#i mean u could see he was so nervous bringing it up too. geez my guy. but why is he so stupid god bless.

[kjosi]

See. I would. I would say he has incurable foot in mouth disease ,or like it is simply because he’s a Leo. But EYE just feel that wayy too coincidental exactly a YEAR the literal anniversary of #bishagate. I get the vibe that part of him was just looking for an opening so he could tell that side of that story. Man’s been literally experienced workplace homophobia for YEARS , ur telling me that Misha “what are they going to do? Fire me?” Collins WOULDN’T eat up a convenient opportunity to call warner bros tf out on their crimes?? For that Atrocity of a phone call esp???

[kireimarkeu]

wild heart; l.dh

+repost, i did not make any changes to this fic.

summary: where your best friend starts to fall for you 

2.5k words

[11:36 PM] movie night

"No, Hyuck! Geez!" you groaned, your hand pressing onto his shoulder brutally as you reached up to snatch the remote control from Donghyuck's grip. 

He winced when you pinched his shoulder, settling down on the couch then stuck his tongue out at you in a teasing manner. You crossed your arms with a pout, looking away from your best friend. 

"Are you being pouty, right now?" he asks, taking a look at you before a burst of loud laughter left his lips. "it's my turn to choose the movie though," he says, pressing onto the buttons on the remote to turn on the same movie the both of you have watched millions of times.

"I don't want to watch To All The Boys I've Loved Before for the 50th time," you grumbled him, scooting further away from the boy sulkily.

He stops pressing the buttons on the remote, "well, what do you want to watch then?" he asks you staring right at you, while you didn't spare him a single glance. 

You raised your eyebrows at him in confirmation, he only nodded positively. "A new movie just came out and I wanna watch it with you."

He chuckled, "with me?"

You nodded, "it's an action movie."

He pretended to puke, then looks at you with a disgusted look, "I only watch rom-com, dummy. How could you not know that? You're my best friend."

You rolled your eyes at his statement, "the only rom-com you watch is To All The Boys I've Loved Before."

He scowled at you and threw the remote at your direction, hitting you softly on the thigh. "Fine."

You could only grin in satisfaction as you turned on the action movie you have been dying to watch. Once the movie started playing, you shifted closer to Donghyuck and laid your head comfortably on his lap.

[6: 43PM] he helps you find clothes

"Wait- I don't think I look good in this," you say from inside the room. 

You were told a few days ago that your brother was getting married, so you needed a new dress to wear to the wedding. You didn't hesitate to call your best friend for help, knowing he was the best at being completely honest.

You stared at your reflection in the mirror, a frowned plastered on your face. Donghyuck had picked a few dark blue dresses to match with the theme. 

You finally tried on the last dress, the one Hyuck had been waiting for you to put on. It was something you have never worn before. It was just so- revealing. 

There was a slit all the way up to the thigh, a V-neck in the middle that ended just right above your belly button. And, god- why was it so tight? It hugged your curves just right. You felt so naked.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes and replies, "I'll be the judge of that."

"But I look really bad in it," you say, turning to see your side view in the mirror, "I think dark blue doesn't suit me."

Donghyuck rested his back against the wall as he stretched his long legs. "You're already ugly, it doesn't matter."

"Lee Donghyuck!"

"Did I lie?" he asks, "Did I fucking lie??"

You let out an annoyed groan and unlocked the door, peeking your head out to look at the boy who was staring at you with lazy eyes. 

"I look so bad," you whined, "can I just change and find another dress?"

Donghyuck sighed, "We met at 1 pm, it's almost 7 now, y/n."

You pouted, opening the door wider as you stepped out of the room to let Donghyuck see the dress. 

Donghyuck's eyes widen as his heartbeat started to pick up its rate. The dress you wore is stunning, why didn't you like it?

"You look..." he lets out a low whistle. "you look great, why do you not like the dress?"

You shrugged, "I don't know, maybe because it's not me?"

He rolls his eyes, "well you're shopping for a dress, of course, it won't feel like you."

You turned back around to face the mirror in the room again. With Hyuck's reassurance, you felt slightly more confident. It did suit you. Maybe the dress wasn't so bad. 

You turned back around to face the boy, "do you think I should really get this?" you ask Donghyuck. 

He nodded, "just make sure you wear lots of makeup. Or else the dress would go to waste," he joked. 

You turned to send him a sarcastic smile, "great! Now let's shop for shoes!" you tell him, earning a groan from the boy.

[11:18 AM] when you call each other pet names

You didn't know how it all started. You weren't sure if you were the one who started it- probably Hyuck since he was a lot more playful. But the both of you have playfully called each other pet names in front of everyone. 

"Do you want some, baby?" you ask Hyuck, bringing the spoon filled with rice to his lips. 

You could feel everyone on the table staring at the both of you. 

Donghyuck nodded, opening his mouth to let you feed him, "Thanks, babe." 

The table fell silent. 

"Are you guys...?" Jeno trailed off with raised eyebrows.

The both of you raised your eyebrows, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"Dating," Jaemin completes the sentence for his friend.

"Are you guys dating?" Jeno repeats, his eyes wide in confusion. 

You scrunched your face in disgust, "me and Hyuck? Hell no!" 

The table fell silent as they all stare at your best friend.

Perhaps Hyuck's heart broke when the words left your lips without hesitation. Perhaps he did have thoughts of the both of you dating.

Jeno had a surprised expression plastered on his face, "O-oh, well you both were calling each other pet names, so I thought the both of you were already dating."

Already? What did Jeno mean by that?

You shrugged, "I don't know how it started, but we both started using it and became comfortable with the nickname."

"Yeah," remarked Hyuck, "we're just really comfortable with the name."

[9:09 PM] sleepover!!!!

You: r u coming??

You: hyukkiii

You: babyyy

You: why are you taking so long D:

You: can you RUN

You: i'm going to eat all the nuggets >:(

Right when you sent the last text, you heard a loud knock on your door. You ran to the door and unlocked it as fast as you can. You were met with Donghyuck in the matching blue pyjamas that you had bought for him when you went to Jaa. (You had forcefully made him wear the matching blue pJ's whenever the both of you had a sleepover.)

"You're so slow," you complained, pulling your friend in by his arm. "Did you bring the snacks I told you to?" 

He lifted his hand to show you the bag filled with the snacks that you were craving for. "Just admit you invited me because you want to bring food."

You turned to Hyuck, feigning a confused expression, "I would never," you expressed dramatically. 

Hyuck rolls his eyes at your words. "I'm choosing the movie," he tells you, plopping on the couch, reaching for the remote quickly before you could snatch it from him. 

You empty the bag filled with snacks that Donghyuck left on the table. "Fine. Make sure it's not another rom-com."

Donghyuck whines, "what's wrong with Peter and Lara Jean? They're so cute together!"

[11:21 PM] dancing together in the living room

Both of you have ditched the movie he chose and decided to play music instead. Hyuck was in charge of music since he had better taste. 

Suddenly, your favourite song, Feel Special by Twice started playing. Your eyes widened in glee as you stared at Hyuck. You immediately stood up and started dancing to the choreography terribly.

Donghyuck could only laugh as you dance offbeat. You stared up at him with shining eyes, grabbing his hand in yours before pulling him to stand next to you. 

Without thinking, you started dancing next to your best friend. Donghyuck lifted his hand that you were holding above you to twirl you around. 

He couldn't afford to ruin the moment. He loved seeing you this way- so carefree and happy. It would be a lie if he didn't feel butterflies in his stomach seeing your eyes shining so brightly. 

[1:56 AM] he sings you to sleep

After hours of singing and dancing, you finally grew tired. You suggested that both of you should head to bed if Hyuck wanted to get breakfast tomorrow. 

"I'll sleep on the couch," Hyuck says, grabbing some of the pillows on your bed. He pressed his hand on each of the pillows, he didn't like pillows that are way too soft.

You frowned at your friend's words. "I changed my bedsheets for you," 

He turned around to look at you with raised his eyebrows, "what?"

"I made space for you in my bed," you explained, "cuddle me~"

You weren't sure why you wanted him to sleep with you. You just wanted to be in his arms. 

Honestly, Donghyuck was nervous. The last time the both of you cuddled was months ago. Usually, he didn't feel anything while both of you were laying together on your bed, but this time, it felt different. 

He felt his heartbeat starting to pick up its pace, his face turning crimson red from your whines and your pouty lips.

"You want me to cuddle you?" he asks again, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He didn't realise he was clenching onto the pillow that he was holding this whole time. 

You nodded cutely. "Just like the old-time."

Right. Just like the old time. 

"Okay."

Within a few minutes, you had Hyuck's arms protectively wrapped around you, while your head rest neatly on his chest. You snuggle closer to your best friend. 

"Donghyuck-ah," you yawn, your hands fisting his grey sweatshirt. Earlier, Donghyuck had claimed your dorm was too cold so he put on his sweatshirt that he had left at your place last time.  

"Hm?"

"Will you sing me to sleep?" you ask quietly.

You felt Donghyuck's hands thread through your soft hair, "do you want me to?"

You nod, "I love it when you sing."

And without hesitation, Hyuck started singing softly in your ear while you slowly went into a deep slumber. 

Donghyuck tried his best not to move around too much when he knew you were deep asleep. He tilted his chin down to stare at your features. He slowly let his finger trace your nose down to your lips.

"Y/N," he breathes, "why am I feeling this way?"

[2:03 PM] playing with your hair

You were currently seated on the floor between Donghyuck's legs. He had his hands tangled in your hair, occasionally twirling it around his fingers or braiding it halfway. 

"Ow," you winced when you felt a particular tug from your hair. "That hurts, you bitch," you cussed at your best friend. 

"It wouldn't if you actually wash your hair," he argued back, his hand threading through your hair, untangling your long brown locks. 

Donghyuck loved to make sarcastic remarks about everything. But one thing he would never admit was that he actually loved your hair. He loved the smell of your hair; it wasn't strawberry or coconut. It was nothing of the sort, the smell of your hair made him feel like he was at the right place. With the right person. 

He loved the natural soft curls you had on your hair. It was unique. The soft curls you had, made you become you. 

He would often hear you complain about how you hated your curly hair and how you wanted to straighten it. Or how you wanted to have your hair dyed brown because you hated your black hair. 

"Should I cut my hair, Hyuckie?" you asked from below, tilting your head upwards to look at the boy.

"Hm?" he asked with raised eyebrows, looking down at you, "I think short hair would look good on you," he says truthfully.

"Well, I'm not planning on cutting it real short, maybe until here?" you say, pointing on your shoulder. 

Donghyuck let's go of your hair, "you'll look good, baby. You don't have to worry."

[12:01 AM] he kisses you

You didn't know how the both of you ended up in this position-- you in-between his legs, one of his hand resting on your cheeks while the other was planted on your waist.

The both of you were so close, one move and his lips would be planted on yours. 

"y/n," he breathes, his hand trembling slightly, "can I kiss you?"

Your heartbeat started to pick up, how long has Donghyuck been waiting to ask you this? 

Your eyes linger on his pretty pink, pouty lips. You slowly nod, pulling him closer to you by the strings of his hoodie. 

His lips crashed onto yours in a matter of seconds. His lips were so soft, you just wanted to kiss him forever. Your hand thread through Donghyuck's hair while you breathe through your nose. A minute passed, and both of you finally pulled away. 

You breathed heavily as a giggle left your lips when you saw his swollen red lips and messy hair. 

You bit your lips nervously, "wanna make out?"

He pretended to think then he looked at you with stars in his eyes, "I don't make out with my friends."

You kept quiet, dumbfounded by his reply. Was this all a joke to him? You pulled away from Donghyuck but he prevented you from doing so by tightening his grip on your waist. 

You looked up at him, tears already brimming your eyes. You were embarrassed and disappointed. 

"y/n, will you be my girlfriend?"

[2:09 PM] you both get ice cream

"Two chocolate ice cream cones please," Donghyuck ordered, his hand reaching out to pay for both of your desserts. 

"Aww," you playfully punch your boyfriend while he winces in pain, "you're paying for my food?" you ask, wrapping your arms around his bicep while batting your eyelashes in his face.

He sends you a disgusted look, "do you even have a single cent on you?" he replies sarcastically.

You stick your tongue out and push him away from you, "fuck you, Lee."

Hyuck grabs both the ice cream cones and hands one to you while the both of you leaves the ice cream parlour. 

You happily licked your ice cream while the satan next to you bites his ice cream. You didn't say anything though, knowing it was his habit since he was young. 

"Babe," Donghyuck calls from beside you. 

"Hm?" you turned around only to feel the coldness of the chocolate ice cream resting on your nose. "Lee Donghyuck!" you yelp, punching his chest and arm.

Your boyfriend only laughed loudly as he tried to dodge your soft and weak punches. 

"Wait, wait," he says, one hand holding onto your arm to stop you from punching him. He slowly leans down to press his lips on your nose, kissing the cream off your nose. 

Pulling away, he was met with your blushing face. He couldn't help but plant another soft kiss on your lips. 

[wormstacheangel]

Second part to the mixtape headcanon. Dean’s reaction to Cas being at his door in the middle of the night with the mixtape in hand.  

Dedicated to Liv ( @blue-eyed-cutiepatootie ) sorry it took me a while but here it is. Might not be what you expected but hopefully you enjoy it either way.

Cas stopped short in front of Dean’s door. His heart raced as he held the Walkman to his chest, clinging to the words he just heard, but he knew those words were years old. So much has changed in general, but between them, it felt like a still lake.

Since coming back, Dean has acted as if those dying words weren’t even spoken. Sometimes Cas wondered if he imagined the whole thing, but he knew the truth; Dean didn’t feel the same way and didn’t want to make it uncomfortable for them.

It was something Cas has accepted the last few weeks of being in the bunker, being home, but now, with Dean’s secret message, he felt the courage in him bubble up his throat.

Cas quickly knocked three loud, quick bangs with his fist before waiting for a response. He heard a groggy, “What?”

“Dean? May I—Can we talk?”

Cas didn’t hear an answer right away, and for a second, he thought maybe Dean fell back asleep; he knew it was the early morning hours but wasn’t quite sure of the exact time. Still, time never really meant anything to him before, but now, as a human, time has become precious, and he didn’t want to keep wasting it.

He took a deep, shaky breath, raising his fist to knock again, but the door then clicked open. Revealing a disheveled and disoriented Dean.

He leaned against the door frame wearing lemon patterned boxer briefs and a hand up his t-shirt to scratch at his chest, as he yawned before he blinked at Cas a few times, “Dude, it’s 3 am. What can’t wait ‘til morning?”

Cas swallowed his nerves down before looking down at the Walkman to take out the tape. He brought it up to Dean’s face, and with an earnest voice, he said, “You said to come ASAP. So I’m here.”

Dean only looked at the cassette tape; a small gasp of a breath raised his chest, but then his face scrunched up in the familiar fixed glare, so Cas continued knowing Dean won’t talk. Not yet anyway.

He put the cassette back into the Walkman as he talked, rewinding it to keep his nervous hands busy. “I believe I understood what you—what the songs mean, but I am still so new at all this. If I am wrong, I don’t want it hurting us.” Cas took a sneaky look back up at Dean to find him watching the Walkman with the same intensity Cas was.

It only took a few seconds, and then Dean was shuffling in the doorway as the first song, Ramble On, started to play through the headphones. With no other words, Dean opened his bedroom door open just a little more, an invitation to come in, before he walked back over to sit at the edge of his bed.

When Cas walked in, he closed the door behind him but stood awkwardly by it. He broke the silence first as he looked anywhere but at Dean.

“You know what, maybe this can wait until morning.”

“You already woke me up.” Cas looked up to meet Dean’s stare, it wasn’t cold, but it still sent a shiver down Cas’s spine. “So talk.”

Cas opened his mouth, not knowing what words he was even forming, but Dean stood with a hand up to stop him before any words were spoken.

“Actually, first, why are you bringing this up again? I gave you that thing years ago.”

Cas put the Walkman down on Dean’s desk, the music softer but still background music, before looking at Dean with guilty soft eyes, not knowing how to explain himself. “Yes. I just heard—I appreciate the gift, Dean. Thank you but-um.”

Dean seemed taken back by the words, and, by his hardening demeanor, Cas knew they were the wrong ones. Dean was building walls up again.

“You know what, Cas,” Dean scrubbed a hand down his face as he glared past Cas with an uneasy smile settled on his face. “I can’t do this right now. How about we leave the rejections for some other time? Yeah?”

Cas opened his mouth, confused, but Dean nodded.

“Good. Night, Cas.”

Oh. He was already being rejected. It made sense that Dean’s feelings changed after all this time. He must have been waiting for Cas to mention the message, but it’s too late now. He lost Dean’s love.

Cas reached for the Walkman, but now he wasn’t sure if he wanted to listen to those songs, understanding why Dean skips them now. So he fists up his hands, leaving the Walkman where it laid, before giving Dean a stiff nod in return.

“Understood. Goodnight, Dean.”

Dean didn’t say anything in return, his jaw clenching as he looked at anywhere but Cas. “And take your damn gift with you.”

Cas’s chest tightened at the words. He felt familiar pain spread through his body, one he wished had a physical reason than an emotional, psychological one because a fist to his chest would hurt less.

“I don’t want it anymore.” Cas spit out as he opened the bedroom door and walked out into the hallway. “Throw it away for all I care.”

He slams the door closed behind him and stalks to his room, slamming that door behind him as well.

Then as soon as he is in the safety of his own space, he can feel the pain making itself known, like a hot blade slowly cutting into him or something heavy sitting on his chest. Either way, he wanted it to stop. Wishing he never heard that message or that he heard it at the right time.

Cas laid wide awake in bed, curled up around a pillow he was hugging to his chest. He stared at the wall, wishing he had a better imagination to keep him entertained, but all he could see was Dean’s glare. The glare those green eyes dug into him really digging roots and pulling him apart from the inside out with an invisible pull.

He couldn’t go out there and face him now. Maybe, Cas should have just ignored the long-ago message. It was apparent Dean had lost those feelings for Cas; he would have brought up Cas’s dying words weeks ago if Dean felt remotely the same. Now Cas was left with an awkward situation he didn’t want to be a part of.

He needed to leave.

Cas knew that. This is how it always went. Cas needed to go.

Cas stood up to walk over to his desk to grab his wallet and keys before grabbing his coat, ready to sneak off before the sunrise. He’ll be gone before Dean can kick him out again.

He didn’t even get a chance to open his bedroom door before Dean was striding in with a determined glare, “Okay, fuck this, I think we really need to-” Dean stopped to look Cas up and down as his shoulders dropped. “You’re leaving.”

“I think—I think it’ll be best.”

Dean nodded, his bottom lip being sucked into his mouth as he stared back at Cas. “Sure. Just do what you do best. Runaway.” Dean threw whatever he held in his hand across the room and broke it with a loud bang. Cas flinched as he saw what it was, the Walkman. “Fuck if I care!”

Dean was already turning to walk away, but Cas grabbed hold of his arm to stop him. “Why are you so damn mad, Dean?” Cas walked to step in front of him. He moved until he finally locked eyes with the angry hunter. “I’m only doing this for you.”

Dean rolled his eyes and shrugged Cas’s touch away. “Don’t bullshit me, Cas! You’re running away cause you don’t want to face me.” Dean poked Cas’s chest as he continued his angry rant. “Why don’t you start acting like a fucking man and face the damn consequences instead of being a little bitch and running away?”

Cas didn’t stand down as he glared back at Dean. “Enlighten me then. What would those consequences be?”

Cas took Dean’s finger and pulled it away from his chest, but it stayed in his grasp as he took a step forward, never taking his eyes off the familiar angry glare. The angry man he left behind still here after all those years, looking back at him with an ‘I dare you’ stare, but Cas could always read past those words. Dean was hurting.

“Why don’t you stop acting like a…like a little bitch, and just-!” Cas stopped with a loud sigh while he dropped Dean’s hand, along with his stare. Instead, he looked down at their socked feet. Dean was wearing pizza socks while Cas wore matching burger ones. They came in the same pack, and Dean split it up for them. He cracked a small smile thinking of that day before looking back up at Dean with pleading eyes. “Dean. I’m tired of this. Can you please just…Just talk to me?”

“Nothing more to talk about, Cas.” Dean sounded more defeated than angry now. “I got the message. Loud and clear.”

Cas blinked at him a few times. “Well, I’m sorry, but I apparently haven’t gotten the same message.”

“Don’t play dumb.” Cas just stood there staring at him, waiting for him to continue. “Geez, Cas, how many times are you going to fuck with my—I get it, dude, you don’t feel the same! I am doing my damn best here to be fucking normal about this, and then here you come bringing that old relic back as if—Did I fuck up somehow? Am I not giving you enough space?”

“I have enough space, Dean.” Cas tried to understand Dean’s words, process them, but they all felt just as jumbled in his mind as they did, leaving Dean’s mouth. “I—I’m sorry, I just don’t understand.”

“Shocker.”

“Did I understand the message wrong?” Cas ignored him as he asked, turning his head towards the shattering remains of his gift.

He felt his shoulders fall as a pang of sadness hit him from seeing his first gift broken. Cas walked towards it, hoping he would find the tape safely stored away inside the deck of the Walkman. He crouched to pick up the big chunk of plastic in his hand. It was smashed beyond repair, and the eject button was not working. Great, he’s going to have to break it more.

“ASAP,” Dean mumbled to himself, and Cas hummed in response, twisting the part in his hand.

“Yes. That’s what you said, so I did.”

“I told you to talk to me ASAP years ago, Cas.” Cas didn’t have to look up to know Dean was walking closer to him. “Did you just listen to the message?”

“I did.” Cas’s shoulders slumped in guilt. Dean has been waiting for a response all this time. “Sorry.”

“So when you were—when you tried to return the tape, that wasn’t a, um, a rejection?”

Cas looked up at him before he stood up, the broken Walkman in his hand. “I have loved you then like I love you now, Dean. I would never. Is that what you think happened?”

“Yes!” Dean took a step forward as he ran his hand through his hair, his eyes traveling down to the broken shards. “Shit. So wait, when you said you loved me, before the empty…did you mean,” Dean cleared his throat as he walked closer, nervously scratching his beard when he realized he didn’t have any pockets to hide his hands in. “Did you mean romantically? Like, like human romance?”

“I,” Cas felt his throat dry up as he tried to swallow a lump as he nodded earnestly. “I did. Yes.”

Dean looked at him, looking for something, and before Cas could ask what it was, Dean had his hands on either side of Cas’s face—pulling him in close until they were chest to chest. Then lips to lips.

Cas didn’t even realize he dropped the machine until he realized he had his hands on Dean’s skin. Feeling his body lift off the floor until he was being dropped on the bed, and Cas was watching something he never thought he would have or hear.

“I love you, Cas. I love you so much.”

Happiness isn’t always in the having, but fuck, this was so much better by a long shot.

[electradelight]

tia - chapter 7

hello. let me know what u think :)

Tom checked his rearview mirror and backed his Audi rental out onto the street.

“Wait, can you tell me now that we’re finally leaving?” Zendaya asked once again. Her excitement was adorable.

“I am going to tell you now, but only because I don’t want you to be disappointed when you see where we’re going.” Tom finally answered.

Z was intrigued. “Okaaaaay go on,” she said. Tom hoped she wouldn’t deflate after his next sentence.

“We’re going to Pinewood.” He revealed, in a sing-song voice.

“You’re taking me to work for our date? Interesting.” There’s no way that’s it, she thought.

—

And she was right. When they finally arrived, Tom popped the trunk and swung a picnic basket onto his arm.

“Oooh we’re having a secret picnic?” Z asked excitedly.

“It’ll be nice, right?” Tom smoothly took Z’s hand in his, and led the way. Zendaya noticed his palms were a little sweaty but she didn’t mind… she loved knowing that she could make him nervous too for a change.

“Harry helped me with the blankets and little cushion seats getting set-up. He actually got lost and set up at the wrong place first and security was called–” Tom couldn’t help but burst into laughter; Zendaya quickly joined him.

“Which is why I spent an hour trying to stall you…” he finished.

They had arrived at the little spot in the garden meant for them. There were several blankets layered over one another, two floor cushions, candles, wine glasses, and a small wooden table in the center.

“Wow, you guys did good. Kudos to the Hollands,” she praised.

Tom was grinning ear to ear.

“After you,” Tom bowed and gestured down at her cushion, a la Vana White.

Z, giggling now, took his outstretched hand and lowered herself down onto criss-cross applesauce position. “Why thank you! So, did the food survive?”

“Moment of truth,” Tom opened the basket and took out a small speaker, a bottle of rosé, and finally, two sandwiches wrapped in wax paper. “I’m joking, yes the food did survive because they’re banh mis from…”

“--Ahns Kitchen?! Yes!” Zendaya exclaimed, “I’ve been craving Thai food.”

— — —

Tom and Zendaya clinked their glasses together, as Tom toasted, “to beautiful sunsets. And special second chances. And I guess alliteration?” he chuckled.

“Cheers, I'll drink to that, bro,” Zendaya smiled and drank her wine. She used humor inappropriately sometimes and quickly realized this was one of those moments where she maybe shouldn’t quote an Eric Andre meme. “But no, sorry, I agree. I think we just need to make a plan for how we’re gonna handle our relationship with all the attention… and then work on our communication from there,” she finished. Z scrunched her eyebrow in concentration or stress–probably both.

“I promise you we’ll have a plan for all that, love. But do you think we could just enjoy ourselves and forget everyone else for right now?” Tom immediately regretted saying that; once it was out there it sounded like he was dismissing her worries or not fully listening–two complaints she had given him before their break up.

“Okay you’re right, sorry,” she said with a small smile.

“No I’m sorry, forget I said that second part. I know it’s important I’m just nervous I’ll say the wrong thing, but since that’s out of the way…” Tom’s self-deprecation was hitting overtime right now.

“No it’s okay. I want you to know that I’m trying too.

I know I also need to make compromises. And stressing about stuff way in advance is not doing me any good anyway. So thank you for reminding me to have fun and enjoy the present. But alsoooo if you really are okay with it, I think it would just help me get over this… like, I guess a hurdle? that I haven’t crossed… with us trying again.”

“I’d love–more than anything–to help bring you to the other side of the hurdle,” Tom tripped over his words and then laughed “Oh my god, I was trying to be suave but I just mean to say I’m waiting on the other side. Of the hurdle you mentioned. Earlier? Geez this word vomit is painful, you sure you still like me?” Tom joked.

Zendaya could only gaze lovingly when she said, “I’m pretty sure, you dork.”

[chilly-me-softly]

Are u going to do a part 3 to the chilly fic its so good <3

Part 1 - Part 2

"I did something stupid" you announce as soon as Mason opens the door to his house, walking in and heading for the living room as if you were at your house.

"You? When have you ever done that in your life" the boy rolls his eyes sarcastically as you glare at him. "This is no time for jokes Mason"

"Okay come here" he claps a hand on the couch after sitting down, inviting you to sit next to him so you don't go back and forth, "What happened"

"Do you promise not to judge?"

"Hmm no but I'm listening" he retorts immediately and a groan escapes your lips as you lower your head and start to doubt at that very moment that that is the right thing to do. But if you don't tell someone, if you don't open up to him, you're gonna go crazy. So you take a deep breath and do your best not to look at him.

"Do you remember how Ben helped me that day? Well I wanted to thank him so I brought him a cake"

"Okay" Mason states looking suddenly curious as to where this is going.

"I just- I used a big plate hoping he might bring it back. But he didn't! Ugh why am I so stupid" it takes him a few seconds to realize the meaning of your words, his body straightening up at the revelation while yours almost wants to get swallowed up by the couch in embarrassment.

"You like Ben? Since when?" but still, his tone isn't judgmental, if anything curious and shocked.

"Mase"

"What? You guys are always fighti- oh"

"What oh" you look at your friend lost as he seems to be lost somewhere in his memory before returning to look at you turning slightly towards you.

"Of course! How the fuck did I miss that" he murmurs, "you acted the same way with Tim Reese when we were sixteen"

"Okay first how do you still remember Tim and second what are you talking about?!" you ask somewhat shocked as he smiles mischievously ready to strike. Oh you knew it wasn't a good idea.

"You were always nervous when it came to him and then when he got close to you you became this impassable fortress of coldness and sarcasm. The poor guy had to sweat to even get a kiss"

"That's not true" you try to defend yourself in vain.

"I might be a little offended you know, you didn't even have a little crush on me"

"Please, you're like my brother ew" you wince as he laughs shaking his head.

"So that's how it is today, it all ends over a plate?"

"It was an excuse Mase" you roll your eyes, "if he wanted to see me again he'd know how to hook me up" in short you had even sent each other a few messages, just to test the waters not knowing how far you could go at the time. But your relationship had never been just about the two of you and there was always that fear of ruining that little step forward lurking.

"Maybe who knows, he needs some kind of push too. Ben isn't the cocky guy he wants to appear after all"

"You know something I don't Mase" you look at him inspectively, him raising an eyebrow. "I won't say anything about him if I can't do otherwise"

"No mh-mh forget it" you shake your head firmly, Mason could talk to you about Ben all he wanted no one would know and you still knew how to handle a rejection by acting like nothing happened. But Ben knowing about your feelings and not returning them... no thanks, you didn't need any more embarrassment in your life to deal with.

"Well then you'll never know what he thinks of you"

"What's he even supposed to think, that I'm a crazy person who always has a say in everything and out of pity helped when I was sick" you shrug as he smiles knowingly, he's never going to tell you how worried his friend seemed in the days following your illness or how he was trying to find out something under the radar. Not if he can't tell him that he might find the door open if he wants to join your world. But as sure as hell he would have done something.

-

You correct yourself. That's the moment you know it wasn't a good idea to tell Mase.

He had asked you a couple of times if you were going to watch the game that saturday, he always did that when there were tough games because he said you were his good luck charm even though it wasn't true and most of the time they won or lost regardless of your presence. However, you had already cleared your whole schedule for that day and so he had extended the invitation to a drink after the game.

Nobody had lost, nobody had won. There was regret for a few wasted chances, but nothing that couldn't spur them on to do better the next game. You'd driven to the stadium in your car, not wanting to wait for Mason after the last time he'd made you wait over an hour outside, having him tell you where he wanted to go after the game and waiting for him there.

The place isn't that crowded and you can occupy a table further away, ordering something while you wait and taking the book out of your bag while resuming your reading.

"Hi" a voice makes you shift your gaze from those pages and you're bewildered to see Ben take a seat in front of you.

"Hi Ben"

"Mase said he'd meet us in a bit, he had something to do" the boy shrugs, "but I'm certainly not going to wait for him to order"

"Go ahead, I've already helped myself" you place the bookmark on the page you are on then put it in your bag and before you can let your eyes rest on Ben again, your phone alerts you to the arrival of a new message.

As soon as you see that it's Mason you get a bad feeling, and as soon as you open your conversation you see that he has sent you a picture of a diner where he is with some of the other guys. And it's definitely not the one you and his teammate are in.

"Son of a bitch"

"What?" Ben's voice makes you raise your head in alarm, suddenly you feel nervous and you want to strangle your friend and you want to bury yourself because what are you gonna do now. All while he looks at you expectantly.

"Um eh I- that wasn't meant for you" you murmur pathetically sighing and handing him your phone, "Mason's not coming"

"I don't understand" Ben looks at that picture with furrowed brows, but you can't read his expression.

"Look I'm sorry he set you up for this really. Um we can go and pretend like nothing happened" you stammer trying to pick up your bag and jacket deliberately trying not to look him in the eye and you try to get up but he stops you.

"Woah hey wait, wait. I'm not letting you go anywhere so upset" he is quick to grab the chair and move closer to you, if he wanted to calm you down he certainly isn't succeeding like this.

"Easy now, just try to explain what's going on please"

"Ben really it's not- it's just Mason okay? I just need to beat him up and then I'll be better" a soft laugh escapes his lips and you find yourself huffing but giggling at the same time.

"Nothing wrong with that. Just answer one of my questions first?" you nod losing focus for a moment as one of his thumbs starts stroking the back of your hand.

"He tried to set us up"

"Is that a question?" you ask struggling to swallow, your voice coming out weak and shaky. What's going on?

He shakes his head slightly, "Do you like me? That's my question" and if before it was difficult to find air now it seems like everything has closed for good. There you go, is that how you're going to die? In front of Ben of all people, and still before you can get revenge on Mason for that low blow?

"Cause Mason probably knows I fancy you-"

"You what?" you croak.

"-but he wouldn't have done that if he didn't know something else" his cheeks are slightly red, so he's feeling all that sudden heat too then!

"Ben I..."

"It's okay, it's okay. Look we're in the same boat here, if anything I'm a lot more exposed than you are at the moment because I've revealed to you how I feel and you haven't really let me know that I haven't really fucked up"

"No!" instinctively you lean forward and you don't know why you actually did it, but the sound of your foreheads colliding together resonates loudly. "Ouch I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Oh my god are you okay?" geez you feel so stupid, embarrassed like a teenager struggling with her first crush and as clumsy as you've ever been... or don't like to remember.

"I've taken worse balls" he tries to lighten the situation but your now worried look doesn't seem to want to give way to anything else as you gently test his forehead.

"What do you say we get out of here? Maybe somewhere less crowded?"

"Yes please" you find yourself nodding and after paying quickly exit the building, Ben firmly takes your hand guiding you to the opposite side of your cars.

Neither of you speak on the way, you're lost in your head trying to calm yourself down to get your thoughts in order and not embarrass yourself further. He glances at you from time to time, what he is thinking you cannot know.

You arrive at the park and after a few more minutes of walking you sit down in a fairly secluded area except for a few people walking quietly on the stone path not far from you.

"You were pretty worked up in there" Ben breaks the silence.

"Being taken by surprise throws me off. Probably if I had known you were coming I would have been prepared, and imagined all the possible situations I might find myself in"

"Do you do this often? I mean do you never live in the moment?"

"Obviously I can't predict everything that's going to happen to me in a day, but the important things I like to know in advance so I can leave the anxiety at home and not risk headbutting people" a laugh breaks free in the air and when you look at him you feel lighter, nothing like the you of moments before.

"And to answer your question, yes I like you Ben. That day you helped me I think it helped me realise that"

"Funny, I realized it that day too"

"Sorry I must have looked like a weirdo" the awkwardness comes back overpowering again as he shakes his head moving closer to you some more.

"You were cute. Different from how you show yourself to others" you smile slightly dipping your teeth in your lower lip. "Now, do you still want to beat up Mase?"

"You betcha" you reply promptly causing him to laugh, "but not right now"

[dreamii-yume]

Uwaaaaaa can I request some sweet crumbs of Idia and his s/o sharing a few kisses and being a cute wholesome family with Ortho?? <3

“Whoa! Nii-san!”

You flinched as you heard the little robot’s voice from outside the room, followed by something crashing. You slowly peaked through the crack in the door, making sure to stay as quiet as possible. There, you saw the Shroud brothers with the older one on the ground, seemingly had toppled over a table, blindfolded. Ortho, the younger one hovers above him, face-palming at what predicament his brother got in.

“I told you to calm down and go left, right? Why did you suddenly go right, Nii-san?” Ortho said with an exasperated sigh. “Come on, stand up, Nii-san! We’re almost there!”

Idia, having no vision at the moment, desperately clung onto the wall, his legs were shaking as different kinds of emotions swirls in his mind. “Your left is my right though!? Don’t give me directions when you’re up front!” Idia complained, his hands trying to find anything he can grasp onto. “S-Seriously...Where are we going, Ortho? We’re still in our dorm, r-right...? Your Nii-chan’s getting a little scared here, you know...?”

“Uh-huh! So, just be patient and follow my instructions, alright, Nii-san~? Properly this time!” Ortho strictly said, floating ahead with Idia on his own left to maneuver his way towards him, being blindfolded and all.

“...E-Even if you tell me that...Geez...” Idia mumbled under his breath as he began to follow his litte brother’s voice once again, trying his best to not anger the little one.

Ortho spotted you peeking through the door and gave you a close-eyed smile, putting his index finger in front of his mask. You covered your mouth to prevent a giggle, but you thought that little scene between them as brothers were really adorable. You gave him a thumbs-up before entering back in the room, making sure to close the door as quietly as possible.

It didn’t take too long for the doorknob to sound their arrival, aside from the few crashings of items outside and bickering of the Shroud Brothers. You quickly moved into position and grab the plate of cake that was assigned to you, slowly tip-toeing over to the side so that you wouldn’t be a burden to the main boy of the day. The door opened without much further interruption, revealing Idia still with the blindfold on and Ortho guiding him by the shoulders from behind.

“O-Ortho...? Where are we- No, wait, this place feels familiar, are we in my room? Ortho, what did you-“ Idia was about to continue his rant, but shrieked in response when Ortho soon giggled and snapped his fingers.

With that, his blindfold automatically detached from his head, and as soon as he opened his eyes, the whole room lighted up. A bunch of automatic party poppers bursts loudly in every corner of the room, confetti flying everywhere with his favorite idol music echoing loudly in the speakers. Idia could only watch with widened eyes as he looked around everywhere, it was his room but it was barely recognizable with all these physical and holographic decorations running around. “Surprise!” Suddenly two voices instead of one rang through the room, making Idia turn around and instantly heating up as other than Ortho, he saw you, holding a whole plate of cake.

“Surprise, Idia-kun!” You greeted with a gentle smile, walking towards him with the cake. It was clearly a hand-made birthday cake, a joint effort between you and Ortho as it was decorated by things that Idia loves. Something that should only be known to those who knew him in a personal level.

“(Y-Y-Y-Y/N)-shi...!?” Idia backed away as his face almost exploded from the amount of blood rushing to his face to see his crush, out of all people, greeting him on his special day. Expecting this kind of reaction, you and Ortho looked at each other and nodded in agreement before taking a deep breath.

“♪ Happy birthday to you~♪ Happy birthday to you~♪” You both sang in synch as Ortho lighted up the the candles on the cake you were holding. “♪ Happy birthday, dear Idia/Nii-san~♪”

You looked up at him, gesturing the birthday cake in front with a wide smile as Ortho supporting you from behind. “♪ Happy Birthday to you~♪” You both finished with a playful giggle, like little children surprising their teachers on teacher’s day. “Please make a wish for your birthday and blow out your candles, Idia-kun!”

“...W-What...?” Idia exclaimed, still confused on what’s happening and turned to Ortho in panic. Though, he couldn’t deny that the sound of your voice singing him a birthday song was soothing as hell. But that’s not the proper time for that! “Ortho...! D-Did you upgrade yourself or something...? Why...Why is (Y/N)-shi here and...and offering me a cake...I-I don’t think...I-Is this real...!?”

“Geez~! Me and (Y/N) (L/N)-san went all through these trouble just to prepare a simplistic birthday party that you’ll enjoy and that’s the reaction you give~!?” Ortho scolded his brother while you sweatdropped in the background, preparing to calm the little boy. You can’t see his mouth moving but you knew for sure that he was puffing his cheeks, his eyes says it all after all. “Nii-san, you’re so insensitive! You’re not gonna go anywhere in life if you’re always like this!”

“A-Ah, s-sorry...?” Idia apologized at the upset little robot, but then realizing that his brother just actually confirmed his questions. He turned to you and certainly, you don’t look like a holograph, no matter how realistic one could be at this time and age. You’re here, in flesh and blood, smiling up at him as if you were intending to make his heart stop from your presence alone, which it actually did the first time. “...(Y-Y/N)-shi is...A-Actually h-here...?”

You sweatdropped at his frozen self before taking a step closer to let him see the candles that he has yet left to blow out. “Yup, I’m here. Now, make a wish for your birthday, Idia-kun! The candles will run out soon if you don’t~” You reminded him. “It’ll be waste if that happens.”

Idia was at the point of hyperventilating now, whatever Ortho did to get you involve in this surprise birthday plan, it was certainly bad for his heart...In an ironically good way. He couldn’t formulate the proper words, let alone think of a wish to give to these candles, he can’t even bring himself to calm down. He looked around, trying to avert his eyesight, but doing so only prompted Ortho to cross his arms, giving him a disapproving look whilst shaking his head. He flinched, this school has definitely rubbed its dirt on his brother for him to be so strict, where was his cute little angel brother that follows his every call!? Regardless, he really can’t blame him for this, he’s happy that you’re here but at the same time, it’s just puts him in a tight spot...Which he absolutely hates.

“Well?” You called to make sure Idia was still in there and not brain dead like Ortho warned you about.

Idia looked up at you, and to Ortho, before looking down, he fiddled with the tip of his hair timidly. His face was flushing in embarrassment, you find kinda cute actually. “...None.” He said in a small voice, but enough for you and Ortho to hear, earning a shocking response from the two of you. “I have none...At least, not anymore...”

You and Ortho looked at each other, wondering what the older Shroud means. “I-I got the game I wanted recently, I already went to a virtual concert of my favorite idol, and my wish for that childhood game that me and Ortho loved was granted as well...And, um...” He explained, looking away, becoming more and more shy by the minute. “...One scenario I wished for this day is just...impossible so...”

“...And that is...?” You tilted your head to the side, curious to hear what the Idia Shroud hasn’t attained yet. However, Ortho beside you only blinked as everything automatically clicked in his own mechanical head. He widened his eyes in realization and even gasp slightly, observing how his brother looked at you.

Oh, that’s right...His brother always wanted you to...

“...ce me...” You raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to hear what he actually said. It was barely a whisper, there was no way a normal human being like you could’ve heard that.

“Excuse me?”

Idia’s face got hotter, he whimpered at the intensity of the pressure and soon resorted into covering his face in embarrassment. Upon seeing his defensive position, you quickly backed away from him, realizing how rude you’re sounding like. “O-Oh, sorry! It’s fine! If you’re uncomfortable with saying it then, you don’t have to force yourself to.”

You reassured him as you remembered how scared and nervous Idia can be when it comes to social interactions. Instead, you went back into smiling as you kept your distance, holding the cake properly once again. Idia peeked between his fingers though, grateful that you stepped back but still felt somehow unsatisfied and disappointed with himself. “I’m sorry, wishes are not supposed to be said out loud, right? My bad~! Just feel free to blow out the candles in your own will~!”

Ortho flinched and quickly looked at Idia, signalling all his support to his timid brother, encouraging him to say what he wanted to say to you before its too late. Idia, felt that desperation, they were brothers after all and he just can’t left it hanging. “U-Um...” You turned back to him to properly hear what he has to say this time. Idia started breathing heavily, but you knew that he was probably trying to calm himself down.

Seeing how relaxed you are, not even weirded out the slightest of his actions, Idia could actually feel himself calm down. He was glad that you were quite the patient person, being able to tolerate him even if he’s like this. You knew that he was having a hard time so, you’re not saying anything, keeping yourself quiet to give him time. It’s almost like you understand his struggles, and that’s...He just loves that about you.

So with a deep breath he- “iwantedyoutonoticeme!” confessed in a single breath, which just lead to Ortho slapping his own forehead and you trying to process and break down what he just said. Upon realizing his mistake, he quickly looked up at you with his arms waving frantically, trying to explain his situation with the sound of his heart racing against his chest. “I-I mean! I love- NO. That’s not...! What I meant was, um-! I-I...Oh, God...!”

“I-I wanted you to notice me!” Idia covered his face as a last resort, so that he wouldn’t see your face during in his lowest. Seriously, someone just kill him now right where he stands, Ortho, please forgive your older brother. “Y-You’ll probably think I-I’m a c-creepy otaku but I like you! You don’t have to accept me but I always...I-I always wanted you to see me...”

Oh, god...This is the worst. He can actually feel tears slowly buidling up in his eyes. As embarrassing and scary this is though, he couldn’t stop his mouth from saying what he’s really feeling. He’s scared but he’s also desperate. “N-Not as the guy behind the tablet...O-Or the dorm leader of Ignihyde...” He said and finally gathered up the courage to look at you in the eyes. “But f-for who I am! I at least wanted you to notice me for that!”

“That! Is my wish!” Idia blurted out and blew on the candles rather aggressively that you were taken back with Ortho silently cheering in the background.

The guy kept his eyes shut as tears were prickling in his eyes, afraid to open them and see a look of disgust in your face. Well...He predicted it before and prepared for it but now that he’s in that current scenario, he realized just how scared he really is to face it. Meanwhile, you blinked repeatedly at his confession as you had never seen such a timid guy like him create an outburst as drastic as that. Your lips slowly formed into a calm smile and soon scooped up a decent amount of icing in the cake. “Idia-kun.” You called out, encouraging him to open his eyes, but smudged the icing on his lips before he could even have the chance to do so.

“Mmgh-!?” Before he could even fully open his eyes, he soon froze in his spot as he felt your lips on his, kissing him and licking some icing off. Ortho gasped and let out a sound similar to that of a squeal as he happily floats above ground.

Looking down at you, Idia was left without any functioning words to say but you just laughed back at him. You licked the remaining icing on your lips and wiped some from his own before looking up at him. “Granted.” You said with a wink. “You’re wish is granted, Idia-kun ♡”

He swears to God, Idia is in the verge of passing out, this was just too much! What the hell did you just say!? Y-You ki...kissed...! However, before Idia could fully deliver his explosion of different emotions, a sound of a camera shutter and flash engulfed the two of you and quickly turned to the mischievous robot boy in the other side of the room. “So cute~! Isn’t this great, Nii-san~!? You finally said your true feelings to (Y/N) (L/N)-san! Although you were all over the place with your confession!” He said, mildly roasting his older brother but still waved the camera with the picture he took in front of him. “But still, she accepted it! Congratulations, Nii-san! I should save this to my memory file just in case!”

“O-Ortho, you...!” Idia flushed red, while you couldn’t help yourself but laugh at the two bickering brothers, it’s really so adorable. You watched as Idia attempts to stop his little brother from possibly leaking the picture to everyone they know with sheer amusement in your eyes. Though, you let out a sigh of relief, cheeks slowly reddening in color as you finally come into terms with your situation. You were glad that you have confidence in your acting skills to be able to hide your feelings to a minimum when your heart was beating just as fast as Idia’s. It would’ve been a disaster if the both of you were to stumble over your words like that, yikes.

You watched at the scene in front of you with your eyes shining in relief and satisfaction. It ended up a happy ending after all, you honestly think Ortho’s the real winner here, pulling out such a massive match-making move. Letting out a breath, you walked towards Idia and clunged onto him with your usual smile, although your blush didn’t seem to disappear. “Wah...(Y-Y/N)-shi...” He stuttered, his body tensing up but his cheeks flared up, debating whether he should hug you or not. While he does that, you turned to Ortho and created a space in between you and Idia.

“Why don’t we all take a picture together instead?” You suggested, gesturing for Ortho to come fill up the space you made. “Come here, Ortho! I’m sure you’re the happiest one in here, even far more than the two of us combined, right?”

Ortho widened his eyes before nodding enthusiastically. “Of course!” He said as he flew right over the two of you and squeeze himself in between. A holographic camera came blasting out of his chest, ready to take a picture. “A picture to remember Nii-san’s special day and together with my new Nee-san~! Of course I’m the most happiest here!”

You and Idia looked at each other and couldn’t help but chuckle at the excited little robot. You leaned onto each other to fit the camera template, holding up a peace sign all the while.

“Cheese~!”

How does one translate Idia’s use of “-shi” as honorofics, huh. His otaku language is beyond me puhihi~

Aahh, I want to write another one~ You darlings such interesting hornii in my inbox that I just want to- ughh I want to write more but I need sleep...( ；∀；)

Should I write another one~? Aah, but I don’t think I have enough time~ (＞人＜;) I also might pass out lol I’ll still try though! If Decemember 18 comes to pass and I end up not posting anything then it probably means that I succumbed to the bed lol

Anyways, thank you for attending yet another Birthday Crumbs Celebration~! (*≧∀≦*)

[sasa-gay-yo]

Just Us (Chapter Eighteen: Silver)

←Chapter Seventeen 

Early 849

“Elias, can you take this order to Mrs. Los? Do you know where that is?” The boy looked up at me from the coffee beans he was grinding and nodded, taking the bag I handed him. 

“Can you also pick up some milk on the way? Try to get the one at the bottom of the icebox, yeah?” 

“Sure thing, Miss. Eva. What time do you want me back?” I looked up at the clock on the wall, noting that it was almost closing time. By the time he’d be back, I would be cleaning up already. 

“Actually, the milk can wait. Bring it when you come to work tomorrow morning. After you drop off the box to Mrs. Los you can go home.” His face lit up, knowing that I wouldn’t keep him to clean the floors today. With that, he took the money out of my hand and turned to wave with his left hand, just like Jonas, and walk out of the door. I rested my elbows on the front counter, looking around at the few people left in the café. I didn’t feel like cleaning, so I just finished grinding the coffee beans Elias left, waiting for the two tables to leave. 

Elias had started helping me at the café every day since he turned thirteen, the legal age of work, since his father had given up a career in hopes of revitalizing society through the Order of the Walls. Now being older, Elias was getting fed up with the way his parents started treating June and him, saying it was better to starve than forcibly take food from what the Walls supplied. At one point, the boy had stayed at my house the whole week, not wanting to go back home to face the men his father brought over who tried relentlessly to convert him. June was able to shield herself from this by always staying late in the bookshop taking on restoration projects that made her work for hours on end. She would always come into the café tired, needing a cup of coffee, but saying how it was worth it since she didn’t have to go home. At some point, Jonas, Ben, and I had talked about what we might do to help them. They could only stay over at our houses for so long until their parents would get too strict. This meeting we had was prompted by their father wanting to marry off June to someone’s son next summer. If he married her, especially to someone in the strict Order, she would have to quit her job and would not be able to take over the bookstore for herself. She cried to me that night too, Levi sitting in the corner watching her, only to let her sleep with me while he took the couch. When I told Levi about their situation, he could only get angry for their plight but could give no solution. No one knew what the solution was. All I could do was try my best and shield them from home life. However, I did plan to argue for June if her father pushed marriage next summer. 

Speaking of Levi, he was supposed to come over tonight and stay. They had just returned from a rather interesting expedition, and he sent a letter saying that Hange was keeping him locked down for her experiments before he could come. The day after tomorrow, he had to return to, again, plan the next expedition around Hange’s "master plan". The only detail I was allowed to know was the fact that it had to do with capturing a titan. I would have to ask him about that crazy want and how they were going to get a titan through Trost and back to HQ. Hopefully, he brought some of Erwin’s orders too. While most of the Scouts didn’t know about my existence, to keep business going, they ordered from me regularly. Whether it be basic supplies or bread, it came through me first, and then it went to Reeve’s if I couldn’t fulfill. Erwin and Levi were also trying to convince me that with the worsening of the famine, I should just come and work as a cook or stock worker for the Scouts, but I refused. If I left, Elias wouldn’t have money to support his family.

“Have a goodnight, now, Eva!” I waved to the customer who finally left, leaving their stray newspaper on the table, and decided that even if there were ten minutes left before official close, I would start now. As I turned around to get a broom, the knob of the locked door turned and then turned again before opening. Only two people had a key. With a smile on my face and one hand on my hip, I turned to face him. 

“This could be breaking and entering. I’m clo…” Turning to the door, hoping to see Levi, I saw four people standing outside the door looking in. They were all wearing Scout uniforms, and I thought at first Erwin could have sent them to pick up the order, but my raven-headed boy pushed through them, grabbing the key from the older-looking man’s hands. The others seemed like they were lost, not knowing what they were doing here in the first place. Their eyes were heavy too like they had no idea why I was here either. Why had their captain taken them here? I also had the same question.

“I brought them here at this time on purpose. Do you have enough tea?” Levi seemed to be the only one calm as he stepped into the café, walking to a round table in the center that would hold all of us. So he had brought them here… but who were they? It’s not like I knew any Scouts by name, and none of them seemed to be officers. We just stared at each other and Levi clicked his tongue, leaning back in a chair in his usual fashion. 

“U-uh, um, come in. Please.” I put the broom down, gesturing with both hands to have them sit down, and they all waited to see if Levi was going to protest before they stepped in. With the amount of Scouts gathering after hours, I made sure to lock the door and pull all the front shades down so no one from Mitras could think wrong of the situation. Well, I didn’t know what this situation even was, so they could be entirely accurate. Either way, seeing the normal, annoyed look on Levi’s face as he told the four to calm down made me a bit more at ease, walking to the counter to make six cups of tea. 

“Eva?” I looked up at Levi’s call and he had a finger pointing at the red-haired woman next to him, “Petra said she would prefer water, but she was too afraid to ask you herself.” The woman’s face flushed bright red to match her hair, and she held both of her hands up. 

“I-I… I’m not afraid! No! I just didn’t… didn’t want to bother you!” I gave her a soft smile and nodded before turning to get her some ice. They still were silent and I could feel Levi’s annoyance grow when looking over all of them. They had their hands in their laps or eyes looking anywhere but Levi and I. Petra. Petra. Where had I heard that name before? Levi and Hange both mentioned her. What were the other’s names? Maybe if I knew theirs’ it would spark a memory. 

“Does anyone want honey?” I asked, hoping you could get information out of them that way, but they were still all too nervous to answer. None of them could look me in my eyes either and I realized that Levi had probably told them some scary rules before coming here. I sighed. 

“I’ll just bring the whole bottle, yes?” I poured the correct amount of honey into Levi’s cup and put them on two trays, walking over. Levi had an empty chair next to him, one hand already resting over the top, and he pointed down indicating that’s where I was going to sit. When I passed out the cups of tea, they mumbled thank you under their breaths, still not looking up at me. It was almost comical now how afraid they seemed to be of Levi’s wrath if they did something wrong. I was now entirely too curious to see what he'd said and I was going to tease him for it to at least lighten up the mood. 

“Geez, Levi. Did you tell them I bite or something? Don’t worry, I’m not as scary as he is.” This didn’t help to lighten the mood at all, and they looked even more nervous now that I’d just insulted their Capitan right in front of his face. I’d have to remind Levi once again to stop being so mean to the cadets. Every time I would come to HQ, I would watch him outside Erwin or Hange’s window and frown at the punishments he so easily dished out. One time, I even caught his eye and shook my head, causing him to glare and make a cadet get up from doing the hundred push-ups he’s punished them with. 

Levi cleared his throat before sitting forward to address them.

“This is my Special Operations Squad,” He went around the table, “Petra Ral, Oluo Bozado, Eld Jinn, and Gunther Schultz.” They all bowed in their chairs, none of them daring to touch their cup of tea before Levi did. Were they being cautious of him or cautious of the drink I’d given them? Also, did they know who I was? My memory had sparked, remembering Levi talked about Eld, making him a second in command for this new squad. They’d formed a few months previous if what Hange told me was correct. Levi had told me the final lineup so I could confirm that he made the correct choices, even though I knew nothing about titan killing. He’d do that a lot more, asking me my opinion on a Scout matter, just so I could confirm his thinking was correct. One time I disagreed with him and he pouted all day. 

“I’ve heard of all you. The amount of titans you’ve all killed is very impressive.” Again, a chorus of nervous thank-yous came and Levi glared at their apprehensiveness. 

“This is my wife, Evlynn. She owns this café.” I had to swallow hard at whatever emotion came up in my throat as he introduced me as his wife. There had to be some form of reasoning for this, but it made my heart jump again. It had been almost two years since he’d made the promise to marry me someday, and he had yet to act on it. A girl couldn’t be that patient. I could see their eyes almost bug out of their heads as he introduced me as his wife too. So, they didn’t know who I was. Their faces all showed an intense form of disbelief at his words. They could tell just by us sitting next to each other the difference in personality. I was upright and smiling at all of them, making fun of their Captain, and Levi was glaring down at them, his voice being nonchalant about this situation. He almost sounded bored and annoyed he had to introduce me in the first place. 

“Y-You’re married?” The older man let out, making Levi roll his eyes. 

“Not yet. Soon. Why are you all so surprised? Wipe those looks off your faces.” This made me snicker, putting a hand over my mouth as not to ruin the “Captain” hold he had over them. Suddenly, this meeting was going to turn into a fun one on my accord. 

“Don’t be so mean to them, Lev!" You hit him in the shoulder, "They’re going to let you die on the field if you act like this. Please, introduce yourselves to me! One by one!” Again, they seemed disturbed by Levi and I’s juxtaposition, and even Levi turned his head, trying not to glare at me. It was obvious to him what I was doing.

“Eld Jinn. Second-in-command. Wall Rose. Ma’am.” The others gave Eld a weary look at his short introduction, finally looking into my eyes, but when Levi didn’t say anything, they continued. 

“I’m Gunther Schultz, Ma’am. My birthday is July 30th and I am from a small village inside Wall Rose.” This felt weird to me now. They were talking to me with the same prestige as they give Levi, which makes sense, but it was uncomfortable to me. I was probably the same age as all of them and I’m not in the Survey Corps. 

“You can all just call me Eva. I’m not a soldier, I’m a café owner.” Again, all of their gazes went to Levi to see if he would give them this permission. I frowned and glared at Levi. If he wasn’t such a harsh leader, then they wouldn’t be scared of me. I should be happy he’s letting more people know about me, but now it was just making me more annoyed at his treatment of people. 

“In this café, I rank above Captain here. Call me Eva. Oluo,” I pointed to him and he looked at me now, giving the same look Levi’s face would express, “Introduce yourself.” I felt Levi shift next to me, but it was just to reach over and drink his tea. 

“Uh… I’m Oluo Bozado. Like Captain Levi said.” I frowned again, crossing my arms. All their introductions were the same. 

“Any fun fact? How many titans have you killed?” I could see a smirk flit across his face. Ah, now I’ve hit the jackpot. 

“I’ve killed almost thirty titans on my own. Six within my team here.” I turned to Levi, and he side-eyed me. 

“Is that a lot?” I whispered, putting my hand to block my mouth, knowing for a fact that everyone could hear me. Levi smirked into his tea, hiding it with the cup, before going back to his normal face. He shrugged. 

“I have at least double.” The other three had to hide their laughs as Oluo’s jaw clenched. He so badly wanted to yell at Levi, but he knew that if he did, he’d be punished somehow when they got back to HQ. I may rank higher than Levi here, but as soon as they walk out the door, they’re at his mercy.  I just raised my thumb at him. 

“Well, work hard.” I knew my smile cut into his ego, and he sat back in his chair, moping. I turned to Petra, remembering her last name as some family who lived in Trost. I pointed at her and she almost jumped out of her chair. 

“You’re from Trost.” She quickly stood up and bowed, the chair almost sliding back to hit the table behind us. 

“Hello, Eva! Ma’am! I’m Petra Ral! My family is from Trost District! I’m a team player and am devoted to our Captain!” It was the others' turn to laugh at her, but this time they didn’t hide their snickers. She sat down slowly and Levi and I exchanged a glance. His glance basically said ‘She’s usually not like this'. I smiled again and just nodded. 

“I’m glad you’re devoted to such a meanie.” Levi gripped my thigh, which he placed his hand on under the table to try and control my language, but it didn’t work. 

“I can introduce myself then. I’m Evlynn Flynn, but you can call me Eva. I was adopted from the Underground when I was twelve, but I didn’t know Levi back then. My caretaker owned this café before he died, and then he transferred it to me. Levi and I met almost… Oh, has it been almost 5 years already? We met right after he got promoted to Captain.” I saw the way they squirmed under Levi’s gaze. They had questions they wanted to ask, but they couldn’t while he was there. I’d have to fix that. 

“Lev, can you go upstairs and get me a jacket? I’m getting cold.” He raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s the middle of sp-” I kicked him under the table and his glare increased, but he knew what I wanted him to do. With a groan and a big motion of his chair, he exited through the storage room door. As soon as the wood door stopped moving forward, Oluo jumped forward in his chair.

“How did you marry him?” It was a harsh whisper, but the difference in personality made me laugh. 

“We aren’t married yet. I still have a few months to decide if I hate him or not.” That didn’t make him laugh and he still gave me a confused look. Confused that I was with Levi in the first place. 

“Is he as mean with you as he is with us?” Petra cut him off. 

“Captain Levi isn’t mean! He just expects a lot from us, Oluo.” He rolled his eyes at her.

“You assisted us in three kills this last expedition and he goes,” Oluo dropped his eyebrow and squinted his eyes imitating Levi, “Petra. You should have gotten your own kills.” I had to give it to him, the impression was spot on and when I laughed, they all looked at me in silence. Perhaps the rest of them thought Oluo should’ve been more careful speaking in front of me, but my laugh scared them. 

“No, no. That sounds like him. I can just talk back to him where you all can’t.”

“I can’t imagine anyone talking back to Captain Levi,” Gunther said and Eld nodded in agreement, taking a sip. He didn’t talk much. That’s probably why Levi chose him for second-in-command. 

“There are so many things I could tell you, but I’m sure Levi wouldn’t appreciate it,” I leaned in to whisper to them and all four of them followed, “like how he likes his back rubbed before he goes to bed.” Just then, the stockroom door slammed open, hitting the wall next to it, and there Levi was with a sweater in hand. By how tight he was gripping it, I knew he’d been standing by the door listening for a few minutes, probably hearing everything Oluo said. Oluo had to know it too by Levi’s very specifically placed glare. 

“Thank you, Lev.” I could feel his annoyance at that too, me calling his nickname in front of his subordinates. This was a fun little game I knew I was going to get punished for later, but it was worth it. Levi cleared his throat to get everyones’ attention. 

“I brought you all here today because there should be no secrets between our group if we are to maximize teamwork. Moreover, like I would try to protect your family members, which I’ve met, you are expected to also protect mine. No one is to know of Eva outside of you four and various other Scouts. If I find out a rumor has leaked, I won’t hesitate to come to you four.” He, again, glared right at Oluo. I guess he's the troublemaker of the group.

“If you need a place to hide, you all can come here. I’ll lock him out.” Another harsh squeeze to my thigh. Another kick to the leg.

“Alright, you four may leave. Report to Hange Squad tomorrow for training.” They all stood up in an instant when Levi’s Captain voice turned on and affirmed him with a quick yes, Captain Levi! Before gathering to exit. While Levi stayed seated, I stood up and ushered them out, only to notice Petra and Oluo staring at the pastries leftover in the glass case. They probably thought they would be getting some and staying longer than this ten-minute conversation we had. Levi just wanted to get them out before I could say anything too embarrassing. 

“Would you like something to take with?” Petra was the first to wave her hands. 

“No, no. It’s fine, I was-” 

“Peach or apple? It might be the last fresh fruit I get.” One last time, she looked to Levi, who had his back turned to them drinking his tea, and then she nodded slowly. 

“Peach.” When I got back over to her, the three remaining pastries in the box, she was fumbling with some money notes and I shoved the box in her hands.

“You don’t have to pay. It’s for visiting.” Her eyes widened again. 

“I can’t take this! I have to-” I pushed the box harder into her hands, asserting that I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. 

“Pay me back by keeping Levi safe.” She stood there and stared at me for a few seconds, her eyes twinkling, before bowing sharply. It made me jump with the force she put into it, bending a full ninety degrees.

“Yes, Ma’am!” Behind me, Levi showed the signs of wanting to laugh. His shoulders tensed up and I heard one distinct cough. The others behind her were halfway there too. I just smiled and grabbed her to stand up, waving them off as they got on their horses. Once I got back inside, Levi had let his laugh go. 

“You’re so mean to them. Did you see how tense they were?” He took another sip and I sat back down, turning my chair so I could face him. 

“I’m not mean, I’m assertive. If I’m their Captain, I have to be strict with them.” I rolled my eyes at him and he mimicked me. 

“How old is Petra? They all seem young except Oluo.” Levi looked up at the ceiling to try and think about their ages and then shrugged. 

“I think Petra is twenty. She came to the Scouts the most recent out of all of them. The rest of them, I think, came a year after I did. I don’t pay attention.”

“They’re your team and you know nothing about them?” He scoffed and put the empty teacup down. I replaced it with my own, knowing I wasn’t going to finish. He promptly picked it back up and took a sip. 

“I know their combat and field abilities inside and out. I don’t need to know their birthdays.” I narrowed my eyes at him and smirked, poking his stomach. He swatted at my hand.

“I bet you know all of their birthdays, you just don’t want to seem soft.” I tried to poke him again but this time he grabbed my hand so I couldn’t.

“You’re one to talk. You didn’t know my birthday until last year. Five years you said?” I gasped, putting a hand over my heart. 

“That’s because you refused to tell me! You didn’t give me a gift until this year!” He huffed and grabbed my hand to pull me up onto his lap. This was a sign that he wanted to talk about something semi-serious. 

“What if I marry you for your birthday gift next year?” My eyes narrowed in doubt. 

“Is this one of the things you say you’re going to do and then end up not doing?” He almost choked on his tea. 

“When have I done that? Do you want to get married or not?!” I put my hand on my chin like I was thinking deeply about this. It made me think of the other’s reactions when they found out that we were in fact planning to marry. Well, he did introduce me as his wife. 

“You have to propose to me correctly.” He lifted his head and groaned before pushing me off of him and starting to get on the floor.

“We’ve had this conversation. Here I-” I held my hand up, looking at him down on one knee like I told him it worked. Frankly, it was a dreamy sight, him in his uniform on bended knee in front of me. However, one thing was missing. Maybe two. 

“Ring?” I held out my palm and he left out one big breath before standing back up. 

“You know, I’ve actually looked into it. Why the fuck do you look surprised? Yes. I did, I looked into buying a ring, and guess what? There’s no ring maker in Trost. Not one. That means I have to go all the way to the capital for your request.” I puffed up my cheeks at him, trying to imitate his pout. 

“And is that going to take Humanity’s Strongest another year?” He gained composure and grabbed the teacup again, brushing off his pant legs.

“If you act like this, it’ll take two.”

“I want to get married before I’m thirty.” 

“I’ll do you one better and get married to you on the day you turn thirty.” I glared at him and stood up to collect the teacups on the table that were barely half drunk. I was going to have to fight this man tooth and nail even though he was the one who said yes. 

“You’re turning thirty-two this year, old man. You’re the one who has to rush.” His eyebrow lifted as he got up too to join me by the sink and watch me clean his comrade's dishes. Like he usually does, he just leans on me and puts his arms on either side, hands resting on the edge of the sink. Hands that could help me clean these extra dishes too.

“If I recall, you’re the one who told me to live in the moment. Why rush?” I pointed at the pile of dishes in the rack. 

“You can live in the moment by helping me clean those. Or would you rather mop the floor?” He pushed himself off the sink, rolling his sleeves up to get ready to rinse off the plates and bowls leftover from customers. We just stood there like that, going through our method of rinse to dry, and letting the sun fade behind us. I stole some glances at him, but he was too busy focusing on cleaning the plates that he didn’t notice. I sighed in content and wished he could have stayed another day before he was swept up into meetings. 

“Can I come with you tomorrow to the HQ? We can use Erwin’s orders as an excuse and take my cart?” He just hummed and nodded, finished with the last plate, handing it to me, and turning to lean on the sink like always. It was odd to see the sunshine in Levi’s eyes, reflecting in the silver like a mirror. I didn’t have to turn around to see the sunset, I could just look into his eyes. Moments like this, regardless if it was an hour after he was rude to his team, reminded me just how much warmth he had inside of him. Even now, he was humming, waiting for me to finish. If only I could show Oluo this Levi, then he would understand why’d I want to marry a man like him. 

“Stop staring at me.” I smiled up at him. 

“No.” He clicked his tongue, turning his head to hide the blush I knew was coming to his cheeks. I turned back to finish the last few dishes in the comfortable silence that was created, and Levi just stood there looking out at the only open window again.

“Did you really have to tell them that you rub my back?” I put the last plate back in the cabinet, laughing. 

“What? Humanity’s Strongest doesn’t deserve back rubs?” Turning to face him, I put my hands around his neck and his hands instinctively rested loosely around my waist. He brought one hand up to push a piece of hair that fell out of my bun, back. 

“He does, but not everyone deserves to know that I get them. Like you. Not everyone deserves to get to know you.” 

“Oh, and you do?” We started rocking back and forth to some music playing in both of ours heads. Maybe to the song that he always hummed. Swaying left and right. 

“It’s reparations for the amount of mental trauma you bestow upon me by trying to out me to my comrades.” I paused in the middle, scoffing and letting go of him. He laughed once as I turned away from him, taking off my apron. 

“This was supposed to be a cute moment and you ruined it. You mop the floor.” 

The next day, early in the morning, we traveled back to the HQ, some of Erwin’s orders in hand. It was nice watching the sunrise, both Levi and I in the front bench of the cart, but over that time, I fell asleep again, resting on his shoulder. Only when he moved me off of him, making me wake up, did I know we were near HQ. That way, if anyone was awake, an hour before training, they wouldn’t suspect much but a supply run. Levi would hop off, I would wave him out, and then turn to the Quartermaster stockroom. This was the only person, besides the officers, who I would react with regularly. The only thing was, unlike the officers, the man didn’t know of Levi and me. Today, he wasn’t there either, so I left a note and put the supplies up. Next, was giving Erwin the pastries. 

Being trusted to walk through the Scout HQ alone was something I earned only a few months ago, by Levi’s standard. Still, the only places I walked to were his office, Erwin’s office, or Hange’s office. I would encounter some cadets, and they would bow, believing Erwin’s lie. It actually wasn’t a lie, I was making them bread and pastries, but they all thought I was related to Erwin. He said it was a way for cadets to understand why I would be in the officer’s quarters when other chefs or outside suppliers weren’t allowed. This means I had to be seen talking to Erwin every time I visited, which was starting to be a lot. I didn't mind though, it was nice to talk to him, and you two were creating a friendship slowly. 

“You know, if only I actually looked like you then some cadets wouldn’t question this sibling lie.” I sipped the tea he gave me, making sure if the cadets looked up to Erwin’s window, they would see us standing. 

“Your hair color is the same as my father's and no one knows that my mother also had blue eyes. If they ask you, just say you look like my mother.” I turned, leaning on the glass and looking up at him.

“And when they find out?” He put his coffee down, looking out the window again at the new cadets having sparring practice that Levi watched over. 

“Well, if they find out about your relationship first, it will help us because the new cadets think the officers have a sort of harem. If they find out we aren’t siblings, which will be a bit hard with their limited resources, it is an easy cover-up.” I laughed, covering it with my hand, and glanced over at Levi who was conveniently looking up at us. He couldn’t act out anything or even look at us too long, but I could read his look. He was hungry and annoyed at the number of kids they didn’t receive after the 103rd Cadets were disbanded. 

“A harem? Who’s involved?” He set his coffee down and decided it was time to get back to paperwork, leaving me alone at the window. 

“Most of the time it’s a combination of myself, Captain Levi, maybe Squad Leader Hange, and some other officer.” I laughed out loud this time, still leaving my gaze on the field below. 

“I better watch out or you might steal him from me, Erwin.” He chuckled too, shaking his head. I went away from the window, choosing to sit in a chair across from him. I was told to stay in here until Hange came and got me so nothing else would be suspicious. 

“I don’t think anyone is stealing Captain Levi from you, Eva. If you can get him to marry you willingly, I don’t think he’ll ever leave you.” I rolled my eyes and looked down at the papers he was working at. Hm. Why does the Commander seemingly have fewer papers than a Captain?

“Well, we aren’t married yet. You have probably a few years to take him away if you wanted. I recommend not doing that, however. His paperwork already takes him away from me.” I glared at the stack of papers and he knew then what I was talking about, yet he decided not to comment. Instead, he steered the conversation over that bump effortlessly. 

“I shouldn’t tell you this, but Captain Levi has asked me a few times about marriage… as if I would know anything about it, but I’ve given advice. I believe him to be apprehensive because he’s never been around someone married. Only a few officers in the Scouts are.” I put down my empty cup, pulling my legs up in the chair. 

“Oh, I know. He goes to Hange about “women” things too, but she’s not afraid to tell me all about it. I’m sure she’ll tell me more today. I’m glad you’re helping him though.” 

“I’d rather Levi leave certain things out when he talks to me, but I’m happy to help, Eva. Did you two ever figure out the bondage situ-?” My face went completely red. 

“- I’m going to kill him.” Erwin smiled.

“Please don’t. We need Captain Levi alive.” I glared at his playfulness. Over the past year or so, getting closer to Erwin, I see exactly what Levi means when he talks about him. A hidden devil. 

“Eva!” The door slammed open announcing Hange’s arrival after her squad had complete training. Moblit was trailing behind her too, “You will not believe what I have to tell you today!” 

“I will see you sometime later, Eva.” I stood up, giving a playful glare at Erwin, before walking out with Hange’s arm wrapped in mine. 

“Hi Moblit,” I said to the boy and he just nodded, walking behind us. I guess he wasn’t that much younger, me being older than Hange as well.

“So, I heard you met Levi Squad. How was it? How was it?”

“I barely got to talk to them. It was a five-minute conversation and then he kicked them out.” She turned around, looking at Moblit before we headed into her office. 

“You’re excused, Moblit!” I turned to wave to him, but she shoved me into her office. She turned around, slamming her back on the door, a wicked smile on her face. I would’ve been scared if I didn’t know this was regular Hange behavior. Whenever Levi let her in on a single thing about us, she would corner me to make me elaborate on a single word or sentence of his. Personally, I thought Hange was trying to live vicariously through us, even when Moblit was at her beck and call, but it didn’t bother me much. Levi said he talked to her about it once, but she was the only one who could get away with not listening to him. 

“I have been asked for advice, but I think you better just tell me so it turns out well in the end.” I raised an eyebrow and hopped up to sit on her table. This time, there was a new notebook and a lot more drawings of titans. This notebook looked worn and had a brown cover, unlike Hange’s usual green leather ones. I had the urge to open it while she was debating inside her head how to start this conversation. 

“Is this one thing I can’t tell Levi you’ve talked to me about?” She snapped her finger, pointing at me and nodding once. 

“Exactly!” She walked closer and leaned in like she was telling a secret in a room full of people, “He asked me what type of rings girls like!” I laughed out loud, shocking Hange when I had to hold my stomach too. Levi was still afraid to ask me these things and I wondered who he was going to for advice because it was pretty sound. Any gift he’d get me, minus the rose balm, was something that I liked and I knew he didn’t have any idea what was likable about it. Dresses and hair clips were not Captain Levi’s specialty. 

“Specifically you and no one else? Will I have three or four people asking me this same question?” She joined me on the table, moving to grab a pencil and a pad of paper. 

“Erwin and I this morning at our brief. The one where nothing gets done. He didn’t talk the whole time and when he did he asked that of all things. Must’ve been on his mind.” She nudged me, handing me the pencil to draw. Honestly, I’d never put thought to it, even when I’d look at Analee’s in awe as a little girl. Her's was too thick. Too gold. Too complicated. I needed to use my hands a lot at the bakery too, so it had to be something I could take on and off. And something I wouldn’t feel bad getting dirty. 

“I don’t have to draw it. Just a simple silver circle.” She looked at me, blinking twice, before grabbing the pencil from me. 

“Well that isn’t what I thought you would say. What about something like this?” She lifted the pad, showing me something she’d draw up with three stones. No. 

“I don’t want stones.” Her mouth fell open. 

“You have a man who probably hordes money stacks taller than him and you don’t want him to buy you something expensive? What about just one stone?” She quickly erased the two on the side and I shook my head. Levi did, seemingly, have lots of money to spend since he just put away his Military notes and didn’t spend it, but I didn’t care about that. 

“Receiving something expensive just because it’s expensive isn’t genuine. I just want something simple, Han. A silver ring. Maybe a bit thinner than normal.”

“Eva,” she put the pad down on the table, turning to grab my hands, “He’s not going to believe me if I tell him that.” 

“But that’s what I want, Hange. Tell him that I want him to have one too.” She groaned and let go of my hands, jumping off of the table to go to her desk. 

“He’s going to be annoyed with me again! He thinks you want some big, complicated affair and even I told him that you don’t expect that of him.” I turned to her, glancing again at the worn notebook. Maybe I’d ask her to look at it. 

“He said I wanted something big? Does he know that between the two of us there are exactly five family members and a handful of Scouts? Besides, I know he won’t agree to a wedding.” She held her hand up, shaking both it and her head. 

“I’m not too sure about that one. It seems he’s willing to do anything you want on this topic. He’s just mentally preparing himself.” I snorted, thinking about how long he’s made me wait since he first proposed the idea. 

“He has to ask me first before I can think about a wedding or a get-together. I also have to tell those same five family members that this is even happening. Dragging Jonas or even Ben to a wedding is hard to begin with, but a wedding they probably oppose? Not going to happen. I just told him we can go to the city center and have it done there. I’m content with that.” In a huff, she plopped down in her office chair, shaking her head and not understanding why someone would make this such a simple process. While Hange said she’d never get married, she always thought about the partying aspect of it. She also said that if she had the chance, she’d like to try to drink Levi under the table and a wedding was the perfect place for that. I was probably ruining her dreams as we speak. 

“So silver, thin ring. Easy to find, not easy to convince him that’s what you want.” I frowned and my hands went out to my sides. 

“I don’t understand why it’s so hard? It’s not like I’m spending money left and right!” The look in her eyes flattened, and she followed with a deadpan. 

“You spent almost five hundred notes on a new coffee machine because it was in a peach color.” I hopped of the table in my defense, but the door opened before I was able to. 

“What are you two yelling about in here?” I stood up straight, turning to the man of the hour, and just shook my head. 

“Just bad things about you.” He rolled his eyes at my smile, a faint one on his lips, before grabbing my hand and turning back to the door. 

“Bye, Hange!” I waved, and Levi just grunted.

“Do you even have conversations with her or does she just talk at you?” It was my turn to roll my eyes as I closed the door of his office behind me, following him to his desk. When he sat down, ready to start some paperwork, I sat the other way on his lap, chest to chest. This was our ritual, having found it out late one night when Levi’s heart couldn’t be calmed down from his nightmare. When he was stressed, this would calm him down easily, having my hands work out knots in his back and him able to bury his face in my hair to ground him. It was also just comfortable. Therefore, every time he would do paperwork, an always stressful situation, he would have me sit like that. Now, it was just muscle memory. 

“Conversations. You just don’t talk to anyone.” I lifted my hands to between his shoulder blades where he would always get knots. He sighed into my hair, scribbling something down on the paper in front of him. 

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but I just signed off on an expedition that falls a few days before your birthday.” I pulled back, looking him in the eyes and hoping my pout would turn around a military decision. Obviously it didn’t work, but he raised one hand to pat my head. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll still marry you when we get back. I’m a man of my word.” 

“Mhm, sure.” He scoffed and pushed my head back to where it was playfully. I complied, but this time I punished him but not massaging his back. 

“Your little kids graduate that day. Didn’t you say they’d come visit you or something?” I subconsciously traced his back, pulling myself closer to feel his heat. 

“The last letter I received from them was last year. In it he said they graduated at Trost, so once they are free, they can come to the cafe and wait for you all to get back from your expedition before joining the Scouts officially. I’ve heard they all three are doing pretty good though. Survived that winter hike you were talking about.” He just nodded, now paying more attention to his paperwork. 

“You said there were two boys and a girl? Sure they’re joining the Scouts if they’re doing well? Top ten usually go to MPs.” 

I shook my head, “No, Eren was quite serious about the Scouts. I don’t know the other two though. You’re assured one.” He huffed once in laughter. 

“Great.” 

“His resolve seems solid too.”

“Mhm.” I shifted my eyes to see how concentrated he was on his paperwork. When he had the tip of his tongue out, that’s when you knew he wasn’t going to pay attention to anything else. 

“Who knows if he’s a good fighter though?” 

“Yeah.”

“Maybe they’ll all go to the Garrison if they can’t fight.” 

“Yes.” 

“When are you going to the capital to get me a ring?” 

“Tomorrow.” I pulled away from him, trying to find his eyes, but he lowered his head, noting the mistake he just made. 

“Tomorrow?” I poked at him, my smile going from ear to ear. I could even see a little blush that painted his cheeks. 

“If you keep bothering me, it will be never.”

-

Trost was bustling that day, and rightfully so. I was three days away from finally being married, the two, slim silver bands hanging off a small chain around my neck, and the new cadets had gathered on top of the walls. There were even more people in the café than there had been these last few months. It was, honestly, a perfect day, and I hoped that this atmosphere would last for a while. The famine had brought down morale and business, so much so, that it was getting to the point where the café would only be open three times a week, and even then I would sit there in an empty space for hours with Elias doing his school work. Today, however, June and Elias were talking to their friends who had shown up to buy a slice of pie with their pocket change. It was fun to see kids be kids again, and I hoped that I could introduce June and Elias to the other three, seeing they were all close in age. June and Armin, they would like each other seeing they were both bookworms. Eren and Elias, well, they could gush more about the Scouts together, even when Eren is almost considered a Scouts. The possibilities were making me happy, the prospect of the next three days was making me happy, and I had gotten word that the Scouts would be back in the early morning unlike before. The day of my birthday. It really was an unusual day in Trost. 

It was warm too. Looking back on it now, I remember it being unusually warm for spring. So warm that I had to go and open the front windows of the café, leaning over the table that June and Elias sat at. I took a moment to marvel at the walls too, noticing the increase in people, and trying, even if it was too far anyways, to spot one of the three. Even if you were closer to the outer wall than the inner, they looked like ants all the way on the top. I closed my eyes, feeling the small amount of breeze run through my hair. It was a moment of peace.

And one I took for granted. 

There was a sound, larger than thunder, and it flashed. When I opened my eyes, coupled with the screams, there it stood. I didn’t even have time for fear to well in my eyes when a blast of air sent me flying into the edge of the window. I let out a gasp as my back slammed into the edge, knocking the wind out of me. It shattered the screens I had just opened too. There were screams all over the place and I didn’t want to open my eyes. I didn’t want it to be true. No. No. No. Why now? Why when all the Scouts were gone? It had been so long since I’d thought about the possibility of this happening, and now, when I opened my eyes again, shaking in fear, the Colossal Titan looked back. Like everyone else around me, I let out a piercing scream.

xx Ah yes, we’re finally here. Attack on Titan. No more sweet and cute moments :) maybe some,,,,,,

Chapter Nineteen→ 

Chapter Masterlist 

[liliesoftherain]

Can I request an ice skating rink scenario with their shy female reader for Shouto and Izuku (separately)? 🥰🥰💖💖 Please?? 😁😁

A/N: I’M FINALLY FINISHING THESE DAMN REQUESTS IM SO SORRY THEY TOOK FOREVER! I’m slowly getting back into the groove, forgive me pls ;-; This request was so cute ugh, thanks hun, sorry for the delay again!

Pairing: Shoto Todoroki x Reader, Izuku Midoriya x Reader

Shoto Todoroki!:

“H-how are you so good at this!” 

Your exasperated squeak only humor the boy who skated in front of you flawlessly. He looked gorgeous, gracefully skating along the ice with nothing but peace on his face. You were almost starstruck, if not for the fact that you were supposed to be showing him that you could do this too!

But now the little confidence you had was dwindling, being nervous to make a fool out of yourself; this was a bad idea, wasn’t it?

Oh geez, you shouldn’t have agreed to go ice skating with someone as perfect as Shoto-

“Come here, I’ll help you.”

His soothing voice breaks you out of your frantic thoughts, and you blush at the close contact. He stood in front of you, arm stretched out to hold your hand and help you down onto the ice. You bite your lip, wondering if you should just make up some excuse, when the look in his eyes softened. 

His eyes, your one weakness.

“Don’t be nervous… I won't let you fall. Ever.”

Your heart was hammering in your chest at the look on his face and the way he worded that left you breathless. Without even realizing it, you let your hand shyly hold onto his own. He brought his other arm to hold your waist, and you held back another embarrassing squeak. 

Placing you onto the ice, you felt your legs shake--

You weren’t sure if it was from the ice or his breathy chuckle.

You were going to die of embarrassment, if it wasn’t from falling on your butt then it’d be from the way he held you. 

“You have to push off like this-- try to keep your feet straight, yea there you go.”

His praise met deaf ears, your focus entirely on the way his warm breath ghosted over your ear, or the way his thumb rubbed the back of your hand encouragingly. 

You both glide along the ice, the cool air whipping past your face and pleasantly cooling down the burning scarlet that was now permanently resting across your cheeks. Even when you thought you were calming down, he’d speak up and the butterflies would appear all over. 

“You okay?”

“Y-y-yes, you’re fine- wait no you’re not fine- I mean, you are fine but- NO- I-I just, agh I’m okay!”

He laughs as you look away, steam practically coming out of your ears as you bring your arm, the back of your free hand covering your mouth.

“You’re fine too, (y/n), and I mean that as in you look very cute today.”

Yea, you might die tonight, but as long as you were here with Shoto--

It’d be worth it.

Izuku Midoryia!:

The laughter from your classmates calms your nerves, seeing as how everyone was having a good time was enough to make you feel a little better about not being as fast as they were. It was a cold day out, and when someone suggested a class outing, you all had agreed. You were originally going to say no, a little nervous to hang out with everyone outside of the classroom-even though you live in the dorms with them.

However, as soon as Midoriya insisted on you coming it was game over; you were a sucker for those green, puppy dog eyes of his.

“(l/n)? What are you doing back here by yourself?”

You squeal in surprise, almost losing your balance as you jump away from the voice behind you. A pair of hands immediately holds you steady, a small laugh coming forth.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…”

You look into Izuku’s eyes and can’t help the blush that covers your cheeks, although you could play it off from the cold. 

“I-it’s okay, um, I was just…” You trail off, fidgeting with your fingers. 

You went stiff just as quickly though, once you realized his arms were still around you.

“U-uhm.. Midoriya.. You..”

“Me?”

“Your arms.. Uhm, y-you’re still holding me?”

He blinked once, twice, then yelped as he yanked his hands away and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. You were both blushing fools standing in front of one another, and to an outsider looking in they would be cringing at the second hand embarrassment.

“S-sorry!”

“I-It’s okay!”

“Oh my god, you both are fucking idiots.” 

You turn with a pout as Bakugou skates past, Kirishima laughing as he skates right by him.

“Be a man Midoriya!” 

Is all he shouts before giving a thumbs up, flying by after the explosive teenager. You stare, a little confused, but a little nervous that now some of your classmates were snickering at you two.

Or maybe it was just you? Jeez, you should’ve stayed home, why did you have to give into his big, beautiful eyes? He’s just a man, not a real life puppy!

But as you glance over at him, you can’t help the warmth that shoots through your body. He’s giving you a shy smile, lip caught between his teeth before he utters out in a small voice;

“Let’s skate together? I want you to have fun.”

Your mouth drops open as you watch him hesitate before linking your pinkies together.

“S-so we don’t, um, get separated… is this okay?”

You feel your entire body heat up, stars swirling in your eyes as all you can do is shake your head repeatedly to get rid of them.

“O-oh… no? That’s fine I’ll-”

“NO, wait, YES… yes, I’d uh, like that..” You stutter, holding his pinky tighter with your own before he has the chance to release it.

“Okay…”

You skate together, no words were shared but you didn’t need it, as long as your pinkies linked together--

That was all you needed to share.

[barry-j-blupjeans]

@taznovembercelebration - Day 11 - Royalty

((hi hi! it’s me, ise! i wanted to say before the fic starts that this is part of a Barbie Princess and the Pauper AU that I’ve had in my head for ages!!! Lup and Taako were seperated at birth- Lup went to the castle with the royal family, Taako went to live with his aunt, until she died and he had to work for the person she owed debt to. that’s pretty much all u need to know? yee, hope u enjoy!))

--

To be entirely honest, Taako doesn’t know why he’s still here. Why he’s still pretending to be Princess Lup. Maybe because he’s scared about getting found out and thrown in the dungeon. Maybe because he was having a bit of fun pretending to be royalty. Maybe because he, for some odd reason, found himself worried about Lup being missing. He had only met her in the market a few days ago, but the connection had been fast. It might have something to do with the fact that he and Lup were literally identical, despite him being a pauper and her being a princess, but-

You get the gist. Taako and Lup look similar, Lup goes missing, love-stricken castle fool (aka Barry, a royal tutor) brings Taako in to play as Lup until he can find her and bring her back to safety. Easy enough.

That’s what Taako had thought, too, until this handsome prince from another kingdom dropped by, supposedly set to marry Lup in a few days. And, on top of it all, Taako had the unfortunate luck of gaining feelings for the first time in his life. Feelings, towards this prince who thought he was a princess. Feelings that could get him thrown in jail or, even worse, dead.

“You know, Lup, you’re not at all what I expected you to be,” Prince Kravitz said. They were wandering the castle grounds together as the sun set. Taako’s stupid heart was doing stupid flutters in his chest as they held hands. Mr. Dropdead Gorgeous Royalty was exactly his type. Goddamn it.

“Oh?” Taako asked. Barry had given him this whole “how to be a proper princess” lesson upon arrival. Taako didn’t mind the dresses and such, though the shoes were impractical to run in, but all the social rules. Gross. Don’t do this, don’t do that. So far, Taako had utterly failed around Kravitz. He was honest to god trying his best, but- “Why do you say that?”

“You just aren’t… I hope this isn’t rude, but you don’t act like many princesses I’ve met in the past,” Kravitz said, squeezing his hand. “I mean that in the kindest way possible, of course. There’s just something about you that is so… unique. It draws me to you.”

Ah shit. How to act like Lup? How to be a princess? God. Fuck. Shit.

“Thank you?” Taako said, having it come out more as a question than anything. “I mean, you’re not so bad yourself, my man.”

GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, TAAKO.

Kravitz laughed, hiding a smile behind his free hand. It was adorable. He was stunning and adorable and lord only knows how much Taako wanted this to be real.

“Thank you,” Kravitz said, sounding so fuckin’ genuine that Taako might be sick. His laughter died after a moment, though, and his face grew somber. His eyes flittered over the garden they were walking through.

“Can I be honest for a moment, Lup?” he asked.

“Uh,” Taako said, brain still trying to catch up to being called by a different name. “Shoot.”

“I was… nervous to come here,” Kravitz said. “Our kingdoms have long been united, but never through marriage. I was sent here with the intention to, ah… restore your kingdom’s wealth through your hand. And you know this, of course. That was the deal our kingdoms agreed upon. Marriage, shared riches, everyone is satisfied. I… didn’t think I’d be satisfied with this deal.”

They approached a bench. Kravitz gestured and Taako took the chance to sit down, the heels killing his feet. Kravitz stayed standing, arms folded behind his back. He looked… nervous. Incredibly so.

“There are very few things that I still wish for in life. Being a prince, many of my dreams are at my fingertips. But I wanted to be married for love, if possible.”

He turned away, towards the setting sun.

“I never expected to find that here,” Kravitz said. “I never expected to find love, period, with all the arrangements made for royals. I came here expecting a dull marriage and instead I- I found you, Lup. And I realized that, more often than not, truth lies beneath the skin, not outside it. I expected someone textbook, someone not- not like you. There’s a lot more to you than princess and there’s a lot more to me than prince.

“And I just hope,” Kravitz said, turning back to him. “I hope that you can love me for me, instead of the attitude I have to put on when we’re with others. I hope that I can love you for you- you are incredible, Lup, I-”

Kravitz stopped himself, gazing intently at Taako. Taako clutched his hands on the dress. Geez. Oh boy. It felt like Taako wasn’t supposed to be hearing this. This was meant for Lup. Granted, Kravitz and Lup had never met, but- but-

Fuck, did that mean that Kravitz liked Taako as Taako and not Taako as Lup? He kind of felt like throwing up, to be honest.

“I want you to know the real me,” Taako heard himself saying. “I really do, Krav.”

“I want to know you,” Kravitz said, kneeling in front of him. He grasped Taako’s hands in his again. “Underneath what society wants us to be is who we really are. I want to see that side of you.”

“What you see right now can be deceiving,” Taako said. His voice sounded croaky, unsteady. His heart was going a million miles an hour. He felt like ripping off the disguise that made him more Lup-like and just telling Kravitz the truth one hundred percent.

And then he thought about dying before making it out of the kingdom and his jaw clenched shut.

“Truth lies underneath the skin,” Kravitz repeated, bringing Taako’s hand to his mouth. He placed a kiss on the backside of his palm, softly. “Hope will bloom if we believe the heart lies within. And here, right now? I hope you can see my heart plane and true. I want to be with you.”

Fuck, Taako thought as the butterflies in his stomach picked up again. Is this guy a sap or what?

[bladekindeyewear]

HS^2 bloggin’ mainline 2020-12-25

I’m not going to spend time BLOGGING an upd8 on Christmas morning!

...yes I am who the fuck am I kidding.  (Bonus stuff and Hiveswap are still well on hold though.)

So are we gonna follow up on the main ship?  Probably not, right, with that perfect Karkat point to cut away, right?  We’re just going to leave Roxy’s question hanging, as well as makeouts etiquette, and leave while having seen a COUPLE FRAMES of non-possessed canon Jade with only whatever fun fanart was inspired across the internet by the moment to tide us over????

Yeah, probably.

Ugh, more Dirk.  I guess it’s overdue.  :(

> CHAPTER 16. Welcome to my Secret Lair

Oh huh, I guess not?  So... Jane’s, or Rose and Kanaya’s?

Karkat stays for longer than John thought he would. They talk a bit, but mostly they are quiet. Eventually, Karkat gets called away on yet more important war business, leaving John with one final touch on the shoulder. John leans into it in response, though he’s a bit ashamed of chasing down a sliver of physical affection so soon after obliterating Karkat’s evening like he had.

Pretty much, yeah.  Can’t blame either of them.

When Karkat is finally gone, John still doesn’t move. It isn’t as though he has nowhere else to go, since there are quite a few places he might attempt to make himself useful, for better or for worse.

You’re still abandoning the task that was explicitly yours to protect your literal kid and his friends, but, oh well.  Low-point.  Dave dead, house dead, broke news, I get it.

He just doesn’t feel ready for that yet. The remnants of his house are still smoldering, and he can’t stop staring at them. It would make sense, he thinks, to want to root around through the rubble for anything that’s still intact; some half-charred keepsake to claim as the last thing left that’s still his. But he doesn’t want to do it, and he doesn’t want to think about it. And he still can’t move.

Can’t move.  No Breath huh?  What’s going to get him to, then?

> (==>)

Oh boy, that might help.  XD  She’s pretty good at that.

> (==>)

Still with the waistline gap.  And was his phone always yellow like his God-Tier shoes?

ROXY: hey john can u do me a quick solid ROXY: actly idk how quick itll be but its definitely solid ROXY: harry anderson says i just missed u being here but could u skip back on over?

Nice, huh!  No judgment, just a hey-any-chance-you-could-swing-back.  He sort of needs to be needed right now, in a simple, almost everyday non-judgmental way I guess.  (That’s what he NEEDED anyway-- whether he deserved it though is up for debate.)

ROXY: i need help w/smth and yr darling boy is holed up in his room working on some fuckin craft project or other and cant be bothered

YES SEW JOHN A BETTER FITTING FUCKING OUTFIT

ROXY: and now that me and u are freshly on speakin terms again i might as well take advantage of that olive branch and put u to work ROXY: assumin you havent died in an air raid, that is ROXY: which id also be interested in knowin about so if u wld be so kind as to reply instead of leavin me hangin

Heheheh.  Gosh Roxy is always the best.

JOHN: yea yea sorry im here. JOHN: i just had a hard time getting my phone out of these fucking tiny pants.

Hah.

JOHN: and also my house is bombed out so i'm kinda grappling with that. JOHN: but i honestly am not sure how much longer i need to sit around staring at it. trying to align my memories of my youth with whatever is happening right now so JOHN: short version is no i’m not dead, and yeah i can come back over there and help you out. ROXY: oh sweet yr alive and down to do manual labor its a win/win JOHN: see you soon.

Yep!  Pulled away from all the metaphorical, ultra-meaningful bullshit, back to some brass tacks with some easy humor.  Definitely something Roxy can do well.~

> (==>)

EXCUSE ME.  What is that outfit and pose.  Did you--

ROXY: sup ROXY: follow me ROXY: well were just going to my room so i guess technically u know the way JOHN: haha ok.

Did you invite him over for the manual labor of banging you while your son is sewing in the other room

Or maybe the labor is making him a new sibling.  JFC

Is this plan part of why we got the sudden content warning that was mocked or was that mainly for Hiveswap 

John follows, trying to shake the ominous feeling he got from what she’d just said. He’d been in and out of this house a lot in the past few days. Why should this be any different?

I DUNNO JOHN DOES THIS SEEM DIFFERENT TO YOU

> (==>)

Yea this seems like a fucc room.

JOHN: it’s not like i could forget! ROXY: ya i guess u only really saw the living room when you were here the other day but i have changed some stuff up ROXY: done a lil redecoratin here n there

So it’s MORE of a fucc room than previously >__>”

ROXY: may have to do a smidge more if my old bff decides im next on the list for bombing out ROXY: but so far so good

Ah geez.

ROXY: just a coupla exploded cars in the yard from some shenanigans our dear son and his friends were in but u kno it is what it is!!!

Well, that’ll buff out easy.

ROXY: can i get u anything? ROXY: just made some coffee JOHN: no, uh, i’m good.

Of course she has a fancy handled winecoffeeglass  (and the handle does look ridiculous but it’d be too hot to hold otherwise)

Roxy shrugs and swirls her own coffee around in her novelty mug. John looks around. A lot about the room is the same. The family photos, the rug. There’s a lot more cat stuff in there now, though. The bed is new. John feels like he’s about to take a test he hasn’t studied for. He makes himself focus on what she’s saying.

That would be the feeling.

> (==>)

MY GOD.  Roxy is so fucking good at this holy shit

She KNOWS she’s making him squirm and she loves it

JOHN: so uh anyway. JOHN: what was this favor? ROXY: yo why dont u just come rest yr tush for a bit ROXY: take a lil relax next 2 me here JOHN: haha uh. JOHN: roxy i uh. JOHN: im flattered, but i don’t know if that’s really the right step right now. JOHN: don’t get me wrong, everything seems so fucked up right now that when i try to think about what might actually BE the right step, it feels like a huge cartoon question mark might physically manifest over my head. JOHN: but I’m not sure if um rekindling our physical relationship is really the best--

So is Roxy trolling him, about to reveal she wasn’t thinking of sex and was just making things seem sultry?  Or just had “lol jk” as an option-select, maybe.

> (==>)

ROXY: r u kiddin me rn egbert JOHN: i’m not? unless you were, in which case yeah lets say i was also kidding. JOHN: oh my god, i’m sorry, i don’t know why this making me freak out.

OH NOOO NOT THE DISDAAAAIN - CRITICAL HIT D:

ROXY: i remember our past boot knockin with fondness but that is a situation im not interested in revisiting

boot knockin XD

ROXY: look john ROXY: i was trying to be polite about it ROXY: offering u sustenance n rest n all ROXY: but you look like shit ROXY: i just wanted to catch up on the whole heinous war situation were in and maybe check in on e/o before leaping strait to the real n actual nonsexual manual labor favor i have in mind for u JOHN: oh.

Hey, she can’t help looking sexy she’s too good at it.

Is the manual labor moving the crashed cars?  Can’t Roxy pull that off on her own, or... banish the cars to the void or something?  (Oh, but WOULD she want to do it on her own when she can rope in John and bring him down to earth by giving him a useful task?  And admittedly his strength and wallet would make things easier.)

John feels his shoulders unbunch. Of course. Yeah. He’s almost embarrassed by how relieved he feels. So what if his ex wife wanted to hook up? Shouldn’t that be a situation he could navigate? Don’t people like to find solace in human physical connection during dire times? Why did the idea of it make his mind white out in panic more than, say, any number of the traumas he just experienced?

Probably some gender stuff mixed up in there too, June.

He doesn’t know, but he believes Roxy that he must look pretty haggard. He probably feels haggard? Maybe sitting down will feel better.

Just put your feet up yeah

> (==>)

WHAT A CUTE IMAGE

JOHN: sorry. like i said, my "how to react to stuff" meter is completely fucked right now. ROXY: thats fair bud

she’s used to being patient with you don’t worry otherwise you never would’ve gotten this far

ROXY: real fast i do need to do a quick takeback of all that shit i said last time we talked about janey not being literally the most evil person we knew or whatever ROXY: i guess i was hopped up on arguin or somethin since that was before we hit our conversational vibe bc of course u were right and i shoulda listened

Ouch.  Yeah, we saw just lately just how far off the deep end she was.  (Where was that funny upd8 reaction art summarizing the bit where Kanaya was holding Tavros hostage and Jane was transparently debating “hmm do I let my son die?” and Kanaya and Tavros were just looking at each-other flat-mouthed nervous?  I REALLY wanted to share that but I don’t usually want to reblog or put most stuff HS^2 not under a read-more, for spoiler purposes, usually.)

ROXY: im just glad ur ok ROXY: or like alive JOHN: yeah, jury's still out on "ok" but, you know. ROXY: ya ROXY: u said ur house is gone?? JOHN: yep. JOHN: completely. ROXY: jeez ROXY: i would ask how ur feelin but like the answer 2 that has got 2b "prtty bad"

Talk it ouuuut~~  get those feels out there and articulated john

JOHN: yeah. JOHN: i mean. JOHN: no? JOHN: it’s weird. JOHN: it feels like it should be a bigger deal, I guess? JOHN: like it’s my HOUSE. JOHN: but mostly it always felt like my dad’s house? JOHN: and when i started living there after i moved out of here, it was like i crammed myself back into whatever was left of my kid self? JOHN: and it didn’t feel good, but it at least was familiar, you know? JOHN: like living there let me feel closer to my dad, trying to be like the way i remember him, or like how i remember him wanting me to be, or something? JOHN: and i didn’t realize how much i hated doing that until i saw it all go up in flames. JOHN: so i guess i could have used my powers to stop the fire and save whatever was left of the place, but i couldn’t bring myself to do it. JOHN: like some fucked up part of me was glad i got there too late? JOHN: so i just sat there, watching, trying to figure out why watching my house burn down felt like i was being released from prison. JOHN: and even now i keep trying to explain it away, as though it’s because of how fucked up everything else is that it made me feel good. JOHN: but that’s just bullshit. JOHN: it DID feel good. JOHN: i DO feel free. JOHN: sorry.

I was kind of saying some Breath/Blood stuff at the time of him losing his last tie to his stubborn sticking-to-his-kid-self bit?  Except now we’re mixing it in with June Egbert and his gender-identity questions too.

ROXY: no need 2 apologize ROXY: we just delved in2 my whole gender thing last time so it seems fine for u to have a turn JOHN: i didn’t say it was a gender thing.

Oh shit

ROXY: well no i just meant like i did some sharing ROXY: like referrin 2 the topic i brought up when we chatted last ROXY: but like now that u mention it ROXY: *meaningful pause* JOHN: … JOHN: i JOHN: ROXY: lol well we can move on 2 the favor part if youd rather ROXY: stick a lil pin in that topic n come back 2 it when u have had sleep

Are you just INCREDIBLY incisive Roxy or have you and John talked about this before?

ROXY: like i said the other day its not like this shits figureoutable in 1 sitting anyways JOHN: yeah... ROXY: sooooooo ROXY: movin on

It’s just fine for Roxy to slow-roll this yeah, if she’s going to pry open that door a little

ROXY: dont be mad but theres a part of the house u didnt know abt the whole time u lived here JOHN: what? ROXY: yea ROXY: i got a secret lair ROXY: for my sciences

OH FUCK YES SCIENCE LAB, of COURSE Roxy would want a cool science lab basement because she always wants a cool science lab basement

ROXY: and i get to it via a transportalizer underneath our bed ROXY: which is 2 heavy 2 move by my lonesome so i just needed to borrow some o your aforementioned powers of wind

Okay no.  Wait.  What the fuck?

First of all, as funny and MSPaintAdventures-y as furniture being in the way of things is, why would you block it with a bed too heavy to move, but,

Second of all, more importantly, how is a GOD-TIER ROXY not strong enough to lift a heavy bed?!?!?!?  Either she’s lying to get John involved in things or this is a gendered cop-out because these characters are superheroes at the TOP of their echeladders, given obnoxiously powerful video-game strength and athletics only to then have ascended into DEITIES.  God-Tier Roxy could probably have lifted a bed like that when she was SEVENTEEN!  And now she’s an ADULT, out-of-shape or otherwise!  If this were a whole CAR I might be willing to handwave it, but just a heavy BED?!?  And none of the GUYS are going to have this much trouble lifting a bed like this, are they??  This just feels like following classic cartoony gender tropes in the complete absence of these characters’ super powers, what the fuck, and also Roxy if you didn’t make it Transportalizer-only access you could have given it an entrance you could phase through with your fancy powers to get to.  FUCK.

This feels stupid.

ROXY: so if u dont mind woosh away JOHN: uh ok, well... JOHN: a secret science lair, sure, i can deal with that. JOHN: why not! JOHN: it doesn’t work out great when i do the windy thing indoors, though. ROXY: aight then no wind bending just use your mangrit

Roxy flexes, the corner of her mouth pulled up into a familiar grin. John feels his guts, so recently calmed, twist up into knots again. Her eyebrows shoot up and the smile loosens. He must have shown something on his face.

You’re already THIS sensitive about gendertalk?

ROXY: ok or just like push when i push ROXY: we both got sick muscles ROXY: no other adjectives necessary JOHN: yeah ok. ROXY: on 3?

Please, please reinforce the idea that they both have sick strength, because they fucking do and the idea that Roxy actually a hundred percent NEEDED John to do this is BS.

> (==>)

JOHN: holy shit? ROXY: sorry to lop yet another huge scoop onto ur lil brains ice cream revelation sundae JOHN: so wait, if this thing's always been under the bed, how’d you get down here before without me? ROXY: well thats neither here nor there john JOHN: i mean it is kinda. Here. ROXY: fine ok checkmate ROXY: i dont ACTUALLY need ur nerdgrit for this escapade ROXY: like im sorry but i said it ROXY: i mostly just wanted to see you and show u wats down here

THANK FUCKING CHRIST.

If that wasn’t actually just a lie to get him involved I was going to stay SO mad.  Of COURSE Roxy can move a fucking BED no matter how heavy it is.  OF COURSE.

ROXY: and also uve been ~sent for~ JOHN: ok but like ROXY: john i am inviting u 2 my inner sanctum ROXY: i am literally bringing out the word "sanctum" in case u werent already clued in 2 how cool this is ROXY: so do u wanna go into my secret lair or wat JOHN: yeah!? JOHN: yes? i guess? ROXY: aight good

Yes John of course you want to stop fighting it

ROXY: then as they told me in the hospital before lil h a was born ROXY: just push

eyeroll, but yeah, of course

> (==>)

Oh cool, sprite form version of her loungewear.

> (==>)

Sorry for my compulsion to post every full-frame image of Roxy in this awesome outfi-WERE YOU KEEPING CALLIOPE UNDER YOUR BED THIS WHOLE TIME?!?????

That’s like... almost a fucking metaphor isn’t it????  For the relationship you preferred in the other timeline and possibly THIS one TOO or

ROXY: hey callieee i got him ROXY: o damn john sorry i shoulda also told u callies here weve been hangin out again ROXY: 1 more freak for ur bean

Oh huh, so this isn’t an always thing.  And these two can get close in more than one timeline where it would’ve worked out nicely.  :)

JOHN: oh it's ok, my bean feels pretty well adjusted to freakage at this point so keep them coming if you like! ROXY: k cool i will JOHN: do i get to know what that big thing under the sheet is? ROXY: hmmmmmm no JOHN: oh ok. JOHN: are you sure? i mean, it seems like a pretty prominent feature of the room. JOHN: space. JOHN: wherever we are. ROXY: and a totally mysterious n COMPLETELY inconspicuous feature it will have to remain for now ROXY: we r kinda in a hurry here fyi ROXY: and by that i mean ROXY: we are in precisely the amount of hurry that means im excused from having to a that specific q rn JOHN: right, sorry. JOHN: i will pay no attention to the object behind the curtain. ROXY: u catch on fast egbert ROXY: anyway theres more cool info coming so just follow me

I don’t have any big theories.  Is it just the Hiveswap device or something?  If Calliope helped with it it’d help explain the Cherubic theme.

> (==>)

JOHN: so... this is all downstairs? JOHN: it seems like you had a lot of work done. ROXY: well no not x actly ROXY: were in the old meteor JOHN: under the house??? ROXY: ok so ROXY: in hindsight it may have been a bit misleading 2 say like ROXY: "downstairs" ROXY: in reference to a place which is hells of buried underground and may not actually be literally under the house ROXY: but there is no time to explain all that rn john so instead im going to refer u to my adorable little green friend here CALLIOPE: #U_U# ROXY: (hehe) CALLIOPE: *AHEM* CALLIOPE: hi john! CALLIOPE: long time no see. ^u^

Cherubs just really like dark cavelike places full of weird tech don’t they.

> (==>)

THEY’RE SO CUTE

JOHN: oh, uh. hey callie! JOHN: it sure has been a while huh. JOHN: now that i think about it, the last time the three of us hung out like this... CALLIOPE: was when i was aggressively third wheeling yoUr prenUptial coUrtship? CALLIOPE: if yoU dont mind, john, i'd rather not rehash that period of oUr lives. CALLIOPE: it was more than a little painfUl for me. JOHN: oh. JOHN: god, jeez, i'm sorry. i didn't mean to-- CALLIOPE: hee hee john i am only pUlling yoUr leg, don't worry. CALLIOPE: if anything i was personally a little thrilled with how things shook oUt in that respect. CALLIOPE: imagine, if yoU will, a yoUng cherUb raised in solitUde, whose only solace was the convolUted and tUmUltUoUs romantic schemata she projected onto her only friends from another Universe. CALLIOPE: and then fUrther imagine that this yoUng cherUb, throUgh varioUs even *more* convolUted contrivances, ended Up in the company of those selfsafe friends as an eqUal participant in their sphere of social discoUrse! CALLIOPE: it is a joy the like of which yoU possibly cannot fathom. u_u

Reinforcing that things turning out this way was in fact the FANTASY that Calliope was writing over in the Canon timeline.  Just, heavily, HEAVILY implied that the Candy timeline is -- or at least originated as -- Calliope’s fanfiction as a Muse of Space, and its competition for audience interest with canon is the essential conflict between alt!Calliope and Dirk (or Dirk and Andrew Hussie).

CALLIOPE: so to pUt it simply, getting to experience sUch emotional drama myself was an impossibly enriching experience. CALLIOPE: possibly a first for my species! CALLIOPE: it's actUally qUite interesting, if yoU ROXY: *nudge* CALLIOPE: oh, right. yes. i'm getting a little carried away, haha. CALLIOPE: argh, i'm sorry, this is not how i planned to begin this vital conversation.

Vital conversation?  What sorta truth-bombs are coming?

CALLIOPE: but to sUmmarise, what i was trying to say is: CALLIOPE: don't beat yourself Up aboUt it john. CALLIOPE: besides, hUman divorces are even more fascinating than i had ever imagined, and being able to witness yoUrs in motion was an honoUr. CALLIOPE: so i consider Us aboUt even at this point. JOHN: hahaha!!! JOHN: okay, well that's good to know! CALLIOPE: ^u^

Holy SHIT that was savage!  And we’ll NEVER know whether or not she really intended it so savagely, either.~

JOHN: so um... JOHN: i hear that there's this big secret thing you wanna tell me about? CALLIOPE: oh right, yes of course! CALLIOPE: let me jUst say first of all how thrilled i am that yoU're on board. CALLIOPE: i wasn't sUre if yoUr natUral inclinations woUld have preclUded yoUr coming to such a place as this, and yet here yoU are. CALLIOPE: this whole endeavoUr will be *so* mUch easier with yoUr help.

Uh oh.

Hopefully babies aren’t involved.

JOHN: oh! well, shucks. JOHN: not really sure what that means but i'm just glad to be of use somewhere, haha. JOHN: which, speaking of somewhere, CALLIOPE: ah right, right. yoU're probably a little cUrioUs as to where the dickens we are. CALLIOPE: how much do yoU know aboUt black holes? JOHN: um... like, the big space things? CALLIOPE: they aren't always big actUally, and in fact their relative smallness is practically their defining qUality. JOHN: oh. CALLIOPE: bUt okay i think we are on the same page. CALLIOPE: so, what if i told yoU that we are inside of a black hole right now.

Oh dear, we’re getting into the canon/noncanon divide?

JOHN: um... JOHN: like, HERE? JOHN: we just transportalized into a black hole? CALLIOPE: no, i mean, what if oUr whole WORLD was inside a black hole. JOHN: ok.

Yeah, that’s gonna be John’s reaction.  “ok.”  Pretty much inevitable.

CALLIOPE: earth c, or at least oUr version of it, has, from the moment we crossed the victory threshold, been inside a black hole. JOHN: ok. CALLIOPE: and not just any black hole, bUt the very black hole in which the green sUn Ultimately met its demise, allowing oUr victory in the first instance! JOHN: huh! ROXY: ("huh!") ROXY: (rofl my fucking ao egbert) JOHN: (shhhh!)

And Roxy enjoys his non-reaction reactions as much as we do, hehe.

CALLIOPE: bUt, paradoxically, the critical moment which determined its capture within the black hole happened *after* that point. CALLIOPE: i refer of coUrse to yoUr decision not to retUrn to the mediUm and fight my brother. JOHN: wait, wait. JOHN: you mean, the meat and candy thing? JOHN: oh my god. JOHN: you mean i actually DID make a mistake that day. CALLIOPE: well, that's not exactly what that-- JOHN: ugh, i fucking KNEW it! JOHN: i'm so sorry. JOHN: i'm so sorry that i put the earth inside a black hole everyone. ): ROXY: john ROXY: listen ROXY: u have got to get out of this mindset i am begging you JOHN: ):

Yeah shake him out of this shit.

ROXY: your choice literally didnt matter ROXY: the whole thing was symbolic in the first place ROXY: literally symbolic in the case of the picnic i mean come on ROXY: it was just some steak and a plate of candy suckers JOHN: oh. CALLIOPE: i mean, i wouldn't go so far as to say that the meal we shared was unimportant, given the sacred significance of the two options i presented. CALLIOPE: but yes, yoUr choice of snack was infinitely less important than the choice which it presaged. CALLIOPE: and even then, calling it a choice woUld be sorely misleading. CALLIOPE: think of it like a coin flip. CALLIOPE: the series of events that led to Us being trapped beyond the event horizon of an Ubermassive black hole could be considered "tails", while the events which would have occUrred otherwise could be considered "heads". CALLIOPE: since both were possible, and paradox space is the way it is, they actUally both happened. and we jUst "happened" (hee hee) to get tails instead of heads. JOHN: you mean we ended up with the bad possibility. CALLIOPE: not at all! since both possibilities depend on one another's existence, it really doesn't make sense to call them "right" or "wrong". they both just "are". JOHN: o...kay... CALLIOPE: u_u

Yeah, it’s going to take a bit more than that to convince him he didn’t make the “wrong decision”.

CALLIOPE: i realise that this may be a lot to process. CALLIOPE: it's easy to forget that this wasn't obvioUs to everyone from the beginning. CALLIOPE: anyway, the reason i went on this tangent in the first place was to explain that the space we are standing in right now has a special significance, in that it is the location which corresponds to the black hole's singUlarity. JOHN: oh, wow. JOHN: um. JOHN: ok so, sorry if this is a dumb question to ask suddenly, but what does being inside of a black hole actually... mean for us? JOHN: is that bad? JOHN: is it like in movie, um, JOHN: shoot. JOHN: roxy what was that matthew mcconaughey movie from your earth that we watched? ROXY: u mean interstellar JOHN: RIGHT. JOHN: the one with the organ. JOHN: man. i cried at that movie so much. ROXY: lol u can say that again ROXY: iirc at least part of y u got so weepy was the fact that u couldnt believe a version of earth existed where ppl got 2 watch more mcconaughey films than you JOHN: listen. JOHN: i simply don't think you all appreciated the gift you were given. CALLIOPE: i don't believe i'm familiar with this particular film ^u^;; ROXY: oh dont worry cal you didnt miss much JOHN: (gasp)

This is all gold

ROXY: but the important point is that no its not really an interstellar type situation here egbert ROXY: ur not gonna enter a weird time vortex and change the trajectory of a little girls life with the power of love JOHN: aw.

Dammit, now we have to be on the lookout for that possibility.  Or it did sort of already happen more than once to John.  ...Whatever.

CALLIOPE: to go back to your original question, john. CALLIOPE: it's not strictly speaking "bad" for Us to be inside of a black hole, mUch thoUgh that contradicts most of what anyone knows about them. CALLIOPE: of coUrse, if we had fallen into it, that woUld be a whole other kettle of fish. CALLIOPE: the tidal forces woUld have stretched Us all into spaghetti and then ripped us apart! CALLIOPE: bUt the natUre of oUr arrival was more akin to simply "being" here, sUddenly. one moment we were not, and the next moment we were, and somehow always had been. CALLIOPE: in everyday, practical terms, being inside of a black hole has very little bearing on Us. CALLIOPE: i mean, the natUre of space and time is a little finicky in here, bUt for the most part it doesn't seem to be anything too oUt of the ordinary. CALLIOPE: bUt beyond that, it means that we are sealed away from the rest of existence. CALLIOPE: oUr sphere of inflUence is limited to the sphere of the black hole's bounding horizon. CALLIOPE: as far as everyone else is concerned, we might as well not even exist! JOHN: is there no way we could let anyone know that we're in here...? CALLIOPE: almost certainly not!

No?  So this doesn’t have to do with the divide?

CALLIOPE: there are very few ways for anything to escape the kind of predicament that we are in right now. one of them is to be an all-powerfUl being with control over the very fabric of space, with the energy of two Universes at yoUr disposal. CALLIOPE: in which case, escape woUld become rather trivial, if a little Unscientific. JOHN: ok. i am going to assume that we can't just do that. CALLIOPE: yoU've hit the nail on the head, UnfortUnately. U_U CALLIOPE: the method i described was the one employed by my alternate self, who yoU may recall crashed through the event horizon in the body that once belonged to jade harley. CALLIOPE: she departed through a pUnctUre she created in the black hole's surface shortly after consUming my brother, a deed which provided her with the necessary "oomph", and which was frankly rather breathtaking to watch. =u= CALLIOPE: bUt Upon her departUre, the rift closed for good. as far as i can see, there's simply no way for Us to commUnicate with the world oUtside the black hole.

What the heck?  Calliope SAW all this?  Is this her Muse powers at work, letting her observe these things, or was she there?  And John certainly did NOT see ANY of what Calliope just said happen.

CALLIOPE: i woUld certainly be very sUrprised to find oUt that anyone had managed sUch a thing!

So we’re going to find that out if we haven’t already.  Maybe something to do with the way Vrissy just conks out narcoleptically?

JOHN: ...right. JOHN: so... let me just get this straight. JOHN: knowing that we're inside of a black hole... does that actually change anything? JOHN: like, can't we just go on living like normal? CALLIOPE: oh absolUtely not. CALLIOPE: i don't know if yoU've noticed john bUt this world is on the brink of a total cataclysm. JOHN: oh.

Um, what?

CALLIOPE: oUr exclUsion from the overarching coUrse of events which governs all reality means that oUr existence here is liable to dramatic and violent Upheaval. CALLIOPE: to pUt it another way, becaUse nothing in here "matters", we are likely to be sUbjected to things which are a bit bats in the belfry, for no reason other than it's totally insignificant to the wider canon of reality. CALLIOPE: and mUch thoUgh i am personally titillated by some of the conseqUences of this predicament, it is a degrading way for Us to live. u_u JOHN: that's... certainly one way to put it, yeah...

No plot-armor for your entire timeline, I guess, yep.  Outside of canon, we can imagine and write about ANYTHING happening to the characters, or just drop their existence entirely, much like a doomed offshoot timeline.  It’s a plot stability that depended heavily on the threat of Lord English and being trapped in a story, and without it things are bound to see a BIT chaotic (or “degrading” if you view it as subjected to the whims of fanfic writers, certainly).

CALLIOPE: at first, i believed that this was simply necessary. Us playing tails to oUr coUnterparts' heads, the black to their white, and so forth. CALLIOPE: bUt over the years i have come to the conclUsion that this is simply not kosher. ROXY: its total bs is what it is CALLIOPE: right, yes. CALLIOPE: a steaming pile of bUllshite. CALLIOPE: and so we have decided that something needs to be done aboUt it.

Ah fuck.  You’re going to regulate non-canon?  “Canonize” it?  Is the fact that you eventually succeed at whatever it is you’re trying to do part of why we have the story presented to us in this bifurcated structure?

ROXY: this is finally where u come in jegbert ROXY: we gots quests for yous CALLIOPE: hee hee, yes. CALLIOPE: or *a* quest, to be specific. JOHN: oh boy! ROXY: (this fkin nerd i s2g)

Roxy and Calliope setting him on this quest as a Rogue of Void and a Muse of Space feels fitting.

JOHN: i'm not sure how i can go about freeing us from a hellish space prison, but i'm up for giving it a try i guess? JOHN: i have... literally nothing better to be doing at this point. except for maybe hanging out with harry anderson. ROXY: nice save lol

YEAH WE’RE STILL GLOSSING OVER HOW YOU LEFT HIM UNPROTECTED, JERK

ROXY: but u dont need to worry abt busting us outta space jail tbh ROXY: thats not ur problem to fix JOHN: oh. JOHN: i'm... not sure i follow, then. ROXY: i mean yeah ur gonna obvs facilitate it in a sense ROXY: but only by going and busting the person who can actually help us outta normal earth jail CALLIOPE: we need yoU to free vriska from the clUtches of oUr misgUided friend jane, and bring her here, to the singUlarity. ROXY: weve been calling it the plot point CALLIOPE: yes, the plot point is a key part of oUr plan. CALLIOPE: as far as we have been able to sUrmise, the only remaining method for escaping oUr grim confinement depends on leveraging the UniqUe properties of this location to create an event of sUch catalcysmic proportions that it simply cannot be contained within the black hole any more. CALLIOPE: something SO dramatic, so hyper-relevant, that it becomes ontologically impossible for anyone to ignore it. CALLIOPE: for that, we need an individUal of sUfficient narrative cloUt, so to speak. CALLIOPE: and to liberate her, who better than the embodiment of the aspect of freedom itself? CALLIOPE: ... CALLIOPE: phew. okay, i'm finished. CALLIOPE: CALLIOPE: sorry, that took longer than i expected to go throUgh.

..............................

OOooooh, kay.

Whatever this is, it’s going to be really weird and PROBABLY infuriating and/or shippy, and I’m probably not going to like it.  Plus it seems like it’s some sort of inverse belated canonization of some other black-hole-rescue theories I went on about at some point.  Although, related to that link, “aspect of freedom” if anyone wasn’t paying attention!  That’s a (sorta-)canon mention of the purpose of it!

They’re going to attention-wh-- attention-hog themselves out of the black hole so that they’re “considered canon” too, or close enough.  Huh.

ROXY: what r u talking about cals that was great ROXY: i could listen 2 u plotsplain for years CALLIOPE: oh you >u< ROXY: fyi this was why i wanted u to get a move on eggbread ROXY: so callie could have more time 2 infodump ROXY: thats love bitchhhhhh JOHN: hahaha. JOHN: ok, well, i think i understood all that?

Love with who? Callie, John, both?

In reality, John isn’t sure what most of this means. But on balance, it feels okay? He’s gone back and forth about a hundred times in the last week about where his place in everything is, so he might as well ride this out. Plus, the last time a Lalonde kind of told him to do something, he thinks that he chose not to, and look where that got him. And it’s not like he has other plans. He may as well do this! It’s at least going to get him involved in things again, if nothing else. He turns to go, and then hears a sound. It’s the sound of feet and knocking on doors, echoed through stone and digital static.

Oh shit.  Is Andrew trapped behind some fourth walls behind the curtains.

> (==>)

Oh RIGHT also that DEVICE is where they want to bring Vriska.  Are they going to overturn part of canon itself with a super-retcon thus making this timeline unbelievably relevant or--?  Maybe make all the PESTERQUESTS canon or something?!  I don’t know.  Maybe they’re INTENTIONALLY starting the game like Vriska wanted to??????

Guh, this is something so big that I don’t WANT to theorize about it, do I.

JOHN: did you hear that? ROXY: wha ROXY: oh yeah uh ROXY: i may have messaged rose and kan and jade to check on them too ROXY: so its prob onea them showin up ROXY: they don’t need to know bout all this tho ROXY: we got time to chat with them b4 u go get vriska

No, even if it’s a knock at the somehow-top-level-house-even-under-buried-- oh, right, maybe it’s covering in part a monitoring system that looks up there.  But still, part of that sound was DOUBTLESS these two hiding something, all standing in front of the curtain like that.

JOHN: i’ll go stall em. ROXY: thx babe ROXY: oh is it 2 soon for that joke or JOHN: no, weirdly enough, that one’s fine. ROXY: oh good ok see u up there soon!

How is calling your significant other “babe” not cool REGARDLESS of gender?!  Like wasn’t that always cool? --Oh wait is it because they’re not together or... but... guh, I don’t know.

Anyway, see y’all after the holidays at least.

[taejeonie]

what if markhee dated...

— for anon, hope u like it <3

hmm

i think mark developed feelings for taehee during superhuman era

and the fact that they had that verse together doesn’t make it any better

yes i won’t shut up about that verse

i feel like he would be kinda obvious to johnny

johnny would force it out of him just for the fun of it

then would tease him about it

but then they get serious like, “you know you might.....just be careful, okay?”

“i know hyung,,it’s just a crush anyways”

wrong

mark still had feelings for taehee come kick it era

surprisingly mark was able to hide it well

there were moments where mark would be a teensy tiny bit,,,,

jealous

since taehee hung out with hyuck more during that time

“taehee”

“hm?”

“do you,,,,do you want to eat tofu with me?”

“sure, let me go and ask haechanie”

and mark’s like : “wHy dOeS sHe hAvE tO aSk hIm iT’S nOt LikE tHeY’Re dAtInG >:(((“

“why are you jealous? it’s not like you’re dating either-“

“JOHNNY HYUNG”

did he just say that out loud? he did.

and then he hears a gasp

AND FOR A SPLIT SECOND HE WAS SCARED BC HE THOUGHT IT WAS TAEHEE

but then it’s just hyuck

“who’s dating who?”

and then he creeps up to mark while mark attempts to push him away

“you love me, don’t you hyung? why would you date someone else that’s not me (´༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ`)”

“it’s not like that-“

hyuck suddenly pulls away from him, “oh my god....”

“‘oh my god’ what?”

“don’t tell me,,,,don’t tell me you like me in that way”

mark winces, “oh god, please no”

but then at the same time, johnny goes, “he likes taehee not you”

“YOU LIKE NOONA”

“SHHHHHH”

“hyung,,you know that’s not allowed right-“

“i know”

“THEN YOU CAN DATE IN SECRET!!!”

“haechan, no-“

“THIS IS GONNA BE THRILLING!! don’t you want that hyung?”

“that does sound tempting,” johnny agrees with him

“i’d like to focus on work more, thanks”

“loser.”

“you’re a loser.”

a door shuts close causing hyuck to playfully wiggle his eyebrows at mark, making the latter shove him to the floor

and now hyuck’s on the floor being dramatic

“jOHNNY HYUNG .°(ಗдಗ。)°.”

“i asked jungwoo oppa but he’s asleep- woah what happened”

“MARK HYUNG PUSHED ME”

“mmARK THATS NOT VERY NICE”

she helps hyuck up from the floor and fixes his clothes, “u okay?”

“yes, thank you noonaaaaaa (*´꒳`*)”

“is johnny oppa coming?”

“i’m kinda tired, you guys can go”

“oKAYY LETS GO!!”

taehee grabe hyuck’s arm and leads him out

the whole time mark was like :OO

so hyuck sticks his tongue out at him

brat

anyways

about taehee

hmm i think she didn’t like mark as much as he did at first 

i mean she found jungwoo handsome she wouldn’t mind dating him

but she wouldn’t mind dating mark either

she wasn’t exactly thinking about dating anyone

in short, she doesn’t dwell much on the members to the point she would think if she wanted to date them or not

but yes she would date mark

they were doing a vlive in the waiting room after performing “kick it”

“manager hyung told me not to open vlive but i did” - taeyong, leader

taehee was being her free self as she was explaining what went down when she and jaehyun were playing games

“but then we had to get this thing bc it adds to our points bUT JAEHYUN OPPA-“

“taehee noona, someone said you should date mark hyung”

i swear mark was about to kill hyuck right then and there

“later, okay anyways-“

and you could see at the very corner

hyuck has his fist in his mouth like :OO

while mark becomes flustered again

but the members don’t really notice just mark, haechan, and johnny

so then later on taehee was lying down on her bed

thinking about everything that went down that day 

and then she started to think about what it would be like dating mark

and by think i mean think

and then suddenly she was like, “oh,,,,i like,,,mark”

“okay”

she didn’t tell anyone

i don’t think any of them would notice tbh

when she had her episodes after promotions they noticed that mark would be one of the people to really really make her smile and cheer her up

so when she was fine again her mind drifted to her and mark

i mean she knew it wasn’t allowed but,,,she’s willing to try it out

but then she started overthinking about what if it went awkward between them what would happen to the group will they kick her out would the fans hate her would it make mark her ex-best friend what if what if what if

she feels the bed dip beside her and two arms wrap around her frame

“noonaAaaAaAaAa”

“what”

“i’m boreddddd”

“i’m tired, go somewhere else”

“you aren’t,,,you were smiling. why were you smiling”

“nothing go away”

“were you thinking about hyung?”

“ew no why would i think about mark”

“AHHHH I DIDNT SAY ANY NAME BUT YOU DID HAHAHHA”

“ ( O.O ) what no-“

she tries to push him off the bed but hyuck’s arms had her secured

“if you’re not gonna let go then sleep with me. i’m going to sleep”

“ahh noona, mark hyung would be jealous if he saw us like this”

“shut up. i’m gonna sleep”

taehee couldn’t sleep bc hyuck was so,,,cryptic

so taehee tried to test out the waters with mark

and how, you might say?

pickup lines!!!! (*^_^*)

attempt one

“mark?”

“what?”

“are you asthma? because you take my breath away ;)))”

“w-what”

taehee: :((

second attempt

“mark i think something’s wrong with my phone”

“what? let me see”

“i don’t have your number on it”

“i thought I already gave you my number?”

“noona i think that was pretty dumb” “shut up haechan”

attempt tres

“mark, i may not be ariana grande but i’m so into you”

“oKAYYYYY CUT!”

“what we’re not even-“

attempt #938274929482939

to markly <3: mark mark mark mark mark mark

from markly <3: you’re right next to me

from markly <3: why are we texting?

to markly <3: because it’s more fun

to markly <3: okay. you have to complete the lyrics okay?

from markly <3: ... okay

to markly <3: are we an item? girl quit playin’

to markly <3: “we’re just friends”, what are you sayin?

to markly <3: your turn

from mark <3: said there's another, look right in my eyes

from markly <3: my first love broke my heart for the first time

to markly <3: and i was like baby baby oh

from markly <3: you forgot one

to markly <3: one what?

from markly <3: baby

to markly <3: yes?

from markly <3: you forgot one baby. there’s three baby’s

“OH MY GOD”

“WHATS WRONG”

“IM GOING TO HAECHAN’S ROOM”

“WHAT-“

while in haechan’s room

“HE IS SO DENSE”

“oh is that what you were doing?”

“SEE?? EVEN YOU KNOW”

“noona, everyone knows your naturally like that. you should just go for it”

“how???”

“kiss him,,,,on the lips”

*proceeds to make kissy noises*

“that’s too bold i’m not doing that”

haechan shrugs in return, “fine. your choice anyways”

“ugh let’s just play this game”

“if i win you need to kiss mark hyung tomorrow”

“never mind”

“pleaseeeeee”

“no”

“pleaseeeee??? for me??”

“i said no, just play your game”

“bUT IM SO TIRED OF MARK HYUNG TALKING ABOUT YOU ALL THE TIME”

“HEY WHAT’S SO WRONG ABOUT THAT”

“IT’S DISGUSTING”

....

....

“ffff....fffine-“

“YES!!!”

“but we’re playing what i want to play.....easy mode”

“whatever you want noonaaaa (＾＿＾)”

she lost

so now she’s in her room with mark

hyuck locked the door from the outside for extra measure

but they don’t know that

“mark lee,”

“yes joanie?”

“jdjsjdhsjd you’re making this harder for me?”

“what??? are you talking about???”

she huffs before grabbing mark’s hand and pulling him up to sit straight on his bed

“do you watch haikyuu?”

“only a few episodes. wh-“

“because i laikyuu....”

“.........”

mark is flushed but he’s has too

k e e p c a l m

and teehee has her bottom lip in between her teeth cause she’s sO nervous this would never work

and mark finds this even more cUTE HE WAS ABOUT TO GIVE IN

tbh i think mark kinda had an idea of what teehee was doing,,,he just kept on denying it 

“you should tell that to yuta hyung. he’ll like it.”

“it’s for you, stupid”

“what”

“you’re so dense sometimes, geez. i like you a lot lot and if you still won’t get it through your frickin cute head i will literally explode”

“oh....wow”

“....’wow’ what?”

“cause i kinda....like you too”

and now they’re both just smiling at each other until they just break and laugh

“so uhh....what now?”

“then we date! duh,,,,unlessyoudontwanttoitsfine”

“no not like that, i mean how are we gonna do this? are the others gonna know? do you want to date outside bc i’m not sure if we can go out-“

“we don’t,,have to tell the others. and it’s fine we can stay here,,,”

she brings her face closer to mark’s before cutely saying, “as long as i’m with youuuuuuu”

“ahhh stop it”

“but i’m your girlfriend now!!!”

“oh?”

“y-yes ‘oh’! why you don’t want to? fine.”

taehee stands up but mark quickly grabs her hand and pulls her down until they’re both lying on the bed

“what are you doing?”

“i’m spending time with my girlfriend? what are you doing?”

taehee playfully rolls her eyes and proceeds to bury her face in mark’s neck

“okay.....”

she feels mark smile

“boyfriend.”

THEY’RE A COUPLE NOW YAY

okay so the people who only knew about their relationship were hyuck and johnny

they were very sweet

very clingy off-cam

“where’s my goodnight kiss?”

“oh my god mARK I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE THAT TYPE”

instead of calling each other by their names or like

“dUUUUUUDE!”

there’s the occasional “baby” hhhhh

“baby, come here”

“mark....”

“do you,,,do you not like it”

“no it just,,sounds nice i guess”

hehehe

so taehee would call him baby too 

“BABYYY I MISSED YOU MWAHH”

“EW NOONA DO IT IN YOUR OWN ROOM AND NOT WHEN IM AROUND THATS DISGUSTING”

but they’re professional during work dw,,they still had to prepare for “punch”

while taeil, jungwoo, and mark did the relay live

taehee came in and the fans noticed how mark’s eyes lit up

markhee stans are thriving

“are you doing vlive?”

mark stays quiet as he continues to stare at her with a smile on his face

awe i want a mark now :((

“yeah say ‘hi’”

taehee, off cam: “czennie hellooooo”

“why won’t you show your face?,” taeil asked

“i just woke up from my nap”

“oh did we wake you?,” jungwoo asks

at the same time mark mumbles, “you’re still pretty anyway”

but they all heard that oop

“jungwoo-oppa. i. am. fINEEEE,” she says cutely, “you guys weren’t loud”

“do you want a bite?,” jungwoo asks

taehee moves to his side of the table but mark stops her

“wait wait! come here”

taehee comes into the frame so mark could feed her with his chopsticks

“is it good?”

“mhmm”

c u t e

markhee stans keep getting fed without realizing

now markhee’s just being plain obvious with the next vlive we’re just friends my ass

the one with mark, jungwoo, and taehee

taehee sat in between the two boys and she kept patting mark’s hair

tHeY sEEm To bE vErY gOOd FrIEnDS

when mark imitated yuta saying ‘really?’

she couldn’t help but laugh and squish his cheeks together

“cUTE!!!!”

mark pried her hands off his face and casually, discreetly clasped her hands in his and put their hands atop of her knee 

jungwoo’s third wheeling unknowingly i’m so sorry sweetie

taehee.exe has stopped working 

and mark smirks in response 

when that beep called tHEY WERE BOTH LIVID

later on, another beep kept on spamming teehee’s phone with calls and texts that mark had to put it on silent and slide it in his pocket 

teehee protection squad 

they went to the dream’s mv set to bring them food 

“MY PARENTS!! THEY BROUGHT US FOOD”

“sHSHHSHSH none of them are supposed to know”

“mark hung danced to ‘boom’ already. you don't have to be anonymous anymore”

lol remember dohyuck in their uncut take #3?

well you have another one coming from markhee when they did that yt live to spoil punch’s choreo

hyuck noticed it while he was talking to the camera and his eyes went wide for a split second before proceeding to cover them with his head 

he tried to hold in his laughs 

ever since then, there were fans who were suspicious 

but majority of them just said all the members are like that 

“they seem to be very good friends”

i think the other members would be sus too but they won't dwell on it,,,that much 

overall, markhee would be the cheesy yet cute couple hyuck and johnny adore!! it’s like being best friends but now they get to hug and cuddle and kiss whenever they want (behind cameras and other people of course). in all honesty, if their relationship doesn't go south, i guess you could say they are each others’ first and last. <3

will dispatch catch them? most likely not.

will they ever reveal their relationship? who knows.

hyuck and johnny’s tip: “don’t let the managers know or else we’ll have to change roommates.”

[weebtarurights]

Tsuzuru Minagi SR (Heroic Tale of the Pure Detective)

Read full translation under the cut!

Story Title: “During the Stakeout “

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ PART 1 ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Tsuzuru: This office building is really huge... (Moreover, why am I looking up at the building holding red bean bread on my right and milk on my left... What in the world am I doing?) It all started when....

----*flashback

Tsuzuru: I'm sorry for making you help me find props.

Kazunari: No worries. Fishin' around the warehouse is my cup of tea! Citron: Don't be shy, Tsuzuru! I'm a member of the Spring Troupe too. No need to show duality. [1] Kazunari: You mean, formality? Citron: That's right! Tsuzuru: Eh? That's nowhere close at all. Anyways, thanks for your help. Kazunari: Found the prop you're huntin' for? Tsuzuru: Found it.   Citron: We used these handcuffs several times before, didn’t we? Tsuzuru: Right. I will be playing as a detective this time so I have to get accustomed to handling this. Kazunari: U---mmm... Citron: Hmm….. Tsuzuru: (They're staring way too hard… I have a bad feeling about this.) Kazunari: It kinda feels off... Citron: I think so too. It's probably because you're not so detective-like! Kazunari: Right on! I mean, you totes slayin' getting handcuffed rather than vice versa! Tsuzuru: You mean I'm more suitable to be a criminal?! Citron: No, no! That's not it. Kazunari: You see, when you were paired with Chika-chon during Halloween, you were handcuffed as a prisoner, weren't you? You were straight up slayin' those vibes. Tsuzuru: Sigh... Citron: You have to become more detective-like! Kazunari: Right! Tsuzuru: To become more detective-like, huh... I might need to start doing my role study now. Citron: I know it!  When you say detectives, it means stake out! Kazunari: True that! Sure got some slick ideas there, Ronron!   Why not tail some peeps in the theater for a day? Tsuzuru: No, that's more stalker-like than detective.... Kazunari: It's for your role making; pretty positive everyone's gonna do you solid! It's gonna be OK if we tip off everyone on LIME while keepin' it on the down low for your target. Citron: Sounds great~! I'm sure it's going to be a good reference for you. Tsuzuru: Wait, why are you the ones deciding everything? Citron: Who's going to be your target? Kazunari: Must be someone stake-out worthy ! Citron: It has to be Sakyo! Tsuzuru: It's going to be messy if I get caught sneaking around Ginsenkai! Moreover, Furuichi-san won't allow it. Citron: Ohh~!  How about someone mysterious? Kazunari: Isn't Chika-chon our best candidate for that? Citron: Nice idea~! During Halloween, Chikage arrested you. It's about time to turn tables! Tsuzuru: Well, I'm not sure about that... Kazunari: It's decided! your target's gonna be Chika-chon! Citron: As a rule of thumb, you have to take this milk and red bean bread with you! Make sure you shout "You're under arrest!" and finish off by putting handcuffs on him! Tsuzuru: Hey. Do I really need to do that? Citron: It’s a must! Tsuzuru, fighting !

----

Tsuzuru: (It was too troublesome so I just agreed and went with it but....) (It's really suspicious to sneak around the office district. It's my first stakeout. My target is already a tough one.) Sigh..... But well, it's for my role study. I've already started, might as well finish it. (A lot of people are coming in and out of the trading company building. The university is nowhere like this. If I can observe people--) ( Wait, wait, my thoughts are drifting.. I should've at least gone here in a suit...) (No, no, thinking about this and that won't help with my role making... I am a detective. I am a detective.)

-----*LIME Notification* Tsuzuru: Hm? LIME? From who---? Foreign Tourist: Excuse me? Tsuzuru: Eh? Y-yes?   Foreign Tourist: <Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the station?> Tsuzuru: That's....? They're asking for the way to the station...right? Umm, the station is---- Tsuzuru: Phew.... I'm glad they understood the directions even in my broken English. Ah. Chikage: .....

Tsuzuru: (Chikage-san finally came out! Alright, gotta tail him.)

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ PART 2 ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Tsuzuru: Chikage-san is passing through building streets but where is he going? Chikage: ...... Tsuzuru: (He went into the alley!) (It looks like a back road or something.... What on earth is this place?) Curry Shop Staff: Welcome! Chikage: Is meal set 10, Limited Red Devil Curry still available? Tsuzuru: (...It's a curry shop!? Too dicey... Come to think of it, it's already noon. Maybe he's here to eat lunch? I experienced a little bit of thrill just now. I'm a bit nervous but it's interesting!) (But....) The smell of curry is making me hungry. I want to eat something but Chikage-san might come out while I'm buying food... Can't help it, I have to suck it up. (I think Chikage-san is done eating now. Let me peek inside the shop.) (He's gone! Just hen did he---?)

Tsuzuru: (I went back here hurriedly but I couldn't find him at all...) Damn it---Did I fail my investigation....? I ran as fast as I could so I'm hungrier now. I think I'll just buy something at the convenience store. Izumi: Ah, there you are. Tsuzuru-kun! Tsuzuru: Eh? Director? Izumi:  Good work. Here, I brought you some snacks. Tsuzuru: Red bean bread and milk.... ! Thank you for bringing me these. How did you find out I'm here?   Izumi: Eh? Well... Citron-kun asked me to bring it. Tsuzuru: ? Is that so? I'm really hungry. I'll eat 'em right away.

CHOICE 1: “How's your role study going?” Izumi: How's your role study going? Tsuzuru: It's my first time going on a stakeout but I think it pretty much went well. I realized how detectives feel when they're tailing someone. I was a little nervous though. Izumi: Ahaha. I see. Tsuzuru: It's also refreshing to observe the people around the office district. I thought it could be a good way to get new ideas. It was a great reference not only for role making but for the script too. Izumi: I couldn't agree with you more.

CHOICE: “You're giving off a detective-like vibe.” Izumi: You look exactly like a detective when you’re holding red bean bread and milk. Tsuzuru: You think so? You see, it's really difficult to tail someone. I felt deeply how hard it is to become a detective. Thank you for coming all the way here to bring me snacks. Izumi: You're welcome. Tsuzuru: I'll definitely do my best for my role after this. --- Tsuzuru: .....Thank you for the meal. It was a life-saver. I ate red bean bread and milk this morning too. Izumi: You did?  You ate nothing but red bean bread today. Should we buy something else? Tsuzuru: It's fine, my bad. ???: How about these snacks then? Tsuzuru: Ah, thank y--- EH? Chikage: Good work. Itaru: GJ- Tsuzuru: Eh!? Chikage-san and Itaru-san!? W-why... Itaru: Heh? You haven't checked your LIME? Tsuzuru: LIME? Ah, that's right...   I was about to check it when someone suddenly asked me for directions. I totally forgot... Let's see... From Citron-san to... Company-wide Group?!

Izumi: Citron-kun sent it to the whole group by mistake. Tsuzuru: HAH!? Chikage: I pretended to be oblivious about it and kept quiet till now... So I thought I'd buy you some snacks to compensate. Itaru: I met senpai on my way back. Tsuzuru: What ...the hell. So... when I lost track of you, you went somewhere  to buy snacks? Chikage: That's right. Tsuzuru: Sigh.... Geez...It won't look cool anymore but there's one rule Citron-san told me to do. Will it be alright for you to pretend and play along with it? Chikage: Sure. Itaru: Oh, so you also brought handcuffs with you. Tsuzuru: "You're under arrest!" Chikage: Good work. Tsuzuru: Sigh....Mission accomplished.

1) Citron mistook 'えくぼ' (ekubo) or dimples for '遠慮' (enryo) or formality, restraint,  reservations.

[bnhavibes]

hhihihi!!! i saw your requests were open and i was wondering if you could do a Midoriya one where the two of them are like,,, perfect for each other. they both ramble a lot and are anxious often and have a lot of similar habits and mannerisms. only difference is Midoriya is pining super hard for them, and they’re pretty oblivious to it no matter how hard he tries to make them realize he has a thing for them. everyone else can tell BUT them. is this too specific? maybe. sorry lol! 💕💖

If there’s anything more envigorating than training with your classmates, it’s socializing with your classmates! You, Class 1-A, some kids from 1-B, and a handful of some support class students all planned a hangout in the common room for Game Night.

Of course, the Bakusquad teams up with Bakugou, Kirishima, Ashido, and Kaminari on one team and the 1-B kids on the otherside; Kendo, Shinsou, Monoma and uh oh—

“My, my, it seems one of our classmates would rather study than participate in this silly game night!” Monoma chorted obnoxiously. “I always knew our class was much more responsible and—”

“SHUT YOUR DAMN TRAP YOU BIT—” Bakugou exploded, but his shrapnel was covered by Kirishima’s hands over the angry hedgehog’s mouth; Arms wrapped around and over his shoulders to keep Bakugou in place, Kirishima laughs a bit awkwardly.

“What out buddy Bakubro over here means you bit-ter bring your A-games! Heh,” He says, squeezing a struggling Katsuki while he growled and kicked around. “We might wipe the floor with ya.”

“What about Midoriya? Where did he go?” Yao-momo asked, hope hanging on her tongue.

It was obvious (only to you) that the beautiful girl had a crush on your crush. And it made you even more discouraged, knowing that such a socialable and outgoing girl would win Deku’s heart before you could even try!

You knew where he was though, you saw him sneak away with a huge flush on his face after talking to Yao-momo. You had texted him wondering where he was going and he said he had to study for his internship. The thought of the two chatting made your nervous tick activate, your leg bouncing rapidly on your seat’s footrest. You couldn’t help but blush a look down at your hands, thinking that people would notice.

You thought, and second guessed, about the outfit you chose for tonight; a pair of black soffe shorts(the comfortable kind that dancers exercise in), a very baggy and black low v-neck top with over-the-shoulder short sleeves made of polyester. Of course you had a pair of black ruffles ankle socks, but you didn’t bother with slippers since the floors were always clean.

You bring out your journal, writing and doodling on the countertop. while you sat on a barstool, the game systems were set up and snacks were being heated/cooked in the oven and prepped onto the countertop. A good amount of time passed when they finally got it all done.

Your distracting thoughts ease your shaking a little, but it fires back up when you hear somebody respond to Momo;

“Oh! I forgot to say, Yao-momo, maybe ask (Y/Nn)-chan, you know how those two are, hehehe.” the ‘Alien Queen’ retorted as the festivities had already begun.

Pink coated the tips of your ears, dusting across your cheekbones when Momo’s eyes meet yours as you look over in their direction. A warm smile stretches across her face, earning a gulp from you. The lump in your throat disappears as she approaches you, and places a hand on your shoulder.

“Hey, (Y/N), you and Midoriya-kun are friends. I noticed he was acting funny earlier, but he wouldn’t tell me what was the matter and left. Would you min—”

You didn’t let her finish as a “I’ll go grab him!” sped out of your mouth, collecting your phone and journal as you raced to the elevators. Relieved to be out of the big crowd, you let out a deep exhale as the elevators ascends. Deku wouldn’t tell Momo what was wrong, so it was up to you as his best friend to figure it out.

You clentched your phone and journal in your hands, shaking a bit with every step towards his room. Soft japanese lofi hiphop playing from behind his door, making your anxiety skyrocket.

“Here we goooo—” You raise your hand to knock, “—OOH GOD. Oh goddddgod god!! I have to talk to Deku, and what if hes alone?! What if he doesn’t wanna see me? Did I make him upset?? Hmm, well he always feels better when bringing up All Might. Maybe I could go grab some movies and come back or..” You rambled on and on, talking to nobody but an empty hallway. In your daze, the door began to creep open.

You started taking notes, marking pros vs cons of talking to Deku right now. Mumbling something or other when a small squeak distracts you.

“U-Uh-uuHuh, he-hey there, (y/n)!!! Eh, wha—why aren’t you enjoying game night? Did somethi-

“DEKU! Oh— Hi, well you, aheh! uHmM What! No, I— I, I wanted to— oh geez, your room smells so good! Are you making cookies or something?” You blush profusely, biting your lip to stop your damn tongue from speaking.

His own blush flares up, backing up a bit and opening an arm to welcome you in as he looks harshly away from you, frozen in a flinch and sweat beginning to build on his forehead. He was in a pair of black joggers, a plain white v-neck on his torso and the bracelet you got him for his 18th birthday.

“I was just warming up some cookie dough, I, I know you’re not supposed to eat it uncooked but— It tastes g-good so.” He strays off, touching every other thing and making sure it was perfectly placed; a common occurance in his room.

A giggle escapes your lips, breaking a few layers of the awkwardness, and bringing a brighter hue of pink on his cheeks as you made yourself comfortable on his bed. It wasn’t noticed by you, but you were distracted by a gut feeling that you couldn’t ignore.

“D-Deku?” You squeak, nerves choking you up.

He looked over at you from his place on the floor, he was on his knees looking for a book in his bedside table’s drawers. “Ye-Yeah?”

“Do you actually have something to study, or is there something w-wrong? Yo-You can tell me— I wouldn’t tell a soul, I, I swear on it.” You say with a brave smile, clutching your journal to your body as you sat with your knees on the mattress

“Did Yaoyoroza put you up to this? I— I already told her it’s n-not worth worry-ING! UUHhhhHhh (Y/N)!! Y-Your, uhh— I!” He slaps a hand over his eyes and runs himself to his closet, blindly grabbing what seems to be a pair of sweats and holding them out at you with a shaking hand.

“W-What’s this?” You ask, eyes widening when you look down at your legs to see what made him react like that. A tear along the back side of your shorts had begun to spread from; The tight material usually form-fits itself around your “thicker” thighs and buttocks, but you must have caught them on your stool when sliding down and off it. (You’re short, so just stepping off high barstools will never happen).

“Th-Thank you!” You squeal, snatching the material out of his hands and slipping them on, and to your surprise— they fit! Even around your wider hips, tho your waist wasnt much smaller than his, the hem hanging a bit low, exposing about an inch of your lower torso(upper pelvis/low tummy and hipbone area).

“Is it okay now?” Midoriya asked. He looked so cute with his hand over his eyes, the prominent blush now being observed and imprinted in your mind.

You couldn’t help but reach out to touch his face, wanting to trace your fingers across every freckle that sprinkled across his person. Though, before you could reach his skin, he peeked through the cracks of his fingers; The heat becoming unbearable, and now your own body felt hot.

“(Y/N)...” He spoke softly, as if he was realizing something, removing his hand slowly. You were frozen in front of him; both visibly trembling, both staring into the eyes of your crush, both anxiously determining the next step.

You gulped harshly as he took in your appearance, subconsciously licking his lips as his eyes met the harsh grip your teeth had on your bottom lip, stepping forward and —without warning— he swept a strand of hair out of your face, both hands cupping underneath your jawline, and pulled your bodies together by gently tugging you forward and planting a slightly wet, deep kiss on your lips.

Your initial reaction was to freak out, but for some reason his warm hands kept you from falling apart. With your knees buckling, you grab the collar of his shirt, and almost fall into him— But his right hand steadied you, his calloused fingers pressing into your barely exposed lower back a bit, your bodies now insepedable as he continues to kiss you slowly but so deeply you thought he had some type of soul-sucking Quirk that happens when he kisses people.

After what felt like a life time, though it must have been 2 minutes, his lips leave yours. The absence of his mouth leaves you with a pout, but when your eyes flutter open you find he has a sweetest look in his eyes as he worriedly furrows his brows.

“S-Sorry, was that o-okay?” He asked, neither of you moving an inch.

“Does that mean yo-you like me?”

He chuckles, making your heart flutter. “I’ve been in love with you since the day I met you, (Y/N).”

HNNNNGGF I HOPE U LIKEd THIS I KNOW IT WASNT EVERYTHING U ASKED FOR BUT AKAOXOISOSD

[frauleinjustice]

Saiou Day Prompt!

Hey everyone! Happy Saiou Day!! ☆ I just had to do something for them, so I wrote a short one shot... 

For a quick summary, Shuichi and Kokichi are older adults here. After helping out a client, Shuichi was given two tickets for a week long stay at a ryokan inn! He invites Kokichi, and they have a soft moment in the onsen, and later tonight as well...

Now I hope you guys enjoy and thank you very much for giving it a read, if you do! ♥ 

A week long stay at a ryokan inn: it was what the wealthy client Shuichi helped in a big case offered him as thanks. While it was a rather luxurious inn, it still had a traditional look to it. The rooms had comfy futons, and the balcony allowed one to get a great view of the zen garden and onsen baths. Shuichi was given two tickets, so he could bring one more person with him. The person he asked first, and his priority choice: was Kokichi. Shuichi was admittedly nervous at first if Kokichi couldn’t make it when he called him to ask, since the other had been out of the country recently… but thankfully, Kokichi was already back in Japan by then. And with his surprising arrival, came along to the inn with Shuichi. As soon as they had settled in their room, ate dinner and everything, he practically dragged Shuichi to the hot springs, since no one was out there this late.

 The heat of the water combined with the cold night breeze, combined with the starry sky and mountains and forest in the background, made for an overall fantastic view and relaxing atmosphere. Slowly, the detective could feel the stress and tension of long and busy work days seeping out of him, uttering a hum in content as he closes his eyes. "This feels so nice... thanks again for wanting to come along with me, Ouma-kun. ...Even if you nearly gave me a heart attack with how you suddenly appeared."

"Nishishi! It was so funny! Saihara-chan screamed so loud, I thought he was going to crash his car!” Kokichi snickers, beaming a smile. “So close..."

"Wh-What’s supposed to mean! My car was already parked, anyway... and if you suddenly saw a creepy face appear in your car mirror, thinking you were alone in there: yeah, I think anyone would be pretty startled! I still can't believe you hid on the floor of the backseat the entire ride, and I somehow never noticed..."

"Well of course you didn't notice: I'm the Ultimate Supreme Leader, after all. How else will I be able to succeed in eventually assassinating you if I can't even hide myself that well, hmm? I only spared your life this time because you invited me here, Saihara-chan..." 

"Whatever you say, Former Ultimate Supreme Leader." Despite the snarky remark, there was fondness in Shuichi's tone. Over the years since they've graduated from Hope's Peak together, the two became even closer. Even if there were times they couldn't talk in a while, with Shuichi being busy with cases and Kokichi having objectives to do outside the city: they still kept in touch by phone. This would be the first time in a long while that the two would be able to spend time together without their jobs getting in the way. It made Shuichi happy.... And in turn, the fact he was going to be spending a week here with Shuichi, made Kokichi’s heart race.

Exchanging the occasional comment or two aside, the boys were quiet as they enjoyed the onsen. Comforting silence in the presence of someone he liked, someone he trusted: for the former supreme leader, it was the best kind of feeling. He didn't have to put a guard up around Shuichi: he could just feel truly relaxed, without a care in the world. The bath also helped to relax Kokichi, who was normally out and about, so he hardly ever had the time to actually rest. He almost forgot how nice it felt when your body isn’t tense all the time, and allow the bath to mentally and physically sooth you. And to be able to do so with his beloved, no less.  "........" After a while, he breaks the silence. "Ne, Saihara-chan..." He begins, looking towards him. "...Why was I your priority choice? To invite here..." Even if he was sure why, something in him wanted to hear the answer from Shuichi, himself. After all, he thinks to himself: Shuichi has a lot of friends… many other choices he figured he would’ve picked first.

"Hm?" Shuichi gives a curious head tilt at that. "You're surprised? Well... it's because I have the most fun when I spend time with you, Ouma-kun. I...missed spending time with you." 

"......" The look on Kokichi's face is blank, yet the look in his eyes brightened, cheeks turning a light pink. "Saihara-chan... has the most fun with me. And he...missed hanging out with me. Ah..." Hearing the answer he  wanted to, made Kokichi much happier than he expected it to. "Shumai..." They were already sitting close to each other, but now Kokichi goes to scoot even closer until he was leaning against Shuichi’s shoulder. "...I missed spending time with you, too. And... whenever I have to leave the country for a long while, I miss Saihara-chan. It makes me really happy when he calls me, and texts me goodnight whenever it's nighttime in one of our timezones..." To be this willingly honest as he speaks... it was the kind of thing he would have struggled with much harder as a teenager. But overtime, and towards Shuichi: it was easier, and wanted him to know that.

"Ouma-kun..." Shuichi's cheeks turn a light pink, eyes looking down at him. A warm smile then appears on his face, before he leans against Kokichi in return. "Of course... I always like to make sure you're okay out there. It relieves me when knowing so..." Then an amused smile appears on his face. "...And to make sure you didn't end up getting yourself arrested. I'm a bit too busy to be flying out to bail you out... unless you deserved it." 

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, huh?" He snickers, sitting back up straight so he could lightly tickle Shuichi's sides. "Getting sassy with me!"

"E-Ehehe, I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" He giggles, playfully swatting Kokichi's hands away. It makes Kokichi laugh even more in turn, finding that bright smile and laugh of Shuichi's so endearing. Everything about his beloved, he found so endearing... 

After they were done in the onsen, they changed into yukata robes and headed back to their room to get ready for bed. “The onsen was nice, wasn’t it? I feel so much more relaxed, I might just make this ryokan my new secret base.”

“You’re sure doing a great job at doing the actual “secret” part, Ouma-kun...” He jokes with a poke to his cheek, making Kokichi giggle. Their beds were pushed right against each other, almost looking as if it was just one big bed they were sharing together. “Though… I’m glad you enjoyed the onsen: I did, too. And to think we’ll be able to enjoy all this for the rest of the week…”

“Right? You know, my subordinates were practically begging me to accept your invitation on that night you called me, Saihara-chan. So annoying!” His tone was playful, showing he didn’t really mean that. “But I trust my subordinates: I know they’ll be fine without their boss there for a week.” Not to mention they just wanted their boss to be happy, spending this vacation with the person he loves. It made a warm smile appear on his face for a moment. He truly loved DICE, not knowing what he’d do without his precious family. 

“Hehe… you have a nice organization, Ouma-kun. I’m sure they wanted their wonderful boss to enjoy himself, as thanks for all he does for them.” He hums, smiling gently at him.

“Ah…” Flustered, Kokichi looks downward with a small whine, blushing softly. “Sh...Shumai’s always saying cheesy things out of nowhere. Geez…” He was embarrassed, but it did make him happy to hear. That even Shuichi thinks of him as a great leader…

“Ehehe, I-I mean it, though! You work very hard all the time, Ouma-kun. You deserve to just relax yourself like this… and I’ll make sure it’ll be worth it: we’ll have lots of fun during our vacation.”

“Nishishi…. Thanks, Saihara-chan. I don’t have to worry if you’ll uphold to that promise, since.. No matter what we do, or where we are: I always have fun, if it’s with my favorite detective.”

“Ouma-kun…” Now Shuichi’s cheeks were growing a shade of red, a soft giggle leaving him. “Well then I’m glad…. My favorite supreme leader.” A yawn leaving him, Shuichi was going to say goodnight… but instead, he grows silent. “.......” He suddenly looks nervous, and Kokichi can see it. 

“Saihara-chan…?” 

“Um… I was just wondering if… s-since our beds are so close, anyway… if you’d like to, u-um…” Eyes darting around nervously, he gives a small exhale. “C...Come even closer and ah...cuddle….” He whispers the last word, almost inaudibly. 

“.....!” Kokichi’s eyes widen for a moment, before a small laugh leaves him. “Hmm, I don’t know… do I?” But before Shuichi can respond, the smile on Kokichi’s face grows before he quickly scoots much closer to Shuichi, wrapping his arms around him. “Just kidding! Of course I’d want to, if it’s with Shumai.”

“H...Hehe…” Shuichi instantly wraps his arms around Kokichi in turn, emitting a happy sigh as he starts nuzzling him. He’s so happy he asked: the other feels so warm in his arms. “You’re so warm.. I like it. “ He brings a hand up to gently comb it through Kokichi’s hair, loving how smooth it felt in between his fingers. 

Kokichi gives a small content hum in response, closing his eyes to fully indulge in this as he nuzzles Shuichi back. He buries his face in Shuichi’s chest, feeling his heart pounding harder. He was also going to ask if they could cuddle, but he grew too nervous; so he was glad Shuichi asked him, instead. Just being snug in Shuichi’s arms like this… it’s what he always wanted. He feels safe in them, comfortable in them… and loved in them, too. For a moment, the thought of kissing him crossed his mind. “......” His eyes find themselves staring back up at Shuichi, who in turn looks down at Kokichi. “Shumai….”

“Ouma-kun…” For a moment, they got lost in each other’s eyes. Even if they weren’t saying anything right now, they could practically hear their hearts bouncing around loudly in their chests. The hand that was stroking Kokichi’s hair, was now caressing his cheek gently with his thumb. Deep down, they both couldn’t ignore it: the heavy tension in the air, the growing desire to be with each other. Maybe it was that, and maybe it was the overall heat of the moment: that Shuichi found himself starting to lean in closer to Kokichi’s face. It’s just before their lips touch, does he pause. “...May I….?”

He nuzzles Shuichi’s hand when he started caressing his cheek. And  when seeing the other starting to lean in, his breath hitches. So much was happening at once… everything he desired so badly. “.......” A small exhale to calm the pounding in his chest, he whispers the softest: “Yes.”

“Then…” Shuichi would go to finally close the distance between them, pressing his lips gently against his as both of their eyes slowly come to a close. He utters a content hum at how soft the other’s lips felt, continuing to caress his cheek slowly with his thumb.

Kokichi’s heart bounces in his chest when their lips met, sighing happily into the kiss. He leans in some more to deepen it, a hand making its way up into Shuichi’s hair to comb through it. When they break away, their lips are still very close. “...Again.” Is what he whispers before he plants his lips against Shuichi’s. 

Pulling Kokichi even closer to him, he happily indulges into the kiss once more. And even after that one, they kissed each other again, and again, and again. Long, deeper kisses, with soft pecks and pants in between… each kiss they gave each other, they poured all their love into it. It’s when they really do need to catch their breath, do they fully break away. Their faces are heated, pants are shaky and frantic…. And the look they give each other, was clouded with even more love and adoration for the other. “That… was nice… kissing Ouma-kun felt… really nice….”

“Sh...Shumai’s really nice to kiss, too. I want… I want to kiss and cuddle with you every night. I’ve always wanted to, with you, Saihara-chan…” He cups Shuichi’s cheeks in his hands. “That’s fine with you, right? Saiha….Shuichi…?”

“...!” His eyes widen at the use of his first name, and his cheeks darken even worse….but immediately, a loving smile appears on his face, giving a small nod. “Of course it is….Kokichi… since, since I… love you, after all. I love you…”

“Ahh….” Kokichi finds himself burying his face in Shuichi’s chest once more, letting out a small whine. “Sh...Shuichi’s g-going to kill me. My beloved really is trying to murder me… h-hehe….” Then after a small pause…. Kokichi looks up at him, with what would be… the warmest, happiest smile that Shuichi has even seen on him. “....I love you, too, Shuichi. For a long time, I have, my beloved….” 

The confession, and that smile, makes Shuichi’s heart so warm. “....You as well, Kokichi…..” He mumbles, before giving a forehead a soft kiss. A small yawn leaving him, he snuggles Kokichi closer into his arms once more. “...Let’s have a nice sleep, now. I’m looking forward to spending the rest of this vacation with you. With my...boyfriend….”

“Boyfriend… yeah: I’m… Shumai’s boyfriend, now….” Even just uttering it makes him feel giddy. “Hehehe… yep! That’s right! I want to check out more of this inn, explore the nearby town, have another onsen bath with you… I want to have lots of fun with Shuichi!!” He giggles, beaming. A yawn also leaving him, Kokichi gets nice and snug in Shuichi’s arms, whispering: “...Goodnight, my beloved. …And thank you: for inviting me here. This was already the best night of my night! And that is not a lie. Nishishi~!”

“Haha... you’re so cute...” He hums, rubbing small circles in his back. “...I’m happy to hear that, though, Kokichi. And thank you in turn for wanting to come with me. You’re already making this vacation worth it. And yeah… we’ll make sure to do all that. Now have a great sleep, Kokichi. Goodnight… I love you…” And eventually, the two drift off to sleep, in each other’s arms.

[chequeredwhitpost]

🔮 Hidden Magic! 🔮 💙💙Douxie X Oc💙💙

>>>>

Oc=  Spencer.

>>>>

“DOUXIE!” I shout, jumping onto his back. 

He fumbles forward, almost falling over, but I use my magic to post him back on his feet. He laughs and looks over at me. 

“Hi~!” I chirp.

He laughs and sets me down on the ground.

“Good morning, Fair Lady Spencer.” He does a polite bow. 

I do a polite curtsy. We look at each other and laugh. 

“Anyways!” I punch the air, “Do you wanna go with me to the woods? I have an enchanted bottle and there’s a storm coming. I thought ‘what the hell, let’s get a storm in a bottle.’ You wanna help?” 

I smirk at him, trying to sway him into saying yes. 

“Oh, I really wish I could, but Merlin’s having me run errands for him right now. It’s all right here, on his list.” 

Douxie pulls out a list… and when he unrolls it, it uncurls down to my feet. I drop my jaw, shifting my weight onto one foot. 

“That’s a lot of errands.” 

“Tell me about it.” Douxie groans. 

I bite my lip while in thought. 

“Hey! What if I help you with the chores to help speed things along?” 

“You’d really help me?” 

“Of course! That’s what friends are for!” 

Douxie turns his head and lets out a nervous chuckle--- not sure why, though. I snatch the list out of his hand and take a look. 

‘Cobweb shreds,

Dragon blood,

Toad stew,

Mermaid tears,

Wolf teeth,

Peacock feathers,

Crow toe,

Star dust?’

“What kind of a list is this?” I stress.

“Potion ingredients mostly. That’s why there’s so much.” 

“Oh. Right. You wizards and your potions, haha!” 

“Ok, ok. Just because you don’t have magic doesn’t mean you can tease us who do.” Doux crosses his arms, smirking. 

“Oh you.”

He takes back the list. 

“Alright! Helping out!” 

“Wait, are you still sure? You might miss the storm if you help me out.” 

I wave my hand through the air like I don’t care. Even though I do. 

“Pffft! I would much rather spend time with you doing something boring, than doing something cool and experiencing it alone. Make sense?”

“Yes. But if you’re sure, then ok. Come on, the next on the list is Ecto-goop.” 

“Ecto-goop!!” I howl. 

He playfully rolls his eyes and drags me along by my wrist. I laugh and follow his lead. 

>>>>>

“Ok! Last one on the list!” 

I peek over his shoulder and read it.

“Butter?” I snort. 

“Why BUTTER??” 

“You’d be surprised how badly some potions need that buttery feel to them.” 

He winks at me. 

I nudge him in the arm with my elbow. 

“Ok, mister ‘Buttery Feel’. Where do we get it?”

“The cooking market. Duh.” 

“Oh. Right. Hehe.” My shoulders slump. 

He leads me to the cooking market, where we approach a blue and silver stand. I light up upon recognizing the maiden at the counter. 

I slam my hands down on the counter and lean in closer, excited. 

“Pat!! What are you doing here? I didn’t know you got another job!!” I squeal.

She bolts up, startled by my energy. 

Once she sees that it’s just me, though, she eases up.

“It’s just you,” She sighs, “Hello, Spencer.” 

She weakly waves to me, before spotting Douxie at my side. 

“And you? Wow. I’m just running into everyone today.”

“What’s at’ mean?” I ask.

“You aren’t the first one to bubble by today. Reed came by, too. And Jade. And Mike. And Joe. And on and on.” 

“Lacking enthusiasm as always, ey, Pat?” Douxie jokes. 

But in response, Pat glares at him, not appreciating his humor. I laugh off the tension and lean my body against the counter. 

“Ok, Pat, babe,--”

“Don’t call me that.” 

“OK. Pat, my friend. We need butter.” 

“Lots of butter.” Notes Douxie. 

Pat sighs, “How many pounds?” 

Douxie shrugs, “Like… five?” 

“Fine. That’ll be nine gold coins.” 

NINE GOLD???

“Geeze! Why so expensive?”

“Butter is getting harder to come by. Whales, you know?” 

Pat turns around to a bucket behind her. She fills it with just pure, sloppy butter. She brings it to the counter and Douxie grumbles, trading the bucket for nine gold coins. 

I make the mistake of peeking into the bucket. I instantly recoil in disgust.

“That does NOT look like butter.” I gag.

“You have to process it first for eating. Duh.”

“This is how wizards use it.” Informs Douxie.

“Then damn, I feel sorry for you. Having to touch THAT. Gross.” 

I shiver in disgust. Shaking my head, we bid Pat a goodbye, and walk away. 

“Where to now?” 

“Merlin’s tower. Need to drop everything off. After that, I’m off for the day, and we can go do the storm in the bottle-- or whatever.”

“Sweet!” I hug him really quick and we get going. 

>>>>

(Merlin’s Tower)

>>>>

We ‘burst’ through the door dramatically and announce our presences. 

“Hisirdoux has returned!” Douxie rallies. 

I enter beside him and smile.

“Don’t forget about me!” I pop. 

Merlin turns to face us and folds his hands together nicely behind his back. He walks this way as we enter into the room further, Douxie being greeted by his familiar-- Archie. 

I help Doux lay out all the list’s ingredients on the wooden round table, but there’s so much that it’s pretty hard to keep it all there. Once we’re done, I step back and come face to face with Merlin, while Douxie has a conversation (/scolding) with Archie. 

Merlin hums, staring into my soul and very being. I instantly feel a layer of dread come over me. 

“U-Uh, hi? Sir?” 

“Yes… hello.” He says, starting to circle me… like a bird. 

Um, creepy much?

“Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Merlin??” 

“No. Not really. Just checking something I thought might be relevant to a vision I had.”

“And that would be?” I ask.

“Well I can’t tell you, now can I? That would ruin the fabrication of the vision!” 

“Ok. Douxie?” 

The young wizard turns to look back at me.

I gesture with my thumb towards the door.

“Ready to get going?” 

“Yeah! Just about!” 

“And where do you two think you’re going?” Archie interviews. 

“Give us a break, Arch! We’re going out!” 

“Well then I’m coming with you!” Archie declares. 

“Ugh…” Douxie groans.

Archie bonks him on the head.

“Who else do you expect to keep an eye on two teenagers? You might do anything!” 

I blush a bright beet red.

“ARCH!!” 

“Relax I was only kidding. Oh, but I am still coming.” 

“UGH…!” 

>>>>>

End Chapter One ;>

[yeosanqtuary]

with u - pt. 9

☆ - list of chapters

☆ - all content are fictional.

“yeah, night,”

--

that morning, the four friends all left the house together under the constant nagging of seonghwa who had insisted that they go to school together on their ‘first day’ as roommates. 

yeosang hadn’t came to greet him yet, so he was expecting some kind of a surprise. something that would make san mentally shout, “stop scaring the heck out of me!”.

he wasn’t really looking forward to that. the only thing he was looking forward to was to perhaps have another wave of pain so he could finally find his soulmate. 

he decided to start now, on the streets as they were walking to school. 

“hey, hongjoong hyung. can you say yunho?” he nudged hongjoong. who was just standing beside him. “yunho? why?”

“nothing, just trying to see something,” he waited for a few seconds, then it was up to a minute, two minutes, three minutes... did he have a condition too? or maybe it’s not yunho. yes, that must be it. if he had a condition, yeosang would tell him in the first place, right?

“hyung, can you say mingi now?” he nudged hongjoong again and this time he answered without asking. kids these days... trying to find your soulmate like this...

san waited again and did not give up after waiting for five minutes. 

“who else is there...” he pondered, knitting his brows together. 

“don’t you have other friends?” seonghwa asked.

“um...” san treid his best to recall the other names he had seen from the virtual information board. he could’ve pulled it up right now and asked either of them to say out their names, but sadly he didn’t know how. he blames this on yeosang for not telling him the essentials.

information board!

virtual screen!

open seseame!

none of those worked, unfortunately. 

“you really have no friends?” seonghwa asked again. 

“a-ah, no, i’m just thinking of who would be more suitable for me, haha,” san replied awkwardly, his hand going up to rub his nape. he racked his brain again, trying to recall a random name.

“ah! moon taeil! from that, that uh...” he shut his eyes tight, gathering all of his concentration to remember which hecking class this moon taeil guy was from. 

“he’s a senior, class 3A,” hongjoong finished his sentence and patted san’s back. “you don’t have to search like this. what’s the rush? just sit back and enjoy single life before it ends,” he casually said, all this while holding onto seonghwa’s pinky. 

“what? hearing you say this... are you already tired of me?” seonghwa had leaned into his side, intertwined their hands and looked deeply into his eyes. hongjoong was embarrassed and was quick to explain himself. “i-i’m not! i just t-think that san would be someone who cherishes single life,”

wooyoung covered his mouth and giggled sneakily, but san had seen all of it. he smiled at the couple and placed his arm around him, the other tucked away into his pocket. wooyoung flinched a little from the sudden contact and kept his eyes on the ground. 

“how about you? do you want to find your soulmate soon?”

“mhm, i-i do, but...” he started to fiddle with his thumbs–something he would do when he was nervous or uncertain. “b-but i think they wouldn’t like me very much. i d-don’t think i deserve one,”

“wooyoung-ah, you’ve done nothing wrong! you most certainly deserve someone’s love and attention. if i must say, your soulmate doesn’t deserve you,” san comforted, moving his arm down to pat his back. “cheer up, woo,” he raised his other arm up from the warmth of his pocket and gently pinched wooyoung’s cheeks, warming up his fingers once again. and his heart too, maybe. 

wooyoung’s heart started to race. this contact was a little... too close? no one had ever done this to him, since he was always alone most of the time, or surrounded with people who were just using him to climb the reputation ladder. 

a certain someone who was standing a meter away from the two was snickering in his mind. it was just too funny to hear that last sentence from san. that, “your soulmate doesn’t deserve you,” sentence. as someone who can predict soulmates as accurate as the bus arrival timing system, this is kinda entertaining, but at the same time agonising to watch. 

imagine having to watch the pining of two oblivious sooulmates...

--

“h-hello, everyone. my name is kang yeosang. please take care of me,” angel boy has finally showed himself, standiong at the front of homeroom class, but looking like... a girl?

is this yeosang or nah?

yeosang, do you copy? am i looking at you in class right now? or am i just trppin’ and should’ve heard kang yeoja or ???

choi san, i’m gonna drop your ass right now.

ah, okay –. so this is really yeosang!

“okay, let’s see, who had an empty seat?” 

“i do! here, yeosang!” an entirely enthusiastic mingi waved his hands around violently, trying to get yeosang’s attention. san snickered, whilst yeosang looked over to observe yunho’s reaction. it was... bland. lack of taste. too unexciting. 

was he really unbothered? listening to jongho’s rants, he was quite active in flirting with mingi. perhaps he was just holding back?

“okay! mingi it is. would you also please show yeosang around?”

“yes-”

“sorry sir, but can he bring me instead?” he asked politely, also politely pointing to san. 

“a-ah, if that’s what you want. are you okay with it, san?”

“totally. absolutely. would gladly show him around,” he replied, smirking at yeosang and earning a few curses back. meanwhile mingi was frozen, holding his hand and face in the same position and expression until yeosang came to his seat. 

“san’s gonna bully you for sure! no kidding! he’s like a two-faced smelly, poopy demon!” mingi whined, stomping his foot on the floor. 

“shut up, mingi! you’re better off with me during lunch,” yunho retaliated, shouting across the class.

“hmph! meanie yunho,” he crossed his arms and puffed up his cheeks, trying to act cute. ah, this is the bullshit you have to deal with everyday in homeroom. welcome to school, yeosang!

thank you, kind sir.

yeosang didn’t forget to observe yunho’s reactions all this while. he was smiling now and didn’t look as uninteresting as before. his cheeks had more colour this time, too. maybe he was blushing. great! they just need a little push. 

after homeroom was another two periods before lunch–history and chemistry. san would get to see wooyoung in both classes! he went up a level to wooyoung’s homeroom class, where history was held. 

wooyoung was speaking to his homeroom teacher, so his back was faced to the entrance, where san was standing. 

his indicator isn’t brown. he did a mental @ to yeosang. 

[whispering to @/choisan] and?

...and it means his soulmate isn’t near. it might really be one of the neighbours...

[whispering to @/dumbchoisan] lol. u’ll jst hafta wait n c

can you stop with this bullshit? just speak normally, stop sending those pop-up texts like we’re in a pc game!

okay, okay, sorry san. geez. 

san sighed, deciding to indulge himself in his sad thoughts. 

he knows he shouldn’t completely trust wooyoung’s faulty indicator, but he just can’t help but think of the unimagineable. what if, that night they return home and the first thing he sees is his indicator turning brown?

san would really cry. 

no, but... it isn’t like he’s attached to him or something. he just finds him cute, that’s all. nothing else. it’s not like he likes him...

“hey, san. jungwoo asked me to switch places with him,” it was wooyoung, who was currently setting his things on the table beside san’s. he settled down after arranging his things, 

“i-i’ve never said you can sit,” 

“then where else should i sit?”

san looked around the crowded room. there were a few empty desks right at the back of the class, but they were dusty as heck. not good. 

“here, then,” he sighed and got out his books for the lesson. 

the teacher hadn’t arrived and wooyoung laid his head on the table, maybe deciding to take a short nap. he didn’t really get enough sleep last night in the new environment. plus, san had constantly invaded his thoughts, making it harder to fall asleep.

seeing that wooyoung had laid down, a playful idea slipped into his mind. 

he laid his head on the table too and faced wooyoung, staring at his head. more specifically, observing the way his hair was wavy and shiny. it looked super silky and smooth that one wouldn’t even need to touch it to know that it’s smooth. 

he kept on observing for what seemed like forever, but was actually a few minutes before wooyoung had turned his head to the left, facing san. 

wooyoung’s eyes were still closed. san silently wowed at the length of his eyelashes, pushing down the urge to touch them.

a few strands of hair on the crown of his head had rose due to the wind, making it look like there was a small weed growing on the top of his head. his cheeks were squished together, making his lips look plumper(?) and more attractive than usual, as if it was inviting san to place a kiss on it. 

“alright, class! sorry for the delay! i was held up by...”

san ignored every other voice and continued observing–no, admiring–wooyoung’s face. 

wooyoung, on the other hand, had started to stir in his sleep. 

san smiled and watched as wooyoung’s eyes fluttered open slowly. they made eye contact, but he didn’t really seem shocked that he was greeted by san’s gaze immediately. or rather, it felt like he had expected for it to happen and was anticipating for it. 

“our lovely choi san and wooyoung, good morning, both of you!” the teacher’s loud, gruff voice brought the both of them back into reality. san had raised his head and looked around, cracking his stiff neck in the process. everyone had their eyes on them and he couldn’t help but blush. 

he stood up awkwardly, rubbing his nape. he turned sideways slightly to observe wooyoung’s reaction and coincidently, wooyoung was facing him, too. he immediatey turned away in panic, feeling dumb, embarrassed and awkward. 

what have i done???

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