is dirty, so I'll be using one from him. Don't worry, once the team is used to you, you'll be able to bend the rules a bit as I do. They don't care very much." She says as she makes her way towards her locker, pulling out a light lavender jumpsuit.

'Crap, does this mean I'm going to have to undress in front of other girls? That's gonna be awkward.' I tell myself, as I hid behind the door of my locker to pull down my skirt and quickly put on the black pants. I exchange my button-up for a comfortable white tee and black sweater, before taking off a few accessories that I had on and slip them into a pocket of my bag. After, I sat on the bench to trade my black long socks for some normal ones and tie on my shoes.

"Ready?" Kiyoko turns to me, fully dressed in her uniform.

"You bet."

-

I hadn't realized how awkward interrupting a practice was until the deed was done. It was sickening, embarrassing, and terrifying.

"Hi everybody," Kiyoko says in a soft tone, setting our bags down near the door while I avoided eye contact with anybody. That didn't help the fact that every one of the players was staring at us, sitting in a circle on the ground.

A loud, raspy voice echoed through the gym, interrupting the bitter silence that ate me up. "Hi, Kiyoko! How was your day today?" I glance up at the person who jogged towards us.  He had a huge smile and short buzz cut, already telling me that he was a rowdy one. "And as for you, welcome! You must be the new manager! I'm Ryonosuke Tanaka, one of the best players on this team!" He holds out a hand for me to shake.

'So this must be the second year Kiyoko told me about. Great, I like him already.' I think, bowing before shaking his hand. "I'm Y/n L/n, nice to meet you."

"Tanaka! Show some respect for your upperclassman, will you!" Daichi comments, coming up from behind him. "I'm sorry about him. He's a wild one."

"Oh, that's alright."

When Daichi realizes I'm comfortable enough to glance at the teammates, he quickly moves out of the way. "Oh—let me introduce you properly. Everybody, this is our new manager that Takeda Sensei told us about: Y/n! She's a third-year and is here to help out Kiyoko. She's friends with us third years too, so no funny business!" He looks towards Tanaka. "That means you, Tanaka!"

He yells out, "I—I was just being friendly!"

Daichi simply playfully rolls his eyes. "Why don't you first years come to introduce yourselves, hm?" He suggests as a few boys shuffle through the small crowd to get a better view of me.

"Hey! It's good to see you again, L/n! I'm Shoyo Hinata." He bows. I recognized him immediately when he approached me. The player was short for somebody on a volleyball team and had bright ginger hair that was rough and fluffy, and he practically radiated energy when I was near him. "I hope you have a great time on the team!"

After giving him a brief smile, I shift my eyes towards a pair of first-years that seemed suspicious of my presence in the club. But one of them stepped up to shake my hand and grin. He had brown yet green-tinted hair that appeared soft, and many freckles on his face. "Hi, I'm Tadashi Yamaguchi. A pleasure to meet you!" He cautiously nudges the tall boy next to him.

He rolls his eyes at the slightest, tossing the volleyball in his hands to the ground. "Hi, I'm Tsukishima." He says in a proud tone, bowing.

Then, I fixate my eyes on the boy who stood behind Hinata, staring intently at me. Once he notices that I had caught him, he began stuttering. "I—Uh...I'm Kageyama! Tobio Kageyama." The ravenette puffs up his chest, bowing towards me.

"Ah, yes! I know about you. Did you happen to go to Kitagawa Daiichi during middle school?" I ask, tilting my head to take a mental picture of him.

"Uh..yes. How did you know?"

"I used to hang around the volleyball club a lot and knew a bit about you. But I never would have thought you would go here!" I quickly realize how rude my response appeared. "Oh, crap! I didn't mean it like that."

He shakes his head violently, shutting down my apology. "It's no issue, Y/n! It's great that you know me— I mean— thank you for recognizing me," he says loudly, bowing once more. It became obvious that Kags was a bit nervous to meet me, but it wasn't anything threatening. His bright pink cheeks were more warming than scary.

"Well, Kageyama, it's great to see you again," I giggle. Then, three boys are seen in the corner of my eye, seeming eager to say their hellos. Taking initiative, I greet them. "Uh, hi guys."

"Hey!" They say, maneuvering towards me. The black-haired one shakes my hand first, squeezing it gently. "I'm Ennoshita. Pleased to meet you." Then comes the other two: one with a buzz cut, and the other with dirty blonde hair. "I—I'm Kenoshita! And this is Narita!" He points to the buzz cut boy. "We're all second years, by the way!"

Surprised by so many greetings, I can't help but hold my hands out in front of my face. "Oh— okay! Nice to meet you, too."

Somebody abruptly suggests, "Why don't you guys give her some space?" Knowing the voice too well to forget it, I grew excited. Sugawara had arrived, finally. I was looking forward to seeing him more than anybody else. "Hey, Y/n. Glad to have you," He says, secretly winking at me.

"Thank you."

-

"Let's talk positions for the practice game," Daichi commands, lifting a dry erase board to face everybody."Here's the plan I came up with."

The club was sat in a big circle on the court facing Daichi and Takeda. I accompanied them as well, pretending I knew what they were talking about.

"I'd like to have you two working as a pair." Daichi points to Kageyama and Hinata, who gave each other low growls. "And since Tsukishima is our tallest player, I think that would give us a benefit against Seijoh."

'Seijoh? Isn't that short for Aoba Johsai?' I think, raising my hand slightly. "Uh, so you guys are playing against Seijoh?"

Daichi nods. "Yes, Aoba Johsai. We have a practice game with them this week. They're a very strong team, so we need to be in our top game. Are you gonna be joining us..or?"

"Yeah, I will. I'm asking because I know a bit about the players on that team. If you'd like, I can give you guys some advice on their style."

"Wait! Why is Hinata in the one position that needs a tall guy?" Tanaka blurts, as he points towards Shoyos name that was written on the board. It stood in front of the net doodle, telling us he'd be playing as a blocker.

Hinata takes notice of this and grows annoyed. "You're saying Tsukishima and I are playing middle blockers?!" It seemed that he wasn't very fond of Tsuki.

"Timeout!" Takeda strikes the air with his hands, before reaching to his side to unfold a small handy book. "I think I need an overview of the positions.. let's start with the setter. That's the basic control tower— the ones who set people up for attacks. Then there are the wing spikers. They're the rounder that sort of.. maintains the balance between offense and defense. And middle blockers block the other teams' attacks and score points using quick attacks. They also act as a decoy to lead away from the opponent blockers! Is that right?" He asks, looking up to the team captain for reassurance.

He nods his head, putting his palms together. "There is a position that specializes in defense, but we don't need to worry about that right now. So far, that's the positions!"

"Well, Hinata should be the 'number one decoy'!" Kageyama quickly rises, looking towards the redhead. I look towards Kiyoko who is just as confused as me about what he blabbered. "Why don't we use you as a distraction to get points? We'll be using quick attacks, that way the other spikers can do some damage! You'll take down guys like Tsukishima and take them right down the garden path like the idiots they are." Kageyama spoke in a determined manner.

Yamaguchi defended the boy, saying, "Hey! Don't imply Tsuki's an idiot!" But is quickly shut down by Tsukishima, being told to shut up. "Oh.. sorry."

'These first years sure are interesting..and rude, if I'm being honest. Why is it that they're so bossy and demanding?' I say to myself, bringing my knees up and resting my head on them. Although we hadn't done anything physical, I was beginning to grow tired.

"Hinata, when we play, you better be on your best level! If you mess up even one bit, all of our attacks are gonna start to fall apart, got it?" Kageyama strikes Hinata, making him feel frightened and cornered.

"Come on, Kageyama. Hinata is already under a lot of pressure, why say things that make him feel bad?" I whisper to him, as he began to feel concerned for Shoyo.

Tanaka pats Hinatas back, attempting to calm him. "Yeah but- blocking is the most important thing here! No matter how high he can jump, he's still a shorty pants."

What he had told everybody started a riot between the players. Each of them argued about whether or not Hinata should be one of the middle blockers. As for the third years, we rubbed our foreheads in frustration. But it wasn't as if I could expect anything different from these boys.

"Don't you worry, Hinata. As long as you do your best, the team will be proud-"

"R-right! I promise I won't mess up!" Hinata perks up while his face turned a crimson color out of stress. "I'll block as much as you want me to and be the best decoy! I'll serve, I'll do attacks, I'll block! I'll do whatever you say, captain!"

Because of how anxious he grew, he dropped onto the gym floor not long after his rant, breathing heavily. Hinata had made it clear to me that volleyball was a very serious thing for him, and other players' opinions on him meant almost everything. But thank goodness, our third years reassured him that he would be just fine for the practice game.

From how much I'd seen, I thought that the club wasn't too much of an issue to attend to. That was if I wasn't helping first years get back up onto their feet after short-circuiting. Kiyoko had even told me that I did a great job on my first day at practice. So I was sure that I'd be a benefit to the team.

Now, my biggest concern was seeing Oikawa.

-

Comments and votes are super appreciated! Pls give me recognition for my chapters, I work so so so hard.

- sugawaras beauty mark☆

[toldbymae]

𝐆 𝐑 𝐀 𝐕 𝐈 𝐓 𝐘 ~ 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐮

C H A P T E R  O N E: BEGIN AGAIN

Fandom; Choices stories you play

Pairings; Ethan Ramsey x Mc (Lucky-Rae Longford)

Summary; Emotions are the luxury you can’t afford as a Doctor, consider this something Ethan Ramsey learned early. When the sun sets, all hope seems lost. That is, until a wide-eyed young intern tumbles, quite literally, into his life and the sun has never shined brighter. 

Warnings; Swearing, Graphic descriptions of injury, Alcohol consumption, NSFW, Character death, Violence, Mentions of stillbirth, Physical abuse.

Word Count; 1.4k (1,467 including this and the above.)

Author Note; This story is an au and starts at the beginning of open heart book one. The storyline won't entirely be the same, some aspects will change eg; Miss Martinez won't end up dying because of mc...instead it'll be because of someone else. In this story, you’ll hate Landry even more.

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆; 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵, 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀.

Enjoy!

LUCKY-RAE

After a six and a half hour flight, Lucky got off the plane and made her way through security, grabbing her suitcase and making her way through the crowd of loud and rowdy people. Most of them wore a smile, running into the arms of friends and family, while others were crying and watching as they bid goodbye.

Life is something precious.

It's strong and yet, it's so fragile and easy to take away.

The automatic doors opened and, almost instantly, she was hit with golden rays of the sun. Boston, she smiled and began venturing down the street.

Lucky couldn't wipe the irreplaceable smile off her face, nor did she want to. This is going to be the start of something new. Something good. Something...unimaginable.

The sudden vibration of her phone drew the redhead from her thoughts as she hastily grabbed it out of her pocket.

Landlord guy; 27 Ilford terrace, be there at 3 pm and I'll give you your keys. NO LATER.

Lucky; Sure thing

She tucked her phone safely back in her front pocket and called for a taxi, told him the destination she was heading to, and sat comfortably in the back seat, after putting her luggage in the boot, with the much-needed assistance of the driver.

25 minutes.

The car set off and Lucky leaned her head against the window, watching everything pass her by.

A smile crept back onto her face.

It's happening, it's finally happening. All these years of dreaming, believing, and working hard have led her to where she is right now, where she will be in the future.

Edenbrook Hospital, one of, if not the most, prestigious in the country. Widely known for its efficient and dedicated health care and team.

It hadn't always been her dream to work there, nevertheless, Lucky was determined now more than ever, not to allow the past to cloud her judgment or decisions.

All the people she'd save...all the people she'd be able to help...and those who she can't save...

Seconds descended into minutes which soon felt like hours and the taxi pulled up outside her new home. She thanked him, paid, and dragged her suitcase behind her as she walked up the steps and patiently waited for her landlord to arrive. She spotted him making his way down the road, wearing a blue shirt and loose-fitting black trousers.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person Mister...."

"Just call me Farley." He said delving his hand into his over-sized pocket and fishing for the keys.

"Thank you, I promise to take good care of the property...Mister Farley."

He laughed, "I know you lot will."

She paused, you lot. But there's only one of her...

"What did you mean?" She asked.

"Oh..." He laughed again, "Go inside and you'll see, Doc."

And she did. She unlocked the door and trekked up the stairs and wished there was a lift.

Lucky's breath was instantly taken away. The view was simply spectacular, the apartment was spacious, too spacious.

"This isn't all for me, is it?"

"Turns out you really are as smart as you look." He retorted, turning his head and pointing out all the other bedrooms which would be accommodating other people. Lucky shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't worry." He reassured, "I'm sure you'll get along with them just fine." Without another word, Farley departed leaving Lucky alone.

Her momentary peace was interrupted at the sound of voices and the door flying open. Five people walked in, luggage trailing after them, and meek smiles.

"He really wasn't lying..." Someone moaned, a slim and tall man with wild curly, hazel nut-brown hair, with baby blue eyes.

"I got one can't wait!" The voice of a short, brunette squeaked, smiling from ear to ear. Lucky couldn't tell whether or not she was being genuine.

"What are the odds of us all Woking at ED?" Another woman rolls her eyes and makes her way into the kitchen and raids the fridge.

"Well...I guess I should introduce myself?" The uncertainty in her voice caused Lucky to internally cringe.

"Lucky." She extends out her hand and the small girl, no taller than her, shakes it.

"I call dibs on the largest room." Says the girl whose name Lucky is yet to know, who is currently stuffing her face with a chocolate bar, "I'm Jackie, that's Sienna, Elijah, and Landry."

"Pleasure to meet you." Lucky replies. Sienna smiles at her, "I think we're gonna get along just great and I love your voice, are you, Welsh?"

"Irish, from Killarney."

"Well, is anyone hungry might as well order something." Elijah says getting his phone and looking up nearby takeaway restaurants.

Hours of talking and unpacking later, the interns sat at the table eating pizza and watching TV, feeling nothing except mixture exhaustion and relaxation.

"There's this bar down the road called Donahue’s, wanna go?” Jackie suggests, earning the attention of her new fellow roommates.

Landry shrugged, “I mean I don’t mind...but we’ve orientation tomorrow so...let’s not drinking too much.”

“Alright, let's go.”

...

ETHAN

The bar was still and quiet as the diagnostician drank the last of his whiskey and motioned for the bartender, his long time friend Reggie, to get him another.

"You sure you want another?" Reggie asks, hesitant.

Ethan almost instantly nods and the sound of voices filling the once empty bar drew him from his thoughts.

One in particular caught his eye.

Her laugh sounded like a melody he could listen to every day.

Her eyes, glassy, pure, and ruby green. So beautiful and mesmerizing.

Her hair, long, curly, and auburn shade of red.

Her freckles, as golden as the sun, spread across her face like stars in a midnight sky.

Ethan forced himself to turn away, unable to get the image of her out of his head.

He wouldn't see her again.

Or her dark red lips, so kissable.

He drank the remainder of his drink and decided to call it a night, much to Reggie's relief.

From the corner of his sky blue eyes, he sees her stumbling and about to fall, glass in hand. He catches her just in time and she smiles and drunkenly laughs, before throwing up a river on his green jacket and white top. Ethan sighs and helps her walk over to the nearest booth and sits her down.

“Shit...” She says, “I’m such a lightweight. Sorry, I uh...you know.” Her eyes dart to the ground and her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get you some water.” Ethan walks over to the bar and Reggie gives him a bottle of water, he opens the bottle and passes it to her. Lucky smiles gratefully and drinks it.

“You're a lifesaver...sorry again about your-

“It’s fine, really.”

A hesitant silence falls upon them until Lucky speaks, “I’m not usually like this.”

“I’m really, really, really nervous about tomorrow...”

“What’s tomorrow?” He asks.

“My intern orientation at Edenbook Hospital. Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah, I certainly have. I don’t think you have anything to be nervous about. You're going there for a reason, remember that.”

“...You know exactly what to say. I like that.”

He sits down opposite her, properly able to see her golden freckles in the soft and warm glow of the light.

“I haven’t asked.” He began, “What’s your name?”

She laughs, playfully slapping his knee, “My parents named me something, like, super weird...don’t go laughing okay?”

“You have my word.”

“Lucky. Lucky-Rae to be exact.”

...

The following morning felt like a complete nightmare. Ethan was in the shower and for once, not even lukewarm water could calm him down.

He dreamed about her.

What was wrong with him?

Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined her long red hair tickling his skin as her lips pressed tantalizingly against his flesh, traveling lower and lower...

His eyes darted upwards at the clock and the time was five minutes past six. Ethan didn't bother wrapping a towel around himself and turned the shower head off before getting dressed and making his way to work.

The traffic was even more so annoying than usual.

Cars sped past him and all could hear were the screams of the couple arguing in the car in front and a baby crying in the car behind. Ethan resisted the overwhelming urge to gouge his ears out. Half an hour passed and Ethan was walking in the hallways of Edenbrook, watching the nurses organize patient files.

An hour later the interns arrived and the hospital wasn’t silent anymore. A sudden commotion corrupted, he turns his head and a woman has collapsed and isn’t moving. Without another thought, he rushed over and ushered for space.

Ethan looked around and noticed an intern rushing over, long red hair, dark green eyes...golden freckles. As if this day could get any worse.

[xxkellsvixen19xx]

Opposites Attract Colson Baker X Reader PT 1

Requested By @ateliefloresdaprimavera

Word Count: 1,838

A/N: Really playing with this concept so a part 2 is coming possibly doing multiple thoughts hmu and let me know guys! Hope you like it 😊

Song Lyrics: Young & Beautiful Lana Del Rey

People say opposites attract, that’s not only true for friends but also lovers. Colson can attest to that, he calls Y/N his lover his soul mate. One man and one woman, polar opposites but always at each other sides, through the good times and the bad.

Colson has been dating you for about 2 years they met at the record release party when his album Bloom came out. Y/N's  aesthetic flies in the face of modern sensibilities and embraces the carefree, the relaxed, and the unusual. With him no denying that he was handsome. His blonde hair, strong jaw and crystal blue eyes that seemed to make every girl melt right under his stare. Not to mention the fact that he always walked around in the latest designer clothes, all perfectly styled. He has the sex appeal of a god the tattoos adding to the bad boy mystique.

When they went public with their relationship surprisingly the fans took it well and have been very supportive. The comments on his IG posts showed so much love it is honestly sweet.

@Mystical Dimples: what a perfect couple @machinegunkelly & @YN

@FloatingHeart: Born to love each other!

@GirlOfNeptune: you two are so in love! Congratulations @machinegunkelly & @YN

Casie and you got along great she absolutely loved and adored you. And the two of you often had a girls day out lunch, shopping, it brought a smile to Colson's face knowing that Casie thought the word of you just like he did. The guys they thought of you like family and they were glad to see him so happy finally "It's about damn time!" Slim cheered out when you both broke the news to them. So many whoops of support, high fives, pats on the back and hugs it sort of felt like an episode of Full House. Y/N of course though may have a sweet quiet demeanor but don't let it fool you she loves smoking with Colson and the guys heck sometimes you could out smoke him like the best of them.

"Daddy are you going to ask Y/N to marry you?" Casie asking watching Colson look down at the elegant 7 carat diamond and gold engagement ring. "Yes special girl I am, I honestly believe we are meant to be together and I want to spend the rest of my life with her." Casie clapped and giggled jumping down off the bed bouncing out of the bedroom. "Daddy and Y/N sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g…" Colson couldn't suppress a giggle hearing the phrase echo down the hallway. You were beginning to awaken as you turned to face Colson wrapping and arm around him your other free hand rubbing his bare chest. "My babygirl stirs." He murmured kissing your head. Your eyes opened staring straight into his icy blue ones, it might be first thing in the morning but god he looked sexy. "Morning baby." Colson was going to wait till tonight and pop the big question but he couldn't take it he was to anxious to hold off any longer.

He grabbed your hand in his the ring clasped tightly in his other. "Y/N you have managed to do something I had't thought possible, love again." Placing the delicate engagement ring on your finger he asks "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you, Y/N will you marry me?" Smiling you kiss him "Yes" you whispered a few tears of happiness sliding down your cheek. Pulling you tightly to him Colson broke out into a huge smile, "besides I need your sexy ass to keep my wild one in line." Colson couldn't imagine you not in his life, you balanced him out kept him anchored. The sex was absolutely incredible it managed to break out a side of you that drove him wild. There was no doubt in his mind that he had managed to snag the perfect woman and he wouldn't trade that for the world.

**********************************************

The party inside the club was going strong, you, Colson, Slim, Rook and others were in the VIP section. You had this planned in the back of your mind all day, you slipped away undetected by Colson and headed to the stage whispering something to the MC he nodded as he pressed a few buttons as you grabbed a mic.

//I've seen the world, lit it up, as my stage now. Channelling angels in a new age now. Hot summer days, rock and roll and all the way I got to know, your pretty face and electric soul...//

Colson recognized the first few bars of music instantly.

Somehow, as he watched your fingers curl around the mic, he knew you were thinking of him. From how your lips curled into that sly sexy smirk, to the rose of your cheeks, he knew. Colson felt like a voyeur now but found himself loving the buzzing and heavy feeling.

A mind hush took over the once-rowdy crowd as the tune and timbre of your voice matched and melted into the cords perfectly. The ballad poured from you with such emotion and flourish, as though singing in front of a hundred people was the easiest thing in the world for you to do. You clearly didn't need the prompter to know the words, so with your eyes closed you hit every single syllable and carried each note effortlessly. The gentle sway of your hips along with the music was magnetic and memorizing, not only to him but to nearly every other person in the club too.

//Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? Will you still love me when I've got nothing but my aching soul? I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will...//

With a final smirk, Y/N ended her song and the crowd burst out into a boisterous ovation. Their whole table stood and cheered loudly, joining with the other patrons in their own enthusiastic applause.

You bowed graciously, grabbed your drink from the barstool next to the mic and exited stage right. You then walked towards their table, towards Colson, with a subtle purpose and a sultry look in your eye.

Your gaze landed on Colson's lean frame, sunk casually into the bend of the booth, his  leather jacket off, his white button down shirt his tattooed chest on full display. You contemplated jumping him right then and there but realized that no one really needed to see that.

Besides, you could keep your hands to yourself for one night, surely...

A drunk fleeting thought dared question how deliciously torturous it would be to spend all night next to him and not touch or kiss him. You imagined how cathartic it would be when you finally allowed yourself the pleasure. It was almost a challenge made silently unto one's self.

'How long could I really go?'

Because, God, he just looked so goddamn sexy. Colson's cool laid-back demeanour added to his enticing aesthetic, and you wondered, idly, how many others  in the club had noticed his effortless allure and charisma.

Pleasantly, his posture straightened as he saw you approach and that wicked side smirk tugged at his knowingly soft lips, making your knees weak.

'I won't last the night.' You thought to yourself.

Your beaming smile was sloppy and your limbs seemed extra loose as you approached, but judging by the empty champagne, shot and highball glasses that scattered the table your swagger was just.

Y/N then slipped into the booth next to Colson, settling in close, really close, a heavy hand falling on to his thigh under the table. She planted a firm kiss to his cheek with a wide grin.

'See? I can't even last 5 seconds...I won't last the night…

As the group chatted loudly about the day's activities, Colson found himself lost within warmth radiating off her, the smell of her perfume and sweet sweat invading his senses. His eyes drifted over her exposed neck, shoulders and ample cleavage. You looked like sin personified in that dress, the fit and cut leaving nothing but filthy desires to cloud his brain as he subtly adjusted himself in his seat.

You were amazing up there, by the way." Colson said.

You spin around to face him fully, the thin strap of your dress shifting down your shoulder with the movement, "Thanks, baby."

Without thought he reached up to put the fabric back in place, cool fingertips gliding over your warm skin. The action warmed you but you tried your best to recover quickly.

'...Girl... Focus up.'

"You had them hook, line and sinker,"

"I'm just a pretty H/C  up there in hot pink." You said with a flip of your wrist.

"Yea, you are, with the voice of a fucking angel."

A warm blush crept over your cheeks and chest, "Colson..."

"What? I'm serious."

"They reacted the same to Ashleigh,"

"I doubt that."

"And Kali."

"I doubt that even more."

"It's true!"

"Prove it." He challenged.

"What would you have me sing?" You asked sweetly.

Colson smirked, "Literally anything."

His lowered tone had his desired effect and as the words fell off his tongue a visible shiver rolled over you. You smirked back and sipped at your drink again, your eyes on his through thick blonde lashes.

After singing a few favourites including a cover of 'Chandelier ', then a duet with him to 'Bad Things', followed by a ballad rendition of 'Crazy', nearly consecutively, Y/N flopped back into their booth with a heavy sigh.

"Entertaining is hard work!"

"Yet another amazing performance," Colson topped up your water glass as you settled in, "-You wowed the crowd,"

A realization, if anything, it was a green light to engage in some sort of unspoken game of seducing you,

The thought alone drove him wild.

So, he kept up the silent charade, the rouse serving as an effective aphrodisiac, and was also, clearly, convincing.

"I'm not flirting." He offered gently.

"I know. You're just being your polite and charming shelf." You cooed at him.

A small smile pulled at his lips now, "What should I do?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Turning to face him more, you smirked again and cocked an eyebrow, "Well, that's not true."

As you spoke the hairs on the back of his neck stood up for the second time that night, "Oh?"

"You could find us an excuse to leave, and take me back home." You said with such a deadpan seriousness that he nearly choked on his beer.

"Bail on our engagement party?"

Y/N nodded, eyes dark and suggestive, "Just let me use the ladies room first,"

Colson didn't need to be told twice and agreed quickly as you slid out of the booth. He then stood just as you came out of the bathroom moments to grab your jacket and small purse.

"Ready?" He asked, sweeping his arm out in front of you and towards the doors.

"Very."

[park-loins]

How was the concert? Did you have fun? Tell me all the juicy bits how are they live? I'm sure I'll never see them cause Bighit hates Europe and I'm even more sure that if they do come they don't know abt Eastern Europe so I still won't be able to go :/

Dude.... It was amazing. And I really hope European ARMY gets to experience it some time soon! It was a really different experience from the TRB Dallas, mostly because I was so much closer last time, but this time I was p2 and I got to see all the choreo and shit but I was still close enough to feel close and it was just.... amazing. I want to write up a full fan account later but right now I’m just gonna list the top things I remember about each of the boys:

Kook: God. His solo stage was fucking remarkable. His footwork his voice his moves just. He is such an entertainer, he’s so superhuman. We had pretty good view of his thigh girth from our seats and it, too, was remarkable.... Jenny’s words, not mine..... He also followed Jin’s lead and stole an army bomb, but instead of sweetly returning it like Jin, he pretended to drop it like a little imp butt because he’s a fucking imp butt. When Jimin said “Did you like it?” his little “I liked it” was the cutest thing I have ever heard and I squealed and fell to the floor, he is just precious and talented and adorable. A complete dork, the hottest dork. 

Yoongi: Um just like fucking fire. Just. fire. His Cypher verse was immaculate, I’m talking full virgin birth immaculate, and his solo stage was fucking POWERFUL man. It was so emotional and powerful and I was like legit moved by him. He also dropped it low. He is so tiny and so beautiful and so fucking talented it hurts me. Fun fact: my little sister got drenched in Father Yoongi’s holy water during Cypher. 

Jin: Stunning. Charismatic. Hilarious. Talented. His solo was another world man. I think he actually had my favorite voice live?? Which I wasn’t expecting because last time it was Baby J but..... wow. Fucking stunning. He blew at least 4 kisses and stole 2 army bombs, one regular one, then one pink one when we did the rainbow ocean. He looked so polite and charming when he was asking the girl for them. He just looked happy and carefree and UGH just perfect. 

Taehyung: SHIT MAN HIS HIGH NOTES that’s right, this deep subterranean voiced motherfucker was SLAYING HIS FUCKING high notes during his solo like WOW it was better live than you can imagine. Probably the best high notes of the concert. And it seemed like he was throwing some extra ones in there.  He also LOVED to tease the crowd, like squat down and make cute faces at the fans. His charisma while dancing was off the charts, he goes from zero to too intense in 1 sec flat. There were eyebrows. 

Jimin: It’s really hard to understand the POWER in his dance until you see it live. He is..... he’s something else. His every move, every pause, every breath is just brimming with potential energy, he THROWS himself into the dances, you’ve never seen anything like it. He is a born performer. Even when he’s not dancing or singing, he’s performing. His voice is so clear and lovely. He started the concert with his hair all nicely combed down like a nice little fringe but by the end, he had done that thing where he ran his fingers through it to the point where it was off his forehead. He did this thing where he liked to gaze off all seriously into the crowd and probably give some poor fan a heart attack by looking straight into their souls. Rude as shit, always found a way to make every move a little bit nasty. Perfect, stunning, small. 

Hobi: .... I could not take my eyes off of him. I could not. First of all not only is he the most beautiful person I have ever seen in front of my eyes, but he is just..... his on-stage charisma is second to none. When he’s dancing, he’s still engaging the audience, he’s smiling, he’s just.... fuck I don’t even know how to describe it. He draws you in. He is by far, for me, the most comprehensively amazing live performer. His singing? Fucking amazing. Mama killed me. It was perfect. He knows how to work an audience, man. Ruder than Jimin even, always throwing in extra little rolls and thrusts, but you can’t even be mad at him, because he is HUMAN SUNSHINE and you know what I know we call him that all the time, I know that’s like his thing, but at this concert, I felt it, I felt happier just looking at him. I can’t... describe him. He’s just. The closest thing to magic that this dreary world has to offer. 

Namjoon: I...... I don’t even really know.... how to articulate.... any of this. Full disclosure I have been having a slow motion Kim Namjoon meltdown since summer 2015 but... this concert was the culmination of all of that. Arguably the most emotional moment of the concert was his solo stage. And listen, I was not even a huge fan of Reflection before this, like it was great and all but it was one of the ones I skipped over on the album. But he... jesus he just. He fucking felt this shit. He felt what he was saying, and I felt it, and every time he said ‘I wish I could love myself,’ the crowd shouted ‘we love you’ and fuck i have never felt so bonded with that many thousands of fucking people. It was this giant cohesive emotional moment and it was transcendent. I’m pretty sure he also found a way to make the rainbow crowd like a statement about racial equality, just the most philosophical beautiful asshole you’ve ever met. When the crowd got rowdy and people were getting hurt, he stopped everything and said, “no pushing please, safety is the most important thing” and would not proceed until there was order. He talked to the crowd like he was talking to friends, he was never full of himself or condescending, despite their immense undeniable success, like he was just so genuine and thankful, and as soon as he walked off that stage, I immediately missed him. He has utterly ruined human beings for me and I am honestly so fucked. 

[estrxlar]

The Ghost Of You

11 - Volleyball Practice

This chapters songs:

Beach Bummer; No Vacation

Goodie Bag; Still Woozy

Sports; Beach Bunny

- Y. L. Perspective

I wasn't sure what to think when I had read the message aloud. "I want to talk." What could that possibly mean?

"Y/n, I'm sure you're just being dramatic. Maybe he just wangs to check up on how you've been doing, " Toruku suggests, sipping from his box of apple juice. The two of us sat against the brick wall on the outside of the cafeteria, discussing my issue. Giki and Hikishi couldn't join us for lunch because of school work that they had to finish up, and Suga had to meet his friends.

Ever since the party, the only thing that stuck to my mind was my situation with Koushi. But other than that, I had forgotten about certain things that happened. As an example, bumping into Oikawa. And as crazy as it was, the moment completely left my mind for a good five days. Until I got a message from him, saying, "I want to talk."

Oikawa, Toruku, Iwaizumi, and I have known each other ever since the beginning of junior high. The only reason we had separated was because of Moku's tragic death, and our schools. Toruku and I had decided to stick together and go to Karasuno, while Oikawa and Iwa felt their volleyball was more important than staying friends. But honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal. The older we grew, then we realized that we wouldn't stick with our middle school friends.

But what Oikawa had caused between the four of us is what made things awkward.

Around the summer of my first year of high school, we all subtly kept in touch with each other. But then after he had thrown a party around July a fight had broken out between him and Toruku because of me.

Oikawa was telling others cruel things in a group of people that were discussing school, lying about how I acted around him. That I had messed around with him, or how I was jealous of Moku for being with Toruku and took it out on Oikawa. But truth was that Oikawa was the one who liked me, and I never paid too much attention to him because of how guilty I felt for liking my best friend's boyfriend.

Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Toruku, and I all knew what Toru said were false claims that he only told for attention from other girls that he would talk to. Oikawa let his popularity get ahead of him, causing a ruckus to occur that day. The further he would go with these stories, the angrier Toruku and I had grown. Eventually, his mouth ran far enough to drive Toruku to punch him more than I had expected. Oikawa was all bark and no bite, therefore, he didn't fight back. That night is when Toruku and I had realized that we needed to move in from our past and find lives of our own. Ones that wouldn't have to ever run into the two obnoxious duo Oikawa and Iwaizumi.

So you could imagine my anger when seeing him at a party that didn't involve him.

"Uhm.." Toruku takes a bite out of his egg sandwich, munching while talking. "Just text him back! Say 'about what?' I bet that would get you answers."

I groan at his stupidity. Today wasn't the best day to have lunch with Toruku, but who else could relate to me as much as him? So, I do as I am suggested, texting back a simple reply and hoping it would lead me to the best possible outcome.

—

Oikawa

I want to talk

About what?

...

—

"Oh my god, he's typing," I say quickly, dropping any items in my hand to hold the phone in front of Toruku and me. He finishes his egg sandwich and crumbles the wrapper to throw into a bin not too far away from where we sat before crossing his arms in concentration.

It wasn't that I was excited to talk to Oikawa. I was nervous as to what he wanted to discuss with me. Other than school, there wasn't much to talk about with him. All I knew was that he turned into a jackass with an ego.

'What does he even wanna say?'

When my phone vibrated in my hands, I had thought my questions were answered. But only a simple reply was given to me.

—

Oikawa

I want to talk

About what?

I just want to see how you've been doing. How about lunch on Saturday?

—

Toruku frowns at the message. "Why would he want to have lunch after what happened?" He asks me. "Say you're busy." A protective tone overtakes him.

"Ok, ok."

—

Oikawa

I want to talk

About what?

I just want to see how you've been doing. How about lunch on Saturday?

I have a tight schedule, so I don't think I'm free that day.

Hmm

Sunday?

What would we talk about, Toru?

Honestly

I just wanted to see you again

You know, talk?

Mhm

But why? Soon it won't matter

Cause after I saw you on Saturday I realized I had some things to say

Please?

Okay

We'll figure something out

—

"Do you think he still likes you?" Toruku pops in.

"No, I don't think so. But I also haven't been able to see his development, so I wouldn't know," I reply to him. I could either ruin or glorify my relationship with him. That was a bet I wasn't sure I wanted to take. And not only that, but he also had beef with Toruku. Why didn't he ask him to lunch as well? Was it because he didn't run into him during the party?

Now I had yet again another thing to worry about. Right now, my current concern was my first volleyball practice this afternoon. Kiyoko had informed me that this weekend they were to have a practice game with one of the competitive teams. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it or not, but I mine as well have given it a shot.

To be honest, I was a little bit excited. Not only would I be able to see Suga more than in the afternoon, but I could get to know the underclassman more. That was if they even liked me.

"Whatever. I don't need to be worrying about this right now," I tell Toruku as I get up from the wall to throw my trash away. He nods, tossing his trash in the basket as well, before picking up my bag and bento, handing it to me. "Thanks for having lunch with me."

"It's no issue. Just tell me how things go with texting Oikawa and have fun at practice."

"Sure thing."

-

I waited at the front of her classroom. By her, I mean the beauty herself: Kiyoko. She told me earlier that she would run through the rooms the volleyball club uses so that I could get familiar with where I'd be going every day I attended practice. I was in good hands when it came to Kiyoko, one of my very close friends.

Finally, her classroom door opens, followed by the many students held inside to flood the hallways, including Kiyoko. "Hey there!" She throws a hand over my shoulder as we begin walking to the exit of the hall. "You excited?"

"I guess. I'm more nervous than excited," I reply.

"Don't be. The boys are very sweet. If you'd like, I can try giving you a summary of what to expect!" She exclaims, her excitement practically glowing off of her skin.

Once I nod, Kiyoko begins her full explanation of the players. "Well, we have the three third years. Me, Sugawara, and Daichi! And you already know about us. And there are only four second years. There's Tanaka, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita. Tanaka is a loud person, but he's super hard working and nice to me, so I guess he's okay. As for Ennoshita, he doesn't talk very much, but I wouldn't be rough with him. He seems like the insecure type. And Narita and Kenoshita are like him, except a little more wild! They usually stay in the back of the crowd, though. Then there are the first years— man are they talented. We have this amazing pair of first years, Kageyama and Hinata. Hinata is so good at jumping, probably the best I've ever seen, and a very rowdy boy. Kageyama is usually a prick to everybody, but he's learning to be a team player. Then there is Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. They're pretty simple to predict. Tsuki just bosses around Yamaguchi all the time and they both talk crap about everybody, but they're good friends and good players."

I can't help but widen my eyes at how fast Kiyoko had explained the players. It was as if she had a lite notebook in the back of her mind where she stored every detail about them, knowing every word she wrote like the back of her hand. "...wow, so there's some personality in the team! That's good to hear," I say, taking a deep breath before we both leave the school building and make our way behind it. "I think I know about Kageyama, though. I went to middle school with him and my old friends that were on the team with him weren't very fond of him— but that's all I know. Sugawara just tells me that he's a very talented person, which doesn't say much about his persona."

"Oh yeah! How're things with Sugawara going?" Kiyoko has no hesitation to jump towards the subject. I couldn't blame her, though. It had been a while since we had a girl-on-girl chat.

Embarrassed, I chuckle, staring at the ground as we discuss. "Nothing much. I mean— he did ask me to be his girlfriend, and we made out a couple of times, but that's it!" I act as if the actions weren't such a huge thing.

Kiyoko gasped. "Y/n! You didn't tell me that you were so close to him, I would have teased you way more than I already do! You kissed him?! How many times? When—where?!"

"Shimizu, stop talking so loud!" I exclaimed, raising my brows as the girl pipes down. Kiyoko wasn't ever the type to get so rowdy about things, that is if it didn't have to do with romance. As for that, she was a downer. And if her friend was involved with it then she wouldn't stop with the blabber. "Anyway, after the party, we both spent the night in his car. We didn't do anything but make out. Still, it was so nice," I whine. "He was so gentle and confident at the same time, and I'd never had somebody want to kiss me so badly— y'know? After that, he took me home, and we both slept in my bed for a couple of hours. Once I woke up, he wasn't anywhere to be found. Only my cat and a letter were left on the pillow next to me."

"A letter?" She questions.

"Yeah, explaining his feelings—his feelings,

Shimizu! Isn't that so sweet?! He told me that he was in love with me and never felt so passionate about anybody the way he does with me. But the thing is, I'm not even sure I wanna be in a relationship. And it's hurting both of us. I think I'm just so confused about everything that I can't even make up a decision."

"Hm, that's understandable. It's a big surprise two of my friends are getting together without telling me! Especially since they're so in love with each other. But now you're saying you don't know what to say?" Kiyoko hums. "Well, from the way you talk about him, are you sure that you're not just scared? You seem like you're head over heels, Y/n. What's stopping you?"

Suddenly, a tall shadow stops us in our tracks, interrupting our conversation. "Yeah, what's stopping you?!" A deep voice says as Kiyoko nudges him.

"Daichi, you don't even know what we're talking about!" She says. It was no other than Sawamura, acting silly again.

He wore a black jumpsuit that I assumed was his volleyball uniform and white tennis shoes, topped off with his grin. "Hey, Y/n! You excited for practice?" He asks in enthusiasm, crossing his arms. If I was being honest, Daichi always scared me when confronting me, but I knew he had my back. Therefore, the goosebumps that crawled up my spine had disappeared once I settled into his smile.

"I mean... I'm a bit nervous. But yeah, I'm excited."

Daichi claps his large hands, then points towards a grey building that was only a few meters away from where we stood under the school roof. "Great! Kiyoko can lead you to the locker rooms and the team will meet you in the gym!"

I look to Kiyoko, who's nodding. "Sure thing. Let's go, Y/n." Her hand lightly pushes me towards the direction of the changing rooms.

Once we arrived at a certain locker room, Kiyoko showed me around the place. There were sixteen lockers on each side of the wall and two benches in the middle. Lots of different sports instruments were piled up in a corner, while a few bags were tossed in another. Overall, it seemed like a regular changing room.

"Here, you can use this locker here. No one ever does." Kiyoko points to an empty silver cubby. The others that surrounded it had posters and locker decor on them, telling me they were already claimed by other girls.

I open the locker, placing a few of my things in it like my bag, school vest and tie, and my shoes. After, I turn to Kiyoko, who's standing right behind me with a black bag in her hands. "Here, this is your new uniform. The team will take you more seriously if you have it on."

Taking the baggy, I pull open the zipper, revealing folded clothing inside. It was the same that Daichi had on earlier, except it didn't come with shorts and tennis shoes. Kiyoko told me that I would only need to bring some sport shoes and a white tee to wear under my sweater. "Thanks! Are you gonna be wearing one too?"

"Not today. My uniform is dirty, so I'll be using one from him. Don't worry, once the team is used to you, you'll be able to bend the rules a bit as I do. They don't care very much." She says as she makes her way towards her locker, pulling out a light lavender jumpsuit.

'Crap, does this mean I'm going to have to undress in front of other girls? That's gonna be awkward.' I tell myself, as I hid behind the door of my locker to pull down my skirt and quickly put on the black pants. I exchange my button-up for a comfortable white tee and black sweater, before taking off a few accessories that I had on and slip them into a pocket of my bag. After, I sat on the bench to trade my black long socks for some normal ones and tie on my shoes.

"Ready?" Kiyoko turns to me, fully dressed in her uniform.

"You bet."

-

I hadn't realized how awkward interrupting a practice was until the deed was done. It was sickening, embarrassing, and terrifying.

"Hi everybody," Kiyoko says in a soft tone, setting our bags down near the door while I avoided eye contact with anybody. That didn't help the fact that every one of the players was staring at us, sitting in a circle on the ground.

A loud, raspy voice echoed through the gym, interrupting the bitter silence that ate me up. "Hi, Kiyoko! How was your day today?" I glance up at the person who jogged towards us.  He had a huge smile and short buzz cut, already telling me that he was a rowdy one. "And as for you, welcome! You must be the new manager! I'm Ryonosuke Tanaka, one of the best players on this team!" He holds out a hand for me to shake.

'So this must be the second year Kiyoko told me about. Great, I like him already.' I think, bowing before shaking his hand. "I'm Y/n L/n, nice to meet you."

"Tanaka! Show some respect for your upperclassman, will you!" Daichi comments, coming up from behind him. "I'm sorry about him. He's a wild one."

"Oh, that's alright."

When Daichi realizes I'm comfortable enough to glance at the teammates, he quickly moves out of the way. "Oh—let me introduce you properly. Everybody, this is our new manager that Takeda Sensei told us about: Y/n! She's a third-year and is here to help out Kiyoko. She's friends with us third years too, so no funny business!" He looks towards Tanaka. "That means you, Tanaka!"

He yells out, "I—I was just being friendly!"

Daichi simply playfully rolls his eyes. "Why don't you first years come to introduce yourselves, hm?" He suggests as a few boys shuffle through the small crowd to get a better view of me.

"Hey! It's good to see you again, L/n! I'm Shoyo Hinata." He bows. I recognized him immediately when he approached me. The player was short for somebody on a volleyball team and had bright ginger hair that was rough and fluffy, and he practically radiated energy when I was near him. "I hope you have a great time on the team!"

After giving him a brief smile, I shift my eyes towards a pair of first-years that seemed suspicious of my presence in the club. But one of them stepped up to shake my hand and grin. He had brown yet green-tinted hair that appeared soft, and many freckles on his face. "Hi, I'm Tadashi Yamaguchi. A pleasure to meet you!" He cautiously nudges the tall boy next to him.

He rolls his eyes at the slightest, tossing the volleyball in his hands to the ground. "Hi, I'm Tsukishima." He says in a proud tone, bowing.

Then, I fixate my eyes on the boy who stood behind Hinata, staring intently at me. Once he notices that I had caught him, he began stuttering. "I—Uh...I'm Kageyama! Tobio Kageyama." The ravenette puffs up his chest, bowing towards me.

"Ah, yes! I know about you. Did you happen to go to Kitagawa Daiichi during middle school?" I ask, tilting my head to take a mental picture of him.

"Uh..yes. How did you know?"

"I used to hang around the volleyball club a lot and knew a bit about you. But I never would have thought you would go here!" I quickly realize how rude my response appeared. "Oh, crap! I didn't mean it like that."

He shakes his head violently, shutting down my apology. "It's no issue, Y/n! It's great that you know me— I mean— thank you for recognizing me," he says loudly, bowing once more. It became obvious that Kags was a bit nervous to meet me, but it wasn't anything threatening. His bright pink cheeks were more warming than scary.

"Well, Kageyama, it's great to see you again," I giggle. Then, three boys are seen in the corner of my eye, seeming eager to say their hellos. Taking initiative, I greet them. "Uh, hi guys."

"Hey!" They say, maneuvering towards me. The black-haired one shakes my hand first, squeezing it gently. "I'm Ennoshita. Pleased to meet you." Then comes the other two: one with a buzz cut, and the other with dirty blonde hair. "I—I'm Kenoshita! And this is Narita!" He points to the buzz cut boy. "We're all second years, by the way!"

Surprised by so many greetings, I can't help but hold my hands out in front of my face. "Oh— okay! Nice to meet you, too."

Somebody abruptly suggests, "Why don't you guys give her some space?" Knowing the voice too well to forget it, I grew excited. Sugawara had arrived, finally. I was looking forward to seeing him more than anybody else. "Hey, Y/n. Glad to have you," He says, secretly winking at me.

"Thank you."

-

"Let's talk positions for the practice game," Daichi commands, lifting a dry erase board to face everybody."Here's the plan I came up with."

The club was sat in a big circle on the court facing Daichi and Takeda. I accompanied them as well, pretending I knew what they were talking about.

"I'd like to have you two working as a pair." Daichi points to Kageyama and Hinata, who gave each other low growls. "And since Tsukishima is our tallest player, I think that would give us a benefit against Seijoh."

'Seijoh? Isn't that short for Aoba Johsai?' I think, raising my hand slightly. "Uh, so you guys are playing against Seijoh?"

Daichi nods. "Yes, Aoba Johsai. We have a practice game with them this week. They're a very strong team, so we need to be in our top game. Are you gonna be joining us..or?"

"Yeah, I will. I'm asking because I know a bit about the players on that team. If you'd like, I can give you guys some advice on their style."

"Wait! Why is Hinata in the one position that needs a tall guy?" Tanaka blurts, as he points towards Shoyos name that was written on the board. It stood in front of the net doodle, telling us he'd be playing as a blocker.

Hinata takes notice of this and grows annoyed. "You're saying Tsukishima and I are playing middle blockers?!" It seemed that he wasn't very fond of Tsuki.

"Timeout!" Takeda strikes the air with his hands, before reaching to his side to unfold a small handy book. "I think I need an overview of the positions.. let's start with the setter. That's the basic control tower— the ones who set people up for attacks. Then there are the wing spikers. They're the rounder that sort of.. maintains the balance between offense and defense. And middle blockers block the other teams' attacks and score points using quick attacks. They also act as a decoy to lead away from the opponent blockers! Is that right?" He asks, looking up to the team captain for reassurance.

He nods his head, putting his palms together. "There is a position that specializes in defense, but we don't need to worry about that right now. So far, that's the positions!"

"Well, Hinata should be the 'number one decoy'!" Kageyama quickly rises, looking towards the redhead. I look towards Kiyoko who is just as confused as me about what he blabbered. "Why don't we use you as a distraction to get points? We'll be using quick attacks, that way the other spikers can do some damage! You'll take down guys like Tsukishima and take them right down the garden path like the idiots they are." Kageyama spoke in a determined manner.

Yamaguchi defended the boy, saying, "Hey! Don't imply Tsuki's an idiot!" But is quickly shut down by Tsukishima, being told to shut up. "Oh.. sorry."

'These first years sure are interesting..and rude, if I'm being honest. Why is it that they're so bossy and demanding?' I say to myself, bringing my knees up and resting my head on them. Although we hadn't done anything physical, I was beginning to grow tired.

"Hinata, when we play, you better be on your best level! If you mess up even one bit, all of our attacks are gonna start to fall apart, got it?" Kageyama strikes Hinata, making him feel frightened and cornered.

"Come on, Kageyama. Hinata is already under a lot of pressure, why say things that make him feel bad?" I whisper to him, as he began to feel concerned for Shoyo.

Tanaka pats Hinatas back, attempting to calm him. "Yeah but- blocking is the most important thing here! No matter how high he can jump, he's still a shorty pants."

What he had told everybody started a riot between the players. Each of them argued about whether or not Hinata should be one of the middle blockers. As for the third years, we rubbed our foreheads in frustration. But it wasn't as if I could expect anything different from these boys.

"Don't you worry, Hinata. As long as you do your best, the team will be proud-"

"R-right! I promise I won't mess up!" Hinata perks up while his face turned a crimson color out of stress. "I'll block as much as you want me to and be the best decoy! I'll serve, I'll do attacks, I'll block! I'll do whatever you say, captain!"

Because of how anxious he grew, he dropped onto the gym floor not long after his rant, breathing heavily. Hinata had made it clear to me that volleyball was a very serious thing for him, and other players' opinions on him meant almost everything. But thank goodness, our third years reassured him that he would be just fine for the practice game.

From how much I'd seen, I thought that the club wasn't too much of an issue to attend to. That was if I wasn't helping first years get back up onto their feet after short-circuiting. Kiyoko had even told me that I did a great job on my first day at practice. So I was sure that I'd be a benefit to the team.

Now, my biggest concern was seeing Oikawa.

-

Comments and votes are super appreciated! Pls give me recognition for my chapters, I work so so so hard.

- sugawaras beauty mark☆